Original and fun shopping

Tired of shopping on the high street and on the look out for some original designs. For cushions, aprons, canvas bags etc make sure you check out Envelop. This is a website where designers from all over the world post their work for a standard range of products. For instance here I'm showing you the work of French Mélusine Allirol.

Having a crafty afternoon

I really hope to be able to spend many hours working on little projects like this with my kids. I love all kinds of craft work and so far my nieces and nephews have had the benefit of that. The masks are just an idea to get you started. The top ones are a free download by Sweet Little World and the Let's get ready to rumble masks are an example found on the Weekday Carnival blog. 


Don't forget to join our give away by RK shop.

Playing with a cool activity board

How cool is this activity board. Kids are always playing with plugs, switches and things you would rather not have them play with. If you make a board like this they can practice their fine motor skills by opening, closing, pulling, switching, screwing, bolting. Look for some tips on how to make one yourself on Lilla-a-design blog or if you don't want to get handy yourself you can always opt to buy one in her Etsy shop.

Get creative with wallpaper

I love this way of decorating a wall with retro wallpaper. All you have to do is see if you can find a shop that sells the paper per meter. I know you can get this at RetroVilla or Swiet (Belgium). Than you finish it with a desk shelve at the bottom and a decoration shelve at the top. 
I'm sure the kids also love the little matrass on the floor filled with cute playful cushions. Ideal spot to enjoy a little book or play with your dolls.


Image: House of Pictures

Brighten up a room!

What would 10.000 stickers and a whole bunch of children do to a white room? In the Gallery of Modern art in Brisbane you can find the answer to this question. They've first build a room in the museum decorating it ALL WHITE. Than visiting kids get a sheet of stickers and can add their own creativity. 
My sister lives there and she sent me a picture of the room. It took me 3 good looks to realize what I was seeing. This amazing piece is by artist Yayoi Kusama and as far as I am concerned she is very welcome to do the same in a Dutch museum. I love it!
Here are two photos by my very lucky sister who is living in Brisbane at the moment taken at the museum.

Jodeladi Jodeladi yayyyy....

As a new mom I get warnings that with your firstborn you always are searching for the next new thing your baby can do. As if you are staring them to being a toddler. I'm worse, I already have ideas for decorating the room when he is a four year old. It all started with the first image that I came across on Pinterest by Decopeques. I even was in doubt if this would be acceptable for a nursery... Now my love for the Alpes scenery has grown with these images found on Family Living. Easily combined with cable cars, birch trees and little forest friends. Good luck getting this out of my mind!

Where shall I go to today...?

Another great Bigcartel find is this playmat by our new sponsor RK shop. You may know the owner from her amazing blog Weekday Carnival. Great for your kids, grand kids, or when someone with kids comes over to roll out for them to play with. There's a train track, a hospital, a bus station and you can even go to the circus. This will be good for many hours of playtime. The size of the mat is 90 x 135 cm and they ship it to you in a cardboard tube. The price of the mat is € 65,-.

We're happy to say that RK shop has sponsored a FREE Automatto to give away to one of our readers. How can you participate?

• follow our blog (via blogger) and our tweets (for more great give aways)
• leave a comment 
• add to your comment your favourite RK shop item other than the Automatto
• double your chances by adding this button to your own blog
• closing date for this give away is the 19th of February, we announce a winner on the 20th.

Colorful, cuddly cat cosy

Isn't this the cutest cat you've ever seen. It's made by Jane Foster. She combines her own printed fabrics with pretty and colorful retro fabrics with the sweetest little creatures as a result. Nice to cuddle with when your little one goes to sleep. And since it doesn't have those bead eyes it's suitable from a very young age. You can shop these at Nils & Olle, a Dutch webshop with a collection from and inspired by Scandinavia.


To make the fun complete make sure you also pay a visit to the Jane Foster blog. In one of her recent posts you can see her studio and inspiration boards. 

Get creative in your interior

Sometimes during home development you can get a situation where you think 'oh no, now it's all messed up'. This messed up bit can be a little gem. However, I do believe this was done intentionally... Little footsteps like this can be something you'll treasure for years to come as your kids grow up so fast. And by painting a little space on the wall with chalkboard paint you create a little corner for your young one to really get creative. 

You can never have enough storage

With kids playing you can never have enough boxes, bags and drawers to put the toys in after playtime. That is why I love these large bags by Varpunen. They come in two sizes and many different graphic prints. 
Here you can see some other colours from the collection. 

I feel a lot of love

Meet some new items from the Danish Ferm LIVING spring 2012 collection. They've collaborated with illustrator Ulrika Gustafsson for this new kids product line and very succesfully I must say. This would not be hidden behind the doors of a juniors room. This can take the main stage in someones living room if you ask me. The little music mobile is definately going on my wish list and the bean bag is something I will be saving for. 
For more illustrations and products from this amazing illustrator just visit her website:
click on the image

Step into Fred's World

Fred is a little green Danish frog. Fred's World by Green Cotton is the world of fun, playfulness, colours and considerations for the future. When thinking about clothes he doesn't look at kids as little princes and princesses but as active kids with a lust for life. And their clothes need to fit that lifestyle by being practical but still smart. Good news for the Dutch market.... Moose Agency will represent this brand and show the new collection to retailers at De Kleine fabriek this weekend. So retailers, get on board so that we'll be able to find it in stores very soon.

Meet Chester and his family and friends

Acne is a brand we all know for it's great clothing for grown ups. Now they also have the cutest toys. Chester is a Swedish teddy bear by Acne Jr. He loves to cuddle but he is also a great travel companion as he can store your favorite items plus he has an address label. And if you love Chester (in all his different colour combinations) you'll also fall in love with Bell. His very cute long eared puppy lady friend. 

Learn to count in 15 languages

We love this new app company introduced in 2011 Appracadabra. They make the cutest apps for young ones that are pure eye candy for us grown ups. Like this Count the animals! This app is illustrated by Caroline Ellerbeck. From the age of 2 your kid can easily learn to count from 1 to 20 in 15 different languages. And before your flight to your holiday destination is over they know how to order enough ice cream for the whole family.

And a new app illustrated by Uwe Stettler will be introduced later this month. Here your toddler will learn the concept of size (also available in 14 languages).