Art + Decor

For months now I’ve been clicking over to Avalisa to see what’s new as far as her vibrant, modern stretch canvases for kids’ rooms and beyond. And at last! Victory!

If you accidentally spent all your money on that fantastic-gotta-have-it bedding, your poor little baby might be left to stare at boring blank walls. And as we all know, that’s just not good for brain development and preverbal aptitude tests, now is it.

While your kids are young and impressionable, this is the time to expose them to how much fun art can be. It’s also the time you can teach them that farts are funny, but that’s another story for another time.

Sometimes I come across one-of-a-kind artwork that’s just so wow, I’m almost tempted not to share it here. Because if you like it before I get around to clicking "add to my cart," I lose.

It’s true that works of kiddie-style art rarely resemble anything that can be described as art, or style. Seriously, how many ways can you draw a cartoon bear?

I think a lot of people don’t buy original art for their kids’ rooms because they’re under the impression that it’s too expensive.

As a writer I’ve always subscribed to the adage, "write what you know." And I assume the same goes for other art forms as well. (Paper maché what you know!) So it’s not surprising that prolific illustrator and photographer Stephanie Wise began creating a spectacular series of modern adoption art in 2005 after setting off on her own adoption journey.

I’ve found beautiful and timeless children’s artwork before, but Alena Hennessy’s latest collection of giclee prints, the Quiet Dream series, are among the first I’ve seen that I could live with in my own bedroom as well. And as we all know, there’s something to be said for kid’s artwork that isn’t outgrown along with the 12-18 month onesies.

While I would like to think a picture of my children makes a wonderfulpresent anytime of year, I suppose there’s a limit to how often you can hastily drop a snapshot into a frame and send it off to the in-laws.

It seems to me that what I’m looking for in kids’ room decor has transitioned almost as fast as my son has moved from the infant to the toddler to the kid section. Change is happening and it’s taking my soft, cuddly nursery fabric with it.

My five year old is on a mission to find herself–not through junior self-help seminars, but in every movie poster, magazine ad, or book cover she sees. Mimi will exclaim, "I’ll pretend to be that little girl in the picture, Momma. You can be the cow." (I don’t love being the cow.)

As part of my ongoing crusade as a lover of science, my girls are exploring the natural world through trips to planetariums or even just finding ladybugs in the backyard. B

As I’ve learned rather quickly–too quickly–the artwork you buy for your baby’s nursery might seem…well, babyish in a very short matter of time. Those sweet little Peter Rabbit prints that made you teary when your boy was just a babe in arms aren’t cutting it now that he’s three and answers to the name Mr. Destructo.

Artwork depicting the ABC’s or 1-2-3’s usually has a fairly short shelf-life (or wall-life, more accurately). Pastels and teddy bears are often deemed "babyish" around the same time that the diapers disappear.

I’ve always liked the idea of turning a favorite photo of my child into a piece of artwork. But a lot of those Warhol-eque services just look like a computer novice took a Photoshop 101 class, and went nutty with the filters. What ever happened to art made by actual artists?

Admittedly I’m a little opinionated when it comes to art. Sometimes I come across a piece I’m considering buying but then I think "hm,…

I admire parents who have the talent and motivation to paint murals for their kids’ bedrooms. My own kids’ rooms remain stark white, because…

I have loved the clever, collagey, distinctive tee designs from Vancouver-based Dirty Laundry ever since we featured them last year. But the only problem with wearable art for kids – they most certainly can’t wear it forever.

I’m always tempted to get one of those caricatures of my daughter at local art fairs. While I love the concept of my progeny immortalized at the skilled hand of an artist, something tells me that that’s not exactly what I’m going to end up with for my 20 bucks.