Monthly Archives: September 2011

San Francisco :: Little Pink Houses For You and Me.

Things We Like

Whenever I see a pink house, I’m always intrigued. They stand out, that’s for sure. Whimsical and quirky. It’s such a definite choice. Like, you might buy red paint and it turns out a tad orangey. Or your blue might have a bit  of a gray-ish hue. But pink? There’s no mistaking it. Someone decided that they were going to buy multiple gallons of bubble gum pink paint and roll it all over their home where it would remain for years to come. Was it a woman? A man? A couple? Did they fight over it or did one of them acquiesce and say, “Pink? Sure thing honey. I’m in.”

In my neighborhood in Flint, Michigan there was a Pepto Pink house that I was fascinated by. They had two big picture windows in front, and at Christmas there would be a green tree in one window and a pink, snow-flocked tree in the other. Yes, they were serious about their pink. One year there was a huge mural of a Budweiser beer can on their garage door. I liked to think that the hubs finally rebelled. This is their house:

San Francisco is known for her elaborate Victorians. But we also have some pretty adorable little 50s style boxy homes if you go to the neighborhoods. I noticed that every so often, I’d spy one that was a rollicking pink color and was totally charmed. A few years ago, I started taking photos of pink houses whenever I’d pass by. Here are a few of San Francisco and Oakland looking pretty in pink….

This next place was repainted last year and is now a boring beige. Sigh.

And thank you John [Cougar] Mellencamp:


Mama Style // Bringing Back an Old Favorite.

Alix's Closet, Mama Style

As a style and vintage junkie, I love dressing up. For years I was a vintage seller and member of the Wardrobe Remix group on Flickr. Then when I started my old blog, Strawberry Lemonade, “What I Wore” was a regular feature that everyone seemed to like (and I had a lot of fun doing!). I’ve done several outfit posts here on Modern Kiddo, and people have said they’d like to see more, sooooo I’m thinking of making it a regular feature again! We talk so much about kiddo style here, it only seems fair to give mama fashion a little nod too!

I’m by no means a svelte, leggy fashion blogger…I’m just a girlie who loves clothes and vintage. My style has always been a mix of “high” and “low”. I adore vintage, love pretty modern looks and can’t resist a good bargain. Before I married Greg and before I had Wolfie, I was a sassy singleton who spent FAR too much money on shoes (marc jacobs and miu miu where a particular weakness). These days I rarely splurge, and I swear over half my wardrobe comes from Target, but old habits die hard so sometimes you’ll see some high rollin’ brands in the mix.

I think the one thing I have mastered since becoming a mama is not sacrificing comfort for style. Trust me, I have modified my wardrobe quite a bit—and I def have days where I just throw on jeans and sneaks—but I always like to feel just a little sassy. Sometimes it works….sometimes not so much. It’s all about experimenting and having fun! Also keep in mind, I don’t have a baby any more, which gives me more flexibility. When Wolfie was still a baby I couldn’t wear dresses (unless I wanted to pull the whole dang thang over my head while nursing) and I rarely wore necklaces or pins—I didn’t want him to hurt himself on a pokey pin or break a necklace. At the same time I have also totally gained weight since having a child and have a lil buddha belly to content with… so finding creative ways to hide it are also always a concern!

I think this will be fun!  I’ll be sure to let you know where I bought things. And don’t worry, I won’t be writin’ on all the photos all the time. That was just for this post.

Real Life :: Dottie’s Non Labor Day

Real Life : Dottie

I can’t believe it is already September! This summer just flew by and was filled with lots of work as well as fun with family and friends. I always like to cram a lot into my days, but I realized that I hadn’t scheduled a proper vacation and by September 1st, I was really feeling it.

Of course, I had planned to cram a whole lotta fun for the Peach into the three day Labor Day weekend. Carousel rides, trips to different beaches, as well as crafty stuff we could do together and swimming as well as knocking some items off my UFO list like making a picnic blanket, dying and refurbishing some slips.  I also wanted to make home-made play dough for the Peach as well as try my hand at making felt food to fill Miss Peach’s little kitchen larder.  I also had planned to bake a few chicken pot pies to give to friends who just had babies, as well as make an end of summer meal for my family that would be topped off with a peach blueberry pie and homemade ice cream.   You know, just a few things to keep me busy.

But last Wednesday night something inside of me just snapped. One of the people in my carpool called to ask if I could text her before I left so she’d be outside ready to be picked up for carpool.  And for some reason this tiny tiny favor was the proverbial feather that broke the camel’s back. And that feather unhinged this camel so much that it started  a two hour crying jag.   I was exhausted.  The reserves were empty.  My well was dry.  I was officially burned out, fried, exhausted, etc. Whatever you called it, I clearly needed a little break.

I planned to take Friday off and clean out the linen closet, take a Bikram yoga class, make a picnic blanket, go grocery shopping and prep for the weekend planning each day out for maximum awesomeness, but by Friday, I couldn’t even hold a pen.  I adore crafting and usually it is almost a form of meditation for me. But I didn’t even want to sew or embroidery or do any sort of crafting.  What did I do instead? Weep a bit. Watched cartoons.  Seriously, I couldn’t even watch an hour long program–too much effort. And take a three hour nap.

Oh yeah, and I went here.

Saturday, I had planned full day of wonderful things–a road trip, a surprise visit for friends, a museum. But instead we had a nice breakfast out with the Peach, followed by a very mellow trip to the farmer’s market, where I was not tempted to buy tons of food to turn into jams/pickles or sauces.

And that evening we bought Little Star pizza to some very dear friends who are moving to Seattle. It was so good to hang with friends. Oh, and I did have a two hour nap too.

Sunday, I was beginning to feel a bit more energy. Enough to make blueberry pancakes, which I think will turn into a special three day weekend tradition.

We did do a little road trip down to some tide pools in Half Moon Bay.  Unfortunately, half the beach was closed due to seals and their pups resting on the Beach. So, we only spent a half hour there, but it was beautiful and fun. Because I was with my family.

Since we were down there we had some artichoke soup at Duartes in Pescadero.

And a nice nap on the way back.

Monday, I had planned on a picnic to Muir Beach for the Peach and my sweetie and I’m sure do tons of things that I can’t even remember.  But I just didn’t have it in me.  And that was OK.

This weekend I learned that big gestures aren’t always necessary to enjoy time with my family. Just doing puzzles together at home was really wonderful.

For example, the Peach and I had a blast looking at all of the different fish for sale in the aquariums at the local Petco while we picked up some cat food.  I’m not saying it was the equivalent of going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but for the half hour we were there, we had a grand time.

And I did do a bit of cooking.  Not the filling the freezer for winter cooking, but enough to enjoy the best tastes of summer.  Smoked salmon in eggs on blinis with mimosas.  And that great summer feast I planned was still pretty great albeit no lobster, but I picked up some fried chicken which went well with the fresh corn and tomato dish. And I did make the peach blueberry cobbler with delicious store bought ice cream.

So, I went back to work today with no finished sewing projects, no cleaned out closets, no major feats accomplished except some wonderful time with my little family and a chance to restore my much depleted energy.

How was your Labor Day Weekend? Have you ever felt I like I did Wednesday? How did you cope?

Friday Link Hootenanny :: Cool Stuff to Browse

Link Hootenanny

(pssst! i can’t remember where i found this giraffe image. if you know please tell me so i can credit!)

Ahh it’s Friday! With all our post vacation madness I’m still playing catch up and here are a few things that caught my eye while surfing around.

1. PENCIL PRETTIES.

Kate of Mini Eco is a genius. She crafted up these amazing necklaces over at Design Mom and I think they are so sooo fun. I think kiddo’s would get a kick out of mama wearing ’em too. Check out the tutorial here.

2. AWESOME LAMPSHADE DIY.

Wow. This thing is so cool…and wait til I tell you it’s made out of coffee filters!! Oh yes. Love. See how over at aunt peaches‘.

 

3. EXTRA TASTY TREAT.

Oh Sweet Paul! A Blueberry Tart with Custard Caramel Sauce???? Oh. My. Lawdy. Recipe for death by blueberry goodness here.

4. EXTRA FANCY SPEX.

These paper eye glasses are such a wonderfully charming little craft to do with boys or girls! From my sweet pal Teri over at Giddy Giddy.

 

5. VIEW FROM ABOVE.

Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté is a lucky man. Besides being a gazillionaire, he recently got to travel in space as a “private explorer”. He orbited the earth for 11 days and took these phenomenal photos. WOW. See more here.

6. ADORABLE TRUNK SHOW.

Ahhhhh! Which is cuter, the little guys with the red satchel or the little girl with the silvery pom pom toes?? I really can’t decide. Find them over at cloth and thread.

8. MINI MAD MOD.

My secret shame? I adore the 60s and I work in advertising….and I’ve never seen an episode of Mad Men. I know….I KNOW! Even so, I was quite taken by this peek into Sally Draper’s closet over on the Coveteur.

9. GILT FREE GOODIES.

GILT Group is having another grand sale. If you’re not familiar with them, they offer amazing sales on high end brands. It’s a great way to scoop up schmancy goodies at a much lower price—and you know me,  I love a good sale! They have gorgeous, well-made clothing from brands like Tea Collection, Ella Moss, Kiko Kids etc. But they also have great deals on toys and accessories like the infamous Schoenhut piano and Goodbyn lunch boxes. I also really love these castles—they come to you all white and you and your kiddos can color them and decorate them yourself. Only $13! Pop by GILT today. It’s free to sign up.

If you’re not already a member, here is my free invite code.

10. 100 YEARS of FASHION in 100 SECONDS.

The World’s Hippest Fireplace.

Vintage Pop Culture

It’s a lovely Friday evening. You’re playing bridge with The Johnsons (Bitsy made her infamous sandwich loaf). You stroll over to your toasty hearth…but hold on a moment…oh ho ho! What’s this? This is no ordinary fireplace….

It’s a full on freakin’ entertainment system—AND BAR!!

Yup. A freestanding vintage fireplace unit from the 1950s. Faux marble, wooden detailing. Pretty cool. Can you just imagine how cool the couple that owned this thing was??