KidStyleFile

Today’s post written by Kat

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When I was backpacking in Europe and had no cashola/space for a Christmas tree, I simply cut out strips of wrapping paper, interspersed with rows of lollies, and blu-tacked them diagonally on the wall of our flat in Edinburgh.

Little did I know that our improvised wall art (which, by the way, looked pretty cool and was also edible, always a bonus) was actually the height of what’s hip in decor.

Wall stickers/art/decals or whatever you like to call them, are an inexpensive and easy way to update a room (and they’re not just for kids!) Removable – renters, rejoice! – and without the long-term commitment of a new paint job, there are SO many designs out there it can be a bit daunting. So here’s the KSF lowdown on the hippest buys you can nab online.

Mooo wall stickers are made from “a strong fine-weave adhesive fabric that doesn’t stretch easily and will stick to almost any surface including, brick, glass, and painted walls.”

Mooo have a huge range including these delightful Chalkboard Stickers from $15 a pack. Imagine your kids’ delight when they’re told they can write on the walls!

They also have a huge range of absurdly cute sticker designs, all with a plethora of colour options, from $60 for a pack of 48.

I found these For Walls Chalkboard decals over at the The Hip Infant and immediately fell in love. This little owl ($29.95) is possibly too cute to draw on, but he’d look so adorable perched on a wall! THI have a large range of For Walls stickers – look, I found elephants! – suitable for baby, boy’s and girl’s rooms.

Monsters or Robots look totally cool for little boys, while girls will love the pretty Shimmering Butterflies or Magic Tree designs.

For Wall Sticker packs start at $39.95.

Over at Urban Baby, a wide range of Wallcandy kits are just waiting to adorn your walls (or chairs, or tables, or wherever!).

Imagine how cool the Candy Factory ($119.95) would look, and how much fun to use – the kit contains 5.5m of lawn and 12 lollipop flowers for you, sorry, I mean the kids, to ‘plant’!

The Rococco Chalkboard ($49.95 inc chalk) would look equally at home in your kitchen, or try the beautiful Season Elements kit ($49.95) in the nursery.

Quite frankly, I’m lusting after them all!

Ekidna Kids stock wall art by Bosco Bear and My Munchkin Home, and you’re spoilt for choice: each and every design is just sooo cute! My picks? For the nursery, this giant mint Giraffe (on sale for $71.96) including dots to add as you like; for little girls a magical giant Fairy Castle (on sale, $103.96); or a herd of roaring Dinosaurs ($89) for little boys to play amongst! Bosco Bear also do a great range of seasonal decals (like this chic Christmas tree set, $89) so you can totally get into the spirit of the season, without necessitating a total renovation!

You’ve probably seen the gorgeous designs by Little Chippi floating around quite a few of your fave online stores – Shop House stock them all plus some cute Little Chippi Gift cards – and there’s a good reason this brand is so popular: the designs manage to combine cuteness with chic, and they’re Australian made.

I can just imagine a little boys room being suitably adorable with the Drive Time set ($82.95) and I’m seriously contemplating the Red Robin ($82.95) for my daughter’s room…if we can make space around all those elephants and owls…

Surfing around in the name of research, I also found the Wall Sticker Company, based in Melbourne and stocking designs for the home, office, kid’s rooms as well as a custom design service.

Check out this cool Elephant or Giraffe Custom name design (perfectamundo: “Charlotte” on an elephant, my search is over!) for $75, or imagine those most magical of words, “Once Upon A Time” ($55) tucked into your child’s favourite reading corner. These cute Jungle Animals ($65) are perfect for a nursery, or delight little boys with these cool Monsters ($65)! While you’re at it, add a calming influence to your work or study space with this gorgeously simple Blue Wren ($50) or consider inspirational quotes to add a point of difference to other rooms (from $65).

Please check individual sites for shipping details.

As the weather cools and the days get darker earlier, we tend to spend more time inside. It’s the perfect time to jazz up your home environment with a little colour, and My Munchkin Home’s – www.mymunchkinhome.com.au – fine selection of wall decal designs, from the giant to the mini varieties, are guaranteed to lift your mood.

All designed and made here in Australia, My Munchkin Home’s designs are so clever in that they transverse the age and stage progressions beautifully, ensuring longevity of appeal from birth through early childhood and beyond.

The designs are the perfect combination of playful and stimulating, and calming and soothing. Most designs are available in a range of colour options, so you can easily work them in with your existing colour scheme. Also, if you move around, or like to change decor frequently they peel off cleanly, leaving no marks.

Amanda at My Munchkin Home is generously offering you free postage on all orders over $30.00 within Australia only until 3 June 2008.
Enter KIDSTYLE in the coupon field at checkout to score your free postage on your super purchases!

Also, be sure to enter the “Munchkin Giveaway”. Simply answer a few quick questions to go into the fortnightly draw to win a pack of Twinkle Stars (valued at $24.95). Check out Amanda’s new My Munchkin Home Blog regularly to find out if you’ve won, to keep up with the latest style tips, and get sneak peaks on new designs.

It’s sooooo hard to restrict myself just to one or two design here…..so I won’t!! Enjoy, and happy decorating

My Space $89.95 (available in 6 colours) Blast into the outer reaches with this superb kit. I can’t think of any better way to fall asleep than amongst the night sky!

My Giraffe in Mint $89.95 (available in 5 colours) This jaunty giraffe makes a happy statement for boys or girls. You can choose left or right facing too! Now that’s thoughtful!

My Butterflies $99.95 (available in 5 colours) Bring the outdoors in with these glorious fluttering butterflies.

Springtime $89.95 (available in 5 colours) Why wait for Spring to come when you can bring it to you. Bright and buoyant, this will bring sweetness and light to those cold winter days!

Twinkle Stars $24.95 (available in 1o colour choices), Mini My Butterflies $24.95 (available in 5 colours), and My Name Is custom name decals: starts at $6.50 per letter, and available in 10 colour choices!

Every child love to see and recognise their name, and it’s a great foundation for letter recognition and reading. The stars are great used on their own, or in combination with the larger decals. Land the butterflies in unexpected places around the room for extra whimsy.

Last, but certainly not least, my very favourite MMH decal: My Elephant $99.00 (available in 10 different colour options, and pictured here in Red)

A whopping 110cm this happy fellow will tread lightly on your walls while making such a delightful statement. How can you resist?

My Munchkin Home calculates shipping costs at checkout on the basis of the size of wall art selected. Check the My Munchkin Home Ordering/Delivery page for details. International orders are welcome, and US customers, USD$ prices are listed on the site for your convenience.

Today, Miki brings you part 2 of her special feature on Decor and Accessories. There are heaps of fab products to delight in here, and some great deals happening, so dive on in! (Read Part 1 of this Special feature here.)

Stay tuned for next weekend’s Special Weekend Feature – Strollers and Prams

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My Munchkin Home
Does your kid’s room need updating? Or even better, are you expecting a new baby and need ideas for the nursery? Well there’s a goldmine of ideas at My Munchkin Home – www.mymunchkinhome.com.au.

Perfect for kids’ bedroom doors (or walls or even windows) are the personalised name decals – after all, don’t all kids love to have their name on their bedroom door? Or you could combine the name with one of the big wall decals, like the bunting or the circus tent.

The ‘scatter’ decals, such as the butterflies and the fighter jets are also a brilliant idea, because not only do they look fantastic, but the kids can help decorate the room with them too. Let your (and their) imagination run wild!

My friend Marisa is expecting her first baby at the start of August and she has decorated her nursery with the completely adorable dancing elephants in mint green (so no clues for me as to the sex of her baby, hmph) and the ‘sweet dreams’ decal – so, so cute!

Clockwise from top left:
Sweet Dreams, $29.95
Princess Castle, $129.95
Pirate Ship, $159.95
Dancing Elephants, $34.95

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Kinder Kaboodle
It’s a well known fact that we at KSF LOVE Penny Scallan. Well, who doesn’t?!

Luckily for us, Kinder Kaboodle www.kinderkaboodle.com.au have a plentiful supply of Penny Scallan for us to drool over – lunch bags, art smocks, hats, library bags, gumboots… ooh, I could go on and on and ON, but instead I’ll stop teasing you and give you a link straight to Kinder Kaboodle’s massive Penny Scallan range.

In actual fact, there is so much to choose from and such a huge variety of brands at Kinder Kaboodle that I could never hope to do it all justice.

Everything your kid could possibly need for kinder or school is there, and it’s all gorgeous and stylish and practical, and oh: I want it all!

Just to draw your attention to a couple of products that made me giggle though, have a look at the Western Chief umbrella and backpack pictured below – wouldn’t that just get you grinning at the start of every day?

And the inflatable Fruity Faces fruit holders are just so cool. Don’t be fooled into thinking they’re only for kids either – one of my former colleagues used to frequently bring a banana to work safely encased in its Fruity Faces case. Made for some hilarious conversations around the lunch table, let me tell you!

Get yourself 15% off store-wide at Kinder Kaboodle with the My Child or Australia Parents magazine codes. Find out more here.

Clockwise from top left:
Western Chief backpack, $32.95 $24.95; and umbrella $19.95 $15.95
Penny Scallan daisy art smock, $29.95
Fruity Faces – Mengi Fruit Carrying Case, $9.95, and Fenne Fruit Carrying Case, $9.95
Penny Scallan apple lunch bag, $34.95

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Babes In Arms
Baby wearing is becoming a big thing in our part of the world nowadays. Keeping your baby close to your chest is known to help soothe fussy, colicky babies, and it makes older babies and toddlers feel more secure and content. Besides which, it’s just so darn convenient for the parents! Your bub is snugly hugged in to you and both your hands are free to get on with what you need to do.

Babes In Arms - www.babesinarms.com.au – carry some of the best names in baby carriers and slings on the planet.

As Angela pointed out earlier in the week, the ERGO is very much in favour in Hollywood at the moment, and when you look at the design features it’s easy to see why. It can be worn on your front, your hip or your back, can take premmies right through to hefty 18kg toddlers and is designed to support the baby’s physical development and make the baby feel lighter for the parent!

And if that wasn’t enough to pursuade you, Babes In Arms have 10% off the ERGO until the 31st of May!

Another option for baby wearing is a sling, and the Peanut Shell is one of the funkiest out there. With no fewer than seventeen colour/print options you’ll be spoilt for choice, and the simple design is a breeze to use. The other great thing about a sling is that it’s easy to breastfeed discretely in public while wearing one!

Babes In Arms also stock the ever-popular Hug-a-Bub and the Maya wrap, plus the innovative reversible Papoose coat (see pic below) and the extremely nifty Little Monkey Mirror! And one final note – Babes In Arms include free Express Post delivery with all items!

Left to right:
Papoose Coat, $240 $170
Peanut Shell (shown in ‘royalty’ 100% cotton reversible fabric), $98.00
ERGO baby carrier, $143.10

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5 Little Monkeys
5 Little Monkeys – www.5littlemonkeys.com.au – is always a favourite of mine, but that goes double for when we’re talking about decor for kids’ rooms. The products here are great – funky, a bit different, well designed and cater to a wide range of tastes.

To start with, have a look at the big range of the Cocoon Couture beanbags. I love them!!

Not only do they look great, but the covers are machine washable while the beans stay intact in their internal safety lining, which means they will keep on looking great.

Other gorgeous products here are the Tiger Tribe mobiles for the nursery – again, a big range to choose from but I love the cupcakes (pictured below) for a little girl.

Tiger Tribe also have rather gorgeous magnets, just the thing for sticking your little darling’s artwork to the fridge.

And lastly, the IKABOO Mini-Glow nightlights will bring a smile to anyone’s face especially as they’re discounted too!

5 Little Monkeys are offering 20% off EVERYTHING (including sale items) PLUS a FREE pressie exclusively for KidStyleFile readers, until Monday 26 May, so race on over!! Enter KSF5LM at checkout to receive this incredible discount.

Clockwise from top left:
Tiger Tribe cupcake hanging mobile, $29.95
IKABOO Mini-Glow nightlight, $39.95 $35.95
Cocoon Couture Sleepy Owl beanbag, $140 $125.00
Tiger Tribe Flowers magnet set, $9.95

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Please check individual sites for postage details.

I believe that we have some of the best and most creative designers in the baby and kids goods industry right here in Australia. There is a wonderful uniqueness, freshness and lightness in a lot of Australian design; it reflects unaffected pure brilliance.

My Munchkin Home – www.mymunchkinhome.com.au – produces some of the most delightful removable wall art on the market, and it’s all designed and made here in Australia. MMH’s designs are so clever in that they transverse the age and stage progressions beautifully; you won’t be throwing them out once your bub hits 12 months.

The designs are the perfect combination of playful and stimulating, and calming and soothing. Most designs are available in a range of colour options, so you can easily work them in with your existing colour scheme. Also, if you move around, or like to change decor frequently they peel off cleanly, leaving no marks.

To reward KidStyleFile readers for being such stars, My Munchkin Home is gifting you a wonderful Twinkle Star pack valued at $24.95, when you spend over $99.00. Enter KSFFEB08 in the coupon field at checkout to receive your free Twinkle Stars. This offer is valid until February 24.

Here are a few of the wonderful designs available from My Munchkin Home:

Ahoy there, me heartys! Get on board this Pirate Ship ($159.95) for assured adventure. This design exemplifies My Munchkin Home’s unique approach; it’s not only super-cool visually with a wide age-range appeal, it functions as an aid to play as well. Style *and* substance; smart for you, and your child.

This Princess Castle ($129.95) is truly majestic, with its flags fluttering in a light summery breeze. It’s the perfect backdrop for a sleeping beauty, and for hours of imaginative play. Available in 4 different colour options. Pictured here in Pink.

Twinkle Stars ($24.95, or FREE if you spend $99.00 or more, and mention KidStyleFile!) The pack includes 22 single colour stars in assorted sizes, and you can choose from 10 different colour options (pictured here in Violet and Light Blue). These are great used on their own, or in combination with the larger decals. A starry night for your Princess Castle or Pirate Ship maybe?

I can’t tell you how happy My Elephant – available in 10 different colour options, and pictured here in Red ($99.00) – makes me. There is something so joyfully warm and playful in this design. I’m giving in to my inner child and getting one for me; how clever that it is called “my” elephant already!

My Munchkin Home calculates shipping costs at checkout on the basis of the size of wall art selected. Check the My Munchkin Home Ordering/Delivery page for details. International orders are welcome.