3. Sport a statement jacket
Adding a printed jacket or blazer to any outfit can launch you from a bland to chic vibe in seconds. If you don’t want to wear your statement piece all day, you can make an entrance in your jacket or coat and then still have your usual work attire under your fabulous outerwear. Whenever you feel like taking your fashionista alter ego for a spin during the workday, simply put your jacket back on or drape it over your shoulders for an effortless look you can switch in and out of throughout the day.
Cars, trucks, construction vehicles, emergency vehicles: Wooden toys that move are everywhere. Look no further than Melissa & Doug, the mass producer with a wide variety. The brand is available everywhere. The company makes construction vehicles for ages 3-6 that a child must stack together themselves before playing. $19.99 each. On the handmade emporium Etsy.com, the shop TwentySevenUK sells a wooden racing car that can be engraved with a child’s name and a special date. Each car is $43.05. Wooden train sets may not have wheels, but they do move. Check out the world of Brio.
From tic-tac-toe to backgammon, lots of table games come in wood. Aerin makes a fancy Jenga, the classic balancing game, with blocks made of beech, stored in a cream or brown shagreen box with brass detailing. $1,100. It also sells a French Solitaire Set that includes a circular board crafted in Italy from ashwood, with 33 brass balls. $2,750. A little too steep pricewise? Head to Amazon for a tic-tac-toe table set in wood for $9.99, or a plywood 4 in a row game for $22.
Circle stackers for infants and toddlers are also plentiful, but one Etsy seller, SouthBendWorks, makes a lovely version in multicolored hardwood. $39.99. Pottery Barn Kids carries a wooden pet set complete with a rabbit and its hutch, a dog and its doghouse, and a cat and its cat bed. There are also food bowls and food, including a carrot for the bunny. $29. How about a throwback? A company called Novanatural.com sells a set of wooden stilts for ages 6 and up in oak hardwood. $64.