The Nonchalant Mom Dreams Up a Mother's Day That's at Once Glamorous and Earthy

By Jen Smith
April 29, 2011

The Nonchalant Mom is the one we all envy at the playground—effortlessly but undeniably pulled together; surrounded by a gaggle of happy children dressed in stylish but sweet but stylish clothing. Her home is equally glamorous, but not too precious—there are loads of handmade and all-natural toys at-hand. (Oh, and her husband is pretty cute, too!)

Nonchalant Mom

Washington DC Travel Guide with the Kids: Nonchalant Mom Carina Schott and family, pictured in her blog on a post about a trip to Washington, DC.

When the Nonchalant Mom is not blogging and selling her fashion trends and gift picks for both moms and little ones under a website of the same name, she goes by Carina Schott.

After having her first child in 2002 (she now has two), mommy blogger Carina Schott and her husband headed from Manhattan to Rhode Island to start a new life. “Nonchalant Mom was born from a need to find great toys, clothes and information on natural parenting, all in one place," she tells us. "It wasn’t on the internet yet and I knew I could bring these ideals together, and make it fun! I also wanted to meet other parents that enjoy these things, and create a community of 'natural parents' so I don’t feel so alone." Carina Schott, whose mom blog boasts 184,000 monthly visitors, has succeeded in showing how to nurture a well-designed family life. She sells clothing from hard-to-find brands like Lem Lem, Luckyfish, Nico Nico and Shampoodle, along with books, toys and jewelry. She also offers parenting tips travel ideas, and “hosts” question and answer forums for parents.

Nonchalant Mom

From Nonchalant Mom: Littl by Lilit Alice Dress ($68); ABC Wood Blocks ($38); Nico Nico Sky Flag T-Shirt ($34)

Nonchalant Mom

From Nonchalant Mom: Cedar Black Kuma Bear ($48); Maison de Vacances LOVE Cushion ($76); Vintage Glass Locket Necklace ($98)

With Mother's Day around the corner, we asked parenting resource Carina Schott to share a favorite Mother’s Day memory. "It has to be the time I sat down and wrote my mother a long letter," she responds. "I think I had just done some kind of self-help course. I was in my twenties so I was out of the house already. It felt great to say everything I had bottled up in my Swedish constitution. We don't do that often enough. That reminds me I should do it this year, too!”

As for what her own ideal Mother's Day gift would be: “I love The Parker hotel in Palm Springs, so I would probably go there. That would also put us close enough to shopping in L.A., which is my favorite place to shop these days! For Mother’s Day, I don't want to think about much... All of the below is something I know I love and would enjoy, although it's hard for me to pass up a good camping trip!!”

We hope Schott's husband and kids are reading closely, since here's what Mama wants for Mother's Day!

Roll over items for details

Braun Dieter Rams Tube Radio

(buy it now price, $1,150)

60s Danish Shag Rug

(buy it now price, $750)

Marni “Retro-Modern” Coat

(starting bid, $416)

Marni Yellow Metallic Leather Bag

(buy it now price, $300)

Chaos Lakeside 1971

(buy it now price, $15)

1968 Ford Bronco Bronco

(starting bid, $4,900)

Swedish Retro Fabric

Braun Dieter Rams Tube Radio

(buy it now price, $1,434.59)

2007 Scamp Camper Trailer

(starting bid price, $6,800)

Eames Aluminum Mid Century

(current bid, $710)

The Nonchalant Mom Dreams Up a Mother's Day That's at Once Glamorous and Earthy

1. Braun Dieter Rams Tube Radio: Nonchalant Mom is adamant about her top choice on her mother’s day gift wish list. “I have been looking for this thing for-ever... I saw it once at a Paris flea market many years ago and have wanted one ever since... now it's on eBay and I may die...” (eBay search keywords: Braun Dieter Rams)

2. 60s Danish Shag Rug: “I am a bit rug crazy,” admits Schott, “so 'rugs' is one of my most sought after searches!” (eBay search terms: '60s shag rugs)

3. Swedish Retro Fabric: Mommy blogger Carina Schott is nothing if not generous. “I’m going to give away one of my trade secrets here, but I buy a lot of fabric from the Swedish eBay website Tradera,” says Schott. “My cousins bid for me and have the fabrics shipped locally. It’s the best excuse to hop on a plane to Sweden!” (search keywords: Swedish fabric)

4. Marni “Retro-Modern” Coat: “Sometimes I need something spectacular to pull myself together quickly. Something I can throw on and feel great in. This jacket is not only spectacular, it’s season-less. It’s versatile, too, which is most essential for me. I can’t wait to wear it with jeans and my Swedish Hasbeens or No. 6 clogs." (search keywords: Marni coat)

5. Marni Yellow Metallic Leather Bag: Yellow is never out of style for The Nonchalant Mom. “I am crazy for this tone—this bag will NEVER be mainstream.” (search keywords: Marni bag)

6. Chaos Lakeside 1971: Carina Schott often buys vintage games from eBay online auctions. “My sister is on the cover of this game. We both were child models. I worked a lot for Target and she worked a lot for Fingerhut (both big Minneapolis companies),” the mom blogger reminisces. (search keywords: Chaos Lakeside)

7. 1968 Ford Bronco: “I am a car nut!” declares Schott. “It drives my husband crazy; he could care less about cars!... I have loved vintage cars since I lived in San Francisco in the '90s. I had a boyfriend with a bathtub Porsche. I ground the gears on that poor car into the ground on all those hills. It's possible it's the only reason I dated him!” (search keywords: Ford Bronco)

8. Braun Dieter Rams Tube Radio: “Again, a Braun item!” says, Schott, who is not the only one to covet vintage Braun items designed by famed industrial designer Dieter Rams... so are the designers at Apple! (search keywords: Braun Dieter Rams)

9. Eames Aluminum Chairs: Schott and her husband bought their office chairs from eBay. “It sounds cliché, but eBay really is a perfect place to go for quality things for a good price!” (search keywords: Eames mid-century chairs)

10. 2007 Scamp Camper Trailer: For Schott, the excitement of acquiring this “little baby” is the thought of redoing the interior in a Nonchalant Mom way. She envisions new seat covers, new textiles throughout, design upgrades in the kitchen (wood counters, eBay lighting finds) to make a family camping trip easy as well as aesthetically pleasing. Plus, this trailer is so light, a VW Bug could pull it. (search keywords: Scamp camper)

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