printable paper dolls

For those of you looking for cool retro projects for your kids, here is a terrific site for uber cool Finnish paper dolls to print and play with, or perhaps even frame for neato retro decor for your baby's room. These finish dolls are just gorgeous, and some quite out-of-the-ordinary, such as these Aero paper dolls here; not just for the girlies.

oh so sweet!

WallCandy. Of course. This and other uber cool furniture and decor can be found at Modern Seed. There really doesn't seem to be a shortage of cool modern stuffs for babies. I keep seeing some of this stuff - especially on this lovely site - and thinking geez, I was totally looking for stuff like this when Isabel was tiny. I am especially fond of the Ooba Nest Basinet, the Happy Sealion Mobile, the WallCandy (pictured to the left) and Gary: "Who is Gary? Gary is cool. Gary is our new friend, he like apples and dance parties. Handcrafted in Sweden with love, Gary has made the a long trip over the Atlantic looking for some fun. A sturdy, long-lasting likeable friend. Please help Gary find a home." They also have the LIKEaBIKE, which I definitely want to get for Isabel. Apparently this is a somewhat common method in Europe for teaching youngsters to ride a 2-wheeler, and makes loads of sense to me.

more baby stuffs

At the risk of making this blog sound like its turning into one huge ad, I just can't resist sharing what lovies I do run across on the web. If we DID have to buy a crib and some sheets all over again, I would definitely do so here at Modern Tots. This stuff is outrageously hip and soothing to the eye. Love, love, LOVE it. They have tons of bedding as well as furniture and toys to browse, as well as super SUPER cool clothes and shoes like Little Dear Shoes.

My Little Bunny Hunny

You may find some of the great stuff mentioned earlier, at Artbrat, including a yummy Laurie Simmons Dessert Plate Set, and matching coffee cups and saucers: , Soft Gourd Pillows by Yayoi Kusama, and terrific Bunny Cookie Jars by Momoyo Torimitsu.

Also, I managed to find a good source for the Uni Chair, from our Austrailian frieds at Blokey Stuff. There you will also find a terrific assortment of items for the hard-to-shop-for man (or anyone else) such as 450 Things A Bloke Aught to Know How to Build, a huge Double Hammock, All American Ads of the 1940s, the Paint Effects Bible, as well as a large deluxe-edition selection of rubber dickies, such as the Flower Sinshine Duck.

Soooooo Sweet!!!

What’s on my mind, now? Love and Rockets, and Chairs. As you may or may not know, Valentines Day is coming up, we are in for a big move (and buying another house) to our favorite area of Seattle, AND I am always on the hunt for the coolest toys and baby accoutrements. Therefore, I will go ahead and shamelessly post mention of my favorite internet sites. Enjoy!

Shadow light by Tord Boontje, here at Generate

For your valentine, Fabulous paperie: Luxe Paperie

Sweets for the sweet, to amaze and awe: Bou Lela

For the more seductive chocolate: Noka

What better to go with chocolate than the best freakin’ coffee in the world?:

Cafe Vita

(Be sure to take their “behind the scenes” virtual tour)

Don’t Forget the Organic Flowers:
Organic Bouquet

Nice Gifts Other Than Food:

Very cool t-shirts and posters: Aesthetic Apparatus

Great toys!: Kid Robot

Apothecaries, I would buy just for the bottles and labels: Bigelow Chemists

Lovely unique toys good enough for home décor: Schmancy Toys

You are sure to find a unique gift here: Bozart

For Yourself (and DO love thyself!):

Some of the coolest home furnishings: Dwell

Modern lighting furniture and toys that are out of this world: Velocity

AmAzing! furnishings. (Be sure to check out the Shadow light by Tord Boontje, pictured above):

Artecnica

More gorgeous home furnishings: West Elm

Beautiful textile arts: Textile Art

Sweet Toddlers

Yesterday we spent the day at the La Jolla shopping center: going on train rides, browsing through shops, evading scary tigers, and bird-watching by the fountain. Here is Isabel at the fountain in her new glasses she got about two weeks ago. She is doing rather well with wearing them now, although it has taken nearly the entire time. She is wearing her new Basque Blouse I came up with after playing with elastic thread for the first time - so fun. I absolutely LOVE the new cotton shirting I found.
I have also been doing some research on activities to do with toddlers, and thought how it would be nice to post them here for others, since I am compiling and editing all the information anyway. Enjoy - and feel free to write me if you have any great ideas that haven't been posted. (But I have a ton more that I hope to post in the near future.)

Surprise Boxes and Bags. Fill a container (bag, box, etc.) with random and unusual objects. Kitchen stuff works great, as well as any random yet safe everyday objects you may find in the garage or bathroom. Some of the things I have used and like are colanders (make great hats), turkey basters, other little boxes and containers, unusual seed capsules (though be sure to know your plants and be safe!), clothes pins, paper cups, etc. etc. This is usually good for a lot of fun play time. An older child may like finding where the items belong and enjoy putting them away - never too early to start that!!

Also, don't forget to turn up some music and dance, dance, dance!!! Different types of music give opportunities for different types of expressive movement, and so we sometimes put on jazz or classical, and see what becomes of that. :)