Last week end we went to visit my brother and I made a little tour in the biggest toy store in town. 4 floors. Woooot!
Dangerous, luckily we had lots of plans and I had to be quick… or I might still be there….

There was a big table with Ostheimer wooden figures… a brand I totally forgot about. And I was just standing there and going like “aaaaaaaaaah, so beautiful”, “look, how well made”, “oooooh, and did you see this one”…. like a little girl :)

All figures are hand made​​ from Ash, Maple or Basswood. Trees coming from Germany where the factory is based as well. After cutting the characters, the figures are hand painted with natural wood inks. Finally, the figures are treated with a mixture of oil and linseed oil.
The quality is just fantastic and the characters are timeless.
The figures are quite large (approx. 15 inches), making them handy for all ages.

1. Rainbow bead grasper, fun, large rainbow balls to engage and entertain your baby.
2. Colored felt blocks, helps to learn to match colours. You can only build a tower if you match each colored felt side to the other.
3. Soothing bird, a beautiful bird toy to hold, shake and calm.
4. Baby rattle with bell, the soft cushion is made of wool felt and filled with wool, and when you squeeze it, there is a peep.
5. Elephant layer puzzle, with 5 layers for very little hands.
6. Rainbow sound blocks, kids will love to unpack and pack, pack and re-pack, match colours and sounds.
7. MAX, classic pram toy from Haba.
8. Stacking toy, classic stand up doll toy in brilliant colors and quality.

Good Morning! We are starting the week with some wonderful wooden toys today. Toys that can be purchased in New York’s MoMA and Vitra in Germany for example. Toys that received the international BuyMeOnce Excellence Award in London for their combination of aesthetic and ecological values.

I am talking about Wooden Story. A wonderful brand run by Gosia Borowy and her husband Wieśiek in a village near Babia Góra, Poland.
The couple lives on a little farm, with animals and their design office as well as their production office. Together they will saw, plan, drum, polish, paint, oil, and pack. Also organising paperwork, managing their social media channels, and reply to customers. The reality and beauty of a small business.

A maximum of 15 people work for them, and everything is hand-made with passion and love. And you can see and feel it with every toy:

We received a package with a variety of their toys, including the very beautiful rainbow blocks that are delightful. They inspire creativity and are just lovely to look at and definitely make for great decoration when play time is over.

And the same goes for the stacking pyramid. A staple in every kids room. Squares from top to bottom and from bottom to top! You can remove them and put them on as you like, no matter the sizes. Or you can arrange a pyramid.

And everything is so soft from the beeswax and botanical oils. Which means the toys are safe and always 100% natural too. The colours are Eco-certified and free from harmful chemicals.

“We are the third generation making wooden toys and other wooden products. They took over the workshop with her husband in the 90s. Wieś learned his profession from his father when we were still kids. In short, today the product itself is still manufactured as it was decades ago. The same technology, the same craftsmanship and the same hand-made.”

Altogether, raw material is the basis and Wooden Story works with certified wood, which means that for every tree cut a new one is planted.

“Thanks to this approach, we still have the joy of life, job satisfaction and peace of mind. I could take a loan and build a factory for 500 people, have a foreign investor and do really large production. But then there is no personal contact with people anymore, the stress is greater. That is why we are developing slowly.” says Wies.

And it means that each and every one of these carefully crafted wooden toys is almost guaranteed to last for multiple generations.

Furthermore, every toy comes in a very nice box or cotton bag and right now, you get little packages of seeds that will become bee-friendly flowers!

If you are interested to see more wooden toys, I am inviting you to discover these amazing alphabet blocks or Kuum.

We received samples from Wooden Story in return for this article. All words and opinion are my own.

It is clear that the world of wooden toys really took a big step over the last years. What was once a boring part of childhood is now a must have. Mostly because brands updated their image and speak to today’s parents who are looking for safe, long lasting, and good toys for their children.

And this small creative studio based here in London is definitely part of it.  Founded by lovely Iga Sielenko, she designs wooden toys, nursery decor and interior accessories for children and grown ups. All the products are non toxic and manufactured ethically using only natural and sustainable materials completely safe for the little ones.

This wooden toy brand* creates functional, ethical and sustainable wooden toys with enduring quality and minimalist design that leaves space for your child’s imagination to flourish. And it is about connecting children with natural materials, helping them discover their creativity, supporting their physical and mental development.

Let’s have a closer look at these natural and beautiful toys for little people:

Loving the balancing stones in either pastel*, earthy*, or natural*.

Probably my favourite (and we have a birthday coming up here this month!) – the wooden birthday cake*!

Iga’s biggest inspiration was the birth of her son, Orson, back in July 2014, when she discovered a whole new world. A world of toys and children’s room decor. She was also inspired by the simplicity and aesthetics of Scandinavian and Japanese design, nature, Montessori and Waldorf education.

And Iga always loved wooden toys. They remind her of very special and happy memories from her childhood.

“My toys and decor pieces are super cute and stylish. And their minimalistic designs will fit into many different interior styles and compliment any space. I put lots of love and care to each product I make and I want my designs to be enjoyed both by the parents and their little ones. “

You love the natural look? I have the key accessories for a great natural kids room as well as this haven of a children’s room that will let your heart beat faster. Promised!

*affiliate links

End of last week a big parcel was waiting for us when we got home. And inside was something that definitely deserves the title ‘Christmas came early’. A stylish wooden doll house.

It was quickly assembled and immediately taken over by the girls. The house has a good size (L 81 x W 60 x H 29.5cm) and it is easy for more than one person to play with it. Perfect for us. And with the four floors there is lots to do too!

The Dollhouse from Petite Amélie is beautifully designed with neutral tones and natural wood. The white, grey and black tones make it possible to have it anywhere in your home. A true eyecatcher and such a heirloom toy!

The house we received is called La Maison d’Amélie and it comes with a 19-piece wooden doll house furniture set which you can buy separately as well. And the cupboard doors and drawers actually open and the beds are made up with blankets. Plus, a set of four wooden dolls is also available and they are gorgeous. The four dolls are made with love from solid wood and beautifully painted. A mum, dad, and two children. Altogether these accessories invite children to play, to create stories, and to bring life into the house.

Leonor now wishes that she could live in a house just like this:

The minimalist design in this grand house is so lovely to look at. Leaving even more space for your child to enter a world of fantasy and fairy-tales where all kinds of characters come alive in this imaginative wooden dollhouse world.

Therefore, if you would like to make playtime more enjoyable for your little one, these wooden dolls houses are delightful and an ideal toy for your child to play with for hours on end.

By the way, the houses are dispatched the same day if ordered before 2pm!

In collaboration with Petite Amelie who kindly send us a dolls house to review.