BELLIEBOO-Cool kidswear from Japan

TOTORO'S FRIEND-CAT BUS

2011-03-07T12:10:00.000-08:00

B Mirai's grandparents sent her a package with an adorable cuddly toy, the Cat bus from My Neighbour Totoro. He is really cute. It is hard to see, but there is a small white wood spirit as well as Totoro himself attached to the Cat bus. You can find Totoro toys in Magma in London, but I haven't seen the cat bus in London before. So we are very pleased to have such rare Totoro stuff. :)

P.S B Mirai wanted to display her new toy for this Bellieboo blog.

MR POSTMAN IS COMING SOON

2011-02-22T14:14:00.000-08:00

It is still freezing cold in London and I am not quite ready to shop for Spring and Summer yet. However, Bellieboo only imports a limited quantity of childrens products so it can never be too early! This long sleeve bunny top is very cute with a pink ribbon. The bow skirt has a matching long sleeve top too. I cannot wait show you all our new items.

HOLD ON TIGHT!

2011-01-12T12:49:00.000-08:00

I found this lovely wooden holder which calls Cowacca strap when I was in Tokyo last time. It looks like a rattle or a big key ring. But it is for children to hold onto. We have lots of these type of rings hanging from the ceiling on public transport in Japan, but children aren't able to reach it because they are too little. So Rina Kono designed it for children to satisfy their desire to do what grown-ups do.

I think it will be handy for when your hands are occupied with shopping bags, so your little one can stay close to you.

BAGPUSS

2011-01-06T13:57:00.000-08:00

B Mirai took a picture of her new cuddly toy, Bagpuss at Fortnum & Masons café.

We went to see Bagpuss at Soho theatre last weekend. Thanks to Sarah who came to the Bellieboo pop-up shop in Stoke Newington back in December and my husband who fixed the tickets.

It was a very cute performance, magical even, and B Mirai enjoyed it very much, especially when Emily came down to shake her hand. Bagpuss finishes on 9 January, so there is still a chance to go to see him.

We were not allowed to take pictures inside the theatre, but I did it accidentally...

GINGERBREAD HOUSE

2010-12-29T13:53:00.000-08:00

We normally go to France, Cornwall or Japan for Christmas, but we decided to stay in London this year and have a lazy holiday. (It is my 2nd Christmas in London in the last 14 years!!)

One of the things on my daughter's wish list was a Gingerbread house kit, which was great because she had something creative to do at home during our lazy holiday. It was fun decorating the house with her. If you are looking for something to do with your kids, I think they are great! And they are on sale at John Lewis as well.

B Mirai created a scene with her Gingerbread house

Mrs Dino came to see the gingerbread house and Pee Wee Herman and Miss Yvonne had too many sweets...

CHRISTMAS SALE IN STOKE NEWINGTON

2010-12-17T03:25:00.000-08:00

We had a pop up shop at Abney Hall in Stoke Newington last Saturday. It was very nice to meet people and talk to them about Bellieboo items directly. I also enjoyed exchanging information about children events over the Christmas holiday. I would like to take my daughter to the Bagpuss show at Soho Theatre.

Aki and I totally forgot to take pictures of our stall, so I asked B.Mirai to draw it for us. I think her description is pretty good!

P.S

It was great to meet Courtney from Babyccino too.

POTATO STAMPS

2010-12-06T15:22:00.000-08:00

We were not going to send any Christmas cards this year. But after we got so much snow last week, we got bored and started making the cards with potato stamps. You get a nice organic shape and texture in the print, which is lovely.

We also used glitter to decorate them too.

Potato stamps: christmas tree, star, dots and small star

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING AT LIBERTY

2010-11-21T08:01:00.000-08:00

Since my daughter B Mirai was 3 years old, we have been going shopping together for Christmas decorations. She is allowed to choose one or two decorations each year. The first year she got a bright red heart and she got two pink birds last year. Her choice this year was a gold reindeer and a sparkly star. I figured out she really loves something very BOLD. I love neutral colours, so I am worried that my decorations will clash with hers. Probably I should get her her own Christmas Tree this year.

Here is my daughter's collection

It was quite amazing that the projection could detect our movement into their image.

She had jolly good fun with that.

MISS THE BOAT

2010-11-18T14:10:00.000-08:00

I was so sad to find out that I missed the opportunity to purchase this extra specially special book, The secret garden designed by Lauren Child. It was published to celebrate Puffin's 70th anniversary in September this year. It is so gorgeous!

I wish I had known about this earlier.

Look at the details! I wonder how they produced 1000 copies of this complicated book?

BONFIRE

2010-11-09T16:12:00.000-08:00

We went to our friends' place in Epping Forest for Bonfire Night last weekend and it was great fun to see a big fire and lots of fireworks. There were so many yummy dishes, Sushi, Dahl, Apple Crumbles (this is my signature dish) and so on... As soon as Sarah was playing the violin with her son, Ben, we started dancing!

We also had lanterns and it was one of the most magical moments.

It's getting smaller and smaller...

Next morning... we had a little walk in the garden and had a breakfast in front of the bonfire.

CHARLIE BROWN-FIRST EDITION-

2010-10-24T12:50:00.000-07:00

My husband bought a hardback first edition of Charlie Brown's All Stars (1966) for our daughter from a second hand bookshop near St Martin's Lane the other day. It was very reasonable, £4.50 (a bargain!!) and in very good condition. And the story was very sweet and warm and so old that we had never even heard of some of the characters. I love the smell of old books, which make me feel a bit nostalgic.

MY NEW ACCESSORY

2010-10-22T14:11:00.000-07:00

One of my lovely friends, Mika, sent us this adorable Kasutera cupie doll from Japan, because she knew that we love Kasutera very much

If you would like to get this, then you have to go to Nagasaki! I am afraid that it is a limited edition cupie doll from this prefecture :(

A TREAT FOR BUSY BABY

2010-10-18T10:46:00.000-07:00

I love this quirky reversible bib! Okay, a plastic bib might be more practical for cleaning, but it has would have a cold and hard texture. This bib is very soft and you almost want to snuggle with it. In addition, the details are just so lovely. Look at the pom-pom and little pockets on the front. It's so cute.

RD KIDS SCREENING WITH BELLIEBOO

2010-09-27T13:41:00.000-07:00

We have been working on a couple of kids screenings with the Raindance Film Festival since June and we finally managed to get an agreement with Studio Ghibli for the screenings of My Neighbour Totoro and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind about two weeks ago. Optimum Releasing is kindly sponsoring the screening. :) (Thank you very much, Helen)

We think it will be a great opportunity for both children and adults to see these classic animated films which were last seen on the big screen in the UK in 1989. I cannot wait to see them with my family.

My Neighbour Totoro

Running time | 86 min Classification |U

Sunday 10th October at 3.45 pm in Apollo, Piccadilly Circus

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

Running time | 116 min Classification |PG

Saturday 2nd October at 2pm in Apollo, Piccadilly Circus

WYOMING DEBUT

2010-09-21T15:51:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine, Joanna sent me a lovely picture of Bellieboo bag from Wroming, USA. Bellieboo bag here's used to carry a picnic lunch in the Grand Teton mountain range. According to Joanna, just after this picture was taken a marmot almost ate the contents! I hope they are having lots of fun and making a good film out there.

JUNIOR MAGAZINE DEBUT

2010-09-15T13:57:00.000-07:00

This is very exciting for Bellieboo to be featured in Junior Magazine this month. And I would like to thank Matthew who wrote lovely things about us!

The Flower Earmuffs are going to arrive in the UK in two weeks. And some of our Autumn and Winter range is finally ready tomorrow. It has been a nightmare getting our products from Japan this time.......

Here is a close-up pic.

TOOTH FAIRY

2010-08-01T05:45:00.001-07:00

My daughter lost four teeth recently and her last one went missing while she was having a burger at our friend's garden party... She was really concerned that the tooth fairy wouldn't be able to come and give her some money... So she wrote a little note for the fairy to make sure that the fairy was going to visit her room.

We do not have a tooth fairy in Japan, so it was a totally new experience for me to be a tooth fairy (in fact my husband is the real tooth fairy). I did a little market research to find out how much a tooth fairy should give. It starts from 50 pence to 2 pounds, so we decided to give a pound. Personally I think 2 pounds is a bit too much!

In Japan, we throw teeth over the top of roof if it is a bottom tooth and we bury it in ground if it is an upper tooth. We believe that doing this encourages the new tooth to grow quickly.

TOMS FANTASTIC ART CLUB 2010

2010-07-27T06:21:00.000-07:00

We have been to Tom’s Fantastic Art Club for four years and it is always lots of fun for children to create something. This year's theme was designing a hat to match the costume. There were 18 children, aged from 1 to 13 years old and visitors are from all over the UK and sometimes from abroad too. Emski, from Shropshire, who took this lovely picture was there with her husband, Simon and her little one William.

Tom started his art club by putting some flyers up near his home which is on the edge of Epping Forest. When artist Gee Vaucher, his neighbour, saw his flyer, she was intrigued by it. Soon after that, they started organising his art club.

HIPIRA-KUN: COOL JAPANESE ANIME

2010-07-21T13:21:00.001-07:00

Bellieboo is organising a kids screening at Raindance Film Festival in London for this September. And I came across this fantastic Japanese animation, Hipira-kun. They have a lovely 3-D animation style and a cute little vampire character, Hipira.

Hipira kun was written by a well known Japanese animator and film director, Katsuhito Omoto who is a creator of Akira and illustrated by Shinji Kimura. They published the book, Hipira for children originally and it was broadcast on NHK BS3 in Japan. I love this animation very much, because it is so stylish and cutting edge.

BELLIEBOO'S COLLABORATION WITH OII DESIGN

2010-07-16T02:12:00.001-07:00

Oii Design, an online Swedish boutique got in touch with us earlier in the year and we have launched a collaboration with them this week. It is very exciting for us to see the Bellieboo range on their website.

In addition, this is one of my favorite chairs, Lamino by a Swedish designer, Yngve Ekstrom. I love this organic shape and simplicity. It's also very comfortable to sit on, especially with the stool.

BAKING DAY 2

2010-07-13T04:53:00.000-07:00

I am enjoying this cool weather at the moment, because I can bake again!

I have started baking bread frequently since I discovered Nigel Slater's focaccia recipe in 2009 . It has been a very popular dish with my family as well as our guests.

And I came across olive bread swirls from the BBC good food website the other day. It was easy to make and very tasty. We also made bunny and kangaroo shapes... Unfortunately the bunny looks as if she got a black eye. :(

BAKING DAY

2010-07-05T05:58:00.000-07:00

It has been very hot in London, but it cooled down a bit last weekend. So I decided to bake FIMO Soft Starter for my daughter. The clay needs to be baked in the oven at 110°C for 30 minutes to harden.

She made lots of creatures, a starfish, a ladybird, a turtle and so on...

But I think that her worm is the best of all. :)

FILM CLUB IN EPPING FOREST

2010-06-28T04:05:00.000-07:00

We have been going to our film club since New Year's Eve 2008. It is always great fun to go to our friends' place in Epping Forest, especially in the summer time. There is a screening room for grown-ups and a screening room for kids, but we had a joint screening in the garden yesterday which was fantastic. The films we see are quite a broad selection from Hollywood to the avant-garde.

This is one of the most popular chairs in the garden.

Belle is playing with bells. They made beautiful sounds.

The little path takes you to the pond where I saw a beautiful water lily.

SPECIAL DELIVERY FROM TOWNHOUSE GOODS

2010-06-20T08:59:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Reina sent me a lovely crochet bunting saying: BELLIEBOO.

Reina from Townhouse Goods does handmade crochet goods like brooches, blankets, personalised bunting and so on... Take a look at her work. It's beautiful!

BELLIEBOO LIKES THEM!

2010-06-10T04:44:00.001-07:00

When I came across this Japanese fashion label, おしゃれほんぽう, I just loved their design so much, it is so bold and fresh. They are on the Bellieboo top 10 wish list.

Picture above: 金魚／Gold fish

Picture above:だるま/Daruma

HOTTO CAKE

2010-06-01T00:26:00.000-07:00

As we were having a lazy bank holiday weekend, I fixed some lovely HOT CAKES which I bought at the Japan Centre in Piccadilly circus. I always found it tricky to put the right amount of baking powder and flour. This is a great solution to my problem. It was so tasty. I will take a picture of my HOT CAKES next time when I make them again.

TOYS DANCE THE CHA CHA CHA 02: WOOF WOOF CASTANET

2010-05-19T08:14:00.000-07:00

This is the one of the cutest animal castanets I've ever seen. I wish I had bought two of them, because my daughter loves flamenco dance recently. Hmmm... A dog and flamenco might not be a good combination...

TOYS DANCE THE CHA CHA CHA 01

2010-05-15T14:48:00.000-07:00

When I was tidying up my daughter's room this morning, I found her Japanese vehicles in her toy box. She used to be obsessed with cars, trains and Bob the builder, but not any more... She loves Star Wars and Princess Belle instead.

Anyway I though that they are amazing. I love the detail and cuteness.

This is a Ramen Truck (Ramen no Yatai in Japanese) where you can have a nice hot Ramen, Gyoza and so on... Japanese businessmen tend to go there to have a snack after a drink.

I used to see this sort of mobile grocery shop when I was in Japan, but I am not sure that they still exist. I must find out when I go back this summer.

CHUN CHUN BIRD FROM 1999

2010-05-10T14:43:00.000-07:00

I found the original artwork of a Chun Chun bird from 1999. Sadly my drawing skills have not improved much since then...

OOPS! I FORGOT TO PUT THESE UP

2010-05-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

The Chun Chun bird was nesting in a bubble at Kids Modern Show.

We were told that we could have a space at Kids Modern Show four days before the show so we did not have enough time to prepare the display... but hey, we had brilliant staff to make it work.

B Mirai and Aki were fantastic. Hoa and Domo were also helping us too. Minasan arigato!

B Mirai and Florence became good friends during the show and they were playing with Noodolle's toy. Thanks, Yiying for taking such a good picture of them!

BELLIEBOO MEETS PETRA BOASE

2010-04-27T17:07:00.000-07:00

I finally managed to upload this fantastic movie.

Kids had a lovely time at Kids Modern Show.

TEA FOR TWO?

2010-04-18T14:13:00.000-07:00

I used to serve real food with my toy plates and pans when I was little. And I did it again today to recreate a high tea in a Bellieboo way.

BELLIEBOO SHOP

2010-04-05T15:54:00.000-07:00

Mrs Pyon Pyon has a new customer, Mrs Dino. A very heart warming story by BELLIEBOO.

HAPPY EASTER!

2010-04-03T03:42:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter to you all from Bellieboo. We are running our business as usual.

WORKSHOP AT ROH-GIRL'S DREAM

2010-03-29T13:51:00.000-07:00

There were too many choices. I tried on the Swan Lake hat, Sleeping Beauty crown and so on. It was really a kids event, but I had a jolly good time myself.

ARIGATO GOZAIMASHITA

2010-03-28T14:18:00.000-07:00

Bon voyage!

Merci, Arigato and Thank you. I believe that Okyaku sama ha Kamisama desu.

K A S U T E R A- YUM YUM

2010-03-26T10:04:00.000-07:00

It was a lovely treat from Japan. Arigato- Obachama!

Kasutera is sooooo good.

NEW STAMPS ARRIVED

2010-03-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

Top picture: An alien with wings...

Bottom picture: Puffin drawing (can you see the stripes on the beak?) with one of our new stamps!

BELLIEBOO ECO BAG - BRAG'S STUDIO

2010-03-19T14:51:00.000-07:00

It was a great studio with lots of inspirational things around.

Oh yes, there were many unicorns.

I was a happy to see the bag too.

CAMOUFLAGE HARNESS

2010-01-29T14:31:00.001-08:00

The cool harness from Japan!

It is definitely for an urban toddler.