Ask Design Mom Week — Family Christmas Gift

Question:
My husband's family always draws names for gift giving. This year we are gifting to his sister's family; they have six kids and a total of eight people. (Which made me think of you ;)). I'm wondering if you know of any good gift ideas that the whole family could enjoy, or perhaps a something we could get for each family member that wouldn't break the bank. The kids range in age from 3-14. Thanks! — Lynnette



Answer:
Another great question. My family picks names as well. One of the favorite gifts we've ever received was a collection of Nativity Dress-ups my sister put together from thrift store finds. It's awesome. And really good for a wide range of ages. You can see my post about it here.

Dear Readers, I'm sure you have tons of good suggestions for Lynnette. What do you like to give for "family" gifts?

Ask Design Mom Week — Christmas Tree Decor

Question:
I'm in a new house, new life and looking ahead to the holidays, I realized that our decade plus years of marriage/college/med school/residency tree decor might be in need of a slight makeover this year. I'm just looking for ideas — new, old, swanky, homestyle, yadda, yadda. Any advice or pictures to find, etc.? Thanks! — Stacey



Answer:
Love this question, Stacey. People have strong opinions about Christmas Trees: They should have the same decorations each year — it's tradition! They should be filled with ornaments made by children! They should be flocked! Flocked trees should be outlawed! They should change themes every year! Only fresh trees count! If it's not pre-lit, I won't use it!

Feel free to have whatever opinions you prefer for your own tree. It seems to be such a personal, emotional thing. Depending on some mix of childhood memories, current marketing schemes and adult expectations. And there's no right answer. Just know this, when you put lots of twinkling lights and pretty baubles on a tree. In your living room. And turn the house lights low. It's bound to be beautiful.

But if you're really wanting a change this year, Stacey, this is what I'd recommend. Hit the holiday aisle at your favorite store (let's say Target) and find an ornament you love the best. Your very favorite one. And then build a tree around it.

If it's a white feathered bird, then you could do the whole tree in birds and nests and white accents. If your favorite ornament is a gold glittery ball. Why not go gold all the way. Gold ornaments. Gold snowflakes. Gold ribbon. If you're starting from scratch, focusing on one color will definitely give you the biggest impact for the least amount of money. (I love the ornament pictured from Crate & Barrel.)

Looking for more inspiration? Martha has dozens of Christmas Tree ideas here.

What about you, Dear Readers? Any opinions on Christmas Tree decor?

Ask Design Mom Week — Book Binding Service

Question:
I am looking for an inexpensive way to print and bind books. Is there a website you have used and would recommend? Or an easy do it yourself technique? All the best to you and your family. — Becca




Answer:
For sure, Becca. This is actually a great time for people like you and I, who might want to get one or two books bound — but not necessarily a thousand. There are several online sources that provide such a service. Most are designed for uploading and showcasing photographs. But there's no reason you can't use them for showcasing writing or drawings as well. And in my opinion, they're all surprisingly economical — not that long ago it was very expensive to get a single book bound.

The service I'm most familiar with is Blurb. (You can see their samples in the photos above.) And I know my sister-in-law, had good luck printing a book with Shutterfly. If you prefer the handmade route, I recommend looking up a local class. It is very satisfying (but not necessarily easy) to bind your own book.

Dear Readers, do you have a favorite book-printing service?

Ask Design Mom Week — Online Fabric Sources

Question:
I'm looking for a fun print fabric to use to bolster some window boxes, but am disappointed in the choices at the chain fabric stores. Any suggestions for online fabric stores that are affordable? Thanks — Lauren



Answer:
Great question, Lauren. This is another popular topic that comes up frequently. From what I can tell, the online fabric sources that seem to have the most fans and best collections are:

1) Purl Fabrics. You can browse fabric by company, style or designer. Their collection of reproduction 1800's fabrics is excellent. The japanese fabrics are so tempting, you'll buy now and come up with the appropriate project later. They also stock knitting supplies, books, and notions. Plus, a really lovely goods and a smart crafting blog: The Purl Bee.

2) Repro Depot. It's my sister Jordan's favorite online fabric source. She's mentioned them multiple times. You can read her Repro Depot posts here.

3) Spoonflower. If you really can't find any fabric you love, Spoonflower will print your very own designs for very reasonable prices.

What about you, Dear Readers? Any other online fabric sources you know and love?

PS — Some of this answer was taken from one of my previous posts.

Happy Halloween 2009!

Our 2009 Costume Report:

Medusa.
Found a thick knit ski cap at the thrift store. Found different-sized snakes at toy stores in the area and wove them through the cap. Love how the headpiece turned out, but didn't love the rest of the costume — I want a redo on this one. Oscar went back and forth on this costume for weeks. He was pretty sure he was actually going to be able to turn people to stone once he had the costume on — and that was stressing him out. Also. He had no issues that Medusa is a girl. In fact, for awhile he was trying to talk Ralph and Maude into being the Gorgon Sisters with him. (His current favorite book is Greece! Rome! Monsters!)



Raggedy Anne.
Found the dress at a thrift store and added the apron. Made the wig by attaching red yard to a red knit snow cap. This was my first attempt at making a wig. Not bad. Tights from the costume store. Ordered bloomers from Amazon, but when they arrived they were too silky and looked like lingerie. So we skipped them. I love classic costumes like this.



Oompa Loompa.
Found brown turtleneck at the thrift store. Gathered some white karate pants from our dressup box at the knee for the knickers. Ordered the wig, suspenders and socks from Amazon. The wig had to be trimmed and styled a bit, but it works. Ralph has performed the Thriller dance twice in this costume (at the school dance and at the church party) — I'm glad he can move easily in it.



Mary Poppins.
Made adjustments to a skirt and blazer found at a thrift shop. Attached bird to shoulder with a safety pin. The more I stared at the details in photos of Mary Poppins, the more I felt like we were missing the mark here. But. Olive loved this costume. And. She won best costume at the Trunk-or-Treat parade — so who knows?



Witch.
Bought a leotard at Target and recycled witch and tutu accessories from past years. It was very important to Betty that everyone was informed she was a nice witch. Also. Sometimes she'd call herself a princess witch. She loves this costume, but I bet she'd love it even more if it was pink.

Mom, you can find a million more photos of this year's (and last year's) costumes here. Oh! And don't miss my sister's spooky ghost photos here.

Happy Halloween-y Weekend!

Images from Martha's Pumpkin Gallery. Definitely worth a peek. So inspiring!

Friends. I have good news! I am officially in my second trimester. This is how I know:

1) I did throw-up today, but I didn't feel nauseous. (It's not perfect, but I'll take it!)

2) Food has been my enemy for weeks and weeks, but the last few days I've had a growing appetite. I think of it as a tender mercy that will help me make sure my kids' Halloween candy doesn't go to waste.

3) I checked the calendar.

But honestly, it's hard to focus on this exciting news because we've got a jam-packed schedule of Halloween for the next two days. On my to-do list:

1) Take $5 and some refreshments to the middle school so Ralph can get into the Halloween Dance. (It's his first dance. I am dying to get a report.) I wish I had time to make these rice-krispie mummy heads for the refreshments. They are fabulous.

2) Buy candy for Trunk-or-Treat tonight (will they really still do Trunk-or-Treat when there is two feet of snow on the ground? We'll find out tonight how truly hard-core Coloradoans are.)


3) Decorate the trunk of the car. The kids are thinking a "mad science lab" with dry ice smoke and Martha's specimen jars. But I confess, I'm trying to talk them out of it altogether because the snow is a total Halloween buzzkill.


Specimen jar images from Martha Stewart.

4) Make chili for tonight's cook-off.

5) Finish Oscar's Medusa costume. The headpiece is done, but the shirt still needs some work. I'll try to post pics of all my kids-in-costume this weekend. Halloween is the best.

6) Tomorrow, we'll carve the jack-o-lanterns and buy more candy for the trick-or-treaters.

Have a fantastic, spooky weekend. And please send spider-webby thoughts my way, because with so much snow outside it is taking every bit of self-restraint I've got not to pull out the Christmas cds.

P.S. — Don't miss the huge Trifle Shoppe Giveaway! Over $1000 worth of gorgeous goodies. Scroll down or click here to find it.

P.P.S. — Have you registered for Alt Design Summit yet? Early bird registration ends October 31st. $100 off!

All about Halloween Eve — by Guest Mom Kristy Glass

It crept up on you right? Your kids look at you disappointedly when they realize you have not planned a Halloween costume for yourself (or maybe even for them! whoops!). A few last-minute winners that I have seen over the years:

Be a color:
Dress solo or as a group — green-earth theme, orange/white/yellow=candycorns, a rainbow, a flag, school colors! If I were pink, I’d wear this beard. Grab every piece of clothing you have in one color, this is educational for young ones too! While you're at it, sort your closet by color...it looks pretty!

Crayons:
Kristie made these crayon costumes (seen above) for her family with paper. Gotta love paper crafts that you can do the night before!

Subway Train Sign:
Natasha did not make this last minute (also see above), but if you have a piece of felt, a magic marker and a glue gun, you could make a less-than-perfect version of this costume. For a full list of the subway lines, click here.

Get Literal:
Plastic spiders are plentiful this time of year. I witnessed a couple glue a ton of them to t-shirts and proclaim themselves Spider Man and Spider Woman. Another fun use for plastic spiders is to stick them in your hair or ears or other creative places.

My friend Helen velcroed a babydoll to her butt to become a Babysitter. Brilliant!

Blacked-eyed P's — You guessed it, a letter P on a t-shirt and a black eye, you have to do this as a pair to be peaZ.

Find more from Kristy at her blog Glass Posse.

More Halloween-y Links

-Don't miss Trick-or-Eat. Nine of your favorite food bloggers got together for a delightfully frightful Halloween blog collaboration. So fun! Find links to all the participating blogs here.

-See Robert Mahar, of the always fabulous Mahar Drygoods, demonstrate how to make a darling Sock Skeleton on the Martha Stewart Show. You can get your own sock skeleton kits here.

-Need last-minute party activities for your Spooky Shindig? Marie has created a downloadable book on Monster crafts.

-You Can Make This is offering free downloadable patterns for tutus and vests through Halloween. Find them here. Need ideas on what costumes to make with the free patterns? Watch this.

Not Halloween-y, but it's spooking me (or at least making me sad) — my friend Lindsey of Cafe Johnsonia has decided to take down her blog. : (

Image of Trick-or-Eat from Tongue-n-Cheeky.

All About the Makeup — by Guest Mom Kristy Glass

This is me as the "Book Witch" and as Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty. I did the makeup myself(!).

A few years ago, my daughter’s kindergarten teacher and I planned a Halloween Surprise for her class. I was to come in as the Book Witch and read some Halloween stories to the children. I love surprises so much, so I did not tell my daughter anything about this, and I wanted to be unrecognizable to her and her classmates.

My mind immediately turned to the Broadway production of Wicked and the green makeup that Elphaba wears. I emailed a makeup artist friend of mine to see if she could give me some tips on how to transform my face into a witch. She suggested I visit Alcone, a makeup company in Manhattan. I zipped over there and waited in line for the makeup artist of The Little Mermaid to plow through her very long list of needs, and felt quite sheepish when all I asked for was Elphaba Green. Unfortunately they did not have that green, so I settled for more of an emerald color of Kryolan’s Aqua.

I also wanted to have a prosthetic nose, but I am allergic to latex, and could not find any noses that were latex-free. Instead I picked up some wax and glued some warts onto my face. The other important element of the Book Witch Makeup was Mac’s Pigment in “Push the Edge”, which is a purple color. I used it to accent my cheeks, lips and eyes. I had purple going on with the hat I bought at Ricky’s and the purple gloves. As for the costume itself...I just threw on all the black clothes in my closet and sprayed a little black in my hair.

I brought my books along in a vintage Samsonite, bright pink train case, as opposed to a cauldron or black basket or jack-o-lantern. I wanted to be less witchy and more booky because some parents had expressed concerns about Witch Lore and I didn’t want to give the wrong message to the impressionable young children. The teacher is convinced that my daughter didn’t recognize me, and I am pretty sure none of the other children recognized me until little sister landed on the scene, suddenly it was pretty obvious who was under all that makeup. My daughter insists she was never fooled. She’s been known to lie.

My Top 5 Halloween Book Witch Read-Alouds:

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams
Room on the Broom Book by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler
In the Haunted House by Eve Bunting
The Ugly Pumpkin by Dave Horowitz
The Halloween Play by Felicia Bond

Last year my daughter wanted me to be Maleficent to her Princess Aurora. I purchased the costume and staff and was disappointed with the quality of the frock. I spruced it up by stuffing the foam-shaped Antlers with poly-fil and putting a back on them, then twirling some purple cord around each point, but I knew what would really sell the costume would be my face.

I studied graphics from the film, but mostly studied a Golden Book Version of Sleeping Beauty that we already had on our bookshelf. I ordered the Aqua color that was closest to Maleficent’s turquoise hue and then I was all set. I had the purple pigment from Book Witch the year before and the black paint from my Mrs. Incredible costume already in my stores, so I didn’t need to buy anything else. The photo at top was taken after my third try at applying this makeup, and I think it turned out really well: red lips, yellow around the eyes, purple eyeshadow, exaggerated eyebrows, and that sallow, turquoise skin. Spooky.

Great makeup can make a costume go from good to great, or can be the costume itself. Just looking at those aqua colors I had a few ideas come to mind right away: silver-ghoul, dark blue-blue man group, Violet — that girl from charlie and the chocolate factory who turns into a blueberry, yellow-banana...use your imagination and make sure you practice before the night of Halloween!

Find more from Kristy at her blog Glass Posse.

All In The Details — by Guest Mom Kristy Glass

When the store-bought costume is not doing it for you, you gotta take things into your own hands. When I decided; “I am going to be Mrs. Incredible,” and I found Disney’s Mrs. Incredible costume online to be UNcredible, I needed to take matters into my own hands.

I pulled up an image of Mrs. Incredible from the Pixar film and compared the two side by side: What? Horror! I was amazed at how lame Disney’s offering was.



The boots were not tall enough, neck too thin, and where are the gloves? I started staring at this cartoon picture and trying to figure out how my non-seamstress self could make my own costume.

I ordered black gloves, black briefs, black tall boots and a full-body red unitard. I stopped by the fabric store to get some orange and black stretch fabric to add to the waistband and neck of the unitard. I also picked up some felt and glitter to create the “i” graphic on the chest.

My sewer friend whipped that orange waistband on the briefs and the black on the outside of the neck. I spent an evening burning my fingers (literally) glueing that incredible logo together. The last thing I needed to do was order the black makeup from Ben Nye, and voila! I had a much more incredible costume then the store-bought, and for around the same price.

As an added bonus, I already had a short sassy hairdo similar to Mrs. I, and the big booty to boot!



I know this is a good costume because 4 other friends have borrowed it. I have also worn it for school appearances at my daughter’s schools and sometimes the prospect of wearing that costume again someday in the future, is all the motivation I need to do my morning workout.

This year I have used the Mrs. Incredible Model to put together 2 costumes that I am pleased-as-punch about.

My daughter will be Olivia Pig, from the Olivia books by Ian Falconer. Her outfit is modeled after the illustration on the cover of Olivia Counts. Each piece (striped tights, striped shirt, white blouse, jumper) will be worn the rest of the year as separates and together for upcoming holidays (Christmas, Valentine’s Day). I had no guilt purchasing these items as they will be worn again! (Unlike the Judy Jetson store-bought catastrophe that looks cute but wears MEH, that my other daughter insisted upon purchasing!)

I had to make the ears and for fun I made a duct-tape purse to go with it. I enjoy having a little hand-made bit of the costume, preferably one that does not involve me sewing.



Also this year I have used the Mrs. Incredible Model for my own costume. I chose to be Cruella Deville, circa 1960’s. I bought each piece off ebay: red boots, red gloves, black vintage dress, white furry coat, wig. After studying the cartoon drawings of Ms. Deville, I decided to get some green jewelry as well. My good friend etsy helped me find just the right set of earrings and a ring.

So, there you have it! Incredible Costumes, to make your Halloween the most memorable!

Find more from Kristy at her blog Glass Posse.

Creepy Food

October is humming along. I love every bit of it. Including this idea for tomato soup with eyeballs that I spotted on kirtsy. More spooky food ideas here.

Spooky Scarecrow

Look what we made this weekend! It's a spooky scarecrow. Isn't it fantastic? The project took less than an hour and looks terrific in our yard. We still need to carve a menacing face into the pumpkin head, but for now, it still looks decent uncarved.

Inspiration:
Part of celebrating Halloween in New York is making a trek to (the real live!) Sleepy Hollow to see Legends Night. It's super cool. Creepy and spooky without being horror-movie-like or a typical gory haunted house. We loved it. Old lanterns line the pathways. There are ghosts in a boat paddling on a pond. Storytellers recounting local legends. The Headless Horseman riding by. Fresh apple cider and donuts. Just wonderfully done through and through.

Around one of the bonfires at Legends Night, they had 3 simple scarecrows standing guard. Basically, they were a wood cross hung with old rags and topped with a pumpkin head. And they looked so dramatic all lit up by the fire. I've been wanting to recreate one (or three) for ages and this year was the year. It was so easy, I wish I had done it earlier.



How-to:
1) Use 2x4s to build a simple cross. We used scrap wood found in our garage and nailed two pieces together. Make sure the vertical piece overlaps the crossbar by a few inches so that you can attach the pumpkin to it later.

2) Age the wood a bit by rubbing paint or shoe polish or stain into it. We used brown water-based craft paint for easy cleanup. We just dripped some paint onto the wood and the kids rubbed it in with wet rags.

3) Attach two metal rebar clips to the back of the cross with screws (click on photo to enlarge to see details).

4) Use some old or fallen branches and wire them to the crossbar to act as arms/hands.

5) Take some scraps of cloth (we used burlap scraps from our fabric stash). Rip them up and roughen the edges. Nail the pieces to the top of the cross. The fabric will continue to weather by being outdoors.

6) Cut a hole in the bottom of a pumpkin the same size as the end of the vertical 2x4. Slip the pumpkin onto the top of the cross. We used a funkin so it wouldn't rot between now and Halloween and we can reuse it next year.

7) Hammer a piece of rebar into the lawn and slip the metal clips over the rebar. Our rebar went into the lawn at a slight angle — and it makes the scarecrow tilt a bit, which we like.



And that's it. You can carve the pumpkin or leave it plain. It looks great either way. During the day the scarecrow looks fall and festive. During the night, ours is lit up by a nearby streetlamp. You could also use an outdoor spotlight to mimic the firelight from the bonfire.

Pumpkin Cookies

Made a batch of pumpkin cookies last night and ate them by the fire. Doesn't get much better than that. (I like mine sans chocolate chips. So I usually make half the batch with and half without.)

Edit: My apologies for not including the recipe when I first published the post. Here it is. I hope you love it.

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

Old-Fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies
I found the recipe years ago at verybestbaking.com

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick) softened
1 cup 100% pumpkin (you can find cans of this in the pie-filling section of the grocery store)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Glaze (see below)
Optional: 1/2 cup chocolate chips or nuts.

Preheat oven to 350. Grease baking sheets.

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and set aside. Beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Drizzle glaze over cookies.

For Glaze:
Combine 2 cups powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 tsp vanilla in small bowl until smooth.

Embellished Tees

Dudes. My sister-in-law Liz is rocking it with the DIY lately. Check out her ruffle tee how-to here. And her ruffle v-neck how-to here.

Preserving Children's Artwork — by Guest Mom Carrie Lundell

Who doesn't love their child's drawings? Many children express themselves through art far better than the written or even spoken word, so the attachment is understandable. Yet who among us hasn't thought about chucking every last piece of art when the pile coming home from school, added to what is created at home, threatens to take over every inch of the refrigerator door and fill every drawer in the house?

Here's the million-dollar question: what is worth keeping and what gets tossed (during the night and placed in the outside garbage under mounds of food scraps so there is no evidence of the cruel mommy who doesn't think every piece of her child's art is beautiful and worth saving)? Here's what I do:



1. Display the Art
Even for just a day. If your child is proud of their artwork, show it off. Right now, we use simple magnet clips on the side of the fridge. For a cleaner presentation, this company produces frames that open on hinges, allowing you to swap out your child's art easily and often. Just last week I came upon this ingenious DIY frame with the same purpose and I like it even more. A cute little clothesline like this works famously too.

2. You Save, I Save
Each of my children gets their own "treasure box." They are allowed to keep anything they want in their box, but it must fit in the box. New art often replaces old art in their boxes as they constantly work to make sure the lid stays on the box. I also have my own acid-free "treasure box" for each of them and hold myself to the same rule — I can't save more than what will fit in the box. I save only the most special drawings. They are usually the ones with good stories attached, or where it's obvious my child has spent more than her usual attention span, and I always save "firsts". Like the first time my child drew a circle with arms growing out of the sides and called it "mom" instead of the typical scribbles.



3. Preserve with a (re)Purpose
Preserving your child's art in an acid-free box is one thing, but using it as inspiration to create something else takes preservation to a whole new level. My children love seeing their art come to life as "softies", handkerchief embroidery, carved pumpkins, personalized neckties, t-shirt transfers, and Christmas ornaments. I will admit the time I spend creating with their art might partly be my way of making up for the fact that I throw the majority of their artwork in the trash. If sewing is not your thing, this company creates sterling silver pins out of your child's art and this shop will turn their art into a sweet little pendant, both perfect for gifting.



Whatever you decide to save, make sure to write the child’s name and date on it.Also, remember to record and attach “the story” if it has one. It's all going to be vital information down the road. You always think you’ll remember, but you won’t.

Thanks to Gabrielle for having me here this week. I’ve had a great time sharing with all of you! I hope you’ll take the time to create, preserve and share your family heirlooms.

Putting Heirlooms to Good Use — by Guest Mom Carrie Lundell

Family heirlooms wrapped in acid-free tissue paper and stored safely away from sticky fingers in a cedar chest will easily last for the next 100 years, but the joy and meaning that comes from pulling treasured items out of storage and repurposing them for greater use in our lives is sometimes worth the risk of a slightly shorter heirloom "shelf-life". Hopefully none of you think my ideas are akin to the horrors of painting a piano (which I love, BTW).

-Turn a piece of Grandma's old china into a dessert stand to use at family special occasions.

-Can't bear to part with a concert T full of memories from your youth? Let it live on in all it's glory as a newborn baby gown.

-Grandma's sweet, old linens can be turned into beautiful Easter dresses.



-Think about splitting up Great Grandma's unfinished quilt tops and turning them into numerous baby blankets, children's clothes and even throw pillows.

-If you are lucky enough to have a hanky collector in your family, baby bonnets, curtains, and wall hangings are all great options for putting them to good use in a place besides your runny nose.

-Favorite childhood toys can become decor for your child's room and stay protected when displayed in a shadow box.



-Avid crocheters will usually leave behind stacks of beautiful doilies that no one knows what to do with. Use them to accessorize clothing or integrate them into your home decor.

If you are not lucky enough to have these types of family heirlooms lying around (I have to supplement) but still have a hankering for a "family heirloom-esque" project, items from garage sales, estate sales and thrift stores can easily be substituted for any of the above. Not quite as meaningful, but fun nonetheless.



Find more of Carrie at This Momma Makes Stuff.

Journal Roundup — by Guest Mom Carrie Lundell

It's pretty safe to say blogging has become a new type of journaling. Count me among the people who have tried to ditch the traditional pen to paper, hoping my blog posts will include enough personal history to leave an impact on my posterity. As much as a blog (even printed in book form) helps preserve precious memories, nothing beats the soul of a handwritten, personal journal. But that doesn't mean your handwritten journal needs to be traditional.

Check out these options:

1) Struggle with your personal narrative? Record your life in lists.

2) Are you a bibliophile? Sure, you can share what you've read on GoodReads, but keep a handwritten list too.

3) Do you have vivid dreams? Record them in a dream journal along with interpretations.

4) Don't forget to include the kids! We lament how they "grow up too fast" and struggle to perfectly capture their childhood personality. A child's handwritten journal will not only become a priceless keepsake, but the act of journaling develops a child's verbal and writing skills, releases fear, frustration and anxiety as well as promotes self-awareness and increased self-esteem. Starting them young can also help create a habit of journaling that can last well into their adult years. I created the "This is Me" kid's journal as an easy way for parents to help their children record memories through writing and drawings from as young as 3 years old.

5) With this great, little kids travel journal, your family vacation can be recorded from a whole new perspective.

6) Useful Books upcycled cereal box journals are as unique as your tween — even making pre-teenage "angst" look cute.

Pick a book, grab a pen and join me in some old school journaling. Your kids will thank you for it.

Find more of Carrie at This Momma Makes Stuff.

Tossed & Found

This is my latest project inspiration book. It's called Tossed & Found, by Linda and John Meyers.

Like the best project books, this one is crammed full of clever ideas and pretty pictures and clear instructions. As I do with pretty much all project books, I responded to about 75% of the ideas with a sort of meh reaction — maybe they don't hold personal appeal for me, maybe they require more effort than I'm willing to expend. But the projects in the book I love, I really LOVE. And I also can't get enough of the sketch pages.




This dresser doesn't show well in my photo, but in the book, it's easy to see how awesome it is. I want.

Put together by a husband-wife team (which is always inspirational) — the wife is a former graphic designer/art director, the husband used to head out displays for Anthropologie.


Maybe my favorite thing in the book. They converted an old school boombox to work with their iPod. For sure I'm going to copy this.




This chandelier makes me super happy. If you will build this for me, I will pay you.

More Cricut Exploration

Since I've had the Cricut out making birthday stuff, I decided to mess around with some alternative materials. My first attempt was using Paper Lunch Bags to make luminaries for lining the sidewalk. And my second was using a Hot Tamales package (have you seen the vintage packaging they're offering?) and making an oversize tag. The Hot Tamales really got me thinking about our household paper waste and what I might be able to remake and reuse with the Cricut.

Friends. I am totally falling in love with this machine.

What about you? What are the coolest projects you've seen created with alternative-materials (non-scrapbooking papers/fabrics) and the Cricut? Please share.



My suggestion to the Cricut crew: when you put a tool like this in front of a designer, our first and best instinct is to want to customize the diecuts or create our own. We can't help it. It's how our brain works. Here's my idea. Make a Template Store on the Cricut site similar to the App Store for the iPhone.

Let designers (or anyone that knows their way around Adobe Illustrator) have access to your template guidelines/software/etc. Then, they'll send in their completed templates to Cricut — which can have some sort of quality committee to make sure certain standards are being met (and to avoid porn-y or inappropriate templates) — this is what the iPhone App Committee does. Then Cricut can sell the templates in their online template store for download. Cricut would get a cut. The template creator would get a cut. Different templates could go for different prices depending on complexity and popularity. Everyone would be happy.

The only trick is getting the downloaded template to interface with the Cricut machine. I'm thinking the easiest fix would be to enable the Cricut machines with a usb port, then users can put their downloaded templates on a flash drive and install the flash drive through the usb port. I have no doubt older machines could be retrofitted with some sort of usb adaptor.

Anyway. More technical then you probably want to read on Design Mom. But I think it would be amazing to have access to hundreds and hundreds of templates created by designers with all sorts of different aesthetics. And to create templates myself. Plus, I think it would expand the market beyond the scrapbook crowd like crazy. I guess that's why I didn't really know about the Cricut in the first place — I've spent so little time exploring scrapbooking materials.

Hey. If you want to get in on the Cricut action, there are a couple of big Cricut-related contests going on. Visit Today's Mama to see their Great Escape Contest — you could win a Cricut or 4 New Cartridges. And Cricut itself, is running a Great Gypsy Escape Contest — win one of 200 Gypsies or one of 20+ travel packages. Nice!

Funky Lunch

Are you kidding me — how great are these sandwiches? Raise your hand if you love Charlie and Lola. Cute for birthdays or special days or for turning regular days into special days. Click through to see loads more ideas.

Thanks for the link, Laurie.

Les Petites Chefs Birthday Party Invitations

It's going to be such a fun week! Saturday, we're having a birthday party for Olive. The theme is "Les Petites Chefs" (how chic! how French! how very Julie and Julia of us!) We're bringing in the ladies from Sticky Fingers Cooking to teach the party guests some kitchen how-to. But more on the party details later. Today, I want to share the invitations.




Last week, I was sent a Cricut die cut machine to test out, so I decided Olive's party invitations were the perfect reason to pull it out and see what it could do.

After playing around with the Cricut for a while to get comfortable (I had never even seen one of these machines before, so I really had no idea what to expect) Maude and Olive and I designed some invitations that would use a million diecuts and really show off our mad Cricut skillz.





Basically, we cut out oversize hangtags (I'll note here, that cutting out all sorts of shaped tags in all sorts of sizes and colors will probably be my most used Cricut feature), and used the new From My Kitchen cartridge to cut out assorted cooking-related shapes we could display on the tags.

Then we attached the kitchen-themed tags to wooden spoons. So adorable! We actually tried 3 different ways of attaching our little tags, and couldn't ultimately decide on a favorite. So we gave out invitations using all 3 versions (and used up a bunch of my ribbon scraps in the process — love it.)

What do you think? Next up to work on: party plans and party favors.




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Hey. If you want to get in on the Cricut action, there are a couple of big Cricut-related contests going on. Visit Today's Mama to see their Great Escape Contest — you could win a Cricut or 4 New Cartridges. And Cricut itself, is running a Great Gypsy Escape Contest — win one of 200 Gypsies or one of 20+ travel packages. Nice!

Rocking Chair Project Progress

Thing I learned this weekend. Rocking chairs have lots of nooks, crannies and curves. They are not easy to paint. : )

Here's a sneak peek of my progress on the Rocking Chair Project. My goal is 7 chairs — one for each member of the family. So far I have 5. They were all found locally on Craigs list at prices from $10 to $40 each. (I found #6 on Craigs List this morning and will pick it up this evening. Yay!)



I had lots of green-tinted primer left over from the piano, so I used it on the rocking chairs. I'm such a brat about wasting things like perfectly good primer. It bugs me to no end. When I realized the colors I was using on the chairs were bright enough to cover the green primer, I was delighted to use it up instead of buy more.

At the paint store, I inquired about polyurethane and how I should handle painting these indoor chairs for outdoor use. They recommended using a high-quality exterior paint and skipping the poly. They also warned that the intense colors I was picking were sure to fade in the sunny Colorado sun. But I went for it anyway. I can always repaint if they get too faded. I bought quarts of exterior paint in red, orange, yellow, green and blue. (#6 and #7 will be turquoise and magenta. I think.)

Warning: the intense colors take several coats of paint. In fact, none of the chairs pictured here are finished. If you could look closely, you'd see they all need an additional coat (or two). In fact, the green one has only been primed. This project will take at least another weekend. Probably two. Plus, I'd really like to add bright cushions and pillows...



But what I'm loving about this project is: you kind of can't go wrong.
- Almost any style of rocker would work in this eclectic mix so it's easy to add more — for guests, or if your family grows. Wouldn't a couple of child-size ones be cute in the mix?
- If a chair gets worn out (they are bound to, being left outdoors), it's easy to replace. And you'll have plenty of paint leftover to transform the new addition.
- When painting, if you don't do the best job ever, it's okay. They're outdoor chairs and will be used pretty roughly. Mistakes won't matter. These don't have to be refined. I'd say only 1 of the 5 I have so far would be worthy of stripping the paint and refinishing — meaning, these aren't heirloom chairs, you don't have to treat them like they are.
-To save money, you could paint or stain them all the same color. I was tempted to go royal blue for my whole collection. Instead of buying 7 separate quarts of paint, I would only have needed one gallon. And I think they would have looked equally cool in all one color.



A note on budget. I planned on $50 per chair ($350), plus painting supplies. But I've been able to score on chairs, so it looks like the whole project (7 chairs plus paint) will come in at about $320. Not bad. You like?

A More Convenient Crib?

Michelle just emailed me with photos of the crib her husband designed and built(!). It looks super hip, but the best part is the bonus feature. Apparently her husband polled a bunch of moms to find out what they would change about their cribs, and the overwhelming response was: it's hard to access the mattress when it's time to change the sheet.



His solution: a roll out feature for full access to the mattress. Fantastic, no?

Decoupaged Chair

I'm digging this decoupaged chair. Find instructions (and 8 how-to photos) at DIY.

found via How About Orange

Word Book

My sister-in-law, Liz, made an adorable book for her son Henry, filled with photos of his favorite things. I would highly recommend bookmarking this project — it's a really good idea for a baby gift.

Go Make This Right Now

We had our first taste of Pinkberry (a tart, really yummy frozen yogurt) not too long before we moved from New York, and we were instant fans. There's no Pinkberry in our new neighborhood, but our Sabey cousins hooked us up with FroYo during our first few days in Colorado and it's hit the spot nicely. As our addiction has developed, I've been curiouser and curiouser about making our own frozen yogurt. So Sunday night, I looked up a recipe, realized we had everything we needed in our kitchen (whole milk yogurt, cheesecloth and sugar), and went to work.

We prepped the yogurt Sunday evening, stirred the ingredients and chilled them Monday morning, and by 11:30 we were eating the best frozen yogurt I've ever tasted. Seriously. It was so good. Soooooooo good. Go make some right this minute. You're welcome in advance.

The recipe (and image) I found is at 101 Cookbooks, from an aptly titled blog post: A Frozen Yogurt Recipe to Rival Pinkberry's (FYI: the 101 Cookbooks author, Heidi, made some notes which I followed — skipping the vanilla and using only 2/3 cups sugar.)

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Vanilla Frozen Yogurt Recipe

Heidi notes: First off, remember it is important to use good-quality whole-milk yogurt. The version in David's book is Vanilla Frozen Yogurt. This time around I skipped out on the vanilla, opting for straight, bright white yogurt with the sweetness playing off the tang of the yogurt. I also used slightly less sugar than called for here, more like 2/3 cup - but you can go either way depending on what you like.

-3 cups (720g) strained yogurt (see below) or Greek-style yogurt
-3/4 cup (150g) sugar
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Mix together the yogurt, sugar, and vanilla (if using). Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

To make 1 cup (240g) of strained yogurt, line a mesh strainer with a few layers of cheese cloth. then scrape 16 ounces or 2 cups (480g) of plain whole-milk yogurt into the cheesecloth. Gather the ends and fold them over the yogurt, then refrigerate for at least 6 hours. So, for the above recipe start with and strain 6 cups of yogurt.

Makes about 1 quart.

Quilt

Amy Smart, an excellent writer (and popular Guest Mom here on this little blog), made this beautiful lap quilt for my children. It is such a generous (and unexpected) gift that I'm still a little stunned by it. I plan to fold it neatly at the end of Oscar or Betty's toddler bed — some extra warmth for a cold Colorado winter.

Isn't it lovely? I'm finding great pleasure in pouring over each individual square and picking out the fabrics that are especially charming.



Thank you, Amy. What a perfectly delightful package to open. Your hands work wonders.

Petite Watermelon Slices

Something about these tiny watermelon slices (made from jello and lime peels) made me laugh. Perfect for a miniature party. Don't they look absolutely summery? Find directions at Chocolate on My Cranium.

via How About Orange

IS•LY

I couldn't help but notice Melissa Esplin at the BlogHer conference. She was pretty much always the most stylin' person in the room. (See one of the fab outfits she wore here. Isn't she lovely?)

I took her card home with me so I could look up her blog, IS•LY. I like how she came up with the name. It stands for I Still Love You and is dedicated to all her creative pursuits — pursuits that had to take a little bit of a back seat when she became a mother.

Her blog is great. Here's a link to her DIY on how to make a Camera Flash Sock (with examples of when you might want to use one). I'm totally going to make one of these.

Treasure

4 year old Oscar has been approaching Ben Blair and me repeatedly this morning with a roll of duct tape. Asking us to get him a piece. Every time we ask what it's for he says he doesn't know. A few minutes ago he proudly brought me this and said, "It's a Crayon Packer 3000." Asked me to take a picture and then stuffed it into his pocket.

This makes me 1000 times happier then if he'd said something along the lines of Mom, you're the best.

Build Two Toddler Beds for $75

Well this is exciting. Design*Sponge is featuring one of my how-to posts today as part of DIY Wednesday. Woot!

When we moved in, we decided to put two toddler-size beds in Oscar's and Betty's small bedroom, but every bed option that I loved was really expensive. Especially when you multiplied by two. So I decided to build my own.

Two super-simple, upholstered platform-ish beds. They are adorable. Especially side-by-side. They are low to the floor, so if Betty rolls off in her sleep, she won't get hurt (this is Betty's first bed since leaving her crib). They use crib-size mattresses, so they don't have a big footprint. Bonus: they were a total bargain to build — $75 total for both. So I suppose that means you could build just one for about $37.

You can find full instructions with lots of photos at Design*Sponge. And a few additional notes here.



Before you start cutting wood, please read these Notes on Mattress Size:
I didn't include the price of the mattress in the project because most people in need of a toddler bed will already have a crib size mattress from their crib. If you do plan to use a standard crib mattress, you'll need to make adjustments to the size of the base. Standard crib mattresses are 52" x 26", which will be a bit too big for this base. But be sure to measure the mattress you own. They vary.

My crib mattress has been used by 5 kids and is failing. So we ordered two custom ones to fit the bases I'd designed. We ordered them from: The Foam Factory. 6 x 24.5 x 49.5 inches. $48 each. Free shipping if your order is over $75. So place your order with a buddy. : )



Notes on fabric:
For my beds, I used Crypton Fabric. It might be the most family-friendly fabric out there. Super easy to clean. And since the fabric is attached to the bed frame, (and Betty is still having "accidents"), I was very interested in fabric I could clean easily and well. Crypton is perfect. I loved working with it. In fact, I'm thinking of using Crypton on a settee I'm having recovered as well.

And that's it. Again, you can find full instructions at Design*Sponge with lots of helpful photos. Good luck! And let me know if you end up making toddler beds of your own. I'd love to see pics.

Rocking the Yudu!

Thank you to the 100+ friends, readers and BlogHer attendees that came to the Yudu Nation Meetup. I had so much fun! On Friday, I manned the ironing board — heat setting the printed totebags as they came off the press. On Saturday, I manned the silkscreen machines — chatting and demonstrating and giving attendees a chance to try the Yudu for themselves. I think pretty much everyone there was coveting a machine for themselves.



The Oh. My. Blog. design was the out-and-out favorite. We ended up really experimenting with that design. Mixing inks. Alternating heavy and light pressure to keep the printed design rough and urban feeling. I think they turned out so cool. And it was fun to show attendees how flexible the machine was.




I was also able to play around with Yudu's new 220 screen. It's specifically designed to work on paper (the screen that comes with the machine is perfect for fabric) and would be ideal for making stationery or posters.




Of the 100+ visitors, 75 of them entered the giveaway to win one of 4 Yudu Prize Packages — each worth $400! I'll be announcing the lucky winners later this week, so please check back.



The Yudu team brought a variety of silk-screened examples (tees, bags, wall art) so that attendees could get an idea of the Yudu machine's range. These canvases were a crowd pleaser. A series of four pre-made canvases, covered in a background coat of paint, and then silkscreened with images in metallic paint. Lovely, no?

A huge thank you to Yudu for sponsoring the event and providing materials and prizes. You can find more photos of the Yudu event here, and another report of the event at Currently Crafting.

Goldfish

I wanted some artwork to hang over Oscar's and Betty's beds so I consulted with my kids and Ralph suggested a really big painting of a goldfish. I loved the idea. It's bright. It's gender neutral. It's friendly. Perfect. So we made one.


Ralph drew a sketch of what he had in mind. I bought a 40 x 30 canvas at Guiry's for $19.


We used acrylic paints — water cleanup makes them easy for kids to work with.


Based on Ralph's drawing, we sketched directly on the canvas.



And then everybody had a turn painting.

We think it turned out great (and extra big thanks to Ralph)! How about you?

I haven't done much painting since college and don't really know what I'm doing. I was wishing my mom (who is currently on a mission in Russia) was here directing this project.

P.S. — I haven't forgotten the post about how to build the toddler beds. Still working on getting some better images...

Yudu Meetup Totebag Designs

Hello friends! I'm working on designs for the totebags we'll be silk-screening at the Yudu Nation Meetup this week. (Room #1237 at the Sheraton.) I'd love your feedback. I'm trying to narrow it down to 3 designs.



Colors will be totally flexible depending on ink supplies. Meaning: if you like the Bee bag, you can possibly get it printed in green. Or red. Or black. Or whatever ink is available. (But. I think the Oh. My. Blog. design looks best in black. Just saying.) And artwork placement on the bags can be flexible too. Meaning: if you like the bee bag, but want your bee in the bottom left corner, that could work as well.

The Yudu Machine itself is super flexible and allows you to print pretty much anything you'd like in pretty much any color you'd like. At our meetup, flexibility and availability will all depend on how busy or crazy it is.

Don't like any of the designs? Bummer. Too bad I can't please everybody.


Do you prefer the room-for-everything design? Or...


the everything-is-in-order design?


If you were picking a nature-based design, do you prefer the bee? Or...


The monarch butterfly? Or...


The multi-color butterflies? (This design uses two screens — fancy!)

Mini Tool Boxes

I've developed a huge crush on these mini-tool cases made from Altoid tins. The perfect party favor for anyone throwing a tool-themed birthday party — and way more fun than Bob the Builder kitsch. But really, I just want some for me. So cute! You can find the full instructions at AlphaMom.

Via Say Yes to Hoboken.

8 to 5 Sandwich

You ask. I answer. Here are directions to the famous 8 to 5 Sandwich. And a little background.

Ben Blair and I moved to Greece just weeks after I discovered I was pregnant with my oldest child. I was working as an art director at Ogilvy & Mather and everyday we'd order out for lunch. One of the nearby restaurants was called 8 to 5 — because they were only open during business hours and catered to the working peeps in the area.

I ordered their signature sandwich, also called the 8 to 5, on my first day of work. It was delicious. Maybe even heavenly. And it was one of the first meals that seemed to settle my morning sick digestive system. I ordered this same sandwich every day I worked at Ogilvy & Mather. Literally every day. It got me through that first pregnancy and has been a favorite sandwich ever since.

8 to 5 Sandwich

Ingredients:
French Baguette
Avocado
Cream Cheese
Lettuce
Bacon

Directions:
-Take a section of baguette (about 6-8 inches long) and slice it length wise.
-Mash the avocado and spread one piece of the sliced baguette with it.
-Spread the other slice of baguette with cream cheese.
-Add bacon and lettuce between the slices of bread.
-Enjoy a little bit of heaven.

One note. In Greece, they would mix the mashed avocado with some mayonnaise. It was yummy and salty and creamy. But for whatever reason, I've skipped this step for years.

TapeSwell

Here's a cool find. Decorative packing tape from TapeSwell. Dozens of patterns. Available in single rolls or combo packs. My favorites are the faux bois, the purple lace and the tulips.

T-shirt Dresses

Stephanie is such a smartie. While purging her wardrobe, she found herself feeling sentimental about a handful of old t-shirts. So she sent them to Prairie Mama and had them remade into sweet dresses for Ivy, her 9-month-old baby girl. Such a great idea. You can see the before t-shirts here.

Under A Blanket of Stars — by Guest Mom Stacy

I have always been fascinated by stars. The ones in the sky. We used to visit the planetarium all the time when we were little. I even recall wanting to be an astronomer for a brief moment, until I realized that there was more math involved than I was willing to commit to. I just wanted to look at the stars. All the milky, glittery shapes they swirl in the night sky. Under a blanket of stars.

Flash forward—2002. Jasper had just been born, & one of the books I had purchased for his room was H.A. Rey’s The Stars. The colors on the cover, not to mention the content, were a must-have. Plus anything by H.A. Rey is pure genius. I had been toying with the idea of starting a baby blanket business with a friend from college. I had another dream about turning the zodiac constellations into a blanket (I dream a lot! Not sleep, just dream). But how?

We tried a bunch of things. There were a few “for-sures”—muslin, gingham, & ric-rac, especially the giant ric-rac we got in New York. As for the stars, we settled on felt circles. The results were less than stellar. Not bad, but not exact.

2007—after sharing countless felting books & ideas, Jen & I were well on our way creating seven smooches. I wanted to incorporate the constellation blankets. Still wasn’t sure how to do the stars. Then, I discovered needlefelting. Perfect! Not only are there a zillion brilliant shades of wool out there, it’s fun! Pounding that roving into the muslin & batting can be cathartic.



The constellation blankets have now had three incarnations in 7 years. Don’t stop believin’.

I Have A Dream — by Guest Mom Stacy

If you have never washed a wool sweater & shrunk it into nothing, I highly recommend you do. It wasn’t until my friend Jen did ( her brother’s xxl grey Shetland) & turned it into a tote bag that I was curious. Then I had the dream. The dream of the tiny wool kimono (greyish-ivory) with the stand-up collar & big buttons. It was one of those dreams that wakes you up & stays with you for days. This is what we need to do.

Not that we weren’t satisfyingly busy already. Jen has 5 children (10,7,7,6, & 3), & I have 2 (12 & 7) as well as a full time job as a visual merchandiser in a well-known retailer (rhymes with lap). We met one another as co-room parents in the preschool where 4 of the seven smooches were in class together. We had the extra-curricular portion of motherhood somewhat covered, but we had to do this. The felt. The kimono. The babies — all too delicious to ignore!

And before we knew it, we were sewing. And designing. A new hat. A cardigan. A poncho—or is it a skirt? We applied to a juried art show & held our breaths. Could we really do this? But as any mother knows, whether you have 1 or 2 or 5 or 10 children there is no time to ask that question. Could we really do this? Yes, you can do anything you believe you can.

How To Build A Giant Table

Okay friends. Here it is. My attempt at instructions or at least an explanation of how to build the giant table. With lots of photos. And more notes than you probably want. If you're nervous to try it, remember that all I had to go from is some sketches I'd made on a legal pad and the picture of the table from Downtown Chic. So you're already way ahead of me. FYI: the finished table measures 33" high x 53" wide x 107" long.



First, we spent an afternoon assembling materials. We used:
2 two x eight boards, 8 feet long each
2 two x eight boards, 46 inches long each
2 pieces of 1/2 inch plywood, 48 inches x 53 inches
1 piece of 1/2 inch plywood, 11 inches x 53 inches
6 two x four boards, 46 inches long each
4 two x two boards, 8 feet long each, cut to assorted lengths
4 four x four fence posts, 32 inches long each

A full sheet (60" x 114") of metal from Denver Heating & Air Conditioning. Before we left, they used their industrial metal folding machines to make a 1/2 inch lip around each edge so that we didn't cut ourselves while handling the metal.



Costs:
-The lumber was just under $80 at Home Depot.
-The sheet metal was just over $50.
-My nephew already had some long screws (about 4 inches) and a box of black nails.
-We eventually decided we would want to attach the legs with bolts, so that we could easily remove the legs. Sixteen heavy-duty bolts and washers, etc, were about $50 at True Value.

Once we had the materials assembled, we built the table top base. (And I should note, whenever I say "we" I mostly mean my nephew Josh.)



We formed a rectangle using all four of the eight x two boards. The short pieces went inside the long pieces. We secured this box together at all 4 corners with 4 inch screws.



Once the outer rectangle was formed, we laid the six 46" two x fours across the bottom. We attached those with screws from the outside. Then we flipped it over.



Next, it was time to attach the top surface of the table — the wood we would eventually attach the metal to. We couldn't buy a single piece of plywood that was big enough, so we used 3 pieces. Two large pieces and one small one in the middle.



We attached the 3 plywood pieces to the table top base by screwing into the two x four boards through the plywood. Once attached, they formed a rectangle that measured 53 inches x 107 inches.



When the plywood sheets were securely attached, it was time to add a lip around the edge — something to wrap the sheet metal around. We used lengths of two x two board, held them in place with clamps, then screwed in through the plywood to attach them.




And tada! Phase one was complete. During phase two we added the metal top. During phase three we added legs. Here's phase two:

We laid the piece of metal on the ground, top side facing down. Then placed the upside-down table top base on top of the metal.



We marked and trimmed the corners of sheet metal. You can enlarge the images to see our technique. Then we hammered and hammered and hammered the metal until it would keep it's shape wrapping around the table base. We used nails to secure the metal to the bottom of the table top lip.



With the table top complete, we moved it into the room where it would eventually live. (It's incredibly heavy. Seriously.) And then we attached the legs.



The fence posts were nestled inside each corner and secured with clamps. Then we drilled four holes through the table base sides and completely through the fence posts. Two holes on each side. For each leg, four bolts went through four holes and were secured with nuts and washers. If/when we ever have to move the table through a doorway, it will be easy to remove the legs.



And that's it. We turned the table on its feet and it was ready to use.

Except. A few days later, we realized some air pockets had formed between the metal and the plywood beneath. So we did a pretty major fix. Josh's whole family came to help out. We took out every single nail and removed the metal top. We squirted three bottles of Gorilla Glue onto the backside of the metal, spread the glue evenly and placed the top back on the table.




We weighted the metal top down with every heavy thing in the house we could find. A couple of cinder blocks. Books. Boxes of files and papers. (Luckily, Ben Blair is a PhD and has oodles of boxes of paper and books.) We let the glue dry overnight, then removed all the weight and re-nailed the metal under the lip. Obviously, if we were building again, we would have done the glue part before we hammered and nailed the metal the first time.



Other Notes:
1) Our table is at a non-regular height. 30" is standard table height. 36" is standard counter height. Our table is 33" and works best with a 20" workstool. If you wanted a higher table, you could just use longer pieces of fence post. You could make the table shorter, but you might not be able to sit around it comfortably because the two x eight boards extend down quite far — making it hard to tuck knees under if you were sitting on a standard height chair. If you want a standard 30" table, you would be wise to use two x six boards instead of two x eight boards.

2) Since we didn't really know what we were doing, I intentionally picked a table style that would be rough and allow for building mistakes. Let this give you courage if you attempt a table as well. The more scratches, rough spots and gouges the better.

And that's it. Amazing! We still haven't aged the table and are considering our options. I'll definitely report back when I decide what to do. If you end up making a table too, please let me know. I'd love to hear how it turns out.

Josh, the main builder on this project (and the handsome guy in the blue polo shirt here) started a two-year proselyting mission yesterday. I know it's only been a day, but my whole family already misses him like crazy. Thank you, Josh!

Family Tree

Ben Blair's cousin, John Groberg, has come up with a cool new online service. Take the pile of ancestral photos you've been collecting, and use Geneartogy to turn them into an elegant family tree — printed, delivered to your door, ready to be framed. Wouldn't Martha be proud?

If you'd love to make such a display but don't know how to start, take a minute to read John's advice:

"You might feel intimidated at the prospect of collecting all the photos, names and dates. Don't be. You do not need to have everything assembled before you start. Just start with what you have — even if it is only your parents, then add more as you go. We store it all on our site and you can log in and work on your project whenever you want from wherever you are. If there are a few photos that just aren't available, don't let that stop you either. You can input the names and dates and use an attractive looking male or female silhouette (which we provide) in the photo place."

There are currently 3 templates to choose from and Geneartogy is looking to add more. If you're a graphic designer and would like to design additional options, contact John through his website — I know he's looking to hire.

I'm such a fan of any family photo displays. I totally think I'm going to try this.

Vintage Printable

Friends! Find of the year!!!

Vintage Printable has FREE high resolution images of botanicals, architectural prints, old travel posters, and all sorts of other lovely things (like the two examples above). There are dozens and dozens, maybe hundreds and hundreds are gorgeous options. The illustrations are curated by Swivelchair, an anonymous biopharma worker.

To be clear, the images have a high enough resolution, that you can print them up poster size and they'll still look great — not pixelated or fuzzy.

Print one out on the oversize printer at your local copy center, then frame it in a ready made option and you've got fantastic wall art on the cheap. See a great example here.

Sent in by Laurie who spotted it on I Suwannee.

La Maisonette

Stephanie and her husband bought a 400 year old cottage in France. And now they're renovating. You can read updates and reports here. On a scale of 1 to 10, my happiness for them is a 10. This kind of project is absolutely dreamy. That said, my jealously is at a 9. I'm so coveting.

Dearest Stephanie, please keep your eyes open for other pieces of charming real estate in the area.

Letterpress Classes

Did you see these pretty cards Jordan made for Paul? I wish I lived in San Francisco and could take one of her letterpress classes. I noticed the June class isn't full yet — I'm tempted to fly out for it. I'd love to make me some new business cards.

Trash to Treasure DIY — by Guest Mom Lara Fishman

I don't know about you, but for me, Spring brings out the urge to turn the house upside down for a yearly purge. As I'm hauling things out to the curb I have to remind myself: don't be too quick to throw away the stuff you find in your garage — remember to keep your eye out for hidden treasure.

Some of my favorite trash-to-treasure projects so far (pictured above — click to enlarge the pic):

-I turned an old bank door handle that I bought years ago from an online auction into a new towel rack for our guest bathroom. A new coat of nickel plating and presto, it’s good as new.

-I found a group of old lamps from the seventies in storage and were able to revive them as Mediterranean-esque sconces for a client’s bathroom.

-I took vintage Moroccan lanterns and replated them with nickel. One made the perfect hanging fixture for a regal bathroom for a client. The other two were hung in my own kitchen.

-I also love to mix modern and vintage so when I found some amazing old claw foot bathtub pedestal feet, I refurbished them and used them in my master bath. They go really well with the clean lines of the modern cabinetry.

-It’s also relatively simple to take a tired old chandelier and give it new life with a few simple touches.

-And you can easily re-invent something by simply changing its function. I found a vintage Lucite umbrella stand ages ago but have recently started using it in our bathroom as a toilet paper holder.

Are you a trash-to-treasure kind of girl? Any success stories?

Table Project Update

More sneak peeks of the table project!

Isn't it amazing? It's enormous. And weighs 300 pounds or so. I love it so much! I know I owe more details and sources — a full post with more pics is coming. Now. Do I leave it as is? Or try to age it to look like this one?

Painted Piano

The piano looks so good! If you've been thinking about painting your piano, then run, don't walk, to your nearest paint shop and get yourself a quart of high-gloss enamel. You don't have to paint it green, or any particularly bright color. But if you feel like your piano needs a fresh start, this is the cheapest, fastest way to go.

I had been wanting to do this project for 9 years and kept getting intimidated by it. But there was no need for fear. It was actually very straightforward and is one of the most satisfying projects I've finished in ages. Here are my notes, in case you're considering a paint job.



The best candidate for something like this is a piano that's not worth restoring. Ours was perfect. It was the piano I grew up with and it was pretty beat up when my parents originally picked it up for a bargain $300. By the time I inherited it, it was even more war-torn and the first thing I did was get 3 bids on having it refinished and restored. All three refinishers told me it would be about $2000 to restore the inside and $2000 to restore the outside and that the inside was just old, and even if it was restored it wouldn't be as good as new. All 3 recommended sending this one to the junk yard and buying new.

But new was out of our budget. And so was a $4000 restoration. I got some other opinions, and it was decided that the piano was good enough for lessons for the kids (the kids were babies at the time), and that we could get a more serious piano when and if our kids became serious piano students.

So we just kept the piano as it was and I dreamt of at least giving it a shiny coat of paint — for 9 years. Some years I thought a glossy black would be lovely. But then I felt like black would seem like I was trying to make the instrument more formal than it really was. Later I thought maybe a white coat that we could sand down and make sort of rustic would be nice. Then for about the last 3 years I decided turquoise would be the right thing to do, but I never made it happen. When we were moving, the piano was so depressing I almost left it behind. But Ben Blair said we should bring it to Colorado.

Saturday morning I was craving a challenge so I decided to finally tackle the piano paint job. When I got to the paint store I had a vision: go big or go home. I decided on Grass Green then and there. I bought one quart of hi-gloss enamel, one quart of primer, tinted to match the paint, and a paint brush. Grand total: $40.

By Saturday afternoon I had primed it and painted 2 coats of paint. At that point, I decided the green was a little too yellow, so I took the remaining paint back to Guiry's and asked them to green it up a bit. They spent a half hour with me (as the store was closing) getting the color just right. And they didn't charge me. (I will be a customer for life.)

Saturday evening, I added one more coat and then came back to the project on Monday. Monday I did two more coats. Tuesday I did some touch ups. And tada! It's finished.

Unexpected thing: I can already see this will be the signature piece in our home. I had never thought about a signature piece for our home, but because I went with a bold color, now we have one. Every person that comes in the house is drawn to it. Everyone wants to touch the keys. It's been played more in the last two days than it has been in years. Ben Blair wants to host a recital and call it Variations on the Green Piano.

Other unexpected thing: a piano is big. Physically and visually. It's not just a small accent piece. Once you have a green piano, you basically have to design the room around it instead of just work it into the existing space. Which means I need to talk to the landlord about painting the walls...

Seeing our newly painted piano makes me super happy. I think the only thing that makes me happier is when I watch my kids playing it while they're standing on books (wink). Green wouldn't be right for every home, but it's perfect for ours. I feel like I just bought this piano 10 more years of life. Next up: time to get it tuned.

Edit. To answer some of your questions.
1) The color is Benjamin Moore Yellow Green (but in my mind it looks more like grass green).
2) I didn't use oil-based paint.
3) According to the paint store: yes, you should sand off any existing hi-gloss finish before you prime.
4) I don't have any "before" pictures to share. I did have some. But they are gone. Because I am an idiot and mistakenly erased them.
5) Yes, I painted the bench as well. When I have the room more put together, I'll share a photo tour.
6) I did not disassemble the piano, but an expert or less-lazy person would have. I painted with the keyboard closed. Once the paint was dry, I opened the keyboard and painted around it with a smaller brush.

Happy painting!

Table Progress

I've been trying to figure out what kind of table I want in our dining-room-turned-art-space. Should I buy one? Maybe the Strut Table I've been in love with for ages from Blu Dot? Should I build something? Maybe use trestles from Ikea and a hollow core door? Except Colorado doesn't have an Ikea. (What the?!)

Then I saw this photo in Downtown Chic, the Sixx Design book I just posted about, and fell in love. It's so old and worn and beat-up and beautiful. My kids could paint on it or cut on it or dent it and it wouldn't matter even a little bit. So I hired my nephew Josh to help me build something like it. We don't really know what we're doing, but the rough nature of the finished project allows for mistakes. Which is perfect. Here is our progress:


We're building it as big as we can based on the sheet metal that was available. We think when it's finished it will be able to seat 10 very comfortably, and 14 pretty comfortably. Once it's built, I'll decide on the finish. Possibly I'll try to make it look aged. (I have no idea how I would go about doing this, if you have any tips, please share.) Possibly I'll just paint it.

Once it's finished (assuming the table turns out cool), I'll write up something with more details, sources and instructions.

Mini Moderns — Now in Clothing

Mini Moderns, one of my favorite wallpaper/textile design shops has partnered with Clothkits to create a collection of easy-to-make dresses featuring Mini Moderns print designs. How cute is that? I've never tried Clothkits before but now I'm all curious.

Kind of a wallpaper theme happening today. Unexpected, but I like it.

Draw-Your-Own Wallpaper

Spotted on kirtsy. Kellie of Scrapblog redesigned her long hallway with 2 gold paint pens, a step stool and 3 hours of time. She based her pattern on an image (the one at top) she found in a Fossil catalog. Fabulous!

I like this so much I might have to copy. Lots more photos and details if you click through.

Sidenote: have you been browsing the links at kirtsy this week? So much good stuff. Don't miss out.

Be an Original, Upcycled Vintage Bride — by Guest Mom Starr Keller

One part of Starr Strung that has come to mature quickly over the past year are my bridal jewelry and accessory lines. Specifically, the vintage section gets more attention than I ever thought possible. I know most of you reading are young mothers and aren't planning your wedding, but for any of the brides-to-be out there, here are some thoughts on using vintage jewelry in your wedding.

I have always adored vintage pieces, and can remember the first time my mom ever handed me a family keepsake to have as my own: a three-strand, freshwater pearl necklace with a tiny crystal rose clasp from my great-grandmother. I wouldn't change the necklace one single bit, but it did inspire me to go on a limb and incorporate upcycled vintage pieces into my work.

I've had brides ask me to incorporate an old family heirloom into their bridal jewelry, and have been prompted recently to seek out specific circa pieces for other brides-to-be. The end result is always, without fail, a perfectly unique ensemble of jewelry that a bride can cherish forever. Also, if you're someone who wants all of the tiniest details of your wedding to be unique and specific, incorporating these vintage components guarantees there won't be anyone else wearing the same jewelry.

Once you make a decision about your personal wedding day jewels, consider picking out vintage jewelry for your bridesmaids. Gifting bridesmaids with jewelry for your wedding day is a great, economical way to thank them — you are going to ask them to accessorize regardless, why not give them the perfect jewels? So much more fun than the same old monogrammed cup or key chain!

Interested in finding your own vintage accessories? I suggest seeking out pieces from the 1940s and '50s — it seems to me that the women of these eras took great pride in their appearance, and the jewelry and findings from these generations certainly reflect that. Once you've found something fabulous, think about how to repurpose it — rhinestone brooches can be upcycled into focal points of pearl-strand necklaces, while sparkly bits from clip on earrings can be made into stunning hair pieces.

Handmade Gardening — by Guest Mom Starr Keller

When I was diagnosed with adenomyosis last year, I started desperately doing research on the cause and effects of the disease. All signs pointed to what I was putting into my body, and unfortunately for a lady that loves sweets and the occasional fountain soda (caffeine!), all things that fell in the "refined" processing categories were out. No more food or drink with gluten, which meant a big change in my cabinets and grocery lists.

I grew up in a home full with natural parenting and organic eating long before it was en vogue, so calling upon my roots, I knew how to steer my ship and my family's dinner table into a more healthful way. This was the way our family garden was born: eggplant, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes of all hybrids, sweet peas, and recently, herbs. It has constantly amazed me, and our three little ones delight in how we can take rich soil in little peat pots, tiny seeds, a few days of warm sunshine and a bit of watering and walah! The end result is that we have bright veggies, fruits and herbs of all sorts to enjoy.



Because our kids are still young (ages 6, 5, and 3) labeling what seeds we have planted is of utmost importance. Our first year out, we had 35 tomato plants and one cabbage...so, I turned my efforts to etsy to find creative ways to identify our plantings. I like to support like-minded folks who are supporting themselves, so handmade stakes from Artisan Hands are perfect! And three stakes for $20 is a reasonable price for these little pretties that can be used again. The frequent watering help from little hands won't soil these pretties either.



For little bits of vintage loveliness in the garden, I like the offerings on from the etsy shop Monkeys Always Look. The idea of upcycling old pieces of silver into functional markers is so creative, and eco-friendly!

Happy gardening, made easier with handmade loveliness. It doesn't get any better than that!

Artisan Bread at Home — by Guest Mom Amy of Progressive Pioneer

There's something meditative about breadmaking that I absolutely love; the slow process of yeast developing, the rhythmic kneading, the suspense of waiting to take it out of the oven, perfectly browned. Up until recently, however, eating my whole wheat bread was less a zen experience, and more an exercise in patience as one chewed their way through a doorstop disguised as bread.

All that changed when I met Peter Reinhart. Okay, so we haven't actually met, but I feel a certain kinship as I've read his book cover to cover and it's now stained and marked as any well-loved cookbook should be.

All his recipes are 100% whole grain. He works with the properties of the grain with amazing results. Don't be intimidated by the two day process; it's really just as easy, if not easier that the regular method; much less kneading involved. And he's got everything from a simple sandwich bread to whole wheat bagels and cinnamon rolls.

Also, it may just be a rumor, but I've heard that Artisan Breads in Five Minutes a Day is coming out with a whole grains version... I've got my fingers crossed!

Going Green — by Guest Mom Amy of Progressive Pioneer

There's a certain morning ritual that has me so hooked I almost can't start my day without it. Not coffee, but green smoothies. Because the appearance can be a bit alarming, you really have to try it before you pass judgment. The basic recipe at our house is this:

-Half a banana
-A handful of blueberries (add enough to make it tasty)
-Several handfuls of fresh spinach
-Enough water to make it drinkable
-And that's it!

I promise it tastes great; spinach blends really well with fruit. And it's SO good for you! Once you get that down, you can get fancier with strawberries, carrots, oranges, melon, peaches, fresh coconut and pineapple; there are a million yummy possibilities!



Tiffany of Naturemoms.com puts her green smoothies in popsicle molds as treats for the kids. We love these Tovolo rocket and star molds (ours were a wedding gift!). Mixing spinach with yummy fruit in a rocket pop just might have your kids begging for their greens!

The one thing I hope you remember — by Guest Mom Amy Smart

Motherhood is good work — the best kind — but it’s work nonetheless. And sometimes it feels totally overwhelming.

Having a creative outlet is the aspect of my life that has kept me sane. Sounds cliché, but it’s true. It’s therapeutic for me to have some short-term creative projects in the midst of the long-term creative process of raising children.

I have a feeling this may be the first time Dolly Parton has ever been quoted on Design Mom, but it’s always good to break new ground, right? I recently found these lyrics and they spoke to me.

It takes all I’ve got to give what life demands.
You’ll go insane if you give in to it,
Life’s a mill and I’ve been through it,
I’m just grateful I’m creative with my hands.

So here’s the one thing I hope you remember from Amy Smart: Find something you love to do and do it.

Not because you want to get a bunch of new comments on your blog, or because you want to become the next Martha, or because you want to win a blue ribbon at the state fair. But because it feeds some part of you that needs feeding.

Just don’t try to do it all. You’ve really got to narrow your focus. For right now, I’ve narrowed it down to one thing.


And I set up shop in the middle of the family room with the kids buzzing around me. I try to avoid using the computer when they are around because I don’t like the thought of them just looking at the back of my head. But I do sew with them around. (This doesn’t mean there aren’t frequent interruptions and occasional balls thrown at my head or Hot Wheels cars driving across my back). I like them seeing me do something artistic, and I’ve seen the way it affects my kids’ creativity.


In the meantime, I totally enjoy admiring the work of other women. Especially when they do something I don’t do. Don’t feel guilty or compare what you do to what other people do. Enjoy the beauty they create as well.

So, pick your thing. And love it. Whether it’s baking a loaf of bread, or playing the piano, or doing Pilates, or knitting socks, or digging in the dirt. Nourish your soul. Then you can better nourish the little souls that live with you.

Thanks again to Gabby for letting me come hang out this week and to all of you for your encouraging comments. I’d love to hang out with you more in the future, so drop in for a visit!

Paper Toys

I keep thinking about the Paper Toys I wrote about for Cookie last week. I really want this book/kit.

How to make a messenger bag in 32 minutes — by Guest Mom Amy Smart

Today I want to share another simple, beginning sewing project you can make with your kids or for yourself. This is what we are giving our friends for birthday presents this year. It’s even cool enough for boys because it’s a messenger bag (not to be confused with a man purse!).

Come visit me here to learn how. I promise that you can do this in about 30 minutes. Maybe a little more if you’re still getting your sewing groove on, but you’ll feel like a pro when you’ve done it. We made this cowboy version Sunday afternoon. Even though I did all the sewing in this case, my 5-year-old felt immediately connected and proud of the bag after watching me make it for him. (Which he literally did every minute I was working.)

5 Easy ways to teach a girl (or boy) to sew — By Guest Mom Amy Smart

image credit, Amy Hackworth

I think sewing is another great method for kids to express themselves creatively. I love this thought of teaching our children to sew as a means of being a “stabilizer” in their lives expressed beautifully by former first lady, Grace Coolidge:

“Every girl should be taught to sew, not merely for the sake of making something, but as an accomplishment which may prove a stabilizer in time of perplexity or distress. Many a time when I needed to hold myself firmly I have taken up a needle (a sewing needle, some knitting needles, or a crochet hook.) Whatever its form or purpose, it often proved to be as the needle of the compass, keeping me to the course.”

So here are some ways to get them (or you!) started:

One fun way, especially with really young kids, is beginning-level lacing cards. The ever-popular eeBoo has some adorable choices.


If your kids are a little older and you want to make your own sewing cards, check out Marie’s patterns at Make and Takes.


In The Creative Family, Amanda Soule suggests simply giving your children some fabric in a sewing hoop, a needle and thread, and letting them go.

We’ve also had success with my daughter drawing a picture and taping it to the window. Then she lightly traces it onto plain fabric, and stitches over the traced lines. A very simple way to let them capture their art in another form.



For another very simple project to do with your kids, Oliver + S offers this free download for an easy child’s skirt. I am no expert at sewing clothes (still a little scared of zippers and sleeves) but this one is totally do-able. And cute.


Really, you can do this. And it doesn’t need to be perfect. Keep it simple, but at the same time, let them run with it. Don’t be afraid to let them (or yourself) make mistakes. Your kids will love anything they have a hand in, and it will give them a ton of satisfaction to see a finished product that they accomplished with their own hands. Hopefully it will do the same for you too!

Easter Tree

Megan, the friend I attended the Martha Stewart taping with, has been putting the glitter she received to good use. Knowing my time is crunched this month, she made my family an Easter Tree — so that I wouldn't need to pull out the glitter myself in the middle of all the towers of boxes we're living with. I can't imagine a more thoughtful gift.




There are 7 eggs. Each one blown out, dyed, then glittered with a family member's initial. The tree was waiting on the table when the kids got home from school last week and they pretty much went crazy over it. The personalized eggs. Oh. And the Snickers. Thank you, Megan!

What have you done for Easter decorations this year? How are you dying your eggs?

Green photo scavenger hunt

Katie Schultz had a great idea. She took her kids on a photo scavenger hunt. They walked around their neighborhood and took pictures of anything green they could find. So smart!

The same concept would work with any color. You could do it with letters as well. Or pick another sort of theme — smiles, toys, cars, things that make noise, animals, etc. Toddlers and preschoolers would be all over this.

The Dish That Keeps On Giving — by Guest Mom Jora

If you don’t already have one, I highly recommend you find a recipe that your family loves and that also happens to give you lots of leftovers. This is ironic coming from The Girl Who Hates to Eat Leftovers. But I have to admit there are some dishes that are as good, if not better, the second or third day as they were the first. Soup, in my mind, is one such dish.

The beauty of finding the “dish that keeps on giving” as I like to call it, is that it is usually a one dish meal (think casserole, soup, stew, etc.) and can be served from at lunch, on a planned “leftovers night,” or on one of those nights that you intend to cook something fresh and fabulous, but alas, the day has gotten away from you. Generally speaking, these dishes are just as much work if you make four servings or twelve. Make it on Sunday afternoon, eat it for dinner that night, and then partake as needed during the week. (Again, if you’re very oriented toward planning, which I am not, freeze some portions and then pull it out in a month when everyone has forgotten about it!)

Some of my family’s favorite soups (which provide lots of leftovers) include the following:

Homemade Chicken Noodle
Turkey Chipotle Chile
Lentil Soup
Cream of Asparagus
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Broccoli, Red Pepper and Cheddar Chowder

And last but not least, Orangette’s “Fretwell (Italian Vegetable) Soup,” which I made recently with Baby J (literally) underfoot. I am always surprised that my kids (specifically my son) will eat this soup which has about 7 or 8 types of vegetables in plain view. Oh, and it happens to be the most delicious version of minestrone I have ever tasted. Be sure to serve it over the slices of day-old bread and with plenty of good olive oil drizzled over the top.

See how happy Baby J is to sit down at eat this soup?

And here’s C-Man giving the soup a (too-rare) thumbs up!

What are your favorite “dishes that keep on giving”?

The Virtues of (Meal) Planning Ahead — by Guest Mom Jora

If you have a family to feed, I cannot extol the virtues of planning meals ahead enough. I know this is easy for some of you….you are planners by nature. This sort of thing maybe even excites you a little. You can make dinners on a weekend, freeze portions ahead of time and pull little packages out during the week: Turkey Chili, anyone? Cheese Enchiladas? Beef Stew? I personally don’t have the foresight or the freezer space to take meal-planning that far.

But getting a list of dinner ideas together on Sunday night is a very, very good thing indeed (to quote Martha). I find it is the only way to feed your family a variety of interesting meals while not driving yourself crazy with the 5 o’clock panic. You don’t have to plan anything fancy and don’t feel pressure to come up with new things all the time (unless that is what makes you happy). Plenty of moms I know do the “Taco Tuesday” and “Friday Pizza Night” thing. The point is, think ahead, shop ahead, and meals will be more enjoyable to prepare and to eat. On my blog, I try to post "Meal Planning Monday" each week. I find this keeps me on track.

I’ll admit I was reluctant to switch over to this sort of cooking. Before kids, I prided myself on living (what I thought was, anyway) a very European lifestyle: shopping almost each day for fresh foods and cooking spontaneously. And that, my friends, is a fine way to live, should you have all sorts of time on your hands and no dependents to take care of. I am guessing that is not your situation if you are reading Design Mom, however.

I’m not going to give you a list of menu items and recipes (even though I am tempted!), because each family is different in their tastes. You know what you like and what your family will eat. But I will share one idea with you. We could eat salads almost every night in our house, and I know that’s true for many of my friends and their families. The trick is to, again, plan ahead so that you have the makings of a fresh and interesting salad at your fingertips. So, I recommend buying the lettuces you like and washing and drying them for the week. Just wrap the clean leaves in paper towels and store in plastic bags. Then (and this is the important part), make a good homemade dressing or two (it really makes a big difference!), and maybe even some croutons.

Herbed Buttermilk Dressing
from The Gourmet Cookbook

1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
½ c. mayonnaise
2 T. olive oil
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
2 T. chopped fresh chives
1 T. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. It will keep, covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. But it will be gone before then. Trust me.


Parmesan Balsamic Vinaigrette
from The Gourmet Cookbook

This is my son’s favorite dressing. He calls it “the brown dressing.” Not very appetizing-sounding, I realize…. He will dip just about anything in it, which is handy for getting him to eat his veggies.

1 garlic clove
½ t. salt
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 t. fresh lemon juice
3 T. minced fresh basil (optional)
¼ c. finely grated parmesan cheese
¼ t. freshly-ground black pepper
½ c. olive oil

Using a large heavy knife, mince and mash garlic to a paste with salt. Whisk garlic paste with vinegar, lemon juice, basil, cheese and pepper in a bowl. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until well blended. Add more salt and pepper to taste. This will keep for a week or more covered in the refrigerator.


Croutons
Homemade croutons are super easy and much tastier and cheaper that buying them at the store.

Cube or tear day-old bread into small pieces. You can use a nice crusty European-style loaf, but honestly, if you use the Honey Wheat Sandwich Bread from Trader Joe’s (or something similar), that will taste great too.

Place the bread cubes on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. (You can get fancy with herbs or parmesan cheese or such, but it really isn’t necessary.) Bake in a 400 degree pre-heated oven for about 10 or 15 minutes (or until slightly crisp and golden). Give the croutons a stir or two while they are baking.

Let cool completely before tossing with your salad. Store the cooled leftovers in a zip-top bag.

Freezer Paper Stencils

Liz and Camie and Jill saw this freezer paper stencil tutorial on Angry Chicken and made Obama tees for their little ones. I'm dying to try this method! Looks like the perfect solution when you just want to make one or two tees. I'm bookmarking this and adding it to my list of gifts-my-kids-can-make-for-each-other for next Christmas.

Sisters Gulassa

Just heard from Sisters Gulassa. Lise and Cyrille are two sisters that collaborate from two different continents to make beautiful textiles. They just launched their first line of fabrics — it's called Lulu and it's available through Camelot Cottons.

On their brand new blog, you can also get lots of peeks at their workspace, upcoming designs and all sorts of beautiful photos. It might be my new favorite blog.



Sigh. I love looking at beautiful textiles. It makes me want to make something. What shall I make?

Potatoes and Printing — by Guest Aunt Kelly Wilkinson

Image courtesy of my talented pal Lisa Coris. This is the Healy Pass, just up the road from my in-laws.

I’m jumping the gun on St. Patrick’s Day here, but this is my first year as a new Irish citizen (courtesy of my husband), so next week has special significance.

While other people mark the day with plastic hats and green beer, I’ve recently learned that many gardeners mark the holiday by planting potatoes. That's because in Ireland, the soil is finally warm enough to sow seed potatoes — a fancy name for small potatoes with a sprouting eye.

Potatoes are dead easy to grow, and no other crop delivers the same sense of mystery and satisfaction. When you dig into the soil and unearth a crop of potatoes, I promise that you’ll feel like you're five years old again and just found the prize at the end of a treasure hunt.



My dad grew potatoes when I was little, and my sisters and I can still summon up all the sentimentality and smells of that experience. Hopefully we'll pass that onto the next generation: My niece helped me tend our potato patch last year, and this fall, she dug up her very first crop.

If gardening isn't for you, consider that potatoes aren’t just food — they make a great craft material, especially in the hands of someone as talented as Lotta Jansdotter, who shows us how to print with a sweet potato right here.



Thanks, Gabrielle, for having me as a Guest Aunt this week. And thanks to everyone who took the time to write — you’ve been wonderful and encouraging, and it's been great to be in your company!

Upcycled Photo Cube — by Guest Aunt Kelly Wilkinson

We have teetering piles of orphaned cds at home, which means we have an equal number of empty cd cases. Not very glamorous on their own, but with a no-sew makeover, the cases can be turned into chunky, modern photo displays that double as candleholders.



I printed images on vellum paper so the cube gives off a gauzy glow when lit from the inside. Some of my readers told me they made different versions as gifts, personalizing them with photos from friends and family members’ trips. Once the telltale edges of the cases are covered in ribbon, no one is the wiser that this wasn’t picked up in some in-the-know boutique. But I’m such a dork that I'll take any chance to blurt out, Isn’t this cool? I made it from CD cases!

You can follow along here.

Find more of Kelly at Make Grow Gather.

Fave Fabrics and Books — by Guest Aunt Kelly Wilkinson

Fabric stores are dangerous-magical places for me, along with libraries and bookstores. I could spent hours sort of sleepwalking through the stacks in a lovely daze. Sort of like what these designs do to me:

Top Fabric: Nani Iro Fredonner Linen in Rose





Row by row, from left to right:
Pine in Chocolate, Joel Dewberry
Sweet Jasmine in Natural, by Amy Butler
Pear Tree Border in Light Grey
Swirls and Spots in Earth
Brown Underwater Sisters, Heather Ross
Foliage, in Blue and Terracotta

As to what to do with these fabrics, I’ve made pillows, tea cozies, and baby blankets. Even more ideas abound in my current go-to sewing books: Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross, Midwest Modern by Amy Butler, Simple Sewing with a French Twist by Celine Dupuy, and Sew Everything Workshop by Diana Rupp.

As for where to buy fabric, nothing beats picking it up and feeling its heft and texture in person. But if you don’t have a great fabric store nearby, or you want more options, you can’t go wrong here:
Purl Soho
Reprotdepo Fabrics
Sew, Mama, Sew!
And for our Aussie friends, Duckcloth in Melbourne.

And then, of course, there is the revolutionary Spoonflower, where we can all pretend to be fabric designers. And it makes things like this possible, which is pretty much the sweetest gift I’ve ever seen.

Find more of Kelly at Make Grow Gather.

A Story Box — by Guest Aunt Kelly Wilkinson

The realization that I am the first Guest Aunt here is making me sit up straight and take this newly-created role very seriously. I want to do good by all of us aunts out here, who – like me – probably don’t have the vocabulary to express the love for our little nieces or nephews.

This also makes me think back to when I was on the precipice of aunthood, before my older sister had her daughter. My sister Robyn is one of the most adorable, loving, bright-spirited people you will ever meet in your whole life – and she lavishes all kinds of love and attention on everyone in her life. But she gets kind of squirmy when the spotlight turns on her. She was pretty feisty about not wanting a baby shower, but eventually, a few of her closest friends and I insisted that we at least take her out to dinner. And we wanted to find something we could make or do that would represent our love for Robyn, and all of our relationships with her.

Enter the Story Box.

All this takes is a sturdy wooden box (a cigar box is ideal) covered with some dreamy illustrations, and digging into your shared memories to come up with a few stories that reveal something about the mom-to-be. We all wrote two or three story prompts that Robyn (or her daughter, when she gets old enough) can pull out and use as a starting point for a story. A card inside the box reads “Tell Ada A Story About…” and the handwritten cards take it from there.

The cards we wrote for Robyn included trips that she and her husband took before having kids…famous (and infamous) stories about our parents…and sweet sentiments about what Robyn imagined her son or daughter would be like.

One of the things I love about this project is that it’s a collective expression, and it manages to capture a wide range of feeling and love and history without being too treacley. Perfect for someone like Robyn, who won’t let you linger too long on why she’s a kickass sister, mom and friend.

Find more of Kelly at Make Grow Gather.

Magnet Makeover — by Guest Aunt Kelly Wilkinson

Every time we move, our collection of beloved photos, notes and postcards on the refrigerator goes into a file folder to be transported to our next kitchen. And every time I open that folder and transfer the old mementos to the new fridge, that new kitchen finally feels like home.

But like most people, we’re always trying to cram the corner of just one more birth announcement under an already maxed-out magnet. So I decided to replenish the stash with a pack of magnets from the craft store; some smooth, tactile stones; and my newest craft crush: rub-on transfers from this company.


The transfers add a nice hit of design without actually needing to know how to draw or tinker around in a design programs, and I really like the contrast of a bright graphic against natural stone.

Simply rub a transfer onto a found pebble or stone, and glue to the magnet with a dab of epoxy glue, like J-B Weld. Now the magnets are almost as cherished as what they hold.

Find more of Kelly at Make Grow Gather.

Clever Cakes

Since I posted about the brain cupcakes, my inbox has suddenly become the hotspot for party ideas. For example, an email with a link to this slideshow of 31 cake ideas — with full, step-by-step instructions no less. The dumptruck and fries are my favorites.

Speaking of truck cakes, did you see the truck party Maggie threw for 2-year-old Hank? Lots of wonderful photos.

Young Einstein Party Favors

For party favors, the guests were able to take home samples of all the experiments they'd made (green slime, fake snow, etc.), so we didn't really need to come up with anything else. But because Maude is a maker, we decoupaged mini-clipboards as well, filled them with graph paper and tied on a green pen. [Edit: I heard about this cute idea from my friend Megan. Thanks for the inspiration, Megan!]





Kiasa brought white favor bags as part of the Science Explorers of NY party package. We added these green circles — attached with double-sided tape — to tie them into our party theme. They say: Thank you for coming to Maude's Young Einstein party. Yay for cool science!

Lots (lots!) more Young Einstein party photos here.

Make Someone's Day — by Guest Mom Stephanie Brubaker

Recently we've been recipients of a few random acts of kindness, and we are enjoying them so much that it seems only right to pass along the good vibes. I thought it would be fun to share some ideas about simple yet meaningful ways to make someone's day, whether it be anonymous or not. A little thoughtfulness goes a long way...especially during a time when many are feeling down about life. Here are a few ideas to spark your imagination:

1. Make a batch of cookies and package a few of them up for others to enjoy. Save a few for your own kids too...you'll want them to have warm memories of Mom making cookies :)

2. Prepare a nice lunch (something you'd be thrilled to eat yourself) and then give it to a homeless person. Perhaps include a napkin with an uplifting note written across the top. Based on experience, having a surprise lunch delivered is about the best thing ever.



3. Gather up all the fixin's for a "tea-party-in-a-box" and pass it along to a friend who needs some extra TLC. Include a mug, a few tea bags, a homemade or store-bought scone, lemon curd, and whipped cream (if you can find Devonshire cream, use that instead).

4. Buy a large bouquet of flowers at Costco and then divvy them up to a few friends. Wrap a few stems in kraft brown paper and add ribbon. I've yet to meet anyone who doesn't love flowers as a gift.

* If it's a food-related item, you may want to let the recipient know it's from you...some people may not eat food that's given to them anonymously. Just a thought...



A simple, yet well-packaged treat is both fun to present and to receive. If you are taking the time to participate in a random act of kindness, why not package it up nicely? :) Here are some of my favorites:

Pie Shaped Packages...What a fantastic way to present a piece of homemade apple pie. Yum. I'll admit it's more time consuming than the other ideas but a project that must be done at least once. The cuteness factor is way too high to pass up! You can view the template here.

White Chinese Takeout Boxes...They cost less than a quarter each making them very cost effective and adorable. You'll find yourself using this idea over and over because you can change the look of the boxes so easily with different colors, ribbons & tags.

Gable Boxes...I absolutely love these boxes and find myself creating excuses to use them. Add an adhesive label and you're good to go. My favorite labels are those from Stuck, Paper Source, and Thomas Paul.

And speaking of sharing the love...thank you so much for all your lovely comments this week. You've all made my week and I'm feeling lots of warm fuzzies right now, thanks to you! Keep in touch...

Find more of Stephanie at Stephmodo

Giveaway — Poloppo T-Me Kits

Remember the fab draw-your-own-tee kits I posted about a few weeks ago? Well the feedback on the tees was basically: Yes, please! So I said: Your wish is my command. And I set up a Giveaway immediately: Five T-me Kits from Poloppo for five lucky winners!



The kit comes with everything you need: paper, markers, clear instructions, and a pre-paid envelope. You put your little artist to work. Mail in their drawing. And a couple of weeks later you get back a t-shirt featuring their very own masterpiece.




Poloppo offers several t-shirt styles and colors in sizes for babies, kids and adults. So you could also use this kit to make a Father's Day gift or a surprise for Grandma — even multiple items with the same drawing. But I'd recommend getting at least one tee in child size, because you know your child is going to love-with-a-capital-L wearing a shirt featuring her own creation. The trick will be getting her to wear anything else.

Many thanks to Poloppo!

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

Guidelines:
-You have until Midnight PST on Sunday, March 1st to enter this giveaway.
-Just make a comment ON THIS POST to enter — any comment. One entry per person, please.
-The 5 winners will be randomly picked and announced Monday, March 2nd.
-What are Random Giveaways? Read about them here.

Favorite Desserts — by Guest Mom Stephanie Brubaker

A few readers recently requested a "top 10" list featuring my favorite desserts. It sounded like a yummy post to write so here it goes...for all to enjoy! Please note that most of these desserts can be made in one hour or less, some under 30 minutes, which I consider absolutely necessary :)

These recipes are my favorite "crowd-pleasers", in no particular order, with a few notes included. Bon appetit!

1. Lemon Cake...serve with Lemon Curd, whipped cream & fresh berries; the very similar but more low-fat Lemon Yogurt Cake is lovely too; make sure you sieve the lemon curd before chilling.

2. Banana Pillows...double the amount of sauce; also, you can stretch the puff pastry to 6 pillows instead of 4.

3. Frozen Key Lime Pie...for recipe notes on this one click here. There are more than a few :)

4. Tapioca Passion-Fruit Parfaits...great with an Asian-inspired meal.

5. Bittersweet Molten Chocolate Cakes...use a high-quality chocolate for this one and serve with Haagen Dazs Vanilla Swiss Almond.

6. Glazed Chocolate Cake...garnish with whipped cream, toasted hazelnuts or fresh raspberries; use a high-quality chocolate with this one too.



7. Chocolate Pots de Cremes/Custards...before serving, cover the tops of the custards with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

8. Lemon Curd Marbled Cheesecake...a great way to use that delicious lemon curd that keeps for up to a week in your fridge! A few thoughts on other ways to use lemon curd here.

9. Croissant Bread Pudding...use half good quality croissants and half pain au chocolats; raisins can be omitted; serve with a warmed caramel, Bourbon or Rum sauce.

10. Peanut Butter Sandwiches...best a few hours after assembling; double the cookie recipe to put to use the extra filling you'll inevitably have on hand.

Find more of Stephanie at Stephmodo

Yudu Screen Printing Machine

Another indoor activity for this week: screen printing t-shirts.

Here's the sitch. 1) We were sent a Yudu screen printing machine in December to test out. Here it is February and we hadn't tried it out yet. 2) Three and 1/2 years ago, I ordered 10 orange t-shirts to be decorated and given out as party favors at Ralph's 8th birthday celebration. Alas, they arrived as the party was ending. They have been sitting in my garage ever since. All of them are size youth small. 3) My brother Josh has been seeking out kid size t-shirts featuring the cool bands of his childhood. We love that idea. These 3 factors came together for a great day-off activity on Monday.



We took an early U2 album cover and used Photoshop to make it a black and white bitmap image, then printed it out on a transparency.



We burned it into our screen in the Yudu machine, and then printed it onto the t-shirts. We tried different inks and different placements on the tees. And, because it's hard to stop printing things once you get into the swing of it, we also tried the U2 print on different papers, one of Ben Blair's tees, and a clipboard that was sitting on the counter.




When Ralph came running down the stairs with every blank t-shirt he owns in his arms, I knew it was time to shut it down — before everything we owned was covered in the October album cover. By the way, the Yudu is still in development — the manufacturer is working out kinks and making sure the directions are clear, etc. So if you were hoping to buy one, so sorry, but you'll have to wait. [ Edit: turns out I'm totally wrong. Yudu is now available for sale. Great news! You can find more info here or here. Also. I couldn't find a link, but I here they are on sale at Jo Ann's. ] That said, we highly recommend this machine. We loved our experiment with it. Years ago, we actually tried to set up a screen printing space in our basement utility room, but dealing with the emulsion chemicals and figuring out a good light to make the exposure is tricky. The Yudu solves both of those problems.



Overall, lots of fun. And since we don't need a whole bunch of matching orange t-shirts, when we were finished, we dropped them off at some of our neighbors homes — neighbors with 8 year old fans of U2 in the house.

Treehouse

As I've mentioned, my kids are out of school this week. It's still very cold outside, so we've been coming up with fun indoor projects to fill the time. This one is fantastic:


Calafant makes blank, sturdy, cardboard toys. They are easily constructed, and can be decorated with any art supplies you have on hand. Or even left plain. They are beautiful either way. The toys comes in small size, medium size, large size, and really-big-play-inside-size. We put together the Calafant Treehouse — a large size project that was ideal for several kids to work on at once.



First: they put the tree together. Second, they realized that their Playmobile people fit perfectly into the space.



Third, they pulled out the markers and went to work. (Feel free to click on any of these photos to enlarge them for more detail.)

A great collaborative toy to work on! They keep coming back to it to fill in another area with marker. And a great toy to interact and play with as well — Oscar has made the tree house a permanent home for at least 2 dozen of his favorite figures. Extra bonus: these toys are made to endure several months of active play and when it's time to retire them, they are completely recyclable.

You can find all sorts of Calafant cardboard toys at this Creative Toy Shop.

Happy President's Day!

It's almost 7:00pm and I'm just now sitting at the computer. It was a fun day off for the whole family. We spent the morning on a silk-screening project (pics coming). And the afternoon was spent running errands — including a trip to the Apple store to replace Ben Blair's phone. His old one was stolen this weekend. Total bummer. But his new one is shiny and scratch free and we love it already.

Valentine's Day was just right. After our family breakfast (eggs and bacon on bagels plus raspberry milk), the kids each received one of these adorable pillows. They were a surprise gift from Kim and Kris at You Can Make This. The pattern for these personalized name pillows is their all-time best-selling item. And I can see why — who knew pillows would be like the greatest present ever? My kids were absolutely delighted. And I was especially touched by the thought and effort that went into each one — the craftsmanship is excellent and the fabrics were especially picked out with each child in mind. Thank you Kim and Kris!



Saturday night, Ben Blair and I had a last-minute opportunity to go out, so we stopped into a nearby bistro for steak frites and lots of gazing into each other's eyes, etc. Awwww. Tuesday is coming too fast!

The Foods. — by Guest Mom Amy Stigler

Rather than menus I thought I would talk about the specific foods we heavily rely on when guests are coming. The premise with all of our menus is that the kids dinner can be a variation of the adult dinner. Of course, the kids are always welcome to eat what the adults are eating but I can work the ingredients into a meal that appeals to even the pickiest eater.

Chicken: I generally purchase chicken breasts and cut them into 'tenderloin size pieces.' In the summer they get marinated with a little olive oil, S&P, garlic and lemon and go on the grill. In the winter we bread the chicken (dipped in egg & homemade bread crumbs) and bake it. The kids love these chicken 'fingers' and we serve them with veggies and dip. For the adults I may toss the chicken in a salad and serve it with crusty bread or I may make an easy chicken parmigiana like this one.



Pasta: Of course, the possibilities are endless. I love to make a tomato & cream sauce that is really simple and appeals to vegetarian friends and kids alike. Its basically a 'vodka sauce' minus the vodka. I just use a heavier hand when garnishing the adult portions with basil & good parmesan. This is also excellent served as a side to the chicken. Or with turkey meatballs.

Pizza: Most popular at our house. Our easiest 'time-crunch' menu is to order thin crust 'take & bake' pizza which we may then embellish with goat cheese, roasted tomatoes & fresh herbs. Even better is to pick up pizza dough (or make it yourself) and have guests make their own individual pizzas.

Salmon: (wild, preferably!). My kids love salmon. I just brush a filet with some olive oil and then cover it completely with thinly sliced lemon & dill. It is so quick and simple and crowd-pleasing. Couscous and a salad (or crudite for the kids) complete the meal.

I will end the week with a few of our favorite activities that keep the kids entertained ... stay tuned ....

Maude's Valentine Friendship Bracelets

Have you reached Valentine's Day overload yet? I hope not. Because I've got more good stuff coming your way. Yesterday we finished up Maude's school Valentines. Maude is a maker. Last year, she gave origami hearts filled with treats. This year, she is way into friendship bracelets — and she wanted to make one for everyone in her class — so she did.




It took her about 3 hours total. An evening, a morning and an afternoon work session. She used an especially simple pattern so she could work quickly. Also, she kept a specific classmate in mind as she picked the colors for each bracelet — so, for a boy who's a big Yankee fan, Maude would choose white and blue. They turned out wonderfully and Maude felt great about them.



I was wishing I had a copywriter at my side while we came up with Valentine messages. Mostly we used the words "friend" and "knot." We printed the messages on cardstock, trimmed them out, punched two holes and threaded the bracelets through, ready to be tied on to wrists and ankles.

Here's a pdf of the 6 friendship bracelet messages.

Ralph's MadLib Valentines

Last year, Ralph gave MadLibs for Valentine's Day. And this year he wanted to do the same. So we decided to spice things up with a new presentation. We did this project last night, which means the photos are a little dim, but I think they're still very use-able.



To make these, we trimmed out a stack of MadLib sheets with an exacto knife. (We buy our MadLibs at the local drug store. They come in 2-packs of 6x9 sheets.) Then we trimmed spare pieces of origami paper and craft paper to make 3" x 6" strips. Any text weight paper would work for this.



We rolled up a MadLib sheet, then rolled that roll in a strip of decorative paper.



We used craft floss to wrap the roll (10 times around is about right) and tied a shoe lace knot.



We printed out a sheet of messages that said "I'm mad about you," "I can't lib without you" and "You have mad skillz." (Here's the pdf of the 3 MabLib messages in case you'd like to use them as well.) Then we trimmed them out, hole punched them, and attached them to an open end of the shoe lace knot.



Ralph was very pleased. And I loved how all the patterns and colors looked piled on the table.

Olive's Valentine Bookmarks

Remember how excited I was to help Olive craft up a Valentine Mailbox? Well. On Saturday, we set out to do just that. But upon reading the mailbox instructions more thoroughly, we realized that Olive was supposed to bring in a plain box and that the class would do their box decorating together. This news was met with sadness across the board. So to cheer everyone up, we used our supplies to make Valentine Bookmarks instead. And Olive will give these out to classmates this year in lieu of traditional notes. Here's our report:



We cut some heavy cardstock (green/blue and red) to 2.25" x 6" strips. That's a good, comfortable bookmark size, with plenty of space for decoration. On the back, Olive wrote a to/from note.



Then she went to work glueing, glittering and stickering the fronts.



On some she made a decorative border.



Ribbons were attached when the glue was dry. Since our stickers were little word bubbles, on some of the bookmarks, we used the glue to make faces so that they could speak the little Valentine's messages. So cute!

Apple Pies for Your Sweetie Pies

Seriously. Valentine's Day is bringing out the best of the internet. Yesterday, Kathleen of Twig and Thistle sent me a link to a post she wrote on making mini apple pies. Complete with baking directions, recipe and a pdf template for the darling box. This project makes me so happy I might cry.

Mini Valentine Boxes

Brooke at Inchmark has a pretty little Valentine project posted today. Check it. I've said this before, but if you're not regularly reading Inchmark, you should definitely add it to your blogroll. I especially love her library book feature.

Thanks for the tip, Katie

Playdate

Maude had a friend over after school the other day. I loved watching them keep busy making beaded jewelry. Both girls had Klutz beading kits — but different versions. Maude's was this one. Her friend, a wonderful girl from Argentina, used a Spanish one that featured necklaces.

Japanese Lollipop Tags for Valentine's Day

Do you love all thing Japanese? Me too. And so does Danielle Thompson. She's designed a digital, printable package all kawaii-ed out with fruit. (Kawaii is Japanese for cute.) I want those lollipop tags! They would make the hippest valentines ever. Seriously. I am so in love with these.

Also. In case you're curious, the Japanese lettering says "cute" "japanese" and "colorful" in a repeated pattern. You can find lots more photos here.

Ask Design Mom: Baby's First Shoes

Ask Design Mom Question:
Gabrielle, I had my first baby a year and half ago and I have her first pair of shoes sitting in my closet because I don't know what to do with them. I wanted to silver or bronze them but I can't find anywhere they do that sort of thing anymore. The reason I ask is that I wanted to give them as a gift to her grandmother for Mother's day. I would really appreciate your creative help. Thanks, Ruth P

Design Mom Answer:
Hi Ruth! Thanks for your question. I agree that finding a service to bronze your baby's shoes is becoming harder and harder. I suppose it's because instead of sturdy little white leather booties, many babies first shoes these days are more of a slipper — and are worn practically from birth. Who knows.

This is what I'd suggest. Petrie Point Designs makes gorgeous framed pieces from antique baby items. Your baby's shoes would surely look just as lovely displayed so elegantly. You could inquire with Petrie Point Designs or any frame store to help you with this. Or you could even make a composition yourself with a shadow box frame from your local craft store.

If you're heart is really set on bronzing them, try this company or this company. Whatever you do, I'm sure Grandma will love the gift!

Valentine Craft Supplies

Guess who's ready to get her craft on?

Remember making Valentine Mailboxes as a kid? It was my favorite part of the Valentine holiday. I would ponder what I was going to make for days. I remember one year I crafted a sheep out of a round oatmeal container — I made curly wool by carefully rolling strips of paper around a pencil. It was awe-inspiring. Well. For whatever reason, the tradition of making your own mailbox has largely been abandoned at my children's school. We've never once been asked to make one.

Until today! Olive has a Valentine box due on Monday and I am stoked. We've gathered all sorts of Martha supplies at the ready. Ribbons. Glitter. Stickers. Punches. We are good to go. If we decide we need more stuff, expect to run into us at Michaels.

Poloppo Tee Kits

Have you seen these Make Your Own Tee kits by Poloppo? They are fantastic. The kit comes with everything you need: paper, markers, clear instructions, and a pre-paid envelope. You put your little artist to work. Mail in their drawing. And a couple of weeks later you get back an American Apparel t-shirt featuring their masterpiece.




Another cool thing, Poloppo offers grown-up t-shirt sizes as well. So you could have your child design a tee for Dad or Grandpa — a brilliant Father's Day idea.

I put Oscar to the task the other day. Can't wait to see his custom tee!

Make Your Own Handwriting Font

Spotted on Kirtsy. A FREE service that will convert your handwriting to a font. Love this. Do it with your own handwriting. Or document how charming your kindergartener's script is.

via lifehacker

Paper Toy Bi-Plane

I know I've mentioned The Toymaker a couple of times in past posts, but whenever someone sends me an email re-introducing me to it, I'm always glad. So I assume you'll be glad too. The 411: FREE patterns for paper toys. From designs that are beautifully hand-painted by artist, Marilyn Scott-Waters.



The talented Chelsea of Frolic wrote to me the other day and said, "My sis (mother of 4) printed these bi-planes for stocking stuffers for her little kiddies at Christmas and I couldn't believe how gorgeous they were. Plus, it was free and the kids went mad over it."

January is probably the perfect time to try these out. It's too cold to be outside so good indoor activities are necessary. And the toy designs are colorful and cheery in contrast with the gray winter weather.

Milk Carton Wallet

I think this milk carton wallet project is clever. It would be just right for my 9-yr-old, Maude. In fact, I'm thinking this will be the perfect thing for her to make as Valentines for her classmates. You can see a how-to video here.

Now the question is: which milk/juice company is making the best looking cartons? Maybe something covered in an Amy Butler print...

Thanks for the link, Ann!

100 Dresses Project

Did you hear what Kirsten of Tollipop is doing?

Using the classic children's story, The Hundred Dresses, as a starting point, she's created a Hundred Dresses Project. She is drawing her own series of one hundred dresses and has challenged others to make one hundred “somethings” as well. It's especially sweet to read the stories she conjures up about each dress-wearing-girl. And I love seeing the names she picks. (For anyone needing to name a daughter, I'm betting Kirsten's list of 100 names will be pretty fantastic.)

You can follow Kirsten's progress by clicking the "hundred dresses project" link in her sidebar. What hundred things would you make?

Your Very Own Hermes Bag

The Hermes Corporate site (different from their shopping site) is pretty amazing. Lots of eye candy and inspiration. One of my favorite parts is the make-your-own-Kelly-bag.

In nine different patterns.



Thanks for the tip, Lauren!

Print Your Own Valentines

Thinking ahead? Up Up Creative is offering "school style" print-your-own Valentines. $5 for the template. And then you can print as many as you'd like. Don't miss the one that says: You Are the Tweetest. Good for your favorite school children, and your favorite Twitter addicts.

Headband Photoshoot

I love this! Leigh Anne saw my post about flower headbands and made some with her daughters. Then the daughters' friend, Olivia, did a photo shoot. Aren't these shots great? You can see even more over here.

I hope my kids take on artistic/creative projects like this when they are teens.



And be sure to notice the tutus — so cute!

Favorite Things: Post It Calendar

I love a pretty calendar in my office, but for the last 7 years or so, our main family calendar has been built each month on the kitchen bulletin board. We use post-its if we have them. Or cut squares from colored paper if we don't. We staple the squares directly to the bulletin board.

I created the first one when Ralph was very young and couldn't comprehend how many days it was until Halloween. The distinct squares helped him understand — and we crossed out each day as we went along. But it ended up being so functional and helpful, that we've made it a permanent fixture in our dining area.

Thumbs up:
It's a nice monthly ritual. My kids help. Maude likes to remove last month's staples. Ralph likes to pick out colors for the new month — typically based on any applicable holidays (Red or Green during December, Orange during October. On the calendar above the colors aren't significant of anything in particular. Ralph just collected an assortment of post-its that he said "felt like January"). It helps everyone understand the different number of days in each month.

Also, it's big. So we have plenty of room to write our daily activities. In fact, on the months I cut out my own squares, we can even go bigger or smaller as we see fit. I like that kind of flexibility and control.

Thumbs down:
There's only room for one month at time on our board. So thinking ahead to next month gets tricky.

I'm considering moving away from this method and keeping a family binder instead. Maybe something with a calendar, sections for each child, and pockets for invitations or notes from school. But I'm afraid I would miss the big visual reminder. How do you handle the family calendar?

Want to see more of my favorites? Amanda posted some of them here.

Thank You Notes from Kids

Go see Amy's sweet and smart idea for children's thank you notes. Genius.

Tulle Tutorial

Many readers have asked for more concrete directions on how to make the no-sew tutu, so here's a more detailed post with photo directions.

Cut elastic to waist size and pin together with a safety pin or a few stitches. Cut lengths of tulle from a 6-inch-wide tulle ribbon roll. Fold the tulle piece in half and then thread the ends through itself around the elastic. To demonstrate, I'm using a spare piece of elastic and a spare piece of ribbon, but this is the exact same technique you would use with a strip of tulle.


Start with your band of elastic and piece of ribbon or tulle. Fold your piece of ribbon in half, place the loop end under the elastic.


Pick of the loose ends of the ribbon. Pull them over the elastic and through the loop end of the ribbon.


Pull the loose ends of the ribbon to tighten it around the elastic. And then repeat with additional pieces of ribbon and tulle until the tutu is as full as you'd like. Yay!

For the tutu pictured at the top, we used an entire roll of champagne colored shimmer tulle (25 yards). It provided 33 lengths (about 2 feet long each) to tie to the waist band. We also used 3 rolls of ribbon in peach, cream and sage green. They provided 11 lengths each and were attached between the tulle pieces for accents. The materials were under $5 total.

Another note about this project. You can make the tutu any length you like, by using longer or shorter pieces of tulle. Also. If I'd had another roll of the tulle, I would have used it and made the tutu twice as full.

More Homemade Christmas 2008

Olive has been working on gifts for her siblings over the weekend. She's especially happy with the headbands she made for Maude and Betty. We think the creamy-colored one will coordinate perfectly with the tutu Ralph made. I'm super happy with them too. And already have plans to borrow them.




Materials: we bought a 3-pack of black headbands at Target for about $3. We bought fake flowers, for $3 to $4 per stem, and coordinating ribbon for $1 per roll from Michaels. Each headband will use between 1 and 2 yards of ribbon. Total materials for 3 headbands was less than $20. Just for comparison, a similar headband, like this darling one at CrewCuts is $16.50.



To make: wrap the head band in ribbon using a hot glue gun to attach. We had the best luck keeping the ribbon smooth by starting it at each end of the headband and meeting where the flower would be placed. Once the headband is completely covered in ribbon, it's time to add the flower.



Pull the flower off of it's stem, and trim the remaining plastic so that the bottom of the flower is flat. In front of a mirror, put on the headband and move the flower around until you're happy with placement. Mark where your want to place the flower with a pencil (the pencil mark will be covered by the flower). Attach the flower with hot glue. Done.



This is an incredibly fast project. And the headbands turned out beautifully. The fake flowers we bought each came with a large bloom and a small bloom. We didn't want the small blooms to go to waste, so as an afterthought, we glued them to small barrettes. Cute.



For Ralph, Olive made chocolate-chip-cookies-in-a-jar. For Oscar, Olive is going to do something cool with pencils — I'll try to post pics soon. To see more gifts my kids made, you can go here.