Fairytale Kingdom

There is a great piece on a family trip to Hans Christian Andersen's Copenhagen, Denmark in the latest issue of LMNOP (laugh make nurture organise play). Full of inspiration on what to do in the Fairytale Kingdom.

Vintage.com

Want to get that vintage look on your photos but are in a hurry? Head on over to MakeRetro.com and upload your images for that nice vintage touch...

Moomin Madness

There is something so graphically delicious about the characters from Finnish Moomin Valley. If you then add the nostalgic factor that comes with growing up with these characters in books and on television, you can just imagine the instant love when they suddenly seem to have reappeared on some really nice items. These are some of my favorite Moomin finds on the net. I am also loving these items.

All items available at Lindex & Moominvalleyshop.com

Joah Love

Stumbled across a brand called Joah Love today. US made and looks incredible well-made and comfortable. I am especially loving their colour combinations.

Their philosophy is "We believe fashion should never have to sacrifice for comfort, and comfort should never have to sacrifice for style. Our philosophy is to design cutting-edge clothing that is comfy for the little ones and easy for the parents. Our fabrics are buttery soft, and treated with extra love to make them even yummier!"

Nico.Nico

The birth of NICO.NICO began with Sue Tsai’s decade long experience in women’s apparel design, fashion editorial and celebrity styling. After the birth of her son, Nico, Sue was inspired to create a children’s clothing line that combined style, simplicity and comfort with affordable prices.

She wanted to create designs for children and families who are fashion forward and share in NICO.NICO’s philosophy that kids clothing can be modern and environmentally conscious.

I only own one garment from Nico.Nico but that is enough to get the "need more" craving. The softness (all organic) and the details are so nice and the prints are often unisex so both my girl and boy will enjoy them plenty. Check Nico.Nico out, you won't be disappointed.

ZARA in Oz

When I was living in Copenhagen I loved going into ZARA's flagship store and just soak up their great selection in clothes. Back then they didn't have much clothes for kids, so it was mostly a spoiling exercise for myself. Today is a different story. Their range for girls, boys and baby is filled with nice threads. The other day I heard ZARA is coming to Melbourne (in face they might already be here). I had a quick look on their website and they will be bringing some very nice finds over here... can't wait!! Some picks for the lads below.

ZzZz

OK this is just too hilarious so I had to share. Found it in an Australian interior magazine (EasyLiving) on the subject DIY rainbow bedhead.

CeLaVi

Loving these raincoat sets from CeLaVi. Black and yellow really looks great for those dull, grey days filled with rain. I especially like the stripey jacket with the yellow pants, great for puddle jumping!! They are available at danish online shop Filabel.dk who ship internationally.

Swedish Fauna Tee project

When we are on the topic of colour I wanted to show you the Swedish Fauna T-shirts I designed a while back. Another in-house project it was made when hearing there is a debate going on, weather to shoot more wolves, and also lynx (lodjur) in Sweden. Personally I think these two animals are among the most beautiful wild animals we have in Sweden and it made me want to be able to contribute to somehow have a small part in funding an important organisation like naturvårdsverket or any other organization that works to preserve wild life in Sweden.

The idea with these tees would be to be printed on recycled organic cotton/bamboo which would be incredible soft to wear (tribute to the softness of animals), and feature 4 of our most famous and beautiful wild animals, Berguv, Brun björn, Lodjur and Varg. A part of the proceeds would go to sponsor an organization like mentioned above. If you know a clothing company that would be up to sponsor such a project in their children's collection send me an email.

Recycling toys

We all know how toys have a certain life span; a Barbie or toy truck might entertain and amuse - but not for long. Until the next toy comes around, you'll be left with boxes and boxes of pre-loved trinkets sitting untouched.

Robert Bradford, part-time psychotherapist and sculpture artist based in the UK, has a better way of using them. His sculptures include life-size figures of humans and animals that is made up of 3,000 or more used toys. Not only does the sculptures serves the purpose of recycling, it also pieces forgotten toys together to form breathtaking and colourful models that breathes new life in the toys.

For more pictures of these toys sculptures, visit Robert Bradford. via papinee

Colour infusion!

You can always count on Danish brand Hummel to infuse some colour into your wardrobe. This season is no different. Vibrant colours mixed with a sporty cool equals an insane amount of comfort for whoever is wearing them. I love how they mix modern cuts with a sporty vibe and yet they have kept true to the original Hummel simplicity, with their classic bee logo and arrow shapes. Here are my picks for a casual girl who are not afraid to pump up the colours this Spring!

Hoody, tee, pants (I dig denim) is all available at Oii barnkläder, while the socks, bag, and shoes is available at Prinsesser og Pirater. To see all Oii kit, simply press oii in the category section.

Nananana Batman!!

The other week I posted about a cool little knitting project that a dutch blogger Mme ZsaZsa, has come up with. It is called the Zsa Mask, but at home we simply call it the batman beanie. A good friend of mine decided to give it a go, and imagine the joy when we found out we got a sample as well. It was a big hit with my little boy, and even if he is a bit too young to know who batman is, he proudly wears his beanie and loves to pull it down to look through the eye holes. Definitely the best way to keep your little superhero warm this winter!

Easy peasy

Got these Converse for my 4 year old the other day (black n white version) and I just had to write a few lines because they are truly great! I have always loved Chuck Taylor's but I have to confess they become too much of a hassle with the laces before they are old enough to either do the laces themselves or sit still long enough to get them on.

These ones however are perfect. With a removable velcro back, it is easy to slip the foot in and to make it even easier they have added elastic laces (so that kids with higher ankles will have no problem either). They also sit very well on the foot after they are on. Definitely worth to check out if you like Chuck Taylors but are not up for the extra minute sit down with laces.

Shades of Blue

There is a strong sky blue trend ticking at the moment. Here are some of my favorite blue furniture for little people. From left.

1. Sentou Acapulco Mini chair
2. Donna Wilson pillow
3. Fatboy Junior Beanbag
4. Offi Capsule chair
5. The Little Collection Junior chair
6. Thorsten Van Elten rocking chair.
   
   All items available at Smallable.
   

Verre

Very easy to look at, even easier to wear! Loving these glass jewelery from Verre.

Verre is the french word for glass. Every piece of jewelry is handmade by the designers. they believe that simple is elegant and that less is more.

Smallable picks!

With over 2000 products and 150 brands, it really is no wonder why French online shop, Smallable is so popular. I quickly had a glance at their baby selection and I instantly found so much inspiration. Here is my 10 minute pick (seriously that is all it takes to find a full basket!). I love this mustard yellow for a little girl this summer (or winter where I live). All clothes are available at Smallable.

I dig denim

The talented denim lovers over at I dig denim, has come up with such a nice spring collection for kids. The vintage wash is over the top cool, now your only regret is when your kid will grow out of them, but with this quality they will easy go another round with little sister/brother. Check it out...

Camper

Am seriously loving this shoe brand... they continue to produce shoes that I just would love to pop my feet in. Here are a few from this years collection that I would love to buy (if I had a thicker wallet that is).

Camper (world)
Camper (australia)

Missy Munster

Some seriously cool threads for a tough young lady by Missy Munster
Aw 2011 collection in stores now.

Beci loves Gorman

Artist Beci Orpin and clothing store Gorman has had a love affair with t-shirts for a while and I love their collaborations. This is their latest print. Simply lovely.

Yoshimoto Nara

There is a mystic pull for me to this artists work. There is something magical in the shapes of his characters that just instantly appeals to me. We got a few little artworks of his hanging around the house, and when I recently saw one of his vinyl characters the little wanderer in a shop, I simply had to buy it. Now it stands on our bookshelf and look over the living room with a smug little smile.

Short description from Wikipedia about the artist:
Nara first came to the fore of the art world during Japan’s Pop art movement in the 1990s. The subject matter of his sculptures and paintings is deceptively simple: most works depict one seemingly innocuous subject (often pastel-hued children and animals drawn with confident, cartoonish lines) with little or no background. But these children, who appear at first to be cute and even vulnerable, sometimes brandish weapons like knives and saws. Their wide eyes often hold accusatory looks that could be sleepy-eyed irritation at being awoken from a nap—or that could be undiluted expressions of hate.

Nara, however, does not see his weapon-wielding subjects as aggressors. "Look at them, they [the weapons] are so small, like toys. Do you think they could fight with those?" he says. "I don’t think so. Rather, I kind of see the children among other, bigger, bad people all around them, who are holding bigger knives…"

Lauded by art critics , Nara’s bizarrely intriguing works have gained him a cult following around the world

Warm & Spring inspired picks

I have always loved patterns on kids and zigzag and stripes are high on the list. These are my picks of the moment from Oii barnkläder :)

Davina Zagury

Adorable photos of little people with their favorite comfort things by photographer Davina Zagury. The Dou Dou Project.

Mini Nümph

Nümph started out as a women´s brand with a lot of soul and personality. Like the nymphs in the fairy-tales who fearlessly and with a confidence in their own strength run through the forest - these are the thoughts behind nümph. And when one of the dreamers behind nümph became pregnant, her imagination only soared further but this time to create miniature versions of nümph. Mini Nümph!

Taking on board eclectic influences from Alice to Pippi Longstocking and with a desire to design for these heroines of any girl's childhood, Mini Nümph are children's clothes for little elves at play. The size might be scaled down to fit those under eight but the personality has been dialed up even higher. In recent years they have also added a boy's collection to their line called Kulör. With their down right awesome denim wear and colourful tees and sweats they are one of our very favorite brands at home. If you have a few minutes to spare have a peek at their wonderful LOOKBOOK.

You can find some of the clothes I picked below at the beautiful online shop Pipsqueak (DK)





Mini Nümph Spring 2011 + 2010

More cut n paste

from the wonderful selection from Oii barnkläder.. Did a few kits that I would love to grab myself. The Baby kit ended up being fully Mini Rodini, since their new collection is so full of wonderful mini threads :)

Soft viking

Had a giggle when I saw this viking beanie... truly for the budding little viking.

Remembering

Had to post this link to some quite memory packed images from life with little people. They reflect those unposed, in-between moments in life. Also from momfilter.

Mom Stories...

I somehow always find it interesting to read about other moms around the world, what they are doing for a living, how they live, what part of the world they live in and what makes their day tick... this one I found over at momfilter (great website btw) and it is about:

Anya Hindmarch
London

Founder and creative force behind the Anya Hindmarch label, she is also the mother of five children, Hugo, 22, Tia, 20, Bert, 18, Felix, 10, and Otto, 7.

Read it here.

Electric Bugaloo

Well the collection I made for the wonderful micro label Electric Boy is now available in stores and online. So far nice reviews and it will be nice to see them on some truly awesome little people... rock on!

From The Daily Buzz
If your little dude is a little left-of-centre, then these mega-cool tees and tops from Electric Boy are destined for his wardrobe. Their offbeat designs include a superhero carpool, Spiderman’s washing line, battling game consoles, and Rubiks’s cube robots. You’re never to young to start working on your street style!

available from Looking At You Kid

Zsa Mask

Found this knitting project over at Small. Unfortunatly I really suck at knitting but for all you talented knitters out there, check it out, what little boy wouldn't want a batman beanie??

You can find other great projects and get some crafting inspiration from the prolific and talented Dutch blogger- Mme ZsaZsa.

Although the design looks complicated, it’s actually just a piece of knitted fabric with the sides stitched together.

The ears don’t have to be knitted but are shaped by wearing the hat, and the eyes are openings made by casting stitches off in one row and casting them back on in the next row.

Take a look at the pattern drawing:

You knit a rectangle of 31 stitches to a length of 40cm. Those 31 stitches are about 22cm wide, which you should get by using yarn (7-8mm) with 5-6mm knitting needles. For this hat I used a 7-8mm bulky yarn and 5mm needles and didn’t even measure the final width, because it doesn’t really matter all that much. Keep that last sentence in mind at all times!

Ok, we’re starting.

- Cast on 31 stitches and knit 4 rows in stockinette stitch, that is knitting one row (RS) and purling the next (WS).

- Row 5: knit 8 stitches, cast off 6, knit 3, cast off another 6 and knit the remaining 8.

- Row 6: purl 8 stitches, cast on 6, purl 3, cast on another 6 and purl the remaining 8.

- Row 7 and onward: continue (in stockinette stitch) to 40cm.

- Cast off all stitches.

- Stitch the sides together with the invisible mattress stitch - learn how here

- Done!

Now load a picture of your mask up to flicker at the Zsa Mask Pool

Cute&Warm

Warm, hand knitted scarves by Amy Bahrt from Sweet William. Fair trade, merino wool with a touch of cashmere and made in NYC.

Mini & Maximus

Cool little addition in any little persons room. From Mini & Maximus.

















While you are there check out their cool tee collection...
I'd like this one, They are Monsters.

hello

Would be so nice to know who likes to visit this little modest blog about inspiration, no pressure of course, but if you do leave a little comment, I hope you have time to share some of your favorite inspiration links, it is always so interesting to read what inspires other people.

Sun + icy pole

is the best cure for a stressful week... long live unexpected quiet moments and happy faces. Had one of those amazing days where everything is just right, don't you just love those! Wish they would happen a bit more often..haha.

4 Sale!

A perfect example of Norwegian mid-century modernism is now for sale. Planetveien 12 by Arne Korsmo and Christian Norberg-Schultz from 1955. It is in times like these I wish I was a millionaire.

Via fine ting og sjokolade

Cheap Monday

is a brand I fell for when living in Copenhagen, DK. I love their simple scull print and nice cuts and fabrics. Right now you can get your Cheap Monday fix over at Oii barnkläder, who has their new collection set up online. I personally like this short sleeve sweat, and their knitted version. Both good for an upcoming Melbourne autumn+winter.

Ready steady...slide!

You would stay pretty young at heart in this kind of house... check out more images from this house by Level Architects here. Looks like fun, but you can't help imagine how it would be to live in a house with a permanent slide. I bet a lot of things would go down there.. not just rolling kids, but furniture and all sorts of things would end up on the bottom in our house... Lucky we don't have pets yet!!

Moving Art

Always loved moving art, especially skateboard graphics. Here are a few to shows just how far skateboard graphics have evolved over the years. It has gone from simply selling the board and the rider to actually being an art form in itself.

Pillows...

Who said pillows have to be boring? Check these crazy pillows out...

Vigga Svensson

is the one of the creators of Katvig, and is giving a rather interesting interview in this months papier mache magazine. Read it and be inspired :)