Tuesday 29 January 2013

Baby brand lust: Little Marc Jacobs

Hi guys,
I love buying little designer clothes for Wilbur: much like my own wardrobe, his is mostly high street, but with a smattering of designer sprinkled on top! So far, he has a velour Armani babygro, Dior fur lined boots, a Stella McCartney checked shirt and bunny print top. And last week when I was in Westfield London, I picked him up a long sleeved Tshirt, and a fully lined romper suit and matching hat by Little Marc Jacobs:
 photo littlemarc1_zps6ad83602.jpg  photo littlemarc2_zps395e8cd6.jpg Marc Jacobs is one of my favourite designers and I didn't even know he made chidren's clothes, so you can imagine how excited I was! I was even more excited to pick these up for half price: I paid £17 for the Tshirt and £37.50 for the gift set.

You can buy Little Marc Jacobs online here.

Do you buy designer clothes you your little ones? Or do you think they're a waste of money? My logically brain knows that they are, but when I see them all small and cute I just can't resist!

Love Tor x

Latest on Fabfrocks: Daily wear - Sales shopping at Westfield London
Latest on Fabfrocks at Home: Lights - Chandeliers made of cutlery

Saturday 26 January 2013

Boys like fashion too: Polarn O Pyret

Hi guys,
I love fashion, and when I found out I was pregnant I immediately envisaged buying frilly tutus and little pink shoes. Then I found out I was having a boy. Now I love my boy very much (and wouldn't swap him for the world) but it is hard to find cool outfits for tiny chaps. In any kids clothes shops the girls section is twice as big as the boys section. A lot of the big fashion designers have girls and baby collections but don't make clothes for boys at all. Basically boys are limited to a restrictive diet or jeans or cords and comedy logo T shirts. Not exciting at all!

So I thought I would share my journey into dressing my baby boy fashionably and whenever I find a shop I like, an outfit he looks particularly dapper in, or a really good baby boys clothing sale I would post it up here! First up is Polarn O Pyret.

Simple, stylish, Swedish designs. Great colours, great patterns, great prices. Basically I am completely addicted to Polarn O Pyret for all of Wilbur's basics. Here are my picks of the very best baby boys clothes they have to offer:
 photo pop_zpse96ad103.png mini sports bodysuit, £14.50
moose print trousers, £14.50
moose print beanie hat, £4
P.O.P champs baby sweater, £16.50
Classic leather moccasins, £12
Striped newborn all in one, £22

Any tips for dressing a baby boy to share? Any cool shops you think I should check out? I'd love to hear what you think!

Love Tor x

Latest on Fabfrocks: Sale shopping at Westfield London
Latest on Fabfrocks at Home: Chandeliers made of cutlery

Tuesday 22 January 2013

Tips: How to take great photos of your baby

Hi guys,
Since we had Wilbur I have become obsessed with taking pictures of him. I use my camera to document his every move. Now I've only been doing this motherhood thing for six weeks, so I definitely can't claim to be an expert at that (can anyone?) but what I do know a thing or two about, since taking them for blogs for several years, is taking a good (amateur) photo. So that's going to be the first of my monthly tips posts: how to take great photos of your baby:
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- Find a good angle
Because they can't sit up/support their own heads it can be hard to find a flattering angle when photographing your baby. Try lying them on their sides, capturing them when they're asleep (so much easier as they won't move!) or lying them on the ground so you can snap them from above. Another tip is to take their photo whilst they're lying in someone's arms: that way your assistant can use their arms to prop your baby up and angle them in the most flattering way.

- Don't forget the parts that make up the whole
Struggling to take a good whole-body shot of your baby? Focus instead on the adorable details: take photos of their tiny hands, feet, a close up of their face. You'll find it much easier than trying to fit all of them into your frame, and you'll be glad you documented those details when your baby gets bigger.

- Black and white is your flattering friend
Blotches, bruises, odd lumps and bumps. Childbirth is hard on babies, and the legacy of that often shows on their bodies for the first few weeks: and it doesn't photograph well! If you take a lovely photo but it shows your baby's blotchy skin or red marks then just remove the colour. A black and white photo is always so much more flattering.
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- Snap, snap, snap!
Always have your camera to hand and don't stop taking photos. To get that one photo where your baby is smiling/staring straight at you/not drooling you might have to take 100 bad photos in the same three minute period. Just keep clicking and your more likely to find the perfect photo in your set.

- Pick your moment
You will very quickly learn your baby's routine: the hours where they want to play, the minutes where they want to sleep, the long stretches where all they want to do is cry. So pick your moment. Don't try to get a good snap of your little one when they're screaming or being fussy: it's not likely to happen. Instead incorporate your photoshoot into play time. Make it part of the game and you're guaranteed to get some really great shots!

Do you have any extra tips on how to take great photos of your baby? I'd love if you could share them, I want my pictures to be as good as possible!

Love Tor x

My home: Creating the perfect nursery

Hi guys,
I've already posted about Wilbur's nursery over on the Fabfrocks at home site, but I'm cross-posting it here, because this post focuses more on the practicalities of his nursery, rather than the 'oooh doesn't it look pretty' stuff!
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The shelving unit, cot, and wardrobe are all from good ol' Ikea. We just changed the knobs on the wardrobe door to make it look a little more unique. I heartily recommend the Ikea furniture: it's affordable, multifunctional, and because it's slightly smaller than standard-sized nursery furniture, it's perfect if you're short on space.
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I chose a circus theme for the nursery. I wanted something child-friendly, but the practical forward thinker in me also wanted something that would grow with the baby so I wouldn't be redecorating the room every year.

The vintage circus posters (which we talked about here) are all from eBay. The cushions on the sofa are from Cath Kidston, Etsy, and Little Joules. Cath Kidston does a vintage circus print fabric that I absolutely fell in love with. So I made some bunting using it, and then enlisted my much craftier mum to make all the other soft furnishings in the room using the fabric: She made the cotton bags hanging from the wardrobe doors, the huge sofa throw, and the quilt on the end of the baby's cot. She even used the circus print fabric to trim his little towels: now that's attention to detail!
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Do you have a theme in your nursery? How did you decorate, and do you have any decorating tips to share?

Love Tor xx