small shopper / mermapillar organics

Meet Alice and her son Felix behind Mermapillar Organics. 

This mama makes these lovely critters by hand in her home in Minneapolis, MN.

"I used to draw animals on the bills of regular customers I had when I was serving at a Minneapolis diner/bar in my mid 20's. Some of the customers would build up quite the collection! I liked to draw animals that were always a bit nervous, because for whatever reason I just think it's funnier and a little quirkier. Over time this turned into a business that included baby clothes, but now just the pillows (and soon art prints!)

The name came from one of my best friends who likes to give me a hard time, in a loving way of course, about my non anatomically correct creatures. I had drawn a "shrimp" at the restaurant that day, and when she saw it later she said it looked more like a Mermapillar - a caterpillar with a mermaid tail. The word stuck in my head, and I decided to use it since it seemed to fit with the quirkiness of the critters.

It's good for me to have a creative outlet while mainly staying home with Felix. I love to see how he reacts to the things I make or put in his room. It's probably the most satisfying part of it, when he smiles and laughs and wants to play with the pillows. Other than juggling when I have time to sew or design, which is a lot less now, he's my biggest inspiration. It's great to see what animals and books he gravitates to (right now dogs) and it's nice having a little sidekick to take to the post office!" 

These plush animals make a great gift for a nursery or new baby. They are playful with bright colors. Her materials are organic cotton, soy based inks, and non allergenic polyfil. 

enter promo code GREYBOY10 for a special 10% off discount

[mermapillar organics shop]

you can also find them on instagram @mermapillar

these art prints will be coming soon to the etsy shop

you know the french bulldog is obviously our favorite. lincoln thinks he looks just like prince. 

can't wait to meet our mermapillar pup, he will look super cute in lincoln's room.

what i love most about these plush, is that they have a back side too!

please shop small.

when giving or buying for yourself, its always smart to shop small and support creatives. this section of the blog "small shopper" was created to promote shops & companies run independently by: artists, makers, designers, builders, mothers, fathers & families because they are extremely important. 

"staycation" beach trip with oxo tot

end of summer feels like it's flying by. we wanted to take advantage of this heat and decided to spend the weekend relaxing at the beach (lake michigan). 

prince and lincoln chased each other for hours.

happiest boys in the sand, water, and sun.

after running up and down the beach, we took a potty & snack break.

thanks to oxo tot, potty training at the beach, away from home, is a piece of cake. they sent us this [2-in-1 go potty] which can be used on a regular potty seat, or stand alone with a plastic bag. the legs of the potty fold up and out to make it multifunctional. lincoln loved going potty outside (naturally). no accidents on this beach trip. 

the [on-the-go wipes dispenser] clips onto your bag for easy access, in times of need. 

and of course snacks are always a plus. he loves the [flippy snack cup] to keep his snacks contained and its spill proof. this [roll up bib & spoon set] is easy to throw in your bag, for messier treats.

picnicking with [oxo tot] was a treat!

and i can relax, knowing i wont get peed on in the [hammock] :) 

lincoln's beach gear: sun shirt from [hanna andersson] & 

his swim trunks from [american apparel]

cribs / sharing a room with baby

making room for another person in your family can be super exciting.. but living in the city has its limitations on space. we are lucky enough to have a three bedroom apartment. but unlucky in the sense that our family is far far away. so it is important to us to keep a comfortable space for our out of town family.

it will be easier, since we will have two boys, to have them share a room down the road. but for now, probably for the first year until they are both sleeping better, we moved some furniture around in our room and we are creating a little corner for our baby boy #2. we are going to keep it simple since our bedroom is tiny. (so tiny, we only have one night stand) but down the road if we live here or a different house, the boys will help us design an awesome room to co-habitat together. check out lincoln's room [here], although we have updated it again, with a big boy toddler bed. new post coming soon...

currently we share our room with the dog, and lincoln usually around 2am he comes wandering in for snuggles. so welcoming another small body isn't going to make much a difference in this little room.

brothers / 8

visiting the grandparents in Cleveland and both boys are enjoying the grassy yard. 

this section of the blog was designed to see the relationship between a dog and a boy grow, but it will be really exciting to soon see a dog and two boys grow. and the relationship between two human boys. 

prince wanted nothing to do with linc when he was little. he was very jealous of us paying so much attention to this newborn. his jealousy showed because he would avoid lincoln most of the time. I have a feeling linc will feel the same for this new baby. but seeing prince and linc now gives me an idea of how a relationship blooms. and how two "humans" (prince is basically a human) can love each other more and more over time. prince is always by lincolns side. even if he knows he will be jumped on, ears pulled, or tortchered. he knows linc is his baby too. and he also knows linc loves to share his food.. let's face it.. you can't choose your sibling, but when you realize there is someone to play with everyday you start to enjoy their company. 

brothers / 7

its been a busy week, trying to catch up on everything.. and catch these two.

hope you are all having a happy friday!

brothers / 6

lincoln is so in love with prince. he now says "oggie" and every morning when he wakes up he looks for prince. he give him tons and tons of kisses. its a pretty amazing bond forming. prince has become a lot more patient with lincoln. before he would walk away if lincoln was annoying him. but now when lincoln pokes him in the eye or pulls his lips he just lays there and takes it happily. i cannot wait  / am hoping for prince and lincoln to sleep together at night. not only will it be the cutest thing ever.. both will be out of our bed :) i feel lucky that my son is being raised alongside such a loving oggie. 

monday munchies / mommy & baby juicing

green goodness

ingredients:

kale bunch (any type of kale)

two apples (any apples are yummy, i like the green ones because they are a little sweeter)

lime squeeze (optional)

1. wash your fruit! i've mentioned before i love [earth friendly products - fruit and veggie wash] i spray a few sprays and rinse them off really good. 2. cut up your apples.. if you have a really nice strong blender / juicer you won't need to do this. 3. squeeze some lime in your cup. 4. juice away.. my trick for my juicer is: kale handful, then a few apple slices, then some more kale, apples etc.. so that my kale doesn't get stuck or clogged. 

side note: kale can be a little strong for babies, my suggestion would be to add 1/2 water 1/2 juice. and also expect black poops. thats normal :) 

lincoln loves this juice. and loves climbing up and grabbing a stick of kale from me. prince loves taking the kale away from lincoln. kale party on the floor apparently. 

brothers / 5

these photos are a bit misleading... we've actually been really busy! 

i guess that doesn't apply much to linc and prince.. they still get their naps in. 

starting memorial day weekend off right

this morning, we tried to beat the memorial day crowds and head to the beach. even though it was a little chilly out, it was such a beautiful day. we were at montrose / wilson dog beach.

lucky and happy dog.

stay tuned tomorrow for another giveaway!

brothers / 4

in rain or shine...

these two are such goof balls. lincoln wants whatever prince is eating. 

and prince wants whatever lincoln is eating. 

top two photos are the boys watching the rain. bottom two are at the park when the sun came out.

brothers / 3

prince is still unsure how to handle lincoln. he's gentle but sort of uninterested at this point. except if lincoln's eating then he's right by his side... typical. they learned how to share toys; i.e. lincoln teething on princes gross chew toys and prince eating the stuffing out of lincoln's plush... they're getting there haha

brothers / 1

although at first Prince was very jealous of Lincoln, they have become buddies over time.