Your little birthday prince or princess will truly feel like royalty wearing his or her very own (and easy for you to make) birthday crown.  Find the simple D.I.Y. instructions for both the Princess Birthday Hat and Birthday Crown on Skip to my Lou blog.  And if you're looking for some great number templates to go along with your project check out a few of our favorite picks from the free font site DaFont.com below.

• Florida Project
• Vintage
• Acknowledgment
  

Feeling crafty?!  Check out more of our great DIY projects!

My new mommy-friend, Sara, has great taste and a knack for clever decorating--she and her husband integrated their sweet baby, Dorothy, into a smallish one-bedroom walk-up in New York City without sacrificing an ounce of style.

One of her coolest innovations is this changing station, created using an inexpensive car-tools cart by Sunex Tools. In addition to looking great, it's on wheels which means they can tuck the changer into corners and move it wherever it is needed. Sara had a piece of foam cut to fit in the top tray, and they use the drawer below to store diapers and wipes. She added metal baskets from the Container Store to hold burp cloths and other spare linens. Genius!

"Every night I'd lie in bed and think, Someday I'll decorate this room."

How many times have you thought that very same thing and never gotten around to doing it? Then this is THE book for you. We love Elizabeth Mayhew's book, Flip! for Decorating so much, we wanted to give you a more in-depth look inside the pages in case you missed our mention in our June/July issue.

Below, some of our favorite images and tidbits from the book. Take a peek inside Mayhew's own home in Manhattan's Upper West Side and learn some of her tried-and-true decorating tips.

"Window treatments should be interesting but they should never steal the show. I keep window treatments tailored, crisp, and elegant and only sometimes add a touch of trim, applique or contrast border. So just keep curtains simple, but make sure that they fit the window properly."

"Most dining rooms have too much space to not have storage units. Because action is centered at the table, you can dedicate at least one wall to storage without it being obtrusive. Look for units that are roomy but not gargantuan. Then fill it with essentials for serving and entertaining so you won't have to rummage through your kitchen cabinets while dinner's getting cold."

"Pick a bed frame that sends a message the second you walk in the door. In this room, a dynamic bed is 80 percent of the decorating. The rest of the room can be modest or even unremarkable as long as the jewel of the setting is top-notch ... At all costs, avoid a mattress pushed against the wall; there really is nothing more depressing."

To "flip" through the pages yourself, find the book on sale at Barnes & Noble and Amazon And check out her website to see a slideshow of Mayhew putting together her own living room.

Fellow seamstresses, get excited! We recently discovered KarmaKraft, a website that lets you create and order your own fabric designs. Your kids will love collaborating with you to come up with the perfect prints for your summer DIY projects. (Check out our DIY posts for inspiration.)

The signature mom item for summer is always a ginormous tote bag. Something big enough for beach towels and flippers. For picnic goods and a blanket. For hauling fresh fruit and veggies from the market. Because I was in need of just such an awesome tote myself, I searched out the biggest (think: extra-large) and best totes out there.

1) mi k babe. the Kasual Bag is made from natural heavy weight hemp. The neutral color will make it a 3-season tote.

2) Lands End. The long-time go-to source for totes, we like this year's offering in a bright melon pink. 

3) Hable Construction. The Garden Cosmos Picnic Tote has a low height and wide body so you can find everything you need easily.

4) Target. Depend on Target for inexpensive, good-looking bags. The Merona Circle Print Tote comes in red or blue.

5) J.Crew. In the men's department, the Large Madaket Tote is as classic (and as big) as a tote gets. And dad won't mind carrying it either.

6) Merin Designs. Huge totes in great color combinations. And you won't be matching with everyone else at the farmer's market. 

7) Garnet Hill. Embroidery makes the Chan Luu Tote feel extra special. 

There you have it. Seven great bags to carry your summer fun. And hey. If you're a do-it-yourself, you might like this simple (and super fast) tutorial on how to make your own tote from a favorite t-shirt.

Home designer Amy Butler's recently launched Softwares collection gives budding seamstresses step-by-step computer instructions to create quilts, pillows, and purses. One set includes directions for 22 DIY home decorations. With each project customizable to your liking, the possibilities are limitless--it's just too bad your crafting time isn't.

Plastic, squeaky toys are all well and good, but we're loving these wooden figures from Ohio-based shop Little Alouette. Babies can play and drool (literally) over these handmade rattles, teethers, blocks and playing sets. Sweet and simple.

This summer, New York has been raining cats and dogs. But even though we're sick of real-life storms, we're loving these cheery cloud mobiles from Montreal etsy shop The Butter Flying. Bright, fluffy and under $20, they make rainy skies seem fun again! P.S. Another mobile we love...

A summer is incomplete without the makings of the perfect cookout. No, we're not talking burgers and baked beans. These fun outdoor accessories--spotted in the latest Sundance catalog--will make any BBQ infinitely more festive.

Cast iron ants, $48 for six

Root beer glasses, $38 for four

Leather flyswatter, $15.

Our latest obsession: this sleek, modern kid's chair from Bookhau. We love how it perfectly marries simple sophistication with childlike form. And the super thick layer of cool, grey felt--that's just icing on the cake! Never thought it was possible that a child's chair could be your favorite piece of furniture in the house? Well, neither did we... until now. Check it out here.