the new basics

green / stripe / yellow / black / gray / blue / white / pink / gray / green

Hi y’all! Happy fall! I’m writing all about a new-to-me brand today. Well, actually not that new - I’ve been getting their emails for what seems like forever. But, new to me in that I finally ordered some things. It is just now starting to feel like fall here in Dallas - crisp cool mornings, except that by 4pm it’s back in the 80s. I realized while getting dressed the other day that I was sorely lacking in the long-sleeved shirt area. I tend to have either T-shirts or sweaters and sweatshirts, but little in between. I think I actually only had two long-sleeve (striped, duh) shirts until I ordered some of these. Many of my fall and winter clothes have been tossed in the donate bin over the past two years as I was pregnant and then nursing. It was time for some new additions. I thought about shopping my usuals for basics - h&M, jCrew, Madewell, but I was wanting something different this go around. After I realized that &OtherStories had wonderful basics in quality fabrics at a great mid-range price point I decided to order some. I was VERY happy with the quality. I love how this brand creates classic pieces with just a twist of trend or detail. I’m calling it The New Basics. P.S. Sign up for their emails and you’ll get 10% off! P.P.S. I did a try on on Instastories of these, so be sure to check there to see how they fit in real life. (Reminding myself now to save them to a highlight).

Boxy Tee - This soft crewneck tee may look well, boxy. But trust me when I say it is such a fun updated twist to a class T shirt. I love the longer drapey sleeves that hit just about 3/4 length. Check out my instagram stories to see how I styled it tucked into high-rise straight-leg (“mom”) jeans. Comes in this pretty mint green and white. Also available in a short sleeve style. Runs true to size.

Striped Ribbed Long Sleeve - This is my favorite of my order by far. I love the fitted ribbed style - great for tucking in to high-rise jeans. Add a sneaker and done.. Chic every-day look. Or pair with a skirt and black heeled booties for a date. And duh - stripes!. Runs true to size.

Organic Cotton Long Sleeve - I wish I could explain how very very soft this shirt is. Must be that organic cotton! This has a good weight to it - it reminds me of the sun-washed really soft shirts you get at ski resorts (specific much?) , but with a very classic cut. Comes in light yellow, white, or gray. Runs true to size.

Ribbed Scoop Neck - I tried this on in white in my Insta-stories where you can get a better look at the details. It is thinner fabric with a very faint eyelit and sweet scallop around the scoop neckline. A great basic you can layer under sweaters, vests, and cardigans or wear all on it’s own. I love the black for a casual date night. Available in black, white, and pink. Runs a bit small across the shoulders.

As for sweaters, I have waited to purchase any of these because I need to massively take stock of what I have that (a) I still like and (b) still fits. So all of the below are in my cart - I just have to pick which ones to grab ( but I’m def grabbing that blue one since its only $45!). But based on the fit and quality of the t-shirts I ordered, these look to be timeless pieces I’ll wear season after season.

Wool Turtleneck - Love love love this cross between a funnel style turtleneck and a mock neck. Love the dropped shoulders for a super Cameron Diaz in The Holiday look. Also comes in red which is so pretty for holiday. (And the red is on sale for $45!)

Blue Mock Neck Turtleneck Sweater - The wide mock neck collar on this is SO good. It comes in tons of soft colors which is ideal to wear now and into spring when it’s still freezing, but you’re over all of your burnt orange and darker fall items. Best part is it’s $49! I am def snagging this.

Alpaca Puff Short-Sleeve Sweater - This one is on sale fr $34!! Limited sizes available though. How perfect for holiday looks with a festive skirt or tailored trouser. Love the shorter sleeve length because I always get hot inside in sweaters.

Pink Cable Knit Cardigan - It appears that the granny cardigan is back in a big way. And I. AM. HERE. FOR. IT. Wear it buttoned up as a stand-alone sweater or open over a blouse. This pink color is so sweet, but it also comes in white and black. How special is the woven buttons?! This one is high up on my list (already considering it for Emilia’s birthday in January.)

Bee Button Cardigan - I die over this one. The v-neck plus those metal bee buttons - it’s so cute. Dress it down with sneakers and jeans or pair it with a pencil skirt for holiday. Comes in gray, pink, and black. I am having a VERY hard time deciding between this one and the pink cable knit one. They’re both so good!

Green Ruffle Sweater - How precious is this soft green sweater with the ruffle at the wrist? This is what I mean by basic with a twist; it’s not just a plain old crew neck sweater. The soft knit, ruffle sleeve, and alpaca wool make it special.

Hope y’all found a new brand to consider for your basics. I will certainly be ordering more from them!

little girl fall play clothes

I’ve been slowly stocking up on fall clothes for Emilia over the past few weeks and thought I’d share some of my favorite finds. Most of these are super affordable (I’m talking $15!) and all are perfectly comfortable for running around the playground at school while also looking cute. I’m savoring dressing her in these sweet patterns and colors while I still can before she starts demanding shirts with characters on them. I try to stick to a general color palette for her each season so that accessories like tights, leggings, and bows can all be interchangeable. Here’s what Miss Sis will be sporting this fall…

P.S. I tried to include sizing info so those of you with older girls can see if any of these will work for you too! Most of these go up to at least a size 10!

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1.) Floral & Striped Dress - Loving this darling dress from Amazon for $15! Love these style of dresses because as they grow they can just become tunics and you can pair with leggings and get a little more wear out of them. Comes in sizes 12 months to 10 years!

2.) Sleeveless Daisy Dress - OK so this one doesn’t scream fall to most, unless you live in the south where it is still 80+ degrees until November. This one does run a little small so size up. Love that sweet collar. And you can’t beat that price.

3.) Apple Dress - Apples don’t just have to be for back to school! I love the colors in this long sleeve dress; I think they can wear it all the way through Valentine’s Day. Sizes 18 months to 7 years and less than $15!

4.) Rainbow Stripe Dress - Another one in that great silhouette that can go from dress to tunic. And with all those colors it doesn’t matter which leggings are clean that day.

5.) Ink Blue Leggings - Speaking of leggings, I love this brand from Amazon. They wash and wear so well! This inky blue is such a pretty color and goes with so many dresses in this post and in Emilia’s closet. Sizes from 9m to 16 big kid! And only $16!

6.) White Leggings - You ever try to get white tights on a toddler? Yeah, go for the leggings instead.

7.) Polkadot Sweatsuit - Emilia has this last fall and winter and loved it. She always tries to pick this one out when we get her dresses so I went ahead and ordered her the next size up. Comes in Navy and tan as well and sizes newborn to 4 years. Sold as a set for only $18!

8.) Green Gauze Jumpsuit - Another great option that looks fall, but is actually perfect when you’re still wiping sweat off your brow (ahem stomach) in October. Baby sizes here, newborn to 24 months. Comes with a cute matching headband.

9.) Name Stitch Sweatshirt - I’m dying over these name-stitch sweatshirts. You can have the stitching either go at the collar or on the chest. I ordered navy with white stitching for Sis and gray with navy stitching for Deac. So precious with a pair of striped leggings (no. 12 and 13). I’ve been ordering these for baby gifts a lot lately too.

10.) Squiggle Dress - I adore this brand, Emmie had a pair of jammies in this print when she was a little baby so I, of course, had to get her the dress now. It’s on sale for 30% off - only a few sizes left but several bigger girl sizes!

11.) Short Sleeve Floral Dress - To me, this is the perfect school dress. Super cute, yet super comfy and comes in lots of fun patterns. Add a cardigan for when it starts to get chilly and you’re all set. This brand can take a beating and washes up so well - no fading at all! Sizes 2 years to 12 years.

12.) Rainbow Stripe Leggings - These are so fun and I would have loved them when I was little. Great to pair with a sweatshirt (no. 9) or even a holiday sweater (I have this one for Em!). Again this brand washes and wears so well and they’re only $18! Sizes newborn to 4 years.

13.) Navy Confetti Leggings - Same as above, but a navy stripe with just a touch of fun “confetti” at the bottom. So precious. $18, newborn to 4 years.

14.) Light Blue Stripe Dress - This dress is SO SOFT! It feels like my Lake Pajamas that I love. I honestly wish it came in my size! That pretty powder blue is so pretty for fall with some mauve tights, for holiday with red accents, and in to spring with a light pink bow. Sizes 2 years to 14 years.

15.) Stripe & Floral Dress - I snagged this during the Like To Know It Sale and am so happy I did. It’s just one of those dresses that makes you happy! Emmie loves it too! Comes in yellow and blue colorways as well. Sizes 2 years to 14 years.

16.) Leather T-Strap Sneaker - If you saw on instagram last week, we had our first cool day and I realized that Emilia has WAY overgrown her closed-toed shoes from last year. As in her foot grew two whole sizes! Then I went to Nordstrom and was not thrilled that just about every option had rainbows or glitter on it. What happened to the plain white Keds we wore as kids?! Well, the answer is go to Zappos. Found these darling Keds for her. Love that they’re leather so scuffs can be Magic Erased. And love the T-strap design to wear with socks or tights. (P.S. I bought this $6 foot measuring device and it has helped us so much with ordering kids shoes online)

I hope you’re inspired to snag a few of these easy to wear, affordable, classic little girl looks. Whoever said play clothes had to be not-cute?!

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Father's Day Gift Guide

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It’s time to celebrate the dads! I don’t know if it’s just my husband and dads, but they are so hard to shop for! They don’t want much of anything, but they seem to NEED things (even if they don’t know it). Here are some fail-proof gifts for the dads in your life. I try not to put random things on here, but rather things we have and use or have given as well-received gifts. It’s hard to tell exactly what things are in the collage, so I’ll try to explain to my best ability below. Here’s to the dads who keep us going, make us laugh, and love us well.

(1) Halo Bolt Charger - Have you ever had to jump your car, but don’t have another car to help? Have you ever lost power and need to charge your phone? Have you ever been camping and need to plug in your blow-up bed? Then you need the Halo Bolt! There are so many other uses, but those are the times I’ve used mine in the past. I have jumped my own car multiple times by myself (thanks kids for playing with the lights) with ease. The instructions for how to do it are on the bag so you can’t mess it up! It also has ports for USB and 3 prong outlets. A must have for any dad, well, any person for that matter. One of those things you don’t know you need until you need it.

(2) Carbon Fiber Wallet - Al asked for this last year for Father’s Day. He saw it on an Instagram ad and I thought it was surely going to be crap, but it’s actually really cool! If the dad in your life suffers from George Constanza wallet issues, this will help. Al is able to hold all the stuff his old wallet had before in a much slimmer profile. It’s cool because the credit cards kind of fan out to slide in and out. Bonus points for RFID blocking technology.

(3) Ryobi Cordless Leaf Blower - Ok real talk, I actually got this for Mother’s Day last year. I’m obsessed with keeping our patio leaf-free and it quickly became my favorite outdoor tool. First of all, it’s cordless so no swinging a giant extension cord around your yard. Secondly, it has some POWER. it has a turbo button so if say, a box of kinetic sand got rained on and stuck to your patio, you can turbo it and it peels right off. It’s lightweight enough for me to climb up a ladder with it and blow off my gutters. Even Deacon can use it! The lithium battery lasts a long time. And this particular model comes with the battery and charger so if you buy other Ryobi products in the future you’ll be able to use that same charger and battery.

(4) Cupboard Pro - I was on a wait list for six months to get this after seeing this incredible family on Shark Tank tell the story of their fire-chief dad who helped at 9-11 and mother who passed away of breast cancer. Shortly after getting approved for Shark Tank, their father passed away from 9-11 related illness. (Watch their moving story here). Their dad invented this dual-sided cutting board that has a removable, collapsible tray that fits over the counter to collect food scraps or whatever you just chopped. Not only is their story incredible, but so is this product! If you have a dad who loves to cook, he needs this!

(5) Acrylic Frames - Just about every Father’s Day, I get Al one of these frames with our latest family photo to put in his office. But good news is that I found a nearly identical set that comes with two for even cheaper (and free shipping if you’re Prime). We love these for home and office because the frame almost disappears and the photo is the focal point. You can also make them double sided by putting a photo on each side. I like to get the 5X7 size and float a 4X6 photo in it so there’s a clear border around it.

(6) Practice Putting Green with Ball Return - I got this partly as a joke for Al for Christmas and he loves it. He took it to his office and puts around while on calls. I think it’s also become a social part of the office because if he’s not putting, someone else is in there putting. (Side note: I really hope someday soon we can all go back to offices and socializing with each other over a silly putting green). He said he likes the lines on the green to help him have a “consistent motion” (whatever that means). The hole is sloped a little to be more similar to a real green. Al would also like to note, if you buy this you should also throw in a box of ProV1s.

(7) Airpod Pros - Dad still working from home amid the chaos? Same. He said the only thing he wants this year are the AirPod Pros because they are noise cancelling. Apparently it also makes you sound better on calls too? If you order direct from the apple site you can get free engraving on the case to do his initials (or maybe just do “DAD”). If he doesn’t need the “pro”, I suggest the regular AirPods. The wireless aspect has truly changed my life. I wear mine all the time!

(8) Folding Garment Bag - My MIL gave me a similar version of this a few Christmases ago and it is so cool! It’s like a regular garment bag where you put hanging clothes, but the it has sides and pockets that you can fill and then it all zips up into a regular weekender bag shape! Since most of our travel this year will be by-car this is a much easier and less clunky way to travel than a suitcase. It seriously holds so much! Would even be great for a guy who works out at a gym and then goes straight to work. No more wrinkled clothes! Can you guess what I’m going to say next? Bonus points for monogramming capabilities on that site.

(9) Stacking Grilling Platters - When I explain these to people it always seems silly or unneeded, but trust me when I saw we use these every single time we grill. The trays stack together but you use the red one to carry raw meat to the grill. Then you slide that under the black one so when your meat is finished you place it on the uncontaminated black tray. Keeps the cook from having to run dishes back inside while the meat is going. And makes it clear what raw meat has touched. We just remember red=raw. A great housewarming gift too. UPDATE: The grill trays are sold out on Amazon. Found them here and they’re on sale for 50% off!

(10) Iso-Chill Shorts - Al only wears this brand of shorts for not just golf, but all the time. This is their latest model that has “iso-chill” technology that not only wicks away moisture but feels cold to the touch (which is needed for our 100°+ days here in Texas)! They have 4-way stretch so you can be plenty active in them and are also SPF. While not the cheapest shorts out there, they hold up extremely well. We’ve had some in this style for several years that still look new after washing each week. Shhhh don’t tell him but he’s getting a pair of this new kind this year.

(11) Counterman Body Wash - Another confession, I bought this for myself first. We both use it now, though. It has active charcoal in it which helps detox the skin; great for those little sweat zitty bump things that pop up. But it doesn’t make my skin too dry either. It smells so refreshing and clean. One of those gifts that is both practical and “special”.

I hope some of these are just what a Dad in your life needs right now. Father’s Day is Sunday, June 21st. Better order now because things sell out and who knows whats going on with shipping times as of late.

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