HOW TO MAKE BUTTER BISCUITS AND THE KID WHO

As you might remember I'm collaborating with the fab independent store The Kid Who to showcase some of their super gifts for kids and last month I focused on all things school related. Well with Halloween creeping up I've picked out some fun products that I thought would inspire our spooky side and creative play.

One of my favourite things to do with F is create biscuit recipes – you can see some of our favourites here and here. So as soon as we found these Halloween cookie cutters I knew we'd spend a morning baking at home, and what better way to display our Butter BOO Biscuits then on these cool Fox and Wolf plates by Helen Dardik! With such a huge range of fun characters to choose from you can make any meal time fun.

We made Gluten Free biscuits due to Paul's intolerance and they are so super easy to make with only three ingredients needed!

To make your Gluten Free Butter Boo Biscuits you'll need:
• 225g Gluten free white bread flour
• 85g Caster sugar
• 170g Organic unsalted butter

To make:
1. Sift your flour into a bowl and add in the sugar and soft butter. Mix together until combined – you might need to get your hands stuck in to make a good dough.
2. Roll into a ball, wrap in cling film and pop it in the fridge for 20 minutes.
3. Take your dough out the fridge and roll onto a floured surface and cut your spooky shapes.
4. Place your biscuits shapes on a grease proof baking tray and into a pre-heated oven at 180°C.
5. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden and remove. Allow to cool before getting stuck in!

As well as making spooky biscuits F loves wearing temporary tattoos and picked out some fun Fruit & Vegetable tatts. I'm not sure why he thinks this is a spooky carrot but anythin that helps get stuck into fruit is a great idea in my mind.

This next product has provided a perfect solution for a storage issue we've been having in F's room. This boy loves LOVES dressing up and has a huge amount of costumes to choose from, as you can see they're starting to spill out of his storage basket. With Halloween coming up and a Frankenstein outfit joining the collection I thought this Kolor Paper Bag would be perfect for keeping the clothes contained.

The reinforced paper bag is printed in neon and can be shaped to create a sculpture like storage solution in your room, plus you can choose from paper, stuff and toys depending on what you're using it for. I love the cool scandi style feel to this bag and how it hides all the clutter.

The last item we chose was Endless City New York, this fab game engages your child's imagination by creating a different street scene depending on the order of the cards. In fact we love this so much we have the Endless City London edition. The New York version is atmospheric showing the characterful NYC at night. We both take turns to make a street scene and explore it by making our hands take a walk. F loves this version saying it's fun to be out at late at night, just like trick or treating and I'm secretly hoping to take him there next year for a stateside adventure!

What fun things do you have planned for Halloween? Are you going out Trick or Treating or staying cosy at home?

*A huge thanks for The Kid Who to ask me to collaborate with them over the next six months as a Gift & Interior Advisor and sending me these wonderful products in exchange for a review.

CREATIVE CHILDREN'S SPACES // A GOOD BOOK & INTERIOR INSPIRATION

Occasionally I'll get an email that brings a smile to my face and makes my heart soar, especially when it combines some of my favourite things, and that's exactly what happened when I was asked to  peek inside the pages of Creative Children's Spaces by the super talented Ashlyn Gibson, who I've had the pleasure of working with both online and in real life.

Broken down into useful and digestible chapters focusing various themes, Creative Children's Spaces explores real homes and their families from across the globe to combine a bible of tips and inspiration for creating beautiful, stylish and dynamic spaces, that are not only affordable but functional and can grow with your child.


 

When we first got the keys to this little flat of ours, during the two week transition period of packing boxes and loading vans, I would head out into the night, laden down with paints and brushes leaving my four month old bundle of warmth milked up at home under watchful eyes, and spend hours washing walls, filling crack and painting soothing colours on the room my boy would call home.

It was such a labour of love getting his room just right and as my passion for interiors and design has grown, so has my kiddo. As he starts the transition into school life I find myself challenging the way I see his space, how to make it fun, creative and practical while maintaining his character. I wanted a stylish environment that could grow with F and as I make lists and plans, I feel this book is holding my hand all the way.

This visual feast packed with stunning photography by Ben Robertson, captures the essence of childhood and celebrates the daily voyages of discovery that you can make at home with your child. From den building with sticks and printed fabrics to painting with a portable art station and creating a multifunctional space – such as this dining room with mid-century furniture – you'll find ways to nurture your little ones personality in the place they call home.






Not only does this book greet you with layer upon layer of beautiful imagery, insightful Q&A's, tips, ideas and a wonderful stockist source *whoop* for you to bring what you love into your home, but it makes a great companion for anyone entering parenthood or living with children and is one book that should certainly be added to your bookshelves or coffee table where it belongs.

You can see more of Ashlyn's ideas and tips in her bestselling book Creative Family Home. Creative Children's Spaces is published by Ryland Peters & Small at £19.99.

DANISH DESIGN FOR KIDS // INTERIOR INSPIRATION

As you probably know by now I love design and interiors, especially when it comes to my home. I always have my eye out for products that are not only functional but also well designed and fit in with my interior style, so it's no surprise I've been crushing on Danish design for a while now.

You might remember my post about Why I Heart Copenhagen featuring a very mini F *sigh* as we headed over to Copenhagen on our first trip abroad to meet the 'real' Father Christmas and generally hang out. We spent our time visiting galleries, museums, eating pastries and checking out the wealth of cool kids shops, filled to the brim with design goodies, which is where I first set my eyes on the Danish design company, Sebra Interiors and this stylish I-Sit Metal kids Chair.



I love Danish design for kids and after being lured into a children's lifestyle store, Paul we agreed that taking a chair on the plane as hand luggage probably wasn't the best idea and flew home empty handed. So with styling a cool space for F in mind, I've collected various pieces over the years to give his room a contemporary, fun, creative space that he enjoys spending time in.

Fast forward a few years and I've had lots of creating a space that is both stimulating and aesthetically pleasing, and although I am super happy with my Eames kids Table and Chair I've never forgotten the metal chair that I swooned over all that time ago. So when I received the I-Sit Sebra chair c/o Houseology I was thrilled at the new addition to F's room. and finally ticking it off my wish list. This kid's chair shouts cool Scandi interior with its urban feel and contemporary design, plus it's sculpted from a durable metal mesh that is lightweight, allowing it to be moved by little hands *Big thumbs up from F.*

This got me thinking as to what makes a good creative design space for kids? So here are my top five rules I stick to when decorating F's bedroom.

1. Have a Theme
I'm talking about aesthetics. Love monochrome? Retro? Colour? Minimalist? Eclectic? Always think how a new piece of furniture will look with the rest of the room. If you have too many themes going on it can make the room look cluttered, overbearing and confusing. Imagine contemporary design pieces sitting with floral vintage furniture againts a monochrome colour scheme and that's my recioe for a headache right there.

2. Hide the Clutter
Storage is everything. Your kiddo might have lots of toys so think of a cool way to store all the plastic for playtime. Keep it clutter free and organised while choosing some of your child's favourite toys or books to put out on display. We use a combination of tubs with lids for his cars, dinosaurs, animals, and musical instruments, grouping similar toys together which makes it easy to pull out and tidy away. We also use storage baskets with handles and lids for the larger items such as his Octonauts, superheroes and Lego, which stops everything spilling onto the floor and helps keep the room tidy.

3. Have a Dedicated Kids Desk and Chair Corner
This is something that I set up in F's room from the word go. At first it was soft cushions and blankets  to lie on as a baby and as he's got older he's progressed to his own table and chairs. I find he uses this space to draw, look at books and generally do his own things without help. This is not to say that he doesn't enjoy colouring and reading in other parts of the house, but having a kid size space dedicated just to him seems to give him his own bit of independence and autonomy, and made him feel grown up.

4. Choose Interesting Prints and Artwork
I love prints and we have them all around our home, I feel that they add personality and are an easy way to add colour to plain walls and create interesting focal points. I love choosing prints for F's room and tend to focus on quirky illustrations, positive messages and good design. Prints can complete an overall look and can also help them learn by choosing cool maps, animal posters, and typographic alphabet prints.

5. Choose Products That Are Stylish AND Practical
So you've found the stylish piece for your child's room, you love it – like fallen head over heels – great, but if the practical side is nowhere to be seen then give it a miss. There's no point investing in a stunning table and chair if it's uncomfortable for your child to use, or the they can't reach the shelves of their toy cabinet as they are too high, or the drawers are super hard to pull out. I always aim to create a space that's both stylish and practical allowing F to enjoy the things in his room and encourage independence.

Now that he's started school I'm slowly changing things round a little and adding a few new things here and there, to give it a slightly different feel.  For more ideas why not take a peek at my Kids Spaces Pinterest Board



How do you choose furniture for your child's room? I'd love to hear what your favourite kid's piece is?

* This is a collaborative post.

GET YOUR CHILD SCHOOL READY WITH THE KID WHO

As you might remember from this post I have been tasked with the awesome job of Interior Advisor for the wonderful award winning online children's lifestyle and gift store The Kid Who. Each month I've been asked to choose some of their fab products to share with you and as I love design and cool kids pieces I couldn't think of a better brand collaboration!

As you can imagine this month has been all about starting school, and what with parents evenings, washing uniforms and a kiddo old enough to be in school I'm suddenly feeling officially old. So to get myself prepared for this next huge step I focused this months items on things that will get my child school ready.

Already last week we've had four letters, yep let's just count that again, f-o-u-r letters from school, two gold smiley stickers for good listening – which F is oh so proud of – and my attempt at decoding his descriptions of his new friends and potentially identify them at the school gate with the class name list to hand. Who knew it would be so complicated! So to help us/me get better organised and let F have a bit more independence I chose this Pegboard by Block in light blue. I thought this would look great in either his room or the kitchen – A.K.A keeper of letters/notes/vouchers/general paper information  – and be solely dedicated to school stuff. So any badges, stickers, drawing etc can be displayed and he can feel proud of himself knowing he's got a dedicated display space. I love the light blue colour and the wooden pegs each with contrasting colour ends.

Next I chose this super cute Meo & Friends keyring from Danish designer Cristine Crebas, at £3 I'm hoping this friendly little character will keep F company at school while giving his school bag a bit of personality. He's already super keen to get some more fun badges to pop on their too and jazz up his navy bag.

Lastly I chose this fun kids book, Stargazers, Skyscrapers & Extraordinary Sausages, I'm a huge fan of kids books and have been collecting book filled with beautiful illustrations and great design since my early twenties, so knew this had to be added to our shelves. F was so excited to have a book to put in his book bag – even though that's not quite how it works – and I'm happy he's excited about school. The book unfolds the imagination of Henrietta and her dog Frank, and while she's dreaming of all the things she wants to be when she's older, there's only one thing on his mind.

What do you think? Can you imagine any of these beauties in your home? I'd love to hear what your favourite prodct is from The Kid Who.

*A huge thanks for The Kid Who to ask me to collaborate with them over the next six months as a Gift & Interior Advisor and sending me these wonderful products in exchange for a review.

PERFECT KIDS GIFTS FROM THE KID WHO

What better way to celebrate my love for design and independent stores that combine an eye for detail with beautiful products, than to share with you the awesome online shop The Kid Who. Yep this award winning online children's lifestyle and gift store make for browsing heaven with a huge range of contemporary brands all under one virtual roof.

I'm super excited to be working with them over the next six months as an Interior Advisor to showcase some of their fab products making a perfect gift for those big and small kiddo's in your life! I'm hoping to pick out pieces that I think would spruce up a kid's space, giving their room and interior that special touch, and F starts school next week I'm focusing on giving his room a little makeover which I can't wait to share with you. I'm so grateful for these opportunities that allow me to work with such wonderful brands and treat F in the process.

My first choice were these Friends From New York Mini Prints by Ingela Arrhenius, I've had my eye on for these while now and this pack of 7 large postcards are a great to use as notes sent to friends or as mini prints to brighten up a room, plus  I love the cute characters illustrated on top of photographs of NYC landmarks. In fact I love these cards so much I'm keen to add Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam to my collection and F's walls.

My next choice were these super cute Helen Dardik In The Woods Nesting Dolls, we have quite a few Russian dolls dotted around the flat and F loves playing with them, spending time stacking them and including them in his games. So as soon as I saw these animal nesting dolls I knew they would make the perfect gift, not only do they act as a great display piece in his room but he loves acting out scenes from fairy tales with them and making up stories, I particularly love the squirrel don't you?

I totally fell for this super cute Red Dog & Wolf Cup also from the talented Helen Dardik, I really wanted to get a stylish yet functional product that would look good is F's room and he would enjoy using. I love how it looks on his Eames kids table, the cute illustration and the way the colour pops, plus it's a steal at £5.50!

Finally what better way to give a room an instant face lift than this cool giant Ideas Poster by Stephanie Wunderlich, I love the illustration and quirky style promoting big ideas and creativity. It will spruce up any wall and inspire little minds at the same time.

What do you think? can you imagine any of these beauties in your home? I'd love to hear what your favourite is and if you have any suggestions of any fab products from The Kid Who would help transform F's room.

*A huge thanks for The Kid Who to ask me to collaborate with them over the next six months as a interior advisor and sending me these wonderful products in exchange for a review.

WORLD MAPS AT HOME // INTERIOR INSPIRATION

When it comes to maps, F's always had a fascination with them ever since he was small, and I like to think it runs in the family as my mum also loves pouring over map books with all their roads and squiggly lines. I think it's wonderful letting little minds get a sense of the world through beautifully designed maps, which is why F loves his Atlas of Adventures and Maps book, and with Paul working abroad more and more, it really helps F to feel connected to Paul when he's far away.

I've been trying to think of other ways to incorporate maps into his bedroom, and now that F is starting school in September, a little room update is certainly due. I've always loved feature walls or walls with large hanging maps, like they used to have in school classrooms, and think they can add a touch of colour and fun into space while being educational too.

I love these kids rooms from Pinterest...

So when I found these Wallpapers I got quite excited by all the possibilities and adding a touch of fun to our walls. There is such a huge range of colours and varieties of maps to choose from, as well as the option to create your own allowing you to have a very personalised space. I really like the Pastel world map where as Paul prefers the Vibrant World Map with Antarctica as he thinks it's more educational!

What do you think of map feature walls?

*This is a collaborative post.

EASTER DECORATING IDEAS // INTERIOR STYLING

Now that Easter is just around the corner, we've been busy getting our bunny on and coming up with some Easter decorating ideas. F is already super excited and is asking every day when we can start an Easter egg hunt, so I can't wait until we head up to Leeds for a family Easter weekend.

To get into the spirit of things we decided to get creative with an Easter table display and have a tea party with this little bunny. To make a fun table we used bright colours and bold patterns, such as our bird vintage table cloth, bright coloured spoons, tinted glasses, egg cups, Easter bunny baskets, party plates and of course chocolate eggs!

I've become a bit a Homesense fan girl as there are always interior pieces to be found in their stores at great prices. So I've pulled together a little list to inspire your Easter decorating ideas.

1. Use a bright table cloth or runner to jazz up your table and give it the party vibe.
2. Mix and match napkins with patterns and colour to dress your cutlery.
3. This wire basket would make a great centre piece filled with bright colour easter eggs.
4. Use large bowls to serve your party food, this bowl is great as it looks like giant chocolate egg.
5. Choose pieces like this decanter which ties in with an Easter basket theme.
6. I love these storage pots, fill them with chocolate bunnies or marshmallows for a sweet treat that looks good.
7. Give a touch of elegance to your Easter table with these beautiful glasses. Use colours that tie in with easter such a green for Spring.

Are you planning on having an Easter party for your little ones? Or do you have a traditional Easter Egg hunt planned? I'd love to hear what you would like on your Easter table. 
*This is a collaborative post.

A ROOM OF HIS OWN // HOUSE TOUR

I often get asked to show the inside of our little home and normally it's a whirlwind of toys and madness, so I don't often get a chance to snap it looking half decent. So when F went to stay at my folks for the night I took the advantage to capture his space and share it with you.

This post is pic heavy so click to read more.

HAPPY MAIL DAY

I love getting post – you know the good kind – not a bill or a crappy flyer from the pizza place down the road. So imagine how excited I was when I received this amazing embroidered walrus for F's room from the very talented Milliner, Rachel Richardson.

F's favourite song is I am the Walrus by The Beatles, so this couldn't be more perfect.

Thanks Rachel, we love it x

COOL KIDS SPACES

I can see F's struggle for independence and his frustration when he can't "do it myself".  So here is some room inspiration for my growing boy, my aim to make his space more accessible and designed around him. I am thinking chalkboard paint, table and chair, low shelves. Looks like I'll be getting my DIY on over the next week. 

What do you think should be important when designing a kids room?