Christmas is here, and we all have our wish lists for our kids. Or, our kids have wish lists for us. Either way, here is a fantastic place to find creative play toys all in ONE place.

About them: “LivingPlaying.com is an online store providing high-quality educational and developmental toys, products, and publications that enable parents to teach, guide and inspire their children through creative play.”

Wooden kitchens, wooden cars, puppet theaters, unique decor, doll houses, construction toys, even montessori toys. My kind of store!

Much awaited: Cards are here! These packs were so much fun to put together. Most of my cards just come with cards and envelopes. These have an added bonus: pretty box and gift tags to match! I had a lot of fun making these! I wish you could just see them in person. They are just yummy.

“Winter Cheer” Stationery Set

“Handmade Just for you” Stationery set

“Wellesley and Winslow Christmas Post” Stationery Set

I hope there are more Holiday cards coming, but I as far as “sets” complete with gift cards, this is it folks!

And while we are on the subject of GIVING….

How about a BUY 2 GET ONE FREE sale? Sound good? It does to me!

Just purchase TWO products, and mention the THIRD product in the message to seller box at the time of purchase, and I will include it in your order! Quesions? I’d love to hear from you!

Thanks to those of you who have been so patient waiting for these! Happy gift giving!!!

Have fun in the shop!

New favorite album to listen to whilst I draw and get lost in my imagination. Listen Here.

It’s been a while…Happy Friday!

Today, I bring you a treasure chest. You are going to love it. www.vintagechildrensbooks.com. This is a gold mine folks. I have made one purchase from them a few months ago, and I got some books from the 50’s, 40’s and even one from 1746. Yes. They didn’t make ‘children’s books’ then, but they made religious songs for children to learn about how to behave in society. Such a great find. The books I am showing above are all $5 (except for Sara Crew, which is a mere $100) but you could do some major Christmas shopping here (ah -hem…for me…ah-hem). Seriously, I have to restrain myself here. I have a complete passion for vintage children’s books (really?) and this is a gold mine. They are adding new stuff all the time, so check back every once in a while. Have Fun!

New found blog. Go make this. Simply brilliant.

Picture via Oh Happy Day.

I haven’t posted a happy site friday in a while, but I wanted to leave you with some great clean. fun. happy. organizing tips. Well, sites. I won’t pretend to have all the knowledge. I am a master at learning from the one’s who have it down…and clean & organized spaces are my focus this year.

Here are some random sites and articles:

Paper clutter

Home Office organization

unclutter

simple living

minimilstic home

Getting things done

Small Spaces

Happy Friday!!!

Happy Friday! Another great Inspirational sight for all: artist, designer, mother, child, vintage lover…if you haven’t been hanging around Junior Society Blog (Blog of the beloved Mahar Dry Goods founder Robert Mahar) you will be now. He is a scavenger hunter, and keeps you up do date on products and activities that will leave you thinking you are still living in the old-time-when. Have so much fun! Have a great friday! OH…and thanks for all the advice and well wishing with my no-napping Addie. She did have a nap yesterday and oh the joy!! We take what we can get here! Check back soon for new art work coming soon! (wink wink).

xoxo

sarah jane

Today I start the weekend with an incredible illustrator with products you’ll want a passport for. Shinzi Katoh is one of the most famous illustrators/artists in Japan, and has a fabulous company sporting everything from bags to lunch boxes, stationery and fabric . His site is very protected from downloading, so there is lots more at the site you will love to see. I glean so much inspiration from this style…and though my own personal style is a little different, I learn so much from his color, hand printed look and composition. Not to mention that I REALLY want one of those tote bags! Have fun looking around, and have a great weekend!

xoxo

sarah jane

If you are like me, you go to FLICKR and find great photography and get sucked in. If I let it, time just flies by and I don’t even know it because the photography takes me somewhere. My two cousins (Liz and Jesse) are super duper talented and I honestly don’t know how they do it! But, I am learning, and I am so happy to be related to these two amazing photographers. (We share the same Grandpa Knell and in fact, most of the models above are my cousins too!). So, if you are like me and like to travel on Fridays (or wish you could) take a little trip of your own and visit Jesse or Liz and you will be refreshed and inspired.

Happy Weekend everyone! Happy 08-08-08!!

xoxo

sarah jane

I am out of the studio enjoying much needed time with parents and family, but I couldn’t leave Happy Site Friday empty today!  I am so excited to introduce to you an incredible new magazine that will inspire you to live the everyday, simple moments to their fullest.  SEEING THE EVERYDAY is new to the shelves, but is getting wide spread attention because of their simple focus on “the daliy interactions taking place at home.” Taking great care to reveal the detailed ingredients that makes a home beautiful, warm, loving and whole.  One of my favorite quotes is “The most important work we will ever do is within the walls of our own home” (Harold B. Lee)  and this magazine takes you into those rooms and corners where memories are made, and moments are lived.  Stunning photography, beautiful personal accounts, endless quotes, and illustrated pages leave you thinking that it really WAS worth your time to clean the kitchen with your boys today.  Or let your daughter crack the eggs for the first time.  Or being up in the night with your autistic son.  REAL life.  REAL living.  REAL pages. And, AMAZING! There are NO advertisements and the pages are matted so you really feellike you are carrying around a keepsake.  you will LOVE this! I wish wish wish I could send each of you a copy, but I will leave a few quotes I find inspiring this morning:

“It is not about making a cake, dinner or any number of important things…It is, however, about making a child. A unique, one of a kind, significant individual” Lawrence Elliott

“Work as hard as you play and play as hard as you work” Esther Packard

“God must have loved ordinary events, because he made so many of them” Abraham Lincoln

I am so inspired and thrilled to see media out there pursuing the happiness within the home.  So, get off your computer screen, and write a letter with your child, or bake a cake, or color.  That is where I am headed!  But sometime today, stop over here and pick up your copy.  Happy weekend everyone!

xoxo

sarah jane

If you have been here a while, you know that every Friday is a Happy one. Today is Happy because I get to share with you a new favorite and very inspiring site: www.camillesoulayrol.com. Camille Soulayrol is an interior designer, writer and creative who has worked with Marie Claire Idees as well as others putting together beautiful spaces. These are some of my favorite.

I love seeing REAL lived in children’s spaces that are full of color and quirkiness. Knowing my art hangs mostly on the walls of children’s rooms, I become very inspired by these spaces, and imagining how art and decor work together to enhance a space. I believe in both functionality and whimsicality in a chilren’s space, and these images tickle my senses! And, of course, Camille is French and the site is in French…even more reason to Oh-la-la these spaces. Enjoy and Happy Friday!

Maybe you have seen these images floating around cyberspace, but regardless if these are new or not….don’t they just make you happy?

I am attracted to people who strive to make the world a more beautiful place…who make a difference. And though it seems Bansky’s efforts are in pointing to truth in Human behavior, something about painting on the walls of ghetto buildings makes me smile. I won’t be showing my kids this site (mine would go recreate this on the bathroom wall with crayons). But be inspired. Go make the world a better place today. In whatever medium, in whatever style, in whatever form.

Hello.
Smile.
Pick up a piece of litter.
Write a letter.
Give blood.
Hold a child.
Say thank you.

Happy Friday everyone!

xoxo,
sarah jane

Hello! Have a seat! Tea? Hot cocoa? So glad you came by today cause I have a special friend with us today. Marisa is joining us for a little while, and I can’t wait for you to meet her. If you haven’t yet, then well, you are in for a treat. Plan on making a new friend today!

When I was first figuring out how to get my art into the world, I began doing research and came across this lovely lady’s site. She is just full of passion, color, creativity and life and she loves to share it. Her studio? Creative Thursday came about when she was working 9-5 in an office and needed to set aside time to be her true artistic self, which just happened to be on Thursdays. She made a note to herself: Must do this more! She started a daily painting exercise, began blogging, posting on ETSY, and well, the rest is history. She has made quite the career for herself and has been able to quit her ‘day job’ and do what she truly loves. And just to give you a sense of her approach to things, she found her artist title in quite the circuitous way before finding her true life’s calling. From acting to interior design to marketing…she has learned to not be scared to do what you TRULY love. And in her graceful, sharing way, she shares lessons and advice from her experiences for other artists and creative minds. Some artists are very closed about how they find success in their art. Marisa is completely different. She sees the need for artists to support each other. She has found her own journey, recognizes everyone else has their own journey, and is passionate about helping other’s along the way. She is truly a generous and good person!

Marisa has put together a very wonderful site full yummy pictures, podcasts, blog posts, and even scheduled workshops, so I won’t try and duplicate that here. But I will say, she has invited you over to visit and have a look around. She truly is fearless and so passionate and loving. Though I haven’t met her yet, I plan on making a visit the next time I am in L.A. If you are an artist, have creative aspirations, Marisa’s journey will inspire you. She does a little of everything:

To This:

She loves what she does and believes that ’starving artist’ is a phrase of the past. You CAN make a living doing what you love. Thank you Marisa! We hope to stay a while!

For more yummy creative thursday, visit:

Her ETSY shop
OOpsy Daisy
Urban Outfitters
Her blog

Today I travel to Melbourne, Australia. Get your plane ticket ready and take a weekend shopping trip! I don’t know about you, but I need a weekend with the girls, and this one is going to be great! Wanna come?

Ok, Ok. The travel time alone would take all weekend, so let’s just click over to here. Magnolia Square is a shoppers paradise with over 150 unique artisan retailers all in one central location. I found their blog and was instantly wishing I lived on the other side of the world. 7 months ago (Pre-Sarah Jane ETSY shop) I really had no desire to visit the land down under. But since over half of my international customers are from Australia, I have made some wonderful friends….all who I am sure would love to go shopping with me this weekend in Melbourne. Australia is so supportive of all things handmade, and I may just be taking a trip soon!

Back to Magnolia square. Aren’t these images just tempting? Thankfully (for all of us who can’t afford a 16 hour plane ride) Magnolia square has a blog where they feature their favorite finds…most of whom have websites! Horray for virtual shopping!

Enjoy! And if any of you manage to find cheap airfair, let me know!

Today I am featuring sites to find GREAT KIDS MUSIC.
What music do you AND your kids love: That is the question.
(it’s your house…you should love it too!)

I could list hundreds of songs: but this is a short list of what my kids are loving right now.
Disclaimer: Itunes links weren’t working, so most links are youtube…some videos are dumb. Links were chosen for music not video:)

The Real Old Stuff:
Some of the vintage classics are on itunes, but you can also get CD’s at the library. I thought my kids wouldn’t like the sound quality or how out of date these are. Quite the opposite! This genre deserves a whole blog post by itself,but here are two of their favorites:

Whose afraid of the big bad woolf?
Vintage record version
Popeye the sailor man
My kids fall over in histerics over popeye’s laugh
The worry Song:
Gene Kelly and Jerry mouse dancing from the movie “Anchors Away.” LOVE Gene Kelly.
Here is the video: Your kids will LOVE this!!! (Have I said ‘love’ enough?)

Muppets:
Ok, so not that old at all. But a staple in our home. Check out the album from the first season, as well as this FAVORITE video. I just can’t ever get enough.
Manamana

Folk:
The Littlest Bird: three good tanyas
Don’t you love this group? And to have a song about/for children…even better.

James Taylor:
You just can’t go wrong. His music will put your kids to sleep, but also get them dancing. So easy to listen to!
Sweet Baby James: James Taylor
How sweet it is: James Taylor

Jack Johnson:
You can’t go wrong. My kids love ALL of his albums. these are favorites:
Upside Down
3R’s: Reduce resuse recycle
Better together
Banana Pancakes

Classical:
Peter and the wolf
Perfect to play make believe and act out the story. This link has the narration.
The most relaxing classical music in the world ever
Perfect for getting them calmed down before bedtime, or provide ambiance

Raffi:
Ok, so some of you will say no to this, but his music is so great for kids. soothing voice, songs from every culture, the most “kid song-ish” I will go.
Baby Beluga
Baa Baa black sheep

My new favorite artist: Asheba
No more monkeys
If you only listen to one song on this post, listen to this. Kids classics with a Jamaican rhythm. This song gave me a library fine (my kids listen to it everyday!!)

African:
The lion sleeps tonight
Best authentic rendition I have come across. Remember Graceland by Paul Simon? This is THAT South African group. My kids love the african vibe, and love acting this out.

Paul Simon:
Speaking of him, anything Paul Simon is a good choice.
I know what I know: zimbabwe performance
Father and Daughter: This is Addie and Kenneth’s Signature song

My new favorite CD that has the two songs above, plus more that I can’t find right now: Putumayo
World music for kids! I love it! My kids don’t realize that they are learning other languages!

Other great music:
Anything Tracy Chapman
King singers Kid’s Stuff (anyone know where to buy this? It is out of stock on Amazon)
Martha Stewart Kids: Playtime
Michael Buble: Everything
…etc etc etc…

EDIT: I just received a comment with a link to this site. An ENTIRE blog dedicated to children’s music! Yahoo! Hear it, love it share it.

OK: so this was a lot longer than I originally planned it to be. But now it is open to you:

What music to you AND your kids love??? Please share!

I will try and put together a compilation we can all access.

I am so eager to share this site with you all. This site is #1 reason I got my start on ETSY this past October. I stumbled upon a meeting in my town in September 2007, and found out about this GREAT organization. Startup Princess empowers women to begin their dreams of starting a business. Their Motto? ” Make a wish, make it happen.” They provide “Fairy Godmothers” (mentors) to steer you in the right direction whether you are just starting , or a seasoned professional looking for more information and advice. And lucky for all of us, they have a website where you can access articles, podcasts, and all sorts of networking information. From becoming part of Startup princess, I have been so fortunate to meet some remarkable people in my field. Kelly King Anderson…the founder of Startup Princess…is an AMAZING networker and has introduced me to wonderful talents like Jaime Lentzer of Jaime painting and design, and Shelly Kennedy of Drooz studios. Women are the best networkers, aren’t they? And Kelly has counted on the unique qualities of women to create this great site and resource for anyone in the startup of a business. She also posted an interview about me yesterday that is now on the site. She outlined a bit of my startup venture and is a little too kind. But I hope someday to really be able to help other women (mom’s especially) to live their dreams of starting up some kind of venture. Check out this site! It is a GREAT resource!

This site has my heart. Not often do I come across images of children with such innocence and vogue at the same time. I LOVE the vintage feel with modern flair and functionality. (Say that 10 times fast:) No, I just had to post about this site that I have come back to now an again as I search for great clothing to put my illustrated children in. I won’t be dressing my own children in these (unless Sarah Jane Studios puts in me in the next tax bracket sometime soon…um, no.) But without further ado, I introduce to you:

Notice the fabrics.

Notice that the kids are just KIDS and not ‘models.’

Notice the outdoor settings…just perfect for those restless kids.

Notice the softness.

Notice the vintage meets modern (my favorite). Notice the innocence.

Well, I might not be able to hold back…just look at those shoes!

Thanks Flora + Henri

Until next Friday…

Do you have the itching urge to buy more children’s books all the time? As you pass the Barnes +Noble? As you surf the good ol’ money hogging internet? After a good trip to the library? I do.

Well, I am a sucker for good picture books (no!) and I have always been bugged on Amazon when you can’t search inside and see if it is any good!

Well, look no longer. Here is the perfect solution. Looky-Look is a website with the ENTIRE children’s book for you to read. Yes. Page by page. You can even buy from their site directly once you have fallen in love with a new read. Brilliant.

Because the entire site is in flash, I have no pictures. (Even better to know the site is protected against the copy-and-steal kinda people).

But because I cannot leave you with a picture, I will leave you with this. An experiment I will let sit here so I can gaze at it every once in a while and decide if I like or not. Hmmm. It may take the weekend to ponder upon this one.

Which reminds me…Happy weekend! Happy reading! Happy Friday!

Happy Friday everyone. I am fighting a really bad sore throat, so I can’t talk long. So we will make this brief (but not short!)

Mahar Dry Goods has been inspiring me for a long time. Something about their philosophy of beautiful play things for children really makes me wish they weren’t an online store and that I could go and play in their showroom. Vintage with a flair for bringing back the old with a splash of new. I can’t get enough of them! (Well, haven’t bought anything yet, but not because I lack interest!)

Hop on over and get inspired.

Recognize this? Inspiration for my Summer Tea Party.

Love these colors! Is it possible for a Robot to be pretty?
All the sudden “circus clown” isn’t scary any more.And these boxes. I can’t get enough of orange and blue!
Shadow puppets? Thank you!!!

So, reasons to visit:

1) Mahar Dry Goods regularly hires artisans to make exclusive products and toys for his shop, so you aren’t going to find a lot of duplicates in his store.
2) Robert, the owner, is really nice (and evidently has a really cool wardrobe).
3) You will find lots of pretty things and wish your tax return has come already.
4) Robert also has another site…Junior Society…revealing the cool and unique world of children’s culture and design.
5) His site is designed by the one and only Jen Corace.
6) You will wish you were a kid again.

Enjoy your weekend!

Hello. Happy Friday. Today I bring you color and light from the Netherlands. Yvonne from Yvestown has created a beautiful blog/shop/site that is happy candy for the eyes. Many of you are familiar with her site. I crave these clean bright rooms of hers, her taste for color and non-color, and her love of spring and fresh.

Be ready to be inspired by her fresh take on crafts, home decor and gift making.

She had an ETSY shop where she sells these darling Alphabet pillows. She has just moved the shop to her own website for better custom making. Aren’t they to die for?

Thanks Yvonne for inspiring us all!