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This classically beautiful oak Music Orb crafted by village craftsman on the edge of Germany's Black Forest plays the "Voi Che Sapete" from Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro (I only need to figure out which song that is). It has 18 chimes and I'd imagine makes a soothing lullaby for a baby to drift off to sleep.
We just got back from Las Vegas this evening where we ate ourselves into oblivion and spent more money than I thought possible in a 24 hours. We don't even gamble but everything has got a hefty price tag attached to it. Immediately after landing back in Seattle, I was able to rush down to Design Within Reach to attend the design*sponge Biz Lady Meet Up event. Grace chose 5 cities to tour and Seattle made the list -- lucky for us! It was a pleasure listening to Grace Bonney as she discussed marketing & PR tactics. I also got to listen to John Tusher from Velocity Art & Design discuss how he pioneered his online furniture store, how designers/artists should be selling their work and what he looks for in artist/design submissions -- he was a great speaker. Anyhow, it was a fun evening -- I only wish I had taken my camera to share some snapshots.
So, before our flight this afternoon, we hopped into a Paul Frank shop to find a gift for Ms. Bean. We found this Small Paul roller coaster tee that has do-it-yourself iron-on images and she was elated! This brilliant tee allows her to have an interactive experience by peeling the character graphics off the sheet and ironing them on anywhere she chooses. Forward thinking, if you ask me. The Small Paul ideas didn't stop there, they even had a scratch 'n sniff tee that was pretty tempting.
Plonka's home from Dalinda couldn't be any cuter. Handmade with great detail, it's fully lined and interfaced for durability. It would make a perfect purse or pouch for gathered items like rocks, bottle caps, coins and whatever else is found at the park (Ms. Bean's favorite hobby).
Zid Zid Kids is always coming up with something classic and cool. Great color combinations and animal silhouettes make these vinyl poofs versatile enough for the grown-ups space too.
My husband has been planning a secret Vegas getaway for my birthday for the last 2 months. I accidentally found out about it 2 weeks ago and now the cat is out of the bag. The upside is that I can pack the appropriate clothes. Anyhow, we're only going to be gone 1 night, so I'll be back Thursday night with an update...
I'm always trying to come up with new activities and crafts to keep Ms. Bean engaged. That, on top of her love for tiny animals, would make the tiny chicks or squirrel woolen felt kits an ideal way to fill an afternoon.
I'm a huge fan of Loom because they've really paid attention to the little details -- incredibly important when you're a mom on the go. (I personally own the Bandicoot diaper bag and have been pleased with everything about it). Anyhow, the Loom ZOOM Kit is a fancy little design that has got so many details that I couldn't possibly think of anything more. A handle that clips onto strollers, detachable porthole pouch, large external pocket with a matching changing pad, pocket for bottles or sippy cups and a carabiner key, card and cash organizer. AND it's cute!
APAK Studio is a Portland based husband & wife team who makes beautiful art together. You can't help but feel cheerful when you come into contact with their work...(I dare you not to smile)...
I've admired Seattle artist Maija Fiebig's work over the last several years. Her paintings are almost dreamy with layers of semi-transparent imagery overlapping each other and some of her pieces almost appear as if she painted directly on silk. The colors are rich and beautiful.
It's hard to get a real feel of her work via computer but if you ever have a chance to see her art in person, I definitely recommend it! I'm saving my pennies to buy one of Maija's pieces eventually.
These cute pin boards would be great for (obviously) pinning pictures or mementos or whatever else is worthy of displaying. I know ours would consist of scribbled pictures and found objects from the park. Ideal, the husband and wife team out of Massachusetts is using Homasote, a green material made from recycled, pressed newsprint with no resins -- even better!
I think I've finally found the ideal storage unit that will mesh seamlessly with the rest of our decor. Jennifer Delonge has come up with these sophisticated and functional pieces of furniture that are highly forgiving of child's play. The Audrey Storage can be nested or used as individual storage units and you can opt to have the lid chalkboard or lacquered painted.
The Charles Storage is very similar but without the nesting units. It can masquerade as a gorgeous side table while it secretly hides blankets or toys. I'm definitely in love with both of these pieces!
Apparently I have some sort of mobile fascination at the moment. Spin Design is comprised of two sisters who have always been immersed in art and have come up with these fun and affordable mobiles.
I'm absolutely in love love love with this Bees Mobile by Nature Child. In fact, if you have a moment to peruse the mobiles that she has sold in the past, you will be astounded at the charming beauty that each one exudes...obviously a lot of love is put into each one. In fact, I was blown away by everything she has hand crafted.
I had a personalized book as a kid that was about a mouse named Ellechim. For you sleuths out there, that is Michelle spelled backwards. I loved the mouse character so much that I truly believed that she lived in my house. Naturally, I built her a suite of furniture made from spools, popsicle sticks and match boxes (seriously). So, the reason why I had a momentary flashback was due to this personalized children's book by Custom Made for Kids. You plug in the child's name, birthday, friend's name,etc. and you get a beautifully personalized book to give as a baby gift or keepsake. Speaking from experience, I can tell you there was nothing cooler than having a book with your own name in it.
This CC3 Cozy Carrier Blanket Set looks like the snuggliest (I know, it's not really a word), warmest baby blanket and hoody to use in tandem with your baby carrier! No more fiddling with blankets and cold toes. It looks like the sweetest spot to be while mommy or daddy are taking a stroll.
Tonight, Feb 17th at midnight PST, is the deadline for submitting an entry to win a Dainty Couture Little Man Neck Tie. All you need to do is submit a comment and we will select 5 winners to be announced tomorrow. Each winner will get to choose their own fabric and size. 
Thanks to everyone who commented on the coolest little ties! We've chosen our 5 winners:
Abbie: Oh so stylish. I love the pattern choices!
Makai's Dad: OMG how cool are those? Daddy has a "no tie" rule, but the little guy would look great in that black one!
Deirdre: My boys fight over the one tie we have---for pretending they are Clark
Kent. We'd love a fancy one like these for Easter. Thanks!
New England Girl: Gorgeous! My little guy would love these, since he is really into looking like his dad.
Jessica: Archer says "I wanna win!!"
I'm absolutely, positively in love with these crowns by Bay Area mom, Jess Nicole. I will now bid farewell to our cheap, plastic crowns and happily replace them with one of these gorgeously knit head pieces. You can clearly see the attention to detail in each one. She's also got an Etsy site and many of her sold pieces are to die for. Perhaps she would take special requests (if I begged).
I wrote a post about Gala Bent a couple months ago after seeing her work in Caffe Fiore. I bought one of her pieces and chatted over a cup of coffee with her -- she was such a sweet and fun person to talk to. I just found that she's got an Etsy site...of course! Seems like a requisite as an independent artist these days.
Trish Grantham recently returned from a trip to NYC and was inspired to add more depth and layers to her work. As always, they're all charming! I see a few that scream Valentine's Day...
Over the last couple of years, we've created several crazy charts to inspire Ms. Bean to accomplish various things...potty training, teeth brushing or sleeping in her own bed. You name it and we have probably charted it! And it works! So when I saw my friend Jana's chart that she illustrated for her daughter, I loved it! A picture to inspire the task is a great idea and something that you could do together. When Britta has accumulated 20 stickers or stamps, she gets to choose a reward. (Jana's got some great crafty projects and I'm trying to convince her to share a few of them with KidsHaus someday).
