cloud cuckOO designs

I'm having a little crazy week, orders have been high and lots of time has been spent packing up myself, family life has not ran to 'routine' and I forgot yesterday was Transformer Tuesday, rather than do a TT on the wrong day I'll get my days right and resume TT next week.

flowers to say i'm sorry

paper shades we love

2011-11-14T13:24:00.000-08:00

Almost as much as I love chairs I love lighting, these likes have all escalated since my mini1's arrived by the way so we can thank them for my hunting and foraging even more so than usual of some really gorgeous happy finds. A very recent such find are these fabulous paper hanging shades and those who are fans of Helen Dardik's illustration work you will be doubly excited, Helen is a truly fabulous original illustrator and her works are inspiring and happy so we're very excited with this post, hope you are too.

You can see some other wonders from where we found these at Raw Space.

childhood memories #3

2011-11-14T11:12:00.000-08:00

Somy playhouse type toy I cherished and hold fond memories of was The Family Treehouse as shared last week (and thanks for all the DM's and your memories too.)
This week childhood memory is really my sisters, as she is a little younger she got the 80's version of a Family Treehouse which was the Big Yellow Teapot by Bluebird.
Just like the Treehouse we have the Teapot back at my parents house too complete with car, people, furniture, even box.
Oooh our littlies are so lucky to have all these retro vintage toys at hand at Nanna & Grandpa's.

fab find #7

2011-11-11T09:05:00.000-08:00

This leads straight on from fab find #6 really as it is from the same online store as we featured earlier this week when we brought you the fantastic apple and pear shelves over from Candy Stripe Cloud.

Wooden bird and branch hook for all that hanging and hooking.

childhood memories #2

2011-11-10T12:59:00.000-08:00

So, who out there had/has one of these, The Family Tree House.

The Family Tree House is a classic, simply fabulous and whenever we are at my folks out it comes and generates as much fun as it did back in the late 70's early 80's so luckily for me and my Mini1's the girls in my family are not as the men might call us 'hoarders' but 'collectors' and keepers of those special memory items.

The memories and nostalgia these toys hold is warming and not only do I love watching my Mini1's enjoy imaginative play but it's also the recalling of the memories of what The Family Tree House holds for me. It's like that game when someone says a word and you then say a 'linking' word. For me if I was to play that game thinking of The Family Treehouse it would build a whole chapter or two of my childhood and those very special friends and family, some of who are not with us today but they are there in The Family Tree House.

Enjoy those toys of the past, bring them out, dust them down and let the happy times play.

transformer tuesday #13

2011-11-08T09:21:00.000-08:00

There has been lots of collage designs recently being designed cut and stuck recently and as the Mini1 always see what I'm up to in the studio Mini1 has been enjoying it so much and wanting to do her own, it's such a lovely way to create new creatures and friends, buildings and cities....
Yes there is another big plus as this cutting and sticking involves recycling again, so get your boxes, papers, and ideas at the ready to cut, stick and create some jolly wall art....

We used:

- recycled boxes, cut into shapes

- patterned papers

- gluppy glue

- scissors

This is what we had when we stuck our long panels together and they transformed a plain wall into Mini1's 'come alive jungle'
Our next collage is a big one to contrast with some of our favourite little framed ones, woohoo lets get cutting and transforming .......

fab find #6

2011-11-07T13:34:00.000-08:00

Candy Stripe Cloud is filled with delights and fabness!
These wonderful fruityy shaped miniature shelves are our fab find for the wall. Mini1 just loves little things and how cute would her little treasures look on either the pear or apple shelf.

Transformer Tuesday #12

2011-11-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

Todays transformation is not only a little late in the day but also it is not one of ours but of Martha Stewart especially for my sister!

We have oodles of plastic creatures and the kids love them when they're playing on their adventures, i do however think if a few could go missing it would be good and more aesthetic to do this to them!

Not only glitter I'd love to get the fluo paint on them, when we get round to our we'll share.

Martha used:

- plastic deer

- small paint brush

- white glue

- powder glitter

- bowl

cosy up 'blabla' cushions

2011-10-30T10:11:00.000-07:00

I do have a soft spot for cushions and there is such great choice out there so we have quite a few in our rooms, on sofas, floors, playhouses, chairs....

As well as the many "add to basket" cushions! I make too, ranging from the cloud shaped to the traditional square, they're fun and can transform a setting in an afternoon and at not a huge cost.

Today though i have these lovely knit ones by blabla to share with you.....

2011-10-26T01:36:00.000-07:00

Trays have lots and lots of uses, we use ours for snacks, drinks, play-doh rolling, sledging!
Being super slim they can stack and then there is room for more! So the next tray I'd like to add to our tray supply is one of these gorgeous 'Alabasta' trays from Ary at Hus & Hem.
The other thing about this tray, it has got me hunting for our old spirograph, I sense some spirograph fun with the mini1 coming on!

transformer tuesday #11

2011-10-24T22:31:00.000-07:00

Halloween week is upon us so we thought we'd make this week a transformer 2sday with double the crafting and making.
We are using some of our favourites; paper, gluppy glue, card and some garden finds.
For our halloween party we're focusing on the orange rather than the black so we've been making orange paper garlands, twiggy spider garlands and cardboard twig spiders.

we used:

- patterned papers

- gluppy glue

- scissors for cutting shapes

- thread

we used:
- garden twigs
- gluppy glue
- scissors for cutting shapes; round bodies and doughnut ring
- bakers twine
- clear nylon thread for hanging

Both of these cloud cuckoo crafty projects can be adapted for many occasion, birthdays, christmas and simply to just decorate, enjoy x

Jane Muir & open studios

2011-10-24T01:34:00.000-07:00

Living pretty much around the corner from Jane Muir's studio was a treat, a happy place filled with the most delightful and original ceramic figures some of which we are fortunate enough to have in our own home and of course Jane herself with her warm welcome and happy red hair that matches my mini1's.
The Arches in Peckham Rye is fabulous, Jane's is the cheeriest and such a joy to visit, all studios there are opening their studio doors the last Friday of September and October, so get yourselves ready this Friday. If you miss it don't worry as they'll have a studio open weekend pre christmas.
Here are some of Jane's ceramics, I'll be sharing our own on a later 'our house' post...

I bet you're smiling, and I hope you can make the open studio x

cosy houses

2011-10-23T13:02:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking of a tent/hide-out/play/wendy house equivalent for the minimini1. On my search I got hooked into knit and I feel a project coming on (to fill in that spare time!)
As I was aware with the more recent knitted pieces in this post I was not familiar with this first knitters story, excellent job Alison.....

Back in 2007 knitting enthusiast Alison Murray went in, round, through and off to the max and created this fabulous knitted wonder house complete with knitted contents raising thousands for charity.The millions of stitches were made by hundreds of knitters from around the world. click to read full story

More recently designer makers / artist knitters have come up with some amazing knitted houses that are loved by parents and filled with adventure and play for little ones; Donna Wilson has the delightful house blanket.

Lucky Boy Sunday have their fabulous quirky knitted playhouse (on my wish list!)

And as for me and the minimini1 the project has started and I look forward to posting more in the near (as possible) future.

national apple day

2011-10-21T10:40:00.000-07:00

From our first apple tree we planted this spring we had the most delicious apple.
They looked beautiful too...

Looking forward to next years pickings and crunchings!

And as it's apple day our print is still available and is one of your favourites so it seems.

planting for spring colour

2011-10-20T07:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had a lovely time in the garden planting our bulbs ready for some springtime colour.
We made our name sticks as I know I will forget (but the onlooking squirrel will not!)
and mini1 very much enjoyed the stamper.

We soon got to the fun part digging 40 plus holes between 5 and 15cm deep dependending on what each bulbs person requirements were.
Mini1 was most happy as she said when 'taking off their jackets' I explained they needed to keep the crispy dry layer to keep them snug, she was warm enough and thought they'd be just fine too!

We picked the spots and look forward to spring time.....

Tall alliums against an original stone wall will be so pretty and the hyacinths is a pot will smell divine, chionodoxa coming up from the base of the tree will look so dainty and pretty and crocus around the large stones will be a happy contrast.

transformer tuesday #10

2011-10-18T04:28:00.000-07:00

i spy with my little eye(s)....

bird spotting was carried out by transforming the following items into brilliant binoculars for the mini1's

we used
- cardboard tubes
- scissors
- gluppy glue
- tape
- fabric squares
- fabric trims
- ribbon

got to dash i can see something far away......

holding-on

2011-10-16T12:38:00.000-07:00

sisters having october sun fun at the park.

i love the dress yourself look a mix of stripes, spots, sparkle and fur, as for minimini1 a great auntie knit is always adorable.

sleeping with which light on...

2011-10-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

The minimini1 has started to wake at some awful hour, we keep a lamp on out side of her room and she has the fantastic Thorsten van Elten wall pigeons in her room but I'm on the hunt for a softer light to keep on in her room that is light enough for her to settle herself but not too strong to take away the night time calm feeling. I'm edging toward the fabulous Lapin&me vintage bunny, however there is then the growing range of LED lights they're a great price, good selection and we haven't got to worry about the plug sockets either.

Lapin & Me £62 for the signature Lapin & Me vintage bunny finished by hand in 'vintage granny-green' finish, looking adorable when lit and not.
Little Baby Company superb range of lighting with a good range of prices too, I love the LED bunny and toadstools starting at £7.50
notonthehighstreet ranging from £14 to £69
nubie £65 cat & dachshund (other cols available)

toddler plus bedding

2011-10-15T07:03:00.000-07:00

i know i'm biased on the baby bedding front as we have our own organic collection which of course i use and test! and yes as mini1 is 3 and the owl print is not too young and fits her converted cotbed perfectly I can't help but shop around as I'm feeling a little pre christmas change in the air.
So I hear you say, what did we pick, what did we find... well I must admit I've yet to finalise our decision, but here is where we are and some of our finding

Mini1 does not want pink with or without fairies, her natural tug was for bold, clean lines, I'm not sure whether this is because of the clean silouette of her current owls? but she did like the clean silouette of Anoraks red rabbits, I'm not too worried it's in single size rather than toddler because once we make the move we will go from converted cotbed to single and miss the toddler bed out anyway.
I was however thrilled to find Little Auggie 'Rabbit Patch' this was with thanks to coos and ahhs.
Designers Guild had the wonderful Best Friends range and mini1 very much liked the owl rug!
Although not one particular design stood out for us Zara Kids have a good offering.
So mini1 which is it to be?

transformer tuesday #9

2011-10-11T05:29:00.000-07:00

There are so many things to do outside this time of year with the gathering of lovely leaves, acorns, conkers and twigs. Here is just one of the things we did we leaves....

Leaf birds,

before &

after.....

We used;

- some leaves

- paint

- glitter

- washi tape

Monday is Wash(i)Day

2011-10-10T08:36:00.000-07:00

My nanna had 'jobs' to do on specific days, and I always remember her saying as she left on a sunday well tomorrow is was day. From what I remember this was pretty much how her week went...

Monday was wash day
Tuesday was ironing
Wednesday a trip into the big town or city
Thursday food shopping
Friday fish super
Saturday treat
Sunday family

Well as it's monday, here is my take on Wash day, just so happens mine has an 'i' at the end of it... today my Monday was washi day

fab find #5

2011-10-07T04:19:00.000-07:00

Little Odd Forest is todays fab find and from this super site I'm picking these super cute indoor cosy gnomes.

and look what they're busy working on, we love these woodland animals bags.

tumbling animals

2011-10-07T00:36:00.000-07:00

Tumbling animals by Bobles is based on simple geometric formed shapes. The animals double up as childrens furniture but are designed with creative play in mind. Tumbling, rolling, jumping and rocking are some of the fun activites your child can have.

boo....

2011-10-06T08:12:00.000-07:00

So we like to carve a pumpkin and put candles and such on the front steps but this year i feel there may be a little more going on at halloween as the little ones love fancy dress!
To get us in the mood we've been making some halloween happy masks here they are in this little illustrator image I did some time back, the hats you see here on the little characters we've adapted, enlarged and got ready for october 31st, we'll be showing you how before halloween so you can do your own if you fancy.

Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T01:14:00.001-07:00

"I want to put a ding in the universe." (quoted Steve Jobs)

Well he certainly did and through his many achievements he will remain in our future.

Steve Jobs, amazing man, achiever & creator

R.I.P

1955 - 2011

Image link

wonderful walls

2011-10-05T14:39:00.000-07:00

I love walls they're such fantastic areas to decorate. Here is a collection that will make you love walls too, and if you already do then you'll love them even more draped in these glorious colours and patterns by Kirath Ghundoo. The work on her site is amazing take a peek and smile.

unique & quirky

2011-10-05T01:30:00.000-07:00

This is how Ashley Percival describes his work and I'd agree.
I love his characters with the quirky slant and also the use of pencil crayons. It is incredibly hard to pick just three to share so be sure to pop across to his site where you'll find more skateboards, fantastic owls, elephants and more.
For now though; Foxy Bear, The Skateboarders, Bear & Fox

transformer tuesday #8

2011-10-04T02:18:00.000-07:00

yes i love wooden toys but now and then some little crazy plastic creatures appear such as these wincy bears. I draw the line though and we are not buying them a plastic home. Mini1 however does not want them in the dolls house so we've been building their own little world.
This week on 'Transformer Tuesday' we're sharing the wincy bears garden swing seat! Yes, we transformed a little box (or 2) tape and string into this....

we used:
- box
- tape for creating background, pens or drawing materials also can be used
- garden twig
- bakers string
- creatures!

crafty concentration!

2011-10-03T12:49:00.000-07:00

mini1 during one of our making sessions.....

last of the flowers

2011-10-03T07:59:00.000-07:00

So we are out in the garden again today and still no scarves and wellies.
Mini1 has decided to pick the few remaining flowers we have left nearest the house, I explained that we won't see them again until next year, so she thought it would be a good idea to keep them!
We have got as far as taping them down, but we are on the hunt for the flower press!

childhood memories #1

2011-10-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

Following the yummy birthday cake we tucked into in celebration of my dads birthday, the little ones got cosy with grandpa ready for an afternoon story...
I had no idea which of the old favourite ladybird books mini1 was going to pull out and hand to Grandpa, but when i heard my dad read out that first page i was transported back to my own childhood and the fond memory of hearing dad read about the little rascal kittens 'Smoke & Fluff'

Later this evening i couldn't resist picking up the old beaten Ladybird book and fondly recall those happy story times. I wanted to share with you the illustrations, the love of books and happiness they can give us as children and adults for a very long time.

grey and happy

2011-09-29T07:39:00.000-07:00

Okay I know it's super sunny out there, but a little grey collection doesn't mean it's not still happy and sunny on the inside, especially with this set of wonderfulness.
Here are some classics and brands set to be future classics and some newies (well they are for me)
All links below; sort of in order!

mini fanfan
maria hatling
donna wilson
rocket st george (chair and pendants)
jennifer collier
ferm living
bambaks
thorstenvaneltan (pigeon light)

knitted creations

2011-09-28T05:45:00.000-07:00

Whilst finding fab find #3 last week I also discovered more delights by Donna Wilson. For me (and I'm sure many more) when looking for a fab knit she always gets a visit, however here are some others i'd like to share with you.

Top row Donna Wilson
Middle row Sara Carr

First from the bottom row Lucky Boy Sunday

Last two in bottom row Black Rabbit

transformer tuesday #7

2011-09-27T03:16:00.000-07:00

We just love flowers whether they're in the meadow, the garden, cut, and especially made ones that you can keep for ages.

Squares of newspaper/magazines, cardboard tubes and lollipop sticks can be transformed into fun jolly paper kite flowers in their own tube pots, or as the mini1 insisted in a little 'sauce'pan, along with actual water.....they're keeping well!

We used:
- scissors
- glue
- decorative tapes
- squares of paper approx 12cm x 12cm (a mix of sizes looks good though)
- cardboard tubes, cut to chosen heights
- lollipop sticks

more mini chairs...

2011-09-25T11:41:00.000-07:00

After a week of being back I have finally downloaded the pics taken whilst away.
May show and share more over the next few months but had to do this one....

You know how much I like chairs for the mini ones and these looked so cute out on the balcony when pottering around Bonnieux (the village I plan to move to one day!)

fab find #4

2011-09-25T02:35:00.000-07:00

Personally I find a musical mobile a must in a nursery, however I have had problems in the past finding ones that tick all the boxes and are not run of the commercial norm!
If you too are on a search for your own little one or a gift then fear not as we have Shak-Shuka to thank for stockist this eco cowboy themed mobile, it's fab, i love it and if black is not your colour, fear not there is pink one too.

Cowboy Musical Mobile €35

i'll dry...

2011-09-23T06:19:00.000-07:00

Back when my sister and I were little we would pick who to wash and who to dry, personally I preferred to wash, but if I was picking today I'd opt to dry, who wouldn't if they were using this gorgeous jolly teatowel I snapped up in Liberty yesterday, it's from The Mellor Ware Collection by Lianne Mellor
I love the illustration, sketchy style and British Tea theme with the cheeky woodland animals.

fab find #3 for the september equinox

2011-09-23T05:30:00.000-07:00

It is now Autumn, the September Equinox is today 23 September 2011. There will be 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark and a certain Autumnal chill to the air.
I could sense this event brewing last night as I had an urge for something cosy, snuggly and warm and that brings me onto our fab find #3...
Thank you to Donna Wilson for this fabulously unique water bottle, 2 designs and each design in 3 colourways. Here is the one I'd like to snuggle up with tonight...... (and maybe the boat one tomorrow!)

transformer tuesday #6

2011-09-20T03:24:00.000-07:00

hello transformers, hope you are all well, after two weeks away and one week off from transformering I'm feeling a to need to catch up.
This week I have a little transformer project that my little ones love and play with lots, the play games include; nigh-nights, soft bash and i'm a dod-doc doctors hammer play 'lets check if you work'....

we used;
- card to make template
- fabric ends for main body and strips for limbs
- scissors & pins for cutting and holding
- sewing machine
- filler or more recycled fabric for stuffing
- needle, thread for details

sisters and new lovliness for september shopping

2011-09-16T08:09:00.000-07:00

today we are having a sister day, my little ones seem to be loving the sister thing, i'm missing my sister but know all is well in her hands, and as many of your are probably aware another great sister duo is Becky and Carla from Sisters Guild.

Here are just a few picking form their current collection of wonderfulness.
Circus Flag Garland £31.00
Peacock Candle Holder £31.80
Matchbox Mouse 'Big Sister' £21.95
Japanese paper balloon, flower ball £2.25
Milk Carton Mouse House £45.00
Toy box Storage Highrise £58.80

Got to get shopping...... love the milk carton mouse house sooooooo much

transformer tuesday #5

2011-09-13T05:18:00.000-07:00

Once a Cupcake.................

This week we've been getting creative in the kitchen, transforming plain old cupcakes into some of our favourite garden creatures.......

We Used:
- eggs
- butter
- flour
- sugar
- .... and lots of icing!!!!

fab find #2

2011-09-11T13:50:00.000-07:00

we love birds as you may well know and how much fun are these little fellows by Cut It Out
i just adore the shy blue one and his bud in the specs, we could find a wall for these i'm sure ....

Growing up fast........

2011-09-09T03:48:00.000-07:00

So my big sister Claire, the chief cuck00 is away on her holibobs, and hopefully having a well deserved break!! This leaves me, her sister Erica, perching on the Cloud Cuckoo cloud all alone. But fear not, I am not lonely for I have plenty keeping me busy.
And here is my first blog, as guest blogger. Hope you enjoy................................

Well this week has seen the start of the school year, whether your little one put on their uniform for the very first time, or went to 'big' school, or maybe they are one year closer to school age - this time of year ties in nicely with 2 of our card ranges, here at cloud cuck00 designs.

Firstly our 'i'm going to be range.......' this coulourful collection includes 'Brian', the superhero, 'Rascal Rouge' the pirate and 'Aqua' the mermaid. What were you/are you going to be when you grow up?? There's lots of people letting us know on facebook and twitter, come and join in the fun!!!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cloud-Cuckoo-Designs/224755500897102

And secondly our 'pick a number' range, great for those special birthdays!!

Our 'pick a number' range includes both boy and girl birthday cards, from ages 1 to 5.

And our 'a - round friends' range starts at age 1 and goes up to aged 8!

For our full range go to www.cloudcuckoodesigns.com
email: info@cloudcuckoodesigns.com
twitter: @itscloudcuckoo
facebook: cloudcuckoodesigns

transformer tuesday #4

2011-09-06T02:46:00.000-07:00

Whilst we have some sunny days left we thought for this 'Transformer Tuesday' we'd get out and about making the most of the sunshine with pebble gathering and transforming.....

We Used:
- pebbles - original Dorset ones
- pencils and favourite tools for drawing and decorating

fab find #1

2011-09-01T01:11:00.001-07:00

we will be bringing to you our fab finds, not on any particular day or any particular topic, the find may be a fab blog, fab illustration, fab designer, fab 'thing', well you get the feel it's something fab and todays fab find is....

this gorgeous hand made stuffed mouse with the cutest spot socks by Timo-Handmade on Etsy

Croissants & more ...

2011-08-30T22:56:00.000-07:00

here are two illustrations by the wonderful Blanca Gomez, I love dwindling a free moment away on this site and today want to share these fabulous illustrations that have me in the holiday mood.....

transformer tuesday #3

2011-08-29T23:41:00.000-07:00

Foraging around our big recycle box for this weeks Transformer Tuesday we discovered an adundance of cardboard tubes, so on cloud cuckoo's 'Transformer Tuesday' this week we have "once six tubes, now...a skittle family"
The theme for our skittles came from mini1 wanting to do a 3d version of Grandpa! well you can see; here he is along with a few other family folk too and our collection of recycled goodies...

We used...

- 6 cardboard tubes (toilet rolls) or 3 bigger ones cut in half

- fabric, we used left over snips from other projects

- masking tape cut out for faces, paper can be used as a substitute and glued down

- pens for decoration

- gluppy glue

- newspaper rolled into a tight ball and covered with some more fabric

Once you have your recycled bits and bobs you can decorate your tube skittles into an assortment of creations. We went for 'family members' but we have also done animals, houses, birds and there is lots more.

If you'd like to have a transformer tuesday be great to hear from you, enjoy transforming and recycling

NOW LETS ROLL!

take a seat

2011-08-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

I'm on the chair topic again, ooh i just love them and feel in the mini size i can have more, here are some recent favourites; perfect for little ones to park themselves and perfect for bigger ones too to look on...

Jessie Dirk's Etsy shopfront has this super cute modern set of chairs and table, I love the mixed palette too. table and 4 chairs $270 USD

Over at Edmond I come across this little treasure, a seat to keep the little one in and know where (s)he can 'stay put' for awhile.

Biscuit furniture for kids is great; British, modern, practical, fun and functional. I love this piece called Jammy Dodger. Consists of two stepped units that nest inside each other. I know my little ones would love these for sitting on, imaginative play and for storing, the little one especially would sit for ages pulling various softies in and out of the holes, great fun and price too! £140, your also get to pick the colour of the sides, woohoo we like that.

I also especailly like it because it is at a lower level which most chair of this style are 'high'. 95€

The Acapulco chair, Mexican design classic from the fifties, named after the famous resort. This is a wondeful re-edition which blends beautifully into the modern home and can be used both inside and outside. Available from molly-meg in various colours £140.

bags for the little ones...that mum can hold too!

2011-08-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

With nursery and holiday planning of course the one accessory that is a must is 'the bag'.
Well this got me looking, and what treasures I found, ok most I have been longing to buy for quite awhile now, mostly those from fabulously beautiful French labels; 'Lale' and 'Bakker Made with Love'. Then there are the ones that kids love from a great kiddie brand 'SkipHop' and what is exciting is that they have new season additions including the fellows below.

Bakker Made with Love have these adorable satchels so when the little one says 'mum can you hold my bag please?' I'll say YES
They also have the stylish cases with simple aeroplane motif, fab colours.
SkipHop have elephant and fox new to join the animal pack! The kids love these, backpacks are always a sure winner with a little one and an animal on your back, cool.
Lale collection available from Smallable is just simply gorgeous, i needn't say more the fabrics speak for themselves along with the simplistic pleasing shapes, get me to France quick so I can be surrounded by beautiful things and oooohhh the purchases I have in mind.....

todays colour is......

2011-08-25T04:40:00.000-07:00

A house of girls plus dad you could be mistaken for thinking it's quite pink.
Well not at all, and then today I seem to be drawn to all things pink, and I'm quite enjoying it, mini1 is too, but minimini1 continues her long nap.

So we pegged the washing out and in fear of the weather turning like everywhere else seems to be i thought I'd capture the moment, also that was when I started feeling the love for the pink!

Glorious gladioli flowers from a special bud that fill me with cheer since the weekend and still looking great in beautiful bloom

Goggle eye cat named Pia by mini1 from Molly-Meg

Flower shots from the garden

Bright pink feathers that we seem to be getting through at a tremendous rate with all our cutting, making, gluing, sticking, tying......

So what is your colour of the day.....

transformer tuesday #2

2011-08-22T23:29:00.000-07:00

Staying with our cardboard box transformations this week we have created our travelling cloud cuckoo puppet theatre, during the making and since it has become something of a hidey-hole / peek-a -boo for the mini-mini1, she just loves sneaking in and popping her head through the front.
We really have enjoyed putting this one together and using our cloud cuckoo crochet animal characters as the 'actors', and our prints for covering the box. We love the mix and match fun look.

We used:
-2 boxes! 1 large for the main part and smaller one cut and shaped for the 'lid'
-glue (favourite gluppy glue)
-patterned printed fabric, in our case cloud cuckoo printed organic cotton (for covering/decorating)
-extra card (cut out for wheels)
-characters; toys or puppets
-imagination...lots....children....fun.....

Hope to see you again, 'next show at 2pm!'

new finds at ikea...

2011-08-22T11:17:00.000-07:00

I love an afternoon around ikea but my plan went a little wrong today so I had an online prep trip instead and here are some of my happy finds with a doodle, sketchy grow your own and have a cuppa theme. Prices have a happy start off; just £1.99, squeaky carrot toy and upto my favourite the duvet set £70.99 (kingsize) and lots of jolly prices inbetween...

Gorgeous duvet set
Set of teatowels
black and white doodle fabric
veg patch fabric
squeaky carrot toy
wind up torch; which the kids will love
and more for the little ones with these fun stickers

Happy shopping

a prize for one fab friend, follower, liker or tweeter...

2011-08-21T12:59:00.000-07:00

We have been having a fantastic August catching up with friends, our new abode has been bustling with stay overs and catch ups. It has been great so how better than to celebrate and share friendship by giving away one of our most recent card&paper ranges. In keeping with the theme it is to be our 'Round-Friends' range.
The lucky winner will have posted to them 1 of each of the 12 repeat design Round Friend cards, all blank inside to suit and send for any occasion and not only that but we'll also include 4 sheets of the co-ordinating giftwrap, which this month has been our best selling wrap.
So what do you need to do......

Simply join us and lets be friends; follow us here on our blog or like our facebook page (if you do already just post a comment so to be included). We will then pop all new friends into a tombola-esque box and let mini1 pull the name out of the box next Sunday 28th August.
Friends can come from far and wide and the winners name will be posted on our wall/blog/twitter, all you then have to do is get in touch via email with your full postal address.
Prize will be posted via Royal Mail with proof of postage, we sadly cannot insure or track but simply trust our postal service.
See you soon friends xx
DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES MIDNIGHT 26 AUGUST 2011....Good Luck x

Sunday afternoon with Noodle & Peehee

2011-08-21T08:43:00.000-07:00

After a sunny walk along the river and some tree climbing we took to the garden armed with gluppy glue and googly eyes. Down by the ferns and the log pile mini1 selected the logs to make into her afternoon play creatures and here are her two googlie stick pets; 'Noodle and Peehee'

little wooden dolls

2011-08-18T03:37:00.000-07:00

Oh soooo cute...

Charming simplistic dolls by Joel Little has a shop coming soon... how stylish is mama there is her single print dress
Having fun with peg dolls (previous cloud cuckoo post)
Girard wooden dolls are some of the best, a great collection to keep in the family, design classic, skandium have lots of different sets to pick from £79

I love these "The Mothers" at The Curiosity Shoppe are fabulous $170 each

At The Pretty PIxie, you'll find doll pendants, cake toppers and playsets too, something for ever one, here we have The Hula family I think is my favourite of Kath's creations and most expensive $100 this Semi Custom cake topper $40 a personalised cake topper pair are $50, bargain!
Beautiful white measuring dolls Anthropologie (past season)
More fun on a cloud cuckoo blog post

Transformer Tuesday... once a box, now...

2011-08-16T00:28:00.000-07:00

After such lovely feedback on our posts; "the fun of a cardboard box" and then our "finger fun & another cardboard house" it is clear we have a lot of people out there who like recycling and crafting, transforming and making, using then re-using, so we thought what better than to make it a Tuesday feature, so may we present the opening of "Transformer Tuesday" brought to you by the Creative Corner at Cloud CuckOO; me and the mini1 and the mini-mini1.

We used:
-a box! (the body)
-patterned papers and fabrics (the decoration)
-glue (favourite gluppy glue)
-cardboard tube (the trunk)
-mini wooden rod/dowelling (twizzling twirling ears)
-extra card (for ears)
-paper, rolled and snipped (tail)

mini1 announced this is an elephant which is fab, I think with a little tweaking he could be a bird too, fantastic.

We've added to the recycle cardboard box theme this week and going forward we'll do more too, but we will also be transforming other has been things into new things.
Feel free to comment, send suggestions, even pics of your own transformations, would be lovely to hear from you

robot monkey & friends

2011-08-15T01:55:00.000-07:00

Viewing one of my favourite blogs Bambino Goodies last week, I came across their feature on a 'Robots themed room'. Although I have girls I had to look because there in front of me was a robot wallpaper in pink colourway, fantastic! Not sure how I have managed to miss the designer behind these designs as she has a great range of wallpapers, Aimee Wilder is certainly worth a viewing and if you can stretch a purchase too, worry not because if the wallpaper is a little out of budget then you can go for a sheet/poster instead and this is a bargain -less than $50.
The colourways are great and I'm slightly biased on this because i couldn't help thinking of our own current organic bedding collection and what a great match they make.
Our very own 'Robot Monkey' print is in a blue colourway and partners pretty well I feel to Aimee's wallpaper, and why not do some mix and match with Aimee's wallpaper in pinks and our cats, or wallpaper in multi alongside our owls.

robot monkey organic cotton reversible bumper and flat sheet set £52

organic cotton reversible playmat/quilts; shopping kitty, owl, robot monkey £42.50

organic cotton double layered jersey swaddling shawl/blanket in all 3 designs £22.40 (at this price till MIDNIGHT tonight)

bib sets

wallpapers by Aimee Wilder as details above

print focus

all cloud cuckoo designs products available at NOTHS or email

what makes a perfect sunday...

2011-08-14T12:46:00.000-07:00

Many things can make a good Sunday, and then there are those things that make a perfect Sunday...

piggy back rides, sisterly pull and tug, trampoline tumbles, lego building, nanna & grandpa, garden play and a cuddle with your sis!

finger fun and another cardboard house

2011-08-12T13:59:00.000-07:00

Busy week hence no postings but good on the cloud cuckoo work front, friends staying over and lots of crafty fun.
A family of finger puppets were put together last Sunday by mini-1 and they have been busy playing in and out however they really did need a home of their own.
So today we created a little finger puppet town, and here we have it, well 3 houses, a tree and lots of windows...

Lion mostly liked to peek, monkey appeared to be doing most of the neightbourhood watching and bear, well i think he is the nosey one!
Fabulous, the joys of imagination and again a spare cardboard box!

get set.....baby

2011-08-06T01:24:00.000-07:00

It's such a happy time, your baby or your sisters baby or friends baby (you get the idea) is soon to be here, or maybe is already here and there are things to get ready, to send, to have in, all the nesting and prepping.
Well here we have put together a few things that we think would be great, some (almost all) tried and tested and happy to say recommended :)

These super cute unisex 'New baby' announcement postcards are lovely, yes we text and email but there is something about having the news followed up in the post, a note to keep and cherish, 6 per pack £3.60 by Cloud Cucko Designs
Lie baby on this cosy reversible quilt/playmat, at sleepy time, play time, baby yoga and even picnic time! £42.50 at notonthehighstreet
A super purchase for new baby is a welcome blanket/shawl (all 3 designs bottom right corner) here you can see baby cosily swaddled and in matching hat and vest notonthehighstreet LIMITED TIME 20% OFF
Giftwraps that are perfect for babies and little ones, 2 sheets per pack printed onto high quality 'non-flimsy' paper, eco friendly and a snip at £3.25
Well we had to put in a stylish childs chair from the bestest ever chair stop for little people! 'Molly-Meg' this particular chair is a Casalino child's Chair, Junior size I edition, c 1970 Original £100, new editions are available too £88. Molly Megs new website is a treasure trove of delights with chairs, vintage and modern furniture, home and deco, toys, pictures and cards, it' s a must visit which I'm sure will result in a much needed purchase and a wish list!
On the chair are the ever useful hooded towels with modern graphic animal silouette prints, these are fabulous from birth at bath-time, beach-time, super-hero time! by Cloud CuckOO Designs £26
Bibs sets, an item forever useful and these with their stylish prints look good too, come as a pair so never without a spare!
(gift wrap and blankets as mentioned)

busy little bee

2011-08-03T02:25:00.000-07:00

For those of you that know of our little apiary then the update is that the 2 declining hives were joined yesterday morning, along with all their food (and lots of it too). This morning at 7am we took in about 10,000 bees plus a queen (which we were missing) and added these too. All is crossed for a happy integration and a big happy colony.
This inspired a bee find so here is what we are sharing today...

Gorgeous artwork from the talented Teagan White
'ee' print from All Posters
bee amazing print from Olive Kids lots of choice and you can pick and choose back ground colour
As always Etsy never fail to present beautiful works; artwork and magnet by Constant Dreamer and cute 'bee-gurumi' at Luvly Gurumi who has many delightful creatures.
Along with other great artwork ArtFlakes had this fabulously detailed print by Joanne Hawker, I love the detail and soft calming tones of this print (tempted can you tell...)
Repeat bee pattern 'Betty Bee' greeting card from Round-Friends range at Cloud Cuckoo Designs

2011-08-02T02:39:00.000-07:00

My watch is off to the repairers, whilst away thought I could 'arm' myself with some summer colour fun with one of these ...

Alessi bring these fun and quirky watches in a range of colours , the blue and white are my favourites but there is a green, pink and black option too, how cute is the face :) - £52

Tic Watches offer all brands and colours but here are the ones I liked most, especially the Breo Two colour, £35 (my mini-one is admiring the stackable 'bouncy watch!)

Fullspot O Clock a colour for everyone here, with these cool stylish Italian watches with pop out faces and changeable straps to create you own colour combos, now available in the UK £34.95

Nooka watches have a great range too these picks are from the 'yogurt' range and 'zub-40'

Peg Dolly Girls

2011-08-01T07:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterdays we shared some wonderful wooden finds
Today we've been creative with our own bits of wood with these peg dolly creations .....

Faces on and lined up ready for more
Peggy and Dolly dress up in their floral attire and take a walk, stopping for a natter along the way
Before they know it 'Mini one' tells them it's time for bed, dress making put on hold for another day....'get in girls, onto your birdie pillow'
We make the dolly girls a bedtime story book
Tuck them in bed, and read them a tale . . . . . . . .

A little birdie told me...

2011-08-01T00:53:00.000-07:00

and an owl too that you've been loving our characters that tweet and hoot.
Here are a few of our favourites, all available and created by us at the cloud cuckoo designs studio.

All the above are available as greeting cards (some also with co-ordinating gift wrap)
Any of our images can also be created into wall prints 300 x 400 mm (Paper size 320 x 450 mm)
If you'd like to know more contact us

Wood you like to play...

2011-07-31T05:56:00.000-07:00

You can't beat wooden toys, they last longer, they can get a bit bashed without breaking and when worn and well loved they still retain their beauty, just look at these and I'm sure you'll agree that wood is just the best!

Unto This Last our first purchase was elephant (even before children arrived!) their animals are great and now they do cars and numbers and letters too. Starting at just £3
Mamissima have great products including the dangly legged creations, £10
Cheekeyes have a whole range of wooden sets these dinosaurs i'm sure you'll agree are fab and with just a hint of colours to add a twist £24 set
Momoll is a favourite stop of mine with such gorgeous products and these animals are just amazing with interchangeable legs, ears and horns; creative and imaginative and hours of fun £52 set
Toypost was a lovely surprise for me with these wheelie little fellows a playful snip at just £5.95
come on little ones how many 'wood' (hee-hee, okay sorry couldn't resist) you like ? xx

Love London x

2011-07-28T08:28:00.000-07:00

Here is a bit of London for feeling comfy with, eating with, adorning our spaces with and playing with, these are as much fun as the city itself...London we love you xxx

from the top, row by row...
The super talented work from Julie at Famille Summerbelle, this paper cut print is the perfect wall map, snip at £35
Muji have some gorgeous natural products and London in a bag for little hands is perfect, price is too £9.95
Add some light with this string of London buses from the National gallery £30 they have more...
Paperchase; a super melamine tray, I'm loving the grey and orange
At Liberty you can pick up a more expensive version of a London tray, fantastic colours and would cheer up many a kitchen or table £30
Fab Folksy find; Sally Nencini, cosy cushion in lambswool £40
Colourful London in a bag, all these pieces only £12.99 yours to buy here
Doorstop of a great London signature the red telephone box, National Gallery £25
Over at notonthehighstreet I came across this delightful cushion that would be the finishing touch to any sofa by Michelle Mason, Michelle has lots of London items to peek at.

I'm a little teapot.....

2011-07-28T03:20:00.000-07:00

A nation of tea lovers, for me only the past few years but I'm making up for lost time, how many times a day do I say "Ooh anyone for a cuppa tea ?", well the answer is lots and it is rubbing off on the little ones but in a very playful way, and of course because with these delightful brewing pots you simply can't resist, both grown up and little ones can pick from these great finds.

from the top....
super cute pastel mini set from ikea, bowls and plates also available
gorgeous teatowels from one of my favourite sites Shinzi Katoh
tea-for-2 also Shinzi Katoh
Paperchase Tea-for-1 currently has this floral little pot and dotty cup with 20% off
for the younger hands this crochet set is perfect Bijou Lifestyle has £15 off this at the moment too so great time to get the kettle on
elephant tea-fpr-2 , yes you've guessed Shinzi Katoh as is the fantastic red riding hood (last pic)
and for all that like wooden toys you can't beat this wooden set from Emu Toys

the fun of a cardboard box

2011-07-27T04:15:00.000-07:00

Having a temporary studio since our move we can finally celebrate the 'opening' of our permanent studio :)
It has all been very exciting, more for some than others and the past few days has generated a large amount of empty cardboard boxes, I'm pleased to say that this has generated hours of amusement (as empty boxes do) as they are being recycled creating lots of fun along the way.

Project House

If you don't have a box big enough for the little ones to play in then make a dolls house, great fun and here is one done beautifully with thanks of craft-project

And if you do have lots of big boxes and want to be inspired, then a big thank you goes out to the amazing talent and creativity of Russian-born, Bulgarian-based graphic designer and illustrator Vicky Knysh do check out her site.... truly fantastic :)
Here are just a few snaps....

Well I hear little ones calling, a cloud cuckoo puppet theatre is in the making, so bye for now and see you soon x

Animals & a ride too

2011-07-20T06:11:00.000-07:00

Animals have always been a big part of my life and inspiration, you'll see them popping into many (almost all) of our collections.
Yesterday we got close to lots of farm animals at the Welsh Agricultural Show. I found the show a great inspiration, the animals naturally, but also great boy themes with the amazing machinery. The flower and veg tent was fantastic and I was most impressed by the peas!
Of the animals the goats were the highlight, so elegant and beautiful as voiced by our little one. Second up was the cows, I really couldn't believe the size of some of the bulls, sadly these animals are not suitable to live with us but I found some that would be....

Rocking "Bent" by VILAC
The company Vilac set up in 1911, today the Vilac wooden toys are still made in a factory in the beautiful French Jura mountains. The toys are beautifully made, still partly by hand, and the rich, deep and bright colours are obtained by using a special lacquer in which they are dipped. This gorgous wooden rocking toy is so beautifully designed it could really occupy any room in our house.
Another cow not too big and still looking good would be the Wheelybug cow.

There are other animals to pick from mine have loved the ladybird and it has certainly been a great purchase, and such a fantastic price too, as these wheely friends start at £41

The sheep were varied, some skittish, some sleepy and some cheery and happy to receive the attention from our little ones. Out of all of them however there wasn't really one I'd have at home, but today however I have the one I'd love to give a home to.
This delightful soft sheep is by Jarrod Lim and I'm sure you'll agree this sheep is simply divine, you can feel the softness and happiness it would bring to little ones from this image.

Well I can't finish the post without a horse. The horses we saw yesterday were well groomed and shiny coated, the riders were equipped in fine attire and shiny boots too. My thoughts were with my dear friends N&J who look dashing when they're kitted out. Most often though i see a horse made of wood with one of my girls less elegantly clambering on. Here is one of our favourite modern wooden rocking horses perfect for the smaller rider.

The Arabian Rocking Horse by Plan toys, available from Funky Moose for less than £50 this would be another super purchase.

Me Booty, Aye Aye

2011-07-06T09:25:00.000-07:00

Well 'shiver me timbers' we've been pirate busy with our card range "I'm Going To Be...."

Captain rouge 'Happy Birthday' card £2.10 available here

Captain Noir 'Happy Birthday' card £2.10 available here

and especially with Rascal Rouge and Captain Noir, so much so that not only are are cards shipping out fast but individuals have liked these rascals so much we've been asked to do some commissioned pieces based around them for one off little peoples bedrooms.

The pirate theme is clearly rubbing off and today Mr Cuckoo brought the mini cuckoos a present; a set of pirate skittles by BigJig toys. I love them (as do the girls) and thought I'd share them them with you.

See more wooden toys from BigJig.

Finally I'm going to round off this pirate life post with a gorgeous pirate pillow find from the beautiful Lottie Da

Farewell me hearties, aye-aye !

Holidays & polaroids

2011-07-02T12:58:00.000-07:00

Back from a week of South Devonshire life, trips, picnics, beach, paddling and walks.
Now with children of my own brings doing this kind of holiday brings back fond memories of when I was small, when me and my sister were playing together, sandcastle building, paddling, visiting gardens, donkey rides and ice creams and back then the polaroid camera too.
Here are just a couple of recent photos but with some of yesterdays charm.
Once unpacked i hope to add more.

More for the jolly holiday - Pt 2

2011-06-22T15:13:00.000-07:00

Absolute must for both bath time and beach time - hooded towel.
These are great, big enough for baby and toddler and perfect for playing super heroes!

£24 from cloud cuckoo designs available in 3 print choices

Whilst on beach time, can't go without some great flags, windmills and a classic bucket and spade.
These mini windmills that would look amazing on top of a sandcastle

A pack of 16 paper windmills from colloco tI oroiginally spotted these over at BabyStyleFile their suggestion was for a party so these windmills could certainly get about, bargain too £4.95 for 16!

Bucket & spade

£1.10 at Funky Crab at FunkyCrab they too have traditional sandcastle windmills and you could have a party with their 48 pack at £11.73 (wish I'd got these in time to go)

I might be getting carried away now (at the Funky Crab) but I also spotted this and just love it, even though slightly a mad version of Bambi!

Happy Holidays all x

Celebrating 1st day of Summer

2011-06-21T14:17:00.000-07:00

Since having children days are longer whatever the season due to our early rises, however today it's official it is the first day of Summer and as voiced by my eldest her favourite and best day, I agree!
In celebration of this glorious long day here are a few photos that always say summer to me, they make me smile and feel sunny.
I love the pink, naive motif paintings on the elephant the innocent happy colours and all the warmth and joy these pictures generate. Enjoy x

now i know my abc

2011-06-19T14:52:00.000-07:00

Miss Maudie has a new favourite song abcdefg....hijk....
She is singing it all the time and i think this alphabet animal print might be why.

I'm also liking this new print lots and lots, it's fun and fresh, filled with animals and as for little ones they (mine-tried and tested!) they appear to love it, added bonus as it's educational too, getting to know your abc and lots of animals too.

If you can't wait till we add it to our online shop drop me a line via email

dad weekend

2011-06-18T07:03:00.001-07:00

Just had a very mum daughter morning with dance class, which was fab, think I loved it just as much as Maudie did.
It's not all about girls though this weekend as it's dads day tomorrow, so for all those super dads here are some of our less girly illustrations.

Happy dad day all

BEST DAD

JAKE

JIM

MIKE
all by cloud cuckOO designs

bye birds

2011-06-16T15:16:00.000-07:00

Last of Spring watch tonight and I now look forward to Autumn Watch, some of my buds think I'm a bit crazy loving this nature stuff but I do and if any of you have been watching too you'd have seen the lovely puffins along with many other nature delights.
Well in celebration of a fab programme and gorgeous wildlife here is a bit of our own.
All available as prints and greeting cards.

The complete alphabet is available if there is another bird, animal, amphibian you have in mind.
Enjoy

a few things for the jolly holi....

2011-06-15T10:27:00.000-07:00

So here I am holding back the excitement of that holiday just on the horizon and I got thinking of the 'nice' things to pack, yes we've got all the sensible must haves; sunhats, cream, sunnies, plenty of activities to keep ALL amused but here are a few extras I'd like to share....

A pop-up tent is a must on my holiday packing list, this one here is by Lucy and Michael, I love this retro rodeo print

A few years back we got a great little one which now is a permanent 'den' in my eldest daughters room.

This wasn't on my list but it's great to bring a pushchair from winter into summer!!
Mamas & Papas have a great summer accessory pack; this fab fresh pear print reversible colourful liner will personalise your pushchair and the co-ordinating parasol to give your pushchair a summer makeover!
Includes matching fabric bag too, and is on sale with £15 off at just £30

Hampers, picnic blanket and if you're camping too then there is only one place to get the lot and with style Anorak
At the moment they have a 'silly sale' you can pick up a coolbag for £27.50 and picnic blanket £18, bargain!

a real treat

2011-06-11T06:05:00.000-07:00

If you go down to Barnes today you're in for a real surprise......if you don't know this little gem already then let me introduce you to The Treat Garden, a delight for little ones and us older ones too, whether you fancy 100g of Kola pips, a gorgeous toy, giftwrap & card, a craft session, party or take part in one of their workshops then The Treat Garden is the place to go.

Cloud CuckOO Designs starting stocking The Treat Garden last year and it is a real 'treat' to have a selection of our own delights in this gorgeous shop.

Owned and managed by local resident, Elizabeth Haselgrove, Elizabeth and Roger (aka Mr. Treat Garden) opened their doors in November 2009 after moving to Barnes and instantly fell in love with the beauty and charm of the area and its residents. For the first time in nearly 20 years, Elizabeth felt that she had found "home" and decided to put down some roots in this community.
And so, The Treat Garden was born....

a sea of red....can you believe this.....

2011-06-09T13:07:00.000-07:00

I love red, however nothing quite prepared me for this

(panoramio photo)
Driving past fields on the way to Bewdley seemed normal and then wham! a huge burst of gorgeous red poppies that are getting brighter each year, beautifully inspiring and uplifting.

Well yes this got me onto RED, what have I seen, done, brought of recently that is RED, here are few things:

Little RED riding & Squirrel Lunch Box (£12.50 Modes4U)

Red Wooden Bus (£33 Shelf)

Kissing Rabbits Picnic Rug (£36 Anorak)

Print (print commission £80 cloud cuckOO designs)

What's in the bag?

2011-06-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

Gathering the washing, tidying the toys, out for the day, hanging on the hook and looking jolly, and so many more uses for being thankful to our bags.
From the offset of putting together the textile collections at Cloud Cuckoo Designs I knew they must include a 'laundry bag / storage sack" and this was before I was a mum. I've always really liked and found a use for bags, storage sacks, boxes so there we had it they were in the collections.
Currently we have three bag designs; Owl, Robot Monkey & Kitty

and the responses we get are great, both adults and little ones use them for an array of things our personal ones at the moment are mostly occupied with laundry and toys with a recent added use being for our play-mats so they can be easily transported, it was actually a customer that purchased both together and let me know how useful they were 'together' and what a perfect fit the mat was inside the bag, they had found it super useful for their mother baby massage sessions and for home storage - I agree!
We have in-store and on-line stockists throughout the UK and overseas including YellowLolly, PiquantBaby for the complete collection you can visit here at our own cloud cuckoo designs on-line shop

what's the time mr wolf....

2011-06-05T11:48:00.000-07:00

Today has been a clock day, firstly i noticed the absence of dongs then remembered it was Sunday and that Grandfather should have been wound up yesterday. Then later (7.45am) we thought our "Cucu clock"

£205 (many colour choices)
had gone mad as the 'cuckoo' 'cuckoo' 'cuckoo' call was going off, but only when we were close to the open window, very happy I was to hear the real cuckoo calling especially this time of year.
Thirdly a book came off the shelf and needed a read (so little one said) and i just love this book; What's the time Mr Wolf?

This book seems a winner with all little ones and you can pick one up at The Book Depository I use them lots though Amazon and their delivery is speedy and customer service excellent.

So with all this time ticking I thought I'd look at some clocks.
Here is what I found at The Design Shop

Elihu the Elephant Clock £80

Fernando the Fish Clock £80

Butterfly Clock £134 (other colours available)

Ball Clock £195.60 designed by George Nelson, capturing the best spirit of post-war design, available in other colours as well as multi shown here

Half Time £180, I love this 'cu-coo clock with the surprise cuckoo popping out the side
From online shop Huntandgather I came across these gorgeous bamboo animal clocks, yesterday I blogged on some bamboo furniture and it really is a great wood to use, eco friendly, tough and I personally like the appearance too, anyhow check out these fab animals designed by decoylab usa and sold at Huntergather

Eco Bamboo Clocks $59 - $79

a chair, a desk & I NEED!

2011-06-04T13:41:00.000-07:00

Okay so I have a bit of a thing for chairs and now having little ones I have an excuse to buy mini chairs too.
You probably saw the fantastic duo; chair & cushion my little one got for her first birthday (if not, click here) Well today i've been on the look for an old retro school desk to go with one of the chairs I've had forever.
I got side tracked and yes looked at more chairs.....Lilly's chair

it is by Henrik Thygesen and Sebastian Jorgensen and it's adorable. The site i found it (and these pics) on is also completely fabulous "e-side"
The chair is made from bamboo so super eco friendly, available in red, blue and black, and there was a link with my search, a desk is also available 'Geos Desk'

I just love this desk now just need to get my little ones to NEED it as much as me!
If you're tempted, the chair and desk would total £329 and what a great furniture duo to have for the little ones and then keep in the family, and being bamboo they'll be tough little pieces (my chopping board can vouch for that!!)

If the chair and desk are not on your list right now then I'm sure 'e-side' will have something that is whether it be for you, the home, the kids or outdoors.

Kitty's new dress & cheese with Mabel & Birdie

2011-06-02T01:59:00.000-07:00

One of our new ranges this year is the 'Mini-Boo' collection.
At a recent trade show Kitty, Mouse & Bird alongside the others enjoyed the limelight.
In the range so far we have 12 greeting card designs, all 125mm x 175mm and blank inside for your own message, the characters all have a story to tell and a personality of their own, here we share some of their daily do's.

Kitty just loves shopping, last week she found this delightful spotty dress when she went on a wander and found herself in Dixies Department store on the feline fashion floor.
After her shopping spree she went to see her friend Mabel.....

Kitty found Mabel doing what Mabel does best.... foraging around her kitchen looking for cheese, not any old cheese like most mice would be happy with but Mabel's very special cheese 'Made by Mabel'. Mabel has been making cheese for some time now and you should see her cheese cupboard; well if she lets you!

A little birdie told me that if Mabel invites you into her cheese cupboard you will see the most wonderful treats, Birdie often gets invited because Birdie is the most tidy clean busy birdie of all and just loves pecking and collecting delicious little cheese crumbs.

We look forward to you meeting our other animal friends, there is a tiger, a monkey, an owl, a pair of bears, a bambi with the best boots and more......

All our characters are also available as large format prints ready to be framed.

smiling strawberry face and cheeky orange

2011-06-02T00:07:00.000-07:00

Last night I blogged about the fabulous chair and cushion that Boo had for her birthday.
Lucky girl that she was she also had a great eating set (that is being pulled out of the cupboard along with the reset of the cupboards contents at this exact moment!), avoiding characters and the usual boring melamine ware I was chuffed (as was the birthday girl!) to see what our friend who knows us well had selected; this great set of a smiling strawberry plate and orange bowl. The bigger surprise followed, half price from mothercare.

If cheery fruits are not your thing then I'm sure the animals over at babystylefile will be, take a look the site has some really fab finds.....
Happy breakfast all

a chair, a cushion & a 1st birthday

2011-06-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

Last week we celebrated my youngest daughters 1st birthday.
A house filled with delights for little girls created a problem when trying to pick a present for my not so little baby!
Loving her cuddles against cosy fabrics and softies I went on a cushion hunt and came across 'Lucky Boy Sunday' they have such great pieces and yes I found the perfect cushion; soft, quirky and a memorable 1st birthday gift.

The next thing to find was a UK stockist and Sisters Guild was the place, a great website for soooo many gifts and treats for yourself and others!

There we have it a gorgeous cosy cushion hand made in Bolivia from baby alpaca and also there is a slight resemblance to the eldest (red hair)
The size was perfect and having a bit of a thing for chairs I thought it a good opportunity to also buy the birthday girl her very first chair, the only place for this would be 'Molly-Meg' and yes I found the one, and what is also great the cushion fits perfectly on the open beak!

So the dilemma of a first birthday gift was solved and a happy day was had by all, she loves the cushion however I think we'll soon need another chair as big sis is finding it very comfy!

What's your name?

2011-05-11T12:37:00.000-07:00

In the midst of working on new designs and playing house I've also been doing some exciting interior work for clients. The projects have ranged from decorating a nursery, painting a wall mural and then just some simple prints for little ones with their names on. The personalised name pictures were fun as it was something I've ever done for either of mine but after doing some I couldn't resist a couple for home.

congrats to kate and wills

2011-04-28T03:05:00.000-07:00

Whether you love the Royals or not there is no getting away from the fact that tomorrow you'll be bumping into them in one way or another! so we thought we'd join in with a little design for the wedding day of Kate and William, also wanted to share with you this fantastic illustration from the very creative, inspiring and original illustrator Allan Deas.
Enjoy tomorrow and the bank holiday.

letter prints, badges and more.......

2011-04-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

New designs are done but we decided to hold back for a few more weeks before we sell to trade at PG LIVE show with some of the new card ranges. However with such enthusiasm for our "round - friends" and requests for additional products we've now added, notebooks, badges, wrap and pictures and will be adding these to our NOTHS shopfront for you to buy in the next week or so.
So here is a little preview of the prints and badge pack, planning a little photo shoot of these hopefully over the bank hol so we can share more then.

clucking for 'designer maker'

2011-04-07T11:20:00.000-07:00

Just doing a bit of image spring cleaning and come across some pics of really early work not long out of college.
Doing so many crafty things with my 3 year old these photos have me longing back to my 'designer maker' days.
Do I return to a bit more of this?
Take a look and drop me a line if you like to cloud cuckoo

these doll-girls are my favourite.... have a few that I never let go and maude just loves making them tea and toast!

great prize could be yours

2011-04-02T12:31:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy time for having fun & sharing our playmats/quilts.

My sister and new baby have theirs at the ready for the start of baby yoga classes, my eldest is enjoying snuggling up in hers at bedtime and as for me well I'm getting ready for a picnic where we'll be taking some mats for my youngest to crawl on and enjoy, hopefully sometime this month.

Well we like sharing and would like to celebrate spring by giving away one of these fabulous multi functional playmat quilts.
To enter simply post/email us your details and add one of the following;
a) a snap of your favourite print/picture, can be a wall picture, illustration or fabric print
OR
b) image of something that summarizes springtime to you

The winner will be selected by lucky dip.
Closing date 11.4.11 with the winner being notified the following day via email.

Good Luck and happy springtime x

loving pyjamas....

2011-03-31T06:58:00.000-07:00

I received news from The Present Cupboard this morning about the review they have done on our Cloud cuckoo pyjamas
ranging from the 0-3 month organic bundlers, 3-12 month jersey organic jim-jams and upto 4 years for the organic woven pyjamas as shown here.

Getting into our cosy jim-jams is just great, I loved it when I was little and still today, nowadays though they are not the red muppet ones I recall from my childhood memories.

Kiddie jim-jams are getting better whatever the look you're going for, great qualities, practical and easy to pop on and also fantastic graphics.
Here are a few of my favourites for our little ones at the moment.

Boden with these gorgeous simple blue and white star pj's, great always soft & cosy, clean and simple lines.

Fantastic online store Snugg Nightwear have a wonderful range as you can imagine, dedicating their store to nightwear. These spring allover print bird Pj's are just adorable and upto age 7 too. Please click over to their site to see great images and full range.

Milliemanu use beautiful Liberty prints in this girls PJ set, what I love is they go from 12 months to 5 years and made in the UK

If you like the Liberty prints check out Zara kids too (link below)

Plenty more if these are getting you ready for dreamtime at greenbaby , piquant baby little white company
zara kids

All this pyjama talk is making snoozy, night night (mmmmmm, i know I'm a little earlier!)

Image credits to Cloud CuckOO designs, Boden, Snugg nightwear, milliemanu

Flowers, John Lewis, World of Moose, pegs and more....

2011-03-29T09:38:00.000-07:00

I just love flowers, any day, everyday or on a special day.
This year I'm thrilled and helped out by John Lewis as they can deliver flowers on Sunday, so if you can't get to see your mum, nan, friend on Mothers Day this is a great option and with so many beautiful flowers to pick from everyone will be smiling.

World Of Moose have gorgeous flowers that you can keep forever....

By Gorgeous at NOTHS have a lovely floral gift, this floral bag will bring a cheeriness to one of those mum jobs; 'pegging out', but pegging out on a sunny morning with this great bag is a happy to do mum job!

Mothers Day

2011-03-29T07:40:00.000-07:00

With Mothers Day only a few days away here are a few ideas, there is time if you're quick.

Help get mum ready for relaxing on those sunny days with gorgeous deckchair from Thornback and Peel

Bringing Mum a lovely cuppa tea in a very special mug would make Mothers day special every day, these great mugs can have your own image popped on, what a great way to use your little ones drawings, available from The Handmade Mug Company

Sweet Dimple at NOTHS have these framed apple pictures and more, I'd be a very happy momma on mothers day with one of these.

Another lovely find at NOTHS is Tea & Ceremony with this fab "I'm A Knitter" notebook maybe Nanna would like one of these too

So best mums everywhere get ready for a truly special Mothering Sunday, happy days 'Best Mum' from Cloud Cuckoo Designs

it's raining it's pouring..

2011-03-29T06:21:00.000-07:00

Only yesterday we had glorious sunshine, now we have rain. The rain can make us smile too though and so can these lovely rain themed images.

Illustrations are by the following:
Annplified
Lucky Bluebird
Ishtra Olivera
Heidi Burton
Pumml

Sunshine and Light

2011-03-28T13:56:00.000-07:00

With the clocks changing this weekend, we are having a few bedtime hiccups with the little ones.
Maude appears to be ruled by the light, "sun come up, hello morning, then sun go down and moon come up; bedtime". Her little phrase was not good when it came to her 7pm bed time!
So just for her I'd like to share some beautiful sunny illustrations.

here are the illustrator links:
freya art
Oiseaux Noir
Little Red Owl

new baby cards & little Orla

2011-03-22T12:48:00.000-07:00

There is no better time to share our super 'new baby' cards than now as it is in timing with the arrival of my niece born yesterday on the first day of spring.
It does get better as she has a name I am very fond of in more ways then one 'Orla' so I'd like to say welcome to baby Orla and a big congrats to the very proud (tired) mummy and daddy.
Here are some of our cards for 'new baby' and baby announcement cards.
To see the full 'Just To Say' range pop over to the website

East Dulwich for Colour (Siecle & Cable)

2011-03-20T13:40:00.000-07:00

As a resident of East Dulwich for many years i was chuffed when this small tired shop on Grove Vale transformed into a Siecle Paint Shop , a happy shop, where the colour inside will make you happy.

Not only can you go in chat to Simon and have an amazing range of colours to pick from you can also buy Coloured Cable
There have been times when I've been unable to make up my mind, fickle I have been heard a certain someone say, well if this is happening to you regarding lighting; ceiling, wall, floor, table light and you just cannot decide then this is what you should get...

this light on a cable can be positioned on a wall, hooked from the ceiling, along the floor, on a table and just looks amazing in these gorgeous colours.
The hardest thing is picking the colour :)

bOOks - part one

2011-03-17T10:33:00.000-07:00

Going through more boxes today I came across some of our great books for kids. I've been buying and collecting these way before we had the little ones but now I have a great excuse for really going for it in the book aisles when online and on foot!
THhe website Literature Soft shows a great little hut for a kids room, what a perfect den this would make designed by Point Architects.

If I/my little ones had this 'book den' here are some of our favourite books we'd pop on the shelves from the likes of Sara Fanelli, Paul & Anne Rand, Charley Harper, Miroslav Sasek, Taro Gomi, Ed Emberley, Lisa Jones

As there are many books part two will follow soon, if in the meantime you'd like to buy any print and pattern have a great selection via their amazon page......