fawn&forest

Here's another project that will help alleviate that huge stack of kid's drawings + other such thoughtful scribbles: impromptu notebooks! I have pledged to no longer scratch heaps of notes to myself on small pieces of paper + post-it notes. Instead, I keep a lively notebook of reminders, grocery + dinner lists and other bits I would otherwise forget. 

I also have found it sad to toss out any of my son's endless amounts of artwork. A great deal of the drawings + scribbles are exciting and fun, but not so frame worthy. Recycling my son's  artwork into notebooks is a useful way to use up that big stack of goodness.

Most of Eliot's marker + crayon drawings (paintings would not work so well for this project) are on large 15x20" pieces of white drawing paper. As long as the stack of papers are cut down to the same size, you can create a notebook any size you wish. With that in mind, I made between 2 and 4 notebooks per stack of 15x20" paper. Depending how thick you want the notebook, use between 10-15 sheets of scribbles.  

With the paper cut down to size, fold each piece in half. Once you have a stack of the folded pieces, nest the pages together to create a book. If you choose to put a cover on the notebook, cut a sheet of paper (I used colorful cardstock on some, other I left without a cover) about 1/2" longer and wider than the inside pages.

To bind the notebook, I used regular 'ol office staples + stapled the spine of the notebook in the middle a few times. You could also use a sewing machine (depending on the thickness of your pages) to bind the notebook or use other simple bookbinding techniques, depending on how fancy you want to get.

Though the pages of the notebooks are not totally blank, I find writing over + around the scribbles to be quite charming as it reminds me of my son's unbound enthusiasm. 

Just a Peek week has indeed been just a peek as there are hundreds of other product-peeks I could give you!

One last peek before the week is up : a look at Paper Cloud. We will soon be offering their complete collection of pillows, lamp shades, journals and paper goods. Hooray!

All fabric pieces by Paper Cloud are screen printed on 100% linen and made by hand, one at a time. I love the line-style drawings of all things natural -- sunflowers, mushrooms + oniopods. I am also loving the shades of linen used -- fresh aquas, grays to the loveliest of grassy greens to name a few.

Oh, yes, that is Kit+Lili! I am quite thrilled about carrying their rompers + onesies for the little ones. Big color + all-over print. Fun + very urban.  

Each Kit + Lili piece is hand printed on soft white cotton. Onesies + rompers available in 2 short-sleeve sizes, 3-6 months + 6-12 months in a selection of prints + colors, shown above. My favorite? The red cherries with olive green trim.

Today's peek takes us into the paper+media category. I have had a lot of fun plumping up this category recently + have handfuls of new items to reveal.

In staying true to the category title, paper+media, a paper section will soon be added.... who knew?! Featuring the loveliest cards for birthdays, congratulations and just for fun. Additionally, there will be baby announcements, shower + birthday invites. Egg Press is one company I have added, featured in the images above.

I will also soon be offering gift wrap from Pikku, for the regular 'ol $5 gift wrapping fee. So lovely.

Puppies, bunnies, mice and bears. Boys + girls dressed in the cutest little clothes. Each animal by Kata Golda is handmade of plant-dyed wool felt, sewn with love + embroidered with the sweetest expressions.

Measuring 12" short, each animal can be personalized with your child's (or your!) name, as shown above. The animal set as well as a few other Kata Golda goodies will be soon be available in the toy category. Sweet!

We have so many exciting changes that will be happening in the next couple weeks + mass amounts of new products to reveal! Exciting times. So, all this week will be a 'just a peek' week.

The first peek is of an organic onesie by Salvor. This organic kimono style long sleeve onesie is made of the softest organic cotton and is available in 1 size, a generous 3-6 month. A large fluorescent orange penguin is screenprinted on the front. The organic onesie will also be available in 4 other screenprinted animals. 

Fresh!

Artist Lisa Golightly's imaginative custom family portraiture sings spring. They are a refreshing take on age-old painted portraits, those painted before cameras were even invented, perhaps. Kiki+Polly (the name of Lisa's studio) paintings have that sentimental feel of the captured expressions of your child. I love it. 

Thanks to technology, having your very own Kiki+Polly original is as easy as choosing the painting + the size and then submitting the image of your child or children. Using an image of your child's face, Lisa then prints the image using archival quality ink and transfers it to the canvas, appropriately incorporating it into the painting you have chosen. We currently offer 3 boy, 3 girl and 2 sibling options to choose from.

Lisa's portraits are sweetly suggestive, perfectly painterly + thankfully, not over done. 

Thank you to everyone who signed up for the twice monthly newsletter! Last month's newsletter sign-up giveaway contest for the FrogPod was such a huge success, I've decided to do it again! This month's giveaway is for a notNeutral snack set, pictured above in green+blue. 

The notNeutral snack set is made of melamine + is available in 2 color options: green+blue or orange+red. With all the information out now  about plastic safety, I was curious about the safety of melamine dish ware. While melamine has dozens of applications of use, Wikipedia states it has a similar acute toxicity level as that of table salt. notNeutral states the snack sets are made of the finest quality melamine and are produced in Thailand. From the bit research I have done, melamine dish ware is generally considered "non-toxic, non-allergic and safe in use", though melamine should never be microwaved.

While I am not a fan of putting hot food on any plastic, I have found the snack set very accommodating for my all-day, small-bite grazing toddler. The 6 piece set is dishwasher safe on the top rack + I find it's simplistic design refreshing.

Enter to win a notNeutral snack set of your choice by signing up for the newsletter. Contest ends April 20th, 2008. 

A Speesees Organic Friend would be an excellent gift for a new Mom.... and baby! Made of super soft 100% organic cotton sherpa and filled with lavender for the loveliest smell + lentils for nice weight + floppiness. Safe for baby as the eyes are embroidered on + certainly fun for toddlers to throw around + cuddle with. 

I appreciate the color palette Speesees has used. The friends are available in a muted mustard yellow, oaty natural and not too bright orange (much more subdued than in the product photo). Each friend measures about 8" in length for extra coziness. 

After my son plowed through a whole box of Fig + Raspberry Bars in 1 day (okay, I did eat a few myself....) I thought, Yes, I could make these! When time is busy it makes my day to make a mess in the kitchen with Eliot.  Give the kid a bit of flour, a few measuring spoons + a stack of cupcake liners and he is content for hours. Below is my own sloppy (but tasty) take on this recipe from Martha. This recipe does not make a cakey cookie, but rather more flaky + crisp-ish.

For the filling I did not use figs but rather cleaned out my pantry of severely dried up raisins + the last bit of raspberry jam, for good measure. Though you could really use any combo of dried fruit etc.  I also decided to half the recipe, making adjustments to the recipe accordingly and used white whole wheat flour.

Meet Storm by Esthex. He's is soft + stuffed. A bit peculiar + totally lovable. His helmet is removable as is his cape + belt. Yes, Storm would look nice on your son's shelf or sit politely as part in the Esthex collection, but he is really just ready for the action. Ready for the imaginative adventures you child will surely take him through.  

Storm has noodle-ish legs and awkward arms + is ready to fly. Beady eyes and no mouth or nose but surely he can talk. He may get a bit dirty and perhaps be used as an unofficial teething toy (minus the accessories). Storm is the kind of softie that will be your child's friend...forever or until he stops playing with stuffed animals.  

When Eliot was a newborn everyone told me the first year will be over before I know it, they grow so fast. It wasn't until I was putting away the newborn clothes + pulling out the 0-3M size that I really realized Eliot really was new + different each day. He was growing. Fast. And I had not even taken him to the photographer yet! In my sleep deprived daze I was not quite ready for him not to be a newborn. 

And those tiny hands and feet! So in addition to sniffing the sweetness of baby skin until I was over the moon, a bit of detailed documentation was in order. Geared with a big tub of  Model Magic by Crayola  and determination, I put my plan in action. Every three months I would smoosh Eliot's tiny little hands + feet into the clay and at the end of the first year display them in a specimen box.

A big tub of the Model Magic in white has 4 individual packages of super light weight air-dry clay. Using one package for each 3rd month was enough clay for 3 hand prints + 1 set of foot prints.  I found it beneficial to make 3 sets of hand prints as, in the quickness of working with tiny hands, they don't always turn out as you would expect and grandparents will always appreciate a set of handprints. I did not cut out a particular size of clay for each handprint (but a circle or rectangle would work), but rather rolled out a ball about 1/3" thick into an organic form, as shown above. For the footprints (not shown) I rolled out a 5x7" rectangle, 1/3" thick, which ultimeltly ended up being big enough for Eliot's 1 year old foot.

To assemble the specimen box, I adhered orange cotton fabric to the inside back + sides of the box. Using a date stamper I dated each handprint with a small piece of paper, tacking it in place with a pin. Before adhering the  handprints to the background, I wrote a  simple descriptions of each age on a paper card (for 6 months, "silly + thinking about crawling") and glued it to the background so it would appear behind the handprints when fully assembled. With a big glob of hot glue, attach the handprints in place. Using another bit of paper, I titled the collection with my son's name + birth date, attaching it to the inside of the box.

Another option would be to create specimen boxes with each month's hand + footprint displayed together. If you cannot find a specimen box big enough to hold your precious collection, use a clear acrylic box frame as I did. It's a bit more work figuring out how to repurpose the frame, but creates a very streamlined presentation as a result. Clear acrylic box frames are available in a selection of sizes, perfect for this project.

Fun. We'll have to have another Memory Keeping week as there are still so many good ideas, projects + products to share!

Memory keeping meets organizing + recycling: keepsakes in a jar. I'd like to think I came up with this idea all on my own, though I am certainly not the first one to put tiny memories in a jar and call it a keepsake!

For this project you can use new, empty jars or recycle one of those  condiments jars from the fridge.  With a clean jar in hand + tiny bits of this or that (relating to a particular time or event) + a bit of paper to create a tag, you're set. Place the goodies in the jar, write something meaningful on the tag and in a snap you have a very sophisticated keepsake.

I was initially inspired by Eliot's first trip to the beach last Summer. I could not part with all the smooth rocks + pieces of shell Eliot's little hands discovered on the beach (in addition to the sand that inevitably ends up making its way home!). With a stash of little jars I was saving for something, and the goodies from the beach, the first memory jar was assembled. I have yet to complete the rest of the memory jars that I have saved bits + goodies for. Once complete, however, it will be quite a lovely collection.

What is your fondest memory of pregnancy?
My fondest memory of pregnancy would have to be the photo shoot we did of my big belly. We went to magical gardens in Austin on the waterfront with a talented photographer friend. The sun filtering through the trees painted in an incredible mosaic of greens, and the photos turned out equally magical. We still have some hung around the house and they always make me smile.

How has motherhood inspired you?
When I first decided to create The Essential Pregnancy Organizer, it was just my over-organized side and my design background coming together for what I thought would be a little project. With over 125,000 printed now and more on the way, our child as an inspiration has turned into a full time business. Apart from that, the daily realization that this little creature absorbs everything we say or do is a constant inspiration to be better people in every part of our lives.

What was your favorite part in co-authoring 40 Weeks +?
The creative process of working with a co-author is very rewarding for me. Much of my design business is just me in a vacuum, in a sense, so when I have the opportunity to work with someone else and enjoy the back and forth process of creating and refining something new, it's invigorating and professionally very rewarding.

What will you organize next?!
We're now moving in a direction that I'm excited about but never would have anticipated. We had a breast cancer survivor approach us with her plan for an organizer. She developed most of the content but wanted help with designing, publishing, and distributing the book, and we're delighted to work with her. With the help of some sponsors we'll be making the organizer available for free to women with breast cancer. It feels great to be involved with such an important project, and we're so inspired by this woman we want to make her story and excellent organizing tool available to women who need it most.

The other new development is directly in line with the first two organizers. It's called The Essential Toddler Organizer, and as you might guess it picks up right where the second book left off. As with the first book we had moms write and say "Please write the next book, I want these tools next year". So we have The Essential Pregnancy, Baby, and now Toddler Organizer, which should be out this fall. I don't know if we'll go beyond that, but we have some general family titles in the early development stage. If you have ideas of your own for organizers you'd like to see please send them to dani@essentialorganizers.com.

Thank you Dani for being a part of memory week! (Picture on left of Dani and her son provided by the author.)

It's funny how counting time in weeks + months becomes completely normal. When you're pregnant + asked how far along you are, it's "ohhh, 34 weeks!". After your baby is born + asked how old he is, you reply "ohh, 13 weeks" or "27 months!". Interesting what motherhood does to you mathematical abilities. 

Photo journaling is another take on recording the growth + development of your child in the early years. For my pregnancies, My husband takes a snapshots of the progression of my belly, each week marked with a post-it note with the appropriate week jotted down.  Of course as a follow-up after our son was born, I took photos of him every week for the first year. I dressed him in a  white onesie + stuck a post-it note with the corresponding week to him, having him sit in the same chair.  In his 1st week picture he was less than thrilled being propped in a chair + was sadly screaming. For the 52nd week photo, Eliot is wearing a party hat + walking away from the chair he sat in every week.

The images of the sweet little girl above is another great example (images via flickr). Using the same orange chair + a pile of softies, Mom + Dad took a similar picture each week to reflect the development and personality of their daughter. Click on the link to see the whole collection.

When planning your photo journaling project, be sure to take into account the location + backgrounds that will be in the photos. Uniformity + unclutterd backgrounds is key. Having an object (stuffed animal or small toys) for your child to interact with displays their personailty + development. 

Another dedicated idea is to take a picture of your child each day of their first year. This is exactly what new mom Raya at Paperpony blog has done, titling the series 365:a baby's first year. Photo journaling like this is more about the day to day details than the  weekly growth. The overall effect will surely be a stunning collection of your baby + you'll be thankful to have all those detailed images.

Having a complete set of 52 weeks or 365 days is priceless.

You may find yourself sitting + staring at the Binth Baby Book before you actually muster up the courage + the perfect pen to start writing. It's that beautiful. It seems as if it was specifically made for your child, family +  story. A family heirloom? Certainly!

The woodland-ish theme + gentle earthy hues, designed by Binth, gracefully take you through the first year + beyond. One of my favorite aspects of the book is the two pages of the family tree. Nothing puts the stamp on parenthood more than filling out your child's family tree for the first time. The book also provides ample blank space in the back for additional writing, photographs or to use as a guest book for all those 1st birthday party guests.  

In the most inspiring meaning of the word, the Binth Baby Book, is quite serious. Screenprinted by hand on recycled paper + artfully bound, the simplicity of the designs + thoughtfulness of the inscriptions inspire a stillness. Filling up this book with endless amounts of unorganized gushy rambleings and random bits seem somehow out of place. It is however, the perfect place to record the simple beauty of the new life of your child. 

My endless amounts of unorganized gushy rambleings + random bits in the Moleskine notebooks have comically served as the rough draft counterpart to the simple beauty of recording life + memories the Binth Baby Book. Perfect. 

Welcome to Memory Keeping week! As I mentioned in my previous post, I have become borderline obsessed in the memory keeping department.  I am not a 'scrapbooker' (which is the latest craze it seems) but a run-on sentence writer of motherly love mixed in with saved receipts, garment tags and other seemingly useless but meaningful scraps.

One of my favorite memory keeping books is the Moleskine. It is simple, unassuming + fresh. The history of the Moleskine itself is also quite special + it is available in a wide variety of styles + formats. 

To document each of my pregnancies, I have used small sketchbooks, dedicating each open set of pages to a week in the pregnancy. In addition to weekly entries I have also written about our family, preparing for their arrival + decorating the nursery. Along with each weekly entry I have glued a small picture of me + my progressive belly. I will write more about photo-journaling later this week. But as you would guess, my husband takes a snapshot of me with a post-it note (with the corresponding week written on it) on my belly. I then include the post-it note in the book along with ultrasound images, doctor appointment cards + strings in accordance to the baby's aproximate length each week.

I could not stop there! To document the first years, I have used large blank notebooks. As it is, I have filled 2 Moleskines for the first 2 years of Eliot's life. Mostly writing + as I mentioned before, scraps of this + thats. In the first year, I would write a weekly entry about what exiting + monumental event happened (which of course, something huge really does occur each week!). In the 2nd year, I made monthly entries, taking notes on post-its to remind me what actually happened, later taking the time to write a month's worth of memories + other funny things I would certainly have forgotten if not written down.

Could I reasonably stop there? Nope. Now that Eliot has past the 2 year mark, I have continued in a 3rd Moleskine. 

The best friends of my Moleskines? A mechanical pencil + a lovely cup of decaf. 

I have become documentation-obsessed. While my mother is quite loving, as a second chlld, I was severly neglected in the baby-book-childhood-documentation category. Very few pictures were taken + not a single locket of hair was saved.  I love my mom + do not hold it against her but as a result have commited myself to documenting every last bit of my pregnancies + details of my children.  There, I've admitted it!  

And it's fun. While I have a son + another son on the way, who will perhaps never care to read the ushy-gushy lovey bits I have lovingly written about them, I still enjoy taking the time to slow down, relax + write about my children, my family + my time spent as Mom in the early years.

The First 1,000 Days (shown above) is a simple way to document your child's first thousand days of life. Each page has a beautiful paper-cut illustration by artist + author Nikki McClure, with inspiring suggestions of what to write -- "your first day, first visitors, first yawn" and "all the new things you learn everyday, new words, new skills, new friends" in addition to 2 pages dedicated to each month of the first year, celebrating the first birthday, songs, games and books you read together. All tied up in one compact book with nearly 130 pages of goodness.

So, as a salute to my documentation obsession, all next week will be devoted to Memory-Keeping in various formats. Fun!

Two companies, Natural Mat and Naturepedic (pictured above, left + right) provide the organic answer to the toxicity of conventional crib mattresses. In a nutshell conventional crib mattresses are downright nasty. They are generally composed of vinyl (polyvinyl chloride or PVC), phthalates, polyurethane foam, harsh chemical fire retardants, and other chemical additives. In doing a bit of googleing, you will find studies linking SIDS with the toxicity of the conventional crib mattress as well as the multitude of other health effects it has on our babies and children. 

Below is a list, taken from Naturepedic, that clearly illustrates the insanity of conventional (non-organic) crib mattresses. Amazing + disgusting at the same time. 

To continue reading the article on the 5 Major Problems With Conventional Mattresses, click here. To see the full selection of organic mattresses + accessories, click here. Image on left is an organic Natural Mat mattress, image on right is an organic Naturepedic mattress.

I looked forward to having children's artwork of my very own before having our son Eliot. It has always reminded me of one of my favorite artist, Cy Twombly. Beautiful scribbles are not an easy accomplishment!  As soon as Eliot was able to hold crayons in his chubby little hands, I eagerly plopped him in front of a pad of paper for him to get to work! Before too long, however, you end up with heaps of artwork, endless amounts of scribbles. Between art class + the open art cupboard, it can pile up quickly. I can't bear to throw it out (or ahem, recycle it!) and really, not every drawing is frame-worthy. 

So, what to do? Make notecards. To create the cards, use standard size blank prefolded notes or cardstock, cut in half to the appropriate size. Then, trim a pile of  artwork down to fit the front of the notecard, leaving an even amount of space around the edge for the border. Sew the artwork onto the card using a coordinating color of thread + the sewing machine. However, using glue, decorative staples or brads would also look nice + be just as effective. 

It's that simple. With a sweet greeting, use as a thank you or birthday card or give a set of 8 to grandma + aunties (don't forget the envelopes). They would appreciate the thoughtfulness + will thank you.... how much artwork can fit on the 'fridge anyways? 

The Hiya Collection from Spot on Square is the newest addition to the modern nuresry genre, making their debut this month at the CA Boom Design show in LA. Spot on Square is a husband + wife team, a collaboration that brings together two things: good design and children, with a background in industrial design, education + real life experience as mom + dad to 3 small kids. 

Say hello to the Hiya sleep collection: the crib + the toddler bed. Solid construction made of bamboo or birch and eco-friendly, painted (non-toxic + low-voc) mdf. Playful design the kids will like + versatile enough for mom + dad. The height of the crib is slightly shorter than most cribs (which is a plus if you are part of the shorter-set), with a 3 level adjustable mattress height.  The toddler bed has seamlessly designed side rails while still being low enough at the end of the bed for mom or dad to sit, tuck in + read stories.

Simple + sustainable + thoughtfully manufactured in the usa. Sleep!  

Last week's Baby Shower Week was a lot of fun + made me think: what's a good baby shower gift, anyways? Practical or endearing, the possibilities are quite endless.

As shown above, I have assembled the perfect organic bath gift set: a clover green organic hooded towel + organic washcloths by KQO and organic, unscented bubble bath by Little Twig.  And while a newborn is not likely to take a bubble bath (organic unscneted baby wash is also available) these three items are not only what mom will need for the monumental first bath, but for many many bubble baths to come. 

Plus, it's all organic + yes, gift wrapping is available.