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I am currently working on a pretty traditional bedroom for a little girl in NYC. We will be doing a nicely tufted headboard with a soft arch. The fabric will be neutral so as to allow for future flexibility as the little client grows into her own style. So I started daydreaming about funky headboards...
We will stick to the traditional. It was just a thought.
See you...
Christina
As far as children's rooms go, we are oh so familiar with clouds on the ceiling. Whether they are painted or wallpaper, it seems like we see it quite often. But what if we just chose beautiful wallpaper to line the ceiling. How nice... House of Turquoise
Nursery by Rhoney Design. I so love this sweet home for baby...
Girls bedroom by David Cafiero...
Then there is Miles Redd, oh so chic constellation ceiling.Ok maybe this isn't wall paper, but so inspiring...
See you...
Christina
We are just crazy busy getting ready for our jewelry trunk show! So much fun! It will be held in the shop on Friday Nov. 19th and Saturday Nov. 20th. We have been gathering jewelry from fantastic artisans from around the country. So sweet this jewelry made from felt. They are perfect for little ones...
Bottle cap bracelets are just fun...
Swirly bracelets that can be personalized. Even some made for moms..
Necklaces made from vintage finds...
Budding animal activists will love these recycled bracelets that highlight endangered species..
Owls and other little chicks have joined a larger group of hair accessories...
Don't forget all the accroutrements. Especially for the sparkly girls, the ballerina jewelry holder on top of the "diamond" tufted tuffet...
See you...
Christina
Mom of 2 tween girls needs to update their bedroom. Everyone loves the aqua, but not in huge doses. The Mom and the girls loved House Inc.'s new collection. House Inc., creator, Annette Tatum, delicately layers fabrics in such a casual way. For a room that could have touches of modern, but is pretty firmly traditional, Annette Tatum is for you. Her combinations are just lovely...
The fabric they chose the bedding...
Now to integrate the aqua with the pink that is scattered throughout the girls' bedroom.Found great inspiration in House of Turquoise...
Love Toby Fairly's room as shown in The Neo Tradionalist.
It will all come together...
See you..
Christina
So sad to see a closing of a museum. Significant toy collections from the the Old Salem Museums and Gardens in Winston-Salem, NC will be up for auction in the coming weeks. Two auction houses will clear out the most unbelievable inventory. Northeast Auctions in Portsmouth will hold it's auction on October 30th. On November 19 and 20, Noel Barrett Antiques and Auctions in New Hope,Pa will hold their event. Most of the toys are 19th century, European. Just fantastic. How different children played. The toys were meant to last forever...
Dollhouse furniture to die for....
"Toy collecting is the best anti aging medicine, I know" says Noel Barrett, owner of Noel Barrett Antiques and Auctions.
See you...
Christina
Ooh it is getting a bit chilly outside. We haven't turned on the heat, but as I write, I am wrapped up in my plaid, cashmere throw. It's cozy warm. Classic plaids are used in many ways. We see it everywhere in the decorating world. On tables..
On light fixtures...
In bedrooms for both girls and boys...
As wallpaper...
On sheep, oh my...
Plaid at Cici Crib has taken a calmer tone. New in the shop this week is a little toast to the Burberry plaid baby...
Delightful little burps and bibs...
Coming soon are hooded towels and crib bumpers trimmed in the signature fabric.
See You ...
Christina
I was in the sort of new Conran shop in the basement of ABC Carpet the other day. The sign on the landing is the first notice of the shop that lies below. I guess we shop owners are all the same in our goal of making a customer's visit a personal experience.
The merchandise is surely well edited and really fresh.
A ping pong table with a chalkboard surface..
So I found my 2 favorite items. Love the robot...
What about these bird pendants for a nursery..
So cool.
See you...
Christina
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...
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
Doing some research on built in beds for kids rooms and came across these gems... Kristen Panitch
Makes me want to take a Sunday afternoon snooze...
See you..
Christina
Soon the flea market days will be coming to an end in the northeast. I used to be able to stick it out until November. Guess I am getting old, but by November, it is just too cold for early mornings at the market. So I took advantage of the warm morning and headed to the field with my younger son, James. He found the coin dealer he was looking for and I found some really cool amusement park cast offs? Yep. It was a strange market. Not that I purchased any of them, but they were just too cool to not notice.
An aluminum horse that escaped from some cruel carousel....
Silly animals...
And the piece de resistance was a rocket ship that really lights up! How cool would this be hanging from the ceiling in a loft playroom or kids bedroom. Perfect for the Novogratz family! I was really tempted to purchase it. But I could hear my husband, loud and clear, complaining about storage issues. So I took the dealer's card. Maybe one day I can find a home for it.
Another fun morning at the market with my flea market buddy, James.
See you..
Christina
I found these brushed aluminum letters at a flea market not long ago. They are quite large. The dealer told me they came from an old car dealership. The letter A went into a little boy's bedroom. We mounted the A on top of a large aluminum framed bulliten board. I still have the letters F and C. I wish I had more. The font is so simple and clean..
Collecting letters and putting them up thoughtfully can be a really fun way of decorating a nursery.
Shabby chic letters in a shabby chic nursery...
You don't need an entire alphabet to make an interesting statement. Just begin by collecting the odd letter at a flea market and look what you can create...
This is one of my favorites...
This is no ordinary mural in this modern nursery...
At Cici Crib, Binth's alphabet poster is oh so stylish.
This print has alphabet whimsy..
Crib bedding with an alphabet pattern.
Many different alphabet directions.
See you..
Christina
I would say one of the nicest parts of my job is meeting some really good people. I remember the first time Bari made her way into Cici Crib. Her smile filled her entire face as she talked about the upcoming birth of her daughter, Leryn. We discussed many details of the nursery. After months of planning and waiting, the moment finally came. Leryn arrived in early July. It' s so nice to see good things happening to good people. Bari wanted the nursery to have a bit of a bohemian feel. Very soft and relaxed. Perfect for baby. The bedding completely inspired her. It is by Elizabeth Allen.
A petite chandelier was needed in this cozy little nook.
Storage bins from Macbeth were purchased from Bari's registry at Cici Crib.
The artwork is from Oopsy Daisy.
Birdies and butterflies are delicately painted through out the room The inspiration was taken from the bedding, as well as the artwork.
A lovely nightlight fits right in.
And, of coarse, a vintage pin caddy that came from Bari's nursery when she was a baby.
Thanks Bari for sharing your daughter's lovely space.
See you..
Christina
Everyone is returning from their various summer journeys. It's time the kids get back to school. I am back from Pittsburgh for a bit. So far, everything is going very well with my mom and sister. They are getting stronger every day. My mom has a new future. It is just amazing what the doctors can do. I am so thankful! The huge weight that lies on my shoulders is beginning to lift. Life is ok right now... Tina and Beth have been great caretakers of the little shop. I am thankful for them too!
We put together a new window display celebrating the return of school. I picked up these cheap vinyl floor tiles from Home Depot to cover the base of the display.
I recently purchased this giant abacus from an auction that was selling items from a schoolhouse from the turn of the century. It is enormous. It would be fabulous in a great playroom or bedroom that needs to fill space because of high ceilings. It would look great on top of a bookshelf. A piece of sculpture.
Bookends came into the shop in late August. The vintage globe also makes a nice addition to the window.
Another set of new bookends...
So we put it all together along with some other items and made a welcoming display.
See you...
Christina
Cici Crib will be closed for vacation from August 23rd until August 31st. Vacation plans changed quite abruptly in the last weeks of the summer. We were supposed to go to Paris and meet with friends and then continue on to Provence for a self guided, gastronomic, bicycling tour. As many of you know, my mom has been struggling with an auto immunne disease that attacks her liver. Primary Biliary Cirrhosis(PBC) is a slow progressing disease . Towards the end, it comes on like a freight train. Next week my mom will receive part of my sister's liver, in what is called a live donor transplant. It is complicated, but at least she will have a chance of having a normal life again. My sister is really just remarkable! I don't know how else to describe what she is willing to do.
Family, friends and customers have been so incredibly comforting. I would like everyone to know how appreciative I am. For the next few weeks I will be in and out of Cici Crib. Posting will be sporatic.
For now I will post a photo of a place that my sister and my mom think of as a little place of peace. It is very near to where I grew up. It is Winterthur Museum. We used to just go up to the museum after school and walk the grounds. My mom loves this spot. We used to sit on the bench and just look out and chat.
See you...
Christina
This new picture frame came into Cici Crib this week. I love the delicate pink and orange.
I really don't like creaming a room with "fun" colors just because you are decorating a kid's room. It can still have the same bad effect. Just too much of everything. This is an inspiring pink and orange room.
So I am doing some girls bedrooms with pink and orange. Gathering ideas is so much fun. We will not use all these items, but they are ideas to throw around.
Wallpaper...
A clock...
Some pillows...
An original piece of artwork from Jeff Canham...
The bedding and furniture will be quiet for the most part. Although, I have these vintage bedside tables that I want to paint in a hot pink or orange.
We already chose this light fixture..
We love these boy and girl lamps I found in Atlanta for the bedside.
It will be a delicate pink and orange room.
See you...
Christina
Bright clear colors were everywhere in Atlanta. It was all about fun. I love these ball chairs. Great for a playroom. Comfortable for even an adult to sit in. I saw the same chair on the 5th floor in Barneys in the city the other day. Oh, except it was in black, of coarse...
Love this chartreuse wall with the white animal heads...
How nice for a girl's Bohemian bedroom...
Polka dot happy...
I couldn't resist purchasing these large metal flowers made by a surfer guy from California. They are cut from recycled metal and spray painted.
Pink and orange is a combo I am working on with a few clients..
Midcentury reproductions for the midcentury spirited child.
These cool boy and girl lamps have shades made of mylar..
This lamp is over 5 feet tall and is perfect for a glamor girl...
It was my first time in Atlanta. I brought home some great products for the design end of the shop.
See you...
Christina
Back from the Americasmart and happy to be home. I feel inspired and design rejuvenated. I can't say there were many baby products that were new, but some of the showrooms were filled with solid design ideas.I arrived in Atlanta just in time to sit in on a talk given by Suzanne Kasler. I love her interiors. It was nice to hear about what inspires her. Like most " visual people", she is not just inspired by an interesting spaces, but by unexpected color arrangements, fashion,and the fine arts. Anything that may catch her eye, she " files" for future references. Her own foyer is just beautiful.
After the lecture, I started to make my way around the showrooms. The interesting looks of industrial influences were apparent from the get go. It seemed like a celebration of the industrial revolution. Just great for a boys bedroom or even nursery. Check out this funky dresser.
This little cube seat duals as a storage unit could also be used as an ottoman.
I love these large wooden letter plaques. The entire alphabet is available.
They can be made into side tables as well.
More interesting looks....
A kid who loves adventure could use some of these decorating ideas...
Love this ottoman..
What a nice lamp for a baby's nursery...
This lamp will make it's way into Cici Crib this Fall.
Next up it was all about color...
See you...
Christina
It has been so busy this week at Cici Crib. Kids are away at camp. Mothers are coming into the shop redecorating the kids rooms before they come back. Cici Crib babies have been born this week. Their gift registries need to be updated. Current projects are coming into fruition. And I need to plan for the Atlanta gift/home shows at Americasmart . I leave tomorrow feeling a bit unprepared. It is the biggest show of the year for retailers. Four buildings full of stuff. It is my first time in Atlanta so I am not sure what to expect. Every summer I go to one show outside of the New York area. Last year was Dallas. The year before was Los Angeles. So this year I decided to go where most retailers find their products, Atlanta. This is one of the best parts of the job. We see trends in colors and styles. Check out all the new products. It will be a busy 4 days, but I look forward to it.
See you after the show.
Christina
I just got back from Pittsburgh again. It seems I go often now as my Mom is not well. I like to spend time with her. She loves to hear the stories about the shop. This time I was there long enough to check out some of my favorite shops. I always love Toadflax on Walnut Street. It is a garden based shop with soaps and linens and antiques to enhance the beautiful flowers. The smell and sounds are so sweet. Jeff Pierce, a co-owner, is inspiring and oh so talented. His dog, so comfortable in the shop, greets her favorite customers. Jeff has yet to set up his website which is such a pity. His work spans from museum galas to New York parties. He is understated and genuine. His touch is everywhere in the shop.
A nice little excursion.
See you,
Christina
We wanted to go out with the boys before they left for their summer journeys. So last night we went to see the broadway show, Fela. Wow the music and dancing were so original. So cool. So much fun. It was a true story of a legendary man named Fela Kuti. The Shrine was the name of Fela's nightclub in Nigeria during the 1970's. It was a wild time. The costumes were great and the set was interesting. I wasn't allowed to take pictures of it. Too bad. It was so colorful. One corner was decorated in African masks. It's clear that tribal masks can make a great design statement. Check out this room from Elle Decor.
A real feeling of Africa come out of these tin animals I have in the shop. They are made by artisans in Zimbabwe. They would be a great inspiration piece in a baby's nursery. All lined up on a shelf. How neat is that.
It was a fun night out!
See you.
Christina
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