his past weekend was action packed. Not only did I see The Zac Brown Band (!!!) at the first ever West Coast Country Concert in San Francisco, but I also did the tour of the Barney’s Warehouse sale (which was crap) and the Renegade Craft Fair (if you have never gone, you should. It is replete with awesomeness and urban hipsters galore).

As my husband likes to point out, I have an inner hippy which I try to embrace whenever possible (usually in the form of clothes which inevitably elicits the ever-charming response of “you’re wearing that?“). As a result, urban hipster events are pretty much the only time my collection of patchwork empire-waisted tent dresses are allowed to come out of hiding, which means these events are etched in stone on my calendar.

Whatever. Anyway, here are some of my favorites from this year’s crop of crafters:

Catia Chien:
I love these hand-painted images from Catia Chien. They almost have a dreamy quality about them.

Sora Designs:
Handmade vintage jewelry. Reminds me a bit of Elva Fields

Erin Zam:
I love these beautiful, graphic wall hangings by Erin Zam. I bought the one pictured below.

Meryl Munches Macaroni:
Colorful hand-drawn shoes for tykes

Sycamore Street Press:
Beautiful letter pressed number and letter posters for children

Fernworks:
Mixed media creations under resin. After spending an entire summer in my studio inhaling the fumes of resin and cursing my inability to make anything better than decoration for my trash can, I have a new found respect for resin art.

Little Bit:
Handmade dino stuffed animals <3 <3 <3

Mama’s Little Babies:
Victorian Illustration Jewelry

Old Tom Foolery:
I have a soft spot for good, letter pressed type, plus who can resist typestaches?

A Little Birdie Told Moi:
Super adorableness.

Colette Kids:
Graphic tees for infants and children.

Calliope:
Cute tops and headbands for little girls

Paz Sintes:
Unique textile jewelry. Pricey, but beautiful.

Petite Collage:
Cute stuff for Kids’ walls

Sara Paloma Pottery:
Perfectly hand-thrown porcelain.

Hello Hanna:
A one-of-a-kind book kit with buildable stickers and place mats with sticker kits.

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!

Wheels on the Bus, Old MacDonald, and Itsy Bitsy Spider all won Parent’s Choice Gold Awards! Duck Duck Moose was the only publisher to receive three Gold Awards – the top honors given by Parents’ Choice Foundation — in the Mobile Apps category.

For toddlers who are eager to learn, try Old MacDonald, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and Wheels on the Bus. The creative team at Duck Duck Moose has created – and delivered – exquisite lessons of cause and effect with a charming and whimsical touch.”
– Parents’ Choice Foundation

Wheels on the Bus

Old MacDonald

Itsy Bitsy Spider

We are so honored! For years, I’ve seen the Parents’ Choice Awards on children’s toys, books, and music in stores, and I remember trolling their website when looking for ideas for good birthday presents. Parents’ Choice Foundation has been around for decades and is the nation’s oldest non-profit program recognizing quality children’s media.

Check out the Parents’ Choice Reviews of:
Wheels on the Bus
Old MacDonald
Itsy Bitsy Spider

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 no idea what’s in the water this week, but it has been a banner week for press. We at Duck Duck Moose are over the moon about all the exciting coverage (not your typical week to be sure).

Here are some of the exciting tidbits:

Geek Dad on Wired.com

One of the first blogs to discover our first app Wheels on the Bus, wrote a post on Duck Duck Moose this week.

From an early childhood perspective, they get it right from start to finish… They have what I’d call the ‘Sesame Street Sensibility’ — a real respect and understanding of what will work for young children.

Praise for our newest app:

Baa Baa Black Sheep

USA Today gave Baa Baa Black Sheep, a 4 out of 4 star rating in an article on apps for traveling kids.

Baa Baa Black Sheep also received an Editor’s Choice Award from Children’s Technology Review.

The iPhone Mom gave Baa Baa Black Sheep a wonderful review, calling it a “winningly interactive app.”

iLounge also reviewed Baa Baa Black Sheep, calling it a “top pick of the week” and noting that “Baa Baa Black Sheep’s ability to completely enrapture kids is… impressive.”

The San Francisco Chronicle

interviewed us and featured Duck Duck Moose in an article on how “iPhone moms turn ideas into kid-friendly apps”

Our apps were also featured in several Top Lists.

All Duck Duck Moose apps were ranked the #1 Stories and Songs Apps in Babble.com’s Top 50 iPhone Apps for Kids.

Several Duck Duck Moose apps were also selected for Macworld’s Toddler Favorites List and CNET Australia’s Top Apps for Tots

We are so grateful for all the attention! Whatever is in the water this week, we hope it sticks around for a while.

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

Today’s Word of the Week is:

cracktastic.
Pronunciation: \ˈkrak-tas-tik\

As in: Peanut Butter Pows are so cracktastic that when I make the (exceedingly) stupid decision to purchase them I often find that I am unable to ingest any other food until the box is empty.

At least they have 11 essential minerals and vitamins, so I got that going for me. Which is nice.

K, I admit it, I am obsessed. You may ask what I am NOT obsessed with and that is actually a very fair question. It is a professional hazard to covet all things beautiful. This time, however, it isn’t a trendy piece of ridonculously expensive furniture, but…and I am almost ashamed to admit this…chickens.

My chicken obsession dates back several years ago when I went with good friends Nick and Jesse to Nick’s parent’s farm in upstate New York. One night, while sitting out on the patio looking at the night stars (likely after drinking too much wine) Jesse came up with the brilliant idea of a midnight hen house raid. Not having ever been close to an actual live chicken (I am a city girl, yo) it sounded like a dangerous mission, but, you know, danger is my middle name. After a prolonged display of sneaking and giggling, we surprised the poor hens who were sleeping innocently in their beds. Once we were actually in the hen house, the four of us stood there staring at the hens and they at us, right up until I sprang forward and stuck my hand under a hen’s butt only to get a vicious (and semi-painful) peck. OK, hen 1, city girl 0. After a bit of squawking and squealing (mostly on my part) and with the help of some padded oven mitts we managed to get some eggs. All in all, not the most professional display.

The birth of an idea: About two years ago, I read an article in Sunset Magazine about the joy of keeping your own backyard chickens. Up until that moment, I thought chickens only lived on farms; I never thought of raising them in my own backyard.

From that moment on, I pestered my poor husband endlessly with talk about raising chickens. My husband, who grew up in Kerala (a state in the south of India), has had ample experience with chickens — enough to know he doesn’t want any part in the endeavor. And although he has tried to ply me with all sorts of chicken facts — they smell, they are noisy, they are stupid, they make a mess…yadda, yadda…my obsession hasn’t waned, I just merely put it on the back burner.

Until I saw this:

and THIS!

Note: this is called a ‘Silkie Bantam’ chicken, but looks more like something out of a Dr. Seuss book if you ask me. I love the ball of fluff with the little beak sticking out, although I wonder how it sees?

and then Operation Chicken was shifted into 5th. So, I decided I want chickens and I decided that my authority over the backyard is clearly greater than my husband’s who hasn’t stepped foot in the backyard in 5 years ( and that is NOT an exaggeration), but there was still a MAJOR hurdle to overcome and that is The Great Chicken Negotiations with my landlord.

I started by emailing them pictures of my hypothetical chickens (which I have named Snowball and Snicket) — who can resist such cuties??!! And then a barrage of chicken facts and finally, a link to San Francisco city laws which permit the keeping of up to 4 hens without a permit (but not more than 3 dogs which apparently requires a permit). They clearly think I am a freak, but they agreed to let me have two chickens. Negotiations actually got easier when I explained that I don’t plan to EAT the chickens — Just steal their eggs and make them into pets.

So, now that I have permission to HAVE chickens, I need to figure out what I need to do to keep them alive and happy. I recently took a great organic gardening class at The Garden for the Environment which has a Chicken Raising class in the fall. As it turns out, the internet is a wellspring of information on how to raise chickens in the backyard (who knew chickens were so en vogue?) The first order of business is to pick a chicken living situation. The chicken cribs hen house (shown above) is suited for small spaces, but I worry that the chickens will be able to see their predators (in my backyard cats and raccoons) which will give them a chicken anxiety disorder.

The other option is to build my very own chicken crib from a chicken plan, which it turns out you can also get online (ah, the interwebs). My Pet Chicken is actually a great resource for coops, plans and all things chicken, including a tool to help you choose the best chicken for you according to your criteria.

So, Operation Chicken is now in effect. Shhhh, don’t tell the Hubz.

Jeremy Horwitz of iLounge recently interviewed us about our design process. Check out the full interview on iLounge.com!

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.

We recently updated all the graphics in Wheels on the Bus for use on the iPad. Check out Wheels on the Bus HD for iPad on the iTunes App Store.

spent two fantastic days at the Dust or Magic AppCamp in Asilomar. I talked about “How We Turned a Nursery Rhyme into a Best Selling App” (check out our 2009 presentation), and spent two enlightening days with some of the best and brightest in children’s interactive media – child development experts, educators, other app developers, reviewers, writers, and some of the legendary veterans in children’s software. We spent time reviewing dozens of apps, brainstorming new concepts, and talking to kids who came to participate.

Highlights include:

• Ann McCormick’s story about founding the Learning Company: “Apple gave me a computer and $1000 in 1979, and that’s how we started the Learning Company. The best work was done early when we had three or four people and were very light on our feet.” In reference to the iPad, she said, “It’s the computer we’ve been waiting for since the 70’s… Finally we can do what’s needed for kids.”
• A Panel of Legends from the children’s software industry, including Mark Schlichting who told his story about starting the Living Books series at Broderbund. He talked about how he created “shared vision within the company… As I was building my first prototype, I needed voices and sound effects. I had everybody be a voice. My boss was a barking dog…” He also mentioned how now with the new app market, there is the “opportunity for a garage band to happen again.”
• Warren Buckleitner’s Child Development 101 for Software Designers
• Darren Carstens’ talk on “How I Made an iPhone App” and how he learned about the iPhone SDK from YouTube videos created by 12 year old kids!
• Mandeep Dhillon’s (CEO of Togetherville) presentation on the Economics of the AppStore. He talked about how distribution changes the game. With the AppStore, developers can sell directly to consumers. He mentioned “the rise of the little guy” and how little startups (like us!) can compete with large companies.
• Tips on how to get PR for apps by Robin Raskin, former editor of PC Magazine and Founder of Living in Digital Times, and Reyne Rice, Trends Specialist for the Toy Industry Association – including how to talk to editors, send press releases, enter awards, and use social networks.

And of course, AppCamp had a bonfire by the beach, complete with S’mores! We had aspirations to create an AppSymphony but perhaps that will have to wait until next year…

Caroline

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am trying to get my blog mojo back after a little bit of a hiatus. I have lots of good things to write about this month — Caroline attended the annual Dust or Magic Conference co-hosted by Warren Buckleitner of Children’s Technology Review where we presented our new app Fish School (for iPhone) and Fish School HD (for iPad). I went to the Decorator Showcase in San Francisco and have lots of great ideas to share for children’s nurseries (including a rocking chair that I can’t stop thinking about).

I took an early morning trip on Saturday down to Palo Alto to meet up with Caroline and Michael (and our little product managers) for our first DDM photo shoot.

A recent interview really got me thinking about how fortunate we are to have such a great team with diverse skill sets and a similar level of commitment to quality.

It is particularly wonderful for me, because as my friends and my husband know, my attention to detail can be maddening (for every one else, that is). Luckily, the other Duck and Moose are detail-oriented and even if they think I am a freak sometimes, they are very, very quiet about it. :)

I have always believed that it is all the little things that add up to good design. In order to make good work, it is important to have a creative atmosphere and that goes for your environment, as well as your team culture. Here at Duck Duck Moose, we have a very collaborative, open-ended design process in which the three of us all contribute throughout. Our process is very back-and-forth which is the secret sauce to coming up with good ideas. It goes a little something like this: Observe children. Brainstorm. Prototype. Build. Test with children. Learn. Refine. Repeat all steps again. And again. And again.

Typically we have far more ideas that we can ever follow through on and our biggest challenge is often deciding which idea we are the most excited about. In the end I figure, that’s a good problem to have!

Nicci

Mother Goose is a favorite in our house. Both my two- and four-year-old girls keep taking out our Mother Goose nursery rhyme books, and can recite their favorites. I’ve realized that nursery rhymes fill each and every day of preschoolers. When putting on shoes, it’s “One shoe on and one shoe off, Diddle Diddle Dumpling my son John.” At the park, it’s “See Saw Margery Daw.” When brushing teeth, it’s “One two buckle my shoe” all the way up to “Nine ten a big fat hen” so I can keep their attention long enough to brush all the top and bottom teeth. When learning to jump into the swimming pool, it’s “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.” At nighttime, it’s “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” or “Wee Willie Winkie.”

We recently discovered Mother Goose Club which has produced some fantastic videos of the classic children’s nursery rhymes. They include lively characters like Jack B. Nimble, Mary Quite Contrary, Little Bo Peep, and Baa Baa Sheep. Their renditions of the nursery rhymes include lively music, engaging singing and dancing, wonderfully creative costumes, and colorful graphics. Their website also includes all the lyrics, printable coloring pages, and some fun activities to do with preschoolers. Mother Goose Club was produced by Sona Jho, a former PBS producer, educator, and mom of three.

Caroline

Decorating for the holidays was big business in my house growing up. I have fond, albeit cold, memories of trekking down to the local tree lot in the Massachusetts winter snow to find the perfect tree.

Even though many years have passed, it still just doesn’t feel like the holidays to me unless I have a Christmas tree in my house. My husband, who grew up in India and Africa, doesn’t have quite the same appreciation for my Christmas tree escapades. To him, it is another year that he has to brave the cold (we live in San Francisco!!) and watch idly by as I inspect every tree in the lot in search of the perfect specimen. I inevitably choose one that is too tall for our ceiling, at which point, we must hack the top of the tree off with a bread knife (because we don’t have a saw and also, because I never learn).

This year, however, he turned over a new leaf and promised to try and get into the holiday spirit. Instead of a Christmas party, we decided to host a French Laundry party (in which I will attempt to make recipes from the French Laundry cookbook) for a few of our friends. Unfortunately our fancy dinner party upped the ante for our tree decor this year.

Over the Thanksgiving break, I spent countless hours combing the web for beautiful and innovative holiday decorating ideas and I am shocked to say that I found very few. In the end, I loaded up on supplies from Paper Source, Arch and Target and spent a day locked in a room hallucinating to the fumes of spray mount. When I emerged, I was covered in a pound of glitter, my socks were sticking to the carpet, but I had a whole new set of ornaments for my tree. I should mention that my husband thinks I’m crazy.

Tips for Decorating a Christmas Tree

Try and choose a tree that is symmetrical
Check for large holes, broken or dead branches.

Tie branches to close up bare spots
I have never found a tree that doesn’t have at least one or two bare spots. To fix this, I will often use fishing line or florist wire to secure branches so that they fill the empty spots.

Plan your color scheme
I usually have a color scheme in mind for my tree. In the past I have done various shades of orange, gold and pink, but this year I wanted a slightly colder looking tree, so I chose silver, white and pink.

I still love this faux tree pictured on the cover of Blueprint Magazine a few years back:

Another lovely fake tree via Apartment Therapy:

Choose some consistent ornaments
I usually pick 3-4 different ornament styles that will be my base and mis in unexpected ornaments at the end. This gives the tree a kind of consistency.

Treat it like a design project
If you are decorating with children, this is a hard one. I often decorate in color groups — all the silver, all the pink, all the white, for example, so that I can make sure that there isn’t an over-abundance of one color or one style on any particular part of my tree.

Match your presents to your tree
Once you have a color scheme, wrap your presents to pull out the colors in your tree.

Make your own ornaments
This year I used ordinary silk flowers that I picked up at Michaels Craft Store. I gave these a little extra shimmer by spraying them with spray mount and dusting them with glitter. Other ornaments on my tree include collaged pieces, snowflakes, and cardboard letters covered in glitter.

Happy Holidays!
Duck Duck Moose