Okay so maybe I'm jumping the gun a little with the Christmas thank you notes, but hey--I know myself. Next week I'll be carousing with family, New Year's will hit, I'm back to work, and bam , no more free time. That's when all the thank…
Just when I thought I'd run out of original gift ideas , I came across an illustrator who will draw a ridiculously cute picture of your kid along with his or her favorite possession. There's literally no kid's room that these illustratio…
I totally am stumped on what to give our favorite sitter in addition to some cash. Any last minute ideas? She's really wonderful and we want her to know how much we value her but I don't want to spend a lot because we're already giving h…
If you caught our Editor-in-Chief Liz on TODAY this morning talking about those awesome last minute personalized gifts today that you can still grab for Christmas or Hanukkah , don't panic if you didn't catch every single URL! We've got …
Okay, Cool Mom Picks is a safe space where I feel like I can admit this freely: I'm starting to panic a little. The gift-purchasing isn't going as planned. I keep seeing all these amazingly fabulous personalized gifts--that I should have…
Okay, so we sometimes make fun of mugs as gifts around here. But only because when most people think of mug gifts, they think of some awful " world's greatest____ " thing in comic sans that was nabbed off the bargain shelf at the last mi…
While I love the silhouette ornaments in our Holiday Gift Guide this year as a fabulous grandparent gift, here's one more idea. And if you've got up to 5 cousins (or kids) in the family, even better. The customized star ornament from CMP…
Grandparents can be tricky to shop for at holiday time. "Don't get me a thing," they'll tell you, but truth be told, they'd rather weep for weeks over the thoughtful gift that shows up anyway. We've only got a few days left to get the de…
I always feel more social during the holidays. Maybe it's the cooler weather and festive music that inspires me to finally bring out the welcome mat and throw a party. (Fine, the fact that the house is finally decorated doesn't hurt.) Bu…
I have an arsenal of go-to occasion gifts and one of my favs for the ladies in my life is the classic initial necklace . Perfect for a new mama or a friend's birthday it always leaves my girls feeling extra special. I couldn't be more th…
Looking for a gift this holiday season that won't take up any more space in the playroom? How about some practical and functional items for your little ones to call all their own? Artist Mayi Carles has a full line of pieces that you can…
This holiday season, you can do almost anything with your fancy photos: make books, cards, puzzles, even an afghan. But we found one artist putting a beautiful homemade twist on capturing your family's image, and we think this one's wort…
We fell in love with Minted back when we first got wind of their holiday cards , all created by indie designers, many of whom happen to be talented stay-at-home moms. The customization process is a snap and the quality has never failed t…
Just when you thought that metal water bottles had reached the apex of coolness, we've found the coolest designs around. Yours. (Don't miss a great discount code after the jump!) Wawabots allows you to fully customize your own water bott…
When it comes to unwrapping gifts, people usually fall into two camps. Either they take their time, delicately lifting the tape and neatly folding up the paper; or they rip through the paper like a present-seeking claw machine. This pers…
A blankey is the the one gift that I didn't care we received way too many of when my daughter was born. It's a perfect idea when you have no idea what the new parents have or need , but want something more keepsake-y than diapers. But th…
One of my favorite holiday traditions is sending and receiving cards in the mail -- especially the photo kind. (I can't possibly be the only one. Who doesn't love getting real mail? And photos? Everyone does!) It's the best part of Decem…
We have loved the beautiful keepsake jewelry of JULIAN & Co. since way back when they went by the name Little Jules . Since then, we have been consistently impressed with Tania Condon's vision and unique designs that interpret "mother's …
I am fairly confident in my taste, and know when I see an invitation that's special and different. But making it myself? No way. So I am happy to know there are some wonderful artists and designers out there who are willing to work with …
As I've learned, finding the perfect holiday gift for nieces and nephews can be tough, particularly when I'm trying to avoid picking out some random thing from the giant toy store chain. This year, I'm thinking about something personaliz…
I've always been a big fan of custom baby gifts. After all, what parent doesn't want to see that oh-so-perfect name they've spent days or months (or years, ahem) agonizing over ,emblazoned on something special? The delightful custom post…
On the nights I play "tooth fairy," the last thing I want to do is wake a child while I shove my arm under their pillow in a not-so-subtle search for a tiny tooth. So I love that one of our favorite beautiful-keepsake makers, Tree by Ker…
My kids love Sesame Street. Hey, I love Sesame Street. So we have a lot of Sesame Street decorations around our house--if by decorations we mean random books on the floor and half-dressed Muppet dolls. But we all really love the looks of…
I've got a love/hate relationship with IKEA. I love it, because it's reliable, dependable, and honest. I know what I'm getting, and there are no surprises. I hate it at times, for all of the same reasons. IKEA furniture can be dreadfully…