Meet COOPER! Our Weekly Kiddo.

Weekly Kiddos, ,


I swear you guys, our readers have THE CUTEST KIDS around! Today we have another little rock star boy—Cooper! This little man is 22 months old and is the son of Modern Kiddo pal, Tracy. (Make sure you check out her awesome blog, Shutterbean, and the fun cooking features she does for us: Quick Cookin’ with Shutterbean!) Tracy told us that she originally got alot of hand-me-downs from Coop’s cousin Henry. Henry’s style is super preppy (Ralph Lauren, saddle shoes….the works!) and that has kind of trickled into Cooper’s look. What i love is how Tracy mix and matches modern graphics with the preppy elements. It’s a super cute look! OK. On with the show….


Sweater: Gymboree
Pants: GAP
Shoes: Stride Rite

Tracy told us, “I basically dress him in what I would wear if I was a little boy. He’s pretty sporty and a tad bit preppy! We love stripes, argyles & plaids around here too.”


I am in love with this Doggie Diner shirt!!


Lookin’ shahhhp in this plaid shirt! I love it!
Top: Circo
Pants: GAP
Shoes: Stride Rite


Coop wears a lot of Old Navy PJ tops as regular shirts, which are really fun and graphic. You can see a cute PJ top here paired with some classic Oshkosh overalls. (overalls courtesy of Frecklewonder!)


This shirt is so sweet!
Top: Tea Collection
Pants: GAP
Shoes: Pumas


Dressed up!
Sweater: Gymboree
Pants: GAP
Shirt: GAP


Top: Loyal Army Clothing
Shorts: Gymboree
Shoes: Old Navy


His little hairdo kills me. What a cutie!
Sweater: Osh Kosh
Pants: GAP
Shoes: PUMAS


Top: Old Navy
Shorts: Circo from Target
Shoes: Old Navy



Hip Vans……just like his mama!

How cute is this boy?? I chatted with Tracy and asked her tell me a little more about him. “Coop is a super sweetie. He loves Curious George and singing the alphabet. He also is super adventurous and loves running around and exploring. He has no fear! He’s kind of a little toughie. He is super into trucks and cars and is obsessed with with baseball—he already loves the Red Sox like his daddy!”

Of course since Tracy is a masterful cook, I had to ask what kind of foods he eats. She told me he loves most things but especially loves CARBS. HA! I knew I loved this boy for reason!!  Let’s get yer mama to make us some tasty pasta Coop!!

As much as he loves to race around with a little gleam in his eye, this child is also extremely sweet. He’s a giggler and all in all is a very happy boy. Thank you soo much for sharing him with us. HURRAY for Cooper!

Dottie’s Kraft Korner :: Japanese Craft Books

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For the true crafty mama out there, there is always another project on the horizon. Something new to discover. A new craftastic goodie that you can spend hours working on once your little one is in bed.  And it is not just one craft–oh no. Our obsession leaves no corner of Michael’s unscathed!  Knitting? Sure! Crochet? Bring it! Sewing? Natch! Scrapbooking? In my sleep.

And what keeps us crafters going? A good daily dose of craft porn. Like this:

My craft brethren, let me show you my new favorite place for it.

Japanese craft books.

I mean, how can you not go out and spend $190 in 15 minutes with a list of items to finish something as yummy as these boo boo koot elephants–oh, look one is sleeping.

Did your heart just go pitter patter? Mine did!

Japan, how can you turn something as simple as a bag into this crazytown cute item as this:

Image: Mwenda’s Posterous

Just stop. Stop it, Japan. How do you expect me to sleep at night knowing that I could be making this bunny with bunny slippers instead of counting sheep?

Image: Etsy seller, MeMe Craftwork

Speaking of slippers. I want to make wear these so badly… OK, I do want to make them too….

Image: Etsy seller, MeMe Craftwork

Japan, you clearly want me to spend my child’s college fund buying these craft books, don’t you?

Oh, and of course you have a book about making clothes for Blythe dolls… Of course. And I know you all read Alix’s article in Maeve, so you are already putting bids on these dolls and now you’ll need to clothe them. Really, I’m just helping you…

I mean, really… I can’t stand it, Little Red in embroidery land?

Image: I Love Crochet

Oh and get a load of this bucket of craft gorgeousness in dress smocking.  I’m crying here.  I actually did buy a couple of the books.  Like Girly Style Wardrobe. Really, how could I not buy a book called Girly Style. Oh, Japan, you know me so well!

Mommy & Me outfits? Check! It had to be gingham. What is there not to love here?

I’ll take a basket of baby, please. Make that two.

Well, now that my head has just gone kablooey with all of this crafty goodness, I’m going to run out to these Etsy sellers and start buying ’em up. Here are my top three favorite Japanese craft book dealers on Etsy:

Yeah, I did call them dealers because they deal in CRAFT CRACK! That’s what these books are. Evil evil time sucks that have me breaking into a sweat until I’m clutching one in my hot little hands. Sorry. I want to buy them all!

OK–I’ll leave some for you all… Because I love you that much!

Smooches, sweeties! And I’d love to know if anyone out there has made items from these darling books. Sertyan has! And our girl Alicia has too. Anyone else?

Guess Who’s In MAEVE Magazine?

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Yahoo! The latest issue of Maeve Magazine is out…and guess who has another article inside? Yep, that’s muh name on the cover. So exciting! Editor Kate, from Tea & Jam Photography, is soooooo insanely talented. Not only is she a fabulous photographer, she is an amazing graphic designer—she always makes my words look fabulous. Thank you Kate for another amazing issue! There are tons of beautiful photos and cool articles inside—I think you’ll love it. My story is about the Wonderful World of Blythe, which was so much fun to write:

There are tons of other fun and thought-provoking features inside. I’m especially in love with these little kiddos from this photo shoot:



Be sure to check out MAEVE over here!!

Also, don’t forget about the amazing giveaway we’re doing. Priscilla from Little Miss Hierlooms has generously offered up an awesome vintage Irmi storybook lamp for our readers! Enter here.

Kiddo Rooms: Ada's Cozy Cabin Nursery

Kiddo Rooms, ,


When our lovely reader Amanda initially wrote to me, it was about the beautiful letter press birth announcements she makes. And then she casually mentions, “Oh and I thought you might like to see my baby girl’s bedroom in our loft. We built her a mini cabin!” Um…..you built your daughter a mini cabin in your loft?? HECK YEAH I wanna see this! And I figured YOU would want to see it too. Look at this totally unique—and supremely charming—little space!

The little miss who lives here is wee Ada Grey, who is a grand 4 months old. She and her parents live in Providence, Rhode Island where her papa is a decorative concrete worker and her mama is an artist. We chatted with mama Amanda to find out more about this innovative bedroom! I’ve always thought lofts were funky and cool, but “cozy” is not really a word I often associate with them. Well this room is cozy and then some! The cabin concept is such a great way to add texture and also make the space feel like it’s own little hideaway. Amanda tells us that they used reclaimed wood for the outside of the cabin from a local mill. How cool is that? Let’s take a look inside!

Isn’t it the sweetest? I think it’s such a fun mix of funky, arty and retro.

I asked Amanda to tell us a bit about the cool things in this room: “The adorable red cat puppet on the top shelf (that looks like it was taken off the set of Mr. Rogers) was made specially for Ada by an old dear friend, Xander Marro. Along those lines, the two beautiful silkscreens were made by  Brian Chippendale (top) and Jungil Hong (on the bottom) and given as presents when Ada was born!”  Speaking of Ada….here is the little miss herself!

What a doll! The cutey red beastie protecting Ava was a Providence Art Sale find from etsy artist millie & hazel.

The colors in this room are really great too. The gray and pink walls are really distinctive and I love the stylish wall paper, which was an Anthropologie find:

Amanda tells us a lot of the vintage pieces in the room were thrift store or garage sale finds: “The changing table is actually an old bureau I bought from one of my mom’s bridge friends for $15 and we swapped out the drawer pulls with cute ceramic butterfly painted pulls. Oh, and the silkscreen to the right of the wallpaper is also Jungil Hong.”

I love that hot pink diaper pail too….hey, who says you look like #1 even when you #2. hyuck hyuck. (Sorry Huggies.) I think this artful space is so unique. As I mentioned earlier, Ada’s mom Amanda is an artist and her work is lovely. You can see more at her design studio website, Color Quarry. Amanda also makes really cool, customized letter press birth announcements—she’ll even create custom art work for them, which is so special. Find more details at her Etsy shop.



Thank you so much Amanda for sharing this amazing little space with us!

Interview with Little Miss Heirlooms & Giveaway.

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Well, friends, I have a super super giveaway this week from our friend Priscila Barros from Little Miss Heirlooms.

Priscila is not only the mastermind behind the popular kiddie fashion and design blog, Little Miss Heirlooms she’s also the editor of Babiekins Magazine, a fun online mag that covers all things for children. Oh, and if that isn’t enough, Ms. Barros also runs an online shop of vintage goodies for children. Which brings us back to today’s giveaway. Priscila is kindly offering up a VINTAGE IRMI LAMP folks! Remember them from that perfectly dreamy postie Miss Alix did awhile back featuring those divine painted cuties? I know, right? AMAZING!

But before we get to the nitty gritty of the giveaway, I sat down for a nice online cup of coffee (with sugar and milk, please) with Miss Priscila.

DOTTIE: Tell me a bit about your shop and blog, Little Miss Heirlooms?

PRISCILA: I started my shop, Little Miss Heirlooms, after I started working on my son Carter’s nursery. Everything I found in the stores was so general and nothing was unique or really special. I decided that a vintage style room would be cute and unique so I started searching high and low for the perfect accessories. Through that I kinda learned what was vintage, what wasn’t and what was valuable and what wasn’t which helps me know what I should get for my shop. I thought that opening a little shop full of vintage goodies would be perfect for anyone wanting a little charm in their children’s space whether you like modern or vintage!


I started my blog essentially because I love childrens items especially after having my 2 boys. My education background is in fashion and so I think fashion, decor and design all sort of fit together. I have always had a great eye for things even when I was little! I was always styling my little friends and family members even at a young age! So I love to just write about what Im loving at the moment and what catches my eye.

My shop is a fun thing for me to do and I’ve even got my husband into it. He sometimes comes home with fantastic “junk” that no one wants anymore. His latest find (that someone just gave him) was an amazing Marx ride-on car. It’s a ride-on car from the early 60’s and totally amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it. The problem with collecting things for my shop is that I fall in love everything so once it sells it’s bittersweet.

DOTTIE: I love that your husband is into it as well! I agree on the selling part—you get so attached to these unique, lovely things. But tell me a bit about Babiekins too. What inspired the online magazine?

PRISCILA: The name Babiekins came from a friend that left a comment on my blog and it’s been the name I’ve called my kids for years. With my friends permission Babiekins magazine was the name for our new online e-zine full of trendy finds, fashion, decor and design.

DOTTIE: Awww—Babiekins—I love it! Watch out Peach! You may have a new nickname soon. Tell me more!

PRISCILA: Well, I started Babiekins because I get questions everyday from readers and I thought it would be a great way to answer them, inspire them and get them involved in a more stylized way. I’ve always wanted to do something “fashion orientated” and I decided just to jump into doing it and its been super fun!

DOTTIE: And jump you did, lady. Babiekins is huge! The articles are so much fun. And a lot of goodies beyond fashion to say the least. For me it is a toss up between the photographer Jan Von Holleben’s series and Foxy and Miss Bunnie’s Summer Time Adventures. Oh and that interview with Juime boutique owner, Manuela Olton. Or the Puppet piece. Clearly there is a lot of terrific content in here. And you have contributing writers to manage as well! It really is quite a feat. Well done! What is your favorite feature in the latest issues?


PRISCILA: I really enjoy the What’s Hot, What’s In, What’s Now section full of fun finds. Debra Beau contributes to this section. She is amazing and I love her blog Kickcan and Conkers! I love the fashion shoots too which are probably the hardest and most time consuming but they seem to be everyones favorite parts.


DOTTIE: Ooh! We love Debra too! You know, there are many reasons why I love your blog, and one of the big ones is that you find such cute things. Where do you find all of these great clothing lines?

PRISCILA: I talk about childrens fashion all the time on my blog and I’m always bumping into great designers and shops. I have always been a fashion freak and wanted to be a designer (and maybe still will soon 😉 ) so writing about fashion is totally up my alley.


DOTTIE: Put me down to order one of everything from your first line. Now, I know you have two gorgeous boys who are always well dressed. Do you have any favorite places to shop for fun fashion for boys?

PRISCILA: In the states I go to H&M a lot but I love to shop online ! I also love European shops like Mash n Gravy and Little Fashion Gallery. They both just really do have the “must haves” of the season. It’s fun to have the boys wear unique designer pieces that not many know about here in the US.

DOTTIE: And lastly, how do you manage to fit it all in? You don’t sleep, do you?

PRISCILA: I don’t know to be honest! How can you be a mom, wife, sister, daughter, friend, blogger, store owner and editor of a magazine? It’s not easy at all! Im still trying to figure it all out especially because I dont really get “free time” because my boys dont take naps ….(grrr…). I do though try to take an hour or so each day to prepare blog posts, network and work on the magazine.

DOTTIE: I’m making the Peach take naps until she’s sixteen. Lady, you are amazing. A superwoman for all that you do with such style and grace. And thanks for taking the time to chat with us here at the ole Modern Kiddo.

And thank you Priscila for this amazing vintage Irmi lamp giveaway! Not just any ole Irmi lamp, but the cadillac of Irmi lamps—The Swingers!

Check out this sweet little boy girl duo with their happy little dog that is just waiting to light up your little one’s room.

Here are the deets for this delightful giveaway:

PS If you are already a member/follower, please TWEET the contest for your entry:

Enter this AMAZING Vintage Irmi Lamp giveaway from @modernkiddo & @misshierlooms http://www.modernkiddo.com/?p=340

Good luck, everyone! This is a FANTASTIC one-of-a-kind Giveaway!!!