Etsy Shop: Real Toys

My name is Gabrielle Blair. I'm a designer and mother of six (our new addition was born last May). We are spending a year abroad in France. I post on where design and motherhood intersect.

Like what you see? Fantastic.
Subscribe to my RSS Feed.
Like me on Facebook.
Follow me on Twitter.
See my photos on Flickr.

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!

Valentine Bookmarks

Valentine Mix CD

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).

Wow! Time Magazine named Design Mom a Top Website of the Year. I'm blushing! See the writeup about Design Mom here. And see the full list here. You can find more press links, interviews and articles here.

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.