fawn&forest

So, as my style goes, Father's Day is a few days away and I am rather giftless....or am I? I ask my husband: How about a newborn baby boy for Father's Day? And he says: Sure!

Sweet.

These delicious looking brownies + chocolate marshmellows by Whimsey and Spice would also do the trick. Um, Yum! Whimsey and Spice has a lovely selection of cookies, brownies + other confection with interesting flavors like rosehip and black peppercorn. And if you can't make your mind up (which is usually me) they offer a sampler box. 

Also be sure to visit Whimsey and Spice's blog, Sweet Fine Day. Seems to be updated daily and has the lovliest personal photos.

Born out of the love of linens and modern design, Tikoli tea towels are perfect for the modern kitchen and for that sweet Mom in your life!  Influenced by Japanese prints and mid-century modern design, Tikoli towels are printed on 100% cotton fabric, ready to brighten any  kitchen. Available in five lovely designs, including "mummy", pictured at right. 

Receive a free Tikoli tea towel with purchases over $75 when "tikoli" is entered in the comments field at checkout. Offer ends May 20th 2008. Yep, this sweet deal extends past Mother's day. Because, if you're anything like me, a bit behind schedule......a few extra days are much appreciated, right?

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.

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!

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. 

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.  

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. 

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.