Monthly Archives: September 2011

A fabulous MK Giveaway with Misha Lulu {CLOSED}

Giveaways, , ,

ALAS, THIS GIVEAWAY IS OVER. THANK YOU FOR PLAYING!

You remember our last giveaway with Misha Lulu, the wonderfully fun and beautifully line of girls clothing, right? Well, we are doing it again! But this time Karen Salazar, the mastermind behind Misha Lulu is giving us zee most gorgeous dress to give to one of you.

Oh, this dress, this darling darling dress.  It’s the Wallpaper Jumper from Misha Lulu’s fall line. This little sweetie is made of a fine corduroy, printed cord with one of their original designs and featuring with pinkie red buttons down the front side and a tie in the back. CUTE!!

It is soooo dang sweet and could be worn either with or without a shirt, depending on your mood. The winner of this sassy little number will be able to choose from sizes 2,4,6 or 8 years old. Did we mention this is a $64 value? Yee haw!

Wow. I’m dying. OK, so to win this dandy little dressie of insane cuteness here’s all you need to do:

  1. Leave a comment on this blog entry
That’s it! Buuuuuuut, if you want to get bonus entries, you can (and should!) do the following:
  1. Follow us on Twitter. If you are already a follower, tweet about this giveaway—don’t forget to include @modernkiddo in the tweet please! You can also follow our personal twitters @galexina and @missdottie
  2. “Like” us on Facebook
  3. Stop by the Misha Lulu blog and leave a comment! It’s a great blog that you’ll want to come back to again and again!

You’ll get one entry for each thing you do. If you do all three (or five) you’ll be entered an extra three to five times.

This fabulous Misha Lulu Giveaway ends on Monday, September 26th at noon-PST and the winner will be announced Monday, September 26th at 8:00PM-PST.

Good luck, and I’m crossing my fingers you win!

Vintage Kiddo Retro Round Up!

Kiddo Style: Vintage

Hi hi everyone! Did you have a good weekend?  I did.  Because it involved more than SIX HOURS of naps throughout the weekend. Hurrah to that!  We also found a little park that offered train rides and had a sweet old carousel which was a wonderful way to spend Sunday morning.  I had grand plans to clean out our attic space, but instead spent it napping. Best idea of the weekend. But of course, I had to spend a bit of time looking for some goodies online to share with you.

And also, Alix and I created the following sweet little logo for our dandy weekly wrap up of vintage kiddo goodies to share with you.  We’ve been meaning to do it since we started it early last year. Oof! But we like it and I hope you do too!

OK, let’s do this!

Globes are crazy hot in home decor, but this little vintage one has the rest of ’em beat because it is a bank as well as a globe! Perfect way to get your little one to start saving for future traveling adventures! From Etsy seller, Sweet Shop Vintage.

I always have a soft spot in my heart for Polly Flinders dresses and this one is the quintessential little girl vintage dress to me. Everything sweet and darling and yummy and back to school charming.  Thank you for sharing it, Etsy seller, Salvage House.

If the recipes are as yummy as the front page design of this sweet vintage kiddo cookbook, then I want to try every one of them. Yay! From Etsy seller, Arcanium Antiques!

Since RSI has gotten in the way of my knitting, I love finding hand knit vintage sweaters for  a song, like this one. And not only is this one in beautiful condition, but it is also a bit wider at the bottom allowing it to fit over those widdle diapered bottoms. From Etsy seller, Little Reader Vintage.

The Peach loves a good umbrella—just like I did when I was a little girl. And I would have plotzed if I had such a cute umbrella at her age. From Etsy seller, Stiletto Girl.

I always adore this type of romper set on little boys. I always get a bit weak in the knees when I see a set.   I know a little Wolfie that would look adorable in this… From Etsy seller, Galivanting Kids.

I’m just head over heels for this little striped vintage dress. I could totally see it with a pair of red keds. To me I could see so many mamas wanting the big version of this dress too!  From Etsy seller, Pretty Retro.

Just because it’s getting cooler doesn’t mean you can’t have  your sweet pink cuteness?  Like this adorable lambie corduroy coat WITH matching hat. Yes, please!  From Etsy Seller, Kid Wonder, Frecklewonder‘s sweet shoppe for the kiddos!

OK. This dress. Oh, this dress. This paper doll dress. I am dying over this dress.  From Etsy seller, Kyssa Vintage.

What better way to get your kiddo excited about going back to school than playing school at home?  And they can with this sweet little Fisher Price school house circa 1971.  School is still school no matter what year.  From Etsy seller, Rusty Wagon Vintage.

Happy Monday, folks!

Sunday Link Hootenany :: Cool Stuff to Browse

Link Hootenanny


image via: babiekins

Sooooooo, yeah. This was supposed to go up FRIDAY but we have had shoddy internet service (down almost the entire weekend! Booo!). We’re FINALLY back up, so apologies for being tardy to the party, friends!

1. BEATLES BEACH BLANKET BINGO

These vintage photos of the Beatles just hanging out on the beach are so cute. Paul looks so young!

 

2. STARRY STARRY NIGHT


These photos of stars at night had be captivated. So beautiful. There’s even a How To so you can take some yourself. Find more photos over here.

 

3. GORGEOUS QUIRKINESS


Christopher Patrick Ernst finds really cool photos of photographic wallpaper and then documents it. I have a new favorite. (hmm, I wonder if he’d like my Little Pink Houses series??) See more here.

 

4. ICE CREAM BAR


A recipe for chocolate banana ice cream plus cute kiddos in dance clothes= SO AWESOME. Find it here on vintage sugar cube.

5. ODE TO THE MISSONI BABY BLANKET

Oh Missoni fever….how you rocked us. Some hated it. Some loved it. Many coveted. Either way, it made for super fun conversation! The crafty Vickie Howell has her own little ode-to-Missoni with this awesome chevron blanket and it’s really sweet. See it over here.

6. CUTEST LITTLE PICTURE BOOK.

I’m totally in love with the vintage style drawings in this sweet book by Eric Nipper! Find more about it over at my girl frecklewonder‘s spot.

 

7. CRAZY SHOES.

I found these quirky amazing shoes design by Kobi Levi a while ago (maybe you remember seeing the banana shoe?) and then Miss Dottie sent me the link again as a reminder and lawdy mama, this amazing fella has even more crazy shoes.

The duck and swan are especially groovy. See them allll here.

8. MAKING A SPECTACLE.

I love the new design that they are rockin’ over at Kirtsy. Every day someone new “curates” a collection of fun links. This one on spectacles from Summer Bellessa (aka one of the Girls With Glasses) is reeeally cute.

9. A Giddy Yarn.

I know you probably think I get kick backs from Teri over at Giddy Giddy because she’s practically a regular in my round ups, but she’s just so awesome I can’t help myself! Check out these RAD little yard letters she crafted up. Easy and so cute.

10. I like this. So sue me.

When you have a child you look at things a little differently. There is this commercial running, that had I seen 7 years ago, I would have rolled my eyes and scoffed at. In fact, I think I DID roll my eyes when I first saw it. But my mom, who was visiting, said, “I bet Wolfie would think that was funny.” And suddenly I thought, “I bet she’s right.” The next day I pulled it up for him to watch (he was intrigued, wait mama WANTS me to watch a video?) and lemme tell you he was giggling and cracking up like crazy and soon we were all giggling and laughing. It’s really silly….and the “I’m a fancy advertiser lady” part of me knows I shouldn’t like this….but what the heck. I do.

http://youtu.be/4zJWA3Vo6TU

Alix’s Closet // Kickin’ it Around Town.

Alix's Closet

Soooo I’ve recovered from the Missoni Mania. It was fun hearing everyone’s stories and take on the whole thang. I had planned to post a photo of me in my sassy Missoni socks and peering out from behind a lovely Missoni scarf, but frankly I’m on zig zag overload right now. Instead, here is a fun little outfit that is perfect for work or even kickin’ it on the playground with Wolfie. As a sidenote, I love looking at fashion posts and I especially love vintage clothing, but I have to say that sometimes it’s frustrating when you see a cute outfit on someone and know that it’s a one-of-a-kind garment that you will probably never ever be able to find. Unless, you know, the vintage gods are feeling particularly charitable and smile upon you and you find the EXACT same dress as the one you are coveting….it happens….but rarely! I’m pleased to report almost all of this outfit is culled from stores you probably have in your town. I found a way to make the look my own, but it’s pretty easy to duplicate if you like it!

One of my wardrobe secrets is the Target Merona Collection. Not to be confused with just Merona. This is THE MERONA COLLECTION, dahling.They don’t carry it at all Target’s for some reason….but it tends to be a slightly more fashiony version of cute basics. I have three cardigans from this line and I always get compliments on them! This particular cardigan is really fab. It has cool buttons, a great ruffle detail and it’s a bright lemony yellow. You’d never guess it was from Target and under $30!

WHAT I WORE:

+ Grey and Pink Polka Dot Top, Old Navy
+ Yellow Embellished Cardigan, Merona Collection at Target
+ Black tanktop, Old Navy
+ Boyfriend Jeans, LOFT Outlet (I have short legs and Ann Taylor LOFT has a great petite section)
+ Vintage 60s Pastel Pumps
+ Canvas Faux Birkin Tote, Thursday/Friday

These shoes are another fave. For some reason modern American shoes only come in two versions: flats and sky high heels or platforms. In Europe the mid-size heel is all over the place. Probably because they walk everywhere! Whenever I find a nice mid-height heel I snap ’em up. These I found thrifting, but you can absolutely find similar ones on etsy and eBay for really affordable prices. Look for cute/unique colors and details and that low low heel! I swear, they’re just as comfy as flats (sometimes even more so!).

The other way to really make an outfit your own is with a fun/funky purse. I really don’t carry vintage purses on a daily basis because most of them are too small and dainty for our modern day livin’. I usually have SO much junk in my bag, I need something substantial! (hmmm, reminds me i should do another “What’s in My Bag?” post soon….) Anyway, this is a super fun handbag—and a riff on the $12,000+ Hermes Birkin bag. It has a photo of the original silk-screened on all four sides. From a distance it looks like you might be high rollin’ and carrying the Bag to the Stars…..but really, it’s just a fun and funky $35 canvas tote!

Because of all the ruffles and ties and what not, I’m not wearing a lick of jewelry—which is highly unusual for me! Just a little sunshine on mah shoulders. But really sometimes that’s all a girl needs.

The Friday Link Hootenanny is comin up this afternoon, so stay tuned!

Dottie’s Kraft Korner :: Turn a vintage dress into a skirt.

Crafts + DIY

Friends, I love a good deal. But sometimes a good deal doesn’t mean a great fit or a style that works for your body.  That’s when knowing your way around a sewing machine pays off.

I found two adorable vintage dressies with wonderful patterns (I’m a sucker for a good pattern) for a dollar each over the summer. Both dresses were basic house dresses from the sixties. Along with this fabulous vintage suitcase for FIVE DOLLARS!

It’s a fine vintage dress. The cotton is in great shape and I love love love the pattern.  However, the dress itself is about as unflattering on me as you can get.

As a girl with more curves than Lombard Street, I can’t really get away with these sack dresses. But the tight yoke neck doesn’t really work so well of this stiffer cotton and makes my chest look even bigger than normal, which isn’t a good idea. And looked quite comical with a belt. So belting wasn’t an option. And I had to let the hem down because it was too short for me. And the original hemline was so creased that no amount of pressing was going to remove it.

This was a classic case of “love the pattern, hate the dress” syndrome. But Doctor Dottie from the Slap Dash Hospital for Wayward Sewing Projects (SDHWS) had a cure! A 15 minute cure!  Let’s turn that frown upside by turning the dress into a very wearable skirt with one cut!

And it all relies on fold over elastic (FOE).  Have you worked with FOE? It is an amazing wonderful easy peasy solution all sorts of edge finishing/gathering. And can create a simple dress waist in a pinch. Angry Chicken has a great tutorial on how to use it.  And you will use it and love it. Oh, yes…  And what about that bad creased hem issue, Doctor Dottie? Simple, my friends—cover it up with bias tape and ric rac—the hider of all sewing sins!

Here’s what to do

  1. Measure from the hip to wear you want the dress to end and mark it and cut across dress there.
  2. Make a quick finished waist using fold over elastic.
  3. Add ricrac/bias tape or ribbon over creased hem.

And voila, a sassy skirt in the fabric you adore that is flattering and a great addition to your wardrobe!

Sorry about not smiling, but I’m smiling on the inside! I’m trying to get the hang of taking piccies of myself. Hats off to Alix who makes it look so darn easy!

I know many people are against cutting vintage and I certainly wouldn’t cut a vintage dress from a name brand designer or do anything to important pieces, but you have to remember that clothes are meant to be worn and fit properly and make you feel amazing in them.  Most people aren’t off the rack sizes and fortunately that bit of spandex in many fabrics today make up for what would be a tailoring issue in the past.  But there ain’t nothing wrong with hemming skirt, pants, dresses to hit you in the most flattering part of your leg and skim over your body properly.

Thoughts? Suggestions?