Every Mother Counts and Weekend Fun

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

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.

Sunset Beach

I love getting the email from Sunset Beach every year announcing their opening date. The images are always great. And I officially get excited for summer fun.

Hello...again

It's been a little over three weeks since my last post! To say life has been hectic is an understatement. I had to head down to Miami for work so I got to spend a couple of days enjoying the sun and surf with my little one and my sister. It's always nice to disconnect and enjoy the beach, but it's so much more amazing to share the experience with my love. And he's a water sign to boot.

I've been all about cooking since I got back from my trip so I was excited to learn that Todd Selby is taking his knack for profiling creative individuals in their equally creative spaces to the kitchens of creative food people with the launch of Edible Selby. The pictures alone are enough to get me over to the new site, but there are recipes too.

 

More fringe and agate

I'm loving Refinery29's feature on jewelry designer Mimi Jung. Her space is full of gorgeous little details. And I love that her creations inhabit her home as well. I'm trying to decide which one of her lovely rope bracelets I need on my wrist like asap!

  
I love how all the white really makes this space looks pulled together and nicely organized. And the chandelier is lovely.

I been on the hunt for a creative way to divide my bedroom...Fringe!! 

She used leftover agate pieces from her jewelry collection to create a unique tabletop. Love!

 

Here's a wide picture of the table. It's a vintage drum she uses as a tea table. 

One of her beautiful pieces. She shares: "When I created my jewelry line, I wanted to make sure the pieces were as beautiful when displayed as objects as they are when worn." 

 

This just made me smile because dinosaurs have officially become part of my design aesthetic thanks to Jules. 

images via Refinery29

The Brook&Lyn collection. And she designed a piece for Of a Kind. Have a great weekend!

Starting the week off right

Words to live by. And inspiration to plow through my to-do list.

 

via groundwork on etsy

Weekend sewing projects

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.

Dreamy photographs

Dreamy prints from Lonny via their Etsy shop

Flags, fun and freebies

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

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.

Feeding my animal obsession

I can't decide if I want this guy over my desk or in Julian's room.

Jules loves it when I wear jewelry (yet another thing for him to play with). He'll surely get a kick out of this ring.

Found this cutie at a local thrift shop. We've got a lot of giraffes around here. 

I adore owls

Bikram convert

I've been practicing yoga on and off for many years. But I've struggled to keep a steady practice post-baby. The yoga studio I visit is too far out of the way and their schedule no longer works for me. I'm also feeling uninspired by my home practice. My energy level is low and I feel very out of shape. So when I spotted the nearby Bikram Yoga at the Palisades I became excited but equally hesitant. As much as I love yoga, I had ruled Bikram out a long time ago. I don't fare well in the heat and I have a very sensitive nose! But given that my local options are limited (and I'm not a gym person whatsoever), I figured I would give it a try. And coincidentally, Bikram came up in a conversation with two friends over the weekend. And while they echoed the same sentiments about how tough it was, they also raved about how good they felt afterwards. I was sold. 

So I talked myself into taking a class yesterday. And I kid you not, I literally had to push myself to go. I kept thinking how much I was going to regret sticking myself in a hot room for 90 minutes. I felt nervous and a bit on edge, but I didn't want to walk into the situation already thinking it was going to be a failure. So I cleared my mind and psyched myself up for the challenge. 

My nerves began to unravel upon walking into the room because I didn't expect it to already be that hot. But I put mind over matter and pushed through. And I'm surprised to say that I actually loved it! It really wasn't as hot as I was expecting it to be. I thought the heat was going to make it impossible to breath but it didn't. And my body adjusted pretty quickly. The challenge was super intense, but great. I felt really focused, very connected and accomplished. I'm hooked. Later in the day, I was actually daydreaming about heading over to an evening class. Crazy!

I'm sore today but still feel good. I'm taking two more classes this week as part of my trial membership and will make my membership official next week. I'm excited to get back into a practice and looking forward to the challenge. Any locals willing to join me? Anyone willing to share their Bikram experience?

 image here

Color me happy

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

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!

 

I'm loving all things fringe

I spent the last couple of days compiling images of style trends for a client report. While perusing the runway coverage, I came across Isabel Marant's fringe fest, as seen through the lens of Garance Doré. Words can't describe how much I love these boots. So much so, that I'd love to have this first image displayed in my living room!

The pieces are beautiful, but the images are truly stunning.

Too bad I got rid of my fringe boots back (back) in the day!