Monthly Archives: March 2010

The Get Fresh Crew: J. Crew for Kiddos.

March 2, 2010Big Kiddo, Kiddo Style: ModernAlix

Once upon a time I wouldn’t be caught dead in anything J. Crew. Navy roll neck sweaters? Eh. Boxy white mock turtle necks? Meh. Chino khakis? Yawn. Now don’t get me wrong. I totally owned a copy of “The Official Preppy Handbook” back in the 80’s and yes I went to my friend Suzanne Chardoul’s “Preppy” party in 8th grade and made everyone call me Muffy (I’m not joking). But J. Crew wasn’t even peppy preppy. It was basics preppy. And sadly basics=boring.

And then something happened. Something wonderful. The skies parted, the sun came out and the Land of J. Crew was transformed into a glorious preppy-chic land of rainbow goodness! Jeweled sandals! Brilliant colored cardigans! Funky accessories! Modern silhouettes! Suddenly, J Crew was FUN.

A lot of this transformation credit goes to Creative Director Jenna Lyons, who worked herself up the ranks and turned J Crew into a mega successful operation. One of her ventures was to take the same stylish sensibility she brought to her women’s wear and bring it to the land of kiddos. Crew Cuts launched in 2005 and I have to say it’s pretty fab. It’s like they took a little gamma ray gun and shrunk everything down to peewee size. The clothing is kiddo-friendly, has lots of fun details and pops of vibrant colors. Just take a look at these two cuties! Check out those hot pink tights on the little girl and I LOVE the bright orange colored laces in his little desert boots. Genius!

Here’s what they’ve got cooking for spring. Preppy has never looked more hip and charming (and again, please note the chartreuse laces. So cool! I’m totally copying the bright laces/brown shoes look for Wolfie…):

Crew Cuts is available online and in select J Crew stores. They are currently offering free shipping on all Crew Cuts ordersâ€”and don’t forget to check out the sale items.

Modern Kiddo Style Tip! Mix and match yer brands! Tempted to splurge on a cute top or jacket? (or those amazing boy’s desert boots I’m dying over?!) Go for it, but then complete the look with an affordable pair of jeans or shirt from a more budget minded retailer like Old Navy or Target. No one will ever be the wiser….

Guest Blogger: Shutterbean and Bibs!

March 1, 2010Guest Blogger, Kiddo CooksDottie

If you think I’m obsessed with the Peach’s wardrobe–well, that is nothing in comparison to how I feel about feeding her.Â Â And I’m sure there are other moms out there too that have the same concerns.

Fortunately, we have one of our favorite food bloggers, the delightful Tracy a.k.a. Shutterbean here today as a guest blogger!

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Hi! I am Tracy. I have a foodblog called Shutterbean and I’m momma to a very active 16 month old son named Cooper. Â Food has ALWAYS been important to me, it makes me happy. Cooking and baking helps to keep me sane! Â When it came to feeding our son, I knew I wanted to make my own healthy baby food from scratch. Â I thought it would indoctrinate him into the foodie world. Â I want him to enjoy food just as much as his parents.

So what’s that little gadget up there? Â That’s the Beaba babyfood maker. Â It’s this fun little gadget that steams your fruits, veggies, & meats AND purees them all in one! Â It’s been a godsend and it’s made the whole making my own baby food endeavor a breeze.

I looked at the Beaba babyfood maker online during my pregnancy and thought it looked cool but it never ended up on my baby registry. Â It seemed like a lot to ask of someone. Â A few months later I received one at my baby shower! Â I contemplated returning it as I already have at least 4 gadgets in the kitchen that I could use to make babyfood. Did I really need ANOTHER kitchen tool?

The bottom line is- If you are planning on making your own babyfood and want something that will help you do so with minimal cleanup, this modern gadget is for you! Â Spend one night a week making all your food, freeze it in these little cubes. Tada! Â You have delicious, wholesome meals for you baby. Â You will have piece of mind knowing exactly what they are eating and revel in the fact that the sweet potatoes actually TASTE like sweet potatoes.

I am so thankful that my mom talked me into keeping it.

Some of our Â favorite combos include:

peas with butter
cauliflower with onions and curry
carrots with butter
sweet potatoes with chicken and onions
green beans with chicken
pears and blueberries
apples with cinnamon
potato and leek puree wiht butter and cream
corn and butter

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You rule, Tracy! Thanks so much for spending some time here at Modern Kiddo. For more recipes, check out CHOW.com’s baby food recipes.Â And Tracy recommends these great containers for freezing baby food too. Do stroll on over to Tracy’s highly addictive and very very yummy site, Shutterbean!

And of course you can’t feed a baby without a good baby bid! We found the following sassy bibs that you might like!

This Sourpuss X-Ray bib is perfect for the parents with a wry sense of humor.

I don’t know about you, but I went nine months without sushi, and let me tell you, this sushi bib from Kid Cosmic takes away a bit of the pain.

Of course Etsy is awash with delightful bibs for every baby, but I was particularly charmed by PearlyGrey’s wonderful bibs with the additional pocket to catch the overflow food.

I would have to give up my nickname of Dottie if I didn’t love this special little orange dotted number, which gets extra bonus points for being knit.Â That hit the spot, Cutespot!

Of course this is just the tippy tip tip of good bibs.Â Do you have a favorite?

Vintage Kiddo Roundup: VillaCoola by Lishyloo

March 1, 2010Etsy Love, Kiddo Style: VintageHealthTex, lishyloo, vintage children's clothesDottie

As the second part of our wonderful Vintage Mondays, I’d like to let you in on one of the best kept secrets in Etsy’s vintage world.Â Â Over the past few months, IÂ kept finding the most darling vintage goodies for the Peach that were incredibly well-priced and they all had one thing in common–Lishyloo of VillaCoola!

Lishyloo has one of the best stocked vintage shops on Etsy with a focus on kid’s clothing. There are almost 90 pieces of vintage kid’s clothing listed as of today. NINETY PIECES! That’s just bananas! Â And the prices are refreshingly low. Â Cheaper than things you would find on an Old Navy sales rack and so much better made and cuter to boot!

After professing my love for her, I had Miss Lish over for some e-tea and crumpets and she sweetly answered all of my dazzlingly clever questions.Â Here is what she said:

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MK: How did you get into collecting vintage clothes for kids?

LL: I started collecting vintage for babies and kids when my nephew was born in 2002 and I had an excuse to comb the children’s section of the thrift. I kept finding so many great items for kids that I had amassed quite a collection by the time my first son, Truman, came on the scene in 2006.

MK: what made you start your fabulous Etsy shop?

LL: After I found out baby #2 was a boy last year I decided to start selling off all of the girl clothes I had collected and now I am hooked on it! I love to dress my boys in vintage and I love the little thrill I get when I find something for the store that I know someone out there will love.

MK: what is your favorite vintage era?

LL: My favorite era for kid’s clothing is definitely the 70s. I grew up in a super small town in southern Minnesota and we would buy all of my clothes at the one boutique in town called “The Village Shoppe.” ALL of the clothes there were Health-tex and Granimals and they had a Patti Playpal doll they would use as a mannequin. In addition to all of my vintage finds on the store, I also have two Patti Playpal dolls in my house that totally freak out my husband. I should really use them to model things for the store! I would give anything to be able to visit The Village Shoppe circa 1975 when I was born!

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Miss Lishyloo, you are killing me with your button cuteness!Â Colored me charmed. And color us lucky–because I’ve picked out some of my favorite pieces from Lishyloo’s store–and they are all under $15.00. Whoohoo!

Like this adorable matching set for a young zoo-bound kid.Â Â Is that a giraffe in your pocketÂ or are you just happy to see me?

What is there not to love about this yellow polka dotted beauty from uber seventies children’s brand Health Tex.Â What can I say, I have a soft spot for duckies?

I must be craving sunshine, because I’m totally in love with yellow right now, but who wouldn’t be with this little Bo Peep in gingham dressie? Ruffles and a scallop edging? Stop the insanity!

Alix wrote about the Roper, well, I’m calling this fabulous jacket the Larry after Larry, the ladies man and downstairs neighbor in Three’s Company!Â What a great jacket–just for when your tot decides to hang out at the Regal Beagle.

And this little sailor romper is too dear for words. The fish detail is just stunning. Lishyloo, where do you find these gems?

I hope these wonderful finds don’t spend too much more time in Lishyloo’s shop. Enjoy and happy Monday!

Vintage Kiddo Monday: Retro Roundup

March 1, 2010Kiddo Style: VintageeBay, etsy, vintageAlix

Happy Monday everyone! It’s the start of another week and I think it’s going to be a good one. I’m a little sad the Olympics is overâ€”Wolfie and I were having such a great time watching all the events. I’ll miss my lil hunka medal winning hottness, Apolo Ohno and the gorgeous figure skating that happened (yes I’m a stereo typical girl….but I also loved the snowboarding. Shredding balances out sequins, right??). This week we have a rather darling little vintage round up. I think you’ll really like some of these cute finds!

OK, first up we have this amazing corduroy Â jumpsuit with red floral trim and a little umbrella-ella-ella detail. They just don’t make ’em like this anymore friends. Oh, and if you ever have any special size requests, lemme know!

Grab this from Etsy seller marathon1981

Check out this little Twiggy starter dress. Such a cutie!

Grab this from Etsy seller RockZombieOldies

This little red corduroy sundress will be perfect once the ice and snow melt. I love the little flowers! You could also layer it with a long sleeved shirt and some funky tights if you need to wear it NOW NOW NOW!