Gap Give + Get {minnie edition}

So far I've found only one little sale top for myself (the Gap lipstick print blouse in purple... OOTD coming soon) but at GapKids my girls found lots to buy with the Give + Get coupon. They put together these outfits yesterday and we also found my oldest's new warm winter coat. This G+G ends tomorrow, so I am thinking I may be adding a couple more things for an online order too. The kids' range is just so adorable right now. And, oh my, the toddler girls' is too too cute - but I just can't squeeze them back into 5Ts.

Embellished tulle skirts in silver and blue galaxy, Turtleneck tops in icy pink and heather gray, Chiffon ruffle cardigan in true black, Sparkly belt in silver, Furry hoodie in heather gray

we bought the gray hoodie - different than pictured in Polyvore... I don't see this online now

Happy Saturday!

xoxo

Dressing the Minnies

I have always loved shopping for my little ones... all those sweet details, fun fabrics and colors... girly-girl matching sets and precious little boy outfits too. Now that they are 8, 6, and 5, my three are definitely developing their own opinions and senses of style. I won't go into all their preferences and stages, but wanted to share my favorite brands and stores -- where I have found I can put together wardrobes one, two, or all of them like -- that are still presentable and age-appropriate (and cute!).

CWD Kids - great source for themed clothing (4th of July, animals -- I found outfits for my daughter's Panda Party here), as well as some boutique brands, lots of fun, mod prints for girls and cute tees for little boys.

Gymboree - regularly comes out with themed collections with mix and match options for boys and girls; always lots of matching accessories - jewelry, purses, shoes, socks -- and lately scarves. Join the free rewards program for reward certificates and other perks. Frequent sales and Gymbucks.

Hanna Andersson - organic jammies and oko-tex certified pieces, fun prints and stripes, matching brother/sister holiday outfits; love their Hanna-Me-Downs program; great deals can be found at their outlets.

Indygo Artwear - an incredible South African brand; absolutely gorgeous clothing made from fabric hand-painted in Cape Town... we have many sets and dresses from Indygo - just beautiful and unique; carried at boutiques, some online shops like A Child's Closet and can also be found from sellers on ebay.

Janie and Jack - Gymboree's pricier brand, aimed at grandparents and gift-givers... known for nostalgic prints and attention to detail.

Lilly Pulitzer - fun & bright! love the printed shift dresses; have been known to buy matching dresses for my girls and myself.

Mini Boden - excellent quality, fun prints, cute tees for boys and girls; frequent %-off deals and free shipping.

Naartjie - 100% pre-washed cottons - easy to mix and match color collections, good prices and sales; 11 new collections are released each year from this super-fun South African brand.

Petit Bateau - great cotton basics for boys and girls, nice jammies and unders; post on my Parisian shopping sprees here; I've since also ordered from them online... I like their tees for myself too and they recently started carrying men's.

Strasburg - lovely smocked dresses and special occasion-wear.

Target - of course!

Wheat - amazing Danish brand I found in Charlottenlund last summer. Sold at many shops in Denmark and also available in a few other countries and the UK. This website will ship throughout Europe and to many Asian countries, as well as some places in the Middle East. I've not been able to find in the US.

Wooden Soldier - another great source for special occasion dressing -- my children's Easter and Christmas outfits are usually from here or Strasburg.

I have also found great pieces at crewcuts, Gap, Nordstrom, and Old Navy but I don't check them very often. Nordstrom carries boutique brands and has also most recently added some Hanna and Mini Boden. Some other boutique brands I really liked and bought when my little ones were smaller are Baby Lulu, Baby Nay, Icky Baby, Pineapple Kiss, Soup and Zaza Couture.

Emma Saxton makes beautiful hair bows - loads of colors, styles, and sizes, plus "made to match" styles that will coordinate with collections from stores like Gymboree, Naartjie, and Hanna Andersson.

Happy Shopping!

xoxo

Petit Bateau {at the Arc de Triomphe & atop the Eiffel Tower}

Petit Bateau = Little Boat.

It reminds me of the phrase "the sea is so wide and my boat is so small", which I believe is taken from an Irish fisherman's prayer.

Ahhh... love, love, love this brand. Thank you so much to Ema for recommending this shop while in Paris. I visited the little store on Champs Elysees three times, finding loads of goodies every time. I mostly bought things for my children - and when I took them on one of the trips they found many, many things themselves that they liked - but I did manage to buy some fabulous tees for myself and also a black double layer dress that I wore on the flight home with black leggings and a pewter Jackie... sooo comfy!

Here are some snaps of my finds from the first two shopping trips (on the third I just bought a few little things for the kids and the black dress... sorry did not get a pic of that). OH! And I didn't mention most of the things I bought were between 20% to 50% off! This was a perfectly timed trip and much of Paris was on sale! My Hubby got some great things at Faconnable, including the most gorgeous pale blue cashmere sweater, and most of that store was 50% off. I also bought my girls some things at Zara & H&M with similar deals.

Shopping Trip #1

Shopping Trip #2

(The light blue striped tee is adorable - it is almost tissue weight but double-layered and reverses to a picture of a mermaid with a French phrase)

xoxo

Today's crewcuts Visit

So, I recently got a notice in a catalog that a crewcuts store was opening in Seattle, along with a $25 off $100 purchase card... so guess where I was today?!

crewcuts is adorable. The store reminded me somewhat of Janie and Jack although at every turn I saw some scaled down, child-like version of something I would love to wear myself (or own already)!

The headbands alone are a reason to skedaddle on over to this store... big flowers, little flowers, chiffon roses, sparkle... in lovely colors! They are currently having a promotion where if you buy 2 or more hair accessories, they are 30% off, which made the flower clippie $5.95 and the headband $11.55. Not bad. However, this was just about the only deal... prices are high! A couple colors of a polo were on sale in the boys' section, along with plain tees and some seersucker. In the girls section, the hair pretties were the only promo except for some plain tees. Once they start running some promos and marking down, I'll be back.

Here's what I got:

Flower Headband in pink, Fluffy Flower Clip in navy, the Cecelia Skirt in pink and navy ($28. ea.) and the Slub Cotton Habotai Tank in pink and navy ($24 ea.).

just like the rolling ruffles tank in a skirt... I want one!

... and I also picked up the June catalog and can't wait to flip through. Hope everyone is having a nice weekend!

Coastal Swim arrives amid snow...

Yes. It snowed all morning. And me all in my "peek of pink" capri pants & ballet flats ensemble. With cold ankles. After yesterday's sunny afternoon in my Uggs and turtleneck, I guess I should have known!

Anyway, sometime during the flurries, my UPS man delivered this little brown box from Janie and Jack - full of Coastal Swim for my three little ones. Navy, bright red, crisp white - with sailboats, lighthouses, and beach umbrellas!

The parasol dresses for some reason give me visions of Coco Chanel seaside in Biarritz circa 1915 and 4th of July on a sunny modern-day Florida beach. Love! The little sailboat swim trunks are adorable and I love the signature J&J applique-work and embroidery. I can always count on them for cute things for my girls and little boy too.

...and a little more giraffe

It really is a giraffe-y day! Guess what was in my mailbox this afternoon... the darling Lilly shifts from CWD Kids that I just recently ordered for my girls! That was fast! They are so bright and cheery. I'm thinking Easter Egg Hunt...

Janie & Jack F&F

Janie and Jack is one of my favorite clothing stores for my little ones and this weekend is their Friends & Family event. For anyone who didn't get the email, the online code is JJFRIEND, and that takes 25% off of your total purchase. Also, if you spend over $100, they are throwing in free shipping. Great promotion!

My favorite collections right now are Ciao Bella (for girls), Little Rome (for boys) and Coastal Swim for both. I just placed my order for some Coastal Swim for my three. Reviews from a box of cute little things coming shortly!

Parasol Dress, $48

J&J's dress, J&J's picture

Seaside Swim Trunk, $28

J&J's trunks, J&J's picture

My Girls' First Lilly Shifts!

I just ordered my girls their very first Lilly Pulitzer shift dresses! I was having trouble resisting the pink giraffe print with the cutie pie green trim at a marked-down price... so when CWD Kids sent me a free shipping code (CFWLV2 - good today only!) - I had to order. So I have a couple of these little lovelies on their way for my little lovelies! Yay! Now I just need to find a green polo and some white shorts for their little brother and we will all be feeling summer! :)

Pink Giraffe Print Lilly Pulitzer Shift Dress - was $68, now $59.99

Lilly's shift, CWD Kids' picture