Coolest Rocking Horse Ever

I love this guy! So cute and modern, it looks like it would belong in any house for years to come. And for something that is completely handmade it is a totally reasonable price. Too bad my kids already have a rocking horse. And a rocking "bean". And a sit n spin. And a...well you get the idea. Might be time to trade all those in for just one awesome "rocking" apparatus...

Find him here.

From the Desk of A.J. - Restaurants.com

Food…um…where do I begin?

Let’s just say….for the sake of time…I am a Foodie with a pinch of Wino…or maybe it’s the other way around. Either way…I love food and wine. I’ve spoken about my love for wine…but my love for food…yep…us two…we go way back.

I distinctly remember tasting Sushi for the first time (thanks Pops!). I distinctly remember cracking open a clam that I had just dug out from the sand…plopping (yes… slimy raw clams plop) it into a Styrofoam(it was the 70’s…back off) cup squeezing a TON of lemon juice on it and a little salt…man was I a happy girl. And I do mean girl. I was maybe all of 7…8?

I have had the palate of a 30 something year old my entire life. I scarfed down any and every seafood, meat, any food of every different ethnic origin available to me from a very early age. I would try any and everything. There is a story…that is now one of The Hubster’s favorite stories of my childhood. My parents and my sister and I were taking this beautiful drive through the country somewhere…my sister always wanted to bring home any living animal we ever saw. One year it was sheep(which she would’ve named Dimitri)…any dog…of course any cat…and on this particular drive…a cow. My sister states “oh…look at those cute cows, I want to take one home”. My statement (as told over and over to this day by my mom) “Mmmmm…tip.” Yes…as in Tri-Tip. See…I am a Foodie. Sorry Veg-heads.

Over the years I have wondered why I love food so much. I’m sure there is some deep dark secret down in my inner being…but for lack of a therapist and/or Oprah I’m just going to say I love food because it tastes good:) I not only love to eat it…I love to scope out the best ingredients…play around with a recipe…and prep it while pretending to be on Iron Chef SoCal. As I watch Top Chef…I constantly think “I have no culinary schooling under my belt whatsoever…but I think I could be on that show”. And I’m serious when I think those things…I even have a cooking show in my head…with the theme song. OK…now you think I’m crazy…but crazy knows crazy so there.

Back to my reality. Bottom line. I am a Foodie/Wino who married a Foodie/Wino and is related to Foodie/Winos and has friends who are Foodie/Winos. Now that we are all married with children and bills…our culinary date nights are becoming less and less. But I have found something that will make me and everyone I know…sooooo happy.

Restaurant.com. This amazing and genius site is a site that restaurants sign up to participate in “pre-purchased” gift certificates so to speak. Super simple. You type in your zip code (actually they cater to a ton of cities…so if your traveling on vacay and want to check out some great local restaurants…what a great way to do that) and the site will give you a list of restaurants that you can purchase your GC’s from. From the tiniest little holes in the walls to some lovely 4 and 5 star joints. Basically…there are different levels you can buy…but most of them start like this: Buy $25 bucks worth of food for $10. They are pre-selling your meal…for a heck of a lot cheaper!

What a FANTASTIC way to get new peeps in their restaurants right? And what a great way for a Foodie who is trying to save a little here and there because she has traded her and her Husband’s nights going out for bringing up a well adjusted, compassionate, little person who will one day grow into a well adjusted, compassionate big person who will give back to his society so this world is a better place. What a great thing for said Foodie…right?

So…go out for those date nights with the hubbies and wives or treat yourself to a G.N.O. with your favorite cronies…just…don’t forget the “Mmmmm…tip”.(Sorry…I couldn’t resist).

*picture above of one of the restaurants we found on Restaurants.com, the Bahia in Tustin which has the yummiest seafood and the most relaxing outside eating area around!

Trunk Shows!

We're so excited to announce our two trunk shows happening this weekend!

Saturday, May 2nd we'll be at the Santa Monica location of This Little Piggy Wears Cotton, along with photographer Eric Goldstein. Eric will be doing mini Mommy & Me photo sessions for those who RSVP, and giving away a free 8x10 to every mom who participates in the shoot (and everyone who participates in the shoot is also entered for a chance for an hour long session)!

We'll be there with all of our new pieces, and our tried and true. Its an awesome chance for you to come by and see and touch and try on our stuff (you know you've wanted to!). I know that for all my love of online shopping, seeing something "live" and in color just can't compare, and thats especially true with something like jewelry. Its also a great chance to talk with us one on one about what we can create for you or someone special to you. We love the back and forth that inevitably happens when you order a piece from us, and are excited to be able to do it face to face, instead of email to email. :) And need I mention a certain holiday coming up? A very important holiday? One that usually involves flowers and jewelry and mimosas?? One that is 13 DAYS AND COUNTING? (quick forward this to your significant other!).

And if you don't live in the L.A. area, never fear! On Sunday May 3rd we'll be in the Newport Beach location of This Little Piggy Wears Cotton from 12-3 pm. Again, we'll be there with a photographer, this time the photographer is Shannon Lott a great local photographer (who just so happened to take stunning pictures of my sweetie pie niece before and after she was born). Shannon is also doing mini Mommy & Me shoots (with a free 8x10), with a drawing for an hour shoot with her.

So come by and say hi, its supposed to be a beautiful weekend and both stores are in beautiful locations, come have lunch, get your picture taken and order some jewelry!

If you'd like to be a part of Mommy & Me shoots make sure to call This Little Piggy and get your time slot! Contact info for them can be found here.

We can't wait to see everyone!

Environmental Nature Center

The weekend's finally here! We had a happily busy week gearing up for our upcoming trunk shows (more info coming soon promise!!) and are looking forward to a nice mellow weekend. But it will probably be busy too. C'est la vie!

I couldn't in good conscious have an "earth" themed week of posts and not mention one of my favorite places in Orange County, the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach . A friend took us to the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach for a play date, and we've gone back several times since then. The ENC boasts one of the few Platinum LEED ratings for their buildings and is a great example of how amazing a "green" building can be. Its one of my favorite pieces of architecture in Orange County. Inside they have a Discovery Room where the kids can touch and investigate native species of California, they also have a few live snakes and tarantula's (in aquariums! don't worry!). Outside is even more spectacular, with fifteen representative Ecological Habitats of California, and several trails that takes you through them. Its a crazy piece of wilderness in the midst of all this development. The kids love finding and chasing the lizards and squirrels that scamper about. But my favorite place has to be the Butterfly House. Its been closed during the colder months, but starting May 2nd, it will be open again. Its an awesome chance to get up close and personal to the little guys. Oh, and did I mention, its all totally free! They also host several different classes and camps for kids and adults.

Have a great weekend, and check out the ENC website here!

*picture above was taken by my four year old, ten points if you can spot the lizard!

Shop til You Drop

I loathe plastic grocery bags. Never mind their environmental impact. I hate the impact they have on my home. Because I can't just throw them away. So they go under the sink. And I swear they multiply like bunnies under there. And every time I go to grab something from under the sink all 759 plastic bags fly out of the cupboard and scatter to the winds and I'm stuck wrangling plastic bags from three years ago, trying fruitlessly to get them into one containable entity. Sure they're great for when we take the dog for a walk or if one of us needs an impromptu lunch bag. And I still use them in my smaller trash cans. But I always have 698 too many bags in my home. I blame it all on The Husband who can't for the life of him remember one of the eleven reusable shopping bags we own. Personally I love my big shopping bags. I make the cashiers stuff them to the top, and when they say, are you sure, its going to be heavy, I say look, I've got two kids. I want to make one trip from the car to my house. I don't care if that bag weighs eighty pounds, it will still be easier than trying to contain two toddlers as I go back and forth with the twenty plastic bags you would put all this in. And hey, I'm a girl and basically its one more accessory I get to decide on! ;)

I have all kinds of bags, canvas, that weird "fabric" material the cheap bags at the grocery store are made of, and plastic ones. The canvas one is my fav for when I'm getting produce, the plastic for when I'm getting a little bit of everything, and the cheap ones are great for when I'm doing a lot of shopping. Here's a little bit of each:

1. Envirosaks - Pictured above and below, these lil' cuties come in all sorts of patterns and colors and fold up to be tiny. These are perfect to keep one in your purse for unexpected goodies. And how cute are the little ones below for kids? Find them here.

2. The Craft Pantry - I like the size of these, they are nice and deep and wide (for maximum stuffage) I love the personalized one! Find them here.

3. For sure the most colorful (and awesome) are the recycled plastic ones. Someone quite lovely gave me the Flotsam and Jetsam bag (upper right corner) for my birthday recently, not even knowing that I had been eyeing these other colorful lovelys from Lapin & Me. Find the Flotsam and Jetsam bag at Paper Source.

Its Easy Being Green...

As long as you live close to a Target at least! I honestly never gave any serious thought to anything I bought or used in my house till I had my first babe. And then you bring home this tiny bundle, and you think about his delicate skin and his tiny immune system and all those chemicals that you never thought twice about haunt you in your dreams. As a family we've made a lot of little changes to "do our part" and I try to keep the number of chemicals in my house to a minimum. We've tried to cut out any plastics that aren't BPA free. We try to buy organic off the dirty dozen list (the twelve fruits and veggies that use the most pesticides, find a list here). The kids use a shampoo and lotion that is phthalate free. Would I do any of this if these things were not readily available at reasonable prices at my beloved Target? Meh. Maybe not. But since it is there, and the difference in price is negligible I go home feeling good about what I buy and use. Here's my list of favorite green things you can find at Target, or any other major grocery store.

1. Method Brand - the picture above shows the products I've used and loved. In fact, with just these products and some vinegar and baking soda, I'm able to keep my house fresh and clean, and smelling like a dream. And most of Method's products are so safe, they are actually edible (though I don't recommend it). I also love it because I can safely let the kids clean up with it (which is win win all around, they are amused, I get my house a little bit cleaner).
2. 
   Burt's Bees Baby Bee Shampoo & Wash and Baby Bee Buttermilk Lotion - This by far is my favorite "green" shampoo for babes, it makes them smell like honey! A few other shampoos we've tried left our son's long locks still greasy, and my daughter's curls dry, but this one works on both their hair. And it seems to last forever.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Clean Well Hand Sanitizer - Here comes my confession time. I hate washing my and my kids hands in a public restroom. The soap makes my hands dry and cracked, there's always water on the counter that gets all over the kid's clothes, while I'm washing one kid's hands, the other is picking stuff off the floor. I just want to get in and out as fast as possible. Hand sanitizer is how I do it. I was so excited to find this all natural one, since my kids love using the sanitizer and it made me nervous to use the ones with alcohol in it. This one is safe for them, smells super clean and is easy to throw in my purse or diaper bag. Everyone I've recommended it to loves it.

In a perfect world everything I bought would be organic and reused and chemical free. But just by making a few small changes to the things I buy everyday, I feel like I'm doing my small part. And its a totally selfish move. I do it because I care about my kids, and figure any little thing I can do that might help them be stronger and healthier is worth it. Helping the earth is just a byproduct. :)

From the Desk of A.J. - NellieFay

While everyone is celebrating Earth Week this week….I can not help but be honest in my “green” endeavors. I am a 37 year old planet earth trasher that is trying desperately to hop on the bandwagon because I do realize that we need to do some major things in order to leave this beautiful planet in good shape for our future generations of earthlings.

That being said…I try really hard to recycle. I try really hard to remember those Trader Joe’s bags that are in my vehicle (that is not a hybrid by the way…shhhh) and not just because I get to enter my name into a drawing for a free GC. I try really hard to give my appliances the afternoon off. I try really hard to turn off the water when brushing my teeth (I think I “unconsciously” leave it on because the Hubster keeps bugging me and it’s really me being stubborn…shhhh.). I try really hard to endure a heat wave in SoCal ( I know…desert people are laughing…but its really hot out here this week) instead of turning on my AC…which I just remembered is an energy saver…so never mind that one. Anyway…you get my drift. I want those chickens in cages to be set free and deliver one egg a day…I want to buy all organic so the prices will come down…see I want all of those things…I’m just a work in progress…as we all are…for our entire lives.

So…one of my first steps has been to tackle the said things above and spread the word of how we can all, as a shopping blogging society, give some TLC back to this glorious planet earth. I am a shopper…and I think realistically, this is how I am going to contribute the most (I know…I’m such a giver:)

NellieFay.com. SUPER cute newer website that is carrying all things green. Its family owned and you can see it in their product choices. You can tell that they are choosing organic goods for their family to wear, get clean in, play with, and even their dog Stewart has his best pics on there. Great organic brands for little ones like Sckoon, Piccalilly, Bath by Bettijo, MiYim, Lana, & SimplyFido (Stewarts choices for his fellow canine buddies:).

I figure if we all baby step towards the “green” path…all of our little baby steps will lead us to lots of big leaps…and with that a big beautiful long lasting planet:)

So let's all take an oath "I (state your name), vow to do my best in going green...not just this week because its the "in" thing to do...but because I am a shopper who believes in buying great organic goods...for the better of the planet...of course".