droolicious : wood

Get a Block Set with Just the Letters You Really Need

SunnyChanel — Sat, 16 May 2009 20:00:00 GMT

You can get plan old ordinary block, the whole alphabet or you can get a custom personalized set with just the letters you really need from the Hudson Block Company. These blocks are made of hardwood maple that has been sanded smooth with rounded edge. Each block has been branded using traditional old school methods. You can get a set of six letters here for $24 (and other amounts of blocks are available as well). And each set comes in it's own cotton drawstring bag.

Custom-Painted Peg Dolls: The New Family Portrait?

Aaron Burgess — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:30:00 GMT

Etsy shop Naked Peggies offers custom-painted wooden peg dolls in just about any style you can imagine (including unpainted for you crafties out there), but especially cool are the UnNaked Peggie families, which can be hand-painted to represent you and your brood.

Send in pics of the family (pets included if you have 'em), and Naked Peggies will send back a set of peg dolls to match -- check out this one, where the details extend all the way down to the Paul Frank tee on the little guy and the three-day stubble on Dad.

Sure, they can get a little pricey -- this particular set ran its family $55 -- but most of us probably won't use these as playthings. As a clever alternative to the typical family portrait, though, they look great.

Prices vary -- check out Naked Peggies' Etsy shop for details. [Bambino Goodies]

Saw Logs on the Tree Stump Floor Pillow

Aaron Burgess — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:30:00 GMT

Complete your indoor woodland theme with this awesome-looking, realistically accented Tree Stump Floor Pillow from Etsy seller bebemoon. At 14" tall by 12" wide, it offers plenty of room for kicking back during storytime, or if you've got an upright sleeper in the house, the pillow looks perfect for sawing logs.

$75 from bebemoon's Etsy shop -- if you order from outside the U.S., the pillow ships without stuffing to help lower shipping costs, but as bebemoon notes, you can easily load it up with pillow filler or repurpose old clothing and scrap fabrics for some DIY green stuffing.

Little Kings And Queens Will Enjoy This Castle

Lisa Estall — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:41:00 GMT

I know my son would love this! This Gwen's Castle would fire up his imagination with all the little doorways and windows. It's even big enough for a small child to sit in. There's a working drawbridge and 6 castle walls. Click to see what it looks like put together...

The descriptions says it's made of northern white pine and birch wood with a linseed oil finish.The cost for this will set you back $215.

A Toast To Breakfast Toys

Lisa Estall — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 14:04:00 GMT

Get your mornings started with this KidKraft Toaster Set. Your child can join you in the kitchen and pretend to make breakfast while you prepare their real food.

For $29.95, this wooden set includes a toaster that pops up, 2 slices of bread, 2 bagels, a stick of butter with Velcro straps, a plate, and a butter knife.

You can buy this at A Rocking Horse To Love.

Classic Wooden Toys Collapse and Spring Back To Life

Chris Ford — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 22:30:00 GMT

You know what they say, "What's old is new again." I'm not that old, but when I was a kid I used to be fascinated with these types of little wooden toys - the kind that seem to collapse when you push the bottom but then spring to life again when you let go. Now you can get a few of them for your kids too - and at a price that won't break the bank.

The Petra Toys Press Puppets come in a Rhino, Giraffe, Red Dog and Elephant version. They would be great for an inexpensive little gift or even a party favor. Actually, it's kind of a pricey party favor, but they're cool nonetheless.

Petra Toys Wooden Press Puppets, $18 from BlackWagon.com

Take Tea Time Up a Notch

SunnyChanel — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 04:38:00 GMT

About four or five times a day I go thru the same ritual. The toddler tea party. As much patience as I attempt to possess during the pretend pouring and sipping, it would be great to push tea time up a notch. And I think I figured out how, with the Kid Kraft Prairie Tea Set.

This isn’t just the cups and saucers like we use now, this set includes sugar cubes, tea bags and mixing spoons. It takes the tea party to a whole new seeping and stirring level. Plus it’s pink, brandished with hearts and cute. That will make it an instant hit. Enjoy your own tea time from Amazon on sale for $18.08 (regularly $30.90) here.

A Child's Modern Rocking Chair

Lisa Estall — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:54:00 GMT

This Mod Rocker would look sleek in any room. For extra comfort you can even get a Mod Pad ($25) with a...

non-skid underside. It's available in maple, cherry stain and walnut.

Sold at Modern Nursery for around $300.

For tots 18 months. Too bad they don't have an adult version!

Play with a Piece of Pisa

SunnyChanel — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 01:58:00 GMT

Forget those regular old building blocks. B-O-R-I-N-G. What you need for your little one is a set of wood blocks that will create not just some regular fort or castle. No, this set lets you create your own Leaning Tower of Pisa by HABA. This set comes with 27 pieces in 10 different shapes. It has some chocking hazards so it’s for the over three building crew. You can create your own landmark here for $42.74.

Design for the Apes

Lisa Mulcahy — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:15:00 GMT

Perhaps better known for his sleek minimalist furnishings, this designer has gone gorilla with his latest creation.

Named after Hanno, the Greek explorer who discovered gorillas 2,500 years ago, David Weeks’ Hanno Gorilla, $75, is beautifully designed. So often we hear about form and function, this time it’s form and fun. Hanno is made from sustainably harvested beech wood and is fully flexible with his elastic-band muscles. Forget the kids, your desk would make a good home for Hanno. Just don’t blame him for your procrastination.

Fun in the Sun Takes to the Sky

Lisa Mulcahy — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:31:00 GMT

My husband came home the other night with what he thought was the coolest toy ever, a crappy looking remote-controlled Styrofoam helicopter. Granted it does fly and does provide cheap thrills (for us of course, being that my son is only 2). But I’ve found a much-improved model that’s not only easier on the eye but also on the environment being that it’s solar powered.

Made of lightweight birch wood this little helicopter’s solar rotor doesn’t need the Energizer bunny to keep going and going and going. What’s that you say? Winter is coming. No worries, it works indoors too by way of the good old light bulb.

$28 at Estella online, or if you’re in NYC, the 6th Avenue store.

The Noah Owl Box From Mod Mom Furniture

Chris Ford — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:16:00 GMT

As I've said here on Droolicious before (here and here), I'm a huge fan of Mod Mom Furniture, and it seems she's got a new toy box to show off. The Noah Owl Box has an owl lid with owl eyes for finger holes, is hand made of eco-friendly birch plywood and is, as Mod Mom puts it herself, "woodland mod."

The Noah Owl Box is 17"x18"x15.5" and sits on locking casters. It might be too small for an entire toy storage solution, but if you're looking to add toy storage (who isn't?) or you're looking for a first toy box for that brand new baby, the Noah Owl Box might be just the thing.

The Noah Owl Box, $299.00 from Etsy.com. Also check out the full web site at ModMomFurniture.com.

ABC Kids Expo 2008: Animal Memory Game and Animal Dominos From Plan Toys

Chris Ford — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:29:00 GMT

I've told you already about the really cool Adventure Set from Plan Toys, and another product I saw from them is a lot more simple but no less cool. The Animal Memo and Animal Domino are beautiful versions of classic games, and are great for kids of all ages.

All the toys are (as are all of the Plan Toys products) made from recycled rubber wood and completely safe for kids. The Animal Domino game has 28 wooden tiles with seven different animals. The memory game has 24 picture tiles of 12 different animals. All the tiles are also rounded on top, which requires children playing with them to use all five fingers (which is better apparently than just using the thumb and forefinger).

Animal Domino, $25 and Animal Memo, $22 both available from PlanToys.com.

Puzzimals: Hand Made Wooden Animal Puzzles

Chris Ford — Thu, 08 May 2008 11:08:00 GMT

Puzzimals are wooden puzzles of animals that are hand crafted and free-standing. Most designs have the name of the animal incorporated into them, but the best thing about them is the price.

There are hundreds of designs in just about any animal you can think of, from a rhinoceros (pictured) to a giraffe to a bobcat. You can also get most of the designs as Christmas ornaments. The crazy thing though (to me at least) is the price. Each animal is only $12.00. So for the little animal lover in your life it might make the perfect gift.

Puzzimals, each around $12.00 from the Puzzimals shop at Etsy.com

Child's Wooden Mailbox

Chris Ford — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 09:05:00 GMT

I, like fellow Droolicous blogger Erin, love the mail. The fact that for a few cents something you can hold in your hand can be sent to someone else clear across the country for them to hold is awesome. So when I saw this toy mailbox I knew I'd be blogging it.

Sensibly named "Child's Wooden Mailbox" this vintage-looking toy has a slot on the top for your kid to put messages in, and the bottom comes apart for easy retrieval. I can think of a ton of fun games I can play with my girls with this. Just as long as one of them isn't "Complaint Box."

Child's Wooden Mailbox, $36 from Three Potato Four.

Babel Blocks – It's Never to Early to Teach Your Kids About Diversity

SunnyChanel — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:49:00 GMT

I love living in a city. Being exposed to the vast variety of traditions, cultures and cuisine is, in my eyes, a very fair trade for things like space, safety, and clean air that non-urban areas provide. But whether you’re raising a city kid, country bumpkin, or surbanite, all our children should be educated about the diversity of cultures that exist in our ever shrinking planet.

Meet Moishe, Nafisa, Mary, Chen and Jose. The Babel Blocks represent a wide array of races, religions and cultures that is the melting pot that is New York City. These figures were designed by Constantin Boym and Laurene Leon Boym and were featured in the Museum of Modern Art’s Design and the Elastic Mind exhibit. The five painted wood block characters were based on real living and breathing New Yorkers and each of them have their own MySpace page (natch!) so you can really get to know them. $70 for the set.

7 Days of Eco-Friendly Toys: Playsam Cars

Chris Ford — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 21:34:00 GMT

I'm not exactly sure what an "eco-friendly toy" is, but when I think about my favorite wood toys that we own, this toy car from Playsam is always at the top of the list.

The Streamliner F1 is the most simple of toys. Basically it's a smooth oval body, four wheels and a little guy that you can take out. Made entirely out of wood, it's the sort of thing you just love looking at. It doesn't make any sounds or require any batteries, but both of my girls loved playing with it. A word of warning though, make sure the little guy is out of the hands of teething toddlers, as he will inevitably get chipped.

Check out the Streamliner F1 and all of the toys from Playsam at Playsam.com.

Build-A-Chair Workshop: Wood You?

Sarah Verdone — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 13:40:00 GMT

Before high chairs got all high and mighty, there were chairs like this iconic wooden number. You too can skip the curvy plastic with the fat price tags and get all back-to-basics. But you'll have to get out your toolkit. $10 buys you the blueprints to build this 60's Era High Chair by Woodcraft Plans. They'll even throw in a Guide to Building Wood Furniture. C'mon, it'll be fun!

St. Pat's Pull Sheep

Lisa Mulcahy — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:40:00 GMT

In lieu of anything leprechaun or showered in shamrocks I opted to acknowledge St. Patrick’s Day with the beloved sheep. A national treasure of sorts, you can’t drive very far through the countryside of Ireland without encountering the wooly waddlers, so I figured this handmade pull toy would be a fitting tribute.

Perfect for pretend sheep herding, Sevi’s pull along sheep is made of solid wood and hand-painted with non-toxic food grade paints and finishes. Oh, by the way, Sevi is an Italian company. Despite my Irish married name I’m actually Italian, so I had to sneak this one in. $19.99 at Amazon.

Build Your Own Offi Friend Bench

modmom — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 01:58:00 GMT

The Offi Friend Bench is designed for you + your child to assemble together. The Baltic birch non-toxic painted pieces snap together without hardware. The orange topped Friend Bench $89 at Design Public is part of Offi's Built By Me Collection.