When my kids' father was deployed for a few months to Afghanistan, I put together several military care packages filled with fairly typical items. Don't get me wrong, they were definitely very appreciated by his unit! But it wasn't until…
Who doesn't need more coloring books in their lives? Well, okay, if you look in my kids' craft drawer, maybe we don't. But, we do need awesome ones. The cheap, thin, licensed ones can get tossed and we'll replace them with cool, creative…
I've been fighting boredom this summer with a bunch of magic markers and one really huge (like, seriously huge) and cleverly illustrated coloring poster for kids from a new company called Pirasta. And the beauty of these posters is that …
If Spring Break or Easter has you heading out by plane, train, or automobile, you may be wondering how to keep your kids happily occupied beyond the iPad, as you travel from Point A to Point B. And since we all know how hard it is to hea…
If your kids are like mine, it's no small feat to actually get one fabulous, shareable photo of them. So when I have a perfect one, I love looking at ways to incorporate it into great custom photo gifts for people on my list I know will …
A few years ago, we fell in love with artist Marion Deuchars' smart, fun activity book Let's Make Some Great Art , which teaches kids about twelve great masters and encourages them to imitate their styles all over the pages. I'm thrilled…
This summer I mapped out fun crafts to do with my kids every week, and we completed exactly zero of them. It might be because I pinned things like build a lap-sized loom and learn to weave . I'm still not giving up on making beautiful, m…
My nephew isn't quite a year old yet, but his artistic parents sense that he is ready to express himself through finger paints--probably because of the messes he makes when left alone with a bowl of cereal. And while real paint isn't a g…
We've seen rainbow themed parties for kids before, but if you have an art and color-loving child, a rainbow art party can be a really fun and original theme for the birthday boy or girl. While there are plenty of ideas out there that inv…
None of us at Cool Mom Picks has an original Picasso in our living rooms as far as I know, but we do believe in finding cool art for kids that engage, inspire, and yes, decorate. LittleCollector has long been a favorite online spot of ou…
We were so excited when we discovered Lottie , a doll who skips the stilettos and miniskirts (and curves) for clothes that look like what an actual kid would wear. Lottie comes with lots of skin and hair colors and has oodles of outfits …
My favorite Mother's Day gifts from my children are the ones they make themselves . Not that I'd say no to jewelry, but if you're looking for a terrific gift for mom from the kids, I think I've found the perfect, affordable, sentimental …
I'm always looking for cool ways to preserve my kids' artwork. Sure, we've got plenty of it taped up in the kitchen, plus boxes of the really great stuff stored in the hall closet. But now my kids are going to be able to sleep with their…
For those of us in the northeast and beyond, we're in luck! Our kids are still in school, which means a little extra time to think of a thoughtful end of year teacher gift. I always love gifts that come from the whole class, which are mo…
Custom jewelry inspired by children's artwork is probably one of the most popular gifts that we feature for Mother's Day each year. And now, there's one more option that's way more funky mom jewelry than sweet grandmother jewelry. Should…
I've seen no shortage of brilliant ideas for showcasing kids' artwork not to mention ideas for turning kids art into gifts--which by the way are always a hit with anyone who receives them. So when I saw these adorable figurines created f…
There's an avalanche waiting to happen. Somewhere in your house, a pile of drawings and paintings is teetering, just waiting to collapse and terrify the cat. At least, that's what happened to me. Here's a better way to honor your kid's c…
You should see my car--or actually, you shouldn't. It's filled to the brim with my daughter's preschool artwork, which gets hastily shoved onto the passenger seat during the always-harried pickup time. It's a mountain of artwork, really,…
When I saw this amazing DIY kit at Bundle, it screamed "sibling gift" so loud at me I almost considered having another baby just so my kids would have a reason to make one. Truly, this is one of the coolest ideas I've ever come across. I…
There's little I hate more than fundraising time at school. It's not that I don't want the school to have money, it's just that there's only so many stinky candles and rolls of wrapping paper and overpriced magazine subscriptions a perso…
There's a box on top of my fridge overflowing with punk-rock ponies, witches on broomsticks, and smiley-faced dolphins, each one representing a special stage in my daughter's artistic development. They're amazing in two dimensions. Can y…
If you've got a prolific little artist in your house like me, then you've probably exhausted all the creative ways to turn their artwork into gifts for the grandparents. Or maybe you're looking to start? I'm so excited about these discov…
I'm in a period of mega-emotion when it comes to the idea that my almost 4-year-old and about-to-be-1-year-old are past the wee little onesies. Every weekend, I sit down with a pile of old clothes from the garage--which is rapidly turnin…
See that gorgeous iPhone case over there? It's printed from original art and signed by the artist. Impressed yet? You will be. The artist's name is Anwar, and he's from Kuwait. He's also a child cancer patient. All of the lovely goods fr…