Monday 05 May

What Is a Pajama Squid? No Clue, But I Think I Need One.

New Yorkers definitely think we have it made with kids boutiques, but I must say my sisters, these days I think the DC area is giving us a run for our money. The latest entrant: The Pajama Squid in Takoma Park. ...

Tuesday 29 April

Go Ask Alice When She's 10 Feet Tall

I've always had a thing for Lewis Carrol but most of the Alice prints that would be cute for a little girl's room have a 19th century feel that doesn't jibe with my modern decor. Then I came across the Tea With White Rabbits print. ...

Friday 25 April

Your Child 2003-2008: An Artistic Retrospective

Tada Baby has got a brilliant way to help me keep my daughter's art but ditch the reams of paper: A personalized poster featuring my her favorite artistic creations. ...

Wednesday 23 April

Today's Nursery Decor is Brought to You by the Letter J

Personalized gifts are always a huge hit at baby showers but the problem is, so many of them are kinda lame. Not so the sweet handmade letter cushions from Netherlands shop Yvestown.

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Tuesday 22 April

The Rorshack Mobile

I have a soft spot for felt crafts, pun only intended a little. So of course when I discovered UK etsy shop Lupin from brilliant felt crafter Laura Howard, of course I got click happy.

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Wednesday 02 April

When I Think Nursery Decor, I think Deer Head

When brainstorming decor for my daughters' room, the first thing that comes to mind is definitely Deer Head. Okay, so I'm not about to decorate my daughters' bedroom in a hunting lodge motif.

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Thursday 27 March

Childrens Art Meets Night Light

I'm the first to espouse the powers of the night light in helping make bedtime (and those nighttime wakings) easier. ...

Saturday 22 March

Not Your Average Nursery Decor

My six-year-old and I are at odds when it comes to decorating her room. She wants to paint it bubblegum pink, while I'm fearful of being reminded of Pepto (shudder). ...

Friday 14 March

Alphabet Circus

I've always thought that the best ABC posters for kids aren't the ones that simply familiarize them with the letters, but inspire imagination around the images themselves ...

Saturday 01 March

Flying the Friendly Bookshelves

It's hard not to be slightly obsessed with planes when you're married to a pilot. But I learned very quickly that not just any plane will do.  come by. ...

Thursday 28 February

You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Wallhanging

Looking out on the morning rain, I used to feel uninspired. But then I found wooden wall art. And super cuteness transpired. ...

Friday 22 February

A Long Way From Dumbo

I'm not always enamored of animal artwork for the kid's room because much of the time, you end up with baby-ish images longer than you have actual babies. ...

Tuesday 12 February

Art for All My Sisters and Me

I don't have a little girl, but if I did, I'd definitely want to decorate her room with positive, joyful, encouraging, you-can-do-it-girlfriend types of things. Things a little less princess and a little more like the mixed-media artwork of Kelly Rae Roberts. ...

Saturday 09 February

The Cow Says Moooo. Also: Carry Me, Mama!

I love to browse the CMP archives for children's artwork, because My latest find is the stick-leg art from BeesKneesStudio. Artist Erica Vess creates original acrylic paintings of farm animals which are simple, colorful, and cheerfully unique.

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Thursday 07 February

The Alphabet Spells Her Name

When I saw this customized ABC name poster at Madebygirl, I knew I had found the perfect birthday present for my little speller.

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Monday 04 February

Lucy's Name in the Sky, Without the Diamonds

Thanks to my husband the pilot, I'm definitely into planes as children's room decor; but that doesn't mean I'll just grab any old picture of an aircraft and slap it up on my son's wall. ...

Friday 01 February

Art That Sparks Imagination

When you're looking for figurative art for a nursery, the selection is often limited to happy kids playing with happy animals under a happy sun. But I'm intrigued with taking a more Waldorf approach to the art, in which the kids' expressions leave room for interpretation - and story telling.

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Sunday 27 January

Going Nocturnal

Now that I know there are more mobile options than some ugly plush "registry essential" that plays a robotic rendition of Twinkle Twinkle, I'm determined to spread the word to all the new moms out there. ...

Thursday 24 January

Keeping Clips From Getting Clipped

No one tells you when you start buying cute hair clips for your daughter that you might want to consider some way to put them away properly each night. ...

Monday 14 January

A New Take on the Good Old A to Z

I had the great fortune of receiving a lovely personalized Ida Pearle print from my gorgeous and brilliant CMP co-editor upon the birth of my son. ...

Monday 07 January

Take-Me-To-Your-Nursery

While I love having two daughters to shop for in the wardrobe department, I absolutely love picking out nursery art for little guys. I suppose my tastes run a bit darker than the average girl's ...

Sunday 23 December

Editors' Best of 2007: Art & Decor

Kristen: My son's walls are decked out in Avalisa art and we both couldn't be happier. Her modern designs and custom color combos were a no-brainer. Liz: Ida Pearle's custom alphabet prints are so charming, they're fast becoming my go-to new baby gift ...

Tuesday 04 December

Watch the Birdie

Piggy banks? Isn't that like sooooo every year since 1582? For a fresher take on penny-saving I'm loving the idea of trading piggies for birdies.
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Wednesday 21 November

I Hear the Tooth Fairy Pays Double With These Pillows

One of CMP's all time favorite artists, Michelle Caplan is now wowing us with her brand new tooth fairy pillows. The coolest part? They don't look like tooth fairy pillows. (Or at least that's cool to me.) ...

Tuesday 13 November

The Modern Family Tree

Sometimes you just want a little something to send to a new parent, something with a Cool Quotient that exceeds the price tag. We've found that very thing in the limited edition Fill-in-the-Blank Family Tree. ...

Friday 09 November

The Name's Superoboturbo (Shortened From Superoboturbostein)

My son is currently more into electronics than art, preferring robots to Rothko. Go figure. So when it comes to the pictures that we'd all like on his walls, I never thought I'd find what I found from the artist Superoboturbo at Kindergallery. ...

Wednesday 07 November

Getting Your Fixx of Indie

Just in time for the holidays, our blogging friends at Indie Fixx have come along with their very own online boutique, appropriately named the Indie Fixx Shop. Perfect! ...

Tuesday 30 October

For Moms Not So Good With the Glue Gun

I can barely find time to take pictures of my kids, let alone actually get them off my computer and into a photo album or scrapbook. Or even a shoebox. ...

Tuesday 23 October

Murals You Can Move

As a first-time homeowner, I'm faced with the new and daunting challenge of decorating my kids' rooms. I've weighed all my options: Wallpaper? Heck no. Murals? You obviously haven't seen me draw. Decals it is! ...

Friday 19 October

Illustrating Childhood

I wish I could afford original Maurice Sendak or A.A. Milne prints for my kids' rooms, but with #3 on the way, that's not going to happen any time soon. So instead I'm turning to illustrator Sarah Jane of Sarah Jane Studios for more affordable but still endearing options.

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Thursday 11 October

Circle Gets The Square

I always admire parents with a great eye - you know, the ones who enter the "my nursery is awesome and yours isn't" type of contests on Apartment Therapy: Nursery, and actually win. ...

Tuesday 09 October

Rocket Dog, Burning Out His Fuse Out Here Alone

It might be harder to find cute boys clothes than cute girls clothes, but one place boys have it good is with room decor. ...

Monday 08 October

From Rock to Rattle

So what do you do when you're a cool, happening, Brooklyn gig poster designer and you're about to have your first kid? Well you don't hit the mall for nursery posters, that's for sure; you design your own. Then you print some more so other people can buy them. Then you tell Cool Mom Picks about it. ...

Saturday 29 September

A Pillow to Keep the Tooth Fairy Coming Back

I willingly admit I'm a tooth fairy pillow hatah. I hate them. Haaaate them. I think they're stupid and sentimental, and good God, what is wrong with sneaking in and slipping the stupid quarter under your kid's pillow like our parents did for us anyway? ...

Friday 28 September

Eh, Counting Sheep is Passé

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. ...

Monday 17 September

The Bird is on the Wing. And the Ceiling.

Considering a mobile is essentially the centerpiece of your nursery, parents might consider putting as much thought into it as the bedding. But alas, most people just settle for the lame mass-produced mobiles that the big baby stores merchandise along with the cribs. ...

Saturday 15 September

Block-Heads

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. ...

Monday 10 September

Aesop 2007

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. ...

Wednesday 05 September

Berry Cool Artwork

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. ...

Sunday 19 August

Aren't Bookends Supposed to Actually Hold the Books Up?

Check my daughter's wall shelves and you will find her books stacked in impractically haphazard piles. Why? If they tilt even 5 degrees in their upright positions, they knock the bookends over. Um, can you say design flaw? ...

Thursday 16 August

All Together Now (All Together Now!)

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. ...

Monday 13 August

Baby Art That the Baby Can Actually Appreciate

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.

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Saturday 11 August

Nursery Rhyme Art, Hold the Sheep

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. ...

Monday 06 August

Zebras and Hippos and Horses, Oh My

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! ...

Thursday 02 August

Inexpensive Art. Come Again?

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. ...

Wednesday 01 August

Impressionism for the Impressionable

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. ...

Thursday 26 July

Flights of Fancy

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. ...

Monday 09 July

The Family That Spells Together...

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? ...

Tuesday 03 July

Harmonize the Nursery For a Song

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. ...

Thursday 07 June

A is for Anhui, B is for Beijing

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. ...

Tuesday 29 May

Oh, To Be a Bird on the Wall...

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. ...

Thursday 10 May

You Light Up My Life

While I would like to think a picture of my children makes a wonderful present 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. ...

Tuesday 08 May

The Walls They Are A-Changin'

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.  ...

Monday 30 April

The Writing on the Wall

As far as I'm concerned, one of the best parts about being the grown up in the house involves the simple fact that I can write whatever I'd like on the walls if I so choose. ...

Wednesday 25 April

Finding Your Child Through Art

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.) ...

Monday 23 April

Because I'm the Mommy, That's Why

It doesn't seem that long ago that when someone mentioned The Rules, my mind leaped to "don't accept a Friday date on a Thursday," as opposed to, "no eating the cat litter." How quickly things change. ...

Wednesday 18 April

Arts and Science

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 ...

Monday 16 April

Kids Art With a Longer Shelf Life

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. ...

Wednesday 04 April

For the Birds

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.
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Monday 02 April

Art by Actual Artists: What a Concept

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? ...

Saturday 24 March

The Joan Crawford Seal of Approval

I have been known, on more occasions than I should admit, to saving those cheap free hangers you get with purchases. But lately, the sea of plastic has been taking over my daughter's closet, and they just don't cut it for those extra special outfits that deserve a little more TLC. ...

Thursday 22 March

We Can't All Be Arists - Or Maybe We Can

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, if only they'd have done this one little thing..."Apparently I'm not alone here, which is where... ...

Tuesday 13 March

White Walls No More

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 haven't had the free weekend to devote to acquiring supplies, emptying rooms, designing murals, and... ...

Wednesday 07 March

Just Stick It

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. ...

Tuesday 06 March

Your Greatest Work of Art: Your Child

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. ...

Monday 05 March

Yes, It Will Look Good Over the Sofa

I'm all for cultivating sophisticated aesthetic tastes at a young age. Kids may be kids, but their bedrooms and bathrooms don't have to stuffed to the gills with licensed characters to be appealing to them. And when you're spending big bucks on decor anyway, shouldn't your nursery art actually be...well, art? ...

Wednesday 21 February

Girl Power

Considering how far the career possibilities for women have come even since we were kids, it blows my mind that it's still hard to find art depicting girls much beyond princesses, ballerinas, and the ocassional generic animal lover. (Veterinarian? Or just crazy cat lady in the making?) ...

Tuesday 20 February

My Daughter the Lighting Designer

It seems like overnight, our refrigerator became a full-on child's art gallery. And while I love checking out my daughter's masterpieces every time I go for a snack, that old fridge door just doesn't do her creations any justice. ...

Sunday 18 February

This Little Piggie

I'm not the type of person who avoids walking under ladders or reschedules meetings because my horoscope tells me to. But I admit that when I heard that babies born this year, according to Chinese astrology, would be the very blessed and rare Golden Pigs - I gave my pregnant belly a little rub and smiled from ear to ear. ...

Wednesday 07 February

Whitney Biennial, Here We Come

I rarely brag about my toddler, however, I will say that at 2.5 years old, she's drawing better than I am. The only problem I have is figuring out what to do with the piles of colorless pencil drawings she creates daily, except tape them to the fridge and pop the rest in an old shoe box. ...

Tuesday 30 January

The Magic Kingdom? Down the Hall, Turn Right at the Bathroom

Craftiness is not my forte. Which means no, I'm not going to be painting a mural or stenciling a border in the new baby's nursery any time soon. But there is something to be said for having some wall art over her crib that can't possibly fall on her head. ...

Wednesday 17 January

How Do You Spell Excellent Gift?

I love hunting for personalized art for children. But I admit an aversion to those painted plaques adorned with the ubiquitous puffy-pen scribbled names. I suppose I like my art to be actual art and not some craft project from the nice old lady down the block. ...

Wednesday 10 January

Music For Your Eyes

When we we reviewed the Little Bird CD from singer Elizabeth Mitchell last Fall, it was hard to decide which we loved more--her amazing tunes or the stunning album cover from talented New York City artist Ida Pearle. Now lucky parents (and their immensely lucky kids) can own both. ...

Wednesday 13 December

A New Spin On the Old Pirouette

Mention music boxes to any mom, and undoubtedly she'll be able to recall with vivid detail the very one she fell in love with as a child. It's not hard, considering we all had the exact same one - it featured a spinning ballerina and played either You are the Sunshine of My Life or the theme from Love Story. ...

Monday 13 November

I Want To Ride My Tricycle

Hip kid art is hard to come by, hip personalized kid art even harder. But it's exactly what you'll find at the appropriately named Hip Kid Art. ...

Tuesday 07 November

A is for Art

I'm all for alphabet artwork, but it's always bugged me that the images are of things kids will most likely (and sometimes hopefully) never encounter in their daily lives. Never seen an alligator on the street, not even once. And certainly not a yodeler. ...

Wednesday 25 October

Mod Farm

Cool Mom Picks is constantly on the lookout for truly fantastic kids' room art, and it's not easy. Just google "nursery art" sometime, and behold the frightening array of garish watercolor farm animals in straw hats. The prints look more like something from one of those Starving Artist stadium shows than something you'd be proud to display over a crib. ...

Monday 23 October

Heart-Felt Art

I've always believed there's something special about a child's name. While my daughter's name is not "a family name" but rather just one we both agreed on (which was a feat in and of itself), it still feels as if it were meant for her, both in its sound, meaning, and intent. ...

Tuesday 17 October

Girlie Art

While we tend to gravitate towards monsters and robots more than princesses and ballerinas in our household, there's something entirely capitvating about the little girl art of Colorado artist and mom Carla Sonheim. ...

Saturday 09 September

Go Ahead and Light One Up

I remember those simple days when I was the sole decision-maker of nursery decor. But then my daughter turned two and suddenly everything had to have that darn pudgy yellow bear on it. ...

Thursday 07 September

Less is More

I was one of those naive moms-to-be who swore up and down that my tasteful adult abode would never become plastic toy central. "The baby stuff will stay in the baby's room," I insisted. Ha.

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Friday 11 August

Off The Pages and Onto Your Wall

If you're anything like me, you love looking at children's books as much as your kids do. Okay, so maybe not the one I have to read fifteen times a day. But I do fantasize about some of the illustrators coming over to my house and jazzing up my daughter's room. ...

Friday 04 August

M is for Mandelbrot Fractal Set

There is no law that says that A has to be for Apple and B has to be for Banana. Especially if you're one of those edumacated households with perhaps a mathematician or a chemical engineer at the dinner table. ...

Wednesday 02 August

All Creatures Great On Wall

I have a confession: I'm a complete and total insect-loving mama. I was raised to appreciate the little buggers with wall-to-wall ant farms in my childhood bedroom and fish tanks full of snails in the backyard. ...

Wednesday 12 July

Just Don't Call it Scrapbooking

I cannot tell you exactly why I still have my Junior Prom corsage stuffed away in a shoebox between old report cards and notes my best friend passed me in French class, but I do. I mean, I didn't even like the guy and he cheaped out on the champagne. But throwing away the things feels too much like throwing away the memories. Which also explains why I'm already on shoebox number three for my year-old daughter. ...

Thursday 06 July

Reese's Monkey

I've never been much of a pastel gal myself, so it wouldn't have crossed my mind to decorate the nursery in baby pinks and soft blues. But now that I've discovered the work of illustrator Brandon Reese I might have to rethink my position. ...

Thursday 29 June

The 45-Watt Cocktail Umbrella

The poor little cocktail umbrella. It begins its life the adored centerpiece of your favorite frozen beverage, only to be brought home from its tiki bar paradise and crammed into a nighttable drawer. ...

Tuesday 27 June

A Little Birdhouse In Your Soul

When it comes to baby gifts, I don't want to be the practical mom who gives the ten-pack of store brand burp cloths. I want to be the fun mom! The one who gives something that will never be spit up on, peed on, or pooped on over the course of its lifespan. ...

Wednesday 07 June

Get the Monsters Out of the Closet and Onto the Wall

Sure the race cars, planes, and firetrucks are fun and all, but how cool would you be if you brought home a few monsters for your kid's wall instead? Very cool, we think. ...

Thursday 18 May

Buggin' Out

Lots of kids go bonkers for bugs.  But if you're like me, you'd rather not be collecting those winged suckers in your house, thankyouverymuch.  You can keep nature outside and still enable your child to explore the intricacies of living things, with the Butterfly Alphabet Poster. ...

Wednesday 17 May

They Take the Words Right Out of My Mouth

Sometimes I get tired of being the go-to gal for any kind of creative writing. Need a poem for your second cousin's daughter's fifth grade graduation? An apologetic letter to overbearing in-laws? A newsletter for the softball team? I'm the one who gets the call. So when I found Story People, I felt like I'd happened upon my own personal nirvana. ...

Wednesday 10 May

Stop and Frame the Flowers

I always think I'm taking the most beautiful, professional, ready-to-be-blown up to 22x30 photos--only to process the film and realize just how mistaken I was. Not Alicia Bock. A mother of two, ecclectic gardener, and award-winning photographer who "records the passage of time through fading flowers and weathered landscapes."

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Monday 01 May

This Little Light of Mine

OwlThere's a few things you don't realize the importance of until after you have kids. Okay, there's a lot of things, but as of late, it's night lights. I don't want to jinx myself, but I'm pretty certain our new toddler bed child will be making her way to our room on more than one occasion. So, she might as well find it in style.

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Sunday 30 April

Your Greatest Masterpiece

Let me guess: The baby's room is a dream come true - wallpapered and bordered, with hand-painted initials hanging from the wall. It's perfectly coordinated, straight out of a magazine. The funny thing is, your 6 week-old does not care if his Moses basket matches his crib sheets, matches his diapers matches, his curtains. Liven things up a little! ...

Wednesday 19 April

Even Your Walls Will Thank You

LoripcowWe try so hard to decorate our child's room with extra special pieces that we love and cherish. We don't expect our kiddo to stop and stare at the beautiful fairy painting or vintage plane poster. Most likely, they fulfill our own obsessive need for everything to match. ...

Saturday 04 March

You Know Where to Stick It

Wallcandy_2 It may be a woman’s prerogative to change her mind, but that’s small comfort when your walls are defiled with telltale nail holes. Fickle decorators, take comfort. Modernseed, purveyor of all things fabulous, has an amazing selection of reusable peel-and-stick wall decals to splash across your child’s room or playroom. ...