Hey, Santa!

In the crazy scramble to get everything done for Christmas you may have forgotten your Santa sign (I know I did, but a five year old never forgets).  

Don't worry, we've got you covered!  You can download and print our free version right here

twirling & clicking

I let my daughter play with my iphone whiling standing in line at the post office last week.  There were lots of butt pictures, the underside of the table, etc and then this.  She must have been twirling and clicking -- the results were unexpectedly beautiful.

NY NOW - building my booth

This was taken before the show started, when the overhead lights weren't yet turned on.  Once the show started, I unfortunately forgot to take a better pic.

I realized a few months back, when I started a trade show board on Pinterest, that I'm not the only one struggling to figure out how it all gets done.

After only two shows at NY Now, I'm definitely not an expert but wanted to share some pics and resources that were very helpful to me while working within a small budget.

To start at the beginning, this is what you get when you sign up for an 8x10 booth in the Baby & Child section at NY Now (other sections offer different options).

It can be a bit of a shock to show up and see just how empty the space actually is.  But with a little foam core board, some double-stick tape and a level, it cleans up pretty nicely.

Using furniture that was lightweight and/or foldable was high on my list of priorities since we were driving to the show and setting up without help.  This is also a very useful idea post-show, when all escalators are immediately shut down, and elevators commandeered by hired show movers.  It can take hours to lug that furniture up the stairs.

I found a "pop up" metal table and shelf at Crate & Barrel, and used FLOR carpet tiles in our signature aqua color.  The chairs were tough to bring since they don't stack or fold, but I thought the wood added a nice, natural element to the design.  The horizontal shelf is from IKEA, it weighs about a ton and was left behind after the show.  The baskets are also from IKEA, and surprisingly, they fold flat.  IKEA is an absolute treasure for trade show furniture with it's flat pack boxes, low prices and clean design.

Some of my favorite design elements were: the greeting card shelves (J bead from Lowes, 10' length for $2.00).  It can be cut with sharp scissors! numbered map tacks in place of SKUs vinyl titles to make everything more organized

Trade show booth building tools I wouldn't want to live without:

• a lightweight level
• a folding step stool
• a folding flatbed hand truck (the bigger the better)
• carpet tape
• heavy duty double stick tape
• foam core boards in 4'x8'
• pencil
• exacto knife
• metal yardstick

DIY kiddo storage tower

I recently noticed (with horror) the post-holiday explosion of Barbies, ponies and tea cups that had taken over my daughter's bedroom and had to find a solution.   After researching all sorts of options, mostly way more expensive than I wanted to go, I ended up at Ikea.

Their Expedit bookshelf is incredibly versatile and, at $70, exactly what I was looking for.  Because it is finished on all sides, you can use it horizontally or vertically.  Initially I was going to use it horizontally and put her dollhouse on top so she'd be able to spread out the furniture but space was not on our side.

The boxes are also from Ikea -- they came with lids which I left off for easier access. Adding numbers (mine are paper, but painting them would be great) to each box has ended up being the best feature -- "mommy, where is the cowboy hat for my pink mermaid?"  "check box #6".

a Monster Valentine

As we waited for Blizzard Nemo to clear out and the mountains of snow to melt, my daughter and I made monster Valentines for her classmates.  I created and printed the monsters while she stuck the googly eyes on and added lollipops.  It kept her busy for about 30 minutes, which is pretty good for a snow day!

Supplies used:
Valentine Monsters (free download)
Staples 4x6 gloss white postcards
15 mm and 8 mm wiggle eyes from Michaels
Double stick tape or glue for eyes
Trader Joe organic lollipops
Cello sleeves for packaging (or tape for lollipops)

kiddo art table

I've been looking for a good art table for my 3 year old daughter for quite awhile.  We had a roll of MÅLA paper & stand from Ikea, and it was working, but I was tired of moving the stand around and putting it all back together every time she knocked it off the table.

I found this great art table on Martha Stewart and loved the idea but thought the under table shelf might be hard on little knees.  I used the brackets suggested but chose another Ikea table.  Because of the smaller dimensions of the table, I also had to upgrade the paper roll to a smaller width.  I added a wooden strip at the opposite end of the table which holds the paper down and also works as a cutter.  I was in a hurry to put it all together, so left the wooden strip unfinished, but this piece would look great painted in a contrast color or white to match.

The results aren't perfect (the paper roll is a little hard to put on/take off), but the paper is great quality, the table looks nice and my daughter is happy with it.

Materials used:

Ikea Gulliver table & chairs (available in store only)

Beka paper roll

Gooseneck brackets from Ann Wallace

18" long wood strip (I used a piece from the Ikea paper stand mentioned above)

Washers used as spacers between wood strip and table

2 screws to secure wood strip

Mademoiselle Lapin

I found this adorable little French bunny pattern on etsy a few weeks ago and couldn't wait to make it for my daughter. 

Let me start by saying that I haven't touched my sewing machine for several years...not since my days as a fashion design student at FIT completely killed any desire I ever had to sew things. 

I'm sure it took me much longer then it would for someone who sews more often, but it was a surprisingly easy and fun project.  So much fun, in fact, that I ended up sewing for the entire weekend.  My daughter's response to Mlle Lapin (we named her Brie) "Oh, a bunny!  Just what I needed".  And with a hug and a swoop, she carried her off to bed.

I'm ready to sew more stuff, thanks so much to the very talented Erika at Miko Design.

Holiday Gift Tag Freebie

A little thank you to all who have visited our shop this year!  These tags can be printed on heavy stock paper and either hole-punched or taped to your gift. 

Holiday Gift Tag FreebieHoliday Gift Tag Freebie