Though I'm not into the whole "Hey it's the holidays so let's hit the stores at 3am to score bargains!" thing, I'm definitely into supporting small businesses -- any time really, but Saturday, November 29 is Small Business Saturday. And if you're downtown, check out The Grommet's pop-in shop within Michelle Willey at 8 Union Park Street in Boston. (If you're not in striking distance of the store, you can shop the special collection online. Yay!)

Open now through December 24, The Grommet pop-in shop includes a curated collection of maker items, many sourced from New England. The Grommet is all about the storytelling behind different products; you'll see this reflected on their website and in the pop-up store, and I'm thrilled to partner with The Grommet today to share my 10 favorite picks from their special collection at Michelle Willey:

1. FOR THE (CURRENT OR ASPIRING) MINDFUL PLANNER. The more time I spend online, the more time I need offline, using real writing utensils and paper. There are lots of day planners to get your life in order, but I love that this Day Designer encourages mindfulness in setting short and long term goals (perfect for tackling goals like a boss).

2. FOR THE BELOVED CYCLIST. Boston cyclists aren't daunted by much, and neither are Boston bike thiefs (this coming from the girl whose brand new bike was stolen after one glorious ride). Gift your beloved cyclist with the Gotham theft-proof bike light, which was designed by MIT grad Slava Menn to keep cyclists safe and thwart bike light thieves.

3. FOR THE PERSON WHO LOVES TO BE PREPARED. As the person who is basically never prepared (except with my phone), I totally love this multi-tool iPhone case. The sturdy polycarbonate case protects your beloved communication device while featuring 8 TSA-compliant built-in tools: a pen, Phillips screwdriver, flat-head screwdriver, kickstand, nail file, tweezers, scissors, and a toothpick. WHAT?! It's totally the perfect gift for the aspiring MacGyver in your life.

4. FOR THE PERSON WHO LOVES TO BE PREPARED (BUT DOESN'T HAVE AN IPHONE). Don't have an iPhone? No worries. There is something awesome called the Pocket Monkey. Say it again: POCKET MONKEY! Thin enough to fit in a credit card wallet slot, this TSA-compliant 12-in-one utility tool includes a cell phone stand, bottle opener, orange peeler, screwdriver, hex wrench, ruler, letter opener, scraper, and more. B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

5. FOR THE HOSTESS WITH THE MOSTESS. Now that Violet is out of the destroy and conquer phase, I've recently rediscovered the beauty of candles; they create immediate ambiance and make me feel calm. These Big Dipper beeswax candles would make for a lovely hostess gift; they're all natural, non-allergenic, soot-free, and burn cleanly for 40+ hours. In fact, these 100% beeswax candles helps clean the air; when burned, they release negative ions that can reduce allergens and pollutants. Thank you, bees.

6. FOR THE RELUCTANT TIME TELLER. When I was a kid, I really struggled to learn to tell time, but I suspect I would have been better motivated if I was staring down one of these adorable Modern Moose wall clocks. Available in a variety of designs, these clocks make a statement on their own or would make for a whimsical addition to a gallery wall.

7. FOR THE MINIMALIST PLAYROOM. Tight on storage? No worries. I love that Storytime Toys toyhouses + storybooks offer fodder for two of the best childhood activities ever: reading and imaginative play. No tools are required to assemble the foam/card stock toyhouses, and when you're done, just fold flat and stow. These toyhouse/books are offered in three versions: Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Hansel and Gretel, and The Three Little Pigs.

8. FOR CRAFT + CRITTER ENTHUSIASTS. Time away from the screen is always a good thing, and how gratifying would it be to needle felt your way from a simple ball of wool to an adorable fuzzy felted friend? Wool Pets felting kits are designed for kids ages 10 and up and each kit contains the supplies to make 2-5 critters. These would make super cute little ornaments...just glue gun a ribbon on once done!

9. FOR YOUR FRIEND WHO IS SECRETLY PRACTICING FOR HIS/HER KARAOKE DEBUT. Let's face it, shows like The Voice have left many of us fantasizing about our breakout song. Or at least, what we could belt out at karaoke (AHEM). Speaker creatures are waterproof wireless Bluetooth speakers that will allow you to practice your karaoke debut song in the comfort of your shower.

10. FOR EVERYONE WHO BATHES (HOPEFULLY THAT'S EVERYONE IN YOUR HOUSE). I'm completely in love with Fiat Luxe's felted soaps. It's the perfect gift in my opinion (and my top pick in The Grommet pop-in collection): affordable, clever, and pretty while being usable and thus clutter-free. Fiat Luxe soaps are wrapped in wool felt that serves as an exfoliating washcloth. The felt shrinks along with the soap, and once the soap is gone, simply make a slit in the felt and stuff it with other soap remnants. BRILLIANT.

So many cute things, right? Head to the pop-in shop at Michelle Willey or shop online to support independent makers and their creative awesomeness!

Disclosure: This post reflects a compensated editorial partnership with The Grommet. All opinions about curated picks are, of course, my own.

Image credits: The Grommet

So remember last week when I shared about how to create a gorgeous gallery wall, including my favorite picks from Minted's art marketplace? Well, my friends at Minted have followed up with a generous giveaway for you awesome readers: $350 of Minted credit towards your holiday cards! Crazy amazing, right? Check out 10 of my favorite picks from the Minted holiday collection and then enter to win via the Rafflecopter widget at the end of the post.

First, worth noting: the Minted holiday card collection offers wonderful flexibility; in most cases you can opt for a flat or foldover card (depending on how much content you want to include), choose from different colorways, and change the holiday greeting. Also, my mind is sort of blown that right now you can opt for free recipient address printing. No wrangling with mail merge -- YAY! Now, here are 10 of my favorite picks from the collection:

1. This Happiness Is... single-photo card cracks me up. I'm pretty certain "blankie," "milkie," or "chocolate" would be one of Violet's top words.

2. Break up the visual lines of the usual photo block card with this four-photo Prismatic layout. So modern and simple and cool! I am heavily leaning towards this one for our holiday cards.

3. This Merry Streamers design is bold, pretty, and so very festive.

4. Try a new approach to holiday cards (and create a keepsake for your family) with this Sparkling Be Merry ornament card.

5. The sparkly minimal aesthetic of the Modern Shimmer design gives a tasteful touch of bling, while otherwise allowing the beauty of a single family photo be the focal point.

6. The holidays or the turning of a new year call for the shimmery confetti in this cheerful Sprinkles design.

7. Want to create something more involved? This Family Recipes Holiday Booklette takes thoughtful correspondence to an entirely new level and would make for an incredible gift and keepsake.

Now, sometimes you just don't manage to capture a great holiday card photo...most of the time you're the one shooting all the pictures. BEEN THERE. No worries, there are many (close to 500!) gorgeous non-photo options.

8. This Modern Confetti design fulfills my obsession with gray and gold.

9. I love the symbolism of these Paper Cranes For Luck.

10. This Holiday Splashes design is so unusual; full of unique artistry and light.

Now, surely you're eager to order some gorgeous holiday cards, yes? Enter to win the Minted $350 gift credit giveaway! The one required entry is to leave a comment below about one of your favorite Minted holiday card designs. You can also earn optional extra entries by following Boston Mamas and Minted on Pinterest and Instagram. Just follow the entry prompts via the Rafflecopter widget below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway//widget.rafflecopter.com/load.js

Image credits: all images via Minted

Though I love the convenience of online shopping, particularly around the holidays, I make an extra effort to shop local. And to that effect, how awesome is this? As part of Marriott Hotels' Travel Brilliantly campaign, American Express and Marriott have transformed Boston Marriott Long Wharf's Greatroom Lobby into a pop up store featuring 8 small local businesses. I’m thrilled to partner with American Express and Marriott today to share some of my favorite picks from these independent Boston vendors.

Note: The pop up shop is open now until Sunday, November 30 (Small Business Saturday is November 29!), from 10am - 8pm. And the Boston Marriott Long Wharf is perfectly positioned so you can browse the shop then enjoy some time on the Greenway, which is one of my favorite spots in the city these days! Now, here's who you can find at the pop up shop:

1. I simply love that Flock Boston is run by a mother-daughter pair! Offering a range of bohemian inspired clothing, accessories, and gifts, these lantern bracelets by Jenny Bird are so special. Made of gold-plated brass and resin stone (in a variety of colors), this bracelet makes a delicate statement on its own or would play well with your other arm candy.

2. Looking for your girlfriend’s next favorite gift? Gracie Finn offers an eclectic mix of gift items, such as books, paper goods, home items, and gifts for women and kids. I’m especially intrigued to know what’s inside their surprise balls; unwind the crepe paper to discover 12 little prizes inside!

3. If your aesthetic is modern and minimal, you'll love the offerings from Lekker Home. I love Lotta Jansdotter’s work, and I have my eye on this large serving bowl and set of smaller bowls. The patterns will cheer you out of your winter doldrums and are perfect for parents (read: unbreakable by little paws).

4. Lunarik Fashions specializes in bags and accessories handmade by local artists. They offer bags and accessories to suit a range of styles, but I’m especially drawn to the modern color blocking of this leather drawstring bag.

5. My go-to dressing prescription is to wear simple clothes and and amp up my outfits with interesting jewelry. Rebekah Brooks offers unique hand crafted items, many of a delicate or vintage persuasion. I found myself drawn to her animal motifs; specifically this snake ring (and especially so once I learned that two entwined snakes are a Victorian symbol of infinity and eternal love) and swallow necklace.

6. If you’ve struggled to find good man gifts, check out Sault New England. They offer fun, usable items (e.g., beer soap!) as well as pay it forward type gifts (e.g., notebooks whose proceeds benefit public school art programs). I love their sailormade bracelets, crafted in New England.

7. I’ve been on the hunt for a Boston map to incorporate into our gallery wall, and I think Ward Maps is the answer. They have a variety of affordable map and transit oriented gifts (e.g., coasters, mugs) and specialize in antique items, such as this antique map of Boston (1775) print. They also offer modern styled maps, if that's your preference.

8. Looking for modern and cheerful picks? Check out Xylem, which offers quirky gifts for home and the whole family. Xylem embraces geek chic, with items such as this pizza pi cutter, which I'm certain will cut pizza with mathematical precision thanks to its two wheels.

Amazing, right? Hop on down to the pop up shop and tell me what you find!

Image credits: All images via local businesses featured above.

Disclosure: This post reflects an editorial partnership with American Express and Marriott Hotels in support of the Shop Small® Pop Up initiative. Because, hey, YAY LOCAL SMALL BUSINESSES! All thoughts and opinions are -- of course -- my own.

I'm thrilled to share another Local Gems post today (be sure to check out the Arlington Center, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Jamaica Plain, Lexington, Medford, and Watertown features)! Today's Easton recommendations come from my delightful friend Christina, who writes at The Fairly Odd Mother and Cool Mom Picks. Thanks for sharing these 10 local gems in Easton, Christina! (And if you want to submit a Local Gems feature, see details here!)

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Right next to the busy city of Brockton, Easton is a pretty, historically rich, tree-filled town I've called home for the last 14 years. It's a wonderful spot for kids with lots of safe outdoor spaces in which to roam, great schools, and a not-too-long drive to either Boston, Providence, or Cape Cod. Here are some of my family's favorite spots:

1. The Village Toy Shop. This is my go-to stop for all those birthday gifts my kids need for their friends, and also for awesome holiday shopping too. With free gift wrapping, it's clear how much this store is loved by all the matching gift wrap piled up at any child's birthday party.

2. Hilliards House of Candy. There is no bigger treat than a stop at Hilliards House of Candy, where my kids can scoop out their own assortment of goodies into bags while I check out their delicious boxes of salted caramel chocolates, roasted-on-site nuts, or adorable holiday chocolate lollipops. It's a great spot to stop in summer for a scoop of their own yummy ice cream too.

3. The Children's Museum in Easton. Easton's old historic fire station makes a wonderfully playful spot in which kids can explore, climb, learn, and play. Getting to the top of the old fire pole is a challenge for little arms, and their outdoor play space, The Wild Place, let's kids explore nature and maybe even get a little messy.

4. The Farmer's Daughter. The "it" place for breakfast or lunch on Main Street, The Farmer's Daughter works with local growers to create delicious masterpieces that have people lining up to experience. I like that even their kids' menu takes into account their focus on fresh and local ingredients.

5. Borderland State Park. The former stopping grounds of the rich and famous (notably, the Ames Family who donated much to the town), Borderland is truly a gem for everyone in the state. The park offers great hiking and biking trails, a sprawling disc golf course that is open to everyone, huge lawns for tag, a fun sledding hill, and picnic tables for when it's time to refuel.

6. Natural Resources Trust of Easton. Otherwise known as Sheep Pasture, the NRT exists as an educational center for the town, with chickens, sheep, and other livestock on site for kids to see, as well as easy walking trails to explore. The NRT puts on Spring Family Night Hikes, summer camp for kids, and a huge Harvest Fair in October that seems to bring the entire town to their grounds.

7. Easton Town Pool. Opening this week, this town pool is the best spot on a hot summer's day with little kids. The pool is more like a small pond with filtered water, a sandy beach, and lots of lifeguards on hand to help keep an eye on beginning swimmers. 

8. Maguire's Bar and Grill. Massachusetts' oldest independently owned and continuously operated restaurant and bar, I don't think Maguire's ever closes -- we've made the short drive during a snowstorm! Maguire's is a great place to stop for a juicy burger, blackened shrimp pasta (my favorite!), or one of their special seasonal offerings. My kids love the lively, informal atmosphere as much as I do.

9. Ames Free Library. Check out one of the town's many historic buildings, this one designed by the famous American architect Henry Hobson Richardson. A spacious children's room and pretty outdoor gardens make the Ames Free Library a great stop for books, movies, and video games.

10. The Marketplace at Simpson Spring. Take a field trip to the oldest independent bottling plant in the US and try some of their delicious old-fashioned soda flavors like Cream Soda and White Birch. The Saturday marketplace also brings together local farms and food producers, crafters, and other locals businesses into a bustling year-round indoor market. If you can catch a tour, do it---totally fascinating for both kids and grown ups.

Do you have other Easton gems you love? Feel free to share in the comments below! And if you want to pen a Local Gems guest post, contact Christine at editor@bostonmamas.com to check on availability.

Image credits: thumbnail via Maguire's; all images via linked websites or associated Facebook pages with the exception of Borderland State Park, via Wikipedia.

I'm a designer and DIY enthusiast, but I also believe in efficiency. And when it comes to Valentine's Day cards (and producing about 40 of them for Laurel and Vi's classmates and teachers...sometimes the girls have the steam to make them and sometimes not), there are so many great printables out there that I see no need to create work for myself! Here are 14 (actually, more than 14) awesome FREE Valentine's Day printables. Your biggest challenge will be deciding which ones to blast through your printer. WIN.

1. Pick from any or all of 4 adorable woodland creatures.

2. Pop this super hero printable into a frame, or cut up the icons for individual cards.

3. I heart these modern blue and red cards.

4. Your kids can practice the alphabet with this cute printable.

5. Extreme couponing of the affectionate variety.

6. For those (like Laurel) who are obsessed with mustaches.

7. Six simple and sweet printable cards.

8. A treats printable for my fellow typography nerds.

9. We go together like pie and whipped cream (and several other pairings that are making me hungry).

10. Eight adorable retro printable cards.

11. DYING over these 7 Star Wars cards!

12. A great printable for the bookworms.

13. Rainbow loom bracelet tags = brilliant.

14. Adorable paper airplane printables.

Image credits: all images via sourced links above.

Every holiday season since becoming a designer, I feel guilty when the holiday cards start rolling in because I'm too busy with design work to tend to my own cards. One year I embraced this reality and sent out cards in March; otherwise, I don't get around to it. However, this year, thanks to a kind offer from the folks at Minted (where I have had some designs represented), I actually will send out holiday cards this month! Read on to check out my thoughts on Minted's holiday cards, as well as to learn how to win a $150 gift certificate to Minted!
Minted is a paper goods site built largely on the talents of indie designers -- most of the collection is generated from design competitions. Bizarrely, just before Minted reached out to me, I was thinking of how nice it would be to design a holiday timeline card (if I had time, that is). So when I looked at the site and realized they have something similar, I figured it was fate. Even though it wouldn't be my design going out as our holiday greeting, it would be awesome to simply get it done. Because I love the reconnection that happens around holiday cards.

As you will see from a quick peek, Minted has a ton of options. I recommend rounding up your candidate photos prior to browsing so you can narrow down your search by number of photos to include and orientation. Here's how my process went.

Since I wanted a timeline approach, I started by selecting the Yearline Card collection. This rendered 216 options -- an unwieldy number for someone who likes to peruse all the options, but my process was then narrowed down a lot because the family photo I wanted to use was vertical in orientation and most of the Yearline cards require horizontally oriented photos. I clicked View All and did a quick first pass to identify vertically oriented candidates, ruling out anything that looked too Christmas-y (I prefer non-denominational cards) or didn't fit my style. Here were my final candidates -- all lovely, but I share my narrowing down process below.

Wish Banner

I love how simple and modern this Wish Banner card is. I also love that you can include four photos on the front -- I definitely had enough photo candidates to utilize this layout. However, I've been noticing this font around a lot lately in both personal and commercial work so I ruled this one out. (Note: you can change font styles and sizes but I wanted to land on a design quickly and not have to make a lot of stylistic edits.

Bowtie

This Bowtie card is classic and pretty, with a little whimsy added via the bird. However, six photo windows on the front meant more time obsessing over photo choices, plus I didn't think my vertically oriented family photo would fit well in any of the boxes.

A Big Hello

The minimalism of this Big Hello design appealed to me. After all, I designed a pair of cards inspired by the word Hello earlier this year! However, the red and green colorway was too Christmas-y for me and even though there are two blue colorway options that are lovely, after looking at the red/green, I kept thinking Christmas even when looking at the blue options.

Float + Joy

This Float + Joy design is really lovely and elegant. However, I ruled it out because I wanted more color pop, plus the photo window was too narrow for my family photo.

Joyful Modern Wreath

This Joyful Modern Wreath design is pretty and basically fit my parameters, but I wasn't struck by the must send response I was looking for.

Mod Joy

Ultimately, I chose Mod Joy! I don't know if it's the unconventional colorway (I am obsessed with yellow right now), the fun family photo in the example, or the fact that JOY is such a representative word for us this year, but I saw this design and it felt like the perfect one. And I love the pop of the color on the interior and the fact that the color is called sunshine, which is perfect given that the family photo I wanted to use was from our trip to California.

Once I settled on Mod Joy, I selected the quantity, paper options, and format and inserted photos and text. I bypassed the options to upgrade the envelopes, include envelope liners, and print return labels (all good options to have though), and asked in the comments whether they would consider adjusting the JOY text box slightly so the word JOY ran in full down the center of the section. And that was it, within an hour, my cards were done and ordered!

Within 24 hours I received my proof (and they took care of my design edit to the JOY box -- yay!) and approved it and my cards are expected to arrive early next week. Totally awesome! In short, the experience was great. While yes, in an ideal world, I would love to design my own holiday cards, when that isn't an option, truly, the next best thing for me is to support another indie designer.

And now, you can enter to win a gift certificate and get your cards out too! Minted kindly offered to match the $150 credit they offered me (I needed to order 150 cards so this helped defray my order total by almost half...thank you, Minted!) to you. Pretty cool, no? Here's how to enter to win:

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THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED
Congrats to winner Tara!
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Rules:

Simply leave a comment below about this fantastic giveaway. (If you're so inclined I'd love to hear what you think about my design options or anything else you love from the Minted site!)

US entrants welcome to enter.

One comment per person (please do not leave comments from multiple e-mail addresses). Anonymous or SPAM-like comments will be removed. Note that your e-mail address will not be published or shared! Leaving just your first name or first name + initial in the name field is perfectly fine.

Entry period closes at noon EST, Monday, December 12, 2011.

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*One lucky winner (selected using Random.org) will receive a $150 Minted gift certificate! Sweet!

Today, Heather shares a fabulous idea that simplifies gift wrapping and makes the holidays accessible for pre-readers:

“I love Christmas and all that comes with it: the music, decorating, baking, shopping, and -- my favorite part -- watching the excitement and anticipation of my four children. The one thing I do not love is gift wrapping, possibly because I come from a family where gift wrapping is considered an art form. The busier my life gets, the more stressful I find this task. Though I love the look of artfully wrapped gifts, my practical side always wonders if it is worth spending so much time on gift wrap that will be ripped off in a few seconds.
As I was shopping at Target for wrapping paper -- envisioning Christmas morning and the frenzied dash towards gifts under the tree, with each child pleading with me to find a gift that is theirs (my triplets are 3-years-old and subsequently are pre-readers) -- I had a Eureka moment. I chose a solid colored wrapping paper for each child, in the same colors we assigned them when they were small (to separate their baby essentials). Emma is purple, Will is blue, Theo is green, and Adie is pink.

And in an effort to hold onto the 'art' while foregoing fancy bows, I have opted for small gifts to garnish the boxes. Match box cars and bouncy balls for the boys, rings and barrettes for Adie, and absurdly cute take-apart Iwako erasers (apparently the latest must have for 1st graders) for Emma.

The solid paper makes gift finding easier (I can even skip gift tags!) and the little gift toppers dress up the packages with minimal fuss. Santa will leave the kids a note (that my Emma can read to all) with instructions on how to find their color coded gifts, and also to thank them for the milk and cookies.”

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Image credit: solid wrapping paper rolls from JAM paper and envelopes

My respect, admiration, and affection for Liz Gumbinner and Kristen Chase of Cool Mom Picks is multidimensional. I met them for the first time in real life at BlogHer Chicago in July, but I have “e-known” them since the early CMP days, followed their hilarious personal blogs (Mom-101 and Motherhood Uncensored, respectively), and interfaced with Kristen through Parent Bloggers Network and also via Kristen motivating me to become one of the original wave of Shredheads. Liz and Kristen are such talented, generous, and funny women, and for the thirteenth installment of my Simplifying the Holidays guest blog series, I’m thrilled to share their savvy shopping tips to help you survive the last minute holiday shopping crunch.

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From Liz & Kristen:

So it’s officially the holiday rush. And by that, we mean even if you think you’ve crossed every person off your gift list, there’s still someone you’ve forgotten -- a hostess, a caregiver, your daughter’s ballet teacher, the kid who walks your dogs.

We’ve spent a lot of time this year trying to find more frugal options for our readers, from great holiday gifts under $20 in our holiday gift guide, to free (but fabulous) e-cards, to décor that you can reuse year after year.

But the truth is, for parents -- especially those of us who work outside the home too -- at times it can be worth it to pay a little extra to help get some of the many things off your overflowing plate and simplify your life. Here are three tips for surviving the last minute holiday crunch:

1. Shop online!

This is, by far, the number one hassle-avoider now or any old time of the year. You can comparison shop and search out discount codes on the spot (we often post them on our site), and best of all, you never have to wrangle the kids in and out of the car seat. Even if you pay for shipping, it often ends up being less than what you might spend in gas, parking, and cheese fries at the food court so keep it in perspective.

Little indulgence: Have the gifts wrapped and sent right to the recipient.

2. Get the return address labels

It is sooooo worth the few dollars extra to get preprinted address labels with your holiday cards. We particularly like the ones from Minted and Paper Culture. Even Shutterfly will print them right on the envelopes for you and their prices are great.

Little indulgence: Red Stamp has an address and send service, so if you’re Just That Busy, you don’t even have to sign your cards yourself.

3. Buy local

Skip the malls and keep your blood pressure at a reasonable level by hitting a local craft marketplace instead and supporting a small business. Or if you head over to Etsy, you can search by location and find a fantastic local crafter who might be able to get it to you quickly, or maybe even drop the holiday gift of your dreams right to your door. You can find everything from décor to hostess gifts to handmade toys for the kids.

Little indulgence: Accessory shopping! Instead of buying a whole new holiday outfit, grab a hot new red scarf or a funky headband to spruce up that little black dress. Suddenly everything old is new again.

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Liz Gumbinner and Kristen Chase are the publishers of Cool Mom Picks, the influential shopping and design blog called "the online arbiter of cool for the swingset crowd" by Parents, and named one of Real Simple's favorite three blogs for parents. You can find them on Twitter at @coolmompicks where they'll be tweeting tons of last minute deals and gift ideas. Liz is also the author of Mom-101 and Kristen is the voice behind the always provocative Motherhood Uncensored. They tweet at @Mom101 and @mublogger, respectively.

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Image credit: Vegan handmade soaps by Boston-based DeShawn Marie Handmade Soaps (via Etsy).

As a designer, I can’t help but adore the amazing craftiness at Craft. So what an honor it is to be featured on their site today. In my guest post, I share the how-to for creating the fabulous photo bookmarks that I first fashioned for my family a few Christmases ago and now create for clients. How can you not love a gift that's pretty and inspires reading? Only problem? Now my family knows what my holiday token is this year.