Mae's Fabric Wall Stickers

Here's something new and cool. Instead of vinyl wall stickers, these beauties from Mae's etsy shop are made from fabric. And they're completely reusable. Renter's rejoice! You can bring these with you when you move.

Sent in by Eliza, (who asked me not to link to her blog, but swears the wall stickers are the bomb).

Seventeen Magazine - November, 1981

Stacy of Seven Smooches, who lives in the Chicago area came by the Yudu Nation Meetup and brought me a vintage copy of Seventeen. Quite possibly the most fun thing I brought home from Chicago. My kids have been pouring over the pages, fascinated by the entire thing.

Have you read an old issue of your favorite teen magazine lately? So fantastic. I think I'm going to go see if the library has some good back issues. Thank you, Stacy!

Copper Baths

Ooooh. Beautiful, free-standing copper bathtubs.

Yudu Meetup Winners!

It's been a whole week since the Yudu Nation Meetup. Time to announce the lucky winners! Congratulations to:

1) Christine Koh of Boston, MA
2) Christy Nelson of Nebraska
3) Amanda Webster of Charlotte, NC
4) Naomi of Wichita, Kansas

Yay! Ralph picked your cards out of a hat and you are now the proud owners of your own Yudu Silkscreen Machines plus loads of accessories! Thanks again to everyone who dropped by the meetup. With a ginormous thanks to Yudu for sponsoring the event and the generous prizes.

And really friends, if you haven't checked out the Yudu Silk-screening Machine, put it on your list asap. Every scout troop, PTA group and craft club should own one. For reals. Watch for sales at Michaels and JoAnn's and you can snag one of these bad boys for around $250. Nice.

Petite Watermelon Slices

Something about these tiny watermelon slices (made from jello and lime peels) made me laugh. Perfect for a miniature party. Don't they look absolutely summery? Find directions at Chocolate on My Cranium.

via How About Orange

IS•LY

I couldn't help but notice Melissa Esplin at the BlogHer conference. She was pretty much always the most stylin' person in the room. (See one of the fab outfits she wore here. Isn't she lovely?)

I took her card home with me so I could look up her blog, IS•LY. I like how she came up with the name. It stands for I Still Love You and is dedicated to all her creative pursuits — pursuits that had to take a little bit of a back seat when she became a mother.

Her blog is great. Here's a link to her DIY on how to make a Camera Flash Sock (with examples of when you might want to use one). I'm totally going to make one of these.

Treasure

4 year old Oscar has been approaching Ben Blair and me repeatedly this morning with a roll of duct tape. Asking us to get him a piece. Every time we ask what it's for he says he doesn't know. A few minutes ago he proudly brought me this and said, "It's a Crayon Packer 3000." Asked me to take a picture and then stuffed it into his pocket.

This makes me 1000 times happier then if he'd said something along the lines of Mom, you're the best.

Build Two Toddler Beds for $75

Well this is exciting. Design*Sponge is featuring one of my how-to posts today as part of DIY Wednesday. Woot!

When we moved in, we decided to put two toddler-size beds in Oscar's and Betty's small bedroom, but every bed option that I loved was really expensive. Especially when you multiplied by two. So I decided to build my own.

Two super-simple, upholstered platform-ish beds. They are adorable. Especially side-by-side. They are low to the floor, so if Betty rolls off in her sleep, she won't get hurt (this is Betty's first bed since leaving her crib). They use crib-size mattresses, so they don't have a big footprint. Bonus: they were a total bargain to build — $75 total for both. So I suppose that means you could build just one for about $37.

You can find full instructions with lots of photos at Design*Sponge. And a few additional notes here.



Before you start cutting wood, please read these Notes on Mattress Size:
I didn't include the price of the mattress in the project because most people in need of a toddler bed will already have a crib size mattress from their crib. If you do plan to use a standard crib mattress, you'll need to make adjustments to the size of the base. Standard crib mattresses are 52" x 26", which will be a bit too big for this base. But be sure to measure the mattress you own. They vary.

My crib mattress has been used by 5 kids and is failing. So we ordered two custom ones to fit the bases I'd designed. We ordered them from: The Foam Factory. 6 x 24.5 x 49.5 inches. $48 each. Free shipping if your order is over $75. So place your order with a buddy. : )



Notes on fabric:
For my beds, I used Crypton Fabric. It might be the most family-friendly fabric out there. Super easy to clean. And since the fabric is attached to the bed frame, (and Betty is still having "accidents"), I was very interested in fabric I could clean easily and well. Crypton is perfect. I loved working with it. In fact, I'm thinking of using Crypton on a settee I'm having recovered as well.

And that's it. Again, you can find full instructions at Design*Sponge with lots of helpful photos. Good luck! And let me know if you end up making toddler beds of your own. I'd love to see pics.

The Dish

Does anyone else have the Moon Landing Anniversary on their mind? It was 40 years ago this month. I believe July 20th to be exact. I've loved thinking about it. Imagining what it was like to watch it happening. And coincidentally, had two bits of media fall in my lap this week that helped me celebrate.

I picked up Interpreter of Maladies on the way to Chicago last Wednesday. A collection of short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri. I had read and liked The Namesake well enough, but I liked this so much better. I couldn't put it down. And the last story in the book (unbeknownst to me) features the original moon-landing prominently.

Second, on Sunday, our cousins lent us a DVD of The Dish. I had never heard of it before. But it was one of the more charming movies I've seen in a decade. Really wonderful. And all about the moon landing. Again. I had no idea that was the story line until we started watching. So it felt like a happy accident. I highly recommend a viewing before this anniversary month is out.

Shabby Apple Tweens

Shabby Apple just announced their new line for tweens. Shabby Sister it's called. My favorites are the boyish GI Jane and the classic-ly sweet Seventeen. (Anyone else starting to think Back-to-School?)

Juicy Swimsuit

Friends! Virtual high-fives all around. Look what I just scored: the Juicy Couture swimsuit I've been coveting on super sale at TJMaxx for $60. The only one in the store. In my size. In the color I wanted. Like a gift from Heaven.

I realize $60 isn't really a bargain as far as swimwear goes. But in this case, it totally is. Because the suit normally retails for $179. Which in my case would be a ridiculous splurge considering the handful of times I give in to a day by the pool.

Although this particular suit might be worth the expense. Because it is just that gorgeous. I'm tempted to wear it around the house today while I vacuum.

From the Spring 2010 line — it looks like it's still available at Nordstroms. Oh! And on sale too. Nice.

Rocking the Yudu!

Thank you to the 100+ friends, readers and BlogHer attendees that came to the Yudu Nation Meetup. I had so much fun! On Friday, I manned the ironing board — heat setting the printed totebags as they came off the press. On Saturday, I manned the silkscreen machines — chatting and demonstrating and giving attendees a chance to try the Yudu for themselves. I think pretty much everyone there was coveting a machine for themselves.



The Oh. My. Blog. design was the out-and-out favorite. We ended up really experimenting with that design. Mixing inks. Alternating heavy and light pressure to keep the printed design rough and urban feeling. I think they turned out so cool. And it was fun to show attendees how flexible the machine was.




I was also able to play around with Yudu's new 220 screen. It's specifically designed to work on paper (the screen that comes with the machine is perfect for fabric) and would be ideal for making stationery or posters.




Of the 100+ visitors, 75 of them entered the giveaway to win one of 4 Yudu Prize Packages — each worth $400! I'll be announcing the lucky winners later this week, so please check back.



The Yudu team brought a variety of silk-screened examples (tees, bags, wall art) so that attendees could get an idea of the Yudu machine's range. These canvases were a crowd pleaser. A series of four pre-made canvases, covered in a background coat of paint, and then silkscreened with images in metallic paint. Lovely, no?

A huge thank you to Yudu for sponsoring the event and providing materials and prizes. You can find more photos of the Yudu event here, and another report of the event at Currently Crafting.

Blackbird

Favorite meal in Chicago? Dinner at Blackbird.

Great details, like purse holders appearing out of nowwhere to whisk our bags off the ground. And an orange curtain hiding an Abercrombie-like mural in the bathroom (I love that they know it's almost impossible not to peek behind that curtain). The presentation was beautiful. The food was delicious. The service was excellent. I loved my spot at the table. I had a great view of the door and could not believe the stream of fabulous people coming and going. Blackbird is clearly a Chicago hotspot.



The dinner conversation was the best of all — the ladies from Cool Mom Picks, Friday Playdate, Kirtsy and Cookie Magazine. Who knew we were all so hilarious?

Speaking of Cookie, find my latest Nesting post (all about custom celebration plates) here.

Shutter Sisters Suite

Because the Yudu Demo (report post coming) took place in the Shutter Sisters Suite, I was able to spend lots of quality time there. In fact, it was hard to tear myself away. The Suite itself was zen and sophisticated. Smart, artistic people sharing their latest projects with each other, making new contacts and learning about products and technologies that can help them in their work. Tracey Clark spearheaded the whole thing and I can't thank her enough for letting me share the space.

Three memorable conversations:

A meeting with Kelly, Senior Decorating Editor of Better Homes & Gardens. She shared the latest issue with me and pointed out the new "Fresh" column featuring a hip, pretty voice and attracting a younger audience to this shelter-magazine-with-a-venerable-history.

A report from Karen of Chookooloonks about her panel on Marketing to Women of Color. Apparently, she's often mistaken for other well known bloggers-of-color that look absolutely nothing like her. If you can get her to tell you the hilarious story, you will be rewarded. Karen reports that Stefania Butler, Heather Barmore and Kelly Wickham, who joined her on the panel, all did an excellent job.

An introduction to Jen Lee, a talented Brooklyn artist who shared her new book with me. I connected with her immediately. There are some people you know will be interesting just by the expression on their face or the way they wear their hair.

BlogHer Happy Things

I'm reflecting on the smart and funny people I met at the excellent BlogHer conference. The clever ideas shared. The meaningful discussions. The passion for social media I saw manifested over and over again (one conversation with Alana was particularly inspiring).

BlogHer is a conference like no other. It's a professional conference, but I'd guess about 50 percent of the attendees are not quite ready to define themselves as "professional bloggers" yet — maybe they're even attending BlogHer to find out if blogging-as-a-career is a viable path. And I would say a good portion of attendees are there for the social experience. To see old friends. To strengthen relationships. To meet bloggers they admire. That heavy social aspect is of course unusual at a professional conference.

Something about this mix of professional and not-yet-professional attendees creates much drama at BlogHer. Talented writers have been chronicling their thoughts on the subject here and here and here and here (and I'm sure many more places that I haven't taken time to read yet).

I will leave the pondering for the essayists, and stick with the pretty stuff. Because that's what I love to do on Design Mom. Here are a few things (among dozens) that made me happy at the conference this year.

1) There were many gifts, big and small, at BlogHer this year. I thought the takeout carton with tiny footcare goodies from Lego was especially brilliant (pictured above). A thoughtful gift, and a clever self-deprecating acknowledgement by Lego of their products' one existing drawback — the pain they cause when being stepped on.

2) The exchange of business cards is part of any conference. I loved seeing so many that were well-designed this year. Kelly Loubet had one outstanding example. Alexa Stevenson had a pretty letterpressed offering. And some were like their own small gift — Christy Nelson attached a shrinky dink with her info to a friendship bracelet. Jennui attached her info to a sleek lipgloss tin.

3) Dancing at the Mamapop Sparklecorn Party. You can find a dreamy picture of me with the unicorn cake here.

4) Seeing Ree from The Pioneer Woman in the hotel lobby. She took my photo and posted it the next day on her blog. She works hard to make everyone feel acknowledged. She is beautiful.

5) Watching Barbara Jones. I loved seeing the custom vintage-looking bowling shirt (pictured in an iconic photo here) she was wearing for her BowlHer party. Details like that make me happy. I kept calling her the Queen of BlogHer 09 — she was taking care of everybody and helping out wherever she could.

6) Getting a hand massage in the Microsoft Microspa and grilling the masseuse about massage ettiquette, culture and best practices.

7) While I was at dinner on Saturday Night, reading on Twitter about the Cheezburgher party being shut down and that guests were having their photos taken with the security guards. (Plus, getting back to the hotel and realizing that it wasn't shut down, it was just moved to the lobby — and there was still plenty of time to join in.)

8) Seeing Danny Seo in the Method Suite wielding some sort of powerful phone cleaning wand. And chatting with Janel from Apartment Therapy.

9) Attending the Nikon party in a beautiful restaurant right on the river and watching night kayakers go by. Plus also getting my picture snapped with Carson Kressley. (Will find that pic and post it asap...)

10) Finding a Mr. Potato Head from Playskool in the conference bag. So smart. Everybody loves Mr. Potato Head. All ages. All creeds. It's was a universal hit.

11) Announcing a BlogLuxe award at the Social Luxe Lounge and seeing blogging friends make a big Blogher debut with their super successful party. Yummy food. Manicures. Gorgeous henna tatoos (done freehand!). I also like the way that Swiffer (the major sponsor of the party) was understated about giving out samples. Instead of sending people home with product they just gave out a simple card saying: if you'd like to receive a Swiffer product, send them an email. Extra fun: meeting Hostess with the Mostess for the first time.

12) Hanging with Anna from Hershey's and handing out Hershey's Bliss Chocolate with the Kirtsy Girls. Laurie Smithwick. Laura Mayes. Gwen Bell. Also, I loved hearing how conference attendees were referencing the Hershey's Kirtsy Party Alertsy for their party info. So glad we could help! You can see photos of the big chocolate meetup here.

13) Being video-interviewed by Janice of 5 Minutes For Mom. It's always a treat to spend time with twins Susan and Janice. Also. The BCBG dress that Janice wore to the Nikon Party was my favorite outfit at BlogHer. Hands down. Gorgeous.

14) Lisa Stone (founder of BlogHer) and her fabulous hair. Lisa always looks beautiful, but her new long hair is out of sight. Hot!

Bonus number 15) Walking back from the Social Luxe Lounge and seeing President Obama drive by — with the entire presidential motorcade of course. I am not even kidding you.



Kirtsy Girls in the Microsoft Microspa. Photo by BabyJi. Find additional photos from Blogher09 here and here. More to come tomorrow on the Yudu Meetup, the Shutter Sisters Suite and other wonderful people I met...

Sparrow

While in Chicago, I had the chance to visit a super hip salon called Sparrow Hair to witness a makeover for two lovely bloggers. I fell in love with the salon. Vintage barbershop chairs refitted. Antique sinks. Restored tin ceiling. Reclaimed wallpaper. Beautiful texture everywhere.


This is one of the stylists at Sparrow. Isn't she fantastic? If I lived in Chicago I would try to convince her to be my bff.

The event was organized by Heather Barmore, Susan Wagner and Danielle Wiley — 3 of the most chic ladies at the conference. It was a treat to spend time with them. You can see more pretty pics of the gathering and the salon here.

Francie Pants

My girls are loving the Francie Pants I brought home from Chicago. Think of them as a modern bloomer to cover your undies so you can do handstands and cartwheels while wearing a skirt — you can see examples of how they're worn here. My girls have been wearing their francies under skirts and over leggings and trying out new outfit configurations pretty much nonstop since the plane landed.

Maude said she is going to plan her back-to-school wardrobe around them. Olive likes the paperdolls included in each box. I can see we're going to need more than the 2 pairs I came home with. See all the Francie Pants designs here.

Trendex Home Giveaway

I'm in Chicago. Blogging it up at BlogHer. Help me celebrate all that is good in the bloggity blog world with this giveaway. You could win a $150 gift certificate to Trendex Home by leaving a comment below. How rad is that? $150 to spend on floral tablecloths, beaded napkin rings, or to stock up on cloth napkins. You'll be throwing dinner parties (may I suggest fondue?) left and right. Yay!



Thanks to Trendex Home for offering up this generous prize. Have fun browsing the pretty fabrics and accessories — imaging the sophisticated table you'll set. Leave a comment to enter. I'll announce a winner when I'm back at my desk on Monday. Bonus! Get 15% off at Trendex with code: DESIGN.

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UPDATE: Congratulations Amber Larson! You are the lucky winner. Yay!

Whirlwind City Tour

I thought this article I read in Hemispheres magazine was super charming. A whirlwind guide to seeing San Francisco in 5 hours. I totally want to follow this. And I wish I had something similar to guide me while I'm here in Chicago. Plus. The illustration makes me feel cool just looking at it.

Off to BlogHer

I'm on my way to Chicago this afternoon for the BlogHer conference. Yay! Can't wait to meet some of you there. Can't wait to hang out with my Kirtsy peeps. Can't wait make totebags at the Yudu Nation Meetup!! (Room #1237 at the Sheraton.) Want to know where to find me at BlogHer? Here's a glimpse of my personal schedule.

Stay tuned. I'll be blogging and tweeting from BlogHer over the next couple of days. I'll post pics of the awesome totebags. And a little birdie told me there would even be a fab giveaway tomorrow.

Chicago skyline image here.

Thinnerware

I just read an email about a line of dishes called Thinnerware and I'm kind of fascinated. The dishes are good-looking, and they have measurements disguised in their design. So for example, inside the bowl, the lowest green stripe measures 1/2 cup, the next stripe measures 1 cup and the top stripe measure 1 1/2 cups.

An interesting way to be aware of the portions you're eating, without pulling out the pyrex. Is it great? Is it a gimmick? Is it a pretty gimmick? Thoughts?

You can find out more about Thinnerware here. Thanks for the link, Sharon.

Stun

When I attend the childrens' clothing trade shows, one of my favorite lines to check out is always Wonderboy. (I've posted about them here and here.) So imagine my delight when I heard the designer behind Wonderboy, Christine Johnson, is launching a line for girls called Stun. Here's a peek: