It’s been ages since I last posted an update on the Flickr.com group I administer called Play Food! It’s a photo sharing forum to showcase all manner of handcrafted play foods: crocheted cakes, felted flapjacks, sewn sandwiches and knit noodle kugel. Believe it or not, we’re now more than 500 members strong with around 1,300 images of some of the tastiest crafts you can imagine. Below is a sampling of recent buffet submissions.

1. Cupcake Bliss!!, 2. Pasta sauce, 3. fruit bowl softie, 4. Handsewn Wool Felt Play Food Set, 5. Leche Louie, 6. berryberrycharlottecakeee, 7. Fresh Felt Veggies, 8. Cheeseburger & Fries, 9. more oranges, 10. Pretzel Play Food, 11. Happy Toasts, 12. le carrot, 13. Garlic Bread 3, 14. Chocolate Cake, 15. Clementine season!, 16. Pancakes Ring

Our pals over at Threadless are having one blowout of a sale including all of their kiddie tees for a mere $9. a pop! Select from dozens of styles from their 24/7 design contest winners. The sale runs through the end of the day Wednesday, March 26th (today!) so go stock up on some summer wardrobe basics!

In her most recent JrSoc post our lovely guest blogger and musicology badge guru Amy Trulock introduced us to the phenomenal site Kiddie Records Weekly. Recently I’ve spent a little more time browsing this online audio archive devoted to preserving the golden age of children’s records at at the risk of being redundant I’m compelled to feature it again. The archive was compiled between 2005 and 2007 and showcases 200+ recordings from the mid forties through the early fifties, each of which can be listened to via download or audio stream. Ranging from Bozo at the Circus to Billy on a Bike, there is a wide range of storytelling, music and instructionals (Manners Can Be Fun!) all with the charming patina of age.

“Over the years, these forgotten treasures slipped off the radar and it became our mission to give them a new lease on life by sharing them with today’s generation of online listeners. Each week throughout the year we added a new recording and before we knew it, our one year project turned into three! Although we will not be continuing beyond 2007, Kiddie Records Weekly will remain online and we will update the Bonus Records section every now and then. So whether you are hearing these records for the first time or reuniting with a childhood favorite from long ago, we hope you take great pleasure in your trip down memory lane!”

Honestly though, the reason I wanted to revisit KRW is because they have not only beautifully preserved these audio recordings, they also restored the brilliant album covers. Now for those of you that share my love of vintage children’s illustration, the graphic design and artwork on these covers will make your heart beat just a little bit faster. I have shelves of old storybooks that I glean inspiration from on a regular basis but I’ve never laid eyes these lovelies before. See a selection below and then go grab your kiddo, a couple of juice boxes and visit the site for some retro story-time.

The sun is shining over at my favorite indie online quartley Small with their most recent issue decked out in it’s spring finest. I look forward to each new edition as editors Christine Visneau and Olivia Pintos-Lopez curate stunning independent children’s design with beautifully photographed fashion spreads, book reviews, commissioned artwork and smart selections of clothing, toys and decor in an aesthetically pleasing and eco-friendly (paper-free) way. And subscriptions are free! Sign up here.

My absence from the blogosphere this past week was due in large part to a much anticipated visit from my sister and her family who fled the Wisconsin winter (21 F) for a week of California sunshine (72 F). While I adore my little sister and her husband, my niece (age 2) and nephew (age 5) were the real stars of the show as we traipsed from aquariums to parks to beaches and of course the “happiest place on earth.” (See last photo below.)

I’ve lived in Southern CA for more than 15 years now and have done the theme park thing often enough that I felt no compulsion to race Fast Pass from ride to ride, but instead enjoyed a toddler paced couple of days. There are long lists of pros (kids in mouse ears) and cons (hour long lines to board a Nemo submarine) to the place, but I always get a kick out of that classic 1950’s Disney design sense - and I love when I find homage to this aesthetic in contemporary design. Recently the talented Laura Mameesh and Teri Dimalanta of Kukunest have added a couple new designs to their extraordinary line of modern kid’s bedding, my favorite of which is the Little Friends motif which just screams Mary Blair and Small World. These linens are also an eco-friendly bedding choice, made from 100% oko-tex certified cotton assuring it’s free from major toxic chemicals. AND you can enjoy their uber cuteness without the incessant repetition of that song.

…LMNOP! I am very pleased to introduce you to a new online quarterly kid’s magazine envisioned and realized by Australian mother and editor Jenny Lacey. The magazine had a soft release right before the 2008 winter holidays, but the second issue has just been published and, in my mind, should be heralded with trumpets and fireworks. Featuring a gorgeous product selection, parent profiles, book reviews and holiday spreads LMNOP exhibits, dare I say, some of the design savvy I loved (and now miss) in defunct Martha Stewart Kids. And given that subscriptions are free, there is no excuse for not going directly to the LMNOP site to sign-up and download the current issue.

Hailing from the Ukraine, Siberia, Israel and now residing in Canada, artist and illustrator Helen Dardik creates some of the most joyful and exuberant patterns I’ve seen. Enjoy the eye candy and visit Helen’s site to see more.

By way of Bloesom Kids.

It’s winter at Small and this lovely quarterly is decked out in it’s holiday finest. Editors Christine Visneau and Olivia Pintos-Lopez continue to champion independent children’s design with beautifully photographed fashion spreads, book reviews, commissioned artwork and smartly curated selections of clothing, toys and decor in an aesthetically pleasing and eco-friendly (paper-free) way. And subscriptions are free! Sign up here.

I’m telling you, the goodies over at Fjorn Scandinavian are enough to make me want to move to Denmark…or at least put it on my travel list. They carry a wide range of “beautiful new things from the Old World” but their items for the short set are especially delicious. Danish Christmas Pixies whose pocket covered jumpers create an advent calendar, Danish Queen’s Guards Bowling Set, a pink velvet Christmas Pig, a miniature Princess and the Pea Play Set, woven wool blankets covered in woodland animals, and unbearably cute character rattles…prepare to swoon.