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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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.

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.

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.

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. ... [More]

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). ... [More]

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 ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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.

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.

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. ... [More]

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.

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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 ... [More]

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 ... [More]

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.
... [More]

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.) ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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! ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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! ... [More]

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.

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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? ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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? ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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.

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. ... [More]

Zebras and Hippos and Horses, Oh My

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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? ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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.  ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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.) ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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 ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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.
... [More]

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? ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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... ... [More]

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... ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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? ... [More]

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?) ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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.

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

The 45-Watt Cocktail Umbrella

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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. ... [More]

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."

This Little Light of Mine

There'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.

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! ... [More]

Even Your Walls Will Thank You

We 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. ... [More]

You Know Where to Stick It

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. ... [More]