I have come to love looking forward to my Foodzie tasting box at the beginning of each month, and all the little nibbles and gourmet noshes contained therein. A few weeks back, I opened my box to such an amazing treat: Mini cupcakes in v…
If I can give you a tip in the sneaker trend department, it's that laces are going away. Not in favor of Velcro, but in favor of nothing at all. I'm seeing lots of plain, unlaced eyelets, all preppy boat-shoe style. So cool. If you're a …
Every shower needs a centerpiece, and this one beats the strained peas out of a diaper cake, or one of those Cake-Wreck-y pregnant belly confections that are a little too reminiscent of Sigourney Weaver in Alien. It's the lovely Wishing …
As a mom of two girls, I haven't had the pleasure of exploring any of the typical themes for boys' bedrooms, like cars, boats, fish and monsters and I'm fine with that. However, robots, at least in my mind, are cool for anyone. I am all …
A couple of weeks ago, we invited you to nominate yourselves or your favorite handmade artisans for the Handmade Olympics, a fun, entirely unathletic competition featuring amazing handmade creations. Cool Mom Picks was invited to be the …
We drop the word "cute" a lot, mainly because it's so versatile. Teeny tiny onesies? Cute. Gorgeous handmade jewelry? Cute. Sweet stationary? Cute. The guy who washed my hair this morning at the salon? Cute. But it's also refreshing when…
These days, I'm lucky if I remember to get gifts in time at all these days, let alone have the wrapping paper on hand to wrap them up. But with an unbelievable number of birthday parties and special events crammed in my calendar, I'm det…
I love throwing birthday parties for my kids. Love it. But I'm a bit of an over-achiever when it comes to loot bags, generally insisting that there should be something handmade -or at least really, really cool- inside. And that means I s…
Lately, my daughter is looking pretty sheepdoggy -- how is it that bangs grow five times as fast on an almost-4-year-old? -- and, occasionally, she will concede to wearing a hairband or ponytail so that she can actually see things before…
Of the many talents I wished I possessed, crocheting is at the top of the list, right along with singing in key and being able to sketch something other than stick figures. Since I don't expect to inherit any of those talents any time so…
Despite light-up toys, dolls that talk, and, um, iPads, at the end of the day, nothing holds a candle -- or backlit touchpad screen -- to a good kids' book . It's a lesson my 3.5 year-old daughter has already learned, and I'm sure your k…
I have a soft spot for good quality wooden toys . I like them so much I find myself decorating my daughter's room with them, and these handmade, wood puzzles from Just Hatched are no exception. They're much too pretty to keep in a drawer…
When I first became a mother of two, my own mom introduced me to the concept of collaborative board games. Think less "I did it!" and more "We did it!" In other words, less "I hate you, I'm never playing with you any more ever again!" an…
I thought I knew good chocolate. I rather pride myself on favoring the high cacao content and richer taste of the more expensive brands. But I had never even heard of raw chocolate when one of my readers was kind enough to ask if she cou…
My mom gets teary-eyed when talking about a pair of red Mary Jane shoes I had as a little girl and so I've always envisioned getting a similar pair for my daughter. And then I saw these red Mary Jane shoes with white hearts. Seriously. C…
I love it when a cool designer creates a less expensive line for the masses. I've swooned over the adorable styles and appealing price tags of the Stella McCartney for Gap Kids and Baby and Splendid Littles for Target lines; and now I ca…
This past week, I had a dandy time perusing the 600,000* aisles of the NY International Gift Show, scouting out what's cool in gifts and gear and design for our fair readers. I was also honored to be one of ten judges of the Best New Pro…
The harsh, dry winter weather has not been nice to my toddler son's skin. He has red, rough patches of skin on his face and his tiny lips are all chapped (sad face). I had been afraid to put any ointment on his lips until I discovered Er…
I like giving my kids something cute for Valentine's Day, but how many teddy bears with hearts can a child own? This Etch A Sketch t-shirt however, had me at I love you. The tee is perfect for Valentine's Day and all year round--I'm such…
Great art is beautiful, interesting, well-crafted, and has staying power. Surprise! That also describes these cool new temporary tattoos by one of CMP's favorite designers. Our old pals at Wee Gallery have found a fantastic new way to pe…
My go-to standard baby shower gift was, for a long time, either a baby bathtub, or infant footie sleepers. Useful, and admittedly a little uninspired. These days, I want to give something unusual, beautiful and creative: both moms and ba…
Four is a magical age. And for us, it includes a daily account of closet gremlins and nightmares that involve an epic battle between Scooby Doo and armored Transformer/My Little Pony hybrids. I love the imagination. The fear of bedtime, …
LEGO is, in my mind, the quintessential building toy of childhood. I played with it when I was little; both of my kids--their ages in double digits--still love to build with it . The problem, of course, is that no matter what LEGO storag…
These days, my girls would rather get into dress up clothing than play nearly anything else. I'm not complaining; I love all the creativity and imagination it inspires, when they piece together the mismatched accessories, tutus, hats and…