Today I will be showing you all our kids' summer wardrobe. Please keep in mind that we are in Connecticut, and if you know New England you know you must be prepared for ALL kinds of weather in every season. So you will see some short-sleeve and long-sleeve shirts in the mix. Rompers, dresses, shorts and pants. We were careful to pick fabrics that are good for sunny days, but that will still work well through the fall if you add a sweater to the outfit. My goal when building their summer wardrobe was to have pretty much half of it useful for the next season. That way we can save time and money 🙂
We have a few reasons why we shop less, but shop better. I'll be sharing our heart for conscious shopping on this post.
Quality over Quantity
"We need to be truly materialistic, like really care about the materiality of goods. Instead we are in a world where material goods are so important for their symbolic meaning, what they do to position us in the status system. Based on what advertising or marketing says they're about" - I heard this when watching The Minimalist documentary on Netflix. These words stuck to me for a while because they couldn't be more true.
Ever since we lived in China, Dave and I realized we didn't need much to feel like we had plenty. Most of our two years in China were lived through having just enough. Just enough in the kitchen, just enough in the bedroom, just enough in our closets and so forth. I remember at the end of our two years, I donated 90% of everything we had to our friends and left China with a backpack and a few other essential things. I look back and realize not being attached to things made me more attached to life and to the world around me. It made us feel more free, because we literally could've jumped on any airplane and flown to a random country. Nothing would have held us back as far as belonging and debts to care for.
We knew -- when we moved back to the US -- that we wanted to keep that minimalistic style in our lives, but we had realistic expectations considering our church group is so generous and know how to love really well through giving gifts to us and our kids. I think we have learned to strive for the right balance between having too much and having almost nothing. I have learned also, that it's not about the quantity of things you have, it's how you make life more meaningful through being thoughtful with what you purchase.
Switching to a Kid's Capsule Wardrobe
Making the switch to a Capsule Wardrobe has made life much easier for us. We no longer have to ruffle through excess, things like that take up precious time we love spending with our kids. Knowing where things are help us get ready quicker and keep melt-downs to a minimum when it's time to leave the house. Having less clothes -- and clothes that last -- make the laundry process a lot more simple. The one thing I ask myself whenever I'm separating clothes for donation is "Does this sparkle joy"? If the answer is no, it certainly goes to the donation bin. I've been doing that process for a few years and not even once I have regretted giving away our kids' clothes.
I used to think we had to have bins filled with baby clothes in the attic for our future babies. The first bin I've ever filled for that purpose ended up in the attic for a whole year, I knew that it really wasn't necessary to keep used clothes in a container when there are so many people that can be blessed if we simply donate what we aren't using. So what I did was I brought the bin down, and Levi's youngest cousin got a lot of good hand-me-downs, the rest went to GoodWill. Now there's no unnecessary clutter and I know that if we have more kids in the future, we will once again acknowledge the fact we can live with less and be completely content 🙂
Being mindful of what you buy helps you find your true style amidst the noise. I don't know about you, but as an artist I try to find beauty in everything I see and have. When I choose carefully each item that enters our home, it means I'm allowing inspiration to our days and also spreading our own identity as a family through the items that are unique to us. It feels so sweet to look at our closets now and know those are all of our favorite clothes! We've spent a lot less time choosing what to wear and have spent a lot more time focusing on more important things.
Through picking carefully I've also grown to appreciate different types of fabric and enjoyed learning which works best for each season. What I do to save money is usually I buy something for Levi that is neutral and therefore can be passed on to Lara later. If it's neutral it can look boyish or girlish, if the fabric is resistant, that piece of clothing can be washed over and over again and will still look like new. Linen is my favorite fabric because of that very reason: it lasts! AND it doesn't require ironing!
Saving Money in the Process
Another tip for saving money on buying better clothes: I subscribe to all of the shop's websites I love and watch my e-mail for sales. I have saved so much on using coupons or buying sale items at the end of every season. Other than that, there are several BST Facebook groups that you can join and buy used clothing from other moms. I tend to wash our clothes on delicate mode, then we sometimes hang them to dry. Most moms I know do the same process, so if you're buying from these Facebook groups, you will most likely get a piece that looks like new, but with a huge discount! I'll be leaving a link to a few groups I know at the end of this post.
As a blogger I have collaborated with several different brands throughout the years, but I would never spread the love about something I wouldn't have bought myself. Even for blog collaborations I always ask myself first "Do we need this? Would this bless our family?", that helps me not be taken by consumerism. It's easy to fall into the idea that because you are a blogger, you can get everything for "free". But I think it's so important to show that I value each brand I work with and that can only be done if I am dedicating my time on their business with them.
Our Favorite Shops
So today I'm dedicating my time to share about a few favorite shops we really love. These makers are my friends, I have purchased from them, and we also have collaborated together. I've become friends with these ladies and have grown a strong admiration for their businesses. You will find links to their shops at the end of this post.
First, let's see what some of you have said on my Instagram post about Quality over Quantity:
"We love to shop small and ethical because they are always items that we truly cherish and love wearing and can be passed on." (Though.she.be.but.little).
"We live in a small home and focus on experiences over possessions. Minimalism has been so freeing for us" (Sisters in Co).
"I love to support small businesses because I feel like I am supporting a dream and because more care goes into the product. There's a level of trust and transparency there that I don't feel is always present with corporations. And when it comes down to it, the quality is usually better from small businesses because they take pride in what they are making" (Mace_Larson).
"I think the best part is when you support another mom/family, you are helping them provide extra things for their family!" (The Hadnot Life).
Now it's time to see what Levi and Lara's summer wardrobe looks like this year:
//Outfits:
Everything you see here is what they own as far as good clothing. I sometimes shop sales at H&M and Zara, they've got some good deals on kids clothing too. We do have a few pairs of PJ's downstairs that were donations or bought at local thrift shops 🙂
One of the brands featured here is called Paulinka Kids. Recently I found out about Eugenia's brand and fell in love with her style. I asked her to share a few words about her business:
“We (my husband and I) moved to US in 2011. It was difficult time for me, everything was so different and I was missing my family and friends. Then we had our first baby girl. She was so beautiful, like a tiny gnome. I gave her all my attention, but still was trying to figure out my own place in new life. My mom was visiting us once a year and always bringing something special and handmade for her grand kids. And one day she asked me if I want to make some dresses for girls (at this moment we already had two girls :)). Excited by the idea I went to a local fabric store in Berkeley. We made a couple of beautiful dresses, my girls was so cute in them. Then we made a couple more. I was enjoying the process as well as working together with my mom. It brought something new to our relationships, and new hopes and dreams for both of us. One year later I opened ‘Paulinka’. We live far from each other but we love to create something beautiful together. Inspiration comes from many things like kids books, flowers, paintings and illustrations. I usually start with one color and one element of clothes. And then create the collection piece by piece, by adding more colors and details. I like the idea to give kids more colors, something pretty and soft, something that kids can wear from one season to another and feel comfortable.”
//Details:
Lara's lavender dress and Levi brown pants: Ira Loves Mae
Levi's checkered romper and Lara's linen romper: Fin & Vince
Levi's green shirt: Paulinka Kids
Lara's arrow pants and Amber necklace: Snoots in Cahoots
Lara's yellow outfit (Yellow top and linen rompers): The Chaney Nest
Lara's green romper: Zambinhas
Bonnets: Briar Handmade and Beek Made
Lara's shoes: Starry Knight Design
Levi's shoes: Adelisa & Co
Their sandals: The Humble Soles
Levi's striped shirt: Zara
Levi's checkered overalls and white shird: Goods Clothing (My friend Lauren runs this shop and we love every piece she has!)
Remaining pieces: A dress I'd sown her along with some other pieces that were sown by her grandma! We really love handmade in this family haha!
Facebook Groups:
I hope this posts encourages you to learn more about ethical businesses and how helping them also helps us be more mindful of our belongings. It has been a fun journey in our home 🙂
Thank you so much for reading!
xoxo,
Bru
