KidsHaus

Funday Table (streamlined!)

The functional Fundy Table that we know and love has gone through a subtle redesign. The appearance has been streamlined and looks a bit more "grown up" now. Amazing what changing a few legs and slimming the table will do. You can choose from a chalkboard or dry erase surface and it comes in either orange, blue or natural. If I had the space, I would definitely have a Fundy table for stowing the stacks of paper and pens that are left in the aftermath of an afternoon of drawing.

Pin Boards

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!

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!

DIY: Chart it!

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).

Lego Egg Timer

Mornings before school are always a bit of a challenge because while I'm making breakfast, packing lunches, making sure Ms. Bean is properly dressed (with socks!) and her accouterments are waiting by the door -- I've also got to make sure my husband isn't doddling or taking a 20 minute shower (he takes Ms. Bean to school every morning). I'm kind of a stickler for punctuality and my husband is not. So, being that I'm always trying to streamline and simplify processes around here, I thought of trying an egg timer on him (oddly enough, I think he'll like the idea) -- it's better than me yelling upstairs every 2 minutes. So, I stumbled upon Lego's Egg Timer. The face changes as the timer rotates...brilliant!

The Thilde Pocket

The Thilde Pocket was created by the mother of a child who was an early riser. Instead of dragging mom and dad out of bed to keep baby busy, the idea is to fill it with your child's favorite things and some little surprises that will keep them occupied (when they're waking up with the birds) while mom & dad get a bit more sleep -- couldn't we all use more of that?

The Pull String Person

With the holidays underway, this adorable Pull String Person from The Small Object is perfect for storing twine or string to wrap those packages. This could also make a great gift for Ms. Bean to add to her arsenal of art supplies.

Chalkboard Animals

Kids can get really creative with these fantastic chalkboard animal shapes. The Chalk-o-dile includes conversation bubbles and then there's the very cute Chalkboard Animal Safari. Fun!

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.

Via Toy Boxes

Being from Seattle, we like to take mini-road trips to Portland for that sense of escape. Portland is hopping with amazing restaurants, smart city planning and a wave of incredibly creative artists and craftspeople. So, not surprisingly, I discovered Via Toy Boxes out of Portland. Inspired by his daughter, Jon Spencer began building open toy boxes because he found toys were always getting buried in their cavernous toy chest. Via Toy Boxes is a ready-to-assemble modular storage system that allows you to customize any set-up that fits your needs -- check out their website to see the endless variations. Great stuff...

 

Pakhuis Oost

Back in 2003, my husband, Ms. Bean and I took a 10 day holiday to Amsterdam and it instantly became our favorite destination. So much so that we went back in 2005 for seconds! Amsterdam is bursting with great design (bursting!), friendly people and a unique culture. While riding bikes and exploring small shops along the way, we stumbled into a fantastic kids' store called Keet in Huis and it was close to a spiritual experience for me. My husband considered dragging me out of there but, bless his heart, instead allowed me wander for nearly an hour while I gasped and touched everything. Because we had to travel light, we were limited to buying something small. Ms. Bean's item-of-choice was a sparkly little crown made of plastic and sequins (shown below) -- it was a fine choice! So, why do I reminisce? Well, I stumbled upon that sparkly crown over the weekend -- now with a broken arm after being stepped on. On a mission to find a replacement for the magical little crown somewhere in the US,  I was elated to find that Rose & Radish not only carries Pakhuis Oost's crown but also the best squirrel and bird bookends and deer coat hanger. For your pleasure, I'm also showing a few photos from Keet in Huis's website so you can see why I was so enchanted!

 
 

Loom Pop Bins

These nifty little storage bins from Loom are cute enough to keep on display while hiding all of the things that are better stashed away. The Pop Bins compress flat for shipping and then magically pop into shape.

School Year Memories

This handy School Years Keepsake book may just solve my quandaries about storing all of the mementos, pictures, report cards, etc. that you tend to accumulate through the years. Of course I could probably buy a standard folder contraption but this keepsake has so much more style. The one thing worth noting, however, is that the size of this book is 9.4" x 7.4" (surprisingly). Nevertheless, I think it will still be helpful in corralling all of my scraps.

Operation Organization

The time has come for me to take action and organize my girls' play room. Every time I step into that room, I'm so subconsciously overwhelmed by it's frenzied appearance that I usually have to step away and close the door in denial. Ms. Bean goes back to school in 2 weeks which will allow me a little extra time to take on a project. Their play room is what we call the "sun room" because it sits off Ms. Bean's bedroom and it's the sunniest, and warmest, room in the house. It's a long & narrow room, so a tricky space to design; however, not impossible.

Here are my goals:

1. Get rid of the clutter! Less is more!
2. More utilitarian cubbies to organize books, baskets with art supplies, etc.
3. Make the current reading area more useful and inviting
4. Creative way to display the girls' artwork
5. Keep costs to a minimum
6. Paint the room (it's the same, boring beige color from when we purchased the house)

So, with these goals in mind, it's time for me to begin my mission in organizing this space to maximize it's potential. I will continue to keep a journal of my process...wish me luck!