Fun Friday Finds!

It's been a while since I've posted some Fun Friday Finds! Here are a few for this week!

I love this open/closed necklace!  As a mom who also freelances from home, the lines are so easily blurred between work and family time.   This would be a great way to make it clear what mode I'm in no matter where I am!  ($60, on sale now for $39.99 at Uncommon Goods)

I finally got a case for my iPhone last week, as I was horrified to notice my first tiny chip in the glass on the edge.  I've been saving this one on my Amazon wish list and got it...you can put Legos on the back! I plan to have fun customizing mine for holidays and seasons, but for now I just have a few primary colored pieces stuck to mine.  You can get them in black, clear, and white:

This cupcake bike bell is so yummy!  It would be perfection on my baby blue Electra Townie bike!!  I found it on Pinterest, and the post of course led me on a wild goose chase of broken links and out of stock products.  But, I ended up finding it here on Amazon!

This is another Pinterest find...a fabulous blog post with a full education on blue jeans that will help you avoid the dreaded "long Mom butt!!"

And last but not least...I don't know about you but I've grown tired of digging through my cabinets trying to find a packet of taco seasoning, only to find that I'm out, and then having to go waste more money on a teeny packet of powder.  So, I tried this recipe to make my own big batch of taco seasoning that I now keep in a jar and always have on hand! Buy the spices individually in bulk at Whole Foods and save a TON TON TON of money! Next up, I'm going to try a few onion soup mix recipies...stay tuned!

 Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

Fish Bowl Roundup!

Maybe it's because I painted a goldfish bowl on my 2nd cousin's cute "baby bump" last week, but lately I've been noticing some really cool fish bowls out there.  Doesn't every kid have a pet goldfish at some point?  Or a beta?  I know I had plenty of both when I was little, and even got into saltwater fish in college.  But, there's no reason you can't let your kids learn the responsibility of pets and still enhance your home!  With these bowls your fish can double as cool modern decor.

Check out this wall mounted fish bowl.  Wish I had seen this back when I used to have a fish themed bathroom!

This bowl is shaped like a fish...I'd have to name my fish Jonah if he lived in this bowl:

 These fish bowl bookends would hold up your copy of Moby Dick nicely (or more realistically in my house, "One Fish Two Fish"):

I'm sure I've already posted this one before, but had to include it in this post...the Umbra Fish Hotel!!

This FishScape glass fish bowl is super awesome, and while I'm certain that never in my lifetime will I spend $190 on a fish bowl, it's fun to imagine.  (This one of course would not be handled by the kids!)

Looking for a more thrifty way to house a fishy?  Check out the aisles of your local thrift store, and think "outside the bowl" a bit.  How about a clear glass pitcher?  Or some other cool glassware on a stem?  Chances are you'll find plenty of ideas at the thrift store, and if not, I almost always find standard fish bowls, tanks, and aquariums there!

Okay now, I just need my 3 year old to start asking for a fish so I have an excuse!!

Fun Friday Finds

Time for some fun Friday finds!  Here are a few things that caught my eye this week...

Feel like the domestic ninja you are with this cool Gama-go Karate Lettuce chopper! (via Core77)

This is a good gift idea for the office worker (or origamically challenged people) in your life! Just tear out, wad up, and you're good to go!

I love this art history twist on an old puzzle concept...the Mona Lisa puzzle! This isn't as simple as it looks...each image is actually a reflection of it's neighboring piece, so the images change on each square depending where you slide them.

Fun Friday Finds

Wow, it's been a while since I've done this, hasn't it?!  This tells me I need to slow down and spend a little more "me" time exposing myself to cool, inspirational stuff, which is how I come across my Fun Friday Finds.  So, here are a few for this week!

One of my designer friends who always has her finger on the pulse of the design world recently shared this cool product on Facebook...a vertical, self-watering garden.  Wouldn't it make a cool room divider?

Here's a kid related product design...Cap-Sack Kids! Sortof a fanny pack for your head, although these have replaced the function of making your butt look big with the much more useful function of keeping the sun out of your eyes. (Via Cool Hunting)

Well now, these little sushi memo pads are just cute, aren't they? (without the threat of salmonella of course) (via Josh Spear)

Love these 1950's style ads for 21st century technology created by agency "Moma São Paulo." (via ReubenMiller)

That's all for this week folks...have yourselves a wonderful weekend!!

Fun Friday Finds

I know, it's been forever since I've posted any Fun Friday Finds!  But, now that we're settled into our new home (which we plan to purchase as soon as our other home sells), and I finally have my laptop all set up where the kids play, I can get back to blogging more regularly!!  So, here are a few fun things to end your week...

DIY Window Clings
"Smashed Peas & Carrots" is always FULL of fantastic ideas.  This looks like such a fund and simple idea to make window clings for Valentine's day.  I know Valentine's is over, but you could so easily do this for any holiday.  We may have to try this for Easter!

Flower Building Toy
"Made by Joel" is another major favorite of mine on my blog reading list.  This is just such an adorable idea I had to re-post it!

Bright Times Votives by Studio Tord Boontje 
I just came across these really cool looking votive holders in a Real Simple magazine.  They remind me of the intricate work of 3D paper artists that I love to admire, but are made from metal.  I can only imagine what cool patterns the shadows cast on the wall when there is a lit candle inside!

1 Two 3 Playhouse by Chicco

This is what I call one of those "why didn't I think of that" product designs. The new "1 two 3 Playhouse" from Chicco hangs flat on the wall when not in use, and pops out into a 57" x 30" play house.  What a cool idea!  The house hangs from a bracket on the wall with cloud shaped hooks, and closes up with velcro. 

I could definitely see a series of these...you could make a whole little town along a wall in your play room!  Of course, looking at this just makes me want to MAKE one myself.  I'll just have to add it to my ever-growing list of projects for down the road...

Fun Friday Finds

Woah, where has this week gone?!?  I just realized I haven't posted since last Friday.  Shame on me!  Well, in my defense, I've been a little busy nursing a cold, coming to grips with the fact that our house is coming OFF the market, and moving BACK into the house I'm already in.  Wow, un-packing is so much less fun when without the new home part. But, anyway, I'm finally back, and here are a few fun things I've come across this week to share!

Just had to share this iPhone accessory that I came across today at PerpetualKid.com.  Love it!  Who'd have thought something as simple, primitive, and as far removed from the Apple brand as a plunger would work so well as an iPhone stand! ;-)  (Set it in your daughter's doll house bathroom when not in use!)

From miniature plungers to baby toys...that's how we roll. Hey, they are all products, which gives you an idea of the wide range of objects that comes from my Industrial Design profession! Inhabitots recently posted a nice selection of eco-friendly toys for babies.  For more fun toys, check out my favorite toy list for 2010!

I've never seen one of these but I thought this was a fun idea...a dinner roll holder! You can find a tutorial on Gingercake, here.  Just in time for Thanksgiving!  I recently stumbled across Gingercake and there are so many awesome projects on there that I just can't look through it TOO long or even I can get a creativity overload...it's great!!

Okay, well, I've had less time to web surf this week so I only have a few items for you today.  But, if you have the time, explore farther into Inhabitots and Gingercake and you'll find so many cool things!!  Have a great weekend everyone!!

Fun Friday Finds

It's been a while since I've done some Fun Friday Finds!  Sheesh, it's about time!

Speaking of time, I love this "eye clock."  The eyeball on the left looks in the direction of the hour, while the one on the right the minute. I originally saw it in Uncommon Goods ($35) but also found on Amazon for $19.99.

These stencils look like tons of fun...you can make faces by choosing your own combination of heads, hair, eyes, hats, etc!

This cute wooden tree house toy is expensive but I've always been willing to splurge on nice, quality wood toys! I would have loved to play with this as a kid...I was so fascinated by the Swiss Family Robinson in their awesome tree house!!

I love these super sweet hats (and booties!), perfect for Halloween!

ID Mommy's Favorite Toy List for 2010

A couple years ago I posted my list of favorite toys on my Junk Mail Gems blog, and now that I look back on it, I realize my 2 year old has most of the items on the list!  I have a few more new finds this year to share. With one child's birthday the day after Christmas and the other's in January, I tend to start my shopping very early to spread out the expense!  It's not often that I buy expensive toys for my boys, because we do so much garage saleing and thrifting throughout the year. But, when Christmas and birthdays come around, that's where I prefer to splurge and buy good, quality toys that I know are going to be around for years to come.

Here are a few toys on my list so far for this year! I'm using a lot of Amazon linked images here so hopefully they work...if not I've tried to include links to the original manufacturer's websites as well.

The constraints of gravity go out the window for your little architect with these little blocks from Tegu which have magnets hidden inside.

HaPe International has some really neat vehicles, made out of bamboo.  I just love how the shape of the bamboo is still present, yet they look like really cool, modern designs.  I already bought a couple of these for my youngest and am stashing them away for a few months until his birthday!

 

HaPe also has some really cool doll houses with adorable furniture sets:



Their other brand, WoodyClick, has more really cute construction sets and other wooden vehicles:

I'm such a sucker for wooden toys!! I snatch them up whenever I see them at garage sales.

I've mentioned Sprig toys in my previous list.  They have a really cute dolphin adventure playset now with a little boat.



These "Scanimation" books by Rufus Butler Seder are very cool.  We have the "Gallop" one and there are many more out there now.  The animals move when you turn the pages.  Here is a YouTube video, since it really can't be described without a visual.


If plush toys are your thing, these Ze Super Zeros toys are super adorable, quirky, and creative!




MiYim also makes some really sweet little organic soft toys, teethers, and blankies perfect for babies on your shopping list.



Puzzles are a hit in our house.  I like the idea behind these layered puzzles, where you actually stack the pieces on top of each other.  Learn what's inside your body, how a tadpole grows to be a frog, or even how a baby grows in it's mother's tummy!


Mindware is one of my favorite toy sites/catalogs to browse. There are a ton of cool toys there that will be more appropriate for my boys when they are a little older.  But, these puzzles caught my eye too, as being another twist on your average puzzle, in that they can be assembled in multiple ways, leaving some room for your child's own creativity.  There is a bug and a robot, which is convenient for me, being that we have a kid with a bug themed bedroom and a kid with a space/robot bedroom!

Can you tell I have a thing for wood toys? I think it may be the industrial designer in me who just can't get enough of toys that embrace raw materials.  I just find them refreshing in today's sea of roto-molded plastic toys that seem to get bigger and of of less quality as time passes! That's it so far for my list, but I'm sure I'll come across more fun toys between now and Christmas that I'll be sure to share.   In the meantime, let me know if you have any of these, if you like them, or if you have any other cool favorites!