We at Duck Duck Moose had much to celebrate this weekend — not only did Duck Duck Moose turn 1 year old this week, but our newest app, Itsy Bitsy Spider, broke into the top 50 paid apps in the App Store! When we started Duck Duck Moose a year ago, we never could have imagined that we would have three apps in the top 300 of all paid apps. It is times like these that make me want to quote one of the greatest cult classics of all time — “our little baby is all growns up, and grows up and grows up!”

Itsy bitsy Spider on the AppStore:
http://tinyurl.com/itsyspider

Old MacDonald on the AppStore:
http://tinyurl.com/oldmacdonald

Wheels on the Bus on the AppStore:
http://tinyurl.com/wheelsonbus

K, I have to admit that this is a bit of a shameless plug, but we are kind of over the moon excited about being nominated for the iPod/iPhone Developer of the Year Award! (!!!!) If you have enjoyed our iPhone apps, please consider voting for us online (click the button below to vote). It takes less than a few seconds and will bring you loads of good karma!

When we started our little company over a year ago we began with nothing more than a strong desire to create quality products and a keen excitement to work with each other. In the past year we have learned a lot, our ambition has grown as has our dedication to developing high quality and engaging products. The most rewarding aspect of our our work at Duck Duck Moose has been working with children.

Thanks to all those who have helped us along the way and to the parents and educators who have contacted us with feedback and praise. Keep it coming, we love to hear from you!

We have had a lot going on at Duck Duck Moose in the past two months. C and M’s older daughter recently turned 4 years old (how fast time goes) — Happy birthday Elizabeth! Michael has been burning the candle at both ends by juggling his job at a start-up, concerts with his trio and a full time job at Duck Duck Moose. Caroline has been handling a full schedule with her usual grace — raising two little ones by day and working on DDM at night (sometimes until 2-3am) and I have been freelancing and illustrating combined with a 6 week trip to India (you wouldn’t believe the scarcity of working wifi!). Amid all this craziness (and with little sleep) we somehow managed to create Itsy Bitsy Spider — a new musical iPhone app for kids.

Itsy is a bit different than our other two apps. The illustration style has more depth — the artwork was drawn in Illustrator and all of the gradients, textures and shadows were added manually in Photoshop. In addition, Itsy functions more like an interactive movie of sorts with panning from screen to screen that is initiated by touching the star character — the spider, all to the tune of the popular children’s classic.

Everything on the screen is interactive. We added many new elements to engage little ones in a variety of learning activities:

- Count from 1 to 10 as a squirrel builds his house
- Find hidden eggs on a scavenger hunt
- Make music with musical eggs that play 12 notes
- Stack hats on the spider’s head
- Listen to classical music with violin and cello
- Record your own singing!

For more screen captures and information on our new app, please visit our website: duckduckmoosedesign.com

If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, please try it out and let us know what you think. We have gotten so much great feedback (and creative ideas) from our customers!

ccording to Greystripe, a mobile ad network, 29.5% of all iPhone users are “iPhone Moms”. It is no wonder, when there has been an explosion of apps marketed towards Moms from educational apps for kids to apps that help you track feedings, diapers and sleep schedules. Read the original article on Tech Crunch: Is The iPhone Mom The New Soccer Mom?

I just discovered this really cool site called Personas where you can search your name on the web and it will return a profile of what it finds. I searched my own name and it found my professional affiliations, illustrations and other various things.

Here is the profile for Duck Duck Moose:

What is it?
Personas is a component of the Metropath(ologies) exhibit, currently on display at the MIT Museum by the Sociable Media Group from the MIT Media Lab. It uses sophisticated natural language processing and the Internet to create a data portrait of one’s aggregated online identity. In short, Personas shows you how the Internet sees you.

am *finally* getting around to blogging about some of the beautiful things I saw at the Renegade Craft Fair last month. We have been flat out crazed the past month finishing up our new Old MacDonald iPhone app for kids and that’s my excuse (or at least that’s what I am going with anyway).

So, back to the Renegade Craft Fair — it was a great turn out this year with loads of beautiful stuff and more vendors than ever. I bought lots of lovely little items — a knitted neck cozy with pom poms (an item that I felt I would surely whither up and die if I did not own) and a butterfly necklace (which I am wearing as I type this entry). There was a lot of great stuff for little ones, but one of my favs was the Dee&Lala letterpress wall art for nurseries. The illustration is fresh and modern and she has lots of different designs (more than what is on her site).

She also has some lovely letterpressed clocks for sale.

Happy Friday!

Nicci

wo years ago when my closest friend was pregnant with her daughter, another friend and I decided to host her baby shower. It is a recognized fact among all my friends that I am kind of a stickler for details and I don’t really know how to do anything half way (I once spend 4 hours sorting mini colored gobstobbers for an Alice in Wonderland launch party because I didn’t like the way the red and yellow gobstobbers looked with the blue and green). Luckily, my co-host, not only loves good design, but was also endowed with an incredible amount of patience.

We met early on to lay down the ground rules – no cheezy games, no pink and blue baby stuff — we wanted Cheryl’s baby shower to be modern and hip. We were inspired by a recent article in Blueprint Magazine and decided that the theme of the shower would be Modern Tea. We made small finger sandwiches, shopped at thrift stores for mismatched tea cups and spend a few hilarious nights over bottles of wine making tissue paper pom poms and folding origami cranes which we suspended from the ceiling in my living room. All in all, the shower was a success and it is an event I look back on fondly for two girls (my friend and her daughter) that I really love.

INSPIRATION

Modern Baby Shower article in Blueprint Magazine
There are lots of great ideas here. We actually made a version of the mobile to hang over the table.

Beautiful source of inspiration from Thoughtful Day

Luscious Lemon Baby Shower Invites — gorgeous and creative! Via Design Mom

There is lots of beautiful inspiration to be had by theme on Martha Stewart. I particularly like the French Country theme.

La Tartine Gourmande
I love, love, LOVE this site by foodie and photographer Bea. Every time I throw a dinner party, I find a way to work in at least one of her recipes.

For Cheryl’s baby shower we made the Chocolate cupcakes with Lavender Chantilly (I made mini versions with raspberries instead of strawberries on the chantilly) and the Raspberry and Black Sesame Tuiles to complement some of our tea selections (be aware that these need to be made the day of the event or they become soft).

Chicago-based Cake Girls makes the most beautiful cakes I have ever seen. I noticed them several years ago when they started making these purse-shaped architectural cakes (amazing). They now have a line of cakes specifically for Baby showers.

In keeping with our theme, we bought our cake from the famed Miette Bakery in San Francisco, which makes beautiful and heavenly cakes.

We found an incredible selection of tea sandwiches on epicurious. For other great places to find creative recipes check Fresh365 and Dana Treat.

We purchased most of the papers for the pompoms, invites, mobiles and other items at PaperSource

Cool wine glass lamp shades by Charles + Marie add ambiance to any table.

Pom poms are easy to make with a little tissue paper and enough time. You can find pretty good instructions on Martha Stewart’s website or if you don’t trust you cutting skills you can buy a kit on Etsy.

A few beautiful baby shower invites from TinyPrints

Minted.com has such beautiful invites that I had trouble picking which ones to feature

I adore the modern design of these baby shower games by Cluster Design.

Brought to you by the creators of Wheels on the Bus (that’s us!), a top educational iPhone app for kids which was featured in The New York Times, USAToday, San Francisco Chronicle, Discovery Channel, Daily Candy Kids, Wired.com and MSNBC.com, we are happy to announce that we have just released our second interactive musical adventure for the iPhone and iPod touch — Old MacDonald!

Get it on the iTunes appStore

More than a year ago the three of us put our heads together and came up with an idea for a musical iPhone app. Caroline and Michael have backgrounds in classical music and so it seemed fitting that we should do something musical. The music for our first (and second) app was recorded by Michael’s trio and by our friend Brennan. The app, Wheels on the Bus, far exceeded our expectations by rising to become the #1 educational app.

Our second app, Old MacDonald, is a unique rendition of the classic song with some new surprises: Pig-casso, a philosopher cow reading “The Moo Yorker”, alien spaceships and mid-century modern furniture (I draw what I wish I had!) Check out the Duck Duck Moose Design website for some more screenshots or get it on the iTunes appStore. If you like it, write us a review — we’d love to hear from you!

have a mild obsession with all things hippo-shaped. Dieline recently featured these adorable animals from Zuny for their beautiful packaging, but when I visited the site and saw these hippo bookends, I was truly in love. There are a plethora of different animals to choose from and they come in a variety of colors. These animals would look cute on any nursery bookshelf, although I have to admit I sort of want some for myself and I am not sure I want to share.

fter working in an office all my life, it has taken some time to get used to working from home. At first I struggled a lot with filtering out distractions (dishes, two cats who constantly want to sit on my lap at the same time, Facebook), but recently I have gotten better at minimizing distractions and getting down to it.

The first trick was getting a good coffee maker at home (caffeine is essential) and the second is keeping good task lists. I am an obsessive list maker and respond really well to checking off outstanding items. I also got in the habit of buying myself some flowers every week. I pick them up from Trader Joe’s on Monday and spend some time figuring out what kind of arrangement I want to make. For some reason, it has become a ritual I really look forward to — a sort of creative kick start that I get to enjoy all week.

Happy Friday!
Nicci

here is just something about letterpress — maybe it is the feel of the paper, maybe it is that it is a throwback to an earlier time, but I just can’t resist it. When my husband and I were planning our wedding, I insisted on having my invites letterpressed. I had a very specific style in mind based on the design of my dress which was custom design by Sue Hanley of Atelier des Modiste in San Francisco. I couldn’t find any wedding invites out there that matched the style I had in mind, so I designed my own and hired a friend to letterpress them at the San Francisco book arts center.

I recently discovered Smock paper by way of my friend Susan at Tiny prints. Based in Syracuse, New York, Smock’s pieces are all sustainably printed on specially developed bamboo paper and the result is pure gorgeous.

I adore the design of this letterpress lion birthday card

lion birthday card for kids, sustainably printed

Letterpress for social occasions

efore our younger daughter Christina was born, several people told us that we should have a gift for our older daughter Elizabeth from the baby. Supposedly, this would help the siblings “start out on the right foot” and make the older sister happy that the little baby had a present for her. So, when Elizabeth came to see Christina and me in the hospital, I pulled out a wrapped present with a card that said, “Dear E, Thanks for being a great big sister. Love, C” It was a personalized book — Elizabeth’s Adventures on Sesame Street — featuring a story and photos of Elizabeth partaking in various activities with Elmo, Cookie Monster, Zoe, Grover, etc. The book was a huge hit and it became her favorite bedtime book for at least six months thereafter.

That all happened when Elizabeth was 2-1/2 years old. 16 months later, on the way to school today, she asks me out of the blue, “When was I on Sesame Street?” I answer truthfully, “It is actually just a story. It’s not real. The book just has your picture in it.” She proceeds with her questioning: “How did C come out of your tummy with books?” Hmmm…. she got me there! Of course, in her mind, it made perfect sense that Christina must have had the book in the womb if she brought it for Elizabeth.

Caroline

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.

Summer is fast approaching and to celebrate here are some of our favorites this season.

Part I: Summer Wear

As the weather was heating up in San Francisco, we decided to hop in the car and visit some friends who defected to Denver with their 18 month old daughter. My friend gets a lot of her daughter’s summer gear from REI, here are a few things we couldn’t resist posting about.

{a} Roxy Teeny tiny two-piece swim suit.

{b} Life is Good Monkey Tee There is something very charming about these simple illustrations.

{c} My friend swears by these Keen shoes for wading around in streams with her daughter (they also come in adult sizes)

Fiddlesticks in Hayes Valley San Francisco is one of my favorite kid’s clothing stores. They have an adorable selection of clothing, soft lunch boxes and capes. Here are a few of our favorite Fiddlesticks tees for this season.

{a} Peacock Tee for girls

{b} Fireflies Tee for boys

This Alice + Olivia Eloise party dress is a cutie (I kind of wish it came in adult sizes). Alice + Olivia designer Stacey Bendet created a line of fashionable duds for wee ones including some edgy party dresses and organic cotton pieces.