Alfabetika. Whimsical Posters That Brighten Up Children's Rooms And Their Minds.

Alfabetika are a line of reading and counting basics made charming and stylish. Numbers and alphabet letters come to life in the form of whimsical drawings by the beautiful and talented designer (and a personal friend of mine) Anne-Lise Borgen.







The Norway born designer, who is now based in Paris, first came upon the idea to create Alfabetika when she couldn't find a suitable gift for her niece. She wanted something both cool and educational and when nothing struck her fancy, she set out to design her own.



The highly original characters were inspired by her dog Jakko's personality, cute looks and funny mannerisms combined with her love of mid-century modern design.







Staying true to her Scandinavian heritage, the alphabet posters come in both English and Norwegian Versions.



In addition to inspiring someone you love, each sale from Alfabetika’s webshop donates 5% to UNICEF, making this a gift that benefits the recipient as well as a less fortunate child.

Jakko:

Anne-Lise:


Keep an eye on Alfabetika, Anne-Lise will soon be launching custom name posters!


Etsy Shop

Mia Van Beek Turns Your Kid's Art Into Actual Jewelry, Keychains & Bookmarks.

Jewelry designer Mia Van Beek of Formia Design has come up with a way to turn your children's art into fabulous everlasting mementos in the form of pendants, charm bracelets, earrings, brooches, keychains and bookmarks.



Working with all types of metals [sterling silver, gold, stainless steel, etc], she expertly transforms two dimensional drawings into metal versions of the same.



She can create them as either positive or negative [outlines] pieces and is able to reproduce anything from stick figures to even the most enigmatic representation of a child's imagination.




Words do not suffice, take a look at these examples.

Pendants:







Keychains:





Earrings:

Bookmarks:

Charm Bracelets:


To learn how to submit the art and order your own wonderful piece of her work, go here.

About Mia:

Education and experience:

1988-1991 Jewlery school in Sweden

1992 Journeyman diploma

1996 Goldsmith Master Degree

1997 Degree in design at Collage of arts in Linkoping, Sweden.

2001 set up my own business Formia Design in Stockholm, Sweden

2004 Received Best New Designer of the year award at Stockholm Jewlery show

2004 Established Formia Design LLC in Virginia, USA

She not only creates these whimsical pieces, but it an expert goldsmith and creates other fine jewelry. Visit her website to see her many other jewelry designs.

follow her on Twitter.

Shop her online store.

For Budding Designers, MoMA Kits For Modern Kids (And Their Parents)

Chronicle Books has introduced an innovative and uniquely playful new line of children's products created in collaboration with New York's Museum of Modern Art. Through original formats and eye-catching design, these irresistible books and kits are designed to inspire and foster creativity that lasts a lifetime.



The Modern Playhouse and Modern Family are DIY kits with modular pieces and removable vinyl clings so you can create numerous variations of your own modern home and family.

MoMA Modern Play House



Includes: 6 nesting boxes, 8 mix-and-match furniture pieces, 12 removable vinyl clings, and endless possibilities. Recommended for ages 3 and up.

MoMA Modern Play Family


This hip press-out family includes 5 people, a cat, a dog, a doghouse, and over 150 mix-and-match vinyl cling clothes.



A part of the MoMA Modern Kids collection. Recommended for ages 3 and up.

Chronicle Books also made this cool stop-motion video to showcase the creative possibilities of the new MoMA Modern Play House and Modern Family:



Of course you can buy these at the online MoMA store BUT as part of the promotion, you can purchase these kits directly from Chronicle books with free shipping and 30% off if you use the code MoMA at checkout here.

(spotted on NOTCOT)

The Whimsical Paintings Of Amberlee Rosolowich At The Hespe Gallery

Amberlee Rosolowich, a recent graduate from San Francisco's Academy Of Art University, is having her first solo show at the Hespe Gallery this month.

Her oil paintings combine children and animals in intimate moments of play and leisure. With an illustrative and narrative quality, her works are simultaneously comforting and intriguing. Despite the childlike subject matter, Roslowich exhibits a more sophisticated and mature painting style. Aesthetically pleasing and emotionally accessible to both children and adults, the pieces will undoubtedly appeal to many.

in the artist's own words:

"My body of work has come from the darker side of a childhood; flipped into peculiar and fun times with the imaginary protection of an animal around. Fearful moments made brighter where Animals share an understanding of mindfulness, care, and secrets. These paintings of child moments are mixed and matched along with current ongoing stories, playfully using Animals to express emotions often hidden by humans.

Holding On:


As a child with a marine biologist studying mother, employed as a zookeeper, most often visiting was "weekends at work". I became fascinated early on as a constant observer of animal behavior, pockets full of doodles of zoo things, and playfully imagining these animals as my chit chat friends. With childish imagination, I spent much of my younger years pretending these animals would protect me in darker moments and could understand parts of my mind and heart. As a painter I have placed these moments into a lighter version of silly and playful quiet paintings.

Big Things, Little Packages:


With constant efforts to rescue, save, and have people be more aware how the human population mistreats abuses and overall undermines animals habitats and basic feelings. Haneously (sic) degrades them from things like shark fin soup massacres, to dog meat in Vietnam, rhinos who die for merely their horns, to tiger rugs in china, animals lose their freedom, suffer in immense unnecessary pain and die for criminal monetary gain every minute."

Kruger Comforts:

In House Hurricane:

By Your Side:

detail:

Roar:

detail:

Bundaberg:

Jump (left) and Quiet Chatterbox (right):

Get Your Armor On:

detail:

Team Fluff:

Lunch Box Walk:

Day Care:

First Steps:

Sailboat Ease:


Hespe Gallery is showing “Comfort and Play”, an exhibition of oil paintings by Amberlee Rosolowich, from March 4th, 2010 through March 30, 2010

The following text is from Hespe gallery:
Amberlee Rosolowich hopes to bring an air of lightheartedness to her works, which explore the relationships that she herself had with animals as a child. Her paintings depict animals that one would see in an enclosure at the zoo alongside small children, who seem both fascinated and unbothered by the creatures’ presence.

The animals appear to have a guardian-like relationship with the children, watching over them so that each child is free to play without worry. This relationship can be clearly seen in a work such as “Kruger Comforts,” which portrays a rhinoceros standing guard over a young boy who is reading on the ground. The sheer mass of the rhino provides the boy with safety and refuge, yet the rhino appears to be dozing or daydreaming, acting as both a safeguard and a fantasy for the boy. Pieces like this reflect Rosolowich’s own childhood desires and memories, but also enable the viewer to tap into his or her own imagination and enjoy the whimsy of the work.



Rosolowich’s visible skill and technique also end up becoming equally important characters in her work. Her light, quick brushstrokes give both the figures and the space around them so much movement while still producing a sense of calm; her tactful use of negative space provides the viewer with an instant entry into a world where danger cannot enter and innocence is ever-present; and her carefully-placed splashes of color add to the overall playful feeling she generates with these pieces.

Although her works are inspired by a turbulent childhood, Rosolowich succeeds in creating a space where one can forget the perils of the outside world and return back to a time of youthful eagerness and curiosity. Amberlee Rosolowich received her BFA in Painting from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco in 2009. She has been featured in S.F. Weekly and California Home and Design. This is her first solo exhibition.

Some of the shown pieces are already sold. To inquire about any of these pieces please contact:


251 Post Street, Suite 420
San Francisco, CA
415.776.5918 or
info@hespe.com.
all images and info courtesy of both Hespe gallery and the artist.