1 Happy Easter Photo Card, Paper Culture
2 Eco Plastic Easter Eggs, Eco Eggs filled with jellybeans
3 Painterly Pastel Eggs DIY Tutorial, Papernstitch
4 Porcelain Egg Candles, Revisions Design Studio
5 Milk bottles, Acme Party Box Company with striped paper straws, Just Artifacts
6 Fun table setting with kraft table runner, chalk drawn utensils and colorful confetti
* To view images of our spring inspiration, visit our Pinterest boards.

For an eco-friendly way to set up a fun table setting, bring in Kraft paper as a table cloth that will entertain both kids and adults. Using chalk, you can draw utensil outlines as well as provide an artsy alternative for guests to draw on the paper. Scatter the tops with colorful confetti in spring shades of mint green, coral pink and canary yellow. Not only will this brighten up your Sunday brunch, but also your Easter egg dying station. For beverages and things, we like to reuse jars and bottles like the milk bottles from Acme and accent them with paper straws (always eco chic!) in the chosen color scheme.

A good way to emphasize recycling materials is to bring them to life in new settings. In addition to using eggs to dip and dye, try using them as candles. You can break them in half, pour in soy wax and light them. Or, if you rather save your eggs for your traditional hunt, go ahead and check out Revisions Design Studio’s porcelain egg candles with soy wax! They’ve already done the job for you so you can buy them as is and set them up for your tablescape.

As an eco-friendly business, we like to support all things that help out Mother Earth, so we were extremely egg-static when we saw these eco plastic Easter eggs from Eco Eggs, which are made with corn and are completely compostable. You can use them as favors filed with jellybeans for a more casual spring party or even hide them with little prizes and treats for the little ones for their Easter egg hunt. Cap off your party by sending your guests away with one of our fun spring themed Easter cards from your family thanking them for hopping along to your party to usher in Spring and to celebrate this season with all its promises of new life.

From the geniuses who brought us the John Chamberlain Guggenheim Tour re-imagined as  Transfomers, Audio Tour Hack is back in a big way with a new downloadable tour guide. Told by experts from “kindergarten to fifth grade” their new audio tour guide, MOMA Unadulterated takes you through the landmark museum in a way unlike any other. Some would say art is best enjoyed in its purest form, through the eyes of a child. Now you can revisit that wonderment though a comical walking tour.

Ever walk through a museum and feel like you just don’t get the art? Taking all the pretension out of art, MOMA Unadultered gives a refreshing look at some of the world’s greatest artists. Take a walk through the fourth floor’s permanent exhibition and explore classic pieces by Jasper Johns, Cy Twombly, Jackson Pollack, Andy Warhol and more, all with first-rate commentary. Leave it to the kids to remind us: “It’s art. It’s just art.”

Watch the trailer below.

Ocean Terry Oversize Fouta Towel, Nine Space
Reversible Beach Chair, Julie Brown Designs
Lunch Pot, Black + Blum
Wooden Utensils, Sucre
Splish Splash Pool Party Invites, Paper Culture
Baby Float with Sun Canopy, Swimways
Lomography Camera, La Sardina
Summer Fun Paper Plates, Tag
Medium Tote Bag, J.Crew x Sea Bags

Start off your watery escapades with one of Paper Culture’s summer party invitations, find the one that best fits your pool party, and invite all your dear family and friends. Then pack a picnic lunch in Black + Blum’s ingenious lunch pot to eat with the crafty wooden utensils from Sucre. And, as always, a camera in fun colors to document the memories.

Needless to say, my daughter’s first pool adventure was a blast for the entire family filled with yummy food, refreshing water games, and laughs and relaxation. We practically had to drag her out of the water with promises of future pool parties!

1 Prime Cut Apron by Sur La Table, $24.95
2 Bamboo Barbecue Cutting/Serving Board by Crate and Barrel, $29.95
3 Backyard BBQ Invitations by Paper Culture, $1.39
4 Burger Coasters exclusively at MoMA, $22
5 Oliver Appetizer Plates by CB2, $2.95 each
6 Barbecue Sauces by Williams-Sonoma, $12.95 – $14.95
7 Hamman Stripe Monogrammed Hand Towels by West Elm, $10 each
8 Mobile Foodie Survival Kit by PLANT, $26
9 Extreme Barbecue by Dan Huntley and Lisa Grace Lednicer, $8
10 Fyrkat Picnic Charcoal Grill by Bodum, $80
11 Tool Set with Hardwood Case by Mr. Bar-B-Q, $120
12 Everything’s Better T-Shirt by Stubb’s Bar-B-Q, $15

Fun items like the burger coasters and Oliver appetizer plates will be a smash at any summer party. And dear ‘ol dad can always use an apron highlighting all things meat as well as a grilling tool kit in a hardwood case. We’ve provided direct links to all of the items, but we’ve also created a Barbecue Mood Board on Pinterest as well. Check it out and also take a look at our other Pinterest boards while you’re at it.

We at Paper Culture hope that this will help you kick off your summer in the right way. Don’t forget to send an invitation our way!

This week, we are in love with stripes. There’s something about the mix of thick & thin lines and alternating colors that makes this pattern a classic yet timeless mainstay. We’re loving how easy and breezy they look on a summer dress, yet how modern and sleek dark stripes look on a white watch. You can see just how much we are inspired by stripes – just type “stripes” in our website and you’ll find our collection of cards that pay homage to this versatile design! One of our favorites is our birth announcement featuring bright modern stripes.

1 Fairmount Laptop Sleeve by Kate Spade, $60
2 Diagonal Stripes Birth Announcement by Paper Culture, $1.39
3 Striped Cotton and Silk Dress by Sonia Rykiel, $295
4 Blazer by H&M, $50
5 Color Me Cozy Travel Mug by Modcloth, $19
6 Grey & White Striped Paper Straws by Little Dance, $10
7 Striped Canvas Diamond Tote by Rebecca Minkoff, $195
8 Hooded Baby Onesie by Old Navy, $13
9 Striped Blue Goa Watch by Lacoste, $95
10 Growing Stripes Scarf by Forever 21, $13

As will be our tradition, we’ve provided direct links to all of the items, but we’ve also created a Pinterest Stripes Moodboard. Check it out and also take a look at our other Pinterest boards while you’re at it. Of course, this is all a new experiment, so we welcome your feedback as well.

I’m not a designer, but having been lucky enough to be surrounded by designers for most of my life, I’m able to pick up some of their best tips. Before the web, the library was the go-to place for inspiration. Scrolling through old graphic design books, old posters, postcards, anything might get a designer’s brain going. Today the task is much easier, with thousands upon thousands of image websites, whose sole mission is to inspire.

Lately, my favorite is Baubauhaus. Started by two guys in Romania, Baubauhaus is a “garden” of photos, posters, illustrations, graphics, product design, and typography. Whenever I’m in need of a five-minute break or simply a visual dessert, I scroll through the seemingly endless images on the site, from old advertising spreads to new photoshop wonders to vintage film posters. It has an intuitive search that lets you dive into decades of historical design within a few seconds. If you click on a yellow image, you’ll get dozens more great yellow pictures. Clicking on a pop art image will get you loads more of pop images. With the nonstop clutter on the web, it’s great to have a carefully curated site to help needle through the drudge. What are your favorite sites for visual or written inspiration?

It’s that time of the year for TED, which means thousands of the world’s top creative minds are gathering in Long Beach, California this week to hear short, inspiring talks from some of the greatest minds in technology, entertainment and design. This year features the likes of poet Billy Collins, climatologist James Hansen, and energy theorist T. Boone Pickens. 2011 TED Award recipient, street artist JR, presented his Inside Out Project at the conference. Inside Out let people send in photos of themselves and receive giant posters in the mail of the portrait to paste up in their own environment. I produced the website with TED in the early stages of its design and love taking breaks to browse the now-populated site full of people’s pictures from all over the world.

In celebration of TED for those of us not on the ground, here’s a fresh video from TEDx Bloomington, Indiana, featuring Shawn Achor, CEO of Good Think Inc. Achor specializes in positive psychology and tackles the happy secret to better work in the above video. It’s the best 12 minutes I’ve spent all day.

Does our external world predict our happiness levels or our internal world? Achor is aiming to turn upside down how we view the path to happiness in favor of the latter. In reality our job success is not predicted so much by IQ and environment as our own optimism and ability to handle stress. Traditional ideas of happiness tell us that if we work harder we’ll be more successful, and the more successful we are, the happier we become. Yet every time we hit a measure of success, our brain gives us a new level of success to hit. “I finally got my own office…now I want the corner office.” If success is always a measure in the future, there exists a constant gap and our brain never reaches the point of happiness.

We must train our brains to be positive and happy in the moment. When we work to be positive in the present, our intelligence, energy, and creativity rise, leading to more happiness in the future. Easier said than done when even the smallest nuisance can cause us to be stressed all day. Yet Achor has nailed a surefire plan to change our thought patterns in a mere three weeks. Here are the ways to train a brain into happiness: journaling daily about one new positive experience, physical exercising to acknowledge that our behavior matters, meditating to focus our lives, expressing three new things we’re grateful for each day, and practicing random acts of kindness. Just writing a positive e-mail to a friend or coworker counts for this latter act. I’m on it!

No doubt, someone, somewhere, inspires me daily.  I thought I’d try a little experiment and type “Inspired”, into my blog reader’s search box to see what results pulled up. Following are five hits that had the word “inspired” in them and actually inspire me (to do something) and hopefully you too!

1. NOTCOT – Pocket Dept Notebooks – I hate when I have an immediate need to jot something down (when a smart phone simply won’t do) and I can’t find a spare scrap of paper anywhere. Introducing, Pocket Dept, makers of a notebook for every pocket.

In their own words, Pocket Dept is, “a line of handy notebooks inspired by vintage stationary and designed to suit every pocket. Each Pocket Dept book is made from the finest writing papers and perfect bound for strength and durability. Designed and manufactured with recycled materials by Art House Co-op in Brooklyn, NY – from our workshop to your pocket.”

I think they’re French series is très chic!

2. Craft – How-To: Cage Makeup for Burning Man – Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow! I can’t even apply eyeliner with a steady hand so the thought of attempting to create such an amazing face has totally got me stoked to see what else people might be rocking on the Playa this week.

Makeup artist, Freddy Lopez created this striking look for Black Rock City-goers and shares easy-to-follow (I’ll watch from afar) DIY instructions to replicate the face that will garner thousands of Flickr hits.

3. Poketo – Get Stuck (In A Good Way) – I live with a sticker hoarder… myself, and now my two-year-old is getting in on the gummy action. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve washed laundry only to find half a rainbow sticker totally stuck to a piece of clothing (totally my fault, yo)!

This sticker and tape-related Poketo post has got me drooling all over again. They released colorful stickers and box tapes online last week and then looked for non-traditional ways that people use them. Their friends came up with some pretty ingenious ideas including: party invitations, vase decorations, material for an always-changing inspiration board, and wall art. Do you use tape and stickers for anything but the obvious?

4. Babble – Chairs Before and After: 20 Inspiring Chair Makeovers – I’m totally addicted to home porn. I drool at your kitchens. I love your walls covered in art. I can’t get enough looks at your furniture. And I have a special place in my heart for seating options. I love chairs. Skinny ones. Fat ones. Couches. Bean bags. Loveseats. Chaise lounges. You name it, I want to sit on it.

So when I stumbled upon this post of 20 before and after chair remodels, I was totally blown away. Upon first look, I definitely would’ve kicked to the curb many of these chairs, but after seeing the amazing examples of how to give an old thing a new look and life, I’m beginning to think I should begin dumpster diving for dining chairs again. As someone who’s inherited and reupholstered a well-loved couch, this post totally made my day!

5. Treehugger – Adorable Handmade Baby Ponchos Made with Recycled Plastic Bottles – With my kid outgrowing her clothes so quickly, I’m always on the hunt for stylish and eco-friendly clothing lines.

Another accidental start up, Peri Ponchos was created by a mother who made a poncho for her daughter and then ended up making more ponchos for children at her daughter’s school. That was nine years ago.

Protect your kid from the elements in a Peri Ponchos made of Eco-Fleece fabric (which is made from 100% recycled plastic bottles). Mid-weight, soft and cozy, I can only imagine how wonderful it might be to snuggle up to my kid in one of these! I just want to know, how do they make plastic bottles feel so soft?!

The last video is a hat tip to Steve Jobs, who announced his resignation from Apple yesterday. For someone who dropped out of college, I think many would agree that he’s a visionary. His advice is sound; he hopes to inspire you to live the life you were born to live. And that’s not bad coming from someone who did just that.

With so many kids-cooking sites online, when I’m looking for originality and spunk, I always head to Yummyfun Kooking, my default “have fun cooking with kids” website! Yummyfun’s part Pee Wee Herman, part Martha Stewart and 100% awesome!

My friend Clare Crespo is the Chief Cupcake in Charge and for as long as I’ve known her, she’s been obsessed with inspiring folks to get creative in the kitchen. From the first dusting of flour to becoming a media powerhouse, she has written two best selling cookbooks: “The Secret Life of Food” and “Hey There Cupcake!”, teaches cooking classes and writes recipes and party ideas for other media outlets. You may have even spotted her on TV whipping up something fun.

For the enthusiastic kid-chef in your life, look no further for an original present. For $28.00, you can subscribe to a  Yummyfun Kooking Club which includes a silk-screened recipe box, recipe dividers, a wooden mixing spoon, a membership card and welcoming letter, recipe cards, and then every month, you will receive three very fun recipes and a letter from Clare. With a Kooking Club subscription, it’s a gift that gives all year (but lasts a lifetime). And while you’re at it, check out the wildest cooking show ever, Clare’s Yummyfun Kooking Series.

With Yummyfun, the right tools and in insatiable imagination, I know you’re going to have fun experimenting in the kitchen with your kids. Create memories for a lifetime — and if that didn’t sound too Hallmark-y, let me reiterate, cooking with your kids will leave a permanent impression on them. I fondly remember the first pineapple-upside-cake I made when I was 12 years old. And hanging out in the kitchen with my family. Cooking was fun — it is fun!

I’d love to hear what you might’ve created in your kitchen with your families and friends recently. And please share your favorite cooking sites and recipes with us — I’m always on the hunt for the next smash dinner dish!