The Wee Little Shop That Could. Errr, I mean... That WILL.

Hello, all. Here one quick snapshot of the shop set-up. See, really! A bookcase! 

That bookcase back there is the Outfit Shop. The rest of the beautiful shop is The Kids are Alright. These humble beginnings are going to be great someday. I feel it. The goodness of all of our efforts, our hearts and souls - all together it's a force to be reckoned with, I reckon. 

As we progress (sign up, all merchandise on display) I'll post more updates on the shop.And some close-ups. I had a problem with the files being corrupted, this is all that was saved. 

 We're getting there!

I feel pretty good about where we are, considering my goal was to have it open by April 1! Yay!!

The big event is next Saturday, April 5th. I am really excited. Elliette asks about the Party. That's my girl - she loves a good party, and never leaves the snack table.

robots, owls & cupcakes from Jelene

Who doesn't want a robot to cuddle up with?! 

Jelene makes so much fun stuff - the Outfit has a small collection available. We have lots of owl and cupcake goodies that would make a really fun gift all put together. Tote bags, note cards, and plush toys, sticker packs, even coloring books! These are so cute, great for little kiddos, or anyone who just likes cute things!!

Scandeez Baby Moks from Reclaimed Leather

We're on a roll with the recycling bit. I couldn't be happier! And this stuff is so well designed - so well made. What a dream.

Scandeez makes these sweet baby Moks from reclaimed leather. The tops are simple, understated neutrals. This, as you may know, is hard to find. I tried like crazy to find a pair of simple shoes for elliette without frillies, bows, flowers, sparkles, baubles, etc. No dice. The best part is that they have a great surprise on the soles! Kid-inspired, but classy images adorn the bottom of the shoes, made of hand-cut suede. These are available from 0-3 month up to 12-24 month sizes.

A Second Chance - Everyone Deserves One.

I'm so excited to be working with A Second Chance. Jess Pillmore is a creative force -- and this project is also out for a cause. These beautiful baby blankets and sets of wash cloths are hand-knit on her great-grandmother's knitting needles of re-claimed cotton yarn. Sweaters are collected for the yarn, which is then re-knit into these beautiful pieces. They are so cuddly and soft, with depth and warmth beyond just the yarn. Jess also donates a 

large portion of proceeds to KIVA.org.

Just amazing. If you're in the area, come check them out, you'll fall in love.

Press for Sweetbeets

Real Simple magazine featured an "affordable art for kids" column which featured some amazing artwork, including a card by Sweetbeets, one of our wonderful artists featured in the Outfit shop!

It's always fun to see a friend get well-deserved attention! Hooray for Sweetbeets!

m.o.m is here!

Thisi company is so cool. They all are, the reason this one touches me so, is because it's a mother and daughter. Mom and I always talk about "if only"... and tere and bethany are living the dream.

This excerpt is from their website:

m·o·m is a partnership between mother and daughter, tere and bethany jensen, started in 2002 from a special order for little girl's aprons with a vintage vibe. the aprons and pinafores tere makes are the real deal — sewn from vintage fabric and trim handed down from family. not only does tere make the exact apron worn by bethany's grandmother "nanny", they use her image as their identity and call the brand m·o·m. based in southern california's cardiff-by-the-sea, m·o·m is now a line of clothing and accessories for girls age 4-10, as well as toys and room décor.

their hangtags read:

m·o·m believes in family, hanging out in the kitchen, vinyl records, dark chocolate, cowboys, laughter and being nice. they do this because they can't help themselves.

Really fun stuff! These shirts are for girls, sizes 4-10. The nu-nu dolls are one size fits all, because everyone needs a doll to squeeze.

More originals from the Outfit

I added some original shirts from the Outfit to the shop, made my lil' ol' me.

Each shirt is unique, no two are alike. I had a lot of fun making these, taking my time with each style, using paint, fabric, stencils, appliques, ribbons, whatever.

Just in: stenciled baby shirts by Amyzing Creations

Amy Stagner of Amyzing Creations makes stencils from hand-cutting contact paper and painting each shirt individually. She spends a lot of time making each one, and it really does pay off!

The Outfit and Pedrosprout

It's so exciting to see the merchandise trickle in. It feels like the very best birthday ever.

Pedrosprout is Michelle who lives in Queensland, Australia and beats the heat by making these darling felt shoes all by hand, and then hand-embroiders them! 

We also added some original designs of the Outfit! Yes, we are guests at our own party.... the frame t-shirt is one of my all-time favorites, and is just a wee bit dramatic. Like Elliette Rose! There are also a limited number of simple skirts in pink paisley or a fun bold polka dot.

We are now officially open!! Please come over and check out the Outfit Shop! While you're there, take advantage of the Lucky Breaks 20% off sale at The Kids are Alright - the store was featured in this month's issue of Lucky Magazine!

Mylie and BePe Baby

Today we received two highly- anticipated packages. One from Mylie, who makes the sweetest and most thought-provoking kid's tee shirts. My favorite is the "tall ship" shirt, especially with a son named Saylor... it just seems so right. The koi style is Organic, and the back is pictured here, because have you ever seen such a great back of a shirt?! The front is beautiful, with a large koi. The bear shirt is another great piece - cozy as a bear shirt should be.

BePe Baby makes little booties for baby, made of soft fleece with beautiful fabric uppers. I had purchased a pair of these from BePe Baby before Emmett was born, and they  kept his little toes toasty and comfortable. We received 6 pair, from 0-3 months up to a size 5, in all different colors!

Inspiring Color and Go Monkey.

Happy Day! Two more shipments came today.

French Pants from Go Monkey Designs. These are my new favorite pants in the world - they are so soft and cozy. The hems are left unfinished, so they have this feeling of warmth, because you know someone made these from scratch, with great care and concern. These are available at the Outfit from 6m up to 3T and are sure to go quickly. They are available up to size 6, so if you have a bigger kiddo in need of some very stylish and comfy pants you can special order them.

Also in is something for your little hippie child. Inspiring Color creates these tie-dyed baby shirts all by hand. They are a mother and son team, Jill and Zach, making and selling these items together to earn money for Zach's violin education. I can't wait to be able to work on things like this with Elliette and Emmett. How inspiring! 

The colors are so vivid, so perfect for a barefoot summer baby. These t's are also very soft and made of thick cozy cotton - the quality is top-notch and the tie-dying is to dye for. Sorry, I couldn't help it.

Come one, come all

We have finished the flyer for the April 5th event. Primarily, it's an opening reception for Mark's art that he and Maritza are hanging in the store. But, it's also a great chance for the Outfit to make a grand entrance. Most of the Broadway Ave. retailers are also participating; it will surely be a good time!

The First Arrivals: Boutique Girl, Sweetbeets, Sugar Flower, Popsalops

YAAAAYY!

The post man, Oscar,  may have let Elliette down by not delivering that beloved red Netflix envelope with 101 Dalmatians, but, he did give me a grin by bringing the first round of shipments for the Outfit shop!

Bib and Burpcloth sets from Boutique Girl are so cute, cozy, and the bibs are generously sized, which, I have learned, will save many an outfit from a week long oxy clean soak.

And more fun, with some fun heart barrettes and a beautiful hand-knit newborn baby set from Little Dots Boutique. The knit set is made by Cris's mom in Europe. The vest is absolutely amazing, and everyone I show it to has said, WOW. It's that simple and lovely.

Some fun fun fun cards from the oh so darling Sweetbeets. I actually squeeled with delight, and I wasn't a bit embarresed to tell the artist, Lisa, about my happy little moment today.

My dear friend Angie Williams, who helped deliver Elliette it should be noted, brought over some embroidered organic cotton bibs, some felt play food, the Gidget Doll - Gidget is her 10 month old, and Emmett's girlfriend - and more will be on the way!

Photos will be posted ASAP....

Introduction

And so it begins...

I've been excited about this idea for awhile now. I can't wait to see where this goes. Who this brings along. How we all grow.

So. What is theOutfit? 

it's me, Angie Rebennack. And my husband Mark. And the other delightfully gifted artists, designers, crafters, and generally cool people who have hopped into the flour sack right along with us.

My vision is to create a shop with a collection of goods for babies, kids and parents, the majority of which is handmade, made by moms who have decided to stay home to raise the little ones but still just can't stop making stuff, or from companies created by and run by the aforementioned group. And other related friends we meet along the way. I am a mom to two very young kids myself, 2 year old Elliette Rose and 8 month old Emmett Saylor. I am constantly in awe of the creative forces also working at parenting, raising responsible and thoughtful young people and also producing happiness, beauty and art.

I realized that I am in no position to open my own store all by myself at this stage, due to my time spent mothering and due to start-up funds. In the end, I hope to have a co-op shop set-up, where myself and other like-minded folk can all share one retail space, share the time spent peddling wares, and share the fun.

For now, I have been fortunate enough to continue my relationship with Maritza, owner of the wonderful shop The Kids are Alright. Her location in Echo Park has been a go-to spot for all the cool kids for almost 5 years now, and the new Long Beach location is just around the corner from home and across from my favorite pizza place, Long Beach Pizza Co. HD Tv's be darned, they make a heck of a pie! So, I thought, hey... maybe Maritza would let little old me set up a tiny little shop inside her shop. To my delight, she agreed. She is always ready to be a part of the community, and to be encouraging and lovely all the while.

I started looking through my list of hand-made baby gear on my etsy page, on trunkt, and everywhere in between. I emailed everyone I had a crush on, and to my sheer delight, some said "YES"!

I had fun creating consignment orders, taking time with each designer to make sure we're both happy with what will be displayed in the Outfit shop. My list grew and so did my heart, I'm just so excited!

Once I get the shop set up, I'll take on my other mission: the traveling showroom. My motivation is to support and promote these talented designers. So, that's next! I'll take line sheets and samples to Los Angeles and Orange County area boutiques to show them how wonderful these hand-made and unique lines are; that they can hold their own next to the big-time boutique brands! 

Next up... the orders are coming, the orders are coming! Hurrah!