What a great puzzle for spring featuring six different types of leaves – Oak, Beech, Ivy, Dogwood, Maple and Cottonwood -and beneath each piece is the name of the leaf. Handmade from birch, sanded smooth by hand, with wood-burned details and leaves painted with nontoxic watercolor paints. Completely beautiful and made to order from Just Hatched.

Winning Sun-Faded Denim Anorak and mushroom pop graphic tee

 One-Piece Denim Flight Suit

If you are into clothes for the kids that are a rhapsody in simplicity and quality, then ESP No.1 is for you! This New York based and completely US made company’s collection for Spring/Summer is as usual, unisex and versatile with a combination of rich textural knits and sophisticated hues of denim featuring sailor stripes and skinny jeans. Check out their online shop and Stockists page for more info.

Simple white jeans and cactus pop graphic tee

All kinds of stripes and Roll-Up Beach Shorts

Mint Skinny Jeans and Cotton Knit Cardigan

Chair in Situ II, 2011

A Bedtime Story, 2011

Our latest in our Angle On Artists series is Paul Harmon, internationally exhibited artist and old friend of mine. As I mentioned in this post, we met in Paris when we were both living there – I was very drawn to his colorful and original stenciled style. Paul has a career spanning many decades and is so prolific, it was hard to narrow down the paintings for this post. So, I decided to show a couple recent ones (above) and  a Tribute to Paris (below) and some of his lovely painted boxes.

Some info on Paul: In 1994, Paul had a major exhibition of his work at the invitation of Caen, France. Curated by Galerie Déprez-Bellorget of Paris, this one-man exhibition was the official art show of the D-Day 50th anniversary remembrances. He is also the recipient of many major international painting awards including the Prix de la Ville de Monaco and his painting Walking Man, from this exhibition/competition was chosen by Her Serene Highness, Princess Caroline of Monaco for her private collection. His work is featured in the Elmore Leonard Showtime movie “Pronto,” directed by Jim McBride, and starring Peter Falk, Glenne Headly, and James LeGros.

Collections include the Tennessee State Museum, the Tampa Museum of Art, the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, the Museum of the Principality of Monaco, and the city of Caen, France. He was chosen in 1981 to represent the U.S. in the Bienal de Arte, Medellin, Colombia, SA.

He also has come out recently with a beautifully curated book of his paintings from 1961 to present – see below.

Atget Paris, 1990

Le Jardin du Luxembourg III, 1990

Nature Morte aux Fleurs, 1990

Crossing Borders – a comprehensive survey of 526 selected paintings – available here

I am so enchanted by the promise of this unique event that is coming up in the Delamere Forest in Cheshire, UK on May 19th and 20th. I would so love to attend with the girls. The Spellbound Forest event will twist paths through the forest telling English Fairy Tales such as Tattercoats, The Earl Mar’s Daughter, The Magpie’s Nest and others through theatrical performance, music, visual arts and dance. For those of you who are lucky enough to be around for this, Delamere Forest is about 3.5 hours drive north of London and not too far from Liverpool and Manchester. There is train service from many different cities. Below are some beautiful images of Delamere Forest – also check out the website for more details on the event.

Via

Happy Mother’s Day to all the lovely Mamas! I hope that today is a wonderful day filled with appreciation and love. Here are some lovely Mother’s Day arrangements that I thought you would enjoy. As you can see, I have a thing for flowers in cages at the moment.

xoxo, jeanne

Here is a bouquet I arranged myself (see full story here).

Via

I just came across this great online shop that sells gently worn designer clothes for kids. Elegant Elephant carries carefully selected items from some of my fave brands like: Catimini, Oilily, Jottum, Baby Dior, Kenzo and others. They also carry certain decor items and some new items. So, if you are looking for especially European labels that were previously loved, this place could be the ticket! I’ve selected a few things from their ever changing selection. Take a look in their shop here for more!

Livie & Luca Celestina Gold Shimmer Sandals

3 Pommes ensemble

Ikks boys outfit

Catimini Green Floral Dress

Wow to these one-of-a-kind wallpaper covered pieces of furniture by Cornwall artist, Bryonie Porter. I especially love the ABC-number chest. She also does furniture for non-kids, either on commission or at her stockists.

I just discovered this great new label from Uruguay called Trommpo at the last Playtime NY (see my picks here). It’s rare to see such masterful and fun cuts and love the bright colors mixed with neutrals. They also do amazing and colorful knits. Collection available in their online store.

I am always drawn to the freshness and innovation of Scandinavian design and these playgrounds are no exception. In fact, they are awesome. Two Copenhagen based designers, Ole B. Nielsen and Christian Jensen, of MONSTRUM, are revolutionizing playground design with the simple belief that playgrounds should reflect the world around us – a place full of color and excitement. So why would one restrict kids to the same old sandbox or swing when they can frolic on the crater of the moon, go exploring under the seas in a submarine or ride on an enormous snail, ant or rocket. The duo began their careers in theatrical set-designs and they strive to create structures that are so visually stimulating that kids are involuntarily drawn to them. I think they are succeeding.

This is so cool! A waffle iron that makes mini furniture. This “Furniture Tasting” project by Japanese/Portuguese duo Ryosuke Fukusada and Rui Pereira of Sapore Dei Mobili was inspired by the idea that the contemporary furniture industry is feeding us so much that it’s nearly impossible to “digest” it all. I love furniture and decor, and I agree that a lot of it looks good enough to eat. Well, now that’s possible.

What a great, light-filled nursery for lucky baby Gabriel, by New York designers, SISSY + MARLEY. Not only do they design lovely rooms, but they are a boutique baby planner and concierge service and offer everything from party planning to photography to personalized gift shopping. Wish I had thought of using a service like this…

Check out the full spread on Design Sponge.

Baby Elephant Walk wallpaper by Jill Malek. The artwork was custom made and hand embroidered by SISSY+MARLEY using Belgian linen and silk thread. Both the crib and changer are by Oeuf.

Custom ABC artwork by SISSY+MARLEY.

The white leather rocker is by Monte Design.

What sweet styles in cool cotton (above) from the Fournier Spring/Summer 2012 collection. And here is the very first sneak peek (below) of their coming Autumn/Winter 2012 season. All of these gorgeous pieces are hand knit in baby alpaca or alpaca/bamboo blend in sizes 3 months – 6 years. And the big news is they have also launched an adorable collection of toys and pillows -I am showing you just a few! Anabel Fournier started the label as a poverty alleviation project while living in Bolivia. They now have 80 women knitters that make all the pieces-they work directly with each artisan instead of using cooperatives to ensure that each person has a fair wage and is trained directly. Anabel also has a lovely blog “and so I whisper” in which she shares some of her process and other beautiful photos. All items available in their online shop.

Here are some sweet vintage furniture for kids finds for the day! I am particularly enthralled by this vintage German contraption designed by Hans Brockhage and Erwin Andra in the 1950s-the “Schaukelwagen” can be flipped one way to use as a child-sized play car or tilted upside-down to become a rocking chair.

Nifty, bunk bed, desk and storage piece by Luigi Colani, 1975. From Quittenbaum

Adorable crib at Pierre Bergé & Associés auction house

I have a thing for amazing cookies (see here). And these DIY Pinata Cookies for the Cinco de Mayo…or anytime actually look just out of this world. These multi-striped, burro piñata sugar cookies have hollow centers that you can fill with your favorite candies. The full recipe and detailed tutorial are available at She­Knows. If you attempt these, please do send me a photo – I would love to see how they come out!

Via

I ♥  this original table from stunning Italian design workshop, Studio Klass. The design with half-circle and the nifty slots for plates and cutlery in the middle of the table is such a fantastic idea. It is also modular so can be separated into lone chairs with their own little tables. Check out their website to see their other amazing products.

Artwork painted especially for Molly-Meg by American artist Trish Grantham.Watercolor and Acrylic on Webster’s Dictionary pages from 1935.

What a fabulous design shop for kids this Molly-Meg is! Dedicated to bringing 20th Century Modern design icons to the world of children, they sell a range of modern and vintage furniture, toys and deco items. Here’s my selection of top picks. All available here.

Creative Playthings Children’s red ball rocker

Set of retro stamps by French illustrator Zoé de Las Cases

Giant deer coat rack by Dutch designers Pakuis Oost

Make your own kitchen. A modern design by Zoé de Las Cases inspired by iconic toys from the 1950s. 

The favorite designer of Duchess Kate, Keira Knightly and many others, Jenny Packham, has launched an affordable collection called No.1 Jenny Packham as part of Debenhams’ ever-expanding portfolio of designer collections. No.1 Jenny Packham captures the renowned designer’s softly embellished, ethereal style in a collection of women’s and children’s dresses and accessories. The collection’s four ivory dresses for girls aged one to 12 is the first foray into childrenswear for Jenny and what a beautiful start it is. “I’m hoping some of the Jenny Packham brides will want to buy the girls’ dresses for their bridesmaids.” Jenny says.

Via

This is such a fantastic concept from Australia. We haven’t tried this yet, but am itching to get my hands on it ASAP! Makedo is a connector system that enables materials including cardboard, plastic and fabric to easily join together to form new objects or structures. It makes everything in your home fair game for art. Love that! And when you’re done playing, you can pull it apart to reuse over and over again. Check out the amazing things kids have done with Makedo below – and the video shows you how it’s done. Available here.

I am really digging No Added Sugar’s Spring/Summer 2012 offerings! We already know I’m a big fan of theirs (see here) and my girls own a couple of their pieces actually. I love the very fresh and sweet dresses with the French flair and the other hip styles that are a little bit disco, and of course, the boys are not left behind with NAS – never! Check out the mixed checks below. And what irresistible styles for the babies. Their Look Book this season has particularly daring and ultra-quirky art direction (check it out in its entirety here), my fave being the girl below with an extra joint in her arms. I also happen to adore that jacket that she is wearing. Range available here.

I wish I had known about these super stylish baby bags earlier from chic Australian label, Il Tutto (which means, “everything” in Italian because they hold everything) ! Now, it’s too late for me for the baby bags but they also have lovely handbags and totes without all the diaper changing paraphernalia. Still, I would have loved something chic during those heady, early baby days. Charming designer, Lucie Trinco trained in Australia and Milan and after designing handbags for many luxury labels, she launched Il Tutto and has never looked back, gaining fans worldwide including Cate Blanchett and Naomi Watts. The bags hang on a stroller or can be worn over the shoulder, and feature linings that can be removed for washing, or when you want to use them as a regular handbag as well as all the necessary items for baby care. Check her website for stockists. There is also an inspiring interview with Lucie for all you entrepreneurs out there!

Here is Cate Blanchett holding her Mia Nappy Bag and her precious little bundle!