Make: Kimmel Kids

I think all of you will love this...  Los Angeles based Installation artist Karen Kimmel has a line of educational tools and kits called Kimmel Kids  that offer fresh, fun exploration for a kid's imagination.  I love her stencil kit with its organic cut-out shapes!
 

Shop: Etsy Halloween Costumes

More Halloween ideas...this time from etsy. This weekend we have a few Halloween events to go to and I am STILL trying to squeeze in a minute or two here and there to try and make the costume. If you're in the same boat, etsy might be able to come to the rescue!

Speaking of costumes...hopefully Designing Mom Shinmin will share her costume with us next week. I just saw a preview of it and expletives almost came out it was so incredibly amazing. Happy Friday and weekend everyone!

1. otter hat
2. clip-on dragon tail
3. dino hoodie 
4. baby giraffe hat
5. bee pillowcase dress
6. halloween leggings

Shop: Anthropologie Halloween

Leave it to Anthropologie for some super stylin' Halloween options for the kids.  They are a little on the pricey side for a one-time costume but they're so versatile to wear throughout fall and winter that you'll get your money's worth. 

Shop: Maptote

Oh yes, it's 3 am over here and guess who's trying to get some design work done (with some online window shopping breaks in between)?!  
I posted a Paris onesie yesterday, but here's the full line from Maptote  that I've been ogling...

Paris, Baby!

Hope all of you had a great weekend.  Thought I'd start your Monday off with these goodies.  Yes, you can Francophile your children with style! 

above:
oeuf plushie
a park in paris burp cloth
paris onesie
paris map onesie

Decorate: Tweener Wallpaper

Rounding out this week, some sophisticated but girly wallpaper... Some of you have been asking about "tweener" designs and I think these are playful and young but devoid of anything "baby'ish."

Stay tuned in the next few weeks for some really exciting changes here. I hope to be able to show them to you very soon!
In the meantime, have a happy Friday and weekend everyone!

above: Pink forest wallpaper

above: Mauve and girly wallpaper

Halloween: Oeuf

Don't these costumes look soooo soft and comfy for the little ones?  Available at Oeuf and Reform School

Shop: Owly Shadow Puppets

I'm rather enchanted by the magical beast and beauty stomping over the slumbering village.  I can only imagine the stories they'd invite for little ones  This set is by Owly Shadow Puppets and available at Reform School.

Shop: Family Sweaters

One of the fall/winter trends this year? Fair Isle/Intarsia sweaters for mommy and family.  And guess which ones below are the splurges and the steals?

above Row 1: Burberry cable sweater ($170), Gap cable sweater ($29)
Row 2: Isabel Garreton coat ($207), Gymboree wool swing coat ($72)
Row 3: See by Chloe $795 Intarsia Poncho, Ecote intarsia cardigan ($58)

Shop: Sweet Pea Toad

by Designing Mom Guissell of Earthy Beginnings

Adorable handmade hats by SweetPeaToad.  Just looking at the lion hat you can see how much attention to detail is given to each product, ah but the beauty of handmade! My favorite is a toss up between The Little Lion and the Dr. Who? hat...  Available at my favorite indie marketplace, Cargoh!  Check out Cathy's shop for more goodness.

Shop: Fall Diaper Bags

Here are some of my favorite Fall diaper bags.  I just love Orla Kiely's prints and think her giant stem patterns might just do the trick in making us think we aren't lugging around three thousand diapers and sippy cups.  She's always on my drool-list for wallets and changing bags! 

 

Orla Kiely One Shoulder

Marc Jacobs eliz-a-baby

 Mia Bossi Maria

Orla Kiely changing bag




Re-run recycled can bag




Monster bag

Storksak

Shop: Sewn Natural

I set out to do a post on baby blankets but ended up ogling most of the quilts and blankets by Sewn Natural.  Love the mod baby sheep blanket!

Shop: Lala Shoes

It's back to school time...so baby's gotta get new shoes right?  Lovely little pairs by Lala Shoes!  
They're made of felt and linen and felt in the most pleasant, rainbow of colors.  I am head over heels (pardon pun) for those ballet flats!

Shop: Tiny Frock Shop

Pamela Thompson of Tiny Frock Shop wrote to me about her darling vintage shop for dolls and I just had to share with ya'll!  With a fashion background (working for Betsey Johnson and Anna Sui) she decided to start an online "frock" shop for your little one's best friends...  Barbie never looked better if you ask me and what a wonderful and affordable way to introduce a love for vintage fashion to your daughter.  Click here to visit her shop! 

from Pamela:
I am a new Mom and fashion designer who worked in NYC for over 18 years. Once my daughter was born, my husband and I decided to move to Chicago so my daughter could grow up near family.


Since I can't get fashion out of my system, I decided to open an online shop that marries all my loves and experiences (vintage clothing, kids, play, dollies and editorial fashion) into a business that will benefit moms and children alike.

Shop: Eco Mattress

This is very timely.  Yesterday we discovered a large rip in our dd's mattress due to some slightly "exuberant" jumping as of late.  That poor mattress has been peed on, drooled on, chewed and pounded on with little fists...I think it just finally gave up.
Goodnight Green has a new mattress by Nook called Pebble.   It sounds like sleeping on a bed of fresh air...with eucalyptus fibers and textures and inner layers promoting oxygen flow.  It's pricey but completely eco-friendly and if it soothes the savage I'll be first in line for it!

Shop: Fall Maternity Clothes

I basically shopped for anything empire and loose at my own boutique when I was expecting...but if you're pressed for time here are some stylish fall options for moms-to-be. How cute is that striped shirt? I've just barely scratched the surface here so if anyone has any to add please do!

above:
a. ann taylor loft  
b. isabella oliver  
c. unbuttoned maternity

Story: What's for Lunch?

by Designing Mom Jenn of 13 Creative

As the countdown to the 1st day of preschool begun, the first thing on my list was to find a cool lunchbox for Grace.  Grace has never used a lunchbox before (her old daycare made lunch for the kids everyday, so I never needed to worry about packing up a healthy lunch and sending it with her).

But now we needed to do things like "label clothes" and "pack lunches" and bring things to "share" everyday!  Geez, preschool is a ton of work for mommy!

I did a lot of research and found myself contemplating bento lunch boxes versus cloth lunch bags.  I took almost an entire day and scoured the internet for solutions that were not only good looking, but eco-friendly and most importantly HARD TO LOSE!!  My worry wasn't that Grace was going to "lose her lunch" (!) but that I was going to lose all the lunch box components in the dishwasher, or in the dish drainer at night - and then be stuck the next day.

I thought finding a great, designy and eco-friendly lunchbox was impossible, until I found Goodbyn!

Here are a few pics of our 2 Goodbyns.  Notice, they're both pink!  And with nearly identical stickers!  While they come in an awesome range of colors, I didn't want to have any fights in the morning about "I want the green" or "I want the pink one" so we just got two in pink and are sort of pretending like there is actually only one of them!!  Very similar to her best friend doll BlaBla (who, unbeknownst to Grace, we actually have five of!)

Anyway, it is only two pieces of plastic - the bottom half holds all the lunchtime goodies, and the top half seals all of the little compartments on the bottom.  Plus, it comes with a bunch of neat stickers to decorate the front of the box!  My OCD kicked in pretty good and I couldn't resist decorating the lunchbox myself, because I didn't think my control-freak 'designerness' could handle the stickers applied unevenly and out of order by the 2 year old!!  I know, bad mommy!!  But I'll encourage her to add a few more stickers as the days and weeks go by and really fill it out!  I promise.

Shop: Habitat UK

Lovely little things from UK's Habitat...  I especially love the "mini hana" canopy bed!

Make: Knit Yoga Mat

Ok all of you knitters out there...  Have any of you made a knit yoga mat (below)?  I'm in love! 
You can purchase the tutorial and also the yarn (like recycled silk sari yarn) from Darn Good Yarn.   

Shop: Mini Eames Rockers

Did you see the post on "Best of Play Rooms" on Design Sponge?   Such great ideas!  And in case you're wondering where you can get yourself one of those irresistable mini-Eames rockers, click here.