CohabiTOT – living stylishly with children

In my last entry, I talked about Alexander Girard. I dubbed his designs as instant happiness. Here’s another picture to inspire happiness on this dreary rainy February day! Spring’s almost here, right?

I love these paper poms;hinking they would be great dangling from a ceiling in a girl’s room. Hope I  made you smile!:-)

I love this wallpaper from Maharam. It’s designed by Alexander Girard–whose designs create instant happiness! (as well said by this blog: Alexander Girard Love) And it’s perfect for the two obsessions in our house write now—practicing letters, and keeping the walls clean!

My four old has suddenly become obsessed with practicing his letters. He brings his notebook to pre-school every day. According to his teacher yesterday he choose to practice his writing yesterday rather than  play.

My 16 month old  girls have become extremely skilled at throwing food!  Think cheerios  and noodles everywhere!  I must  clean the floors and occasionally the walls at least 3 times a day.

I never would of thought to put up wallpaper in their playspace. It just didn’t seem practical with all these sticky hands. Of course I wash them, but some how don’t they always seem to get into trouble! But along came my favorite find of the week; and there is no holding me back now.

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, I am smitten for anything with hearts! Decorating with hearts is sweet and doesn’t need to be reserved for Valentine’s Day. And  I love decorating with artisan prints. Here’s some unique prints (all from Etsy) that will inspire hugs all year long.

A  client described a room she envisioned for her seven year old daughter.  She said -“I want  a  beautiful space for my 6 year old that she will not out grow. ” She continued on to tell me her daughter is the girliest of girls, loves  dolls,  dress-up and everything pink and purple. The mother said she loves sophisticated, modern combinations.  So together we came  up with  a lavendar and chartreuse combination that both a mother and daughter would love.

The new fabrics from Thomas Paul were my launching point.  We chose a modern floral with lavender and plum for the drapes.  A  chartreuse ” lizard ” skin rug grounds the room. Together with very pale lilac walls and modern furnishings we  are sure to create a striking room.

We all make new year’s resolutions…to lose weight, get in shape, etc.  For me it always puts me into hyper-organization mode.  I have been tackling closets, donating old clothes, passing along outgrown children’s clothes,etc.  I live in an old house….aka bad closet space. This means I have to be diligent or things get out of control quickly!

Here are some additional  things I did:

1. I donated stuffed animals to Memorial Sloan Kettering Children’s Center

2. I sold one of my FOUR toy chests on a local blog. (Montclair Parents of Multiples)

3.  I continue to scan Alan’s artwork into his blurb book.

4.  I donate some books to used book store.

The feeling is awesome! I can find things again and my whole attitude is calmer during the morning rush!

The best thing I did  was I have a dedicated bag for each child by the back door for their hats, gloves, etc.  I  do not   have room for shelves, cubes etc. So this was a great solution.  The bags hang on a peg rail and now I have a place for their items! (and my son’s back pack is reserved for his homework)

I would love to hear your tricks to staying on top of the clutter!

A reader writes in:

Dear Reader –Yes I do have an idea! Have you thought of an oilcloth tablecloth. With all the vintage/retro patterns they are back in vogue! I love the apples –feels a little Orla Kiely – right?! These tablecloths  are wipeable and nothing penetrates. It should last through many finger painting, glitter glue and paper maiche projects.

To see more patterns: www.oilcloth.com The range is wide from polka dots to florals and beyond.

I just learned over at Barista Kids that it’s Penguin Awareness Day. Penguins are so damn cute; one of my twin girls absolutely loves her stuffed penguin. It’s taller than her so it’s so cute to see her try to walk around with it.

Are you or your child  a penquin lover? If so; I think you would love the above collage from Maple Shade. Made with eco-friendly materials and ready to hang in your child’s room. Check out her Etsy shop; any nature lover will adore her work.

Alphabet posters seem to be the quintessential decorating choice for nursery/toddler bedrooms.  And why not – with so many choices  in typography and  style there’s a choice for everyone. Plus the ABC’s make a great lullaby; we sing it almost every night. We got lucky and moved into a house with the ABC’s painted as spots on a giraffe. (affectionately called Noelle– can you guess why?)  If we didn’t have Noelle I probably would select one of the choices from above.

Happy New Year!! 2009 was a busy year;  my girls turned 1; my son turned 4 ; I had the opportunity to work on great projects and I launched CohabiTOT! I have been busy spending the weekend getting organized and ready to dive into 2010. I resolve to blog more, answer your questions and  continue to be a great resource and inspiration for my readers!

Above are 6 images I stored away from the past year. All creative in their own way. I hope it gets you inspired for this New Year!

Left to Right:

1.  Art work doesn’t have to be expensive– here found fabrics were pulled taught on embroidery hoops.

2. A small shared bedroom is not overwhelmed when you only use two colors. I love the tree up the middle – a clever way to divide the space.

3. If your tight on space–Don’t forget that the  wall behind the bed can be a great way to carve out additional storage.

4. Boy’s room be fun too! Love all the graphics -especially on the dresser.

5. The whimisical wall decal adds just the right spirit to this room.

6. Great use of a tight space – check out the funky wallpaper on the ceiling.

I don’t celebrate Christmas; so  to me Christmas Trees are all about beauty, creativity and all-nighters! Truth be told I have probably decorated more trees than any of my Christian friends. After 7 years as a window dresser at Neiman Marcus and various other gigs I think I have done over 300 trees in the wee hours of the night.

So I am still always  concocting images in my head. I have been thinking what I would do in my house; especially with  my mobile 13 month olds and a 4 year old. One is shaking the floor lamp until I finally gave up and moved it upstairs.  The other is chomping on cardboard books. And my son is constantly turning the house into a job site. So  in my pretend world I  would be all about SAFETY and of course a little whimsy never hurts.

I found a menagerie of cuddly /non-breakable ornaments that makes we wish we secretly had at least a  Hanukah bush! Or maybe there just cute enough to decorate a room!  (hey,none of the them have any religious symbolism…..)

From left to right:

1. Monster ornaments from Etsy. I am sure this monster would find a nice place in our home. He could join Harvey( you know…Alan’s monster that wakes him up and tells him to crawl into our bed!)

2. Whale ornaments from Anthropologie-  This knitted whales are just too cute.

3. Panda from Urban Outfitters. – I love the oversized-head and doing a tree in just black and white would be chic!

4. Alpaca Farm Animals from Crate and Barrel -Maybe my son would finally learn his animal sounds! But as my husband says why bother —we don’t live on a farm. My son’s ability to distinguish the difference between flathead and philips head screwdrivers is much more useful.

5.  Owls ornaments from Etsy– I would adopt ones of these owls especially if they could bring us wisdom for the New Year. They can even be made to your color specifications.

I hope this inspires my friends. As always, I will live vicariously through your tree decorating soirees. Maybe I will get so lucky as to help a friend or two this year!!