Fortune Cookies

Ralph and I flew home from San Francisco Saturday night. We had a wonderful time. Really, just fantastic. Ralph is a great kid to travel with. Enthusiastic about whatever is on the schedule. Kind, helpful and he doesn't complain.

On Sunday, Ralph shared the trip souvenirs with his siblings. One of my very favorites was the fortune cookies we picked up in Chinatown. Jordan, who knows every cool source in every corner of the city, took us to this tiny hole-in-the-wall shop where two women were making fortune cookies one-by-one.



It was kind of a crazy thing to witness. They were sitting next to two good size machines which produced flat dough circles. In front of them was a small table with a stack of fortunes. While the circle cookies were still hot, the women would grab them and fold them neatly over a fortune. One by one. They were super speedy. I will think of those ladies every time I have takeout Chinese food for the rest of my life.



Jordan knew that if you drop by the shop they have little slips of paper where you can write your own fortunes and they'll put them into a fresh cookie then and there. So Jordan and Ralph wrote up some awesome fortunes and we brought them home for Maude, Olive, Oscar and Betty.

We bought 5 custom cookies — made to order right in front us — and the cost was $2.50. They say fortune cookies were invented in San Francisco — seems like a really good souvenir.

Edit: My brother, Jared just sent me a link to this (short) video about fortune cookies not being recognized in China.
2nd Edit: You can find more info about this shop (including location) here.

Decoupaged Chair

I'm digging this decoupaged chair. Find instructions (and 8 how-to photos) at DIY.

found via How About Orange

Word Book

My sister-in-law, Liz, made an adorable book for her son Henry, filled with photos of his favorite things. I would highly recommend bookmarking this project — it's a really good idea for a baby gift.

Giveaway — $200 Cambria Cove Shopping Spree

Well hello, friends! I'm posting from San Francisco today. I'm here with Ralph and we're having a great time. Last night we were able to hang out with Jordan & Paul and Jared & Liz (how lucky am I to have relatives in this fantastic town?). We ate Bi-rite ice cream. Visited the Ferney Art Studio on Valencia Street. Basically we did our best to blend in with the beautiful San Francisco hipsters all evening long.

Because all Design Mom Readers are completely and utterly beautiful as well (of course), here's your chance to win a $200 shopping spree to Cambria Cove. The perfect place to up your beauty quotient with something really lovely.




$200 to spend on anything you please. You could use it to buy a gift for someone you love — Cambria Cove has mastered the art of gift-giving — they have gorgeous items for every conceivable occasion. On the other hand, they also offer a whole section called Gifts For You, which might be a better way to spend the prize. : ) Either way, you'll have a wonderful time browsing their collection.

Some of my favorites: this gorgeous leatherbound journal, the most elegant laptop cover evah, Portuguese soaps (I adore Portuguese soap packaging!), which would go perfect with these handsome bath accessories. Oh. And there's delightful jewelry. And dozens upon dozens of other perfectly chosen items.

Leave a comment to enter. I'll announce a winner when I'm back on Monday. Yay for generous giveaways!

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Congratulations, k a t y!! You are the lucky winner of this generous gift certificate from Cambria Cove. Happy shopping!

Book of the Week: Rose and the Bald Headed Elephant

This is a story about Rose and the Bald-Headed Elephant. With some of the funkiest illustrations I've come across in a long time. I like what Your Heart Out had to say about it. "Rose tries to help Mr. Elephant past his self-consciousness by showing him all the wonderful things she sees in him. We all need a friend like Rose: someone to bring us up when we’re down—and talk us down from getting a toupee."

My kids love it.

You can find a sweet, simple (brief) video about the endearing book below.

Clementine Art Products

The eating of crayons/playdough/art supplies at our house isn't too frequent. But it has been known to happen. I wonder if I'd mind the tasting if my kids were using Clementine art products. Non-toxic, environmentally friendly ingredients, in fully recycled packaging. It's not meant to be eaten, but the Citrus Dough sounds delish.

Pool Party Display

Mmmmm. Makes me want to hang pretty things from trees. More images here.

School Pictures

A new company called Stomping Ground has set out to reinvent school pictures. Their sample portraits are adorable!

Thoughts: Can school pictures be saved? Should our own children be subjected to the tacky school photos of our youth? Would you push your school to hire Stomping Ground vs. Lifetouch (or whoever handles your school photos)?

One last note. Ralph had school pictures taken a few days before school even started. One of the options we could pick: pay an extra fee to have zits photoshopped. Blessed middle school.

Slurpees

What a full happy week! Yesterday was Olive's birthday. Today is Ralph's birthday. That means breakfast in bed, wrapping presents and making cupcakes two days in a row.

On Monday night, Maude had a wonderful suggestion: "How about for Family Night [Monday nights are family nights at our house], we go to 7-11 because Olive is 7 and Ralph is 11 and on Tuesday & Wednesday they won't be any more."

So to 7-11 we went. And shared a couple of Slurpees among us.

And now Olive is 8 and Ralph is 12. I can hardly believe it.

Sewn Packaging

How cute is this creative packaging? Made from pages of a vintage reading book. And sewn with a simple zigzag on 3 sides. Filled with something sweet of course. What a fun gift to receive!

Olive's Turn

Dip-dye dress by Kandy Kiss. Leggings by Old Navy. Shoes by Salt Water Sandals. Floral headband by Gymboree.

Of course (of course!) Olive wanted (and rightly deserved) a chance to model her back to school clothes. Olive is 7. She is starting to phase out of her pink addiction and on to more sophisticated shades — even some occasional brown.

I'm sure you are tiring of wardrobe posts, so I promise this will be the last for awhile. As with Ralph and Maude, many of these items were already in Olive's closet. I'll list sources where available. More pics of Olive's photoshoot here.


Plaid shirt and roll-up cargo pants by Target. Turquoise tee by Old Navy. Sneakers by Adidas. Western cut floral top by Ralph Lauren. Corduroy mini by Old Navy. Cable-knit tights by H&M. Brown Maryjane's by Payless.


Stripe top by Old Navy. Floral top by Osh Kosh. Capris by Gymboree. Blue layering tee by Mini Boden. Sweater vest by GapKids. Brown velour-ish trousers by H&M. Slip-on sneakers by Airwalk for Payless.


Tie-back dress by Mossimo for Target. Skinny jeans by H&M. Embroidered top by Lulu and Scooter. Embroidered skirt by Children's Place.


Plaid top by Gymboree. Red cardigan by Target. Jeans by GapKids.


Floral top by Peek Aren't You Curious. Screened tee by Old Navy. Purple cropped cargo pants by Peek.


Possibly the greatest pair of kid sneakers ever made! We found ours at Zappos.

Fun things at Cookie

Don't miss a couple of my latest posts at Cookie's Nesting Blog. Like a custom print made in Nie Nie's honor. And and sleek way to glam your gadgets.

Also. Cookie has a fun creative cake contest going on. Win a KitchenAid stand mixer and $125 worth of cake-decorating supplies from Wilton. You can send in pics of your own or see submissions here.

Also. Also. I loved this post by Sarah Engler about lids for tins cans: "Just peel off the label of your soup and snap on one of the seven useful varieties." So smart!

images via Design Vagabond

DownEast Basics Giveaway

I'm on my way to New York in a few minutes. I'm being filmed/interviewed/auditioned for something with HGTV. Sort of a vague description. And yet. It's all the info I have. Basically, I read an email with words like: New York, HGTV, and video, and said: Yes, please. I have no idea if or how many other bloggers are involved but won't it be fun to find out? It's a super short trip — I'll be home tomorrow night. I keep thinking I'll get to hold still for a bit and I keep being wrong. This weekend it's the East Coast. Next weekend it's San Francisco. Gosh. I'm not feeling that glamorous right now, but typing out my travel schedule makes my life sound pretty cosmopolitan, no?

Anyway. To help us all feel a little more glamorous and cosmopolitan, I've got a great giveaway today. It's a $150 gift certificate to the lovely DownEast Basics. Nice.




Lots of new arrivals (my favorites are the collegiate sweater and the bees knees skirt). Even a sweet new line for girls (love those skirts!). Thanks to DownEast Basics for sponsoring this great giveaway. Have fun browsing the pretty clothes — imaging how chic and sophisticated (and oh so cosmopolitan!) you'll look. Leave a comment to enter. I'll announce a winner when I'm back at my desk on Monday.

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Congratulations, Anne! You are the lucky winner. Have so much fun spending your $150 at DownEast Basics!!

Anniversaries

It's our fourteenth wedding anniversary today. It feels good. Really good.

As I mentioned last week, to celebrate, Ben Blair and I climbed a 14er. 14,270 feet in elevation to be exact. I was warned how hard it would be, but I guess I didn't really believe it, because the difficulty kept surprising me. The higher you get, the harder it is to breath. Headaches begin. Nausea visits. Dizzyness warns. During the last thousand feet of elevation, I had to fight my instinct to lie down and take a little nap on the freezing cold mountain.




Ben Blair, who is in much better shape than I, coached me gently to the top. The hike from beginning to end took us 3 hours and 15 minutes. I can't remember ever pushing my heart that hard for that long. I found when it was really difficult, if I would just focus on progressing a few feet in front of me, I was fine. And when I needed to stop and rest and let my heart rate try to reach some sort of normal, I was greeted by tremendous views every where I looked.

As luck would have it, at the top, views were completely obstructed by thick fog. But it didn't matter a bit. The high was still a high. And happily, my iphone had perfect reception (possibly the one spot on earth with good AT&T coverage) and I could tweet that we had made the summit. Tweet until my fingers were threatening frostbite and we headed back down on rubbery legs.



On our hike (when I still had breath enough to carry on a conversation) Ben Blair and I talked about some of the milestones of our marriage so far. Fourteen years ago we hadn't even graduated from college. (I laugh when I remember how young we married.) Some of the highlights in no particular order: We graduated from college. We bought a house, then gutted it and refinished it. We moved to Greece. We moved to New York. We moved to Colorado. We went through several job hunts and landed great jobs. Ben Blair finished a masters and doctorate degree. We started several businesses. We closed several businesses. We sold our house. We built a ginormous table. We had 5 children.

It is a wonderful thing to take part in a happy marriage. My relationship with Ben Blair is the very best thing in my life. Period.

On Sunday night, I was wandering through the blogosphere and was reminded of another anniversary — a miraculous one. Sunday was the one-year mark of Stephanie Nielson's plane crash. To celebrate, Nie and Christian also climbed a mountain — a tougher climb than I could ever hope to attempt. Because they are total rock stars.



I was thinking about last year. About the auctions and fundraising. About seeing the blogging world come together in a mind-blowing way. And I had myself a little daydream. At the BlogHer conference each July, there is a Community Keynote. At the keynote, a group of bloggers gleaned by Eden Kennedy, each reads one of their significant blog posts. It is, without hesitation, the best part of the conference. How wonderful would it be to see Stephanie and her wonderful sister Courtney (who chronicled Stephanie's journey when Nie couldn't do it for herself) speak at the next BlogHer Community Keynote?

The conference is far away from their home. And of course, Stepanie can't fly to New York. In my little daydream, a sponsor provided a retro styled Airstream Camper (wouldn't that be perfect for Stephanie's super-hip style?), and the whole family made their way leisurely across the country. Stopping at vintage diners along the way. Shopping for souvenirs. With Stephanie's fans coming out to meet her, cheer her on, and thank her for living a inspiring life.

Of course, it was only a daydream. I have no idea if Stephanie and Courtney would even be interested. I don't even know if Nie's treatment regimen would allow it. (And really, as big as the BlogHer conference is, I know there are still thousands of bloggers out there who aren't really aware of it — I believe Cjane and Nie fall in that category.) But I think the blogging community would love to hear from them in that sort of setting. To hear in person what it was like to wake up and find out you'd missed a few months of your life. To look in the mirror and see a face you don't recognize. To find out thousands of people you've never met have rallied on your behalf and are hanging on your every word.

Dear Stephanie, congratulations on reaching your significant and magnificent goal. You did it! You climbed the mountain. I tear up just thinking how hard you worked to get there. I think you're amazing.

Go Make This Right Now

We had our first taste of Pinkberry (a tart, really yummy frozen yogurt) not too long before we moved from New York, and we were instant fans. There's no Pinkberry in our new neighborhood, but our Sabey cousins hooked us up with FroYo during our first few days in Colorado and it's hit the spot nicely. As our addiction has developed, I've been curiouser and curiouser about making our own frozen yogurt. So Sunday night, I looked up a recipe, realized we had everything we needed in our kitchen (whole milk yogurt, cheesecloth and sugar), and went to work.

We prepped the yogurt Sunday evening, stirred the ingredients and chilled them Monday morning, and by 11:30 we were eating the best frozen yogurt I've ever tasted. Seriously. It was so good. Soooooooo good. Go make some right this minute. You're welcome in advance.

The recipe (and image) I found is at 101 Cookbooks, from an aptly titled blog post: A Frozen Yogurt Recipe to Rival Pinkberry's (FYI: the 101 Cookbooks author, Heidi, made some notes which I followed — skipping the vanilla and using only 2/3 cups sugar.)

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Vanilla Frozen Yogurt Recipe

Heidi notes: First off, remember it is important to use good-quality whole-milk yogurt. The version in David's book is Vanilla Frozen Yogurt. This time around I skipped out on the vanilla, opting for straight, bright white yogurt with the sweetness playing off the tang of the yogurt. I also used slightly less sugar than called for here, more like 2/3 cup - but you can go either way depending on what you like.

-3 cups (720g) strained yogurt (see below) or Greek-style yogurt
-3/4 cup (150g) sugar
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Mix together the yogurt, sugar, and vanilla (if using). Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

To make 1 cup (240g) of strained yogurt, line a mesh strainer with a few layers of cheese cloth. then scrape 16 ounces or 2 cups (480g) of plain whole-milk yogurt into the cheesecloth. Gather the ends and fold them over the yogurt, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours. So, for the above recipe start with and strain 6 cups of yogurt.

Makes about 1 quart.

Nesting Trays

I have a thing for serving trays. They're super versatile for entertaining and they're perfect for breakfast in bed. (We're big on breakfast in bed at our house — especially for birthdays.) I'm really pleased with my newest set of trays. They're generously sized. They nest, so as not too take up too much space. And each tray comes with it's own flannel bag to keep it scratch-free while in storage (note the black material you see folded in the top picture).

That said, I can't imagine these beauties will spend much time in the cupboard. They're too pretty to hide.

Behind the Scenes — Room to Grow

Assembling the crib. Duct taping the crib sheet to the mattress so it would be flat in the photos. The room full of assembled products for the shoot. The boxes and boxes that were unpacked and repacked over the 3-day photoshoot.

The Room To Grow article was a fantastic project to work on. Putting together a dream list of lovely items for a bedroom — it's as fun as it sounds. (And a great chance to feature products from vendors I love. Places like Via Toy Box, Oeuf, Zid Zid, Frazier & Wing, Fawn & Forest and a dozen others.) It was also fun because this is exactly the sort of thing I do in my own kids' rooms — transition them in small stages as my kids grow — so it was a comfortable project for me. Certainly the most fun thing was getting to work with a terrific team: Photographer Gemma Comas. Lili DiLallo the stylist. Amanda Kingloff the editor and Taryn Mohrman the assistant editor.

In addition to being fun for me professionally, it was also really fun personally, because the bedroom was shot in the gorgeous home of Erin and Ryan Wright, dear friends from New York. And each night I would sleep in the guest room of Megan and Ben Sibbett — more dear friends. And occasionally throughout the shoot, other dear friends would drop by the Wright's home to say hello. The photoshoot was in early June and I had just moved to Colorado a month previously. So this work trip to New York, combined with getting to spend time with people I love, went a long way to easing my homesickness.


Embroidery hoops and possible fabric choices. The dresser from a prop house sans drawer pulls. An email break. The fillable lamp.

The main behind-the-scenes aspect I wanted to share is how it's all about what the camera sees. End of story. When putting the room together for the photoshoot, even if something looks really good in real life — say the placement of a certain rug or proportion of a stuffed animal — if it doesn't look good through the camera lens, it has to be changed. How furniture is placed, the angles of pretty much every item, are all determined and adjusted depending on what we see in early images of the space. It's always interesting to see the perfect order of what's shown in the shot contrasted with the chaos at the edges of the frame that doesn't show up.

This also means that you have to choose and order many more items than you'll actually need in the photo — because until you see actual images, it's hard to tell which products will look good in the space and which won't. Sometimes a beloved product just doesn't fit in the scheme and has to be replaced. Since timing is tight during the photoshoot, products are over-ordered just in case.


The stylist putting fabric in hoops. A darling prop bag made from coffee bag burlap (it's a smaller version of the one my niece Sierra gave me). Adorable toys from Persimmon & Pink, waiting on a little wood chair (the chair didn't make the photos). Vinyl decals custom ordered from Graffiti Chic.

Have you ever had felt like our real homes never seem to look quite as perfect as the photos in the magazines? There's a good reason — a decent amount of fudging happens at a photoshoot to make things work. For example, the gorgeous bedskirt we featured on the crib, from Serena & Lily, wasn't the exact right size for the Ikea crib. If it was really my baby's bedroom, and I wanted to use that bedskirt, I would have a seamstress make adjustments to the bedskirt for me. At the photoshoot, we just jimmied the cribskirt with duct tape as needed.


A possible artwork combo on the wall — including pieces from a prop house, from personal collections, from Sarah Jane Studios and Ida Pearle. The crew behind the camera. A bed full of clothing for the baby models. A closeup of the darling desk.

There is real physical work at a photoshoot. And lots of it. Building the crib. Hanging artwork. Disassembling and reassembling the existing bedroom. Then assembling and disassembling the fake bedroom — all 3 versions of it. It also takes a surprising number of people. Our crew was: two editors plus an intern. A stylist and her assistant. The photographer and her handful of assistants. Plus me, the designer. Fun trivia: it was a very international group. Conversation slipped from English to French to Italian pretty seamlessly.



Other fun trivia: we asked my gorgeous friends Jill and Greg to bring their gorgeous twins (one girl, one boy) to the photoshoot to be baby models. We wanted the option of a few shots with an actual baby in the room. The shots turned out beautifully, but (total bummer) didn't end up working when the article was laid out for print. (The upside for me was that I still got to spend a morning hanging out with Jill and Greg.)

I think that about wraps up my behind the scenes tour. Thanks for all your positive feedback about the article. I'm so glad you liked it! For those of you who really liked it (as in those of you coveting the pretty items in the room) here's something cool: Parents Magazine is hosting a contest where you can win it all — $1700 in prizes. For reals. See details here.

What to Wear to 6th Grade

Button down by Peek. Tee by Old Navy. Jeans by H&M. Red sneakers by Adidas.

At your request, here is 11-year-old Ralph showing off his back-to-school wardrobe. Today is his first day of middle school (gulp). We've spent the last 24 hours practicing the right-left-skip-the-number-right-padlock-unlocking-method so he won't get frustrated when he encounters his locker combination. Oh man! I hope he loves school this year.

I've included source links where applicable. As with Maude, much of the wardrobe pictured here was already in Ralph's closet. But boy clothes are pretty easy — I'm betting you can find similar items to the ones shown here at a dozen different stores.

You can see more of Ralph's photo shoot here. (Also. I'll post Olive's B2S wardrobe in the next couple of days.)


Button down by Mossimo for Target. Ringer tee by Old Navy. Jeans by GapKids. Backpack by Ekco. Tie-dye tee by Maude Blair. Cargo shorts by Mossimo for Target. Black Sneakers by Adidas.


Printed polo by Wes & Willy from Juvie. Plaid shorts by Gymboree. Superman tee by Old Navy. Brown herringbone trousers by GapKids.


Tee by Old Navy. Track jacket by Peek Aren't You Curious. Screened tee by Peek. Khakis by GapKids.


Green polo by Lacoste. Denim cargo shorts by Mossimo for Target. Batman tee by Old Navy. Jeans by H&M.

Room To Grow

Woot! I'm so excited. Look what came in the mail over the weekend: my September (Back to School) issue of Parents Magazine. That's pretty exciting on its own — the issue is jam-packed with all sorts of interesting articles. But even more exciting? On page 190 you'll find the first feature article I've designed for a major magazine. Yay!

Grab your copy and take a look at Room to Grow. The 6-page article will show you how to take your room from Baby to Toddler to School Age without breaking the bank. It was a super fun project to work on. Tomorrow I'll do a post featuring some of the behind-the-scenes things I learned.

Have you seen the article? Did you like it? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Sakura Bloom

Ooooh. Here's a sneak peek of the pretty new packaging for some of the prettiest slings out there. By Sakura Bloom. I heart good packaging.

Grays and Torreys

In Colorado, it's all about elevation. This is a mountain state. Any peak that hits over 14,000 feet is called a 14er and around these parts the term 14er is thrown around in everyday conversation. If I understand correctly, there are dozens of 14ers in Colorado — and almost none anywhere else on the continent.

Today, Ben Blair and I are climbing our first 14er. (Who knows, maybe it will be our last.) We wanted to start off easy — Grays and Torreys are said to be good starter 14ers — so that's what we're hiking. Why? Because we live in Colorado and that's what Coloradoans do. Also, because I love the mountains and I've barely had 2 minutes to pay them any attention since we moved here.

But mostly, we're climbing a 14-er this weekend to celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary. (Clever? Or cheesy? You decide.) Our anniversary isn't officially until next Wednesday. But school will be in session by then and it will be harder to make time to celebrate. So we're heading to a hotel (sans kids) and hiking a 14er (maybe 2) today. My amazing niece, Rachel and her lovely friend, Shelby are taking good care of the children while we're gone. I feel super lucky that I get to do this.

Have a great weekend, friends. Yay for 14! Yay for being married to Ben Blair!!

photo here

JacQueline Sanchez Giveaway

What a day. A great day! We registered Ralph for Middle School this morning. (He's memorizing his locker combination as I type. I'll probably cry if I think about it too long.) Our dear friends, the Rathers, are planning to stop by for lunch on their drive back to Kansas. And tonight, we have a family picnic to attend, hosted by our Elementary School. All good things.

I'm betting most Moms are sharing equally busy, happy schedules this month and I've got the perfect giveaway to acknowledge our hard work. A Forever Young Pendant, worth $250, from JacQueline Sanchez Jewelry! It's made of something sparkly to remind us how bling-worthy we are. And it's made of something playful to remind us of our fantastic kids. See? It's perfect.



No doubt you want all the details, so here they are: the prize pendant is sterling silver with a sandblasted Lego and a 3 pt. diamond set in 14kt yellow gold. It's hung from a rubber cord that is 16" long with sterling silver lobster claw. And if you haven't heard, the Forever Young line has won several awards and has been embraced by the Lego corporation. (Smart move, Lego.) So you'll be wearing your necklace in good company.

Thanks to JacQueline Sanchez for sponsoring the bling! Leave a comment to enter. I'll announce a winner on Monday. Oh. One more thing. The pendant comes in 15(!) different colors. I think my favorite is peacock. What's yours?

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Congratulations to SarahR! You're the lucky winner. Yay for pretty Giveaways.

Hats. Fascinators. Hair Do-Dads.

Ooooh. Elegance and fancy-ness (for heads) is happening at Pretty Good Things. Delightful. Now I need somewhere fun to wear something like this to.

Thanks for the link, Heather.

Ask Design Mom — iPhone Apps for Kids

Ask Design Mom Question:
Design Mom, which apps do your youngest kids like playing with on the iphone? I've got a shiny new one in hand and I'm filling it up. Thanks. — Liz

Design Mom Answer:
Great question, Liz. I'll bet my readers will have great recommendations, too. A couple of my picks: 4-year-old Oscar loves Lightsaber, Bubbles, PacMan and Jirbo Match (although mostly he loves watching his favorite TV shows via the iPod app). And I just introduced 3-year-old Betty to Farm Friends — remember the See & Say toys? It's like that. For the iPhone.

A few more. If your kids are pre-school age and really into letters, try ABC Animals Flashcards. And two I've wanted to try (but haven't yet) from Duck Duck Moose — Wheels On The Bus and Old MacDonald.

What about you, dear iPhone-using-readers? Any favorite young kid apps?

I Dream of Izze

This is what the top shelf of our refrigerator looks like just after we get home from the grocery store. We heart Izze at the Blair House (peach is my personal favorite). Seeing the pretty colors makes me happy every time I open the door.

What to Wear to 5th Grade

Gray henley and leggings by Poof. Denim mini by Hydraulic. Plaid scarf by Passport Accessories.

It's been so much fun putting together a back-to-school wardrobe for 10-year-old Maude this year. She's had more opinions and ideas about what she wants to wear than ever before. Today she had the idea to put together some of her outfits and model them for the camera. Doesn't she look amazing? I love how flexible everything is — there are 9 outfits here and she could come up with another dozen combos from this stuff.

For those wondering if we broke the bank, we spent about $100 on new clothes (I had the best luck at TJMaxx) and $50 on new shoes. Everything else was already in her closet. You can find more images from our living room photoshoot here.


Plaid top by Chaps. Skirt by Peek. (Francie Pants underneath the skirt.) Cardigan by If It Were Me. Stripe tee and cargo pants by Old Navy.


Hoodie sweater by Pink Republic. Yellow tee and polka-dot leggings by Old Navy. Plaid dress by She's The One. Skinny jeans - Sqin by H&M.


Yellow jacket by Ismodern. Jean shorts by Old Navy.


Feather printed top by Kiddo. Cropped pants by Jean Bourget at Juvie. Houndstooth capris by Gymboree.


Mock turtleneck by Target. Shrug by Seven Smooches.

FYI: I've listed sources (and links where I can), but as I mentioned above, at least 50% of the clothes pictured were already in her closet — so they probably won't be available in stores any longer.

Maude is shown barefoot because we're still waiting for her shoes to arrive. This year she'll have 3 pairs to choose from. These Converse from Zappos and these black sporty shoes from Payless. Plus, she has a pair of cute brown and turquoise Asics that are still in good shape — we just need to replace the laces. The only thing left to buy: a backpack.

Audrey & Nic

On Saturday, we attended the most delightful wedding. Audrey and Nic celebrated their happy union in a pear orchard — a pear orchard located in the front yard of Nic's home. Every detail was beautiful. Lanterns in the trees. A photobooth. Bubbles, bubbles everywhere. Cotton candy. A fully-loaded Baskin Robbins ice cream station. With a beautiful bride and handsome groom as the highlight.







Basically, any event where you can get this shot would have to be considered a rousing success:



My kids had a wonderful time. And so did I. And so did every other guest in attendance. Audrey, who has cared for my children on more occasions than I can count (most recently during the trip to Mexico) is beloved to our family. When you consider the happy, beautiful, kid-friendly reception she planned, it is easy to see why. Charming, creative Nic is her perfect match. Hooray for Audrey and Nic!

You can see more photos from the event on my flickr page.

ColcaSac Laptop Sleeves

Just fell in instant love with these burlap-tastic laptop sleeves from ColcaSac. Aren't they gorgeous? I want to pet them.

Alphabet Drawing

Cute alphabet print by Denver artist, Chris Gregori.

Ooooh. Just thinking. There are so many cute alphabet prints floating around out there — I should do an Alphabet Artwork Roundup.

Dan Steinhilber

We're back from our trip Provo. Safe and sound. Lots of cousins and eating and playing — plus a beautiful wedding on Saturday (pics coming soon). On Friday, we spent the afternoon at BYU. The kids loved the art exhibit by Dan Steinhilber. And so did I. Everything was composed of disposable objects (the mobile above is made from drycleaning hangers) and it was all very beautiful. The exhibit leaves on August 22nd. For those of you in Utah Valley, catch it while you can.

More pics from our trip here.

Handmade Charlotte

I've been enjoying the relatively new blog Handmade Charlotte — authored by a fellow mother-of-five (plus she's a farmer!). She posted about this gorgeous Jean Prouvé bicycle circa 1941.

Camp Smartypants

Quick. Before summer ends. Make a visit to Camp Smartypants to check out all the sleepaway-camp-worthy accessories. The friendship bracelets are my favorite.

Thanks for the link, Chelsea.

Stubby Pencil Studio Giveaway

I'm on the road right this minute. For realz. We loaded up the car in the wee hours of the morning for an 8-hour drive to Ben Blair's hometown: glorious Provo, Utah. We're attending a wedding on Saturday and then we'll drive back Sunday. At which point we'll finish making our back-to-school lists.

I know you're thinking back-to-school as well. So how about an awesome giveaway featuring the hottest (and eco-friendly coolest) school supplies on the planet? You could win a $150 shopping spree to Stubby Pencil Studio by leaving a comment below. Fantastic!



Some of my favorite picks for this fall: lined filler paper made from banana leaves, wildlife colored pencils made from recycled newspapers and Smencils. Smencils are like Elementary School Currency. Get your kid a handful to trade around and he'll make friends in a flash.

Also. Want to make your day a little happier? Check out the Stubby Pencil Studio collection of colored pencils. Or really, any of their school supplies. So pretty! There's just something wonderful about a jar full of freshly sharpened pencils.

Thanks to Stubby Pencil Studio for the timely and generous prize. Leave a comment to enter. I'll announce a winner when I'm back at my desk on Monday. Oh. And here's some extra fun: Use the bonus code DMFall09 at checkout, and you'll receive a free eco highlighter with any purchase. Offer expires 9/30/09.

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Congratulations to Amy!! You are the lucky winner of the $150 shopping spree to Stubby Pencil Studio. Yay you!

Extra surprise: Stubby Pencil Studio asked me to pick a runner-up (randomly chosen of course) to win a $75 shopping spree. So, congratulations to sallyavena!! You're a winner too.

Hooray for back-to-school shopping!

Ladybug Art

Still putting together more details in the toddlers' room. Check out these darling handpainted hangers from Ladybug Art. They have lots of options, but I had to have the dinos. So cute!

Edge of Motherhood

Remember when I visited Hallmark Headquarters a few months ago? And I was able to get a preview of a new line of cards called Edge of Motherhood?

Well. Good news all around. The cards are finally available. And they're as funny as I remembered they were. The perfect thing to send to a friend just because. You can see a handful of the options here. And you can find many more options in stores.

Mondo Beyondo

Need a kick in the pants to help you dream big? No. I mean bigger than that. Really big. Great, great big. Mondo Beyondo big.

Well. Here's your chance: Jen Lemen and Andrea Scher, two of the worlds most sincere, inspired and inspiring people, are offering an online class about dreaming big. Both women are artists, writers, mothers and just overall good souls. Both women know how to think big and make things happen. Both women are a joy to speak with. A delight to spend time with.

And the class is a bargain. Such a bargain that the first session already sold out. But there's still room in the second session. So sign up quick. It's a don't miss.

Quilt

Amy Smart, an excellent writer (and popular Guest Mom here on this little blog), made this beautiful lap quilt for my children. It is such a generous (and unexpected) gift that I'm still a little stunned by it. I plan to fold it neatly at the end of Oscar or Betty's toddler bed — some extra warmth for a cold Colorado winter.

Isn't it lovely? I'm finding great pleasure in pouring over each individual square and picking out the fabrics that are especially charming.



Thank you, Amy. What a perfectly delightful package to open. Your hands work wonders.

Biisoo

The handknit collection at Biisoo is making me drool. Do you know 3 of my siblings are expecting babies? Isn't that wonderful? Lots of excuses to buy pretty things like these.

Mabel's Labels

It's hard to believe, but here in Colorado, school starts on August 18th. That's just 2 weeks away. So we are in full Back-to-School mode at the Blair house. First step: stock up on labels for all the "stuff" that goes in the backpacks: pencils, markers, notebooks, crayons, sharpeners, scissors, glue (and labels for the backpacks as well).

Mabel's Labels makes the sturdiest labels with the best adhesive out there. In one bazillion colors and options. (My kids love the little keychains.)

Sunday Suppers

I just happened upon the blog Sunday Suppers and the photography is outstanding. I'm in awe of the Morrocan inspired event they featured. The flowers on the chairs. The pretty sweets table by Amy Atlas. Every detail in place.

Stackable Fridge

It's Lego meets Electrolux. Stackable fridges in great colors. Adorable. Makes me want to kit out a dorm room.

Via Inhabitat. Thanks for the link, Salem.

Goo Goo Swap

Anyone out there tried Goo Goo Swap? I'm curious. Apparently it's a trade-your-baby-gear site. Seems like a smart idea.

Eclipse

Don't you want this Eclipse necklace from Lemonade Handmade? Me too.

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

I love this. Sufjan singing one of the world's prettiest hymns.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

Well Hello August.

Hello Friends! How was your weekend?

A few of you (read: really, just my mom) will be happy to hear that The Rocking Chair Project — after stalling in July, what with all the travel, conferences, etc. — resumed full speed on Saturday. Three out of seven have been purchased. And it looks like I'll have two more by tonight. Bonus: we're well under the $50/chair budget. Sweet!

Every one is a different shape and size. Each one more charming than the next. Once I have all 7 in my possession, I'll start painting. Can't wait to share photos! Also fun — on Saturday, Ben Blair and I had our first Five Guys meal. Which was, yes, delicious. How about you? Anything fun happen in your life over the weekend?

image from This Might Change Your Life