Elephants are Marching in!

So much elephant merchandise is flowing into Cici Crib this fall. Our store window is filled with elephants. Smart and steady. From gifts to decor, what's not to love... New Jellycat elephant...

Chic Jonathan Adler clock for the wall

Babar books always make good gifts...

Our most popular bookend..

Hooded towels,burps and bibs, perfect for baby, from a company that makes it's products in Texas.

Large wooden elephant for the wall...

Can't forget the vintage. The vintage toys add a unique decorating touch..

And my absolute favorite is this little vintage wool rug, how great it  would be  in a nursery...

See you...

Christina

Decorate a little boy's bedroom two weeks?

A very nice family came to visit the shop in the latter part of June. The little boy was just a complete sparkle of a kid. Having only boys myself,  I so appreciate the idiosyncracies of boys. He loves airplanes, trains, big trucks, loud construction equipment, etc.. The family was moving to Westchester from NYC in about 2 weeks time. They needed to have a room ready for their little boy, on moving day. He was leaving his crib behind and needed a big boy bed. New neighborhood, new house, new bed. We needed to work quickly.  Ofcourse, we had a holiday weekend in between. Adds a little more stress to the equation. This is the room when I first saw it. A classic bedroom from a house built in the 1920's.

The couple really wanted wallpaper. We chose this Ralph Lauren paper..

The company did a quick ship on the artwork..

The window treatments just couldn't be done in time. Obviously, panels would overwhelm the windows.  I really didn't want to do standard shades or romans. The windows are quite low to the floor. Any kind of cord is an issue. We chose a roller roman shade. It is a new shade, that we are beginning to use. No outside cords. They will be ready by the end of July. The flush mount light fixture is also back ordered, but will be in shortly. Made of glass, it will give off ample light.

The room was ready for the little boy..

I was there to  see the excitement on the little boy's face. Some really good perks  of my  job!

See you...

Christina

Studio Four Showroom

I stopped into Studio Four Showroom in NYC for research.  A boutique showroom filled with Indie designers. It was inspiring to see a showroom that is so different.  So very interesting...

Wallpaper of different varieties...

We will be using this one for a little girl's bedroom that will be decorated in  pink and yellow.

Beautiful fabrics..

You can custom color some of their fabrics...

A new rug collection just came in from Denver..

I took away many ideas..

See you...

Christina

Children and Animals

Just browsing through some of my vintage children's books, I came across a lovely book, Children and Animals.  From the School of Emmy Zweybruck, copy written 1935. It seems this book was originally printed in Austria. These pictures are so stencil like and stylized. You can really decorate a kids bedroom or baby's nursery  nicely with these pictures. How great they would be  as art.

I just love them.

See you...

Christina

Decorate with vintage toys

What is it about vintage toys and games and pictures that  make us smile. Is it their innocence that stands out  in this i-everything world we live in? Does it make us feel warm and cozy? This week, Velvet &Linen, one of my all time favorites, blogged about her  fantastic design project.  Her talented family business, Giannetti Home,  created this most inviting family game room.

The room had strong bones and much potential to start out with.

They gathered  collections the family had accumulated over the years...

And created a room that tells  a beautiful story...

I love these images from a French children's bedroom...

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The lamp below was made in NYC in the 60's and 70's..

Vintage blocks are small touches that create nice atmosphere.

Love this room by design team Lila & Tom from Design Sponge:

Vintage games are quite inexpensive and can make a nice statement.

What a sweet shelf. I gave my sister in law a baby present, similar to the See Saw toy below. It was long before Cici Crib was born.  I thinks she puts it out for Christmas every year..

See you..

Christina

Soccer Decorating

Bummer the US lost. But that has not stopped the kids love for soccer. I came across this great boys bedroom designed by Kate Hume. How fantastic  is this...

I love those light fixtures. What about this one..

Decorating with soccer in mind can just be a matter of touches.  To create nice bedding we could make a eurosham  with soccer fabric and denim piping.

This is fabric is of nice quality..

Mix it with a denim quilt and  shams...

Use a simple white sheet set or mix it up with  a Serena and Lily sheet set to say GO USA...

There is plenty of artwork available that focuses on soccer..

Maybe a distressed hand painted picture will do...

Use a vintage poster...

We can't forget the girls...

See you...

Christina

Decorate with lavender and silver

I am currently gatthering ideas for  decorating a little girl's bedroom. It is in the idea building stage. We definitely would like a lavender and silver coloring in the room. I liked the idea of using circles as a bit of inspiration.  Of course these ideas aren't logically ordered.  I know I need to find proper storage, a bed, etc.. It's just the beginning. The little girl aready has a chandelier which  is perfectly acceptable. But if I could change it , I would l love  to use this flush mount fixture.  It also works because of the 8' ceiling height.

I saw this really soft rug in Dallas last summer that has a  hint of lavender and silver.

I picked some samples of fabric from Silk Trading Company. They recently moved out of ABC Carpet and have moved into their own space a few blocks away. The solid fabric is a silk velvet. I love the sheen. I want sphere fabric for throw pillows. The fabric is lying on top of a wallpaper memo from Zoffany. An abstract floral. Window treatments are simple blackout rollers with a gauzy lavender shimmery sheer. The room will be dreamy.

This lamp is really lovely.

The little girl loves Barbie prints. We will do them in frames of silver.

We decided she needed some seating so we chose this perfect fainting couch.

We are just getting started.

See you.

Christina

Barbie's comeback

I was at the D& D building the other day doing some research for a few clients, when I stumbled upon this Italian fabric. A nice vintage feel. Wow this would be a great boudoir pillow, on a chaise in a pink houndstooth. Great for decorating a classic girl's bedroom.

The Barbie prints that hang in the shop would fit in nicely.

One of my sweetest customer purchased a lavender Barbie  and put in a plum mat to enhance the print. Now it is perfect for her daughter's bedroom.

Barbie reminds me of the head vases my mother collected.She loved the kitsch factor.  She lined them up on the piano.  Unfortunately, She got tired of the collection and sold it. I wish she held on to them.  I could find a nice spot for them at Cici Crib.

Jonathan Adler took a crazy turn in celebrating Barbie's  50th anniversary. He completely amped it up.  It's over the top. It's Barbie's dream house in Malibu.

In Cici Crib there is a nice desk chair for the studious Jonathan Adler Barbie.

Barbie's style is always changing.

See you.

Christina

Silhouettes

I took a long weekend away from Cici Crib to visit with my family in Pittsburgh. My parents moved to Pittsburgh  after I graduated from college. My sister followed  after burning out of the New York fashion scene a few years ago.  They live in the Shadyside section of Pittsburgh, a  beautiful neighborhood bordering Carnegie Mellon University.  Because the city is so rich in history, the best antiques and vintage items  that have passed through Cici Crib come from Pittsburgh  auction houses.  My mother and sister are avid collectors of just about everything. They were excited about these 19th century children silhouettes the moment they saw them at the auction preview last month. I loved them. There is a lot of discussion amongst the three of us.   I set a budget and actually won all of them. The children are cut from paper, then enhanced by pencil.

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The silhouette of the boy is just so sweet. I will keep him . The picture was small enough to fit into my luggage.  He sits in my livingroom now.

Silhouettes have always been popular. I have some from the 1920's that are in my powder room.

This is a fun one.  It's on an old cake tin.

Modern silhouettes have been reinvented  using different materials.  Some are cut from vintage wallpaper.  They are large. They are an easy way to decorate. Great for playrooms to nurseries. I love these by  Inke Heiland that are in the shop now.

Some silhouettes are cut out of  vinyl. Because the  vinyl is micro thin, the images  almost look painted onto the wall. They are a breeze to apply and most are removable. A great invention. Your child outgrows them and they can easily come off. There are so many brands  and the images seem to get more complex and interesting every year. Here are some that are in the shop.

Painted silhouettes can also make a great design statement in a room.

How cool!

See you.

Christina