The It List–Baby Showers

 

If you’re tired of buying the same old, same old for every baby shower and wonder what a cool but useful gift might be, here are some great ideas.  I would love any and all of these!

 

1.  Wee Gallery – Art Cards for Baby

 

Wee Gallery animals are made of high-contrast repeating patterns to stimulate visual development in infants.

The animals on these cards are designed to interest a baby differently at different stages.  At birth he or she is fascinated by the details of the design and as he or she grows older he can point out the animal by name.

I fell in love with the swirly designs and can’t wait to get some for E!

 

 

 

 

 

2.  Jellycat Stuffed Animals

 

I found out about Jellycat stuffed animals from my friend Kamrin whose daughter Keltin fell in love with one of the lions when she was teeny tiny. 

Everett just got his first Jellycat (see below) and we call him Lyle the Crocodile.  They are all SUPER SOFT and the company deems them the world’s “most sophisticated soft toys”.  I just might agree.  They are not only the softest around, but they offer the coolest types of animals; aardvarks, ostriches, and even flamingoes.

 

 

 

 

3.  Waterproof Stickers

Waterproof nametag stickers are a must when you have a baby; especially when your itty bitty starts daycare!  Obviously, if you don’t know the baby’s name before they are born this wouldn’t be a great shower gift, but this would be a great “Welcome to the World” gift for any new mom.

They are perfect for bottles and sippy cups and the round ones can even fit on a pacifier.  Genius!

 

 

 

Everett’s came just the other day and we love them!  We ordered ours from this Etsy shop and love the polka dots!

 

 

 

4.  Citrus Lane

Give a gift that keeps on giving!  Citrus Lane is a company that offers monthly gift boxes to little ones tailored to your baby’s age and stage.  You can give one box, get a 3 month or 6 month gift “subscription”.

Every product that is included in each gift box has been recommended and reviewed by the Citrus Lane advisory board and community. No marketing gimmicks, no paid placements -- just real recommendations from real parents for products that solve real problems.

 

 

 

 

 

5.  Personalized Board Book

With a lot of our family living so far away (Wisconsin) I fell in love with the idea of making a personalized board book for Everett to recognize family faces that weren’t nearby.  When I started researching this possibility I found two different companies that seemed pretty worthwhile.

 

 

I haven’t started my own yet, but love the fact that My Custom Story offers gift certificates.  Perfect for a mom-to-be to save for later!

 

 

 

The It List - January

 

I thought I would try to get the January “It List” in just in the knick of time!  Here are some of my favorites for this month – enjoy!

 

1.  Boos Block

John Boos & Co. is the leading manufacturer of butcher block and stainless steel gourmet and foodservice products in the U.S.A. JB&C is renowned for their famous Boos Blocks® and Cutting Boards. JB&C products are "Made in the U.S.A" of solid and quality North American hardwoods, and are the finest in quality, workmanship and design.

Since 1887!

These cutting boards are legendary and make a great gift.  I purchased one for my mom as a housewarming gift a few years ago, but never had one of my own…until now.  My mom returned the favor and got me one for Christmas and I LOVE IT – best gift ever.

If you do own one, don’t forget to buy the Boos Mystery Oil for optimum performance.

 

 

2.  Smash Products by K&Company

According to K&Company:

“We believe that a scrapbook album is a one-of-a-kind map of memory lane, made from your memorabilia and our materials. That’s why we create and collaborate to design thousands of absolutely superb scrapbooking items: scores of stylish albums, acid-free papers, detailed stickers, metal art, fabric art and much, much more. We believe in giving you artful designs that stand the test of time, designs that will look as beautiful 50 years from now as they do today.”

The Smash product line from K&Company is a hip, chic and totally fun line of patterned tapes, sticky notes, journals, scrapbooks and more. 

 

 

I found my Smash gear at Wal Mart and bought a few items the minute I set eyes on them.  My favorite is the patterned tape above.  It makes a dull thank you note perk up right away!  So much fun!

 

 

3.  Chewbeads

Non-toxic jewelry for moms, safe for babies to tug, touch and chew!

 

 

I saw these for the first time while visiting a cute children's store in Madison, WI over the Christmas holidays.  I loved the look of them and thought the concept was awesome.  I can’t wait to get one to wear now and later – they are so stylish!

 

 

4.  Rechargeable Car Flashlight

These little gems may have been around for a while, but I saw my first one about a month ago and thought it was genius! 

 

 

A small flashlight with a car charger built in the handle – SO SMART!  I don’t have one of these yet, but it’s definitely on my list, especially with a little one in tow!

 

 

5. Zipit Monsters

How fun are these?  Although my students have to use a particular pencil pouch while at school, this would be such a fun pencil/marker pouch to have at home or on long road trips! 

 

 

This would be the perfect gift for any budding artist you know!

The It List–October

 

This month’s It List is just a tad bit random, but fun nonetheless.  Enjoy!

 

1.  Biscoff Spread

This delicious spread is considered “Europe’s Alternative to Peanut Butter”.  It is sweet, creamy and a perfect topper to your morning bagel or afternoon pretzel snack.  It is deeelish – especially the crunchy!

 

 

2.  Plaid

Nothing says cozy, comfy and fall quite like plaid.  I can’t wait for the weather to get a tad bit cooler to break out all of mine!

 

 

 

3.  Art into Treasure

Child’s Own Studio started with a simple idea: to make a recognizable comfort toy for a 4 year-old boy based on his drawing. This launched a home based craft business that is now booming.

The results are truly adorable and a very hot commodity.  So hot in fact, that the owner is currently not taking any new orders, however she offers a site with other plush craft artist information here.

 

 

 

4.  Novelty Bookends

Whether they are actual bookends or just a unique doorstop, these novelty items will add a bit of pizazz to your boring bookshelf.  All of these examples came from Esty.com.  I just searched for bookends.

 

 

5.  Unique Halloween Costumes:

Since Halloween is coming up and Mike and I love dressing up – I thought I would share some totally unique and hilarious ideas.  Either family, couples, babies or even pets – use your creativity and get busy…Oct. 31 will be here before you know it!

Here are some of my favorites:

 

The It List–September

 

Since fall is my favorite season, here are some of my fall wish list favorites!

 

1.  LL Bean Footwear

 

 

 

2.  Fall/Harvest Prints

 

 

3.  Tortoise Shell Accessories

 

 

4. Burnt Orange

 

 

5.  Wood

 

 

Have a great Sunday!

The “It” List–Baby Crazed

 

So, I admit, I am VERY new to the realm of baby gear and gadgets…but I also have to admit, it is so much fun to now be able to really look at it all!

I will definitely be consulting my friends that have children already to see what is worth the hype and what is not before purchasing anything, but I did want to share some pretty cool stuff that I have found so far.

I can’t wait!

 

1.  Cool Gear:

These items below look like so much fun. Check them out!

 

 

  Lawn Drying Rack from Boon

This drying rack is a great way to spice up your counter tops when baby bottles start take over!

 

 

Storage Bins by 3 Sprouts

I think these storage bins are adorable for boys or girls – they are the perfect addition to any nursery or play room for cute organizational spaces.

 

 

Sleep Sack by Halo

Sleep sacks, which are deemed “the wearable blanket” are used to replace loose blankets in cribs that can cover babies faces and interfere with sleeping.  I have heard many people rave about these and they are even proven to help babies sleep 1 to 3 hours longer at night – YES PLEASE!

 

2.  All About Dad:

Moms can’t have all the fun, and they also can’t expect dads to carry the frilly diaper bags around with them when they are on duty.  This is called the Diaper Dude Diaper Bag and with the easy cross body design is a must for the man in your life.

 

 

 

 

3.  All About Mom:

I have heard all about “push presents” lately and have friends that have received wonderful items as a congratulatory gift after giving birth.  I didn’t think I would be into the whole push present craze, but after looking on Etsy, I was smitten with these initial necklaces.

I would love to have one with my new baby’s initial to wear around my neck, close to my heart each and every day.  So cute!

 

You could even do a double or triple initial necklace to include your other children or husband/significant other.

To find these and other options (including initial necklaces with birthstones) go to www.etsy.com and search for hand stamped initial necklaces.

 

4.  IKEA Poang Rocker:

I know how important it is to have a glider in the nursery, especially if planning to nurse, but I don’t love the way many traditional gliders look.  I do however love this rocker from Ikea.  Modern, sleek and funky.  Just my style!

 

 

 

5. Modern Nurseries:

I can honestly say that besides all of the sentimental aspects of becoming a mom and starting a family, one of the most exciting things to me is to plan/decorate the nursery. 

Since I am not a “theme-y” type of person, these modern nurseries are right up my ally.  I already have a few ideas for our own nursery (depending on boy or girl, but I do love many gender neutral color palates as well), but these are a great jumping off point!

 

I love the striped chair and adorable wall decal in this nursery (above).

 

Wallpaper = Awesome.

 

The muted colors in this nursery are beautiful and the rug is my favorite!

 

(Don’t worry, I will blog about our own nursery progress as it happens!)

The It List–April

 

 

1.  Bungalow 360 - 

I picked up this adorable bag on our recent school field trip to Gatorland.  I couldn’t resist:  alligators in Green Bay Packer colors…it was perfect!

After researching the brand a bit, I was smitten with the fun, well crafted totes (with awesome hidden zippers), handbags, wallets and more.  Started in 1998, Bungalow 360 is earth friendly and animal happy.  A great choice for spring!

 

 

 

2.  Fridge Coasters -

OK.  Some of you might not know that having an organized refrigerator is one of my “things”.  When I saw these Fridge Coasters on another blog that I read, I went crazy.  Now, not only can I have an organized fridge, but a colorfully patterned one as well.  I can’t wait to place my order!

 

 

 

 

3. Anything Chevron -

Recently, I have fallen in love with anything donning a chevron print.  They are not your average stripes and give off a clean and crisp vibe.  Most of these inspiration photos were found by simply searching on sites like Pinterest and Etsy, and have really gotten my decorative juices flowing - I can’t wait to play around with the pattern!

 

 

 

 

4.  Jack Rogers Sandals -

I have loved these resort style sandals since my college days at Rollins.  They are a classic Palms Spring style staple and look great with everything from a shorts to skirts, and even a crisp pair of linen pants.  They are classy, sassy and perfect for a day spent shopping or simply lounging by the pool.

 

 

 

5.  Scentsy -

These fun and individualized fragrance warmers are not only safe (no flame) and smell great, but are also perfect for gift giving!  We are the proud owners of the two warmers shown below and I must say that I love the different flavored waxes to choose from.  Scentsy offers a great product and is one of Forbes list of America’s 100 most promising companies.

My sister in law, Sara, is a Scentsy independent consultant, so click here if you are interested!