Moments | Winter Beach

D wears: Jacket by Mini Rodini, Tee by Louie Louis, leggings by Kiniki, Beanie by Rockefella, shoes by Pumpkin Patch.

There is absolutely nothing that can get you in a better mood than a sunny day! I am sorry about the massive batch of photos but when you are in such a good mood the camera is hard to stop :) After a couple of grey, cold days, it was such a great sight to open the door and be greeted by a blue sky and crisp air. The little man and I grabbed some quick lunch nibbles and headed down to poke our toes in the sand. There is nothing more fun than seeing D run around in the sand. It is a little bit like watching cows hit the green pasture after a winter inside the barn! He LOVES it. We munched on chicken sandwiches, mandarins, watched the dogs run by, sipped on coffee (mum of course), watched beach things with a magnifying glass, and dipped our toes in the cold winter sea! I am hoping we get something similar for weather tomorrow... these just simply the best sort of days...ever.

Summer Dreams!

We have some sun today!! Hooray! On our way out to soak up the rays and dream of the summer that passed... While we wait for warmer weather here are some summer favourites from us!

1. IMPS&ELFS tee // 2. LE PETIT SWIM coral romper // 3. MINI RODINI short suit // 4. FINGER IN THE NOSE shorts // 5. MINI RODINI terry sun visor // 6. EMILE ET IDA baby brief // 7. RIP CURL fish eye // 8. FINGER IN THE NOSE Irina stripe dress // 9. STELLA MCCARTNEY Linda sandals. 

Brand Watch | Escencia

The cold mornings creates a certain craving for warm clothes. The Danish Escencia seems perfect with their woolly thin layers and creamy colours. I remember the first thing I really felt I needed when we moved down to Australia and experienced our first Melbourne winter was a good knitted vest. They were impossible to find then. All I could find was terrible mass produced knit wear with crazy patches of Thomas the Tank on. Today I spotted these at Minibots and they were just what I was looking for then! Check out SS 12 & AW 12 collections as well. Love how the natural look seems to win in the end!

Harvest Textiles

I have mentioned Harvest Textiles before, but every time I see one of their amazing fabric items I get hooked all over again. The Melbourne based shop/workshop offers a wide arrange of items in their shop and here are just some of my favorites! Harvest Textiles also have an amazing workshop facilities where you can learn more about things like, screen-printing, softie making workshops, kid's workshops etc. Check out their classes here. They also have a really exciting new fabric design program for young designers (free!!) Check out the details below.

Harvest Textiles are very excited to be the recipients of a grant from the City of Melbourne to run a free 2 week intensive program at Signal for 15 - 18 year olds called "Futuremakers".
Participants will design, produce, promote and present a small range of hand printed products alongside Harvest Textiles who look forward to facilitating young textile designers that are brimming with fresh ideas to execute them.

The program will be held in the July school holidays and will run for 10 days.
Week 1: 3rd - 7th July and Week 2: 10th - 14th July.
If you are an up and coming textiles talent that might be interested in joining this exciting venture get in touch with Signal asap. Alternatively you can contact Harvest Textiles.
Bookings will open in the next few weeks and it is a first come first served basis.
Please alert anyone who you think might be interested in this program.

Clearance Sale at Lilla Company!

The great offers keep falling into my mailbox!! Check out Lilla Company's CLEARANCE SALE! They are emptying their stock and now all items from past seasons are at least 50% off or more! Here are a few of my many favorites. Gotta love Midseason!!

Rays of Happiness

D wears: Hoodie by Tommy Rocket, Cap by Munster, Jeans by Cotton on Kids, shoes by Vans.

Finally got some sunshine back today! That's enough to put a smile on any face and absolutely ours! Here is just a quick moment snapshot of this afternoons activities!

Midseason Sale | VixVax.com

It's Mid-season madness over at VixVax.com right now. - 25% off all clothing! VixVax have some great labels in their range such as Molo, Mini Rodini and the lovely Spirit Hoods. They also have a great home selection, so have a look at that while you are there (although the 25% is only on their clothes).

They offer free shipping for UK & EU and US and Australia gets free shipping if your order is over 100£ (if not then only 5£ shipping fee). Check out the SALE.

Moments | Weekend

M wears: Hoodie by Witchery Kids, leggings by Molo, skirt by Molo, shoes by Native. D wears: Jacket by Geggamoja, pants by Rittenhouse, beanie by Mini Rodini, shoes by puma.

Gosh the weekend just disappeared! I know most weekends feel like they just go in a hurry but this one took the cake! It might have had something to do with the cold weather and the limited time you could spend outside before the chills got your bones. It is such a different cold Down Under compared to the Scandinavian cold that I am used to. The winter sort of sneaks up on you here, while in Sweden it just hits you and hard. You can still see Australian kids running around in t-shirts and shorts here, and sometimes not even with shoes on! It is like they have missed the memo that winter has arrived completely. Luckily my kids loves their beanies and the thinner ones are great here to cover small ears from chilly winds.

During the weekend I changed a few things on the blog. I personally like larger images on blogs so I fixed the width and some other small things so if some post look a bit strange just bare with me and I will fix it as I go along. I hope you like the new size.

Moments | Keeping Warm

M wears: Jacket by Molo // grandpa shirt by BIG // whale longsleeve by Bobo Choses // jeans by Seed // beanie by Snow Drop // shoes by Natives. D wears: Sweatshirt by Munster // jeans by Zara // beanie by Mini Rodini. Mum: Purse by Polkka Jam

The cold weather continues down here. At least we didn't got rained on today (even though D insisted on wanting to walk with an umbrella). We rugged up and after a slow breakfast we went to get some fresh air. It was windy down by the waterfront so M got a chance to try out her new Molo soft shell jacket that we got from VixVax. Two thumbs up! Light enough to not get hard to move around in but since it is wind and water proof it also keeps the body warm. I think it must be the best sort of jacket for this country! After a quick lunch in the open, it was a bit of fun time and the kids kept taking turns to jump on poor Dad. He had a celebration last night with his work so I bet 2 heavy kids on top of you quickly make you realize a late night partying doesn't really add up with energetic kids the next morning..haha. We are hoping for a warmer sunnier day tomorrow. Why does weekends have to go so fast??

Just 4 Girls

Well since I made a selection for the boys the other day for Minibots Sale, then I see it only fair I did one for the little ladies out there. Get 25% off the new category by typing in '25NEW' at checkout.

YOUNG LADY: Light as knit top by Missie Munster // Bread and butter pants by Missie Munster // White Jeffersons by Native Shoes.
LITTLE PRINCESS: Butterfly splash girl tee by New Generals // Pure grey leggings by New Generals.
BABY GIRL: Bob body stag by Soft Gallery.

Marimekko

There are so much to love about Finnish Marimekko, but it wasn't until recently that I knew they had a children's range as well. Happy colours designed by Marimekko's talented design team can only lead to happy clothes right? Loving the stripes, dots and funky mixes. Be sure to check out the whole range on their website.

Cook-A-Doodle-Do!

It is incredible cold today! I know, I know... how cold could it be in Australia right? Well with no double glass windows or radiators inside it is actually very cold on a day like today. No end of the rain in sight the only place you can be is actually inside under a blanket. Even thought these sort of days are not my favorite it does give you a good excuse to just chill out and not do too much, but drink hot drinks and steal cuddles from your 2 year old. I had to show you this rooster (yep its a female rooster... there you go!) my daughter came home with yesterday. She made it in school in art class and I have to say I am impressed! Love the quirky eyes, neat fabric and pink awesomeness! I think this one is a keeper! Have a lovely weekend out there, and if you are in Europe I hope the early summer will treat you nice and if you are in OZ, keep warm and lets hope the sun will come out to say hello.. at least once!

Let's be LOUD!

Minibots are running a sweet deal at the moment. 25% off on all their items in their new category. Simply write '25NEW'at checkout to get 25% off. Here is a couple of smashing kits for the lads, big and small from that same new category! 

BIG BOY: Tee by Mini&Maximus // Barneys jeans by Munster // Silas jumper by Soft Gallery // Millers, black by Native Shoes.
LITTLE DUDE: Winner's longsleeve by Mini Munster // Trouble leggings by Mini Munster. 
BABY BOY: Wenz bodysuit steel by Ada Ada.

H&M HOME for KIDS!

Just as I was scratching my head for the 10th time to find some nice and more easy on the wallet alternative for bedlinen and home accessories for kids I stumble over the Swedish, Hus & Hem article about how H&M is starting a kids range in their HOME collection this Autumn! The above photos are from their new range and I have to say I am loving it! Happy colours and animal patterns can hardly go wrong now can it?? There will also be a baby section and both will be in organic cotton to boot. Keep an eye out this Autumn on their website.

STYLE SESSIONS | PAUL & PAULA

Welcome to the second round of Style Session With! I feel like I am just getting warmed up, and time around I have gotten the chance to ask a couple of question to a designer who I have admired for a while now. Based right here in Melbourne, Australia, Paul & Paula is a completely handmade label created by talented seamstress Kerstin Steger. Having a great love for fabric, it didn't take long until Kerstin started falling in love with making her own tiny fashion. With a great eye for detail and a love for all things fun and stylish, Kerstin is well on her way in the small fashion world, here she shares a few answers on how it all started and where she is heading towards...

Can you tell us a little about how Paul & Paula got started? What is the inspiration behind it and how did you come up with the name? 

Paul & Paula pretty much started from using up fabric scraps. I used to run a small label when I was living and studying back home in Berlin making womenswear. I'm a bit of a fabric hoarder and find it hard to throw out offcuts. At that time a few of my close friends had babies and one thing led to the other and I started making teeny tiny little things for babies.

Paul & Paula is named after a popular east German movie which I watched way too many times in my youth.

What is the hardest/most rewarding with having your own label?

I absolutely love what I'm doing... cutting, sewing, drawing, printing and playing around with fabrics. So pretty much - I feel really lucky to have turned my passion into a job.  The most rewarding thing is probably to be able to dress my little man in my favorite things. AND - I hardly ever have to buy clothes for him! Seeing other kids wearing my things is also pretty special I must admit.

The hardest thing about having your own label is finding time for everything. On top of designing, pattern making and sewing there are also many hours spend in front of my computer emailing,  ordering fabric, updating website/online shop.....my 'To Do' list is never ending! Sometime I wish I had 10 arms and legs. Leading up to markets things get very chaotic around here.
I am loving your bat hoodie and your lovely warm stylish vest in your collection, can you share some other new items you have been adding in your shop lately?

One of my new favourite styles at the moment are the stretchy denim leggings..they are getting a bit of a work out in our house....that's for sure!  The woolen vest are pretty ace too...so warm and toasty.

One of the things about Paul & Paula that is so wonderful to me is that you hand make everything in your collection. How do you puzzle the time between being a busy mum and a clothing designer? (I am sure a lot of readers would like to know.)

I'm a night owl, once the little man is in bed I make myself a coffee and get working. That's the great thing of having your studio at home. I never go to bed before midnight. I also have two full days where my boy is at childcare and I try to get as much done as possible.....those day are always full steam ahead. While screen printing in the laundry, I'll be answering emails, cutting, sewing and checking the garments, off to the post office run, cooking, washing until its pick up time again.

Most of the time I forget to have breakfast or lunch!  For the rest of the week, the little man is my priority. His daily naptime = quick sewing sessions. Last but not least I've got a very supportive partner who also runs his own business and is flexible most days to lend an extra set of hands.


What is coming up next for Paul & Paula? Any future plans or inspirations you can share with us?

Some new summer pieces! Once I get time to sit down and do some designing. I would love to do more screen printing and maybe even start printing my own fabric....that's the plan anyway.

A big thanks to Kerstin Steger for taking the time to do an Q&A with us, and for taking us on a tour on the life behind Paul & Paula. I always find it a huge inspiration to read about all the efforts that goes into making your own label and it makes it so much more special when you are dressing your little ones in threads that have this much love put into them! For more great designs from Paul & Paula please visit their shop and website!

VISIT PAUL & PAULA.

Summer = Tees!

There is nothing like a cool tee to get you through summer. Here are a couple of tees that I think would make a nice summer edition to any boys or girls wardrobe! Click on links below to find them in shops.

1. Fly sky high - Mini & Maximus // 2. Dot tee - Shampoodle // 3. Panther tee - Mini Rodini // 4. Biking Viking - Danefæ // 5. Panda tee - Mini Rodini // 6. Bike tee - Bobo Choses // 7. Camping tee - Bobo Choses // 8. Shark tee - Scotch & Soda // 9. Peace bird tee - Anive for Minors.

Little & Lovely!

I have long looked for something as perfect as this. And now I can even share with you where you can win one (if you are quick that is, giveaway ends 23 of May). Little. u is a wonderful jewellery designer from Sweden, and this is one of her lovely little necklaces you can win (or order of course). The ring is 12mm and the tags 8mm. The chain is 40cm long.

To enter the giveaway simply go here and comment, to get an extra chance like little u on fb, and for a third chance, write about it on your blog and let them know in your comment. Good Luck!!!

Moments | Saltwater & Gumboots

D wears: Beanie by Mini Rodini, Hoodie by Cotton on Kids, Harem pants by Witchery Kids, Gumboots by Walnut Melbourne. M wears: Faux fur hat by Billabong, Knit by FUB, Jeans by I Dig Denim, Gumboots by Bergstein.


When it is one of those wet days and you know the playgrounds are going to give you a wet behind, we normally head for the coast. If you are going to get wet you might as well get really wet! As per usual D got quite wet after only about 5 minutes while M stayed warm and dry for the entire rock pool stay. After a cold exploration of the pools we got the table by the indoor fire at the tea room and filled up on some calamari lunch.