More coolness from recent weeks…
Sandra Boynton – Udderly amazing
To say that Sandra Boynton is my favorite children's author is an understatement, (with deep props to Dr. Seuss). But truly, for the first few years of my son's life her chunky children's books were a constant. Her writing is fun, bouncy and the pictures. Oh, the...
The Coolest TV Moms and the fashion they’ve inspired – Part 1, The 1950’s and 1960’s
We love TV. Love TV! No apologies here for our pop culture addiction. It seems so far back that TV moms were just you know...funny. And not because they got Botox live in front of cameras. (Or maybe we're watching too much Bravo?) So we are happy to present a...
Bid, borrow or swap your way to a fabulous wardrobe
If eBay, Net-a-Porter, Rent the Runway and Gilt Groupe (all of my favorite shopping websites) had a baby, their progeny would look like I-ELLA.com.Launched by a fashion-obsessed entrepreneur in New York, I-ELLA weaves enough elements into the shopping experience to...
A gift for you Television Without Pity wannabe writers
I'm always looking for fun little gifts for hip friends--you know, the kind of under $15 thing that makes a big impression when you wrap it beautifully and present with love, but isn't necessarily the Hope Diamond. We've got a whole category of them in our holiday...
Chat with us about holiday gifts, live!
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 at TheMotherhood. On Thursday,...
Alphabet City
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: ABC NYC and 123 NYC, which...
Raise your crayons for the Cool Mom Picks & Etsy ornament contest winners
You talented artists, you! You made it so hard for us to choose among all the amazing entries to our Cool Mom Picks + Etsy color your own paper ornament design contest to support Housing Works, and we have, after much deliberation, finally picked our 8 winning...
More birthdays? Sign us up.
We've been thrilled to have the American Cancer Society as a long-time sponsor on Cool Mom Picks; it's always nice when the people who support us are the ones we want to support right back. And now their MoreBirthdays.com website has taken on new life with a totally...
Prima Princessa presents the Nutcracker on PBS
One of my all time favorite holiday shows is the Nutcracker Ballet, but I didn't imagined I would get tickets to see it with my toddler for quite a long time--like, ten years, at least. Performances are expensive in New York! Which is one of the reasons that Cool Mom...
Home sweet doll home
I have this fantasy every Christmas of convincing my extended family to go together on one big gift for my children. You know, instead of everyone doing their own thing and my kids ending up with a playroom full of blinky-light, noise-making,...
Fingerless gloves find new fans in the smartphone age
Yes, I pretty much love everything from Shokay. Their gorgeous, hand-knit, fair trade items have made it into our baby shower gift guide, our 2010 holiday gift guide--and now, even our Cool Mom Tech gift guide. No, they're not making high-tech electric blankets now;...
Holiday photo cards with flair? Reader Q&A
Can you suggest some more holiday photo card sites? I'm a little bored with the same ole, same ole every year. Or, what about a site for creating your own cards with flair? -Ginger I am fairly certain that Holiday Rule #1 states that you must send out photo cards once...
A kinder, gentler lip balm
Angry winter weather is coming - yes, even on the left coast, where a cold, dry wind comes off the ocean and ages my skin (and forces me to eat leftover pumpkin pies for breakfast. A la mode). This winter, though, I am more prepared - I have Chapstuff. This...
Know what we’re thankful for? Our subscribers.
Yes, we're thankful for turkey, and pie, and those little buttery rolls, too. But mostly you.That's why we mamas work so hard to bring you the coolest finds, the best deals, and the most marvelous giveaways. If that sounds pretty good, we hope you'll become a CMP...
The 10 coolest finger puppets, one for every finger
I'm such a huge fan of finger puppets for kids, which inspire all kinds of creativity and good thinking. I'm thinking about tracking down a finger puppet theater this holiday, so we can have a more formal stage for all that tiny entertainment. If you don't have access...
Cyber Monday Deal Alert – Handmade gifts at 40% off
As much as I'd love to make my own holiday gifts, I've come to the realization that with four kids I just don't have the time. And quite frankly, even with all the time in the world, I'd never be able to make anything quite as amazing as the gorgeously upcycled...
Coming to your mailbox: Joy, Peace, and Cheer.
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 all somber and religious, and,...
Custom Christmas stockings that have no match
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, Oooo, I saw those at the card store! So much for originality. Want...
Calling all you mama inventors
Are you one of those people who is always coming up with good ideas for products? In our support for you mama entrepreneurs and all the genius we seem from you in our inboxes every day, we thought we'd tip you off to a chance to audition for season for the PBS show,...
Color me happy
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 everything from art supplies...
Cool headband alert!
I've always had a thing for headbands. It probably dates back to the first grade when I fell in love with a ribbon and bead headband a cool older girl made for me. Now CMP (and mom) fave Giddy Giddy is taking me back to my grade school days with their ultra-adorable...