Have you seen these amazing rugs by Youlka Designs of France? They are pure eye candy, and I'm sure any kids would just love to take all the pieces out (and never put them back in!). So while I'm tempted, I think it'd be a housekeeping nightmare.
But function follows form, right? Right.
I love it when I find a DIY project that truly looks like it can be sold in a store. I live and breathe kids' crafts on a daily basis, so it is so refreshing to see something so polished, stylish, and useful.
Amy from the b-line came up with these amazing felt storage bowls that can be large to hold toys or small to hold paperclips. And check out her tutorial. You'll die over how easy they are! Look at this detail:
Found via Li'l Magoolie.
I searched forever for a cute lamp for Oliver's room (ended up with this amazing one from my favorite toy shop in Brooklyn, Acorn) and now I wish I had seen this DIY project! You don't have to use Matsutake's sewing pattern to make this; any stuffed animal will do. Find the brilliant instructions for this fox lamp on her blog (one of my new faves).
Ok, it's one thing to make your own piñata, but it's another to pick up the scraps after it's been beaten to a pulp and continue crafting! Not something for the faint of craft. How cute are these piñata scrap bags from Giddy Giddy? And those piñatas? Bestill my beating heart...
I've blogged about Made by Joel before...he's one of my absolute faves! Here, he made the simplest toy: he gathered sticks and twigs with his kids and then drilled a few holes in a sanded piece of wood. The kids inserted the twigs in the holes and voila, insta-forest! It doesn't beep, light up, or move. But it does entertain, in the simplest way.
When I saw this adorable knitted record player on All The Beautiful Things I Want, I realized that my son Oliver will never know what a record player is. Or a cassette tape. Or even a compact disk for that matter. It got me thinking of other passé technology that he'll never know and how I can introduce it to him in a toy version. Just trying to keep the nostalgia alive.
And then there's the rotary phone. Or honestly, just a phone with a cord will be foreign to him! You can make your own with Caffa Knitted's Rotary Dial Telephone knitting pattern.
Oh, and the typewriter. No screen. No backspace. No iTunes. Felt typewriter found on Double Takes.
Oliver will never see a dude walking down the street with a 15-pound boom box on his shoulder. This felt boombox by Sewn by Blythe is really a work of art.
I'm always on the hunt for a great new dollhouse. I came across this one today called the Stackhouse on Handmade Charlotte and I love how the kid can do her own (sub)urban planning.
