Put A Bird On It!

Back when I was pregnant, I spent an exorbitant amount of time trying to find a diaper bag that didn’t make me want to vomit. Okay, that’s a slight exaggeration, but seriously, I wanted something unique that didn’t include animals, flowers, pastel colors or anything that screamed baby….not that there’s anything wrong with these attributes, they’re just not for me.  I wanted a bag that I would never see on the shoulder of another mother, was timeless enough to carry long after the wee one is in college and wouldn’t cost so much that we wouldn’t be able to afford the aforementioned college. I would have loved to have received some advice regarding where to find such a bag, and therein lies the inspiration for today's post.

I searched all of the baby sites and googled “diaper bags” (more than once), until I finally had the genius idea of searching for a bag on Etsy.  And with my search, I found the fabulous shop retrofied.  All of the bags are handmade by the dynamic Rebecca Sipper from Savannah, GA who is the “artist, seamstress, photographer, designer, model, admin, janitor, etc. behind retrofied.”  The bags are made to order and shipped within two weeks.  If you’re in a hurry, Rebecca features a selection of ready to ship bags as well. Rebecca was amazing to work with and I couldn’t be happier with my not-so-diaperish diaper bag.    

My bag features three inside pockets and three outside pockets that are the perfect size for bottles or baubles.  The bag also came with a pouch that I use to store my wallet, keys, Chapstick, etc., which allows me to switch these essentials back and forth with ease between diaper bag and hand bags.  And how about that amazing fabric??  With my love of graphics and typography, this fabric choice was a no brainer. All of this fabulousness for the more than worth it price of $108! I’m sure some will think this is spendy and others will think it is cheap, but I look at it this way…it’s something I'm going to be carrying with a fair amount of regularity for a good 5+ years...I better love it no matter the price. (And I do love it!) 

Check out retrofied if you're in the market for a one-of-a-kind bag, diaper or not!

Coyne Collection

Photo by lonelyradio/

With my vow to blogging renewed, I have decided to expand its scope to be as varied and eclectic as my interests-a true "collection" if you will. Posts will be centered around design, fashion, style and perhaps the occasional DIY project.

Fashion vs. Style...Check your fears at the door!

I have spent the better part of forever contemplating my first blog post...until today, when I decided to stop being so neurotic and just write!

This being my inaugural blog party, I thought I should probably define my purpose, my blogger personality if you will. I thought I wanted to write about fashion, but maybe what I really want is to write about style. Whenever I’m perplexed about such things, I turn to my literary best friend Dictionary.com for wisdom and guidance. Dictionary.com defines fashion as, "1. a prevailing custom or style of dress, etiquette, socializing, etc.; 2. conventional usage in dress, manners, etc." Style is defined as, "1. a particular kind, sort, or type, as with reference to form, appearance, or character; 2. a particular, distinctive, or characteristic mode of action or manner of acting." It would appear then, that style is the mode for fashion; it is putting fashion into action.

Putting fashion into action to create personal style is just like taking action on anything else; it requires initiative, courage, and trial and error. I find that what seems to hold us back most often, is fear. Great style, just like a great job, a great house, a great partner or great legs don’t just appear from the ether. You have to work at them. Luckily, there are a plethora of great resources available to help any fashion novice on her way to becoming a style maven. One of these great, local resources is The Neat Sheet, an independent daily style news source for Portland, Oregon. You can find The Neat Sheet at www.pdxneatsheet.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pdxneatsheet or on Twitter at http://twitter.com/pdxneatsheet.

Style is forever, so check your fears at the door and create something that’s uniquely you...if your initial foray turns out to be a failure, fear not...I once permed my bangs, creating the most unfortunate and unflattering style known to any young woman. I rebounded, so will you!