Goat-Milk
We’re huge fans of Goat-Milk here at Babyccino Kids. We really like the simple aesthetics of the collection and the strong ethics behind the brand (organic, pre-washed cotton and fair trade production). Besides that, the tailoring of the pieces is just beautiful — the fit is absolutely amazing!
I recently got a few pieces from the summer collection for my kids (like this pointelle tank in a gorgeous ‘pale cloud’ colour and the cotton henley in ‘curry’), and again, Goat-Milk didn’t fail to impress. The items are delicate but strong, and will be enjoyed over and over by my kids, all four of them!
xxx Esther
PS The photo above is of my kids wearing their striped Goat-Milk pyjamas (thermal tops and bottoms). Courtney reviewed them before here – I just love that photo of her kids in those pyjamas!
Little Bird by Jools Oliver
I know I’m a bit late to be announcing it here, especially as the collection is now in its second season, but… Jools Oliver, the gorgeous mother of four and wife of the fabulous Jamie Oliver, has collaborated with the UK high street shop, Mothercare, to create a really wonderful, sweet collection called Little Bird.
Jools recently sent over some Little Bird pieces for the girls, and I’m in love with everything! The vintage feeling of the pieces, the fun, bright colours, the sweet little details… The collection reminds me of my own childhood – retro and innocent.
I love the timeless baby collection (how cute is this gingham bubble bodysuit?! Marlow is wearing it in the photo above!) and the colourful boys and girls collections. And I must point out, it’s all very affordably priced as well! Go, Jools Oliver, go!!
Little Bird is sold exclusively for Mothercare, available in store or online here.
xx Courtney
Cute, handcrafted espadrilles from Slowers
How cute are these espadrilles from the Spanish brand, Slowers!! Ivy and I recently got a pair of matching ones (see photo) in the mosaic print and they are so fun — I’m not sure which one of us loves them more!
I like that they’ve taken the traditional Spanish espadrilles and have given them a bit of a modern twist with the fun prints and colours…
Slowers is a small brand inspired by slow and rural life. They believe in creating shoes which are both natural, cool and comfortable, ideal for long summer walks in nature. They make espadrilles for men, women and children, and they’re all handcrafted in Spain and made from organic cotton and 100% natural jute fibres. (If you’re interested, you can read some interesting bits about the history of espadrilles here.)
x Courtney
Mason and the Tambourine (leggings for boys!)
I love the look of leggings on little boys, and these ones, by new Californian brand Mason and the Tambourine, I just couldn’t resist! All the leggings by Mason and the Tambourine are handmade in California out of an excellent quality, organic cotton (with 10% lycra jersey for stretch) and printed with non-toxic, water-based soy ink.
On a side note, when I was taking these photos of Casper, I suddenly realised he was 7 months old this week! Still so little, but at the same time he’s getting so big. He is the most delightful little boy, always smiling at everyone, super snuggly, chatting and laughing out loud when we play with him. He now sits at the table with us, in his high chair, and is loving it. We’re so lucky to have him with us!
xxx Esther
Juniorbeads necklaces
I’m a big fan of the Chewbeads new line of necklaces and bracelets for children called juniorbeads. Elodie is in love with the glow in the dark necklace and bracelet and always puts it outside in the morning for a charge. They are stylish and also double as a brilliant toy for teething babies. So clever!
x Elizabeth
A Fairy Princess Party
It was Ivy’s birthday yesterday and she had a few friends over after school to help her celebrate. I have decided to embrace the girly princess stage she’s in right now, and so we had a proper Fairy Princess Party complete with lots of princess dresses, pink balloons… and fairy wings!
I didn’t plan any games for them to play — I simply let them dress up and run around the garden. It’s amazing what fun they can have with some simple balloons and some imaginative play. (And it helps that the weather was nice enough for them to be outside.)
The fairy wings were a big success! The girls loved ‘flying’ around the garden with them, and it was a special thing for them to take home from the party (rather than a goodie bag or party favours).
You can buy the fairy wings from Belle Enfant — they are handmade in metallic gold fabric and have soft elastic straps to keep them in place. So cute and really such a big hit with the 4-year-old girls!
x Courtney
La Coqueta, timeless clothing made in Spain
La Coqueta is a new London-based boutique with a gorgeous collection of clothing and shoes from Spain. I stopped into the boutique last week and was blown away by all the lovely details of the shop (see the clever window display below!) and of course the beautiful, timeless pieces in the collection. From the sweet cotton knitwear collection for babies to the adorable smock dresses for girls, and the smart shirts for boys to the colourful range of shoes.
I picked up the most gorgeous little outfit for Marlow (see below) as well as this sweet dress for Ivy. What struck me most was the price point – quite reasonable considering how elegant everything is. I suppose, in that regard, it’s in keeping with traditional Spanish clothing: it is affordable, timeless clothing kids can wear to a party as well as to the playground. Because, from what I know from my travels to Spain, there is no distinction between playground and party wear. Spanish children are always well dressed.
If you live in London, it’s definitely worth a visit to the boutique. And if you don’t live in London, you can shop their collection online.
x Courtney
Sweet prints from Tapete
So sweet, these simple (but strong!) graphics by Dutch company Tapete. I’ve known Judith Vulkers, the owner and designer, for a few years now, and she is as lovely and down-to-earth as her designs are. It’s not easy to create simple, strong and straight-forward prints for t-shirts that stay stylish and cute at all times, but Judith always succeeds!
Tapete designs are printed on great quality shirts — some in a soft, velvety flock; some in wonderful, funky neon colours — whatever emphasises the atmosphere of the print most. The shirts and prints truly stay in great shape, wash after wash after wash, and have a darling, snug fit.
I love Casper’s Tapete elephant shirt (see photo above)! And for the summer, I think I just can’t resist that yellow tractor tee — too cute!
Check for Tapete dealers here — or find a good selection at Milly Mog and Love It Love It Love It.
xxx Esther
Hunter Boots
When you live in the UK, rain boots are serious business. They aren’t just an accessory for the odd rainy day, but a necessity year round. Even at the children’s schools they’re required to have a pair of wellies on hand for wet, rainy days… which means that all of my children have a pair of wellies at home and a pair at school. I even have a few extra pairs in the back of our car! And of course my husband and I each have a pair as well.
Over the years I have bought many different pairs of wellies from many different brands and I’ve come to the conclusion that the Hunter boots are the best bang for your buck. They’re not the cheapest but the quality is really good. And unlike other boots which quickly get holes in the toes or soles, the Hunter boots have nice thick soles which are sturdy and which also provide good traction for slippery surfaces. Boots you can pass down from one child to the next!
Hunter recently sent a few pairs of boots for the kids from their colourful festival range, and as you can imagine – the kids love the fun, bright colours. (Ivy hasn’t taken her pink pair off in three days!) I keep catching a glimpse of the colourful boots in our back hall and it really does brighten things up around here.
x Courtney
Angulus shoes
Angulus is a luxury Danish shoe brand I have become familiar with in the past few years. I’ve spotted the brand at some of my favourite children’s shops in London — Hop Like A Bunny, Notsobig and Kidsen — but I’ve never bought a pair of the shoes… until recently. I got Ivy a pair of sandals (these ones) and they’re really great, both cute and comfortable. (Angulus shoes are said to be as durable as they are trendy!)
I noticed they also make women’s shoes, and I’m in love with all the pretty sandals. I might just have to buy a pair of sandals to match Ivy (or is that really cheesy?! maybe I won’t match her exactly!).
x Courtney
New children’s necklaces from Gabriela Pardo
We have been long-time fans of Gabriela Pardo and her cool guitar pillows… so when she emailed to let us know about her new necklaces, we knew we’d love those too. She sent this one with bells and feathers for Ivy, and of course Ivy loves it. Such a fun, vibrant way to accessorise any outfit whether for normal wear or for dress-up.
x Courtney
Mon Marcel, lovely fashion from Spain
Don’t you love these easy and adorable summer pieces from Mon Marcel? Originating from Barcelona and inspired by the Mediterranean and Provence, all the Mon Marcel pieces excel in their simple, rich and clean lines. The beautiful, natural fabrics used and the great attention to detail add to the high quality and elegance of the collection. Cute!
Mon Marcel is available through Bibaloo.com.
xxx Esther
Cute tunics and dresses from Emerald August
I love the bright colours and bold prints on the tunics at Emerald August. Such happy pieces little girls will love to wear! (Laura from Emerald August sent this tunic dress for Ivy and you should have seen the excitement in opening the package – pink, purple and butterflies!! It doesn’t get better than that!!!).
Emerald August is an Atlanta-based company and each article of clothing is designed by Laura and made locally in the USA. You’ll find tunic tops, dresses and a collection of sweet graphic tees for the summer.
x Courtney
Tie-dye!
I totally remember tie-dying as a child — it was such fashion back then, and I remember how fun and exciting it was. You never really knew what the results were going to be like! So I picked up a packet of fabric dye from the local drugstore (there wasn’t much choice — I used Dylon dye for hand use, colour Ocean Blue), and a few simple, white cotton T-shirts for the kids (plus a onesie for Casper of course). After pre-washing the shirts, I wet the shirts (or you can just leave them wet after washing), and put the kids around the table with each a shirt to use and a bag of elastic bands. I explained some different folding techniques to them using this page, and we started! For Casper’s onesie, I made a big donut by creating a big rosette and pushing the tip back through the rubber band. For Ava’s shirt, we made a line of small rosettes which we tied together with one elastic band. Pim used the folding technique, making vertical folds and tying them at irregular intervals. As you can see he’s very pleased with the results. And Sara made random circles, bigger and small, which also gave a cool effect I think.
After tying the shirts, I prepared the dye in the kitchen sink and we submerged the shirts in the dye for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally with a big steel spoon. Then, I rinsed with cold water and let the kids untie their shirts with plastic gloves on. The excitement and surprise — they absolutely loved it! After a quick spin in the machine the shirts were ready to wear. With pride!
xxx Esther
INspiRaTiOns by la Girafe
With summer creeping up on us, I am suddenly in the mood for cute, colourful accessories — for my girls and for me! INspiRaTiOns by la Girafe is a French brand with an adorable collection of necklaces, hairclips and bracelets, just perfect in their simplicity and innocence.
I love the tiny details like little shells, beads, and neon accents. Summer!
xxx Esther
Silver Sense, clothing that’s kind to skin
I met up with my friend Lindsey from Urban Mums recently and she was telling me about (and showing me) her baby’s terrible eczema. Eczema so bad that his skin, at times, became infected and needed medical treatment. Poor little baby boy. It turns out he is allergic to dairy and gluten, and that feeding him a specially formulated baby milk free from these allergens will keep his eczema at bay. His eczema has thankfully mostly cleared up… but still, Lindsay has to be really picky about the clothing and fabrics her son wears so that his sensitive skin is never irritated. Enter Silver Sense clothing.
Silver Sense specialises in clothing which helps to ease the itching, inflammation and distress caused by eczema and other skin conditions in a natural way. Their clothes are made from soft cotton fabrics which are blended with real, natural silver fibres. I had no idea… but apparently silver fibres have powerful antimicrobial properties that help fight the symptoms of eczema and other skin conditions! How cool is that? (You can read more about it here.)
I love all their cute products, both for babies and children up to 8 years. Lots of fun stripes, and cute colour combos. And Lindsey says the products are really great in person, super cute and nice fitting… and yes, soothing on her baby’s skin. Brilliant!
x Courtney
Little Fashion Gallery Fashion Packs
I love this new idea that Little Fashion Gallery has come up with: Fashion Packs. If you buy several of the same items from their lovely Little Fashion Gallery label at the same time, you get a bulk buy discount. A bit like buying from Costco, but infinitely chicer!
- Emilie
Pretty spring dresses by Miller
I popped into Elias & Grace the other day for a ‘just to browse, not to shop’ kind of thing, and ended up walking out with a couple new spring dresses for Ivy. I couldn’t help it — the sun was shining (finally!) so spring was in the air, and the dresses were too cute to pass up. I thought this simple white cotton dress by Miller was the perfect thing for summer. Is there anything sweeter than a little girl in a white dress on a summer’s day? No way.
Now let’s hope the sun stays out and this long, cold winter is over!
x Courtney
Cute crochet toys & decorations from La De Dah Kids
La De Dah Kids is an Australian brand with the sweetest collection of crochet toys, accessories and decorations. Take a peek at their bean bags and crochet floor mats – how cool are they?! They also have the most adorable collection of hand rattles and soft toys. Marlow has this little striped monkey (below) and loves playing with it – each of its legs fit perfectly into her little hands.
They also have a fun collection of knitwear for kids – cute hats with colourful pompoms on top! So fun!
I was starting to think I was sick of knitwear after a long, cold winter… but these pieces from La De Dah are just so bright and fun. Love!
Little Hanbury, a shop for boys!
Do you find it hard to shop for your little boys? Don’t you find there is always so much more choice for little girls? Whenever I’m looking for something for my boy I get side tracked and end up buying something for my daughter instead! I have to say, the boys market is getting bigger and better with every passing season. Little Hanbury is a brand new online store dedicated to the world of boys – no more getting lost! Although, my daughter would look great in all the cute styles…
Seriously, Little Hanbury is for boys between the ages of 2 and 10, and it carries all of my favorite brands from around the world such as Tootsa MacGinty, Indikidual, Quenotte, Nico Nico – just to name a few. You’ll find a great variety of tees and bottoms as well as some really cool accessories and shoes. Sarah, the owner has impeccable taste and has put together a really nice selection- the colors are great and the style mix and match nicely. The website is fresh, simple and easy to navigate through – I’m sure you’ll find a few outfits in no time.
You might want to check their blog – it’s a great read and check out their Pinterest, it’s a favorite of mine when it comes to boy’s style.
Now I’m having a hard time just choosing a few items- my son might just have an awesome wardrobe this summer after all!
- Celina
