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Laura from Jaya Loves Tekeko sent me a nice email about her adorable, super fluffy pillows that are hand printed, sewn, and stuffed by local Miami manufacturers. They are made with organic bamboo and organic cotton fabric, stuffed with 100% natural kapok fill -- a seed fiber that is lighter than down and ultra fluffy. The little characters for each pillow are so simply illustrated but loaded with character, I want all of them!
I came across Something's Hiding In Here via Etsy about a month ago and added them to my favorites because I loved their You're home to me Gocco printed poplar house. Since I look at what seems like a million blogs and shops daily, they got lost in my shuffle but I was quickly reminded how much I loved their quirky, creative things when I peeked inside their Etsy shop today and adore everything they're producing -- like their Heart yo-yo and Faux bois blocks. For fun, you should also check out their video for their "You're home to me" wooden house -- it's bubbling with creativity too (of course).
I spent most of yesterday afternoon printing my new illustration, "My Deer". It's been months since I've fired up my Gocco printer and it was exhilarating to be doing it again. Oh, how I wish I had more days to do my art...someday! So, in celebration I'm having a giveaway! Simply write a comment and I will randomly pick a winner by Thursday, April 2, 2009.
It's hard to deny good storage bins, especially when they're as cool as the Bin-Go. The colors are fabulous and you can put them in any room of your house, stash your toys, blankets and books inside and voila! -- instant clean-up. The large circle handles are great for toting them around and if, by chance, you don't have a purpose for the Bin-Go, they'll fold flat for storage -- but I don't see why you would ever need to do that.
Portland is one of our favorite places to escape to if we find ourselves needing a little break from Seattle. It's a quick 2.5 hour drive and then you're in the land of great restaurants, independent boutiques, galleries, smart city transportation and art! There's art hanging in many shops and cafes and you instantly feel a community vibe -- it's a very fun city. Paper Sparrow is one such artist from Portland who is brimming with whimsical wall art, greeting cards and stationery adorned with darling animal illustrations. I mean, just look at the fox reading the book!
We're no longer using bibs around here, though on occasion, C will ask to wear one when eating yogurt -- Grasshopper has learned! These vintage-inspired, quilted bibs from Rikrak are some of the cutest I've seen. They're like small works of art with their graphically bold designs and rich colors, you could almost display them on your walls.
Last year I was reading one of my many interior design magazines and read an article about Robert and Cortney Novogratz of SIXX Design, a husband and wife team that has developed and designed many unique properties in Manhattan, Great Barrington, Massachusetts and Brazil, rebuilt entire city blocks and have created some of the most beautiful living spaces. The building that they had remodeled and lived in with their 6 children (now 7!) in Chelsea, New York had literally emblazoned a lasting impression in my memory. Their childrens' rooms were particularly impressive and I'm not kidding when I say that the photo of the canopy bed below is the one that stuck with me when I read that article last year. I loved the high ceilings, the abundance of daylight and the colors.
Anyhow, the reason I mention this talented team is because they have co-written a book called Downtown Chic, which will be released on April 28 but you can pre-order it from Amazon.com. I've posted a few extra pictures of their projects so you can see what tremedous work they consistently pull off. If I had a dream budget, this would be the team I would call upon to remodel my home.
Bean has been asking me on various occasions over the last several weeks if we could make a birdhouse but I'm simply not handy with saws, wood, etc. Because it was a Sunday afternoon and I was still dragging my feet with this persistent cold, I asked if she'd be interested in a cardboard version (I could manage that!). She didn't know the difference, to tell you the truth, so there I was -- armed with an orange Le Creuset box, scissors and packing tape. Within 30 minutes, we had ourselves a smashing birdhouse -- ahem, obviously unsuitable for rain and snow but we hung it under our covered porch where it blows in the wind and I'm still not quite sure if any birds have visited but Bean swears that some of the seed had been eaten...
I always love to peek at my Etsy shop to see who "hearts" me and found Enormous Champion. It was the "All Good Things" print that caught my eye. I always admire art that looks like one thing from a distance but take a closer look and you'll find the beauty in the detail. Enormous Champion is based out of Brooklyn and they've got a lovely selection of cards and prints in their Etsy store.
I always thought a light and airy, nature-themed bedroom for Bean would have been beautiful but I never quite made it; however, I'm quite happy with the girls' room nevertheless and they seem to like it in return-- though I've always got an improvement or update up my sleeve! I saw these cute lamps on Serena & Lily that would have been perfect in my nature room -- I would have chosen the one with the birds...tweet, tweet...
Last week was my birthday and my husband swept me away for a few days to Venice Beach, California where we stayed with two of our very dear friends. We rode bikes, ate ridiculous amounts of food and soaked up the warm sunshine while it snowed in Seattle! March 7th...and it's snowing in Seattle...sad. In the midst of all of the fun, I was hit with a nasty little cold that made my head feel like a balloon and a cough that sounds akin to a beached walrus. So, bear with me while I bounce back.
I couldn't pass up sharing these outfits from Speesees, they pack a little punch -- a really cute punch. The red jumpsuit keeps reminding me of Evil Knievel for some reason and I just adore the colors and graphics of their pieces. Speesees is offering 20%OFF any online purchase from now through the end of March simply by typing "Thank You" in the coupon code field.
I love art that makes me feel happy! The creative head and hand behind these incredibly fun and whimsical illustrations is Stefanie Klekamp of Stefaniek. Stefanie studied Fine Art & Design at the Bauhaus University and is an independent illustrator in Berlin, Germany. Her use of colors and patterns are so lively and inspiring, they just make me smile...
I'm going to make this brief because I've had an action-packed weekend being that my birthday is looming tomorrow and we've had plenty of celebrations already; however, I couldn't go to bed without mentioning a nice email i got from Laura & Kim of Baroque Babies about these truly fantastic toy boxes from Rice: the Auto Garage and the Gypsy Trailer. When we visited Amsterdam about 4 years ago, I stumbled into a little shop where I bought a bunch of adorable melamine serving spoons by Rice for friends and myself. They're still one of my favorite kitchen accessories and I was thrilled to see that they design so many more beautiful things. I just wish I could find somewhere locally that I could buy these things...