Ivey recently received several clothing items from her Great Grandma as a birthday gift. One of these items is this striped straw sunhat from Gymboree. It is currently on sale for only $6.99 and I am tempted to purchase the next size up so she can enjoy it next year as well.

Not only is it more stylish than a baseball cap but it provides better sun protection for her neck and ears.

Because it is made out of straw her head stays cool and she actually keeps it on!

Does your little peanut wear hats? If so, what are your favorites?

I have gotten a few questions about who should wear this necklace. Is it for moms? Your kids? Pets? Well the answer is- for EVERYONE (if you are willing to attach it to Scruffy’s collar!). I specifically designed this necklace to make it an easy wear for anyone who supports a good smile. Being 16 inches, it’s the perfect, versatile length.

I had a model casting… and a few of my friends and neighbors were kind enough to do a little modeling for me… here’s what came about:

How cute is this necklace on this toddler? She loved it so much she didn’t want to take it off!

Can you imagine your daughter wearing this necklace to the first day of Kindergarten? I sure can.

This necklace is still cool and hip enough for those hard to please teenagers!

And as a mom, it is also perfect for YOU. When was the last time you actually treated yourself to something special?

This necklace was specifically designed for Faces of Tomorrow and includes:

• a sterling silver 16 inch ball chain with clasp
• a dime sized disk hand-stamped with the word “smile.”
• a butterfly charm to represent the transformation these surgeries provide
• a 4mm white glass pearl bead to symbolize a pearly white smile along with several smaller seed beads to add additional detail.

This is a limited edition piece, and will only be sold from Monday, June 21 until Wednesday, June 30. This necklace sells for $40 and 100% of the proceeds will go to FOT – that’s $20 a necklace!! The proceeds go directly to the charity- OpenSky doesn’t see a dime, and I don’t see a penny- just some more happy kids on this planet!

Like any mother of a smiling baby, I know the joy a smile can bring. This is why I have teamed up with a handful of absolutely brilliant and amazing people to bring this necklace and this fundraiser to life.

Buy this necklace and together we can help Faces of Tomorrow fulfill their mission by providing free medical and surgical processes to children with facial deformities around the world.

This necklace was specifically designed for Faces of Tomorrow and includes:

• a sterling silver 16 inch ball chain with clasp
• a dime sized disk stamped with the word “smile.”
• a butterfly charm to represent the transformation these surgeries provide
• a 4mm white glass pearl bead to symbolize a pearly white smile along with several smaller seed beads to add additional detail.

What are you waiting for?
This is a limited edition piece, and will only be sold from Monday, June 21 until Wednesday, June 30. This necklace sells for $40 and 100% of the proceeds will go to FOT – that’s $20 a necklace directly to charity I nor OpenSky is making a dime or even covering our costs!

I recently attended a “blogger junket” at TJ Maxx. Since the San Francisco TJ Maxx is less than a mile from my house I felt like it was kismet. It was held first thing in the morning (thankfully they served us coffee) and its goal was to show us why off-price retailers are a better way to shop.

The event was lead by style expert Alison Deyette who chatted up TJ Maxx’s buying power, savings, product quality, and in-season merchandise. Alison shared two pieces of advice that I found very helpful. First, shopping at TJ Maxx is all about the thrill of the hunt. Head into TJ Maxx searching for the perfect black dress and you will walk out disappointed. Instead, go looking for a cute dress and you will be thrilled. Secondly, she suggested shopping with a trusted girlfriend, one that will actually tell you the truth about your butt in those jeans.

My initial thoughts:

As a new mom I don’t have time to “hunt” for clothes. To be honest, I consider myself lucky when I find time to wash my hair.

And then…

• I realized it might be time to retire my maternity clothes – it has been nine months since the baby was born after all.
• The San Francisco TJ Maxx has a great parking lot which actually makes it more convenient than shopping in Union Square.
• Since TJ Maxx supplied me with a $150 $100 gift card for attending the junket the least I could do was spend their money.

The best part of the event? Hanging out with my Heather & Whitney from Rookie Moms. I only wish I had brought my copy of The Rookie Mom’s Handbook for Heather to sign.

BTW – Anyone up for a trip to TJ Maxx? I could use a shopping buddy and my gift card is burning a whole in my pocket.

Carry your laptop in style! SERIOUSLY, not a day goes by that I don’t get one or more (okay let’s call it average of 3) compliments on my laptop sleeve. These ever occurring compliments are always from some “hip” fashion forward individual who appears to have walked right off the pages of a magazine and whose style (if we’re doing the whole honest thing) I would love to successfully imitate.  It makes me feel FABULOUS when these “hipsters” compliment ME on MY laptop sleeve.

Usually, I just try to act cool, you know-smile and say, “thank you.” Try to pretend looking so fab comes naturally. Give them that shrug like, “yep, that’s how I roll.”

But really, I’m dying to strike up an lengthy conversation about how much I LOVE it, how much constant attention I get from it, and how FABULOUS I feel as I carry my laptop around in style.

What they would never believe, is that it only costs $27 bucks. Not bad considering it successfully protects my precious laptop that, let’s face it, contains pretty much my entire life.

So here’s the bottom line: This oilcloth laptop sleeve in Toile White (or any other color for that matter) is a high quality fashion item at a reasonable price.

Specifications:

• fully padded interior
• dimensions are 15″ x 2″ x 1″
• zippered sleeve
• outside pocket to carry extra papers, cords, etc.

Here’s the Deal:
The items I use day in and day out are worth SO much in my book. Anyways – I got FREE SHIPPING on this for you! You will get so much use out of this bag that its $27 price tag is a steal.  Think you can find it cheaper? I dare you to Google it – I have, and since I am offering this product pretty much at cost I feel confident that I am the low price leader.  So what are you waiting for? You know you want it. When you’re going through check out – enter code SleeveShip5 and voila! FREE SHIPPING (Only until 5/20).

Oh, and THEN, once you’ve received your sleeve… please comment on this post to let me know how much you love it too

About this series: Every week I pick a product from my shop and let you know why I love it. When possible, I will work with OpenSky and/or the Supplier to bring you a discount for the week that product is featured. All products featured are ones I feel are either GOOD for you and/or GOOD for the environment. I really hope you find these products to be as FUN and FABULOUS as I do.

After years of not being able to find stylish dresses that covered enough skin to make you really feel comfortable, owners of Shabby Apple decided to do something about it. They visited trade shows, marketplaces and designer studios only to discover the problem was not that department stores weren’t buying the right dresses, but that designers weren’t designing them. They found a niche and began filling it with beautiful dresses that allow you to look fabulous no matter your age, shape or size.

Personally I am impressed with Shabby Apple and their little black dresses for the following four reasons:

Ethical Business Practices
In this global economy I appreciate that Shabby Apple donates 5% of its net dress sales to help women worldwide. These funds specifically support work in India where Shabby Apple has sourced many of its dresses and the textiles. I also love that each Shabby Apple dress includes a tag which features a micro-credit success story as it helps me mentally connect their global business practices to my specific dress.

High Quality Product
I was really impressed with the quality of the product. Too often  other manufactures at the same price point that have loose stitching or fabrics that will only last a season. This is not the case with Shabby Apple. The fabric and the stitching is high quality and suspect it will look just as great several seasons from now.

Selection and Flattering Fit
Their selection of “little black dresses” include multiple styles and cuts that would flatter a wide variety of body types. The styles are somewhat modest (yet fashionable) and extremely appropriate for the modern mom. My specific dress (called the “Tiery-Eyed”) which meant to be snug, was amazingly flattering due to tiers of soft frills that bedeck the simple silhouette of the stretch cotton dress. These frills are important because they essentially made my post baby belly virtually disappear.

Several Easy to Clean Options
Clothes that can be washed in cold and line dried has always been my preference since this is more environmental friendly than dry cleaning. As mother, easy to clean clothes that can be quickly washed and air dried has become a necessity. Shabby Apple has a surprising assortment of dresses that meet both these needs.

Discloser: Shabby Apple  was kind enough to provide me with a Tiery-Eyed dress in black for review purposes.

For YEARS I have been hunting for the perfect purple purse and finally this season I am lucky enough see them everywhere. The following are some of my favorites:

1. Foley + Corinna Mid City Tote ($379)
2. Hobo International’s Iris ($42.99)
3. The Morelle Truffle ($235)
4. Bungaloe’s Reclaimed Leather Pleated Clutch ($48)
5. TenStreetsaks’ Rufflette ($35)

Question for readers: What color purse are you passionate about?

I have to be honest, I started shopping for photo pendants the second I found out I was pregnant. I have always thought they were the quintessential mom jewelry, second only to necklaces made out of macaroni. I feel that photo pendants are a great way to show of your baby as well as keep your favorite memories close to your heart.

I did my homework and shopped around. As a result, I am proud to say that I found the perfect photo pendant at walmart.com for the following reasons:

Great Price
At $14.52 per pendant I find this product very reasonably priced. Make sure to select Site to Store for free shipping to your local Walmart.

Quality Product
A tiny reproduction of your photo is set into high quality sterling silver and sealed permanently with water-resistant, UV resistant coating, creating a quality, lasting charm. No need to remove when showering or swimming. To care for it simply polish the silver as needed with a silver cloth or soak the pendant in silver dip for a few seconds until shiny.

Full Discloser: When not on maternity leave I hold a full time position as a Senior Manager of Creative Operations at walmart.com however the opinions expressed on this blog are my own and don’t reflect those of my employer.

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• iPod Earphones Pendant by Nathan Thomas (design-milk.com)

It is no secret that I am crazy about the Truffle Bag by morelle (see my Lovely in Lilac post from last month). It meets all my criteria for a good bag. It is handmade, colorful, functional, large enough to double as a diaper bag and yet sturdy enough to hold a laptop.  Although Katie Grigoratou (owner and designer of morelle) has also designed Truffles made out of canvas and linen I am particularly fond of the ones she makes out of colored leather.

To be honest, I wasn’t planning to buy another Truffle (at least not this year) but then I caught wind of her Winter Collection. When I spotted not only the green leather Truffle but a purple one, I knew I would not be able to resist. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a good leather bag in purple or green? It is HARD. I have been trying for years. I came close once, with a large green leather bag by Tano, but ultimately it lacked the function and durability that I require (the lining ripped constantly, the snaps broke and it never held my stuff in an organized fashion).

The only thing that stopped me from buying them both today is the fact that she is completely out of stock. I contacted her and she assured me that she is presently hard at work in her studio trying to meet the demand. So for now I’ll be patient and wait (just like everyone else) but with any luck I will be sporting a Truffle in both green and purple sooner rather than later.

Additional Tip: Besides green, purple, lilac, cobalt blue, white, and teal the leather Truffle comes in additional colors as well. If you are interested in a specific color please contact Katie to discuss.