Doodles Come Alive!

I was a big doodler in my younger days and I admit even now, during one of my job's long office meetings, I zone out by doodling on my notepad. 

So when I found out the illustrator, Christoph Niemann, had done an IPad app (Petting Zoo) I had to have it for me my kids.  His doodles come alive with a few simple strokes. There are no instructions needed, kids instinctively know how to swipe up, down, and from side to side. Not only is this app affordable, it's so kooky, clever and entertaining that it's hard to put down.  

Kids can create music on the back of a porcupine, by the legs of an octopus, or the teeth of a crocodile. 

My favorite is the ladybug on the apple you can make him do a quick jog around the apple, ride his skateboard, jump on the apple, and if you swipe fast enough, he "flames on."

The clever transitions between each doodle is also a plus.  Even the credits are doodle animated.  

Treat your kids and yourself - Check it out here.

Kids and modern furniture

Used to be in the day that modern furniture and kids did not mix. Sometimes that saying still holds water. My husband and I had purchased a Bo Concept sleek, white, microfleece sofa from one of our favorite modern furniture stores in San Diego, Hold It.  It was our first major purchase for our home. When our son, Milo, was born in 2007, that sofa became a breeding ground for Milo's spit up, pee, and whatever else comes out of babies. We ended up giving away our sofa. 

Although, we learned our lesson about buying bright white furniture when you have little kids who by nature will spill or spit something on them leaving difficult stains to remove - we still did not give up on buying modern furnishings. We ended up purchasing the black Karlstad sofa from IKEA. The kids love it plus it was comfortable, affordable and stylish enough to satisfy my husband and my tastes.

(sorry about the poor quality photo)

Eventually when Milo becomes the next Justin Bieber and Stella the next Taylor Swift, or Steve Jobs since they both know how to navigate the IPhone and IPad with such ease, I will be able to afford more furniture from our favorite modern furniture shops in San Diego. Until then, I will continue to window shop and find reasons to take cute kids on furniture pictures. Recently my family went to Mixture in the heart of Little Italy in San Diego. Mixture is a modern and contemporary home furnishing and accessories store.  It's a 3-story open loft with a courtyard in the back.

I figured out the best way to buy modern furnishing, if you have small kids, is to see what they gravitate towards. My son found the furniture he liked the most and told me to take photos of him on "something cool." So I quickly deduced that my son is (a) a narcissist and (b) has good taste (his little sister, Stella, just tagged along).

(urchin poufs by Christien Meindertsma)

(Livingstones by Stephanie Marin)

(Cake by Swan Italy)

(love their outdoor "Day of the Dead" decorations)

(Sledge by De La Espada)

(Horse lamp by Front)

There are always going to be compromises in one's life, especially when it comes to your children. Our home decor was definitely one of those compromises, but I managed to have fun with it and still find furnishing for our home that kept our sense of style intact and all those spills contained!

Milo and Stella

The two kids depicted above are my adorable, yet rambunctious children: Milo, almost 5, and Stella, almost 2. Designing a shared room is hard enough, but if your kids are of a different gender it makes it that much more challenging.  

I grew up in a small home. There were five siblings sharing two rooms.  I learned that sharing a room teaches patience and helps foster your own identity in a creative way.

One of my all time favorite shared rooms is actor Mark Ruffalo's children's room (which was featured in Domino's 2009 issue).  The room designed by Nickey Kehoe was proof that a girl and boy can share a room and still exude style and cohesiveness.  The eclectic and slightly bohemian charm of this room is what stands out to me, but the common elements (like the Jenny Lind beds and african hoop chairs) hold it together.  I love that each child can show their individuality in this room and still keep the style intact.  

Now if somehow I can work Milo's obsession with Minecraft and Stella's obsession with Super Mario Bros into this mix than we're in business...

(top photo:  original work; bottom photos: via BlackEiffel)