Rabbit Hole

Sweater-Rag and Bone/Pencil Skirt-Express/Shoes-TopShop/Sunglasses-Chloe (similar)

I feel like I have fallen down a rabbit hole of sorts; I have been so busy juggling multiple fronts the past several weeks that the change in my surroundings have gone unnoticed. Now, having just come up for air...It dawned on me that summer is in it's final stretch...Goodbye backyard BBQs and hello sweater weather and hot cocoa!  To commence this fall season, I picked up this exquisite Rag and Bone pre fall sweater at Diani, which is one of my favorite Santa Barbara based boutiques. I also have my eye on this white leather handbag, to which I currently only have visiting rights but hope my wardrobe gets full custody in the near future. 

Made in America Mondays-Bannor Toys

Bannor Toys started as a fun hobby with just a few toy designs in the Bannor residents basement,  located in Des Moines, Iowa. Fast forward three years to now, and the company has grown into a full time family own and operated toy business with a modern day workshop.  Their product offering includes baby teething toys, ABC building blocks, toy cars and my favorite the personalized baby rattles....plus much more!

The most exciting part about purchasing a Bannor Toy is that you can have a product that exceeds all federal toy testing requirements, is made in the USA, and you are still supporting a small business that is eco-friendly. This company strives to create an environmentally sustainable business model; their wood scraps heat the shop in the winter, they re-use and re-purpose their supplies and materials, use eco-friendly packaging, and all the toys are created from responsibly harvested woods.

"In a world of mass production and quantity over quality, we still take the time to hand craft each toy one at a time. That allows us to create a toy that is of heirloom quality so you know that it is safe and will last until your kids pass the toys down to your grandkids."

What to Wear to Brunch

Shirt-Theory(similar) Shorts-J. Crew (similar)/Shoes-Zara ( in store only, similar here)/Sunglasses-Ray-Ban/Bracelet-J. Crew

This past weekend my husband and I jumped over to Palm Springs for a short getaway. We were both excited and eager for an adult only vacation, far removed from the everyday chaos. The trip was a brief two nights but we managed to pack it in with fun activities such as, bronzing poolside, late morning brunching and a night on the town with friends.

We frequent Palm Springs often as it is only a mere three hours from my home, and I find it amusing that my wardrobe seems to drastically change when I visit the desert. Unconsciously, my shorts get shorter and my heels get higher and I tend to dress in my edgy attire, such as this jumper from my Coachella trip, which was featured on OOTD Magazine this week!

During our getaway we brunch at the La Quinta Resort and Spa.  I kept my outfit simple with high waisted white shorts paired with a short sleeve chambray.

If you visit the La Quinta Resort for brunch be sure to order their Bloody Mary, which comes equipped with bacon infused vodka. It will knock your socks off!

Made in America Mondays

Today I am launching a mini series titled Made in America Mondays. Each week I will feature a business that is dedicated to making their products in America. My objective is to promote and showcase high quality American made products and to encourage my viewers to make a conscious effort to purchase products made in our country.

My first feature is clothing line Sonnet James; this company produces durable, comfortable and beautiful mom attire. Sonnet James was founded by a mom who appreciates staying stylish while on mom duty. Her company’s founding mission statement is “equipping moms to look great without letting her clothes get in the way of the next big adventure”!  All of the garments are made in San Francisco, and the fabric hails from NYC! 

Here I am wearing the Remi Dress, which would look perfect paired with this made in America leather baseball cap.

Parenting.com Feature

Have you ever checked out Parenting.com's online content? There is a mother lode (literally) of information from family friendly resorts to tips on how to get your abs back in shape. When I was pregnant I saved their baby name list to my computer favorites and stocked that page like it was a bad habit. Now, I could spend hours surfing their parenting advice pages and DIY articles if it was not for my constantly moving towhead. So naturally, when I found out Year of the Bib would be featured in their Fashionable Favorite Blogs I was over the moon excited! Check out the article here.

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Picks

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I was born and raised in Seattle and consider Nordstrom my Alma mater. As a youngster, my mom would take my sister and me to their Anniversary Sale at the flagship store for our back to school shopping. After our exhausting shopping extravaganza we would spend the night at the Four Seasons, where my sis and I would do a "fashion show" with our purchases.  

Tomorrow the Anniversary Sale launches and you won't want to miss it! These are some of my favorite picks from their accessories, beauty and kids clothing. Stay tuned to see Layla's first "fashion show" from our Anniversary finds. 

Black and Nude

Layla: Dress-Carters

Erika-Cashmere top-J. Crew(on sale now) /Leather Shorts-Rag and Bone/Necklace-J.Crew/Sunnies-Garrett Leight/Sandals-Madewell 

Happy Friday everyone! This weekend Derek and I are taking off to Palm Springs sans the baby! We will miss our little peanut but are thrilled for some alone time and sleeping in! 

Packed in my bags for Palm Springs are these Rag and Bone black leather shorts that I recently picked up at Intermix! I am in love with their versatility and look forward to styling them with a million different options. I enjoy wearing harmonious colors with Layla and thought her LBD went great with my neutral attire. 

On another note, have you noticed the "mommy and me" outfit trend on IG and Pinterest?  I for one am not smitten over matching outfits..... except for maybe with overalls, I have an overall fever going on; short, long, distressed, I don't discriminate and Layla loves her too)   

A Family Affair

Shoes-J.Crew/Bracelet-J.Crew/Dress-Anthropologie (in stores only, similar here)/Headband-Urban Outfitters

This past weekend our family headed up north to Seattle, where my husband and I are both from. We spent most of our waking hours boating in the bay or hanging out on the beach; Layla even logged a few hours at sea and she thoroughly enjoyed the relaxing cruise. 

As I mentioned in my previous posts we celebrated Layla's first birthday on the 4th of July, and although the party was rained out, we managed to quickly move the festivities and 79 people in attendance in doors. My husband was happy he was able to still launch his epic firework show, which included over 165 different fireworks!  

Ideas for a 4th of July Party

Layla's big first birthday celebration is just 5 days away and pulling this shindig off will be a buzzer beater, this party has turned into a full blown extravaganza with close to 100 RSVP's. I am slightly panicked with all the prep it takes to host a party and the past few days feels like my college finals week, minus the unproductive late night study sessions.

I am thankful I stumbled upon TomKat Studio, an online party planning think tank. The author, Kim Stoegbauer, has a plethora of amazing ideas for a variety of themed parties. Her Stars and Stripes themed Birthday party was exactly what I had envisioned for Layla's party! Also, I was able to purchase most of the swag on her online shop  which took the leg work out of finding the goodies on my own!