SPECIAL MINI POST: WORLD'S CUTEST ACCESORIES!

A you can see, its not very big

Note the adorable beak and little feet and flippers. Supreme cuteness.

I have to share this. Possibly world's most adorable anything (Barring my son). Penguin luggage. As you can see there is a tiny penguin backpack, complete with flippers and littel feet and even a beak that SQUEAKS!!!! OMG, how cute? THere is also a 'mommy' penguin that is a normal sized suit case.

But this little back pack is just the right size for my son to carry diapers, wipes, a bottle, and some snacks. He is unarguably the world's coolest baby- he carries his own stuff!

No idea wear the backpack came from, as it was a Christmas gift from Grandma. But I think it may have been JCPenney's.

Little Aviator Outfits

This was underneath the green jacket. It is sprocket overalls and GreenDog onsie. Toolbox from Sears
Green shiny aviator jacket with furry collar

Shoes: Fur trimmed moccasins made by Grandpa, racecar shoes by Happy Feet

Brown suede aviator jacket

Aviator t shirt, and brown corduroy pants.

Time to show off Christmas outfits! Oliver got 2 little Aviator outfits, with different jackets and t shirts. I only have a picture of one shirt, but they were rather similar. These little outfits are from Sears, by Tough Skins, a great little brand that makes way cute play clothes. Sears also has this great program called Kidvantage, if your child ruins a garment before it's outgrown they will replace it with an identical item, which is nice (and its free!)

The first outfit is by Sprockets, which used to be by Mervyns, but they went under. The shirt is by Green dog, from Macy's.

The race car shoes are from Happy Feet off of Ebay, and they only cost 7.99! The other shoes my father made for him.

Merry Christmas!

Here's the sweet smocking on the friend. Tool Puzzle by Melissa and Doug

Full length outfit. Piano by Discovery Kids

Okay, here's the last Christmas outfit of the season and I saved the cutest for last. This is a hand smocked pant set by Silly Goose (a division of Vive le fete). It's blue micro gingham, with a hand piped red peter pan collar, and a shirt that buttons up the back. The smocking on the front has Santa pulling a sled and Christmas tree.
Of course it was very cute. I have many different smocked pants sets that will be featured later.

I hope you all had a merry Christmas!

Vintage Outifts

here is the lovely embroidery on the leg, little Christmas tree, and lots of presents, including a puppy!

It's a little short outfit, perfect for knee high socks and black patent shoes!

And my son just enhances the overall adorableness of the entire thing!

This lovely little holiday outfit is not new, it is vintage. My grandmother got it for Oliver. I don't think my dad wore it, I think it came from a shop. Vintage clothes can be wonderful if properly cared for as this one has been and they have a higher quality then clothes today. This outfit has pearl buttons, even in the stride there are pearl buttons, and the design looks hand embroidered. The outfit is fully lined with flannel as well.

This outfit can be worn with a variety of tops underneath. Here he is wearing the plain white oxford shirt from Ralph Lauren. Yesterday (when he actually wore this) he had a white long sleeve Peter Pan collared shirt from Strausburg underneath. It would also be cute with a white turtle neck.

When shopping for vintage things know what to look for: Vibrant colors, soft, hole and stain free fabric, secure details, and double seams or linings. It is also important to know what can be repaired- buttons can be replaced and seams can be resewn, but gaping tears, moth holes, fading, and stains are not fixable.

When caring for a vinatage garment, have it dry cleaned, or had wash it after it's las wear of the season. Then wrap it carefully in acid free paper and put it in a box with amoth ball to keep the critters out. Then, with proper care, you can pass your little treasure on to other generations of young ones!

Gymboree Outfits

see the little chubby penguins on the cuffs?

penguin jacket

Here is a cute outfit by gymboree, a great Christmas outfit.
It has penguins on it, which I love, and is Oliver's favorite animals. These gymboree outfits have lots of pieces that match. I actually have a completely different outfit from the same line for next year!
There is a quilted red jacket, a sweet sweater vest with a cute penguin on it, with three demensional bowtie, gray moleskin pants with penguins on the pant cuffs, and the plaid shirt also has a fuzzy penguin on the pocket, but it is hidden uunder the vest.

Old-Fashioned Holiday Outfits

See the cute little bear with the drum?

Little brown saddle shoes and ivory kneesocks add to the old-fashioned appeal

Back of the sweater. There's a taxi down there,but it's folded funny and it's very visable

Front of the sweater- cute cars and some buildings. Very little boy

So since Christmas is this week, I'm going to do some holiday outfits for the next few days. Holiday outfits are fun but generally short lived because they are so themed. So of course there will be some-Super Christmas ones, but also ones that are classic enough to wear all winter.

The first outfit is a lovely old fashion outfit- it's a velvet brown and black houndstooth shortall with bronze buttons and an appliqued bear playing a drum. It has an ivory long sleeve dress shirt underneath, and ivory knee socks and brown saddle shoes. The overall effect is a sweet turn of the century look.

A word about knee socks: they are NOT just for little girls. Knee socks can (and should be) worn with short suits and Eton suits, very popular in weddings and around Easter. They can also be worn with the fancier shortalls and jon jons like this one. It's hard to find knee socks for boys. You generally have to buy them from upscale boy's boutiques or online, however, little girl knee socks that are plain or ribbed with no lace or embellishment work just fine, just don't tell anyone.

The other outfit is one that can be worn all year. Its a bit more casual. Just plain dark jeans, and a plaid shirt and an insanely cute sweater. the shirt is actually the shirt from my Gymboree PenguinFriends outfit, which will be featured as well. The sweater is from Janie and Jack's Uptown Holiday. The sweater is so cute because it has the city design all the way around to the back. It's also 100%wool, so very soft and warm.

Look for more holiday outfits for the next few days, and feel free to submit your Christmas outfit!

Sailor Suits

French Sailor suit

Velvet sailor suit from Good Lad

I love sailor suits. I have many of them in many sizes and styles. One I got from France. Two are from Good Lad, and then there are just many others. I love sailor suits because they are just so classically little boy.
THe little square collar in the back, the tie in the front, anchor embossed buttons, white Gilligan hats, its just cute. I love to dress Oliver up like a little mini-Marine.
I'm sure there will be more posts on Sailor suits as time goes on, bu here are two examples.
When to wear a sailor suit: To a summer or spring birthday party, to a Christmas party, to the beach, to Disney Land, to Church, just out and about. Sailor suits are great any day! And they can be summery and light and made of cotton, or they can be warma nd wintery and made of velvet or corduroy. Its a suit for all seasons!

Tiny Suits

See how cute Oliver is in his TCP suit?
It's even cuter with the hat!
There is nothing cuter then a miniaturized suit on a tiny gentlemen. Suits will be worn at weddings, church, funerals, and holiday parties. It's best to have a few. Oliver has several suits, but since Christmas is this week I am going to feature his Holiday suit, that I got at The Children's Place, for the most part.
I wish computers were a bit more tactile, so you could feel the plush velvet the jacket and hat are made off, and feel the shiny patent shoes. The tuxedo shirt and pants are form a child's wedding wear store that was closing down, I got them for $3 each. The tie is from walmart, and it is not a clip on. The shiny patent wingtip shoes are from Gymboree.
I really love this suit because it has so many details- little round buttons, two on each sleeve, real pockets, a red plaid lining. It's just a delight to see him in it.
I recommend every little boy have 2 suits- a winter suit like this in velvet or another warm fabric, and a cotton summer suit to be covered later.

Janie and Jack

Janie and Jack Snow Penguin overalls and turtleneck body suit
Spring Prince sweater, pants and saddle shoes. Matching polo shirt underneath

There is this wonderful children's boutique called Janie and Jack. It's the upscale branch of Gymboree, and has all the details you would expect and more. Janie and Jack is more formal then Gymboree, but the do have play clothes. Its a very classic boutique, with little outfits that are hard to place in a certain decade. (Remember the 1991 sweater? Or the 1987 elastic pant legged coveralls? You can't do that with these)
They are made with beautiuful details, like buttons, apliques and embroidery. Screenprinting isn't done very often. The fabrics used are wonderfully soft cotton, corduroy, velvet, and 100% cotton or wool. Pants and overalls are almost always lined, so the are extra warma nd comfy. The shoes are also made of leather, too.
Janie and Jack sells clothes in lines (with matching sister lines too) and there are several tops, bottoms, overalls, sweaters, jackets, and shoes and accessories. they can be mixed and matched. Usually there is a formal 'church' outfit, and a more 'play' outfit.
Janie and jack is a bit more expensive the Gymboree, but worth it. The natural fabrics and the nice fit make it worth it. They are very well cut and fit forever and don't tear or stain easily. But, if you watch the clearance racks, you can get killer deals. Like $32 shoes for $7, or $19 t shirt for $4.

Smocking, and mini-designers

Blue moleskin shirt: BT Kids, Vest The Children's Place, Pants: Kenneth Cole Reaction
Bubble Romper by Fried Knits, hand smocked with delightful sailboats and seagulls.


A word about smocking. I love it. It's adorable. It's fun. It's unique. It's EXPENSIVE. Due to it's supreme adorableness, hand smocked outfits are pricey. This is where Ebay rocks. Many people only put their children in their $80 smocked outfits once, for pictures, or a holiday, and then they never wear them again. Then they go up on Ebay for a fraction of the price. At which point, you have a prime chance to grab them for a steal. And smocked outfits can be everyday clothes. Look at Oliver's adorable sailor outift. The fabric was soft and surprisingly stain resistant. Many companies that make smocked clothes make them out of corduroy, which is very durable.
Smocking is done by making tiny pleats in fabric and then embroidering right over the pleats. The details can be beuatifully intricate. The animals have real furry mains and tails, and little button wheels. It takes a very long time to do.
Now, onto the first outfit (sorry, smocking makes me so excited it's hard to contain myself.) The frist outfit is my "little Man" outfit. The blue shirt is INSANELY soft, like, make a blanket out of it soft,inside and out. It's from BT Kids, but I got it at a second hand store for $1.00. Infac,t the entire outfit came from the same second hand store, and I paid $5.00 for it total. The vest isn from The CHildren's Place (TCP), and the brown and blue pinstriped pants are from Kenneth Cole. Yes, Kenneth Cole makes baby clothes. IN fact, most mainstream designers do. Anthropologie does. Ralph Lauren does. DKNY does. Even Burberry makes tiny plaid things. Are these things more expensive? You bet your butt. But, I will say that these mini designers make their children's clothes the same way they make adult clothes- double seams, matching patterns, linings, the whole nine yards. The fabric is softer and more durable. And while $75 is a lot for a pair of baby pants, they will last through 2 or three kids. Or, you can just pick them up at a local thrift store for $3.00 like I did.
CHALLENGE: Go to a thrift store and paw through the children's clothes and see what you can find. Sometimes things are brand new. Check for double seams, or linings in overalls and pants, and piping on shirts, or smocking. I bet you'll get a great haul for pennies on the dollar!

The Start of A journey...for CUTE

Good Lad Shortall and Little Legends polo bodysuit. Old Navy Booties



Carter's Doggie polo bodysuit and jacket, faded Glory pants

Are you tired of boring clothes for your little boys? Tired of the ugly screen printed monsters and the plain, boring t-shirts? Not exactly charmed by the "Boob Man" shirt? Neither was I. So after the pastel, genderless baby clothes (adorable as they were) grew too small and my baby became a little boy, I began a journey. A journey for cute. A journey for fun. A trek for durability. A trek for charming details. I have found clothes everywhere, from yard sales to thrift store, and my best friend, Ebay. Please join me on my journey and find some sweet outfits for your little prince as well!
Some of these pictures are older then others, but I want to make sure that most age groups are represented.