Category Archive

room decor

Mini cribs transform your small space into something your kid can snooze in

Looking for something your baby can safely sleep in that also won’t take up a ton of space? GO FOR THE MINI CRIB! We’re long-time fans and so is Karen.

Where can we score affordable baby furniture that’s not so… khaki?

My wife and I are doing some pre-baby furniture shopping, in the hopes of avoiding a mega-spree of spending all in one expensive rush. We live in a smallish Manhattan apartment, with no room for a full-size crib, so we are pretty drawn to the idea of a co-sleeper — but why are they so… ugly?

We share our one-bedroom apartment with our baby and we like it this way

My husband and I were usually met with three or four questions after we announced that I was pregnant. From the benign “When are you due?” and “What are you having?” to the rude “Was it planned?” and a fourth question was posed: “When are you moving?”

A DIY alternative to a chalkboard wall

I’ve been wanting some sort of chalkboard in my son Jackson’s playroom for some time now — I just wasn’t sure what would work. The room was built to be a living room and has outlets everywhere. We have the baby-proofed, but the placement of the outlets blocked me from being able to just paint a chalkboard onto the walls.

When I discovered chalkboard spray paint exists, I knew just what I wanted to do…

Yep, my kid still sleeps in a closet: our post-crib sleeping solution

Those of you who have read Offbeat Families for a while may recall that, since my family of three shares a one-bedroom home, our son’s bedroom is a converted walk-in closet. It’s worked out really well for us, but my son Octavian is now a very large 19-months-old (seriously: dude is bigger than some of his three-year-old friends. He won a genetic lottery) and his second-hand crib was on the small side of things to begin with. It’s become increasingly clear that it was time for our son to graduate to his next bedding situation: a pile of crap from Ikea on the floor.

You can’t really call it art until there’s a Darth Vader portrait involved

You know how you’ve been looking for a portrait of Spock screaming “I LOVE HAN SOLO!!” your whole life? Ask and you shall receive, kids!

Toddler beds and bedding that isn’t covered up with characters

Getting ready to pimp your kid’s room? Check out these suggestions — including everything from zebra-striped pillow cases to a day-glo orange bed that comes with a matching chair.

A rustic kid’s play house built with flea market finds and scratch

Claudia created this wooden play house for her daughter from corrugated plastic and items from a local flea market — AND it has a pool!