Annie Selke's Pine Cone Hill — by Guest Mom Allysha

Want to be a kid in a candy store for awhile today? Go on over to Pine Cone Hill, a company by Annie Selke, and spend some time looking around. Guaranteed, you will fall in love with something.

Available here. At trade shows here. You can learn more about Annie and her other companies here.

Sticky Wrapping Paper

I was just introduced to this new adhesive wrapping paper that Hallmark came out with. And I'm loving it. It's basically one big roll of sticky note — the entire backside surface is covered with a re-stickable coating. Brilliant. And available in some cute designs as well.

I wrapped up a package to see how the paper worked, and I definitely had to experiment with new wrapping techniques, although it was lovely not to have any tape on the package.

But my biggest instinct upon trying it out, was that wrapping presents is just one tiny application for this product. How would you use a giant roll of not-too-sticky, re-positionable paper?

I heart public radio — by Guest Mom Allysha

I am in love with public radio, it's true. I like to know what's going on. I like to hear thoughtful commentary and analysis. I'm not quite a political junkie, but I have my days. I have been known to argue with the radio on certain topics. (Who are you talking to, Mom? What is "ridiculous"?) And because it's good to know a few things about a few things I am going to share with you some of my favorite public radio shows.

Lest you think it's all serious on the public radio circuit, I will direct you first to WNYC's Soundcheck. The host, John Schaefer, who knows all things music (really, he covers every kind of music out there), did a show on those secret song-loves you may have, that are actually kind of embarrassing. John's embarrassing song? Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice. Now admit it — you groove a little bit if ever you hear that music play, don't you? You can listen to the show here.

And now, without further ado, I present to you the following:

Morning Edition & All Things Considered — If you're at all familiar with NPR, you know at least one of these shows, they bookend the day with basic and informative news coverage and good stories.

The Diane Rehm Show — While she covers all kinds of topics during the week, on Friday Diane gathers two panels of news experts for each hour of her show, one covering national news, and the other covering international news. Really fascinating.

Market Place — Accessible business news. Believe me, I know. I majored in English.

The Writer's Almanac — Garrison Keillor, of the wonderful radio voice, gives some historical background on the day's date, and then reads a poem. Good stuff.

On the Media — A program that a news junkie would love. News and criticism about the media and how it reports the news.

This American Life — What has become the quintessential radio documentary series. More often than not, it will keep you in your car long after you've pulled into the driveway.

Radio Lab — They only do something like 5 programs a year, but they are really cool and available for pod cast. Seriously. Definitely worth a listen.

Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me! — Once you've informed yourself, then yes, this is the NPR news quiz. I'm not joking. It's really funny. And I have been known to clean my bathroom while shouting out the answers to the "listener limerick challenge" and the like. I know. Go and say it. I am kind of a nerd. But an informed kind of nerd.

Of course, this is not even a smidgen of what is offered by public radio. There is a veritable feast of information available to you on your radio or through the web. If you haven't already, you should really check it out.

fab image via fader

Sk*rt's Getting a New Name!!

Have you heard the rumor about sk*rt getting a new name? Well the rumor is true. And there's a fantastic contest going on where everybody gets to help choose the new name. And the prizes are big. A fancy new cord-free/hands-free phone. A Magic Bullet blender/food processor. And a free BlogHer Registration. That's over $700 worth of goodies.

Entering the contest, as usual, is as easy as pie. Just leave a comment here or here letting us know what your favorite choice is from the list of new names — or you can even suggest your own.

Enter as often as you'd like. But you've got to do it fast. Because the contest ends this Friday. As in day after tomorrow.

Readable Children's Books — by Guest Mom Allysha

“Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it.”

So go the famous opening lines of “Winnie-The-Pooh” by A. A. Milne. I love the crew of the 100 acre wood, with an especial fondness for, I must confess, Eeyore, who is indeed woefully funny.

In college I took a class about writing children's books. It wasn't until I had children of my own, however, that I learned The Truth: many children's books are Quite Boring and Really Awful to read aloud. If you are a mother or father you know this. You know that the best kind of book is one the equally appeals to both parent and child. Which is why I like the Winnie-the-Pooh stories. My children like them. I like them. I have been known to keep the whole stack by my bed and chuckle to myself as I read through the lot. The two volumes of poetry, Now We Are Six and When We Were Very Young, if you aren't familiar with them, are as equally charming as the story books Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner.

Some other books I enjoy reading to my children are:

Frog and Toad...(fill in the rest of the title here, because any Frog and Toad story will do). I like Arnold Lobels' amphibians for the same reason I like Winnie the Pooh. The stories are funny and accessible to everyone involved. In fact I think these are better stories for the younger set, and yet are equally suited to keep adults completely entertained.



The Rainbow Book of Nursery Rhymes by Sam Childs. I think this book is officially out of print, but you can still find it online. It's really beautiful. And utterly readable, as nursery rhymes are.



Drummer Hoff by Ed and Barbara Emberly. With gorgeous color woodblock print illustrations, this is a fun read. It can get kind of tongue-twistery, so don't hurry through too fast!

Ballerina! by Peter Sis. Simple illustrations. Simple story. But if you have little aspiring dancers at your house, they will really love this book. I always replace the little girl's name with the name of one of my daughters, and that is always a big hit.

Anyone up for some armchair traveling? — Guest Mom Allysha

I LOVE this photo blog, Portes et Fenetres (which is French for Doors and Windows). I stumbled across it while looking for pictures of France, where I lived for a year and a half. It is dedicated to photographs of interesting and lovely (you guessed it) doors and windows. The photographers, simply known as Guy fils, Julien, et Guy père (who, I'm guessing, are a father and his sons) capture some beautiful sites in France and abroad. I visit several times a week. It's an inexpensive way to travel.

Winner — Put Some Spring in Your Step! Giveaway

Thank you for getting your names in for the big Spring Giveaway. What cheerful comments you made — all 847 of you! So great. And do you know what else is so great? Getting to randomly pick the winner:

Leslie who said, "you have the best giveaways in town, hands down! thanks for the chance!"

What a lucky lady, Leslie! Congratulations. Please email me from the link on my blog and let me know you've seen this announcement — and then I'll put you in touch with the vendors so you can place your orders.

Thank you to the generous sponsors, My Sunset Road and Toby & Rei!

lotta jansdotter — by Guest Mom Allysha

I love notebooks.

I love notebooks, journals, and anything resembling such. My love of writing combined with my love of pretty paper products means that if I didn't have a decent degree of self-control, my house would be over-run with notebooks of all kinds.

Currently I have 6 (yes, six) different notebooks in regular use, with a few others on the side, including a sketchbook, planner, a notebook for blog ideas, and two all around catch-alls for thoughts, notes, lists, and then there is my actual journal...you get the idea.



A few years ago I came upon this flower journal. It's lovely, isn't it? It's designed by Lotta Jansdotter and I bought it right away. Lotta has some really great stuff; not just notebooks, and such. (And, actually, Gabby posted about tablecloth by Lotta here.)

If I were going for a contemplative day at the park I would bring the following:



This grass journal, to write in. The prika pencil case to keep my writing utensils organized. The sticky notes, because sticky notes are fun, and these are adorable. These cards to sent a sweet note to someone. And this tote, to carry it all in.

Simple Songs Designs

I was just introduced to Simple Song Design's etsy shop — full of fantastic stationery and office supplies. And now I count my self as a devoted fan (those to-do push pins won my heart!). I have to say I'm kind of embarrassed that her work is new-to-me, because she's totally a sk*rt editor.

Hable Construction Sample Sale

One of the many good things about living in New York: Sample Sales. The next one on my calendar is for one of my favorite homegoods and textiles lines, Hable Construction. Check out the dates, details and directions here. And I'll completely understand if you're tempted to plan your next trip around it.

Goodbye and Hello!

It was so delightful having Marie here last week. I love her simple and practical ideas for crafting with children. And I love knowing her is ideas have been tried and tested. Thanks for the great posts Marie. We'll miss and are excited to keep up with you at Make & Takes.

[ Moment of Silence. ]

And now that I've composed myself after that tear-filled goodbye, let me say Hello to this week's Guest Mom, Allysha. Hello Allysha!! Welcome. We can't wait to hear what you have to say.

I happen to have the honor of knowing Allysha personally — which is something that can only be said for a handful of my Guest Moms and Dads. And while I considered Allysha a friend long before we started blogging, I've gotten to know her so much better after reading her clever posts, that I feel closer to her now, then when she was my neighbor. So it's especially fun to introduce her to you. (Actually, she's a much better writer than I am, so I'll let her introduce herself.)



So, about me: I have a wonderful, brilliant husband named Ben, and four sweet kids (ages 6, 4, 2, and almost 1!) whose names remain anonymous on the web. (I am working on pseudonyms, but that's hard because I really like their given names. I'm half-way there though, just 2 more kids to name. Again. And I've only been blogging for just about two years now!)

It's been almost three years since Ben and I sold our plaid couches (everyone should own a plaid couch once in their life, and then promptly sell it when they get a chance) and moved out to New York. That's where I had the lovely fortune to meet Gabby. And it's been almost a year since we moved back from New York, so that Ben could teach documentary film at a university here in Utah.

Suffice it to say that our life is busy, busy, with work, a house full of little kids, and of course, blogging. I love to read and write. I like a clean house, but have learned when to let that slide. I blog at Bells On Their Toes about life, and at Just an Orange about other things. And I'm very excited to share some things here as Guest Mom this week. Thanks, Gabby!

Random Giveaway — Put Some Spring in Your Step

Aren't you itching for a Giveaway? I totally am. Spring Fever or something. So let's do it. How about a set of three pretties for Mom and a set of three pretties for baby? A little something to put some spring in your step. Because in my neck of the woods, the blossoms are on the trees and it's time to celebrate the fact that Spring has Sprung. Take a look at what one lucky winner will receive:



The Fleur Collection from My Sunset Road. retail value: $175.00
Earrings. Necklace. Ring. Gorgeous. What's the saying — April showers bring May flowers? Well it looks like the flowers arrived a bit early this year in the form of these gorgeous pieces. Don't they feel just perfect for Spring? My Sunset Road, and Courtney, the artist behind the jewelry, has such a fantastic aesthetic. The line is modern. But it feels totally handcrafted and organic. I love checking the site from time to time just to see what's new — so inspiring!



A new baby gift set from Toby & Rei. retail value: $90.00
This luscious eco-minded gift set includes a baby blanket, a onesie and a matching hat. For the blankets (made from a super-soft bamboo knit), choose from five gorgeous colors — natural, celery, pebble gray, chocolate and modern orange. For the onesie and hat, choose from four different cute graphics — robot, elephant, modern flowers and shark . I'm such a fan of Toby and Rei. Their knits blankets are the thickest and coziest I've seen. I sent my sister Jordan some of their lovely goods when Mr. Moses was born.

Now isn't this Giveaway just the perfect way to end the work week? A treat for you and a treat for baby. No baby? Then a treat for you and treat for your dear expectant friend's baby. Have fun commenting. And if you've got weather that's as good as the weather here in New York, I hope you get the chance to get out this weekend and enjoy it!

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Random Giveaway Guidelines:
-You have until midnight PST on Monday, April 28th 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, please.
-The winner will be randomly picked and announced Tuesday morning.
-What are Random Giveaways? Read about them here.

More Swimsuits

Still swimsuit hunting. I've been all about the tankinis for the last few summers, but I'm feeling the one piece this year. I am in love with this ruffle-y one by Juicy Couture. It's pricey and would be a complete splurge for me, but isn't it gorgeous? I prefer it in blue, but am including the pink shot so you can see what the back looks like. This is the best modern take on a retro swimsuit I've seen. And all that ruching has to be so slimming.



I've tried on this custom one from Lands' End and it is beautiful. Very well-made (and good detailing) with fantastic fabric that keeps my tummy in check. And I love the greek-maze-like pattern — less boring than basic black, but doesn't draw too much attention. Possibly more low-cut than I want, but I'm so flat chested it hardly matters — there's nothing to see.

I'll let you know what else I find.

Great Kid Crafty Sites — by Guest Mom Marie

Thanks to Design Mom and all you fabulous readers for a wonderful week. I have enjoyed sharing some fun kid crafty ideas and tips. As I leave you, here are a few of my favorite Kid Craft resources that keep the creativity flowing. Check out these great websites and blogs, and you'll be filled with plenty of ideas to spark the kiddies imagination.

Kaboose
The Crafty Crow
Kids Craft Weekly
Family Fun
Scrumdilly-do
Creative Kids Crafts
The Artful Parent
Amazing Moms
My Kids Art
Soule Mama

And of course there's Make and Takes :) Enjoy!

Posh Peacock

The pretty tags, magnets and stationery at Posh Peacock have caught my eye. Designed by self taught, Boston-based artist named Christine. Yummy color.

Flip Video Camera

Have you seen these Flip Video cameras? I saw one on the Florida trip and I am coveting. Flip is a super straightforward video camera with no extra buttons or options to adjust, so you don't have to think too hard (that's my kind of technology). No video tapes or cords either. The cameras are small and sturdy.

Ben Blair grew up making super-cool movies with his friends whenever they had spare time and I'm thinking a camera like this would be a perfect way to introduce kids to moviemaking. Best part is the price: less than $120.

Want more info? There's an excellent review in the NY Times that I saw on sk*rt. Also. They are adorable. In black, white, pink and orange.

Excellent Templates

Oooohhh. Look what I found on sk*rt this morning. FREE templates for darling tags and labels. I realize that not everyone is a graphic designer, and coming up with the perfect little design details can be a challenge. Use templates like these to save the day. Just right for gifts or when you're throwing a little party.

Tips for Crafting with Kids — by Guest Mom Marie

At times it may seem overwhelming to craft with your kids. You may worry about glue dripping, scissors cutting things they shouldn't, or not having some of the basic craft essentials. Here are a few tips that can help you have fun crafting without the worry.

Basic Crafting Supply List — a few items to always keep on hand. Keep them in a clear plastic tub and label the front with what is inside. All the items should be available at your local craft store: glue sticks, white craft glue, child size scissors, pipe cleaners, crayons, buttons, art paper, tape, clothes pins, popsicle sticks, crafty eyes, felt, hot glue gun (for adult use only).

Glue Tips:
• I prefer to use glue sticks whenever I can. They are easy for the kids to use. Just make sure they put the cap back on tight or it will dry out.
• For white craft glue, pour some out onto a milk jug lid or yogurt lid. Give each child their own Q-tip to dip and paint the glue where needed. I like to let kids do things on their own, they need to learn sometime. Just be prepared with wet wipes or a rag for clean up.
• I will often use tape when glue is asked for, if I can. My kids are younger and much better at placing tape than using glue.




Cutting Tips:
• Start early practicing with scissors. Don't be afraid to let them try it. My 2 year old is obsessed with them, so I have to keep them up high for safety. Because she is excited and ready to use them, we practice.
• We use child size scissors. They usually go on sale during back to school sales.
• We practice on paper that is going to be recycled anyway. Sometimes I just let them cut away, and sometimes I draw lines for them to try to follow.
• For holding the scissors correctly, tell the kids to always give a "thumbs up".
• It may take a child until they are 6-7 years old to handle scissors. I highly suggest doing lots of practice at home, so they can be successful at school.




Taping Tips:
I just wrote a Taping Tips post that can help you when you want to display your child's work and you only have tape to use. It's an easy solution to the "tape tearing paper" dilemma.

I know there are many more Crafting Tips out there. Please share what you do to make things fun for crafting and easier on the clean up.

Who I met at Disney

So I know I told you that I was at a Disney retreat last weekend, but I wanted to recap what I did and who I met. The group of lovely ladies really was lovely. I hadn't met a single one before I went — hadn't really even gotten to know their blogs or websites. And this was true for all of us. So it was kind of a gamble on what the group dynamic would be like. Happily the dynamic was fantastic. It was a super-positive group that basically put out one billion kilowatts of happy vibes wherever we went.

Meet the Disney Bunch:
Amy of The Lady Bug And Her Blogging Mama & Mums The Wurd!
Amy of LIParentSource.com
Christine of Boston Mamas
Cooper of The Motherhood & Been There
Darcie of The Walt Disney World Moms Panel & Such The Spot
Elizabeth of Table For Five
Erin of Manic Mommies
Jennifer of Snapshot & 5 Minutes For Mom
Jennifer of The Mom Salon
Jo-Lynne of Musings Of A Housewife
Kim of The Walt Disney World Moms Panel & Stop A Moment
Kris of Clever Parents
Lori Seaborg of Just Pure Lovely
Mary Beth of Cheaper By The Half Dozen
Mia Cronan of Main Street Mom
Stephanie of Adventures in Babywearing
Tracey of Suburban Diva

Who had the foresight to put these fantastic group together? The brilliant Maria Bailey of BSM Media.


With Stephanie at the opening reception.

What did we do? Well basically, we experienced the DisneyWorld parks. But as VIPs. And with a camera man in tow. And someone else picking up the tab. Which was delightful.

There were no lectures or classes, but wherever we went we had access to different Disney experts, so we could ask them every possible Disney question under the sun. One day it was the staff member that covers food allergies and special needs diets. Another time it was the contact for budget trips at Disney. Another time it was a horticulture expert that told us about the grounds. And there were others. I loved having in-the-know staff members at my disposal, and it made for great conversations over dinner or dessert. (I should mention here there was a lot of food. A lot.)

Darcie, Me, Goofy, Jo-Lynne and Amy at Breakfast.

My personal highlights (besides meeting the wonderful women): riding Space Mountain and Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Carribbean and that perfect retro specimen It's a Small World.


Also, they took us to Cirque du Soleil, La Nouba, on Saturday night. I knew I would like it, but I couldn't believe how much I liked it! During the show Maria and I were making guesses as to what it meant or what the story line was, and at some point we gave up and just tried to take in how fantastic and gorgeous the whole thing was. I love that there are minds out there that can conceive of such a show.

Last highlight — I love how women dress up for other women. Everyone was so glamorous!

In the limo with Maria and Elizabeth on the way to Cirque.

Most useful thing I learned: when planning a trip to DisneyWorld take advantage of the Disney Moms Panel. It's a totally free service staffed by Volunteer Mom Experts that have been to the parks one gagillion times. Two of them joined us on our retreat and their knowledge of DisneyWorld was encyclopedic. Anyone can go to the Disney Moms Panel site and submit a question and they'll get a real answer from a real person right away. Brilliant.

Rick Rolled

I don't think I've laughed this hard in awhile. Have any of you been Rick Rolled? I swear I'm the last to know about this but it just happened to me yesterday. When you least expect it, you might click on a video link about an interesting story and the link will instead take you to this classic Rick Astley video.

In fact, apparently on April 1st, Digg directed all of their featured videos, no matter what the title or description, to the video. You can read the Rick Rolled story here. Best prank ever.

And in case you weren't convinced of the mighty power of social media, check this out: because of all the Rick Rolling, Never Gonna Give You Up has been voted the official song that will be sung during the 7th inning stretch at all Mets Games. We are so going to a Mets game just to experience the awesomeness.

Shaving Cream Creations — by Guest Mom Marie

Kids love to get messy and Mom's like to keep things clean. Playing with shaving cream is the best of both worlds, getting messy and smelling clean.



For Shaving Cream Creations, we used our handmade placemats that we made for playing with play dough. Placemats work great at keeping the table free from mess and are laminated for easy clean up. By using some type of placemat, you will save your table from any damage and the clean up is a simple wipe up. If you don't have placemats, a piece of tinfoil, plastic wrap, or a vinyl table cloth would work great.



Any kind of shaving cream will do, even pink flowery cream from the shower. Then squirt a little pile for each child and let them dive in. Once the kids have had their fun making swirls and hand prints, we work on their writing and drawing skills. This activity is great for practicing letters and shapes, or writing their name.



We even added a little food coloring and talked about mixing colors. Use a spoon to stir the food coloring into each shaving cream pile, then the color won't get all over their hands. We mixed colors to make green, purple, orange, then mixed it all up into a big brown blob.



This is an easy craft to do with your kids. It explores their 5 senses in a fun and messy way. (Just be careful they DON'T use their taste sense on this one!)