XOXO

Two more ideas for kids to give to classmates: these perfect XOXO pencils from Simple Song Designs.



And these barely pink Lovemallows by Kelly.

Ask Design Mom — Calendars

Ask-Design-Mom-Question:
I'm looking for the perfect wall calendar that has beautiful pictures and squares for writing in each day. Have you found anything unique out there? Thanks! — Caroline

Design Mom Answer:
Great question, Caroline. Embarrassingly, I am super late to the calendar shopping game this year. I mean, goodness gracious, it's February! Please excuse me. And now to your question. Since you're looking for squares to write in, here are four beautiful options:

-This pretty patterned one by Letter C Design.
-A colorful, illustrated calendar by Jess Gonacha.
-Monthly illustrations featuring urban landscapes by Jen Oaks.
-Gorgeous, spare, collages from Gretchen Mist (on sale!).

These don't have squares to write in, but I thought they were interesting and have been meaning to share them:



-I ADORE the illustrations on this one by Stephanie Fizer. Only 3 left!
-A print-your-own version to track birthdays.
-Are you a maker, a sewer, a crafter? You'll love the pretty photos on the Purl Soho Calendar.



-A print-your-own version that would be perfect in a smaller space.
-That's fun. A calendar printed on fabric at Spoonflower.
-Use Shutter Sister's template to add your own photos and display in a CD Case.
-This animal-themed calendar for kids is adorable. You can customize it. And then frame it as a series.



-Looking for a bold statement on the wall? This is your calendar. By SusyJack.
-Oh! I love this very modern letterpress design from See Saw. And it's a bargain at $15.

How about you, Dear Readers? What is your calendar this year?

Ask Design Mom — Striped Socks

Ask-Design-Mom-Question:
I am having a hard time finding some really cool striped socks for my husband. Any suggestions? Thanks. — Candace.

Design Mom Answer:
Thanks for your question, Candace! Stripey socks make me happy. I went straight to Ben Blair for suggestions and he sent me to Smart Turnout and JCrew for good-looking, colorful choices. Also, I noticed in a recent issue of GQ, Glenn O'Brien, the style guy, recommends both J. Press and Corgi.

Dear Readers, let's help Candace out. Do you have any terrific striped sock sources?

Making Valentines

Number one on my task list this week: making Valentines with my kids. You too? But first, I'm going to scour the interwebs for ideas. Olive really wants to give out candy so I think we'll go with these beautiful chocolate bar wrappers from Benign Objects (they offer tea wrap templates as well — perfect for your child's teacher!).



If you're looking for ideas, here are three of the most successful Valentines we've made in year's past:
1) Mad Libs (our most popular — a real hit for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders)
2) Friendship Bracelets
3) Bookmarks

Other fun ideas from my archives:
1) Japanese lollipop tags
2) Little apple pies for your sweetie pies
3) Mini treat boxes (from Inchmark)

This is the first year that Ralph won't be exchanging valentines with his classmates (sigh. middle school.) but I told Ralph if there was someone special he wanted to recognize we would come up with a good gift. I remember my brother giving his 6th grade sweetheart a goldfish for Valentine's Day. Adorable.

What will you be making for Valentine's Day? Any fantastic ideas I might have missed?

A Few Things

We're in the car, on our way to Copper Mountain for a ski weekend. The drive through the Rockies to the ski resorts is gorgeous. (The entire state of Colorado is gorgeous.) And this will be 3-year-old Betty's first time on skis — I hope she loves it.

What are you doing this weekend? Anything fun? Here are some links to help you celebrate till Monday:

-The NY Public Library has a flickr page? Oh. I could get lost here. via Swissmiss.

-Supermarket Sarah has the coolest shop ever. Right in her house. Would you ever do this?

-NotMartha shares some photos of what has caught her eye lately. I LOVE this glimpse into her thoughts.

-Liz spotted some really amazing jewelry. Worth several visits to admire.

-What? A Daily Ampersand Project? Happiness. Via Greedy Girl.

-Blushing. Eliza Magazine featured me in their Best Bloggers article.

-Lunch with Seth Godin to benefit Haiti — thanks to Startup Princess. Only a week away.

-Look at the pretty little heart made of metal on these diecut Valentine cards.

-While I prepare this post, my older kids are watching Project Runway. I'm really enjoying this season. What do you think. Are you glad they're back in New York?

-Oooooh. The talented Nate Berkus is offering free Twitter Backgrounds. New designs each month.

-Online photo classes from the amazing Nicole Hill starting right away.

-My sister Jordan has been sharing photos of her newly redesigned living room.

Friends, wish us luck on the ski slopes and have a terrific weekend. Don't forget to enter my lovely giveaway from Baby Bear Shop. There are luscious lip balm kissing kits(!) to get you ready for Valentine's Day. Three winners will be announced on Monday.

kisses,
Gabrielle

Wear Red Day

Did you know heart disease is the number one killer of women? That always surprises me when I read it. Are you wearing red today?

I saw these red dresses by Josephus Thimister on Simple + Pretty and I think they are wonderful to look at. You can see the whole collection here.

Baby Bear Shop Giveaway

Today's giveaway is terrific. Baby Bear Shop is offering Valentine Care Packages for three lucky ladies. Three winners! Each winner will receive a $50 care package filled with everything you need to pamper yourself and get your lips kiss-ready for Valentine's Day. Each winner will receive 3 goodies:




1) A Recycled Glass Soy Wax Candle
Made with organic oils. Lavender Vanilla scent.

2) Baby Bird Soap
Made with organic oils. Handmade and wrapped in origami paper

3) All The Better To Kiss You With® Organic Eco Kiss Kit
Lavender Vanilla, Pepperminty and Chai Mandarin — these are my favorite, the little tins of gloss are so pleasing to use.

I'm such a fan of Baby Bear Shop. They offer certified organic skincare (for babies too!). Their products are made in the USA without plastics. And they plant a tree with every order.

Extra bonus: use promo code 'imadesignmom2' for free lavender vanilla lip balm with every order over $40. Offer expires 05/31/10. One more thing. Baby Bear Shop is up for a Small Business Grant. Let's support handmade, toxin-free products and socially conscious ethics by voting for them today (please).

Leave a comment to enter. Three winners will be announced on Monday. Good luck!

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Congratulations to Susan, Jessica Jo and Nicole! You are the lucky winners. Enjoy your Baby Bear Shop goodies.

Tollipop Door Hanger

Kristen from Tollipop sent a care package to my kids for Christmas. Because she's an incredibly kind sort of person. It was filled with handmade adorable-ness. An ornament. A doll. A necklace with interchangeable faces. A framed illustration. And a little door hanger.




Everything is truly beautiful, but I think the door hanger is my favorite. I borrowed it from the kids and now it greets me at the entrance to my bedroom. The velvet ribbon. The pretty print on the reverse. The stitching detail in the little sweater. Too wonderful for words.

Here are more photos of the adorable-ness. The necklace is also a huge hit — I wore it at Alt Summit and received all sorts of compliments. And Betty has attached herself to the doll. Of course.






Isn't it wonderful to send and receive pretty things in the mail? I want to send a little door hanger to everyone I know.

Make Your Own Ukelele

A package arrived this week from Uncle Jared and Aunt Liz. Inside: a make your own ukulele kit. How great is that? We can't wait to put it together. On a related note, today on Colorado Public Radio, I heard all about how the ukulele is experiencing a big revival — there's even a UkeFest this weekend at Swallowhill. If we weren't headed to Copper Mountain for a super cool weekend, we would totally check out the festival.



More greatness — my favorite Kirtsy links from the last 7 days, (Kirtsy is a site where anyone can share cool links — I'm one of the co-founders):

-100 classic movies everyone should see. How many have you seen?

-Speaking of movies, did you see this movie trailer? It had me crying and I'm not even sure why. So cute!

-Valentine's decorations don't get easier — or cuter — than this. Make these with your kids.

-Also perfect timing for Valentine's Day, a whale blows a heart shaped bubble.

-Think your life stinks? Share your woes here or grimace at the tribulations of others, like: "Today, my car got a wheel lock because I had 5 tickets. Three of those tickets dated back to 2006. I got my car and license in 2008." (Is it awful that I find this site hilarious?)

-Need to get happy after checking out that last link? These photos will do the trick. I can't decide which one is my favorite.

-Time to get organized? Here are tips on how to create a Household Time Map.

-These gorgeous laptop covers have been making the design blog rounds all week. I think they're brilliant.

-"If they say you're too picky, that's because they settled." Agree? Disagree?

-Another house that makes me happy.

What about you Dear Readers? Are you ukulele fans? Have you ever been to a UkeFest? Posted anything awesome on Kirtsy lately?

Birth Video from Michelle & Zach

I'm not a great writer and can never get what I want to say out on paper, that is one of the reasons I really wanted my most recent baby's birth to be documented. I thought about hiring a photographer to come and do it for me, but when it came down to it, Oliver was born 12 days early and I just hadn't gotten around to discussing the details with other fellow photographers. But Zach, my husband, knew how important it was to me to have this documented and I think he did an absolutely amazing job with this video. You can also see Oliver's 5 day newborn photo session here.

Oliver Thomas :: Birth Story from Zach Wear on Vimeo.

From Michelle of Revert Photo and Revert Blog.

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Note from Design Mom: for the duration of my pregnancy, I'll be posting advice, memories and stories about pregnancy, childbirth, adoption and growing a family on Wednesdays. You can find them all by clicking here. I'd love to hear your story or memory or advice, feel free to submit it to gabrielle@designmom.com.

A Bathtub Birth Story from Katie's Father

image via ffffound

This is the birth story of our second baby. It was not much different — except maybe a bit faster, and minus one hospital visit. This time it all started after lunch, but it was all over long before dinner. My wife, R, had been preparing a double-batch of gluten-free lasagna so we could eat one and freeze the other for after the birth — something she had already done with a few other meals (gluten intolerance was was diagnosed in week 26). Her mom dropped by in the afternoon to pick something up, and found that R was cooking kind of slowly because of an occasional cramp that forced her to take breaks. After some discussion with her mom, R decided to consult with the midwife team. The midwife recommend a bath.

My office phone rang at about 3:20pm, and I listened to R tell me in a tired voice that things were starting. I was all ears. I asked how fast I should come back — train (35 min) or taxi (20 min)? She figured I had some time, so she recommended the train. I emerged onto the street a few minutes later, breaking into a run with an anthology of Roald Dahl short stories tucked under my arm, and my watch still lying on my desk upstairs.

While I quickly covered the distance to the north-bound platform, the warmth of the bathwater rushed R's contractions closer together. I had barely changed my Facebook status to "Contractions" when I received a call from R's mom that they planned to leave for the hospital because contractions were coming 2.5 minutes apart.

Instead of riding the train out to our area, I would get off a few blocks from the hospital and make my way there if they didn't have time to pick me up. I was about to get off the train when I got another phone call update.

The midwife had contacted the hospital to let them know we were coming and had learned that there were no delivery rooms available, and the next closest hospital was way out in the NE part of town. Both the midwife and R had agreed that there was no time to travel so far, so they decided to deliver the baby at home.

I had been standing at the door of the train, ready to get off when I received the call. Instead of disembarking, I sat back down and arranged for a friend of ours to pick me up at the station and bring me home. As we were pulling up to the house, I saw the midwife lugging an enormous equipment bag up the driveway, and a close neighbour standing on the front step.

That was about 4:15 pm. I found R lying on the bed wearing a pair of maternity jeans, one of my t-shirts and a look of agonized desperation. Our neighbour (who goes to our church) assisted me in a prayer to bless R while the midwife dumped medical equipment into strategic locations and R's mom worked to prepare the bathroom. The neighbours whisked Scotty away to their house to play for a while and R eased into the tub. I vaguely remember doing a circuit along the midwife's trail of supplies, clearing away more room for her to work.

It could not have been more than 15 minutes from the time the midwife and I arrived and the time that Katie was born, making it about 1.5 hours of labour — if you don't count the sporadic contractions that hampered R's lasagna preparations during the afternoon. It was so short that it caught R completely by surprise. She was bracing herself for at least an hour of pushing at the end, but that part was over before she knew it and she had our new daughter bobbing peacefully in the tub.


Newborn baby Katie under the water.

Normally, when you see movie or tv footage of a baby entering the world, the child comes screeching and wailing. Our little girl had none of that. She simply squinted a lot and pretended not to know what all the fuss was about.

All the fuss was about Katie. All 6 pounds and 4 ounces of her.

From Derek of Our Sesame Seed.

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Note from Design Mom: for the duration of my pregnancy, I'll be posting advice, memories and stories about pregnancy, childbirth, adoption and growing a family on Wednesdays. You can find them all by clicking here. I'd love to hear your story or memory or advice, feel free to submit it to gabrielle@designmom.com.

Letter to Her 15-Week Old Daughter from Chelsea Hilton

image via Mary Ruffle

Dear Zoe,

Tomorrow you will be 15 weeks old and I think it's about time I stop counting in weeks. If it's getting annoying at 15 weeks, wait until you're hundreds of weeks old. You'll be two years old and already embarrassed of your mother.

Everyone is always asking me what new developments are taking place over here and lately my answer is just one word — DROOL. A close second is spit-up, though. Your drool and spit-up are currently duking it out for first prize. Drool is winning because of the sheer volume, but spit-up is really shining in the 'requiring a change of clothes' category. However, there's another twist that keeps drool in the lead — you're likely drooling so much because you're starting to teethe and because you're starting to teethe, you're chewing on your fingers like a maniac which causes you to gag and spit up. So that makes spit-up more of a follower than a leader. That's just the way of the world.

We're still having trouble with the sleeping. You just don't like sleeping in a bed, so you're still almost always sleeping in the swing. It worries me. I'm sorry if you're grown up and reading this in a full body brace because your jackass mother couldn't figure out how to get her baby to sleep in a bed. It's not for lack of trying, though. Every night we try, and every night you wrestle around and grunt and kick your legs and swing your arms (except for when you're swaddled, of course, because you're in a burrito) and eventually scream and/or cry. So? Back in the swing you go and you go right to sleep.



You are such a happy baby, Zoe. You have started really laughing now, too. Good, long belly laughs. I love it. I do the stupidest things all day long to get you laughing like that. We are two of the happiest people around, I swear. I think about everyone else going about their daily lives and think of how lucky I am to be home laughing with my baby all day. I act like an idiot and you laugh and then I laugh and we're both smiling all the time. It's a great life. I hit the jackpot.

I love you, little bean.
Momma

From Chelsea of Mommalou and Zoe B.

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Note from Design Mom: for the duration of my pregnancy, I'll be posting advice, memories and stories about pregnancy, childbirth, adoption and growing a family on Wednesdays. You can find them all by clicking here. I'd love to hear your story or memory or advice, feel free to submit it to gabrielle@designmom.com.

The Perfect Swimsuit

I have no business thinking about swimsuits right now, but that doesn't stop me from wanting this one. The stripes. The legs. The back. Isn't it fantastic?

Via Oh Joy.

Valentine Goodness that has caught my eye over the past week or so

-Pretty tags from The Letter K Design Shop. Lots of choices.



-Child-like messages from Minted.


-Sophisticated, hand-written Valentine from Hello Handmade Paperie. Via Poppytalk.


-Nuts over this Nuts For You card by Jeanie & Jewell.


-Limited edition framed prints by Coulson MacLeod. Via Caroline.


-Pretty designs from Hello Lucky.


-The world's smallest postal service is offering the world's smallest package — cute as a button.


-Sweet tea towels by Elizabeth Wentz (they are sold out, but she's restocking soon). Via Chelsea.


-Clever thoughts from JackCards.

Ask Design Mom — File Cabinets

Ask Design Mom Question:
I was wondering if you could recommend some websites that sell attractive file cabinets. Specifically, I am looking for a vertical 4 drawer unit that will be visible from my open family room. We live in a condo. Maybe something silvery and retro? Many thanks — Elissa

Design Mom Answer:
Hi Elissa. Thanks for the question! Here are a few ideas. If you're looking for silvery and retro, ebay or college surplus sales are a good place to start. In fact, one of the pieces of furniture we left behind in New York was an old-school, Steelcase, 4-drawer filing cabinet that I picked up at a university surplus sale for $10. Woot! And then spray painted black. (We've since switched to file boxes stored in a closet — in case you're curious.)



If I was to do it again, after hunting down an older file cabinet, instead of painting it, I would take it to a metal shop and have it stripped and polished to look like one of the beauties from The Old Cinema pictured above.

Want something new? I think the Precision Kurve cabinets from Metalon are very good-looking.

Feeling a DIY moment coming on? You could buy a standard cabinet from Staples and customize. Decoupage? Huge shipping stencils? Giant magnets?



What about you, Dear Readers? Seen any good-looking file cabinets lately? How do you like this wall of extra-tall file drawers — as seen in Jill Brown's store. Lovely, no?

Ask Design Mom — Wrapping Paper Sources

Ask Design Mom Question:
My parents (probably by accident) started a tradition of wrapping all my presents in the same wrapping paper every year. I think it was a super sale of a hardware store that was going out of business and they sold their commercial sized wrapping paper roll. I am finally about to run out! Hah! I would like to find a way to have that same paper design reproduced on a new commercial sized roll of wrapping paper for my five month-old. Any sources? As a backup option, any sources for buying commercial sized wrapping paper to start a new design? Thanks — Nicole

Design Mom Answer:
What a fun tradition and great question, Nicole. If I was trying to reproduce a roll of wrapping, I would start by taking a sample of the remaining paper to any local printer. They would be able to a) scan and print the paper, b) outsource the work for me to a different printer with correct machinery, or c) direct me toward other printers in my area who could handle printing a commercial size roll. Be aware — this will not be an inexpensive project — but I'm guessing you know that already.

If you decide to start again with a brand new design (a much more economical option), here are some links to online sources that sell commercial-size rolls — Mac Paper, Nu-Era and Gift Wrap Gifts. Good luck on your hunt! I hope you can find/print something wonderful.

What would you advise Nicole, Dear Readers? Any good bulk-size wrapping paper sources? Also, I wonder if I could contact Paper Source and get bulk-rolls of some of the pretty designs above?

Ismodern Sale

Happy February, Dear Readers! Did you have a wonderful weekend? Did you watch the Grammys last night?

I checked my email this morning and found this huge, huge sale announcement for Ismodern — one of my favorite children's clothing lines. Their clothes have such appeal for little kids and tweens alike. I bet my girls would love this dress.

A Few Things

Today I was reminded how wimpy I am compared to my pioneer ancestors — and most of the population of Planet Earth. When we woke this morning, the temperature in our house was 53 degrees. (The heat had stopped working in the night — it was speedily fixed this morning and we're now a toasty 70 degrees again.) I realize 53 degrees is nowhere near freezing, but you would think it was the trial of the century the way I shivered in my sheets. Could I be more ridiculous?

Here are a few things I've been wanting to share with you:

-I've never been a consistent journal keeper, but I might be able to keep up with this. And it's pretty.

-What it looks like to fly into Salt Lake City.

-Can I give some sort of prize to her for Happiest Idea?

-Book jackets (with coordinating bookmarks) make me happy. Especially Sherlock's pipe.

-This photo series of "rusty neutrals" feels like January looks.

-Whoorl found the greatest invention of the decade. You will want this too.

-The prettiest winter festival I have ever seen. I might need to put this on my life list (if I had a life list).

-I still have houses on the brain. This one is the favorite I saw this week.

-The proper way to celebrate a 90th(!) birthday.

-School kids from PS22 sing the Alicia Keyes/Jay-Z New York Anthem. So wonderful. (Thanks, Etta!)

-This series of "hiding" photos made me look. Twice.

-Who knew a commercial about wearing your seatbelt could be so beautiful?

Have a terrific weekend. I hope your weekend feels like the cozy image above. Don't forget to enter the Blush Giveaway — 3 winners will be announced on Monday.

A Bedroom for Two Sisters

Just days before we left New York, I stopped at my friend Kathryn's house to snap some photos of her daughters' bedroom. I intended to post a little house tour on Cookie. And then (sadly) Cookie was no more. : (

Browsing through iPhoto this morning, I came across these pictures and remembered how darling this room is. Kathryn loves shopping. Kathryn loves all things vintage. And Kathryn is really good at shopping for all things vintage. Plus, she has a fantastic eye. In fact, I bet that Kathryn could open an etsy shop, sell off every item in this room and fill it up again from the goodies in her garage.

What about you, Dear Readers — do you have a friend like Kathryn? Someone that's really good at visual displays? Someone that can find the hidden gems at any estate sale? Man. I miss Kathryn.

P.S. — If you have similar talents to Kathryn, but live in Denver, please make friends with me — I need a shopping buddy who knows all the good sources.