Camomile : Childrens bedding

As any mama will know children's bedding is a hard thing to buy. The market is full of Pink and blue, princesses and trains, and although there is nothing wrong with these, I have succumbed myself, I was so happy when I found Camomile !!

camomile is a london based company set up by mother and daughter team Helen and Daniela Boleto, who have both previously worked in the fashion industry, and it shows. The colours are muted, the fabric and cuts stunning!!

All the designs and colours work really well together, which is great as pieces are sold seperatly and can be mixed and matched as you so wish!! I personally love the Hand quilted blanket in 'Golden' and the floral rings pillow case

Waldorf Play Rooms

I have just started my little boy at my local Steiner Playgroup for mums and toddlers. I have meaning to go for a while and I am so glad I have finally taken the step and gone along. Before I had Alex I promised myself wouldn't buy him loads of cheap plastic toys and books about TV characters, but over the last few months as he has become harder to please I have found myself giving in to 'screen time', and annoying talking books started entering the house. My home was starting to look like someone elses! So a couple of weeks ago I made a stand against myself and enroled him in the playgroup in an attempt to inspire me to change my lazy ways and help Alex find some calm.

Waldorf style Playroom

The minute I entered the school I felt so relaxed. Everything was in natural colours and just so simple and earthy. There were of course a great selection of Grimm's stacking toys, silk scarves, and Waldorf dolls. And even though he did spend the first 15 minutes climbing up and down the stairs shouting proudly, even Alex became relaxed in this new chilled environment. I even got some time to sit and make a Christmas Orange and Clove decoration whilst he played quietly with a wooden duck...... result!

Anyway, I promise I am not going to turn Moon to Moon into a parenting blog but just wanted to share my reasoning for these photos of Steiner/Waldorf playrooms. I am sure there will be plenty of plastic in my future as he grows up, but for now whilst I can still have an element of control over his toys I am going to stick to natural fibers...

Next time we are making Waldorf dolls, so who knows, maybe I will be making all his toys :)

Waldorf Style Playroom

Waldorf Style Playroom with Wooden Toys and Autumn corner

A Waldorf Class Room

Waldorf play area

Textiles: Roxy Marj Heirloom Blankets

Roxy Marj Raccoon Blanket

Roxy Marj : Native Boy Limited edition rug

I have been meaning to get Alex a Roxy Marj Blanket since I was pregnant, he is now 16 months old! The range of blankets that Roxy Marj hand produce is getting bigger and I am currently drooling over the Raccoon blanket in the top picture.

They are perfect for teeny tiny babies and great for toddlers that are learning to explore the animal kingdom..... also great for adults too :)

You can view the full range over at Roxy Marj

Roxy Marj Blanket

Add some colour with Peruvian Tassels...

Peruvian handwoven camino de mesa and tassels

Peruvian tassels from Urban Outfitters 2014

Peruvian Tassels from Gunn and Swain

pom poms made and worn by quechua women on the floating islands of lake titicaca in peru

These Peruvian Tassels are great aren't they? They are perfect for using as curtain tiebacks of for adding a pop of colour by simply hanging off some shelves or bathroom mirror. I have some similar which i have hung in Alex's nursery (he is 16 months is it still a nursery?)

The use of tassels—for adornment and ceremonial purposes—goes back almost as far as Peru’s history.  In ancient times, tassels were symbols of power.  Not only were they used to designate social standings, they were also used to honor and label mighty warriors.  The most powerful warriors would be layered with the most tassels, and have the tallest tasseled headdresses (much like the function of a birds plume).



Even today, tassels are used for labeling purposes in Peru, especially with livestock.  Forget branding, the Peruvians “tag” their alpacas with a specific tassel in the ear—these tassels not only designate the village and the owner, they also serve to distinguish male and female alpacas from a distance (because the different genders have different functions).

Italic text from 'Say it with tassels' to read the full text and more images of Tassels in Peru visit the original article here

Vintage Rattan Toddler Beds....

Rattan Vintage Bed via Elle Deco

Rattan Toddler Bed used as a day bed in the home of blogger SF Girl by the bay

Rattan Toddler Bed: Elle Maison

Vintage Rattan Toddler bed

Rattan Toddler Bed from 16:15

Vintage Rattan Toddler Bed

Over the last year Alex has already had 3 beds... the Moses Basket, my bed and now currently a cot. He is however a massive baby, towering over toddlers twice his age and his lovely cot is quickly becoming less roomy than it was.

So i am on the search for a toddler bed. Like all our other furniture i want it to be second hand so I have been scanning eBay, Etsy and Gum Tree (the UK's CraigsList) to find a beautiful bed for my little man....

Currently topping the list is one of these beautiful rattan beds, they come in a range of sizes and would be perfect...... such a shame they are so hard to come across at a decent price

Nursery Style Guide...

Nursery

When I was pregnant I was so excited about creating a cool nursery that he would love. I was however more aware of what i didn't want than what i did. However it seems that If you arent a fan of sickly sweet baby blue or pink or Disney then you are a bit screwed when it comes to finding your baby furnishings..... especially if trying to stick to a budget! I also found out that as soon as a chest of drawers became a 'nursery chest of drawers' it became 2x the price of a regular one.....

Inspired by the images above I chose to create a unisex eclectic nursery. I decided to buy the crib, storage and furnishings second hand and found some amazing bargains on eBay including my crib. What I created was a really cool bright and cheery nursery....

For the 4th in my eBay guides I have written about how to create a bright nursery perfect for creative and imaginative play that wont blow your budget.... 

One of my favourite items is this great Toadstool lamp....

Hieco Toadstool lamp

Current Obsession: Sea Creatures from Big Stuffed

Small Octopus from Big Stuffed

When I say current obsession, I really mean Current obsession! These sea creatures from Big Stuffed are just gorgeous arent they? They are the creations of Paris based designer Dana Maskat, a former stylist from Tel Aviv.

My personal favorite is the huge over sized Octopus and would love one of these beauties for little Alex..... we shall have to see what Santa brings :)

Dana at work on her handmade Sea Creatures: Imgae credit from L'instant Parisien

New Moon: The Bolga Basket...Toy Storage Solutions...

Bolga Baskets from Ghana are perfect for Toy baskets

African Baskets as toy storage

Bolga Basket as Toy storage

Bolga baskets in Beatrice Valenzuelas home

When looking for toy storage for Alex's nursery I really wanted to stay clear of big plastic boxes. Although Plastic boxes are practacal and easy to stack I wanted something a little more interesting and tactile.. and to be honest, that looked good too.

My Bolga Basket storage for Alex's Nursery

Bolga baskets seemed to fit the bill perfectly...Fun, easy to move, ethical and with no sharp or hard edges.... . Individually made in Bolgatanga in northern Ghana Bolga baskets are available in a wide mixture of bright colours and come in various sizes. Not only are they really handy for toys now but but they are perfect for shopping or storing firewood/fruit and vegetables when Alex is not so little anymore.

Bolga Baskets are available from many outlets online but please ensure you are buying from a fairtrade source. Basket basket here in the UK are a small ethical family run business and sell a great range of Bolgas... check them out here

Childrens room Inspiration: Teepee Den's

Childrens room Inspiration: Teepee Den with Faux Camp Fire

Children's Bedroom with Teepee Den

Elle Deco UK - modern children's rooms - styling Alex Kristal photo Jake Curtis

Kids Teepee via freunde von freunden

No sew Teepee

Teepee in Parents room

I don't know about you but when I was a kid I loved making dens/spaceships with my sister out of chairs and blankets. I was always so sad that I had to take down my secret spaceship  at the end of the day. Now I have little Alex I have been looking for kids room inspiration on Pinterrest and have found these awesome Teepees that look so awesome I am sure any adult would be happy to have one of these up in the sitting room as a permanent feature and I would love for him to have a special 'No Adults' space.

Dens and den building are really important to encourage children's imagination and sense of self and are sadly child psychologists have said that imaginative play is sadly becoming less and less common in todays ipad/t.v culture where adults have less time to spend with their children. So go on put down the remote and build your kid a den :)


p.s A campfire like the one in the third picture  is available from The Land Of Nod

Campfire set from the land of Nod

New Moon: Nursery Inspiration from Captain and the Gypsy Kid...

I love the little hand prints

All images via Captain and the gypsy kid

This nursery is beautiful isn't it? It is the nursery of Captain and Sugar, styled by blogger mum from Captain and the Gypsy kid. I love the warm natural tones pared with the bright textiles and art work. Okay so it is styled for the Elle photo-shoot within an inch of its life, but all the elements are there.

Captain and the Gypsy kid is a really beautiful blog and if you like the nursery I suggest you check out the rest of the home here