This post has been sitting in my queue for the longest time...for one, these pictures mark the beginning of Spring! We definitely do not need as many layers to venture outside now. Time is just flying on by, and as the end of the school year draws closer - we are so excited to do some traveling again. It's been a while.

Can you believe that it's almost a year since we've been back already?!?

This past Sunday we celebrated Koninginnedag or Queen's day at Battery Park with Kai's language school, and they even had a Vrijmarkt! The actual Queen's day happened on Tuesday, and it will be the last for a while since Holland just welcomed a new King. So starting next year The Netherlands will start to celebrate Koningsdag instead.

For a moment it felt like we were back in Holland as we pigged out on our favorite dutch treats (sadly there was no Poffertjes this year) and decipher as much of the language as we could remember. Well, we remembered enough to know that we won the bike saddle bag pictured above in the raffle :P

I scored some summer footwear for the kids, a dress for Cerys, a wooden xylophone, and Kai picked out a book too. Cerys has been wearing the Pom d'Api sandals almost everyday since I got them, $3 well spent.

Oeuf (1,2,3)- Hands down one of my favorite booths at the show. I loved their presentation and there were so many cute pieces to choose from. Fair Trade.

Grass & Clovers (4)- A collection of accessories and clothing made from a mixture of new, vintage, and recycled fabrics. Made in New York.

Nico Nico (6,7)- Great colors and cozy knits for endless layering. Made in Los Angeles.

Indikidual (8,9)- Fun line of unisex clothing using organic cotton, and based in London. As you can see, one of my favorite pieces from them is the yellow banana print parka!

ESP NO.1 (10)- I was already a fan of this brand even before the trade show- Cerys has a few garments from them that are staples in her wardrobe. A rep for the brand told me that they are no longer using Organic cotton for the line, but they are still manufactured in Los Angeles.

And my FINAL post on Playtime to follow this one :)

This past Saturday I attended Playtime with Kristin. It was my very first time there and I must say I left feeling very inspired by the whole experience. I'm not going to lie, it was a bit intimidating at times, but that aside- I got to chat with some amazing people behind some of the coolest brands. The night before attending I stayed up late making what was supposed to be a short list of all the exhibitors I wanted to see. Almost the whole list consisted of brands that are fair trade, organic, and eco-conscious. What can I say, I am a bit biased when it comes to socially responsible companies. Hopefully, we can see many more of them at the forefront in the years to come!

Little Lief- Is sustainably made using 100% natural fabrics right here in NYC.

Aymara- A Belgian brand offering soft, colorful knits made Fair in Peru.

Stay tuned for part two....

1. So apparently I'm a candle holder collector now? (left: 69 cents, right: $2)

2. New (to me) bag from Crossroads

3. Wool fabric for some pieces for the fall/winter collection

+ thrifted jeans/dotted dress/silk playsuit (housing works, crossroads)

4. Note cards (Angel Street Thrift), Wrapping paper (Lee's art shop)

Last year Alec was given a purple origami heart from a student on Valentine's day, and I thought it was just the sweetest thing. So when I found a few yards of red felt (just a few dollars) at a thrift store a few weeks ago, I knew exactly what I wanted to use it for. And with the help of the internet I found lots of resources for all different types of oragami hearts.

The pattern I ended up using was the most basic since I was using felt and not paper. Creasing the felt and getting it to stay put (I had to sew it), as well as creating crisp lines was a bit of a challenge, but whatever. I think they came out okay for a first timer. It was such a fun project to do with the kids, and today Kai took two hearts that he helped make- to school for his homeroom teachers.

So this is how we spent the past weekend. A steady mixture of hot drinks, sledding and making new friends. Sadly, all that is left from this winter storm is a icky/slushy mess on the sidewalks, but I can't complain - it was great while it lasted!

Back when we lived in The Hague I started to experiment handprinting on some reclaimed fabric from my ever growing stash. At first it was just for fun, but now I'm completely hooked!  One thing led to another, and I'm now working on finishing up the first few sample pieces. I have a feeling this little obsession is leading up to a range of limited edition accessories to the Cerys + Kai line. More on this, once completed :)

Recently thrifted (minus the plant) from a little scavengers shop down the street from me. I Added another candle holder to my growing collection, and two new customers to the kids pretend cafe at home. Still curious as to why the cat/bear/mystery-shimmery-gold-thing      doesn't have a face though. When I bought it, I thought that I would sew some eyes onto it, but now I'm kind of liking the mysteriousness.

It's been a long time since I've done one of these, so why not?

ON HER:

Coat- Stummer (from a little boutique back in The Hague. This is her second winter wearing it)

Hat- Unknown (Clementine- our favorite consignment shop EVER)

Snow Pants- Le Guignol (Clementine)

Boots- Geox

Accessories- Scarf (Zara), Knit Heart (Oeuf), Mittens (Benneton)

ON HIM:

Coat: Zef (Clementine)

Hat: Osh Kosh (Clementine)

Jeans: Gap

Boots: Aigle

Mittens: Barts (Netherlands)