KidStyleFile

Today I’d like to introduce you Belinda Blooman, the beautiful ‘face’ behind great Australian baby and kids fashion label, Baobab.

Belinda has lived all over the world, and has been a fashion industry professional all her adult life. The combination of these experiences has culminated  in the freshness and uniqueness of Baobab.

Baobab is one of my personal favourite labels for my kids. Belinda is such a warm and energetic person, and she’s imbued her label with this spirit: the clothes are visually dynamic, and designed to be lived in with passion.

Belinda lives in Sydney with her muse – 6 year old daughter Anya.

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Tell us a little about your background? How did you come to be a baby and kids fashion designer?

I have always been involved in fashion in one way or another. I remember skipping sport at school so I could hide away in the library and immerse myself in out-of-date issues of Paris Match and French Vogue!

In my ‘pre-Baobab’ existence I worked as a model (in my 20′s), followed by a stint in retail and buying  (for Versace and Prada), and a photographer’s agent and producer of fashion stills shoots. I’ve moved around a lot too; I lived in Japan, Spain and France before moving back to Sydney.

Baobab came about with the birth of my daughter Anya, and the desire to dress her in lovely, simple and comfortable clothing that wasn’t covered in Disney characters or brand logo’s.

My aim was to develop a label of modern children’s basics, made from soft 100% cotton knit with a sumptuous feel and simple but stylish look. I was intent on making Baobab fun for kids but also practical for parents, meaning easy to dress, easy to wear, easy to wash and affordable.

What inspires your work, and what do you want to inspire in others though your work?

My daughter, Anya is my primary source of inspiration as like most children, she has a truly magical view of the world. She is now 6 and has a very strong individual style. I find her way of combining colours and wrapping fabric around herself to be quite awe-inspiring.

I am also inspired by the everyday things around me… in nature, art, object design, vintage clothing, retro films and obscure online design sites.

I would like to think that the children who wear Baobab clothing can really just be themselves, relishing in their own creativity, running around, getting dirty and having fun. Baobab is about encouraging self-expression.

Who are your top 3 favourite baby and kids designers?

I love European kids labels as they have access to amazing fabrics and there is a true workmanship in their garments. Some of my favourites are:

Petit Bateau – for wonderful classic basics for kids (and adults). They make great quality cotton and I am mad about their kids undies which we stock up on whenever in Europe.

Imps&Elfs – a Dutch label with brilliant contemporary basics for babies and kids. It’s quite wearable but with a definite rock n roll edge.

Maan – a gorgeous Belgian label. Maan make really beautiful clothing from amazing fabrics in amazing colours. I love the Maan look.

What are your favourite things to do with your daughter?

At the moment we love to swim, we are both Cancers (crabs). We go to a variety of Sydney beaches and ocean pools but our favourite at the moment is Wylie’s in Coogee. We love to swim together in the clean water, climb the rock platform and re-house the shell creatures in the rock pools. We can lose ourselves for hours.

If you had one whole day to spend as you wish, what would you do?

I would like to take Anya back to the Cotswold house of my uncle, and on a perfect English summers day, have lunch under the willow tree surrounded by family and dogs. Or in autumn, we would travel by gondola along the Grand Canal to Piazza San Marco in Venice, marveling at the golden beauty. Or we could walk down down Omote Sando dori in Tokyo, for the best window shopping and stop for coffee and sandwiches at my favourite café in the back streets of Aoyama.

Or we could just spend a glorious summers afternoon at home, the windows and doors open wide, kids running through the house dressed up as princesses and fairies, the dog sleeping on his chair and I would be busy planting, weeding and raking the garden – heaven! In fact that was our day today!

What is your favourite childhood memory?

Riding my bicycle with friends from the street, pedaling madly down the canal and through the back streets of Cape Town, South Africa, where I grew up. In those days things were more relaxed and we could disappear for hours. What a sense of freedom we had.

Complete this sentence “baobab is…”

“Essential ‘everydaywear’ encouraging self-expression in kids.”

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Baobab Autumn/Winter 2009 is currently in-store.

Post written by Miki

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Yep, it’s that time of year again – the ‘back to school’ sales have begun, and it is actually time to start thinking about getting your kid/s ready for school, kinder or pre-school.

One of the most important aspects to consider is naming your child’s possessions.  After all, you fork out a lot of money for stationery, clothing, bags, lunch boxes, drink bottles and shoes every year and it’s so frustrating when they go missing!

So make sure you invest in a good quality name tag, one that will stay stuck.  Vinyl is good for hard-surfaced items such as school books, lunch boxes and so on, while clothes require iron-on labels.

Luckily for all of us, Mooo – www.mooo.com.au – that Australian powerhouse of cool design for kids, has just launched their new lines of labels.

Not only can you get the Mooo name labels for clothing, lunchboxes, drink bottles, books, and even shoes, in vinyl or iron-on in all sorts of shapes and sizes.

These name labels look soooo cool, and true to Mooo form, come in a plethora of personalisation options, not to mention their superior quality: the vinyl labels are waterproof, and dishwasher-and microwave-safe with rounded edges to prevent them coming unstuck, and the iron-on ones are super easy to apply and they’re safe to put through washing machines and tumble dryers.

Even better for us hard-working mums and dads, Mooo have taken 25% off the entire label range until the 28th of February!  Brilliant!!

Various Mooo labels: see here for vinyl labels (incl. shoe dots) and here for iron-on labels.

Now just quickly before I sign off, have you seen Mooo’s hot new backpacks and pencil cases?  True to Mooo’s ethos, the bags and cases are super-cool and fully personalisable with a huge range of designs, which makes them ideal for gifts or for a special little boy or girl who is starting school or kinder for the first time and needs to feel special.

Assorted Mooo personalised backpacks and pencil cases, from $24.95

Mooo postal charges start at only $5.90 Australia wide. Read the Mooo Ordering/Delivery page for full details.

Today’s post written by Miki

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In the 2008 KidStyleFile Annual Reader Survey, one of the most popular toys as voted by you, our readers, was the humble stacking block.

And fair enough too, I say! Blocks have a myriad of wonderful uses, from teaching toddlers coordination and fine motor skills (and don’t you love the shrieks when a block tower falls down!) to giving babies an interesting new object to explore with their little hands. They can be used for counting, for learning numbers and letters, for pretend eggs in shopping play, and don’t forget just for good old fashioned stacking!

Blocks give kids hours and hours and hours of entertainment, and good quality blocks will last for decades.  My son plays with the same blocks his father did! Blocks can also be a really beautiful nursery decoration when stacked artistically on a shelf or bookcase.

Now, most of the blocks you’ll see in shops are the basic wooden variety and there’s nothing wrong with that.  But if you want to spice things up a bit, take a look at Etsy – www.etsy.com – and oggle at some of the stunning designs there.

Soft blocks for babies (just as good for stacking!) and wooden blocks for toddlers & preschoolers; they’re all there and they’re all beautifully, individually made by real craftspeople who take pride in their work.  You’re bound to get comments from other parents if you have blocks like some of the ones pictured below, and 900+ KidStyleFile readers say your kids will love them!

From top left in rows:

All prices are quoted in US dollars.  Check Xe.com for currency conversion rates.

Soft Blocks Set from ellajeangifts, $17.00
Six small wooden blocks from hiccupdecor, $20.00
Visual Stimulation Developmental Baby Blocks from cookiedough, $23.00
Rockin’ Blocks Skull & Crossbones Alphabet from beebles, $40.00
Customised Fabric Play Blocks from mimiscrafts, $40.00
Six Storybook Blocks from nurserylove, $24.00

Please check individual sellers for shipping and delivery details.

Post written by Miki

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Anytime I visit an online children’s boutique, the first thing I make a beeline for is always the sale category.  I love the thrill of finding bargains, and you never know what will turn up!

So imagine my delight when I found at The Infant Boutique – www.theinfantboutique.com.au – not one but THREE sale categories!

Yep, that’s right: Vikki at The Infant Boutique has three stunning and well-stocked sale categories: 20% off, 30%-40% off and 50%-70% off!

KSF readers get an extra special privilege at The Infant Boutique too: make a purchase (or six!) from any of The Infant Boutique’s sale items, and then mention our weekly newsletter, ‘KidStyleFile Deals & Steals Weekly’, in the comments section at checkout, and Vikki and will give you an extra 5% discount off the sale price! WOW-EE!!!

Note that this is valid on all sale items ONLY and is valid until 25 January 2009.

There are some massive bargains on top branded items in there: Djeco, one of my all-time favourite toy brands, is very well represented, as are others like Mini Rhubarb, Cocoon Couture, Babu, Annabel Trends and many more.

One of my favourite-est things in the whole store – and it’s in the 20% off sale category, bonus! – is the Djeco My Garage, pictured below.  What a great toy for a little boy, or even for a little girl who has an interest in cars!  Djeco toys are always well made, so the garage will serve for years of fun entertainment.  The little cars to go with it are 20% off too, so snap up one of each design while you’re at it!

If you’re in the market for a nappy bag then have a good browse through the 20% off category too.  You’ll find Isoki, SkipHop and one particularly delectable offering from Ramalama (which is actually 30% off).

The 50%-70% off category has loads and loads to choose from.  Loads of gorgeous bed linen, soft toys from Bholu, feeding accessories and lots of really lovely room decor.  And it’s all sooooo cheap!

Don’t forget that you can take an extra 5% off these sale prices by mentioning the KSF Deals & Steals newsletter in the comments section at checkout until 25 January 2009.

1. DwellStudio Animal Cushion – Boys Pig, $59.90 $41.93
2. Djeco ‘Lunch With Friends’, $79.95 $63.96
3. Djeco Silhouette Knight Puzzle, $29.95 $20.97
4. Djeco ‘My Garage’, $144.95 $115.96 and various Djeco vehicles, all $15.95 $12.76
5. Mumi & Bubi Solids Starter Kit, $29.95 $20.97
6. Mini Rhubarb Sailor Sam 3 Piece Dinner Set, $19.95 $15.96 and Sailor Sam Cutlery, $12.95 $10.36
7. Mini Rhubarb Annie Apple 3 Piece Dinner Set, $19.95 $15.96 and Annie Apple Cutlery, $12.95 $10.36
8. Lakeland ‘Vintage Phoenix’ Single Quilt + FREE Pillowcase, $198.00 $158.40
9. SkipHop Pacifier Pocket – Red, $19.95 $11.97

Here’s the extremely impressive list of brands stocked by The Infant Boutique: Aden and Anais, Adiri, An Angel at My Table, Anamalz, And Me Too, Annie B, ApplePie Design, Babies Only, Babu, Baby Couture, BabyLegs, Babymoov, Bajo,Bee & Tree, Bholu, BlaBla, Black & Blum, Brave New Word, Brooklan Tree, Cavania Cards, Cheeky Little Soles, Claesens, Coco & Eli, Cocoon Couture,Cuddle Fish, Cuski, Del Campo, Djeco, Dwellbaby, Earth Babies, Emu Australia, Felt Tales, Fiesta Crafts, Fish Lilly,Frankie Ray, French Bull, Gertie and Me, Giddy Giddy, Giimmo, Green to Grow, HandySitt, Happy Horse, Heimess, Herbie, I Love Mybabycino, iCandy, Imprintables, In Your Room, INKE, Isabelle Norman, IsaBooties,Isoki,Itch Design, Joanna Zhou for Mom, Karen Miles, Kids Kitchen, KinderKot, Kipiis, Kushies, Lil Fraser Collection, Lakeland Design, Lambini, Lambykins, Lark, Le Toy Van, Leander, Les Folies, Little Blue Fish, Little Chipipi, Little House, Little Kitchen, Little Pearls, Little Red Pear, Little Twig, Lorena Siminovich, Lotus Linens, Mamas & Papas, Mandalay Design, Manhattan Toy Company, Me Giant, Mi-House, Milestone Press, Mill & Mia, Mini Rhubarb, Minimink, Miriam Bereson, Momiji, Monkey-do, Moulin Roty, Mumi & Bubi, Nature Baby, Natures Child, Nice4Neez, NooNoo Design, Nurtured by Nature, Oeuf, NYC, OUCH Clothing, Pakhuis Oost, Peanut Shell, Petunia Pickle Bottom, Popover Apron, Raggidy Rag Dolls, Ramalama, Ramona Ramona, Red Plum Linen, RJSP, Room Seven, Rouge Living, Sandra Isaksson, Sandy Cousens Art, See Kai Run, Seed Organic, Sew Your Own, SIGG, Sirch, Skip Hop, Squids, Stuffit, T4Tot, Tatiri, The Grassy Garden, The Infant Boutique, The Little Experience, The Source Products, The Wall Sticker Co, Thilde, Thread Design, Tiger Tribe, Tippy Toes, Under the Nile, Usborne Books, Vessel, Vulli, WallCandy, and Wheely Bug.

The Infant Boutique uses Regular Post or Express Australia Post. Delivery charges are based on destination, size and weight of your order.  Orders are dispatched twice weekly. The Infant Boutique currently only delivers within Australia. View the FAQ page for full customer service information.

Today’s post written by Angela

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I told you about My Wooden Toys – www.mywoodentoys.com.au – and their very fine sale a couple of weeks ago, and wanted to give you an update now I have received my order.

After purchasing two Tap-a-Pics, the 5 room dolls-house furniture, the Lacing Lion, and Lacing Cheese (thanks Aunties and Great-Aunties for the Christmas moolah that facilitated these buys!), as well as a sensory board for my new-nephew to be, I received immediate warm and friendly contact from Douglas, the owner of My Wooden Toys. My parcel arrived but a day later with each tiy neatly wrapped in purple tissue.

Each toy has been a big hit, the lacing toys satisfying my girls’ irrepressible desire to weave and thread, the Tap-a-Pics serving as an outlet to be both creative and to whack things with hammers, and the dollhouse furniture has been configured endless times (and is a HUGE bargain for what you get!!)

I wait with baited breath to see how the sensory board goes over. It’s all I can do to resist tearing off the paper and playing with it myself!!

Needless to say I am thrilled, and will definitely be heading over to My Wooden Toys for more goodies in the future.

Head on over to see the full range of fine wooden toys currently on Sale at My Wooden Toys for yourself.

My Wooden Toys sell wooden toys, and quality softies, from Kobba, Djeco, Le Toy Van, Pintoy, Hape, Kathe Kruse, and more.

Note that there are 2 pages of specials, so be sure to click through to the second page.

My Wooden Toys charge $8.40 per order Australia wide. MWT also ship some smaller items FREE: look for the clearly marked ‘Postage Free’ products. View full details here.

Post written by Miki

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Frock You – www.frockyou.com.au – is always a great destination, but at sale time, watch out – you’ll never want to leave!!

Right now, head Frocker Kat, is clearing the floor with up to 85% off a huuuuge range of some of the top kids brands around, including Smirk, Sooki Baby, Baobab, the delightfully wacky Ej Sikke Lej, and Monster Baby, among others, that will have you grinning from, ear to ear.

What makes the Frock You sale even more spectacular is that Kat is giving KSF readers an EXTRA 15% off store-wide, including sale items!  Enter ‘KSF’ at checkout before 31 January 2009 to score.

I love Kat’s taste in kids’ gear – everything she stocks is slightly quirky, oh-so-hip and is guaranteed to make you grin when you see it on your kids. The new brands in store are no exception: Blend Baby (organic; divine), Deadly Girl Couture, Amy Tangerine and Monstar Kids.

Of course, Frock You isn’t just for the kidlets, oh no! Mummies are more than well catered for with loads and loads and loads of hot fashion, heaps of which is on sale! So do yourself a favour and have a browse through the womenswear sections as your bound to find some little number you just can’t live without.  Remember, the 15% off extra discount applies here too!

I’m a repeat Frock You customer, and I know for sure that this sale is going to make me want to go back for more…

Take an EXTRA 15% off the sale prices quoted below with code ‘KSF’ until 31 January 2009 – woo hoo! Available while stocks last only.

1. Smirk Combi Singlet, $29.95 $19.00
2. Ej Sikke Lej Afro Onesie, $35.00 $25.00
3. Amy Tangerine ‘LOL’ L/S Tee, $44.95
4. Smirk Hot Pink Butterfly Singlet, $29.95 $19.00
5. Baobab Pink Flower Tank Dress, $47.95 $28.00
6. Sooki Baby Butterfly Snapsuit, $26.95 $18.00
7. Monster Baby Aussie Kid Tee, $30.00 $19.00
8. Baby Blend Night Owl Organic Tee, $29.95
9. Monster Baby Glittery Star Tee, $33.00 $19.00
10. Baobab Giraffe Stud Tee, $39.95 $24.95
11. Sooki Baby Safari Snapsuit, $26.95 $18.00

Frock You charge an unbeatable $5.00 for Express Post Australia wide. Orders over $150.00 are shipped free. Check the Frock You site for information on international shipping.