One of Ralph’s requests for his birthday was skinny ties. They are surprisingly hard to find — either too long or too expensive for a 13-year-old’s wardrobe. So a few weeks ago, I had an idea: I would buy some old fat ties at a thrift shop and take them to a tailor to have them altered. Brilliant, right?
But then, of course, I forgot about the idea till 3 days before his birthday. At which point, I tried to rush and make it happen. I found 5 great ties at Goodwill and sped them to the tailor. There, I was told it would take 10 days and cost $37 each to skinny them up. Blech.
But since I had the ties in hand, and since they only cost $1 each, I figured I’d try it myself. If I failed, oh well, a $5 failed project is not the end of the world. As it turns out, the first one ended up great (it’s the silvery striped one above)! So I took pictures while I remade tie number two — and now I can share the instructions with you, in case you’re curious.
We have a few Mother Goose books at our house, and one of my favorites is this version by Gyo Fujikawa. This is an older volume that’s been reissued. The illustrations are familiar feeling and comforting (and totally old school cool), and I swear, it has twice as many poems as any other Mother Goose I’ve come across.
I love reading Mother Goose poems aloud. I like to think of all those mothers and fathers who have read or recited the familiar words to their own little ones — for decades and decades (even centuries?). Do your kids like Mother Goose poems?
Last time I posted about Gyo Fujikawa, there was some confusion about whether this famous illustrator was a man or a woman. Does anyone know for sure?
Last week’s CliqueShop deal was lots of fun, so I thought I’d try week number two. If enough Design Mom Readers are interested in the deal, then it happens. If there’s not enough interest, then the deal is off. This time, I have something for all you lovely ladies:
For the second deal, I’m featuring Sseko Sandals. These gorgeous sandals come with interchangeable straps and sturdy soles. They’re made by young women in Uganda — high school graduates that are saving up college. Such a neat company! And the shoes really are lovely. I’ve been sporting my pair all summer long and I get compliments every single time I wear them. I mean it. See lots of great photos here.
That’s over 50% off. What a bargain! If you’d like to get in on this deal, go here and click “buy”. If at least 50 Design Mom Readers want the bargain, the deal will go through. Awesome!
Some info about CliqueShop:CliqueShop was started by two of my brothers. Their idea is to bring group buying directly to blog communities. I’m helping them experiment with it now, but they plan to open it to other blogs as soon as they can. If you’re interested in hosting a CliqueShop or have a deal you’d like to offer, you can contact CliqueShop here.
If you love it, you can find out about the next deal — even before I announce it — by subscribing here.
Last Thursday, my kids were invited to try out Kinect for Xbox 360. It’s a game console where your body is the controller. And it is so cool. I know Apple says the iPad is magical. But Kinect is ACTUALLY MAGICAL — you can move things around on the screen by waving your hands. Not kidding! Watching people use it was like watching Minority Report. I kept thinking: The Future is Now.
I’ve got lots of photos of the Kinect SneakPeek after the jump. And here’s a video of Ralph and Maude playing a track & field game from Kinect Sports. It’s super easy to see the screen reflect what’s happening in my kids’ movements:
Ask Design Mom Question:
My little boy is turning two and I’m looking for a darling village rug with scenes of roads and tracks to drive his little cars on. I’m sure you’ve seen them and wondered if there are some great places to find them that I haven’t thought of. Do you have any tips? I am into both classic or modern designs. I just don’t want to give up an arm and a leg for it. I appreciate any ideas you or your readers may have for me! Thank you. — Marta
p.s. I know about train tables, but really want a rug instead. They are just so charming and would fit much better in our little apartment!
Design Mom Answer:
I know just what you’re thinking of, Marta! Two years ago, the kind, elderly widow down the street made a playmat for Oscar. He still plays with it all. the. time. Because it was a gift, I don’t have any great sources to recommend, but I’m betting my readers do.
What say you, Clever Readers? Any great sources for matchbox car mats? Maybe some cute fabric you’ve seen? Or a readymade version? How about something hand-painted from etsy? Please share.
Now that the birthday festivities are complete, Ben Blair and I are trying to come up with something fun to do this weekend — something momentous to celebrate the big news. Any ideas? While we brainstorm, here are a few things I’ve been wanting to share:
My friend Wendy sent a sweet gift for Baby June — a little golden spoon perfectly sized for a baby (you can find similar “demitasse” spoons at antique stores). June is still too tiny to eat solids, but when she does, it will be fun to feed her with such a glamorous utensil. My favorite part of the gift? Wendy took the “June” page from her pretty letterpress calendar and wrote a letter to Baby June on the back. Isn’t that a cute idea?
Speaking of cute, here is June perfecting her side roll. It’s her favorite thing to do right now:
Friends, the folks at True Value heard that I love doing projects around the house, so they invited me to join their True Value DIY Blog Squad. I think it’s going to be fun. For the next few months, I’ll be doing big and small projects in the house — and outside in the yard too. I’ll gather all the supplies I need at my local True Value. Then I’ll report on the projects here.
I know exactly what I want to do for my first project: I made a list of a dozen or so minor repairs that need to be made around the house. Things like a towel-rack that’s fallen down and a curtain rod that’s broken. I’m going to schedule a Blair House Fix-it Day and take care of all those loose ends. I love checking those sorts of things off my mental list!
What about you? Any projects or fixes you’re about to tackle around the house?
You could win a $150 gift certificate to Clover New York! Perfect timing for your own back-to-school shopping.
Clover’s collections are filled with the colors of India. So pretty! The shapes are easy for children to put on themselves, and each piece is carefully finished with beautiful details. Plus, Clover uses only organic cotton. My favorites are this funky jumpsuit and the Lark top and the messenger bag.
Thank you to Tada! Shop for setting up this generous giveaway. Leave a comment below to enter. The winner will be announced on Monday. Good luck!
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Congratulations to Andi! You are the lucky winner.
I saw these posters on Unplggd and they made me laugh. They were designed by a Sao Paulo ad agency called Moma. Won’t it be fun to be grandmas and grandpas and see vintage ads for things like the iPhone and feel nostalgic? P.S. — Thank you for all the internet love yesterday (here on [...]
What a morning. It’s Olive’s 9th birthday today (and Ralph’s 13th birthday tomorrow). We have a tradition of breakfast in bed on birthdays, so I got up extra early to cook some bacon at Olive’s request. The house still smells bacon-y wonderful. Then it was time to get cupcakes ready for Olive’s class. Once the [...]
I’ve got a new project/blog feature to announce today and I’m so excited! It’s called CliqueShop and I hope you’ll love it. Each week I’ll be announcing a special deal — a deep discount or huge bargain on products we all love. If enough Design Mom Readers are interested in the deal, then it happens. [...]
Our friends, the Rathers, remembered I collect Caldecott books and gave us this book to celebrate June’s arrival. We love it! It’s called The Lion & the Mouse and it’s the most recent Caldecott award recipient. It’s by Jerry Pinkney and it tells the story of the famous fable. But. Because it’s wordless, the illustrations do [...]
Following is a glimpse of what Ralph (7th grade) and Maude (6th grade) are wearing to middle school this year. I’ll update with sources asap. UPDATE: You can find sources below. Share and Enjoy:
Ask Design Mom Question: Hi Gabrielle. My best friend just bought a house and I’m looking for a housewarming gift idea. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks! — Isabelle Design Mom Answer: How thoughtful of you, Isabelle! One of my favorite housewarming gifts to give is actually very small, but very practical. I like to [...]
So excited about this! Have you had a chance to visit the BlogHer Art Auction? Go here. What is it, you ask? Well, at the big Gala that Kirtsy put on during the BlogHer conference, there were 80+ works of art on display. Which was cool. But even cooler? Each art piece was based on the Voices [...]
With back to school and Oscar’s surgery and our anniversary, this has been an exciting and emotional week. I won’t lie, I’m looking forward to a do nothing weekend. : ) How about you? Is your summer coming to a close? Has school started yet? Doing anything fun tomorrow? While I make plans to sit [...]
We have a peach tree in our backyard. It is absolutely dripping with fruit. The branches are so heavy with peaches they touch the ground. I have asked friends and neighbors to come. Come and gather peaches! They walk away with boxes and bags full but it doesn’t even make a dent. There is so [...]
My name is Gabrielle Blair. I'm a designer and mother of six (our new addition was born last May). We are spending a year abroad in France. I post on where design and motherhood intersect.
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Here's something fun. Our family was featured in an episode of House Hunters International! Spoiler: we choose the gorgeous French Farmhouse. It's called La Cressonnière and we take pictures of it all the time. If you're curious, try these links:
