Happy day after Mother's Day to all the mamas out there. I hope your day was filled with roses and a limited amount of poop filled diapers.
I was very lucky to have my mom visiting us from Florida this year. The kids love when Mimi (what they call her) visits. The suitcase will come filled with toys and treats and sometimes even clothes for Mimi to wear during her visit. The week is filled with snuggles and fun, and sometimes a shopping trip or two.
*Vanessa & Mom, circa 1978
I'm lucky to have an extra set of "Mom" hands in the house. The laundry pile will get significantly smaller. The clothes, perfectly folded, will actually find their way into the drawers. I've always wondered how that happened. As I write this she has already cleaned my son's room and cleaned up the kitchen. The dishwasher will be filled and emptied multiple times. If I'm lucky in just under four weeks I will find the bowls she put away in a cabinet I did not know we had. Socks will be rolled and the linen closet will be organized.
How does she do it all? It must come with the 38 years of mothering experince she has compared to my 6.5. Maybe the organization gene skipped me (but not my sister).
The truth is she is just an awesome mom, an awesome grandmother and a great friend.
Happy Mother's Day (or after) Mom!
-Vanessa
 Scoop up a pair of silk pants and pair with our short sleeve crew neck. Chic and comfy - our favorite combination!
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Once the weather gets warm, there’s a desperate need for as much fresh produce as possible. It’s as if the body misses the juiciness of a strawberry or the crunch of a fresh celery stalk or the ripeness of a tomato. Caprese salad combines everything that is great about spring: tomatoes, fresh and fragrant basil, creamy mozzarella. This rendition, with roasted tomatoes, speaks to spring and summer. It’s the perfect party popper for those backyard barbeques or poolside bashes.
Ingredients
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 ball fresh mozzarella cheese
6 to 8 leaves of basil, torn roughly
Salt and pepper to taste
Special tools: Wooden skewers
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking pan with foil. Place the tomatoes on the foil and toss with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes until the tomatoes just begin to burst. Meanwhile, cut the mozzarella into quarter inch thick slices. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and allow them to cool until they are able to be handled. Gently insert one tomato onto a skewer. Fold over a slice of mozzarella and put that on the skewer, followed by a basil leaf. Finish with one more tomato. Repeat with the remaining tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. Place on a serving platter and sprinkle with a bit of additional salt.
Serves 6 to 8
- Kim
There is something about deconstructed, distressed and destroyed denim that makes me excited for summer. The casual, easy, cool of cut-off shorts, frayed hems and seams and ripped-up knees are just the epitome of warm weather style to this tomboy with rock n’ roll style aspirations. And, because of that, I always get a hankering for a DIY denim project this time of year. In the event that you do too, I thought I would share some of my best practices.
Shorts
The best jean cut-off shorts are made from jeans that are one size too big so that they aren’t too tight on the thigh. Don’t have a pair that qualifies? Head to your local thrift or consignment store to scoop up a pair.
Try on the jeans and determine the length that you prefer and mark it with a pencil. Take them off and cut the jeans at a subtle angler that leaves the ineam just barely longer than the outer seam, roughly 2 inches longer than you originally measured. (Better safe than sorry as you can always cut more and sometimes a cuff can be a great look!) Cut more if needed, a little bit at a time. Run through the wash to get the hem to properly fray and enjoy!
Jeans
Take a cheese grater to the knees and upper thigh to create realistic looking wear and tear. Swipe in a horizontal motion as much or as little as you like to create the distressed look that you desire.
And/or chop off the hemline to create an on-trend frayed edge that skims the ankle bone. Perfect for the summer weather and to feature your favorite sandals and flats.
Chambray
Do you have one too many chambray shirts like I do? Take one of your least favorite toppers and lop the sleeves off. Cut right before the seam at the shoulder for a clean edge or cut right after the seam for frayed fringe.
Jackets
Have an extra denim jacket or one that isn’t quite right? Ditch the sleeves to create a denim vest or get out your cheese grater again to shred an elbow, shoulder, hem or the chest.
God-speed on your forays into fashion DIY’s! Your summer wardrobe will thank you!
- Marisa
Happy Monday everyone!
Last week was a test. A big one. I brought my 3.5 year old to work.
I am lucky to be allowed to bring my child to work for half a day – if not a full eight hours. Yes! Things can get accomplished and I can keep my PTO time for a moment someone is actually sick! Here are a few things you can find in your office supply closet that entertain your kids when you need to bring them to work.
There you have it. Five things to use from the office supply closet to keep the kids entertained while you do work or hang in the blanket fort!
- Vanessa
You may have noticed a few changes to our website. We worked hard to update our look and make it easier for you to order and communicate with us through this blog, social media and product reviews. What do you think?
In the meantime we're going to take a break over the weekend with some delicious popcorn courtesy of our food blogger, Kim. Go ahead and celebrate with us too!
When people think of popcorn, images of a calorie-laden, buttery and salted tub comes to mind. Eaten largely at movie theaters, those little popped kernels are given a bit of a bad rap. Popcorn, made without gobs of melted butter, can be a flavorful, healthy treat. Dress it up with some spices and seasonings instead of loading on the heart-clogging calories. Try this thyme-parmesan mixture out for size. Click on link below for recipe.
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Spring certainly has us excited for the future this year! In addition to re-vamping our website, Adea is also excited to announce that we will be re-vamping a few of our styles.
First, we’ve decided to rework our Short Sleeve Crew Neck and Short Sleeve Scoop Neck Layering Tops. In order to give them a more flattering, modern look, we have decided to elongate the sleeves to end just above the elbow. These longer sleeves will not only offer additional coverage for when wearing the top by itself, but they will also allow the top to layer seamlessly underneath cardigans and more snugly fitted jackets and blazers.
In addition, we’ve decided to update both our Spaghetti Strap Cami and our Extra Long Reversible Cami. Rather than treating them as two different styles, they will essentially become the same style, but offered in two different lengths. The straps will be widened just slightly to cover the average bra strap and both will be reversible with the option to wear them as either a scoop neck or a v-neck. Order it in either our standard length that will hit right at the hips or in a tunic length that will cover the butt. I recommend one of each length in white, black and nude-for-you to satisfy all your basic layering needs!
Both of these new styles will be available just in time for summer so be sure to keep an eye on the website so that you can order your new tops ASAP!
We’ve done it. This year we have signed L up for her first sport. Yikes.
After she heard friends were signing up for softball she begged to join as well. It is hard for us as working parents to be able to commit to do something like this. When you don’t get out of work until 5 and need to pick up to kids, feed them dinner, get them changed and head out the door to be somewhere by 6, it can be difficult. Let’s just say – we eat a lot of cereal on these days and someone is usually missing a shoe.
L has only been in Girl Scouts so far. She loves it and we love the cookies – a win / win for everyone. Venturing into softball, with no prior sports experience plus half of her genetics being from a very un-athletic mommy, will be interesting. We are looking forward to seeing her out there and of course cheering the team on each week. I imagine getting to the first few practices and praying that her 3 year old brother does not wander onto the field will be interesting. That is of course assuming we make it on time….
I’ll keep you posted.
-Vanessa
Chicken noodle soup is the first thing to enter people’s minds when they think comfort food. It’s hearty and warm without being overly heavy. And even in the summer, a big bowl of chicken soup can be comforting and delicious. Sometimes, however, it is a little fun to make a few tweaks to the classics. This chicken soup replaces noodles with pearl couscous for a new an unexpected twist on the old traditional soup. Get the yummy recipe here:
The women who wear Adea are a diverse and exciting bunch of ladies and we are always curious to learn more about each of them. Once a month we highlight an Adea customer and share their personal story and style sense with you. We hope you enjoy reading about them as much as we do. This month we interviewed Christine Tieri, mother, wife, and owner of Smith & Jones, an idea agency. Read the full interview by clicking below:
Over the past few years, the phrase “direct to consumer” has earned a lot of buzz in the fashion industry. Numerous apparel companies have been created with this as their focus and still others who were already in business have been championing this concept as what sets them apart in the industry.
“Direct to consumer” refers to the fact that a brand or designer has chosen to sell straight to their customer either through their own brick-and-mortar store or online rather than selling through boutiques or department stores in a traditional wholesale manner. Not only does this provide the brand or designer with higher profit margins and more control over the presentation of their brand, it also provides the consumer with the best possible pricing and shopping experience.
Adea is proud to say that we have been selling “direct to consumer” since 2008 through myadea.com and plan to continue to do so as long as we can! Because of this choice, you can trust that you are getting a high quality product at the best possible price when you shop our online store. We control the design and the production and we know exactly where our fabrics are sourced and the conditions under which the factory’s employees are working.
Just yet another reason to lounge in and layer with Adea! You not only get beautiful colors, stylish fits, warmth, coverage and the softest of materials, but you also can rest assured that you are getting your base layers for the best price and that they are being made with the best quality materials in humane conditions. Three cheers for “direct to consumer” apparel!
Today is Patriot’s day in Massachusetts so there is no work for me and no daycare for A. Big sister is at Nana’s for a whole week because she gets a whole week off of school. Being 6 is awesome.
So today we will have what we call “Mommy / A Day”. Fun activities for just the two of us. We will start with a yummy breakfast at “Old McDonald’s” aka McDonald’s. This is a special occasion breakfast visit – we will have some pancakes and then go run some errands.
When we get home we will do the following:
I’m not going to lie. I’m really looking forward to it!
