Fashion Story with Soft Gallery
F: Fashion is.... a great way to express your mind of stage....and bring together ideas and thoughts.
A: Accessories are important because… it adds that little extra personal touch.
S: Starting our brand was... the biggest thrill and challenge ever and still is in many ways. 5years later not one day is the same. We feel very fortunate to be able to do what we love.
Welcome Mini & Maximus, we're happy you are doing a giveaway with us!
What you can win this week :: a "I cut my own hair" tee, and a "Don't Grow Up" poster by Mini & Maximus.
What you have to do :: leave a comment below telling us, about your child's cutting their own hair disaster story.
In addition to creating their own unique Mini & Maximus designs, they also collaborate with artists both young and old who inspire them. They contribute original ideas exclusively designed for Mini & Maximus, presenting you with their individual artistic approaches and points of view.
I don't think 'designmom' needs any introduction here, but for you who don't know who I am talking about let me explain a little bit. Designmom aka Gabrielle Blair is perhaps the most famous Mom blogger from the U.S.A. Her blog made it to the top 50 list of Times Magazine for being one of the best sites in the world and she is also the founder of Kirtsy and Alt.summit ... yes a very impressive list.
On a personal level her life is pretty amazing too... she has 6 kids and moved to France last year with her family to get a bit of a feel of the European, and in particular French life-style ... This adventure is has been such a good thing for the family that Gabrielle came up with the idea to 'capture' it in the best way possible... video - film ... so she teamud up with Tiger in a Jar and the together with her husband Ben the now have a weekly video series called Olive Us. The series is made up of short episodes (typically 2 to 5 minutes) and highlights the family values.
I hope you will enjoy these short movies as much as I do and I can only say from a professional level, two tumbs up Gabrielle for being such a trendsetter and example for many moms.
..Olive Us
Have you spent sometime over at BabbybubbleNYC lately? If not, you need to, because there are some seriously adorable finds to be had. It appears they still have their Memorial Day 30% Off Sale happening too - so I would scurry over there before it's over. Items (pictured above) can be found in their new arrivals section.
I adore these natural dyed dot scarves by Makie found at BabybubbleNYC. I wish I could have them for myself - so soft, light and just lovely. To learn more about BabybubbleNYC go here, or to keep up with what inspires them - check out their blog. - Sponsor Spotlight
Today's Mom Story is Janneke Zantinge, she's the owner and designer of the labels Hikje and Plaksels. She also runs an online store called Hikjes in Huis. Janneke has a very sweet story to share, so let's get to it.
Fashion Story with Flora and Henri.
F: Fashion is… A way to present yourself to the world, to distinguish yourself from others and a way to express the way you see yourself each day.
A: Accessories are important because… They aren’t for me unless they have a sentimental or precious touch. My favorite jewelry are pieces my grandmother wore whenever I saw her. I like simplicity and I cannot work hard for fashion.
S: Starting our Brand was... A time of great optimism and of freedom to create. As time moved forward, owning a brand has been 95% work and 5% creativity, but I still can’t live without that 5%.
H: Home to me is... A nest for my family, completely removed from the world outside. Love. Love. Love and big meals, quiet spaces, beautiful objects and fragrant flowers.
Welcome Mow Objetos, we're happy you are doing a giveaway with us!
What you can win this week :: an adorable hand drawn collection of animal puppets by Mow Objetos.
What you have to do :: leave a comment below telling us, which animal in the collection is your favorite and why?
Manuela is the creator behind Mow Objetos, and she currently resides in Madrid. You can learn more about her, at her blog.
May is the Birthday month in our home... Lode and papa are celebrating theirs just a couple of days apart. Perhaps luckily Lode comes first ... so it was his big day last week on Thursday. I thought it was quite amazing how calm he remained throughout the week prior… not showing any (visible) signs of nervousness or anxiety… it even seemed he was enjoying his pre-birthday days: preparing decoration and talking about cake designs, party games and of course presents….for those of you who know Lode a bit or have read about him on Bloesem before this new found coolness in the face of a “big event” is quite a new phenomenon…I was sort of expecting him to ask whether we might celebrate his birthday a week earlier because “I am too excited mom”…yes, I am sure you have had similar experiences with your kids… and I know I used to be extremely anxious in the weeks leading up to my birthdays (and still am but mainly because of the increasing age number…J)… perhaps his new coolness has something to do with what I can only describe as an absolute craziness among Lode and his friends for anything that has to do with Star Wars… not sure whether the Star Wars tidal wave has hit the shores of the US or Europe…but in my home all the boys now go by names such as Luke Skywalker, Anakin (or even better Darth Vader) and Obi Wan…. Not much of a girl’s paradise I am afraid although I think it is sweet they refer to me as the Queen of Naboo, Amidala,… who I understand is not an evil queen (like you find in other fairy tales…) but rather a symbol of beauty and the mother of Luke Skywalker (the Jedi who ultimately brings balance to the Force…) of course…
So, I guess…, boys will be boys…which meant that Lode’s 6th birthday had to have a distinct Star Wars look and feel… It is quite amazing how these young boys can talk and engage in imaginary Star Wars games for hours and hours… they know all the character names, their “powers” and who does what and when… I am trying to be a sensible mom and only let them watch bits and pieces of non-violent parts of the cartoon series…but it looks like the odds are against me…as for some reason both my boys know exactly how the “dark side of the Force is destroyed”…perhaps my husband has something to do with this…anyway, I go with the flow….and it makes me happy to see how much he enjoys all of it….: the dreamy world of all the galaxies, outer space and strange looking aliens…
Lode helped baking his own Star Wars cake – using only organic ingredients… - and it was great Fun! A bit like working with clay actually and certainly as messy… we hope you like the result as much as we enjoyed making it!
And, we also made some garlands ourselves using a Star Wars sticker-book, some paper and string... quite easy to pull together... and completely handmade by Lode himself. I suggested doing triangles/flag shapes instead but he insisted on squares and who am I to argue with that…:) perhaps it is the big new thing :):):) ... ~irene xoxo
I don't think there is a person in the world that could resist these adorable Lille Huset House Kits, or the even more adorable Lille City by Grow Books Press, they are just the sweetest. The Lille Huset House Kits are also on sale right now, so if you've been waiting to buy one - now would be the right time.
These Lille Huset Prints are cute, and I love things like an adventure kit! Those are perfect for children, and a few adults (hint hint). The adventure kit come with - a satchel, letter pressed folder to hold your sheets, and an imagine your world activity sheet. That sounds perfect for distracting the little ones on a long road trip, or plane ride.
This is were Mae Engelgeer lives ... who has her own textile label and my friends Sandra and Marjon visited her home in Amsterdam a little while ago to create another interview for Bloesem's 'Face-to-face: a designer's profile' column. It is a really nice interview with an super nice peek inside this creative persons home... just click here to see all the images...
The Mae collection is available at BijzonderMooi ~ in Dutch ~ in English ~ in German
..all images by Vorstin
Today's Mom Story is with Julz Beresford, she is the creator of Peachie Kids Art, a collection of limited edition prints and canvases. Julz has a great story to share, so let's get to it.
a new project by Adri Bodor and Mark Szulyovszky called Think Invisible, which was designed with the aim of showing that there’s life beyond complete symbols. Instead of trying to be more, it‘s goal is to be less.... I lOve the posters, great for boys a bit older... what do you think?
We are Going on Vacation with Anki Wijnen from Zilverblauw
and we are we going to...
since our oldest son is born, we're visiting the Dutch coast almost every holiday. Casper's parents are owning a summerhouse located close to the beach. It perfect, because everything we need is around; a highchair for our baby, a baby bed, toys, etc. The house is surrounded by a big garden where the kids can play as much as they want. There are hardly any cars or other traffic and the beaches are quiet and beautiful. (and the cleanest of Holland!) My husband Casper loves bird watching so the big nature area nearby is also a big plus.
Who are you bringing along?
Casper, my husband, Wolf, our oldest son (5) and baby Mus. (almost 1) And most of the time, a lot of friends come to visit us and stay for a couple of nights. Especially in the summer that's great; we're hanging around at the beach, the children are playing together and we're having barbecue's in the summerhouses garden. Perfect.
Bright Star Kids has a wide selection of products that stick. They have name labels, bag tags, and wall art - which I have focused on (pictured above and below). Even in the wall art section there are lots of different types of wall art to choose from like - wall stickers, canvas art, height charts, chalkboard wall stickers, and more.
Even though Bright Star Kids is based in Australia, they do offer free shipping on name labels to the United States. And if you have any questions about how to stick on your labels, wall art, or tags - Bright Star Kids has an entire section dedicated to help you. - Sponsor Spotlight
Kiet and I were having some fun with his best friends while we were in Singapore last weekend... i love the little elephant which I bought at Muji for him.
