Baby's Nursery

Baby J was just born last week. Her bedding was ready at the shop for her. Her crib was this great design which will be available at Cici Crib in November.

The walls and glider fabric in Baby J's nursery is a calming gray. The only pop was in the baby's bedding  which was a snappy raspberry pink.

Custom bumper and blanket by Bebe Chic and the  gray square crib sheet is by  Stamattina.

Pink and gray is such truly a pleasing combination. I was checking out Pinterest this morning and found many inspirational pics.  You can get lost in Pinterest...

See you...

Trip to Saratoga ny

Last week we visited Saratoga Springs, NY for my son's crewing regatta, as well as a visit with family. You can see why Travel and Leisure magazine  calls Saratoga one of America's greatest main streets. It is just beautiful and filled with interesting small business boutiques.

One very inspiring shop was the Saratoga Turkish Bazaar. It is filled with color and style.

These slightly sparkly light fixtures would add ambiance to a Bohemian baby's nursery. They are a great alternative to the much used chandelier.

Use the lights as inspiration and build the room. Elizabeth Allen crib bedding works perfectly and is just beautiful.

A great Moroccan pouf for baby.

We could add a little more contemporary furniture, that still has more eastern design elements..

All products can be found at Cici Crib Main Street store. Find your design inspiration and build on it!

See you..

Christina

Baby Gifts at the New York International Gift Fair

I went shopping last weekend for new gifts for the shop. I came upon the O.R.E. booth and gave it a good pause. Always had their products in the back of my mind, today I decided to try some. I like small companies. I like to get to know owners. Tim Chauran and his wife Lisa Lowe are the team behind O.R.E. Tim told me that his wife is the designer. The inspiration for the products come from everywhere. Home, their son, their bull terrier. Strong graphic and product design make their products special. Their company started in their garage in Long Beach, CA. Tim was dressed very stylishly.

From their booth I meandered towards the section devoted to Japanese vendors. I found some little wash cloths with sayings that reminded me Haruki Murakami. I read the book, The wind-up Bird Chronicle last year. I love  the original humor. Not only are the washcloths made nicely, their sayings could spur much discussion at bath time...

I ended the day at the booth that sold art. A small company out of Georgia, they make the sweetest pieces that would fit perfectly in a baby's nursery. The frames are made out of reclaimed wood.

See you...

Christina

Vintage Planters

I have always collected vintage planters from the 1940-1960's. Way back when, they were given as baby gifts and I assume they had plants in them.   I used them to decorate my kids' nursery.  I use them for their toothbrushes. I use them to store pencils. I have one in my bathroom. Here is the elephant in my bathroom...

At the shop we have a planter on the counter that we use to hold pens. I used it when the kids were babies  to store A & D ointment and thermometers. It has such sentimental value. I won't sell it...

The planter that holds the business cards sold recently. A new holder is in place...

We have put together some great little gift planters using some of  the vintage planters. They come with a minky soft rattle and a handmade baby comb from Switzerland. They will be going on our ecommerce website that will soon be up and running.  Hurrah!

See you...

Christina

Happy Tangerine New Year

Tangerine Tango is the pantone color for 2012! It is bold. A no apologies, fantastic orange...

Ducduc has forever used this color inside all of their casegoods..

Tangerine Tango is sprinkled throughout the shop. Art  for a baby's nursery..

 Custom lamp in the great color...

Love these Euros..

Have a happy and healthy New Year!

See you...

Christina

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

Water time

Whether you are heading to the beach,lake or your club, these stylish bags  will organize your children's stuff. Made of canvas, but not too heavy.  A great gift that can be personalized. A favorite for the baby gift registry.  We love our club bags!

A waterproof bag for all the little stuff that can get wet ..

Happy fourth of July!

See you...

Christina

Nursery design in my mind

There are times  a designer misses the concept of what a client is looking for. This is a fine example. I thought the customer would be as excited as I was about this concept. Great clients. Wrong concept.  It mixes touches of blues and oranges with a neutral cappuccino  color. The carpet in this NYC apartment is a Stark neutral. It will remain. The customer is pretty firmly traditional, but would like a more modern nursery. The carpet looks like this..

I wanted to use a grasscloth wallcovering  that had  a delicate orange  trellis.

After I chose it, I saw it was used in the Kips Bay showhouse, in a very large room. As you can see the pattern is not overwhelming.

I designed this long changer finished in white lacquer. It had closed storage on the right  side, drawers in the center and a hamper on the left side. Each piece would come apart and be completely painted. This would allow for future flexibility.  Later on, one could use the hamper and dresser in different parts of the room, for example.

On top of the changer we would affix this standard tray.

The crib is very clean, but  still maintains it's traditional roots. It would be entirely in white.

The glider is the classic glider that I have in the shop slip covered in a linen. The bedding would have dashes of blue and orange. Pic of the side of bumper is below.

Fabrics would be a thin orange stripe piping and ties  with white matelasse  and Annette Tatem soleil orange fabric that is separated by a large ric rac lace.

I wanted to use a 7' round rug that would achor the room.If the baby was a girl it would be this one.

A boy...

Possible artwork.  Vintage educational posters...

Although the client decided not to go in this direction. The ideas will remain in the Cici Crib library....

See you...

Christina

Black for Babies?

So what's wrong with the color black when it comes to babies.  When grandmas come into the shop, they sometimes comment on some of my black merchandise. The cable knit black cashmere cardigan from Lotus Springs..

The supersoft little skull cap in black...

The Maryjanes from Trumpettes..

Children shouldn't wear black they tell me. But why? So completely chic..

See you...

Christina

Vintage Alphabet Blocks

A customer came into the shop looking for  a gift for her good friend's new baby girl.  She wanted to give her vintage blocks that spell her name.  The customer knew she had room on a shelf in the nursery for short name.  I needed to  sort through my collection to find the letters. I was excited to find the blocks that she needed. Looking through them, you can see a little bit of  cultural history. Most of  the  blocks date around WWII.

So sweet the images are...

Love these stylized animal blocks...

Silhuettes are just fantastic..

I heard the friend's gift was so very well received. The mom loved the blocks for her daughter  Cici!!

See you...

Christina

Art created from children's shoes

At the intersection of Main Street and Maple Ave, in Armonk,  is an incredible frame shop,Framings. Every work day, I stop at the intersection before turning into the parking lot for Cici Crib. Yesterday, I couldn't keep my eyes off of a large piece that was in her shop window. Cars behind me honked. So I quickly turned and parked and marched right over to Judy and Carter's jewel of a shop.  Not only are they some of the nicest people I have met, but also some of the most talented.

Judy told me she completed this project  for a designer. The designer had saved all her daughter's shoes and Judy created this long shadowbox. I think it is about 12 feet long. I can imagine it will be hung in a bedroom,playroom, really anywhere..

It is so sweet. It really tells a story from the parent's excitement of having a baby girl to her first walking shoe, a ballet slipper, a trip to Disney World  to a the last shoe, that perhaps the little girl picked out. A black rugged hiking shoe.

I hope the Mom keeps the shadowbox. Fast forward 25 years.. Wouldn't it be nice to see in her granddaughter's nursery.....

See you..

Christina

Monkeys everywhere

I sold my vintage sock monkey in the store last week. A bit sad about it. I will miss him.  Another customer picked up her bumper made with this great monkey fabric..

Monkeys are such a popular inspiration for decorating a baby's nursery or a child's room.

Vintage sock monkeys makes their appearance...

New Arrivals bedding and accessories....

Monkeys used in wall stickers...

More  mod monkeys...

Look how Tobi Fairley decorated for her daughter's playroom. Tis the season...

Happy Holidays! See you...

Christina

Boy's nursery of calm colors

Sometimes you know when a client is perfect for you. You hit it off right from the start. I've been working on this nursery in NYC and it will be coming together just in time for the arrival of a sweet  boy. I was so pleasantly surprised when this client wanted to use the light woods of the Duc duc line.

The crib  bumpers   are custom from Henry & Henrietta, one of  most beautiful  bedding companies out there. No need for a crib skirt.

A clean white changer/dresser..

An organic changing pad will be used with a very soft cover..

She will need a little diaper caddy to go next to the changing pad. There are really no modern diaper caddies out in the market.  Maybe we can use this box without the lid..

A classic glider similar to this one in slate blue

Instead of an ottoman, we would like to use this fantastic  leather Hippo.

Next to the glider will be a laquered grass cloth side table

We will use this table lamp, but the shade will be a burlap and the base is an ice blue.

The artwork will be this cute hippo.

I would like to flank the picture with some of my vintage animals from a 1920's Milton Bradley game...

 

The day will soon be here!

See you..

Christina

It's getting chilly.. Think Plaid!

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

Alphabet decorating for a nursery

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

Leryn's Nursery

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

New York International Gift Fair

How lucky to live right around the corner from the NYIGF. Store owners, designers and bloggers descend  from all over the world, to check out all the new looks. Most of the vendors I had already seen at the Atlanta show. But New York always brings out a different feeling. I go with a shopping list so not to forget customer requests. I got the new blablas for one customer. Leo Leoni books for another.  Organic doll is still outstanding.  Another asked for a moroccan pouf on steriods. Check, I  found  one. Wow, 36"x16h"!

Even though they had a whole new baby and children  gift and decor section, the vendors seemed to be the same ones I had seen before. Nothing really striking  sticks  in my mind.

But the home decor vendors showed some flair.

I just loved Pacific Connections lacquer ware.

Mondrian inspired tables...

The color of the inner section of this table can be changed out to any color requested....

And of course they are known for their boxes. So I asked if they could make a  chic little diaper caddy. Maybe, he said...

I noticed some really nice chairs for curling up and reading a book. Could work in a chic little girl's bedroom..

A bit campy...

A Bit Bohemian...

Oh soo cool...

And then there was Jonathan Adler kids .....

Just as I was about to leave for the day,  I came across Tedde.  Tedde is made in NYC. Cici Crib is a little too populated right now with other stuffed animals. Maybe they will find a home at the shop next year. But I really felt like they did. It was a long day at market.

See you...

Christina

The kids are home!

The boys came home from camp with piles of dirty, stinky laundry and stories. Oh boy  the stories. Justin, my oldest says camp was soul revealing.  There is always something so calm and zen about him. Fiery James, says no way.  He goes on to tell me he received a formal behavioral warning for climbing on the roof of the dorm and pouring a bucket of water on a counselor. It was an act of retaliation for a super soaker incident that happened 4 years ago when the counselor was a camper. My  2 boys are polar opposites. The house was tidy and neat when they were gone . Now it is back to normal. The kitchen counter is full with ipods and books and hats and sunglasses. Sneakers and jackets all over. Messy again. All of sudden I was reminded of the few vintage items I found at the flea market recently. A sweet little doll,  from the 1940's and a 1950's picture created by Johnson and Johnson "dedicated to mothers and fathers of America."

Ok so the poem is a bit corny, but how the house so changes when the children are around.

So there are no more diapers, but loads of t-shirts and shorts.  Baby cereal is replaced with Lucky Charms. Beautiful cribs are replaced with messy beds. The red faced cherub is now a teenager sleeping until noon. But the feeling of having them home is the same,  joy  and heartwarming. My oldest will begin his junior year of high school this fall.  Time at home is fleeting . Enjoy every moment...

See you...

Christina

The New Birdhouse

After I came back from a short trip to Pittsburgh, I told Miles that we needed a birdhouse. My sister's small city garden in Pittsburgh is a bird's paradise. There is gourmet birdie food and fresh water daily. You hear chirping all day long. When I came home, I realized how silent our yard  was. So we went to the Wild Bird Center and picked up all the bird necessities. We set it up and waited. It took 3 days for the birdies to discover the new restaurant. Oh my goodness, it is out of control now. So many different kinds of birds. Cardinals, woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees, gold finches.....

The yard is full of chirping and it is so peaceful. I see how we are inspired to decorate with birds.  We see birds in lots of nursery decor. So cute for  baby. At the same time as our birdhouse was set up, these charming clocks came into the shop. Handmade in the USA.

There will be more birdie decorating stories in the future.

See you.

Christina