Shop: Summer Dresses

by Designing Mom Kira

It's no secret that I am a wee bit obsessed with buying summer dresses for my 17 month old. Every time I come home with a new purchase for Masha, my husband gives me a bit of a smirk knowing that it is likely a new summer dress. I am constantly on the hunt for the perfect pretty, practical dresses (it's become a bit of a hobby) and started a folder on my desktop of candidates for the few summer dress slots that are left in her closet. I think I can be held responsible for the words "cute" and dress to the little one's vocabulary. The arrival of a Mini Boden catalog requires serious self-restraint as I could truly order one of each. They really do a perfect job of combing well-designed outfits, fabrics, and practicality, and they are having a sale of up to 50% off on their website through July 2, 2009.


Here are some of the dresses on my wish list:
1. JCrew Gauzy Polka Dot Dress 2. Mini Boden Pretty Hotchpotch Dress 3. Gap Braided Flower Dress 4. Mini Boden Baby Day Dress


5. Misha Lulu Floral Print Jumper 6. JCrew Linen Stripe Tuxedo Dress 7. JCrew Cotton Organdy Dress 8. MiniBoden Ribbon Dress

Rug Giveaway!

Why not start off the week with a giveaway? CSN Rugs is giving a lucky mom a chance to win an area rug! I love that they carry everything from pricier Angela Adams rugs to affordable kid rugs your little ones can spill and track dirt on. To see their full selection click here!

To enter, all you have to do is put your name and the area rug you'd like to win into the comments window of this post (see choices below). I picked out ten fun rugs you could set in your nursery or mudroom, so happy picking! This giveaway is open to all readers and Designing Moms alike and will run all week.




1. 2'x3' Seventeen Magazine Luxe Blue Rug
2. 2'x 3' Seventeen Magazine Luxe Pea Rug
3. 1'9 x 2'9 Rug Market - Labyrinth Kids Rug
4.2'x 3' Seventeen Magazine Luxe Light Blue/Green Rug
5. 47" x 36" Freckles - Hot Chocolate Cotton Rug
6. Dynamic - Fantasia Crazy Girlzzz Turquoise Flower Rug
7. 2' x 3' Seventeen Magazine Luxe Ivory Dots Rug
8. LA Rugs, David and Goliath Drama Queen Rug
9. 30" x 40" Migi Pinwheel Nursery Rug
10. Sorry! This rug is no longer available

Rug Giveaway!

Are you Spring/Summer cleaning and looking for some fresh decor? Be sure to check back Monday because I'll be doing a little rug giveaway!

Friday Foto: Super Hero!

It's Friday so I'm wrapping up this week with more fun photos. These are from Designing Mom Erika and her super hero worthy son's awesome photo session by Jessica Davis Photography.
I laughed so hard hearing about her son E's natural knack (directing shots, requesting water and
breaks ) at photo shoots. I think a star is born!

Happy weekend everyone. And keep sending me photos...we love 'em!

Happy Bloggin' Birthday!

I have to admit...the day after my baby was born I mourned that he was one day older. I shudder to think of the day he will turn the big "one!"

Designing Mom Jackie had a great idea to post our LO's Birthdays up on the blog. Send in a pic of your little one on their birthday and let's all celebrate (or in my case commiserate) together!

Jackie: "Our dear, chubby, silly, and lovely little Simon turned one on June 17.
We celebrated in L.A. last weekend (cake and all!) with friends and family."

Shop: Vinyl Sticker Train

By Designing Mom Kate


Since all of Oscars grandparents, aunts and uncles live out of state – I’ve been thinking of ways we can introduce them on a regular basis so he can “get to know” them in between live visits (and Skype). I thought it would be fun to hang photos – but this train vinyl frame set is even better. What a fun way to share photos in a little boys room. They also have some great stickers for grown-ups as well. They’re easy to move around and require no nails. I used some of these vinyl “stickers” at Ooma and loved them.

Balance: Breakwater Design Studio

I never tire of hearing about how other moms "balance" their work and home. I know that we all manage to find our way, but it's wonderful to get glimpses into how others are doing it as well. When Ryan of Breakwater Design Studio wrote me, I couldn't help but ask her to share her schedule and day-in-the-life with her two studios. Thank you Ryan!



Tell us a little about your space and how your work?

My work takes place in two different locations – my home office—located in Southampton NY and the Breakwater Design Studio, located in Bridgehampton NY. The two spaces are approx. 20 minutes away from each other depending on the time of year. The home office is where I get most of my designing and work done while my employees work in the Studio. I hold meetings and creative sessions in the Studio, and have at times had employees to my home for conferences.

What is a day in your life like? How do you organize your schedule?

Will is an almost 2 year old – he pretty much dictates my schedule. “A day in my life” has become quite regimented, as Will seems to be happiest with a routine. And as this routine changes he changes… we just go with the flow.

Lately Will has naps all morning. I’ll never understand it – he sleeps all night (most of the time) around 12 hours. Then crashes again around 9:30 am. It works for him though. During this time I get a great deal done… I check in on emails, voicemails return some calls… then I work on projects… prep for meetings… anything that needs to be done. Lately I’ve become addicted to blogging and Twitter—so much excitement online. He’s napping now!

The rest of our day varies… some days if I have tons to do, I’ll ask Hannah, our babysitter to come over to play. I hide away in my office and get to work. Other days, if I have meetings, I’ll leave him with her for about an hour or so, which I find hard to do…. Thankfully a lot of our clients love to see him so MOST days I take Will with me– we check in on projects and do whatever needs to be done.

When there isn’t much going on (which has been the case lately due to the recession, unfortunately) we will hit the library on our way home. Or the Children’s Museum of the East End. Warmer days—we go to the beach or the playground or just for a walk. Everyday is a new adventure for Will.

Greatest challenges of "balancing" work and life as a mom?

I am beyond grateful for Will—he has opened my life up in ways I never though possible. Before he was born I was a serious workaholic. I worked right up to the day he was born… I was up early – to the office, worked through lunch… late into the evenings… worked most weekends too. I never realized how addicted I was until he came along. He has completely changed my outlook and my plans for the future from an ego driven need to land that client and design everything to maybe I’ll slow down and have more kids…

Greatest rewards?

Well—Will of course is my greatest personal reward…

To me, there is nothing more rewarding, work wise, than having a logo design approved, a website design launch, or have brochures go to press. It’s a great release to complete something that is going to help promote and generate success for our clients. I also enjoy collaborating with my associates on new projects. Everything that we do is very positive and that always leaves me with a good feeling.

Do you have any do's or don'ts on advice for moms out there who want to start their own businesses?

Do’s – Do - Go for it because having “it all” is really possible. Do, go with the flow. Do – remember to find time for yourself.

Don’t’s – Don’t plan ahead too much with how it will all pan out. I remember thinking – it will be great! I’ll bring my son to work with me everyday – after all I am the owner. Not so much – his crying interrupted work; I was totally embarrassed to nurse him in the office… Changing him became awkward on the conference table… And I found a privacy factor that I never considered – I wanted alone time with my little boy! Obviously, we worked it out.

Decorate: Little Lamb Shower Part 2

Part 2: The edibles!

by Designing Mom Erika


My biggest tip for planning a little party is to shop your own home (and your friends' homes) first, before buying a single thing! Luckily Carrie's nursery décor happens to be my own favorite color, green, so I had lots of "decorations" around already. I kept everything for the party in one cabinet to make it easier to keep track of progress (and it eliminated over-buying).

A little trick I learned from my parents, the ultimate hosts, is to set the table the day before.

It only looks "fancy."

With the exception of the amazing lemon cupcakes, made at home, and the delicious (and beautiful) macarons from Paulette, most of the items on the dessert table came from the Dollar Store!

There is lots more info, including a downloadable PDF of the cupcake toppers, on my blog. Click on the "party planning" link in the far right column of the blog in the tags section (or click here).

Decorate: Little Lamb Baby Shower...Part 1

Looking for party ideas? You are all in for a treat as Designing Mom Erika shows us her absolutely gorgeous "Little Lamb" themed baby shower that she threw for her friend.

She had such great ideas I had to split it up as two posts...the first showing her sketches/ideas and the knockout invites she created. Check back tomorrow for the rest!



By Designing Mom Erika

I loved planning my friend Carrie's Little Lamb baby shower. Parties can be a lot of work, and by no means did I do it alone! I co-hosted the shower with 3 friends, and we all pitched in a little something (including baking skills, time, and a wicked Shower Shine recipe involving rum and pineapple juice!).

We chose the "little lamb" theme because we knew it, along with the spring green color scheme, is how Carrie decorated the baby's nursery. I was responsible for the overall look and feel of the party, so I started with my sketch book to gather images and ideas for the party. This made it a lot easier for my friends to picture what I had in mind. Even if you can't draw (like me), a sketch book is great for pasting in ideas and writing lists--it keeps everything together in one spot.

Make: Toy Storage

I have been looking for affordable stylish kid furniture as of late. Pamela, a mom of twin girls sent in this wonderful hi+low idea. She created a similar look of the more expensive storage unit with a rolling bench from IKEA. The bench has shelves in the back and is a great foil for toy storage. The addition of minimal decals add just the right touch.

Swingin' is Cool

I'm excited that we will have "mosaic" projects coming soon where we'll feature photo montages and group projects by the Designing Moms. And speaking of photos...Designing Mom Jenn sent over a pic of her adorable Grace taking it easy on the swings. What a nice way to transition into the weekend!

Now I know all of you out there have some GREAT, silly, fun photos taken on the fly. So send them on over... we'll post them up on Fridays for everyone to ogle!

Happy Friday and weekend everyone...

Our Lists: Paper Dress Children's Art

Here is another one for our list of Children's Art. I absolutely love the work of artist Jennifer Collier. From little paper shoes to paper dresses made from re-purposed tea bags and pages of vintage books, you can order these framed or unframed for hanging on the wall.

Make: Matching Cards

What a delight to hear from a reader, Arlyna, about her creative business A Closet and her project of making these whimsical matching cards (inspired by Designing Mom Jackie's domino project)! Though she says it was her first time using modge podge, she looks like she's an old pro already. Check out her full project and life with twins on her blog. Thank you for sharing with us Arlyna!

Shop: Maine and Manor

Johanna wrote me about her paper good biz named Maine and Manor and I just fell in love with her fun, mod notes for kids (that can easily be used by adults as well). Be sure to check out her full collection here. Thanks for sharing with us Johanna!

above: this photo shows Johanna's 2 year old boy and the painting smock she made from Amy Karol's Bend the Rules Sewing pattern).

A Creative Life: Beautiful Bellies

by Designing Mom Jenn

Pregnancy is tough. Who would debate that! You feel uncomfortable, swollen, dare I say it... F-A-T ! The days crawl by and you get bigger and bigger and your clothes get smaller and smaller. And while you have a glow about you, it's hard not to feel somewhat challenged in the beauty department.

I know, I know... I hear some of you moms screaming at me about "pregnancy being the most beautiful thing in the world" but I'm a realist... and acne, vomiting and gas just don't fall into that category for me!

A few years back, long before these complaints were on my list, I was invited to an Indian wedding. It was by far and away the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. The colors of the clothes and saris, the gems, the flowers, the detail that went into every last component of the wedding. The four full days of celebrating included a henna party for the ladies, the night before the wedding. While the bride received her traditional full hand, arm and feet henna, all the guests were also invited to partake and we got smaller, but no less amazing, tattoos of swirly flowers and paisleys... every last inch of our hands were covered with rich, painstakingly detailed designs that left a temporary tan-like tattoo for a few weeks.

This event made me hungry for more, and later that year when I turned 30, I decided to have an Indian-inspired birthday celebration - allowing all of us to dress the part with colorful Indian saris and, of course, henna tattoos.

I searched long and hard, and found a truly incredible local henna artist named Darcy to decorate my hands, and all of my friends too. We went to her loft before the party to get our henna in advance, but I also hired her to attend the party so that all of our guests could enjoy her work as well. There was no one left without her markings... men and women alike all were excited to adorn their body with this colorful, and temporary art!

This was the invite I designed for the party:

Here are a few pics taken that night (me with my dad + some of our henna):

I was on Darcy's site this morning, taking a peek at her latest creations (which I often do for inspiration!) and I saw a new category in her portfolio; Pregnant Bellies! I was floored - and so excited - and it made me want to get pregnant again immediately, just so I could have a new canvas for her work. Darcy's work is so incredible and rich and celebrates all the beauty of your pregnant belly. No matter how uncomfortable you're feeling this is sure to go a long way to making you feel better on the inside and out!

Darcy Vasudev Henna Lounge
www.hennalounge.com
tel: 415.215.6901

Here are some of Darcy's incredible works of henna art:

Shop: Sidewalk Sale

Aya wanted to add from last week's post (about fab children's interiors) that Lotus Bleu is having a Summer Sidewalk sale every Friday in the month of June to the tune of 60-80% off.
If you're in the Bay Area be sure to stop by!

Shop: Apak Studio

I love the work of Austrailian husband and wife team Aaron and Ayumi of Apak Studio. If you want a change of pace from the safari elephant-giraffe-lion scene, then you'll love their illustrations that come in form of goccos and notecards. I cannot get over how great that sloth print is! Click here to get these in notecard form.

Decorate: Lotus Bleu

By Designing Mom Aya

One of my very favorite stores in San Francisco, Lotus Bleu, just gave its website an update. I love this store for their wonderful collection of home accessories including a French company Robert Le Héros whom textile designs are to die for! But what I wanted to share is their Interior Design service section. Look how cute these baby and kid rooms are! So colorful and playful. Lots of great ideas for decorating rooms for little ones.
Baby Boy room from Liberty Hill




Baby Girl room by Liberty Hill



Boy's Bedroom by Richmond Modern Edwardian



Girl's Bedroom by Richmond Modern Edwardian