It's time to celebrate another birth! Today, babyGap launched a brand new collection, babyGap Home. In addition to their own unique designs, babyGap partnered with close to 40 well-known quality brands--including BabyBjorn, HABA, Scholastic, and Skip Hop.

With everything from organic bedding collections, to dishware, to baby skincare products, it's the perfect one-stop shop for new moms.

Tradition has it that girls' rooms are pink and boys' rooms are blue. But what about covering nursery walls with mountains or ships? Instanbul-based Studio Nommo offers customized whimsical designs to inspire little dreamers everywhere. Email deniz@studionommo.com to order.

P.S. If you like the ship wallpaper but aren't ready to plaster a wall with it, you can get a tee here.

Sometimes mamas need time to slow down, reflect and write in a journal. (And if that time is spent in a lavender-inflused bubble bath with a bottle of Champs, all the better.) Either way, these illustrated Moleskine journals offer an inspiring place to record grown-up thoughts and dreams. It's just too bad they're not waterproof.

Contributing editor Rory Evans saw an advance copy of Hello, Cupcake! (a book devoted entirely to clever cupcake-frosting ideas that is coming out later this month) in the office and then became obsessed with the corn-on-the-cob cupcake idea. Below, the story of how her cobcakes came to fruition:

"First, I had to track down Jelly Belly jellybeans in varying flavors of yellow, white, and cream. (Which is easier said than done: Those buy-by-the-pound candy places are oddly hard to come by in New York City!) With my pound of jelly beans in the cupboard, I just had to wait for an invitation to someone's house, ideally one with kids, for dinner. (I didn't trust myself to make a batch of cupcakes and then not just stand at the counter and eat my way through the stock.) So when Jenny Rosenstrach, Cookie's features director, invited me over for dinner with her husband and two girls, I knew exactly what to bring. And I started making the cupcakes:"

"I made the cupcakes from a mix. Then, I mixed up some buttercream frosting, tinted light yellow."

"The book calls for putting a lemon Starburst on top of each "ear"--and we tried that. But her kids were too eager to dig in, and ate the butter pat before we could take a picture."

Karin Kramer's life sounds like a fairy tale. She lives in the Northern Black Forest with her family and stray cat, and bees make honey in their backyard. With an eye for the uncommon and a passion for fleamarkets, Karin has created a whimsical home for her family of four. Let's take a peek...

What's your town like?
We live in Pforzheim in the Northern Black Forest. Our quarter is old, not rich and has rural character. The town was almost completely destroyed in the war and not very beautifully rebuilt. But the surroundings are beautiful: woods and rivers.

Can you tell us about your home?
Our house was built at beginning of the last century. We live on the ground floor and are renovating the upper floor.

Who makes up your family?
I'm a jewelery designer who loves drawing and puppet theater. Frank is a land surveyor and a big garden-lover. Oskar will turn four soon and Agnes is almost two.

Is there a garden for Frank?
We have a garden with a terrace, where we sit in the summer and have our meals. We pick rosemary or sage for lunch. There's also goldfish pond and a beehive. We've had bees since last summer and hope to get our first honey this year.

Who is your little kitten?
Hedwig, a stray, came to us in December and stayed because of Agnes' wild love. I'm curious how Hedwig will get along with the goldfish. They're still caught under the ice, but when it melts, fishing season starts!

How would you describe your aesthetic?
I love old things, either from our families or the fleamarket. I don't like a clean, anonymous look.

The green living room is a bold choice.
We chose this green to complement the 1980's sofa and chairs from Frank's grandmother. I like the different atmospheres created by color.

Where do you find your lovely pieces?
The fleamarket or the trash. I found the kitchen lamp in the bulky waste of a barber, who closed his doors for a nail studio. He was a charming barber with separate entrances for ladies and gents. The kitchen table is an old regulars' table from a tavern. In fact, I don't think we have a single thing from a big furniture store!

What would you change about your home if you could?
Our bedroom has a big bed for the whole family, which is cozy but a little bit too close. It's time for a separate kids' room.

What are your children's hobbies?
Agnes loves animals and books about animals. She's a blitheful girl. Oskar is energetic with lots of imagination. He loves cars and keys and helping in the kitchen. They both love to be outside with Daddy.

Do your children weigh in on the decor?
Oskar sometimes wants to hang his paintings. He chooses little pieces at the fleamarket, and we made this yellow mobile together.

What does your family do outside the home?
We walk through the forest or along the river. We all love books, ugly vintage things (yes!) and of course holidays.

What advice do you have for new decorators?
Trust your own sense of style! No need to have a perfect home, that would be boring. Our home is always changing. New things come, old go. Collect things! Open your eyes for beautiful pieces, they can be found everywhere.

Want more? Check out these reading nooks in our editors' homes. And send us pictures of your own!

A while ago, we wrote about six great mobiles in the magazine. Here are a few more to dazzle your baby at bedtime....

This ridiculously cute Gentlemen Mobile, made in Sweden, also has a Lady Mobile companion. (Call Kid O to order, 212-366-5436)

A hand-crocheted solar-system mobile--with Pluto! It must be vintage!

This Calder-esque Elephant Party Mobile has been popular with kids for over 30 years.

This sleek Danish mobile brings together the two tenets of Scandinavian design: simplicity and beauty.

This floating fish mobile is made of finished wood.

A harlequin mobile to entertain your little one. (Pictured here at Elisabeth Dunker's house.)

We love how you can personalize this postcard mobile by hanging holiday cards, family photos or vacation snapshots.

Following Julie's instructions on Craftastica, Cookie assistant editor Mireille Hyde prepared for Easter Sunday by dying eggs naturally with onion skins--but you can also use tea, coffee, cabbage, etc. The verdict? Gorgeous and surprisingly easy. See Mireille's pics below.

"My friend is having a baby shower but she didn't do a registry. I'm nervous that I'll bring the same thing as everyone else. Any gift ideas? P.S. She's expecting a boy." -- Katie, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Great question, Katie. If you're worried about doubling up on a gift, go for something quirky and unique. How about this Japanese singing "bird"? It comes in a sweet little cage, and its warblings would brighten up any nursery.

Or a British cashmere blanket so baby and mama can cuddle up...

At this point, your expecting friend will be smack in the middle of her nesting phase, so she'd love this mini globe bank for her child's nursery. (And, in a few years, it can store his allowance.)

Once your friend has her sweet baby, she'll be very (read: VERY) tired. So treat her to this 100% natural Night Owl Balm. She can rub it into her pulse points--wrists, temples, behind her ears--to feel soothed and relaxed.

You could treat the little man to a dotted layette, so he can greet the world in style.

Or as your friend prepares for her new babe (and, a hem, her feet swell), you could give her these adorable flip flops. They have a sculpted arch for support, and a portion of the sale goes to breast cancer research.

Or you can choose from these 17 newborn gifts we featured in the magazine.

Hope this helps, Katie. Enjoy the shower!

We're eagerly anticipating spring over here...and Giggle's new line is really making us crave those days full of sun and flowers. Besides the adorable cashmere blankets (above), we're a fan of the super soft stuffed animals, organic cotton onesies, and pastel (yet still very cool) wooden toys. Maybe if you start decking out the nursery, Mother Nature will get the hint.

This wall-mounted coathook in retro car and caravan design adds fun and function to any kids' bedrooms and playrooms. Also part of this collection, but apparently not for sale online yet, are an adorable Whale, a hedgehog and and a dachshund.  These playful hooks are designed by Swedish Designer Malin Lundmark.

Looking for a great rocker or glider to fill that nursery? The new Pottery Barn Kids Nursery Seating Designed by You Collection lets you choose from three seating styles and more than 50 fresh, modern fabrics--including seven by the fabulous Hable Construction. (Above, Lullaby Swivel glider and ottoman in Hable's Basil Big Bead Fabric.)

Click here for more chairs we love.

We're still dollhouse-crazy here at Cookie! (Check out this story from our April issue.) Just in case you missed the first round, here are more of our readers' creations.

"After I found a little place for a new shelf, I couldn't resist and built a dollhouse for my spoiled girls. It tooks me several weeks to finish it but I'm very happy to have one now. I used dollhouse wallpaper and floor paper and mixed re-ment dollhouse furniture with Barbie furniture to create something unique." --Isa from Germany

"I swiped one of my daughter's many dollhouses to store some fabric scraps" --Jessie Senese, Chicago

"Here is the dollhouse I made with your help!" --Claire Cordier, New York City

New York and Los Angeles have long been at war: Which is cooler? Which has better restaurants? Which makes better movies? Lisa Dorr, a former New Yorker who now lives in Los Angeles, is split down the middle. "I miss the east coast," says the clothing designer who loves all four seasons. "But right now, in LA, the tomatoes are ripening on the vine, and my daughter is really happy." We visited Dorr to find out more about her handmade clothing line and artsy decor...

So where do you live in Los Angeles?
Venice Beach. I'm from the east coast, and it feels weird here. I'm the first person in my family to come west. It's weird, it's odd. In New York, there's a great freedom to be who you are, and the people I met became my best friends. L.A., on the other hand, is really shallow. I'm looking out my front door, and it's not a pretty place.

Can you tell us about your house?
The house is less than 800 square feet, so we've got a tiny space.

Do you feel cramped?
We've had large houses, too, and surprisingly it feels the same. We just clump together as a little group.

Speaking of cities, what about Paris? The clothes you design feel French.
Right when I was starting to take sewing classes and dying to make clothes for my daughter, I happened upon the clothing line Le Vestiaire de Jeanne from France. Her clothing is simple and uses lots of linen, and I was very inspired.

Have you been to France?
Before I started making clothes, I had a French bistro in Maine--I have a crazy life! Last summer, on craigslist, I read about a cooking school looking for help for two weeks, in the south of France. I quickly answered their ad, and they hired me as a dishwasher. I spent all my free time in Paris. It was incredible.

What do you like about French style?
French women are so beautiful. They don't try too hard, and they get better with age.

I agree, French women seem to get even more chic as they get older.
When I was in France, the new Jane Birkin movie had just come out, and she was everywhere. When our chef wasn't cooking, he was sitting in front of the TV trying to get a glimpse of her. And she's over sixty.

Tell us about your adorable daughter.
Francis is hilarious. She has a sleeping area of her own but ends up climbing into bed with me almost every night.

What do you do as a family?
We don't have a TV, so we play games, especially UNO, and read and listen to music.

What does Frances like to do?
She likes painting, drawing, Japanese animated movies, gardening and flowers. Her day is so busy with school that she comes home, does her homework and hangs out in my sewing room; then we make dinner and go to bed. It's a nice life.

What lovely pots! Where did you find them?
My first credit card purchase ever was a set of Le Creuset cookware. I still love them. The orange and white pot is by Catherine Holm. The rest is from yard sales.

As a former chef, what do you make for dinner?
Artichokes! Frances's favorite food ever. She likes miso soup for breakfast. After school, toast with butter & cinnamon. Tonight we're having a beef daube served over garlic mashed potatoes and some kind of bitter green salad. We use our pizza stone (the best thing ever) to make a simple margherita or a potato, onion, rosemary, salt, olive oil version. So good. I also like simple roast chicken, with thyme and a lemon in the body, garlicky sauteed greens, pan-roasted duck, lentils with mustard, lingonberry sauce, roast pork and gigantic lima beans. We like penne pasta with olive oil, hot pepper flakes, garlic, spinach, a fried egg on top, rice vinegar, and salt. It's nice to have ratatouille on hand, and pesto, pesto, pesto. The farmer's market is rockin' out with tomatoes, and cool weedy greens (nettles!) as well as all the good staples. We have dessert once a week, and it's usually apple crisp, which becomes breakfast next day.

Oh, my goodness, you guys eat so well.
Wait, I left out steak frites! Buy a little deep fryer, and make your own frites.

Yummy, I want to come over for dinner.
I can really natter on about food. I guess our favorite way to eat is like good peasants. We don't buy prepared anything, and I try to channel chef Gabrielle Hamilton from Prune in New York. God, I miss Prune.

How did you approach the decor of your living room?
My boyfriend made the low platform couch, which always looks clean. It's eleven feet long, so even though Duane is six feet, we can both lie on it and not touch each other! I also love the skylight, which lends a natural, Californian feel to the house.
Coffeetables from IKEA.

Who did the artwork?
I did. I majored in art in college but was really intimidated by the other students, so I dropped out. After college, I painted prolifically for a number of years. Frances is really good at painting, too, so we're getting back into it.

What's in the photograph?
The sky in Maine. Frances's father took that incredible shot from the ground upwards.

What a cute mini Panton chair.
I love the real Panton chair. It's a dull plastic, though, and this one is shiny.

Is that your painting, too?
Yes. Most of my paintings have to do with Star Wars. I don't know what it is, but I get great satisfaction from drawing abstract forms of imperial walkers.
The Bill Murray tote is from etsy.

How's the Bertoia chair at your desk?
I hate the damn thing! It's so uncomfortable, but it looks nice.

What's posted on your sewing room inspiration board?
A map of Venice, California, a map of Paris, stamps, a picture of Mick Jagger, a photo of Frances as a baby in a dishpan, a drawing she made of a smiling hugging figure. Also I have magazine tear sheets--I love the model Daria Werbowy.

What inspires you most overall?
Paris, of course, and old European cities. California is like living in Epcot Center; nothing here is old. I'm nostalgic for any place with a sense of history. I have a yearning to get back to an older time.

Bet you didn't think there were any hanging wicker lamps out there that don't scream old lady or cost an arm and a leg. When we saw these from Pier 1 imports, we were shocked. Gorgeous, modern, and, of course, totally affordable. Hanging Maki Wicker lamp (above, $69) and its teardrop version (below, $75).

Boys like blue; girls like pink. This we knew. But did you ever really think about how much stuff they accumulate--through birthdays, holidays, grandmothers? At New York gallery Jenkins Johnson, JeongMee Yoon is exhibiting her Pink & Blue Project, featuring photographs of real children with their real toys. (Amazingly, nothing was propped.) Yoon was inspired to take these photographs when she realized how many pink things her daughter had (pictured below). We love the photos but must admit, they're a little scary.

Easter is creeping up on us, and we love this little Martha Stewart Crafts Egg Dress-Up Kit, part of her line at Michaels. Perfect if you want to skip the dyeing route.

Speaking of Michaels, the craft superstore has just introduced The Knack. The program will consist of in-store events and online project ideas geared toward families. And if you're thinking of things to do this weekend, the Knack's inaugural event (sponsored by Crayola) is this Saturday in Michaels stores.

The top 20 finalists of Design*Sponge's DIY contest were just posted. A scroll through might just give you the inspiration you need to start that project you've always wanted to do. One of our favorites is #19: Abigail's cork trivets and coasters made of stitched together pieces of wine bottle corks (above). Visit the blog to see all of the finalists and vote for your favorite!

Belgium based industrial designer Giovanni Bauwens pointed us to two of his designs: Stapelaar and Thumbler. There is not much to be found about the products online yet, but we are sure these modern stools will be available for purchase from one of the big kids' furniture players here in the US in no time. We can't wait. (For more information contact Giovanni directly.

Need a step stool now? We also love these.

As much fun as clicking through hundreds of websites is, wouldn't it be great if you could find all of the best furniture styles from boatloads of companies with just one click? Shop Style, ever the resource for browsing through clothes, shoes, and accessories, just made life easier for the home-obsessed by launching Shop Style Living.

Enter your search words, and scroll through the options--everything from sofas to measuring cups--super fast. Select the ones you like best, and you can either e-mail it to a friend, save it to your stylebook, have the site e-mail you when the price changes, and/or be redirected to the website of the retailer (Macy's, Room & Board, CB2, etc.) to buy it immediately. After just a day of playing around on it, we're beginning to wonder how we got by without it.

Leave it to the Danes to design something as incredible--and useful--as the Trio Bike. Delivered straight from Copenhagen, this three-in-one machine transforms from a carrier bike to a regular bike to a stroller. Whether you're dropping kids off at school, getting groceries or just taking a ride around town, this bike morphs (without tools) to fit your needs. Oh, Scandinavia, why are you so awesome? (See a video of the bike in action here.)

Babies like little things: other children, puppies, M&Ms. So these photographs seem perfect for a nursery. Not only do they feature mini people, they also spark children's imaginations. "I love the photos' storytelling nature," says artist Erin Tyner. "People tell me their thoughts about them; some are totally wild."

As for the artistic process, Tyner builds the scenes in her living-room window using props from a junk drawer. "The clouds are cotton balls; the guy with the twister is on sandpaper," she says. "My husband and I joke about how low-tech it all is." We don't care what she uses, though--we just want to know what happens with the guy and the tornado!

Visit her etsy shop here.

Helping out in the kitchen is the perfect opportunity for kids to develop healthy eating habits and explore the edible side of creativity. The culinary masters at Williams-Sonoma recently launched wsKids, which is jam-packed with simple recipes and cute kid-sized cooking tools and dinnerware (love the rocket spatula and dino tumblers below). It also has instructional videos and a family meal planner with dinner suggestions that will appease appetites of all ages.

And if you're looking for more dinner ideas, look no further than our own editors' recipe boxes.

On Monday we showcased some of your reading nooks, and we were so inspired that we decided to take you into Cookie's editors' homes to show more. See where the kids of our editor-in-chief, photo editor, and features director plop down with a good classic children's book.

"Until he stopped taking naps about a year ago, my son Henry used to snooze in the nook for a couple of hours every day. In addition to a reading and lounging corner for the family, the spot also serves as a make-believe spaceship, and fire and garbage truck. The nook was originally intended to be a closet, but we realized it was large enough to fit a queen-size bed. My husband used extra fabric from coverlet and pillows to upholster a little footboard (we had some scrap walnut) so the bed frame wasn't exposed." -- Pilar Guzman, Editor-in-Chief

"My daughter can't actually read yet, but she loves quiet time in her room where she pretends to be reading to her teddy bears. We edged the couch near the window for light, and she has her own little bookshelf." -- Darrick Harris, Photo Editor

"I decided my daughter needed as much encouragement and inspiration as possible to make reading fun. We went to Ikea, and I let her choose all the pillows. On that trip, she spied the sheepskin rug and loved it so much she carried it around with her at the store, hugging it like a stuffed animal. The write-on-the-wall wallpaper from Graham and Brown went up soon after--it helps personalize the nook. Every few weeks or so I supervise as she paints whatever she wants inside the frames." -- Jenny Rosenstrach, Features Director

Do you have a great nook? Send us your photos!

Baker-turned-blogger Meg lives in Wisconsin with her family. Amid the chaos of caring for her kids, dogs and plants, she has created a calming space full of thrifted chairs and Parisian-looking chalkboards. We love how European it feels, even though many pieces were less than $20. Let's take a look inside...

What's it like to live in Madison?
We had a tough time deciding where to live: My husband is from the East coast, I'm from the Midwest. We wanted to raise our kids in a place that was walkable, safe and "country." Madison is amazing. We can walk to the library, church, grocery store, thrift stores, parks. Our backyard is a postage stamp; that's the one thing we had to give up.

How's the weather?
Wisconsin is very, very snowy.

What brought you to Madison?
My husband's job is based in Chicago, but he can work over the computer. I used to be a baker and chocolatier. In Madison, there are a few very nice chocolate places that I'm hoping to go to once my kids are school-age.

Can you tell us about your family?
My daughter is two, and my son just turned one. We have two dogs--big, fluffy and dumb. We used to love them. Now I pawn them off to anyone. We can't take care of anything more than our kids. Even new plants are a burden.

But you do have plants.
I have ferns and spider plants, things that you can barely kill. My sisters have green thumbs, so they give me advice. Hanging plants are genius when your kids start crawling and walking.

Where did you find this dining table?
IKEA. My family lives far away, so when they come, they all come at once, so we needed a big table. Also, after living in apartments forever, when you move into a house, you feel like "Oh, my gosh, we have all this space!" So having a table where you can read the paper and do crafts is amazing.

How cool that the chairs are all different.
They're all thrifted. Some came from before I met my husband; some were his; one I got from the trash in Chicago.

What color are the walls?
Dophin Fin from Home Depot. I love that gray, I want to paint the whole house that color.

Why did you go neutral in the living room?
Toys add a lot of color, so I wanted neutral walls in the living space. We used a creamy white here.

Where did you get the sofa?
In college at place called Le Junk Boutique for $30. I don't want it anymore. Just watching my children rub their stuffy noses on the couch...I try to clean it but it's so gross!

Hilarious. Is the coffeetable more loved?
Yes, we got it on sale from Target. It's great for kids since it just wipes clean. It has been colored and slobbered on.

Do you ever build fires in the fireplace?
It's actually completely fake! It never worked, so I don't know why it's here. I like having a mantle, though; when you switch it up, it makes the space totally change.

What is this little toy?
A vintage children's stove. I found it at a thrift shop in Minnesota, where I grew up. I feel so lucky to own it. Someone made it and put a lot of thought into it. My kids love it. I try to rotate toys to keep their interest, and I took the stove away once and that was unheard of, that was not cool. My daughter was so angry that I brought it right back out.

Who's handprints are those?
My daughter's from a year ago, right when my son was born. I think of this as her little space.

Let me guess--you got this chair at a thrift store.
Yes, I loved the shape and fabric. I spent $20 on it, which is more than I usually spend. The farther you get from the city, the less things cost. I made the pillow from a Amy Butler pattern.

What's the toy on the side?
It's a cradle for dolls. My daughter loves it. I made a little mattress and pillow. My son uses it for a boat. He sits in it and rocks and rocks.

What an amazing chair!
It's the best thing I've ever found. I carried it around the thrift store with my son on the other arm.