The Sneakery

Chris and Oscar were positively gleeful in The Sneakery, an emporium carrying casual footwear -- but more importantly the most awesome array of socks I've ever seen. Besides his standard Converse low-tops, Chris ended up buying three pairs of socks. Can you guess which ones? So many cute socks in one place -- and lots of kids' shoes and socks as well!

Book I love: Haiku Baby

When Oscar was a baby, he had dozens of all types of board books -- classics by Dr. Seuss, Sandra Boynton, Eric Carle, Byron Barton, Margaret Wise Brown, DK Touch and Feel, and of course many I had never heard of but bought just because they were so beautiful. Oscar learned his first shape words (triangle! square! arch!) from a set of board books that were so tiny he could manipulate them himself. I remember all those books like old friends. I loved reading to Oscar, and he loved being read to.

Anyway, I found a wonderful board book yesterday that he would have loved: Haiku Baby by Betsy Snyder. I was attracted to it because of the wonderful illustrations, but the whole thing is lovely. The haiku form (three unrhymed verses of five syllables, seven syllables, five syllables) is just the sort of soothing, rhythmic pace that babies enjoy; the 17 syllables paint word images illustrating nature elements such as snow, rain, leaf, and moon. Tabs on the side make it easy to get to each haiku. I'm sorry that this book was created too late for Oscar's babyhood, but if you have a baby in your life, it's not too late for you!

Seattle Home Show Top 10

I was a little surprised that Chris wanted to go to the Seattle Home Show, but I think he was hoping for a mega cache of "miracle products," like the ones he always get suckered into buying at state fairs. I wasn't sure what to expect since I've never been to a home show, but I do like nice homes!

The event is at the CenturyLink Field Event Center, a huge space near the baseball park. Inside are vendors of everything from hot tubs to lawn care services, and since we don't have a definite remodeling project in mind, we just wandered around to see what caught our eyes. Here are 10 things that intrigued me.

There are a lot of pest-removal services with scary displays like this. God, I hope our house doesn't get rats!

I looked at about a million door handles. If I didn't restrain myself, my whole house would probably have whimsical handles like this woodpecker.

I really love the colored appliances. But will orange become the avocado green of the future?

We found a place that makes the original wood-framed windows in old houses functional and easy to open. And they had this cool twiggy window on display!

This CargoCottage by ShelterKraft Werks is so cute! It has a kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom in one tiny 20' space, and it actually looks pretty cool too. This one's just $35,000. Perfect guest house?

I love these giant refrigerators. There were so many cool ones! Guess there's no way it would fit into the CargoCottage, though.

I am strangely attracted to these tile murals. Too tacky?

Unfortunately, this display of astroturf got Chris and Oscar set on finishing the basement in pseudo-backyard style. They were also intrigued by the faux stone grotto shower display.

This is the coolest idea! A solar-powered roof vent fan. Hey, I just made a pun.

The highlight for me was an "Antiques Roadshow"-like event called Dr. Lori's Trinket or Treasure. Each show attendee can bring one object for Dr. Lori to appraise. Before we left our house I couldn't think of anything I own that I thought was valuable, but now that I've seen the show I wish I brought something after all. The show was educational, but Dr. Lori is also extremely funny. She's very sarcastic (or mean, depending on how sensitive you are), so if you don't have a thick skin, maybe stay away. Anyway, here she is, and a cookie jar that turned out to be a treasure! If you like antiques and/or vintage stuff, check out Dr. Lori if she comes to your area. She even hosts vacation cruises.

Finally, I really like this sign encouraging everyone to pay top dollar. Ha ha!

All in all, the Seattle Home Show is a great place to go to get ideas for your home, so if you're into home improvement, I'd recommend it. There are also seminars every day, from maximizing your closets to working with an architect to improving energy efficiency. If you buy tickets online, you get free parking, a free subscription to Better Homes and Gardens, and can even use an online coupon code to get $5 off each ticket, so it's not expensive at all to get in (it ended being about $13 for two adults and one child), but the food prices are outrageous ($3.75 for small bottle of water, $9 for chicken nuggets, $7 for a slice of pizza, $3 for one doughnut), so eat before you go! The show ends February 26.

Ten seconds to the prettiest cake ever

Right here in Washington, Patricia Minish is creating breathtaking keepsake boxes, party favors, and cake toppers by hand. Each is made by hand of hand-cut, hand-tinted paper and lace, and glitter made out of glass imported from Germany. They are pricey, but, I mean, just look at them! One of these babies would take your cake from drab to fab with just a swipe of the ol' credit card! These beauties were spied at Trophy Cupcakes in Wallingford, but you can place custom orders for these fantastic showpieces at her website.

UPDATE: I just learned that Patricia will be holding a "Vintage Valentine" keepsake box class at Trophy Cupcakes in Wallingford Center on Sunday, January 22, from 2-4 p.m. $65 includes instruction and all materials, including German glitter glass! To sign up, call the Trophy Cupcakes Party Room at 206-390-0900 or email party@trophycupcakes.com.

Collecting art on the cheap

If you like the idea of owning original art but think you can't afford it, a solution awaits you in Seattle. Venue in the Ballard district is home to an Art-o-Mat, a former cigarette machine that now dispenses original art for a mere $5.

There are more than 90 Art-o-Mats in the U.S. -- from Key West, Florida to Las Vegas, Nevada -- with art from more than 400 artists hailing from 10 different countries. So even if you don't live in Seattle, maybe there's an Art-o-Mat near you! Among the goodies in the Venue machine are postage stamp earrings by Brandi Crye from Eugene, Oregon; mini paintings by Jodi Reeb-Myers of Minneapolis; miniature designer paper bags by Cynthia Larkin of Thomaston, Connecticut; and fused glass bobby pins from Gerry Klein of Omaha, Nebraska. Oscar decided to buy the origami from a San Diego artist named Casey, and was happy with his beautifully packaged purchase. I love the idea of supporting artists -- and of reusing these retro cigarette machines. Buying art this inexpensive is a healthy habit!

Sock monsters at Sock Monster

I don't normally shop for novelty socks, but these Christmas stockings in the window of The Sock Monster caught my eye! Do you think they would scare Santa away?

Do you know anyone who might want to find these under the tree?

Deck the halls

There's a lot to hate about the holiday season, but I'm not gonna go there. This blog is all about love, and what I love about this season is the decorations. My favorites in my neighborhood are at Paper Delights (which, incidentally, also had Halloween decorations that stopped me in my tracks). How pretty are these?

Besides all the beautiful cards, there's also some amazing wrapping paper there. My favorite is this faux bois.

I didn't realize it, but Paper Delights has lots of actually useful but still beautiful gift items, from Dwell Studio baby puzzles to Baggallini shoulder bags. I can't name all the goodies I found there because certain readers might find something from this store under the tree!

Wide World Books & Maps

No trips planned for the immediate future? Enough travel bags to last a lifetime? Only use online travel guides? You'll still find something to buy or covet at Wide World Books & Maps. It's a browser's paradise with the usual useful and latest gear, but also other delights of fine design and even a thoughtfully curated selection of novels for those of us who travel only via armchair.

I was tempted by this lovely Taxi wallet featuring Paris, and another featuring San Francisco. If only I needed a wallet! I'm considering getting some of their massive selection of maps to frame as home decor. I love them all -- antique, city, world, transportation; how will I decide? The Lonely Planet "Not for Parents" guides for kids seem perfect for getting tweens excited about popular destinations, with info about weird food, gargoyles, martians, and all the important stuff.

Besides premium merchandise, the store seems to have good community involvement. When I popped in this past Saturday, the Gutsy Women Travelers Group was listening to one woman talk about her solo travel adventures in India. On November 29 at 7 pm, author Clark Humphrey will discuss Walking Seattle. Who wants to go with me?!

One more thing that made me love this shop: They're having customers draw hand turkeys to decorate the window display. If you're in the area, go check them out -- I guarantee they will warm your heart despite this cold rain.