Random Giveaway: $150 at Childish Clothing

My oh My. Where did Thursday go? Moving on. . .

Happy Friday. It's almost July!! It's hot out there. But it's very cool here at Design Mom. Our Lovely Guest Mom, Skye, is sponsoring our Giveaway today. Get your comments ready. One lucky someone will win $150 CREDIT at Skye's SUPER-HIP CHILDISH CLOTHING!!



$150?!! Time for a little shopping spree. And what better place to spend it than Childish? Skye has put together a really fun, very stylish collection of clothes for babies and kids through size 7. And. A gorgeous maternity collection. And a practically perfect gift section. This is the kind of stuff that Skye would wear herself or pick for her own child. So you know it's awesome.

The winner is going to have so much fun spending that gift certificate! It's a treat just to browse the goods on the site. Here are some of my favorites:


Love this green basket weave track suit in the Girls Collection.


And My Dad is My Hero graphic tees in the Boys Collection. (Mom versions too!)


A hip Maternity Collection. This dress is hot!



Plus, an extensive gift section. Check these angel and devil clocks. I heart just about everything in the gift section. Plush blankets. Cool stationery. Even my favorite Baby Book by Binth.

Childish is such a great site! In addition to fun shopping, you can also take advantage of Skye's Rock Star Momminess by checking out the Tips Section. Or get a peek at Celebs wearing Childish products. By the time you've checked out the whole site, you're practically guaranteed to rock-and-roll.

Thank you Skye! Thank you Childish!!

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Random Giveaway Guidelines:
-You have until midnight PST on Monday, July 2nd to enter this giveaway.
-Just make a comment ON THIS POST to enter — any comment.
-Anonymous comments will be ignored/removed.
-One entry per person, please.
-The winner will be randomly picked and announced Tuesday morning.
-What are Random Giveaways? Read about them here.

More Fabulous Sources -- by Guest Mom Skye Hoppus

Ladies, the week has come to an end which means this will be my final blog posting. What an eventful week! I'm so glad you could spend the week with me and hear all about the exciting happenings that took place! I truly believe in this site and what it's all about. love sharing my experiences and resources with other women. I'm so over the "mommy wars" that took place, and were so talked about the past few years. Let's not attack and bicker with each other. I'd rather empower other moms and women in general. It's not easy being a mom, so if we can take advice from each other and learn from our experiences, the world would be a much better place.

Yesterday I flew home after taping Fox's The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet. I have to laugh because I flew home in full hair and make-up since I had no time to clean it all off before heading to JFK. I must say that it felt so girly (and somewhat silly at the same time!) to be wearing all that glamourous make-up and big, curly, perfect hair to go and sit on a plane for 5 1/2 hours! Anyways, the make-up artist taught me a great trick. If you wake up, after a restless night of sleep (as I know we all have being moms!), gently tap the area under your eyes to stimulate circulation thus giving you the appearance of being well-rested. I must say that it worked! And witch hazel too! Helps to calm the skin.

I also learned to love a few new skincare products this week that I'd love to share with you. With all the travel and hectic schedule I've had, my skin suddenly freaked out! And I mean, FREAKED OUT! My eyes were always puffy, my skin was blotchy and red (yuck!) and I was so sensitive to all my normal products. So, upon a friend's advice, I ran to Rite-Aid and picked up some Cetaphil facial cleanser, Aveno Anti-Redness Sensitive Skin Lotion, and those amazing Neutrogena gentle facial cleansing wipes. Wow, my skin suddenly calmed down and returned back to normal.

Again, I've had a great time this week with you and I hope to see you all soon. In the meantime, visit me at Childish Clothing and Rock Star Momma. Lots of new stuff coming out soon!

Smile, be happy and hug and kiss those kids of yours!

I'll leave you with some final resources that I think you will all love! I cannot even begin to tell you how many hours of research it took to get all this fabulous info! I weeded out all the mediocre products, sites, blogs, books, etc. to give you only the best of the best!

MY FAVORITE PAPER PLACES FOR MOMS and KIDS:

Soolip (custom letterpress --- AMAZING!)

Shopio Moi (invites, cards, announcements AND e-cards/notes)

Chelsea Paper

Sugar Paper

Baby iDesign (modern, classic, sophisticated paper/cards designs)

Rock Paper Scissors - check out their retro modern designs

Stork Avenue

Jelly and Anchovy

Paper Ink Studio (modern,playful announcements/invites)

Shwamy (custom designed and handmade)

Smythson (only the finest paper and a celeb favorite – very pricey!)

Tiny Prints (site specializes solely in baby related invites and announcements/cards-very cool!)

Joy by Mellim - young designer with incredible style

eInvite - great assortment of announcements for all design types

Paper+Cup Design.com - flawless design / modern, clean look

Tinaj - another great artist creating simple, beautiful announcements

Felix Doolittle - so different from your typical invite or announcement – these are tiny watercolors / full illustrations with rounded corners and complementing illustrated envelopes (unique and gorgeous!)

Oplusd - sassy and obnoxiously honest but SO clever!

Pearl Papers - letterpress baby announcements and more!

elum designs - high style letterpress

Mango Ink - so CLEVER! Uses your own photography and text for a most unique announcement or invite. You will not be disappointed!

Fabulous Stationery - bright and modern look for invites and announcements…and a wide variety!

Photo Stamps - put your baby’s picture on a photostamp!

Bumblebee Press - full service letterpress printing company

Edibles inc - Greeting card / announcement COOKIE!

Elenis -Check out the “Special Delivery Girl” and “Bundle of Boy” items

CDs I LOVE for NEW MOMS and BABIES:

Baby Einstein CDs (Lullaby Classics)

Mozart for Mothers-To-Be CD

Ultra Sound: Music for the Unborn Child by Claude Debussy

Tune Your Brain: Pregnancy and Childbirth CD

Pregnancy Relaxation: A Guide to Peaceful Beginnings CD by Dana Schardt

Bedtime with the Beatles: Instrumental Versions of Classic Beatles Songs

Build Your Baby’s Brain CD

Bach for Babies: Fun and Games for Budding Brains CD

Mozart’s Prodigy: Music for Babies and Mother’s to Be CD

Disney Baby Lullaby: Favorite Sleepytime Songs for Baby and You CD

Lullaby: A Collection CD

Planet Sleeps CD (lullabies from across the world)

Golden Slumbers: A Father’s Lullaby CD (various Jazz musicians)

Thievery Corporation CDs

Zero 7 CDs

The American Analog Set CDs

Sade CDs

Baby Shower Resource Websites:

www.babyshower101.com

www.baby-shower.com

www.babyshowercentral.com

www.babyshowergamesatoz.com

www.babybingo.com

www.thebabyshowersite.com

www.abcfavors.com

www.ababyshower.com

And now, as my son says...Peace out...

xoxo, Skye

I Heart Pixar

I think everyone in my family, all over the country, will see Ratatouille today. We're going to a BBQ tonight, but hoping to hit a late screening afterwards. I can't wait.

My son Ralph considers himself a Ratatouille expert and will challenge anyone he knows on Ratatouille trivia. (What trivia? The movie is only out today. . .)

Book of the Week: 2 Patriotic Selections

Independence Day is so close! I'm feeling very American. I find myself humming patriotic songs and looking forward to introducing my two youngest to sparklers. So for today's Book of the Week, I've got two American themed books for you.


First, The American Story by Jennifer Armstrong. Perfect for school age kids. 100 true (and short) stories about America. From the beginning through the most recent Presidential elections. A nice thick book.


Second, John, Paul, George & Ben, by Lane Smith. Not too factual. But very clever. And I love Lane Smith. Bonus: hardcover currently on sale for $5. John as in Hancock. Paul as in Revere. George as in Washington and Ben as in Franklin. Plus Thomas Jefferson as a bonus.

Back This Afternoon

Hello Friends. I've got great stuff for today -- including a Book of the Week post and a Giveaway! -- but I won't have adequate computer time until this afternoon/evening. Hopefully you can check back later. . .

In the meantime, I'll leave you with a picture of these gorgeous cupcakes my friend Stephanie supplies to local bakeries. I wish you could enlarge the photo and see the luscious details.

Refurbished Chandelier

Check out this DIY chandelier posted on Cookie's Nesting Blog (with instructions). My kind of project.

Traveling With Kids -- by Guest Mom Skye Hoppus

Hello gorgeous ladies! I hope you had a chance to watch the TODAY show yesterday. I had so much fun and they could not have been any nicer at the show! In case you missed it, you can probably still download the segment or read excerpts from the book and segment on the TODAY show website.

After the TODAY show, I was able to relax a bit before heading over to Bellydance Maternity to shoot the first part of The Morning Show segment that will air on tomorrow's show. I am doing a maternity makeover with a lovely girl in need of a new wardrobe. You'll have to tune into Fox on Thursday to see the big makeover!

Today, I have a bunch of radio interviews -- 12 to be exact! It means I sit in a room for 2 or so hours and talk to various radio stations around the country. Probably by the end of those 2 hours, I'll be so sick of hearing myself talk!

I miss my man and my little man. Mark is out on tour and in Seattle today. The tour ends soon and we are planning a vacation with our good friends Suzanne and Sasha when it's all done. They have 2 adorable, beautiful kids that Jack just loves hangin' with so we are all looking forward to that!


With that said, here are some tips that I have for traveling and heading out on vacation with your little one(s):

*Let your little one have his own carry-on for the plane ride. Load it with lots of great books, crayons and drawing books. Kids feel like they are part of the adventure when you let them have their own stuff.

*I love portable DVD players and I especially love the PSP as kids can watch movies on them!

*Make sure that you make-in their carry-on-enough snacks for the trip. You never know what the airplane might or might not have!

*Order a kids' meal in advance. Some airlines no longer offer kids' meals so call ahead! Normally, you need about 48 hours notice to make sure your request is processed.

*If your little one has a favorite stuffed animal or blanket or toy, make sure to bring that along for the ride. It's a good way to calm nerves.

*For taking off and landing, make sure your kid either drinks water or chews on a cracker to help pop his ears.

*Make sure to pack plenty of sunscreen! Babies and kids should be properly lathered up in sunscreen before even stepping out into the sun!

*Sleep adjustments -- Help your child adjust to whatever time zone by allowing enough rest or quiet time the first few days. Traveling is quite tough on kids, especially long distances, so help your child ease into the new time zone. Lots of rest and lots of good, healthy food!

And some tips for the mommas and the papas for also enjoying a much needed vacation:

*Make time to have a nice, quiet dinner with your man on your vacation. And if you need to book a sitter at the hotel, be prepared and call ahead to book with the concierge. You deserve a little quiet time too!

*Take lots and lots of pictures! These memories are too good to miss!

*Take a minute to read all about what the hotel has to offer. You'll be surprised how many great activities and events some hotels and resorts offer!

OK, I never break a promise, so here are some more of my FAVORITE things that I'm sure you'll love as much as I do! ENJOY!!!...

Bugaboo Frog - needs no introduction!

Orbit Infant System - revolutionary new baby car seat and stoller (modular system)

The Queen B by Bumbleride (an amazing pram!)

Tiny Ride - specialty retailer of baby stroller, joggers and car seats

Elite Car Seats - carries the best in full range of car seats

Oeuf baby Lounger at Olie Bollen

Stokke xplory - cool stroller in rad colors

JJ Cole Essentials Dad Sling - streamlined and ergonomic sling-style bag with plenty of compartments that keep the necessities organized

MobiCam Baby Monitor - This monitoring system has it all. It's the most compact, portable and multi-function available, and allows you to see your child as well as hear. The winner of the Wall Street Journal's 2005 monitor review.

ExpectantSee Pregnancy Screensaver (pregnancy timeline for computer)

Vivre (everything POSH and more)

Posh Tots ($3000 cribs and $28,000 kid’s bed! And much more!)

Oeuf Crib and Aerial Crib

Moderno Rocker by Yrjo Kykkapuro

Duc Duc NYC – Rockers: Check out the Eddy, Sedona and Collins rockers

Dante Beatrix Baby Bag

Bill Amberg Papoose

VIPP 16 by Holger Nielsen - a modern alternative to the Diaper Genie

Suede Box - luxury items, beautiful site

Diaper Dude Diaper Bags - specializes in diaper bags for men

Miabossi - simply gorgeous diaper bags

Baby Bjorn carrier

Pisellino Cotton Swab Holder - cute little swab holder!

HANNspree TVs – yep people, it’s a TV in a plush, stuffed animal. Check out the elephant, zebra, giraffe and pig styles under “Fantasy: Plush”. Adorable!
The Doomoo Seat – amazing beanbag for babies and kids up to 60 lbs.

Enjoy your Wednesday! And I'll be back tomorrow with some of my favorite BEAUTY products for moms and expecting mommas! 'll also share some of my favorite baby bath and lotions for kids!

You are beautiful and don't you forget that!

xoxo
Skye

Airplane photo from Getty

Pirate Pouches

Did anyone else see the Pirate Party goods in the Pottery Barn Kids catalog a couple of months ago?

I just remembered the pirate themed triangle banners and was looking them up. (In my memory they had a really nice exaggerated triangle shape and were made from textiles with lots of good patterns. I wanted to study them a bit.) Alas. They seem to be sold out because I couldn't find them on the website.

But I did find these pirate pouches. So great. How cool would your kid be at school next fall when she pulls her carrot sticks/pretzels out of one of these? I should probably own these. Me hearties.

Porridge Clothing

In-the-know Brooke sent me a link to Porridge Clothing. So many pretty things. I'm especially digging the Summer 07 line.

Thanks, Brooke!

Paper Toys

Check out these great looking, make-it-yourself Paper Toys. Fun kid projects for summer days when you're unwilling to leave your air conditioning. (Mostly girl-oriented projects.)

Thanks Alyssa for the link!

Busy, Busy -- by Guest Mom Skye Hoppus

I'm still here and have so much to fill you in on what happened yesterday! Being that most of us are moms or soon-to-be moms, I'm sure you all know the concept of "organized chaos". Ladies, yesterday was exactly that! How we got through the day and accomplished everything that needed to be done, I will never know!

My morning was great. I had a fitting with the 2 lovely models who will be joining me on the TODAY show. I met Susan and Cindy and the fitting went great. I work with EXPECTING MODELS here in NY, and I'm sure by the name, you can figure out what they do. You should check them out if you're a babe and expecting! They are sure to get you work and hey, why not get paid for looking gorgeous while you're knocked up! I use them all the time for my Childish Clothing shoots and the 2 ladies today were nothing short of stunning!

After the fitting, which by the way, we realized that the dress was a little too big, so we had to find a tailor in NY to rush alterations on the dress! We'll get back to that in a sec....

I then met with Susan from Bizmarck Phillips, a great agency who represents all the biggest and best designers. She took us over to SALVIATI in Soho get some amazing jewelry for the models tomorrow. They make gorgeous Murano glass jewelry! And after that, we went to their loft to pull clothes for the Morning Show with Mike and Juliet that I will be on this Thursday! I have a gorgeous Hanii-y dress for one segment and a Jenni Kayne dress for the in-studio live segment. I also will be wearing some ridiculously gorgeous jewelry tomorrow and Thursday by Mia and Kompany. You might recognize her style as it's been in all the fashion magazines! And that's the designer that Beyonce was sportin' on the cover of this year's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue! You also should know that she designed the famous horseshoe that SJ Parker wore on Sex In The City! A huge thanks to Susan for hooking me up!

Then, I came back to the hotel to rest for 20 minutes before heading over to the TODAY show for rehearsal. It was so exciting to be there in Rockefeller Center and in the NBC studio. We set up all the goodies for the segment then walked through everything that would take place on the show today. I am focusing on fashion -- how to dress when you're newly pregnant and how to dress when you're about to pop! I am then going to share with you some of my FAVORITE pregnancy essentials that every pregnant woman needs to know about. And will then finish with how and what you really should pack for the hospital! You gotta check out the TODAY show so you can see all this!

Enough about me...and oh yeah, the dress made it! The messenger dropped it off so we are good to go!!

As promised, I love sharing all my secrets with my friends so here are some of my favorite items that I will showing on the TODAY show that you just gotta check out!! And hey, what good is a secret if you keep it all to yourself!!!

Preggie Pops; $7.25 -- These help get you through those rough first months of nausea and morning sickness. Just suck on one and you're good to go!

BASQ pregnancy skin care products; $36 - $58 -- I love these ladies. They figured out how to make "designer" skincare products for pregnant women. They've done all the research for you so you need not worry! I really love their cleanser and belly oil! I hear that Heidi Klum loved this line! You can also purchase from the AMAZON beauty department!

Vincent Longo Creme Concealer; $28 -- Probably the best creme concealer on the market. Nothing covers and conceals your pregnancy mask better than this one!

Mama Spanx; $28 - $32 -- If you don't already know about this line, trust me on this one...you NEED to know about it! Pregnant or not...Designer and Owner Sara Blakely knew she was onto something spectacular when she created a very wearable and beautiful up-scale "girdle". Maximum comfort and support!

La Mere Nursing bra by Elle Macpherson Intimates; $62 -- AHHH...Who would've ever thought that a maternity/nursing bra could be so pretty AND comfortable!

LeSportsac; $98 -- I love their large or extra-large Weekender bag for taking all the stuff you'll need to the hospital. Beautiful, bright patterns and extremely durable!

Lansinoh Cream and nursing pads; $6 -- Face it ladies...your nipples are bound to get a little sore when you nurse and this stuff will greatly help in easing the pain!

Logitech portable speakers for your Ipod for the hospital -- The hospital tends to be a little on the sterile, quiet side. Bring your own soundtrack to calm and relax you. It's also great for when baby arrives and the sound of a lullaby is just what you need.

And last but not least, make sure you have enough lip gloss!! Your lips are gonna get so dry and chappy. Plus, a little gloss goes a long way to help you feel a bit more like yourself when you're pushing junior out! I love Lancome's JUICY TUBES -- Everybody's favorite lip gloss and one of the best-selling lip glosses in the world! Lancome also recently debuted a new lip gloss called COLOR FEVER which is a bit more sophisticated thanks to the packaging and special applicator. COLOR FEVER is more like a lipstick and lip gloss in one! Just perfect for all us moms on the go that are not interested in sacrificing style and beauty!

Enjoy girls and more tomorrow after TODAY!

xoxo
skye

Giveaway Winner: Via Toy Boxes

Wow. Another great Giveaway! The winner of the Via Toy Box Giveaway is Desiree who said... "This is the best giveaway ever! I would kill for these for the kids room!"

Congratulations, Desiree! Please email me from the link on my blog with your shipping address and I'll send your info along to Via Toy Boxes.

Thanks again to everyone who entered the Giveaway. Thanks to Via Toy Boxes. And thanks for reading. Didn't win today? Don't give up hope — more giveaways coming.

Giveaway Reminder: Via Toy Boxes

In case you missed the post over the weekend, there is an awesome Giveaway going on until tonight at midnight pst. Enter your comment on that post, and you'll be entered to win a set of three storage cubes from Via Toy Boxes. Click here to see the original post, or just scroll down.

Rosebud Design Studios

Laurie the Great sent me a link to Rosebud Design Studios. Fantastic stuff. Explore the site for lots of pretty and lots of pretty funny.

What I Did on Summer Vacation

In addition to huge amounts of time at the pool and hanging out with cousins, the three highlights of our trip so far:


1) Spending a day in the mountains at Solitude Ski Resort. This was my first visit to Solitude. It's gorgeous. For an old ski resort, the whole place feels new and clean and really lovely. They've got a whole European village vibe going on and it works. Dinner at Creekside was delicious.


2) Seeing the Plein Air Painting Festival at Thanksgiving Point. 70 different painters/sculptors were set-up through out the gardens. My kids loved seeing this. Asking about the artist's palettes. Determining whether they were working in oils or watercolors. And the gardens are spectacular.

3) Seeing my kids pet a boa constrictor at the Reptile Show at the Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum. I also loved learning this little factoid while there: There was turtle found by Charles Darwin in 1835 that was estimated to be 15 or 20 years old at the time. That same turtle lived until last year.

I'm crossing my fingers that week 2 of vacation will be just as fun.

Modern Baby Gear -- by Guest Mom Skye Hoppus

All week long, I will be sharing with you some of my favorite items for pregnant gals, new moms and women trying to conceive. I wrote an entire chapter in my book about all my favorite things. So all week, I will be sharing with you some of these favorites! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

To start, here are my favorite Modern Baby Gear websites. Shop away!:

BabyGeared (the ultimate site for anything hip and cool)
Modern Seed

Zac and Zoe
Modern Tots
Modern Mini - modern design for family living
Genius Jones
Yoya Shop - online fusion of hip NY baby boutiques
Modern Nursery
Duc Duc NYC (incredibly cool and chic modern nursery furniture)
IKEA - better to go in the stores to see in person
Edge Modern (Dwell bedding)
Land of Nod (baby and kids furniture and accessories)
Flor (amazing floor covering)
Posh Tots (over the top, designer nursery furniture and accessories)
eGiggle - they’ve got you covered!
Cocoa Crayon
2Modern
Lazars Furniture - hip Chicago store

Sparkability - better things for kids – toys, baby gear, furniture, gifts
Baby Style
Netto Collection - David Netto Nursery furniture and accessories collection
Miguel Online - unique variety of cribs all handmade in Italy
Design Public - fresh new designs for families
Kuhl-Linscomb - ultimate design and lifestyle store
Piccolini Online - hip LA store enters cyberspace
Gus and Max - crib bedding
Nursery Works - crib bedding
Dwell - crib bedding
Petunia Petunia - crib bedding
Little Bits - for those adorable car seat covers and much, much more!
Petit Tresor - more conservative but wide range of products
Kool Roomz
Cradle and Crayon
Property Furniture
Olie Bollen - essentials for perfectly childish living
Genius Babies - infant toys and enrichment products
Bright October - modern online boutique for children (unique assortment and European toys)
Small Concept - modern décor for the little ones

Adrift Mobiles - gorgeous mobiles for your nursery – handcrafted in San Fran.
Graham Brown - Check out their paintable wallpaper for kids, called “Frames” by Taylor and Wood – never to early to get those walls ready for crayons!
Strawberry Luna - for the real ROCK STAR BABY! Try these rock posters in your little one’s room, rather than trains and butterflies!
Velocity Art and Design - Check out the Playtime Wallpapers by London based design studio, Absolute Zero Degrees
mBeans - baby gear, toys, surprises, newsletter – overall cool site for hip parents!
Oompa - room décor and more as well as unique design items!
Modern Kid - extensive selection of modern nurdery goodies – Canadian store!


Laura Rittenhouse Crib in Mahogany and Sterling Silver! Yep, and it’s 5K but worth every penny if you can afford it! Moon and Stars silver inlays on sides make this an heirloom piece you will forever admire! This elegant crib can also be custom designed with an original design.
Baby Ant - multi-faceted retailer with so much to offer (good for basics)
Baby Bedding Town - just as the name suggests! A lot to look at on this site…could be overwhelming.
Distinctive Nurseries - extensive collection of bedding, nursery art and decor
The Baby Joint - straight-forward site for nursery needs and more!

Talk more tomorrow!
xoxo

Skye

Hello! Nice to Meet You! -- by Guest Mom Skye Hoppus

Wow, we meet at such a chaotic, yet exciting time in my life! I am honored to spend the week with you since there are so many wonderful new things happening this very week! In case you don't know that much about me, let me make this simple for you:

*Proud wife to my gorgeous husband, Mark Hoppus (blink-182 and +44).

*Extremely proud mom to our 4-year-old son Jack. I never thought love could get any better!

*Designer and Owner of Childish Clothing, Inc.

*Author of Rock Star Momma -- The Hip Guide to Looking Gorgeous through all Nine Months and Beyond

Other things that might be of interest to you that might help you understand more about me...in no particular order:

*I just came back from touring with my husband's band +44 on the Fall Out Boy tour, where he still has about 2 weeks to go until the tour ends. Jack and I visited Mark for a week and it was truly awesome!

*I am somewhat of an insomniac. That's perfect considering that most of my creativeness happens in the wee hours of the morning.

*Our families are the reason we have such a stable life.

*I adore my friends and am so thankful for their friendship.

*I absolutely LOVE shoes and handbags. It's kinda scary.

*My favorite clothing designers are Marni, Chloe and Marc Jacobs.

*My favorite kids' clothing designers are Paul Frank, Adidas, IKKS, No Added Sugar, Dickies...sorry girls, I have a son so these are just for the boys!

*We furnished Jack's room in case study furniture by Modernica.

*My car was stolen last month!

*I spent almost 10 years working at MTV. Loved most every minute of those years!

*I am currently in NY promoting my book ROCK STAR MOMMA.

*I love spicy things. Funny, since my husband loves sweet things.

*I wouldn't change anything about my life right now.

Like I was saying, this week is such a great week to spend together. My book just hit stores last week so I'm in NY doing loads of press to promote the release. I will be a guest on the TODAY show on Tuesday, June 26th! I have a run-thru this afternoon so I'll be sure to blog all about it once that's over. I'm then doing a radio tour on Wednesday for MTV Radio and will let you know what cities I will be doing interviews for so you can hopefully catch one of those! And then on Wednesday and Thursday, I will be taping a segment for Fox's The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet. I am doing a maternity makeover so be sure to tune in on Thursday and check it out!

I just landed in NY, and am pretty exhausted. Mark is in Las Vegas on tour and Jack is spending the next few days with his grandparents. He is in heaven!

Off to bed! This momma needs some rest!

xoxo

Skye

Note from Design Mom:
I'm so excited to have Skye here this week! It has been fun exchanging emails and phone calls and getting to know Skye a bit while we set everything up for her Guest Mom week. She is full of energy and really fun to talk with.

Skye is a super-talented gal and she has loads to share. I'm sure you're going to love her posts. This is your big chance to get to know a real-life Rock Star Momma! Welcome Skye!!

Random Giveaway: Via Box Storage

It's Friday night. I'm still out-of-town and I'm feeling a little blog homesick. So how about a weekend Giveaway to get reconnected. And this is a really good Giveaway. Via Toy Box, the maker of kidproof, endlessly changeable toy storage, is sponsoring a 3-PACK STORAGE KIT!!

How cool is this product?!! Via Toy Boxes are fully customizable, so the winner will have some weighty decisions to make. First, you get to choose your own colors from the nine(!) available. All green? All yellow? A happy mix? Second, you'll choose your own fronts from the four available. Will you choose doors to hide the clutter? Or are you an all circles kind of person? Third, you can choose your boxes in natural or white.

And the part I love best: Via Toy Boxes can be added to anytime. So when the lucky winner has additional storage needs you can simply add to your set. Check out some of the available configurations:

The Bridlemile Storage Set.

The Broadway storage set.

The Play Kitchen.

The Northwest Bench.

And of course, you can invent the configuration that will be just right for your home. Apparently, these can last a life time -- customers rave about the quality. The color choices are excellent. A set of 6 cubes in the same colors and shapes (say green circles) would create a really simple, modern look. And I love the idea of seeing a stack of board books or a a favorite stuffed toy peaking through the front.

If your family room/playroom/child's bedroom needs this kind of storage, click here to get the Via Toy Box custom design kit for free.

Thank you Via Toy Box for the generous giveaway!

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Random Giveaway Guidelines:
-You have until midnight PST on Monday, June 25th to enter this giveaway.
-Just make a comment ON THIS POST to enter — any comment.
-Anonymous comments will be ignored/removed.
-One entry per person, please.
-The winner will be randomly picked and announced Monday morning.
-What are Random Giveaways? Read about them here.

Kinderware

Design Mom reader ,Jennifer Bergman, sent me a link to Kinderware. I think their classic yo-yo dolls are lovely. Made from fabric scraps, they're all hand-sewn by artisans in Bolivia.

Babble Pedia

There is a fairly new parenting wiki out that I've been wanting to explore. It's called Babble Pedia. And it seems like a smart way to share any expertise you've gathered as a parent.

For the readers asking "wiki?" - it's basically an online encylopedia that anyone can add an entry to. You can even edit someone else's entry. If you have lots of time on your hands, have fun exploring wiki.com.

Two Dealios

Just wanted to make sure you knew about these two discounts. Both end today - my bad for traveling and not telling you sooner.)

Pronk is having a 20% off everything sale. The deal goes for any and everyone and ends today, June 22, at 11:59 p.m. PST. Discounted prices are reflected when placed in the shopping bag. Remember, Pronk offers free shipping and returns in the US and charge only $5 for shipping to the UK. I heart Pronk - especially the darling dress pictured above. And I heart free shipping.



Also, take advantage of the Martha Stewart Crafts Friends & Family discount (10% off) - also good through today, Friday, June 22. To get the discount, just go to www.marthastewartcrafts.com and enter the code MSCFF107 at checkout. If you haven't already scoped out Martha's new craft line, get on it already. The stuff is amazing.

Alice in Wonderland Party

A lovely Design Mom Reader, Nicole, sent me a link to Jessica Claire's excellent photography blog. The blog itself is a great find, but one particular post deserves special attention.

Check out this report of an Alice in Wonderland party for 5-year-old Annabelle. There are many more photos on the post.

Have a Blast at sk*rt

There another great contest going on at sk*rt, a Blog Blast with the Parent Bloggers Network! The basics: write a post on your blog (or hijack someone else’s blog) on the topic “What Are You Hiding Under Your Sk*rt?” (heh). You don’t have to title it as such and this can go any direction you’d like… it’s entirely open to your interpretation — and we’re excited to see your take!

Then load your post up onto sk*rt and make sure you tag it with “Parent Bloggers Network” (this is essential). The person who gets the MOST votes on their post at sk*rt wins a fantastic prize package from some impressively cool companies:

A birth necklace with birthstone from Little Jules.
A tee or tank and stationery from Pro Mom Couture
Rock Star Momma, by Sky Hoppus, (our next Guest Mom)
A Little Capers tee.
A $50 GC to Barnes and Noble

Total value: $275

Not too shabby. Find the contest dates and more details here.

Hello

My husband just showed this to me and I couldn't stop laughing.

Small Magazine: Issue 2

The latest issue of the online magazine, Small, is ready to view. Check it.

I blogged about issue No. 1 here. This issue is just as lovely, if not more so.

Blogging Light

FYI: I'll be blogging light this week.

I leave to the airport in one hour. With the whole crew. Which is the cause of the light blogging.

Then next week, I'll be hosting our next Guest Mom, Skye Hoppus, here at Design Mom. I'm super excited to see Skye's posts. She's the owner and creator of Childish Clothing, author of Rock Star Momma, and a real, live Rock Star Momma herself — because Skye is married to Mark Hoppus of Blink 182.

I'm sure she'll have wonderful things to share.

Fun blogging connection: the cover of her book was designed by the talented Hostess with the Mostess.

sk*rt update

Well, well, well.

Sk*rt is settling in at it's super-shiny-brand-new-server. And now I feel confident sending people there without fear that it's going to crash on their first visit, leaving them with a poor impression. Because sk*rt is in fact awesome. And first impressions mean a lot.

Speaking of impressions and being impressed, check out today’s impressive sk*rt contest:

Anyone who places at least 5 votes in the popular section, plus at least 5 votes in the up-and-coming section, is automatically entered to win this gorgeous heirloom necklace (retail $190) from The Fine Art of the Family.

This necklace is their Signature Floral Half Locket. And it is one fine piece of craftsmanship. From their website: Very delicate, this single image case necklace is for that one perfect picture and is designed to wear with the image side down, close to your heart. Available in Sterling Silver, this half locket has a one-inch case embellished with our signature floral pattern. It comes on an 18-inch chain. An extra chain loop makes it adjustable to 16-inches so it always falls exactly right no matter what you are wearing and allows for layering with other necklaces.

I love the look of this jewelry. The necklaces. The bracelets. So refined.
Who/What will you feature in your necklace? Possibly your nephew/dog/grandmother/favorite shoes?

You have until Tuesday night (6/19) at midnight pst to place your votes — at least 5 in popular and 5 in up-and-coming. I would tell you to have fun, but it’s unnecessary.

Voting at sk*rt is nothing but fun.

Thank you Ryan

The response to our first Guest Dad was overwhelming. And all positive. Ryan did an amazing job. His posts were interesting, thought-provoking, inspiring and just plain cool. And clearly, we couldn't get enough.

Ryan's lovely wife, Erin, said that when she read his guest posts it was like falling in love with him all over again. And the response from Design Mom Readers indicates that all the women reading here are right there with her.

Thank you, Ryan, please know you're welcome back anytime.

Giveaway Winners: Shutterfly Photo Books

I loved this Giveaway — multiple winners always feel extra festive. The three winners of the Shutterfly Photo Books Giveaway are:

Revsmith who said, "I have thought about doing one of these for a while. Please pick me so I can give it a go!"

Barritt and Annabelle who said, "I need some hard copies of all my digital photos....this is the way!

Andy who said, "Yay! Love those books."

Congratulations, Ladies! Please email me from the link on my blog and I'll hook you up with your "free book code" that you can use at Shutterfly.

Thanks again to everyone who entered the Giveaway. Thanks to Shutterfly. And thanks for reading. Didn't win today? Don't give up hope — giveaways are pretty darn reliable around here.

Happy Father's Day — by Guest Dad Ryan Wright

There is nothing better every day than being a father. Except for maybe being a mother (because my kids always like mom more). But I just simply could not keep up with all of you. So I'll settle for #2.

Gabby, thanks for letting me play in your space this week. Your blog is beautiful, hip and inspiring. I'm sure many of your readers have no idea how amazing Design Mom is in real life. I'm one of the lucky ones.

Ryan

Got Milk? — by Guest Dad Ryan Wright

Today is Saturday. Perfect weather. A good day for a run.

But first, some M.I.L.K.

M.I.L.K. (Moments of Intimacy Laughter & Kinship)

Erin & I first saw this stunning photography collection outside the Sydney Opera House. We've been fans of them ever since. M.I.L.K began as a global photography competition in search of "extraordinary and geographically diverse images portraying humanity’s Moments of Intimacy, Laughter and Kinship." 17,000 photographers, both amateur and professional, participated from 164 countries. The winners' photos have been published in three books and continue to be exhibited across the globe:
When we first saw this exhibition, we were so moved that we bought 12 copies of each book to give to family and friends. The complete work captures every detail of the beauty of real-life. It's really photography at its best.

And now... for the run:

My 3 favorite running/work-out songs - "Right Here, Right Now" by Fat Boy Slim, "Belsunce Breakdown" by Bouga & "Jump Around" by House of Pain (I've mixed them together below with my morning workout routine):



(Erin is the marathon runner in our family so her favorites may have more credibility: "Chocolate" by Snow Patrol, "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane & "Starry Eyed Surprise" by Paul Oakenfeld)

Birthday Treats

I have to show you some pretty little lovelies I received on my birthday. A set of darling magnets pictured above.



And a box of oversized paper clips. (I put a dime in the photo so you can get a sense of their size.) These would be great hanging from a ribbon or cord and displaying photos. They are also pretty sitting in a dish on my desk.

I love having pretty things around me.

Giveaway Reminder: Shutterfly Custom Photo Books

Our Guest Dad Ryan's excellent post on family photos is so timely. Because there is a fantastic Giveaway going on right now here at Design Mom that is fully photo focused.

Three winners will receive a 12 x 12 Custom Photo Book from Shutterfly. You have until Sunday (Father's Day) at midnight PST to enter. If you haven't already thrown your name into the pool don't miss out. Just leave a comment over on that post. (Or you'll see it if you scroll down.)

Hang Up — by Guest Dad Ryan Wright

I take a ton of photos. Even my 4 year old gives me that "don't you dare take another photo of me, dad!" look. I'm obsessive, I realize.

In the new house, I want photos to be the focal artwork on our walls. I'm not sure exactly how to accomplish this. I don't want the walls to feel cluttered. Here are a few ideas I have... anything you could add would be helpful.

I want to do one large wall with a ton of pictures grouped together, all different sizes in thin black frames, cascading from the center outward. My inspiration is a wall I saw in Barney's last year... I took a photograph of it (left).

This way I could use a lot of photos in one dramatic setting.

Should they all be black & white? Or do you like the color?

I would also like to group 3 large square black and white photos together, each of one of my kids in thin black frames. These could go in the family room or hallway. I'm thinking of these 3 photos below: In the dining room, I'd like to lean one extra-large photo against the wall, sitting on top of our long, low tibetan chest. Thinking of this one (again, b&w or color??):


I would also like to put a shot of each kid in their own bedroom. Ella's photo would be one large photo: For Jack, I'm thinking of doing 4 different effects of the same photo in a line, each in an individual black square frame: For Max's room, a close-up head shot...

The idea of all this is to use our photos to personalize our home as the art on our walls.

I saw this photo on Apartment Therapy recently and loved it. I like the idea of old photos lined up like this. Between Erin & I we have 13 siblings... maybe place old photos of each of them like this? We have one very long wall in the basement...

PRINTING The best place I've found for high quality large-scale hi-fi color prints is called Pictopia. You email them a digital image file and in a few days they mail back a magnificently large, utterly crisp, remarkably stable, frameable print.

The sizes range from small up to a giant 4 feet by 10 feet! And compared to other processes for making large images, their prices are cheap.
Another way I've used to display photos is to print them in a photo book. And rather than arranging various pics on each page, like a scrap book, I use one photo to take up the entire page, like a coffee-table book. It's a stunning effect.

The past few years we have used Shutterfly.com and iPhoto to create books for ourselves and our family. If you need more than 100 pages, try Blurb. It also has so many options and is easy to load and arrange, and prints up to 400 pages.

Sees Candy

I know I've posted about Sees Candy before, but I think the topic is multi-post worthy. A good friend just came to stay and brought my family a box of Sees.

But not just any box.

She happens to have a perfect memory, and had the box filled with bordeaux's (pictured) and lots of different caramels. My favorites.

So thoughtful. So delicious. And so great because Sees is basically non-existent on the East Coast and I've had to discontinue my satisfying habit of picking up a couple of chocolates while running errands.

FYI: the box is now empty.

Random Giveaway: 3 Custom Photo Books from Shutterfly

Oh my goodness. I've been so enjoying the memory of that yummy breakfast that I got distracted and almost forgot.

As my birthday gift to you, I have a really excellent Giveaway today. With 3 Winners. Leave your comment on this post and you'll be entered to win ONE OF THREE 12 x 12 inch hardcover GUIDED MEMORY BOOKS from SHUTTERFLY!

I heart these books. And Shutterfly makes it so easy to put one together. You upload your digital pictures and then drag and drop them into a template. You can add photos to the cover and even add text to the spine.

I especially like the idea of these "Guided Books" because they do some of the thinking for you. A very good thing after a busy day. The Father's Day version offers prompts like: “People admire you for…” “You always say…” and “Our funniest moments. . .” You just answer the questions and add the pictures. The just-launched books come in sturdy hardback covers sized at either 12 x 12 or 8 x 8, and start at $43.99 and $23.99, respectively.

What kind of book will you make? A travel journal? Baby's first year? A recipe book? Think of grabbing all of your mother's/grandfather''s/family's recipes and entering them into the copy, then adding photos of the chefs or of family meals. What an heirloom that would be. A really wonderful gift.

Shutterly also offers lots of other add-a-photo options: personalized playing cards, coasters, luggage tags, keychains, mugs, calendars — even aprons.

But the books are my favorite. And you would love to win one. I've even made a birthday wish that you'll be the winner, so enter your comment right away.

Thank you Shutterfly for the generous giveaway!

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

Random Giveaway Guidelines:
-You have until midnight PST on Sunday, June 17th (Father's Day) to enter this giveaway.
-Just make a comment ON THIS POST to enter — any comment.
-Anonymous comments will be ignored/removed.
-One entry per person, please.
-The winner will be randomly picked and announced Monday morning.
-What are Random Giveaways? Read about them here.

Interior Overhaul — by Guest Dad Ryan Wright

I'd rather talk about ideas than stuff. But selfishly, while I have the attention of a few thousand designer women, I need your help.

We're moving house this summer and I'm ready for a complete interior overhaul. I want to simplify, un-clutter and re-load.

Generally, the direction we're aiming for is a mixture of sophisticated modern and Danish/American mid-century, offset with a few timeless pieces we have collected from the different countries we have lived in.

My favorite store for interior inspiration is Liberty in London - a perfect combination of both eclectic and practical furniture, housewares, linens, clothing... practically everything. I would love to just move in there. I also like Graham & Green in the UK. ABC Home & The Conran Shop are my favorites here in NY.

It's important to me that our home doesn't feel like one specific era or catalogue selection. So many of the mid-Century or modern interiors I've seen lack a sense of individuality to me. I want our home to feel like us. A combination of old and new; simple standards complimented by a few stand-out pieces.

Living Room (Medium-dark hardwood floors, lots of light, Seattle Gray painted walls)
(Sofa - Audrey Sofa by Gus; Green linen armchair - Anthropologie; Danish armchair - One Collection; Lamp - Anthropologie; Pillows - Conran & Virginia Johnson)

My favorite piece here is the Danish armchair by Finn Juhl. Designed in 1942, the One Collection group in Copenhagen continue to manufacture what I think is a design masterpiece.

Also in the room will be our black grand piano, modern iron side table and an antique chinese medicine cabinet. We also have a few old kilims & carpets that could fit somewhere, but I'll have to see the room furnished first.

What do you think of the color schemes here? Brown, wood & green?? Something about it feels both comfortable and sophisticated to me. But I may be over-biased because I like each of the pieces individually so I WANT them to work together. So tell me the truth.

Do I need a coffee table here?? Any good suggestions?

Dining Room (medium-dark hardwood floors, wallpaper - below)


(Wallpaper - Damask by Farrow & Ball & The Inspiration Gallery; Dining chairs - Tolix cafe chairs by Graham & Green)

Wallpaper: I want something both traditional and modern... which the French always do best. So I'm thinking a Damask design that fades into the background. The other option is to do something much more bold, i.e. a large Damask black & white pattern. Thoughts?

I love these Tolix chairs, originally designed for Parisian outdoor cafe's by Xavier Pauchard in 1933. We have an antique dark wooden dining table from Indonesia that these will fit perfectly around. They will make the dining room feel less formal with a twist of vintage era. In addition to the table & chairs will be our long, old, ornately colorful Tibetan chest, which will add character to the room.

Family Room (Seattle Gray painted walls, burlap carpet) (Sofa - Ellipse by Conran; Shelves - Sundance; Herman Miller Lounge chair; Herman Miller Rocker)

Do you think these shelves fit alongside the other modern pieces? I like the drama they bring into the room. The Herman Miller Rocker is by DWR but Modernica also does a version that is fiberglass. I tend to like the fiberglass one which feels a bit more original. Which do you like best?

Kitchen

These Tolix bar stools will sit at an extra-wide granite bar in the kitchen. They compliment the dining room chairs.

I also like this Stendig Calendar for the kitchen wall or adjoining mud room.

Floors
Most of the house is wood floors, which we like. For comfortable living however, we're considering putting carpet down in the family room, TV room, basement (playroom) and in the kids' bedrooms. I don't want traditional plush carpet though. Something a bit more consistent with the wood floors. Burlap-esque but still comfortable. I found this at ABC... any other thoughts?

Worsted Stria (left) from ABC CARPET.








More... A few other things I like but not necessarly for this phase:

That's it. Whew. Sorry that was so long.

Ryan

Breakfast In Bed

The Menu:
Spring Strawberries with Fresh Whipped Cream
French Toast from a Country Italian Loaf
Maple Syrup
Milk
Chocolate Milk

That's what my dear children and dear husband brought me this morning — after letting me sleep in until 7:00 (lovely!) — to wish me a happy birthday.

My birthday wish is to catch up on my email. So I'm off to do just that, and I'll leave you in the capable hands of our Guest Dad, Ryan.


pic from getty

Inspiration — by Guest Dad Ryan Wright

Music is the emotions business. I get paid to know what people want to feel. I'm not selling songs — I'm selling how you feel about the song when you hear it. And that emotion, whatever form it may take, must be powerful enough to make you want to SHARE it.

Expectations are very high. Every artist wants to be different — that's what keeps them relavent. I have to be constantly innovative, pushing the envelope, creating change without losing the emotion. It's a delicate balance. I've worked with both JT and Britney since they were 15. We've probably been through two dozen re-inventions since then (Britney obviously took re-invention a bit too far! Not my fault). And just as many with Christina over the past 5 years. I am constantly faced with finding new ways to be understood, new ways to deliver emotion, and new ways to engage.

I'm not always right. I swore that Il Divo would never see the light of day in America. Ouch.

It's not rocket science. I work almost entirely from intuition. I have no degree in marketing or music. My ideas are a collection of pieces stolen from my surroundings... inspiration is everywhere.

So what inspires me?

I get asked that a lot.

I find it mostly in watching people - both in quiet moments when people are more human, and in chaos, when the animal comes out. I find it in the arts — music, film & photography. I find it when I travel, in mis-translations and different cultures. And of course, I find it in my kids.

I also find a great deal of it on the world-wide-web. Where? Here are a few places I visit for inspiration on the web, as well as some of my favorite recent finds:

1. PopURLs There is so much information on-line nowadays... none of us have enough time. Enter PopUrls, a meta-site that summarizes up-to-the-minute headlines from the world's leading consensus filters, and top thumbnail images from the social sites Flickr, YouTube, and Google Video. Essentially, a collection of what the web majority thinks is either popular or interesting.

In five minutes I can scan 18 social site sources thoroughly. I get a strong feel for what is new, what people are looking at, and what is worth following up on. It's not just news, it's imagery, music, trends... it's stimulation and culture direction.

There's no better way to watch the world changing.

2. Beyond Madison Ave
I read a lot of blogs. Some random, some design, some political, others marketing and innovation based. BMA is a marketing blog that keeps me interested most days. For starters, it's a great place to find new TV or viral ads. They have a specific "Ads We Like" section that is updated regularly with creative & entertaining visuals. Here are some of my recent favorites:
3. 3 Billion
There are 3 Billion people under the age of 25 on this planet. That's over half the world's population. What are they doing? What fascinates them? What makes them tick? What are they buying?

3 Billion is a research group focused on decoding this fickle demographic. I'm fascinated by the research they do and their findings.

They recently released this video: The threebillion Random Youth Facts'n'Stats Video - Volume One
4. The Future According to Intel:
The future always inspires me...
5. Ted Talks
TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a group for thought-leaders and movers & shakers, focused on the latest ideas in technology, entertainment and design. Once a year they gather together in California, hosting some of the world's most fascinating people to present, share and learn together.

TED has recently teamed up with BMW to share some of the most remarkable TED Talks online. Every week, a new talk is published on their site. Speakers range from Bill Clinton to Malcolm Gladwell.

You can also search through their archives or subscribe to the talks on iTunes as either an audio or video podcast. Perfect for long commutes, flights or anywhere your iPod goes.

Sir Ken Robinson discusses the state (or mis-state) of Education below. I like what he has to say:

A Night at the Met

On our way to La Boheme last night, we received word that it had been cancelled because of rain. Total bummer.

But. It happened to be Museum Mile Festival yesterday as well, which meant that certain galleries in the Met were open till 9:00. A very worthy alternative to the Opera.

We spent our time in the special collection Impressionist and Early Modern Paintings: The Clark Brothers Collect. I was surprised how consistent I am. I walk into a gallery and am immediately drawn to the American art. Every single gallery. I knew I liked the Americans, but I didn't realize how much.

My favorites from last night:


Frederic Remington, The Scout


Edward Hopper, House by the Railroad


John Singer Sargent, Portrait of Carolus-Duran

What Men Want (but don't know they want) — by Guest Dad Ryan Wright

Father's Day is approaching. And women everywhere are asking themselves "what does he really want?" My wife, Erin, thinks I'm very difficult to buy for. One, because she thinks I've already purchased anything I want for myself. And two, because I'm extremely picky - her words. But I think the truth is that most men simply don't know what they want. And if they do, it's a boat or a small island somewhere — not suitable for a Father's Day gift. So here are my Top gift ideas for men this year:

1. Clip wallet ($45):

I hate thick wallets that I'm forced to stuff in my back pocket and sit on all day. Since most men carry (and some sleep with) a blackberry (or some form of PDA), wallets no longer need to carry information - just a few credit cards, ID and some cash. I use a thin, durable Tumi wallet that has 3 pockets for cards on one side and a money clip on the other for bills. It disappears easily into my front pocket.

2. Moleskin Notebooks:

"MOLESKINE is the legendary notebook, used by artists and thinkers for the past two centuries, from Van Gogh to Picasso, from Ernest Hemingway to Bruce Chatwin. A family of notebooks for different functions, Moleskines have become a symbol of contemporary nomadism. Professionals and creative types alike enjoy the high standard of quality and durability of the Moleskine Notebooks." I have one of every size. I use them for notes at work, lyrics at the piano, and ideas/thoughts when I travel. They have every configuration of size, lining & pockets. They are durable, simple, masculine & sophisticated all at once.

3. NikeID - Design His Shoes Now you can design your man's shoes exactly how he likes them. NikeID allows you to personalize shoes by choosing from dozens of shape, color, texture, logo and design options.

4. Books - If your man likes to read (and if he doesn't, give him these and he will!) my recommendation for guys are: Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, Exodus by Leon Uris, and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon.

5. Clean Him Up - Men generally don't know how to clean themselves (and yet we take VERY long showers). The best body-care products for men, in my humble opinion, are:
* Shaving: It's all about The Art of Shaving. They have a 4 step process that makes shaving actually enjoyable. They have the best brushes, lathering cream and pre-shaving oil I've ever used.

* Deodorant: First, whatever Deordorant he wears MUST be fragrance-free. Men should never smell like their deodorant. If anything, they should smell like their cologne. The smoothest, best-acting deordorant I've found is Anthony's Logistics for Men ($12).

* For soaps (shampoo, face cleasners, body wash, etc.), I use everything Khiels. One of my favorites in the morning is Facial Fuel. Designed specifically for men, it's the perfect wake-up your face energizer.



6. Bose Headphones ($299):

These headphones make even the longest flights enjoyable. The noise cancellation works great to turn off the world around you. Perfect for the Soundtrack of Your Life.

7. Cologne - It's time to move your man away from his favorite high school smell. My all time favorite smell for men is Vetiver Oriental by Serge Lutens - striking. Masculine without smelling like aftershave. Sophisticated but uncomplicated. Delicious. It's difficult to find in the US though (aedes, apothia, lacremebeauty, or at Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman & selected Neiman Marcus stores. In Canada, try theperfumeshoppe.) I also like Burberry "Touch", Hermes "Terre" and Comme Des Garcon.

8. Vintage Rolex
OK, I realize this is more than you expected to spend for Father's Day, but for those of you looking for something super duper special, a defining lifetime signature piece for the greatest man in your life (no, that's NOT your father), here it is. C'mon, he deserves it! Mine is from 1973, the year I was born. The green face has become one of my trademarks. When I see another one, I know I've met an immediate friend. They're not easy to find - some antique watch dealers carry them. I found mine at Bergdoff Goodman in NYC. They carry a line of re-furbished originals with re-painted faces in a variety of unique bold colors.

9. Cool Tools - Check out Kevin Kelly's blog for other gift ideas. I love this site...it's addicting.

La Boheme on the Great Lawn

The Metropolitan Opera is presenting La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini in Central Park on the Great Lawn tonight. I'll be there with friends, a blanket and a picnic.

I'm very much looking forward to it.

Giveaway Winner: Small Vendors Rock!

Thank you for participating in another fabulous Giveaway. 403 Comments!?!! Wow. The winner of the Small Vendors Rock! Giveaway is Natalie* who said... "oh I hope Tuesday is my lucky day — I already know who I'll share with — here's hopin'!"

Congratulations, Natalie*! Please email me from the link on my blog with your shipping address and I'll send your info along to the various vendors.

Thanks again to everyone who entered the Giveaway. Thanks to small vendors everywhere. And thanks for reading. Didn't win today? Don't give up hope — more giveaways coming this week.

Giveaway Reminder: Small Vendors Rock!

There is a really amazing Giveaway going on right now here at Design Mom! The winner will receive the fantastic prize package pictured below, pulled together from 5 excellent small vendors. You have until tonight (Monday) at midnight PST to enter. If you haven't already thrown your name into the pool don't miss out. Just leave a comment over on that post. (Or you'll see it if you scroll down.)

The Soundtrack of Your Life — by Guest Dad Ryan Wright

Sometimes music is simple. Energy on the dance floor, in the car, at the gym, moving through me like metabolism. Pure, uncomplicated entertainment. Lyrics? Secondary. It’s all about the groove.

Have you noticed though that if you listen to a song in the rain, it sounds and feels different? It’s heavier. More meaningful. And the lyrics begin to sink in. Certain songs were meant to be played in the rain. Or at night. Or in the city. Or in the Summer. Or in transition. Sometimes to forget. Sometimes to hold on. Songs for beginnings, or ends. For sad, or angry, or beautiful.

All good songs are better songs in the right mood.

And then, like magic, that’s when a stranger's poetry becomes my story, for me. And your story, for you. And then music is simple no longer - because our stories are never simple.

So that’s how I organize what I listen to: by mood. My life is a movie and every scene requires the perfect background music: the soundtrack of my life.

Everyone needs one. It makes you feel special, from black & white to technicolor. Your soundtrack makes even the most mundane tasks an academy award winning performance. Your movie is an epic drama, sci-fi thriller (if you have children) and music video all in one. You'll never unload the dishwasher the same again :-).

So, here are some excerpts from my soundtrack that you may consider for the soundtrack of YOUR life. Some are older, some newer. They can all mean different things to different people. But however you use them, I promise they will make your movie more colorful.

BRANDI CARLILE - The Story

She sings unpretentious poetry. Perfect for a road trip. Or a slideshow.



Brandi was first featured in Grey's Anatomy...

HELLOGOODBYE - Here In Your Arms

Think infectious happiness. This is my 2007 summer song. Windows down, singing along, happy-to-be-alive song.

JOSE GONZALEZ - Heartbeats

First used in this Sony Bravia advert below. He has become one of my favorites since.

VINCENT DELERME - Veruca Salt

You don't have to speak French to understand this song. It has a way of turning into anything you want it to be. A slow-motion every day moment with your favorite person in the sound track of your life. Keren Ann is singing with Vincent (check her out as well, she has mastered melancholy French to a perfection).



ANA CAROLINA & SEU JORGE - Blower's Daughter

My two favorite films of all time are both from Brasil: The City of God & Central do Brasil (Central Station). The first is too violent for any nice normal person reading Gabby's blog. But the second is perfect for anyone any age. If you haven't seen it, you shouldn't live a day longer without it. You can find it at Netflix or in any Blockbuster Foreign Film section. Brasilian music is just as beautiful. Ana Carolina & Seu Jorge are two of the best, here singing together my favorite song of last year.


SERGE GAINSBOURG - Je Suis Venu Te Dire Que Je M'en Vais

One of the greatest French artists of all time. That's a bold statement, I realize. Any Gainsbourg song can take you to Paris if you close your eyes. And not the slurpy tourist Paris, but the eccentric we're-the-center-of-fashion-and-art-and-the-world Paris. This particular song kills me. Listen closely to hear the background tears. Perfect for any break-up scenes in your movie.


WILL YOUNG - All Time Love

For any romantic, this is the perfect love song for your soundtrack.



NANA MOUSKOURI - Pauvre Rutebeuf

My father played this record for us over and over when we were young. It has become the most nostalgic song of my past, and one of my all time favorites.



TIMBALAND feat. One Republic - Apologize

Yes, this is the same 'Justin Timberlake' Timbaland. He's a genius writer/producer. This is one of his newest...

Simply Silhouettes

Silhouettes are still as hot as can be. If you're wanting to get in on the hotness, check out the excellent range of products from Simply Silhouettes. You send in the photo. They make the silhouette. And put in on any of several very cool objects. T-shirts and hoodies. Wall Art. Good-looking gifts. I love the yellow messenger bag.

Welcome Ryan Wright!

I know this site is generally geared toward women, but we make no effort to hide the fact that we love men around here. And although men have contributed with comments, links, and great ideas from the beginning, today is the first time we're officially putting out the welcome mat. Let's give a great big Design Mom Welcome to Ryan Wright, our first Guest Dad.

Ryan in brief:
He was raised in Southern California. He now lives in New York and works for Sony BMG Music where he's the Vice-President of Global Marketing. He's married to Erin. He's the father of 3.

Now the details:
I've known Ryan and Erin for 3 or 4 years now. And that's how I think of them: Ryan and Erin the couple. And they're kind of an intimidating couple. Erin might be the prettiest real life person I know. Sometimes I have to remind myself that she's not airbrushed, she's actually real. She's that pretty. And Ryan just oozes cool and confidence, so much so that when you first meet him, you think he might be famous and you might recognize him from somewhere. Like I said, they're kind of intimidating. And then you have a conversation with them, and discover that their both super smart and incredibly kind, and you think you've just a hit the jack pot of wonderful people to know.

And since both are intensely interested in the people around them, they are so fun to talk with and the ideal people to have at any gathering. If the Wrights are at your party, you know it will be a good one.

I've mentioned a few times that it's going to be a Rocking Month. And I don't know anyone who works more closely with Rock Stars than Ryan Wright. It's going to be a great week.

Random Giveaway: Small Vendors Rock!

What a week! sk*rt is still making it's way to the new server. I'm crossing my fingers the transition will be complete today/tomorrow. Thank you(!) to everyone who has checked sk*rt out so far. We couldn't have imagined a better response.

I really am chock-full of thankfulness today. So let me show my gratitude by hosting a really good Giveaway. A Giveaway featuring 5 vendors that you'll love. Enter your comment on this post and you could win a big batch of loot: A NECKLACE from STERLING STAMPED JEWELRY; TWO BRACELETS from EVLOVE DESIGNS; a CHILD'S APRON from THE STICHING BARN; a BOX OF LETTERPRESS CARDS or 2 SETS OF COASTERS (winner's choice) from PAPERED TOGETHER; and a pair of EARRINGS from CAPE COD CUPBOARD.



How did this fabulous group of vendors come together for a Giveaway? Good question. I'm a pretty hardcore supporter of small businesses and entrepreneurs. I come from a family of such people and frankly, I'm that kind of person myself. So when small (even tiny!) businesses write to me and show me a beautiful product they're making — that I know Design Mom readers would love — and they want to participate in a Giveaway, I always think: You bet!

But. If you've been reading for awhile, you also know my giveaways have grown. And so have the prizes. So to make sure I'm still showcasing the one-woman-shops, I've brought some of my favorite small vendors together for one BIG Giveaway. All of these vendors are women. All create really well-wrought, beautifully designed items. I'm just giving you a peak today, but I hope you'll go look at their work more thoroughly. You won't be diappointed. Let me give each one some well-deserved highlight:


Sterling Stamped Jewelry is run by Lisa Leonard from her blog. In her words: I am a mom of two boys, 4 and 3 and wife to Steve, my awesome husband and best friend! We live on the beautiful central coast. When I'm not busy building elaborate train track, driving kids to preschool or taking care of the general daily demands, I make handmade jewelry. These necklaces are beautifully made of fine materials. But my favorite thing about them: each one is customizable. You pick a necklace from her many variations and then YOU decide what the words should be. If I won this necklace, I would put "I'm" on the top and "Hungry" on the bottom. What words will you choose if you win?



Just before she turned 30, Emily Cox realized that although she'd done a lot of fun things, been a lot of places, and flirted with the corporate world (only to leave it behind forever), but she'd never gotten around to starting evlove designs (something she'd be planning on doing since she was 18). So she fixed this. The result is a blog where you can see the results of her creative efforts — not bad for a full time Ph.D. student. Emily's favorite bracelets are the Wonder Woman, made from actual vintage comic books, and the Woody (faux wood, because she hearts the earth as much as you do). The winner will win BOTH of these bracelets.


At The Stitching Barn, Marie LeBaron offers a large display of baby Items, from bibs to burp cloths to diaper changing pads. For kids, her superhero capes are the perfect accessory for any adventurous boy or girl — double-sided for double the fun. And new to her shop are children's aprons, which is what today's winner will receive. The winner can pick from any of 5 darling designs. These aprons are too cute! I love the fabric choices. You can also find Marie at her excellent blog.



Krista of Papered Together, describes her shop as: whimsical letterpress greetings and custom correspondence. I've been a fan of Papered Together for many, many months now. In fact Papered Together was one of the early Design Mom Giveaway sponsors. Today's winner has some choosing to do. They can pick either a box of any 6 cards listed in everyday or occasion, and she'll put them together in a boxed set. Or. The winner can pick two sets of coasters. Decisions. Decisions. So many beautiful designs — how does one choose?


From Beachy, the owner of Cap Cod Cupboard: Growing up as a child on the South Shore of Boston, I always dreamed of raising a family of my own on Cape Cod. That dream came true! And fortunately for me (being an artist), there is a never-ending source of inspiration here from which I draw on for my work. I studied jewelry-making in college as part of my art major, and I became even more interested in it as my mother-in-law owns a bead and jewelry shop. Most of my jewelry is very beachy-inspired; casual, yet still elegant. Don't miss Beachy's jewelry and her amazing paper goods.

Don't you just love artistic business women? Thank you to Sterling Stamped Jewelry, evlove designs, The Stitching Barn, Papered Together and Cape Cod Cupboard. What a generous giveaway! Have fun commenting and have a great weekend!

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

Random Giveaway Guidelines:
-You have until midnight PST on Monday, June 11th to enter this giveaway.
-Just make a comment ON THIS POST to enter — any comment.
-Anonymous comments will be ignored/removed.
-One entry per person, please.
-The winner will be randomly picked and announced Tuesday morning.
-What are Random Giveaways? Read about them here.

Airstream

The latest Design Within Reach catalog arrived the other day and I was just about ready to frame the cover.

One of these summers, I think it could be fun to load up the kids and travel across the country with an RV/camper. Especially a camper as pretty as this one. So shiny. It's like candy. You can read more about it here.

Books of the Week: Not A Box and Selma

Note: My friend Josh, a man with impeccable taste, sent me an email about two books, which I vowed to check out immediately. But weeks later, I still haven't. So I thought I would tell you about them today anyway, because I think they look fantastic. And maybe this post will be the thing that finally gets me to place a book order already. Both have great reviews at Amazon and are under $8 in hardcover. Thanks, Josh!

From Josh: I was just at the library, and I came across two really cute/well designed books you should check out.


The first: Not a Box
Cute, simple line drawings. It is about a bunny that keeps insisting his cardboard box is not a box, it is a rocket ship, a mountain, etc. Find it here.


Number two: Selma
It is one of those cute books that you would give as a gift to your mom, or a co-worker or whoever. It is about a sheep, with a simple life who is happy with her simple life. Here it is at Amazon.

what's your sk*rt personality?

First things first. We are still working furiously to transfer the sk*rt site to a larger capacity server, but it's pretty much a 48 hours+ process. So if it's hard to get onto sk*rt today because it's busy, my apologies in advance.

Also, if you didn't get over to sk*rt yesterday to enter yourself in the Shutterfly Custom Photo Book Contest, consider this your reminder. It's a great prize. And really easy to enter — just submit at least one item to sk*rt and comment on at least 3 items. If you've done this already, you're automatically entered. You have until midnight tonight pst!

One last thing about sk*rt for the day"

I love seeing how sk*rt personalities are already forming — and it's only day 4. I find I'm mentally noting the avatars and usernames of posts I really like, then checking out their profiles so I can see what else they've posted or see if there's a link to their blog. It's like a new way to find kindred spirits.

If I understand correctly, at Digg, there are certain users that have posted great items so consistently over the history of Digg, that anytime they post anything, users vote it to the front page immediately. I'll be interested to see if something similar happens at sk*rt.

Do you already have a favorite sk*rt user? Will you be the first big sk*rt personality?

Two Don't Miss Items

1) The lovely Judy from Goody Blog just put up a hot new podcast. And it's so good. Greg from Daddy Types is the guest — just in time for Father's Day. Give it a listen. Then remind me to post this on sk*rt.


2) Nan, of Life is Like a Lunchbox is hosting a week long Apronpalooza. Three apron giveaways each day. All week long. And it's not too late to enter — even on the Monday aprons. But maybe you already know this, because I totally saw it on the front page of sk*rt last night.

I'm heading over there now to throw my name in the ring. You should definitely join me, but dibs on this black and white one — it's gorgeous!

Janet Beck Clark

My good friend and former Guest Mom, Emily Spencer, just created an etsy site for her mom, Janet Beck Clark. Her mother creates beautiful and unique works of art from pressed botanicals. I love Janet's work. I still haven't seen a photograph that does her pieces justice. Her compositions are just beautiful.




Things I especially love about her pressed botanicals:

1) On each piece there are handwritten notations with each plant's common name along with the Latin, or scientific name. Also noted is a general location where the plant is found.
2) Each piece is beautifully matted and framed — acid-free mats, solid wood frames, museum quality, of course.
3) Descriptions accompany each piece and include plant identification, interesting facts, history and lore.

I also think it's great that Janet, a grandmother of many, is embracing Etsy. Go Janet!

Neds

Have you seem the images from Ned Design? The colors are great. And I love that even without faces, as I search the figures, I'm totally reminded of certain friends and family members.

I've seen these images in real life as notecards and tiny giftcards. They are adorable and very-well made. I think a series of the 9 x 9 inch prints would be darling in a playroom or family room.

Some of the originals are even available for purchase.

Stone Planter Project

I was watching through a couple weeks worth of recorded Martha's and I saw this project for lightweight stone planters. They are way good-looking. Very zen.

It looks like kind of a pain-in-the-neck, taking-up-space type project. And they take a good week or so to dry. But I totally want to make some.

You can see more and better shots of the containers in the video.

Comment & Submit & WIN!

Sk*rt is back up. (Yeah!) And I have to say, I can't believe how great it is — and only 3 days in!

Users are finding the most interesting things. Women are submitting news headlines that they know other women will love. I've discovered 3 new blogs that I adore. And a new pair of shoes that I'm coveting. Plus I read an extensive article from the Times about holding-back preschoolers before kindergarten — a topic hotly debated in my neighborhood.

If you haven't spent some time on sk*rt yet, I highly recommend it, and there's even another contest-as-bribe to encourage you to get involved:

All day today and all day tomorrow, June 6th - June 7th, anyone who submits a link to sk*rt, and makes three comments, is automatically entered to win a 12 x 12 inch Guided Memory Book from Shutterfly!

You may remember when I posted about making one of these for my Grandmother. It was really a great project to put together. So satisfying. I heart these books. And Shutterfly makes it super-easy to make one. You just upload your digital pictures and then drag and drop them into a template. You can add photos to the cover and even add text to the spine. And this month, a book like this would make the perfect Father's Day gift for your Dad.

The just-launched books come in sturdy hardback covers sized at either 12 x 12 or 8 x 8, and start at $43.99 and $23.99, respectively.

So get yourself entered already: at least 1 link submission and 3 comments = entered to win this fabulous book!! You can find more details on the sk*rt blog.

So Exciting!!

Ummm. I've got some good news and some bad news.

The good news: Sk*rt made the front page of Digg last night while I slept soundly in my very comfy bed. So cool!

The bad news: Sk*rt made the front page of Digg last night while I slept soundly in my very comfy bed. Why is that bad? When a website makes the front page of Digg, the site gets such an unexpected surge of visitors and traffic that it shuts down. It happens on such a regular occurence that it has a name: the Digg Effect. So if you haven't noticed already, sk*rt is offline.

The sk*rt site is down, the sk*rt blog is down, and anyone who has posted a sk*rt button on their site won't be able to see it until the site is back up. It's awesome that sk*rt is getting so much attention. We believed it would. Eventually. We just didn't think it would happen on day 2 or 3(!) of our launch.

So we're scrambling this morning to get the site going again. Please bear with us. And thank you, thank you, thank you for making sk*rt such a fabulous and interesting place so quickly!


[ Note: I've got some great Design Mom posts for today, but they're going to have to hang out for awhile until I've figured out this sk*rt stuff. Stay tuned! ]

Felt Cruisers

I am craving one of these laid-back-feels-like-summer-bikes. I think Felt's cruiser collection is the best I've seen.

How I Use sk*rt

In case you're wondering, Day One of the sk*rt launch was fantastic! Some quick stats:
- Over 50 sites added the sk*rt button or wrote a post about sk*rt.
- There are now over 325 registered users.
- And yesterday, there were over 12 pages(!) of new content entered — that's more than 120 new items.

Thank you to everyone who visited sk*rt yesterday to check it out and hopefully play around on it for a bit. If you still haven't given it a try, I hope you will today.

To get you inspired, sk*rt is hosting another contest. The first 30 people who vote for 5 or more items in the "Up-and-Coming" section starting at 1:00 est today will be entered to win 30 Custom Party Invitations from Anna Bella Fine Stationery! You can find the details here. And I'll share a few examples of some of my favorite designs at Anna Bella so you'll see what a great prize this is:





Great prize, right?

Last sk*rt info for today: I want to describe how I personally use sk*rt for those of you who aren't sure how this technology is going to improve their lives.

Because the internet is so unfathomingly big, and growing every day, I sometimes have a sense that I'm not using it as fully or efficiently as possible, that I'm missing something. But sk*rt goes a long way toward addressing that for me.

Since anyone can post something to sk*rt, there's much more of a chance that more items can get posted there. Period. Like yesterday for example. No one person is likely to find and post over 120 cool or interesting things in one day. So the first benefit is that there is just plain more people finding more content and putting it in one place.

And then, sk*rt gets to really shine, because the Users become filters. Twice. First by deciding what should get posted to sk*rt in the first place. And Second, by browsing through all those posted items and voting for the very best, most interesting ones.

Which means that when I check in to the sk*rt main page, it has all kind of really cool content — content that I'm not likely to have found on my own without a huge investment of my time.

So basically, I check in with sk*rt for a just a few minutes every time I sit down at the computer. In the popular section, I see at glance which items are really drawing attention and are worth a deeper look.Then I browse through the items newly added to the Up-and-Coming section and place my votes, maybe leave a few comments. During the rest of my time on the internet (when I check the latest news headlines, read my favorite blogs, etc.) if I happen upon something sk*rt-worthy — like a cool contest, a big sale, a well-written essay, a news piece I'm interested in, a new good blog, etc. — I post it to sk*rt immediately, and know I've done my part to keep people informed.

Sk*rt has been in beta testing for awhile, so I feel like I'm already a veteran user. And during my first visits to sk*rt, I confess, I spent more time — checking out the faqs, trying every link, getting to know the registered users — but now it's more of a quick check-in throughout the day.

Thanks to sk*rt and the awesome sk*rt users, I feel like the chances of me missing something are almost non-existent.

Gigantic Post-Its

Have you seen these oversize sticky notes? They're called Genius Pads and they're made by Arash and Kelly. I love that they come in a giant stack. Sometimes I get such a kick out of items that have been super-sized or miniaturized — they make me smile. Use these to leave notes for your kids.

Win a Subscription to Organize Magazine!

If you haven't already seen the Big News post about sk*rt scroll down, or check it out here. And get all excited. Because besides the major loot in the sk*rt Spread-the-Word Giveaway, there will be all kinds of awesome sk*rt contests over the next month or so.

And the first one is today. Starting this very day, Monday June 4th, at 1:00 pm est (that's 10:00 am on the west coast), the first 25 people to vote for 5 or more items at sk*rt will be automatically entered to win a free subscription to Organize Magazine! You can find more details here. That's some pretty good odds as far as contests go. And this one is totally fun to enter — personally, I find clicking the little "love it" button pretty darn addicting.

In fact, I consider it a good day, when I can head on over to sk*rt, check out the latest posts in the "popular" and "unpublished" categories and vote my little heart out.

Head's up: you have to be registered and logged-in to sk*rt to vote. It's super easy and super fast. You'll be glad you've done it ahead of time so you'll be ready to vote at 1:00!

sk*rt is Launching!

I know I keep going on and on about how rocking this month is. And I'm totally not kidding. For example, today, I've got a big announcement. I talked about it here. And I mentioned it here. But now I get to announce it for realsies. Several months ago I started working on a project with 3 other lovely bloggers: Laura Mayes, Laurie Smithwick, and Rebecca Gholdston. It's called sk*rt and it's basically a she-inspired version of Digg. And it's basically awesome. And it's launching today!



We all think Digg is an extremely cool concept, we just have never found the content to be all that interesting — because Digg is written for and by an audience of techie men — which we're not. So we thought, wouldn't it be great to have something like this out there that features topics we're interested in? And then we thought, heck yes it would be. And then we created it.

Here's the Gist: Sk*rt is an online media ranking site created for and by women, featuring topics women dig. Sk*rt was designed to promote sites, blogs, video, products, articles, ideas, art — anything online, really — to women and to the men who want to get in our heads. Sk*rt is basically a filter of cool stuff on the Web. If you aren't familiar with the concept of Digg, it goes like this. Any item (site, product, idea, video, blog, article, etc.) can be submitted by anyone. Readers can vote for the items by clicking the "Love It!" button on the left hand side of each submitted item. The items that get the most votes raise up to the front of the site. It's actually a great design, because it's organized so that if you only have a few minutes, you can scan through what's new, what's highly ranked or what's interesting to you; or you can search more specifically by category.

Sk*rt features nine categories: World Wise; Mind, Body, Spirit; Out and About; Around the House; Raising Kids; Getting Dressed; Entertainment; Food; Arts, Crafts & Design. There's a popular section and an unpublished section. Items have to get a certain number of votes to "make it" to the popular section. Overall, it's pretty self-explanatory, but if you're craving more details, see our Getting Started page here and our FAQ page here.

To launch sk*rt in a big way, I'm looking for your help. There are a few things I'd be thrilled if you'd do to spread the word.

1. Visit sk*rt and have a look. Play around on it. Vote on a few things that look interesting to you. Or submit something (put your favorite blog, website, product, whatever, on there).

2. Tell your friends about it. If you have a blog or website, put this button in a post or on your sidebar:


Or pick one of the many sk*rt buttons available here. And then send an email to sharethelove@sk-rt.com letting us know you posted the button, and you'll be entered to win some incredible loot. $500+ worth of incredible loot. From our incredible sponsors — Darlybird, Funktion Home, Jaime Zollars, Little Jules, and Nora Fleming. Check it out:



We're pretty pumped about all of it. Especially the prizes. You can find even more details about the sk*rt Spread-the-Word Contest and the cool prizes here.



Overall, we designed sk*rt because we wanted to have something like it for ourselves. Also, we'd love to do our part in helping get the word out that there are smart women leading the social media revolution. (That would be you).

The official media launch is scheduled for Friday, July 27th at BlogHer. Which means you're ahead of the game, totally in the know, part of the avant-garde group that knows about and uses sk*rt first. And because we're so psyched about the sk*rt launch we'll be having contests leading up to the July 27th media launch like crazy. In fact, I'll be posting about another contest today — stay tuned.

And watch for posts about sk*rt all week, because I've got sk*rt on the brain.

Google Candy Bar

A couple of weeks ago, when I attended the Personal Democracy Forum, I was able to take advantage of a candy bar sponsored by Google that was just enchanting. First, because it was bar of free candy. Second, because it was candy in the Google colors, displayed in the same order as the Google colors.

And these candies were not "sort-of" in the Google colors, they were pretty much exact matches. So even though the logo was displayed in a relatively small way, the whole candy bar just screamed Google.

The candy bar was brilliant. And yummy. Actually yummy. Google provided small white bags labeled with a Google stickers and you could just help yourself. Wouldn't this be fun to do at a party?

As if I wasn't already in love with Google.

Colander Display

My new blog friend Beachy posted some pictures from her shop. Her colander display makes me happy.

Question: is there a scenario outside of shop ownership where one could talk oneself into owning 20+ multi-colored colanders?

I'm Not Cool, But My Brother Is — by Guest Mom Lisa V. Clark

[ Note from Design Mom: So my friend Lisa Valentine Clark — an all-around wonder woman and the original Guest Mom blogger here at Design Mom — is related to James Valentine. James is the lead guitarist for the band Maroon5. James is also Lisa's little brother. Since we've already discussed how rock-and-roll this rad month of June is going to be, I thought it especially appropriate to get a Guest Mom post from Lisa with all the juicy details of the Hollywood hotlist party she attended last week at her brother's invitation. Thanks Lisa! ]


Last week I had the great opportunity to go to L.A. for the swanky CD launch party for my little brother's band's sophomore album. The band is Maroon5 and the album is It Won't Be Soon Before Long, and if you haven't already, go out and buy it. Or download it. But please do it legally and pay for it. Seriously.



Several days before the party, my brother James called to say he wanted to fly us out for the party. I was really surprised. I thought it would be more of a work/mingle thing for him and less of a relax/family thing. He said, "Yeah, but we talked about it. It'll be fun!" to which I replied, "If by 'talked about it' you mean when we were all joking at Christmas that we were going to show up to the party in a beat-up RV with plates from Utah wearing t-shirts that say 'we're with Jimmy V!' 'talking about it,' then, okay. . ." But the plans were made and off we went.

Well, it was quite a party. The first thing that tipped me off that I wasn't really "in" with the cool kids was the fact that while it was a cd "launch party," I would have called it a "release party" or I wouldn't have necessarily called it their "sophomore" album, but their second one. I really need to keep up on that. The second nerd-alert rang off when I read the dress code listed as "Hollywood Casual." I still don't know exactly what that is. That little term caused a lot of confusion and tension among the women in my family. My sister Gina even googled the phrase. No one could figure out what "Hollywood Casual" means, and now I have a better idea, but I still couldn't give you a concrete definition.



As to the party itself, it was really fun. There were stations for guitar hero, pool, air hockey, etc, food and drink, and a photo booth to take your photo against a green screen which was converted into a Maroon5 album cover pass. Artistically, it was very cool. There were huge photos of each boy on the massive lot walls. Projected from the high ceilings down on the coffee tables were the band's videos. Very cool.



Most enjoyably, however, was the company. I know it's hard to believe, but I really have a lot of fun with my brothers and sisters and their spouses. We all came up with a code to tell my sister-in-law if she was laughing too loud, if my sister Gina was talking about something inappropriate, or if I was taking too many hors d'hoerves. Well, I don't drink, but I eat! I'm not going to pretend the servers didn't come to know me well, but I have nothing to apologize for. Those wild mushroom tarts and mini cheeseburgers were delightful, and I honored them. And the crab-cakes.

There were a lot of random anorexic girls with "daddy issues" walking around being awesome. That was fun. One made quite a cat-walk-like entrance, stopped as if posing for paparazzi, looked Gina up and down, laughed, then walked off. My husband Topher, Gina and her husband Jonathan, my sister Amanda and her boyfriend Derrick and I laughed so, so hard. It was so random! Then Gina, in true Gina style, stood up and said, "Well, if she thinks THAT'S an entrance. . . I'll show HER an entrance!" She got up, went to the door, and came in full-force. Everyone else was incredibly nice. James introduced us to everyone. I met a friend of James who plays with Rilo Kiley, and B.J. Novak from the Office. I was a little disappointed that the news media did not want to talk to me, though. E Extra? ET? Insider? Where's the love?




My brother was so generous to treat us to a little getaway and give us a peek into his life. I know it's not very rock and roll to say it, but he's such a kind, sweet, genuine boy! Did I mention he's an eagle scout? Maybe I've revealed too much.



If you want to read more about the trip visit my blog as well as my husband's blog.

Hammerpress

It's June. June Rocks.

Especially this June. This June is so rocking because I've got all kinds of rock-and-roll happenings planned this month. Like our very first Guest Dad, posting next week, who happens to totally rock. And a Guest Mom posting on the 25th who rocks just as hard.

So to start the month on a hardrock note, I'm going to tell you about my Stationery Show find number 3: Hammerpress Design. Their booth was great and they were cool and friendly to chat with. But now that I've checked out their website I'm totally intimidated by them. Their work is fantastic and their porfolio is extensive.




And they know how to rock: I am so loving their series of event posters. 10 webpages worth of posters to choose from. And each one as awesome as the next. All are available for purchase — and at reasonable prices, I must say. I hope when my kids are teenagers they'll let me put posters like these in their bedrooms.



If you have more time to browse their site, don't miss their everyday stationery. And especially don't miss their portfolio of custom wedding invitations — truly stunning. Hammerpress Rocks!

Giveaway Winner: Lego Cufflinks by Jacqueline Sanchez

Thank you for participating in another fabulous Giveaway. The winner of the Lego Cufflinks Giveaway is Robert Mahar who said... "Ok, these are every geeky guy's idea of fashion - love it!"

Congratulations, Robert! Please email me from the link on my blog with your shipping address and I'll send your info along to Jacqueline Sanchez.

Thanks again to everyone who entered the Giveaway. Thanks to Jacqueline Sanchez. And thanks for reading. Didn't win today? Don't give up hope — more giveaways next week. . .