British Garden Birds Poster
We recently hung a bird feeder in the apple tree right outside our kitchen window, and it has been so much fun to watch all the garden birds help themselves to the birdseed. There are moments where we can spot three or four different birds taking turns flying up to our bird feeder, meanwhile pigeons (and squirrels!) help themselves to the seeds which fall onto the ground. The kids love pointing out the different birds we spot in the garden, which is why I knew they would love this new British Garden Birds Poster from Finch and Robin. The poster details 10 different garden birds, and we’ve hung it right on the wall by our kitchen table so that we can reference it every time we spot them.
I also like that £2 per poster is being donated to the RSPB Scotland to help save wildlife.
x Courtney
H-Luv handmade soft toys
I have been a fan of the H-Luv fabrications since I first saw them and met the designer, Heidi Iverson, at Playtime NYC years ago. The little mushroom men are sooo cute! So full of character with their little hand-stitched faces. I also love the little trees – how the trunks are weighted with polybeads so they stand upright wherever you put them. And the little dolls (below) are so sweet.
When I was at Sweet William in NYC this past March, I picked up one of the H-Luv cloud mobiles to hang above Marlow’s bed. I love the bright colours and the little rain pompoms hanging down. So fun.
Do you see Marlow’s hands reaching out of her cot in the photo above? I’m pretty sure she’s trying to say she likes the cloud mobile too! : )
xx Courtney
The String Shelf
I completely adore the String Shelf. The String system was design in 1949 and over the last years has become one of the most popular pieces of classic scandinavian design. We got one for Nico’s room — we call it “the treasure shelf”, because this is where he keeps his most valuable toys at the moment.
Robots, dinos, rockets. But the most important toys are the Star Wars ones, because they were a present from Uncle Javi. The toys belonged to him since he was little, and now they belong to Nico, 30 years later! Such a lovely present.
We are very happy with our String ! Hope you like it!
- Maria
Crochet creations at 2good2betrue
2cute2betrue is a small Dutch label set up by Judith de Ruyter when she was pregnant with her 6th (!) baby. The label offers a collection of crochet toys and accessories which are designed by Judith here in the Netherlands and are handmade in Thailand as part of a Thai government project to support local communities.
The crochet collections include darling party accessories (I really love the cake toppers!), cute dolls and darling BFFs that come with their own mini house. I just know my girls would love to play with these! Another favourite is the cloud mobile — we have one hanging above Ava’s bed and it looks so sweet in her room.
All the crochet 2cute collections are available from the website (go to ‘collections’ and move your mouse over the photos to discover the different products for sale).
xxx Esther
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!
Decorating a baby’s nursery, wallpaper on the ceiling
A few weeks ago I told you about the nursery I had the pleasure to decorate. Today I would like to share the lovely wallpaper we used — instead of putting it on the wall I put it on the ceiling! It looks different, don’t you think?
The paper is one of my favorite nowadays. The Ferm Living, Harlequin. I am completely madly in love with it! Hope you like it!
- Maria
Story Boxes by Tiphaine Verdier Mangan
Tiphaine Verdier Mangan started creating unique one-of-a-kind story boxes for display at the Bon Marché in Paris. Her poetic story boxes were so well received and loved that she then went on to create them for the general public. She now sells cardboard versions of her original creations, to serve as decoration in children’s rooms, or as my daughter prefers to use hers, as a home for her little Maileg mice.
Whatever the use, the story boxes are so sweet. Like a single room in a doll’s house, perfectly decorated and great for imaginative play or for decoration.
They are available to purchase directly from her website.
x Courtney
Beautiful illustrations by Liekeland
How beautiful are these works by Dutch illustrator Lieke van der Vorst? They have something so innocent about them, and at the same time they are so incredibly wise. They would be perfect for a nursery, a kids’ room, any room in the house, really. The third picture above is an illustration Lieke designed for a birth announcement last year. So, so sweet!
If you’re interested in Lieke’s work, you can her purchase postcards and prints via her webshop, or the bear postcards are available through BijzonderMooi as well.
xxx Esther
A pallet bench for a baby’s room
Today I would like to share the pallet bench I made for a nursery. I love pallet wood, like I told you last week with my son’s coat rack. This time I painted the pallet in white and added four wheels. A matress for comfortably sitting. I made the cushions with grey and white fabric with stars and clouds, and made the garland.
It is now in Manuel’s room and I really hope he enjoys it!
Maria Cañal
Rafa Kids
Don’t you just love it when it’s parents who are the creators behind children products? They have been in the same situation as you over and over again and know exactly what you need. Or even better, they create something for their own kids and have had so much success with it that they decide they want to share it with everyone. That is just what Agata and Arek have done! Not only are they architects, husband and wife and parents to Franek and Robert, they are also the creators behind Rafa-Kids.
They have created a range of children’s furniture – more precisely, a bunk bed and a toddler’s bed with high regards for quality and aesthetics. These beds look amazing, they are more than just a bed to sleep in – they were created with the child in mind and designed to encourage play, creativity and beauty as well as being functional and safe. The beds can be bought together or separately, however the bunk and toddler bed work so well together, they are a great space saver and you can arrange them in so many different and unexpected ways. Design at its best.
Now if only they shipped to Canada?
The good news is that they also carry a nice range of fun bedding for your kids rooms and these are available internationally. I have my eye on the duvet with the plane on it – I’m redecorating my sons room and I think these colors would be a great choice. How about the cloud one? Playful and unique, just the way I like things!
Lastly, if you love all things design, especially for kids, then I highly recommend you take a look at the Rafa-kids blog – it’s one my favorites…
-Celina
A tree coat rack
Today I would like to share the tree hanger I made for my son’s room. I did it myself a few years ago and I remember it was much easier than I had expected! I made it with palet wood and it looks great in Nico’s room!
We decorate it acording to the time of the year and the season! It is fun! (Inspired by the great great Camille Soulayrol.)
Hope you like it and hope you give it a go. It looks good in many parts of the house, as long as you have a free wall!! 
- Maria
Beautiful bedding from Caramel Baby & Child
Last week we put away the moses basket and set up the cot for Marlow. She’s 3½ months old now and too big for the moses basket (actually, if I’m honest, I’ll admit that she never really slept in there anyway! She’s always been in our bed!). So anyway… I’m determined to get her sleeping in her own bed, and I’m hoping the cot is going to do the trick!
Last week I went over to Caramel Baby and picked up some pretty new bedding for her bed. They have such a gorgeous selection that it was nearly impossible to make a decision, but in the end I chose this rosy pink cot bumper and this elegant white duvet set. I was soooo tempted by their gorgeous sleepwear too… but the reality is that everything in that store is pretty, so I have to stop somewhere. : )
x Courtney
Woodland dolls from Lapin and me
I recently met Madeleine from Lapin and Me at the ShowUP fair here in Amsterdam. Her stand was so cute and happy, with all of those beautiful retro lamps and dolls! Of course I couldn’t resist taking home one of the yellow Woodland Dolls. (Ava and I are still discussing whose doll it really is — hers or mine!)
The story behind the Woodland dolls is a cute one. Madeleine used to collect these rare dolls, that were produced in Japan in the ’70’s but were super difficult to find. She decided to start looking for the original company and after a long search managed to track it down. Now, the Woodland dolls are produced again for Lapin and Me, by an old gentleman in Japan, who spray paints each individual doll by hand! Which makes the dolls even more special and charismatic. Cute!
xxx Esther
Lalé
At Playtime, Courtney, Esther and I were very excited to meet the lady behind Lalé, one of our favourite French brands.
The fabric designs are fantastic; they are bright and sunny without being too dominant so they appeal to parents and children alike. I actually think all three of us have Lalé items throughout our homes: I have the poufs and my daughters drag them around the flat with them so that they can flop where ever they please. The genius of the design is that the poufs do not look out of place anywhere -They work as well in the kids room as they do in the living room.
Do have a look through the lovely website. The website is actually only in French for now but you can find Lalé items on the lovely website Molly Meg or on Little Fashion Gallery.
- Emilie
ONE YEAR AGO WE WROTE ABOUT:
• The Obliteration Room at the Tate Modern• Appracadabra: Count the Animals
KEK wall stickers
Have a look at these awesome real life animal wall stickers by Amsterdam company KEK — how cool are they? I love the giant bear and the XL owl, but also adore the tiny hummingbird (which is flying around in Sara and Pim’s room) and this cute hedgehog. Wall stickers are such a quick and easy way to spice up a room, aren’t they? I also have been eyeing these fabulous tree trunks (I unfortunately don’t have any wall space left in our tiny house!).
xxx Esther
I love you more than…
We don’t have a Valentines Day tradition here in the Netherlands, and part of the idea I think is majorly over-commercialised, but the main thought — expressing and celebrating our love for our best friends and family — I think is important to emphasise. On Valentines day; every day!
These prints by This Many Design are so sweet. They are made by Kari Lazenby, who plays a game with her son every day where they say what they love the other more than — which gave her the idea for the I Love You More Than print (which you can personalise). Kari screen-prints the works by hand on beautiful French company paper, so each one is different, making them more unique than they already are.
xxx Esther
Wool Fabrique
Toward the very end of our day at Playtime, as we were frantically running out of the building to catch our taxi (late, as usual!), we stumbled upon the Wool Fabrique stand… and we literally stopped in our tracks! The taxi could wait — these gorgeous goodies were too good not to check out.
Wool Fabrique was started by artist/designer Maya Bekto, a mum of two. Her designs come to life on wool carpets, baskets, and cushions using the traditional techniques of the loom. I love the bold colours and the colour combinations she uses. Everything was really SO so cool. She doesn’t yet have an online shop, but if you’re interested in purchasing something she said she’s happy to take personal orders if you get in touch with her (contact details here). I think I might just order everything… (I wish!)
x Courtney
Britt Browne
We bought a new house this summer and moved in a mere two months before our baby girl arrived. Since she is still only two months and sleeps with us, I have been slow to design her nursery. It’s always so fun to pick out new artwork for the little ones and I was happy to come across the art of Los Angeles based Britt Browne. Her pieces are playful and happy – I particularly love “Dots” and “Zebra” and think “Backgammon” would be fun for a boy’s room too. I can’t wait to get our print framed!
-Elizabeth
Paper Friends from Blanca Helga
A few weeks ago I visited the combined Christmas sale of two great shops, Visje bij de Thee and MondaysMilk, where I discovered in the midst of the wonderful merchandise these ‘Paper Friends‘. They are made by Spanish artist Blanca Helga, from bits of collected cardboard and each one is completely unique and signed by the artist. Don’t you agree they make great decoration for the childrens’ room? Or any room, really!
xxx Esther
Moon! And Sparrow
Over the month of December, I had a chance to go to a few craft fairs in my hometown of Montreal and I thought it would be nice to share with you some of my favorite Montreal designers and illustrators in the coming weeks. Today, I’d like to introduce you to Moon! And Sparrow – custom designs and illustrations for children and other silly people. I have fallen in love with Sandra Dumais’ illustrations and I just think they work so nicely on so many of the products she has to offer. The pirate wolf has to be my favourite; I think my son would keep him close at all time for some extra protection. Her little Etsy shop is filled with lovely prints, cards, plushes, some of tees, even cute wall decals and so much more. You can check out the Moon! And Sparrow website for lots more details or just shop directly on Etsy.
-Celina
