You’ve planned and prepped for your Thanksgiving meal and then suddenly you remember: wine! (Or is that just me?) I generally drink wines I like, no matter what’s on the table--I’m easy that way. The Thanksgiving challenge is that there’…
NYC local cupcake shop Baked By Melissa has had us wrapped around their finger since they rolled into town with their delicious bite-sized cupcakes and clever ideas--remember the cupcake gumball machine and the Betsy Johnson cupcake ? We…
Let me first be totally upfront: The idea of setting a holiday table kind of terrifies me. I am not someone who can just effortlessly whip up an Elsa's castle centerpiece made of handmade gingerbread, or pick up a calligraphy pen and go …
I'm pretty sure I'm not the only mom who races to my kids' school party volunteer signups to be sure I can claim "plates and forks." Honestly, the holidays are busy enough without having to bake eight dozen cookies. (And bless you parent…
We have featured so many fun Halloween posts this year--and years past, too--featuring our favorite Halloween ideas of all kinds. Including the last minute ones. We're talking dozens of recipes for treats both healthy and uh....well, you…
Candy may be the only Halloween treat that my kids are interested in, but with Halloween falling on a Friday night this year, I’m also looking forward to a fun Halloween cocktail to usher in the weekend. Whether you want a sweet sip, a s…
When celebrating Halloween with little ones, there’s a fine line between fun creepy and scary creepy. Lucky for me—a firm believer that the creepier the better—my kids are finally old enough to handle scary Halloween. I’ve spent a lot of…
Of all the throwback candies, candy corn reigns supreme. More than just nostalgic, it is among the most popular Halloween candies year after year. (Because it's awesome, that's why.) It’s also the inspiration for these fun, delicious can…
Pumpkin decorating might be my kids' favorite part of Halloween--second only to gorging on candy, of course. So I've been on the lookout for new and different ways to dress up our pumpkins this year, and in addition to last year's round …
Looking for last minute Halloween awesome? Follow our Pinterest boards for these 5 fun Halloween pins, plus lots more of our daily picks and more coolness from around the web. 1. Helpful tips for taking great Halloween photos of kids . 2…
Last year I threw an awesome Halloween party for my kids. (Really! There’s video , complete with Halloween dinner recipes , to prove it.) It was a blast, but now my kids want to do it again. I'm game—anything to show off my rockin' Cleop…
We are in full-on planning mode for Halloween here at Cool Mom Picks, with adorably unique costume ideas for babies, yummy Halloween treats , gorgeous handmade masks and invitations , and even the best not-too-scary party ideas for the l…
I typically think of gingerbread houses as a Christmas tradition, but my family is usually so slammed with other activities then that we don't get around to it. So this year I'm thinking, why not build a candy house for the holiday that'…
Halloween parties may be the most fun for me, because there are just so many cool Halloween party ideas, especially for kids. Instead of just going with a standard "Halloween" theme, you can get more specific and find a theme that lends …
Halloween is coming soon, and it's time to plan our parties. First up: invitations. And not just any Halloween invitations, but seriously impressive, over-the-top, creative Halloween party invitations this year. If you're not up for the …
We love finding gorgeous designs from indie artists, but sometimes what you really need is a way to make your very own custom design --preferably without hiring an artist or earning a degree in graphic design. The new Makr app for iOS he…
In a world exploding with 3D printers and landfills full of old junk, there's something refreshing about toys that start out as paper and end up as, well, more paper. In fact, you can print these toys at home, build them yourself, store …
My older daughter took the plunge into the world of pierced ear this year and, well, that's a whole story in itself. But in the meanwhile her sister is very happy sticking with the cool temporary tattoo jewelry just out from Poppy Drops …
As much as we love margaritas , mojitos and skinny cocktail recipes , sometimes summer calls for a glass of wine. Not just any glass of wine, but a refreshing, chilled, fruit-filled glass of wine, better known as sangria. Check out these…
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…
At the end of these long summer days at the pool and kids being bored and me trying to cram work in whenever I can, I'd love to kick back in front of the TV or with friends and sip a cold, delicious drink--umbrella optional. My favorite …
I'm okay with the fact that most holidays involve a lot of cooking, but a party on the 4th of July should be easy and laid-back, summer style. Put out some sparklers, throw food on the grill, make lemonade—and maybe a pitcher of one of t…
With summer here it's definitely party season: Dinner parties in the backyard, Fourth of July celebrations, graduation gatherings - we love all of them. But when it's too hot to put out a whole roast, we've curated some fantastic appetiz…
Cookie cutters have come a long way since I was a kid and we could choose between Jelly Jar and Lopsided Heart. Thanks to 3D printers, we can now have our cookies cut like charcuterie diagrams, our favorite literary characters, three-dim…