kids fashion — Page 2

Back to School Tips: Fun Lunches, Fall Fashion, & More!

“When you know better you do better.” – Maya Angelou… This quote applies just as much to us moms as it does to kids gearing up for a new school year – There’s always something new to learn and discover, whether it’s a new word or skill at school, or a great tip to help calm the chaos of motherhood. So, while you’re helping your kiddos prepare to go back to school, I’m here to help you prepare too – with some super helpful ideas: Shopping, lunch prep, fashion, and more. Keep reading to check them out – and be sure to pin your favorites to refer to again later.

Back to school tips: Packing fun lunches

This will be the first year that we’ll be packing lunches. My nephews were here all summer with me – and once school starts, they’re here every morning to catch the bus, as well as each afternoon after school. Little Guy is seriously crazy-excited about getting to bring his lunch to school – he has been asking me every.single.day if I can put his lunch in his new back to school lunchbag from Marshalls! He’s so funny :) So, I’ve been looking for new ideas to make lunches fun, check out some of my favorites:

To see more cool ideas – follow my Bento Box lunch board on Pinterest. And – a couple more tips: Make lunches based on your kids favorite books, favorite movies, subjects they’re learning in school, or favorite colors. Freeze a Capri Sun or juice box to put in their lunch in the morning – it’ll keep it cold all day, and will be drinkable by afternoon. And be sure to check out your local Marshalls or T.J.Maxx for awesome lunch bags and gear at the best prices!

Back to School Tip: Have fun!

In between all of the craziness of back to school prep, it’s important to remember that it’s not just about the serious stuff like school supplies, making sure kids are at the right skill level, or ensuring you’ve bought the best supplies – it’s also about having fun! Kids can’t learn without a little bit of whimsy, right? They need some fun to balance things during their increasingly intensive school days – so brings some sunshine into their days:

Pair some fun crafty projects, cool printables, and awesome games and adventures – and have a rockin’ back to school season that’s sure to get any kiddo ready for a new year of learning.

Back to School Fashion Tips: Layering

I love fashion. You might not know it if you see me in my usual “work from home mom of a toddler” uniform of yoga pants, off the shoulder tees, and messy bun – But in a former life, I was actually quite trendy :) I worked in merchandising and fashion merchandising for over 10 years, and loved it. I’m so drawn to anything creative – design, texture, color – and fashion has always been fun for me. So I love helping to pick out new school clothes for the kids – and love being able to find pieces that mix and match easily, to create a ton of outfits from just a few great items. And one way to really stretch your wardrobe is to use layering to make the “same old” from last year look new again!

Layer unexpectedly: Most people would layer a button up shirt over a tee – but how great does this look with it layered underneath instead? You can also layer polo shirts under tees too – very fun for little guys.
Best pieces for girls: For girls, light cardigan sweaters are my FAVORITE layering piece! You can put them over a tank and cinch at the waist with a belt. Toss them over summer dresses to bring them into fall. And short sleeve cardis look great over a long sleeve top – very on trend, but still comfy for the playground.
Extend summer faves: Use basic long-sleeve t-shirts to take favorite tees from summer into fall – just layer them underneath. You can usually find basic long sleeve tees super cheap – or, buy whatever you find on the clearance rack. Even if the kids don’t like the brand/character/design, it doesn’t matter, since you’ll be covering it up with another shirt anyway. They also work great under short sleeve polos or plaid shirts too.
Accessories: Ok, this mostly applies to girls, I know. But a few fun accessories can seriously make last year’s pieces more fun. You can do it DIY style – adding patches, using fabric to extend the length of jeans – no sewing required!, or taking the kids to a fabric store to pick out ribbons, new buttons, or trimmings to add to old clothes. Or, use inexpensive pieces purchased at places like Marshalls or T.J.Maxx – things like scarves, gloves, hats, shoes, jewelry, belts, ties, hair clips and bands – they all add up to a fresh new style!

Once you start thinking about it – you’ll find all types of things to jazz up your kids wardrobe. Layering old with new, finding cool new pieces to update what you already have, or adding a cute accessory or two to make something feel new – they all save you big bucks versus buying a whole new wardrobe.

Back to school tips Saving big on school shopping

Ok – now that we’ve talked about all of the things you need to do and buy before school starts – let’s talk about how to SAVE on all of that gear! I did a HUGE shopping trip for the kiddos – My nephews – Little Guy, andBig Guy – and then my own Abby, who’ll start pre-school this winter. {See her over-the-top adorable big-girl outfit here} And, you can see our whole back to school shopping trip online, and see what sweet deals we found, and learn about my secret deal-scoring tricks. We shopped at my fave retailers – T.J.Maxx, and Marshalls, and here’s the breakdown of the deals:

Total shopping trip:
Regular retail price: 345.99
My price at T.J.Maxx and Marshalls: $161.88
Total savings: $184.11 – more than half!!!

Super cool, right? Check them out online to find where your own closest sweet-deal stores are located: Marshalls, and T.J.Maxx. If you’re ready to save big for back to school – and the rest of the year too! – Be sure to pin this post to Pinterest: Pin me here. Share it to Twitter and Facebook.

Thank you to Marshalls and T.J.Maxx for giving the opportunity to check out their new fall selection for back to school and share it with you guys. I received a complimentary gift card to help with my post. All opinions and photos are 100% my own – as always!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on August 18, 2013 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution, Fashion | 2 Comments

Back to School Routines – Tips from A-Z

“If there were no schools to take the children away from home part of the time, the insane asylums would be filled with mothers.” – Edgar W. Howe… I love the summer months. I love family and friends gathering at my home for pool parties and BBQ’s. I love sunshine, and flip flops, and drinking frozen cocktails in my hammock. But, all of that fun comes at a price – my usual routines get totally knocked off schedule! In addition to my 3 year old, I have my nephews {7 & 9} each day in the summer too. When you throw in a few of their friends that come to visit – it makes running a full-time business from home pretty darn challenging. So, while I love summer days – I am getting excited to once again get back into the routine that back to school season brings.

Back to School Routines – Tips from A-Z [Read more…]

Posted by Meagan Paullin on August 2, 2013 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution | 9 Comments

Fashionista on a Budget – 10 Ways to Save Big on Clothing and Accessories for Moms and Kids

“What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today, when human contacts are so quick. Fashion is instant language.” – Miuccia Prada… Sure, fashion can seem silly to some people. But we all know that what you wear can really change your mood. In a cute dress and strappy heels I carry myself differently, and have a fun boost of confidence. When I’m in yoga pants and a loose tee, I feel comfy and cozy. So I’ve always loved fashion, and the way it can totally transform my day. But, as a mom on a tight budget, I’m all about AFFORDABLE fashion for families! So, today I want to share a few awesome sites that I use to get designer clothing and accessories, for my whole family, at super discounted prices. And when you partner them with sites and cards that give you cash back on your online purchases too – well, there’s not much better than that! I’ll start with kiddo stuff, and move towards grown up gear – check it out, yo:

Great deals on kids outfits – FabKids.com – I love, love, LOVE this site. It helps take the guesswork out of shopping for little girls – To get started, just sign up for a free account, and then answer a few questions about your little one, and what types of styles you’re looking for. Then you get personalized recommendations like the ones above {no surprise that they suggest the adorable U R My Sunshine collection for us, right?} – and the option to buy the full outfit at a discount, and often a freebie piece or two. Extra bonus? Get $20 in FREE credit to use on their site, every time you refer a friend who joins you there! Sign up today, and get 50% off of your first outfit, or Buy One Outfit Get One Free, your choice :) – {not sure how long that will last?}

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on March 4, 2013 Filed Under: Shopping, Deals and Coupon Codes, Fashion | 17 Comments

Connecting Cultures with Fashion: Dia de los Muertos

Dia de los Muertos… On Nov. 1 and Nov. 2 it is Hispanic tradition to hold a holiday to remember dead ancestors and celebrate their rebirth. The tradition began with pre-Hispanic culture influences that saw death as a transition between lives. {Learn more about Dia de los Muertos.} This tradition is celebrated all over the valley where I live here in Central Washington – since our local economy is based on agriculture, we have a really large Hispanic population here. It’s very cool that over the past few years we’ve seen bigger and better celebrations that are important to their culture, and give us a chance to learn more about them. We have one of the biggest {maybe even THE biggest} Cinco de Mayo celebration in the state, an amazingly delicious Tamale Festival, and several events to celebrate Dia de los Muertos. I love that Abby gets a chance to be exposed to new experiences like this.

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Posted by Meagan Paullin on November 4, 2012 Filed Under: Uncategorized | No Comments

How to DIY Kids Fashions – Even if you’re not the crafty type

“You know your children are growing up when they stop asking you where they came from and refuse to tell you where they’re going.” – P. J. O’Rourke… Kids grow. And they grow quick. Which means that every time I go to get Abby dressed in the morning, I swear to you that she’s outgrow her clothes overnight. So I’ve found a super smart – and super stylish! – solution to this challenge – Buti-Bag makes it simple to DIY your kiddos outgrown clothes into new fashions that they can wear again. It’s an affordable solution that’s simple and so cute. Keep reading to see how it works, and how it can solve more than one type of kids clothing challenge.

How to DIY Kids Fashions – Even if you’re not the crafty type

You might remember the Buti-Bag brand from another smart solution that I shared with you guys a couple of months ago. The Bunvelope is a totally modern diaper and wipes holder, that easily transitions to life after baby as a cosmetics bag for you. One of my fave pieces of baby gear. She’s got other super smart products too – All totally chic, designed by a real mom who understands what we really need in our gear, and all made right here in the US. Today, I’ll show you more about the Belle Bottoms, a totally genius idea. These super cute iron-on designs can be used in so many ways –

When you did your back to school review of the kids clothes, I’m sure that a ton of you mommas learned that while your kiddo’s pants still fit on the waist, they’ve grown a ton since last fall, and most of them are now too short. You hate to throw out pants that are in good shape, right? Adding Belle Bottoms is a great way to add some extra length!
How about the pants that still fit, but are frayed and worn around the bottoms? Yep, this is a great way to cover up that mess.
Maybe you’ve got the opposite problem, like I do – Abby {my 2 year old} is a chunker. She needs a 4 or 5T pair of jeans to fit around her booty {she got that from me, poor girl…} – but then they are WAY too long. So, I can just cut off all of that excess fabric, and finish them again with the Belle Bottoms. Problem solved.
These are also a way to just up the fun factor of any kids wardrobe. If you’ve got girls who are bored with yesterdays styles, let them pick out a couple prints of Belle Bottoms to jazz up what they’ve got. Saves a ton versus buying new clothes!
And… These can fit a ton of different sizes of pants – Including yours. They can be added to most straight leg style denim, and would be really fun on a pair of capris. They’re available in a ton of different prints, and either flat style or ruffled. Love ’em.

So – Ready to see how these work? You can find the full instructions on the Buti-Bag site – Instructions for flat iron-on Belle Bottoms. And I’ll walk you through a quick tutorial on how to add them to any pair of pants, easy peasy.

Enhance Your Pants – DIY Kids Pants Tutorial

When I first got my Belle Bottoms, I admit – I was a little nervous to put them on. You do have to carefully read the instructions, and follow them well, since once you iron these cuties on – they are permanent. But, after reading through the whole instructions twice, to make sure I had it all down – It was super simple to apply ’em. Pinky promise.

Gather your supplies all together in one spot – Belle Bottoms, kids pants to makeover, scissors, a pencil, and an iron. Then, either use a seam ripper to open up the seam on the bottom of each pant leg {great if you need to maximize the length} or just cut off that bulky bottom hem.
Three edges of each piece of fabric have adhesive strips – you pull off the piece on the short end. Then you take the flat Belle Bottom piece of fabric, and fold it around the pant leg where you want it to go. {Mark this with a pencil.} Use the iron to tack down that seam. Once it’s cooled, you’ll have a little circle of fabric, the same size as the bottom opening of the pants.
Flip that circle cuff of fabric inside out, and cut off the excess length that you don’t need. Then remove the adhesive strip that’s around the top – the section that will stick to your pant leg. Flip your Belle Bottom right-side out again.
Now, slide your little round fabric cuff back onto the pant leg, so the unfinished pant edge is inside. Line it up with your pencil mark. Now iron that adhesive section to your pants. Once you’ve done this, you’re halfway!
Now, flip the whole pair of pants inside out, and remove that last piece of adhesive tape.
Fold the Belle Bottom fabric up over the edge of the pant seam – making them the length you prefer. Use your hot iron to tack that seam down too. And, you can go ahead and give the whole pair of pants a quick iron if you’d like, to smooth out any wrinkles you might have caused during the process.
Smile – You’re done! Look at that – old pants get a new life, you save money in your clothing budget, and the kids get compliments on their one of a kind fashion statements. Life is good…

Super simple, right? And the instructions that come with the Belle Bottoms have more thorough instructions and lots of tips too. If I can do this right the first time – then anyone can. Seriously. {And…. FYI: Keep reading. At the bottom of the post there’s a chance to win a HUGE prize package that includes a set of these sweet Belle Bottoms!}

“The trick is growing up without growing old.” – Casey Stengel

I hate to waste anything. Ever. I’m totally live by the phrase “Use it up, Wear it Out, Make it do…or Do without.” I get that from my grandma, for sure. So when I realized that I had some scrap of this adorable polka dot fabric left over, I used ’em to make a cute shabby chic style matching headband. I used one of Abby’s fabric covered headbands as the base. I cut the scrap piece of fabric into little strips. I used the little adhesive strips on them to double ’em over and make little loops on each end, and pulled out a few extra strings to give each bare edge a nice little fray. Then I simply tied them together, and attached with hot glue to the head band. Super cute.

Get connected and learn more

You can learn more about Buti-Bag and the rest of her amazing products built for busy moms with style – Check her out on ButiBag.com. You can also follow her on Facebook and Twitter, to get updates on new products and promotions. {Like the totally amazing sale you missed if you weren’t following her – she just had where the WHOLE site was 40% off. Rockin’.} So follow her and stay tuned for cool stuff like that in the future too!

Click here to enter to WIN this big prize package – Including a set of Belle Bottoms!

{Disclaimer: I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mompact and received a promotional item to thank me for my participation. Only the best products make it onto this site, and my opinions are always as true as can be. All photos and opinions are my own – I think these rock, and know you’ll love ’em too.}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 4, 2012 Filed Under: Busy Mom Solution, Fashion | 5 Comments

The Secret to Getting Kids Clothes Cheap or even Free

You guys know how much I love to shop for my little fashionista…. But as a working mom on a tight budget, I have to seriously search for the best bargains possible. I don’t buy much for my own closet these days, since she’s a growing toddler, and it seems like every morning she’s outgrown half of her clothes again. But, I do have a few fave go-to places that I shop for her, where I always find crazy-discounted gear, that’s cute enough that I’d wear it in my size too – Like the amazing sale dress I found yesterday. I’m dying to find one like that in my size! Anyway… I’m in the process of snapping up summer clearance clothes in bigger sizes to hold for next year, and early sales on fall and winter clothes that we’ll be needing before you know it. I just had an super sweet shopping spree full of amazing deals this morning, so I thought I’d share these tips and finds for you mommas out there who are in need of some serious saving too…

Best Fall Fashion for Girls – All Under $20

Yes – these are all girls picks – because that’s what I was shopping for today. But here’s the deal – No matter what you’re looking for, it’s super simple to find the lowest priced items on Cookies Kids. There is an amazing drop down menu where you can choose any category: infant, toddler boy or girl, bigger kids sizes, accessories, shoes, and even fun bedroom accessories and toys. Then you break it down further – coats, dresses, sweaters, jean and top sets, skirt and top sets – you get the idea. Then it’s time for my FAVORITE features – choose your sizes, and then click to have it sort the pages by price, lowest to highest. That way if you’re looking for gear under $10 bucks, which is what I do, you can scroll through everything in that prices range. Awesomesauce. To give you an idea of the sweet prices, here are the prices for the picks in this pic, that I ordered today:

Coat Set: This fun red coat is only $16.99 – and it comes with the snuggly printed scarf and hat totally free! This coat is a toddler girl size, as are all of these items – and is also available in black.
Izzy Bella: This dress, called the “Vivian,” is an uh-MAY-zing steal at only $3.99! Yes, it’s more of a summer dress – but I LOVE stocking up on their pretty summer sundresses at these prices… Just throw a cute sweater over it and add some tights, and it works great for fall or holiday parties.
Sweater: Speaking of sweaters, this little sweater – the Dream Star Cardigan – makes a perfect layer over those fun summer dresses. And, it’s only $8.99 – from an original price of $34 bucks at department stores! When you get your Cookies Kids order, you’ll see the original brand price tags still attached, and then the super duper discounted Cookies Kids tags. The last time I shopped, I added up the original tags on all of my items – $227 bucks. What did I pay? $54. Whaaaat? Seriously.
Penelope Mack: I absolutely adore Penelope Mack dresses – such great prints, really nice fabrics, and perfect details. I actually already ordered this same dress a couple months ago, along with a few other Penelope Macks, but ordered another in a larger size for next summer too. I mean – it’s only $6.99, why not??
Tandino: I love, love, love this coat. Another of those pieces that I wish was in my size. {Heck, I’d love the Penelope Mack dress and that cute pink sweater too….} It’s a nice dressy wool pea coat – with a hood, which is important to me in the winter to keep Abby warm. This is perfect for church or holiday parties. And – it’s only $17 bucks!
Sugah & Honey: This cute dress will work perfectly into fall with a long sleeve tee and leggings underneath. And again, it’s a totally sweet deal – another dress for only $3.99! You can’t even buy a value meal at McDonalds for $3.99 these day, know what I mean? Love it.

BAM!! You just got hit with a page full of amazing deals, ladies. I love kids clothes that are good quality, and have more of a high-end look, but at affordable prices for a real mom’s budget. So – my whole order, 2 coats, hat and scarf set, 3 dresses, and an adorable layering sweater – Less than $60. That’s like $8 bucks per piece. And – they have $5 flat rate shipping, every day, on everything.

Another bonus…. Share Cookies Kids with your friends, and get $10 credit for each friend who shops!

Ok ladies – You know it’s true… When you find an amazingly good deal, you love to share it with your girl friends, right? So why not earn a little credit for being such a super shopper? If you’re skilled at finding those sweet savings, you’re friends will love you for sharing, and you’ll love shopping for free with your credits. Total win-win. You can also earn rewards similar to this at Zulily {$20 credit}, Totsy {$10 credit}, Moolala {earn a percent of all shares}, Plum District {$5 credit} and Labor Day coupon code}, Sharing Spree {$10 credit} – and tons more. Just grab the link they’ll give you, and email your best girlfriends and family, or share it right to Facebook to tell ’em what you’ve found. Easy peasy, and filled with awesome for everyone involved!

I’m inviting you to Treats, a rewards program from CookiesKids.com. Since I am Treating you, if you buy, we both automatically get $10 to spend at CookiesKids.com. Even better – join their newsletter for a chance to win an iPad!

Friends don’t let friends pay full price…

The Secret to Getting Kids Clothes Cheap or even Free – sunshineandsippycups.com/2012/09/the-se… Real cute gear for a real mom budget.

— SunandSipCups (@SunandSipCups) September 2, 2012

{This is not a sponsored post – I had an amazing shopping haul this morning, and wanted to share my tips with you ladies. We’re all on a budget, and can all use a little help, right? Post may include affiliate links. Graphic is my own creation from Cookies Kids product photos. Thanks for reading – You all rock.}

Posted by Meagan Paullin on September 2, 2012 Filed Under: Shopping, Deals and Coupon Codes | 9 Comments

Hip Fashion for the Mini Style Star

Keepin it fresh, hip, fun

The kids in my house are all such little rock stars. My brother is a guitar player in a metal band, so my nephews love to play their toy guitars and dance around like crazy to rock music. My little girl developed her love of groovin’ really early on too – she’s 18 months old, and one of her most-used words is “Dance?? Dance!!” when she hears a song on the radio that she likes. {Speaking of dancing, have you entered the big dance party contest yet? Super awesome.} And she is just the funniest little diva already, always stealing my shoes and accessories to dress up. Our house is a wild and crazy place – but it’s always a good time.

Little Trendstar – Hip Fashion for the Mini Style Star

When my favorite Celebrity Baby Trend Expert – Rachel Florio, told me about the awesome new fashions at Little Trendstar, I knew that these would be the perfect fit for us! They sent me over the adorably rockin’ Edie short sleeve tee for Abby, and I love it. It’s so funny – When I opened up the package, {which is equally awesome, packaged up in funky red tissue paper with stars, totally cool} – my first thought when I saw this tee was that it reminded me of Gwen Stefani. She has always been one of style-idols. How funny is it that when I’m browsing the other designs on LittleTrendstar.com – I see that Gwen Stefani shops for her little guy’s fashions here too. Love it.

Life is a Stage

How cute is my little rock star in her new tee from Little Trendstar, right? She cracks me up – I had a little background all set up, with some fun props – but she was not having it. She took off running around the kitchen, dancing to the Beastie Boys, goofin’ around. But this picture that I caught on accident is so fun, and makes me smile every time. This was taken a couple weeks ago – She’s now worn this several times, and I’m really pleased to see that it washes up great. Some kids tees tend to fade or shrink, but this perfect. {FYI: This shirt ran perfectly true to size, no need to order up or down.}

Each t-shirt and onesie is printed with non-toxic, water-based inks that contain no phthalates or PVC! They are also 100% cotton, Made in the USA and sweatshop free!

Follow them on Facebook and Twitter to stay updated on their latest products and promotions – and shop online at www.LittleTrendstar.com today!

{Disclaimer: The totally awesome Rachel Florio PR connected me with Little Trendstar, and provided me with a complimentary tee to check out and share with you. All opinions are 100% my own, no other compensation was given.}