Accessories Always Fit Just Right

I don't know if it is simply because the summer is here and I am ready for some colorful splashes in my wardrobe, or if it is watching the baby belly grow by the day and taking small comfort in the fact that my jewelry still fits perfectly.

No matter - I am hankering for some new accessories from Etsy. Here are some things that have caught my eye lately:

$28, Idle Hands Pin by the awesome bloggess at Gremadcha

$60, Mustard Flower Kid Mohair Wrap

$75, Reflective Harvest Sky Bracelet

$35, Schubert's Ave Maria Musical Handmade Brass Cuff Bracelet

$36, Transitioning Amazonite and Agate Necklace

$26, Smoke and coral bracelet

Artist at Work: Grant Pecoff

California

Caribbean

Provence

Paris

When I was getting my master’s degree, I slept 4 hours a night and ate Ramen noodles for at least two meals a day. Yet somehow in my poor and sleep-deprived state, I managed to find the time and good sense to work in artist Grant Pecoff’s 
gallery for free. 

My reward: credit toward some of his amazing art. His paintings fed my soul in a way that a meal never could.

He and his wife Layne, a lawyer turned children’s book author, seem to have a pretty sweet life too. They spend time in amazing places around the globe, while Grant captures the locales forever on his canvases.

“The sun would bake me for hours, the wind would try to take my easel, cars would whizz past (sometimes cheering me on with an occasional honk), people would pause to chat, and life would happen around me as I stood painting with freedom,” he said.

The Pecoff Gallery is open three days a week in San Diego’s Little Italy district, and his work is also carried nationwide at these locations.

Lovely Lavender

My favorite part of yoga class is after the hard work is all done. After the warrior poses, after the arm balances, after the sweat has run in small rivulets down my back.

It is the moment that the yoga teacher places a drop of lavender essential oil in the middle of my forehead. As I lay in Savasana (Corpse Pose) with my eyes closed, my mind is blissfully quiet. The smell of the dry, sun-drenched fields of Provence lulls me into complete relaxation.

I have started keeping a small vial of lavender oil on my desk at work. On days like today, when the to-do list seems to stretch to infinity, I let the smell waft over my cube, close my eyes briefly, and gratefully allow myself to be transported to one of the most beautiful parts of the world: Southern France. 

Other than smelling lovely, lavender has many medicinal uses including: soothing anxiety, alleviating headache pain, aiding sleep, and supporting relaxation. So the next time you are caught up in a hectic moment, take a few minutes to yourself  - and go on a little trip to Provence.

Blabla Dolls

The other day I was shopping in my doctor's boutique, Babies by the Sea, when I fell in love with this line of very soft handknit dolls. Much to my hubbie’s dismay, I pretty much want to buy every single animal in the collection.

Blabla Kids started in 2001 when long time friends Susan Pritchett and Florence Wetterwald went to Peru and discovered entire villages of expert knitters who had been keeping their traditions alive for generations. The ladies were so inspired by their talent, they commissioned the artisans to create their own line of knitted products for children.

Many of the products in their collection are under $40, and you can feel good because your money is supporting a business with a heart.

"Blabla Kids has built a relationship with their artisans based on mutual friendship, loyalty and respect. Blabla takes pride in their fair trade ethics and genuine commitments."

Cute, kind, and affordable? Loving it. 

Blabla Kids also includes mobiles, hats, and backpacks. All orders above $50 at online boutique Layla Grace ship free. 

The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

I recently finished reading a book that is nothing if not memorable. The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother offers a unique viewpoint into the differences, both good and bad, between Asian and Western parenting styles.

Written by a Yale professor, the narrative reads like a very persuasive thesis. Author Amy Chua seems confident in her decision to raise her two daughters with a militant, fanatical mothering philosophy. In fact – she seems to pride herself on it. No sleepovers, no team sports, no vacations from schoolwork, and music “lessons” that last more than six hours at a stretch are all par for the course.

If the proof is in the pudding, Chua seems to be onto something. Both of her children were early-on deemed child prodigies by the classical music community – one played violin and one played piano. Her daughters’ grades never slipped beneath the “A” status she demanded, they were multilingual, well-read, and cultured.

One of the most interesting points she used to craft her argument was highlighting a key difference in the philosophy that underlies Asian parenting. According to Chua, Easterners have a high degree of confidence that their children are capable of succeeding at any task, if only they apply themselves fully. Western parents, she maintains, are too concerned with their child’s feelings and self-esteem to drive them to succeed.

The result of Chua driving her girls hard to achieve is that she seems to be missing out on the emotional closeness that many Western women value in their mother-daughter relationships. Her eldest child continued to aim to please, but the youngest rebels intensely as she enters the throes of her teenage years.

In the writer’s notes at the end of the book, Chua admits that she began writing her narrative after her youngest child told her how much she hated her for her stern ways. I was left wondering if the book was simply a mother’s justification for doing the wrong things, for the right reasons.

Make Your Own Capiz Chandelier

I have a light fixture hanging above my bed that has been there since the 1950s. It was ugly then, and it is even more hideous now.

Imagine my delight to find out that the talented bloggess at Freshly Picked turned the exact same trashy fixture into a capiz chandelier.

Unlike the $250 version sold at West Elm, this capiz chandelier is made of wax paper, and an admittedly large time commitment.

Check out this easy-to-understand tutorial. Good luck!

Notes from the Tropics

It rains sometimes in the night as we sleep. In the morning the air is fresh and cool, and tastes of the purity of the unplanned day that lies ahead.

The ocean starts the day calm – its surface mirroring the sky’s gentle azure hue. As the day stretches on, a wind whips up -- marring the water’s fragile tranquility.

Palm trees laden with unripened fruit sway laboriously to and fro, determined to remain aloft. Swimsuits hang over the balcony -- lightly fluttering in the moist and thick afternoon breeze.

Petal rose toenail polish and sand are caked stubbornly on the edges of feet brown from the sun.

A white cat sleeps languidly in the shade underneath the hotel’s sign that reads “Fawlty Towers” in haphazardly placed letters. The guests can sense that it is the feline queen, and not their transient selves with their hard-earned currencies, that reigns supreme.

Our pink wooden cottage with its white picket balcony overlooks a pristine tropical beach. My overstuffed chair and writing table are hidden from view -- protected from sight and sun by thick tropical foliage. I can see the beach and road below – but no one can see me. I take comfort in the anonymity.

I watch an old man get in the water – the ocean keeping him suspended in weightless gravity that knows no age. In the ocean, we are all equal  -- swallowed by the quiet vacuum beneath the surface, humbled by the waves’ relentless, powerful march toward shore. 

The Perfectly Sized Euro Crib

I have a theory that everything in America is too big. Our giant SUVs, our massive credit card balances, our food portion sizes, and yes – our cribs. A full-size crib is just HUGE compared to the size of a baby! Seriously, I feel like my kid would get lost in most of them.

Space is definitely at a premium in our ocean-view apartment, so I needed to find a sturdy cradle for my daughter that wasn’t big enough for my husband to fit in. After a lot of searching, we finally decided on the DaVinci Alpha Mini Rocking Crib.

It arrived last night, and I managed to put it together in less than 30 minutes. I honestly couldn’t be happier. The wood color is beautiful – and the size is more than adequate for a little one.

During my research I found out that in Europe – all cribs are “mini.” That is just the standard dimensions of all of their baby beds, and European children manage to sleep comfortably in them for around two years, at which point they move into a twin or toddler bed.

So from henceforth, I will ditch the “mini” moniker and refer to this as the “Euro Crib.” Check it out:

We ended up getting a steep discount too from Baby Cribs Plus : the crib was just $99 (from $165), with no tax, and free overnight shipping. 

We did spring for an additional mattress ($56) since the one it came with was completely inadequate and thin. Now just awaiting the baby's arrival.....

Craft Kits for Beginning Sewers

This weekend my mom gave me a new Singer sewing machine. It is a right of passage -- every woman in my family has received one prior to the birth of their first child. You see, a good Southern woman prefers to make things for her youngins rather than always buying stuff for them.

Some of my greatest childhood treasures are the cloth dolls and handmade clothing that my Nanny and Mommy made me. And now, it’s my turn.

The crafty crafterson in me is very excited, but I work full time so I definitely want to take on projects that are feasible for my schedule and not too difficult.

To start, I was thinking of tackling one of these three items. They each come in a kit – complete with pattern, fabrics, and instructions for people just starting out in the sewing world. Which one do you think I should do?

Purl Soho Vegetable Patch Mini-Quilt, $68.50

 Miko Design Make Your Own Rabbit, $20

Four and Plenty Cloth Doll Kit, $18