Wow!  Goldilocks, Rapunzel, 3 Little Pigs, The Ugly Duckling… they’re all here but not as we know them.  When I came across these kids room posters of classic fairytales, I couldn’t quite believe my eyes.  I never imagined it would be possible to strip down these cute kiddy classics to such a level of minimalism.  And it works.  At least it works for me.  I don’t think it will suit everyone’s taste but I like it for it’s creativity and wit.  I also love the warm colours Christian Jackson, the artist has used.  And even if it’s not for you, don’t you think they’re still very worth looking at? 

I can see these fairytale posters adorning a super modern kids room but I can also imagine them equally at home in an uber minimalist adult space.  I’m finding it hard to choose a favourite but I am quite partial to Goldilocks and the 3 Bears and The ugly Duckling ones.  Having said that, the Pinocchio and Rapunzel posters are pretty cool too.  You can see the complete collection at Square Inch Design or if you want to buy, Modern Child have a selection on offer.

P.S. I love searching for cool, unusual nursery and kids room art.  So if you want to see my other finds, head over to the Nursery Wall Art area.

While browsing the marketplace that is Etsy, I found these Spanish hand made cardboard toys called ‘Paper Friends’.  These whimsical art toys are the creation of an illustrator called Blanca Helga who is enamoured with the world of children and it shows.  The art toys can be played with or can be decorations too.  But I think they would make fabulously unusual kid’s room art – just pop them in a frame and job done.  I’m really loving the folk art vibe coming through the creations and I’m loving their all round quirkiness.  If you’re looking for kids room art that is truly unique and individual then I can’t think of anything better.  You’ll find these hand made cardboard art toys over at Blanca Helga’s etsy store or you can check out her own site too.

“Simplicity is the glory of expression” [Walt Whitman]… that is the philosophy behind Pancake & Franks and a philosophy I subscribe to whole-heartedly.  That’s probably why I’m loving this nursery art so much.  Colourful graphics against a white background make for children’s art so modern, fresh and of course simple.  This cool art that I discovered while browsing Bloesem Kids (a blog so beautiful) can be personalised with a name, date of birth and any other details you fancy.  The graphic images are childish enough without being cutesy and could easily adorn the walls of a nursery, a play space or even the room of much older kids.  It’s hard to choose a favourite but I am drawn to the elephant and camel one… I just love the camel silhouette brought to life with the camel jewellery (I don’t think it’s really camel jewellery but you know what I mean!).  The prints are all available at Pancake & Franks who you’ll need to email for any orders outside the USA.

On the weekend while browsing Buy Modern Baby, I came across Kate Durkin and I couldn’t wait to share her goodies with you.  Kate makes the loveliest nursery art and some adorable throw pillows in animal shapes.  The pillows are also perfect as hug-able soft toys for babies and young kids.  Her style is clean and simple which gives her goodies their huge appeal.  I love all the artwork… there’s a certain softness of style and a sophistication which makes them appealing for kids and adults too.   The pillows too would look equally at home on a living room sofa or in a kiddy space.  I’m extremely partial to style that has no age boundaries and that’s what Kate manages to do so well.  The soft toys cost from $28 and the prints from $18.  Kate Durkin is based in New York but she ships worldwide from her Etsy store.

I was browsing fab.com the other week when something bold and bright caught my eye.  I clicked and I was confronted with the most delicious kids posters by Ingela Arrhenuis.  How amazingly attractive are these posters?  They’re fun, they’re super colourful and they instantly made me smile.  Be it a nursery space, a toddler room or even a play space for older kids, these posters will instantly bring the walls to life… just check out the pictures of the rooms above.  You could be bold and go for many or stick to one or two for that splash of colour.

Ingela is a Swedish lady who describes her style as naive and one that is influenced by her love of designs from the 50′s and 60′s.  There’s a definite vintage-retro vibe to these glorious posters but with a contemporary twist.  I am truly in love!  You can get a selection of posters from Hus & Hem where they cost £18.95 each.  There are also some animal puzzles on offer which are seriously tempting and I don’t mean just for the kids!

I am seriously in love with these striking prints not just as nursery art or play room art, but for an adult space too.  I love a find that has no age boundaries and this is definitely one of those.  The colours are beautiful… so vibrant and bold and the tones so complimentary.  If I had to choose a favourite I think it would have to be the peacock art work.  Birds often embellish baby room decor but it’s not often that the majestic peacock makes an appearance.  Then again I do love the one called ‘Elephant with a big dream’ too.  Created by Keith, an illustrator and graphic designer from Hong-Kong, his art is his unique take on nature and animal life.  Keith sells this beautiful nursery (or not nursery!) art over at his etsy store called Dekanimal and the prints cost from $20 plus worldwide shipping at $3.50.

Yesterday I discovered Coordonne Kids and my heart skipped a beat.  It’s a Spanish store that makes and sells children’s wallpapers and wall murals.  I do have a thing for wallpapers I know, but this store is seriously special.  While their current collection is very lovely, it was their new collection that had my heart fluttering.  The wall coverings on offer range from dancing flamenco ladies wearing the brightest dresses to comical looking cute birdies in a variety of colours .  These wallpapers for kids are just so cool especially the flamenco one.  Actually I love the comical birds one too.  They’re lots of fun and would make fabby feature walls.

To check out the collection head to Coordonne Kids.  If you’re tempted by their wares you’ll have to contact them as there aren’t any prices on their site.  While you’re there check out the adult collection too.  Although I’m keener on the kids lot and I could just see the flamenco ladies adorning the walls of a very quirky but cool dining room.  Spanish design just gets hotter by the day! 

P.S. Did you see the Spanish designed outdoor ride-on toys? Don’t miss it.

I recently came across the wonderful world of Jane Reiseger.  An Aussie artist who creates nursery murals so sweet, so stunning.  Large scale childlike drawings of birds, trees and animals that add bags of unique style to any wall.  I think what grabs me the most about her creations is their simplicity.  All the drawings are in outline so they don’t take over but yet create quite an impact.  And of course the drawings completely appeal to my love for all things minimal, especially this kind of minimalism with heart.

Jane Reiseger does private commissions too but as she’s based in Melbourne, you’ll need to fly her over (unless of course you happen to be a Melbournian).   For the rest of us, you can get her work over at The Wall Sticker Company who sell stickers of her drawings.  Jane’s own shop is closed while she’s busy making new goodies to tempt us with… I can’t wait.  The Wall Sticker Company has some lovely animal stickers including my favourite the hippo carrying the little birdie.  And you even get to customise by choosing your own colour combos.  The stickers cost from AUD 110 and shipping is offered worldwide from around AUD 22.

Yesterday I had a massive dig around the world wide web.  The mission was of course to find more gorgeous goodies to share with you.  I’m happy to say: mission accomplished.  One of my most favourite finds was Emilie Vast.  A french artist/designer who mainly creates children’s books as well as jewellery and also transforms her illustrations in to beautiful stationery and wall art.  Her work immediately grabbed my imagination and I don’t think it’s difficult to see why.  It is truly beautiful and has a delicacy and sophistication which makes it childish but with bags of appeal for adults too.

Emile Vast’s books and illustrations use a lot of black, white and grey with splashes of bold colour.  It all comes together to create visuals so eye-catching.  Even though all her children’s books are in French I’m still seriously tempted.  You don’t need words to appreciate art this stunning.  At the moment I’ve found a small selection of her work for sale over at the very lovely Poisson Bulle (you’ll be hearing more about them another day).  They’ve got specially commissioned wall declas and books by Emilie on offer.  Prices range from €10 for a book and between €15 – €69 for the decals and shipping is €18 to the UK.  Worldwide shipping is also on offer.  If I find more stuff, I promise you’ll be the first to know.

Last week I popped in to Ham and was greeted by scooting pigs, jumping rabbits and prancing horses, I kid you not!   Before you think I’ve lost it, just hold your horses. Ham is a new British store creating quirky black and white wares for the home.  Bold silhouettes of happy go lucky pigs, horses and rabbits adorn tea towels, mugs, greeting cards and more.  And all 100% British made.

Of all the goodies on offer it was the photogram wall prints that caught my eye.  A teeny-tiny animal sits proudly against a black as night background.  Cool, quirky style perfect for a nursery or play space.  Pop it in a black frame to keep the look pure or jazz it up with a bright coloured frame and feast your eyes on this striking wall display. Stunning, especially the purple.

Ham offers cool, minimal style with lots of heart.  Created by Jo Robinson, the offerings are fit for any age;  just the kind of thing we love around here.  To check out their wares head to hammade, their online store or drop by their pop-up store in Carnaby Street which is around till 14th August 2011.  The photogram prints cost £26 each and delivery is £4.75 for the UK or £9.75 to Europe.