If you have children – or have children on your shopping list, hint, hint –

then make a bee-line for My KIdentity. It’s a fun CafePress shop specializing in kid-themed designs (although there are also plenty of products, according to shopkeeper Alisha Joseph, for adults who never quite grew up).

Alisha gets much of the inspiration for her designs right from the source – yes, her children. As a mother of two adorable kids, oftentimes she simply watches what they do, and how they act, to come up with fresh ideas. “Right out of my kids’ mouths,” Alisha explains. They’re often her muse for topics from camping and kid humor to siblings and school.

Truth be told, though, it’s not easy being creative around the children, she’s quick to point out. You try drawing on a tablet, working on the laptop or create “kid-looking” text on the couch, while children climb on you.

Ah, the sacrifices we make as artists… But the rewards are many. Perhaps just as important as the money Alisha earns from selling designs in her shop, she also enjoys the praise. Her proudest moment? “The very first time a stranger noticed one of my kids’ shirts and shared a compliment with me,” she explains. “They hadn’t known it was my design.”

Well, consider this another compliment. You’re doing a great job and bringing a lot of joy (and smiles) to parents, grandparents and everyone who loves the joy of childhood.

People are weird. Period.

Of all the quirks that make you who you are, you bring them with you everywhere you go, including the Apple Store. Sometimes that means a grumpy pout. Sometimes that means your pet goat.

And the Apple Store is OK with this – just ask comedian Mark Malkoff, who put this idea to the test in a recent video to assess the boundaries of absurdity our favorite fruitful store would put up with. Malkoff visited various Apple stores in the NYC area and held a few interesting “experiments” with the stores and their employees – including getting a pizza delivered, dressing up as Darth Vader in need of assistance with a broken iPhone, and bringing in a pet goat.

We LOVE this video for many reasons. And, we also figured that since goats and the Apple store are cool with each other…why not adorn your beloved iPhone with a humorous goat iPhone case or other delightful goat gifts? Just don’t let them near the hardware…you know how they love to snack.

It must have been a long, c-c-c-cold winter. We’re seeing a lot of new designs and increased interest around big sisters and big brothers. The population explosion is, at least here at CafePress, back in fashion.

Speaking of kids…with students getting ready for back-to-school, there’s a spike in dorm-room worthy products. Whether it be funny demotivational posters to laugh at on the walls of your room, or a clock that tells time your way, these products tell its time to get your learn on. Teachers are also getting ready for their classes, as education themed products are scorching (but maybe not as much as the summer heat).

The heat is on this summer, as I’m sure many of you in the Midwest and on the East Coast are experiencing to a tee right now. Personally, if I were experiencing that heat right now, I’d be hogging the air conditioning between bouts of sticking my face in the freezer.  I was never that good at sharing…and heat only supports that quality in me.

Well, we can’t change the heat wave for you, but we have an alternative – enter CafePress’s new Performance Dry T-Shirts. Made for sports and fitness performance, these wouldn’t be such a bad idea for a hot, sweaty day either, with their ability to wick moisture away from your body, keeping you cool and comfortable while you’re busy being active. Voila! Almost as easy as running a marathon. (tee hee…)

Whether you’re a runner who cringes at the idea of cotton, a cross-fit aficionado, or have plans for a killer camping trip, don a dry-fit t-shirt in both men’s and women’s styles and a variety of colors that conveys just who you are and what you love. Because, after all, what’s better than showing off your passions on your sleeves – especially while you’re right in the thick of enjoying them.

CafePress shoppers seem to be in a positively giddy mood these days, as the pastafarian themed products are trending high. And who can blame them, when the Flying Spaghetti Monster is at the center of it all. Our favorite carbohydrate creature is at it again, making a cultural splash on the scene, and this time, he’s got more designs up his…noodly…sleeve. Did he grace your shopping cart with his presence the first time around, or did you decide to become a pastafarian member recently? Featuring fun designs with the combination of pasta, Rastafarian hair-dos and aliens from outer space, the Flying Spaghetti Monster products are sure to earn you a chuckle for more years to come.

Speaking of a laugher, it turns out the dreaded Carmageddon in LA fizzled. With a section of Interstate 405 closed for the weekend, fears of gridlock kept people at home. Hence, traffic was smooth. But that didn’t stop people from designing and buying lots of fun products to celebrate the “non-event.”

When the pressure’s on, girls really know how to bring it.

So as exciting as it is, it doesn’t come as a surprise to me that our US Women’s soccer team stepped up and head-butted that pressure in the face (figuratively, and probably literally too). The team, who’s currently slated to take on Japan in the Women’s World Cup finals this Sunday, garnered a cult following in a series of close-call games throughout the FIFA tournament that lead them to the finals. And on Sunday, the U.S. could be celebrating the newest world futbol champions.

We’re starting the celebrations a little early – we’re super excited they’re in the finals, after all! And to show our pride for our gals stateside, we’ve created a special edition bumper sticker in honor of them – and its only $1. A kick-a$$ deal because of some kick-a$$ females. We like it and hope you do too.

Interestingly enough, this is not the U.S. team’s first time battling for the top spot – the women’s team has previously won two Women’s World Cup titles, both in 1991 and 1999. Maybe they’ll add a third on Sunday and hence be triple as awesome as they were before?

It’s summer, so it won’t be hard to warm-up to this deal – and while you’re at it, check out a ton of other cool soccer t-shirts and gear – we’re pretty sure you’ll score on this deal.

The US Women’s soccer team is kicking some serious booty in Germany, and soccer-themed gear is equally hot. With the last-minute dramatics and two more games to play (“Hope”fully – pun intended), there should be a lot of soccer designs scoring big in the days and weeks to come. You go girls!

Wedding-themed products are also making a splash as Summer nuptials are happening from coast-to-coast (and around the globe). From buttons and car magnets for bachelorette parties to wedding invitations, the matrimony cottage industry is in full swing. This on the heals of the Royal Wedding, which is still trending pretty high – given the lucky couple’s honeymoon-like trip to Canada and the US.

Everybody loves doing this in the bedroom. A lot.

No, not that. The other thing.

Sleeping! And what better way to make your night as restful (and stylish) as you can than with one of our newest custom products: Pajamas.

Available in women’s, men’s and kids styles, our pajamas come in a variety of fun colors. Whether you enjoy the black t-shirt, black flannel pant combo, or a white tee, pink flannel pants mix-up, we highly recommend picking your favorite design and then snuggling under the covers wearing said design for a good night’s sleep. (We heard you might even count a few less sheep with them on, too.) And at $34.50, you’ll have a soft pair of pajamas that also go soft on your wallet.

So go don your custom pj’s, jump on the mattress, and jump on the sleep-train. It’s pulling into your station. (Yawn.)

Helping to manage which designs appear (and don’t appear) on the CafePress site, Bobby has seen it all. And we mean, it ALL. He gets to scrutinize first hand what content people across the globe are adding to their shops and to the CafePress Marketplace. Naturally, he comes across designs for every taste (including the tasteless).

This unique view of an often-obscure world has obviously biased Bobby’s outlook, as he leans towards the more random and thought-provoking designs. In short, the ones which cause you to stop, scratch your head, and think, “huh?”. And there’s not shortage of these designs among our millions of designs.

“Some are cool looking, some are cute, and others are just outright confusing,” notes Bobby. “I think they’re all fun, though. I do get drawn to the more obscure type of things … as these designs may show.”

We second his opinion and choice of designs, and applaud the randomness of this great big beautiful world around us.

Bai Ling Magnet: I’m not sure what this says, and didn’t get the chance to ask her. Yes, I actually spoke with THE Bai Ling when she was setting up her shop! Alas, I didn’t get the chance to ask her about her appearance in Lost (or what Jack’s tattoo means).

“Earl’s Gym” Gym Bag: What better inspiration for your trip to the gym than this anatomically impossible muscleman! Check out some of the other designs from this shop. They’re, uh… interesting!

Laser Disc Fitted T-Shirt: If you know what CAV and CLV mean, then this shirt is for YOU! I am in fact the proud owner of the 6 disc Aliens SE. It’s great, with only a few slight delays as I flip and exchange discs (each side only holds 30 minutes after all).

Dental Cuteness T-Shirt: Soda is bad for your teeth. If you don’t brush, your teeth may be forced to take matters into their own tooth-hands and use an umbrella. You don’t want that.

America themes continue to trend high as the summer days are longer and distance to the BBQ and swimming pool gets closer and closer. From Independence Day designs to patriotism, the colors of our flag are hot, hot, hot. Red hot, in fact.

But not to be out done, 2012 election themes are ramping up for the upcoming debates. Everyone wants to speak their peace on the best candidate and show what issues are important.

After the long cold winter, it appears that lots of little sisters and little brothers seem to be joining the world. This is pretty obvious from the number of big brother and big sister products that are selling. Lots of new designs in this area too. Must be a lot of proud parents out there?