*This is a sponsored post on behalf of Land of Nod.  I was provided compensation.  All opinions, and I have lots of them, are mine.

The Land of Nod is now open to the public at South Coast Plaza!  I was invited to their private Grand Opening party last week to check out the store and all the amazing things it has to offer.  To start, the store is GORGEOUS!  It is styled and merchandised amazingly well and there are rad details every where you look.  Land of Nod had shared the process of painting the wall behind the counter leading up to the event on their instagram and I think it turned out so cool.  I’m trying to convince my husband that our brick fireplace needs to look like that.  If you are in Orange County, go check it out for yourself:

Land of Nod at South Coast Plaza

3333 S. Bristol St., Costa Mesa, CA  92626

3rd floor of Crystal Court in the Crate and Barrel/Anthropologie wing

This was my first time using my new 30 mm lens for my new camera so I was really nervous about how the photos would come out.  And in the midst of trying to take photos and instagram the party (follow #NodinCA to see all the photos!), the photos I took pretty much make it look like there is no one else in the store.  But the party was SO fun with lots of blogging friends and local creatives.  I finally got to meet some awesome ladies in person and there was a little celebrity sight seeing to be had with Joy and Emily.  My friend Amy came with me to check out the store and was so forgiving, as always, as I chatted with people all over the store.

I heard from several other guests that they wanted to also purchase some of the props used to style the store.  While not every single thing in the store might be for sale, the props give you amazing ideas on how to style your new finds.  Their attention to detail is like no other and the decor is inspiring and welcoming.

The store is filled with great gift ideas in a range of price points, like the Spy Kit and Presidents Puzzle (how did this not come home with me?) so it is important to know that the store is much more than just decor.  My kids love to dress up and the store has a bunch of different ways to encourage this type of imaginative play, like this bin of felt glasses in fun styles.  And they have got storage covered with tons of sizes and colors of boxes and bins to help you organize your home.  What I loved the most is getting to check out the quality in person.  Land of Nod is a name you can trust but it is still sometimes nice to hold something in your own hands and feel great about the purchase.

Land of Nod looks for new artists to create amazing and unique art for the store decor and products. I love that they are willing to give an unknown a chance to be part of a large project.

And I was delighted to find a custom illustration done by the artist from local fave, Lately Lily, in the goodie bag!

The Land of Nod staff opens their arms to children.  What better way to check out the play tables than to have them set up for kid’s to color at?  The displays are created knowing that children will be shopping in the store with their parents and the store is laid out accordingly.  Amy took a break from the party to check out some of the kid’s books.

I’m sure you have heard that terribly catchy “Gummy Bear” song.  My boys love it.  So I knew when I saw these gummy bear night lights that I had to get them for them.  My youngest son keeps his as close to his bed as possible at the very corner of his bookshelf.  They REALLY love them.  After I put the batteries in, they ran around the neighborhood showing them to all the neighbor kids.

My older son keeps his on top of his armoire across the room from his bed.  Or at least he starts there.  I often find him in bed with my son in the morning.  We have had trouble in the past with night lights not being bright enough.  These are awesome!  Super bright and they shine a little bit of colored light up on the ceiling above them.  I think these would also make a great gift item.

My older son is and has been in full spy mode for a few months now.  So I had to bring home these binoculars from the party.  He keeps them on his bedroom door so he can quickly grab them should he need to go investigate something.  You know, like the little girl’s house down the street.  These spy games provide great teaching moments for all of us…

My youngest son is a little bit more patient during play than my older son so I knew he would love this wooden, magnetic fishing game.  It is funny to see how while this is a pretty basic toy, his video gaming experience has carried over.  We played this before he headed off to preschool this morning and every time we caught a fish, he told me what kind of fish it was ie water, fire, earth etc. like in Skylanders.  Well, except when we caught an orange fish and I asked him what type of fish that was and he thought for a second and said “orange juice.”  Maybe he doesn’t know Skylanders that well after all…

There are a few more things I have my eye on at the store.  Luckily it is super close to my house and I can pop in and browse whenever I want.  How darling is this stuffed chicken?  I stinking love it.  You can always buy online if you do not live close to a store, but if you are in Orange County, you should definitely drop by.

And while we already own a ton of artwork that we are currently framing and getting ready to hang, there is something magical about a 3-D piece of art.  It adds so much whimsy and interest to a wall.  I may be in the market for this giraffe head.

Don’t forget to follow Land of Nod on Facebook for in-store events, sale info and lots of inspiring content.

“This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Land of Nod, but all my opinions are my own. #PMedia #NODinCA   http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.”