Ok friends!

Lots of love going on in the shop today and on the blog!

Make sure to scroll down and see all that is going on!

• FREE gift with $50 purchase has been extended to Tues May 6th
• FREE paper doll outfit and activity for a rainy day
• NEW! African American Read with Me Print
• EMBROIDERY PATTERNS in the shop
• GIVEAWAY Saturday May 1st on Soule Mama for a crazy giveaway!

Keep watching. This is a crazy month as I am finishing up the illustrations for my book, but more great stuff is coming so stay tuned!

Happy Weekend…and Enjoy!

Paper Dolls, Paper Dolls. We do a lot of paper dolls around here, and it’s high time for some new wardrobes and activities, yes?

And it’s wet and rainy here this weekend, so this is going to be our weekend’s Pretend Play activity.

This April Showers outfit comes complete with umbrella and Finn, Amelia’s pet lamb. Can Amelia keep Finn out of the rain today? Cut it out and see!

If you don’t already have the paper dolls, you can go here in the section labeled ‘Paper Dolls’.

Oh, and the best part is this is a FREE DOWNLOAD for you to print off and make today. Amelia can be found here, and this little scene can be downloaded FREE here.

(Click the image to download the PDF file)

The download even comes with rain drops if you want to make your own scene. glue these down to paper and display, or prop them up with cardstock and tape the raindrops to string for the ultimate diorama experience! Or  just play dolls. Have fun with it!

Samantha, of Samantha Cabrera Photography, sent me these images of her little boy’s room, I absolutely LOVE how it turned out. Samantha Cabrera is an amazing photographer and hip mom, and put this room together for her son Noah. She has done an amazing job, and I love seeing how all these boy prints go together. Putting together a design for a boy’s room can be more challenging than you’d think….and I just am in love with Samantha’s collection of boy prints she chose. So inspiring!

If you have images of how you’ve designed your kid’s room with Sarah Jane Prints, you can join the flickr group here or email me here.

Good morning. It’s Monday. Very much a monday, and I need a good book.

Have you seen this wonderful new title from Taeeun Yoo? I’ve chatted about her before and how in love I am with her simple illustrations. But her sweet prints are making me smile this morning.

So Many Days. A book about dreams and possibilities and the wonders of the world we see.  There is this darling mini-video of the illustrated book here. It’s one of those books perfect for gifting, graduation presents or for that new baby. “So many doors in all your days….So much to wonder about…..Where will you go…..and who will you be?”

I just love Taeeun Yoo’s illustrations. Simple prints with fresh color, Asian influence and a vintage feel. They are timeless and wonderful. She has illustrated titles such as ONLY A WITCH CAN FLY, THE LITTLE RED FISH, and THE UMBRELLA QUEEN. She is an up-and-comer getting a lot of attention for her work, and I think there is so much to her simple lines and color that create the unique feel to her books. Here are some of my favorite illustrations from this book:

Aren’t they wonderful? Have you seen any other of her books? I’d love to know what you think about them. They really speak to me as an illustrator, and to that inner child in me that craves imaginative illustrations and creative lines and color. Her illustrations are really inspiring me this morning….this plain-jane monday. Seeing illustrations like hers really thrill me and remind me how much I love illustrating for children. You can tell from her art that she loves illustrating for children too.  Hope you enjoy!

Do you remember the first time you saw You’ve Got Mail, and you stepped into Meg Ryan’s bookstore with the darling children’s section and the reading corner? I was swept away. Every town need’s a children’s bookstore. Barnes and Noble and Borders are great…don’t get me wrong. I spend enough time in there for sure. But what about the “ma and pop” children’s bookstore you dream for your neighborhood? Good news for Utah readers: There will be a wonderful new bookstore just like that one in Utah very soon! But this store needs your support.

Michelle has a dream….an active dream to open a children’s bookstore in Utah. She has a space, and has spent hours getting it all ready. But she needs a lot of help to finish it up and open the doors.  She needs a bit more support from the community and I want to help spread the word.  To start up a business takes an incredible amount of intertia, motivation and energy, and Michelle has given her all to this children’s book store. She has promised to put in so much! Here is her plan:

*Story time for young children
*A gathering place for book clubs, writing groups, and other small organizations that need a free place to meet
*Book clubs specifically for tweens and teens
*Writing classes for children, for teens, and for adults who write for children and teens
*Visits from some of the most outstanding authors in children’s and young adult literature, which will include readings, signings, lectures, and other social events
*Prominent placement of books by local authors and those published by smaller, independent presses
*A network and community for all those who love books and want to share their love of reading with coming generations

Don’t you just want to move to Utah if you aren’t here already?

So here is what you need to do:

Come over and BID on my $100 gift certificate to her shop.

You can start under price of course…just start bidding! Do I here $25? $30?

And how’s this: if you BID at all…..you will receive a $5 gift certificate to the shop.  Just email me at the time of your order to verify.

And make sure to bid on more items on her site….there is plenty for the book lover to enjoy. Just click on the link and leave a comment.

Here’s to happy book reading time with children and fostering a wonderful dream of a very ambitious woman!

So head on over and bid!

You can read more of her story here and see more ways to support here.

But hurry: the bidding ends Saturday March 20th at midnight!

Enjoy!

The fact that we are moving to a house, a perminent dwelling, a place we won’t move from in less than a year, gives me the design bug. Bad. Like really bad. I lay awake at night designing the house, the studio, the kid’s rooms…I even have the halls figured out.

It’s a curse really….but I love it.

And I don’t even have the keys yet. Tomorrow, folks. Tomorrow I will be a home owner!

The big “decision” we are figuring out in our house right now, is who gets to sleep with whom and where. Addie and Ian have been together since infancy, and surprisingly want their own rooms in this new house. But, that leaves Ella having to sleep with a big kid, and I just don’t know if I am ready to have her disturbed by the nightly ritual of getting out of bed 32 times for urgent demands like “another story”, “bedtime snack” or “I’m scared of the dark” incidences. Truthfully, I don’t think they could sleep apart…they have grown up as twins really, and miss each other after 5 minutes of being separated. So….since we haven’t decided yet, I have been designing up a few alternatives.

This is what I have so far for a possible Boy/Girl or Gender Neutral Room. Addie is for sure a girly girl, and Ian is my 1960′s school boy. The colors match up just right, and I am loving the color going on.

Here’s the round up:

(Left to right)

1. Vintage Map

2. Favorite room from blog land here.

3. Anthropologie quilt I found on Craigslist ($40 thank you very much)

4. Room Seven Inspiration

5. Image here.

6. Le Balloon print available in the shop

7. Via kikiandpolly.com from Bloesom home tours here.

8. Le Petit Prince: a fav. book and design inspiration

9. Designs from Shinzi Katoh

10. Summer Tea Party Print available in the shop

11. Red chair found here.

I’m having a ball scouting out Craigslist, my local classifieds, and second hand stores. I’ll let you know if this is what we go for…or if we end up going with the girls room/boys room idea. Personally, they only have so much longer until they really won’t want to be together…I want to keep them together for as long as I can.

And so far, I’ve convinced them to stay together with this design:) I’m a tricky one, I am.

Off to the paint store….!

Reading chapter books to your 3-8 year olds is a great way to get them to use their imaginations and to more advanced vocabulary. But with the advanced vocab, can sometimes come advanced content (sorry…I am not interested in emotionally scarring my 4 year olds by reading about vampires) or they simply have plots that can’t capture the attention of preschool age kids. Sometimes it’s a matter of not having enough pictures intertwined in the chapters to keep them turning pages with you.

So, thank you so much for your recommendations! We have read some of these, and can attest to our children being completely interested even though they are considered for Middle Grade Readers.

I have learned to never underestimate the reading comprehension of your children! Just last night, my just turned 4 year old…who has such a hard time sitting down to read…was completely wrapped up in Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder…and even went to dress for the part of the hunter boys to get in the mood. I watched his eyes widen as he listened (there weren’t any pictures to look at) and felt like I was catching a magical moment where he was making the connection between the words and the images in his own mind. Pure Magic!

So….here folks is the list you put together!  Feel free to add to it, and I’ll edit them in.

CHAPTER BOOKS FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN (Ages 3-8 for read-aloud)

The mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary

Ramona Books by Beverly Cleary

Emily’s Runaway Imagination Beverly Cleary

Ralf S. Mouse books by Beverly Cleary

Mercy Watson series by kate dicamillo

Tale of Despereaux by Kate dicamillo

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate dicamillo

Because of Wynn Dixie byKate Dicamillo

Catwings books by Ursula K. LeGuin

Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black

Just So Storiesby Rudyard Kipling

The Henry books by DB Johnson

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe  by C.S. Lewis

The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Halibut Jackson by David Lucas.

Paddington Bear by Michael Bond

The Adventures of Olga da Polga By Michael Bond

The Borrowers by Mary Norton

Ella Enchanted Gail Carson Levine

Freddy Anniversary Collection by WalterBrooks

Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl

Matilda Ronald Dahl

James and the Giant Peach by Ronald Dahl

The Ordinary Princess By M.M. Kaye

Wizard of Oz books by L. Frank Baum

Junie B Jones Series by Barbara Park

Captain Underpants Series by Dav Pilkey

The Cricket in Times Square George Seldon

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Grandma’s Attic by Arleta Richardson

The Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren

Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace

My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannet

No Flying in the House by Betty Brock

The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne

The Littles by John Peterson

Pippi Longstocking Astrid Lindgren

The Boxcar Children Gertrude Chandler Warner

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

Swiss Family Robinson Johann D. Wyss

Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

Little Women Louisa May Alcott

Winnie the Pooh A.A. Milne

Snugglepot and Cuddlepie by May Gibbs

Elves and Fairies Annie R. Rentoul and Ida Rentoul Outhwaite

Peter Pan J.M. barry

Alice in wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Enid Blyton Goodnight Stories

The Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton

Famous Five by Enid Blyton

Secret Seven by Enid Blyton

Anything by Thornton BURGESS

Clementine series by Sara Pennypacker

Far Flung Adventures series

Milly-Molly-Mandy Joyce Lankester Brisley

The Alfie Books by Shirley Hughes

Jip and Janneke by Annie M.G. Schmidt

The End of the Beginning: Being the Adventures of a Small Snail(and an Even Smaller Ant) by Avi

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweilerby E.L. Konigsburg

The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling

Grayson by Lynne Cox

Half Magic by Edward Eager.
Indian in the Cupboard series by Lynn Reid Banks

The Trumpet of the Swanby E.B. White.

A Necklace of Raindropsby Joan Aiken

The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong

I don’t know about you…but I’m heading to the Library today! Enjoy!

Bedtime is has always had the same routine:

Bath, pajamas, brush teeth, prayers, dad’s made up story (either a watered down Hercules/Greek Mythology story, or Sherlock Holmes) followed by a book or two, and then “Mommy’s secret thing” (a combination of back scratch, and massage where I go through head to toe saying “Your head is asleep, your back is asleep…”) and then a “made up lullaby”( I have to sing new words to a made up tune every night).

Can you tell our kids keep us on our toes? We’re making up songs, stories and melodies fresh every night!  It’s good practice and we love it.  But every so often, Ken wants a break from his made up stories (he is a history teacher, and so his days are already filled with storytelling) and so we decided about a year ago to introduce more chapter books to the routine. We have gone through most of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, Lion Witch and the Wardrobe, Charlotte’s Web, and a few others. But I will be honest, and say that finding books for a newly turned 5 and 4 year old is hard!

We had to skip the end of Lion Witch and the Wardrobe…or at least paraphrase…and Kenneth decided to postpone Harry Potter after the first chapter (He got a bit excited on that one).

So, we have been on a quest to find good chapter books for Preschool age children, and we found this great book at the library this month:

Lady Lollipop by Dick King-Smith, illustrated by Jill  Barton.

It’s about a princess who wants a pet pig more than anything else, and gets to know some really fun characters a long the way.

This was a hit. I think they read it in just a couple nights. The best part, was that it was perfect for my boy and my girl: a dirty pig, a funny pig keeper and a stubborn princess. You can’t go wrong. The illustrations are great too!

Do you have other big kid books for pre-K kids you love to read? It’s a narrow category for sure…and we are always on the quest for more! Please share and I’d love to put together a list to share!

Happy Weekend everyone, and happy reading!

Wow. February. When did that happen?

Month of love. For me…it’s a month of lots going on: more house hunting (yep…still in the game) book making (loving every second) and baby loving (she is the most kissable thing!)

So, news:

New Print Your Own Valentine Cards in the shop!

Valentines cards you can print yourself. Yep. DIY with some of my favorite designs in the shop. Do you remember this post from last year? Here is an image I found last year that inspired me.

These are Audrey Hepburn inspired: the deer loving darling via 1958. Audrey as a little girl. I really love that woman.

You can also find these to print yourself. Fun. Fun. Fun.

OK: so, come over to the shop and do some last minute valentines shopping! If you are like me, you don’t have Valentines Cards yet, and PDF downloads are your only hope!

You can print out as many as you want! Perfect for your kid’s classes and neighbors!

I know that’s what I will be using! Well, for the boys we’ll use something more like this. I love having stationery on hand…it’s nice for procrastinators like me:)

Enjoy!

On Monday, the 2009 Caldecott and Newbury awards were announced, and I must say I am no less than inspired. Working on my own children’s book has given me a completely new perception of what these awards represent.  Here at home, we acquire new books monthly…mostly from the library, but we have since built up our own children’s book library. I even have my own picture book collection that the kids aren’t allowed to touch (or chew or rip!). And I started thinking….I would love to start a picture book review weekly on the blog! Every week, I’ll introduce a favorite find…old and new in the category: Books you’ll love.

But for this week, here are the Caldecott winners for 2009!

The Lion and the Mouse illustrated and written by Jerry Pinkney (Caldecott Medal)

All the World illustrated by Marla Frazee, written by Liz Garton Scanlon (Caldecott Honor)

Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski, written by Joyce Sidman (Caldecott Honor)

It’s really fun to think that right now, I have acquired these books without the medal on them. I purchased them before the gold sticker perminently gets placed. I think I like it best that way: it reminds me of what first came out of the publishing house…fresh and raw, ready for review.

But check these books out…you won’t be disappointed. How a story is told in pictures is a genius I am so intrigued and inspired by. Hope you are too!