Magic, that’s what childhood is all about, and our colourful customer Celine Bukulow brings buckets of it to her daughters Apollonia and Dalia’s world. We caught up with this creative bunch to road-test our new collections and see how you can swap screen time for creative play, the Bukulow way!
Hi, everyone! My name is Celine, and I’m Mum to two girls, Apollonia, who’s four, and Dalia, who’s one and a half, and we live in a little idyllic town in Germany. I’d say we’re a very creative family — I’m a stylist and set designer by profession and have been designing and making jewellery since 2019.
When it comes to getting out of the house, we’re very spontaneous. The weather here in Germany is changeable, so our day is usually planned first thing in the morning. We all need some fresh air to clear our minds and, if we're honest, feel more relaxed and balanced when we go outside. There are so many castles in our area, like the sunflower-yellow one next to us, and Apollonia is a big Disney princess fan, so castle tours are always a favourite. We love visiting whimsical areas with beautiful old architecture. She is totally into dressing up (more is more and never without accessories!) and adores playing dress-up. When we go on a castle adventure, she usually chooses a beautiful dress and a little crown, of course!
We recently went to Paris and Apollonia loved being a 'Parisian girl', finding croissants and making friends. Showing the girls around was so magical.
Our days may be spontaneous, but my bag is organised. I always carry a huge bag with everything in it, like Mary Poppins! It’s filled with lots of snacks, pastries, toys, books, a Swiss Army knife — you never know when you might need scissors or a corkscrew! We are currently making a summer holiday junk journal, so I also always have glue, lots of pens (which are everywhere in my bag), paper scraps, souvenirs, fun stickers and an Instax camera to capture some memories and glue them directly into our junk journal.
There’s nothing more inspiring than a child’s imagination! We turn it into fairy tales, paintings, and messy, magical DIY storybooks at home.
We always have lots of canvas and paints at home. The girls love being creative and getting messy in the studio, and sometimes Apollonia’s friends come over for a kind of painting session where they can let their imaginations run wild — there is nothing better or more inspiring than a child's imagination! Speaking of, we’re currently creating our own fairy tale storybook, adding our own pictures to the stories, like the little moonlight swan ballerina or writing a bedtime story about the gigantic blue cake and the fork. I always ask Apollonia what topics she would like for future stories, and then I come up with something for a DIY project. It keeps us busy, and we have a blast getting messy and creating something truly magical. If you can find the time, I highly recommend trying it. The book is such a beautiful and sentimental keepsake, and you actually recycle a lot of cardboard!
There’s a bit of everything! From nostalgic looks with Bonpoint's Liberty dresses to playful styles, like this sequin skirt from Phi Clothing.
We always wear fun and super colourful outfits, so I love all of these Childrensalon looks and their playful designs. It’s great that you can mix and match everything, like the gorgeous sequin skirt with a fun graphic shirt and cowboy boots — perfectly playful, and I would totally wear this outfit myself. My eldest daughter is a fashion lover and already creates her own looks. If she could change three times a day to wear all her new outfits, she would. I love how she can express herself through clothes! There’s a bit of everything, from nostalgic and romantic looks like the Bonpoint Liberty dresses and the glitter sequin skirt from Phi Clothing, to the playful and fun Mini Rodini pieces. My littlest daughter loves to join the fun, and even though she can’t talk properly yet, she says “woooow” when she wears something really beautiful, spinning around and showing everyone her outfit. Oh, and she always wants to be like her big sister, so a matching outfit is always a very special moment for them.
The last three songs I played on my playlist were:
Probably our home, where we do all our craft projects, snuggle under cosy quilts, read and write our own stories, and have our fun pancake parties.
Currently, lots of ice cream, and I don’t blame them!
Apollonia: calm, lovely, creative, eloquent and caring.
Dalia: funny, cheeky, strong, self-conscious and empathic.
Apollonia wants to become a doctor like her grandfather. The little one is too young, so watch this space!
“A good family outing always includes . . . a great hat! Both girls are obsessed with headgear”
“When I'm styling the kids’ outdoor outfits, I always start by . . . checking the weather app!”
“I never leave the house without . . . my huge 'Mary Poppins’ bag”
