Taking the time to show children how to look after their shoes from a young age helps teach them that everything benefits from a little love & care. When looking after natural leather products a few easy steps can not only make the leather look great, but also prolong its life.

All Bobux shoe lining and uppers are made of 100% natural leather. Leather is chosen for its softness, durability and breathability keeping little feet comfortable. As leather is a natural material, it does need to be nourished and protected, much like your own skin!

We have just launched a new page on our website “love your Bobux…“ dedicated to the care of your little ones Bobux shoes. It contains lots of handy information and tips which can not only be applied to Bobux, but all leather products… even grown up ones:)

Check it out now!….bobux.com/loveyourbobux.

The start of a new year is a great time to check the fit of the shoes in your house! Children’s feet grow quickly therefore the fit of their shoes should be checked every couple of weeks.

Remember… To make sure your child isn’t scrunching their toes, lightly press the toes with one hand while you check the toe room with the other hand. As you can see on the right, if toes are scrunched it can give the illusion of space which results in squashed toes. Your child’s toes should never be touching the end of the shoe, if so it is time for a bigger size!

It is hard to believe that this year is nearly over. However there is no reason to be sad, actually quite the contrary. Cheerful days are ahead, which shall celebrate the end of the year and bring families even closer: It’s Christmas time!

For some, this time of the year starts when winter begins, while in other places midsummer prevails. Christmas is one of these celebrations that would be hard to imagine without the typical customs. As I have been suggested to write an article about Xmas customs in Germany I was pleased since I could not be further away, putting me in the ideal position to compare Europe and Oceania regarding their festive traditions.

History of Christmas celebration

There are various aspects, which over time have formed conventions that are essential for a successful Christmas in Germany. The holiday is 25th December, which actually begins on the previous evening, Christmas Eve. In many states, such as Germany and Austria, it is a legally protected holiday, and depending on the state may also embrace the 26^th of December. For Christians nowadays Christmas is a family celebration with the mutual giving of presents. Martin Luther was the one to spread this, as an alternative to Nikolaus gifts, in order to guide the attention of the children on Christ rather than the worship of saints. Most of the following customs did not start until the 19^th century, developed by citizen families that are now common to society.

So what exactly are the typical German customs for Christmas?

The decorated Xmas-tree definitely plays a major role. This is where the days before are spent as well as the actual celebration day. Usually families gather and place gifts under the tree. Depending on how strong a family’s religious influence is, they may also pay a visit to a church service or gather around to sing Christmas carols.

In Germany there are Xmas markets starting from middle of November until end of the Christmas season. These are usually located in midst of the city center in the many cities. It is where one spends the evening with friends and family, warms up with some Glühwein or other hot beverage, and just takes a look around at what is being offered. Usually there is snow on the ground, much to the children’s excitement. This helps to create an even merrier atmosphere in anticipation of the forthcoming celebration and New Year. Lavish Christmas meals like Christmas goose or carp and Christmas pastry (that can only be found during Christmas season), play a traditional part in German households and sweeten the festive time.

Whether you spend Christmas in cold Europe at the foot of a fire, at a Christmas market, or in Oceania where the majority goes to the beach and enjoys a Barbecue – in the end the idea of Christmas is the same everywhere. Christmas is about community and being together with your loved ones. As unusual as it is for me to be somewhere, where the closer the New Year gets the warmer it gets, I will enjoy having the privilege of spending Christmas day at the beach in the sun, like I’m only used to from vacations. And yes, I will probably think of Germany - but I think I will be quite happy not having to switch with the freezing Germans! :/

Little feet and hands can be used to create fun Christmas creations.

What you will need: 

• non-toxic paint
• card
• coloured pens
• a bit of imagination!

Turn little footprints or handprints into personalised Christmas cards or frame them for a cute and memorable festive gift.

(The reindeer are my favourite!)  

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It can be a difficult task to check the fit of your child’s shoes, but here are a few tips that can help you.

What to look for…

When purchasing new shoes you are looking for between 12-17mm of space between the end of their longest toe and the end of the shoe. Make sure that both feet are measured, as one side is generally bigger than the other, and you will have to fit the bigger foot. This allows them a decent amount of growing room without the shoe being too large.

As you know, children’s feet grow very quickly (up to four sizes a year) so it is important that you keep a close eye on the space they have at the end of both of their shoes. It can be very hard from the outside to tell when shoes are getting too small. Look at the insole for foot imprints and see how far up the shoe they are.

Rule of Thumb…

The average thumb nail is approximate 12mm wide. This becomes a great tool when checking shoe fit and means that you can do it anywhere at anytime so don’t forget to use it!

To make sure your child isn’t scrunching their toes, lightly press the toes with one hand while you check the toe room with the other hand. As you can see on the right, if toes are scrunched it can give the illusion of space which results in squashed toes.

“Too small”…

Children do not find shoes uncomfortable, even when they are not the right size. Their feet are still soft and the nervous system is not fully developed. This is why they will not tell you that their shoes are unconfortable, even if they are too small. As we walk forward our feet naturally slide forward so there should always be a small gap between the end of the toe and the end of the shoe to avoid toes squashing up against the end of the shoe.

“Too big”…

You have been walking for years, think about how you feel walking in shoes that are just half a size too big…it’s a little too big, but it still feels okay. The measurement taken for a child allows extra room for growth. If you then buy a size bigger again (for example if your child is measuring as a size 20, but thinking “maybe I should get the size 21 so it lasts longer”) imagine how it would feel being both a new walker and wearing shoes that are over a whole size too big?

For further information on shoe fitting see http://www.kinderfuesse.com/english/index.asp.

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Halloween, one of the only days of the year when you can be whatever you want to be…and a great excuse to eat candy!

To keep little toes warm while in costume, check out our Halloween friendly soft sole designs…these include fairy princesses, pirate skulls, friendly dinosaurs, pretty kittens, racing rockets, and cheeky monkeys!

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Happy Halloween!

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I have been in denial about how quickly this year is passing us by, but with a calendar that is starting to fill there is no doubt about it… we are entering in to the busy end of year period of 2011. With only 10 weeks left until Christmas…even less until Christmas functions start and the kids finish school, things are sure to get a little hectic!

The more prepared you are for those busy weeks the more enjoyable they seem to be, so please find below the best chocolate chip recipe EVER! They are very easy to make and a fun job the older kids can help with these school holidays. They freeze well so they can be pulled out for those unexpected visitors or wrap individually in plastic wrap and freeze for an easy addition to the kid’s lunch boxes.

Anna’s Choc Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

500g softened butter
1 ¼ cups sugar (caster or regular)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
5 cups self raising flour
400g chocolate chips – You can use milk, dark, white choc chips or a mixture works well too, for a chunkier cookie use chocolate melts.

Step One:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius, line baking trays (I use four, less will be fine but you may have to do a few rotations)

Step Two:

In a large bowl cream the butter, sugar and condensed milk until light and fluffy.

Step Three:

Sift in flour; add chocolate chips. Mix until well combined, roll into tablespoon sized balls and lightly flatten with a fork.

Leave lots of room for spreading – they tend to flatten out.

Step Four:

Bake for approximately 15 minutes until lightly golden (if you prefer a crunchy cookie leave in a little longer)

Allow cookies to sit on the tray for about 5 minutes to harden and then transfer to a cooling rack.

 Makes: HEAPS!!!

Feel like making them more festive? This recipe is quite forgiving and I have had many successful experimental batches. Try substituting choc chips for the following or try a combination…white choc chip and dried cranberries went down well in my house last Christmas.  At step three above, simply add 1 ½ cups of ingredients such as: apricots, cranberries, raisins, walnuts, macadamia nuts, m & m’s…you are as limited as your imagination!

You could even go a little  ‘Martha Stewart’ and use them to make a cute little Christmas gift!

Hi there!

My name is Natali and I proudly pronounce to be a new member of the Bobux family! From today on I’m the new Intern who is going to assist the Marketing campaigns and projects. Since I am from Germany I will also work on the new German website, so that our German speaking customers can explore the products even quicker and easier.

So, what is there to say about me? I am originally from Serbia but I have lived most of my life in Germany. I took a break from studiying (Media & Communication/ English) and decided to come to the lovely Auckland for this internship that I am really excited about. Why New Zealand? Because I thought I would really love to see the youngest country in the world, which is by the way from Europe’s perspective the end of the world. I just realied how funny that sounds! Oh and by the way, don’t worry,  I never thought that all Kiwis are hobbits or something like that..there are still Europeans out there who have general knowledge

I was also looking forward to escape the long, cold and rainy winter in Germany – so, the weather should better hurry up and start getting nicer soon don’t you agree? Anyways, after I have had a warm welcome here at the Bobux office where all the magic happens, I can’t wait to start and contribute to the work that is being done here. I’m sure that you all appreciate the Bobux shoes and since we all just want our little darlings, which is the future generation, to grow even healthier and happier. I am pleased to spread that message all over the world!

Cheers!

Children sure know how to put their shoes through their paces. Using them for brake pads when riding their bikes, or even just crawling around on the concrete at kindy! The horrid scuff is an easy thing to obtain, but not such an easy thing to get rid of.

It is important to remember that leather is a natural material and is a lot like our own skin. Irregularities in leather colour and structure are typical of the character of high quality natural products. Therefore it isn’t unusual for there to be discreet shade differences and natural markings in leather.

Leather, also like our skin, needs moisturizing for best results. You will find that after a while leather shoes can start to dry out. I recommend using a shoe care product, such as beeswax polish, to keep the leather ‘hydrated’ and looking like new.

Take a look at the picture on the left, these are a pair of chocolate leather boots that have been worn over a couple of months. As you can see by the left shoe they were well worn and the leather has dried out. The right shoe has simply had a rub down with beeswax and a soft cloth - this stuff is magic!

It is good for children to learn to look after their shoes and as you can see it doesn’t need to be a big chore.

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Love your Bobux? Here are a few tips and tricks we recommend to keep them looking top notch.

•  Always leave wet shoes to dry naturally – never by artificial heat.

•  Children’s feet sweat twice as much as adults which is why it is recommended to wear cotton socks with shoes. You can wear our leather shoes without socks but they need to be aired sufficiently before their next wear.

• Shoes will wear excessively especially around the toes due to kids activities – even more so if the shoes are too small.  Children’s feet grow in stages so it is important to measure them regularly. It is recommended that children up until the age of 6 years need a foot check every 3 months.

• Beeswax polish is a great natural alternative that can be used on most nappa leather colours and it’s widely available.

• If the top layer of the nappa leather has been scratched off then a polish or wax with a high colour pigment will give colour and lustre back to the leather. A polish conditions and helps retain leathers natural oils. It masks scuffs and marks, enhances the colour and provides a protective layer from light rain and spills. 

• Use a Waterproof Protector Spray for winter which can be sprayed on leather, nubuck and suede. You can use it on the whole family’s shoes (Woly Protector 3×3 Aerosol Waterproofing & Protector Spray utilises green technology and allows the leather to maintain its breathable membrane).

• Nubuck and suede are a different type of leather with a buffed surface.  Cleaning Gum is a solid rubber block used just like an eraser and will easily remove most marks and scuffs on nubucks.

• The New Zealand website, ‘step out’, have a great selection of shoe care products including beeswax and a variety of colour specific polishes  http://www.stepout.co.nz/products/leather-care/.

• Test polish on a small area of the shoe first and always follow the polish manufacturer’s application instructions.

Looking after their shoes from a young age helps teaching little ones that everything is better with a little love and care:)

I’ve always had a love affair with fabric, and in particular small pieces, so it was only a matter of time that the inevitable happened and I made a quilt!

When you think quilting, do fabrics like batik, kiwiana or dark murky colours come to mind?  These quilts are typically fashioned into some random diamond/triangle combination that just make you go hmmmmmmm (but not in a good way….).

It doesn’t have to be like that!

Try ‘googleing’ modern quilts, you’ll quickly be converted, and you’ll start recognising names such as Michael Miller, Robert Kaufman, and Riley Blake (to name a few), there really are LOTS of amazing fabrics and quilts to be made.

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On one of my many searches I found this beautiful quilt.

I then spent some time working out which fabrics I wanted, thankfully I had some amazing help from Hazel, and new owner Nicki from Sew Addictive Fabrics getting them in (a small warning at this point – it is very aptly named, you will very likely become addicted!).

I’m also very lucky that one of my close friends has a quilting legend for a mum, who over a couple of Saturday afternoons, patiently showed me how to cut the fabric and put it together.

The main things you’ll need are a quilting mat, roller cutter, some quilting rulers and a sewing machine.
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If you get really keen you can also get a quilting foot (it helps feed thick fabrics or lots of layers through your machine) and also a ‘free motion’ foot – where you can make all the swirly lines, and basically any pattern you like on the fabric.

Oh, and lots of patience!

It’s not a super quick process, even with all the right gear, the most work really goes into the cutting. The sewing doesn’t take too long, and it’s super easy being that it’s all straight lines!  The other thing I now have (which I should have bought first) is a foot that has a guide on the side, to help keep all the seams even….. some of my small squares are more small rectangles…..

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The other thing is deciding whether to hand quilt or do it by machine – my first quilt that I made was for this cutie and for the life of me I couldn’t work out how to quilt on my machine, so it was all hand done.  The only real difference is with hand quilting, the quilt folds up better, but the stitches aren’t as even as when done with a machine.

The best thing about quilting is that you  only use a really small amount of each fabric, so you have lots left over for other things (like this jacket) – perfect if you have fabric that you can’t bear to cut up! All in all I ended up using 14 fabrics plus the white – great excuse to buy lots of lovely fabric!