Craft... and not the crap kind!

A few weeks ago I made a 'car' for Little O out of a box, some ribbon, tape, a paper plate and some markers and crayons. The result was something she played with for a few days, and my so called "crap craft day"... Obvious omissions from my car were the wheels, but Little O didn't care that Mummy forgot the wheels.

We also give playdoh a good play every now and then, painting and of course we like to draw with pens on our self - not my idea but it continues despite my protests.

Babyccino Kids, a favourite blog (and email) of mine sent their birthday week 'top five' through this morning and it's got some fantastic ideas - because I'm to lazy (or busy) to find five here's the two I love straight from Babyccino Kids: 

> DIY Stick Horses - Super cute. What a fantastic idea, I've been looking for the perfect Hobby Horse for a while and I like the idea of making one. Maybe once we get to our new house!
Or maybe Grannie could turn these into Reindeer for Christmas? Grannie is great at craft!

> Christmas Book Advent Calendar - I love this idea. I think maybe next year when life is a little more settled!

There are tons of other great tips, ideas and fun to be found on the Babyccino Kids blog - best of all the contributors are from all over the world including Melbourne & Sydney. 

Happy crafting!

xo S
Images: My own and Babyccino Kids

Out with boring bedtime stories!

I haven't been keeping up with my blogs, blog posting or reading anything that isn't toddler behaviour, university or international move related of late.  But I was just scrolling through Babyology's latest newsletter which just arrived in my inbox and found and article about a book I just bought and love...

I recently went to the Building Museum in Washington DC, for something to do, for Olive to play in "The Building Zone" (play room) and to check out the Lego exhibit (right). 

The play room for kids was ok, nothing special but nice for something different. The Lego exhibit wasn't quite as I expected either - impressive but a bit meh all at once.  The replica buildings were incredible but all in grey or clear bricks so visually not overly interesting, especially for the younger set. 
 What I did like was the gift shop - no surprises there really!
It's full of cool things for kids and adults as well as a great selection of books.

While in the store, I read through the book 'The three little pigs - An architectural tale' and loved it.

Admittedly I wasn't prpeared to pay the $22 the Building Museum was asking for the book but came home and snapped it up on Amazon for $12.89 including free 2 day shipping*.

The book is fantastic, beautifully illustrated and is a great version of the classic Three Little Pigs story. Better yet, it has great design icons for Mum and Dad to look at while they read the bed time story (over and over, again and again).
 
Here is part of the babyology article:
 "Once upon a time three little pigs decided to build their own homes. But the big bad wolf is lurking and will do whatever he can to have them for a meal! Sound familiar? Of course it does but there is something different in this retelling of storybook classic The Three Little Pigs. These little pigs are creative, with a flair for architecture and design.

The Three Little Pigs – An Architectural Tale by Steven Guarnaccia uses famous architects and their contemporaries to give a classic story a distinctly modern and stylish edge. Guarnaccia has turned the little pigs into Frank Gehry, Philip Johnson and Frank Lloyd Wright. Piggy Gehry lives in a house of scraps, Piggy Johnson lives in a house of glass and Piggy Lloyd Wright builds his of stone and concrete – and it looks remarkably like Fallingwater...." You can read the rest of the posting here...

Options for purchasing the book... 

Babyology recommends the Australian site Fishpond.com.au - $19.95 including free shipping

I'd say have a look at BookDepository.com USD$12.49/AUD$12.74 including free worldwide shipping or Amazon for $12.89 including free (US) 2 day shipping*. 

Happy Reading!

xo S

Images: from Babyology.com - from the book 'The three little pigs - An architectural tale' and the National Building Museum.

*Amazon - you can get free Amazon Prime membership if you're a Mom... That means free 2 day shipping in the US for up to a year. Check out - http://www.amazon.com/gp/mom/signup/welcome

Play Kitchens - to buy or DIY?

So a few little ones I know are getting mini kitchens for Christmas or their birthday...  Miss O is getting one for Christmas.


I've chosen (and had bought back in Australia) the Ikea kitchen... Chosen because it's relatively small for a play kitchen and it's not hot pink, completely plastic and shiny.

You can buy the base and the hutch or just the base - so it's even a little bit customisable. Which I like. We're hoping that O will have the base and the hutch, though currently the Adelaide store is out of the hutch.

The hotplates are battery operated so they 'glow' when turned on too. As part of the set there are pots and pans, cutlery and for the older child ceramic bowls. They've also just released felt food. Probably much to the chagrin of the hundreds of Etsy felt food makers I'd imagine!

There are loads of other kitchens available - you just need to decide on the look you're after.
Pottery Barn Kids have an adorable retro set.  For more wooden kitchens there's the Kidcraft series (of many and varied styles) as well as the Guidecraft.  Little Tikes and Step Two are in on the action very affordable play kitchens. 

If you want a comletely customised kitchen check out this list from Obeedoh - Inspiring DIY kitchens made from Ikea parts:

1 Americana DIY Play Kitchen
2 Finley's Homemade Play Kitchen
3 How To Build a Play Kitchen from Ikea Parts
4 Improvised Ikea Play Kitchen
5 Johnette's Homemade Play Kitchen
6 Sophie's Play Kitchen
7 Newbie DIY Play Kitchen
8 Ikea Hack Play Kitchen, Version 2.0
9 Another Fantastic DIY Play Kitchen
10 Another Ikea Play Kitchen

I'm a fan of number 3 (right) on the list, plus there are step by step directions. It cost Under USD$50 to make. So if you're handy DIY!

Now it's all up to you - buy or DIY?

Happy shopping or making! 

xo S

What a great shelf!

Via Design Milk:

Granny Wall Shelf
Posted on 10.04.10 by Jaime in Home Furnishings

The Granny Wall Shelf by Beerd van Stokkum is a contemporary product inspired by classic tradition. A nostalgic ode to your grandmother’s domesticity and perhaps her love of doily-making, this floating shelf is not made of lace but of steel. It is available in black or white and can be used outdoors.
Read the rest of this entry »

Cool!

xoS

post & images from design-milk.com

The 'holidays' are a coming!

Here's a tradition I'll probably miss about America, the department stores and their preparations for the Holidays.

One of the most beautiful is the Christmas Book from Neiman Marcus. This year it is 50 years of the fantasy Christmas book for Neiman Marcus. It's filled with things you can't afford, don't need but want to admire and ogle none-the-less.  It also has some pretty cute gift ideas that are surprisingly affordable. 

But then there is the sublimely silly - like the Munchable Manor from Dylan's Candy Bar. $15,000 of edible Gingerbread Playhouse.  6.6 feet high by 5.25 feet wide by 4.1 feet deep of edible, yes edible, candy.  I can only imagine that tit would smell divine, but can see by the end of Christmas Day it looking less than perfect as everyone eats just a small piece... Where would you start eating?

Happy browsing, it certainly is a beautiful publication!

xo S

Dolls Houses

I wish that the top five dolls houses post had come out before I bought Little O's for her birthday.

Not to worry - I think the one I have chosen will be a huge hit, and I think I like it better than Babyology's Top Five. 


I chose the Le Toy Van Strawberry Villa - pictured left.

It's a good size, not to small for Olive and not to big for a Sydney apartment or house. It's wooden, and it has a really clever design.

The front swings open for easy access, and the roof lifts off both front and back. You can store the removed roof piece on top of the second side if you choose to during play as well.  Best of all the one I chose is not pink, so it will look cute in Olive's new bedroom - once we find a house! You can buy it from Amazon for about $130.  

It is an accessable, useable dolls house I think - and I think that might be missing from the list.  I think too, possibly one of it's best features is that it closes which means it will look neat & tidy once Little O is finished playing - and we wont feel the need to move all the furniture around when she's done!

I must say, I LOVE the Playsam house (below) it is stunning!

Happy browsing!

xo S

See for yourself - From babyology.com.au

Babyology’s Top Five doll houses

With more than 3000 posts under our belt, we like to think we’ve covered the majority of the best products in every category of children’s accoutrement in existence!
As a special treat, we’re running a series of posts rounding up our favourite five products. If there’s anything you’d like to see in a roundup, don’t hesitate to let us know.

1. Eco Sunshine Dollshouse

First up is the stunning Eco Sunshine Dollshouse by Hape (above). It has three levels boasting nine rooms. The whole lot, including the dolls and all the furniture, is made from environmentally friendly materials. There’s even a working solar panel which recharges the batteries that power the LED lighting! Bright and colourful, this is a great investment for girls and boys alike.

 

2. The Emerson House

The two-man team of New York-based Brinca Dada (BREEN-Kuh Dey-duh) represent all that is new in toy design, believing that dollhouses should be aesthetically beautiful and fun at the same time.  These are toys to share, that “parents love to look at and children love to play with”, says Douglas Rollins and Tim Boyle. This house even has a green philosophy, being made with non-toxic and lead-free wood stains and paints, with solar panels in the design.

3. Playsam Dollhouse

Not only is the Playsam Dollhouse stylish and sleek but it just wants to be touched. Those clean Scandinavian lines, the elegance, the space! If I was Alice in Wonderland, I would drink the potion that made me shrink so I could live in this wonderful doll house.

4. Miniimi Dollhouse

Danish company Minimii have set themselves the task of making doll houses and furniture that resemble real homes with an emphasis on stylish, functional and timeless design, only in miniature. They wanted to create toys that appeal to children’s imagination and parents’ sense of quality. So they started with a doll house version of world renowned Danish architect and designer Arne Jacobsen’s house. Wow!

5. Sevi Dollhouse

Although not due for release in Australia until late October, we just had to list the dollhouse which captivated the Babyology team at the recent Kids Instyle trade show. We hovered over it several time cooing enchantedly over it’s tiny perfection. It even scored its very own live post from Mandi on the first day of the show, so we know how very special it is. The attention to detail is just amazing, with the teeny BBQ, ceiling fans, kitchen layout, bedrooms and all other areas finished to an amazing standard.

Posted by Suzanne Catchpole on October 5, 2010 in Toys
Tagged boys, Brinca Dada, doll houses, dolls pram, feature, girls, Hape, imaginative play, Minimii, Playsam, Sevi, wooden


Images: Amazon, DollsHouseGalore.com and post & images from babyology.com.au

Birthday gift for girl... age 2?

So we have been thinking about what to buy Little O for her birthday. She (like many her age) are into helping in the kitchen, pretending she's Mum or Dad for that matter, tending to her people (Happy Land) playing with Lego and of course making cups of pretend tea.

Hours and hours of pretend tea. She has this very cute little tea set she was given last year for her birthday and she loves it.

It's by Playskool and sells on Amazon.  The tea cups change colour when cold water is added.
Olive loves it.  There are loads of other tea sets for kids out there and I think it'd make a great gift.

Here are some of the things I looked at,but didn't buy this time round for Little O's birthday...
 
Some Lego Duplo... Little O has one set of Lego and currently loves that too. She has the Toy Story 3 train set with Woody, Buzz and Jessie. It is pretty cool the train pulls apart and of course her favourite hero, Buzz is there to put things back together. If they only made a Handy Manny set we'd be good to go. Oh, and the zoo the Lego zoo is super cute. Super Cute.

Ok, so I also had this bowling set on my list of things I almost bought... We have friends who have an adorable set they found at the zoo, which I haven't ever been able to find.  But this monster bowling is pretty cute. It's Melissa & Doug and available just about everywhere for roughly $25.

There were a bunch of other Melissa & Doug things that I had added to a wish list at the height of my obsession!

And then there's the Happyland wishlist... Fire Station, Farm, School, Vet, Police Station, Cherry Lane Cottage, Fun Fair, Roaming Rose Caravan and toy shop...  Not that we're fussy. Just disappointed that Diapers.com began to stock my favourite things right before we pack up to go! Though to be honest, I think Olive probably has enough and she will never know she's missing all of the other parts of the land! It's more of a Mummy wishlist I think!

We did buy the Chocks Away airport (right) - so that she can play with it before we fly, and perhaps even when we're on the plane too. This is more a travel gift really, and not for her birthday. Rather something new to play with as all her things get packed into boxes!

The real present is the dolls house... and some furniture for it.

I did realise this morning that I neglected to buy any people for the dolls house. But I think we can get by with the people we have for now.

 Hope this has given you some ideas for your Miss Two's gifts... Christmas is right around the corner!

Happy Shopping

xo S
Images from: Amazon, Diapers.com, LeToyVan.com

Bubble machine for Olive's Party...

I've been planning Olive's birthday party for a little while now - it's a luau - and I wanted to share with you where we found some of the cute things to theme the house a little!

Firstly, and possibly not at all related to the luau theme is the bubble machine.

I have been looking at, raving about and generally coveting almost anything that the Early Learning Centre sell, so it's no surprise that that's the machine we went with.

The best bit though is that Diapers.com (et al) sell the machine for $29.99... Amazon currently have the bubble machine for $20.78. And with my Amazon Prime membership - which I get free as an Amazon Mom - it ships for free in 2 days.

It's battery operated so I'll still be able to use it when I return home to Australia. Oh, that reminds me. If you're an Aussie looking for the machine easy - It's available in pink and blue from the Early Learning Centre for $37.50 and you currently get a free 2L Colossal Bubble Mix with purchase. Cool.

Stay tuned for what else we found!

xo Happy Shopping!

PS. I plan to post more of the goodies I've found fter the party, because I know some readers will be coming!

Images from: Hawaiianfoodonline.com, amazon

Homemade Halloween Costumes

I'm not much of a sewer and we don't really get into Halloween, but here are some ideas (via Parenting.com's weekly newsletter).

Thought I'd do a quick search to find some more costumes.
I was hoping for a little inspiration, however, the search "Homemade Halloween Costumes" yields a really high proportion of rubbish websites, rubbish ideas and rubbish costume efforts.

Here's the "best" of what I found... before I lost hope!

This website boasts "over 118" costume ideas... 1Halloween.net

ehow.com have a huge list of ideas and instructions. The only drawback is you'll have to use your imagination because there are no pictures on the site.

The Disney Family Fun website has some cute ideas. Including the witty Black Eyed Peas costume (right). That's a seriously last minute, Mummy only has some eyeliner in her handbag for a prop kind of last minute. I should stop mocking and remember this idea as it may well come in handy!


And if you're really creative and just looking for ideas, why not search Flickr (the online photo sharing site) for inspiration?

Good Luck!

xo S

The ultimate cubby house?

I didn't have a cubby house growing up... probably because we moved around so much. 

Or possibly because I have always had a short attention span so best my parents didn't buy something I'd play with for five minutes.  I guess it's a good thing then that we weren't (and aren't) uber-rich and able to buy the $52,000 pirate ship cubby from Posh Tots (left).

I had seen this a long time ago, and remember looking longingly at some of the other beautiful, yet sublimely ridiculous cubby houses on the site. The Babble blog reminded me today.

And oh, aren't there some amazing things on Posh Tots? 

The playhouses range in price from $2449 to the $52,000 Pirate Ship.  Of course there's also an option to buy a $122,730 outdoor kids play gym/ centre (right). Not for me thanks! If Little O wants to play on that kind of equipment I'll take her to the park!

The other expensive but rather cool looking cubby house is the Crooked House (yes as seen on John and Kate Plus 8).   They start at $1449.00 from the Crooked House website - and are available through other retailers, as listed on the site.  You can even have one customised.  

Poor little O may never have a cubby house, as her Dad and I aren't really live in the suburbs with a big yard kind of people. We're more like live in Sydney with a courtyard kind of people.

She does have this Haba Room tent (left)... which I got from Moolka.com.  It wasn't super cheap at $206, but it sure is cheaper than the options above!

It's beautifully made and she and the little friends who visit love to sit in it, play in it, lie in it, read in it... I see many years of use for the indoor always available never full of dirt or bugs option we've chosen.

There is a smaller play tent which is pretty darn cute too.  Oh, and they make a boys version...

Land of Nod have a cheaper option again - along the same lines as the Haba Tent. At just $99 it's a bargain! Though I will note it's an extra $49 for the pillow at the bottom of the tent...

There are loads of other options available these were just a few of my favourites!

Happy playing
xo S

Mute button.

Oh-so-true!

via babble: This funny pacifier clip says out loud what you are thinking in your head. This would make an amusing little gift for the parents-to-be who have no idea what they just signed up for. Get it right here for $10.

Why don't we call them that anyway?

xo Sam

Planes, Trains & Automobiles... Stuff for Boys!

Mamista recently featured My First Autobahn from Donkey Products (available through Sleek Identity). It's tape that you can put where ever you like to create a roadway... Then you can rip it up to start all over or return your living room to something resembling an adult space once the kids have gone to bed.

People are forever saying that boys clothes aren't as cute/fun to shop for or something along those lines... I think that's where shopping for boys toys becomes so much fun! Like the My First Autobahn there are some seriously cool toys and stuff for boys - and girls - when it comes to transportation toys.

Here is some of what I've found that I just love.

Brio. My First Railway as I previously wrote about.  There's also the my first battery operated railway - left. Oh, and let's not leave out the seriously cool Brio cars - right.

Melissa & Doug have an awesome railway set. Oh and there is the obvious Thomas the Tank Engine sets too.  I'm pretty sure that the Thomas the Tank Engine pieces fit onto the Melissa & Doug Wooden Railway too. Please correct me if I'm wrong!

There is also a very cool few items from Munipals that look like the New York Subway, MTA and Chicago trains. You can get them while in either city (we have the Chicago train as Little O was crazy for the trains) or you can buy online from Amazon.  The Munipals are compatible with other wooden railways. 

Then there's playsam...  Just take a look at the range on the Kids Scandinavian shop . Cool. Moolka.com also stock the cool brand.  The cars and yoyo's would have to be my favourite from the ultra sleek and shiny line.

For little boys there's the Viking Toys Chubbies... the ones with the uber cool white wheels that don't mark surfaces.  Amazon or Kids Scandinavian Shop.  I'd also like to mention that these cute classics are fairly inexpensive... the bucket pictured left has 15 pieces and is just $16 on Amazon.


Obviously there's Lego. Enough said? Lego for all ages, and Lego for all likes - from Star Wars to Toy Story it's all there. Lego.com or Amazon. There's also Lego games...

Remote controlled cars are also a great idea... you can find everything from a Ferarri to RC the car in Toy Story.


Finally I think I'll add the time honored Hobby Horse. Doesn't get much cooler than that!  Well, I know at least Miss O, Little L and friends would probably love to prance around on these!

You'll find that many online toy stores allow you to separate their catalogs buy age, gender and interest. Which is helpful when searching for a gift...

I could probably search forever and find more stuff for boys! 

Happy Shopping!

xo S

Images from: mamista, tesora.com.au, kids-scandinavian-shop.com, amazon