how does color feel? Spring 2013 color palatte is complete!

Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.

 - Rabindranath Tagore

Clouds are sure to enter our children's lives as they grow, just talk to my 5 year old daughter about the social complexities of kindergarten! But, looked at from just such a perspective, and they can be seen to add more color...more character...more dimension to an already rich, beautiful life. 

I'd like to believe that is where life finds me, personally, right now. 

The last couple months have found me deeeeeeply into design. Color, prints, graphics, hang tags, labels. It's not done yet either! But, it's progressing to a point where I have room to share on this blog again. 

Like all things with this line, the color selection was very intentional. I want all our babies wrapped in the most inspiring, pure, clean colors I could dream up. 

I know that I pick a blue shirt, black dress, white sundress, etc. out of my closet because that is what I feel like for the day. Your babies don't get that choice, but you do on their behalf. Consider how you're dressing your babies, what feeling are you passing along in color, print or artwork? It is uplifting? funny? cuddly? It's a moment you get to embrace with them. You literally get to wrap your children up in a feeling from you.

Here are some photos and artwork that inspired me when I was picking colors. Do any of them speak to you?

things are looking up: inspired moments

it's warm, sunny, and all you have to do is lay down in the grass,
reach out for the hand next to you, and look up. 

just. BE. right. there. 

…maybe you'll point out an unusual shape…

…you'll whisper, because you're respectful of the moment…

 

…your mind wanders, and it goes nowhere at the same time…

…you take a deep breath and really exhale. and suddenly, an idea hits you. it's a good one.
you feel the excitement churn in your belly. you smile. this is good.

i saw these on sweet peach and I've been looking at them all week. They are  Kathryn Kolb's photography, and I am HOOKED. There is no end to the many ways they inspire me.
I've got ideas for prints, business cards and watercolor artwork…
I want to hike, swim, garden and make mojitos! 

happy friday all! wishing you many inspired moments this weekend!

Show me what you got!

Sorry I'm so late with this post. It's been a whirl wind leading up to and coming off of attending the shows this weekend in NYC. I'm talking about the ENK Childrens Club and Playtime New York shows.

My goal: see where my brand fit, and check out brands/booths that impressed us and why

My dream team: Kim Salter of Design Thoughts: a crazy talented interior designer and author of the popular Design Thoughts blog, Dominika Fanning: smart, fashion savvy, visual merchandiser, and me: well, you know me. 

Leading up to the show, I'd planned a fun girls day filled with inspiration with my dream team.

Surprise! my son got an ear infection in both ears and one drum perforated.

Surprise! Dream Team mbr Dominika couldn't make it bc both of her babies had a stomach flu. Surprise! an unexpected meeting to gain valuable feed back that I had to prep for

I think a lot of you are going to relate to this. HOW am I going to get this all done?

There were some ugly moments…

Andrew: (gently, & kindly) rubbed my shoulders, almost 1am and I was still preparing

Me: (growling like a rabid dog) don't touch me! 

side note: was I INSANE?? baaaad behavior on my part!

There were some perfect moments…

Emails filled with words of encouragement and rock solid belief in me, the brand and what it stands for from all my beautiful friends. 

There were real moments…

Jonah crying on my lap while I applied eye liner, rubbed his back, kissed his cheek and played "pretend we're kittens" with Ava, while going over my mental notes. 

In the end, what needed to get done, got done. I crammed, I let go of a few things, and I did what was most important to get done, first. 

The shows were GREAT! Kim pointed out as she was looking over the sea of booths, colors and textures, "Look at these dreams! Every single one of them made it there. These are all real dreams come true. Some will make it, some wont." Her comment really hit me. 

We hit ENK Childrens Club first. Overall impression is that show is about business. People were there to shop, and the booths were there to sell. Was it just me? I could feel it in the air, and the reactions we got to us looking. Some were really excited to talk to a fellow new brand. Some, eehhh, not so much.

First pic is from one of our favorite booths we visited. Luna Leggings. 

Jennie Hearing was about the nicest person you want to meet, AND I loved her leggings. Really fun, unexpected, playful but hip & sophisticated color combos! That is not an easy balance to strike. To top it off, in our estimation, her booth was perfect. The first thing you saw was a clear shot to a creative, artful, carefully curated selection of her leggings, ie, she successfully showcased her pieces. That was flanked with very emotionally appealing pictures that just exuded fun and cool! The other prints and sizes were nealty hung to one side, not over crowded at all. We thought this booth not only had it's product right, but had it's visual approach right. Great colors, great display, very cool woman. I'm totally buying some for Ava. She will LOVE!

Next up, we both, like, fell over ourselves in love with poeme&poesie. Every single garment was a piece of art. Talk about special details! Words cannot express, so here are some pics...

Her booth, and the little overalls I fell in love with. Can't you just see a cute belly filling those out?!

Do you see this adorable little dude riding a horse on this bootie?!

me holding up a gown by poeme&poesie. I love the classic gray with the special decorative button placket!

Another fun stop was at Laughing Out Loud. The line is developed out of Peru, so you know where I'm going with how these pieces felt, right? The fabrics were out of this world soft. The styles were cute, sophisticated, and we really wished they came in our size. She also did a wonderful job with her booth. It wasn't too overdone. The clothes spoke for themselves. I really think that say a lot. All the mood in the world gets you only so far.

Laughing Out Loud

Two other fun stops were Feather Baby and Tane Organics. 

We didn't get to stop and chat with Feather Baby. But, I've long been an admirer. Beautiful prints, soft and touches of special details. They really bring out and compliment that soft, sweet baby feeling! I would have posted a pic from their site, but that isn't an option, and I'm going to respect that. But, the link is clickable, above. Do check them out!

I discovered Tane Organics last year. She is friendly professional and creative. Her line was LOVELY! I would have bet my entire line we snapped some pics. But, I cannot find a one. So, I pulled this one off her site. How cute?!

Tane Organics

Next up, we headed to Soho to check out Playtime. Playtime is like a feast of the eyes. It's a children's art installation, really. Booths arranged amidst artful displays, and each booth adding to that. These pieces, and these lines, spoke more to the art of the garment design. Also, color-wise, there was a distinct overall color story: stone neutrals with pops of jewel toned and/or primary brights. Whereas at ENK my impression was that there was more overall variety of color that spoke to the brand.

me checking out some really creative children's artwork

the floor, art and design winding and weaving

knitted display. sorry a little blurry!

beautiful brights!

loved this mobile installation, the shadows literally danced on the walls

At the end of the day, what are two designing girls to do in soho?? Umm, yeah?! We went to Antique Garage, had a glass of Champagne, recapped the day, reminisced about the past and dreamed about the future!

It doesn't matter what filter I put on this pic. I just don't look cute in it.
So, let's look at Kim, instead! Look how beautiful she is!!

Cheers!

It looked like summer, but it was not

I have recently made every sincere commitment to blog regularly, but wrapping up business, overcoming a case of strep, and packing for a family of 4 overcame me this week.

We are actually on a little family vacation, complete with beach, sun, sand and 80 degrees. This is our first time on a big travel trip with two children, and with me working. The work doesn't stop, like it would in a traditional job. Neither does being a mom and wife. It's been interesting juggling it all, and I'm planning my Part Two of this post to fill you in a bit on how that all went from the mom/entrepreneur perspective. It wasn't without it's ups and downs. But, I will say for now, lessons learned and so far... pretty awesome.

Yesterday afternoon, while Jonah took a much (muuuuch, much, much, did I say much?) needed nap, Ava worked on a nature journal for her own little quiet time. She collected little bits and pieces from around our bungalow, and drew them into her book, then wrote a little story. The artist heart in me was just singing with delight watching her.

Me: Ava, I think a part of you is an artist like mommy!
Ava (very serious): Mom. My WHOLE BODY is!

PROLOGUE: The artist's method

Me peeking out at Ava while she's talking, singing and sounding out her words

more working, singing, sounding, imagining

CHAPTER 1: The Journey Begins

Our airplane. The houses in the back, left to right, are: home, Nantucket, Florida and China

Page 1: "Winter,…"

A dramatic beginning, makes you want more, right? :)
The root vegetable looking objects under the grass are hearts, bc "I love winter"

PAGE 2: "I went to the Florida House, and I..."

Smart girl already understands how to hook the reader with a cliff hanger

Page 3: "…loved it. It was winter, but it looked…"

The main character starts to question what she sees as real

Page 4: "…like summer, but it was not summer, but it looked like summer…"

The plot thickens, as we reach the height of conflict and understanding

 Page 5: "…every day it was hot."

All issues were resolved, and characters resolved to enjoy every day that it was hot,
even though it was winter but looked like summer. 

The end.

Epilogue: Behind the scenes

Missing in picture: VINB (very important napping boy). This is what was going on behind the scenes while I tried to complete this blog. NO small feat. I totally get guest blogging now.

The mood of the moment

I was inspired recently by art work from Surgarboo as seen on Sweet Peach.
Thank you Sweet Peach for bringing inspiration to me every day!

It's long been a plan of mine to create artwork for the line that is meaningful. When our babies are born, we want THE WORLD for them, don't we? We want to show it to them,
watch them experience, share in their joy, wipe away their tears,
and spoon feed all the love their hearts can hold. Right?

When saw this art, I believe it really got the to essence of a feeling, of a moment.
I was inspired to create a mood board around it. Check it out!

All images can be found on my pinterest boards

Happy Monday!

What can you discover?

It's 5 days into the season of love, and we are not done yet!

Don't loose steam, go big with love this weekend!!

Maybe your circumstances aren't ideal right now or this weekend, I myself am cuddling
my sick baby, and our weekend adventure with our family to Vermont is off.
But, don't let that be an excuse. Instead, let it be your motivation to
embrace your moments where & when you can, and enjoy them fully!

Below is a page from my daughter's art journal. This was the first art project she started
on her own. She's been drawing pictures ranging from exotic animals, to fantasy narratives,
to her ever day - her home and family, and writing descriptions to them.
Every page in a while, there is a little note, like this one below.

Out of the mouths of babes, adventure is in the eyes of the beholder!!

What can you discover??

Have a beautiful weekend!!

Love, me

lots of love

We like to call our favorite events "seasons" in my family. We all enjoy a good birthday season lasting approximately a full month. No kidding! I know Valentine's Day is over commercialized. But, conceptually, I love a day devoted to love. Because I don't think we should be limited to one day, ~ although it serves as a good reminder when we realize, once again, how good it feels to give and get waves of love ~ I'm calling it…this week it's the season of love. 

What do you love??

this man.

Where would I be without this man? My partner in making dreams come true.

these babies.

They teach me more about the person I am, and want to be, than anyone or anything.

this spoon.

Purchased 15 years ago!! Little friend has lost prongs, and is covered in heat scars. I've searched for replacements and come up empty. Just might be the last spoon of it's kind. On earth. I'll probably be unable to part with it at this point, anyhow. We've come through too much together. On diets, off diets, dinners alone, dinner dates, family dinners. I. Love. You. Pasta Spoon!

this necklace.

Bought by myself, for myself, after Ava was born. I read an article @ the designer,
HollyMariejewelry, and fell in love. When Jonah was born, I sent it back to her to add him.
This is my favorite piece of jewelry I own. People always stop me and ask where I got it, &
when Ava has tough day, she asks me to wear it, so she is close to my heart. Can't beat that. 

this coffee.

Their Kona Blend might be the best coffee I've ever had.

this picture.

This pic is on  my personal vision board on  pinterest. I just don't get tired of looking at it. 

this place.

 Sunset @ Madaket beach, Nantucket, ma. we fell in love here. we were engaged here. our family grew here.
It has one of the best sunsets you will find anywhere. All you have to do is walk on over and enjoy.
photo: wonderground

this nail polish.

my glitter girl got it from somewhere :) this is from butter london. color is all hail the queen.

this bear

I've always had a thing for bears.  I love this big guy. artist sarah maycock.  

this quote

very inspired by this quote right now as a mother and an entrepreneur.
author unknown