Honest.com offers affordable (and downright cute!) non-toxic diapers and eco-friendly family products delivered right to your doorstep. “I’ve spent way too many hours researching products and driving around, trying to find safer, eco-friendly options for my kids,” explained Jessica Alba, President and Founder. “I knew that most people didn’t have that kind of time, nor the means to pay the premium prices. We had to make it easier.”

Parents are able to curate bundles online for delivery. Diapers are available for less than $20 a week, and a monthly supply of the body care and home cleaning essentials comes in at just under $9 a week. It’s awfully convenient, and from what I’ve gathered from their bustling Facebook fan page, the customer service is outstanding.

I had the opportunity to meet the beautiful celebrity mom of two and hear more about her freshly launched company with fellow Co-Founder, Christopher Gavigan. Christopher is a renowned environmentalist, author, former CEO of Healthy Child, Healthy World and father. The evening was hosted and moderated by the fashionable Nicole Feliciano, of Momtrends, and most of New York City’s top mom bloggers were accounted for. Jessica and Christopher graciously passed out their personal business cards and shared insight into their brand’s mission, personal stories and more.

Left to Right: Christopher Gavigan, Nicole Feliciano, Jessica Alba, Risa Goldberg, Leslie Venokur, Melisa Fluhr

The lovely evening concluded with a handful of lucky attendees winning very cool Honest Company Diaper Bags. Jessica explained how she designed the diaper bag herself and that she did it with her husband in mind. As multi-tasking moms, we know what it’s like to juggle the baby, the kids and their stuff all at once. And when Jessica’s husband offers to help her, let’s just say carrying her girly diaper bag probably isn’t his first choice. While I did not win the gorgeous, gender-neutral bag, savvy Project Nursery friend Julia Beck, of Forty Weeks, offered her winnings to our wonderful PN readers. How awesome is she? (Meet her on Twitter @TheJulia Beck.)

The Honest Company diaper bag, designed by Jessica Alba, is a slate gray messenger-style bag with hip yellow stitching and a “feels like” suede fabric. It’s roomy, and it’s stocked with samples of Jessica’s new line. Even my husband walked into my office and said, “Hmm, cool bag,” and then walked out. So do we have any takers?

WIN IT! One lucky Project Nursery reader will win The Honest Company Diaper Bag complete with a sample kit of their products.

HOW TO ENTER: To enter, comment below to let us know that you visited Honest.com and give us your take—would you try it? Contest ends Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 11:59pm PST.

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I entered the store and had to stop a minute to take it all in. I couldn’t decide what I liked best—the modern bedding sets, best-in-class highchairs, cool toys or gifts—even the dedicated “stroller parking” for our fancy Bugaboo made me realize that parents everywhere were thanking founder Ali Wing for finally bringing hip and smart to the baby world.

It’s been six years since Ali and her team opened that flagship store in Soho, and now Giggle boasts 14 locations nationwide, including their most recent addition, Santa Monica. In honor of the store’s grand opening, Ali hosted a night of shopping to celebrate and to kick off their Great Giggle Giveback program. Giggle has teamed up with non-profit Baby Buggy, founded by Jessica Seinfeld, to help families in need by providing essential baby items like gently used furniture, gear and clothing.

Watch Ali in action as she talks about the Giggle philosophy and how they have committed to making a difference through the Great Giggle Giveback.

Inspiring to say the least! Want to get involved too? Melisa and I had the pleasure of attending the event where we met up with Ali and chatted about how the Project Nursery community can get involved. We will be sharing more information about Baby Buggy and where you can make a donation, so stay tuned for more details.

The store was buzzing with celebrity parents and local Giggle fans, who were on hand to support the cause and, of course, browse and buy the most fantastic baby products on the market.

Our friends Tiffani Thiessen and Lonni Paul came out to support and co-host the event. Bill Horn and Scout Masterson, aka The Gunkles, shopped with their little girl Simone in tow, and we chatted nursery design with James Van Der Beek and his wife Kimberly who just announced they are expecting their second child. We want to thank team Giggle for including Project Nursery in this fun and motivating night. We have been loyal fans from the beginning, and we are sure our readers will be hooked now too!

Nursery Design for Laila Ali by Little Crown Interiors, featuring the HOPE Crib

Since we worked hand-in-hand with Newport Cottages in designing the HOPE Crib, we got a special backstage peek at how these beautiful cribs are made. The wood is absolutely stunning, even before the gorgeous pink paint goes on.

Production of the Hope Crib by Newport Cottages and Little Crown Interiors

We’re both also admittedly sugar-a-holics (especially Gerri!), and we enjoy all things party-related. So we’re pretty excited about these pie pops by Cakewalk Desserts—they’ll be in the gift boxes. Even though we can’t wait to chat with friends, family and fellow Project Nursery contributors, when paired with the perfect wine—courtesy of Cameron Hughes Wine—we might just spend the evening with our mouths full!

Pie Pops by Cakewalk Desserts - photo via Cakewalk Desserts

We also love our online shopping! The trendsetting finds on OpenSky are really fabulous, and among the other great items, our gift boxes have $50 OpenSky gift cards. If you don’t already follow Project Nursery on OpenSky, it’s time for you to start!

Fun Stuff in the Gift Bags!

Over the weekend, we made some adorable pink neckties for Gerri’s two adorable sons to wear (and, of course, found a little time to find really glamorous dresses with lots of pink for ourselves). We can’t wait to see those cute little guys dressed up for their mini-portrait sessions by Full Spectrum Photography. David is the genius photographer behind some of our best project photos, and we can’t wait for him to work his magic on our families too!

Photo via Little Crown Interiors

Each year, October reminds us of the family and friends we’re lucky to call breast cancer survivors, but also of those we’ve lost. While the spirit of this party is celebratory and fun, there’s a little voice in our hearts telling us we have to fight harder. We hope you’ll join us for the fun and help find a cure. To learn more about the HOPE Crib, please click here.

Our wonderful partners at Newport Cottages, Little Crown Interiors and Full Spectrum Photography invite you to an evening of celebration, benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

It’s sure to be an evening not to disappoint! Meet celebrity mom Laila Ali, and view the gorgeous Hope Crib conceived by Little Crown Interiors and beautifully crafted by Newport Cottages. Receive complimentary mini-portrait sessions by Full Spectrum Photography, chat with the trendsetting team of Project Nursery and experience Cameron Hughes Wine. Enjoy a live DJ, gourmet food, luxury raffle and more! The first 50 attendees to make a donation for Breast Cancer Research will receive a glamorous gift bag.

We hope you will join us for this incredible cause. Kindly RSVP here.

Should you wish to be invited to future Project Nursery sponsored events in your area, sign up for our weekly newsletter.

The major buzz after last year’s show was new kid in the nursery world, Petit Nest. Their gorgeous line of furniture and bedding took the show by storm, and it was great to reunite with the celeb design duo, Lonni Paul and Tiffani Thiessen—love them! We were excited to get a chance to catch up with the ladies and see the additions to the line firsthand. Petit Nest is known for their intricate, ultra-hip paneling, and now they have added a more mid-century modern look to their repertoire with a new dresser and crib.

Bloom Baby made a splash because they were the only company to integrate metallic and neon into their collections. Their Fresco highchair was amped up with new colors, like a sleek and shiny black with contemporary mock croc fabric, and the Luxo crib got a makeover with a new, softer, whitewash finish. The biggest news to come from Bloom was the introduction of their new Zen stroller. It has tons of bells and whistles, including a zip down recline, foam wheels that unlike regular tires won’t go flat, LED lights and those cool neon accessories we mentioned. And…the whole unit folds compact enough to fit in the back of a Mini Cooper—urbanites take note!

On the second day of the show, we were able to focus a little more on gear, so we had to make a stop to see 4moms. They added new prints and comfy fabrics to their cornerstone product, the mamaRoo infant seat. They also debuted the second generation of their take on the baby stroller, the Origami. This is the first ever power-folding stroller, complete with LCD screen and LED headlights.

We were most intrigued to see the brand new Breeze, 4moms’ solution to the pack-n-play. Unlike other portable cribs on the market, the Breeze doesn’t require fussing with any locks and is literally a one-step open and shut method. One of the moms behind the 4moms creations, Jenn Daley, gave us a live demo, and we liked what we saw.

The team behind the essential Boppy pillow have unveiled a brand new “travel” version of the best seller. Nursing mothers everywhere can rejoice because the Boppy has finally gone mobile! Bye bye are the days of lugging the big version in rental cars, on the airplane, and all around town for that matter because as many nursing mothers know, that pillow is just that important. Boppy has come out with a solution that is easy, stylish and, may we say, a lot more discreet. You can start to see the travel version in stores early 2012.

Getty Images

So, thanks to Mrs. Tom Cruise, we have pulled together some of our favorite nursery pieces in the lovely shade of cobalt. Girls, don’t be fooled—cobalt blue can be used in a girl’s nursery as well…just pair it with a lighter shade of peach or even lavender.

1. DucDuc Austin Crib 2. Linvin Little Queen of Love Child’s Armchair 3. Large Blue Anthropomathy, original painting by Yves Klein 4. The New Traditionalists Savannah Changer 5. Linvin Little Prince of Love Child’s Ottoman 6. Robert Abbey Piero Marine Blue Floor Lamp

Our nursery design for Mel B. started with one word: calm. She wanted a world-class, celebrity-worthy haven of calming serenity.

With luxury items from floor to ceiling, this celebrity nursery is truly spectacular (if we do say so ourselves). The gorgeous nursery furniture—crib, dresser, changing tray and armoire by Bratt Decor—is the epitome of decadence in antique silver.

While the ultra comfortable glider and ottoman by Angel Song make the space both elegant and cozy. Angel Song also created an adorable child’s sofa so Mel’s older children can enjoy spending time in the nursery. A beautifully crafted side table by Restoration Hardware Baby & Child completes the glider area.

The beautiful iron crib was completed with a luxury crib mattress by Naturalmat…

…and a gorgeous set of custom crib bedding and coordinating textiles, designed by Little Crown Interiors and created by the fabulous team of Angel Song.

The incredible ceiling treatment and custom blackout curtain panels were made by Lily’s Custom Drapery and Upholstery to grace Mel’s cozy nook—a perfect spot for snuggling. Lily’s expert team also made the crib crown, using state-of-the-art safety features.

Throughout the room, gorgeous crystal light fixtures, handcrafted by I Lite 4 U, sparkle and shine.

A combination of custom-made and stock stretched-canvas artwork by Oopsy Daisy grace the walls, along with breathtaking, hand-painted murals by Spotted Moon Art & Design for Children.

We send our best wishes to the proud new parents Melanie Brown and Stephen Belafonte and a huge thanks to David and Christina of Full Spectrum Photography for the beautiful photos.

Like a true girly-girl, pink is the theme of his daughter’s bedroom. The pieces are custom-made with fabrics from Osborne & Little and Designers Guild. The chair is from Profiles, and the carpeting is by Stark Modern.

The playroom is the real show stopper with a pop art vibe. The lips sofa and chairs by Moroso and cupcake seats by Jellio give the room a futuristic feel, and a smiling Takashi Murakami cloud adds kitsch. What do you think of these rooms? Fun, luxe or over the top?

photos courtesy of Architectural Digest

I’ve already tossed the old, beat up lunch bags, and I’ve started to replace them with new ones for the 2011-12 school year. And now that I’ve got a first grader in the house (yikes—homework!), I’ll need to find a great backpack, too. Here are a few of my favorite lunch bags and backpacks the kids will love and parents can also appreciate.

BUILT NY has been making lunch totes and snack bags cool for several years. I like the sturdy construction and flexible shapes. They have added some new adorable animals to their collection like the Big Apple Buddies.

I like to have a square-shaped lunchbox on hand to easily fit a thermos and water bottle. Stephen Joseph has a ton of lunch bags and backpacks for both boys and girls. The Monster Lunchbox is perfect for my four-year-old son, and the Owl Go-Go Bag will tote all the supplies my daughter needs for 1st grade. Both are spacious without being bulky, and the Go-Go bag’s wipe-clean surface will help keep it looking good longer.

If you want to follow the celebrity trend in tater tot lunching, you’ll love Beatrix NYC lunch boxes. Celeb moms like Halle Berry, Jennifer Garner and Ashley Simpson have been seen toting these cute lunch boxes. A little more spendy but they have been “kid-tested” for durability, are machine washable and come with a name tag on the backside of the bag.

Have a favorite of your own? Tell us by commenting on this post.