Bambino Goodies » Toys

Inspiration: Bookshelf Dolls House

Kat — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:00:45 +0000

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

Lucy — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0000

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 keep you going until then, here is a rather fabulous cardboard fire station, £15, and doll’s house, £22, I spotted on the website.

MoMA Topsy-turvy Stacking Blocks

Natalie — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:00:20 +0000

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

Lucy — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

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 be a companion for my newest bambino, due this summer. And he shall be called Ferdinand. £21.50, Sisters Guild.

Knit guru Donna Wilson is queen of the fox cushion. We’re all familiar with her fox face design, but I’m leaning towards this pattern, available in green or blue, from £53.60, exclusively from Heal’s.

What’s the time, Mr Fox? Easy to find out with a glance at this cheeky chap. He doesn’t tick either, so is perfect for light sleepers’ rooms. £40, HunkyDory Home.

This wallpaper by Ashley Alexander would have been perfect for my woodland-themed room ideas. Love the little hints of orange on the grey background. €130, from Turkish company Studio Nommo.

If vulpine wallpaper seems a bit much, then this cute decal by French designer Emilie Vast could be the one for you. 26, Poisson Bulle.

I’ve written about Iota Illustration before and I think ‘Two Fine Foxes’ is one of Oliver Lake’s most fabulous prints. 18, Etsy.

Here’s another one I’ll be adding to my ‘To Buy’ list – Esthex‘s Mr Morris Fox, €34.95. He’s a sly one as he’s concealing a music box, activated by pulling the string on his back. Also, check out the matching cushion and backpack.

Talking of backpacks, BG faves Skiphop have a new range of animals and one of them is, you guessed it, a fox. £24, Fairy Blossom.

I keep going on about Club Geluk, but when it comes to fox prints, this Dutch brand really knows its stuff. How divine is this red and white blanket, €69.90?

Finally, for crafty types, there’s KidsOnRoof’s 3D jigsaw puzzles depicting a friendly fox family of four. €15, Kids Love Design.

Hot Shop: Anglo-French store Cachette

Natalie — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

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’ sets of 18 cards with charming drawings to teach your child to draw step-by-step, €4, the Les Beaux Découpages sets of colourful images that are perfect for collaging, €5.50, and the sets of three laser cut paper vases which come in either white sets, or the reversible fluo yellow and blue, or fluo pink and beige sets, €18. The pretend fabric watches are very cool also but seem to have sold out – boo! Hot foot it now and if you shop before the end of January, postage is free to the UK. Oh, and I ‘noted’ that if you recommend Cachette to a friend, you both get 20% off.

Via Home Shopping Spy

Little Red Stuga special-edition Bu! play blanket

Lucy — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

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 comforter, or just a simple game of peekaboo, the blankie comes in six colourways and costs €29, plus €5 p&p to Europe. Definitely going on the list for Alfie’s birthday.

Create-A-World ABC

Kat — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

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 saw that Create-a-World had an ABC set out my interest was instantly piqued. Made from the same durable thick felt as their regular set although it is intended to be an add-on I think it could work quite well on it’s own. The set has 51 letters, each illustrated with a relevant person, animal or object. Think they are an excellent tactile tool for letter learning and even better if you have the whole set to create stories.

£19.95 from White Step.

Create-A-World

10 Best: Jigsaw puzzles

Lucy — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

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 I’d share my research, plus I’ve added a couple of options for younger children too. This 36-piece Djeco design, above, is, frankly, a bit mental. Which is exactly why I love it! £11.95, Bird Kids.

We were the lucky recipients of a Sebra jungle puzzle and the illustration is gorgeous. Love the owl, birdies and little acorn house on this 38-piece one. £12.50, Scandinavian Minimall.

Animals? In a tower? Yes, please. 33 pieces and 13 cool creatures from Crocodile Creek. £12.30, Nutwood Toys.

In terms of packaging, it’s hard to beat the hat box of French toy company Janod‘s 36-piece knight and dragon puzzle. £18, Kinder Room.

I’ve featured Londji‘s two-metre long train puzzle before, but it’s so fab it deserves a second mention. 52 pieces and a host of quirky passengers. £17.50, Pippa & Ike Show.

For little ones, these first puzzles, consisting of four-pieces per picture, by Mudpuppy are hard to beat. £8.99, Hanover Lane.

Fancy injecting a little Gallic chic into the playroom? French designer Nathalie Lete has created this wonderful Parisian landmark puzzles for Vilac – three designs, 25 pieces each. €20, Noeuf.

This one is a little more advanced with 48 pieces, but oh so lovely – by Hungarian company Marbushka. £11, Little Baby Company.

Games gurus Orchard Toys have a plethora of puzzles. I can’t think of many little ones who wouldn’t adore this road design – you can even drive your own cars on it. £13, GLTC.

And finally, one for the creatives out there. A wooden colour-your-own jigsaw, a bargain at £5, Tate.

FaceMaker by MillerGoodman

Kat — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

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 number of faces. What I love about MillerGoodman is their understanding of open-ended play so while the blocks provide a framework for creating faces the only limit is imagination. Hats off to what I predict will be another award winning toy.

Available from the beginning of March for £32.

Hot shop: I Dream Elephants

Lucy — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

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 der Broeck, K for Keeps, Paz, Selana… the list goes on.

Of the more quirky brands I’m loving this suitably swooshy Liberty Lollipop circle skirt from Littl by Lilit (German designer Lilit Borkowsky’s children’s line), £30, and these rocking guitar cushions by Gabriela Pardo (another German designer – go, Berlin!) which are currently on sale at £35 each, in three colours sure to inspire even the most reluctant performers. Another USP of the site is the ‘Outfit of the Week’ section where I Dream Elephants turn stylist and compile three full ensembles – one ‘little lady’, one ‘little lad’, one baby – in case you have no idea how to put your purchases together.

Bambino Goodies » Toys

Inspiration: Bookshelf Dolls House

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