I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! So sorry for the lack of posts these days. It was a little crazy this holiday season, but now I’m back and ready to make the nursery debut. The nursery, Everett and Amelia’s Pad, which was photographed by the talented Mrs. Sarah! I thought I’d share a few tidbits about the nursery. Enjoy!!

Total project time: 3 months. We had to move out of our previous apartment 4 months before my due date. The apartment was located on the top floor of a four story building with no elevator. Staying in this apartment with twins meant a year of not seeing the outside world, at least not easily. A move was necessary! :]

Our new apartment, like most apartments in SF, has a formal dining room that is considered a bedroom. We put the kids in the formal dining room because of its large size, and hung Ikea drapery to cover the french doors for late night t.v. watching and guest entertainment. It’s worked out perfectly.

Design Approach | Theme: Gender Neutral modern with animals and trees. [Everett's bedding: Elephants | Amelia's bedding: Birds]

I chose the wall color after the bedding was selected. A neutral gray wall color complemented the pink and blue bedding we selected from Dwell Studio for Target. For accent colors, I chose white and yellow to help tie in the furniture and floors. I love incorporating graphics|texture when designing and I love trees, so I decided a tree was a perfect, yet subtle enough graphic for the room. My twin sister, a design architect, is the one responsible for painting the beautiful tree and owl on the wall. I found the art, and she offered to draw and paint them since I was so enormous! What an awesome and talented sister, huh?

Resources:

Crib | Changing Table: Ouef Sparrow Collection. The cribs also convert into cute toddler beds, which of course is a win, win, but also a reason for a our splurge. 3-5 years of use was a great way to get my husband’s approval since we had to buy two!

Glider: Luca by Monte. This is the perfect size glider for our nursery. With two cribs in one room, a small scale, yet comfortable rocker was necessary. Not to mention, I love the look of it!

Artwork [several places]: Etsy, The Curriosity Shoppe, and Past Perfect.  Dressers and ceiling light fixture are from Ikea. Floor lamp is from West Elm. The rug is from Flor, which helped tie in the boy|girl bedding, and also brought in a touch of our Texas roots. I heart cowhide. The Eames molded plastic arm chair is borrowed from our dining table. The yellow pillow is a Thomas O’brien for Target.

Mobiles: (Bird Mobile) Etsy and (Whale Mobile) Design Public. My husband picked the whale mobile. It was the only thing he asked to pick…so I let him. The Elephants didn’t come in the colors I wanted at the time, but now I believe they do!

Animal Heads (which I just love) are from Paxton Gate for Kids.

Total Cost: $3000 wich includes: cribs, changing table, glider, ottoman, and rug. All other elements were either given as gifts or were items that were already purchased! Keep in mind we have two, and a large room!

You can check out more of Sarah’s photos here. If anyone needs more detailed information. Shoot me an email!

I’ll be posting a bit more this year, so check back for more inspiration! Best wishes to everyone for a successful year in 2011!!

xoxo, Regan

1. Spinner Board Games | Three Potato Four offers an excellent vintage find: 50′s Spinner Board Games at $35.00 a pop. Hurry, their stuff goes fast!
2. Baby Blocks Walker | A favorite push toy of my son’s. Pushing, stacking and piling. What else would a new toddler want for Christmas?
3. Early Learning Puzzle by Kid O-Matching Shades | The graduated colors of these circles lead children to appreciate the fantastic array of shades the world has to offer and distinguish subtle differences.
4. Eames House Blocks | In the true Eames spirit, your kids can create a ligneous yard sale on your living room rug while you’re in deep conversation with your guests, then build this living landmark to demonstrate how you are properly introducing them to important bits of culture. I’ll be purchasing this for our home. Excellent!
5. Wooden Fishing Set | The charming magnetic fish and sea creatures in this set are made of natural wood finished with linseed oil. Kids can “go fishing” anywhere! A perfect gift from avid fishing grandparents, like mine.
6. Zooborns! | A book about the newest, cuetest zoo animals around the world. A friend of mine put together this absolutely adorable book.  You should also check out Zooborns for all ages. It was just released in October and has already made #12 best selling book in the country!
7. Zen Wagon | I love this little wagon! Your kid will be the stylish kid on 4 wheels!
8. Chalk Table Set | Kids love chalk, why not give them a table to use all the time to display their artistic talents or play a game of tic tac toe. It’s also simple, which keeps it from being an eyesore in the room.
9. Tool Box | I’ve been looking all over a tool box since there is always a hammer, screwdriver or tape measure lying around our place. Kids can now participate in helping out the handy Dad or Mom without damaging the furniture, walls or themselves!
10. Toy Vehicle | Ikea’s autblock version, yet at a dirt cheap price. Only $9 for a package of 3. We all secretly love Ikea.

I hope I have helped inspire some ideas! Happy Shopping!

XO, Regan

P.S.  Stay tuned for my nursery debut, photographed by Modern Kids! Sarah is AMAZING!

1. A Moma modern play house and Moma modern play family will suite any girl who enjoys doll houses, crafts or stickers! Check out the stop motion video for tips on how to use the play house. A toy that looks good when out…a definite must in my house!
2. The Daring Book for Girls is the manual for everything that girls need to know—and that doesn’t mean sewing buttonholes. It’s not just a guide to giggling at sleepovers—although that’s included, of course. This book is every girl’s invitation to adventure. A perfect gift for the bigger kids or a great book to have on the shelf to source later.
3. Pallina dropping ball game. A fun, suspenseful and strategic game that’s fun for the whole family!
4. P’Kolino Orange Craft Table. A perfect and stylish table for art projects, lunch and best of all can be a splash of color to a much needed boring room. Perfect for small places.
5. Love Mae Dress Up Dolls. These gorgeous reusable fabric doll wall decals are made to be played with – dress them and change their outfits and hairstyles as many times as you like and add a great decoration to your mini’s walls.
6. Tic Tac Toe vinyl wall decal. A perfect game for kids of all ages.
7. OPS! watch by PIXELmoda.  A flat watch inspired by retro fashion with a modern use of silicone. Thanks to The Mini Social for sharing!
8. Hoppy Aliens. The bouncy, round, fun-as-all-get-out toy you might remember from back-when. Another great way to bring in splash of color and style to a nursery or kids room.
9. Graffiti Set. A blank city wall with a fresh coat of paint – is there anything more appealing to doodlers, dreamers, and graffiti artists? Great coffee table book to showcase your kids art!
10. Ms. Food Face Plate. Good taste is a matter of play with this foodie-forward plate. Endless ways to play “dress up” makes mealtime fun for your little miss by encouraging creative ways to use everyday foods as eyes, lips, hair, earrings or any imaginative add-on your little chomper can imagine.

Next up Boys gifts…stay tuned!

XO,

Regan

And… a fun video for you all to enjoy.  Modern Kids | beatrix ny behind the scene

modern kids guest blogger, Regan Baker

Hi there! I am Regan and this is my first post as a guest blogger. Hats off to Sarah for allowing me to share my ideas with you all! Some tidbits: I am an interior designer, fashionista, wife, mother of  twins, and lover of all things design. I will be sharing with you my love for design, and my new recent love of all things mini. Amelia + Everett, my 13 month old mini inspirations, have me looking at life in a different light. I truly understand that decorating around families with kids is very different than decorating for those without; however, you can still have a nicely decorated home that doesn’t look like a play-zone! I hope to inspire you with ideas for your home, products that you and your minis can’t live without, and how-tos for those DIYers. Feel free to check out my blog for more interior design, fashion and graphic inspiration.

Yay! - Regan

P.S. Isn’t Sarah the best?! I’m so glad we were able to land such a talented family photographer. The Baker family loves her and I personally love her style.

Summer Juice Pops! (image courtesy of Lisa Barnes)

I just sent out our Summer 2010 Newsletter. For the very first time I featured a client who has a small-business. Lisa Barnes of Petit Appetit is a culinary educator and author. She offers classes and workshops to Bay Area parents and has published two books. She was kind enough to share some of her recipes that are great for kids in the Summertime. Here they are:

Any Juice Pops (from Petit Appetit: Eat, Drink and Be Merry)
Look beyond the boxed pops in the freezer section of the grocery store. There’s no telling how many combinations and variations you and your children can make by having an ice pop mold on hand. These are nice and icy on a hot day and can be made with any juice you have on hand. Adding water dilutes the juice and sugar a bit and also lends a more “icy” texture.

Makes 8 (¼-cup) pops
1½ cups fresh organic fruit juice such as unfiltered apple juice or pomegranate juice (pictured)
½ cup water

Shake juice container to mix contents before measuring and pour into pitcher. Add water to juice and stir. Pour liquid into ice pop molds. Put the tops on and transfer to the freezer on a flat shelf to freeze until solid, about 1 hour.
To remove the pops from the mold, stand the mold in a bowl of cold water (or run water under one, to release only one pop) for 1 to 2 minutes until the pops lift out.

Kids Korner
Mix It Up! There’s no need to stop at one juice for these pops. Ask your child for flavor combinations. Combine orange and apple or pear and pomegranate. Once you get the hang of it you’ll be making lots of colors and flavors of frozen treats.

Strawberry-Banana Shake (from Petit Appetit: Eat, Drink and Be Merry)
This is a quick and easy shake to whip up for a breakfast or afternoon snack. The frozen berries give cold without the need for ice, while the banana gives a smooth and creamy texture. Any leftovers? If so, freeze in ice pop molds or in a freezer safe container for a frozen treat later.

Makes 2 cups
1 cup frozen organic strawberries
½ cup organic whole milk
1 banana, cut into quarters

Put strawberries, milk, and banana into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

Go Green! During nonpeak berry season, stock up on frozen organic berries for easy smoothies and shakes anytime. You’ll also skip the high price, less flavor, and pesticides of conventionally grown fresh berries grown and sold out of season.

Thanks for sharing, Lisa!

Quick side note: I am often ripping out images from magazines and stuffing them in an inspiration folder and after seeing Will’s portfolio I realized that I randomly had a shot of Will in my inspiration folder back in San Francisco – small world!

Fast forward several months and ironically I’ve been getting questions regarding kid modeling. I am no expert at all. I know of a few agencies in San Francisco and Los Angeles and I am actually shooting for one of them but I really have no idea how one gets a foot in the door at a modeling agency. Therefore, I decided it might be fun to ask Tiffany a few questions about Will’s experience as a model. I hope someone out there finds this helpful.

Thanks to Tiffany for taking the time to answer my questions and again to Will and Zach for a fun shoot this summer. A few of our images are below the q+a.

Any thoughts or questions for Tiffany?

p.s. Don’t you love Will in the Crewcuts shoot?

ModernKids (MK): How did Will get in to modeling? How long has he been doing it and how old was he when he started?
Tiffany Ironside (TI): Will started modeling at age 5. He has been doing it almost 2 years now.

MK: How did you guys get started? Were you approached by someone or did you seek it out yourself?
TI: I also do regional modeling and acting, and went to a local agency to give them my headshots/resumes. I gave them some photos a local photographer did of Will as well. They sent those to an agency in NYC (Generation) who liked his looked and asked us to come meet them. We went to NYC and met the owner of the agency who liked Will’s look and thought he took direction well. She took some additional photos on her digital camera and asked us to take some more outside at home. After taking a dozen or so, she chose the one she liked and asked us to make 50 copies (5×7′s).

MK: What type of companies does Will model for? How many shoots does he do in a year?
TI: Some companies Will has modeled for are J. Crew, Boden, Cookie Magazine, Lowe’s, Crayola, Boscov’s, Macy’s, Kenneth Cole and Brooks Brothers. I would estimate that in a year he does approximately 12-15 shoots.

MK: I know you live in Pennsylvania. How far do you travel for shoots? Is it mostly regional?
TI: We primarily shoot in NYC which is almost a 2 hour drive (1-way).

MK: Do you have any funny stories to tell about shoots with Will? What does Will think about modeling?
TI: Will really enjoys print work. He has also auditioned for several major motion pictures, and commercials but he actually prefers not speaking. One of his favorite times on a shoot was when the stylist gave him a mohawk (after the pictures were done, they had given him a pompadour for the actual shoot!) He also liked shooting one ad for Macy’s where he “had” to eat a popsicle during the shoot!

MK: How would you recommend a parent begin the process with a modeling agency? What do they need headshots, a referral, a basic interview, etc.?
TI: I would start with the local agency, who can then refer you to a larger NY agency if your child has potential. You can send photos directly to the NY agencies but it is better to have an “in”. At the local level, you really should be able to work with good digital photos you have taken, don’t let them talk you into expensive photographs or classes.

MK: Do you have any words of caution for parents?
TI: Be careful not to get talked into things (again, expensive pictures and classes) that really are not necessary if your child has a good look and the ability to take direction. Also, don’t be offended if your child isn’t chosen for something…it often is not about your child it is more about what specifically they are or are not looking for (ie. height, eye color, hair length, etc.)

MK: Do kids need to have a certain personality type to do modeling?
TI: Clients and photographers seem to prefer kids who are well behaved. A “bigger” personality seems to work better for TV/Film. Patience is also an important trait to have because shoots can be very long. Bring lots of toys/things to do/read/etc. (Nintendo DS’s are a staple).

MK: …and the question everyone wants to know: Have you met any crazy parents? You don’t have to answer that.
TI: Strangely enough, and to my suprise, most (I would venture to say 90%) of the parents I have met at shoots are very friendly, helpful and engaging.

MK: Any other thoughts or suggestions for other parents?
TI: The industry is strange in one respect: when it rains it pours. In other words Will can go for months with zero calls, and all of the sudden he will book something and have to turn something else down on that same day! They also seem to have the uncanny ability to know the absolute worst times in my schedule to call. Be prepared to have to go to a go-see with VERY little notice. Same day is not uncommon. Also, you can be put “on hold” for a week, which basically means you need to be available that whole week and they may or may not end up using you (again, you might find out at 5 pm that you are booked the next morning at 9 am). Flexibility is key, and certainly something I am still working on. If you have other children, it is a definate juggling act. Having said all that, it is a rush. The food is usually excellent and depending on the job it can be quite lucrative as well (although some jobs don’t pay as much as you think). On average, children make about $100/hour for print work.

Thanks again, Tiffany!