LilSugar

Baby Bump: Pretty Printing

babysugar — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:00:23 -0700

There are two camps on the birth announcement field - those who gravitate to more modern ones with photos of the baby and those who prefer traditional cards that simply introduce the newborn.

If you are in the latter camp, the chic, clean designs of New York-based Pretty Printing should be right up your alley. Created by a former fashion executive, the company's line of birth announcements and thank you notes feature preppy iconography such as boats, anchors, prams and monogrammed onesies. Pretty Printing's simple approach can also be seen in the beautiful patterns and whimsical icons - ice cream cones, boat totes, espadrilles and wellies that are offered on their party invitations ( baby showers and children's birthdays), stationery and moving announcements.

To see more of the company's designs, read more

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Celebaby Style: Michelle and Matilda March On

babysugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:47:49 -0700

One princess holds another. Like many 4-year-old girls, Matilda Ledger appears to be a Cinderella fan. The princess-toting tot held her mama's hands through the streets of Brooklyn, where they eventually made their way to the young lady's school. Bundled up for a day out, the pretty pair wore complementary shades of gray, pink, and black.

The lil Ledger rocked her cozy Minnetonka moccasin booties, tights, and a pink-and-oatmeal striped dress. To top her look off, she mashed it up with a gray wool jacket complete with toggles and big pockets for her princess's safekeeping. Mommy Michelle looked effortlessly chic and stylish in her straight ankle jeans, printed blouse, and pale pink ballet flats. Like daughter, like mother - Michelle also completed her outfit with a snazzy leather jacket and a pair of old-school Ray-Bans.

We can't wait to see what this super duo has in store for Halloween!

Class club toddler wool-blend duffle coat with scarf - $70.00	Oatmeal Rugby Stripe Dress - $50.00
Minnetonka Infant/Toddler Velcro Back Flap Boot - $19.95	Limik - $700.00
Ankle stretch toothpick jean in black resin rinse - $125.00	H81 Star Floral Woven Shirt - $19.90
Bloch London Women's Ballerina Pearl Ballet Flat - $109.95	Microfiber Tights - $4.50

School Year's Resolutions: The Sassy Socialite Mom

babysugar — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:00:38 -0700

Picking up a toddler in a fancy dress may not sound too practical, but it's a way of life for some mommies. Mothers who delight in running around social circles put up the appearance that there is always time for a blow-out and a pair of swanky shoes. Picture perfect, the mum can be inspiration to run a comb through that matted hair before hitting the carpool line - a school year's resolution to be sure! To get the look on the cheap and easy, mamas can sport a simple print frock and pair it with some funky footwear and sparkly jewelry. Slip dresses give off a sophisticated look while maintaining a flirty and youthful appeal. If it suits the outfit, tack on a belt to show off that slim waistline. If you choose to sport a simple black dress, slip on a coral necklace and a pair of cab-yellow platforms that are typically easier to manage than a regular heel. Pretty soon, the other moms will want to know which board you're heading this year.

Enter to win a $1,000 wardrobe for your child from Tea Collection!

Krazy For Kokopax Carrier!

babysugar — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:00:00 -0700

My weekly trip to the grocery store can be harried with a two-year-old and an infant, but if I can put one of them on my back then life is easier. When Kokopax sent us a backpack to review, I jumped at the opportunity to test it out and lighten my load. A fan of the classic Baby Bjorn, I wasn't sure that Kokopax would make chores any simpler than the front baby carrier. Certainly the Bjorn and other models like it allow for closeness and warmth, but the Kokopax gives mom the freedom to hold a full load in her arms while baby sits pretty behind her.

Baby Lilac Eye Masks: Kid Friendly or Are You Kidding?

babysugar — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:00:48 -0700

Don't we all wish we could sleep like a baby? Twelve hour stretches and two lengthy naps in the middle of the day sounds enticing, but not all babes slumber so well. Those having a hard time putting their heavy eyes to rest might need a lil help from a Baby Lilac eye mask. Crafted from pretty plush prints, the spunky masks are said to help wee ones enter the snooze zone. Parents swear by them for airplane rides and other distracting environments. Would you try it out?

Trendtotting: The Perfect Easter Outfit For Girls

LilSugar — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 12:00:24 -0700

Easter Sunday is swiftly approaching, which means moms are running around searching for Easter baskets, eggs and goodies and pretty outfits for Easter photos. While I don't think children's fashion rules should be stiff, it is traditionally the date we are allowed (and encouraged!) to wear white again. Embrace floral prints, pastels and all things Spring with a youthful and fun look for your daughter that can withstand a chocolate smear and egg hunt in the yard. I adore this dreamy Juicy Couture Girls' Sunrise Embroidered Puff Sleeve Dress ($172). It is part innocent flower child, part Alice in Wonderland.

If this outfit won't fit your little bunny or you are looking for a less expensive option, check out some additional pretty style suggestions when you read more.

Source

Custom Baby Accordion Books: Ga Ga or Gag?

LilSugar — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 09:00:03 -0800

There's no denying these custom baby accordion books are remarkably beautiful, but is having a professionally made brag book worth the $175 price tag? The concept is very simple: you send the company 15 photos and it creates a fan book to match your images, prints it on fancy paper and add pretty ribbons. I am wowed by the look and think they would make the ideal gift for family members, but overwhelmed by the cost. What's your take?

Interview With Liz Lange: Pregnancy Mogul Relaunches Line!

LilSugar — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 06:00:45 -0800

The woman who introduced the world to chic, form-fitting designs that celebrate the pregnant woman's bod is shaking things up again! Six years after introducing her maternity line to the masses through her collaboration with Target, Liz Lange is debuting more beautiful duds to flatter burgeoning bellies.

The Brown University grad and former Vogue editor, is relaunching her high-end line of maternity fashions after taking a year-long hiatus to reassess her business. The new Liz Lange Collection, which hits maternity shops and Nordstrom.com this week, includes dresses, silk blouses, skirts, pants, sweaters, jackets, and for the first time - denim!

The designer took some time to chat with us about her latest line, how to get the most bang for your buck with a maternity wardrobe and the ways she juggles work and motherhood.

lilsugar: Tell us about the new line. What are you most excited about?

Liz Lange: Even though I adore the collection that we do for Target, my roots and my beginnings are always in the high-end collection. That’s where I started it all and that’s where I got to work one-on-one with customers and with all of the celebrities I dressed over the years. We took two seasons off and so I'm just so excited to be relaunching in general. It’s really a continuation of everything we always did. We’ve always been about really, really wearable clothing even when we do trends, its always in a pretty and wearable way and not too out there. Really good quality stretch fabrics, clean silhouettes and classic American style, very uptown NYC, where I got my start.

To see the rest of Liz Lange's answer and her thoughts on the pregnant figure, read more.

One thing that is somewhat new about it is that I was never able to do denim in the collection before. It was always something that we would offer in our shops, we would just take in other brands, but I was never able to source it properly. So we found this phenomenal denim resource and now we are doing all Liz Lange branded denim and it comes in like every different wash – from the lightest to the darkest – all different silhouettes – the pencil, the boot, all of them – and it has our signature chunky gold hardware and all the rivets all the detail is Liz Lange branded and of course it is all super-stretchy. So I’m really excited about that.

I have a personal love of dresses and I think we’ve done a lot of really great dresses this Spring in all different ways. A lot of stretch silk dresses. We’ve done short dresses, little shifts, wear to work dresses, long, maxi-style dresses, short dresses with matching jackets that feel very 1960’s clean and classic - great to wear to work. I always think of our collection as dressing a pregnant woman in all of her needs. I find that so many pregnant woman today [are] working women, executives, and I think we have always been a great resource for that. We have a lot of great suiting, so its not just about great denim and t-shirts and little dresses, although we have all of that.

lilsugar: Women tend to complain about their figures during pregnancy, but you celebrate the expectant body with your designs?

Liz Lange: That’s just what I’ve always believed. I feel that pregnancy is a really, really beautiful time and I do think that the world has kind of come around to that - with the celebrities showing off their bodies on the red carpet all the time now. I started the line over ten years ago because I saw a friend wearing maternity clothing. I hadn’t been pregnant yet, and when she took off the maternity clothing and just put on one of her old sweater that was stretchy and still kind of working, I thought, my God, she looks so much tinier in that little sweater where I’m just seeing her belly than in that big schemata she walked in wearing. So I am a firm believer and that is why I have always used so many stretch fabrics because I don’t want to have to make things oversized, but I understand that a woman’s body is constantly growing, so stretch fabric allows it to be a little fitted and still grow with you.

lilsugar: Were you comfortable with your own body during your pregnancies?

Liz Lange: I certainly wore all of my own clothing. My children are 8 and 10. My first pregnancy was during the first year of my business. It was a very small business back then and I only had about eight designs on the line and then with my daughter two years later it had grown quite a bit. I would say it was with both pregnancies that really helped me define and grow my business. In the beginning I was very inspired by Donna Karan. [She] had her eight easy pieces, and I felt that my collection, when I first got started, would just be these eight easy pieces and it came in like navy, chocolate brown or charcoal gray and they were very, very fine Italian stretch wool and I did a cashmere twin set that was one of the eight pieces and it was literally that you just picked the color and if you had the eight pieces you could just mix and match and that would be your wardrobe. And that still, in a weird way, is the essence of my collection. But when I was pregnant I discovered, low and behold, eight pieces is not enough. 'Maybe today I don’t feel like wearing a pencil skirt, I want to wear a short A-line skirt.' Or 'Hey I feel like wearing a t-shirt and I didn’t have one on the line.' So I started to grow the line based on my personal needs. At that time I didn’t want there ever to be any prints or patterns and then I realized, 'Gee, I’m pregnant for nine months and sometimes I feel like wearing a print or a pattern.' So all of that stuff evolved during my pregnancy.

Check out what Liz Lange had to say about shopping for a maternity wardrobe in tough economic times and what to expect from her Target collection in tomorrow's post. View the fabulous selections from her new line below.

Source

View 15 Photos ›

The Gifted Child: Cupcakes 101 Kit

LilSugar — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 13:00:00 -0800

The state of the economy has me tightening up my spending budget, tracking my expenses more closely, and making smarter purchases. I still want to treat my children and get their friends birthday presents, but now I aim for more thoughtful offerings. This beautiful Bake It Pretty Cupcakes 101 Kit ($22) caught my eye because it's a gift and baking project combined. The little suitcase comes with baking cups, 25 traditional toppers, and Rainbow Jimmy Sprinkles.

The penny saver in me says this would be an easy-to-emulate DIY gift option as well. Visit your grocery and party store for the contents and a nice box to house the goodies, and print out a few of my favorite cupcake recipes to inspire your little chef.

New Kids and Baby Collection From DwellStudio

babysugar — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 05:00:46 -0700

I've long been a fan of Dwell Studio's chic bedding for babies and tots so I was thrilled to find the company has premiered their new kids and baby collection at Design Public.

DwellStudio is known for turning classic to modern with colorful prints and cuddly fabrics. These new sets add a bit more fun and color to their previous patterns. From childish animal prints, pretty fuchsia dots and a repeating floral Charlotte print that merges lullabies and romance, the line is sure to please mommy and baby.

Prices for bedding pieces range from $30 to about $300.

DwellStudio Baby Oval Crib Bedding - Garden - $34.00	DwellStudio Baby Oval Crib Bedding - Motif Robin - $32.00
DwellStudio Baby Crib Bedding - Charlotte - $418.00	DwellStudio Baby Crib Bedding - Forest Petal Linen - $35.00
DwellStudio Baby Crib Bedding - Forest Sky Linen - $35.00	DwellStudio Baby Crib Bedding - Dots in fuschia - $36.00
DwellStudio Baby Crib Bedding - Motif Robin - $363.00	DwellStudio Baby Crib Bedding - Animals - $38.00
DwellStudio Baby Crib Bedding - Dots in chocolate - $34.00	DwellStudio Baby Crib Bedding - Cowgirl in rose - $45.00
DwellStudio Baby Crib Bedding - Gio in aqua - $34.00	DwellStudio Baby Crib Bedding - Garden - $34.00
DwellStudio Baby Crib Bedding - Gio in lemon - $36.00	DwellStudio Baby Oval Crib Bedding - Dots in chocolate - $32.00
DwellStudio Baby Crib Bedding - Cowboy in dusk - $32.00

Us Angels Crinkle Chiffon Dress (Little Girls & Big Girls) - $79.90	Us Angels Sequin Dress (Toddler, Little Girls & Big Girls) - $154.00
Pre-Teen Girl Tyra Dress - $54.00	Juicy Couture Eyelet Dress, Sizes 2-6 - $152.00
Toddler Girls' Cherokee Eyelet Dot Dress - White - $17.99	Infant Girls Cherokee Eyelet Dot Dress - White - $17.99
Carter's® Bow-Accent Eyelet Dress - $28.00	Sweet Heart Rose Floral Belt Dress (Infant) - $36.00
Jayne copeland toddler satin & organza dress - $60.00	Embroidered Circle Dress - $22.50
Embroidered bow dress - $34.50	Tulle Trim Taffeta Dress - $148.00
Swiss Dot Dress - $22.50	Little Bitty Little Girl Pink Floral Easter Dress with Headband - $34.00