Duck Duck Goose

So you’re a city dweller on the go. And a coffee fiend. And a tree-hugger. You can’t do without your daily brew (or two… or three…), but you hate seeing to-go cups piling up in the recycling bin. What you need is a KeepCup – the nifty, reusable coffee cup from Melbourne, Australia.
I would hardly have predicted that, at the tender age of one, my kid would already be making clear style choices in his t-shirt collection. But indeed, Henri has his absolute favorites, each of which involves animals of some kind being silly in some way.
As motherhood inches nearer, I find my mind is preoccupied: where to put the crib, what to put on the iPod for our (hopefully short) stint in the birthing wing of Roosevelt Hospital, whether little Pipsqueek will be as boisterous as his/her cousin Lir, the baby’s college fund, where we’re sending the little munchkin to preschool…
“Each year, nearly 1.5 million barrels of oil are used to make plastic water bottles. Most of those bottles end up in our landfills, in our oceans, littering our sidewalks.”
With stats like that, the fact that these water-filtering bottles are so slick is superfluous.
The history of this company is almost as wonderful as the products they make. Located behind a little church in the French town of Tarn, the Guille family factory has existed for nearly 150 years, and has been churning out socks for about 80 of those…

Yesterday we bid a very sad farewell to little Lir who, with her parents, jetted off to visit her Safta in Tel Aviv for 2 long months! I needed to be sure she had all the superfluous doodads she might want during her stay so, I packed her a sweet little owl backpack from Skip*Hop full of fun things from her Doda and Dodo.
Oh Santa! I almost forgive you for that flu you plagued YZ and I with this Xmas, what with all the juicy gifts you lugged down our chimney along with it. All in all, the 25th was a veritable indulge-fest, with everything on my list neatly wrapped in recycled paper under the tree…
Hip hip hooray! ‘Tis that time of year again: christmas trees, wreaths, family get togethers, snuggling up by the fireplace singing carols, oh, yes… and lots of gift giving! What better way to kick things off than with the wee ones!!

“Silver is the best material we have. And silver has this wonderful shine like moonlight…a light taken straight from a Danish summer’s night. When covered by dew, silver can look like magical mist.” — Georg Jensen

Ah, the Trojan Horse… It’s never too early for kids to discover the classics and what better place to start than with Virgil’s The Aeneid: a classic tale of military strategy. Count on the Dutch, this time by way of Amsterdam-based KidsOnRoof, to design eco-friendly playthings that are pleasing to both child’s and parent’s aesthetic…

Oooh, this lamp is too cute for words: perfect for a child’s room or just a corner of the house that needs a dab of personality. Meet Milk, a Daschund-shaped lamp by Wants and Needs that is sure to light up more than just a reading corner…

An earthy little reminder at the bottom of a bowl of organic fruit or veg is a great way to start and end a day. Smiling Planet’s collection of 100% recycled and 100% recyclable bowls and plates, printed with non-toxic inks and free of bpa, phthalates, pvc, and lead, allows your little one to nosh, worry-free, and get in touch with his or her inner conservationist at the earliest age.
“Creatables is a company and network of engineers and designers that negotiate prices for industrial surplus materials from which we and our fellow designers develop nice consumer products. When you buy a Creatables product you reduce the effects of over-consumption and cast an important vote towards a sustainable development.”


It’s never too late to have a happy childhood, as our dad likes to say—and indeed, having discovered Joëlle Jolivet’s lusciously illustrated children’s books, we’re about ready for a second helping. We’ve been aware of Jolivet’s work for some time now: while browsing our favorite librairies…