Current Obsession: Elephant Art & Room Inspiration

I am totally obsessed with Elephant Art.

I first saw this image in Boston Common magazine and thought it was simply charming and would make an awesome focal point for my 4 year old's "big boy" room. 

As I quickly scanned the article I thought I read that it was actually painted by an elephant and then I thought it best to put down the glass of chardonnay and go to bed.

Turns out I don't need to put down the chardonnay after all :)

This was actually painted by an elephant on paper made from elephant dung. Ick!  After I got over that, I went to the Asian Elephant Art and Conservation Project website and read that this program was started in Thailand to help keep elephants minds active in captivity.  

I love this one with the smiley face on the bum!

The caretakers noticed that the elephants would often pick-up a stick and doodle in the dirt and decided to take it a step further and retro fit paint brushes to be held with their trunks. 

I am hoping this painting with the "sold" stamp has been bought by my hubby, for here is the room I would design around it!

Fascinating!  The exhibit "Beyond Human: Artist-Animal Collaborations" will be at the Peabody Essex Museum beginning October 19. The profits from the sale of these paintings go to help care for these elephants.

Cheers!
Becky

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Cubist Self Portraits

A couple of days ago, strolling around my twins' elementary school, I happened upon a bulletin board showcasing their "Cubist Self-Portraits".  Apparently, from what I could squeeze out of them, the assignment involved painting themselves twice - each time portraying a different emotion (happy, surprised, excited), cutting them up, and pasting the various pieces together.  What a brilliant assignment, and I just love the results... so much that I could picture a room designed around the final products...

Here's Ellie's... it's very her, especially the heart on her chest that apparently made its way into both self-portaits (as it should have!).  I love the dark lashes and eyebrow; ironic as hers are so blonde they're invisible (a couple of years ago she lamented, "I'm the only girl in kindergarten with no eyebrows!").

I could picture her self-portait in a room like this, girly but not too trite, with a nod to some of the animals she loves so much....

Headboard from John Robshaw

Lamp and bookends from Jonathan Adler

Quilt and storage baskets from Serena and Lily

Rug from Land of Nod

Dresser from Bungalow 5

And here's my sharp Emma.  She looks about this disheveled on an average day, no joke!  I always try to let her be herself, and kind of despise admire that she is so headstrong!  

She'd sooner die than appear in any shade of pink, and her room would need to reflect that...

Rug and chair from Land of Nod
Storage baskets and bedding from Serena and Lily
Owl bank from Jonathan Adler
Pouf from Overstock
Lamp from Robert Abbey
Bunting from Etsy

Have a great day,
Deb

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The Little Collector

Kids art is typically pretty easy to find - there are affordable options everywhere from Homegoods to Target to etsy.  Finding truly original kids art, on the other hand, is more challenging.  Accordingly, I was happy to hear of Little Collector, a gallery of contemporary art work for sale for the youngest set.

Larry Moss' "airigami" of the Mona Lisa had me in stitches...

His cheeky take on Warhol...

Matthew Carden provides some great photography subtly featuring your favorite fast food joints... a fun take on the obvious for your little boys room.

Fashion designer Cynthia Rowley created these ethereal pieces...

Letter art is always a classic choice for a child's room....

If you and your child love the fantastical, check out the works of John Nickle.  My favorite, for the title alone?  Never Hold Hands With a Lobster...

The Jumpiest Thing in the World has great movement, and would put a smile on any child's face!

To browse more of the gallery's diverse offerings, click here.

Have a great day!

Deb

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What we LOVE!!! PaperEskimo: Chic Party Supplies

I am soooooo tired of looking for awesome party supplies for my kids parties and failing.  I am sorry, but the big box stores and online party sites just aren't cutting it these days with their commercial, overdone styles.  Are you with me on this?  Recently,  I have either actually had to make something or order custom made items from Etsy. But no more!!  Let me introduce you to Paper Eskimo. 

Seriously, can you stand it?!?!  And I love that they give color palettes and tips to make it a complete hit!  Kids and adults alike will adore this line!

I think my favorite items are the paper baking cups, candles and bunting... just too adorable!!

I can't wait for the next birthday party to roll around!!  Bring it on!!

What's your favorite item or theme??  Do tell!!

Have a delightful day!
Becky

By the way dear readers, this post was completely unsolicited :)

Cheers!
Becky

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Public Service Announcement - Get Organized!

Let me preface this post by saying that I am undeniably a sentimental fool. I really do treasure the artwork that my children create!  Seriously, how adorable is this?

But here is my question: where does it end?   Does your child come home with as many papers as mine does in his Star Wars backpack?  I am not just talking about art, but work papers, flyers, notices, scraps, doodles, notes, cutouts and ?????  I have finally had it. Enough is enough!

So I started doing what any sane parent would do - culling out and hanging onto the absolute BEST stuff and neatly tucking it away in a notebook.  Not very glamorous, but extremely functional and at this point,  I have my work cutout...

 

 ...especially since said child has been helping.  We might need to go over again what "editing" means because the keepsake notebook currently looks like this and we have a long way to go!

 

And then, in the mist of all this clutter arrives clarity, in the form of an email, from a dear friend Suzanne saying "Thought you might like this site. Hope all is well!"  Intrigued, I clicked on the link to Plum Print and see this:

 I swear I heard a choir singing....

Seriously though, how did she know I was sitting in the midst of piles of papers, dealing with this EXACT issue...I think there might be a little crazy ESP going on here....

Plum Print will take your little picasso's artwork, scan it in, digitize it, add captions and then print a hardcover book. And ship the book and all the originals back to you. Genius. Simply. Genius. Why didn't I think of that!

Have you heard of Plum Print?  Any feedback?  

Happy Organizing!
Becky

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Life Size Fairytale Cottages

For the child that has everything, he/she can now have his/her own house. Complete with working skylights, single hung windows, hardwood floors, doorbells and interior lofts, I am quite sure these fairytale cottages are nicer than my first apartment in NYC and possibly larger - no definitely larger!

I came across these lilliputian "homes" on the Walpole Woodworkers website. If you have a spare $5-$10K to spend, one of these lovely homes can be yours, er, your kids!  I have to admit, the Firehouse would be quite a hit in my home...too bad they will have to wait until they can build it themselves and by that time, I think they will have outgrown it.

I wonder if you need a separate building permit to put one of these babies on your property?!?

Cheers!
Becky

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A "Nod" to Chevron

You may remember just last week I wrote a post all about Chevron - which I am totally obsessed with right now. In fact we are putting a black and white chevron rug in a clients living room and it's going to be smokin' - but more on that another time.

So you must have guessed my reaction when I saw this email come through from "The Land of Nod"... yep, I just about fell out of my chair. How awesome is this?!?  Especially for a kids room or a play room?

I mean seriously... just too adorable!!

Anyway, you can go to the site to see the entire collection - Nice to hit it out of the park "Land of Nod"!!

Becky

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