heart sterling silver baby box

Right from the start
You stole my heart
With arms flung wide
and no thought to pride

love for all wall art by donna ingemanson

You strained, panted and pushed
and I have to admit, I ambushed
your vast and unsuspecting love,
with that big final shove!

Until all the world could see
and hear the cries from me,
As silent were your tears
and in them held all fears

baby shower favor - star is born cookie cutter

For you saw skinned knees,
me begging for cookies, “please!”
My triumphs and vast failures
like puddle jumping & resulting epic soakers

puppy musical pull toy by north american bear

But the tears of joy beat every frown
with visions of me in graduation gown
and playing with my best friend gooch
(my nickname for the neighborhood pooch)

And I hope you would do it all again
Because my love for you will never wane
You are my one and only Mom
you are the best, you’re truly the bomb!*

Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful ladies out there that made the decision to become Mommies. You made the right choice and Babybox.com loves you for it! Hope you have a wonderful weekend and are spoiled rotten from sunup to sundown!

*poem written by Katherine Krige

Its the beginning of the week again. How is it that Monday seems to roll around so fast? How about a trip back in time today! Hold onto your hats, as we are going to go wayyyy back, to the land before time!

Watch your step as now there are Dinosaurs afoot!

And check out the teeth on that one! Ahhh!

The “Towering T-Rex” custom canvas wall hanging is sure to feed your child’s imagination. This detailed painting is wonderfully reproduced on the museum-archival-quality canvas into an original design by using the giclée method of fine art printing. It is hand-trimmed and measures 2ft.x3ft bringing to life the detailed edges of this canvas. This “Towering T-Rex” wall hanging is available in a prehistoric brown color or your choice of  favorite color. You can also get the canvas personalized. Make sure to specify your preferred choice of color and personalization before ordering this wall-hanging.

Hand-crafted and custom-made in the USA, the “Towering T-Rex” wall hanging makes a perfect addition to a play area, boy’s room or nursery as an inspiring piece of interior decoration. It can also be paired with other wall art pieces from the additional “”Dinosaur Kingdom Collection” making for an excellent group display!

Did you manage to make it by that T-Rex? Good for you, but don’t breath too easy yet. There is something tall coming up beside you on the right! Whoa! 

Your little boy will love this “Dinosaur” growth chart which will look wonderful in any nursery or child’s room. Your child is going to grow quickly, so celebrate every magical milestone with this wonderful growth chart! Measures 12″ x 42″, enough to take you all the way from the infant years to late toddler years. Along the way, there’s pure fun — the chart features whimsical images in eye-catching colors to compliment every child’s room. Can be personalized with child’s name.

Phew, there are a lot of dinosaurs in these parts! Hope that brontosaurus didn’t scare you too bad. Wait, what’s that creeping towards us now? Beware the dripping wet stegosaurus under that towel. Get wrapped up in luxury even at bath time with our personalized dinosaur towel! Your little boy will love bathtime with his personalized towel. Each terry cloth towel is lined in soft, decadent minki and personalized for your favorite bathing buddy. Perfect for toddlers and roomy enough to use for years. This is simply one of the most plush and softest towels you will find anywhere.

Man, we better get out of here before these dinosaurs begin to get hungry! Too late, they are serving up snacks now on those cute Personalized Dinosaur Baby Plates. They are a bright, cheerful and decorative way to enjoy mealtime. The plate features a hand-painted dinosaur design in the center and brightly colored dots bordering the edge. The plate can be personalized with your baby’s name to make it extra special. Available in two sizes. Makes a great gift.

Happy Boxing Day to all our Canadian friends today. We thought we would help you celebrate, by sharing some of our boxes with you today. Not sure exactly what all you do with them, but who are we to question another country’s traditions. Let’s get boxing!

Here we have an example of one of the many toy boxes that we have available.  The Jacqueline’s Garden hand painted toy box by Sweet Beginnings is a beautiful and practical accessory for your room. The toy box features pretty hand painted butterflies and is designed to function as a spacious toy chest and bench seat. The elegant and beautifully detailed box can store all of your child’s toys as well as extra pillows, blankets or comforters in any room. Available in many base colors, we recommend using a light shade to enhance the design. The piece is shown above with monogram (additional cost). Finely crafted, there is a space between the base of the chest and the lid to prevent a child’s fingers from becoming caught. The toy box is a great addition to any room!

How about a smaller box, like our personalized ceramic boxes. This is a delightful gift for a baby. Hand painted with your choice of pink or green stripes around perimeter, and “Favorite Little Things” or “Treasures” script. Personalized with the child’s name, this is a wonderful keepsake for years to come.

Of course there is always the lunch box. Note: this is just one example of the many that we have available. Your little ones are going to love this colorsplash lunch box! This colorsplash will make lunch time fun!.These fabulous lunchboxes are perfect for storing toys, crafts or snacks in your home, car, class or for play dates. Personalize it with the child’s name!

Or perhaps you would like the practical box shown here – the tissue box. The sail boat tissue box in blue is great for any room in the home (bedroom, nursery, bathroom or kitchen). The box features a red, white and blue boat and bold 1″ stripes on the side. This tissue box is a great accent and a decorative way to store a useful item. Make yours special by adding a monogram or name. A perfect gift all year round.

So let us know if we can help you out! Heck, we like boxes too, as you can tell by our name BabyBOX.com. Yup, we think it has a nice ring to it. Happy Boxing Day!

Well look at those lucky Canadians! Aren’t they a smart bunch, giving themselves another long weekend during the summer months. Yes, our neighbors to the North are celebrating a Civic Holiday today! While it comes in different names across the country, it does amount to a celebration and day off for most Canadians today to celebrate their home Province’s heritage. So whether it be “British Columbia Day”, “Natal Day” (PEI) or just plain old “Civic Holiday”, Babybox.com hopes that all Canadians enjoy their day off. I am sure while we are working away, they will be enjoying barbecues, picnics, trips to the beach and fireworks displays. Well good for you! We love celebrations of any kind, so will celebrate with you today!

So for my American friends that are not quite in the know, a province is the equivalent of our American States. There are only 10 provinces and 3 territories in Canada, compared to our 50 states. That being said, Canada is the second largest country in the world. That’s right, they are bigger than the US! We rank third largest in a tight race with China. So the upshot of that is that all those Provinces up in Canada are pretty big and worthy of a celebration.

Another thing that I stumbled upon in my exploration of this Canadian Holiday is a link to emancipation. In fact, Emancipation Day is celebrated on August 1st in many former British colonies, including many Caribbean countries. They all celebrate the end of slavery for people of African decent. That is definitely worthy of noting and celebrating, we think. Hip hip hooray to that!

With a day off though, I know what I would be doing. Yes, I would be sitting back relaxing with friends and family. You would find me, on a hot day like today, at the beach or pool. Or maybe just relaxing beside a special someone in my Adirondack chairs, raising a glass of cheer to life and the land that I live in. I wouldn’t doubt that many Canadians today are doing just that.

So Happy Heritage Day Alberta! Happy Saskatchewan Day all Saskatchewinians! May all you New Brunswickers enjoy New Brunswick Day. And Happy Civic Holiday to the rest of our Canadian friends on this fine day to celebrate all things Canadian.

Let’s all wave our flags, as June 14th is Flag Day! President Woodrow Wilson officially marked June 14th as a day to commemorate the American flag, way back in 1916. We have to mention that George Morris of Hartford, Connecticut (making all good Connecticut residents proud!) was the first to suggest it though in 1861. The history of the stars and stripes goes back further than that though, as the Second Continental Congress were the ones to adopt the flag on June 14th, 1777. A good decision, we think. So we are going to wave a few flags at BabyBox.com today and hope you help us celebrate our American pride by waving yours too!

For starters, let’s put that beautiful American flag right where everyone can see it – on your sweater! Celebrate America with this classic American Flag Sweater. Hand knit from 100% soft cotton, this pullover sweater is of excellent quality and workmanship. A classic American flag covers the front of this sweater, sure to look adorable on any baby. It makes a wonderful gift and is perfect for Flag Day parades.

Where else can we find the stars and stripes? How about on this set of three personalized burp cloths. They are perfect for any new baby. And really, they are not only practical, but beautiful too! Each comes wrapped and tied with a coordinating bow and is finished with the baby’s name. If you are smart enough to think ahead, this is also the perfect gift for a July 4th baby.

This cute bucket hat makes a great container for another patriotic option. While the Sweetheart style is shown here, you can order this gift set with a  patriotic flag (in pink) too. The baby girl gift basket bucket includes an extra soft short sleeve bodysuit made of 100% cotton interlock, 2 coordinating burp cloths beautifully wrapped and tied with a bow, an infant size pink twill bucket hat – to keep the sun off baby’s delicate skin and it can all be personalized with baby’s name  (up to 10 characters). All items are 100% cotton, machine washable and can tumble dry. A perfect patriotic package!

And lastly,  what better way to celebrate the flag, than to celebrate the nation! This Oopsy Daisy “Oh Say Can You See” mural banner has a colorful and attractive map of America; a great educational tool for your little one’s room. This canvas mural banner is easily wiped clean with a soft, dry cloth. This is the ideal surface for kid’s room as there is no glass to break! This comes ready to hang with the decorative nails and grommets in four corners. You may also choose to decoratively display your Oopsy daisy canvas mural banner with our fun ball hooks (set of 4) available in blue, white or pink. The backplate mounts on the wall and ceramic knob unscrews to allow you to easily remove the art from the wall. Makes a wonderful addition to any child’s room or playroom. This mural banner is designed by Jill McDonald. The biography of the designer is included with each piece.

Happy Flag Day to all of you and to everyone in the USA!

Today is Arbor Day. For those of you not familiar with this date on the calendar, it is a day to plant and take care of trees. What a wonderful reason for a holiday! On April 10, 1872, the very first Arbor Day occurred and approximately 1 million trees were planted in Nebraska. A few years later, Birdsey Northrop (from right here in Connecticut!) took the custom abroad when he visited Japan in 1833. Since then, Arbor Day celebrations have been held around the world. As trees are a vital part of our world, providing oxygen, shelter and beauty, we thought we would celebrate them ourselves today at Babybox.com. So go hug a tree, plant a new one or simply tend to the ones in your own yard. Here are a few of our favorite trees at Babybox.com;

This “Green Tree” Oopsy daisy Wall art by Jill McDonald, brings a colorful life of a tree into your child’s room. It brings the world of colors into your child’s room. This top quality canvas reproduction is made using the Giclee printing process and has the look and feel of an original painting. Each piece is stretched over wood bars with no glass to break and is equipped with a wire hanger on the back for easy wall displaying. No additional framing is necessary. Each canvas is decoratively finished along the 3/4 inch thick sides. It can be wiped clean with a soft, dry cloth. Makes a wonderful addition to any child’s room, playroom or even beach house. Designed by artist Jill McDonald and it comes with his biography attached to the back.

The DwellStudio Tree Rug is a stylish and fun addition to any room. Comfy and cool, this finely made wool carpet in blue and green hues, adds a unique touch to your decor. The Multi Tree rug is designed to coordinate with the Dwell Studio bedding and crib collections or it works by itself!

This Oopsy Daisy “Jellybean Tree” nightlight features a bright and colorful tree along with a bird; a vibrant addition to your little one’s room. This nightlight can be easily wiped clean with a soft, dry cloth and is ideal for your child’s room as it does not have a glass surface to break. You can personalize the nightlight with your child’s name or any other word or phrase like “Good Night”. This nightlight is designed by Gale Kaseguma, whose biography is included with each unit.

And the handpainted baby plate with prayer will become a treasured keepsake gift for years to come. This tropical design features a palm tree in the center and a prayer on the border. The plate can be ordered personalized with the baby’s name. Each plate is handpainted by the artist for each order. All dinnerware is food safe and dishwasher safe.

Happy Arbor Day!

yawn…

It has been an awfully long winter in most parts of North America this year. At Babybox.com, we took a page out of the bear’s book and found ourselves hibernating right along with them. Spring is slow to arrive, but we are finally itching to get back out there and enjoy life again. What better way than to show off some of the new lines that we have introduced in the last little while. So let’s welcome Spring with a fresh new look from Babybox.com!

With this being the beginning of National Library Week, let’s look at one of our newest books for babies. This cloth book is soft, but scrunchy with interesting textures. The story goes like this (look away if you don’t want to know the ending).

Who’s behind the bush..SQUEAK boo! It’s me, pig! Who’s behind the haystack…JINGLE…boo! It’s me, horse! Who’s behind the flowers…SCRUNCH…boo! It’s me, sheep! Who’s behind the sun…MUSIC…boo! It’s you!

The bright colours, sound effects and simple but engaging story make it a hit with little ones, even from birth.

The extended daylight hours and warmer temperatures also mean for more time outside. What better way to celebrate that, than with a new outfit to run around the yard in. This personalized football pattern cap sleeve tee shirt will look adorable on your little boy. Designed with red, brown and white football print, it is classic and unique. The shirt features shorter cap sleeves and is a more feminine look for boys and less boxy than our classic tees. Made from 100% cotton and easy to care for. Get out and enjoy the fresh air!

With all that running around, your little tyke is bound to get hungry though. Why not serve him up a snack on this new blue dish with car silhouette that is perfect for any little boy. Each blue dish can be personalized with your child’s name (maximum 11 characters) and the set can be ordered as a two piece or three piece set. It is made of a dishwasher-safe ceramic, which is also microwaveable. That will leave you with less time fussing and more time playing. It is also a nice perk that it is made right here in the USA.

We cannot overlook our friend that we mentioned at the beginning of the post either. Since we are coming out of hibernation along with our friendly bear, we couldn’t resist showing you this cute little guy. Here is your own little bear that you will love to snuggle up in this blanket with matching teddy. This 100% cotton baby blanket and teddy bear set are made of an amazingly soft fleece. These ultra soft must-haves are offered in an array of colors to match any nursery. And as spring also seems to be the time of rebirth and renewal, this teddy makes for the perfect baby shower gift.

merry christmas frame

* Poem written by Katherine Krige

Has anyone else started thinking about Christmas yet? Yes, that would be me raising my hand. If you are like me, perhaps you would like to get a head start on some of your shopping and preparation this year. Long before the tree is trimmed and presents are wrapped, there are activities to get you in the festive spirit. Check out these items from Babybox.com to get you in the holiday spirit;

How does Santa really know who’s been naughty or nice?

The elf answers the age old question in “The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition”. The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition is an activity the entire family will enjoy. Based on the tradition* Carol Aebersold began with her family in the 1970s, this cleverly rhymed children’s book explains that Santa knows who is naughty and/or nice because he sends a scout elf to every home. Included is a 10-inch stuffed “elf” who, during the holiday season, silently perches somewhere in the house from dawn to dusk only to disappear (with some parental assistance!) for his nightly magical trip back to the North Pole. The next morning, he reappears in a different place to resume his task. A clever way to encourage kids to behave! This is definitely an item you want to pull out early.

With your little ones trying their hardest to be good, give them a little incentive to help out. Grab your cook book and pull out the aprons! Christmas baking is fun for the whole family, but sometimes messy. This crisp white cotton apron is the perfect solution as it fits toddlers to tweens. Paired with bold Red Polka Dots, this is perfect for the holiday cookie baking party! Each apron measures 13″ wide x 19″ long with a neck strap and two waist ties. They will love to help out in their personalized apron and can breathe a sigh of relief that the elf will tell Santa they have helped Mom and been good!

All those cookies you made  have to go somewhere. Why not save some for Santa! This personalized Cookies for Santa Christmas plate is a must have in every household with young children. Each plate is hand painted with original artwork. You can personalize it with your child’s name. You can also have your personal message scripted on the back side. As these are hand painted and personalized, we can take custom requests as well for design. You can use this personalized Santa’s cookies plate for years. Make your Christmas memorable with personalized items.

At the end of the day, curling in with a book is a great reward for a day filled with all those good deeds. This book will certainly get you in the festive spirit. A Christmas Bear for Me book  is a beautiful, heart-warming, personalized story about a child’s Christmas wish for a special Teddy Bear friend. Written by Jennifer Dewing and illustrated by the nationally renowned artist Wilson Ong, A Christmas Bear for Me captures the anticipation leading up to Christmas morning and the magic of receiving a special gift from Santa.

The child’s name is featured on the personalized 10″ x 10″ hard cover and throughout the 26-page story. (Only one child is the “star” of the story.) The child’s name and the names of his or her siblings or relatives are incorporated into intricate illustrations of stockings across the mantle and more! This one will be read over and over again in the days leading up to Christmas.

Happy Halloween to all the little ghosts and goblins that will be out in force this Halloween weekend. It is a great time of laughter and fun, but make sure that the scares are all in how loud the “Trick or Treat!” can be screamed. Here are some tips for having fun and staying safe as the little ones go wandering the neighborhood on Halloween night.

Halloween Sneakers

• Wear bright colored costumes  for ease of  visibility. If your vampire must be dressed in all black, have them wear glow sticks or something reflective so that they can be seen by motorists after dark.  A flashlight is always a great option as well, that most kids will be thrilled to wield and shine everywhere.
• While masks can be spooky scary, they can also limit your child’s vision. A little face paint can do the trick to transform your little angel into a perfect devil, and still allow them to  run to the next house without missing a beat.
• 

  Personalized knit letter sweater

  Depending upon where you live, think about the weather. It can be chilly at night, even downright cold in some parts, so dress your child appropriately in a warm sweater and coat under their costumes.

• The whole neighborhood might sound like a good idea to hit up for loot, but a little forethought beforehand is always prudent. Plan out a route before you leave the house and stick to it, only going to those houses that have their lights on. There will be more than enough candy than the kids will need or you want them to have within a reasonably set boundary.
• If your children are older, a cell phone might be in order if they are going out with their friends. Have them call to check in and make sure that a curfew is set and stuck to for everyone’s safety and fun
• Another option if the weather is inclement in your neck of the woods is going the route of a mall, library or local children’s play place. There are many organizations that set up trick or treating inside or during the day over the Halloween weekend. Check your local listings for details.
• When it is all said and done, there is one last concern to take care of. Go through your children’s loot before you let them jump in, discarding any candy that is unwrapped, in torn packages or has holes in it. For your own sake and their little bellies, monitor how much sugar is ingested in one sitting. While it is tempting to devour everything in sight, too much candy will make a child sick, not to mention wired for sound.

Get out there and have some spooky fun. Have a safe and happy Halloween, from Babybox.com! BOO!!

personalized baby halloween gift set - kitty cat