Sneak Peek: SAVE . THE . DATES!!

Our new line of Save.the.Dates is almost complete! I am super excited about this collection. The full line will be available in the next couple weeks, but in the meantime, check out the sneak peek that's up on the site. [Just like all b.wise papers custom photo cards and announcements, the save the dates are printed on 100% recycled/50% post-consumer paper using soy and vegetable based inks in a 100% wind-powered facility. Live + love in green!]

Save Handmade!

[Paolo Wool Doll, $48]

This news has been circulating on the web, but I wanted to make sure that my readers know what's going on...there is a law called the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act being passed in Congress that will have an enormous negative impact on not only handmade toys, but also smaller toy companies + children's clothing/accessories businesses. I've taken an excerpt from the Handmade Toy Alliance website that explains in more detail what's going on:

The issue:

In 2007, large toy manufacturers who outsource their production to China and other developing countries violated the public's trust. They were selling toys with dangerously high lead content, toys with unsafe small part, toys with improperly secured and easily swallowed small magnets, and toys made from chemicals that made kids sick. Almost every problem toy in 2007 was made in China.

The United States Congress rightly recognized that the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) lacked the authority and staffing to prevent dangerous toys from being imported into the US. So, they passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in August, 2008. Among other things, the CPSIA bans lead and phthalates in toys, mandates third-party testing and certification for all toys and requires toy makers to permanently label each toy with a date and batch number.

All of these changes will be fairly easy for large, multinational toy manufacturers to comply with. Large manufacturers who make thousands of units of each toy have very little incremental cost to pay for testing and update their molds to include batch labels.

For small American, Canadian, and European toymakers and manufacturers of children's products, however, the costs of mandatory testing will likely drive them out of business.

• A toymaker, for example, who makes wooden cars in his garage in Maine to supplement his income cannot afford the $4,000 fee per toy that testing labs are charging to assure compliance with the CPSIA.
• A work at home mom in Minnesota who makes cloth diapers to sell online must choose either to violate the law or cease operations.
• A small toy retailer in Vermont who imports wooden toys from Europe, which has long had stringent toy safety standards, must now pay for testing on every toy they import.
• And even the handful of larger toy makers who still employ workers in the United States face increased costs to comply with the CPSIA, even though American-made toys had nothing to do with the toy safety problems of 2007.

Here are a few products [also above] just on Etsy [and here's a link to their blog post on the issue] that would be efffected by this law:

[Penguin Slippers, $28]

[Playtime Donut Dunkers, $18]

I don't know about you, but as a consumer, I want to have as many opportunities as I can to buy from smaller businesses, and local when I can. While I am all for the absolute safety of our kids [and think it is awful how many of our kids were put at risk by harmful toys], it seems that this law could do more to protect our choices as consumers to buy local and handmade, as well as preserve the entrepreneurial spirit of our country. Check out the Handmade Toy Alliance website for more information and ways you can help!

Silhouettes

Every year, I try to make my parents and in-laws a little something of the boys. This year, I created silhouettes of them. It was really fun, and I'm contemplating doing one every year in a different color [or maybe every couple years]. They'd be fun framed in a hallway or library.

Did you give or receive any creative handmade/designed gifts?

Ring in the New Year with paper!

Can you ever have enough wrapping paper? It seems that I can't! I've been to both the Container Store, where I snapped up 4 rolls of Wooster + Prince paper at 50% off [that's only $2.49/roll, and only one pattern was really holiday-ish] and Paper Source, which I was so excited to discover had opened this past fall in Virginia Highlands. We were meeting a couple for dinner at Everybody's Pizza, and were right on time until I spotted this beacon of light drawing me into the store. I couldn't resist the pull [it would've been closed after dinner!], and made a quick detour to pick up some 50% off holiday wrap. I also got some more of my favorite roll wrap from them. Paper Source is one of those stores where I wish I could just have a little bit of everything -- you know, like a Paper Source closet in my house. If you have either store in your area, make a quick trip over to see what you can find!





[The middle rolls remind me of a David Hicks fabric]

Happy New Year!! We are still visiting family, headed back tomorrow. Today, we'll be eating chili and watching football...go SEC!

Home for Christmas

[Christmas morning 1979

that's me on the left, older sis on the right]

We made it home for Christmas, where I promptly came down with the stomach bug that my older son had - yuk!  But, it's over, and I'm ready to celebrate.   We've got an action packed two days with family + friends, and I can't wait to see everyone.  I  hope you have a Merry Christmas, or if it's another holiday you celebrate, I hope it's a happy one.   Wishing you joy + peace - alston

Water Rings No More

Just thinking about all the holiday toasts, and thought of these two table-savers...

Letterpress coasters printed on recycled paper, Ruby Press,
set of 8 for $9



Felt coasters, FitzFelt, set of 4 for $12

Cheers!

Holiday Treats

Thankfully, we are all on the mend! I was so glad that the boys were better today for their holiday party at school. And they were so excited about taking in their little teacher gifts. All the parents at their school pool together $ to buy the teachers a gift card of some sort, but I wanted the boys to be able to physically hand their teachers something and say "thanks for all you do for me." This year, they picked out some yogurt covered pretzels, which I put in a clear bag, tied up with some of Martha's Baker's Twine [which I love, and you can find at Michael's], and made a little label with their picture in it...



And yesterday, a little holiday elf came by and brought us a delicious treat - Kettle Corn! Our friends found one of the vendors for the state fair and every year they get him to make them batches of Kettle Corn for their friends. I sure am happy to be on that list!! And the label is awesome -- you know how I feel about pictures on anything, and the "caution" at the bottom made me laugh...


Hope you all have a great Friday -- we're off to see the big guy [Santa] after the school party!

Revived Classics for Stuffing Stockings

I was in Restoration Hardware yesterday, and they've got all their stocking stuffers on sale 30% off. They've revived some old classics that would be great for kids and adults alike. And don't feel limited to stockings - some of these would make fun, non-traditional hostess gifts. Here are some that caught my eye...

the Rubik's Cube, now $9.49

or how about this Mini Etch A Sketch, now $7.99

I could've used a pair of these last year while surviving a blustery New England Winter,
Pocket Handwarmers, $11.99


and lastly, a personal fave of mine, the Ole Million Face Game, now $14.99

It's been a crazy week so far -- 4-yr-old has the barfs right in the middle of busy holiday card season! -- so posting may be a little sporadic the the next couple days...

Advent Calenders + More...

Have you seen all the beautiful, creative Advent calenders out there in blog-land? Two of my favorites...the first I saw on Design Sponge by d.sharp, and the second on Design Mom by Jessica Sprague [and I really like how this second one is for the 12 days of Christmas rather than all 25 days in December...it's not too late to start a countdown for just the week before Christmas either!]...



And here's one of the reasons I didn't do an uber-creative calender this year:

Yes, that's right...all the little doors were opened + chocolate eaten before it was even December 13th. I know it's a lot of temptation for a 2.5 year old, and let me tell you how hard it was for me not to laugh when I found him hiding under his bed, chocolate smeared all on his squishy little cheeks. I think next year I will try one of the others and mix candy with toys just in case there's an advent calender binger in our midst.

In other news, have you heard about the theft at Harry Winston in Paris? I read an article about it this weekend in the NY Times...gunmen wearing drag managed to make off with over $100 million dollars worth of delicious baubles...click here to read the whole article. This is the stuff movies are made of...makes me think of The Thomas Crown Affair or The Italian Job [two of my all-time faves]. Can't you just see it?!

[Photo from the NY Times]

Hope you guys had a great weekend...I managed to get most of my wrapping finished up!

Wrap It Up

[My sister's wrapping cart - I like wrapping presents with her!]

I'm going to try and get lots of wrapping out of the way this weekend...although, if I actually put anything under our tree, it would be opened in a matter of minutes. We stack everything on top of our TV armoire and bookcases! Because the boys' packages tend to be large, it would get a little pricey trying to use expensive sheets of eco-friendly gift wrap. I usually use recycled Kraft paper, and then put a bright ribbon* and card on top. Sometimes, I'll even draw right on the package, depending on my mood. I also bought a big roll of Ayomi Yoshida gift wrap from Target...it's 60 sq ft, 216 in x 40 in. It's a big one, and it only cost me $2.99. I'll do my best to make sure it all ends up in the recycling bin!

Some other wrapping alternatives...

[Paper Mojo is running a big sale on holiday gift wrap,
including this print from Whimsy Press]

[Amy Butler has a line of 100% PC wrapping paper, including this Water collection]

*And lastly, my most favorite ribbon is an Italian Cotton ribbon sold by Angela Liguori...


Happy Wrapping!

Nurture Your Inner Architect

We went to the house of one of my younger son's classmates yesterday, and they had a huge set of Kapla blocks. I've seen these before - they had some at the Children's Museum in Boston - but I had never been in front of an entire bucket full. These blocks are seriously addictive. At one point I realized that all the kids had moved on to something else, and I was still sitting there building [of course, they quickly reemerged when it was time to knock it over!]. I really could've built with these things for hours.

The Marine Pine blocks are made from 100% renewable forests in France. The wood is not treated either. [Click here for more safety info] There are a couple different sets with prices ranging from $30 to $400.

Letters to Santa

A little something to brighten your Wednesday, here are the letters to Santa that the boys dictated to Reggie...

[From my almost 3-yr-old]

[From my 4.5 yr old]

And these make me smile...

Remember my grand gingerbread house plans? These are the versions we ended up with...graham crackers, icing and lots of candy...it's all about the candy! Next year, we'll tackle the big daddy...

Lou Lou

If I could send I letter to Santa for my kids, this is what I would ask for...the Lou Lou Ghost Chair [available at allmodern.com for 136.99] designed by Philippe Starck. It has the same lines as his Louis Ghost Chair, just shrunk to fit the littlest hineys in the family. The chair is scratch-resistant, stackable, suitable for the indoors or out, and easy to clean. Sign me up. Somehow, I don't think my kids would be quite as excited about them as I am!

gingerLotus

So, I had grand plans this week to make this amazing version of a gingerbread house. I confess, though, that I have already been google-ing "easy gingerbread house." I wish I had the time and patience to make one of these with my 2 + 4 year old. But I have a feeling [because I have never, ever made a gingerbread house in my whole life] that it would end up with me cussing and them destroying the kitchen. As much as I want to make this, I have come to realization that I should start small and work my way up...especially with two energy-filled boys in the kitchen with me. This year, we will be making the graham cracker version...it's really the candy that they care about anyway!

The gingerLotus is Michelle Kaufmann's version from last year. It was such a success, that she created the gingersolaire this year. Both of them are designed with many of the same green elements used in the actual homes she designs. Plus, the recipe for the gingerbread part uses all natural, organic ingredients. If you are feeling industrious this week, check it out. And let me know if you do make one!

Gifties Guide [Teacher + Hostess]

And finally, here are a few ideas for gifts you can buy in bulk to send to school with your kids [okay, so maybe not the wine in this case] or take with you to a party...

1. Lafco New York Dream Homes Candle, $52. These candles are made from clean-burning soy based wax and a 100% natural cotton wick. They burn for over 90 hours and are contained in a hand-blown glass vessel. Even if you can't have a vacation home, you can make yours smell like one...for over 90 hours at least!

2. Egg Plant: Basil, Branch, $12. These little guys are so darn adorable...not only will they recipient have a gift that keeps on giving, but it's a great conversation starter..."Is that an egg? No, silly, it's basil!"

3. Dauphine Press Desk Pad, $24. For anyone like me who could never have enough paper, lists and notes.

4. Personalized Address Stamp, $40. A thoughtful gift that will last at least until the next move...but you have to order ASAP to get it here before the big day.

5. Fantasia Dish Towel, Anthropologie, $14. A beautiful dish towel is something I can never get enough of, especially since I am trying to wean myself off paper towels.

6. Recession Red Wine, available at wine shops across the country for $3.99. Bring some humor to the mix with this tasty yet cheap wine.

7. Godiva Gold Ballotin Gift Box, $13. You can't go wrong with a small indulgence that you normally wouldn't buy for yourself.

8. Daub & Bauble Toracco Orange and Clove Hand Soap, 10 fl. oz for $9. These bottles would make anyone's sink lovely...just because it has a dirty job, doesn't mean it has to look that way!

So now you've got the whole weekend to get all your shopping done! Have a good one...