Merry Christmas!

Here is our pretty wreath at night. I love the long ribbons. I love how they move in the breeze. I love how the red and green look against the door. I love how it looks lit from above.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday. I'll be back Wednesday, January 2nd when my kiddies are back in school. Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

Random Giveaway — Sterling Pear Ornament Storage Box Winner

Happy Christmas Eve! What a great day to announce a Giveaway winner. Congratulations to: Sara who said, "Santa...please...I need this..."

Hooray for Sara! Please email me from the link on my blog with your shipping address, and I'll forward your information to Sterling Pear right away.

Thank you Sterling Pear! Merry Christmas everybody!

Handmade Sibling Gifts 2007 — 3rd Installment

Olive is a first grader. I thought long and hard about what she could make for her siblings that would be useful and beautiful and that she could really truly contribute-to/participate-in. This is what we came up with.


Three Bean Bags for Oscar. One Heating Pad for Ralph.
Basically two versions of the same project. Olive picked the fabric from my fabric box. She helped cut it. She chose the orange thread. She controlled the sewing machine presser foot, while I guided the fabric. She turned the heating pad right side out. She filled the heating bag with beans. She filled the bean bags with wheat (they have exposed hems, so we didn't need to turn them right side out). They turned out great. Olive was very proud of herself.

If you haven't tried a heating bag like this, I highly recommend it. We were given one by a neighbor, in a great ticking stripe fabric, over 6 years ago and it's barely showing any wear. You just microwave it for a couple of minutes and the heat lasts for ages. At our house, the heating pad functions almost like a band-aid or a mother's kiss — it kind of cures everything. I scraped my knee, I need the heating pad. I didn't win at Scrabble, I need the heating pad. I imagine Ralph will think it's very grown-up to have one of his very own.

And bean bags are just one of those things you need around the house when you have kids. They're an instant game. Who can throw the bean bags closest to the circle on the rug? Let's play catch with the bean bags. The bean bag is hiding, let's find it. Our current supply is mostly lost. Oscar will love these new ones.



A Bag of Chalk for Maude
Maude really loves rock climbing and gymnastics. Both of which require chalk to keep her hands dry. I have no idea where you buy the real stuff, but Olive made a container full by grating big sticks of sidewalk chalk with our box grater. The grater worked like a charm and the chalk dust turned out to be quite colorful and lovely.




An ipod Cover for Ralph
I also want to show you what Maude made for Ralph. Remember his ipod from his birthday last August? Well. Maude used this idea from Martha to make him an ipod cover from felt. The button isn't functional as a button, but the cover was too plain and Maude thought a button would look good. She's so right. And the button does help keep the cover sort-of weighted down. Bonus, it's so big and so easy to work with that it was a great opportunity to teach Maude how to sew on a button.

There is still one more sibling gift to work on this weekend — Ralph's gift for Maude. I'll let you know how it goes.

Wrapping Ideas

I just found this fantastic photo essay from Blueprint all about great-looking gift wrap ideas. Check it out.

Ask Design Mom - Last Minute Gifts

Ask Design Mom Question:
Hi Gabrielle. I have so enjoyed your blog and all the wonderful ideas and things you share with us. Any tips on generic hostess gifts? We just moved to a new town and are receiving a lot of dinner invitations. Because I don't know the people, I often am not sure what to give as a hostess gift. Your ideas would be much appreciated. Thanks, Abbey

Design Mom Answer: Hi Abbey! Thanks for your great question. I'll start by linking to a few past posts that might give you some ideas. And then I'll add a few more true Last Minute Gift Ideas for anyone going to holiday events this weekend in need of super quick hostess gifts.

A few of my favorite past posts about this topic:
Hostess Gifts
The Laundress
Card File
Beth's Farm Kitchen
Minus Bags
Housewarming Gifts

True Last Minute Hostess Gift Ideas:
When I say last minute, I mean actually last minute. As in you're on your way to the event. You're already a little late, but you'd like to bring a hostess gift. It's night. Gift shops are closed. You don't have enough time to stop in at Target. But if you can make it to the grocery store and hit the express lane, here are 3 things that could do the trick.

1) Fresh Pineapple
A whole fresh pineapple is just so festive. It's practically it's own party. It's fragrant. It's large so it makes a statement. It will be eaten and enjoyed. And very few people buy them as part of their regular grocery shopping so it feels special and unusual. It even looks great sitting on the counter. Add a bow to transform it from produce to gift item.

2) Movie Candy
Forget about the traditional boxed chocolates that come with a little gold bow and are meant to be given as gifts. Grocery store chocolates are bound to be low quality and reek of last minute and little thought. Instead, stack a few oversize boxes of movie candy and tie them up with a bow. For Christmas giving, red boxes of Hot Tamales and green boxes of Mike & Ikes would look festive and be a nice break from the M&Ms in everyone's holiday candy bowl. Choose oversize boxes to make this an especially cute gift.

3) Magazine Subscription
This is an actual thoughtful, useful gift you can pick up at the last minute, literally in the express lane. Grab a Real Simple or Parents or Atlantic Monthly or Lucky or Blueprint or whatever you think your host would like — fashion? food? family? Pull out a subscription card and save it to send in the next day. Roll up the magazine and add a bow. You're all set.

Final note: you may have noticed how all 3 gifts required a bow. And really, since many gifts are at least 75% about presentation, I highly recommend keeping an emergency gift kit in the glove box — especially during December. Put a roll of pretty ribbon, a small pair of scissors and a few gift tags in a ziplock bag and you're good to go for pretty much any gift giving on the run.

Random Giveaway — Ornament Storage Box from Sterling Pear

Awesome Giveaway today. I know you might not believe me. You're thinking the timing is bad. Like, "Hey. If I win this, it won't even make it in time for Christmas. Not cool." But actually, it's very-super-really cool. Because the prize today is the perfect post-Christmas object. Enter your comment to win a Signature Ornament Storage Box from Sterling Pear, which sells for $149.00!



See what I mean? This is the exact thing I'm going to be craving at 8:00 am Christmas morning when I'm surrounded by piles of Things To Store — a really sturdy, well-made, beautiful place to put lots of stuff. Christmas stuff in particular. Surely you'll be craving something similar. And happily for us, Sterling Pear thought of it. And designed it. And had it built. And hooray.

Now. If you find yourself drooling at the site of this storage box, I encourage you to click your way around the Sterling Pear site. Because you will find many more beautiful holiday things to make your heart flutter. (They're not part of the Giveaway, but they are wonderful eye-candy.)



Like this elegant table runner. This classic and understated brass stocking holder. So sophisticated. It's hard not to love a company that focuses on Christmas year round. I look forward to seeing their line expand.

Thank you Sterling Pear!

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

Random Giveaway Guidelines:
-You have until midnight (PST) on Sunday, December 23rd 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 (Christmas Eve!).
-What are Random Giveaways? Read about them here.

Shy Girl Designs

Seriously. I have had no less than 6 separate emails from 6 unrelated-but-very-stylish-bloggers about Shy Girl Designs. And a quick visit to the site, and a peak at that story-book print purse, tells you why. Cute, cute stuff.

More Christmas Stockings

Back on November 21st I answered an Ask-Design-Mom question about stockings. If you're still hunting for a good idea for this year or next, here is another photo I found super inspiring.

I love the idea of collecting a variety of stockings. Some hand-knit. Some woven. Some simple. Some with texture. When you see and fall-in-love with a particular stocking you could buy one, instead of enough for the whole family. Maybe pick up one from Sundance on a ski trip. Or something pretty in a Christmas clearance sale.

I also love the look of stockings as part of the overall Christmas decorations in a home. At our house, I know we can hang 7 stockings legitimately — one for each member of the family. But why not display a row of 11 or 15 that we've collected over the years? On Christmas Eve, the kids could each pick their favorite to have Santa fill.

Natursutten Paci

I like the look of this one piece rubber pacifer from Zoë B Organic. Pretty little loop for a handle.

Podcast Tonight with Kristen of Motherhood Uncensored

Happy day! A 2-man painting crew has been in the basement today painting it a nice shade of yellow — Benjamin Moore's Mellow Yellow for those who are curious. We have been converting it to a playroom since we moved my office space out of the basement a few months ago.

The space is small and pretty dark. It desperately needed a coat of something cheery to brighten it up and I haven't had the time/energy to make it happen. Ben Blair saved the day again and scheduled the painters. They'll be done tomorrow. Lovely.

The only downside is the painting has interrupted my internet connection. Here it is 5:00 and I'm just getting online. I swear I'm completely dysfunctional without the world wide web.

Anyway. This is just a quick post to invite you to listen-in to tonights podcast hosted by Kristen Chase of Motherhood Uncensored. We'll be talking about Christmas traditions, last minute gift ideas, decorations. Lots of good holiday stuff. You can find the podcast here.

Also. Many, many readers sent in brilliant questions. Thank you! I had quite a time sifting through them. But I've emailed the winners — and an alternate — and am waiting to receive confirmation that they're available to call in. If you sent in a question, please check your inbox.

I'm so excited. This is my first Design Mom podcast experience. Hope you'll join me.

Elf on the Shelf

Oh my goodness! Look at the fun package we received. It's called Elf on the Shelf. It's meant to be a new Christmas tradition for your family. We've been participating for 3 or 4 days now and we're hooked.

Here's how it works. Mr. Elf comes to visit your home during the holidays. He watches over the home and reports back good deeds to Santa each night. The next morning he comes back and sits in a new location. Your kids get to search him out each day. On Christmas Eve he returns to the North Pole and stays their until next year.

Here's how it goes down at our house. Each morning the kids say, "Our elf is still in the same spot." Then I think "Oh shoot!" And when they're not looking, I move Mr. Elf and they notice he's moved later in the day. But they love it anyway.

The package includes the darling elf (very retro charming) and a beautiful story book that explains how the tradtion works. There's a space in the book to name your elf. We named ours Humboldt.

Side note: this package was a really wonderful thank you gesture from my lovely friend Melissa for a tiny favor I did for her earlier this year. Do I now send a thank you for the thank you? I've never been clear on how that works. . . In case you're reading, Melissa. Thank you! We love Humboldt.

More Handmade Sibling Gifts

Hair Clips for Betty.
This was a group effort. Ralph, Maude and Olive each worked on these hair clips for Betty. Mostly we used scraps of ribbon and hot glue. But Ralph and Maude experimented with beading on 2 of them. Aren't they darling? Betty will love opening her little box of accessories.




Painted t-shirt for Oscar.
Ralph designed and painted a car onto a piece of canvas using fabric paints. We sewed it on to a tee from Target with deliberately rough lines — a good technique for kids. It turned out cute. I like that it wraps around the side.

Joy Spread the Word Tees

Remember way back in August when I posted about Oscar's terrific Courageous shirt? Well hooray! Joy Spread the Word is officially open for business. Bamboo and organic cotton. Free Shipping. What more could you want and/or need?

Call for Questions

Lucky me — I get to be a guest on Kristin Chase's, aka Motherhood Uncensored's podcast this Wednesday! We'll be talking about fun holiday traditions, decorating, celebrating. All sorts of good things. And the networks won't be censoring any of it.

But I need your help. I'm looking for a few Design Mom Readers to call in Wednesday night with holiday related Ask-Design-Mom questions. Here's the dealio:

If you'll be near a phone Wednesday night between 9:00 and 9:45pm EST, and you've got an Ask-Design-Mom-Question, then I'd love to hear from you. Please email your question to me at gabrielle@designmom.com. I'll pick a few of my favorites and invite the questioners to call in on Wednesday night.



Even better: Craftsbury Kids, one of my favorite vendors, will send you a $25 gift certificate if your question gets picked! Not too shabby. You could use your gift certificate to pick up the fantastic frog hat in the photo, or one of dozens of darling things in their shop.

I'm really looking forward to chatting it up with Kristen. And I'm really looking forward to reading and answering your sure-to-be-brilliant questions. For the curious, you can find all of Kristen's excellent podcasts here. Then. Tune in to the same place to hear us Wednesday night.

Clothespin Dolls

I heart these clothespin dolls by Beckbot. The dolls are adorable and the writing on her post about them made me laugh out loud. I hope BeckBot doesn't mind that she's my new bff in my head.

Thanks for the link Stephanie.

Holiday Goings On on the Interwebs

So many things.

My sister Jordan had her baby.
Moses. Adorable. While you're waiting patiently for her to start blogging again, look up her fantastic 30 Gifts under $30 posts to give you some brilliant last minute ideas for Christmas.

Christmas Tour of Homes.
Just found this today! BooMama has organized an Internet Home Tour of Holiday Decorations. So fun to get a peek into people's homes. Go check it out. But please heed BooMama's advice and pace yourself. It's a lot of tinsel to take in.

Flood Relief in Washington State.
Daring Young Mom is helping with flood relief efforts in Washington. You can read her moving posts about the horrific damage and inspiring stories of service here, here and here. Want to help out a family in need this Christmas? Of course you do! She'll tell you how.

New York Area Gift Swap.
Organized by the wonderful Mommy Poppins. It's a great opportunity to clean out the kids' rooms of the toys they don't need any longer, make room for the new gifts and do something good for children less fortunate. Oh shoot! I missed it. It was yesterday. I. have. got. to. catch. up. on. my. email. You can still read about the great event here. For any of you traveling to New York this Christmas, also check out her NYC Holiday Guide.

Albers Quilt

Oh my. Someone should plan a whole room, maybe a whole life, around this beautiful Albers Quilted Blankie by Miss Natalie. Available in her etsy shop.

Hedvig Bourbon

In my latest diaper bag discussions, I've been introduced to Hedvig Bourbon, a new-on-the-scene line of diaper bags and coordinating accessories, like changing pads and stroller liners. I really like the styling and color choices. And I'm impressed with the extensive features listed in this write-up:

The Lucas diaper bag is designed for moms and dads on the move, with emphasis on function and style. Its unique strap design hooks around the handles of all strollers. A leather strap converts the diaper bag with an easy switch from a stroller tote to an over the shoulder bag. There are several pockets to help you stay organized; a large pocket in the back with a magnetic snap for changing pad, and 2 pockets on the front for other quick access needs. Inside there are 2 pockets for diapers, wipes and bottle, a deep zipper pocket, and an interior cell phone pocket and key-ring clip.



Things I especially like about this bag are the stroller/shoulder option and that it doesn't look like a diaper bag. Very mom chic.

Edit: This just in! Design Mom Readers get a 20% discount at Hedvig Bourbon. Just email sales@hedvigbourbon.com after purchase with the code "Design Mom" and it will be applied as a refund.

Baby FYI

So it's been pregnancy central for my brothers and sisters this year. My brother Salem and his wife Megan gave birth to baby number 2, last month. His name is Jared and he is beautiful. Look at that hair! Those cheeks! I can't wait to meet him.

Then. My sister Jordan and her husband Paul, plus my brother Jared and his wife Liz are each due with baby number 1 on January 1st, 2008.



Actually. I should say "were" due. Because Liz and Jared gave birth to a gorgeous little boy, Henry Wayne Stanley, on December 5th — after a crazy surprise emergency c-section. He is home and healthy and I can't wait to meet him too. Isn't that a great shot? Ben thinks he looks just like one of our babies.

And. Paul and Jordan are at the hospital as I type!

Three little boy cousins. All born within a short time. So wonderful. But labor is hard. Delivery is harder. I'll be sending up prayers for Jordan all day long.

Making Sibling Gifts 2007

If you were checking in with this blog last December, you may remember my post about my kids making Christmas gifts for each other. Well. We spent last weekend getting the making underway again. Ralph and Maude both completed their gifts for Olive.



Ralph made 3 bottles of bubble bath. We used recipes inspired by this site, but pretty much just used what we had. We put the bubble bath in 3 little bottles we picked up at Michaels. $1 each. Ralph hand-drew the labels on a blank sheet of computer label paper that we trimmed into strips. This was a great project for Ralph's talents and skills. This is what Ralph named each concoction and a rough idea of the contents. Each recipe makes about 1/2 cup — because that's how much fit in each bottle.

Luxury Honey & Vanilla Bubblebath:
-1/4 cup clear shampoo from Trader Joe's
-1/8 cup honey
-1 tsp vanilla
-1/8 cup sunflower oil
-yellow food coloring

Almond Extract with Vitamin E Luxe Bubble Bath
-1/4 cup shampoo
-1/8 cup baby oil
-2 lids vitamin E oil
-1/8 cup almond extract (the kind used in cooking)
-blue food coloring

Silken Perfumed Luxury Bubble Bath
-Nanette Lepore and Muschio Biacco shower gel (the entire contents of two little bottles from two different hotel stays)
-Contents of perfume sample of Daisy by Marc Jacobs
-1/4 cup combo of sunflower oil, baby oil and vitamin E
-red food coloring & one drop of blue that we regretted. It muddied it up instead of tinted it violet.




Maude used a round loom to knit a scarf for Olive. This was our first experience with a round loom. It's maybe the greatest invention ever. Ever. The thick yarn we used made for quick progress — a nice benefit to keep Maude motivated during her first project. She did a excellent job. The scarf is really lovely. I intend to borrow it often.

Olive is going to love both of these.

Perfect Red Dress

Still haven't picked up a holiday dress for your lovely daughter? Here's one that nobody else will have. Because it comes from a shop called Oneity. And Oneity just launched online.

I think the lines and shaping of this little number are adorable. The shade of red is holiday perfect. And the price is more reasonable than a dress from any of the big children's stores. In girls' sizes 2 to 10 years. (A skirt in the same delicious fabric is available as well. In sizes 18 mos to 8 years.)



Hot sewing blogger Gina is a Oneity fan. She mentioned that the clothes are very well made and that the company philosophy is all about helping communities in developing countries. If that's the case than it sounds like I'm a Oneity fan as well.

Edit: Just heard from Oneity with two more interesting tidbits about these lovely dresses. The fabric is a very nice cotton sateen and was originally used by Hermes — nice. And these dresses are made by women in Madagascar Africa — also nice.

Minus Bags

I know well the guilt of walking out of the store with my grocery cart full of plastic bags — when the shopper right before me did the responsible thing and brought their own reusable bags. I tell you. I can not seem to get the habit to stick. But I'm going to try harder.

Maybe the beautiful options from Minus Bags, by Brooklyn-based designer MB Mullan, will keep me on the path of green-i-ness. A great hostess gift idea. I especially like the 3 peas.

Nine Times Three

Terri from Life Plus Kids, just sent me a link to Nine Times Three. A maternity line that consists of only three pieces. Three pieces that you can wear all nine months. I love the concept. I love the collection. A smart place to start if you're building a maternity wardrobe. Read about the designer here.

Isn't it a great era in which to be pregnant?

Quiet Hours Toys Giveaway Winner

What a fantastic Giveaway. Thank you so much for participating all 816(!) of you in the Quiet Hours Toys Giveaway. 816? Seriously? That's awesome. So fun to read your comments. I wish I could pick each one of you. But I can only pick one:

Congratulations to Just A Girl who said, "Hopefully I'm lucky #43."

Hooray for Just A Girl! Please email me from the link on my blog with your shipping address, and I'll forward your information to Quiet Hours Toys right away.

Thank you Quiet Hours Toys!

Lost in Houston

So I've kind of disappeared, but I didn't mean to. I'm in Houston sk*rting it up with Laurie and Laura. I thought it would be internet central and that I'd be blogging like crazy, but it turns out this trip has been all about meetings. Meetings. Meetings. Meetings.

Meeting business advisors for sk*rt. Meeting web 2.0 people for brunch. Meeting cool people like Katherine Center and Karen Walrond (who took the fantastic photo above — thank you, Karen!). A meeting of the minds with Laurie and Laura.

This is my first time in Houston. I love it. I really love it. It's green. It's 74 degrees. The architecture is charming. And there are excellent restaurants all over the place. My already enormous hair has frizzed to gigantic proportions in the thick humidity. I'm officially living large in Texas.

I fly back to New York tomorrow. I'll be blogging again on Thursday. Can't wait.

Oh! And I'll announce the lucky Quiet Hours Toys Giveaway winner on Thursday as well.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

This year, my sister Sara's family sent gifts to my family (like many big families, we only send gifts to one sibling each year). It's such an amazing gift and such a smart idea that I have to share. Knowing how much my kids love to put on the Nativity pageant on Christmas Eve, she scoured her local thrift shops and came up with perfect costumes for all the main parts.

These costumes have all the right details. Great jewelry for the wisemen. Special containers for the gold, frankincense and myrrh. The shepherd has a super cool belt. The angel has a beaded halo. Sara embellished and altered her bargain finds as needed.

It is such a wonderful gift idea — and it's not too late if you know the perfect recipient for this sort of thing. You could even start with Mary & Joseph and the Angel this year. Then add the Wisemen and Shepherd another year.

The packages arrived this weekend — marked Open Upon Receipt. And my kids have been in and out of the costumes ever since. They've been working on an "improved" script for the special production and there has been lots of debate about who will be which parts. Luckily, we'll be sharing Christmas Eve with two other families this year, so we have plenty of people to choose from.

The costumes came stacked and folded with cards identifying the character and any applicable notes on the back (like: wear bracelet on the upper arm). Here they are in all their glory:









And here they are on the models (with the shepherd featured above):



Thank you, Sara! And thanks to Steve, Zella, Ruth, Ike and Lucy — who I'm certain contributed in many ways. We love the costumes. They're just right.

Random Giveaway: Huge Prize Package from Quiet Hours Toys

Fantastic Giveaway today. A really good one. And it will be of service in at least two ways: 1) it will introduce you to an excellent online shop you may not be familiar with, and 2) it will help you with your Christmas shopping. Get your comments in now to win this generous handmade toy collection from Quiet Hour Toys worth $178! This is what's in the prize package:


- 1 tiny 9” wooden play stove from Maileg, which includes pots, pans & a baguette. It’s adorable. And have you ever seen children play with tiny toys? It's so delightful, they tend to use tiny voices when dealing with tiny toys — sort of like talking baby talk to the "tiny baby" toys.
- 1 set knit cupcakes from Yellow Label Kids. These are pretty enough I would be tempted to keep them for myself — maybe display them in my office.


-2 sets of child-size enamel dishware. Oh how I love enamel dishware. I have a whole adult-size set that we use almost constantly for everyday eating. Very child friendly. And if you like the basic set, Quiet Hours Toys has lots of additional pieces to choose from.
- 1 crocheted market bag from the Rurapuk Cooperative of Mothers in Peru containing an assortment of wooden fruits & veggies from HABA (like the pears in the picture below). Beautiful.


-1 picnic set with Lilly Bean felt play food which includes a pita sandwich, bag of chips, and slice of chocolate cake. Doesn't every child need their own felt pita sandwich? So great!

Talk about a generous Giveaway. Win this and your child's play pantry is going to be well-stocked and ready for the new year. Ready for hours and hours of quiet (cross your fingers), creative play. And if these lovely handmade toys appeal to you, definitely check out the rest of the Quiet Hours Toys collection.


Don't miss the wide selection of handcarved Nativity figures, like this Mary and Joseph. Very child-friendly. These would be fun to collect — a couple of pieces each year.


Or the sweet prints from Papered Together.

I am so impressed with Quiet Hours. It's mother-owned and operated, and they work with small companies, fair trade cooperatives and independent artists and crafters who design custom-made, limited-edition pieces. They aim to offer a selection of original, well-made toys that have some lasting value. I like what it says on their about page: We believe old-fashioned craftsmanship and good design make for the kinds of things you’ll want to hold on to, and that is what we seek out.

Thank you Quiet Hours Toys!

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

Random Giveaway Guidelines:
-You have until midnight (PST) on Monday, December 10th 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.
-What are Random Giveaways? Read about them here.

Toby & Rei

If you read CJane, you may have noticed her post about how she'd like to dress her forthcoming baby boy: "I plan to dress my baby to look like a baby which means that I am somewhat (very) picky. No to khakis, jeans, and heaven forbid--HEAVEN FORBID--anything with bow ties. Yes to knits, soft cotton and kimono tops. No to anything with race cars, frogs, trains, dinosaurs, or turtles. Yes to plain layettes, gowns and bodysuits. No to shoes. Yes to booties. Basically, I fantasize about raising this man-child of mine by putting him in a plain white onesie everyday and to hell with the rest."

Although the general population may not be as (admittedly) picky as CJane is, think she is not alone in wanting her baby to look like a baby — but it can be harder than you might guess. And if were even a few short years ago, I would read CJane's wishes and think to myself: Good luck with that. And give a deep sigh.

But it's 2007 my friends. And having babies is so popular, and there are so many excellent options now, that if you so desire, you can keep your baby dressed like a baby until he's 10! Or at least until he's size 6T.



This is a long way of saying that I love the simple, undyed clothing options that have been cropping up lately. One of them that I find very appealing is Toby & Rei. First, they're all about sustainable. Organic cotton. Lots of bamboo. Second, their designs are simple and clean. Their palette is muted and gorgeous.

Look at their cozy robes. I'm craving one for Oscar in celery or pebble gray. And their blankets! I've held one of these in real life. They are thicker than a typical baby blanket. Super soft. And just the right size. Perfect to cozy up your baby in this winter.

I know I won't remember, but in a couple of years, when CJane's boy is toddling around, I hope I remember to send her a Toby & Rei robe. Simple. Unadorned. Perfect.

Allison Strine Designs

Allison of Allison Strine Designs sent me an email calling attention to her "She Loves Being a Mom" pendant. I immediately thought of several women I know who this would be perfect for. Also, don't miss her great license plate charms. Lots of different letters available. And just enough edginess that they seem like a good fit for a teenage girl.

Book of the Week — Robert Sabuda's Christmas Pop Ups

If you don't have any Robert Sabuda pop-up books in your library, Christmas is a perfect time to acquire one. Pop up books are generally non-stop fascination for children and Sabuda's are no exception. Children can't get enough of them. And neither can adults. These aren't the pop-up books we grew up with. They're a whole new level of intricacy and details. A whole new level of cool.

Mr. Sabuda has several winter/Christmas themed options.



The 12 Days of Christmas



Winter's Tale



The Night Before Christmas



Christmas Alphabet

You really can't go wrong with any of them.

And speaking of super-cool pop-up books. Look what Ralph is getting for Christmas:



Star Wars Pop-up Guide by Matthew Reinhart (one of Mr. Sabuda's pop-up colleagues).

Ask Design Mom: Advent Calendars

Question:
Hi Design Mom. I just found your website a month ago, and I love your recommendations. I'm on a search a stylish advent calendar that we can use to help our son anticipate Christmas for years to come. Looking for a wooden one, I think. Thanks, Kelly

Design Mom Answer:
Great question Kelly. You're in luck. My favorite advent calendar belongs to my sister and happens to be wood. It's the one pictured above. I really like it. Especially because the only thing about it that makes it an advent calendar is that it has 25 compartments. You could keep it on display all year with little trinkets and jewelry and stuff because it's a neutral color.

Unfortunately, she bought it a couple of years ago at Pottery Barn and it's no longer available. But I keep thinking this would be a good project to approach a woodworker with — have someone build one for me to my exact specifications. I've had similar (in scope) projects built and it's much less expensive than you might think.


For something a little sleeker and metropolitan, I like this mirrored one from Target. Tres chic.



This one by Ali Edwards, which I also found via my sister, is more of a project than an object, and I looove it.


For something more childlike, this cloth one from PB Kids fits the bill.


Another cute one from Target — and on clearance for $15. Wood and sweet. But a little boring. It needs some red — maybe ribbon on some of the knobs or maybe a few ornaments dangling from the knobs. Or I might switch out the knobs themselves for something simple and colorful.


Oh. And look at this cute stocking version from etsy site.

Lots of great options out there. I hope you find the perfect one for your family.


Update: Just heard from Martha B. of Nibs. Here's a link to her own excellent post on advent calendars. Lots more ideas.

Jewelry Storage

Another ongoing dilemma. How to store one's jewelry so it is accessible and easy to see. I love these three out in the open storage options from PB Teen. Especially the tiered one.

Holiday Cards Part 2

The requests keep coming in for Holiday Card suggestions — especially photo card suggestions. I did one post a few weeks ago on holiday cards. Here's another edition today, heavy on the photo cards.


from Made by Girl


from Sweet Ivy Designs


from Push the Envelope


from CocoBlu Studio


from Melissa Cherniske

Looky Book

Clever Laurie just sent me a link to Looky Book. A great new site that lets you view childrens' books online — cover to cover. Seriously. Every page. What a brilliant idea and useful tool. Check it out. It's still in beta and I'm sure their collection of books is growing fast.

Funnel Paper Goods

I know you're out there. You've got presents for the kiddies hidden in closets. Stuffed on high shelves. In the basement. In your neighbor's basement. But at some point, you are going to have to retrieve them.

And wrap them up.

Luckily, I've just discovered a new favorite wrapping paper source: Funnel Paper Goods by designer Eric Kass. With names as wonderful as the patterns — like Uncle Bob's Pajamas and Rangifer Tarandus — wrapping will be anything but tedious. Bonus: most of the prints are neutral enough that they will serve long after the tinsel has been swept from your home.

Also, I think these prints would look especially good tied up with some of this twine.

A Few of Erin's Food Picks

When Ben and I had our weekend without kids a little while back, we asked my sister-in-law Erin for food recommendations. The New York food scene is extensive enough that no matter how many places we've tried and loved, we never come close to trying them all. Erin had wonderful ideas, keeping in mind places she knew we hadn't been to. Here they are with her notes:

For Lunch
Bouchon Bakery — Columbus Circle in the Time Warner Bldg. By Thomas Keller of French Laundry and per se fame.

Momofuku Noodle Bar — The chef was Bon Appetite's chef of the year this year. It's casual sit at a bar kind of place — think ramen noodles but totally homemade.

Rickshaw Dumplings — 61 W 23rd st. (23rd between 6th and Broadway) We love the pork and the chicken dumplings. Ben would like the chocolate dumpling.

Shake Shack — Madison Square Park, Broadway and 23rd



For Dinner
Gotham — 12 E. 12th st (between 5th and University) They have a $25 lunch prix fixe if you can't get in for dinner.

Craft — 43 E. 19th St. (bet. B-way and Park Ave. S.) Rebecca R. told me this was her favorite place they'd been, so we tried it last year. It's amazing. Same price point as Gotham.

Vong — 200 E. 54 th St (3rd Ave.) They call this French-Thai. Lots of Thai flavors but more French preparation. They have a pre-theater prix fixe that is a great price.

For Dessert
Pinkberry — This is the frozen yogurt place. There are lots of locations, all open until 11:00.
32nd street - 7W 32nd st.
Chelsea 170 8th Ave.
Columbia 2873 Broadway
Greenwich Village 177 Bleecker St.
Spring Street 41 Spring St.

Chickalicious — 203 E. 10th St. (between 1st and 2nd) One of my most favorite New York memories. You put your name in and wait in this tiny place (it seats 20) for like an hour, but then enjoy a three courses of dessert. And it's nothing like a buffet dessert, each course is simple and small and beautifully crafted. A husband/wife team runs it, the wife is Japanese and you see her influence in presentation and simplicity. It's a prix fixe menu — $21 a person. It's amazing!!

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What a list! Perfect for our weekend. We didn't get to every place on Erin's list, but we loved having options so we didn't have to think hard about it and could pick a restaurant close to where we were. We ended up at Gotham (classic New York) for dinner on Friday and Momofuku (super-hip, young New York) for dinner on Saturday and loved them both.

She might have different recommendations for a different weekend and a different couple. But I thought I would share this great list because I know how many people come into town for the Holidays and need food advice. Erin gives great food advice.

images from Momofuku, Bouchon and Gotham

Oras Wall Mobiles

I think these Oras wall mobiles are beautiful. I like the shadows they throw. I like that they add some texture and movement to a room. They are pretty alone and could be interesting in a composition of objects and pictures. Available in lots of colors.

Christmas Card Photo

Remember these awesome photos by Jan Von Holleben I linked to a couple of weeks ago? Well. I also shared them with my kids. Up on seeing them, their brains almost exploded with the possibilities. They immediately started suggesting scenarios and similar photos. So Ben and I figured we could use Jan's brilliant technique and create an image for our Christmas cards — satisfying our kids and checking our cards off the holiday list in one fell swoop.

We're not sure if this is the final shot yet, but I share this with you now in case any one out there wants to try something similar in time for Christmas. Very fun. Very satisfying. And it gets better with each try. Here is the progression of our attempts and a few tips we learned along the way.

1) The content. We wanted to take advantage of the flying aspect, so we decided the angel speaking to the shepherds would be perfect. We call the image: Unto You a Child is Born! We also immediately decided the babies wouldn't get to be in this particular image. Neither one can hold still for even 2 seconds.

2) We practiced without a real backdrop, standing on the couch and staging the kids on the area rug, just to see if we could get the hang of it before we committed to more work.





3) Next we attempted the photo with the backdrop. Initially we tried to use the black pavement of our driveway for the night sky, and the grass that meets the driveway as the ground. But it was just too cold the day we shot the photo, so we moved it inside.



4) We shot indoors in the afternoon and there was still plenty of light. We used rolls of black garbage sacks for the backdrop. (The garbage sacks were kind of hard to work with. I think the driveway would have been easier.) We stood on a ladder to take the shots. One thing I really liked about Jan's pictures is his use of every day objects as props. We tried to do the same, using diapers for the angel wings and keeping the costumes simple.

5) We love our little Canon Elph. But it's not a real, real camera. So we could only get the photo so clear. At which point, we called for a favor from Guest Mom Sara's husband, Travis Stratford. He came with his awesome camera and awesome camera skilz and we shot again. This time at night. Can you believe how much clearer his shot is? Awesome.



6) We are trying to decide if this is the final shot or if we should make one more attempt. Things we would change at Travis's smart suggestion: make Ralph's clothes more contrast-y against the black. And mess with the light sources so that angel Olive looks like she's illuminating everything else.

7) A few last notes. The kneeling and standing were harder to pull off than the flying. The whole project would have been easier if we'd changed the title to "Angels We Have Heard on High" or something like that and had all the kids flying. And if we'd kept shoes on our shepherds that would also have helped. The shoes help keep their feet straight.

If you attempt one, I hope you'll share. We can start a flickr group of Jan Von Holleben knock offs.

Obuba

There are lots of options for nursing cover-ups out there and recently, this one called Obuba (pronounced oh-boo-baw) especially caught my eye. It's much bigger than most and seems perfect for cozy winter nursing. Like a poncho/baby blanket/nursing cover all in one.

Available in 5 colors — doesn't the red look so holiday chic? Made of really soft, easy care cotton.

It's Beginning to Feel a lot like Christmas

It was a really good weekend. We picked up the Christmas tree on Friday. We had a big Christmas party at our church on Saturday. We woke up to snow on Sunday — so Sunday afternoon was all about baking cookies and making hot cocoa. With fresh whipped cream.

Ralph played Joseph in the Christmas pageant on Saturday. Maude & Olive were both lovely angels. Alas, we didn't get a single photo. But I love these shots of Olive helping me test the Christmas lights, and Betty getting up the courage to touch them.

One last note. If you're looking for a new and better way to store your Christmas lights, I highly recommend rolling them into a ball. My sister Jordan taught me this and in my vast Christmas light experience, it is by far the best storage solution. Plus, they look really cool when you plug them in.

Holiday Giveaway Week — Final Five Winners

Happy Monday. I'm going to announce the final five winners right away. But first, I want to declare Holiday Giveaway Week a rousing success — all thanks to you. If you hadn't participated, it wouldn't have been nearly as exciting. So really, truly thank you. And if you didn't win, don't despair. I host Giveaways frequently. In fact, there will be another really good one this week, so stay tuned.

And now. The Day Five Giveaway Winners are:

17) Cake Pedestal and Minis from Nora Fleming — Jenni who said, "lovely"

18) Neat Receipts worth $230 — laurie who said, "i would LOVE to be able to rid our house of receipts. love."

19) Baby Star Crib Bedding Set valued at $380 — amy sahba who said, "beautiful!"

20) Necklace and Ring from Twisted Silver Jewelry — MMW who said, "The bracelet is calling my name."

Bonus 21) Radio Flyer All-Terrain Wagon from Back to Basics Toys — Henry Gibson who said, "Perfect to take to the park this Summer...with baby #2 on the way it would be so handy! Thanks for all these fun giveaways...even if I haven't won any of them it is still fun to hope!"

Congratulations you wonderful winners! Please email from the link on my blog with your shipping address and I'll send it to the sponsors right away. Merry Christmas from Design Mom.

Welcome NY Daily News Readers

If you're visiting Design Mom today from the Daily News article about crafting with your kids: Welcome!

You found my blog on an especially good day. We've been having amazing Holiday Giveaways here all week and there are 5 that your can still enter. To find the Giveaways, just scroll down.

But this blog is more than fantastic Giveaways. You'll find at least three great posts every weekday. I'll introduce you to cool new products and companies. Answer your Ask-Design-Mom questions. Share my favorite children's books in my Book-of-the-Week feature. And invite Guest Moms and Dads to share their point of view as well.

It's all about the intersection of Design and Motherhood. If you'd like to get a better sense of what it's like at Design Mom, please check out these links to some of my favorite past posts:

Porch Makeover
Little Red Lighthouse
Betty's Birth Announcement
Headlight Dancing
What to Wear to Kindergarten

Plymouth Report

Olive hanging with Pilgrim Goodman Brown.

We arrived home from Plymouth last Sunday, and it's been so crazy with all the Giveaways this week that I haven't taken a few minutes to report. And I have lots of emails asking for details. So here goes.

We loved Plymouth. The little town itself is wonderful. Very small and walkable. It feels like every building is centuries old and brimming with stories. Plimouth Plantation, about a mile from town, is also very well done.




The Native American homesite was my husband's favorite. Members of the Wampanoag tribe tell you about their ancestors and show you how traditional boats and homes are made. At The Pilgrim village, you can enter the homes and visit with the Pilgrims who answer exclusively in Old English. I couldn't get enough. It was fascinating. They even have a replica of the Mayflower in the harbor that you can board and explore.


Maude and Betty playing a version of bowling at the Pilgrim village.

It was the perfect kind of trip for school age children because the Thanksgiving story is so familiar to them. Our 6-year-old, Olive especially loved it. She felt like an expert.

Climbing on a Pilgrim bed.

We would do this trip again in a heartbeat. You can see more images of our trip here. (I'm not saying they're extraordinary photos, but I'll bet my mom will like them.)

Bonus: after our time in Plymouth we stayed in our friends' house outside of Providence for a couple of days while they were away for Thanksgiving. We've never done something like that before (stayed in a friend's house while they were away) but it was awesome. Their house is gracious and comfortable and we both have kids the same age, so we felt right at home. Plus, Jenni is an amazing cook and working in her kitchen is a delight. Every tool she owns is quality. We also discovered that we like their DVR system way better then ours.

The only downside was not getting to spend time with the our friends.