scrumptious new line

One new line we have coming into Wonder this spring is designed right here in the Chicago area.  

Mustard Pie Clothing.  I was turned onto it by a girlfriend who actually knows the designer (Shannon) well - and totally lucked out! Mustard Pie is one of the cutest most whimsical little girls lines out there right now.

Pulled from the Mustard Pie site, here's a little info about the line and how it came to be - a darling story.

When I was a little girl my mom was always baking.  I remember she made this amazing Lemon Meringue Pie that was just to die for.  One Mother’s Day, when i was about 5, I decided I wanted to try and make one for her instead to show her how much she meant to me.

She helped me get the crust ready, but I wanted to do the filling all by myself.  I searched high and low for that mysterious yellow filling that tasted so yummy and smooth.  Finally, I found what MUST have been the filling for her amazing Lemon Meringue pie.  I took the big jar of yellow mustard out of the refrigerator and squeezed and squeezed until the crust was full to the top! PERFECT I thought!

Starting as a young child I have always had a wild imagination and this was just one of the funny stories that reminds me how creative we are as children.  My hope in designing children’s clothing is to help them express some of that creative imagination in what they choose to wear and to make them feel like the UNIQUE and ONE OF A KIND individuals they are!

I have always had a love of fashion and my two children have reminded me of that child like creativity I had the day I made my first “Mustard Pie” and have been the inspiration for all my designs.

So without further adieu, here are some sneak peek pics from Spring.  Oh and if you want to 'like' Mustard Pie on Facebook it looks like there are some giveaways to enter from time to time....can't beat that. 

 I can't wait for it to arrive!

Shakey Shakey

We have a new smoothie here at our house, and I'm obsessed.  The best part?  Griff is too!

One of my new mommie friends I've made through Griffin's pre-school shared her recipe with me - and at their house they call it a 'shakey.'  I like a lot about the Shakey - it tastes great, is easy to make, and is super healthy.  You can make any number of substitutions, just like with any smoothie, but here is how we make it:

The Shakey

• 1 C Almond Milk
• handful of frozen blueberries or frozen mixed berries
• handful of frozen spinach
• 1 T flaxseed oil or flaxseed meal (for texture-sensitive toddlers/kids go with the oil, however I will say Griffin doesn't bat an eye with the flaxseed meal)
• 1/2 C chocolate protein powder 
• 1/2 banana

Blend all ingredients in your blender or Ninja Master Prep (this is what I use for all smoothies and soups - I completely sing its praises, let me tell you) and serve!  

Some ideas to add in or change things up......

• frozen kale
• green barley powder
• chia powder or seeds
• soy milk (i'd use vanilla) if you're allergic to almonds
• the sky is the limit!  

Enjoy!! 

Trend Spotting Watches

I've been seeing a lot of vintage inspired mens watches in magazines lately with piles of wrap bracelets surrounding them - I love the look.  

Here's a good example of what I'm talking about:

Upon checking around, this might be a relatively easy trend to follow - the watches (Timex) range from $80 to $175 at Nordstrom - not too bad for something you wear every day.

Here are some of the watches I found to implement the trend for spring.....

And of course, I'd compliment with bracelets from Gorjana or Stella & Dot.

Must mention that this is a new favorite from Gorjana - the Kate Mesh Bracelet - $75

Saks Off 5th - Dangerous

I ventured into the new Saks off 5th by me earlier this week and let me tell you - I will have to be spacing out my visits there in the future.  It's a DANGER zone for someone like me!  There was seriously so much great stuff in there, thank goodness it was my lunch break or I would have been OOC.

I only walked out of there with one thing in hand - a super cute pair of hot pink Sperry Top Siders.  I have been wanting a pair of Sperrys for quite a while but just hadn't pulled the trigger - so when I found these for $40 I couldn't resist.  Imagine my real excitement when I got to the register and the guy ringing me up told me that if I signed up for a 'More' card (a free card for 'members') that day,  I would get an additional 30% off.  Yes sir, I'm in.

The prices were good - some GREAT - but mostly just good (nice rating scale I know) for an 'outlet.'  However, once I found out about this 'More' card, they got a lot better!  They have member events every once in a while  and when they do, they'll either email you or send you a card in the mail - basically giving people an additional percentage off the sale price.

Pardon my I Phone pics, but here are some items I thought were fabulous and had I more time, I would have been in the fitting rooms STAT.

French Connection Top

Rebecca Taylor Cardigan (this was my favorite from the trip)

I *think* this was DVF

Shoshanna cocktail dress - neckline is amazing isn't it?

Paige colored skinnies

Marc by Marc Jacobs handbag - from their signature collection - you can't beat that!

more Marc by Marc Jacobs - love these sequin bags for going out

Mens slip on Converse

more Mens - can't remember the brand, sorry!

These are actually Mens corduroys.....love the navy.

Laundry by Shelli Segal dress - I can't walk by a gold sequin dress and NOT take a second look.

What do you all think about Saks off 5th?  I was impressed!  

Momastery - A Must Read if you like to laugh till you cry

Who needs a new blog read?  I didn't know I did - but I did.  Glennon (the author of this fabulous blog) is spot-on, insightful, and hilarious.  I couldn't enjoy her posts any more than I do already.  I'm a fan.  You should be too.

http://momastery.com/blog/2012/01/11/whatever-honestly-2/

Here she is with her beautiful family:

And if you don't want to 'follow' the blog, you can find her on Facebook too.

Happy Reading!

One for each day of the week

J. Crew just came out with their January Must-Haves, and these bubble necklaces are at the top of my list.  I would literally wear one each day of the week with a simple tank or v-neck tee and a blazer.  They're so cheerful!  

I can't even pick a favorite....but I'd wear the orange a lot.  

Gallery Wall

I am fairly close to being done with a project I started oh, well, a year or more ago.  ;-)

I decided that since we live in a split level house, and a fair amount of my time is spent going up and down the many levels of stairs we have, I wanted something nice to look at while doing all of this up and down.  Making a gallery wall is something I've been wanting to do for a while now, and I did my research.

I found there are many ways of doing a gallery wall - yet there are no rights and wrongs.  All personal preference.  Many people choose perfect symmetry and all of the same frames, some people choose all the same frames but an asymmetrical layout, and some people choose neither!  That's me.  The walls I found I loved in magazines and online (in other peoples blogs and on pinterest) were the ones that used many different frames, and didn't have a specific layout in mind.

Here's what I've come up with so far - there are a few empty spots that I haven't found either the right frame for, or the right picture.  Enjoy!  I have had a lot of fun doing this.......the bummer is that when we move out of here someday I'm going to have to recreate this elsewhere.  Wait - that's not really a bummer.  Who am I kidding, I love to organize and create!

In other news.....while I was working on this project, here are the projects my kids were working on.  Gotta love it when you leave them to their own devices.

Griffin stole Gemma's new teaset and was having a teaparty in the hall with his 'friends.'  AAAAdorable.

Gemma got busy with a full box of kleenex.  Good times.