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.

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.

END OF THE ROAD FESTIVAL AND TRAVELLING WITH CYBEX PALLAS M-FIX CAR SEAT

Now we're officially tied to the delights of term time schedules,  last weekend we made our annual pilgrimage to the wonderful End of the Road Festival, car piled high with the usual camping equipment in the hopes of having one big final summer blow out before F started school.

The boy loves nothing more than romping around in wellies, sleeping in a tent and being surrounded by friends, so I couldn't think of a better way to send him through the school gate. It also gave us a great excuse to roadtest out our new next stage Limestone Cybex Pallas M-fix car seat, just another moment to mark how fast this boy is growing up! No longer fitting in his old car seat coupled with my usual need to find the safest and well designed product for my not so little one, I was really keen to try it out after seeing its many safety features and ability to grow with your child up to the age of 11 years old.

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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.

TRAVEL IN LUXURY WITH THE BRITAX TRIFIX BLACK EDITION // REVIEW

Many of you know and can guess from this blog that I love good design. Products that are well thought out, show attention to detail and are beautifully executed. So when a company combines luxury, style and my child's safety I'm bound to get excited.

I was asked whether I would like to test out the Britax TRIFIX Black Edition group 1 car seat for F, with only 500 of these exclusive car seats in existence and only 100 available in the UK I jumped at the chance to road test this luxury product, plus I'm a stickler for safety and as long as F remains within the weight restriction I'm happy for him to stay in a stage 1 car seat.

The TRIFIX Black is the ultimate car seat for style conscious parents who don’t want to compromise on safety. Designed by Britax European Head of Styling Julia Strunk, the TRIFIX Black is hand-made in Germany and exudes style and quality making it perfect for family life. The car seat can be used from 9 months until 4 years old (9-18kg) making it a sound investment which will keep your child safe and comfortable as they grow.

The Trifix Black Edition has a five point harness and top tether which anchors the car seat and your precious cargo firmly to the seat of your car, this reduces the forward and sideways movement of the car seat providing extra safety in the event of an accident. Our old seat uses a floor anchor which while safe still allows for some movement, however the top tether pretty much secures the seat firmly in place. Combining this, along with the sleek designed side impact panels, really makes me feel at ease knowing F is travelling in comfort and style without compromising on safety.

I absolutely love the fabrics that have been used to create this car seat, soft black leather with beautiful stitched finishes using selected seamstresses in Germany, a quilted padded seat lining and wide straps that sit over the chest for comfort, the Trifix Black edition oozes luxury and the high gloss carbon effect side panelling gives it a timeless quality. 

For me black is a classic colour that looks good in any car and F seemed to think so too, he smiled during our long test drive and even had a nap which is unheard of, giving us time to chat in the car without listening to his audio books on repeat. So for comfort it gets a 10/10 from me. I love that these are a limited edition, as well as it being a statement piece, more importantly I love that each of the 500 car seats have been lovingly made by hand, with a quality control team ensuring that each one is finished to the highest standard. We all want the best for our kiddo and knowing he is safe and comfortable while pleasing my eye for design,  makes me one happy mama.

*I was given a Britax TRIFIX Black Edition for review purposes only. All opinions are 100% my own.

WHERE MAMA MEETS COOL

When I first found out I was pregnant with F I had no idea about the world I was stepping into, awash with plastic tat and a myriad of blues and pinks. I would sigh as I wandered through the high street shops, my eyes scanning the rails for something a little cooler, something that I felt would be an extension of my personality.

A few years down the line and I'm surprised at how much I've learned and equally how trends have changed. We are facing a new era of mama's, the yummy mummy just isn't cutting it anymore, this is the era where mama meets cool. Where good design is key, colour is breaking those gender stereotypes and we are wanting more than 'you’re just a mum' label. We want to show our personality, and rock this motherhood thing.

Here are a few picks of my mama cool must haves.

1// Ditch the dark denim and basic blacks, and go for something with a bit of pow. I'm loving this Cosatto pushchair and its vibrant colours, perfect for those hours spent pounding the pavement while making a statement. Next time round this will definitely be on my list.

2// How about this crayon tree for storing your stationary? Throw away the pencil case and get your little artists raring to go with Ambre a Crayon, Colours Tree, plus it also looks good on display in your home.

3// Do you heart geometric patterns? I saw this Cossato highchair and it was love at first site, no longer do you have to hide away the highchair after meal times when something looks this good. Not only does it rotate, change height and is fully wipeable, but it also looks pretty damn cool too.

4// Give your little tiger some personality with these awesome trainers, Feiyue have teamed with Milk on the Rocks to produce shoes that give off a roar and are bound to be the talk of the playground.

5// Remember Billy Stampers? – That's temporary tattoos for those not raised in 80's – I'd cover my arms in them, grab an ice lolly, and play outside for hours as a child. Well temporary kid tattoos are back with a bang and I'm loving this retro watch from Tattly.

6// I'm totally loving this interactive felt map from Corby Tindersticks, with its bright colours and quirky characters, your child will have fun playing weatherman while keeping your walls looking good.


This post is in collaboration with Cossato.

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE FOR KIDS

The clock is ticking and soon it will be time for the jolly fat man in a red coat to drop the presents off under the tree, except I haven't quite managed to organise any of my Christmas list yet. Don't get me wrong there have been a few evenings of button clicking in front of the computer and at least three failed trips into town – who knew toddlers weren't keen on the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping. So to clear my mind I have pulled together a few last minute kids gifts, with a For Him/For Her to follow.

1. Sally Nencini - Scandi Doll £37 / Archies Boutique
2. Endless City London - Gwen Lee £14.95 / The Pippa and Ike Show
3. Quad Roller Passion €70 / My Little Square
4. *A to Z Magnatab lowercase letters £26.99 / Toyella
5. Mama Bear Print by Jana Klouklova Kudrnova £14 / Sarah & Bendrix 
6. Feiyue Delta Mid x Milk On The Rocks Tiger Trainers €70 / Feiyue Shop
7. Astronaut Costume White £50 / Hedgehog
8. Around the World Matching Game - Micah Player £10.99 / Scout & Co
9. Wooden Camera with Interchangeable Lenses £32 / Egg & Yolk
10. Plan Toys Green Dolls House with Furniture £135.11 / Play
11. Man / Woman Cushion Cover by Depeapa £25 / Southwood Stores

Don't miss the deadline for online orders, so best get clicking ay x

*Images differs slightly to that sold by Toyella

A GOOD BOOK // Spot It! Find the Hidden Creatures

I always love sharing a great story with F but every now and again I want something a bit more challenging, something to flex the grey matter. This stylish good book does just that. Like a really cool Where's Wally for little ones, Spot it! is full of abstract eye catching designs, each with its own brief clue to help you discover the cleverly concealed creatures in its pages; from the lost chick to the fox in the night. F with his half furrowed brow, loved this hide and seek treasure hunt even though some pages are quite tricky. This is a great way to stretch your child's imagination and develop their visual perception with these playful optical puzzles. 

A PARCEL OF FUN

I alway look for toys with a bit of longevity in them, something that is beautifully crafted and tactile to touch. It's not that I'm opposed to the plastic fantastic nation we live in – we have our fair share of garish colours and moulded beauties that lie strewn along the floor – but there's something so delectable about the slightly more natural materials. For me there's nothing more captivating than watching a child push little wooden blocks along the floor and when asked what they are doing, return with a matter of fact 'it's a train/car/doctor/horse' as they are completely emerged in their imagination. The ability to make something so simple into a thing of joy is amazing rather than an all singing, all dancing, brightly coloured decomposable mass of noise and lights – we have those too.

Ever wanting to stretch F's imagination and abilities we were overjoyed when Toyella sent us the Balancing Cactus game by Plan Toys. Not only does this toy provide a game to be played together but it helps develop spatial awareness, balance and children's motor skills, and if you have been following my blog you will see that it is a plant that I most definitely can not kill. We excitedly un-wrapped our parcel and F wowed over the brightly coloured solid wood that makes up the game. Eager to play, we placed all the pieces on to the table and decided to take it in turns. The concentration on F's face as he tried to place the pegs neatly into the holes building his cactus was adorable, and he quickly repositioned himself onto the table without realising in his excitement. I must admit I had to stifle a few laughs when it toppled over and he would throw himself down on the table in defeat, but to my relief he got back up and tried again. Eventually on balancing the cactus and completing the game, he strode around the lounge triumphantly. Once playtime is over, this beautiful toy lends itself perfectly as a show piece in any child's room.

 

Toyella is an award winning online toy retailer stocking beautifully designed and styled toys, with a wide range of wonderful European products. F also loves his Green Toys Fire Truck made entirely from 100% recycled plastic milk bottles which we bought from Toyella last year.

We were sent the Balancing Cactus game for review purposed only. All thoughts and opinions are genuine to how we feel about the product. 

LET'S DINE KIDS STYLE

With my mind still on food and catching up on all the fun things I can now eat, I've rounded up a selection of cool kids plates that will inspire even the pickiest of kids to give it a go and try something new. 

1. Cubic food Face Plate /  £9.34 / Amazon
2. Bakker Made With Love Melamine Plate /  £9.99 /  Pippa and Ike Show
3. Ingelea P Arrhenius Melamine Plate - Lion /  £6.40  / The Kid Who
4. Bouguslaw Sliwinski Transportations Plates
5. Mouk Melamine Plate - Greece / £5.50 / The Kid Who
6. Din Din Smart Stainless bus platter / $17.99 / Innobaby
7. Sketch.inc Bone China Face Plate - Beau / £20 / The Kid Who
8. Doly Design Landscape Dinner Set / £19.99 / Firebox

Happy feasting everyone!