From Cate & Levi, the same eco-dad designer that creates sweet plush toys, zoo cubes and puppets from reclaimed wool, comes a collection of framed animal wall art that’s perfect for baby’s nursery. Like the fab finds we told you about before, each one is handmade from reclaimed wool in Toronto, Canada. Every creation from hippo to dog is one- of-a-kind since it’s made from whatever wool scraps are available. The animal art is mounted on natural cotton canvas and framed in a 9 x 9 inch solid wood frame.
All-natural doesn’t have to mean sticking to blah neutrals like beige, brown, and… more brown. These colorful teethers by Ticki Tacki Toys get their saturated pink and purple hues from cranberries and beets instead of potentially suspect dyes. Made from raw maple, then finished with beeswax and flaxseed oil, the gum-soothing toys come in different shapes to keep things interesting: a circle, an octagon, and a set of stacking squares.
Warm hats and ear muffs will soon be out with the winter season, which means sweet hair accessories are in — and what better way to welcome spring than to add some blossoms to your little girl’s repertoire? Lou and Lee Handmade Originals shop on Etsy offers handcrafted headbands and hairclips that are ripe for the picking, featuring vibrant and cheery, hand cut floral accents, zippered rosettes, and vintage millinery flowers. Headbands are available in any size (baby, child or adult) and they may also be made as a clip if preferred. If buds aren’t your little lady’s cup of tea, check out this adorable and timely Alice bow headband with wool felt and trim.
+ Lou and Lee headbands and hairclips $14-$25
+ Lou and Lee Handmade Originals
via Cool Mom Picks
Kenziepoo loves the new Marionette collection of cushions from Darling Clementine seen above — and we love that these soft, sweet pillows are made with 100% organic cotton.
Growing up Green gives us a leg up on Tightology organic kids …
Spanish group Basurama literally had a green ‘train of thought’ when they converted an abandoned project to build an electric train in Lima, Peru into a green amusement park for kids and adults alike. Ever since the train ruins were forsaken in 1986, the construction has been left as-is, and concrete columns have stood without purpose… until this month, when the Ghost Train park opened free of charge to jubilant attendees who indulged in merriment via park equipment made from recycled materials.
The ancient art of shadow puppetry gets a modern day spin with Paperboy’s ‘Hand Made’ wallpaper. An enchanting herd of cleverly crafted hand animals come to life on this FSC accredited sustainable forest paper, available in berry purple ink with hand screen printed animal shapes in shiny silver, or in shadowy …
Brick-loving kids will be bowled over by designer Dave DeGobbi’s new Lego concept, Crawler Town. The story of Crawler Town begins with an end… the inhabitants of this steam-punk world have exploited the earth’s natural resources and can only find life’s simple luxuries “like pizza, fresh vegetables and beer” while vacationing at moving structures like Crawler Town. Yes, the environmental lesson this toy teaches is a pretty dark one (it’s best suited for older kids) but in all of this, forced by necessity, the townspeople have figured out a more energy efficient means of survival.
Looking for an engaging and educational way to get your kids into digging, planting and watering? Try Good Growing: A Kid’s Guide to Green Gardening from activity-book publisher Klutz. The pages are packed with kid-tested projects that are universal to all climates and gardens — from suburban backyards …
This week we’re giving away a luxurious, eco-friendly Cherish Organic Gift Set from BABYBEARSHOP! Included in this trio of BABYBEARSHOP treasures is: an 8oz bottle of Organic Mama Belly Oil ®, which is ideal for a pregnant mama’s blossoming belly! This all-natural, non-greasy formula is easily absorbed into the skin and helps keep stretchmarks at bay. It may also be poured into the bathtub as a relaxing elixir which softens and soothes skin. A 4oz jar of 99% Organic Cheeky Baby Butter®, a nutrient rich Shea butter baby creme that may be applied to baby’s dry skin or chapped cheeks, or used to give baby a skin hydrating massage. And an organic cotton grape toy baby may cuddle or use as a teether! BABYBEARSHOP is a purely organic skincare line founded by a mother of two who wanted all natural, eco-conscious body care products for her children. BABYBEARSHOP products are made in the USA from nourishing plants and plant extracts derived from organic sustainable farming methods, and they are 100% cruelty free and packaged in recyclable containers. As important as what is in BABYBEARSHOP products, is what they are free of: NO parabens, phenoxyethanol, lactoperoxidase, citrus seed extract and no other synthetic preservatives or additives. They contain no dairy, no nuts, no gluten, no soy, no egg, no oat, no colors, no artificial anything. Read more about our love for BABYBEARSHOP products in our feature, and then enter to win after the jump!
Old Man Winter may be on his last legs, but a little hint couldn’t hurt. Try Potting Shed Creations’ certified-organic sunflower-in-a-bag, which contains everything you need to sprout a wee version of the cheery spring herald. The flowers, which blossom 60 to 70 days after germination, last up to five weeks …
Brinca Dada believes that toys don’t need to be flashy or noisy to be utterly exciting, and their newly listed Emerson House proves their point perfectly. Emerson House is an amazing modern home for your child’s eco-friendly doll family. Featuring six spacious rooms, the scale 1:18 home boasts a living room, kitchen, library/office, master bedroom, bathroom and child’s bedroom. With a large, open floor plan and floor-to-ceiling windows, the Emerson House uses the power of sunshine to provide year-round lighting; but that’s just the beginning of this sweet abode’s eco-friendly features.
When Belgian designer Quentin de Coster set out to create a table for children, he cleverly collaborated with a team of 5 year olds to determine the aesthetic that would be most appealing and relatable. He asked each of the children to draw tables and dogs, and he used their interpretations as the basis for …
Like a crystal castle for a post-ecopalyptic world, Casa Ecologica de Botellas Plasticas (or La Casa de Botellas) is a dream home that only an extremely creative, environment-friendly mind could conjure up. Constructed from thousands of PET plastic bottles, possibly headed for improper disposal, the home created by the Alfredo Santa Cruz family in Puerto Iguazu, Argentina, is “a tool for promoting ecological and social responsibility.” The Santa Cruz’s, “successfully designed their portable structures to be accessible, simple, and creative down to the last detail.” As if the ‘big bottle house’ wasn’t whimsical enough, Alfredo also designed a smaller playhouse out of bottles for his young daughter. See exactly how many plastic bottles it took to build La Casa de Botellas after the jump!
When he’s not designing furniture modeled after pizzly bears, Masahiro Minami, finds the time to teach a design seminar at the University of Shiga Prefecture. A byproduct of his latest seminar, which just wrapped up last month, was SUMICA, designed by 22-year old Michiko Eguchi. Eguchi designed SUMICA to teach children the value of personal belongings, as well as the significance of the furniture that houses our treasured possessions.
We’re still knee deep in winter, but with spring just around the corner, being fashion forward means not waiting for the thaw to shop warmer weather trends! Here are five pairs of our favorite eco-friendly shoes for green babies, to help you get your little one geared up to head outdoors in style!
Cate & Levi Zoo Cubes are both cuddly like a stuffed animal and stackable like a block. Each colorful character is handmade in Toronto, Canada by Josh Title, eco-conscious dad, and team, using reclaimed wool on the outside and non-dyed wool stuffing inside. Since the fabric is reclaimed, no two Zoo Cubes …
We all know that the excitement of turning another year older fades away all too quickly — so let kids indulge their birthday party mania while they’re still young enough to believe in their wish for a unicorn while blowing out their cake candles. Soopsori’s Birthday Party set lets kids celebrate the passage of time till their heart’s …
Babyccino Kids brings us up to speed on Kiddimoto balance bikes made from Birch ply sourced from managed forests. We love the Union Jack Scooter, above, sure to make patriots out of pint-sized riders.
Holly at Stitch Craft shares the awesome handmade mini treehouse her husband …
Australian company Makedo recently made their US debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York City. Their kits up the ante on “making do” with what you have around the house to whip up original crafts and toys. The concept is simple — inside the recycled cardboard tube you’ll find a bunch of recyclable plastic pins, hinges, clips, a kid-safe cutting tool and an inspiration poster. Kids are instructed to scavenge around the house to find boxes, egg cartons, fabric scraps, construction paper, jar lids, bubble wrap and more. Then, using what’s inside the Makedo tube, they turn what would otherwise be trash into cool art projects — from the simple to the elaborate to the grandiose. Watch the video after the jump to see the Makedo kit in action.
LOTS MORE GREAT GREEN DESIGN STORIES HERE... KEEP READING!
