The perfect little side table for a nursery

The other day I was checking out Restoration Hardware on Broadway. I was so inspired by the light weathered woods of the furniture.

Around the same time, I saw this  perfect little side table . Sometimes, a customer is just looking for a little table to sit next to a glider.  A table that will be large enough for a bottle or glass of water, a burp cloth  and cell phone. A little one can bang on it like a drum. No worries. These are the small requirements.

So the little table is now in the shop.

See you.

Christina

Silhouettes

I took a long weekend away from Cici Crib to visit with my family in Pittsburgh. My parents moved to Pittsburgh  after I graduated from college. My sister followed  after burning out of the New York fashion scene a few years ago.  They live in the Shadyside section of Pittsburgh, a  beautiful neighborhood bordering Carnegie Mellon University.  Because the city is so rich in history, the best antiques and vintage items  that have passed through Cici Crib come from Pittsburgh  auction houses.  My mother and sister are avid collectors of just about everything. They were excited about these 19th century children silhouettes the moment they saw them at the auction preview last month. I loved them. There is a lot of discussion amongst the three of us.   I set a budget and actually won all of them. The children are cut from paper, then enhanced by pencil.

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The silhouette of the boy is just so sweet. I will keep him . The picture was small enough to fit into my luggage.  He sits in my livingroom now.

Silhouettes have always been popular. I have some from the 1920's that are in my powder room.

This is a fun one.  It's on an old cake tin.

Modern silhouettes have been reinvented  using different materials.  Some are cut from vintage wallpaper.  They are large. They are an easy way to decorate. Great for playrooms to nurseries. I love these by  Inke Heiland that are in the shop now.

Some silhouettes are cut out of  vinyl. Because the  vinyl is micro thin, the images  almost look painted onto the wall. They are a breeze to apply and most are removable. A great invention. Your child outgrows them and they can easily come off. There are so many brands  and the images seem to get more complex and interesting every year. Here are some that are in the shop.

Painted silhouettes can also make a great design statement in a room.

How cool!

See you.

Christina

Overflowing with Flowers

Flowers were bursting in many store windows around the city last week.

Fantastic paper flowers in Kate's Paperie in Soho.

Completely covering the window at the tasty Teuscher.

Anthropologie in Chelsea showed some  enormous playful  looking flowers. Looks like they were made out of paper mache.

Even Cici Crib has an overflow

Inside there were lots of flowers to discuss. Bedding for a little girl's big girl bed  is inspired by   the nicely exagerated flowers on the fabric of the window treatments.

A possible combination for bedding and a  headboard  to complement the  flowery treatments.

Another customer wanted to look at light fixtures that were not chandeliers. It is her third daughter. The first 2 had lovely chandeliers in their room. So we came up with this white rose wrapped  fixture from Maura Daniel.

After 2 sweet sons, another customer is awaiting the birth of her first little girl.  For her nursery, a delicate floral chandelier was in order..

An then there was the Mom  looking for art for her tween. Art by Jacqueline Shapiro for Oopsy Daisy.

or maybe

Lot's of different styles but one focus, flowers...

See you.

Christina

Opening day at the Flea Market

The Doherty household was up early this Sunday. Justin and Miles were scrambling to get  out the door for a tournament on Long Island. James and  I were readying ourselves for our first flea market  outing of  the season.  James is my new flea market buddy. He started to go with me last year. He is the perfect partner. We work well together. He knows that for me, it is serious buying for the shop. I have interests and he has interests.  He  is thirteen and is very strong willed. "No way Mom is that ever going to sell." "If you buy that I am not going to help you take it to the car."  "Oh, that is so cute." "I want to help you build your dollhouse."  That's  my James. I love everything vintage. It is the backbone of Cici Crib. It's inspiration for the new stuff in the shop. It is about finding vintage accessories to go in the shop.

It was a dusty, gusty start at the flea market. We arrived after eight. I knew from the amount of cars in the lot that we were too late for uncovering any super treasures.

I found a few pieces of art. But as I laid them out at home, I realized that they will need a ton of clean up and repair before they are allowed into the shop. Sigh...

The Currier and Ives print is so lovely. The little girl has a cane in one hand and her doll in the other. Perfect for a little girl's nursery or bedroom.  It's title, "Grandfather's Cane." The dealer asked if I was a cane collector. No just a shop owner.

The 1960's Circus litho is so stylish. Really nice in  a modern nursery. Needs a hefty cleaning.

I bought a group of children books from the 1920's-1940's. They are not in great condition. But the illustrations are crisp and vibrant. Time to talk to Judy at Framings, an absolutely top notch frame shop across the street from Cici Crib.

The dealer told me Rags was a precursor to Raggady Ann.

Mother Goose

Peter Rabbit

Wynken Blynken and Nod

I found a little metal train. Inside the train, it reads  Midge Toy, Rockford, ILL. USA.

One day I will make my own dollhouse. I had a great one growing up. For now I collect items for it. Maybe when I retire I will make one.  I found this metal  refrigerator . The dealer and I think it was an advertising piece from General Electric. It is the perfect size. It will fit into my imaginary dollhouse 1/12 scale.

James was happy with his purchases. He found some steel pennies from 1943. He is discovering political memorabilia. We came home with our little treasures. It's back to reality.  Time to prepare for the week ahead. James tells me about his 5:00 A.M. departure for  Washington DC this Tuesday. Oops, I forgot about his field trip. Time to get packing.

See you.

Christina