Golf Inspired Toys and Gifts

Who says boys can't play with dolls?  I would let my little guy play with a dollhouse like this by KidKraft. The PGA TOUR Toy Clubhouse is a wonderful option if you are looking for a gender neutral playhouse for your playroom or nursery.  With two levels, three golfers (dolls) and a mini-golf cart, your little future pros will be well versed in the etiquette of the clubhouse by the time they are old enough to hit the links.                                                

Once they are old enough to actually hit the links at age four, this Noonan Mini Golf Game will help your little pro practice putting at home.  An ideal indoor activity for those rainy or snowy days. 

A wonderful and more median priced gift for the golf-loving parent is a box of Trumpette Argyle Socks. Trumpette socks come in a box of six colors and somehow magically stay on babies' feet. The argyle socks are golf inspired yet don't scream "golf" and can be worn with many different outfits.  If you want socks that scream "golfer", then I would purchase their Johnny and Jenny Golf Socks which are made to look like actual golf shoes.

Now if your family is truly obsessed with golf, I would recommend the Little Golfer Infant Halloween Costume for your little one. Boys need to dress up too and what pairs better with a princess than a Master's Champion?  Now I just need to find a mini green jacket...

Baby Jar Burp Cloth Sets

After using and washing many different types of burp cloths over the past few months, I must say that hands down, my favorite are the Baby Jar burp cloth sets.  We had these at the store and I used to love giving them as gifts, and now I love using them myself.

The burp cloths are sold on Layla Grace and come in a pack of three for $35 and are made of 100% heavy weight twill cotton.  Each burp cloth features a different print down the center with a contrasting pipe as a trim.  These burp cloths are also unusual and fun because they are colorful and very different from the traditional white that you can find anywhere. I recommend giving these as a gift to any new parents. To send an extra special gift, I would also send a matching bib set (pictured below).

IdeaPaint

While looking through Metropolitan Home magazine, I found a wonderful product which would be perfect to use in a playroom or children's room.  IdeaPaint is a paint that transforms surfaces into a dry-erase board.  The primary use of the paint is for walls, but it can also be used on other surfaces such as table tops (think craft table).  This is a nice alternative to the dark and smudgy chalkboard paint commonly used in playrooms and children's studies.  Using IdeaPaint on walls is a great way to inspire creativity in a fun, colorful, and playful way.

Tripp King's Nursery

While working with customers at my store, I would frequently make inspiration boards for them featuring items that we chose to design their nursery around. This helps us have a general sheet to reference when searching for accessories, and additional fabrics and items for a room. The inspiration board below was for my son Tripp's room (before we had his name picked out).

The links below are for items found on the inspiration board:

Piggy Banks - Elegant Baby

Lamp - Serena & Lily

Furniture - Netto Collection

Fabric - Lee Joffa

Artwork - Oopsy Daisy

Bedding - Custom Bebe Chic

Rug - John Robshaw

I always suggest for clients to first find one item they love and have to have in their nursery and design from there. Sometimes this can be a piece of furniture, a piece of artwork, fabric, or just colors that you love.

For me, I had always loved the Netto Collection furniture line and knew that once I got pregnant, I just had to have it in my nursery. I chose the Moderne collection because it has a nautical yet modern look. I also loved that the dresser and changer were very versatile and could later be used in any room of the house. The stark contrast of the dark mahogany wood with the shiny white lacquer makes the pieces pop in any room.

Since we live by the beach, I wanted a nautical look but nothing too traditional or too graphic and modern. I found some lovely seahorse prints which I used to frame his crib. They add a nice sophisticated touch of the sea into his room without looking too cartoonish. Now these prints introduced marine blue into the room. Although blue is a natural color choice for a boy's room, I wanted to make it more unique. Instead of pairing it with traditional green or brown, I chose mandarine orange and mustard yellow as accent colors in the room. These colors are found in lacquered picture frames on the dresser and in linen storage boxes underneath the crib.

Babies spend a lot of their time on the changing table looking up. I like to place artwork or photos above the table or a mirror so that the child has something to look at. I chose to put a growing collage of photos above his changer and an ABC print by Oopsy Daisy over his dresser. This print brings more color into the room, plus it serves as an educational piece as he can look up at the alphabet while he is playing in bed.

The bedding was custom designed using fabrics from Lee Joffa and Bebe Chic. The graphic pattern is actually an outdoor fabric but I thought this was an appropriate durable choice as bumpers tend to get dirty and battered after years of use. The accent fabrics are linens and add an extra element of texture to the room.

After all of the key elements of the room were chosen, I picked a wall treatment. We chose a burlap wallpaper in a natural straw color. The texture of the burlap adds an interesting and spphisticated dimension to the room and the straw color is warm and neutral.

Nursery Notations - 1st Entry

 After owning and operating a children's store in Manhattan Beach named Sprout for five years, I became very knowledgeable on the ins and outs of children's products and nursery design. I loved going to work every day to help people design their dream nurseries and find the perfect baby gift. Sadly we decided to close the store in February and ever since then I have felt a void in my life.  Even with the birth of my son in February, I found myself e-mailing friends daily to help them design their nurseries. After searching through multiple design websites, blogs, and magazines always in search of what is new in the nursery marketplace, I decided to start this blog to share my knowledge and ideas with fellow moms and designers. I hope you enjoy!