steady as she grows {sixteen weeks}

first of all, happy friday! i'm late on this post this week...

sixteen weeks is four months...so unbelievable that beatrice has been with me for four months...we're out of her so-called 'fourth trimester,' where she nurses and sleeps all the time...it's amazing to see her take in the world and learn to grasp, smile, laugh and start to play...

i'm so excited to continue to watch her grow and get to know her personality, but i really love this stage--she's such a small little bundle that still falls asleep when nursing. what an amazing gift that i've been able to nurse her, i hope that i can keep it up for at least a year, if not longer...

i've been reading about how facebook deleted, then re-instated, then deleted, then re-instated {confused yet?} the breastfeeding support page, the leaky b@@b...it really saddens me that the natural process of a mother feeding her child can be so provoking. breastfeeding obscene? really? i'm so grateful that i've had nothing but support as a breastfeeding mom. there's really nothing more amazing that a mom can give her child...

she's wearing:

first three photos

{baby gap dress & luvette leggings}

{hand-me-down socks}

{blanket hand-knit by my grandma for me when i was a baby!}

last photo

{splendid thermal}

luving luvette...

i have to say it's been pretty cold here in los angeles. i know, i'm spoiled--no snow blizzards or anything, but for sunny so cal, drops into the 4o's are considered cold. so beatrice has been keeping her little bum warm with cashmere. yes, cashmere. she got a pair of bum warmers as a gift from luvette.

luvette is run by an eco-responsible mom who re-purposes sweaters into adorable baby & toddler wear. you'll find pants, diaper covers, even blankets, all lovingly hand-crafted for your little one. how genius & adorable...beatrice's little pants are made from an old cashmere sweater {the sleeves are the legs!}...so soft & luxurious for her little tush!

i think beatrice needs to sport that little skirt...

{photo credit: luvette}

hand-made eco toys on etsy...cuteness abounds!

it's unfortunate that one needs to make sure that a toy is non-toxic these days, so i tend to stick to hand-made and made responsibly. plus, the hand-made ones are the cutest! so sweet and special. here are some of my favorites from etsy sellers:

{cloth play blocks from the polka dot spot on etsy}

{soft baby rattle, bee from by handmade by marika on etsy}

{crocheted organic rattle, monkey {there are lots of animals to choose from!} from locomomma on etsy}

{little anchor teether from little sapling toys on etsy}

{felted sheep from woolies on etsy}

{matilda, the eco friendly owl also from woolies on etsy}

happy friday...donate toys!

happy friday, folks!

what are you up to this weekend? if you are in los angeles, please consider donating toys to children's hospital los angeles. they have run out of toys! it breaks my heart to think of kids in the hospital at all, let alone on christmas, so please consider brightening one child's life this season...since they only accept new toys, i try to purchase eco-friendly wooden toys, that are safe and non-toxic. these kids are already so exposed to toxins, why expose them to more...

in fact, continue to spread the love for children with cancer, eschew the gift giving frenzy and for the adults in your life, consider a donation to a favorite charity. one of my favorites is the pablove foundation, fighting childhood cancer with love. the foundation was started by our friends, jeff & jo ann, who lost their sweet boy, pablo to cancer. they have turned their struggle into an amazing foundation that helps other kids...truly an inspiration.

{photo credit: oompa.com}

happy friday...we're still thankful...we have everything we need

happy friday! have a great weekend...

today we went for a nice walk, drank lots of nursing tea and visited with some friends...avoided the black friday sales altogether. isn't it ironic that the biggest shopping {consumption} day of the year falls the day after we are reminded of all the blessings in our lives...

i'm definitely guilty of being a consumer...i'm signed up for sales at zulilly and gilt and immediately click over when i get a notification to see what cute baby clothes are on sale...i've gotten some great deals there, i'll admit it!

but i also try to buy the bulk of my baby clothes and gear used...either at a great kids resale shop, etsy or on craigslist. i've also done the spending hiatuses, which really help put things in perspective...

but every time i'm tempted to make a purchase, i try to ask myself: "do i need this?" if so, "can i buy it used?" at the very least, i can be conscious of what i purchase...but today i refrained an opted out of the consumerism...

vintage clothes go on vintage hangers...

i've been falling down the etsy k-hole a lot lately...the other night i was up until midnight favorite-ing {i'm making that a new word} a TON of cute vintage baby clothes. i didn't purchase them all yet, but i'm close. {expect a post about that soon.}

so what do vintage baby clothes hang on? vintage hangers of course. so cute, i can't stand it. yes, they are plastic & i'm anti-plastic...but they are vintage {and mostly made in USA}, so i'm not contributing to the plastic consumption, right? it's reducing and reusing...

{photo credits: 1. thl vintage; 2. my favorite finds; 3. squirreley girley; 4. scrappy jessi}

loving the recycled dresses...

i'm loving all of the upcycled vintage dresses out there...seems like there are more and more out there everyday. check out this one from etsy seller lorimarsha. it's called "truly, madly, deeply"...can't go wrong with that name...

speaking of upcycling, we had another bitch & switch and i scored some great items (the shoes aren't from the switch, but esb scored them for me at wasteland!)...i'll post more of the scores later, but that reminds me... esb just posted about cutoffs, which is really funny since i've been thinking today of making some cutoffs. i just got that bike (hey, since i'm working with the company, they gave me an amazing deal...so i couldn't resist), so i've been riding to work everyday. but, can't really ride in short skirts in this weather. so, i'm gonna make some cutoffs too!

also working on a post about our upcoming european vacation/overdue honeymoon!

{photo credit here.}

the doily dress

i'm loving this doily dress from amour sans anguish on etsy. it's a custom-made, one-of-a-kind dress that she creates from vintage doilies!! i bet you could even send her some of your own doily finds and she would create a special dress for you...what a great wedding dress idea...it incorporates all of my favorite things: vintage lace, reducing, upcycling and re-using...

{photo credit here.}

happy earth day!!

i'm not posting anything specifically green, since i try to be 'green' everyday.  but here are some of my favorite green blogs:

fig + sage:  great great deals and products featured daily

homegrown evolution: sustainable living and gardening in the city

green LA girl:  great green tips for los angeles living

ecofabulous: fab green finds & check out their earth day guide

ideal bite: not a blog, but you can sign up for great quick green tips

happy earth day!

{photo from space today}

reduce, reuse, recycle: {fluttery paper hanging trees}

i'm loving all the fluttery, flow-y, paper garlands and hanging decorations i'm seeing all over...what a fun diy project and reuse of paper, sheet music, magazines, sewing patterns, old books, memories, etc?  great for a garden wedding or party...

{photos 1,2: one love photo via a practical wedding; photos 3-7: royal buffet via oh so beautiful paper; photo 8: flickr via green wedding shoes; photo 9: flickr; photos 10, 11: everyday beauty via two brides}

happy home-maker {victory veggie garden}

i'm trying to get motivated to create a vegetable garden on the patio deck outside our kitchen.  i started the project at the height of our wedding planning last year and well, it sure fell by the wayside!  i've been really inspired by a new blog i discovered via my favorite magazine, sunset.  victory home & garden is all about urban gardening.  she blogs about her raised beds, her beautiful bounty and her dog.  i love her punk rock attitude and her diy bent.  plus i've also discovered many new vegan recipe blogs that i'm excited to delve into...

{photo of raised bed from victory home & garden.}

etsy love {bayou salvage}

i love these. aren't they lovely?  i purchased several lace tablecloths of varying sizes and shapes from ebay and thrifting for the wedding table toppers.  i gave several away, but i still have quite a few left...more than i need.  what a cool way to reuse them and keep a memento of the day. from bayou salvage on etsy.

eco etsy street team

i just found out about ecoetsy-- a site of etsy sellers dedicated to reducing, reusing and recycling!  wow, i wish i knew about this site when i was planning my wedding.  when i was searching on etsy, i would add "green" or "reused" or some other description before what i was looking for {ie, green invitations} to try and find etsy sellers who were selling not only hand-made products, but green as well.  what a great resource. 

you can go to the site to find items and get information, or you can follow their blog.  additionally, once you are on etsy, you can use the search term "teamecoetsy" to find their wares.  good stuff.

reduce, reuse, recycle: {b*tch & switch}

this weekend, a bunch of us girls are going to get together for one of our "bitch & switch" parties.  here's how it works:

1.  clean out closet

2.  bag up clothes {cream of the crop only}

3.  assemble at someone's house {potluck, bring a snack!}

4.  swap clothes!

5.  go home with some "new" clothes & the rest {not swapped} goes to goodwill {or take it & sell it at crossroads}

it's a fun way to reduce your closet, weed out some great stuff that you just never wear & invigorate it with some "new" pieces from your fashionable friends.  {you know you've been coveting your best friends sweater, maybe she's sick of it!}  we've had several & i have some great finds from the parties.  it's also a fun reason to get together--we usually do a simple snack potluck.  we need energy for shopping!  we only bring the "cream of the crop" to swap {no one really wants your old pajamas}, and someone volunteers to take the "leftovers" to goodwill, or one can always bring home & sell it at a crossroads or someplace similar.