Covetable Kid Style

I don't know about everyone else, but every new house I've lived in, I've always had the urge to decorate my children's bedrooms first; subsequently these are the rooms that I love the most in my house and are the ones to get updated before the adult rooms are even touched. Something about children's decorating is just so free, unbound by design rules, and fun! I always have to remind myself that there is no reason that my whole house couldn't make me feel the way that my kid's spaces do. For me, the following kid's rooms have nailed it. Sophisticated but fun, I could live in these spaces myself...

The Boo and the Boy

Mokkasin

Mor til Mernee

Design Sponge

Kenziepoo

Lots of colour, white backdrop, wallpaper, vintage finds, I could have fun in these rooms, could you? I feel these images represent how to live beautifully in a house full of toys and children without being to fussy about mess...if only I could figure out how to achieve this in my own house!

How To: Dye Playsilks with Food Dye!

When I first heard of them, I thought the idea was crazy. Was my kid really going to play with some dyed silk squares for years and years? Well, I made my first batch when Eleanor was 8 months old and I have to say that I am a convert! She loves them and so does Emmett!

What are they for? Well, they are the ultimate imagination toy. They can be on the ground as a blanket, tablecloth, or river. They can be worn as clothes, they can be used to dress up toys. They can simple be flung up in the air for fun! They are the best! I liked them so much  I  Santa made some larger ones for Christmas.

I dye my own because they are very expensive from Etsy and I wanted to make sure they are non-toxic.

Here's how you do it:

First, get your silk. It must be pure silk. I buy the Silk Habotai Squares from Dharma Trading. Now go to your supermarket and buy packets of Kool-Aid. Yep. And try not to be embarrassed at the checkout. You can also use food dye. You'll also need some white vinegar.

Start by soaking your scarves in water until they are thoroughly wet and heat up a pot of water on the stove until boiling.

Now, dump a pack of Kool-Aid into the water.

...and put your scarf in. Give it a stir and glug in a good 1/2 cup on vinegar. Then forget to take a picture of the red, so pretend that it's magically changed colour.

 You see here that the water has started to go clear. When it's pretty clear, rinse the scarf out and hang it to dry (or put it in the dryer).

This is a great project to do with older kids too as it's pretty magic seeming. The funny thing is that it doesn't matter how much water you use as the silk fibres just sucks up whatever dye particles are in there! Wow!

Handmade Toys

As you may know, last year Holly received something specially handcrafted by Santa under the tree:

Santa may be a wee bit busy this year, but I love the idea of something with that extra bit of love under the tree. These are my favorite ideas for toys that may inspire you to hit the workshop this week or buy from the artists on Etsy:

Rambling Renovators

I had a similar idea for a dress up wardrobe that I wanted my husband to make for Holly this year; but I am feeling squeezed for space as it is so decided against it. I love how Jennifer re-purposed an old piece of furniture for hers, and the wallpaper is adorable!

Made

For those of you with tiny entrepreneurs, this bistro-style awning could have them their own fruit stand in a day. Luckily, it comes with a tutorial!

Ohdeedoh

For those of you with little manly-men, a toy BBQ could be in order. Imagine how proud he will be that his steak is better looking than Daddy's!

All for the Boys

For those of you who feel more at ease with fabric than powertools; there are a million-and-one felt tutorials for toys out there. I love that this one is geared towards boys after the plethora of felt food we've seen (which I still love, by the way).

Grosgrain Fabulous

This is the pattern I am currently considering for the kids. I like how it can be folded up to hide behind the bed and is an easy-access fort!

So what do you think, any projects on the horizon? I may feel a diy-urge coming on!

Gifts for that Stylish Tot

In a perfect world you could control every toy your child desired; alas, school or childcare approaches and all of a sudden your boy is asking for a massive G.I. Joe tank. At least you can surround them with style in hopes that one day they will ask for a mini mid-century style house for their Barbies. Or maybe, these products are just for the design obsessed parent. Here are some of my faves:

Vitra

These are from Vitra's modern kid's collection, they can be bent in every which way and joined to form room dividers or even hollow structures! 

Little Nest

Maybe since I can't afford my own, I can buy this mini version and look at my kids sitting in it instead *sigh*

InMod

This screams stylish kid, the mini version is quite affordable as well.

Land of Nod

I love teepees, this one is gorgeous for store bought, but I have always wanted to attempt making my own!

Lunch boxes with love

This is so adorable, and I know a little girl like holly would love something like this for snacks.

Bubbalooz

These duckies would look stylish floating in any tub...

Room and Board

I love a coat rack, especially at kid's height. Maybe one of these would inspire more hanging-of-back-packs!

Small for Big

No words, you know me and chairs.

Ella and Elliot

And for the baby in your life, a stylish stacking toy. The options are surprisingly limitless for stylish kid's products on the Internet, still, not so sure how realistic it is to keep your kids in style past a certain age. What do you think? do you choose toys to fit in with your decor?

Strider Balance Bike Review

Balance Bikes are pretty common at the moment and are designed to help toddlers learn to balance on a bike without the complications of pedals. If you believe the hype, your kid will be a bike-riding prodigy and will be riding a two-wheeler without training wheels before their trike-riding peers. There are several types available and quite a few are adorable and wooden (Skuut, for example). We decided to get a Strider because it seemed stronger and more bike-like.

As you can see from this photo, we've had the Strider Bike since the spring. When we first bought it, Eleanor was about 2.5 years old. Initially, she just walked on it very slowly and it kept falling over. Now, several months later, she has progressed to walking fast and sometimes slow running. She also sometimes tries to lift her feet, but she doesn't quite have enough speed to balance well.

The bike itself is very sturdy (I have heard that some of the wooden ones tend to break, especially the handlebars). It's welded joints are neat and strong. The tires are foam filled so won't go flat. There are fake valves for the look factor. When we bought the bike, the headset was adjusted quite tightly - I suppose this prevents your toddler from becoming frustrated as the handlebar sharply turned.

It comes is quite a few colours - pink, red, green, blue and orange. Naturally, we chose red because it goes the fastest. The paint does scratch somewhat (the bike does spend a fair amount of time on the ground), but doesn't seem to chip easily. It's definitely made to last and will be passed down to Emmett and other kids.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with the Strider and always recommend it. I will be quite curious to see if it makes training wheels redundant.

Have you had any experience with these, post-toddler?

(Excuse the dents on my car!)

A Tea Cozy

I don't know what it is about having a girl, but it brings out my urge to sew. I have never been great at it, but it is something that I always want to do more of, so when Leila and I found this great Micheal Miller fabric at Len's Mill Store (a crazy shop where you can buy just about anything!), both of us had to have a yard of it, even with no project in mind. I have always needed a tea cozy, but since I would be sewing without a pattern I felt a little practice would be useful...and since Holly is such a girly-girl I felt she would appreciate a tea cozy of her own!

 
So funny, right? I would have loved something like this as a little girl as I loved to pretend just about anything...

I absolutely adore this fabric, even after Leila discovered it is a Christmas fabric. It is the perfect Kelly green...

For the pattern, I used a half bowl to trace four pieces and sewed in some craft batt to give it some form. I am pretty happy with it, but it is clear I need to perfect my use of bias tape before attempting my own! As for Holly, once she discovered it wasn't a hat, she was pleased to be able to serve up hot tea just like at Papa's house...