Gorgeous baby gifts in the $20-30 range? Totally.

by Cool Mom Team | Art + Decor

I can’t believe I’m already starting to bookmark holiday gifts but yep, that’s just what I’m doing. And right in time, I discover Happy Chickadee, an online shop featuring absolutely wonderful clothing, accessories, toys, and gear for (mostly)...

Put some more money in the therapy fund

by Mir | Books for Adults

If How to Traumatize Your Children had been available when I remarried, I totally would’ve bought it as a wedding present for my husband. I think it would’ve been a fitting welcome to (step)parenthood for him, and I also plan to give it as a shower gift to...

Now that we’ve named the baby, what do we name the grandparents?

by Liz Gumbinner | Books for Adults

You can’t imagine the debates that went on in our household when it came to naming the grandparents for the first time. If you start factoring in inlaws and the inlaws’ inlaws, and everyone’s different traditions and expectations, it’s amazing...

As the crow flies

by Julie | Art + Decor

I’m already on record as not being a fan of fluffy pastel nursery decor.  How are children supposed to develop good design sensibilities if you don’t show them the way?This striking mobile from Contexture, aptly named “As the Crow Flies,”...

Quilted, collaged, and just plain cool

by Mir | Art + Decor

Chicago artist Kelly Ventura is making beautiful original art with fabric, paper, buttons and adorable stitching that you’ll want to leave on the wall well past the disassembling of the crib. Her Etsy shop, The Urban Thimble, has wearables, as well, but once...

Your Kid’s Name Up in Lights (Sort of).

by Rita | Art + Decor

In further developments regarding the quest to free my daughter’s room from licensed characters, I’ve discovered custom name wall art from City Art Photography. Each letter is a unique original photograph taken of individual letters for a...

Beam me up, mommy

by Cool Mom Team | Art + Decor

My four-year-old loves all things outer space, and these cool retro rocket prints by CMP fave, John W. Golden will provide the perfect inspiration should he daydream of traveling to an outer galaxy. With names like The Solar Streak and Red Cruiser, the prints were...

The Regional Assembly of Text – a store as cool as its name

by Cool Mom Team | Art + Decor

As a bona fide word nerd, I was instantly taken with the name The Regional Assembly of Text, although I had no idea what it meant. (Sort of ironic if you think about it, huh.) As it turns out, this Vancouver-based online shop curated by design grads Brandy Fedoruk and...

Schoolwork and work work get a lift with International Arrivals

by Cool Mom Team | Cards + Stationery

If you find manilla, vanilla, add International Arrivals to your bookmarks and check out their modern assortment of file folders, journals, photo albums, and organizational accessories that make a walk through the aisles of Staples seem like a trip back in time. I...

The elephant in the room that everyone actually will talk about

by Cool Mom Team | Art + Decor

I always admire parents who aren’t afraid to go a little dark with their nursery decor. And by dark I don’t mean Gashlycrumb Tinies prints up on the wall, but something besides the pastel pinks and blues and yellows that the entire industry seems...

Posies takes cleaning the house partly out of the “things that suck” column

by Cool Mom Team | Living

I’ve never equated cleaning my house with achieving zen, but while using Posies Cleaning Products, I can at least take some deep calming breaths while I mutter and scrub. Posies were created by self-proclaimed clean freak and lover of aromatherapy, Timara...

Sillydot art – more dreamy than silly

by Cool Mom Team | Art + Decor

The artwork from San Francisco (by way of Brazil) artist Vera Costa of Sillydot is pretty much made for Nursery Decorating 101 – ten sets of three sweet, happy designs, each of which look great mixed, matched, or anything in between. They’re also made for...