They've done it again!

Mini Rodini have finally released a bigger sneak peek of their next collection. I am in love with the swimsuits! And how cute is the new peach version of the letterman jacket? There also appears to be a lot of cool hats including a panda and leopard print. Start shopping late January.

Ksubi for Kids!

Clearly this is not the time of year for my blogging regularity. Anyway did you know that Ksubi have done a kids range with Target? They have, it's ok but it's not as awesome as I expected. They have definitely toned it down and brightened it up for kids which is not really my cup of tea. These are my picks and they only ship within Australia. I'm definitely getting that vest!

Christmas 2012 Gift Guide for Toddlers

Ok so you may have noticed my absence lately. My other business is booming so I have less and less time these days. At some point I hope to be able to make more time again but for now you will have to put up with intermittent posts. But this one is a pretty big one!

My first Christmas gift guide for little ones, mostly based on what I have bought my girl. But mostly a whole lot of really cool things I like. I hope you enjoy this!


BALANCE BIKE
I absolutely love this Early Rider bike and it is the present my daughter is getting this year. I am not sure I have seen a cooler balance bike actually. They are sent from Australia and arrive super fast. I can not wait to assemble this on Christmas day!

HOBBY HORSE
These are so beautiful and made in NZ by hand. I'm sorry but I bought the very last of the Peppin ones (on the right) for my daughters birthday. Buy them here. Oh and there are unicorn versions too!

SANDPIT
I'm sad to say I am not buying this sandpit. Another NZ made product and one of the nicest I have seen. With a lid that turns into seats, it's pretty much perfect. Order them through Trade Me here.

BOOKS

These are some books on my Book Depository wish list, some classics and some graphic style ones. 

TOYS

All from Der Klein Salon, these are my pics from their Christmas section.

Beneath The Sun

I came across Beneath The Sun via my favorite NZ design blog Studio Home. I absolutely love these blocks, how great would they look in a kids room? It's worth a look around the site for cute spotty pillowcases and great cushions.

Wooden

I have been searching online for Christmas gifts recently and decided to get our girl a balance bike. During this search I cam across a cool online store from Australia called Wooden. These are my favorite things on the site, a balance board and a swing. I love the simplicity in their designs.

Meadowlark for SPCA

It is annual appeal week at SPCA Auckland and Meadowlark have teamed up with them to produce some cool merchandise. All proceeds go towards their work looking after cute animals in need. Support the SPCA by buying some cool stuff, there are kids tees (sizes 2-8), a tote bag (perfect for a beach bag or nappy bag), Mens and Women's tees and a super cool coffee mug. You can even get a necklace directly from Meadowlark and $50 from every one sold goes to the SPCA. Get in there! I know I am going to buy up large for Christmas gifts. Buy the necklace here and everything else here.

CYBEX Sirona

Ok this post isn't the most exciting one I have done but possibly the most important. I recently read about the Cybex Sirona car seat and it sounds amazing. I am a major fan of extended rear facing and can't believe how few people do it and in some countries you can't even buy them at all for legal reasons!!! Rear facing has an 80% lower risk of injury in an accident, it really is worth looking into when you are buying a car seat. And I can not stress enough that you should have every car seat fitted by a professional. I could go on.

Halloween

New Zealand doesn't really celebrate Halloween so much but it is getting bigger and bigger every year. Last year our daughter wore bat wings on Halloween but she couldn't walk back then. This year I am not sure what to do, suggestions are welcome! Below are some images of inspiration for costumes. I have collected loads of these images over time and so I do not know the source of them I'm sorry. If one of these is yours, please let me know and I will credit it or remove it.

Sydney Round Up

Aside from shopping there are so many cool things to do with kids, Sydney is really kid friendly. The Toronga Zoo is a must and it's awesome just getting there via ferry and gondola. The aquarium looks great but unfortunately we ran out of time. But the Darling Harbor playground is amazing, so many things to do there but make sure you take a change of clothes!

One thing I love about Sydney is that all the cabs have car seats so you don't need your own car if you are staying central. Every cafe and restaurant we went to was totally cool with kids. Our favorite cafe had to be Reuben Hills, I can't stop thinking about the Strawberry, Rose & Vanilla smoothie!!!

Sydney Shopping: Part Four

PURE & GENERAL
This store is divine and is not like any other. Everything changes regularly so it's worth checking back often. A lot of the pieces are commissioned for the store and are handcrafted all over the world. I am in love with the hand stitched blankets from Scotland and the hand stitched bears from South Africa. If only I had the budget. They also sell some of my favorite brands including Lucky Boy Sunday and Fog Linen.

Sydney Shopping: Part Three

KOSKELA
Ok this is my idea of heaven. We spent a fair bit of money here but not as much as I would have liked if only I could have sent a crate home! I have been watching this brand for a long time but had no idea there was an entire kids section here. It was so inspiring I could go on and on, I'll let my very average photo skills do the talking.

Sydney Shopping: Part Two

SHORTIES
A jam packed store in Newtown which has a mix of well known brands and hand crafted kids wear. We bought a few gifts here including a tiny hand made baby cap and a great coconut bowl with bamboo cutlery. You could spend a lot of time in here and end up totally broke.

FLYING PENGUIN
This toy shop has to be the best I have seen so far. Everything is great quality and all the nice wooden toy brands can be found here. Another dangerous place for your wallet. My favorite thing about this store is there is no pink section and coloured section, it is all just neutral which I personally love.

Sydney Shopping: Part One

We spent all of last week in Sydney, we were there for business which required a lot of shopping. Of course I had to go into every kids store I stumbled across. I am going to do a post on each store, starting with...

KIDO STORE
This store is divine! Everything in here is beautiful, almost all of my favorite brands are in here but everything I wanted was too big to bring home. We just bought a great little back pack that our girl loves to carry which is awesome for us haha. Photos by me.