This Sale : Bonpoint France

It's possible that Bonpoint makes the most expensive children's clothing on the planet.  And while I usually don't believe the hype for massive luxury labels [i'm talking to you, Chanel] , Bonpoint is really freaking fabulous.*  Unless you lived in a major city [New York, Los Angeles, Chicago] , Bonpoint was extremely difficult to find ... until a couple of years ago when the company broadened their market to include an American web site. 

Although the selection for the U.S. site is not as large as that found on their French site , it's still ample & shipping can be as low as $10 - - including beautiful gift wrapping.   

[Word of caution : the "default" shipping rate is $30 for expedited shipping / customers must take care to manually change the shipping rate to a "standard" $10 rate]

Anyhow, 1 of their twice yearly (winter & summer) sales is happening right now.  It's a little "hush, hush," as they do not send out email notices.  Markdowns from 20% - 50% -- worth a look.

* except their pants

This New Year

I've kept a piece of binder paper on which I wrote "2012 The World Ends" (underline, underline) after watching a Nostradamus special on t.v. when I was 10.  I wanted to be sure my future self didn't forget this potentially life-altering piece of information.  

But then NPR recently aired an interview with an expert on Mayan prophecies who explained the academic interpretation of 2012 is that of a year of "transformation," not ruin.  That is so completely preferable.

i was running around town today & picking up on a lot of positivity, or maybe optimism.  This is when it seems people are at their best. 

Gifting : Waldorf-Inspired

Long before I had children of my own, I worked at a Waldorf school. The experience was really impactful.  I loved this new world of legends, watercolors & Eurythmy.  In keeping with those themes, I tend to opt for children's toys that are made of natural materials for imaginative play.  Loving this for my girl's Christmas present :

 Portable Playhouse from Nova Naturals

 As opened in alternate color choice

It's a mobile dollhouse formed completely out of wood, with a natural stain.  All pieces fit inside as pictured above.  It wraps together with a piece of felt & string - so Waldorf.  We ordered the pink / orange set; so excited.

It happens every fall ...

By October , all I want to wear are Missoni knits

acrylic blend

cotton viscose

wool acrylic

Blog Launch : flora & henri

this is delicious : flour tortillas de Homesick Texan

from: The Homesick Texan

I go to the Homesick Texan web site for recipes or inspiration.  The ingredients are whole, the methods easy, and the results are seriously delicious. I originally stumbled across her site while on the search for tortillas without strange additives.  It's hard to find a good tortilla.  But here's a great one:

An end to my quest: flour tortillas

Things we lost in the recession : mor mor rita

2008 was high tide for the small, American atelier specializing in wares for children.  It was also the year my daughter was born.  Naturally, I took a look around at what the market had to offer & I literally could not believe what I found . . . the market had simply exploded since the days of scratchy wool & sweaty polyester that I literally begged my mom to get me out of (aka, 1981).  

But, 2008 was also about the time the economy was crashing.  So it was the year many of these labels made their last collection ... or their last BIG collection.  The smaller collections have long since sold out and the big collections are now on clearance, lingering as overstock (case in point: check out flora & henri's sale section).

My favorite of the small lines was mor mor rita, designed by Ryan Roche.  She originally owned a boutique -- also called mor mor rita -- in Brooklyn (former home to so many of the great, smaller lines and boutiques).  Think, sumptuous cashmere knits, pale pinks, abstract embroidery, gauzy cottons ... & all organic.  Now completely sold out.  Below are 2 of my favorites.

Since 2008, it's my understanding that Ryan Roche has closed her childrens line & is now designing exclusively for women.  Still plenty of cashmere in colors that variably pale or pop.  All beautiful, but I'll admit to missing her offerings for children.

I blame this : the most delicious hospital food ever

Doc was right (he usually is) - - the Pelvic Girdle Pain is subsiding with time.  So, the new Asics Gel Kayanos are getting some spins around the block.  It's possible I gained more weight after the twins were born.  I blame the hospital food, which was incredibly delicious.  So serious.  Pictured above, the average meal.  

This vs. That

A postpartum gift to myself : The Asics Gel Kayano 16 (last season's, this season is 17) in pink.  My favorite running shoe currently on the planet.  Get the size right, & they feel like butter.

But, then there's THIS ... messing up my running plans:

Apparently, there's something called "pelvic girdle pain" implicated both during & sometimes after pregnancies -- it's all the more likely after twin pregnancies (makes sense).  What seems to happen is this: the laxity of the ligaments persists, creating instability in the pelvis, that in turn makes pain radiate in the region.  Running is, of course, a no-no.  My doctor said it could resolve itself after a few more weeks, the web site says it could be chronic, & various chat boards say it could just go away after 6 months, or so.  We'll see...

this, i love - coffee art

Summer got off to a rough start : twin pregnancy, strict bed rest, hospital stay. 

And then, by month 3, enter : Coffeebar -- my favorite cafe ever. 

They do coffee art.  They do creme brulee strudel.  They do outdoor seating.

They are the only place I've dared to order a breve cappuccino in the past 10 years - because a girl gets tired of being disappointed by bad foam. 

[above: our 'average' double latte from Coffeebar]



fab collab : atsuyo et akiko + winnie the pooh

Oh, how i love the recent collaboration between atsuyo et akiko & winnie the pooh.  At first i thought, what?  Disney?  Major mainstream visits a small atelier out of Brooklyn?  But - true to form - the ladies at a/et/a launched a series of images against an organic cotton background that is understated, timeless, & entirely perfect.

flora & henri sale

flora & henri is, hands down, my favorite boutique retailer for children {they also carry some items for adults}.  Based in Seattle, even their most basic "essentials" are exquisite.  

And lately, the sales have been exquisite to match.  Which leads me to wonder ... is this small giant of children's boutiques going to survive?  

I've seen it before -- promotions so good & price reductions so steep that one day, the store is simply no more.  First there was tinymcsmall.com (owner went on leave and just never re-opened).  Then Sons + Daughters in Brooklyn shuttered, followed shortly thereafter by the closure of emma-avery.com

So while I was happy to receive discounts of 70% at emma & avery, the discounts also meant the end of emma & avery. These short term opportunities have long term consequences as the small, specialty boutiques close with no new boutiques to fill the void.  

Now that we have 2 new babies -- and boys this time! -- my fingers are crossed that we are at the beginning of what will be at least 10 more years as adoring customers of flora & henri.  But with sales so steep today, I have to wonder what their future holds ... and stock up while we can ~

the vague 'This'

This will be a chronicle of the things I'm currently interested in.  

And lately, that's a whole lot of motherhood.  I have twin boys {6-weeks} & a daughter {3-years}.  I tend to be holistic about their health & choosy about their duds, so those topics are sure to surface.  And so it begins ... with flora & henri.