Wooden Frog croak

It's hard not to love this chunky, hand-carved wooden frog. When the percussion stick (cleverly stored clamped in its mouth when not in use) is stroked over the ridges on the frog's back, it produces a surprisingly clear, realistic croaking sound. The baby is highly amused by it, my husband probably even more. Great for working on hand-eye coordination as baby tries to figure out how to make the frog croak too. And when it's not making noises, it's simply looks nice on the shelf.

We bought ours from the Horniman Museum (a wonderful place) shop, but you can find them all over. And it's nice to know that it's a Fair Trade product.

Unazukin

Plump, mysterious plastic ladies with inscrutable Mona Lisa smiles who can tell you, with a subtle nod or shake of their heads: Yes, or No. (When you press the secret button on the back.) What use you make of their talents is up to you. Quirky and cute, smooth and seamless, they look great lined up on the windowsill.

Even though I bought them for myself, they've been a great distraction toy during nappy changes for a fidgety baby. Easy for her to grip in her fist and too big for her to fit in her mouth. Plus the unpredictable nod of the head always gets her attention.

As the description puts it, “Unazukin is your good listener. She always listens to your story, with nodding, or shaking her head.” You can get them on Amazon.

House of Cards

This is something I covet, but it’s a little too dear to justify buying. We had them in a playroom at my ex-workplace, addictive to play with and lovely to look at. The cards each have a different picture from the animal, mineral, or vegetable kingdoms. They have notches cut in them so the cards are easy to interlock into a visual bonanza.

(The images are from here (UK) and here (US).)

When looking for this online (I’d seen it in the South Bank Centre’s shop), I learned to my surprise that Ray Eames is a girl. I’d always thought Charles and Ray were two brothers.

Nuts For Life

I was lured into this new coffee and nut shop on Chiswick High Street by the enticing cupcakes on display in the window.

Cupcakes seem to be having a bit of revival. I see them all over nowadays. I had the coffee flavoured one and it was delicious, really moist. There is something about these cupcakes that make them seem grown-up, yet retain their childlike fun. Both shopgirls said that the vanilla one was their favourite, so that’s what I’ll be having next time I go.

The shop is a salad bar of nuts: raw, flavoured, roasted and coated. They also do dried fruits, muesli, cakes and coffee.

Veggy Knitted Rattle Set

These were bought before Issey was born. I thought they were very unusual and funny. I couldn’t resist getting several: Carrot, radish, pea pod, cauliflower and squash (in the wash).

Issey plays with them regularly now, especially since she started shaking anything that rattles. They are soft and nice to handle and easy to keep clean, just pop them in the wash with baby's clothes.

Available from Urchin.

Bowlerman Mobile

I saw this charming mobile when I visited a friend, who bought hers at the Surreal Things exhibition at the V&A Museum.

Unfortunately the exhibition was over and their shop no longer stocked it, but I did find the manufacturer after much creative googling at Flensted – a Danish family firm that has been making mobiles for over 50 years. They have some truly lovely stuff. I ordered mine from Danish Design, together with this one, which I couldn’t resist.

Nursery rug

Another lucky find for the nursery. We have a neutral woolen carpet all over the top floors of our house, but the nursery floor needed some cheering up as it’s a very small space. I searched high and low for a rug that wasn’t overly pink or nauseatingly gender stereotyping. And hiding under my nose all this time was this little gem on the John Lewis website. It is just the right size, very pretty and has a lovely feel to the toes when you walk over it. I think it ties the room together nicely.

Snowman Milk Jug

I loved this little milk jug the moment I saw it in the Design Museum shop. An alluring liquid white and intriguing design.

I bought a matching sugar bowl, but the lid broke so now the milk jug stands alone. I quite enjoy when people aren’t sure which bit to pour the milk out of, the small hole or the big one. (Both work, but the small hole works better.)

Cuckoo Clock

This curious thing hangs on our kitchen wall. I’ve always wanted a cuckoo clock. My granny had one in her farmhouse and I have a very early memory of spending whole afternoons waiting for the cuckoo to come out. I remember that feeling of time passing so slowly and what was probably only a few minutes feeling like an eternity. Childhood seems to be all about anticipation.

Unfortunately my granny’s clock was lost after she died, but this one comes from my husband’s side of the family. It belonged to an eccentric aunt, who never married but kept a menagerie in her house. She bought it in Switzerland, many years ago. After she died it stayed packed away in a cardboard box under a bed for over 10 years before it made its way to me.

I had it put back together and serviced at the London Antique Clock Centre. It runs very well, but needs winding at least twice a day. I found information about setting and maintaining the clock here.

I love the atmosphere it creates, with the constant tick-tock-tick-tock in the kitchen, and occasionally the cuckoo calling. (It seems loud at first but it quickly fades into the background.) You can find clocks like these for sale all over, new ones and old ones …and especially in Swiss souvenir shops of course.

Here are some funny modern ones that might suit a kids' room, but probably too noisy for a nursery.

Coffee Grinder

We had a coffee grinder just like this (only with a different picture) when I was growing up. Coffee was a big thing in our house and it still is. I was visiting an old friend in Haarlem, the Netherlands when I saw he had one on his kitchen wall. I couldn't contain my nostalgia, I simply had to have one. He explained that they could be bought second-hand on the markets and promised to pick one up for me at the next Koninginnedag.

It's made out of porcelain with a wooden lid and glass jar to catch the grinds. The handle has a wooden knob too. I know its possible to get replacement glass (and perspex) jars as I had to get hold of one for my dad a couple of years ago. I couldn''t find any useful links then or now, but I remember calling the Douwe Egberts head office in the Netherlands and they were very helpful.

Nothing beats a coffee made with freshly ground beans. Plus the grinder has a gauge at the back so you can control how fine the coffee is ground, depending on how you plan to filter it. (We either use a cafetière, a stovetop espresso maker, or most frequently, a one-cup filter — the kind that sits on top of the cup — that you can buy at Whittard.)

Handmade Cat Doll

I bought this for the nursery before Issey was born. You can find the most amazing handmade toys on the internet these days. I am very inspired by Loobylu and her softies (I think she played a major role in popularising the trend), and the softies for sale on sites like Etsy. I found this little doll at Bettyjoy.

She’s fragile and not for playing with, just for looking pretty on a shelf or windowsill. I love that little smile and her apricot fuzziness.

Bell Ring

Just before Christmas, I came across this little ring covered with shimmery jingly bells in the treasure trove that is the V&A gift shop. It’s a dangerous shop at the best of times, but much more so just before Christmas when they fill up with little things for stocking fillers and the most inventive and unusual tree decorations.

This little trinket saved a long bus ride home by keeping Issey amused. It’s not suitable for her to play with and quite fragile, so I had to keep it out of her reach.

Pink Panther Music Box

I found this little treasure in Paris some time ago when we were rushing to find the kitchenware shop E. Dehillerin. It was in a shop window full of curiosities that caught my eye and after the kitchenware we came back to browse. The naked music boxes charmed me instantly – the only difficulty was deciding on which song to get. But there’s something about the Pink Panther theme and the clear plinky plonky sound that is just made for each other.

I love the fact that it’s unadorned: the exposed machinery looks beautiful, and it’s fun to be able to control the music’s speed as you turn the little handle. The sound is amplified when you hold the music box against a flat, resonant surface like a table or cupboard. Little kids love it.

Looking for music boxes online while writing this, I found this wonderful music box that plays happy birthday and comes with a blank score and a punch so you can compose your own tune. I’d love to make a special tune for my sweetie.