Vintage Inspired Girls Dresses and More

I may be a mother of all boys, but I still enjoy shopping for girls. True, I do a lot more looking than buying. I have had my little eye on the vintage inspired girls clothing out now, more specifically the Baby Bean Vintage Daywear and Right Bank Babies lines. So much so that Hadley gave me the green light to post on girls! I saw both brands in stores this week, and they are even more impressive in person than online. At Moomah, there was a row of Baby Bean bloomers, in a variety of vintage fabrics, that came short of taking my breath away. I love that each piece is handmade locally in Dallas by the owner and "a few stay at home moms." The new Right Bank Babies holiday dresses were prominently displayed in Takashimaya's children's floor and were so striking that I just stopped and studied. Her pieces are reversible (so wise) and are intended to "layer, mix and match" to the child's style. Right Bank Babies was in the 2009 Best of LA for its children's brand. Will I really never be dressing a girl of my own?

Baby Bean Bessie Daydress $68. They offer several dress styles and different fabrics to meet your taste, all adorable. Customers also have the opportunity to choose their own fabric for all the clothes, email info@babybeanwear.com.

Baby Bean Vintage Cotton Bloomer $28. I just love bloomers, but these are extra sweet.

Right Bank Babies Brocade dress $153. Love this dress, although these photos are not as good as in person. Remember, it is reversible. Believe you could dress this up or down, despite the shimmer. Note, the fabric is a little thicker.

Right Bank Babies Owl and Elephant Dress $49.50. Also, reversible. Saw it and liked it layered with a long sleeve tee.

Yoya Animals

I stopped in at Yoya on Hudson Street today. Their displays are always so creative. Throughout the store, they have these stuffed giraffes and elephants in different colors, patterns and sizes. Bright to pastel, stripes to camouflage, small to large. I think they would be so sweet for a nursery or child's room. I love them grouped in the same pattern and different sizes but they had mixed a Liberty of London floral with camouflage and it looked fantastic! If ever in need of inspiration, Yoya is worth a stop. They also have these bird houses for a nursery wall that are incredible.

Large Elephant and Camel $70 each.

Elephants and Giraffe in pink Liberty of London peacock feather print.

Small $30, Medium $50, Large $70.

I loved this display on the dresser.

Elephants in Liberty of London paisley.

Small $30 and large $70.

Nothing looks too staged and yet the details are perfect: here

the pattern of the elephants compliments the clothing texture and colors.

NOTE: Yoya's web site is under construction, so to order call (646) 336-6844.

Little Dudes Only

With three boys of my own and a handful of nephews, I am always on the hunt for new boys clothing. I keep seeing Little Dudes Only, an all boys clothing website, mentioned in both Cookie Magazine and Cool Mom Picks this fall. Last week, we met with a children's fashion editor who praised the owner and her "great eye." My style is admittedly more classic, yet I like to mix it up. Here are several of my picks which do just that. The site also offers its shoppers the opportunity to browse by look (from skater dudes to vintage dudes) and by the Little Dude Only obsessions.

Sand Cassel Caveman Hat $23. The cavemen, the pom pom and the colors. I love this hat.

Acoustic Puffer Vest $55. Like the green down filling with the red lining. Hadley and I also love the Appaman Puffer Vest, available at Little Dudes Only.

Lucky Fish Beatle Shirt $42. Among my very favorite brand of t-shirts for our boys. These beatles are the best.

Junk Food Wild Things Tee $28. How could I not include this t-shirt? Limited sizes available online. A range of great t-shirts.

Trunki's New Tipu Suitcase

I have been on a tear cleaning the girls' rooms of clutter...six trash bags to be exact. I have vowed to keep it this way. I tell you this because it has gotten me thinking about holiday shopping. My goal this year is to give gifts to all the children in my life that are useful, unique and under a million pieces! Trunki's limited-edition Tipu the Tiger suitcase caught my attention. I am thinking some nieces and nephews could have some fun on this ride-on/pull-along suitcase as well as make a parent in a delayed-flight situation very happy!

Trunki Tipu the Tiger Suitcase $50. Available October 1.

Seen on CoolHunting.com.

A Family Showing by Darcy Miller Nussbaum

I had one of those incredible experiences yesterday afternoon. I attended Family, a showing by Darcy Miller Nussbaum "celebrating the moments and memories that contribute to the sensibility of family life." Darcy is the Weddings Editorial Director at Martha Stewart Living, a friend and former colleague of mine. The creativity and thought that went into every aspect of the showing was positively overwhelming. I circled the gallery absorbing the experience, each little bit. The walls displayed aspects of Darcy's family life, from her girls' artwork to personal pieces in shadow boxes celebrating daily life to those special occasions. Her amazing scrapbooks and personal diaries were organized by travel, wedding and celebration. Known for her illustrations, Darcy was doing custom drawings for families. You can visit Darcy's website to learn more, be certain to watch this slideshow of the showing. I hope you enjoy and get inspired.

The Brown Boys and Mom (Me) by Darcy Miller Nussbaum. She did custom illustrations at the Family show, which were framed next to a photo of your family (by Donna Newman) with your name in calligraphy (by Bernard Maisner).

A Family map of the showing. A work of art itself. These details were evident everywhere, and a reminder to me that details make a real difference.

A display of her daughter's 5th birthday celebration. Look closely at the invitation, lollipop and cut-outs all with Darcy's illustrations. Tissue paper dots add a festive touch to the shadow box.

Walls celebrated family life. Don't you love how she organized the girls' sunglasses with the photo?

Words cannot begin to capture Darcy's scrapbooks and diaries. Here is one from Paris with photos, drawings and memorable notes.

Darcy's illustrations were everywhere, making the Family showing extra special. Each guest received a box of chocolates decorated with a drawing. This mantle at the entrance was lined with the boxes for an impressive first impression.

The food was yummy with all the kids' favorites. This tray of mini grilled cheese sandwiches was decorated with laminated Darcy's family illustrations.

The showing was impressive, clearly. As much, it was wonderful to see a friend put her talent to work and so successfully pull off this Family showing. Lets celebrate family and Darcy!

The Conran Shop

Holly and I were in NYC yesterday and our meeting locale got me over far enough on the East Side to finally get to The Conran Shop. I've known of it for years but never have I been to the physical store. The children's section is an experience. Talk about curation!

Children's section at The Conran Shop, 407 East 59th Street NYC.

Here are some stand-outs!

Karrlson Steps Alarm Clock Frog $29.

A great gift for a child that is hard to buy for—it has purpose and fun to look at!

CreAtiles Starter Set $250.00now $100.00.

They offer a number of products from this company. Soft with velcro fasteners, perfect for the child with a younger sibling, no worries on small plastic pieces!

Manuella Design Kitty Backpack $55.

I just think this is so cute, and for the pack-rats that children are—a sure hit!

My Food/Mi Comida by Rebecca Emberley $6.99.

I love infusing Spanish into our lives!

Eames Elephant in Grey $290.

In the store window right now, this elephant is exquisite. Expensive yes, but there is no denying an Eames is a work of art.

You're Super Stickers

Felix Doolitle Word Play Stickers, 25 for $15.

Is the transition from summer to back-to-school happening a little more slowly this year? Could your child use that extra boost to get through the day? I love these personalized stickers from Felix Doolittle as a positive pick-me-up. You select from over 20 different messages and even more illustrations. Slip into their lunch box or give after acing a test (or, just finishing their homework perhaps). A thoughtful gift too.

Children's Artwork

I have had this project in my head of hanging my girls artwork...well...since I posted on it back in May! This past weekend I did it! I am so excited to share. The idea was to get accessible frames so that we can easily swap in their work as it comes home. I searched for the "A" and the "C" (the first letter of each of their names) on Etsy. The unexpected addition were the diaramas they made at Moomah which I realized had wall mounts. Only thing left is to spray paint the C (but keeping it black until I feel inspired, any ideas?). While it doesn't seem like a huge feat, I can't tell you what self gratification just this little piece of wall has provided!

Here are the sources and some learnings!

IKEA Ribba frames starting at $4.99.

I used the white in three different sizes: 8¾ x 11", 11¾ x 15¾" and 15¾ x 19¾". I wish I had gotten at least one of the 19¾ x 27¾" (even though they are quite large) because it fits the large paper that the girls paint on in school. Don't get the 8¾ x 11" unless you are ok with a little extra work to add a wall-mount bracket on back (it just has stand on back). Be very careful with the tabs that hold the back in place as they bend and break off easily (we lost about 1/2 of them). Glass is fragile so just be careful when trying to mount the hanging wire on back (I crushed two pieces and had to replace).

Vintage Aluminum Mod Metal A $18 from SquareFormat on Etsy.

Make sure to look at the size measurements for proportion and weight to make sure it won't be too heavy to hang on wall.

Antique Brass C $20 from A Sundry Notion on Etsy.

Make sure to ask if there is anything on back. I didn't and this has a 1/4" prongs that stick out. Our solution was to hang it on a nail and secured it with another closer to the bottom right so it didn't sway (it does stick out slightly from wall).

Diaramas $22 for DIY kit from Moomah.

The sand and contents kept shifting around so we had gorilla glued the contents to the bottom of the box. I love these on the wall because this was such a fun project to do with the girls on a day in NYC. They add dimension as well as remind of us of our fun outing!

A Little Cowboy for Everyone

I am seeing quite a bit on the "cowboy" clothing front these days. That said, I imagine it has always been popular among a certain few. A pair of cowboy boots (or a shirt) has the personality and a casualness that is so well suited for a child. It is the perfect accent piece that any child should love. And, of course, the bonus is that it is well timed with Halloween.

Cowboy boots by Emily Spray $86, limited infant sizes. Also available in silver. I just love these boots. Admittedly, there are probably not a lot of us who are ready to spend this on infant shoes. Inspiration is always good.

Janie and Jack Cowboy Boots $48. This fall, Janie and Jack have a new western line of clothing for boys and girls.

Ferd Kids Snap Cowboy Shirt, Russett Cord was $92, now $48. This summer, My friend was on the hunt for cowboy shirts for her boys. I liked the idea and started looking.

Look at the boots with the ruffled skirt! Photo from Flickr. The California boutique, Peek...Aren't You Curious, is also mixing ruffled skirts and printed skirts with cowboy boots, great looks.

For boys, cowboy boots are very versatile. They look good dressed down with jeans and a t-shirt or dressed up. Photo from here.

DIY Halloween

When I was in grade school, my friends and I would come up with a theme and make our own costumes—a vegetable garden and the solar system are the ones I remember. For my kids, I have succumbed to the ease of buying out-of-a-package costumes justifying it by adding my own touches like a garland headband made after a trip to Michael's. But the Russian Barbie Princess and Rosetta (pink Tinkerbell who?) last year were the wake up call...my girls AND I could be so much more creative! This year, they are as excited about creating their costumes. And that is the fun of Halloween, take an idea and make it all your own. Here is some of my inspiration for this year!

Cookie arrived the day after I had bought costumes last year with this feature! I saved it as inspiration for this year....I love the mom-and-dad costumes for kids too. Also check out Cookie's Halloween no-sew cheat sheet.

From the latest Martha Stewart Halloween, they have a how-to for this hair style. I like this but LOVE the beekeeper costume below—adapt it for a child!

White shirt and white or khaki pants from child's closet, white utility gloves with yellow padding, 1" and 1 3/4" bees at Floral Trims, Black tulle at Mood, Straw hat at Pearl River, Pail at Jamali Garden. There is a how-to for this in the magazine, but make it how you and your child like!

Our vegetable garden circa 1986.

With the tomato, carrot, and pumpkin, I am the ear of corn. There was a whole cardboard and green tissue paper contraption for the husk. Definitely homemade!

If you are just not up for the DIY Halloween, here are some of my favorite sites for costumes:Beastly Buddies, Fairytale Fashion, and Old Navy.

Have a great weekend!

Twilite Moon, Lester Harry's and Arte Bebe

It is back-to-school night tonight so don't have much time to blog. I am making a quick suggestion and letting you do the looking! Here are three online children's boutiques that will keep you busy as they have so much wonderful product. For the expecting mom to the back-to-school shopper to the gift giver, discover new brands along with old favorites!

Twilite Moon

Lester Harry's

Stores in Boston and Marblehead, MA.

Arte Bebe

Halloween Shopping on Etsy

If I was not yet focused on Halloween, now I am. I have been consumed with an abundant range of handmade Halloween costumes on Etsy. Fully entertained, I am in awe of the detail and, in certain cases, humored by the costumes. These items may be simply inspiration or the perfect choice for Halloween. My selections range in price point and age. Do not wait too long to order, as many shops have deadlines given most items are individually crafted. Enjoy!

Baby Bones Hat $22 and Bony Baby and Tot (one piece, pant and hat set) by Small Threads $130 to $142. Available in sizes 3-6 months to 6. I adore this costume. Of course, a splurge. Good news, the hat is sold individually and could go far with a black turtleneck and tights. I just bought the hat!

Vampire Bat Shoes by Piddies $28 -$34. Available in sizes 4-12. Also available in slippers! Could make a simple costume and certain to be worn post Halloween as well.

French Fry Overalls by Rae Gun $39.50. Available in sizes 3 months to 2T. I can't stop smiling (or laughing). I would expect older siblings would love this for their younger brother or sister. Shop also has a Dorothy Wizard of Oz dress as well as other girls costumes.

Pirate Cape by Lazy Saddle Kids $25. Reversible cape with the skull and crossbones and a wonderful pirate ship on other side. See the other photos to get a full appreciation of the cape. Also like the Witchy Cape and Green Cape.

Little Lion Earflap Beanie and Cuffs by Three Fish Shop $50. Available in sizes 3-12 months. More cute, than scary.

Elfin Crown by Woodrootling $18. "A fairy skirt or elfin crown or where ever their imaginations take them." Simple and very special.

Frankenstein Hand painted Mary Jane Shoes by Snanimals $24. Available in whole sizes 1-10.

Bear Helmet by Glitz Concepts $24. Available in infant and child sizes. Halloween or winter cap?

Etsy has created several Halloween guides including costumes (adults too), decor and tricks, treats and parties. Definitely worth checking out.