Welcometo the first issue of LMNOP. It’s been a mad rush to get

this out to you before Christmas! But hopefully you’ll

still find it relevant and useful in time for the holidays.

I am constantly frustrated by the lack of choice in the

toy department, at the bookstore etc. And am always

seeking out new finds for my son’s toy cabinet or book

shelf. Everyone pretty much stocks the same old, same

old. But when you find the perfect piece and your child

LOVES IT, you’re glad for all the research that you did

and all the trouble that you went through to get it.

Not to mention sometimes the cost! We’ve got some

great Christmas gift ideas to share with you on page 5.

I hope you’ll be inspired to shop further than your local

toy store in order to find some unique presents.

After searching for many years, I finally found an Advent

Calendar I liked last week. A wooden calendar box

which houses 24 cabinets. When opened, each reveals

a small shelf perfect for hiding small treats in. My son

Riley started finding these ‘Christmas fairy’ offerings

a couple of days ago. His delight each morning is a

sight to behold and we now have a new MacPherson

holiday tradition. It’s so fun to make Christmas magical

for your kids – and it can be easy too!

We hope you enjoy LMNOP. Please send it along to

your friends and don’t forget to subscribe to our next

issue by visiting www.lmnop.com.au

Our next issue will be full of a lot more content and

feature stories so you can laugh, make, nurture,

organise and play!

Wishing you and your families a safe and happy holiday.

Jenny Lacey

Editor

The best

way to see

LA with

the kids!

pg 6

Shopping for the perfect

holiday gifts? LMNOP has

done your homework for you.

pg 5

21 HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAS

oThe best

online finds

this Christmas.

pg 8

This charming Danish

Advent Calendar will

help you count the

sleeps till Christmas.

pg 15

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

lmnopLAUGH • MAKE • NURTURE • ORGANISE • PLAY

Riley & Claudia in Chicago Photographed by Ian MacPherson lmnop.com.au

© 2008 LMNOP ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR PART WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED.

ODDS AND ENDS

Kids in the house

Good-old-fashioned make believe and a child’s innate

need to interact with simple, natural toys and crafts is

what Magic Cabin believe in.

The words “batteries not included” don’t appear in this

catalogue simply because their toys are “kid-powered.”

Magic Cabin carefully select products that are beautiful

and enchanting, sturdy and safe. Best of all their toys

are fun and affordable! Shipping to Australia available.

www.magiccabin.com

The Sydney Opera House have a great new season planned for 2008! These increasingly popular performances for children and their families can be difficult to get tickets for. So make sure you hear about them first by subscribing to Inhouse, Sydney Opera House e-news at Sydneyoperahouse.com and register for their launch announcement!

Large Cable Car Kit, page 75

Item #829099, US$24.98CHECK OUT:

AIR MAIL TOYS

The mailman’s here! Lots of writing fun and imaginative play from the popular toy company HABA. A must for any 5-year-old stationery enthusiast.

Kinder Post, $54.95, HABA, peanutgallery.com.au

Once you shop for holiday cards at

MOMA’s online store, you’ll never buy

them anywhere else again! Every year

contemporary artists and designers

are invited to let their imaginations

run wild! The Museum of Modern Art

produces the best ones — needless to

say the designs are second to none.

AND are a gift in themselves when

posted with a holiday greeting. You can

pick up bargains when you purchase

boxed sets in January on sale.

Gingerbread House, 8 cards & sticker

sheets for US$18.95, Mary Beth Cryan

for MOMA, momastore.org

ALL ABOARDThis unique candy train makes a great birthday

cake for boys OR girls. Each carriage is adorned

with candies flown in from the USA. FROST will

make you one for your next party. Order well in

advance though! This popular bakery books out

fast. $120. For enquiries call 0418 651 201.

GOOD ENOUGH TO READ!

HOLIDAY POST

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Christmas CrocHOMEMADE STOCKINGS

What household doesn’t have Crocs these days? Grab a pair and fill them with small gifts and candies reserved for traditional stockings. Placed at the end of the bed, they’ll be a wonderful surprise for your little one on Christmas morning.

Crocs shoes, $39.99, Rebel Sport. Maileg toy soldier finger puppet, $8.95, Quintessence, 02 9967 8099. Christmas wooden stamp, $1.20, Everything Home, Wynard Station. All other items, stylist’s own.

Photographed by IAN MACPHERSON

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MILK AND COOKIES

Don’t leave Santa boring biscuits this year! These adorable hand-made gingerbread cookies are sure to bring a smile to his face.

Santa and Stocking Ted gingerbread cookie, $7.20, Vicki’s Bickies, 03 9528 6888. Vintage glass and plate, stylist’s own.

Photographed by IAN MACPHERSONMidnight snack

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PLAY

DIY CHRISTMAS CARDS

These Christmas stencil cards will make festive drawing easy for any age. Over 20 simple shapes to help create your own cards, and garlands.

Usborne, $15 Readings, 03 9525 3852

MAKING BRUSHING FUN

Wooden tooth brushing timer. Perfect for the kid who has everything!

Zahnputz Uhr, $19.95 Home & Abroad, 03 9821 5144

SPINOSAURUS & STEGOSAURUS PALS

These beautifully crafted, maple wood dinos are hand-painted using non-toxic water based paints. No sharp edges. And they’re resistant to baby saliva too! Holztiger also make farm animals, and creatures of the sea! If you love wooden toys start collecting now!

Holztiger, from US$11.99 moolka.com

BACKPACK CRAYONS

She certainly is the girl of the moment! Dora crayons will make great stocking fillers for budding artists and Dora fans.

Playworks, $2.99 Woolworths Supermarkets

TAPE ANYONE?

Another great addition to your craft cupboard. These designer rolls of tape make 3M sticky look drab. Lots of colourful designs to choose from.

Smiggle, small 95c, large $2.50 Smiggle 03 9827 5552

Looking for something different this Christmas? LMNOP has done your holiday homework for you.

IT’S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL

5 different children of the world themed stencils, designed in France by Regis Lejonic, each

measuring 20 x 20 cm.

Djeco, US$7.59 moolka.com

Photographed by IAN MACPHERSON

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FUN LEARNING

Kumon workbooks help children develop fine motor skills and pencil control through colouring, folding, pasting, and cutting paper. Filled with lots of wonderful illustrations and activities, these workbooks have titles like Let’s Cut Paper, and Let’s Fold. Grab them now, because once the word is out, even Amazon will be sold out!

Kumon, US$5.95 – US$6.95 amazon.com PL

AY

ALL THAT GLITTERS

Add a little sparkle to your Christmas craft! The kids will love these easy-to-shake jars. Sprinkle a little or sprinkle A LOT! Glitter shown in Blue Topaz, Aquamarine Crystal and Garnet.

Martha Stewart, US$4.99 marthastewartcrafts.com

HOT AIR

This floating ball game is guaranteed to delight everyone over the holidays. Who’ll be able to blow on the wooden pipe the longest?

Schylling, $8.95 peanutgallery.com.au

PUZZLING BLOCKS

Building blocks with a built-in puzzle!

HABA, US$11.39 moolka.com

ANIMALS IN MOTION

What’s all the commotion? This stunning book uses the art of Scanimation to introduce kids to motion. A horse in full gallop and a turtle swimming up the page! There’s a dog running and cheeky monkeys swinging from trees. Impossible not to flip these pages again, and again...

By Rufus Butler Seder, $19.99 Dymocks bookstore

Text by JENNY LACEY

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These days LA has become a place to pass through – in transit, on your way to somewhere else. But as we discovered, Los Angeles is a great town to have a family getaway, and Hollywood never looked this good.

LA storyPhotographed by IAN MACPHERSON

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I was a little nervous when it came to planning a three-day lay over in LA

for myself, my husband and our toddler son. Three very different agendas

— how was this ever going to work? But after doing a little research, I soon

realised that there was a way we could all get to enjoy this glitzy town.

With some careful planning and much negotiation, this is where we went ...

Text by JENNY LACEYEat Out

Sprinkles Cupcakes9635 Little Santa Monica Blvd phone: 310 274 8765 www.sprinklescupcakes.com

This world-famous bakery makes the best vanilla cupcake on earth. Don’t forget to take home a couple of Sprinkles Cupcake mixes for the poor folks back home! Be prepared for queues. Although we do recommend waiting.

Twenty Five Degrees9635 Little Santa Monica Blvd phone: 323 785 7244 www.25degreesrestaurant.com

A 50’s truck stop dinner meets French boudoir! Located on the Hollywood Boulevard entranceto the famed Roosevelt Hotel, 25

Degrees (the name refers to the temperature difference between a medium rare and well done burger) is LA’s hottest burger joint. Try the house special, Number one.

Tart at Farmer’s Daughter Hotel 115 South Fairfax Avenue phone: 323 937 3930 www.farmersdaughterhotel.com

Before you head to The Grove, located directly across the street is Tart, a country cool, ranch-style restaurant where you can fuel up on flapjacks and French toast stuffed with mascarpone and fruit compote.

Stay

Maison 140 140 South Lasky Drive, Beverly Hills phone: 310 281 4000 www.maison140beverlyhills.com

With so much to see and do, you’ll have to extend your transit stop to accomodate a whirlwind tour of Los Angeles. This family-friendly city does in fact cater for little superstars and their parents. Here’s some places where you can all have fun.

Paper Source9460 Brighton WayBeverly Hills, CA 90210310 288 9700, www.paper-source.com

Paper Source is the premiere seller of fine, handmade papers from around the world. Stock up on stationery, rubber stamps, kits and projects, calendars and gifts, and lots, lots more. You’ll need a whole day to yourself, if you’re going to visit this store. Oh, and another suitcase! Paper Source now ships to Australia though – in case you don’t get the time to visit.

Shopping

The Grove189 The Grove Drive, Los Angeles 888 315 8883, www.thegrovela.com

This outdoor shopping mall is a terrific place to entertain the kids while you shop. Ride the trolley, watch a concert in the park and have an ice cream. All the must-see stores – BabyGap, Pottery Barn Kids, Kiehl’s. And if your visiting during the holiday season, don’t miss The Grove’s famous fountain dancing to special holiday tunes. See snow flurry across First Street, nightly at 7pm and 8pm.

Playground

Roxbury Park 471 South Roxbury Drive, Beverly Hills

When your toddler has a meltdown on Rodeo Drive, it’s time to head to the best playground in Beverly Hills for some time out! No need to stop by the hotel for sunscreen. There’s plenty of prepared nannies on hand at Roxbury Park.

Sprinkles Cupcakes to go

Sleeping arrangements at Maison 140

Tart

Maison 140

Paper Source

25 degrees

Roxbury Park

Christmas at The Grove

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onlinewww.babysgotstyle.com.au

Former magazine stylist Daniela Minns,

started her gorgeous online store back

in 2004 and has made it into one of

the coolest places to shop online today!

If you’re looking for something a bit

unique, fun and fabulous to dress your

bambino in and you WANT IT NOW! This

is the place for you. You’ll also find toys,

books, accessories music and DVDs.

Orders placed within Australia before

1PM EST are delivered the next business

day. How’s that for service?

www.dailycandy.com/kids/everywhere

DailyCandy Kids, is a free daily e-mail

newsletter and website. A busy, hip

mother’s guide to what’s hot, new,

and undiscovered — from kids’ fashion

and style to toddler gadgets and toys.

As useful as it is entertaining, it’s like

getting an e-mail from your clever,

unpredictable, and totally in-the-know

best (mum) friend. Sign up for your free

subscription, and you’ll always be the

first to get the latest.

www.moolka.com

Moolka sell only well-designed, well-

made brands and have an amazing

selection that you won’t find here at

home. You’ll find something for every

child at every stage of childhood and

their prices are pretty reasonable.

View their complete collection online

then send your customised gift registry

and wish lists to the grandparents.

Or, shop for gifts from Moolka’s list

of favourites. Shipping available to

Australia. Happy Shopping!

www.fatbraintoys.com

There are two types of toys in this

world. Those that make a child think,

and those that don’t. And at Fat Brain

Toys their philosophy is simple – Smarter

Toys = Smarter Kids. On their website

you’ll find thousands of unique toys,

games, and gifts that will challenge your

child’s imagination. They’ll send you

a catalogue titled Toy Times, and can

advise you over the phone or email

of the best choices for your child.

Fat Brain Toys does ship to Australia!

We LOVE this online store!

lmnop 8 lmnop.com.au

halloween in atchison street!

Join all the kids in Atchison Streetthis Halloween for trick or treat

Come as a pirate, witch or critterwith mum, dad or the babysitter

Number 107 is the place to meetat 6 o’clock on Atchison Street

If you’re staying home, you can still join in Put the balloon on your gate and we’ll come in

Expect us all after sixfor ghoulish treats or spooky tricks

So stock up on lollies for HalloweenIt’s guaranteed to be a scream

Text by JENNY LACEY Photographed by IAN MACPHERSON

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HALLOWEEN FUN

Riley leads the charge to the next house with his jack-

o-lantern treat bag.

A FRIENDLY TREAT FOR YOUR TEETH

Cover mini chup-a-chups with a small piece of cloth to make ghosts and poke into an apple.

CANDY BUFFET

Delight your guests with a

buffet of candies. Bat bags filled

with monster eggs and jack-

o-lantern Lindt balls.

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Like it or not, Halloween has been sneaking it’s way into our neighbourhoods, quietly, but with

pace over the last few years. Commonly referred to as an American holiday, it’s origins are actually

European. The Celts of northern Europe used to participate in night time parades to drive away

evil spirits. More than two thousand years later, children still love the opportunity to dress up

and parade through their neighbourhood streets. Only today, they collect treats along the way.

We decided to host a Halloween event in our street this year. Each neighbour received an invitation in the post,

and were asked to hang an orange and black balloon if they wanted to join in the fun. That way the kids knew

which houses they could approach for treats.

We received a huge response and were so surprised at the effort and enthusiasum that was displayed on the night.

Front gates were decorated with spooky spiders and friendly witches greeted children at the door with colourful

treats. It was a wonderful street party and everyone had a scream!

lmnop.com.au

SPOOKY SPIDER BOXES

These sinful sweets in clear boxes make great halloween favors. Tape party cob webs to corners and place a large confetti spider in the corner to protect his dark chocolate eggs!

EEEEEK! TREATS!

Home-made candy filled treat bags stamped with Halloween sayings. Decorated with confetti spiders and webs.

BLACK MAGIC CATS

Everyone likes a black cat. Especially on Halloween night.

WICKED WITCHES OF THE NORTH

These two friends flew in on their broom to collect their treats.

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CREEPY NEIGHBOURS!

Everyone posed for a photograph before collecting a treat.

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BEWITCHING VISITOR

This lovely toothy witch stopped by late.

TINY TRICK OR TREATERS!

These tiny treaters are ready to go! Make simple outfits from things you can find around the house like these little ones did.

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BABY GHOST

Miles and his dad joined in the fun too. Mile’s costume is a baby bath towel.

NOISY CHOCOLATE

Jack-o-lantern whistles popped into cellophane

bags, along with a few M&M’s make great treats.

GHOULISH GUYS

A little Halloween magic and a lot of imagination can create fantastic costumes.

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No ordinary colouring bookEVERYBODY’S ACTIVITY BOOK by Pascale Estellon, $39.95 Greville St Bookstore, 03 9510 3531

Translated from the French Mon premier livre d’activitiés, Pascale Estellon’s unique use of illustration and photography make this book a modern masterpiece. It’s filled with more than 120 pages of activities for kids of all ages.

Activities include: how to decorate letters, turn words into pictures, make people out of vegetables, and learn clever colouring tricks to create patterns and textures. This imaginative book comes with 6 sheets of stickers, and 10 printed pages for cutting and pasting. You’ll have to resist doing these activities yourself!

LEFTOVERS

WHAT DO YOU SAY?We teach our children to say thank you when we hand them a vegemite sandwich, but we often forget to remind them to say ‘thank you’ when they receive gifts – especially ones that arrive in the post. Sending a thank you note is easy enough to do, and is a great way to show others that we appreciate their generosity towards our children.

HOHOHO card, $6.95, for a pack of six, PaperBoy Stationery, 0418 651 201.

HOW MANY SLEEPS LEFT?

Danish company Maileg, have released a beautiful wooden Advent Calendar box this year. Charming illustrations decorate each cabinet. Each of them big enough to hold tiny treats.

Maileg, $185.00, Quintessence, 02 9967 8099

PICTURE PERFECT

Attach holiday photo stickers to your packages this year.

Kodak Gallery Stickers US$2.99 for 12, kodakgallery.com

Squeaky cleanGerman made, children’s wooden nail brushes. Choose from delightful illustrations like an octopus, and a polar bear. Small, but easy for tiny hands to hold.

$12.50 each Home & Abroad, 03 9821 5144

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SubscribeTo subscribe to LMNOP, visit our website www.lmnop.com.au and enter your

details. An online subscription is free.

AdvertiseLMNOP will be offering 1/4 page, 1/2 page and full page ad spaces in our next

issue. If you’d like to make an enquiry, contact us at advertise@lmnop.com.au

ContributeIf you think your product could be used in a LMNOP feature or fashion story

please contact us at contribute@lmnop.com.au We’d love to see it!

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