*Image above via JamJar Flowers. (Wow!)
My Latest Snags: Final Easter Buys.
Despite writing about Easter and sharing Easter finds for weeks, I somehow dragged my feet on various elements for our own celebration, which is out of character as I am not only a plan-ahead type person, but I find particular joy and purpose in going all out for Easter, which is the highest of holidays in the Catholic Church. I even changed my mind on my Easter outfit and my daughter’s, too — originally I planned to wear this Hannah Artwear, with micro in a seersucker suit and mini in this La Coqueta, but I am instead wearing this En Saison and mini will wear this petal-color Sophie + Lucas. (Micro will stay in his blue seersucker — very coordinated!). The pivot was inspired by my chic friend Lauren Neff, who wore the dress here. Isn’t she spectacular?!
Meanwhile, our tablescape will center around this paper set and a bunch of boxwoods down the center of the table, which I thought was chic but also practical for the children.
Last but not least, I rounded out my children’s Easter baskets this past week, settling on egg chalk, pastel markers, bunny ears, this book for micro, and this Tonies for mini. We are now ready!
You’re Soooo Popular: Spring Finds.
The most popular items on Magpie this week:
GOLD ANKLE WRAP LEATHER SANDAL
MULTICOLOR PATTERNED LINEN TUNIC WITH WHITE ACCENT
BRAIDED BLACK LEATHER FLAT SANDAL
TWO-PIECE WHITE SWIMSUIT WITH ASYMMETRICAL PUFFY TRIM AND TIE BACK
FRESH GRAPEFRUIT BODY LOTION
THREE-PIECE TOWEL SET WITH CONTRAST SCALLOPED EDGE
GUERLAIN TERRACOTTA BRONZER — GIVES A GORGEOUS SUNKISSED GLOW
LIGHTWEIGHT AND COLORFUL SLIP-ON SHOES FOR THE LITTLES
DOUBLE-SIDED COZY BLANKET IN A BLOCK PRINTED BLUE FLORAL PATTERN
BLUE PINSTRIPE PUDDLE JUMPER COVER WITH EMBROIDERED MONOGRAM
STRAW BASKET WITH CONTRASTING ORANGE LEATHER HANDLES
GIRLS’ PINK SHIRT WITH EYELET FLUTTER SLEEVE
RUFFLE SLEEVE A-LINE MAXI DRESS
MULTICOLORED ECO-FRIENDLY DRINKING CUP SET
LIGHT BLUE UNISEX CHILDREN’S CROCS
STAPLES RAINBOW COLORED RETRACTABLE PENS
Weekend Musings: To Live Is Startling.
I came across this quote from Emily Dickinson this past week:
“To live is so startling, it leaves but little room for other occupations.”
The quote is dense with interpretability, but I found myself focusing on the notion that life on its own, absent the dramas, heartbreaks, blessings, and windfalls that attend to it, is astonishing. Mary Oliver very much channeled this mindset in her writing, and I am drawn to her perpetual state of wonder. I love, too, the way Elizabeth Gilbert suggests we erase (or use judiciously) words like “horrible,” “boring,” and “annoying,” instead using “interesting.” What a mindset shift! It transfers me from a place of assessment to one of curiosity.
Shopping Break.
+This eyelet Ann Taylor dress is adorable!
+This hot pink scarf is beyond fabulous. A buy-now, wear-forever piece. Wear as a shawl on chilly nights / at weddings or throw on with a white t-shirt and jeans.
+Cute $35 bag — I would wear without the strap as an oversized clutch.
+The cut of this dress does not work on my body but I wish it did — the print and color are absolutely fabulous!
+Pretty H&M blouse. More chic finds from H&M and Target here.
+When I was younger, I swore off khakis — I think I found them too similar to grade school uniforms — but I love this inexpensive pair in the khaki color. Imagine with a great white statement blouse like this or this or the aforementioned H&M tucked in.
+Liberty cocktail napkins!
+This $25 rug serves up major Serena and Lily vibes.
+This nap-dress-like confection comes in some fun prints.
+OO I love this La Ligne.
+Mr. Magpie and I made a recent pact about goody bags after accruing so many little trinkets and toys from birthday parties that we eventually throw away. They are always SO fun for the children (and so I hesitated) but we hate the sense of waste. Instead, I think we will give out art supplies (Ooly is our favorite — I might give each child a few crayons and a little drawing notebooks like this), books, or little Lego sets like these. Are we being weird? Ha!
+These slightly boxy sweatshirts from Les Gamins have been my favorite for micro. They come in such good colors and I like their slightly retro feel and lack of emblem/design on the front. I like to layer them over Lacoste polos and pair with skinny fit jeans and Vejas. Adorable.
+More darling spring outfit inspo for little ones here and here.
+If you are into Larroude’s trendy platforms but not the price tag, consider these! If you need help with styling, check out Born on Fifth. These are SO her vibe, and she rocks the style with aplomb.
+I am absolutely in love with this beautiful embroidered clutch. About half of my summer dresses are blue so I think it would be a perfect wardrobe fit.
+ADORE the colors of this striped dress.
+Rattan sconces!
+Brand I’m lusting after: Alix of Bohemia. Everything!
+Also into these platform Manebis in both raffia and beachy stripes. SO fun and helpful for those of us shorties 🙂
I eliminated the word “busy” from my vocabulary two years ago. I will not, absolutely will not, say “I’m busy.” when asked how I am or how my work is. I find it goes without saying everyone is “busy”, whether with work, children, their aging parents, etc. Far better to spend a second and come up with an “interesting” response. It’s not the same as Elizabeth Gilbert’s proposal, but it has helped me shift my personal perspective. Busy just feels like a sad response when you could be so many other things!
Oo, thanks for sharing this. This is going to stick with me. I feel like I respond to: “What have you been up to?” with “Oh, busy busy” way too much. Thank you for the nudge!
xx
I don’t mind any kind of goodie bags, I just love that my kids are attending birthday parties again! We’ve been giving goodie bags with a $5 paint set from Target, which can be handled in one quick Target order and are packaged neatly enough to be handed out without a bag. Love them!
Such a clever goody bag gift! I love gifts that encourage art. Thanks for the tip!
And I agree with you — so happy to have my children playing with their friends and attending parties again!
xx
Throwing my son’s first birthday party (!!!) in May 🙂 it is my first child’s birthday party (my other son will turn 3 in November but has yet to have a party thanks to you know why) and I’ve just decided to give out bubble wands (as found on this very blog) to the kids with cute custom “thank you” tags from Etsy. And then extra custom sugar cookies (we are doing a space theme) that parents and kids can take home with them. I feel like that’s enough? So yes, totally with you on art supplies vs. trinkets. Like bubbles, those are consumable and won’t be around cluttering bins for decades.
Also! I just feel like Elizabeth Gilbert’s commitment to curiosity is such a positive and recurring message in her work. I often try to tap into curiosity instead of judgment.
Hope you and yours have a happy Easter! 🙂
Love the bubbles as a gift. I have yet to meet a toddler who does not love bubbles! Just a forever favorite!
I totally agree with you on Gilbert — LOVE the way she puts curiosity first. This really shone through to me in that essay about her neighbor with tattoos all over herself. I love the way Gilbert viewed it and talked about how she’d rather be the person decorating her life, led by curiosity and artful imagination, than anything else.
xx
Yes to the goodie bag dread! We just had my daughter’s 7th birthday party and we did 24 count boxed of Crayola sidewalk chalk that had their own little carrying handle. Kids and parents loved it and it was perfect for spring. Everyone needs to replace sidewalk chalk!
Hi Kerri! Love this idea, too!! Completely agree on the necessity of sidewalk chalk. This is a gift parents will thank you for!
xx
Oh man, chiming in (as I’m groaning) about the goodie bags!!! I know they’re well-intentioned, but… it’s all too much sometimes. Especially now that my daughter is in preschool, every time there’s a birthday I think, “here we go again with the knick-knacks.” I’ve had to temper my daughter’s excitement about birthday goodie bags because she’s come to expect it now whenever someone has a birthday. I remind her that the birthday is about celebrating that person rather than the goodie bags. She’s only 4, so I don’t think it’s sunk in, haha!
Agree on the $5 gift card to an ice cream shop — I once had a student do that, and I copied the idea as well! My daughter’s birthday is right around Thanksgiving, and last year I found a “Thankful” book from the Little Golden Books series heavily discounted on Amazon plus with something like a “buy 2 get the 3rd one free” promo, and the other parents said it was a thoughtful gift in lieu of the usual goodie bag knick-knacks. I’ve also done the mini sticker books/coloring books from Dover, they’re often $1.99 and occasionally there’s that same Amazon promo (buy 2 get the 3rd one free).
Hi Mia! These are such good ideas. We live by those Dover sticker books in this house! Great for church, restaurants, car rides, etc…
xx
Omg that green straw bag from H&M – I feel like it’s actually neutral enough that it could be a summer go-to?? Off to compare against my summer wardrobe!
Yay! Totally agree!
My mother had two firm rules regarding birthday planning when I was growing up and was otherwise game for whatever celebratory foibles I had in mind. There was to be no party planning discussion until one month before your birthday (I’m 26 and June 8th, one month before my birthday, still feels like a special day, haha) and no goodie bags. Happy to report that I suffered no childhood trauma from these rules and probably saved her a good deal of annoyance. Not weird at all by my estimation, and I think I’ll likely do the same when I have kids.
Katherine — “Happy to report that I suffered no childhood trauma from these rules and probably saved her a good deal of annoyance.” Smart moves by your mother with those 2 rules!
Come to think of it, growing up I don’t recall us doing goodie bags either… is it more a practice in this generation/in the US? (I didn’t grow up here)
I love this! My mom’s rule was that we were only allowed to invite six children to the party. This is so against the norm these days, where entire classrooms are invited, and I do understand the threat of leaving people out, but I also completely understand my mom’s perspective: it can quickly all become “too much”! Also, I was one of five, so we already had a built-in crowd doubling effect.
xx
I feel the same way about goodie bags! My son turns 7 today and instead of trinkets, we’re giving each friend a Masters golf cup that I bought on Poshmark (he loves golf and the Masters is always his birthday weekend) along with a $5 gift card to our local ice cream shop. For my daughter’s next birthday, I’m thinking about little wooden bookmarks from Etsy (they are $5 each) and a gift card to our local bookstore or the personalized Superhero coloring pages you’ve recommended!
Also, how do you like the En Saison dress? We are similar in size and I’m debating if the sleeves will be “too much” for my frame?
The $5 gift card to an ice cream shop is so cute/clever! I love that it sort of automatically tees up a parent-child date, too. So sweet.
I have the dress sitting here in a box – will report back as soon as I try it on (later today).
xx
Hi Erica – Following up to say that the dress fits great! I was also worried the shape (esp the sleeves) might overwhelm but I don’t think so at all. I just posted some Instagram stories sharing myself in the dress! xx