Tag Archives: children

Autumn/Winter Fashion Trends For Kids

Posted on by Abi

It’s no secret that little girls love dressing in fun stylish clothes, and now that the autumn/ winter season has officially arrived there are countless numbers of fashionable looks that your children can try out. As a stylish parent, it is likely that your kids will always try to copy your on-trend outfits and this season is filled with fashion forward looks that any little girl will love dressing up in.

Here are some of children’s designer clothes trends taking centre stage this AW13…

Faux Fur From snuggly faux fur coats to adorable faux fur hats and headbands, faux fur has been a favourite fashion staple amongst adults for plenty of years and now children’s brands such as Monnalisa have incorporated this luxury and chic material into their collections. Little girls will love feeling super stylish in a faux fur coat or gilet while babies are sure to look cosy and cute in a faux fur lined snowsuit.

Perfect Prints Polka dots, leopard, floral – this A/W is all about adding that fun pop of colour and print to any outfit. Little girls will feel like pretty princesses in floral printed rara skirts while a polka dot party dress is simply perfect for Christmas day.

Cute Cover-ups It just wouldn’t be autumn/ winter without treating your little ones to a cosy new coat. While keeping warm is key when it comes to the colder months, little girls will also want to look super fashionable – that’s why children designer clothing brands such as Catimini have created a complete collection of snug winter coats with added style appeal. With girly colours of purple and pink as well as pretty floral printed macs, a Catimini coat will keep any little fashionista warm and happy this winter. Remember to choose a coat or jacket with faux fur detailing for extra style points!

Trends for Boys It isn’t just girl’s clothes that is keeping up with the trends this season, baby boys designer clothing collections are also filled with a number of key looks to dress little lads in. Designer favourites Moschino boys have created a number of sporty inspired polo tops with long sleeves to help update your son’s wardrobe for the new season.

 

 

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Pop Up Kings Road with Skribbies shoes!

Posted on by Abi

Skribbies Pop Up Shop

Skribbies are footwear that can be drawn on, wiped clean and then drawn on again. I was intrigued by the idea but wondered how they would work in reality.

For the first two weeks of August, 387 Kings Road, London has opened it’s doors as part of Pop Up Britain. For a limited time you can purchase products from some of the most exciting online brands in a physical store. I popped along to the launch event to meet the Skribbies team. A few recognisable faces were also in attendance such as CBeebies’ Sid Sloane, much to the kids delight!

The store itself is situated quite a long way down the Kings Road, but it’s definitely worth a visit. There are eight temporary residents selling a range of goods suitable for kids, mums-to-be and the home. There are also craft activities and face painting to keep little ones occupied while you browse. My son insisted on having his face painted as Batman before posing with Sid at the front of the store.Sid Sloane and Batman

It was great to see the shoes in real life and have a chance to test them out.

Will kids actually enjoy drawing on their shoes?

The kids ran straight past the craft and face painting tables to sit on the floor and start doodling. They drew several designs while we were there and have continued to enjoy changing their shoes daily. Even Sid got in on the colouring action, unfortunately as Skribbies are only available in Junior sizes 10 – Adult size 3 so they were never going to fit him!Sid Sloane shoe

I can definitely understand the appeal of these trainers as they remind me of my own childhood, filled with customisable headbands with names written across them in embossed script. Skribbies creator Jennifer Duthie laughed when I mentioned this, as such memories were apparently part of her inspiration when creating the range! I also wonder if I can squirrel the shoes away of an evening and write little reminders on them like ‘tidy your room’ or ‘put your washing in the basket’ it could be a whole new brand of parenting 😛

I can confidently say that kids (and adults!) really enjoying drawing on their shoes.

Will the designs last when walking about or in the rain?

All three children wore their shoes from the pop up store over to the Natural History Museum, then on several tubes and walking around London. As long as the design has dried they seem to last. I haven’t tested them out in the rain yet, but I am told they will survive as long as they have been given time to dry before venturing out.

Are they durable?

We haven’t had them long but considering all my children are very hard on their shoes and we had several trips and stubs in London I’m amazed they are still in one piece already. Only time will tell, but so far it’s a thumbs up!

Will parents like them?Abi Day

I do. They hold a magical appeal that keeps my children quiet and occupied for long stretches at a time! My youngest is also notoriously fussy when it comes to his footwear and he loves these shoes. Plus the fact that they have Neon accents makes the kids easier to spot should they wander a bit further away from you than you would like.

Skribbies

We all had a fabulous time meeting the Skribbies team and trying out the new shoes. I can honestly see these becoming a must have accessory for cool kids and parents will enjoy the peace they seem to bring. I would definitely recommend visiting the store to see the shoes in person and meet the team if you can.Skribbies

Pop Up Store Details

Situated at: 387 Kings Road, London, SW10 0LR

Open: 1st – 14th August

Opening hours: 10am – 6.30pm

Skribbies Details

Skribbies are available in three colour variations; pink/red, neon yellow/black and blue/navy.

Size Range: Junior size 10 – Adult size 3

Each pair of Skribbies comes with a pack of magic pens, a wristband to wipe the designs off and stickers to further customise.

Further colours and designs and planned for the future including low-top trainers.

They are priced at £35.95 and available to purchase online from www.skribbies.com or in person from the Kings Road Pop Up Store.

Skribbies on Facebook www.facebook.com/skribbies

Skribbies on Twitter www.twitter.com/skribbies

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Hue Animation Studio Review

Posted on by Abi

I have long been fascinated by the skill required to make stop motion animations. Most of which I can probably attribute to watching the Wallace & Gromit films from Aardman animation every Christmas as a child. I vividly remember my attempts at animating my jointed teddy bears and other toys, they weren’t all that amazing 🙁 So when I was asked to review the Hue Animation Studio with my kids I was more than enthusiastic to agree 🙂

Here’s the official product blurb:

The Hue Animation Studio contains everything a budding animator needs to begin creating stop motion animation videos.  Children can discover, imagine and create stop-motion animation through powerful, easy-to-use, animation software complete with Hue’s market leading Plug ‘n’ Play HD camera with built-in microphone and a unique flexible neck for unlimited positioning options.

The software (used in schools and at home) helps children to create simple visual adaptations using toys, modelling clay, play figures and stop-frame animation techniques.  The process of animating with the Hue Animation Studio encourages children to learn a diverse range of skills in both a fun and stimulating way.  They can create a story, create characters, make them from clay or plasticine, design and make sets, compose soundtracks or select appropriate recorded music to enhance a film.

Whether you’re five or 95, you can’t go wrong with Hue’s full feature animation suite!

Excited… just a little bit! We received a red camera, I know that has nothing to do with the performance of the product but I always appreciate an attempt to be aesthetically pleasing.

My twins wrote a story together and set about building props from Lego. Their film also included a Mollie Makes hedgehog and a Sylvanian Family rabbit. They did need a little help and direction, but the included software suite  is very straightforward and easy to use. Within minutes they were animating.

The camera takes still pictures which then appear on your computer screen, when you are ready to take the next still you see a ghost of your previous image which makes it easy to place your model(s) in slightly different poses while making sure they don’t jump about. I love love love this feature, especially when our youngest kept stealing the props and running away with them! Once the film was complete my husband read out their story to lay over the video.

Here is their completed film, I feel immensely proud of them! Plus I think the whole process was extremely educational. They used:

Teamwork and cooperation to compose their story

Penmanship and English to write their script

Dexterity and Imagination in prop building

Concentration and Patience to animate

All very valuable life skills I think.

The animation studio isn’t just for kids though, here’s my husband’s first little animation of a Sylvanian Family wedding dance. It’s such good fun it’s hard to stop animating! The program also has an option to upload your videos, we chose to host ours on YouTube.

I should also point out that we didn’t have the best lighting on the day we made these films, with a nicer background image and better lighting I think we could have produced even crisper films!

Would I recommend this product?

Definitely! No longer do you need prohibitively expensive equipment or even great skill to animate. This product helps you to make genuine animations in minutes!

Could it be improved in anyway?

I’m struggling to think how. Maybe an option to upgrade the camera to a higher spec if you really find yourself hooked, but otherwise no, it’s great!

For More Information

Hue Animation Studio website www.hueanimation.com

Facebook page www.facebook.com/HueAnimation

Twitter account twitter.com/HueAnimation

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