Pre Fab Homes

Pre fab/kit homes are on my mind. At least the gorgeous ones are. So I wrote about them at Cookie's Nesting blog.

Have a great weekend. And please feel free to enter the Poloppo T-Shirt Kit Giveaway through Sunday night. Five winners. Five!

The Modern Baby Co.

A year or so ago I posted about some colorful and really cozy-looking baby supplies from Quilt Baby. Since then I've learned two things about these items:

1) I've now seen them in person and can promise you are they even more gorgeous and soft and well-made then they appear online. Blankets, bibs, changing mats, bedding — all in prints and patterns that are sure to please.

2) The company name is no longer Quilt Baby. Instead, I'm pleased to introduce you to The Modern Baby Co. New name. Same pretty products.

Make Someone's Day — by Guest Mom Stephanie Brubaker

Recently we've been recipients of a few random acts of kindness, and we are enjoying them so much that it seems only right to pass along the good vibes. I thought it would be fun to share some ideas about simple yet meaningful ways to make someone's day, whether it be anonymous or not. A little thoughtfulness goes a long way...especially during a time when many are feeling down about life. Here are a few ideas to spark your imagination:

1. Make a batch of cookies and package a few of them up for others to enjoy. Save a few for your own kids too...you'll want them to have warm memories of Mom making cookies :)

2. Prepare a nice lunch (something you'd be thrilled to eat yourself) and then give it to a homeless person. Perhaps include a napkin with an uplifting note written across the top. Based on experience, having a surprise lunch delivered is about the best thing ever.



3. Gather up all the fixin's for a "tea-party-in-a-box" and pass it along to a friend who needs some extra TLC. Include a mug, a few tea bags, a homemade or store-bought scone, lemon curd, and whipped cream (if you can find Devonshire cream, use that instead).

4. Buy a large bouquet of flowers at Costco and then divvy them up to a few friends. Wrap a few stems in kraft brown paper and add ribbon. I've yet to meet anyone who doesn't love flowers as a gift.

* If it's a food-related item, you may want to let the recipient know it's from you...some people may not eat food that's given to them anonymously. Just a thought...



A simple, yet well-packaged treat is both fun to present and to receive. If you are taking the time to participate in a random act of kindness, why not package it up nicely? :) Here are some of my favorites:

Pie Shaped Packages...What a fantastic way to present a piece of homemade apple pie. Yum. I'll admit it's more time consuming than the other ideas but a project that must be done at least once. The cuteness factor is way too high to pass up! You can view the template here.

White Chinese Takeout Boxes...They cost less than a quarter each making them very cost effective and adorable. You'll find yourself using this idea over and over because you can change the look of the boxes so easily with different colors, ribbons & tags.

Gable Boxes...I absolutely love these boxes and find myself creating excuses to use them. Add an adhesive label and you're good to go. My favorite labels are those from Stuck, Paper Source, and Thomas Paul.

And speaking of sharing the love...thank you so much for all your lovely comments this week. You've all made my week and I'm feeling lots of warm fuzzies right now, thanks to you! Keep in touch...

Find more of Stephanie at Stephmodo

Family Pride

Three internet things made me proud of my family this month (I'm always proud of my family, but these things made me especially so). Jordan's blog has a gorgeous new look and a new title reflective of her url. Liz launched her vintage baby clothes shop on etsy — I love how Liz follows through on her good ideas. And Steve made some political history. As he has done more than once throughout his political career.

I may have mentioned this before, but it's pretty darn cool and definitely bears repeating: Steve has been blogging longer than any elected officeholder in the US. Upon learning about blogging, Steve immediately saw the impact it could have, the transparency it could offer and the feedback and discussion it could provide, and jumped right in.

This month he took advantage of the internet to try something new. Steve is sponsoring a bill this session, and as is the custom, he took it to the media so they could ask questions and have the chance to report about it to their readers. But. Instead of going straight to the traditional press, he went to the new media outlets instead. The Utah Senate invited all the political bloggers they could find in the state to call in, attend in person or join the discussion online. Which made the discussion far more accessible to far more people. From what I understand, this is the first time this has ever been done.

Steve and I don't always line up the same way politically, but I think he's a flat out genius (confirmed here and here). As such an enthusiastic social media fan myself, I love that Steve is making use of these tools for the benefit of his constituents. To me, it looks like progress.

Yay social media!

The photo at top is my family (at least parts of my family) in Tijuana.

Giveaway — Poloppo T-Me Kits

Remember the fab draw-your-own-tee kits I posted about a few weeks ago? Well the feedback on the tees was basically: Yes, please! So I said: Your wish is my command. And I set up a Giveaway immediately: Five T-me Kits from Poloppo for five lucky winners!



The kit comes with everything you need: paper, markers, clear instructions, and a pre-paid envelope. You put your little artist to work. Mail in their drawing. And a couple of weeks later you get back a t-shirt featuring their very own masterpiece.




Poloppo offers several t-shirt styles and colors in sizes for babies, kids and adults. So you could also use this kit to make a Father's Day gift or a surprise for Grandma — even multiple items with the same drawing. But I'd recommend getting at least one tee in child size, because you know your child is going to love-with-a-capital-L wearing a shirt featuring her own creation. The trick will be getting her to wear anything else.

Many thanks to Poloppo!

-------------

Guidelines:
-You have until Midnight PST on Sunday, March 1st to enter this giveaway.
-Just make a comment ON THIS POST to enter — any comment. One entry per person, please.
-The 5 winners will be randomly picked and announced Monday, March 2nd.
-What are Random Giveaways? Read about them here.

Tooth Cushions

Find of the week: Letter M Design makes the most wonderful tooth (or treasure) cushions and sells them in her etsy shop. I love how she incorporates all sorts of patterns and textures and little details.

Affordable Art — by Guest Mom Stephanie Brubaker

I spent my college career mainly studying Art History; and while that was long ago, I still appreciate the visual power of a work of art. Over the past several years I've slowly discovered a few artists that not only speak to me in a creative way, but appear to be quite affordable as well. This aspect makes the art even easier to love! And with the idea of "affordable art" being more popular now than it's been in a long time, I couldn't help but present you with a few options for your viewing pleasure. Some you may be familiar with, and some may be new to you. Either way I hope you enjoy how lovely they are...



1. Chad Wys...a thrilling discovery last year on Etsy; his modern landscapes are what I like to look at every day. He is also really, really nice :)

2. Labokoff...Fabienne mixes photography and painting in a such a beautiful, dreamy way. After visiting France I wanted something to remind me of that unique part of the world, but didn't want it to be a touristy tchotchke. I imagined something I could display in my home, something that wouldn't look out-of-place. These prints fit the bill! And even if you haven't visited France, they are still beautiful prints to have on display.

3. Kelly Neidig...a Blurb bookstore discovery (you must check it out!); there is something about the boldness of those lines and that color combined that plays on my mind in just the right way.

4. Blancucha...I can't get enough of these whimsical child-like-yet-still-grownup prints from Spanish designer Blanca Gomez. They are perfect for a playroom but I've seen them in a living room space as well and both look equally as fabulous.




p.s. You can easily obtain a custom-framing look without the hefty price tag, by using the Wood Gallery Frames from Pottery Barn and then having a custom mat created by a professional framer. These frames of good quality and are often on sale! While you are at the framer, ask him/her to attach wire to the back of your store-bought frame. This will make hanging it 10 times easier and only costs about $2.

Find more of Stephanie at Stephmodo

Join Me For Breakfast

Miranda at Creative Construction posted an interview with me earlier this month and I was so pleased to be asked. Thanks for making me feel great, Miranda!

Baby Hank Vintage

Super cute finds at Baby Hank Vintage. And everything is very reasonable priced. It's like I have a new best friend that shops all the best tag sales and second-hand stores so that I don't have to. I want the frilly bloomers and the classic sailor jumper.

Favorite Desserts — by Guest Mom Stephanie Brubaker

A few readers recently requested a "top 10" list featuring my favorite desserts. It sounded like a yummy post to write so here it goes...for all to enjoy! Please note that most of these desserts can be made in one hour or less, some under 30 minutes, which I consider absolutely necessary :)

These recipes are my favorite "crowd-pleasers", in no particular order, with a few notes included. Bon appetit!

1. Lemon Cake...serve with Lemon Curd, whipped cream & fresh berries; the very similar but more low-fat Lemon Yogurt Cake is lovely too; make sure you sieve the lemon curd before chilling.

2. Banana Pillows...double the amount of sauce; also, you can stretch the puff pastry to 6 pillows instead of 4.

3. Frozen Key Lime Pie...for recipe notes on this one click here. There are more than a few :)

4. Tapioca Passion-Fruit Parfaits...great with an Asian-inspired meal.

5. Bittersweet Molten Chocolate Cakes...use a high-quality chocolate for this one and serve with Haagen Dazs Vanilla Swiss Almond.

6. Glazed Chocolate Cake...garnish with whipped cream, toasted hazelnuts or fresh raspberries; use a high-quality chocolate with this one too.



7. Chocolate Pots de Cremes/Custards...before serving, cover the tops of the custards with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

8. Lemon Curd Marbled Cheesecake...a great way to use that delicious lemon curd that keeps for up to a week in your fridge! A few thoughts on other ways to use lemon curd here.

9. Croissant Bread Pudding...use half good quality croissants and half pain au chocolats; raisins can be omitted; serve with a warmed caramel, Bourbon or Rum sauce.

10. Peanut Butter Sandwiches...best a few hours after assembling; double the cookie recipe to put to use the extra filling you'll inevitably have on hand.

Find more of Stephanie at Stephmodo

Mini Suitcases

Don't you want some of these suitcases? Me too. They also come in orange and dark pink. For storage. For decoration. To hide my secret stash of candy in.

via Beth from Vermillion Rules

Unexpected Swag

One unexpected side effect of putting on a conference: several of the attendees gave me the loveliest thank you gifts. I was both surprised and honored. And especially touched at how beautiful everything was.



There were pretty baby bath products from Little Bug Botanicals. All natural. Earth friendly. And they smell super yummy. I love the little sack they came in.



Jennifer Samuelson, the same wonderful woman who runs Little Bug Botanicals, also gave me this gorgeous set of letterpress stationery. Printed by her talented husband and completely frame worthy.



The gals at Mabel's Labels brought a packet of custom labels for each of my kids. Even little dog tags!



Deb Averett of Deb's Design gave me these fab thank you notes — and included a stack of business cards made just for me.

And pictured at the top, a box of local Texas candies from the girls at Brand About Town. Of course, I felt absolutely spoiled and immediately shared all my goodies with the rest of the kirtsy girls. Except for the candy. The candy I'm keeping entirely to myself.

Wooden Mobiles — by Guest Mom Stephanie Brubaker

About six months ago my little family walked towards Paris' Luxembourg Gardens in search of some old-fashioned fun. En route we passed a toy store called Pentagram with a window full of gorgeously crafted wooden toys. The display was breathtaking and I ached to take a look. Thoughts of Christmas gifts danced in my head and I convinced my husband to move along without me (and take the kids!) while I perused the beautiful books and the German and French toys for a few minutes. It was heaven to be in a store full of toadstools, stacking blocks, and mobiles...and no plastic :) It took a great deal of self-control to only buy two little toys per child, especially since everything was very reasonably-priced.

Perhaps my favorite purchase was this wooden mobile I gifted my son. It depicts a mischievous little boy from Sweden named Nils, who spends his days riding on the back of a goose and discovering the world around him. I thought it perfect for my own little mischievous boy! As we discover more about Nils from the book I included with the mobile, I'd like to think my little guy will go to sleep dreaming of his own adventures. Upon further research I found other beautiful mobiles made by the same German company...Kinderkram, and was thrilled to find it possible to procure them in the US too. I think mobiles are a clever way to add visual interest to a child's room and also create a more finished look.




Here are a few other wooden mobiles I thought you might love:
Airplane Mobile
Goose Girl Mobile
Falling Stars Mobile
Flower Fairies Mobile

Find more of Stephanie at Stephmodo

Mom 2.0 Summit

I loved attending the Mom 2.0 Summit. I was so proud of kirtsy for putting it on. You can find links to tons of photos and more in depth reports of all things Mom 2.0 Summit here.

Also. Probably my favorite Mom 2.0 Summit report so far is by Holly Buchanan — one of the keynote speakers — and a total rockstar about everything she does (speak, write, consult, network, mentor). Don't miss the slideshow she put together.

Budget Bedroom Makeover — by Guest Mom Stephanie Brubaker

Over the course of the past year, I've attempted to completely revamp our bedroom, which over the years had become a dumping ground of sorts (am I the only person that falls into this trap?!) Somehow everything we didn't like ended up in this room. Finally, after almost 9 years, I decided I was over it all and ready for a grownup space. There was a catch though...I had to bring out my inner "recessionista" and style the entire space on a lean budget. I gave myself a budget of $1000 for the entire room — accessories, furniture, linens, everything plus whatever I made from selling the old furnishings.

As I found a few key pieces for great prices, the room started taking shape. I let it flow organically from there, based on what I liked, what I found, and what fell into my price range. I shopped my usual favorites — Craigslist, KSL (my local online classifieds), Target, IKEA, TJMaxx, Anthropologie, and a few other local spots. Also added were a couple of free items from a home decor swap and art from elsewhere in my house. I can't express enough how nice it is to have a little sanctuary to escape to at the end of the day. I believe every mother deserves that kind of respite.

While I forgot to take "before" shots (darn!), I do have a few "afters" to share.




Find more of Stephanie at Stephmodo

Welcome Stephanie!

Hey friends. I have someone wonderful to introduce you to today. Her name is Stephanie Brubaker. Many of you may already know her as Stephmodo from her wonderfully stylish blog of the same name. I'm so happy she's here with us this week because I'm a total fan. Welcome, Stephanie!

Here's a bit about Stephanie in her own words so you can get to know her:

Before embarking on the career of motherhood, I worked in the retail sector, first in store management and then ended up with a corporate retail job at Williams-Sonoma. This was the highlight of my short professional life. Everyday, upon arrival, I soaked in the San Francisco Bay view, the delicious smells from the test kitchen, and the pretty objects dotting offices everywhere (will they make it into the catalog or will they not? and if not, may I take it home? :) ). I felt inspired to nurture my love for food and for creating delicious things for my family and friends to enjoy. Much of my creativity is expressed in this way.

These days my professional life consists of carpools, lessons, trips to the park, yummy meals, and attempting to maintain a home we all can enjoy. I love the idea of organizing and de-cluttering (it's the implimentation I struggle with!) and also find a lot of fulfillment in decorating our living space slowly...and on a budget :)

I love blogs and blogging for two reasons: 1) It gives me a place to express my varied interests. I love talking about a little of this and a little of that. A few blogs label my blog as a "lifestyle" blog and while I'm not totally sure what that means, I'd venture to guess that it's a nice way of saying I don't really fit into any one category ("design", "cooking", "fashion", "organizing") but rather that I touch upon them all a little bit. I kinda like it like that. 2) I glean an incredible amount of inspiration from others thanks to blogs. My quality of life, in a way, has increased and for that I am thankful. Isn't it amazing how much talent is out there?

Design Mom was the first blog I ever read consistently, daily even, and I'm honored to be sharing a few things with you this week on this wonderful, inspiring blog.

photo by Rebecca Mudrick of Darling Art Photography

Young Einstein Party

Back from Houston and thinking about what's coming up.

We're having a birthday party for Maude next Saturday. Kiasa from Science Explorers NY is coming to teach the party guests some fun experiments — they'll be making fake snow, green slime, gooey worms and liquid nitrogen ice cream. Maude is super excited.

We were coming up with a name for the theme and Maude was hesitant to use anything that mentioned science. So I suggested the name Young Einstein Party and she thought that was awesome. Didn't the invitations turn out cute?

Winner — Olli and Lime Giveaway

Didn't you just love the Olli and Lime Giveaway? Time to announce the lucky winner:

Lauren who said, "LOVE it! Thanks, Design Mom!"

Congratulations, Lauren! Please email me at the address listed on my blog and I'll get your info to the sponsor straightaway. Thank you Olli and Lime!

Babes with Babies

I love the name of this company. Babes with Babies. Because it's true. Mom's are total babes.

Here's what they say: Being a mother is marvellous. However, it's not always glamorous. At Bb London we're here to help new mums feel fabulous - whatever the weather. Snuggle up with our wonderful Winter Warmers or rest up on the sofa in our lovely nightwear.

A pretty site with pretty pictures and pretty products. And a cute free gift: you can print out a lovely babysitting voucher to give to your friend.

Random Acts posters

I'm here in Houston, super happy to be sitting in a room of really interesting, smart people. Guy Kawasaki of Alltop and Karen Walrond of Chookooloonks are on stage right this minute. I wish you were here.

Here's something I like. Cheerful artwork by Heidi Burton.

Found on Fun Finds for Mom.

Some Notes

I'm on my way to Houston early tomorrow morning for the Mom 2.0 Summit. It's being held at the Houston Four Seasons. Today has been full of packing and unpacking and repacking — sweet Ben Blair has been asked to offer opinions on at least a dozen different outfits as I've attempted to finalize my packing list. Can't wait to be in sunny Texas with my kirtsy peeps.

Guess what else? My friend Kathryn and I are taking 3 of our girls to see The Little Mermaid tonight. This is Olive's first Broadway show and she can not stop bouncing around the house with 7 year old excitement. Time to go get ready for a girls night on the town...

One last thing: I just want to quickly remind you that the Olli and Lime Giveaway is open through Sunday night. You can find the Giveaway by scrolling down or clicking here. Great baby gear! Don't miss it.

P.S. — Okay. This is really the last thing. Is it just me or is the internet broken today? It's like it's moving in slow motion. Or something.

Yudu Screen Printing Machine

Another indoor activity for this week: screen printing t-shirts.

Here's the sitch. 1) We were sent a Yudu screen printing machine in December to test out. Here it is February and we hadn't tried it out yet. 2) Three and 1/2 years ago, I ordered 10 orange t-shirts to be decorated and given out as party favors at Ralph's 8th birthday celebration. Alas, they arrived as the party was ending. They have been sitting in my garage ever since. All of them are size youth small. 3) My brother Josh has been seeking out kid size t-shirts featuring the cool bands of his childhood. We love that idea. These 3 factors came together for a great day-off activity on Monday.



We took an early U2 album cover and used Photoshop to make it a black and white bitmap image, then printed it out on a transparency.



We burned it into our screen in the Yudu machine, and then printed it onto the t-shirts. We tried different inks and different placements on the tees. And, because it's hard to stop printing things once you get into the swing of it, we also tried the U2 print on different papers, one of Ben Blair's tees, and a clipboard that was sitting on the counter.




When Ralph came running down the stairs with every blank t-shirt he owns in his arms, I knew it was time to shut it down — before everything we owned was covered in the October album cover. By the way, the Yudu is still in development — the manufacturer is working out kinks and making sure the directions are clear, etc. So if you were hoping to buy one, so sorry, but you'll have to wait. [ Edit: turns out I'm totally wrong. Yudu is now available for sale. Great news! You can find more info here or here. Also. I couldn't find a link, but I here they are on sale at Jo Ann's. ] That said, we highly recommend this machine. We loved our experiment with it. Years ago, we actually tried to set up a screen printing space in our basement utility room, but dealing with the emulsion chemicals and figuring out a good light to make the exposure is tricky. The Yudu solves both of those problems.



Overall, lots of fun. And since we don't need a whole bunch of matching orange t-shirts, when we were finished, we dropped them off at some of our neighbors homes — neighbors with 8 year old fans of U2 in the house.