The Intersection of Design & Motherhood
From the monthly archives:
If you haven’t already thrown your comment into the ring, here’s a quick reminder that you have until tonight (Monday) at midnight EST to enter the Twinkle Kids Fun Felt Products Giveaway. You could win a felt cake, a felt graphic tee and a felt dot belt. Just leave a comment over on that post.
{ 2 comments }
My friend Sherry, the toy guru, gave Betty an early birthday present and I have to share. Have you seen the Grannimals toy selection from Latitude Enfant? Well Betty is now the proud owner of Lucien the Bunny. And Betty is in love. It’s French. It’s machine washable. It’s perfect.
Thank you, Sherry! And thank you Kathryn for the great shot of Betty & Bunny.
{ 8 comments }
Clever Laurie sent me a link to these all-inclusive place settings. So fresh. My kids find this kind of thing so appealing.
{ 1 comment }
Thank goodness I read Blog con Queso. Girl con Queso is in the know. And her’s is the first blog where I read about the Virtual Baby Shower being held for 3 Parenting Blog Celebrities: Liz at Mom 101, Christina of A Mommy Story, and Tammie of Soul Gardening. Go here to play games, win prizes, learn all about it and leave some baby advice.
The best baby advice I’ve received:
Nap when your baby is napping. This is a great idea if you can make it work.
The worst baby advice I’ve received:
Nap when your baby is napping. This idea just doesn’t work, especially if this is baby number 2 — or more.
A virtual shower. What a great idea. Congratulations to the 3 lovely ladies!
{ 2 comments }
First of all I want to say how grateful I am for this opportunity. I have enjoyed thinking about what I would cover and what I would share with you. A daunting task, but a fun one never the less. Since this is my first post I just thought you’d like to know a little about the mom writing the posts for the week, and since I’m 31 I thought I would share 31 things that make me me.
1. I love to be creative
2. I love quiet
3. I rarely eat breakfast
4. I am thinking of running a 1/2 marathon…just thinking
5. Monday is my favorite day of the week
6. I rarely use coupons
7. I love photography
8. I enjoy giving myself manicures and pedicures even though they’re not that good
9. I hoard idea books
10. I care what people think
11. I love handmade cards
12. Though I like apples I find them to be the most boring of all the fruits…perhaps because there so easy to find
13. I usually never watch a movie more than once
14. I could watch Pride and Prejudice everyday
15. Still working on adopting Parenting with love and logic in my home
16. I want a Mac
17. I love to snack
18. I need to get my passport
19. I love to learn new things and to teach myself how to do it
20. Karen Krasne extraordinary desserts is now my favorite place for chocolate cake…too bad it’s in San Diego
21. I do not like pie
22. I’m a massage therapist
23. My word for the year is “DO”
24. I drive a Land Rover
25. I hate when people are late
26. I love the changing color of light depending on the time of day
27. I dream of having a gallery filled with my photographs
28. I’m a mother of 3 little girls
29. My husband is my best friend
30. I love to be home
31. I’m an introvert
I could go on I guess, but I’ll leave it at that. Go here if you want to learn even more about me.
Here are a few of my favorite things
Shade tees
American Eagle Jeans
Paper Source A7 boxes (perfect for 5×7 photos)
Russel+Hazel Smart Grid paper pad
American Craft modern albums
CatsLife Press stamps
Amy Butler designs
Living Out Loud by Kari Smith
She by Kobi Yamada
Fresh Sugar Lip balm
Look forward to spending the week with you,
amy
Note from Design Mom:
I’m so looking forward to Amy’s posts this week. I don’t know Amy at all. Not even a little bit. I came upon her blog and was impressed, so I sent her an email inviting her to be a Guest Mom. And she accepted. And those 2 emails are the total extent of our relationship. And I guess that’s why I’m so looking forward to her posts — I love how blogging connects people and I’m excited to learn more about this week’s Guest Mom. Welcome Amy! I’m glad you’re here. Please make yourself at home.
{ 13 comments }
Happy Friday! Let’s get ready for the weekend with a darling giveaway. Think graphic. Think felt. Think soft. There’s a new company with a good idea. The company is called Twinkle Kids and no doubt about it, you’ll have a twinkle in your eye if you’re the winner of the TWINKLE GARDEN CAKE, GRAPHIC TEE and an ULTRA SUEDE DOT BELT from Twinkle Kids!!
So let’s talk about these Twinkle Cakes:
The winner will receive the Garden Cake (pictured at top), and Twinkle Kids also make 2 other versions called the Suzani and the Jack & the Beanstalk. That’s a 3-tiered felt base with a collection of felt pieces that can be mixed and matched and placed anywhere on the cake. This toy is one of the cutest innovations in play that I’ve seen in awhile. Felt toys have been around, but nothing quite like this. It’s quiet. It’s creative. It will enable endless variations and pattern studies. It’s 3-D, requiring different thinking than typical felt boards. It’s pretty. And it won’t leave a bruise if a toddler fight erupts during a playdate. I think it’s really, really great.
Then, pick a tee, any tee. Lots and lots of icons to pick from. And the tees come in pink, olive or black. I think my personal favorite is the band-aid icon on the elbow. Winner picks graphic, tee-color and size.
And to complete the ensemble, pick out your favorite Ultrasuede Dot Belt. The perfect spot of color to help you spot your little one at the park. Again, the winner picks the color and size.
I would definitely recommend checking out their site. In addition to the fine goods I’ve already told you about, Twinkle Kids offers special tee-sets for twins and triplets. And you can pick up extra felt decorations as well.
I’m really impressed with the thinking behind Twinkle Kids — especially the Twinkle Cakes. It’s delightful to see something new and so well-designed on the market. Just imagine the little chef that will be kept happily busy decorating a cake. I’m sure you can think of the perfect recipient. Remember, you have until Monday at midnight EST to enter to get in on the Twinkle action.
Thank you Twinkle KIds for the generous giveaway!
————-
Random Giveaway Guidelines:
-You have until midnight EST on Monday, April 30th 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.
-Winner will be randomly picked and announced Tuesday morning.
-What are Random Giveaways? Read about them here.
{ 361 comments }
Ask-Design-Mom Question:
I have a submission for Ask Design Mom. I love dresses, and I have a few that I’m crazy about except that they only come to about mid-thigh, which is too short for my comfort. One of them looks cute with jeans underneath, but the others don’t work so well that way. Any ideas on how to get a little more coverage (knee length or longer) underneath, but still enjoy my darling dresses? (Both are from H&M; one a casual red-and-white knit with a polo-type collar, the other is more dressy, an adorable brown-and-white polka dot with a cowl neck.) All best, Rosalynde
Design Mom Answer:
Great question, Rosalynde. I think your instinct to layers jeans underneath a short-er dress is just right — it’s a look I love, and a look that some of my most stylish friends wear frequently. But I totally understand that jeans won’t always work with every dress.
So another solution that’s right on the money and will solve the short-er dress problem is leggings. Look for something thicker than footless tights, but not so loose that you lose the shape of the leg. And now that the weather is warming up, you can take the legging length from ankle to just below the knee. I like this pair from Delia’s, this pair at American Apparel, or Gap offers some more basic options.
If leggings aren’t quite right, I suggest experimenting with other pants. If your standard jeans don’t work, try a cigarette leg jean. Or maybe a pair of white sailor-cut cotton pants would look just right under your red-and-white knit.
Design Mom Readers, do you have any tricks for pulling off short dresses?
EDIT:
The question has come up in the comments about whether or not you can still pull off the leggings look if you’re 35 or older. It’s a great question and I think warranted an edit to the post. When I think about the women I know in the 35-45 age range and imagine them in leggings, I think Yes and No. If the idea makes you cringe, it’s probably not a good look for you. On the other hand, I can think of many friends that could totally pull it off. I say, if you’re over 35 and you like the leggings look, go for it.
In fact, I just received a Garnet Hill catalog today with clothing geared toward the 30+ set, and they show two totally hip and age-appropriate excellent examples of how to pull it off.
{ 12 comments }
Although I like the idea of monogramming — of adding initials to handkerchiefs or pillows or towels — I usually cringe at the typefaces available at monogramming houses. So I was pleased to see this option offered at West Elm. San-serif, small caps, extended. Just right for a monogram.
{ 0 comments }
Last weekend, we took the kids and met some friends at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills — about 30 minutes outside the city. Housed on the stunning grounds of what was once a Rockefeller farm, Stone Barns is a working farm attempting to be as self-sufficient as possible. I’m not exaggerating when I talk about the grounds. They’re spectacular. And there is a generous courtyard where the kids could run free.
After some initial exploring we ate lunch at the Blue Hill Café. Everything they serve is grown on the grounds or purchased from nearby farms. It’s the best lunch I’ve had in ages. We just devoured everything. I haven’t had a backyard garden for years, and I was surprised how good fresh-from-the-farm salad greens taste.
When lunch was finished, we hiked and hiked and hiked and hiked. The kids loved it. We hiked to a lake to search for turtles. We dared Ralph to dunk his head in the very cold water — and he took the dare. We searched out the pigs and gave them water. We saw picturesque views of rolling farmland with cattle grazing. It was one of those outings that was great for the kids and great for the parents. No lines, no hurrying, no shushing.
In addition to roaming free around the farm, you can take gardening classes, cooking classes or guided tours. On my next trip, I’d really like to hit the Weekly Farm Market. And if I can remember to make reservations two months in advance, I’d love to go to dinner with Ben at Blue Hill at Stone Barns.
{ 10 comments }
It’s not like the Eloise empire needs any love from me to keep afloat. But it occurred to me not every Design Mom Reader may be familiar with this series of books. Personally, I didn’t grow up with Eloise. I discovered Eloise in Paris as I was browsing a book store when my oldest two where just babies. It was too old for them, but I bought it anyway because I was so charmed by the writing and the line drawings. And Eloise in Paris is still my favorite of the Eloise books — because Paris just comes off as fabulous, even through the eyes of a little girl. Plus, I love all the bits of french thrown in.
Eloise lives at the Plaza hotel in New York. Her parents are jet-setters, so she spends her life with an exhausted, but kind Nanny. Eloise talks really fast and gets distracted really easily. And I think the book is best when you can get in the Eloise mindset and feel a rush about life as you read it. If I’m honest, I probably like it more than my kids.
Eloise enjoyed her 50th anniversary in 2005. Find Eloise in Paris here.
{ 4 comments }
New to Design Mom? Here are 10 posts to get you started:
What to Wear To Middle School
Napoleon Dynamite
Our Birth Announcements
Potato Print Clothing
Having Another Child
Young Einstein Birthday Party
Little Red LightHouse Outing
Porch Makeover
Waving Goodbye To The Atlantic Ocean
Build Two Toddler Beds for $75
Pimp My Ride: Family Edition
We love coming up with fun valentines to make and give. Here are some of our favorites (many are candy free!):
3-D Lollipop Valentines - Easy! And a big hit. Try it with crazy straws or pencils too.
Fortune Teller Valentines - with free printable!
You Blow Me Away, Valentine! - Everyone loves party blowers. : )
Wild Animal Valentines - Family Fun Magazine requested my idea for their latest issue.
Mad Lib Valentines - Family Fun requested this idea too!
Friendship Bracelet Valentines
And here are a few more ideas I've featured over the years that I bet you'll love:
- Fresh Fruit Valentines
- Color Theory Valentines
- DIY Scratch Off Valentines
- Shaving Cream Valentines
- Mini Valentine Boxes
Here's something fun. Our family was featured in an episode of House Hunters International! Spoiler: we choose the gorgeous French Farmhouse. It's called La Cressonnière and we take pictures of it all the time. If you're curious, try these links:
The Kitchen
Summer at La Cressonnière
The Halfbath
The Stairwell
The Neighbors
Ralph's Bedroom
The Studio
Springtime at La Cressonnière
The Living Room
Maude's Bedroom
The Artists
Oscar & Betty's Bedroom
The Exterior
The Floors
Olive's Bedroom
The Treehouse
The House: La Cressonnière
I hope you enjoy the house tour! Oh. And if you'd like to see the episode, you can find it on Youtube here (it's in four parts).
I write a weekly column called Inspiration Scout on Cafémom. Find new posts on Thursdays.
I write a daily post (Monday through Friday) for Babble's Family Style blog.
