Cardboard Leaf Wreath

I'm loving this wreath made from 100% recycled cardboard.
$32 from Branch Home.

Did I miss something?

Just stumbled across Clothkits via an email from Pallant House about their upcoming Henry Moore textile show. And I'm in love! (So good I am thinking I must be late to the party.)

I think they have quite a history (founded in 1968) in the UK - am I right Sam? They are great.

I'm thinking about sewing up one of these.


Cloth Kitty Ragdoll Kit

Do you think my girls would freak if I got them one of these instead of the American Girl dolls they are begging for? The clothes! ack!

I am also thinking of these corduroy smocks for the girls.


Babycord Funky Chicken Shift Dress Kit

The kit comes with "printed fabric, lining fabric (plain or ::sigh:: Liberty), beautiful shell buttons, top quality sewing thread and simple, illustrated instructions. All beautifully bound with a satin polka dot ribbon."

Oh my order trigger finger is itchy!

(Coincidentally I had stumbled upon Jane Foster and her fabulous house about a week ago. And here she is a designer for Clothkits! Do you know her blog Sam? It is right up your alley.)

Felt Coasters

Hey Tracy, here are the felt coasters I was telling you about from Anthropologie. I love the packaging as much as the coasters.

saracarr

I think these will be my go to gift this holiday for the 8 and under crowd...

I love everything in sara's shop. The egg cozies would be a great stocking stuffer too!

(found via bloesem kids)

On Our Bookshelf

Our copy of Blueberry Girl just arrived. I had seen it for the first time over the summer and fell in love. Written by Neil Gaiman for Tori Amos's daughter - his god-daughter - it is a wonderful read with a powerful message. (And was a wonderful gift for my blueberry girls as they started out on a new school year.)

Thinking ahead...

I am a big fan of Miriam Bereson's design sensibility. Last year I ordered extra copies of their annual planner and used it as my go-to holiday gift for all the busy families in my life. I was excited to see the pre-order for their 2010 annual planner in my inbox - in its 5th year of production - and even more when I went to order and found they are now producing a "Family Calendar" too.

Yahoo!


Family Calendar $30


2010 Annual Planner $15

Both available for pre-order at www.miriambereson.com

Tokens of my affection

Two years ago I made a pledge to myself to not buy them anything for Valentine's Day. I hope that little tokens (made with love) will express the sentiment better.

The first year was pendants - inspired by Carol

Last year - t-shirts with appliqued fabric hearts.

and this year, these - with a little love note tucked in the pocket - were on my "to do" list.


pattern courtesy of mollychicken


Happy Valentine's Day!

happy heart day

We are falling for the old stand-by again this year.



Crayon hearts. Wrapped up in brown-wax paper bags with doily closures a la little birds

Crayons based on the instructions over at MSL

Green Giving :: For the Kids

Looking to reduce the impact of the holidays on our wallets - and on our planet - we are making a concerted effort this year to rethink our gift giving strategy. With the kids, we have not completely outlawed the idea of buying something off their wish lists, but are also looking at alternatives. Handmade, secondhand, local and experiential gifts will all be found under the tree (and in the stockings) this year.

My eldest daughter is a passionate writer - documenting our every move in her self-defined "Realistic Fiction" style. ("I know it didn't happen that way Mom, but it could have!") For her, I found a manual typewriter on ebay - under $30 with shipping! Not too shabby. And cute to boot. (It even types in - gasp! - cursive!)



I have included a new ribbon, and a stack of blank 100% recycled paper. As her story sharing has spread to numerous letters to her Grammee and her friend on the other side of the city, I also plan to include some unbleached recycled envelopes and a packet of (much coveted) stamps.

Stubby Pencil Studio

I discovered Stubby Pencil Studio through Soule Mama and Angry Chicken. At last, a eco art supplies resource! I ordered a bunch of stuff for holiday presents and I couldn't be happier.

The Ecologic Colored Pencils in the wooden box are really beautiful, and the
Clipper Junior Tri Pencils just look fantastic.

Drink it up

Love this campaign. "tap - ask for it by name"

You can purchase the bottles or one of their very clever recycling kits here.

via inhabitat

Natural Pod

We are always on the look out for online stores that stock more eco-friendly products, so we were happy to read about Natural Pod over on Ohdeedoh. It has a great selection of natural toys and items to encourage imaginative play, a number of which we haven't seen anywhere else.

Here are a few of our favorites:

Poot & Boogie Dolls



I couldn't resist buying one.

Yesteryear Clothespins Set



Paint Jar Holder

P is for Personalization

Ever since the birth of my daughter a few months ago, that's her above, I've had a mysterious urge to personalize all her gear. Think Laverne & Shirley and the “L” on Laverne's sweaters. This sent me to Etsy in search of custom cuteness and look what I found.



Custom Name Stamp from Craft Pudding.



Personalized Hair Clip from Details Inc.



Personalized Flat Note Cards from Sarah + Abraham.

More Poems for Mother

Hope is the Thing with Feathers

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chilliest land
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

Emily Dickinson

More Poems for Mother

The Owl and the Pussy-cat

The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five pound note.
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a small guitar,
'O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!'

Pussy said to the Owl, 'You elegant fowl!
How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married! too long we have tarried:
But what shall we do for a ring?'
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-tree grows
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,
His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.

'Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring?' Said the Piggy, 'I will.'
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mince, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.

Edward Lear

Illustration from the The Big Golden Book of Poetry

Give the Gift of a Poem

Mother's Day is around the corner and instead of the usual bunch of flowers, why not give or ask for a poem?

Caroline Kennedy in The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, writes:

...for each holiday or birthday, John and I would have to write or choose a poem for my mother. We had to copy it down and illustrate it, and she pasted them all in a special scrapbook. A few days before Valentine's Day or Mother's Day, there would be mad scramble for the poetry books, and a mild sense of competition to see whose poem was longer or more famous. It wasn't like a school assignment, but an infinite wandering that took us out of our own world, and into so many others.

It's a great idea for birthdays too. For my mother's birthday I wrote out The Flowers by Robert Louis Stevenson and she loved it. She said it made her cry.

So for the next few days I'll be posting some poems if you want to give this idea a try. Get the kids to draw a picture to go along with it.

The Flowers

All the names I know from nurse:
Gardener's garters, Shepherd's purse,
Bachelor's buttons, Lady's smock,
And the Lady Hollyhock.

Fairy places, fairy things,
Fairy woods where the wild bee wings,
Tiny trees for tiny dames-
These must all be fairy names!

Tiny woods below whose boughs
Shady fairies weave a house;
Tiny tree-tops, rose and thyme,
Where the braver fairies climb!

Fair are grown-up people's trees,
But the fairest woods are these;
Where if I were not so tall,
I should live for good and all.

Robert Louis Stevenson

Fig Organics

Remember the cat dress?

In keeping with my children's recent obsession with undershirts...

More goodness from Fig Organics


$28 at Black Wagon

(And they have one of the most fun websites i know)

Doll Crib

Handmade, hand-painted little crib.

$79.90 at Kangarooboo

Mr. Village Bunny

Made of white 100% linen fabric (front and ears) and sand brown striped cotton/linen fabric (backside).

$20.00 at HeliS.etsy.com

kinchi Vintage Florals children scarf

Made from 7 different vintage fabrics.

$26.00 at kinchi.etsy.com

You really can't go wrong with anything from kinchi!