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What to wear today... the Tea Collection

GuestPost by Maria Vetesse from iammav

When I was asked to work on art direction for Tea Collection I was so excited to see the concept for their Fall 2010 season -- Old World Hungary. Each season the design team travels to a different area of the world to gather inspiration and history and then designs the collection from there. It's a mission I respect so much! They are not just making a beautiful clothing line but rather connecting what kids wear with an opportunity for everyone to learn and be a part of something. And of course ... the clothes are fantastic!

To get things moving I pulled together ideas which revolved around the concepts "little spirits frolic" and "kinship". These words and what they meant fit so well with the collection and they were just calling to me. Propping and styling lists included natural elements such as baskets or painted sticks as well as simple cultural connections such as bandanas, soccer balls and other vintage items from the area. Along with the goal of re-creating some of the outdoor environments seen in the countryside in these regions (Croatia, Hungary, Romania), I wanted to capture the kids with an old-school sense of freedom and exuberance. I get a little tired of seeing kids modeling clothing and looking so serious! I wanted to see what the clothing and the outdoors brought out in the kids and boy did they deliver! We had an amazing few weeks on "set" and I enjoyed working with the kids so much. The energy and sense of wonder ... they really are "little citizens of the world". To see a little more "behind the scenes" from our shoot you can watch a video right here ...

..Tea Collection..
..Tea Collection blog..

..iammav..

Win a £50 gift certificate from little baby company...

What can you win :: a £50 gift certificate to pick something of your own choice little baby company!

What do you have to do :: just leave a comment stating which item you like best from little baby company..

Giveaway is open until Tuesday 5 October and the winner will be announced on Wednesday 6 October and notified by email.

Last weeks winner from the FatSheep giveaway is :: Blythe C.

 

..little baby company..

 

DIY portrait of your child by Arounna...

Yes, she did it again...this time a gorgeous DIY portrait of your child ... unfortunately this busy bee doesn't have time any more to create them for BloesemKids but I'm very happy to Arounna's projects appear at Poppytalk once in a while....just click here to see and read all the steps...

...and would you like to read more about this DIY furniture project then head over to Bloesem...

Babiekins Model Cover Contest

Babiekins Magazine is looking for the next model for their Summer 2011 issue. That means you can now send in your favorite picture of your little one!

During the period of entry (when you send in your pictures) until the judges...one of them is me, Irene from BKids :) ... have decided what our favorite 10 are and then you can tell your family and friends to start VOTING. The Winner will get a photo shoot near them and will also get to keep the designer clothes they use!
Submission ages are 9 months (needs to be 9 months by December 6)  to 10 years of age. The contest is open to everyone , everywhere, any country....click for more exact details right here! Exciting, can't wait to see all your entires and thank you very much Pricilla for inviting me as one of the judges!

..Babiekins Magazine..
..Babiekins Model Cover Contest..
..image above by Allison Cottrill..

Farbics from FabricWorm

{images are from my own fabrics and a pillow I made recently}

During the weekend I finally had time to actually spend some time behind my sewing machine. I'm totally not a good sewster but I really like creating things with fabric. The only things I can make are pillows and patchwork blankets and that's it :)

To encourage myself in keep on doing it I like buying fabrics, my favorite ones are often from Japan and it's just wonderful that you can easily buy them online. Fabricworm is one of those great shops. Using fabrics like the ones with the cute stories on them will give such an extra feel to any baby bed, curtains or a nursing chair.

..Fabricworm..
..Fabricworm blog..

The Mr Mustache - Book from Studio Violet

...a new book that I havent read myself yet, but really wanted to share with you because I think you will love it! We all love what Elisabeth and Camilla do, they are such an inspiration for many of us and Mr Mustache will be added to the list ... "The life of Mr Mustache" is a book about the Studio Violet character Mr Mustache who worries for nothing and can't sleep. What is bothering him? When he finds out, things start to feel better. Written in rhyme.

..Studio Violet..
..Studio Violet shop..

a new Mom Story from France...

we are goign to pay a short visit to a family in the French part of the Pyrenees mountains where Sandra from chez boui boui lives. It was really nice for me to read about her lover for some Spanish villages becasue I have spent many vacation days myself there too and loved it... so please click her to enjoy this lovely Mom Story...

a lovely baby sleeping bag, made by Sandra, available in her shop right here..

..Sandra's Mom Story..

..other Mom Stories..

 

win a gift voucher from FatSheep...

What can you win :: a gift voucher of $50- from Fatsheep, to do some shopping in their Weebitz collection.  pick the things you like best, a beautifully knitted poncho, a pair of shoes and or a cardigan from FatSheep.

What do you have to do :: just leave a comment stating which item you like best from the FatSheep shop...

Giveaway is open until Tuesday 28 September and the winner will be announced on Wednesday September 29 and notified by email.

Bieb, the nice lady behind FatSheep also would like to OFFER all the BKids readers a 10% discount on all items from the Weebitz collection. This offer end at Wednesday 22 September.

Last weeks winner from the Pluto giveaway is :: Kristine

..FatSheep..
..FatSheep blog..

 

Rifle Paper Co. new Party Invitations and Halloween Cards

How wonderful is it to receive an email form an artist you really admire asking you whether you would like to share her new work with your readers...well this happened to me last week ...the super talented Anna Bond from Rifle Paper Co. told me about her launch of the new party invitation line for children. To start off Rifle Paper Co. has a selection of children's party invitations as well as a couple Halloween designs.

The collection will soon grow to include invitations for cocktail parties, bridal showers, holidays, etc. Most of the designs are available either with lines or as imprintables which you can run through your home printer. {ps. The invitations are sold in boxes of 10 for $20. They're 5"x7" with matching envelopes}

I have asked Anna to share some thoughts with us about herself and her work...

*Inspirations that you draw from
I love creating designs that are whimsical and have a nostalgic feel and try to use a limited color palette that's both playful yet sophisticated. I'm inspired by architecture, film, fashion, nature, history, and so many other things that I draw on to help shape my own aesthetic.

*Fun things you do when not working
Spare time seems rare these days but when I find it I love to read, cook, travel, and watch films.

*Length of time you take to design a card
Designing a card can take anywhere from an hour to a few days. Sometimes designs come to me quickly and I know exactly what I want to create. Other times I have to mull it over and there's trial and error period before I'm really happy with the final result.

*Excesses you pamper yourself with/indulge in
I try to be pretty frugal on a daily basis but I've learned that my favorite time to indulge is when traveling. Growing up my family never stayed in nice hotels when we went away (which was pretty rare in itself) but I think it's worth it live it up and and create a really relaxing experience for a few days. It's a wonderful escape to look forward to.

..Rifle Paper Co...
..Rifle Paper Co. party invitations..
..Rifle Paper Co. blog..

Sneak peek of Ola & Oleks Summer 2011 collection by Jennifer Arndt

GuestPost by Jennifer Arndt from Style Milk

*What I love most about blogging would have to be all the amazing friends you make and from all around the world. Eliza from Ola & Olek  recently relocated to Australia and contacted me to see if I would like to meet. We instantly connected over a love of good dark chocolate and of course FASHION! Her childrenswear label is exactly my type of style: clean cut, well tailored and quirky! It really is so nice to have someone that you can connect with creatively! Recently we caught up in Sydney and spent a
great girls night out at the Sydney Fashion Festival! We saw the Summer Collections of Australian Fashion designers.

For this guest post Eliza has kindly shared a sneak peek of Ola & Olek's Summer 2011 collection! To find out more about the inspiration behind the collection and about Eliza I asked her to compete a word association/’finish this sentence’ interview for fun:

Eliza Lopatowska about her Ola & Olek:
Food: Fusion of Vietnamese & Japanese. I could eat sashimi and cha ca lavong every day and would not get tired of it.
Love: animals, travel and friends.
Listens to: shuffle on ipod. Im not particularly loyal to any music. Sometimes I get obsessed with a new heard song, listen to it non stop for few days/or until I get tired of the tune and then I move back on to my shuffle button.
Colour: at the moment yellow, gold and neon orange.

{above two images from the new Ola & Oleks Summer 2011 collection}

Reads or reading: I have 3 books on my night unit. "When will there be good news" by Kate Atkinson. Joined just recently the 8 mln followers of "Eat, prey, love" book by Elizabeth Gilbert and "Making Crepe Paper flowers" by Marie Hickey, an arty/DIY book.
Wearing: Vinnies (an Australian op shop) & second hand finds from markets around the world.
When I was little I wanted to be....It may come as a surprise but my childhood dream wasn't about fashion.
I had 3 favourite professions: an eye doctor, a veterinary or a flight attendant. They could not have been more distant from the fashion industry. Maybe my love for animals and travel comes from an unfulfilled dream of becoming a vet or a stewardess.

..Style Milk..
..Ola & Olek..

New posters from Children Inspire Design

It was just this morning that I noticed this new Deer poster from Children Inspire Design and I really LOVE it! It's not just an illustration its a print from a collage Rebecca made from paper.

While scrolling through their website I also enjoyed these country road posters very much...we already show animals so often in nurseries and kid's rooms...putting these on the wall will give such a happy feel!

..Children Inspire Design..

Meet Mom Lourdes in Spain...

We are going to visit the surroundings of Madrid, Spain today ... a lovely mom of twin-girls lives here. After recieveing (unexpectly) two girls at the same time, Lourdes Ferrer decided to start her own kids clothing label, TOT-a-LOT (a lot of tots) and trying to fill the gap in baby sets for twins up to four years old. Together with her partner Daniel Bezares (also the papa) Lourdes tries to design clothes that represent a game for kids and therefore stimulate their development...

Please click here to read the full story and get an impression of how this family lives in Spain...

..TOT-a-LOT..
..Mom Stories..

 

Some things i liked this week...

this whale print available here...

this shirt from Toykyo Kids...

the new 'Blue Limited' collection from Esthex...

the new issue of La Petite Magazine...gives you some wonderful reading for free during the weekend.

Hope to see you back on Monday when I will share a fantastic exclusively announcement with you from one of my absolute favorite paper designers ...

 

What to Wear Today... Kutie Protocol

 

Posted by Hayley from .little pinwheel

Let me tell you a story…. A new denim label has just launched this week into Australia. A brand that believes in a lot more then just their denim, they believe in the future; the future for little people in less fortunate countries then ours. Introducing Kutie Protocol…

the new movement in children’s fashion. There is more to see then just another pair of jeans for your little people. This denim is like grown up fashion shrunk to their size, and each piece is unisex! The denim range is made with little effect on the environment with firstly cutting out the transport of the jeans. This means the denim is made with local textiles in Columbia, using recycled water and non-toxic dyes, and by using a manufacturer that produces less CO2 emissions.

There are big things happening in the next month for Kutie Protocol, and I am so happy and quite proud to be a part of such a big movement.  They will launch their first fund raising initiative towards helping children through the label. More will be released through their website, through Bloesem Kids, and through Little Pinwheel in the coming weeks. You can find their first range in store now at Little Pinwheel and read all about their amazing movement into the children’s fashion industry through their website.

..Kutie Protocol..

..available here..

Win 2 shirts of your your own choice from PLUTO...

What can you win :: Any 2 of these happy shirts of your own choice from the PLUTO ... the littlest planet!

What do you have to do :: just leave a comment stating which print you like best from PLUTO ... the littlest planet! 

Giveaway is open until Tuesday 21 September and the winner will be announced on Wednesday September 22 and notified by email.

Ellen, the nice lady behind Pluto also would like to OFFER all the BKids readers a second t-shirt from her shop for FREE is you buy one...just indicate the one for free in the "Message to Seller" box at the etsy shop...that is generous isn't it! This offer end at Wednesday 22 September.

Last weeks winner from the Once upon a Time giveaway is :: Amy M.

..PLUTO ... the littlest planet!..
..Pluto online shop..