I'm a minimalist where it comes to calendars. I know some moms live and die by their beloved organizers, but give me a compact monthly view calendar at my fingertips and I'm set. The 18-month Mouse Pad calendar from Ann Kelle Designs is …
I may buy great gifts, but I'm severely gift-wrap challenged; my presents usually get hidden toward the back of the pile so that you can't see my incompetence. But, this year, these bold little labels from Turtle Papers will help my gift…
I may not be a fan of matchy-matchy outfits, but coordinated stationery ensembles are the sort of matching that I can appreciate, as long as they're done well. No pastel teddy bears or scary clowns, please. Brella Baby has hit the mark w…
I love receiving a birthday card in the mail, but when it's my time to send them out, I usually resort to a hastily typed email. Forgive me, but taking three kids anywhere near a rack of greeting cards is just asking for a headache. I ha…
Since I've got a house full of kids, it's a safe bet that my holiday cards are going to feature photos of those kids. But I still want those cards to reflect my taste--which means no cards with ice-skating penguins or dancing candy canes…
Out of consideration for my post-baby figure, I rarely bake any more. It's just one of the sacrifices I make in the name of vanity. But at holiday time, my no-bake resolution goes out the window (and takes my willpower right along with i…
Every year, our families bug us about our holiday cards because we only send pictures of the kids. I guess my husband and I never figured that anyone would actually want to see our mugs too. Besides, it's pretty hard getting a candid fam…
These days you can spread " good will on earth " while being kind to it as well. But let's be honest, not all eco-friendly cards are created equal. The Winter Berry Holiday Cards we spotted from the new line of eco-friendly cards availab…
I've tried to use babysitter notepads, but they're either too labor intensive, or they don't have spots for the information I think is important. So I usually end up just writing out my own on a blank piece of paper, until I found the Ba…
This past weekend, no one was going to mistake my son for the MVP of his soccer team but he did try his best. It was the perfect occasion for one of the playing card-sized notes from Kiddo Kards: One that said Especially for you on the f…
What do you get when you combine vintage photos with snarky captions like Why do dishes when you can do daiquiris? The delightfully cheeky line of Anne Taintor products, of course. I'd seen these in local boutiques before but for some re…
I used to be really good at remembering names and faces. A little stalkerish even. But then I had children and a good percentage of my brain cells expired from lack of sleep. Now I'm lucky if I remember my own name, let alone the names o…
While I'll happily spend hours browsing through all types of stationery, searching for just the right mix of simplicity and elegance, greeting cards almost always leave me cold. Blame it on years of searching for some idealistic notion o…
Not that Yom Kippur is a Hallmark holiday or anything, but oh, how I am sending this Yom Kippur e-card out today to all my friends and observant family. It, along with a whole slew of other atonement-themed cards (seriously), comes court…
If you find manilla, vanilla, add International Arrivals to your bookmarks and check out their modern assortment of file folders, journals, photo albums, and organizational accessories that make a walk through the aisles of Staples seem …
The most thoughtful cards are ones you make yourself, I suppose, if you have any sort of artistic ability. If you want a card with a smudged scribble and some glitter on it, I could probably manage that. But when I want to send the very …
Want to add an air of permanence to your child's library? And want to call that stack of chewed books in the corner of her room a library? Here's how: Bookplates. If you're a Cool Mom Picks newsletter subscriber, you were just introduced…
As my daughter gets older and more capable of making bigger messes, we're giving her more responsibilities. That means making her bed, clearing her plate, and yes, even writing her own thank-you notes. Granted, she can't exactly write an…
I realize that unless someone actually sent me a gift after my babies arrived, then technically speaking, the thank-you should come from the baby - hence all the cutesy thank you cards. But I figure that since I'm the one writing out the…
Some of my fondest memories of lunchtime as a kid involved reaching into my brown paper lunch bag and feeling around between the sandwich and the granny smith apple for a surprise note from my mom, replete with her trademark curly-haired…
Frequent CMP readers know that whoo-hoo! is about our most favorite phrase in the whole wide world. Whoo-hoo you won a free stroller! Whoo-hoo we're featured in Real Simple Magazine! Whoo-hoo we just discovered the best ever cupcakes and…
I had my fair share of hearty chuckles after discovering Motherhood with Attitude's hilarious greeting cards last year. So when co-owner Janalee Chmel clued me in to their new Thank You Card Box Set , it's no wonder I nearly peed my pant…
As a WAHM/SAHM with a fairly good memory, I'm embarrassed to admit that I've gone without a date book for the last four years. But now that I'm running a business and adding kid number three, my brain just can't hack it anymore. So I've …
I may have several drawers full of stationery, but that doesn't mean I'm particularly good about keeping in touch ; I rarely get a chance to sit down at my kitchen table and put pen to paper without constant interruptions. But when I've …