misosouper, a shopping blog

Don’t lie:  you snorted a little when you saw this poor dude, gripping a pen in his mouth as he poops paper clips.

Around this time of year, calendar roundups proliferate like so many exquisite, colorful paper bunnies.  I’m overwhelmed with the selection, so I’m just going to offer you one:  the do-it-all, take-it-everywhere Life Calendar from Fold Over Press.  Handmade by architects, this purse-sized datebook contains monthly, weekly, and daily diaries, printed on decorated paper and covered in happy fabric.

While all this loveliness comes at a $70 price, watching your year literally unfold trumps entering dates in your Crackberry, don’t you think?

Remember that big news I hinted at a couple of weeks ago?

Thanks to the fanaticism of my readers and the Orlando community, Misosouper won the Orlando Sentinel’s 2009 Orbbie for “Best Pop Culture Blog.” Because I’m a homer for my town, this award is a big deal, and I am thrilled to be in the esteemed company of all the winners, which include Cake Wrecks, The Daily City, and Dis Unplugged.

As Misosouper heads into its third year (!), I am honored to still be shopping and blogging.  Not to get all sentimental on you, but I’m misting all over my keyboard.

I’ve been searching for a personalized gift for the children on my holiday gift list.  I came across some personalized melamine plates and thought they would be perfect. What could make mealtime more fun than your very own plate?  It is also a good way to teach preschoolers how to spell their name.  They will see it emblazoned across their plate at every meal.  That is assuming they eat their food and uncover the design underneath!  These plates are the modern day version of the circular piece of paper I drew on as a kid and my mom sent it away to be laminated and returned to us.  It was special to eat on my own personalized plate and I loved to eat my meals on it.  I’ve found several personalized plates, a bit more sophisticated than the designs back in the day. You may even find some that coordinate with your home’s decor.  The letter to Santa plate can be customized with a custom letter from your kids. Sweet!  There are several sites which offer these plates and one place I always turn to again and again for personalized children’s items is Etsy.

Plates featured above: Pink Polka Dot plate, $22 at daninotes.etsy.com, Candy Cane Striped plate, $22 at daninotes.etsy.com, Letter to Santa plate, $22 at daninotes.etsy.com, Baseball plate, $24 at mollycarolinedesigns.etsy.com.

Save at Etsy with coupons from TheFind.com’s coupon site.

My dear friends Carrie & Mike finally, finally had their baby this morning.

Some words of advice for sweet baby Lincoln:  your mama’s working really hard.  When she gets tired of feeding you, tell your dad to pin these extra nipples on his shirt.