If you're looking for a cool little holiday gift for a cool old school friend, I'm thinking this old school jigsaw puzzle might fit the bill. As in, 33 1/2 RPM old school. The Vinyl Collection Puzzle by Bob's Your Uncle is so cool for th…
This holiday season, you can do almost anything with your fancy photos: make books, cards, puzzles, even an afghan. But we found one artist putting a beautiful homemade twist on capturing your family's image, and we think this one's wort…
Between a personal blog, a paper journal, Facebook and my memory, I have plenty of places to jot down those hilarious things my kids say. The problem is, I have too many places. But mama Alexandra of the creative Kinderpendent blog has d…
When it comes to unwrapping gifts, people usually fall into two camps. Either they take their time, delicately lifting the tape and neatly folding up the paper; or they rip through the paper like a present-seeking claw machine. This pers…
I am a total Etsy junky; it's my first stop when I'm looking for cool, quirky accessories or for gifts for friends and family. I'm always particularly amazed by the beautiful handmade kids' clothing on Etsy, which is why you see so much …
I'm often of the "do it quickly" school when it comes to holiday presents --I sometimes forgo the little touches (like tags!) in favor of just getting the gifts wrapped. (And yes, we're thinking holidays already. Forgive us!) These beaut…
I'm back in town from a delicious jaunt to the Rogue Valley in southern Oregon, and I've got all the dirt on one of my favorite holiday gift companies, Harry & David . (You know, the pear people. With all the catalogs?) So here's my conf…
Doing all of my shopping online sounds like such a brilliant way to avoid a lot of the stress of the holidays, except for now, when my choices are to email a gift card , which doesn't seem very personal, or pay gigantic overnight shippin…
I'm pretty sure my Christmas list one year included a puppy, a kitten, a bunny, and The Black Stallion. I was deeply disappointed not to find any boxes with air holes under the tree, but you can get at least 3 out of 4 with these adorabl…
My quest for all things cool for babies started when a friend told me about Trumpette socks. She said all the hip Mommies in her Brooklyn Mommy's group had them. Images of moms dressed in effortlessly chic clothes with Converse sneakers …
I was in Starbucks this week--okay, a few times this week. ( What? It's Peppermint Mocha, season. ) And I was thinking about how much the people in my life like getting Starbucks gift cards over the holidays. Glancing at the display, I w…
Partridges, French hens, the splattered eggs of a dozen overactive geese. Forget 'em. If you want to say "I love you" with birds, go for the artistic, lasting beauty of paper lovebirds, another gift that gives back. Whether you'd like a …
While Christmas is drawing ever so close, I know the hostess invitations and house visits will extend well into the new year. I can't stop browsing hostess gifts , looking for something more interesting than candles or flower bouquets. I…
I was fretting to my sister that I didn't know what to get her kids, my sweet little niece and nephew, who seemingly have everything. Her response: Don't you review kids' music for Cool Mom Picks? Just get them some cool new tunes! Funny…
Don't worry, little narwhals and belugas. My kids' sticky mitts will never touch you, much less rip you to shreds to get to the booty beneath. No, my sweet blubbery friends, you are far too precious for that. Yes, I'm talking to wrapping…
Around my place, we've got a house full of practical gift giving jokers. I see the old "huge box for a teeny tiny gift" trick almost every year and humor my husband each time he does it. Well this year, pay back is going to be a you know…
If you're sick of the frantic rush of live holiday shopping but still want to take up some real estate under the tree, you need to go check out the cool stuff at Discovery Kids, the exclusive toy section of The Discovery Channel Store. I…
My daughter is obsessed with being a dentist. Yes, just like that Elf on that Rudolph video. Of course, I'm delighted and I want to encourage her, but dentist toys are a little hard to come by. Luckily, I won't have to scour the Internet…
Still looking for a few last minute gifts for the family? Clearly we're crazy, mad, marry-us-in-Vegas in love with Etsy and all the wonderful artists and crafters we've discovered there. That's why today, on Etsy's The Storque blog, we'v…
It's official. Despite best efforts, I'm in full-blown gift panic mode... but only for the men in my life. My husband, dad, and brother are all tough cookies when it comes to presents. They all have something in common, though: the love …
My daughter's first finger paintings brought tears to my eyes. "My God, she's talented!" I told my husband. I knew I was being that stereotypical overly proud parent, but her use of color was so unexpected. Really! There is something so …
I'm still poking around etsy these days for some last-minute stocking stuffers, although in my world, 9 days til Christmas is far from last-minute. CMP fave Dana Marie Hosler of GreenStarStudio always has something nifty and new, and tod…
When I was little, getting useful gifts was always a huge bummer. Then again, my Great Aunt Hilda usually went for the half-price, open-package soap-and-undies combo pack at KMart. True story: One time, they even had World's Best Love r …
One year, I got my mom an electronic photo album for her holiday gift . Well, that was a flop. She told me she really wanted a regular photo book of her grandkids, just like I gave her the year before. But, I like to complicate things! S…