Wanted: A Pair of These

I recently stumbled upon this unusual pair of candle sticks. Aren't they cool? I love the contrasting metals. And those hot pink candles are pretty fun too.

Do you have candle sticks in your home? If so, do they reside on your dining table or somewhere else in your home? I think they'd look nice on a book shelf among pictures and books. I'd love to know how you would (or do) decorate your home with them!

My Favorite Shorts for Summer

My Favorite Shorts by mhblog featuring j crew

Let it be known that I haven't always been a big fan of shorts. Until last Summer, I had not owned more than one pair of shorts at a time and they were worn only when a pair of capris, skirt, or dress was either a.) not appropriate or b.) not cool enough for comfort.

Now that I'm a mom, I spend a much larger portion of my time outside when the warmer weather greets us, so I found it imperative to invest in some shorts that weren't completely void of modesty, comfort, and style. Over the past couple years, I've been really impressed with my finds. When I was younger, it seemed like their were two lengths: super short and bermuda. I think you can find just about any length now, as long as you know where to shop.

Here are my top picks!

Two of the linen shorts featured above are from Nordstrom. I really enjoy shopping at Nordstrom because of their excellent customer service and their return policy - you can bring anything back (worn or not) for a full refund of your original payment. Their online store also offers free returns and free shipping. Yes, please!

The striped shorts are from J.Crew. Also, great quality clothing and especially wonderful when you're able to snag some of the savings they offer during big sales (they're currently offering 20% off women's apparel). J.Crew is great for shorts because they offer a wide variety of lengths and an equally generous collection of styles, fabrics, and prints. I bought the ones above and a mint and navy striped pair (only in stores) for less than $35. each.

I'm not usually a big fan of Old Navy, but every once in a while I do find something within their collection that suits what I'm looking for. The linen shorts are great, my sister actually tipped me off to this pair. Linen shorts make up the vast majority of my shorts collection because of their ability to look put together without sacrificing a bit of comfort.

So there you have it, my top picks for shorts. What do you think of shorts? Do you love them or hate them? And how do you style shorts while maintaining a level of modesty and comfort in the Summer heat? Next week I'll be sharing how I style mine!

Sewing Pattern Favorite: Tulip Pinafore Top

Around a year ago I came across a pin on pinterest of this top. I quickly pinned it to my Littles Style pin board because I thought it was so different and sweet. I must have been on a pinning frenzy because I didn't click on the link to see the source. More recently, I was scrolling through my style inspiration for little ones and came upon the top again and this time I clicked on the link to find it is actually a pattern! I was so happy to see such an adorable pattern available, among others within the etsy shop.

I bought the pattern and quickly sewed up this top. It's been in constant rotation and pairs easily with leggings, shorts, and bloomers. For this top, I used a thrifted XL chambray shirt for the exterior and an old sheet for the lining. If you opted for using two fabrics too, you could add a button to the inside of the top as well to make it reversible. Since making this top, I've sewn up a second and plan to make more. They're easy to dress up and can be layered over a tank, t-shirt, or even a long sleeve top in cooler months. It's one of my favorite patterns thus far! Great instructions and pictures and an easy sew, even for a beginner!

Hope you're having a lovely weekend!

Wanted: A Romantic Scarf

I've been looking for a linen scarf since the first onset of Spring weather. I think they're so perfect and light and add just the right amount of warmth for cool Spring days. They also make a nice nursing cover, if need be. Multi functional clothing and accessories are always nice. :)

I was delighted when a quick google search brought me to Linen World on Etsy. The sweet shop offers bed linens, scarves, and tea towels. Everything in the shop is beautiful and budget-friendly. My favorites are the emerald and violet scarves. Which one would you choose? Do you have a linen scarf?

Homemade Playdough

I've been putting off play dough because I was concerned about how messy it might be, but then my mom said B would really love it at this age, so I thought I may as well give it a try. We made our own because...why not... it's super easy. B actually helped me pour the ingredients into the pot and stirred it before I placed it on the stove to cook. With helping toddler hands, we probably made it in 10 minutes. Since I haven't made it before, I decided to forgo adding color in case it got on carpet from being super sticky ... you never know when you've struck gold or a dud on pinterest. Since the idea of picking play dough out of carpet or clothing fibers sounds far from appealing, I thought I'd keep this first batch simple, just in case.



I adapted our recipe from this blog.

• 1 Cup of flour
• 1 Cup of water
• 1/4 Cup of salt
• 2 tsp. of Cream of Tarter 
• 1 TBS sunflower oil (the other recipe suggests vegetable oil, but that's not an oil we use). 
• Optional: your choice of food coloring, as many or few drops as you like to achieve the color you want. 

Mix all ingredients together in a pot. Cook on medium heat stirring constantly until the dough forms a ball. 

I liked this recipe so much that I don't plan to search for another. I'm sure I'll be making this one time and time again. B's favorite thing to do is cut it and pretend we are making pizza with olives and salad. :) It's literally consumes hours of playtime. B has gleefully requested to play with play-to (playdough) every day since we made our first batch. So, if you're looking for a great recipe, this one is the best!

If you'd like to keep up with my play ideas for little ones, you can follow my Little's Play pin board on pinterest! 

Sewing Tool Favorite: The Difference A Knit Foot Makes

This week I wanted to take a break from sewing patterns to tell you about a really effective and affordable sewing foot I recently learned about. It's called a knit foot. It's very easy to use and has significantly changed the smoothness of my seams when I'm sewing with knitted fabric.

I did quite a bit of research regarding tips for sewing with knits. I tried nearly every tip I read, including placing tissue paper between my sewing foot and knit fabric; using different stitch lengths and types; and even pressing my fabrics well after sewing. The only mildly effective tip was ironing my fabric after sewing, but washing then removes the minimization of the puckered seams. I don't want to iron knitted garments after each wash, so I really needed something that would solve my problem once and for all. The most costly tip I read, second to buying a serger, was a walking foot. I did a little research to find that they run between $35.-$40. Hesitant to invest in something so pricey, I figured it was better than buying a serger, which I'm not quite ready to invest in. I tried the walking foot and unless you're sewing several layers of fabric together (like a quilt-what this foot is commonly used for) you're going to have crooked seams. The way this foot works is by lifting up after so many stitches to allow fabric to pass through more easily, which is great if you're making a quilt or anything else that involves multiple layers of thicker fabrics. When you're sewing two layers of thin fabric with a walking foot the result is a foot that looses track of the fabric as it's being sewn, meaning to fabric slides back and forth because it's too thin for the foot's intended purpose. I hope that makes sense.

Thankfully, I was able to return the foot. I also asked the company who carried the walking foot if they had any suggestions for how I may be able to eliminate puckering seams without using a serger. Their immediate reply was a knit foot. I hadn't heard of this handy sewing foot until their suggestion, but it has made sewing knits a breeze. I am so pleased with the knit foot and it's between $7.-$15. online. So if you've been experiencing similar problems with your knitted projects, check out a knit foot. They're very easy to use and make all the difference!

Wanted: The Sweetest Oxfords

These oxfords and quite possibly the most perfect pair of oxfords my eyes have seen. I adore that they're handmade and so affordable. And the mint, oh the mint... I'm swooning for these beauties. If oxfords aren't your cup of tea, this sweet etsy shop offers a nice variety of other flats as well.