Central Park
The family pictures in Central Park turned out beautifully. Candice Stringham, the photographer, was incredible. Lots of patience. Great style. Flexible. A delight to work with. If you’re in New York — or anywhere near New York — book her right away. For reals.
I know preparing for a family portrait can be stressful. What will everyone wear? Will the kids behave? Will I look hot? : ) Leading up to our photo shoot, there were several times I was tempted to cancel — we’re just so busy right now. But I am beyond happy that I have these photos now. What a treasure for our family! Worth every bit of time and effort.
And I can’t even put into words how wonderful it was to spend an afternoon-with-perfect-weather in our beloved park before the big move. I’m going to get all weepy just thinking about it.
P.S. — Thanks for all the great feedback! Per your requests, here is a post about how the shoot and the wardrobe came together here.
Calling Cards
How to Make A Baby
5 Easy ways to teach a girl (or boy) to sew — By Guest Mom Amy Smart
image credit, Amy Hackworth
I think sewing is another great method for kids to express themselves creatively. I love this thought of teaching our children to sew as a means of being a “stabilizer” in their lives expressed beautifully by former first lady, Grace Coolidge:
“Every girl should be taught to sew, not merely for the sake of making something, but as an accomplishment which may prove a stabilizer in time of perplexity or distress. Many a time when I needed to hold myself firmly I have taken up a needle (a sewing needle, some knitting needles, or a crochet hook.) Whatever its form or purpose, it often proved to be as the needle of the compass, keeping me to the course.”
So here are some ways to get them (or you!) started:
One fun way, especially with really young kids, is beginning-level lacing cards. The ever-popular eeBoo has some adorable choices.
If your kids are a little older and you want to make your own sewing cards, check out Marie’s patterns at Make and Takes.
In The Creative Family, Amanda Soule suggests simply giving your children some fabric in a sewing hoop, a needle and thread, and letting them go.
We’ve also had success with my daughter drawing a picture and taping it to the window. Then she lightly traces it onto plain fabric, and stitches over the traced lines. A very simple way to let them capture their art in another form.
For another very simple project to do with your kids, Oliver + S offers this free download for an easy child’s skirt. I am no expert at sewing clothes (still a little scared of zippers and sleeves) but this one is totally do-able. And cute.
Really, you can do this. And it doesn’t need to be perfect. Keep it simple, but at the same time, let them run with it. Don’t be afraid to let them (or yourself) make mistakes. Your kids will love anything they have a hand in, and it will give them a ton of satisfaction to see a finished product that they accomplished with their own hands. Hopefully it will do the same for you too!
Recycled Boxes
Ask Design Mom Week: Caring for Curly Hair
Question:
Hi Gabrielle. I’m really enjoying your Ask Design Mom week, and I have a question for you. What products do you use for your hair? Your curls always look beautiful, and I love that you wear it curly and don’t get it blown straight all the time. I also have curly hair and am always looking for product suggestions. Thanks, and good luck with the move. — Emily
Answer:
Hi Emily! Thanks for the hair compliments. I feel like I’m having a hair crisis right now, so I appreciate the positive feedback. My haircare has been heavily influenced by the book Curly Girl. I don’t follow their instructions exactly, but I have adopted many of their guidelines. Two that I use daily are:
1) Pile on the conditioner. I use a light shampoo very infrequently, and then a heavy conditioner very frequently. Any thick conditioner will work. I leave it on in the shower for a few minutes. Then rinse it out. After I’ve towel-dried my hair I put in more conditioner, mixed with gel, and leave it in. On a particularly frizzy day, I might scrunch my dry hair with even more conditioner throughout the day.
2) Get rid of your brush. When I’m wearing my hair curly, I never brush it. I keep a wide tooth comb in the shower to work the conditioner through, but I don’t brush.
What about you Fellow Curly Girls? Do you have any favorite haircare products or haircare tips?
Images of curly haired peeps from Bumble & Bumble. Win a $300 shopping spree from Peek? Find out how here.
Homemade Cherry Pie
Ask Design Mom Week: Thank you/Welcome Gift
Question:
Gabrielle, I have been reading, enjoying and learning from your blog for a little over a year now and was hoping you could help me. I was elected as the new President for my sons preschool and will be taking this adventure with seven other wonderful, amazing women whom I want to greet, encourage and thank for joining together to make our school a better place.
I need gift ideas that are super cool and useful but on the less expensive side as I do not want to spend a ton. If you have any ideas or links you could send my way I would really appreciate it. I am a graphic designer so do it yourself projects would work too. Thank you for any help or direction you may give. — Jennifer
Answer:
I love your question, Jennifer. There are always great suggestions in the comments whenever the topic is gifts — so many thoughtful ideas. Since you’ll be working with these women, my first thought was pretty office supplies. Specifically, I was thinking of the decoupaged clipboards I made for my daughter’s birthday party favors. I made mini ones, but you could make full size ones for the grownups. A great DIY project and very inexpensive. Plus they’re practical and useful. You can find instructions at Martha Stewart.
What about you, Clever Readers? What would you give as practical, super-cool, inexpensive gift?
You could win a $300 shopping spree from Peek Aren’t You Curious? Yay!! Find out how here.
Ask Design Mom Week: Baby Books
Question:
Do you have any baby books to recommend? Thank you! — Aiilie
Answer:
Sure do. There are many great ones out there. In lots of styles and price ranges. Take a peek at these books by Nikki McClure, Binth, Tracey Clark, the Metropolitan Museum (pictured) and Kistner Supply. All are gorgeous!
What about you Dear Friends? What are your favorite Baby Journal Books?
What’s Ask-Design-Mom-Week? See here. Win big. $300 big.
Green photo scavenger hunt
Katie Schultz had a great idea. She took her kids on a photo scavenger hunt. They walked around their neighborhood and took pictures of anything green they could find. So smart!
The same concept would work with any color. You could do it with letters as well. Or pick another sort of theme — smiles, toys, cars, things that make noise, animals, etc. Toddlers and preschoolers would be all over this.
Young Einstein Party Food & Decorations
Young Einstein Party Activities
Young Einstein Party Favors
Four Affordable Art Sources – As Chosen By an Art History Major
Credits: Written by Stephanie of Stephmodo
Young Einstein Themed Birthday Party
An Interview with Cortney and Robert of Novogratz of Sixx Design
On Interior Design & Sources:
1) Tell us about your new book. How did it come together? What was your favorite part of the experience? Do you have a chapter that you love the most? The book was an amazing experience which journals our first 10 years of designing and creating homes. All the chapters were fun because each photo and story brings back memories (good and bad!), but I think the home in Great Barrington, Mass. will be a lot of reader’s favorite project. Looking back, we have learned so much, yet we are inspired and learning constantly. It keeps us humble and sharp. 2) The pictures filling the staircase wall in your Great Barrington Home are inspiring. Do you have any practical picture hanging and picture arranging advice? Like, what height should pictures be from the rising stairs? What about working with a variety of frames? The photo wall is an on going process. We are not perfectionists; the frames are different sizes, high and low end, custom and store bought. A couple of tips are to lay the frames out on a floor area first, put the largest photos on top and toward the center, and play around with it. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. There is nothing a little spackling paste, paint or even another picture can’t hide! Have fun and let it grow. We have only family on the wall from cousins to great grandparents. It is cool to see the family tree and resemblances. All our photos are black and white. With digital cameras, it is easy to convert your color photos. 3) Rumor has it that your family moves into a house, makes it fabulous, and sells it. If this is true (and I hope it is!), I’d love to know how you pick the area to move to and how you pick the house to buy — how do you spot the “diamond in the rough?” When looking for a “diamond in the ruff,” look to where the creative community is moving to in your area. They are always the first ones in. 4) Where do you go for inspiration? And what inspires you? Big Cities inspire us. 5) Spill, please. Where are your favorite flea markets? Good fleas are hard to find these days. The Paris Flea Market is a place everyone should go at least once in his/her life. 6) Will you please share the source on the amazing rug under those 2 turquoise chairs in your Great Barrington house? How about the source of the turquoise chairs themselves? And also, the source on that amazing Union Jack? The turquoise chairs were 25 dollars at a tag sale that we refurbished for cheap. The Union Jack is by an amazing artist out of London named Anne Carrington. 7) I love the way you use natural light in your projects. Do you have any advice on bringing natural light into a space that’s lacking in it? Add high hats for more light. 8) What are your strategies for keeping a home both child and adult friendly? Reducing clutter is the key to an adult and child friendly house. Be organized and ask yourself if certain things are essential. Keep valuables and art out of reach of the children. Relax, home making should be fun. A well designed and functional house should be just that. Next time your child breaks something, remind yourself that “it’s just stuff.” 9) How about tips for decorating a nursery or child’s room in particular? Childrens’ rooms and nurseries don’t have to be decorated in a theme. Again, keep the clutter to a minimum: a desk, a bed and a place to play. Children, like adults, don’t need that much. Less is more. 10) Once you’re moved in and settled in a home, how often do you change your decor? We seem to move before we change our décor. Certain pieces will travel from home-to-home with us and it is fun to incorporate those pieces within a new space or a different aesthetic.On Work/Life Balance & Parenting:
11) Obviously, you have a busy and full life. What is one thing that you do with your kids that you would not stop doing — no matter what? Travel. 12) If the “moving often” rumors are true, how do you create continuity for your family amidst all the change? We try to create a fun life and solid foundation for our children. Happy parents equal happy children. 13) How do you handle education? Public school? Home school? Tutor? Private school? A combo? Great question. Our children are all very different; strong students, weak students, both confident and shy, great athletes and weak athletes. With seven, we truly see both ends of the spectrum in many regards. Our children attend private school. My feeling on private is it helps the weaker students or mediocre ones get over the hump. Good public schools work well for stronger students, but my experience has been some students can get lost in the pack at a public school and not receive the attention they deserve. Robert and I are both liberal thinkers. We feel each child learns differently. The key is to keep your children humble and hungry. I would urge all of your readers to watch the Ted Talks on tedtalks.com (check out the one on education by Sir Ken Robinson). 14) I’ve read you’re big on world travel. How many trips do you take a year and to where? Is every trip a family trip? Do you have a favorite vacation spot to take your kids? We go to Brazil every year to our home. The kids love the beach and the outdoors which they don’t get as much of living in New York City. 15) I am amazed and inspired by you. How do you manage/juggle the business and the kids? By running our own company we are able to make our own schedule. It enables us the luxury to schedule our meetings around our children and our family time. 16) Which parts of the day to day (of both the business AND the kids) do you manage yourselves and which parts do you prefer to hire out? Nanny, housekeeper, bookkeeper? Chauffer, stylist, assistant? We always have at least one baby sitter with us. When Robert and I do get a little time to just the two of us, we need two sitters. We have yet to find anyone to watch all seven. Even Mary Poppins and Nanny Mcphee would not take on that task! Besides that, we have coaches, tutors, sewing teachers, etc. always helping. We are firm believers that it takes a village to raise a child. 17) Many moms seem to be born with “guilt” feelings. Is there any aspect of being a working mother that brings out the guilt for you? Guilt is a wasted emotion. I have always tried to make and live with my choices. Also, it’s very important that all mothers treat themselves well, no matter how many children they have. What great responses. A big thanks to Robert & Cortney Novogratz for joining us today. Don’t miss their excellent book.DIY Friendship Bracelet Valentines (with Free Printable)
DIY: Valentine Bookmarks for Classmates
Favorite Things: Post It Calendar
Nativity
In lieu of the usual live Nativity Pageant at my church Christmas party this year, our congregation tried something new. The kids put on the nativity one Sunday with no audience and with staging happening in rooms all over our church building. A few parents with good photography skills followed the kids around and took lots of stills. Then, the amazing Travis S. put the pics together into a video.
The video debuted during the Christmas party and it’s just about the sweetest thing you’ve ever seen. Costumes, props and general direction are by the incomparable Jennifer Darger. Narration is by Travis’s talented daughter Scout.