Ornament Tradition

Clever Kaila posted about a wonderful holiday tradition at her house: each year they add an ornament that signifies something about the past year. In her case, she just purchased a "new house" ornament to commemorate her recent move.

What a great idea. How fun to pull out ornaments like you're unpacking memories.

Just one question: what can this bird ornament symbolize? Because I want it.

Darlybird Kids — Giveaway-A-Day 11/30

Find the winner for yesterday's Giveaway at the bottom of this post.
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You know by now that I'm a Darlybird fan to the tenth power. And I feel I've done a pretty good job of letting you know about the latest and greatest at that fine establishment. Except I'm wrong — I've been totally slacking because I have barely told you anything about their amazing children's selection! So today's winner is so lucky to receive A RETRO COOL RINGS DINING SET FOR KIDS!!!!


Let me tell you right now that I get a total kick out of children's dining sets. So adorable. And in my experience my kids totally buy in as soon as they see something like this. They see it. They get that it's kid designed. They get that it's special and they prefer it to all other dining options immediately. What a super-easy way to make their day.

This particular set includes an 8" plate, cup, spoon, fork and 5.5" bowl. Dishwasher safe. Loving those colors.

You're also going to want to check out some of the other child-like niceties at Darlybird:


You know your inquisitive child would be all over this do-it-yourself clock kit.


Keep don't-cross-the-line arguments to a minimum with this funky travel bingo game.


Shouldn't your child own this so-precious Elephant and Nemo diary?


Wish they made this Light Bright Blankie in queen size.


And. Um. Look at this barrette.

Once again, kudos to the buyer, Rachel Shutz, who puts together the Darlybird collection. And extra kudos because I don't think I will every tire of seeing that fantabulous logo!

Thank you, Darlybird!
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Giveaway Reminders:
-You have until midnight EST today to enter this giveaway.
-Just make a comment on this post to enter — any comment.
-Anonymous comments will be ignored/removed.
-One entry per person.
-Winner will be randomly picked and announced tomorrow morning.
-What's Giveaway-A-Day? Read here.
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The winner of the 11/29 Avenue Sweets Giveaway is:
Juliane who commented: "Chocolate just makes me happy! " (at 9:06pm EST).
Congratulations Juliane! Please email me your shipping address by using the email link on my blog.

Book of the Week — Best Christmas Pageant Ever

It's hard for me to imagine that there is anyone that doesn't know and love this book. But just in case. . .

Reading this book aloud to my kids is one of my very favorite parts of December. Belly laughs from all listeners/readers in every chapter. And as sure as Charlotte's Web, you'll find me crying in the end.

Love, love the Herdman's names: Ralph, Ollie, Claude — they could (and one does) belong to my own kids.

You can find it in hardcover here.

Out of the Ordinary Children's Clothing

Lovely Denise sent me a link to The Beloved Child — an excellent collection of some really terrific, hard-to-find children's clothing lines. I'm loving these pieces from Urban Baba.

Avenue Sweets — Giveaway-A-Day 11/29

Find the winner for yesterday's Giveaway at the bottom of this post.
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I'm drooling. Totally drooling. Because I am a full-on sugar addict — not chocolate mind you — sugar. And today's winner will receive A 3 1/2 LB. GIFT TOWER OF CANDY FROM AVENUE SWEETS!!!



That's right. Not one pound. Not two pounds. But 3 1/2 pounds of mouth-watering, lip-smacking deliciousness. A combination of: signature almond nougat, tasty hazelnut nougat, golden caramels and rich chocolate caramels. You know you're thinking you'd share it if you won, but you'd really eat the whole sweet sugary goodness while you wait for Lost to return in February.

Agnes Jones, the talented sweet tooth behind Avenue Sweets is all about the nougat. Nougat is a word that can knit your brow, until you read the description from their website:

Nougat is a traditional European confection that dates back many centuries. The basis of AvenueSweets nougat is called a mazetta, which is a sugar and egg white mixture. Then nuts are added to the mix. In our traditional nougat, we use a generous helping of fresh, whole almonds. For a marvelous variation, we add hazelnuts. The end result is soft and chewy nougat with a subtle, sweet taste that is irresistible.

In addition to nougat luciousness, Avenue Sweets is also a purveyor of handmade golden caramels — which I confess is the main cause of my drooling. I so love anything caramel. Feel your tummy rumble as you take a look at some of Avenue Sweet's offerings:



Yummy caramels in golden and chocolate options, pretty in boxes or jars.



Boxed nougats — the small ones are perfect for hostess or teacher gifts.


Gift towers in lots of sizes.

I am just dying to get a box of these sweets in front of me. Although I'm sure they are delicious year round, these candies put me in the holiday mood. Love the elegant packaging. Yummy. Yummy. Yummy.

Thank you, Avenue Sweets!
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Giveaway Reminders:
-You have until midnight EST today to enter this giveaway.
-Just make a comment on this post to enter — any comment.
-Anonymous comments will be ignored/removed.
-One entry per person.
-Winner will be randomly picked and announced tomorrow morning.
-What's Giveaway-A-Day? Read here.
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The winner of the 11/28 Blonde Designs Giveaway is:
Spyderette who commented: "What beautiful notecards! And such a personal touch in this electronic world!" (at 8:46am EST).
Congratulations Spyderette! Please email me your shipping address by using the email link on my blog.

Ask Design Mom: Urban Family Photos

Dearest Readers, I am off helping with the Boutique today and am begging your help.

Allison Anderson writes: Dear Designmom, My family and I are getting our annual family photos taken for our Christmas cards. This year we want to do something fresh, artistic and different. Perhaps urban, to reflect our current life. We hired a photographer, now we just need some ideas. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Because of the boutique, I have not been able to give this excellent question the attention it deserves. Please help me answer by offering your clever ideas as usual. I'll start.

1) For an urban-looking photo, I like the idea of showing your family on a busy sidewalk doing a little window-shopping. Maybe one of the kids could even have their face pressed up against the window to get a better look at the goods.

2) I also think a photo of the family emerging from a car or taxi, bags on shoulders, scarfs and hats in place, could be cute to show an urban family on the go.

3) Another idea is to put the family around or near a park bench in a city park. City parks look different than suburban parks. If you can get some pigeons in the shot, even better.

Illustration from Getty Images.

Blonde Designs — Giveaway-A-Day 11/28

Find the winner for yesterday's Giveaway at the bottom of this post.
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Up for grabs today is a custom and high-style and super-special prize. The winner of today's Giveaway will receive A SET OF 25 CUSTOM NOTECARDS — WINNERS CHOICE — FROM BLONDE DESIGNS!!!





These notecards are terrific. Fab design after fab design — and each with colorful coordinating envelopes. Angie Gubler and Kristin Rees, both former art directors at Martha Stewart Magazines, teamed up in 2002 and made a little stationery magic in Brooklyn when they founded Blonde Designs. Featuring the beautiful typography, clean design and soothing colors you'd expect from Martha-kind-of-gals, the designs are totally now and chic.

Blonde Designs offers custom, custom, custom. In quantities as little as 25 you can have totally custom stationery at your fingertips. Can I stress how lovely it is to have a box of stationery featuring your very own name? Or maybe your child's name — for notes to Grandpa? So much cooler than the box of generic thank you cards you picked up at the grocery store.

In addition to chic notecards, take a look at some of my other Blonde favorites:



Super-cute bookplates that coordinate with their other stationery offerings.




Too sweet for words baby announcements.


Clever and friendly party invitations.


Clean and subtle and designy holiday cards.

I have seen a set of their fab custom notecards in person and they are absolutely smile-bringing. You want these, so comment already!

Thank you, Blonde Designs!
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Giveaway Reminders:
-You have until midnight EST today to enter this giveaway.
-Just make a comment on this post to enter — any comment.
-Anonymous comments will be ignored/removed.
-One entry per person.
-Winner will be randomly picked and announced tomorrow morning.
-What's Giveaway-A-Day? Read here.
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The winner of the 11/27 KoBo Candle Giveaway is:
MissEm who commented: "I'm entering this one for sure!" (at 1:35pm EST).
Congratulations MissEm! Please email me your shipping address by using the email link on my blog.

Loft Sweater

Received a mailer from Ann Taylor Loft today. Crushing on this velvet tie cardigan. I especially love the length of the sleeves — very feminine and perfect for hiding the fact that I haven't offically worked out my arms for at least a year.

Heartwarming Holiday Stories

I just read my sister's reports on her visit to New York. Read more about our Martha excursion here. And absolutely don't miss her Thanksgiving Miracle here.

Holiday Cookie Party

In the mood for a holiday get together? Here's an excellent and low-stress idea:

A smart friend of mine invites friends for a Cookie Exchange. Each guest brings about 2 dozen of one type of cookie — say, gingersnaps — and an empty container. After a light lunch and happy visiting, each guest gets to fill their empty container with a few of every kind of cookie. This makes for a pretty terrific party favor.

My family is especially good spirited about me getting away for a couple of hours when they know I'll return with yummy yummy baked goods.

Gingersnap recipe here.

Thank you, Rebecca!

What a wonderful Guest Mom Rebecca has been! Great pictures. Great ideas. No wonder New York misses her so.

Come back anytime. . .

Linda Clay Kobo Candle — Giveaway-A-Day 11/27

Find the winner for Friday's Giveaway at the bottom of this post.
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I couldn't be more delighted to feature my friend Linda's fab boutique today. In harsh reality, only New York Area Locals can take advantage of the boutique, but readers far and wide can score something lovely, because Linda will send the winner of today's Giveaway a COVETABLE AND TO DIE FOR KOBO CANDLE!!!





Linda and I came upon KOBO candles at the Gift Show a few months ago and we couldn't pass them by. Linda was in love because she is a huge candle aficiando and these are top of the line. I was in love because I'm a sucker for fabulous packaging and Kobo wows. I recommend purchasing one just for the box. Amazing.

Each KOBO candle, complete with lid and matches, is hand-poured with 100% domestically grown pure soy wax and lead free, enviro-safe cotton wicks, to create the cleanest burning and most planet-friendly candle. 70 hour burn time. The scents get universally rave reviews.

What do candles have to do with Linda? Linda is a multi-talented lady who makes her living working with interiors, gifts and especially planters (read: she'll do up your patio pots, window boxes and holiday mantles fabulously). She traditionally works by appointment out of the studio in her beautiful home, but happily, she is holding a Gift Boutique open to the public for 4 days this week. If you live in the tri-state area, you won't want to miss this. Bring your girlfriends, come enjoy some wassail, and find perfect gifts for friends, teachers, mother-in-laws, sisters and neighbors.




In addition to the super-lovely Kobo candles, here are some sneak peeks of some of the treasures you'll find:


Funktion aprons


poultry salt and pepper shakers, by sadek


Seda France candles


mugs and coasters by Jane Jenni


shower caps by Taylor Linens

Personally, I can't wait to be there. I love this kind of thing. Happy women, with friends, shopping for beautiful things in a beautiful home. No crowds. No rush. If only all shopping could be so pleasant.

Thank you, Linda!
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Giveaway Reminders:
-You have until midnight EST today to enter this giveaway.
-Just make a comment on this post to enter — any comment.
-Anonymous comments will be ignored/removed.
-One entry per person.
-Winner will be randomly picked and announced tomorrow morning.
-What's Giveaway-A-Day? Read here.
____________

The winner of the 11/24 Blabla Kids Giveaway is:
Karen Rani who commented: "Awww how cute is he?" (at 2:15pm EST).
Congratulations Karen! Please email me your shipping address by using the email link on my blog.

Taking Great Pictures: From an Amateur — by Guest Mom Rebecca Rather

[ Note from Design Mom: Because I took Thanksgiving off, I am posting Rebecca's fifth post today. I knew you wouldn't want to miss it. ]

Design Mom requested a few photo tips — maybe in anticipation of a great Christmas card photo. I absolutely love to take pictures, especially of kids. Many of you are probably better photographers than I am (Liz, are you reading?). I have never taken a professional class, but I have experimented a lot and read a few photography books. I love the look of photos from film, but the pictures I am showing today have all been taken on a basic digital camera — no bells and whistles (digital vs. film is a whole other issue). I have never had a super nice camera, but have gotten a lot of great shots (my point and shoot film camera cost $100 8 years ago and I still love it). The reason I show these pictures is to show that ANYONE can take a good picture. There are three rules of thumb that I always try to implement.

Rule #1:
Turn off the flash. The best pictures I have taken have been flash-less. Even when the camera prompts me to use a flash, I almost always turn it off, unless it is pretty dark. Experimenting with your camera will help you get to know what kind of light it needs to take a good picture. When using film, I would typically prefer to use 400 speed film and turn off the flash rather than 200 and have to use the flash. Flashes wash out the face — natural light is so much more flattering. If you are taking a staged picture, try to take it outside in the morning or evening when the light is more subtle. An overcast day is ideal for outside pictures. I also love taking inside pictures next to a window with lots of light. It’s best to have the person with one side of his face next to the window and getting the picture without any direct light from the window.


This one was taken at the beach with friends on a perfectly overcast day.


This one was taken in our dining room on my son’s first birthday. There was a nice bright window close-by, so I didn’t use the flash. I like the softness of the picture.

Rule #2:
Get closer. I love close-ups. Digital is great because you can crop easily to get a close-up, after the fact. Unless you are taking pictures for the surroundings, try to get as close as possible without the person getting blurry. This also takes some experimentation with your camera.


I love that you can see my son’s long eyelashes in this one. I took this one inside, next to a large window with good light.

Rule #3:
Think out of the box. It’s nice to take a picture from a different perspective. This makes it more of an art form — you can get some great frameableshots.


This one I took while sitting inside my house, watching my boys play in the snow.

What other hints do you have for Design Mom?