10 Favorite Baby & Child Products from NYIGF

Last weekend I judged the Best New Baby & Child Products at the New York International Gift Fair. As I write this, the finalists and winners have not yet been officially announced, but I want to tell you what were some of my personal favorites among the nominees (there were also other great products throughout the show which I'll share later on). You'll likely see some of these toys and accessories very soon at your favorite shops and catalogs (hint: Chasing Fireflies has expressed interest in one in particular).





Healthy Gourmet Salad for Green Eaters by Hape/Educo







Elemental wooden blocks by Uncle Goose Toys







Masterpiece kits by Kidzaw







Smocked dresses with accompanying storybook by British company Poppy







Animal canvas storage bins by 3 Sprouts







Gift notes stamp sets by Wee Gallery







Writeable and erasable chalkboard shirts by Chalkboard Tees







Pillows sized especially for kids by Australian company Madii & Dyl







Wooden dollhouse furniture by Maple Landmark Toys







Superhero collage wall art by Oopsy Daisy





Check back soon for more of my finds from the New York International Gift Fair.

Handmade Name Banners

I checked to see what's new at one of my favorite sites, sarah + abraham, and found these lovely handmade name banners. They're made from merino wool blend felt and you can choose (along with personalization, of course) which color letters and which font you'd like the letters to be. It's not cheap (a six-letter name will cost you $46), but these would make a durable year-round decoration--working equally well on the wall of a baby's nursery or as a party decoration. Buy it at sarah + abraham.

Chalk O Dile

There are so many cool options for peel-and-stick wall decorations these days; I especially like ones you can decorate with chalk, like this cute Chalk-O-Dile Decorating Kit by Wall Candy Arts. Kids will have a blast arranging and decorating with the 2 crocodiles and 4 talking bubbles (chalk included), and if you don't like the finished product, you can, ahem, "edit" their work. $48 at Spunky Sprout.

Our Art Gallery

I've curated several exhibitions in my previous life as an art history major/museum professional, but nothing has been more fun than creating a gallery of my children's artwork in their play area off our living room. I'd been meaning to do this for the longest time. While I am not quite Martha Stewart, I am pleased with how it turned out (and how little I spent (note: it's still a work in progress- there are blank spots left on purpose).



And closer up:


This is a portrait that R. made of me when she was four years old:


I centered the kids' artwork around this framed silhouette print of them (based on a photograph I provided), created by Le Papier Studio and price very reasonably at $20 (unframed). I framed it in a 9 x 11" natural wood Ribba frame ($7.99) from Ikea which included a mat.


For the kids' artwork I chose these Nyttja Frames from Ikea in different colors and sizes. A 2-pack of 5 x 7 frames cost just $3.99. I like that the fronts are clear plastic rather than glass; it's safer and more kid-friendly.

I'm very pleased with the results and look forward to adding more artwork!

B is for Braniac

Oooh, I would love to decorate a child's room with these Nerd Flashcards. The set of 26 alphabet cards ($22) includes gems like "A is for Atom" and "D is for Diurnal"; the number set ($16) helps Baby learn physics, chemistry, and more while counting their piggies. The laminated cards are all wipeable and arrive in a canvas bag. Buy them for your budding genius at Uncommon Goods.

National Stationery Show: Home Decals by Graphique de France

Again, I'm not sure why some product categories seem to show up big-time at the National Stationery Show (wall decals??) but I'm not complaining. Among the many wall decal companies I saw recently, the Home Decals by Graphique de France stood out for having the best designs without being too cutesy. I would enjoy putting any of these up in my home. The prices are very reasonable too, starting at just $13.95 per set. They will be available for purchase online starting in August 2009 at Graphique de France.

MyMomShops Giveaway: Chase's Treasures

I am soooo pleased to present today's giveaway, which is a generous $100 gift certificate for one lucky winner to our newest sponsor's shop, Chase's Treasures. Recently launched in New York City, Chase's Treasures is an online boutique with gifts for kids and moms, specializing in personalized gifts, unique toys, and kids' decor. The shop is owned by one of my dearest friends, Jessica Pickholz. Jessica and I met when our older daughters were in "camp" together as 2 1/2 year olds, and now they are kindergarten classmates and best pals. Jessica, who has an impressive background in retail and business, has an incredible eye for gorgeous products. So I'm not surprised that Chase's Treasures includes some of my all-time favorite gifts, including some I've featured on this blog before. Here are some of the goodies for sale at Chase's Treasures:

Personalized ABC Typography Print ($50). One of my all-time favorite nursery prints, this art by Jennifer Ramos spells out your child's name (or a word like "love") with the colored letters.


Play and Go Backpacks ($35). These have been a top seller at Chase's Treasures. Perfect for road trips, visits to Grandma, or just quiet play at home, each backpack includes10 washable double-sided markers (thick & thin tips), 1 activity book with sticker sheets and a removable pouch for storing all the "extras" that kids accumulate. There are several retro-style designs available; I like "Piggy Pirate" best.


Personalized Long Sleeve Uniform Lap Teest ($32). Call these "gas station chic." These soft cotton shirts by Blume are celeb favorites (Tori Spelling's kids have them). The appliqued patch accommodates names or words up to 10 characters. Available in sizes 6-12mos, 12-18mos, 18-24mos. They can also be ordered as thermal tees in larger sizes- just ask.


Personalized stickers ($3.95 for 3 sheets of 4 stickers). At this great price, these make a fun and easy personalized party favor. I think the Wild West stickers are especially adorable, but other popular designs are princess and cars.


Crayola Doodlebugz Crayon Apron ($17). No more crayons rolling away! A perfect big sister gift, or birthday gift, this apron comes with a pad of paper and 24 crayola crayons. Personalize it for an extra $10.


Use code "momshops20" to enjoy a generous 20% off of your order at Chases Treasures. Valid on all items except personalized stickers.

Win it! 1 MyMomShops reader will win a $100 gift certificate to Chase's Treasures. Here are the contest rules:

1) To enter, please comment on THIS post (click on "comments" below), indicating what your favorite item from Chase's Treasures is.
2) Post your comment by 11:59pm EST, Thursday, June 4th. One entry per person, please. US addresses only.
3) One winner will be chosen at random and announced on Friday morning, June 5th.
4) NOTE: If you wish to be contacted by e-mail if you win, please include your e-mail address in your comment. Otherwise you must check back on Friday to see if you won. Unclaimed prizes are forfeited after 72 hours.

Good luck!

National Stationery Show 2011: Kid Stuff

I spotted lots of unique stationery products for babies & kids--everything from birth announcements to camp notes--at the National Stationery Show last week. Here are the best ones that I want to share with you (when available, I have included links and prices):

Elum Designs makes these adorably-packaged My First Thank You Notes kits for kids. Maybe, just maybe, this will make writing thank you notes less cumbersome.



A newcomer to the show, "Up Up Creative" (the company was named by the toddler son of founder Julie Green), makes these "Terrible Twos" cards. My favorite is "Dah-Wee" (Sorry) ($4).



Always a favorite at NSS, Brooklyn letterpress shop 9 Spot Monk offers Little Artist color in-cards with crayons ($4.50). A great option for younger kids who can't quite draw a picture on their own yet, but would like to leave their mark.



I know my tween would love these new scented Twisty Stix ($2.99) by International Arrivals, the same company that brought you Smencils.



Framed birth announcement prints are wonderful keepsakes that do double duty as nursery decor. I liked these Baby Wall Announcements by Abbey Malcolm Press.



Looking for some stationery that feels different? Check out "Fabrinery" fabric-backed notecards by HB Designs. Lots of cute designs available for your little boy or girl to choose from.




I used one of these soft linen Baby Photo Albums ($23) by Estelle Billot as a brag book when R. was a newborn. After several years off, Estelle has returned with a new color palette for this top seller, as well as other new products.



I would love to decorate a kids' bedroom or playroom with the colorful, customized buckets, bins and tubs by The Macbeth Collection. Guess what? We might have a giveaway coming up with them. :-)



If you're looking for a big sib gift for a child older than preschool age, you can't go wrong with the fill-in Big Sibling Book: Baby's First Year According to ME ($11.55 at Amazon.com) by Potter Style.


And, finally, for older kids...check out these camp notes by Oh My Word. Hey, at least it's more personal than an e-mail.


I hope you're enjoying my National Stationery Show finds. I still have much to show you, including top trends, party invitations, and birthday/holiday goodies!

Kids' Wall Art Gallery, c. 2011

Here is a newer photo of the wall art gallery I created 2 years ago. Like most moms, I fall wayyyy behind on updating what's inside the frames, but I have managed to make a few recent changes. I look forward to seeing the progression away from pure "scribble scrabble" (as the kids call it) over the years!

From the Archives: Kids' Wall Art Gallery

Editor's Note: I first published this post in 2009, and it is one of the most searched/visited posts at the blog. I have added & changed some artwork since then (I'll post an updated photo later) but otherwise it's the same. It's still centered around a fabulous silhouette print of my kids from two years ago. That print was created by the talented Vana Chupp of Le Papier Designs, whom I was so happy to finally meet in person at the National Stationery Show last week. I love how the collection of artwork by the kids "grows" around this silhouette of them at a younger age!

I've curated several exhibitions in my previous life as an art history major/museum professional, but nothing has been more fun than creating a gallery of my children's artwork in their play area off our living room. I'd been meaning to do this for the longest time. While I am not quite Martha Stewart, I am pleased with how it turned out (and how little I spent (note: it's still a work in progress- there are blank spots left on purpose).



And closer up:


This is a portrait that R. made of me when she was four years old:


I centered the kids' artwork around this framed silhouette print of them (based on a photograph I provided), created by Le Papier Studio and price very reasonably at $20 (unframed). I framed it in a 9 x 11" natural wood Ribba frame ($7.99) from Ikea which included a mat.


For the kids' artwork I chose these Nyttja Frames from Ikea in different colors and sizes. A 2-pack of 5 x 7 frames cost just $3.99. I like that the fronts are clear plastic rather than glass; it's safer and more kid-friendly.

I'm very pleased with the results and look forward to adding more artwork!

Bubble NY: Dear Betty

I really enjoyed the booth for Dear Betty Designs at the Bubble NY show. Toronto designer Sherry Pribik says her illustrations were inspired by letters and drawings sent to her mother-in-law, Betty, when Betty was a little girl. Indeed, her work like the 12" x 12" Alphabet Paintings have a fun retro feel to them and would look perfect in a child's room. And I think Sherry's doorknob signs- especially the one I photographed below- take the cake. Remember all the times you had to tell people, "Now is not a good time" when taking care of your newborn? Too funny. Visit Dear Betty Designs for more inspiration (and click here to find online retailers).



p.s. Vacation is lovely and yesterday we celebrated my little boy S's 1st birthday. It was wonderful. I am even discovering some new shopping finds. Stay tuned for more when I'm back!

Mother's Day Giveaway #9: Photo Fiddle

Readers of this blog- and visitors to my apartment- know that my customized wall art based on a photo of my kids is one of my most treasured possessions at home. It was made by Photofiddle.com, an award-winning site (hand-picked by Oprah!) that turns your digital photos into superb works of art, in styles ranging from Warhol-esque four square pop art to faux-oil paintings. The results are really amazing (check out mine for yourself). Needless to say, Photofiddle.com products make great mother's day gifts. Canvases start at $59.95 (rolled prints are less expensive) and go up depending on size. This morning's giveaway- a $50 gift certificate to Photofiddle.com- will help you create your own masterpiece!

Enjoy a 15% discount off your order at Photofiddle.com with code "momshops".

Win it! One lucky reader will win a $50 gift certificate to Photofiddle.com. Here are the contest rules:

1) To enter, please visit Photofiddle.com and then leave a comment on THIS post indicating which style artwork you'd choose (click on "comments" below).
2) Post your comment by 11:59pm EST, Sunday, May 10th. US addresses only. REMEMBER, you will be able to enter as many of our Mother's Day Giveaways as you'd like between now and Sunday night. But, please, one entry only per individual giveaway. Duplicate entries will be disqualified.
3) One winner will be chosen at random and announced along with all other Mother's Day Giveaway winners on Monday morning, May 11th.
4) NOTE: If you wish to be notified by e-mail if you win, please include your e-mail address in your comment. Otherwise you must check back on Monday, May 11th to see if you won. Unclaimed prizes are forfeited after 72 hours.

Good luck!