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//In this photo: A is wearing the Jackson Bear Tee from One Jackson / Children's Place skinny jeans//
A started school 1st Grade yesterday. And like so many, that means that we needed stock up on a great selection of back-to-school attire. What we have found works best for him (and for the elementary school playground) is an assortment of eye catching, graphic tee's, really great, comfortable pants and playful, sturdy shoes.
//In this photo: Tiny Whales Tee / Children's Place skinny jeans / Children's Place bold mid top sneakers//
I have to confess that I'm kind of obsessed with seeking out really great graphic tees for boys. Because of this I have found a number of great online sources that I will share with you at the end of this article. I don't know about you, but I've found that boys tees can have quite an impact when it comes to peer interaction in public school, particularly in the US. A's friends love to chat about their Transformer, Super Mario or Star Wars obsessions and proudly sport their loyalty with their gear. (In fact, A's desire to be more like his peers led us to this hair cut. He wanted it short and spiky and I of course am in love with it a bit longer. This was our compromise).
//In this photo: Bobo Choses Mahari jersey tee / Gap Kids Action Stretch denim jeans / Gap Kids green perforated slip-ons//
And I'm all about Star Wars and the like but I want my kids to have a little less pop-culture-obsessed upbringing so I try to seek out more unique, yet equally cool, graphic shirts for the boys to wear. And being an illustrator myself, well I just can't get enough of the unique and playfully drawn tees that are out there!
//In this photo: Gap Kids v-neck tee / Old Navy Pop-Color skinny jeans / Gap Kids green perforated slip-ons / Williams-Sonoma Star Wars vintage lunch tin//
And of course we love a good solid staple. Neutrals and brights are great for mixing and matching with pretty much anything you throw at them. Especially if you throw in some fun bright shoes or laces.
//In this photo: Mint green glasses frames from Mod Cloth (last season) / Gap Kids v-neck tee / Old Navy Pop-Color skinny jeans / Gap Kids green perforated slip-ons//
I've found that the key, when it comes to graphic tees, is that you have to find the ones that are somewhat off kilter or quirky but still shockingly cool - so that your kid will be intrigued and satisfied and the other kids will also want to inquire. Take for example this Peanut Butter and Jelly fish shirt from Tiny Whales (purchased on sale early this summer - I don't see any more in stock). A LOVES this one as the play on words makes him laugh. It's most definitely a favorite.
//In this photo: Tiny Whales Peanut Butter and Jellyfish Tee / Children's Place skinny jeans / Children's Place bold mid top sneakers//
We also really love this Jumping Tape shirt from Threadless. A loves the humor of a cassette tape (something that is near unto an ancient artifact for him) jumping rope with it's own tape.
//In this photo: Gap Kids Military Prep Athletic Shawl Cardigan / Threadless Jumping Tape tee / Old Navy Pop-Color skinny jeans / Gap Kids green perforated slip-ons//
OK, so I mentioned that I'd give you a run down of some of my favorite go-to online shops for fun and unique graphic tees. And if you make it a point to shop the sales, you can get a lot of this stuff for a really great deal!
So here they are, in no particular order:
There are so many really. These are just some go to's for me that barely scratch the surface of what is available out there. Anther great tactic is to type in your favorite kids brand, Such as Mini Rodini, and see what online shops carry their stuff. And then hit up their sales!
//In this photo: Basic Grey Backpack decorated with black permanent marker / Mini Rodini jeans//
And of course no back-to-school wardrobe would be complete without a backpack. I could easily get obsessed with all the many fantastic backpack options out there. But after looking around, we decided that we wanted to customize our own. So we purchased a simple grey backpack (found at Borders last year when the brick and mortar was still in business, but you could find one around at a number of places I'm sure) and pulled out our trusty sharpie. I remember it used to be all the rage to decorate your canvas backpack with a sharpie, so I thought I'd give a nod to my old-school days and do the same for A. I went with a simple feather/geometric motif, but you could really do anything. And of course, getting your kids involved is a great way for them to really feel like it's special and personalized.
A had a great first day, if not a bit rocky at some parts (he told me he cried a lot), as first days go. I'm still getting used to the new format of having him gone all day and Little O gone for a few hours at a time every other day. It's nice to have a few moments peace but it's still a bit of a run-around. Most of A's friends are in another class so he's struggling a bit with that and I'm not crazy into his teacher's communication tactics so far, but we are all learning, right? Here's hoping we all get in a groove soon...just in time for it all to be throw out of whack with a new little baby in Oct! Eeek! We can't wait :).
I've also reposted our Tips for creating a great kids wardrobe here (so it's not so Easter centric).
TIPS FOR CREATING A GREAT KIDS WARDROBE THAT BOTH YOU AND YOUR KIDS WILL LOVE:
- Have an assortment of some really great and simple staples that
you can use to layer and mix-n-match (i.e. solid knit shirts, button
ups, sweaters, French striped tees, staple jeans and slacks, dresses,
skirts, etc.)
- Throw in an mix of vintage/thrifted goods
to keep things fresh, unique and unexpected. I love the timeless
quality you get whenever you introduce something vintage. And you can
pretty much bet that now one else will have that same piece.
- Buy just a few unique, statement pieces from some of your favorite kids designers.
They don't have to be outrageously expensive (I love to buy from Etsy)
but don't be afraid to stretch just a bit on one or two unique shirts,
that one-of-a-kind sweater, a stand out colorful skirt or those bright
yellow pants that are sure to make any outfit pop. (And I confess, if
you know another kid will be wearing it down the road, it makes more
sense to buy a few pieces that stand the test of time both in design and
quality). Read more about my thoughts on mixing high+low here.
- Make some of you own clothes! You don't have to sew to do this. You could dress up a few t-shirts with freezer paper stencils, freehand a fun illustration with fabric paint,
or refashion thrifted finds. And if you do know how to sew, by all
means, do it! Find whatever time you can to sew something special here
or there. It will make a big impact on your kids closet. In fact, 75% of
the clothing found in this years Easter ensembles are from past items I
have sewn.
- Don't be afraid to play with sizing. I
know that this might sound odd, but I'm telling you, don't feel like
you have to stick with what the tag says. I know a number of t-shirts
and jackets that look better a bit more snug than the tag suggests. And
when you are working with skirts, capris and gauchos, well there is
quite a range of sizes you can work with (adjusting the waist to fit of
course). Just don't be afraid to try it. You never know what might end
up creating the perfect balance. That slightly snug sweater from 2 years
ago, slung over that boxy blouse, paired with a tutu and tiara just
might be the right ticket. And if you don't like it, well just go back
to what you were doing before. No harm done.
- Let your kids have a say in it.
Oft times letting them mix that batman shirt with those tailored dress
pants and flip flops turns out to be better than anything you could have
preplanned. Kids are seriously some of the best stylists...seriously.
In fact, I actually try to put together my little ones wardrobes to that
they can pull out pretty much anything they want and it more or less
works. And if not, well, just pat yourself on the back for fostering
independence. (See that sliver of red sports shorts, worn by Little A,
seen ever so slightly in this pic? Do I love how they go with that much adored Winter Water Factory
top. No. Not really. But our house rule is that when you get home from
school, you can change into whatever you want...so that means that
Little A is wearing comfortable sport shorts pretty much every
afternoon. But hey, if he stuck it out with the skinny jeans at school, I
think he's entitled.) *Oh and another soap box side note: Having your
kids give input doesn't mean you have to only have a wardrobe entirely
comprised of Dora and Buzz Light year because that is what your kid is
into and you don't want to "squash their identity". Well guess what,
Nick Jr. or Disney already chose their "identity" and they are just
responding to what they were exposed/enticed to (I can appreciate both
of these networks btw, but just in moderation, and when using thoughtful
selection) . You are in charge of giving them a gamut of options and
have a great opportunity here to teach them diversity of design and
trying new things.
- Buy fun/great shoes!
An ordinary grey knit shirt with some simple dark jeans turns into the
perfect outfit with paired with some really great orange converse.
- Just try it and don't over think it.
Kids fashion should be fun, easy, unexpected, and a reflection of them!
Sometimes it might look silly and others might not appreciate it. But
hey, they are kids! You can get away with it. And fashion should be fun
and just a little unexpected. I once had a friend tell me that "If I
didn't feel just a little silly at first when trying something new, then
I wasn't approaching fashion right".
So what about you? What back-to-school wardrobe solutions work for you and your Little(s)? And if you have some favorite go to places to shop online for graphic tees or kids clothing in general, I'd LOVE for you to share! We are always in the market for new finds and I'm sure so many would benefit from your insight.
(to see more back-to-school round ups you can go here and here. See what's inspiring us on Pinterest for boys here and for girls here!).
Friends it's almost the weekend and that means it's almost time for another fun and crafty filled weekend with Mer Mag and GAP Kids! This Saturday your little shining all stars will be making their very own custom journal!
I love the idea of getting your kids into journal writing at an early age. My boys each have a journal and we try to have them write in it at least once a week. Little O can't really write as of yet but he can draw pictures and I can write in captions of what he says.
It's so great to look back at these to see what you children were interested in and what little thoughts go through their adorable heads. For example, A used to have a lot of imaginary friends. They have not really been around for the past year and I'm afraid I would completely forget about this stage in his little life if we hadn't written about them all and drawn a number of pictures of them (their names were Pusa - his absolute best imaginary friend - Tiger, Patrick, Weird, and more). I miss the silly imaginary guys but It think that now that Little O is an older playmate for A, his need for imaginary friends has diminished.
Little O's thoughts these days are very Mario centric. Right now it seems like there will never be an end to Mario talk around here but I'm sure one day he'll grow out of if and I'll love looking back at all pictures and stories we've told. (Can you guess what the boys will be for Halloween this year? I'm having fun trying to figure out how to get into that one...).
If you live by one of the participating GAP stores, I would highly recommend stopping in for some journal making and back to school shopping (they have some great sales and I love their selection this fall!).
Journal making will take place from:
10AM - 1PM
at any of the following GAP Kids locations:
New York: 85th & 3rd
San Francisco: Los Gatos
Los Angeles: Sherman Oaks
Chicago: Old Orchard
Boston: Natick Mall
Miami: Coco Walk
Philadelphia: Walnut St.
Dallas: Stonebriar
Toronto: Yorkdale
And like always, I'd LOVE to see any pics of your little ones creating as well as what their final journals end up looking like! Just email them over and I'd love to put them on the blog.
xo
Mer
I can't believe it's less than two months before baby girl will be here! Where has the time gone to? I feel like I'm not even close to being ready, in so many ways. And for a while there, I felt like I had nothing for her to really wear when she finally did arrive!!
But thanks to some of my favorite clothing lines, I've been able to gradually stock up on a great selection of statements and staples for our little baby girl on the way. Polarn O Pyret, just happens to be one of those clothing lines that I just can't get enough of. Can I just say that I'm am slightly obsessed with their clothing? They are so darling and equally durable.
I really love the brightly colored and patterned scandinavian flair that they have to a lot of their clothing. I also love how so many of their uni clothing items can easily swap between boys and girls, making these that much easier for us moms. In fact, one of my all time favorite shirts that I have from Polarn was initially purchased for my boys. You can see it here in our Christmas book advent calendar post. I can't tell you how many inquiries I've received about this shirt. I'm so in love with it and now that neither of my boys really fit it anymore, I can't wait to pass it on down to my little lady someday!
My dear friend Meta (who shot these adorable pics) is also a big fan of Polarn O. Pyret and so we decided to pool together a selection of girl clothes from them for this little photo shoot. And of course kid's clothing is just so much more adorable on cute little bodies, so we pulled in a few of our little friends, including Meta's daughter, to show these fun and colorful staples off.
Another versatile aspect of Polarn clothing, is it's sizing. Just look at how this darling turquoise polka-dotted dress (worn by a four year old in the top pics) transitions right into a shirt for a six year old.
Perfectly brilliant.
And the last thing about Polarn that I'm super into is their really great sales! Who doesn't love a killer sale, right? I think I need a few more back-to-school items for the boys and this 70% off summer clearance sale looks like just the ticket.
And speaking of back-to-school...are you even ready yet? I took Little O to his preschool Meet-the-Teacher day today and I just about cried (both out of how big my little guys is getting and because the place is just so darn cute...and I'm sure being pregnant had something to do with it). I still feel like I have so much to do before school starts, but ready or not, it's coming!
(*photo credit Meta Coleman of One More Mushroom).
I just got back from LA last night and working on getting caught up on everything and enjoying seeing my Littles again (who I swear have grown in just a few short days!). The geometric painting for the GAP Kids event in LA at the Grove was a smashing success! I had such a fabulous time meeting so many little Picasso's and their parents. And the girls from A Squared Events, particularly Jen Truc, who ran the show, were phenomenal to work with. I love seeing everything all set up and ready to go. And then when the kids started coming, well it was pure magic.
I loved to see the many wonderful combinations and creative applications the kids came up with for our geometric art project. They were nothing short of brilliant! I am sharing a few photos from my Instragram feed from the LA Event, (as well as a few from other city attendees feeds), here to share with you. I'm just so thrilled with how everything turned out! (see the flickr page from all the geo painting events here! so inspiring!!)
And if you were not able to make it out to one of these events, and want your little ones to make some geometric art on their own you can now do so at home!
Materials:
- You will need either a canvas or thick sheet of watercolor paper (if you use paper, I would suggest taping it down to a firm surface).
- A fun selection of bright acrylic or tempera paints
- A paint brush
- and some masking tape (I like the 1/2" size)
Start by taping off sections of your canvas so that they make a variety of fun geometric shapes.
Now grab your first color of paint. Decide which shapes you want to be this color and paint them in within the line of the tape (overlapping is fine as the tape will be taken off). Then proceed on to the next color, until your canvas is filled with a variety of fun, colorful shapes!
Once the painted canvas is dry, you may remove the masking tape.
Now enjoy your new work of geometric art! I love how striking these turn out. There are so many options and directions you can with this.
I also love how this is a great art activity for kids of all ages. If your child is at the preschool age, and more into sensory painting, they can just go crazy and see what fun magic happens when the tape is removed. And if they are bit older, they can really get into disciplining their color selection and planning out their different shapes. They can be more precise and intentional, creating something really amazing.
If do this art project, we'd love to see pics of your final creations! And if you attended any of the geo art painting events accross the US and Canada, I'd LOVE to see your pics from that as well!
And for this weekend, get geared up for journal making! Your child's thoughts and acheivments will shine on throughout time as they record it all in their very own journal that they make themselves! See more about dates and locations for this event on GAP's Shine On Facebook page. And based on how successful this last weekend was, you won't want to miss it!!
Friends, friends, friends!! If you haven't heard yet, Mer Mag is partnering with GAP Kids to craft the next three Saturdays and it's time to mark your calendars and get ready to Shine On!! Come on in with your Littles the next three Saturday's and craft with Mer Mag at any of the following GAP Kids locations:
- Boston
- Chicago
- Dallas
- Los Angeles
- New York
- Miami
- Philadelphia
- San Fransisco
- Toronoto
- Washington D.C.
I'm so excited about the craft projects we have in store!! To celebrate your child's accomplishments and unique abilities to SHINE I've come up with three exciting crafts for your little one to delve into! Here's the break down on what we we will be doing on the next three Saturdays:
- August 11th (from 10am to 1pm): GEOMETRIC ART: Your little on will be able to make their very own eye popping geometric work of art! They will love exploring with paint and pattern and will be sure to leave with a personal masterpiece that you both will treasure!
- August 18th (from 10am to 1pm): JOURNAL MAKING: Your little shining star will be able to create their very own colorful custom journal to take home and record all of their hopes, goals, dreams and shining accomplishments!
- August 25th (from 10am to 1pm): ANIMAL CHARACTER BADGES: You know how special and unique your little one is. Now it's time to award them with a custom badge of honor. Your child will create their very own animal character badge that they can then pin onto their lapel, jacket, backpack or more!
And if you are in the LA area, I'll be at the Grove to participate in the first craft workshop, Geometric Art, this weekend! I'd be more than thrilled to meet you and your little one(s) so please stop in and say hello! (And if you don't have any Littles, please stop in anyway and say hello! No doubt GAP will have plenty of fun things you just won't be able to live without :)). And let's be honest, I'm planning on getting all my back to school shopping done this weekend. I already have my eye on a number of great GAP Kid's clothing items!
And don't forget about GAP's online Shine On Saturdays for those of you who don't live near one of the above locations. There is just so much fun crafting to get in on!! and if you like Gap's facebook page you can keep up on all these events that they have in store!! You can also get in on the conversation on Twitter using hashtag #ShineOn. I'll keep you updated by liking Mer Mag's facebook page and on Instagram (@mer_mag) as well. I even got all social networky and finally got a Twitter account (@mer_mag). Can you even believe it ;). This is going to be fun, fun, fun!
xo
Mer
 Friends I have been beyond excited to share some great news. Mer Mag has been asked to create crafts for GAP Kids as part of their Shine On Saturdays. I'm not only thrilled to be partnering with GAP but am over the moon about the concept behind their new Shine On campaign. The Shine On campaign highlights the talents and strengths of children in their own lives and within their community and has even chosen two adorable kids, via an open casting call, to help share the concept of Shining On. And over her at Mer Mag we are ALL about celebrating kids abilities and empowering them with creativity! So needless to say we are so super honored to be a part of GAP Kid's Shine On Campaign!!
To share the news with you, Little O and I made this little stop motion video together. Inspired by the efforts of GAP's Shine On kids, who painted a mural at an LA Middle School, we decided to create our own little piece of vibrant geometric art. Take a look at how it all came together in this video!
And if you want to create your own piece of geometric art, along with two other shining crafts we have in store for you, just mark your calendars for GAP Kids Shine On Saturday's!!! In fact, I'll be making and appearance at LA's Grove GAP Kids store (one of my favorite shopping centers in LA!). So if you are in the LA area, please do stop in and say hello! And bring your kid(s), ready to get their craft on!  GAP Kid's Shine On Saturday's will be taking place in their flagship stores on the following Saturdays:
- August 11th: Geometric Art
- August 18th: Journal Making
- August 25th: Animal Character Badges
These events will be taking place at the following GAP Kids US stores (And if you don't live in the US, don't worry, I believe they are still doing this outside of the US with other international crafters. So cool right?!):
- Boston
- Chicago
- Dallas
- Los Angeles
- New York
- Miami
- Philadelphia
- San Fransisco
- Toronoto
- Washington D.C.
And for those of you who don't live close to one of the GAP Kid's stores mentioned, don't worry! There is still a load of online crafting fun that you can take part in starting this Saturday! Take a look at the first project her on GAP's facebook page.
We can hardly wait to get our Shine On!! We do hope you'll join us!!
xo Mer
(Oh and Little O is wearing a GAP Kids orange fall sweater. And if he was wearing some of GAP's new action stretch denim pants, I'm confident he wouldn't be picking a wedgie ;)).
 Bit by bit I've been trying to stock up on a wardrobe for baby girl (Due Oct. 4). With my two boys, I had it down as to how I dressed baby: soft knit kimono tops paired with knit pants or the occasional skinny jean. Simple soft soled shoes that came on and off easily. Onsies, and pjs with the occasional statement shirt, jacket or suspenders. Then as they got older, I could really get into the more fun fashions wit a bit more structure.
This will be my first girl but I still think I'll follow the same sort of philosophy: comfortable, cuddly, easy with a few pops of WOW! (and of course dresses, dresses, dresses!). Or in other words, I'm stocking up on an assortment of staples with a sprinkling of fun statement pieces. And one of my favorite go-to clothing lines to do just that is Tea.  I can remember the first time I heard about Tea. I was pregnant with A (so 6 years ago!) and was shopping at one of my favorite kids stores in Ft. Collins, Co, The Clothes Pony. The clerk noticed that I was expecting and rushed up to me so excited to share news of this new line that she was in love with. She proceeded to tell me about Tea clothing, about how soft and organic it was and more importantly, that it was Julia Robert's first choice for her baby. I couldn't help but laugh to myself about the use of a celebrity as a selling point (something I'm not really big into). Well I was skeptical and was now about 80% convinced that I didn't need it just because Julia Roberts did. And then I saw the clothing for myself. I was immediately in love with the simple, graphic and tasteful patterns used. And when I felt the fabrics, how soft and high quality they were, well...I was sold. The clothing didn't need anything to back it up. It spoke for itself. And I've been in love with Tea ever since. So of course this was one of my first stops for baby girl and I've been so happy with what I've ordered so far. I still adore their simple and soft graphic layette options so I had to snatch a few of these up. And for a statement, well I had to snatch up this darling pale grey and
purple ikat blouse (pictured first in the post). And paired with these
darling purple leggings, well...I can hardly stand the cuteness. I'm also drawn to their adorable little rompers and I can just picture my future little lady crawling and toddling around in these. Such a great assortment to start out with! 
I have more favorite layette options to you share with you from Polarn O. Pyret. Another fabulous line to acquire a great selection of staples and statements. So stay tuned!
And if you want to know what is inspiring me for kids clothes these days take a look at my Little Style pin boards for both his and hers (back to school is just around the corner!).
I hope all of you had a most lovely holiday weekend. We are stuffed to the gills with delicious chocolates, candies and...well, more chocolate, and more candy! Every year I try to go for less candy and it seems like every year we end up with just a bit more than the year before (I think it's all those extra egg hunts that I wasn't calculating into my candy consumtion ratio). I'm definitely going to have to figure out the formula for the perfect balance one of these years. Well at least I did have a slew of stickers in the mix to help things out a bit.
And remember when I mentioned that I had no idea what my Littles would be wearing this year? Well, that was no lie. And I can't deny, that made me a little sad. I love to sew for my children and feel like I haven't been able to do so as much as I'd like to as of late. So I was really counting on Easter to sink my teeth into a great project, such as a pair vintage inspired suits or something equally inspiring.
Well, I didn't manage to sneak in enough time to sew any suits this year...but I did at least get a little sewing in. Thanks to Leisel of Oliver & S, I managed to sew two bunny hoods adapted from her Cozy Winter Hood pattern found in her Little Things to Sew book. (And I can't help but give a shout out to two friends involved in the identity of the Oliver & S brand; designer friend, Brooke Reynolds, and illustrator friend Dan Andreasen [he illustrates their paper dolls]. OK and my own little shout out and teeny, tiny, contribution: I helped Brooke find Dan for the job back when I worked in NY as an illustration agent. And he's just so perfect, don't you think?! So needless to say, I'm pretty much in love with all things Oliver & S - and that's not even getting into how utterly darling Liesel's patterns are!).
So back to the hoods. To make these I used the Cozy Winter Hood pattern from the book and changed up the ears to be two long and floppy bunny ears - to fit the festive occasion of course. I really wanted use fabric I had on hand so I used some of Jon's old pants and blue fleece for Little O's bunny hood and some brown velvet and leftover tan fabric for Little A's. And once I was finished with these, and placed them on their little heads, I couldn't hold back my motherly squeals of delight. The boys just looked too darn cute. (And something tells me that this is the last year I'm going to get away with such "cute" items of clothing for Little A. In fact, it took him realizing that these looked like their hooded bath towels [something I hadn't even thought of] to help him feel like they were cool enough to wear. That and a Belgium chocolate bunny).
As for the rest of their Easter ensemble, well if you follow my blog at all, you'll quickly see that it ended up being an mix-n-match amalgamation of clothing from the past. And you know what, I really couldn't be more pleased with how it all came together. I might even like how it turned out better than if I had planned the whole look out from the beginning.
I've always been a big proponent of finding great style by using a large percentage what you already have in your closet. I believe "styling" an outfit is 80% of what makes a person look stylish or well put together. In fact, my dear friend Mara blogged about just such a concept when she invited J.Crew stylist, Marina Dobreva, to share a few tips. Some of my favorite tips from Marina are:
-"Force yourself to try new things with your wardrobe. Take some items from your own closet that you never thought you'd wear together and try new ways to put together an outfit."
and
-"Mistakes and Lack of Finances often make for the best style ideas!"
I believe that this holds true not only for our own closets, but for our little ones as well! So when I was up against a wall this Easter, I went scrounging through my Littles closets to see what sort of magic I could muster up. And if you care to take a look at a few of these posts from the past, you'll see where just about everything came from (OK, and you'll be forced to go down memory lane with me, realizing just how little my Littles once were and wonder with me "where did those chunky cheeks and legs go to anyway?"). Take a look here: 1, 2, 3, 4.
I really love the eclectic, "Mexican wedding shirt, meets little story book French boy, meets a hint of something Scandinavian", look to the final overall ensemble. Again, something I couldn't have planned if I hadn't been forced to get creative.
And if you are wanting to do something similar, I think it helps to have slowly built up an arsenal of items that you are fond of and can work with. Here are just a few tips I would share with you on how to build up your child's wardrobe so that you can make some mix-n-match magic any time, and for any occasion.
TIPS FOR CREATING A GREAT KIDS WARDROBE THAT BOTH YOU AND YOUR KIDS WILL LOVE:
- Have an assortment of some really great and simple staples that you can use to layer and mix-n-match (i.e. solid knit shirts, button ups, sweaters, French striped tees, staple jeans and slacks, dresses, skirts, etc.)
- Throw in an mix of vintage/thrifted goods to keep things fresh, unique and unexpected. I love the timeless quality you get whenever you introduce something vintage. And you can pretty much bet that now one else will have that same piece.
- Buy just a few unique, statement pieces from some of your favorite kids designers. They don't have to be outrageously expensive (I love to buy from Etsy) but don't be afraid to stretch just a bit on one or two unique shirts, that one-of-a-kind sweater, a stand out colorful skirt or those bright yellow pants that are sure to make any outfit pop. (And I confess, if you know another kid will be wearing it down the road, it makes more sense to buy a few pieces that stand the test of time both in design and quality). Read more about my thoughts on mixing hi+low here.
- Make some of you own clothes! You don't have to sew to do this. You could dress up a few t-shirts with freezer paper stencils, freehand a fun illustration with fabric paint, or refashion thrifted finds. And if you do know how to sew, by all means, do it! Find whatever time you can to sew something special here or there. It will make a big impact on your kids closet. In fact, 75% of the clothing found in this years Easter ensembles are from past items I have sewn.
- Don't be afraid to play with sizing. I know that this might sound odd, but I'm telling you, don't feel like you have to stick with what the tag says. I know a number of t-shirts and jackets that look better a bit more snug than the tag suggests. And when you are working with skirts, capris and gauchos, well there is quite a range of sizes you can work with (adjusting the waist to fit of course). Just don't be afraid to try it. You never know what might end up creating the perfect balance. That slightly snug sweater from 2 years ago, slung over that boxy blouse, paired with a tutu and tiara must might be the right ticket. And if you don't like it, well just go back to what you were doing before. No harm done.
- Let your kids have a say in it. Oft times letting them mix that batman shirt with those tailored dress pants and flip flops turns out to be better than anything you could have preplanned. Kids are seriously some of the best stylists...seriously. In fact, I actually try to put together my little ones wardrobes to that they can pull out pretty much anything they want and it more or less works. And if not, well, just pat yourself on the back for fostering independence. (See that sliver of red sports shorts, worn by Little A, seen ever so slightly in this pic? Do I love how they go with that much adored Winter Water Factory top. No. Not really. But our house rule is that when you get home from school, you can change into whatever you want...so that means that Little A is wearing comfortable sport shorts pretty much every afternoon. But hey, if he stuck it out with the skinny jeans at school, I think he's entitled.) *Oh and another soap box side note: Having your kids give input doesn't mean you have to only have a wardrobe entirely comprised of Dora and Buzz Light year because that is what your kid is into and you don't want to "squash their identity". Well guess what, Nick Jr. or Disney already chose their "identity" and they are just responding to what they were exposed/enticed to (I can appreciate both of these networks btw, but just in moderation, and when using thoughtful selection) . You are in charge of giving them a gamut of options and have a great opportunity here to teach them diversity of design and trying new things.
- Buy fun/great shoes! An ordinary grey knit shirt with some simple dark jeans turns into the perfect outfit with paired with some really great orange converse.
- Just try it and don't over think it. Kids fashion should be fun, easy, unexpected, and a reflection of them! Sometimes it might look silly and others might not appreciate it. Buy hey, they are kids! you can get away with it. And fashion should be fun and just a little unexpected. I once had a friend tell me that "If I didn't feel just a little silly at first when trying something new, then I wasn't approaching fashion right".
 Well anyway, we had fun. The boys enjoyed seeing their old clothes brought out again and were right there with me in deciding which boy would wear what and found it rather humorous that both of them got to wear elements of the same suit at the same time.  And I was pleased with how Little O's look continued to surprise and delight even when deconstructed. I was afraid that this Gap Kids embroidered guayabera shirt would not pair well with the rest of things but ended up loving the element of the unexpected.  And my two little bunnies? Well if nothing else, in the end they were happy to have devoured an entire chocolate bunny and then happily hop onto other things such shredding apart those much anticipated surprise balls. And me, well I couldn't have been more pleased with how things serendipitously turned out.  So what about you? What are some of your favorite staples or tricks to styling your kids wardrobes? Any favorite places to shop? I always love to hear new ideas and great resources!
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Hi friends! Have you ever heard of 
And what treasures they found inside once they did open it! Our box came complete with two fun bug crafts. Absolutely everything they needed to complete the craft was in the box. Real winner there.
Of the two crafts, the boys picked the fun lightening bugs craft first. They were outfiitted with two plastic bottles, multiple colorful transparent stickers, glow sticks and more! Instructions were simple and the boys loved creating their little bugs.
I think this concept behind 
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