amelia turns 4!

My daughter, Amelia, is a girl with varied tastes. On the one hand, she is a typical 4-year old who loves anything that glitters, sparkles or so much as hints at a fairy princess. On the other hand, she loves Batman, gravitates towards the villain in any fairy tale and, this week when she grows up, wants to be Emma Frost (an ancillary superhero that is sometimes nice and sometimes not – sort of like Amelia).

How to combine all her loves into one party was a bit tricky. We discussed at length the various options – a fairy princess spectacular or a Batman bonanza? When Amelia announced that the Joker would have to show up at her Batman party, the decision was made for me. Can you imagine the Joker showing up at a party comprised entirely of little girls ages 3-4? I'm afraid I would be responsible for therapy sessions for many years to come!

The next hurdle was settling on a fairy princess party aesthetic that we could both be happy with (sorry, no Disney princesses for us!). Amelia was more than happy to be turned into a fairy princess silhouette which graced everything from the invitation, to the game of "Pin-the-Crown-on-Princess-Amelia", to the water bottle labels (of course).

Tune in this week to see how the rest of the party shapes up.

panini sandwiches

In theory, I like to plan our family's dinners ahead of time. But more often than not, 6:00 p.m. comes around and I have nothing prepared. My parents gave me a panini press a couple of months ago for my birthday and my family has been enjoying grilled sandwiches ever since. They're great for dinner – quick, easy, and delicious. I buy a variety of Boar's Head meats and cheeses and everyone can create their own. My current favorite is roast beef, havarti and Dijon mustard on sourdough and my husband's is turkey, Swiss cheese and cajun mayo on a whole wheat tortilla (pictured above). I also love tomato, basil and mozzarella sandwiches and my kids think cheddar on wheat bread is the best. Do you have any grilled sandwich combinations that you love that we should try?

granola giveaway!

As part of my New Year's resolutions, I am determined to do a better job of eating a proper breakfast before 9:00 a.m. For some reason, my breakfast routine has gotten later and later. I wake up at the crack of dawn, so to speak, to go running before my girls wake up. By the time I fix them breakfast, get them ready and out the door to school, jump in the shower, put Bea down for a nap and then sit down to my computer to work, breakfast for me just hasn't been a priority. It's not until 10:30 or 11:00 a.m. that my stomach starts to growl and then my whole day's eating routine is off.

That being said, I need something quick and healthy that doesn't take a lot of preparation. I am happy to report about the discovery of MixMyGranola – an online company that allows you to customize granola to your liking (I don't like granola that's too sweet!). I love that everything is all-natural and preservative-free. Check out their ingredients here.

In honor of a new year and eating healthy, MixMyGranola is offering our readers a granola giveaway. The winner will have $20 to customize their own granola exactly to their liking. Leave a comment below to enter. The winner will be announced on Monday.

Update on 01.11.2010 by Blonde Designs

Congratulations to Sarah who commented, on 1/8 "YumYum. Thanks for the tip (and the granola)."

watercolor illustrations by devra

When my youngest daughter, Beatrice, was born, my friend, Devra, gave me the most darling watercolor illustration of my three girls. I loved the illustration so much that I decided to commission a similar piece for Kristin.

I emailed Devra a photo of Kristin's three children as well as their names and ages and she produced the darling piece above. I love how Devra integrated each child's name into the artwork. Kristin was thrilled with the finished piece and I was thrilled I came up with the perfect Christmas gift for my best friend.

For a similar watercolor illustration, Devra is offering readers of our blog a special price: $28 for two children + $3 for each additional child + shipping. The finished watercolor will come matted to fit an 8x10" frame. If you would like to have Devra illustrate something for you, email her here.

getting organized

 As I unpacked our suitcases from Christmas vacation, I found myself making a pile of clothes (unworn for 2+ years!) to donate to make room for a few new ones in my closet. Same went for the kids' toys that hadn't been played with in awhile. By the time I was unpacked, I had 6 overflowing bags of clothes and toys to donate. It feels so nice to start the new year with my closet feeling more spacious and a clean playroom.

I was on a roll and spruced up my office too. I got rid of things I never use to make my work space more efficient. I use 2 metal shelving units to store all of my supplies for Blonde Designs, including several boxes of envelopes in different colors and sizes. By taping an envelope on the outside of its box, the envelopes are easy to find and access. Cardboard magazine holders from Ikea make great containers for my other packaging supplies. I attached a label to the outside to make sure everything gets put back in its place.

I love the color palette that the envelopes randomly create when displayed all together.

And here's a picture of me in my office taken from my computer's photo booth. I have a computer and art supplies set up for my kids so they can "work" too. You can see my assistant in the background!

glass bead necklaces by charles

I thought I would share with you my other favorite holiday gift, this time given to me....

My husband is a man of many talents. He is an network engineer / patent attorney by day and a glass rolling genius at night. After watching the glass blowers at The Sawdust Festival in Laguna Beach for the last two summers, he was determined to learn the craft. However, due to space constraints (i.e. we do not have a full-size glass blowing kiln), Charles wisely decided he needed to roll glass in smaller proportions. Perhaps inspiration came as he watched me lay in bed at night, pouring over the jewelry in the J.Crew catalog? At any rate, he decided to learn the art of jewelry making and has been rolling glass beads in our garage late at night.

In anticipation of the holiday season, he really stepped up his efforts. Every empty baby food jar and soda bottle was saved to be melted down into something infinitely more beautiful.

My husband is the most generous person I know (seriously) and he somehow managed to create necklaces for each female member of my family as well as his sisters that live in Las Vegas (so sorry for you out-of-towners!). He is also infinitely humble, pointing out all the non-existent flaws in his pieces. I'm just hoping that this hobby continues as I'm definitely reaping the benefits!

superhero capes

While putting away holiday decorations, I reflected on the gifts we gave our girls this year, curious what the standouts were. It was not what I expected.

Charlotte loves strumming her new pink guitar; Amelia has enjoyed whizzing her new Batman car around the house; and Bea has been talking non-stop on her new toy phone. However, as much as they enjoyed all their gifts, I do believe that their Superhero capes have gotten the most use by far this holiday vacation.

I must give you a bit of history on this gift.... My girls love to hear stories while we drive in the car and the most memorable ones to date have been when they are cast as the protagonists – "Super A," "Super B," and "Super C", better known as "The Superhero Sisters." They fight crime, mean boys and always save the day. They are full of charisma, self-esteem and kindness – everything I want for my own girls. Above all, The Superhero Sisters are loyal and always stick together.

After telling the tales one-too-many-times, I had the idea to have capes made for each of my girls in their favorite colors. I found a source on Etsy and, killing 12 birds with one stone, so to speak, did one stop shopping for all nieces, nephews and friends.

I love that the capes let my girls imagine and create their own stories. Let's hope I can come up with an equally brilliant gift next Christmas!

I would love to hear about any stellar gifts you gave or received this holiday season.

happy 2010

I love the start of a new year – making goals, cleaning out closets, starting afresh.

In honor of a new year, good design, and not being certain what lies ahead, I think it apropos to share this book with you by my favorite writer/illustrator, Maira Kalman. My brother gave it to my mom for Christmas and I poured over it at any chance I got (I need to order one for myself). The writing is brilliant, the illustrations divine. Ms. Kalman begins by saying:

What is this book?
What is anything?
Who am I?
Who are You
Stop it.
Forget it.
This is a year in my life.
Profusely illustrated.
Abounding with anguish, confusion, bits of wisdom.
Musings, meanderings, buckets of joie de vivre and restful sojourns...Isn't that what we all need, "...musings, meanderings, buckets of joie de vivre and restful sojourns..?"

Happy New Year. Thank you for all your support and kind words as Kristin and I started this blog last year. Here's to a fabulous 2010!

Update on 01.2.2010 by Blonde Designs

My friend, Brooke, and I must be on the same wavelength! Check out more Maria Kalman here.

merry christmas and a happy new year!

We hope you are celebrating with family and friends. See you after the holidays!

coconut macaroons

I like to make coconut macaroons for my neighbors and friends at Christmastime. I try to come up with new ways to package them every year – red tin cans, bakery boxes and cellophane bags, to name a few. This year my mom suggested using the clear boxes that we use to package Blonde Designs stationery. This could be the best idea yet! I love how nicely the cookies are displayed in these boxes. Merry Christmas Eve!

Update on 12.29.2009 by Blonde Designs