WEBSITE WANDERER: alexandalexa

The wonderful children's fashion website AlexandAlexa.com just came out with their Autumn 09 Lookbook. The LookBook is available online and gives a brief glimpse of this season's looks. It is short, but hassome fun pictures and patterns. So check it out.

TALENT SCOUTER: marika thunder nuss

There are some pretty amazing kids out there that are already making there mark on the world. Your kid could be one of them. All you have to do it support them in any creative endeavors they wish to pursue; whether it be playing an instrument, dancing, acting, writing, or maybe art.



Art is exactly what Marika Thunder Nuss does. The 10-year-old daughter of artist Rita Ackermann is following in her mother's footsteps. She says her art comes out of boredom and it seems a lot of her ambitions are driven by avoiding boredom at all costs. As she tells Interview Magazine in the March 2009 issue,

"If I were president, I’d create world peace and make the White House a different color, ’cause it’s just plain boring."

Nuss is not amused by typical juvenile interests and uses art as a way to entertain herself,

"It’s [art] entertaining. Not like movies. You have to stare at it for a while. It’s just special, too, because there are so many different kinds. Sometimes it represents what people think and it lets you look into their brains. Like, if a person thinks something, they can make it into an artwork. If, say, you’re thinking about a fish, you can make one. You can draw or sculpt one. And there’s a fish."

Her first solo show, Randomness In The Form of Art, was exhibited at the Half Gallery in NYC this past winter. It features sketches, doodles, paintings, and crazy graffiti designs that give insight to endless possibilities of the imagination and remind me of the fantastical enchantment we experience in childhood where there are no boundaries or rules for what is right and possible.


She also did a collaboration with Partners & Spade to make limited edition T-Shirts. Each one designed completely differently.

For more information about Marika, check out her Interview with Interview Magazine and keep your eyes open for more Marika Thunder Nuss in the future, as I am sure we haven't heard the last of this thundering artist.

NAME GAME

Names are very important. What you name your child can affect people's first impressions of them, who they will become, and how they see themselves. Be careful what you name your child and what you want that name to say to the world.

This blog is fostering children to be cool and confident and individual, so start the process with a name that does the same.

Suggested name of the day:

This name is delicate and pretty like the name Petal, but it is also hip and quirky. Both names refer to colors. The first name Ruby is becoming somewhat popular, but it has a retro vibe and has been reinvented. Yahto, being used as the middle name, is less common and freshens up the whole name.

The mood this name gives off describes a very charming, inquisitive girl who might like to wear costumes...maybe loves rollerskating...puts colorful chopsticks in her hair...plays with ragdolls...eats reese peanut butter cups...runs through the neighbor's sprinkler, fully clothed...thinks she can communicate with dogs...whatever.

Think about what's in the name and how that name fits into the vision you have for you child or the lifestyle you live.

CATWALKER: kid by phillip lim

Everyone knows and loves the designer women's clothing line 3.1 Phillip Lim. Now get to know its daughter collection Kid By Phillip Lim. Lim has been creating children's clothing for a few years. The collection always complements the adult collection, with the same fabrics and themes, but is altered to be more playful and childish. The Kid collections are always stunning. Lim makes some of the best designer kids wear of all time and delivers a knockout collection every season. The clothing is of the quality and styles that are in fashion for grown-ups, but they still possess cuts and pieces made for kids. Check out my favorites from the Spring 09 line:

TOY COLLECTOR: paper mobile

Going along with the nursery theme, here are some amazing mobiles.

Frazier and Wing make these incredible paper layered mobiles. Some are mixes of solid colors and some are various patterned paper shapes. They are incredible pieces of art that can be kept for years after your child grows out of needing a mobile.

If you don't want to buy one, make a mobile yourself out of magazine images, photos, or paper that you like. You can cut the paper into fun shapes like butterflies or birds and have them suspended from the ceiling, catching any slight breeze.

HOME DWELLER: whimsical nursery

Start your child on their path to chicness with a fabulous nursery. Create a nursery that isn't obvious or typical. There should be an eclectic mix of styles to add personality: modern/vintage, feminine/masculine...Be imaginative, keep the foundation (walls, flooring, furniture) simple, and have fun with artwork and fabrics.


This nursery was featured in the modern British home magazine Living, Etc. in July 2006. I love the cloud white paint color and old fireplace. The polka dots are fresh and young, but the colors have slightly vintage tints to keep with the retro feel. The pink dots and green satin are girly without all the fluff expected in a girl's room (a.k.a. pink, pink, and more pink).

Suggestion: light wall color, keep polka dots in one area and don't add too much else on other walls or it will become overbearing.

FASHION FLASHBACK: shirley temple

Through the hard times of the Great Depression in America, little Shirley Temple was able to brighten the smiles of a nation. Her films are classic, but her fashion even more so.