INSPIRATION | MIMA

Every since my daughter entered a drawing competition for Mini & Maximus last year her love for the creative field has somehow grown even more. She sits down for a drawing session almost every day and the art she brings home from school comes in an endless stream that always results in a lot of oohs and ahhhs from us parents.

I love the fact that kids have an seemingly never ending imagination and the art that comes from that is nothing but inspiring! The art tees by Mini & Maximus are such a nice step in the right direction for children's fashion. The best thing about kids art is that they are naturally proud to wear it. The scribbles, the colours, the shapes they all speak an universal language among kids (and adults too I should add) and I love that MIMA has decided to put focus on that in their collections. It doesn't hurt that they have gathered some pretty amazing older talents from around the world to make some very interesting collaborations as well.

Blocks

There is something really fun and simple about these hand drawn blocks found on Lisen Adbåge's Blog. A great way to spice up your own wooden blocks and create character towers.

In Search for Monsters

We are enjoying the visit of Grandparents this week, so blog posts will be sparse but back to their usual self by Friday again... Enjoy your week!

Moments | Magic

We have heard the constant, when are they coming for about a month now, but now they are finally here, Grandma and Grandad. Family joy for a precious couple of days. I am loving these days to just observe and listen to their special conversations. It is so huge to have grandparents. I didn't have the chance to get to know mine since they passed before I was old enough to remember, but I realize now just how important it is and how lucky you are if you have them in your life as a child.

Moments | Rugging Up

Nope the warmth wasn't on this side of the globe today. Cold winds and moments of rain showers made today's outdoor adventures a bit harder to enjoy. We rugged up with beanies and some layers of clothes and conquered the weather for a few hours. Here's to hoping the weekend gives us a bit better weather to enjoy. A few photos of my little man exploring today.





D wears: Jumpsuit by Popupshop, beanie by Dakine, shoes by Zara. Jumpsuit available at Lilla Company.

Moments | Welcome back sun!

After yesterdays winter weather the sun greeted us to a lot better day today. A day outside with friends was just what we needed.




D wears: Sweatshirt by Cotton on Kids, pants by Nanoou, beanie by Mini Rodini.

INSPIRATION | Superheros!

I am loving these shots by Christopher Auger-Dominguez for Small Magazine. They did a superhero spread that is simply awesome! Check it out!

Moments | After School

School has really kicked in now. No more Wednesday off, just full on school all day, every day. M is taking it really well though. Always got a smile at pick up and somehow she manages to have a bit of energy left even after a full day of school. The other day a package was waiting for us as we got home. It was a prize package from a drawing competition she entered last year. The Story Tellers, held by Active and Mini & Maximus. It had some really neat things in it, and M was proud as punch for winning it. There were some awesome tattoos in the package that she wanted to try out straight away.

Today was another day of school and after pick up we treated ourselves to a visit to a nearby cafe for some cupcake and hot chocolate. I love these little moments where we can catch up what happened during the day when we were apart. We played a bit of tic tac toe on the napkin and enjoyed a shared cupcake, brilliant end to a busy day.







M wears: Tee by Mini & Maximus, Pants by Mini & Maximus, shoes by Natives, cap by Elwood.

GRAPHIC POP!

The saying Less is More, has something to it. If I had a chance to pick out a little set for my own little guy, I would go with a bold, black n white kit like this one! All items available at Minibots.

• Tee: Mini & Maximus
• Pants: Kiniki
• Sweatshirt Vest: Mini & Maximus
• Shoes: Native shoes, Miller, black.

Let's Get Creative

A neat little idea from Polkadot What. Your child has numerous ways to combine the design of their leggings of choice.

Moments | Day Off

Yesterday was one of those unexpected days. An odd inventory day at school meant M stayed home for a Monday off and an extra day to the rather lovely weekend. We grabbed a quick lunch at our favorite hangout, had a neat drawing session, went to the bike shop and had a peek at the colourful party shop where M picked out a rabbit mask and a nostalgic candy necklace. We also stocked up on skin pens (for drawing tattoos on your skin with) and got a new bunch of drawing paper. So love this kind of start to a week instead of the normal mad dash that is the school run.






M wears: Tee by WWF, pants by Mini & Maximus, shoes by Hummel. Pants are available over at Minibots and shoes at Oii barnkläder.

Popupshop | Organic Agriculture

Just when we moved down to Australia I heard about a label from a Danish friend called Popupshop. It was a new venture from a couple of design students that had a vision of creating basic clothing with sustainably and high quality. Their key words became timeless organics and that is just what they have created. I got in contact with the creators back in 2007 and I bought a couple of items from their first collection. I have been hooked ever since. And so has my kids, the first pair of baggy leggings and denims has been worn so many times that I am surprised they have lasted for two kids. We quickly had to restock on the leggings because they simply are the most comfy sweatpants out there to date.

We also love their great jumpsuits which have enough room to really grow up in. Since their start, they have gone from good to the best when it comes to basics and lately they have ventured into some lovely collections of knits, swimsuits and outerwear that simply has us craving for more. Right now you can find Popupshop at Lilla Company who have just started to stock them - smart choice if you ask us!

Moments | Lazy Sunday

We managed to get that good weekend in, one day where you get stuff done and one day with just lazy relaxing. We managed to go to IKEA for that wardrobe shop for the kids room, buy a new tube for the broken pram wheel, go to school friends birthday party all in one day. Tick tick tick.. and then a Sunday of just enjoying the lovely weather we are having. It would have been perfect if not myself, my husband and D was down with a cold. Hmm. I am not looking forward to winter and more viruses, that's for sure. Hope your weekends were good too?






M wears: Top by Mini Nümph, leggings by Nico Nico, D wears: Jacket by Moonkids, top by Doodlebug, pants by Popupshop, shoes by vans.

10 minutes with...

Welcome to another 10 Minutes With interview from the land of online fashion! This time around we take a little journey to France and the online shop called Dino Deluxe. Run by mother of two, Katrin Bento Connault, Dino Deluxe is a little Scandinavian haven based in the fashion capital of flair. Originally hailing from Sweden, Katrin felt the need for some Scandinavian inspired clothes for the little ones, so after having her first son, she opened up her doors for her first online customers. I had a little chat to Katrin and asked her to introduce her shop and take us behind the scenes of what it takes to run Dino Deluxe.

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

I decided to start Dino Deluxe when I had my first son, Nils. I wanted an activity that was adopted to combine the work and the presence at home with kids. Also, I felt that the French market at that time was quite homogenous when it comes to baby- and kids clothing and I wanted to introduce the Scandinavian brands I appreciated for their quality and design. The last years a lot has happened and these brands as well as other original brands are more often seen in others shops and online stores on the French market.

The name Dino Deluxe comes from the name of one of my favorite toys when I was a child, a dinosaur called Dino-Dino.

Dino Deluxe's core values are quality, functionality and design. When looking at your selection of labels at Dino Deluxe I can see you have really followed these values closely. What are some other things you think about before taking in a label to your store?

At first I look at the design of the collection. I also strive to take in eco-conscious brands that make certified clothes and that use organic cotton. I feel that it is very important with organic clothing, both for the child’s skin and for the environment.

There seem to be trends in children's fashion depending on what country you live in. Scandinavia still has a strong colourful retro vibe, what does the French children's fashion scene look like? And how is it running an online shop carrying Scandinavian labels in France?

You are absolutely right in this; the trends vary in different countries. The retro trend is still going strong in the Scandinavian countries, even though it seems that the parents now tend to look for other styles as well. I believe that retro clothing for kids has been very popular in Scandinavia as they often are unisex and with comfortable and practical cuts. The brands that are making this kind of clothes are often also very environment conscious, which is of course also important for many parents. This trend came to France later, but has got a lot of attention in press and in magazines like Milk Magazine and Doolittle.

The kids fashion industry in France is more classical and “well-dressed” with a color palette in more neutral tones such as beige, grey, navy blue or white. The kids clothing in France are also clearly separated for boys and girls. Even though there are some differences, I am happy to see that the Scandinavian brands have been so well received and gets more and more popular here in France.

If you could pick a favorite set for a boy and a girl from Dino Deluxe what would that be?

For boys, I would pick a set that I often dress my sons in: Jeans from Rockefella or Cheap Monday with a city t-shirt and parka from The Brand and Molo Kids canvas high top shoes to complete the look. For girls, I would pick a white and turquoise striped dress and a knitted red/white cardigan from Rockefella with the adorable white organic leather slippers from Bellio for the baby girl.


Is your shop open for International customers as well?

Yes, we ship all over the world. The freight costs are of course a bit higher to other countries than France, but we ship on weekly basis to other parts of the world like Japan, Australia, Canada, USA and of course to other countries in the European Union.


Europe is now stocking up for some nice spring/summer threads and lots of SS12 collections are coming into the shops. What are some of your own favorite collections coming into Dino Deluxe, and are there any new labels on the horizon?

Most part of the spring/summer collections are already in the shop, but we are receiving within a week or so some news from the Finnish label Aarrekids and the Danish label IdaT as well as a second delivery from Molo Kids. I love the collection from Rockefella, because of the great fit, design and quality of the clothes. The hand illustrated designs of the collection from Aarrekid are also fabulous.We will receive some new labels in August. You will then find collections from Soft Gallery, Mini Rodini and the upcoming label New Generals. We have also looked at the collections from the new Swedish brand Livly, so maybe you will also find their beautiful creations in the shop.

A big thank you to owner and founder Katrin Bento Connault for taking the time to give me a peek behind the scenes at Dino Deluxe!

Right now you can receive a 10% off everything in the webshop at Dino Deluxe if you enter the code "minor" at check out.

VISIT: Dino Deluxe

Moments | Friday Fun

End of the week...ahhh! School run commences in just 10 minutes. Bike trailer has to go on, and the little boy has to be kitted with a helmet and a quick fruit snack for the ride. Feels like this Friday has just flown over our heads. Never the less here are some quick photos from our day. Melbourne offered nothing but short intervals of drizzle and a flat tire on the pram... oh and a few laughter and blissful realization of how much I love these little walks with my mini D.






D wears: Jacket by Krista Lynggaard, denims by Cotton on Kids, tee by Mini Rodini, shoes by Pumpkin Patch.