Inspiration: Bookshelf Dolls House

I love this idea. Take one small Expedit unit from Ikea add some wallpaper and you have a super cool dolls house. With the unit only costing £19.99 it’s a chiconomy buy! Via 101 Woonideeen.

Habitat cardboard fire station and doll’s house

Just as I’m coming to end of my period of mourning for the Habitat Brighton store, they go and appoint Polly Dickens (ex Conran Shop and Anthropologie) as creative director and get me all excited about the spring/summer collection. The full range of goodies will appear online at the end of the month, but to [...]

MoMA Topsy-turvy Stacking Blocks

Stacking blocks with a twist always make a great gift and this set of ten topsy-turvy blovks by MoMA, The Museum of Modern Art hit the spot with their playful tilts. Lightweight, they’re made from paper and wood, and I’ve earmarked them for a future gift. RRP £13.99 – try Waterstones (£11.19) and Amazon (£12.59).

10 Best: Foxy Finds

Foxes are fast becoming the new owls, loved by parents and little ones alike  (Alfie adores his Tootsa Macginty fox sweater), so I thought I’d round up some the foxiest finds for kids. My love for Maileg toys knows no bounds and this little fella is no exception. In fact, I’ve decided he’s going to [...]

Hot Shop: Anglo-French store Cachette

Cachette is a new online retail destination by an Anglo-French couple Stephen and Delphine who’ve upped roots and moved to the south of France. Packed full of chic, design led Euro buys for the home by a host of independent designers, it’s another temptation spot to add to your list. J’adore the ‘learn to draw’ [...]

Little Red Stuga special-edition Bu! play blanket

I’ve long been a fan of Little Red Stuga‘s fabulous play blanket, Bu!, and now there’s even more reason to love it. LRS has collaborated with another one of our favourites, Fine Little Day, to produce this special edition, featuring an American Indian design, created by FLD’s Elisabeth Dunker. Great for imaginative play, as a [...]

Create-A-World ABC

Since Milla started school both she and Monty have become more interested than ever in letters. Spotting them, writing them and discovering that they lead to a whole world of discovery. Although I love our magnetic letters for spontaneous letter play they are not the best with a small baby on the move. When I [...]

10 Best: Jigsaw puzzles

Of all the myriad delights that Santa delivered this year, the jigsaw puzzles have proved to be a huge hit with Alfie. We regularly have mammoth afternoon sessions where we have to complete all five and I’m already getting to the stage where I think I might have to buy some more. So, I thought [...]

FaceMaker by MillerGoodman

Hot diggety dog – I thought the previous products from MillerGoodman were good but their latest release FaceMaker is set to become my favourite yet. The concept is similar to their original ShapeMaker with shapes predisposed to creating faces. Each rubber wood block has a variety of shapes which can be used to make any [...]

Hot shop: I Dream Elephants

I still can’t quite believe that we haven’t featured the wonderful I Dream Elephants as a Hot Shop before. This is literally a dream online retail destination, featuring, as it does, so many of our favourite labels (think Bobo Choses, Ej Sikke Lej, Popupshop and Smafolk) alongside less familiar but equally fabulous names: Inge van [...]

Wishbone 3 in 1 Bike and Ride-On

New Zealand company Wishbone with its 3 in 1 innovative designs has blown some inspiration into the ride on market. There’s their bike which starts as a trike, then becomes a medium sized balance bike, and then you flip the flame and make it a large balance bike when they’re five, plus there’s also the [...]

Donna Wilson House Throw Play Den Set

It’s been a couple of years since Donna Wilson first released her House Blanket. This season she has taken the concept one step further and you can now buy a House Throw Play Den Set. Comprised of a luxurious 100% lambswool woven throw and a handmade wooden frame you can create a den with all [...]

Cool Educational Buy: Circa – the circular calendar for kids

Several months back, we were tipped off about Circa, a circular calendar designed by mama of two Melinda Holahan, whose innovative design helps children to visualise the cyclical nature of the calendar, incorporating days, months, dates, and seasons. As a mama of two that badger me about where they’re going each day, whether it’s the [...]

10 Best: ideas for a tree-themed room

  The branches may be bare at the moment, but I can’t help but think of spring and greenery. Although far removed from trad teddies and bunnies, trees are a fantastic unisex theme for a nursery – great if you don’t know what flavour you’re expecting. Designers love them as well – there’s a veritable [...]

Kid O A Night at the Opera wooden play set

If your house is anything like ours, it’s swamped with toys post-Christmas, but I must admit I’m sorely tempted by this little beauty from the ever-fabulous Kid O. The opera-themed play set comprises 16 wooden play pieces (singers – love the large pink-haired soprano – and props), a wooden base tray, a double-sided backdrop and [...]

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