Mae's Fabric Wall Stickers

Here's something new and cool. Instead of vinyl wall stickers, these beauties from Mae's etsy shop are made from fabric. And they're completely reusable. Renter's rejoice! You can bring these with you when you move.

Sent in by Eliza, (who asked me not to link to her blog, but swears the wall stickers are the bomb).

Seventeen Magazine - November, 1981

Stacy of Seven Smooches, who lives in the Chicago area came by the Yudu Nation Meetup and brought me a vintage copy of Seventeen. Quite possibly the most fun thing I brought home from Chicago. My kids have been pouring over the pages, fascinated by the entire thing.

Have you read an old issue of your favorite teen magazine lately? So fantastic. I think I'm going to go see if the library has some good back issues. Thank you, Stacy!

Copper Baths

Ooooh. Beautiful, free-standing copper bathtubs.

Yudu Meetup Winners!

It's been a whole week since the Yudu Nation Meetup. Time to announce the lucky winners! Congratulations to:

1) Christine Koh of Boston, MA
2) Christy Nelson of Nebraska
3) Amanda Webster of Charlotte, NC
4) Naomi of Wichita, Kansas

Yay! Ralph picked your cards out of a hat and you are now the proud owners of your own Yudu Silkscreen Machines plus loads of accessories! Thanks again to everyone who dropped by the meetup. With a ginormous thanks to Yudu for sponsoring the event and the generous prizes.

And really friends, if you haven't checked out the Yudu Silk-screening Machine, put it on your list asap. Every scout troop, PTA group and craft club should own one. For reals. Watch for sales at Michaels and JoAnn's and you can snag one of these bad boys for around $250. Nice.

Petite Watermelon Slices

Something about these tiny watermelon slices (made from jello and lime peels) made me laugh. Perfect for a miniature party. Don't they look absolutely summery? Find directions at Chocolate on My Cranium.

via How About Orange

IS•LY

I couldn't help but notice Melissa Esplin at the BlogHer conference. She was pretty much always the most stylin' person in the room. (See one of the fab outfits she wore here. Isn't she lovely?)

I took her card home with me so I could look up her blog, IS•LY. I like how she came up with the name. It stands for I Still Love You and is dedicated to all her creative pursuits — pursuits that had to take a little bit of a back seat when she became a mother.

Her blog is great. Here's a link to her DIY on how to make a Camera Flash Sock (with examples of when you might want to use one). I'm totally going to make one of these.

Treasure

4 year old Oscar has been approaching Ben Blair and me repeatedly this morning with a roll of duct tape. Asking us to get him a piece. Every time we ask what it's for he says he doesn't know. A few minutes ago he proudly brought me this and said, "It's a Crayon Packer 3000." Asked me to take a picture and then stuffed it into his pocket.

This makes me 1000 times happier then if he'd said something along the lines of Mom, you're the best.

Build Two Toddler Beds for $75

Well this is exciting. Design*Sponge is featuring one of my how-to posts today as part of DIY Wednesday. Woot!

When we moved in, we decided to put two toddler-size beds in Oscar's and Betty's small bedroom, but every bed option that I loved was really expensive. Especially when you multiplied by two. So I decided to build my own.

Two super-simple, upholstered platform-ish beds. They are adorable. Especially side-by-side. They are low to the floor, so if Betty rolls off in her sleep, she won't get hurt (this is Betty's first bed since leaving her crib). They use crib-size mattresses, so they don't have a big footprint. Bonus: they were a total bargain to build — $75 total for both. So I suppose that means you could build just one for about $37.

You can find full instructions with lots of photos at Design*Sponge. And a few additional notes here.



Before you start cutting wood, please read these Notes on Mattress Size:
I didn't include the price of the mattress in the project because most people in need of a toddler bed will already have a crib size mattress from their crib. If you do plan to use a standard crib mattress, you'll need to make adjustments to the size of the base. Standard crib mattresses are 52" x 26", which will be a bit too big for this base. But be sure to measure the mattress you own. They vary.

My crib mattress has been used by 5 kids and is failing. So we ordered two custom ones to fit the bases I'd designed. We ordered them from: The Foam Factory. 6 x 24.5 x 49.5 inches. $48 each. Free shipping if your order is over $75. So place your order with a buddy. : )



Notes on fabric:
For my beds, I used Crypton Fabric. It might be the most family-friendly fabric out there. Super easy to clean. And since the fabric is attached to the bed frame, (and Betty is still having "accidents"), I was very interested in fabric I could clean easily and well. Crypton is perfect. I loved working with it. In fact, I'm thinking of using Crypton on a settee I'm having recovered as well.

And that's it. Again, you can find full instructions at Design*Sponge with lots of helpful photos. Good luck! And let me know if you end up making toddler beds of your own. I'd love to see pics.

The Dish

Does anyone else have the Moon Landing Anniversary on their mind? It was 40 years ago this month. I believe July 20th to be exact. I've loved thinking about it. Imagining what it was like to watch it happening. And coincidentally, had two bits of media fall in my lap this week that helped me celebrate.

I picked up Interpreter of Maladies on the way to Chicago last Wednesday. A collection of short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri. I had read and liked The Namesake well enough, but I liked this so much better. I couldn't put it down. And the last story in the book (unbeknownst to me) features the original moon-landing prominently.

Second, on Sunday, our cousins lent us a DVD of The Dish. I had never heard of it before. But it was one of the more charming movies I've seen in a decade. Really wonderful. And all about the moon landing. Again. I had no idea that was the story line until we started watching. So it felt like a happy accident. I highly recommend a viewing before this anniversary month is out.

Shabby Apple Tweens

Shabby Apple just announced their new line for tweens. Shabby Sister it's called. My favorites are the boyish GI Jane and the classic-ly sweet Seventeen. (Anyone else starting to think Back-to-School?)

Juicy Swimsuit

Friends! Virtual high-fives all around. Look what I just scored: the Juicy Couture swimsuit I've been coveting on super sale at TJMaxx for $60. The only one in the store. In my size. In the color I wanted. Like a gift from Heaven.

I realize $60 isn't really a bargain as far as swimwear goes. But in this case, it totally is. Because the suit normally retails for $179. Which in my case would be a ridiculous splurge considering the handful of times I give in to a day by the pool.

Although this particular suit might be worth the expense. Because it is just that gorgeous. I'm tempted to wear it around the house today while I vacuum.

From the Spring 2010 line — it looks like it's still available at Nordstroms. Oh! And on sale too. Nice.

Rocking the Yudu!

Thank you to the 100+ friends, readers and BlogHer attendees that came to the Yudu Nation Meetup. I had so much fun! On Friday, I manned the ironing board — heat setting the printed totebags as they came off the press. On Saturday, I manned the silkscreen machines — chatting and demonstrating and giving attendees a chance to try the Yudu for themselves. I think pretty much everyone there was coveting a machine for themselves.



The Oh. My. Blog. design was the out-and-out favorite. We ended up really experimenting with that design. Mixing inks. Alternating heavy and light pressure to keep the printed design rough and urban feeling. I think they turned out so cool. And it was fun to show attendees how flexible the machine was.




I was also able to play around with Yudu's new 220 screen. It's specifically designed to work on paper (the screen that comes with the machine is perfect for fabric) and would be ideal for making stationery or posters.




Of the 100+ visitors, 75 of them entered the giveaway to win one of 4 Yudu Prize Packages — each worth $400! I'll be announcing the lucky winners later this week, so please check back.



The Yudu team brought a variety of silk-screened examples (tees, bags, wall art) so that attendees could get an idea of the Yudu machine's range. These canvases were a crowd pleaser. A series of four pre-made canvases, covered in a background coat of paint, and then silkscreened with images in metallic paint. Lovely, no?

A huge thank you to Yudu for sponsoring the event and providing materials and prizes. You can find more photos of the Yudu event here, and another report of the event at Currently Crafting.

Blackbird

Favorite meal in Chicago? Dinner at Blackbird.

Great details, like purse holders appearing out of nowwhere to whisk our bags off the ground. And an orange curtain hiding an Abercrombie-like mural in the bathroom (I love that they know it's almost impossible not to peek behind that curtain). The presentation was beautiful. The food was delicious. The service was excellent. I loved my spot at the table. I had a great view of the door and could not believe the stream of fabulous people coming and going. Blackbird is clearly a Chicago hotspot.



The dinner conversation was the best of all — the ladies from Cool Mom Picks, Friday Playdate, Kirtsy and Cookie Magazine. Who knew we were all so hilarious?

Speaking of Cookie, find my latest Nesting post (all about custom celebration plates) here.

Shutter Sisters Suite

Because the Yudu Demo (report post coming) took place in the Shutter Sisters Suite, I was able to spend lots of quality time there. In fact, it was hard to tear myself away. The Suite itself was zen and sophisticated. Smart, artistic people sharing their latest projects with each other, making new contacts and learning about products and technologies that can help them in their work. Tracey Clark spearheaded the whole thing and I can't thank her enough for letting me share the space.

Three memorable conversations:

A meeting with Kelly, Senior Decorating Editor of Better Homes & Gardens. She shared the latest issue with me and pointed out the new "Fresh" column featuring a hip, pretty voice and attracting a younger audience to this shelter-magazine-with-a-venerable-history.

A report from Karen of Chookooloonks about her panel on Marketing to Women of Color. Apparently, she's often mistaken for other well known bloggers-of-color that look absolutely nothing like her. If you can get her to tell you the hilarious story, you will be rewarded. Karen reports that Stefania Butler, Heather Barmore and Kelly Wickham, who joined her on the panel, all did an excellent job.

An introduction to Jen Lee, a talented Brooklyn artist who shared her new book with me. I connected with her immediately. There are some people you know will be interesting just by the expression on their face or the way they wear their hair.

BlogHer Happy Things

I'm reflecting on the smart and funny people I met at the excellent BlogHer conference. The clever ideas shared. The meaningful discussions. The passion for social media I saw manifested over and over again (one conversation with Alana was particularly inspiring).

BlogHer is a conference like no other. It's a professional conference, but I'd guess about 50 percent of the attendees are not quite ready to define themselves as "professional bloggers" yet — maybe they're even attending BlogHer to find out if blogging-as-a-career is a viable path. And I would say a good portion of attendees are there for the social experience. To see old friends. To strengthen relationships. To meet bloggers they admire. That heavy social aspect is of course unusual at a professional conference.

Something about this mix of professional and not-yet-professional attendees creates much drama at BlogHer. Talented writers have been chronicling their thoughts on the subject here and here and here and here (and I'm sure many more places that I haven't taken time to read yet).

I will leave the pondering for the essayists, and stick with the pretty stuff. Because that's what I love to do on Design Mom. Here are a few things (among dozens) that made me happy at the conference this year.

1) There were many gifts, big and small, at BlogHer this year. I thought the takeout carton with tiny footcare goodies from Lego was especially brilliant (pictured above). A thoughtful gift, and a clever self-deprecating acknowledgement by Lego of their products' one existing drawback — the pain they cause when being stepped on.

2) The exchange of business cards is part of any conference. I loved seeing so many that were well-designed this year. Kelly Loubet had one outstanding example. Alexa Stevenson had a pretty letterpressed offering. And some were like their own small gift — Christy Nelson attached a shrinky dink with her info to a friendship bracelet. Jennui attached her info to a sleek lipgloss tin.

3) Dancing at the Mamapop Sparklecorn Party. You can find a dreamy picture of me with the unicorn cake here.

4) Seeing Ree from The Pioneer Woman in the hotel lobby. She took my photo and posted it the next day on her blog. She works hard to make everyone feel acknowledged. She is beautiful.

5) Watching Barbara Jones. I loved seeing the custom vintage-looking bowling shirt (pictured in an iconic photo here) she was wearing for her BowlHer party. Details like that make me happy. I kept calling her the Queen of BlogHer 09 — she was taking care of everybody and helping out wherever she could.

6) Getting a hand massage in the Microsoft Microspa and grilling the masseuse about massage ettiquette, culture and best practices.

7) While I was at dinner on Saturday Night, reading on Twitter about the Cheezburgher party being shut down and that guests were having their photos taken with the security guards. (Plus, getting back to the hotel and realizing that it wasn't shut down, it was just moved to the lobby — and there was still plenty of time to join in.)

8) Seeing Danny Seo in the Method Suite wielding some sort of powerful phone cleaning wand. And chatting with Janel from Apartment Therapy.

9) Attending the Nikon party in a beautiful restaurant right on the river and watching night kayakers go by. Plus also getting my picture snapped with Carson Kressley. (Will find that pic and post it asap...)

10) Finding a Mr. Potato Head from Playskool in the conference bag. So smart. Everybody loves Mr. Potato Head. All ages. All creeds. It's was a universal hit.

11) Announcing a BlogLuxe award at the Social Luxe Lounge and seeing blogging friends make a big Blogher debut with their super successful party. Yummy food. Manicures. Gorgeous henna tatoos (done freehand!). I also like the way that Swiffer (the major sponsor of the party) was understated about giving out samples. Instead of sending people home with product they just gave out a simple card saying: if you'd like to receive a Swiffer product, send them an email. Extra fun: meeting Hostess with the Mostess for the first time.

12) Hanging with Anna from Hershey's and handing out Hershey's Bliss Chocolate with the Kirtsy Girls. Laurie Smithwick. Laura Mayes. Gwen Bell. Also, I loved hearing how conference attendees were referencing the Hershey's Kirtsy Party Alertsy for their party info. So glad we could help! You can see photos of the big chocolate meetup here.

13) Being video-interviewed by Janice of 5 Minutes For Mom. It's always a treat to spend time with twins Susan and Janice. Also. The BCBG dress that Janice wore to the Nikon Party was my favorite outfit at BlogHer. Hands down. Gorgeous.

14) Lisa Stone (founder of BlogHer) and her fabulous hair. Lisa always looks beautiful, but her new long hair is out of sight. Hot!

Bonus number 15) Walking back from the Social Luxe Lounge and seeing President Obama drive by — with the entire presidential motorcade of course. I am not even kidding you.



Kirtsy Girls in the Microsoft Microspa. Photo by BabyJi. Find additional photos from Blogher09 here and here. More to come tomorrow on the Yudu Meetup, the Shutter Sisters Suite and other wonderful people I met...

Sparrow

While in Chicago, I had the chance to visit a super hip salon called Sparrow Hair to witness a makeover for two lovely bloggers. I fell in love with the salon. Vintage barbershop chairs refitted. Antique sinks. Restored tin ceiling. Reclaimed wallpaper. Beautiful texture everywhere.


This is one of the stylists at Sparrow. Isn't she fantastic? If I lived in Chicago I would try to convince her to be my bff.

The event was organized by Heather Barmore, Susan Wagner and Danielle Wiley — 3 of the most chic ladies at the conference. It was a treat to spend time with them. You can see more pretty pics of the gathering and the salon here.

Francie Pants

My girls are loving the Francie Pants I brought home from Chicago. Think of them as a modern bloomer to cover your undies so you can do handstands and cartwheels while wearing a skirt — you can see examples of how they're worn here. My girls have been wearing their francies under skirts and over leggings and trying out new outfit configurations pretty much nonstop since the plane landed.

Maude said she is going to plan her back-to-school wardrobe around them. Olive likes the paperdolls included in each box. I can see we're going to need more than the 2 pairs I came home with. See all the Francie Pants designs here.

Trendex Home Giveaway

I'm in Chicago. Blogging it up at BlogHer. Help me celebrate all that is good in the bloggity blog world with this giveaway. You could win a $150 gift certificate to Trendex Home by leaving a comment below. How rad is that? $150 to spend on floral tablecloths, beaded napkin rings, or to stock up on cloth napkins. You'll be throwing dinner parties (may I suggest fondue?) left and right. Yay!



Thanks to Trendex Home for offering up this generous prize. Have fun browsing the pretty fabrics and accessories — imaging the sophisticated table you'll set. Leave a comment to enter. I'll announce a winner when I'm back at my desk on Monday. Bonus! Get 15% off at Trendex with code: DESIGN.

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UPDATE: Congratulations Amber Larson! You are the lucky winner. Yay!

Whirlwind City Tour

I thought this article I read in Hemispheres magazine was super charming. A whirlwind guide to seeing San Francisco in 5 hours. I totally want to follow this. And I wish I had something similar to guide me while I'm here in Chicago. Plus. The illustration makes me feel cool just looking at it.

Off to BlogHer

I'm on my way to Chicago this afternoon for the BlogHer conference. Yay! Can't wait to meet some of you there. Can't wait to hang out with my Kirtsy peeps. Can't wait make totebags at the Yudu Nation Meetup!! (Room #1237 at the Sheraton.) Want to know where to find me at BlogHer? Here's a glimpse of my personal schedule.

Stay tuned. I'll be blogging and tweeting from BlogHer over the next couple of days. I'll post pics of the awesome totebags. And a little birdie told me there would even be a fab giveaway tomorrow.

Chicago skyline image here.

Thinnerware

I just read an email about a line of dishes called Thinnerware and I'm kind of fascinated. The dishes are good-looking, and they have measurements disguised in their design. So for example, inside the bowl, the lowest green stripe measures 1/2 cup, the next stripe measures 1 cup and the top stripe measure 1 1/2 cups.

An interesting way to be aware of the portions you're eating, without pulling out the pyrex. Is it great? Is it a gimmick? Is it a pretty gimmick? Thoughts?

You can find out more about Thinnerware here. Thanks for the link, Sharon.

Stun

When I attend the childrens' clothing trade shows, one of my favorite lines to check out is always Wonderboy. (I've posted about them here and here.) So imagine my delight when I heard the designer behind Wonderboy, Christine Johnson, is launching a line for girls called Stun. Here's a peek:

Goldfish

I wanted some artwork to hang over Oscar's and Betty's beds so I consulted with my kids and Ralph suggested a really big painting of a goldfish. I loved the idea. It's bright. It's gender neutral. It's friendly. Perfect. So we made one.


Ralph drew a sketch of what he had in mind. I bought a 40 x 30 canvas at Guiry's for $19.


We used acrylic paints — water cleanup makes them easy for kids to work with.


Based on Ralph's drawing, we sketched directly on the canvas.



And then everybody had a turn painting.

We think it turned out great (and extra big thanks to Ralph)! How about you?

I haven't done much painting since college and don't really know what I'm doing. I was wishing my mom (who is currently on a mission in Russia) was here directing this project.

P.S. — I haven't forgotten the post about how to build the toddler beds. Still working on getting some better images...

Fawn & Forest Coloring Book

Summertime boredom setting in? Here's a help. Fawn and Forest is offering four different free coloring book pages. And they're quite lovely, no?

Pioneer Day

On Sunday, Ben Blair and I spoke in church. Our topic was pioneers. Ben Blair managed to work in the 40th anniversary of the moon landing. I talked about St. George and how hot it is — how growing up, my favorite places in St. George were the one where the pioneers had planted trees. That I benefited from the work of the pioneers in real ways.

Why the topic of pioneers? This Friday, July 24th, my church celebrates Pioneer Day. A day to remember the 70,000 church members who walked 1300 miles from Illinois to the Great Basin of Utah with covered wagons and handcarts. And who handed down their legacy of hardwork, self-sacrifice, and deep faith to all members of the Mormon church. Their stories are fantastic. And sometimes harrowing. One short funny one recorded by Priscilla Merriman Evans:

"Some Indians came to our camp and my husband in a joking way told one of the Indians, that he would trade me for a pony; he thought no more of it, but the Indian came with the pony and it was no joke to him. There was no place to hide and the captain was called to help settle it".

I can just imagine her blushing and trying to hide as the Indian approaches ready to make the trade. I like wearing my little pioneer themed necklace this week. You can read more about the pioneers here.

Our Beloved Red Shelf

I've been working on Oscar and Betty's bedroom this weekend and I love how it's coming together. Things we did:

-Built and upholstered two toddler beds (expect an awesome how-to post about this coming soon.)
-Painted a big canvas to hang over their beds.
-Sewed some toddler size duvet covers.
-And repaired our beloved red bookshelf.

I had this shelf built when Ralph (now age 11) was one and Maude (now age 10) was 6 months old. We had just purchased a tiny little house and the baby's bedroom was a little nook on the attic floor. I saw a larger version of the shelves in a Neiman Marcus catalog but couldn't afford them, so I had a set built — with the scale of a smaller house in mind. There is something so wonderful about showing up to a carpenter with a sketch and a photo and seeing what happens.

I just wish I could remember the carpenter's name, because if memory serves, he only charged me $100. For reals. And it's just about the cutest piece of furniture a person could own.

Yudu Meetup Totebag Designs

Hello friends! I'm working on designs for the totebags we'll be silk-screening at the Yudu Nation Meetup this week. (Room #1237 at the Sheraton.) I'd love your feedback. I'm trying to narrow it down to 3 designs.



Colors will be totally flexible depending on ink supplies. Meaning: if you like the Bee bag, you can possibly get it printed in green. Or red. Or black. Or whatever ink is available. (But. I think the Oh. My. Blog. design looks best in black. Just saying.) And artwork placement on the bags can be flexible too. Meaning: if you like the bee bag, but want your bee in the bottom left corner, that could work as well.

The Yudu Machine itself is super flexible and allows you to print pretty much anything you'd like in pretty much any color you'd like. At our meetup, flexibility and availability will all depend on how busy or crazy it is.

Don't like any of the designs? Bummer. Too bad I can't please everybody.


Do you prefer the room-for-everything design? Or...


the everything-is-in-order design?


If you were picking a nature-based design, do you prefer the bee? Or...


The monarch butterfly? Or...


The multi-color butterflies? (This design uses two screens — fancy!)

Easy to Find Lip Balm

I am loving this Ballmania lip balm made by a local Denver company. It smells good. It's spf 20. But mostly I like it because it comes in a perfectly round container, so it's really easy to find at the bottom of my (often too full) handbag. Brilliant. Other fun thing: it comes in like 20 designs. I like the 8-Ball.

Mini Tool Boxes

I've developed a huge crush on these mini-tool cases made from Altoid tins. The perfect party favor for anyone throwing a tool-themed birthday party — and way more fun than Bob the Builder kitsch. But really, I just want some for me. So cute! You can find the full instructions at AlphaMom.

Via Say Yes to Hoboken.

Home

We weren't even planning to arrive home till this evening. The original plan was: leave St. George yesterday afternoon and stay the night in Green River or Grand Junction to break up the drive. Do some work this morning, and finish the drive around 5:00. But somewhere between the two towns, we decided to power through — loaded up on snacks and caffeine — and parked in our very own garage at 1:00 am.

Best decision ever.

It feels good to have a full day at home. To sit at my desk. Unpack the car. Start the laundry. We stopped by open gymnastics today and dropped off the roadtrip-books-on-CD at the library. Even grocery shopping sounds appealing. I feel like I haven't been home in ages.







The drive between St. George and Denver is spectacular. A geologist's fantasy land. "Scenic View" exits dot the freeway almost every hour — we took these pics at one of them.

Mac Daddy Apple Pie

I was searching for a picture of apple pie the other day and found this. Had to share. Via Unplugged.

Yudu Nation Meetup!

I've been getting lots of emails and tweets asking if I'm hosting any sort of meetup at BlogHer. So I came up with an awesome plan involving silkscreens, free tote bags, huge prizes and rad-ness.

I'll be in the Shutter Sisters Suite — room #1237 at the Sheraton — on Friday and on Saturday from 2:00 to 4:00. I'll be there with a couple of Yudu Silkscreen Machines. (You may remember the awesome Yudu from the post I wrote about making U2 t-shirts and clipboards here.) Come say hello and I'll show you how to use the super cool machines. How to prep your image, how to burn the screen, how to print the image, and how easy it is to do the whole thing with the Yudu.

Best part: everyone that drops by gets to walk away with a silk-screened totebag -- for FREE!. I guarantee it will be your favorite souvenir from BlogHer. There will be 3 designs to choose from, and I'm creating them myself. They will be very limited edition. : )

Other best part: I'll be giving away Four Yudu Prize Packages to Four lucky winners. Each prize package is worth $400 and includes a Yudu Machine plus tons of extra accessories. Holy cow!

All are welcome. If you live in the Chicago area, come drop by and say Hello. Sheraton Towers, Chicago, Room #1237. Get yourself a free totebag and get a glimpse of the big conference. If you're attending BlogHer, drop by during a break or sneak away from one of the sessions. The demos will be short and ongoing, so you won't need to stay long. You won't want to miss your chance to win one of the big prizes -- and get your rad totebag.

I can't wait to meet you. Shoot me an email or leave a comment if you'll be dropping by. I want to make sure I've got enough totebags at the ready. Get your Yudu on at BlogHer!!

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Questions:
1) Where is the Shutter Sisters Suite?
It's in the Sheraton Towers Chicago Hotel. Room #1237.

2) When is it again?
Friday, July 24th, 2:00 to 4:00
Saturday, July 25th, 2:00 to 4:00

2) The Yudu Machines look similar in size to my carryon. If I win, do I need to bring it home with me?
If you're one of the lucky winners, Yudu will ship your prize package directly to you.

3) Is the Yudu really that awesome?
Yes. Yes it is.

BlogHer Schedule

Are you heading to the big BlogHer conference next week? Or. Will you be in the Chicago area? If yes, I'm guessing you're having a hard time keeping track of all the parties and extra-curricular events happening in conjunction with the conference. Same for me.

Luckily, the Kirtsy Girls have come up with a fix: We've gathered all the important info in one place. Parties. Suites. Demos. Fun Runs. You can find it all in the Hershey's Kirtsy Party Alertsy. And most of the listed events are open to everyone -- not just BlogHer attendees. Woot! So everyone can join the fun. We're even offering a ready-to-print pdf of all the info for partying on the go.

Personally, I've been studying the Hershey's Kirtsy Party Alertsy like a straight-A student. This will be my 3rd year attending BlogHer. The first two years, I pretty much showed up without ever checking the conference schedule and without even a basic plan of what I wanted to do/see/take part in. But this year feels different. Like BlogHer hit some sort of tipping point and there are so many parties and invites and extra-events that I've had to make some decisions.

If you'll be attending BlogHer this year, or live anywhere in the Chicago metro area, I'd love to meet you. Here's a heads up of My Personal BlogHer Schedule (tentative, of course). Hopefully our paths will cross more than once.

Wednesday:
Fly in to Chicago

Thursday:
4:00 - I'll be attending A Hair Affair — a small gathering hosted by Danielle Wiley, Susan Wagner and Heather Barmore.
6:00 - VIP Guest to the Social Luxe Lounge. I'll even be announcing one of the winners of the BlogLuxe Awards. Nice.
9:00 - People's Party!! Everyone's invited. It's typically the biggest party at BlogHer. Kirtsy will have lots of Hershey's chocolate to give out. Mmmmmm.

Friday:
10:00 - Microsoft Microspa Lounge. I'll be getting my makeup done in the Spa.
10:30 - Session One: Business of You — Pioneers in a Post-Employee World (very likely I will end up talking with someone in the hallway and miss this. But who knows.)
2:00 to 4:00 - Yudu Nation Meetup in the Shutter Sisters Suite (Room #1237 Sheraton Towers) — Come meet me and I'll show you how to silkscreen your very own totebag. Free! Everyone's welcome — even if you're not attending BlogHer.
4:45 - Community Keynote. This is sure to be the very best session at BlogHer.
6:00 - Method Party with Danny Seo. (Remember the cool party I hosted for Method with Danny Seo way back when? I'm wonder what awesome thing he'll teach us this time.)
7:30 - BlogHer Reception
8:30 - Nikon Night Out with Carson Kressley. (Remember Carson from Queer Eye? Do you think he'll like my outfit?)
10:30 - Mommy Needs a Cocktail Party. Sounds like it's going to be fabulous.
11:00 - VIP Guest to Mamapop Party. The perfect way to close out the night.

Saturday:
9:30 - Keynote Address
10:45 - Session One: Business of You — Advanced Social Media, Syndication and Stats (Again. I could end up in the hallway here, but I think this class sounds good.)
12:00 - I'll be speaking with Jodie and Sharon from Playskool.
2:00 to 4:00 - Yudu Nation Meetup in the Shutter Sisters Suite (Room #1237 Sheraton Towers) — Come meet me and I'll show you how to silkscreen your very own totebag. Free! Everyone's welcome — even if you're not attending BlogHer.
5:00 - Closing Keynote
6:00 - BlogHer Cocktail Party
7:00 - This is unofficial, but I'd love to have dinner with all the Kirtsy Editors that are in town.
8:30 - BowlHer '09 Party. Save me the hottest bowling shoes.
10:30 CheezburgHer Party. It would be hard to end on a better note than this.

Sunday:
Head home. Probably exhausted. But happy.

What's that you ask? What's the Yudu Nation Meetup? It's pretty dang awesome. I'll post about it in a minute.

Goodship Totes

I'm still away from home (and my computer. sigh.), hanging out in St. George, Utah for Cousins Week. I assumed I would have lots of time to blog. But alas, I was wrong. Happily, I have stolen some time this morning to get up a few posts. I am such a blogging junkie.



An email about these gorgeous totebags by Goodship was in my inbox this morning. Made by a Brooklyn-based textile designer and hand-printed on organic cotton canvas. They look super strong and functional (as well as American-made) and very stylish to boot. I don't think I've ever seen a roll-up tote before. I am such a tote junkie.

The Coolest Notebook Ever

Jared sent me a link to this awesome notebook. It makes me smile. Via Top Cultured.

Nieces and Nephews

This is handsome Henry Stanley (son of Jared and Liz) at a park at the top of Nob Hill in San Francisco. I took this photo when I was hanging out with him on Thursday evening. He likes swings, helicopters, throwing sand and peas. We are now best friends.

On Friday, I attended the Revenue Bootcamp in Silicon Valley on behalf of Kirtsy. I'll share pics and a report on the kirtsy blog when I'm back at my desk and can upload photos.

In the meantime, I'm hanging at Josh and Erin's house in St. George, Utah. Yesterday (that would be Sunday) we piled into the car early in the morning and drove the whole crew to St. George for cousins week. Swimming and art projects and movies and rock climbing and every cool thing we can find to do. We already have our tickets for Harry Potter 6 (woot!).

I can't get enough of my awesome nieces and nephews. It's a highly creative bunch. And apparently social media is in their blood -- Zella and Ruth, two of my nieces here in St. George keep a fab blog for teens called Brown Paper Packages.

Sears Design Summit

The Design Summit I attended yesterday in Chicago is on my mind. Sears and Kmart have committed to step up design and quality across the board in their home departments. And they're living by that commitment. They've assembled a world-class design team — bringing in people from Pottery Barn, from Ralph Lauren Home, from Martha Stewart — and it clearly shows in the new lines.

Plus. They launched a site called Kmart Design with a nicely-done series of videos showing the design team's process, including trips to Paris and New York for trendspotting. I was impressed. Fo shizzle.

My favorite things:

1) Table top in the Country Living line is terrific. There were like 10 different french-looking mugs I was coveting.

2) There is a fantastic lamp with an oversize shade in the Ty Pennington collection that I fell in love with.

3) They purposefully coordinated colors across the Sears and Kmart lines. Meaning, the red throw pillow in the Sears Country Living line will match the red striped sheets in the Kmart Country Living line. So smart! And such a benefit for consumers. Makes it easy to mix and match and stick to a budget.

4) Getting to see their full design process. From seeking trends. To making inspiration boards. To seeing the cad drawings of the designs that came from the inspiration boards. To seeing actual samples of fabrics. Very cool.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how these new product lines are displayed in store, imagining how that will change and improve the shopping experience. You can find lots and lots more photos on my flickr page here.

Windy City

I leave to Chicago in an hour for the Sears Design Forum. (Woot!) I'm all packed and it is for sure my best packing job ever. One small suitcase for 4 days in 2 cities. And nothing heavy in my handbag.

My laptop is in the shop which means posting will either be light or non-existent for the rest of the week depending on what kind of computer time I can beg, borrow or steal — or how willing I am to type on my iPhone.

But I leave you with this stunning image and a promise to twitter my little heart out till I'm back at my desk. Hugs. Kisses. I miss you already.

Image via Stuck In Customs.

Hoot Baby

I was just introduced to Hoot Baby. And I thought I should introduce you as well.

You're welcome.

Ask Design Mom: Photo Storage

Ask Design Mom Question:
Dear Design Mom. I can see you take many, many photos. I'm wondering how you store them? I am pretty new to digital photography, but I'm already filling up my computer storage. Any favorite solutions? — Diane.

Design Mom Answer:
Great question, Diane. I'm right there with you. Ever since Ben Blair gave me the new camera last Christmas, my hard drive has overflowing with the ginormous photos it takes. (I'm not complaining. It's a rad camera and it takes rad pictures.) To keep my computer from getting too sluggish, I've started using external storage for all my photos. The best system I've tried so far is the FreeAgent Go by Seagate.

Seagate offers lots of products — the one I use is made especially for Macs, but they have even more solutions for PC users. I like it because it looks good and because it's super easy to use. No software to download or install. Just plug it in and go. I've never had to transport mine, but it comes with a handy little carrying case, and it will hold 320 GB. I wonder how long it will take me to fill it up? : )

What about you? Any favorite photo storage solutions?

Book of the Week — 1000 Times No

Mr. Warburton sent over a copy of his new book, 1000 Times No, and my kids love it. They think it's silly and cool and lots of fun. I suspect Oscar takes mental notes while we read it to him — stockpiling ideas to add to his already vast repertoire of how to answer in the negative.




Ralph loves it for the extra-large autograph.

Happy Birthday Rachel

My sister Rachel, the eldest of the Stanley Sisters, has reached a milestone today: 40 years lived. To honor her 4 decades on this good green earth here are 40 things to love about Rachel Emily Stanley Rodgers.

1 - Rachel is really good at talking to people.
2 - I mean it. In any gathering, she makes everyone in the room feel comfortable. Says just the right thing.
3 - She kept her family as healthy and functioning as possible while her brave husband served two tours in Iraq.
4 - She married a very cool husband whom her siblings love to go to for sound advice.
5 - Rachel makes her marriage a priority.
6 - Rachel is gorgeous.
7 - She has the best hair of the sisters — accepting a flat iron or a curling iron equally well.
8 - And she has the best curves as well, being the only sister that could ever be described as "stacked."
9 - Rachel loves to read.
10 - And wants to discuss whatever she's just finished reading with you.

11 - She has dedicated her life to raising happy, hardworking kids:
12 - Her daughter Robin (who was accepted at every college she applied to and will be attending BYU this fall).
13 - Her son Paul.
14 - Her son Joshua.
15 - Her son Daniel.
16 - Her daughter Gloria.
17 - Her daughter Sara.
18 - As a military wife, she made happy homes for her family in Georgia, Kansas, Germany, Texas and other places I'm forgetting...
19 - All those moves means she knows how to make good friends quickly.
20 - And she's really good at staying in touch with all those friends.

21 - Rachel does her best to embrace the local culture wherever she lives — even making over-the-top giant mums for homecoming in Texas.
22 - She is deeply spiritual.
23 - And enthusiastically patriotic.
24 - She keeps hens in her backyard.
25 - And she tends a large garden.
26 - So her family can live quite self-sufficiently.
27 - She works hard to live by a budget.
28 - Which enables her to give generous gifts.
29 - For example, knowing I collect Caldecott Award books, she once sent me a first edition book by Caldecott himself.
30 - Rachel is a runner.

31 - Rachel is really good at decorating cakes — she even earned money doing so for many years.
32 - And she makes gorgeous quilts.
33 - Rachel is a good cook.
34 - And an excellent hostess.
35 - In high school, she (thankfully) introduced her younger siblings to cool music.
36 - She watches the news and keeps up on what's going on in the world.
37 - She has smart opinions about what she sees.
38 - Rachel supports the many, varied projects of her children and her siblings in any way she can.
39 - She has good taste.
40 - If you know Rachel, you probably feel like she is your best friend.

Happy Birthday, Rachel! I love you and hope your next 40 years are even more spectacular.

Independence Day

Happy Fourth of July!

I hope your day is full of fireworks and smoke bombs and snakes. And hotdogs and watermelon and a flag cake.

image via Do Better

Platte River

Ben Blair is off work today and we're headed on a family bike ride. From here to the Platte River. My kids have bikes, but Ben Blair and I don't. So we're borrowing from our lovely friends, Becky and Rob. Sunscreen: check. Water: check. We'll come back here for fresh-squeezed lemonade when the bike ride is finished.

Hooray for a day off!

Hair Relief

I got my hair done last night. It was in sad, sad shape — I hadn't made time to get it done since I moved. But now I've discovered Natalie. She's a hair genius. And I feel totally hot. If you want Natalie to cut your hair, you can find her here.

Also. One of the funnest parts of getting my hair done was talking blogging and social media. Natalie and her friend Ashley just launched a cute new site called Sensibly Styled. The tag line: Sensibly Styled finds all the modest clothing, from all the brands you love, and puts it all in one place.

It was fun to talk strategy and share advice on growing a site. Man. I can pretty much talk social media all. day. long.

Outfit pictured put together by Sensibly Styled.

Mayflower Giveaway

Doesn't it feel like a good day for a Giveaway? I think so too. So how does this sound: win a $150 Gift Card to Home Depot by leaving a comment below. I'm not even kidding. $150 to spend as you please. On new paint. Or a new drill. Or maybe the materials to build a giant table.



Remember how awesome Mayflower was during the big move from New York to Colorado? Well. To thank them, I offered up a Giveaway spot. And they said: Sure thing! How about a gift card to Home Depot because we know how often home improvement projects are part of a move — both before and after. And I said: Right on.

I can hardly believe it, but our move was a full 2 months ago. Amazing. I loved looking through our photos of the big day and remembering the awesome crew.





So thanks to Mayflower for giving us this fab prize. I hope it inspires you to do/make/build something fun. And for those of you who are planning to move, or mid-move, or just moved, maybe a prize like this will help relieve some of the stress.

Speaking of which. So many of you gave me such great advice on how to make the move as stress-free as possible. I'd love to hear more. What are your best moving tips? Your best moving advice?

Leave a comment to enter. I'll announce a winner on Monday.

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

Congratulations carly k! You are the big winner of the Home Depot giftcard from our friends at Mayflower. Yay!

Stephanie Levy

Loving the sunny collage work of Stephanie Levy. See her portfolio here. And her etsy shop here.

I want this one. It's little (about 6" x 6") and the price is a bargain ($35) for original artwork. It would be lovely in a square, white frame.

8 to 5 Sandwich

You ask. I answer. Here are directions to the famous 8 to 5 Sandwich. And a little background.

Ben Blair and I moved to Greece just weeks after I discovered I was pregnant with my oldest child. I was working as an art director at Ogilvy & Mather and everyday we'd order out for lunch. One of the nearby restaurants was called 8 to 5 — because they were only open during business hours and catered to the working peeps in the area.

I ordered their signature sandwich, also called the 8 to 5, on my first day of work. It was delicious. Maybe even heavenly. And it was one of the first meals that seemed to settle my morning sick digestive system. I ordered this same sandwich every day I worked at Ogilvy & Mather. Literally every day. It got me through that first pregnancy and has been a favorite sandwich ever since.

8 to 5 Sandwich

Ingredients:
French Baguette
Avocado
Cream Cheese
Lettuce
Bacon

Directions:
-Take a section of baguette (about 6-8 inches long) and slice it length wise.
-Mash the avocado and spread one piece of the sliced baguette with it.
-Spread the other slice of baguette with cream cheese.
-Add bacon and lettuce between the slices of bread.
-Enjoy a little bit of heaven.

One note. In Greece, they would mix the mashed avocado with some mayonnaise. It was yummy and salty and creamy. But for whatever reason, I've skipped this step for years.

Welcome July!

July is looking hot. Also hawt. Here's a peek at my calendar.

4th
Independence Day.
This weekend, we'll celebrate our independence with our cousins at a lake in Fort Collins, Colorado. Sailing. Fireworks. Hotdog roast. Perfect.

7th & 8th
Home Design Summit in Chicago.
Anytime I see a good ol' American company focusing more on design, I want to give high-fives all around. I'm really looking forward to this. Hosted by the Sears Corporation.

9th & 10th
Revenue Bootcamp in Silicon Valley.
Kirtsy is sending me straight from Chicago to San Francisco for this one-day conference. I know a decent amount about revenue and social media, but I'm super hyped to learn more. As always, it will be delightful to hear from the famed Guy Kawasaki. Hosted by Garage Technology Ventures and Microsoft BizSpark. Want to come too? Use the code KIRT09 for a $50 discount on registration.

Jordan and Paul will still be in Brazil while I'm visiting their beloved San Francisco. But luckily, Jared and Liz just moved to the City by the Bay as well — so I'll still get to hang with family.

12th - 16th
Cousins Week.
On the 12th, we'll load up our family of 7 and head to St. George, Utah. What is cousins week? I'm not exactly sure. But my sister Sara invited all Stanley cousins 8 years old or older to come hang out at her house and do awesome stuff for a week. My kids can't wait. Can't. Wait.

22nd - 25th
BlogHer 09!
I'll be flying into Chicago on Wednesday, the 22nd. I've got a jam-packed schedule planned. Parties. Demonstrations. More parties. I'll share all the deets in another post because there's just so much info.

Biggest challenge of the month (in addition to missing Ben Blair and the kids while I'm traveling): packing for BlogHer. Seriously peeps. How about you? What are your July plans? Will I see you at any of these events?

The fab sailing photo (that happens to look so patriotic!) is from TrekEarth.

30 Stangers Exhibit

This is what I wish I could attend tomorrow (Thursday) night:

The 30 Strangers Exhibit by Justin Hackworth
Thursday, July 2nd from 6-9pm
1 East Center Street - Suite 215, Provo, UT

This is why I wish I could attend:

1) The event is going to be lovely.
2) I know several of the Mother and Daughter pairs in the photos (like Liz & Betsy and Courtney & Cindy) and would enjoy seeing them celebrated.
3) Anyone attending the event who makes a $25 donation to the Center for Women and Children in Crisis, can schedule a free mother/daughter session of their own with Mr. Hackworth. Which is a screaming deal.



You can find more info here.

TapeSwell

Here's a cool find. Decorative packing tape from TapeSwell. Dozens of patterns. Available in single rolls or combo packs. My favorites are the faux bois, the purple lace and the tulips.