By Linda Demers

Outdoor art festivals and craft fairs are a highlight of my summer. On a beautiful day (we’ve been known to have them), nothing excites me more than being outside among festive shoppers looking at great handmade products and enjoying live entertainment. As a supporter of buying handmade and shopping local, I can find absolutely everything I need or want from artists in this area: clothes for adults and kids, jewelry, home décor, food, handbags, stationary, and even pet products. Local artists pour countless hours, honed skill, and love into each item they make.

One such artist is Providence’s Heather Toupin, a gocco screenprint artist who makes hip stationary and prints. Heather also makes custom cards, invitations, baby announcements, etc. If you want something truly unique and uber cool, then Heather is the one to call. Recenlty, she began screenprinting these adorable onesies modeled below by her little boy. You can meet Heather and see her designs at ArtBeat in Sommerville, MA, July 17 & 18 (more information below) and at Sowa Open Market in Boston, July 12 & 26. She also sells online here.

KIDOINFO DEAL: Heather has offered to give 10% off to anyone who mentions seeing her on kidoinfo  at any of her 3 shows.

Here are some upcoming July art shows that can be found within a 60 mile radius of Providence:

29th Annual East Providence Heritage Festival
July 17 – 19, 2009
Pierce Field, Lyon Avenue, East Providence RI
Artists, rides, music, food, children’s shows

IndieArts Fest ‘09
July 18, 2009
Kennedy Plaza, Downtown Providence, RI
Artists, performers, food

ArtBeat 2009 – Somerville…Of the Future
July 17 & 18, 2009
Davis Square, Somerville, MA
Music, performance art, crafts, dance, theater, food

Sowa Open Market
Open Sundays (excluding July 5) through October 25, 2009
540 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA

Linda Cox Demers moved to Barrington from Chicago with her two boys, ages 12 & 7, and husband.  She runs her handbag and accessories business, à la mode, from home and has recently discovered a passion for blogging.  As an independent designer herself, Linda enjoys promoting local artists and the “buy handmade” movement. Visit Linda’s blog at http://alamodestuff.blogspot.com.

I am fortunate to have so many wonderful people as part of the Kidoinfo family – many volunteering their time to create a parenting resource we love and find useful for our own families. Hearing from our readers that they also love and appreciate what we do makes my day. I am reprinting the most recent letter I received to share with everyone who helps make Kidoinfo what it is. Thank you.

Dear Kidoinfo,

I just wanted to send an email to let you know how much I thoroughly enjoy each and every post that I receive daily. Even if the post is not entirely relevant to my life right now (like breastfeeding, for example), I enjoy reading about everything! Even the lice one, so informational! I love the variety and diversity of everything posted on this site and the newsletter emails. I am feeling inspired week after week about doing projects with my child, visiting museums, and just getting an understanding about being a parent in this community and world. I feel completely confident raising a small child in Rhode Island because of this wonderful resource. I applaud everyone on your team who makes this such a success! Keep up the good work, everyone!

Your very loyal reader, mother of a three-year-old, and Warren resident,
Marny

After recently reading about real owls, I was reminded of one of my children’s favorite baby books, Owl Babies. I went online looking for more owls—here are some of my recent favorite finds—prints, toys and crafts:

Owl Babies board book (left) by Martin Waddell, illustrated by Patrick Benson and owl mobile (right) inspired by Japanese and Danish 60’s design available at weekend.

owl pillow – handmade with 100% wool felt from elsewares.

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A quick list of my favorite finds on the web this week.

• I love the design sensibility of Janet Morales and Stu Eli, the husband and wife team behind the website, three potato four, an online shop devoted to housewares, accessories, and vintage finds. And thanks to Design Sponge, you can get a sneak peek into their home.

• Find clever ideas for storing your kids’ artwork at cookiemag.com.

• The Whip Up blog is all about handcrafting and recently reviewed the fab new book, Making Stuff for Kids.

• This week I learned about Lindsey Carr on the Rag and Bone blog. She lives in Glasgow, Scotland and creates wonderful paper-craft puppet theaters in the wee hours of the night. You can buy one of her DIY paper theaters on her etsy site.

• If you like making your own birthday cakes, you can pre-order Matthew Mead’s new book, Cakes for Kids. Check out his new website for design inspiration.

Here is what I found recently while surfing the web…

• I read the Rag and Bone blog regularly—this week Jason introduced me to Jim Deneven and now I want to make beautiful patterns in the sand like this.
• MakeZine found this cool one-shot panorama camera, 360 gizmos, fun for kids (and adults) at the NYC Toy Fair.
• Find clever ways to display your kid’s collections in the last issue of Cookie.
• Read Parent Hacks on how you can still take your baby out in the snow without regular snow boots: Makeshift Ziploc bag “snow boots” for babies.
• Learn how to make your own finger-paint.
• The New York Times recently published a couple of interesting articles:
- How design conscious parents deal or don’t deal once kids join share their space—Parent Shock: Children Are Not Décor—Click on the comments to hear a variety of reader opinions.
- With the growing success of in vitro fertilization, the rate of triplets and higher-order multiples has steadily increased, doctors are now looking at Lowering Odds of Multiple Births.
• Nonchalantmom has moved down the street in Wakefield and is designing the fall nonchalant kid’s collection. Also thank you to Carina for introducing me to the lovely world of bloesem kids!

A quick list of my favorite finds on the web this week.

• On the Rag and Bone Blog, Jason introduced me to the artist, Jennifer Maestre who uses common materials like colored pencils in her sculptural work. Inspiring.
• The Style Files featured a home in Amsterdam where the couple living there made photo copies of their children’s drawings and used them as wallpaper. Check out the bold graphic wall statement.
• Lovely hand-cut paper valentine by Amy of angry chicken.
• Buy the brand new They Might Be Giants DVD/CD, Here Come The 123s (with Bonus Tracks and Video) exclusive from Amazon.com.
• Easy heart sun catcher project in the Kids Craft weekly newsletter—maybe we will adapt this craft for spring.
• I adore the shop, weekend in Orleans on Cape Cod—full of lovely things for kid, mom and home. Visit their redesigned website and check out their annual sale. If you like what you see, email Mari and tell her you are a Kidoinfo reader.

Wow! Kidoinfo is a winner of the 2007 Best of Rhode Island Awards in the Kid stuff category. As the new kid on the block, it’s an honor to have Kidoinfo recognized in its infancy. I created Kidoinfo to be a smart, useful online resource for families in the Providence area and beyond. As a mom of two young kids, I am always looking for ways to make parenting a little easier, more creative, and less stressful. Since officially launching the site in March (on Dr. Seuss’s birthday), the community response has been tremendous both online and off.

Thanks to everyone who voted, but thank you even more to all the great people who make Kidoinfo what it is. This site is possible because of the growing number of people who have joined the Kidoinfo team. Many thanks to Douglas Itkin (husband and tech guy), Nancy King (assistant editor), Katy Killilea (Grocery News and guest writer), Michelle Riggen-Ransom (Nature/Nurture), Mark Binder (Story of the Month), Kelly LaChance-Guertin (Ask Kelly), Providence Children’s Museum (monthly column), Shannon Mullen (intern), plus a number of contributing writers and the many friends, relatives and fellow parents who have provided valuable feedback and suggestions. It’s an honor to have the support of so many of you.

You know you’re a Superkido if you’re a kid (big or little) and you love adventures! Now kids can dress the part. Superkido T-shirts are now available at our online Kidoinfo store.

Mix and match your Superkido shirt with accessories from home. Cape and masks not included.

My son D said, “Mom, that’s fine if you design the shirt but it is up to the kids to come up with their own superpowers.” True. Have fun, be safe, get creative.

Download your official Superkido certificates–includes a place to list superpowers.

Have a Superkido story? Click on comments below and tell us about it.