My teeny-tiny attention span was uber-challenged in New York. I’m dizzy from whipping my head around during cab rides from hell while trying to see the architecture, the signage, the culture and the freak show around us. Battery park was blooming with Spring and...
We escaped motherhood for a trip to NYC for work. No really, we are working. Wink wink. We arrived after a long but pleasant flight across the US. We did NOT have to pack snacks and activities and worry about anyone squirming or screaming or needing to pee just as the...
For months we have been working like dogs to get ready for the big Stationery and Licensed Art shows in New York. We have designed a super sassy booth, developed new collections, put together catalogues of our work, designed a press kit, shipped out a bunch of stuff...
This post is not for the faint hearted. Or those who are opposed to foul language. For the rest of us, who’s happy that Terrorist Mother Fucker is dead? Sorry, “Effer” wasn’t cutting it this time. My weekend started out as usual… too many...
Now that my littlest baby is thirteen (and a couple of inches taller than I), I am officially the mother of three teenagers. Ack. This article is not about their angst, they are actually all pretty mellow, happy kids. It’s about my angst in regards to being the...
I was thinking about talking about the endless shades of gray that are available right now, but then I looked out my window at a gorgeous blue sky and decided that I’m done with gray for awhile now that Mother Nature seems to be done PMSing all over California....
I definitely don’t consider myself a super fabulous baker– except for my chocolate chip cookie dough, which is better than sex – but I always give it my best effort. Okay, I lied. I often give baking minimal effort because why would I knock myself out when I...
So last week I was drowning in winter blahs and looking into liposuction and having my old head replaced with a nice new wrinkle-free head. This week the sun is shining and fruit trees are blossoming and I’m feeling much better about, well, everything. God, how...
Do you ever just wake up and feel like you aged 5 years overnight? It might just be the winter blahs, or the 500 milligrams of sodium I had for dinner, but I woke up looking like I’d been run over by a truck. I have these awful mornings more often in winter when...
It’s so hard to make time for reconnecting with friends when you have your kids’ tournaments or recitals every weekend. Then there’s the house projects, the school volunteering, the job, the hubby, the extended family, and Effin’ Dog to take...
We do a lot of design for kids products, which we absolutely love. Some days I love designing for kids more than I love kids. But most days I think kids are completely awesome, they are entertaining, sweet and honest (until they become teens and then they are psycho,...
So I LOVE to read. I mean, it’s my passion and my pastime. I always have a good book going, whether it’s an actual real-live book, or a digital version. There are magazines everywhere at my house and thousands of books that I just can’t part with....
So if you told me twenty years ago that I’d be getting a matching tattoo with my daughter someday, I’d have thought you were a Crackhead (or whatever we called people back then). If you had told me this five years ago when she was 14 and already planning...
Part of my feels like Valentine’s Day (hereafter referred to as VD, cuz I just can’t help myself) is an engineered holiday invented by florists and stationery companies to beef up business. And the less cranky part of me loves to do something fun for my...
Let me just tell you right away that this is not about sex. Sorry. Get your mind out of the gutter. I got an email from a friend this week that said “Help! I’m having book club tonight and I have to serve dinner and I’m sick of the stuff I usually...
Who says your workspace has to be full of drab gray cubicles? Our all-girl design studio is set up for hard work in a creative environment. We have the top half of a big historic Crafstman house on a tree lined street, next door to the local library and around the...
Remember when you were little and you made cards for you mom and grammy? It was so fun and satisfying, and even though moms are obligated to gush over so-called art projects, she loved that card. I still have the ones my kids made for me back when they were cute....
Let’s face it, the kids and the effin’ dog own the house. We pay the bills, but they run the place. Evidence of their existence follows them from room to room. It’s time for moms who appreciate a well-appointed room (free of toys, stale snacks and...
So I look forward to the holidays for months. I obsess over what the wrapping theme will be, whether I’ll make beef or chicken tamales for 30 on Christmas day, how many more lights can I put up this year… you get the picture. And then December 26th comes...
So I was lucky enough to take my first trip to Chicago where I knew I would find great food and entertainment and get to leave my California flip flops at home and upgrade to some sassy new boots for a weekend. What I didn’t realize is what a visually...
So I was in one of my tasmanian devil style housecleaning frenzies, the kind where I just want to throw out anything that has not been useful to me in the last week. While frantically forming “crap piles,” i.e., crap to toss, crap to take to Goodwill and...
Remember your very first apartment? It was the place you could call your own and enjoy your independence (which is just another way of saying that you could fill your fridge with beer and your parents wouldn’t know about it). Decorating an apartment is easier...
I went to an Office Max store in LA this week to visit our back to school supplies because I just can’t get over how exciting it is to see our products on a shelf. I brought my daughter and her friends cuz they are also easily excited…. Turns out our...
Has anyone else noticed that the line between products for kids and adults has gotten fuzzy? I mean, “too-many-martinis” or “I-lost-my-contacts” fuzzy. I’m seeing Hello Kitty in rhinestones on $400 purses and my sons are having smack...
I’ve mentioned before that I try to make up for my lack of mad cooking skills by making my meals pretty but I came across some creative people who are taking the idea to a whole new level. Check out this cake I found at Lucks.com It’s almost too cute to...
