Meet Sophie

I'm sure that lots of you know Sophie, but for those of you who don't, meet Sophie. Sophie was born in 1961 in France, and knows a thing or two about entertaining babies. She's made of 100% natural rubber derived from the Hevea tree, painted with food paint, and is still produced the same *secret* way she was 50 years ago.

My sister gave Sophie to M when she was younger, and I'd hear her in her crib just squeaking away. Which leads me to the point of this post, which is that Sophie makes an excellent gift for babies. She'd be perfect for a boy or a girl, she's lightweight so shipping is a breeze, and she's so darn adorable that she's sure to make even the most sleep-deprived mom smile when she opens her up.



Add a cloth bag with a cute tag and she's ready to go!

PS: I have in no way been paid to endorse Sophie. I just like her, and since I'm always on the lookout for a perfect baby gift, I thought you might be too!

Summer Baby Challenge

As if you needed something to do over this 3 day weekend, here's something you could do if you felt so inclined: vote in the Minted Baby Announcement Challenge! Below are my 3 submissions [click on the image to go to that card's voting page]:

Sunburst Monogram


Announcing the Arrival


The Only Show


I was inspired for The Only Show by how Ben and I would just watch Henry sleep. Literally, sitting in our living room in the evening and just staring. Every little nose wrinkle and squeak was much more entertaining than any TV show! I wish I'd thought of it for M's baby announcement. Although with her, there wasn't as much sitting around and staring. How about all you other parents out there -- did you do the same?

Hope you have a fantastic 4th!

The Play Pen

Did you have one? Growing up, we sure did. That's an 11-month-old me in the picture above, looking forlornly over our 1970's Playpen during my older sister's birthday party. It was a big square with mesh sides and that yellow oil cloth type fabric on the bottom and wrapped around the top rim.

My neighbor has mentioned on occasion -- those occasions where Maggie is performing one of her death defying acts, hurling herself off or onto something -- "You know, my mom used the play pen when we were little." It always makes me laugh because if I ever tried to put M into one she would scream her head off until I got her out -- or until she finagled a way to get herself out. Plus, they only make "Pack-n-plays" these days, which aren't the same. So, it made me smile when I saw this picture in Paper Maiche magazine:



The play pen is alive and well! If only I'd known this early enough to establish it. Although, I'm still not convinced that it would've worked anyway. And I do have to wonder if kids actually go in that one...doesn't seem likely from the pictures, but then what other purpose would that serve in the middle of a living room?!

The Book of Baby Mine

I recently discovered my grandmother's baby book in a stack of her letters -- a true treasure, reminding me why I take the time to write in and collect things for my kids' books.



In no other way would I have ever known that she started crawling at 8 months, and walking shortly after her first birthday. Or that some of her first words were "Billy," "Betty" and "Pearl." How funny is that? You don't come across many "Pearls" these days.



But, the other reason I wanted to share this with you is for the advice. It was published in 1915, and literally half of this baby book is parenting tips and ads for baby gear. For example, were you aware of the perils of tying a bonnet too tight?



[Sentence starts halfway through the first line]

And a few choice words for those parents considering an indulgent parenting technique:



[Last two lines of the first paragraph]

Beer??!! Coffee??!! Oh the horror of imagining my kids more hyped up than they already are!

Oh, Baby!

I'm excited to announce new baby designs! Designing for baby is one of my favorite things, so I hope you guys enjoy the new ones [a small little sampling below] as much as I enjoyed creating them.



In other news, I've recently partnered up with Atlanta based photographer Laura Negri! Laura is the talented photographer behind many of the photos used on my site. We are joining forces to offer custom card packages that include photo reproduction rights and top-quality printing. I'm thrilled to be working with her and her clients.

And P.S., the top photo was taken on M's baby orange tree that has just started to bloom. In my opinion, there are few things better than an orange blossom. Spring has sprung down here for sure!

And P.P.S, speaking of Blossom, did any of you used to watch "Blossom?" I thought she was the coolest with her flower hats and 80's pants.

Shoe

Baby girl has a bit of a shoe thing going on. Can I blame her? The options for toddler girl shoes are usually too darn cute to pass up, especially compared to the choices I had with the boys. Come to think of it, she may actually have more shoes than I do.

"Shoe" was one of her first words, and she doesn't just say it in the morning when we are getting dressed. Most nights while we are putting on her pajamas she will say "shoe, shoe, shoe" and point to the a pair she will then insist on sleeping in:



Wow, that yellow looks bright with the flash on! I promise her room doesn't look like the outside of a school bus.

Some of my favorites that she has had so far? A pair of red mary janes by See Kai Run, and some high tops and sandals [right sleeping picture] that I bought for her in Copenhagen. They are made by a Danish company called Bisgaard, and are super soft. Frankly, I'd want to wear her shoes all the time, too.

Album de Naissance

I love this refreshingly unique interpretation of a baby book by piqpoq:

Flying Through the Air

This past weekend, we worked on getting the nursery put together -- she's only 4 months old, so I figure it's about time! I've been looking for a mobile for a while now, and I increasingly like the idea of birds. Maybe because it seems so natural for birds to be flying through the air. There are some beautiful ones out there [some pictured above], and I found some amazing inspiration on Ohdeedoh. I even toyed with the idea of making one -- I love the whimsy of the origami birds in particular [bottom left] and since I don't sew [I SO wish that I could] I thought it may be something I could handle. Side note: there are some great tutorials out there for making your own mobile, like here and here, in case you are interested. But then I came across this one on Erica's blog, and I think this may be it...all the whimsy I'm looking for without any labor on my part! When it comes down to it, I just don't have the time to make one, and I'm afraid she would be over it by the time I did get around to it.

Can't wait for it to arrive!

[Images clockwise from left to right: Ohdeedoh Modern Eclectic; Ohdeedoh Modern Haven; Spool Bird Mobile; Ohdeedoh Crane Mobile -- How-To; Birds of a Feather, Helen Ige, spotted on Ohdeedoh]

Baby Books

So, I love this baby book by Binth, however I'm not so in love with the $110 price tag. I mean, I get it -- it's a beautiful, quality, handcrafted product -- I personally just don't want to spend that much on a baby book. Have any of you out there found a baby book that you love that doesn't have such a hefty price tag? I've contemplated designing my own and having it printed through Blurb, problem is I just don't have a lot of extra time at the moment...I still might do it, though, if I can't find anything else...

If I were in the market for...

...a changing table and bassinet, I'd definitely consider these options:

{image from Cookie Magazine; one creative couple transformed a Sunex car-tools cart into the hippest changing table. Bonus: it already comes in that rockin' yellow.

Get more details about the transformation here.}

{the Culla Sinue crib by Daniela Avaltroni, via Moco Loco}

{is it wrong how much I like the bassinets at the hospital?? I like how they roll and that they are clear. You can also prop up the plastic part if the little guy or gal is having issues with reflux. A little industrial looking, but you could totally soften it up with baskets and blankets. Beware that as simple as this looks, it will set you back a pretty penny -- $650 at Blickman}

{I also think this hammock by Kanoe is pretty nifty, although I'm not so sure I'd want to be trying to get a newborn out of it in the middle of the night when I'm half awake. On the other hand, it might be really convenient for a middle of the night rocking to try to get just one more hour of sleep! A big plus: it's made of organic cotton}

Since this is #3 for us, we've pretty much got everything covered. Even things that I had given away because I was tired of moving them, I'll be able to borrow from my sister. The one thing that I do really want? A rocking chair/glider. A nice, big, cozy one. One you could doze off in comfortably. I'm just saying...

Nanny Pickle

[ mod babe collection, "Lucky I'm Cute"]

Looking for a unique and playful baby gift? Check out Nanny Pickle, a line of baby clothes, accessories and papers. The clothes have clever sayings/phrases on them sure to make even the most sleep deprived parent smile.

[ bad bunny collection, "Bunnies are Starving in China"]

Nanny Pickle's commitment to babes and the environment -- utilizing materials that are sustainable and have the smallest impact possible on the environment. The raw materials that make up the fabrics are organic and grown free of pesticides and fertilizers. The bamboo is both 100% biodegradable and naturally regenerative.