inside the dollhouse

last summer we found a beautiful hand crafted doll cabinet at a roadside flea in Sweden. Frida Viola wanted it badly, but we didn't buy it for her. Later the same afternoon we regretted and returned to the flea. I was reading for the girls in the car, and somehow A succeded in picking up the rather big doll cabinet and managed to get it into the car without Frida Viola ever noticed it. Hence we had the perfect Christmas gift for her, we just added some new paint and wallpaper.

I love the way she creates her own rules in this miniature world - the doll kids have cake in the sofa and watch tv all day long.

indoor play

It has been so dark and rainy lately that we have spent most of our time indoors. But then yesterday, we suddenly had sun and today snow. For a couple of hours the snow lit up a little bit but by now it has almost disappeared. I long for spring, for backyard activities and for days in our Swedish house.

1. kids room
2. pretty little leaf card from ttable office
3. sun touches Frida Viola
4. old kaleidoscope from the thrift store, zooscope from 1969
5. Molly is playing

acorns

Little wood acorns from Japanese Kiko. Soft to touch and beautiful to look at, and they can even be used for a necklace or as spinning tops.

Charlie Harper's Ladybird

One of Charlie Harper's nice illustrations has been converted into a huge puzzle. It's fun when things come in different sizes than normally (and we don't have to be afraid that Molly swallows the pieces!)

Charley Harper's Ladybug Giant Floor Puzzle

april april april

Today we had snow again. We do long for spring to come.

Dick Bruna

We like Dick Bruna and his wonderful illustrations and characters a lot. I was lucky to find the nice "Fånga Ballongerna" ("Catch the Balloons") in the thrift store in Sweden. The rules are so simple that the game is perfect even for little kids. The little hedgehog is from another Dick Bruna thrift store find - a wooden puzzle that we have made over and over again.

Nice Miffy site with cute little games and films.
Maja's post on Dick Bruna.

treadmill

A shot these photos of Frida Viola and I in the treadmill at the playground the other day. It was fun.
Being a family living in an apartment in the city with no garden, we visit playgrounds alot.

Lena Corwin posted on some fantastic playgrounds in New York.
Here and here and here are some of mine favourite playgrounds in Copenhagen.
Do you have any favourites or good places for kids you could recommend...?

And don't forget the giveaway # 1 - just leave a comment, winner will be found Sunday September 2 :)

Cat and Mouse

Remember this...? Sweet Lea from affär has been so kind to lend Frida Viola her vintage Cat and Mouse game from 1964 over the summer. I really love the graphics and the illustrations. And Frida Viola loves the little plastic mice - she had a hard time accepting that mice being trapped by the cats is part of the game :)

Do you have any favourite games that are good also for the small kids...?

I-Woody / My First Smart Phone

A friend of mine asked me the other day if we only have vintage toys for the kids. The answer is of course no. I also love shopping something new for them - especially when the design is good, creative and beautiful. A good example is this wooden smart phone with earplugs, a blackboard display and accompanying chalk. It's fun, unassuming, and makes no annoying beep sounds.

I-Woody / My First Laptop also looks so good - at least I would like one.

It goes without saying that either the wooden smart phone or the wooden laptop could replace the iPad, but the wooden items open up for role playing in a totally other way, that I like.

Waiting for summer

We are still waiting for the summer that doesn't really seem to come for real this year.
So this is what we do while we are waiting: Reading lots of Astrid Lindgren stories in preparation for this year's visit in Pippi land, eating salads every day - this one was particularly good with new potatoes, radishes, apples, roasted almonds, fresh goat cheese, lettuce, raspberry vinegar and olive oil. We haven't had that many ice creams this year but the crochet one from Shirley Bredahl is a favourite in Frida Viola's kitchen.

We are looking forward to swimming in the sea (and in the Swedish lakes!), sitting outside until late, finding wild berries in the forrest, visiting lots of flea markets and forgetting about time.

Toys for different ages

You may have noticed that I have a soft spot for toys. I play as much with it as the kids, in my own way, though.

Vintage Games

After I posted on Frida Viola's Chinese checkers a while ago, Lea from affär has sent me these nice photos. I love the "Game of cat and mouse"! Lea found it in a thrift store in London. It's from 1965. And just above Lea's son is playing with their two vintage Chinese checkers games - the big wooden one from a Swedish car boot sale. Looks nice and cosy in the sun, doesn't it...?

There is an interview with Lea about her beautiful little shop, vintage and flea markets right here.

Below Frida Viola is playing with my childhood's Chinese checkers that I refound when we went to my mom's place a couple of weeks ago. Actually I think it dates back to my mom's childhood and it's quite worn out but still very functional :) And here and here and here  are some more vintage games - always so beautiful in their boxes in my opinion.   

Playing

Playing with someone else's toys is always exciting. Molly at Agnes' place today.

Looking so much forward to see this movie - I love Wes Anderson's film (but of course, with two little kids I probably won't be seeing it before it's released on dvd...)