Adorable Diaper Cakes

More great submissions to Martha Stewart's Baby Shower Idea page.

I love the block letter and the green rubber ducky on top here. Very chic and gender neutral without being too pastel.


Classic, simple diaper cake with great choice of ribbon.


Again, the block letter here is a great touch.


The ribbon could be done better, but I love that they included a book and other great items in this cake.

Make Kid's Art Come to Life

In kindergarten everyone drew something and had it made into a plate for Mother's Day. You can still do this at TinyTotsOriginals.com. But if you are looking for something else creative to do with your child's drawing, check out Make-My-Own-Monster from FAO Schwarz.

"Make-My-Own-Monster Design Kit, that includes colored pencils, paper, and a detailed questionnaire. With this kit you create not only what the monster looks like, but you also create a story about the monster and describe his or her personality."


For those that don't want to shell out for this, you can also do this easily at home on sewing machine.

New Favorite Pregnancy Book

Sure we all got a copy of What to Expect When Your Expecting- but if you are looking for a book that offers a wide spectrum of views and a bit more personal an approach check out From the Hips: A Comprehensive, Open-Minded, Uncensored, Totally Honest Guide to Pregnancy, Birth, and Becoming a Parent.



What I liked most about this book is the cartoonist bubbles that have quotes from "anonymoms" and "anonydads" as they call them. It is so refreshing and comforting to hear that you are not the only one who thinks:

"man- I didn't realize how much my social circle drinks until I stopped drinking- it was tough!"

"I was so scared about loosing the baby that I kept running to the bathroom to check my undies"

"my milk didnt come in for 4 days and I thought my baby would starve! My doula said it was perfectly normal and in the end everything was fine"



The quotes say things that more straightforward (read: dull) pregnancy books don't and they truly are unbiased and supportive of all pregnant women and new mothers. If it is your first pregnancy and you don't have friends who are pregnant yet it is a great way to hear real women talk about all kinds of issues- on your own time and in the privacy of your own home.

2007 Green Holiday Toy List

There are tons of places on the web telling you what it hot and what's not, what's "eco-hip" and what Earth friendly... most are not all that helpful, but here is a run down of some lists that were actually worth reading:

250+ Lead-Free Toys Made in the USA: From the Daily Green.
The Daily Green has reached out to Made-in-USA toy manufacturers all over America to find out what's available this holiday season for kids whose parents are willing to take that extra step to keep their kids (and homes) safe from this deadly environmental toxin.

Yahoo's Growing Up Green List
25 gift from the top environmental blogs including TreeHugger, ecoFabulous and Greenopia

The Green Parent Holiday Gift List
Gifts are divided into 5 categories; Toys You Can Trust, No Waste Gifts, Books for All Ages, Cool Eco-Friendly Stuff, and Gifts That Give Back.

Genius! Mabel's Labels

If you haven't checked out Mabel's Labels yet, you should. Put away the sharpies since you will no longer be penning your kids names on everything. They have labels for just about everything: cups, spoons, tupperware, shoes, clothes, backpacks, and yes- allergies. The best part is that unlike your 'permandent' marker- these won't fade or wash off.

"They withstand the dishwasher, microwave, UV Rays and hard wearing children. Customers tell us tales of four-year-old labels still holding strong!"

Cupcake Lunchbox Solution!

Ever want to send a leftover cupcake to school, but not sure what to put it in without icing getting everywhere? Well, the ingenious people at the Container Store have a solution.


It holds a standard-size cupcake and prevents it from moving while in transit. The airtight seal preserves the freshness. It's the perfect lunchtime companion for kids and grown-ups alike! $2.99 each.

I Heart Finger Puppets!

I found some adorable finger puppets this summer forgot to blog about them until today, when I saw more adorable finger puppets from a totally different place.

Manhattan Toy: one of many many cute sets:


From Puppet Universe: Pirate Finger Puppets!



Dwell Baby's Finger Puppets

Baby It's Cold Outside!

Yes, Halloween is over and Thanksgiving is a mere fortnight away and things are getting cold out! So what's the cute way to bundle up your bundle of joy? Here are a few options:

BearHands for Baby $15

Adorable LLBean Fleece Toddler hat $12

Nordic Fleece Baby Bunting by Hanna Anderson $54

Infant/Toddler Puffer Jacket $18

Cutest Baby Shower Invites

Throwing a baby shower for a sister, cousin, friend- whoever can be both fun and stressful. If you are like me, part of the fun part is picking out the cute invitations. Here are some chic ones I have seen recently:

From TinyPrints:


From SweetBabyDesigns (also in pink/brown):



From PaperStyle.com:



From BabyCachet.com:

The Buzz on Burt and His Bees

The NYTimes featured Burt's Bees this summer in their small business section and somehow I missed it, but it is not too late to read it now. Having a good review in a national paper, and now being introduced in big chains like Target, Burt must be pleased.

John Replogle, chief executive of Burt’s Bees, said “The rapid shift on the consumer landscape toward natural and environmentally friendly products is the single greatest consumer change our industry has seen in probably 50 years”.

And that is exactly what Burt's Bees is all about natural (most products are made from ingredients like milk, honey, beeswax and almond oil) and environmentally friendly (they have a team, the ECOBEES- Environmentally Conscious Organization Bringing Environmentally Empowered Solutions- to pioneer environmentally friendly business practices).

I have loved Burt's Bees lip balms for years, and then I found out they make baby products that are absolutely divine. What more can you ask for?

Trend: Robots

I know boys are into robots (I have some adult male friends who still very much are) and so I found these items rather cute and refreshing.


$24 at elsewhere.com


$15 at Etsy


$24 at ALittleLark

Hanna Adorable!

I came across Hanna Anderson just this year, and I have to admit that when the fall catalog came in the mail yesterday, I had to restrain myself from going on a shopping spree. Their stuff is just too cute- especially the halloween pajamas.

It Takes a Village... or 10 Thousand

If you have never been to a Ten Thousand Villages store, find out if there is one in your area and check it out. One of the largest, oldest fair trade organizations in North America, Ten Thousand Villages works with more than 100 artisan groups from over 30 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East. They now have over 160 locations in North America that sell quality items from diverse cultures, including cute items for youth.

These gorgeous mobiles comes from the Yayasan Mitra Bali artisan group out of Indonesia.



These puzzles are made from renewable albizia wood and painted with nontoxic paint in Sri Lanka. The Animals of the World 3D puzzle can be put together so that the stars and moon arc over standing animals and central tree, or can lay the pieces flat to make a circular puzzle bordered with stars.

Packing Lunches Part II

Now that you've got a healthy menu, let's check out clever waste reducing ways to pack it. On average a school age child using disposable lunch packing materials generates 67 lbs of waste per school year. For the average size elementary school, that adds up to 18,760 lbs a year!

Sandwich containment:
Wrap N Mat is a great alternative to plastic baggies. It is designed to securely wrap around your sandwhich to ensure the contents stay put, plus it doubles as a place mat in case that cafeteria table or park bench isn't the cleanest. The mats are machine washable and rather fashion friendly. $4.99 to $6.50


All In One:
Laptop Lunches are American sytle bento-boxes designed to be practical and Earth friendly. The boxes themselves are made from corn starch. No PVCs here! The containers fit neatly together and to display your lunch beautifully and eliminate the need for aluminum foil or plastic baggies.


Lunch boxes:
If you are looking to avoid plastic lunch boxes, stainless steal ones are still around.
Fabric is fabulous too, try Mimi the Sardine which offers acrylic coated cotton bags with nylon lining. Made is San Fransisco and produced in accordance with strict environmental laws.


Drinks:
Sigg and Nalgene are the most popular, and for good reason. SIGG bottles are manufactured in an ecologically-friendly environment and are 100% recyclable, non-toxic and dishwasher safe. SIGGs lining is resistant to fruit juice acids and won't carry the taste of your last drink. The liner reduces the chances of bacteria build-up and will not flake or chip even if dented.
Nalgene bottles are extremely durable, resistant to retaining odors and staining. They are top rack dishwasher safe and withstands temperatures from -211ºF to 275ºF. Yup. They've been up Everest and back.

Not Your Traditional Bouquet

Two clever ideas of taking the tradition flower bouquet and making it into something that is pretty and useful.

A different spin on the diaper cake idea, Baby Bunches. Each flower "bunch" contains the basic set of a bib, hat, tee, and socks. Larger bouquets have addition items including burp cloths, sleepers and mits.


Or for a tasty treat, try Edible Arrangements, made of fruit and chocolate to look like daisys and other flowers. There is a huge variety of flavors and sizes with fresh strawberries, pineapple, grapes, oranges, cantaloupe and honeydew. Specialty baskets even have apples slices dipped in chocolate, or seasonal fruits like watermelon.