Ideal is a carefully curated shop composed of unique, design-conscious gifts and accessories. The objects we choose are creative, authentic, and refined. They are inspired by the vision of talented artists and designers from around the world.
Our store was formed with our own ideal in mind: that shopping should always be a personal and thoughtful experience.
Enjoy our blog and please come visit our shop in beautiful, downtown Bellingham. If you can't make it in, we take orders over the phone - just call (360-752-5522) or e-mail info@anidealshop.com.
Sunday is Easter, and if you need a few ideas for filling those baskets with goodies that last longer than chocolate, we can help.
If your kid loves coloring books but you'd prefer a bit more creativity, Rosie Flo and Johnny Joe provide the perfect solution. Rosie Flo was created by illustrator Roz Streeten, after many hours of collaborative drawing with her young daughter. Roz drew elaborate dresses and costumes while her daughter filled in the heads, arms, and legs.
Roz has now published a number of different themes, from animals to travel to kitchen. Most recently, she has created Johnny Joe, whose adventures will appeal to boys and girls alike. We have seven different titles available - stop by to see which one your child would enjoy most.
Rosie Flo Coloring Book, $8.99
Johnny Joe Coloring Book, $8.99
Johnny Joe Sample Spread
Rosie Flo Sample Spread
These beautiful wooden tops, made in Japan, nestle perfectly in the grass of a basket. There are ten different styles, so stop by to do a side-by-side spinning comparison...
Japanese Tops, $8 each
One sure sign of spring is the appearance of slugs. While you may not like them in your garden, here's a cuddly one that will look great in an Easter basket. Kristin Loffer Theiss makes an array of beautiful plush toys, including these sweet slugs. As she is a fabric aficionado, Kristin always finds incredible (often vintage) fabrics to use in her creations. The slugs pictured below feature Marimekko fabrics from Finland.
Plush Slugs by kltworks, $25
Kids can create thousands of different dinosaurs or robots using these clever stencil kits. Choose a body type, then add horns, tails, spikes, and more. These will be played with long after all the Easter eggs are gone...
Dinobox Stencil Set, $10
Robobox Stencil Set, $10
Here's a great way to creatively reuse things you would normally recycle or discard. Based in Australia, Makedo creates ingenious sets of connectors that allow you to build all sorts of sculptures, contraptions, structures - your imagination is the only limit. Watch the video below to get an idea of the possibilities. We have Free Play sets ($22) in stock as well as Robot or Flower kits ($12). All are nicely sized for a basket.
For the youngest in your midst, consider this set of stroller cards from Museum of Modern Art. Five brightly colored, tactile flash cards connected by a ring will keep your little one occupied while on-the-go.
MoMA Stroller Cards, $9.99
Also for the wee ones, these two board books by Seattle collage artist Kate Endle make us think of spring:
What is Green? $8.95
Who Hoo Are You? $8.95
If you have a budding photographer in your household, the KOLA camera accessory is a great choice. A set of colored gels to hold over your camera's lens or flash, use them with your digital or phone camera to create different optical effects.
KOLA Camera Gels, $13.50
There you have just a few ideas for an Easter basket that goes far beyond jellybeans. As always, there are more possibilities we can help you with in the shop, so call (360-752-5522) or email (info@anidealshop.com) if you need further inspiration.
This Friday, October 1 is Downtown Art Walk. We will be open until 9pm, featuring a trunk show of designs from Kristin Loffer Theiss of klt:works. Enjoy 20% off Kristin's wonderful creations for the evening. She will bring a wide range of pieces, from plush toys and mobiles to letterpress prints and screen printed t-shirts. Don't miss this opportunity to see a large selection of her work and nab it at a discount! Plus, Kristin will be here to answer questions about her work and inspirations.
Dewey Long Legs, $40
Slug Lovey in Use
There is no shortage of sweet, soft plush toys for babies and kids. But Kristin's work stands out from the crowd in its elegance, bold design, and amazing use of fabrics. Kristin is passionate about fabric of all kinds - she even has a feature on her blog called "Fabric Friday" where she talks about the special fabric she's using or inspired by that week: http://kltworks.blogspot.com/search/label/Fabric%20Friday
The chewable (and washable!) Slug Lovey, $25
Kristin is a wealth of knowledge about kids' products and it's always fun to hear about what she's discovered. She is a very busy person, somehow managing to make all of her wonderful creations, run her business, write insightful and frequent blog posts, keep up with all of her social media sites, and be an active and involved mother to Sayer (pictured in the owl hoodie, below). We aren't sure how she does it all, but are fortunate that she does! Hope to see you Friday night for this special event.
Sayer modeling an Owl Hoodie
Letterpress prints based on Kristin's drawings in thread
Holding an MFA in Fine Art from The School of Visual Arts in New York City, Kristin Loffer Theiss's artistic background allows her to approach her products with a painter’s eye - being concerned with color, texture, and form. Her children’s collection comes from her love of humor, curiosity, and an appreciation of a child’s creative spirit. All toys are handmade at her studio in Mt. Vernon, WA.
Featured Objects
Plush Animals - Cats, owls, snails, and several birds available
Materials: Wool felt and cotton, stuffed with fine polyfil. Lined with cotton.
Dimensions: Sizes vary. Most animals approx. 13" tall
Price: $40
Northwest Slug Loveys
Materials: Polar tec, organic fleece and cotton Dimensions:10" x 4" x 3"
Price:$22
While not everyone thinks of a slug to be cozy, these little guys are an exception. They fit just right in the arms of your little one, and offer up comfort & companionship. Easily washable.
Available in gray (Sid), olive green (Avery), turquoise (Klaas) or lime green (Dafne).
