Category Archives: Shop

DIY Paint Chip Game (or How to Learn the Colors)

17 Tuesday Jul 2012

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I made up this game when Ada was learning her colors and just dug it out again for Josie to play.  I am convinced it helped Ada learn her colors quickly and it is a simple and pretty toy to have around.  The felt swatches are beautiful to play with on their own, and my kids seem to find paint chips are endlessly entertaining.  I found the felt swatch ring here on Etsy.  The paint chips are free at almost any hardware store.  Felt + Paint Chips + Double-sided Tape = Awesome.

To make your own Paint Chip Matching Game you will need:

*Felt Sample Ring

*Paint Chips in Variety of Colors (We used Behr because I liked the square shapes)

*Double-Sided Tape

*Scissors

1. Stick the double tape to back of paint chip and place the same color on its back.  This will keep you from having to turn over each chip to see a color.

2. Trim any excess tape with scissors. The closer you tape to edges, the less likely the child will be to pull apart the chips.

3. Here is how we play:  Find a color on the felt ring, say the name of the color and ask the child to find the same color paint chips.  (None of the colors we have are exact matches, so it challenges a child to think about shades and grouping of colors).  Ada also liked to find the same color toys around her room and match them to swatches.  The possibilities are pretty endless…

*Pantone Colors is a beautiful new toddler book about the subtle shades of each color. The book is one of my favorite new baby gift and would make a great companion to this game.

Vintage Planter Baby Gift

12 Thursday Jul 2012

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This sweet little elephant vase was one the favorite gifts we were given when Ada was born.  (Thanks Aunt Marissa!)  Ada gets her own stem for it whenever we buy flowers.  You can find your own planter on Ebay or Etsy.  They are inexpensive and great to have on hand as gifts for new babies.

DIY Ikea Fabric Teepee Tent

09 Monday Jul 2012

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I made this teepee for Ada when she was little,  (although I think technically Santa gets the credit).  She and Josie have been using it to play at camping in their room together lately.  Our teepee is based loosely off of this pattern by Sew Mama Sew.  Ikea has lots of inexpensive upholstery fabric in bold patterns and the stiffness of the fabric is perfect for keeping tent sides straight.  To make a tent similar to ours, you will need:

*3 Yards of Stiff Fabric.  (We used this Ikea version)

*5 Wooden Broom Handles

*5 Rubber Chair Stoppers

*Leather Lacing or Strong Twine

*7-9 Large Wooden Beads (Ours are 3/4″)

*Scissors

*Drill

*2 Large Buttons Optional (We used these at the top of our tent to button fabric around poles)

*Sewing Machine Optional (We hemmed our edges, but the above pattern is all done with grommets)

1. Follow pattern and cut as shown here at Sew Mama Sew.  Adjust length – longer if you plan to hem fabric as we did, or shorter for shorter poles.

2. I added two button holes and ties at the top of our teepee to tie around the poles.  (Sew Mama Sew uses smaller bamboo poles and plastic rings to attach fabric to poles).  Ties made from our fabric scraps are stitched inside our tent secure the fabric to poles.  We can adjust our ties to have the tent stay open or closed.  I like having ties rather than fixing fabric permanently to the poles for ease of washing.

3. Drill 1/4″ holes 4″ down from the top through each broom handle.  Attach rubber stoppers to the bottom of each pole.

4. Thread lacing through bead, pole, bead, pole until all poles are used.  There should be one bead between each pole as shown.  These will help keep poles in place when the tent is set up.  Pull the the lacing to pick up slack and tie knot.  We added beads at the bottom of each tie for decoration.

5. Spread the tent poles out, fanning out with even space between each one.

6. Drape fabric over poles, secure ties and buttons if you have them.

7. Break out the s’mores!

*Acorn Toys in Brooklyn has a beautiful version here if you prefer buy to DIY*

Renegade Booth Inspiration

26 Tuesday Jun 2012

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Thank you to all of you who stopped by our booth this past weekend!  (This post was meant to go out yesterday, but a lightning storm left us technology-free for the day).  Marissa, Marla and I had a nice break from the kids and got to meet some new faces at Renegade.  Here are some Instagrams from our booth:

*Letterpress business cards, printed by Woodside Press.  I love this place.  They are located in a cool old warehouse building in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and their space is full of huge old presses and pretty amazing views of the city.  I water-colored the card edges after they came off the press.

*Our table set up.  We used Instagrams of the girls modeling product and then had stickers made by Art Flakes.  The blocks were cut from a long board and stickers applied.  They stood up well to the bright sun and were a big hit with the crowd.

*My crowns on shelves made by Chris.  I am setting up an Etsy store soon, but feel free to email me if you are interested in purchasing.

*Laser cut sign.  Similar work can be gotten here.

*Marissa’s beautiful Soor Ploom clothes.  Purchases may be made on her site.

*Table Top.

*Table Top.

*Tassels that blew in the wind on the front of our booth.

Come visit us at the Renegade Craft Fair!

22 Friday Jun 2012

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We are excited to be part of this year’s
 Renegade Craft Fair!  The fair is this weekend – Saturday and Sunday, June 23rd and 24th, in Williamsburg’s East River Park, directly adjacent to the Smorgasburg and Brooklyn Flea. We will be there from 11 AM until 7 PM, near the entrance at booth No. 12. We hope to see you!

Soor Ploom:
Our clothing is for babies and toddlers, ranging from 6 months to 4 years. Each of our fabrics are hand-selected for quality and style. They include soft linens, fine cottons, and unique blends with silk. Made in Brooklyn, the quality and construction of the clothing is impeccable, and methods of manufacturing are sustainable. The collection is classic and simple, basic but not ordinary.

Jeanne Rondeau:
Jeanne Rondeau’s headband crowns are made by hand in Brooklyn and incorporate vintage fabrics, beads, sequins and feathers. They are special enough for a wedding or party and comfortable enough for everyday play. Each piece carefully crafted and one of a kind.  The crowns make a beautiful addition to a child’s costume collection and also come in adult sizes.

Magic Bubble Bear

21 Thursday Jun 2012

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I had a Magic Bubble Bear when I was a kid.  I remember running around the yard with my sisters while trying to blow as many bubbles as we could and not hyperventilate.  We had a blue, yellow and red version.  The Magic Bears are perfect for kids who don’t like sticky bubble fingers and can’t quite hold a wand at the right angle.  The wand pops up from the bear’s head when his tummy is gently squeezed.  Pustefix makes the best bubble solution and their iconic packaging still carries the 1940’s trademark bear.  I had forgotten all about them until I found this one at Pomme, one of our favorite shops in Dumbo.  At under $10, Magic Bubble Bears make great favors at a child’s birthday party.  Hooray for bubble weather!

DIY Beach Chair Refresh

11 Monday Jun 2012

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Chris found this sturdy wooden chair frame at a yard sale before we had children.  The seat and back needed to be remade and I have been promising a summer-ready chair for four years now.  Thanks to some baby sitting from my Super-Star Mother-in-Law the chair is finished!  The work took less than two hours to complete and only basic sewing skills.  To recover a similar chair you will need:

*Chair Frame.  (Stoop sales and flea markets are good sources and frames are usually cheap if the cloth is in rough shape).

*1-2 Yards Outdoor Fabric.  (We used some from Jo-ann Fabric).

*Heavy Nylon Thread.

*Scissors or pinking shears.

*Heavy Needle for hand-sewing.

*Sewing Machine.

1. Strip off damaged fabric, remove any staples or tacks and refinish chair frame if desired.  We didn’t need to refinish ours, but did have a lot of staples to pry out.  A flat screwdriver works well for this.

2. Measure chair and cut fabric to fit.  Every chair design will be slightly different.  For my chair I was able to slide the back fabric on, but had to hand-stitch the seat fabric in place.  Make sure you look carefully at your frame before stitching a loop closed!

3. Using the sewing machine, stitch fabric for the back into a tube shape.  I also stitched vertical seams along the back of the chair, leaving space for the wooden bars to be inserted.  This keeps the back in place nicely, but is not crucial.

4. For the seat I folded two layers of fabric for extra strength and then made a loop.  Since my seat bars weren’t open like the back, I first hemmed my edges and then used a needle and thread to sew the seat loop in place.  After stitching it is easy to rotate the loop under the chair and hide the seam.

*We found a similar chair last week at a stoop sale for me.  It was only $8 and came from the seller’s grandpa.  We are on the hunt for some cute kids chair frames, and looking forward to some lemonade and lounging in the back yard!

Tape Fort DIY

07 Thursday Jun 2012

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The weather has been tricky here the last few weeks.  The skies start blue and quickly turn to dark thunder clouds on our way out the door.  Ada got crafty on the box from our grill while she was stuck inside.  She used six rolls of tape and then kept going.  We had a bunch of the Kid Made Modern Todd Oldham tape and the $6.99 price tag was totally worth the two hours she spent constructing the fort.  Not a Box by Antoinette Portis is one of our favorite books, and great inspiration for box imaginings.  To make a tape fort of their own, your kids will need:

*Cardboard Box.  A large one for a kid-size fort, or smaller box for a stuffed animal lair.

*Paper Tape.  We used the Target tape, but colorful painter’s or washi tape also work well.  Just be sure kids can tear it by hand and they won’t need scissors.

*Glitter, Paint, Markers, Clips, Cardboard Tubes, Crayons, etc. for decorating.

1. Help open one side of the box so the child can sit inside.

2. Hand over the tape and stand back.

Rainy day saved!

Legos Are For Girls

31 Thursday May 2012

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Ada loves these and can play with them for hours.  The bright primary colors make the best little sculptures and it is amazing how creative kids can be with simple toys.  I love to overhear the elaborate stories she narrates as she plays.

Color Jars

30 Wednesday May 2012

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We found these jars at the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst Massachusetts.  The Art Studio there had some great interactive projects for the kids and lots of inspiring ideas.  (We had more fun in the library and studio than the actual exhibits).   The gift shop is a wonderful and dangerous place packed with all the best children’s authors.  I love this use of jars to organize craft materials by color.  The blues are all recycled container tops waiting for kids to make into art and the browns are seeds and bark.  Ada is constantly bringing home treasures and this is a great way to organize them.  The jars look so pretty lined up on a shelf.  I love that a simple bit of organization can turn trash into beauty.