You Can't Curl Up with a Cup of Coffee and a Mac

I love the web for all it's obvious great qualities, but I am starting to worry that magazines and newspapers will become obsolete sooner that I ever thought. One of my favorite hometown newspapers The Seattle Post-Intelligencer and one of my favorite magazines Domino both folded earlier this year. There's a website now called Magazine DeathPool that documents all the magazines going under. And most horrifying: when New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. was asked at a conference in October of last year whether the New York Times would still be a print product in ten years he answered "The heart of the answer must be (that) we can't care." Sounds pretty vague to me. Am I going to have to read the Style section online in ten years at www.graylady.com? No thanks.

I love everything about magazines and newspapers, especially the artisanship that goes into the creation of them. I think printed matter forces a standard of journalism that's sometimes lacking online. I like the ritual of sitting down with a cup of coffee and a magazine. I love the way the pages smell and feel in my hands. I love big pretty pictures. And pretty pictures printed on heavy paper -- even better.

Apart from all that, though, magazines and newspapers are a very big part of my decorating strategy in my house, and I'm very worried about what I'll do if they are no longer at my disposal whenever I need them:

Magazines are great space fillers in book cases and once you put them away, they need very little maintenance. Perfect for a working mom with very little time.


A stack of magazines on the coffee table looks great and doesn't break when knocked over by the family dog when he executes a sliding stop at the end of the hall and crashes into the coffee table. Just an example of what goes on in my family room.


All the books collected over the years by adults and children alike can also be great space fillers, and that one book with the weird cover can blend right in when covered in newspaper.


Magazines and newspapers have been my signature gift wrap for as long as I've had kids.

If I have to start shopping for and stocking wrapping paper, something else is going to have to come off my to do list.

And last, but certainly not least, having print all over the house reminds my kids to read. Everywhere they look there's a magazine, a newspaper or a book that they can pick up anytime. The quiet moments when Andie, Jack and I to curl up with our magazines (Domino for me, Seventeen for Andie, Sports Illustrated for Jack) and read with the TV off may be rare, but they're memorable. I don't quite see that happening with the Kindle or selections from the Internet Public Library.

I Need A Birthday Present, Stat!

It seems like someone's always having a birthday or a baby. That presents two challenges: coming up with a present and wrapping it.

At the beginning of the year I like to stash some presents away in my cupboard so we're ready to party at a moment's notice. This year our picks are:
The Guinness Book of World Records for Jack's buddies

Recharging Stations for Andie's friends

Puffy Tea Sets for Katie's friends

And my favorite old standby for new moms, "Working Moms Rock" TShirts from honestbaby.com

Once my cupboard is re-stocked with presents, I stock up my arsenal of wrapping supplies. Nothing is worse than having a present with nothing to wrap it in. To keep it simple, I usually use newspaper, pages from magazines, brown kraft paper or tissue paper as the base. If I'm feeling fancy, I'll use a Williams-Sonoma floursack towel.

To spruce up my recycled base, I have a stash of pretty ribbons that I buy at my local craft store

And a few boxes of these pretty labels from Chronicle Publishing

Et, Voila.

From the moment Andie says "Oh, I forgot. Bridget's having her birthday party today" to wrapped present ready to go: about ten minutes.
I have to admit, though, that there are still some last minute requests that throw me. Like "Oh, I forgot. I need a pair of black movement pants (whatever those are) for this afternoon's theatre practice."

Burlap. Who Knew?

I'm trying to get into the Christmas spirit, but somehow it's late in coming this year. Don't get me wrong -- I'm happy and joyful -- just not feeling like doing the the all out shopping, decorating or wrapping yet.

In an effort to force myself into the Christmas spirit, I've spent some time thinking about how I'm going to wrap my presents this year. Each year I try to choose something sustainable or reusable to minimize the waste generated from our wrapping. For the last few years I've used newspaper and magazine pages -- I love the way they look with a pretty ribbon and I want to use them while I still can! (see post "You Can't Curl Up with a Cup of Coffee and a Mac"). This year I've decided to wrap my presents in burlap. It's very chic and rustic, reusable, and made from the skin of the jute plant, a rapidly renewable natural resource.

In researching where in the world I could buy rolls of burlap (AceHardware.com), I've realized that burlap is quite the home decor trend. I saw so many chic uses of burlap, including a post from a fellow blogger Stories from A2Z on burlap in fashion entitled "Making Burlap Work for You." My favorite uses in home decor are:

Upholstery

Pillows

Lighting


The most exciting thing about burlap emerging as a design trend is this: burlap's durability and unpretentious nature are a perfect match for my three children and 100 lb. dog. I think I'll spend today making a burlap slipcover for the rattan sofa that sits on my porch. Still not a Christmas project, but getting closer.