Red Dress Shoppe

My love affair with vintage inspired clothing and accessories started when I came across Red Dress Shoppe several years back in Old Town Pasadena.  While looking for street parking on a side street off of Colorado Blvd. (the main thoroughfare in the area), a cozy little clothing store with a whimiscal sign caught my eye.  I can't quite remember why I was in the area but eventually I ended up in the store and felt an instant connection with everything, from accessories to dresses to tops to skirts (even the wall decor). 

Over the next few years, I frequented the store regularly, as well as their website, and learned about snoods and circle skirts. 

all pictures from Red Dress Shoppe

Unfortunately, the store closed a few years back and now only takes online orders.  BUT, they recently opened a new showroom in Eagle Rock (a few miles southwest of Pasadena) that's open by appointment only.  The owner, Madeline, is also a new mom and I give her lots of props for maintaining her website and store while juggling mommy duties.

So in the spirit of promoting vintage-inspired fashion and entrepreneurship, I encourage you to check out Red Dress Shoppe.  You'll love it as much as I do.

Janie and Jack in a new light

I remember seeing this store, Janie and Jack, in the mall since high school, but didn't really know (or care) what they sold, since nothing inside seemed to fit my aesthetic (or size). 

Fast forward about 10 years, when my friends and colleagues around me were starting to get married and have children.  When the wave of baby showers and birthday parties started rolling in, J&J started to catch my eye.  At the present, I admit that I am enamoured by the cutest morsels of clothes and accessories that I find here.  Even when I'm not on the hunt for a gift, I sometimes still go inside to peruse their latest kiddie styles and wares and take a moment to search their sale rack, just in case there's something too adorable to pass up...

They're currently running a nice little sale both in stores and online.  I'm getting a kick out of the names they give to each of their different lines of clothing (Parisian Park, Soda Fountain, Santorini Island...makes me want to set off on an impulsive trip to Europe):

All pictures from Janie and Jack website's sale section.  Prices are very reasonable and though many styles are from the summer, some (like the ones above) are still very appropriate for fall!

If only Anthropologie had baby stuff...

Because Anthropologie is, hands down, my favorite store in the world.

And what at Anthropologie is my favorite part of the store? The sale section!

Now if I won the lotto, I'd probably buy out the entire LA store, but until my winning numbers pop up, I don't think I can afford to blow my entire paycheck every month there, no matter how tempted I am to do so. Their sales are actually pretty good, and if you're like me and lurk around this section on a weekly basis, there's a good chance you'll find some great items for 20-50% off.

Too bad Antro doesn't sell baby/kids clothes or products, because I would so be there.  Their current home decor stuff though, would actually be really cute in a baby room.  In fact, all their store decor would be cute in a baby room.  I hope they don't mind if I borrow some of their ideas in my own home...

My job entails a lot of travel, so I'm currently in SF, fortunately within walking distance of the store near Union Square. I was pleasantly surprised to find a VERY robust selection of discounted items. Since I was on a time crunch (unfortunately having to work duing a prime shopping Sunday afternoon), I was only able peruse the racks for a few minutes.  But rest assured, I will be back soon.

So, you got babies on the mind or what?

So I mentioned that I've recently gotten married. Wedding planning was acutally a really fun process for me. Sure, it had its moments of stress and a few (dozen) tears were shed here and there throughout it all, but overall the time I spent researching, negotiating, meeting, and budgeting were happy months. About a year of my life outside of work was devoted to this huge project, and after it was over, I found myself 1) relieved to have everything done but 2) somewhat bored with a lot of free time on my hands. I tried oocupying my time in a variety of ways, from crafting to classes to cooking, but I finally realized that I needed to find another big, long-term project, something I could work on intermittently throughout the day on a consistent basis that might actually be useful to myself and others around me. Naturally, after love and marriage is the baby in the baby carriage...and given my love for all things in miniature form (from food to clothing), I thought, hey why not blog about baby products, especially seeing that a significant number of my friends have babies or are pregnant (some with their 2nd and 3rd on the way!).

So to make a long story short, I guess I do have babies on my mind, and though I'm not knocked up yet, it will most likely happen in the semi-near future, and so I hope this blog will be a great resource for me once my time comes.

You can probably tell I'm a little anal about planning ahead.

In the meantime, I hope to share my findings and thoughts with others who can find this information fun and useful!

Pretty pillowcases - Peacock Alley

One Kings Lane is an online sales site, simliar to Gilt and Haute Look, but specfically focused on home goods.  They have some pretty awesome sales - I've seen great finds from Vera Wang and Kate Spade (which sell out quick), but they also have other well-known and established brands in the design world.  Most of these items would be out of my reach financially, but through online sample sales, I'm able to find items that fit my budget...hooray!

Take for example, these beautiful pillows from Peacock Alley:

all images courtesy of One Kings Lane

They'd actually be quite lovely in a baby room on a rocking chair or small sofa, as an alternative to a regular bed. 

If you'd like to become a member of One Kings Lane, let me know and I'll be happy to forward an invitation email to you!

Baby shower idea: baby bookworms

I adore Paper Source.  A lot of my money has been spent there on items that still have yet to be used.  When the site started a blog with various projects and ideas, I was literally in heaven. 

Here's a really fun baby shower invitation idea that they created using their circle card and sticker products.  Clever, huh?

Being a bookworm myself, this project totally resonated with me.  The "thanks" card in the foreground is also super cute too.  Now I know what my next project is gonna be!

Why hello there...

Hello world.

I'm combining my love for vintage inspired design and goodies geared towards moms and babies in a blog that hopefully reflects my taste and interests. 

After a year spent happily planning a wedding (will post some pics soon), I found myself going through a period of post-wedding-planning blues with an abundant amount of free time on my hands.  As I sat in my new home thinking about the meaning of life and what to cook for dinner, I came across the idea to start documenting some neat baby gear inspired by stuff I love. More on why baby stuff to come soon.

So here's to yet another blog on the internet...hopefully you'll find my ramblings interesting and continue to visit regularly.  I'll do my best updating and posting on a regular basis!

JC

p.s. - came across some cute vintage bird prints at twostraightlines...would make really cute wall decor!