Check Out Bruno Munari

I’ll be out next week for the Thanksgiving holiday.  First car trip with the baby… uh, hope it goes well!  In the meantime, check out Bruno Munari (1907-1998).  He was an Italian artist and designer.  His children’s books have captured my eyes and will capture your kids eyes as well.  They are simple, provocative, and some are great learning tools for children.  I can’t wait to use Drawing a Tree with our son and learn how to draw a tree together.

The Hunt is Over

So we finally got our new stroller. Once we decided that we need to buy at least three strollers, (a real jogger, a full size, and an umbrella), we cracked down on ourselves to actually buy them. The two finalist (after looking at 20 or so), were the Bugaboo and the Bumbleride. We spent two hours in the store testing out all the strollers, comparing, lifting, walking, steering, folding, and unfolding. My husband kept his eye on the Bugaboo because it’s so gear savvy, (he’s a gear head). But I also wanted practicality, ease, and cost effectiveness. After we exhausted ourselves and tired out most awesome salesman at Lullaby Lane, we picked one.

Surprisingly, instead of getting one of those strollers, we ended up getting the Baby Jogger City Mini. It’s 17 pounds, super easy to fold, and the maneuverability is great. That single bar thing is great…. I walked the dog in one hand and steered the stroller with the other yesterday. LOVE it. Big wheels to go over bumps, great suspension. And what the heck? The price was under $300!! Even better. But apparently, this City Mini is not a real jogger. They do have other models that are real joggers, but this is a fake jogger…. kinda like me.

Bundle Up for Winter

I’m getting this Dwell Bundle Bag in the Transportation print to gear up for winter. This way, the baby can’t kick off his blanket. This way, he will stay warm. This way, it’ll stop the crazy people whom you don’t know from lifting up the baby blanket in your stroller while you stand there thoroughly shocked by the invasion of space. Ask first people, ask first.

A Tree for a Toy

I love wood toys.  Sometimes, I do give in to the toys that make generic casio-keyboard noises for the baby…. hey, what can you do when they love that stuff?  These wooden teethers and toys by Little Saplings Toys are so classic that they can be passed down from generation to generation.  AND, for every toy sold, they plant a tree!

Owl Paperweights

I went to The Gardner today and saw these wonderful lamps for the kids room. I forgot who the designer was, so I went to their website and found these cute little Owl Paperweights. Alas, they did not have the lamps I was looking for on the website.

Needle in a Haystack

What?  People have boys?  There are baby boys?  

I’m so happy to have found Hey Peanut.  They are an online clothing store for BOYS.  Tired of trucks?  Check out this site for some cute modern clothes for… again, BOYS.  Love it.

How Uncanny

OK, so out of all of the books our baby has, he just LOOOOVES Baby Flip-a-Face: Smiles! by SAMi. Something about those bold lines and the contrasts of the colors in the illustrations just grab his attention in an instant.  

I also find it a little uncanny that the “mom and dad” pictures look so much like me and my husband…. weird.

Welcome to Cuteness

I look at this picture and it just brings a smile over my face.  The first thing I think of is, “My baby will look so adorable in this.”  Yes, yes, he would and so would yours.  This “Welcome” outfit from Oeuf is sure to keep your little one warm and cozy this winter.

David Fussenegger

Auntie D got our little guy this awesome pillow doll by David Fussenegger Textile. This Austrian textile company started in 1832, and has remained a family enterprise. These cool pillow/dolls have an inner pillow that can be heated in the microwave (for a short time), and become warm friends to cozzy up to!

Cuckoo for Cuckoo Clocks

Ok, I don’t know exactly why this Cuckoo Clock from Llya Titov is $340, but it’s pretty darn cute. Maybe they grow the trees themselves.

Best and Stupid-est

Baby is four months now so I started cleaning out his 0-3 month stuff.   Upon going through all his STUFF, I realized that the best thing I ever bought was a Swaddle Me infant wrap.  Husband and I did become expert swaddlers, but it seemed to not be good enough.  With sleep deprivation and baby undoing our beautifully wrapped swaddle, we decided to buy the instant infant wrap.  Probably saved us hours of swaddling baby.  He can’t undo and get himself out of the thing and it’s so easy.

Now, the stupid-est thing I bought, (and am still all raw about), was a crib bumper.  Correction, TWO crib bumpers.  All for the sake of decorating his crib, I thought it would be great.  I ripped the sucker off last week and was so happy to see the crib all nice and clean without a bulky crib bumper wrapped around it.  What’s the use?  Infants don’t roll around bumping their heads.  And by the time they can, there’s controversy now that it can be a SIDS hazard.  Arg, what a waste.  Could’ve bought some cute clothes with that money.  Arg, arg, arg.  But I just had to buy them to decorate.  I guess it was worth it for that, right?  right?  I’m such a first time mom.

um… anyone want two crib bumpers?  they’re up for grabs!  haha!  seriously though….

Argington

Argington makes beautiful modern furniture at a moderate price… compared to most modern furniture, that is. I love their Pebbles bedding. Their floor mat is so pretty! Our little guy is already ready for his floor mat…. he just rolls and rolls and rolls…

Also, whenever I see anything fish or sea creatures related, I am always reminded of my friend and her aquaman husband.

Sleepy King

Friendly creatures from Sleepy King. Would make any kid smile after eating brussel sprouts.

Simply Gorgeous

This new baby book from Petit Collage is so beautiful.  There are info pages for baby, mom, and dad.  It all comes in a sweet memory box for you and your baby to cherish.  Simply irresistable.

This Ol’ Pup

This sweet ol’ Pull-Along Pup at the Moma store reminds me of being four years old. Awww… the good ol’ days.

Felted Acorns

Okay, I don’t really know how these adorable felted acorns by truLuxe are kid related, but I’m sure you can find a way. They come in all sorts of colors and would be cute as holiday decorations as well. Couldn’t resist posting these!

Being Inventive

I’m not that inventive.  I know people who can look at things and turn it into something awesome.  I tried on one of my maternity dresses thinking that it would still work after pregnancy and laughed my head off seeing the front side dangling so low.  I put it away in my closet not thinking that I would hem it later.  So, the one inventive thing I can’t live without and thought of all by my lonesome self, was using my pregnant belly support belt into my hands free breast pump holder.  I cut out two holes for the pump to fit through and voila!  I can snap it on easily over my clothes and I don’t have to fuss with bands, hands free bras, and other doo-dads.

Have you re-invented something?  please share!

Love for Binth

Binth came out with these beautiful single letter cards. You will love their alphabet poster and the matching cards game shown below. “B” for our little Benjamin… will look great in his room!

Japanese Gift Market

The Japanese Gift Market carry a bunch of stuff that are all things Japanese.  I’m a little obsessed on how Asian countries make such adorable stuff for kids.  They even make the big bad wolf look cute.  The cooking set below is also adorable, but it is a little disappointing for me because you can’t really eat it.  Isn’t it funny that they put faces on everything?

Me Want Food

My husband can’t cook…. very well. So right when our kid turns 6, I’m going to get him this cooking set from Playful Chef. This kit comes with everything shown above plus recipe cards and instructions on how to be safe in the kitchen and how to safely use kitchen tools. I’m hoping that by the time he’s 8 years old, he can make Thanksgiving dinner for us ;)

I love my husband and baby first. I love food second… well, it’s a close tie.

Blabla

I thought that these rattles were cute online, but then saw the Blabla rattles in person and was convinced. Soft, cuddly, cute, and they come in bird and fruit sizes. Their dolls are fantastic… who says boys don’t play with dolls….right? right?  Their Boogaloo dolls are great for adult babies like me.

And their company name reminds me of Bob Loblaw in Arrested Development.  So sad that they canceled that show.

Tofu? For Realz?

I got a BabySoy kimono for our little guy and this thing saved my butt. Before he got used to clothes, he hated, hated, hated having clothes go over his head. And I hated, hated, hated changing his clothes because he would cry. So kimonos were awesome during this time. Now he loves changing clothes, so I can buy the rest of this line. What I still can’t believe, is that BabySoy uses soybean fiber to make their clothes. They use the natural pulp that comes from tofu, soymilk, and other soy products. What a match! I love tofu!

Henry Road

I love it when companies re-use their materials for other things.  These Kindred Things Bears fromHenry Road are unique and one of a kind. All are made from scraps and remnants of fabric that they use for other products. No two are alike, and you can choose if you want a bear that is mostly blue, or mostly pink, etc.

Update – Paper Foldables

I recently blogged about Paper Foldables and the awesome characters you can print out and make yourself. I sent my husband a link to and woke up the next morning to this guy at my computer. They’re even better when you make them!

Owl Plushies

Night Owl Paper just came out with these adorable one of a kind owl plushies. They are handmade by Lori Nichols of Night Owl Paper, and are made of repurposed materials such as old sweaters and miscellaneous wood bits. Each little owl has his or her own name, unique features and needs a new home!