It was Kids Week on Print & Pattern recently and we would be remiss if we did not share this with you. They scoured the globe for the most uniquely illustrated and patterned designs for kids including stationery, gift paper, table top items,  blocks, linens, books and more. Kids Week was so fabulous that it took two weeks to cram it all in! Here are a few of our faves: Illustration, H.J.O.R.T.H  Copenhagen Products from Decole, Japan. Birthday card, illustrated by Kate Sutton

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Every child deserves at least one toy as elegant as this one. No plastic, no shoot-me-now music clips, no seizure-inducing lights. Just a perfect oak sphere with the ethereal sounds of Mozart's "Voi Che Sapete" twinkling out from its 18-note chime, when wound-up or rolled. The Mozartkugel Musical Orb will be available next week, in limited quantities at MoMAstore, as part of its Destination:Berlin series.

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Design*Sponge, one of our favorite blogs, currently has a sneak peek of the beautiful home of quilter Denyse Schmidt, one of our favorite gift-makers. We love the way she seamlessly incorporates all of her eclectic pieces--from church signs to pear branches.

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Looking for a unique way to decorate a wall in your kid's room? Creating your own piecemeal puzzle with any large piece of art is easier than you might think. (For more framing ideas, check out the full story here.)
1. Roll out the artwork on a cutting mat, piece of cardboard, or other work surface.

2. Take the glass or plexi from the square frames you're using. (Album frames are a perfect 12-inch square and easy to find.)

3. Shift the pieces of glass or plexi around on the artwork (being careful not to scratch the piece) to determine what your puzzle pieces will be. Play with several different arrangements, and remember, the more assymetrical, the better.

4. Once you have your pieces selected, use an Exacto knife to cut along the outside of each edge of each piece glass or plexi. This will give you perfectly sized, straight-edged pieces.

5. Pop the pieces into the frames, and hang them up with just an inch or two of space between. The task is much less daunting if you have a nifty laser level like this one from Ryobi.

TIP: If you're spatially-challenged, create kraft paper templates the exact size of your frames and tape them up on the wall before hanging. This way you'll be able to see how well the grid fits in your given space?before hammering any holes in the wall.

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Artist and designer Frances Merrill creates custom silhouettes that go leaps and bounds beyond the grade school construction paper version of yore. Each 8 x 10 portrait is hand cut and mounted on a canvas panel for a unique and modern presentation. There are six gorgeous background choices, including a colorful kilim, a stylized pineapple print and a bold ikat print. Silhouettes have a glossy finish and can be done in black, white or red.

Frances will make a silhouette of anything from your favorite chair to your most-loved shoe or your dog but we thought that portraits of your kids would be most treasured.

Love this beautiful wooden rocking airplane, but act quickly--bidding ends tonight.

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Can you tell me where the kitchen table from Kid's-Eye View: Kitchen is from? It would be perfect in our new dining room. - Blair Kreppein, Boston, MA

Unfortunately, this beaut is a one-of-a-kind. The homeowners found the 100-year-old pedestal on ebay and had the top custom-made by Joel Quinones Wood Working in Los Angeles. But for a similar look, check out Crate&Barrel's Collina dining table.

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Goose animal bank, ceramic, $25, Dutch By Design

Moo o o bank, felt, $16, MoMA Store

Don Don Dog, PVC, $15, Monkeyhouse Toys

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Several of you have written in asking where to find these metal flat-file cabinets pictured behind Everyday Expert: Lisa Mahar's son Emmett in our March/April issue.
Bisley makes these cabinets in tons of sizes and colors. Their site is for corporate business, but New York Store Fixture sells a lot of these office supplies to the average customer. Regardless, the cabinets are a great solution for storing kids' artwork.

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Love the idea of this bird house by the designers of Industreal. The gramophone-style horn magnifies the chirping conversation from within, making the arrival of spring sound even sweeter—especially to those of us who are still running our heaters every night. (Found this on Funfurde.)

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I am seven months pregnant and shopping for a crib. I would like something modern and love the Ouef and ducduc lines but they are too much for my budget. I've scoured the big boxes shops and everything is so curvy and frou-frou ... if I see one more sleigh crib I will go beserk! Is there anything simple and modern that is under $700 that you would recommend? - Janet Torgensen, Seattle, WA

Believe it or not, you can still find high style without breaking the bank. Here are some of our favorite not-so-expensive modern cribs:
IKEA's Gulliver crib has a nice basic white design. The super low $90 price point makes it even more appealing. Even though many of Nurseryworks's designs retail for $1000 or more, the just-as-sleek Loom model is just $650.Offi's Bebe crib has a more playful (but still modern) design, and sneaks in with a price of $699.If you're looking for several wood finish options, the Sahara from Argington comes in white, red maple, walnut (shown), birch, and cherry, and retails for $685 at Moderntots. And, of course, you can always hunt for good deals. Nurseryworks Aerial crib, regularly $920, is just $300 right now at 2Modern.

Other bargain ideas? Scope out ebay and Craigslist. Once their babies have outgrown their cribs, people are often desperate to unload these puppies for much less than they paid.

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Apartment Therapy: The Nursery (which we love) is having a contest for the best small nursery. The contest is closed but photos of these tiny and lovely nurseries are up and ready to inspire you.

We have had enough of mass-produced plastic toys that lack imagination and drive us batty with their roboticized sounds and songs. These handmade toys cost less than $20 and will be much loved by you and your munchkin.

Happy Bread and Moldy Bread, made of wool felt and embroidery floss by plush-toy artist Heidi Kenney.

Chimpanzee Puzzle, made in poplar with non-toxic finish by retired U.S. Navy veteran, Chuck Baker.

Pocket Squirrel, made by Martiza Soto. No two squirrels are alike; each one is freehand drawn directly onto Japanese cotton fabric and then sewn.

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I love the chalkboard fridge idea from the Kid's Eye View: Kitchen story in your March/April '07 issue. How can I do this at home?
Follow these steps to convert a metal box into potential gallery space for your children:

1. Measure the refrigerator doors, making a note of handles or ice dispensers.

2. Have your home improvement center cut masonite panels following these dimensions.

3. Prime the panels and paint them with chalkboard paint. We like this brand.

4. Attach them to the outside of the doors. In most cases, magnetic tape should do the trick and will allow the panels to be easily removed once your kids have outgrown them.

But if all of this seems too committal, why not try one of these chalkboard decals?

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My husband and I live in an apartment building that was constructed in 1973. It has absolutely no architectural detail, and it is a challenge to de-institutionalize its look. It is especially bothering me in our bedroom (see photo). I thought that I might try to rectify the situation by putting up a bold print wallpaper on the wall behind my bed. Do you have any suggestions for wallpaper that would work in this space? Wallpaper is a fantastic idea for this space. Here are five lively prints that will cheer up your boudoir.  Malabar wallpaper, available at Walnut Wallpaper. Leaf wallpaper, from Timorous Beasties. Shadow of the Paranormal #2, designed by Geoff Mcfetridge for Walnut Wallpaper. Chou Chou wallpaper, from Sister Parish Design. Scalamandre's Zebra wallpaper—first designed for the legendary New York City restaurant Gino's in the 1940s.

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