Spring in the Wild Kingdom (aka my backyard)

A year and a half later, I'm still amazed by the amount of living going on in my backyard.  From the mushrooms that burst up through the mulch overnight, to the tiny kingdoms of moss and the cottontail bunnies that suddenly reappear after a long, snowy winter, there is stuff happening everywhere here.

Sparkly mermaid canvas

I recently finished working on a mermaid canvas for Home Goods.  My daughter went nuts for the glitter, here's hoping other little girls like it, too!

Counter display boxes!

A sneak peek at some awesome new product displays we are working on (well, actually, a very talented wood works company is doing the hard stuff).
This will be a great way for retailers to display our products on a counter or in a small space -- easy to flip through and everything stays nice and neat.
As we gear up for the NY GIFT Show (NY NOW) in August, I'll be blogging more about new product developments and our experiences preparing for the show.

Hula Girl room inspiration

1.  Pink Quartz Chandelier

2.  Shell Mirror

3.  Hula Girl Art Print

4.  Tissue Paper Flowers

5.  Aqua Melrose Nesting Tables

6.  Orange Luca Glider

7.  Pink striped rug

8.  Fish Pillow

9.  Clam Pillow

DIY kiddo storage tower

I recently noticed (with horror) the post-holiday explosion of Barbies, ponies and tea cups that had taken over my daughter's bedroom and had to find a solution.   After researching all sorts of options, mostly way more expensive than I wanted to go, I ended up at Ikea.

Their Expedit bookshelf is incredibly versatile and, at $70, exactly what I was looking for.  Because it is finished on all sides, you can use it horizontally or vertically.  Initially I was going to use it horizontally and put her dollhouse on top so she'd be able to spread out the furniture but space was not on our side.

The boxes are also from Ikea -- they came with lids which I left off for easier access. Adding numbers (mine are paper, but painting them would be great) to each box has ended up being the best feature -- "mommy, where is the cowboy hat for my pink mermaid?"  "check box #6".

a Monster Valentine

As we waited for Blizzard Nemo to clear out and the mountains of snow to melt, my daughter and I made monster Valentines for her classmates.  I created and printed the monsters while she stuck the googly eyes on and added lollipops.  It kept her busy for about 30 minutes, which is pretty good for a snow day!

Supplies used:
Valentine Monsters (free download)
Staples 4x6 gloss white postcards
15 mm and 8 mm wiggle eyes from Michaels
Double stick tape or glue for eyes
Trader Joe organic lollipops
Cello sleeves for packaging (or tape for lollipops)

Peonies

Is there anything better then peonies to brighten up a cold winter day?