Habitat Kid

IMAGINE: Rules of the Game

A few nights ago Scott and I snuck out of the apartment for a long overdue date night - this time to go to our first (and last, haha) Yankees baseball game. I am the total opposite of a sports fan, but not ol' Scotty. Basically here is what happened the whole night:

[Crowd cheers]

Me: Yay!! [Claps wildly] Honey, what happened?

Scott: Oh, Ashley! How could you miss that??

Well, I tried didn't I? I guess I owed to him after all of the "artsy things" I've dragged him to over the years. :) Bless his heart.

Happy Weekend, y'all!

via Old Picture

PLAY: Hakone Open-Air Museum

If I was lucky enough to be able to travel to Japan, the Hakone Open-Air Museum would be a must-see for me. They have a vast collection of outdoor sculptures by many different artists and some are interactive, such as this "Bubble Castle." While kids are not allowed to scale the outside of the structure, they are more than welcome to explore the inside, which is a complex maze of translucent tunnels. Seriously, why can't McDonald's think of something cool like this??

Images courtesy of Let Children Play

DISCOVER: Brooklyn Renegade Craft Fair

This past weekend was the Renegade Craft Fair, which is the only craft fair I really go to all year because you can't beat the goods from 300+ vendors. It was a bit staggering trying to get to all of them in the beating heat, but London was a good sport about it and I think we both really enjoyed ourselves. Lots of jewelry this year I noticed, less art than I would have liked, but fun all the same.

I did find a few good kid-friendly vendors and we picked up some nice things. I discovered wooden toy company Noli Noli, who crafts absolutely beautiful works for children and we settled on a sweet penguin. I also found artist Lisa Chow and fell pretty hard for one of her new prints "Couldn't Contain the Colors." I think it will find a new home in the playroom when we move. And lastly, I was thrilled to hit up Coral & Tusk's sample sale and finally got the embroidered piece I have been wanting for forever (just need to find a frame now) and some super cute fabric hankies for $1 each! The only bad part about the trip was me getting a sunburn while we waited for the boat to take us back home. :) Ah, summer.

Photos by Ashley Jensen

ORGANIZE: Animals on Display

Does your family love to play with Schleich toys? You know, those little animal figures that you can collect (and collect, and collect)? We do, and they have a nasty little habit of taking over the house. Each one looks pretty cool and is fantastically detailed, but at the end of the day, plop! In they go to a big ol' bag or bin until someone wants to drag them out tomorrow. So when I saw this display styled by Myrica Bergqvist, I thought, "Aha!" Finally a fun way to show off these little boogers and give them the space they need. Just don't be too disappointed if they don't look this nice and neat come bedtime. :)

SLEEP: Baby Blankets from Pendleton

If you're feeling a bit slow today like I am, maybe these brightly colored blankets will buzz you awake. Designed in Oregon by none other than Pendleton Woolen Mills, the smaller crib size is just perfect for wee bits to enjoy some classic design.

IMAGINE: Seeing the Unseen

This past week one of my favorite children's photographers Melanie Rodriguez sent me over some of her latest work, and they are such a tease! Once again she's done some amazing stuff, this time for kid fashion label Émile et Ida for their AW 2013 collection. These pictures make me want to start printing off photos by the dozen and draw cute little doodles all over them (the illustrations here are done by Lucille Michieli). They remind me how kids have the magical ability to see what adults can't, to hear conversations between their toys, to pretend it's raining/snowing/sunny. What a fleeting gift.

PLAY: Gehry Building Playroom

A few weeks ago a friend invited a group of us over to her apartment building for a playgroup with the kids. She lives in the Gehry Building, which is the tallest residential building in the world (870 feet tall!) and yes, it's designed by the famous Frank Gehry himself. Scott and I took a tour just for fun several months back and were blown away by the amenities provided to residents: indoor pool, gym with fitness classes, teen room, movie room, library, simulated golf course, party/dining room, elementary school on the first five floors, and most importantly a playroom! Sadly our building doesn't have one, and I'm insanely jealous of all of my friends who have access to one. With small apartments and cold winters, it's so nice to have a change of scene without having to brave the weather. The thing I really liked about this playroom was that it had a separate space off to the side for adults, with a regular sized table and chairs so that you could still watch the kiddos but enjoy a grown-up get together at the same time. Somebody was really thinking there.

Photos by Ashley Jensen

LIVE: High as the Heavens

I've been on sort of an astronomy kick lately, for reasons unexplained. I've been searching for just the right constellation poster for the new house, and while I haven't found it, I have come across lots of other fun spacey items that would be awesome for a kid's room. (p.s. The sand sculpture is gone!! I almost cried when I went by today. Like I had created it myself or something. I shake my fist at you, sand movers!)

1. Constellation Wall Hook from Smallable  2. H&M Kids Collection Bedding (available in July) found via The Style Files  3. DIY Constellation Embroideries from Dan, Diana & Oliver  4. Kidsonroof Cardboard Rocket from Alex and Alexa  5. Calligaris Stars Rug from All Modern  6. Tanabata Star Dominoes from Alex and Alexa

ENJOY: Posters by Andrea Kang

There is just something about cut paper art that makes me go a little weak in the knees, so when I saw these super cute posters from Andrea Kang, I was already kneeling on the floor. Every cut looks so perfect and effortless that it's easy to think "Hey I could do that!" when of course I would butcher it in a second. I think these posters would make for some adorable nursery art, with their playful scenes and modern colors. Posters are available for purchase from L'Affiche Moderne.

ENJOY: Sand Sculptures

I apologize for the late post today - I promise I will be back up and running again tomorrow! In the meantime, I hope you will enjoy these pictures of this awesome sand sculpture that was created near where we live. It was commissioned by the South Street Seaport Museum, located in the oldest part of Manhattan. The sculpture was done by "Sandman Matt" of Can You Dig It Sand Tools, and a team of several other sculptors over about a four-day period. I went by earlier today and got some shots of them finishing it up and when I went by again this evening it was finally completed. So incredible, right?? Take a look at some of Matt's other projects (he's available for hire!) and his sand tool kits so you can start building your own on the beach this summer!

Photos by Ashley Jensen