Safari Mobile

Pottery Barn Kids has this laser-cut wood safari mobile on sale for $20.

Postage Stamp Art

Isn't this postage stamp art pretty? You just enlarge postage stamps against a black background using a color copier. This idea is from the December 2007 issue of Canadian House & Home.

Stuffed Penguin

You're great, you little dotty stuffed penguin, $40 from etsy seller littlebigpants. (via Home Canary)

Motor Print

I love this Motor Comptoir print for either a girl's or boy's room. It is pink yet masculine, masculine yet pink. Designed by Otto Baumberger, it is available in several sizes at AllPosters.com.

Gigi's Bedroom

I really love this bedroom belonging to a little girl, Gigi, designed by her parents and featured in the July/August 2008 Elle Decor. Even the dot art was made by Gigi's sister. It looks like you could recreate the art by tracing a coin with markers and filling in the circles.

Lace Doily Clock

Artist Marian Bantjes created this lace doily clock for a onetime auction project. I think it is so charming, a nice blend of antique and modern. It would make a sweet project for a nursery. It looks like she starched and cut some embroidered fabric and stuck it onto clock parts. Love it. (via Apartment Therapy)

Student Desk

I can still remember my first grade student desk with a lifting lid like this one for $130 from Modern School Supplies. Creak. And all the little pencils and supplies all lined up inside. And milk money. School is fun.

Baby Profile Sculpture

Yes, I know these pirolettes are useless hunks of wood, but I can't stop thinking about them. For $150, Turn Your Head will craft a custom wooden sculpture capturing Cute Baby's profile forever.

Rocking Horse

This wooden rocking horse is recreated from an old design, yet looks wonderful in any modern space. Your choice of black or cream is 296 euros at Hase Weiss.

Felt Italian Dinner

There is nothing cuter than toy food, and crafter Hillary Seabolt has stitched us up a nice felt Italian dinner, $36 at Mahar Drygoods.

Fort Bed

What a crazy fun fort bed at Kindermöbel de Breuyn! But if the shipping from Germany is prohibitive, maybe you can build something like this yourself. Just don't forget the pulley system for hoisting teddy bears.

Bunny Sleep Sack

Look at these flopsy bunnies floating around on this adorable sleep sack, 79 euros at Petit Fripon.

Bear in a Cloud Doudou

Part of the Naturel collection from Kaloo, this cloud security blanket or doudou is made from 100% organic cotton and is $28.99 at Petit Baby.

Flat Pack Dollhouse

Swiss company momoll makes this beautiful wooden Ray Ray dollhouse (about $260), which can be packed flat for storage. This is a good idea. I know because I have a giant wooden dollhouse hogging up my closet, waiting for Bootboot to grow into the not-eating-dollhouse phase.

Elephant Wall Hook

Hello, elephant. Will you please hold my little purse? This elephant wall hook is $32 at giggle.

Handmade Log Truck

So, so simple, and so, so beautiful--if those are words that can be used to describe a truck. This particular log truck is handmade in Maine by artist Frank Ridley and is $49 at Greenjeans.

Chickens Paper Machine

A few dabs of glue is all you need to animate the pecking chickens on this paper machine designed by Rob Ives, only $8.95 at Brooklyn 5 & 10.

Solar Powered Windmill

Put a little science in their play with this wooden solar powered windmill, $35 at Estella.

Photo Coloring Pages

Fototiller has a tutorial for using Photoshop to create coloring book pages from your own photos. So fun!

Helicopter Blanket

Yes, this IS the ultimate in baby blankets. It's a cashmere and silk helicopter blanket by DwellStudio for $120 at giggle.

Sandwich Art

Lunch is served. Just today, I had to get creative to get some food into Sugarlump. For the past few days, she has been mopey without much appetite, but if I just float a little food in milk, the ensuing chase with the spoon is too much fun for her to resist. Maybe that is the same inspiration behind this sandwich art. Check out the other fantastic creations at JibJab.

Kids' Art as Art

Korean artist Yeondoo Jung takes kids' drawings and recreates them into amazing photographs in his Wonderland series. What a neat way to take a peak into the mind of child. And it would be really fun to try this at home! (via How about orange)

Puppy Wood Postcard

Hi, you sweet little doggy. This wooden puppy postcard from Night Owl Paper Goods is only $5.50. You can keep him as a mini work of art or send him off to invite the kiddies to your birthday party. (via coochicoos)

Animal Parade Print

How adorable is this animal parade print by artist Krista Stout? It is just too cute, and I love it. Best of all, it is only $12 at Quiet Hours Toys. I think it would be really sweet as a wall mural too.

Tissue Paper Art

I was just looking through a slideshow on parents.com and saw this colorful tissue paper art. I like it!

Baby Brush

My Sweet Shaggy's hair looks ridonculous. For the last month, the plastic brush they gave her in the hospital when she was born has gone missing. I keep hoping it will turn up, but I fear the brush has left the building, probably thrown into the garbage bin by tiny hands. (Maybe my credit card went there too. I tried giving Baby another credit card to hide, and she put it in the slot in my laptop--but no, the other credit card wasn't there.) It might be time to buy a new brush, and this natural brush and comb set for $15.95 from EcoChoices looks nice. (But I don't think the boar missing his bristles thinks it is all that eco friendly.)

Treehouse Bunk Bed

This white bunk bed from Dutch site Kidsfactory looks fun and relatively safe. I don't read Dutch, but I do read that this is 799 euros. Or building it yourself could be fun.

Butterfly Rug

I don't know if these rugs would pass the in-person inspection test for texture and scent, but there is something fun about a six-foot butterfly landing on the floor.

Found Notes

FOUND Magazine is an online collection of little notes and interesting tidbits found on the street. I think this hangman note is really sweet--sweet enough for framing. The phrase has just about every letter in it, so the person guessing didn't suffer any mistakes. The generosity of true love!

Smiling Shoes

These Mini Frog shoes are leather and on sale for only $12.45 at Vincent. Smiley Happy Feet needs smiles on her feet.

Spinning Child Photo

Check phitar's Flickr photostream to see how to take spinning photos of your Giggle Bunny. And for what has to be the most beautifully photographed childhood, see the photos of his daughter, Isoline. (via Ohdeedoh)

Cuddly Rabbit

Look at these sweet cuddly rabbits just snoozing away, and all is right with the world. For an extra snuggle-y snuggle, they have inserts stuffed with cherry stones or spelt that can be warmed up.

Koi Pond Rug

Wouldn't it be fun to have your own little koi pond in your room? Perfect for rescuing teddy bears. This rug from Emma Gardner Design is knotted Chinese silk and probably very expensive. Cute though.

Marble Tree Toy

Sorry, Fruitfruit. You are not three yet, so you can't have this plinkety plunkety musical marble tower. It is $56 at The Wooden Wagon, and it looks wonderful.

Bug Cupcakes

Oh, Martha, you make even insects look delicious. I don't even like frosting, and I want to make these bug cupcakes.

Stroller Shade

Of course Neiman Marcus has a $1200.00 stroller. Of course. It is exclusive. It is special in some way that I don't understand. But this Bugaboo Bee Sun Shade is even cooler, and it is only $25 (and fits on the less expensive models).

Koi Fish Shirt

Hello, googly-eyed fish! This cotton koi T-shirt is too cute and only $17.95 at Little Buddha Baby.

Tree Threading Toy

I guess I forgot to order this a long time ago when I thought I ordered it. This wooden tree threading toy by Beleduc looks like too much fun to resist. I just hope Tooter is done with her wrapping-things-around-the-neck phase. The tree is made of wood with non-toxic finishes and is $29.99 at Oompa.

Superhero Beach Cape

Have some fun in the sun and keep Tiny Shoulders free from sunburns with BoBo Brooklyn's superhero beach cape, $45 at Pure Boy Clothes.

Bacon Bandages

Sweet Baby managed to make it almost two years without needing a boo-boo bandaged, but yesterday we had an incident with a thumb and a pencil sharpener. Ow. It was a blood bath, and though it didn't seem to hurt her and she didn't cry, it took awhile for me to come down from the adrenaline. These bacon bandages crack me up.

Striped Sweater

Blabla, the maker of those cute knitted backpacks and mobiles, has now enchanted me with this sweet blue and white striped cloud cardigan sweater, $58. They also have really fun dolls with balls on their heads. All their products are knitted by fair trade artisans in Peru.

Handmade Girl Pillow Cover

Oh, Etsy, I love you. Where else could I find such a cuckoo pillow cover? Melbourne artist AuntyCookie screen prints the fabric and sews the cushions herself. These pigtailed girls are so interesting to look at. Take them home for $35.

Linen Photo Album

All those photos of Delicious Baby don't want to be trapped in your computer or suffocated in plastic photo albums. They want to be nestled in a gorgeous linen photo album from Aspinal of London. This one is 10 x 12 inches and is on sale for $61.20.

Birthday Tent

Summer also means time in the backyard and, for us, a Birthday Baby. For her party, I think I might try to create this tent from Domino magazine's photo gallery of outdoor rooms. Yes, it will require a bit of expense and sewing effort, but we could keep it around for a yearly birthday tradition and occasional princess fort. For $50, Ace Hardware has this pop-up canopy, which looks like a good starting point.

Blue Swimsuit

It is almost water weather, and it is time to get Baby Bootie ready for splashing outdoors. It was so hard to find a baby swimsuit that wasn't sexy or cartoonish, but my search is over. This simple blue ruffle suit from J. Crew is perfect, $34.50 in sizes 2-10. Now to find an adult swimsuit that hides a post-baby belly....

Genealogy

I've been on a mini blogging break while I've been absorbed in a few projects at home. One of those projects has been a dive into my family tree. My great-grandmother, Fannie, was a genealogist, and about ten years ago, I computerized all her old family charts. And just since the last decade, so much new information is available. Ancestry.com takes your family tree and automatically links up individuals with records that match. I was even able to see this census document of my ancestor Dorothea Nierath, born in Fahren, Germany, in 1842. Minutes of searching yielded amazing results: my father's name on a passenger list of a flight from Amsterdam to New York in 1956, when he was a college kid coming back from Paris. And now those minutes of research have turned into addictive hours. Family Tree Maker version 16 is the software to buy (I've heard that the newer version is less reliable), and mine came with a free 6-month subscription to the vast archives of ancestry.com.