Mika, 6 ½ - San Francisco Bay Area, USA

Mika is a creative and sensitive little soul. She is always making presents to give away as she just enjoys expressing herself to others and seeing her recipient’s surprised smile. She sings and plays piano constantly but she is known for playing her drum-set which she’s been doing for 2 years now. Mother of the little artist, Teri Dimalanta (designer and artist) chronicles many of these creative adventures on the blog giddygiddy.com. Teri’s experiments include tile mosaic, linoleum block printing, wood carving, making handmade kites, making shoes out of paper, and even creating her very own calder inspired mobile….

Mika

What do you want to be when you grow up Doctor for animals or drummer in a band

What is your favorite famous person My big sister who was on TV (for winning 1^st place in a speech competiton. Little sister is very proud!)

What makes you laugh Tickles from the Tickle Monster (aka: her Daddy)

What makes you sad  When I hurt myself. I don’t like mean people

Your favorite book Mo Willems “I Am Invited To A Party”

Your favorite songs I like THE KOOKS and my favorite song is SHINE ON. But I like Bach too because I am learning to play his songs on the Piano

Your favorite animal Elephants. I named my stuffed animal elephant, Ellie Fante. Elephants shouldn’t be killed for their ivory

The best holiday you ever had Barcelona was most fun

A place you would dream to visit Crystal falls. It’s a real place and not just a make-believe place

The piece you like the most from  your wardrobe I had a green dress that was my favorite. It had straps and a jewel in the center. My mom gave it away because it is now too small for me. That is too bad because I could have used the jewel in the center

Do you like the clothes your mom sews you? They are very pretty, but I don’t like to try them on 100 times every time you (mom) have to fix it

If you had a magic wand, what would you do with it right now? Make my family a royal family. Me and my sister would be princesses and Daddy and Mommy would be King and Queen. My house would be a beautiful castle

Teri

Your favorite children’s brands Katvig, Smafolk, Misha Lulu, Kit + Lili, Courtney Courtney: are just a few of my favorites

Your favourite children’s stores Bella vita in Oakland, CA. Lavish in San Francisco

What do you buy online? I buy kids shoes and kids books online. Shoe buying with free return shipping makes my life so much easier! So amazon, zappos, etc are great for those basic items. I don’t often buy cloths online, but one webstore I depend on is ITTI KID as they import hard to find colorful Scandinavian designs

A website that inspires you www.kerismith.com – she is simply an inspiring artist and author

The criteria you consider when you buy something for your children I love anything quirky and different

Latest item you added to Mika’s wardrobe A pair of pink Birkenstock sandals for the summer

Most precious item you bought for your child I collect little kokeshi dolls for my girls who are part Japanese. I recently found a sweet delicate set of dolls at the huge Alameda Flea market near San Francisco

Best gift you gave for a child’s b-day All little girls in my life will often receive giddy giddy hair clips and pouches at one time or another.  I must confess that giving giddy giddy gifts is a little self-serving, since I so enjoy seeing little girls wearing my designs. But in addition to that, I really derive great pleasure in custom making unique pieces for children and recently I made a superhero piñata in the image of the birthday boy whose party we were attending

Items that are hard to find I generally have a hard time finding toys that will hold the attention of young kids. This is why craft and building supplies tend to be best for us. They have multiple uses and encourage child to come up with their own ideas

Favorite pieces in your child’s wardrobe Well I love seeing my girls in the clothes that I designed and sewed just for them. Those pieces will be sentimental favorites forever, and I hope that my children and their children will keep them as heirloom pieces in their attic. But our daily go to articles of clothing are Katvig and Smafolk knits for their wearability

The book on your bedside table There is not only a bedside table, but also a large bookshelf right by my bed that is full of inspirational books for browsing and visual pleasure. It also houses my own sketchbooks and journals jot down ideas that pop in my mind at 2am in the morning. Having that shelf by my bed is essential for my creative process

An unforgettable place you traveled to We love destinations in South East Asia. Two favorites are Bali, Indonesia and Thailand