Makedo: For Little Cardboard Box Remodelers

Most of us will remember, a time in childhood, when you turned a simple cardboard box into something amazing.

Perhaps it was a rainy day when you were about four. Perhaps your mum had put your little sisters down for a nap and it was your special mummy-eldest daughter time. Perhaps your mum had just bought a new appliance which left a large empty box when un packed. Perhaps your mum decided you should make a stove together. Perhaps, you spent the afternoon painting the box pink, creating elements out of tin foil, temperature knobs out painted of jar lids and so on. And, perhaps, it was the pride and joy of your playroom until a jealous play date destroyed it, just to stop you from bragging. Just perhaps.

Most adults have a hypothetical story similar to this, and every holiday or birthday, you will watch your children become far more interested in the box the gift came in than the actual gift itself. It is no secret that kids love to play with cardboard boxes, transforming them into everything from forts to robots.

One clever parent, inspired by his son’s passion for ‘cardboard box remodelling’, came up with Makedo, which is a construction set containing clips, hinges and a miniature saw allowing children to safely combine them with found materials and assemble anything they can dream.

The idea is to inspire social change through creativity, enabling unwanted objects that would normally be binned a new chance at life.

The Makedo website is a great place to pull inspiration from for projects you and the kids can do, or to share your own creative constructions as users have sent in pictures of things they have made with their kids, ranging from incredible forts and cars to costumes and creatures.

You can find Makedo at www.makedo.com.au

How to makedo – extended from MAKEDO on Vimeo.

Pitti Bimbo, Day 1

Hot, hot, hot, if you thought it was hot in London this weekend, you should try running about in a busy tradeshow in +38 weather, glamour was all but lost on us as we attempted to look cool and sweat free in the Europe’s largest  tradeshow.

09:00 – We stop at a cafe and have some Zaletti’s and an iced cappuccino for breakfast, it’s too hot for warm drinks!

09:30 – We arrive at the show and head straight to see Mr. Roberto Cavalli, which is always an exciting booth full of amazing clothing, we sample some yummy cakes before settling down to make our order – his Spring Summer 2011 collection is classically Cavalli, with lots of leopard prints in various colours, as well as baby pinks and fresh white for girls. His boys line is full of stylish jeans, fitted summer blazers and great tops…we can’t wait for next spring to get this all in stock!

11:15 – Next up is Baby Graziela where we order some amazing dresses and shoes for little girls, as well as some cute checked outfits that are going to look so sweet on baby boys!

12:20 – We take a break for lunch and venture out into the intense heat. Panini’s seem like an obvious choice (even though they are HOT!) so we order two and some ice cold water and enjoy the excitement of people passing buy as we eat in the cool shade. The Panini’s are of course followed up by Chocolate Gelato, you can’t go to Italy and not have at least one!

13:32 – Shoes, shoes and more shoes, we visit new Alexandalexa.com brand Bumper to add to our shoe collection in a serious way!

15:00 – John Galliano is up next and his eccentric theatrics have not escaped his SS11 presentation, with oversized gasoline pumps, pink vintage convertables and bowling pins decorating the area. His SS11 collection is a playful 50s theme with his signature gazette print on girls and boys outfits. His girls collection is seriously girly while his boys collection is a bit more casual and sports inspired…the whole collection is a bit like a wardrobe for mini Grease with a Galliano twist.

16:15 – Cute Cats, florals and amazing pink/turquoise prints meet us at Little Paul & Joe and we buy loads of cute shirts, skirts, shorts and jeans, plus something a little un expected from the brand….a bikini!

17:45 – Caramel Baby & Child is nextand we order some great liberty prints, pieces in fushia, pink, yellow and blue, and lots of cute dresses!

19:00 – We do an order with another new brand we will be carrying for Autumn Winter 2010, Monnalisa, and find out they are holding a fashion show in at 9:30, plenty of time, right? But they have such a great collection, we spend agesgoing through each gorgeous piece, trying to choose the best of the best for A&A.

20:00 – We go out for a quick dinner before the fashion show and indulge in some yummy pasta and each enjoy a glass of Italian wine, like they say: when in Rome/Florence eat like the Italians eat!

21:30 – We finish eating and enjoy the cooler evening weather as we walk back to the show and take our seats just as it is about to start. Cute kids come strutting down the runway in some fabulously detailed Monnalisa kit. We love their cute and casual style which is an interesting mix between dapper digs and beach style that really works in kidswear. It is almost a Scandinavian look mixed with French style, while the girls are looking cute as can be in floral and heart fabrics, tiered dresses and amazing accessories, the boys are dressed in smart casual wear, creating a great overall look.

22:30 – The show is over and we say our goodbyes to the other buyers and editors, it’s time to head back to the hotel room and rest our sleepy heads….stay tuned for day two! Yawwwn….

Brambleberries and Alexandalexa.com Girly Giveaway!

Enter to win this great handcrafted hair clip holder by Brambleberries and two bunny Muchacha hairclips by emailing [email protected] with your name and address, Subject: GIRLY! (Contest Closes July 6)

Brambleberries, run by English mum Angela Passingham, is a collection of handcrafted, personalized gifts for little boys and girls.

The company was born at about the same time as Angela’s first child, son Alfie. Unable to find any Nursery items with Alfie’s name on it, Angela, a lifelong hobby crafter, decided to just make it on her own.

Soon the nursery decoration turned into presents for friends and family, then a small stall at a local Farmers Market, and then, two years ago, Angela left her job as a PA and decided to take on creating high quality hand crafted items for kids under the Brambleberries name, full time.

There are tons of designs and products to choose from, perfect for your little one’s room, tailor made to suit any requirements, customized or un-customized.

Their Little Wardrobe: Oliver

Oliver, age 4, from England wearing Ralph Lauren jeans, linen jacket and his amazing Scotch & Soda shrunk shirt at his Aunt’s wedding!

Let us know what you think of Oliver’s dapper little look!

If you would like to include your little fashionista/fashionisto in the Their Little Wardrobe section of our blog, all you need to do is: snap a photo of your fashionable kid(s), let us know who they are wearing and what fun things they are up to in their fabulous outfit, include their age and name, and email it all to [email protected], subject: Their Little Wardrobe!

Zoobug Sunglasses

When ophthalmologist Julie Diern Le went out to buy a pair of sunglasses for her niece, she knew first hand of the damage the sun could do to young eyes and wanted to buy a pair of sunglasses that offered maximum protection from the sun, while also providing comfort, practicality and style.

But, much to Julie’s surprise, her combination of simple requirements could not be found.

However, instead of just giving up, Julie decided to design the perfect sunglasses for kids that met all her requirements for niece Emma, knowing that UV conscious parents would be searching for the same thing.

And so, Zoobug sunglasseswere born, a range of sun shielding eyewear with UV400 lenses, blue light filtering and impact resistance.  Each style of sunglasses is tough enough to withstand the boisterous life of a child, snug enough to comfortablely wear all day and stylish enough that even the most fashionable child will consider them a must have accessory.

Shop the Zoobug collection

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