Posts filed under 'shopping'
Happy Holidays
Last Chance to Save Before the Holidays
If you are looking for something for someone small in your life and also want to support a small business, Funky Monkey Baby Boutique is offering a special holiday deal for you…Check out the uber-snuggly Baby Legs and the amazing clothing from the ever-so-hip Tea Collection, and the wonderful Automoblox that allow the little one in your life to build a very hip looking vehicle!!
From December 1st until December 15th:
Shop online:
Coupon Code: HOLIDAY2008 and SAVE 20%
on all your purchases (Some restrictions apply. See website for details.)
December 10th, 2008
I am a SmartWool junkie — I have drawers jammed with these snuggly socks and I wear them religiously, whether working out, hanging out, going out or sleeping. (Yup, Queen of Cold Feet here, I wear socks to bed even in summer.) And, they’re gloriously itch-free. So, it’s no wonder that I’m smitten with the darling SmartWool booties and socks for babes. The booties come in pairs: Gift them to one tiny, or split them up as part of gifts for two (or twins!). And, the patterns and colors are simply fun. Might as well top it all off with a hat at mitt set to keep them extra warm and dry.
The company itself is also something for conscientious moms to love. Sustainable business practices are important and, well, the product is made from a renewable resource: wool. Ten percent of every Web site purchase goes toward the company’s SmartPrint Advocacy Fund, through which it gives to nonprofit orgs dedicated to stewardship of the environment, healthy lifestyles, youth and responsible outdoors activity. SmartWool’s Breast Cancer Fund donates two percent of sales of its “Pink Ribbon” socks to to nonprofit orgs advocating breast cancer prevention and cure. SmartWool employees also get paid for up to 40 hours annually of nonprofit volunteer time. How smart is all that?
— Mama Kate
November 3rd, 2008
Since I’ve got a plethora of family and friends expecting babies (one any minute now, literally! Go Baby Bradford!), I thought I’d share this snippet of info. It seems a good fit, on the opposite end of the spectrum, with my October 31 bra-fitting post (no pun intended).
Nursing mamas: You DEFINITELY will need and want a nursing tank or two. I had three of them and wore them religiously. I recommend the Glamourmom Nursing Bra Tanks. They were supportive, didn’t give the uniboob effect, and allowed discreet nursing. Part of the strap unsnaps and pulls down (the other part stays over your shoulder and continues to support your breast), while the shirt part of the tank stays down, so don’t have to yank it up and expose your post-prego belly. There’s a hole ample enough for your nipple to peek through, but small enough that it doesn’t expose your breast.
Most people didn’t even know I was nursing when I was wearing my Glamourmom tanks. My cups ranneth over when I was nursing, but I even felt comfortable enough to wear one as a shirt (instead of just underneath a shirt) on sultry summer days. Speaking of hot summer days, Glamourmom also makes a nursing bra swim tankini.
The tanks come in several colors and patterns, and since my nursing days, Glamourmom has added several other products, including nursing tops, the Transition Nursing Bra Tank (more belly room, so it’s great if you’re still preggers!), and slip dresses.
Mama Kate
November 3rd, 2008
My god. I feel like a new woman. Now that I have a bra that actually fits. As you moms out there know, things change after having kids, from a rib cage that has permanently expanded, to cleavage that’s not so, well, perky. Yeah, I needed a little help.
Enter the two gals at Macy‘s in Madison, WI, who are trained fitters. Libby was my saving grace. Her first knowing comment was, your bra — the well-worn thing I walked into the store in — doesn’t fit. She measured me, then ran out to the floor to pick out a few sizes and styles and quite discreetly and quickly helped me try them on. I was a little self-conscious about that, but you know, I figure she’s seen it all. And probably then some.
I kid you not, the first two bras I tried on were perfect. Perfect! That has never happened, so I didn’t care that they were nearly $60 each. Usually bra shopping ends in a fit of curses, both at the fact that nothing seems to fit just right, and that, ugh, the lighting and mirrors in fitting rooms are so very unkind and lead to instant depression (I didn’t know I had all that cellulite there! Perhaps that’s how they sell all those fancy creams at the beauty counter… “We know what you saw in the mirror… here, try this!”).
Now I feel pert and perky and just right. No digging wires. My back instantly feels better. Lovely. And the fitting was free. Extra lovely.
My best free advice: Don’t wait until things settle in, i.e., you lose a little more baby weight. If you’re done nursing, get a bra that fits — NOW! Buy another properly fitting bra down the road if you plan to shed a few pounds (the fitter told me even 5 pounds could change the fit of a bra). Keep an eye on fitting events at your local department or underthings store. Often, they are for a cause (Wacoal, DKNY Underwear and Donna Karan Intimates teamed up for Fit for the Cure recent fitting events donated $2 for each woman fitted to breast cancer organizations). Or, you may get a special discount or offer: I bought 4 Wacoal bras, and have a 5th coming FREE.
Here are a few more tips I picked up from my fitter:
- You should have 3 bras: 1 for in the drawer, 1 for in the wash, 1 to wear. More, of course, are a bonus.
- Bras last about a year, depending on how many you have, and how you care for them (delicate or hand-wash and line dry are best).
- Don’t wear a bra 2 days in a row — it needs a day to recover it’s shape.
- Forget about white or nude colors. They show up super-bright under white t-shirts. Go for beige/skin tone. And of course, everyone needs a good black bra.
— Mama Kate
October 31st, 2008
We’ve found another kids cup to love: The Safe Sippy by Kid Basix.
Bret Plate, a father of two, was worried about the toxic components of plastics and how they may leach from his kids’ drinking cups and into their beverages. In search of a better alternative, he designedbeverage container of food-grade stainless steel, inside and out. All plastics used on the product are certified or tested free of BPA and pthalates (the company says it pays for independent lab tests to ensure the cups are free of these substances). The interior no-spill valve is made from silicone. Why are there no plastics on this cup, then? As the company says, nobody wants to sip on a steel straw.
The no-spill valve isn’t absolutely leakproof; the company admits that while the valve will prevent major spills, there still will be drips and dribbles when the cup is inverted. I haven’t found a perfectly hermetically sealed sippy cup, so I can live with a few drips. And I appreciate that this one’s easy to put together, and has saved us from those leaks caused by “assembly-mom error.” The removable outer sleeve adds a nice grip-factor for kids, especially if you choose not to use the sleek little handles, and also insulates cold drinks from their little mitts.
The Safe Sippy is easy to clean, and is dishwasher safe. We wash ours the fast, easy and green way: in the recommended solution of baking soda, vinegar and hot water, the same way we wash our other stainless steel containers.
And, well, the cup’s styling is just plain cool. It comes in three great color combinations: stainless steel and orange paired with bright blue, turquoise or hot pink. In fact, it’s so cool, my kids fight over the single Safe Sippy we have. Guess I should finally purge all those plastic cups and stock my shelves with these.
Mama Kate
August 18th, 2008
“I’m obsessed,” said Natalie Bass the first time I asked her how she finds the awesome fabrics and combinations for OrangyPorangy, her line of metro, retro and cool “fine ladywear.” Bass’s skirts in particular are arty, graphic, sometimes even sweet, but never boring — and as a mom on the run with little time for wardrobe/styling, I don’t want to be the latter if I can help it.
“I look for bold, graphic designs that catch the eye, but are not too busy. I love contrast, which is why I pick a lot of black and white prints. They also go with everything,” says Bass. She unearths her ever-changing array of fabrics everywhere, from antiques and thrift shops to e-bay for vintage patterns, and wholesalers for designer prints. “I look for what I like and what I would wear. My clothing designs are very simple; I let the fabric do most of the work. It makes having style easy. You can pair one of my bold, graphic skirts with a very simple top and a fun pair of shoes — everyone has those in their closet.”
“Most of the prints I pick also tend to have a vintage or retro feel. I love fashion from the ’60s; styles were so simple, yet so bold,” Bass adds. Currently she’s got two skirt lines — Poly, made of reclaimed fabrics “for your wearing pleasure,” and Opal, two-tiered with various fabrics — and Jane dresses, “simple, but never plain.” Frankly, I’d buy her stuff just for the cleverness with which she describes it all.
OrangyPorangy skirts flatter all body types. Really. “I have found that the A-line is a miracle of nature,” says Bass. “It looks good on everyone. It’s really comfortable, too.” While she doesn’t do commissions — wedding dresses, for example — she does do custom work, including making special sizes or lengths. She’s also considering making kids’ skirts.
I love that thanks to the cut and the fabulous prints Bass has chosen, I can wear strappy sandals one day with my skirt, and chunky shoes the next. And, of course, black; Bass tries to craft her skirts so they coordinate with that wardrobe staple.
You can find her skirts at OrangyPorangy.com (hey! free shipping all August long!) and around the country in a few hip boutiques. If you live in Madison, WI, on Farmers’ Market Saturdays you can visit her tent at the top of State Street and try them on for yourself. I dare you to walk away with just one.
The tagline on her fashions is reclaimed, recycled, really cute. And, truly, OrangyPorangy’s skirts make me feel terribly flirty in a modern, no-girlish-”frills” sort of way. Hmmm. I think I’ve found a new obsession, too.
Mama Kate
August 7th, 2008
Modern Tots has the fashionably mod kids chair you have been looking for and it is called the Cubino Chair. It’s hip’s answer to the puffy character driven seating that is available at most kids stores…
This little chair can add pizazz to any one of your rooms while affording your child some pint-sized seating accommodations.
Completely removable and washable seat covers—need I say more?
Mama Jen
August 3rd, 2008
I like my jewelry to be bold, especially since I usually wear only one piece at a time. And, while it needs to have presence, it’s got to be less than gargantuan, i.e., not so chunky that it fills the entire short/little space between my shoulders and ears.
Enter Stubborn. Artist Melissa Stiles’ pieces are eye-stoppers (and, apparently, people-stoppers — I can’t wear my orange Olicook without being plied with inquiries). Stiles handcrafts her earrings, bracelets, cufflinks, rings and necklaces from stainless steel, aluminum and silver and fills them with opaque resins in hip colors (brown, red, orange, citrine, graphite, even turquoise, blue and pink).
Stiles’ pieces are simple statements. To me they’re perfect modern minimalist objects: They don’t overwhelm, but they demand notice. I like the contrast, too: a bold piece suspended on a delicate wire, the industrial shine of silver partnered with earthy texture and tones of the resins.
Stiles started out as an architect and then became enamored with metal smithing. Now she’s in Portland, Oregon — that hotbed of creativity — and is “no longer an architect, but still stubborn and still making jewelry.” That’s bold, too.
Mama Kate
July 14th, 2008
Look at these amazingly cute, cute, CUTE bath capes! I absolutely love the idea…functional, imagination inspiring and fashionable!
These 100% terry cloth bath capes drape over your shivering little superhero and button in front so your little one can run around hands-free and warm!!! These would solve a big problem in our house—chattering teeth because our daughter’s towel—even though it has a hood— falls off, or is flailing wide open while she is destracted with some fun task her hands have gotten her into. A button would fix that in a heartbeat!
This Chicago based company that hand makes these capes, will emblazon a bath cape for your child and ship the item out two weeks or less from the time of order.
Mama Jen
June 11th, 2008
Kice Kice is a clothing boutique for kids with a big conscience. The gorgeous, artfully designed clothing is 100% certified organic and sweatshop free.
Kice Kice is created by twin sisters in Southern California who both have art backgrounds—it shows in their clean, modern, whimsical designs. The clothes all are comfortable which leaves lots of flexibility for play. I don’t know about how it goes in your house, but my daughter insists on “cozy clothes” which is her definition for soft cotton clothing with elastic…I agree!
Mama Jen
June 3rd, 2008
Next Posts
Previous Posts
