Kids Haus

Portland and Babushkups

Almost 2 weeks ago, I traveled to Portland, Oregon to attend a fabric design class at PNCU hosted by the ultra-talented Heather Ross. I was originally #11 on the waiting list and I whimpered to my husband that I'll never get into the class (poor me). Somehow, the clouds parted, and a space became available. It turned out to be a fantastically informative and fun class that I will write more about in the next day or two. Anyhow, while I was down there, I set out on a quest to find a gift for my girls' to bring home. I spent a couple of hours in Powell's Books (which isn't hard to do) and as I was breezing through the Orange Room, these nesting Babushkups jumped out at me and, naturally, I had to bring them home! Adorable babushka dolls printed on each glass and because they nest within each other they double as great space-savers as well. They were a huge hit in our house!

Pincushion Pal Ring

Hi...perhaps you remember me? I started this blog a few years ago and would write incessantly about beautiful things that caught my eye...and then the holidays came and went and my husband and I went to New York City for a brief stint together (without the kids!) and then we promptly took a family vacation for nearly two weeks in Hawaii...and now I'm back. I can't say it was all that bad taking a break from my blog, it was fantastic for family bonding, which is most important anyhow, right? Quite honestly, I'm feeling fresh and back on track! I've definitely got a list of things I want to share with you and will be setting out to do that over the next couple of weeks. I've also begun illustrating after hitting an "illustrator's block" for a couple of months and I will eventually share those things with you too.

But let me just start with this brilliant little Pincushion Pal Ring! It only caught my eye because Bean will be starting a weekly sewing class next Friday and I imagine we'll need little things like this. Well, perhaps it won't be a "need" right away but it certainly adds a little excitement to sewing.

 

Smallabe Holiday Gift Guide

I feel fortunate to have been asked to participate in creating a holiday gift guide for one of my favorite online shops, Smallable. The challenge was to narrow down their incredible selection to only 8 gifts that would be fun for the little ones. I gravitated toward activity-driven gifts mostly because I really enjoyed watching my girls immerse themselves in their new projects or activities for several days or weeks after everything has wound down. Now for the best part: from December 7-21,  Smallable is offering 20% off of Kids Haus gift guide items using the code NOELKIDSHAUS at checkout. So, go ahead and take a closer look at a few of my favorite things and I hope you're enjoying the holiday season so far...

Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows!

These don't only look pretty but you know they'd be the ultimate stocking stuffer or best eaten on one of those overindulgent, overachieving holiday nights when you make a gingerbread house, stroll the block to check out the neighbors' Christmas lights, make hot cocoa upon your return and top if off with a chocolate dipped marshmallow! Okay...I just got a stomach ache thinking about it but it was fun to imagine how much fun the kids would have prior to the sugar crash.

mimishop rattles and musicbaby

This week has been a whirlwind of activity but I see the light at the end of the tunnel - which is encouraging when the days blur into the night and the to-do lists seem practically endless. We're in the midst of building out a restaurant (actually my husband and his partner) and I've been working on the website in the evenings after the girls' are fast asleep - so any hopes of writing a blog post, even a brief one, fell quickly to the wayside. I took a break tonight and decided I would check out Etsy since it's been almost a week since I said "hi". As I was perusing, I randomly decided to type the word "rattle" into the search field just to see what results would come back and to say that I was pleasantly surprised to bump into mimishop is an understatement. Her rattles and pacifier clips are so refreshing and fun! Adorable! Then, to top it all off, the Owl Musicbaby is a modern twist on the traditional musical toy with a mechanical music box sewn inside. No need to change batteries, it plays Brahms Lullaby for approximately 2.5 minutes each time you pull from the string. Fancy that!

La Plates

La Plates began following me on Twitter and I'd never heard nor seen their brilliant plates before (another point for Twitter). I'm definitely going to find any reason to order a custom plate. You can choose from a wide palette of colors, fantastic patterns and fonts - they're fully customizable. I'm thinking of C's 3rd birthday party in August - a custom plate would be a fun surprise for her...

Wilkintie

We're wrapping up a three day weekend around here - the weather was phenomenal (I'm still feeling the Vitamin D coursing through my veins) and Bean had her very first friend sleep over this weekend. It was adorable to be a part of this momentous occasion since I recall the many sleepovers I had as a girl. We made ice cream sundaes, watched a movie and then they slipped into their sleeping bags eager to tell scary stories - which only lasted about 10 minutes before they fell fast asleep. Ah, girls! It was such a fun night.

Anyhow, I wanted to share with you this cool project: Wilkintie evolved from a love of letterpress printing and a desire to collaborate with amazing artists by Carly Hargreaves and Niels Oeltjen, a couple living in Melbourne, Australia. The project is simply: 12 prints over 12 months by 12 artists. Each month they will release a new print by a different artist - it's like getting a surprise in the mail each month...exciting! I'm head over heals with all of the prints - they're just gorgeous. Oh, and if you'd rather not pay for the full subscription, you can still by prints individually while they last, since there is a limited amount of each.

Penguin & Fish Downloadable Embroidery Pattern

Well, if this isn't the best idea along with the cutest little creatures, I don't know what is! Perhaps you're feeling crafty and have a hankering for embroidery or maybe you'd like to make a special gift, then these darling embroidery patterns from Penguin & Fish are beckoning! Within a very short time of purchasing any one of her patterns, you will receive an email with a .pdf file which includes an image of the finished embroidered pattern, a stitch and color guide, simple embroidery instructions, an easy to trace black and white pattern, and a black and white pattern in reverse for printing on iron-on transfer paper. Marvelous!

Mother's Day Idea: SpoonerZ

Aren't these hand-stamped, hand-formed spoon pieces from SpoonerZ adorable? (Ahem, I only hint being that Mother's Day is on the horizon). A little personalized treasure for all those dedicated mothers out there...hint, hint...

Miller Goodman ShapeMaker

This has got to be one of the coolest toys around and I honestly don't think I could have understood how imaginative the ShapeMaker was, had it not been for their excellent video. My girls have watched it a half dozen times already and found it completely entertaining -- I don't think we could get tired of the fabulous, organ grinder inspired music that goes along with it either, it's so fun. The Miller Goodman Shapemaker is essentially a set of 25 colorful, hand printed, environmentally friendly, rubber wood blocks with thousands of geometric possibilities. Enjoy!

Personlized Appliqued Pillow

Hey there! I hope you all had a great Easter. As spring in Seattle would have it, it rained from the moment we woke up to the time we went to bed. The early morning egg hunt left us all wet and soggy, especially my husband and I as we tried to follow the girls around our sloping front yard, trying to keep up as they searched for their hidden eggs, which is when I unfortunately discovered that my favorite rain boots had a hole in them. This was the first year that both girls' understood the Easter egg hunt concept -- C was a little too young last year, so we had the fortune of experiencing the magic through their eyes. So fun!

I haven't posted anything about my friend Jana in while -- she always tends to have a craft project or two up her sleeve . Remember her chore chart and concentration game? Well, she's done it again with an appliqued pillow case that she made as a birthday gift for her daughter's friend, Avery. I think giving anything with the birthday girl's name on it will add that extra special, birthday touch and I'm sure Avery already covets her personalized pillow case...really, who wouldn't? It's such a simple idea and one that will be remembered and used for years.

Thursday On My Mind

Well, I have chosen a random winner for my "My Deer" Gocco print Giveaway using Random.org. Moxie, who is also coincidentally a Seattle girl, wrote "gocco rules! i too, wish everyday were an art day. very lovely". I want to extend a HUGE thank you to everyone who participated in the Giveaway and for your incredibly wonderful comments -- it's good fuel for the fire!

Since Easter is right around the corner, it's time to start thinking about coloring Easter eggs soon. We're not quite ready for that yet but we're getting there -- somehow April snuck up on me and I have a feeling the long, gray winter may have something to do with it. So, to get the ball rolling with Easter, let's just start with some beautifully designed packaging by one of my favorite illustrators, Lisa DeJohn, for Godiva. I know, it's not something I would normally write about but since it's Lisa, I think it's noteworthy. I would also show you her awesome place mats that she illustrated for Land of Nod but they don't seem to be available on their site at the moment -- I don't want to send you on a wild goose chase so, instead, I'll update you when I find out more.

Then, to top that off, I discovered that since Lisa is Land of Nod's catalog cover artist, they've turned her cover art into prints that you can buy here. They're too cute!!

Sam & Bellie Lolly Chalkmat

"Smart & practical" just about sums it up for the Sam & Bellie Lolly Chalkmats. The idea of a travel placemat that has a fun design on one side and a chalkboard on the other sends fleeting thoughts of "why didn't I think of that?" and "I wish I had known about this sooner" as I count the numerous times we've sat in a restaurant drawing on napkins and crumpled receipts from my purse. It's a brilliant idea and the designs are lovely! And you want to know the best thing? They're PVC-free, BPA-free and free of harmful metals. Sam & Bellie manufacture their products in an environmentally friendly way and choose materials that are good for our children and the eco-system. Sam & Bellie is also hosting a giveaway on their blog so you can try to win one yourself...

Rikrak Bibs

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.

Fin + Roe Magnet Memento Cards

I simply love Fin + Roe's new spin on birth announcements! Your baby's photo can be made into a magnet with the name, birth date, time and weight printed on the side -- a brilliant momento to give as a gift (better than a smelly cigar)! When I see things like this, I have fleeting moments of wanting one more baby but thankfully the Magnet Momento Cards can be made for other occasions like birthdays, graduation and weddings -- nice diversion (whew!).

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...

Happy New Year!

Hello again! It feels like weeks since I've said "hi". I don't know about you but I'm feeling invigorated about kick-starting the New Year. I was mentally preparing myself to bound out the door Monday morning, excited to get to work, particularly since it seemed like an unusually long December with the addition of snow keeping us trapped inside but what do I see out my window? yes...more S-N-O-W-! I have a feeling it may be one more day of snow angels but that's hardly something to complain about, isn't it?

After two months of writing about holiday preparations, gifts, crafts, etc...I found myself a little puzzled as to what I would write about my first week of 2009. There are a couple of fun things I will show you this week but since I stumbled back upon Little Overcoat's shop, everything seemed so cheerful, whimsical and fun -- it seemed appropriate to share with you on a Monday and because I dearly miss the sunshine...

I'm also going to show you some of our favorite gifts this year...the tried and true and maybe even one that didn't perform as well as we had hoped. On my great gift list for our 6 year old, I loved The Giant Play and Learn Book. It is loaded with such wonderful activities that involved stickers, coloring, drawing, story telling, puzzles...and more. The book is vibrant and so FUN! Bean played with it for over an hour today with frequent interruptions from her 2 year old sister who was trying everything she could to peel the stickers off. It's great for traveling and keeping the brain busy. The pictures below aren't the best representation of the book but you get the idea. There's also a downloadable activity kit here for a little taste.

Cameras for Kids

I have to type fast because our internet connection has been so intermittent that it makes it nearly impossible to write anything. Since Bean is 6 (almost 7!) you can imagine that she's grown up dramatically from those toddler days -- so toy choices need to be thought through to ensure that she'll be engaged for more than a week and it won't be something that's tossed to the side. These cameras would allow her the freedom to be creative and now we'll be able to take pictures together and I won't feel nervous every time I let her use my 5 pound digital SLR...

Top: The Pinhole Camera Kit by Yutaka Ohashi
Bottom Right: Lomographic Action Sampler 35mm Camera takes 4 photos in 1 frame (fun! fun!)
Bottom Left: Hello Kitty VGA Digital Camera

Handmade Stocking Stuffers

I think there may be just enough time to order things online and receive them by Christmas (depending on the merchant, of course). I'm starting to think about stocking stuffers and wanted to share a few goodies that would be so fun to fill those stockings with care.

Needle Felted Doll Ball by Asher Jasper - Order by Friday, December 12
Deer Pocket Mirror by Sparkle Paw
Mama & Baby Polar Bears by Little Love Blue
Let It Snow Wool Slippers by 4pippi

Petite Picasso

Donna from Petite Picasso had such exuberance when she wrote to tell me about her business that began out of a pure desire to preserve her children's own artwork. She says that their masterpieces all face an inevitable fate. The lucky ones end up on the refrigerator, only to be later boxed up and filed away, never to be seen again for many years. Donna takes your child's artwork and compiles and prints it into a professionally printed and bound book. The art can be printed chronologically, grouped by themes, colors or the background can coordinate with the colors in the artwork. Each book is a masterpiece of it's own and what an amazing way to keep your child's artwork as a memento or a coffee table book -- something that they would be proud of too. Donna was also so sweet to custom make Ms. Bean an art tube and pencil case (thank you!) and...yes...Bean is a pseudonym for Sabine (the cat is out of the bag).

 

An Awesome Book!

You know when you come across something so inspirational or so sweet that you feel like you just want to gush? Or have you ever read a children's book that touched your heart so deeply that you read it over and over? I can recall The Giving Tree was like that when I was a child. As a mama, there have been a few books that I covet and love to read to my girls because of the message that they deliver -- though the concept is usually too big for them to understand yet (someday!). Today I purchased one such book by Dallas Clayton entitled "An Awesome Book!". Dallas sent me a very brief email with a simple link to his book (I like brief emails these days) and when I clicked the link to read all of the pages, I nearly cried. It was the sort of book that has a profound message about big dreams, imagination, individuality, choices, life and love and it's beautifully illustrated. Dallas has a five year old son whom he wrote it for. I know this book will be a HUGE hit with Bean -- she'll LOVE staring at the intricate illustrations and will certainly inspire her to come up with a book of her own. You'll have to give it a read, I have a feeling "An Awesome Book" will be big when the world discovers it!

 

 

Art Sale!

Did you know that the Monday following Thanksgiving is considered "Cyber Monday" for it's ceremonial kick-off of the holiday online shopping season? Why not kick things off with some great art since the undeniably talented artist, Amy Ruppel, is having one of her famous art sales Monday at 10am? If you're determined to buy a piece, you'd better be frosty because they sell out in minutes! Her guest artist, Bishop Lennon, will be joining her. I'm in love with Lennon's whimsical alphabet paintings (below)...wouldn't they make a wonderful set to spell out your child's name?

Also, I've applied FREE shipping to all of my Kids Haus Gocco prints thru December 20. I'm trying to whip up one more print this week and reprint a new batch of "Roar Growl", so keep your eyes peeled. Happy Cyber Monday!

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

 

Eric Carle's Dream Snow Advent Calendar

I was down at our local book store the other day with the girls, perusing all the wonderful kids' books when I glanced over to notice this Eric Carle's Dream Snow Pop-up Advent Calendar. What child doesn't like a good Eric Carle book? What child doesn't love a good advent calendar? I think this is one of the cutest advent calendars I've seen and I'd purchase it if we didn't already have an advent calendar made of tiny knit stockings already.

LMNOP Online Magazine and Kids Haus

The beautifully produced and designed LMNOP Online Magazine has just come out with their 5th issue and it's overflowing with fabulous holiday gift finds. I am completely honored to have my "Aye, Matey!" print included amongst all of the beautiful things (hanging on the yellow fish clip below). You might find it interesting that they photograph over 90% of the products for each issue -- presentation is a huge factor, isn't it? Download it and enjoy!

And seconds after showing this brilliant Crazy Fort to my husband, he insisted we get it for Ms. Bean for Christmas. It's perfectly suited after we've built at least a dozen forts in the last 4 months out of every sheet, blanket, clothespin, rubberband and pillow in the house. There was one weekend where our couch had been transformed into a fort and I was given strict instructions not to take it down. The Crazy Fort allows children to construct their own structure with the balls and sticks and, even smarter, you can now purchase lights that shut off after 20 minutes of use.

Great Gift: Crayon Rocks

I hope you all had a great weekend. We had fantastic autumn weather and I had the girls on a crafting binge all weekend. We also received our custom stamp and I'll upload pictures as soon as I recharge my camera. I wish you could have seen Bean's face when I gave it to her. She was so enamored with the idea of taking one of her drawings and turning into a stamp and actually asked if we could sell it to our friends, J & H, because I think she sees me selling my artwork and it's something she wants to do too. Very cute. 

Anyhow, can we talk about Crayon Rocks? They could almost be the "perfect" gift. The rainbow of colors first grab your attention but the rounded pebble shape is what makes them truly unique and tempting to pick up and play with. Created by a special needs teacher to aid with proper gripping techniques, crayon rocks are designed to strengthen the tripod grip muscles which makes them perfect for children with motor disabilities, as well as for every day, fun activities. They're eco-friendly, made of soy wax and tinted with natural mineral powders, so like me, you may want to buy a few for stocking stuffers and birthday presents.

Custom Stamp

Sarah Neuburger from The Small Object writes a fantastic blog called The Small Object Steno Pad -- I'm always captivated and inspired with her abundance of ideas and creativity. Recently, she wrote a post about a custom self-inking rubber stamp that she had made from a drawing that her nephew drew (image on the left). This gave me the idea to turn one of Ms. Bean's sweet illustrations into a stamp that she'll have forever. This little girl (on the right) is from a book she finished last weekend entitled, "It's True, Really". I just sent it off to the Stamp Connection and was called back within minutes to confirm my order. These are the guidelines for sending in custom art. I should be expecting it in the mail within 24 to 48 hours and they were so nice to deal with! I'll share the end result with you next week and maybe I'll scan in a few pages from her book so you can read the story yourself.

 

Puj Tub

The Puj Tub almost made me want another baby! It's beautiful, lightweight, easy to dry, durable, great for travel and made all of my design sensors go off. Katie is a mother of 3 and designer of all things Puj (pronounced like "pudge") -- you may have seen Puj shoes. The Puj Tub is designed to fit in a bathroom sink (no more bending over a bathtub) and it cradles your baby comfortably. You can imagine how easy it would be to wash your baby daily. There's a very brief but informative video on their website that shows how easy it is to use. With the release of the Puj Tub, Puj is offering all Kids Haus readers 20% off all Puj products with promo code "KidsHaus" from now until Jan 1, 2009!

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.

A Few of My Favorite Things

Whenever the holidays are upon us, like clockwork, the song "These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things" pops into my head and is nearly impossible to shake (I'm not kidding!). So, instead of muffling that catchy tune, I've decided to embrace it and select a handful of my favorite things that I've found on my searches. These "things" will be unique and special and will hopefully help you in your quest for holiday gift giving. Enjoy...

1. Felted Woolen Booties
2. Wooden Rabbit Puzzle
3. Gustave, a pocket fairy tale. Book no.
4. Creature Mask - Little Fox
5. The Wooden Spool Doll Kit

Beehive Kitchenware

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.

Lisa DeJohn Growth Charts

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.

 

The Mayberry Sparrow

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!

 

{Giveaway!} Little Alouette

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!