droolicious : letters

Decor for Your Little Count (Ah Ah Ah!)

Heather Kuldell — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:04:00 GMT

Letters get a lot love on Droolicious, but my little boy loves numbers. If your kids prefer the 123s to the ABCs, check out the Sycamore Street Press Letterpress Number Poster. This clean, modern poster features chocolate brown san-serif numbers with corresponding amounts of apple-green animals. And it's not your average computer print-out: Each piece of renewable cotton paper is fed individually through a vintage letterpress. The raised types and shapes of the press cut into the paper leaving both color and texture.

The 11-by-14-inch print is $30, and available in a few other color combinations. And, if you really love letters, a coordinating alphabet version is available too. Either one — or both — makes a sweet baby-shower gift for any graphic-design loving parents out there.

Lovely Little Letters

AmandaHill — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 23:00:00 GMT

The Lovely Little Letters collection is one that I have come to adore. It's a series of uppercase letters pillows available in blue or even your favorite colors.

Click behind the fold to read more.

The letters can be purchased individually. The pillows are crocheted and then stuffed with polyfill. It would look neat to use the letters to spell out your child's name on his or her bed. These beauties are available at Laura's Left Hook.

Cool Ice Cubes Made With Silicone Alphabet Letter Trays

Lisa Estall — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:26:00 GMT

What a cool way for a child to learn the alphabet! The Silicone Alphabet Letter Ice & Bake Tray Set is constructed of FDA approved silicone!

These trays can be used in the fridge, freezer and oven. Yum...I can just imagine making grape juice letter cubes.

If I had these trays I would spell out “I love mom” and put the cubes in my son's juice.

This product has been seen in Rachael Ray, Parenting, Better Homes and Gardens Magazine and Daily Candy.

Priced at $12.50. For more info visit Sillycone Inc.

Bookworm Series: Bright Baby Learning Box

Cathy Hale — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:00:00 GMT

Your baby will love this set of goodies from Priddy Books. Gift box includes board book, touch & feel book, cloth book, bath book, shaker teether and more. Explore numbers, letters, animals and first words - all in one convenient colorful box. A great starting point for your baby's book collection or a wonderful baby shower gift. Shop Barnes & Noble.

Urban Alphabet

Lisa Mulcahy — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:00:00 GMT

If you’re raising kids in the concrete jungle sometimes farm animals and fuzzy bunnies don’t apply. If your tot is used to pounding the pavement in the big city, then this alphabet collection might fit the bill.

I’m an urban artifact aficionado and simply love everything about Gregoire Ganter’s alphabet collection, $125 each 8x10” letter. All the letters are coupled with streetscape snippets. There something very Demolition Depot about it. (If you haven’t been to Demolition Depot on 125th Street in NYC, go now! As the name implies, you’ll find some of the coolest salvaged goodies here.)

Letter, Symbol & Number Ice Trays

AmandaHill — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:32:00 GMT

The Silicon Trays seen above are great for creative displays and can even function as a learning tool for your child. The Silicon that the trays are made from is FDA approved; so it works in the freezer, the oven and the fridge. All you have to do is decide what you want to put in them. You can make funky ice, jello molds and even put butter in them. As you can see above, you can even purchase a symbol tray. I would probably put ice cream in them and make letter-shaped ice cream.

You can get the letter set, which comes in 3 trays, for $19.95. The number set is a single tray for $9.95. If you want to get both sets, you can combine them for $29.90. The symbol tray is availabe for $12.50. Find them all at The Spoon Sisters.

Etsy: Cool Alphabet Abacus

Erin Behan — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 20:55:00 GMT

Here's a fun way for kids to learn the ABCs and numbers: on a handmade abacus. The 16'x15'x8' handmade toy is made of wood and paper (so perhaps not for chewers) and is beautifully coordinated. Find it for $49.99 at Merylandmiller's Etsy shop. The rack itself rotates 360 degrees as do each of the numbers and letters. I'm personally quite taken with the above color scheme of Carribean blue, red and black, although merylandmiller will customized a color scheme for $10 more, or personalize with a name at the bottom for $5 more.

Mail Call

Lisa Mulcahy — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:00:00 GMT

It’s that time of year again, when something seemingly simple like sending Christmas cards becomes a major source of stress. As I licked, addressed and stamped more holiday cards than I’d like to say, my toddler looked in wonder and thought it was a fun game. So I did a little searching for a mail toy for him and low and behold here it is.

No surprise, it’s from Melissa & Doug, the king of wooden toys and puzzles. The hand-painted mailbox set, $39.95, comes with six different shaped letters that correspond to slots in the box. There’s also stamps that Velcro on to the letters and a key to open the box when it’s full. If only my two-year-old could write out the Christmas cards, I’d be in good shape.

Etsy: Cool Alpha Abacus

Erin Behan — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 12:55:00 GMT

Here's a fun way for kids to learn the ABCs and numbers: on a handmade abacus. The 16'x15'x8' handmade toy is made of wood and paper (so perhaps not for chewers). Find it for $49.99 at Merylandmiller's Etsy shop. The rack itself rotates 360 degrees as do each of the numbers and letters. I'm personally quite taken with the above color scheme of Carribean blue, red and black, although merylandmiller will customized a color scheme for $10 more, or personalize with a name at the bottom for $5 more.

In the Nursery: Domino Magazine

elizabeth leach — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 13:30:00 GMT

This nursery belongs to J. Crew's Creative Director, Jenna Lyons, and her little boy, Becket. It was featured in this month's Domino Magazine. Looking at this photo makes me want to cry with jealousy. It's so creative and original! We've seen dark walls before but this is the first time I've seen it in a nursery.

At one point, I thought about spelling my daughter's name out like in the below photo but I got cold feet. It only works when the letters are mismatched like these. Anthropologie has zinc letters here. They used to have old looking wood letters and you can probably still find them in their sale section of their store. Urban Outfitters has enamel letters here and recycled metal letters here.

Of course, the striped ceiling is stunning, too. And the grown up dresser. All of it... just so original! See Jenna Lyon's home here and a complete list of sources for these rooms.

ABC Kids Expo 2008: 123 Caterpillar and ABC Snake Books

Chris Ford — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 20:02:00 GMT

123 Caterpillar and ABC Snake are toddler books that illustrate numbers and the alphabet by expanding like an accordion. Every parent needs a quick distraction for their kids to put in their diaper bag, and these books seem like they'd do the trick. And they also feature my favorite toddler book activity - flaps to lift.

Both books are small, contained and have flaps to lift. The ABC book has the letters on one side and an animal on the opposite side that begins with that letter. The 123 Caterpillar book has the number on one side and on the other are countable groups.

Both books retail for $8.96 (but can probably be found cheaper elsewhere) and can be found on the publisher's web site, Abbeville.com (123 link, ABC link).

This Post Brought to You By ...

Erin Behan — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:35:00 GMT

... the letter N! Although it could have also been brought to you by any letter A through Z (save M, Q, V and Z). These 100% recycled metal letters are a must for a nursery or kids bedroom. They come in a variety of styles and colors (although you can't pick) and are just $8, available only at Urban Outfitters. If you prefer to know for sure what color the letter is, you might try Urban's enamel alphabet in pink ($14), although only in A, B, C, E, J, K, M, R, S.

Kids Have the Last Word With Shout Out T-Shirts

Erin Behan — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:08:00 GMT

I love products that encourage kids to be creative, and Shout Out T-shirts do just that. It's a pretty simple concept and the possibilities are endless: The colorful, cotton T-shirts ($32.95) come with a bag of removable letters, numbers and symbols that can be affixed to the front and back of the shirts. It's a bit like fridge magnets, only much more portable. For those who love a good celeb angle, know that the creator of the shirts is Colin Egglesfield, who played Josh Madden on "All My Children." And check out the back of the T-shirt and what the bag of letters includes:

Free Program Kindersay Visually Teaches Words and Letters Online

Aaron Burgess — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 20:02:00 GMT

Your name and email address are all it'll cost you to sign up for Kindersay, a free online program that helps to teach your preschooler words and letters in a variety of categories. You can start with the alphabet (sample learning module shown here), graduate to larger words and concepts, and even upload pictures of your family to teach words like "grandma," "step mum" and "brother." Your child sees a letter, word and object on the screen, and the Kindersay hostess sounds out each. It's English-only, and the terms and objects selected have a globally ambiguous sensibility, so the site also provides an easy way to work with non-English speakers (even adults) who are just learning the language.

Pottery Barn Wire Wall Letters go the Distance

Mir — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 13:02:00 GMT

While I'll certainly cop to succumbing to the "awwww" factor on occasion, the baby stuff I love best are things that can be adorable now and functional later. So when I flipped to these wire wall letters in the latest Pottery Barn Teen catalog, I immediately envisioned them on a nursery wall holding snapshots and greeting cards, then in a child's room sporting all the treasures of the elementary days, and finally in a teen's room holding pictures of her BFFs and magazine cut-outs of her latest celebrity crush. That makes $15 a pop sound downright cheap.

Can't Sleep... Crocodile Creek Clown Letters Gonna Eat Me

Mir — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 17:02:00 GMT

Perhaps these wooden letters ($2.49 apiece at Kid's Land) by Crocodile Creek don't freak you out the way they do me; I realize that not everyone is afraid of clowns. Maybe you have a circus-themed nursery and want to spell out your darling's name with these weird little clown letters. Maybe you just don't like your kid very much. I don't know. I don't need to know. I just need to stop looking at these.

Wall Art: The Writing on the Wall Is Your Child's Name

chrisjordan — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 15:02:00 GMT

Six inch, ivory painted wooden letters hang from a simple ribbon. Your choice of fabric collection covers the letters.

Available at Fabrications by Lin $29 for up to 8 letters.

Big Deal: Sesame Street Wooden Activity Monstrosity

Karen — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 19:03:00 GMT

Take half off this enormous toy that can most definitely teach numbers, colours, letters, small motor skills, and also?

Be left at Grandma's house. I love you Grandma! $26.09 online.

bioME 5 Gives A New Zoo Review

Leigh-Ann Jackson — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 14:00:00 GMT

Ready to learn your one new thing for the day? When you're teaching the alphabet, you don't always have to fall back on tired ol' "xylophone" for Letter X. Try "xenops" on for size; it's a small South American bird. I learned that from a T-shirt, proof that kids aren't the only ones getting a brain boost from bioME 5's 100% organic cotton, sweatshop-free collection. Each design-intensive shirt features a letter of the alphabet, its animal representative and its name printed upside-down, so the wearer and passersby can share the knowledge.

Note: If your computer is near a dozing child or a cranky colleague, you'll want to mute the site's incessant rain forest sounds.

$32, short-sleeved/$36, long-sleeved, bioME.

Hand Made: Peki Kidz Buttons Up Any Name

Mir — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 22:03:00 GMT

Now even Mykylya or Johranimous can have their names on the wall (oh, don't go getting upset -- my kids have unusual names, too). Peki Kidz hand-embroiders each letter so that they can be buttoned together to form a wall hanging, and there are tons of fabrics from which to choose. Mix and match or choose one favorite pattern -- either way, they're just $4 apiece.

Johnson Banks Post Office Makes Letter Writing Fun

chrisjordan — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 14:01:00 GMT

Johnson Banks Post Office has created these clever self sealing airmail letters. Makes writing those letters to Grandma telling her how great camp is more fun.

They will be for sale soon at their website and they anticipate a set of 8 will sell for around 10 pounds.

(Hat tip: Boing Boing)

Toypography is Terrific

Mir — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 18:03:00 GMT

You have to stop whatever you're doing and go check out these Toypography letter blocks. I dare you not to be mesmerized. Each set contains blocks which can be arranged to spell out the given animal's name in both English and Japanese, plus a reasonable facsimile of the animal's outline. They start at about $77 apiece, and I daresay they're probably worth every penny.

[Hat tip: Boing Boing]