Babysitting Poll

Lovely Design Mom Readers,

I'm working on a project and need your fine input. If you have two seconds, would you please answer these two questions? You don't need to comment, just hit the buttons below. The poll will allow each computer to vote once. You can vote through Friday, March 2nd.

3/3 EDIT: The poll is now closed. But you can see the questions and results below.

Yoon Kids Custom Wall Art

The idea behind Yoon Kids is super smart.

On their website, you can pick from dozens of drawings, then indicate how you'd like to customize your pick. Once you're happy, the images are professionally printed in one of two sizes and sent to you ready to hang on your wall.



They offer lots of darling images of kids doing just about anything and everything, but my favorites are their simple animal and nature images where you can customize the patterns, like this sweet bunny:

Ask Design Mom: 40th Birthday Watch

Ask-Design-Mom Question:
It is my husband's 40th birthday soon. I'd like to get him a watch — a really nice "fortieth birthday worthy" one that we can have engraved on the back. Something classy & simple, without all the extra gadgets that some have. (I'm guessing that anyone who actually has to chart an ocean voyage — won't do it with their watch.) Here's what he'd like in a watch, if that helps.
• Steel or titanium band (or black leather, but something more durable is better.)
• Perpetual motion (or a REALLY long life battery)
• It doesn't need to have a date, but if it does it needs to stay accurate (his last one didn't.)
• He has looked at and likes some of the Brietling watches.
Any suggestions? Tania.

Design Mom Answer:
Oh Tania. How great is this question! I love the idea of picking out a really nice watch for my husband, so I'm just going live vicariously through you for a moment. Since luxe watches are kind of a wide field, I'm going to stick with Breitlings. I'm also assuming Brietlings will have the technical qualities you're looking for, so (lucky me) I'm going to focus on how they look.

My favorite Breitling models are (not in any particular order):


Windrider: Chronomat Evolution


Professional: Sky Racer (love the little red arrow!)


Aeromarine: Chrono Avenger
The Aeromarine line has the simplest faces and less "not-likely-to-use-features" of the 4 Breitling lines.


Aeromarine: Avenger Seawolf
This is the simplest Breitling face. Very classic. But alas — I prefer a non-leather band.


Aeromarine: Superocean
I love the typestyle on this model, and I'm way digging the blue — a little funky and cool, but still conservative — plus, I like the name. Yeah. This is one is my favorite.


Aeromarine: Superocean Steelfish
I think a full prefer numbers to dots, but this is still gorgeous.

Dear Design Mom Readers, if you were picking out the perfect watch for your husband — pretend money isn't a factor for a moment, and just pick the ideal — what would it be?


balloon pic from Getty Images

February Giveaway Winners

At the end of each month, I like to feature the winners of that month's Giveaways. Hopefully this will help the Design Mom community make a few connections. Plus, it's always nice to get a little shout out. (It's all voluntary of course, If you're a winner and would rather remain relatively anonymous, I promise not to post about you.)

Check out these lovely ladies!!:
___________

Winner of the Moda Home Tablecloth:


Sarah Cool
Sarah Cool is a 25 year old blogger, living in lovely Cincinnati, Ohio. She works in clinical research, spending her free time with friends, family, and mentoring with Big Brother Big Sister and being involved with the high school ministry at her church. She is addicted to coffee and the color pink. Her roommate is a small black cat named Flora, who does not pay her fair share of the mortgage.

Play with your food

These soft food toys at Mahar Dry Goods have me charmed. So cute.

And I love the idea that not only do they not require batteries and make no obnoxious noises, they make no noises at all, not even tapping. And I don't think it would hurt very much if a two-year-old was to, say, whack a 9-month old repeatedly on the head with the waffle.

Ask Design Mom: Classic Girls Nightgowns

Ask-Design-Mom Question:
Dear Design Mom, I have an almost 8 year old who refuses to sleep in anything other than nightgowns. However, I have a difficult time finding classic nightgowns. I know there has to be some delightfully sweet ones out there... Any ideas? Thanks, Stacey

Design Mom Answer:
What a great question, Stacey. And how much fun for me to find some great sources for traditional nightgowns. Although my own daughters crave snug-fitting cotton pjs, I love seeing them in classic gowns. They make me want to pull out the sponge rollers. Some of these sources you'll likely recognize, and some may be new. I hope this helps!

Possibly my favorite option is the robe and gown set pictured above from CWDKids. So girly and so classic.



If you're still craving something cozy, Vermont Country Store carries a flannel nightgown by Lanz of Salzburg in 2 sweet patterns.


I love this sweet, summery, English, hand-smocked option. Available up to size 14.



At Good Orient there are lots of pretty options. They list them as dresses, but I prefer them as nightgowns.


Garnet Hill Kids and Boden Kids both have similar nightgown options in up-to-date cuts.

How about you, Design Mom Readers? Where do you find classic girls nightgowns?

Sundance Bags

I've been looking for a big bag to haul everything I carry to church on Sunday — something larger than what I would carry for a handbag or diaper bag. I want something good-looking, easy to care for, and that will last for lots of years. It also needs to be a bag without alot of bells and whistles. I'd prefer something with no special compartments, one or no pockets, and no closure.

The bag I'm looking for would also be used for plane trips with the kids where I need to keep lots of stuff in one place.

There are a few options at Sundance that are beautiful.


The first one may not be big enough, but I like the square bottom.
soho slouch bag


leather big tote


malibu bag

Ask Design Mom: Seasonal Clothes Storage

I'm sensing that many Design Mom readers are itching for a little change in their lives. Possibly some spring cleaning/organizing instincts are kicking in. And they're making lists that will inevitably bring them to Ikea and Home Depot.

How do I know this? I received about one million (really good) Ask-Design-Mom questions over the weekend. So I'm going to attempt to answer one each day for the next little while and I'm crossing my fingers that you'll contribute your best ideas as well. Thanks in advance.

Ask-Design-Mom Question:
I'm a first-time mom of a ten-month old, and my daughter, Scout, is the happy inheritor of loads of clothes from older cousins. What I've never been able to figure out is how to gracefully store what needs to be stored and keep out the right size for now in an accessible (organised even?) way. Seems like there should be some smart system that allows moms to have the right sized clothes for the right season available, and not have to rummage through a big silver Sterilite box. There is absolutely no wabi sabi to stacked Sterilite boxes. Ideas? Thanks for the great blog. I check it everyday. Johanna

Design Mom Answer:
Thanks for the question, Johanna. And I feel you on the clothes storage issues. It's sort of an unexpected hassle in the first couple of years having a new baby. Although my dreams are filled with pretty closets like in the picture above, this is how I (very imperfectly) manage it:

First, I am hardcore about only keeping the best stuff. Sometimes, I've stored something of Maude's thinking it was so cute, and when I pulled it out for Olive it was all ratty and faded. Basically, I was storing the memory of a cute outfit instead of an actual cute outfit. So I suggest being pretty brutal when you sort through all those inherited clothes. If you're not going to love putting it on Scout, pass it along or donate it.

Also consider sizes and seasons. Once you have a handle on if your daughter is average size (does she wear 3-6 month clothes when she's 3-6 months old?) or not, get rid of everything that doesn't match up with size and season. What I mean is, if Scout is going to be in 6-12 month clothes during the winter months, and there is a really cute 0-3 month coat, well, too bad for Scout, the coat should not be stored.

Once you've pared the clothes down to just the really good stuff, my best success has come from using smaller containers instead of larger ones, making them less overwhelming to sort through. Because I put them in closets, I don't mind that they're in neat plastic boxes. I use smallish ones, and I use see-through ones. (Something similar to the 6 hanging ones in the picture above from the Container Store.) I designate the boxes like this: 0-6 months, 6-12 months, 12-24 months, and then 1 box per year. The first year clothes tend to stay in better shape so I split the year in two parts, but older clothes get pretty thrashed and there's less to store. Once my box is full, well that's that.

When the clothes are divided into smaller boxes, I know I can ignore all the boxes except the size she's currently wearing. I still have to do some sorting, but a lot less. At some point, when she's growing about a size per year, going through her wardrobe will be just like going through your own. You'll do it seasonally and it won't feel like so much management.

That's one way. Another way: I know a friend with lots of boys who doesn't store anything. Clothes just pass down from one brother to another until they're too thrashed and get thrown out. Also, somewhere in my head there is a vague memory of someone mentioning something about using a dresser to sort. . .

What are some more ideas?

Cards from Little Otsu

Look how happy these cards are? I should buy them and write notes full of compliments for my daughters.

Available at Little Otsu.

A Deliberate Home

If I was to come and take a look at your bookshelves, would their contents give me a pretty good sense of the people in your home?

Sadly, mine would give you a a kind-of pathetic portrait of who I was as a sophomore in college. You can read my ramblings on the topic at NY Metro Parents Blog.

photo from Getty Images

Some New-to-Me Blogs I am Loving

Holly's Plate
A thirty-something dishes on her attempt at a well-designed life. She updates about once a day with something cute and hosts "Anthropologie Thursdays".


Plain Jane Mom
I like her "Go Read It Today" posts where she links to interesting things she's seen that day.


My Topography
If you have a very serious artsy friend, she would make a blog like this. Writes about writing and being an artist. Beautiful photography. Isn't the header lovely?


Weekly Dinners
For my foodie friends, this one is pretty new but looks like it has great potential. And I love a blog that gives me menu help.

Spring Dresses for Girls at Target

Walking through Target last Tuesday, spotted these beauties for Maude. Didn't buy them because it's quite impossible to buy summery stuff when I have to scrape ice from the windshield to get to the store.

They'd be cute with a little tee or as a swimsuit cover.

Decor 8 Article

I really appreciated what Holly had to say at Decor 8 about taking some time to decorate your house:

"It seems like so many of us are buying things we see on blogs or that our friends like, that we're forgetting to cherish what we already have and just mix stuff in. Some homes are starting to look like people had no real history in them, like they just gutted and did a fresh slate makeover.

You can look at their pad and pick out everything you see, crediting it to this or that store, or as something you've spotted a hundred times already in blogsville. Unless you are 18, you shouldn't feel like you have to start from scratch. Look at Domino magazine as a perfect example. What makes the homes featured in their pages so envied? They feature real homes that were built over time. It's a good lesson for us, decorating shouldn't be an overnight process."

The post then referred to a house that was a good example of designed-over-time — a house tour on Apartment Therapy of a lovely home in Portland belonging to someone named Alicia. You can see the house tour photos here. Or see them as a slideshow here.

Custom Scents at Urban Botanic

Take a 10-minute personality test at Urban Botanic and they'll let you know what your ideal scent mixture should be. Then you can order your custom scent in a perfume, a lotion, or a bubble bath.

Here's my profile:

Apparently I'm a Woodsy. But just barely. It was almost a 3-way tie among Woodsy, Floral, and Leafy. These words bring the scent of Pine Sol to mind. Eeew.

Has anybody out there actually purchased their custom scent? Was it worthwhile? I'm so curious.

Ask Design Mom: Refridgerator Art

Keep the good ideas flowing, it's an Ask-Design-Mom double dose today.

Question:
Hi Gabrielle, I am a new reader to your blog — I found you through a link on my daughter's blog. Now I am a fan a faithful reader. I have a spare refrigerator in my laundry room that is located at the doorway. I am not able to close the door as the kitty litter is in that room as well. I walk by the doorway frequently and would like to look at the refrigerator and smile. Can you help me out with some refrigerator art ideas. I have no children at home. Thanks, Darla

Design Mom Answer:
Hi Darla, thanks for sending in such a great question. It's interesting for me to look ahead a bit and realize my refridgerator won't always be covered with notes from school and pictures of, or by, my kids.

I'm only going to offer up one idea, but I think it's a good one. Let's cross our fingers that all the lovely Design Mom readers will join in the comments with additional clever solutions.

The idea:
In the last year or so, there are suddenly dozens and dozens of companies that are producing vinyl wall art — both pre-made and custom. There are tons of choices and styles in premade decals/wallpapers and many are gorgeous. I've featured some of the child-like versions here at Design Mom, but there are more sophisticated options as well — think silhouettes of flowers and the like. Try sources like Greener Grass Design and modern seed (the sources of the 4 vinyls pictured) or do a search for "vinyl wall art".




And as far as custom vinyl goes, you can have pretty much anything you like cut in pretty much any color. What's your favorite poem or quote? Have the lettering cut in vinyl — in large letters — and use the words to fill up the entire fridge in a nice fresh green. Not a lettering kind of person? How about silhouettes of your children or grandchildren cut in various colors. For custom vinyl, try Vinyl Attraction or Graffiti Chic.

I hope this answer has you inspired, Darla. Good luck!