
Howa Wooden Shop
This is one of the best presents Tabarlow have ever received. It’s nothing short of amazing (thank you Granny and Connie). And I think it’s safe to say that I enjoy playing with it as much as they do. Possibly more so. It is definitely one of the most stylish kids’ toy shops I’ve seen (loving that chic striped awning). It doesn’t come with any of the food – you need to stock the shop (this is the bit where I went a bit mad – more of that later…), but I can point you in the right direction (it was a bit hit and miss in terms of scale and proportion, so learn from my mistakes of oversized oranges and miniture milk bottles). Anyway, it’s not just me who loves it, it’s proven to be a big hit with any kids that come to our house (of both sexes and various ages), and has turned out to be a great play-date ice-breaker (I’ve even managed to hold a whole conversation with another mum whilst four kids played happily together with it). You do need quite a bit of stuff to fill it, but it doesn’t take long, and I would recommend doing it gradually, or (like me) you will lose track of what you ordered, and get carried away (who knew wooden food could be so addictive?), and before you know it you have more wooden cupcakes than you know what to do with. After Christmas I went a little crazy, and our poor postman was knocking on our front door every day for weeks with a new mountain of boxes. Anyway, here are a few of my favourite things to get you started: the ice cream lolly stand, the tray of muffins, and the set of juice cartons, but there are plenty more where they came from. I would suggest buying the shop for a birthday present, then asking various friends and relatives to buy things to fill it (there are so many cute things to choose from, all at various prices). I have been known to spend a good 40 minutes re-merchandising the shop after Tabarlow have gone to bed (it’s strangely therapeutic actually). I’m telling you, Mary Portas has nothing on me…
£64.99 amazon.co.uk
ps: I’m so sorry for anyone who tried unsuccessfully to buy the (reduced) Caramel baby coat in my last post. For some reason, once my I had published my post, the coat then went back to it’s original, non-sale price. I have no idea why, but obviously this is incredibly frustrating. I will keep an eye on it though, and let you know if/when it gets reduced again.