the littlest + sakura bloom

What a fun way to start the week (and just in time for Mother's Day): I am excited to let you know about a brand new, limited edition sling being launched today by Sakura Bloom!

Elizabeth and her daughter, Elodie.

Designed by Elizabeth Antonia, author of the blog The Littlest and winner of The 2011 Sakura Bloom Styleathon, The Littlest Sling is handcrafted of a blended cotton delicately striped with blue and adorned with swiss dots, edged with a gorgeous vintage paisly eyelet.

Isn't it beautiful?  I think this sling perfectly captures the elegant, charming, stylish ethos that keeps me coming back to read The Littlest time after time.  Elizabeth does everything with such grace and beauty, and this design is no exception.  I am reminded of something she wrote during the Styleathon that has stuck with me ever since (I find it even more meaningful now that I have a daughter):

"How has my style changed since elodie came into my life? call me romantic but i imagine the way she sees me and it makes me want to put on a flowy dress or a vibrant print. i always think about the memories i am creating with my family. my husband says i live too much in a fantasy land...'and i remember my mother, the bustle of her skirts, the song she sang and her honeysuckle perfume.' but she is a part of my story and i am a part of hers.

my life experience has made up so much of my style -- riding bikes, music, foreign countries, loneliness, cooking, the desert, dinner parties, becoming a wife, work presentations, being a sister, making new friends, becoming a mother, reading biographies, staying up late with my grandma at bingo, living in a city, growing up near the ocean, rocking my baby to sleep, singing, heartache -- these things and more have overlapped creating me. along the way i have worn whatever i fancied without thinking too much about it. vintage, modern, rock n' roll, prep, bohemian -- whatever caught my eye and felt right made it's way into my closet. 

and now? i accessorize less. i'm not as fussy about my hair or makeup. i live in dresses, jeans, slouchy shirts and carry big totes. i don't agonize over my outfit choices, i know what i can rock and what i can't. being so in tune with another human being has instilled me with a confidence that i could have never imagined. i feel good in my skin and wish the same for her. but overall, i'd say my favorite change to my style since having elodie has been my search for items that will one day be hers. artifacts from my life that will fill her with wonder or entertain her. whether it's a coin purse from italy, a vintage dress, a leather bag she can wear when she is thirty, i have streamlined my purchases to be a little more special than before. as for the best accessory she has given me -- that's easy -- happiness. i cannot stop smiling."

The Littlest + Sakura Bloom, a Collaboration.