lifestyle – Page 5 – calivintage

pajama party with chasing windmills

January 17, 2017 1 Comment

even though it’s actually quite sunny today, it feels like it’s been raining nonstop since december. and while it’s still not enough for drought-stricken southern california, it certainly feels like a lot for us! and since we normally don’t get this much rainfall in our area, we don’t necessarily have all of the waterproof gear one might have if you lived in the pacific northwest, so we’ve been spending a lot of time indoors. in our pajamas! i actually shot these photos in november, but they pretty much sum up what our days have been feeling like.

edie and adam are wearing their chasing windmills pajamas made of a superfine merino wool, which is my favorite! adam is in the thermal long johns and edie is wearing the romper. i’m really big on textiles and started my love affair with merino wool back in my days of going on cycling tours. i found that it kept me warm on chilly mornings, but not sweaty or smelly. and even on a hot day, a lightweight merino is way more comfortable than a cotton t-shirt. so of course, i love merino for the kids. i also recently learned that it doesn’t hold a flame or melt at high temperatures like synthetic fabrics, which is ideal for kid’s sleepwear. that means we can avoid flame retardants without feeling like we’re sacrificing safety.

i also recently switched to linen sheets and bedding, which gets softer with each wash and requires less pesticides out in the fields. like wool, it’s one of those fabrics you might not consider outside of a particular season, but it’s really great all year round. i also have a thing for wrinkly sheets, and linen has that perfect rumpled texture. ah, can we just stay in bed all day?

kids

gift guide: adam’s 3rd birthday

January 11, 2017 3 Comments

it’s party month over here at calivintage! adam’s birthday was on the 10th and mine is on the 20th, so it kinda feels like we’re those last people at the holiday party lingering just a little too long haha. most people have moved on to their new workout routines and green smoothies or whatever, but we’re still eating cake and popping bottles of ~~champagne~~ sparkling cider. but hey, people celebrate birthdays every day of the year, so there’s really no better time than now to share some of the gifts that i’ve been eying for a just-about-to-be-three-year-old boy. in particular, adam’s interests include trucks, monster trucks, cars, and trains. notice the theme? but he’s also got an artsy side and spends a lot of time drawing, painting, coloring, and reading books. most of his drawings are of monster trucks. and his favorite book is about the history of monster trucks…

so yeah, he likes trucks. but i also try to keep things balanced so that he’s still exploring other things and learning new skills. he has a ukelele on a stand that he is welcome to experiment with, and there’s a little baby doll in a toy pram that he mostly ignores these days, but it’s all there for him when the mood strikes him! sometimes he decides to cook us lunch on his toy kitchen, and he does spend a good amount of time playing with blocks and legos and lincoln logs in order to build tunnels and garages for his trucks, haha.

all of this is to say that i try to be observant of his interests, but i also don’t necessarily zone in on only one thing. he might only want trucks for his birthday, but i also sneak in some other stuff that i know he might like. so with that in mind, i decided to pull together a quick gift guide with items from my favorites kids shop, bitte. or if you don’t happen to be looking for gifts for three-year-old boys, i also pulled together a gift guide with my eight-month-old edith in mind, which you can see here.

sarah’s silks play silks

charley harper wildlife wonders floor puzzle

tiny cottons faces fleece sweatshirt

traffic jam puzzle book

areaware cubebot micro

fishing at balaton game

areaware blockitecture garden city blocks

tegu magnetic building blocks

petit collage ocean abc nesting blocks

tiny cottons faces leggings

ella lou wanderlust organic play mat

maileg wooden bus

kids

hazel village kidswear

January 4, 2017 4 Comments

it’s a fresh start to a new year and i’m hitting the ground running because adam’s birthday is just a week away! it’s a tough time for a birthday because we’re just winding down after the holiday season and i’m all out of gift ideas! i keep reminding myself that i need to be better about planning his birthday well before the end of the year or else i’ll keep having this problem haha. fortunately for me, there are still plenty of awesome things out there for the little ones, like the launch of the new hazel village kidswear collection!

whether you have a birthday coming up, you’re planning a cute photo session, or you just want to have some dress up fun, this collection is the perfect solution. we have long been fans of hazel village stuffed animals, and i will admit that the first thing i did when we got lucy owl, was attempt to dress adam in a matching outfit. which has now been made infinitely easier with their new collection of organic kidswear to match their favorite woodland creatures.

kids

gift guide for baby

November 26, 2016 3 Comments

now that i’ve got little ones, the holiday season has gotten so much more exciting! buying gifts and surprises for adam and edie is such a delight compared to so many of the other stresses around this time of year. so i thought i would share some of my favorite picks from my favorite independent children’s boutique, bitte. as i’ve said before, i’m really focusing on shopping small these days and bitte has all of the bases covered with eco-friendly, ethically made toys, clothes, and housewares. of course, i’ve got a 7-month old girl, so these are really just my picks for edie. we’ve been doing a lot of the montessori and waldorf-inspired stuff with her, so we’ve got a lot of toys that are meant to be educational but not over-stimulating. i focus on trying to give her a variety of different textures and sounds with plush and wooden toys, rattles and bells. and we have fun plush books and black and white art to get her eyes and brain going.

1. bitte lovie bunny, 2. wee gallery art cards for baby, 3. heimess four ring rattle
4. bitte organic topknot beanie, 5. bitte baby’s first stocking, 6. quarto baby’s first soft book
7. winter water factory french terry organic baby blanket, 8. michaela greg jigsaw dress, 9. bajo birdie rattle
10. maileg truffle piglet, 11. ollie ella natural belly basket, 12. hansel from basel kneepad tights

and most importantly, it’s black friday/small business saturday/cyber monday! use code “blackfriday2016” for 20% off at bitte!

lifestyle

where do we go from here?

November 14, 2016 9 Comments

this is my first blog post since the election and i’m having a hard time figuring out where to start. i haven’t published a post in days because it just didn’t feel right to resume talking about fashion without first stopping to acknowledge what is happening in this country. it’s been a very rough week for many of us. thankfully for me, i have my two babies to take care of. they don’t know what is going on in the world, but they need me to be strong even when i am afraid. afraid for my brown family, for black lives, for immigrants, for the dakota pipeline protestors, for lgbtq+ rights, for anyone in marginalized groups who are threatened by the rhetoric and proposed policy of our new “president elect.”

i know i’m not perfect, and i know i don’t have all the answers, but i do want to do something. so starting this week, i’ve committed to donating 10% of my calivintage shop profits. first to the aclu, and then to a rotation of different organizations who promise to protect the rights of marginalized people and the environment on an ongoing basis. and i will continue to support sustainability through vintage, and i will continue to support small, to support local, to support the environment and human rights. because that is what i believe in. and i want that to be clear in everything i do.

kids

happy halloween!

October 31, 2016 2 Comments

had to snap a few photos of the halloween costumes this year! edie is wearing a little vintage dress with cat ears from janie and jack and little black patent leather elephantito mary janes. and adam is wearing a vintage-inspired pumpkin costume that i made from scratch, in linen of course! hope you’re enjoying the holiday!

travel

a family trip to st. louis!

October 5, 2016 4 Comments

if you follow me on instagram, then you may have noticed that we actually left the house last weekend! and not just for a stroll around the neighborhood. we packed our bags, drove to the airport, boarded a plane, and survived a two hour layover in order to make our way to st. louis–with a 2.5 year old and a 5 month old! i know, it was no small feat, but it was 100% worth it. with the little ones around, we tend to be homebodies. we kinda stick within a few-mile radius of the house so that we can take naps, eat good food, and avoid toddler meltdowns whenever possible. but it also means that mama starts to get a bit of cabin fever. so when my friends at the alive influencer network and explore st. louis asked if we’d like to visit, i didn’t even hesitate! the last time we were in town, i was 6 months pregnant with adam and we had so much fun exploring the city. this time, things have changed quite a bit, but it’s only expanded our appreciation for just how family-friendly it is in st. louis.

city museum

this was the first place we went when we got to st. louis, so we still didn’t have our bearings. adam had a ton of fun there, but we totally forgot to take photos, so i hope that crumb bumbs doesn’t mind that i’m using some of her photos. she lives in st. louis and has featured this place a number of times on her blog, so you should definitely check her out. having said that, i can share our first impression, which is that the city museum is amazing and unlike any other place i have ever been. it’s like a giant playground for children and adults alike.

***

pi pizzeria

i was really excited to visit this place because one of their claims to fame is that they make president obama’s favorite pie! in addition to their chicago-style deep dish pizza, they have a really great selection of craft beers and cocktails.

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living collective

after filling-up on pizza, we took a stroll down the street in the central west end neighborhood to this rad little boutique. they stock a really great selection of indie designers like samantha pleet, rachel antonoff, and nooworks. and they had the best halloween decorations up. not only that, but they share a space with vino gallery, so i got to sip on a glass of rose while i shopped!

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taste bar

this was my last stop for the evening because i had to get back to the kids, but it was pretty nice to sit and enjoy yet another cocktail and this incredibly indulgent ice cream treat topped with magic shell!

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strange folk festival

as luck would have it, our trip was perfectly timed so that we could enjoy not only the murmuration festival, but also strange folk! this free event takes place in the incredibly charming lafayette square. it was a seriously hot and humid day (we’re talking nearly 100 degrees), but we still enjoyed a slow stroll through this indie craft show while sipping on cold drinks. not only were there a ton of cool vendors, but the neighborhood and park were stunning. i seriously can’t get over the incredible history and architecture of this city!

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vicia

after heading back for a nap in the hotel room, we headed out to the vicia dinner pop-up to kick off the murmuration festival! they served a variety of super-fresh, farm-to-table bites and we had a chance to lounge around and relax a bit before the evening began.

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murmuration festival

we only stayed for a short bit, but mr. adam blended in quite well playing with my cell phone like a proper blogger, haha. the main different being that he was watching videos of monster trucks while patiently waiting for me to stop catching up with friends. it’s a 3 day festival featuring influential speakers, national innovation thoughtleaders, a juried art competition and cutting-edge music performances. innovators, scientists, artists and entrepreneurs are invited to engage the public and share their work. this was the first year of the festival, so i’m sure it will only continue to grow and feature some of the best and brightest of st. louis and beyond.

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the missouri botanical gardens

we have lots and lots of photos from our sunday morning at mobot because we were lucky enough to have the photographer, elizabeth wiseman, come along with us. she’s also the person who took most of the photos for this post. and she has a son close to adam’s age and lives nearby, so she gave us the insider scoop on the best spots for kids. they have a children’s garden with sand boxes. splash pads, a giant slide, the list goes on. definitely one of the more family-friendly gardens i’ve ever been to! definitely worth a visit if you’ve got kids!

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the preston

we rounded out our trip with one last stop for the evening at the preston inside the chase park plaza. this beautiful, historic hotel is located in the central west end, which is a super charming neighborhood right next to forest park. it’s a really great place for fine dining without all of the pretension. adam and edith were welcome to eat with us as we sampled their ecclectic menu of shareable dishes. and mom and dad got to try a fancy cocktail!

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the cheshire hotel and restaurants

and last but not least, a big thank you to the campy cheshire hotel for having us once again. we stayed there on our last trip, so it was fun to go back and say hello to the giant taxidermy bear and play on the giant chess board outside. they also have several restaurants on the property including basso, boundary, and the fox & the hound tavern. they were kind enough to supply us with a few gift cards to the restaurants, so when we weren’t out and about, you could find us sampling each restaurant while lounging around in the hotel room.

and once again, a huge thank you to the alive influencer network and explore st. louis for inviting us for such a fun family weekend!

my style, kids

family style with the new zappos loyalty program!

October 4, 2016 5 Comments

this post is sponsored by zappos.

if you’ve been following my blog for a while, then you probably know that i’ve been a zappos customer for years. i think i made my first purchase on the site before i was even a blogger, and i’ve been doing this for over 8 years now! so you know i was excited when they let me know about their brand new zappos loyalty program! whether you’re brand new to zappos or have been shopping there for years, it’s free to join and you can instantly start earning points towards perks and benefits like free expedited shipping and early access to sales. earn 10 points for every $1 spent, earn 50 points just for logging in, and earn 100 points each time you leave a product review. the more points you earn, the more rewards you get! and for a limited time, existing zappos customers will get a $15 zappos reward code when they join the zappos loyalty program.

so here we are outfitted in some of our zappos favorites for some fun family photos. i’ve been trying to make a better effort to get photos of us all together, which i have to tell you, is no easy feat! but getting some new early fall clothes in the mail was certainly a good excuse to do it! i’m having a lot of fun putting edie in little vintage dresses with tiny cardigans, while adam is going a bit more practical with sturdy pants and comfy sweaters. but this is california, so you know we all love our sandals, haha! these are some of my favorite classics from saltwaters sandals, swedish hasbeens, and birkenstocks. they all stand up to constant wear and go with pretty much everything. and i love the convenience of being able to buy all of these brands in one place with free shipping, free returns, and excellent customer service.

i’m wearing: colorant cashmere sweater, samantha pleet plank jeans, swedish hasbeens braided high clog sandals

edie is wearing: vintage dress, petite soul bonnet, pumpkin patch kids chunky cardigan, saltwater sandals sea wees

adam is wearing: fairends camp hat, polo ralph lauren kids hooded pullover, volcom kids frickin slim chino pants, birkenstock kids roma sandals

all linked items courtesy of zappos

lifestyle

des enfantillages

September 30, 2016 No Comments

even though today is only the last day of september, it really is that time of year when we’re switching gears and preparing for the holiday season. i always let it creep up on me, but with two babies to tend after, it’s become very important for me to prepare well in advance if i want to accomplish even half of the things on my to-do list for the holidays. that means i already have their halloween costumes picked out and almost complete, and i’m already thinking ahead to christmas gifts and birthday parties (adam’s birthday is at the very beginning of january, i can’t forget)! this year, we seem to have lots more babies and small children around us than in years past, so i’ve been on the hunt for nice gifts. which is how i came across the montreal-based children’s brand, des enfantillages. they make the most simple and charming little toys for children that i have come across in a while.

as i’ve mentioned before, we practice the montessori method both at school and at home for the kids. if you search around online, you’ll notice that a lot of the toys are very plain and simple. part of the ideology is that you don’t want things that are overly stimulating or distracting while they are engaging in imaginative play. and while i do tend to follow that to a certain extent, i do still enjoy a bit of color and whimsy. so these toys really do hit all the right notes for us. not that we don’t also have tonka monster trucks for good measure, but i do like to have a balance of toys around the house that will be both entertaining and educational for the kids. plus these make especially good gifts!

lifestyle, home

high traffic with stainmaster

September 29, 2016 7 Comments

we’re just getting into the fun stage with edie! she turned 5 months old this week and is getting pretty eager to start her adventures in crawling. it will probably be another month before she’s up on all fours, but for now, she’s having a heck of a time trying! so last week, i took to the living room to make things more baby-friendly to help edie along on her adventures. because when it comes to our decor, i think of the house as a living, breathing space that changes and grows with my children. i removed the coffee table completely, and decided to get a nice plush rug for her to roll around on. i know i just got finished talking about some of my previous rug mistakes, but when i saw this plush masterpiece in light colors, i had to have it. i know it goes against all of my own advice for keeping a house with a toddler and a baby, but if ever there is a rule, i have to break it. even when it’s my own rule!

it arrived in the mail just last week and we all oohed and ahhed as i laid it down in the living room. adam started running around on it and i took off my shoes to feel the softness beneath my feet. but if you so much as look at the thing, it gets dirty, haha! the living room is a well-used space, so i know this rug is going to be experiencing some heavy traffic between adam tracking in dirt from outside, edie drooling all over the place, and a rotating cast of friends and family coming to visit the kids. thankfully, i’ve been working with my friends at stainmaster to keep my beloved rugs clean, so i pulled out my stash of stainmaster rug and carpet cleaners to see what i could do to give this rug the longest life as possible. my current favorite? the high traffic cleaner. this heavy duty foaming cleaner loosens and lifts tracked-in soil, then goes a step further by applying an invisible shield to repel dirt and protect against resoiling. all you have to do is shake the can, spray the foam from about two feet away and spread it around with a sponge or mop, then wait for the foam to dry so you can vacuum to remove loosened dirt and dry foam. i get to keep my pretty rug and the kids get to play on it without giving me a heart attack.

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