Waiting for the Tooth Fairy

Now that R. is in kindergarten and some of her older classmate are starting to lose their baby teeth, the Tooth Fairy has become a popular topic in our household. I never had a "Tooth Fairy Pillow" when I was little, but they abound in various designs and colors now. I like the simplest ones best, so I'm leaning towards purchasing this Tooth Fairy Pillow ($28) by Ouef to have at the ready when R's big day arrives. Soft and sweet and made of 100% pima cotton, this friendly molar-shaped friend has a pocket in back where the Tooth Fairy will make the important exchange. I got a quarter for my first lost tooth in 1979- can anyone tell me what the going rate is now?!

p.s. If you're having trouble with the link above (I am), go to your web browser and type in www.oeufnyc.com, and you'll see the pillow.

Brilliant (but Back-ordered) at Boden

I spotted this fabulous flowered clutch ($128) and silver jewelled sandals ($98) in the recent Boden catalog. They're gorgeous so I'm not surprised they're already backordered! If you'd like to treat yourself, check back in a few weeks to see if they're back in stock at Boden.

Wellspring Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to DEBIJOT, who wrote, "These are lovely." Please e-mail me to claim your prize.

Stay tuned for another personalized giveaway next week!

Yo You for You

These customized Wooden Yo-Yos are a surefire conversation piece as a gift or party favor. They can be customized with any name, logo, or artwork, and cost $4.60 each with a minimum order of 10. Made from hardwood here in the U.S.A. Buy them at Heirloom Wooden Toys.

Voile-a!

I've spotted two sets of voile bedding recently that I think are really beautiful. Pictured at top: Ruched Voile Duvet Cover and Sham by Pottery Barn ($199 for full/queen duvet, $39 for standard sham). Pictured at bottom: Parachute Duvet Cover and Sham by West Elm ($99 for full/queen duvet, $19 for standard sham). Don't these look like inviting places to sleep?

Word Play

I am always happy to discover a toy that both my kindergartner and my 2-year-old enjoy. Such is the case with their new WordWorld Bucket Barn Set, a big set of Lego-like pieces that kids use to build and rebuild a farm scene (while spelling out new words, whether they realize it or not). R. is expertly creating words with letter blocks and S. is enjoying putting other pieces together to make funny farm characters. And I am happy it comes with a roomy bucket for storage of all 49 pieces. My kids have seen Word World on TV before, but even those kids who haven't will enjoy this toy. It's available for $69.99 at Amazon.com.

The Elegant Writer

I meant to post this for Valentine's Day and missed the boat, but I think it's a beautiful gift any time of year. The red locked diary by Graphic Image is very high quality (I've ordered Graphic Image products before). The cover is goatskin leather and the acid-free, lined archival pages have elegant gold leafing. The gold monogramming makes it pretty much perfect. $94 at Fine Stationery.

MyMomShops Giveaway: Wellspring Stationery

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED.

I discovered stationery/gift company Wellspring at the recent New York International Gift Fair, and fell for their "Blanc Noir" collection of black & white paper products. These made stylish, sleek gifts for your friends (or yourself) and I love how you can coordinate an entire set for yourself.



Today's giveaway includes the following three products (with your initial of choice, of course) from Wellspring:

Initial Flip Notes ($10). This is one of Wellspring's best-sellers. They are perfect, pocket-sized notes-on-the-go; each spring-loaded monogrammed case has a blank white notepad and coordinating retractable pen inside. No need to fish for a piece of paper anymore!

Gift Sets ($10). Handy to keep at your desk or by the phone, each ribbon-wrapped gift set contains one large and one small note pad. Choose any of the Blanc Noir patterns.


Initial Notecards ($8). You can never have enough personalized stationery, in my opinion. These look so smart. Includes 8 cards and envelopes.

Like these looks? Browse more stationery products at Wellspring.

More Laughs

I got a chuckle out of these onesies I spotted on a recent visit to Ibiza Kids in Greenwich Village. Pictured at top is Wry Baby's "Ask Me About My Compost Pile" gift set ($48, includes onesie, organic baby shampoo and body lotion). Next, these No Habla onesies for $28, by Very Excellent Baby. Cute baby gifts!

Delicious Baby Gift

I've given some of these cupcake onesie gift sets at new baby gifts, and they are a hit. Each 0-6 month onesie (your choice of pink, blue, or yellow) is rolled up to look like a cupcake and is decorated with a removable applique such as a fruit or flower. They arrive gift-ready in "bakery" boxes. Prices start at $19.95 for a box of 2 onesies (and up to $49.95 for a box of 6) at Wishing Fish.

Piece Yourself Together

Our affliate Frecklebox.com continues to impress me with their array of fun, personalized gifts for kids, including books, placemats, and, now, puzzles. There are 11 puzzle designs available- the "pigeons" one shown at top is my favorite. The 20-piece puzzles feature your little one's name and cost $12.95. At this price, this makes a unique and affordable birthday gift, sibling gift, or even a party favor if your budget is larger. Visit Frecklebox.com (click on "Personalized Gifts" and then "Puzzles").

Enter promo code "FEBPUZ" at checkout to receive 15% off your entire order at Frecklebox.com. Valid through Friday, February 27th only!

Say What You Feel

Pressa Russa is an Etsy shop I have had bookmarked for some time now. Their tongue-in-cheek stationery gives me a good laugh. These are some of my favorites (stationery sets of 6 cards cost about $15.50). Consider sending them if you dare! Oh, and they're letterpressed, too. Hooray!

Big Deals at the Land of Nod

I found some super deals at the winter clearance sale at The Land of Nod. Take a look:

Kids IPOD Multi Block Speaker Dock (reduced to $29 from $59):


Kids Cardboard Chairs (Set of 2) (reduced to $24.95 from $69):


Modern Dollhouse plus Furniture (reduced to $79 from $179):


Check out more clearance items (up to 80% off!) at The Land of Nod.

15% off Anita G. at CWD Kids

This year, I'm looking for every discount possible when purchasing my kids' spring clothing. I just ordered this Anita G. outfit for R. from the CWD Kids catalog. I used coupon code "CFTBW1" which gets you 15% off any Anita G. items through midnight tonight (Sunday) . Before the discount, the retro daisy peasant top cost $22 and the cropped dot leggings cost $19, in sizes 4-14. R. actually picked this outfit herself and I think it's a great choice. I also got her an Anita G. hooded pink beach cover-up using the coupon (I had been looking for a plain terry short sleeve cover-up for her and this one fits the bill perfectly). Buy some discounted Anita G. clothing (quickly!) for your daughter at CWD Kids.

Princess Plates

Tired of Disney-themed dinnerware? These melamine Princess Plates by French Bull are a fun fresh arrival at Arte Bebe. Each set of square plates includes four different mod princess designs (no Cinderella here). Buy them for $32 per set at Arte Bebe.

Gift from Grandpa

Thanks to my dad for buying R. this Smocked Color-Block Sundress from Crazy 8. I fully agree that it will look so sweet on her this summer (and cool and comfy in 100% cotton jersey). Girls sizes 4-14; $19.50 at Crazy 8 (check out the coordinating barrettes and sandals, too).

A Sweet Keepsake

I really like the idea of personalized ceramics as baby keepsakes, but a lot of it is expensive. But on Etsy.com I found this very reasonable and sweet Personalized Baby Footprint Bowl for just $14. The bowl is small (4" in diameter) but would look lovely on a shelf (you can buy a little easel for it as this shop, too). You just provide the name, date, and color footprints you'd like (pink and blue are most popular but you can choose others). Each piece is made-to-order and hand-etched. Check it out at the Etsy.com shop of Elm Studios Online.

Is This For Real?

I'm not recommending this product, I'm just telling you about it because it made me laugh so hard when I saw it on T.V. When I saw the informercial for this Snuggie wearable blanket thingy with sleeves, I thought I was watching a Saturday Night Live skit (I'm sure one is forthcoming). It doesn't look so strange when the wearer is just watching T.V. like in this photo, but when they started showing people doing their chores, cooking, etc. wearing this cumbersome cape, I started to laugh. They looked like Franciscan monks or something and the people who were cooking looked like they would set themselves on fire any minute with those dangling sleeves. Could this commercial become the next generation's "Clap On, Clap Off"? If you're curious about this product, by the way (I'll stick to my nice fleece LL Bean blanket, thank you very much), check out Snuggie's website.

Shake Rattle & Roll

I've admired the baby accessories (though not necessarily the name) by Sugarbooger ORE for some time now; I spotted this new Multi-Color Peek-A-Boo Wooden Rattle in their latest catalog I picked up at the NYIGF. A very nice unisex baby shower or baby gift idea, the eco-friendly European beechwood rattle has a ring on the back for baby to hold, and has gentle jingling bells. It arrives gift-boxed, too. $16.25 at The Baby Boutique.

Chasing Fireflies More Cheaply

I love pretty much everything in Chasing Fireflies catalog- from the gorgeous dresses to the all-natural toys to the way the catalog pages are grouped thematically. In fact, in their latest spring catalog I recognize many items I have featured here already! But, I have also noticed that many of their items are wayyy marked-up. Here are just a few example:

You know those famous Em Tanner Designs plates that have been spotted on Jon & Kate plus Eight? You can buy them directly at Em Tanner Designs for $24 apiece (still not cheap); buy them instead at Chasing-Fireflies and they cost a whopping $38 each:

Similarly, Em Tanner's personalized tees cost about $34 at her own site; the price jumps all the way to $54 if you buy it from Chasing-Fireflies:

Also, Chasing Fireflies carries many trendy items that you could copy quite closely (and much more cheaply) elsewhere. Case-in-point: Chasing Fireflies' lightweight boys' hoodie which costs a hefty $44:


You can get almost the exact same hoodie (which I just bought for S. and it is great with such soft fabric!) at The Children's Place on sale right now for a mere $12.99.


Many of my readers have told me how much they love Chasing Fireflies and I agree...but in this economy, I am probably going to bargain hunt for some of their products elsewhere!

Pony Up

Ever since Carrie Bradshaw pointed out that real New York women never wear scrunchies, I have been on the lookout for more attractive options for my ever-present, in-a-rush ponytail. I am thrilled with my lovely new triple initial pony-O's from Little Bow Peep Tails (a shop with adorable hair accessories for girls...and their moms). Each one costs $7.95 and is available in either toddler or big girl/grown-up sizes, in tons of colors and fonts. A very cute mother-daughter gift! And my ponytail has never looked more stylish. Check them out at Little Bow Peep Tails.

We Believe

I wanted to send a thank-you gift to a politically-inclined friend of mine, and thought these "I Believe In..." personalized notecards from Etsy fit the bill perfectly. Inspired by our new Presidential administration, the cards celebrate "Hope", "Change", "Unity", "Progress", and, of course, "Obama." Each set of 10 cards has 2 of each design, with your choice of colored envelopes. Buy some for your own Obama-loving friends. $15 per set at the Etsy.com storefront of Inacard.

Instant Relaxation

I'm a big fan of bamboo bath accessories for a serene, spa-like vibe; this Set of 3 Bamboo Baskets from The Company Store is a super value at $38.99 (reduced from $99). Roll up some fresh white towels in the largest basket to welcome guests (I did this in our guest bathroom and it looks great). Grab this clearance item before it disappears at The Company Store.

Set up Shop

Put this on your shopping list for spring- a Cardboard Lemonade/Advice Stand by Cardboardesign. This would've been awfully fun for my kids to use (and decorate) when they sold cookies and juice for then-candidate Obama last Fall (instead, I hauled a clunky metal card table downstairs), This is perfect for spring and summer lemonade stands, or, for you Peanuts fans, a place to dispense free psychological advice. Measures 65Hx43Wx24D" and costs $79.99 at Target's Red Hot Shop.

Not Our Generation's Playmobil

Oh, I love the blogosphere. According to yesterday's New York Times, strong opinions are being posted right and left (pun intended) about one of Playmobil's newest (and undoubtedly most talked-about) sets, Security Check Point ($62 at Amazon.com). I'll keep my political opinions to myself for a change, but I'll tell you that I smiled when I read what one Amazon reviewer wrote- "I am holding out for the release of the Guantanemo (sic) Playset."

What do you think- is this toy offensive? Instructive? Something else?

Hiho Batik Giveaway Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the Hiho Batik giveaway:

Aimee K., who wrote, "I absolutely LOVE that t-shirt! It is so cute and very much M.'s style."

and

LisaNYC, who wrote, "I would love the dress!!"

Winners, please e-mail me with your name and address to claim your prize.

Happy Hearts Day

I'm not usually crazy about animal-themed nursery wall art, but this Elephants in Love print by Etsy shop Barking Bird Art strikes a sweet note, today especially! Suitable for framing, the 8 1/2 x 11 inch archival quality print features soft colors and a velvety texture. It costs $18 at Etsy.com.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! I will be away for the rest of the weekend and will post again on Tuesday.

Lands End 20% Off Sunday and Monday

Before I sign off for the holiday weekend, I wanted to let you know about a rare chance to get 20% off all your purchases (excluding overstocks) at Lands End. This Sunday, February 15th and Monday, February 16th only, you will get 20% off by using code "AMERICA" and pin number 6289. Enjoy using it! Here are some of the things you could buy:

Canvas Totes (these are also reduced an additional $5 right now- a medium tote that was $20 is now $15)

Bear Bean Bag Chair ($49.99)

Baby Girls' Smocked Poplin Dress ($34.50)


Happy Shopping this weekend at Lands End.