TIME OUT LISBOA

A edição de compras de Natal da revista Time Out Lisboa, já nas bancas, vem com um dos nossos bonecos... O One of a Kind #2, disponível na loja alfacinha Paris-Sete.

The Xmas shopping edition of Time Out Lisbon has included one of our soft toys... One of a Kind #2, available at lisboan design shop Paris-Sete.

( Texto de Iolanda Mealha; Imagem por Time Out )

CASA RUIM

Já com cheirinho a Natal, os nossos bonecos mudaram-se para uma nova casa... A Casa Ruim.
Localizado em Torres Vedras, neste lindíssimo espaço podem encontrar-se os mais variados objectos, como coleccionáveis livros (entre eles os portugueses Planeta Tangerina) e outros deliciosos artigos de autor.

Funcionando igualmente como Atelier para as áreas criativas (design, ilustração, pós-produção de vídeo e webdesign), esta casa bem-humorada encontra-se de portas abertas a dois passos de Lisboa.
A visitar!

Casa Ruim, Rua Almirante Gago Coutinho 4 B/C, 2560-303 Torres Vedras


( Texto de Iolanda Mealha, Imagem por Casa Ruim )

MY FAVOURITE THINGS

 
Such a beautiful short film we had to share... 
Have a lovely weekend, filled with lots of your favourite things! :)  

( Written by Lola )

IN THE PRESS

We're excited our new Fauna cushions, by way of the 'Dachshund' one, have made an appearance in the June edition of deco magazine Caras Decoração, where they're described as 'full of colour and the characteristic charm of La Maison de Lola'!

Our soft toys have also been blogged, via Little Catwalk, by You Lool So Fine, a kids fashion design consultancy based in Verona who also has the most gorgeous website.

( Written and Photographed by Lola )

NEW: FAUNA CUSHIONS

We ♥ our new cushions... Inspired by nature and so decorative, they come in two designs and mesure 45x30 cms (18 by 12 inches).

'Adelie', which features two Adélie penguins and a blooming heart on a dotty print, is available in beautiful colours such as grass green, black, hot pink, lime, peacock and pistachio, and 'Dachshund', featuring a wiener dog, plays up the most gorgeous earthy colours like ginger, rust, chocolate, latte, yellow and peach.

Both are shipped with stuffer.

Recently, the 'Dachshund' cushion has made an appearance - along with Ms Oink - on a lovely new blog called Miyo Wada Wants. Check it out here.

( Written by Lola, Photographed by Álvaro )

AGITATTO

Recently launched and based in Switzerland, Agitatto is an online gallery dedicated to bringing the best of the international creative scene to all lovers of fine art.
Showcasing the works of artists and delivering them worldwide, among others Agitatto represents Whitney McVeigh and Connie Noyes (painting), Daniel Weisser and André Wagner (photography), and Conor Wilson and Matt Chivers (sculpture).

Besides art, it also boasts a book store and a design one, where besides our soft toys, you can find other design objects such as Hulger's phones and Vitamin's modern plant pots.

( Written by Lola )

IN THE PRESS

I've been working lately on making a few changes to our website, adding some new lovely products (quite soon now!), and changing a few bits and bobs in the overall look, so although we've been having quite a few press articles, i haven't been able to write about it here or add it to our in the press pages.

So, as i daydream of having a little more time to keep everything updated, here's one of our latest features to hit the newsstands, in portuguese deco magazine Caras Decoração.

Shown alongside the lovely Wooden Dolls by Alexander Girard (we're big fans), our soft toys couldn't be in better company.

( Written and Photographed by Lola )

ROOM EMBELLISHMENT

The Rug Company is known for making the most fantastic rugs, like the ones from Neisha Crossland, Vivienne Westwood, Diane von Furstenberg, and Paul Smith (as pictured above), but besides the newly released capsule collection by Alice Temperley, we're loving their wallhangings, which are the perfect solution to embellish one's walls in a truly fun and tactile way.

Besides the ironic and floral 'Jubilee' designed by Lucinda Chambers, for kids we love the zoologic 'Ark' by Paul Smith, in which Noah's Ark is portrayed in a colourful needlepoint wallhanging.

( Written by Álvaro, Photo courtesy of The Rug Company )

A SHOT OF COLOUR

I love notebooks... Apart from their obvious practicality, when beautifully made, they are a pleasure to own and flick through from time to time.
As the beginning of the year is the ideal time to renew one's stock, i love these by Orla Kiely, which having her signature colours and prints, are definitely smile inducing.

Containing 128 off-white ruled pages and being perfectly sized for a handbag, like a bunch of flowers in the home, or an uplifting scent, they're the perfect antidote for handbag depression.

Besides the bags, clothing line, stationery and homewares, the irish designer has teamed up with Target, so if you're in the US, an exclusive line of Kiely's homewares will be available at Target stores from the 15th February.

( Written by Lola, Stills courtesy of Orla Kiely )

OLD SCHOOL PLAY

In a world full of poorly made mass produced toys, we're happy to see brands like TobeUs are doing an effort to present children with well made, life lasting ones.

Taking inspiration from old school toys, which were passed from generation to generation, the lovely wooden car collection stands out not only by the grain and unique aroma of the lebanese cedar in which it's made, but also by its simple and sturdy design.

Handmade in Italy, the cars are available in five different models and can be found in several shops worldwide.

( Written by Álvaro, Photographed by Lola )

THE CAT'S MEOW

We're excited to announce our soft toys are now available from Little Catwalk, the recently launched online children's boutique for everything lovely and sweet.

Based in Spain, besides our creations, this yummy mummy's dream of an online retailer also stocks desirable clothing items from Caramel Baby and Child, Antik Batik, Little Paul & Joe and Tammy Donohoe's, plus kiddie-friendly accessories such as Kidsonroof eco doll's houses, and Child Child Chair award-winning table and chairs combo.

Check it out and fall in love whether you're a parent or not... the items on offer are that cute.

( Written by Lola, Photos courtesy of Little Catwalk )

MILK + NÓMADA

Our latest creations, Ms Honeysuckle and Mr Moustachio I, have appeared on the lovely website of children's lifestyle magazine Milk.

You can read the full article here.

Also in the news is the opening of portuguese designer Alexandra Moura's guerrilla shop, 'Nómada', where besides her designs, you'll be able to find our soft toys, Boa Boca gourmet products, A Vida Portuguesa trad re-editions, and fellow fashion designers Ana Salazar and Dino Alves creations, among others.

This guerrilla shop, a first of many, is open from today until 17th August, on Av. 25 de Abril, loja D, Figueira da Foz, so if in the neighbourhood, don't forget to drop by.

( Written & Photographed by Lola )

FABLE GALORE

Designed by Enzo Mari in 1965, The Fable Game is a great way to stimulate kids imagination. Composed by six colourful cards full of all things fairy taily, from animals and trees to an umbrella and a big boot, this lovely game is a pure aesthetic delight and promisses hours of great fun. Edited by Edizioni Corraini from Italy, The Fable Game makes it possible for children to make up stories by changing the position of the cards and therefore create countless variations and tales.

( Written and Photographed by Álvaro )

LITTLE PRINT

Reading is one of life's greatest pleasures, and although it's what's inside that truly matters, we cannot help ourselves but to also judge a book by its cover.
Introducing some of the most famous works to young readers, Penguin's Puffin Classics are a great way to indulge the little ones in the healthy habit of reading.
Besides showcasing titles such as, among others, 'The Wind in the Willows', 'Alice´s Adventures in Wonderland', 'Little Women' and 'The Secret Garden' (pictured here), these 2008 relaunches are also rather beautiful to look at, making the overall experience of reading, besides educational, truly a thing of beauty.

( Written by Lola )

SECRET CRUSH

Our soft toys have been featured in the Dubai edition of Time Out, in a feature called 'Secret Crush', where some of our Creatures, such as Ms Chimp (pictured here), Mr Grizzly, Mr Bunny and Ms A. Lee Anne get special attention.

You can read the article here, and shop our collection here.

( Written and Photographed by Lola )

IN UNIBANCO MAGAZINE

Recently our little guys were featured in the bi-monthly magazine Unibanco, in a very amusing three-page article where our soft toys took centre stage.

You can read the full story here.

( Written by Álvaro, Photographed by Lola )

EN CASTELLANO

Our soft toys have recently been featured in two spanish speaking magazines: Guía del Niño (a children's magazine from Spain), and + Decoracion (a design and architecture publication from Chile), where they're kindly described as lovely and humorous.

You can see other press clippings here.

( Written and Photographed by Lola )

ECO CONTENT

We all know that having a chaotic and stressful lifestyle isn't good for you. There's no denying it.
We also know that whenever possible we should eat organic, fairtrade and (in an ideal world we would all be) vegetarian.We're also aware of harmful chemicals in everyday products... Not only the supermarket kind (which besides being in the large majority cruelly tested on animals, are also dangerous chemical cocktails) but also some mainstream luxury natural brands who appear more eco fill their products with parabens and other harmful chemicals.

I've been a vegetarian since i was 15, and having recently turned 30, i'm everyday more aware of what my actions may result in the greater picture.I always take the holistic approach in life, and being an health and beauty junkie, for me it's an absolute must to use products which aren't tested on animals. Then i look for something which is made from natural ingredients, preferably organic, and aren't packed full with the aforementioned chemicals. And at the end the day, i still have to enjoy the product's texture, smell (or lack of it), and the end result on my skin and hair...

Because it's a hard task to pick your favourites from the jumble of ethical and non-ethical brands, Content, in London's Marylebone, is an eco-luxury boutique filled with some of the best all-natural beauty and wellbeing products on offer.The owner, Imelda Burke, has researched for 2 years for brands which are Soil Association Certified, Ecocert approved, carbon neutral, and free of animal testing, parabens, petrochemicals, phthalates, SLS, synthetic fragrances and further 25 commonly used synthetic chemicals.

Far from the hippie look that unfortunately is often associated with green issues, it's a glamorous black space with beautiful vintage furniture and an array of exquisite brands such as Suki, Ila, Dr Hauschka, Jo Wood Organics, Suzanne aux Bains, Baby Bear Shop, Stem Organics, Pure Potions, John Masters Organics haircare, Tea and Philosophy teas, Postlethwaite's tinctures, Tsi-La 100% natural fragrances, and the delightful nail polish range from Butter London, which is totally free from Formaldehyde, Toluene and DBP.

Catering for all the family, you'll find products for the smallest and the most senior members, so shop online or, if in the neighbourhood, drop by. Let's make Earth Day every single day.

CONTENT Beauty Wellbeing at 14 Bulstrode St., Marylebone

( Written by Lola, Photos courtesy of Content )

PLY & PLAY

Designed by Charles & Ray Eames in the mid-forties, the Children's Chair and Stool are absolute favourites in terms of seating for the little ones. Like other pieces that the Eames created for children (the Plywood Elephant is just an example), this set of chair and stool is made out of moulded plywood, a technic that the coupled used in some of their most renowned furniture classics.
Available in natural maple or in red, the Children's Chair and Stool will certainly give hours of good clean fun.

( Written by Álvaro, Photographed by Lola )

IN VISÃO

Our newest characters, Ms Honeysuckle and Mr Moustachio I, have made an appearance in Visão, a portuguese weekly magazine, in a lovely feature where you can read:

'She is passionate about bingo, flowers, cricket and picnics; he's a romantic aristocrat wannabe with a very blond imperial moustache, who loves history and philately. Ms Honeysuckle and Mr Moustachio I are sweethearts and the most recent creations of La Maison de Lola. Designed by Iolanda Mealha and handmade from wool fabric and felt, they retail for €40 at www.lamaisondelola.com, and also at Paris-Sete Concept, in Lisbon'.

You can see other press articles here.

( Written and Photographed by Lola )