Jennifer vandenBrand Robots & Trikes lampshade

It’s so difficult to find decent lampshades for boys’ rooms – they’re always emblazoned with cartoon characters or cars… or both. Which is why I like this refreshingly retro one from from Jennifer vandenBrand in bright cobalt (the colour for spring 2012) featuring catapults, trikes, robots and spinning tops. I have to say I’m less [...]

Bubble & Tweet animal prints

Amazing art alert! These limited-edition silkscreen prints by Bubble & Tweet are beyond cute. Whether its the zingy oranges and turquoise of the Chickadee Forest or the muted pink and blue of Owl Forest (make a great new baby gift), these are wall candy of the highest order. £35 each, Not on the High Street. [...]

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 [...]

10 Best: thank you cards for children

There’s no getting away from it now, Christmas is very nearly upon us and no doubt your little one will be furnished with all manner of wondrous things. So, you might as well start thinking about saying thank you. Make the task a little easier with some beautiful stationery. Also, handy to stock up for [...]

10 Best: cool Halloween fancy dress

Forget nasty neon nylon and plastic masks. Here are some super-stylish Halloween costume ideas that your little one will want to wear again and again.   What could be more spooky than a ghoulish ghost? You could, of course, cut two holes in a sheet, but Couverture has a ready-made version that doubles up as [...]

10 Best: ideas for a rainbow-themed room

Red and yellow and… Who doesn’t love a rainbow? The thing I like best about them as a theme is that it’s so easy to customise pretty much anything to suit. Painted cot bars. Seven strips of fabric for a curtain. Paper lanterns. All cheap and easy updates. Check out Pinterest for some amazingly creative [...]

10 Best: ideas for a Paris-themed room

  We’ve been to London and New York, so it seems only fitting that we should pay a visit to that chicest of fashion capitals across the Channel. A Paris-themed room could be great for boys (Eiffel Tower, gargoyles) or girls (Eiffel Tower, poodles). I tried really hard to find Pompidou Center goodies, but they’re [...]

10 best: gardening goodies for kids

Gardening goodies for your green-fingered little ones.

10 Best: ideas for a robot-themed room

In the 50s, pretty much everyone believed that robots would be commonplace in every home by the year 2000, and I have to admit, having grown up with Tomorrow’s World in the 80s, I kinda hoped it would be true, too. Sadly, with maybe the exception of Japan, our world is lacking in automated help, but [...]

10 Best: ideas for a farm-themed room

I don’t know a toddler who isn’t enamoured of Old Macdonald, so a farm-themed room is a bit of a no brainer. Colourful and fun, it works brilliantly for boys or girls and you can ramp up the tractor count if you’ve got a petrolhead on your hands. I took this fantastic print from ByGraziela [...]

Moo Baa Cluck wooden dog door plaque

So many name plaques for kids’ bedroom doors are straight-up naff, so it’s lovely to see this cheeky fellow from Moo Baa Cluck on Not On The High Street. Kind of reminds me of classic children’s picture books like Harry the Dirty Dog, though the chances are that your more modern child will think more [...]

10 Best: ideas for a transport-themed room

So, I was going to make this generally transport-themed, but there was way too much good stuff, so I’ve split it up. Here’s the first, cars, vans and trucks. Hot off the Petit Collage press is this little piece of fabulousness - By Land, a road-based print on maple veneer, from just $15 for the small size. [...]

10 Best: ideas for a weather-themed room

Ever since I first set eyes on Swedish designer Gunila Axén’s frankly amazing Clouds pattern I’ve been smitten with the idea of a weather-themed room. In all honesty, you could kit out a nursery solely in Axén’s icon design – find bedlinen, curtains, lampshades, cushions and storage in a variety of colours at Little Baby [...]

10 Best: percussion instruments for toddlers

As I mentioned a while back, we’re lucky enough to attend a Music for Aardvarks class every Friday. One of the toddlers’ highlights is when the teacher, Emily, brings out her rainbow parachute full of percussion instruments, plonks it on the floor and they can shake, bang and clash to their hearts’ content. I come [...]

Sweet Home London personalised birthday card

It’s nearly Alfie’s 2nd birthday (yikes – where has the time gone?), so I’ve been looking out for a special card. Not on the High Street always gives good stationery and they’ve come up trumps again with this little treasure, £2.95, from Sweet Home London. I like the simplicity of the bus design, combined with [...]

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