We're honored to be working with our sponsor the American Cancer Society , who's doing such good work in ensuring that all of us continue to have many more birthdays. My mom hit the big 60 birthday milestone last year (don't kill me for …
We are honored to once again be working with our sponsor, the American Cancer Society, on their More Birthdays campaign since if we could make one really big wish, it'd that cancer never steals someone from us again. But wishes alone wil…
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…
Birthday cards are kind of a big deal around our house; not just the ones we get, but the ones we give. My kids adore going through the big box o' loose cards I have, picking out the very perfect one for their friends, and putting as muc…
In spring, a young man's thoughts lightly turn to love. In fall, everyone's thoughts turn to a really kickass Halloween costume. Right? If you're looking for something really special this year , that will last past midnight on the 31st, …
While the fancy cupcake trend has now hit just about every town in America, you don't need to spend a fortune to get a good cupcake or even one that your kids will consider cool . Whether you're going store-bought or baking at home, I th…
My mom was amazing with personal notes--she always produced the loveliest card, written just-so, perfectly on-time, for every occasion. Her mastery of the art form skipped a generation. But the good news is that means my kids have a fair…
Whether you've got a tiny horse fanatic, a country themed shindig, or just some really unruly cake pops that need to be rounded up like little dogeys, we've found the perfect cupcake wrappers for you. Bonus: Hello, ponies! I've got a cas…
There are still a few things about me that give me a teeny bit of remaining indie cred ( I've visited the Etsy offices! I own the first They Might Be Giants album on cassette! ) but tattoos are definitely not one of them. I know, I know-…
When my newly minted 7-year old daughter asked me to throw her a Harry Potter birthday party with only two weeks to plan, I said "absolutely!" And then ran straight to my computer to try to figure out how the heck to pull this off for ab…
I need ideas for my daughter's 10th birthday..something original and wow. She's a girly girl, loves to sing, very creative, honor student, responsible and loving. Over the years, we've done the bead parties, craft parties , clowns, art p…
After I run a 5k with my girls (their first!) and hit our local Memorial Day parade, I plan to do a whole lot of nothing but eat, drink and spend a few moments thanking those brave men and women who gave everything so I could live in thi…
Know what once arrived on my doorstep bearing a vintage gold cuff, a flower hair clip, 3 pairs of earrings, a journal, 2 dozen animal-print cupcake liners, and a baggie of carrot-riding-baby cake toppers? It was a Bag O'Goodies from CMP …
M y daughter is turning three soon, and I want to put together a dress up box for her. Any ideas for a great Etsy costume shop? She wants an astronaut costume but I need it to be something she can get on and off herself. Any other ideas?…
Ever since I can remember, my family has used cloth instead of paper , to wrap gifts. My mom was ahead of her time, I tell you, because now it's all the rage. And for good reason, really. Or should I say good reasons? Cloth is beautiful.…
A few years ago I got really ambitious and made birthday crowns for my two children. Flash forward a bit and I've now got a third child and still only two birthday crowns. Any guesses where this is going? Yeah. I'm kind of thinking these…
I have come to love looking forward to my Foodzie tasting box at the beginning of each month, and all the little nibbles and gourmet noshes contained therein. A few weeks back, I opened my box to such an amazing treat: Mini cupcakes in v…
Every shower needs a centerpiece, and this one beats the strained peas out of a diaper cake, or one of those Cake-Wreck-y pregnant belly confections that are a little too reminiscent of Sigourney Weaver in Alien. It's the lovely Wishing …
These days, I'm lucky if I remember to get gifts in time at all these days, let alone have the wrapping paper on hand to wrap them up. But with an unbelievable number of birthday parties and special events crammed in my calendar, I'm det…
I love throwing birthday parties for my kids. Love it. But I'm a bit of an over-achiever when it comes to loot bags, generally insisting that there should be something handmade -or at least really, really cool- inside. And that means I s…
Despite light-up toys, dolls that talk, and, um, iPads, at the end of the day, nothing holds a candle -- or backlit touchpad screen -- to a good kids' book . It's a lesson my 3.5 year-old daughter has already learned, and I'm sure your k…
Great art is beautiful, interesting, well-crafted, and has staying power. Surprise! That also describes these cool new temporary tattoos by one of CMP's favorite designers. Our old pals at Wee Gallery have found a fantastic new way to pe…
I can't stop giggling over these printable cupcake wrappers available from the Spaceships and Laser Beams Etsy shop. The description says it's so hard to find anything for Valentine's Day that appeals to little boys... and sure, I can se…
I don't usually go the disposable paper plate route, except when it comes to kids parties. But here are some paper plates so adorable they might be worth making an exception. Why? Well, they're personalized. With a photo of my smiling sw…