Change

When I started Juggling in Heels my daughter was almost one, I had somewhat adjusted to having three children and I was looking for a way to express myself in ways that my career wasn't allowing.  I had always loved to write and blogging seemed like an easy way to have an outlet without having to commit to too much.  I laugh now, thinking how little of a commitment I thought it was going to be and then realizing I was really creating my fourth child.

My daughter has just turned four and here we are, three years later, sitting in a position that I never could have foreseen when I first checked to see if the JUGGLING IN HEELS domain was even available.  I have had the opportunity to work with and get to know incredible retailers, designers, owners, and bloggers.  I have made commercials, created videos and done photo shoots.  I have written for publications and have been recognized in numerous ways for my blog.  In all honesty, it has been NUTS and completely unexpected.

I think that after all these years, I have finally come to a place where I feel truly committed to this.  I have always wanted Juggling in Heels to be a place that moms and moms-to-be can come to chat fashion, design and food, but also share in our challenges and successes.  I feel that it has become this and I am extremely grateful for that.  Just like my daughter, Juggling in Heels has grown up.   

And with a little age comes a new look.

Yes, Juggling in Heels is getting a facelift.

Not only I have done a complete redesign with the help of the fabulous people at Yellow & Savvy Design but we are also transitioning my blog from blogger to wordpress.  This entire process began in February and I am so excited that we are at the final steps.  For this reason, the blog will be on hiatus over the next few days as the transition begins.  You won't be hearing from me but I promise you, it will be worth it as I am so excited for what we have created and I think you are going to find the entire site more accessible, a cleaner look and easier to move through.  This illustration is a little treat of what is to come, compliments of the incredible Lauren at Lauren Taylor Creates  

While I am off the blog, I will still be posting to Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.  You cannot get rid of me completely!

Thank you for supporting me from day one and I can't wait to see what is to come.

See you soon!

The {Holiday} Weekend

"These fallen heros represent the character of a nation who has a long history of patriotism and honor - and a nation who has fought many battles to keep our country free from threats of terror."

There are no words to express my gratitude to those individuals who have given their life in order to protect me and my family.

Thank you.

With Memorial Day weekend arriving, the summer sales have also kicked off.  It is crazy the number of deals there are out there and so I pulled together some of my favorites below to help you update your summer wardrobe while enjoying the long holiday weekend.

ASOS - 20% off everything with code WEBEGRILLIN (through May 26)

Maison Du Soir - 20% with code MEMORIAL20 (through May 26)

Emily Rosendahl Leather Goods - 20% off all bags and clutches with code MAY14 (through May 26)
DVF - 30% off all sale items with code SUMMER30 (through May 26)

Blue Eyed Girl - additional 40% off all sale items with code MDAY (through May 26)
Gap - 40% off regular price styles with code EVENT (through May 26)

Nordstrom - Women and Children's Half Year Sale (through June 1)

Les Nouvelles - 20% off site wide with code STRIPES20 (through May 26)

Little Skye Kids - 30% off your purchase and free shipping with code SAVEBIG (through May 26)
Joe's Jeans - 30% off site wide (certain exclusions) with code HONOR (through May 26)

Tea Collection - Memorial Day Sale (through May 26)
Loeffler Randall - 30% off site wide (through May 26)

Joie - additional 20% off sale with code MBW20 (through May 26)

Neiman Marcus - Up to 40% off the latest styles in Contemporary.CUSP (through May 26)

Intermix - additional 40% off sale items (through May 28)

Happy Shopping Weekend.

Emerson Fry Activewear Collection

Here is the thing.

I live in activewear.

Whether I am really going to work out or I am pretending like I am going to work out, I throw on activewear every morning.  

As much as I would love to look put together and refreshed at 7am as I leave to take the kids to school, I just enjoy sleep way too much and prefer to throw on activewear pieces and sunglasses, looking somewhat presentable without having to do much.

And perhaps it is a mental game but I believe I am 99% more likely to workout if the clothes are already on me over having to change.

Being that these clothes get more use than anything else in my closet, I am always on the look out for new activewear lines.  Yes I love my Lululemon but I just can't be one of those people who is in head to toe Lulu every single day.  I just can't.  Variety is a necessity in my life.

One of my favorite lines, Emerson Fry, just launched a simple set of activewear and I am extremely intrigued.  Offering four pieces (the element crew, yoga capris, the racerback tank, and the surf short), it is a simple introduction to the activewear space, providing a relief from the norm.  I definitely feel these pieces need to be given a chance and I am excited to see if they expand the collection over time.  For now, I like what I am seeing.

 

Rigatoni with Butternut Squash and Bacon

Here I go with my pasta again.

I just love pasta.  Can't help it.  And so, you get another pasta recipe.  The thing is, there are just too many good combinations that involve pasta that you just cannot help but try them all.  Plus, the title said bacon which really means "you would be silly not to try".

This dish was a nice surprise from the traditional pasta dish.  Not only was bacon included but the butternut squash, red pepper flakes, garlic and cheese helped deliver an unexpected taste for dinner.  Something to note: if you do not cook bacon very often, it cooks fast and you could potentially burn it while checking Instagram.  Oops.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 lbs. peeled butternut squash, cut into large chunks (or pick up the already peeled, already cut butternut squash at Trader Joe's!  It made this part SO easy)

8 oz, thick bacon, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

2/3 c. half and half 

6 large, fresh sage leaves, chopped

1 lb. rigatoni pasta

1/2 c. coarsely grated Pecorino cheese

1. Coarsely shred the butternut squash while bringing a large pot of salted water to boil.

2. Cook the bacon on medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until it is crisp.  Drain but leave 2 tbsp. of bacon fat in the skillet.

3. In the skillet, add the garlic and crushed red pepper.  Cook 30 seconds, stirring frequently.  Add the butternut squash and 1/4 tsp/ salt.  Cook 10 minutes stirring and mashing frequently.

4. Stir in half and half and sage.  Cook 2 minutes and remove from heat.

5. While the squash is cooking, cook pasta.  Reserve 1/2 c. cooking water.  

6. Drain the pasta and return the pot.

7. Add bacon, squash mixture, Pecorino, reserved cooking water, and 1/2 tsp. salt. 

8. Toss until well coated.

The Design Process with Maison Du Soir

Have you ever been just a tad bit curious about a Designer's design process?

I have.

When I worked at Nordstrom way back when, I developed a true appreciation for how certain designers made their clothes and the amount of time it takes to go from the design stage to holding an actual item but I have never really understood exactly what happened.

It has always been something I have admired and wanted to know more about.

Last week I sat down with Courtney Kates the designer behind Maison Du Soir,  a sleepwear line that I adore and have featured previously here on the blog, to chat about her design process.  She patiently walked me through each step, from start to finish.  It was incredibly fascinating.  I had to share because I think we sometimes forget how hard designers work to create pieces that we love.  Here is a little walk through the Maison Du Soir process...

Picking out the fabric and colors for a collection

What originally caught my eye when I first saw Maison Du Soir were the colors used and the beautiful silk selected.  Courtney does an incredible job of bringing beautiful color combinations together.  Can you imagine how fun it is to select from so many options?!

Here is a look at the color combinations and silk selected for the Fall 2014 collection.

Creating the drawings

After the colors and fabrics have been selected, it is time to start designing.  Courtney will begin by drawing it out, assigning colors and creating different styles.  Then she will move to having tech sketches created, which will pull together the line as a whole and allow her to make sure that all the pieces work together.  These tech sketches will provide not only the design but specific instructions for the bindings and hems.

Patterns and Salesmen Samples

Once the tech sketches are confirmed, it is time to move to paper pattern making and the creation of a Salesmen sample.  The Salesmen sample is the sample that will be brought to accounts to showcase the collection prior to production.  Below is a Salesmen sample from a new piece launching this Fall.

Grading

Once the paper pattern has been confirmed, it is time to make different sizes.  The pattern is digitized and then graded to get the cuts needed for each size.  As you move up in each size, the pattern becomes a certain percentage larger.

Calculating your fabric

Ever wonder how a designer knows how much fabric they are going to need?  Once the patterns are created for each size, a marker is created on fabric paper based on how many of each size Courtney would like and printed for the cutter. Below is a small scale example.

Time to cut!

Both the marker and rolls of fabric are taken to the Cutter and the cutting begins! 

The Sewing

Once all the fabric is cut (can you imagine the number of pieces of fabric you are now responsible for?!) it is off to the Sewer.  When arriving at the Sewer, Courtney must ensure she has EVERYTHING.  The fabric, the elastic, the buttons, the labels, the hang tags.  EVERYTHING.  Once the Sewer has everything, the final products are created.

The Advertising

On top of having the pieces created, Courtney works on putting together a media kit to accompany the Salesmen samples to be delivered to different accounts and publications.  This kit will include the photo shoot and a line sheet, showing each item available in the collection, along with the fabric options.

The End

At the end, a beautiful collection is created and as a designer, Courtney hopes everyone loves it as much as she does.

And I do.

  

Then she starts all over for the next season.

Sitting with Courtney and talking through this entire process, you can feel the passion she has towards her design and it makes me love Maison Du Soir that much more.  I also have a new found respect for all the time, work and love that is poured into creating just one collection.  And she creates a couple collections a year!  It is amazing. 

Makes you think a little more about the clothes you own and how much was put into creating that one piece doesn't it?

Thank you Courtney for sharing your process.  You're the best!

I can't wait to see the final Fall 2014 collection!

If you would like to preview the entire Maison Du Soir line, click here.

You really should.  It is gorgeous.

Kicking Off Sumer

Memorial Day is right around the corner and I cannot help but get excited for the kick off to summer and of course, summer pieces.

Weekend

So this is crazy.

My Partner in Crime turns 4 on Sunday.

Yes, we are shocked.

It is weird crossing over from the "young family" to the "family with big kids".

After what seems like YEARS (almost 10!), the only thing that is left in the house that reminds us that we had babies living with us is the crib that is sitting in our garage (if you are interested in it, let me know...) and a car seat that will go into retirement on Sunday.

We are officially out of the baby stage and moving on to the "kids have busy schedules and are beginning to have their own lives" stage.

CRAZY.

And my baby is four.

FOUR!

I now know what they mean when they say that the youngest will always the baby.

She is my other half in this family of boys and I smile when I think about how many fun things we have done together and how many more things we will experience together as she gets older.

What is she up to at four?

Shoes, Mom's makeup, coloring, dresses that twirl, princesses, music, playing soccer, Mom's high heels, punching her brothers, reading stories, saying inappropriate words that her brothers teach her, swinging, hugs and kisses, picky eating, and sure she can be crazy but so can her mother so who can blame her?

Oh yes, and of course, selfies.

We just cannot take enough of them.

You should see how many are sitting on my phone.

Happy Weekend and Happy 4th Birthday Baby Girl!