Zulily Alert - LC Trends

Zulily is hit or miss for us. Today was actually a big hit with these t-shirts from LC Trends. Bright colors. Geometric patterns. Totally rad. Plus so many of these little shirts are gender-neutral -- which is top-notch in my book. Here are a few of my faves:

A major DOSE of awesomeness

Yep, Lilla Barn is going to be at Dose this weekend! My mama and sister, Liv, are coming in just for the event. We're super pumped. There is lots to do and still lots to sew. I have a pile of red toddler jeggings on my floor just waiting for elastic. Yep. Jeggings.

I digress.

I've had my eye on a few of the other Dose vendors (called Dosers) and can't wait to meet them in person on Sunday. Maybe I should take my change jar to the bank?

Laura Lombardi

Want. All. Of. It. Especially this.

Chikahisa Studio

I'm not much of a ring person, but I would totally wear this every day. Mother's Day is coming up, right?

Dorus Mhor

Playful and pretty. Perfect.

See you Sunday!

Impulse purchase

This is the cape that I bought for Jo the other night.

It was an impulse purchase. It was late, and I had just had a few glasses of wine at the Akvavit company meeting.

You know, I'm glad I bought it.

I think she's really going to love it.

It's called the Blue Mr. Hammerstein Monster Cloak from Little Adventures. I bought this one on Zulily, and now I can't find them anywhere else online. Keeping my eyes peeled for more...

Two of my favorite things...

Gah! Marimekko + shoes! Ah-mazing! (I know that's a lot of exclamation points!)!

The Converse Spring Collection 2013 features Marimekko designs, and they are super awesome!

There's not much more to say besides: WOW! Here are my faves:

CT HI Unikko

CT OX Räsymatto

CT HI Räsymatto

*sigh*

A treat for me

I recently got a check from the last commercial I shot. Most of it went into savings. I took a little bit out for a few treats for me.

Treat #1: Manicure

Backstory: I got a set of Incoco nail appliques in one of my first Birchboxes ever. I decided to share them with my sister, Liv, since she is super awesome. Over Christmas she had the Incoco nail polish on and I was so jealous, so I went online to order my own.

Last week I applied the color Runway (seen below). The application was actually really easy and I did it with Jo running around. I had a little trouble filing off the excess paint -- I couldn't get a smooth line at the top of my nail. But then again I'm a huge perfectionist. I think I'll look for tips online. One thing that I love is that the polish goes on sooooooo shiny! It's supposed to last for up to 14 days. We'll see.

Day 1

So, the verdict. This stuff is so great! Seriously. The polish actually lasted 8 days with minimal chipping at the tips of my nails and I was typing and washing dishes and doing laundry and more. The only reason this manicure lasted 8 days instead of 14 is that I started picking the polish off. I'm a picker. It's a nervous habit.

Days 2, 5, 8

And I ordered a bunch more.

Here's my new fave:

Zulily Alert - Pears & Bears

I haven't posted anything from Zulily in a while and was delighted today by these lovely little dresses by Pears & Bears. The vintage styles for little girls (and boys) are so sweet and the colors are perfect for Valentine's Day coming up. Although I would dress Jo in red all year long. In fact, I would probably wear these dresses too. Matching mama/daughter outfits!!

Light pink & red bow dress | Red geometric dress | Red corduroy dress

Pears & Bears founder, Kayce Hughes, got her start at Ralph Lauren. Now she has seven kids and an amazing clothing line. Yay!

For Keeps

Jo had a pair of Keep shoes that we somehow lost. I have no clue where they are and I loved them so much.  Seriously, I am so so sad. Of course I got them on Zulily a long time ago and now they are out of stock. I'm actually willing to buy a new pair at full price since they were so awesome. Ta-daa!

Benten Purple Mayan

Of course, I can't just stop there. Here are few other pairs I'm putting on Jo's wishlist:

From top left (clock-wise): Green Benten, Ramos Guitar Strap, Ramos Tick Tock, Guerra Black & Blue Check

I also discovered that they make grown-up shoes as well. Yippee! I'm putting these on my list for Spring shopping:

The Homer Swiss Dot

Holy crap -- I love love love these:

Animal Collective

Keep is such a super cool company. All shoes are vegan and cruelty-free. The unisex styles are perfect for the whole family. Here is a snippet from their website:

Keep is a shoe company, an amalgam of interests, a way of being, a force, a language, a family and many other things.

All pics are taken from the Keep website.

Nursing Jewelry Wishlist

Jo has been doing this thing lately where she pulls at my hair and scratches my neck when she nurses, which is especially annoying if I'm putting her to sleep or I'm trying to sleep as well.

What to do? Well, I've tried to put my hair up, but then she just pulls it out of the ponytail and that hurts. I'm not cutting my hair. I try to hold her little hand, but she hates that. I think it's time to try some nursing jewelry.

Here's what is on my list so far (also throwing a little Etsy love out there):

KangarooCare on Etsy

MarineParents on Etsy

Koukko on Etsy (This store is Finnish!)

Food Fun

Jo is in full feeding-herself mode. I think a lot of it has to do with her new (new to us) highchair. It's white and cute and used and we love it. It also folds/unfolds into a desk for her when she's a bit older -- kind of like a Transformer. A baby Transformer. That transforms into a desk not a car. And it doesn't talk.

Anyway, she really likes the foot rest for her little tootsies.

Zucchini and macaroni and cheese are her current food faves. This kid can chow down steamed zucchini like you wouldn't believe. And macaroni and cheese is like crack for babies. She stuffs it in her mouth like she hasn't eaten for days.

She won't eat anything that resembles meat (or fake meat), but we're not too worried about that. She's getting protein from dairy, eggs, and of course, breast milk.

Now that we need baby eating utensils, I've been on the prowl. Here are a few fun pieces that I've found.

Farmyard friends | Master silverplate

Reed & Barton has a great range of basics in silver, silver plated, and stainless steel.

Arne Jacobsen cutlery set for Georg Jensen

Georg Jensen is a Scandinavian company focused on " the simplicity of life, the Nordic light, clean water, and fresh air." Yes, please.

Egg Baby - SALE

There's a sale at Egg Baby until Wednesday. Get 25% off full priced items. Use code: SANDY 

Do it! I've had my eye on these sweet little baby clothes for some time now. 

 

koolabah

Koolabah is a super cool Swedish brand that has fabulous urban unisex clothes for babes. Oh yeah, and it's all organic. 

Clean lines + Japanese inspiration + neutral color/designs + Nordic sensibility = AWESOMENESS

The cool clothes in this post are on the mini social right now. But be sure to check out what else koolabah has on their site. 

Perhaps one of the cutest things you've seen all day

I give to you The Baby Seal.

You're welcome.

VÍK PRJÓNSDÓTTIR is a super cool Icelandic company that is inspired by myths and fairy tales (they are big in the Nordic countries). They use Icelandic sheep wool which is a "unique and sustainable source." I just love their product photography. It maintains the mystery and imagination that you also see in their wares. 

On Fab.com right now (but the seal is sold out).

The Honest Co. Review

First off I'll start by saying that there are plenty of reviews about Honest products on the interwebs already. I'm happy to add mine to the mix.

If you don't know, The Honest Co. was started by Jessica Alba and Christopher Gavigan. Both are parents who wanted to have family-friendly products without all the icky stuff you see in many baby & home products these days. For those of us trying to raise babies in homes with as few chemicals as possible, this is just plain awesome!

We've tried a number of their baby products. Here's what I think so far:

• Diapers. We use cloth diapers most of the time unless we're traveling. I bought the Honest diapers for our trips or for when I don't want to do diaper laundry. Most commercial disposable dipes feel gross to me. The Honest dipes don't. They are incredibly absorbent and come in a bunch of designs -- which I love. Here's the thing, though, most of their diaper designs are for girls OR boys. I shy away from the gender-specific patterns in general with all of Jo's clothes/accessories so we went with the skull design (which is actually listed as a boy design on the Honest site). Jo is hard core. I wish they had more unisex designs. They just added five new designs including a super sweet dino design, but everything else is basically "girly" or "boyish." How about more stripes? Geo shapes? Bright colors? Here is Jo rocking out with her skulls.

• Wipes. I love the Honest wipes! Seriously. Again, they don't feel gross, like many of the other wipe brands do. If you couldn't tell already, I'm big on how things feel to the touch. They don't smell like perfume and they can be used on baby (or grown-up) from top to bottom. See how I used that pun right there? The only thing that gets a little annoying is sometimes they are hard to get out of the package. Many other wipe brands are folded accordion style so getting a wipe out is easy, especially in the middle of a poop-change. Not a deal-breaker. Just mildly annoying. I'll still keep buying them.

I've also started to use some of the Honest home products.

• Laundry detergent. It's great, really. We have sensitive skin in this house and this laundry detergent hasn't irritated anyone.
• Dish soap. It smells like grapefruit and not in a cloyingly sweet kind of way. Nick mentioned that it doesn't suds up the way other dish soap does. I told him to get over it. You can also use it to clean basically anything else in your house, which rocks.
• Sunscreen. First off, it's affordable compared to many other natural sunscreens that can run in the $30 range. It didn't get greasy even when we were in hot Minnesota-summer weather and it goes on smoothly. It's an spf 20. I wish the spf were higher, especially since we are a very fair family, but 20 is better than, say, 8. We use a lot of sunscreen. 

So there you have it. Just my $.02. Speaking of money, the products really compare with other natural or organic baby/home products on the market. You can also "bundle" five items together to save a few bucks. I could list all of the chemicals that aren't added to all the Honest products, but you can find that info on their site. It's pretty cool. They're doing it right with their blog as well. 

I have purchased all of my Honest products and was not asked by anyone to write this review.

Gilt Alert - Fjällräven

I think it's pretty obvious by now that I'm a fan of all things Nordic, right? Ok, cool. Glad we got that sorted out.

Imagine my surprise and delight when I saw that Swedish brand Fjällräven backpacks are on sale at Gilt.com right now!

Hurry up as they are going fast. The mini size is perfect for kiddos heading back to school. I want one in every color.

Heja Sverige! Fjällräven means arctic fox in Swedish. It's pronounced: FYELL-raev-en.

By the way, they are also doing it right with their blog. Be sure to check it out. 

Just for fun, here is a picture of an artic fox.

 Super adorbs, eh?

Protect that noggin!

Apparently It's Helmet Day for me. I saw this super cool motorcycle helmet this morning:

Also, I discovered Belle Helmets last night and had to share today! First off, you should wear a helmet when you bike. I know that not all bike helmets are very pretty, but I love my helmet because it's super sleek and sexy. Yeah, I just called a bike helmet sleek and sexy. But seriously, mine is matte black and round and totally cool. But Belle Helmets even beat mine in the coolness factor. These helmets are totally rockin'!  Good looking helmets are out there, people. Here's proof.

So every Belle Helmet is hand-painted by the founder/owner Danielle Baskin. She can paint on a motorcycle, ski, or snowboarding helmet or she can even paint on a helmet you already own.

Here are my Belle faves:

Orange. It's all about the details. I love the little produce sticker you see in the bottom left corner.

Oak Woodgrain. Not sure why, but this helmet reminds me of my Grandpa Don. He would call people roundheads. For some reason I look at this helmet and think: knucklehead. I would totally wear this helmet. Does that make me a knucklehead?

Tarot Card - Major Arcana. There's something soft and romantic about this helmet, but it's hard and sturdy and protects your head. Nice juxtaposition. Plus I like tarot cards.

Phrenology Chart. Here's where it gets real, folks. Phrenology is a pseudoscience primarily focused on measurements of the human skull. And this is a helmet with a phrenology chart on it that goes on YOUR HEAD! Love it.

Très belle!

Belle Helmet images are from www.bellehelmets.com

Mmmmmm, sardines.

Swedish design! Spill-resistant! Awesome!

Check out Mimi the Sardine on the mini social today. Their eating accessories for kids are machine washable and cute to boot! I'm especially partial to this little stripey design.

You can learn more about the founder, Pia Andersson, here.

Fab Alert - Flensted Mobiles

Scandinavian, family-owned, and handmade: it's the trifecta of awesome-ness. Check out Flensted Mobiles on Fab.com today. Here are two of my faves:

Nursing bras to the rescue

More fun for World Breastfeeding Week!

It's hard for me to find a bra that fits and feels good. It's even harder to find a nursing bra that fits and feels good. Probably because I have a baby making it difficult for me to get out and shop so I order bras online and hope they fit only to return them and order another size (and repeat if necessary).

Then I found Bravado! -- specifically the Allure and Body Silk. I just love them!

Allure Underwire  Nursing Bra

The reviews on Amazon are spot on. The Allure is a fantastic bra: sturdy, comfortable, and even pretty (not a common trait in many nursing bras). No seams to show through your clothes and the underwire doesn't poke you in the armpit. The material isn't the softest, but I always wear nursing pads so that doesn't bother me at all. The cup size runs small so order one size up.

Body Silk Seamless Soft Cup Nursing Bra

The Body Silk is so soft and (yes, I'll say it) silky. For a soft cup bra it has tremendous support and doesn't create the uni-boob that many soft cup and sports bras can. I could wear this bra all day and all night.

These bras are a bit pricier than many of the bras at maternity stores (running around $45-$50 each), but they are sooooooooooo totally worth it, especially if you plan on nursing for a while.

My favorite NIP accessories

Happy World Breastfeeding Week!

Ok, I'm going to start off saying that women should nurse in public wearing or not wearing whatever they want. Some women feel comfortable just lifting or unbuttoning their shirt. Others prefer to cover up with a blanket or other accessory. It's all good.

Personally, I don't like using a blanket or cover when Jo is nursing in public. Jo doesn't like it either. I try to wear things that are easy to shift around for easy access, and I feel more comfortable with a little coverage over my chest (but not covering Jo's head). So scarves are perfect for us. Especially extra long scarves. I just wrap it around and around and around my neck and it drapes quite nicely during nursing. I tend to wear a scarf often anyway so I don't even have to put anything additional on.

I also really love Jo's little UB2 bonnet as a nursing accessory. The brim is super wide so it can hide a bit of my chest while Jo's face is still uncovered. It covers the side-boob thing too so I don't always have to lean one way or the other as Jo latches on. Plus it's super cute!

 

Happy nursing!

Let's go to Brooklyn!

I recently discovered Brooklyn Junior - made in the USA, 100% cotton, modern children's clothes.  Clean lines + stunning visual prints = awesome! It's reasonably priced too.

Here are a few of my faves:

They also have super adorable tees & onesies: