Sit. Speak. Shake. Breathe flame. Okay, now make the room more attractive. Go on. Good boy! You get a biscuit! Okay, so maybe it has nothing to do with the movie, and maybe it can't sit up and beg, but I saw this duck's egg blue and ivor…
You know those special areas some people have in their entryways with hooks and nooks and spots for every last mitten, bat and cleat? Well, in my house, the catch-all we have is known as the floor. Yes, I have mudroom envy. But wait! It …
Not every guy is a jewelry guy but I am in admiration of those funky types who are. Meaning, those men who can pull off the hipster dog tag or chunky ID bracelet thing; not those with the Wookie chest hair and the gold Mr. T chains. For …
The ghosts of bad desk tchotchkes of Father's Days past still haunt me: Paper weights, coffee mugs, mini voodoo dolls. Sorry Dad! Sometimes you're hard to shop for. But grandpas and new dads -- not too hard. Especially if they're sentime…
If bobblehead dolls have taught us anything, it's that adults can now play with toys in public. Hence my complete lack of shame in adoring the simple yet amazing hand-painted peg dolls from mooshoopork on Etsy. Especially the sassy pirat…
Sometimes I think I'm a 12 year-old trapped in the body of a...well nevermind. But I think that's why I such a huge fan of Paul Frank. His ubiquitous monkey, Julius, is one of the staples of the teen-hip market and now it's it's availabl…
Ses Petites Mains has been consistently one of my favorite shops for small-label, beautifully tailored girls' clothes from designer Beth Miles. And right now, you can hit their private sale --oops, did I just make it public?-- for fabulo…
I used to organize a girls night out with friends once a month, and it always started with one itty-bitty email to the group. Pretty soon though, that email had mushroomed into dozens of reply-to-all's, forwards, links to can we try this…
When my husband and I talk about taking a trip, it always goes along the same script: "How about here?" "Too expensive." "How about here?" "No good with kids." "How about here?" "Are you kidding??" "Fine, let's just go camping." And don'…
I always thought of tea towels to be completely prim and proper, but that's absolutely not the case with the gorgeous block printed tea towels at Fisk and Fern. The bright inviting designs are printed on absorbent 100% cotton which evide…
Ecard sites are no longer what they used to be, even a few years ago. I can't even imagine why anyone besides your grandma would still send those digital cards made of stock photography rosebuds and garish wedding type. Well now here's a…
Do you suppose our parents agonized so much over what kind of parents they were as we do, today? Probably not. And yet, I hate to cast aspersions on folks genuinely seeking guidance on the right way to raise little people into fabulous a…
So, aside from the cluster of dirt smears from his heels, my kid's bedroom wall is a little lackluster. And why, by the way, does he feel the need to kick his dirty little feet against the wall every night while he sleeps, anyway? I'm lo…
Imagine a land where the world's hippest Indie designers line up at your door to throw sketches at you for... whatever. Your daughter's birthday party, your best friend's shower , your "I Finally Lost the Baby Weight" champagne brunch. O…
I have accepted the whole princess thing that has definitely turned into a Princess Thing around here as of late. But I'm still having trouble embracing...you know. The princesses . The ones with the skinny waistlines and luxurious hair …
I know, I know. When you get down to it, most boys are just drawn to things with wheels and pointy teeth. In a world devoid of gender-specific toys, they would still manage to nibble a piece of cheese into the shape of a gun. But what ab…
I admit that baby mobiles never did much more for my kids than keep them entertained with their robotic songs and spinning cutesy stuffed animals. But moms-to-be hoping to get a modern bit of nursery decor out of the deal should be beggi…
My relationship with Molly Ringwald spans several decades (oh God, that's scary). From the minute she stepped into detention in The Breakfast Club to the birthday cake-eating moment on the dining room table with the cutest boy ever in Si…
We are all staunch devotees of the members-only luxury sale site, Ideeli , which has perhaps the most consistent array of high-end designer clothing and accessories at fabulous prices, along with giveaways that even we find ourselves ent…
There's a curious trend right now, a vicious but lovely circle in which interior design for adults takes inspiration from art for children, which was in turn inspired by interior design for adults. To put it succinctly, as we mentioned r…
What was my favorite Mother's Day gift ever? My TomTom, definitely, because I can get lost in a wet paper sack. But I'm lucky. Incredibly lucky. Even if my family completely forgets me this weekend, I still have a home, my health, and al…
There's a fine line between too cute and too dark, a special gray area where only the hippest fear to tread. Artist Emily Martin of TheBlackApple is there, jitterbugging in her tiny red slippers. There's something for everyone in this fa…
My husband has Mother's Day pretty easy these days since my kids are now old enough to make me a card all by themselves. But giving a card from a little baby-- aside from the little foot print signature that most parents are not brave en…
Mirror, mirror on the wall...move over. We need the wall space , because there's a new princess in town. And something tells me she's not going to be running away from a wicked witch any time soon, because she looks pretty self-reliant, …