I do the vast majority of my communicating via email but I still love sending and receiving handwritten notes , opening a really cool party invitation or getting an almost-too-nice-to-write-on notepad for my desk. (Don't worry, I'll writ…
Hanging boughs of holly and popcorn is fine for the mantel, but you wouldn't want to wear them yourself. I mean, think of all the cleavage sap full of popcorn crumbs. If you're looking to decorate yourself for the holidays while staying …
Something strange happens to me every December. I don't usually have much patience for craft projects, but every holiday season, something comes over me and I feel the need to do something with glitter. Well, here's a holiday gift for al…
This Christmas, I'm dreaming of... white sand beaches, umbrella drinks, and menus in a language that is not my first. Oh, and a phalanx of babysitting-ready grandparents. All of that seems slightly more within reach with this super cool …
I'm the first to admit that discount sites can get overwhelming. I get so swept up in the dealiness of everything that I put a bunch of too-good-to-be-so-cheap things in my cart, second-guess every one, and then abandon the whole thing i…
I love crafty people. I wish I were one of them, but, alas, I'm not even that great at wrapping gifts. They end up looking like my three-year-old took the reins. But, this year, my friends and family will think I've developed some seriou…
The only thing better than connecting our readers with fabulous finds is knowing that those purchases do real good in the world. So we thought we'd take a look-see around Cool Mom Picks for some of our favorite picks that put your money …
Need a break to gab with the girls and giggle about gifting? Want to win a gift certificate to one of our favorite online shops ? Then pull up a squishy chair, grab a chai latte, and settle in for a cyberchat with the Cool Mom Picks gang…
We're kind of in love with Joanne Dugan around here. She's an amazingly prolific photographer, with her work in about a zillion ads, the awesome Taxi Driver Wisdom book, and most importantly to us, a magical series of children's books: A…
I cringed on that day back in October when holiday cards replaced an aisle of Halloween costumes. It's not that I dislike the holiday season or have a soft spot for grown men dressed as plates of spaghetti. It's just that the cards were …
When my kids were young, I found a trio of very cute stockings in a small local store that I thought were totally unique and special for our family. And then my mother saw them and said, O ooo, I saw those at the card store! So much for …
Okay, what do you get when you cross a container junkie and an ex-Art Director? Someone who is madly in love these Pantone tin storage boxes , that's what. In other words, me. These boxes are ample in size so they're great for storing ev…
Well hello! And happy Small Business Saturday --quite possibly our new favorite shopping day. (It certainly sounds better than Black Friday, right? So dark! So ominous!) Today is an amazing opportunity to devote some of that holiday budg…
If we couldn't solve all your holiday shopping conundrums with our Cool Mom Picks holiday gift guide (gasp!), then we've got over 75 more fabulous gift options just for you in our brand spankin' new Cool Mom Tech holiday gift guide ! We'…
With all the awesome Black Friday sales online today, I've had the best morning avoiding the crowds at the stores. I've been cuddling up with my girls, watching the Mahna Mahna video for the zillionth time on you tube, and jumping online…
'Tis the season for lots of neighborhood parties and gatherings, and you know what that means--lots of hostess gifts . I have a closet dedicated to "cutesy gifts gone bad," like dozens of fancy soaps. (I'm a pump dispenser girl.) Persona…
A gift card can sometimes feel kind of impersonal, no matter how many zeroes are on it. (Not necessarily unwelcome, by the way--dear friends and family: bring on those zeroes!) That's one reason we're always looking for special cards and…
I know that starting tomorrow I will admire my family members' beautifully adorned holiday tables and think I should really do more with mine. And then I will start virtually shopping online for gorgeous linens and flatware and other pre…
It's awfully daunting, standing in the hustle and bustle of a huge bookstore during the holidays and trying to find one book among millions for the bibliophile or budding reader in your life. Luckily, there's a fabulous new service to he…
If you're an artist, a wannabe artist, or even an artist-in-training, we sure hope you'll enter our Color Your Own paper holiday ornament design contest that we're putting on with the fine folks at Etsy . All it takes is your design for …
Every Hanukkah, in addition to the loooong lists of requested items (i.e. toys) we always make sure to include several books as gifts . And guess what--long after my son is bored with the video game he received, he's still reading and re…
I hardly know a mom who doesn't have a soft spot for the Madeline books of her childhood. Me included. It just seemed so romantic to live in Paris and walk to school every day wearing a yellow hat that looked like a boat. Well save yours…
As a longtime reader of Karen Walrond's blog Chookooloonks , I expected her first book, The Beauty of Different: Observations of a Confident Misfit , to be gorgeous. I'm familiar enough with her pictures to expect the photography to be s…
I remember when I first heard out about Jonathan Adler Junior. I pretty much foamed at the mouth in anticipation of his pint-sized happy chic design. I knew almost every item would fall into the category of "lust" and not "must," but if …