i love craigslist...

i have literally furnished our entire home with craigslist or flea market finds...so i was so excited to find a used wood kitchen for beatrice on craigslist!  it's a $200 kitchen new, but i snagged it from a lovely hippie family in the canyon for only $85...

we are not going crazy with christmas gifts for bea...first of all, she's too young to really get into the whole thing and secondly, and more importantly, i really don't want to make christmas and the holidays so consumer and gift focused for her.  so we are going to get her one nice present for "under the tree" and since it's used, it's even better!  pre-loved from a sweet hippie family...so it's got good vibes to boot!

hippies buy used dresses

for $26!! not sure why i'm on such a hippie dress kick lately, but i simply can't ignore an amazing hippie wedding dress for $26, yes you read that right: twenty-six dollars, people!

{photo credit here}

dress like a hippie...

loving this dress from one of my favorite "upcycle" or recycle designers amour sans anguish...she made this dress for me. this would be awesome for a hippie or prairie bride...if a hippie decided to get married...

and it's only $225...amazing!

{photo credit here}

steady as she grows {seventeen weeks}

they really do grow so fast...just today i cleaned out the first batch of clothes that beatrice grew out of...so for that reason it seems so silly to buy a lot of new clothes! yes, i know i confessed to the occasional gilt group or zulily purchase, but that's not the norm. most of beatrice's clothes have been hand-me-downs or have come from re-sale shops like grow kid grow in our neighborhood. until now, i haven't had anything to sell them, but now i do! you can bring your clothes in to sell and you either get a credit or cash, i'm taking the credit every time if beatrice is outgrowing clothes every three months!

she's such a wonderful baby, so calm and such a sweet disposition. she is really actively grabbing & playing with toys {read: putting in mouth}...i've found some used toys for her, but with toys it's a bit tougher. they are not as easy to find...

she had so many activities last week: we went to a play group at the los angeles gay & lesbian center for the first time. it was really great to meet & connect with other lgbt parents! there were quite a few people there, it was really cool. i have to admit it's tough sometimes being the only gay at some of the support groups and yoga we attend...everyone is awesome and i've made tons of great mom friends...it's just nice to connect with folks who are doing the same thing we are doing as far as the "non-traditional" family {whatever that means}...

she's wearing:

{old navy top}

{children's place pants}

{trumpette socks}

{all gently used from grow kid grow}

+

{bla bla doll}

{blanket hand-knit by my grandma}

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}

toys for the bebe...

aren't these dolls the sweetest things ever? they are all handmade, hand-dyed from recycled and vintage fabrics by jess brown design.

i think the bebe girl needs one...

{photo credits here}

vintage glitterati...

as you all know, i'm a vintage fanatic...so i've been so excited by a new vintage site called vintage glitterati. it's a collaboration of several different vintage sellers from etsy. many of the sellers specialize in upcycling vintage...taking a current vintage piece and upcycling it into something different. a great way to save vintage pieces that may not be able to stand on their own due to damage over the years. thus, the ultimate reduce, reuse and recycle--my favorite. i have an amazing cuff and belt that has been upcycled from many different vintage trims.

there are so many great finds on their for the vintage bride! sigh, if i were only getting married again...

go check it out!

{photo credit here}

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.}

is this dress too "white" to wear to a wedding?

ok, i need your advice.  i know a wedding guest is *never* supposed to wear white to a wedding, but is champagne ok??  i bought this dress from armour sans anquish on etsy, and i *love* it, so i'm sure i can wear it another time, but is it ok to wear to a wedding?  thoughts?  i bought the cute headband from fascinating creations on etsy.

and how much do we love the upcycled fashions of armour sans anquish?  if you don't know about them, they are awesome, they take existing clothing and upcycle them into fab new fashions.  they have a blog, too.

{photo credit 1 & 2: armour sans anguish, photo 3: fascinating creations}

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}

happy home-maker: {recycled container gardening}

i'm loving all of the innovative gardens and gardening i'm seeing out there in the world.  from the amazing raised veggie beds from adriana at victory home & garden to rachel's innovative use of old wine crates, transformed and repurposed into gardening items over at heart of light.  and of course it's old news now, but the veggie garden at the white house is such important news, what a great example to set for the rest of the country...i certainly don't have the space that they have, but that's where all of these cool containers and creative uses of objects are so inspirational. 

today over at vintage indie, i spotted these great recycled mobile gardens from etsy seller semper nova.  i love that they rescue old items and transform them into something living and beautiful.

{photo credit:  semper nova via vintage indie}

ps.  adriana at victory home & garden is working on a punk rock gardening podcast.  how cool is that?  go over there right now & ask her your burning edible garden questions.  {and i'm sure she'll field a question or two about the clash or the germs if you ask nicely.}

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}

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.

something borrowed: freedom to marry week blog carnival

in celebration of freedom to marry week, i'm participating in the other mother's blog carnival. day 3 post is "something borrowed."

my something old and something new posts were both technically "borrowed" materials from others...so i struggled with this post for a little bit. however, the idea of borrowing--recycling, re-using, re-appropriating-- is such an important element in my life, i almost overlooked it. in all aspects of my life, i try to resist purchasing a new item. i do this to avoid adding more stress to our already over-burdened earth by keeping items out of the landfill. i love my life and my abundance, and i want to pass something on to future generations.

i also love the idea of an item with history, something that has been loved and something that has it's own life.

in our wedding, i didn't really borrow anything. most everything i wore however, was vintage. i also encouraged my bridal brigade to wear dresses that were either used, or borrow a dress from one another. the photo i posted is of one of my best friends, romy, in a dress she borrowed from shannon, trying on shoes she borrowed from antonia.

we try carry the recycling or borrowing mission out throughout the year. about every three months, we have a 'bitch & switch' , where we swap items of clothing that we are no longer wearing. it's fun to see my friends wearing some of my well-loved pieces. i always look forward to these swaps, not just for the fun new clothes, but more importantly to spend time with my ladies. loving the earth & loving the ladies, doesn't get any better.