Fringe & Feathers: Baby

July 13, 2011

The latest issue of Small magazine is out and their summer feature is simply stunning. As always, the photography is exceptional. But I'm also really loving the styling on this one.

June 28, 2011

June 24, 2011

I can still remember the first time Julian smiled at me. I melted. And how I longed to hear him say I love you. Now I can't hear it enough. My baby boy turns 3 today and like most parents I can't help but to feel sad about how quickly time has gone by. But I cherish every little step I've seen him take along the way. And as much as I look forward to what's ahead, I just want to take this time to be present in this moment...in the unbelievable joy this amazing little being brings to my life. Happy birthday my love.

Our birthday carousel ride tradition...at 1 and at 3 (how I miss those chubby rolls!)

Dino Love

June 21, 2011

On Sunday we kicked off a week-long celebration of all things dinosaur. Jules is officially obsessed and so it was natural for us to choose a dino theme for his birthday celebration. So we hit the Museum of Natural History for Father's Day. He had a blast. Next up is a dino celebration at school on Friday, followed by a dino-mite party on Saturday (complete with dinosaur hunt and all).

I'm having such a blast with my little guy. I can't help but to be consumed with the excitement and passion he has for life.

Every Mother Counts and Weekend Fun

April 29, 2011

It's incomprehensible to think that a woman should have to walk 5 miles while in labor to access a clinic where she could give labor. And yet, it happens. Through her Every Mother Counts organization, Christy Turglington Burns is fighting to raise awareness of these issues and create mobilization to increase education and support for maternal and child health. Her documentary, No Woman, No Cry, follows the stories of women across the world as they face challenges in accessing critical care throughout their pregnancies and deliveries. It made its rounds at film festivals last year and is now having its TV debut next Saturday at 9:30ET on the OWN network.

The documentary inspired an all-female (and all-mother) compilation CD featuring artists like Carla Bruni, Madonna, Karen Elson, Sinead O'Connor and Gwyneth Paltrow. I picked it up earlier this week and haven't stopped listening since. And might I add, Gwyneth's cover of This Woman's Work is pretty amazing. It's one of those really powerful songs that shouldn't be messed with, but I was impressed. $8 of each CD sold (available at Starbucks) will be donated to help support maternal health-relief efforts worldwide.

On a weekend note, lots of fun outdoor things to do:

Ridgefield Carnival

Tribeca Film Festival Family Festival Street Fair

KindieFest

Hoboken Arts & Music Festival

Like mama, like son

April 28, 2011

Twice the cuteness, twice the giving...can't go wrong.

I love it when we dress alike. Even though shopping for boys isn't easy, it's becoming more fun now that Jules is older and into picking out his own things.

Weekend sewing projects

March 25, 2011

I'm embarrassed to say I've had a sewing machine in my closet for over 7 years that I've only touched once. And that was when I pulled it out of the box. And mind you, I requested it as a gift. I bought supplies and how-to books. I even took a sewing class at Make Workshop.

I think it's about time I put that bad boy to work! And not just because I want to make things for myself, but so that I can make stuff for my little cutie as well. Case in point: Oliver + S Little Things to Sew. The book features truly adorable classic accessories and toys for kids. From what I've seen so far, I want to make them all!

images here

For even more cuteness and whimsy, take a look at this video.

Flags, fun and freebies

March 22, 2011

I've been on the lookout for a flag garland for some time now. This one from Oeuf I adore (and how cute is that baby?!).

Here's one from Etsy I've been keeping an eye on.

I was really hoping to make it myself but I haven't gotten around to picking up fabric. So on Sunday I decided to pull out construction paper and colored pencils and make a temporary one with Jules. I don't love the colors, but it was all I had. And Julian says it's perfect. So for now, it's staying put.

Local mamas: are you heading over to SuburbanMomma's Momma's Night Out tomorrow? The lovely organizers managed to add even more deals and giveaways to the already long list of awesome stuff (details here). And all proceeds from the event benefit bergenPAC. Mingle, score a deal or two (I'm addicted to daily deals and have already scored two from SuburbanMomma), enter a great raffle, and support the arts. Good deal all around. See you there.

Stay inspired

March 18, 2011

What a week! Jules and I have had a really tough time adjusting to the time change. Work was pretty crazy. I took two intense Bikram yoga classes. And the news out of Japan got more heart wrenching with each passing day.

I also spent a lot of time this week thinking and worrying about what the future holds for my son. Certainly not a foreign feeling for a parent, but given the state of the world today, I can't help but to feel consumed by sadness.

But I have a responsibility to my son and so I look for inspiration in possibilities. Have a great weekend. And support disaster relief efforts in Japan by donating what you can.

Digital art by Jules | March 2011

Bill Cunningham's great voice, sharp wit and many eccentricities are the focus of a new documentary by Richard Press.

Check out the trailer.

Because moms need their time too (something I need to make note of myself)...

SuburbanMomma's Momma's Night Out promises lots of fun and great giveaways while supporting the arts.

As if there already aren't enough reasons to love Moomah, now moms can eat, drink, make art and discuss parenting challenges with an expert during their monthly Mom's Night Out.

No sitter? No worries. SPACECRAFT makes it easy for single moms to get out and meet other single parents during their Single Moms Night. They'll keep kids busy with craft activities while moms relax and mingle. SPACECRAFT is also hosting a benefit for the survivors of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan on March 26th.

Color me happy

March 11, 2011

Because sometimes you just really need to smile...

Color and cuteness courtesy of Kate Spade. Click on over for even more colorful inspiration.

Yellow balloons and a happy whistle.

Red velvet! And glitter!

Pinwheels. This one I especially love because Jules' first art project at school was a pinwheel.

Color and cuteness via my little cutie

August 2010

And it reminds me of Palm Springs

image via here

Mama bliss

March 8, 2011

I miss the infant days...those early smiles and giggles, teeny tiny baby feet and scrumptious baby chubbiness (and Jules had a lot of it!). But toddlerhood is such an awesome adventure. Every day I'm blown away by how quickly Julian's vocabulary is expanding. I live for the moments when he unexpectedly tells me he loves me and kisses me. I love that he's growing more and more independent and insists on being mama's little helper. And the curiosity of this stage is just amazing. I'm enjoying watching and capturing every single moment of it.

This short film by West Elm captures the essence of toddlerhood in such a lovely way. I've been wanting to create shorts with all the great footage I've shot over the last couple of years, but still haven't gotten around to it. Must, MUST do soon.

No more Cookie withdrawals...Momfilter finally launched! The ladies of Cookie are back, along with a bunch of alums, to talk all things modern parenting. Just as informative and inspirational as one would expect, with an added sense of community. So happy they're back!

Weekend creations

March 4, 2011

And speaking of wall decor, how great are these? Such an interesting way to display nature in the home.

This one I adore and must have asap!

via Terrain

I have a couple of projects I'd like to wrap up this weekend:

Caulk tub
Finish Jules' airplane mobile
Make a couple of pieces of jewelry/accessories
Start closet/wardrobe organization project

And Sunday we're off to the Montclair Art Museum for a Lego Building Workshop where families will be creating Lego models of Montclair buildings. Should be fun for my Lego obsessed little guy.

Slow weekend mornings

February 27, 2011

Given our hectic weekday schedule, weekends must move at a slow pace...at least in the morning. And luckily, Jules is pretty good about giving into a laid-back weekend schedule. Here's how we go about our easy breezy weekend mornings...

Tunes and brunch on Saturday. For us, Saturday mornings are about staying in bed for as long as possible. Jules wakes up anywhere between 7:30 and 8:30 and climbs into my bed to watch TV. He gets his milk as usual, but we don't head over to the kitchen to have breakfast. Instead, we have something small like a muffin in bed (who would've thought I'd ever eat in bed!) and just hang for the rest of the morning. When the weather cooperates, we walk over to the park for a bit before brunch. Otherwise, I pull up one of our fav Pandora weekend stations and we dance, color or play low-key games...ultimately, we just chill.

image via here

Pancakes and flowers on Sunday. Pancakes and OJ have become our Sunday ritual. I cook up an entire batch and refrigerate some for the week ahead. This has really helped us shake up our weekday breakfast routine and it gives me a break throughout the week as well.

image via here

I've also started to embrace Sunday morning food experiences (referring to grocery shopping as food experiences makes it feel less dreadful). I usually try to avoid running errands on the weekends, but given my new approach to food experiences and my handy shopping list, I've taken to making this part of our Sunday routine (when necessary). I try to make it fun for Jules by encouraging him to call out the names and colors of the food. And the folks at Trader Joe's are great about handing out stickers or balloons (proof of the sticker fun below). He also insists that we have flowers in the house at all times (when we don't have any he walks around saying 'my flowers mama, what happened') so he helps me pick them out. And with Spring around the corner (I hope), Sunday morning trips to the farmers market will help set a relaxed tone for our Sunday fundays.