More coolness from recent weeks…

Practicing safe electronics

Practicing safe electronics

My beloved new MacBook is now as much a part of my kitchen table as the napkin stand but, in such a high-traffic spot, my laptop is in constant danger of a small person dribbling a juice box over the keys. Instead of constantly playing defense, I now use protection...

Taking a look at The Big Picture with Uncle Rock

Taking a look at The Big Picture with Uncle Rock

More predictable kids' music CD's throw in a few songs about cuddly toys, naptime and making friends. Kindie-rock darling Uncle Rock croons instead about his friend Bigfoot, staying up the night the lights went out, and a big garbage barge on his new CD, The Big...

A penny saved is a piece of the planet saved

A penny saved is a piece of the planet saved

One of the things about all those pennies laying around at the bottom of drawers or under the couch is that they are, well, laying around doing nothing. Rather than leave those coins to clog up the vacuum cleaner, why not use your extra pennies as a way to get your...

Cool Mom Picks loves ebay’s World of Good

Cool Mom Picks loves ebay’s World of Good

When World of Good by eBay invited us to pick our favorite fair trade Mother's Day gifts, we replied with a resounding "yes!" What better way to celebrate moms than with products that support people and communities in need.So we scoured the thousands...

Little feet love Cienta

Little feet love Cienta

God I love me some Zappos. While I was on there, trying to figure out how not to blow our entire monthly budget on new shoes for my fast-growing kids, I came across a brand called Cienta that was new to me. The nearly 20-year old, eco-conscious Spanish children's...

Random acts of gardening

Random acts of gardening

When I get old and have nothing to lose, I plan to become a world-famous graffiti artist. My goals? To beautify the world and subvert The Man. Until then, I can satisfy my lust for guerrilla aesthetic do-gooding with seed bombs by visualingual on Etsy.We're not...

Embracing the turquoise trend one arm at a time

Embracing the turquoise trend one arm at a time

I'm giving into the turquoise trend this spring, albeit gently--you won't find me dripping in Santa Fe turquoise stones or Grandma's shocking aqua Palm Beach duds. But when I saw these resin bangles on the front page of etsy I thought ooh, that's right up my alley....

Raising the reusable tote bar a little higher

Raising the reusable tote bar a little higher

With the reusable tote bag phenomenon in full swing, there are a lot of options out there, from the $.99 bags at the grocery store -- that fall apart after a few weeks' use by the way -- to reusable bags that are organic, well made, and um, a whole lot better looking....

2010 love makes the world go ’round.

2010 love makes the world go ’round.

Look at the 2010 love logo carefully and you'll see how cool it is. And the thinking of the company behind the clever design is equally simple but striking: Make the world better in 2010. Do it through love. Which is what makes the 2010 love onesie a sweet keepsake...

Add some spice to life with Rice

Add some spice to life with Rice

Rice dk is a cool Danish company specializing in utterly chic and socially-conscious homewares. I like to think of them as the cooler, slightly under-the-radar version of Ikea. Like the hip older cousin I had growing up who wore a motorcycle jacket with a kilt....

Psssst, your roots are showing

Psssst, your roots are showing

Traditional family trees may be great for tracing your family's history back several generations, but this handmade custom family tree print from the Cozy Blue shop on Etsy is anything but your traditional family tree. Mainly because it only features your little...

Rescue my veggies, please.

Rescue my veggies, please.

Don't tell anybody, but I just threw away an entire head of organic cauliflower. Why? Because I bought it on sale and then forgot to cook it. And then it grew spots. I am apparently the perfect candidate for Aviva Goldfarb's new book SOS! The Six-O'Clock Scramble to...

This Mother’s Day, say I love you in wood

This Mother’s Day, say I love you in wood

Growing up, we had a big framed photo of my family that was a Mother's Day gift for my mom. How I hated that photo only five years later, with our embarrassing clothing, my poofy hair style, the cheesy backdrop. It isn't something I plan to repeat with my family....