Kids Haus

Snug Attack Tees

I'll admit it, I have NOT been a good blogger lately! Summer has come to a screeching halt, weather and all, and now I'm finding that I have a little more time to get my brain in order and fall back into the routine that I thrive on. I've got so many things I want to do this year and I hope I can accomplish at least 50% of them...aim high, right?

Well, I've been getting a LOT of submissions all summer and I apologize to those whom I've neglected -- it's truly not intentional, I just haven't had the time. Slowly easing back into things, I wanted to share these playful and typographical t-shirts designed by the husband & wife team behind Snug Attack. I'm obsessed with nice typography and and these instantly caught my eye. Their twins were the original inspiration behind the designs. How fun are they? 

Springtree Road

This post has been a very long time coming. Finally! I'm setting a little patch of time aside to tell you all about Maya's handspun yarns but it's been worth the wait, trust me! If you've never read Maya's blog, Springtree Road, you're missing out on a little bit of sunshine. Maya and I have been blogger friends for a while now and though we've never met, Maya is one of those people whose warmth radiates through her words - I wish I had that talent! She was one of my biggest cheerleaders when I opened my Etsy shop a year ago and I'm forever grateful for her support. So, several months ago, Maya bought her very own spinning wheel and has been vigorously churning out hand-dyed and handspun yarn which naturally led her to open an Etsy shop, Springtree Road! (fans are cheering!). The colors are radiant and the yarn practically looks edible! I haven't a clue how to knit but I know there are plenty of talented knitters out there and with chilly weather on our heels, I imagine knitting scarves and sweaters are what comes to mind. Congratulations, Maya!

I couldn't go without mentioning one of Maya's first customers, Brandy Jaggers, who bought her yarn and made these delicately gorgeous props for babies to wear in her photographs. I don't think I've seen anything more precious, really...have you? I wish I had gotten photos of my girls like these when they were newborns. If you want to coo, melt and crumble to the simple sight of babies, then you simply must check out Brandy's website...

 

New House Project Aprons

Now that I've been missing in action for so long, you're wondering why I've written three posts in less than 12 hours? Well, this one is for good reason. I've been following New House Project's blog for several months because I love Kristin's simple approach to home, motherhood and the project's that she creates to make a creative and inspiring environment for her daughter, Saya. It's really sweet. A couple of weeks ago, Kristin mentioned that she was going to open an Etsy shop selling handmade aprons for children and I've been waiting...and waiting...for her to announce the opening. Well, they're here! All made from vintage and found scraps of fabric, they're all adorable. She also mentioned that her husband will be selling pottery eventually - can't wait for that!

Gizmoroo

I think putting a t-shirt on my kids with a slogan on it can run a fine line sometimes. I typically don't go for the sticky-sweet or sassy-bratty styles. Whether it's the designer in me ("less is more"), I like the simple slogans with a fun twist much like these tees from Gizmoroo, how about "DJ Nappy"? As a mother searching for something special for her baby, Dinorah wanted clothes made of organic cotton with trendy, funky and fashionable designs -- so she set out and came up with a collection of hip tees and body suits of her own...Gizmoroo!

Couture Lab: Bonnie Young

Hi! I would like to welcome a brand new Kids Haus sponsor, Couture Lab. What I've never known about Couture Lab is that it was developed with both famous and undiscovered designers, artists and artisans worldwide over 20 years ago by Carmen Busquets. Couture Lab protect the designers, artists and artisans who produce one-off creations and small collections, and because the product ranges are very limited, they cannot be offered to a large group of people -- so what you see on their website is entirely exclusive.

Couture Lab introduced a new collection of clothes for boys and girls by designer Bonnie Young, the former Creative Director for Donna Karan. If you know a thing or two about Donna Karan's classic style, you can certainly see the uncomplicated perfection in Bonnie Young's new line. The dresses are luxuriously beautiful! Read an interview with Bonnie Young.

Foxy & Winston

I nearly had a post about our Easter egg coloring venture this evening but, unfortunately, I muddled things up by buying brown eggs instead of white which left most of our sad little eggs looking anything but bright and cheery for Peter Cottontail. It was a good trial run because I was quickly reminded that you can't leave a 2 year old alone with a bowl of colored water and eggs for more than 15 seconds. If you do...well, you probably already figured it out. Of course, we'll be repeating this process tomorrow with white eggs and we'll certainly let you know how it goes.

Now, onto some truly bright and cheerful things. I'm so happy to share Foxy & Winston with you if you've never run across her screen printed works before. Jane Buck, originally from England, where she studied Fashion & Textiles, started Foxy & Winston in 2005. Her illustrations are inspired by nature and the creatures she meets on her travels. She's got a wide selection of cards, limited edition prints and organic tee shirts for kids. I can almost guarantee you'll enjoy clicking through her fun prints in her shop, they just get sweeter and more fun as you go...

Hijkids

Hijkids is a rather new shop on the block that has a carefully selected, beautiful array of classic apparel and room decor elements. Kristine, the founder, had her first child four years ago and always dreamed of having a shop of her own someday. She searched high and low to find quality handcrafted products that resonated with her own sense of style and, from that, Hijkids was born. When I first perused her shop, the dress that my eyes immediately locked onto was the darling green Sugar Cookie Dress (on the left). Then as I spent more time looking around, I discovered the Vintage Lion Artwork which is from Kristine's personal collection. Say no more! I'm even contemplating bringing him home with me. Enjoy perusing Kristine's shop, you can clearly see that it's a personal labor of love...

Monday, Monday...

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.

unverblümt & zugenäht

Hello! In case you may have wondered where I've been for the last several days, I was spending it with my husband's lovely family in snowy & beautiful Tahoe -- I even managed to get a day of snowboarding in, which has only happened a mere 3 times since Bean was born seven years ago. There was no internet access, which was ultimately a good thing as it meant that we were back to basics: reading, playing card games, eating (a lot!), playing, talking and just being! As difficult as it was to not fret about emails and my blog, it was a great sabbatical.

So, now that I'm back, I've been meaning to tell you about Unverblümt & Zugenäht for several weeks -- it's actually my cousin's wife's shop (confused?). Bettina lives in Germany and, unfortunately, I've never had the pleasure to meet her but have heard so many things about her hand-embroidered tee shirts via my mom. Our daughters' also share the same name, coincedentally, so I'm beginning to think I really need to make my way over to Germany and meet her. My mom recently sent me a link to Bettina's shop and I was so impressed with her designs and not only because we're "family" but because they're all genuinely adorable! Sadly, I'm not as fluent in German as I should be (with an Austrian mother and all) so I can't quite translate what she has written in her shop but, fortunately, the pictures speak for themselves.

Charlie and Sarah: Superhero Monogram

I've always admired Charlie and Sarah's screen printed tees (particularly their Wellies British Flashard Tee) but I've got to say that there's something about the use of letters for their Superhero Monogram/ Applique Tee that I absolutely love! I have a thing, shall we say, for typography and a beautiful or bold use of letters can really get my juices flowing. Each Superhero tee is screen printed and each letter sewn on. They are custom made to order, all letters from A-Z available, so you'll need to allow two weeks for delivery. These would make a great gift...

A Few of My Favorite Things: Part III

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. We were fortunate to spend it with family and I didn't have to host this year, which made it very easy and fun -- all I had to do was make cornbread stuffing! Today was one of those days that began like a horse out of the gate and didn't stop until just five minutes ago when the girls' finally petered out...nevermind...I take that back...they're still chatting back and forth.

Well, here is the post that I've been meaning to pull together for a couple days now but the holidays took priority. These are a few things that grabbed my attention as lovely holiday gift ideas...

To Wear (top row): Kinchi Kitten Skirt, Blue Sidekick Cape
To Play (middle row): Milwaukee Express, Sevi Push Bike
To Decorate (bottom row): Two Hoos On a Branch, Enchanted Tree Shelf Stand

 

A Few of My Favorite Things: Part II

TO PLAY
Left: Bag of Apples
Right: Felt River Rocks

TO WEAR:
Left: Marie Monster Hat
Right: Comfy Boots

TO DECORATE:
Left: Mushrooms Chalkals
Right: Letterpress Alphabet Poster

Mimi Mouse

Nathalie Ducaud was originally a web designer based in London but after having her daughter three years ago she had to find some ways to fit freelance work around childcare. She has always been interested in fashion and graphic illustration and decided to set up her own design and screen printing business called Mimi Mouse...and I'm so glad she did! We could own all of Nathalie's shirts...I think the simplicity is part of their wonderful character. Nathalie also has a blog, though written in French, is very visually entertaining.

Hikje!

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.

Wonderboy

I don't have any boys so I rarely take notice of clothing for the little guys but when I stumbled across Wonderboy I was instantly impressed! Great colors, nice tailoring and good prints is all it takes to catch my attention. You can find Wonderboy clothing here.

Colette Kids

I'm so pleased to see more organic clothing options popping up these days for our wee ones! Organic has become more accessible and is certainly more accepted. Anita Lee, who started Colette Kids, has designed a series of minimalistic, eye-popping graphics and printed them on organic onesies. There is also a series of her fantastic animal graphics printed on non-organic tees -- great colors! Animal designs are all we wear around our house these days, so these would be an instant hit...

Joah Love: Calling All Babies!

Joah Love is a brand new line of clothing that has a durable, versatile and stylish look -- I was instantly in love with everything. Much of it is clothing that I would wear myself if I could. Of course, any good product should have great photography to convey it's quality and Joah Love hired the incredibly talented photographer, Joy Marie Photography, to do just that. Joy informed me that she is looking for babies 6 months - 2 years old to model Joah Love's new line. The shoot will take place on July 12 & 13 in Seattle. Details are below...
 
Who: 6 months - 2 year old babies from all ethnic backgrounds.
When: July 12th & July 13th. Exact times to be determined. Each model will be photographed individually. Session won’t take more than 60-90 minutes.
Where: Somewhere in the Seattle area.
Why: Although this is an unpaid shoot, those selected will receive some great prints of their babies!
How: To enter your baby in the running to be selected as one of our models, please email no more than 2 or 3 jpeg snapshots to [email protected].
Next Steps: SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS MONDAY, JULY 7, 2008. Email no more than 3 snapshots to [email protected]. With such a small window of time, only the parents of those babies who are selected will be notified, but thanks in advance to all of you wonderful parents!
More Info: Email submissions & questions to [email protected]. Include the following information:

1. 2 or 3 snapshots of your 6 month - 2 year old baby.
2. your name, email and phone.
3. your baby’s name and age.
4. your availability on Saturday, July 12th & Sunday, July 13th.
5. I’ll be making selections soon, so please don’t procrastinate in sending over your info. Thanks!

Redfish Clothing

Mother and clothing designer, Lorraine Kitsos, launched her own line of beautiful clothing called Redfish Kids Clothing after her son was born. The philosophy that fuels her designs is courage -- courage to express one's sense of individuality with a strong confident voice -- to live life with gusto! Her clothes for girls, boys and babies are instantly eye-catching with their bold designs and expressive colors -- inspired from the street fashions of Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Naturally, I always peek at the girls' clothing and I'm in love with all of her bold and stunning dresses!

Oobi Knee-High Booties

Oobi is a four person operation out of Sydney, Australia...they've been making toys & textiles for 8 years and their hand-knit knee-high baby booties could possibly be my new favorite. Suede feet and wooden buttons down the back are the details that make these particularly irresistible.

April Scott

Bold, beautiful patterns and simple silhouettes by April Scott. The technicolor dress is fantastic!

Giveaway! Little Man Neck Ties

Happy Monday everyone, this is KidsHaus' first official giveaway, so start playing! Dainty Couture's Little Man Neck Ties couldn't get much more stylish and, assuming the little men out there won't be offended, also very cute. Dainty Couture is comprised of two moms who loved the quality, look and originality of boutique items, so they set out to make some great items at great prices.

I don't have boys but I can only imagine how some little men will probably love wearing a tie just like Daddy's. They've chosen some fabulous patterns so that the little guys can step out into the world, wearing their first tie, in complete style!

 
How this works: We'll select 5 winners for the Dainty Couture Little Man Neck Tie Giveaway. All you need to do is leave a comment, no anonymous comments please, from now until midnight PST on Sunday, Feb 17th. I will announce the winners on Monday morning, Feb 18th. One entry per person please! Thanks to Dainty Couture making this happen.

YaYa Designs

YaYa Designs "Funky" dresses are named appropriately, I think. When I first saw them, they instantly grabbed my attention and the one word that kept coming to mind was "funky". They're very creative and very cute.

MikoDesign

I love to periodically peek into MikoDesign's blog and see what she's making or doing with her girls in Holland. I'm smitten with these little screen printed underwear sets...adorable!

Etsy Find: Pogibabies

Beautifully crafted hats, booties and pacifier pouches from Pogibabies!

Turtle Papers

I must be a late bloomer because, for the first time in my life, Turtle Papers got me thinking about ordering personalized stationery.

 

Kit + Lili

I could buy nearly everything from Nonchalant Mom. Check out her newest Kit + Lili additions. The bold, beautiful patterns are exhilarating and I wouldn't mind wallpapering an entire room in that Cherry Owl print! Okay, that's a stretch but I do love it!

 

Etsy Find: Little Overcoat

I'm absolutely crazy about Seattle's own Little Overcoat creations! Made from a mixture of recycled and new  European materials, they do a tremendous job of mixing and matching the perfect colors and fabrics to make a vibrant fashion statement.

"Inspired by the tale of an old man who had a little overcoat, and when it became too old he made it into a jacket. And when the jacket became too old, he made it into a vest. And when the vest became too old, he made it into a tie. And when the tie became too old, he made it into a button."

Kragh Rosenberg

Periodically, I like to peek at nonchalantmom's wonderful blog and peruse her online shop -- I have yet to purchase anything but this tantalizing Kragh Rosenberg dress might be my first. The print and silhouette of the dress are pretty darn perfect.

Mahar Drygoods: One Stop Shopping!

If you're looking for unique, hand-made holiday gifts then I have no doubt you'll find that perfect something at Mahar Drygoods. They have pooled together some of the most talented artisans. I'm completely infatuated with the shadow puppets and Ms. Bean was instantly smitten with the bumble bee mittens.

eight3one Tees

eight3one is a local Seattle company that began when pending parents, Sven & Aimee, were frustrated with the lack of quality clothing available for babies and children. They took matters into their own hands and began designing and screen printing their own line of onesies and tees for babies and children. They even have a line of organics. I particularly love the Tyrannosaurus Rex!

Poncho

I had a poncho as a little girl and I remember LOVING it because it was like wearing a big blanket and had major "swingability". Hazel Wood Children just started featuring these beautifully designed Poncho des Andes from Les Petits Chapelais.

Etsy Find: Le Bouton

I'm in the midst of getting ready for a little vacation and changing jobs, so I've been a bit behind on posting beautiful things; however, a friend forwarded Le Bouton's Etsy site to me. I couldn't imagine any little girl who wouldn't want to wear one these lovely, flowy blouses everyday -- they look so comfortable and easy.

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.

Mikodesign

Mikodesign wrote a comment on my post about Keet in Huis one day so, naturally, I checked out her lovely blog and found that she is one of those admirable women who gushes with creativity. Mikodesign is based in the Netherlands and makes fantastic bags, clothes, dress-up clothes (hint* Halloween), aprons, decorative items, toys and more.  Her beautifully crafted things are found on etsy or poppytalk handmade.  The owl underwear set is irresistable! Time to do some shopping...

Etsy find: Baby Leila

Ms. Bean is in need of some new duds this Fall and I figured I would rather spend my money on things that are unique and handmade than go to the huge retailers. I love argyle prints and found this Sweet Little Dress from Baby Leila with a bird stitched to the front pocket. While I'm in the purchasing-mood, I think the Mod Headband is coming home with me too.