It's a (Gift) Wrap

Ready to wrap your gifts? The Paper Source always has a superb selection of gift-wrap, especially at the holidays. Here are some fun designs; each roll costs about $2.25 at The Paper Source.

Greetings from The Windy City

I received this lovely holiday card by Smudge Ink from one of my oldest and dearest friends, N. (mom of Y.), who is living in Chicago for the year. Smudge Ink is known for thick, yummy letterpress cards and these are a great way to send holiday greetings from far and wide. Available cities include New York, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Each card is 6 1/4" x 4 5/8" (when folded) and comes with a red envelope. $14.50 per box of 8 at Smudge Ink.

12 Days of Christmas

These Twelve Days of Christmas Plates from Rosanna are sooo beautiful for holiday entertaining, and fun to look at, too! There's a partridge in a pear tree, 12 drummers drumming, and everything in between. Made of refined porcelain, they are available as sets of 12 appetizer plates ($96) or 4 dinner plates ($60). They also look nice as wall decor (see photo). Browse these and other holiday dinnerware at Rosanna.

Snoozing After Santa

I am a big fan of Lands End and I think this applique throw and sham for kids looks terrific and cozy. Made of fleece, the throw measures 50"w x 60"l and the pillow cover is 16" square. Perfect for that post-holiday snooze. Lots of other cute holiday designs available, too. The throw costs $39.50 and the sham costs $14.50 at Lands End.

Whistle While You Shop

I spotted these adorable Zenius Whistles at Ona.com and think they would make a great stocking stuffer (they can be used as ornaments too). They are hand-carved and painted and arrive in a linen pouch. Personalization is available. Each is 4.5" long and costs $7.99 at Ona.com.

Holiday Gifts: Growing Up Garnet Hill

I dog-eared just about every page of the recent Growing Up Garnet Hill which has so many cool gift ideas for kids. Here are some of my top picks:

Labyrinth Balancing Board. My four-year-old has a balancing board like this and loooooves it.($98)


Wooden Walking Penguin. European-made and so adorable. ($32)


Band in a Bag. Includes sleighbells! ($34)


Fill-in-the-Blank Thank You Notes Make etiquette a little easier. ($9 for set of 10)


Browse around all the holiday gift selections at Growing Up Garnet Hill.

Have Yourself a Mod Christmas

If I did Christmas entertaining, I would surely use these Mod Christmas Dessert Plates & Mugs from The Company Store. Perfect for cookies and hot chocolate (or something stronger)! Each set includes 4 plates or 4 mugs with 4 different designs. Made of bone china, but they are dishwasher and microwave-safe, too! $25 for plate set; $20 for mug set at The Company Store.

MyMomShops Holiday Sponsor: Pacifier

Welcome to the first in a series of MyMomShops Holiday Sponsors- Pacifier! This honest-to-goodness bricks 'n mortar store in Minneapolis offers cool baby gifts, clothing, toys, decor, and gear. They have a superb selection and, in fact, I have posted about them before here and here. Pacifier has even just been named "best baby store" in the Twin Cities by Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine. Here are my picks for their best holiday gifts:

Merry Xmas Socks by Trumpette (0-12mos, $5)


Long Sleeve Snowman Onesie by Childish (3mos, 9mos, 12mos, $32)


Biofina Store Buon Appetite Pizza by Haba


Wooden Fire Engine with Fireman by Plan Toys ($42)


Want to see more? Visit Pacifier.

New-ish Jewish Puzzles

Amazing but true...Hanukkah starts in just 4 days. Here's a gift that will last throughout the year in case it doesn't arrive quite on time. My four-year-old spotted this set of Jewish Holiday Puzzles in the Leaps & Bounds catalog and said, "Awesome! Jewish puzzles!" True, Jewish puzzles aren't so easy to find, and this set looks lovely. The collection of four solid wood puzzles represents Shabbat, Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah, and Passover, and each features 7-9 chunky knobbed pieces. Storage case included. On sale for $19.95 (reduced from $29.95) at Leaps & Bounds.

R. Nichols Holiday Cards

One of my favorite stationers for years, R. Nichols, has just reduced the price of his whimsical hand-drawn holiday cards to just $14 per box. I just love these designs, especially for city folk like myself. Take a look at the samples below. All are available at R-Nichols.com.

Hanukkah oh Hanukkah

Both my kids would have fun with this Hanukkah Play Set from The Land of Nod. Much safer than letting little ones near the real deal, this set features a pretend wooden menorah with candles, two latkes with frying pan, dreidel, gelt, storage bag, and activity guide. $34 and shipping is free (but hurry, quantities are limited). Check out this and other holiday gifts with free shipping at The Land of Nod.

Santa Baby

I love customized holiday gifts like this Personalized Santa Blankie Buddy from One Step Ahead. A sweet and soft gift for baby's first Christmas, it can be personalized with up to 10 letters. $19.95 at One Step Ahead.

Spoon Sisters

Have you ever shopped at the website Spoon Sisters (a business started by, yes, two sisters)? They have a cool, electic product mix ranging from classic to kitsch, funny to functional. There are some great holiday gift ideas here. Take a look:

Eat, Drink and Be Merry Tower of Notepads ($15):


Sky Umbrella ($48) I have this and love it!


Taxi Booties ($33):


45 RPM Adapter Record Insert Tie ($45):


Visit Spoon Sisters for more holiday gift ideas.

Early Bird

Don't hate me, but I already have my holiday cards. Just have to address and stamp them. I get an A+ for organization, but it's tough when I keep seeing more and more designs I love, like the always spectacular selection at our affiliate Tiny Prints. Their 2007 holiday card selection is simply their most gorgeous stuff ever. And they're printed on premium, 110 lb. stationery card stock (no flimsy photo paper here). There are even choices that work as dual baby announcements/holiday greetings. Feast your eyes:






Want to see more? Browse the holiday cards at Tiny Prints.

Order now! Receive 10% off your order, plus free shipping, at Tiny Prints now through December 3rd. Use code "GOBBLE". Enjoy!

Holiday Gifts: Craftsbury Kids

I have soooo many holiday gifts to share with you; I am rounding them up and will post several at a time. Here a bunch of fab finds from our affiliate Craftsbury Kids. If you'd like to think outside of the (Fisher Price) box- and want gifts that are creative and natural- rather than noisy and plastic- Craftsbury Kids is the place for you:

Butterfly Cottage Playhouse. Simply magical and, yes, a splurge. Ask Grandma and Grandpa to treat. ($490)


Tree Blocks So long, Legos. Beautiful set, handcut from retired hazelnut trees. ($47)


Plush Police Car. Great alternative to plastic toys, it doubles as room decor. Designed in Denmark, handmade in Nepal. ($27)


Blabla Butterfly Backpack Perfect for preschoolers, it's 100% cotton and hand-knitted. ($38.95)


Want to see more toys that are "a breath of fresh air in a gadget-filled world"? Visit Craftsbury Kids.

Dance the Polka

Check out this Sweet Little Holiday Dress I found on Etsy.com, custom made for sizes 2T to 5T. Love the funky polka dot pattern in red, black, beige, and subtle silver. Dress it up with a turtleneck, tights, and Mary Janes, or play it casual with leggings or pants. A truly unique and modern choice for a little girl's holiday wardrobe. $25 at the Etsy storefront of leila and ben: handmade for modern kids.

Picture Perfect

The Children's Place can be hit or miss, but on a recent visit there I was very impressed with this pretty family plaid velour dress. It has lovely, classic styling including a satin Peter Pan collar, bow accent at the waist, and tiered ruffled skirt. There's hidden zip closure in back for easy dressing. If I had 2 girls I'd love to have them wear these for the holidays. The dress costs $29.50 in sizes 4-14, and is also available for baby girls ($24.50) in sizes 6-9 mos through 4T.

Tis the Season for Tiny Prints

Hoooray! It's time to start obsessing about (I mean browsing) holiday cards. I'm ordering ours from this talented young photographer who took our beach photos in Nantucket in August, but if I were using my own photos I'd most likely turn to my fave site Tiny Prints for their always stellar selection of holiday greetings. Here are just a few of this season's stand-outs:

Snowflake Drums


Candy Frame: Holly Red

Star of David

Enjoy 15% off your Tiny Prints order with code "FRIEND29" (if that one doesn't work for some reason, you can also try "WINTER07" for 5% off).