Category Archives: Favorite

Silk Rompers + Peep Toe Clogs || Happy Birthday to me…

1 Reply

 I know it might be weird, but odd birthdays get me more than even ones.  It’s not that 43 is bad, but it just seems a lot older than 42!  Or maybe it’s that 42 with it’s even number sounded better to me?  All that to say….

43.

One year closer to MID 40’s!  And, I’m in denial…

I got to celebrate a little early over the weekend with the Huz.  My parents had given us some gift certificates, so we ventured out of West Seattle into Downtown.  It’s only 15 minutes away for us, but we rarely leave our little neighborhood, because…our neighborhood rocks!

We at a little early, so that we could come home to say good night to Maya, and I ended up taking these images when we got home around 9:00.
We had texted Charlie ahead of time to let her stay up until we got home.

Yay for teenage brothers that want to babysit!!

When I was getting ready, Maya asked if she could put on a fancy dress.

“I want to look good for Daddy, because I kind of have a crush on him.  He’s sooooo handsome!”

COULD YOU DIE?!!

So glad she still had it on when we got home! Yeah…she was happy to take pics with me, but her alone?  NOT happening… 🙂
Before all this…

Iphone snaps of our dinner out at Tom Douglas’s The Carlile Room.

Yes, we ate ALL that!  BUT…they were somewhat smaller portions…

They had us at the “Book of Booze”…hahaha

On me…

Romber- Joie “Amara Romper” (old, similar here)
Clogs- Miz Mooz (old, similar here )
On Maya…
Dress- Crewcuts (thrifted, but similar here )
Keeping it Real…
Diiiiiiiidn’t quite time these right haha.
  Not so graceful dismount… 🙂
(all pictures taken with a shutter release and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

dit-elle-Lauren

Dresses over Jeans + Clogs and Vintage Dresses + Dr Martens || Maya’s Pre K Graduation

Leave a reply

 So…Maya graduated Pre-K over 3 weeks ago, but summer has been a bit of a blur!  I finally had a break in work, so I’m hoping to catch up on all the fun pictures we’ve taken!

We took these when we got home from dinner. I’ve had this top (ok, technically it was sold as a dress, but…that never happened!) for SO long, and I still love it!   I think it’s such a fun alternative for those of us that might be past the point of a mini dress to pair it with a pair of skinny jeans!

I remember wearing it when I was pregnant with Maya! GAh, I looooooove capturing us looking at eachother! I keep saying “This is the last time…”

But….LOVE this next one! And this is how she takes posed pictures now haha. BUT….before all that fun, we walked to her school for the last time…

SNIFF SNIFF And she graduated!!!

Even more SNIFF SNIFF!!!!

Maya, we could not be more proud of the funny, smart, witty, amazing little girl you are becoming!!!  You brighten everyone’s day who has the pleasure of being around you, and we are SO lucky that you brighten ours daily!

We love you!!

On me…

Jean Jacket- 3×1 thrifted for $10!!! (similar here retails for $300!!)
Top/Dress- Ghita (old, but found it in blue! or Similar here and love this here)
Clogs- Korks by Kork Ease “Marcia Clog” (eBay sold out, here in black, similar here in brown)
On Maya…
Dress- Pasufas (thrifted, but similar here)
Leggings- Hanna Andersson (thrifted, similar lighter color here)
Keeping it Real…
For those that have followed for a while…nope, still not out of the licking phase… 😉 The dismounts of the throws don’t always look as good haha.
(all pictures taken with a self timer/shutter release and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

dit-elle-Lauren

Dr Martens with Dresses | Golden Hour at the Beach

Leave a reply

I went to college in the early 90’s.  When grunge was at it’s peak.  Wearing Dr. Martens with dresses was what we wore on the daily.  Except back then, it was vintage dresses, and we wore them with socks!

As with most style trends, things always come back around…

I know I’m not the only one who’s coveted the Balenciaga Ceinture Cutout Boots!  What I thought was funny when I clicked on them (occasionally, I like to dream…), was that they are inspired by Dr. Martens!

I thrifted these fun cut out Dr. Martens a few years ago, and they’ve been a fun budget friendly option with a similar look.

And this dress?  I bought it off eBay without a slip for $12, but just wore a black tank dress underneath!  Never be afraid to buy an amazing see through dress on the cheap!  You can always find a slip!  My guess is that one of the dresses you already own has one you can use!

Two of my new FAVORITE images of us next… I loooooooove getting golden hour shots!!  Maya’s bedtime is around 9:00, so it’s kind of a stretch to get her out at this time.  BUT…the Huz was out of town, so I made an exception, and let her stay up a liiiiittle later 🙂 Dying over Maya’s pink ones too! Forever striking up a conversation with anyone who walks by.  Or in this case…paddled by in their kyaks.

“Hi!  What are you guys doing?!” her face… 😉 I LOVE that I got the details of her dress sleeve in this next one!

On me…

Dress- Ella Moss (eBay, similar here and here,)
Shoes- Dr. Martens (thrifted, similar here and here)
On Maya…
Dress- Vintage (thrifted, but similar here)
Leggings- Children’s Place (thrifted)
Keeping it Real…
Kayakers…. “What are YOU doing?!”
Don’t mind me…
And this is why we were laughing.  She came LAUNCHING into my arms!
haha. Can I lie and say this was Maya?  or…me?!!
(all pictures taken with a shutter release and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

dit-elle-Lauren

Matching Swim Cover Ups for the win! + another Giveaway!!

Leave a reply

 I’ve talked a few times about my love of Swimzip.

Most recently with my thoughts on “Day to Night” wearing here.

But, my love first started with the kids wear, to be honest.

And you know, I’m sure I’ll talk about them a few more times, because I LOVE the fact that there are cute alternatives to protecting our skin!  As we all should!

I was super excited that we finally got a nice day with temps in the 60’s and an amazing low tide!  So, we threw on our matching Swimzip suits and headed out to play.  Warning…I took A LOT of pics!

And…guess what?!  I’m doing another giveaway over on Instagram and today’s the last day to enter, so GO tag your friends for a chance to win a $35 credit!

The ruffles on Maya’s suit?  DYING!! I can’t even handle this next one… THAT BUTT!!

On me…

On Maya…
Shoes- SaltWater Sandals (thrifted)
Keeping it Real…
Taking pics with a shutter release and tripod in water was not the easiest.  I usually set something down where I’m going to stand, so that the focus is on us.  Not so easy to do in the water.  Oh, and at first the shutter release wasn’t working.  Here I am manually pushing it, AND standing where I originally meant to stand (getting my full reflection).  Thankfully I figured out what was wrong with the shutter release.
Here’s a behind the scenes video of the set up and a runaway Maya 😉
(all pictures taken with a shutter release and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

dit-elle-Lauren

Mother’s Day 2017

5 Replies

 Just a warning…this is a long post!!

But, it could have been twice as long!!

AND!!  Oddly enough, it was a total last minute, run outside in front of our house after dinner shoot.  I swear those are the best for our family… 😉 Little windy haha. OMG!  Maya in this next one!! She loves her Meme!! I had to get a few of my parents! BUT…of course, Maya wouldn’t let them have pictures of just them…And some of the three of us!
LOVE!!! I can’t even handle these next two… Maya being Maya haha. And then…I want to EAT HER UP! Seriously…DYING!!!!

On me…

Tunic- Karen Zambos (eBay)
Jeans- DL1961 Amanda in Mania  (DIY raw hem, similar here)
Clogs- Korks by Kork Ease “Marcia Clog” (eBay sold out, here in black, similar here in brown)
On Maya…
Jacket- GapKids (thrifted, but similar here)
Jeans- DL1961 “Chloe” in Whiteley (C/O) OMG, look back on these…
Clogs- Hanna Andersson (old, similar here)
Keeping it Real…
And of COURSE, you know there were lots of “fun” shots too!
This is Maya’s classic face…
Oh, and when I tried to get shots of just me?  Literally…attached to my ankle… 😉 So….I tried to make the best of it! HAHAHAHA!
Her face!!!!
(all pictures taken as a combo between me, my mom, and my dad :))

dit-elle-Lauren

Dressing up super cute SPF50 Cardigans + Giveaway!

2 Replies

I posted this outfit with a different top and shoes on Monday to show a more casual look, but I love that it can easily be dressed up too!

These fun booties I scored for $14 will be seen A LOT more on the blog.  LOVE THEM! And the detailing on the back of this cardigan?  So fun and so flattering! Maya had the remote for these close ups of me 🙂And she was dancing around in front of me for this next one 🙂

I love the way it drapes when you button and snap it up!

Pretty much, she just runs around and plays while I take pics of myself.
And then she comes in for a few.
Especially if I let her dance 🙂 Loooooooove these next three!

Don’t forget that you can still win a $35 credit towards a purchase of either my cardigan, Maya’s cardigan, or so many other cute SPF50 tops!  If you are on Instagram, be sure to follow us at @dit_elle and @shedolane

Giveaway ends Friday at 9PM PST

On me…

Top- Velvet (old, similar here)
Shoes-Sam Edelman “Posey Chain” (thrfited, similar here)
On Maya…
Dress- Raquel & Chloe Kids (thrifted)
Leggings- Tea Collection
Shoes- Saltwater (thrifted)
Keeping it Real…
 I set up where I was going to be and then gave Maya the remote for most of the close up shots of me.  She always has fun, and I just laugh hysterically win win! Her tongue here! and…both her face and ALL the people.  Yes, I got rid of them in most of the shots, but just know…yes, there were people walking by as we were taking these.  I’ve given up caring haha.
(all pictures taken with a shutter release and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

dit-elle-Lauren

Super cute SPF50 Cardigans + Giveaway!

3 Replies

 I recently got this cardigan, and it’s instantly been one of those pieces of clothing that I reach for and wear all the time!  You know that top that you can throw over anything in the in between seasons?  This is it!  I’m just bummed I didn’t get it in time for our recent Mexico trip because it would absolutely make the cut in the packing wardrobe!

Swimsuit cover up?  SPF50, so YES!

Throw it on over a tank and shorts?  YES!

At night when the temps drop?  YES!

Wear to the park with your kid over the tank and jeans that you thought would be warm enough??  YES!

And…I’ll be styling it (and with Maya too!) with a dressier option coming later this week!

Is now too soon to mention that you could win a $35 credit towards a purchase of either my cardigan, Maya’s cardigan, or so many other cute SPF50 tops?  If you are on Instagram, be sure to follow us at @dit_elle and @shedolane

Sooooo much goodness and more giveaways coming throughout the month of May!

And it has POCKETS!! LOVE the detailing on the back!!

Oh, and btw, the same company sells Girls and Boys clothing too!  Maya’s cardigan has SPF50!

I’m way more diligent on Maya’s coverage, even though I’ve been diagnosed 3 times!  AND…let’s be honest.  I still want her to be cute while being protected!  I’d feel guilty about saying that, but since I found Shedo Lane and SwimZip, I don’t!  You can absolutely still be active and out in the sun and still look cute and protected!

Or…in the shade looking at plants haha.  And while I’m on the PSA.  Our shoes are buy a Mom’s pair and get a kids pair for FREE!!!!

These are UNISEX, and soooo well made!
I’m trying to be better about taking videos as we go, but honestly…most times, just taking pictures with the tripod is about all I can handle!

I did manage to capture a video of us taking these next shots though…

I want to eat her up!! It’s almost as if I asked her to showcase the cardigan!

As if… 😉 I mean…

Totally bumming that I chopped her hand off becaus she danced so close to me, but still…

 DYING!
Funny bts video of right before this next shot here.

She’s so freaking funny, and I’m SO glad I get to capture that!

On me…

Top- Thrifted
On Maya…
Top- CrewCuts (thrifted, but similar here)
Jeans- DL1961 (eBay, but similar here)
Keeping it Real…
And this is what it looks like before we take a shot… 🙂  My focusing stand, and Maya wanting to be in the shot.  WHICH, she mostly wants to be in the shot that I’m focusing on.  When it comes to taking a picture, she takes off!  Such is life… 🙂
Ok, I was on the fence about posting that other shot as a real shot or a behind the scenes, but these two…hahaha.  For SURE BTS!!And…for our shoe shots?  Yes, this happens more often than not….but, I can’t decide which I like more, so I don’t really care!
(all pictures taken with a shutter release and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

dit-elle-Lauren

Jumpsuits and Rompers for a night out in Los Cabos

1 Reply

 Next time we go to Los Cabos, we decided that we are going to rent a car and get more adventurous.  However, this trip was all about no plans and relaxing, so we ate out at restaurants around our hotel pretty much every meal.

Maybe I’ll do a food post one of these days because they had amazing food (and duh…I took pictures!)

Until then…it was nice that we could just walk to dinner and back every night!

Oh, and the grounds of the Sheraton Grand Los Cabos Hacienda del Mar are gorgeous! I’d been wanting to take pictures along this wall for a few days, and of course, when I actually brought my camera, she was having nothing to do with it…
But…Maya never fails to charm everyone she meets… Oh, and a bar cart right to our table?

Houston was in heaven… 🙂 Present from the Easter bunny that had to come along to dinner 🙂

One of the many great things about this particular restaurant (we ate here 3 times!) was that we could walk to this overlook after dinner and Maya could run around.  Truth be told….I’m not sure if we were SUPPOSED to go up here, but there weren’t any signs saying we shouldn’t! This view?!!!!  I decided that we would try to come back here for some family pics before we left!

(AND we DID!!  That post coming soon!)

The hands on the hips though!! I can’t even handle how cute she is…See the “Keeping it Real” at the bottom for the real story going on here… 😉
Then as we were walking back to our room, Maya went up into this little gazebo, turned the light on, and asked Houston to dance. And then I DIED!!!

Video here.

On me…

On Maya…
Romper- Crew & Lu (sold out)
Shoes- SaltWater Sandals (thrifted)
Keeping it Real…
What Maya was really doing when she was laughing hysterically…
Smacking her butt…haha.  I couldn’t care less, because she laughs uncontrollably!  And that right there is typical Momlife.
The proverbial saying goes “Happy wife, happy life.” BUT…it should be…
Hmmm, I’ll have to get back to you on that one.
“Happy tot, happy lot?”
“If your kid is happy, you’ll all be happy!”
That last one doesn’t rhyme, so I feel like it’s cheating, but…

dit-elle-Lauren

Playing in the Cherry Blossoms in Vintage Levi’s Jacket, White Denim, and Clogs (New Favorite)

3 Replies

 One of the things I love the most about spring is all the cherry blossoms that are in bloom!

I had these grand plans of taking Maya to the UW Arboretum or the University of Washington campus, where the blooms are notoriously amazing!

I ended up getting to shoot a family at the UW Arboretum, but having the time for us to go…well, that wasn’t happening.  SO…we went a few blocks from our house, and played amongst the many blooming trees there!

I honestly think this was the better idea.  It was quick, fun, and not a big production.  THAT is more Maya’s style, and honestly, I have to keep in mind what she wants most of the time.

AND, this is honestly a super long post, because I took SO many images that I love!!  It all worked out for the best 🙂 This next shot is totally out of focus, but I wanted to get a picture of her FIRST MANICURE!!

She came with me and my mom for the first time and was the SWEETEST! Seriously!??  I wish the streets were lined with blooms like this ALL THE TIME! This next photo is totally out of focus, but it is SO HER!!!  She always comes running so enthusiastically for a hug!!  It’s getting harder and harder to document as she gets older, but….LOVE!!  LOVE!!!
I almost put this as an “outtake”, because…clearly she’s going in for a big BITE!  But…I love it.  It’s SO HER! Love all these close ups that I got, but this next one…

On me…

Jacket- Levi’s (thrifted, similar here)
Top- Free People  “Two to Tango” (Nordstrom Rack, sold out)
Clogs- Korks by Kork Ease “Marcia Clog” (eBay sold out, here in black, similar here in brown)
On Maya…
Jacket- GapKids (thrifted, but similar here)
Dress- Ralph Lauren (thrifted, similar here)
Leggings- Hanna Andersson (thrifted, similar lighter color here)
Boots- Morgan and Milo (thrifted, similar here)
Keeping it Real…
 This is what a lot of the shots I try to take with the both of us look like… 😉 She’s got a killer right hook haha!
(all pictures taken with a shutter release and tripod, except ones of Maya :))

dit-elle-Lauren

Playing on the beach | Sheraton Grand Los Cabos Hacienda del Mar

Leave a reply

We played on the beach a little bit while we were waiting for the Easter Celebration I posted about on Monday to begin.

Dying over her sweet happy face!!
And that water??!  SO pretty!

Although!  Do you see that wave behind us?  There were a few days where they hung the black flag, because the waves were SO BIG!!  A lot bigger than this! Again…her face-LOVE!I looooove that you can get Saltwater sandals wet!  They were a staple on our trip for both of us!On me…

Hat- Vintage (thrifted, similar here)
Top- Clu (eBay, similar here)
Pants- Lululemon (thrifted, similar here)
On Maya…
Hat- Wallaroo (It’s actually mine, but I cinched it up on her :))
Top- GapKids (thrifted)
Leggings- Children’s Place (thrifted)
Shoes- SaltWater Sandals (thrifted)
Keeping it Real…
Her face after a wave caught her and got her all wet haha.  Thankfully it was so hot, she dried off in minutes!
(all pictures of me with Maya taken by the Huz :))

dit-elle-Lauren