5 Fave Furnishings I'd like to bring home

 Getting up at the crack of dawn , preparing snacks, making sure everyone eats some breakfast, getting the kiddles off to school  with many complaints from my youngest who has champagne tastes. (we have a 45 min subway ride and she would prefer the $25 cab ride every morning-- hey who wouldn't?) then rushing home (another 45 min subway ride) to clean up , pay bills, make dinner then back on the train to pick them up,  get home , strongly encourage homework completion, dinner, bathe, ready for bed then sleep. You get my drift.

Anyway  it occurred to me that in these times of uncertainty and our new love for saving for the future maybe  posting photos of the things I'd love to own one day could be almost as good as actually getting the stuff!!  Sometimes I look at a particular item in a store or in a magazine and after awhile I feel like I already own it.    So for this week here are some  favorites that have stayed with me over the past year. (or 10)...

1. artichoke lamp- I have no where to put it but I love this lamp!! Gorgeous hanging from a very high ceiling.  A friend of mine has it so I get to admire it  when I visit her.

Artichoke Lamp by Louis Poulsen (1958) at ylighting

2. Eames chairs- I think it could be fun to mix these with other classic chairs around a dining table. I'd want the old fiber-glass chairs instead of the modern molded plastic.  I know they aren't that  environmentally green but I love the patina they get.... this one is a molded plastic chair from dwr.com

3. Paul Smith Wall hanging- I've wanted one of  these for ages for the girls room.

both available at the rug company

4.Mats Gustafson Fashion illustration- I will never tire of his work!

Victor & Rolf by Mats Gustafson artnet.com

5. Wishbone chair- an either/or with the fiberglass Eames chairs...

What I have to do is get rid of my dining room chairs and table.... eek they make me crazy.

For now these will just have to stay on my wish list and sometimes that's just enough!

2011 Ezra Jack Keats Award in Children's Books

I love Amazon. So much so that I pay a premium at the beginning of the year so that I get 2 day shipping on all the books I order over the year. Totally worth it.

I love love love books and  I've always loved the library too. Especially these days when we are trying to cut costs.... Of course it helps that my mother was a librarian - children's librarian that is.

Even though my kids are almost too old for these books I still find myself gravitating towards them for the simple stories they tell and the beautiful illustrations.

So while on the  library website  www.nypl.org I came upon the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation Award.   You may remember from your childhood:

What should have been obvious but never occurred to me is that Ezra Jack Keats was the first children's book illustrator and writer to write about African American and Hispanic children in an urban setting.

TheNew York Public Library and the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation Announced Its 2011 Children's Book Award Winners at Ceremony on May 10.

And here they are:

I KNOW HERE Illustrated by Matt James written by Laurel Croz

BUNNY DAYS written and illustrated by Tao Nyeu

I think I'll be heading over to Amazon.  I always like to have a stash of books on hand to give to my friends children when I see them or to have ready for a birthday party. 

More later!!
xo CP

Spring Pansies in New York

Seen in window boxes in front of Bouley Restaurant

Pansies remind me of summertime in Michigan. When they started peeking out of the ground it meant summer vacation was near. Here in New York it's rare to see them.  This photo was taken on Mother's Day with my iphone.  This is also a test to see how mobile posting works.  pretty cool!

A Modern Answer to Display the itsy bitsy stuff

I am in the process of finally pulling together my daughters' bedroom. Up to present it has kind of resembled a dorm room... toys stuffed in drawers. clothes all over the place and nothing (eek!!) on the walls. I am in the process of changing all that.  Think I'll throw in some before and after pics too one of these days. Anyway this little shelving unit caught my eye and I can't stop thinking about it!!  I want one (or two) somethin' awful.

While noodling around on   www.pinterest.com  I found this wonderful playhouse shaped shallow shelf unit thing-y... The best I can describe it I'm afraid.  It  is perfect for creating a vignette in your child's room just as easily as it could be used in a grown up 's room or in my case my workroom. It's called the Dorm and it's made by ferm living.   Ferm means "clever" in Danish.  The company is a home decor collection based in Copenhagen, Denmark.  I am loving the Scandinavian look now. Very crisp, uncluttered and clean!!  And they are right. This piece is definitely clever!!!

Here is another variation on the theme. These would look  great next to a bed. I think I might use them for next to the bunk beds on the wall. A nice place to put a glass of water! 

Luckily you don't have to travel to Denmark to get this great pieces.  Ferm living has a US website where you can buy the items you desire.  Please check it out. They have so many cool and interesting things they have created!!  Another place to check out is their blog Clever Spaces

That's all for now... gotta get back to cleaning up after the week of spackling, painting and repairing...
Sweet Dreams!
CP