Apparently time moves really quickly once you have your baby (that’s what everyone is telling me), so it’s definitely important to capture what you can. Here are some of my favorite baby portrait-makers…
Mila’s mom illustrates her versions of her daughter’s dreams in photographs while Mila is sleeping. The results are hilarious and so clever. Check out her blog, Mila’s Daydreams.
Gabby from Design Mom had her 6th (uh huh, 6!) baby (sweet little Flora June) and had these amazing portraits made by Blue Lily Photography. Check out the others here.
If you live in Atlanta and you want portraits of your baby, toddler, cat, or family, here is your photographer. Traci Gingold has a very natural style—she follows your child’s lead and captures beautiful, sweet, interesting moments.
If you want a fun way to document the first 12 months of your baby’s life, buy a 4 x 3 foot Stendig calendar and lay/sit him in the center. Found via Ohdeedoh.
I’ve always been obsessed with the Real Simple paper constructionist, Matthew Sporzynski. David Brownings, an illustrator living in Bristol, has a similar talent with a little twist. Here’s a sample of his work…
These are described on his site as boxes, but I’m not sure if they are usable or just amazingly cool.
How cool are Flora Grubb‘s Vertical Gardens? You can build your own for the bargain price of $100. It’s looks like a living painting. Found via Oh Happy Day!
These gumball-sized seed-and-soil pods are sold specific to the United States region of your choice. So you can buy the West coast, East coast, or Midwest variety. Just toss them into your garden, no digging required. $6 at Anthropologie.
A true mobile garden. This light-weight portable bag enables you to go from terrace to rooftop, from one address to another, rotating crops year-round. It may seem silly, but how lovely would it be to safely transplant your veggie garden to your new home! From A + R Store.
Sip a glass of rosé on your porch next to your chilled out human-shaped planter by Eternit. Found on Trendir.
If you are planning a party, I recommend stopping first at one of these three sites. They are full of amazing ideas and gorgeous photos. They make me want to be a party planner!
Sara’s Party Perfect (formerly Party Perfect Blog) is my first stop when I need event inspiration. Her new site has categories—Parties for Kids, Parties for Grown-Ups, and Inspiration and Sources. Even before she kindly featured The Violet Hours (here and here), I was a big-time fan.
New to the party scene is Hip, Hip Hooray!. From the creative minds behind Simple Song, this site focuses strictly on kiddy parties. And it’s SO good.
Catch my Party is a photo sharing website that also has a blog component. You can upload your party pics to share with friends and the public, and it’s a great place to fish for ideas.
Did anyone see this genius use of cupcake liners in the Good Things section (my fave) of the August issue of Martha? It then sent me on a quest to find other cupcake liner uses…
Better Homes & Gardens did a similar thing as above, just with a different purpose. Here the paper liner becomes the top of a gift wrap (although I’m not sure I’d drop jewelry in a clear cup to give as a gift…perhaps it’s better as a party favor. Fill a cup with bright jellybeans and top with a colorful cupcake liner.).
I’ve seen a million garlands made from this material, but this one is different since it’s interspersed with circles of vintage fabric. This garland was a lovely collaboration of Simple Suppers and 100 Layer Cake; Find a tutorial on 100 Layer Cake.
I love how light and airy this cupcake tree is, made from white cupcake liners. It could be more kid-like if done in color: the trunk could be brown, and the majority of the tree could be green with colored spots for ornaments. By Sweet Paul.
Just saw this adorable craft on Design Mom that Jennifer from Cup of Coco made for her child’s room. It’s made totally from wool felt and the little pieces are stick to the board with velcro.
Her details are incredible…don’t miss the little airplanes flying above! What a fun way for kids to learn geography!
I’m so excited to be participating in Ikea’s Organize Your Living, Organize Your Life public exhibit! If you live in the New York area, come check out the FREE two-day public exhibit to showcase surprising new ways to improve life at home with inspirational organizational solutions that are smart, easy and affordable.
I’m giving a seminar on Friday, July 16th at 11am about how to decorate and organize the master bedroom. Hope to see you there!
There was a sadness in the house yesterday when the 2010 World Cup ended, but a great joy that Spain won (my husband Michael won his pool!!). His niece and nephew were in town and helped generate a playful (and crafty) spirit!
Quinn (age 10) had an idea of making a robot-like Spain mascot, so we cobbled together some materials for Alejandro (Jordan, age 12, named him that).
Head and body = cardboard boxes, hat = jar lid, eyes = corks, mouth = round box top, arms = twisted grocery bags, talk bubble = paper on a piece of garden wire, legs = golf clubs, feet = Michael’s soccer cleats.
Alejandro was a hit at our small World Cup gathering, and I swear, Spain couldn’t have won without him.
I served gazpacho in my alphabet cups, and our friends brought over a delicious tortilla espanol and gambas al ajillo (garlic shrimp). A bueno time was had by all!
Every kid loves a good puppet—hand puppets, finger puppets, puppet theaters.
I made this little finger puppet from a paper coin roll. Her skirt is a wide ribbon bunched and glued at the waist, and her shirt and face are just cut paper. And her feet, my favorite part, are jellybellies. I know, there is not longevity in sugar as feet, but I had them on hand and they make me laugh. (This would be a really fun birthday party craft!)
Every puppeteer needs a theater. Use a cereal or cracker box as the structure and download the curtains and characters from Bloesum Kids.
Every time I see these hand puppets by Cate & Levi at the gift shows, I fall in love. They are made from reclaimed sweaters and no two are alike.
