Don’t despair. Sassy and George isn’t finished. Not by a long shot. But we’re going to take October off. We’ll be back in November though – and better than ever!!

Thanks so much for reading!

I wasn’t born until the ’70s but I had this Barbie growing up. My sisters and I inherited the Barbies that my mother and her sisters played with in the ’60s. We played and played and played with these Barbies and their ridiculously awesome clothes until they were all completely worn out, ripped, dirty and lost. And eventually, to my absolute horror in hindsight, they were shuffled away to either the trash or Goodwill.

But the episode made me wax nostalgic about the toys of my childhood. And Back to Basics Toys carries a lot of them! Please tell me that you remember these:

Fisher Price Two Tune TV

Chatter Telephone – we had this one.

Original Colorforms

Lincoln Logs Bicentennial Edition – not the current version with plastic roofs and windows, the old one with green planks for the roof!

Snoopy Sniffer – I can still hear the click, click, click of this as it was pulled across the floor

My all-time favorite though were the Fisher-Price Little People. The new sets just aren’t as totally awesome as the old ones. Check them out in all their glory at This Old Toy. I could spend hours…we had the house, the barn and the “city”. I think we had the airplane. Always wanted the school bus and the parking garage.

What were your favorite toys growing up?

And off to Etsy, I went. Here are a few great kids’ costumes I found:

Complete Star Wars costume with tunic, robe, belt and pants by mulliganstewboutique, $140

Max from Where the Wild Things Are by katesy, $89

Little Bo Peep by WandasWhimsies, $75 (try to ignore the creepy mannequin/dress form head!)

Snow White by littleshepsters, $45

DJ Lance Rock from Yo Gabba Gabba by bamdesigns, $40 (Seriously, one of the weirdest shows I’ve ever loved…)

Pebbles byRaeGun, $39.50

There are more but I had to cut myself off at some point.  I hope you like some of these. I’ve gotta run and convince my oldest to be Max, King of All the Wild Things, for Halloween this year!

But if I did have a little punkin hanging around the house, these might be just the ticket. Made from vintage fabric and beautifully trimmed with rick-rack and chenille, bink & boo’s baby goods are fun and unique.

The booties are $27 – handmade, lined with a soft chenille, elastic fit but not too tight. I got to hang out with this rose and gingham pair but there are several other print options over at the bink & boo website right now. All finished nicely with contrasting rick-rack.

And this bib. As soon as I unpacked the bib, I smiled. The duck print is so clearly vintage and I just adore vintage fabrics. The back side of the bib is a substantial chenille and the whole thing clasps with a sturdy snap behind the neck. It is a useful size – not a little drool bib. These run $18 and come in several prints.

Either one (or both) of these items would be darling shower gifts. So, head over to the bink & boo website and check out all of the great fabric options!

*This is not a compensated review in any way. The samples were reviewed and returned. And I really did like them!

I’ve mentioned before that my daughter’s bedding is from Land of Nod. They consistently have fun, relatively unique furniture, bedding and toys. Good quality, solid design.

They now sell Dutch-designed Stokke furniture and gear. Non-traditional and very fun. Cribs, strollers, high chairs.
Just darling.

If you purchase a Stokke crib before November 15, Land of Nod will throw a crib mattress in for free! (About a $200 savings.)

So, that was a long lead-in to this: Umi asked me again this summer if I’d be interested in reviewing something from the fall line. And I said yes. They sent these gorgeous Opera boots for my first grade daughter a few weeks ago.*

The weather here cooled a bit at the end of the week and she finally wore the boots to school. They looked absolutely darling.

She came downstairs that morning in the black Old Navy t-shirt, black footless tights from Walmart and a dark rinse pleated skort from Gap, looking for her Crocs maryjanes. I asked her if she wanted to wear the new boots instead. Her eyes lit up! Yes!

As everything I’ve seen from Umi, these boots are extremely well made. The leather is very, very nice. The stitching is impeccable. The styling is detailed and perfect. They look terribly comfy and I think they’ll be put to great use this fall. They will look great with skirts, dresses, jeans and other pants. It’s looking like these might be the “go-to” shoe in my daughter’s closet until spring.

The Opera boot comes in black and brown and retails at Umi for $115.  Also available at Zappos.com.

* Disclosure: Umi Shoes provided the boots to me for review (and to keep) free of charge in return for my review. They did not, by any means, tell me what to say or ask me to sway my review in their favor.

She’s got some really cute little animal prints for a child’s bedroom, playroom, or bathroom. They are whimsical without being overly “cutesy”, if that makes sense. And they’re very affordable. Six dollars will get you a 5×5 inch print. Couple that with a ready-made frame from Michael’s, Joann or Hobby Lobby and you’ve got some very economical wall pieces.

I like these in particular:

There are a lot of things we can do with the Facebook page. I would absolutely LOVE if you, the readers, would share your special finds with the rest of us. Just leave a comment on the Facebook wall. I would also really love it if you would want to share pics of your kiddos in unique outfits or pics of your nurseries and kids’ rooms! Inspire the rest of us!

Thanks everyone!!

In church this morning, I was thinking that my oldest will make his First Communion this school year. Second grade. Big time.

I grew up in a small-ish New England town where almost everyone was Catholic and almost every Catholic was Italian. And, it was the late ’70s. So, First Communion was quite the sartorial display. Little over-the-top brides and dark-haired boys in white suits and white shoes.

Fast forward 30 years. I don’t quite envision my little red-head in a white suit. But I do know that he’ll wear a tie. Why not make it a fun one?

Check these out from The Belle and the Beau over at Etsy:

I’m so excited to have found these! They’re only $18.95 and just look at the fun fabrics! These are perfect little boy ties – and just maybe, perfect First Communion ties…stay tuned.