Beautiful Child...

There is nothing more magical for a child than play, and these are the play clothes that dreams are made of. Capes, wings, caps, all beautifully handcrafted and wonderfully vintage-looking. There is something about the "already-played-in" look that stirs the imagination and feigns a sense of authenticity.

From princess coats to star skirts, knight and cowboy/girl costumes, to outfits with such great names as "Stella" and "Asterion," Wovenplay is a breath of fresh air for those who cringe at the thought of walking past the "costume section" at any commercial discount store.

How *much* is this stuff?

Frankly, I don't care. Nothing will prevent me from having sugar-plum dreams of this stuff nightly. This is about the most gorgeous and delightful baby stuff I have ever seen. All the items are made out of roving, or felted wool; each uniquely hand-crafted and blocked. Dreamy.....

By all means, oogle here... or fly on over to HUT up, for even more of this exquisite wearable baby art.

Do You Think a Four-Year-Old Would Like These?

Um, duh. Yeah.

I think my girl would die if she saw these. Not to mention the clickety-clack they would make all over the house. Maybe these are just the ticket for birthday number five.

Find 'em here at ChildrenSalon Treasure.

These are VEGAN?! Shut UP!!!!

AND they don't even use "organic sugar"; although organic, it is still refined - there is better, trust me on this one.

Very few of you may know that my new biggest thing is that I have gone vegan. OK. I am not some tree-huggin'," bleeding heart liberal that most of you may picture when I mention this (and as I may have thought of vegans prior to me own vegan-ism) but it makes an awful lot of sense if you know the health reasons. Anyway, nor does this mean that I am a masochist that gains pleasure in depriving myself in anything sweet or meaty tasting. Especially when it comes to the sweet. I recently found out, though, that vegan cookies and baked goods can be so good that you will flip your socks. No shit.

I have not yet tried these, but Babycakes NYC™ looks more than promising. Hey, if they can survive as a vegan sweets shop in the midst of some of the most expensive real estate in the world, they HAVE to be good, don't they? On top of that, they use this new sweetner that comes from the Blue Agave plant. I shit you not. That plant that you see everywhere in San Diego and Mexico, on the side of the road - from it comes one of the greatest nectars in the world, which is not only good for you, ti has loads of nutrients and about zero calories. Forget the cancer-causing Splenda. And forget eating a piece of rice toast with strawberry jam just to have something sweet.

They have just about any sweet "bready" thing you can think of, from brownies to crumb cakes, cinnamon buns, scones, loaves, apple pie, and even some savory biscuits. Oh, and don't forget the cupcakes. Lord, don't forget the cupcakes....

So like, the only problem is.. they are in NYC. BUT, they deliver!!

Pillows for the People

Parisa Karami has been doing these cute little pillows for a while. In fact, she has quite a following as far as little pillows go. Her "about me" page tells the story better than I could, but she (and her websites artwork) deserves the publicity.

From the site: "Pillows for the People's customers have been sailors, nuns, scientists, call girls, UN diplomats, hobos, babies, bikers, and fancy celebs like Jennifer Beals, Leonardo Di Caprio, Pedro Armedariz, Rachel Goswell, and Pattie Smith." Very cool. Especially like the "hobos and babies."

Hello Crafty!

OK. I will be one of the first to say that homemade soaps are overdone. But, I like these. Not only does Hello Crafty! make some beautiful soaps, but she seems to use real ingredients. And heck, she makes vegan soap. Some of my favorites are pictured here, but she also makes some "man soaps" including an Olive Oil Lumberjack soap. I can dig it. Don't knock the Zombie Snack Brain soap, either. Mmmmmm.......

Go support a creative person.

Oh no you Di-int!

I know the world's market has a plethora of the bizarre and infinitely inventive and strange, but this one deserves a little special attention, if just for a second. Wigs, for your cat. For reals.

Julie Jackson of Kitty Wigs! has created a line of wigs... well..... just for your cat. Or, if you have a small-ish dog, who loves attention, that too, I suppose. But this is real folks. She has gotten exposure in such magazines as Business Week and Harper's Bazaar Japan.

The wigs will set you back about 50 clams, but the photos.... priceless.