Little Starling

At the top of my to-do list for the past week has been to introduce you to the lovely creations of Little Starling. These breezy, ultra-girly pieces are some of my favorites for Maile, and I know Amy is on her way to great success! 

Maile is wearing the Lady Charlotte Set, and the Pinkie Pie Hair Clip. Each piece is handcrafted to perfection, and is truly beautiful. 

This weekend is a wonderful time to add some Little Starling to your own little lady's wardrobe! Simply use code back2school through midnight tonight, for 20% off your order.

As for me, I'm kind of hoping that this warm weather continues, so that Maile can wear these lightweight pieces a bit longer. Though I'm sure the top will be adorable over leggings, too!

Happy Weekend, friends.

This is a sponsored post, but all opinions and thoughts are my own. The personality and sass are all Maile. ;) For more about sponsorship, please click here. 

What We Wore: The Wishing Elephant Edition

On Maile: Sleeveless Tank Top: Target | Cardigan: c/o The Wishing Elephant | Shorts: Joe's Jeans | Socks: Gymboree (similar here) | Shoes: Converse (thrifted)

During our San Jose visit, the family decided to take Maile to a local park and zoo for a day of toddler-style fun. Even in the late spring months, Bay Area mornings are notoriously cool, so I wanted to make sure Maile would be comfortable in the AM hours, but not hot when the temperatures reached into the 80s that afternoon.

Enter this perfect monogrammed cardigan sweater, from The Wishing Elephant. Carolyn was so generous to send Maile a personalized letter jacket, which we absolutely love! She still has a little room to grow into it, but it looks sweet slightly oversized, and it truly is an all-season piece. Before we took off to the zoo, we went on a little stroll around my brother-in-law's neighborhood, so I could snap a few pictures. I can't tell you how many people asked where we got it at the zoo, too! (And as a parent, who doesn't love it when everyone loves the way your little one is dressed?!) 

This sweater is available in sizes 2T-6, but Carolyn also makes awesome baby onesies, full of personality -- and costumes for both toddlers and babies, too (both she and the sushi costume she created were even on The Martha Stewart Show). 

It's almost the weekend, y'all! What are your plans?

This is not a sponsored post.

What We Wore: OAK Edition

Paige, of OAK, sent Maile one of her beautiful, handmade little girl rompers, and a complementing headband -- and I'm in love! Amazing quality, gorgeous fabric, and OAK even takes custom orders. 

Maile also loves this outfit. She calls the romper her "princess rom-puh," and even wanted to wear the headband to bed! I know we're going to get a ton of use out of this little ensemble. Add a sweet pair of Salt-Waters and we're ready to take on the zoo, or a little shopping on Pearl Street ...

On Maile: Mint Knot Headband (similar here) | Rainbows & Feathers Romper

OAK creates designs for the entire family. This Nautical Infinity Scarf is a personal favorite of mine, and I can just see the softness of OAK's Men's Henley. For your wee man, the eco-friendly Turtle Graphic Tee is darling. Oh yes, little unisex leggings galore, too! 

You may have noticed that OAK is my very first sponsor here on Standpipe and Sprinkles. This is super special to me, because I've gone back and forth about offering paid sponsorship, but when Paige contacted me about sponsoring my blog, it didn't take me long to say "Yes!" I couldn't have asked for a more wonderful woman to be my first sponsor. A fellow mama, with a passion for creativity, and a heart for her adorable family. Perfect.

Ads will be offered on a limited basis, and will focus on supporting handmade, local, and small blogs and businesses. Arrangements for highlight posts or giveaways will be made on a case-by-case basis. I'll have a sponsor page up soon, but in the meantime, feel free to send me a quick email at mrskittymitch(at)gmail(dot)com!

Now, be sure to visit KindredOAK.com to see all the vintage-classic pieces Paige and her team have to offer. Paige has been kind enough to offer a 10% off discount code for Standpipe and Sprinkles readers -- just use code mitch10 through the end of April.

Happy shopping!

What We Wore: Tomboy Edition

I get asked a lot where I pick out Maile's clothes. This is both a source of pride and laughter for me, because as a young SAHM on a budget, I try so very hard to either shop the sale section, or buy secondhand -- for both myself and Maile. Vintage frills and complicated outfits? While I find them precious, they just aren't for our girl. My mom told me recently that Maile is a tomboy, and though my knee-jerk reaction was to come to Maile's defense, I ended up smiling and saying, "You know, she is." 

Miss Maile is a lady on so many levels, but when it comes to "coes" and getting "thdessed," she just wants to be comfortable. Tim and I, both athletic types, are much the same. And I, for one, kind of love that our sweet babe is just as excited as I am when we score a new-to-her pair of "puh-pull" Converse kicks.

On Maile: Hair Clips: Baby Wisp | Tee: The Children's Place | Jeggings: OshKosh B'Gosh | Shoes: Converse, thrifted (similar here)

Don't forget to enter the $50 Shabby Apple giveaway!

What We Wore - Date Night Edition

This time of year, evenings in Colorado are notoriously fickle. Of course, most evenings, I can't be bothered to do much more than dash outside to cover our succulents, and tomato plant, but last Thursday was date night with Mr. M. We ventured out to one of our favorite restaurants, where I noshed on their signature bison meatloaf, and indulged in a rare glass of white wine. Tucked in the same area, is our regular movie theater. Have any of you seen "Looper"? I'm curious to know what you thought of it (so different)!

I wore a wear-anywhere shirt ... selected by Mr. M. I'm still not sure how I feel about myself in this particular borrowed-from-the-boys look, but the husband has always liked me in this style, and I gotta say, the comfort level means I'm very tempted to keep on wearing it.

On Mama: Shirt: J.Crew | Necklace: Family heirloom, given to me by Mr. M's mom-mom (similar) | Bracelet: House of Harlow | Denim: Rock Revival (similar) | Pumps: Nine West 

And, just to show you that I'm in no danger of becoming a fashion blogger, here's what was cropped from my first photo. She may not like TV much, but Maile is ridiculously good with technology. I had to set a password on my iPhone something like 3 or 4 months ago -- Don't believe for a second that's stopped her from trying to break into it. This pajama-clad iPhone bandit still plays music, takes self portraits, attempts "emergency" phone calls, and locks me out of my phone for oh ... 12 minutes at a time. 

What We Wore - Birthday Edition

For my birthday, Mr. M really wanted to take me out for a nice lunch. Like really. I kept saying, "It's fine. Another time." But he all but insisted. And when the most easy-going guy on Earth practically begs you to go out to lunch, you go out for lunch.

We chose a place that's been on our list of restaurants to try, Bent Fork, which has a rep ... in a good way. It's still incredibly warm here (read: 90s) in Colorado, but I wanted to look presentable for my own birthday lunch; this is what I came up with. 

In hindsight, I'm not the happiest with this ensemble; I can do way, way better -- but the cool thing about this feature, and having Mr. M snap these pictures for me, is that I can pretty much see myself as everyone else does. :) 

On Me: Earrings: Charming Charlie (similar here) | Tank: J.Crew (similar here) | Bracelets: House of Harlow, Gift (similar here) | Shorts: J.Crew | Flats: J.Crew (similar here)

Baby Girl was being completely uncooperative with our little photo shoot, but you can get the gist of her outfit here. 

P.S. If you haven't entered the Jordan Diane Designs giveaway yet, there's still time! Enter here.

What We Wore - California Edition II

On Maile: Flower Clip: Handmade (similar here) | Top: Carter's | Shorts: Joe's Jeans (similar here) | Sandals: Gymboree (similar here)

On Mama: Tank: J.Crew | Bracelets: J.Crew (similar here), House of Harlow | Sunglasses: American Eagle (similar here) | Shorts: J.Crew | Sandals: Rainbow

When the temperature is well into triple digits, there are few options: namely, shorts, tanks, and nothing that requires socks! We successfully fit the entire family's California wardrobe into one suitcase, so with the aforementioned temperatures, and such a limited wardrobe, I decided that a trendy print was the best way to spice up Little Miss' look. I love Maile in orangey-reds ... or any shade of orange, for that matter. Citrus hues look amazing against her olive-toned skin, and gorgeous brunette locks. She is too much -- and I don't think I'm saying that just because she's mine! ;)

Have a happy Monday, everyone!

What We Wore - California Edition

Our first day in NorCal, the forecasted high was 110 degrees. At one point in the day, our rental SUV read 117, and I'm positive it was right. It's hard to be fashionable in that kind of heat, but we tried.

Here's what we wore!

On Maile: Bow: Handmade | Tee: Gymboree | Skirt: Gymboree | Sandals: Gymboree

On Mama: Tank: J.Crew | Shorts: American Eagle (similar here) | Sandals: LuLu*s | Sunglasses: American Eagle | Earrings: Gorjana (similar here)

In our family, the fact that I am a stay-at-home / work-at-home (during the school year) mama, and wife to a roughneck, means we are on a strict budget. We typically shop for clothing once or twice a year, so I tend to stick to quality basics, and mix them up with more trendy accessories.

I used to have a huge problem with lusting after designer clothing (okay, sometimes I still do), but the fact of the matter is, the great majority of it just doesn't fit our lifestyle. I find that if I am able to incorporate one piece here or there from time to time -- here, my earrings -- it keeps me feeling like I am meeting that acutely girly need of mine.

We also strive to be a cash-only family ... something we are fairly successful with. This does limit where we shop, but I also feel that all of these things will make this feature more accessible. In sum, be kind. :) I'm 4'10", and I ain't no Gisele, but I know I'm going to enjoy these posts, and I hope you will too!