Bedtime Building

part of my husband's little nighttime routine with cole is to put together one of these.  cole loves their time together and won't dream of going to bed without it.  it's amazing what you can make with just a few shapes...

monkey pod games wooden tangram set - makes up to 50 shapes!

Target + FEED

i bought one of these bags about five years ago because it was cool + the best part was that it supplied one child school meals for an entire year.  well Lauren Bush & her FEED foundation have now teamed up with target for a huge line of products with the same purpose.  get a sneak peek of the whole collection here - in stores june 30th!  below are some of my favorites...  

1. entire canister set = 32 meals
2. throws = 24 meals
3. large tote = 28 meals
4. scarves = 14 meals
5. wire storage bin = 14 meals
6. set of 4 melamine appetizer plates = 8 meals
7. serving bowl = 20 meals

click here for more information on FEED products and their mission

and i may just have to get this one too

Dress it Down

i love mixing formal + casual pieces in rooms and the same goes for my wardrobe.  case in point, this recent find - it takes a tee shirt and shorts to a whole new level and they in turn dress it down a bit.  add a big necklace and i'm ready to head to the office, if i officially had one that is...

target style #115 - white sateen blazer

sources: gray tee, black high-waisted drawsting shorts, vintage gold fringe necklace + the one and only arthur 

also loving these!  target style #116 sam & libby gladiators

i lived in their popular ballet flats in middle school,

and they now have a huge gorgeous line of sandals for target...

it was hard to pick just one.

and speaking of big jewelry,
cole got into mine the other day.

Sucker for Succulents

they are beautiful + low maintenance - what's not to love.  i had a few containers i wanted to fill with them so i rolled out the craft paper and set up an assembly line...

these little hands had a lot of fun scooping and filling in the sand.
to fill all three vessels i used about $15 worth of succulents from home depot.

glass vase / terrarium
layered with a few rocks at the bottom for drainage,
then soil, then sand, the a rock, reindeer moss + small succulent
[you may remember this version jenny designed for the flea market]

vintage wood vase
lined it with plastic to protect the wood, a few rocks for drainage,
then soil, then sand + one single large succulent

vintage white ceramic urn
ideal for succulents because it's completely hollow for plenty of drainage.
first layer: a few rocks, then soil, sand, a little reindeer moss +
a grouping of three medium size succulents

note: this is not a planting guide, but merely inspiration on ways to arrange them.

 i am by no means a plant expert, but my thumb gets greener every year.

Zebra Sighting

i have been obsessed with this vintage 1930's wallpaper/fabric for some time now and love the motif for boys or girls.  lately i am noticing zebras everywhere i look, here's some of my favorites... 

shown in the traditional red, it's also being manufactured by Scalamandre in many new colors
and even on umbrellas too, i am really hoping to get my hands on a fabric version soon.
decor on safari zebra head from land of nod and girls zebra print dress in navy voyage from target

check out the whole Little Darlings Collection by Sharon Montrose here

i was super excited to find this little guy at the flea market and the boys
have loved him too, he's even made a trip to preschool for show-and-tell.

Beautiful Banner... Batman

cole is into all the standard superheros these days, so much so that even dean recognizes the logos, which is why i picked up another tee for him.  while there, we found this really cute mask invitation set that we decided to turn into a banner for their rooms...

target style # 113 mara mi invitation + stationary sets

check out their site for many more beautiful products + designs

this zoomerang animal set includes - 12 masks [two of each],
12 red elastic cords, and 12 large red square envelopes

for only $7.99 you can do a lot with it - use the invitations, the masks,
make two small or one large banner or even frame your favorites for adorable kid art

target style #114 retro superhero kids tees

i hope these two stay buddies forever

Thrifty Flip // Part III

my absolute favorite find at the thrift store in the last six months, this studded leather bag...

the strap was well worn and had large gold buttons i didn't care for, so i removed
the whole thing and made a new one from some white vegan leather i had.
 i loved it even more after - proof the design rule of doing the opposite
if you can't match something perfectly is always the best way to go.

Outfitting a Kids Space

when designing a kids space, urban outfitters may not be the first place you would look, but with great finds in every department you can practically one-stop shop.  here's some of my favorites for each...

pope saint victor for society6 slow down art print,

assembly home gray and orange mixed stripe curtain,

globe paper lantern, heritage bookshelf,

the rise and fall sleeping fox, plum and bow callin iron bed,

aesthetic apparatus lunasaurus art print, 

airplane hook, herringbone rug in navy,

locker room storage shelf, toy soldier bookends,

and hammerpress no whining print [i may have bought this]

triple-tiered glass bead pendant shade,
waterfall ruffle curtain in chartreuse, macaroon boxes,
brass leaf side table, albert the french bulldog pillow,
magical thinking triangle chain bedding in hot pink,
laura ruth for society6 pretty white pony print, unicorn hook,
scallop rug in gray, industrial storage cabinet,
boho twist frame, and taj wall mirror

Vacation Mode

my husband had the last few days off and since we couldn't travel far, we decided to do little day trips with the boys.  the benefit to a mini vacation like this - no packing + no time changes + and back in time to sleep in your own bed which = two happy parents and kids... 

chasing butterflies, carrousel rides, out to eat, searching for baby animals,
making sandwiches [thanks grandma r] and spicy vegetables on the grill [thanks grandma b] 
voice echoes, dinosaur spotting and going back in time

our mini adventures included the farm, the zoo,

the science museum, and my favorite lots of down time outside

Take Me to the Beach

i've been dying to get there, but with my little feisty ones traveling far would be more of a nightmare than a vacation.  so for now i can dream in my new favorite hat, which will block the sun equally as well at the pool while i'm playing with the boys...

wide rim straw fedora - h&m, rebel pendant - stella & dot, white flowy tank - urban outfitters [similar one shown],
and thin wrap sweater is one of my new favorites picked up at the clothing exchange

Father's Day Finds

with it less than a week away, i was excited to stumble onto tons of great gifts in world market the other day.  guys can sometimes be hard to buy for, but what guy doesn't love food!  so here are some fun gifts based around guys i know and their favorite foods and that some practically consider to be food groups.  they're also gifts that little ones would be equally excited to give and enjoy [well in most cases] with their dad too...

All at World Market:

The Grill Master // rufus teague [made some sauce] touch o' heat bbq sauce, basting mop,

3 piece bbq tool set, the truck food cookbook and natural cedar grill planks 

Mister Morning // "i love bacon" cookbook, bodum french press, animal inspiration mugs [lion - flip side "it's hard being king"] tall, dark, and handsome + daily dose joe coffee and melville's chocolate covered bacon on a stick [both in-store only]

The Pub Fan // guiness draught 4 pack, set of 15 pub coasters, english pint glasses, chocolate covered cigars [in store only] and antique brass"last call" bell

The Pizza Chef // pastorelli thin & crispy pizza crusts, oliveto mediterranean blend extra virgin olive oil, olio d' olive olive oil pourer [in-store only], 100 pizzas cookbook, olive wood cheese grater and wood pizza paddle

Sir Sweet & Salty // funnel cake kit, dad's old-fashioned root beer, wall mounted bottle opener, mustache highball glasses, whole earth organic kettle corn and set of 12 small popcorn boxes

The Hot Head // the sriracha cookbook, sriracha hot sauce, fontera tortilla chips + salsa, and mind twister puzzles.  

added bonus... they have everything you need to wrap these in too

including - drink tubs, ice buckets, baskets, gift bags and ribbon.

this is one-stop shopping at it's best!

Surprise Soiree

my whole family threw one for my dad last weekend to celebrate his retirement.  after working hard to raise seven kids, my parents are getting the free time together they deserve - they just came back from savannah and are off to san francisco soon.  so i put together a travel theme with items i already owned...

coconut + chocolate chip cookie cake was made by my sister rachel.
still love our mason jar tumblers and used my left over price tags from the flea market for drink tags.
the gold moroccan lantern is from here and the black & white pennant garland i made.

caught my sister lisa on the guitar and kept cole from running just long enough to snap a picture of his rosy cheeks.

dean has been obsessed with picking out his socks every morning, this day was no exception
 and i think the stripes + plaid shorts were my favorite combo yet

i feel very lucky to have the parents and family i do.

thanks to my sister sara for coming up with the idea

and to my whole family that worked + traveled to pull it off.

[we managed to keep it a surprise]

congratulations on your retirement dad!

Amour

two necklaces + a new dress + dean of course.  why i love these new pieces most... the first was only four dollars, the second a gift, and the third was free.  all make up one of three new favorite outfits courtesy of a clothing exchange.  we just had our spring edition a couple weeks ago and you may remember this post from the fall.  if you've never done one - i highly suggest it!  you never know what may be lurking in your friend's closets unworn and waiting for you...

 SOURCES: love you always "amour" necklace from urban outfitters,
dainty initial necklace [a mother's day gift]from the sundance catalog,
and this perfectly pink and gold chevron dress from my friend cara.
it's from pitaya - check out more of their adorable and affordable dresses here.

ALSO SHOWN: leather and gold bracelet from world market [they have really amped up their jewelry collection lately]
gold arrow cuff from stella & dot and still having a love affair with these boots.

The Sandmen

we've been spending a lot of time outside lately - especially in the sandbox.  it's a small simple one we put together for the summer specifically to be portable.  the boys don't care how big it is, as long as they can climb in they're good.  the upside to keeping it small is it can be moved in and out of the sun and hidden away easily.  this keeps it fresh and fun, and of course them clean if need be... 

this large under bed plastic storage tub + towel are from target.
check out the whole nate berkus line here.

when i sent the initial pictures to my mom, she said i was brave.
guess he's just helping to fill in the cracks.