Vintage Seed Packets

I have a new client. They own a 3rd generation nursery and greenhouse. They do mostly wholesale work but are trying to build their retail sales and have hired me to do new business cards, hangtags, etc.

I think I'm going to use vintage seed packets as a starting point. I find them quite charming.

A Frank Response

Earlier I posted about Frank's Marinara. On the same day I emailed Frank and told him how much I liked his Marinara sauce and let him know I had blogged about him. He wrote back the very next day — impressive customer service. Here's what he wrote:

Hi Gabrielle:

I thank you for your trying and liking my sauce. May I ask how you decided to try it in the first place?

And I appreciate the publicity and effort that went into placing that on your blog.

I appreciate the offers as well. The label redesign (sorry you don't like the one I have now) is something I would not consider at this time. It has been that way for over 7 years and to change it would be a VERY difficult thing to do both for my customers and the stores. I thank you for the offer.

Let me think about the website.

Once again - thank you for your comments and kindness.

Yours truly,

Frank D. Parseliti
Frank's Marinara Sauces
Bibelicious Sauces
26 Hawk's Landing
Amston, CT 06231
860-228-0745
860-833-8312


Here is my response:

Hi Frank,

Thanks for your quick reply. I first tried your sauce when my husband picked it out. He knows I love products with few and easily identifiable ingredients. He read your label and guessed I would probably like it. He was right, I rarely make a trip to the grocery store without picking up a bottle or two. The kids love it as well.

About your label. I totally understand your not wanting to change it. Certainly, you've invested a significant amount in the one you have, both in product recognition and printing costs. And please understand I don't think it's a horrible label, I just think it could be better. (Frankly, I think about 75% of ALL product packaging is due for a redesign.) In your case, Frank's is the most expensive sauce on the shelf and I think I would enjoy buying it even more if it looked somehow gourmet or extra-special.

[ "Gourmet" is probably the wrong word. It sounds too fancy. The name Frank's is a pretty friendly, folksy name. So maybe a really cool design that felt authentic and down-home or had some kind of detailing that made it feel individually bottled, anyway. . . ]

Someday, if you're ready to redesign, let me know. In the meantime, thanks for the great product.

Gabrielle

Preferred Mother Goose

When Ralph was born I made a trip to the bookstore to buy a Mother Goose Book. There were many choices so I opened them up and did a little impromptu research. Although different versions offer different benefits, I chose Sylvia Long's and have been so happy with it. I love the illustrations and the inclusion of some uncommon nursery rhymes, but the really convincing factor for me was Ms. Long's treatment of Rock a Bye Baby. Her baby is a baby bird with Mother and Father Bird encouraging the baby out of the nest to try it's wings. When I saw this, suddenly a baby in the treetops was no longer so bizarre or disturbing.

I'm aware there is probably a history to Rock a Bye Baby that explains it's bizarreness — something like Ring Around the Rosies being about some awful disease. But, if that depressing story is at all typical, I think I'm content not knowing the history of each rhyme.

One other note: after Oscar was born, my friend Rebecca brought me a stack of nesting blocks featuring these same illustrations. The blocks are beautiful and big hit with all my kids. You can buy them here.

Food-themed blogs

Inspiring recipes sprinkled with insights into the author's lives. Some food themed blogs I am loving.

Lee Lou Ann

What I Made For Dinner

HogieWogie (note: the author just made a major move and is only posting intermittently right now)

Enjoy.

Yummy Soap

A friend introduced me to Sappo Hill soap the other day. She brought 3 scents: almond, cucumber and oatmeal. They are so yummy and so soft. I can't decide which is my favorite. She bought them at Mrs. Green's Natural Foods, but you can also order them straight from the source. Good for baby skin and good for mommy skin.

Dogwood Display

Linda Jones Gibbs, a good friend and hyper-talented person, has started a line of botanical themed stationary. Her company is yet unnamed — she's considering "NatureNotes". She gave me the card above, titled "Dogwood Display" when Betty was born and I love, love it. The color and composition are fantastic. I can't wait to see this stuff go big.

Eurovan

I resisted becoming a mini-van family for as long as possible. We needed the space but from a design point of view, I just wanted something more funky than the best sellers: Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna. I found my happy place with the VW Eurovan. The Eurovan is super-cool. There is so much headroom that I usually just climb in the back with the kids, walk around buckling everyone in and then walk my way to the front seat. No other mini-van touches it for space. Also, it's unusual for me to see one when I'm out and about which makes me feel like they're special.

Sadly, VW stopped selling them in North America and I am selling mine because it's getting older (it's a 2001) and I don't have the time or inclination to take care of an aging vehicle. So now I'm stuck in the same dilemma: what interesting vehicle has passenger space for 7 or more and room for groceries/stroller?

If a local VW dealer would import a brand new Eurovan from Europe or Mexico and lease it to us, I would like that.

Frank's Marinara

While grocery shopping at Stop & Shop with Megan S we discovered that we both preferred Frank's Original Marinara far and away to any other bottled pasta sauces out there. It's not cheap, but it is so worth it.

And Frank, I will trade you a new label design for a year's worth of sauce (I'm thinking 50 bottles). Also, I noticed you don't have a website, but I can probably get my brother to make you one for another 50 bottles. Let me know.

If you want to tell Frank how much you like his sauce, here's the only contact info I could find:
Bibelicious Sauces, Inc.
Frank Parseliti
26 Hawk’s Landing - Amston, CT 06231
Phone: 860-228-0745 - Fax: 860-228-0745
E-Mail: bibelicios@aol.com

A new suit

I'm in the market for a new swimsuit. I saw LisaPow wearing the red one above and she looked great. Granted, the swimsuit isn't what makes Lisa look great — she looks fabulous period, but I asked her the source anyway and she directed me to LayersClothing. I was hoping they would have lots of choices, which they don't, but I did like their offering. Two pieces makes easy access for baby feeding and they're long enough to keep the lovely post-baby belly covered.

How many of these companies are there anyway? Shades, Layers, DownEast, Modbe. . .

Sweet Bee

This is a bee I drew for a client. She is opening a boutique and I'm helping her with hang tags, packaging, and business cards. I'm happy with the bee — I was going for a friendly bee and not too insecty. We'll see how the rest of the work develops.

Gift Show

Great news for me: I've scored an entrance pass to the New York International Gift Fair. This is the big one. Pretty much every gift you buy this year will have been picked by a buyer from vendors at this show. I'll be there August 12th and I'm stoked.

I've been consulting the map above and I keep thinking I should be working out so I'm in peak condition for the big event. There's a lot of ground to cover.

Jana Feifer

Remember all those handbags with a single initial on them that flooded the market a few years ago? Well Jana Feifer started that. She's moved on to new lines since then, and I really like her work.

The reason she's on my mind: my friend Linda gave me a Jana Feifer bag and I'm loving it. It's a big one and I'm using it as a diaper bag/hand bag. It's so well made, it's fun to carry.

Rehabilitated Dishware

Jordan at Oh Happy Day turned me on to the work of Sarah Cihat last summer. I love everything about her stuff, but most of all I love that she figured out how to save those stacks of tacky dishes I pass by at every thrift shop I've ever visited.

Those dishes used to make me sad when I imagined someone having to buy them and eat off them. Now I just imagine that Sarah is buying all of them for rehabilitation and I'm okay.

A Soccer Mom's Wardrobe

Garnet Hill catalogs used to go right to the wastebin without so much as a glance until my friend Kathryn Carmona told me I would like their wares. I checked them out and she was right.

Garnet Hill offers perfect mom clothes. Above average on the interesting scale, but easy to care for and comfortable. Plus, I see lots of Japanese moms in my neighborhood in Garnet Hill, and I wholeheartedly trust the fashion instincts of the Japanese. My sisters Rachel and Sara should reference Garnet Hill for everyday clothing. (Jordan, you can wait 5 years.) I especially love their sneaker offerings and textiles. Always varied and super-cool.

Their sale catalog arrived today and I'm considering the duvet cover shown above for my girls room.

Bad News

The Rathers are moving and I'm totally bummed out.

In fact, the only thing positive about the fact the Rathers are moving is that I get to help plan the Farewell Party.

Craypas

For artsy kids bored with Crayolas, I heartily recommend Craypas. They fall somewhere between crayons and pastels (thus the name), are really easy for kids to use and offer intense, blendable color. They're especially easy to take a chance on because they cost about the same as a box of crayons.

Buy them at your local art supply store, or here on Amazon.

Carrot & Stick

My friend Megan, who knows I'm a fan of letterpress, brought me some cards from Carrot&Stick. I love the cards she brought and checked out the site. There are lots and lots of choices. I like about 30% of what's there, including the picture above.

It's always nice to see another letterpress source.

Blonde-Designs

Speaking of baby announcements, I like what I see at Blonde-Designs.

Another Apryl announcement

My friend, Tania, saw Oscar's baby annoucement last year and loved it. So she hired Apryl to do Baby Jane's. It turned out to be quite spectacular. Posted with Tania's permission.

Anne Sportun

I'm impressed with the work of Toronto based jewelry designer, Anne Sportun. This bracelet is so beautiful. I am drawn to anything rainbow-like.

Nanny McPhee

Yesterday was a hang-out-at-home day and the kids pay-per-viewed Nanny McFee. The sets are charming. The colors are beautiful. It's darling and the kids loved it.

Lots of cool things with silhouettes in the movie. Jordan's blog has me noticing them.

Betty's Announcement

One of the smartest things I've ever done is hire out my baby announcment design. Although I'm a graphic designer and I love designing baby announcements for everyone else, I had the forethought to know I shouldn't design my own babys'. I knew I would be a) too stressed out with a new baby and b) feel really indecisive about any design I came up with.

So, when I was pregnant for the first time, I contacted one of my favorite illustrators, Apryl, and hired her to do the announcement. Apryl is crazy talented and does the most incredible lettering.

She gave us the original (about 7" x 10") as a gift and we sent out smaller prints in the mail. The original was framed and hung over the crib. It turned out so amazing, we've hired her for the rest of the baby announcements too. We just received Betty's last week. So, so darling. I can't wait to mail them out.

I've posted all five so you can see the series.

Note: the colors are washed out on Ralph's and Maude's because I was scanning from a print (the originals are in frames and hard to access), but I had good digital files of the originals on the other 3.

Bolthouse

So it turns out I love carrot juice. I'd like to say it's because I'm a healthy eater, but I'm not. I actually just like it. When I open the fridge, I am more likely to pick carrot juice than orange juice, chocolate milk, soda, or anything else that's sweet and a beverage. I like that it has the texture of milk. I like that it's truly orange — so orange it makes orange juice look yellow.

My preferred brand is Bolthouse (it never has bits of carrot pulp) and it's popular enough that our grocery store is often out of stock. Luckily, Costco has recently started carrying it in two packs. My kids like it until they turn 3 or 4 and realize they in fact don't like it. Which is fine with me because I'm kind of a carrot juice hog.

Another Comfort Object

Still looking for your kids next comfort object? Kacy sent a link to this super cute monkey. You can buy it here. If you need further endorsement, design*sponge shows a picture of it here.

Comfort Object Candidate

I like my babies to get attached to a comfort object, a blanket, a teddy bear, etc. I've tried to plant a not-too-ugly object in the hopes an attachment will form. Sometimes it's worked sometimes it hasn't.

The rules: it has to be soft (no plastic or synthetic parts). It has to be good looking. Ideally it should be replaceable because there are few things worse than a lost comfort object. It has to be machine washable.

I keep my eyes open for potential comfort object candidates and I thought these were cute for a son — if a little too tall at 22". Buy them here.

Toy Collections

My friend Kathryn is a smart girl. She finds a type of toy each of her kids likes and starts a collection. Then, whenever Grandma calls and asks what grandson would like, she knows just what to say. In her case, her son receives Brio train stuff and her daughter receives American Girl Bitty Baby stuff.

I have tried this with my own kids with some success. Ralph likes any lego set. Olive likes any dress-up. I've attempted Clickits and Ellos and My Little Ponies with Maude, but have still not come up with the perfect default gift for her.

What I would really like is to know the default gift my friends would love. A certain brand of candle? A certain brand of hand lotion? It's nice to know you can buy a gift that will guarantee a smile and be put to good use.

P.S. I like Caldecott winners and Jelly Belly Pear flavored beans.

House of Cards

I love these building cards.

I want these in my living room to dink around with or on my office desk. Or, I would want to give these to my pre-teen that is outgrowing legos but still likes to build things. Or to someone that got their first desk job out of college — much cooler to be seen playing around with these at work than playing solitaire on the computer.

Bonus: they were designed by Charles and Ray eames in 1950s.

You can buy them here.

My Introduction to Lulu

My fabulous friend Linda, just gave us a cake from Lulus in Scarsdale. So yummy and so pretty. Our next family birthday cake will definitely be a Lulu. Thank you, Linda.

P.S. The cake Linda gave, and which we are heartily enjoying, is their Chocolate Polka Dot: (from their description) Layers of devil's food cake, sandwiched with our homemade bittersweet chocolate pudding and fresh vanilla cream.

Vacuum Decisions

My sister Sara just bought a new vacuum and we had a pre-buying discussion about it. You can probably predict that I recommended the Dyson to her. I've never actually used one, but the commercials have me convinced they are the best, and of course, they look cool.

Instead of the Dyson, Sara opted to try the robot vacuum, and frankly, I'm really curious to get a report. If you don't know what I mean by robot vacuum, apparently, you turn it on and walk away and it moves all around the room on its own. (If you're looking for more insight into robots, see this amazing post.) This sounds too good to be true, so I'm glad someone else is trying it out and I don't have to.

Sara, please report ASAP.

My Ideal Planner

I am a daily planner user. I was practially addicted to the FranklinCovey system for 10 years. Then when I was at a desk all day I like a Palm/sketchbook combo. Next I used a DayTimer calendar with 5 lined paper sections. I would have stuck with it, but they stopped producing it. Currently, my needs are met by lined notebooks small enough to fit in both my diaperbag and handbag.

I like these beautiful notebooks made by Cavallini — designed in San Francisco and produced in Italy. I like the designs and I especially like the elastic band to keep it closed — one more barrier between my toddler and my notes, plus it keeps my pen from falling out when I stash it between the pages. Available lots of places. 11 designs sold here (some on clearance!).

Caldecott Books

Steve asked here about Caldecott Books.

For those unfamiliar, the Caldecott medal is given to the ARTIST who has created the most distinguished PICTURE book of the year. [ The Newberry award is given to the AUTHOR of the most distinguished CHILDREN'S book of the year, which doesn't have to be a picture book ]. Read more about the awards here. I've been collecting Caldecott books since before I had kids and love to give them as gifts.

I find "most distingushed" to be pretty broad. I think they try to award the best overall picture book, not necessarily the prettiest — because sometimes the illustration isn't that spectacular, but the concept is great. An example of this is my all-time favorite picture book, Ox-Cart Man. The illustrations are good, but the concept and writing is even better.

You can see a complete list of winners here. An amazing number of classic childhood books are on that list. Some favorite caldecott winners at our house:
* 2002: The Three Pigs by David Wiesner (Clarion/Houghton Mifflin)
* 2001: So You Want to Be President? Illustrated by David Small; text by Judith St. George (Philomel Books)
* 2000: Joseph Had a Little Overcoat Simms Taback (Viking)
* 1992: Tuesday by David Wiesner (Clarion Books)
* 1986: The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg (Houghton)
* 1982: Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg (Houghton)
* 1980: Ox-Cart Man, illustrated by Barbara Cooney; text: Donald Hall (Viking)
* 1975: Arrow to the Sun by Gerald McDermott (Viking)
* 1964: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (Harper)
* 1955: Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper, illustrated by Marcia Brown; text: translated from Charles Perrault by Marcia Brown (Scribner)
* 1954: Madeline's Rescue by Ludwig Bemelmans (Viking)
* 1944: Many Moons, illustrated by Louis Slobodkin; text: James Thurber (Harcourt)
* 1943: The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton (Houghton)
* 1942: Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey (Viking)

Runners up are often amazing as well and many are in my collection, but if you look at the lists, you'll probably recognize the names of the winners more than the runners-up. From the runners up, some of my favorites are:
Zen Shorts
Click, Clack, Moo
Olivia
Alphabet City
Stinky Cheese Man

To answer Steve's question: both I and my children love Caldecotts and find they are generally excellent, but there are many more non-Caldecott winners in our book collection than winners. The rythmic books are Oscar's favorites, I think, mostly because of his age.

Simple Jewelry

Save the cocktail rings for dressy occasions, for everyday mom life, I prefer to wear bands. They won't scratch the baby and they have fewer crevices for peanut butter to hide in.

I like these 3 from the most recent Sundance Jewelry collection.

Bonus: the stylists for the Sundance Jewelry mail-order catalog do an amazing job. It's beautiful to flip through.

The new Nalgene

The last of our Nalgene water bottles is in the trash. The lid somehow rested against the heating element in the dishwasher and melted. So I'm seeking a replacement.

I love these pretty Sigg water bottles. Lightweight, indestructable and won't leak = great for kids. Bonus: the bottle design is part of the Museum of Modern Art's permanent collection. Goodbye Nalgene. Hello Sigg.

Assorted designs available here.

Diaper Opinions

When all functional elements are equal, I pick products based on design.

With diapers it's a toss up. Though some people feel strongly about which brands leak or don't leak, I've found them all to be pretty similar. Frankly, the diaper changing process is not likely to be that pleasant no matter which brand you use.

So how do I decide? Whatever is in stock at Costco works for me.

What I would prefer? A diaper manufacturer that removed the disney/warnerbrothers/easterlike illustrations and replaced them with simple graphic prints like dots or stripes or maybe with a faded antique floral print for girls and a lovely tartan plaid for boys. I would even prefer plain white to the options that are out there now. Although I do like a size indicator (a simple discreet number will do.)

How is it that Target hasn't figured this out yet?

Pewter vs. China

I like to use the things I own. So, when registering for china during our engagement, I ended up choosing pewter instead and have never regretted it even for an instant.

Pewter looks good in casual and formal settings. It's unbreakable, so we use it all the time without having to worry about being careful with it. It picks up a nice patina as it ages. It combines well with other china. (Over the years, I've added china salad plates and dessert plates to my collection in patterns that look great on the pewter dinner plates.) It's easy to find pewter serving pieces — even pieces from pewter patterns different than my own look great when they're all together on the table.

My pattern is called Plough by Wilton Armetale. Matte finish, not shiny, so I don't have to spend time polishing. Lots of Wilton's designs are not awesome, but I like queen anne, country french and william and mary. I have to add pieces to my own pattern from ebay, because they have discontinued plough. Big mistake Wilton Armetale.

Potholder Heaven

I'm admittedly picky when it comes to craft projects I'll do with/buy for my kids. They have to be a) good-looking, b) something that's truly functional, that we would really use, and c) because my hands are often full, if parents don't have to be involved in every step, the project gets lots of bonus points.

As cruel as this may sound, many crafts my kids bring home end up with a very short shelf life. For example, I'm not opposed to all sand art, but if it's in an ugly plastic bottle, and the bottle has a face (drawn with a sharpie, and not by my kid), and the sand is in depressing colors, then it's likely to magically disappear from my daughters desk at the next setting of the sun. (I do make the occasional exception if they're really pleased with a project.) The kinds or projects most likely to be successful and repeated at our house are things like making soap and making jewelry.

After buying every conceivable craft kit under the sun, I now have strong opinions about what is available. The klutz kits top my list of awesome crafts.

I particularly recommend the Potholder kit for someone like my daughter. At age 6/7, she can make them 100% on her own. I had to show her the 1st time, but that's it. You can observe her handiwork —potholders we actually use and 2 cute purses she likes to carry — above. The instructions are easy to follow and the materials are high quality. I order my refills from klutz as well. The colors are great and they send tons in their refill, and all are the correct size for their loom.

Great for airplane rides and rainy days.