Giveaway Reminder: Simply A Boy Sportscar

It's not too late! Submit your comment by midnight tonight (pst) to enter the Simply A Boy Pedal Sportscar Giveaway. Just leave a comment on that post. The winner will be announced tomorrow morning.

Party Ideas

Did anyone else pick up a copy of Good Things for Kids - Summer Edition? It's one of the mini-mags that Martha Stewart puts out from time to time. I'm still looking for something to fill the hole that Martha Stewart Kids left when they shut down, so I was happily suprised to see this magazine. And it's especially timely because it's all about parties, and August is a double-birthday month at my house. My kids are enjoying the magazine as much as I am.

My favorite ideas after my first read:


Paper-wrapped tea sandwiches. A more sophisticated version of these would be darling at a bridal/baby shower as well.


Butterfly straws. Lovely.


Mini-balloon garland. I love this.

Two Straight Lines Home Tour

Cookie's Nesting blog featured a mini home tour of crafter Courtney Russell's home. I love some of her great very-doable ideas.

True Mom Confessions

If you're not already addicted to True Mom Confessions, prepare yourself. I was introduced to this site at BlogHer and the whole idea is so brilliant I can hardly stand it. Some confessions are funny, some are sincere, many are down right heart-wrenching. Reading it makes me want to hand out hugs right and left.

Random Giveaway: Simply A Boy Sportcars

I know. It's been all about BlogHer and sk*rt posts for days on end. So here's a little change of pace. How about a Giveaway featuring the coolest kid vehicle around? Remember that fab online shop I just blogged about — the one with the fantastic collection of stuff especially for boys? Called Simply A Boy?

Well. They're putting up one of their fantastic PlayToys Sports Cars up for grabs — worth $140!



And what a car. Fine workmanship. Excellent design. Great colors. You know any kid would take pause if a toy like this entered their view. It's one of those toys that inspires foreheads to be pressed against shop windows. Your child — or godchild or nephew/niece/neighbor — would love this car!

And you'll feel good about it too, because PlanToys figured out how to use recycled rubberwood to make it. It's like a toy version of a hybrid.

You know the drill, just leave your comment on this post to enter. And then be sure to explore the well-thought-out collection at Simply A Boy. I'll leave you with some of my favorites from their shop:


Kirby Crib Collection


Baby Walker



Transport Rug


Liam Shoes

Thank you Simply A Boy!!

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Random Giveaway Guidelines:
-You have until midnight PST on Tuesday, July 31st to enter this giveaway.
-Just make a comment ON THIS POST to enter — any comment.
-Anonymous comments will be ignored/removed.
-One entry per person, please.
-The winner will be randomly picked and announced Wednesday morning.
-What are Random Giveaways? Read about them here.

sk*rt Up and Running Contest

Okay. The Up and Running Contest has been announced. You can check out the sk*rt blog for the full details, but here's the basic 411:

There are 20 Pairs of Ryka Shoes up for grabs! The 20 winners get to pick their favorite pair. There are 3 ways to enter and you can enter 3 times. Just show us your a true sk*rt by:

a) voting on at least 10 items in either the up-and-coming section or the popular section of sk*rt every day this week (M-F)

or

b) submitting a link to sk*rt everyday this week (M-F)

or

c) leaving comments on at least 2 sk*rt items everyday this week (M-F)

Email sharethelove@sk*rt.com by Sunday, August 5th and let us know if you did A, B or C and you’re entered! Want to enter more than once? Do option A, B and C, and you’ll be entered 3 times. The winners will be announced Tuesday, August 7th.

20 pairs means really good odds of winning — don't miss your chance to get your feet into a pair of these awesome shoes!

Nice to Meet You

I'm still going through my millions of business cards from BlogHer and checking out blogs and remembering who was especially happy or charming or funny or kind or smart or beautiful or friendly or visionary or outgoing or enthusiastic or inspired. The photo above is a picture of a few of the most colorful and creative cards I collected at the conference.

My very most favorite cards belonged to Birdie, who made each card one at a time with the help of her son. She used reclaimed paper and rubber stamps. Each card was it's own little bit of art. A project within anyone's budget. Here's a glimpse of 5 Birdie cards, front and back:

sk*rt Launched!

Well, I'm back from BlogHer and sk*rt is officially launched! The sk*rt buzz at the conference was all over the place. It was so great to see so many people excited about it.

We gave out little white tins filled with little white mints. We gave out the most adorable cards. We gave out books and bags and prizes, prizes, prizes. You can find the prize winners announced on the sk*rt blog — check to see if you made the list.

We were interviewed. We were videoed. And the best part, the sk*rt founders finally got to hang out.


Girl con Queso and Design Mom


Upside Up and Design Mom

If you're feeling like you missed out, take heart. I'm about to announce a huge contest to celebrate the official sk*rt launch. And that's not all. There are fun contests planned all week. Stay tuned. . .

My First Visit to Chicago.

Suitcase packed. Check.
Ferris Bueller reviewed (the first Chicago movie I could think of). Check.
Cherry red pedicure procured. Check.

It's looks like it's time to head out!

While I'm 100% looking forward to the possibility of sleeping in, and while I know it's a short trip, I haven't quite made it out the door and I already miss my wee family. Ridiculous.


polish photo via Getty

BlogHer Prep

I've got a long list of BlogHer/sk*rt launch preparations, so posting will be spotty for the next couple of days. . .

Collapsible Bins

I just saw these Loom Pop Bins available at Sons and Daughters, and think they are darling. They fold flat to store easily and then pop up when you need them. Great for toys. Great for a clothes hamper. Available in 4 color combos.

via Cookie's Nesting blog

Mr. Picasso Head

Another artsy-fartsy way for you or your kids to spend your day online: make your own masterpiece at Mr. Picasso Head.

found at How about Orange

sk*rt at BlogHer

So today is Tuesday and I leave to BlogHer on Thursday. I'm looking forward to it for so many reasons. I can't wait to meet lots of interesting people that are bound to be in attendance. I'm excited to pack for one person instead of seven — and be on an airplane without my kids. But what I'm really, really psyched for is the official sk*rt media launch. To take place at BlogHer. On Friday. So awesome!

You can read about some of the great stuff sk*rt has planned for the launch on the sk*rt blog. And I'll recap here.

In addition to handing out yummy goodies during the actual conference, we will also be dealing out the door prizes at a Pre-BlogHer Unofficial Party. Anyone at the party will be able to enter their name to win awesome stuff:

3 winners will each receive an outfit from Ryka. Any Ryka top. Any Ryka bottom. The winners get to choose their favorites.

3 winners will each receive a $50 gift certificate to Mahar Dry Goods. Mahar’s collection is fantastic. Browsing their site will bring a smile.

1 winner will receive a set of 3 custom storage cubes from Via Toy Box. The winner gets to choose from any 4 available faces and 8 available colors. Retail value: $177.

10 winners will each receive a year’s subscription (worth $20) to Organize Magazine. The magazine has just debuted and is gorgeous.

3 winners will each receive a generous 6-book prize package from Chronicle Books, including: I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids, Three-Martini Family Vacation, Fit Mama, Organic Baby, Don’t Just Stand There and Mama’s Little Book of Tricks. Retail value: $97.70

And EVERYONE at the party will receive their own copy of I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids. Plus. A certificate for 30% off and free shipping at Chronicle.

We hope to see you at the party! We hope to see you at BlogHer! And if you’re not going to BlogHer, we’ll have fun contests for you as well. Watch for announcements on Friday.

A big thank you to our terrific sponsors!

Craving

Maybe because it's summer and my house has been overrun with children. Maybe because my husband turns in his dissertation next Monday and there are stacks and stacks of overly academic books in too many rooms.

Whatever the reason, I am craving a simpler space. I saw this room on Black Eiffel last week and I have returned to stare at it several times.

Handsome Baby Announcements

Handsome Devil has a new line of baby announcements. Super duper warm and fuzzy..

Simply a boy

I just found out about Simply a Boy — and I'm very impressed. An online store with an excellent collection for baby and toddler. They seem to cover everything: bedding, furniture, clothes, toys, books, bath, and on and on. Plus, they do a really good job of it.

And just like your brother's treehouse, this store is for boys only. Because everyone knows girls have cooties.

Andrea is a Superhero!

Andrea Scher. What an amazing woman! How lucky were we to have her here for a visit this past week? I'm confident you enjoyed her posts as much as I did — they were full of pretty and easy to love.

If you haven't had a chance to check out Andrea's blog, SuperHero Journal, or get your hands on one of her gorgeous necklaces, I hope you'll do so. You won't be disappointed. Andrea is a positive force for good. And any connection with her is bound to bring happy to your life.

Thank you, Andrea!!

Giveaway Winner: Svan Bouncer Seat

Oh my goodness! I am just amazed at how many of you are expecting a baby right now. Or just had a baby. Or know someone who just had a baby. Oh how great would it be to have 431 hip baby chairs to giveaway! Alas. I have only one. But it is really good-looking. And the winner of the really good-looking Svan Bouncer Giveaway is: Denise who said, "really need one of these for the new boy"

Congratulations, Denise! Please email me from the link on my blog and I'll forward your information to Svan.

Thanks again to everyone who entered the Giveaway. Thanks to Svan. And thanks for reading.

Wands of Wonders

Look how great the wand project turned out! My kids are sooo excited. And to make me extra-happy, all the materials were on hand.

Project notes: I didn't have the pcv glue (what is that, anyway?) they recommended, so I just used some school glue I had on hand. Also, for paint I used common craft acrylic paint. The metallic parts are a combination of acrylic paint and permanent marker.

These would be perfect for any sort of wizard/witch-themed party.

Color and Photography — by Guest Mom Andrea Scher

It has been so much fun being a guest blogger this week for this fabulous site! Thank you all for welcoming me and reading my tidbits. Because I am all about color and photography over at Superhero, I thought I'd end on this theme. Here are some things I found to inspire you as you go into the weekend!

Melissa Muszynski's colorful resin jewelry:




from The Daily Planner, The Harbin Mini Journal Set:


The Spectrum Photo Album Set:


Love these leather journals (with multicolored pages) by Jenni Bick:


And if you are wondering what project to tackle this weekend, try organizing your bookshelf by color:



And one more little weekend project is to make mini cards or stickers from Moo.com. They are supercheap and you can use images directly from your flickr account.

Harry Potter Party

I've promised my two oldest kids, that even if they fall asleep, I'll wake them up in time to join the Harry Potter Release Party at our local bookstore. I'm so excited!



The kids are dressing up. Of course. To get extra-psyched, I think we'll attempt to make these wands created at DadCanDo.

Found via the wonderful CraftGossip.

Etsy Shop: Real Toys

How cute are the handmade stuffed animals at the Real Toys etsy shop? My especial favorites are the elephants.

Giveaway: Svan Bouncer

Well now. I've been back in blogging mode for week. Isn't it about time for a Giveaway? Enter your comment lickety split to win a super-cool bouncer seat from Svan. What? You don't believe a bouncer can be super-cool? Check it :



Super-DANG-cool. We love design-for-all around here. And that definitely includes babies. What a pretty little perch for your wee one. What? You don't have a baby in the house? Well. I'm certain you know someone else who does — and that person would surely love a sleek seat like this one.

Extra bonus: the winner gets to pick from 3 hot colors — all 3 shades are newly introduced — pick Vanilla Sage, Vanilla Watermelon (pictured above), or the Black/Red combo.




This clever seat reclines for naps, sits up for feedings and folds flat for travel or storage. See how it works here. The padding is machine washable and there are even loops to attach toys. This lovely chair retails for $120. Don't miss this chance to get one for free.

Thank you Svan!!

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Random Giveaway Guidelines:
-You have until midnight PST on Sunday, July 22nd to enter this giveaway.
-Just make a comment ON THIS POST to enter — any comment.
-Anonymous comments will be ignored/removed.
-One entry per person, please.
-The winner will be randomly picked and announced Monday morning.
-What are Random Giveaways? Read about them here.

A few Products to Try — by Guest Mom Andrea Scher

Jo Malone. If only you could sniff these through your computer screen! They are the yummiest scents around. My all time favorite is the ginger nutmeg cologne. I polished off my first small bottle in a matter of weeks spritzing all day long (the hazards of working from home). It is too delicious for words. There are some new scents in the line that I haven't sniffed out yet: Pomegranate Noir, Nectarine Blossom and Honey and Blue Agava and Cacao. The names alone make me salivate.


Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Lemon Verbena dish soap makes washing the dishes an aromatherapy experience. I love that it wafts through the house and gives the room a great scent.


I also love Caldrea Dish Soap, Citrus Mint, Ylang Ylang. Totally worth the few extra bucks to do your dishes in style.


My favorite candle of all time: Votivo Tuscan Olive.


Have you ladies heard about Fitflops? They were created by the woman who started Biss Spa, Marcia Kilgore. She didn't have time to get to the gym and dreamed of a shoe that would work out her legs just by walking around town. Voila! A flip flop that can tighten your buns and slimmify your legs. I am very curious if anyone has tried these...They seem to be sold out in UK and everywhere else.

Modsack

A friend from high school, Stacey, just launched a great looking line of handbags and accessories. I'm especially loving her upside-down toiletry bags. Fabulous fabric choices. And so smart to have more space at the top — no more digging for your favorite lip gloss.

Balls of Yarn

Did anyone else see these fabulous balls-of-yarn-turned-awesome-room-decor at Nie Nie Dialogues? How great would it be to have Nie Nie for a mom?

Jill Platner — by Guest Mom Andrea Scher

One of my favorite jewelry designers has always been Jill Platner. Her forms are organic (inspired from nature) and truly elegant. I had been dreaming of a piece of hers for years and finally got a wonderful little bracelet this year for mother's day. Thanks Matt!

Stuck on Stuck in Customs

I'm infatuated with Stuck in Customs, an awesome photography site.

Found on sk*rt.

Bee Mary

Look what I found at Target: Bee Maryjane's for Olive. In case it's hard to tell from the photo, the bee's path is stitched, but the bee itself is metal and sits above the leather. Too cute.

I'll save them for back-to-school.

Gigi Designs

I'm having crush after crush on great children's clothing lines by independent designers. Today my crush is on Gigi Designs from New Zealand. The photography — and the clothes! — on their site are so yummy.

Diaper Bags — by Guest Mom Andrea Scher

As I was preparing for this week, I noticed that I'm having a bag obsession. It started with diaper bags... loving so many out there and trying to find that perfect new mama bag. Here are some that I love for different reasons:

The Fleurville Mothership (love the Yellow Seed Pod)


Then I realized that I carry Ben so often in front of me (either in the Bjorn or sling) that I needed a backpack. Enter the Petunia Picklebottom Dynamite Roll Boxy Backpack. I must say I feel luxuriously cool when I wear this. (Even though I still wear the same velour sweatpants every day that I wore when I was pregnant!)


Their crib bedding is so beautiful as well.


The bag obsession continued. The Petunia bag is awesome and I still use it a ton (it works especially well to wedge behind Ben in the swing since he still small) but couldn't resist the Loom backpack I found recently. It comes in gorgeous colors and is no bigger than a regular girl purse. I think their classic shoulder bag (pictured below in orange) is the best looking bag of all. If only it had backpack straps!



For other needs there is the Renaissance of Le Sportsac... I didn't give them a second look for a long time because, come on, you grew up in the 80's right? They were HUGE and then they became really uncool. I've been frozen in the uncool phase. Then recently I started to like them again. It has to be all their bold fabrics and superhero colors that get me. How can you resist this?


Okay, if you're not all bagged out yet, there are the amazing Reisenthel tote bags. I have three of them and use them for grocery shopping. They are incredibly light, inexpensive and fold up perfectly into a little zip pouch I store in one of my many diaper bags. Bags that go inside other bags... a perfect note to end on!

Open Shelving in Kitchen

In the foot-high stack of mail that awaited me after my trip, my favorite thing was the new issue of Home Companion. I especially loved the photos in the Pool House, That Is article.

I think I would really like open shelving in my kitchen. I'm drawn to it every time I see it. Do you think my landlord would mind very much if I remove the fronts of my cabinets?

Hello! — by Guest Mom Andrea Scher

Note from Design Mom: Happy Monday! I'm so excited to have our new Guest Mom here this morning. Her name is Andrea Scher and she writes an amazing blog called Superhero Journal and makes amazing jewelry under the name Superhero Designs. My friend Liz (also a previous Guest Mom here) first told me about Andrea and I will be forever grateful. My impression of Andrea is that she observes life as an artist. That she's an earnest and enthusiastic mother. And that she is especially good at seeking out and encouraging creativity in the people around her. Andrea seems like an all around great person and I just know that she is going to have lots of wonderful things to share. I asked her to write a few words so we could get to know her and she graciously agreed:

I'm so delighted to be the Guest Mom this week! and honored to have been asked... Just seeing that word "Mom" connected to my name still surprises me and gives me a shy little grin. I'm one of those folks for whom pregnancy was hard to come by, so I'm still a bit awestruck that such a big dream of mine came true. My wee Ben is 7 months old this month.



How Superhero Designs began:
About 8 years ago, I had a picture in my mind of a colorful choker with vintage glass and lucite beads. Something that your grandmother might have worn in the 60's but more modern and less kitschy. After searching endlessly through the thrift stores and not finding it, I decided to go to the bead shop and make my own. This was the
first superhero necklace!

I never expected to become a jewelry designer, but had so much fun making these necklaces that the business grew really naturally. I've always passionately believed in doing work you love. 8 years later, I feel blessed to say that it is still fun for me. I'm a sucker for juxtaposing color. I love that I get to play with color and connect with creative women every day.



The Superhero Journal
I have always been an avid journal keeper and photographer. When I heard about blogging, I knew it was going to be my new little indulgence. It was so exciting to be combining so many things I loved in one place: photography, writing, and empowering and inspiring women. It has continued to be my labor of love since I started it at the beginning of 2003.

A few of my favorite posts are:
You're Beautiful
Lost and Found
Look Where you Want to Go
Beneath the Surface
6 months of Ben
Put it on P

I look forward to sharing some of the things I love with you this week! In fact, we can start out with the adorable kimono onesie that Ben is wearing in the above pic. It is by Tea... They make awesome kids clothes!


Here are a few more for eye candy from the Tea Collection. Makes me want to have a girl!

The Little Red Light House

On Friday I loaded up the kids and we went on a hunt for the Little Red Light House.

A dear friend, Rebecca, gave us the book (about an actual lighthouse here in New York that was dwarfed as the George Washington Bridge was built) not long after we moved here. We love the book and have always wanted to visit the lighthouse — we even attempted to find it once a couple of years ago — but our attempt was rained out. Hooray that Friday was our lucky day.



I swear, it was like the cosmic forces all combined to help us have the perfect outing. The weather was fantastic — with a nice breeze coming off the water. It's a bit of hike, but there was plenty of shade and the kids were great sports and helped push the stoller. We packed a simple picnic and ate lunch at the lighthouse. We had the park absolutely to ourselves. Climbed around on the rocks. Dipped our toes in the Hudson River. Admired the cliffs across the water in New Jersey. Threw pebbles into the river.

My favorite part: on the hike back we discovered the path was lined with wild raspberries. They were yummy. And I kept laughing as we ate them because they were such an unexpected surprise.

lighthouse photo (and directions on how to get there) from Kathryn

sk*rt categories

As usual, lots of fun things today at sk*rt:

1) There are new and improved categories. Check them out here. Read about them here.

2) The winner of the Share the Love Contest (featuring a slew of lovely prizes) was announced here.

3) The winner of the Speak Your Mind Contest (featuring the fabulous Shutterfly book) was announced here.

4) There is a NEW sk*rt contest coming — inspired by the new categories. Watch for it.

5) And finally, you can always find cool new links to check out on the sk*rt main page.

Have fun checking everything out!

Sartorialist Jr.

We've already discussed is how lovely the Sartorialist blog is. So how happy are we that he's now featuring children as well. You can see the article from Cookie here.

Found this news on Black Eiffel.

Mini Moderns Wallpaper

I'm so delighted with this series of Mini Moderns Playtime wallpaper by Absolute Zero, a London based design group. The designs speak for themselves. The names are charming as well.

Flower Child DVD

My kids are enamoured with this poetry DVD. It's captivated the 2 year old and the big kids as well. My son Ralph described it as "the day made out of poems."

Cool side note: After checking out the Flower Child DVD I realized my friend Laurie designs many of their marketing materials. I love having items in my house that were designed by friends.

Sk*rt Button Contest! Last Chance

A few weeks ago I announced that it was time for the sk*rt launch. Well. The soft launch to be exact. Leading up to the official launch at Blogher next week. And I just wanted to report that the soft launch has been amazing. Sk*rt has thousands of registered users already — and the number grows every day. Happily for all of us, the more users, the more diverse and interesting the content on sk*rt — keeping you in the know about all the cool things happening out there.

If you haven't had a chance to get to know sk*rt yet, I hope you'll check it out today.

And I also wanted to remind you that the sk*rt Spread-the-Word Contest ends on July 16th. That's only a few days away. But you still have time to enter. If you have a blog or website, just put this button in a post or on your sidebar:

Or pick one of the many sk*rt buttons available here. And then send an email to sharethelove@sk-rt.com letting us know you posted the button, and you'll be entered to win some incredible loot. $500+ worth of incredible loot. From our incredible sponsors — Darlybird, Funktion Home, Jaime Zollars, Little Jules, and Nora Fleming. Check it out:



We're pretty pumped about all of it. Especially the prizes. You can find even more details about the sk*rt Spread-the-Word Contest and the cool prizes here. And a BIG thank you to everyone who has posted the button so far. You rock!

Book of the Week: Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

I thought I had already featured this book by Simms Taback, but my son promises that I haven't. It's a great one. A family favorite.

The charming basics: Joseph has an overcoat that gets worn out. So he remakes it into a smaller item of clothing. Again and again and again. Until it's only a button. It's one the best kid-friendly examples of reuse/recycle I know of.

The illustrations are fantastic. And if you'd like to sing along (the story is based on a Jewish folk song) there are even music notes included at the back. A great addition to a family library.

Little Red Fish

Design Mom Reader, Becky, sent me a link to these darling stripey kids suits by a New Zealand company called Little Red Fish. Bonus: the suits are spf 50.

Blog Birthday

There I was. Home from vacation and excited to get blogging again. Catching up on email. Tying up loose ends from past giveaways. When I realized I completely missed my one year blog birthday while I was out of town!

July 8th, 2006 was the birth of this little project called Design Mom. And I still love it.

Thanks for reading. I can't wait to see where it goes next.


pic from Oh Happy Day

More Vacation

Our summer traveling is still wonderful. A few nights ago, my older 3 kids went to Grandma's for a sleepover and had a fantastic time making artwork with sun dye. See instructions on my Mom's blog here.

Next up: Once we've slept in after the July 4th fireworks, we're heading to Southern Utah for a week. I'm way excited. I can't wait to introduce my kids to Zion National Park and the Snow Canyon Sand Dunes. It's going to be blazing hot -- 110 degrees -- but that's nothing my sister Sara's freezer full of creamsicles can't beat.

I'll be sans computer for the week -- and I'll miss you -- but I'll be back in New York and blogging again on Thursday, July 12th. Have a great week!

One last note before I go: my sister Jordan has happy news. . .

Oh Beautiful for Spacious Skies!

I hope you have a wonderful Independence Day! Our schedule: hot air balloon meet, parade, hike, swim, bbq, fireworks. Perfect.

I know my kids only got out of school a week ago, but the 4th of July always feels like the smack dab middle of summer to me. I love it. I'm predicting that two-year-old Oscar is absolutely going to freak out about how cool sparklers are.

fantastic porch image from getty

Giveaway Winner: $!50 at Childish

418 comments?!! Childish is a hit! Leave it to our Guest Mom Skye to come up with such a great Giveaway. The winner of the $150 gift certificate to Childish is: Laura who said, "oh man...i gotta have it!!!!!!!"

Congratulations, Ladies! Please email me from the link on my blog and I'll forward your information to Childish.

Thanks again to everyone who entered the Giveaway. Thanks to Skye and Childish. And thanks for reading. Didn't win today? Don't give up hope — giveaways are not unusual at all around here.

Thanks, Skye!!

It has been so fun to have Skye with us! Can you believe what a fount of useful information and hip sources she is? She's like an encyclopedia of cool mama stuff. And so positive and full of energy! What a treat to have her around.

Thank you for being with us on such a busy week Skye! And thanks for the generous Childish Giveaway (the winner is announced in the next post!). Please come again any time. I love your book!!