our favorite summer haunt

Lately, we have been spending a lot of lazy hours at our favorite summer haunt. A little lake near our house where the kids can dig in the sand and the mamas can relax on the beach while babes sleep in strollers. It is a little muddier than an ocean beach, but we will take what we can get - this spot has been my life saver more than once on long summer days!

Are you holding onto summer as long as you can too?

(As you can probably conclude from my instagram photos, I got an iphone last week. I would love to hear suggestions for fun and useful apps if you have any!)

1 week to 6 months

Lark turned six months old a couple of weeks ago so I am late posting this, but I thought it was fun to see how much she has grown! The only real scale is her brooch - it looks so big on her in the first pic!

She is sitting up, rolling all over the place, and eating solid foods. But, what makes me so happy is seeing her really start to interact with her sister. I can see in her eyes that she adores her. Their new favorite game is tag - I hold Lark and we chase LM, then LM chases us and the giggles are non-stop for both of them. Love my two girls, here's to the giggles continuing throughout their whole lives.

little vintage style v.24

Welcome to Little Vintage Style, a place to show off your sweet little ones wearing vintage! Link up every Wednesday, and make sure to click around and say 'hello!' to all of the other vintage lovin' mamas like you!

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Sorry if you stopped by earlier and LVS wasn't up yet! To be honest, I have been feeling a little off lately and this Wednesday really crept up on me. I realized late last night that I needed to post this week's LVS but I didn't have any new pictures of my girls, oops! I tweeted my dilemma and Bri came to my rescue, taking these photos of her sweet little girl Rilo this morning. Thank you for stepping in at the last minute Bri!

Hi! I'm Bri and I blog at {collected}! I'm happy to be participating in Little Vintage Style, since I happen to have a soft spot for all things vintage.

If I had my way, Rilo would have worn this dress every day this past summer.  Yellow is one of my favorite colors and I love to dress Rilo in yellow too.  It's just so bright and happy!  This dress actually came from Stacy's shop.  I think due to her recent growth spurt, we'll have to retire this dress until our next little girl comes along!

My favorite type of vintage clothes for Rilo are the ones with sentimental value. My Great-grandmother MeMe (and Rilo's Great-great-grandmother) was and still is an avid sewer. I have loved dressing Rilo in some of the outfits that MeMe made for me when I was little. This coat was actually made for my Great Aunt and then passed down to me. I love the classic shape of the coat and the sweet little lace detaling on the collar.

Thanks for having us Stacy and letting us take part in such a fun feature!

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Link up below!

felt cloche

I am guest posting today over at Sparkle Power while Candace is enjoying some time off with her new sweet baby boy. Remember this hat? Well, head on over to find out more about it!

Want to make your own? You can find the pattern here.

her first sewing project

It all started when LM came up to me holding a needle and thread. "I want to make a monster, mommy." Instead of being alarmed that she had somehow acquired a sharp dangerous object, I smiled - my little girl wants to do a sewing project!!! I sat her down with a crayon and paper and told her to draw what she wanted the monster to look like, and I thought what she came up with was so cute and funny. This is the first time she has ever drawn a picture complete with arms and legs, let alone nostrils and a beard (that is what she said the scribble under the nose was - just like daddy, ha)! 

(she added the other eye on the drawing later, after we were already done)

She helped pick out the fabric, I sewed it all together, and then she carefully put the stuffing inside. Once the monster was all done she was so proud and excited that it looked just like her picture! I accidentally put the glitter ribbon on backwards, but it doesn't really matter since they all twist and turn anyway. She named him Snarfy and when I asked her why she answered, "Because he is a Snarfy mom." I guess I should have known :) 

I am so glad that she had an idea and knew that she could make it a reality with a little help from mommy. I think it is such a blessing to be able to express yourself through creativity, and I hope she continues to come up with many more projects for us to work on together!

little vintage style v.23

Welcome to Little Vintage Style, a place to show off your sweet little ones wearing vintage! Link up every Wednesday, and make sure to click around and say 'hello!' to all of the other vintage lovin' mamas like you!

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Today we are finally showing the boys some love on LVS! Please welcome this week's guest host, Gabrielle. Her whole family has fantastic vintage style, but today she is sharing tips on dressing little boys in vintage. We all know vintage boy clothing is harder to come by, so any of you mamas with little boys - this is a must read!

Isabella 16.5 yrs, Harriet 9.5 yrs, Billy 5.5 yrs, Arlo 2.5 yrs

Hello Hart & Sew readers, I'm Gabrielle and I'm very happy to be guest hosting today all the way from Auckland, New Zealand where I live with my little vintage loving family. Miss Isabella (16yrs) wears 100% vintage all the time, but it would be fair to say that on any given day we will all be wearing at least one item that is vintage, thrifted, a hand-me-down, or handmade using vintage or thrifted fabrics. Part of the reason is that we try as a family to live as eco-friendly and sustainably as we can, but a big part is that we just love the vintage aesthetic.

We are just coming to the end of Winter here so thought it would be fun to look at how I styled our two youngest small people in the cold weather. After two girls we were excited to be expecting Billy almost 6yrs ago, but a little dismayed when we discovered what was on offer in the boys clothing department, lots of track pants, polar fleece and camo....so the hunt began for thrifted and vintage boys clothes. These aren't so easy to find here, especially once you are out of baby sizes. I think part of the reason is we are a small country and secondly my theory is boys in the era's I look for probably didn't have that many outfits compared to girls and probably wore them a lot harder. Never the less I have now found a way to style Billy's wardrobe and things are getting a second wear with Arlo (2.5yrs). My top tips for dressing boys with a vintage vibe would be;

1. Basics...I find the older the boys get the harder it is to find an entire vintage outfit so I have some chain store basics that seem to look good with a vintage item. Skinny jeans, 70's style flares and shorts that have that English school boy look- think Edwin in the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe -  all look great with vintage shirts and jerseys. For Arlo my No.1 basic is tights, they look great under shorts with a little vintage shirt or tunic, especially sailor tops and also make a great extra layer under thinner overalls.

Hat- thrifted handknit aviator helmet//Coat - made in NZ vintage wool coat from our online auction site Trademe//Shoes- thrifted vintage Angel brand

2. Handmade and Upcycled...Vintage patterns are something I find a a lot of while thrifting, and using either thrifted vintage fabric or men's clothes I make lots of pants and shirts for the boys. Vintage patterns can be a little trickier to follow as they come with very few instructions compared to modern patterns, my thoughts are that it was assumed at the time they were printed that women knew all the sewing terms and how to apply them to a garment. Two modern patterns that are great for creating vintage look clothes are the Slim Slack pattern from This Mama Makes Stuff and Dana from Made's pants pattern. You can cut Dana's pattern from a pair of men's vintage pants using the existing hem and they look great. With shirts you can place a vintage pattern on a men's shirt and use the existing button placard and sleeve hems.

Hat -  retro style from Nettle and Wolf//Overalls- handmade by me using a vintage pattern and thrifted fabric//Shoes- hand-me-down from Isabella Oshkosh

3. Woollens and Hand-knits....these always lend a vintage vibe to an outfit, we are lucky enough to have Grans and Aunts who knit for us as well as hand-knits being another thing I often find while thrifting - it might be something to do with the large number of sheep in New Zealand. One of my favourite looks is a vintage styled vest over a vintage shirt.

Hat - retro style Fedora//Vest and Jeans - original 70's deadstock from Mislaidtreasures

4. Accessorise... just as our Grandmothers would not have left the house without the right hat, gloves, shoes and bag I find vintage accessories complete the look for the boys. Fedoras, berets, newsboy caps and knitted aviator helmets all look great. A good vintage wool coat is something I have paid a little more for in various sizes from Etsy or online auction sites. Suspenders and ties are two more favourite items, men's ties on neck elastic can be tightened  and look cool with a vintage or retro styled shirt and skinny jeans. Lastly shoes...I have to admit the boys have as many pairs as the girls did at the same age. Boots always funk up an outfit, biker, riding or cowboy styles as do thrifted cons or vans.

Hat - local vintage shop Aunty Mavis//Shirt - vintage from Ebay seller Akcache//Tie- thrifted//Pants- upcycled from men's pants using the Slim Slack tutorial//Boots- biker style

Thanks Stacy for having me over here today to share a little bit about Billy and Arlo's style and  I look forward to checking out everyone else's vintage looks this week too!

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six months later

Nursing Lark at 6 weeks

Over the past six months I have thought a lot about my experience giving birth to Lark. Almost every day I sit in the same chair where I spent a good portion of my time laboring, and nurse her while I remember that long night and thank God I got to experience something so magical.

When I wrote my birth story I hadn't had time to really process the whole amazing experience. At that point I hardly believed it had happened myself. I wanted to record the details before I forgot them, and I am happy that I did, but really it is just a story about facts. A timeline leading up to the point where I finally held my sweet baby girl in my arms.

What is missing from the story I will never be able to properly put into words. The feelings and emotions I experienced are so special to me I don't know that I should even try. I put my trust in my body and my baby, handed all of my fear and weakness over to God, embraced birth in every way possible, and in return felt only love instead of pain. It was an incredible, beautiful experience that I will forever be grateful for and never be the same because of... and I am so happy that I get to be reminded of it every day when I look into her clear blue eyes.

I suppose hitting the half way to a year mark is making me feel nostalgic, and I needed to acknowledge those tender feelings my birth story is lacking. I pray that I will be blessed with more children and get to experience similar births again. Oh, that I would be so lucky.

resolution update: music

With the end of the year sneaking up, I thought I would look back and see how I am doing on my resolutions so far. This was the first one I wrote:

'This year... I resolve to listen to more music. I tend to like quiet moments and can even drive in the car for hours with just my thoughts for company (Husband is opposite so we have battles over volume control). But I have a little girl that is undeniably an up-and-coming music lover, and so I am committing to help her burgeoning love grow by putting on some tunes more often (have any good recommendations for kids?)'

I am happy to say that I feel like I am doing really well with this goal! Of course it helps that LM is constantly asking to listen to music, my part has mainly been providing her with fun and appropriate options. Her favorites are the Yo Gabba Gabba cds, the Cars soundtrack, Popcorn Bopping, and her Sesame Street 'Feelings' record. She loves to sing along and I am amazed at her ability to pick up on the lyrics quickly.

We started a tradition where she gets to choose a record whenever we go thrifting. There are usually at least a few options of children's records for $1 a piece, and she is building up quite the collection because let's face it - we hit up the thrift often! It's fun for both of us to dig through the stacks, and this way she doesn't get too upset when I tell her she can't bring home the broken princess cell phone she's been carrying around...

It makes me smile when she chooses to spend the afternoon spinning records, or requests a specific song on repeat in the car while she bops her head and sings along. I hope her love of good music will continue to grow and grow... this is definitely a resolution we will keep up every year!

And, we are still all ears (pun intended)  for any good recommendations if you have any :)  

little vintage style v.22

Welcome to Little Vintage Style, a place to show off your sweet little ones wearing vintage! Link up every Wednesday, and make sure to click around and say 'hello!' to all of the other vintage lovin' mamas like you!

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This week life has been busier than normal, thus my absence. I am playing mama of four as two of my nephews have been staying with us, and I am stating for the record that boys are so much more exhausting than girls! With that said, it's been really fun though and LM has loved having her cousins to play with all day long. We have to say goodbye to them tomorrow and I'm sure the house will seem really quiet and lonely without them. 

These pictures were taken on a recent trip to the park. I specifically needed to take pictures of the hat (more details to come on that later), but LM also wore a sweet handmade vintage top I found a long time ago. I've been waiting for her to grow into it and am so happy it finally fits now. Aren't those little animals the cutest? 

Lark also wore a vintage top this day borrowed from the shop. She has started trying to clap when she sees us do it, and it is so funny and cute. She misses her hands every time but it sure makes her happy to try!

LM wore: top - vintage thrifted, shorts - Target, shoes - vintage thrifted, hat - handmade

Lark wore: top -vintage thrifted, bottoms - hand-me-downs

Link up below, if you'd like! And you can grab an LVS button on the side bar.

shop update and other things

This week has completely gotten away from me, but I am fine with the fact that it is already Friday, yay! I feel like September has brought not only amazing weather, but many more things added onto my plate - this equals wanting to spend all of my time outside daydreaming, but in reality needing a productive routine to stay on top of things. Anyone else feel this pull in opposite directions? I am struggling to get anything done right now, but I think I am coming closer to finding balance.

Some happenings this week: 

Lark started eating solid foods! I am giving her local free-range organic egg yolks diluted with a little bit of filtered water and she is loving it.

 I am constantly being challenged to learn and grow as a mother. Lately, my biggest lesson has been that I need to humble myself more when LM throws tantrums, and remember that what is upsetting her is valid in her mind (even when it shouldn't be). I have realized that I need to give her a greater amount of empathy to feel loved and understood in these moments (and of course these are the moments it is hardest to give!).

The decision has been made, I am going to grow out my bangs! Putting the scissors somewhere where I won't find them. I may need some moral support when they hit the awkward stage.

Surprise! I actually started going through my vintage patterns and will have some listed in the shop soon. If you have any requests for sizes or styles let me know, I have just been choosing ones at random. Also, would any of you like to join me in a sew-a-long? I haven't busted out my machine in awhile and I think it would be fun to show each other our progress!

And, lastly, as you can see above I was able to do a shop update this week... you can take a closer look here.

Have a great weekend friends!

little vintage style v.21

Welcome to Little Vintage Style, a place to show off your sweet little ones wearing vintage! Link up every Wednesday, and make sure to click around and say 'hello!' to all of the other vintage lovin' mamas like you!

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It's all about dance in our house this week. LM starts her first dance class on Thursday and she is more than a little excited about it. Other than asking me everyday if it's time to go, she has also been wearing her ballet clothes and walking on her tip toes non-stop.

She points her imaginary wand at me and turns me into a dancer too, and I help spin her around while she stands on one leg like a ballerina in a music box. It's been fun, I only hope she remains as enthusiastic to dance during her class!

As I was going through some clothes deciding what to photograph and list in the shop next, I came across this sweet little 1950's slip dress. Since it looks like a tutu, we decided that Lark should be a ballerina for the afternoon too! It's a bit big on her, but she looked so pretty. LM had fun pretending until Lark decided all of the dancing had tired her out and it was time for a nap... 

Below is a color picture. There is pretty pink stitching details and the bodice is simply gorgeous. This will be in the shop eventually, but if you are interested in more info now just let me know.

I'll be sure to let you know how dance class goes!

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i melted

My hair dresser called it a melt and I told her to go for it.

I needed a change so I got brave and put color in my hair for the first time. And you know what? It really wasn't that scary after all, and some people didn't even notice the ombre. This just might be the first baby step to trying out a full head of dark hair someday...I've always secretly wanted to!

Shirt - UO
Skirt - vintage
Shoes - Anthropologie
Necklace - Oh, Hello Friend

My apologies for the disappearing act last week... I am feeling much better now, thank you for all of the get well wishes! This skirt is one of the things I scored with my SIL when we were on our trip visiting family last weekend. I always seem to have luck at this fun little consignment shop in town and make it a point to stop by. I also got a really cute carpet bag that I can use on date nights instead of my diaper bag - I've been hauling around that huge thing everywhere, but if I'm away from the kids I should be carrying around something more pretty, right?

I really can't believe September is already here, but I am ready for the fall weather to start rolling in - I love this time of year!
How was your three-day weekend?