Flynn, 3 years and half - Denver CO, USA

Reading time: 4 min

Flynn (aka Q, short for her Chinese name) is a daredevil and tomboy who would sooner go around like Mowgli of the Jungle than ever wear a stitch of clothing, so it’s ironic that she is best known in the blogosphere for her “style”. Maia Chavez Larkin, the mother comments : “I attribute this to the fact that her tastes are not swayed by traditional girlie-style, and also to her massive quantities of charisma and natural beauty. Though there again, she hates to be told she’s pretty. “No, not pretty!” she says. “I’m just Q.””. Maia is a talented children’s fashion illustrator (voyageuses.blogspot.com, etsy.com/shop/thevoyagers), but she is also the creator of wonderful uneenvie.blogspot.com. Q and Maia take us for a very entertaining and fun tour of their life…

Q

What do you want to be when you grow up “I want to draw!” (actually, I think it’s far more likely that she wants to be an engineer, or a stuntman, or a basketball player, but I am very flattered that she gave the answer that she did!)

Your favourite famous person “LaoLao!” (Her grandmother, my mother, Eva Van Rijn, who is a world traveler, fly fisherman and wildlife artist, and definitely Q’s hero)

What makes you happy or laugh “When it’s daytime!” (She would prefer not to waste any time sleeping)

What makes you sad or angry “When people are not happy.” (True. The word that best describes her as an entity is “happy”, and if anyone dear to her is unhappy or angry, even briefly,  her refrain is “Be happy? Now? Pleeeeease?”)

Your favourite book “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” (about baseball. She is a huge fan of any and all ball sports, which is interesting since neither my husband nor I watch or follow sports)

Your favourite film “The Wizard of Oz!!!!”

Your favourite animal “Keroppi!” (her beloved frog)

The best holidays you ever had “New York to see LaoLao and Ruby and call cabs” (Ruby is and Australian terrier who is the star of the Bow-Wow books for children, illustrated by my friend Megan who lives in Brooklyn. The real Ruby knows many delightful tricks, and Q loves to visit her when we are in New York – usually twice a year. Q also very much enjoys hailing taxicabs in the city)

A place that you would dream to visit “A castle!” (this is a wish we may be able to fulfill. Back in the ‘60s, my French/Dutch grandparents restored a small chateau in Languedoc, which now belongs to our cousins in England. We have not had a chance to take her there yet, but hopefully before too long…)

Your favourite outfit “My Tin Man suit!” (this consists of a metallic leotard and shiny silver leggings. The Tin Man is her favorite character from the Wizard of Oz)

The piece you like the most from your wardrobe “My dancing skirt” (this is an extravagant tulle tutu that she puts on every time she hears good dancing music)

The next item you would be happy to get “A robot outfit”

If you had a magic wand, what would you do with it right now? (Big grin) “Have the Tin Man and the Scarecrow come over for tea!”

Maia

Your favourite children’s brands Difficult to name just a few, but… L’atelier de Marie et Rose-Alice (France), Anais & I (New York),  Le Vestiaire de Jeanne (France), BOdeBO (France), and MimiMouse (UK) for t-shirts

Your favourite children’s stores I never shop in stores for Q. She does not enjoy shopping for clothes, so I shop online, and we are very lucky that people send her beautiful and unique things from around the world

Your favourite e-stores StoryTime storytime.jp. I am loving the spring/summer collection at Naïve Life anfei.ocnk.biz this year . I especially love Etsy shops like MadeInMommy and RoseLaBiche. I love old books and recently found some wonderful vintage kids’ books at FuzzyMama

A website that inspires you I am fascinated by mothers who document motherhood with tremendous style. To name a few: MimiMouse, Izakoo, Maandag Daandag, SaraSmile,  Tous Les Jours Dimanche. For creative inspiration La Bonne Vie de Tous Les Jours and Kickcan & Conkers

The criteria you consider when you buy something for your children Because Q has such a unique and forceful personality, I like her to have unique things that you don’t see everywhere. I prefer smaller labels, handmade or one-of-a-kind

Last item you added to your child’s wardrobe A handmade red dot dress for Japan relief from Growing Snowflowers (see it here)

Most precious item you gave to your child The most precious are things that were created by people I admire…a silkscreen print for her room by Guusje’s Appeltaart (NL) (see it here), a hand-sewn rabbit with her name stitched under its dress by Juniper (Malta) (see it here), a hand-carved name stamp with a mermaid on it by Daan (NL) (here)

Best gift you gave for a child’s B-day A tiny kite the size of your hand that a toddler can easily fly

Items that are hard to find Pants. Q is extremely tall for her age and thin as a reed – at 3.5 she is wearing 6-year-old clothing. She is 6Y in height, and 3T in waist, so pants are a problem

Favourite pieces in Q’s wardrobe A Liberty print playsuit from Anais & I (here) and a long checked bustle-skirt from Suvi Ainoa (here)

The book on your bedside table Bedside book is Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Peggy Orenstein, and my current studio book (on audio) is The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

An unforgettable place you’ve travelled to I’m a desert lover at the core, and the Mojave in early spring as well as the redrock badlands near Moab are forever tattooed on my heart. That said, an experience I’ll never forget is fly fishing from horseback, chest-deep in the middle of a river in Patagonia

The ideal place for a family summer holiday I’d have to say the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Most people think of snow, but the truth is that there is no greater paradise than Colorado in the spring and summer