KidStyleFile

Today’s post written by Kat

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Man, I love a good coat. More so than a good frock, and that’s saying something!! The thing is, as you get older it’s harder to get away with gorgeous trimmings, bright colours or sweet prints (not impossible, mind, just harder). But kids have no limits – and so it brings me great pleasure (tinged with mild envy) to present the most gorgeous winter coats of the season!

1). Elodie & Elvis create the most magical pieces, in elegant, classic styles. They’re not exactly ‘budget-friendly’ but their coats make the most wonderful heirlooms and are a must for those who go all gooey for good old-fashioned children’s pieces. Plus, they are slighty cheaper, and more unique, than a kids’ Burberry trench coat, so if you’re after a keepsake, justify it thus. The Elodie & Elvis website has all their collections, and you can contact them for local stockist details. For girls, the French Floral coat and the Lana duffle coat are incredibly gorgeous; while boys can look smart and very cool in the Max Cord Blazer.

2). Eternal Creation create, beautiful pieces in a fair-trade environment, from newborns through to 10 years – there are SO many adorable coats it’s hard to narrow it down! I love the classic design of the red Wool Jacket with it’s sweet patterned buttons ($89.95, 3m-36 months),  and the super cool simplicity of the Wool Forest Jacket ($89.95, 3m-36 months). Bigger boys can be warm, cosy and stylish in the chocolate Pinstripe Street Jacket ($129.95, 2Y-10Y) and girls will feel so grown up in this 40′s style Mackintosh ($79.95, 2-10 years)!

3). Sooki Baby’s padded, reversible jackets are my all-time fave for newborns-size 2. My daughter had a cute spotty one last year and it was so perfectly warm, cosy and cute that I’m hoping she can still squeeze into it for a few weeks this season. This year, the girls’ jackets have a single front button, cape-style (tres chic) in pink with ballerina print, or red with a cute srtipey trim; while boys can go for a classically cute look in a baby blue zip-up! Check the website’s stockist page, or find Sooki online in heaps of places including My Baby Rocks and Itty Bitty Yuppy.

4). Super cool Aussie label Ouch is readily available at Baby’s Got Style, and these classic styles won’t break the budget – the Caramel Trench ($54.95, 0-7) is uber chic (Mum needs one too!). Plus, they do possibly the coolest raincoat ever, Black Flying Skulls, just $24.95 in sizes 0-6!

5). Freshbaked is another fabulous label, with gorgeous designs at great prices – their website showcases their range and also lists an ample range of stockists. From casual hooded jackets to cute puffa jackets (yes, they exist!) and the sweetest swing coats, the designs are simple and sensible but with such cute touches; and kids love them too (trust me!)

6). I couldn’t resist stopping by Tiny People in the name of research – they stock possible the coolest Military Jacket ever, by the extraordinarily beautiful label, Paper Wings ($220, sizes 3-6); this gorgeous swing coat by the irresistible Polka ($80, sizes 2-7); the retro cool Kiniky Jacket by Munster ($90, sizes 2-8), and this hipper than hip plaid coat by another Aussie label worth watching, Chalk & Cheese ($159, sizes 2-6).

Please check individual websites 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 Kat

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It goes without saying that the birth of your first child is a precious moment, and recording every single moment is one of the joys of being a new parent.

It also goes without saying that by the time you get to your second or third onwards, despite the best of intentions, the novelty of dutifully recording every event can start to wane, and finding the time is near impossible. My mum for example, as the third of 4 children, can only find one solitary picture of herself as a bub, and definitely no baby book. Which might explain a lot…but I digress!

Here is a rundown on baby books so beautiful that you’ll be clamouring to fill them with gorgeous memories of your growing brood. All your kids will thank you, except perhaps when you show that cute picture of your now-teenage daughter picking her nose to her cool new boyfriend…

The Binth Baby Journal at Tiny People

This is a gorgeous unisex option. Handcrafted with recycled white stock paper, cotton cloth cover and presented in a beautiful keepsake box. It’s not exactly a budget option but remember, even Mastercard can’t buy memories. Just a nice place to put them.

Generation Wonder have created their own Wonder Year Journal

A beautiful combination of scrapbook and journal, the Wonder Year Journal allows you to piece together a year in your little one’s life. Kids will adore looking back on themselves and as it has heaps of space for personalisation, as adults they will truly cherish their story. It comes in matt green with a cloth case cover, 128 pages of text and 12 insert cards for pictures – and it’s only $27.95!

I love the story behind Milestone Press’ A Book About Me:

“Annabel actually gave Fiona a Winnie-the-Pooh baby journal for her first born.  As they marvelled at Annabel’s momentary lapse in taste (because the book was free)  they dreamed up the perfect baby book.”

A Book About Me not only looks modern and sleek, it has been thoughtfully designed so that if you forget to record when your all little one’s teeth came through, you can just take the corresponding pages out, instead of leaving them embarrassingly blank. There’s room to add and subtract names and photos as you need, and possibly most imortantly, there is no branding on the cover, making it truly a book about your family!

I’ve mentioned the Laikonik Once A Year Book, from Mummy’s Favourite, before but I’m going to do it again because it’s such a beautiful idea!

Every year up to your child’s 18th birthday you add in just one photo of your child, and eventually the book unfolds concertina-style to reveal the story of your child growing and changing. Plus the book itself is completely gorgeous and will make a cherished heirloom!

For something a bit more traditional, the Baby Days Memory Book at Urban Baby is bright, colourful and full of nifty bit’n'bobs like stickers, envelopes and journal pages.

The pages are undated so you can record milestones when you want to, and the simple illustrations will delight your little one even beforen they realise the book is about them!

The very cute My Baby’s Journal, available soon at KidsGiftList

This is sweet enough to be age-appropriate but still stylish enough to be admired for years to come.

And finally, my personal favourite (yes, I found one with an elephant! I’m starting to sense a theme here): the Paper Eskimo Baby Journal.

Available at The Baby Shower Shop (a helluva comprehensive online store if there ever was one!) With simple and incredibly beautiful illustrations, it has heaps of room for photos, records birthday celebrations for up to five years, and comes in a gorgeous keepsake box  – despite being way too cute to keep stored away!

From top left in rows:

Binth Baby Journal $160
Generation Wonder The Wonder Year Journal $27.95
Milestone Press A Book About Me $44.95
Laikonik Once A Year Book $74.00
Baby Days Memory Book $24.95
My Baby’s Journal $44.95
Paper Eskimo Baby Journal $64.95

Please check individual sites for shipping details.

I once aspired to minimalism. My life was condensed to a backpack…and a fair bit of carry-on luggage, admittedly! Those days are long gone since our little Miss came along.

I’m 99.99% sure that once little people enter your life, you have to embrace and accept clutter.

Kids require so much stuff, alot of it neccessary, alot of it not so much. They fill your home with love and laughter, but occassionally you probably get a bit sick of tripping over Tonka trucks and finding crayons in the toilet.

Luckily, there is a whole world of nifty storage solutions at your fingertips, and not all of it plastic. These little beauties look so good you’ll thoroughly enjoy tidying up!

One of my fave storage solutions is the Fiona Kate range.

In a classic colour palette, her “box seats” are all at once a box, table and seat, and can be personalised to suit. Not only for kids, they’re fabulous for the office, kitchen, or garage as well!

They tick all the right boxes: recyclable, made in Australia, low cost, washable, light yet strong and they pack flat.

A starter pack sets you up with two storage boxes and a sturdy tabletop to fit together or use separately, and once you’ve got the hang of it the possibilities are really endless!

There are 4 box sizes, ranging from Mini (18cm x 36cm x 14cm) to Major (36cm x 52cm x 28cm), packs of removeable letters and chalkboard stickers to decorate, and flatpacked table tops in all colours. Go nuts!

Medium Starter Pack $99.95
Mini Storage box $12.95
Major Storage Box $39.95
Removeable Letters $12.95 per pack
Chalkboard Stickers 8 sheets, $10.95
Table Tops $29.95 ea

The Missi Missi Collapsible Storage boxes, stocked at Bubba Funk, are also pretty nifty – storage and a seat, all in one!

They come in pink or navy and Bubba Funk also stock a matching range of beanbags so you can kit out a whole room in style. Then, if you move or simply want to redecorate, it folds down ito itself to make it easy to, well, store your storage away!

Missi Missi storage boxes and beanbags are $99.95 ea.

Tiny People stock these beautiful Toy Storage Cubes by Dwell Studio, which are completely gorgeous in nurseries or kid’s rooms.

I adore the whimsical prints, plus you can get matching bibs, blankets, towels and linen! Made from a heavy duty canvas bin with uncoated cotton canvas lining, they add a dash of bright colour and oodles of personality to a room!

Dwell Studio Toy Storage Cubes $136 ea

The delightful Kroom Furniture is stocked at ShopHouse, including this incredibly cute Storage Bench which would brighten up any nursery or playroom, and it’s made from at least 70% recycled materials while being 100% recyclable!

Krooom do a great range of versatile storage solutions. The Maggie Storage Shelf would look so elegant in a little girl’s room, but also so pretty in an office space or even your bedroom!

Same goes for the Juliette organiser ($45.95) – man, does my desk need one of these! (Eds. note – I have one, and it is fab-u-lous!) Made from recycled corrugated cardboard, it’s perfect for storing files, magazines or organising homework and schoolbooks for older kids.

Kroom Storage bench $49.95
Kroom Maggie Storage Shelf $75.95

If you’re not so into the blue/pink combo, try Kikki-K for storage boxes in colourways like red and black, which again are perfect for older kids or storage that can be used in any room in the house.

These cd boxes are pretty darn cool, while the A4 Cloth Storage Boxes are great for storing memories, drawings, and tidbits as they grow.

Kikki K Cd Storage $14.95
Kikki K A4 Cloth Storage boxes $34.95 ea

Check out these super cute ideas from the wondrous 
Urban Baby by Monsieur and Madame.

These toy storage bags have such a delightful print and can be used not only for toys, but for shopping, laundry, the beach…

Urban Baby also stock gorgeous storage boxes by Tiger Tribe. They have felt lining and fold away neatly when not in use, though they’re so cute I’m not sure why you’d want to hide them away!

Finally, keep the bathroom neat with the Boon Frog Pod which attaches to the wall with semi-permanent adhesive strips, and is a hygienic and funky way to store bath toys and products. (Plus he’s sooo funky!)

Monsieur and Madame toy storage bags $24.50 ea
Tiger Tribe storage boxes from $29.95 ea
Boon Frog Pod $54.95

Please check individual sites for shipping cost and delivery details.

Today’s post written by Angela

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An exciting piece of information for you today: one of my favourite stores, Tiny People – www.tinypeople.com.au – currently have one of my favourite designers, Polka Kids – www.polkakids.com.au -  winner of the KidStyleFile Best New Kidswear Designer Award for 2008 - on sale 30% off!

Super-WOO!!

I have already scooted over and scooped over some more for my collection, but I’ve left some for you, so you can experience the love too.

Polka’s current collection is girls-only, but mums of boys will be honoured next season with a stunning range of pieces for beautiful boys.

Sale on only while stocks last.

Tiny People ship orders over $150 (excluding large and oversized orders) free of charge. Contact Tiny People for details on regular postage charges to your state.

Today’s post written by Angela

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One of my favourite clothing labels for kids is Australia’s Paper Wings – www.paperwings.com.au.

Why?

Paper Wings, match the beauty, uniqueness and natural creativity of children with unbridled exuberance, and quiet detail. Each garment is at once precious and practical. There is love in these clothes, and it shows.

The pedigree of seasoned designers, couple Jason Gibaud and Michelle Fallon — who have worked on films including Moulin Rouge, Star Wars and Peter Pan – Paper Wings transcends fashion with whimsical designs that wear brilliantly. I know this because my children wear Paper Wings clothing regularly, and it handles tree-climbing, and nature-walking (and looks extraordinarily beautiful in these settings!) just as well as the party scene, and washes up to perfection.

So what inspires these exceptionally creative pieces? Michelle and Jason explain:

“Our focus is on enhancing the lives of children by creating products that positively influence the way they look, feel, play, and experience their environment. All pieces are designed to be ‘every day favourites’ – lovingly worn out rather than outgrown.

Our design influences are eclectic, with strong links to historical shapes, traditional crafts, and to both vintage and contemporary graphics.

The breathtaking rural setting of our design studio in Northern New South Wales, is a great source of inspiration. We want to celebrate the freedom of being children, looking like children and – most importantly – feeling like children.”

Bravo to that!

Tiny People currently have selected Paper Wings summer 2008/9 collection (girls pieces only) on sale at 30% off.

Postage is free for orders over $150 (excluding large and oversized orders). Contact Tiny People for details on postage charges to your state.