Indoor Tents for Kids

As parents and adults, we encourage creativity and imagination for kids. One of the most treasured activities we remember growing up is building forts. Nothing brought more joy than gathering blankets, pillows, towels, cushions, and any item that could turn the bedroom into a private fortress, much to our parents chagrin. The mess was a handful, but the end product always made great memories. Now our favorite childhood pastime has turned into a sophisticated and trendy home accessory. These talented bloggers and parents have shared images of their own indoor tents and they're pitching a frenzy among crafty moms around the web. The tent above takes teepee to a whole new level. Found via Black Eiffel from Frank Features, those stars are a fun addition to any kids room.

This A-frame tent made by Rubyellen of My Cakies is a simple DIY and can easily be broken down and stored. With elastic bands sewn to the corners and washable fabrics, this tent makes parent playtime a cinch and kids playtime a dream come true.

Tifanie of Noddyboom used thrift store found sweaters and textiles for her whimsical teepee style tent.

This photo of Eva'a red striped tent (found via Spearmint Baby via Happiness is Eva) takes the cake. The structured foundation, the bold stripes, the velcro fasteners, it's all tent perfection. You can get your own tent over at An Angel at my Table.

Jude's Picks: Cookies, Tunes & Reads!

In today's post, Jude offers up some cookie, music & book recommendations. We tested out this chocolate chip cookie recipe from the New York Times over weekend - they were delish, though tough to call whether the dough or the finished cookie was the most tempting...

Jude has always been big into singing and dancing (circle time goes against his rebellious nature, but throw on a good tune and he's there, with bells on!). Current favorites include I Was Made for Sunny Days by the Weepies (favorite dance move with this one is the alternating shoulder shrug)...

Rihanna's (also known as "Ri-Na-Na") What's My Name and Rude Boy are often a favorite for post-bath dancing and in car sing-alongs...

Ça Plane Pour Moi - awesome punk rock tune from the 70's by Plastic Betrand (accompanied by 80's metal-style head thrashing and occasional fist pumps)...

Another huge favorite is Price Tag by Jessie J featuring BoB - also an excellent karaoke number...

Jude's top story time story these days is Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty, a hilarious, irreverent book about doing your own thing...

Other faves include Eric Carle's ABC (to date read about 1,538,585,192 times)

"Leo", by Robert Kraus (also available in English as "Leo, the Late Bloomer") - this was one of my favorites as a kid too...

And, of course, "Les Oeuf Verts au Jambon" otherwise known as "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss.  I'm hoping if we read this one enough times he might start eating something other than apples, blueberries and pasta - or, at the very least, might contemplate eating something, anything green.

Featured: Pregnancy & Newborn

Hooray! Our Inchworm birth announcement is featured in the latest issue of Pregnancy and Newborn Magazine! With so many adorable announcements readily available, we're honored they chose our playful new card. The design was so popular we decided to transform it into a folded thank you note! It comes in single cards or packs of six so if you have a bunch of thank-you's to write, we've got you covered.

DIY Strawberry Print

Still feeling the excitement of the summer season? So are we! The farmers markets are bustling, coats and jackets stored away, and beaches are calling our names. While enjoying the sweet taste of some fresh summer strawberries (and constantly imagining new DIY ideas), we realized the organic shape of the berry's insides would make a fantastic stamp! After testing a few of our own, we knew this was something everyone can do, especially kids! In absolutely no time you and your family can have one-of-a-kind artwork hanging on the wall, all made with supplies you already have at home.

Materials:

3 to 4 strawberries (halved), watercolor paint, brush, watercolor paper, frame (optional)

How To:

Step 1. Dip your brush in a little water, then dab in some red or pink watercolor paint.

Step 2. Brush a little paint over the flat surface of your halved strawberry. Try not to add too much water in order to get a more vibrant stamp.

Step 3. Carefully press your berry onto your paper. Let sit for a few seconds before picking up.

Step 4. Repeat! Be sure to leave a 1/2" space on all sides of your paper, in case you want to frame your artwork.

Step 5. After the stamps are all dry, add some leaves to your berries with a small brush. You can even make some little seeds around the edges.

Step 6. Place in a matted frame and display!

For more fun craft ideas for kids and adults, visit the DIY section of our website here!

Lotta Jansdotter Collection

Lotta Jansdotter is unstoppable. Her books have made printmaking at home a cinch and her modern patterns and fabrics have taught us that simplicity is everything. Sadly her shop is being put on hold to welcome new adventures but this is [somewhat] happy news for us because her genius collection of clothing and accessories is on sale! Why not help Lotta with some spring cleaning and make room for new and improved awesomeness. But don't hesitate cause this amazing sale is only lasting until June 22.

These 100% linen tote bags are sure to make a statement. Our favorite is this anemone pattern but there are more to choose from.

Is it too early to make a holiday wish list? This skirt would sit right at the top!

These crayon rolls would make for a darling children's gift, or if you're the creative type use it to carry your favorite pencils/pens!

Keep up the lovely work, Lotta. Can't wait to see what you come up with next! View the entire shop here.

 

Office of Nature Blog

How awesome is the new blog by Office of Nature?? Our friend Katherine Webb (who you might remember from our holiday guest artist collection!) has built an incredible blog about art and illustration for kids and since it's launch in April we've been hooked. She has an extremely well curated collection of designs by artists like Methane Studios (above) and Sol Linero (below) along with many others. We definitely suggest taking some time to scroll the pages. It will make you feel like a kid again!

(Brad Woodard)

(Albert and Marie)

Visit the Office of Nature blog here and don't forget to browse her shop here!

New birth announcements!

Our brand new birth announcements are now available! For all you happy parents to be, you won't want to miss out on these fresh new designs. The best part is that they are completely customizable, so if pink or blue isn't your style, try a sage green or sunshine yellow to change things up. Toy Train (pictured above) is modern but still playful with it's youthful illustrations. The possibilities are endless with this card - just customize the wording to make a fantastic toy train kids party invitation!

You'll be welcoming your bundle of joy in fashion with this Bundle of Joy announcement. And with all those lively rooftops, this card is perfect for city-dwelling parents.

Our Butterflies announcement also looks fabulous customized in any color, and the retro butterflies suit both genders.

To view all of our photo birth announcements, click here!

Photos by Edyta Szyszlo Photography

SFCB Earth Day Extravaganza

The San Francisco Center for the Book is hosting an awesome Earth Day Extravaganza in celebration of this year's Earth Day! On Saturday April 21st you can try your own hand at printmaking, bookbinding, and lots of other fun activities. The best part is that it's totally FREE! Bring your friends, families and kids and be a part of something great.

The SFCB is located at 300 De Haro Street Suite 334, San Francisco, CA, 94103 (The entrance is on the 16th Street side of the building, under the red awning in the bright blue building).

New Kids Birthday Party Invitations

We have some exciting news to share with all of you! For years we've heard from our devoted fans and customers about how a variety of children's birthday party invitations would be the perfect addition to our collection. Well the time has come! Some of our favorite invitation designs are coming out of the archives, and even some brand new invitations are making their big debut.

Balloons (above)

You might remember Jude's first birthday party invitations (a whole year ago!) but now they are available just for you. Perfect for a group party or just one headlining guy/gal. This Big Top invitation sets the bar for a roarin' good time.

Alex and James' cardboard box party was such a hit, we couldn't resist adding their custom designed first Box Party invitations to the mix.

As for the boys' second birthday party (along with a whole march of kiddo's) we designed this stellar Color Block invite similar to the one created exclusively for their neon-inspired bash. Check out more photos on Apartment Therapy here!

 All these designs can be customized for twins or even group parties, so give us a call for more information. Enjoy!

Second Birthday Party - Neon Bash + GIVEAWAY

Jude, James, Alex and a whole band of kids just celebrated their big birthday number 2 and the theme for this years party was none-other than NEON! Eunice designed these awesome mod lettepress invitations, complete with custom liners and neon edging. The event was a huge success, stocked with tons of neon balloons, cardboard playpens, and delicious treats galore.

Ruby is holding down the fort.

Each honorary birthday boy/girl wore custom #2 tee shirts. And how adorable are Ella's neon shorts? What a trend setter!

You can never underestimate the power of duct tape. These bright neon colors made the perfect assembly tool for the cardboard houses.

Party-goer Finn smiling bright inside the magic box. Definitely frame worthy!

 Sabrina and her twins looking stylish as always. Alex is rocking the sweet shades while James is practicing his fishing skills. The fun goes on...

What a spread! Even the quadruple layer cake (created by the multi-talented Anna Hurley) was neon!

Can Jude be any cuter? This photo of him and Eunice makes us totally melt.

You can have a chance to win this awesome plexi glass neon number 2 cake topper! Leave a comment below telling us your favorite detail of the neon party and we'll randomly pick a winner this Friday, April 6th. Best of luck!

A winner has been chosen! Thanks for participating!

Photography by Modern Kids

Pikku

When we spotted these silk screened cotton ribbons by Pikku on Parcel Post we stopped right in our tracks. Pikku has an entire collection of pillows, office accessories, ribbons, and wrapping paper! What a perfect coincidence it is that our custom birth announcements by Pikku go hand in hand with these accessories. We personalized our Mums birth announcement to match their lemony color scheme, and it's truly a match made from heaven.

Check out the entire Pikku shop here, and our Pikku birth announcements here!

Lucky Friday # 55, Three Ring Circus Thank You Card

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the 55th edition of our Lucky Friday Giveaway.  Each Friday we feature one of our letterpress greeting cards. We’ll choose THREE LUCKY WINNERS to get a free card.  Post a comment by 12 p.m. PST the following Thursday, and we’ll announce the winners on the following Friday!

The three winners from last week are (drum roll, please): Natosha, Tasha and Lydia! We’ll contact you next week to arrange sending your Love Birds card.

Design: Three Ring Circus Artist: Eunice Moyle Inspiration: Ah, the James family circus, of course, and the great Jude the Destroyer. Who to send it to: The one who threw the greatest party (or show) on earth, Misters K. and H (whose production was second to none), or of course, Henry the Horse! Ideas we scrapped in favor of this one: The burlesque version was a little too, er, specific for a thank you card, and we reckoned we'd tuck away the rodeo version for nigh on another year. Favorite detail: Love the translucent sheen on the bear's balloons. Why letterpress? Like letterpress, an elephant, strongman and bear all make a bold impression.

Don’t forget to post your comment and tune in next week, same time, different stationery, to see if you’ve won!

 

Sabrina's Adorable Accordion

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Now would be an appropriate time for an "Awweee" moment! Sabrina's holiday cards just arrived off the press and they are cute as can be. Her twins Alex and James are getting so big, and we can really see the resemblances! We especially love how the boys' stripes match perfectly with the winter and spring illustrations in Susy Jack's Four Seasons accordion card.  The best part is that there's no pressure to send them before Christmas because this card is perfect for any time of year!

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Alex and James definitely make our list of Holiday Cuties this year!

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The gorgeous photos were taken by the Sarah at Modern Kids Photography - more on this soon!

Holiday Cuties

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There are only a few things that get us through the craziness of the holidays without fail here at Hello!Lucky. One being the delicious treats our talented bakers and chefs bring to the office, and another is getting to see the adorable munchkins framed so nicely in the family photos. With all of the photo cards flying through here lately, sometimes we just have to stop and say, "Awwwee." We've compiled a non-juried assortment of some of the most awe-worthy kiddo's, and just can't help but give you a peek. These are in fact the real photos our customers used, so we're sending a big thanks to the families who let us share!

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Craft Bar Event at MOCFA

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Tonight's Craft Bar event at The Museum of Craft and Folk Art is going to be a total blast! Every first Thursday of the month the MOCFA invites local Etsy artists to come participate in a craft night - complete with materials, tutorials, and beer! For just $10 you can go home with some adorable felted wool penguin buddies and handmade holiday cards! Artists Jackie Huang and Rigel Stuhmiller will be there offering hands-on help to all of you first timers. It's completely kid friendly so bring the family!

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The event lasts from 6-8pm and is located at 51 Yerba Buena Lane in San Francisco. Don't miss it!

Happy Halloween!

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Needless to say, Halloween is a just a big excuse to get our crafting on and we love to pull out all the stops!  This year, Jude was a strong man (inspired by his penchant for bashing things and lifting heavy objects despite repeated warnings that if one, say, drops a large rock on one's foot, it's gonna hurt!)

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His costume was based on our fab Going Strong card...

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The costume consisted of drawing Sailor Jerry style tattoos with Sharpies on a pink leotard, leggings (made by tracing half a pair of store-bought leggings, cutting out four pieces and stitching them together - way easier than you would think!), a pair of Tom's and a barbell made with two styrofoam balls, a dowel, and papîer maché...the toughest part was drawing a moustache on a two year old!  I also slicked his hair down with egg whites for that 19th century gentleman look...

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Have a fabulous Halloween!

Lucky Friday # 23, Julia Rothman's Dinosaurs Card for a BIG little Guy!

Hello all you lucky folks out there! This is the twenty-third edition of our Lucky Friday Giveaway! Each Friday we feature one of our letterpress cards. We’ll choose THREE LUCKY WINNERS to get a free card.  Post a comment by 12 p.m. PST the following Thursday, and we’ll announce the winners on the following Friday!

The three winners from last week are (drum roll, please):

Darilyn, Sherri N and Brenda Eden!

We’ll contact you early next week to arrange sending your Bundle of Joy card.

Now for this week’s edition:

dinosaurs

Design: Dinosaurs

Artist: Julia Rothman

Inspiration: Big ideas abound when there’s dinosaurs around!

Who to send it to: For a big birthday for a little guy, terrible lizards make for terrific cards.

Ideas we scrapped in favor of this one:  A surfer stegosaurus on a card that read “Cretaceous, Dude!” But we realized that was waaay bogus.

Favorite detail: The absence of T-Rex lets a little big guy fill in the big blank with a big roar!

Why letterpress: Dinos left some impressive fossilized prints behind— similarly, our ancient technology will withstand the test of time.

Don’t forget to post your comment, and tune in next week, same time, different stationery, to see if you’ve won!

Jude's French flash cards

At craft night, Eunice has been working on French flash cards for her son, Jude. They are pen & ink illustrations with a watercolor finish - absolutely fantastic for any aspiring bilingual babies!

Voiture de Course French flash card

Eunice is trying to raise Jude bilingual in French and English, so she's always trying to find fun ways to teach him new vocabulary (ok, so he doesn't speak yet, but!) as well as adding to her own French vocab.  She has a love for making flash cards - the words really stick and it's a fun and quick excuse to doodle.  It's also a great excuse to play around with painting/watercolor techniques - the perfect platform to practice on (being the raging multi-tasker that she is!)

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Her inspiration for each card is to find things Jude has seen, or words that are just plain amusing (like the fact that raccoon directly translates to "a washing young rat" more or less!) - both the raccoon and the otter are animals they saw at the zoo recently.  The kites are from a recent outing to Crissy Field and the race car is a noise he's learned to make lately.  Next up are a horse, gorilla, tiger, cow and duck - more noises he's been making lately (for the gorilla he pounds his chest!). Once he sees a cow and starts mooing, he will moo for the next 20 minutes!

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Pikku Designs: New Pocket Tees

Pikku is debuting some dapper, darling new tees! Some of the Hello!Lucky boys got them as a surprise gift, and we had to share a preview.

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Click on the images to visit the Pikku shop.

Have you seen our Pikku baby announcements? If you like these simple, sweet patterns, peruse our Pikku birth announcement designs. With a simple change of text they can be re-purposed as a birthday invitation, too!