If you were an alien visiting from outer space perusing kids' stores you could only arrive at one conclusion: all human boys love trucks, robots, pirates and dinosaurs. And human girls love butterflies, flowers and fairies and princesses. And all children love owls. More

It's a thought everyone dreads happening to them: being burglarized. But that's exactly what's happened to three of the homes next door to my mom's since the beginning of 2012. Apparently someone (perhaps a team) is scoping out homes during the day while people are away for work or running errands, and breaking into homes for jewelry and other smaller valuables...
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As I walked the aisles of the Toy Fair this year, I was more aware than ever how dominated the toy industry is by licensed characters. As a self-described toy snob, of course, I hate them. Toys are supposed to be what childhood memories are made of, not marketing propaganda for a mega brand that is already plastered all over your television, kids' clothes, and food. But, oh wait, I love Charlie and Lola, and Huckle and Lowly and plenty of other characters and would barely hesitate to buy a toy with their image. Hmmmnnnn...a chink in my toy snob armor?

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Late last Friday night I got back home from Salt Lake City, where I'd been invited to speak on a super cool panel about New & Traditional Media - super cool because it was with Deborah Needleman (WSJ) and Pilar Guzman (Martha Stewart). I also got to videotape conference attendees as they shared their personal style and thoughts on Jonathan Adler's bold new toilet paper roll designs for Cottonelle. It was a busman's holiday, and I was exhausted on Saturday morning as I woke up to play with Ursula in the fresh New York snow. More

2011 was a big year for us at Apartment Therapy and The Kitchn, and this week we are honoring the images created by our team of contributors. We are scattered across the globe, but come together in the goal of taking beautiful pictures to illustrate our stories. With this in mind, we invite you to vote for a favorite picture of 2011 that ran on one of our sites. More

The sheer number of kids rooms we see gives us a good read on current decor trends. By their very nature trends come and go and they are often driven by what is seen and shared on blogs and Pinterest. Here's a look at five in-fashion fads and a chance for your to rate their staying power.
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Ohdeedoh has always been a part of the Apartment Therapy media family, but now we've moved in (and brought the kids with us)! The kids rooms and design content you love (including the thousands of posts in our archives) have a new home in Apartment Therapy's Family channel. You probably have a few questions, let me help answer them: More

Everyone works hard to get their place looking great before the holiday entertaining season, stocking up and spending a bit more freely on things for the home which means retailers tend to hold off on some of the sale pricing on household goods until the New Year. So, if you've been saving up for new stuff, this is the time to check out the shops. Below the jump, the 4 main things that you can find good deals on this month, along with some excellent finds from sales that are on right now... More

To get you inspired about your home in 2012, we're republishing this post from last January!

Girlfriend, we know. It's been a year of ups and downs for you and your home. It was love at first sight, all charm and potential and good intentions. You were going to treat him right, he was going to keep you warm, and together you were going to create a love for the ages. You had activities planned, like painting, decluttering, an afternoon spent regrouting the bathroom (romance indeed). You had plans to live smarter by buying less, reusing more. You had hopes of weekly dinner parties and reduced energy bills. Then, things just started to fall apart… More

Last night I made a bunch of clementine candles after dinner, and then, because Ursula was due for her bath before bed, decided to try floating them in the bath with her to see what it would look like. It was fabulous. Clementine candles are not just for the dinner table anymore! What can you do with them? Click here to see how to make one. Click above to watch the video of them floating. Happy holidays!