fawn&forest

I'll be honest. I was a bit nervous when Kelly said she would like her baby shower to be at 1pm on a Saturday. That meant one thing: lunch. While Psalms + I both know how to cook + make all the food bits look nice, serving lunch to 25 guests would be a new undertaking for us. Good thing we are into simple (as in very very simple) + deliciously fresh food, right?

Kelly's Mom volunteered to contribute the main dish for the lunch buffet, chicken salad served with buttery croissants. While I can't seem to locate the exact recipe (it had pineapple + was quite delicious), this one also looks quite tasty.  To accompany, we served a spring greens salad with strawberry vinaigrette + a dashing array of sliced veggies + dip. Additionally, individual fruit salad cups were also on the buffet, an idea inspired by Jordan. A much more appetizing alternative to the usual droopy-runny fruit salad. Lunch for 25 was a success + quite simple. And not a quiche in sight!

But above all, Kelly requested cake. Not the hip to the moment cupcakes, but a buttercream frosted, half sheet cake in all it's goodness from her favorite bakery. No messing around, let's eat cake! Apparently all 25 guests had the same cake craving as the vanilla + chocolate cake layered with a copious amounts of chocolatey filling was a hit.

And what's cake without cookies? Of course. I made grammy's chocolate cookies + almond cookies (can't locate the recipe, but it was similar to this one minus the jam) for the dessert table. We also served the usual suspects: coffee, tea and a handful of sparking water + juices. And remember how I said no one serves punch anymore? Well, I do, I guess! As a tribute to all the "cloud" punch Kelly has celebrated with growing up, I forged into unknown territory (under the guidance of the grandma-to-be) and whipped up my very own batch of "cloud" -- lemonade, lemon-lime soda and half a tub of vibrant lime green sherbet in all it's glory. 

Party favors are fun + Psalms does such a wonderful + thoughtful job.  Our color palette for the baby shower was natural, earthy creams + browns with bits of blue + green, which was beautifully reflected in the favors.

For the favors, Psalms made coconut macaroons for each guest to enjoy. They were delicious! She packaged the favors by placing 3 macaroons in a cello bag, then tied a thin brown ribbon to enclose. For the label, she purchased these sticky labels, punching out small cardstock birds using a craft punch, and glued the birdies on. Using rubber letter stamps, Psalms stamped the initials of Kelly's bun-in-the-oven. 

Photos by Psalms, thanks dear! 

Welcome to another baby shower week! Our friend Kelly is due in a month, so a baby shower, held this past Saturday, was certainly in order! It was a lot of fun and ended up being perfectly "Kelly".

First things first: inspiration. Kelly is the type of girl who is naturally beautiful + effortlessly put together. She enjoys simple design + lives in a mid-century home with her lovely English husband. They are expecting a boy and will be using off-white naturals, chocolate, aqua + olive green in the nursery. 

With inspiration, Psalms + I chose invites from Kelly's favorite, Egg Press (above left). I also included an additional information enclosure shown right, with the invitation.

Foldschool is nothing new, true. It has certainly made it's rounds around blogtown, rightfully. Foldschool rocks, providing free, printable pdf patterns to make cardboard furniture with and for your kids. Simple + innovative design at it's best. They've done the hard work, all you need is a rainy day, a mess of cardboard, printbable instructions and maybe a kid or 2.

Foldschool has created patterns for a stool (shown left), a rocker (shown middle) and a chair (shown right). And their site is quite user-friendly stating the age-range appropriateness, how much cardboard + time you'll need, as well as the difficulty level and stability of each piece.  

The mindset of Foldschool is to restore design to one of its original missions: to provide a product at an affordable price through a smart manufacturing process, essentially free. So donate to good design: help spread the idea of Foldschool to design addicts worldwide by donating here.

We've teamed up with one of our favorite kid blogs, Bloesem Kids for a little giveaway action to round out the month of April.

To be a part of the fun, take a trip over to Bloesem Kids before April 30th to find out how to enter to win a copy of Nikki McClure's The First 1,000 Days journal. Thanks Irene!

Happy Earth Day to you with the last installment of little bits of green. Next to making a recycled egg carton buggy mobile with the kids, hugging a Kata Golda softie friend is a happy way to celebrate.

Handmade using plant dyed wool felt + a lot of love in  Port Townsend, Washington by the Kata Golda crew. Using plant dyed wool felt creates those lovely soft + natural hues and is quite eco-friendly to boot. Each animal is then completely hand stitched with hand embroidered facial features and detailing. And to step it up even one more notch, each animal can be personalized with a child's name. 

In regards to sustainability, Kata Golda animals are instant heirlooms. They're the animal friends that will never go out of style and will never see a landfill. And will still make your kids smile in 30 years.

As a company, Kata Golda donates 5% of all proceeds to local elementary schools for art supplies, books and organic gardening. 

And for more Earth Day kid's craft projects, click here.

It seems we have reached the point where green efforts are becoming standard, many of which you may not even notice. Like granola now refers to cereal and not a person type. Or am I just saying this because I live in Portland?

Take Binth. Binth produces amazing pieces that are both organic (the pillow, pictured right) and recycled (the print, pictured left). Did you know?!

The original, modern pillow designs are screen-printed on organic linen using water-based inks, hand sewn in the USA and filled with luxurious down. The pillows, available in 5 different designs, would look quite lovely in any room, including the nursery. 

The prints, such as the abc letter print in "w", above, is inspired by Mid-Century Danish wood toys and is perfect for the modern nursery and children's room. Each letter is printed on recycled paper stock, with its luxurious feel and palette of soft, contemporary hues.

Fresh fruit galettes are right up my alley. No fuss. Free form. Dessert. And the kids can help and it'll still look tasty.

I first found this super simple apple galette recipe on this convenient recipe cheat sheet. You could really adapt this recipe to accommodate any fruit, but using apples is a simple start. My apples in the end could have used a little more love (or perhaps could of used a different sort of apple?) though the galette was scarfed in a quick minute. Read more on apple varieties, compliments of our local market. And I would argue organic is best.

You can read how to green-up your life or take an eco-anxiety quiz. But on most days, in addition to not using a million plastic bags or just letting the hose run, I'd rather spend quality time with my son in the kitchen, the old fashion way. Baking + making a mess. Perhaps not certified greenness, but seems more conscience than spacing out in front of the tv or accumulating endless amounts of brain numbing toys. Perhaps. 

Enter the green world of Naef toys.  The objective for Naef toys is to produce play objects that unify quality design and superior Swiss craftsmanship. All Naef toys begin by specifically selecting woods that will not shrink or warp and will remain durable over time. All of the painted products are made using non-toxic varnishes or clear coats and all woods are harvested from sustainable forests in Europe.

The Rainbow, pictured above was designed by Heiko Hillig for Naef and can be used as a playful sculptural what-have-you, a tunnel for toy cars to zoom through and even used as a xylophone, offering endless combinations of sounds. Bonus: the kids will even learn their colors (something we are still working on in this house....).

Naef toys are objects of learning as play "uses one's sence of site, touch and sound to interact with an object while experiencing the changes in light and shadow,  proportion and rhythm, depth of field, etc."

True, Naef toys tend to cost a bit more green. But dig it: quality design + sustainable craftsmanship that transends age + time the whole family will surely enjoy.  As one customer said recently, "I do not buy the plastic fantastic."

The fantastic duo that make up Argington, the designers of the Fuji toy box and the much loved Sahara crib among other peices, have been at it again. This time with 100% organic crib, toddler and twin bedding. Nothing too fancy or super-designy, but patterns + visuals it seems all little boys + girls dig: butterflies and dinosaurs. 

And not that you'll be overwhelmed with an outrageous color palatte. Thankfully. Using the natural creamy color of organic cotton as a background, dino + butterflies are in a peaceful color palatte of soft pink + violet and sky blue + brown.  The prints are done with low impact dyes using a low impact printing process on 200 thread count 100% organic cotton sateen. The comforter and pillows are filled with Eco-Spun 100% regenerated polyester fill that does not off gas or emit any traceable VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Yes!

Ecotots collection of children's furniture is quite possible the greenest wood furniture for kids, ever. Your kids can sniff it + lick it and even eat off it (right?) and they won't be off-gassed on or consume any other yuckies like formaldehyde. I like!

All 3 pieces of the Ecotots Collection (by Inmodern) are made of 100% formaldehyde-free, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certified/environmentally friendly SmartWood® and feature a durable, 100% non-toxic water-based finish. All 3 pieces, the coatrack, project table + stools and art easel are available in 4 colors -- fire, leaf, natural + cocoa. 

Easy to assembles and disassembles (for easy storage) in minutes with Inmodern's patented, no-tools assembly method. Which is cool, not an allen wrench it needed! Though I will tell you from experience, these peices will need a real good whack as they are designed to fit snuggly together. 

Some other noteworthy goodies:  Pieces are UV cured finishes minimize greenhouse gases, all materials sourced in North America as well as wholly designed and manufactured in USA. Member of the SFC (Sustainable Furniture Council) and a sweet lifetime construction guarantee .

I am 7 months pregnant + strangely could eat breakfast at anytime of the day. I recently + randomly checked out Bill Granger's bills open kitchen and could not resist making these buckwheat blueberry pancakes (shown above)..... for dinner, of course. With eggs and sloppy homemade blueberry syrup goodness. Oh ya.

Making dinner for your family makes for a happy + healthy bunch, but is also quite green. Feeding your family fresh, local + organic foods is not only reasonable but keeps all the partially hydrogenated oils and high-fructose corn syrupy-whats out of their veins. Food preservatives + chemically altered foods are just wrong, right?

So here's the blueberry buckwheat recipe, adapted from Bill's recipe. They were delicious + I will have no problem polishing off the leftovers for breakfast.....

Mix together in one bowl:
1 1/4 cup organic buckwheat flour
1/2 cup organic unbleached flour
1 tps. baking powder
2 tps. organic sugar

Mix together in another bowl:
2 cups organic buttermilk
4 organic egg yolks 

Then mix the wet + dry ingredients together well, some lumps are ok.
Then beat those 4 egg whites until they're fluffy and no longer slimy. Gently fold 1/2 the beaten egg whites into the batter, then the other half. Proceed as you would make any pancakes. This recipe made about 12 moderately sized pancakes and don't forget to toss on those blueberries before you give the pancakes a good flip. You'll need about a heaping cup of blueberries for this. I used the tastiest frozen organic blueberries as it's not yet blueberry season. 

For the Blueberry syrupy goodness I threw a heaping cup of blueberry in a skillet with a bit of water + 3 slugs of agave. Simmer it down until it looks how you want it to. Juicy, but slightly thick. 

And for even more healthy "breakfast" goodness, do yourself a favor + visit 101cookbooks.com.

Kate Quinn Organics covers all the basics in clothing for the youngins' in the coziest color palette + simplest designs. Instant classics + totally comfy. And all pieces are made from 100% organic cotton. Hello green!

Kate Quinn Organics prides itself on their commitment to fair trade and the earth. Using only certified organic cotton, grown using sustainable farming practices that maintain and replenish soil fertility without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers. KQO garments are made of ultra soft, all-natural, organically produced cotton certified by Control Union Certifications (formerly SKAL), a USDA Accredited Certifying Agent. KQO is also certified Fair Trade. Every little garment supports their vision and hope of a cleaner, kinder earth.

And as a little FYI on organic cotton, click here. 

Yep, recycling magazines is obviously very very green + that is exactly what these Frazier + Wing mobiles are made of! Expertly crafted mobiles made of recycled magazine pages. 

Frazier + Wing Mobiles are the green that keeps on giving, as there is life beyond the nursery for these babes!  I'm thinking living room or dining room and certainly the home office could use a dance of color these mobiles provide.

Available in 3 lengths (28", 38" + 72") the Recycled Magazine Mobiles are constructed using carfully selected imagery. Each two sided element is hand cut and strung with monofilament. Four strands of multi shaped, oval, or flower elements hang from a thin plexiglass disc. Each mobile is a handmade labor of love taking up to eight hours to construct.

And a shout out to Portland, Oregon named the greenest city of '08 in the US! Both Frazier + Wing and fawn&forest are based in this lovely city we call home.

Brand new to the Oeuf Sparrow collection: the Sparrow Crib in Birch + the Toddler Bed Conversion Kit.

Oeuf has made it a mission to ensure environmentally sound products, starting with the choice of materials to the manufacturingg processes to the selection of recycled packaging.

All Oeuf furniture is produced in the small European country of Latvia. On the Baltic sea, Latvia is covered by over 70% forest and thus has a proud tradition of woodworking.  In the manufacturing process, 100% of the wood waste is recycled into briquettes which is then used to fuel the modern, self reliant heating system. Additionally they have a state of the art dust collection and reprocess waste into usable fuel. Oeuf is also a Forest Steward Certificate (FSC) holder.  

And... all finishes are non-toxic and when used, low-emission mdf. And don't forget about an organic mattress to go with that lovely green crib! 

To celebrate the greenest day of all, Earth Day (April 22nd) on the Notes, I will be featuring amazing green products from innovative designers, fun projects and other green-ish bits for the next 2 weeks.  

To kick the week off, 2 amazing pieces from DMFD in all their corky-ness! The CUB children's chair + the adult size SWAY stool, pictured above, are made from 100% cork. The cork DMFD uses originates as the waste material from the bottle stopper industry. The pieces are created by casting cork, which produces a dense, unusual texture, highly attractive and intriguing to the eyes and hands of young children + adults alike. By Casting cork, the designer, Daniel Michalikam, is able to insure the ecological responsibility of all binding agents used in his cork peices, as well as streamline from scratch the production processes.

Corks is amazing!! It is a renewable, sustainable product. In other words, the more the material is harvested, the more is created! Cork is recyclable, waterproof and extremely buoyant. Cork is naturally resistant to all forms of rot and mold growth. Your piece of cork will remain unchanged for centuries to come with normal use and is naturally resistant to bacterial and microbial growth. No nasties hiding in your cork furniture! Cork is highly absorbent of sound and vibration and is a fantastic insulator as well as being naturally heat and fire resistant. Cork will turn black under extreme heat, but will not ignite. It is even used by NASA to line the interior of the Space Shuttle's fuel tanks!

DMFD is also a part of the Sundance Channel's The Green, Big Ideas for a Small Planet show, airing April 8th at 9p est.  Images + information above (paraphrased to fit), provided by DMFD. For even more info on DMFD + cork, click here.

Felt is cozy. Love is cozy. Designer Estela Lugo for Moderndose has perfectly married the two in her new "animal attraction" collection of pillows. Featuring 3 designs of love -- elephants, giraffes and owls. 

Made with the beloved 100% wool felt and firmly stuffed, the giraffes would be cute with this twin set and the owls would be cozy on this twin set.

Oh, love!

New from KLT:Works, the Crawling Critters Mobile. So fresh, so spring and the newest addition to the KLT lifestyle.  

As artist + designer Kristin put it "Lou the Snail has been patiently waiting for some friends to cruise around with on the ground. Steve the centipede, Ziggy the spider, and Willie the worm join Lou in a fresh, colorful adventure."

Not to mention a bit of motherly inspiration was involved, as Kristin is a new Mom to 3 month old Sayer (above, left). Kristin says the new Crawling Critter Mobile is Sayer approved! Delightful.

Crawling Critters would look amazing with the Daisy Crib Set or the Alphabet Crib Set, both by Super Natural Baby. And can't you see this print of Lou in the nursery too?! 

So, I could not resist! Another peek!

We have been taking heaps of photos in preparation of putting gobbs of new products up. While we will be carrying several lines of paper goods in Paper+Media, Egg Press (pictured above left + right) is currently being patient while it's photos are being taken.

And oh my, what beauties. The updated Paper+Media category should be all ready by next week. That's the goal, at least.

Now is your chance boys + girls to get super sweet deals on select Nurseryworks pieces. The 40% off sale has now ended.... and now select items are on clearance (until sold out) at 50% off!

The 50% off sale includes the Playdate Table + Stools (in all colors, shown above left) and all upulstered pieces in Microterry, Canvas, Felt and Microsuede in Navy -- Including the Goodnight Gilder (pictured above, middle), Goodnight Ottoman, Sleepytime + Storytime Rockers, Perch Stool and the super fun Mini-Sleeptytime Rocker + Ottoman for the kids (pictured above right). 50% off!! And no, this is not an April fool's joke!

Neither the Goodnight Gilder + Ottoman or the Mini-Sleeptyime Rocker + Stool were included in the previous Nurseryworks sale, so now is your chance! Certain fabrics do tend to sell out quickly. And as they say on those cheesy tv ads "when it's gone, it's gone" -- all sold out fabrics are then being discontinued and will no longer be available.

Correction 04/10: the Mini-Sleepytime rocker + stool is no longer included in the sale.