fab find: appaman hats

I have a kid who loves to dress up. Tutus. Grass skirts. Princess dresses. Cowgirl boots. Our dress-up box is full of fun stuff that I'm pretty sure the Bug would wear to school if I let her.

Oh wait. She DOES wear the cowgirl boots to school.

But when it comes to 'functional' hats... well, forgetaboutit. The hat goes on. She smiles at her reflection in the window pane. We walk outside. The hat comes off. Repeat.

Which is why I was delighted to pick-up the APPAMAN Emma Hat a few weeks ago from Wee Chic Boutique. It's modern style puts the FUN into functional. So the Bug keeps it on her head.

let's play! the blabla kids barnyard collection

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about play (thanks, Ultimate Block Party) -- and the emotional, cognitive and social benefits of unstructured, self-directed play.

Take doll playing, for instance. Not only can playing with dolls develop a toddler's fine and gross motor skills (think dressing dolls and pushing them around in pint-sized carriages), it can help develop language and social skills. How? Dolls encourage role playing. By assuming roles and interacting with people around them, toddlers begin to develop language and social skills such as sharing and helping.

Play is a wonderful thing. But it's even more amazing when it intersects with beautiful design. Enter Blabla Kids. And their recently released Barnyard Collection (part of their classic Blablas line). The Barnyard collection includes Ulisse the blue horse, his sister Electra, Albert the donkey, and Claire and Georgia -- two cute cows.

things to love: blabla kids

The sock monkey goes contemporary -- and gorgeous! Don't you just love these adorable farm animals from blabla kids? Meet Claire the Cow, Albert the Donkey and Ulisse the Horsie. They're part of the Atlanta, Georgia company's fall 2011 collection. All of the whimsical blabla dolls are designed by Florence Wetterwald and knitted by Peruvian artists from natural fibers.

Perfect for play.