Some of the most rewarding moments of the work we do at Duck Duck Moose comes from the feedback we get from other parents and from the connections we make with other artists, app developers and educators. As a creative person, I just love meeting other creative types and hearing more about their creative process and inspiration. One such person is Maggy of Red Ted Art. We just love her sweet, colorful Pop Art style. Its bright colors and clean contours are appealing to young children.

Maggy tells us that although she has never been formally trained, she loves modern art and is inspired by Pop Art in particular. Her first inspiration for painting was her son and from there she went wild, drawing inspiration from every day objects.

In addition to her work, Maggy hosts a forum for craft projects to do with your children.

It was a pleasure to meet you Maggy and keep up the great work!

have been thinking a lot about nurseries this week since my BFF asked me to participate the in design of the nursery for her newest addition — a boy (a request I am sure her husband will come to regret once he sees what expensive taste I have). So this week’s Weekend Round-up is for you, Cheryl.

via: Nursery Project

via: Ella and Elliott

via: Oh Dee Doh

via: Design Sponge

via: Coochicoos

Creative Inspiration for Nurseries

Even the best designers need a little creative inspiration now and then. Here are some of our favs for jogging your creative spark:

Oh Dee Doh
Land of Nod
Coochicoo Flickr Group
Project Nursery
Ella and Elliot
Serena and Lily

have decided to add a new feature to our blog called “Weekend Round-up” where I can post all the items/design I have been drooling over during the week. This week’s focus is design for children.

Little Animals:
I am a sucker for sustainable handmade dolls — the more character they have, the more I love them. This week I am crunching on these little handmade animals from Stitchface.

Stripes and Polk Dots Nursery Design:
I just love the feel of this nursery! The crib is my favorite part — it has such lovely curves and a small storage space underneath. I searched online to find this exact crib and ended up finding a similar one by PBKids. The lines aren’t quite as elegant, but still very pretty.

Posters and Totes:
Ollie and Lime Poster art & Thomas Paul totes, available at Designpublic.com

Modern Twist Place mats:
Yeah, yeah, I know. These have done the rounds a bit, but I still want some (grown-up) ones of my own, so I am posting for those who have not yet seen them. I can’t tell you how many cloth place mats I have thrown away because I just can’t seem to eat without food flying everywhere. I love these adorable ones for kids that encourage kids to color within the lines (and hopefully not on your table).

Happy weekend!

Nicci

From the look of the polished exterior, expansive gardens and painstakingly perfect interior design of 3450 Washington Street, one would never guess that a mere few months ago the 8,368 foot mansion was just a shell of a house. The Beaux Arts-style Presidio Heights mansion is now on sale for a pittance of 19 million dollars (chump change, my friends). Built in 1929 and designed by noted architect Albert Farr, the house is a maze of small cubbyholes and secret nooks adorned with design ranging from the bare minimalist to the fanciful.

The mansion is divided into 33 spaces of varying size featuring 28 different designers, each intent on expressing his or her own unique vision. Some of the rooms are over-the-top strange and in one particular instance, even creepy. For example, the “Quiet Room” by Lushart Decorative has rather nice, subtle murals of organic shapes on the walls, but also features a light fixture covered with what appears to be bug eggs and the bugs that presumably hatched from them. It reminded me a little bit of my last vacation to Mexico where I lay awake all night inside of a mosquito netting covered with large and hungry-looking bugs clinging to the outside. I managed to keep myself (barely) calm by softly repeating the mantra — “this is an embrace bugs vacation”. Definitely not a room that invites “quiet contemplation” or a “transformative act of introspection” unless your idea of quiet contemplation involves communion with insects.

Another bizarre addition is the room decorated entirely in black and white gingham (even the walls) with bright green and yellow accents and a bathroom entitled “Modernism Talks Back” with dizzying black and white glass tile reminiscent of pixel art; the coup de grace being the reminder to wash behind your ears.

There are also incredibly beautiful rooms like a small dressing room entitled “Le Suite” by Sagrerabrazil Design, which despite its small space is a room that captivates with its hand-cut lampshades and gorgeous graphic wallpaper by Harlequin. You could almost imagine yourself lingering over the beautiful vanity, combing through an extended palette of colors, planning your wardrobe for a night out while the scent of Chanel wafts through the summer air — almost.

Another notable favorite is the Guest Quarters at Mongibello by Wick Design. There is no way to do this room justice by description. The room boasts a very clean minimalist design with a neutral color palette complete with a hanging seat in which to lounge or read or just stare idly out the window.

One of the main highlights of the tour was the spaces designed for children. The Triplets Nursery room by Marsh and Clark design had some lovely elements, including the Hightower Stingray chair (which I am currently obsessed with), the Hannspree Polar bear photo frame (so cute) and some lovely custom light fixtures. Outside the children’s playroom is a small balcony space entitled “Sacred Space to Grow” designed especially for small gardeners in mind.

Other notable rooms are the kitchen — an incredible space for any cook and the living room designed by David Kensington which features a collection of beautiful antiques from around the world and manages to feel both sophisticated and comfortable at the same time.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the artwork in the hallways — an exhibition entitled “The Secret Lives of Teachers” created by the Visual Arts department at University High School.

All in all, this years Decorator Showcase was certainly worth seeing.

Baby shower finds

I love Etsy (I mean, who doesn’t?) I recently read an article about how it was started as a hobby by a guy who wanted to provide his crafty-type friends a place to post their beautiful creations — and then it grew and grew beyond his wildest expectations. Now you can pretty much find anything on Etsy and once you start searching, you’ll find it is an addictive time-suck. As an avowed knitter of cat-sweaters, I have often thought of creating my own shop (except for the fact that I pretty much think I am the only person on the planet insane enough to kit sweaters for her cats :)

Anyway, I digress. I recently came across these adorable cut out/pop up place mats that I wanted to share. Inspired by children’s pop-up books, these laser-cut, eco-friendly place mats are beautifully designed.

Piggy Banks

The modern piggy bank owes its origins to the 15th century when people saved money in clay jars called pygg jars. Over time, pygg jars evolved to piggy banks and took on the shap of pigs. Today, there are a plethora of shapes from which to choose. What better way to teach children to save than with a stylish piggy bank? g6kzx95i7d

{a} Dwellstudio hippo animal bank: I admit I have a little bit of a hippo fetish. I love their shape and they manage to be cute despite their surly demeanor. I especially love this unique take on the piggy bank from Dwellstudio.

{b} Not Neutral Count Piggy Bank: being a designer, I can’t resist anything with beautiful type. I love the shape and bold contrast of the Not Neutral piggy bank.

{c} Aqua Giraffe Animal Bank from Elegant Baby: I love the shape of this giraffe piggy bank.

Nursery Furniture

Thomas Wold Mushroom Forest Side Table: These mushroom side tables were not originally designed for nurseries, but I think they bring a splash of color and playfulness. Available at Design Public in orange and light blue.

Offi Chalkboard Table: Help your little one channel her inner artist with the Offi chalk board table. The Offi table is beautifully designed, but a bit pricey. There are less expensive versions of it here and here or you can do what I did and grab some chalkboard paint and paint your own surface.

Howdy the Rody Cow: Howdy is the newest addition to the Rody family. Howdy is inflatable and big enough for your tot to ride or sit on.

Eames Rocker: No nursery is complete without the Eames rocker. This classic design never gets old.

Nursery Wall Art

Bold&Noble Wall Art: I love these modern prints by Bold & Noble.

Avalisa Stretched Canvas Wall Art: comes in a variety of colors.

Binth Letter Art: A few years ago I threw a baby shower for one of my closest friends and while searching for decor ideas I came across an article in Blueprint Magazine about a modern baby shower and I fell in love with the Binth alphabet posters. There is individual letter art (pictured here) as well as an alphabet poster featuring all the letters.

Pillows

Binth Crow Cuddle Pillow: This bold design would look nice on a nursery rocker

My grandmother was an avid gardener and growing up I spent my summers among her many fruit trees, flowers and vegetables. Some of my happiest childhood memories are there, following her around while she dispensed gardening tips. Unfortunately for me, the green thumb which seems to have been bestowed on all members of my family stopped at me. Unfortunately for the plants, I still have an insatiable desire to plant every spring. This year I decided to do something a bit different.

I was inspired by the beauty of succulents after reading an article in Sunset Magazine featuring these spectacular outdoor installations.

Succulents are really the perfect plant — they are attractive, require little water and best of all, seemingly not tasty fodder for hungry felines (which truth be told, is the most common demise for my house plants).

There are a few boutique shops that specialize in succulents where you are likely to find some of the more colorful and rare varieties. After researching a few different options, I decided to pick mine up at the garden department of Home Depot where they have a large selection and they are considerably less expensive.

To Make a Succulent Planter

1. Choose your plants
I spent a little time considering the color palette and composition of my planters. I was careful to choose plants that are relatively the same height, with a few that are slightly taller for variation. There are many varieties of green to choose from, but I opted for a few shades of green with some darker varieties. My local Home Depot had colorful cacti, but I wanted my palette to be comprised of greens and hues of purple.

It is helpful to choose you planter at the same time so you have an idea of how tall your plants should be. Since I would be displaying mine inside on my dining table, I opted for glass vases.

2. Ready your plants
When you get your plants home, carefully remove them from their pots and separate them if you wish. Depending on how much soil you want in your planter, it may be helpful to try and save the dirt around the roots.

3. Plan your composition
It is important to decide how you would like your planter to look before starting. I wanted mine to have very little soil in the bottom, so I placed a small amount of soil at the bottom, secured the shorter plants by tamping soil around the roots while clearing a place for taller varieties.

You can add garden accents such as cement mushrooms or attractive stones, as well as a layer of gravel and/or sand below the dirt in your terrarium.

The trickiest part, is nudging the plants into position and adding the cactus soil without covering them in dirt. For attractive arrangements, try and keep the glass clean. I used a damp towel to remove dirt from the sides and Q-tips to tamp down dirt and nudge plants into tight spots.

Succulent Care

1. Make sure to keep your succulents in full sunlight

2. Water every two weeks (don’t over water as this will cause the roots to rot)

3. Take care to pot your plants in cactus soil which helps with drainage

A note about cats: Many succulents are cat-friendly, however, if you have a cat it is always good practice to do a little research before selecting house plants.