Farewell 2009

Image {Martha Stewart}

Red Wagon Redux

Zen Wagon

Pushpull

Strollkart

ed wagons have been a childhood staple for the last 30 years, with their design primarily unchanged-- until now. Northern California dad, Scot Herbst, HP Touchsmart designer, and his wife Amy decided to improve on the classic. Inspired by their 2 children and their love of modern, sustainable design, Kaiku was born. The Zen Wagon is made from molded formaldehyde-free, Baltic birch, safe non-toxic finishes, natural rubber tires, and weather/corrosion resistant hardware. Our favorite part...the Lightship basket accessory! Be the envy of everyone at the farmers' market...get one here.

They also offer a the Pushpull, a smaller toy wagon and the Strollkart, great for early walking assistance, with a cotton basket to take friends along for a spin. We are really excited to be one of the first stores to offer this amazing new line.

2010 Pantone Color of the Year: Turquoise

antone announced 2010's color of the year...a very Le Cirque-esque shade of turquoise!! Described on Pantone's website as "combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green...envisioned as a tranquil ocean surrounding a tropical island or a protective stone warding off evil spirits, turquoise is a color that most people respond to positively...In many cultures turquoise is believed to be a protective talisman, a color of deep compassion" Turquoise is a great color for a neutral baby room, a not-too-girly bedroom, or a bright boys' room.

Loving Lavender

John Robshaw pillows & Oly lamp available at Le Cirque!

Gwyneth Paltrow's bedroom in the Hamptons. Love all the white mixed with soft purple. Get a lamp like hers here.

ach of these rooms incorporates lavender- a color that is often overlooked and under-used. Purple is the color of royalty and is also a great neutral. I absolutely fell in L-O-V-E with lavender last summer on a trip to Italy. The Four Seasons Hotel Florence has the most amazing lavender and grey dining room (worthy of it's own blog post!!).

Lavender is also a great alternative to a pink girls room. This past year I used it in a 12 year-old girl's room, who couldn't stand the sight of pink...way too baby-ish!! So we painted her walls a pale lavender and used Serena & Lily's Delphine collection for bedding. It turned out really well and inspired us to pull purple accents throughout the rest of the house. Stay tuned for a post on that project.

Images {3&4 Amanda Nesbitt; 5 Elle Decor}

This just in... Holiday card update.

have just come across Pinhole Press and Minted...the far superior alternatives to Tiny Prints. Pinhole Press is a new web stationery boutique featuring clean, contemporary design templates for custom photo greeting cards. They also specialize in environmentally responsible design. Their paper, envelopes, & printing use 100% post-consumer recycled, certified by Smartwood for FSC standards, and is made using Green-E certified wind-generated electricity. The finished product arrives at your door, in a matter of days, wrapped in recycled tissue, inside of a 100% recycled kraft box filled with Geami, an eco alternative to bubble wrap.

So, if you ran out of time and didn't get a holiday card out this year, there is still time to send a new years card!! But if you have already sent one, bookmark them for next year. Your friends will thank you.

Merry Christmas...

A Pastel Christmas

Images {Flickr: toriejayne; hello naomi}

t Le Cirque, we love pastel, muted colors...so these Christmas cookies and decorations are right up our alley. They are also a cute idea for a December birthday party or baby shower.

Chalkboard Paint

Children's furniture designer, Jennifer Delonge's home...and her chalkboard wainscoting.

Images {1,2, 4 Randi Brookman Harris; 3 InStyle}

y mom loves chalkboard paint, and is always trying to get me to incorporate it into design projects. It has taken me a while to warm to the idea, but it is especially great for children's spaces. I had one client who wanted to let her son paint all over the walls in his room (luckily I was able to talk her out of this idea)...but this may be the happy medium.

Another friend, and client, has the entire powder room of her very modern/very adult house, painted with chalkboard paint! There is a chair rail ledge running around the entire bathroom holding chalk....and when she entertains she writes a message to her guests and invites them to scribble little notes all over the walls. I was fortunate enough to be invited to a baby shower at her home and got a chance to participate in the bathroom graffiti of well wishes. Maybe next time she will let me take a photo...it is one of the coolest things I have ever seen!

And on my last trip to the paint store, I discovered glow-in-the-dark paint...another great idea for children's bedrooms.

Clementine Art

e are so excited to be offering Clementine Art products in our store!! Clementine Art makes high quality art supplies that are all natural, certified non-toxic and environmentally friendly. All of the ingredients are listed right on the side of the box, which is made from 80% post consumer recycled and reusable materials.

Started by an art teacher in Boulder, CO who wondered if non-toxic art supplies, which usually wound up all over her tiny students, were as harmless as they claimed to be...with their chemicals, dyes and additives. So, she took to her kitchen and began to whip up natural paint and play dough from simple ingredients, like flour, earth colorings and water...And Clementine Art was born! "Clementine Art introduces a new way of doing art with children. Our inviting, open-ended materials encourage children to create real art. Our fresh and natural art supplies support the healthy development of your child." Now that's art you can feel good about!

Stocking Stuffers

How adorable is this little Advent calendar made from Trumpette baby socks?!

Images {Martha Stewart}

Our 5 favorite stocking stuffers...

• Steiff teddy bears.
• Holztiger wooden animals.
• Jellycat plush animals, like this little elephant.
• Sophie la Girafe, of course!
• Clementine Art all natural art supplies, like these soy crayons.