Posts filed under 'Holiday'
Over the summer break I spent a bit of time decorating my home. (No, the pic above is not of my place — but somewhere I might now be able to stay.) One of the reasons was that I wanted to take some photos so I could list it on a house swap website.
We featured an article on house swapping a couple of years ago in the magazine where I work. It seemed like a great idea. But I always wondered — is it too good to be true?
Well, I believe that you should “give it a go” — as Aussies like to say. So I took the plunge and listed with two sites. Creative Caravan tags itself as “Craiglist for Creatives” — the idea being that you can swap with like-minded people.
The other website is Homelink. I did a bit of research and was attracted to this one because there is strong membership within Australia so if I want to take a trip to Byron Bay or Tasmania then I can swap with people who live there… as well as people in Italy. And within a week of listing I got a message from someone wanting to swap in Martinique!
- Natalie
Natalie in Sydney
February 24th, 2010
Love, the girls from Babyccino Kids
Esther in Amsterdam
February 14th, 2010
Courtney gave us her recipe for sugar cookies a while ago, and it’s truly great. What else to make for Valentines Day than these beautiful, yummy, pink and red hearts? I’m surely making a batch today so the glazing will be perfectly dry tomorrow.
If you’re in the mood for a laugh, let me remind you of the ‘romantic evening‘ my husband and I hoped for two years ago. If you’re planning something similar for tomorrow, make sure you won’t be disturbed!
And do you remember the heart-shaped paper clips that we used to make as children and Michela wrote about last year? I think my daughter would love to make some to decorate her drawings…
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
February 13th, 2010
If you have a sewing machine, this Valentines decoration is easily made, and my kids really liked the project!
Just potato-stamp hearts on paper; I used recycled paper but you can use any sort really, even newspaper. No need to be perfect here, my 2-year-old had quite some production going. Let the paint dry and cut the hearts out. Again, slightly outside the outline of the stamp is fine, my 4-year-old girl was perfectly capable of doing it all herself! How typical for this age…
My machine had black thread in it and I didn’t bother changing it. I think it actually looks quite nice like this. Make sure to leave some thread at the ends for attaching!
My daughter’s bed looked lovely instantaneously! (The wallpaper bird is from Inke, more about that later.)
xxx Esther
P.S. Inspiration for this project came from Maya*Made
Esther in Amsterdam
February 12th, 2010
Seriously — so so so quick. Done in 15 minutes before dashing out of the house to kindergarten. The classic chocolate-crispy-cake but Valentined-up with mini marshmallows and the most adorable heart sprinkles from Etsy-shop Hey Yo-Yo (which I love for all things cake & kitsch). We dolloped our mixture into pretty pink paisley cases for our playdate in the afternoon, and then into mini-cases to fit inside this very pink heart tin from Paperchase (pictured) as a Valentine’s present for my son’s beau. Yes, my son is in love! His name is Elias and he has aptly fallen in in love with a girl called Grace — anyone who knows the store in Primrose Hill will appreciate his brand loyalty.
To make you need: 100g milk chocolate and 60g golden syrup (or 3 Mars bars work nicely), 75g unsalted butter, between 75 to 100g rice-crispies cereal, a handful or so of mini-marshmallows and some heart decorations. If you can’t get sprinkles then any heart sweets could work, or even love-hearts (I love their messages).
Melt the chocolate, syrup and butter over boiling water. When melted stir until smooth and remove from the heat. Add rice-crispies and stir, then add the marshmallows and stir again. Spoon into cases and decorate with hearts. Leave for a couple of hours to cool and set or put into the fridge to speed up the setting process. Yum!
-Mo. x
Mo in London
February 12th, 2010
With Valentine’s Day approaching soon, I couldn’t resist purchasing this amazingly cool heart shaped frying pan. I’m not yet sure whether I’ll serve the pancakes or the eggs, or maybe both… But I’m positive my family will love them (and me)!
I got mine from this shop here in the Netherlands, but it’s — among other places — also available from this UK website.
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
February 9th, 2010
I have to confess that I don’t usually do anything on Valentine’s Day. Many Australians cynically call it “Hallmark Day” — it’s pretty much seen as a commercial exercise. However, I am a romantic. So I thought I’d share a story about one of the best “gifts” I ever received…
One day I was sitting in a cafe waiting for my boyfriend to arrive. All of a sudden a man sat in the chair opposite and started talking to me. I was a little confused about what was happening. Perhaps he had mistaken me for someone else. Or maybe he was a little mad. But little by little I started to recognise the words he was speaking. They were from one of my favourite poems by American poet Frank O’ Hara. Now this was really weird. And then I realised. My boyfriend had been up to this mini performance. I started looking around for him. Sure enough: at the end of the poem he came into view. Smiling a big gummy grin. And I couldn’t stop laughing. All this, for me?
Yes, love can be grand. And has nothing to do with money – he asked an actor friend to recite the poem to me! I hope this inspires you… or your loved ones.
- Natalie
Natalie in Sydney
February 8th, 2010
Have a very cozy Christmas! And cheers to a happy 2010!
P.S. Thanks to freelance illustrator, Clémence Monot, for designing our holiday card. (Check out her website for other works.)
Courtney in London
December 24th, 2009
I am so in love with all the lovely ornaments by Maileg this year! They could not be any cuter. Last year I picked up some of the little soldiers, which I loved because they look so British, and this year I discovered the darling birds and mushrooms!
They’re the perfect ornaments for a house full of kids because they won’t break if they fall off the tree — plus they just look so playful and fun.
Maileg is a young Danish company which also makes lovely toys and decorative objects. You can find Maileg pieces in London at Elias & Grace and Petit Aimé, or buy online at Nordinary.
Merry Christmas!
xoxo Courtney
Courtney in London
December 23rd, 2009
We have a few different versions of this Christmas poem, but Gyo Fujikawa’s The Night Before Christmas is our favourite! Her illustrations are so beautiful and in a way that appeals to adults and kids alike. Fujikawa, also known for her version of Mother Goose, creates the most lovely, vintage-like illustrations. We especially love the cheery little Santa… and the sugar-plums!
We’ve been reading the story every night before bed and my kids now know the entire poem by heart. We are so excited for Santa to come!
The book is available from our Bookshop (UK and US) along with many other great holiday books.
-Courtney
Courtney in London
December 22nd, 2009
Because we always do Christmas with our family in the states, I still haven’t bought my kids their own Christmas stockings! And while I LOVE going home for the holidays, I can totally see the appeal of staying put and celebrating together as a family in our own little home. Maybe one day (I’ve heard London is really cozy and quiet at Christmas time).
Anyway, I’m on the look-out for the perfect Christmas stockings and I just discovered these darling hand-knit wool stockings from Sundance. I love the homemade look of them, and the mix of all the different colors and sizes.
I also love the wool stockings at Sweet William. I think it would be a cute idea to buy them and then embroider your kids’ names on the top white cuff. So cute!
Oh, and it would probably be a good idea to buy the Christmas sacks Mo wrote about earlier… in case Santa were to bring too many gifts to fit inside!
-Courtney
Courtney in London
December 21st, 2009
If you’re looking for an original AND environmentally friendly way to wrap your Christmas presents, and you’re moderately handy on a sewing machine, maybe these home sewn gift-bags are something for you! I made them for my Godson and his big brother for Hanukkah, filled them with their presents and sent them off to London. They’re really quite simple to make, and I like the fact that they can be re-used as pyjama-bags, toy-bags, sports-bags or the like. I made mine approximately 25 x 35 cm finished (about 10″x14″), and used Bondaweb to iron the letters (remember to cut out mirrored letters!).
xxx Esther
Esther in Amsterdam
December 19th, 2009
My kids and I are with my family in Seattle for the holidays and we’re busy preparing everything for Christmas (my boys insisted that my parents wait for them to decorate the Christmas tree)! While going through all the old ornaments, we discovered these darling clothespin reindeer ornaments that my siblings and I made when we were little. I think they’re so cute — both on the tree (you just clip them onto a tree branch), and also as a present-topper to add a little bit of festive cheer to gifts.
We decided to make a new ‘generation’ of clothespin reindeer, and it turned out to be a pretty easy project once we got all the necessary craft pieces. (Can I just say that American craft stores are so impressive. I was like a kid in a candy shop in our local Michaels!)
Here’s what you need to make your own reindeer:
-Non-roll clothespins (2 for each reindeer)
-Paint (brown and white)
-Paintbrush
-super glue
-googly eyes (small)
-red pom-poms (small)
-thin green ribbon
-little bells (optional)
Paint the bottom clothespin brown (for the body) and paint the top clothespin half brown for the face and half white for the antlers (see photo). Glue the clothespins together as shown in photo above. Glue the googly eyes and red pom-pom onto the reindeer’s face.
Loop a green ribbon into a little bell and tie a bow. Glue the bow to the clothespin, just below the reindeer’s chin.
Stick onto your Christmas tree!
-Courtney
Courtney in London
December 17th, 2009
It is soon that time of year again. The holidays are coming up very quickly and people are getting ready to wrap loads of presents!
I don’t know if this ever happens to you, but I routinely run out of paper and accessories and often have to write down people’s names with a marker on the wrapping paper. Practical but not very chic, right?
Together with the lovely and very talented Mrs Booth we thought we would make your life a tiny bit easier. Mrs Booth is a card, print and book designer whose simple and engaging style makes her one of my favourites. And she has kindly designed some holiday gift tags exclusively for Babyccino readers!
The designs are stinkin’ cute and I am sure your kids will love them too. You can download the adorable gift tags here, and print as many as you need! We hope you like them as much as we do!
-Emilie
Emilie in Paris
December 15th, 2009
Like Mo said earlier, dragging the kids out to do holiday shopping is unbearable! And how are you supposed to buy gifts for your kids in front of your kids? Thank goodness for great webshops like Smallable — which has SUCH a lovely and wide selection of beautiful children’s gifts, toys and accessories. Whether it’s something big like the Offi Rocking Horse, something crafty like the Mitik Mask’Animo Kit, or something beautiful like the Lalé Suitcases, there is something for everyone.
Smallable recently asked us to choose 8 of our favorite products for their Babyccino Chrstimas Selection (yes, only 8 — can you imagine how long it took to narrow it down?!). And in return, they’re offering our readers 20% off the selected 8 items! Just enter discount code NOELBABYCCINO at check-out (offer good until Dec. 21st). Holiday shopping just got easier!
-Courtney
Courtney in London
December 7th, 2009
I know I haven’t known you long but I’m so sure you will empathise with the fear and dread I have of lugging my 2-year-old boy and 11-month-old girl around the shops to do Christmas shopping.
So this year I’m doing as much as possible online and one of my favourite places to do this is Cox & Cox.
They have just launched their new toy box section which is bursting with great ideas for kid’s presents — I’ve ordered Nellie for my daughter (her trunk goes up and she trumpets!), and presents for almost all our various nieces and nephews (ages 1 to 12).
They also have lovely gifts for adults and a creative diva section for fabulous wrappings, ribbons and stamps.
Enjoy 10% off your order from now until Christmas Eve when you enter BABY12 at check-out!
-Mo
Mo in London
December 5th, 2009
Have you seen the Christmas section on Little Fashion Gallery? It’s darling! Their photographs are so festive and beautiful, and they have a whole slew of new gifts and toys available… including the entire range of colorful and educational Kid O toys (this is the first time I’ve seen them in Europe)!
Also, they recently asked me to write a short essay about what Christmas means to me and to list some of my favourite gift items. You can find my Christmas selection here!
It’s December — let the countdown to Christmas begin!
-Courtney
Courtney in London
December 1st, 2009
I love Christmas! But my problem is I start getting that Bing Crosby feeling around mid-October and it is no good for my kids’ excitement levels. So, as of last year, there is now a self-imposed rule: no Christmassiness (that includes Gingerbread Lattes, Mince Pies and said Bing) until 1st December. Well Bah Humbug!
As with most rules I have been finding ways to get around it, and one way is with this Advent Calendar I have been preparing (since about mid-June) for my children.
As I was clearing out their bookshelves to make room for a particularly large Amazon delivery I decided to put the Christmas themed books away until December — we had 8, so that made some space. It occurred to me that it would be a nice idea to have a Christmas story every night of Advent… and so the Christmas Story Book Calendar was born. Of course my husband thinks I am madly excessive buying a further 16 Christmas books over the last months but this is a calendar that will come out year after year.
I’ve wrapped each book up in super cheap red wrapping from Ikea (is there no end to their brilliance?) and numbered them for the 24 days until Christmas. I am so excited to see my children unwrapping one parcel each night before bed and for me to re-read the stories. Some of my choices are German Christmas books for my husband to read and I’ve wrapped those for the days when we visit Berlin so Oma, Opa and other family can also get involved.
This is how our calendar looks this year:
1. Mr Snow – Roger Hargreaves
2. Little Elephant’s Christmas – Heluiz Washburne & Jean McConnell
3. Madeline’s Christmas – Ludwig Bemelmans
4. Petunia’s Christmas – Roger Duvoisin
5. A Star So Bright – M Christina Butler & Caroline Peder
6. Mog’s Christmas – Judith Kerr
7. The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey – Susan Wojciechowski
8. One Snowy Night – Nick Butterworth
9. Lyle at Christmas – Bernard Waber
10. Letters from father Christmas – J.R.R. Tolkien
11. Die Weihnachtsengelein – Else Wenz-Vietor
12. Weihnachten im Stall – Astrid Lindgren
13. Wie Weihnachtelt Man? – Kathrin Schaerer & Lorenz Pauli
14. Weihnachten im Bullerbue – Astrid Lindgren
15. Little Rabbit’s Christmas – Harry Horse
16. Albert le Blanc – Nick Butterworth
17. Bear Stays Up For Christmas – Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman
18. Paddington and the Christmas Surprise – Michael Bond
19. Mr Willowby’s Christmas Tree – Robert Barry
20. The Little Fir Tree – Margaret Wise Brown
21. One Thousand Christmas Beards – Roger Duvoisin (out of print)
22. Christmas Day in the Morning – Pearl S. Buck
23. The First Christmas – Jan Pienkowski
24. ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas – Clement C. Moore (Illustrated by Jessie Willcox Smith)
You can find some of these and other favourite Festive Season Books in the Babyccino Bookshop.
-Mo
Mo in London
November 29th, 2009
A very happy Thanksgiving to all our American readers! We hope you are all enjoying time with your families, a cozy day of cooking in the kitchen, and a yummy feast of a meal.
(To make your own handprint turkeys, just paint your little ones’ hands for the turkey’s body. Use their little fingertips for the feet and wattle. Cute!)
-Courtney
Courtney in London
November 26th, 2009
It’s that time of year again — to start thinking about holiday cards! I’ve just ordered mine from Jane Press, a lovely online personal stationery boutique based here in the UK. I opted for a really simple flat card with a personalized letterpress message, but they have all sorts of nice holiday cards, including some exclusive Petite Alma designs.
I paid a visit to their London studio last week to take a peek at all the options, and I was so impressed with their attention to detail. The quality of the paper is superb, their engravers are top of the line, the color options are great, and the packaging is lovely. Plus, they have an in-house designer who can help you create your desired cards, so you have the peace of mind that your order is being looked after.
From now until midnight November 30th, Jane Press is offering Babyccino readers a 20% discount on all orders over £50. Just enter promo code BABYNOV at check-out!
-Courtney
Courtney in London
November 23rd, 2009
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