Design Mom

Fine Dining Disney Style

2008-05-14T20:55:00.006-04:00

Last Wednesday I was invited to attend a dinner at the James Beard House. I am kind of an idiot. And had never heard of James Beard. Or his home. And just figured it was the name of a restaurant. And then I arrived at the Village address, walked into the brownstone and realized it was in fact a home. The former home of James Beard. Still very homelike.

From what I could gather from the other attendees, James Beard was the first real voice to say: Hey! American Chefs and American Cooking should be great and celebrated. And now there is a foundation that bears his name and give awards to the best American Chefs each year. In fact, I was told receiving a James Beard award is like getting an Oscar for cooking. So that's James Beard.

Now back to his house. After his death, the foundation made the brilliant decision to use his home for special meals. If I understand correctly, great American chefs (from all over the country) are invited to come to the James Beard House to show off their mad kitchen skillz. And then an assortment of press and foodies and such are seated throughout the main floor of the house and get to enjoy the meal. Very cool. I can't believe how enamored I am with the image of all these amazing chefs coming to the same small kitchen to prepare their best recipes. Lovely.

But enough with James Beard. Let's talk about the meal I attended — cooked by the superstar chefs from Disneyland and Disneyworld. I should clarify right up front that I was not worthy of this meal (no one that shows up at the James Beard House with no knowledge of James Beard could be worthy of the gourmet-ness of this feast).

There were 6 courses. Each one prepared by a different chef from Disney's signature restaurants. And each course with a distinct style:

Hors d'oeuvres by Chef Gloria Tae of Golden Vine Winery at California Adventure. There were 3 different kinds. I liked the Shrimp and Sweet Pea Tartine with Candied Garlic and Lemon Relish the best.

First Course by Chef Jens Dahlmann of California Grill at Contemporary Resort. Did you know asparagus comes in white and can be whipped to the texture of mashed potatoes only about a thousand times lighter? Yummy.

Second Course by Chef Tim Keating of Flying Fish Cafe at BoardWalk Resort. I have to spell this one out because it was my particular favorite — Fennel Pollen-dusted Wild North Atlantic Turbot with Maine Lobster, Celery Root, Leeks, and Fennel with Tahitian Vanilla-Hazelnut Emulsion and Montegottero Hazelnut Oil. It was so, so yummy. I had to use all my willpower not to lick the plate.

Third Course by Chef Andrew Sutton of Napa Rose at Grand Californian Resort & Spa. He served sonoma duck with roasted baby vegetables. This was my first duck. (Weird that I hadn't tried duck before, no?) It was amazing. And I wanted to sneak some into my purse so that I could share with Ben.

Fourth Course by Chef Scott Hunnel of Victoria & Alpert's at Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. This was a veal tenderloin with golden tomatoes and garlics roots and shoots. And I should note here that these 6 courses were not tasting courses — these were full, generous servings. So you can imagine by the time the gorgeous and delicious tenderloin arrived that I was realizing I should have paced myself earlier on. Because it was so flavorful, and satisfying, and I hated to leave even one bite on my plate.

Dessert by Master Pastry Chef Erich Herbitschek of Grand Floridian. What can I say? There was cream. There was bittersweet chocolate. There was sorbet. There was caramel-chocolates with sea salt. And more. And even more. And I loved every spoonful.

For those of you who grew up eating nothing but churros and fast food hamburgers at Disney Parks (like me), it might be kind of a revelation that there are 5-star dining options at Disney complete with celebrated Chefs. But there are. And there are lots of them — there's even a Zagat guide dedicated solely to Disney restaurants. If you want to try them (and you should so try them), I recommend calling ahead early for a reservation. Because these restaurants are hot. And fill up fast.

Anyway. The meal was such a treat. Treat as in yummy and treat as in a cool experience. I was seated with wonderful people — seated in the very spot where James Beard kept his bed. (And yes, there were mirrors on the ceiling over the bed area. Not kidding.). The conversation was great. I was able to meet the Chefs and compliment their work. And I was sent home with a gorgeous Disney cookbook. What more could I ask for?

DB Clay Wallets

2008-05-13T15:15:00.007-04:00

I have vowed to get a head start on Fathers Day this year. I'm eyeing these gorgeous screen-printed wallets by DB Clay. They look so interesting and masculine and not at all boring. My very favorite is the Time To Swim.

Plus, they're made from an eco-friendly synthetic (instead of leather) called tope. What is tope? I'll let DB Clay explain: Tope is a specialized and sleek material that we've custom engineered specifically for constructing artfully printed wallets. Tope not only improves the look and functionality of our wallets but also reduces db clay's ecological footprint by using environmentally friendly manufacturing solutions. Tope is strong. Tope is durable. Tope is heat and cold resistant. Tope is smooth textured. Tope is water resistant. Tope is robust. Tope is eco friendly and our material of choice for producing Version 3 and Version 3.1 wallets- the only product of their kind in the world.

Don't you feel like pulling out a wallet like this would help your wears-a-tie-everyday-husband feel like he's pretty cutting edge? Like maybe he drives a Harley. Or owns tech stock. Or is kind of a skater. (I've always had a thing for skaters.)

Wallet version 3.1 just came out. Twelve very cool options. And you can own one first. At a hefty discount no less — type in dmom30x and you'll get 30% off your order!! Feel free to spread the word. This isn't just a Design Mom exclusive — anyone can take advantage of this awesome deal.

Growth Chart

2008-05-13T14:45:00.002-04:00

How cute is this growth chart kit? It's a 4 foot long jute piece, mounted on wooden dowels and hung with a red ribbon. Twenty tags are included (ten in red, ten in manila) with space to mark your child's name, age, and date of measurement. The little muslin bag is full of large safety pins to attach the tags.

My favorite part: it comes in an heirloom wooden box. I love the textures in the kit — the jute, the ribbon, the pins, the muslin, the paper — I just want to touch every little bit. And I love that someone thought to create it! Genius.

spotted on petit elefant

Goodbye Curls

2008-05-13T14:41:00.004-04:00

The real sign that warm weather has arrived is Ralph asking for a haircut. This is the longest he's ever grown his hair — and I think it looked great! But he looks great no matter what. He's just a handsome kid.

The haircut was a family affair. Ben did the actual snipping. All the kids watched and teased and fetched combs and spray bottles and whatever else was needed.

Tree Free Wrapping Paper

2008-05-12T15:08:00.002-04:00

Don't these look gorgeous? They're sheets of wrapping paper made out of cotton textile remnants from garment factories. You can buy them at Soolip — and there are about 100 patterns available. I'm thinking they're too pretty to actually use as wrapping.

I spotted these on kirtsy.

Say Hello to Kirtsy!!

2008-05-12T12:21:00.003-04:00

I've got some news. Unless you're very new to Design Mom, you probably already know I started another website called sk*rt with two amazing partners. Sk*rt was modeled on a site called Digg and is a place where anyone can share any cool link they find online. It's been up and running for less than a year but is already a pretty darn popular site. I love it. I find cool things on it everyday. And I hope you do to.

That said, we're changing the name. And it happens today. Why? Well, it's because of some unseemly internet drama. The 411: A company with a similar name sued us a few months ago over the domain name. We won. Which didn't surprise us, but apparently surprised them — because now they're back again with an even more massive lawsuit. So. We're changing our name. We have decided to move on. Why fight an enormous corporation with deep pockets and a penchant for sueing tiny companies? And. We don’t believe in skirts fighting. The end.

Which means: we've been working our sk*rts off over the last weeks, and we now have a new name, a new location, and a whole new even more awesome energy!

Sk*rt is now kirtsy.

And I have a favor to ask. I need your help to get the word out, so that no one gets lost and no one gets left behind. Here’s what you can do. You have a number of options. And you can do any and all of the following:

1. Replace your old sk*rt badges with one of these bad boys. Here they are! And go crazy! Feel free to add one even if you didn’t have a sk*rt badge before. Kirtsy badges are the new chartreuse. Which is totally huge.

2. Also, please feel very free to write about it on your blog, or twitter, or facebook, or comment about it wherever you comment, or send out an email, or put up flyers on poles, or chalk it on sidewalks, or do an interpretive dance, or whatever it is that you do, and help us get the word out about the change.

3. Finally, tell anyone you know about kirtsy. And then tell anyone you know who knows people to tell them too. We’ve always said, the more brilliant minds, the better the site. And we don’t want to lose any of those brilliant minds along the way.

To thank you for your help, we've put together a huge contest. If you do any of the above. Let us know about it. In the comments on the kirtsy contest blog post. Or in the comments on the kirtsy entry. Or send us an email at changerocks@kirtsy.com. And you will be entered to win this ginormous Make That Change prize worth over $1,000.

One lucky kirtsy champion will win all of these cool things:

-14 Books from Hachette Book Group
The fantastic Hachette Book Group has published a kabillion great books. And you could win 14 of them.

-A Lands’ End $100 Gift Certificate to buy your new favorite swimsuit.
Lands’ End is known as the long-time go-to spot for the quality and variety (and the best-made swimsuits around). Seriously, a ton of super cute options. How will you chose?

-A Sony DVDirect.
Wow. This is incredible. A quick and easy way to get your home movies and digital pictures to DVD. Very nice. And it can playback on Blu-ray Discs too. For extreme high definition detail of your oh so professional shots.

-An Affirmagy blanket.
We think the Peace blanket is our mantra right now.

-3 cool techy items from Spoon Sisters
A Driinn, the Take Charge, and the ID Pilot Labels. How useful are these products? How cool is this site?

-8 rolls of super cute giftwrap from Hallmark.
And it’s not just giftwrap — it’s adhesive wrap. Brilliant!! If you can operate a sticky note, you can wrap like a professional wrapper of wrappings. You’ll be fancy like that.

-Ten Cases of water from Primo Water.
Primo is the first nationally available bottled water whose bottle is made from plants, not crude oil! A bottle that’s friendly to the environment. What a concept! We love them.

-And finally, a registration to the July BlogHer conference in San Francisco OR a Blogher Reach conference of the winner’s choice. From YouData… a new company that is so freaking smart and fantastic, and you’ll hear much more about them sooner than later. Watch for it. That’s right, this means one lucky winner will be attending a Blogher Conference for FREE. Thanks, YouData!!!

That’s right, kirtsy is having a giant contest with over $1,000 in prizes just for spreading the word and leaving a comment. Easy. Peasy.

And most of all. Thank you for reading Design Mom. And for taking an interest when I post about kirtsy.

kisses, Gabrielle

Mothers Day 2008 Giveaway Recap

2008-05-12T12:05:00.001-04:00

The Mothers Day 2008 Giveaway Week is officially closed. I'll announce the final winners — and put winners in touch with sponsors — this evening.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Mothers Day Giveaway week — the clever commenters! (Over the course of the week there were 13,155(!) Giveaway comments) The generous sponsors! The beautiful products! I hope everyone felt as celebratory as I did about the whole thing.

In other news: I have a million blog posts I want to write. Betty turned 2 on Friday (can we still call her Baby Betty?) with celebrations happening on Sunday. Then there was Mothers Day — I slept in till 9:30 in the morning — the best gift ever. Plus there were Giveaways to attend to. And a little tiny thing called a major website relaunch for the newly named kirtsy (more on that in the next post).

I can't wait to report with a little more detail about the lovely gift from Ben (it rhymes with muperhero mecklace). And about a super cool dinner I went to at the James Beard House last Wednesday. I plan to fill you in on everything just as soon as I've wrapped up the Giveaway loose ends tonight.

In the meantime, Happy Monday!

Mothers Day 2008 Giveaway #17 — Breakfast in Bed from Williams-Sonoma

2008-05-09T11:45:00.009-04:00

[ Congratulations to Mae who said, "I would love a breakfast in bed that was a little more than soggy cereal and a bruised banana. (Although that's nice too!)" You're the big winner of this Giveaway! Please send me an email at the address listed on my blog and I'll put you in touch with the sponsor. ]

Here it is. You've been waiting for it so patiently. The final Mother's Day Giveaway. The finale. The big caboose. (Is that a term?) And as you might expect. It rocks. This Giveaway is worth the wait x 10. Get your comments in now for a super deluxe prize package from the finest kitchen supply store around: Williams-Sonoma.

When I say "super-deluxe" I'm not even kidding. The prize features four items — everything you need for the perfect Mothers Day breakfast in bed. Take a look at the goods:

1) The Breville Electric Citrus Press.
It's sleek. It's powerful. And it works on all of your favorite citrus. From tiny limes to ginormous grapefruits. All you have to do is press down on the handle, and ba-da-boom, the motor starts up and does its thing. Like more pulp? Like less pulp? Either way, you're in luck. Because the Breville comes with two stainless-steel strainer baskets allowing you to adjust the amount of pulp in your juice. Easy clean-up — all removable parts are dishwasher safe. Retails for $169.95.

2) Set of Three Monogrammed Bud Vases.
Charming. Personalized. Hand blown in Poland. You know you want these three little luxuries. Each one has its own unique shape — they look pretty displayed together. Pretty on their own. And they'll add just the right touch to your breakfast tray. Retails for $39.00.

3) Plain & Chocolate Croissants Assortment.
This is not a recipe. This is not a baking mix. This is 30 gorgeous and delicious croissants. Made by pastry chef Jean-Yves Charon in the traditional French style, using butter and ultrathin layers of dough. And butter. Half are chocolate croissants — filled with premium Callebaut chocolate. The other half are un-chocolate (read: plain). Preparation is simple: Thaw. Let rise overnight. Bake to a warm, flaky perfection. Ummm. Yes, please. Retails for $72.00.

4) Cuisinart 12-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker.
Confession. The whole coffee culture is completely unknown to me. So I won't pretend to understand all the fine qualities of this beautiful machine and will instead give you the lovely description straight from the WS site: "Equally suitable for elegant entertaining or everyday breakfast service, this programmable coffeemaker lets you set a brewing cycle up to 24 hours in advance. It’s equipped with a generous 12-cup, 60 fl.-oz. glass carafe for large gatherings, but also features a special cycle for brewing one to four cups when you don’t need a full pot. The attractive design features a stainless-steel control panel." Sounds good, no? Retails for $59.95.

Is it just me, or is this the perfect Giveaway to end with? Four great items from a company that stocks only the best. Williams-Sonoma is the kind of store that even non-foodies are tempted by. It's just such a pleasant place to be. The displays are charming. The packaging is well-designed. The quality is unmatched.

One of my favorite parts about shopping at Williams-Sonoma is the knowledge of their legendary satisfaction guarantee. If you're not pleased with a Williams-Sonoma gift, they will happily exchange it for a product you'd prefer. But honestly, I can't think of anyone who wouldn't be pleased with a Williams-Sonoma gift.

Thank you Williams-Sonoma!

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Mothers Day Giveaway Guidelines:
-You have until 1:00 PM EST on Monday, May 12th to enter this giveaway.
-Just make a comment ON THIS POST to enter — any comment.
-Anonymous comments will be ignored/removed.
-One entry per person, please.
-Winner will be randomly picked and announced on Monday night.
-What are Mother's Day Giveaways? Read about them here.

Mothers Day 2008 Giveaway #16 — $200 Worth of Goods from Paper and Ink

2008-05-09T11:44:00.005-04:00

[ Congratulations to Cecily who said, "I love it choose me!" You're the big winner of this Giveaway! Please send me an email at the address listed on my blog and I'll put you in touch with the sponsor. ]

It's the second to last Giveaway. If you come upon this post over the weekend, it's so going to make your day. Like for reals. This Giveaway features one of the favorite items we discuss around here: pretty paper. With your name on it. The winner will receive $200 worth of paper goods. From the hip shop Paper & Ink Studio.

The prize includes 75 Flat Notecards — personalized with your name — and accompanied by 75 hand-lined envelopes. Size: A2 (5.5"x4.25"). Printed on velvet texture 80 pound cardstock, with rounded corners. Strawberry envelopes hand-lined with a pretty pink floral pattern. Oh my. Hand-lined envelopes always make me swoon.

Additionally, the winner will receive 100 Call Me Cards — personalized with her name and info. Available in lots of good-looking designs. And won't you feel all special when someone asks for your email address and you whip out one of these?

What is it about pretty paper anyway? I'm sure it has something to do with how good a heavy, elegant, paper stock feels in your hand after an afternoon of email and internet. You just can't beat a hand-written note or a pretty little calling card. Mary Carstens, the designer behind Paper & Ink Studio, sure knows how to keep paper simple and chic and really elegant.

Thank you Paper & Ink!

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Mothers Day Giveaway Guidelines:
-You have until 1:00 PM EST on Monday, May 12th to enter this giveaway.
-Just make a comment ON THIS POST to enter — any comment.
-Anonymous comments will be ignored/removed.
-One entry per person, please.
-Winner will be randomly picked and announced on Monday night.
-What are Mother's Day Giveaways? Read about them here.

Mothers Day 2008 Giveaway #15 — 12 x 12 Print from MeArt

2008-05-09T11:43:00.005-04:00

[ Congratulations to debbie and ori who said, "i love this!" You're the big winner of this Giveaway! Please send me an email at the address listed on my blog and I'll put you in touch with the sponsor. ]

Giveaway #15 is all about artwork. Artwork that you get to participate in. That you get to help create. The winner of Giveaway #15 will receive a ready-to-frame masterpiece, valued at $285, from Me Art! This is how it works:

Me Art turns your photographs into artwork. Find a favorite photo of your baby, your friend, even your pet. Choose from Me Art's list of styles, and then you can even personalize the artwork with a sentiment or name. Me Art is available in several size options, but the winner of this Giveaway will receive a 12 x 12 Me Art — a single image with personalization in the style of your choice. Retail value: $285.

The image will be produced as a Giclée print on premium artist grade canvas. It will be stretched on 1 ½” heavy duty stretcher bars, ready to hang. If you prefer, you can redeem the $285 for a higher priced item. What a fun way to display a favorite image.

Thank you Me Art!

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Mothers Day Giveaway Guidelines:
-You have until 1:00 PM EST on Monday, May 12th to enter this giveaway.
-Just make a comment ON THIS POST to enter — any comment.
-Anonymous comments will be ignored/removed.
-One entry per person, please.
-Winner will be randomly picked and announced on Monday night.
-What are Mother's Day Giveaways? Read about them here.

Mothers Day 2008 Giveaway #14 — Necklace and Earrings from Darleen Meier

2008-05-09T11:41:00.005-04:00

[ Congratulations to Amira who said, "how very nice!" You're the big winner of this Giveaway! Please send me an email at the address listed on my blog and I'll put you in touch with the sponsor. ]

It's Friday. The last day of Mothers Day Giveaway Week at Design Mom. I've got four Giveaways to post! The first being jewelry. Really pretty jewelry from Darleen Meier. I'm going to show you three different combinations of necklace and earrings. You'll want to study them well. Because the winner gets to pick her favorite combo!!

First up: Edith. The earrings are clusters of semi-precious stones which hang above sterling silver rings. The necklace is a coin-shaped pearl that hangs from a cubic zircon. Isn't that pearl just stunning?

Next, let me introduce you to: Regan. The earrings are made out of brushed vermeil, moss aquamarine and rough pearl stone. The necklace is made with a free-forming brushed vermeil, gold-filled chain and a cluster of semi-precious stones. How funky cool is the big gold shape on the necklace? Love it!

Third, take a look at: Kayla. earrings are made with twisted gold-filled wire that are coiled in the form of a flower. Apatite briolette. Charm necklace has a gold-filled round disc, leaflet, natural zircon briolette and pearl. Those earrings are too delicate to be real. So pretty.

Isn't this a great Giveaway? I love when there's a choice. I start imagining which one I'd pick. What I'd wear it with. How it would sparkle on my neck line. And I love Darleen Meier's style. I think it's fabulous that she names her designs after family and friends. I'll bet I would like "Edith" in real life — because I sure like the jewelry that was named after her.

When you visit her site, don't miss her baby jewelry. Really beautiful stuff. My favorite is the little, tiny, Lexie bracelet.

Thank you Darleen Meier!

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Mothers Day Giveaway Guidelines:
-You have until 1:00 PM EST on Monday, May 12th to enter this giveaway.
-Just make a comment ON THIS POST to enter — any comment.
-Anonymous comments will be ignored/removed.
-One entry per person, please.
-Winner will be randomly picked and announced on Monday night.
-What are Mother's Day Giveaways? Read about them here.

Wonderful Mother Week

2008-05-09T10:00:00.001-04:00

Hello Friday! I've got four more amazing Giveaways for you today. I'll be posting them this evening. And they'll be available to enter all weekend. Because it's Mothers Day on Sunday. And you deserve pretty things! In the meantime, feel free to enter Thursday's Giveaways.

Also. You could go visit Nie Nie's blog — today I was lucky enough to participate in a week celebrating Motherhood by sharing some of my thoughts on the subject on her fantastic site.

And. Since you can't be expected to make it through the afternoon without more Giveaways, you should definitely stop by Crabmommy's blog to partake in some hedgehoggy freebie goodness.

What a great week for blogging!

Mothers Day 2008 Giveaway #13 — Three Bags from Aster + Sage

2008-05-08T15:10:00.010-04:00

[ Congratulations to Becky who said, "LOVE LOVE LOVE them! Since gone are the diaper bag days, what a way to spice up my own "haul-around"! I hope I win, then I don't have to add to my mom's day would-love list!" You're the big winner of this Giveaway! Please send me an email at the address listed on my blog and I'll put you in touch with the sponsor. ]

And now it's Thursday night. Which means I should probably be watching 30 Rock. Which is currently the funniest show on television. But I promised to get up one more Giveaway today. And I couldn't get it posted until right this minute, because there was a fancy pantsy dance recital for my Olive this evening. For the record, dance recitals always beat out Giveaways.

But this Giveaway is totally worth the wait. And even though I'm posting it so late, you'll still get a full 24-hours to enter. For the record, you will so want to enter this Giveaway. Because there are three fantastic items up for grabs from one of my very favorite accessory lines Aster + Sage! Here's all the yummy details:

One lucky lady will receive the Charlotte tote bag — in any of the 3 great colors. It's giant and canvas and totally stylish. Perfect for holding the contents of your entire household as you head out the door this summer. You should also know that the Charlotte stands upright so it's easy to fill and wipes clean in a jiffy. For the record, Linda Yesline, the mother who designs the Aster + Sage line, uses it ALL the time.

Plus, the winner will also take home the super cool Carolyn makeup bag. Available in six up-to-date color combinations and sized exactly right. For the record, if you're not using a good-looking make-up bag, it might be time to upgrade. A great bag makes the whole make-up experience much more enjoyable.

And. Just to top things off and make this an extra-awesome Giveaway, the winner will receive the Angie phone/ipod case as well! It has an outer pocket, a cute dog-leash style strap, and it's large enough to fit a blackberry. For the record, it's so cute that you'll look for excuses to pull your phone/ipod out of your bag — just to show off your Angie case.

If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you probably already know I'm a big fan of Aster + Sage. I love the style behind the line. I love the philosophy. I loved meeting Linda at the Gift Show and seeing her darling baby. For the record, Aster + Sage rocks!!

Thank you Aster + Sage!

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Mothers Day Giveaway Guidelines:
-You have until 10:00 PM EST on Friday, May 9th to enter this giveaway.
-Just make a comment ON THIS POST to enter — any comment.
-Anonymous comments will be ignored/removed.
-One entry per person, please.
-Winner will be randomly picked and announced on Friday night.
-What are Mother's Day Giveaways? Read about them here.

Mothers Day 2008 Giveaway #12 — Goodies from The Farm Chicks

2008-05-08T14:27:00.005-04:00

[ Congratulations to Emily who said, "The giveaways just keep getting better and better!" You're the big winner of this Giveaway! Please send me an email at the address listed on my blog and I'll put you in touch with the sponsor. ]

Holy cow. We've already arrived at Giveaway #12. You will love Giveaway #12. It's a multi-goody sort of prize. A big sort of prize. And it's sponsored by the home grown, super stylish Farm Chicks. Here's what you could win:

1) Two Pendants. Your choice. Any two.
Made from vintage wallpapers, vintage sheet music, and vintage lettering. They come on an extra-long chain that can be easily trimmed to your preferred length. I love how they look in bunches. But there's more:

2) Two Grocery Bags in Canvas. One green. One red.
Because you know you'll use these in a thousand ways. And how cute are those polka dots anyway? And still, there's more:

3) Retro Recipe Cards & Shopping List.
A set of 20 "Good Eats" recipe cards. So darling that your recipes are sure to taste better, plus a magnetic shopping list — and I live for lists.

Hello fun stuff! Won't you feel all farm-fresh and spring-like when these goodies arrive on your doorstep. Yay for homegrown style!

Thank you to The Farm Chicks.

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Mothers Day Giveaway Guidelines:
-You have until 3:30 PM EST on Friday, May 9th to enter this giveaway.
-Just make a comment ON THIS POST to enter — any comment.
-Anonymous comments will be ignored/removed.
-One entry per person, please.
-Winner will be randomly picked and announced on Friday evening.
-What are Mother's Day Giveaways? Read about them here.

I HEART HEDGEHOGS: PART DEUX — by Guest Mom Amanda/Crabmommy

2008-05-08T14:04:00.004-04:00

As you gals know from part one, Crabmommy loves me a hedgehog, be it scampering across vintage fabric or balancing an apple on its nose in ponytail holders or what-have-you. Yes, indeedy, I like a small critter with a delicate snout and a prickly disposition. Reminds me of myself.

Once you go on the trail of sweet hedgies in kiddie design, people, the treasures just keep popping out of the woods. For example, check out this gorgeous three-color woodcut print on cotton, by Japanese artist Maho Satoh-Britt:

We are told it features two hedgehog brothers. "Goro rolls himself into a ball like a baby fern and Tattaka rolls him down a gentle hill." Love it. And it comes in right at my choice range of price: $12. Twelve puny ones for original artwork, people! If that's not a deal come poke me with a stick. Get it, frame it, stick it on your kid's wall (or on your own) and call yourself a fab, shrewd, discerning shopper. (And while you're at this site, Mahar Drygoods, stay awhile. It's wondrous.)

Next up 2 hedgehoggy links in one, both at the lovely Superbuzzy, another inspiring source for cute-tasticness. If your little girl must have pink in her room, well hot damn, at least pick this fabric, which will please you both and is also right in there at $12.95:

Finally, go rip a hole in your jeans so you can patch them together with these:

Stop, Crabmommy! You're killing them with cuteness. Me too, people. Me too. I myself can barely stand the sweetness. Hope you enjoy!

Thanks to Gabfab for letting me guest-post here. It's been swell. Do visit me at Cookie for more. And if you loved the hedgehog goodies showcased here and in my first guest-post, please stop by my personal blog Fri-Sun to enter a giveaway for hedgie adorability. yay!"

Mothers Day 2008 Giveaway #11 — 10 Subscriptions to Eliza Magazine

2008-05-08T12:52:00.005-04:00

[ Congratulations to:
1) Lauren who said, "That looks perfect. What a great find!"
2) Brooke Rane who said, "Now THIS looks to be an awesome, fresh magazine!"
3) dakotapearl who said, "What a beautiful mag!"
4) Neen who said, "Oh I always need something new to read. This would be perfect."
5) Heeere's J-dude who said, "Great. Lucky me?"
6) Kathryn who said, "fresh magazines in the mail make me oh so happy"
7) kristi lou who said, "so glad!"
8) Lachelle, Rob & Eliza who said, "I would love to win - it's even a magazine named after my daughter!"
9) MMW who said, "Please please. What a lovely magazine."
10) christel who said, "Great magazine. My coworker would also love this. Thanks"

You're the big winners of this Giveaway! Please send me an email at the address listed on my blog and I'll put you in touch with the sponsor. ]

Is it just me or do we have some recurring themes going on this week? Jewelry. Clothing. Stationery. And magazine subscriptions! Awesome. Magazines are like getting a new gift every time the latest issue shows up in your mailbox. Lucky for you — this Giveaway will have ten (yes ten!) winners. Ten happy women will receive a year-long subscription to Eliza magazine.

What's Eliza Magazine? Well. It's your new favorite fashion tabloid. That's what. Best part? The stunning photography. Second best part? Eliza Magazine promises to never title an article: "the sexual secrets to make him want you." Or anything even remotely close to that. (Hooray!)

But you will find great articles on Fashion, Beauty, Health, Entertainment and Lifestyle. And no covers that you'll need to hide from your children. My particular favorite, is their series on the history of the great fashion houses — they've covered four so far, including Gucci and Chanel. Fabulous.

I love the description on their about page: "ELIZA magazine brings you "Fashion without Fiction." We are realistic about everyday women's price points, showcasing pieces that are worth the big price tags and discovering deals at your local department stores that are just as hip. We are realistic about women's bodies: we don't retouch bodies, and we mix real women and professional models. We are realistic about women's interests, featuring fashion and beauty information, current issues, and real life problem solving, all while keeping perspective on what's really important in life." Sounds just right to me.

If you don't win, no stress. You can pick up your own quarterly subscription here.

Thank you to Eliza Magazine.

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Mothers Day Giveaway Guidelines:
-You have until 1:00 PM EST on Friday, May 9th to enter this giveaway.
-Just make a comment ON THIS POST to enter — any comment.
-Anonymous comments will be ignored/removed.
-One entry per person, please.
-Winner will be randomly picked and announced on Friday evening.
-What are Mother's Day Giveaways? Read about them here.

Server Drama

2008-05-08T11:55:00.003-04:00

Well Hello Server Drama! Can you believe it? The Design Mom site was down for just over 12 hours. The last comment that came in last night, before the site went down, arrived at 10:24 pm. And the first comment to come in this morning, after the site went back up, showed up at 10:41 am.

What happened to the server? I'm still a bit unclear on this, but I've been promised we're good to go. So I've already moved on and stopped thinking about it.

My sincere apologies if you tried to access the site during the 12 hour block that it was down. Just to keep things feeling fair and good, I think I'll keep Wednesday's Giveaway open through tomorrow morning at 10:00 am. Sound good? Good.

Thursday's Giveaways are coming up. . .

Also! Winners have now been randomly selected for Giveaway #1 through Giveaway #7. Each winner is listed at the top of the original Giveaway post — right beneath the yellow Giveaway image.

Mothers Day 2008 Giveaway #10 — Custom Stationery by Papered Together

2008-05-07T14:37:00.008-04:00

[ Congratulations to LoGunns who said, "Pick me!" You're the big winner of this Giveaway! Please send me an email at the address listed on my blog and I'll put you in touch with the sponsor. ]

Okay! We're going to finish up day number three with Giveaway #10. And the pretty prize for Giveaway #10 is pretty paper, just for you. Doesn't that sound wonderful? You could win custom stationery, designed especially for you, by the creative talent behind letterpress studio Papered Together.

Papered Together offers a beautiful collection of hand-printed cards, coasters, and all sorts of paper goods. Or you can take advantage of their custom design for weddings, birthdays, a new baby — even a new business. And it's the custom design option that's up for grabs today. You could win: A set of 50 flat cards, letterpress printed by hand on 100% cotton paper, plus matching envelopes!!

And when we use the word custom here, we mean the real thing. Not just switching out one name for another, or one color for another. You get to start from scratch. You choose the typestyle. You choose the simple motif. You choose the ink color. Then. Papered Together will put together the layout — you'll get final approval of course — and they'll print the stationery up and send it off.

As a designer, I can tell you this is a very valuable prize. The winner will receive one-of-a-kind stationery, designed and printed just for them. That's a pretty darn special thing to have.

In addition to high quality design, you should also know the printing is top notch as well. It's done entirely by hand on antique presses using fine 100% cotton papers (tree free!) and hand-mixed inks. From design to packaging, every step is taken slowly and with great care. Fantastic. I heart pretty paper!

Thank you Papered Together!

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Mothers Day Giveaway Guidelines:
-You have until 10:00 AM EST on Friday, May 9th to enter this giveaway.
-Just make a comment ON THIS POST to enter — any comment.
-Anonymous comments will be ignored/removed.
-One entry per person, please.
-Winner will be randomly picked and announced on Friday evening.
-What are Mother's Day Giveaways? Read about them here.