Grab your wintery layers, because the new La De Dah Kids range is taking you to the ocean this season . Pelicans glisten under the sun, while pirates and sailors tame the seven seas with their fearless first “cat” mates, while brave racoon keeps a close eye on the horizon.  Mythical mermaids swim effortlessly along with fish and seahorses, all the while beautiful boho bunny watches the ocean sparkle from the warm seashore with her snuggliest of snuggle cushion buddies, and her 2 best new unicorn friends. The new season’s products are almost here, and we want to give you the first chance to enjoy our seaside escape with the newest members of the La De Dah Kids family. Pre - orders are now available through our website for  a middle of February delivery.  Alongside our gorgeous softies we have expanded our beanbag range to include new designs, as well as an adult size beanbag, and some gorgeous knit foot poufs.   This season we have changed our knit base of our bean bags to be softer and finer than ever before . The perfect seating place for young children to snuggle up in during the cooler months of the year .These soft bean bags are made from the finest cotton. We have also listened to all the feedback and we are excited to have our first adults bean bag available .  Following the popularity of our bunny snuggle cushions we have included a matching bunny bag, crucial for childhood adventures with their favourite La De Dah Kids companion.  

The name of your store and where you are located.  We’re Store of Daydreams, an unique kids boutique, located in Laren (NH) The Netherlands (Europe). We do also have an online shop : www.storeofdaydreams.com. We have customers from all over the world, from Australia and Asia to the USA and everything in between.  Tell us about your background and how the idea of your retail store came about  I was working as a fashion designer in New York City but in 2012 we moved back to The Netherlands. While applying for jobs I started a small webstore with unique kids fashion moreas a 'joke' but it became serious business very quick. And now after a small we even have opened a real retail store which is a dream coming to live. While working for Stella McCartney and Beyond Vintage during my time in NY I became aware of unique, sometimes small, fashion brands. I'm always hunting for these new upcoming and hard to find labels such as La De Dah Kids. We are even the only retailer in The Netherlands selling this brand for which we are very proud of!  Where do you look for inspiration?  We’re visiting fairs like Playtime Paris and Ciff Copenhagen to see new trends but before attending these shows we already know what’s new or on trend. Every year I give a trend reading and workshop at my old university. This keep me uptodate on the latest trends, watching Instagram, Pinterest and several blogs are important online channels to get inspiration. Also Milk Magazine is one of my favourites!  What are some of your favourite items in store and why?  We’re always in love with our brands as we only buy what we love ourselves. Brands like La De Dah Kids, Tiny Cottons, BangBang Copenhangen, Mini Rodini, Louise Misha.. uh.. so almost everything :) We are totally in love with the mint coloured Unicorn and the panda cushion has become one of favourites as well!  What is your favourite thing to do when you aren’t at the shop?  Even when I'm physically not in the shop, my mind is there ;) Always busy with looking at orders or social media which is on 24/7. But when I do find some time for myself I love to visit one of the Dutch Islands, Texel. Which is a perfect place to relax, hike in the forest, walking on the beautifull sandy beaches and just do nothing. You'll probably see me posting a picture of it on Instagram when I'm there. Do you have a favourite country to visit in Europe and why?  Yes we love Sweden and Denmark. These countries have the most beautiful nature and friendly locals. We do love the food in Italy and France but we love the country side of Sweden and Denmark. Also Stockholm and Copenhagen are two capitals that you have to visit once in your lifetime. We’re going there very often because we just love love love Scandinavia. Also The Netherlands is very pretty and beautiful but we’re a very small country to visit. Amsterdam is quite cool, we have a very nice old city center and we love the people, food and style but we prefer Scandinavia! Do you have any travel tips for travelling within Europe?  Ow yes we do ! We love a couple of countries so you can make a round-trip. When you book a flight to Copenhagen (2-3 days) you can rent a car and drive in 7 hours from Copenhagen to Amsterdam (2-3 days). You have to visit the city center, visit the Anne Frank House, Stedelijk Museum, do a cancel tour by boat, visit the 9 streets for shopping and unique shops and you have to visit the Old Amsterdam Cheese Store. These stores are from Sander (my lovely boyfriend) and his brother and father. Store of Daydreams is located in Laren, that’s just 25 minutes from Amsterdam. After Amsterdam you have to visit Antwerp (1 day) / Brussels (1 day). After Belgium you can take the car again because Paris is just 2/3 hours left. Go to Paris for 3 days and visit the beautiful city and go with kids to Disneyland Paris as well. Also other cities are very pretty like : St.Tropez, Nice, Montpellier in France. Milan, Rome and Venice in Italy. But also the Alps are very very nice to see during the winter and spring. We love love love Scandinavia so nice places to visit is Sweden are : Stockholm, Malmö, Göteborg but also the northern part is so beautiful and quiet. In Denmark you have to visit Copenhagen and we love the beach around Odense. In Norway you have to visit Sognefjord and the Hardangervidda. Those the national parks are sooo beautiful.    We are lovers of food at La De Dah Kids, so what are some of your favourite local cuisines’?  Hahaha, the Dutch cuisine is not that special but when you go to Amsterdam you have to eat the Dutch pancakes. I prefer the one with apple and cinnamon. A nice snack and typical Dutch are French fries with mayonnaise and a handmade beef croquette. We love them :P! These 2 things are not healthy but so jummie! Also you have to try the Dutch cheeses, in our family-owned cheese stores you will find different kinds of cheese like our famous family brands : Old Amsterdam and Maaslander cheese. Typical Dutch food is also potatoes with veggies and meat or fish. But what you see in Europe is that we all eat a lot of different types of food, like Spanish, Italian etc. But Store of Daydreams love love love the italian food. Home made pizza and pasta are the best!  Tell us about your typical day.  We start each day with a cup of tea and a nice breakfast in our shop! This is always a nice start of the day. Before opening the store we print all the online orders, pick all the items in store and pack everything nicely. We have customers from all over the country so they’re always visiting us. We opened our store just 3 months ago so we’re brand new and sometimes also unknown for the local people. We do love our customers! We love to bring them a big big smile on there faces and each time when they are visiting our store we would love to show them our new items. I feel privileged that we have customers visiting us who are taking the time to visit us and come from north to south. Even people from Belgium and famous local celebrities!  So our store is also our office, showroom, everything. Now we’re planning our visits to Playtime Paris and Ciff Copenhagen. We’re checking all the new brands to see if it will fit in our store and if it’s nice to buy…We have to answer also a lot of e-mails from all over the world about requests and orders so it’s always nice to get and see these lovely emails. And off course instagram is one of our to do’s each day ;)...

Christmas really is my favourite time of the year. Not only is it a time where we take some much needed time out, it is also the time of the year when we celebrate and enjoy with family and friends.  Memories are a big part of Christmas and as a kid it really was the most exciting event of the year. I remember every Christmas Eve being so excited at our house in country N.S.W. Christmas Eve was all about the placing of a pillowcase at the end of the bed and ensuring that there were enough cookies and milk for the much anticipated Santa visit. There really was no greater joy than receiving your first doll or first special toy, one that you knew would be treasured for many years to come.  La De Dah Kids are all about creating lasting family memories with keepsake hand made products. From well loved toys to a special rug or chair for your new big girl or boy bedroom, they all add to the magic that is childhood. We hope you enjoy the collection of keepsakes we have put together in this Christmas gift guide. We ensure your La De Dah will become a treasured item and create fond memories of your children’s very own childhood Christmas.  We hope you have a happy La De Dah Christmas Rebecca and the team at La De Dah Kids  xx

Hi there, we are Kiwi & Koala (www.kiwienkoala.nl) a beautiful web shop in The Netherlands selling just Australian and New-Zealand brands. The woman behind Kiwi & Koala is Suzanne, she has been lucky enough to visit Australia twice in the past few years. Her sister, Linda, lives in Australia with her family and gives Suzanne tips on the best new trends and hot brands Down Under.  After many late night discussions, following lengthy shopping expeditions around Australia, Suzanne decided the time was right to bring design from Down Under to the Netherlands. The realisation of Kiwi & Koala started with Bonnie Bonny. Ladedah Kids was the obvious brand to bring to the Netherlands.  Each softie has such character and originality and the quality is fabulous.  We get inspiration from everywhere. We follow the trends in Australia, in New Zealand and in the Netherlands through Instagram, Pinterest and blogs and magazines.  We both are really attracted to lightness and brightness and to nature. The design and colours of the web shop reflect this – abstract eucalyptus leaves, and splashes of colour.  It is hard to choose a favourite item – I clearly love them all.  If I have to choose, Bonnie Bunny and Amanda Panda are amongst our favourite items as well as wire ware baskets from DownToTheWoods and ear studs form Nanna Woo. Of course market research is a necessity and sometimes shipping costs mean we sometimes have to decide not to select an item for the shop … these are the difficult decisions.  There are lots of things we love doing besides managing the web shop, and a regular day job. Suzanne has a young and growing family … yes a third baby is expected in January ... which keeps her very busy. Shopping, reading, gardening, going out for dinner, cooking are other favourite activities. There are a lots of European countries and lovely cities that are worth visiting. Most favourite are the Norwegian and Dutch countryside, Antwerp, Berlin, Stockholm, London, Paris, Reykjavik and Barcelona. Travel tips are the fjords in Norway, Pippi Longstocking’s house, shopping in Antwerp, the Blue Lagoon in Reykjavik for relaxation, the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, London for the museums, Berlin to ride a bike and learn about its history (and the Zoo!), Paris to visit the Sacre Coeur and have tasty romantic dinners.  And of course, The Netherlands for all kinds of activities with the kids: Artis Zoo in Amsterdam is our all time favourite. Whilst we love our food, the Dutch are not particularly well known for our cuisine. My 4 and 3 year-old daughters can't get enough of baking cookies and cupcakes.  A typical day … mmmmm … crazy mainly. Taking the kids to school, work all day, picking the kids up, sending orders, talking to bloggers, checking social media for news and inspiration. And then putting my feet up with a cup of green tea, rubbing my growing baby bump.

  We have had an exciting year at La de dah kids this year and much of it is thanks to the continued support of all our loyal customers so firstly THANKYOU X If you follow us on instagram @ladedahkids you will have seen that we took La de dah kids to Paris (a huge pinch yourself moment). It has been on our to do list and we where incredibly grateful for the opportunity thanks Playtime Paris for having us. We did drag our two children and my very generous Mother along for the ride. And would like to share some of our loves and travel tips. We are no experts on Paris but it has been a place that we did frequently visit  when we lived in London. This was our first trip with Kids and to see Paris through their eyes was something else.  Paris is both adults and Kids foodie heaven. The main diet and breakfast every morning was chocolate Croissant. We would spend every morning and afternoon checking out the various Patisseries and what was on offer everything from the most divine quiche, to chocolate everything!!! Bread is served straight from the oven often met with great lines in the afternoon for there afternoon breadsticks. Bread is served with everything. The food and wine (for the parents was definitely a highlight). Some of our tourist highlights with the kids were: Effiel tower – This is one of our favorite places to picnic whilst in Paris. It was one of our favourite things to do as a couple and it was great to do with the kids. There is so much lawn area to sit down escape some of the crowds and enjoy the view. This is a must do whilst in Paris. Arch de Triomphe – The boys loved this and admiitely it was boy heaven. All the cars in one chaotic organised mess zipping around the arch had the boys fascinated. We then strolled along the Champ Elysee where the boys got to pick a swatch watch which they are still talking about Montmartre / Sacré-Cœur. The Sacré-Cœur sits atop the summit of Montmartre, at the highest point in Paris. There is the most gorgeous carousel a must do with kids. The carousel is situated  at the foot of the Hill . The climb to the top of the hill is also one not to be missed. It helps burn off some of the many Paris baked goods that you consume. At the top Montmartre is filled with artist and street performers .  Paris Disney land is a fun day out with the kids .To be honest as a day trip it was also great to visit. It really was a magical day finished with the most spectacular fire works. A must for any trip to Paris for the Kids or the Kids at heart . Paris is a city that has my heart and always will. It is glamour, beauty and culture around every corner. It was an amazing trip for our family and one that had us wanting more adventures xx

7am - Overfilled with excitement and the smell of freshly baked bread, Billy Bunny awakes and hops to his feet. There is no better place than Paris to enjoy freshly baked Baguettes and croissants in the sunshine. Billy is overwhelmed and cannot wait to start his first day in Paris. 8am - Billy finds himself bouncing around the room with anticipation as he finds out he will be enjoying all of the specialities that Paris has to offer for Breakfast. This morning’s choice is Fresh Croissants and Strawberry jam bought from a local nearby Patisserie. 9am - Just as young Billy Bunny thought things could not get any better he is joined by a new friend, Amelie who will be showing him the sights of Paris and teach him all about the French culture and food. Billy’s ears are now tingling as they always do when he gets overexcited. Time to finish his french breakfast and the most delicious freshly squeezed orange juice . 10am - Billy and Amelie hit the cobbled streets and laneways scattered all over Paris. Billy is hopping from side to side across the cobbled path and his little Paws have to work very hard to keep up with Amelie’s long stride. Billy is having so much fun that he feels energised and feels like he can keep going all day, just taking in every moment. Billy does not want this day to end. 12pm - It is now midday and Amelie decides that they need to get on a train as her legs are getting tired and they still have so much to see and do. Amelie shows Billy how to buy the tickets and off they go to yet another part of Paris to see what they can find. 2pm -Both Amelie and Billy feel the need to take a break. Paris is so beautiful and all the excitement is absolutely overwhelming. They head back to the apartment for a rest and hangout with each other like good friends do. Billy loves cuddles and Amelie gives the best cuddles. 3pm - After a quick rest it is time to go and see what else they can go and explore. Amelie tells Billy about a big metal tower called the Eifel Tower. Billy has never seen such a big tower and he could not wait to climb to the top and see Paris from the tower. Apparently the sights are amazing! 5pm - After they climbed the tower Billy and Amelie sit down to a story about Paris and Amelie reflects on a great day she has had with her favourite new Bunny friend. She really enjoyed showing him around Paris and sharing everything she knew about this wonderful city she lives in. 8pm - At 8pm both Billy and Amelie are tucked up in bed like good girls and Bunnies should be. They are very tired and ready for a good nights sleep after a busy fun filled day. We cannot wait to do it all again tomorrow

  Have you ever wondered what the animals get up to when the doors close at the zoo? Seriously, what are they like? Well, La De Dah Kids have secured some new friends straight through the secret door and they have come to join our growing family. Cheeky Donkeys and shy Llamas, a persistent Meerkat and an over-active Bat join together with majestic Swans and an enchanting Mermaid and lots of new friends to meet and fall in love with. Last season, we could not keep up with the demand for our Snuggle Cushions. Well, they are back and have brought along some new buddies too. Panda and Sleepy Bunny welcome Koala, Kangaroo, Fox and Monkey to the Snuggle team. The little ones will not miss out this season either. Lots of new Hand Rattles, gorgeous Pram Strings and some magical Mobiles will complete nurseries everywhere. Stay tuned La De Dah fans, our new bedding range is due for release the middle of August.  We are all for pops of bright colour and mad clashes of excitement in our kids’ bedrooms. However, it is great to have something solid and classic to form the base of a truly great design. La De Dah have released our first range of bedding called, ‘Boundless.’ Just like you could never count the grains of sand in the ocean or name the stars in the sky, forms the boundless opportunities we give you to create your own unique space with these exquisite comforters as a foundation in your little one’s bedroom. Make sure you try our new ‘Create-a-room’ app. Not sure where to start with designing Bub’s nursery or Jr.’s big boy room? La De Dah have taken the stress away. With a blank canvas, you can add bedding, rugs, wall art and even toys to create your own unique space. Careful, it is addictive!  As you well know, we here at La De Dah headquarters are in love with all things crochet. However, we recognise the need to mix up texture and design but certainly never mess with quality. This is why we have created our new Rug Series, incorporating 100% cotton and cotton/jute rugs. Measuring 185cm x 12cm, they are perfect for a big space or amazing incorporated with our crochet rugs for some adorable layering.

Whilst we where away on our sourcing trip in January it also gave us time to reflect and look at things that we would both like to do in the business and areas that needed attention. Our La de dah kids blog was something that lacked serious attention in 2014 .We  have some great plans to make this place more of a lifestyle blog for all things kids and that includes a subject we are super passionate about which is travel . If you have a topic you would like to see featured on the blog we would love to hear from you ?Travel has always been a huge passion both before kids and also now we have kids . Travelling with kids now brings a whole new dimension to travel . Seeing the world through our little ones eyes  is one of the most rewarding experiences.Our stop in India was 90 % work so our tourist tips will be limited however we did mange to fit a little site seeing in while we spent the week in India . We travelled with both our boys one aged 6 and one who turned 4 the day before we left- so our travel tips are relevant to these age groups.Hopefully we inspire you to take the adventure with your kids - enjoy ! Places to stay :We stayed at the Crowne Plaza : New Delhi Rohini  we cannot recommend this place enough . The selection for breakfast was great . The rooms spacious and very comfortable.Places to eat :Due to our tight timescale we ate mostly with our suppliers families and within our hotel due to tired kids from a full day of activities . Transport :We had a driver which we strongly recommend . We found this a great way to get around with kids and within a tight time frame which we had . But be prepared for traffic and lots of it . Short distances can take hours - but the country side viewing and animal spotting ( camels, monkeys , elephants ) makes driving in India an exciting adventure for the little and big kids.Place to visit :Delhi - we had a city tour with our driver in which we where lucky to have a taste of the sights . Our time in Delhi was super limited  and with many road closures due to President Obama visiting it made it tricky getting from place to place .We visited the India gate and Chandni Chowk.Jaipur - So many exciting things to do and visit in Jaipur . One of the Highlights for us was the Amber fort . We had an elephant ride up to the fort with the Kids and they loved it! -  It was a real highlight. The kids loved exploring the Fort the small passage ways and stair cases in the fort was  a big adventure of hide and seek . The kids also got to see monkeys and a snake charmer which was high on their list to do and see why we visited India .