Climbing castles 2

Climbing Castles

We woke today to a rather drizzly and windy morning in ibiza so what better to do than visit the Dalt Villa or Old town of Eivissa and climb some battlements and sit on some canons.
Phin is learning all about castles and knights in his school topic so this was perfect on site learning.
The skies cleared and up we climbed, learning all about the ottoman empire's constant invasions and the type of weaponry used to defend the small island of Ibiza.
Finally a sit down and some ice cream as a reward for all that climbing.

Moody Mini

Mini may have turned three but the terrible twos have simply simmered into the terrible threes.
They're not awful by any means but it often feels like tempestuous teenage hormones are raging around her body, causing the usually charming child we know to turn into a screaming, pouting, sulking and foot stamping teen.
Despite these sulks we are all relishing our new Ibiza home. What bliss this morning to have breakfast al fresco in the courtyard with our new Falcon enamelware plates (thank you Karen!) and my Fermoie cushions and Sue Binns hand made pottery mugs. Bliss.

Pimp My Ride

Thanks to Grandma and Papow mini got to pimp the brand new hot pink birthday scooter she got from her godmummy Karen.
And boy did they have fun in the scooter accessory department. She got a funky rabbit helmet, a front and rear light, a matching bell, attaching satchel, pulling strap (for those leg weary moments when only mama pulling you up a hill will do) and my favourite of favourites - wheel lights which flash rainbow colours while whizzing along the streets of London. Pimp My Ride indeed.

Bloomin Barbie

Mini has been on a break, what with her chicken pox outbreak and general Les Mis French revolution scurvied looking vibe going on.
It was with great sadness that we had to postpone her party but as her best friend India aka Indie-pops shares the same birthday we were able to join in her barbie celebrations with glee.
Indie's mum Kate is a dab hand at a fake flower, a glue gun and a barbie and transformed her conservatory into a floral ode to tropical hula barbie.
Flowers adorned the walls and her own mother even flew over Kate's original Barbies and Ken over from Australia.
Each guest received their own pair of sunnies and mini embraced her slightly demonic looking butterfly face paint. What a great bash!

Aden & Anais

With baby number three on the way I'm pretty sorted on the clothes and toy front. Boy or girl, I'm covered but where i do intend to splurge is with new sleepsuits, sacks and swaddles.
One of my favourite go to labels is Aden & Anais.
Originally set up by Australian Raegan Moya-Jones when she couldn't find oversized swaddling muslins on moving to America. I love their bold coloured muslins, a real change from the usual plain white. I also adore their delicate range of prints, especially the stars which now adorn not just their muslins, oversized swaddle sheets but also cot sheets and sleep sacks for when your little one grows out of swaddling. They have a pop up boutique at Harrods at the moment or check out their full range on www.adenandanais.co.uk

Pippi Longstocking

Mini is sporting a quirky look today reminiscent of my childhood heroine Pippi Longstocking. And although her trademark plaits have been usurped by long curls and new Margherita flower clips from Next, Mini's fun sundress, knee length socks and boots are pure Pippi.
I'm loving Mini's Boden yellow and rust print dress worn with their long colour blocked knee socks. They are a fantastic alternate to tights and leggings at this time of year and her Minnetonka fringed boots from JCrew top off this intrepid heroines look for the day.

Epic

Phin and Mini proudly displayed their new T-shirts from The Gap today. Taken from their exclusive collection to celebrate the new kids film Epic, a forest adventure about good and evil with some funny snails, fairies and woodland elves thrown in for good measure, the t-shirts range from sizes 2-11 and are available from May 13th. Phin adores his one with his snail's eyes being tugged and Mini is totally into flower fairies at the moment so hers went down a treat too. Can't wait to see the film.

A/W Boden Treats

its been press day after press day for the fash pack and with bump no.3 on the way i've been even more selective than usual about which ones i visit. Boden, however is always a treat. They've upped their game in the last season so it was interesting to see whether they had the tenacity to keep going with their new vision. And i'm pleased to say they have. There is still a way to go in my opinion but there are certainly a few pieces not just for my kids but also for me that have caught my eye.

I'm loving their new ad campaign. Its fun and vibrant and a little bit off beat without being too quirky. This leopard clutch is definitely a must have.

Boden press days are always amazingly art directed and this one was no exception. Clothes are displayed in the most innovative and creative of manners. I fell in love with these hand knitted animal heads by the supremely talented underground knitter, Louise Walker. Check out her creations on www.sincerelylouise.co.uk and she can create something bespoke for your kids bedroom

This scandi print dress with its naive print is heaven

And these quirky bobble hats and the mittens below are right up Phin's street

I loved how these were displayed

Flannel Jim Jams, what could be more perfect for your little one come next winter?

Prints this season at Boden are retro 50's in feel, just charming.

Polka dot prom dress

And the coolest of high tops. do they make these in my size?

And finally for baby, not just the cutest of bodies but i'm loving these retro printed giant muslins

And now onto moi! And what caught my eye first but this leopard knit.

I loved this Prada esque shift encrusted with oversized crystals

And these glitter dancing shoes. Now which one do i choose?

These leopard booties are part of the Johnnie B range for teens, but who says these are just for the angst ridden youth. 

I'm loving Boden's knitwear this season. This chunky scarf in pepto pink and camel is a great colour combo and the dress below is a fine knit with a gorgeous pie crust collar

There were also some fantastic bold coloured argyll and Norwegian style knits

Finally, a wall of old cassettes, what a great idea to decorate a wall with.