dress up files - a chicago fashion blog: February 2011

Mixing Prints

On Mommy: Target gingham shirt, Banana Republic leopard cardigan (from years ago), Joe's jeans, Pour La Victoire boots, J.Crew and Nashelle necklace, Louis Vuitton bag

On A: Roxy sweater, Target leggings, Old Navy boots

To keep this mixed print look clean and easy on the eyes, I stuck to the same color scheme. The animal print sweater and the gingham shirt are in varying shades of the color gray. As a result, the look is subdued but with enough visual interest created by the two prints.

Did anyone see the Oscars? Who did you think was best dressed? Were you happy or disappointed with the winners? Let's discuss!

A's Soccer Party!

All paper goods by GreenApplePaperie. She custom designed cupcake toppers, favor tags, invites, thank you cards, banners, water bottle labels, utensil wrappers, and food labels for $20! Unbelievable!

Mini cupcakes from Luscious Layers. Unfortunately, this was the low point of the party. The frosting was made to look like grass but looked weird and was rock hard. The cupcakes were also so dry that people couldn't believe they were from a bakery and I even saw someone take 1 bite and throw the rest away. Sorry guests!!

Favor for the kids: organic lollipops and pororo (a Korean cartoon) toys.

Favors for the adults: Almond Chocolate Toffee Crunchies (recipe from here)

Big thanks to my sis-in-law, Sarah and my friend, Temi for helping make these!

Listening to instructions for warm up!

A's turn to kick the ball into the goal. Go Audrey Go! Go Audrey Go!

Building towers out of cones so the kids can kick them down.

Games ended with bubbles, parachute and stamps. Yay!

Utensil wrappers and pink napkins to go with the pink and green theme.

Pizza, pasta and juice, oh my!

After dinner, the kiddies spent the rest of the party on the jumpy house or this slide.

Picture with dear gomo (aunt in Korean) visiting from Korea. Check out her awesome food blog here.

We threw her party at Lil Kickers where A takes soccer classes. It was so much fun and the coaches were amazing with the kids as always! Highly recommend parties here! Where was the best place or best theme party you ever had or threw for your little one?

Mommy & Me Birthday Bash Look

On Mommy: Forever21 lace top, J brand black jeans, Gap city flats, Hermes & J.Crew bracelets, Louis Vuitton handbag

On A: Old Navy striped shirt, crewcuts cargo vest, Target leggings, Old Navy boots, flower headband from Korea

A actually wore that flower headband last year at her first birthday party (See pics here). Might have to become a bday tradition!

Check out that leg pop and her attitude...I've created a monster. At least she's an adorable one!

Yes, she is peering into our junk mail bin here but had to show how cute she looked from the back too!

We had so much fun at A's birthday party this past weekend! Lots of party pics to come in the next day or two so please check back.

Did anyone notice A's cargo vest I splurged on? I have a hard time spending money on crewcuts clothing for A because of how pricey it can be. I usually stick to sale Gap, Old Navy or Target for A's clothes. If she does have anything nicer (Burberry, crewcuts, DKNY), they are almost always gifts she's received. This vest was 40% off but still way more than I'm used to spending on her clothes and I spent a good 10 minutes debating whether to buy it or not. In the end, she looked adorable and I'm glad I got it. It will transition well into spring and summer. I can already see floral dresses under it!

Little A turns 2!

To go along with my new redesign, I finally decided to buy my domain name too. Please edit your bookmarks to www.pearlsandgreentea.com
Thanks!!
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A's birthday was last week and we celebrated with a cake she helped bake and presents from mommy and daddy. The next day was brunch with grandparents and her big party is coming up tomorrow!

A loves her soccer class at Lil Kickers so we decided to do her party there.

Once again, I enlisted greenapplepaperie from Etsy. I used them here for holiday gift tags. I told her I wanted an invitation that involved soccer but wasn't too masculine. I asked that she use kelly green and white polka dots and she came up with this!

I then asked if we could switch the black with the pink and make the font for her name more feminine. Katie is incredibly sweet and so easy to work with. I love how it turned out and you will not believe everything else she designed for me. All for $20! Unbelievable! I will definitely post pictures of the party after the weekend so you can see for yourself!

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BTW...Do you like my new look?

The uber talented Lindsay from Lindsay Nicole Design Studio is the genius behind it all. It was such a fun experience working with her!

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Oh and 1 more thing! I was really flattered to see what the woman behind Week of Menus wrote about me here.
Her blog is chock full of easy to follow, dee-licious recipes so definitely check it out!

Vday Recap

On Saturday, we took A to the Valentines Dance at the park. Here's their first official father/daughter dance. It was such a sweet moment.

We took pictures at this "photo booth", boogied down with our friends, and ate way too much at the chocolate fondue table. Overall, it was a blast, especially considering it was free!

(Aritzia lace top, Club Monaco cardigan, American Eagle jeans, Aldo boots)

On Valentines Day, A and I made a gift for Appa (Dad in Korean). Now who wouldn't want a beautiful bouquet of hearts? Never mind that the vase is a toilet paper roll wrapped in foil or the stems are wooden chopsticks. ;) and Yes, she is wearing her princess dress (one of her bday gifts). She basically hasn't taken it off since she got it and yes, she's even worn it out several times.

As for hubbie and I, I have to say we're kind of over celebrating Valentines. It's so romantic when you're dating, and still fun after you get married, but once you have kids, it's just too much of an effort to find a sitter, make reservations and go all out. I didn't expect anything at all and didn't mind in the least when he surprised me with these macarons (my fave!). It's honestly these unexpected moments of thoughtfulness that get me the most. I love this man.

What did you do for V-Day? Those of you with kids, do you still celebrate or are you over it too? I'm so curious to hear where other parents stand...

Greece Memories

Happy Valentines Day!! Here's a look back at the most romantic place we've ever been...

Almost 3 years ago, hubbie and I planned a dream vacation to Santorini, Greece. It was meant to be our last hurrah before starting a family. Flights booked, hotels reserved, and lists composed of things to do and places to eat...I could hardly wait. And then 2 months before departure, A was unexpectedly conceived! So, instead of a last hurrah, it turned out to be our very first family trip.

We stopped in Athens for just 1 night to do 2 things.

1. See the Parthenon.

Side note: Do not wear a dress and cute sandals when visiting the Parthenon. We may look fine in this picture but we have just hiked up a steep, perilous (in my shoes, yes!) trail for 40 minutes in 95 degree heat.One of those "What was I thinking??" moments..

To The Max dress (to be sold in my shop soon!), Urban Outfitters belt, Old Navy sandals, Gucci bag

2. Get handmade sandals at Melissinos Art

Here is Pantelis, hard at work on my sandals! His father made sandals for Jackie-O and the Beatles!! I blogged about it

We arrived by ferry to Santorini late at night. We got to our room to find welcome drinks and dessert on our balcony. Of course, hubbie drank both while I stared longingly.

The next morning, we woke up and took in the beautiful view! This is the Anastasis Apartments in Santorini. This family run, boutique hotel really goes above and beyond. From sitting down with us to tell us which tours/restaurants were scams and which were bargains, to the fresh peaches picked that morning served unexpectedly while we're laying out, to the impeccably maintained grounds, it was truly magical! We've had friends honeymoon there after us and they agreed that this is the most incredible place they've stayed as well.

Breakfast served on our balcony.

The view at the infinity pool. Best place to watch the extraordinary Santorini sunset.

Walking around Fira
Joie dress, Melissinos Art sandals, Gucci bag

After reading tons of reviews, we tracked down Lucky's Souvlaki. Truly the best gyros EVER! I'm embarrassed to say how many times we went back.

In Oia for dinner

Old Navy top, Theory shorts, Tom Ford sunglasses, Gucci bag

Taken before leaving for dinner on our last night in Santorini. It was so magical and we were truly so sad to be leaving. We are all about visiting new places but we're in agreement that this is the one place we would definitely return to.

Dolce Vita dress, Old Navy shoes

Where would you go on a dream vacation? Or what's the best vacation you ever went on?

Winter White Challenge

Aritzia lace top, Target gingham shirt, American Eagle fur vest, J Brand jeans, Pour La Victoire boots, Chloe handbag, J.Crew, Hermes & Club Monaco bracelets

I busted out my white jeans as part of Carrie's Winter White Challenge at her blog, This Free Bird. I think all those so called fashion rules (i.e. no white after labor day) are a bit silly. As long as you can make it look good and it's functional, anything goes!

To go with my white denim, I layered my gingham shirt over a delicate lace top and threw the faux fur vest over it. I added a structured bag and some boots and I was good to go.

What do you think? Would you wear your white denim in the winter?

What do you do all day??

As a stay at home mom, I get asked "So..what do you do all day?" a lot. So, here's a peek into our daily life.

Most mornings are filled up with some class or another. Here we are at art.

Here she is at soccer. She also does gymnastics and was in dance in the fall.

After classes in the AM, we go home for lunch and a nap. Then, we spend the afternoon either running errands (grocery shopping shown here) or...

going to an indoor playground (since it's too cold to go to the park) or...

cooking dinner with mommy or...

hanging with pals at a playdate.

Luckily, I know a good number of stay at home moms and have a few good girlfriends (w/o kids) that are willing and able to hang out with us. I end up seeing a friend at least 4 out of 5 days, whether it's a playdate or lunch with my girlfriends and I'm soo thankful for them! These friendships are key to me enjoying (LOVING) being a stay at home mom.

So, if you're a stay at home mom, what do you do all day??

A Look & A Dish

On Mommy: Aritzia floral tank & sweatshirt, J brand jeans, Pour La Victoire boots, Louis Vuitton bag, Hermes & J.Crew bracelets, Cartier watch

On A: Target polka dot sweater, DKNY jeggings, Old Navy boots

Chicken Marsala Pasta

My friend, T's recipe featuring portobella mushrooms, sundried tomatoes and lots of heavy cream. It's super hearty and perfectly appropriate for a cozy night in on a cold winter day. If anyone wants the recipe, leave me your email address!

While walking on the icy sidewalk yesterday, I fell while holding A for the 2nd time. We were both okay but there was a serious casualty: my favorite Joe's ponte pants (shown here)! I've really had it with this freezing weather. I've been feeling uninspired to dress up with all the ice and snow piled up outside and all I seem to look forward to is food. Sadly, this has led to my annual winter weight gain.

Does anyone else gain weight around this time each year? Any tips for staying active and inspired despite this horrible weather?