modern twist

Eco

OnSugar Blog: The Coolest Green Living Placemats Cum Art Kits For Kids

Lots of moms like to think out loud, and houseofanais is one of them.

Lots of moms like to think out loud, and houseofanais is one of them. Here is one the latest posts to her House of Anais blog.

Miss Anais happily colouring

I know we are not the greenest family in the country, but we are trying to do our fair share on recycling, walking, shorter showers (miss Anaïs so enthusiastically uses her water timer for everyone), etc. We also try to live a relatively healthy lifestyle by eating more local and organic produce, avoiding BPA and other chemicals, and so on — and I recently also blogged about my quest for safer equipment in my start of the school year story. Basically, we updated the kids' school kits to these cute and eco-friendly lunch bags, food containers, and water bottles.

So recently we were asked if we wanted to test some environmentally-friendly products, and the whole family was very excited to try some out. The kids selected these cool placemats from Modern Twist, made out of food-grade silicone (they are very flexible so none of those bent corners that normally happen to our plastic placemats). What is so cool about them is that you can color them — and immediately I was thinking of long car journeys, sticking them in my handbag when going for restaurant meals (double benefits for being able to scrap all that falling food back to the place and entertaining kids as nonchain restaurants don't normally have activity packs for kids, and the waits time are long). We'll see soon how all that works as we are heading on our Yosemite road trip!

Oh how they loved coloring these placemats — for once, they stayed at the table eating the dinner and then coloring their pictures. Poor little Hugo got sidelined a bit as his rather artistic daddy wanted to also have a go too when enjoying his sushi. My tip would be to get one of these whiteboard erasers as it makes the cleaning of the placemats really quick. I also liked their coloring pens as they are child safe — and easy to wash off from clothes if an accident happens (unlike some other pens . . .)

My verdict all in all — we all love them, they are very cute and safe and can be used for many purposes — highly recommended!

Meal 1 colouring outcome

And this is how far the kids got after meal one — and can one tell a difference between a 2-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy? Or maybe he just has a very modern style . . .

Want to see more? Start following House of Anais, or start your own OnSugar blog. It's easy, it's free, and we just may feature your content on our site!

Holiday

Decorate Your Holiday Children's Table With DwellStudio Mats

Set your holiday children's table with a take-home present for each tot!

Set your holiday children's table with a take-home present for each tot! The folks over at DwellStudio have recognized the genius of Modern Twist's color-on place mats and partnered up with them for a line of tot-geared mats that will debut in December. From a pink wide-line bird design (ideal for kiddos who have trouble keeping markers between tight lines) to a bold green cityscape that leaves a road open for a youngster to map out his own art, the creations hold a tyke's attention. Sold as a Kids Boxz, a set includes one BPA-free mat and six nontoxic dry-erase markers ($29). For party throwers who want to get particularly festive, wrap a bow around each child's place setting and serve it as a gift!

Shopping

Casa Shops: Modern-twist

San Francisco-based Modern-twist is a shop after my own heart — it manages a beautiful balance of lovely design and smart functionality.


San Francisco-based Modern-twist is a shop after my own heart — it manages a beautiful balance of lovely design and smart functionality. A collaboration between founder Kat Nouri and independent designers, Modern-twist has created some very cool designs for the home, with the idea of creating modern products that feel organic. Modern-twist also donates one percent of profits to One Percent For The Planet.

One of my favorite products from Modern-twist is their hand silk-screened non-toxic silicone placemats and coasters. Printed with botanical and nature-inspired images, they embody the modern/organic feel that Modern-twist is going for. Something else I like? The Coaster Notz can be written on with ballpoint pen (the pen marks rub off), so you can also use them as place cards.