{Small Style} Summertime With Binksy & Bobo

This little lass is having a blast living in the country. We're finally able to spend more time outside, enjoying the gorgeous breeze that we always seem to have up here, and she's been exploring the property daily. The dogs follow her around like she's their little pack leader. 

I love that she's getting dirty and covered in grass and wet from watering all our gardens with the hose. These are the memories we were hoping for by moving away from the city and into a space where play comes much more easily. 

The first thing she does each morning is pop outside to say hi to the barn cats and kittens who have now taken up residence under the porch. Sometimes we have breakfast outside too. Nothing like sipping my first coffee of the day, while watching the birds sing and my little miss chasing kitties. 

Reversible Tie Dress c/o Binksy & Bobo // Sandals via Joe Fresh

I love dressing Gretchen in the summer -- and as each seasons comes and goes she has more to say about what she'd like to wear... or not! 

When the lovely folks at Binksy & Bobo sent over their neat reversible tie dress I showed it to Gretchen, and she immediately decided she wanted to wear it flowers-side-out. 

Don't you love reversible pieces? This dress is fantastic for travelling (two-outfits-in-one, baby) and is plenty durable. 

Here's a peek at G, helping me feed out neighbours chickens, while wearing the reverse side of her new smock.

Super cute, and a completely different look. I could see the first pattern for play and romping through the yard, and the second (with some cute shoes) for a dressier occasion -- a family reunion, birthday party, summer wedding, you name it.

This dress is also a convertible piece, which means it's going to fit your kiddo way longer than most items. My least favourite part about children's clothing is that it's rare to get more than ONE season out of them. (A sign I should have another baby, right?) The tie-up shoulders and simple fit makes it easy to morph this piece from a dress, to a tunic -- perfect for layering too.

All Binksy & Bobo clothing and accessories are made in Canada (love!) and built to last. This is a piece your little ones will wear and wear, before packing it up, or passing it along to a friend.

I know my daughter is going to have her new pinafore in high rotation all summer long and into the Fall. 

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{Small Style} Coffee By The Pond, Toes In The Water

Another sunny morning at The Children's Pond? Yes please.

She waded through the water til her toes were chilled and splashed her with My Little Pony friends. And then she "fell in", of course on purpose, yelling "yay!" and loving every minute of it.

I'd love a summer filled with mornings like these.

I definitely have a photo of her doing just this, when she was much smaller. Time to hunt through the archives for a comparison that's sure to make my heart ache just a wee bit.

Friends.

Shorts, shirt: Old Navy // Hat: Joe Fresh // Ponies: Thrift finds // Bare feet: Brrr!

Have a beautiful day, friends. Pop back soon... a few fun and exciting announcements will be coming up soon. I'm all giddy!

{Small Style} Thankful For Sunshine

A little snuggle at my shop. Gretchen really loves to come to work with me, but it's a LONG day for a 4-year-old so if she's coming along, I make sure it's just a few hours. She likes to help me decorate the boutique.

Sandals, Hat, Jean Shirt: Joe Fresh // Dress: H&M

Snapshots by the water at The Silver Bean, our favourite summer hangout. And now they have ice cream from a fabulous local dairy... doesn't get much better!

Hope you're having a sunny day, mes amis.

{Small Style} The Return Of Small Style!

Fact: My last Small Style post dates back to June 2012. Yikes!

The other day, at the warming party of our favourite seasonal cafe, I started snapping a few pics of Gretchen playing down by the water and I KNEW I had to get back into sharing her outfits. Love that stylish lass! She's definitely developing her own sense of what she enjoys wearing, but she still lets me pick some outfits out. Sometimes, however, she's adamant about a certain item of clothing and so help me if I disagree. (Sure, you can wear the poofy party dress to the park in the rain... why not...!)

Here's what we put together for Sunday's adventure.

Flip-flops & dress: Old Navy (aka Easter Bunny & a birthday present) // Top: I believe Joe Fresh (every girl needs a little jean shirt love)

Her hair is wild and free. Won't be tamed, girl. She's all about it.

Our waterway is VERY high right now. The path where G is walking is completely underwater... as is the dock that you can't see at all. She was thrilled to stomp around in the (chilly!) water. All she could talk about was taking her shoes off and splashing in the river. Love!

Have a beautiful day!

PS. Click here for one of my favourite Small Style video posts from 2011. Her voice is the sweetest! I feel like I barely remember her being so little. She's so grown up now.

{Small Style} The Thunderstorm

Top: Joe Fresh // Leggings: Hand-me-downs // Umbrella: Found in the back of my car when I bought it

The other day, our little city was hit by the very edge of a storm. Our skies turned black, rain poured, thunder boomed and then... as quickly as it came... it left and we got to enjoy some gloriously sunny weather for the rest of the afternoon.

As tough as it can be when naptime hits, I really do love having Gretchen at the shop with me. I picture her behind the counter at age 16 or 17, working her first job. How neat will that be?

{Small Style} The Fisherman's Pullover

I have been thinking about this edition of Small Style for a long time now... ever since Iris first told me she was thinking about knitting a sweater for Gretchen.

Isn't it gorgeous? She took the Fisherman's Pullover pattern and knit it to a tunic length so G can get more life out of it (first as almost a dress, then as a sweater). It's cozy and wonderful and Gretchen was so excited to put it on.

Bopping around, post-market, with her paper bag filled with pierogis.

I love how happy she is to receive handmade goodies like this one... her face filled with wonder and curiosity as she pulled the sweater out of the gift bag Iris handed her. Amazing. She's my star.

Sweater: Fisherman's Pullover c/o Bossy Femme // Leggings: Joe Fresh // Socks: Joe Fresh (We've been calling these her Easter socks... they were bought around the holiday AND she thinks they look like Easter eggs... so cute) // Shoes: TOMS via Save Ours Soles

If you've got a Ravelry account you can pop over here to see Iris' project & find the pattern.

Linking up with Mama Loves Papa.

PS. Iris just posted all about the sweater over on her blog. Check it out.. and then keep scrolling through her site because you'll be totally addicted in no time. 

{Small Style} And A Bogs Giveaway!

Brrrrr. Where did our 22ºC degree weather go?? I'm frowning at our local weatherman right now, a bit frustrated that I can no longer ride my bike without mittens, and I've had to bring my wool coat back out of storage. I hear tale that snow might be back in the forecast for tomorrow (sigh) but I bet my little girl won't mind at all. The last time it snowed she told me Santa would be REALLY HAPPY. But please, bring those nice temps back for Easter.

Boots: c/o Bogs // Tights: H&M // Dress, Hoodie: Thrifted // Sweater: A gift from this gal // Snowsuit (last photo): Gagou Tagou

We've had about a month to test out our new Bogs boots and they've proved versatile enough to go from snow to rainy day mud puddles and back again, while my daughter smiles away. She LOVES them. Why? Well, maybe because they are purple. And maybe because she gets a kick out of the handles on each side of the boot. She can always get them on without my help, even when she's puffed up in her snowsuit. Bonus for mamas, for sure.

The boots are comfort rated for -30°F (or approx. -34°C if I can do math). This mean my little one is going to have cozy toes no matter what Ontario throws at us. Now, I've just got to grab up a pair of these babies for myself!

THE GIVEAWAY
The lovely folks at Bogs Footwear are offering up one pair of kids' boots (winner's choice!) to one lucky reader.

TO ENTER
Visit the Bogs website, then come back and let me know which pair is your fav! (I pretty much adore these McKenna boots.)

For additional entries (leave one comment per entry):

• Like Bogs Footwear on Facebook
• Follow @bogsfootwear on Twitter
• Like So Fawned on Facebook
• Follow @sofawned on Twitter
• Tweet the following:
• I just entered the @bogsfootwear #giveaway on @sofawned's blog! http://sofawned.com

Giveaway open to US & Canada. Ends Wednesday April 4th at noon EST!

Note: If you're looking to purchase a pair of Bogs for your very own, in the US, visit their main website, and in Canada, shop at Tony Shoes to avoid those nasty over the boarder charges.

Best wishes! 

{Small Style} Tulip Girl

I suppose this isn't an official Small Style (since it's not Thursday!), but I've been dying to share this gorgeous dress since the moment I spotted it on the rack.

I may have gasped out loud in the middle of Value Village when I snatched it up.

Dress: Thrifted // Shoes: Hand-me-down Pooh Sandals

We visited an old childhood haunt of mine for dinner and a treat the other day... another insanely gorgeous day, perfect for long drives by the river and outdoor adventures. 

Can you believe she ate that entire ice cream cone without getting a drop on her dress?

PS. Thanks to my neighbour for snapping that first photo of my little miss. 

{Small Style} Birthday Style

Tights: H&M // Dress: H&M // Slippers: The Toy Shop

Sometimes I'm almost nervous walking into the kiddo section of H&M becuase I KNOW I'm going to find twelve things something I need for Gretchen. That dress, for instance. There's no force on earth strong enough to keep me away from a $15 houndstooth, kitty pocket, red velvet bow, toddler sized dress. 

And I actually made an out-loud freakish "squee!" sound when I saw those tights in the store. Salespeople beware.

PS. Linking up with Mama Loves Papa for Small Style today. Have a fab Thursday, folks!

Small Style No. 21

Ducky Sweater: Thrifted (an absolutely gorgeous find) // Necklace: The Children's Place (a Christmas gift from @messykarenjean) // Scrappy Skirt: Handmade by mama // Slippers: The Toy Shop

Basically, what you see here is the outfit she'd like to wear anytime music is playing in the house. This girl loves to sing and dance, has a remarkable memory for lyrics and some pretty radical moves. (Like Jagger, probably.)

Linking up over at Mama Loves Papa!

Small Style No. 20

Good morning! I'm finally back in the Small Style swing of things (our last edition was nearly a month ago), and for my 1st week back I knew I had to share Gretchen's cozy new sweater.

Sweater: Gretchen calls this her "baa baa black sheep" sweater, a gift from our neighbour
Shirt: Honestly, I can't recall what she was wearing underneath
Pants: Hand-me-downs, preppy-adorable
Boots: Robeez
Hat: Hand-me-down, or at least I think so... possibly hand knit

This was our off-to-daycare look a couple mornings ago. By the time I picked her up, however, she certainly didn't need the sweater or hat, as the temperature jumped up from a chilly morning to a balmy afternoon. Sometimes the weather here just cracks me up.

Don't foget... we're linking up with Mama Loves Papa for more Small Style love today. Join us!

Small Style No. 19

Good morning, lovelies! It's been a while since my last Small Style post, but as soon as my gramma brought this sweater by last week, I knew it deserved a post on its own. Aren't the colours gorgeous? And so perfect for fall?

This week's been a mad crazy one for me -- working a ton, so many opportunities, new prenatal clients, two new blogs to write & a new doula client hire. My word. I've got my positive face on and everything's coming up Fawn.

However, with all of the busy goodness comes the fact that Gretchen has been either in daycare, with a grandparent or being babysat by dear friends all week. I know that she's having fun, seeing friends, learning a ton and doing just fine, it hurts my heart to spent so much time away. I miss her constantly.

On the weekend, I actually brought Gretchen to the shop with me for a few hours which was nice. She's a busy tot and was frustrated that I wouldn't quite let her rearrange the entire store, but I think she had a great time chatting up all the Saturday morning customers.

Thankfully, at the end of this fabulously frantic week I have plans to take my little Fawn to our neighbourhood association's Movie in the Park shindig. Matilda's playing, and I think it'll be the perfect way to mellow out and wind down. As for Saturday? Perhaps a bike ride to the market where we'll buy goat milk and sunflowers. Mmm, yes.

Do you love how she tries to kiss Kitten AND maul her? Those two have a pretty special relationship. Their interactions are totally worth capturing. So sweet, so sassy.

Sweater: Thrifted by my gramma
Skirt: Gap
Shirt: Old Navy
Tights: Gap
Boots: Old Navy, hand-me-downs from one of Gretchen's BFFs

Linking up over at Mama Loves Papa... come and see!

PS. These photos were snapped a few days ago, and now the weather has cooled down quite a bit. I actually had to go and buy some new clothes for Gretchen as I quickly realized that her next batch of hand-me-downs won't work for us until next summer. I definitely stopped by Jo Fresh last night to grab a few new pieces. Watch for them in a future Small Style. Peace!

Small Style No. 18

This girl's so happy when she's on her bike. Despite the frequent crashes and spills, she's mastered the pedaling and steering, and only runs over my toes every so often. Usually I sit on our front porch, sipping tea, enjoying the sight of my independent little kady, heading north and south on the sidewalk. Amazing.

Leggings: Gap
Shirt: Hand-me-down from a lovely local mama
Shoes: Seriously, she wears these nearly everyday... I give in
Tutu: Found at Chapters, years ago
Helmet: Lazer

Linking up with Mama Loves Papa for this week's edition of Small Style. (Just under the wire.)

Small Style No. 17

Gretchen was psyched to have a playdate with these gals this morning. A little trip to the bakery for muffins and coffee while the mamas chatted, then a visit with two more neighbour-kiddos as we returned home. Such a sweet bunch!

She's got some sass, this one!

Poncho: Old Navy
Hat: Old Navy
Jeans: Joe Fresh
Shirt: Joe Fresh
Shoes: A gift from gramma

Lately, in considering the very good possibility that we'll have to leave this home for another, I've been struggling with how much I'll miss our neighbourhood and the friends Gretchen's become so close to. My heart aches at the though of not having such fine folks nearby.

Overheard while nibbling their snacks: "So... grapes grow on trees..."

I just want to hug them all at once.

As usual, I'm linking up with Morgan (I miss you already, roomie!) for this week's Small Style.