Thanks to Jacquie Van Keuren, I can't wait for my son to be of age + loose his baby teeth. This Tooth Fairy Kit totally rocks + is perfect for the obsessive record keeping mother that I have turned out to be. Genius. And the design? Fantastic + beautiful!
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I literally wanted to be my big sister.
What does 2009 hold for you?
We plan to introduce a couple more products this fall. And will be adding extra certificate packs for the Tooth Fairy Kits shortly -- for multi-kid households and those connoisseurs of collecting.
Thanks Jacquie!
So, the battle is officially on: who is better? The longstanding favorite, the Boon Frog Pod or the sleek newcomer, Skip Hop's Tubby? Ohh, it's like Bobby Flay's show, Throwdown! Well, almost.
The Skip Hop Tubby does have a couple exciting selling points:
1. Low pricepoint ($20).
2. Made of neo-prene, so it's machine washable.
3. BPA Free, Phthalate-Free so the kids won't get poisoned.
I just hung up the Tubby (in orange) in our bathroom tonight. So far? Eliot thought it was a great new toy. Hmmm.
Clean the toys up! For a limited time we have Argington's Fuji Toybox on sale: 10% off + a free cushion (plus free shipping). The Fuji Toybox features one large storage area and a cute cubby space (car garage? doll house?). Throw the (free) cushion on top the Fuji, and it instantly transforms into a bench for seating. How convenient!
Available in 4 wood finishes + 3 cushion colors. Includes both leg runners and caster wheels (not shown).
Sale ends Monday (1.26.09) 3pm pst.
Psalms Heiple is one of those people that keeps a sketch book that you'd secretly want to steal. The kind of person that does not talk to talk but, in the right time, reveals her ideas + projects she has been working on. I have been to her quaint studio + next time I will be sure to take a picture when she leaves the room so I can show you what I mean. Amazing.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted very badly to be two things, an antarctic explorer and a float plane pilot. Which brings me to confess that i also had a thing for Jacques Cousteau.
Tell me about your inventive childhood in the remote woods of Alaska! What about it inspires you today?
I remember my mom having these two angora rabbits that she kept. She would brush them with a sort of paddle brush, collect the fur, spin it into yarn on a spindle and knit us mittens, hats, sweaters, all kinds of things. I did not think much of it when I was a kid, but now when I look back I think "wow!". My mom did a lot of things like this that I took for granted when I was younger, but the older i get the more I am inspired by her and the coziness of the homemade.
What does 2009 hold for you?
Let's see... 2009. Let's just say that this will be a year of new projects. I love doing things that I have never done before.
Thank you Psalms!
I would have gone crazy for this Oeuf Classic Toy Store when I was a kid. Three levels of compartmental goodness! The Toy Store would be perfect fun for a game of grocery store or a sleeping spot for a bunch of baby dolls.
And check this out: The bins lay flat or swivel at an angle and have removable dividers so you can store a multitude of items of varying sizes. And, as with all well designed pieces, the Ouef Classic Toy Store is versatile: it can be used in any room of the house. As in it would make an amazing snack-shack in the kitchen!
Available in 2 woods colors, walnut stain and birch.
I am happy to be friends with Tressa of Dress Me Up. I recently placed an order for her new Organic Soft Blocks. A few days later she sent me this picture of her husband and daughter pulling my order on a sled in the snow! How fun is that?
Santa gave baby Owen the Organic Soft Blocks for Christmas. They are a hit with the baby. And fun for a 3 year old to throw, evidently.
You can find the Organic Soft Blocks here.
Thanks Tressa!
Amy + Joe Sharp of Little Alouette are the go-get 'em type.Confident, positive +imaginative. A hoot to work with and their wood toys are a treasure and a delight (and incredibly popular). Thank you Amy + Joe!
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When Joe was a little boy he wanted glam rocker and Amy wanted to be a professional roller skater.
Joe was also interested in woodworking as Joe's dad built model airplanes from scratch in the North of England and was an inventor. Amy was an artistic wee one and always wanted to create. Her favorite place was the library and it still is today.
What inspires you the most? Your kids, your life, trees... do tell!
Our children are our main inspiration forest. We are so blessed to have kiddos that have great imaginations and massive amounts of love. It is creative city here everyday. We like modern design and find a lot of inspiration walking in the country of Southeastern Ohio where Amy is from. We own land in Athens, Ohio and like to escape the city as much as we can. Being in the country is like the best therapy for stress. It helps open yr mind.
What does 2009 hold for you?
2009 - We hope to be making gorgeous toys and art for you!
We have some groovy things in the workshop a brewing!
We are planning some travel and some fun. It's gonna be a fabulous year!
Be sure to visit Amy's blog. Yes!
Sneak Peek: the Bumbleride Flite!
"In Spring 2009 Bumbleride will welcome this new addition to the family. [The Bumbleride Flite] 12 pounds of pure function and design, this little tyke is Bumbleride's take on a traditional lightweight stroller. Smaller, faster and full of energy, Flite is perfect for that urban family on the go." -- Bumbleride HQ
Also for 2009, Bumbleride shows a fresh new side. Debuting 2 new colors (Vita, vibrant pink and Lava, sleek black) as well as a new wheel design for the Indie (pictured above, left). 2009 is all about function, color and style for Bumbleride.
And I am personally looking forward to meeting the Bumbleride Flite (pictured above, right)!
Best word to describe Avalisa wall art? Options. Avalisa has about a million options. Designs. Colorways. Patterns. Sizes. Series. Ideas.
New for 2009, Avalisa has just released 15 new designs -- from autos to apples to airplanes. Amazing new colors as well, including grey which is my favorite color right now.
Boodalee! This is why I like wall graphics + think they are a great solution for a kid's room: wall graphics won't fall on your kid's head.
Until recent application of wall graphics, the walls around Eliot's bed have been blank as I:
1. Did not want anything heavy hanging on the wall above his bed.
2. Did not want him to be tempted to pull/kick/swing artwork hanging on the wall. He's 3, after all. And that would be fun?
3. There is a lot of wall space to consider and I can be indecisive.
Wall Graphics by Boodalee solves the issues. Nothing to fall, swing or otherwise hurt your kidlet. They cover a large area of wall and all considering, are really quite economical, ranging in price - $45 to $55.
My favorite? The Trees, available in 3 colorways.
Happy Birthday to fawn&forest! To celebrate our first birthday, we have teamed up with the Arbor Day Foundation to help you start a little forest of your own!
With your order of $200 or more, Fawn&Forest will make a donation to the Arbor Day Foundation and a baby tree sapling indigenous to your region will be sent directly to you. A fun and special way for you and your child to give back to the environment.
The Arbor Day Foundation inspires people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees through environmental education and many programs which contribute to the replanting of our national forests. They envision a world where trees and forests are abundant, healthy, and sustainable, and highly valued by all people.
Happy Birthday! For more info, click here.
Yes! I really am tying up loose ends from '08! And look what I found? An interview with Hester and Jantien of the amazing Dutch company, Tas-ka. Tas-ka was an October Forest Find. Delightful. Don't you want to jump right into their amazing studio + get working? I do! Thank you Hester and Janitien!
When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
J: I wanted to be a veterinary surgeon.
H: When I was little always wanted to be a pilot, why?? I don't know but I was always making stuff on my sewing machine, little doll clothes and skirts for my self. I come from a very creative family so I think I grew up with the idea that you could make everthing. I still believe that that is the best thing my parents taught me because your opportunities are unlimited. (I hope you understand what I mean...)
How does working together inspire your creativity and the products that you make?
H: Working with somebody gives you another prospective on things. I also think we make each other better. And it is nice to be able to share all your work related things with somebody that totally understands you. I really can recommend it to everybody!
J: It's inspiring you creativity a lot. Because if I don't have ideas, Hester does and automatically I'm enthusiastic. My creativity begins to work and fill up her ideas. Or I have another idea because of her idea. Most of the time we design our products and fabrics together.
What does 2009 hold for you?
H: We would like to expand our collection with new products and make more fabric designs.
J: That's a good question .... We want to build out our collection with new products and want to sell our collection more abroad. And I think we want to do some nice projects, maybe with other designers but that isn't all familiar yet. We want to be refreshing for ourselves and others!
2008 was a fantastic year. Our unique category, Forest Finds, was started in June + has been crazy fun. And incrediably popular. We've brought in 33 designers since June and have had 2 guest curators (Irene of Bloesem Blogs in October and Jan of Poppytalk blog in August).
For the month of January, we are bringing you a small snippet of the best-of-2008. Really, I wanted to include everything + everyone (to view every single Forest Find click here).... but an edited selection is intriguing as well.
Forest Finds is brimming with inventive + quality handcrafted items to add function + beauty to your everyday. Items that make great gifts that leaves your recipient thinking you are so in the know.
Happy Forest Finds.
As I finish up odds + ends for 2008, I have a handful of goodies for you all, including a bunch of Q+A's from Nov-Dec Forest Finds! To kick the goodness off, today's Q+A is with Anna Joyce, the talented artist who creates hand cut and sewn canvases using new and vintage fabrics. Thank you Anna!
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a zoo keeper, the owner of a cinnamon roll cart, an actress and an Air Force flight school instructor ( I watched Top Gun a few too many times...)
What inspires or influences you more: your art education or your daily life/environment ?
I was very inspired by art school- I loved it! But I am mostly inspired by my daily life and environment. A shirt cuff, an old pillow, or a book at a thrift store can inspire a whole new line. But mostly I am inspired by my baby girls.
What does 2009 hold for you?
Parenting! And art, and health...I hope to continue and grow my studio practice more and more in 2009. More products are around the corner. I would like to expand my line to include table linens, and possibly bed linens as well!
For 2009, a couple new players in the Oeuf Classic collection: the Oeuf classic 4 drawer dresser (with optional hutch attachment, converting the dresser, well, into a hutch.) The Oeuf Classic 3 drawer is fantastic (I know, I have one in my son's room) but I am so intrigued by the additional storage of drawer #4 as well as the increased organization bits of the hutch! We all seem to be up for more organization + space, right?
The Oeuf four drawer dresser fits a standard size changing pad to convert the dresser to a changing station (yep, Oeuf is smart!) though the hutch ony fits the new 4 drawer dressers, so no retro-fitting your classic 3 drawer.
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