Musical Mushrooms from Annabel Kern
I’m a big fan of soft musical toys for babies. I truly believe it’s soothing for them to hear a familiar melody just before they fall asleep, and especially when traveling it can help to make little ones feel relaxed in new surroundings. These musical mushrooms from Annabel Kern are a great choice! Super original, royally sized, a wonderful deco piece in the nursery (and I love ‘Hey Jude’ as a tune). But have a look at the boutique, there are also apple and pear music boxes, adorable pillows, soft ice-cream cones, lovely pillows, and more to discover!
xxx Esther
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• Personalised charm bracelets from Merci Maman• The delightful Anne Taintor
Waanaki
I recently came across this great online shop based in LA called Waanaki (which means ‘to live in peace’). Owner Nanette Sulano focuses on carefully curated vintage pieces for children age zero to six. Check out the shoes and accessories for some great one of a kind pieces!
-Elizabeth
Tube Toys!
So cool and so innovative and so eco-friendly! These clever Tube Toys are a series of vehicles to assemble (car, tractor, fire engine, train) where the packaging (the tube) becomes the toy. Using the packaging considerably reduces the amount of material you throw away after buying it and the extra cost that traditional packaging involves. Each Tube Toy comes with components like stickers and wheels inside the cardboard tube with pre-cut slots for easy assembly. And all the pieces are recycled or recyclable — so smart! I think they make really cute gifts. (Available from the always stylish and always eco E-Side boutique).
x Courtney
Soor Ploom Clothier
Don’t these images evoke the wonderful simplicity of summer? The sort of days when all your little one needs to wear is a little floral bloomer, running around barefoot on dry green grass?! Oh I can’t wait! I am absolutely in love with this new clothing brand from NYC — everything is so beautifully simple and understated. Soor Ploom offers a range of clothing for babies and toddlers up to age 3. Find gorgeous tops, tunics, rompers, and bloomers, all available in the most lovely fabrics (fine floral cottons, soft linens, etc.) and the sweetest little flowing shapes. Perfect for simple summer days to come…
x Courtney
Corby Tindersticks
Posters made out of felt and decorated with hand-embroidered details. Sweet screen printed t-shirts made out of fair trade, organic cotton sourced in Africa. Handmade toys with funny legs and big bellies and interesting stories to tell (and with a back that is as nice as the front). Fun! We’re loving what Carly and Nick from Corby Tindersticks have done for their first collections, and are anxiously waiting to see what they’ll come up with next! (Their sketch book looks promising!)
xxx Esther
Looney Tunes Love
Remember these guys?! We had friends over for dinner the other night — a friend from Korea and a friend from France, and we were all remembering fondly how we watched (and loved) Looney Tunes when we were young! Isn’t that crazy how people all over the world are united by a cartoon character?! Anyway… I’ve already mentioned how I don’t let my kids watch real TV (the commercials!), but I’m okay with the occasional DVD.
We recently discovered the Looney Tunes Box Set
x Courtney
(Image found here)
Home made duvet cover
When we moved back to New Zealand I had grand plans of what the kids bedroom would look like. I had bought them matching beds to bring back and bought loads of dark grey gingham to make matching duvet covers. In my head it was going to look so cute! When we finally found a house to rent, the bedrooms were so small I couldn’t fit in their matching beds. Luckily, we had bought Mia’s toddler bed back with us so Kees ended up having to sleep in that. For a while he also had to use his sister’s girlie duvet covers. Last week I finally got around to making him his own duvet covers so his bed feels more like his own.
How I made them:
- I cut up an old white sheet.
- I printed Kees’ name on normal printer paper
- I traced Kees’ name with pencil onto the sheet.
- Then I hand embroidered over the pencil line.
- Finally I sewed on a matching grey gingham back.
I think his new duvet looks very smart and its always good to recycle old sheets.
Steph xo
We love: Beau Loves
Beau Loves is a new fashion label — we met the team at the last Bubble trade-show in London and we instantly liked what we saw. Fresh stripes, bright red accents, fun superhero-mask prints, and great detailing like dino spikes on the hood of a sweatshirt! If you like the collection too, then head over to Sweet Pea for part of the collection, or to the newly launched (and very cool) Beau Loves webshop.
xxx Esther
Puff, The Magic Dragon
For accommodation on our recent trip to Australia, we managed to arrange a house swap with a lovely family in Melbourne (have you ever done a house swap before? it was our first time and we LOVED it!). One of the best things about doing a house swap is you get to stay in a family home with toys and books for the kids! So nice! (They even had a trampoline in their backyard. Constant entertainment for the kids!)
Anyway, my favourite find from their shelves of children’s books was this beautiful copy of Puff, the Magic Dragon
x Courtney
Nils and Happy to See You
Have you had a peek at the new summer collection by Nils and Happy to See You, one of my favourite French labels? The summer collection is so darling. Simple cotton tops, dresses and tunics for boys and girls. I love the fact that all the clothes exist for girls and also their dolls. I have also noticed that some tops are now available for moms too (size S and M)!
All the clothes are made in France. I do have a soft spot for locally made things– it is so rare!
- Emilie
Giant Coloring Poster
Here is yet again a product that I am officially buying for the good of my children, but to be honest, I actually also want it myself. It is a 3m (which I believe is 10 ft) long giant colouring poster! Can you imagine pulling this out of your hat one rainy weekend, when everyone is cranky and a little bit bored?? I reckon this could be a hit for the whole family! It can be used as wallpaper that kids officially can draw on, or you can spread it out on the floor or use as a tablecloth for a party — the possibilities are endless.
- Emilie
MozartKugel, a wooden musical ball
This stunning Mozartkugel wooden musical ball is made of solid beech wood and plays Mozart melodies whether it’s sitting on a shelf or rolling across the floor. You simply wind the ball, remove the key and let it amuse (or soothe) your baby. Such a unique baby gift I think! (Available from Toyella.)
x Courtney
Stitch ‘n Kids: the Sewing Machine
Last year we gave Sara a sewing machine for Christmas. She was five at the time, and had always shown an honest interest for sewing (she would almost sit on my lap when I was busy with my machine). So after reading up on the best age to give a child her (or his!) first sewing machine, and not finding a very clear answer, we decided to just go for it — if she would still be too young, she would certainly grow into it at some point.
I’ve rarely seen a child so excited by a gift as Sara when she opened her package, and her sewing machine is still one of her most treasured possessions. So, what does she sew? First of all, she still needs a lot of help. Preparing the machine (inserting the bobbin, leading the thread through the machine, pulling it through the needle etc) is something she can’t completely do herself just yet. But she’s getting quite good at cutting the fabric, pinning it together, and sewing straight lines. So far she’s made lots of little pillows, an easy thing to make (with fast results) and a great present for her friends (doll’s cushions!), or teachers and grandparents (pin cushions!). Simple bags are a step up from the pillows and she needs a bit more help with these. She also made a little dress for her little sister’s doll, and this was something we did together according to her design, and it turned out really nice!
All in all, I think we made the right decision to give her the machine fairly early. In case you’re interested, Sara’s machine is a Janome Sew Mini de Luxe.
xxx Esther
Djeco 3-Layer Puzzle
Christmas has come and gone and some toys have been played with and others neglected! Today I wanted to share with you one of the toys that was and still is a success: The Djeco, 3-layer puzzle. My daughter, who is 2½ now, wasn’t very much into puzzles and that worried us a little at the time, so I decided to get her some puzzles for Christmas. The Djeco 3-Layer puzzle is just wonderful — it’s a gorgeous wooden lift-out puzzle with multiple levels. We got the Tree House, and so in the first layer the child discovers all the animals that live in the tree, then in the second you discover their different activities and in the top layer you see where they live. We are fans of the Djeco toys in my household, but we weren’t expecting this puzzle to be such a huge success, even my 4-year-old loves it, which is the cause of many disputes!!! Available from Niddle Noddle in the UK and Amazon
-Celina
Teething Toys from NiHaMa
I saw these adorable crochet teething toys on the LMNOP blog the other day, and instantly ordered a few for baby gifts (if you’re a friend of mine and you’ve just had a new baby, please don’t be surprised when one of these arrives on your doorstep!). Aren’t they so sweet? I just love the mix of colours with the natural wood. All handmade and crocheted with organic cotton yarn, so they’re perfectly safe for your baby to nibble on. Available from the NiHaMa Etsy shop.
x Courtney
PrestoBingo shapes App
Sweet, this Shapes app by PrestoBingo! We’re loving the beautiful graphics and the educational content. Currently only available in English, but thanks to the easy lay-out kids will quickly figure out how to play this mathematical app, no matter what language they speak. A great way to practise shapes, math and basic geometry!
xxx Esther
Dinette by Natalie Lété
In our little household, we have actually gone through more tea sets than an elephant in a china shop. These tea sets have been made out of plastic, china, paper…most of them have been truely hideous, especially as they have been coloured on with markers and otherwise defaced.
A tea set is the ultimate toy though and little Violette can spend hours making tea, pouring out the tea and serving it to her imaginary friends (she actually still thinks it is called a “coffa’ tea” -mix between a coffee and a cup of tea… which cracks me up every single time).
So I have been on the lookout for a new tea set and discovered this super sweet set by Natalie Lété, one of my favourite current designers. I want one in my size! I love the retro bright colours and the little suitcase it comes in. This little tea set is perfect to have my coffa’ tea served in…
- Emilie
Ten Handy Products for Travelling with Kids
We recently compiled a list of ten handy kiddie travel products for our friends over at i-escape. Check out our list here, and while you’re there make sure to have a look at their newly launched Kids Collection offering more than 700 amazing, family-friendly holiday accommodations.
x Courtney
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• The perfect Easter dress from Baby Barn• Win!! Amazing kite from Gray Label!
• Nettle quiche
Lately Lily Tees for girls
Lately Lily is a cute range of girl’s t-shirts which celebrate childhood and worldly adventures. They’re designed and made in Southern California, and have that sunny, daydreamy feeling to each of them. I got Ivy the Zeborah tee (featured above) and it’s so cute! I love the poppy red colour and it has a nice, narrow fit with sweet little sleeves.
The tees are available online from the Lately Lily shop.
x Courtney
Our little monster!
It’s not often that personalised art takes the shape of a cool looking monster with a very big mouth and a bright red background! I couldn’t resist this Little Monster print from KoKo Kids: very modern and fresh and cool (and very cute too, but not obviously so). The royally sized poster is giclee printed with archival print, so it has a very artisanal, matte look to it. Our little monster Pim is over the moon with his poster!
xxx Esther
