**Giveaway Winner**

Congratulations to K. of Boulder, CO! You are our winner :-)

*Gratitude and Giveaways*

One lucky winner will receive...

Today, in honour of Remembrance Day, we celebrate our soldiers and our veterans - those who have given their lives and made the ultimate sacrifice in honour of our freedom, and those who are still entrenched in the cause. We thank you. We salute your bravery.

I am feeling particularly grateful for what I have this week, so I thought a little giveaway wouldn't go amiss. Here are some baby acorn caps (collected from Mount Seymour in BC and Central Park, NYC) adorned with brightly coloured wool roving. My daughter and I made these the other night for one lucky winner...

To enter, simply leave a comment below and tell me what you are grateful for - it could be your health, your family, a stable job...or something as simple as the crunch of the leaves beneath your shoes during the month of November. You can also send an email to info@nikoandnonnie.com with your reply. I'll be putting the names of everyone who enters into a hat and selecting a winner on Monday.

Lastly, I wanted to share that I recently published the website for my "other" business (the one that puts those university degrees to good use!)... I'd been meaning to do it for ages but simply kept running out of time. Who would have thought web design was a welcome distraction from packing boxes? Stop by and have a look http://www.bluepencilcommunications.com

Looking forward to hearing your comments,
N&N

Happy Halloween!

"Potiron" or Cinderella pumpkins

Wishing everyone a most spook-tacular day! Best wishes from Niko & Nonnie for a ghoulishly fun time filled with ghosts, witches, vampires, frights, tricks and treats! We'll be handing out glow sticks and candy to trick-or-treaters and taking our little queen and pirate out in the neighbourhood for all the Halloween festivities. How will you be celebrating where you live?

Happy Halloween!!!!

Niko & Nonnie

From Here to There...

<<Écrire est un acte d'amour. S'il ne l'est pas il n'est qu'écriture.>> 
-Jean Cocteau

I'm still here. Still packing. I'm becoming more and more shark-like in my old age: if I don't keep swimming, I'm gonna be a goner...

Today I felt like I could barely keep my head above water. My husband and I have been surviving on just about 3-4 hours of sleep per night lately and I think it is slowly taking its toll. He comes home late from work, we put the children to bed, and try to have a bit of time together. I work on the shop, my writing, whatever seems most pressing, then to bed and up early again to take our daughter to school.  We have started going out for coffee or breakfast in the mornings with our son, which has helped to give us a bit of clarity before being washed away by the day's activities.  Lately, all the phone calls I make seem to disappear into the telecommunications ether... there are a lot more people away from their desks or mobiles at any given time than seems reasonable. Messages and emails head into the void where they'll be trapped in the mythical "cloud" of virtual computing...

The thing about moving is that once you commit to the inevitable, you just need it to hurry up and be done with it.  I am sort of at that point...the other day I was thinking about how the world could stand to be more like Harry Potter's Floo Network - just toss a bit of silvery, glittery powder, state where you want to go, and bang! You're there. Instead, my days resemble more like his tireless search for horcruxes minus the winding plot.

Switching countries again is not short on bureaucracy, but the good news is that I am starting to get the hang of it. The trick is paring down your things to simple essentials with a bit of nostalgia thrown in, and to think about what you most likely will read, wear, or want to re-visit again in your new dwelling.  I also keep an old tea canister filled with impossible treasures and photos that are essential traveling companions. Anyone who knows me will attest to the magical gleam I get in my eyes when I am given the chance to rid the house of whatever clutter is gumming up the works. Rushes of adrenaline come in many forms you know!

When we last moved, from Montreal to Vancouver, we shipped 5,000 lbs of furniture, personal effects and books.  Books weighed in at a whopping metric tonne! While we adore the collection we have amassed over these many years, we simply cannot do with lugging around 2,000 extra pounds. Not to mention the kids' collection! At last count they had over 400 books ... Now each time the city of Vancouver opens the blue BOOK DROP donation bins scattered across the eastside, they will find many volumes of well-read tomes from which we have parted ways.  The wonderful thing about books is that you can read them, love them or hate them, "devour" them, pass them on to a friend, borrow them, share them in a discussion group, admire them in your bookcase...my most favourite part (after owning them and reading the stories they have to tell) is donating them, the momentary lapse and wonder at what books someone will find when they open the box...

Bearing all of this in mind, my clever husband bought me an eReader yesterday. He'd already promised me a meyer lemon tree once we arrive in Austin, but an eReader takes my desire for pared-down living to a whole new extreme.  Which one did we get? The Kobo Touch.  You can read about it here. I've just bought Murakami's new release entitled "1Q84," Erin Morgenstern's "The Night Circus" and also found many free volumes ranging from classics from the literary canon to Children's Literature from the 1920s. At present I've loaded 88 books onto my Kobo, and have space for about 900+ more. I'm thrilled!


Tomorrow is Friday, a welcome end to the week and the start of a very exciting week-end! Our son is turning three years-old on Saturday and Halloween is Monday... I am swimming in preparations, but it's that good ol' shark thing again ... you've just got to keep going...


Time for tea, stories and the not-so-melodic stylings of my roll of packing tape.
xoxo

Grab bag surprises and big changes...

S-p-o-o-k-y  Ghost Jingle Ball from N&N

There has been some wonderful news for our family since my last post.  My husband has been offered a promotion and transfer with the Four Seasons Hotel to...*drumroll, please...*...Austin, TX! We discussed the idea of Austin as a family, going back and forth, making lists, calculations, comparisons, and in the end, packing up and starting on our next adventure is the right choice for our family.

We knew we were going to have to move at some point, we just were not sure when or where precisely.  Opportunities would come and go, and we'd say to each other, "Leave it for now. Something good will come along." In the end, I'm very pleased that we weighed our choices carefully and made this decision together.

Austin or bust...

Austin is an incredibly vibrant and youthful city. To my great joy it is the "Live Music Capital of the World," home to the South by Southwest music festival, and an eclectic center of art, culture and technology.  It is the birthplace of Whole Foods (yes, two hippies started it there in the 1970s), so incredibly hot your skin sloughs off like roasted chicken (slight hyperbole!) and sunny almost year-round.  I've been told it is so warm at Christmas, many people host Christmas bbq's! Imagine that. My husband will be working downtown on the banks of Lady Bird Lake and vows to eat authentic, mouth-watering Mexican food every single day. We're up to the challenge!

To my great dismay, Austin is also home to the largest urban population of bats in North America, numbering 1.5 million! While everyone tells me not to worry, that the bats are instrumental in keeping things like mosquitos and other gnarled flying insects to a minimum, what they don't know is that I am terrified of these creatures. I saw enough of them on vacations in Italy and Greece to say with confidence that a bat population in the millions will freak the living daylights out of me! That being said, the nightly exodus of Mexican free-tail bats from under the Congress Street bridge in downtown Austin is pretty incredible, and tourists flock to the city just to watch this amazing event night after night between March and November....just check out these videos here and here. Holy phenomenal, Batman! Let it also be said right now that I do not wish to get pooped on by bats, so I hope the colony is listening up! If they aren't, I'm borrowing Commissioner Gordon's telephone and calling that red batphone right now...

Niko & Nonnie is still in full swing and will continue to be through the very busy upcoming holiday season.  One of the reasons I started this little business was because it is something that I can do from anywhere in the world; the more moves and adventures we do around the world, the more techniques and materials I will amass, hopefully resulting in a truly unique children's shop. I will literally be conducting business out of my suitcase for the months of December and January - my carry-on is already stuffed with wool, felting needles and beads!

If you live in Vancouver, Niko & Nonnie's needle felted vegetable and fruit baskets are now available at a lovely eco-friendly shop for kids called Little Earth located on East Hastings.  Here are some examples of what you might find there:

Tomato, eggplant, string beans, pumpkin, potato

Strawberries, pear, apples, orange, kiwi, lemon

Carrot, cauliflower, tomato, squash, cucumber

Halloween is almost here and I am frantically trying to finish up the trick-or-treat bags I am making for my kids, along with a needle felted princess crown, birthday presents for my son  (although there won't really be a party considering our house is flooded with moving boxes!)... There will be much making of pumpkin pie, painting of miniature wooden cars and trucks, crayon-making, and baking in a very special new tin I absolutely could not resist...

Recycled stackable crayons

Fabulously huge acorn baking tin

Last but not least, on today's excursion to the craft store, my son and I picked up a grab bag. Basically, it was a great big sack with what was advertised as $100 worth of fall decor for only $2. We waited to open it until my daughter came home from school and this is what we found:

$2 Grab Bag Loot

Can you spot the irony in this picture? I got a massive chuckle at the inclusion of a banner that reads: Home Sweet Home. Yes - we hope to hang it up...someday!

Stay tuned! xoxo

ps: WIP for the holiday season...

Needle felted Christmas tree ornament

Back to the drawing board

Literally, back to the old template (for the most part)...still feeling very unsatisfied by Blogger's changes. Will keep playing around, but perhaps a move to another blogging site is imminent?

<3
A.

Blog with a dynamic view **

Needle felted fruits + veggies, fresh from the N&N farm!

Regular readers of this blog will probably notice right off the bat that the format for Niko & Nonnie's blog has changed in a pretty dramatic way! I am currently trying out some new templates which may allow for better interaction with blog posts, pictures and content - and avoid scrolling!  As you can see in the menu bar above, there are seven (7) different "dynamic" ways to view. Please feel free to click between them and see the results!

At this point, I am not entirely convinced by some aspects of the dynamic view; functionality and web links have been lost and customisation is virtually non-existant.  Concurrently, I quite like the clean aspect as well as the fact that social media has been integrated into every post. It will be interesting to hear what all of you think! What are your reactions to the changes? Should I revert to Niko & Nonnie's former blog look?

Secondly, and perhaps even more important than the aesthetic changes: Niko & Nonnie's blog address has changed. If you look up in your navigation bar, you will see that the address is now http://nikoandnonnie.blogspot.com The old website (nikononnieboutique.blogspot.com) is no longer.  I am actually quite pleased about the change - it definitely makes things more consistent! Be sure to update your bookmarks and address books with our new address... we wouldn't want to lose any of our very dear (and far-flung) readership!

While I am up writing, I also wanted to share some exciting news. If you live in the Vancouver area, you will (in the very near future!) be able to purchase N&N's needle felted fruit and vegetable baskets at a wonderful, eco-friendly retail shop called Little Earth. I feel lucky enough to have Little Earth as a lovely, local shop in my neighbourhood - I know of many people that drive from all over Vancouver just to shop there, so we're pleased about being displayed on their shelves this season :-)

In addition, there have been many more new items for sale in the shop! Shop online at Niko & Nonnie or drop by our Etsy shop. With Canadian Thanksgiving only days away and Halloween imminent, our needle felted pumpkins have been a very popular item! There are several options available, from jingle toy pumpkins, to pairs and groups of pumpkins - and remember that all needle felted items are fully customisable and handmade to order.

Group of needle felted pumpkins - available now!

I had given you all a sneak peak of some WIP items in an earlier blog post.  This pillow cushion was one such example, and is available for sale! http://www.etsy.com/listing/82232778/ellie-the-elephant-pillow-cushion

Features handsewn wool felt accents + organic lambs' wool

The star of the pillow is Ellie the Elephant and she is made from cut and handsewn charcoal wool felt, with a magenta wool felt heart accent and heart button. Her eyes were needle felted as a finishing touch - and met with my daughter's approval, thank goodness! The organic lambs' wool I used for this particular pillow is called polworth. It's difficult to describe how lovely it feels to cuddle up with a pillow stuffed with pure wool...absolutely divine!

Looks like it's time for me to find a pillow of my own! The fairies are arriving to sprinkle dust in my eyes and lull me to sleep...

Thanks for reading! Til next time... <3
N&N

Shop Coupon **

To celebrate FALL, take an extra 10% off all seasonal items in our Etsy shop (pumpkins, fairies, veggies, Halloween) - Use coupon code HARVEST2011 at checkout. 

http://nikoandnonnie.etsy.com

Please note that all orders for Canadian Thanksgiving must be made by this weekend in order to be shipped out on time ♥

**Welcome Fall**

Niko & Nonnie wishes all of you a spectacular harvest season!

Needle felted PUMPKIN JINGLE TOY 

Fall is the season I await most in all the world - and do you know what? I'll let you in on a bit of a secret. Today also marks my 32nd birthday! My children have already presented me with a variety of bits and bobs from their toy collection which they carefully wrapped in their re-purposed artwork.  I was startled by their imaginative offerings and very touched by the love in their hearts they share with us each day. Every birthday is a triumph and a blessing worthy of celebration, of course! A retreat to the mountains awaits us...

With love and gratitude,

A.

The Moon Festival

Pumpkin lantern + LED child-safe candle 

Vancouver celebrated the Zhongqui or "Moon" Festival on Saturday, September 17th.  The Moon Festival marks the lunar harvest, and our family held some festivities of our own.

The red and green lanterns were made for the occasion by our lovely children; their enthusiasm for the event ensured that this will become a family tradition. We ate homemade dumplings, mooncakes and admired the moon in the night sky. What a joyous evening!

Lanterns accompanied by bowl of acorns, pumpkins + fairies

The moon...the moon, shines so bright! Shine down on me...you're what we're all here to see!

Birthdays and New Beginnings

Every September, an aperture reveals itself and we begin a slow journey of returning to life as before. It is the season of back-to-school and business as usual, the end of summer holidays and the time for new beginnings. While I have not attended school since my postgraduate days at the University of Leeds (some 10 years ago now...) the ritual still exists for me - a gentle reminder of resuming life where you left off, a distinct re-definition of self that vows to be prepared and ready to take on whatever challenges are ahead, a blank sheet of looseleaf stuck in a 3-ringed binder.

This September in particular is a noteworthy one for the Niko & Nonnie family. Our daughter recently turned five! On the eve of her birthday, we read her the following poem. It is so lovely and I am quite certain that we will continue to read it to our children every year....

When I have said my evening prayer,

And my clothes are folded on the chair,

And mother switches off the light,

I'll still be __4_ years old tonight.

But from the very break of day,

Before the children rise and play,

Before the darkness turns to gold,

Tomorrow, I'll be _5__ years old.

_5__ kisses when I wake,

__5_ candles on my cake.

Interpretation of a traditional Waldorf birthday ring

Needle felted birthday crown 

Adorned with stars, flowers and hearts

Five! Still in disbelief.  She has also started going to elementary school - French-immersion kindergarten to be precise. I would be lying if I said that the transition has not been palpable around here.  For the past five years, I have been a SAHM. While I continue to stay home and take care of our son in addition to working on N&N while she is at school, I suddenly feel like I am missing an appendage. We all miss her like mad (and vice versa) but we have been assured by her teacher that she is doing well, jumping in with both feet and full of enthusiasm and energy for her new class.

For my husband's part, many changes have been happening at his work as well. He is the Restaurant Chef of YEW at the Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver. Let me first begin by saying that he is a brilliant chef! Yes, yes, you would believe that I am biased (and of course, I am!) but I assure you that his cooking... well let's just say: swoon.  You can read a recent feature on him, the re-vamped restaurant concept and his cleverly conceived new seafood dinner menu here. There's even a little video link where you can learn how to prepare a wonderful meal of albacore tuna at home - not to be missed! <3

In N&N news, I wanted to let you know that Niko & Nonnie was selected to join the Natural Kids Team! If you are not familiar with this particular team, it is a consortium of 60 artisans from around the world that are committed to making eco-friendly and healthy toys, decor, clothing, etc. All of the shops are absolutely lovely and I am honestly overjoyed by the warm welcome N&N has received thus far - it's an outstanding collective, really. I am so honoured to join in, especially with it being such a respected Children's team on Etsy. For more information, be sure to click on the following links:
www.naturalkidsteam.com
http://www.etsy.com/teams/6447/natural-kids?ref=pr_teams

If you've visted www.nikoandnonnie.com lately, you'll find that the look and feel of the website has been changed significantly. The functionality of our online shop has also been altered so finding handmade treasures should be even easier.

Set of (5) Jingle Soft Toys

There is a definite bite in the air this evening, so I think it very appropriate to showcase some autumnal hues before I bid you all good night! Here are some photographs of new items, WIP projects and the like...

Harvest Collection

Pillow WIP

Needle felted pumpkins now available in the shop

Contest Giveaway & Labour Day SALE!

Hello all!

I am pleased to announce that the winner of our contest giveaway is Stephen Cornish - Congratulations! A very special needle felted BIRTHDAY CUPCAKE will be on its way to you soon!

LABOUR DAY SALE!
From now until September 6th, receive 20% off on all merchandise in our Etsy shop! http://nikoandnonnie.etsy.com Use coupon LDAY2011 at checkout!

Days of Summer

Fall 2011 Collection

Hello all!

Have you visited Niko & Nonnie's website recently? I have just added a preview from the Fall 2011 Collection. While I am still working on many new pieces, I thought I'd slowly list new designs and inventory over the course of the next month.

http://www.nikoandnonnie.com

Here's a sneak peak of what you'll find...

Needle felted HARVEST FAIRY 

Isn't she just gorgeous? I really enjoyed making her. She is needle felted from 100% wool and even has multi-hued highlighted hair, the result of some very special hand-dyed merino! I imagine her on a nature table or on display, perched above a child's bed...She would even make a delightful companion for a little dreamer.

LOVESTRUCK felt+wood beaded necklace

These necklaces are a new addition and I absolutely adore them. The wool balls are wet felted and they are accented by natural wooden beads, all strung on cotton embroidery floss. The simplicity of the design, coupled with my own supply of very colourful roving, means that I can reproduce and customise them easily. I am in the midst of making many more of these in all sorts of colours of the spectrum, and will be listing them as they become available.

**Contest Giveaway**

BIRTHDAY CUPCAKE

As many of you are already aware, the contest giveaway winner is to be announced on August 31st!

If you are already a fan of Niko & Nonnie on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/NikoandNonnie) and have clicked "LIKE" with your personal account, OR follow @NikoNonnie on Twitter, you will automatically receive 1 entry in the drawing. If you have entered the contest via the instructions on our website  (http://www.nikoandnonnie.com/contest.html) that will earn you 1 entry. If you "Like" us AND "Follow" us AND complete the contest question on the website, you will earn 3 entries. Why not triple your chances?

So far there has been a tremendous response - it seems this needle felted birthday cupcake is a popular item! It is also available on our website and in the Etsy shop to buy, if you are so inclined.

For any and all questions, custom items, etc. you can always email me at info@nikoandnonnie.com

Good luck to all!

The loss of Jack

This morning my husband and I woke up to the sound of rain beating down against our windows and the wind lapping around our house.  It seemed an appropriate signal to the end of our vacation and a return to work after countless days of sunshine. As we drank our coffee and turned on the computer to read the headlines, we learned that today Canada lost a beloved political leader, thinker and activist: Jack Layton, Leader of the Opposition and Canada's New Democratic Party. As the rain fell from the sky, we read articles, condolences to his family and friends, commentaries, reactions...it almost did not seem real. Jack Layton was gone, taken from the world prematurely by a long-standing battle with cancer. He was 61 years-old.

I recently became a dual citizen of the USA and Canada back in March 2011.  It took some 13 years for me to (finally) acquire my Canadian citizenship; I am honoured to bear allegiance to both of these countries. Each of these nations is deeply interconnected to my sensibilities, my memories, my philosophies, my life as a youth and now as an adult... The United States and Canada share the longest undefended border in the world. We share a commonality as workers, students, friends, and loved ones in the fabric and history of North America.

Despite a close relationship between the two, over these many years, I have been on the receiving end of many untoward political comments: it is a delicate and difficult stance to navigate when diplomacy is often undervalued by others in their criticisms and platitudes. Somehow, you increasingly find yourself becoming the scapegoat for the "mistakes" and "indiscretions" of the country in which you were born and raised or currently reside, and the hurtful words that attack your nation's political ethos become very personal. You feel defensive, like less of a person. You wish the unsolicited criticisms would stop, you close your ears...you stop believing in change. The most difficult opinions to change are those that are centered around intolerance and indifference. For some, empathy is hard to come by.

When Obama was elected, I felt a swelling in my chest and a renewed pride in the United States. As I watched the crowds cheering in America, I was ecstatic that my vote, along with millions of others, had elected this man as the President of the United States. I lay on the bed with my children, my daughter then only 26 months-old and my son, a newborn of only 5 days...My husband and I joked that our son had in fact arrived a month earlier than expected just so he could be there to watch this historic moment unfold. Through the tears of joy streaming down our faces, we saw the future. We were filled with hope that times would change, that lives would improve and that the slandered reputation of the United States would once again redeem itself as a land of promise and opportunity.

This past spring, as a newly minted Canadian, I rediscovered that hope and pride in the words of Jack Layton. Finally able to have a say in the elections in this country, I researched and read up as much as possible. Mr. Layton's energy and commitment, his platform of core values encompassing family, healthcare and the environment - I truly felt as though he were connecting with the younger 18-35 voters in Canada, to inspire us to get out there and find our voices - and make a difference in all of our lives. Change was palpable in the air and in the end, it too was a historic election. Even though Prime Minister Harper retained his position, the NDP had overtaken the Liberals and gained Official Opposition status. Watching CBC election coverage that night, I felt a familiar rush of pride and possibility once more swelling up in my heart, choking up as I had with Obama's victory back in November 2008. It was without a doubt the start of something better.

While there are many who do not subscribe to politics of any kind, or who feel that political leaders make many mistakes, advance particular agendas, are motivated by a hunger to enlarge their egos or influence, I think we can put aside those differences for today. Today I am mourning alongside my fellow Canadians the loss of a courageous human being. Jack Layton fought as desperately as he could to overtake a disease that held his life hanging in the balance - and lost.

 I am including here a link to a letter he wrote to Canadians just two days ago. It is a letter of outstanding strength and determination. As the rain washes over our city today, our thoughts are with you, Jack. We honour our responsibilities to our nation and to eachother. We'll never let anyone tell us it can't be done.

"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."
-Jack Layton (1950-2011)

Finders keepers...

I have got a feeling that today's blog post will be a bit longer than usual. I feel as though it has been some time since my last one.  I suppose I could just check the date of the previous entry, but I am lazy to open up a new tab and check, so I suppose you will meander with me! Ok, you go ahead and peek now! I bet it has been a little while...

This week was punctuated by several random moments for which I am grateful. On Monday I stumbled upon a wonderful fabric store that unfortunately has since closed its doors for good. It was the first and last time I shopped there, so I needed to quickly decide and pick before it was all gone. This shop's total liquidation of inventory meant that I was able to buy very fancy fabric from Spain, France and the like - for only a fraction of the price. We're talking $157 per yard, for much, MUCH less. I stocked up on upholstery grade cotton-linens in gorgeous shades like terracotta, vivid bold prints and luminescent blacks and silvers. I bought some other bits and bobs there and I'm already excited to turn them into...something!

While shopping, I shared some truly beautiful moments with my daughter.  Her energy and spirit brought me back to my childhood with my own mother (herself a knitter, seamstress and crafter from a long line of creative, empowered women). The excitement over creating something from raw materials with your own two hands begs the question: do you crave opportunities to collaborate with others or do you prefer to do it all alone?

At present, there should also be a parcel on its way to my house where I will be anxiously awaiting some new Japanese kokka fabrics. I have added a picture of a current WIP utilising some adorable kokka fabric I bought a while back - absolutely perfect for a little boy's room! I am making one for my own boy and of course, I will have this pillow available for purchase in the N&N shop as well.

Japanese kokka fabric pillow/ organic lambs' wool stuffing

I am also in the midst of working on the Fall 2011 collection of Niko & Nonnie. I will be giving you a sneaky peek at a new item I hope babies and toddlers everywhere will adore! I must divulge that I might have to make an extra one for my husband who said it might very well be his new favourite item. This autumn collection will slowly be trickling into the shop during the month of August; I will also be offering a shop sale on selected items in both the website boutique and Etsy shop.  All of the items I have listed in my Etsy shop ship *FREE* to any destination - worldwide!

If you have visited the websites lately, you most likely will have seen the Circus Jingle Ball, the first in a collection of soft wooly and jingly items for babies and toddlers.

*New* CIRCUS JINGLE BALL needle felted toy

What I love most about this item is that it is very generously sized and firmly felted - it is a great toy for little dreamers who are working on their gross motor skills. Catching and throwing a ball is an integral part of childhood, and in this way, every toss and throw can be accompanied by a reassuring jingle!

Now for a related item and a mini-preview for autumn...

*New* CUTE-AS-A-BUTTON MUSHROOM RATTLE 

Jingle bell rattle - just perfect for little hands!

As I close this blog post, I wanted to share several photographs of some other new items that will be up in the shop quite soon. I spent an amazing afternoon with my children today and we took 200 or so photographs - that is one heck of a lot to sort through! My daughter graciously modeled many of the new bracelets while my son became absolutely filthy playing in the dirt.  After we finished the shoot, I plunked them in a well-deserved bath and plugged in my camera.  Here are some highlights:

Simple joys. Here's hoping and wishing that all of you are having an unforgettable summer.

Natural, healthy toys for baby & toddler

ps: I've had a very positive response to the new website and contest giveaway. If you still haven't entered our contest, you have til the end of August to do so. For details, please visit: http://www.nikoandnonnie.com