Today is Fun

My kids are out of school today and tomorrow. We are planning to fill that time by prepping the house for Halloween. (Can you believe tomorrow's October? — hooray!) I think I'll also have my kids pay a visit to Today is Fun, a site Laurie sent to me, that posts daily ideas for entertaining kids.

Today's idea: practice tip-toeing.

Join the Club

My sister Jordan has come up with the most wonderful idea. Sign up for a subscription to her Pretty Little Things club and she'll mail you a pretty little something once a month. What will the little somethings be? I have no idea. But if you've ever peeked at Oh Happy Day for even 30 seconds, you'll be as confident as I that these packages will bring nothing but delight.

Can't wait to sign up!

Not in My House

Cleaning out the medicine cupboard today. Went to a mind-blowing event called Not in My House, where I learned that 1 in 5 teenagers (that's 20%! of all teens) are getting high with legal, prescription drugs. The drugs that teens are playing around with are extremely serious, but at the same time completely common — things like Vicodin, OxyContin, Ritalin, Xanax. More than 50% of these teens obtained the prescription meds from their very own home. And when the teens combine different drugs (drugs they consider "safe" because they're legal) the combination can be deadly.

Easiest way to keep this epidemic in check? Talk to your kids. Keep track of your prescription drugs while you're taking them. And get rid of your unused pills. Period. Want to learn more? Go here to see what the experts say. And go here to see what to do about it.

A part of me wants to ignore this and believe my kids are too little to have to worry about it, but then I thought about how many teenagers I invite into our home for babysitting or other gatherings. Best to make sure the medicine cupboard is empty of anything tempting.

A great (and sobering) event — sponsored by Abbot and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. I learned much and got a kick in the pants to clean out my cupboards and talk to my kids about this. Bonus. I got to hang out with Jennifer of Snapshot & 5MFM (see her great write ups of the event here and here), as well as Amy of LIParentSource and One Mom's Memos (see her excellent write up here) — and get a tour of the gorgeous penthouse apartment that hosted the important and informative gathering.

The good-looking (and lockable!) wall mount medicine cabinets featured above are available from Heal's.

Hand Knit Sweater

Remember the Nie Nie Day auctions? Well. I bid on half a dozen or so different auctions and was lucky enough to win one of them. And just the other day, the gorgeous prize arrived on my doorstep. A handknit, cashmere baby kimono. Made by Phoebe Beacham. Complete with it's own beautiful wire hanger.

Won't this make the most wonderful baby gift?

Cherubim

Like parents all over the world, we just checked on the kids before heading to bed. And discovered Oscar fast asleep, clasping his cheeks in a way that can only be described as angelic. Aren't sleeping kids so easy to love?

The NY Botanical Gardens

Our best Saturdays are half work, half play. The morning was spent doing laundry, grocery shopping and cleaning our bedrooms. The afternoon was spent at the NY Botanical Gardens. And as luck would have it, the Gardens were celebrating Harvest Days during our visit (happy surprise!). The kids made apple sauce. Put together field notebooks. Made apple prints with stamp pads. Decorated gourds. Put together corn husk dolls. Pressed apples and sampled the cider. And the whole family worked together to make a scarecrow for the Family Garden.



And then, just for me, we paid a visit to the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden — the roses bloom in June and September — and they were spectacular. I was especially drawn to the peachy orange ones.

When we were tired, we rode the shuttle around the grounds and argued over which Moore sculpture we liked best.

DIY Pewter Ornaments

For those of you who like to get a head start on the holidays, check out this great make-your-own-pewter ornament kit. You carve the ornament and bake the clay ornament, then send it back to F is for Frank. At that point, they cast it in pewter and send you 4 copies. Fantastic.

What will you make? Something simple? Something detailed? Ornaments for the relatives? Ornaments for your tree?

Your Message Here

Learning about this project made me smile. In an Urban Outfitters window, facing the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia, there's an art installation. The people behind Something Hiding In Here are collecting messages to display on a wooden sign board they made. They change the message daily and post photos to a blog.



You can suggest your own everyday message here.

The always hip doobleh-vay sent me the link.

I heart Tees

These "temporary language" shirts from Translation Tees made me laugh.




And the customizable handstitching on these shirts by Playdate NYC adds such great texture.

YouData/Kirtsy Contest

Oh my goodness. Oh. My. Goodness. There is the hugest contest ever going on over at Kirtsy. It just launched yesterday. And there are 3 ways to win.

Kirtsy just found an Ad Network that we love. It's new. It's different. It's called YouData. And it's brilliant. Basically, it matches consumers up with relevant advertisers — no more steakhouse ads being shown to vegetarians. Awesome. A perfect fit for Kirtsy.

Extra bonus: With YouData, you the consumer, make a little money every time you watch an ad. For reals. You get paid to give some of your attention. And really, that's the way it should be. Because in this digital world, where media is with us constantly by way of cell phone/tv/radio/laptop/blackberry, attention is a hot commodity. And you are the sole owner of your attention. There's a cool little video here, that says it even better.

So sign up with YouData and every time you're at iTunes, about to drop 99¢ on the latest Kanye, you can offset that cost by watching a few ads. Nice.

Anyway. Kirtsy is so excited about our new ad network, that we're having a huge contest to celebrate. As I mentioned earlier, there are 3 ways to win.



1) Register at YouData. It takes less than 2 minutes. I swear. I've done it. It's fast. And as you fill out a MeFile survey, you'll click the boxes that relate to your interests, so only relevant ads will be shown to you. Brilliant. Do that, and you're registered to win the laptop of your choice. In case you missed that, I said A LAPTOP OF YOUR CHOICE. Either a MacBook or a Dell XP. Whichever you prefer.



2) Leave a comment over at Kirtsy. Tell us what you think of our shiny new ad network. Let us know what's on your mind. Leave any comment, and you're entered to win one of TWO NEW IPOD NANOS. You know the ones — all those gorgeous colors! Two winners will each receive one, and they get to pick the color of their choice. Of course.



3) On YouData's blog, there is a Dear John letter to Advertisers. Because we're ready to break up with the old way of doing things. We want to get paid every time we watch an ad. And we want advertisers to move in that direction. If you feel the same way, "sign" the Dear John letter by leaving a comment below it, and you're entered to win one of THREE ITOUCHES. That's right. Three iTouches. Which are basically iPhones without the phone service — they'll have you watching movies, getting online on-the-go, and gps-ing, without having to switch your cell contract.

Easy peasy:
Leave a comment on this link for the 2 iPod Nanos.
Leave a comment on this link for the 3 iTouches.
Fill out a MeFile at this link to win the Laptop of Your Choice.

6 prizes. 3 ways to win. Get on it.

Underwear Drawer

I can't find an online link, but my favorite article in the October Domino is the one about renovating your panty drawer.

We went through a lot of closets on Saturday — it was a major family effort. We did the whole seasonal switch. Packed up 5 huge bags of outgrown clothes for the local thrift shop. But I didn't manage to get to my underwear drawer yet. And it is badly in need of attention.

I pretty much love every article Cynthia Kling (Domino's "Adventuress") writes. I could spend an afternoon daydreaming about her job.

Paper's Edge

Cute, customizable cut-paper artwork at Paper's Edge.

Winner — Binth Poster/Print Collection

Well there you go. Nearly 900 of you like Binth as much as I do. No big surprise really. Their work is amazing. You know what else is amazing? This video that Laurie sent me:



And now the big announcement: Congratulations(!) to Wendy who said, "I've got my fingers crossed." You are the winner of the Binth Collection of Prints and Posters. Yay you! Send me you shipping address and I'll get your info to Binth asap.

Thank you to Binth. And thank you to everyone who participated. If you didn't win, and are feeling bad about it, just watch the spaghetti video again and no doubt you'll feel better.

Highlights — Toyota Design Seminar Part 3

Other highlights so that I don't forget (and in case you're curious):



I loved seeing the color wall featuring colors and textiles over the history of the company. It's fascinating to see how relatively neutral everything has become in the world of cars. The 50's were my favorite. Bright reds and oranges. Fabrics with lots of texture.






I was super impressed by the facility. 85,000 square feet (huge). 65 employees (small). It was so cool to meet the real live designers of these vehicles. I can think of them fondly when I see a Toyota drive by.


I loved watching Ian and Edward as they drew cars while we watched. They used Macs, Photoshop and drawing tablets. I could have watched this for hours. They are super speedy. No really, they are super. speedy. And they make someone like me, that includes "knows photoshop" on her resumé, feel sheepish. Both Jean from NotCot and Karl from Core 77 made short videos of the sketching and posted them here and here.



Lunch was hosted on-site with a meal from Tradition by Pascal. The chef, Pascal Olhats, came out to say Hello. Possibly the best dessert (warm Tarte Tatin) I've ever eaten.

After lunch we went into the machining part of Calty and watched them make model parts. Like hubcabs. Fascinating to see the combination of very hi-tech and traditional lo-tech methods (like spray painting and gluing in black velvet fabric to create the look of holes) for making all the bits and pieces that make the models look 100% realistic.

Then the seminar was over. And I got to relax for the rest of the day. In Laguna Beach. Which meant I spent the afternoon by the water. (Skipped out on Fashion Island. The beach was just too tempting.) Watched the skim boarders. Walked in the sand. Wondered at how different the ocean looks from Laguna Beach than it does from Jones Beach.

My trip ended with dinner at The White House (for sure order the crab cakes) where I chatted it up with Katie from Architect, talked science fiction with Carl from Core 77. Learned about Mud Runs from Chad. And discovered from Joo, that escargoe can cause the same allergies as crab. (Duh to me! I had never thought about the fact that snails are in the same family as shellfish.)



Thanks again Toyota!

Most photos from the Toyota flickr site. Part One of this piece here. Part Two here.

2009 Venza — Toyota Design Seminar Part 2

The 2009 Venza. That was the (very good) reason for our visit to Calty. The Venza is launching and it is beautiful. Somewhere between an SUV and a sedan. Literally. It's taller than a sedan and shorter then an SUV. And from the base, the same is true — higher off the ground than a sedan, but lower to the ground than an SUV. And it has big, 20-inch wheels. Which makes it much more stable and fun to drive.

All that is wonderful. But my favorite part is the trunk.



The trunk was designed around (and I quote), "A trip to Trader Joes, a trip to Costco and a trip to Home Depot." And right there I was sold. (Plus a little creeped out that Toyota had apparently been following me around while I ran errands.) The trunk on its own is expansive, and it gets even bigger with a little flip of an easily accessible handle, that drops the second row of seats. Take a look:




Tada!

The other aspect of the Venza that was really appealing to me was the split of the driver/passenger part of the car. In a typical car, the driver has about 60% of the front space and the passenger has 40%.



But in the Venza, the designers used some cool visual and spatial tricks to make both the passenger and driver feel like they have 60% of the space. And it's true. I tried out both sides and felt like both were equally spacious.



Ian Cartabiano, an Art Center graduate and the designer of the Venza's exterior, told us about how the Venza came to life. And how it's lines are inspired by Japanese calligraphy.



Benjamin Jimenez took us through the interior (and promised to send pictures of his furniture designs).



Wendy Lee, covered the colors and materials — which were gorgeous. In her color studio, it was fun it see some of the inspiration sources, like subscriptions to Elle Decor, Interior Design and Metropolis.

It was amazing to see this finished product after feeling like we'd seen it come to life before our eyes. We saw the original sketches. We met the designers responsible for the car. We saw the footage of the Venza concept car being introduced at the auto shows. Saw the whole process.

Stuff like this makes me so happy — I love seeing the creative process happen — it's the same reason I like watching Project Runway so much.

So there you go. The 2009 Toyota Venza. Watch for it. Three years in the making and remarkably unchanged from the concept to finished product.

[ The first part of this report can be found here. And the 3rd part is here. ]

Handmade, Papered, Wooden Blocks

I like these pretty wood blocks, handmade by Hiccup, Inc, with names like Mellow, Stella Ruby, Sugared and Periphery. They're eye-catching enough that I wouldn't mind if they were left out. (And no doubt they would be left out on many, many days.) The product description says they were a featured project on the Martha Show — I apparently missed that one. I wonder if they're hard to make?

Available at Happy Chickadee.

Making the Most of It - Part 2 — by Guest Dad John Spencer

[ part 1 found here ]

Finally made it back from the store and built the storage benches. As some may know, completing a project with little kids in the house can be a bit of a challenge. My wife just doubles or triples the estimated time I think it will take.

I picked up one sheet of 1/2" birch plywood and ripped it into 15 3/4" strips. "Rip" is carpentry lingo for cutting wood in the direction of the grain. The sales associate at your local home improvement store can usually do this if you have lots of patience and a nice smile, and if they have a panel saw.

Considering the width of the saw blade, or the kerf, this dimension gave me 3 pieces from a 48" wide sheet. I used these strips of plywood to make the walls and top of the benches. The box dimensions are 45" x 15" and 42" x 15". So my cut list included: 2 at 45", 2 at 42", and since the boxes are 15" deep and the plywood is 1/2" thick the side pieces are 14" long. And I needed 4 of those. I measured each piece, made a line with a square, and carefully made the cuts with my handy circular saw. Since the kids were around we put on our sunglasses and made a "cover your ears" game out of it before each cut.

These parts for the storage benches were fastened together with screws using a cordless drill. It could also be done with a hammer and nails or a nail gun if you've got all the right stuff. Screwing it together makes it a bit stronger and easier to assemble. Plus, it is much quieter, which is what I like.


After I assembled the sides of the two boxes I connected them together in a L-shape and set them in the corner of the deck. I wanted to trim the outside of the benches with mahogany deck boards to go with my boat theme. The actual dimensions of the boards are 1" thick by 3 1/2" wide. At the lumber yard the proper name for this is five-quarter (5/4") by four. When the boards are first cut out of the tree they are actually 1.25" by 4", but after drying and a little planing they shrink. Starting from the top I just measured the sides and cut each piece to length. I alternated the rows of boards to overlap differently at the outside corners. A little bit of extra detail like this goes along way to improve the overall look. I secured them from the back so the screws wouldn't be visible.

With the last strip of plywood left, I cut a piece to fit over the top of each box and overlap the deck boards. The next phase of this project will be to upholster the tops of the benches. I need to find some cool fabric and thick foam, so I will have to leave it like this until I do. At least now, the space can be used as another play area. As you can see the masking tape has been replaced with beautiful chalk drawings.



To be continued...


Note from Design Mom:
John, who blogs at Resident Carpenter and is the creator of Via Toy Box, has done an excellent job of being a Guest Dad over the last week or two. Thank you John! He has promised that he will drop by now again when he has a cool project to share (nice!) and in the meantime, if you have a home improvement or remodeling question, John would love to answer it. Just submit your query over at his blog.

Nie Nie Doll

I just received an email from DM Reader Carina, about this amazing doll. Called Nie Nie. And made by Christine of Du Buh Du Designs, in Stephanie's honor and likeness. I am so in love with this doll!

Many, many of you are reading CJane's blog to get regular updates on Stephanie and Christian. Me too! Please know that there are also many, many fundraising events still happening — including the Etsy Nie Nie Benefit Sale where some lucky someone will get the Nie Nie Doll. You can find the list of Active Silent Auctions, a special category for Photography Silent Auctions, and a list of all sorts of fundraising-efforts-that-aren't-silent-auctions. All at Nie Recovery.

On a completely unrelated note — you can still enter the gorgeous Binth Print & Poster Collection Giveaway through tomorrow night. Over $325 worth of gorgeous hand-screen-printed artwork. Did I mention is was gorgeous?

What to Wear to 4th & 5th Grade

We have been slow to do the Fall shopping this year. But on Friday we received a box in the mail, full of items for Ralph and Maude, and they couldn't wait to try everything on. I took the opportunity to shoot some photos — a million photos.






Sources: Maude's linen trousers and front-tie hoodie from Juvie. Tee from Old Navy. Flip flops by Born — handed down from Kathryn C. Ralph's Paul Frank Tee and Retro Twill Jacket (with a great plaid lining and more warmth then I expected) also from Juvie. Shorts, handed down from Jenn D.

Shoes by Nike — they are old now, and getting pretty worn down, but I haven't had time to go shoe shopping. So we switched out the old laces for some bright red ones and Ralph felt satisfied enough with the change that I've been able to buy myself a few more weeks of stalling tactics.

Cucuyo Designs

My friend just had her 4th baby. Her 4th beautiful girl. She is a total mom on the go — busy, busy and doing, doing, doing. So I picked out these two lovelies from Cucuyo for her: The Ori Changing Station — I love the pocket for a diaper and wipes. And the Honu Travel Blanket. It's super cozy and tucks right into itself.

Random Giveaway — Binth Collection of Prints

Is it just me or are you feeling the Giveaway vibe today as well? Be prepared to ooooh and aaaah. Because I've got some really, really good prizes today. Pretty stuff. Cool stuff. For your home. For your walls. From acclaimed design house/screen printers: Binth!! Take a look at what the lucky winner will receive:






Six City Prints in Primary Colors. Part of Binth's newest collection. Refined and childlike at the same time. You'll get New York, Paris, London, Berlin, Chicago and Los Angeles. I don't know if it's my recent So Cal trip or what, but I'm especially digging the LA print — I think it's that giant sun.

Each City Print sells for $22, is hand-screen printed (with love and affection) and comes ready to frame in an archival mat. Gorgeous as a series. Gorgeous alone.



And there's more. Of course there is! The winner will also receive the Let's Play Girl and Let's Play Boy from Binth's new Primary Color Series. Based on classic playing card imagery. I heart these designs.

Bigger than the City Prints at 8 x 10 inches. They'll also arrive ready to frame in archival mats and sell for $28 each. I can't decide if these would look better in the playroom or our bedroom.



Oh. Did you think we were done? Not at all, my friends. Not at all. The winner will also receive this classic Binth Alphabet Poster. 24 x 48 inches and sells for $85. In cool grays and warm oranges. Inspired by mid-century Danish wood toys.



And because Alphabets always go better with Numbers, Binth is including their gorgeous Numbers Poster as well. Easily my favorite poster they produce. It's beautiful. And easy to stare at (I can say so with confidence from personal experience). 18 x 24 inches and sells for $55.00. And features an octopus.

Holy cow. I can't believe one winner is going to get all those prints and posters! Someone is about to get a huge boost to their art collection. A boost worth over $325. A really beautiful boost. Have fun day-dreaming about where you'll hang your new art.

Thank you Binth!

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

Random Giveaway Guidelines:
-You have until Midnight PST on Tuesday, September 23rd 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 on Wednesday, September 24th.
-What are Random Giveaways? Read about them here.

Calty Clay Studio — Toyota Design Seminar Part 1

[ Edit: Just added lots more photos. Find more photos of the seminar than you would ever want to see here. ]

Guess what arrived on my doorstep today: my model car made of clay, shipped straight from Toyota's Calty Design Center and enclosed in plexiglass (which happily give the impression that this is an important clay model and not just my sad little attempt at automotive design). It arrived with some bumps and bruises, which is fine by me — makes it all the easier to let my kids have at it and create something which will be, no doubt, a thousand times more memorable.

Receiving this today means it's the perfect opportunity to tell you about the Toyota Design Seminar. This past Tuesday, Toyota opened up it’s Calty Design Research doors to a tiny media group: NotCot, Core77, KCRW/NPR, Architect Magazine, Dwell, Inhabitat, Zaproot, and myself. (I know. I know. I'm the luckiest person ever.) This was pretty much a landmark day, because secrecy in the automotive industry is so completely complete, that Tuesday was the first time ever Toyota has invited the journalists in for such a thorough tour. We were able to see their design process from concept to reality. And I'm so happy to share what I saw with you.





Visiting the clay modeling studio was one of the best parts of the Calty Design Seminar. It was absolutely the glorious school-field-trip I had imagined. But way cooler. And no fighting over who got to sit in the back seat of the bus. First we had the chance to try our hand at shaving away on the life-size model — using tools custom-made for this task by the Toyota clay modelers. The carving required more hand strength than I expected. But (because I wasn't held accountable if I made a mistake) it was also quite therapeutic. Way more fun than say, a desk zen/raking garden.


We learned it takes 4-5 years of in-house Toyota training to become a skilled clay modeler. Possibly this is true. Possibly we were told this so that we didn't feel bad about our mad-clay-carving-skilz.




After we had our fill on the life-size model, we were each given our own small car to mess around with. As well as a warm fist-full of softer clay to repair any particularly bad decisions. The sharp implements made it kid prohibitive, but I was itching to have my kids with me anyway. They would have loved this! And will no doubt love digging into my mini-clay model on the kitchen table.

I'm thinking that carving model clay cars at Calty would pretty much be the coolest (won't-ever-happen) birthday party activity ever.

And you should definitely go see these really gorgeous photos of the Clay Studio by Jean from NotCot. Coming shortly: more about the seminar — including a peek at the soon-to-be-introduced Toyota Venza. Sweeet!

After School Crafts

Some days, homework seems to take up the entire time between school and dinner. Other days, the kids are done and looking for action 5 minutes after the bus drops them off. Last time they were craving something to do, I pulled out this Puppet Craft Kit from Martha's line.



Maude and Olive did the whole thing without any assistance. And then surprised Oscar and Betty with the completed set. Which pleased Oscar and Betty to no end (see below). So now I have my eye on other Martha sets. Maybe we'll get this Monster Puppet kit for October.



Speaking of Martha, here's something fun: Design Mom was listed as one of the Martha Stewart's Best of the Blogs Editor's Picks. Sweeeet! Design Mom is the absolutely last blog listed. Which sort of feels like I barely made the cut. But I'll take it! With a big thanks to the Martha Stewart Editors. And a big blush that I'm included among such good company.

Fashion Week Recap

Tuesday last week was my Fashion Week day. Two Runway Shows. Four after-party invites (only made it to one). And the afternoon at an editor's lounge. It was a perfect day. Exhausting and addicting at the same time. The highlights:



1) The Max Azria show. While standing in line to get a custom pair of Havaianas (mine are brown and gold — see below — chic, no?) I fell into conversation with Jorge from In Style Mexico — he's a fashion editor. I held his place in line when he had to go check on his co-workers, and he hooked me up with a spare ticket — Score!

I was squished in the standing-room-only part of the show, but I didn't care. I just loved being there. Images from Style.com.



2) The Vivienne Tam show. It was wonderful — and I had an actual seat. I was able to see the new Digital Clutch that Vivienne Tam and HP debuted. And I saw a silver shirt from the collection that was so pretty, I actually thought this sentence: I might be willing to die right now if I knew I could be buried in that shirt. Images via Style.com

3) An after-show dinner stop at L'asso. The best pizza in New York (and don't just take my work for it). I joined a whole table of my co-workers from my ad agency days. A happy, happy reunion.



4) After L'Asso, we headed to the Vivienne Tam after-party. We got there so late it was closing down. But still fun to be there. And see some of her line up close — including that beautiful clutch.

5) The Budget Fashionista 5-Year Anniversary Party. This was actually on Monday night, but I'm throwing it in here on the Tuesday list anyway. I tried on jeans and learned how to find the Right Fit. I chatted with the lovely ladies from Cupcakes Take the Cake. I gave kirtsy props to Ms. Kathryn.

6) My favorite part of that Tuesday — a relaxing hour spent at Robert Verdi's Great American Style, An Editor’s Retreat. Robert has designed a gorgeous space. Filled it with beautiful furniture and yummy food. Added wifi. And then invited exhausted editors/reporters/bloggers covering Fashion Week to stop by for a rest/renewal.

I sat and checked my email. Took a tour of the space. Had a manicure from a friendly Long Island manicurist representing Essie — first time I've seen a glass file. Loved it! So smooth. And ate lots of candy from Hersheys — especially the Mint Bliss Chocolates that will be launching for the holidays.




In one part of the lounge there was a huge container full of these buttons which made me laugh. (I especially like the Oscar one.) Got my photo taken with Robert Verdi (two shots, and both turned out blurry — darn! — I'm posting them anyway). He was so open and personable and ready to talk, very easy to love. And I was standing there chatting Mr. Verdi up, when Anna Ortiz (the sister on Ugly Betty), came in to join the retreat.



There was good food. There was good conversation. The perfect hideout after a rainy morning. I didn't want to leave. Thank you Robert Verdi, for making it happen.

Amoretti

This line, called Amoretti, is famed for their "skirty" — a bloomer-like pair of shorts that helps girls in dresses feel like they can be as active as they'd like to be. I fancy their pretty dresses as well.

On My Way Home

I'll be in transit today. And back to my regular schedule of blogging tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a couple of shots of the Toyota color wall from the 1950's — such bright happy colors! (My photos don't do them justice. I'm hoping someone with a big camera took some big shots that I can share later.)

It was a very cool seminar and I look forward to giving a full report. Oh. And Jean from NotCot posted lots of great photos from the Hotel. Take a peek. And then we can all save our pennies to book a room in this paradise.

Toyota Design Seminar

Laguna Beach is my new favorite place. And that's no doubt due in large part to the fact that I'm staying at a gorgeous resort (gorgeous!!) with a path that sends me straight to the sand and a view of the ocean from my room.

Today we (me and a handful of other design focused bloggers and media) get to spend the day at Calty — which is the main Toyota design center for the three Toyota brands: Toyota, Scion and Lexus. We're going to get schooled about Toyota's automobile design process from sketches through final product. Can't wait.

From what I hear, this is the first time Toyota has really opened up their design facility. Rumor has it, we even get to attempt our own clay models. Which has me imagining this day as like the best school field trip ever.

Whatever we do, I'm sure it will be fabulous, because we've been treated grandly since arrival. Last night after dinner, I arrived back at my room (did I mention it was gorgeous?) to find this beautiful book waiting for me. See? Grandly.

Thank you, Toyota!

P.S. — This afternoon, after the Design Seminar, I've been told I really must make a visit to Fashion Island to see some sort of clothing store/furniture store/restaurant. Maybe I will see you there?

California Here I Come

On my way to California for a Toyota Design Seminar. It's been a long time since I've flown into John Wayne. I'm super excited, both for the seminar and because I'm hoping to meet Jean from NotCot.

Southern California is where I was born. And it always feels comfortable to me.

photo of John Wayne Airport from Shane Gericke

My Tribute To The Blogging Community's Response to Nie Nie

Can I just say, again and again, how delighted/impressed/touched/amazed I am by the response from you, the internet community? At last report, I heard that since Nie Nie Day, over $117,000 has been donated to the Nie Recovery Fund. The vast majority of that from auctions, in smallish increments like $50 to $100, and the remaining from good people that didn't win an auction, but wanted to contribute anyway.

This has truly been a grass roots effort. There was no ad campaign, no email blast, no newsletter to get people to start auctions and fundraising. Just one simple post. And then you took that idea and ran with it. You spread the word on your own blogs, in your emails, and through your conversations with friends. You raised a lot of money in a very short period of time. You shared your enthusiasm and your generosity. $50 earrings going for $110. Gift certificates worth $150 going for $250. A blog post written by Stephanie's brother going for over $800. And 99% of you have never met Stephanie or Christian in real life.

In fact, nearly 1000 emails have come my way with questions and comments about Stephanie, her blog, Nie Nie Day and the auctions. And a large number of those emails mention they only heard of The Nie Nie Dialogues after word of the tragic accident had begun to spread. But they had since visited Stephanie's Blog and instantly fallen in love — as does seemingly everybody (how can they not?) — with Nie's beautiful posts and positive outlook.

In many emails, people were worried their auctions might not get enough attention — maybe their blog readership consisted solely of their mother and best friend. But we solved that by listing everything in a central location. So even the smallest of blogs, the smallest of auctions, could receive clicks and bids. Sometimes those bids came from people who knew nothing of The Nie Nie Dialogues. But that didn't matter. They visited their friend's blog, they saw the auction, and wanted to support that friend, so they put in a bid — knowing that it was going to a good cause.

And without any traditional PR methods, your goodness has completely caught the attention of traditional Media. First the NYTimes story. Then the Today Show segment. And at least a dozen newscasts and newspapers in Arizona and Utah (the two states where Nie Nie's story is playing out) have picked up the story as well. I won't be a bit surprised if Oprah or Martha wants to feature it — I know it's been pitched to both.

The media attention will no doubt bring in additional funds to help Christian and Stephanie (hooray!). I hope it will also continue to bring attention to this generous blogging community. And the real and positive results that come from the virtual friendships we've formed here and throughout our blogging world. I've never been more proud to call myself a blogger.

The auctions at Design Mom have all but winded down. But if you'd still like to get involved, it's not too late. The lovely ladies over at Nie Recovery are listing ongoing fund-raising activities. You can reach them at nierecovery@gmail.com. As always, you can find updates on Christian and Stephanie at CJane's Enjoy It.

Best Day Ever

This is why it's the best day ever:

1) Ben Blair is home again after a too-long business trip. I missed him like crazy.
2) Guess who slept for 11 hours last night?
3) The dreamy Joslyn Taylor featured me (and list of my favorites) at Simple Lovely today. I'm completely honored.



Also at Simple Lovely, there's a peek of the Fairyland Party Joslyn threw for her daughter. Don't miss.

Football Season — by Guest Dad John Spencer

It's not a carpentry-related post, but it seems very Guest Dad appropriate.

Like it or not, it's almost autumn and that means football season. Millions of dads are preparing to hunker down on the couch and give an enthusiastic, "Yes!" to the question, "Are you ready for some football?" The National Football League and NCAA College Football games are the most popular spectator events in the country.

I have to admit that it's pretty easy for a guy to get carried away with this, and this usually doesn't thrill his better half. It's not too cool to blow off your family to get some quality time watching your favorite team, so I have a suggestion. Dads, if the kids are old enough to color, print the drawings from the rulebook at NFL.com. They have pictures of football referees and all of the hand signals for penalties. During the game, just lay them out on the coffee table with a handful of crayons and start coloring with the kids. You will be able to teach them about the rules, give your wife a little break, and watch football.

Who said guys can't multi-task?

Dominique Rouzier

Megan S. sent me a link to this fantastic Brooklyn-based clothing line, Dominique Rouzier, for preschool to school-age girls. It's still a small line — a few dresses, a few coats. But they are select pieces. (Read: expensive, luxurious, cashmere-y pieces.) And I'm drooling a little bit over every single one.



Oooooh — and I just noticed they've got an end-of-summer sale on.

Outdoor Project - Making the Most of It, Part 1 — By Guest Dad John Spencer

The four of us, actually five, if you count our big hairy dog, live in an apartment building in the city. We have lived here only a few months, but really enjoy the dynamics of the world around us. We're up on the third floor and our only immediate access to that outside world is a 58 inch by 90 inch balcony right off the kitchen. That's only about 37 square feet. But, it's ours, so we're going to make the most of it.

For this outdoor project, the goal is to make seating with a table and plenty of extra storage. I haven't found anything anywhere that would fit in our space, so the best solution to utilize the entire space will have to be totally custom, and that's right up my alley. I have decided to use the concepts taken from a boats cockpit and create bench seats with storage beneath and a table top that can be easily stowed.

I begin by marking out a footprint of where seating and a table will be to get a feel for the space. I use masking tape just like Les Nessman, the odd newsman on the 80's hit show, WKRP in Cincinnati, did to mark his imaginary office walls. I also take into account the path of the door's swing, and where one may stand as they go in and out. From this, I can get the measurements I will need to construct the storage boxes that will be below the cushioned bench seating and also the table with the hinged top that can fold down.

After I sketch out the designs, it is off to the store to get the materials I need for the first phase of this outdoor project.

Jennifer Khoshbin

Jennifer Khoshbin sent me a link to her cut paper art pieces and I have been admiring them. There's a recurring theme of stacked circles that keeps fascinating me.

Laundry Tree

Look at this wonderful basket that Lisa Albrecht from Laundry Tree sent me as a thank you for organizing the Nie Nie Day auctions. Totally unexpected. And totally appreciated. I can't wait to try the essential oils — especially the sweet orange. And I've been curious about the effectiveness of soap-nuts-as-laundry-detergent for ages. So excited to experiment.

Thank you Lisa!

A Quick Lesson in Measurements — by Guest Dad John Spencer

As an apprentice on the job, one of the first things you learn is how to read a tape measure. For me, it was a bit easier to make a song out of it. I still remember the musical cadence I put with the fractions while singing it out loud over and over. And believe me, you are fortunate not to hear my pitch. The lyrics go like this,

One sixteenth, one eighth, three sixteenths, one quarter,

Five sixteenths, three eighths, seven sixteenths, one half.

Nine sixteenths, five eighths, eleven sixteenths, three quarters,

Thirteen sixteenths, Seven eighths, fifteen sixteenths, ONE!

For basic carpentry, we typically measure and cut everything in increments of a sixteenth inch. When cutting sheetrock or drywall, eighth of an inch increments are just fine.

Bubble Calendar

Sarah just sent me a link to this Bubble Calendar. Irresistible. It's kind of hard not to try and pop it through my screen.

Hanging Around - How to Easily Put Up Big Pictures — By Guest Dad John Spencer

Quick intro from Design Mom — John is the owner and designer and carpenter behind Via Toy Boxes. And he's recently launched a blog, Resident Carpenter to answer all your carpentry questions. I know many of you out there are DIY-ers and would love to bend the ear of an expert, so I asked John to repost some of his great advice here as a Guest Dad. And happily for us, he said Yes! I'll be featuring his posts all week. You can read more about John here.



Hanging a piece of wall art can make a big impact in the room and your psyche, especially if you get satisfaction from doing it yourself. If you are a bit hesitant to tackle this kind of job, I will show you a few things to help bolster your confidence and get it done right. Just remember that if you do it, you can put up whatever you want, wherever you want.

The best tools for this job are a measuring tape, a phillips screw driver, and a pencil. If you had a little level, too, that would be very helpful, but you could just eye it. You will also need drywall screws, or coarse threaded screws 1 1/2" to 2" long. These fasteners work very well in most types of wall surfaces like, lath and plaster or sheetrock. Plus, this way there is no loud banging with a hammer to wake up a sleeping child or make your thumb black and blue.

Speaking of which, a good rule of thumb when hanging things on the wall is to center the piece at eye level. Of course, there are always exceptions, but generally this works well. So, the center of most pictures would be between 60" and 66".

Once you decide on the location, use your measuring tape to find where the center of your picture will be. You may want to center it between the end of the wall and a window or between a door and the fireplace. Whatever the case, find the center and put a light pencil mark about 5 feet up from the floor. Now, locate the hanging device on the back of your piece. This could be a wire stretched across, two hooks (one on each side), or simply the top of the canvas frame. Measure the distance between the center of the piece and the hanger. Make another mark on the wall that distance above the first mark.

I recommend using at least 2 screws so the picture stays level. For the piece that has 2 separate hooks on the back, measure the distance between them. Center that measurement between your highest mark on the wall and make 2 more little marks. If you have a wire or just a wood frame space the 2 marks about the same distance as one-third the width of your piece. Make sure the 2 marks are level and insert the screws on the marks at a slight downward angle into the wall at least 3/4" deep. Be sure enough of the screw head protrudes to catch the hooks, wire, or frame.

Now stand back and admire your accomplishment. Have questions for John? He will answer each question via email and post one question and answer every week.

New to Me Blogs

Nothing better than having a few minutes to explore great new, or new-to-me blogs. Have fun checking out some of my latest favorites.

1) Inchmark
Brooke in Brooklyn launched her lovely blog Inchmark just a few weeks ago. But it is already one of my favorite daily stops. She has such great eyes. Oops! I mean she has such a great eye. : )

2) food+flower+style
This blog belongs to my friends Anna and Liesel. Back in the day, Anna owned a a lovely little flower shop. And she was both a friend and client — I handled all her print design, and if I was lucky, her window displays. Good times. Note: the blog is the companion of their very chic online shop of the same name.

3) We Covet
Great name for a shopping/style/design blog right? And started by two internet superstars, Her Bad Mother and Sweetney. You will want to visit again and again. Because it's a lovely place.

4) Ambrosia Girl
She showcases her family and interests on a very tidy little blog that appeals to me very much.

5) Three Wheels Turning
Paper and design. What's not to love?

Sycamore Street

Say Hello to Sycamore Street Press. If you try to find something they've produced that you don't like, you won't succeed. For it is all beautiful. Beautiful! I love holding a prettily printed something in my hand.

Interview: Michael Fink of Saks Fifth Avenue

You know how good it feels when you manage to wear the exact right ensemble at the exact right time? It doesn't happen very often (at least to me), but I loooove that feeling. So I have to say, there is nothing in my closet. Not one item of clothing. That would have been perfect for the particular situation I'm about to describe to you.

From time to time I'm offered a chance to interview someone as part of a media campaign. And I've typically said "no thank you" for one reason or another. (The reasons mostly being my randomly occurring social awkwardness.) But the other day I received an invitation to interview Michael Fink, the head of Women's Fashion for Saks Fifth Avenue. And I was like, "You bet!" I couldn't say yes fast enough. Because I think Michael Fink is amazing at what he does. And I totally wanted to meet him.

So I showed up at Saks, pretending I was dressed well and totally-up-to-speed-fashion-wise, and sat down for a while with Michael Fink. This is what I learned. Every spring and every fall Saks and Mastercard partner up — they pick the hottest trends and put them on a list. The Saks Want It! List — which comes out this Thursday. For Fall 2008, here's what Michael says is super hot:

1) Purple. Leaning toward berry, not toward lavender.
2) The Romantic Blouse. Something with ruffles or lace.
3) The Top Handle Bag. Bonus: it comes with a shoulder strap. Which makes things much easier for Moms-on-the-go who need two hands at all times.
4) Tailored Dresses. Put away the a-lines, and opt for something a little more refined.
5) Boots. Any style. Any height. Any heel. Any boot.
6) The Statement Necklace. Something chunky, big or bold.

And for Men. Plaid. Plaid. Plaid. Plaid ties, plaid pants, plaid shirts. (Preferably not all at once.) Add something plaid to your husband's wardrobe and you'll be good to go.

That is the Fall '08 Want It! List in miniature. Now don't you feel all fashion forward? Nice. You can find the expanded version at Saks this week.




And now I'll describe to you my complete and total moment of embarrassment. The exact kind of moment that keeps me from participating in more interviews.

The interview was going very well. Michael was gracious (and impeccably dressed — with a plaid tie) and lovely to speak with. And we were sort of wrapping things up when I suddenly made the conversation really, really awkward. Because I am an idiot.

I mentioned how I had first seen Michael on The Sartorialist. And Michael responded how he also enjoyed reading Scott Schuman (the name of The Sartorialist) and asked if I'd ever met him. And then Michael said, "And he has such great eyes." And I paused (just the tiniest pause), not quite knowing how to respond, before I said, "Oh. I've never seen The Sartorialist before. So... He's handsome?"

And as the expression on Michael Fink's face changed every so slightly, I suddenly realized he had said, "He has such a great eye." (Not, he has such great eyes.) As in, The Sartorialist has such a great ability to spot beautiful fashion. Oh.

At this point I mentally willed myself to become invisible while I died of embarrassment and simultaneously left Michael Fink to either confirm or deny the handsome-ness of The Sartorialist. Oh. (Shudder!) I'm still cringing at the memory. (There's a photo of Scott Schuman here, fyi. And yes. He's very handsome.)

Michael was (of course) completely delightful through it all and even though I was badly dressed and asked awkward questions, he didn't even give me a dirty look or raised eyebrow once. Not for a second. Even so, with my shame and awkwardness hanging heavily over me, I couldn't leave the interview fast enough.

If anyone else is interested in having me ask them socially awkward questions, just have your people call my people.

Martha at Walmart

By now it's probably old news (but really good news!) to most of you that Martha has introduced two different lines at Walmart. There's the Create line — an expansion of Martha Stewart Crafts. And there's a new line called Celebrate — ready made decorations and invitations for parties or weddings. Both lines are lovely. And happily for me, you can find the whole of both lines online.




I'm dying to give them a try. I really want to learn to make the crepe paper peonies and I want to do something fun with the party favor boxes.

Oh. And did you see the eyelet lanterns? So pretty! In fact — quick — someone have a baby so I can throw you a shower and use the eyelet lanterns. Please.

Nie Nie's Story in the New York Times

Wonderful news! The New York Times picked up Stephanie's story. It's a beautiful article all about the real (and positive) effects of virtual blogging relationships. Written by Alex Williams. You can find it online here.

Note: you can still find the list of auctions here — and there are still a few active ones! For those of you who are curious, as the NYTimes article mentions, it looks like the combined efforts of all the auctions and fundraising offers are set to raise $100,000. Imagine that. Go bloggers, go! You've done a very good thing.

Want to feel even more internet hugs and kisses? Help out another family in need — picture going into an emergency c-section, developing an infection which requires having both legs and one arm amputated. Then. Losing your sight. That's what's happening to Carol Decker right this minute.

You can also visit Five Minutes for Mom to find out about their life-affirming, hope-giving new feature: Blogs Can Change Lives.

In other news. The rain here is so dramatic tonight. I'm loving it. And listening for the basement sump pump.

The Wright's Home

Remember Ryan Wright? He was a Guest Dad here awhile back. (And he was clearly a favorite.)

Well. Ryan and his lovely wife Erin are dear friends. And they were kind enough to let me post a photo tour of their home over at Cookie's Nesting blog. It's Gorgeous with a capital G.

Go take a look. Maybe you'll recognize some of the pieces they were dreaming about way back when.

(And you can peek at my post from last week as well — all about Vintage Gypsy Caravans.)

Birthday Reports

One last quick report on Ralph and Olive's Birthdays. This year was a non-friend-party year for both of them. So instead we celebrated with a family party — two days in a row. And all of our usual traditions, of course.

We used the fabric banner as a celebratory focus point and expanded the party from there. For Olive, we added yellow — which she felt was adequately feminine. Instead of a cake, she wanted something "fancy" for dessert. So we made schaum torte with fresh peaches. Mmmmmm.





Then the next day, for Ralph, we switched out the tablecloth and put the yellow away. He wanted brownie sundaes instead of birthday cake. Which reminds me. Fun and successful experiment: we cooked the brownies in a bundt pan and served them in the cute ring shape as if they were a cake. They came out of the pan pretty darn well, and then we covered any slightly-messy parts with a pretty coating of powdered sugar. Super easy way to make brownies feel special.

And the highlight on both birthdays was the much-anticipated breakfast in bed:

Fabric Scraps Birthday Garland

I'm so excited to show you the birthday garland we made last week. It was for the big double birthday — Olive on the 25th and Ralph on the 26th. I saw the idea at Liz's blog and immediately fell in love.

Favorite parts:
1) It was such a great kid project. They could pick out fabric. They could trace shapes (not perfect? didn't matter). They could cut out shapes (again, mess-ups don't show). They could sort shapes. They could decide on the order/fabric of the shapes to be sewn. Basically, with some direction, they could do everything but run the sewing machine.

And we made two small changes to the original pattern: we replaced the clover shape with circles, which were easier to trace and cut out and we added a length of ribbon to each end so that we could tie it to something easily — and to make the beginning and end feel more finished.




2) We didn't spend a dime. We went through my fabric remnants and scraps from past projects and looked for a palette that would be gender neutral and look good for end-of-summer/early fall. We didn't even use the thread the original post recommended. We just used what was already in the sewing machine — blue on top, green in the bobbin. Done and done.



3) It looks so cute! I think I'll leave it up through September. A couple of the prints even feel back-to-school-ish. Love it. Directions here.

143 — by Guest Mom Cathe Holden

Although I was too young to remember, it is told that the number 143 was always present on the back of every envelope of every letter that my father mailed to my mother while serving in the army. It’s code for “I love you”. The number represents the letter count for each word.

It’s a number my family still uses in correspondence to one another and one I sign off with when e-mailing my husband at the firehouse or jotting a note to my kids. And, because of its special meaning to me, I had a rubber stamp made with the number to use on various pieces of my collage art.



The other day I found the exact numbers, all by themselves, laying in order at an antique store. Those numbers now greet my family as they enter our home.

I want to extend a sincere thanks to all Design Mom blog readers for following my Guest Mom posts this week. And an even bigger “thank you” to Gabrielle for the honor of posting them.

Please visit me on my blog Just Something I Made from time to time, I’d love to hear from you.

Gamiworks

I was given one of these beautiful necklaces from Gamiworks as a gift. And I don't want to take it off. Made from chiyogami paper. So pretty. And comes in such a lovely little tin.

Home Arts, The Lost Art — by Guest Mom Cathe Holden

[ Note from Design Mom: Cathe was so great to let me interrupt her Guest Mom week. And now she's back with more great posts. Yay! ]



Of course I could teach my own daughters to sew, but that would require two things: a working machine and a knowledge of sewing greater than an 8th grade level. And, unfortunately, schools today rarely offer sewing classes anymore. So I have to tell you how excited I was recently to find a sewing class right in my own little town!

Etsy seller, Nicole Vasbinder of StitchCraft, offers various sewing classes including a few specifically for young ones just beginning. My 11 year old daughter, Sarah, had the most wonderful time in her 3-day class learning to thread a machine, wind the bobbin, adjust tension, change needles, and more. She learned to sew straight lines and corners and made a darling pin cushion just in time for her grandma’s birthday.

The final project was a choice between pajama pants and an A-line skirt. Nicole, shown here with Sarah in her own A-line, helped my daughter make the sweetest reversible skirt using fabric that included an Amy Butler print. Nicole’s Etsy shop also offers great patterns, delicious fabrics (new and vintage), and sewing notions. It was so great to support a local business and a local Etsian, and most of all, know that my daughter has gained the skill and craft of a lifetime, and I picked up a few great tips of my own!

Paloma's Nest

I just paid a visit to Paloma's Nest. And I want this wood stationery. These most wonderful blocks. And this You Are Special Today plate.

My family growing up had a red You Are Special Today plate. And if it was your birthday or otherwise a significant day, you were served dinner on the red plate. My husband and I received one for our wedding and loved it. It even came with a special pen for recording the special days it was used on the back. But then it broke.

I'm digging the plate in off-white. Maybe it's time to re-start the tradition with my own kids.

Via decor8.

Jonathan Canlas Photography

Two Things:

1) Congratulations to the wonderful winners of the 3 Nie Nie Day Auctions I hosted here at Design Mom. Thank you to the generous sponsors. And thank you for bidding. Winners, please email me your paypal contribution confirmation and I'll get your info to the sponsors right away.

-Krissy won the Gift Certificate to Sarah Jane Designs.
-Becca won the Nie-Themed Collection from Darlybird.
-Katy won the super-cool MicroLite Toro Stroller.



2) I just want to make sure you've seen this. Jonathan Canlas is one of the most in-demand wedding and portraiture photographers around. (You photography buffs may know him as a 100% film shooter.) Being a young father of four himself, he was so touched by Stephanie and Christian's story, that for the month of September, all proceeds from every family session booked and all reprint orders from the sessions will be donated to the Nie Nie Recovery Fund.

You read correctly. That's 100%. Which is incredibly generous. And really just amazing. Do you know what else is amazing? Jonathan Canlas's work. Like the image of the Fiat above. Which I am in love with. And the beautiful shot below that I keep returning to stare at.



One last thing: Mr. Canlas travels for photoshoots. And maybe he'll be traveling near you. You can get the 411 on his offer at his blog.

Happy Labor Day!

I hope you're having a lovely extended weekend. On today's schedule for the Blairs: Final back-to-school preparations. (First day is Wednesday.) And BBQ. Of course.

Farewell summer.

Festival of Rants

Ever been tempted to vent on your blog, but knew it might not be the most appropriate place? Well. The brilliant Catherine of Her Bad Mother has come up with an elegant solution. She is holding a Festival of Rants over this extended weekend. People have written anonymous posts. Posts about what's bugging them right now. And Catherine has found host blogs willing to publish the rants for the anonymous writers.

The writers get to clear their irritation vaults. The blog hosts get a day of content. Everybody's happy. Like I said, an elegant solution.