Friday, March 30, 2012

Next we'll tackle CNN...or Martha....or....

A week ago, our local news featured K&P in the arts & entertainment section. Little ol' K&P! I was honoured, but I'll admit....couldn't watch it until I'd been assured by friends and family that I wasn't a total idiot on TV or had a booger hanging out of my nose or something.

I'm posting here because, well, if you're reading this blog then maybe it stands to reason that you're interested in Koo & poppet stuff. Also Sadie and her bare feet are pretty adorable.


* oh yeah, and I'm referred to as "O'Neill"....hey, it was right around St. Patty's day so I'll just go with it....maybe it will bring the luck of the Irish ;)

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Love for the Little Guy

I know some stay-at-home parents who would rather not attempt to brave public places with two youngsters in tow. There's the constant danger of an unpredictable meltdown in the grocery store check-out, the need to maintain a heightened sense of "potty radar", and the sacred nap-time that is not to be altered or messed with. Us, we've never been slaves to nap times, for better or for worse. We go places we want to go, when we want to go there (within reason). Sadie and Amelia have always been cooperative car and stroller sleepers and are no worse for wear. I admit there are times when I question why I attempted this errand or that with the kids, but for the most part, I'm glad I'm not on house arrest 5 days a week. We have to get out and about to maintain sanity. There are places to go and people to see.

But the other day, for reasons unknown, I thought to myself "I think it's time Sadie had a Happy Meal." Go ahead and judge. McDonald's is disgusting. But I figure most kids are eventually going to have an experience with a mcnugget and a playplace, and the first time might as well be under my supervision. Kind of like when you drink alcohol underage for the first time, some parents offer up their liquor cabinet just so they know the shenanigans are taking place as safely as possible under their own roof. So we went to McDonalds. The playplace was in a separate room all together, one with some of the poorest air quality I have ever experienced. Zero ventilation. It smelled like a cross between a locker room and a Diaper Genie. Hand Foot and Mouth disease was practically visible on the tube slides. Sadie declined a play. I breathed a sigh of relief. We wasted no time getting out of there once the Happy Meal was consumed.

Thank GOODNESS, on days where we need to get out somewhere, thank GOODNESS for places like Drumroaster Coffee in nearby Cobble Hill. We live in a fairly rural area and the pickin's are slim. I miss living in Vancouver where there are SO many unique little cafes and eateries to choose from. Sadie refers to Drumroaster as the "Robot Shop" because there's a metal sculpture of a robot creature outside. Inside is a funky, family-owned, CLEAN coffee shop with character and pride. They roast their own beans and build their business based on exposing the industry involved in this process. It's kid-friendly, design-minded, and flavour-focused. And I like their packaging so much that I even keep the empty bags of coffee beans when we're done with them.

The girls and I are so grateful for places like this. More accurately, I am so grateful for places like these because they keep me from going crazy at home and the girls are grateful when I don't go crazy at home. An extra strong espresso (last time I had a triple-shot), minus the infectious diseases on Monday afternoons that are never-ending? Yes, that sounds about right.



Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Amped up

Here is a funny little tidbit about me:

I have a major thing for ampersands. Car buffs might have a thing for vintage Aston Martins, and me, well as a designer I have a love affair with type. I don't know what it is about the ampersand....but it probably has something to do with the limitless ways it can be stylized and represented:


...it gives any text some personality....what would Koo & Poppet be without it?


Few words are represented by a symbol as universally recognizable as the ampersand. For a little conjunction, and sure gets dressed up.


this one is brilliant in its simplicity and ingenuity (designer epiphany, no doubt):

red & black, rock & roll:

images via here

Monday, March 5, 2012

A Carousel of Time

One of the best things about having little girls is getting to watch preschool ballet classes. A sea of pink tulle and mostly Elaine Benes-esque moves make for a very entertaining half hour. They are darn cute. Next year, Sadie will be old enough for regular classes, the kind where parents (yes, dads too) don't participate, don't assist with the donning of costume tiaras and butterfly wings, don't stand off to the side, shutters snapping. I'll be dropping her off and returning an hour later to pick her up and hoping that she'll tell me a bit about it. Next will come kindergarten. Then sleepovers. Then trips to Europe. Then jobs in different cities.


When I stop bunny hopping briefly to pick up my camera and take a photo of my budding ballerina, she says: "No, Mama, you're suppos' a do it with me."

I'll take it while I can get it.