Celebrating Mother's Day with Artifact Uprising

This post is a paid partnership and contains affiliate links at no additional cost to you.

Motherhood has been my greatest adventure and biggest joy. For my first Mother’s Day, I partnered with Artifact Uprising to create keepsakes of my favorite film photos. For myself, I chose the Everyday Photo Book and filled it with images from pregnancy up to my daughter’s six months of life. For my mother, now an Isoäiti, I had enlarged a photo of the three of us and chose the elegant walnut Banister Wood Frame, which was expertly printed, matted, and framed.

It’s incredible how fast time flies. These beautifully printed photos serve as a daily reminder of this life I’ve been given. And I appreciate the little moments of motherhood all the more.

For 15% off your order, use code TAYLORKRISTIINA15.

 

Maternity and Nursing Wear with Longevity

Much of traditional maternity wear is temporary and mass produced in synthetic fabrics. Designed and made to be worn for a few months, then forgotten. But I believe clothing should last. Which is why during my pregnancy I had refused to purchase marketed “maternity” wear. Rather, I invested classic pieces in natural fabrics with loose and expandable silhouettes. Button up cinch dresses, expandable waistbands, and oversized blouses gave me room to grow and shrink. 

Now that I’m nursing, I continue to wear the same pieces that carried me through pregnancy. I have been particularly fond of oversized tees and button ups as they are easy for quick nursing and provide enough coverage to remain modest if I forget my cover.

Shop my maternity style collection here.

Wearing Zii Ropa Nella Dress

Wearing Ozma of California All Day Pants

Wearing Trovata Hildie Dress (sold out, similar here)

 

My Favorite Baby Brands

This post contains gifts and affiliate links at no additional cost to you.

 

The Pehr Bunny Hop Quilted Blanket (similar here), Haba Kringelring Clutching Toy (Anja’s favorite!), and Nanchen Doll with Wooden Teether 

Anja and I soaked in the evening sun in the garden. We listened to the birds and watched the bees as the sky turned to dusk. She enjoyed her favorite toys and experienced for the first time the curious soft green spikes growing out from the soil.

It has been seven months since my daughter arrived earthside and in that time, we’ve discovered a lot of great brands that make our favorite products. Below is a small curated list of brands and websites that we love and enjoy. 

Photos shot on 35mm film.

TO WEAR:

Pehr 
Organic Zoo
Maisonette
Magnetic Me

TO PLAY:

Bella Luna Toys
The Mulberry Tree
The Nestling Co.
Toki Kids Mat – Receive 10% off your order at tokikids.com with this link.

TO CARE:

Motherlove –Receive 15% off your order with code TAYLORKRISTIINA15.
Summer Solace – Receive 10% off your order of $25 or more with code TAYLORKRISTIINA.
Ecoriginals – Receive $20 off select diaper packs with code TAYLORKRISTIINA

TO ACCESSORIZE:

LALO
Artipoppe

Anja is wearing the Pehr stripe bucket hat and Magnetic Me onesie (similar here)

Meadows Book Club: 2025 Reading List

I am a month late on releasing this year’s reading list – my apologies! It’s going to be a hectic year and truth be told, I am still catching up on the list from last year. For 2025 I just have three great novels for your consideration, all of which are relatively short. The Screwtape Letters will be the most philosophical of the bunch. Pro tip: prayerfully request wisdom before embarking on each chapter. Happy reading!

Animal Farm by George Orwell (1945)

“Comrades!' he cried. 'You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. I dislike them myself. Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health. Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organisation of this farm depend on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink the milk and eat those apples.”

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925)

“He smiled understandingly-much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced--or seemed to face--the whole eternal world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey.”

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis (1942)

“Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts… Your affectionate uncle, Screwtape.”

 

Pregnancy Project Throw Quilt

This handcrafted heirloom throw quilt was made for my daughter. The second quilt in my portfolio and I am thoroughly in love with how it turned out. The uneven stitches, off-center blocks, and the graphic backing created from the extra fabric. The entire quilting process has been a complete joy.

I have another “sunshine red and yellow” quilt that I am working on and it will be for sale (at this rate) towards the end of the year.

For now, baby quilts can be purchased in the shop - tonal cream with a pop of color in the hand-stitching.

Bespoke quilts handmade upon request. 

In the Cotswolds

Winter in Southern California

A quick trip back to the Golden State. Orange County, California. My old stomping grounds and my daughter’s first time back home by the pacific. Winter in California is my favorite time of the year. The mornings and evenings are cool and breezy while the afternoon sun warms up the skin. Tourists are few and far between and the 25 minute free parking spot downtown is open so I can grab my favorite 7am cup of java and walk the pier.  It’s perfect. Life is swell. God is good.

In Progress: 1940’s Silk Blouse

I am channeling my inner Dagny Taggert with this 1940’s silk blouse. The fabric is a beautiful deadstock cream dupioni with a lovely textured-hand but regrettably my sewing machine did not like to work with it. I opted to hand-stitch most of the piece to prevent as much puckering as possible. I used a beautiful matching silk thread with silk needles, of course. While the pattern calls for a front breast pocket, I decided that it wasn’t a feature I wanted to include. My shoulders must be askew because the blouse sits perfectly on me while showing a little pucker on my mannequin. What can I say, no one’s perfect!

The last step is to create the button holes and add the buttons. The pattern originally called for bound button holes but in my stubbornness I decided against it. Regardless of which button hole style I choose, I am admittedly nervous so the blouse sits unfinished on my mannequin. 

“She was fifteen when it occurred to her for the first time that women did not run railroads and that people might object. To hell with that, she thought - and never worried about it again.”

— Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

Quilts in 2025

I had so much fun making my last three quilts that I’ll be offering a few one of a kind pieces in this new year. Natural fibers are extremely important to me so they will be made entirely from earth-and-skin-friendly materials. I will not be using any plastic materials such as polyester. The exterior, interior, and thread throughout will be cotton, bamboo, wool, and the like. I personally do not purchase something I cannot wash, so my goal is to make easy hand-washable quilts. The first available offering is a made to order Baby Quilt made from cream tonal fabric and custom colored thread for a small pop of color. Makes a wonderful heirloom for yourself, a friend, or family member.

Around Here

We moved across the country in October and I’m still getting settled in our new home. After almost ten years, we finally found permanence and a place to call our own. I had longed for a lovely studio and so my husband has graciously allowed me to claim the basement great room as my own. With the vintage wood paneling, beautiful light from big windows, and bountiful storage, I’m able to create to my hearts content. In winter you’ll find me knitting by the fire and in summer I’ll be watching my daughter and dog play while I stitch away.