Handmade

How incredible are these? I'm not sure if I would call them toys, they are just too beautiful! They are all handmade in Brooklyn and really expensive and mostly sold but I'm sure if you really wanted one you could get one custom made. You can get them here.

Cute Creatures

Here are some pretty cute finds from Etsy, I love these little hand made creatures from Lou Lou & Oscar and the coloured animals from The Good Machinery are a cute decorations idea and they make little soft toys for the purpose of story telling. The plant holders from Plaid Pigeon would look great in any room. Etsy is a gold mine but you have to dig deep!
Top to bottom: Lou Lou & Oscar, The Good Machinery, The Good Machinery, Plaid Pigeon

Hot Legs

Sometimes when you are pregnant you feel like crap and getting dressed is a nightmare. A really good way to add something different to a plain outfit (especially in winter) is leggings. Here are a few options that are a little different to the norm. Left to right: Salasai, Jimmy D & Future Classics.

Shading the lightbulb

These lampshades are a pretty sweet alternative to the standard kids stuff. They would look great in any room but why not put them in the nursery? Everything shown can be found at De de ce plus.

Crazy Kids

It seems almost every designer does a kids wear brand and that even includes some of the crazier designers.  I'm not sure what I think about some of these pieces by Daniel Palillo (top) and Henrik Vibskov (bottom).

Nappy Bags

All you need for a nappy bag is some form of a tote bag, well as far as I know anyway. I have never actually looked inside a specifically designed nappy bag so I'm not sure what makes them different to a tote bag. You do need a bag so I say take the opportunity to buy something you love. Here are some options in extremely varying price ranges. I have a different version of the Company of Strangers bag below in dark blue, it is made from recycled leather jackets.

Clockwise from top left: Company of Strangers, Alexander Wang, MM6 by Martin Margiela & Something Else by Natalie Wood.

Kids Wallpaper

There are some pretty cool wallpapers out there for kids and these are just a few. I LOVE the skeleton animals the most but not sure how much a kid would like it?

PAPER BOY

FERM LIVING

ISAK 

Wooly Feets

Etsy is an absolute gold mine and my most recent find is wooly shoes by Wooly Baby in Philadelphia. Wooly Baby is an eco friendly business making woolen slippers from old sweaters and recycled leather. They keep your babys feet and ankles warm and have a leather sole so they are durable when your baby is starting to walk.

Little Auggie

These cross stitch cot bumpers from Auggie are so cute. They also make sheets and quilts for babies and adults. Check them out here.

Wovenplay

I LOVE this brand of kids wear from Manhattan. Wovenplay is all hand-made or hand finished pieces that are so beautiful and whimsical. They use low impact dyes and are fair trade with some of the profits going to the International Solar Energy Society. How freaking cute is this!

Kids Wall Art

I know decals are everywhere and it's all butterflies and trees but there are actually some amazing art pieces too. Domestic from France is the best I have found, we got decals by one of our favorite artists Dylan Matorell, they might be slightly scary but I'm going to make the most if the time I have before our girl discovers fairy wings and tutus. The shipping is insanely expensive so I would recommend getting a friend in Europe to bring them home or send them over, you will save hundreds if dollars, seriously. Below is a selection of decals and scenic wallpapers.

Fashion kids

It's not often you come across kids wear that is basically adults clothing made mini. All Saints do a pretty sweet range of kids clothing and footwear in a dark and neutral palette. From sizes 2-10 you can buy online and they ship internationally. I want that coat for me!

Pump & Save

I was recently recommended Medela Pump & Save bags by a friend and they are so useful I can't understand why it hasn't been common knowledge. Sterile plastic bags by Medela to express straight into and then seal them up and put them in the freezer. The are so good you don't have to worry about sterilizing bottles and all the cleaning etc.

Mama Fashion

Here is another great dress for breast feeding, I wore this to a wedding recently and it was so easy. It has a beautiful low cut back so you can just slip it off one shoulder and feed. It's got a generous amount of fabric so it would also see you through a pregnancy and can be worn all year round. By NZ designer Cybele, Cybele does a lot of loose fitting dresses so they are great for pregnancy, more info here.

It's designer, darling

Woah I had no idea all these super flash designers did kidswear, if you are keen to spend a stupid amount of money then this is the place for you. Alexa and Alex feature big names such as Chloe, D&G, Dior, Roberto Cavalli, Phillip Lim, Gaultier, Stella McCartney & Yves Saint Laurent.

Peppin Boutique

I think most new mums come up with great business ideas but only some mums have the skills & experience to make it work. Peppin Boutique in Auckland is a great example. It's really cute and so far it's the only kids brand flagship store I have come across in Auckland. The site doesn't show the whole collection so it's better to go in to the store. They have cool wooden toys and cute shoes too.

Flexible Folding Bath

This is such a great invention, a bath that folds up to save space. So good if you live in a small apartment or for travelling with and big enough to last for a few years hopefully. They are available in almost every baby store it seems. Images from the Flexi Bath website and online shop here.

Tolix for kids

These are pretty cool tables and chairs for kids, even with a bench seat option. I can only find a picture of them in pink unfortunately. Speaking of pink, EVERY time I take my baby girl out wearing pink, people ask me if she is a boy! WTF? Anyway these are by French brand Tolix. They also make sweet toy boxes and lockers.

Well dressed baby

This brand is at the top of my list. Really nice quality and they go from size 0 to 11 years old. They do cute swimwear too. Go here to see more MINI RODINI from Sweden.

Little Lambs

If you are keen to go for cloth nappies then I recommend these ones by Little Lamb. I can't say they are the best because I haven't tried anything else. We have been using them for three months so far and we haven't had any leakages. They are made from bamboo and unbelievably soft. The best part is they don't need to be soaked. We do use a disposable nappy at night so we can get a good long sleep otherwise the cloth nappies need to be changed every two hours. I had great plans to never use a disposable and I use the very minimum I can but mama needs some sleep.

Best Dress

A friend of mine sent me this Cheap Monday dress as a gift and it turns out it is made for breast feeding. The front opens right up so you can feed in a split second. It's really nice and drapes well and it is machine washable! It can be dressed up or down easily, pretty much the best invention yet. You can buy it here or here.

Vikings

I love this graphic stuff by Danafae in Copenhagen, they do adults and kids clothing inspired by nordic mythology. Images from Danafae and Nordic Kids.

Baby Animals

As soon as I came to terms with actually being pregnant I went on a hunt for a bear suit. Hoods with ears is a no brainer but a really good bear suit is hard to find. I found an amazing one from Gap. They often have good animal suits like these ones below. Again the shipping is ridiculous ( I think America thinks NZ is on a whole other planet) so it's best to get someone to send them over. Gap baby is really good quality and usually true to size.

Teepeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Check out these amazing teepees out. They are made with vintage sailclothes and poplar sticks and they come with an army blanket ground sheet. Lots of the details are hand stitched and no two are alike. They are limited edition so not sure if you can still get them. Find them here by Greg Hatton in Melbourne.

American Apparel for babies

American Apparel do babies clothing! I love their onsies, the quality is really nice and the fit is generous. The designs change all the time so if you see something you like don't wait because it will be gone. The one I like most at the moment is this outline drawing from Sesame Street.

Bears and Wolves

How cool are these? They come in adult and cot sizes. It's pretty hard to find interesting kids bedding. The deer is pretty obvious but they come in four different prints: Deer, Bear, Moose and Wolf. I love the bear! You can find them here from By Nord in Denmark.

Ikea Cabinets

These cabinets from Ikea are great, I love the look of two or three in a row like this. Unfortunately Ikea is not available in NZ so the best way is to drag these suckers home on the plane with you. The excess baggage is cheaper than any way of posting or shipping them here.

Finger In The Nose

Finger In The Nose is a cute little rock and roll hipster brand from France I think. There are not many stores online stocking a big range of styles but you can find a pretty good range here. I bought my baby a pair of red tarten jeans, by the time she fits them she will probably be obsessed with pink and refuse to wear them, she will regret this. Fingers crossed she loves them. I've been trying to track down the leopard coat but unfortunately the brand does not reply to their emails.

Portable Basinet

I highly recommend this portable bassinet called Nest by Phil & Teds. It's a little portable bassinet that folds down and zips away into the bottom of a bag which you can use as a suitcase. You can put more than everything you need in there to take your baby away for a weekend. The mattress is nice and soft but it's nicer if you put a quilt under the baby too so it's warmer and snugly. You don't need to buy the sheets to go with it, normal bassinet sheets work fine. It's only $133 NZD but will only last up to about 9 months old.  It's 80cm long and weighs about 2 kg.

Glo Night Light

I Can't wait for this Glo night light from Boon Inc to be released! It's such a great idea. Here is how they explain it on their site...
Kids will beg you to turn off the lights because that's when Glo really shines. This multi-colored, interactive nightlight has removable, illuminated Glo balls that turn a night time game of catch into something extraordinary. And there's nothing electronic in them, so they don't get warm and they won't break. You can even tuck them into bed with your child. The glow fades to dark after 30 minutes, helping them fall asleep. Bonus: 95% effective at keeping monsters away all night long.
Text and images from Boon Inc.

Lucky Boy Sunday

I can't get enough of this brand! I am yet to purchase anything but one day I will. This is my favorite toy but they do a huge range of soft knitted toys as well as blankets, cushions and sometimes clothing. I love their dreamy aesthetic. You can find them here.

Confetti System

A great way to decorate your nursery and kids (or adults) party. Confetti System from New York make gorgeous oversized tissue garlands and amazing pinatas that you don't want to smash! The garlands look great draped along a wall or in a corner. Such a cool way to add a different colour palette to a room. You can buy these locally at Third Drawer Down in Melbourne.

Designer Cots

So I'm am really picky when it comes to interiors and I don't want to get a standard cot but it's really limited in New Zealand. Luckily I have been able to get the local importer of Brio to bring a cot in for me with their next shipment of toys. Below is the cot we are awaiting as well as a another one I would LOVE to have been able to get my hands on.

BRIO SLEEP
 


KALON STUDIOS CARAVAN CRIB

Breast feeding

Breast feeding, it took me a good 10 weeks to get this right. I had quite a few problems and had to get some help. It took some great advice from my midwife and friends but mostly a bit of time to figure it all out. As my baby is getting heavier I'm finding my shoulders are really starting to hurt and I am in need of a good chair. This one is the best I have come across so far from early settler. It comes in a few colours but I love this lavender version.

Not Maternity Fashion

One of the things I found hardest while I was pregnant was finding clothes to wear that made me feel good and not like I had to suddenly become mumsy and start shopping at malls. These two brands saw me right through my pregnancy and straight into breast feeding.

COMPLEX GEOMETRIES
This is one of my all time favorite brands. It's easy to wear, easy to wash and mostly really affordable. Sometimes the pieces are a little complex to! Images from Complex Geometries
You can buy this brand locally at Children of Vision in Auckland or Good as Gold in Wellington.

T by ALEXANDER WANG
I bought most of my Wang pieces from Tobi but you can also find them at Shopbop.
The singlet version is great in a maxi. Images from Tobi

It's a blog!

I have decided to start this blog because I have just had a baby and I am always trawling the internets for gorgeous things for my little girl. I am obsessed by interiors and fashion so this blog is a place where I can put all the beautiful things I find. So hopefully I can make your life a little easier when you are hunting for treasure! From baby clothing and interiors to pregnancy and motherhood, this is a place for all my finds as well as the great advice I have been given.