Kids Haus

Swoop Bags

Sarah Kirk, also a Seattle mom, contacted me about her Swoop Bags and I had to come out of my temporary blogging hibernation to share them with you. Clearly, only a mother could invent such an idea after having picked up a million tiny legos, Playmobil, blocks...and the list goes on, doesn't it? Seems like an easy and fun way for kids to pitch in and help pick up their toys before moving onto the next adventure. Pretty colors too!

Pouch Pals

One of my favorite online toy stores is Romp. Their selection of amazing toys is endless and I always discover something new-to-me. So, I came across these fantastic Pouch Pals and would love to have a couple, though I'm not even quite sure I'd want to stuff things into their pouches yet. I'm simply drawn to the pelican & kangaroo silhouettes and I love heavy-duty wool felt -- I would just like to hang them on the playroom wall and let the girls' use their imagination.

Oeuf Classic Toy Store Shelf

I stumbled upon the Oeuf Classic Toy Store shelf today and it's simplicity is what struck my fancy. Of course, any well-seasoned parent knows that organized compartmentalization is what saves us, right? And when you've got compartments that are open, it makes it that much easier for your child to see their toys and ultimately easier to clean up afterward. What makes the Toy Store even more functional is that the shelves can be tilted (as shown) or laying flat and each compartment comes with dividers so you can customize! The sophisticated design makes it so it can be used for more than toys -- I'm thinking for a craft room, garage or kitchen. Love it...

 

Chores

Well, my high hopes of tackling the girls' room today never materialized...no real reason why, other than there were plenty of other random things that trumped it. I've got my sights set on tomorrow to begin painting and get that mirror up, provided I can locate the stud because it's a particularly heavy mirror.

So, I was speaking with my boss yesterday and he mentioned, what I thought, was a really brilliant way of getting his 8 year old to be responsible for chores. It goes like this: He bought his daughter a day-timer book (yeah, like the ones we used before our Blackberries & iPhones came along). For each day, she lists out 5 agreed upon chores, for example: Monday: practice piano, set the table, feed the cat, etc. She then places a check mark beside each chore completed along with the allowance due for each chore, which they have agreed would be 20¢. So, if she completed all 5 of her chores, she can earn $1.00 a day. I thought it was a great way to teach a child about responsibilities while calculating their earnings (math!). Apparently, it's works rather well, so naturally I'm going to give it a try with Bean. I immediately thought of The Small Object and found her great Mountain Printable List which would be a great substitute for a day timer and could be posted to a wall or bulletin board.

 

Organize!

What's so fantastic about the beginning of a new year is it's psychological benefit of making us feel like we have a clean slate...a fresh beginning! With my clean slate, I'm pretty determined to organize and clean our house until there is no closet untouched. It sounds a bit daunting, doesn't it? My first project is the girls' bedroom. I don't believe I mentioned that C moved into Bean's room in December -- into their new bunk bed! With that, there is the conundrum of where to put both sets of clothes, added toys, shared artwork, etc. There's a lot to do but I'm starting with the basics. 1) I'm clearing every toy and object that is practically ignored (sadly, there are too many). 2) I'm making a better home for Bean's artwork, notes and awards. 3) I'm refining our storage situation by grouping like items together (like Legos!). I'm really fond of Little Pretty Studio's hoop.de.doo bulletin boards and saw these vibrant, Paisley Bins that come in different sizes while out shopping a couple weeks ago. I'll keep you up on my progress...whew!

Desk Makeover

Up until last week, we've barely gotten by with a desk and a modest set of drawers that housed Bean's art supplies. The desk was never used for drawing -- it became an extension of her floor where things would pile up on a daily basis, getting shoved aside. Admittedly, we didn't have a chair for her to sit on -- no wonder! I started my search at IKEA for organizational ideas and discovered the "Alex" drawer system which was like a miniature flat file (below). It has changed everything! Paper, stamps, stickers, glue, pipe cleaners, tape, scissors and paints ALL fit in here! They're no longer scattered in 3 different drawers and closets. I might be considered a bit obsessive compulsive about organization but I felt like a lighter person when everything fit neatly together. Ahhh...I now have a home for all the little bits & pieces that were homeless. Next, I needed to find a chair but wanted something stable for our 2 year old climber. I found this neat little yellow chair at a vintage furniture store in our neighborhood -- it's quirky but it's YELLOW vinyl! Bean loved it and was thrilled to bring it home. Oh, and the little baskets house yarn, fabric and her beloved pot-holder kit.

This is a detail shot of the girls' bucket of overflowing jewels. Another little home to all things shiny and bawble-y.

A shot of the desk and detail of Bean's hand-painted mini-drawers. My prints are only hanging together because I wanted to photograph them as a group before I distribute them to the lovely friends and folks that purchased them.

Night Owl Paper Goods

I wrote about Night Owl Paper Goods about a year ago when I was just beginning Kids Haus. Their printed wooden cards were what struck me then and they've since expanded their product line to a wider selection of cards, wooden journals and these fantastic desktop notepads (top left). What a cute and stylish way of keeping a notepad on your desktop, your refrigerator or by the front door for reminders.

Claudia Textil Storage Bags

These functional and adorable Textil Storage Bags by Claudia come individually so you can button them together for your desired length. They're ideal for storing books, toys, hats, mittens or...more. I really need one of these by my front door as the kids unload their things as soon as they cross the threshold. This way, we won't have one mitten by the front door and the other under the couch.

CASAKids Design

Roberto Gil of CASAKids Design is a Brooklyn-based designer and architect with an amazing talent. He's designed successful furniture ranges for Offi, Simplicity, Alex Toys, Ameriwood, Crate and Barrel and Williams-Sonoma. What caught my eye, however, were his custom room designs. As parents, I think we could all agree that organization is the key to keeping the clutter at bay. When everything has it's designated "home", it's easy to keep clean. These spaces by Mr. Gil are dreamy! They're spacious, light and clean. I dream of having a space like any these someday...

 

Dante Beatrix Backpacks

I know school is already underway but is it too late to mention these incredibly adorable backpacks by Dante Beatrix? Nah! It's never too late. Each backpack has one large compartment for stashing books, crayons and a furry friend. There are enough animal characters to choose from that there shouldn't be another one like it in the your child's classroom.

Petunia Pickle Bottom

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.

 

Funday Table (streamlined!)

The functional Fundy Table that we know and love has gone through a subtle redesign. The appearance has been streamlined and looks a bit more "grown up" now. Amazing what changing a few legs and slimming the table will do. You can choose from a chalkboard or dry erase surface and it comes in either orange, blue or natural. If I had the space, I would definitely have a Fundy table for stowing the stacks of paper and pens that are left in the aftermath of an afternoon of drawing.

Pin Boards

These cute pin boards would be great for (obviously) pinning pictures or mementos or whatever else is worthy of displaying. I know ours would consist of scribbled pictures and found objects from the park. Ideal, the husband and wife team out of Massachusetts is using Homasote, a green material made from recycled, pressed newsprint with no resins -- even better!

Jennifer Delonge: Storage Options

I think I've finally found the ideal storage unit that will mesh seamlessly with the rest of our decor. Jennifer Delonge has come up with these sophisticated and functional pieces of furniture that are highly forgiving of child's play. The Audrey Storage can be nested or used as individual storage units and you can opt to have the lid chalkboard or lacquered painted.

The Charles Storage is very similar but without the nesting units. It can masquerade as a gorgeous side table while it secretly hides blankets or toys. I'm definitely in love with both of these pieces!

DIY: Chart it!

Over the last couple of years, we've created several crazy charts to inspire Ms. Bean to accomplish various things...potty training, teeth brushing or sleeping in her own bed. You name it and we have probably charted it! And it works! So when I saw my friend Jana's chart that she illustrated for her daughter, I loved it! A picture to inspire the task is a great idea and something that you could do together. When Britta has accumulated 20 stickers or stamps, she gets to choose a reward. (Jana's got some great crafty projects and I'm trying to convince her to share a few of them with KidsHaus someday).

Lego Egg Timer

Mornings before school are always a bit of a challenge because while I'm making breakfast, packing lunches, making sure Ms. Bean is properly dressed (with socks!) and her accouterments are waiting by the door -- I've also got to make sure my husband isn't doddling or taking a 20 minute shower (he takes Ms. Bean to school every morning). I'm kind of a stickler for punctuality and my husband is not. So, being that I'm always trying to streamline and simplify processes around here, I thought of trying an egg timer on him (oddly enough, I think he'll like the idea) -- it's better than me yelling upstairs every 2 minutes. So, I stumbled upon Lego's Egg Timer. The face changes as the timer rotates...brilliant!

The Thilde Pocket

The Thilde Pocket was created by the mother of a child who was an early riser. Instead of dragging mom and dad out of bed to keep baby busy, the idea is to fill it with your child's favorite things and some little surprises that will keep them occupied (when they're waking up with the birds) while mom & dad get a bit more sleep -- couldn't we all use more of that?

The Pull String Person

With the holidays underway, this adorable Pull String Person from The Small Object is perfect for storing twine or string to wrap those packages. This could also make a great gift for Ms. Bean to add to her arsenal of art supplies.

Chalkboard Animals

Kids can get really creative with these fantastic chalkboard animal shapes. The Chalk-o-dile includes conversation bubbles and then there's the very cute Chalkboard Animal Safari. Fun!

Opus Shelf

I absolutely love this Opus Shelving, designed by Sean Yoo. How fun would it be filled with a bunch of kids' books and accoutrements? It's unconventionally shaped cubbies add so much character to what would otherwise be a basic shelving unit. Apparently, Yoo was inspired by a Roman wall technique called "opus incertum" and then found the same pattern repeated in dried lake beds and broken sidewalks. You wouldn't think that this shelf is super lightweight, made from 100% recyclable polypropylene, and can be stacked or set side-by-side using a strong tape.

Via Toy Boxes

Being from Seattle, we like to take mini-road trips to Portland for that sense of escape. Portland is hopping with amazing restaurants, smart city planning and a wave of incredibly creative artists and craftspeople. So, not surprisingly, I discovered Via Toy Boxes out of Portland. Inspired by his daughter, Jon Spencer began building open toy boxes because he found toys were always getting buried in their cavernous toy chest. Via Toy Boxes is a ready-to-assemble modular storage system that allows you to customize any set-up that fits your needs -- check out their website to see the endless variations. Great stuff...

 

Pakhuis Oost

Back in 2003, my husband, Ms. Bean and I took a 10 day holiday to Amsterdam and it instantly became our favorite destination. So much so that we went back in 2005 for seconds! Amsterdam is bursting with great design (bursting!), friendly people and a unique culture. While riding bikes and exploring small shops along the way, we stumbled into a fantastic kids' store called Keet in Huis and it was close to a spiritual experience for me. My husband considered dragging me out of there but, bless his heart, instead allowed me wander for nearly an hour while I gasped and touched everything. Because we had to travel light, we were limited to buying something small. Ms. Bean's item-of-choice was a sparkly little crown made of plastic and sequins (shown below) -- it was a fine choice! So, why do I reminisce? Well, I stumbled upon that sparkly crown over the weekend -- now with a broken arm after being stepped on. On a mission to find a replacement for the magical little crown somewhere in the US,  I was elated to find that Rose & Radish not only carries Pakhuis Oost's crown but also the best squirrel and bird bookends and deer coat hanger. For your pleasure, I'm also showing a few photos from Keet in Huis's website so you can see why I was so enchanted!

 
 

Loom Pop Bins

These nifty little storage bins from Loom are cute enough to keep on display while hiding all of the things that are better stashed away. The Pop Bins compress flat for shipping and then magically pop into shape.

School Year Memories

This handy School Years Keepsake book may just solve my quandaries about storing all of the mementos, pictures, report cards, etc. that you tend to accumulate through the years. Of course I could probably buy a standard folder contraption but this keepsake has so much more style. The one thing worth noting, however, is that the size of this book is 9.4" x 7.4" (surprisingly). Nevertheless, I think it will still be helpful in corralling all of my scraps.

Operation Organization

The time has come for me to take action and organize my girls' play room. Every time I step into that room, I'm so subconsciously overwhelmed by it's frenzied appearance that I usually have to step away and close the door in denial. Ms. Bean goes back to school in 2 weeks which will allow me a little extra time to take on a project. Their play room is what we call the "sun room" because it sits off Ms. Bean's bedroom and it's the sunniest, and warmest, room in the house. It's a long & narrow room, so a tricky space to design; however, not impossible.

Here are my goals:

1. Get rid of the clutter! Less is more!
2. More utilitarian cubbies to organize books, baskets with art supplies, etc.
3. Make the current reading area more useful and inviting
4. Creative way to display the girls' artwork
5. Keep costs to a minimum
6. Paint the room (it's the same, boring beige color from when we purchased the house)

So, with these goals in mind, it's time for me to begin my mission in organizing this space to maximize it's potential. I will continue to keep a journal of my process...wish me luck!