Noah's Room

Hey everyone!

Welcome back and thank you for coming by to view the living & dining room reveal last week! This week I wanted to share a bit of my son's room. I wanted to focus mostly on one side of his room because I honestly haven't decided to put anything above his crib. The reason is because he's a toddler and if I add any artwork, he may actually touch it & knock it down! -  I know other moms can relate to this.

I thought about some vinyl stars again, but just felt it would appear too cluttered. I already think it has a lot and that's due to the open West Elm Parsons shelf we added. BUT don't WORRY...the shelf is securely bolted to the wall! So remember, I would not recommend adding this to a toddler's room unless it is securely bolted, so safety first! My son is also NOT a climber thankfully!

So here it is, his little space that he enjoys and I think his favorite part is the table + 2 stools we got him from Sprout Kids. We also added two more chairs from Oeuf NYC which I absolutely love! We chose the Eco-Friendly Bear Play Chair set of 2 in Birch. You can also add these fun play stickers to your purchase as well! However, if you're feeling creative you can certainly purchase some craft paint & paint some faces yourself! Hope his space inspires you! 

-images by jen ramos

Resources: 

'lion book ends' not available but recommend these or these. 

Oeuf Nyc Bear Ear chairs set of 2 via Barneys

beaumont white book ledge via Land Of Nod.  

Star Lamp by Fromage La Rue 

sensory play space divider by Edu2Toys

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Kids Clothing Available!

 Hey guys, we have been going through a lot of changes in the last day or two. It's been very tough and at times stressful. Unfortunately, I also decided to close down my Cocoa & Hearts kids shop because I was spreading myself too thin.  But we have a BIG SALE there and all tees & sweaters are now 30% off, everything must go! 

Also, many moms have asked about Noah's clothing & if I was selling the items that no longer fit him. I've been meaning to do this for a long time now! he will be 2 years old next month, and I finally got around to posting some online for sale. Finally. Please visit that sale here.

-post by jen ramos

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Creative Toys for Kids: edu2toys

Hey guys! I wanted to highlight a new learning toy we got recently.

edu2toys is a company based out of Lithuania that believes in the power of creative education. They understand that each child has his or her own unique greatness. So, they developed tools & toys that nurture & empower kids to become their best self! I'm totally down with that! 

As a mom, I find myself wondering what types of activities to do with my toddler.  I've tried playing ball, coloring & even making a spider out of a craft materials, he wasn't that interested.  Throughout the 'trying'  I found myself wondering if I was doing something wrong? -   I've had better luck when he & I painted together & read books.  As a mom, I am realizing more & more that early childhood is an important stage of development where my little guy is exploring & curious about every single thing!  He's obsessed with looking into everything.

I came across edu2toys & I love that they believe that developing creativity in our children is a duty to be shared by both teachers & parents. So true! They also explain that in order to understand children we need to try & listen closely to what they say, their facial expressions, the look in their eyes & even analyze their drawings.  KIDS tend to communicate via emotions, shadow play, music, art of sculpture, storytelling, drawing, drama and a multitude of other verbal and non-verbal means of self-expression. So, my husband I wanted to bring more creativity into Noah's play area where he would be able to express himself more....so, we chose a few items from edu2toys.

The one I'll be sharing with you today is the - Sensory Play Space Divider.  It's a modular space divider.  It helps develop sensory skills & also imagination! You can also use this to divide an area in their room and create activity zones & quiet reading time.  I love toys that help Noah develop skills, for example this space divider is valuable because it helps with:

• fine motor skills
• self-expression & imagination
• communication skills
• aesthetics

You can do a lot with this space divider such as folding the panels in a circle to create a house! We did that for Noahs's room & we also got the felt wool berries - which I LOVE!! I must admit, he hasn't quite mastered the creativity aspect of it, but I think the more we practice.... the more he will understand that play time is about imagining & creating! 

 Check out more cool toys and tools on edu2toys

-pics by jen ramos

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New Sweatshirt for the kids!!

Hey guys, I know many of us are anticipating Thanksgiving for some time off......but I wanted to give you a heads up & let you know we launched a new design in a sweatshirt! Check it out here in our kids shop : Cocoa & Hearts. - perfect timing as the weather is already getting chilly! - This unisex sweatshirt is only available in gray & in sizes 2T-4T for toddlers!

PLUS...you will get a FREE Hot Pink heart print with each sweater purchase! 

available at cocoa & hearts

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Real Life: Balance

Being a mom & running a business is HARD work. There aren't enough hours in a day to do both as well as I'd like. I admit it. There are days I wish I had my nanny even longer, but then I'd never spend time with my son. It's all about perfecting balance I guess.....& that, I am still working on. Today I looked down at my little guy & he was wearing this t-shirt I designed. Says "mom & dad are my heroes" .... It made me smile. ...that maybe he thought I was doing just great... That in his eyes, I was HIS HERO.  

It made all this hard work today...feel a little better.

Follow more on my instagram.

T-shirt from my shop -  Cocoa & Hearts

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Hey Moms, Check out the new shop!

Hey everyone! I have been working on some new things theses days, my apologies that I am not on here as much. However, for those not following on social media, you can now see the new Kids shop I've launched!

The t-shirts are for KIDS (boys & girls) 10 styles in the launch collection! We just LAUNCHED today! Shop for your kiddos give them as gifts ...Check them out at Cocoa & Hearts & take advantage of our launch discount code.

-pic by sage and sparkle

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Cocoa & Hearts News

Hey everyone! Hope this Monday is going good for you! -  I thought I'd pop in & update you on this NEW Kids t-shirt line we are putting together!!  We are actually re-doing our entire Cocoa & Hearts website + re-branding it.  The Cocoa & Hearts site will no longer be paintings, but you can go to Made By Girl if you're looking to have me paint an original painting for you. Sound good?

The new Cocoa & Hearts logo will look like this (below) & we will be seeking out a few K-I-D-S brand ambassadors. That means.... we will send them a few t-shirts in exchange for some cool pics on social media, tagging us & letting others know where to find the line!  The kids will be carefully selected based on your social media account, follower count etc.  Excited to introduce this to all of you! I know this is a different route and I may have many people un-follow me or stop reading the blog all together...because you you preferred to see home decor....& that's ok. When I first started Made By Girl, I had only 7 followers, so I understand what it's like to be at ZERO pretty much (if I have to be).  BUT, I really hope to have your support through this in any way, especially all YOU moms!

As I mentioned before - we'll be launching about 8-10 t-shirt designs to start with. Can't wait to see which is your favorite.  Sizes will range from 18 Months old - 4 years of age. Please don't forget, if you'd like be notified of the launch date - SIGN UP to our mailer at Cocoa & Hearts.  XO

-post by jen ramos

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Revealed: What's Next

Hey guys! I am finally REVEALING the main reason why I haven't been on my blog much.
For those of you who've been with me since the beginning in 2006 - and remember my first post ...it may seem odd that I've been taking such a BIG break from blogging!  But like everything else in life, this too gets a bit boring.  Sometimes we just need a break, a refresher.... to re-think what else we'd like to try & hopefully accomplish in our lives.  So, here's a small look into what I've been working on lately.

Ever since Noah popped into the mix - I've been thinking more & more about clothing for KIDS.  I LOVE TO CREATE.  I love painting, drawing, designing & coming up with new ideas & concepts. In fact, both of my businesses were about ART that I created for people's homes.  So, after contemplating this for quite some time,  I decided to try my hand at a market that is completely saturated & competitive.  I'm talking about kids apparel. 

Trust me, I realize I am taking a BIG risk in jumping into an industry that is already full of wonderful talent. Even with the same hesitation & fear many of you felt at first... I am ready & here I come!

As I said, this is a NEW market for me.  My head keeps going back & forth between fear & excitement.  I had forgotten what this fear felt like after running my previous business, Made By Girl for over 10 years.  Throughout that time, I remember many women emailing me & asking how they could start their own businesses. They always wondered if they would be able to put aside their own fears & introduce their business ideas to the world.  I often wonder what many of those women ended up doing.  Well, here I am, back at the 'starting line' with another adventure ready to be introduced. 

For me, this is yet another medium to express my art.  I am super EXCITED about these hand-drawn designs for kids tees I created.  I really think other moms will love them too!  The t-shirts are all screen-printed & we will be launching ONLY 8-10 designs to start! We will ACTUALLY be RE-branding the Cocoa & Hearts website & launching it into this new brand. Hope it doesn't cause too much confusion! If you want to know the launch date + news updates -  feel free to sign up to the newsletter here.

I hope you will welcome this NEW & fun kids brand we are launching SOON - from one MAMA to another, THANK YOU in advance!!!!

-images & post by jen ramos

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