smaller

small report- diy creativity

 

watch the film

...and pledge to the foundation devoted to discovering, fostering, and funding creativity and entrepreneurship in young kids.

small shop - marilyn tov

We have always loved Marilyn Tov and have featured her delicate designs in several of our favorite Small magazine shoots (here and here).  Marilyn's clothes are all made of the most beautiful fabric and immaculately crafted, reflecting the chic yet comfortable elegance she associates with her childhood in Paris. Marilyn now lives in New York and all her clothes are produced in the US, however she ships all over the world.

Finally you can get all of her lovely designs at her new online store. In celebration of the opening she is offering Smaller readers 50% off all old stock and 20 percent off her new season. Just put in the code word SMALL when you are checking out.

Marilyn Tov

small report- tinkerlab

Have you come across tinkerlab yet?It is my new favorite website. It is the most amazing resource for fun projects and experiments to do with kids of any age. Rachelle, the artist and mother who runs the blog, aims to engage childrens' curiosities and promote creative and critical thinking…mindsets that support children as they grow into a world that values independent thinking.

Most of the projects and activities are made with found, collected materials or things already in your home. There are tons of simple science experiments that introduce kids to the wonders around them, messy and creative projects and ideas to help kids get involved in their physical world and enable creative play. I love the post encouraging parents to let their toddlers experiement with cooking in the kitchen. 

small inspiration - pinterest

Have you come across Pinterest? It is an on-line pinboard where you can group together images as collections. Its brilliant! It is a great way to stumble across inspiration on other peoples pages without clicking through the back pages of blogs.  It is also perfect for keeping track of all those links you come across and want to remember in a really clear and organised visual way.

You can follow fashion stylist, mama and designer and co founder and editor of Small - Christine Visneau- here but there are all kinds of other great image collections- and of course it is so easy to start your own.

small play- jess brown

We love Jess Brown and interviewed her about her collaboration with Katherine Edmonds (of Wovenplay) way bfor the fall issue in 2009. You can read the article here. You can find a large range of her unique handmade dolls at Sweet William

...and speaking avout wovenplay...have you checked out their new season (also available at Sweet William)? There also some of the dolls made by Jess and dressed by Katherine in the wovenplay shop.

small reports- wool and the gang

Wool and the Gang is the brainchild of two old friends who make style with thick needles and they have just introduced a kids line. You can purchase the items ready made, individually handknitted in Peru, or buy the kits to knit them for yourself at home. All the wool and cotton has been sourced from Peru and comes with the kit, or you can buy the yarn directly from their site. Their blog and website takes you step by step with video help for beginners and is full of knitted inspiration for everyone else. There shop is stocked with great adult sized designs as well as kids and even has some free patterns you can try.

Besides staging international knitting parties, events and fashion parades the ladies behind Wool and the Gang have thier own cool store in downtown Manhattan that I am definitly checking out. Look at all those colors!

small report- moveable type

Kyle Durrie, the proprietor of Power and Light Press has built a moveable printing studio and is travelling around the country. The back of her truck is fitted outcustom built cabinets and a workspace and several presses. She is spending the next nine or so months driving all over North America, teaching workshops, doing demos. This van and tour is the amazing outcome of combining two previously mutually exclusive passions, travelling and printing and putting out the word to raise the money through a Kickstarter campaign. She is taking her custom built van all over the country. Today she is going to be in New York at the Type Directors Club (or if you were lucky you might have seen her yesterday at the Brooklyn Flea where she was giving out free posters) Book for the talk and demonstration from 5.45 to 8 pm at 333 West 39 Street here

She has tons of other dates organised (and if your own town is not on the list you can get in touch and arrange a visit.)

Small activities- kidsfest

If you are in New York there are lots of free and fun activites fro kids during kidsfest on the 23 of October. Click here to learn more.

small report- russian cartoons

We are pleased to introduce Nadia Jones (of onlinecollage.com). Nadia is going to be doing reports for us every now and again. First up she is going to showcase some brilliant children's cartoons created in Russia.

While Russia may be the largest country in the world, its people sure know to create entertaining and creatively rich cartoons for their small ones. And best of all, many of the Russian children's cartoons are so genuinely endearing and well-produced that you often don't need to know the Russian language to thoroughly enjoy the shows and understand what's going on.

Since many of the classic Russian cartoons were created so long ago, they have very loose copyright restrictions and many of them are available to watch for free on YouTube. Still, you can also purchase many of these series from legitimate online merchants like Amazon.

Nu, Pogodi!

Nu, Podogi! translates roughly to Well, Just You Wait! This is actually the most common line in the series, shouted by the wolf at the end of each episode after his plans to capture (and presumably eat) the hare are once again foiled.

This classic, very popular Russian cartoon is often compared to the American Tom and Jerry although, due to a complete lack of exchange of culture during the cold war era, the creator of Nu, Podogi! had never seen the American classic. Their most valuable similarities include their clever writing, unexpected turns, and great music. Of course, there are differences between the cartoons, most distinctly being that Nu, Podogi! features a wolf chasing a hare rather than a cat chasing a mouse. Also, the hare seems a bit more unassuming and less devious than the mouse in Tom and Jerry.

Like Tom and Jerry, this Russian classic uses very little spoken language (aside from the wolf's lamented, "Nu, Pogodi!"), so there is really no language barrier for this cartoon at all. Best of all, you can view countless episodes of this brilliant cartoon for free on YouTube (just keep following the most related video links after the first episode linked above).

Cheburashka

The concept of Cheburashka began as piece of children's literature but soon after had an animated series made after it. Quite frankly, the Chebursashka character in this series is the most adorable cartoon character I've ever seen.

Unfortunately, there were not very many episodes of this series created, so I don't want to give too much away in describing it. Let me just give a few details:

• Cheburashka becomes great friends with a Crocodile named Gena.
• Gena has a job at the zoo … being a crocodile (love this).
• Cheburashka was not allowed to work at the zoo because he is an animal unknown to science and they didn't know where to put him.

 If these details haven't sold you to the clever, warm, and genuine intricacies of the show, I'm not sure what will. There are so many things to love about this show. The soundtrack is rich and full of Russian musical style, and the characters are all extremely nice and exemplary in their behavior. Even the antagonist is as mild as a mischievous prankster.

Unfortunately, there are not very many English translations of episodes aside from the link I provided. However, you can purchase the Cheburashka DVD with English subtitles, which would be a perfect gift for a child just learning to read.

This is a guest post by Nadia Jones who blogs at online college about education, college, student, teacher, money saving, movie related topics. You can reach her at nadia.jones5 @ gmail.com.

the Brooklyn renegade craft fair!

head over to the Renegade Craft fair in Brooklyn  today and tomorrow to pick up some original mimi kirchner tattoed dolls, little hero capes, hand made plush toys from zoogu, wooly baby upcycled booties (see our post on 9th) Screech owl prints and cards (see our post on the 8th) woolies from pipsqueak chapeau and tons more of our favorite  designers and makers. See the full list here.

small play- wood grained trike

This detailed hand-painted woodgraining is done by Rob, a retired panel beater in New Zealand for his family business, unambiguously named 'Rob's Woodgrained Bike Frames.'  His main work is adult bikes if you like the effect it owuld probably be more  worth it for a fullsize set of wheels.

I think the reason I am attracted to this is I love people re-using skills they already have and applying them to new ideas and businesses. A lot of the small designers we support are using skills they developed in their first careers to start their own businesses. It is this kind of resourcefulness and open mindedness that starts new ideas. How do you use your first working life skills for your new work/business project?

playtime new york favorites part 2

A nod to sailor stripes by Little Esop.

 

Charcoal wool, thin engineer stripes and camel colored linen by Little Lief.

 

Army green and owls at Bobo Choses.

 

Feather embroidery by Coral & Tusk.

 

Brand new circus and pirate series wall stickers by Love Mae.

 

  
 

Classic dressing by Dagmar Daley and art by Carin Berger in her booth.

 

 

Artists installations all around the venue of Playtime New York.

playtime new york favorites part 1

Colorful accessories by Lucky Wang (look for these in the next issue!)

 

Beautiful neutrals by ESP no.1

 

Feminine skull necklaces paired with soft florals by Vent Contraire.

 

Recycled sweater booties, scarves and how cute are these felted ice cream necklaces? (these may be in the next issue too!) by Seven Smooches.

 

Denim done a million cool ways by Kutie Protocol, plus the famous couple names of each garment.

 

Luxe miltilary coat and cloud details by newcomer Pale Cloud.

Small photo- siblings five

Next weekend Davina Zagury is doing her fifth instalment of the Sibling Project at the lovely Pomme store. We have loved her work since we first saw it and asked her to be in the third issue of Small. To secure a portrait slot at Pomme in Dumbo log on here and make a booking. In order to secure your session, a non refundable $30 deposit is required ($10 will be deducted from your print order). Fee includes: a 10 to 15 minute session, image editing, online gallery, $10 credit toward prints, participation in the exhibit. Prints will be available for order after the exhibit opening.

Pomme: 81 Washington St at York
DUMBO, in Brooklyn

small type- book party

Dallas Clayton is one of our favorite authors/artists and have featured both his books in Small. Check out our current issue to read about the making of his books and his fun philosophy. For the spring Dallas Clayton is planning an 'awesome world tour' and will be making a stop at Little Bean in Dallas, Texas on March 20th at 2pm.

If you are interested in having Dallas come to your venue to read and sign books then you can get in touch with him through his website. You can order his books or read his book for free on line here.

Recently one of our readers, Sharon Garufolo of Cupcakes and Cutlery (a party ideas blog) hosted a Awesome Book of Thanks themed book party. Anyone who has held a kids party knows how much effort goes in to the planning. She sent us a few pictures and wrote a little about the day.

"I am huge fan of Dallas Clayton.  Aside from his amazing illustrations, his messages are so important for kids to hear. I don't think they can hear them enough.  So... knowing that by next year my son will have a say in his birthday party theme, I relished the chance to choose this last one.  When I heard about the newest Awesome book, An Awesome Book of Thanks, I knew that is what it would be.  It was great to do this kind of party, one that is not traditional or found in party stores, because it allowed me to be creative and different.  

I had been wanting to work with Amber of Pitbulls and Posies. Amber had given me the idea of doing an activity for the kids by printing some of the pages on watercolor paper.  I tweaked the idea a bit by choosing three pages that said "Thank You", changed them to black and white and added some extra lines below for writing on.   Even though some of the kids were too small to write, they all enjoyed using the watercolors.  It was an easy activity to set up and pretty inexpensive.  

All of the guests told me how much they enjoyed the party and it was by far my favorite party to plan.  I look forward to seeing what books Dallas Clayton shares with us next."

Thank you Sharon!

Sharon Garufolo of Cupcakes and Cutlery

small report- more clothes!

yeah... the clothes are great (although not 'small' scale or independent at all so we won't talk too much about them) but the main reason I am writing about it is beacuse I love the way her website works. It is worth going to check it out just for the neat trick when you scroll over each child- simple, playful and very effective.

 

small shopping- Kicokids

Kico Kids is having a huge sample sale with up to 80% off. We love Kicokids and feature their unique and stylish designs in Small when ever we can. They also have terrific pencil kits which make great gifts so it's a great time to stock up!

when: December 2nd and 3rd

where: number 3 Ninth Avenue at the corner of Gansevoort St in the Meatpacking district.

contact: [email protected] or 212 675 5426 (please note- its a walkup so strollers will have to be left downstairs)

Small Art - Crafting Community

This Friday we will be heading to Palm Springs for Crafting Community, the ultimate family getaway headed by crafter extraordinaire Karen Kimmel of Kimmel Kids. Set against the gorgeous backdrop of the Palm Springs desert at the iconic at Ace Hotel & Swim Club, the weekend offers an easy oasis of crafting, creativity, community and imagination for kids and parents alike.

Our very own photo editor, Steven Visneau, will be documenting the event as well as heading up a few photo classes for kids. Small will be there documenting the artwork of all the children. You can follow the event and see the amazing artwork produced on line at the Small Magazine Crafting Community Gallery.

Check out the current issue of Small where two of the artists heading up workshops this weekend share their projects here.

 

small report no.3 - Playtime New York

Clemence G-A colorful collection of baby onesies adorned with owls, birds and fish. Sleep sacks with mixed fabrics and beautiful stuffed bird mobiles that play sweet music.

Lamantine-Another amazing French line of luxe fabrics like muted silks and sheers with beaded details in modern silhouettes. I loved the beaded jewelry and empire waist dresses. Look for this line in our next issue!

Soft-This collection was created for children with sensory sensitivity. Each garment is tag less, sewn with flat seams, and crafted from bio washed cotton. This range is practical yet very stylish.

Goat Milk-Basic underwear, onesies, leggings and tee shirts in soft organic ribbed and pointelle knits. Essentials for any child's wardrobe in a neutral color scheme.

small report no.1 - Playtime New York

Last weekend I attended Playtime New York,  the international trade show devoted to childrenswear. I had a little assistant, my daughter Miette helping me. It was so nice to get a fashion perspective from a 6 year old. As a sponsor of Playtime we had limited edition postcards (seen in the middle photo above) featuring artists from our Small Draw coloring pages made for all the attendees of Playtime.

I will post over the next couple of days my favorite designers, new and old, from the show.

Bakker Made with Love -A French label designed by couple David and Valerie Bakker, who reside in Indonesia and who are clearly influenced by their travels. It can be seen in the colorful handmade fabrics in tribal prints that adorn rompers, bags, bibs, swim trunks and dresses. Along with a this collection are bright beautiful basics like jeans, tees and outerwear.

Supereditions-  A Parisian publishing house making books with Sandra Lanilis’ funny text with titles like, The Magic Sausage and Where do Monsters and Spiders hide when they are scared with a blank pages where your child can illustrate the story.

Coral & Tusk- Pillows, tee shirts, onesies, stationary and art prints adorned with embroidered images created by Stephanie Housley. I loved the kids button down shirts and dresses in a beautiful blue fish print as well as the award brooches and baby booties embroidered with bears and ducks.

 

Easy Peasy- A French brand of beautiful leather baby and toddler shoes.A  Classic collection of mary janes and lace up soft oxfords as well as booties with mouse and owl faces, colorful peace signs and hearts.

small report- project lemon-aid

Project Lemon-Aid began in mid-June 2010 as part of the Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation campaign to Save Our Schools, when local school children held lemonade stands to raise money to save their teachers and programs from devastating state budget cuts to public education. Their efforts mushroomed across the city, and dozens of lemonade stands (and now garage sales, yoga classes, and more) continue to appear several times per week, raising more $20,000 to date. In July local businesses began to join the students' campaign.
Bid here for amazing offers for LA foodies such as an ice-cream party from Sweet Rose Creamery or private pastry lessons from Zoe Nathan, owner/baker of Huckleberry.

Submitted by Andrea Arria-Devoe

small report - Playtime New York

Small is happy to be one of the lovely sponsors for the premier of Playtime in New York this weekend. Playtime is the international trade show devoted to children's universe as well as maternity wear. We are excited to meet new designers, get inspiration for future issues as well as the opportunity to see and chat with old friends. We will be back next week with a full report of the show. We will also have some cool goodies to give buyers!!!

Here are some designers & exhibits we are excited to see!

Lamantine

Bensimon

Supereditions

Areaware

Littl by Lilit

Milo Tricot 

Tinou Le Joly Sénoville

Playtime New York

July 31 - Aug 2

82 Mercer st. NY NY 10012

Small report- handmade toy alliance

The Handmade Toy Alliance is a great resource for anyone looking to buy ethical, handmade and safe toys for their kids. The alliance is a large group of toy makers, retailers and product manufacturers who are striving to protect and preserve handmade and unique children's products in America. 

Here is some background from their website:  In 2007 it was found that some large toy manufacturers who outsourced their production to China and other developing countries were selling toys with dangerously high lead content or unsafe small parts, unsecured and easily swallowed small magnets or made from chemicals that made kids sick.  Almost every problem toy in 2007 was made in China.

The United States Congress rightly recognized that the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) lacked the authority and staffing to prevent dangerous toys from being imported into the US. So, they passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act , or CSPIA  in August, 2008.  Among other things, the CPSIA bans lead and phthalates in toys, mandates third-party testing and certification for all toys and requires toy makers to permanently label each toy with a date and batch number. 

All of these changes will be fairly easy for large, multinational toy manufacturers to comply with. Large manufacturers who make thousands of units of each toy have very little incremental cost to pay for testing and to update their molds to include batch labels. 

For small toymakers and manufacturers of children's products, however, the costs of mandatory testing will likely drive them out of business. 

The CPSIA  forgot to exclude the class of children's goods that have earned and kept the public's trust: Toys, clothes, and accessories made by small businesses where the owners are personally involved in the creation of their goods.  The result, unless the law is modified, is that handmade children's products will no longer be legal in the US.

You can support these small businesses fighting to get the law changed and to keep real choice in kids products available to the public by remembering to support handmade when you are shopping for kids clothes or toys. 

The  list makes it easy find the alliance designers and retailers. Here are a few products we like starting with Small magazine's co-editor, Christine Visneau's line Baby Bean Vintage Daywear

Little Sapling Toys

Sarah's Silks

Pretty Dreamer

The Play Store -a wonderful online toyshop. 

Tactile Baby

Craftsbury Kids another great resource for natural toys and clothing. 

Small events- Karen Kimmel art camp

Los Angeles-based installation artist and designer Karen Kimmel has one foolproof rule for teaching kids and grown-ups to appreciate art. Make it a party. Following the success of her ongoing "Art of Exchange" stencil workshops and the launch of her beautiful laser-cut stencil kits, the multi-talented mom of two recently brought over 50 families together at a two-day art camp in Palm Springs at the Ace Hotel.

Here's how the weekend went down:

The 48-hour adventure included everything from s'mores under the stars to a family movie night with luminescent glow sticks.  The art workshops ranged from designing your own Converse sneakers, to macramé, dioramas, and jewelry design made of scraps of cloth donated by American Apparel.  Parents joined the activities too, as one proud mom told us her scrap necklace was inspired by vintage Lanvin.  Evenings were spent with family style dinners (Taco night being the favorite) gathered around the camp fire. 

You can find more information and future dates here.

Reporting by Andrea Arria-Devoe -mom and freelance writer who has written for DailyCandy, Bon Appetit, and Edible Los Angeles

Photos by Erik Ian

Children’s Club Fall/Winter 2010 Collections

Here are a few standouts from the Fall/Winter 2010 collections shown in NYC.

Rock Baby Rock - A modern collection of knits and denim made in LA. I loved the boy’s range of striped sweaters, soft denim and hoodies with graffiti in bright colors.

Cacharel – From the iconic French clothing line started in 1962, the kid’s collection is rich with colors of cranberry and navy crafted from luxurious silk floral and velvet fabrics.

Bequita – This is the debut collection from Bequita. Created from organic cotton and clearly inspired by the East and designed with close attention to detail. The Chinese knot closures are handmade and each piece is intended for play, to be mixed and matched and layered.  

Nellystella - It’s simple-Nelly Chen designs clothing that she would wear herself. My favorite piece is the black blazer for girls. It’s layered over the ditsy floral dresses and rompers in this collection.  

Blu Pony Vintage – A truly vintage collection of clothing inspired by the 1930’s and uses the same sewing tradition of clothing made at that time. Vintage silhouettes with beautiful chambray, linen and plaid cottons.

Bear Feet Shoes - Started in 1985 in Austin, Texas, and still made there today from natural and organic materials. Leather and suede Mary Janes and desert boots in bright-jeweled colors.

Velvet & Tweed - Tina Schreiber does a fantastic job of mixing traditional silhouettes with a modern twist.  Girls dresses perfect for any fancy party in classic cut but in a bright dotted berry pattern and a traditional pea coat for boys in a bright colorful plaid.

 

Small threads - Polarn O. Pyret want your opinion

Spring is just around the corner, and Polarn O. Pyret USA is busy preparing for the arrival of the Spring Collection, which is full of fun limited edition landscape prints.

Pattern designs have always been very important for Polarn O. Pyret. From the classic stripe that first saw the light of day as early as 1976, Polarn O. Pyret has created lots of its own original patterns and prints.

This year PO.P is asking its very loyal customer base, especially in our new US market, to help us choose the pattern that will return from the archives in 2010. They have selected seven patterns from seven Swedish designers from the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s. The pattern receiving the most votes will make a return to PO.P this year.

Let us know by the end of the 26th which pattern is your favorite here.

Small report- Mathilda's Market

Mathilda's Market showcases and sells beautiful handcrafted and limited production baby and kids goods. They carefully handpick their stallholders to bring you the most divine and original clothing, accessories, homewares and toys for the little ones. Their exquisite wares are lovingly made by some of Australia's most talented crafters and designers – many of them parents themselves.

It is a wonderful resource for people looking for gifts or who want to dress their children or decorate their kids' home environment, but don't want to buy mass produced, chain store items.
Mathilda's Markets are held in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Canberra, Adelaide and Hobart. Recently we had a chance to visit the Melbourne market.  Although the markets are only in Australia most of the vendors have online shops so you can pick up their items anywhere. There was so much to see but here are a few stalls that we loved.

 

Created in West Brunswick in Melbourne, Squirt Baby is a clothing and accessories company featuring handmade creations catering for children 0-8 years. The range features vintage fabrics reminiscent of the creator and designer, Fiona Heathcote’s childhood. Products include pinafores, shift dresses, frilly shorts and cotton beanies. Pictured are the unique and ever so gorgeous ‘Frilly shorts’ and the ‘Sweet Tweet a-line dress’. These colourful shorts and this simple yet stylish a-line dress have been attracting growing interest for the company which will be expanding in 2010 to incorporate online shopping.

Squirt Baby

Created by Alice Harris from Carnegie in 2009 following the birth of her first child, Alice discovered a gap in the market when trying to locate imaginative, unique and stylish mirrors for children.  

With a fine arts background all mirrors are designed by Alice using mirrored acrylic material which is laser cut to ensure they are child friendly and lightweight. Her current range includes mirrored letters and customised silhouetted mirrors, as pictured. Ally Pops

bottom right: Lad and Lass (L&L), founded in Perth by Clara Jane Stojsavljevic, boasts a range of beautiful artwork and interior products. The range includes lamp shades, variety of screen prints and vinyl wallpaper made from organic soy based inks, 100% recycled papers and organic cottons.

Pictured is a range of lampshades currently available. The latest addition to these European inspired shades is the Counting birdies table shade (bottom middle) and the Wheelie Traffic light shade, a current best seller.

By purchasing Lad and Lass products you are supporting children through charities such as Starlight Foundation. Lad and Lass

Poss Bloss PVC and laminated art smocks, aprons, bibs and change mats were designed due to the need for practical and hard wearing clothing for busy children. The material choice does not substitute for style, comfort or affordability.

The smocks (pictured), with unique and quirky designs teamed with PVC sleeves, are the nucleus of the range and continue to be the best selling product within the designer range.  Pictured is a new product to the range the ‘Apron & cooking set’. This pack, in time for Christmas, comes with a signature laminated apron and a range of cooking utensils for children beginning their culinary creativity. Poss Bloss

 

Smallish is a boutique bedding company stocking blankets, quilts, change mats, bibs and sheets and pillow sets. Custom made designs can be accommodated to suit individual preferences.

 The company was founded by Cassandra de Vaus following the birth of her son. Combining a love for bedding and individual style, Cassandra started designing and sewing quilts and blankets. Materials used include 100% cotton and organic bamboo which is hypoallergenic and biodegradable.

Smallish

Scally Bags are specifically designed ergonomic bags which support and maintain a safe and correct posture for children. The bags, pictured, featured PVC pockets, bright contrasting coloured materials and pockets labeled with pictures to help children pack their bags and find objects. The bags also include innovative designs such as expandable pockets, insulated sections and a drink bottle pocket.

Scally Bags

Designed and created by Philippa Thompson 18 months ago, Magic in the Kitchen originally consisted of aprons contrasting quirky, original printed fabrics. The range dramatically expanded, to now include a variety of kitchen sets for children of all years. Inspired to attract children to explore and play in the kitchen, explore healthy food and to play alongside adults Philippa has created children’s cooking utensils which are adult ‘like’ and made out of real materials. Pictured is the ‘Kitchen gift set’ which comes in a variety of colours, includes a range of utensils and to top off the pack, Philippa has designed recipe cards unique to each pack. 

Magic in the Kitchen

Reported by Sarah Tamburrini

Photgraphed by Jody Person