I love cardboard toys and can’t wait for Alden to be old enough to enjoy them (though we will try one this summer, just to see). I can’t imagine a better way to spend a bitter cold winter day than painting in a castle tower, barn, fire station, or any of the other cardboard toys I have covered in the past.

Imagination Box Company makes very affordable cardboards toys, like the above castle, for lucky lieges.

With a little non-toxic paint and a few old towels – who wouldn’t love spending the day tarting up their own castle tower?!  Our dog would love this thing.

Back when I was a child (and G-d was in short pants), we would descend like artistic vultures on whatever child had the good fortune to have a new refrigerator box. Until the rains beat it into a pulp, our collective creation – often a castle – would keep us busy for days and days. I loved those damn things.

Now you don’t have to wait for the Sears delivery van – just point and click!

Fare thee well.

Though I don’t think that anything is lovelier than an old Victorian doll house, I know that Eames loving mums hate them.

This post is for you.

Our Children’s Gorilla has two fabu MOD non-toxic cardboard playhouses for future black turtle neck wearing architects. The first was designed by Andrew Geller and the second by someone who knows who Andrew Geller is.

Honestly. Does anyone remember why we bought plastic toys?

Yup.  Another cardboard house. I just can’t get enough.

This house is brought to you by ThisLittlePiggysHouse, and has a mailbox, flower boxes and chimney!

It looks wolf proof sturdy and for $49.99 makes the trip to the market worth it.

Honestly, I can’t wait until Alden is old enough for all of these buildings – he’ll be a Wren or Duquette by the time he’s 6.

If you want a pre-painted design (which is slightly more femme), you can buy the Butterfly Box – which is sure to happily house ballerinas and princesses.

Though – I say give’em non-toxic art supplies and see what happens.

Both are sure to inspire scream of “Whee!, Whee!, Whee” all the way home….

I can’t get enough of these decorate-it-yourself boxes – and at $24 bucks, this school house deserves an A+.

Though Alden is still too young for these, my niece, at a very precocious 2 and a half, is only months away from actually going to school. This will be the perfect First Day gift from her cousin.

For little boys, this firehouse is just the thing to keep them busy on a snowed in weekend (white weekends being a rather played out theme here, in Chicago, this winter).

Again. These boxes are the price of a bottle of wine. Which you may need less of if you can keep the wee things busy.

Both available from wonderful Wild Dill.

Wine sold separately.

Honestly. Where were all these mortgage crisis free houses when I was a kid?

This perfectly sized “Villa” will keep your snow bound child happy for hours. Or even days. It’s available from Babygeared - a great site for MOD parents.

Also available at Babygeared, are these adorable organic dino sheets.

Organic crib sheets are becoming increasingly easier to find – and these are subtle enough not to scream I’M SO MODERN AND COOL!

Babygeared isn’t for my Austen reading mums – but we all know someone hipper than we are.

Happy hump day!

These Quixotic  windmills, yet another charming color it yourself toy from Calafant (whom I corazon) will be available this November as a LIMITED EDITION of only 100 units – so order SOON if you want one, Sancho!

Also available next month in only 100 editions?  This gorgeous Cotswold’s farm that looks like it would accommodate any manner of small wooden animals and lucky farmers.

Both are under $30, each.

What to color these two bucolic gems on?

Why, a cardboard table  that needs a whole weekend to decorate, of course!

Which maybe your little ones can buy themselves after they make money with this could be, among other things, psychiatrist stand, Lucy.

Don’t wait!  Order Now! (Said in loud Cockney accent.)

Send pictures!