think inside the box
Filed Under Stuff | October 5, 2011
Now that we are only weeks away from the holiday displays coming out (yes, that holiday filled with snow and a man in a red suit), your shopping list probably isn’t far behind. And we know finding unique and from the heart gifts can be tricky. Which is why we love (love) Re-Formed ArtCubes.
Re-Formed is the creation of Amanda Shapiro, a Toronto mum with a modern sense of style, and a background in art and art history. Here’s the idea: you take a treasure, like your child’s baby shoes, a wedding token, or another piece of memorabilia, and Re-Formed turns it into a modern work of art you can keep on display, versus in a box in the basement. Amanda started Re-Formed after searching in vain for a cool and artistic way to display her daughter’s precious baby items. ArtCubes are similar to a shadow box, but are made with transparent acrylic and lined on the back panel with colourful, high-grade vinyl. Sizes and colours are all customizable, and each cube can be personalized further with a written description. Amanda works with you to help create a truly unique work of art – perfect for holiday gifting … even if it’s in your own stocking! Plus, many of the materials used to create the cubes are recycled or repurposed – making it a greener gift choice.
When Amanda offered to preserve a memory for us, we were initially stumped. The baby shoes cube was adorable, but as an early crawler, our little one’s sweet shoes looked like mice had gnawed them. So we turned to artwork. After all, finding ways to display our kid’s art is an ongoing challenge. We settled on a cute thumbprint bee painting. We met Amanda in person, and communicated via email, but if you’re not local to T.O., she can do consultations by phone or Skype.
Based on her design we knew the cube would be perfect for our kiddo’s room, and we weren’t disappointed. With diamond-cut, polished edges, the cube’s acrylic construction is sturdy enough to be handled even by a curious toddler. And the inscriptions are on the inside of the cube, so little fingernails can’t get to them. The cube sits easily on a shelf, and has keyhole hangers on the back that allow it to hang flush on a wall. The only caveat is price: it’s not a budget friendly way to preserve all your memories (as much as we’d love to), but we do think it’s ideal as a unique gift.
Time to head to the basement, to see who we might be able to check off our list…
Re-Formed: www.re-formed.ca
Yo mama! We’re always on the lookout for ways to preserve or display our children’s artistic endeavours but we often come up short. We’d love to know what you recommend, so feel free to drop us a line and who knows, your idea may show up in a future yoyo! Who said sharing wasn’t fun?
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Let us know what you think or share your great finds with us so we can share them with other Vancouver mothers!
