KidsHaus

Ann Wood Handmade Sailboat

I first saw these handmade boats by Ann Wood when Hazelwood Children opened their virtual doors last year. I was stunned at the level of detail that goes into each of her boats. You can choose from 1 or 2 bird passengers (how cute is that?) made of vintage fabric and stuffed with 100% wool. Each boat is made entirely by hand by Ann from recycled cardboard (mostly cereal boxes), newspaper, vintage buttons and found and salvaged fabric. This would be such a wonderful center piece hanging from the ceiling in a child's room -- just watch the imagination go.

DIY: Flag Banners

I got an email from Jana about an organized craft swap for kids last month. So, without hesitation, I signed Ms. Bean up -- knowing that I would need to motivate and keep her on task (no problem!). We were assigned 2 girls ages 9 & 11...and that's when I froze. What does a 9 & 11 year old like? In then end, I recalled being that age and loving the freedom to decorate my own room. With such inspirations as Miko Design, I decided to make flag banners and Ms. Bean instantly agreed; however, it was hard to convince her that we had to send it to another little girl. So, I gathered whatever scraps of paper I could find around the house, found a ball of twine and started cutting and gluing triangles of paper onto our string. It was a fun project that we managed to throw together while Clara took her afternoon nap. Ms. Bean and I had an hour to ourselves where we got to be creative together.

Lotta Bruhn

Lotta Bruhn, a very talented illustrator and designer from Malmö, Sweden kindly sent me pictures of her owl tray two days after our return from Europe in May. Naturally, I was foggy in the head for several days (weeks?) and was a bit overwhelmed with email and getting back to daily life that I completely overlooked Lotta's email. Lotta deserves a grand spotlight on her fantastic owl trays and ABC animal poster (which doesn't appear to be for sale yet) -- cheerful animal illustrations to brighten up a room! As a side note, we coincidentally had a chance to visit Malmö for one day while in Europe. It was an amazing city that was clean, beautiful and had one of the best coastlines I've ever seen. I hope to visit again someday.

Casamidy Furnishings

Casamidy's bright colors and beautiful shapes are what immediately caught my attention. Everything is hand crafted by artisans in Mexico and though most of the furnishings aren't specifically designed for a child's space, I think they would work perfectly. I'm crazy about the fuschia side table...

The Alphabet Letter Boards

The Small Object needs no introduction. I'm absolutely crazy about her Alphabet Letter Boards...my goodness, I believe I'm speechless.

Miko Design Kid's Corner

I'm so pleased that Erika from Miko Design let us take a peek into her kids' corners -- I had a feeling they would be fun! Erika is always creating something amazing whether it's screen printed fabrics, flag pendants, t-shirts or putting together a special celebration for her daughters' birthday parties -- she's definitely an inspiration. So, here we go...the first picture is a peek into Sofia's bedroom that Erika designed and built where the little doorway leads to Sofia's bed -- how many kids dream of this? I love the birdhouse and forest scene too. The other photos are of Mila and Sofia's cheerful "kitchen" and doll house which appear to be well organized for plenty of cooking and tea parties. This is inspiring me to revamp our play space that I've been putting off. Thanks to Erika for sharing...

Kids Corners

In our house, we have a few favorite "corners" that the girls' use for reading, daydreaming, playing or whatever strikes their fancy at that particular moment...we know how those moments fleet from second to second. I thought I'd share a few of our favorite corners and hope you'll share a few of yours. I'm also extending an invitation to a few of my favorite bloggers so we can take a peek into those sacred kid corners where the imagination runs wild.

The first photo is a sitting bench in the girls' room that they often use to pretend is a ship and there's hot lava below (I remember those days). The little wicker chair is in our living room and on a rare occasion I'll find the girls' reading a book or simply staring out the window -- waiting for Daddy's car. The bottom two photos are from our sunroom (aka playroom) that desperately needs a paint job and a little love but the girls' use it constantly for everything. It's got so much natural light and is 100% kid friendly -- which has proven essential!


 

Storybook Birds

These handmade Storybook Birds are exceptionally adorable and customizable. You specify the name or word(s) to be spelled out, choose a color theme and *voila* -- a completely hand sewn banner to hang in your little one's room to add that special touch.

Funky Little Darlings

Mandy Colliss and David Quinton of Funky Little Darlings were hand-painting murals for children's rooms when it became apparent that it took much longer than clients expected, so Mandy and David found a way to digitally print wallpaper murals with the vivid colour, fine texture and quality that they demanded. They're a far cry from the nature scene murals that I lusted after as a kid...I can't imagine a child not wanting one of these to brighten up their space.

Lighting: Tord Boontje

Daylight savings has thrown me for a loop today. I'm staying up way too late this evening and I'm sure to pay for it ten-fold tomorrow. The upside will be the addition to more daylight which will be good for the soul.

Anyhow...Tord Boontje, the infamous Dutch designer, Morning Garden and Spring Garden lights are simply beautiful and will cast a shadowy fantasy garden in your room...what a lovely idea for a child's space.

Flag Banners

I always think having cheerful elements to a child's room will create a happy place for sweet dreams. As a child, I remember having pale, transparent floral curtains in my room and though I'm sure my mom intended them to be beautiful, they took on shapes of faces and scary silhouettes in the night. Because of that, I've tried to be over-sensitive as to what hangs in my girls' room. Flag banners are one of those design elements that add a nice, spacial dimension and burst with cheery ambiance. I chose a few different flag banners made by different artists and ironically all are from Holland...

These bright, cheerful banners are designed by a company in Holland...

One of my favorite Dutch bloggers and designers, Mikodesign has a few options suitable for a boys room as well...

These lovely, square banners designed by From Holland with Love...

Jennifer Delonge: Storage Options

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!

Nature Child Mobile

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.

BoyGirl Party

This week has unintentionally revolved around art for me, though I'm quite happy about it. Art is one of those magical things that, if it strikes your fancy, can speak to you, inspire you and put you in a certain mood. I periodically peek into boygirl party to see what she's creating and found that there are some wonderful pieces of art still looking for a good home, as well as some great memo pads, note cards, etc. Susie's illustrations are so darn witty and charming -- don't they just strike your fancy?

Avalisa Rugs

Avalisa, the same company that created the stretched wall art, has come up with a gorgeous line of wool rugs. Hmmm, maybe I'm drawn to this pattern because it's reminiscent of my lollipops!

Child-Sized Seating

The New York Times Personal Shopper featured these great seating options for our little ones. The few that got me excited were the Happy Cat bean bag chair, the (I'm personally in love with) O-Zone Chair and the Living Stones floor cushions -- you can just imagine watching a movie while snuggling with these soft cushions.

Monster Skin Rug

This Monster Skin Rug via The Green Head from Longoland was cute from a distance and then I got a look at his big teeth (yipes!). Despite his toothy growl, this shaggy monster rug is quite imaginative and fun.

KLTWorks

Kristin Loffer Theiss, aka KLTWorks, has some original, fun prints and plush animals to accessorize a child's room with.

Introducing: Hazel Wood Children

Today was one of those days where I was a little uncertain of what I was going to write about. I had a few things up my sleeve but nothing that felt very compelling. That was, until I checked my inbox and found a lovely email from Jennifer of Hazel Wood Children, a new online children's store that's quite compelling and worth celebrating. Jennifer has pooled together a unique range of designers, small businesses, artists and craftsmen with an overarching philosophy of environmental consciousness (yes, including lots of organic products!). You will discover things that you have probably never seen before (I certainly did) and find items exclusively made for Hazel Wood -- note the adorable coats pictured below. Great products and great philosophy, this is my kind of store! Thanks Jennifer.

Opus Shelf

I absolutely love this Opus Shelving, designed by Sean Yoo. How fun would it be filled with a bunch of kids' books and accoutrements? It's unconventionally shaped cubbies add so much character to what would otherwise be a basic shelving unit. Apparently, Yoo was inspired by a Roman wall technique called "opus incertum" and then found the same pattern repeated in dried lake beds and broken sidewalks. You wouldn't think that this shelf is super lightweight, made from 100% recyclable polypropylene, and can be stacked or set side-by-side using a strong tape.