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It’s always hard to say goodbye to summer but back to school shopping definitely makes the transition a little easier. As crafters we are suckers for fun supplies and there have never been as many cute options as there are now. To save you from the overwhelming number of choices, we’ve scoured all the best sites to bring you our favorite pieces. We won’t judge if you save a few for yourself.

1. Forget about initials, this cotton backpack from omy is completely customizable. 2D coloring is so last year.

2. Let your kids make a statement with these retro pennant patches from Meri Meri.

3. No lying necessary to make this Pinnochio’s nose grow. You can get your own storybook sharpener from Monkey Business.

4. What better way to hold your pencils than in a giant pencil? Meta in the best way. Via Amazon

5.  Let your kids get crafty by making their own DIY erasers with this cool kit from Creatibles.

6. Sandwiches will be safe in this ZIPIT lunchbox whose hard shell will prevent smushing, (and sharp teeth will prevent stealing).

7. Not only is this composition book from Yoobi super cheery, but for every Yoobi item bought, another item will be donated to a U.S. classroom in need. Win win.

8. Your kids are guaranteed to keep track of their pencils when they’re personalized. We may need a Project Kid set or two.  Personalized pencils from Lillian Vernon.

9. Cheeky snack boxes from Flying Tiger are sure to be spark lunch table chatter.

10. Help your kids get in the habit of hydrating with these pink and teal water bottles from Target.

11. Keep your kids’ library in its place with these adorable book ends from the Land of Nod.

12. Make sure all their supplies find their way back home with personal stickers. Minted has tons of adorable options that are all dishwasher, microwave, and washing machine safe!

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You know when you work on something so intensely and then it takes a year to come out so you have to hold onto images for fear of giving it all away too soon?

I’m so excited to show you this awesome Klutz book I worked on called, Make Mini Pinatas! I’ve styled Klutz books before, but this was the first one that I developed from its inception, crafted the projects, and worked with the super-talented Klutz team to source all of the materials for the kit.

Klutz makes such a great product—a craft book with the materials included—that makes the perfect birthday gift. It’s so satisfying for parents to be able to buy something that requires no additional materials.

Here are some of my favorite photos, but seriously, you have to get the book to see how easy it is to make these!

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As a New Yorker without a backyard, there’s no such thing as too many house (er apartment) plants. Greenery automatically gives a room good energy, but why stop there? Add a few extra smiles to your space by crafting planters with personality. All you need are a couple of household supplies you probably already have on hand – maybe even trying to get rid of. That half empty can of chartreuse spray paint that you never found another use for may be the perfect shade for a silly face. 

What you’ll need:

• Empty cans of various sizes (depending on your plants and/or canned food preferences)
• Spray paint
• Colored Duct Tape
• Parchment or wax paper
• Scissors

1. Take off the label and clean out the can. (Use a hammer and nail to make three holes on the bottom for drainage if you are not planting succulents like I did!)
2. Spray-paint your can(s). Let dry. 
3. Adhere tape strips to parchment paper to make cutting the features easier. 
4. Create your funny face planter by sticking features onto the can!

Bonjour, mes amis! If you follow along on Instagram, you may know that I spent the last month in France with my husband and two kiddos. Michael and I both live the freelance life, so we realized that if we don’t take advantage of this freedom that we have, then what’s the point of all this next-gig and health-insurance stress?

So after 28 days of baguettes, sunflowers, Ed Sheeran sing-a-longs (we spent long hours in the car and he became our go-to soundtrack), chocolate croissants, and free-range country escapades, I can’t get the joie de vivre of France of my head!

So here’s a little love-letter to France, in the form of craft. Stay tuned for more posts on our adventures in the coming weeks!

1.
Is it wrong that I want to dress my daughter like Madeline all the time? Maybe I’ll be reasonable and wait till Halloween to try out Making Nice in the Midwest‘s adorable costume version.

2.

Bisou-bisou; kiss-kiss. It’s hard to get used to the double-kiss, but then it’s hard to forget it too! If I could make this awesome balloon installation fromMartha Stewart Weddings permanent on my wall, I totally would.

3.

It’s hard to get more patriotic than these French flag goodie bags from Oh Happy Day. Fill clear pouches with red, white, and blue jelly beans, tie on a paper Eiffel Tower and voilà!

4.

French desserts that will stay fresh, and help preserve your memories too! How cute are these macaron-photo holders from A Kailo Chic Life?

5.

Is there anything more nostalgic than air mail? My Poppet shows you how to turn an empty cereal box into a giant french envelope perfect for saving photos, love notes, or paper souvenirs.

6.

These cheery clay magnets from Cakies embrace the bold profiles of Paris’s best looking buildings. Perfect for holding up trip photos (or giving grocery lists a little pizzaz).

7.

Scent is the ultimate memory jogger and, while I save up for the next plane ticket, I’ll use a lavender sachet to transport me to the French countryside. These are an easy sewing project for little hands so my kids can make them with me. (via Pink Pistachio)

8.

If you ask my kids about their favorite part of Paris they’ll definitely say the carousels! It seemed like there were play structures everywhere we went, especially the classic French carousels. This mini version from Oh Happy Day has all the charm of the real thing, it even spins!

9.

Made by Joel gives you another way to embrace little landmarks. With his free printables you can literally carry the city in your pocket and re-create your memories wherever you go.

10.

It’s hard to leave Paris without scooping up at least a few little Eiffel Towers. The iconic souvenir comes in all sizes, which makes it the perfect material for all sorts of nostalgic crafts. Add a little blue and red glitter for Paris in a jar. (via Pinterest)

Or, add hooks for super simple earrings like these from Hello Glow.

And what’s more French than an Eiffel Tour + a tart tin? Glue them together and add a coat of spray paint to make a nostalgic trinket dish (featured at the top of the post).

Thank you VTech for sponsoring this post. Check out the VTech VM342 Video Monitor with Wide-Angle Lens and Standard Lens to keep an eye on your little one!

I’m at the stage where most of my closest friends have had their babies, so when Jane, my frousin (friend AND cousin-in-law), announced that she was pregnant, I was elated! First because, obviously, we’d have a new baby doll to love and play with, and second because I knew I’d get to throw her a shower. (Little fact…I set up Jane and her husband Micah, my husband’s first cousin. Jane and I worked together at Parents magazine and now she’s the Editor-in-Chief of Junior Scholastic magazine.)

Jane is definitely not the traditional baby-blue booties or pale-pink pacifier type, so my co-hosts and I knew that we wanted a more modern baby shower experience for her. So we…

• …invited the men! Child-rearing is not just the momma’s job, so why shouldn’t the dudes get to enjoy the yummy party food and the shower of love?
• …colored it neon! For as long as I’ve known Jane, one of her defining characteristics is her impeccable taste and ahead-of-the-curve style. Baby blue and butter yellow (they’re having a boy!) was not going to fly, so we went with brights!
• …designed our own shower traditions!

When I had my son, I loved how my seasoned parent-friends gave me all of their favorite books, so on the invite we asked the guests to each bring an unwrapped book to start this little guy’s library. At the door, everyone placed their book in a cute little book caddy that Jane and Micah got to take home.

In addition to the classics that friends and family brought, we also wrote our own collective baby book for Baby SommBaum (a combo of their last names!). Here were the instructions at the book-writing station:

1. Pick a word from the bag.
2. Write and illustrate your page of the book using that word. You don’t have to draw the word, but the word must appear in the text.
3. ONE RULE! You can only look at the ONE PAGE preceding yours.
4. Write your name(s) on the top line.
5. Draw in the blank space.
6. Write text on the lines.

Friends mingled about and took turns illustrating and writing their pages. (I promise to do a post on the final board book once it’s done!)

And then of course, it was gift opening time! In between each gift, we went around the room and offered advice to the parents-to-be…either advice as a parent or advice from having parents (there were some childless friends in the room). It was a sweet, and often laughter-inducing, way to give our friends a personal intro into parenthood.

In addition to cuddly lovies, cute onesies, and awesome books, I got to give Jane and Micah a gift that kept me sane through my kids’ babyhood…a VTech VM342 Video Monitor with Wide-Angle Lens and Standard Lens.

This well-designed monitor doesn’t sacrifice style for functionality, and there is nothing more comforting than knowing you can always have eyes and ears on your little ones, even when you’re not in the room. Most VTech baby monitors come with up to 1,000 feet of range, so you can be downstairs in your kitchen blending carrots and mashing bananas, while still hearing, seeing, and even being able to talk back to your baby from right where you are. And that gift is priceless!

Now I’m ready for more shower action…wedding, baby, I’ll take whatever I can get!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.