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Sandra from Beehive Kitchenware sent me an email introducing their unbelievably fantastic pewter baby spoons. There's a duck, chick, bunny and pig but the best part is the little surprise on the backside of each spoon. Wouldn't these make the best baby gifts? Sandra and her husband collaborate on their products and have a beautiful range of wares including a baby picture frame, measuring spoons, a lemon juicer (that I'm personally in love with), candle snuffer, candlesticks and more.
I'm not normally one to peruse the big, corporate kid stores but I AM a big fan of independent artists being hired for their talent by big, corporate kids stores! Lisa DeJohn is a Portland-based artist and I own and covet one of her collages. She manages to get some of the best gigs for an artist, including having her design painted on a water tower in New Mexico. Her most recent gig includes being the artist for the Land of Nod catalog. If you haven't seen it, it's utterly adorable! She also illustrated 2 growth charts exclusively for Land of Nod which are fantastic! I will most likely spring for one since I really should start tracking C's growth and I love Lisa's work.
I'm just about to put a couple of orders in for custom bookplate stamps as a birthday present for two of Ms. Bean's friends. Seems to me that 7 year old's start to appreciate personalization and seeing their name on things. A lovely stamp with my very own name and a bird beside it would have definitely been my favorites as a kid -- though every piece of furniture and wall might have been personalized. The Maybeery Sparrow has the sweetest selection of hand-carved stamps -- there are so many I love!
I'm excited to start the week off with a Little Alouette Giveway! "The Handle Wooden Maple Waldorf Style Wood Teether" looks intriguingly comfortable for baby gums and the handle is nice to grasp for tiny hands. This small company is a family venture consisting of Master British Craftsman Dad, Writer Mom and two wee ones to finish and test their creations - it is truly a labor of love. They use Ohio maple whenever possible and believe in natural materials that are locally sourced. Certified organic seed oil is used to finish their products.
How this works: We'll randomly select 1 winner only. All you need to do is leave a comment, no anonymous comments please, from now until midnight PST on Friday, October 31, 2008 (Happy Halloween!). I will announce the winners on Monday morning, November 3, 2008. One entry per person please!
Are you ready for a feast for the eyes? Romp Store, a new online shop to me, has got an incredible selection of toys, games, decor...etc. As they say, "...everything we bring you will have a magical combination of good design, respect for materials and craft, and of course a serious dose of fun." (Well said). They've even got things that are fresh to my eyes and I feel like I've seen nearly everything. It's a delightful shop to peruse and will be one my destinations this holiday season. All Kids Haus readers can get free shipping on all orders by simply entering "Haus" in the discount code box.
A couple of years ago, I recall reading an article about Cathy Bailey and Robin Petravic, a 30-something couple who left the hi-tech product design world in favor of devoting a life to rekindling the spirit of Heath Ceramics back in 2003. I remember thinking how brave and awesome it was of them to swoop down and rescue one of California's last remaining mid-century era potteries originated by Edith Heath. Based in Sausalito, the company continues to produce handcrafted dinnerware and tiles using the same production techniques since 1948. You can see that this company is built on pure love and passion. So, naturally, they've ventured into the realm of designing a line of tableware for kids. A complete set includes a bowl, plate, cup and.
As much as I find it difficult to believe, the holiday season is literally around the corner. One thing to think about is this year's holiday card...something that I was dreadfully late with last year and don't intend on replaying again this year. Minted.com has some of the most gorgeous holiday, birth announcement and wedding photo cards. Their holiday cards were specially gathered through design competitions held on their site. Hundreds of the best, independent designers entered the competition and the best were selected by Minted.com's visitors.
I particularly like The Yearline Card that beautifully displays a timeline of the year's highlights...
Spending money on a few good wooden appliances for pretend-play is almost as good as spending good money on the real thing. I think we've gotten our monies worth for purchasing a solid, wooden oven for the girls. I love these vibrantly colored Plan Toys wooden dishwasher and washing machine -- made with non-toxic color dyes.
The child who gets this incredibly creative and beautifully stitched Picnic/Tea Party Blanket from LeiLiLaLoo will be one lucky duck! I would be throwing a tea party all year round. She's only made one though, so hurry before someone else snaps it up. It would make a great heirloom to pass down.
The very talented designer/illustrator behind Decoylab, Maiko Kuzunishi (who is known for her printed cuckoo clock), has recently introduced her Bunny Counting Clock and Night Owl Clock. The illustrations are so wonderful and I love that she's melded great art and an everyday necessity into one.
How many times have you been running late for a birthday party and didn't have a card? (mmm, I've lost count for myself). How about a classically simple calendar to give as a gift or for yourself to keep track of plans? Need labels? Notecards? Little Brown Pen has designed some unbelievably charming templates for the aforementioned circumstances. The idea is simple in that you purchase the .pdf template and can print the designs yourself, as many times as you want...everything under $4! I think I'll keep this in mind for the next time I'm in a pinch. Little Brown Pen also has a lovely blog worth a peek.
How fun does this Play Top look? It's designed to encourage creativity and imagination, so you can rock it, spin it, hide in it...get dizzy in it! It even has a raised, rounded edge to protect children's fingers from getting rolled over. Smart!
via bambinogoodies
It's been a very long time since I've taken a peek into what Gypsy and Twink has been working on. I featured her work last year after I was awestruck by the Love Elephant wood sculpture. She's been busy making some fantastic pieces and has a lot of beautiful wood sculptures to peruse...I don't think there's a bad one in the bunch. I would love to take all of these home...
I was up until the wee hours last night Gocco printing my latest illustration. I hope to post it to Etsy sometime today. Originally, I had only drawn one birdcage but felt something was missing, so I drew two more -- there's a nice balance to groups of three. The finches are having a boon flying free! Problem is...I'm having a hard time coming up with a name for this piece. So, if anyone can come up with a great name and I decide to use it, I'll send you a print!
I'd like to welcome Olli & Lime to Kids Haus as our first sponsor. I'm truly thrilled to have the opportunity to applaud this husband and wife team in their efforts to make sophisticated and fun children's bedroom furnishings whilst respecting the environment in using recycled materials and recycling what they use. They've designed great prints with vibrant colors fitting for a child's bedroom and beyond. Their blog also shares DIY projects to make your own wall art and a fun storage box using the Carrie wallpaper (could also make great holiday gift boxes).
Emily Green's placemats are just fantastic! Her whimsical characters laid over vintage fabrics make a nice back-drop for dinner, Play-doh or anything that gets messy -- the foundation for any child. The backside is blank, so your little one can doodle their own placemat or work of art. It's hard to figure out which one I like best...
Inspired by vintage illustrations of children at play and her own
experiences with her two young children, Sara of Sarah & Abraham creates incredibly charming, personalized artwork and stationery. The simplicity of the silhouettes along with the beautiful color choices make it hard to choose a favorite. I may be a tad early to mention holiday-related items but you should take a peek at her holiday stationery too...adorable!
The Boon Fluid no-spill toddler cup is exactly what we need around here. First and foremost, it's BpA-free, Phthalate-free & PVC-free so there are no worries as to what your baby is ingesting. I find that a huge relief. Second, the spout is designed so there's minimal head-tipping and the two-hand grips make it extra easy for little hands. I'm buying two because somehow we've managed to lose 4 sippy cups in the last several months...how does that happen so quickly?
It's no wonder I was taken by the design aesthetics of the Anka Highchair when I saw it...it's made from the same brilliant folks who created the Svan chair (we've got 2 Svan chairs and love them!). The Anka Highchair follows the same functionality of the Svan chair in that it's multi-functional and will grow with your child; however, one fancy feature is the fact that it can be folded and stored. It's made from sustainable hardwood and the removable plastic tray is Phthalate and bisphenol-A free.
For those who may not be familiar with the forward-thinking, online kids shop Fawn & Forest, they have a relatively new section called "Forest Finds". It's a fresh selection of independent artists and designers who create relevant, modern wares and crafted items for your children and home. The reason I'm mentioning this is because I am deeply honored to have been chosen by Irene from Bloesem Kids as one of the Fawn & Forest October "Forest Finds" for two of my prints. Irene was this month's curator and I am quite flattered to be sitting alongside such fabulous designers as Famille Summerbelle, tas-ka, Kidsonroof and Olivelse. Very nice surprise...