Star power
'Tis the season for lots of neighborhood parties and gatherings, and you know what that means--lots of hostess gifts . I have a closet dedicated to "cutesy gifts gone bad," like dozens of fancy soaps. (I'm a pump dispenser girl.) Persona…
Topic
holiday decorations
Making a holiday table look like a holiday table
I know that starting tomorrow I will admire my family members' beautifully adorned holiday tables and think I should really do more with mine. And then I will start virtually shopping online for gorgeous linens and flatware and other pre…
Designing ornaments for kids. And charity. And Etsy. And because it's awesome.
If you're an artist, a wannabe artist, or even an artist-in-training, we sure hope you'll enter our Color Your Own paper holiday ornament design contest that we're putting on with the fine folks at Etsy . All it takes is your design for …
Gorgeous printables: some free, some just free for Cool Mom Picks readers
I made a huge withdrawal from the Crafty Mom Bank on Halloween, when I decided to make a Big Bird costume for my daughter by hand. Turns out even a mini bird requires a lot of faux feathers. So I've been ever-so-slightly grinchlike when …
Custom ornaments that are about as cool as it gets
My daughter has signed on to the idea of Christmas early. Not "early" like prodigy-early; I mean early like she discovered a teensy faux Christmas tree in our garage this summer and has been diligently decorating it for the past three mo…
An advent calendar for your artistic holiday spirit
As December nears, my house is ready to to become a big, kid-friendly fun house of colored blinky lights and tinsel. With three kids, I know what to expect and have given in to All Things Christmas. Except I've just seen the most beautif…
Holiday cocktail napkins that say it all
This year I'll be on crutches trying to pull together the perfect holiday meal, which I've already realized is going to have to be super "good enough." So, I've decided I should focus on cocktails, and lots of them. These fun cocktail na…
6 cool, easy, last minute Halloween craft projects
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, and it's certainly one of my kids' too. But with all the costume-wrangling and candy-buying and party-coordinating, I suddenly realize I have yet to hang so much as a fake spiderweb on my front d…
Martha Stewart: Now encouraging spider webs.
Yes, she's usually the one holding the antique French albino ostrich duster while explaining that it's a good thing to keep spiders out of your house with handmade pomanders. But now Martha Stewart is actually encouraging you to have win…
Web coolness - Pumpkin decorating, mobile making, Barbie zombifying
Here are some things we've liked reading around the web this week. We hope you will too. No-carve pumpkin decorating ideas from Amy Atlas. Sign us up! On momformation, Kristen shares an awesome coloring book that doubles as a babysitter.…
Ceramic Christmas ornaments and other bits of loveliness
We fell in love with Paloma's Nest last year when we first featured this Austin artist's ceramic Christmas ornaments in our holiday gift guide . (Speaking of which - our 2009 guide should be out next week. Whoo!) We were so blown away by…
Cool Advent Calendar Ideas? Reader Q&A
I have a pretty wooden advent calendar/box with little doors that my boys use to count down the days until Christmas but I always have trouble finding cute items to put inside. Any ideas? -Kristin The advent calendar is the first thing m…
Eco Christmas stockings - Surely Santa would approve
In our family, Christmas stockings have always been a really important aspect of our family tradition. Even on years we skip the tree for whatever reason, those stockings just make the house feel festive and fun. So I really love seeking…
Make your own holiday ornaments - so awesome
If you're looking to knock off a half-dozen of teacher gifts or cousin gifts or classmate gifts in one fell swoop, I love the idea of the holiday ornament kit from CMP fave, Thomas Claire . This wonderful mom-run company will hook you up…
Personalized Hanukkah plates knock one of those eight gifts off your list
Sure my son's friends get monogrammed Christmas stockings, but he can enjoy eating his latkes off one of these personalized Hanukkah plates , by Lima Bean Kids. These pink or blue melamine dishes feature a sweet menorah design with the n…
Nativity set for children? Reader Q&A
My mom would like to get my 14 month old daughter a wooden nativity set for Christmas--something she can actually play with but something sturdy, cute, and made to last. - Cara It's funny you should ask this Cara, because I was just look…
Gorgeous, affordable holiday gifts with one catch - have to order them now.
Is it too early to start thinking Christmas gifts yet? Well, not if you have your eye on something from one of our favorite Etsy shops, the mom and daughter-run The Brick Kiln . There's so much here that makes for charming, affordable ho…
Deck the walls with pretty things
With certain types of decor, your standard glittery, tinsel-y holiday trimmings just don't fit. They're festive, sure, but sometimes you just need something simple, something sophisticated. Something cool. For those occasions, think we'v…