OOTD - The Knitting Lesson (SIA)

It's time for another Style Imitating Art!  Jen, of Librarian for Life and Style, picked this lovely piece for today's inspiration:

"The Knitting Lesson" by Earnest Bieler (1908)

This was a lot of fun to center an outfit around, and gave me an opportunity to wear a hat that I received as a gift, but don't wear often enough.  It echoes the patterns on the little girl's hat in the painting, and also has another great story behind it.  Want to see it?  I know you do:

Not only is the hat adorable, but it comes from an awesome company called Krochet Kids.  If you haven't heard of them before, you should check them out.  They're a fair trade company that "work[s] with highly vulnerable women who live in poverty stricken regions of the world. [Those areas are in Peru and Uganda.] [Their] program empowers women with the resources to rise above poverty. Forever."  (from their What We Do page)  It only made sense to include this hat in the outfit, since it was made by a company that caringly teaches it's artisans the craft of Crochet (which is almost the same as knitting, only different.)  They also have scarves, tees, and other goodies on their site.  I'm especially in love with this sweater.

I kept the rest of the outfits simple with black and blue to echo the grandmother's outfit.  I even included a scarf I made myself, with some adorable buttons that were a gift from my MIL.  Actually, as I looked at these pictures earlier, I realized a lot of the pieces from this outfit were gifts from my family, which just makes this outfit even more special!

Outfit Details:
Top: free via clothing swap
Jeans: thrifted, $5
Hat: gift from SIL
Striped Bracelet: gift from MIL
Charm Bracelets: DIY (tutorial here)
Scarf: DIY with gifted buttons from MIL
Shoes: thrifted, $2
Grand Total: $7

If you'd like to see other outfits inspired by this painting, be sure to check out Jen's blog tomorrow for the SIA round-up!

Life Lately

OMG, it's been like for-e-ver since I last posted!  I promise we haven't fallen off the face of the earth, life's just been kinda busy lately!  I figured I'd give ya'll a little recap of everything going on in our life so far.

Baby A:

Little man is growing like a weed.  He's also developed quite the personality, as evidenced here:

I'm loving having another baby in the house!  It's been so fun seeing this little guy develop and grow. I can already tell what a friendly and active little guy he's going to be!  As soon as he's awake (and not hungry or constipated... hey, it happens), he's nothing but smiles and wiggles.  I must've done something good in life to deserve a kid as cute as him! ;)  And speaking of cute:

Little A

This girl.  She just cracks me up!  She's in the typical two-year old stage of 'I do it myself' (with EVERYTHING, aaarrrrghhhh!), she has decided to be a tiny vegetarian for the moment, and she basically copies everything big sister does as she flounces around the house in a tutu.  She's just the best.

Big A

I just went last week to drop off paperwork and register this girl for KINDERGARTEN! *sniff sniff*  I'm already hoarding the kleenex that I know I'm going to need this fall when she actually starts going to school.  It's going to be harder for me than her, I'm sure.  She's already so outgoing that being in a classroom with a bunch of other potential friends is going to be heaven for her!  I'm having a hard time believing that the kid that first made me a mother is going to be five, since it feels like I had her like 6 months ago.  That's just one of those mama conundrums though; I feel like I just got her, and that I've had her forever.  *sniff* Now, where are those kleenex?

Changes

Kindergarten isn't the only change on the horizon.  We're about to move into a new place in the next month or so!  The rent on our current home is about to raise a bit above our budget, so we're looking at moving into a more cost-effective home.  So, if you notice that my photo background changes next month, that's why!  In the meantime, I'm going through a major purge so we don't have to move as much stuff, and my 365 days of stuff challenge may be moved up a bit!  Speaking of which, I promised ya'll updates, so here's what I've gotten rid of so far this year:

2 packs of too small diapers, an unused baby blanket, and two boxes of too-small clothes

I reorganized my beauty products on a snow day, threw out the expired and unused ones, and repurposed the old caddy for cleaning supplies

This was the big one!  I cleaned out my closet, which translated into 4 boxes of clothes and one box of shoes and purses.  

And, from my first trip to donate, there's cups, books, puzzles, and a basket that all made their way out of our house!

THM

The final big change that I'm embarking on is a personal one, regarding taking charge of my health and eating habits.  I'm starting a new way of eating called Trim Healthy Mama.

Link to buy via Amazon

I can honestly say, this is the first time I've actually been excited about starting a 'diet.'  Part of the reason is this isn't really a diet, but just a new way of picking healthy foods.  I've realized recently that I've been making some poor choices when it comes to my eating, and it shows.  And I'm not talking about my weight, either.  My mood swings, fatigue, and general lack of excitement have been a big factor lately, and are not helped in the least by my steady diet of convenience foods and general "I'm allergic to excercise" mindset. with the occasional salad thrown in when I feel guilty about the massive amounts of Oreos I've consumed.  If I stick to this plan, which is really well explained in this blog post, and don't end up losing any weight, I'll still consider it a success, simply because I'll be weaning myself off of a diet of refined sugar and reliance on pre-package food with the help of a Biblically sound eating plan.  Plus, I still get to enjoy awesome desserts like this Lemon Butter Cake with Lemon Ginger Cream Cheese frosting.  And who wouldn't want that?

All in all. we're in a season of change here in the Holt house, and it's gonna be great.  Although, I'm not convinced anything could be as great as this little clip of cuteness:

I should get back into a more regular posting schedule once the moving craziness is over and done with!  If you'd like to know what's going on in our house in the meantime, your best bet is probably my Instagram (where all the pics from this post were found, btw.)  Until next time!

Style Imitating Art - Motivation

Another day, another outfit.  I decided to participate in the latest SIA challenge, with this week's painting picked by Jess of Animated Cardigan:

Automat, by Edward Hopper 
Oil on canvas, 1927

I love the rich green color of the girl's coat in this painting, and at first, I was lamenting the fact that I didn't have anything green in my closet to mimic it.  But then, I remembered an extremely oversized top I'd thrifted while pregnant, with the intention of making it into a maternity top.  Obviously, that project got postponed for a while, but this round of SIA was the perfect motivator to finally get that top refashioned!

(please excuse the off-center belt, I did not notice until seeing these pictures!)

My favorite part of this dress, other than the color?  Since it's made from a shirt, it has a great shirt-tail hem!

I added in some color and graphic elements with my accessories to mimic some of the other details from the painting, and this actually ended up being one of my favorite outfits so far this year!

Outfit Details:
Dress: thrifted and refashioned, $3
Belt: borrowed from another dress
Tights: Wal-Mart, $2
Shoes: Missoni for Target, thrifted, $2
Earrings: Old Navy, $2 (clearance)
Grand Total: $9

If you'd like to see how some other ladies translate this painting into their outfits, stop by Jess's blog tomorrow for the round up of the other SIA participants!

Thrifted Pinterest - Easy Like Sunday Morning

Ya'll, having three kids kind of complicates things.  Don't get me wrong, it's incredible and fulfilling and full of more heart-burstingly wonderful moments than I can count, but also complicated.  Like, "mom's-trying-to-nurse-the-baby-at-Bible-study-while-her-two-year-old-takes-off-her-pants-and-diaper-in-the-middle-of-the-room" complicated!  So, getting dressed needs to be streamlined a little bit.  If the popularity of the Pin that inspired my outfit is any indication, there's a lot of people out there that also love the idea of a simple outfit.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/216806169537482465/

Long shirt, leggings, boots, and BOOM, you're dressed!  I put my own spin on this look with a thrifted and re-fashioned men's shirt in an ever-popular gingham pattern (I used this tutorial if you'd like to make your own!).  Then, on a particularly hectic Sunday morning, as the hubs and I tried rounding up the three children to get out the door, I knew that getting dressed would be the least of my worries with this simple outfit in my arsenal.  With that, and a roll of duct tape (for Little A's diapers of course!), I'll be ready to take on the world any time!

Outfit Details:
Shirt: thrifted and refashioned, $1
Leggings: Wal-Mart, $6 (old)
Boot Socks: DIY'ed from old sweater
Boots: via Plato's Closet resale, $18
Earrings: free from Premier Designs party
Grand Total: $25

Fair Trade Friday - Late Nights and Sweatshop

So, it's a late post tonight.  After taking care of kiddos all day, and knowing I'll be up until midnight with little man, I'm finally sitting down to write a post at 10 pm.  Hey, if it's before midnight, it's technically still Friday, right?  I also found this awesome reality show from Norway that I watched earlier, and had to share with ya'll (apologies about the auto-start, I couldn't figure out how to turn it off, so you'll need to pause the videos so they don't all play at once!).  It has about 5 episodes, but each averages about 10 minutes, so it should only take you an hour to get through.

Oh, and keep kleenex handy, especially for episode 5.

So, this triggered a lot of emotions; sadness, compassion, anger, the whole range really.  The only logical thing to do was to share it with you guys, so you could experience it as well.  If you'd like to DO something about this, you can start by being conscious of where your clothes come from.  You can even go one step further and share this post or these videos on Facebook or Twitter.  Write letters to your favorite retailers and ask what the conditions and pay are for their workers, and let them know that their customers care about this issue.  Let them know that people should not have to work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, while still not being able to afford something as simple as food.  Most of all, make your dollars count by shopping Fair Trade and secondhand first, and support companies committed to bettering the lives of their workers!  I'll continue to share these companies with you on Fridays in the future.  Thanks for stopping by, and good night.

Fair Trade Friday - Easy Access

As I've mentioned before, having a nursing baby presents a sartorial dilemma.  You've just had a baby, which means it'll probably take a while before you can fit back into your pre-pregnancy jeans, but you don't want to spend all your time in sweatpants (as comfortable as they are)!  It would be so easy to just slip into a dress that skips the whole pinching waistband problem that pants provide, but then how are you going to feed that baby without flashing your undergarments at everyone?

The solution? Easy access dresses, i.e. dresses that allow for nursing, don't scream "I'm a milk machine," and can still be worn long after you've stopped breastfeeding that baby.  It's a super plus if they'd really be cute for anyone, whether you're a mama or not.  So I scoured the internets, just for you, to share a couple of Fair Trade options!

First up is this adorable little frilly number from Mata Traders:

'For the Frill of It' in black

That overlapped neckline would be perfect for a nursing mama, plus the elasticized waistband and ladylike shape is super flattering for a post-baby bod.  And that black and white floral print?  Adorable.  And as if that weren't enough?  It's currently on sale, has pockets, and also comes in red.

Another option is this classic wrap dress from Indigenous Designs:

Black Wrap Dress

I actually already own two wrap dresses, one of which is extremely similar to the one pictured, so I can testify to the versatility and general ease to wearing one!  This is a piece that you could invest in, and wear for literally years to come. It's made by Fair Trade artisans in Peru, and is constructed from organic cotton.  It also comes in a beautiful shade of blue, and an equally classic white.  Plus, if you sign up for Indigenous' e-mail newsletter, you'll get a coupon for 15% off your purchase!  (There's also some great faux wrap options out there, from Mata Traders, Free People, and this beautiful and dramatic choice from Frock LA.)

The last lovely option I chose was this great shirtdress from People Tree via Modavanti:

Rachel Dove Dress

I mean, could you get any cuter?  It's a classic silhouette, with its collar and nipped-in waist, but it's such a rich, saturated blue, covered with tiny birds!  The button-down placket is perfect for breastfeeding or pumping, while still keeping you covered where you'd like to be.  In addition to that, it's made by artisans in India from organic and naturally dyed cotton.

That does it for my round-up of nursing friendly dresses!  Is there anything you'd like to see featured on Fair Trade Friday?  Baby stuff?  Fair Trade jewelry under $20?  The sky's the limit!  Just let me know in the comments and I'll do my best to track down the best ethically made options for you!

OOTD - Twice as Nice

So, as I talked about in my last post, I'm on a mission to simplify our life and declutter.  A big part of that is making sure that the items in my closet are able to pull double duty, and be worn multiple ways in order to earn a place in my clothing collection.  One piece that has gone above and beyond is a little black tunic dress I thrifted while pregnant.  It works great in a 'tunic/leggings/sweater/boots' combo, and I realized recently that I'd put together two different outfits with the same combination of pieces, and the same dress!  So, this little dress has definitely proved itself to be a keeper!

Outfit Details:

Dress: thrifted, $3

Leggings: Wal-Mart, $6

Sweater: thrifted, $4

Earrings: Maurice's, $3 (clearance)

Boots: Target, $38

Grand Total: $54

Never mind the cartoon animals on my porch... I forgot to crop my house number out of the pictures!

Outfit Details:

Dress: thrifted, $3

Leggings: Wal-Mart, $5

Sweater/Cape: thrifted, $2

Earrings: NY&Co, $2 (clearance)

Necklace: JCPenney, $4 (clearance)

Boots: Target, $38

Grand Total: $54