kids clothes

A Pop of Color for Country-Chic Style: Joules (Giveaway!)

June 10, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · 57 Comments

Even though I fell in love with big cities from the time I first saw Atlanta (I was 7 at the time), I was born and raised in a small town, surrounded by even smaller towns and lots and lots of farms. My roots are in the country, and that’s also the case for the British clothing company called Joules. It has been around since 1980 (me, too!) and has always held country styles at its heart, while striving to bring a little color and life to them. That’s what has made them so popular and once you take a look at some of their clothes, I think you’ll see that there is so much to love.

Darah and Layah were sent coordinating outfits which I absolutely adore. They aren’t matchy-matchy and they aren’t frilly and uncomfortable. They are simply perfect for a summer day spent romping out in our yard, which is something we do quite a bit of these days !

Layah is wearing the Baby Girls Summer Dress in Ribbon, which comes with matching bloomers. It is made of soft cotton and is so bright and cheery!

Darah absolutely loves her Dungaree Skirt (which I think we here in the states would refer to as a denim overall dress). She loves how the hook and clasp jingles lightly when she walks, and she loves how comfy it is. She asks to wear it frequently. Typically, I’m not really a big fan of denim overalls, finding them to be just a little too country in their overall look. but Joules has brightened these up beautifully and even I can’t resist!

I mentioned earlier about how these outfits coordinate without being too matchy. I just wanted to point out the trim on Darah’s dress so you can see what I’m talking about. The trim of her pockets, as well as the inside of the overall bib are made of the same pattern as Layah’s dress. So cute! Also note the rabbits on the buttons. The rabbit seems to be the symbol for joules clothing, and you can also see an embroidered version on Layah’s outfit. I really love when companies create good design all the ways down to the details like this.

Joules has a fantastic selection of bright and beautiful clothes. I am fortunate enough to own several pieces of children’s clothing from Europe thanks to my sister-in-law who lives there and passes them on, and Darah and Layah always receive compliments for having such different and fun clothes. If you are looking for something just a little bit different to add to your child’s wardrobe, Joules is a perfect fit! The clothes are casual so they are practical, yet they are also bright, fun and designed with an eye for fun little details. Check out what they have to offer in the girls clothing range, and don’t forget to look in their adult clothing section, too!

Win it!: One k Stuff Parents Need reader will win a Baby Grow outfit (up to 18 months) in your choice of style and size!

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my page.

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I received complimentary products for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Maternity Week: Getting a Special Shirt for the Older Sibling(s) (GIVEAWAY!!!)

October 25, 2011 · by Tiffany Merritt · 77 Comments

When we were getting ready to tell my mother-in-law, who visited us in September, that we were expecting, our plan was to have Darah simply come out of her room in a “big sister” shirt. We thought that would be really cute and fun, and totally not hard to do.

So off I went to the store to get one of those shirts. Only….they are IMPOSSIBLE to find in a brick and mortar store. I made the erroneous assumption that they would be a breeze to find. WRONG!!! While someone may have one time or another been lucky and found one in a store, I couldn’t to save my life. Unfortunately, my MIL was due to arrive the next day, so I couldn’t order anything online. Let that be a lesson to all of you who might be looking for “big sister” or “big brother” shirts in the future…order online, and at least a week before you need them!

I am still going to get to use my idea for Darah’s big reveal at her school. Today she’ll be wearing this precious shirt to school as a way to tell her teachers that she is going to be a big sister! Isn’t it cute? I love the design, and Darah LOVES to wear things that have her name on them (it’s a word that she can recognize by sight). This shirt is from a company that I HIGHLY recommend called Pipsqueak Boutique. This company specializes in stylish and personalized birthday gifts for babies and toddlers. Here you will find sibling shirts (look out for a brand new collection of these that will be released in the next few weeks!). They also have an amazing collection of first birthday shirts for your little one’s very first celebration! I know I’ll be coming back here to take a peak when it is time for this tiny one’s first birthday!

The quality of Darah’s big sister shirt from Pipsqueak Boutique is excellent. It is soft and has a fitted look to it. If your child runs a bit large, I would consider sizing up with these shirts, as they do have a slimmer cut to them. We are very pleased with the product, and I would feel confident about shopping with them again. And I love the variety of gifts they offer. I’ve definitely got my eye on their personalized swaddling blankets. Now if only we can decide on boy and girl names! I forgot how hard picking out names is! 🙂

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a personalized shirt for a boy or a girl in your choice of design from Pipsqueak Boutique! Woo hoo!

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Children’s Style with Global Flair: Tea Collection

September 15, 2010 · by Tiffany Merritt · 75 Comments

Yesterday was Darah’s first day at her new school (some would call it day care, but I prefer the term school). She’ll be going twice each week for 5 hour stretches. I’m sad to have her away from me (how quickly I’ve gotten used to being around her all the time!), but I’ll also be able to get a LOT of stuff done while she is away (at least that will be my goal!).

My bff and I were just talking about how September feels much more like the new year than January does. Leslie was telling me how she always thinks of this as a time to have a fresh start and to start anew. I think she’s right about that; with the onset of fall, change is simply in the air!

As we get our little ones back into a groove (be it daycare, preschool, k-12 or a homeschool program), we also turn our attention to their fall wardrobes. Darah is fortunate to be the fourth girl cousin on one side of her family, and as such, she has inherited MANY articles of clothing. They are all amazing, but if you walk into her closet, you will think that a pink tornado ripped through the area (both because it is messy, but also because pink is EVERYWHERE). Darah looks nice in pink, which is good since we have so much of it. But I am very drawn to clothes for her that use other colors. I also love great patterns and textures…just something out of the ordinary.

And today, I want to show you a company that strives to do just that. Meet Tea Collection. Check out what they have to say about themselves, “There is no better name for our brand than Tea. Tea, the drink, is shared in nearly every culture around the world—offering inspiration, warmth and mindfulness. In the same spirit, we offer children’s fashions with the tagline “for little citizens of the world,” celebrating the beauty found in cultures around the world.”

When I saw the girls clothing they offer, I wanted to shout from the rooftop, “Where have you been all this time, Tea???” If I could imagine the perfect fall wardrobe for Darah, so many of the things I would imagine look remarkably similar to the clothes Tea has to offer.

For this fall, Darah has the Nesting Doll Tee, the Eniko Yoke Dress, and the Bootcut Leggings, which go perfectly with the dress and the tee. She has been wearing the dress for about a month now, and is just starting to wear the leggings and the tee. They are so awesome. The cotton feels soft but sturdy, the colors are a delightful break for these over-pinked eyes of mine and the designs are something unique, and definitely with a more urban and global feel, which I just love.
I’m finding that clothes from tea are holding up beautifully, and I’m going to be able to pass them on to the next person in my family who has a girl.

The other thing I especially love about Tea is that their collections draw from the same color palette, making it so easy to mix and match pieces, and therefore, stretch the fall wardrobe a bit further. You can put together pieces on your own, or just purchase one of their sets. Thank you, tea, for making it much easier to put together a collection of pieces that are sure to get used, because they coordinate with other things! I can’t tell you how many times I have bought a cute skirt or pair of pants for Darah and then they never got worn because I had nothing to go with them. Fashion fail on my part!

Other than the awesome clothes I already have from tea, here are my other fall favorites for girls: the Bluson Top, the Rusched Leggings and the Twill Trench Coat (I love this one so much I can hardly stand it!).

Buy it!: Tea collection products are available online for your shopping convenience. They also have a store locator on their site in case you want to see the goods in person, first! They offer sizes 6months-12 years, and if you have a boy, they have boys clothing, too! Woot!

Win it!: My friends, what an awesome giveaway I have for you, today. Tea is offering one Stuff Parents Need reader a $100 gift certificate to their site! EEEEEEE!!!!!!!! The contest will run until September 25th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.
Mandatory entry: Tell us a little about your inspiration when choosing clothes for your kids. Do you have a particular style in mind? Do they have a style all their own? What is it? Anything relevant to the topic will work.

Additional entries:
1. Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need by RSS or email.
2. Subscribe to the Tea newsletter (signup at the bottom right of the linked page)

Be sure to enter my other giveaways, listed on the sidebar of the homepage.

Disclosure: I received complimentary products for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.