This post is made possible with the generous support of vine.com. Thanks Vine!

I am itching for summer. Itching for it in a way that’s hard to describe unless you’ve been through an endless 7 month long winter. It’s been a cold cold spring, and everything around here is just now, just barely, blossoming.

So I’m wistfully meditating on two of my favorite summer things – carnivals/county fairs and sunshine. It turns out they’re great combined together. Bright, cheery, and full of whimsy. I’ve found  Vine.com is a great place to go searching for unique finds like these – things I haven’t seen everywhere else. A sister site to well-known favorites like Diapers.com (which saved us when we were in diaper mode!) and Soap.com, Vine is the eco-friendly designerly cousin. In fact, you can even narrow your product searches by whether they’re BPA-Free, GMO-free, Made in the USA, Made of Sustainable Materials, and/or Organic. It’s like the eco-friendly Amazon (the website, not the jungle). They’re als great for everyday essentials – like my favorite gluten-free snacks and daily lotion.

All that, and Vine provides free 2 day shipping on any order over $35, and their customer service is fantastic. When one of the items in my order arrived broken in half, they happily refunded me the cost immediately, no questions asked. And if you’re feeling overwhelmed by their  massive inventory, just click on the Vine Picks, every one of them is fabulous.

I’ve pulled an entire smorgasbord of family-friendly summer favorites on Vine’s Sunshine Carnival Pinterest board - we’ll be adding pins to it all day long! Make sure to check it out, and let us know what your favorite products are.

Reader Bonus: Limited time new customer offer: Get 3 months FREE SHIPPING, NO MINIMUM on Vine.com! Enter code: GOCRAZY *Get more details

1. Oeuf Flag Garland
2. Areaware Tiger Pillow (Mint)
3. Fluf Organic Reversible Storage Bin
4. Raven + Lily Tigist: Kaleidoscope Necklace
5. Cate and Levi Change Purse
6. Ecojot Giraffe Print
7. Even if She Weren’t My Mom Soy Candle
8. Nohi Kids Tank Dress
9. Bobble Water Bottle Gift Set
10. Woodstock Aloha Chimes
11. Wishbone 3 in 1 Bike

Thanks again to Vine.com for sponsoring this post. I’m always thankful to find sponsors who align so well with my own values, and remember all opinions are my own.

We’re planning to move. I say “planning” because there are one too many projects left on this house to actually say that we “are” moving. There are lots of little air quotes all over the place. But I do a lot of house hunting, and I have a dream list of things I want in our next home. A dedicated studio for me is number 1. A chance to create a new “big girl” room for BIrdie is number 3 or 4 (sorry Little ne, but I’m also dying for more than one bathroom, and a living room with enough space for my baby grand which is currently stuck in the basement.)

Anyhoo. I’m so inspired by Blik’s line of Wrapped and Surface Skin vinyl sheets for both my future studio space and Birdie’s upcoming room. Though I’m not sure she’ll agree that the painterly images will work with her rainbow princess visions, I’m sure going to try and convince her. I do know they’ll be awesome in my studio – which will hopefully have her very own art area as well. The hard part will be choosing which design. Some prints are meant specifically for wrapping your funriture (goodbye boring old Ikea desks!) and others for your walls. If I end up in an attic space with dormer windows, I can see wrapping the inside of each with one of these joyful prints! See all of Blik’s patterns here.

That’s what Collette Bream asks across the top of her Etsy shop, and it sums things up perfectly. I know around this house that question is asked many. many. many. times during the day. Her shop doesn’t give any kind of straightforward answer either. Instead, it feels like I’ve stepped into a perfectly curated little European shop full of open-ended playthings. It’s well-edited, and contains bits of wonder across many genres: cohesive, yet expansive. Yep, I’m waxing poetic, with good reason.

This is one of those shops I’ve stumbled across many times over the years, but for some reason never got around to sharing with you? Thank goodness we’re fixing that tout suite! Whether you’re searching for unique bedding, pillows, artwork, toys, or accessories, Collette Bream’s sweet shop will give you a moment of well-designed wonder. I’m partial to the stutffed raindrop and cloud combos, but perhaps that’s because Birdie tells me her new big girl room should be in the clouds with a rainbow on the wall. I think I can arrange that!

This seems fitting with Mother’s Day 3 days away. See more in Elissa Hudson’s shop.

OH my sweet heavenly stars. As soon as I saw the photos of Bar’s Chandelier project, I got a little giddy. I have a sneaky feeling that you, dear readers, are going to LOVE this project. Besides, who doesn’t want an excuse to make a plethora of poms? I know I needed one! Here is our second fabulous post from Bar:

I love anything pom-pom related. I sometimes wish I were a kid again so that I could get away with sewing them all over my clothes. But I’m a “grown-up” now, so instead I made this chandelier (which did satisfy my pom-pom addiction quite nicely).

Here’s what you need:

• Embroidery Hoop (mine was 8” diameter)
• Ribbon to wrap around the hoop (or paint, stain or leave plain)
• 6 different colors of yarn + cream yarn
• Pom-pom maker (or do it the old-fashioned way)
• Good fabric scissors (very important when trimming)
• Large sewing needle
• String of some sort (I used metallic, must fit through needle)
• Book ring

This DIY is a labor of love. I would rate it challenging, but not at all impossible. First, you need to make lots and lots of pom-poms (54 to be exact). For my chandelier, I chose 6 different colors plus cream (to rest the eyes). I still can’t believe I bought these pom-pom makers. I’m not one for fancy products, but I love these contraptions! The photos will give you an idea of the sheer genius behind this invention. (They come with instructions, don’t worry.)

After you’ve made the pom-poms (which took me a while, making a few here and there over the course of a few weeks), it’s time to get to the more challenging parts…attaching them all together! Download this PDF for the full instructions. (Give it a try, I know you can do it!)

I’m so happy with this boho-chic chandelier. I love the combination of black striped ribbon, neon poms and silver shimmery thread.

Voilà! Here it is hanging in my home. Thanks for indulging me, and have a happy Monday!

-Bar

I may be out of town doing supposedly (hopefully) fabulous things, but I didn’t want to leave you hanging! Here is an oldie but goodie: a favorite, yet often overlooked post that I wanted to share all over again. Enjoy!

I’m dithering over this post. I’ve gone through several topics that are lingering on my future posts list, but none of them feel right this evening – it’s the mood outside with the perfect half-moon, the gestalt of the posts over the last week, and my inability to find all the info I’d like before posting. And some indecisive gene of mine that always rears it’s head at the most impossible times. But I think I’ve finally come up with a solution.

Baby quilts + maps = genius.

Haptic Labs creates quilts with printed maps of your favorite city – there are dozens to choose from, but they will also do a custom map of your choosing. This is one of those occasions where I would be willing to relax my usual cheapskate standards. At $95 – $125, the price is reasonable. Why? These handmade Baby Soft-Maps are not only beautiful (and did I mention they’re handmade?) but they’re also an ingenious mix of practicality and wit. You could choose a city based on so many scenarios. Obviously there’s where the child was born. But what about a quilt of your family’s ancestral lands? Or, maybe a map of where your sprout was conceived – that one cracks me up.

And, if you’re feeling a little richer, Haptic Labs also creates throw-size and queen-size quilts of various locations. These larger quilts are absolutely stunning, and a true family heirloom. The idea of falling asleep every night under a map of my childhood makes me glow just thinking about it.

I may be out of town doing supposedly (hopefully) fabulous things, but I didn’t want to leave you hanging! Here is an oldie but goodie: a favorite, yet often overlooked post that I wanted to share all over again. Enjoy!

Forget chalkboard paint on walls, whiteboard calendars, stickers, post-its, and regular old notes. It’s time for your kids to write their messages in fur. I saw the Dedo by Gonçalo Campos today via Core 77 and I had to feature it right away. Because seriously, you need one and you need one now. And while you wait for it to arrive on your doorstep, maybe you can gather some of the less loved stuffed animals from around your house and write a letter on each. I’m seeing a row of teddy bear butts spelling out “Buy bread!”

Where the heck is Spring?! I’m getting desperate over here, and it sounds like much of the Northern half of the US is feeling the same way: cold. It has me double-duty daydreaming of plants in an almost obsessive way. I caught myself huffing the dirt of one of my houseplants the other day. Honestly, I recommend it, it’s very soothing.

Maybe we can do something productive and plan for the day when Spring finally says hello. We can get all our gardens ready for a fort like this one. I remember a shaded nook of bushes under our favorite Cottonwood tree as a kid that was sacred to us every summer. I’d hide down there and just listen to the leaves. I want to do the same thing for Birdie, and Hearthsong’s Garden Fort looks like a way to guarantee the opportunity presents itself – in case your yard’s existing bushes aren’t feeling particularly compliant. I also think I may have to buy  Moss Milkshake, for the name of it, if nothing else!

Or, you can also create a more portable version with these giant sunflower seeds and a plethora of pots. I may try this approach, because we’re hoping to move this year and I hate to put all that work into something and leave it behind. What about you, which version do you prefer?

I’ve always thought Jonathan Adler really likes to play with his design approach. His style has been ready for kids decor and upbeat interiors for years. But now it’s verified: he has introduced us to Jonathan Adler Junior! They’ve even quietly included some of his existing line into the Junior category on his site, which just hammers home that point I already made: Mr. Adler has always liked to play.

So now you can officially bring Jonathan into your kids rooms without any excuses – as if you needed even one measly little excuse to add some of his signature color and mod style into your lives. Some of the pricing seems out of whack – sorry Jonny Boy, but I’m not paying $248 for a crocheted owl (see below) even though I love him with all of my heart. However, most of Adler Junior pillows, for example, are affordably under $100.

I’d be happy to bring some of his Junior line into my living room, and his regular line into Birdie’s room too, just to be playfully backwards. Why not, I think he’d embrace the idea, how about you?

See the entire Jonathan Adler Junior line for banks, rugs, storage, blankets and more.

This flower chandelier is just what we need to remember that Spring is merely weeks away. Found via Bliss Blog, see the chandelier at Parcel.