BoyMom Designs Giveaway!

Amy Williams, owner and designer behind BoyMom Designs, admits she didn't really understand the opposite sex until she had boys of her own. Creating her own line of limited edition t-shirts was a way for her to celebrate her sons and to "capture the interesting journey of mothers who love their boys for exactly who they are."

BoyMom Designs carries a fun collection of t-shirts for moms, boys and babies. Our favorite design is their signature We Fight Bad Guys, above, for moms, but we also love the I Fight Bad Guys tees and onesies for kids. As if their designs aren't cool enough, a portion of every sale goes to provide orphaned children in Southeast Asia with food, shelter and medical supplies.

We have three tees from BoyMom Designs up for grabs for THREE lucky Unboring Boys readers, including a fabulous "We Fight Bad Guys" burn-out tee (women's size Large), an "i fight bad guys" short sleeved tee in size 3T, and a gray Army Man short sleeve tee in 3T (for more about sizing, click here). All three shirts are incredibly soft and made in the U.S.

To enter, simply visit the BoyMom blog, then email unboringboys@yahoo.com with BOYMOM in the subject line and tell us which famous poet said "If I have a monument in this world, it is my son." (hint: you'll find the answer in Amy's About Me on her blog). Remember to tell us which tee you would like should you win. We'll randomly draw three winners on January 1st. U.S. residents only, please. Good luck!

Unboring Boys Fashion Blog has a New Look!

I am SO excited about our new look and wanted to give a shout out to Natalie at Modern Sugar who took my vague descriptions--"something offbeat but clean, you know, with maybe some graffiti-ish fonts"--and came up with exactly what I wanted.

Modern Sugar offers custom boutique website design with a full line of professional online web design and website services, from fun girly boutique websites that are pre-made to custom eCommerce sites. Check out their gallery of work here.

Our cool new look has inspired me to work on our editorial calendar, lining up even more fabulous features, insightful interviews, giveaways and exclusive savings for readers in 2010--starting with a cool giveaway coming up this week for all you BoyMoms out there (hint, hint)!

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Cool Stocking Stuffers for Boys

I always struggle to come up with unique items to put in my boys' Christmas stockings, so this year I turned to Etsy, "Your Place to Buy and Sell All Things Handmade," for ideas and found a ton of fabulous, handcrafted, and affordable little stocking stuffers that my boys will go crazy over!

Nick and Henry love I Spy books, so these custom I Spy bags ($14.50 ea.) from Violet , above, will be a huge hit. As the bag is manipulated, little plastic beads shift around to reveal little objects in the window. What a great way to entertain your child during car trips or while waiting at the doctor's office. (Note: not recommended for children under 3). Just for Unboring Boys readers! Receive a 10 percent discount off orders through December 20th. Just notify in a "message to seller" that you saw the I Spy bags on the blog.

For little readers (and their crafty moms), I love the do-it-yourself Rascally Robots personalized booklet, bookmark, book plate and tag set ($6) from the GoMakeMe shop. Simply edit and print from PDFs for cute personalized (and last minute) gifts. Also I really dig the superhero tags ($4.25) from the Whats Eating Yin shop that are made of recycled comic books and can be used as cool bookmarks.

If your unboring boy loves robots, he'll enjoy the adorable Wooden Matching Memory game--Robot edition ($16.00) from LemonTreeStudio, which comes in a cute drawstring pouch.

Tops are always a fun stocking stuffer especially if they are as beautiful as the little hand-turned maple ones seen here from Esty seller UrbanTurn.

Finally, if your boy is obsessed with diecast cars like mine are, consider a handmade car caddy from Mimimommieandme ($7.50 ea.) that he can use to tote a few favorite cars with him wherever he goes.

Old Soles Baby Shoes & Giveaway

WARNING: if you have a baby boy, newborn to 24 months, you will not be able to resist baby shoes by Old Soles.

Launched in January 2008 in Australia, and now available in the U.S., Old Soles offers a trendy collection of soft and flexible 100 percent leather shoes for babies and toddlers.

I LOVE the sporty velcro closures and faux laces, not to mention the great colors, such as the cobalt shown here. They're a hip, unexpected alternative to baby shoes featuring cutesy animals and firetrucks. Old Sole pre-walkers have a soft leather sole (the next best thing to bare feet), and toddler "first steps" have non-slip soles. All have a comfy elastic back. There are several great styles for boys to choose from and the quality and detail-work is amazing.

Old Soles are just being introduced to the U.S. and I predict they are going to be HOT. So contact their U.S. distributor, Lolligo, at info@lolligo.com for up-to-the-minute info for where to buy.

In the meantime, we have a pair of adorable pair of Old Soles first steps shoes up for grabs. I mean, seriously, I don't even have a baby and it's going to be hard to give these up. The winner will receive a pair of Old Sole shoes similar to the ones above but with light gray accents in size 15-18 months. Just visit the Old Soles children's shoes page on Lolligo's website then e-mail unboringboys@yahoo.com with OLD SOLES in the subject line and tell us the name of the designer who started Old Soles. We'll draw a winner at random December 6th. U.S. residents only, please. Good luck!

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Short Hats Long on Style

I love hats with ear flaps for boys--they are so outdoorsy and sweet--and my favorite for fall/winter is the wool Issac ($30, 12 months - 6 years) from Short Hats. Based in Colorado, Short Hats designs some of the cutest headwear for children, including heirloom-quality hand-knit beanies , the trendy Riley cap, and classic hats that will never go out of style like the Gatsbyesque Buster. I also love that Short Hats uses recycled plastic visors in their brimmed hats, their knit hats are handmade in Argentina by companies that treat their workers fairly, and the rest of the hats in the collection are made in the U.S.

Just for Unboring Boys readers: Short Hats is offering a 10 percent discount on items in their online shop through 1/1/2010! Enter coupon code "Unboring" at checkout. Factor in free shipping (on all U.S. orders) and that's a sweet deal! Visit http:www.shorthats.com/kids-hats-summer-and-winter.php to check out all the fabulous styles.

Unboring Sweaters for Boys 2009

It's sweater weather! and time for our annual round-up of the hippest, sweetest, and off-beatest sweaters for boys, starting with our favorite this year, the irresistible Rodgers Cardigan from Knuckleheads ($57, 2T-6T), above, which successfully fuses grandpa fussiness with rock-and-roll edginess that would look adorable on any little man.

Season after season, Tea Collection carries some of the most inspired styles for boys, and their recent Indigo Arts line is no exception. We've featured the Kimono robe ($75, 6 mos - 8 yrs.) from this line before because we think it's amazing. But we also adore the Nippon Pullover ($65, 6 mos. - 8 yrs.) because of the gorgeous colors and texture.

If you haven't heard, GapKids has teamed with designer Stella McCartney to create a new line of children's clothing that we are falling for big time. At first glance, the gray Stella McCartney Cardigan ($58, S-XL) may look ordinary, but then you notice the delightful off-center buttons and thumb holes in the sleeves. Very unboring! For baby boys, we like her Fair Isle cashmere wrap cardigan ($58, 6 - 24 months). And though it's not a sweater, we have to point out the fabulous Band jacket which has been selling out like crazy. Rumors are some petite women have been buying the larger kids sizes for themselves!

Moms looking for holiday-themed sweaters should check out Janie and Jack's Nutcracker Sweater ($43, 3 months - 8) and Hanna Andersson's collection of colorful and stripey unisex styles, including the All is Bright penguin sweater (on sale for $38.40).

Shake up the Holidays with Looks from Bobinette and The Belle and the Beau

Ready to break with traditional colors, reindeer motifs, and argyle sweater vests this holiday season? Bobinette and The Belle and the Beau are two hot children's designers offering fashion-forward, colorful and festive alternatives for boys for holiday dressing and portraits.

I've featured Bobinette before (read the June 2009 article here) because I simply adore their hip, unbelievably soft, high quality shirts, like the navy polka dot, above, and red gingham print, right (modeled by my unboring boy, Nick). Bobinette's shirts are bright and cool, have fun details like contrasting cuffs and buttons, and can be dressed up or down. (click on the photos for a closer view.)

After you pick your favorite Bobinette shirt, pair it with a fabulous neck tie from The Belle and the Beau. The Belle and the Beau's two-mom design team makes the sweetest neck ties and bow ties for boys ages 6 months to teen (and men too!). My favorite? Who can pick just one? Don't be afraid to pair a dotted tie with a plaid shirt. Experiment! Go wild! It's fun and trendy to mix prints and patterns. But even if you go with a plain white button down, a tie from The Belle and the Beau will keep your little man front and center in holiday portraits. Those of you with girls may end up coordinating your daughter's holiday dress to match your son's look this year instead of the other way around!