Favourite things - for the child and childlike

Author George MacDonald once said, "I do not write for children, but for the childlike, whether of five, or fifty, or seventy-five." Isn't that a lovely statement? As a person who is closer to fifty than five but clearly still rather immature, it is nice to know MacDonald was writing for me. I have been trying not to flood this blog with overkill about the pending arrival of Baby B. But, today, I have indulged in some treats. Not for children, necessarily, but for the childlike among us. Happy Friday.

1. Yarn trail Jordan from Oh Happy Day made this yarn trail for a children's party, an idea I totally plan to copy for Baby B in a few years' time. But I think it has the potential for so many other lovely applications. Like a path to a romantic dinner. Or an interactive art installation in a park. Or a surprise party for a friend. What would you do?

2. Flying people Pretty much every child I know would love to imagine themselves gently sailing skyward clinging to a big balloon. So this is another idea I'll chalk up for future birthday parties. But the original idea was from a wedding, and I can imagine it working for so many other occasions. I first saw it on Happiness Is, then followed the link to this tutorial.

3. Edible crayons Behold: crayons that draw just like normal crayons, but are completely safe and edible. The base is made from ingredients like freeze-dried corn, peanuts, bee pollen and dried bananas. A mixture of healthy nuts, seeds, dried vegetables and fruits is used to create the different colours. I'm ready to place my order. Dear Luxirare, I wish to order one for baby, and a couple of boxes for the grownup pantry. Seen first on this fab blog.

4. Bedroom decor When I saw this post on Etsy I had an "Oh, swoon" moment. It's a "get the look" shoot like the ones you usually see in fashion magazines. (You know, those Celebrity-X-was-seen-walking-through-Tribeca-looking-glamorous-and-if-you-just-buy-this-list-of-items-from-Target-you-can-look-the-same pages?) I don't like those. But this is altogether different. It's a guide to decorating children's bedrooms to reflect their personalities. Though I confess I look at these and think, what about my bedroom? (The two shown here are "The artist" on the left and "The bookworm" on the right.)

5. Puffed pancakes Growing up, special treat breakfasts in our family were always croissants (warm from the oven and sweetened with jam), and French crepes (smothered in lemon juice, sprinkled with sugar, then rolled up). Both of these foods still say "celebration" to me. I'll definitely be keeping this tradition going for Baby B, but I'm also putting these puffed pancakes on the party list. They just look like a celebration, don't you think?