Misha Lulu Spring Line 2014

The greatest children's line designer in the world, Karen, asked Olivia to be a part their Spring 2014 photo shoot today. Guess where it took place??

That skirt is FABulous!!

Yep, my backyard! I can't wait to see how the photos turned out but for now, here's the behind the scene shots. I am so lucky rustic is in style because our backyard was a source of spring inspiration for Karen & her husband Joe.

 Update: Karen posted these photos of Liv on Instagram.

You know how you meet people and you get a first impression? I met Karen a year ago and I was like, I'm gonna fall in love with her. She's a true beauty inside and out. I am really happy we are friends. She also makes rad clothes for kids that are whimsical, fun and nice quality. I'm fully endorsing her for all you parents with 12 months - size 10 little people.

 She is having a sale in her surplus store!!

Of course Liv was an old pro, she rocked the shoot and was super stoked to wear pink heart shaped sunglasses *I gotta buy her a pair* Karen and Joe generously gave Liv a gift of clothes which is so awesome because I've been wanting pieces from the winter season!

Nino tunic

Dial Hello dress

I adore this Swan shirt

So rad, just when I think my kid can't get any cooler. Tomorrow is gonna be fun, Tom Kenny is coming to her school for a special performance. I hope to get him on video doing Ice King's voice!

Everything must go Sale!!

It's been two years since we have been on the search for a *non crazy* affordable electrician. Yesterday I poached my neighbor's electrician and he fixed all our lights for less than I budgeted!! *thanks Lisa & Aaron!*

These guys nearly gave me a heart attack

Is it bad when you go to Ikea and the salespeople know you by your name? Thursday night after months of exhaustive planning we finally ordered our kitchen cabinets.

Inside this folder is our new kitchen!!

I have read horror stories about the cabinets being on backorder forever or out of stock, so I was pleasantly surprised that all our cabinets were in stock and will be delivered in ONE week! I wanted to hug Jaime and Lucy for all their help and support. It took a lot of math, problem solving and thinking outside the box to get our new kitchen planned *thanks to 90 year old kitchen measurements*. So now the fire has been turned up and we need to clear out our house to make room for all the new pretty things.

Sadly for me, this means letting go of Olivia's bebe items we no longer need. I have been holding on to them for sentimental reasons but now I'm ready to de-bebe our house. Sniff, I'm selling her gently used bebe stuff.  The prices I'm listing are firm, I don't want to spend a lot of time going back and forth negotiating. They are fair & reasonable prices and cash only por favor. Promise me they will go to a good home and you will take tons of pictures of your little ones enjoying them as we did.

Boon high chair

Liv loved her chair

I love this guy, super sturdy, rolls anywhere and very easy to clean. It comes with two clear removable trays. I'm sad to see it go, but she uses her big girl chair now. We are selling this high chair for $120.

 Bugaboo Bee Stroller with cocoon attachment

Liv's first time in the Bee *one week old*

This guy was heaven for us. The seat flips forward and backwards, the chair swivels and extends and the bar is adjustable. Folds down easily. Olivia was obviously a tall bebe so having so many options to expand the seat was excellent. She used the cocoon for about 3 months. The canopy is sold in different colors here. The Bugaboo Bee is for sale for $450 with the yellow canopy, yellow cocoon accessories and instructions included.

Babea Babycook

Cooking some kale and carrots

I'm gonna pay it forward on this one. I bought it used from an awesome lady. Ours is in good working condition, here's the easy online instructions *sorry if you find her voice annoying but she gives a thorough demonstration*, and comes with a bebe cookbook and the orange spatula/spoon you see in the photo. $25!!

Diaper Dekor Plus

This guy can hold a million diapers. We have one bag left to get you started, they last for weeks. My husband will gladly demonstrate how to add a refill bag. I buy my biodegradable refill bags from Amazon. $25.

The last item in this insane sale is this brand new Hatley raincoat.

Here's a similar version

The raincoat has detachable hood and fleece interior lining. It's a size 6 and never been worn. I'll let it go for $25.

There you have it, lovelies. Our spring clean bebe sale. Please email me if you are interested in any of our stuff, sunkissis*at*aol*dot*com.

If you are a new Mommy or know someone who needs help figuring out what they need, please check out my guide to rad new bebe!

Happy Kitchen Renovation Day!

Well not quite, but Sunday we went to Home Depot *after waiting 48 hours for a guy to come over to give us a quote but never showed up, why is it so hard to get a quote?* and did some pre-reno shopping.

Sheesh, could this kitchen look anymore dark and depressing?

I wanted to find out about renting tools *tile wet saw, floor sanders, etc*. We went to our local Home Depot only to find out we had to go to another one because they didn't rent tools from there, D'oh! Turns out I like the second HD much better. It's a bigger store, really well stocked, not crowded at all *due it the store being practically hidden* and the salespeople were actually helpful and knowledgeable! Hooray!

We got a price list of the tools for rent. It's pricier than I expected, but it's cheaper than having a professional do the work. I am really bummed that Home Depot no longer carries my Goddess Martha Stewart paint. The paint guy suggested we try Glidden as a substitute so we bought some samples to test out on the walls this weekend.

We chose Natural Wicker for the walls and Toasted Mashmallow for the trim.

We also found the subway tile for the backsplash for only a fraction of the estimated cost I budgeted. Sweet!

I budgeted $350 for the backsplash tile, now we only going to spend about $50 for everything!

The store's display wasn't impressive. I wanted larger tiles but since it's a Do-it-ourselves-on-a-budget project, I'll take it.

I shopped the knobs and drawer pulls section since Ikea doesn't have what I'm looking for.

The price is perfect but Goddess Martha is bumming me out with the dated nipple knob. I am over the brushed nickel style so I'm still on the hunt. I practically bought every style of knob to bring home to test out on the cabinets. I almost like these antique glass ones but Antz is not a fan.

Nah, these knobs are too dainty for the doors

It's understandably difficult to imagine the new knobs on such fugly cabinets. You like that paint job?? I can't even begin to think of how much work it will take to sand away years of poor paint jobs on those upper cabinets. My biggest concern is the brand new lower cabinets will make the old uppers look horrible. Oh well, if need be maybe next year we can get the uppers replaced, after we get the foundation fixed and the house painted, and the....and the....headache!

On a happier note, I picked up some strawberries to plant since the bugs ate our old patch.

My assistant gardener

The wildflower seeds we planted last year have finally filled in nicely

She's wearing her new adorable Misha Lulu skirt

 Then we headed to the park

And so begins the new life of DIY kitchen renovators!!

Misha Lulu Fall/Winter 2013 Photo Shoot at Humphrey's Estate

I had the incredible privilege to meet many amazing ladies yesterday. I have been a huge fan of Karen the creator of Misha Lulu for years now. She invited Liv to be a part of the photo shoot at a magnificent location. She is a real sweetheart and her daughter Bella is beautiful *she is a natural model*. I also met the wonderful Rubyellen of Cakies *been a fan of her blog for years* and her adorable girls. I met *again* Heather from Babiekins magazine who did the styling for the shoot and her lovely daughter. I also met some other fabulous ladies *Ana, Gracie and Yelz* and their cute daughters too. I can't let the cat out of the bag yet and show the pretty clothes until they are released but I did take some behind the scenes photos and some of the breathtaking grounds. The talented Jessie Kenney of Juneberry Photography was so patient with Liv *of course being a two year old* she made her laugh and was able to capture her beauty effortlessly. I am so excited for the line to be released. Karen is amazing at finding the perfect balance between making clothes for little girls that doesn't feel overly cutesy but are still fun, and girly. The way they styled Liv for the shoot gave me new ideas for her wardrobe. The creative imagination that went into this shoot is astounding. I am so excited to see how everything turns out this fall. When it was time to leave, Karen generously gave Liv a gift bag full of rad Misha Lulu dresses and even some treats for Liv to play with. I am so happy to have participated in such a fun shoot. I feel like Liv is a pro now! She really made Mommy proud. Here's some of the shots I can share of Liv's modeling debut.

Taken by Jessie Kenney for Misha Lulu Fall/Winter 2013

Luckily, she slept the whole 2 hour drive there

 

"I'm ready to model!"

Behind the scenes in the life of a model

Mr. Peacock kept screeching

Storybook settings

Whimsical gardens

This kid runs any chance she gets

On her lunch break

"Can you do my hair Mom?"

Done! I love these hair bobbles made by Persimmon Jewelry

Rubyellen was amazing! We went on a crazy, wild ride when we both got lost driving to the estate in canyon country Temecula.

Behind the scenes action, the sets were amazing

Don't say it!

They loved watching the peacocks

Striking a pose

"Mommy, I running!"

The final shot of the day

The lovely gift bag for Liv

I am in LOVE with this dress!! Amazeballs

Heaven!!

Strong contender for her to wear for individual school photos she's taking next Tuesday!

Huge thanks to Karen for the lovely clothes and being rad lady to the max!!! I hope Liv is able to join in the fun again soon.

                                                              Au Revoir!