intro

#139

                                                                                    ..Wish you a very nice weekend..

Kiki and Polly...Lisa Golightly is a mom of two and an artist...she loves capturing children and families with her own twist on the art of portraiture...and says that her portraits are a way of capturing the moments of her own childhood and of her family...all of her pieces are hand painted...she recently added a beautiful new line of 'wallpaper portraits' to her shop 'Kiki and Polly', but you can also contact Lisa for a customized portrait of your child or family...

..website..
..shop..
..blog..

#138

Duckcloth...about a year ago Lisa Edwards started a great online shop with fabrics from all over the world...the children's collection is ideal to make your pillows, clothing and accesoiries for your children...all fabrics are sold by the metre and the new designs in the image are from Sprout Designs and if you are looking for a nice pattern just click here...

..webshop..
..blog..
..contact Lisa..

Project #18 Shadowbox collage

This week Arounna is showing us such a fun and creative project...and when finished the result will surely look great in your child's room...my son and I will be making a farm together, just searching for the right images in the magazines together is very nice and also interesting to see what he wants to add and what he thinks doesn't fit in the Shadowbox ... click here to read the easy instructions from Arounna...

..Special page where all Arounna’s craft projects are posted..
..Bookhou..

#137

Olli & Lime... a passion for quality and design...without compromise... producing children’s bedroom furnishings... soft furnishings and wallpaper... these lovely images are from the new Spring 2008 collection... no stereotypes here... you will know where to shop next for  your children’s bedrooms...and you can feel good about it too.. fortunately ever more manufacturers use eco-friendly materials and recycle... as do Olli & Lime... high-quality manufacturing while respecting the environment... they use recycled materials and recycle  what they use.. want to see more?...

..website..
..blog..

...and the winner is...

It was great fun reading all of your comments.... and very difficult of course to pick the winners... almost as difficult as picking only one favorite fawn&forest product... but after very careful consideration...and reading all comments several times....I am happy to announce that the winners are....Sheva from My Shtub and April from Noah and April...congratulations!...and a huge thanks of course to Summer from Fawn&Forest...{ps. 50% off select items by nurseryworks at F&F}

#136

BubbaLucas...vintage inspired personalized bracelets and necklaces by Jeanine Tasso...a born and bred Brooklynite...Jeanine told me that she is a crafter as well as a freelance children's wardrobe stylist and a mom...the designs for her lovely children's jewelry are also inspired from her mothers ID bracelet from the hospital, way before babies were given Lo Jack ...her grandmother still has hers...don't you think they are adorable?

..website..
..blog..

#135

Clothpony...from Venice, California is a very sweet and modern clothing label...founder, Brooke Davies, created the company out of a love of fashion, design and finely crafted goods...due to her former career in the NY fashion industrie Brooke knows exactly how to use little details to give the whole collection a edgy yet sophisticated style...when Brooke contacted me a little while back and I saw the great collection I imedatly fell in love with every single piece she creates...have fun scrolling to Clothpony's website! 

..website..
..shop online for Clothpony..
..stockistlist..

#134

PUKK... is an abbreviation (in Dutch) for personal, unique, colorful and lifestyle for kids...everything you can think of that makes a kid's life even more fun... toys, funky storage bags, shoes, wall decoration... all handmade by Anouk Dekkers...I believe that these lovely items from PUKK are very typical Dutch, many Dutch parents love to use bright and colorful pieces for their children's room and felt is absolutely one of the favorite materials to use...although the website is in Dutch, I'm sure you can send Anouk an email in English if you would like to receive some more information and she also makes customized items.

..website..
..webshop..
..contact Anouk..

Open House...

Another home tour today from an amazing children's clothes designer from Brooklyn...Eliza Gran...and she will not only be showing us some great images from her very warm and lovely house, she also gives us some great tips and advices on how to start and run a business and manage to combine this with being a mom of three children...click here to see the full interview and all the images...

..read more..
..Open House..

Home Tour on Cookie

This week everything is a bit different here at B:Kids and Bloesem...I'm enjoying some vacation days with my family and friends... but I didn't want to leave you empty handed today and thought you might like to read a little bit more about me, my family and our live in Kuala Lumpur...the lovely Joanna Goddard from a Cup of Jo invited me for an house tour on Cookie Magazine ... click here to read the full interview {thanks Joanna, You're the best!}

..Knock, knock..
..Cookie Magazine..

Project #17 Scribble garden

While I am celebrating in Amsterdam.... Arounna.... still going strong....I am truly thankful for all of her amazing and special craft projects... I know that many of you are looking forward to her new projects every week... and so am I .... great job again Arounna... you are the best!...click here to see the full project..

..Special page where all Arounna’s craft projects are posted..
..Bookhou..

{ps. many thanks for all your emails, requests and submission... my responses will be a bit delayed...but by early next week I will respond}

#133

Dear All... it is good to be back... sorry to be away for this long... we arrived in the Netherlands on Saturday and it has been quite hectic since... very happy to see my family again... and of course the grandma's are excited to see their grandson... today my husband and I are in Amsterdam celebrating the Queen's birthday, or actually her mother's birthday... big Dutch tradition... streets are crowded with people in orange outfits (our national color).... making music, selling old stuff from their attics and just having fun... to make sure we don't miss anything we checked in to Miauw Miauw suites at the corner of Keizersgracht and Hartestraat... basically in the heart of the action.... (will show you some beautiful Miauw pics on Bloesem...)...

To start off this new week (my new week at least...)...barkingbirdart... very distinct illustrations by Rebecca from Portland where she lives with her family, two cats and dog...

..BarkingBirdArt Shop..
..Rebecca's blog..

{ps. today is your last change to win this beautiful journal...click here to read more}

#132 and going home...

Some of you probably already read on Bloesem that we will be going home (the Netherlands) today for a few weeks to visit our families and friends...and we're so excited...of course not so much looking forward to the 12-hour trip with our almost two-year old son, but we're hoping he will be a sleep most of the time..and of course I prepared some little gifts (i also wrapped some toys he has forgotten about), books and a new dvd to keep him busy...I'm going to end this fun week at B:Kids with a Scandinavian online shop, run and operated by Holly Hallberg... Huset just openend her online doors and you can find some of my favorite Scandinavinan brands and some labels are only available for US customers via their site...my absolute favorites are the bold colored clothes from Småfolk and the Danefae Erik the viking coin purse...have fun shopping and I will be bakc on Monday from a small city in the Netherlands called Oldenzaal...

..Huset..
..online shop..
..contact Holly..

ps. don't forget to leave a comment right here if you would like to win this beautiful journal...

ps. thank you Arounna for another amazing craft project this week!

#131

Zoet-stof...is a small Dutch label making lovely handmade textile products. Angelique Verstsappen is the creative women behind Zoet-Stof and she also runs a design studio, BuroSlim, which concentrates on concepts and identities...on the napkins above Angelique embroidered some sweet words to give a child comfort and warmth, very lovely! If you would like to order anything form her collection, best is to send her an email and let her know what you are interested in...

..Zoet-Stof website..
..Angelique's Blog..
..contact..

Project #16

...drawing is today's topic for another lovely project from Arounna...this week she shows us how to extend a landscape by using an image from yourself or from a magazine...it's a perfect way for children to learn how to draw in a different way...of course you can also use another image and extend it...click here to see the full post...have fun!

..Special page where all Arounna’s craft projects are posted..
..Bookhou..

{ps. I received a very nice email from Laura, who told me about a craft swap she is organising...Crafts For Young Children Swap...if you would like to join in this swap, click here and you will find allthe information...}

#130

Poppytalk Handmade Market...is a monthly online street market curated by Jan from Poppytalk. Here you can buy excellent handmade gifts...yes gifts...this months market is completely dedicated to upcoming Mothers-day on May 11th!! Here are some picks I liked ... Mom poster by Lizard press ... A Good Little Bunny.. by Arete ... wooden family set by Love Monkey ... porcelain milk bottle by Alyssa Ettinger ...

..Handmade Market..
..PoppyTalk..

#129 happy Earth day

Happy Earth Day... and to celebrate this special day Baby in a Blanket opened it's online doors today and wants to give you a 50% discount on their fabulous 'green' t-shirts until April 27, 08!!... I call their t-shirts 'green' because they are made of natural non-toxin organic cotton and printed with organic based ink...Desiree founded Baby in a Blanket and her primary objective is to reducing allergen exposure to children as well as protecting the earth...her collection includes beautiful blankets, accessories and clothing and are not only stylish, but also eco-friendly...{ps. Congratulations Desiree with your beautiful shop!}

..website..
..the shop..
..contact Baby in a Blanket..

#128

A little while ago Julie from Famille Summerbelle was my guest at Open House and she  showed us her  lovely house, studio and her amazing collection...I immediately fell in love with the Family Tree Print...and when it arrived on our doorstep last week I was extremely happy...i searched for our family pictures and brought the print to our frame shop the next day and now I have to wait for my husband to hang it somewhere in Lode's room...but I couldn't wait that long before showing you the result...especially when you live far away from your family like we do a print like this is extremely precious, thanks you so much Julie!

..website..
..you can order the print online..
..blog..

#127 win...win...win...win...win...win...win...win...

Such a nice way to start this new week...you have the possibility to WIN….it’s the first time in my bloggers life that I can write with great pleasure that one of my favorite online shops is offering the B:Kids readers a chance to win a beautiful journal from their paper and book collection…The first 1,000 days written and illustrated by nikki McClure...in order to enter to win, you have to go to Fawn and Forest...find your favorite product from their collection and let me know via a comment right here why you liked the item so much…I will then choose two commentators as the lucky winners…don’t forget to leave your email address…closing date for comments will be 30th of April {very important day in the Netherlands, it’s the Queen her birthday and we will all be celebrating this by wearing Orange colors, drink orange drinks and eat orange food!} ps. Anybody can enter, Fawn&Forest ships worldwide!

..Fawn&Forest..
..The first 1,000 days..

#126 Swallowfield

Swallowfield...Jennifer sent me this great image from her daughters bedroom. For you who don't now Jennifer..she is a great mixed-media artist also known under the name Swallowfield. A little while ago Jennifer  made a commissioned collage piece, which her 8 year old daughter became quite attached to, and she was very sad to see it get mailed to its rightful owner, so after some searching around Jennifer ordered a 4'x3' vinyl cling of the digital file through Wallhogs and could easily install it on the wall. Such a great idea to use an image from yourself or a piece of art made by your children, let Wallhogs print it for you and you can fill up a large space with not a large budget.

..Swallowfield..
..Wallhogs..

#125 BloesemKids Bookshop

A long time dream of mine has been full-filled...I always wanted to open my own shop...and do something with books and beautiful illustrations...well it's not a real brick and mortar shop and it isn't a shop where I have to go and buy stock at trade shows, but it is a shop were I can offer you some of the books that I truly LOVE. Of course this shop is actually run via Amazon, but I like the way it has a BloesemKids feel and   how it gives you the possibility of buying directly via this site and not have to be overwhelmed by the huge amount of books you find at amazon itself...I will be updating the shop on a regular basis....I hope you enjoy! {ps. during my search for the collection this incredible blog from Julia Rothman was of great help to me!}

..BloesemKids Bookshop..

#124

Jeej...is an online webshop for baby- and childrens clothing run by a women form the Netherlands. I really wanted to show you her shop because some really nice brands are being offered here, kice kice, Glug baby and innies n outies...I love it when clothing is simple, basis colors and good quality and I believe you can get that at Jeej. {I just received a nice email from Judith to let me know that a special 10% discount apllies to B:Kids readers at her shop in the months April and May 2008 ... just fill in the coupon code "bloesemkids" when you check out. Hope to see you soon in her shop}

Judith

..jeej shop..

#123

PrestoBingo...is a place were you can buy excellent modern art for children...i love the robot series, but this the 'Snips and snails and puppy dog tails' is just excellent, the color blue will look so fresh on a white wall! Dave Plunkert and Joyce Hesselberth, both illustrators first started their graphic design agency, Spur Design .in Baltimore. The two of them are always creating images and illustrations even in their 'spare time'  and now they offer us some of them via Prestobingo.

..webshop..
..spur design..

#122

Little big pants...is not a name you would expect for a shop who is selling cute little dolls like these. Terra, who makes these sweeties, is a stay at home mom living in Minnesota. She loves fabric, paper, great design, nice people, great customer service, and an excellent glass of wine at the end of the day! (she could have been my twin)

..shop..
..blog..

Project #15

Arounna from Bookhou is showing us this week how to create a pattern with lino printing...Arounna made a beautiful journal, but of course you can use the pattern for a wall hanging, wrapping paper, cards etc. ... again she is doing such an amazing job and I hope you and your kids will have fun making something yourself too...click here to see how it is done!

..Special page where all Arounna’s craft projects are posted..
..Bookhou..

#121

Bird on the wire...is a lovely shop created in 2006 by Celine (who calls herself Petiteetoile) a 25 years old girl living and working in Paris...Celine sells next to her own creations a lot of cute accesoiries, jewelry, craft suplies and much more all made by artists from all the world...perfect little gifts...

..webshop..
..blog..

#120

White Rabbit England...about four years ago the sisters Charlotte and Victoria had the idea to create beautiful and original ceramic night lights for children and so they started creating the original fairy toadstool night lights, Dewdrop and Bramble...now the collection has expanded to two new 'funky' mushroom lights with flowers, stripes and little boys favorite Toys, planes, cars, robots etc! They are all so sweet and I'm sure children will LOVE these! Currently Charlotte lives in Cheshire England where she runs White Rabbit England and Victoria moved to Brooklyn NY years ago with her family and here she already sells the lights via the local store Acorn on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn and she is planning to start selling in the other great children's shops in the area. If you would like more info please send Victoria an email. {ps. they also sell some great knitted items!}

..contact Victoria..

#119

Elizabeth told me about a great label she is offering in her shop since last week...Wovenplay...100% organic cotton pieces which children can wear for everyday and for dress up!! Their collection is just great and will bring imaginative play right in your home, from Wovenplay's website you can choose the pirate, aviator, lion, cowboy, butterfly or something else at Twig you can buy the Pirate or Aviator..... {ps. Twig is also celebrating it's one year anniversary with a site wide sale of 20% off until April 18th, just use the checkout code HAPPY_BDAY}

..Twig..
..Wovenplay..

#118

Play tables...I don't write about kids furniture very often, because until now, a crib and a changing table from Ikea were the only items we purchased for Lode his room...all the other stuff came from other rooms in our house...but yesterday I started searching for a play table...a table were Lode can walk around easily, has his height and which he can use for a very long time...and these were a few I did like...the Argington, Fundy Play Table, available with either a chalk board top or dry erase top, I love the fact that all materials used by Argington are all finished with a non-toxic, ecologically friendly clear coat...the beautiful DucDuc tables Will fit in any room and will last a lifetime and very important...the size of the table accommodates most train-set boards...and we are planning to buy Lode a train set for his second birthday in May...

..Argington table..
..DucDuc table..

#117

                                                                                                  ..wish you a very nice weekend..

PetitCollage...is welcoming spring with some very nice new designs...the whole collection is carefully handmade in a studio in  San Francisco, with vintage and recycled papers on maple plywood. Each design is a limited edition of 50 and no two are alike....the colors are so fresh and will brighten up a wall imedeadtly...and to celebrate spring evenbetter Lorena from PatitCollage told me that they would like to offer a limited time promotion of $20 off any collage you purchase via their own website and yes...that means if you buy two collages you get $40 off...very nice! Just enter promo code: "springspring" before you add to cart, this  offer ends April 18, 2008. and is valid for international orders excluding Australia and New Zealand.{ps. there is also the possiblty to have your collage personalized, more info right here}

..website..
..shop..

#116

Les Petites Choses...a little while ago I mentioned here on B:Kids that it is easier to find nice clothing for girls than for boys...and after reading my words Melissa from France immediately send me an email to let me know about her label, Les Petites Choses, which she started almost two years ago.  The inspiration for the graphics on the t-shirts came from her kid brother who loved cranes, planes, motorcycles and all his books explaining how these "machines" work...I like this idea very much and i think many little boys will do to...of course Melissa designs cloths for girls as she is a mom herself of a little girl.

..website..
..shop..
..blog..

Project#14 Kinetic drawing bug

THIS IS FUN!! Okay last night I was fighting with some bugs in our bedroom and I hate the sound of them circling around your ears during the night...but this BUG i LOVE! Arounna is surprising me every week with her wonderful projects. Maybe you think at first it's a bit hard for you, but Arounna guaranteed me that is an easy one! Click here for the details, steps and information to create your home-bug today...have fun! {ps. if you have finished your drawing-bug and would like to show us an image, please do!}

..Special page where all Arounna’s craft projects are posted..
..Bookhou..

#115

flying peas...Nicole send me an email about this fun Construction Cutlery set available at the online shop flying peas...out of frustration for not being able to find sassy and edgy clothes for her twin boys to suite her sense of style Terra Carmichael from San Francisco launched this shop last year...I think my little boy would really like this set and it would help him eat is dinner with more fun.

..webshop..
..construction cutlery set..

Open House...

I'm so glad I can finally introduce you to my new guests at Open House...they are one of my favorite designers from the Netherlands...Tas-Ka...Jantien and Hester have made some incredible images from their house, studio and collection...together with their answers about their business, personal thoughts and ideas I'm sure you will enjoy this Open House...

..read more..
..Open House..

#114

Bored Inc. ...Courtney and her mother are a design team based in Los Angeles. Together they have been creating art for manufacturers for more ten years. Recently they launched their line of bags, jewelry, toddler tees, onesies all characterized by some fun Japanese style illustrations. Decorama, a line of decorative removable art, is another part of Bored Inc. These  adhesive vinyls  can be applied to walls, floors, furniture,- all sorts of surfaces. Their website will give you so much information and a great overview of the entire collection.

..website..
..webshop..
..blog..

#113

'The First Adventures of Incredible You'...is a beautiful customizable storybook...a book with fun illustrations and there are over 20 places in the book where details about your child, his or her family, favorite places, family traditions and more fun information about your child can be seamlessly incorporated into the rhyming verse of the book. Sarah Headrick and Sarah Rivera are co-Founders of Custom Made For Kids. You can order and fill in the details online right here...{ps. this would be a great gift of course} 

..website..
..create your book here..

#112

Uppercase...is having a great show in their gallery in Calgary, called Little Critters. Canadian illustrators are showing and selling affordable artwork which would be perfect for children's rooms. The show is online as well, with items available for purchase ($35-$90). See it here. The top images are prints by Renata Liwska and the left images is from a digital print by Kim Smith called Reginald.

..Little Critters..
..Uppercase..
..Uppercase blog..

projects from readers

Projects from Arounna...last week I started collecting images from other blogs and readers who showed their artwork inspired by Arounna's projects...from this week on every project will get a special page were the images will be shown...if you would like to show your image as well, please let me know by sending me an email of a comment...thanks!...it was a really nice week once more here at B:Kids hope you enjoyed the posts and looking forward seeing you back next week, with some great new stuff, new guest at 'Open House' and of course a new project...Happy Weekend!

Links:
..SiepsFabriek..
..Art and Kids..
..D-Day everyday..
..Third Story(ies)..
..old lady in a teenager..

#111

Toby and Rei...I don't know about you, but this is something NEW for me...children's clothing  and bedding products made from Bamboo fabric...inspired by the organic movement Alanna Mallon and Kate Browning from Massachusetts came with the idea to use Bamboo as the main fabric for their  collection...I always thought bamboo was only usable for flooring, cutting boards, or other hard-wood items, but Toby and Rei show us differently and they say the bamboo fabric is as soft and luxurious as the best cotton...here you can read more about the material..here more about the designers...

..website and shop..
..blog..

#110

Makool Loves You...is a great online shop selling arty stuff for kids and grown-ups...I think a little bird like Ernie the UPS delivery driver will brighten up any bookshelf in your  child's bedroom or will be very cute looking in a nursery...the Pucca Kitten ornament was meant to be hang somewhere on your walls but using it is as brooch on your little girls sweater or dress will be so nice...both little friends are available right here...

..shop..
..blog..