Nico Nico :: Spring just arrived!!

Even though spring has not really arrived as far as the weather, we are starting to receive Spring collections in the shop!! Nico Nico just arrived and it's OH so CUTE!

shop nico nico here!

great unisex (organic) t-shirts

sweetest summer dress! in lot's of colors!

SHOP NICO NICO HERE

favorite shop :: ANZU

this was the Anzu table at the event

There is nothing I like better than a refreshing new online shop :: ANZU, I met these guys at the Remodelista sale that we did together in December (that event was FULL of delightful meetings and new friends!) when the show was finally done and we ran around to shop for ourselves I rushed over the the Anzu table and unloaded a bundle on gifts and delightful items for our home. They are now my cherished favorites so I want to pass these guys on to you so that you may enjoy a bit of lovely Japanese craftsmanship yourself!

Anzu is a small online based retailer located in Brooklyn, it is curated by Asako Ueno - who does a fantastic job of pulling Japanese and made in USA items for a perfectly interesting and unique selection. I know that the things I found from them I have never seen anywhere else!

here are some of my favorites but check their shop to find YOURS!

this is a sweet bamboo vase for a single flower or small bouquet that hangs on a small hook on the wall

perfect japanese towels

made in San Francisco by Kathryn Davey :: super TED

say "thank you" gorgeously!

my favorite little wallet EVER!! (franny's too!)

shop ANZU here

Midtown (Manhattan) :: the place to go...

I don't know when it happened, but while I was in NYC for the Remodelista Market we were involved in during December I took a look around each night when we were done and I was pleasantly surprised! This is when it all started for ME anyway, but this has been coming for a while now. The introduction of the Viceroy Hotel on 57th may have been the start? Then others started renovating to catch up, then restaurants, with down town clout and eateries packed, decided to open outposts uptown. It's just what Manhattan needed... just as downtown became overcome and over crowded with uptown people - why not service them in their own 'village'.

The Viceroy NYC

This neighborhood is not so boring anymore... and getting better each day! In December as I stepped out onto Fifth Avenue, each day there was an excitement in the air and I no longer felt as though it was stuffy and I somehow didn't belong. We had dinner at Quality Meats one night and then another night (we got out LATE and had dinner at 10pm) at The Plaza downstairs at an eatery that is crazy and offers just about any type food you would like... it's the Todd English Food Hall, fantastic! You can have sushi while your partner has pasta! Well prepared and so fun! (great idea for kids because they can have whatever they want!)

The East Pole - on E 65th Street

If you stay at the Viceroy, there is a beautiful view at the rooftop bar! (a reason in itself to go) and then my favorite downtown eatery, Fat Radish now has an uptown spot called The East Pole with the same clean delicious menu is a perfect spot for dinner or brunch on Saturday or Sunday.

Then there is the new Dover Street Market (opened in December), which is not really decidedly "uptown" but in Murry Hill - still it's NOT downtown! (On Lexington and 30th Street) This shop - completely new multi-retailer space owned and curated by Rei Kawakubo and her Comme des Garçons group is the NEW excitement in shopping. Just as she did when she opened her store here in the meatpacking in the early 90's she has laid out the future of shopping. Let's all visit and take note! I am mostly excited for the Rose Bakery and possibly Feit shoes (from Australia) - I hope they have womens shoes too!

As we get into things more we will report more... for now, this seems good to try things out and not to run away from uptown anymore...

Valentines Day cards

I'm sorry this is a bit late.. but we just finished our Valentine Day cards last night... LATE last night, so maybe you can use this idea for next year!(?) These were really fun to make and we all got in on the action. Even Sander wanted to help, this was his first year NOT making cards for the class - such a sad time, when that finally comes to an end...

I will add that the Spin Art kit is my favorite birthday gift to give to kids (well, that AND a Lucky Fish T-shirt - always a hit!) So most of the kids around our parts already have one, but if you don't it's fun, easy to clean, and gives your kids hours of creative fun (with hardly any intervention from you!).

here's what you need:
Spin Art kit
neon paint (we use Temera Pro Art paint - it's easy clean up!)
card stock
colored pencils
sewing machine (neon thread!)

Start by making the spin art so that you have time to let them dry. We ran out of the paper so we just cut card-stock to fit the Spin Art wheel. Franny has 22 kids in her class so we made some extra just in case.

Then we cut out hearts, kids were fighting to cut out the hearts... go figure... and Franny wrote each of the kids names on the hearts and then we colored them with colored pencils (we happened to have neon colored pencils) - we didn't have much time so if you have more time this is where your kids can have some fun.

Then we couldn't really decide how to attach them so we decided it would be fun to sew them on! (I just happened to already have the sewing machine out so...) They ended up looking super cute and Franny got to try sewing a bit (it's super easy to sew on paper because it's so flat so very easy for kids), but I'm not going to pretend that she was up for sewing them all, but it was a family project in the end and we had a good time making them (low-stress, nothing was perfect!)

The result... so FUN and easy and really unique!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!

Just a few days left... Sale on FAVORITES!

take an extra 20% off: Clare Vivier, Lucky Fish and Lem Lem
use code: 'favorite'

sale ends FRIDAY, February 14th 2014

PATCHES

I am all for bringing back patches! I used to embroider and put patches all over my jeans... I keep asking Alex, who is the designer-creator of the ESP no1 jeans collection to make patches for her FANTASTIC jeans (I have yet to see them.... ) but I found these very cute ones by a Canadian company Belle Mine and I was HOOKED.

here's how you do it! easy....

My kids love the patches all over anything.. we use them on jackets and jeans... and everything in between!

shop Belle Mine here

kids and computer coding

Amy Mathers, at 14,  named European Digital Girl of the Year in 2013

 This BBC article brought attention to something that we have been talking about in our family lately. When I was in my 20's I was into computer coding, it's quite fun and it's like figuring out a puzzle. Today I certainly wish I would have stuck with it. It can be very rewarding for kids, they write the code and can see the results immediately! (no parental oversight necessary) They are learning a useful tool and you never know where it will take them in the future.

After reading the book "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell it was brought to my attention the story of Bill Gates (you will have to get the book to get the whole story.. it's a terrific book, very interesting for parents) and his early love of coding, which obviously led to his success. I think that the mystery and the 'game' of coding is great for kids and can take their love of apps and games and actually do something with it!

The BBC story talks about a "Manchester Coder Dojo" that, when it opened in 2009, had eight young kids turn up (all boys), today that same class is boasting 150 teenagers, a full house and it's free. "Many bring their own laptop, or their Rasberry Pi - a relatively simple computer for coding. And the parents who used to drop off their kids, and come back later, now often stay to see what is going on. The averarge age is about 10-and-a-half, but we have six-year-olds coming along" says Steven Flower who runs the group.

I have a friend who's 12 year old updates her website. He does a fantastic job and is already making money for himself!

I think it's exciting and I don't know about you... I would rather my kids are "building" something, rather than just playing games on their iTouch.

I'm sure you all have comments... so let's hear them!!

NEW :: Margaret Solow... in time for Valentines DAY!

These just happen to be my favorite Valentine gifts... I am so happy we have them in store just in time for you!

Shop the Margaret Solow jewelry collection here

NEW :: jess brown *SWEETS* have arrived!!

These sweet little girls are looking for a place to go for VALENTINES DAY!

You can find there girls HERE...

Happy Valentines DAY!