In further developments regarding the quest to free my daughter's room from licensed characters, I've discovered custom name wall art from City Art Photography . Each letter is a unique original photograph taken of individual letters for…
We make plenty of jokes around here about the "Martha Moms," mainly because in our heart of hearts, we wish we could count ourselves among those crafty mamas who hand appliqué their children's sippy cups and make their own compact fluore…
My four-year-old loves all things outer space, and these cool retro rocket prints by CMP fave, John W. Golden will provide the perfect inspiration should he daydream of traveling to an outer galaxy. With names like The Solar Streak and R…
As a bona fide word nerd, I was instantly taken with the name The Regional Assembly of Text , although I had no idea what it meant. (Sort of ironic if you think about it, huh.) As it turns out, this Vancouver-based online shop curated by…
I am staring at the spectacular Bathtime Wrap from Beverly Hills-based Petite Miette and once again I am smacking myself on the head and thinking now why did I not think of this first? Instead of wrapping a baby up in a cumbersome bathro…
If you find manilla, vanilla, add International Arrivals to your bookmarks and check out their modern assortment of file folders, journals, photo albums, and organizational accessories that make a walk through the aisles of Staples seem …
I always admire parents who aren't afraid to go a little dark with their nursery decor. And by dark I don't mean Gashlycrumb Tinies prints up on the wall, but something besides the pastel pinks and blues and yellows that the entire indus…
The artwork from San Francisco (by way of Brazil) artist Vera Costa of Sillydot is pretty much made for Nursery Decorating 101 - ten sets of three sweet, happy designs, each of which look great mixed, matched, or anything in between. The…
I've never equated cleaning my house with achieving zen, but while using Posies Cleaning Products , I can at least take some deep calming breaths while I mutter and scrub. Posies were created by self-proclaimed clean freak and lover of a…
Personalized items make spectacular baby gifts because it shows you've gone an extra mile beyond the burp cloth sets, beyond the registry essentials. The one catch is, the gift can't be returned. The pressure is on! I can't imagine a sin…
If you're having trouble keeping up with the Joneses then you'll want to snatch up a copy of White Trash Mom , a veritable guilt-free school mom's tome from authors Michelle Lamar and Molly Wendland . Don't let the title scare off you ur…
The most thoughtful cards are ones you make yourself, I suppose, if you have any sort of artistic ability. If you want a card with a smudged scribble and some glitter on it, I could probably manage that. But when I want to send the very …
I can't even believe my household has entered the phase of Nooooo that's MY plate! I'm not sure exactly what makes my daughter think a certain piece of dishware is hers besides the fact that her sister touched it first, but I'm going to …
I am definitely, undoubtedly, google-ably on the record as having some issues with expensive toddler jeans. I was never quite sure why you'd shell out $110 on some mass produced, made-in-China jeans just because it had a name brand label…
I have been smitten with the beautiful cut-paper illustrations from Brooklyn artist Ida Pearle since I first discovered her custom artwork in a local boutique and nabbed a print for the new baby of my BFF. Her work has since become one o…
Want to add an air of permanence to your child's library? And want to call that stack of chewed books in the corner of her room a library? Here's how: Bookplates. If you're a Cool Mom Picks newsletter subscriber, you were just introduced…
As my daughter gets older and more capable of making bigger messes, we're giving her more responsibilities. That means making her bed, clearing her plate, and yes, even writing her own thank-you notes. Granted, she can't exactly write an…
I used to love going out to eat, knowing that I had no role whatsoever in the preparation or clean-up. These days, with three kids and a diaper bag in tow , in the time it takes for a single sip of wine and a quick glimpse of the menu, s…
Considering everything belonging to my daughter is now also her little bro's, it's no wonder she's become a bit territorial about her bedroom. But trying to find a room sign that I'd actually want to hang on her door is a whole other sto…
I cannot tell you how many times my husband has busted through the door after a long day of work only to singlehandedly wake up the baby who I just got to sleep. Talk about grounds for divorce. Too bad I didn't have the Awake & Asleep fr…
I realize that unless someone actually sent me a gift after my babies arrived, then technically speaking, the thank-you should come from the baby - hence all the cutesy thank you cards. But I figure that since I'm the one writing out the…
There's no shortage of books and videos and instructional websites out there for moms - to-be. But when something is available specifically for dads , it's generally absurdly goofy or some very serious cue-the-after-school-special-music …
With my daughter starting school for the first time this month (we do things early in the south), she's super excited about every little thing -- plain old #2 pencils, generic brand crayons, and her regular backpack. I can only imagine w…
If you click over to Design Mom today, you'll see the most outstanding collection of items ever put together for a blogger silent auction, all to help the family of blogger, mom of four, and indie artisan supporter Stephanie Nielson of N…