Yoga Pretzels
My kids have been greatly enjoying the Yoga Pretzels cards they got from their babysitter for Christmas. It’s so cute to see them bend in all sorts of curves, or trying to keep their balance. There are 50 cards, each of them giving a suggestion for a pose. There are, for instance, balance poses, stretch poses, stand and bend poses, and, most popular with my children, the partner poses (they need each other to perform the pose!). There are also cards that give breathing or relax exercises, or suggestions for games that enhance teamwork and creativity. It’s great fun, and especially 6-year-old Sara has been able to really relax after her yoga. Pim (almost 5) loves it too, his favourite pose, of course, is the ‘Warrior’.
Yoga Pretzels is available through Amazon (UK
xxx Esther
Maileg Princess and the Pea set
My mom gave this adorable Princess and the Pea set to Ivy for Christmas last year and she absolutely LOVES it! She is constantly piling up all the mattresses and putting the princess to sleep. I must say, I love it too — it’s such a beautiful toy. Just look at all the pretty fabrics on the mattresses … and that little knitted pea to place under them! So cute! (If you’re not familiar with the story of the Princess and the Pea, the set comes with a little board book of the story.) It’s available from the London-based shop, Notsobig, along with other cute Maileg toys.
x Courtney
Paper Wonderland
The temperatures over here have dropped into the -0°celsius level, which is a rare occurence. When it does happen, the whole of Paris seems to go off to hiberate in their homes. Which is where you’ll find us, snuggled up in our house! Time for some crafting…
We were recently given the Paper Wonderland book and we are officially obsessed. With some scissors and some tape, you get to put together some of the coolest creatures and little projects I have seen. Some are more complicated than others (great when you have kids of different ages) but the end result is super cute and great to play with, so the enjoyment goes beyond just crafting. I highly recommend it!
- Emilie
Stitch ‘n Kids: finger crochet
Do you remember doing finger crochet as a child? I recall a little boy in my class, he must have been around 7 or 8 years old, and he had made a string of finger crochet so long it could wrap around the classroom twice! I recently taught my daughter Sara and some of her girlfriends to finger-crochet, and it has started a real crocheting-mania! The girls love it, and I’ve seen all the mums walk around with finger-crochet bracelets made by their daughters! Cute.
Finger crocheting is really easy, and a six-year-old child should be able to do it. My nearly-five-year-old son Pim was still a bit clumsy and didn’t really have the patience to learn. But he made an effort (and is very proud of his little bracelet)!
xxx Esther
PS Do you remember how to finger crochet? I put a little film on YouTube here!
Doll’s House and Farm from Hase Weiss
We discovered these brilliant Hase Weiss creations at Playtime last weekend and fell instantly in love! Aren’t they so beautiful? The modular doll’s house (above) comes in one big box, but you can fit the rooms together in many different ways to create the perfect doll’s house. And the farm (below) opens and closes with magnetic hinges and offers quite the home for all your farm animals. My kids would go crazy for this!
It doesn’t look like these products are available to purchase from the Hase Weiss site, but they do have a shop in Berlin and it looks like they take orders over the phone if you contact them here.
xx Courtney
Brindille and Twig
Who says there are no cool clothes for boys around? I know, typically boys don’t wear dresses and skirts (my son Pim being the exception to the rule — on occasions he loves to dress up as a full-on princess), which does limit the choices quite a bit, but there ARE good choices around. Like these cool jumpers by Brindille and Twig. I love how the seams turn out with those raw edges! And the colours are gorgeous. It might be interesting to know that the collection is made from organic cotton and soy fabrics which are locally sourced in the USA, and that it’s hand-sewn and hand-dyed with a non-toxic, colour-fast dye by Melissa from Brindille and Twig herself. And yes, they’re cool for girls too…
Available from the Brindille and Twig Etsy shop.
xxx Esther
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
Soeur
I am what is described as petite, and now that I have accepted the fact that I will very likely never, ever be a super model (just accepted that one!), I do think being small has some big advantages. I can wear terribly high heels, fit into small spaces and I can often buy clothes in the kid’s department. You can by some seriously nice children’s clothes and they are often half the price of the adult’s version. Check out the great label Soeur. The clothes are fabulous: easy going jumpers, jeans and dresses (and the sale is on at the moment). I fully take advantage of the fact that apparently I am the same height as an average 14-year-old girl!
The only time this has not worked out for me, is the other day when I was picking up my girls from school. I suddenly realised, watching the kids pour out of the school, that every boy between 5-15 was wearing the exact same coat as me, which I had picked up at GAP Kids in the boys department! Obviously their mothers and I have the same taste…
- Emilie
Bubble London Recap
Wow! Two trade shows in one weekend! We have seen so many great children’s brands, our heads are spinning! Here are some highlights from yesterday at Bubble London:
- The new designs at Poppy feature a little girl riding around on a giraffe through a beautifully illustrated London town, and we can’t get enough. Absolutely fabulous designs and colours in the A/W collection. Much to look forward to!
- Olive Loves Alfie is launching a new range of interiors paint and their display was awesome! So many great colours.
- We were ultra impressed with the fantastic, happy collection at Tootsa Macginty. And apparently we weren’t the only ones — her stand was buzzing the entire day long! (And we loved the new haircut of Kate!)
- As always, the Hucklebones collection was stunning. And the creators, Dan and Zoe, couldn’t be more lovely.
- Seeing the hand-crafted pillows from Lettie Belle in person made us love them even more!
- Really like the sweet prints and fresh colours in the Old Rectory collection. And excited about their new baby pyjamas.
- The ilovegorgeous stand rocked our world. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!
- Loved meeting Joanna from Babatude and seeing her luxuriously soft cashmere creations.
- The Spotty Otter outerwear collection is both functional and fun, and we think this is a brand on the rise (it’s already hugely popular at our kids’ schools!).
- With beautiful textiles from India, the entire Bouton collection really, really impressed us.
- It was really great to meet Helen from Helen Gordon and to see all her pieces in one place. We are big fans of her scrumptiously soft pyjamas and love her new circus print!
- The Aden & Anais collection is, as always, super impressive. So cool to see all their swaddle blankets hanging in one big row!
- Just listening to Yanina from Aravore discuss each piece in her collection makes you appreciate just how much thought and love went into each piece. Such a gem of a brand (and a lady!).
- The bright colours and happy messages in the Boys & Girls collection put a smile on our faces! That’s what childhood is all about!
- The NYC-based brand, Ode, which we first discovered at Playtime NYC last summer, featured a stunning collection and a new knitwear line. Such pretty textiles and loads of details!
- So nice to see the Dutch brand Kidscase both at Bubble and at Playtime. As always, it’s a can’t-go-wrong collection!
- We discovered the new label Beau Loves, and with their Zorro mask prints and playful designs, we think this is going to become a new favourite brand.
- We also discovered the new UK brand, Marmalade & Mash which made their debut at Bubble. This is a brand to watch for sure!
- We met the lovely Amynta from Tulip and Nettle who wowed us with her luxurious collection and beautiful photography.
- And finally, the Spanish brand Nadadelazos is super fun and funky, and we were already fans… but even more so now!
xx Courtney and Esther
Neutrogena Wet Skin Kids Sunblock
We are enjoying lovely hot sunny days here in New Zealand and as much as I love the sun I am so over applying sunscreen to my children’s pale white skin. I am paranoid that they are going to get sunburnt and if it wasn’t for me applying copious amounts of sunblock throughout the day they would easily burn in the harsh New Zealand sun. So I was very relieved to find a new sunblock on the market. This stuff is amazing — you can spray it on your kids even when they have just stepped out of the swimming pool dripping wet. I especially like to use it when we are at the beach and I can just spray the kids while they are still playing in the sand without trying to get all the sand off them first. Its making my life so much easier!
Steph xo
Le Gilet de Berger from Citronille
Proud mama speaking: my first real knitting project is finished!!! (I’m not counting the scarf I knitted last year — we’re talking about following a pattern here.) The pattern for Ava’s little vest above is from Citronille, and called ‘Le Gilet de Berger‘. It was really easy, and I’m loving the results!! The same pattern can be used for boys or girls, and you can play with a cute wooden button or a little bow for the front closure. The yarn is also from Citronille and is a wool/alpaca mix called ‘Pôle‘. So — did I inspire you??
xxx Esther
PS The dress is from ‘Nils & Happy to see you‘ — the ready-to-wear line by Astrid le Provost (the same owner as ‘Citronille’), which we adore!!
PPS Astrid will include an English translation when you purchase a ‘Gilet de Berger’ pattern, which we made when we were in Antwerp last year.
Pippi Longstocking
Do you remember reading Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren when you were a child? It was my absolute favourite. Pippi was our superhero: an orphan with bright red hair and incredible stories to tell, who lives on her own with a horse and a monkey and does not conform to anything.
I had totally forgotten about this book (It made me a bit sad that something that had been so special to me, had slipped out of my memory), until I stumbled over a copy of it today in a bookshop. And the copy I stumbled over is pretty special. The story of Pippi, which must have been written more than 50 years ago, has been given a face lift with illustrations by Lauren Child, famous from the UK TV show, Charlie and Lola. The illustrations are super charming and work beautifully with this story. I cannot wait to read this book to my kids. Coco, who is now 6 will be captivated by the story and 3-year-old Violette will love the pictures!
- Emilie
Playtime Paris
We have just come back from a busy, fun-filled weekend in Paris. We spent the first day doing a lot of walking and a bit of shopping, and spent the second day at the fabulous Playtime Paris children’s trade show. Now our suitcases are full, our minds are inspired and our feet are tired!
Some of our favourite new discoveries at the show were:
Cotton and Milk, a UK-based brand with the most exquisite knitwear and cool branding (see the animals wearing glasses below!).
Grey Area, the new maternity line from Ada Ada which can be worn before pregnancy, during and after.
Quenotte, a new French label. We really liked the jackets!
Noé & Zoë, with loads of bright neon colours (and we love their collaboration with Tannhäuser!).
Lilly Marthe Ebener, with their gorgeously soft hand-knitted pieces all in stunning colours.
Hase Weiss, with the cool modular doll houses and sweet music boxes situated right next to the wonderful Gabriela Pardo and her funky plush guitars.
Goatmilk, a cool underwear label from NYC.
And here are some other highlights:
-We LOVED meeting the girls from Elfie, seeing their gorgeous display, eating the impressively decorated cookies, and of course meeting little Elfie herself.
-Seeing the charming Charlotte from the wonderful brand Deuz. We love their playmats!
-La Cerise Sur Le Gâteau — such cool graphics and fabrics.
-As always, the Bobo Choses collection was cool, colourful, playful and super original. We loved the poncho from Peru!
-Macarons — a brand on the brink of major stardom.
-Such a pleasure to meet Hana from Mole-Little Norway and see her gorgeous collection in full.
-The entire collection from Morley. Lovely!
-As always, we were won over by Wovenplay and were excited to see a glimpse of outerwear (such a cool bubble coat!).
-The always impressive and cosy collection at Waddler.
-We had such a fun chat with the trendy ladies from My Little Day.
-The new bedding collection and flags from Smiling Planet put a smile on our faces. We love their positivity and happy, peaceful messages.
-A really beautiful collection at Noro.
-Meeting the owner of Nui Organics who flew all the way over from Austin Texas with a cosy new collection to show.
-Meeting Marie from Miss Louise and her elegant mother who served the most delicious almond cookies ever!
-Justine from Une Sardine à Rio showed us how her clever pieces transfer from childhood to adulthood.
-Popupshop – So simple, yet so stylish!
-TeenyTini by JK Lange and her colourful crochet wonders.
Phew! And now a hot bath and a glass of red wine!
x Courtney & Esther
PS It was SUCH fun meeting and talking to you all!
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
Adding and subtracting with the Abacus
Calculators have been around at least since the ancient Greeks… in the form of a nifty invention: the Abacus. Imagine being the person came up with the idea of the Abacus — they must have been pretty chuffed with themselves…
As Coco is now navigating her way through the first year of French education, I thought that an Abacus would be actually a useful tool for her to get used to the idea of adding and subtracting. I had been given an Abacus from Ikea ages ago and it had only ever been used as a toy. It now has a proud place on Coco’s little desk, and it is really interesting how much she is enjoying adding beads together, taking some away and seeing how it all works out.
P.S. Interestingly the children here in France are discouraged to use their fingers to add and substract. I guess it is so that they learn to visualise the numbers. Is it the same in your country?
- Emilie
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
Knitted Greens!
Somehow, over the course of this morning, I stumbled upon four different (!!) green knitted products. All SO cute, I just had to share…
- Green and white knitted jumper from Broer en Zus
- Green and white knitted doll from Dents de Loup
- Lucky Boy Sunday knitted tree from Thumbeline
- Green knitted teething ring from Unique Boutique
x Courtney
Mader Spinning Tops
Aren’t these spinning tops so beautiful? I just love all the different colour combinations and the many elegant shapes and sizes. These Mader Tops are handcrafted in Austria from a variety of woods native to Europe. Each top is made from a single piece of wood and is then hand painted in beautiful colour combinations. (You can read more about them here.) They’re so well made that they spin for minutes at a time. Fun! And also pretty just sitting on a shelf.
They’re available from Couverture in the UK and from Pucci Manuli in the US.
x Courtney
Big fish eats little fish
This is another art project inspired by an image I saw on Pinterest! I knew the minute I saw it that my kids would love this one. Plus, it’s so easy! All you need are some clothespins, some card stock or thicker paper, some crayons or paint to decorate your fish, and scissors and glue. A fun project for kids of all ages — even our 2-year-old enjoyed making her fish (we drew a fish template and she coloured it in).
Also, if you’re looking for more craft projects, you can take a peek at our Crafts for Kids Pinterest board for ideas!
x Courtney
Buttonbag Craft Kits
Something seems to have happend to Coco since she turned 6. It seems like she woke up one morning and her hand coordination and patience had suddenly increased. I guess she is not a little girl anymore! She cannot wait to use these new found skills and now there is a serious demand for arts and craft sessions in our house. I do try to come up with my own projects, but there are times when a craft kit is a life saver! A great example are the Buttonbag Craft Kits, which are perfectly catered toward eager 6-year-olds. The projects are simple and the results impressive. I particularly like the Winter Birds Kit and the Peg Doll Kits.
- Emilie
