Rousskine Handmade Knit Dolls
I have fallen head over heals for these lovely handmade dolls by Rousskine, and to top it off they are made right here in my hometown Montreal! I just love the colors and the details, I love that the front and backs are so different and I love that they’re made from 100% cotton thread. Every doll has a name and a little story of their own. The animals in the image above are new to the collection and will be available in the Etsy store shortly. Also, I can’t wait for her baby blankets to be produced… imagine!
Discover more of Dominique’s dolls in her Etsy shop and follow her creative process on her blog. Now why I didn’t discover these before Christmas? There are always birthdays, right?
-Celina
Animal Stickers by Natalie Lété
I am at the end spurt of redecorating my girls bedroom! Yey! It has been a lot of fun, as they actually have a lot of opinions about how it should look. Last time I decorated their bedroom it was totally my taste and my decisions, now I have two little headstrong assistants who veto a lot of my ideas! One decision we all agreed on were the animal stickers by Natalie Lété. They are absolutely gorgeous and really appealed to the imagination of the girls. I have actually never used wall stickers before, as I was not sure that stickers would blend in with the rest of the room, but these ones look perfect!
- Emilie
Snow White Round Up
Have you seen all the advertisement for the two Brothers Grimm-inspired movies (Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman) yet? It made me want to watch the Disney classic with my kids, and so we did! Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was one of my favorite fairy tales growing up, it’s no wonder I felt a little inspired… Here’s a round up of some of my favorite Snow White-inspired goodies for the kids!
1.) Seven Dwarfs
2.) Snow White inspired dress
3.) Snow White doll
4.) hairpins
5.) yellow apple pillow
6.) blue dwarf
7.) vintage Snow White kid’s chair
8.) yellow embroidered slippers
9.) Snow White all over print dress
-Celina
Lambswool goodies from Sara Carr
How delightfully fun and colourful are all these little gems? Not to mention, super soft and cosy! They’re all hand-knitted from pure lambswool and made to order by Sara Carr (who also has a 10-month old baby girl! amazing! can you believe she has time for all this knitting?!). I love all the quirky little animals, and those pencil scarves are about as cool as it gets. All available to order from the Sara Carr Etsy shop.
x Courtney
Quilted name plaques from Sarah Strachan
Sarah Strachan is a talented lady. She first worked in film and TV as a puppet maker. (How cool is that?) After having her two kids she was looking for a way to work from her home in Devon, where she nowadays creates the most gorgeous dolls on commission, and makes beautiful name plaques for children which she sells in her Etsy boutique. Sarah made lucky Ava her own name plaque, and it’s absolutely beautiful. The name plaques are original paintings, all created by hand and stitched and quilted onto two layers of felted wool, and can have a Russian doll, pixy or fairy design. They are made with a lot of care and an amazing eye for detail. I think these pieces (of art!) will be a perfect gift for a newborn and will be treasured for ever.
Sarah also keeps a blog, where you can see some of her commissioned work (she just made some dolls wearing the miniature version of the spring collection from designers Dosa and Samantha Sung for the Cross Shop in London — how amazing is that?).
xxx Esther
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Happy Valentine’s Day! Hope your day is filled with lots and lots of love. xoxoxo
PS — Hearts print is from the Laura George Etsy shop along with loads of other cute prints. (I bought this print for Ivy’s room and it’s so cute! And Esther has this cool print and I was so in love with it I bought one for myself as well!)
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Wear your heart on your… pillow case!• All You Need is Love
• Happy Valentines Day!
Être et Avoir
If you have ever learned French, the conjugation of the verbs Être et Avoir must still be ingrained in your mind. They are the corner stone of the French language. This is why I love this massive room poster by the talented designers Ich&Kar. It looks so retro and great and is super practical too… in case you are ever in any doubt on how to conjugate a verb!
If you don’t speak French, I also like the multiplication poster which would be great for a kid’s room. In case of doubt your kids will just need to look up to figure out what 8×7 or 8×9 is! (Available from Smallable.)
- Emilie
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Cute Party Invites from Little Baby Company• Dallas Clayton’s Top Ten List
Potato Stamp Stars Organic Bedding
How fun is this Potato Stamp Stars bedding? Stars are such a great and versatile design, perfect for both modern or traditional decor styles, and I love how the potato stamp effect gives the star print a retro feeling. The bedding is certified organic cotton, printed to Oeko Tex standards… and is as cosy as can be. This duvet cover has the star print in cotton percale on one side and a blue, snuggly t-shirt material on the other side. It’s available from Quick Brown Fox of Dulwich along with other great bedding designs.
-Courtney
Children’s wallpaper from Hibou Home
Aren’t these wallpaper designs so stunning?! They’re part of the gorgeous collection of children’s wallpaper available at the newly launched Hibou Home. I have to admit that I’ve never been a wallpaper person before… but having seen these in the flesh, I’m seriously tempted to do up a wall in one of the kids’ rooms. The colours are so lovely and dusky, and the designs are playful but still sophisticated and suitable for older children. So… which design to choose?
x Courtney
Bu! Play blanket
My kids recently got a Little Red Stuga play blanket and it’s just awesome. What a cool design!! The idea is so simple, but as always with the simplest ideas there is a very talented mind behind it. In this case Little Red Stuga worked together with the lovely Elisabeth Dunker from the beautiful blog and boutique Fine Little Day, who designed the indian graphics. I love how the Bu! blanket doubles up as a comfort blanket and a pretend play dress-up device — and how it travels everywhere. So cool!
xxx Esther
Davina Zagury photography
If you’re looking for something truly special for your house, take a look at Davina Zagury’s website. She has a collection of beautiful still-life images with three main concepts. The first one is about the land of lost toys. Vintage toys, found at flea markets, second hand stores or in the garbage bin (!), make us wonder about the children that once treasured these toys, their home, their story, their life. The second series is about kitchen appliances. Not only are the objects so interesting and beautiful to look at, they also hold memories of our grandmother’s kitchens; they smell of home-made biscuits, chocolate cake, and warm milk. In the animals series that Davina created, little toy animals take centre stage and tell us a special story in which they play the main part.
xxx Esther
TinTin!
I read my boys (ages 6 and 4) their first Tintin book
The story behind Tintin is an interesting one. The first Tintin comic appeared in the children’s section of a Belgian newspaper in 1929. The series was so successful it was then published in Belgium’s leading newspaper, Le Soir, and then spun into its own magazine. It became one of Europe’s most popular comics and has been translated into more than 50 different languages (you can read more about the origin of Tintin here).
There is now a Tintin movie — I haven’t seen it, have you? There’s an online Tintin Shop and an actual Tintin store in Covent Garden where you can buy all sorts of Tintin goodies like posters, toys and, of course, the books
x Courtney
Image found on Pinterest
Bibu — cool pillows!
These happy pillows from Barcelona make me smile every time I see them! They’re made by Yuly from Bibu, who wanted to create something fun, modern and unusual for her son. Her pillows can be used to play with, sleep on, and make great decoration too. And I love that the ‘backside’ of each pillow is made out of a very cool, custom designed fabric!!
xxx Esther
Muller Stacking Bed
I get asked all the time if I know of any good, stylish children’s beds for kids who have outgrown their cotbed but who are still young enough to need/want a child’s bed. There is such a hole in the market here because I have literally searched and searched and the pickings are slim. The one bed I love is the Müller stacking bed by Rolf Heide. I just love that the beds stack so that when needed, you always have an extra bed for sleep-overs and other guests in the house. I have several friends who have these beds either for their kids or for guests (I even have a few German friends who grew up with them!), and everyone only has good things to say.
The beds were designed in Germany in 1967, before the age of modern flat-packed furniture, and were highly innovative for the time. Inspired by smaller spatial living in the 1960s, the beds were meant to be a sofa or daybed by day and a bed(s) at night. So brilliant! For more information, you can download the catalog from here. And, if like me, you’re interested in buying them in the UK, they’re available from The Home Online shop.
And if you know of any other great single beds for kids, please share!
x Courtney
Rien à Cirer
I have just had my entire flat repainted. My favourite part of having builders in is certainly not living on a building site, but spending countless hours daydreaming about how to decorate the rooms. So much fun, even if only 10% of my ideas actually ever see the light of the day! I am a big fan of old stuff; I like things that are not too perfect and which look like they have been around for a while.
Rien à Cirer is a super cute little company I discovered at the Mini Vintage Fair last month. I love the way they use old furniture and give it a new life with beautiful colours and little touches, while keeping the vintage feel alive. It really feels very French to me, but with a nice twist! I picked up a little unit similar to this one to hang up in my bathroom. And how cool would this type of dresser look in a children’s room?
- Emilie
Sal de Coco –bedding from Spain
Bedtime should be a happy affair, and this colourful bedding from Spanish brand Sal de Coco will set the atmosphere in the bedroom just right. Cute prints and playful illustrations, fresh colours, and the best quality cotton you can imagine make Sal de Coco a worthwhile bedding affair. Sal de Coco is distributed internationally through cool kids furniture company Ninetonine, so if you’re interested in purchasing shoot them an email here.
xxx Esther
Hedgehog Shop
I had the great pleasure of meeting the lovely Teresa, founder of the brand new Hedgehog Shop, a few weeks ago when she opened up her London studio for a little pre-Christmas shopping. I knew immediately that I would LOVE her online shop. Her knack for sourcing the cutest toys, craft items, dress-up pieces, party gifts and loads of other adorable treasures from around the world is SO spot on. I got my Christmas crackers from her shop and they were a huge success at my dinner table. I also found the most charming toys and other little winning gifts. The online shop is now up and running, and I just know you will all love it as much as I do.
x Courtney
Tante Ted — just for boys!
Tante Ted (‘Aunty Ted’) is a Dutch brand focussing exclusively on boys bedding and accessories. I’ve known Ted for a few years now and I’ve seen his brand develop, and it’s so cool that his collection is now professionally produced by bedding company Damai! Well deserved, because Ted just knows what boys like. The bedding for starters, all very cool and with bright colours and graphics, inspired by traffic, travel, insects and other things boys love. But what about the lights (my son Pim LOVES this builders’ light!), or the carpets (made from moving blankets! And there are lampshades too!). Everything is just so very cool, just what boys love… and stylish too, just what their parents love. Way to go, Ted!
xxx Esther
P.S. The Tante Ted site is still just in Dutch, unfortunately, but just email Ted if you have questions or would like to order something!
Famille Summerbelle Wallpaper
I have been a bit interior-decor obsessed lately, as I have been redoing my flat. We have been living in a building site with dust everywhere! Coco managed to lean against a freshly painted white wall: the result was a white line all down her back from her hair to her jeans, just like a skunk. But, slowly, the result is showing: pulling up the old carpet has revealed a beautiful oak parquet and I have spent several evenings obsessing over the different shades of grey Farrow and Ball paints have to offer. There are worse things to do in life. (On a side note: it has been a very different cultural experience having builders in between France and the UK. In France, the builders were totally nonplussed by my offer of tea and biscuits — I was almost offended!).
Now that the perfect grey has been chosen, the next project is the girls’ room. I have been thinking of putting up wallpaper on at least some of the walls! How lovely is this Famille Summerbelle wallpaper? It is appropriately called: Un dimanche à Paris (A Sunday in Paris). Is it a bit exagerated to have a Paris-themed wallpaper when you live in Paris? I am not sure!
- Emilie
Artwork from The Littlest Mammoth
The Littlest Mammoth offers a curated collection of art from artists all over the world… and what I like about their collection is that, while it’s officially ‘art for children’, there is nothing obviously ‘kiddie’ about it. Hardly a single alphabet print in site (okay, maybe one!), the artwork is interesting, imaginative, and vibrant, and represents a wide range of styles.
At The Littlest Mammoth, they believe that art generates thoughtful, perceptive and imaginative people and that ‘it’s monumentally important for children to be surrounded by art’. I couldn’t agree more.
xx Courtney
