Art + Decor

I love the idea of hanging a cool alphabet or counting series along the walls in my daughter’s room, but alas I have a bit of a wall space challenge. As in we don’t have any.

I’m loving linoleum block prints lately. There’s something about this ye olde time-y way of putting image to paper that actually feels really fresh amongst today’s sea of clean-lined computer generated design.

The artistic potential of fables and fairy tales is often obscured by the pedestrian illustrations that accompany them. Those classic stories are so full of vivid characters, I’m actually surprised that more artists aren’t inspired by them.

If it’s not clear from our past artwork picks, we often lean towards designs with a sense of humor. Not like a big pair of Groucho glasses – just a subtle wink.

My two year-old daughter’s favorite word this week is together. I can’t complain considering it’s put recent words o’ the week like Dora and fart out of favor. So I imagine she’d love the limited edition "All Together Now" print.

The trouble with baby art is that it’s generally not for the baby. Sorry kiddos, we love you, but you have hopelessly pathetic eyesight. Those sweet pastels? More for us than for you.

I admit, when I hear "nursery rhyme art" my mind automatically goes to images far too cutesie for any kid over about 6 months. Like old whats-her-name with the codependent lamb.

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