Vintage Back-to-School

As long and eagerly as we wait for summer to come, by the middle of August, we can't help but start to feel excited for fall. Especially back-to-school shopping. We love the challenge of finding awesome vintage clothes for the kids....around town at consignment and vintage shops of course, but also online. Here are some of our favorite finds so far. Get them while you can!

Sweet vintage kid's (size 3) wool coat on Etsy, $81.08

Leisl dress (4T)  from The Littlest Shop, $24

Vintage plaid dress, $20 on Etsy

Petits Habits has the most darling vintage ensembles (129 Euros for the above), usually on the pricier side

This fringed sailboat top (for 7 years) is 54 Euros on Petits Habits

Cuuute vintage Mexican dress from the '60s, $48 on Etsy

Portland Pattern People

Courtesy Pattern People, via Portland Monthly

Loved this article in the new Portland Monthly about local design studio Pattern People. The best part? Seeing in 5 parts how exactly they devise their prints: start with photos, mix-n-match them, add background and tweak the colors, build a repeating geometric pattern, overlay. (The pattern above is the final product.) It's probably more complicated than it sounds, but still, don't you want to try it at home??

This "Camo Floral" pattern can be download for free on Pattern People

"Feathers" is another free download on their site

Sounds of Summer: Washed Out

What we're listening to right now...from the new Washed Out record, "Paracosm," due August 13 from Sub Pop.

An Anthropologie Spring

Plover Organic's "Foulard" table runner, $68, only at Anthropologie

Here at Plover Organic, we're pretty partial to Anthropologie. And our favorite time to shop is Spring, when the garden's starting to pop, friends are emerging from self-imposed winter seclusion (ourselves included!), and it's time to think about entertaining again. Some of our favorite warm-weather inspirations from Anthro are below, including, of course, two new tabletop offerings from yours truly: Plover Organic cotton napkins and table runners in "Redux" and "Foulard." Happy Springtime!

Genius! We make ice cream all summer long, and have struggled to find the perfect (i.e., NOT plastic) presentation.   These porcelain and enamel ice cream holders come in 5 colors and are great for picnics.  $48

We're in love with the colors on the Knotted Melati Hanging Chair, $498

This sweet Carved Anemone Vase reminds me of my grandmother's house...in a good way.  Perfect for fresh clippings from the garden. $24

Our "Redux" napkin, $12, at Anthropologie

The Hobnail Tumber is a staple at Anthro, and we stock up every season on this vintage reproduction.  $10

Not only does this Coral Cliffs Butter Dish look rad, we're betting it doesn't slip out of your fingers (like so many of our now-broken butter dishes of the past), $18

New Music Valentine: Cayucas

"High School Lover" by Cayucas. Their record Bigfoot is out April 30th on Secretly Candian. We can't wait.

Magic Carpets

Vintage textiles are still the most inspiring/inspired stuff out there, and we can't get enough. Our latest source: "Berber Carpets of Morocco: The Symbols, Origin and Meaning," by Bruno Barbatti.  A fascinating read (who knew carpets were so sexy?), but it's the incredible rugs that will draw you in. (Pardon any blurriness, but you're meant to be enticed to buy the book for yourself!) Some of our favorites are below...

State Give-Back Packs

Love these backpacks for more than their looks...State Bags has a one-for-one sales policy

Here at Plover, we are big fans of the "One For One" movement/philosophy/new capitalism. With State Bags, for every backpack you purchase, one will be donated to a student growing up in an impoverished neighborhood in the U.S. State Bags was founded by non-profit veterans Scot and Jacqueline Tatelman, who were tired of "seeing countless kids carrying their most precious possessions in trash bags."  Shop State Bags here—everything from colorful cotton bags for $55 to upscale leather for $225—and know that another bag will go to a child who really needs it. (State did their first "bag drop" just last week in Brooklyn...pretty awesome.)