Lulu shot this self portrait at Laurie Lipton's art opening for "L.A. Sous-Real". It's no secret Lulu likes to rock different colored shoes. It's nice she wanted to capture her style for posterity. And I definitely get a kick out of this!
Outfit: Jefferson shoes by Native Shoes and Mikarobe dress by DPAM.
Although Lulu's been wearing two different shoes for a little while now, she's been receiving lots of comments on them from strangers recently. Maybe it's because of the way she moves in her Natives. Or her now very noticeable presence in the room (she's a spunky gal). Whatever the case, I'm proud of my girl's choice to express herself outside of the lines, so early on.
Lulu loves cutting new things with her craft scissors. Paper. Cardboard. Pillow covers. T-shirts, etc. So it was only a matter of time before she discovered cutting her own hair. Lulu didn't lose much, this time. It's not even noticeable where she cut her hair from. I didn't get mad. I laughed! But I did ask her if she wanted to go to a hair salon (no) or wanted her hair cut (no). I'm looking forward to how creative the kid might someday get!
Lulu dressed herself this morning. She didn't want to put on a skirt over her tights. I insisted and she resisted. I finally told her that her bottom was so cute, other people would want to pinch it so she should have an extra layer for protection. She thought about it and then agreed with my logic and chose to wear this skirt.
Nobody ever told me I'd start telling such ridiculous lies to get my kid to move faster in the mornings. Nobody also told me, I'd lie about the weirdest things as a parent (e.g. the Owl Man will get you if you don't hurry up and go to sleep or The Force can see everything you do, so do good). Better yet, nobody told me the lies would work so well (they really do)! What ridiculous things do you tell your child to get them out the door faster?!
As seen on LA Racked: Lulu caught shopping at the Little Warrior boutique launch we recently attended! My first-time fashion shopper ran for the racks and picked these two adorable items. Even though Little Warrior makes it easy to love everything, I'd like to think Lulu has a good eye.
Dear J.C. Penney,
Seriously, what the fuck were you thinking when you approved this back-to-school girl's tee? As if it weren't hard enough to encourage more young women into the fields of math and science, you've gotta go and rub salt into the wound with this description, "Who has time for homework when there's a new Justin Bieber album out? She'll love this tee that's just as cute and sassy as she is."
Umm. That's not the kind of sassy I grew up with and definitely not the kind of message I want to teach Lulu. Thanks to an internet campaign and online uproar, you had to pull the shirt from your online catalog and issue an apology to your customers.
Please. Watch what you say. Everyone is listening.
xosourisxo
I love that Lulu's swimsuit matches the wrapping paper from Tata Sherise and company's present!
Outfit: babyGap swimsuit.
After Sunday swim lessons Lulu gets to enjoy a refreshing fruit pop at the neighborhood bodega. I usually lay a beach towel over her lap to catch falling popsicle cause it's a crazy mess to let a two year old man handle ice cream.
The Jeremy Scott towel I got from Coachella a few years ago gave me a lot of laughs today. I especially love the attitude Lulu adopted for the photos. Check out her snarl. I think she's saying, "Hey Jeremy Scott... I'm coming for you!"
Outfit: Fierce Hugs t-shirt and French jacket (gift). Kicks by Jeremy Scott for adidas, of course.
This is the outfit Lulu chose to rock to her first swim lesson at our family's pool. I'm not sure what Bohemian surfer chic she is going for, but the outfit happily reminds me of my Aunt Sharon.
Outfit: babyGap hat, Old Navy rashguard, babyGap swimsuit, Native Shoes Corrados, Japanese bag (gift), and jewelry (gifts).
Earlier today, I tweeted, "NO LIE. i am stopped daily and asked about my and lulu's @nativeshoes. my pal is their publicist but i do the unofficial STREET HUSTLE!" And then Jean at NOTCOT inquired, "@hustlerculture hehe ~ are they comfy?" and Gelatobaby Alissa posted, "@hustlerculture Show photos!"
Somehow, I have unofficially become a street rep for Native Shoes. On a day-to-day basis, I champion them to everyone who asks because they are amazing shoes for kids of all ages. This is what I think of the Canadian shoe company's rad wares:
1. They're 100% comfortable. From the first time I slipped on my Jeffersons until now, I've been blister free. I did worry a little because I wear them with bare feet but walking on air has no pain affiliated with it. I don't know what kind of space age materials are used but the rubber is pillow-soft. And I feel like I'm on a gymnastics floor when I walk in them; I get an extra spring in my step.
2. They are carefree kicks. They look good with jeans, great with shorts, and cute with a skirt. Lulu wears her Corrados with everything. Best of all they come in rainbow colors so there's something for everyone. And they're so light, toting around a pair is easier than carrying around your wallet. These company buzzwords are also noteworthy: waterproof, anti-microbial, animal free, shock absorbent, odor resistant, and washable. For those who might care, I believe they're vegan-friendly too, but I'd have to confirm that.
3. The design rules! I love the casual and classic silhouettes: penny loafers, Converse slip-ons, Keds, and Topsiders. They remind me of the shoes I once rocked from my Eastern Seaboard upbringing. They're perfect for lifestylists and for people on the go. They're Crocs for cool kids.
I was recently at a party with my creative cabal and many of them were rocking Native Shoes. We're talking, gallery owners, their kids, artists, their kids, and jetsetters, and their kids. I had to ask my renowned Manhattan tattoo artist buddy why he wore them. Simply put, "They're comfortable shoes, man."
4. Native Shoes are affordable at $28 - $45 a pair. Although they are carried at select shops like Undefeated and Fred Segal, I recommend that all my friends go to Zappos because they have the largest selection of available styles and sizes in stock.
Here's an email my friend L sent to me earlier this month:
From: L < XXXX@gmail.com>
Date: June 7, 2011 9:42:42 PM PDT
Hey, Desi and I had a fab time at Lulu's party! Looking forward to seeing you guys again this weekend. Took a couple of pix of Desmond in his new Native shoes for your PR pal. Not that she doesn't already have a gajillion pix of super cute kids in the shoes.
And my new pal, B wrote me this only yesterday:
From: B <XXX@MIT.EDU>
Date: July 1, 2011 12:18:12 AM PDT
... fyi the entire kids stock of Natives is sold out--so good job to you
I've gotten a bunch of calls and texts from friends asking about Native Shoes. Can you tell I love these shoes? They actually make me want to walk more and in Los Angeles, that's a great thing. Do yourself a favor and slip them on. I'm pretty sure you won't want to take them off until you retire for the day. Go Native!
Lulu wanted to rock some hardware and dress all girlie today so we busted out all her fine necklaces (she opted not to wear her bracelets). This is the best I could do. Girlie, right?!
Outfit: Polarn O. Pyret dress, DPAM leggings, and Native Corrado shoes.
Every single time Lulu passes this book she throws up her hands and copies Vivienne Westwood's face. I finally caught Lulu in action. My kid is sPunky!
Outfit: Polarn O. Pyret Baby Girls Top
Fashionista friends! There are few things more irresistable than a pair of itty bitty sneakers by your favorite label or designer. Enter, Jeremy Scott and adidas.
O.M.G. I am loving the minature version of the original JS Wings. Gold metallic details, textile lining, hook-and-loop wing design, and a patent leather upper, this shoe is the perfect gift for a downtown tyke.
I was hoping to post about the beautiful new bike we purchased so I could take beach rides with Lulu, our new helmets, and her super styley seat, but sigh, I had to return the kid seat today. I bought the bike seat from a Dutch company knowing they take biking seriously but failed to remember that they are also the tallest people on the planet which rendered their front-mounted child seat useless for my 4'11" frame. So instead of hemming and hawing about our new ride, feast your eyes on my little Helmet Head!
Every once in awhile I can distract Lulu while she eats and pull her hair back into an upright ponytail on the top of her head (she usually pulls out barrettes and elastic hairbands if she knows they're on her head and then proceeds to try to eat them, which presents a choking hazard). A friend called this hairstyle a "garlic top" the other day. I've never heard of that before! And when I tried to Google it, nothing came up for this description either. Nothing in images too. Anyway, it kinda makes sense but it also sounds ridiculous. A more accurate description would be to call it a "sparkler" or "fountain" top. Maybe it's just a SoCal thing. Whatever it is, it's certainly eye-catching as it invokes "cute kid" comments from strangers.
Outfit: Mini Boden brown whale crochet t-shirt, American Apparel infant cotton spandex jersey legging and Matoki shoes.
When I was growing up, I was always a wee bit envious of the kids at our elementary school rocking homemade costumes for the annual Halloween parade. In fact, I remember really loving my friend Jennifer's hand sewn pumpkin costume in the third grade. It just looked so damn soft. Believe immigrant-kid-me, I didn't mind that we got boxed plastic-poncho costumes with the stiff masks with knife-sharp-cut-out lips. But I had fantasized of having a homemade costume once or twice.
Last Halloween Lulu was five months old and not really mobile yet. We stuck her in pirate pajamas and carried her around like baby booty. This year, Lulu could actually walk around and trick-or-treat and I was excited by the prospect. While brainstorming costume ideas, Silvio commented that Lulu looked like the character Boo from Monster's Inc. I searched everywhere online for something really cool and instead found cheap-looking costumes that cost too much money.
This Halloween I was feeling ambitious. I googled "Homemade Monster's Inc. Boo Costumes" and stumbled upon Coolest Homemade Costumes. I read about how each parent made their Boo costume and it seemed easy enough. My more-experienced-sewing-friend Karen agreed and also offered to help me with this endeavor.
Following are instructions for making a Monster's Inc. Boo costume. It's easier than it reads and it's not as hard as it looks (embrace safety pins)!
MATERIALS:
LINCOLN FABRICS - Total with tax $25.60
2 Yards Purple Lamay at $6.50/yard TOTAL = $13.00
2/3 Yard Silver Lamay at $6.50/yard TOTAL = $4.33
1/4 Yard Felt at $8.00/yard TOTAL = $2.00
Batting TOTAL = $4.00
MICHAELS - Total with tax $8.75
2 4" Styrofoam Balls at $3.49 each TOTAL = $6.98
1 Chenille Pipe Cleaners TOTAL = $0.99
99 CENT STORE - Total with tax $1.09
Deluxe Mop With Handle TOTAL = $0.99
MATERIALS DONATED BY MY FRIEND KAREN - $0.00
3' Velcro
Several Dozen Safety Pins
Thread
Hotel Sewing Kit
Black Sharpie Marker
2' Extra Fabric For Inside of Hood
COSTUME GRAND TOTAL = $35.44
SEWING INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Take the pre-measured purple fabric and fold it in half. Layer batting inside of the fabric. Safety pin closed. Run the fabric with batting through a sewing machine around the edge to create a stuffed rectangle. Run the rectangle through the sewing machine in the same direction three or four more times to create the "quilted look". For the armholes, cut out crescent shapes on each side at the same height. Run the frazzled edges through a sewing machine to close up the cutouts.
2. Roll the purple bodysuit into a tube. Sew the soft loop tape Velcro and fastener on opposite sides of the ends of the tube. Make sure they're lined up properly and can seal shut.
3. Cut different sized and shaped teeth from felt.
4. Mark the middle of the body tube with a piece of tape and sew the felt teeth on the top edge. Sew one tooth at a time starting from the middle, outwards.
5. To create the hood part of the costume, fold the pre-measured purple fabric in half, stuff with batting, and cut out a crescent shape. Sew felt teeth on the top part of the hood starting from the middle, outwards.
6. To create hair on top of the hood, take different-sized chunks of mop threads and sew them randomly all over. For larger chunks of hair, try braiding smaller groups of thread together.
7. To create monster eyes, take a supersized black Sharpie marker and color in half of each Styrofoam ball. Then color in two circles in the middle-front to represent pupils. Twist black pipe cleaners together to create eye-antennas and stick one end of the pipe cleaner bunch into the colored-in part of the Styrofoam ball. Take the other end and sew it into the hood.
8. We ran out of time to properly assemble the costume and ended up safety pinning the hood to the body. If I had more time, I would've sewn this part together. Also we didn't actually measure Lulu or the fabric (we eyeballed it) so the body tube was a little roomy for her. Instead of sewing in elastic straps to help keep the tube up, I used safety pins to keep it together.
9. Even though I bought silver fabric, I had Lulu wear a grey sweatshirt as a shortcut for the arms. I didn't have the energy to figure out how to sew arms together and the grey top worked fine.
10. Lulu wore grey leggings, socks and sparkly silver shoes. We put two mini pigtails in her hair to complete the ensemble.
Lulu's Monster's Inc. Boo costume was created in a little over 24 hours. This was the first time I had ever made a homemade Halloween costume without throwing a bunch of store-bought items together and I have to say, I'm pretty proud of what walked the streets Halloween night! Random people yelled and pointed "Boo!" as Lulu waddled down the street and several homeowners declared her costume the best one they'd seen all evening. I'm proud to be a mom that makes homemade costumes. And I'm excited again for Halloween.
Lastly, there is no way I would've been able to have made this costume without the help from my very kind and generous friend, Karen Chen [thank you, Karen!!!!!]. Seriously. She totally sewed the body tube and hood for me and helped me layout the plans for the costume.
If you ever decide to make a Boo costume, I'd love to see your finished product. Feel free to share links or photos in the future. Good luck, enjoy our photo album, and Happy Halloween!
Okay, so it's not as good as her Uncle Emil's ghillie suit, but check out Lulu's camouflage!
Outfit: Baby Gap hat and Jaxxwear short sleeve hoodie and capri leggings.
Charley Harper: Charley Harper ABCs
Beautifully illustrated ABCs book, Lulu is mesmerized by the letter O for owls!
H. A. Rey: Curious George's Are You Curious?
Read along to see if your little monkey is as mischievous as everyone's favorite George!
Dr. Seuss: Hop on Pop-Up
Fun with words.
Anastasia Suen: Subway
An early favorite of Lulu's, she loved the rhythmic words and sing-song feel of the book. A must for all urban dwelling tots!
Maurice Sendak: Where the Wild Things Are
A family favorite. Lulu loves the party part of the book (maybe it's our sound effects)!
Ed Emberley: Where's My Sweetie Pie?
Lift flaps to uncover and discover secret treasures.
Amy Wilson Sanger: Yum Yum Dim Sum
What a great book to teach Lulu about a family food favorite. The words are catchy if not a bit hoakie.
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