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I've been a little busy this week...action-packed...but good. For one, I got to meet the delightful Courtney from the Babyccino blog who was visiting from London. We had coffee (of course she ordered a cappuccino *wink*) and finally met in person after merely knowing each other via blogs and emails. I also finished my sixth print entitled "Roar Growl" last night (pictured below). it will be in my Etsy shop soon...whew...
LeiLiLaLoo is spilling over with creativity. She's doing what I aspire to do...making artful things, constantly. I adore the whimsical approach to all of her pieces. LeiLiLaLoo makes everything from paintings, to home decoration, to clothing. She's not afraid to layer, add new textures and use a wide range of mediums. Very inspiring...
A friend led me to Blik's Wee Gallery Woodlands Re-Stik wall decals and I was instantly struck. It may have been the fox with his curly whiskers or the wonderful graphic patterns but, either way, this little forest scene is definitely up my alley and has inspired me to do something with the blank walls in our playroom. They are fully removable and repositionable to help me with my constant urge to change things around.
I was numb when I heard the news that the writer of the wonderful blog, The Nie Nie Dialogues, was in a plane crash with her husband over a week ago. Stephanie & Christian are the parents of four gorgeous children and are merely beginning the long, arduous process of recovery. Through the power of blogging, there has been such a huge outreach to help in this time of need. You can help and read all about it here. Let's all keep this beautiful family in our thoughts.
Choosing a diaper bag these days is not a simple process. Women are multi-tasking, working and playing and need something that can easily convert to any scenario. Petunia Pickle Bottom is a neat company that is breaking out of the traditional diaper bag mold and creating very functional, hip and pretty diaper bags disguised as beautiful backpacks, satchels and clutches. I'm stunned that they were able to design a tiny clutch that fits a changing pad, baby wipes, diapers, wipes and has a fantastic variety of prints to choose from.
There's something very endearing about these wooly, fuzzy, alien-like creatures by Too Small to Count. With names like Boris, Clive and Alien Alan, they're perfect for story telling! Can you imagine what fun it would be to use these little creatures to animate a bedtime story? Not suitable for children under 3.
I'm so in love with Felicitate Illustration! Each one is cuter than the next. The way she puts her little creatures in such an imaginative setting, like the big strawberry snack bar, just tells me how much she must be having drawing and painting each piece. Almost all of her illustrations are originals -- not prints! She's a busy girl. I'll have to consider buying one...
And if that wasn't enough, her Flickr album is loaded with photos of her adorable, handmade stuffed animals and more illustrations. Now we'll just need to wait for her to start selling those irresistable stuffies on Etsy...(please)...
We just got home from a memorable dinner that a friend, a local Seattle chef, made for a few of us. It really was a treat with freshly picked chantrelles and heirloom tomatoes to name a few of my favorite ingredients...(mmmmmm!)...but I couldn't resist writing about these cute Pigeon Lights by Ed Carpenter before I go to bed. They come in a lovely array of colors. You can never tire of birds, so why not add a cute pigeon for a little sass?
Every child has got to have a piggy bank at some point, right? It's a rite of passage, a lesson in saving money for something special. I thought I'd pull together a few modern piggy banks that can blend into the landscape nicely. I'm particularly fond of Jonathan Adler's Elephant...
1. Jonathan Adler's Elephant Bank
2. Still Life Series by Studio Job
3. Mid-Century Piggy Bank
4. Coink! Piggy Bank
5. Umbra U+ Collection Volcoino Piggy Bank
I can't decide what's cuter...the baby or the knit hat? Knit Craft Art is the work of Shira Adriance, an avid knitter and fiber artist (this term is new to me but I like it). Each of Shira's pieces is designed through a series of sketches, rather than a pattern, therefore making each piece one of a kind. Everything in her shop just pops and is so fun. The monster inspiration began with "J'élève mon monstre" by Elise Gravel.
My big brother, Mike, and his girlfriend had their first baby at 9am this morning in Thailand. His name is Kitikun Michael and I'm in love. I only wish Thailand was closer to Seattle. For now, I'll just have to swoon over photos. I love the vast contrast between Mike and Kitikun below.
One of the best surprises I've found about having an Etsy store is seeing who "hearts" my shop. That's how I discovered Hikje! -- a label that was created by Janneke Zantinge. Janneke graduated from the Utrecht School of the Arts in the Netherlands in 2006 and decided to expand her skills from product design into clothing and "wall softies" for children. Her work is so vibrant and full of energy! All of her pieces are made of felt and machine sewn onto fabric. Even cuter is that Hikje means "little hiccup" in Dutch.
Who doesn't love a great mobile hanging from their ceiling? As a child, I wanted all sort of things hanging from my ceiling to fulfill my imaginary world. In fact, my husband and I have a metal, Calder-inspired mobile hanging in our bedroom -- so my fascination has continued through adulthood. I thought these wonderful mobiles gathered from my Etsy search were so fun...
1. Oh My Eye!
2. Baby Bomb
3. BackWoods Creations
4. Gifts Define
5. Blackbird Fashion
I want to sincerely thank Irene from my one of my favorite kids blogs, Bloesem Kids, for attempting to surprise me with a post about my new Etsy prints. Sweet, indeed! Thank you.
Also, thank you to Jackie from Sweetie Pie Pumpkin Noodle for such an enthusiastic post about my Etsy prints today. It's always nice to bump into new-to-me bloggers.
Well, I've hit a couple of big milestones today: This is my 300th post since I began writing this little blog a year ago while searching for a creative outlet and I've also opened an Etsy shop with a few of my new Gocco prints. It's a funny feeling...exciting but a little uncomfortable, yet I think a hint of uneasiness is good for the soul. Somehow, I managed to pull together an Etsy shop yesterday while my daughters' danced around me, chanting "mommy" multiple times, asking me to look at this or help them with that. It makes everything I do that much sweeter! I want to thank everyone who encouraged me to go for it -- you've given me the little push I needed.
Alexander Taylor, the same designer who created the Antlers coat hanger and loads of other beautiful furniture, designed the sleek Kids Rock rocking chair for kids. It's made of English oak and rubber inlay that comes in five cool colors including blue, yellow, pink, lime green and red.
How do you get your toddler to try new foods? That was the question that inspired Cooking for Monkeys pursuit of the bento box and her fun blog. Frankly, I'm in awe (with a dash of envy) of her food creativity and know that my children would be beside themselves if they were served a Wild Thing monster or a polar bear sandwich in their lunch (Annie's mac 'n cheese bunny pasta is no longer making the cut). Not always is she carving animals out of cheese but will often put together a beautifully presented bento box combining a variety of flavors, colors and textures that's just as appetizing. Very inspiring for those of us who have found ourselves in a food rut. I think it's worth a try.
Chances are you're not a stranger to Presto Bingo. First off, they have the best name in town and secondly, they're churning out utterly amazing illustrations. Joyce Hesselberth and Dave Plunkert are the talent behind Presto Bingo and they've got an entire line of fine art prints for kids' rooms that include animals, robots and, of course, aliens.
Kistner Supply was born from one of those beautifully unique stories that you rarely read about. In 2004, Elizabeth Brantley stumbled upon her grandmother's baby book that was filled in by her great grandmother's 19th century hand. Elizabeth set out to reproduce the 1904 version of the Mother Stork's Baby Book. It was an instant success and now Elizabeth has expanded her product line including these gorgeous, recycled 2-ply cashmere chime balls. In the center of each ball is a soothing Chinese meditation chime. Then there is the recycled 2-ply cashmere blankets that are true works of art! You can imagine snuggling your little one up in one of these luxurious blankets -- mmmm, cashmere. Each blanket has a small pocket for babies hand and a loop to attach a pacifier or small toy. Each of Kistner Supply's products have that heirloom quality and would be an ideal gift.
We're in the midst of a car seat conflict with Ms. Bean. She's 6 and has a standard booster seat with a back. She detests how the seat belt hits her across the chest. The only solution is to get a booster seat without the back. Fine. The brilliant company, Clek, who designed the Cleck Olli seat has also come up with the Cleck Oto. A booster seat that doesn't look like it's "for babies" -- it's a bit more incognito and the best part, in my opinion, is it's ability to click into the LATCH system (lower anchors
and tethers for children). All cars built after 2002 were required to have a LATCH system. This means that the Olli and Oto booster seats can be securely attached (click) to the car seat so it's much safer and stable in case of an accident. I'm sold!
The Casa Kids Ola! Crib is one of the smartest crib designs I've seen in quite sometime because of it's ability to grow with your child and it looks great doing it! Ready? It converts into three functional beds: 1) crib 2) toddler bed 3) twin bed! (not shown below) while keeping it's cool, modern aesthetic. Apparently, there is no other bed on the market like it. The designs are engineered to reduce the amount of material needed without compromising structural stability. Made of Lyptus and Brazilian Plywood. Lyptus is a fast growing Eucalyptus species grown to International sustainable certification standards. Hooray for thoughtful designs!