National Wear Red Day — Wear Red Tomorrow!

A few weeks ago I was invited to attend the Red Dress Collection 2008 Fashion Show. The show is tomorrow and I can't freaking wait!

Red Dress Collection Fashion Show? That's right. As part of NY Fashion Week, The Heart Truth sponsors a big show where celebrities walk the runway in the latest and greatest red dresses. Why? To raise awareness for National Wear Red Day and remind women to take better care of their hearts.

Very few people seem to know it (I didn't), but heart disease is the number one health threat for American women. Yikes. So the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services created The Heart Truth. It's a national awareness campaign designed to warn women about the seriousness of keeping their hearts healthy. You can learn all about it here.



So now you know. It's pink for breast cancer and red for heart health. And tomorrow, February 1st is National Wear Red Day. (Fitting don't you think — February and Valentine's Day and Red and Hearts and all that?) Want to get involved? Here are some ideas:

1. The easiest and best — wear red tomorrow! February 1st is National Wear Red Day!!

2. Take a photo of yourself wearing red and send it to the National Wear Red Day Flickr group.

3. Check out The Heart Truth delicious page for information about the campaign.

4. Are you a Facebook-er? Then you can show your support by joining the The Heart Truth Fan page.

I love wearing red. Red pants. Red sweaters. Red shoes. And love it even more if it's for a good cause. Now. Off to my closet to choose my red outfit for tomorrow. . .

Passage to India — by Guest Mom Michelle/Scribbit

My sister spent Christmas in India visiting my parents and she sent me a huge box of goodies from the other side of the world. Purses, peacock feather fans, mahogany boxes, cinnamon wood picture frames, sea shells, silk shawls, statues of elephants, coins, bangles — some of the things even came wrapped in pages from the Bangalore newspaper. If only I could read Hindi.



The box still smelled faintly tropical, warm and spicy. I love textiles and was especially thrilled at the hand-embroidered silks she sent — this little elephant from Rajahmundry made me want to quote some Kipling, "O Best Beloved" — but when I pulled out this piece of hand-woven sari silk I was speechless.



Eight yards of the most deep and resonant red which also happens to be the accent color in my kitchen and living room. But with so much beautiful fabric I need ideas for using it to its best advantage.

I wish I could pull off wearing a sari but I'm afraid not only would I be cold I'd look ridiculous. Have you ever seen a viking in a sari? That would be me, though not quite as hairy I'm much too tall and pale to make a the outfit work but maybe as a skirt? A Dress? Pillows for the couch? A duvet? A tablecloth? Lamp shades? What I'd especially love is a way to use it above my new fireplace as an accent piece in the living room.

Help! I need your ideas! Here's what I've been able to come up with so far:

Making a Roman shade from a sari
A sari scarf
Making a canopy from a sari
A patchwork sari purse
A sari-bound journal

Sk*rt Call for Editors Contest!

Just a quick reminder: today's the last day to nominate someone, or someones, or yourself, to be one of the new sk*rt editors. We've had well over 200 nominations so far and we can't wait to go through them and find your favorite candidates.

Remember, anyone who sends in a nomination is entered to win an HP Printer and a Sensio Coffee Maker — that's almost $275 worth of prizes just for telling us who you think would make a great editor. The more nominations you send, the more times you're entered to win. You can get the full contest details here.

Also. Look what I found on sk*rt today:



Free paper toys! I had blogged about these gorgeous toys last summer and then promptly forgot all about them. I was so glad to see them on sk*rt. Making paper toys would be a perfect winter day activity.

Apiary Design

Oh man! Have you seen the beautiful paper goods at Apiary Design? Notecards, birth announcements, invitations, custom work. I know I'm usually a sucker for white space, but these all-over patterns in unexpected colors have me itching to hold them in my hands and take a closer look.

Ask Design Mom: Tips for Being Artsy/Craftsy with Your Kids

Ask-Design-Mom Question:
I want to be more tactile with my kids, meaning I want to be literally more hands-on with them in the day as well as figuratively, I want them to spend more time creating with their hands and feeling the joy of a project conceived and completed. I'm ready to bump it up a notch, and you have ideas and materials that never cross my mind. Your young daughter knits? Your little boy paints onto shirts? Sign me up! I know you're crazy busy, but if you get a chance, I'd welcome advice. — Amanda

Design Mom Answer:
Hi Amanda. What a great question. Thanks for submitting it. Last Saturday I taught a small class about this very topic. I'm going to include my handout notes here because I think they will answer your question fairly well.

Design Mom's Tips for Doing Crafts or Art Projects with Your Kids

1) Admit to yourself it’s going to be messy. If that stresses you out, cover surfaces with newsprint or butcher paper to catch bits of paper and glitter and drops of glue. Use materials (adhesive, markers, etc.) that are washable. Then relax. If you get paint on your hands, it’s okay. If your child gets marker on her shirt, it will wash. When you’re finished, roll up the newsprint and discard the mess easily.

2) Don’t present one firm example of how the craft should turn out. Either don’t present an example at all, or present several options, so your child knows he can use his imagination. If he glues the eyes where the ears should be, good for him — think of it as an opportunity to introduce cubism (wink). Their idea is more important than how they execute it.

3) Look for crafts that are age appropriate and play to your child’s strengths. If the craft is complicated, break it into steps and figure out which ones your child can do. For a Harry Potter Celebration we made wands out of paper, hot glue and paint. My 6 year old could choose the paper, tape the rolled paper, plug in the glue gun, and paint it with craft paint. I did the hot-glueing, the rolling of the paper that required more dexterity than her little hands could muster and handled the metallic highlights we added with permanent marker. My older kids could do more. My younger kids were napping — this wasn’t a craft appropriate for 2 and under.

4) If you really enjoy crafting yourself, set aside a portion of the craft that is just for you to make. I find when I don’t do this, I hover and am tempted to control what my kids are making. If I know there are some craft materials reserved for me then it’s easier to allow the kids to do their thing. (For example, every year at Easter, I set aside a dozen eggs that are just for me to decorate.)

5) If you’re crafting on the kitchen table and the craft isn’t finished, but it’s time to use the table for dinner, it can be frustrating to clean it all up and start again later. If you don’t have a dedicated craft space, plan your craft to be done in an allotted time.

6) You don’t have to keep it forever. Crafts are often 3-D and can quickly accumulate and take up lots of space. Not everything your child makes is a masterpiece. Say goodbye to some old crafts when new crafts come into your life — before you start resenting crafts in general. Much of the value of crafts is in the making.

7) Remember Tim Gunn and “Make it Work.” It’s not worth running to the store to get the perfect paper/trim/detail. The enthusiasm for the project will evaporate if you have to break for errands. Use materials you have at home.

8) Not every child likes glue and glitter and cutting paper. Don’t force it.



If you're looking for specific ideas, following is a list of crafts my kids have done in the last year or so and loved (including links to my sources or instructions). If you've been reading for awhile, you'll recognize these from earlier posts.

Note: I especially love crafts that are practical. That can be used or worn or played with. If you're looking for decorative crafts, this list won't be helpful.

Also, the ages are just meant as a loose guide — if it says 4+, it means there are lots of steps in the project that a typical 4-year-old could do. It doesn't mean you should leave your 4-year-old alone with a glue gun and sewing machine and sharp pair of scissors while you run to the grocery store.

painted shirt, age 4+
potholders, age 6+
recycled crayons, all ages
artwork calendar, all ages
sculpey beads, age 4+
bubblebath, age 4+
jello or kool-aid playdough, all ages
romper stompers, age 4+
round loom hats & scarves, age 7/8+
bean bags, age 4+
knot a quilt*, age 6+
magic wands, age 5+
barrettes, age 4+
ipod cover, age 7/8+
garlands, age 4+
decoupage eggs, all ages

*I don't think I've posted on Knot-A-Quilt before but it's a kit filled with fringed squares that your child can tie together to make a blanket. Great concept and a good quiet project — my daughter loved making it. But. The fabric it comes with is not the best. I've been experimenting with alternative fabrics that are better looking and higher-quality to see if we can make our own squares. I'll let you know how it goes. . .

ABC Posters

Custom posters at Made By Girl. Highlighting your child's name. Smart. Clever. Good in a family room with your family name as well.

Beautiful Little Vanilla Vases — by Guest Mom Michelle/Scribbit

I love baking with real vanilla beans, they taste like nothing else — there is no substitute. And nearly as wonderful as the beans themselves are the beautiful little glass tubes the beans come in.

For a couple years I saved the tubes because I was sure I'd find something really perfect to do with them and wouldn't you know it — this was the year my creativity finally paid off.

I bought some eight gauge solid copper wire from a local hardware store (I got it for sixty-two cents a foot) and curled it in free-form shapes that clutch the tubes and make standing vases.

To make your own here are a couple tips:

1. Use pliers as little as possible to bend because not only will they nick the wire (even when you protect it with a couple layers of felt) they tend to make bends that aren't as smooth as those you can do with only your fingers.

2. Bend the wire as little as possible — don't unbend and rebend it--because the molecular properties of copper make it so that the more the metal moves the more rigid and difficult to bend it becomes.

3. To get the nice little spirals that hold the vials in place I gently bent the wire into a somewhat tight spiral then stretched it apart. The technique worked well and kept the tubes clutched tightly in place.

If you're not convinced how easy this is or are too busy to make your own, I've put the vase pictured above in my Etsy store for purchase. And if you liked this idea but are hungry for more I'm posting another idea for creating tiny vases from glass tubes at Scribbit. Enjoy!

100 Percent

So I'm back. Feeling good. Yesterday was maybe 80, 85%. Today I'm 100% healthy. And I love it. As soon as I was feeling better my appetite came back with a vengeance and happily, my friend Angela who is in tune with the entire Universe, sensed this increased hunger and brought an enormous pasta dinner for my whole family. Complete with homemade sauce from her Grandma's special recipe and a crusty loaf of bread. Yummy. And did I mention yummy? Thank you Angela!

(Side note: is there anything more wonderful than a good friend to bring you dinner when you're not feeling well? Seriously. You should probably move to New York so you can live near people like Angela.)



During the worst of the sickness, I comforted myself with sips of Glow Mama. Lucy Leahy developed a drink just for expectant/nursing Mamas (I'm not currently either, but anyway...) when she found herself a bit discouraged at her limited beverage options while she was pregnant. She sent me a couple of samples of her kiwi juice concoction and I found them light, not too sweet, subtle,and pretty darn lovely. Very gentle on my upset stomach.



And to cheer me up, Shannon from Rocks in My Dryer sent me an article her local Tulsa newspaper had written up about her great blog. It's a lovely article and was especially cheery to me because she mentioned my blog as one of her ten favorites. Thank you Shannon! You're a sweetheart.

And now here I am. Healthy, full of pasta and kiwi juice, and delighted by a newspaper mention. Life is good. I can't wait to read Michelle's guest post today. . .

fawn & forest

There's a new modern baby shop that's just opened its online doors. It's called fawn & forest — a beautiful website and a great collection of products. I'm especially drawn to the Fraizer & Wing recycled paper mobiles. So pretty. As delightful over the couch as they would be over the crib.

Ode to a Loaf of Bread — by Guest Mom Michelle/Scribbit

Whoever said man doesn't live by bread alone must not feel the way I do about those lovely little carbs. When I go to a restaurant and they have a bread basket at the table I'm usually filling up on crusty, soft slices of heaven before my meal ever arrives.

I'm sharing my basic, tried-and-true, absolutely fabulous bread recipe that I use in my bread machine. If you're one who swears on the old-fashioned knead-by-hand method I'm sure you can adapt this to fit your needs (kneads?) but if you love fresh bread and the ease of technology get yourself a bread machine and try this recipe — I promise you happiness. A few notes: While I also adapt it for whole wheat, I never make 100% whole wheat because I dislike the heavy, dense texture. Instead of 4 1/2 cups of white flour you can use 2 cups of whole wheat and 2 of all-purpose with excellent results and better health. Either way is good for dinner rolls and loaves. On the loaf you see pictured above after letting it rise for 30 minutes I sprayed the loaf with olive oil cooking spray, sprinkled sea salt and rosemary on top, then made light, cross cuts on the top with a serrated edge before baking — pretty, no?

Here's the recipe:

1 1/2 cup warm water
4 1/2 cups white all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons powdered milk
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon fast acting yeast (though this may need to be reduced if your machine has a very long rising time.)

Add all of the ingredients into the bucket of the bread machine and set on the dough cycle. When finished, shape as you wish on a greased cookie sheet and allow the bread to rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 28 minutes or until golden brown on top. All machines are not alike so you may have to tweak it to make it fit your particular machine. Just remember that less is more when it comes to the amount of flour. You want to add as little flour as you can otherwise the texture becomes too dense.



I've had four bread machines and I've worn each of them into the ground so I have to show off my latest model. A friend of mine had a brand new Cuisinart bread machine she didn't want so she gave it to me just as my fourth machine was on its deathbed. If you're in the market for a bread machine you should consider a couple criteria:

1. How large a loaf can it handle? (A two pound loaf is a must for me)
2. How deep is the bucket? (A deeper bucket will mean less sloppiness and a cleaner machine)
3. How long does it take to complete a cycle? Four hours? Two? Something in the middle is best.
4. Does it have enough settings? Can it handle whole wheat? French? Dough?
5. Does it have a window? Because you'll want to see your art baking.
6. Remember that more expensive doesn't mean better, I've tried high end and low end and the low end models work as well--or better--than the more expensive machines every time. I had excellent results with The Corner Bakery brand.

Happiness is a warm loaf of bread so if you want some of my other favorite bread recipes here click on these:

Cranberry Bread
Perfect Cinnamon Rolls
Smoked Gouda Rolls
Sticky Rolls
Baked Apple Donuts
Pesto Cheese Pizza

Labour & Wait

Annie of Basic Joy sent me the link to Labour & Wait. It is my new favorite stop on the internet. Holy Cow. I love every single item they stock. They sell a good-looking British version of pretty much everything you need to set up house. If I was getting married this week you could consider me registered for one of each.

I understand they have a brick and mortar shop in London as well. Has anyone been?

Preview: Swimsuits for Girls

It's January. I'm freezing cold. But the catalogs are arriving with kids' swimsuits and I can't help but notice. Garnet Hill has put an amazing collection together for the girls. My favorites are these ruffle, halter suits. So cute I wish they came in my size.

Bringing the Outside In (But Without the Antlers) — by Guest Mom Michelle/Scribbit

I have to say it's intimidating to write a post for Design Mom "where motherhood and design intersect" because I've read the blog for a while now and I know exactly the kinds of ideas Gabrielle posts — and they just ooze class and sophistication. I hate to admit it but when it comes to class and sophistication Alaskans are rather . . . um . . . "design-challenged" shall we say?

Partly because everything from the mountains to the economy to the cities is new, partly because the population is young, partly because it's rugged and partly because it's so predominantly male Alaskan style can be best summed up in the words "Shabby Chic" which isn't really chic at all — just shabby. And apparently proud of it.

Where else do you regularly see people at the opera wearing jeans? Or cars that haven't been washed for six months? Or homes sporting moose antlers over the garage door? Or aluminum foil decorating bedroom windows? (It's to block the sunlight in summer). Yes, as much as I love the land of my birth it's rather embarrassing when it comes to defining Alaskan style.

However. . . just because there are deficiencies in refinement here doesn't mean we don't have virtues as well. Alaskans are very aware of their environment and they respect nature (both its beauty and its danger). There's an abundance of natural resources and an excitement and optimism that translates into forward-thinking creativity.

What does this mean for every day life? Well take my previous examples. Moose antlers and taxidermy gone mad are common Alaskan decorating themes. Personally? I've sworn that there will never be anything with a head stuffed and mounted on my wall but the basic concept is worthwhile, it just needs a bit of tweaking. Bring those natural elements into your home, bring bits of the outside environment inside and you will add an important depth and comfort to your decorating.

For example:

Several years ago our family discovered a bird that had nested in the tall spring grasses on the southern side of our house. We blocked off the area from foot traffic and sat back to watch from an upper patio that looked down onto the nest. We were like Audobon paparazzi, stalking the nest to see when any big news was to be reported and when the day came that the eggs finally hatched it was an all-out Family Moment.

The birds soon flew away but I carefully collected the nest and had it framed with a card displaying the name of the bird along with the date we discovered the nest. Hanging on our wall it not only brings in a lovely natural element but is a great conversation piece. Though oddly enough everyone wants to know if the fake eggs I put in the nest for display are the real eggs. Apparently they believe I'm capable of killing baby birds for the sake of their eggs, that I'm that heartless.



Incorporating natural elements into your rooms not only creates an inviting and relaxing atmosphere--particularly when you've got light, airy spaces with clean lines and minimal ornamentation--it's a perfect way to keep family connections alive. Experiencing nature together and creatively displaying your trophies is the equivalent of hanging pages from your family albums on the wall, children love to remember the circumstances of each find which sparks lovely conversations of "remember when?"



For ways to bring little bits of nature into your home here are some of my favorite ideas:

• Framed Flat Displays. Frame charcoal rubbings of maple leaves, pressed flowers or mushroom prints made from fungi spores (see Martha Stewart "How to Print Mushrooms"). If it's flat it can be put in a frame and hung on the wall--and who doesn't have wall space?

• Shadow Boxes. For things that are a little thicker shadow boxes are an elegant alternative. Mount sea shells, fossils from a family dig, shark teeth, pieces of coral, a snake skin shed in the garden or dried flowers for an interesting grouping. I found a good supplier for shadow boxes that I described in my post "Cookie Cutter Display Cases" and even animal bones like the one my son reconstructed for science class (see my post here) would be beautiful artfully framed. But maybe not this bone — I made Andrew take that one to the office.

• Swags and Garlands. Stalks of wheat, branches of cotton with the boles still clinging, wild turkey feathers — they all make dramatic displays arched over a doorway. Think of things that are native to your region, then bunch 'em and hang 'em. As an alternative, drill holes in things like acorns or pine cones, string them and hang them at the top of a door or around a window.

• Centerpieces. Likewise, anything that you can use in a swag would look distinctive in a vase as a centerpiece to your table. Forced branches are particularly lovely in winter (see Martha Stewart "Forcing Branches" for details).

• Placemats. In tropical climates, gather palm fronds to be used as placemats or as a runner down the middle of the table.

• Enclosed jars and bowls. Using vintage apothecary jars or milk glass bowls are perfect for displaying larger objects. Think acorns (oh how I wish we had oak trees here), pieces of empty honeycomb, pine cones or empty hand-blown eggs. We've collected sand from different beaches we've been to and put them in corked glass jars — but layering the sand in a large jar would also be pretty.

• Mobiles and Hangings. Hang sand dollars, driftwood and sea stars over a bed by white gauzy ribbon in random patterns or as a mobile. Hang things from the top of a window casing so that they catch the light and turn gently in the air.

• Weavings. Collect sea grasses or spring willow branches and weave them into a square with the ends still sticking out — the contrast between the rigidity of the square and the natural fibers would be attractive as a mat or framed.

• Photographs. Frame a grouping of pictures of a dewy spiderweb from the garden or a series of pictures of the same oak tree in the front yard as seen during different seasons.

• Houseplants. Line the top of the soil in your pots with sea shells, river rocks, coral — anything that will keep the soil from losing moisture and look decorative. Decoupage a wooden box with pressed flowers collected from the first blooms of spring in a new home.

• Decoupage and Mosaics. Use beach glass, shells or small pebbles to make stepping stones for the garden. or to cover a patio table. Press flowers collected from the first spring in your new home to use as decoupage on a box or frame.

Whatever your climate, wherever you live, make your rooms more comfortable by bring pieces of your outside inside. It's what memories are made of--and memories are the most natural thing in the world.

Petrie Point Designs

I received an email from Susan of Petrie Point Designs a couple of weeks ago and started oohing and aahing at her charming collection immediately. Susan takes actual antique/vintage items (teddy bears, baby shoes, and my favorite: bathing suits) and has them perfectly framed and preserved. What fantastic accents for a nursery! A great way to bring in some history — especially if you haven't inherited your own heirlooms to display.

These aren't budget items, but it's understandable considering their one-of-a-kind nature and fine framing.

Back In a Bit

Oh my. I have 3 more really good posts for today — one of them from our awesome Guest Mom, Michelle. Really. They are don't miss. But. I'm deathly ill with some sort of flue and am kidding myself if I think I can get them posted right now. This same sickness has cycled through my kids pretty quickly, so I'm crossing my fingers I'll be feeling healthy soon (oh please let it be soon). And then I'll be back at my computer.

Also. I'm feeling heart-heavy today. A great man and leader passed away yesterday. His name is Gordon B. Hinckley and he's been the leader of my church for the last 12 years. So I'm also spending time today with the rest of my peeps mourning his death and pondering and celebrating the good life he lived .

Say Hello to Michelle Mitchell of Scribbit!

Note from Design Mom: I can't wait for you to meet our newest Guest Mom. You are going to love her. She's a great writer. She's funny. She's endlessly interesting and completely down to earth. Plus, her life is a full-fledged adventure — if for no other reason than she lives in the great state of Alaska. You may already know her blog Scribbit. It is one of the hands down best blogs that you could fit under the "parenting" topic umbrella — or pretty much any other topic umbrella. I asked her to write up an introduction so we could get to know her better, but before I get to it, I just want to say: Welcome Michelle! I'm happy to have you here!!

An Introduction to Scribbit

I'm so happy to be here at Design Mom, it's like a little vacation for me to come and post this week--only considerably cheaper and without so much sunblock. I'm Michelle Mitchell and my blog, Scribbit, is my online magazine where I post about everything related to motherhood in Alaska and I'm looking forward to sharing a little glimpse of my life in the land where global warming is a welcome thing. Back at Scribbit I publish my favorite recipes, household tips, crafts, contests and giveaways mixed with stories of being a mom in the Last Frontier.



I was born and raised in Anchorage but met my husband, Andrew, while we were at college out of state. He fell in love with Alaska from his very first fishing trip and we've been happily frozen here ever since. I come from a large family (I'm the oldest of six) and fifteen years of marriage have produce four children of our own: Grace, age 14, who's recently discovered dances, pierced ears and driving. Spencer, who's greatest ambition in life is to be an 11 year-old Macguyer-meets-Grizzly Adams. David, age 8, our future marine biologist who doesn't care what he's doing so long as he's with his big brother and Lillian, age 5, our resident kindergarten-sized Broadway star. We love living on the edge of the United States and plan to stay here until we die--or until we retire to life on Maui where I can fulfill my dream to have my own private beach complete with wi-fi where I can blog till the whales come home.

If you'd like a more academic biography, I received a B.A. in English with a minor in journalism just before my marriage and I followed my husband to North Dakota while he worked his way through law school. Though I've had some interesting jobs working as a researcher at the National Archives in Washington, D.C, working for Covey Leadership Center (of Stephen R. Covey and The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People fame) and doing freelance editing and tech writing here and there motherhood had a way of restricting my creative time. Until blogging. I started Scribbit in 2005 but wasn't serious about it until a year later when I finally began venturing out of my hole to meet other bloggers and participate in the blogging community. I began posting every day and things took off until here I am, 750 posts later, enjoying a writing stint at Design Mom and loving it.



If you'd like a deeper (and less glamorous) introduction to our family I'd recommend the following posts:

Wherein Our Heroine Unknowlingly Aids and Abets
Oh Yea? So What is YOUR Child Wearing?

Winner — Virtual Baby Shower Giveaway

What a fantastic contest. And what a delight to read the 877 entries. Crazy. I just put all the numbers and secret codes into the super-computer at random.org and we've got our random winner of the Virtual Baby Shower Giveaway:

Congratulations to: nor lou who said, "wonderful!!!"

Congratulations, nor lou! Please email me from the link on my blog with your shipping address and product picks, and I'll get your info to the sponsors right away.

Speaking of the lovely sponsors, here's a big thank you to: Snug-a-Bug Baby, Blonde Designs, IsaBooties, Baby Bear Shop and Quilt Baby!

Valentine's on my Mind

Happy weekend! Tomorrow I'm teaching a class about doing art projects and crafts with kids. Fun stuff. I'm off to finish my preparations. I'll leave you with 3 Valentine-sy things that made me smile.


Gorgeous paper globe ornaments by Heather Bailey. Great link, Maya! Thanks.


A Wheat Heart for your Sweet Heart at the Scandinavian Design Center. Warm up this heart-shaped wheat-filled bag to comfort your child after a scraped knee or slip it into their pocket to heat their hands on a chilly day. The same idea as the heating pad my daughter made for Christmas in a sweeter, smaller application. A perfect valentine token. via Fun Finds for Mom.


Super-de-duper-sweet cards by Kit Allen. For boys. And girls. I heart the librarian. Thanks for the link, Lori!


Quick reminder: you can enter the amazing Virtual Baby Shower Giveaway through Sunday at midnight. Great prizes from great sponsors. You don't want to miss out.

Ask Design Mom: What to do with Children's Artwork

Ask-Design-Mom Question: Hi Gabrielle. As the mother of 5 creative children, I think you are the perfect person to ask this question... I was wondering if you have creative suggestions for what to do with the blizzard of artwork that my kids bring home each week from school (not to mention the work the generate at home)? I have a pre-schooler and a first grader and they generate a LOT of precious "art". I like having it around the house and proudly hang much of it, but would love some creative ideas for how to preserve, display and manage the volume. Thanks for your wonderful blog and Happy New Year! Regards, Brenda

Design Mom Answer:
Great question Brenda. This one is a non-stop challenge for all parents. I've detailed my own storing-artwork-philosophy before here. (In short the philosophy is: keep it moving. Post current artwork. Replace it when new items come home. Save a very few select items and only projects that are true originals or that your child is particularly proud of.) But today I've got 3 cute ideas I've seen recently that might help you out.

1) Lizzy had the brilliant idea to use her daughter's artwork to make her grocery lists and to-do lists. Child friendly and earth friendly. I'm sure her daughter feels so important when she sees mom carrying around her drawing as mom goes about doing errands.


2) In the most recent issue of Good Things for Kids (one of the Martha mini-magazines — this issue is titled "Get Crafty" and just came out last week), there are dozens of amazing ideas, some dealing with the exact question in mind. I loved their idea of putting a year's worth of artwork into mailing tubes. The tubes are especially good at accommodating oversize pieces of paper.


3) Another great idea from Good Things for Kids, is to turn your child's drawing into something practical by mounting a small paper calendar directly on the artwork (see the pic at the top of this post). We happened to get one of those mini calendars in the mail yesterday from our oil company and decided we should try this project immediately. Instead of mounting the whole calendar on one masterpiece, my kids collected 12 pieces of artwork, trimmed them down and mounted the artwork and one calendar month on 12 separate sheets of paper. Double-stick tape and glue sticks were the mounting adhesives of choice.


When we were finished, we bound the 12 pages together with an oversize paperclip and slipped them in a happy red envelope. We're sending this off to Grandma for a belated birthday present. If your utilities company/real estate agent/gardening catalog isn't as forthcoming with the mini calendars, you can also buy them from this site.

One last idea: if you find your child is particularly taken with drawing, introduce a sketchbook into their life. When they fill it up, introduce a new one. That way, their artwork is already bound and easy to store and they can see their progression easily.

What about you, clever readers? How do you handle the oceans of artwork that come into your homes?

Shutter Sisters

There's a new website called Shutter Sisters that I have spent some very satisfying time exploring. It's for photographers and wannabe photographers and admirers of photographers. Founded by some of the most creative and inspiring women out there. Eight sisters. Three of whom I consider trusted blog friends, Andrea Scher of Superhero Journal, Karen Walrond of Chookooloonks and Tracey Clark of Mother May I.

Check it out. Explore. Get involved in Love Thursday. Or try a Superhero Photo Challenge. Nominate a photo for One Sweet Shot. Or join their flickr group. Mostly just let the beautiful photography inspire your day.

I've heard bits and pieces about this project over the last year and was so excited to see the site had launched. Congratulations Ladies!!

This site is going to be huge. I'm sure of it. I recommend getting involved early so you can say, "I was a Shutter Sister from day one".

I found the announcement on sk*rt.

Hable Construction Spring/Summer '08 Sneak Peek

photos by rinne allen

The girls at Hable Construction are getting ready for the February NY Gift Show and sent around a sneak peek of their new lines. So fresh! They make me crave warm weather — especially the yellow prints. I so look forward to dropping by their booth and seeing all of this in person.

Rocking Chair by Egg Designs

I get emails inquiring about good rockers maybe once a week. The topic has been covered a couple of times here and here, but I've always got my eyes peeled for new, beautiful options and I think this chair by Egg Designs is delightful.

I spotted it on the 2Modern blog.

Random Giveaway — Virtual Baby Shower

I am so psyched about today's giveaway that I'm typing standing up. It's that good. Seriously. It involves fantastic prizes from 5 different vendors that I love, totaling almost $250. And it's all about the baby. Which means it's all about you. Because as you've come to find out, that baby can't do a dang thing for itself. Your happiness = baby's happiness. And if you win this Giveaway you are going to be soooo happy! Take a look at the goods:


1) A Mini Minky and Bib & Burp Cloth set from Quilt Baby.

Quilt Baby is a fairly recent discovery for me and I'm still in that crush stage where I go and wander their website just to see the pretty colors and great photography. They're adding 4 total items to the prize package: 1 Mini Minky blanket, plus a Bib & Burp Cloth set that includes 1 bib & 2 burp cloths. Best part is: winner's choice! And what a choice it is. So many cute prints and patterns to choose from. It's a decision I would savor for hours. How fun to be able to wrap your baby in such coziness! The 4 items retail for $48.


2) Appreciate Gift Set from Baby Bear Shop.

Baby Bear Shop is a no brainer when you're looking for organic body products and gorgeous packaging. Their pretty little lip gloss tins are a staple in my handbag. This is what's included in their Appreciate Gift Set: Lavender Vanilla Lip Balm, Cheeky Baby Butter, and Mama Belly Oil. Completely organic. Completely effective. Completely yummy. And to top it off they're beautifully packaged: earthy, amber-hued bottles with vintage story-book illustrations, packaged in recycled kraft paper box with brown polka dot bow. Just reading the product descriptions makes my skin feel softer. The gift set retails for $48.


3) Two Pairs of Shoes from Isabooties.

What is it about seeing tiny little baby shoes that makes me so happy? I love the options at Isabooties! They look so well made, simple and clean. Little embellishments and details but no major animal or truck themed additions — sometimes you just crave a simple shoe. Isabooties are made in the USA of super-soft ultra-suede. They're machine-washable & dryable and they don't slip off little toesies. Lucky you — if you win you get to pick two pairs! Any size. Any style. One for you and one for a gift? Or one for you and another for you. Extra bonus: type in coupon code "designmom" for 15% off your order. Each pair of Isabooties retails for $29.


4) One set of Baby Stationery from Blonde-Designs.

Of course your baby needs his own stationery — he's that kind of baby — ready to send out thank you notes and thoughtful correspondence at a moment's notice. So you might as well set him up with something charming and appropriate. Like a set of 25 custom notecards from Blonde-Designs. 12 great choices with super-sweet illustrations. And the winner gets to pick her favorite(!) and have her darling baby's name printed right at the top of every card. The two artistic minds behind Blonde-Designs are former Martha Stewart art directors — and I bet they're missed. Because their clean designs and sophisticated color palette are so good. I'm a total fan. A box of 25 custom notecards retails for $50.


5) One Warmsie Set from Snug-a-Bug Baby.

The timing is simply perfect on this item — because it is so dang freezing cold outside it's ridiculous. At first glance you many think: ummm. That looks like a basic onesie and pants sets. Cute. But why the fuss? Well this is the fuss. Instead of being made from basic cotton, these Warmsie sets are made from super-hi-tech Temp-Rite fabric — which provides lots of warmth, without the bulk. So instead of wearing 15 pounds of layers, your baby can perch happily in her stroller and still move her arms. Available in lots of styles and colors — and the winner gets to pick size and pattern! Each warmsie set retails for $40.

What did I tell you? Great Giveaway today. So many treats it's like a Virtual Baby Shower. Happy commenting and a big thank you to our excellent sponsors!

-------------

Random Giveaway Guidelines:
-You have until midnight PST on Sunday, January 27th 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.

My Future Summer Home

This home makes my heart race. It's in Sao Paulo, Brazil. And I wish I was too. Lots more delicious photos if you follow the link.

I found this on sk*rt.

Good People know Good People

Back in the day (before babies 4 & 5 made their appearance) I worked with a lovely Creative Director named Stephanie and a talented Art Director named Steven. They are still advertising hotshots, and in all their glorious spare time these city-apartment-living-experts have started a new site. And I think it's brilliant.

It's called the Good People Guide. And it's a place where anyone can read honest, unbiased reviews of local contractors, handymen, movers, house cleaners and on and on. Which means that you'll know just who to call when inspiration/disaster strikes your own home.

Plus. If you've had a good or bad experience hiring something out and want to share it for the benefit of all mankind, you can do that too.

Smart, right?

So much better than making a cold call from the yellow pages then crossing your fingers and saying several prayers that the person will actually show up and do what you need them to do.

Book of the Week — Alison Jay's Board Books

Aren't these board books gorgeous? Alison Jay's illustrations are inventive and beautiful.

In Alphabet (which also seems to go by ABC depending on which country it's sold in), each scene features one item (A is for apple) with several smaller a-word-objects surrounding the main item. The final scene shows everything and everyone from the book together in a non-traditional zoo. And throughout the book there's an underlying story of a man on a journey encountering objects from the book.

In Numbers (which also seems to go by 123), you'll count from 1 to 10 and back again with fairy tale characters as your companions. Watch for characters from one scene as they make appearances on further pages. So well done!

These would be a wonderful addition to your child's library and are pretty enough that you'll want to leave them out on display.



And while my brain is on Alison Jay, check out her Picture This board book as well — clearly Alison can do no wrong!

I spotted the Alphabet book on the great new blog Babyccino (4 cool mothers blogging from 4 cool cities: London, Amsterdam, Paris & Milan).

Sk*rt Call for Editors Contest!

1/24 EDIT:
The nominations are coming in fast and furiously. And we LOVE it!! Keep them coming. Email us at sharethelove@sk-rt.com and tell us who you think would make a great sk*rt editor!

--------

It's non-stop excitement at sk*rt . Yesterday we announced the winner of the Clean Up sk*rt contest. And immediately after that we announced the new big deal that's happening now until the end of the month: sk*rt is putting out a Call for Editors!!

I'm so excited about this I can hardly stand it. Here’s the scoop. We're in the middle of some major redesigns over at sk*rt — including the addition of an “editors’ picks” section. But we need a few more editors to share their excellent picks with the world. We’re looking for smart, snappy, with-it women. We’re looking for women with special interest in sk*rt's nine categories and for generalists who have special interest in everything.

You know that friend you have that's always sending you the smartest links? The funniest videos? The coolest products? She would make an excellent sk*rt editor!

And just to make the finding-of-the-editors even more fun, we thought, why not have a cool contest?! And then we thought, heck yes, that’s a great idea! So here it is. The Call for Sk*rt Editors Contest. Anyone who nominates someone (or themselves) to be a new sk*rt editor is entered to win these two fantastic prizes:



1) HP Photosmart A826 Home Photo Center, valued at $199.99

This printer is made especially for all you mothers with a digital camera surgically attached to your hand. Get those photos off your computer and get them on display already!

Featuring a large 7.0-inch color touchscreen with stylus included, the Photosmart A826 allows users to edit, design and personalize photos with borders, text and creative graphics. With the 100-sheet internal paper tray, users can conveniently print up to 100 photos at a time. Print borderless 4 x 6- and 5 x 7-inch photos, holiday cards, wallets and panoramas from the convenience of home.



2) Philips’ Senseo Single Serve Coffee Machine, valued at $69.99

I'm actually not a coffee drinker and have personally never tried this, but I've been told more than once that these single serve coffee machines are better than sliced bread.

The Senseo® coffee pod system lets you savor a single serving of fresh gourmet coffee at the touch of a button, just the way you like it, whenever you like it. Designed by Philips, one of the world’s largest electronics companies, the Senseo® single serve brewing system brings great taste, in both design and coffee, to your kitchen. Mild pressure and a special spray head produce an optimally balanced coffee filtering process. No messy coffee grounds or filters. Enjoy a single serving of fresh gourmet coffee in under a minute.

That’s almost $275 of prizes. Simply for giving your pick(s) for sk*rt editors. How cool is that? Anyone can nominate as many people as they’d like — and each nomination equals an entry. Email us with your nomination at sharethelove@sk-rt.com.

It’s simple. Just send us a name and the link to their web site or blog so we can get to know them. They don’t have a blog? Then let us know why they’d be the perfect pick.

I can't wait to see who you nominate!

Animal Puppets from Kenya

zebra


leopard


lion

Last summer at the NY Gift Show I found and posted about the fantastic toys made in Kenya by the Kenana Knitters Group. Happily, we are now the proud owners of a set of Kenana animal puppets. They are so delightful! We have 7 — enough so that everyone in the family can participate — and they absolutely do invite participation.

Well designed. Soft colors. Good proportions. Great texture and materials. Each toy is made with home spun wool, dyed with natural plant dye, and knitted by a huge group of women in Kenya. Each piece is signed by the woman who knitted it.

But the best part is the concept behind the company. From their website: The Kenana Knitters group enables its workers to directly benefit from their efforts and create a self-sufficient community. With your purchases, we have been able to increase employment drastically in both Kenya and the United States, provide full physicals and ongoing medical treatment for each knitter and their families. We have even begun construction on a school located within the farm boundaries.

What a treat to own something so lovingly and respectfully made. I can't imagine a child who wouldn't love these. And I think I have a crush on Gloria, the good woman who is behind the whole project.

You can find Kenana products here.

Jordan's Mobiles. Liz's Cards.

Did you see the great mobile Jordan (my sister) and Paul (her husband) made? Origami cranes + wire hanger = wonderful.


And what about Liz's (my sister-in-law's) charming gocco Valentine cards? Welcome to the jungle.

Williams Sonoma Kids

Williams Sonoma just relaunched its site with a new section just for cooking with kids. Fantastic content. Kid-friendly recipes and tools. Lots of great ideas.

Round & Round Party

Oscar's 3rd Birthday Party was Saturday. It was a hit! I have a million pictures and ideas to share.



I asked Oscar what kind of party he would like. His answer involved blue cake and circles. So we decided "Round & Round" would be a good theme. This is the invitation. I sent it out via email instead of snail mail — because I had procrastinated.

View gabbyblair's map

Taken in (See more photos here)

The decorations: Circles of course. My older kids helped me make circle garlands. We hung them all over the place. Oscar started adding circle to the door, so we went with it. Maude remembered we had a few round lanterns in our holiday storage bin so we added those too. We added colorful round confetti to the table.

For the garlands we used construction paper, curly ribbon, glue sticks and two borrowed oversize hole punches (thanks laura!). We used regular hole punches to make confetti from the scraps. The garlands were easy to make and turned out wonderfully, so after the party I wrapped them up for storage on a spare piece of foam board. (These would be great for other parties as well — you could make them more sophisticated by using origami paper with subtle patterns.)

The round menu was geared toward 3-year old appetites: round pb&j, cucumber & carrot rounds, circle crackers and pineapple rings.

Blue cupcakes with circle sprinkles.

View gabbyblair's map

Taken in (See more photos here)

The party favors: bags of super balls in pretty marbelized colors.

For activities we did "round" things. Danced to "You Spin Me Right Round, Baby Right Round". Walked around a hula hoop while singing "The Big Black Bear" song. Sat in a circle with our feet together and rolled a ball around. Plus lots of free play so they could build with the duplos and try out the puppets in the playroom.

The 3 year old birthday party is always my favorite one. It's the first year they really get it. How to unwrap a present. What a present is. How to blow out candles (they're not very good, but they know how to try). They have no expectations and are just delighted with the whole thing. I recommend keeping it small and short. 6 or 7 kids for an hour and a half is just about right.

You can see a bazillion more pics here.

Women in Social Media are ?????

What are women in social media? Well, apparently they are us. We are they. We are in social media. If we are reading blogs, blogging, checking out videos on You Tube, reading sk*rt, looking at photos on flickr, etc, etc, and all of the above. We are women in social media.

Hmmm. Who knew we had such a fancy title? Well we do. And Laura, my dear friend and partner at sk*rt, is going to be speaking up for women in social media at the Got Social Media conference in Houston on Thursday.

And since she is speaking of you and for you, she'd like to hear from you. So let's help her out. Leave a comment here on this post and let her know what you think women in social media are. Just complete the phrase: "Women in social media are ______."

She'd really like to hear what you have to say. So much so that she's going to randomly pick from the comments and give one lucky gal a one-year subscription to Domino Magazine (a publication which I adore)! Isn't she a sweet heart?

I can't wait to hear what you have to say.

Ask Design Mom: 3 year old gifts

Ask-Design-Mom Question:
Hi Gabrielle! Love your blog. I thought you would be the perfect person to ask. My nephew is turning three next week. He has *everything* an almost three year old could want or need. And not plastic stuff. Cool stuff — cause he lives in Brooklyn, and his parents are hip and all that. What is a good gift to get for him — got any ideas or websites or stores to visit? Andrea Birch

Design Mom Answer:
Great question, Andrea! And perfect timing what with my son's three year old birthday happening just last Saturday. Here are some of the things Oscar loved receiving.

Banana Monkey Car.
I have no idea where my friend picked this up, but I am in love with it. And Oscar was possessive about it from the moment it appeared. So great! I've left a message for my friend asking about the source — I'll update as soon as I hear anything. This just in: she picked this lovely item up at Wisteria. Apparently no longer available :(

Doctor Kit with Wooden Accessories.
The same friend also gave Oscar a little German doctor kit that Oscar has carried from room to room since his party.

A Colorful Clock.
From age 3 kids start learning more and more about the concept of time. Tomorrow. Yesterday. In a minute. We picked up this Monkey faced clock at the holiday fair in Grand Central. When the alarm goes off it makes monkey sounds. You can find 5 different animal sound clocks at Streamline.

Cariboo & Bloom Puzzle.
These are both made by the Cranium company and I am a fan of every thing I've seen this company produce. Smart thinking and good design. We own 4 of their boardgames and love them dearly. 3-year-olds can't get enough of Cariboo. Your nephew will want to play it 10 times every day.

Bloom is a new-to-me Cranium product line and sure enough, it's another hit. You put together a puzzle and then use the little flip books they provide to spot things on the puzzle and circle them with erasable marker. Oscar loves it!

Skateboard.
We picked this up at Target for $7. It's just the right size for a 3 year old to try out. And it's small enough that I don't mind him using it in the house (it's so cold outside!).

Wood Puzzles.
It's hard to own too many good wood puzzles. Your nephew probably already has some, but he's probably also tired of them. Oscar (and Betty) both love wood puzzles. Melissa & Doug is one good source. Their puzzles are sold all over the place.

Play Dough & Art Supplies.
Since the parents of the nephew are "hip and all that", they'll appreciate homemade jello playdough in lieu of the electric-colored commercial stuff. (Although kids love both kinds!). Put it in a good looking container and include a dino or doggie or car shaped cookie cutter and it will provide hours of fun. And the jello makes it smell really good too.

This is an appropriate time to mention art supplies as well. Kids go through markers, paper, glue and pipe cleaners faster than you might expect. They are always a welcome gift.

Sporting Equipment.
A few trips to the park and whatever sporting equipment your nephew has will be either thrashed or lost. My kids are always delighted to receive baseballs and bats, kickballs, bouncy balls, hockey sets, soccer balls, all of it. I love this beautiful leather basketball that Oscar received. (Couldn't find the link but I believe it's from Pottery Barn.)

What about you Design Mom Readers? What do you like to give for 3-year-old gifts?

Winners — Mini-Moderns Picnic Ware

What a great prize! What a great contest! Thank you so much for entering the Mini Moderns Picnic Ware Giveaway. Here are the three lucky winners:

2) Geneva who said, "Someday I'll win a give away. Hopefully it will be this one!"

3) megan who said, "I just keep on entering and keep not not winnin' but it doesn't stop me from coming back for more!"

4) honey apple who said, "i am com-plately smitten."

Congratulations, Ladies! Please email me from the link on my blog with your shipping address, and I'll get your info to Mini Moderns straight away.

Thank you Mini Moderns!

Thank you Leslie!!

I can't thank Leslie enough for the amazing job she did as Guest Mom last week. It was such a delight to have her here. What inspiring posts! What great ideas! Every thing she contributed was excellent — my personal favorite was Gustavian Style — a totally new term for me, I loved learning it.

Aren't we lucky that we can keep up with Leslie at her own amazing blog? No doubt you already have it bookmarked. Watch for her fabulous Project Runway updates.

Thank you Leslie! Please come back again soon.

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

We had the day off today. No work. No school. Lovely.

My brother Josh and his kids came over, plus some up-for-anything friends from the neighborhood, and we spent the day making movies. Ralph wrote and directed two cinematic masterpieces starring all the kids. Josh helped him film and edit them with iMovie.

We ended the day with pizza and chicken chili and a screening of the two flicks, plus good conversation (much of which was about living in the East vs. living in the West). A great day.

Then I sat down at my computer tonight and found the coolest link on sk*rt.

Enjoying some time testing my geography skills and pondering this big wide world seemed a fitting way to end a day that's all about celebrating Human Rights.

Ellabalou Blankets

Do your kids like silky fabrics as much as mine do? I'm sure my babies would have become immediately attached to these Ellabalou blankets. A whole side of silky. Don't they look super soft? I like how the website describes their blankets as having a warm side and cool side — I know exactly what they mean.

Family Trees are Pretty — by Guest Mom Leslie

One of my favorite hobbies involves researching the people in my family tree. Now before you click away thinking this to be a boring, old-lady hobby, bear with me for a minute.



This is my favorite wall in my home. (Don't you just love seeing inside peoples' houses?) I call it my "family wall," though I've never met most of the people pictured here. The fan chart in the center records the names of some of my and my husband's ancestors. I filled it in myself (in a very uncalligraphical way) and popped it in a poster-sized frame, for now. I want to be able to retrieve it when more names are found. (Side note: my chart especially came in handy when we were contemplating baby names.) You can get the same fan chart for around $10 here. My "old" photos are mostly just reprints from other family members' collections, placed into inexpensive black frames from Target. The images had been burned onto CDs and distributed to the family by generous relatives. The artifacts in shadowboxes have been collected at little come-and-take-what-you-want sessions my husband's family has had (lucky for me). You can see those little gems up close here and here.

Martha Stewart's company likes to promote family history research, too. They have featured several different "family tree" projects over the years and sold project helpers in their catalog that once was. They have a way of making family trees decorative and informative, of course. Here are some of their quick and easy researching tips, concisely stated.

They've created a downloadable template to make a fan chart similar to mine, here, and tips on how to fill it out and put it on display, here.



I found this beautiful hand-lettered and more contemporary family tree project on Martha's website, too. You can get a better look at the small printed names by looking at this image.

The best way I've found to get started putting together a family tree is to Google the first ancestor's name you can think of. Go back to at least your great-grandparents' generation (call your grandma if needed, she'd love to hear from you), and Google a name in quotes. See what comes up! People with this hobby are very giving and generous with their time. I've had complete strangers go through old city records and mail me copies of documents. I discovered that I am the 30th great-grandchild of William the Conqueror. How cool is that? You may even find long, lost cousins, as I have, and make connections around the country or even further away. It really only takes moments to become engrossed in your history. Either way, it's a great way to spend your free time. I haven't had much of that lately, but when the time comes again, the fever will hit me just as it has in the past. There are still LOTS of blank spaces on my chart!


This is my last post this week, so I'd like to include a few endnotes: I want to thank my friend, Natalie, for helping me with the collages I posted this week, my husband for reading and rereading my drafts, and my sister Stephanie, for making me look good in my bio picture. — Leslie

Elum Letterpress

Katherine Center just sent me a link to Elum, a wonderful stationery company. Luxe journals, desk sets, single cards, wrapping paper. Take a minute and look through their stock. Beautiful, beautiful letterpress work. Valentine's Day is only weeks away, so I'm especially loving these two.



Fun note about Katherine:
You my remember her as the author of her popular novel The Brightside of Disaster (really good!) and from her week here as a Guest Mom. And now, keep your eyes peeled for the paperback version of Brightside at Target — they've chosen her book as a featured pick — so exciting! Hooray for Katherine!! Don't you just love Guest Moms? It's fun to get a peek into the lives of such interesting women.

Random Giveaway — Picnic Ware by Mini Moderns

Oh goody. I've got a really yummy Giveaway today. From one of my favorite design companies. And. There are Three Winners. Which means three happy people when they receive their super cool prize. So. If you want to be a happy person, I encourage you to get your comment in to win one of Three Place Settings from the high-style line of Mini-Moderns.



If you've been checking in on Design Mom for awhile, you already know that some of my favorite wallpaper is made by Mini Moderns. I've posted about them before here and here and here — clearly I love them. Happily, they've applied their fantastic design sensibilities to picnic ware. Because, really. What is a picnic without something pretty to put your food on?

Covered in Mini Moderns signature color ‘Pear Green’ and their 'Moo' wallpaper pattern, this lovely picnic ware is perfect for out-of-doors eating or as everyday tableware for younger children. Why? Because it's plastic. That's why. Microwave and dishwasher safe. (The microwave bit is especially happy — because many plastics are not good in the microwave and it especially irritates me.) Each component is available individually or as a set.

Here are some close-ups so you can see the great pattern:






The three lucky winners of this Giveaway will each receive their own delightful place setting of the new picnic ware which includes a plate, bowl, tumbler and set of cutlery. Just right to set a pretty table for your little one while he attempts his first finger food.

And if you're wondering how such pretty things are made (I for one am curious), you'll like these pics of the Mini-Moderns workroom. There's something nice about knowing each item is printed one by one by an actual person:



The made-one-by-one quality of these items makes them special, which makes them a bit pricey. Per piece, each component sells for £8, which is roughly $16, which makes a place setting $64. But to celebrate the picnic ware launch, Mini-Moderns is offering the entire set — 1 bowl, 1 plate, a set of cutlery and a cup for £25 + postage. Nice.

Or you could enter this Giveaway and win one of three $64 place settings for free.

Thank you Mini Moderns!

-------------

Random Giveaway Guidelines:
-You have until midnight (PST) on Monday, January 21st 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 Tuesday afternoon.
-What are Random Giveaways? Read about them here.

Gustavian Style — by Guest Mom Leslie

images of furniture from Country Living

One of my favorite styles in interior design is the Gustavian style. (Quick history lesson: the style was named for King Gustav III, who ruled Sweden from 1771 to 1792, and the trend lasted about 30 to 40 years after his death.) Picture light-filled rooms with no rugs on the floors and bare windows. It may sound bleak and cold, but rooms inspired by the Gustavian period and the Swedish lifestyle are some of the warmest and most inviting I've seen. The colors of this period are creams, whites, blues and grays. With darkness covering Sweden for most of the wintertime, it's no wonder that, for centuries, the Swedes have filled their homes with light and remembrances of summer sunshine. This classic Swedish look is also characterized by hand painted furniture, large, curvaceous clocks, and neoclassical shapes.




images from Swedish Reproduction Furniture and A Beautiful Living, a lovely Swedish style blog

Because the style is so classical, it appeals to a large variety of decorating tastes, from period-influenced traditionalism to urban/modern. My taste hinges on the more traditional Gustavian style, but this post, at Desire to Inspire, showcases a home which perfectly translates this Swedish look into a contemporary family home.

What do you think?

Ask Design Mom: Looking for Gorgeous Chocolates

Ask-Design-Mom Question:
Hey Gabrielle. A friend just had a baby (#3) and she's a chocolate freak and I want to send her a great "chocolate" gift — but everything I find is . . . . how do I say, lacking in the "well packaged" department. Valentines is coming. Do you have any favorites? Know where to look? Best, Laurie

Design Mom Answer:
Very timely question, Laurie! And I've got the perfect answer. Look what arrived at my doorstep yesterday:



It was such a pleasure to open up this little package from Coco-luxe, that I put it back together and then took pictures while taking it apart. Just so I could show you.





The little icons tell you the flavor to expect — and some are very unexpected.

Ben's been out of town for a few days and I thought I would save these for his return. So I haven't tasted them yet. But I'm very much looking forward to it. A perfect little Valentine treat.

Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books — by Guest Mom Leslie

We've collected lots of fun non-fiction children's books in addition to our picture and chapter books. Whether the kids have questions about space, rain forest animals, the Great Pyramid, bog people, or the first Thanksgiving, it's fun to have a library of books at home so we can find answers together. If a book can teach and entertain at the same time, it gets a double nod of approval from me.

This book is new to our library, and I actually got it from a Scholastic Book Order from my daughter's class. I have a hard time not getting one teensy little book (or two) from those monthly pamphlets. This book is told as a story, but you can talk to your children how it is real, it's history, and they will forever know that Abraham Lincoln was a good and honorable man. This book is illustrated beautifully with simplistic, folksy oil paintings by Nancy Carpenter. But my favorite part of this book is that it teaches children about Mr. Lincoln, one of the greatest men of all time.


Abe Lincoln: The Boy Who Loved Books
by Kay Winters
illustrations by Nancy Carpenter

A few of my favorite passages: "In the wilds of Kentucky, 1809, a boy was born. His mother called his Abraham, his last name was Lincoln. His bed was made from corn husks, his covers, skins from bears. His cabin built with logs from towering trees."

"As Abe grew, he talked to travelers--heard where they'd been, where they were going. He saw their world was wider than his own. His ideas stretched. His questions rose. His dreams were stirred."

This simple narrative follows Abe as he grows up, as his family moves, and his mother dies. It shows us how he eventually went "from the wilderness to the White House," as he learned that "it was unjust to own another," that "words could change the way folks thought," and as he discovered the "power of words and used them well."

I love words, too, and Ms. Winters puts them together beautifully in this book. Now you know why it's one of my new favorites. You can get it here.

Cloth Party Hats

We're having fun finalizing plans for Oscar's Round & Round birthday party this Saturday. In all the planning/researching I came across these adorable handmade cloth party hats. Some more childlike and some more sophisticated.

Darling enough to inspire a new birthday tradition — we could buy one particular favorite, and pull it out on each of our kids' birthdays. They could wear it while they eat breakfast in bed.

By the way, I discovered that etsy shop owner Leigh — the lovely who makes the great hats — also has a really excellent blog called found, now home.

One sheet of paper = Toy

Look what showed up on sk*rt today? I'm going to make one of these after school with my kids. I like projects like this to keep my kids' hands busy if they get bored at church. And this one is so cool.

Speaking of cool, have there been extra good links on sk*rt this week or what? I'm thinking the "lose it" button is definitely working — cleaning out the un-sk*rtworthy links gives the great links more attention.

If you haven't tested out the "lose it" button and entered the Clean Up sk*rt Contest yet, I highly recommend it. The prize is timely and awesome: a year's supply of laundry detergent from Dropps and a 7-piece hand cleaning pack from CleanWell, (take that! nasty cold & flue season). You have through this Friday to participate and the odds are quite excellent — as of this post, there are about 50 entries.

Entering is easy. Go here and click "lose it" on 10 items you dislike. Then go here and leave a comment. That's it!

Bear by Himself — by Guest Mom Leslie

What child doesn't enjoy a trip to the library? We go almost weekly, and come away with a backpack FULL of books, which my daughter has usually read by the time we get home. We also have a pretty extensive children's book collection here at the house. I hope one day we'll have a library in our house just for the kids. I buy books like I buy milk, and I have so many favorites. Some are from my childhood, and some we've recently discovered. This is my number one all-time favorite children's book, and I think you would agree with me that it is perhaps the sweetest little book ever written.



Bear by Himself
by Geoffrey Hayes

"There are times when a bear has to be alone with himself. To think his own thoughts and sing his own songs."

The small bear in this story spends one perfect day all alone, except that we readers get to come with him on his adventures. Bear is content to be all by himself, and seeks out activities that one can only enjoy when unaccompanied. His daily actions are so simple ("smelling the rain, listening to the quiet"), and so endearing, that you will find yourself, when you have come to the end of the story, with a little tear in your eye and a compulsion to go back to the first page and read it again. I'm serious, it's that good!

When I was young, my sister, Stephanie, and I would take out this book from our little library over and over again. We kept it for months at a time. The bear in the original version looks strikingly similar to her cherished childhood bear friend, and I think we both secretly hoped that if we checked this little book out enough times, eventually they would just let us keep it.

I found vintage copies of the first printing for me, my mom, and sister a few years ago. The photo above is of the newer printing, and although it is cute, the original (1976) illustrations are just charming, simple pencil drawings with hints of green watercolor splashed in all the right places.



Perhaps it's the memory of reading it with my mom as a child that makes it so special to me, but this one is a must for every children's library! You can purchase an original printing of the book here or find the newer version here.

Garage Nook Turned Office

View gabbyblair's map

Taken in (See more photos here)

Back in September, we moved my office out of the basement. We converted a small windowed section at the back of our garage into the new office. And I mean small — about 7 feet by 10 feet. I've been meaning to post photos of the makeover for months, and today's the day!

The little space is actually a small alcove. We created a 4th wall with floor to ceiling curtains, 4 panels total. There is no door. To enter the space, you pull aside a curtain. The garage isn't heated, but with the 4th-wall-curtain and a little space heater it stays toasty on all but the coldest days.

View gabbyblair's map

Taken in (See more photos here)

The ribbon section came about mostly out of convenience — I'm constantly reaching for a piece of ribbon. To tie up the girls hair, or to embellish a little gift. And I hate throwing away pretty remnants. So I pinned them directly to the wall. Plus I needed a bit of color there.

The Matisse print I've had since college. One of my very favorites. My friend (and fabulous illustrator) Apryl Stott had it framed for a wedding gift. I love finding a space for it in our home whenever we move.

View gabbyblair's map

Taken in (See more photos here)

The floor is unfinished cement. We painted it with our leftover wallpaint, then defined the floor space and warmed it up a bit with garage-appropriate-tiles from Flor in charcoal grey.

The artwork is an original painting by a Guatemalan artist named Justicia — my in-laws picked it up on one of their many world travels.



This is a collection of stripped tins I put together ages ago with inspiration from a Martha article. Mine are full of rubberbands and stamps and business cards and all sorts of office-y things. They have been with me in every iteration of my office (home or otherwise) since 1999.

The lamp is metal and it's my current crush. The proportions are perfect. The best thing Ikea produced this year. In black, red or white.



The desk is tall — bar height. Actually a little taller because it's meant to be used while standing. It's an old library table from my alma mater. I picked it up at one of the University's surplus sales. The little compartments are for stacks of index cards — you know, to write down the dewey decimal number when you're searching for a book — remember card catalogs? Obsolete now as a library table, but still gorgeous, and very heavy. I love this piece.

The barstool is vintage leather and it's so charming, even if absolutely disintegrating. (I realize I should really find a pretty and comfortable work stool with a back.) I have two of the stools and on the best days, Ben sits next to me with his laptop and we work side-by-side — with makeout sessions when we need a break.

View gabbyblair's map

Taken in (See more photos here)

The little shelf boxes are liquor shipping crates. In the lower one, I added a piece of fabric covered homasote, and now it's a bulletin board as well as a shelf. The higher one was too high to function as a bulletin board — so it's just a shelf. Making and installing these was a super easy, satisfying project. And they're shallow — perfect for knick knacks. Plus the shelves don't hang out too far over the desk, so I don't knock into them with my head when I'm busy exacto-knifing.



The "before" space was super rough. Weird 2x4s lined about a wall and a half. The other walls were unfinished, untaped sheetrock. Because this is a rental, we have to be judicious about how much energy and resources we put into the space, so instead of taping and finishing the walls, we just primed and painted everything so it provided a clean, fresh backdrop. We used a grey/blue shade from Sherwin Williams called something-I-can't-remember — but I'll look it up.



What do you think? I know it's kind of hokey — a roughly finished garage space — but I LOVE having a space of my own. No matter how small.

You can see lots more photos (before and after) here.

Baubles — by Guest Mom Leslie

It turns out that I happen to love jewelry. I wear simple signature pieces every day: small diamond studs, my wedding set, and a simple solitaire necklace. Sometimes I'll change it up if I'm feeling that my outfit needs an uplift. Since I've been blogging at A Room Somewhere, I've been surprised at how often beautiful jewelry catches my eye, and how much of it has ended up in my mailbox! Design Mom features lovely jewelry artisans often on her blog, people like Lisa Leonard. Lisa's personalized jewelry always resonates with me. I could own every single one of her pieces and not be a bit sad about it. I have a piece she made for me and I get compliments every time I put it on.



One of my favorite shops to browse is run by the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD). Their students, both current and former, create really unusual but completely wearable pieces, like this Portrait Necklace, designed by Allyson Ross.



I love the assymetrical circles of silver she placed on the side of this antique porcelain button. ShopSCAD not only features jewelry, but clothing, artwork, and decorative home items as well.

And here's a collection of gorgeous pieces from some of my favorite online sources for fabulous, unusual, elegant jewelry. Pick out something pretty for yourself!



From top row, left to right:

Abilene Earrings, Gemmafactrix on Etsy
June Cleaver's Secret Necklace, Second Sister on Etsy
Gracieux Necklace, Elisabeth Space Artisan Jewelry on Etsy
Sterling Cherry Branch Ring, Jorgensen Studio on Etsy

Mirror Mini Post Earrings, Wildflower Designs on Etsy
Coin Chandelier Earrings, Banana Republic
Rings Eclectic Green Cocktail Ring, Frosting
Lost & Found Necklace, Dejarnette

Charlotte ring, Moss Mills
Art Nouveau Band, Diamond Leaf, Sundance
Winnie Agnes Necklace, Darlybird
Gold & Green Aventurine Paillette Necklace, Viv&Ingrid

Tiny House Necklace, J. Davis Studio on Etsy
I Love You Necklace, Automaton on Etsy
Sun & Moon Necklace, Sundance
The Blue Rose Earrings, Ivcreations on Etsy

Two Inspiring Baby Rooms

Two great nurseries I've seen in the last week — both ready for the baby before he/she/they arrive. Both a good balance of adorable, high-style and calm.

1) The Chan Nursery via Decor 8:



Notice the great prints and the loveseat — they're having twins! See this link for more pics. Tracey Harvey-Chan, the mom of this nursery, listed Design Mom as one of the sites she visits for inspiration. Tracey, thanks for the compliment, and congratulations of the forthcoming babies.

A note on Decor8: Tracey's mention is the second time Design Mom has recently been posted on Decor8 — Yeah! Holly also listed DM as a good resource when she had her big kids posts a little while back. What a treat to get a mention on such a great blog. If you're not reading Decor8, you should start. Lots of high quality content. Lost of eye-candy. And never a waste of time.

2) Laura of Orange Beautiful's Nursery via Oh Happy Day

See what I mean by calming? Lots of pics at this link. They did an amazing job. Congratulations on the new addition, Laura.

Prints at Shiny Squirrel

I love these signed prints by Ashley Goldberg, Orange Willow, and Katrine Kalleklev over at Shiny Squirrel. Very reasonable prices for limited edition works. These would be great in a child's room or family space — something out of the ordinary.

From the Shiny Squirrel website: "The Shiny Squirrel is a platform for emerging artists and designers that features exclusive limited edition and/ or one a kind pieces. It seeks to showcase the growing market of young talent that need a voice and forum to display and sell their work."

Room for Inspiration — by Guest Mom Leslie

Second only to the beach, a clean, quiet, sparsely-furnished and well-appointed room is the most relaxing place for me to be. Since I have three young children at home, these rooms are hard to come by in my own house. I try my best to keep an orderly home, but sometimes I find myself wishing all the toys away! (But not the kids.) When I started my blog, I thought of the lines from the song "Wouldn't it Be Loverly?" from My Fair Lady. "All I want is a room somewhere, Far away from the cold night air, With one enormous chair, Oh wouldn't it be loverly?" (Of course, lots of chocolates and someone's head resting on my knee wouldn't be so bad, either!) I think all moms long for a quiet place every so often.

I really enjoy putting together little dream rooms in my head and on my blog. I've never been trained in design; I'm just a girl who likes a pretty space. I collect images of places I can dream about inhabiting and ideas I can realistically incorporate into my own house.

I've found it hard to pinpoint my "style," since, like most people's, I think it is constantly evolving. I know that I like a vintage piece here and there, bright light, linen and natural fabrics, symmetry, texture, original artwork, and clean lines. Below is a pretty little assortment of my favorite rooms that I've come across as a result of my beautiful image-collecting habit.



I recently came across a fabulous blog for room-collecting, Desire to Inspire, where they feature incredible rooms by designers around the world. Rooms like the beauty pictured at the top and this one:



Have you been able to create rooms you love in your home? Where do you find inspiration?

Clean Sk*rt Contest!!

Did you receive your fabulous sk*rt Newsletter? Than you probably already know all about the new contest. But just in case you missed it, here are the details:

This week, January 14-18, get ready for a super cool, super Clean sk*rt Contest. Great fun. Great prizes. Great opportunities to clean up!

Thanks to some excellent software developers, you now have even more opportunities to vote at sk*rt. That’s right. You can vote a story up OR vote it down. Just to make things more interesting. This also gives the community (aka, YOU!) a chance to better monitor what it likes and, well, what it doesn’t like quite as much.



Spot any spam? See anything unseemly? Simply click the nifty LOSE IT button at the bottom of each post, and cha-ching! It’s lost. If a couple of people do it, it’s lost forever. Whoohoo! And wow, is it satisfying. Kinda like Whack-a-Mole, but without the pesky moles.

And if we do say so ourselves, voting down to clean up is so very fun and addictive. Ahhh, the power!

So much fun and addictive that we’re turning it into a contest! All you have to do to enter is VOTE DOWN 10 stories in the Up & Coming section with your nifty new LOSE IT! button and then leave a comment in this post at sk*rt to tell us of your massive power. (Simple…really…Just vote down ten, leave a comment here.) Then, you’re magically entered to win these extra clean prizes:

1) A YEAR’S SUPPLY of laundry detergent from Dropps! That’s 12, 20-load packets. Free. Their site is cool, and the product is super easy to use…just drop it in, no measuring, no drips. And it’s greener than your average detergent…super concentrated, just a tiny bit of packaging compared to traditional laundry soap. How cool is that?!!!

And…

2) A CleanWell seven-product hand hygiene pack. An all-natural, no alcohol, very cool looking clean collection that kills approximately a kabillion germs. Excellent. The prize pack includes TWO 1 oz. hand sanitizer spray bottles, ONE 6 oz. hand sanitizer spray bottle, ONE box of 20 individual wipes and ONE bottle of each custom scent (ginger bergamot, orange vanilla and lavender absolute) of Foaming Hand Wash. Rad.

So there you go. That’s $125 worth of free, sparkling, spotless, spic-and-span, spectacular prizes. And really, how often do you get cool stuff for cleaning up? We can answer that: not often enough. If you win, we’ll chalk it up to clean living. And clean sk*rting. Good luck!

You can get even more info from the sk*rt blog or on the sk*rt Giveaways page.

Welcome Leslie!!

Hooray — a new Guest Mom! Please say Hello to Leslie of A Room Somewhere. I'm so excited to have her with us this week. I receive recommendations for Guest Moms all the time, but I think Leslie has been suggested at least a dozen times. And it's no surprise. She's lovely. I know her blogs and I've seen a sneak peak of what she's posting on and you're going to love it. For sure. So, Welcome Leslie! I'll let you go ahead and introduce yourself:

Hello Design Mom Readers! I'm really honored to be posting on Design Mom this week. I hope you'll like what I've found to share with you. I welcome your input and comments!

I've come into this design blogging world kind of accidentally. I don't have a background in art or design; I was an editor by trade, and only for a short time. I started my blog, A Room Somewhere in 2006, several months after I started my "family" blog, Flowerchain. I had so many saved ideas from magazines and websites and needed a place to deposit them, and a pretty new blog was just the thing. (I also thought my parents would rather see my babies than a skirt I liked from Anthropologie.) I really enjoy filling it with pictures of beautiful rooms, ideas for interior spaces, beautiful architecture, Etsy finds, and project ideas. And a cute skirt now and then, too.

I was born and raised in beautiful Southern California, where life was good and the sun always shone. My parents took me around the world when I was a girl, from Asia to Europe, the South Pacific to Scandinavia, and often to the British Isles, my favorite of all. I'm so lucky to have had those experiences. My parents thought they would do well by their children by showing us the world. I firmly believe that my travel experiences shaped the person I have become and have influenced my style preferences as well.

I went to college out of state, where I met my Southern husband. We came from very different majors (I was English, he was Molecular Biology), backgrounds, and cultures (seriously), but after he sent me flowers and I ran into him at a Morrissey concert, I knew he was meant for me. Soon after we were married, we moved to Houston, Texas, where all three of our children were born (Audrey ,6; Parker, 4; and Miles,1). We spent a quick year living in West Los Angeles, where I grocery shopped in Beverly Hills and my dentist husband pulled the teeth of celebrities' children.



Now, we live in a pleasant, slow-paced suburb outside of Houston. Our life as students will be ending soon, since my husband graduates in June. He's a hard worker and a doting daddy. My kids somehow find a way each day of surpassing the limits of cuteness. We have a lot of fun, and they are my favorite people to be around. I spend most of my day taking care of them, and when I have spare moments, I enjoy finding and reading new books, chatting with one sister or another, browsing Etsy shops, dreaming of world travel adventures, and sneaking kisses from my baby.

Quilt Baby

I think the textiles and designs at Quilt Baby are so happy. Bibs, bedding, mobiles, onsies. I'm especially loving the Minky Blankets. What great colors — and the little tab for a toy or a binkie seems like a bright idea. Has anyone tried one? Are they as cozy as they look?

Oscar is Three

Oscar turned 3 years old last Wednesday. He is so charming it's all I can do not to eat him up. He says "bawindow" instead of window, as in "Let's look out the bawindow." He calls any body of water an "ocean of the sea," as in "Hey, there's the ocean of the sea!" when we come upon the Hudson River. Ben found this list of "Toddler Rules" and we think they fit Oscar perfectly. Especially these three:

If it does not open, it must be screamed at.
If Mommy's hands are full, I must be carried.
If it is pointed, it must be run with at top speed.

We are having a Round & Round party for him this Saturday. All about circles, polka dots, wheels, and balls. With music by JT and Dead or Alive and Ratt. I'll share details next week.

CocoBlu Card Just for Me

Sarah of CocoBlu Studio saw my post about Portuguese packaging & designed a stationery card with the same feel in my honor. And what an honor! I love it. What a treat. Thank you, Sarah.

Wrap It Up

Did anyone else see the excellent article in Organize Magazine on ways to inexpensively organize your wrapping supplies? I loved it. Lots of good ideas. You can read it here if you don't have a subscription.

No Regrets

Halfmama just sent me a link to her amazing Chrismakkuh card. That she modeled on my own family's Christmas card. Which I modeled on the photography of Jon Von Holleben. Didn't it turn out wonderfully? I love it! Nice work, halfmama.

I confess, seeing it did give me a tiny pang of regret — after all the time we spent putting together our card, I never did get it mailed out. Not cool. And not that surprising actually — it's happened before. Clearly I love the creative part more than the practical part. Staging a photograph = fun. Addressing envelopes = not as fun.

But for realsies, no regrets. 2007 was a great year.* And now. On to 2008! Laurie (of Leap Design, Upside Up and sk*rt) captures my enthusiasm perfectly with her fabulous New Year's card:

*Although I stand by my claim that 2007 was a great year, it should be noted that at our house it will also be recorded as the Year of Infestation. Every childhood plague that relates to bugs came to our home. Lice. Lice-relapse. Pinworms. Boils. And some more I can't remember. It was ridiculous. I didn't even know what most of the ailments were until we were at the doctor's hearing the diagnosis. (What's the deal? Did we stop bathing in 2007?)

Also, as we worked to clean out our basement for the playroom conversion, at least two species of unrecognizable and slightly disturbing bugs — is it a spider? Is it an odd silent cricket? Does is have hair? — were discovered. Ben Blair said, "Our basement is the Galapagos Islands of bug evolution."

Logically, I know they are harmless, but that doesn't mean they don't completely creep me out. I owe a special thanks to Mr. Blair for being a fearless bug destroyer.

Mashoonga

Looking for a cute birthday present? Super-cool Liz F sent me a link to Mashoonga and I thought they looked like fun. You can find out how to play your own Mashoonga match here. And really, you know your son is never going to get a date if he doesn't improve his bowstaff skills.

Busy Body Organizer

Still looking for a 2008 planner? I think the options from Busy Body Book look good. Cute cover patterns and a clean, straightforward interior.

Winners — Five Diaper Bags from Lands' End

So fun to have such adorable prizes! Thank you so much for entering the Five Lands' End Diaper Bags Giveaway. Here are the lucky winners:

1) Amanda who said, "So adorable. I'm expecting and (secretly) crossing my fingers it's a girl. I'd love a pink one!"

2) liz s who said, "hey! i need a diaper bag. don't have one. pick me!"

3) tawni who said, "I would love the new diaper bag since I have a new one on the way!"

4) Laura B. who said, "Baby #3 is due any day now! This would be great!"

5) Fabulovely who said, "Me! Me! I need one, please."

Congratulations, Ladies! Please email me from the link on my blog with your shipping address, and I'll get these bags right off to you.

Thank you Lands' End!

Book of the Week — Almost Everything and Zoo-ology

A few months ago I saw both these picture books at ABC Home and have been meaning to pick them up. They are gorgeous. Almost Everything and Zoo-ology by Jöelle Jolivet.

They are extra-large and finely printed — the colors are stand out delicious. There's no story, it's just like a — what do you call it? — picture dictionary, I think. And each image is illustrated, beautifully illustrated, no photographs.

If you've ever wandered the pages of this kind of book with your baby or toddler, you already know how intensely interested they are in seeing images of the world around them. Books like these are bound to be a hit with any child. Plus — what a gorgeous statement they'd be in a Nursery or child's room.

Also available in French if you're feeling all euro.

Tee Round-up

I get such a kick out of all the amazing t-shirts out there for babies and kids. Some are high style. Some are down right clever. I love them all. Here are some that have caught my eye lately:


Spring St. Designs
Organic Tees. Great simple designs. Love all the initial options.


Tiny Revolutionary
Political Statements for the yet-to-speak. Well-designed website — and discount in the Marketplace.


Little Capers
Yours kids get to be a super hero without all the spandex.


Sandbox Threads
Funky statements on culture and Pop culture for the wee ones.


Little Lark
What it looks like when a letterpress company makes tees — lovely.


SATees
Big words for little people. Find out what these mean and see all the other big words on their site.


Trendy Tadpole
More cultural commentary. With a more stylized feel.

Which great tee companies do you love?

Fun Stuff at Sk*rt

More awesome stuff is happening at sk*rt? Yes! It's true! So much awesome stuff that sk*rt is practically exploding with all the awesomeness.

For example, the very first, very cool, sk*rt newsletter comes out today! If you're a registered sk*rt user — and there thousands and thousands of you — watch for it in your inbox. Not registered? No problem. I'll include a link, as soon as I've got one, so you can get the scoop as well.

Also, just last night Sk*rt was interviewed by the lovely Kristen Chase on her Motherhood Uncensored blog talk radio show. Kristen is a fantastic interviewer and it was a blast to talk about sk*rt with her. Click here to
listen! (Kristen doesn't have our permalink up yet but it's coming soon.)

Also, also. Check in on Monday to hear all about sk*rt's big new contest featuring sk*rt's big new "lose it" button! Now you can vote up your favorite stories and vote down the stories you deem un-sk*rt-worthy — a very useful tool as you browse the "up-and-coming" section and encounter horrid, annoying spam. Click "lose it" and feel the power!


Not sure what sk*rt is? Here's an introduction:

Last summer at BlogHer, I launched sk*rt with two other bloggers I'd met online — Girl con Queso from Houston and Laurie of Upside Up in Charlotte, NC. The site has grown like crazy and we're all delighted with it. I post about sk*rt here at Design Mom from time to time because it's a big part of my online life and I love to talk about it.

Sk*rt is a website where anyone can submit a link of interest. Anybody. Any link. Found a great sale? Instead of sharing it with a few friends through email, post it on sk*rt and share it with thousands. Discovered a great blog? Post it on sk*rt and help spread the word. Read an impassioned political article that left you thinking? Submit it on sk*rt and see what other people have to say. Sk*rt exists to promote every cool website and blog and interesting article out there. Sk*rt is a portal to the best on the web for women.

When sk*rt users see a link they like, they click "love it". If the link gets enough "love it" clicks, it makes it to the main page where it gets tons of attention. Sk*rt is modeled on a highly popular site for men called Digg. It's the same concept, but designed for women, with 9 categories that appeal to women.

If you're interested in voting, the thing you need to know about is the two main sections: Popular & Up-and-Coming. When links are first submitted to sk*rt they show up in the Up-and-Coming section. Only those with enough "love it" clicks make it the the Popular section. The Popular section is the first thing you see when you get to sk*rt — the Main page or Front page, it's sometimes called.

To vote, comment or submit a link, you need to register. It's super quick and easy, and totally free of course.

But there's no registration needed to see the super-cool stories that have made it the front page — made it through the filter of savvy sk*rt users — all you have to do is click here.

More questions? See Getting Started with sk*rt, sk*rt faq's, and the sk*rt about us page.

Random Giveaway — Five Lands' End Diaper Bags

Here's a Giveaway especially for the new moms. Or for the expecting moms. Or for the people who know the new moms and want to give them pretty things. Even better: lots of chances to win on this one ladies! Up for grabs are Five Patterned Diaper Bag Totes made by the always reliable, always dependable Lands' End. That means FIVE WINNERS. So let's get commenting!



When I had my first baby ten years ago (yikes), there was pretty much one option for diaper bags out there. It was Lands' End my friends. At the time, they offered a conservative (navy, burgundy, forest green, or black), sturdy, lots-of-features version that did the trick nicely. Every new mom carried one — like a badge of honor. Mine lasted for ages, showing very little wear and tear, and was eventually donated to Good Will when my diaper bag needs changed.

These days there are diaper bag companies galore. And Land's End is still at the top of their game offering lots of fresh choices and options for every sort of diaper bag phase you can imagine. One of their current (and very adorable) iterations is modeled after their super-famous, award-winning tote. And that very iteration is the prize for this giveaway. Three diaper bag totes in the sweet, pink floral print. Two in the charming, embroidered, frog pattern. Each bag retails for $34.50.



The features include everything you want in a diaper bag:

-6 mesh pockets inside to help you stay organized
-Outside pocket to keep items easily accessible
-Cushiony changing pad included
-Full-zip top for extra security
-Made from sturdy cotton canvas to withstands daily use

The particular styles above are so popular, so perfect for spring, that sadly, they are no longer even available. But don't be too bummed out, you can still find the same bag in a very cheery appliquéd design.

Thank you Lands' End!

-------------

Random Giveaway Guidelines:
-You have until 2:30 PM (EST) on Friday, January 11th to enter this giveaway. NOTE the unusual end time.
-Just make a comment ON THIS POST to enter — any comment.
-Anonymous comments will be ignored/removed.
-One entry per person, please.
-The FIVE WINNERS will be randomly picked and announced Friday afternoon.
-What are Random Giveaways? Read about them here.

Fight World Hunger

First, I checked my email and saw that smart Wendy had sent me a link to a cool site. Second, I got online and stopped in at sk*rt to check the latest, very cool headlines and saw the same link. It's a sign. Apparently I'm supposed to improve my vocabulary. Or fight world hunger.

Probably both.

Pop Ink

French Paper and Charles Spencer Anderson teamed up to make a charming line of products called Pop Ink. Soaps. Wrapping paper. Napkins. Notecards.

I love these plate collections entitled Doo the Dishes and Fashion Plates.

According to Pop Ink their goal "is to create saccharine sweet, slightly disturbing yet strangely compelling art and artifacts for the (post) modern world." I think that might be code for: beware, there are pinup girls on some of their products.

Side note: In college, I was lucky to hear Charles Spencer Anderson, a young graphic designer on the very fore front of the whole retro movement, give a design lecture. I had a total crush.

Portugal Knows Beauty

I know the design world is currently all about simple. minimalist. mid-century modern. But man oh man did my heart go pitty pat when I saw this photo of Portuguese beauty packaging. I love the elaborate details in these pieces. I'll take one of each.

Speaking of pretty, lots of new and pretty offers for Design Mom Readers in the Marketplace. Check it out.

image from pg 69. Wallpaper*. December 2007 issue.

How to Knot a Tie

Seeing that photo of my mom has me thinking about different necktie knots. I found this very helpful website giving illustrated directions on 4 variations. Have you ever worn neckties? I loved to wear them in high school and college — it always felt mildly rebellious — but haven't attempted to put one on for years.

Great photo from Imeanhoneybee's photostream on flickr.

Vintage Toddler Toys

Recognize any of these beauties? I feel like they were already fairly dated when I was a kid, but they still seem so familiar — especially the phone and the TV. Maybe they weren't old, but at my house, since they'd already been through 4 other kids before I came along, they just seemed vintage.

If you're feeling sentimental, then good news for you! Each of these fab toys has been reissued. You can find them (brand new) at Warm Biscuit. A good fit for Grandma's playroom, if not for yours.

What Are You Listening To?

This $20 device comes out in March. Seems like a good thing for a family. Or a teenager. Or a commuter.

Wall Decal Chalkboards

From Modern Dose. Vinyl wall decals that are chalkboards. Wipeable. Repositionable. So great!

Donna Jean Pack

My sister Rachel recently posted a photo of my Mom as a young mother. Isn't she stylin? The necktie. The awesome lamp. And I totally remember the suede couch. It was gorgeous — super simple, with clean lines. Man. I have good genes.

Mom, which baby are you holding?

Tiny McSmall

I know it's barely January and we're all shopped out post-Christmas and everything, but can you believe I've got Oscar's birthday coming up this week and am out feeding the economy yet again? For those of you that are shopping already as well — or even just window shopping, did I tell you I've fallen in love with Tiny McSmall?

So in love that I don't even know what to feature from their super-well-put-together collection. In fact, my instinct is to show you a picture of every item they carry — I couldn't find a single thing that I disliked or even raised my eyebrows at.

Go take a look. At every single item. It's so worth your time.


Day of the Week Barrettes by Little Something
Chocolate Mini Dots Baby Set by Kit+Lili


Anja Dress by Neige
Crochet Terrier by Anne-Claire Petit


Child's Apple Pear Apron & Baking Set
Lucien Striped Sweater by Oeuf

Camille Dress by Dagmar Daley (at the top)

Presto Bingo

Look how fantastic these prints are from Presto Bingo. Three great categories: animals, aliens and robots. But the robots are my favorite. How great would these be as a series in your son's room?

Presto Bingo is a personal project of a husband and wife design and illustration team. The creative couple runs Spur Design in Baltimore — with fancy clients like MTV Networks, The New Yorker and Time Magazine — then recently decided to work on something for the kid set. What a cool project to work on as husband and wife. My guess is they had a lot of fun making this collection.

Winner — Get Organized in 2008 LobotoMe Giveaway

Wasn't that a great way to start of the New Year? Thank you so much for participating in the Get Organized in 2008 LobotoME Giveaway. Here's the lucky winner:

Congratulations to tawnya who said, "Are you kidding me? I think my organizing self just exploded with happiness!"

Hooray for tawnya! Please email me from the link on my blog with your shipping address, and I'll forward your information to LobotoME right away.

Thank you LobotoME!

Design Your Own Snowflakes

If it's too cold this weekend to get outside (it is!), keep your kids/yourself entertained with this lovely snowflake building site. (I know. A repost from last winter, but so worth remembering.)



Also, just a reminder that you have until Sunday night at midnight to enter the Get Organized in 2008 Giveaway.

Wallpaper* Magazine and Bastiaan

[Warning: long post. I'm not kidding. Really long.]

For Christmas, Ben gave me a subscription to Wallpaper* Magazine. So great! I love this magazine, though it has been years since I've had of copy in hand. What a fantastic gift.

I was introduced to Wallpaper* by my friend and co-worker Bastiaan Rijkers when I was working at Ogilvy & Mather in Greece. At the time, our little family included just Ben and me, although I was expecting a baby. This was my first real job. I had barely finished college and was still mostly in the dark about anything outside of mainstream, middle American design. I remember Bastiaan asking me what fashion designers I liked and saying something like, "You mean, like, the Gap?" And then being teased mercilessly.



Wallpaper* had just launched at the time. 10 years or so ago. I remember my favorite article from the first issue. A beautiful piece on plywood floors. The floors were gorgeous and I was amazed to learn that you could make something beautiful from plywood — a poor material I could have sworn was no good for much of anything.

Bastiaan and I worked together with Dimitrios Petsas. Actually. They were a copywriter/art director team and I was their newbie. We were put together because we all spoke English and it was just about the luckiest thing that has ever happened to me. Because Petsas and Bastiaan were the golden boys of the agency and by working with them I was able to work on the best clients we had and gain oodles of experience.

Petsas and Bastiaan weren't possessive about the work at all. If I had a good idea, they'd pitch it with confidence, and they'd let me try my hand at anything. Because of their faith in my abilities, I had several successful campaigns under my belt in a short time. I remember thinking that Bastiaan was the first person I'd met that was truly open-minded — or maybe the first good example of what it meant to be open minded. About people, about plywood, about everything.

At one point I realized Ben and I were sort of ridiculous. Very young. Married. Pregnant. Far from home. Generally awkwardly dressed, because we didn't have the means or understanding to put together a good wardrobe, maternity or otherwise. What in the world were we thinking? But Bastiaan approached with an open mind. He had seen my portfolio before he met me and knew I was a good designer and just went with it. I remember watching Bastiaan pitch to a client in this super-funky lime green shirt and wondering if I'd ever be so brave or hip. (The answer is no if you're wondering as well.)

In addition to learning a million things about working in an advertising agency, I also got an education on style. Bastiaan and Petsas were fabulous mentors — on every cool thing. Where to vacation. Where to shop. Where to live. What to read. What to see. What to eat. I paid attention, soaked it all up — and still consider my short time in Athens as super-formative for my design sense — though I recognize I could never approach their cool-factor.

Bastiaan and Petsas were also wonderful friends to both Ben and me. They could see we knew hardly a soul in Athens and really took us under their wing. Helping me track down the one and only carrot cake in all of Greece for Ben's birthday. Taking us to vacation at Petsas' beach house. Driving me home from work when I was too pregnant-tired to take public transportation.

Eventually Ben and I came back to the states to have our baby. Petsas relocated to New York soon after that. (In fact, when we moved to New York a few years later, he was THE go-to guide for us. He walked us around the city. Made sure we didn't take a crappy apartment in a bad neighborhood. And helped in every way he could.) Bastiaan stayed in Greece for a year or so and then headed back to his native Netherlands.

With the craziness that came into our life with baby number 4 and 5, I lost track of Petsas and Bastiaan for awhile, but happily Petsas just made contact in November and I was delighted to see his email waiting there in my inbox.

But he had sad news. Bastiaan had passed away — a year earlier — a heart attack that had been mis-treated and turned into complete brain damage. And I had no idea it had happened. And then Thanksgiving and Christmas came and went, and I've still barely had two minutes to absorb the fact that Bastiaan is gone. Until I started flipping through my new magazine. And sat. And thought of Bastiaan. And had a good cry.

I originally intended this post to be just a head's up about Wallpaper*, but I think the magazine and my memories of Bastiaan are all wrapped up together in my brain. And since I wasn't able to attend his funeral, I guess I'm using this as a way to leave a little dedication out there for Mr. Rijkers. And recognize that the world is short changed to lose him so early. His girlfriend Sara, the mother of his 2-year-old son, and he were making wedding plans. . .

Ben said when he went to look for the subscription he didn't remember what the name was, but just knew there was this really cool magazine I had loved in Greece, he felt confident he would recognize it when he saw it. Hooray for Ben! Flipping through it the other day was so delightful. It really is a fantastic publication. I love every article, every recommendation. Even the ads are inspiring. You feel about 10 degrees more hip just holding it in your hands. I had flashbacks to my time working with Petsas and Bastiaan the whole time I read.

If you're unfamiliar, you can get a better idea of the contents by flipping through this slide show of 100 different Wallpaper* covers. Or you can see the cover thumbnails here.

I hope Bastiaan would like that I have a subscription.

Monika Elena Photography

It's always fun to discover another excellent photographer that knows how to work with children. Monika Elena's portfolio is delightful. Hey Monika, drop on by if you're ever in New York — we could use a new family portrait. . .

Random Giveaway — Get Organized in 2008 with LobotoMe

Another great Giveaway today. It's a new year and we all want to start it off right. How about a ginormous prize package to help us get our organizational mojo on. Today's the day. It's your big chance to win over $100 worth of products from LobotoMe — {goods to keep ME sane}.



This super-fab prize package includes everything you need to maintain or become your best type-A self in 2008 — without losing your sense of humor. Take a look:


- one momME weekly desk planner


- one organizeME weekly desk planner


- one Pack ME packing list pad
- one Help ME honey do list pad


- one Save ME weekly to do list pad
- one Feed ME meal planning & grocery shopping list pad


- one Mantra ME poster and a set of coordinating pens.

See what I mean? Well designed, well thought out, great looking products. Positive and inspiring instead of heavy and overwhelming. Easy to use. Convenient. These products will keep you so organized that you'll probably be the PTA President by February.

If you don't win, no need to despair. Place a LobotoMe order and then email info@LobotoME.com with the code: DESIGNMOM. And your credit card will be credited with a 10% discount. Plus, all orders over $40 (not including s&h) will receive a free Mantra ME poster through March 1, 2008.

Thank you LobotoMe!

-------------

Random Giveaway Guidelines:
-You have until midnight (PST) on Sunday, January 6th 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.

Book of the Week: A Few New Favorites

Our house gained so many great books this Christmas that I'm going share a bunch all in this one post.



The Invention of Hugo Cabret
First of all, get your hands on a copy of The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick. It's a gorgeous volume, thick and heavy, but geared toward tweens. Sort of half graphic novel/half traditional novel. It's such a beautifully made book. I love holding it in my hands. The story is excellent and the volume is winning all sorts of awards. I finished it before I handed it over to Ralph. He's in the middle of it and loves it.



Spatulatta Cookbook
I had never heard of the Spatulatta Girls until I took my kids to one of their cooking demonstrations at the Scholastic store opening a couple of months ago. But now I consider myself a big fan. The Spatulatta Girls are two young sisters who love cooking and wrote a cookbook. Good recipes for kids learning to cook and really yummy too. They were so fantastic and approachable during their demonstration that my kids couldn't stop talking about them on the ride home. We ended up with a signed copy of their cookbook under the tree and it was one of the highlights of Christmas morning.



Click
This book is written for teens. The story is fascinating. The cover is beautiful. But the really interesting part is that each of the 10 chapters was written by a different talented author — Nick Hornby, Roddy Doyle, Gregory Maguire, Linda Sue Park, David Almond, Tim Wynne-Jones, Ruth Ozeki, Deborah Ellis, Margo Lanagan, and Eoin Colfer. I gobbled this story up. It was so great to see the different writing styles and discover where the new author would take the story. A great book for the teens in your life. Extra bonus: all proceeds of this book go to Amnesty International.



The First Adventures of Incredible You
This is a recap, I know I've already written about this book, but we didn't give it to 6-year-old Olive until Christmas. She was amazed. She could not believe how these authors knew her name and her brothers' and sisters' names and so many facts about her life. It's the main thing from Christmas that she wanted to take to school for show and tell.


Star Wars Pop-up
Another recap. But I have to say, now that I've taken the time to study this book, I am more than stunned with all the detail. The pop-ups are unbelievable. The illustrations are fantastic. If you know a Star Wars fan — child or adult — they will love owning this book. Really, truly amazing.

Cleaning Supplies

Great find: I love these all natural hand soaps by CleanWell. They smell lovely. They're non-toxic. And they kill 99.99% of germs without alcohol. Best of all, the labels are designed to come off cleanly, leaving a simple bottle for display. Extra bonus. CleanWell is easy to find. Just head to Target.

And don't miss the fantastic photo gallery on their site — CleanWell users sent in charming photos of those life moments that inspire some good hand cleaning. Like this one:

KidsHaus

The lovely Shannon from Rocks in My Dryer sent me a link to this new-to-me blog KidsHaus. I love it. I've already found a handful of posts to bookmark. Like this fantastic couch/bed by Nume that she posted today.

And this gorgeous rocker by 10 grain, available at Design Public.

The New & Improved Playroom

My favorite kind of Christmas break — a productive one. The painters finished up in the basement a couple of days before Christmas, so we spent December 26th and 27th making the basement into a playroom. I'm super happy with the results. It was a dark and kind of depressing place before, but the lovely shade of yellow added like a thousand watts of light down there and now it's a really pleasant place to be.

Also, I love that we made use of what we already had. We ended up buying very little to pull this room together. I did more reducing, reusing and recycling in this room than I've ever done on a house project before. The playroom basically became a receptacle for most every thing Ikea we've collected over the years. Here's a tour of the new space:


TV Corner
We used a locker, clock and silver frames salvaged from my husband's company before he was a professor — all from Ikea. (Look at our ancient TV. When are we going to upgrade already?) You might recognize the gorgeous artwork that my children made this past summer.


Sofa Bed
This is where we spent about half our funds. We already owned the Ikea PS sofa bed. We picked ours up about 3 years ago. I love the profile. I love the oversize wheels. But the original cover was in bad shape and looked too pale against the yellow wall. So we bought a new dark denim sofa cover and lots of throw pillow covers to spruce things up. The new cover and cushions came to about $120.



Kitchen Nook
You remember the darling freecycled chairs, right? And the tables are part of this Ikea Svala set. They were our first Ikea purchase when we moved to NY and have stayed nice and sturdy for over 6 years. (The chairs that came with the set are being used upstairs in another space.) The tables had been painted blue and were looking quite worn, but a coat of red paint (I used some leftover paint from another project) made them look like new again.

Note the stripey panel on the wall. That is a fabric covered piece of homasote that makes a giant bulletin board. I'm putting the photos together that will be displayed there this week. I'll post about it when I'm done.


The sweet kitchen play set was delivered by Santa this year. He picked it up at Target. It's just the right size for a small space.



Shelving/Computer Space
The shelving is called Ivar and is also from Ikea. We've had it for ages but have never used it in this formation before. The red desk chair was picked up on the side of the road on our neighborhood trash day (it's one of 4). The curtain hanging (on the doorway to the laundry room) is the same fabric we used on the bulletin board. The fabric was actually a 2-pack curtain panel set, $30 from Ikea.


I love this signed print from Sarah Jane. Isn't it just right in a playroom?


The Flooring
The original flooring is a dark and cold ceramic tile. Sort of a brownish/reddish/blackish mix. Not pretty. So we decided to cover it with something that would be more welcoming and more friendly to bare feet. But the basement has been known to flood occasionally, so I wanted some kind of covering that was inexpensive, so that if it was ruined I wouldn't care. Plus, we're renters, so I didn't want to invest too heavily in the space. I ended up deciding on rag rugs. We intended to use them across the entire floor, but then I saw these larger solid cotton rugs and thought they would help define the two main areas of the space, so we just used the rag rugs around the edges of the room. All the rugs were purchased at Ikea and the total cost was under $150.

Two days of work. Less than $300. Hooray for a fresh new space!

Edit — Readers have been asking, but I don't have any real "before" shots of the space. So, I've pulled together a few swatches of some of the old materials after looking through my archives on iphoto:


Weird grayish, faux wood paneling on the ceiling and covering the pipes. The pink/mauve shade shown on the pipe covered the stairs and appeared other places as well. The floors were (still are under the rugs) this dark ceramic tile. The walls are wide wood paneling — which I probably could have worked with in a room with windows, but this basement was just too dark for such old, sad materials.

Happy New Year!

January rocks! I love an excuse to make goals and lists. To resolve to become a better person or live a better life. Last Sunday, we ceremoniously pulled out our trusty notebook and made our new resolutions — and several of the ones I'm looking forward to the most involved this very blog.

In fact, I better stop typing about them and get to work making them happen. In the meantime let me wish you a Happy New Year and ask you to meet me here tomorrow for an awesome beginning-of-the-year Giveaway.

photo by Annene von Durchgerockt