dilly dally

book love: Cedella Marley

2013-05-16T18:32:06Z

Inspired by classic songs by her father Bob Marley, Cedella Marley has captured their sweetness and optimism in her new picture books “One Love” and “Every Little Thing.”

“Every Little Thing,” based on the song “Three Little Birds,” focuses on the comfort of family and friends as a young child goes about his day. Even through misunderstandings and bad luck, the boy remembers that everything is going to be alright, and ends the day with his parents, safe and sound.

“One Love” celebrates the warmth of community, as a richly multicultural neighborhood works together to transform an old parking lot into a vibrant city park. The lyrics of the song are woven through the story, giving the book a sweet rhythm.

The bright, bouncy illustrations by Vanessa Brantley-Newman makes both stories extra appealing to kiddos looking for a cozy bed-time story, and the familiar words make these books a treat to read aloud!

gifts for Mother’s Day

2013-05-06T20:03:09Z

Mother’s Day is just around the corner! On Sunday, May 12th, don’t forget to celebrate wonderful mothers everywhere. We have just the thing to help you make the day special for the mothers in your life.

Check out these beautiful locally-made cards,

And lovely notebooks, journals and quote books, to record all the best bon mots which children come up with,

And of course, we have a range of beautiful picture books celebrating all the wonderful mothers out there!

What’s your favorite way to celebrate Mother’s Day?

Jon Klassen is the best!

2013-04-23T19:00:12Z

We are always on the lookout for new authors and illustrators to add to our book collection! One author who we were thrilled to discover is Jon Klassen. He recently won the Caldecott Award, one of the highest awards given for children’s literature. Klassen’s first book that he both wrote and illustrated, “I Want my Hat Back,” is a darkly humorous tale of a bear on the hunt for his lost red hat. There’s a twist, of course, but it’s one which is best discovered while reading.

“This is Not My Hat” is Klassen’s latest, and the book which he won the Caldecot for. A companion, or possibly a re-telling, of “I Want my Hat Back,” “This is Not My Hat tells the other side of the story, narrated by a tiny fish who has just stolen a cap from a much larger fish, who may or may not be out to get it back.

Klassen has also illustrated several delightful, whimsical books by other authors. “Cat’s Night Out” is a cheerful tale of what your house cat might be getting up to, when you let them out at night. Watch cats tango, tap, and sashy across the alley-ways all night long!
“Extra Yarn” is a cozy book about a young girl who finds an extra-special ball of yarn which lets her create as many fantastic sweaters and scarfs as she wants until an evil prince takes notice of her skills. It’s a charming, smart modern fairy tale that makes a super cozy bedtime story.

Let us know if you have any authors / illustrators you just can’t get enough of. We love finding new favourite books!

Spring magic

2013-04-11T19:26:33Z

There’s just something about Spring that feels like magic. Colourful flowers start bursting out everywhere you look and the sun reminds us just how awesome it is. Birds chirp just a little louder, and everyone seems to have a smile at the ready.

It’s a great time to get outside and PLAY! It’s the time of year for bubbles, kites, balls and bats. For gardening, running around the park and marveling at the wonder of bugs. For feeling the sun on your face and dirt on your fingertips.

Here’s a round up of our Spring collection of toys and outdoor delights.

Spring is an easy time of year to get outside and get active. From sand play toys for the sandbox or beach to skipping ropes and Spooner boards, stop by to outfit your outdoor tickle trunk. And of course, no Spring day can be properly celebrated without some awesome bubbles!

We’ve got a bunch of outdoor greats. People are loving the kites, balls and bats and flying discs – we’re doing our best to keep them in stock! Bug viewers and bug books galore are perfect for those obsessed with the world’s creepy crawlers. Binoculars make a day at the beach a horizon scanning adventure, and bean bags are a classic fun toy to toss and chase inside or out.

It’s definitley the time of year to get your hands dirty in the garden. Kids LOVE having their own tools to help out. We’ve got everything they need – garden tool sets, work gloves and books, games and sticker books to get them excited about the garden.

We were feeling super Spring-y when we did our window last week, and it’s a flower explosion! Lots of kiddos have been loving this one – pressing their noses to the window to find the details in the animal picnic or spot tiny bugs hiding in the flowers. We love coming to work and seeing a line up of nose prints and finger prints on the window – it makes our day!

best board games for toddlers!

2013-04-10T17:07:18Z

Our game section is ever growing, and we’ve recently added a few new games which are made with younger folks in mind!

“Shopping List” is a fun spin on classic memory games. Players turn the food tiles upside down, and then take turns flipping them over to try and track down the contents of their “shopping list” card. If you find the right grocery, stick it in your cart! Kids of all ages love it.

“Roll & Play” is a great first game for younger children. It’s the youngest game we carry- kiddos as young as 18 months can enjoy this simple, movement-based game! Roll the jumbo sized, colourful die, and pick a card that matches the colour you just rolled. Each card has a fun, simple activity to then act out – “Moo like a cow” or “Make a happy face,” then roll again. It’s a great way to gently introduce more structured games to little ones, and encourages active, imaginative play.

“Feed the Woozle” is a cooperative game with a unique structure - players “feed” snack cards to the Woozle (an orange cardboard monster) in increasingly complicated ways. The game comes with three different levels of rules, letting the game change and get more tricky as kids get older. It’s a silly, quick-paced game that encourages physical movement.

All of these games are all fast-paced and easy to learn, and provide a great introduction which can help kids master the rules of more complicated strategy games down the road. Board games can provide spaces to learn important skills such as following instructions, cooperation, and patience. Why not try a new one?

vibrant hair clips

2013-03-15T17:12:49Z

How many hair clips have gone missing during a spirited outing at the park? They just seem to disappear, slipping out of hair never to be seen again. Well, you won’t lose another if you stick with these beautiful, vibrant flower hair clips.

These gorgeous hair clips are made right here in Vancouver. Crafted out of 100% wool felt, these beautiful blossoms have strong, ingenious no-slip clips, so that they’ll stay put in your little ones hair once they are clipped on. These really work – we tried to pull one out of our own hair to no avail. These beauties stay put!

Easter delights

2013-03-07T01:29:57Z

The bunnies have taken over! If you’ve been down to the store recently, you’ve seen that Dilly Dally is packed with Easter goodies right now.

If you are looking to lend the Easter Bunny a hand this year, we have everything you need, including the baskets. Choose between three sizes, and two color themes, or pick up one of the cute little bunny baskets. They all come pastel paper fill to nestle sweets & treats in. Come grab a basket, and stock up on chocolates, books, toys, and other delights!

Bunnies, Chicks and Eggs

These cuddly creatures are just waiting to hop into Easter baskets, or follow a new friend home. Come down, and make a new friend!

There’s a great range of soft and cuddly bunnies, and since they’ve been out on our front table we hear delighted squeals all day long from kiddos and parents alike. There’s something so timeless about a soft bunny to love and cuddle! We have a range of styles and sizes to suit everyone.

One of our very favourites is the unbelievably sweet lop eared bunny finger puppet. It kind of makes your heart swell up a little, it’s so darn cute. The fuzzy chick finger puppet is another crowd favourite. Its freshly hatched look really appeals and it’s nice and soft for cuddling. We also love the beautifully crafted and hand painted wooden bunnies and chicks. They’re ideal in a basket or perking up a shelf or window ledge.

These super sweet poseable bunny figures are a huge hit at any time of year. Tuck into a basket today for play value that will last all year long. How cute are their little outfits?

Chocolate

As most kids will tell, an essential part of any Easter basket is chocolate! We have a range of natural yummy treats, made right here in Vancouver by a local chocolate company.

There a few sizes of solid chocolate Easter bunnies, one packaged with a colourful array of tasty jellybean. We also have bags of small solid milk and dark chocolate eggs, larger crispy chocolate eggs, and smiley-face chocolate lollipops. Made with all-natural ingredients and no preservatives, these sweets are as tasty as they are adorable.

Alternative Easter Choices

Looking for something sugar free for an Easter hunt? How about the always-popular Playmobil eggs- each bright plastic egg holds an original figure with a few extra accessories. Choose between the fairy with her pond, the knight on a horse, a ranger with forest animals, or a parent and child with a mini-playground!

Jurassic eggs are a great, off-beat option for older kiddos. Chip away at the hollow egg to reveal the mini dinosaur skeleton inside! Interactive Easter sticker books, mini sticker book sets and rad books of temporary tattoos are sure to please as well. Cute little erasers or sets of crayon rocks tuck into baskets beautifully too. We’ve got lots of fun little items to make an Easter basket bountiful.

Books

Snuggling up with an Easter book is our favourite way to celebrate the holiday. We’ve got a whole warren of bunny, chick and Easter books for a wide range of ages. From essential Easter classics like “The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes” and “The Velveteen Rabbit” to modern takes on the holiday like “My Little Easter Egg”, we’ve got something to delight your little bunny.

There are board books for the littlest readers and a gorgeously illustrated picture book filled with fascninating facts about eggs. Or choose something out of the norm, like Horton Hatches the Egg for a new Easter tradition.

Egg Colouring Kits

Looking for a natural, non toxic egg colouring kit? We have these beautiful, all natural kits safely made in the USA. Read about them in our post here.

There are tonnes of choices to make your Easter an adorably fun one! Come down to the shop to see the full selection.

natural Easter egg colouring kits

2013-03-05T23:37:06Z

These gorgeous natural paint kits make it easy to colour a beautiful batch of Easter eggs, but without all those nasty chemicals in traditional kits or the messy hours spent in the kitchen making your own natural colours from scratch. Create pretty eggs to for a lively egg hunt, or place coloured eggs in a bowl or dish for a beautiful splash of Easter colour on your table.

These kits contain chemical free, biodegradable FDA approved colours and are made in the USA. There are three colours included, yellow, purple and blue, all made from herbs and plants (like annatto, radish and cabbage). The kit also comes with a colour chart for mixing colours to create new ones, three compostable mixing containers and three bamboo brushes. There’s enough colour for 1 to 2 dozen eggs, depending on the concentration you want.

Want natural paints for purposes other than egg colouring? We’ve also brought in all natural single colour packets and paint kits, which can be mixed with water to create beautiful paints. The natural ingredients really make for stunning shades, and you can rest easy knowing they’re pure and safe. Perfect for rainy afternoon crafting!

super shoe wings

2013-03-02T00:39:00Z

Oh my goodness, these are FUN! These adorable wings for your shoes have been flying off the shelves since we started carrying them, winging their way onto the shoes of folks all over the city.

Kids LOVE these – we even had a little customer who decided he was ready to graduate to lace up shoes, just so he could have a delightful silver pair. However, we have velcro strap friendly versions on their way right now, so if your kiddo isn’t into laces yet, they can still join the fun.

Simply unlace your shoes, and re-lace them with the brightly coloured wings in place. They add the perfect pop of whimsy to any outfit, and make a great last-minute costume. We have a huge range of colours, from neon pink to shiny gold to bright apple green.

And yes, for you young at heart folks out there, these totally work on adult sized shoes. Awesome for sneakers and lace up boots (we’ve tried both, with excellent results). You will make people smile all day long.

And if you need a little extra speed on the roller derby track, these rock on roller skates!

bright umbrellas for rainy days

2013-02-20T17:59:58Z

Rainy days are here again, but the perfect umbrella can perk up even the glummest of days! We have some of the cutest ones around. Each of these sturdy, kid-sized umbrella features adorable 3-diminsional details. Check out the eyes on the frog!

Judging by the excitement little ones show for these umbrellas, a cheery umbrella makes a rainy day much more fun. The bin of colourful umbrellas at Dilly Dally is an instant attraction for mini puddle jumpers, who squeal and giggle when they see the umbrella come to life as a chipper frog or bouncy ladybug. Come down and pick out your favourite!