Cool Stuff: Micki Kids' Tables

Super-genius idea, and super-cute to boot: These kids' table-and-stool sets from Swedish company Micki have wheels for easy mobility and an integrated catch-all basket that you can simply toss those toys and art supplies into once playtime's done.

If someone made an adult coffee-table version of this -- with a bottom basket for magazines, remotes, and so on -- I would be all over it.

The Snake, Hedgehog, and Crocodile sets are $115 from the Scandinavian Design Center.

Etsy Find of the Day: Sleeping Forest Spinning Tops

How sweet are these hand-lathed and hand-colored wooden tops from Etsy seller Sleeping Forest Studios (aka Nova Scotia woodworkers and newlyweds Jai and Lauren Soloy)?

They're $18 for a set of three right here. (And don't miss the rest of the beautiful handcrafted wooden objects for sale in the Soloys' Etsy shop.)

Cool Stuff: Alexander Girard Goodies

Here's one for the not-just-for-kids category: Wooden blocks based on the work of renowned midcentury designer Alexander Girard, who created textiles for the Herman Miller company, furniture for Knoll, and the swingin' mod brand identity for Braniff Airways.

The blocks feature playful alphabet letters based on Girard's font collection (perfect for spelling out messages on the coffee table), as well as colorful designs and even a retro-style graphic puzzle. The set of 28 blocks is $100 from House Industries.

While we're on the subject of Girard, here are a few more products that midcentury graphic-design enthusiasts and Girard fans might enjoy:

This 24-by-36-inch lithograph created for an American Institute of Graphic Arts lecture on Girard in New Mexico last year is $35, also from House Industries.

FLOR will soon be releasing a collection of Girard carpet tiles based on his eye-popping designs for the La Fonda Del Sol restaurant in New York City.

(Pssst -- click on over to the mod*mom blog to enter a giveaway for the Girard FLOR tiles.)

Chronicle Books' Alexander Girard, $14, includes 20 of the man's exuberantly cheerful designs on notecards.

The design on this Fruit Tree Pillow, $79 from máXimo, was taken from a 1961 Girard drapery pattern.

Girard's Quatrefoil Pink Pillow for Maharam is $150 at Velocity Art + Design.

A set of six limited-edition folk art-inspired wooden dolls from Vitra, based on Girard's 1963 originals, is $820 at Zinc Details.

A reissue of the 1948 walnut-veneer Girard Coffee Table for Knoll is $745 at Design Within Reach.

This set of 25 vintage Girard-designed Herman Miller fabric samples has a starting bid of $75 on eBay. What would you do with them?

Got $6,000 to $9,000 burning a hole in your pocket? Head over to eBay Live Auctions to place your bid on this minty vintage Alexander Girard/Herman Miller Sofa.

This vintage 1950s framed Girard tapestry, $3,000 on 1stdibs, measures an impressive 57 by 46 inches.

Girard designed this pair of swanky marble-topped side tables, currently listed on 1stdibs, for Braniff in 1965. (Contact dealer for the price; in my experience, though, items on 1stdibs fall squarely in the Don't. Even. Ask. range.)

To learn more about Alexander Girard and his creations, pick up a copy of the book Alexander Girard Designs for Herman Miller by Leslie Pina, $36 at Amazon.

Etsy Find of the Day: The Good Machinery Softies

Italy's The Good Machinery makes some amazing art, and I was delighted to discover that she recently added a collection of oddly lovable softies to her Etsy shop. (Above: Set of Three, $45.)

Each handmade, hand-washable creation is a character from the artist's sketchbook, brought to life via a heat-transferred print onto 100-percent recycled cotton. They'd be a lovely Easter basket surprise for a little one in your life, or even a quirkily winsome addition to a couch, chair, or shelf for an imaginative adult.

Take a look:

Heartbroken Wolf Man and His Lucky Tree, $24

La Duchesse Lola, $17

The Witch of Good Luck and the Yuta She Keeps Her Magic In, $24

Decko, $17

Circus Bear, $17

French Ghost Abandoned by His Maid and His Castle Burning in Jealousy and Flames, $24

See all of the offerings in The Good Machinery's Etsy shop right here -- and check out more of her work here.

Cool Stuff: Wallies Chalkboard Squares

Go ahead -- write on the wall.

A pack of four removable, repositionable peel-and-stick chalkboard sheets is $17 from WallCandy Arts.

A four-pack of white dry-erase squares is also available for $10. Perfect for a kid's room, a home office, an entry hall, the fridge ...

Cool Tool: Foldschool

Here's an interesting weekend project for you crafty types with kids: Making children's furniture from cardboard.

Thanks to Foldschool, you can download free plans for crafting playroom stools, chairs, and rockers from those leftover moving boxes that are gathering dust in the garage.

Each design is rated for difficulty, time required, and the stability of the resulting piece as well as the age it's appropriate for.

Get schooled right here.

Cool Stuff: Kristian Vedel Birds

These winsome wooden birds were dreamed up as children's toys by Danish designer Kristian Vedel almost 50 years ago -- but they'll bring joy to the Danish-modern loving grownups on your list, too.

The oak birds are $45 to $69 each right here.

Cool Stuff: For the Mod Tot

Modern Gingerbread House, $78 from Red Envelope

Aren't gingerbread houses basically made from graham crackers, tubs of store-bought cake frosting, leftover Halloween candy, and paper plates? (Not that I've ever made one with my own kids, mind you -- I told you I'm not crafty. But when they bring them home from school, at least that's what they appear to be constructed from.)

If you're looking for an actual fancy gingerbread house kit, though -- and if you're the kind of strict modernist who insists that your offspring or other young 'uns in your life be reared with the proper reverence for your chosen aesthetic -- then the gingerbread house above is most definitely the one for you. (Thanks for the tip, hansfamily!)

While we're here, a couple more kids' modern stocking stuffers that may be up your alley:

M is for Modern Alphabet Cards, $25 from Jargon Boy

Forget "Apple," "Banana," and "Cat" -- try flashing "A-Frame," "Bauhaus" and "Constructivist" with these clever alphabet cards. Because it's never too soon to start schooling your mini in the basic tenets of Midcentury design.

Villa Sibi Dollhouse, $690 from Sparkability

Hey, they've got to learn sooner or later that good design doesn't come cheap.