Ask Design Mom: White Dress for a Girl

Ask Design Mom Question:
Hi Gabrielle, I'm looking for a white dress for my school age daughter. Any suggestions? xoxox, Emily W.

Design Mom Answer:
Oh. I love this question! Summer is the perfect time to shop for a white dress. I found lots of pretty options. Some are splurges. Some are over the top expensive. And some are quite reasonable.



I love this drop-waist style by Jean Bourget. And this ruffle dress from crewcuts.



Olive Juice has three pretty styles in white — and on sale too! — try here, here and here. And check out this luxe silk organza affair at Flora and Henri (pictured at top).

Some many lovely choices. It makes me long to see my girls in white all summer long.

Neat Receipts

Do you remember seeing the Neat Receipts? It's a little device that quickly scans and stores receipts and business cards as searchable pdfs. And then it exports the information directly into your financial software files or as expense reports. Pretty handy if you keep track of tax deductions or have a home based business. It's the kind of tool that my order-seeking brain craves. But alas, I've never had the excuse to pick one up, because they're PC-only. And I'm a mac.

So imagine my delight when I heard a version had recently become available for Mac users. Be still my heart.

We just so happen to be in the midst of overhauling and questioning how we keep our financial records. What we'll keep on paper. What we'll keep electronically. How we intend to back up e-files and hard copies. How often we'll update the records. Where we'll store information until we can input it. What we can throw away.

We don't know exactly how our system will fall into place. We're still experimenting. But I'm thinking Neat Receipts is a handy little tool that might help us get where we want to be.

Stuff White People Like

Some time ago I noticed a blog listed on kirtsy called Stuff White People Like. And it was so funny. And I loved it. And I shared it here. And then I forgot about it.

And then I remembered. Because last week I received the brilliant book, based on the brilliant blog. And once again I can't stop talking about it. I want to send a copy to everyone I know. And quote the entire contents to you in this blog post. I want to tell you to go out right. this. minute. and buy the book so you can learn about white people stuff like NPR and Oscar Parties and David Sedaris and Native Wisdom. And Cleanses. Because white people love Cleanses.

Seriously, you will love Stuff White People Like. You will belly laugh. And look for excuses to quote from the book to impress your friends. And wonder aloud at the insight, humor and genius of Christan Lander. I think it's my new favorite hostess gift.

Hello Again!

Nice. It feels good to be back.

And now that I'm back, the first thing I want to do is give a big thank you to Burgin for going above and beyond with the fantastic posts last week. She was amazing, right? Yay Burgin! Please come back any time.



Second, I have to tell you that in addition to having a whole week to catch up on work and house and miscellaneous and sundry (which was wonderful), we had a terrific school's-out-summer's-here weekend as well. It was all about WALL-E on Friday — Ralph says it's now his favorite Pixar flick. Grimaldi's, ice cream and the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday. And on Sunday I spoke to a gathering of teenagers from my church about all the cool things to do in the city this summer. Which got me totally pumped for all the cool things to do in the city this summer!

How was your weekend? Do anything fun? Of course you did! Come on, share the fun stuff.

So Long, Farewell — By Guest Mom Burgin Streetman

Well, it’s been fun kids. I want to thank Gabrielle so much for allowing me to occupy her space with my rants and raves over the last week. She is such a gracious hostess that I’m crossing all my extremities in hopes of a realio, trulio party invite one day. (Pick me! Pick me! PICK ME!)

Thank you all for the lovely comments, and those of you who skipped on over to my blogs, the door’s always open. To follow me in my quest to collect all the vintage children’s books in the world, come back and see me again at Vintage Kids’ Books My Kid Loves… or to hear me ramble on and on and on about said kid and my life here in the hottest state, come on down to Scribbling in San Antonio. Remember, Monday is the day you can win a book for free, and the rest of the week, well… that’s just filler.

Have a happy fourth gang!!!

Sighning off.

TRAVEL — The World of M. Sasek — by Guest Mom Burgin Streetman

Many of you mod-savvy moms out there will already be familiar with M. Sasek. Yet, as a blogger of vintage kids’ books, if I didn’t post on him here under the realm of kids and travel on a blog with the word design in the title, I would be remiss.

Quite possibly one of the coolest mid-century children’s books authors ever, Czech artist, illustrator, and author — Miroslav Sasek — created a series of travel-related books for tots (sort of) called “This Is”. Wonderful illustrations infused with real-life historical tips and a sharp sarcasm make these a great way to introduce your kids to new places without ever leaving your living room. Some of the titles have been reissued, but for the others, you’ll have to join the search along with the rest of us.

This is Paris (1959, reissued 2004)
This is London (1959, reissued 2004)
This is Rome (1960, reissued 2007)
This is New York (1960, reissued 2003)
This is Edinburgh (1961, reissued 2006)
This is Munich (1961)
This is Venice (1961, reissued 2005)
This is San Francisco (1962, reissued 2003)
This is Israel (1962)
This is Cape Canaveral (1963) (Later published as This is Cape Kennedy)
This is Ireland (1964, reissued 2005)
This is Hong Kong (1965, reissued 2007)
This is Greece (1966)
This is Texas (1967, reissued 2006)
This is the United Nations (1968)
This is Washington, D.C. (1969)
This is Australia (1970)
This is Historic Britain (1974)



This drawing is of the Amarillo Livestock Auction from my son’s all time favorite — of course — This is Texas. Check out a slide show of art from the whole “This Is” series here. You won’t be disappointed.

TRAVEL — Get Moving — by Guest Mom Burgin Streetman

August has driven cross country twice. Flown to New Orleans, Charleston, Seattle, New York, Santa Fe, and Indiana — some on multiple trips. Most recently, we spent a month in Mexico, getting to know the locals in San Miguel. Even at times when I’ve been home sick, lonely, travel weary, or have found a language barrier to be isolating and frustrating, it didn’t seem to matter much to him. Always resourceful, kids adapt to situations pretty easily if parents keep their cools.

I always try and make each trip engaging for him — making sure he samples the local food, he listens to the local music, and that we have plenty of books on hand so that he can get a feel for the place and its culture. If we stop longer than a moment in any spot on the globe, he’s liable to instantly make friends. He’s seen way more than I ever saw when I was three, so I know how lucky August is.

As a single mom of three on a tight budget, my mom didn’t have a ton of money to spend on vacations. Even so, by the time I was 12, I’d been up and down the east coast any number of times and hit every historical hotspot from NYC to Gettysburg. Granted, in today’s gas guzzling, $4-a-gallon era, it is not as cheap or environmentally-friendly to own the road. (My husband is trying to make up for the giant carbon footprint we left on our driving trip to Mexico by taking the bus to work four times a week.)

Even if you don’t have the time, money, and inclination to get out and show your child the world, you can at least make the next town over seem like paradise. Just north of San Antonio where we live is a little town called New Braunfels. They have a children’s museum way better than ours, a nice main street full of restaurants and shops, a wildlife park, and a snake farm! Taking August there for a day trip… I might as well be jetting him to Paris. There is something about going to a new place (even those close to home) that ignites his imagination and opens up his world view.

So no matter where you go or what you do — a cruise to Jamaica or a bus ride two towns over — get your kids moving. They’ll love you for it.

TRAVEL — Money is Time — by Guest Mom Burgin Streetman

My husband and I enjoyed our honeymoon before the marriage — taking a sabbatical from our careers to fly round the world. I’ve always thought Social Security should fund a brief mid-life retirement so people can recharge or switch gears if they want to. Sans a government check, we worked, saved up, and loved every hard-earned minute of our new found freedom, but anywho... 16 countries and seven months later, we thought if we can come out of that close-quartered experience still loving each other, we must be doing something right.

The moment August was conceived we began planning and saving for various trips back to share our favorite spots. The safari through Tanzania he’ll take at 11, where he’ll poke his head through the sunroof of a Land Cruiser and see a lion in the wild for the first time. The summer between junior high and high school when the whole family will grab Eurail passes and explore the French countryside. Sipping coffee with August and his fiancé in Hanoi right before their wedding day. To me, saving up for these big life journeys is just as vital as a 529. We’re not loaded either, so these trips have already found their way onto my husband’s savings spreadsheet. Though I realize that’s not the dreamiest sentiment, in the long run, the payoff will be priceless.

We recently attended a friend’s wedding in New Mexico, and in lieu of a traditional registry, they registered online with Traveler’s Joy. I wish this had been around five years ago when we got hitched. Instead of registering for flatware and a china pattern (most of my friends got married over 30 and already had that kind of stuff anyway), they registered for all things honeymoon-related from plane tickets, a new camera, and matching luggage to candlelit dinners on the beach, UV-protective hoodies, and snorkel trips for two. Way more romantic than a toaster oven.

Shoot, a registry like this could work as a funnel for your child’s graduation gifts. Or for a baby shower! Or maybe you already wanna start planning a second honeymoon? Or would that be like registering for a second baby shower? Too presumptuous?

ART — Stuff for Walls… Yummy. — by Guest Mom Burgin Streetman

August’s room is in a constant state of redecoration as sometimes it more closely resembles a science lab or a library than a child’s room. When not filling his walls with paintings by his grandmother or dinosaur posters out of National Geographic magazine, I am constantly on the lookout for original art and prints I think he might enjoy. I bought one of these hysterical Donald Roller Wilson knockoffs off of eBay all the way from China when he was first born, and he is still obsessed with the “crazy monkey”.

I love all things Etsy – who doesn’t really? – and in addition to the rad drawings by Rebecca Horwood I mentioned the other day, August also has this little moose ditty by Nate. One of my favorites though is a print of a painting by the amazing Austin artist Jay Long. I am madly in love with his stuff, and Jay’s silhouette paintings are unbelievable to see in person.

A few years back, I visited a friend in NYC and checked out her newly designed nursery in Brooklyn. As her husband is an architect and she’s a pretty swanky magazine editor, of course everything about it was tasteful and inspiring. The highlight of the visit was a print that seemed vaguely familiar and absolutely intriguing. I immediately researched it and discovered it as a poster called “The Land of Make Believe” — a work created by the artist Jaro Hess for the 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago. Just as its title implies, it maps everything from where Little Red Riding Hood visited grandma to Jack climbing the bean stalk.



Right away, I found a vintage copy on eBay, and wrapped it up for Lost in Texas’ daughter as a birthday gift thinking there would be an abundance of vintage copies available. Sadly, I have yet to find another, and have been too cheap to splurge on the new version. Perhaps you will not be so thrifty once you get an eyeball full of its awesomeness. (Even though Lost in Texas adores her daughter’s “Marimekko frame kit”, she, of course, made room.)

ART — Painting, Coloring and All That Jazz — by Guest Mom Burgin Streetman

Create an art space for your child that is permanent, varied, and always open. Pick a spot. Mount an easel. And leave all the supplies out. So what if the paint dries up because junior’s been too busy building train tracks all week. If the supplies are open and there, there is no schedule and a kid can create when the mood strikes him without having to wait for mommy or daddy to ready the spill proof cups or debag the crayons.



And speaking of crayons, I am sure these are made out of some toxic chemical that is going to peel back the ozone layer, but what’s up with Crayola’s new Twistable Slick Stix Crayons? The colors are amazing. They are almost like paint, but they are definitely crayons. Everything August draws with these is so vibrant and alive; I wanna mount them on the hood of my car for the world to see.

ART — Art Museums Are For Babies Too! — by Guest Mom Burgin Streetman

As the daughter of a museum director dad and a painter mom, I started going to museums the moment I came out of the womb. Somewhere I read once that you shouldn’t “drag” kids into an art museum until they are older, and I think that sentiment is total baloney. My son was propped up in a stroller the first time he visited the Museum of Modern Art in NYC, and though we stayed only 35 minutes, I’ll never forget the moment he looked at Jackson Pollock’s White Light and screamed “Look at all the pretty colors Mom!” He then went on to tell me Christina in Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth looked like our neighbor Mary Ann. When it came time to pick out something from the gift shop, he selected postcards of both paintings. Awwww. (Museum gift shops are the best places to shop for awesome kids’ stuff, and the MOMA Design Store is worth a trip to NYC all by itself.)

The key to taking kids’ to art museums is to let them take it on their own pace. Don’t go expecting to see everything. Choose one exhibit and stay as long as the child feels comfortable. Ask your child to tell you about what they see. Engage them in the full experience. Talk about the colors. Count the shapes. Most museums encourage kids to come in and have a look see. After all, they are the next generations of patrons (and donors). On a recent trip to Santa Fe, we visited the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, and the admissions provided us with a copy of the children’s book My Name is Georgia and pointed us to a bench to read before taking in the show.

I find that memberships make the experience much more enjoyable. They allow you to stay five minutes or 50 and really feel comfortable letting your kid set the pace. Even going a handful of times over the course of the year can earn your money back, plus you often get invited to member exclusive events that are kid-centered. Your local museum should be a place your child feels comfortable. A place he or she can call his own. It shouldn’t be looked at as a treat to be enjoyed only once a year on a school trip.

I know going to museums seems like a luxury, and those on a tight schedule and budget can feel overwhelmed. However, it’s these little moments with your family can build a lifetime of cool memories and expand your little one’s world view. Plus, maybe you’ll learn something along the way.

Still not convinced to make the trek out? One of my favorite museums as a child — The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC — has a super cool interactive Website for kids where they can mix and match classical paintings, create a work of abstract art, or build a virtual mobile ala Calder.

Music — Peter and the Wolf — by Guest Mom Burgin Streetman

Though I don’t remember exactly what version we had on LP, Peter and the Wolf had a huge impact on me when I was young. Somewhere between wanting to dance the lead role in the Nutcracker Suite and lusting after Joshua Bell, it seeped into my subconscious and took hold forever. Imagined by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev in 1936 as a gift for his son, it was written expressly with children in mind, so any version is a wonderful way to expose your kids to classical music early.

It is the story of a boy and his grandfather, a bird, a duck, a cat, a handful of hunters, and a wolf – with each character identified within the score by a certain kind of instrument. The bird by a flute. The duck by the oboe. The cat by a clarinet. The grandfather a bassoon. Three French horns for the wolf. Timpani and bass drum for the hunters. And Peter by the string instruments.

Right now August rocks out hard on a 1978 version on LP by the Philadelphia Orchestra with David Bowie as narrator. One of my proudest moments came last week when as August and I were watching a live music performance, I pointed out an oboe and a clarinet in the orchestra, and he told me they were the duck and the cat, respectively. Nice, right?

Music — Random Fun Music Picks — by Guest Mom Burgin Streetman

As Huey Lewis sang so poetically all those years ago (yes, we are that old), the heart of rock ‘n roll is still beating. As third generation lovers of that voodoo sound, it is up to us as parents to pass those musical legacies onto our own kids. Picking and choosing what pieces of the puzzle will help them have the right combination of rhythm, soul, and mojo can seem like an endless task, but this is the part of your kids’ childhood where you really get to have fun.

Below is a small play list of must-have adult songs that appeal to kids (some of my son’s faves) and will help them begin building a musical foundation. Plus if you get them hooked on the good stuff early, you won’t have to listen to The Backyardigans theme song EVER AGAIN. Where you go from here is up to you.



1) Blackbird by The Beatles, “The White Album”
2) Wouldn't It Be Nice by The Beach Boys, “Pet Sounds”
3) ABC by The Jackson Five, “ABC”
4) Children Go Where I Send You by Nina Simone, “The Amazing Nina Simone"
5) A Boy Named Sue by Johnny Cash, “Johnny Cash At San Quentin”
6) Brass Monkey by The Beasties Boys, “License to Ill”
7) Picture Book by The Kinks, “The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society”
8) Come On In My Kitchen by Robert Johnson,” The Complete Recordings”
9) Move It On Over by Hank Williams, “20 Greatest Hits”
10) Roly Poly by Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, “Anthology (1935-1973)
11) Glow Worm by Johnny Mercer
12) Two Headed Boy by Neutral Milk Hotel, “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea”

Music — Music Together, LPs and More — by Guest Mom Burgin Streetman

Music education is as important for children as learning to read or write. It is the spiritual tonic that binds us all together, and makes it possible to communicate no matter where we are from or what language we speak. As the daughter of a pianist and a mess-arounder on the guitar myself, I started my son early — first in Kindermusic as a baby and then through to Music Together — so he could begin to learn basic melody and harmony.

Of course, real music education starts at home. I wanted to make instruments accessible for August, so in addition to his obligatory box of musical fun, he got a five-piece drum set for his third birthday. The awesome Vintage Drum Center offers up a nice selection of tot-sized kits, and really helps those of us who have no idea what we are doing navigate the cymbaled waters. I am holding off until he is five to bring piano lessons into the fold though… don’t wanna be too stage mom.



He loves the old spoken stories and music available for download on Kiddie Records Weekly, and got his first real live record player a few months back. I love the feel of changing vinyl for my son. The thoughtfulness of selecting an album, taking it out of the sleeve, placing it on the turntable, setting the needle, etc… etc creates an air of patience and appreciation for what he’s about to hear ~ whether it’s vintage Little Golden Records or Turandot or The Muppet Movie or The Beach Boys or Nat King Cole or Mario Lanza or Raymond Scott.

The way I see it, the more music related things he has filling his life the better. It is what marketing people like to call high touch, multiple touch. Being exposed to a thing often and in places that matter will incorporate said thing into your life in a way that makes it stick. Here’s to sticking!

Nature — A Few of His Favorite Things — by Guest Mom Burgin Streetman

August lives and breathes three things — books, water and animals, though not in that order. Above all else, animals are his thing. He gives every person he knows an animal alter ego. He is a duck. I am a duck. His father is a rhino. His grandmother is a camel. His girlfriend is a horse. The dude lives, plays and sleeps the animal kingdom.

SLEEPS – His bed is a corral for every stuffed creature from aardvark to okapi to zebra, and at night his noggin rests on a pillow case I made out of Alexander Henry 2D Zoo fabric. He has an inflatable moose head on his bedroom wall, and I love to buy him original animal art like this little ditty from Etsy artist Rebecca Horwood.

PLAYS – Except for a few dog breeds, he has every Schleich animal ever made and loves to make animal lines that snake throughout the house. Fellow San Antonio blogger and ex-New Yorker like myself, Lost in Texas, gifted August a Hansa stuffed tarsier for his birthday, and ever since, I’ve been obsessed with finding a way to afford the entire set (including the three-toed sloth and life-size kiwi.) Plus his grandmother gifted him a set of vintage Pelham puppets, and the donkey and dragon sure do like to dance Sound of Music-style.

LIVES – When the Walton Ford show came to San Antonio, he made take him three times, and was still begging to go back weeks after it was packed up and gone. But even better than seeing animal paintings in a museum, he loves to see them in real life. We’ve promised him a trip to Africa when he turns 11, but for now, August has visited 18 zoos and aquariums across the US (I know, I know… zoos are evil, but how else will he get to see a real, live polar bear). By far his favorite is the Georgia Aquarium — a place so spectacularly designed and gorgeous to look at, it is hard for even an animal rights activist to not audibly gasp when they see a 20-ton whale shark swim by.

Nature — Butterfly Alphabet — by Guest Mom Burgin Streetman

Though this is probably old news by now, a few years back August was gifted a Butterfly Alphabet poster by his aunt, and I still adore it. Kjell Sandved was working for the Smithsonian when he realized you could find all the letters of the alphabet hidden in the wings of the world’s butterflies. Each picture lets you experience a sort of intimacy with the winged creatures that only lepidopterists enjoy. (Look it up.) You can even get your child’s name spelled out in butterfly letters. How cool is that?

Nature — Sense of Wonder — By Guest Mom Burgin Streetman

We all need nature, and the sooner your child learns to appreciate and love the outside world, the richer his connection will be to the people, animals, and plants that flourish around him. My parents read The Sense of Wonder by Rachel Carson right after it came out in 1965, and it forever changed how they would pass the natural world onto my sisters and me.

Summers when I was a child never officially began until my mom took us down to the corner store to buy butterfly nets. Many a June/July day was spent watching a caterpillar turn into a luna moth through the side of a Mason jar or nursing an injured baby squirrel back to health. I grew up exploring 20 acres on the marsh and was always tromping, digging, and climbing. Even if your kids are apartment or city bound, you can get them to stop and spy a line of ants or smell the flowers where they grow, even if only in a window pot.



In my son August’s case, when he can’t be trekking around our farm looking for roadrunners, chasing geese, and searching for deer tracks, I’ve brought the outside world in by turning his room into a mini ecosystem filled with mice, hamsters (How rad are these new Habitrails?), goldfish, cotton, pine cones, leaves, feathers, sea shells and just about anything else you can feed or find.



August has a special shelf just for his vintage Little Golden Guides and loves to sit for hours with a 1977 Audible Audubon player (just like the one I had way back when) and name the birds by sight while quietly listening to their songs. The first television we ever let him watch were nature videos and the 1974 documentary Animals Are Beautiful People is still one of his favorites. (Check it out if you wanna see a sidewinder literally run across the desert!) My husband is waiting in the wings to share his childhood fave Hatari! with August, and though the African animal trapping scenes are awesome, the John Wayne love angle can probably wait a few years.

As with anything, if you choose wisely, you can infuse nature into every aspect of your family life. That is why I love the Children & Nature Network, a non-profit organization with the one and only goal of giving every child in every community a wide range of opportunities to experience nature directly. They are all about getting kids back to nature no matter where their roots are grounded.

Books — New or Old... It's All Good — by Guest Mom Burgin Streetman

If vintage books aren’t your thing, there are a ton of great illustrators and writers creating classics now for the next generation. Author and certified readiologist — Esme Raji Codell — keeps a wonderful blog with current (and past) recommendations worthy of any child’s bookshelf. The two Aussie mums at We Heart Books do a great job highlighting anything that is literary-related for your wee one, and they sort their picks by age so you can choose appropriately.

As for me, I love David Wiesner, Mo Willems and Christopher Wormell, but my favorite contemporary picture book author is Eric Rohmann. When August was only a year old, he wanted to hear Rohmann’s Caldecott Medal-winning book, My Friend Rabbit, over and over again. He was so enthralled with the stories and pictures of both Rabbit and The Cinder-Eyed Cats that I felt compelled to write the guy a letter (because that’s the kind of thing you do when you are book obsessed) telling him how special my family thought his talent was. Three weeks later, a box arrived on my doorstep filled with posters, an autographed copy of Clara and Asha, and a hand-doodled letter thanking us for being inspired. Needless to say, we are now his number one fans for life.



New or old, books are an important part of any child’s early development. I made a point from the moment my son first shifted in my belly to have books tucked in every corner of our house so that at a moment’s notice we could be trekking out to the hundred acre wood (Pooh) or sneaking over to the Plaza Hotel to share scones with Skipper Dee and Weenie (Eloise).

Once out in the world, August graduated out of board books pretty quick. Though some are really beautiful and teach our babies important lessons like how a cow goes and the basic ABCs, too many parents lean for too long on these books. My advice? While you have your child sitting there in your lap, still unable to run or crawl away, why not try engaging them in a longer picture book or even a chapter book? Turning your child onto full stories when they are still lap-bound will help them build an incredible attention span and become early talkers. I know sometimes is seems like life is too full to read to your kids all the time and hearing Curious George for the 120th time is mind numbing. But, trust me, if you make the commitment to seek out the books you loved as a kid, passing on your favorite stories just might help you stay engaged for a little while longer.

Books — Random Fun Picks — by Guest Mom Burgin Streetman

I find books by scouring my local hotspots and discovering titles at random, but sometimes I hear about a book that sounds so awesome… so amazing… so grand that I just have to have it right that moment or I will DIE. A friend will tell me about a great book August doesn’t possess, and it will eat me alive until I have it in my hand and am reading it aloud to him.

Here are just a few of the titles that in past moments have made me insane with greed. Perhaps they will spark a flame, and you too can lose sleep thinking about all the books out there that some child other that your own is enjoying.




OUT-OF-PRINT
1) Switch on the Night by Ray Bradbury, pictures by Madeleine Gekiere
2) The Crows of Pearblossom by Aldous Huxley, by Barbara Cooney
3) The Tyger Voyage by Richard Adams, pictures by Nicola Bayley
4) Grandpa’s Farm by James Flora
5) The Circus Baby by Maud and Miska Petersham

IN-PRINT
1) D'Aulaire's Book of Animals by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire
2) Zoo by Bruce Minari
3) Summer by Alice Low, pictures by Roy McKie
4) The Red Balloon by Albert Lamorisse
5) A Very Special House by Ruth Krauss, pictures by Maurice Sendak

You can join me in my obsession daily at Vintage Kids’ Books My Kid Loves… but be warned. It is contagious.

Books — Eye Heart Vintage — by Guest Mom Burgin Streetman

Before I quit work to stay home with my son and have a go at writing, I spent my early career in book selling and publishing because, quite simply, I love books. I love the smell. The cut of the cover. The guts and the mysteries they hold. So when my son August was born, it was only right that I begin to build a classic book collection for him. Slowly, I picked out special gems ~ starting with Where the Wild Things Are and moving on from there. Very quickly, however, I found that buying my son all the favorites I’d loved as a child was beginning to put me in the poor house — dropping around $25 for a quality hard cover.

Even though I am somewhat of a thrift nut, it never occurred to me to buy vintage until one day – perusing at a used book shop – I stumbled across a copy of Why I Built the Boogle House written by Helen Palmer (aka Mrs. Dr. Seuss) for $1.25. Written in 1964, it is a fabulous book. A hilarious book. A classic book. It is no longer available in print and was only (did I mention?) $1.25. From there, the floodgates opened. I realized there is a world of books out there just waiting to fill my son’s imagination… at yard sales… library sales… junk shops… thrift stores… online. Books that are not only classics, but that can be purchased for as little as 25 cents if you find them before the for-profit collectors do.



That epiphany was over two years ago, and August’s collection now is somewhere in the thousands. Though my car is a veritable book mobile, and August’s many cases are stuffed two rows deep, I figure, what the hay. You can never have too many. Really, children’s books are the ultimate conduit for teaching us not just about the world, but design and illustration and how words flow from one into the next to form a perfect union of communication. They are art on the go, and inspiration in your pocket.



I do buy August new books for holidays and birthdays, just so he has some in his collection that aren’t inscribed “To Cousin Willy, Love Aunt Edna, Easter 1971”. For the most part though, he’s falling in love with books that some other child already adored. Which is a pretty sweet thought, after all.

Hello. It's Nice to Meet You. — by Guest Mom Burgin Streetman

My name is Burgin Streetman, and that’s me in the middle circa 1974 squashed between my two sisters. A long, long time ago (5 years) in a land far, far away (New York City), I was the director of marketing and publicity at a big time book publishing house, but I gave it all up for the love of my life, a front lawn, and a chance to realize one of my lifelong dreams — to rear a TEXAN. I am madly in love with my three-year-old cowboy, August, but I’ve made the hard decision to only have one child and really give props to you moms who juggle multiple kids at once. (Design Mom – You are a god, a saint and a lunatic.)



Deep into anything vintage, I swamp my son’s life with so much moldy kids’ stuff, he’ll probably have respiratory complications later in life. I love reading (never get to do it), travel (probably do too much of it), and modern design (though I can’t afford most of it). Blogging is a pastime for me (way more often than I should) ~ both at Vintage Kids’ Books My Kid Loves reviewing one crusty old children’s book a day and at Scribbling in San Antonio ranting about life’s little highs and woes.

I write freelance occasionally for the alternative weekly and the daily paper here in San Antonio. Though currently, my heart and soul are working on a memoir about growing up in South Carolina. You can expect it to come out somewhere around 2020, about the time my son graduates from college (fingers crossed), and I have more than two moments to myself.

There is so much I wanna share that my head is spinning, but I’ve decided this week will be broken down to the five essentials I think every kid needs for an inspired childhood.

BOOKS. NATURE. MUSIC. ART. TRAVEL.

That said, I want to thank Gabrielle for allowing me to fill your heads with nonsense. Here’s to the week ahead!

Welcome Burgin Streetman!

It's going to be a great week! Burgin Streetman is here. And she's taking over. Three posts a day. Monday through Friday. I've already had a sneak peek of the first 3 days and I think you're going to love what she has to share.

I hardly know Burgin at all. But it's hard not to love a lady that admits she blogs from the bathroom now and then. I can also see from reading the posts she's sent over for this week, that she has completely dedicated her life to raising her beautiful son. Which is wonderful.

And while you're in Burgin's capable hands, I will be taking the week off from Design Mom, so that I can focus on some kirtsy stuff. And getting ready for summer to officially begin at our house — the last day of school is Friday!!



Speaking of getting ready for summer, before I go, I have to share this wonderful idea from clever Lisa, to help keep boredom at bay this summer. She made a huge poster to hang on the pantry door. And filled it up with everything her kids could imagine wanting to do this summer — hunting for snakes, selling Kool-aid, climbing a tree. Now, when they get bored. Because they will get bored. She can look to the poster for inspiration. Brilliant.

I love the idea so much we made our own poster this weekend. I'm telling you, it has me super-psyched for the summer.

So. I hope you have a wonderful week. I hope you help Burgin feel at home. And I'll see you on Monday. (Except really I'll check in on Friday, because I have an amazing Giveaway on the schedule. And I'm pretty much addicted to this blog.)

Soft. Yet Hard Core.

Guitar softies from The Greatful Thread. I totally want the houndstooth one. Rock it.

Ben Blair is Looking Hot

Because Ben Blair was out of town last Sunday, we had a belated Fathers' Day Celebration. He's been sporting his Dad Day Gifts all week and I've noticed that I'm especially loving the following items:

Flip Video Camera.
This gift was a huge hit and has been in pretty much constant use since the box was opened. But Ben has hardly touched it. The kids on the other hand, won't put it down. It's so awesome. All three of the older kids are suddenly movie-making moguls. I picked this for Ben, because he has wonderful visions of making fun movies with the kids. And he's determined to open up some time this summer to make it happen. FYI: I chose the black version, knowing my kids would be handling it a lot, and hoping the dark color would hide some of the wear-and-tear.

Carnaby Sneaker.
Ben has been wearing these with pretty much everything in his summer wardrobe. And they always look just right. I have such a thing for white sneaks right now.

Skinny-er Tie.
It was time to update Ben's tie collection. I picked out one by Joseph Abboud, similar to the one shown. It seemed like a good place to start. And Ben looks great in it. He pairs it with his favorite dress shirt, the Windsor slim fit from TM Lewin.

shirt and tie image from GQ

Little Matisse

Check out the children's art project I posted about yesterday on Cookie (including instructions). It's fingerpainting multiplied by cool.

Book of the Week — People

My mom recently posted about this book — People by Caldecott medalist Peter Spier. I was so happy to be reminded of it. We had this volume in our home growing up and I remember loving to study and stare at the detailed pictures of cultures and people from around the world. And I remember being completely fascinated that there were so many, many different sorts of people — it was definitely my first introduction to a global way of thinking.



Once, my mom was helping my Dad decorate the bulletin boards in his classroom. For one large board, she created cut outs of people based on the drawings from the book. I LOVED it. I stared at it for hours (it was probably minutes, but I was 10 or 11, so holding still at all was pretty impressive). I couldn't imagine a more wonderful bulletin board.

I think I'm going to pick up a copy for my own library.

Custom Summer Hats from Small Potatoes

Looking for shade? These cute sun hats at Small Potatoes caught my eye. This clever company will make you a hat from any fabric they offer on their site.

Jan Eleni

I like this so much! Jan Eleni is an interior design company that focuses on rooms for children. And their work is super appealing. (They have a flash site, so I can't link directly to their portfolio, but just click "our work" from this page.) Out of the ordinary design. Really beautiful. And they sell pretty vintage-print bedding as well.

I wonder how they feel about working with really, really, small bedrooms. Like the one I'm working on for my sons. . .

Weatherproof Blankies

Crabmommy sent me a link to these beautiful, functional, weather proof baby blankets by Rugged Idea. Just in time for summer picnics, parades, and fireworks watching. In three sizes. And lots of colors. Perfect to keep in your car or stroller for just-in-case weather.

American Sign Language Matchbooks

Spotted on kirtsy. American Sign Language Matchbooks. Made by JK Keller.

I generally like people. But something about this project made me feel an additional huge surge of love and appreciation for the human mind. Also. Now I want to send secret messages via ASL and matchbooks.

Fancy Pantsy Onesies

These super-fancy onsies from Lou and Lee's etsy shop are making me happy today. They're so over the top that they've moved beyond silly and into the super-chic zone.