May Trends for the Stylish Seattle Child

Downsizing, Upcycling
When Christina Collins-Pezzner looks at a pile of discarded clothes, she sees beautiful bits of opportunity. Her Ballard-based design business Ricicli (pronounced ree-chee-clee; riciclikids.com), turns gently used adult apparel into stylish, one-of-a-kind duds for boys and girls. After many years on the local fashion scene, including working with Nordstrom’s buying team, Collins-Pezzner realized her creative drive could be combined with her passion for the environment in a business focused on upcycling. Her magical touch—using quality fabrics and adding whimsical details such as ribbons, appliqués and vintage buttons—turns trash into treasure. An adult cashmere sweater becomes an adorable, one-button, infant wrap sweater.  A cotton hoodie becomes a toddler’s hooded jumpsuit. A knit shirt becomes a dapper vest. Collins-Pezzner is an avid thrift shopper who loves the idea of transforming something old into something new, and reducing waste in the process. “The more upcycling is done, the more impact it will make,” she says. Ricicli designs ($17–$60) can be found throughout Seattle, including at Bootyland on Capitol Hill and Monster Art & Clothing in Ballard.

The Giving Spree
It’s one thing to preach to your kids about thinking of others, being charitable and giving back to the community.  But when there are no actions behind the words, you might as well be saying, “Blah, blah, blah.” To help local parents walk the talk, Bellevue mom Rachael  Podolsky started KidServe Seattle (kidserveseattle.org), which connects 5- to 12-year-olds with age-appropriate volunteer experiences in the Seattle area. The easy-to-navigate website has five categories of volunteer opportunities—animals, art, social outreach, environmental causes, and health and wellness—and an online sign-up form. Click on the calendar and find listings and details for age, time, location and other requirements. Experiences range from doing an art activity with disadvantaged kids to packing and sorting at the food bank and planting trees in a wildlife habitat. Podolsky hopes more local organizations will partner with KidServe.

Blanket Statement
In need of a stroller blanket to keep the little ones dry and toasty in our can’t-get-any-wetter climate? We’re smitten with the new CityScape WooBee blanket, which wows outdoorsy parentals with its water resistance, excellent fit (thanks to adjustable ribbons that tie to the stroller) and supercool silk-screened design of urban Seattle. Phinney Ridge mom Heather Correa, founder of Rain or Shine Kids (rainorshinekids.com), picked a hometown scene that, in addition to the requisite Needle and Market, features insider spots such as the dragon sculpture in the International District, the Koolhaas-designed Central Library and the Fremont Troll. WooBees ($70 each) come in four color combos: turquoise/chocolate, pistachio/chocolate, pink/black and blue/pewter. The blankets can be taken from stroller to car seat, and are great for carrying and nursing.