Some time ago, I remembered seeing some Insta-posts about origami-style mobiles. I can't remember in which account I saw them...sorry. So this isn't original-original but "Instagram-Inspired." If you follow me on Instagram, you would know that I am trying to make a beautiful kid's room. (There is a severe lack of playgrounds in this village).  I am doing as much as I cant to make it Pinterest Pretty by myself and on a budget.

I have been looking for a mobile for Otis, but most of them aren't quite what I want. Herz & Blut made one that I like, but it seemed too hard for me to replicate it. So I made this one. Here is how can you make it yourself. It is pretty easy, but time-consuming, though it took me a couple of weeks to finish it. 

First is the origami. I am a total newbie on this so actually anyone can do it. I found this tutorial on youtube on how to make diamonds with paper. You can use any form, from cranes to paper boats. But these look so beautiful, and I can make them later for Christmas-tree decorations too.

The next step is practice, practice, practice. And shop the supplies. You will need the following:

PAPER: Colored paper over 100 gr. Heavy. You can buy them in size A4 or a bigger one. I got big sheets at the drugstore, to be honest. I used three colors, but two would work as well. You can get them in scheme colors at Modulor like this winter pack here.

WOOD: Wooden beads, you can buy them here in Amazon or places like Etsy or Dawanda. You will need some wood stain if you don't want to leave it in natural color.

THREAD: A roll of thread in a color that fits your scheme colors.

GLUE: I used regular glue as it takes time to dry, so you have time to adjust stuff. I tried the hot glue gun, but it was a disaster as it dries so fast you can't correct it at all.

​NEEDLE: I used a knit needle, the bigger and thicker the better.
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HANGER: Stick, log, or hook to hang your work of art at the end.

When you are testing with regular copy paper, you should check the sizes you would like to make. I made the big ones in 20 cm, the medium ones 15 cm, and the small one is 11cm. I think I made one on 16cm too. Cut them all and don't forget you need pairs. So pair them always and keep them that way, so you don't get confused and end up with a mess.

TIPP: Fold them all like this before starting and make a small hole in the middle with your needle.. this will make it SOOOOOO much easier for you later.

Once you finished folding the parts, start staining the beads, use gloves! Let them dry overnight. I didn't add a finish to it, but you can do it. I find it too messy to paint balls.

The beads are done, the two parts of the diamonds as well, and you are just so ready to make this happen.
And this is how we roll: Cut a piece of thread about 2x lengths of your arm. Double thread your needle. Take one bead or 2 or three and knot it at the end of your thread. Pierce or string the lower part of the diamond and then the top, as you can see in the picture. Add glue on one side and paste together. Repeat until all diamonds are done and with thread. 

I made an ombre effect here, using the darker color at the top and the lighter color at the bottom. But you can work your creativity here. Grab all the diamonds by its string and place them as you would like them at the end. Then make a knot at the very top of them.

TIP: It is easier to pull down a diamond than up, so start with all of them pretty close and start pulling one by one lower.

I found this wood beauty in my old backyard in Berlin, but you can use a regular hook on the ceiling, a log, a stick... anything you can fix over the baby cot. Please be sure to attach it correctly, and please be safe!
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I used 4 yarn pieces, double thread tied to two hooks on the ceiling, but there are very good glues that would do the work, be sure to weight the whole thing and ask the specialist at your hardware store... always ask.

Placing the mobile: You don't need to put it in the middle of one side.. just check where exactly your baby's head will be and that is the place. Leave at least 50 cm space between your baby's nose and the last bead. 

Tie the mobile really good. I went over the log 2 times, and the third was a knot, and I added tape at the back to fix it. Now you can turn your mobile like a carrousel many times, pushing one diamond with one finger and let it go. Otis gets hypnotized every time I do that.

You will be cutting loads of paper while making the diamonds. Save all pieces and keep them for later. You can do some other projects with them or even use it to create fun things like this porcupine I made with Pepa. Always try to use all the material instead of throwing them away... 

I hope you guys like this DIY! If you have any questions, just ask away. It is effortless to make, and the cost is almost nothing compared to regular mobiles on the market. Not to mention how proud you will feel when you see your baby admiring it and being entertained by it.

When I think back on our weekend at Kaiserslodge, the first word that comes to mind is "details." The Kaiserlodge is the most detail-oriented hotel I have been in for a long time. 
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The trip to Austria was very relaxed. We took a direct train from Zürich, and they even had a family wagon with kids cinema. In about 4.5 hours, we were in the tiny station of Kufstein and after a quick taxi drive, in Kaiserlodge. To give you a rough idea where it is, in between Munich, Salzburg, and Innsbruck.

This luxurious "nature hotel" looks like a huge beautiful cottage. That is exactly what it resembled from outside: a charming cottage. All constructed in the traditional Tirol way and with a form similar to the mountains in the background. As soon as you get in the smell slaps you in the face, a good slap! It smells like different kinds of trees. Most of the hotel is wood, and you can smell it. It is like being at a sauna and a Forest at the same time.

The rooms we suited for families or couples. One room had a huge bed where we could sleep the three of us and had an extra bed with a room separator, and the other room had a big bed and a bunk bed so that you could fit about eight people... just like a small cottage.

The terrace was one of the highlights for us. We love water, and all suites have a terrace with access to the outdoors lake. Yes, it was raining, but thank god we aren’t made of cotton candy. We both enjoyed dipping to the lake even if it felt like it was freezing that day.

​We were there on a rainy autumn weekend. Typically on a weekend like that is is hard to find a place to have fun indoors and outdoors and less with a toddler and a newborn, but Kaiserlodge made it possible.

​We watched the rainbows after meditation yoga and laughed out asses off while making pictures infront of the rainy mountains

​Kaiserlodge is quite young. Just celebrated its 2nd birthday on October 14th, and it’s the baby project of Kaiser, the oldest hotel from the same owner that is right next to Kaiserlodge. You can actually walk from one hotel to the next and use their facilities. I loved to walk around and see some unique stuff, like the halls filled with pictures of recurrent guests or the handprints of the kids that stayed at their kid's club.

​The kids club! Most parents love the kids' clubs. I am pretty ambiguous in my feelings about them. I feel quite guilty about leaving Pepa in some of them. Sometimes they seem too small, or I feel it is a pity to be indoors with strange people with not much to do but sit and watch tv.
​But once I saw the program and facilities of Kaiserlodges kids club, I was dying to let Pepa try it and spend some relaxed time together with Otis. ​ 

​It was adventure pure. Remember it was raining, so most outdoors activities were off for kids, but indoors was just as good. They had a full area for climbing and jumping and discovering, a big kids cinema with great films going all day long and an activity area with all the tools you can imagine to have fun: face painting, reading, creating stuff and more. Pepa was so happy that she didn’t want to leave after the 2 hours I planned for her to be there... I lost her to their great kid's club, and it didn’t feel bad at all! This playground was made in cooperation with Wehrfritz / HABA.

We had a great itinerary planned as an after Oktoberfest detox: First, we started with some "breath walk" with Fateh Singh. Breathing and walking comprise two of our simplest activities, yet they are also two of our most powerful actions. By bringing them together in a systematic and meditative way, we can enhance our physical, emotional, and Spiritual Fitness.
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​It is a training method from Kundalini yoga. We walked through the forest, learning how to breathe and walk, being aware of our bodies and our movements. A bit harder than it sounds and very relaxing. The bit of rain made it even more magical to walk in the mostly forest.

​We tried the Wellness Trend: Forest Bathing. This is known to the Japanese as shinrin-yoku. Shinrin in Japanese means “forest,” and yoku means “bath.” So shinrin-yoku means bathing in the forest atmosphere, or taking in the forest through our senses. 

Laura Keuthen was our leader through the Woods. Don’t think this is exercise, or hiking, or jogging. It is simply being in nature, connecting with it through our senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch. Shinrin-yoku is like a bridge. By opening our senses, it bridges the gap between us and the natural world. What helps us being healthy and happy. No pictures of this as you aren’t supposed to have a phone or camera with you. ​

​The third seminar was "healing with herbs" with Gerti. We discovered the different healing properties of herbs and natural products. We started making the fastest bread with sweet bread clover. Pepa loved being able to mix and make buns before heading again to the kids club for their night program.

​We learned how lemon, quark, bicarb and sauerkraut can help to heal your intestines when you have celiac disease and that Curcuma and bicarb can help with cancer. We all prepared stuff together and ate it afterward. Very rewarding and very detoxing.

​What was very relaxing and detoxing was their spa area. I fell in love with the indoors/ outdoors pool overlooking the Austrian mountains. It was hot and steamy inside, and I got Otis butt naked and enjoyed the beach weather. 

​You can see how relaxed he was once we got inside. Pepa found some four-year-olds, and they were swimming from the inside to the outside pool back and forth. 
I was enjoying fresh detoxing teas on my chase long with Otis on my chest, sleeping, and watching nature. Can this be more relaxing? No.

​But can I finish this post without talking about food? Never! The food at Kaiserlodge was tremendous, and they were very flexible. The first night was vegan food planned, but as you may know, I am on the keto diet, and I have celiac disease. They managed to bring me some great pork medallions with salad in no time, Pepa got this beautiful dessert plate, and we both enjoyed the seasonal pumpkin cream that was delicious. Pepa’s risotto and amuse bouche was terrific. 

Pepa’s risotto and amuse Boucher was terrific. The second night during the herbs seminar, she was feeling like her favorite sandwich, and they went to the kitchen and made that avocado cheese and mayo sandwich. She was so happy about it. What a service!

​But for me the best was breakfast. You can cross the things you want to eat just like in Transit, remember? Or order a full breakfast, like this emperors breakfast (with it the mimosa as I was on the detox) what a treat! Can I get this served every weekend at home? 

​All together this place was the best getaway for a Fall Weekend, Pepa didn’t miss the outdoors as we went for walks on the Forest and had fun at the awesome kids club.

​In winter, you can rent equipment even for kids, and if it doesn’t fit properly, you can change it down at the slopes. I can totally imagine coming for a cross-country weekend with the kids, and in summer, it must be beautiful as well.

Grey, grey grey! We love us some grey. Not only our Bugaboo Fox is the beautiful Classic grey, but many of our new stuff is grey. And I thought I'll show you my latest five favorite shades of grey:

​Living in an icy place means you need extra gear--- Sometimes it is hard to choose what to buy. Sadly Otis is one of those babies that freezes a lot and sweats even more. Having a Walksack makes loads of sense here. This one from Hessnatur is made of pure organic merino wool from organic livestock and is environmentally friendly. And because of this, it is very similar in its properties to the human skin and naturally ensures the right body temperature.

It is Warm and wind repellent for even the cruelest of the temperatures. And as it is made with natural fibers, it breathes, and the heat doesn't accumulate. Organic wool wicks moisture away from the body because it absorbs up to 30% of its weight in moisture, without feeling wet.

What I particularly like about this Walksack, is that it meets one of my primary needs: Moving Otis from bed to stroller to car seat and bed. When Otis sleeps, he can be placed on the unfolded Walksack and packaged warmly without much discomfort. And when you are ready to put him in the car seat or stroller, you don't need to unpack him, because it has integrated belt slots. 

Not to forget, this Walksack doesn't only keep him nice and warm but gives him this "limit," known from swaddling.

When I was first pregnant with Pepa, I thought it was irrational to buy shoes for babies as they don't walk. But I noticed that shoes aren't just made for walking but for keeping their tiny feet warm. Even wearing thick socks and knitted boots, sometimes it is too cold for them. Not always their small feet are inside a Walksack or a sleeping bag, but hanging from a carrier, wrap, or sling. 

Pepa had a couple of them, but my all-time favorite is the Sheepskin booties from EN FANT DK, they are super warm and beautiful and effortless to put on and with wool lining. Besides that, they rarely fall from their feet- thanks velcro-And this is gold, as I had at least two boots with no pair at home because of this.

This super cute bear outfit is the best. It isn't just lovely (and has ears), but it is the best TO-GO item at home, for the stroller or the wrap, slide Otis in and go go go! Sometimes you need to go out quick, and even in pajamas, so this cute overall is perfect for this. 

But this wasn't its primary purpose. Made of pure wool, this super cute baby felt one-piece by Fixoni is built to survive the cold. It has folding cuffs on the arms and attached feet for keeping my little fox warm. And the hood with ears peaking pout of the wraps is just adorable.

There is nothing more beautiful than having Otis rest next to my heart and being able to sniff the sweet baby-scent on his head. I have many baby wrap-carriers, but carriers and wraps are a very personal thing. I can't use the ergo baby as I can bend my arms to close it, The Marsupi is too noisy for Otis as it has Velcro. I tried some more, but I was afraid Otis was going to slip out, cut off his circulation, or damage his hips, I couldn't find something that worked for me. I tried fabric wrap from a friend, and I decided to get one. But one that would fit my style. 

Artipoppe was the choice. I know there are plenty of baby wraps in the market, but none that is a fusion of practical babywearing and fabulous fashion style.  I bought the Limited Edition Argus Tibiti made of Cashmere, merino wool, and linen. Super soft and strong enough to make me feel safe. I get so many compliments when I wear Otis in it.

I used to have a CD player for Pepa, but she is too small for CDs, she catches them and then changes from CD to the radio, and in the end, it was more work for me. "Mooooom the CD doesn't work" "mom I can't turn it on" "Moooooooom, I cant *cries*" Running back and forth to the room wasn't the best until I heard of Tonies. A speaker box where you have figures instead of CDs.

Since we got it, we have so much fun, and Pepa can play without calling me every 2 seconds. They have stories, music compilations, and creative Tonies. Those are like back in the 90s empty cassettes. You can record anything for 90 minutes for your kids to hear from singing yourself a song or reading a book, to music from their favorite playlists. We love it!