Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Shopping Spree

I discovered Etsy about a year ago. Maybe I shouldn't share it because if you've never been there I may get you hooked and you'll be mad at me! Etsy is a marketplace for artists and crafters from all over the world to sell their wares. There is a wide range of items from artwork to clothing to jewelry to.....well, some really odd things, too! I wanted to share with you some of the cool things I've found that would go great in kids rooms or nurseries. If you are looking for those extra little, unique items to tie the room together then Etsy just might be your place to look!



These big and beautiful pom poms by PomLove are my latest discovery and will be a new addition in my daughter's room! Tissue paper pom poms in various sizes to hang from the ceiling add a punch of color and texture to any room. Sold individually or in sets the prices make decision making easy!

How about this mobile by
Just Peachy By Georgia? This whimsical mobile of feathered friends can be custom designed to suit your color needs and is sure to be a focal point!

Ok, I've seen some pretty funky step stools over the years, but the ones I found in Artompotamus' shop take the cake! Hand crafted out of pine and hand painted they are completely unique! Better make sure to get more than one if you have multiple children as I'm sure they'll be fighting over this one!



Lastly, Maple Shade Kids has long since been a favorite shop of mine. This eco friendly store makes gorgeous wooden peg hooks and collage art. The hardest part is deciding what I like best!So if you have a minute, check Etsy out. You may be surprised by what you find! But don't blame me if you spend all of your paycheck!

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Win A Toy Box

We're giving away a hand painted toy box worth $500 to one lucky winner. All you have to do is design it! You don't have to be an artist, just be able to put down your ideas on paper. From now until April 14th we will be accepting entries for the Design Your Own Toy Box contest. Starting April 15th and running through until April 30th the public will vote on which design they like the best. The winner will receive the Grand Prize of a Toy Box painted with their idea!

Hand crafted specifically for Bouncing Off The Walls our toy boxes are 34″×20″×20″ just the perfect size for even large toys! Featuring anti-slam hinges to protect little fingers and an air space to prevent suffocation our toy boxes are top of the line!

A second place prize of a $50 gift certificate will be awarded to the design with the second highest number of votes.

So how do you enter? Simply click here and you will be taken to the contest page. Draw up your design, add some colour if you like and make sure you upload it when you enter. If you need some help getting started here's a toy box template to help you out!



*please note that contest is only open to Canadian residents 18 years of age or older excluding Quebec. For full contest rules click here.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Room To Grow

Maybe you're expecting, just had a baby or you have a toddler moving to a "big kid room." Whatever the occasion your mind has started to think about children's room design. And what fun it is to design a kid's room! If your house is anything like mine, the kids have newer furniture than you, they have nicer bedding than you and they're room is "complete" while yours sits ignored; a work in progress in need of a good dusting!

So where do you start first when designing a child's room or nursery? The internet is a great resource for ideas and inspiration! Narrowing it down and actually picking ONE idea can be tricky! If your child is old enough, chances are they're going to want some input too!

Here are a few things you should keep in mind before you start planning. Do something that will grow with your child. Matching that very cute and cuddly crib bedding you chose is great, but will it last? If it's your first child then doing a baby nursery can work out great if you plan to move each child to a different room, keeping the nursery for each susequent baby. Be careful with personalized items being too babyish. Ask yourself, "will this still work when the baby is three? Five? Seven?" Unless of course, you have the time, desire and money to redo a room every few years!
Try and stay away from character rooms. For those with toddlers or older children it's easy to fall into this trap. Young children become obssessed sometimes with their favorite movie or book character and want everything they see with that character's face on it. When you ask your child what they would like in their room their first response may be "McQueen!", "Dora!" but how long will that phase last? If your children are anything like mine it will last until the next big movie they see! Also, characters come with copyright issues. Keep that in mind if you want to hire a muralist or someone to create an item for you. Don't be surprised if they turn you down.

Put a twist on some classic ideas! With a little creativity it's amazing what you can come up with! My son is into everything your typical boy would be into. Mainly, sports and anything that runs with an engine! I didn't want to just do a bunch of things with cars, planes and baseballs on it so I tried to think how I could take his likes and work them into something that was still classy, non-babyish and would last him for years to come. With that in mind, we did a mural featuring an old-fashioned steam train with old-fashioned baseball players playing in a field along side it. In the sky is an old-fashioned bi-plane. The colors are all very subtle and the style borders on realistic.


Think about adding family heirlooms or things that have sentimental value. I've seen some absolutely gorgeous rooms come together based on one little piece or trinket that was passed down from someone in the family. Imagine what you could do with an old baseball glove that belonged to your grandfather or a mirror that was once in your great-aunt's home? This teddy bear room came together with the help of teddy bears collected by mom and heirloom furniture passed down from Grandma!



Also try and think about the function of the room. Storage is crucial for most people as well as a place for reading or playing. Think not only about the theme, but how the room will be used.



Lastly, your imagination is your strongest tool! Look around you and draw inspiration from things around you. You never know where a great idea might come from!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Design and WIN your own toy box!


Put your artist hats on! We want to see what YOU would come up with if you had to design your own toy box! From March 15th until April 14th we will be accepting entries into the Design Your Own Toy Box Contest so get busy!

One lucky grand prize winner will be chosen based on a public vote so get those pencils going and send us your design. Make it nice and colorful because the winner will not only win a toy box, but the toy box will be painted with their very own winning design!

A second place prize of a $50 Bouncing Off The Walls gift certificate will also be awarded to the entry with the second highest number of votes.

March 15th - April 14th: Entry submissions
April 15th - May 1st: Voting period
May 3rd: Winners announced

To enter simply go to
Bouncing Off The Walls on or after March 15, 2010 and click on the contest bar!

Contest is open to Canadian residents 18 years of age and older with the exception of Quebec. Full contest details are available on contest site on March 15, 2010.