KidStyleFile

Written by Miki

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

High-end baby clothing brand Marquise has recently teamed up with four of Australia’s hottest designers: camilla and marc, Mimco, Fleur Wood and Bassike.  Each of the four designers has designed a Marquise baby singlet that will be sold throughout the month of June, with the goal of raising $20,000 for the Gold Week Telethon, the major annual fundraising campaign for Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick.

The limited edition singlets – only 300 of each will be printed – will be available in sizes 000, 00 and 0, and will be available for purchase from the 1st of June 2012, although we are offering you a sneak preview today.  The singlets will be $20 each, with 100% of the proceeds going directly to supporting the hospital’s seriously ill and injured young patients.

Visit Westfield.com.au from 1 June to purchase the singlets and support this very worthy cause.

Written by Leah

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

When I was a kid, my parents took us on a journey via car from Darwin to Melbourne. My middle brother and I have fond memories of this experience including collecting post-cards at each pit-stop, seeing the change is soil colour, and experiencing the cold for the very first time. It was also the first time my parents introduced camping to us. I fell in love with it, but sadly my husband prefers the luxury of hotel suites. My challenge is to convince him that it is a heap of fun and completely within budget.

Recently, a friend from the UK forwarded me a link to Field Candy - www.fieldcandy.com - an exceptional brand of tents that not only look stylish, but will keep you as dry and as warm as any conventional high performance tent. Better yet, I think they will be an awesome backyard experience for young ones when not in use in a traditional camping scenario. These visual masterpieces may just get my idea of a family camping trip over the line, with my design-mad husband likely to fall head-over-heels with the likes of Leave A Scar, Out Of A Suitcase and Men Only. I just won’t break it to him that we’ll need two to accommodate our family.

Written by Angela

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Mathilda’s Market – www.mathildasmarket.com.au – is bringing a triple treat this weekend, with events in Brisbane this Saturday, 26 May 2012 (click here for the full list of stallholders), Hobart this Sunday, 27 May 2012 (view the stallholders list here) and Perth, also on Sunday, 27 May 2012 (view the full list of stallholders here).

Don’t miss Mathilda’s beautifully presented stalls, packed with a diverse range of gorgeous produce exclusively for babies and children. You’ll find individuals who make all their own produce, and well known boutiques stepping out for the day.

You can also drop by the Mathilda’s/KidStyleFile stand at each event and try your hand at instantly winning some great prizes from our fabulous prize sponsors About A Boy, Look Mummy, Metro Mum, Shop For Tots, Simply Colors, The Little Kidz Closet and Where Did You Get That?.

Date and deets for your diary are as follows:

Brisbane:

• Saturday 26 May 2012, from 9am to 1pm;
• Brisbane Racing Club at Eagle Farm, 230 Lancaster Road, Ascot;
• Parking: enter main gate at Eagle Farm, turn left and enter the HUGE car park, free of charge;
• Bring lots of cash; there is no ATM on site.

Hobart:

• Sunday 27 May 2012, from 9am to 1pm;
• The Old Woolstore, 1 Macquarie Street, Hobart
• Ample paid parking at the Grand Chancellor Hotel carpark opposite.
• Bring lots of cash; there is no ATM on site.
• Combined with the Boutique Markets, there will be lots of goodies for mums as well as babies and kids!

Perth:

• Sunday 27 May 2012, from 9am to 1pm;
• Burswood Entertainment Complex, Great Eastern Highway, Burswood
• Bring lots of cash; there is no ATM on site.
• Combined with the Boutique Markets, there’s fun just for mums, too.

Not in Brisbane, Hobart or Perth? Don’t despair: Mathilda’s Market holds events all around Australia. Check the full calendar of dates and locations to see when Mathilda’s is coming your way, and find out more about the Mathilda’s Market ethos here.

Written by Jen
……………………………………………………………………………………………………

After experiencing 23 winters in Ireland I made a decision to stop dulling down my wardrobe when temperatures dropped. Once my boys came along, I took the same approach with the clothing and shoe choices for them. Although dark colours serve a major purpose, I just love to dress their feet in bright blues, reds and greens. That’s why I am totally smitten by Livie and Luca’s Hank blue shoes for boys and the pops of orange in the machine washable Pediped Flex Caleb Olive Walkers.

How fabulous would a walk in the park be wearing a pair of Garvalin Dolca Shoes or matching your party dress with the pretty pink petals on Livie and Luca’s Black Patent Blossoms? Whatever the weather, I hope our selection will give you some cheer and get those tiny toes dancing their way through the winter months ahead.

one. Livie and Luca Blossom Black Patent, $69.95 at Tiny Steps
two. Xick Baby Leather Classic 743 Black and White, $59.95 at Wee Willie Winkie
three. Betts Darling in Purple, $69.99 at Betts Kids Online
four. Jack and Lilly Chocolate Lovebirds, $44.95 at Baby Bootique
five. Livie and Luca Holland Boots In Fuchsia, $79.95 at Tiny Steps
six. Garvalin Crepe Boots in black, $139.00 at Buckets and Spades
seven. Agatha Ruiz de la Prada Baby Boots in pink, $125.00 at Buckets and Spades
eight. Garvalin Dolca Shoes in red $125.00 at Buckets and Spades
nine. Garvalin Boys Dragon Boot $135.00 at Buckets and Spades
ten. Livie and Luca Hank Blue Boots $72.95 at Baby Bootique
eleven. Old Soles Glee boots in grey $44.95 at Tiny Steps
twelve. Garvalin 111338, $119.00 at Buckets and Spades
thirteen. Pediped Flex Caleb Olive $59.95 at Tiny Steps
fourteen. Tip Toey Joey Flashy in Navy/White  WERE $52.95 NOW $49.95 at Paperartzi Boutique
fifteen. Garvalin Boys Otto Boot in black $125.00 at Buckets and Spades
sixteen. Skeanie Ugg Red boots $39.95 at Baby Bootique

See individual stores for shipping costs.

Written by Raquel
……………………………………………………………………………………………………

The sun may be setting a little earlier but when it comes to beautiful, eco friendly kids’ picks, the future is looking rather cherry – as in the amazingly awesome Cherry wood guitar I’ve spied on Etsy this month. And for sleepy heads what could be lovelier than another of May’s tweet finds: a sunny Kookaburra toddler pillow – enjoy!

The Green Guide is published once a month. Read previous ‘The Green Guide’ posts here.

(Top down, from left to right)

1. Everbloom Studio’s little satchels of handmade sweet could give rise to a handbag addiction . This is no bad thing when the bags in question are candy bright, flower popping beauties fashioned from bamboo felt – sweet!

2. Prepare to be a tad bit taken with these delightful baby accessories from Byron design studio Kambamboo. Featuring original ‘Bamboo’ and ‘Sleepy Kookarburra’ prints playfully paraded on lovely organic cotton/hemp fabrics, you’ll discover sweet baby blankets, bibs and my fave, their cuddly Journey pillow filled with recycled PET plastic fibre.

3. Lil’ musicians are sure to dig Bambusa Toy’s stunning instruments; handcrafted from renewable Poplar, Adler and Cherry woods polished off with all natural bee’s wax, their awesome saxes and guitars eco friendly tune is hitting all the right notes.

4. A rockin’ motorcycle embroidered jet black organic onesie is pretty rad, but the cool factor definitely multiplies when you realise you can nab one of these ace bodysuits from Morado Designs customised with your tyke’s name!

5. A collaboration between Swedish sisters Anna, a product designer, and Stina, a children’s author and illustrator, Brokiga’s quirkily fresh kids’ products are produced using organic fabrics and include everything from bibs to cot sets and lamps.

6. Got a girl who’s not so fond of jeans? Well clever Etsy sellar Broken Ghost has just the thing to change her mind; I’m happy to bet frilly skirt lovers will go a little gaga for these adorable upcycled boho denims.

7. How could you possibly make Tegu’s awesome magnetic blocks even better? Give ‘em wheels! Yup, there’s no end to the play possibilities with this clever add on to their ginormously popular stackers.

8. Another Byron Bay business that’s tickling the fancies of littlies with uniquely playful toys is OB Designs, and with their darling Dingarings already a smash hit, the new Flipity Flops are bound to follow.  Made fairly in Indonesia, the cute teether toy has ribbons, squishy bean fill and wooden ring to soothe baby teeth.

9. Splurge alert! Miniio’s breathtaking piece of eco-architecture (albeit, for Barbie no less!) is a bit of a bank breaker, as you may recall from KidStyleFile’s excellent roundup of the Best Dollhouses. Well, for those of you who fell in love with the striking handmade Polish abode and absolutely have to have it, you’re in luck! You can now nab this gorgeous bit of real estate locally at Miniio.

Please check individual sites for pricing and postage details and be sure to survey the KidStyleFile All Current Deals page to make sure you’re getting the best possible deal. Need to convert currency? Use the Xe.com currency conversion tool.

Written by Leah
…………………………………………………………………………………………………