Mix it up with Kool Kid Legs from Mamarunswithscissors (plus giveaway!)

The layered look, or twofer, is a simple but revolutionary idea--take a tee shirt and sew on long sleeves in contrasting colors. Twofers remain a top trend and are now a staple of most boys' wardrobes. While sleeves in unexpected (or even clashing) colors make otherwise ho-hum tees look cool, prints, plaids and stripes make them look even cooler. Which is why I was thrilled to run across Kool Kid Legs by Mamarunswithscissors.

Kool Kid Legs are handmade arm/leg warmers that can be mix-and-matched with any tee to create something unique, one-of-a-kind, and a little wild. I LOVE the argyle print and the Tim Burton-esqe black and red stripes, above. Kool Kid Legs are super cozy, stay put, and save money too, because adding long sleeves extends the life of pricey designer tees. They are the perfect accessory for spring, when it starts out cool in the morning and gets warm later. If your boy gets too hot on the playground, he can just slip off his sleeves! For those of you with baby boys, Kool Kid Legs are great to pair with onesies.

Mamarunswithscissors is giving away a pair of 14 inch Kool Kid Legs to one lucky Unboring Boys reader! Just visit Mamarunswithscissors' shop, then email unboringboys@yahoo.com with KOOL KID LEGS in the subject line and tell us what design you like. We'll draw a winner at random February 28th. U.S. residents only, please. Good luck! In the meantime, Mamarunswithscissors is offering free shipping on all orders through 2/28 for readers. Just use the keyword "Unboring" when ordering.

Cloth Napkins from JuniperBerries (Win a set!)

Even small changes make a difference, so last year, my family resolved to use reusable bags for all our shopping. For 2010, we're using cloth napkins instead of paper.

To get my boys excited about the switch, I searched for some fun designs that boys would like. I knew I'd found the coolest napkins ever when I ran across Juniperberries' Mad Kitty napkins ($7/set of 2). Even if you aren't a cat person, it's hard not to fall in love with these adorable tabbies in lab coats!

Juniperberries is giving away a 2-piece set of Mad Kitty napkins to one lucky Unboring Boys reader! Just visit JuniperBerries' Esty shop, then email unboringboys@yahoo.com with MAD KITTY in the subject line and tell us what other napkin designs you like. We'll draw a winner at random February 7th. U.S. residents only, please. Good luck!

P.S. Moms, while you're looking at napkin designs, check out JuniperBerries' to-die-for collection of aprons. Even if you're just making macaroni and cheese from the box, you will look chic in their gorgeous black and white floral half apron, just $18!

Win a Set of Thank You Notes for Boys from Bugaboo Announcements!

Writing can seem like a chore for my 6-year-old son, Nick, who is still working on strengthening his grip. That's why I love these fill-in-the-blank notes from Bugaboo Announcements (13.95 for 12). They're the perfect "training" notes for kids like Nick, who are learning the importance of thanking others but struggle when it comes to writing whole paragraphs.

Even for confident writers, composing a stack of thank you cards can seem overwhelming. Here, some ideas for making it fun:

1) Put together a box of special markers, pens and stickers only to be used for writing thank you notes.

2) Give your unboring boy a set of cool personalized note cards, like Alien note cards (16.95 for 12) and matching return labels (7.95 for 24 labels). Bugaboo Announcements carries an awesome collection of cards with fun, original, and all-occasion designs that boys will love.

3) Do your boys need a little extra motivation to write thank you notes? Allow them to play with new toys the day they are received. After that, put the toys away until thank you notes have been written and mailed.

4) Before sitting down to write, talk to your child about the gift. What does he like about it? Who gave it to him and what makes that person special? This will help him figure out what to write.

5) Involve your son in every part of the process, from stamping the envelopes to dropping the cards at the post office.

6) Set a goal of writing one or two thank you notes a day, depending on your child's age, to keep the task from becoming overwhelming.

Bugaboo Announcements is giving away a set of 12 note cards from their Bugaboo Notes stationary line to one lucky Unboring Boys reader! Just visit Bugaboo Announcements's Etsy shop or their website at www.bugabooannouncements.com, then email unboringboys@yahoo.com with BUGABOO in the subject line and tell us which card design you would choose should you win. We'll draw a winner at random January 24th. U.S. residents only, please. Good luck!

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)!

Be the first to hear about our giveaways and exclusive discounts. Sign up for e-mail updates, or follow us through Blogger or on Twitter. And please share Unboring Boys children's fashion blog with other moms of boys you know.

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!

Be the first to know about giveaways and exclusive discounts on hip clothes and accessories for boys! Sign up for our e-mail updates!