A dear friend of mine has painted her son’s room a wonderful, sartorial, moody gray. Think Wuthering Heights and foggy moors. Or Bond Street and pinstripes. (Or, my roots….)

Anyway.

I began to think about “non-nursery” colors and decorating – and how the sort of mum that wants an intelligent color on the wall, isn’t the sort of mum to slap “cute” nursery art on the same. No unicorns or flash card alphabet for her – no, Sir. But one can’t really frame a Fellini poster and put that up, can one? (Not until they are 8 1/2, at least….)

But what does work on elegant gray walls – is some of the very affordable vintage bits that I found at Agent Gallery Chicago – proving, once again, that vintage is a green mums best bet.

As an ardent Republican – I have always been fascinated by Communist propaganda. Plus – red looks fab against gray….

I’m also a great supporter of a strong military…

And I’ve always, but always wanted to go to Russia and slide around The Hermitage ( it seems that they make you wear hospital booties at the museum. Clever Ruskies.)

All of these pieces, as well as bits that may be more conventional – such as this little sign that would be darling in an “Aviation” themed room…

…are somehow banal enough for a baby room – but authentic and interesting enough to follow junior to his college dorm and first apartment.

Every city has blocks of fabulous vintage stores that are hiding treasure troves of dusty signs and “things” that will look brilliant on your nursery walls – as well on your bank statement.

And, of course, it’s the greenest way to decorate.

So lovely of you, really.

Happy November!

The pedantically clever graphic designers of Harry Potter have created the MOST delicious limited edition prints collection of collective nouns.  These gorgeous your-friends-nursery-won’t -have-them prints are not only perfect for your lucky little muggle – but are quite suitable for grown ups!  Imagine!  Art that works as well for a wee one as for long in the tooth you! What could be a better gift.

As they are a bit expensive (though likely to increase in value, I expect) – perhaps one initial or a “monogram” of three might be perfect. The smallest, unframed edition is 69 pounds. Plus shipping. Plus frame when it arrives from the UK.

These are the loveliest nursery suitable art bits that I have seen in ages. What a wonderful way to interest your child in Scrabble winning collective nouns – and remind yourself of how much you once delighted in words….

From the Woop site:

The collective alphabet contains images inspired by the following images, an aurora of polar bears, a bale of turtles, a comfort of cats, a down of rabbits, an embarrassment of pandas, a family of porcupines, a galaxy of starfish, a hum of bees, an implausibility of gnus, a journey of giraffes, a kennel of dogs, a loveliness of ladybirds, a movement of moles, a nest of crocodiles, an ostentation of peacocks, a pandemonium of parrots, a quiver of cobras, a romp of otters, a skulk of foxes, a troubling of goldfish, an unkindness of ravens, a venom of spiders, a whiteness of swans, a yoke of oxen, a skeleton of x-ray fish, a zeal of zebras.

An “embarrassment of pandas”…be prepared, you’ll have to explain that one.

Happy new week!

This is the best gift EVER EVER EVER!

Jane Mount, an illustrator, will take photos of your fave books and paint them into a gorgeous piece of art! How CLEVER is she?!

I am madly in love with this idea, and think that it is perfect for a nursery. Imagine, all your little ones fave books, captured forever in a little painting!

Here is another example for cooks…

Don’t you want one NOW?! And the little illustration will only set you back $150. Peanuts, when you think of it.

Bless the folks over at InStyle magazine for featuring this gift in their February issue.

Genius. Damned genius.

Now that my boy is getting “older”, it’s time to begin Arts & Crafts.

But how to keep the child from being his own canvas, while being as “green” as pos?

Easy: using the tutorial from Pink and Green Mama, you can turn any ratty towel into an absorbent and inexpensive smock! Pink and Green Mama is a gorgeous little blog with a zillion artsy projects for even the most arts challenged (ahem) mums. Where she uses a more conventional art material or glue, just substitute the least toxic ones, easily available at Whole Foods or Amazon, and voila! A day with junior that will delight and engage!

I imagine that with a nip here, and a tuck there, you can even turn old bed sheets or even t-shirts, into mats, so that any materials that might stain, won’t.

For mums as unimaginative as me, resources like the Pink and Green blog are invaluable. You may also want to consider buying a “Busy Book”, such as The Toddler Busy Book or The Complete Resource Book for Toddlers and Twos. I bought both, and am finding them madly helpful in inserting structured – fun – activities into our day.

Maybe if Alden watches me “sew” a smock he will grow up to be a famous fashion designer and I’ll get front row to fashion weeks in London and Paris….

Or. Not.

Happy Crafting!

Today was my sons first trip to the Art Institute of Chicago. He loved it. His favourites were the Dutch still lifes (as he knows his veg and fruit), as well as the Caravaggios. He was unimpressed with El Greco. Too much blue, methinks.

Though he makes a scribble here or there, I hope that this winter will be when his love of color messes blooms – and if it does, these Dynamic Frames are just the thing to adorn his play room with.

Once hung, you open the Dynamic Frame like a cabinet, so that you can easily switch out your little ones ever evolving artistic efforts, without the hassle of “reframing” each time. You can also have several different “art works” inside the frames, as it fits a whole drawing pad!

A great gift for parents – the $35 dollar frames will be  a welcome pressie that won’t be re-gifted.

PS: A family membership to your local art museum is also a gorgeous stand alone/additional gift. Supporting the arts is never naughty and always nice.

Stay warm!

Available in 8 friendly colors, Max’s Mudd is food grade (gluten free and vegan), organic play dough. No doubt we have all eaten our fair share of that “other” play dough (I still have fond memories of the salty (toxic) taste and smell) – but for our healthier and greener generation, we now have delicious and safe Mudd.

Even the containers are “high-quality food grade,  recyclable, reusable LDPE #4 and PP #5 containers. They are compliant with FDA, EU, and CA Prop 65 restrictions on lead & cadmium. They contain no traceable amounts of Parabens, Phthalates or BPA.” (Gosh. Almost as edible as the play Mudd itself!)

Though still a choking hazard for the under two’s – Max’s Mudd, under supervision, seems the perfect art supply.  It seems unlikely to end up on your walls, or make any curious pets sick. And what could be easier to clean up after?

I have forsworn the use of markers in my home until my child is 18 – so I’m glad to see that in addition to soy crayons, my budding artist can make Francis Bacon like renditions of his family in play dough.

Ceci n’est pas Play Doh.

Finding, unique nursery art is a tricky business. Especially if amplified primary colours aren’t your thing.

Via Small Magazine, are beautiful prints by Mint Parcel, that are subtle and darling for a more muted and calm nursery.

Having lived in Florida, I have a fondness for the sweetugly Manatee…

And doesn’t everyone adore a Koala?

And whales are for more than just pants…

The only creature that I would love Mint Parcel to feature that it doesn’t – is a hedgehog. How can you have a platypus, but no hedgehog?

Hedgehogs are way cuter.

All prints are available on Etsy.

In a few months I’ll need to update my son’s “infant” nursery, to reflect his mature “baby” phase.  I had a bit of  a struggle deciding on The Green Nursery: Part Two – as I don’t want to buy anything “new” or Land of Nod Art’ish. I needed something green, unique enough and classic. Preferably with elephants, which seems to have emerged as a motif.

Voila! Babar!

I loved Babar as a child, and was always quite confused when the elephants at the London Zoo were – well – nekkid. And on all fours. I found them quite primitive as compared to the lovely family of post colonial pachyderms that I would of liked to have invited to tea. They seemed so much more fortunate than that poor Dumbo and his mum that I would see at Disney World when I visited my Florida based grandmother.  It was all about verde clad Babar.

Luckily, on a print search, I came across these delightful, original 1930′s Babar prints that won’t cost an arm and a tusk. And though I know that they were ripped from a beautiful book that should of been left unviolated – they are as they are – and it is the ultimate recycled and green nursery “art”.

Vintage prints make gorge nursery decor – and are worth saving for the grandbabies. Best of all, they are often less spendy than that Made In China stuff that you’ll find at all the big traditional stores.

Vintage advertising posters are likewise interesting and nursery suitable.

Again, many are far less expensive than that boring, falling asleep “art” you have seen a thousand times before.

This lovely bit of pre-war commercialism is only $55!

So if you are a green mum that hasn’t many Benjamins left over after buying that whole house water filter – consider vintage prints for Juniors nursery.

Just not Babar.

I’m trying to be unique over here.

Bon weekend!

Because I forgot to marry Bill Gates, and cannot afford to have the house re-painted in VOC free paint once a week, I’ll never allow markers in the house. (I know, I know, I’m mean, mean mummy.)

However, for those parents who enjoy Jackson Pollock, Clementine art now offer natural markers, in addition to non-toxic play dough and paints. I doubt that they smell as delish as those crack for kids markers I loved as a child, and inhaled like a newly minted test off the mimeograph machine (oh, that purple magic!) – but our kids, hopefully, won’t have the waste dump of chemicals in their breast milk, or have the low sperm count that my generation has.

Great gift for an in law that you may loathe that has an immaculate all white Ian Shrager inspired house.

You know, the one who washes her kids hands 50 times a day as to keep the Shabby Chic slipcovers safe….

You know you want to.

Happy Weekend!

We all know that mum that glittered in a fabulous city  for a few years, in a great (tiny) flat, on an amazing street, that she stumbled home on, night after champers and laughter filled night, shod in impossibly high two week salary shoes, and clad in sample sale couture…the best days, nights and mornings of her life.  Until baby, of course.

She now lives in the Midwest, or the “nice” ‘burbs somewhere out East, and actually puts money into her 401K.  She has a savings account.  And flats.  And knickers that are not meant to be seen.  Ever.

Doesn’t she deserve a shower gift that reminds her that she used to smell like 4am smokey bars, and not organic formula spit?

A wee homage that will actually work in a nursery – as heavens knows she forewent sports or fairy themes for something bolder and more graphic.  (Like that Art Director she once dated from Munich….)

Red Letter Words makes these word canvas  blocks that she will love, and  can use to teach her little one her favourite words like “London”, “SoHo” and “Rome”….

Ah, if only you knew mummy before her breastfeeding bra….