UP CLOSE | MAÁ SHOES

Every once in a while you come across something you feel you really need to show up close. These sneakers from MAÁ shoes are one of those things! 

MAÁ stands for Manuela, Amanda and Antonio: first names of three brother and sisters born and grown up in the middle of the Spanish shoe industry. Sons of entrepreneurs, they decided to make the difference and set new standards in the children shoe industry by creating their own fashion label. Different but similar at the same time, each of them brings his own personality and creativity to the stylish, cool and modern designs. Goodbye boring shapes and fade colors! Hello bold, bright, trendy and colorful designs! 

Handmade in Spain, these super cool sneakers are made out of the softest leather. Now when I say soft I really mean buttery soft! Most sneakers that are made out of leather feel hard, but MAÀ have manged to keep the same softness as suede but it also have the durability that only strong leather has. Comfortable and stylish, they are practical to wear and fasten on the front with laces for tightening and have a zip on the side which makes them easy to slip on. They also have a proper thick sole which offers plenty of support for growing feet.

We had the chance to try out these El Dorado sneakers and before we take them through the urban landscape I wanted to make sure you saw them in their pristine glory! You can find these and more models in Australia over at Buckets and Spades who ship worldwide and also have them in store now.

:: MAÁ SHOES ::

SMALL FASHION | Rain rain go away...

We have had a few days of rain so it only makes sense the fashion follows!! Here are a few items that goes perfectly hand in hand with our current forecast...

from top left
1. Bicycle sweater by Emile et Ida / 2. Rain tee by Emile et Ida / 3. Bicycle backpack by Emile et Ida / 4. Rain sweater by Emile et Ida.

Moments | Beach Bound

M wears: Stalking hoodie by Missie Munster / Denims by Seed / Sneakers by molo. 
D wears: Levi Jacket by Munsterkids / Jack pants by Munsterkids / Tee by Munsterkids / Sneakers by Camper.

Winter is sneaking up on us. It tricks us with some warmer days in between but it is pretty clear that a new season is upon us. The wind is cooler and the best bet is to bring a warm hoodie where ever you go these days. Even though the weather offers cooler days there simply is no day you refuse an ice-cream when you are a kid... 

We took in the views, drew in the sand and soaked up the beauty of this coastline. The magnificent views of Cape Woolamai is etched in our memories. The vast beaches, the vivid colours of the ocean and the endless waves that seem to bring out the best in all the surfers. 

We could have stayed here forever... 

BRAND WATCH | baobab AW15

Welcome to another brand watch! This time I'd like to show you another great label from Australia, that has a strong focus on organic fuss free clothing for kids. 

Meet baobab - every season they make a collection of clothes for kids that are stylish but 'wearable' and super comfy. Made from soft but durable fabric. The range caters for baby (3months-2yrs) girls (2yrs-10yrs) and boys (2yrs-6yrs). This seasons colours are vibrant and ‘pop out’ with the custom designed prints in ‘house of cards’, ‘abstract shapes’, ‘brushstokes’ as well as an orginal series of animal placement prints on dresses and tees.

There's a focus on details - in the stitching, curved hem lines, the bell-sleeves, the raglan cuts, the ribbed necklines, the shell buttons, the oversized pockets and the wide cut tees. Their garments are made of 100% cotton and the majority of the knits are made from GOTS certified organic cotton - soft on the skin and good for the world!

baobab is designed in Australia and made by their wonderful team in India. They visit regularly and can guarantee that our clothing is ethically made by some amazing people. 

To check out their new AW15 range visit their online website here:

:: BAOBAB ::

Moments | Beach Life

M wears: Mint Ship Dress by Kukukid / Black Dino Hoodie by Kukukid
D wears: Navy Dino Hoodie by Kukukid / Octopus Tee by Kukukid / Mint Ship baggy Pants by Kukukid

Sun, sand, blue sky and with the ocean as backdrop this has been the summers best hang out place. There is nothing better than digging your toes into warm sand and finding a stick and instantly you have the biggest drawing pad in front of you. We love coming down to the beach as I am sure you know by now. It is the best baby sitter as you can perch on the sand dunes with a coffee in hand and just watch them go wild. Loud voices, big jumps and giggles and nobody to tell you off. These lovely soft threads from Kukukid is the perfect beach attire. I love the mint colour in this seasons collection and it is such a great colour for both boys and girls. In fact most items works just as well on boys as on girls because the prints are also unisex.

What you can't see in the photos is the lovely stretch these clothes have. They have such a good fit and because of the nice 5 % spandex content it means your kids can wear it for a longer period of time as they are growing. The great Dino hoodies have been a favourite for a while in our house. Again, both my boy and girl are equally happy for this one and it has... hands down the coolest silhouette ever!

OUTFIT | Kingdom of Cool

We are heading towards the winter season and I am not looking forward to it, instead I will linger on in the tropical universe and this outfit takes me right there!

1. Kingdom of Cool Tee by Bandit Kids / 2. Arizona light grey denim by I Dig Denim / 3. Vintage sleeveless hoodie by Zuttion / 4. Cruiser skateboard by OBfive / 5. Sneakers by Hummel / 6. Patch by Caroline Bosmans / 7. Fedora straw hat by cth mini / 8. Wyatt sunglasses by Milk & Soda.

SHOP VISIT | Mr. Wolf Kids

It is not often I have time to visit stores these days, especially not wonderful little stores that are filled to the brim with amazing little gems that you seem to need to pick up and admire from a close range. Most of my shopping these days happens online, but every now and then I get to visit a brick and mortar shop and then the enjoyment knows no limits. The other week we were fortunate enough to be in the neighborhood of Mr. Wolf Kids - A shop that seem to have stocked everything your curious young heart can desire! Toys, clothes, shoes all arranged in the most lovely way.

It is easy to loose track of time as you look through the shelves and explore their great selection of wonderful labels sourced from all over the world. Soft pillows and toys from Luckyboy Sunday (Denmark) Gorgeous clothes with fun prints from Bobo Choses (Spain) Magical garlands from Numero 74 (France) Creative wooden toys from Miller Goodman (England) and the list goes on.

Owned by the lovely Eve Adamidis, who has such a great eye for picking up the creme de la creme of all things coming from the small universe. Every corner is filled with little gems and it is hard not to want everything in this store. I had my kids with me and I soon found out it was impossible to leave without picking something up. We had filled our Easter holiday with great experiences in nature but hadn't had much time for any creative indoor time, so we found some great crafty super clay from Tiny Tribe that was the perfect item to bring home for two creative thirsty kids. 

We can really recommend a store visit to Mr. Wolf Kids but make sure you have at least 30 min to spare because you will need it going through this treasure trove of goodies. As you step through the doors you instantly feel the years falling off your shoulders and you become a kid again. It is not hard to see why it is such a popular shop for both parents and kids!

VISIT THE SHOP 

Mr. Wolf
No 5 The Mall, LWR Templestowe, 

Victoria, Australia

VISIT ONLINE

www.mrwolfkids.com.au

Moments | Easter Egg Hunt

D wears: Hi Stack Hoodie by Munsterkids / Stunt Dummy pants by Munsterkids / Shoes by Converse. M wears: Knitted hoodie by Bonds / Denim skirt by Country Road / Stockings by Stella McCartney / Shoes by 10IS. 

Who can avoid an egg hunt on Easter? Not us! Well it started with a bit of commotion since Mr. D's rabbit ears had disappeared but we quickly solved it by turning him into a Wampa chocolate monster instead.  Then we headed to a place we knew we would have to ourselves, and then the hunt could begin! Look high, look low... listen carefully (we hid a chocolate egg on the top of a dripping water tap) the kids had a blast running up and down looking for eggs. We always seem to mix both Australian and Swedish traditions so there are plenty of things to find. 

When everything was found we headed down to the sand to sit down and eat some of the sweet loot. The sun came out and gave us such a nice Easter Day to celebrate on, I hope all of you out there had a great Easter too and managed to not over eat on chocolate!