an inspiring mission

we love to find stories like this!

meet kirsten and sophia, founders of raven + lily (ravenandlily.com). with the mission of "empowering impoverished women through design partnerships and microenterprise opportunities," they are bringing us unique ways to better the lives of our global sisters.

volunteers gather monthly in la to design one-of-a-kind scarves, cards and other paper goods, with proceeds furthering the overall vision of the organization. what's so cool about these pieces is, all materials used in their creation are remnants donated by various design industry supporters (including cynthia vincent).

in addition to this los angeles collection, lines designed in collaboration with women in northern india and east africa are in development, scheduled for online ordering this fall. all net profits go back to the local communities, in the form of fair wages to the artisans and support of future microenterprise.

we'll be sure to keep you posted, but feel free to sign up for the r+l enews at http://www.ravenandlily.com/stayconnected.html

we salute you, raven +lily, for reminding us that "all women are beautifully created with great value and purpose, yet some women have been devalued and oppressed by their society." thanks to your courageous efforts, we're able to (fashionably!) make a difference in the lives of beautiful women on the other side of the world.

volunteer, financially donate, and pray for this life-saving work at http://www.ravenandlily.com. what's that...do we hear san diego volunteer party??

we're ba-ack...and with a surprise!

hello friends!

well, we guess you could say we've taken a rather-extended spring break, but we're back and more excited than ever to start san diego-spotting again!

and during this break, we learned that one of us....is expecting! bring on the summer maternity wardrobe and stockpile of kitschy onesies!

and so, to share some of our recent mommy-to-be finds:

the staple tank

when it comes to dressing the bump, we all know liz lange has this thing down, and we picked up her long and lean tank in both black and sky blue. perfect for layering and oh-so-comfy!

http://www.target.com/Liz-Lange-Long-Lean-Ebony/dp/B001RLF44I/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_4?ie=UTF8&pf_rd_r=1153TVA0VHJWX3EDSF39&pf_rd_p=447415501&pf_rd_i=B001EIDK9A&pf_rd_s=left-5&pf_rd_m=A1VC38T7YXB528&pf_rd_t=201

the flutter-sleeve kimono top

transport yourself to the islands with this hawaiian smocked top from charlotte russe. fun for a birthday lunch or backyard bbq, paired with jeans and jeweled thong sandals, with just the right amount of stretch to cutely hug the bump. on the conservative side? pick up their cami (available in a variety of colors) to hide the quickly-growing girls!http://www.charlotterusse.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3583151

the work dress

we must confess that we haven't actually bought this one, but from buyer reviews -- it appears to be a winner.

for those of us corporate mommies-to-be, finding a perfect sheath can be tricky (especially with the front load ever-expanding!). we'll definitely be giving this liz lange version in brown a whirl and we'll keep you posted.

now starts the hunt for a chocolate brown and lime (electric blue? pink? orange?) cardigan...

http://www.target.com/Liz-Lange-Target-Sheath-Dress/dp/B001C48GGI/ref=br_review_1?ie=UTF8&pf_rd_r=0B629KR2P5JTAAZJJKGY&pf_rd_p=471801991&pf_rd_i=B001CGTOLM&pf_rd_s=bottom-11&activetab=Reviews&pf_rd_m=A1VC38T7YXB528&pf_rd_t=201

question for our friends: can anyone share thoughts on finding cute and comfortable flats? we'd love to not have to sacrifice style for 8 hours' toll on the feet...look forward to hearing from you!

** and of course, no pregnancy entry would be complete without a nod to cravings. we got our fix with a plate of san diego's best fries, on a saturday night date at maryjane's. walk -- no, run! -- to give them a taste! **

http://www.hardrockhotelsd.com/dining-&-nightlife/maryjanes-coffee-shop