Sneak Peak: Pretend City

K and I were invited to Pretend City for a sneak peak at one of the most amazing children's museums I have ever seen. Pretend City is a wonderful addition to Orange County and offers educational exhibits for every child from the ages of 8 months to 8 years (those are the approximate age ranges of my children and there was something for everyone). One of my favorite aspects of the museum were the infant spaces that are located in areas where parents can keep an eye on older children as they play in the grocery store or drive a car around. K's boys seemed to take a liking to the tractors and farm. My boys loved being mailmen and buying groceries. The stage and dress-up area seemed to be very popular as well. Here are some reviews from the night:

"Let's go back tomorrow."
-a cute three year old

"That was amazing ."
-a cute seven year old

We had a wonderful night filled with imagination and learning, a parent's wish and a child's dream all come true all in one place, Pretend City. The museum opens to the public on August 30th, 2009, so mark your calendars!

xoxo, C&K

Blondiensc's Guide to Whimsy Decor

Hello, my name is Tara and I write a silly ole blog called Blondiensc {Blondie ’n ‘ San Clemente}. Coleen so kindly invited me to write a little article about decorating with Whimsy, which happens to be a new element for me, so bare with me here!

My decorating style tends to be very eclectic, shabby and vintage. I incorporate a wide color palette and hope it all flows together, but I am a huge believer that you should buy and decorate with what you love…so here is where I started with my new favorite element Whimsy!

My Guest room is made up of mostly hammie down antique furniture, a bed I got on sale many years ago and my love of Chocolate brown paint and wainscoting. I added some whimsy to this room by hanging some old shutters found at a locale antique store above the bed.



I added a whimsical butterfly mobile to the corner of the room:




Another easy way to add whimsy is through decorative elements such as vintage books tied with your favorite color ribbon:


Or decorative figurines, like my ballerina:


Down stairs I added a handmade burlap welcome banner to the entry way of my house:




And an old window resides as fine art!

More books tied with hand printed ribbon & a vintage crown broach:


I adore vintage books with rough edges and inscriptions within it’s pages while a sweet little bee hive add whimsy to our front room table:


In our dining room we added ruffly linen chair covers & a vintage bird cage adorned with ceramic birds waiting to fly :





I also added vinyl letters & linen ribbon to the back of each chair:


Adding new elements to your design style keeps your house feminine and fresh.

Here are some shopping resources:
Nice and Easy Antiques~ San Clemente
Erba
Anthropologie
Etsy
Dreams of France
Lola B’s Boutique
Faded Plains
Feather your Nest
Posh Chicago
Sadie Olive
Urban Farmhouse
White Flower Farmhouse

Another inspiring place to go for amazing home décor are locale flea markets located in Long Beach, Irvine Valley College and Pasadena.


Please visit my blog for more silly stories and inspiration!
Sweet blessings~
~Blondiensc~

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Don't you love Tara's whimsy? I do. She has such a gift for adding beauty to everything she touches. Go check out her blog and dare to be inspired! She will definitely be in the running for the Life Style and Design for the 2009 OC Blog Awards.