Interview with our Hostess Extraordinaire, Peyton Russell
We just love working with Alicen's college roommate, Peyton! She's a great friend to us and the business. If you live in Alabama, you may see her soon at an upcoming trunk show so don't forget to say hello!
How do you know the Ladies of Eyelet & Ivy?
Alicen was one of my pledge sisters and college roommates at Auburn during our Junior and Senior years. I won’t spill all of the stories but I will tell you we had a lot of fun. Life got in the way and we were just at different chapters of our lives for a period of about 10 years in our mid twenties and early thirties. It wasn’t that we weren’t friends but we just were more distant than we had been in the past. But when my youngest daughter, Ann Worth, was born 6.5 weeks early and was in the NICU where I spent countless hours Alicen was the dearest friend and came and sat with me for hours at the hospital one day and we picked up right where we left off. It was like we had never skipped a beat. She is an amazing friend and I couldn’t do life without her. I’ve never had the chance to meet Evey but we’ve had many text conversations, and I’m pretty sure we’d be great friends if we lived in the same city.
Name, family info, hometown, kids, pets, husband's name.
Peyton Russell and I’m from Decatur, AL but living in Birmingham, AL now which is where I met my husband Vaughan. We have two daughters, Mary Glynn who is 9 and Ann Worth who is 5. We have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Palmer and a rescue kitty named Forrest.
What do you look for when shopping for your children's clothing?
I love traditional children’s clothing. I am a lover of heirloom dresses but those of course are not anything we wear every day so I look for quality items that are affordable. I also like things that suit my children’s ages and don’t make them look too old or two young. I find that often times people try to dress their children older than they are. We only have them as children for awhile so I appreciate and enjoy dressing them as children. I also look for things they will feel comfortable in and that are functional which is one of the great things about Eyelet & Ivy because they are the clothes my girls reach for every day.
What's your favorite Christmas movie?
Christmas Vacation for the laughs and The Family Stone which has laughs but is also has a more serious tone.
What are you reading or watching right now?
I’ve just started the book “Raising Worry-Free Girls”. I hope their is a sequel called “How to Be a Worry-Free Mom” I haven’t watched anything noteworthy lately. I’d say my favorite shows are “Project Runway”, “Big Brother”, and “Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team”.
What's your favorite Holiday tradition with your family?
As a child it was making egg nog with my grandmother!! We did it every year and she passed away about 4 months ago so it will be sad not having her with us this year. With my family as an adult I just love the tradition of going and buying the Christmas tree all together (we go to several lots because I have to see all my options in order to find the perfect tree) and then listening to Christmas music and decorating it together.
What's the best advice someone has given you about motherhood? Who gave it to you?
To enjoy each stage and phase of your children’s lives because they are fleeting and go by so fast. Several people have told me that and so I am trying to listen and follow that advice.
