Memorial Day Weekend

You know how certain photographs never leave your mind? This one has stuck with me since 2007. It is from The New York Times, and the caption reads:

"A Peaceful Moment Before Going Off To War": Pfc. Robert DuBose feeds his 5-month-old son Trenton as his wife Sandra, left, and mother Lisa DuBose look on as the U.S. Armys 598th Maintenance Company deployed to Iraq from Fort Benning, Georgia on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2007. Copyright: Erik S. Lesser/WpN.




This photo was so moving to me when I first saw it in February 2007, and it still is now (I've saved it a keepsake box). The baby in the photo was exactly the same age (5 months) as my son. This image of a father cherishing the last few moments with his son before deployment affects me to this day for many reasons.

I often wonder about Pfc. Robert DuBose. I hope that he is back home enjoying many more moments with his little boy, who is now almost 4 years old. I am sure that he is grateful for them.

Wishing you all a happy and safe Memorial Day Weekend. I'll be back with lots of new posts on Tuesday, June 1st, but in the meantime be sure to check my Twitter feed today for some awesome Memorial Day shopping discounts.

Thumbs Up. And Way Down.

I adore the yellow Valentino dress that SJP wore to the Sex and the City 2 premiere in New York a few days ago. Here is a picture of it from In Style's website, where I spotted the bottom photo of an oddly-clad Gwyneth Paltrow, also taken this week. What do you think of Gwyneth's dress? It makes me think of Judy Jetson. Or a lampshade. It is Prada...but, blech.

By the way, these photos were from In Style's "Look of the Day" column, which I have now bookmarked. If you like ogling celebrity fashion, this is the place for you!

p.s. I'm going to see SATC 2 this weekend, and I'm guessing many of you, are too. Who has already seen it? How bad is it really? No spoilers please- thanks!

In the Can

I apologize that I can't remember which magazine I saw this in- Woman's Day? Good Housekeeping? Not sure. But isn't it beautiful? It's an Anemone Print Watering Can whose pattern comes from wallpapers in the collection of the V&A Museum in London. Makes a nice gift for a gardener, or even an apartment-dweller like me who is trying to keep small houseplants alive. $54 ($48.60 for members) at the shop of the New York Botanical Garden.

Woody Is Back

Moms are looking forward to catching Sex and the City 2, but the summer's 1st blockbuster for kids may be Disney's Toy Story 3, arriving in theaters mid-June. There will be tons of related products for to buy, of course. At Old Navy, I spotted this Toy Story 3 Woody T-shirt ($10.50, sizes 6-12m through 5T). There are a few other designs available, too. Is Marvel's Iron Man more your kid's speed? Check out this tee, too.

I saw this cool LEGO Toy Story 3 Western Train Chase (7597) at Time to Play's media preview of new summer toys (many based on the summer's anticipated blockbusters). It costs $75.72 at Amazon and includes Buzz, Woody, Jessie, Bullseye, Rex and Hamm as “Evil Doctor Porkchop." Cute!

25% off at Boden Today

This is just about as good a deal as you'll ever get at Boden- 25% off today, 15% tomorrow, and 10% Saturday (plus free shipping and returns for orders on those three days). So if you've been eyeing one of their higher priced items- like this spiffy patent stripe tote ($228), now's the time to pounce. Just click on this link (no coupon code necessary) for Boden and enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

9 months old, May 26th, 2007.

Scribble Press

I enjoyed a special treat with my kids on Mother's Day- we got to try out Scribble Press, a brand-new neighborhood art studio where junior Hemingways or Picassos write and illustrate their own books. Scribble Press opened in the site of the former A-ha! play space (my local friends will remember it fondly), just blocks away from our home on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It is the second outpost for the LA-based studio, which was started by two moms (one East Coast, one West) who met on a plane and bonded over how much their kids loved to create art.

The newly-opened NYC location offers the same activities as its L.A. prototype, all focused on giving kids the chance to write or illustrate their own paperback or board books, or, something more unusual like notecards, bookmarks, calendars, or placemats. There are also pre-made templates for books such as "All About Me", in case your child has writer's block. A finished board book averages about $25; not cheap, but, then again, could you really make a "finished" book like this at home?

The studio is bright and airy with drafting tables and stools:


Kids can fill wooden caddies with markers from a big wall display of just about every color:


Here are my kids hard at work at the drafting table:



Your child's drawings and/or written text is scanned in and the products- books or otherwise- are ready in as little as 25 minutes. S. made a placemat (a good choice for toddlers or preschoolers), which turned out OK (truth be told, it was just a few scribbles which I had to embellish myself):


But R's notepad...wow! She was quite taken with it. Here is her review, in her own (typed) words: "i piked a notepad gold is the prettiest. this place is not for babies but big kids will like it."


There are also classes, the all-you-can-draw drop-in "Kids Scribble Club" (shown below), and, since this is NYC, the requisite birthday parties (though I'm not complaining since we have been to about every other party venue by now).

And, of course, there are ready-made gifts to shop, such as craft kids, books, and knick knacks. So you don't have to leave empty-handed if your child's work isn't ready yet.


We had a great time- it is definitely something unique in the NYC kids' circuit- and I am sure we will be back! Thank you, Scribble Press, for our visit!

Scribble Press is located at 1624 First Avenue at 84th Street, and is open Monday through Saturday 10 to 6pm, and Sunday 12 to 5pm.

Frecklebox Wall Art

Looking for some personalized kids' wall art that doesn't break the bank? Our affiliate Frecklebox- which is one of my favorite shops for personalized kids' gifts- recently introduced these canvases that are an easy, affordable way to add punch to a child's room. They're available in two sizes- 12 x 12 ($59.95) or 20 x 16 ($79.95). They arrive ready-to-hang pre-stretched over sturdy wooden frames, and are pre-treated with Eco Print Shield, an environmentally friendly, water-based protective coating that makes sure it'll keep looking spiffy for years to come. I think the Peace Out Personlized Canvas Wall Art will be very popular with the Justice-loving, tween girl set; which do you like best?

Blues Brothers

I'll be posting lots more Father's Day gift ideas soon (you can also browse last year's suggestions to get the ideas brewing), but in the meantime I wanted to show you the matching shirts that my dad and S. both have. Little S. liked Grandpa's blue Brooks' Brothers tattersall shirt ($45) so much that we bought him the junior version (also $45, sizes 4-6 and up) too. It arrived beautifully wrapped and folded (pins and all) and is the fanciest shirt that S. owns so far. I love that it matches his blue eyes- and, more importantly, that he can match his adored Grandpa for a special occasion. Consider a father/son (or grandpa/grandson) set for your own family this Father's Day; buy them at Brooks Brothers.

2010 National Stationery Show, Part 5: Best of the Rest

Hope you've enjoyed my round-ups of the National Stationery Show. There's more I will show you in bits and pieces in the coming weeks, but this is the last round-up. So here, with no particular theme or order, is the "Best of the Rest":

Compendium Incorporated had a display of positive, inspirational products that nicely balanced the satirical cards & gifts elsewhere in the show: What Are Little Boys Made Of?" and "What are Little Girls Made Of?" gift books ($4.95 each)


Compendium also treated me to a copy of the new "The 1 Book" By Dan Zadra & Kobi Yamada ($14.95), full of single ideas to help you make a difference in the world. Love the way they displayed the books (and thanks for my copy).

You've probably seen kids' party invitations by Meri Meri (and their "Zoomerang" line) in local stationery stores or gift shops. Here are some of their latest designs:



I was given a personal tour of the Crane's booth, thanks to the knowledgeable Peter Hopkins who manages their Twitter account (don't you love that an old-school stationery company like Crane's "tweets"? ).

First, props (literally) to Crane's for scoring this "vintage" typewriter for one of their displays. Can't you just picture Peggy from Mad Men furiously typing away on one of these? I think a Crane's staffer told me it came from the prop room of Kate's Paperie:


As always, Crane's makes letter-perfect embossed notecards- I like these "Snail Mail" cards ($25 for a box of 10) which is part of their classy collection by Kate Spade.


You know Crane's signature hand-bordered stationery? They had one of their expert "borderers" on site showing visitors how it's done. It takes precision, accuracy, and patience...and the finished product is exquisite.



Crane's not only is on Twitter now, but it also is enticing younger customers with its brand-new Studio Line (not yet available online). An artist competition was held to pick winners who would create a fresh new aesthetic for Crane's to take it in a fresh new design-savvy direction. Take a look:




I always like to stop by the Galison booth; I spotted these Paris Mini Sticky Notes (available online this June):


Just like last year, letterpress company Smock had a calligrapher on hand to make samples for you. Here she is writing my daughter's name out for her. R. loved it. Wish I knew how to do this!


Fun patterned gift wrap by Chicago paper company Kate & Birdie. My favorite is the "brownstone" design (3rd from top on right-hand display):


I love these sumptuous Grand Silk Stationery Boxes by Haute Paperie. Wouldn't this be a grand wedding gift for a June bride?

Simple dot-patterned and striped cards ($12 for a box of 4) by newcomer Max and Bunny:



Since I'm a Halloween baby, I had to snap a picture of these Vintage Pumpkin Illustration Cards ($15 for a box of 10) by Jennifer Carroll Designs. Anyone need a birthday gift idea for me?


More Parisian imagery...here is a pretty display of products by Mara Mi. Sorry I didn't get close enough to see what's what, and their website is under construction.


Ideas in Bloom Studios was a newcomer to the show this year. I loved the fun designs, bright colors, and especially the shimmery paper and cardstock. Plus, they had the best "press kits" in the entire press room; these fun buckets (see below) were filled with information and samples.



New to the list of eco-friendly exhibitors at the show, Regreet makes recycled greeting cards that you "recycle" again by sending them along to the next recipient (check the site's video to see how it works). You can track the "journey" online too. I think I like Flat Stanley better, but it's still a fun idea.



Lastly, speaking of green, I think this letterpress card ($20 for a box of 8) from newcomer Sky of Blue Cards just about sums it up:


Phew! That's it. There are a few others I want to tell you about, but I'm going to take a stationery breather for a bit. Hope you've enjoyed my coverage of this year's National Stationery Show.

The Lazarus Effect

Did you catch this documentary The Lazarus Effect on HBO last night? It is a short but powerful film that shows how AIDS medicines can transform the lives of people suffering from the disease in sub-Saharan Africa. You'll see (quite clearly) the "before/after" difference these medications make...often in just a matter of weeks. And if you are a mother, it is hard not to be moved by the stories and images of the children with HIV/AIDS. You will wish that every single person had access to these life-saving drugs. If you didn't catch the film last night, check the schedule at HBO.com.

Image courtesy of The Inspiration Room.

Dylan & Harry

After dinner in the picturesque West Village on a recent Saturday evening, I spotted this new (to me) store Dylan and Harry on Bleecker Street. It carries "smart, chic and playful looks for children ages newborn to 10 years" and includes items by Saint-James, Salt Water Sandals, Stella Cove Swim, and Naef toys. From the window displays (the store was closed for the night) it reminded me a bit of Jacadi-meets-Villebrequin. The prices are high, for sure (boys' swimwear goes up to $95). Still, a fun shop to browse if you're in the neighborhood- or if you want to check out the wares online.

Little Beach Boys

If you've got a baby or toddler boy, check out this pint-sized car mini beach towel on sale today only for $13 at Pottery Barn Kids (regularly $16). Personalization costs $6.50 extra. It must be a popular design because the regular size version (for bigger kids and adults) is already sold out. But for a little munchkin, the dimensions of the mini towel (25 x 50, instead of the regular 32 x 64) may be ideal. See all the beach towels on sale here.