DIY Kitty Cat

To those of you that sent me sewing tips last week, “THANK YOU!” I’m really enjoying my new found hobby & have loved the process of sewing my first doll.

If you’ve been following along on Instagram, you have already seen that my doll has somehow transformed into a Kitty Cat. (Cats are on the brain, I tell you!) I’m super inspired by the cats that Donna Wilson designs and my cat has the eye of Mono Cat & the whiskers of Mog!

From start to finish this cat took me a long time…Maybe 3 weeks! The process went like this:
-pick out some fabric from my scrap pile
-draw a doll outline. I didn’t make a pattern, just kind of free handed the outline right onto my fabric.
-pin the fabric together/cut out…

Then, several weeks later I finally figured out how to thread my sewing machine:
-sew doll fabric together, leaving 1.5 inches un-sewn between doll’s legs. (i remembered this from 6th grade Home Ec. class!)
-inside out (or right side out) the fabric
-stuff with stuffing from an old pillow that I was going to throw out
-sew fabric between legs together
-cut out and hand sew the ears
-go over to fabric store to buy embroidery thread + embroidery needles. (this is the part that = $5!)

So, now that this is done I am anxious to try more projects. I’ve learned A LOT in the process of making this cat including the fact that you really must do your embroidery work BEFORE sewing the fabric.

I’d love to hear about YOUR sewing projects, recommendations/tips, favorite places to shop for fabric/supplies, favorite sewing websites/blogs, etc. I officially have the sewing bug!

Trending Now // Spring Pantone Color Picks – Him

Do you follow the Pantone colors each year? You all may have heard that the color this year is Emerald, but Pantone doesn’t stop there. They very lovingly break the yearly colors down by season as well. So, here are my interpretations of the colors for spring; for the little him in your life.

1 / Emerald – Friends Print by Arian

2 / Lemon Yellow – Wooden Tractor by HC Woodcraft

3 / Tender Shoots – Fraser the Frog by La Petit Lulu

4 / Monaco Blue – Airplane Backpack at Nordstrom

5 / Poppy Red – Trees Romper by Winter Water Factory

6 / Grayed Jade – Bespectacled Baby Cap by Ruche

7 / African Violet – Octopus Tee by Old Navy
(I know, not even close, but this is not a year for violet in the boys department)

8 / Dusk Blue – Shark T-Shirt by Tea Collection

9 / Nectarine – Ubuntu Hoodie by Tea Collection

10 / Linen – Linen Blazer by Zara

// kelly

Teepees

I’d been wanting a teepee for the kids (& myself) for awhile. When did they become so cool? I almost bought one for Christmas, but then decided that we had enough stuff. Now that I’ve seen Sofia’s teepee, I’m kind of wanting one again! Isn’t it gorgeous?? Kind of like the ultimate kid/adult fort! Wouldn’t you love to cuddle up in there with a magazine?

Does your child have one? Mokkasin.

Little Pim Sale

Are you raising your children bilingual? Harper & Rexford have a fabulous babysitter (born in Mexico) that teaches them spanish. She has been with us since Rexy was 7 months old. we love her very much!!

To aid in our efforts, we use Little Pim language tools. We love the DVDS and we’ve been listening to the Spanish Bop Music CD NONSTOP lately! It is a really great mix of children’s spanish songs. I’d been looking for a good children’s mix forever! I really hope they make more CDs. We’ve also recently added the Chinese (Mandarin) DVDS to our routine. It is crazy how little kids repeat and try out new words!

Little Pim is having a HUGE holiday sale between now and Friday. 30% off of EVERYTHING with the promo code Holiday30 at checkout. There’s also free shipping for any order over $75. HAPPY SHOPPING!

Kimochis® Plush Pals

Are you looking for the perfect plush pal for your little one this holiday season? Check out Kimochis®. Kimochis plush toys have unique personalities and stories behind each character. Kimochis also have real feelings. I love this about them!

Harper has Cat, who lately has been super happy. Harper gets to decide whether she is happy, sad, angry…you name it! Rexy has Cloud. Cloud is usually happy…as long as Cat is happy! But he sometimes gets angry or sad. (kind of like my moody 2 year old!)

Kimochis are an effective tool to help families:
• Identify and express feelings
• Solve behavioral problems
• Communicate openly
• Resolve conflicts
• Build closer relationships and have fun!

There are 7 different 13″ Kimochis characters: Bella Rose, Cloud, Bug, Clover, Cat, Huggtopus, & Lovey Dove:

Each one comes with 3 feelings which can be stored in your Kimochis’ pocket. With each 13″ Kimochis you will also get the 48 page Feel Guide which has lots of fun and easy activities. $24.99

Each of the 7 characters also comes in a 6″ mini version, the mini Kimochis, as well. $16.99

You can also purchase all kinds of extra mixed feelings for your Kimochis: Jealous, Loved, Grateful, Scared, Shy, Kind, Hurt, Sorry, Uncomfortable, Friendly, Sleepy, Surprised, Embarrassed, Guilty, Excited, Happy, Mad, Sad, Brave, & Left Out!

Not only are Kimochis super clever, but I am obsessed with their cool packaging. Your kids would love opening one of these boxes on Christmas morning:

Happy Shopping!

City Girl Gigi, Pottery Barn Kids

Remember the Designer Dolls from Pottery Barn Kids that I was eyeing for Harper? I finally picked one out and she is here. City Girl Gigi is even prettier in person! I fell in love with her pastel rainbow-colored tulle skirt & I think Harper will too. Now I just need to decide if I will give Gigi to Harper on her birthday (Dec. 20) or save her for Christmas morning!

P.S. Designer Dolls are still on sale + free shipping.

Designer Dolls by Pottery Barn Kids

My absolute FAVORITE dolls for the holidays are the ones from the Designer Collection by Pottery Barn Kids. Pottery Barn challenged their designers to create a beautiful doll that was reminiscent of the artistry of homemade dolls from an earlier era. The ideas were so clever that they chose to make 10 of the dolls:

California Chic Girl Emmalee: Dressed in a pink cotton embroidered dress, sandals & matching pink ties in her hair.
Butterfly Ballerina: Dressed in a fluttering tulle tutu and pretty pink legwarmers.
City Girl Gigi: Dressed in a rainbow-colored tulle skirt and a white cotton top with ruffles at the neck.
Beach Girl Finley: Dressed in a Hawaiian print dress and matching blue moccasins.
Penny: Wears green lace-up boots on her long, slender limbs and a red felt hooded cape perfect for outings. She also has the most darling freckles!
Hollie: Dressed in a plaid skirt, white top and ice skates. Hollie also has felt and grosgrain ribbon details & braided yarn hair.
Jacqueline: Dressed in a boho printed dress with ribbons in her hair and a matching head scarf.
Divya: Dressed in a traditional Indian dress in a medley of pretty fabrics and golden sandals. Felt flowers adorn her hair.
Spring Princess: Dressed in an outfit stitched from an assortment of cotton, ribbon, tulle and felt. She also has yarn hair and a floral felt headband.
Snorkel Girl Manina: Sporting a red ruffled swimsuit, snorkel, mask and bright blue flippers.

I’d secretly love to have the entire collection for Harper, but I think 10 new dolls for a 4 year old is a little much! So, my top 3 favorites are Butterfly Ballerina, Snorkel Girl Manina, and City Girl Gigi. EEEK, I also LOVE Hollie & Penny. So hard to choose! Which is your favorite?

BTW, all of these dolls are 20% off right now + FREE shipping. HAPPY SHOPPING!

Kids Christmas Gifts Guide from Here Comes Baby

Kids Christmas Gifts Guide – Day Five

Ingela Arrhenius’s nesting animal dolls are a joy to behold. Each little animal has such an appealing character and personality. The six nesting animals are made for art, design, and toy lovers of all ages. Display, collect, enjoy and play with them!

Purchase from: Hus and Hem

Price: £19.95

Want more inspiration for Christmas gifts for the little ones in your life? Then come on over to Here Come Baby Blog and see more from our Christmas gift guide, bringing you style and inspiration from the UK and Europe.

Kirsty xxx

Toys for the Holidays

In need of some good TOY inspiration? LOTS & LOTS of fun gift ideas @ Zulily. Hanukkah begins Saturday evening!

Holiday Gift Guide Sneak Peek + a Big Giveaway!

Hi there! I’m Lauren from A Lovely Lark and I’m guest posting for Shari while she’s on her road trip. I thought it would be fun to share one of my gift guides here on Spearmint Baby with all of you today. I’ll be posting one or two gift guides each day up until Thanksgiving over on my blog, A Lovely Lark. Here’s an exclusive sneak peek of one that I’ll be posting later today for the babes:

 

DIY Playdough Gift Box

The holidays are coming up and it’s time to start thinking about gifts! It’s always extra fun to give something you’ve made yourself. Here is a play dough gift set we recently put together for Little A’s friend Rebecka when she turned two:

We filled our gift box with homemade playdough (see recipe below), the mat, some plastic cookie cutters and molds, a little rolling pin and a butter knife (which is Alec’s tool of choice when he is “working” with playdough).

This is a really doable project with a fun end result.

Alec was proud to hand over our homemade play dough gift set to Rebecka and we hope she has had a great time playing with it!

DIY PLAYDOUGH

• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup salt
• 2 tbsp cream of tartar
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• gel food coloring

1. Mix all of your dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
2. Add your wet ingredients and mix well.
3. Divide into as many bowls as you have colors. We made four colors out of this recipe and actually gave away half of the playdough, so you will definitely have enough for 6-8 colors or more. Now add your food coloring. The end color will be pretty much the same as what you see now, so add as much color as you want to get really bright, saturated hues of playdough. Or use less color for soft pastels.
4. Place a small sauce pan your pan on the stove top over medium heat. Start with your lightest color (so you won’t have to clean out the sauce pan between colors). Pour the mixture into the pan and stir continuously until it starts to get chunky. Keep stirring until it forms a big dough ball. 
5. When all the wetness is gone, remove the dough from the pan and leave it to cool. Once cool, knead it a bit until it is soft and smooth.
6. Repeat for each color. I just did yellow first, then green, then blue then purple, without cleaning out the pan in between.
7. Store play dough in an airtight container at room temperature. We’ve been playing with the same batch for a few weeks now.

Funny Face Blocks

I saw these blocks on Pinterest & cannot for the life of my find the original source. (the one thing I do not like about PINTEREST!) Anyway, I LOVE the idea of painting your own faces on blocks.  What a fun DIY project.  Wouldn’t these be cute to stack on baby’s dresser?

50 Natural Wooden Toy Blocks

Wooden Peg Dolls

1., 2., 3., 4., 5., 6., 7. & 8.

I’ve been thinking about purchasing a set of wooden peg dolls for Harper. I thought a family of 5 might be fun for make believe play… & they’d be really cute to display on her dresser as well. These are a few of my favorite peg doll artists on Etsy.  Which is your favorite?

BTW, you can also purchase plain wooden peg dolls and paint them yourself. Maybe a fun DIY project?

Baby Rattles

My favorite rattles on sale today! Which one would you pick? purchase HERE.

Inspired by Zebra

1., 2., 3., 4., 5., 6., 7., 8., 9., 10., 11.

Are you inspired by the animal print trend? I tend to be more drawn to leopard than zebra printed things. Although last week I purchased this pink/white zebra skin wallpaper to line Harper’s dresser drawers. Do you have anything Zebra printed in your daughter’s room? Here are just a few of my picks from around the web.

P.S. #5 is a doggy toy, but wouldn’t it be cute on baby’s shelf?

Zebra Skin Pink Wallpaper

Volkswagen Bed

The things people make out of bunk beds…LOVE this Ikea Hack! VW bed & playhouse

Tattly Temporary Tattoos

Anyone else have an obsession with tattoos? I remember emptying out the Cracker Jack box as a kid just to see if I had gotten the box with the tattoo!  It was most definitely my FAVORITE prize! Strangely enough the tattoo LOVE did not carry on into my adulthood. I still have no permanent tattoos. I just never thought of anything that I liked enough.

So, my new OBSESSION is Tattly- the raddest place for temporary body art! Seriously, Tattly has partnered with artists and illustrators to bring the coolest designs to the temporary tattoo world. …Blanca Gómez, Lisa Congdon, & Marc Johns are just a few of my faves.

Wouldn’t these would fun as party favors, or at place settings for birthday parties? I love the idea of each child getting a colorful animal from the Menagerie tattoo set. (& my kids will definitely be rocking the Bunny Tattoos next Easter!)

Outdoor Playhouse

I started following Ashley’s blog when they began building this outdoor playhouse. If you haven’t seen it, stop over to thehandmadehome.net for a lot more pics. She has included step by step instructions for each step in the process.

I am simply AMAZED!

Mini Piccolini: In My Diaper Bag

Baby #2 is due to arrive in a few weeks so so many things are going to be changing around here. Next week we pick up our double stroller and soon it will be time to reorganize my diaper bag to suit two little ones. But for now I’m only carrying what I need for Little A, who is now just past 18 months old.

Here is what is in my diaper bag right now:

1. Diaper Bag. Kate by MZ Wallace. I’ve raved about it here.
2. JJ Cole Stroller Clips. These sit on the handle bars of our stroller and I just clip my diaper bag on and off.
3. Changing Pad. I use the one that came with my bag.
4. Diaper Cream. I like Desitin‘s creams and tend to carry one of their maximum strength ones in my diaper bag.
5. Diapers. I usually just carry three Pampers Cruisers/Active Fit Diapers. It’s overkill since we rarely even need to change diapers when we’re out and about lately, and almost never need to change more than once.
6. Wet Ones Antibacterial Wipes. Especially convenient for changes on the go. I like to use one before and one after each diaper change.
7. Baby Wipes. We use Natusan. I like that they are mild enough to use on Little A’s hands and face as well.
8. Boogie Wipes. I’ve raved about them earlier here. I hope we are at the end of this year’s cold season, but until now they have been very good to carry along.
9. Pacifier. We haven’t succeeded in transitioning Alec from his Wubbanub pacifiers to a more age-appropriate/tooth-friendly pacifier, so I usually have one of his little monkeys in my bag.
10. Take & Toss spoons. Spoons are good to have and I like that it doesn’t matter if these don’t make it home with us.
11. Snack Trap and Snacks. Usually Alec has cheerios and oat cereal in his Munchkin Snack Catcher.
12. Snacks for Mum. I try to keep a little bag of nuts/dried fruit (the snack pouches you can get at Trader Joe’s are perfect) or a bar in case of emergency munchies. I love the Two Degrees bars since every bar bought also means a meal goes to someone who needs it badly.
13. Fruit. Alec and I usually share an apple on the way home from the park and a banana is such a great go-to snack if we miss a proper meal at home.
14. Squeezies. We mostly use Ella’s Kitchen right now. I like the squeezies that are mixed veggies and fruit and sometimes give Alec one of those with something else as a snack on the go.
15. Water in a Sippy Cup.
16. A Pashmina Sjal. I keep one rolled up in one of the side pockets as a stroller cover or extra cover-up/blanket for Little A or me.
17. Sunglasses. For Mum and Baby.
18. Mobile Phone. I have a Sony Xperia Arc S with a huge touch screen and all the fixings that I LOVE.
19. Wallet and Spare Change for Coffee. At our wonderful playground you can actually buy coffee, fruit, yogurt and other snacks for kids and parents.

I also keep a nylon bag in the bottom “basket” of our stroller, full of “back-up” stuff that is often good to have when we’re out and about but that I don’t need to drag up and down to our apartment with me every time (our stroller lives in the stroller room in the foyer of our building). Here is what is in that bag right now:

1. Bag. Longchamp. I have a million of these and always bring one along when we travel since you can fold them up so they take no space at all and then bring them out if you over-shop. Which happens.
2. Blankets. A sun cover by ROSK, muslin swaddling blankets by Aden & Anais, and a thicker cotton blanket from Polarn O. Pyret.
3. Sun screen. I am kind of a maniac about sun protection. We are using Neutrogena Pure & Free right now. I keep a tube of it by the changing table so that we can slather it on before we go out and then I keep a stick in our parent console on the stroller for touch-ups.
4. An assortment of hats. Usually from Polarn O. Pyret. Again, I am pretty obsessed with sun protection so Alec is pretty much always wearing a hat when we are outside. Either to keep him warm if there is a chill, or to protect him from the sun.
5. Shopping Cart/High Chair Cover. We have one from Balboa Baby. We don’t use it a ton, but every time we do, I am so glad that we have it.
6. Rain Pants & Rubber Boots. As I mentioned here, Swedish weather isn’t always the best, but children play outside daily regardless. We keep these fabulous rain pants and a pair of rubber boots in our stroller in case of wet mucky weather. If the sandbox is more of a mud bath, we just pull these over Alec’s pants and jacket and everything and then pull them off again when we’ve finished playing. Fab!
7. Snack Pack. I keep a Smitten Baby Wet Tote packed with back-up snacks, pre-mixed “välling“, a bottle, some take and toss spoons and a sippy, a few squeezies, cereal and a snack trap, and a bottle of water. Just in case.
8. Bucket and spade. Our playground at the park is actually staffed (two full time positions, 9-5, seven days a week!) so there are buckets and spades and a ton of other toys available all day long. But sometimes we end up staying past 5 when everything is removed and Alec usually throws a fit when “his” bucket is taken away. So we keep a back-up set in the stroller.
9. Change of clothes. It’s a given with babies that the one time you are not carrying a back-up change of clothes, that is the time your baby will puke all over himself or your toddler will beat you to the mud puddle. I don’t think we’ve almost ever had to use our emergency change, but I always carry it anyway.

What’s in your diaper bag?

Choosing a Double Stroller was an adventure – click here to read all about it!

Click here to visit Mini Piccolini - all the best stuff for Moms, Babies, Kids & Families!

Water Playground Sports Park 60

I have to admit, I am not a big amusement park person. Rides scare me in my old age, crowds are unpleasant, and walking miles on hot concrete is completely exhausting.

Water parks on the other hand are a different story. I do enjoy them when it is not overly crowded. The Wibit Sports Park 60 takes water fun to a whole new level. I could totally get into this with my kids! Doesn’t it look awesome? (more…)

Mini Piccolini’s DIY Discovery Bottles

This is actually a project I did a while back, but Little A has been spending some time with these Discovery Bottlesalmost every day since then. I would definitely recommend this as an easy project to do for your baby or toddler! I made six bottles:

• Baby oil, water and food color
• Water and little mosaic tiles
• Baby oil and pins
• Water, food colour and dishwashing liquid
• Water and glitter
• Air and “puffs”

They were really really easy to make. Just fill clean plastic bottles with whatever you want and then hot glue the lids on.

We brought out the bottles when Alec and his little friend Sigge were playing. Alec was 13 months old and Sigge was 20 months old. They were both really into the bottles, especially Alec. The bottle with the puffs was hands-down his favourite and he has been playing with it since he first got his hands on it. Both of the boys were also very into the mosaic tiles in water, which make an attractive sound when you shake them or roll them across the floor. Sigge immediately put the pins in baby oil bottle in his mouth and then Alec did too. We couldn’t figure out why (neither of them tasted any of the other bottles, and there was no scent or anything on the baby oil bottle to make it especially yummy). Us adults all thought that the baby oil and water bottle would be the most exciting for the kids, but they weren’t too impressed by that one. We did notice that the kids handled the smaller bottles more than the larger ones, so perhaps the bigger ones were too heavy for them to really handle and discover. If you have babies or toddlers at home and are considering this project, I would really recommend it. It’s very easy and fast to prep and the six bottles I made did keep the kids’ attention for quite some time.

Isn’t Sigge the cutest? Check out his awesome vintage play room here.

Click here to visit Mini Piccolini - all the best stuff for Moms, Babies, Kids & Families!

La Tente

LA TENTE tents are made by Caroline Gomez. I love the simplicity of them– the cute window, colorful ribbons, and ease of storage. & Isn’t it cute with the fur rug inside?

P.S. Did you know you can BUY OLEBY Faux Sheepskins like this at IKEA for only $4.99 each? (They are not on IKEA’s website.)

Get the Look: Space for a Little Adventurer

Via

 Clockwise from top left: cowhide rug, chandelier, paint, giraffe poster, carved trunk, wooden stool, vintage toy truck, striped tee pee, jungle book

 

http://www.withtwocats.com

Cardboard Houses

Jenn made these cute cardboard play houses for her kids. LOVE them! & how cool is the neon pink duct tape? Learn how to make your own HERE

Perchance the Cat

Our newest addition arrived yesterday, & I am not sure who is more excited!…me or Harper? We are redoing her room and have lots of new things coming. Eventually Perchance will sit on the window ledge or maybe even a pink leather pouf? For now she is sitting on our PUT THE LOVE IN THE COCONUT BEACH TOWEL.

Crochet Bunny Cuteness

Have you seen Kimuka’s handmade, crocheted bunnies? They are so sweet and one of my new Etsy FAVES!!

For Your Wee Ones: Colorful Cozy

Clockwise from top left: felt first aid box, wooden weaving loom, magnetic board & pieces, balancing blocks, bebe bunny t-shirt, This is San Francisco book, crochet croquet/bocce ball set, Henry the fox

www.withtwocats.com

For Your Little Artist: Gift Guide 2011

Clockwise from top left: Potato Printing book, yeti latch hook kit, clementine art supplies, Let’s Make Some Great Art book, Doodles at Breakfast book, organic wooden truck crayon holder, artist’s pad, child’s lap loom

www.withtwocats.com

For New Mamas & Babies: Christmas Gift Guide

Clockwise from top left: Pom Blankets, Organic Striped Booties, Eat Sleep Poop, Orfeo Bloom Rattle, IGLU Wooden Play Gym, Striped Bodysuit, lifefactory Bottles, Knit Rattle, Knit Pom Booties, Wooden Crochet Teether, Birth Print, Gizmine Humidifier, Donna Wilson Plush, Sakura Bloom Sling

www.withtwocats.com

For Your Wee Ones: Christmas Gift Guide

Clockwise from top left: Tutu Dumonde Headband, Starry Night Horse Pajamas, Wooly the Sheep Bla Bla, Wovenplay Featherband, Pretty Little Things Boho Beauty, Maize Headband, Sequin Headband, Penguin Embroidered Classics, Custom Name Plate, Metallic Knee Patch Tights, Teepee, Knit Tights, Minnetonka Moccasin Boots 

Clockwise from top left: Wooden Toy Stroller, Wooden Toy Camera, Fingerprinting Set, Face It Puzzle, Wooden Sled, Custom Paper Dolls, Wooden Alphabet Puzzle

Blabla

Have you seen all of the new Blabla dolls? There are cows & horsies, and my favorites: Pierre the Bunny & Josephine the Elephant! The new website is so much fun…here are some of my favorite pics:

I also LOVE LOVE LOVE the new Pillow Pals. I am thinking about getting the purple one for Harper’s new room!

Super Size!

I love the last photo of the monkey stuffed into the hallway. For more visit Florentijn Hofman

Nursery Idea Board No. 3: Black Apple

clockwise from top left: striped rug, mobile, damask curtains, flowers collage, solid curtains, rocking chair, bandit dolls, cloud cushion, crib sheets, flowers poster, lamp

Sticker Activity Books

Good FRIDAY morning!

This morning I thought I’d share one of Harper’s favorite activities (& one of mine as well)! We have a growing collection of these sticker activity books purchased from guess where of all places??…

COSTCO!

For the bargain price of $7.95 you can purchase these books for your busy toddler. I think Harper started using sticker activity books at around 27 months. She is now 34 months and can actually use them the way they are supposed to be used…

There are groupings of stickers that coordinate with their corresponding page in the book. I cut them out and let her know what page they go on and she LOVES it. We work on these anytime I need a moment to myself…cooking dinner, emptying the dish washer, or just when i need a break!

Anyway, check out your Costco kids book section for the Sticker Book Treasury series. (I think they’d also make great birthday presents!)

& PLEASE share your favorite toddler activity. I love to hear suggestions of things that can hold their attention for more than a few minutes!

Get the Look: Clean, Modern Nursery

I fell in love with this clean, modern nursery from Laura of Orange Beautiful after coming across it over on Parenting.com:

Do you love it too? Get the look:

clockwise from top left: paper owls, Behr limelight paint, mobile, number poster, abstract art, zigzag pillow, dresser, crib skirt fabric, blanket, crib, rocking horse, glider, marbled paper, porcelain letter

Get the Look: Vintage Modern Nursery

clockwise from top left: early bird pendant lamp, behr dew drop paint, window shade fabric, lion painting, fabric bin, wooden stool, mid-century lamp, flor carpet tiles, giraffe pull toy, modern bookshelf, pendleton blanket, giraffe wallpaper silhouette, sheepskin rug, striped chair

Sock Monkeys

Do you think sock monkey are awesome or do they totally freak you out? Heidi BG makes some of the cutest ones I’ve seen. I especially like the ones that look like sleepy hippos!

I’m a Giant Dollhouse Challenge

Is anyone else participating in Emily Henderson’s I’m a Giant Dollhouse Challenge? I was planning to create a dollhouse for Violet anyway, so this was just a fun way to kick-start the project.

I purchased the Christy’s Cottage dollhouse from Melissa & Doug after a lot of research. It got great reviews on quality, and after receiving it in the mail I have to say I am very impressed so far. It also fit my budget of $100 after some searching online for the best price and discount codes. (You can read more about that here).

I also went a little crazy this week snatching up fabric samples and fat quarters, and even a tea towel for the dollhouse. Here are a few that made the cut (plus some seriously amazing lighting inspiration):

pendant, tea towel, botanical fabric, geometric fabric

Check out my dollhouse board on Pinterest for more fabrics and dollhouse inspiration. I’m excited to get my textiles in the mail so that I can start reupholstering and doing what I’m sure will be a terrible job at making curtains, pillows, and bedspreads. Wish me luck – sewing is not my forte!

I’m starting to wonder who will enjoy the dollhouse more – Violet or me?

From Nightstand to Play Kitchen

BEFORE

Do your child have a play kitchen? If not, you may be completely inspired by this awesome idea. Kelly and her husband are adopting a baby girl this winter and they made her this incredible play kitchen out of an old nightstand. & BTW, they completed this project over labor day weekend! (I am so impressed by their motivation…a project like this would take me months to finish!)

a little description via Kelly…
“My inspiration was this kitchen here: vintagesongbird.blogspot.com
We used my husband’s childhood nightstand, which I painted white about 7 years ago.
Some items that we had on hand to use were; a bowl for the sink, all of the paint, and the faucet (salvaged from my recent bathroom remodel), and the owls are from Thailand. We bought items from Home Depot (Plexiglas, oven light, metallic spray paint, hinges and magnet catch, knobs, and handle, hooks, wood for door frame, back, and shelf), the Dollar Store (baskets to hold produce, muffin tin, whisk, measuring cups, strainer), and Micheal’s (plywood circles for burners, mini-chalk board, ribbon to trim the shelf, spice shakers and stickers.
We had so much fin putting lots of TLC into this play kitchen. We cannot wait to have our daughter cook us up some delicious food! Thanks for allowing me to share.”

AFTER:

For Your Wee Ones: Bear with Me

 Clockwise from top left: paper puppet, mobile, zipper pouch, plate, wooden box, card, portrait print, plushie, badge, teepee print 

 clockwise from top left: one, two, three, four, five, six

http://www.withtwocats.com

For Your Wee Ones: Light as a Feather

 

http://www.withtwocats.com

For Your Wee Ones: Little Lionheart

Clockwise from top left: lion doll, booties, mobile, rattles, pink plush, wallpaper cutout, rattle, white ceramic figurine, neon and gold figurine

http://www.withtwocats.com

Beautiful Blues: Mama & Baby

Blue has really been enjoying a burst of popularity these days. Although it doesn’t work well with my home, I do love it very much. Here are a couple of my favorite picks for moms and babies:

Mama: one, two

Baby: one, two

Click here to see more pics for mama & baby. XOXO

http://www.withtwocats.com

For Your Wee Ones: Rainbow Bright

one . two . three

one . two . three

one . two . three

Who says your kids’ toys have to be ugly? Violet has most of these and she plays with (and loves) every one of them. To see more of my favorite baby and kids’ products, check out my Amazon aStore here.

http://www.withtwocats.com

For Your Wee Ones: Stars & Stripes

Clockwise from top left: silver star hair pin, star charm necklace, ruffle star top, star sandwiches, gold star hair pin, striped jersey shoes, wooden star teether, striped onesie

http://www.withtwocats.com

One Print, Three Rooms Part III

Alright all of you lovers of traditional spaces – here’s one just for you! You’ve seen both a modern space and vintage-inspired space based on this group of prints from COSAS MINIMAS by Blanca Gomez on Etsy:

Here is the final space – it’s got a traditional vibe with stripes, plaids, and wood tones. The orangey-red pouf is back as well to round out the series:

Sources:

Crib – Pottery Barn Kids
Pouf – cb2
Mobile – Bits of String n Things on Etsy
Rug – Dash & Albert
Lamp – Crate & Barrel
Crib Bedding – Pottery Barn Kids
Hedgehog Plushie – Sara Carr on Etsy
Letter - Anthropologie

So that wraps up this series! Anyone have an idea for a theme for the next one? I’m open to ideas!

http://www.withtwocats.com

One Print, Three Rooms Part II

On Monday I kicked off my second One Print, Three Rooms series with a very modern space inspired by this group of colorful prints from COSAS MINIMAS by Blanca Gomez on Etsy:

For the second space in the series I went for a more vintage vibe. The orangey-red pouf has made a second appearance, but warmer, earthier tones are replacing the graphic black and whites of the previous room.

Sources:

Curtain Fabric – Hawthorne Threads
Blocks – Oeuf
Vintage Chalkboard and Game Case – i love you more on Etsy
Crib Sheets – Jon Robshaw
Crib – Cymax Stores
Airplane Mobile – J. AUSTIN Ryan on Etsy
Rug – West Elm
Lamp – cb2
Pouf – cb2

Do you need an idea board for your space or event? Click here and I’ll have one to you lickity split!

For Your Wee Ones: Into the Wild Blue Yonder

Clockwise from top left: painting, songbird mobile, soft block, raincloud mobile, sun stacker, hot air balloons, spring shower embroidery, trumpette socks