It’s no secret that we love toys here at Mer Mag. And beautiful, functional toys at that. We love to make them, purchase them and most importantly we love to play with them!

This time of year I love to scour online shops for special toys that my children will engage in and love – ones that are designed beautifully and will also look lovely strewn about our home.There are so many amazing online boutiques to find gorgeous toys and we love to shop thoses. But when it comes to tried and true go-to’s for that statement, “wow” toy, I have about three go-to online shops that I simply must hit up for my toy gift shopping.

First online stop: Land of Nod.

We all know and love Land of Nod. I’ve been a fan of theirs for many many years and have praised them every since they used to use illustrators for their catalog covers (pretty please do this again?! :)). I’ve always loved how they understand and support artists and their unique and needful contribution to the toy world. They are really on board with the creative blogging community and I have always had a lot of respect for them as a company as a whole. But most importantly, they have so many to-die for toys!!!

And as it’s Cyber Monday, they are offering 15% with free shipping. Perfect time to snatch up one of these absolutely incredible crocodile pull toys!

I’ve had my eye on this critter for some time and am so happy to add him to our home this Christmas! Baby M got a sneak peek at him and loved playing with the cuddly reptile. Now to just get this little gal walking we she can pull Mr. Croc along. But then again I think we’re ok with her taking her time (do I really want to be chasing her everywhere just yet? and besides my kids have such long torso’s they’re always a bit late on the sitting and walking front anyhow).

 

Second online stop: Uncommon Goods.

I love UncommonGoods for exactly what their name implies: their vast selection of unique and uncommon goods. Not only do they have a great selection of environmentally conscious and unique designs and handcrafted gifts, I also love that they run all their operations out of the historic Brooklyn Army Terminal. (Being an x-Brooklynite myself I always have a special love for Brooklyn based companies. Go Brooklyn!). But now let’s get to the toys!

Take for example these incredible Alphabet Factory Blocks. They beauties have been also been on my list for quite some time and I’m happy to report that all three of my kids LOVE playing with them (I couldn’t get them to stop building things with them!). I’m a firm believer that children are affected and enriched by beautiful design and that their toys should reflect this whenever possible. These blocks do just that. Not only are they fun to play with but they are also a great introduction to graphic design and the work of House Industries, who created lettering inspired by comic books, hand-painted signs and mid-century furniture. Yeah, so cool.

But these blocks are not the only thing I have my eye on. In addition to so many beautiful toys, I love that UncommonGoods selection of diverse items ensures a gift for each person on my Christmas list. My brother in law would love this pick punch, and this zaney cool aquafarm and kinetic sand would be perfect for my sisters family, who we give to this year. Oh man, so much fun stuff to chose from!

 

Third online toy stop: Pottery Barn Kids.

Last but not least, we always love to see what lovely toys Pottery Barn Kids have to offer. We used to live close to a PBkids and I always made sure to stop in for seasonal inspiration, gorgeous toys and stocking stuffers but now that we are far away from any brick and mortars, we do our PBkids shopping online.

I love that PKkids has been on board with the resurgence of wooden toys from the get-go. And what we love even more about their wooden toys is that they are not only lovely to look at, but they actually function and interact in an exciting way! Comparable to any popular plastic action toy out there. Take for example this AMAZING Construction Crane. MY boys are literally obsessed with this! I thought this would be predominately in Little O’s wheelhouse but AJ is equally into this interactive crane toy! (I couldn’t get them to pull away).

They are crazy about the fully operational rotating broom and hook that moves up and down. And Little O already wants to take these Construction People with him everywhere. I told him that he has to wait until Christmas as this was just a preview. Needless to say, he is dying, waiting for Christmas day to get here already.

I really loved seeing the boys interact together, playing amicably and getting completely lost in play. I’m pretty sure we’ll have to purchase these Construction Vehicles to go with as a surprise on Christmas day. And with free shipping all day, I think today’s the day!

And now to scour these shops again for anymore gifts we just can’t live without! Happy Cyber Monday shopping friends!

 

Oh and P.S. Be sure to check out the 24 Merry Days giveaway that Lovely Indeed is hosting today! Anthro gift card anyone? Yes please!