Wear What When

Introducing: City Mouse Studio and Store

Remember the name game at Donna Ryan Photography? It’s over; the West Seattle children’s shop and studio has a new name.

Posted by: Laura Cassidy on Jan 31, 2011 at 02:15PM 0 Comments

Photo: Donna Ryan Photography

Back in December we shared the news that Donna Ryan Photography was crowdsourcing a new name.

The crowd supplied lots of ideas, but the winning name was actually sourced from the backstories and explanations that accompanied the submissions. The West Seattle kids stuff shop — where gorgeous images of little ones are among the items on offer — is heretofore known as City Mouse Studio and Store. mouse/info:1055/

‘The name City Mouse reminds me of my childhood growing up in Australia where my favorite story was the Aesop’s Fable, City Mouse, Country Mouse,’ says photographer and shop owner Donna Ryan. ‘It evokes feelings of resourcefulness and a modern lifestyle, two unique aspects of my business.’

On behalf of everyone who entered, the $500 gift certificate that was promised to the contest winner went to WestSide Baby, a White Center-based non-profit that provides diapers, clothing, toys and equipment to families in need.

Want to see for yourself what’s really in a name? Join city mice on Saturday February 12 from 10 to 5 for an open house.

Shoppers will enjoy 20 percent off storewide, including new products like super soft baby clothes from Babysoy, edible finger paints from Wee Can Too, and hip gear from SkipHop. Additionally, purchases put you in the running for a $300 portrait package, and, the booking of a portrait shoot ($75 sitting fee) for March or April gets you $35 credit towards any Tea clothing purchase made that day.

Cupcakes and mimosas, naturally, will be served.

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Tags: Seattle Toys, Seattle Kids' Style, Seattle Retail News, Seattle Boutique

Meet the Shopkeepers: Tottini

With this South Lake Union kid’s shop, little ones never have to know about poor design, drab ideas, or wasteful materials.

Posted by: Malika Ritchie on Jan 10, 2011 at 08:10AM 1 Comments

Photo: photo courtesy Tottini

Tottini co-owners Melissa Van Flandern and Melissa Maffei; you’d be surprised what they can get into the back of your compact hybrid.

At Tottini in South Lake Union, Melissa Van Flandern and Melissa Maffei prove the kids are people, too. Half-sized sustainably built and well-styled furniture isn’t about humoring the little ones, it’s about making sure they grow up with – and in and on – a thoughtful, design-centric perspective. Playthings, books, and accessories follow suit.

WWW: What’s your personal spin on the ubiquitous “How can I help you?” question?
Van Flander and Meffei: Since Tottini is a kid’s store we like to have a fun, comfortable experience for our customers, who are often with their children. We usually don’t usually say ,“How can I help you?” and instead offer a warm greeting and smile, letting the customer know we’re available.

What’s your favorite thing in the store right now?
Of course we love everything in our shop, however a couple new lines we are currently in love with include bath products and toys from Hoppop from Belgium and arts and crafts by Seedling from New Zealand.

Where do you shop when you’re not at your store?
We enjoy visiting Clover House, a super cute gift shop in South Lake Union, and Izilla Toys on Capitol Hill. also stumbled upon Lavender Heart in Madison Valley recently and found some great holiday gift items.

What specific store or type of store do you feel is missing from Seattle’s shopping scene?
Unfortunately, over the last few years Seattle has lost quite a few children’s clothing shops. We’d love to see [more open up].

What’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened in your store?
We often get a chuckle when customers want to load very large furniture into very tiny cars! We suppose it’s wishful thinking… although we’ve actually fit a crib and changing table into the back of a Prius.

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Tags: Seattle Toys, Eastlake, Meet the Shopkeeper, Seattle Boutique

Gift Map III: Kids’ Stuff

Because shopping for quality playthings isn’t always fun and games.

Posted by: Laura Cassidy on Dec 16, 2010 at 06:30AM 0 Comments

Photo: Flora and Henri online shop

Mohair rabbits where adorable is defined, Flora and Henri on Capitol Hill.

If the kids on your shopping list are your own, you have enough to do without plotting out where to find the worthwhile, classic stuff of childhood. If the tiny people on your agenda do not belong to you, you may not be totally familiar with the lay of the fun-and-games landscape. Either way, our kids stuff shopping map makes it easy to navigate an entire city’s worth of educational objects of enjoyment, timeless toys, and apparel and accessories that appeal to both of you.

Some things to think about before you begin: At Izilla, they’re loving a board game called Dixit because it does the impossible: makes fun times for kids and adults. At Tottini, there are two options (at two budget levels) for those considering a modern take on the generations-old winter holiday dream gift, the dollhouse. (I will never forget the year my dad built me one and put it, if not exactly under the tree, at least nearby.) At Planet Happy, they’re into the timeless idea of packable, go-anywhere animal play sets; they’ve got ’em farm- and sea-themed.

That oughtta get you started. Go now among the world of math-is-fun gaming and miniature tea seats and make someone small hugely happy.

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Tags: Seattle Toys, Gift Guide, Gifts, Sustainable Such and Such, Seattle Kids' Style, Gift Maps 2010

Behind the Scenes: Blogger’s Blogs

Style Counselor Taylor Kieburtz shows us her links (and then I show you mine)

Posted by: Laura Cassidy on Jan 12, 2010 at 06:00AM 6 Comments

Photo: Photo by Melissa O'Hearn

If you read the fine type in the print edition of this month’s Style Counsel page, you’ve been expecting a post wherein Hipsters with Kids blogger Taylor Kieburtz and I trade the morning shuffle – a.k.a. a selection of favorite blog links.

So here goes.

Says Taylor, who works by day crafting creative branding, visual solutions, and the like, ‘I mostly read design / graphics, art and music blogs — fashion is always evident throughout.’

Taylor’s list:

Design You Trust
Which feels like the universe’s collective junk drawer (in a good way) o’ ideas

Purple Diary
The not-very-secret life of art arbiter Olivier Zahm and company

Planet Awesome Kid
Just what the name implies

Fashion Gone Rogue
Editorials, ad campaigns, and other painfully awesome images

and the friends and family plan:

Metaphorical Child
One woman’s ultra-modern online art museum

Wolves vs. Lions

Black Books

Hunter/Gatherer
Gorgeous textiles and far eastern-feeling minimalist design

And, a handful of my favs; a just-so mix of style, fashion (yes, two different things), design, and my own inner circle of the blogosphere:

Common People
Like Flickr with a special moody / dreamy filter

Ready Set Fashion
Fashion magazine librarian pits 80s ad campaigns and 90s editorials against current spreads

Backyard Bill
Mostly men’s style, all amazing portraiture

An Ambitious Project Collapsing
The world gets bigger and bigger and more thoughtful, and this site becomes more essential every time

Friends:

Remember Me
What it misses in every-day updates it makes up for in the perfect balance of chaos and order

Picture of the Day
A proto-blog by an experimental, obsessive mind

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Hope you found something you like enough to bookmark yourself.

Now it’s your turn. What’s on your daily must-read list?

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Tags: links, Seattle Toys, Design, hipsters, music, Style Counsel, Link Trader