Jellio.com

Can you believe these gummi bear lights cost $120 each?! Or 5 for $500?! What a deal...
Remember those toys? I can't remember what they were called... I know I sound stupid. Gosh! What were they called? Oh well! I love you, mirror, even if you are a thousand bucks.
How cute would these slidey puzzles be in a playroom? You can put your own photos in them, too, instead of letters, like this one:

I

I don't know what to think about this rug... it's called the "boogie monster rug" and has all varieties of hideous monster's extremities protruding out from it. It's specifically designed to go under a bed, I suppose...

Why would you want this under your bed? Maybe these could be your child's own personal guards against the boogie man. I guess if the monsters are on your side, then... whatever, this is still really freakin' creepy.

Second Scoop of COLOR!

I decided to throw this in, too - what do you think? I'm trying to make a new banner, but .. well, nothing is jumping out at me yet, you know? What do you think of this one? It's at least worth posting this for the pretty candles if nothing else. Isn't it lovely? I wonder how to make these... without burning down my house..

Romantic Knits

Valentine's Day is coming soon - aren't you psyched?! It's my favorite holiday. I love walking into grocery stores and card shops and seeing reds and pinks and purples and HEARTS everywhere. Moreso than Christmas, with it's mad-dashing, frustrated and competitive shoppers pulling their hair out and stomping Walmart employees to death, Valentine's Day is the only holiday when retailers seem to be spreading love and cheer, even if it is insincere.

Juliet would've worn these, were she an Etsy shopper in our day.

Bee Happy Boutique

Pixie Bell

Boutique Pink Designs

Bonnie's Knitting

Max Melody

Always In Bloom

Valentine's Day is coming soon enough. If you're already making dinner reservations you might want to start planning some other details. Ordering something flirty from Etsy is a fabulous idea, but make sure it gets to you in time. Here are some of my suggestions from Etsy sellers for romantic toppers.

COLOR! Me oh my!

Pink-lavender is going to be a big color scheme this year. It's the color of bittersweet romance, of longing, and of dizziness. It's the color of bruises, of a pulse, and anticipation. It's the color underneath your eyelids when you kiss your true love and when you have to fall asleep away from them.
Blues don't invoke sadness to me. What a terribly named musical genre! Don't get me wrong, I like the Blues sometimes. I don't understand, though, how this blue doesn't enliven and energize someone. Isn't this the happiest blue you've ever seen?

This is my dream bookshelf. Where are all the books?! I love that they've chunked the layered with dark and light tones of blue and yellow, creating somewhat asymmetrical stacking and bring attention to every single level. I also adore the blue vases inside the yellow shelf. It's harmonious.

I also love that this picture mixes modern accessories (i.e. the oriental face) with shabby, antique accessories (i.e. the tea cake tray). Lots of designers try; few pull it off.

Someone is making a killing.

The treehouse is, of course, my favorite. It arrives blanch, sans colour. Can you imagine all the funky ways to dress this up? And why am I so obsessed with trees?

This one could be easily made with a refrigerator or freezer box. You can buy them cheaply from a home improvement store. My childhood best friend had a birthday party with about six or seven of these boxes made to look like kiosks at an Arabian bazaar. We bartered tchochkes like bead necklaces, headbands, cookies, candies, erasers, stickers, sashes, and those were the party favors. Her birthday parties always ROCKED!

A tepee for whispering your deepest secrets in the tall grasses.

A cardboard house? Go, recycling, go! We may not have anything sustainable and marketing yet, but hot DAMN I never thought this could happen.

The cardboard kitchen is a more expensive variety though it would be easier to make with an assortment of small boxes.


The question that begs to be asked: What happens when it rains?

I dunno if I'd make this a Halloween costume. This is a good thing to have when the little terrors feel like a spontaneous, hearty round of Gladiator. In the yard or your spacious, unfragile den.

Cardboard: salmonella-free, paint-free, with no chokability. It's cheap, it's paintable, and it's brilliant. I wish I had been a cardboard engineer. I'd be making BANK for creative dollhouses and kiddie tents. And tepees!

Everyone knows the box is so much more sustainable than ... say, a battery-operated machine designed to gray Mum & Dad's hairs. This leads me to think that cardboard is an easy DIY toy project. It would make a great family activity, too!

Chairs That Try Too Hard

Canape by Jang Lila

The Paddy Chair by Nick Melville

Anemona Chair by Fernando & Humberto

Soundtrack of My Life

Secret Angent Radio by SomaFM

So what if repainting your bathroom isn't as exciting as hunting assassins in Bermuda or blowing up shit whilst diamond heisting in St. Petersberg? When redecorating, moving furniture, repainting, sitting on the floor and pondering the small space you live in, you've got to have some tunes going. Something to remind me that I'm an energetic little body that can groove and dance and be inspired. It helps at work, too. This is the channel that we listen to at work whenever NPR gets old or Diane Rehm gets too haggard.

I Heart Kate Mack

Its entirely possible that every single swimsuit made for infants and toddlers qualifies as the most adorable. I just got my Delia's catalog (haven't ordered since High School, but its still fun to peruse) and I can't' wait til summer. Suri Cruise gives KATE MACK her stamp of approval ... err, I guess that's Katie Holmes stamp of approval... anyway. Wanna take a poll as too whether I'd actally spend the 80 bucks at Nordstrom for one?

Fred Finds

FREDTASTIC!!!!





Since my blog is usually family-oriented (note that I did not say "family-friendly" - I have parents and grown-ups in mind), here are some really adorable finds from World Wide Fred.

Holy Crap, CribCandy!

My favorite new delicious slice of design cake is at Crib Candy. Wow. Is. All. (Oh, and just kidding with the last picture. (kind of))

Robots that cry when they fall.