Royal Society for the Protection of Birds singing toys

I'm back! Finally I have returned... leaving the UK summer for the cold, cold New Zealand winter. I'm glad to be back but blimey its cold!

So this post is about the last great thing I spotted before I left the UK... we went to the Tate Modern for a wander and on the way in we passed the RSPB folks - they had their telescopes trained on the turbine tower where a peregrine falcon has been nesting for quite some time. They sell these amazing singing soft toys... the peregrine falcon is cuddle worthy and makes an authentic squawk when squeezed. It's a fairly intense noise... I think I prefer the robin. They have all the british birds you can think of and would make great gifts for the new babies in your life. They are amazingly reasonably priced... you could get a set!

Stuff Your Doodle artwork

Is your fridge door covered in your little one's fantastic artwork? Perhaps one of them stands out and you'd like to immortalise it somehow... This is where Stuff Your Doodle comes in. Take your favourite drawing and send it off to these guys and they will make a stuffed real life version of the doodle. They make a point of saying that legally speaking they are not toys... I suppose this is to do with the production, I'm not sure. But they certainly look great. Chcek out the before and after images of this little green number.

Cox and Cox love heart sugar cubes

If you've ever thought about planning a sugar and spice themed birthday party at some point let me direct you to the perfect sugar component. Cox and Cox have produced these little love heart sugar cubes as part of their wedding range but I think they'll do very well for my daughter's first birthday which is going to be an afternoon tea. I'm so intrigued about how they're made... I'd love to have a go.

Tree bed by Shawn Lovell Metalwork

And now for something completely different... and unaffordable. Darn! If you have a spare $15,000 burning a hole in your wallet then here's the perfect whimsical bed for your wee one... its made by Shawn Lovell Metalworks. Everything about this bed feels magical... delicate trees twisting upwards towards a nest in the centre of the bed. I'm almost certain this bed would ensure better sleep... or should I say slumber... enchanted slumber. It's somewhat out of my price range unfortunately but I'd be very interested in a cheaper model if anyone sees anything remotely similar out there.

Uten.silo storage solution

Yet more from the Design Museum... do you remember these? A bit of a design classic... I spotted them and suddenly thought how useful they would be for storing all of my daughter's paraphernalia... but super pricey. I'm on the look out for a cheaper option. Let me know if you know where I can get one...

Bold and Noble nature prints

I want one of these SO much... Bold and Noble have created these very desirable prints of leaves from British trees and outlines of various British birds. As a British ex-pat living in New Zealand I really like the idea of introducing this small slice of Britain into my daughter's life. Ideally I would put them side by side with kiwi plant and bird versions if I could find them, but no luck so far. A gap in the market all you budding designers.