Bring on the Toys

As any mother of a toddler can relate, the endless desire to find a storage solution for the growing collection of toys will make you crazy! I've used plastic tubs, baskets, bags... all of which I can't stand looking at. The backs of my sofas and chairs are now hiding places for eyesores. Today, however, I came across Mod Mom Furniture. This California mom's modern, handcrafted, eco-friendly toy boxes are so hip, you'll want to host playdate every week!




For ordering and/or a list of retailers visit ModMomFurniture.com


Photos courtesy of ModMomFurniture

Etsy Love

If you have never checked out Etsy, you really should. It will change your life (or at least the way you shop). Etsy.com is "an online marketplace for buying and selling all things handmade". It is a wonderful wonderful place, and I spend far too much of my precious free time browsing through all of it's amazing handmade goodies.
Here are a few of my current faves:


Little Forest Organic Blanket by GreenThreadShop


Wool Felt Butterfly Delight Lampshade in Cream by MIXKO


Small Tote (Mushroom Spore Print in Turquoise) by willywaw


Coriander in Pink Maryjane Baby Shoes by GraciousMay

Happy Shopping.

Blu Dot for Urban Outfitters

Okay, so maybe I'm a little behind the times, because Oh Joy posted about this on the 10th, but I was just browsing the Urban Outfitters website and fell in love with their new line of furniture by Blu Dot called "+oo™ by Blu Dot for UO". There are 7 pieces so far, and my favorites are definitely the "In a Pinch Chair"

and the "Tripod Side Table" in Yellow.

Take a look at their website to view the whole collection.

Photos courtesy of Urban Outfitters.

Celebrating in Style

We celebrated my daughter's 1st birthday on the weekend, and judging by how much fun she had, I would say it was a huge success. I only wish I had taken a few more photos of the decorations. But, these will have to do...





I made the cupcakes using this recipe, which I found via the wonderful blog 52 Cupcakes. They were surprisingly easy to make, and very yummy.

The cupcake toppers were pretty easy as well. I just created a simple design on the computer and printed it out onto some patterned paper. Then, I cut them out and glued them onto toothpicks.
Voila!



To read more about the prep work I did for the party click here.

The Wanderous

Ashley North (my husband's adorable, sharp-witted, bohemian cousin) wrapped up her Houston visit today and is off to Austin. Ashley is on a 2 month road trip in which she will overnight in 18 cities and explore 5 more. She is photographing, interviewing, and blogging about food, art, and local culture. Check out her website here.

Not Your Mother's DIY Magazine

If you want to make it, eat it, buy it, organize it, you're bound to locate it here!

Getting Ready

With my daughter's first birthday just two days away, I have turned into a crafting machine. I am making a paper 'Happy Birthday' banner, which I started assembling yesterday.


I also purchased Martha Stewart's Tissue Paper Pom-Pom Kit, and will be hanging the pom-poms from the ceiling. I will be making her cupcakes from scratch (please wish me luck on that one), and am making cupcake toppers from the same paper that I used for the banner.


I also made her a birthday onesie (that's my design, above). When I told my husband what I was doing, he said "Don't they sell pre-made 'first birthday' outfits?". I just looked at him and said, "Do you even know me? Of course I HAVE to make it myself!". It's just way too much fun.

I'm going for a casual, summer garden-party vibe. Hopefully it turns out - I will post pictures once we have everything set up.
Wish me luck!

Seriously Good Cookies

Image courtesy of Aunt Gussie's

So, I stopped by the grocery store yesterday to pick up dessert for a BBQ that my husband was hosting. I was looking for some simple cookies that would go well with fruit. Pretty much everything in the bakery was frosted or sprinkled in one way or another, so I grabbed a package of sugar free lemon cookies (made with spelt, no less), and held my breath that they wouldn't taste like cardboard.
Well, it turns out that these Aunt Gussie's Naturally Delicious cookies are just that! They are crisp and sweet with the perfect hint of lemon. They were wonderful with fruit and coffee, but I bet they would taste even better with vanilla ice cream!
When I checked out their website, I found that they offer a wide variety of sugar free, spelt and gluten free cookies, plus crackers too. Definitely worth a try!