contain me

Skip the black and white and go for the color. At $6.99 each these groovy baskets from The Container Store were the perfect addition to my daughter's closet. So very 80's but so very fun.

dare to dream

I'd like two of these Nelson desks in my great room. I can just picture the two kids, side by side, happily doing their homework while I prepare dinner for the family. (Anyone that really knows me is laughing out loud because the kids are hardly homework age at 2 and 4 and I am a terrible, ok, infrequent cook.) Regardless, at $1799 each I don't see it happening anyway but it's still fun to dream...

shopping spree

"Vote for your favorite items from the Handmade Kids Challenge and win one of fourteen $350 Etsy Shopping Sprees!

From August 25 through September 8, 2008, your vote is your chance to win! Check out the Challenge finalists and choose your top pick in each category."

What an awesome idea. Not only might you actually win but it seems like a great chance to find some pretty new things like this butterfly mobile by almost sunday or this dress at bread and roses.

just hangin' around

I hope my children never manage to see this photo. What an awesome playroom and lucky kids! More images of the home and commentary here.

pain in the neck

These beddy-bears aren't quite as stylish as I would like but sometimes function does come first I'm afraid. They are absolutely perfect for a toddler with a bad muscle spasm. Just pop bear in the microwave (or freezer) and you have an instant heating pad and a room full of lavender. I picked up a brown one at the local drugstore but after doing a little research I found a bigger assortment of colors here.

green room

Fun, fashionable, affordable and, even better, made from recycled materials. Found the playroom table here. Both for sale here.

bebe babble

Nice selection of pretty kids stuff here.
Noticed first here.

bla bla

In case you missed them on the family blog a few months back...meet some of our favorite boogaloos and dolls from bla bla kids. They are designed in the US and created by Peruvian artisans from all natural fibers. I'm reminded of the darling designs every night as my little ones snuggle up with their favorite.

peek-a-boo

Great hide and go seek swivel chair for kids by IKEA.
Also available in blue and white.

pop ink

complete paper kits...




melamine plates...




and gift wrap...

are just three of the delightful Pop Ink categories by the French Paper Company. Just how is it that this company has been around for two decades and I'm only learning about them now? Mnay thanks to sf girl by the bay for the introduction! The pop ink collection (only a bit of which I pasted above) is witty, kitchy, stylish & just plain fun.

playing house

We just spent about an hour putting together one of these doll houses made by Plan Toys and purchased at Goodnite Moon. It was definitely not fun assembling but it was well worth it. It's perfectly styled for our sophisticated two-year old. So stylish, in fact, that I almost want to play with it myself. Unfortunately I didn't realize that the dolls were not included in the "chalet dollhouse with furniture". I revisited the Plan Toys website to see how I could have been so dense and under the dollhouse, accompanying the following image of the dolls, they say, and I quote, "add more fun". Um, yeah?! Nevertheless, this house it's already a hit in ours.

bath toy roundup

The bath "toy store" by Kuster. Four color combinations. Set includes two buckets. The smaller scoops up toys and allows water to drain out the bottom. The larger holds the smaller. Drainage may not be quite as efficient as the mesh nets we have suctioned cupped to the shower wall (when they are not falling down) but these colorful vessels are certainly easier on the eyes. Seen on Cool Mom Picks and available from Bare Babies.

not your grandmother's wallpaper...

or is it?






Fabulous silhouettes on vintage wallpaper patterns by Inke Heiland and available at Nonchalant Mom.

make the rounds

Make the rounds kids paper lanterns from Land of Nod. Available in green, orange, pink and white. Decorative (interior) use only. Not a light source but so sweet. Wish I could get them in time for my daugther's birthday this week!

make a wish

Found these adorable kid-safe characters by a Miami based company called Friends With You in this month's Dwell. Toys are super silly cute but wait, there's more. Checkout their wonderfully bizarre website which includes this "story"...