fawn&forest

Thank you so much to Jan of Poppytalk blog for curating September's Forest Finds! She put together an amazing selection of very talented artists + designers: Petit Flaneur, Mincing Mockingbird, Atsuyo et Akiko and  Suddenly, It's Real! 

October's Forest Finds starts October 1st, with another Guest Curator. Check back tomorrow to see who it is + October's very international Forest Finds!

To round out this month's Forest Finds Q+A, Matt of Mincing Mockingbirds. I am intrigued with the personality Matt captures in his bird painting (+prints) and was delighted to have his work as part of September's Forest Finds.

When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up?
I always knew I wanted to be an artist. When everyone else was giving up art as silly, childhood nonsense, I just kept plowing ahead. When I was five years old, my grandmother thought there was something terribly wrong with me, and pestered my parents into taking me to a psychologist. He met with me, and watched as I drew a bunch of dinosaurs. Not only was he impressed with the drawing skill I exhibited, but also with the fact that I could spell both their common names as well as their Latin scientific names. My mother asked what it was that had, and the psychologist said, "creativity." He thought my grandmother was nuts.

What is it about birds that captures you?
They are incredibly dynamic creatures, and naturally lend themselves to painting and art. I'm very much interested in science and natural history, and for whatever reason, capturing a bird's "expression," or the certain tilt of the head, just does it for me. There's some mind-blowing bird illustrators out there able to expertly render every feather, but I enjoy a much more painterly approach, or putting them in situations that maybe are not traditionally found in bird art.

What does the rest of '08 hold for you?
I just finished a whirlwind three months that included going to Australia, buying a house and building a new studio. I'm very excited at the prospect of just being able to sit down and throw some paint around!

Thank you Matt! Check out Matt's blog here.

Where it's at: Fauna Collection for Areaware. Bolts of lightening on a black hooded jacket. C'mon already.

The hoodie itself has a perfect fit. Not too wide and slightly long. Solid black that does not fade much when washed repeatedly. A mighty fine high quality zipper. The material is not too thick and not at all bulky. Basically the perfect hoodie. Dang.

Love love Fauna's simple yet witty take on children's apparel. Want one in my size.  But then Eliot and I would match, and we don't want to go there.

This is cool. A modern kid-size rocker from Spot On Square's Hiya Collection. I had the thought awhile ago to get rid of the sofas in our family room and replace them with rocking chairs. Is that a good idea? Well, kids like rocking chairs too. Kid size rocking chairs.....

The Hiya Rocker is form + function. The shape is lovely and it has a pocket in the back to hold books and other stuff. Eco friendly non toxic paint available in 2 colors: orange or white. Seat is wide enough for a bigger kid or 2 small children. Sounds like fun.

I had my eye on Atsuyo et Akiko for quite some time and was thrilled when Jan of Poppytalk, the September Forest Find curator included them in her selection! Their work is thoughtful + witty and is totally it's own deal. Unique + intriguing. And those cushion dolls! Dang, those are cool.

When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up?
Atsuyo: designer
Akiko: Artist
 
What is the inspiration behind the imagery you use in your collections?
We like to combine imagery from our favorite art and drawings with simple strong basic french phrases like Je t'aime or Mon Amore.  For colors we look to the art world and what we can find from antiquing upstate or flea markets.

What does the rest of '08 hold for you?
We would like to make more jewelry.  And we're preparing for new trade shows.  We also want to try adding some of our artwork to our collection.  Should be interesting!

Thank you Atsuyo and Akiko!! 

Nikki McClure has a new journal out called 'Things to Make and Do', a follow up to her beautiful baby journal 'The First 1,000 Days', and it is amazing + inspiring. It reminded me of my friend, Psalms. So I gave her a copy recently, curious to see what she would come up with. I received this email from her Saturday morning:

summer...
i made these cottage cheese pancakes for breakfast this morning. So tasty! Super super good for you! Super protein packed! Thought you might enjoy making them for Els some morning. i used Nancy's low-fat organic cottage cheese + Bob's Red Mill oatmeal with flax seed. i didn't use the honey or the banana, but Shem thought they could have used it... so maybe throw one of those in.

What got me thinking about them is that book you gave me... 'things to make and do' ... i decided to use it as a journal of things i want to make sure i remember to do and make for my kids. My mom used to make cottage cheese pancakes and i had forgotten about them.

So there you go.

i love you!
psalms 

 

Cottage Cheese Pancake recipe:
2-3 beaten eggs
1 cup cottage cheese
Honey or a couple of teaspoons of sugar, to taste (a banana will make it naturally sweeter)
1 cup uncooked oatmeal

Optional, highly recommended ingredients:
banana
a sprinkle of cinnamon
a splash of vanilla

Grab your handy blender and dump the ingredients in, in the order they appear (otherwise the mixture will get all chunky). So, eggs in first, then start the blender. As it's blending, pour in the cottage cheese, then the banana if you're using it, then whatever sweeteners and spices you like, then the oatmeal. Once this is nicely blended, cook as you would pancakes, in a nonstick pan over medium-low heat. I love these plain or with fruit, but you can put syrup on them too, just like regular pancakes. Via here.

Cottage cheese is on my grocery list this week for sure! Yum!
Thank you Psalms. And thanks for the image too....! 

Another freaky recipe makeover idea by Jennifer Carden (author of The Toddler Cafe):

Welcome to Freaky Friday. I happen to be the lucky owner of a set of recipe cards from 1973, a lot of recipe cards, and most of them are a bit freaky! I thought I'd share some of my thoughts and possible ways to update these recipes. Some cards are just too far gone and can't be fixed but hopefully, at least I can get you laughing. Now don't be afraid because some of these recipe cards have a good foundation for creative recipe ideas. We have come a long way baby.......I wouldn't want to eat one of those pool balls thinking it was a cherry tomato!!

1973: Old School: Hot Tuna and Egg Buns.
Tuna
stuffed green olives
cheddar cheese cubes
hard cooked eggs, (the overcooked kind with the green ring)
mayonnaise or cooked salad dressing
sweet pickle relish
chopped onion
salt
frankfurter rolls

2008: Update Suggestions: Easy Tuna Melt.
Tuna
olive oil or mayonnaise (just a bit)
good quality cheese, Swiss or Provolone
grated Parmesan on top
leftover hot dog or hamburger bun
Black olives on the side

Broil cheeses over tuna serve.

Remember buy dolphin safe tuna and don't eat it too often.
More on safe fish to eat go here too.

Thanks Jen!

Yes. I am now that with it. I now Twitter. Everyday. And while I don't give play-by-play sms (dang, need to add the Twitterrific app to my phone!) I do have fun. As in FUN THINGS to do with kids (in addition to the Notes updates).

You are asking 'what sort of FUN THINGS'? Fun or strange, I am not quite sure... but so far have included: 

:make toilet paper snowballs. to throw. at each other or into a basket. just don't let the dog eat them. 
:catch ants. not the kind that bite. if you squish one, there are hundreds more.....
:tickle each other. the pure joy of a laughing kid!
:would cutting marshmallows with scissors be fun? I'm thinking yes.
:toilet paper rolls are also strangely fun to cut with scissors.
:give them scissors. age + child safe style. hours of fun cutting leaves + wiggly twigs into tiny bits.
:pick up acorns. they have cute "hats". will inspire much play.

sorta strange micro-living (twitter that is, not my FUN ideas....) but why not?

FOLLOW ME: twitter.com/fawnandforest

New from UK based Olli&Lime,  the  Egg Collection. It is so freaking cool! If you want to hook your toddler's room up with the style, totally go Egg Collection. I took my son to the dentist yesterday and in the waiting room they had these awesome (framed in chrome!) posters from the 70's. And I thought, Oh my that is so totally Olli&Lime Egg. Burnt orange + avocado green in all it's goodness.

The Egg Collection is a nice addition to Olli&Lime's other patterns which includes footballs + high heels (oh yes, I do not lie!). Know what else? Olli&Lime also makes wallpaper. FFSF certified sustainable eco-friendly wallpaper.  Fun.

Jan of Poppytalk, our September curator for the Forest Finds really went to the forest with this one: wood yoyo's by Suddenly, it's real! The slices of wood still have their bark and are killer.  YoYo creators Ben + Natalie live the dream: in a tiny tree house in a tiny forest in the mid-west. I have not yoyo'd in quite awhile (1988?) until my recent yoyo-ing with Suddenly, it's real! Strangely fun. 

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Ben wanted to be a truck, but then he found out he couldn't be a "truck" so he thought it would be cool to be a truck driver. Natalie wanted to be an archaeologist or a back up dancer for Madonna. Both of them have always wanted to be "artists" for as long as they can remember. 

I like these. Egg Press stitch kits.  It may not be the most brilliant, but there's something satisfying about cutting fabric and sewing a little something. Sometimes my random sewing rendezvous don't turn out so well.  But dig it: with one of these Egg Press stitch kits all you have to do is cut + sew on the right lines, stuff the little bugger and you'll have yourself one sweet pillow doll -- snail, raccoon or monkey.

The raccoon is my favorite. Would be cute on Eliot's bed. 

I am a cute magnet lately. First those Amenity ducks and now Cici Art Factory's frogs and chicks, birdies and milk bottles. Milk bottles? Cute overload. Not offensively cute, but cute cute.

I like the way Liz Clay, the artist behind Cici Art Factory, does things. Each painting from the Lotsa Collection is painted by hand. With actual paint (yes, I know!) thick + chunky style. And forget the kids, the "random chicks" makes me smile. Or does it just look like my brain? I think I would like to hang it in our bedroom. Cute. 

We are always up for a bit of product testing in my house. It's turning into a fawn&forest showroom around here. Or maybe a thriftstore? Scratches, dings and stickers on high priced cars aside. Eliot and I were both pleasantly surprised at the weightyness of these Petit Flaneur blocks; nice + heavy. Very stackabe + totally crashable. Sandra's vintage-y whimsical designs are so lovely even a princess would want to play with them! Thanks Sandra!

What is your favorite aspect of the creative process in making a product, such as your blocks?
Because of my interest in both 2 and 3 dimensional design (graphic and product), I love that I can combine the two in a product. It's a hard question though because I really love all the different aspects of the process. The conceptual stage is so fun and creative, I really could spend months doodling different ideas. But then the actual making of the product is so great as well, watching the idea emerge- it really is like a birthing process. Speaking of which- my daughter (who is less than 2) is a great source of inspiration and motivation for all of this!

What does the rest of '08 hold for you?
I am working on some new products now and hope to continue with these, as well as working on production for several craft shows, a couple in the fall and a couple holiday shows. My website will have updated product and show information soon (www.petitflaneur.com).

Double love! Amenity has added two new organic nursery + kids collections: Woodlands and Wetlands. The cute totally kills you. Like I said last week, I am usually not a huge fan of the purple family. But c'mon. Check the Woodlands! Those squirrels and violet flowers are impossibly cute, right?

And there is something irresistible about those ducks. Ducks hit their fame in the mid-American household in the early 90's, unfortunately. Poor ducks, they really are cute. Just not in combination with country blue, ahem! Amenity hits it right on. The Wetlands is refreshingly ducky and a great starting point to a really playful kid's room.

Amenity is cool. They use 100% organic cotton and non-toxic, water-based, eco-friendly dyes. Four collections available (Woods, Meadow, Wetlands and Woodlands) in a variety of prints, pillows, blankets and crib sets.

Earlier this week I took my boys out for lunch + cookies at an insanely tasty bakery in Hillsdale, Baker and Spice. I ended up having a conversation with myself (I think) as Eliot was much too busy staring at people in line + watching the man next to us eat his lunch. And baby Owen? He was asleep in the sling (PSNY in dark brown cotton)  + is currently not talking. Cutey smiles, though. 

We had a delicious time. A bite of a pizza-ish flatbread thing, a bite of chocolate cookie. All in the same mouthful. Eliot was wearing a "It wasn't me" tee by Droopy Knickers.... totally fun all-over printed tee. Slightly sassy? Is it "it wasn't me who got the pizza-ish flat bread on my shirt"? Hmmm...  

Which leads to my never ending question: how to get tomato-ish stains out of clothes? White clothes? Organic clothes? It's never ending. My husband says the answer is bibs. I bought a bottle of bac-out after lunch.....

Massively exciting! New cut paper mobiles from Frazier + Wing.  A few amazing Frazier + Wing facts: The mobiles are made of cut paper... cut by hand by a girl named Heather. Each mobile is made to order, just for you. How's that for feeling special?! 

I am generally not a huge purple-violet-lavender fan. That said, I am now joining the lavender party! I am loving the new Lavender Mix mobiles. Such an  intriguing mix of greys and lavenders.  Actually does remind me of a field of lavender, which is altogether quite lovely if you've ever been to a lavender farm.

Also be sure to check out Heather's new Frazier + Wing blog!

Exciting! I am thrilled to announce that September's Forest Finds has been curated by Jan of Poppytalk blog.  Every now + again we will be having a guest curate a month of Forest Finds. This is not only a lot of fun but also offers us a glimpse into what the guest may have their eye on for their own family + home.

Jan put together an amazing selection from Atsuyo et Akiko, Mincing Mockingbirds, Suddenly, It's Real! and Petit Flaneur. Jan is a huge inspiration to us -- both her blog Poppytalk as well as her online marketplace Poppytalk Handmade. Because of this, she was an easy pick to be our first Forest Finds curator.

The vision of the Forest Finds is to bring you a fresh selection of independent artists and designers who create relevant, modern wares and crafted items for your children and home. Fun. Thanks Jan!!