grey boy is popping up!

this week only (thursday nov 17 - saturday nov 19) grey boy has a pop up shop at 

[a little photo studio] located at 2868 n lincoln ave. 

 

(photo: instagram @lilphotostudio)

our newest item available exclusively at the pop up shop;
holiday ornaments (plus train, garbage truck, & rat)

and you can find our city transit plush now available at [half pint shop] - located at 3756 n ashland ave

half pint shop is a part of [gift chicago] - during the weekend of December 3rd-4th, 2016 come celebrate the independent shops and makers in our wonderful city.

"Founded in 2014 by local mom Macaire Douglas, the shop focuses on supporting other parent-owned businesses that produce high-quality slow fashion that last through everyday wear"

this modern children's boutique is filled with some of my favorite brands. 

i'm honored to be on the shelves along side of them

diy / growth chart ruler

since there is another growing baby on the way, i thought it would be fun to make a growth chart to compare the boys height and keep track of the growth spurts. this project was very affordable, and didn't take too much time to make, other than waiting for the stain and sealant to dry.

materials:

- pine wood (6'l  x 1'w x 1"d)

- stain - many different options, i chose 'golden oak' & a paintbrush or rag

- polycrylic protective finish (comes in spray or can) 

- ruler, measuring tape or right angle ruler

- sandpaper, fine or medium. (i used 150 grit)

- pencil & pen

- paint pen (or acrylic paint and paint brush)

- print out numbers 1-6; 200pt (bookman old style is the font i used) 

1. sand your piece of wood for any splinters, and smooth the edges. 

2. stain the wood, paint a thin layer, let dry for an hour and add a second coat if needed. wait a few more hours before handling. you want to make sure its dry. 

3. i started my ruler at 6 inches (so when i hang it, it will be 6 inches off the floor.) my ruler is 6 inches - 6 feet 6 inches. mark your ruler lines with pencil first then use the paint marker. it helps for me visually to look at another ruler. but you want your lines to be 2 inches long for your half foot and foot marks, 1.5 inches for quarter marks, and 1 inch for the rest of the marks. 

4. your numbers will go before the foot line marker. not under or after it. to make your number as perfect as possible, take your print out, and scribble the back of the number in pencil. flip it over, put it in position, and use a pen to draw on top the outline of your number. the pencil will act as a transfer. color in your number carefully with your paint pen. 

5. seal this baby up. take your polycrylic protective finish and give it a good spray. let it dry for a few hours (at least one hour). if you use a spray can, sometimes the finish can be a little scratchy once dry. take a rag and pretend it's sandpaper, give it a good scrub and this will smooth it out. 

6. i bought some extreme mounting tape. its double sided and will hold 20lbs (this might be 5lbs) i put a strip on the top and bottom. measured 6 inches off the ground and stuck it to the wall. this will give it a clean look and keep it flat against the wall. other hanging solutions include screwing it in, or using a saw tooth hanger. 

small shopper / mother's day shopping

(wicker park / bucktown, chicago)
shop small saturady: next week is mother's day!
 whether she's a brand new mama, mom-to-be, mother of one, two, or three,
 or even a grandmother; celebrate all the moms you know. 
this week's post features three unique stores. home, women's fashion, baby

[virtu]

a curious collection of fine craft

2034 n damen ave, chicago

i truly love shopping here. owned by a quirky, fun mama, who supports shop small saturday with so much enthusiasm. she is a community leader in the buck town neighborhood and will make you feel at home in her store.
her collection of fine craft is really eclectic. to name a few; humorous cards, insect ceramics, handmade engagement rings (cough, nick, cough)..
gifts for young moms and gifts for grandmas.

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

clean living / amber teething necklace

have you heard all the hype on these necklaces? 

they come in lots of colors. we chose the cherry color.

i love that its a natural way of fixing a really painful problem. and i can say i stand behind the amber 100%. we took lincoln's necklace off for one night and he was up all night yelling. whatever its doing.. its helping! and it also looks super cute.

heres the 411: 

amber is not a “stone” but a natural resin. so as it warms with the body’s natural temperature, amber releases its healing oils (these oils contain succinic acid) which are easily absorbed into the skin and then into the bloodstream. baltic amber has some of the highest concentrations of succinic acid found in nature, and this is what makes it so special. succinic acid is a natural component of plant and animal tissues, and it's presence in the human body is beneficial in many ways.

amber is also known to reduce inflammation of the throat, ear and stomach and to fight irritation, infections and respiratory disease as it dramatically improves the body’s immunity. natural amber beaded necklaces are a completely non-invasive remedy for side effects associated with teething, such as lack of appetite, upset tummies, ear ache, fevers and colds. baltic amber is also a natural analgesic that will calm your child and is recognized by allopathic medicine specialists as antispasmodic and anti-fever. many adults report improvement of arthritis discomfort in their hands when wearing amber on the wrists.

what it really comes down to is... happy baby, happy mama. :) 

you can find them here in all colors: [sweet bottoms baby]

brothers / 2 [polar vortex edition]

it's been a rough first winter for this guy and Prince doesn't want to leave the house. never ending below freezing.. even below zero temperatures. and even though i cannot wait for some warmth and sunshine so we can play outside.. i can't complain about extra snuggle time.