White PVC Table Cloth that you decorate yourself. The D.I.Y. Table Cloth changes as time goes by and more and more notes, drawings and decorations are added.
Tea Sub
The TeaSub submerges tea leaves to the bottom of your cup, creating the perfect infusion of your favorite brew. I have feeling this would turn our little Ella Joy into a tea drinker.
UPDATE: You can pre-order it here.
(via @kylestanding)
things to learn
things to learn from Matt Edgar on Vimeo.
Christian Borstlap recently finished these deliciously simple animated illustrations for Dutch children’s charity, Kinderpostzegels. Adorable! Made me smile.
(thank you anja)
Stroller License Plate
This customizable swiss stroller license plate idea made me chuckle. More info, only in german or french though, over at kinderwagenschild.ch. (Boy, that site needs help!)
(thank you annina)
Happy Check Button Down
Oh my, I need to get this awesome button down shirt for little swissmister, who is a mere 3.5 weeks away of arriving. Love it!
d-sledge
This sled is based on the archetypal wooden workhorse that used to be made by laymen and carpenters alike in Dalvik. The sleds came in different shapes and sizes, depending on intended usage: anything from plunging down a hillside to dragging groceries through the snow-covered landscape. The project endeavors to celebrate a useful object from the past and present it t. D-Sled available on icelandicmarket.com
Amazing “Willysphere” – a new sandcarving tool
Sand Shapers from ID Selection are the latest toy for the beach and in the sand box at home. By moving the Sand Shaper in a circular movement, the most beautiful spheres can be created. By combining the different sizes, it is possible to create all kinds of funny shapes. Due to the simple action, the Sand Shapers can be used by children from the age of 3.
(thank you Nicolet)
CB2 Metal Trunks
I flipped through the new CB2 Catalog last night and was amazed at the amount number of cool new items they put out. These Metal Trunks would make a nice little accesory in a kids room.
Bouncy Hopper
Silver (!) Kids Retro Bouncy Hopper.
Baby Barolo Sleeping Bag
How comfy does this Baby Barolo Sleeping Bag look? (Only 6-7 more weeks until swissmister will be keeping me busy day and night. Yes, I am finally coming out of my denial and am getting the necessary items for the little man. No, this sleeping bag is not part of it, but one can always look. It sure looks cozy.)
Nesting Tables/Step Stools
How fun is this set of three nesting tables/stools each opens at top, with safety hinged lids for inconspicuous storage. Designed by Paul Loebach. Perfect for a kids room, no?
(via I.D Magazine)
Oral Hygiene Model
I am trying all kinds of tricks to get our 3.5year old Ella excited about brushing her teeth. The latest thing is to turn off the light in the bathroom and brush her teeth in the dark with a flashlight. Oh, the things we do as parents. I think this Oral Hygiene Model would help her understand better HOW we need to brush teeth. I might just have to order one…
The Ideal (Kid’s) Bookshelf
Lovely Jane Mount asked me if I’d like to put together my and Ella’s favorite kid’s books for one of her Ideal Bookshelf Drawings. How could I say no to that? The print just went up for sale on 20×200. Check it out.
Jane’s statement from the 20×200 site:
For a while, I’ve been documenting people’s bookshelves as a form of portraiture; you can actually learn a lot about folks by their books’ covers. Now, I’m working on a series of “ideal” bookshelves: sets of favorites—mine or someone else’s—amalgamated in a picture, even if they don’t usually live on shelves anywhere near each other.
This set is Tina Roth Eisenberg’s favorite kid’s books. Tina is more often known as swissmiss, due to the popularity of her excellent blog and design studio. Tina documents all things well-designed and clever, and many things that “made her smile”, including lots of children’s products, since she is the mother of one and expecting another. As a longtime fan of her blog, I know she loves kid’s books as much as I do, so I asked her to pull her favorites from the shelves of her daughter Ella Joy.
The Books from left to right:
Papa Moll
You Can’t Go To School Naked!
Barbapapa
Dr. Seuss’s ABC (I Can Read It All By Myself Beginner Books)
Puzzlehead
A Fish Out of Water
Max und Moritz
Johnny Boo Book 1: The Best Little Ghost In The World
Flight of the Dodo
The Incredible Book-Eating Boy
Auf dem Lande.
The Big Book for Little Hands
365 Penguins
Giant Play and Learn Book (Activity)
This Is New York (This is . . .)
The Graphic Alphabet
The Way Back Home
Zen Shorts
Chowder
Follow the Line
Pippi Longstocking
Mr. Pine’s Purple House
Yummy Yucky
The Going-To-Bed Book
Good Night, Gorilla
Oblo® didactic puzzle
Here’s a toy that just completely won me over just by looking at it: Oblo by Marko Pavlovic was conceived as three dimensional, didactic puzzle. In order to obtain a successful progress from one level to the next, one needs to find the right extracting position for each removable piece to enable its smooth passage through the fixed shape open space provided. I want to play with it!
(via @behance)
Yellow Submarine
Now that we’ve watched When I am 64 about a hundred times on YouTube, I think it’s time I purchase the Yellow Submarine DVD. Ella and I are equally amazed by the psychedelic graphics in this DVD. For those of you not familiar with this awesome animation, Yellow Submarine is a 1968 animated feature film based on the music of The Beatles.
And I thought this was an interesting fact from Wikipedia:
The animation of Yellow Submarine has sometimes falsely been attributed to the famous psychedelic pop art artist of the era, Peter Max; but the film’s art director was Heinz Edelmann. Edelmann, along with his contemporary Milton Glaser, pioneered the psychedelic style for which Max would later become famous, but according to Edelmann and producer Al Brodax, as quoted in the book Inside the Yellow Submarine by Hieronimus and Cortner, Max had nothing to do with the production of Yellow Submarine.
Bearded Man
I have just discovered and fallen in love with this awesome barded man by Matilde Beldroega.
(Loja de Estar is a portuguese online shop that gathers objects from a variety of Portuguese designers. “Loja de Estar” is the result of combining “living room” with “store” so it stands for something close to “living store”. Cute!)
The Jimmies
Last week I had the pleasure to meet Ashley, the charming lead singer of The Jimmies, a NYC based rock-band for little ones. She handed me one of their latest DVD’s and now our little Ella is completely addicted. Check out the amazing videos below. (Bedhead is hilarious.) Support The Jimmies by buying their CD or DVD.
(Every time Ella watches Spanimals Ella cracks up and says: “Mommy, she has grapes on her head”)
Extreme Crowdsourcing
Two nights ago, G and I were discussing potential boy’s names for our little unborn son. I spontaneously said: “Why don’t we ask the twittersphere for some ideas?” Within seconds of posting my quest for a cool 4 letter boy’s name suggestions came pouring in. We just sat there refreshing Tweetie and couldn’t believe the amazing and most of all international name suggestions we got.
Crowdsourcing at its best!
I would like to extend this experiment to my blog readers. Have any cool suggestions for a rather unique 4 letter boy’s name for our unborn son? If so, indulge in this extreme crowdsourcing experiment with me and share in a comment below.
Again, the only condition: it has to be a 4 Letter Boys Name.
Ioline Changing Trunk
Now that my belly is getting HUGE I am starting to get out of my denial and am actually starting to think about how we will set up the apartment once swissmisster arrives mid february. I can’t stand changing tables and will refuse to put one in our apartment, so this Ioline Changing Trunk made me rejoice. What a brilliant idea! I love furniture that has a double purpose and grows with your kid. It’s basically a changing table on the floor that turns into seating for your tot as well. It’s made from 100% natural, non-toxic and sustainable materials. (And yes, I will only dream of owning one of these as the pricetag is a little steep.)
(via minordetails)
Cafe Moomah Collage Builder
Two weeks ago G, Ella and I checked out Cafe Moomah in Manhattan and we were impressed. It’s a beautifully designed space for children and their parents. It’s a cozy cafe and an art oasis for little ones. While G and I enjoyed yumme brunch with friends, Ella did a fun art project under the guidance of an art teacher. (She was able to pick from 7 different art projects, which cost around $14) Ella was in heaven, and so were we. I just checked out Moomah’s site and discovered this online collage builder and drawing tool which I can’t wait to show Ella tonight:
If you have a little one, go and check out Moomah on 161 Hudson Street in New York!
I heart stripes
How awesome is this Stripy Hoodie currently on sale at Oeuf?
MeasureMe Stick
How incredibly cool is this MeasureMe Stick that transforms the traditional ruler into a playful, modern growth chart. Pretty! In fact, this would not only be cool for Ella’s room but in our living-room in general. We could add all our friends that stop by.
(thank you denise)