A Dress to Tunic

One of my best discoveries for maximizing wear was when my daughter put on jeans with her favorite Calypso corduroy dress that had gotten too short. It looked terrific! In shopping the fall collections, I have paid special attention to finding dresses that will work well as a tunic in years after. At a time when we are all watching our spending, these are ten dresses that are worth the splurge for just this reason.

Sarah Waldo Organics Beatrice Dress $150 now $119.99 at UrthChild.com.

Pink Chicken Isabelle Dress $68.

Little Marc Jacobs Delia Dress $118 at Milkshop.com.

Antik Batik Domi Embroidered Dress € 71.07 at Little Fashion Gallery.

Neige Austine Dress $94-99.

Whitten Grey Organic Wool Pleated Wool Jumper $136 at UrthChild.com.

Makie Smocking Dress $135-138.

Flora and Henri Winter Angel Dress $142-188.

Cupcakes and Pastries Sugar Cookie Dress $60 at Hijkids.com.

Maan Sally Dress £55 at Elias & Grace.

Cords and More Cords

I have seen some amazing corduroys for boys in all my back to school shopping. I keep coming back to Papo d'Anjo's new Weathered Corduroy Jean as it looks incredibly well made yet completely comfortable. It is perfect to dress up or down. Gap's Uniform Corduroy was my choice for the boy's school uniform, both good looking and a deal. The Busy Bees Cargo Pocket Corduroy and the Oliver Pant by Olive Juice are a bit dressier with pockets any boy will love. And finally, the Mini Boden Cord Baggies are an old favorite of mine that I must share.

Papo d'Anjo Weathered Corduroy Jeans $59. New this season. Love the rich earthy colors.

A Deal: Gap Uniform Corduroy Pants $26; Buy 2 or more $19.50 each.

Busy Bees Cargo Pocket Corduroys $56. Dressier, yet with pockets perfect for boys.

Olive Juice Oliver Pant $42.50. Can't get over the pockets on these corduroys.

Mini Boden Cord Baggies $34. An all around great pair of cords, wide wale looks nice and elastic waste makes it easy and comfortable, particularly for younger children.

Chasing Fireflies Toggle Coat

I just noticed Chasing Fireflies has this in the boys section of their site only and what a perfect coat for a girl! My daughters' toggle coats have gotten so much wear. In these two great colors, I didn't want those shopping for girls to miss it!

Chasing Fireflies Toggle Coat in Chocolate Brown and Navy $88.

Girls Can Wear Them Too

Holly's post on boots for boys got me thinking about the same boots on girls! Neige's looks are my favorite—last fall with Blundstone and this season with boots by PèPè. I also like the way Crewcuts combines them with the patterned sock!

Neige Riley dress (fall 2008) featuring Blundstone® Boots.

(One of my all-time favorite looks!)

Neige fall 2009 featuring
PèPè Indiana Ankle Boot £75-95 available at Elias & Grace.

Crewcuts catalog (back cover) featuring Crewcuts Kids' Red Wing Classic boots $148.

Back to School Boots

I love boots for back to school, particularly this year. It is partially the fact that I am just plain tired of our tan Merrell Jungle Mocs, which is admittedly a great shoe and the "go to" for every single boy in our class. It is partially boots are just perfect for boys. The Prairie Dog Boot found in the Olive Juice catalog are some of the cutest shoes for younger boys—and I have always loved J.Crew's suede MacAlister boots for boys. Here is my short list of favorites, both classics and twists on the classic.

Naturino Prairie Dog Boot at Olive Juice $78.50. The stitching, thick laces and colors make it.

Crewcuts Kids' Suede MacAlister Boots $88, free shipping now. A favorite!

A classic. Kids' Blundstone® Boots at Crewcuts $90, free shipping now.

Classic but with a bit more style. Primigi Edgar boot at Piperlime $70.

My 6 year old has this Little Raggio wallaby shoe from Sweet William in blue suede. They are getting more wallaby boots in for the fall.

StrollerTraffic's Back-to-School Trend Report

Love this article over at StrollerTraffic on what children's wear designers are buying their own kids for fall! See what they are getting from some of the staple brands to those you have never heard of!

StrollerTraffic's Back-to-School Trend Report

Asian Influence

I was just leafing through the new Tea catalog and their notes on what inspired their collection offers new dimension to this brand and a glimpse into the culture that influences them. It got me thinking about Asian inspiration and how I like to include it in my home design, the foods my family eats and clothes I...and my children wear. Here are some of my favorites from Tea along with some other great pieces for fall.

Tea Aoyama Look

Aoyama floral dress $39, Purity Organic Long Sleeve Tee $25 and Purity Organic Leggings $25.

Tea Ebisu Butterfly Dress $59.

Tea Takayama Look

Takayama Plaid Top $49, Kimono Sweater Robe $75 and Yoshi Denim Pant $59.

Lucky Wang Peacock Red New Republic Jacket $48.

Lucky Wang Dragon Foil Printed Thermal Cotton T-shirt $32.

Pearl River Girls Quilted Corduroy Bias Closure Jacket $45.50.

Teepee Joy

Our sons spent plenty of quality time playing in their cousins' teepee during our vacation. Not only was the teepee fun (chasing away a wooly mammoth, hum), but also stunning. By Rattlesnake Crossing, the tents are made to order and hand painted with great detail. The owner considers them a work of art, and I agree. That said, I find the teepees surprisingly durable after time outdoors and very reasonably priced.

Rattlesnake Crossing teepee. Small teepee $99; Large teepee $119.

Call 302-588-2644 or email teepees2@aol.com to order.

Another Rattlesnake Crossing teepee.

My recent teepee enthusiasm led to a little research to see what other special teepees are out in the market. I found this Vessel Hippie Tipi on the Cookie Magazine Nesting blog. I love the colors!

Vessel Hippie Tipi $199. Available in three color ways.

And this indoor teepee on etsy.com made with vintage appliqued floral and bird motifs.

Moozlehome teepee $215.

I have seen a lot of wonderful teepees, but I have had as much fun looking at photos of the inside of teepees. This is where all the action or make believe happens for our children, right? Look at these wonderful photos found on ohdeedoh.

Very comfy quilt, a little light...and the rope ladder, no doubt, helps set the tone. See post on ohdeedoh.

The simplicity and sheepskin are heavenly. See post on ohdeedoh.

Shopping at Nonchalant Mom

I definitely went into overdrive the second I walked into Nonchalant Mom's store as the boxes for fall were in the process of being opened. The owner Carina was so welcoming. By the end I was like a guest who had overstayed her welcome as I could have hung out there for hours more. The merchandise is so unique and it was fun to poke around...but really what I wanted most was some of it for me! How excited was I when Carina opened the box from Makie who has just added womenswear or showed me some women's tees from Lucky Fish?!?! And to top it off she brought out a new jewelry line from Los Angeles designer Nikki B. I didn't think Nonchalant Mom could get any better than it was, but it did!

One for HER...one for YOU!

FOR HER: Makie Grey Kids Tunic Sweater, $128.

FOR YOU: Makie Womens Grey Tunic Sweater $240.

FOR HER: Lucky Fish Triceratops Blue Foil on Eco Brown Heather Tee $38.

FOR YOU: Lucky Fish Silver Foil Beetles for Women on Concrete T-shirt $54.

FOR HER: Bellerose Anika Dress $96 now $52.

(I bought this for my oldest and it might be my favorite piece of girls clothing ever. The amethyst color and detailing are beyond!)

FOR YOU: Makie Womens Black Pullover Dress $260.

And a few of my favorites from the Nikki B jewelry! The pieces are so beautifully subtle and yet make a statement at the same time (you just have to see them!).

Nikki B Matte Bronze Glass Beads with Interspersed Gold Vermeil Beads $72.

Nikki B Set of 3 Elastic Rings in Red $20.

Nikki B 18k Gold Medallion Necklace $118.

Nonchalant Mom

I am in Rhode Island for the last part of our vacation and was lucky enough to get over to Nonchalant Mom for a little visit with the wonderful owner, Carina Schott and some shopping! I will be posting more tomorrow, in meantime take a look at their newly designed home page! Looks beautiful!

A screenshot of just a part of the homepage.

A Family Pie Party

My aunt and cousins have hosted several family Pie Parties that are always a big hit.  (Almost an annual tradition, but had to skip this year.)  Simply put, each family brings a pie to share and be judged.  There is a whole lot that I love about this party.   It is a wonderful family party that children, of all ages, and adults enjoy and can be involved.  And who says you could not simplify it a bit and create a similar children's birthday party.  

One of my favorite Pie Party invitations. (They adore dogs and have a lot of them, hence the dog theme!)

What do I love?  It starts with the handmade, watercolor invitations.  Each family member paints a different invitation, then they color copy to send to guests.  Everyone can get involved and the end result is a very thoughtful invitation.

Another hand painted invitation.

Each family, of course, brings their own pie to the party.  Again, an opportunity with your children to decide what to make, then to actually make it, and all with the anticipation of showing off at the party.  In the past, there have been official judges who selected the winners as well as voting by the guests.  (I think it would be fun to have an old fashioned cake walk (with pies) where a family selects a pie to take home.  A favorite of mine when I was young.) 

A table of pies!  The different invites were decor, as show here and in vases of flowers on tables. 

After all have enjoyed the pies, awards are given for the "best tasting",  "most original" and even "needs improvement."  

  Handmade awards, created out of felt.  Put the kids in charge, they will love it.  

I am so inspired by all aspects of this party.  You can determine how much time and creativity you put into the party, whether as hostess or guest.  It is sure to be good time with the children, family and friends.