KidStyleFile

Today’s post written by Edwina

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Welcome to December. It’s officially summer, and Christmas is really getting into gear now. With only 24 days left to go the mood is unmistakably festive. Decorations and Christmas music abound, and thoughts turn to gifts, Christmas wrap and the summer holidays to come. Embrace the spirit of the season and prepare for the joyous excitement that only a Christmas with kids in tow can deliver. Go with it and don’t hold back. Whether your style be modern minimalist, or full-on tinsel, jingle all the way.

12 Days Buyer’s Guide:

12 Drummers Drumming: Plan Toys Solid Drum, $34.00, and Plan Toys Wooden Musicla Band Drum Set, $104.00 from Metro Mum
11 Pipers Piping: Toy Soldier Buttons, from Etsy seller 81giftstation – USD$2.00
10 Lords a-leaping: Fred Bare Collection, see website for stockists and prices
9 Ladies Dancing: Fred Bare Collection, see website for stockists and prices
8 Maids a-milking:  Sozo Moo Wrap and Cap Set, from Baby’s Got Style – $39.95
7 Swans a-swimming:  Swimming Swan Pendant, from Etsy Seller sushipot – POA
6 Geese a-laying: Kate Greenaway’s Mother Goose Stories, from Fishpond Books- $34.99 $21.95
5 Gold Rings: Stackable Gold Rings, from Etsy seller SecretCharm – $USD49.99
4 Calling Birds: Mae Boys Twitter Birds Fabric Wall Decals, from The Hip Infant – $44.95
3 French Hens: Try before you buy with Rent-A-Chook (Sydney-based, but can ship coops to other states)
2 Turtle Doves: Papoose Christmas Dove, from Generation Wonder – $8.00 each
And a Partridge in a Pear (Cocoon Couture Shelf-Stand) Tree, from ShopHouse – $89.00

Please check individual stores for postage and delivery information, and don’t forget to swing by the KSF All Current Deals page to scope out deals that may get you discounts on these products.

Today’s post written by Kat

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Snuggling into a lush, cosy knit is one of the simple joys of Winter. Ok, so the weather report tonight saw all capital cities hitting the mid-20’s, but it’s definitely the time of year to snap up a cardi or two, rub the soft, soft fabric against your cheek (surely we all do this?!) and store it carefully til the mercury drops.

1). Handmade is no longer the domain of the daggy; no siree, it is in fact now the epitome of hip. If your Nanna can’t knit, find another who can – Etsy is choc full of other people’s handmade goodness, and many sellers will take personalised orders. It’s a fast ticket to instant playground cred!

GrannysKnits is a hit with celebs, with these funky Letter Sweaters (US$50) in high demand. HandKnitHugs have gorgeous, simple knits like this Stripe button through cardi (US$36), while I was enchanted by the gorgeous blue of EveldasNeverland soft kimono cardi (US$32). Too cute!

2). Minihaha got a mention last week in our Coats special, but this week again I’m going to point you in the direction of kounia-bella for beautiful knits for boys and girls. Is there anything cuter than a preppy Argyle Vest ($49.50, Bebe Jnr by Minihaha) on a little man? And possibly the prettiest cardi of the season, the Trixie Lollipop cardigan by Minihaha ($74) is a soft angora blend and perfect for princesses in pink.

3). ShopHouse have all Oobi’s must-have knits, including the ever so cute Cable Knit Cardi ($64.95; grey, white or red) and the playfully vintage Nanna’s Strawberry Knit Cardi ($44.95). Love the strawberry buttons! If you haven’t had an Oobi knit with their adorable little bear ears on the hood, I strongly suggest it. Everyone you meet will stop and admire your cute-as-a-button child.

4). Purebaby has always featured strongly in my daughter’s wardrobe, and even though she’s nearly outgrown the size 2’s *sob* I’m determined to squeeze every last organic drop out of the pieces we have. Yes, that has meant knitted pinnys in summer, but with bare legs and sandals, it looks rather cute. (And also like I haven’t washed any of her sundresses…)

This season, the Knitted Vest ($54.95) is on my (wish)list, while the single button Knitted Cardigan ($54.95) is a super cool new spin on an old classic. Little boys can rug up in their own Knitted Vest with a cool front pocket ($44.95) or slip on a funky Knitted Jumper ($49.95). Yes, it has a pig on it. They’ll love it.

5). Let’s face it, Europeans do winter to a T. If a bit of Euro-style is what your child’s wardrobe wants, head to Charlipop Kids for a great range of brands including 3 Pommes, Alphabet, Krickets and Oilily.

For just $34.45, this glam grey cardi by Krickets is so girly and chic, while  I’ve just gone and had a bit of a coo over the cute deisgns by Alphabet, including the Les Petite Parisiennes Black Knit cardi ($39). Little boys won’t mind that you put them in a beige cardi when the see the cute teddy bear patch (Alphabet, $29) and they can even rock the uber-chic Apres look with this funky Krickets Baffin Isle Hooded Knit ($35). Even Nanna would approve of this one.

6). Little indulgence for girly girls now – Tea Princess, readily available at La Toriana, is quickly gaining a huge following, and it’s easily to see why. Whimsical, vintage styles are made thoroughly modern, and completely adorable, in a beautiful range of knits, frocks and accessories. A little crochet cardigan for newborns is such a classic piece you’ll want to keep forever ($35.96 on sale); while the Pink Vintage Cardi ($54.95, available April) is so wonderfully girly and just right for tea parties.

7). Emperor’s Laundry is a range I came across at a trade show last year. The designs are simple, unique and have a real old-world charm about them. The Bamboo Cotton Knits ($45) come in pink, red, or green and are so lush and soft (oh, and they look pretty darn cool too!) They also do gorgeous knit dresses and charming hair accessories; and though none of these come with an addiction warning, consider this a stern hint…

Please check individual stores for postage and delivery information.

Today’s post written by Kat

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In a complete 180 from last week’s post about hip tees that rock, this week it’s all about cuter-than-cute animals. Check out the parade of offerings that you and your child are sure to want to take home.

1). For something truly original, check out the funky designs by Hamb. Made in Australia, their kids range has everything from dogs to dinosaurs, donkeys to kittys ($39ea). I love the scribbled, bold prints and they also do parent sized tees too! Hooray!

2). Another Aussie label I am loving is Monkey-Do, designed and manufactured in Melbourne. We (well, my daughter) have the Dragon Tee ($38) raring to go for winter, but you could also go for a bug named Splat ($42) or even take your animals to bed with you with the Cat Amongst the Pigeons PJ set ($32) or Giraffe nightie ($28).

3). Not yet big enough for a tee? Luckily, Quilt Baby has a huge range of unbelievably cute handcrafted cotton onesies. From a Modern Butterfly to an adorable yellow Giraffe to spotty Elephants and Birds, you can buy directly from their US website (US$18 ea), or locally from stores including Onesies, Bubba Funk and Jivebaby.

4). Back in Oz, Lollipop Baby do simple, cute prints on tees and onesies from 3m-18m ($24.95ea). Here’s  a very cute little Piggy,  a way-cool fish , a stylish Giraffe and a gorgeous Birdie!

5). Like your animals cooler than cool? Then head to Tiny People for these wicked offerings: Mini Rodini have Bats ($49) and Bugs ($55); Minti do a very cool Owl ($39) or Tiger ($39); while Cried Wolf do a tongue-in-cheek Pig ($45) and the hippest Monkey ($45) ever!

6). If you’ve got loads of spare time, browse the wonderland of Etsy for literally hundered of pages of gorgeous, handmade kid’s tshirts. If you don’t have loads of spare time, luckily the hard work’s been done for you – shops worth a look include Appledonia for a CrazyHappyHippo, a Little Brown Mouse or a fabulous Butterfly (US$11 ea); SweetCouture have gorgeous appliques and a custom service, and I love the Owl (US$17.99), Turtle (US$29.99), and funky Shark tie tshirt (US$14.99); or Chocolatine for absolutely stunning, French-inspired designs – actually I love all of their stuff, but if it’s animals you’re after, they do a gorgeous Une Girafe (US$14.95), Un Elephant (US$14.95)and Un Herisson (Hedeghog, US$19.99).

7). For more handmade goodness on a local level, browse Madeit – I could stay on there all day fossicking through all the gorgeous treasures, but for delightful tees you can’t go past Grandy and Baa’s Milo Monkey ($25) or Frederika Fish ($25), and AppleJelly’s cute organic Dinosaur or  Owl ($29.95ea).

Take home an animal tee (or two) today!

Please check individual sites for postage and delivery details.

Today’s post written by Miki

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Pottering through the vast array of handmade products available at Etsy – www.etsy.com – has to be one of life’s not-so-little pleasures.  Isn’t it delightful to see the heart and soul that those talented seamstresses and artisans put into their creations?  And it’s all available to buy which is even better!

When I was browsing through Etsy today, I came across the most adorable baby booties I think I’ve ever seen.  I clicked through to the Etsy seller’s online store and discovered a whole host of other baby goodies that she makes too – bibs, adorable pinafores and girls’ skirts, burp clothes, pram blankets and more.

The seller I’m talking about is Chicago-based ‘Little Lily’ of Lily Sky Designs. As I said above, I adore her baby booties which are a unique and ingenious kimono wrap style – check ‘em out below.

My other favourites in her range are the baby bibs with their fabulous designer fabrics.  They’re guaranteed to give any baby a cool new look!

Little Lily has a great blog; check it out for a beautiful display of her many creations.  She’s one talented lady!

All prices below are in US$.  There’s a great currency converter here.

1. Kimono Chirp Shoes, $15.00
2. Kimono Wrapped Sole Shoes, $15.00 (these are what I was talking about above – *the* cutest baby booties I’ve ever seen)
3. City Girl Reversible Pinafore, $26.00
4. Vote Vote Vote Peace Bib, $9.00 (and isn’t this a great message for the next generation to wear!)
5. Blast Off Bib, $9.00
6. Sakura Bib, $9.00
7. Urban Baby Burpies, $25.00
8. KOTO Stroller Blanket, $35.00

Please contact Lily for a quote for shipping to Australia.  Her shipping policies are here.

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.