Moments | Rabbit Hunt

M wears: Sweatshirt by Bobo Choses / Skirt by nosweet / Stockings by Next / Shoes by Vivo Barefoot / Shoulderbag by Poppy Rose / Hairband by Cotton on Kids. D wears: Denim jacket by Cotton on Kids / Pants by Munsterkids / Shoes by 10IS / Beanie by Vans

The kids felt bad that their Grandparents missed the big Easter egg hunt so we arranged a quick improvised chocolate rabbit hunt when they had arrived. It was hard to wait while Grandad hid the two rabbits but finally it was time to go and search them up. Bird, Fish or in between as we like to say in Swedish, depending on the location of the prize.

Little brothers rabbit was a "fish", and Big sister found hers up in a tree so "bird" it was.  Big smiles and hugs. It is amazing what a little bit of sweetness can do to ones afternoon.

Press Play | Soft Gallery "Nostalgia"

Gorgeous short film by Danish label Soft Gallery featuring garments from their Nostalgia collection available in stores and their own online shop now. 

“Memory is the diary we all carry about with us.”
Do you remember having all the time in the world? How daydreams could blend with reality and when the world was all new discoveries? The Soft Gallery SS14 collection ‘Nostalgia’ is spun around childhood memories beautifully made into prints and embroideries by a strong line-up of visual artists shaping new unique and poetic items for children, women and home.

New In | Leap by Tip Toey Joey

The first time I saw these sneakers I literately did a double take. Ever since my boy was a tiny toddler I had one pair of favourite shoes for him. They were tiny, soft sneakers by Tip Toey Joey, the Australian/Brazilian shoe company (created by an Australian Dad and Brazilian Mum). They were so perfect for his little exploring feet and the best thing for me was that they were so easy to put on and looked deliciously cool as well.

After my boy had grown out of his sneakers I thought that was the end of that lovely shoe era but guess if I was happy to discover that they also have a Junior Range, catering for kids from size 29 - 36 (european) 12 - 4 1/2 (US).  

The Junior range has the same soft quality as their Baby and Toddler shoes with a big focus on comfort and fit but they are also made to last with sturdy soles and neat features.

These high top vintage trainers entitled Leap, are made of a mix of graphite nylon with toffee and old tan leather. It has a worn, distressed look which gives them a great touch. The inner is cushioned and leather lined for comfort. The full 100% rubber sole provides the flexibility needed while protecting active little feet. The Elasticised laces also come with the option of normals laces and the velcro closure helps keep shoes on. These are a perfect shoe to add a bit of spunk to an outfit, while looking after growing feet.  

I can't wait to capture these in action and knowing my boy they will be through a lot! I will be back with a review of these trainers after they have seen some adventures on my sons feet! If you are looking for Australian retailers, please visit their Australian/NZ facebook page for more info on where you can find their Autumn/Winter line for purchase.

:: TIP TOEY JOEY ::

Moments | Find that Egg

M wears: Jacket by Mini Rodini / Skirt by Mango Kids / Leggings by molo / Shoes by Vivo Barefoot / Beanie by Sportsgirl. D wears: Hoodie by The Brand / Jeans by I Dig Denim / Top by Sudo / Shoes by Converse / Scarf by Esp no1 / Beanie by Vans / Bag by Susan Bijl.

It was a good 3 weeks break from school and kinder routines. The term break was really only 2 weeks but with sneaky public holidays in between it turned out to be almost 3 week of pure family time.  Autumn/Winter has really taken hold now and even though the sun comes out to warm us up, it is clear there is no return from the colder weather now. Here are some photos from our Easter egg hunt. We decided to head for a new spot and found a marvelous little beach playground which was perfect to hide the eggs at. Both kids had fun trying to spot them all.

The day started out with rain and hard winds and it looked like the egg hunt would have to wait a day, but just as we parked the car, the sun started to make an appearance and the rain stopped. After all the eggs had been found and the kids had big run on the beach it even became warm enough to throw off the jackets. We ended the Easter day with a lovely lunch at Parkdale Beach cafe and a sense of gratitude that the weather gave the kids a break so they could do their anticipated egg hunt.

10 Minutes With...

Welcome to another 10 Minutes With interview from the land of online fashion! This time around let's pack the bags and head for Europe, more specifically Holland! Sit back for a new interview with the founder of hip webshop SpringStof, Christel Jansen. With a background in fashion and as an experienced photographer, she has an excellent feel for exciting kids clothes, combining a mature and youthful look. 

Can you tell us a little bit about how SpringStof started? What is your inspiration, and how did you come up with the name?

After working as a freelance photographer I had the chance to work as a product manager in the fashion industry and worked for several labels. When my son Mees was born, I noticed that a lot of children’s wear was so standard, so uncreative. I decided to start selling the labels that do have a specific style, that are fun, bold and original.

Inspiration can be found everywhere. I get my inspiration mostly out of magazines, movies and online. But I find it also in the little things in life, like going outside and spending time with friends.

It took quite some time before the name SpringStof came up. We were looking for an English name but the Dutch word SpringStof was perfect. The English word for SpringStof would be “Explosive”. Besides that in the Dutch language you can find two separate words in it 'Spring' and 'Stof'. 'Spring' means jump and 'stof' means fabric, so we sell fabric made for jumping.
1. Eagle Tee by Finger in the Nose / 2.  Icon slim fit jeans by Finger in the Nose / 3. Jacket by Finger in the Nose / 4. Trainers by  Tip Toey Joey / 5. Backpack by Herschel / 6. Plush/pillow by Lion of Leisure / 7. Belt by Shampoodle.  


The sort of labels a shop carries almost describes the soul of a shop, how would you describe the style of SpringStof?

Springstof is the fun, stylish and a bit artistic webshop for little fashionistas and mini hipsters. Clothing is an important tool to show who you are and what your style is. Children are so imaginative, so original and creative, it is only logical for me that they can express themselves by what they wear, just like grownups do.

When you receive a package from Springstof, it should feel like a special present that is selected and wrapped with lots of attention and care. I want people to experience that when they visit the webshop as well. That’s why we put a lot of effort in the look and feel and do our own photo shoots, design our own posters and postcards. This season we even made a video lookbook, which we are pretty proud of.
1. Dress by Popupshop / 2.  Stockings by Popupshop / 3. Elastic bow by Soft Gallery / 4. Poster by  SpringStof / 5. leopard sandals by Pom d'Api / 6. Swimsuit by Popupshop / 7. Bag by Bobo Choses


What are some of your favourite pieces coming into the shop this season, and is there any specific trends you have spotted?

Some of my favorites are LOUD Apparel Gabs Vampire tee, the Cat dress from BANGBANG Copenhagen and the Thea Ape tee from Soft Gallery.  I’m also happy to have Bobo Choses, Mini Rodini and Mói the shop, I really love these authentic and creative brands.

Prints are still it, you see them in several collections. Especially animal prints are hot. And nowadays you can combine prints and sometimes that might be a little bit over the edge, but mostly it looks fabulous and kids totally love it.

What is the best thing about owning your own children's wear shop?

The luxury of combining three things I love; fashion, photography and graphic design. It also makes my day when I receive e-mails from happy customers.

 I love your new commercial video for the new collections, tell us a little bit about how it came about and the message behind the video?

We always work hard on a lookbook and the presentation of our website. This time we had the chance to make a commercial to present the spring summer collection of 2014. The commercial is called Don’t grow up!

Kids always want to be bigger and do grown up things, as a grown up you sometimes wish to be a kid again and enjoy life without any worries. The commercial is about having fun and enjoying life, being a kid forever and never growing up.



A big thanks to Christel for taking us behind the scenes of her great webshop SpringStof, and letting us find out more about what makes it unique and so popular among both kids and parents.  

:: SPRINGSTOF ::

Moments | Bowl Days

M wears: Cardigan by Next / Tee by Bonton / Pants by Sudo / Shoes by molo. D wears: Hoodie by Nununu / Tee by Cheap Monday / Pants by molo / Shoes by 10IS.

We have hanged a lot at the skate park this school break. Both kids seems to be thrilled to go and either bring their scooter or skateboard. D has used his scooter so much that his back wheel has gone flat from all the skidding. I think its time to update his 3 wheeler Micro to a 2 wheel scooter like his big sister. There seem to be no problem with balance any more so perhaps when his birthday is coming up there will be a visit to the scooter shop.

I can see how much fun they have in the bowls and on the slopes so even mum here had to try and give it a go. It's heaps of fun and even though driving down the steep slope into the bowl certainly put some adrenaline into the bloodstream I can see how infectious the thrill feeling is.

We are signing off for a few days, its time to enjoy the time away from the computer and I hope you all have a great Easter out there and enjoy the outdoors and eat a few chocolate eggs while you are at it!

New In | Ten Mid Quilt by 10IS

M wears: Sweater by Finger In the Nose / Pants by Nico Nico / Shoes by 10IS.

These hi tops from 10IS (Ten-is) was my girls number 1 pick. Straight out of their new SS14 collection the Ten Mid Quilt is the perfect all around sneakers. I am not exactly sure what it was that M fell for but personally I think its their best yet. I love the quilted pattern and the nice little studs that gives the shoes so much texture. The simple step in zip is also a nice feature which makes the laces an option to practice on or if you are in a hurry (which you normally are) you can simply just zip up and step in without untying the laces. I took a few shots of them in action on the board and something tells me they are going to well used this winter!

:: 10IS CLASSIC TENNIS ::

Hipp Hipp Hooray @ Fourmonkeys

Our good friends over at Fourmonkeys is celebrating their 1st birthday! As a thank you for all the love and support over the year they are offering a birthday discount with 25% OFF. Use code HAPPYFIRST at checkout to redeem. You can find labels like, Soft Gallery, Nununu, I Dig Denim, 10IS, Bisgaard etc in their wonderful range. Happy birthday Fourmonkeys!

:: GO TO SHOP ::

Brand Watch | Quinn + Fox

Californian label Quinn and Fox is coming out with a new collection entitled Protect My Youth. The new label was born in 2013 by a husband and wife duo with two curly girls by their side. They utilize organic materials in all their designs and make sure they create some unique bold prints by collaborating with interesting artists each season. I love the earthy tones and colour choices in their collection and especially in the photos above.

Right now you can pre-order some of these tees over at A Little Bit of Cheek, but be quick since the stock is limited and the label has gotten very popular it might be gone in a hurry.

Moments | After the Rain

D wears: Knitted top by Katvig / Pants by Katvig / Shoes by 10IS / Sunglasses by Fred Bare. M wears: Cardigan by NEXT / Dress by NEXT / Shoes by Molo / Stockings by Bonds.

... Comes the sun! Finally! After a week of rain our weekend have been a sunny one, with a lot of oppurtunities to go out and just enjoy the warm rays of the sun again. It was good to let the kids just run on the thick, green grass (who obviously had enjoyed the rain immensely after a dry summer) and climb some trees. Plenty of fresh air and a chance for some lunch and coffee by the lake.

We also had time to visit a great playground close to Albert Lake and build some sandcastles in the fresh supplied sand in the sandpit. Sometimes the sun is worth waiting for!