Blabla Kids

I am in love with all of the Blabla animals. My husband bought "Bubbles" the cat as a gift for Jane before she was born and he has become a favorite in our house. His blue body and bright polka dots are so fun and brighten up Jane's room. In fact, he was my source of inspiration for her entire decor. Along with plush animals, Blabla Kids also makes adorable knit hats and booties, blankets, pillows, backpacks, rattles and more. I've had my eye on the butterfly backpack and the set of knit fruit rattles (I have a thing for play "food"). I also noticed they have added a piggy, froggy and tiger to their animal collections and they have a new line of plush girl dolls as well. EVERYTHING is super cute.

Ode to Dr.Seuss

Recently I spotted this adorable plush "Horton" (from Dr.Seuss' "Horton Hears a Who") at Pokkadots (one of my favorite baby sites!)that I think is too cute. Then I remembered a Dr.Seuss cookbook I came across while Christmas shopping that is totally unique and fun. Its the "Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook" written by Georgeanne Brennan with classic Dr.Seuss illustrations. The recipes were inspired by Dr.Seuss's children's books and include "Yots in Pots and Schlotz's Knots", "Who Roast-Beast", "Fitz-Fed Fred Food Feast", "Moose Juice and Goose Juice" and more. Doesn't that sound fun to whip up in the kitchen! (I must be hungry I keep blogging about cooking).

For the Little Chef

I love the retro Betty Crocker Cookbook for Boys & Girls. Too bad Jane isn't old enough to whip me up something to eat. I love the retro cover and the idea of teaching kids how to cook and not just how to heat up chicken nuggets in the microwave. I also love the A to Z recipe box for kids which features recipes for every letter of the alphabet (Ants in my Applesauce, Zany Zucchini, you get the picture). And for the littlest chefs I recommend fun wooden fruit and vegetable sets which can be "chopped" up and velcro back together. Jane received some for her birthday and loves cutting them up over and over again. You can find them at World Market stores.

Books for Today's Babies

Although I love classic children's books and vintage illustrations, I am also totally amused by the fun board books for today's modern tot. I bought the set of books titled "Urban Babies Wear Black" and "Country Babies Wear Plaid" by Michelle Sinclair Colman and Nathalie Dion, for Jane's friend Olive's first birthday last year. Since then, the Petite Connoisseur series by Karen Salmansohn which includes the "Art" and "Fashion" board books have caught my eye. These books make mommies laugh by teaching first words which include "dada", "Dali", "catwalk", "choo shoe train", etc. Ah, nothing like a good pun.

Win $10,000 to Pottery Barn Kids!

Right now Pottery Barn Kids and Parenting Magazine are teaming up and offering a $10,000 PB Kids Dream Room Sweepstakes. All you have to do is enter and you could win a $10,000 PB Kids gift card. The contest began on July 19th and ends on August 30th. The winner will be announced in October. Good luck!

Artwork for Children's Spaces

Since I was having trouble finding the calendar which had the illustrations I planned to frame, I started doing a little looking around for other ideas of artwork to put in my children's room. I haven't found exactly I what I am looking for, but I found a few things that I wanted to share. The Land of Nod has a set of posters titled "You Can Read", "Learn to Write Cursive", and "Math Can be Fun for You". I think they are so clever. They also carry a really fun set of tournament posters for children, including "Hopscotch World Cup", "Double Dutch World Championship", "Rock,Paper,Scissors Invitational" and "Simon Says State Finals". I also love the personalized "Paper Doll Art" for a little girl's room. You choose from six variations of skin and hair color (light skin, red hair, for example) and add your girl's name so the paper doll is her own version of her. So cute! The Land of Nod also offers personalized artwork of your child's silhouette. The white silhouette is on a blue background for boys and a pink background for girls. You just have to send in a photo of your child's profile and they create the artwork. It is really charming. Wouldn't it make a great gift for a grandparent too?

Where to Start...

When I was pregnant with Jane I spent hours on end searching online for baby gear, products, clothing, nursery decor and toys that were as fun and stylish as I knew she would be. In the process of all my online searching I discovered a plethora of websites which feature fun, funky, and hip baby products that I love. These have become some of my favorite spots to search for decorating ideas, gift ideas, and toys for kids. You will notice from my selection of sites that I love classic toys, beautifully illustrated books, and children's fabrics inspired by 1930's prints. Check back for the scoop on my favorite children's products and other ideas for babies and kids.