The new collection from Munster has just arrived and it is sure to satisfy the needs of every little skater dude. Staying true to their roots Munster have produced yet another fantastic array of humorous graphics on top quality fabrics. The ultra cool and beautifully styled shorts offer even the most discerning mini a tough decision when deciding which pair would be the hippest addition to his summer wardrobe.

There is also a very special T-Shirt in the collection at Mash n Gravy this season from the T4T range. Munster T4T is an initiative that helps supply clothes to orphanages throughout Vietnam and Cambodia. Each season, Munster Kids commission an artist to design a series of prints for tees and fleeces. On this occasion it is the turn of Richard ‘french’ Sayer – find out more at www.tapedcopies.com. For every item sold from this range Munster donate another to a child in need.

Some time ago I subscribed to Etsy in order to receive their daily newsletter as inspiration for decorating and craft projects as well as unusual gifts.

Usually, just as I am setting the table for dinner, the Etsy newsletter lands in my inbox. Disappointingly, there are too many crocheted shawls and items which I would consider just a little too handmade to be worthy of purchasing but very often there is a gem which I find hard to resist.

My first such purchase was a delicate ring from St Joshua, fashioned from the innards of an old watch. A thorough look through the store and I was impressed by the wonderful and delicate jewellery which is produced from things which no one wants. I then found an excuse to make a second purchase for a friend who needed some assurance that something beautiful can be made from something which is broken.

Pink House produce this fantastic modern toddler chair made from beautiful, sustainable wood.

Chic felt toy boxes from Babies Breath’s store cool enough to keep in the lounge.

There are many more treasures to be found if you can bare to trawl through the macramé pot holders and knitted balaclavas but I urge you to do so.

Delightful Danish brand Mini A Ture have produced a stunning collection for Spring/Summer 2010 themed around an old fashioned fair. As usual, the collection is a mixture of traditional styling and cool contemporary pieces making it hard to resist however you like to dress your own little mini.

The colour palette for the season contains sunny yellows and cloudy greys for the boys and candyfloss pinks and sky blues for the girls. Set to music, and it’s ‘all aboard the carousel’.

BOBO CHOSES is a fun loving yet responsible, original clothing line from Barcelona. Each season brings a new set of stories and new garments, made with comfortable natural fabrics and a simple elegant cut. For Spring/Summer 2010 we are treated to the story of The Donkey and the Stars, featuring shades of grey, dove and imperial blue, punctuated with a splash of vermillion.

All clothing is made at the ACT SOCIAL workshop-school in Bangladesh, where women from rural areas are given the opportunity to learn a skill in the textile industry. 10% of profit is returned to the school. Each BOBO CHOSES garment bears a label with a code that you can enter at www.bobochoses.com to see where the product comes from and how your purchase contributes to the ACT SOCIAL project. BOBO CHOSES is a great example of how to build a great business based on creativity, quality and social awareness.

THE DONKEY AND THE STARS

Once upon a time there lived an old donkey on Okinawa Island,
who fell asleep every night looking up at the moon.

And in his dreams, he would dream of white doves
who were gathering him a basket filled with stars.

“Dear doves” the old donkey would say, “throw down the basket,
so that the stars may flutter around me like butterflies”.

And so they would, but at that very moment
the sun would begin to rise, little by little,
and instead of stars and doves and butterflies,
the old donkey would wake up surrounded by flies,
who would laughingly say to him:

“Dear donkey, sleepy old donkey, wake up now, the sun has risen”.

And that’s why each morning, the donkeys and the flies
would amble down to the beach together
to watch the dawn and the colours of the sea
turning from red to orange and from orange to blue…

And all this happened on Okinawa Island,
a place just like any other place,
so near and yet so far from the moon and the stars.

Let Them Eat Cake is a new label, which has received an overwhelming reception so far, fuelled by a mention in prestige publications such as Harpers Bazaar and Junior. Designer Felicity Lynch blends modern styling with vintage romanticism, and the result is beautiful and unique.

Felicity trained at the London College of Fashion and had dreamed about designing children’s clothing for a long time. With three young children herself, she made that leap!

She has a passion for beautiful textiles and loves using rare vintage pieces for her collections. For this season inspiration is taken from Victorian circus posters, and everything in the collection is hand made in Bath to an exceptional standard. Heirloom pieces indeed!

The T-Shirts are 100% organic cotton too.

MashNGravy were delighted to be featured in Grazia’s gift guide with our Hello Hanna Place Mats.

Click on the image below to view in more detail…

Our congratulations to Mini Rodini voted Arets Mama’s Childrenswear Designer of the Year 2009.

Looking forward to another wonderful Mini Rodini collection for Spring/Summer 2010!

A new report produced by researchers at Leeds University on behalf of the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) suggests that just one per cent of packed lunches for children meets the government’s nutritional standards for school meals.

The researchers looked at the packed lunches of 1294 children from 89 schools in the UK, mostly England. Just 14 (1.1%) of the lunch boxes contained a mix of foods that would meet the same standards that are now applied to school meals. These standards, at least in England, were introduced in response to TV chef Jamie Oliver’s high-profile crusade for healthy dinners. The reasoning behind the contents of our children’s packed lunches are many and varied, time constraints, fussy eaters. Excuses one and all. Which ever way you slice it, it’s still a cheese sandwich.

MUMS & DADS OF THE UK – HANG YOUR HEADS IN SHAME!

If you were a quasi stay at home dad in Omaha, USA, your son would be devouring a lunch meat work of art each and every day. Spending up to an hour on each creation Kai Wilken is one cool dad.

Kidscase is a small independent company founded in Amsterdam in 2000. Their aim is to design collections that fit the lifestyle of individualistic and modern parents and their children. The first collection was launched in 2001 and from the beginning their fashion forward simplicity and intense powerful colours attracted attention.

The Kidscase style is tranquil, versatile and modern with a preference for the ‘basic plus’ look: inventive, simple designs, refined and rich in detail, with fabrics of exceptionally high quality. Comfortable, wearable, sophisticated and radiating style each collection has a selection of exciting and often unexpected colours.

For Spring/Summer 2010 be blown away by chilli pepper red and azure blue and be enveloped by hazy grey and rice white.

Here are just a couple of images from the new Kidscase collection, click the images to view in more detail.

As Mash n Gravy begins to mature and our children to grow we are continually looking for innovative and inspirational labels to promote in store. First to arrive for Spring /Summer 2010 is Scotch Shrunk.

Scotch and Soda Childrenswear range, ‘Shrunk in Amsterdam’, was launched in Fall 2008 to huge acclaim, making it an instant favourite across Europe.

The fast growing Dutch brand offers affordable, casual creations in versatile styles to suit even the most choosey little boy making the range widely appealing.

The collections underlying theme is preppy sportswear with a twist. Ideal for layering, the brand offers a rich diversity of styles, materials and colours with freedom to mix it up a little.

We are delighted to welcome Scotch Shrunk to Mash n Gravy and hope that your little guys love it as much as ours.

Click on the images below to get a better view of the Scotch Shrunk catalogue.