Let me hear you RAWR

I don't know about you, but over here we are obsessed with Tigers (thank you Daniel Tiger). Add the Bubs obsession with roaring and we have a winning combination with this tee from Wild Hearts Apparel. Wild Hearts Apparel is head up by a sister duo from Colorado. Chloe and Jonna both have boys and they base all their tees off their own designs and illustrations.

This design, "Live Hard, Ride Fast, Forever Young" is fantastic. I love the details and the fact that their dad was into motorcycles in college! Both tees we recieved were printed by hand in Colorado on American Apparel Triblend tees (my favorite, they are so soft and only get softer with each wash).

That smik tho.

I love how they chose the brand name "Wild Hearts Forever" to capture the fantastic calamity, reckless abandon, and lovely innocence that radiates from little ones. I for one can relate to this perfectly with my too Wild Hearts.

When I asked Chloe and Jonna what super power they would love to have they said to apparate like Harry Potter would be awesome!! I couldn't agree more! And just in case you don't know, Apparition is a magical form of teleportation, through which a witch or wizard can disappear ("Disapparate") from one location and reappear ("Apparate") in another.

This boy has an arm. And now a small army of ducks that love him.

Hurry on over to Wild Hearts Apparel and as a bonus, enter PUMPKINANDTHEBUB at checkout to save 20% off through Sunday!

Bunny Love

I love summer, but after all this heat I am so ready for Fall to get here. I love light layers and when the leaves change. This Penny Dress from Ryder & Rhenn is to die for and making me even more excited for the seasons to change! 

The attention to detail is amazing and I am in love with the buttons and front pleats! Pumpkin loves anything animal related and this was no exception as she hopped everywhere since she was obviously a bunny :)

My favorite fall staple are definitely these 3/4 raglans. Perfect for our not all that cool weather (Houston doesn't really start cooling down until mid October unfortunately). 

This "Best Life Ever" raglan will definitely be a fall staple over here. It is so soft, and I love how its just a little warmer, but not hot. I especially love the pop of color with the sun. 

Bub approved, his life is made better every day when treats are involved :)

This brand is also momma driven, and Nic is just darling. I loved getting a little look into her life, and growing up on a farm in Idaho (I raised 2 pigs) love that she has a little farm of her own! I would love to have chickens, though I'm quite certain my husband and city would both disapprove :(. Here is a little more about Ryder & Rhenn:

Why did you decide to start your business?

In one word, Ryder. I have worked in Labor and delivery for over ten years and loved it, couldn't imagine anything more wonderful....and then Ryder was born. After the standard maternity leave, I took on the painful hurdle as a mother of going back to work, leaving baby for the first time, the tearful car ride, and the unrealistic fear that my baby just couldn't survive with me. It was awful! The thing I enjoyed most just couldn't compete with my little baby. I worked full time for a year and even though everyone said that it would, it just never got any easier. I was desperate for a creative outlet that I could "work from home" and build. Now Ryder is my best co-worker! The ladies at our local Post Office get mad at me when I come and don't bring him with, it's pretty spectacular!

 

What inspired your brand name?

Ryder & Rhenn were our baby names when I was pregnant with Ryder! We didn't find out the gender of our little guy so we had one each picked out and I had to use both in the company name.  I guess there is no going back now if we ever are lucky enough to have a little girl!

Any advice or lessoned learned from your experience?

Oh my gosh, you don't have enough time! I've made every mistake in the book and I'm not done yet! I'm just now (barely) getting confidence to just make what I believe in, and not be so worried about if people will like it, hate it, or think I'm crazy. There is so much fear and excitement when I put something new out, it's unreal. There have been many things that I haven't yet gotten the courage to put out just because I'm so worried everyone will hate it. I've also made the mistake of listing way more inventory than my real life can handle and having really long ship times :( That one I'm the least proud of, and am working the most on!

What are some of your goals for the year?

Expanding the brand for sure. You will see an expansion of clothing options and designs and we will be putting extra effort into our Adventure Blankets as well. We have some really great designs on the cusp of coming out for F/W 14' and are already starting some Spring 15'  brainstorming (That's another thing I've learned is this business has you thinking 6 months in advance all the time!). Our biggest goal for this year though is to grow our family, so you might see my baby fever translating into some great tiny baby products!

 

If you could have any superpower what would it be?

Oh goodness is there a super power that allows you to actually get everything done in a day?! My son would love it if I could fly though so let's go with that!

What's something about you that most people don’t know?

I kind of live on a small farm! We have 2 Pig's, 6 chickens, and goats on the way. I grew up as a major city girl in Southern California so this fun farm life is hard for a lot of my oldest friends to believe, when they call me up and we are canning or collecting eggs they just laugh!

I just love these pieces, and I too wish I could have a super power to get everything done in a day! Wouldn't we all :) Also, Nic has offered a special discount, for the next 48 hours use code: PUMPKINLOVE for 15% off of your entire purchase!! Hurry, and grab these and more sweet clothes for your littles (including some pretty sweet mixed tape leggings ... we might need) over at  Ryder & Rhenn now!!

Eat more fruit

Eating has never been an issue for my kids. They love food. Seriously. Have you seen their bellies? This, coupled with the Bub's love of literally all food (he'll even eat broccoli), make this shirt by Hi Star perfect for them both.

And yes, tomatoes are fruit :) parts of plants that disperse seeds are fruit! Hopefully this will convince Pumpkin to eat more zucchini and squash. Tho I'm not holding my breath.

Hi Star, is a fun, educational brand started in Hawaii by two best friends. They have fun designs that serve a dual purpose in teaching. Pumpkin sang the A, B, Cs all day while wearing this tee :) The keyboard is printed upside down so she can read the keyboard!

And this shave ice tank dress is darling and I love how this tank dress teaches the different color families. 

And now a little more about the line.

Why did you decide to start your business?
Our business was developed as a creative outlet for myself as a former elementary school teacher. So I knocked on my brilliant and business savvy best friend’s door and asked her to collaborate. I have a master’s in education and wanted to style our children in clothing that was educational, interactive, and COOL. I have a ten month old daughter and a four year old son. My bestie, Leina, has two boys, four and six.

What inspired your brand name?
Hi Star Clothing,  is inspired by the saying “reach high for the stars,” and we treasures the belief that every child is a star. Hi is not a misspelling (that would be silly for an education brand), rather “Hi” is the abbreviation for our home state of Hawai’i and the birthplace of Hi Star Clothing. Hi, is also a welcome greeting to our little Hi Star explorers, and an invitation to be early learners.

Any advice or lessoned learned from your experience?
Leina and I are both lifelong learners. Nothing is ever finished or perfect. We now have a greater respect for the creative process, when a simple concept develops, grows and morphs with the nurturing of a team...the results can be magical. It gives us a greater appreciation for the contributions of others.

What are some of your goals for the year?
We want to have playgroups with our local HI Star explorers, our first will be launching this September on the island of Oahu. We also want Hi Star to be a forum where parents and children can share fun, cool learning activities and ideas. We love seeing little Hi Star Explorer learning through play in their Hi Star gear, so please email us your pictures and videos so we can feature them on our social media and website.

What is your favorite thing to do, all for you?
All for us, without kids (smile). My favorite thing to do is to beachcomb, looking for treasures on the sea shore. Put on a mask and snorkel, and dive for sea shells (washed up shells, never live ones because I try to be ecologically responsible and some species of cone shells can be deadly). Leina enjoys hiking to explore all the hidden gems and sites of our island. Her favorite hike is Hawaii Loa, a trail that takes you through the belly of the East Side of Oahu and out to a cliff overlooking Kailua.

What's something unique about you that most people don’t know?
I have a major sweet tooth and always need dessert. My bestie, on the other hand, is obsessed with sushi, so we end up at a lot of sushi joints, and our children are starting to become hooked as well.

If that doesn't make you want to relocate to Hawaii I don't know what would. So beautiful. 

Make sure you check out Hi Star, and help educate your kids while keeping them stylish. ADDED BONUS: use the code PUMPKINLOVE for free shipping :)

I will convince him hats are a good idea ... 

Ahoy Amigo!

Have you ever wondered how to greet a Spanish pirate? Ahoy Amigo of course! I recently stumbled upon this new brand and it is awesome. I just love how many small labels there are out there created by moms and dads with love in the wee hours of the night while there littles are sleeping. Ahoy Amigo is no exception, and Stacie, the mama running the show behind the scenes definitely qualifies for super mom status. Based in Kentucky, Stacie has 2 littles of her own and still manages to run her house and pump out awesome products. All of her shirts are designed and printed by her own hands. And can we stop and say something for a minute about the packaging. I mean. Swoon. I love the personal touch of the handwritten note, and my kiddos LOVED the temporary tattoos (always awesome, but even more appropriate with the pirate theme!!).

    

Both tees were very soft, and per the instructions, after washing inside out on cool, the handprinted ink also softened right up and was ready to wear.

  

I love this legend tee, perfectly unisex and such a great saying.

  

Love. Also, they are running a special until Thursday, use code HELLO20 to get 20% off :) and now a little behind the scenes:

What made you decide to start your business?
There was a complete lack of cute tees for my four year old daughter without disney characters on them. I used to buy her boys graphic tees and would get so many compliments on them! Screenprinting was a challenge I set out for myself to attempt and I fell in love with the process!

How did your brand name come about?
My best friend actually helped me name Ahoy Amigo. I was looking for something combining two languages (pirate is SO a language!) to showcase we are all the same on the inside where it matters.

Any advice or lessoned learned from your experience so far?
Challenge yourself. I shy away from people typically, but when you are trying to start a business from the ground up, you have to throw yourself to the wolves so to speak. Don’t compare yourself to others. Especially on social media: I am soooo guilty of this!! It’s tough not to, especially starting out and you see other companies making all kinds of sales and what not, but you have to remember everyone grows at different paces and if you have a great product that you believe in, others will too.

What are some of your goals for the year?
To get the name Ahoy Amigo out! Since I started in late summer my goal is just to gain followers and get the name out there so this time next year everyone from coast to coast will be wearing Ahoy Amigo. I can’t wait for Ahoy Amigo to be in stores around the country and that is definitely a long term goal!

What does an average day look like for you?
I have two littles (4 and 2) so my days are never the same. Typically my hubs leaves for work around 6:30am and either one or both kids will climb into bed with me. We watch disney channel until they are hungry (doesn't take long!). We play play play until lunch and nap time when I finally sneak off to the basement to my craft dungeon er ... craft room, and I try to get as much done in an hour as I can, but most times, it’s spent on the computer. Then we mess the house up some more until daddy comes home when we (I) run around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to clean up! Sometimes I do laundry. And dishes. We have a pool so a lot of days are spent lounging around there but it also gets really muggy in KY and too hot to be outside so we spend a lot of days inside. Then daddy comes home and plays with the kids while I make dinner we try to go on a walk around the neighborhood if it’s not too hot (it’s usually too hot per the hubs haha). Then the kids are off to bed early (bedtime is 730-8 and we are strict) and I am off to the dungeon again to make all the things!! whew.  That was long!!

If you had a theme song what would it be?
“Best day of my life” by American Authors. Mostly because I heart them wayyyy too much for a 28 yr old :) but also because I try to follow this motto. You only get one chance, why blow it doing something you don’t love?

What's something unique about you that most people don’t know?
Ah! You’re killin me smalls!!! These are the hardest questions! I’m an open book, pretty much what you see is what you get, but I can still throw a back handspring to this day, and I don’t work out. ever. And I’ve sadly never seen Grease.  Pop culture has pretty much summed it up for me and I never felt the desire to watch it!!

  

I'm going to say it's safe to say he is a fan of Saturday morning donut dates with daddy.

Pineapple Obsessed

One trend I am in love with right now is pineapples ... printed, stamped, pirate you name it I love it. That being said, there is no question about my feelings for these sweet tees from Moozega. I mean really, so awesome. They are handprinted and so soft, the pineapples are to die for, and the tank is so perfect for my happy little babe!

Moozega is a great brand started in NYC (the city that will always have my heart) inspired by her own son. I love that Jaclyn's brand name was the nickname of her childhood dog!

Just because your brother can wear it also doesn't mean you won't be rocking this amazing unisex tee also little girl!

And now a little more about Moozega :)

What made you decide to start your business?
I always wanted to start my own business. The birth of my son (James) motivated me to actually do it. I want him to see that you can make anything happen.

How did your brand name come about? 
It was the nickname of my childhood dog, Candy. I just made it up one day when I was about 6. As a kid, I would design clothes for fun and the brand name was always Moozega.

Any advice or lessoned learned from your experience?
As the saying goes, just do it. I could obsess over something forever but I've learned to move forward faster. Everything doesn't have to be “perfect”. Also, it doesn't hurt to ask. People usually say yes or they just don’t answer. I think most people are afraid to say no.

What are some of your goals for the year? 
To release more tee designs and another new product or two. I’d also like to go on a vacation and run another ½ marathon.

What does an average day look like for you? 
I like to start the day by going to the gym before my husband & son get up. It’s my stress reliever. I try to follow a schedule but it rarely goes perfectly planned. Something always gives. If I get a lot of work done, my apartment looks like a tornado hit it. I never cross off everything on my to do list. My son is always my first priority. I try to make sure we do something fun together every day.

If you had a theme song what would it be? 
The Sanford & Son theme song. I’m not sure why but it always pops into my head.

What's something unique about you that most people don’t know? 
I love making omelettes but I don’t eat them. I also love to make pizza which I eat too often.


Make sure you check out Moozega and snag a tee or two, ADDED BONUS: use the code mztlaunch25 code for an additional 25% off your purchase until July 16!