Androgyny

Here's one of the pieces I've been working on for Little Bean and Sweet William. Devon obviously felt very "street tuff" in these (or maybe it was the slicked back hair) So this was the first pose she pulled as soon as she saw the camera...

I actually like these much more in the knit (first version was for warmer weather, and in linen) I feel like this fabric is much better suited for this "harem" style. Better drape, and super comfy:)

If Devon had been a boy, her name was going to be Devon Sebastian Payne. I've always leaned toward names that work for both boys and girls...same goes for clothing. A lot of the bottoms that I've designed for Devon Rose are unisex, but the label is not. I mean, who wants to buy pants for their little boy that has the word "Rose" on the label? So for these updated knit versions of our Sportsters, I got new labels that simply say "Devon".

Calendar Girls

Just had to share these beautiful photos , which I turned into great, little labeled Polaroids... Thanks, Heather for introducing me to Rollip!

I've always been a jacket person and new design team, Nonoo Lyons is brilliant. Beautiful pieces, interesting details, and inspirational photo shoots.

Pretty dresses for pretty girls

Here's another version of the square neck, a rework from last years Festive floral dress. I've been waiting for the perfect piece to put this adorable wooden, apple button on. It's mainly because of that button that I decided to call it the Green Apples Dress. I guess you could call the print "apple shapes" but upon closer inspection, they look more like little sea shells.

Here's a happy coincidence, I posted the tunic (that I made Devon out of this same vintage remnant) just yesterday. Last night (while cruising around facebook) I stumbled upon this picture that one of my clients posted of her beautiful daughter in our Floral Burst Babydoll! The only other piece that exists in this lovely print...and she is a doll!

Playdate

Heather and I have been planning on getting our girls together for awhile. First, we found each others blogs. Then we discovered that our girls are only months apart, and that we actually lived only minutes away from each other (I'm constantly amazed by this small world) So this morning, I put Devon in her new vintage, fabric tunic (that I made her yesterday) I was going to list it on Etsy, but I decided that Devon needed to keep this one. It was the last bit of that fabric, and I'm just in love with that print on her. She was totally happy with her vanilla bean Frappuccino, until she dropped it and lost all of her whip cream. Maybe that was the initial cause of her impending meltdowns?

Pippi is a doll! She showed up in that adorable dress, holding necklaces for Devon. Look at those little gold flats and that pout, too cute for words!

This was the only shot that I managed to get of the two of them playing together. Sorry to say that Devon had several meltdowns, but I totally blame myself. It really made me realise that I absolutely need to get her out of the house more (and around other children as much as possible). Hopefully, Pippi will want to play again soon:)

sew, buy fabric, sew some more...

I'm so sorry that our children's Etsy boutique is getting neglected. I just have to find that balance in doing wholesale (which I've done in the past for my women's line, Brick... however, I had a full time seamstress working with me) now I do it all myself. I have 69 pieces that I need to cut, sew, and ship by October 17th. Sew, sew, sew!!! Here's a little dress that I just finished, and will only be available at Sweet William in Brooklyn and at Little Bean in Dallas. The cute Japanese imported, linen print had little geese, lambs, cows, and a dog...so each dress was different. I wanted to shoot it on Devon, but I'll need to do that later (since she was not up to getting pictures taken at that time) and I needed to get those babies shipped out.

...poor Devon and Isaac, I'm always draggin them around to shop after shop of endless fabric.....

Isn't Etsy Grand?

I was pleasantly surprised this morning, when I checked my Paypal and found out that I had received the biggest sale (to date on Etsy) last night! Believe me, it could'nt have happened at a better time. So in celebration, I decided to return some Etsy love out into the universe and get this adorable sweater from Baby Hank for Devon. Really, how could I resist?

Pretty Military

Isn't she the cutest in her little military jacket and moccasins? I've been dying to do one for Devon out of this soft rib knit that I found, and trim it with a cotton crochet lace. I still remember my very first military jacket I got in 8th grade. I found it at Banana Republic, but it was back in the day when Banana Republic was all about safari gear, remember those days?

Adventures with Mike and Kitty Cat

Well, I'm back from my Virgina/New York trip with my brother and Kitty. It was a trip much needed (and the only way that I can think to describe it) so full of emotion. I feel like I really got to make a connection with those two (my brother can be very mysterious) and I hadn't really had the opportunity to spend too much time with Cat before....she's a Virgo like Devon. As a matter of fact, I was reading about Virgo just the other day. One line in particular caught my eye "They are still waters that run deep" I've always been so happy about the fact that Devon turned out to be two weeks late and a Virgo :)

I spent the first night in Virgina, before we drove into Manhattan for Mike's show. It was the first time that I had the pleasure to hang out with Wuggy, since she was (the CUTEST) little pup. She's actually the daughter of my dog, Bik Wu. They couldn't be more different, however. Wuggy is delicate, does not bark (only grunting!) and is extremely soft and clean. Bik Wu is a total bruiser, with a course/thick coat of hair, barks ALOT, and (even when I do give him a bath) never stays clean.

Here's me and my brother in front of his piece which is on display for "Spectrum" at the Museum of American Illustration at the Society of Illustrators. Featuring the best contemporary "fantastic" art from renowned fantasy, science fiction, horror, and surreal artists from around the world. You can read more about the show here. I can only imagine what it must be like for him to have his piece hanging alongside some of the very same artists that he was inspired by as a child! He'll probably think I'm the biggest cheese ball for writing this,

but I'm so proud of him :)

Of course when the free bar stopped flowin' I had to make my way upstairs to the actual bar, where I found this awesome little sketch book on display. It was full of moody little doodles, awash with the most beautiful watercolor back grounds. I loved the whole "street fashion" vibe, very seventies. It's sort of how I would envision my new portfolio to be (if I ever redid my again) Full of scribbley line drawings of tough/sexy street fashion and amazing, vivid color schemes.

I got to hook up with a dear old friend of mine, Taylor. Once upon a time, he was my intern in San Francisco. He's been living in NY for the past three years and LOVES it. He's the sweetest guy (another Leo) so intense about fashion, fighting, and Asian women.My brother was very hard to photograph throughout the entire trip. He just hates having his picture taken. This one was one of my favs, inside our room in Times Square....I ran around snapping a bunch of city shots for Isaac (he's never been to NYC) but it was really hard to get a pic that totally captured the true enormity that is Manhattan...

...a shot from our window on the 43rd floor...On Saturday, I spent the entire day running all over Brooklyn, trying to locate the shop that I sell to, Sweet William. It's actually in Williamsburg, but I got sent (by the hotel concierge) to Coney Island! Which I think is the farthest the F line can actually travel. YAY! I never made it there that day, but it all worked out in the end since Mike drove me there on Sunday (thanks , Mike!) I'm so glad he did too. It's always nice to be able to meet the person that your doing business with face to face. I got to see the boutique, how it's merchandised, how my things (in particular) were being merchandised, and how they "hang" with other brands. I got to check out the location, what else was around there, what the people looked like that were walking around the area. All very important, and I was so pleased with everything.

...back in Virgina, for Kitty Cat's birthday. I just had to snap a shot of the salad bar. OMG! It was food heaven! Sushi, prosciutto, every kind of cheese, and waiters that walked around with huge skewers of every kind of meat known to man. A perfect ending to the perfect trip. Thanks Mike and Kitty Cat! We miss you ...

Life's a ball

YAY! I'm leaving for NY tomorrow morning, to hang out with my brother and his kitty! I won't be posting for a bit, but I'm sure I'll have lots of pics to share when I return. Until then, I leave you with this insanely happy Devon pic (trying out her new jumbo ball)...I'll miss both of my babies so much!

Happy Trails

Devon's first nature walk, at the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park! She mostly rode on Isaac's shoulders since the trails were pretty steep in most places (and she tended to want to wander over into every rocky area, looking for little caves to play in) It reminded me of how Isaac and I used to take walks together (with the doggies) every morning. Living in Dallas was never really conducive to our exercise routine...too hot and since we lived in a totally industrial area, no place to walk. We decided to make this a weekly habit, and why not? There's tons of nature walks to be had everywhere you look. Laguna Niguel is beautiful! This park is 5 minutes away from our house and has amazing views. The doggies can't come with, but I found another trail that's literally a block away just for them (doggie bag dispenser and trash can sit neatly at the trails entrance)

Super Stripes

Here's our newest piece, the Candy Striped Henley paired with our updated Bulls Eye Knickers. The jeans will only be available at Sweet William, but I'll be making a couple different versions of Candy Striped leggings to go with :)

Proud Moment

... hitting her first note on the recorder...

Fall pieces

I LOVE this piece on Devon (still way too hot for wearing it now) but its' a great "Fall into Winter" item. I got a lot of positive feedback from this particular silhouette (several people asking if I would sell the pattern) But, I've never actually done that before. Maybe because I still hand draft all my patterns (and honestly, I'm not very neat about it) Anyways, I'm also doing this silhouette in the beautiful vintage, floral print that I used for the Floral Burst Babydoll. It's the very last piece of that remnant.

We had a great fabric sourcing trip to LA on Tuesday. I found (among other things) some cute, teeny-striped, red/white knit (so "Candy Striped Skinnys" and a new henley are on their way)

For Sweet William, I'm currently doing a reworked version of our Bulls Eye Knickers, full lenght (in dark denim) I so loved that "target" bum on Devon. It made me a little teary eyed when I pulled out this sample, it looked absolutely doll-sized! Devon, stop growing so fast! I threw a new pair for her into the production schedule. Seriously, she has so many more pieces than I do.