Report on Party Favors

Amazing. A whole week off from blogging. I feel so out of touch.

Here are pics of the party favors from the Christmas recital.

I used mulling spices from The Mills Company. The tin can was nice, but I didn't love the label, so I used the berry imagery I loved from the invitations to repackage.


I wasn't totally positive about numbers, so I wrapped up lovely soaps from this company as back-up in case I ran out of mulling spices.

Holiday Errands Wrap-up

The Christmas Gift Shopping is officially done. But I'm still craving some non-kid window shopping. I'd like to make a date with Ben where I can leisurely walk through Anthropologie and study the windows at Bergdorfs.

There are at least 5 stores where I need to return items because I'm ridiculously indecisive, but those errands are going to have to wait till next week.

Friday and Saturday will be grocery shopping for the Recital and our annual Christmas Eve Smorgasbord. We are buying most of our desserts for the Recital from Plaza Sweets (turtle bars, cheesecake, chocolate cake and cranberry-orange sweet bread), but we'll get the sugar cookies from Lulu's.

I know it's December 21st, but it hardly seems like Christmas — it's just too warm here. Is New York the only part of country sans snowstorm?

Innocence Lost

My oldest, Ralph, has grown up a little too much over the last few weeks.

First, he's home from school with a cold this morning, and he took advantage of that fact to have a reality-of-Santa Claus-discussion. He's now officially in the know. To welcome him to the club, we offered to let him eat Santa's cookies and the reindeer veggies.

Second, 2 weeks ago on the way to Cub Scouts, he asked Ben about a scene from The Christmas Story movie. He wanted to know what the bad word is that Ralphie says when he's helping his Dad change the tire. So Ben told him straight up what it was. Ben asked if he'd ever heard it before and Ralph said no. Then Ben told him that if Ralph ever hears it spoken, the speaker is behaving poorly and Ralph should be unimpressed. And, made it clear that Dad knows all the ugly words and is unintimidated by them.

I was delighted with how Ben handled it and delighted Ralph would come to Ben with the question. But still felt my heart constrict at the thought of the word getting rolled around in my son's head. The picture above was taken on the very day I started this blog — only a few months ago — when he didn't know the f-word and still believed in Santa. Sigh.

How have you handled the outing of Santa? Or the swear word lo-down?

And speaking of innocence, I love these pictures my mom posted of my Dad & Santa in 1946 and 1949 at age 4 and 7:

Sibling to Sibling Christmas Gifts

There are lots of different ways to approach Sibling Christmas Gifts and I'm still figuring out which one works for the Blairs. My friend Juliane, a mother of 5, sends $20 with each child to the PTA holiday boutique and all sibling gifts have to be bought there and then within that budget. She ends up with a lot of kitsch, but her kids feel totally empowered and the whole thing is done in an afternoon.

Erin's sister Meghan, who also has a big family, has each child pick one item, say a box of band-aids, and then choose the perfect box of band-aids for each brother or sister. And, from what I understand, a dad I admire named Roger, would take each child on a shopping date the week before Christmas, specifically to pick out and buy sibling gifts.

My sister-in-law Lisa and her husband Mark, parents of 6, have helped their children make amazing gifts for each other every year. Two brothers might work on one project for two other brothers. They've made and given a jousting set, a high jump set, soccer goals and a zip line among other cool projects.

So we don't really have a system yet, but I got it in my head on Saturday, that with my older kids artsy-crafty tendencies, we should really make the gifts and so far it has been awesome.

Sunday the kids worked on baby Betty's gifts. Maude made a bracelet from Sculpey beads and jingle bells — which will be endlessly entertaining for Betty. Ralph made a bib from some corduroy fabric we had. And Olive also made a bib from a vintage handtowel I was looking to recycle. All 3 gifts turned out super-cute.

Yesterday, Ralph was home from school with a cold, so we worked on the rest of the gifts he'll give: Romper Stompers (from big coffee can size cans) for Olive which he painted and tied pink polka-dot ribbons to. A hat and mitten set for Maude from an old red wool sweater of Ben's — we made a huge wool yarn puff ball for the top and the set is super-cute. A snow globe with some plastic farm animals for Oscar.


Maude made glittery soap for Olive yesterday while Olive was at a playdate. She'll work on a hat and mittens for Ralph from another old sweater and dragon mittens for Oscar when we can get the boys out of the house.

Olive made stacks of recycled crayons for Ralph and Maude last night and we'll work on a felt board story for Oscar tonight.

Oscar and Betty are too young and will follow Meghan's plan. Oscar will give new toothbrushes. Betty will give Band-Aids.

Up to this point it's been fun and no stress and required zero errands for supplies. And I'm vowing right now, if it does get stressful, we'll stop where we are in the gift making and head to Target.

How do you handle sibling gifts?

Month of Giveaways Finale Winner

The winner of The Body Shop Giveaway is: Lindsey who commented, "Winning this would make my day." at 3:10pm.
Congratulations, Lindsey! Please send me your shipping info by using the link at the top of my blog.

Thank you to everyone who participated over the last month! I had so much fun.

Look for more Giveaways soon. (Very soon.)

Merry Christmas! I'm off to wrap Christmas Eve pajamas. . .

Mode Boutique

So my cool friend, Josh has a cool sister, Beccy who opened a cool shop, Mode Boutique.

Their wares are the hard-to-find, hip to the core sort of stuff you love to find in small shops. One of my fave items is the one-off custom tee option. You pick one of a bazillion graphics, and they hotpress it on an American Apparel or Fairline tee. This is no printed-at-home-iron-on thing. We're talking high-quality, high heat transfer.

Easy last minute gift idea that will win you huge points — the lucky recipient will think it took weeks of forethought and searching.

Want to order your own? Just contact the store. They'll place your order immediately.

THIS JUST IN: mention DESIGN MOM BLOG and get 20% OFF ANY ITEM IN THE STORE!!!

The Body Shop — Giveaway Finale 12/15!

Find the winner for yesterday's Giveaway at the bottom of this post.
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What? The final day of this Month-of-Giveaways is here already? I can hardly believe it. But let's go out with a bang.

Oh man, I've been walking around in some very cute but very high heels for the past few hours and any kind of spa-like product is sounding so appealing. Mother's Day in May? December is the month the ladies need the most pampering. And today's prize fits the bill perfectly. Because the winner will receive a VITAMIN E GIFT BOX FROM THE BODY SHOP!!!








The exclusive Vitamin E Gift Box is loaded with great-for-your skin goodies. Contents include one full-size Vitamin E Cream Cleanser, Vitamin E Hydrating Toner, Vitamin E Moisture Cream, and Vitamin E Cream Exfoliator. My skin is glowing just talking about it. What is it about getting and trying new products that is so darn appealing?

In addition to the lovely stuff in the giftset, I'm also totally desiring:


Invent Your Scent Collection Pack. Love the idea and love the spectrum of colors. Very cool gift.


Brazil Nut Moisture Mask for hair — I've got to keep those curls soft.


Mango Body Scrub to brighten my winter dry skin.


Something for Benjamin.

Make plans for your own little beauty session. Because life is easier when you feel pretty. And The Body Shop gives you the tools to feel pretty and all eco-cool at the same time: cruelty free, in support of community trade, protecting the planet. . . Sounds good to me.

Thank you, Janna @ the Body Shop!
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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 Monday morning.
-What's Giveaway-A-Day? Read here.
____________

The winner of the 12/14 Stüsh Giveaway is:
Amy N who commented: "I love the idea of reusables: so much paper in the form of cards and whatnot gets wasted around the holidays. Let's start a new tradition!" (at 12:23pm EST).
Congratulations Amy N! Please email me your shipping address by using the email link on my blog.

Design Your Own Bag

Lovely Stephanie sent a link to Annie Wolfe where you can design your own handbag — or rather, choose your own fabric for one of their designs. You choose: style of bag, fabrics, fringes, length of straps and number of inside pockets.

Love this idea.

In addition to Stephanie, has anyone out there ordered one of these?

Ask Design Mom: Mother-in-law Gifts

Ask Design Mom Question:
Dear Design Mamacita — I adore my Mother-in-law. But unless I've just recently been with her, I never know what to give her for Christmas or Birthday. I've done sweaters, jewelry, lotions, gardening and kitchen stuff, and with each subsequent gifty time I feel like I'm just struggling to remember which category I chose last time so as not to repeat myself too close to the last time. Please help!! I know you can! Thanks so much, in advance, Laurie

Design Mom Answer:
Well, Dear Laurie, I need to ship my MIL's gift today. And a gift for her birthday which also falls in December. So your question is too timely. And I love the categories you list above because they are just the kind of thing you give to someone you know personally but not that well. So I'm thinking, let's just expand the list.

Remember my friend's boutique that I posted about here? I'm mentally walking through her inventory, because it was Mother-in-Law gift heaven. Here are some ideas:

1) A super-cozy bathrobe.
Maybe in deep red because it's Christmas. Or, if she's more of an artsy gal, go with a printed kimono type robe. At the boutique there were some gorgeous bathrobe choices, but they all came in L/XL and we realized that no one wants to give or receive a robe that's L/XL, so we carefully removed the part of the neck label that indicates size, making the robes seem like one size fits all.

2) Custom Stationery.
Something traditional unless you're confident she would like something a little more funky. Everyone has to write thank you notes at some point, so you can be sure she'll use it.

3) Go Handmade.
I saw these coasters made with wrapping paper on a recording of Martha yesterday when I was folding laundry. Totally love this project. Super easy. And you could pick wrapping paper that would go with her decorating style. Or paper with a Holiday print. Maybe a set of 8, each with a different paper. See coasters in the pic at the top.

4) Hat, Gloves & Scarf
When I think Mother-in-Law accessories, I think Chicos. They seem to cater to our parent's generation. She may already own a set, but it's nice to have a few options. If she's not a hat, gloves and scarf gal, maybe a pashmina type shawl.

5) A book or a subscription.
These are my total default gifts and I know I've mentioned them before. Hard to go wrong here. You could choose something pretty generally liked by Mothers-in-law, like Oprah Magazine or you can even add a year to a subscription she already has and loves. For books, think coffee table. Maybe something about the part of the country she lives in.

6) An Umbrella.
I love everything Pare makes. A very cool and unexpected gift for anyone.

7) A donation in her name.
Help end world hunger by purchasing some poultry or a goat in her name for a village in a 3rd world country. Try Heifer International.

There's a start, Laurie. But keep checking comments — I'm sure lots of Design Mom readers will add excellent ideas.

Stüsh Design — Giveaway-A-Day 12/14

Find the winner for yesterday's Giveaway at the bottom of this post.
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It's Thursday. I like Thursdays. And I've got a Giveaway today that only makes me like Thursdays more. Today's winner will walk away with A GIFTSET OF MAGNETIC CARDS AND A GIFTSET OF INFRAMED CARDS FROM STÜSH LABS!!! These are some rockin' cards. Check it out.






It's like Choose-Your-Own-Adventure in cards. The winner will pick any mix of icons for the Magnetic cards to go in the giftset of 6. AND. The winner will will also pick any mix of designs for the Inframed cards to go in the tin-boxed giftset of 5.

The Magnetic cards have a peel off magnet that you can keep around long after the card has hit the dust. And the Inframed cards are designed to be 100% recyclable and 100% useable — even acting as their own easel.

If I were the winner, it would take me a couple of hours at least to pick which 6 images I would want for the Magnetic cards and which 5 designs I would want for the Inframed cards. A couple of hours that I would very much enjoy. Check out this sampling — that's right, this is only a sampling — there are tons more icon/design choices:








While you're on their site, you can also check out some of the other super-hip products from Stüsh Labs:


Loving the idea of the Mul3 (pronounced Mule Cubed). Sit on it. Store magazines in the slot. So fun to have several of these in one room to endlessly reconfigure. Totally handmade.


Stylish storage for random items in the Lump and Bump. The big one fits magazines. The small one is perfect for remotes, keys, or other miscellany. They look cool on the floor, on the table, even mounted to the wall.

I have loved discovering/being introduced to studios like Stüsh. It's great to see what can be created when the idea doesn't have to filtered through a committee. Great stuff. All very giftable.

Thank you, Stüsh!
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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 12/13 Happy Owl Glassworks Giveaway is:
Jannell who commented: "I'm freaaaking out about how adorable these are and have just hit the jackpot for a store where I can buy my best friend and my mom their Xmas presents!!! YAY! " (at 10:25am EST).
Congratulations Jannell! Please email me your shipping address by using the email link on my blog.

Book of the Week — 3 Christmas Stories

This past Tuesday night, at the Bookclub I attend, we shared favorite books for young Children and I was introduced to some really great Christmas choices. My favorite was Peter Spier's Christmas. No words. Just amazingly detailed illustrations that tell the story. It was suggested that this kind of book was perfect for pre-readers because of the no text thing. And I know my older kids would love sitting by the tree and studying the pictures as well.

This year, I think this will be our new Christmas book. From what I understand, it looks like it's out of publication, but you can find it through Amazon here.


I also loved seeing Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl Buck
This story, about a son giving his father a gift of service, would be equivalent to Gift of the Magi in it's power to bring me to tears and give me that Christmas-Spirit-of-Giving feeling. The illustrations by Mark Buehner are tremendous.


Who is coming to Our House was also introduced in board book format. It features the animals in the stable as they prepare for Mary and Joseph and Baby Jesus to arrive. It looked like it would be perfect for our toddler who is in that animal sounds stage.

Hooray for Bookclub! And hooray for Happy Holiday Reading!

Design Mom Blog Announcements

A little bit of Housekeeping:

A) So. I am still loving the Giveaways. And although the Giveaway-A-Day-For-A-Month has to end, the Giveaways can continue. They will continue. With no regular schedule, but reliably appearing 3 or 4 times a month. These randomly occuring Giveaways will have an entry window of 48 hours — because I know that women are busy creatures and we can't always spend as much time blogging as we would like. So keep reading. I'll keep you happy.

B) Last Saturday was my 5 month blogiversary. Yes. Sadly, I just said blogiversary. And it's got me thinking about my 6th month blogiversary which will occur on January 9th. To commemorate the occaision, I plan to launch a new project on this blog on that date. I won't give you all the details now, but I will tell you the basics: Paul Ferney, my artist brother-in-law (married to this sister) is going to work with me on a picture book. I've got a draft of the text shaping up and he's going to do the illustrations. We will post our progress week-by-week and page-by-page and get your feedback as we go along. And. We'll put the word out there that our goal is to have a publisher in place by the time the book is finished. Then. We'll see what happens.

C) Because it is busy, busy, busy December, I'm giving our next Guest Mom a break and not putting her on the schedule until January. I love having Guest Mom's around, so I'll be homesick. But I'll also be eagerly anticipating Laurie Smithwick's posts beginning on Monday, January 8th.

D) Last but not least, I'll be slowing down the posts here at Design Mom as the Giveaways end and I get my act together for Christmas. I won't leave you totally hanging. I'll try to leave a little something to perk you up if it's a downer day — but I've got some shopping to do! Then, I'll be back in full force in January.

High-style dustpan set available at Unica home.

Happy Owl Glassworks — Giveaway-A-Day 12/13

Find the winner for yesterday's Giveaway at the bottom of this post.
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There have been quite a few sweet (read: tugging heartstrings) Giveaways in this month-long fiesta. Sarah Starr Smith. Lucky Piggies. Papered Together. Today's giveaway is totally in the sweet group. There's just something about this SO DELICATE AND SO WARM GREEN OWL NIGHTLIGHT BY HAPPY OWL GLASSWORKS!!! that is tender and heartwarming.




The mottled colors. The transparent nature of glass. The very idea behind a nightlight. Everything about this makes me want to hug my kids and make sure they're safe and warm.

Each piece is handmade and no two pieces are exactly alike making each one feel even more like a little piece of art. And I love the naturalist vibe. It makes me want to wear one of the (many) animal badges and read Annie Dillard.

The artist at Happy Owl, Tracy Bull, comes from a graphic design background — and her work benefits by getting simple shapes and straight lines and beautiful colors. Then we benefit by getting her work.

Check out some of the other lovely Happy Owl work:


Handsome cufflinks.


Hits at just the right spot pendants.


Soap-dishes that make me laugh.


Every animal you can think of badges.


Mentioned them in another post and still love them tiny dishes.

Find the perfect gift you're missing from your list — sized to fit perfectly in someone's stocking — here. And cross your fingers on the nightlight, because it's the kind of accessory that makes your home feel absolutely special and art savvy and one of a kind.

Thank you, Happy Owl Glassworks!
____________

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 12/12 Peggy Li Giveaway is:
Stepi who commented: "These are perfect for every day!!" (at 6:43pm EST).
Congratulations Stepi! Please email me your shipping address by using the email link on my blog.

Greener Grass Design

Brooke sent me a link to Greener Grass Design and these hand-silk-screened-linen-beautiful-beautiful pillows by Amenity have been internalized. I was tempted to touch the screen.

Thank you, Brooke.