Lief! (Dutch for ‘sweet’) stands for baby and toddler wear and lifestyle. Not only do they create clothes in bright cheerful colors; it also produces anything else you are likely to come across in a baby or toddler’s room: gorgeous soft toys, furniture, pillows and lamps. Lief! is a growing brand which sells online and in their own dedicated Lief! stores. You can also find Lief! in several European countries.
Optimist
- modern designs, cool stuff, beautiful items and handy gadgets for babies and young kids by a Dutch mom who was living in Toronto, Canada and is now living in Germany.
To cuddle
Water resistant Woobees
Heather sent me an email and introduced me to her company Woobee Kids. She was originally inspired to design the uniquely practical Woobee products after the birth of her first daughter. An outdoor enthusiast living is Seattle, WA, she wanted a highly effective and functional product line that is cozy for children and cool for parents. Woobee products promise to be water resistant and you will find blankets, bibs and burps. Woobee products are available at retailers in the USA and Canada and online at SnazzyTots.
Noukie's from Belgium
As you know I am a big fan of anything to do with sailing. Because we started our son's room in this theme, I am always looking for new items. When I saw this Noukie's' range "Captain Paco" I got very excited, especially after finding out they have a concept store in Frankfurt. Hopefully I'll find the time to visit it one of these days.
The other reason for my interest in Noukie's is that I am pregnant again. 6 months already but time has passed by so quickly that I have not really been realizing it. Getting a second is so different from being pregnant for the first time. Today however, I suddenly felt a need to think about the baby room and tried to decide on colors and some new accessories. I will show you my progress in the coming weeks...
Back to Noukie's; they started with soft toys for the very young children, but now they have a full line of textiles in different themes. Noukie's is sold in 26 countries around the world.
Kind+Jugend
Tomorrow I will be off to Cologne for the weekend to visit Kind+Jugend. It is a leading global fair for baby and children products. With over 650 international exhibitors I expect to find many new inspiring finds. I am very excited and I am so happy that Jolanda from Label-Label gives me the possibility to visit this fair.
I met her through Optimist just before we moved to Germany and now we live only a few kilometers apart. What a small world! She started her company Label-Label 3 years ago and has been very successful. She just introduced a new range of label blankies and playmats. Have a look at the Label-label site; I just love these cute birds made of terry toweling.
Little Monster Market
Kiersten from Modmom furniture about which I posted some time ago, sent me an email about Little Monster Market. She and her friend Denise who owns Eeny Meanie started this market in LA.The market takes places every quarter and the next one is on Sep. 4th. Little Monster Market is a craft show of handmade things for babies and small children. A great one-stop shopping concept for all busy new and expecting parents which is fun for kids too with crafts and other entertainment.
Although I realize that most of you do not live in LA, it is worth to visit the website and look for the vendors. I especially liked the funny creatures and bags of Cinnamon Roll Gang
.... and the 100% hand made Sok-O's
Trousselier from France
My 2-year old son has one the lower right lights, the so-called Magic Lantern and loves it. It is part of his bedtime routine to switch it on and to blow it, so it starts turning. I saw that Trousselier offers more fun lighting options for children's rooms. The decoration lights and the magic bowl lights also look amazing.
Trousselier from France also has many cuddly friends which are great babyshower gifts. Trousselier is available around the world. Just send an email to find out where.
Spanish blankets
Mantita means blanket in Spanish. Mantita offers one of a kind blankets with cheerful patterns. Different materials like velvet, teddy or flannel are being used with vintage or new fabrics. Mantitas are great for wrapping around your new-born, as a blanket in stroller or car seat or just to cuddle with. You can order online. Shipping costs within the Netherlands are included in the price; for other countries just ask about it.
Germany's oldest doll company
Käthe Kruse is the oldest German doll company, in business for more than 100 years. Their classic dolls are famous around the world and some of them are real collector items. 
I personally like the Käthe Kruse baby range very much: simple shapes and beautiful fabrics. You can check out their retailer page to find out if you live in one of the 14 countries they sell…
New products at Twig
I have posted about Twig before. Today I want to let you know that you will find new products from some of my favorites: Esthex from Holland and Noonoo from the UK. Do not forget to take a look at the clothing section: many designer items are for sale now. Just simply shop online at Twig.
Barefoot Berlin
I bought my first German parents’ magazine ‘Eltern’ and found some great German products. Barefoot Berlin is the first one to be featured. The funny thing is that I bought one of the mice (bottom right picture) years ago as a small present for my parents. I do not know the occasion anymore but I do know it is still sitting in my parents’ kitchen. 
Barefoot was founded in 1958 by Barbara Sansoni and is a company of rural hand-weavers from Sri Lanka. All yarn has been dyed and woven by hand and one person makes a piece from start to finish. Barefoot ships around the world but you need to understand some German…though I am sure that a comment in English via the 'Kontakt' button will work as well.
