Rehabilitated Dishware is the brainchild of Sarah Cihat and was a part of her thesis project at Parsons School of Design. By re-designing and re-surfacing used and unwanted dishes she gives them a new and much longer life.

The ceramic plates, which she finds at places like Goodwill, Salvation Army or the reject piles at retail stores, are transformed from their old look to modern, stylish and colorful plates that would make any dinner table look amazing, especially at parties. This way of renewing used and unwanted things is of course also a great way of helping reduce the strain on the environment.

Many of the plates have colors and illustrations which make them great gift ideas for children. Not only would the dishes be great to eat from but they would also work well as decoration in a child’s bedroom. After all, the dishes are valuable and collectible designer pieces.

Sarah Cihats Rehabilitated Dishware has been featured in magazines like Elle, O at Home, Food & Wine, Nylon and Metropolitan Home and you can read more about the dishes at Sarah Cihat.

The Gucio shoe is a truly remarkable shoe for children. It was made out of love for children, and with the intent to make the perfect shoe for them. It probably is, in fact it is the first shoe that adapts to the child’s heel preventing discomfort in this problem aerea. Continue reading ‘Gucio Shoes’

Got a little Superman running around the house? He can become SuperPaul, SuperEric or SuperPeter with a little help from Ellie Bellie Kids who makes fine capes with the kid’s own letter sewn onto it.

The capes are made out of 100% cotton and are available in a black/aqua or orange dotted/orange.

Besides the personalized capes Ellie Bellie Kids offers cute two-colored reversible tutus for little princesses. The tutus are available in four fresh color combinations.

There are just too few options for those who want to choose the kind of clothes, shoes and accessories that encourages kids to be kids and doesn’t send the message that they should already be small adults. There is of course a lot of products with various Disney characters, but other than that, there are unbelievably few options.

A good example is a little baby’s feet, the first shoes should be great and memorable, but what is so special about tiny replicas of adult Adidas shoes for example, besides the price that is? If you really want something special that is memorable, comfy, cute and most importantly something out of a kid’s fantasy, Sassy Shoes would be a great place to start looking. They offer comfortable baby shoes with a soft sole and hand painted non-toxic decorations all over the shoe, even the sole has a small decoration. The decorations are brightly colored with motifs that appeal to kids. Some of their cute themes are Puppy Love (picture), Little Racer (with a bright red race car), Peaches and Cream (green and pink flower theme) and Smooth Sailing (boy or girl sailor theme).

Each pair of shoes comes packed in a mini paint pail.

See the whole range of hand painted shoes at My Sassy Shoes.

Via UrbanBaby Daily

Pastel Toys makes simple and beautifully designed heirloom toys great for both playing and decorating the nursery. The toys have an old yet fresh and modern look, and is a great decorating and toy alternative for parents who would like to use baby colors, but aren’t keen on the usual baby blue and pink.

Besides being beautiful and fun the Pastel Toys products has a special background as well. All the toys are made by special need adults in the Kishorit kibbutz in Israel.

The toys are cut out of wood, sanded and painted by hand by the residents. All the items receive individual attention and there is a great focus on quality. The kibbutz is made by the non-profit organization Kishorit and is a community where adults with mental problems are able to live by themselves, have a job and help each other. A job at the Pastel Toys carpentry is only one of the jobs Kishorit can offer their residents.
Pastel Toys is available at e-giggle.

The Moroccan inspired Children’s Table & Cushion Set uses cushions instead of chairs, which is a great for children. A traditional chair restricts a childs movements a lot and the cushions along with the height of the table allows children to move freely when drawing, painting and playing. Another great thing about it is that it is round. A round table of course removes the risks involved when mixing active kids and sharp corners, but it also allows children to sit together without being divided by corners and interact very well with each other.

The children’s table is made out of hand painted plywood and Moroccan orange tree and the cotton flannel cushion covers are removable and machine washable. The table set is a good example of nice, simple and functional design for children.

The elephant table is available at Giggle where you can also find lots of cute puppets, a Sport Racer Pedal Plane, a life size Cat in the Hat, and a Hip Kitty Dish Set amongst other fun and useful things for kids of all ages.

Via Choochicoos

An art and craft-loving guy named Robert Mahar has created Mahar Drygoods, which is a lovely site where you can buy unique and unusual products for kids. The products at Mahar Drygoods are made by artists, designers and crafters in their own homes and studios, so there are no massproduced products. Some products are made in small amounts and others are one of a kind, this way Mahar Drygoods is an ever-changing store, always full of new, unique and exciting products. Some of the products offered are toys, craft kits, baby blankets and great accessories for kids.

An example of a typical Mahar Drygoods product is the sweet and unusual handmade Monster Pals Finger Puppets.

I love to tidy up in my mothers attic from time to time. My mother has kept a lot’s of toys and clothes from when I was a kid, and it’s almost like Christmas Eve when I’m opening cases and bags to have a look at what’s inside. I find myself opening lots more cases and bags than needed for tidying up. Who can resist opening that bag with baby clothing? I never stop being amazed by the memories connected to old clothes.

I have recently discovered several ways of keeping those memories without putting them into bags and only seeing them once every five years or so.
Continue reading ‘Kids Memory Blankets’

These other worldly creatures are stuffed hand crocheted aliens in 100% cotton yarn. By squeezing their tummies you will make them squeak for their lives!

Olik is the slightly big boned orange one and Kloon is the long necked green one with the big teeth. They are both 10″ tall, soft and cuddly. They might make a cool and unique companion for kids of many ages.

Modern Nursery also has a lot of other interesting toys, for example the Streamliner Cars, the Ugly Dolls and My Very Own Doodle Dolls.