Above: Penny Saved Tile by Gretchen Kramp

This little piggy saved a penny.
This little piggy saved two.
This little piggy had a coin bank,
This little piggy had a few.
Which is why he cried “Hee! Hee! Hee!” all the way home.

Below: Owl Money Box from Barnvänligt
Matryoshka Coin Banks from gSelect
Lil Buddies Turtle Bank from Elegant Baby
Piggy EnviroBank from Earthology
Piggy Bank by Little Pig Pottery

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again - French based L’Affiche Moderne has some of the most charming art prints for children. This e-shop presents the works of young photographers, graphic designers and children’s illustrators, creating quality digital prints (strictly limited to editions of 300) that can be purchased with or without frames/mounting, printed on mounted canvas or mounted PVC - all ready to be hung on the wall. New to their roster of illustrators is Ingela P Arrhenius whose vintage inspired style I love. Save 15% off all prints through Monday January 18 when you use code 201001. Above: Friends in Tree Below: Friends

Above:
M is for Moose by WeeDoodle

The assignment? To outfit a nursery for Paul Bunyon’s baby. My moose-heavy selection is meant as no offense to Babe the Blue Ox, but when I think woodsy - I think moose.

The word “moose” means “twig eater” in Algonquin, a seemingly small name for such a large animal. They grow a majestic rack of antlers every year, an impressive trait countered only by the unfortunate honking noise they make.

Below:
Ikea’s Moose Coat Rack

Roebuck Studio Stackable Moose Storage Box

Child’s Aidorondack Rocking Chair

Pendleton Merino Crib Blanket

Moose Teether by Little Sapling Toys

Fish River Bull Moose Marionette

I’m crazy for these new Get-Set Placemats by Hello Hanna, with their cute pop-up characters that Junior can customize with the accompanying sticker sheets. Choose from Hello Robot, Hello Me and Hello Jungle. I think these would be brilliant for a birthday party - interactive decorations, what could be better?!

· Each set contains 8 placemats and 8 sticker sheets (4 designs, 2 of each)
· Placemats are printed on heavyweight uncoated paper stock
· Stickers are printed on uncoated resealable sticker stock
· Activity area on placemat backs
· Appropriate for children ages 5+

Day two in my ode to the alphabet brings us home, in search of lovely lettered furnishings. These are some of my favorites.

Styled after vintage movie theater signage, all 26 letters (and some punctuation) are available in Urban Outfitter’s Marquee Alphabet Lights. Love them.

For more than twenty five years Fishs Eddy has been a NYC institution. A treasure trove of diner inspired cafe ware that, as it happens, includes a line of Alphabet dishes - a type lover’s dream. Right now it’s all on sale (mugs are just $5.48 each!)

Inspired by wooden alphabet blocks, Helen Rawlinson designed and handprints the fabric for these cushions in her East London studio (a converted chocolate factory!). She also offers framed panels of the ABC fabric or the fabric alone for your own projects.

Part signage, part wardrobe, these giant rolling letters by Set 26 open to reveal clever storage.

If you’re at all inclined to tackle ‘do it yourself’ projects, take a look at this simple chair makeover. Alphabet stickers and a fresh coat of paint create the look of embossing - subtle and charming. You’ll find the tutorial here (scroll half way down the post).

Finally, as a fun aside, I wanted to share this image of a furniture typeface created by the ad agency The Butler Bros. (via Josh Spear)

Oh friends, the new school year looms large! A more regimented schedule will be a relief for some kids and a challenge for many more. So, I’ve been thinking about little things to make the morning routine a little easier, tolerable…or at least novel for a couple days.

Stepping up to the challenge are a couple of items created by Sevi, the trademark name of Europe’s oldest wooden-toy manufacturer that has been around since 1831. Their line of wood bedroom and bathroom decor called Sunny Farm couldn’t be cuter! (They’re also finished with non-toxic, vegetable -based paints, tested and conform to stringent safety standards.) And a little cute goes a long way in easing Junior into the early hours.

Challenge 1: Waking up.

Solution: Roosters. They’re perched on the Sunny Farm Alarm Clock and poised to crow in a new day.

Challenge 2: Brushing your teeth.

Solution: Again, Roosters. Well, actually a rooster and a dog. The rooster perched on the Sunny Farm Toothbrush Holder & Timer holds a timer in it’s beak - flip it over and brush until all the sand runs through. And the canine? Fido obediently holds your cup in place. Good dog. Perhaps the two of them will encouraging your kiddo to keep the toothbrush in their mouth long enough to do more than transfer a dab of toothpaste.

Challenge 3: Win the aforementioned two items. Woo-hoo!

Solution: Here’s how to do it! The generous folks over at AllChildrensFurniture.com want to give these goodies to one lucky Junior Society member. Go check out their site packed with a huge variety of kids furniture, bedding, toys, decor and nursery essentials and then come back and leave a comment on this post listing a favorite item or two. I’ll accept entries through 11:59 pm PST this coming Wednesday, August 19, 2009. One entry per person and please note that this particular giveaway is limited to members in the US and Canada

Want an extra chance to win?
Use the links at the bottom of this post to mention this giveaway on your Facebook page or tweet about it on Twitter. Or include the following the following little blurb in a post on your blog:

Get your kiddo up and off to school with this swell giveaway hosted by the Junior Society and sponsored by All Children’s Furniture (who carry everything from kids furniture to toys)! Stop by and enter for a chance to win! Hurry, this give-away ends Wednesday, August 19th at midnight PST!

Complete any of the three bonus entry tasks and leave another comment on this post for an extra chance to win!

New from UK based Bless Design, a smartly designed alphabet poster with some unexpected letter associations.

The kid market is awash in vinyl wall graphics and I’ve come across my favorite to date! Our pals over at Threadless, the brilliant t-shirt deign company, have partnered with the good folks at Blik to transform some of their award winning designs from tees to wall art. A wide range of great images and most offered for under $50.

Recently while reading the fabulous blog of JrSoc member Helen Dardik I was introduced the wonderfully whacked art and design of Jaime Hayon. And in perusing her portfolio I found that she had created a line of porcelain figurines for Lladró. Lladró?!

For those those of you not familiar with this name, Lladró is a Spanish company that been around since the 1950s producing an extensive line of figural, table top scale porcelain sculptures. In my former career as an art appraiser I saw far more than my fair share of these pieces cluttering the shelves of Beverly Hills homes and came to think of them as over-priced, overly sentimental knick knacks for the over-indulgent wealthy. Ouch!  Strictly my personal opinion as I know many, many people love these collectibles.

Lladró tends to depict idealized images of family, children and motherhood - which is why I was so amused to see Hayon’s somewhat subversive interpretation of these themes. I love a good make-over.

I received an official warning this week from the powers that be in the kid blogosphere that unless I compiled the obligatory quarterly alphabet poster roundup I would be summarily banned from the club.  Yikes.  Lest I have my membership card revoked, here are some recent additions to the wonderful world of abc’s.

Animals from A to Z by Gennine

The Lucha Library by El Jefe Design

Mon Petit Imagier by Limoon

Animals A - Z by Tara Hogan

Alphabet Poster by Rifle Design

Alphabet Art Print by Letterfest

ABC Work Board by Isak

Djurens ABC by Lotta Bruhn