{tuesday shoesday} white & silver

{via style me pretty}

If my shoes looked like this, I'd be giving them a hug, too. Just sayin'.

{holiday} christmas cards

As a designer, I'm always thinking two holidays ahead! I've had Christmas on my mind for awhile now, so of course I had to participate in the 2011 Minted Holiday Challenge.

Ideally, I'd win and these will be for sale on minted.com. Realistically, if I don't make the cut these cuties will be for sale in my esty shop :)

{made with love} nursery inspiration

When it comes to our daughters nursery, I have a very non-traditional approach. Neither my husband or I are big on ' character themes', and the thought of having a Disney/Butterfly/Princess/whatever room just didn't sit with us well. Instead, we want a room that will grow with our child. It's pretty inevitable that in a few years, she will want that Princess bedding (what little girl doesn't like Cinderella?!) but in the mean time, I don't want to shove a specific theme down her (uh, or our...) throat.

Instead, we've chosen a muted color scheme with bold prints. It's pretty girly, and I personally like it that way.

I've already ordered the Ruffle Crib Skirt from Pottery Barn kids, but sadly, it's been back ordered again. Like, for the 3rd time. I'm annoyed, but also happy that I ordered it as soon as we found out we're having a girl. It was supposed to ship a few weeks ago, but I'm being told it won't ship until the end of July now!

I also have my eye on this bedding set, minus the crib skirt, by Carousel Designs:

It looks very pink in the photos, but I ordered fabric swatches and I have to tell you -- this is the most gorgeous fabric and color scheme I've ever set eyes on. I jumped with joy when their samples arrived in my mailbox. I thought I was torn on what patterns to use where on my custom bedding, but now I'm even more undecided!! This just goes to show you that what you see on your monitor is not necessarily what you'll see in person (and is another reason why I always recommend that clients print their proof before making a final decision on colors!)

Since I'll be using an all-white three-tier ruffle crib skirt, I wanted to stick with a bold pattern for the crib bumper & use a solid color for the crib sheets. I can't decide if I like their damask pattern or their little love birds better for the bumper, though! What do you think?

I've also been told that crib bumpers are dangerous, so I'll be doing more research on the topic and speaking to my OB about this before making a decision. In the mean time, it's fun to obsess over fabric and patterns!

UPDATE 6/14/11: My OBs office strongly advises against using crib bumpers, so that solves that problem! I've decided to order the crib sheets, blanket (to use when baby is a bit older) and changing pad covers in the fabrics from the above collection.

My #1 problem with this nursery is that most of the items I've found and liked are from Anthropologie.... which means huge expense. Since my big splurge is going to be the custom bedding, I'm trying to keep it wallet-friendly for the remainder of the room.

I'm eager to hear what you think about our inspiration and design direction for our sweet pea's room!

{made with love} it's a.....

I have had a gut feeling since the day I found out I was pregnant that we were having a little boy. I really have no reason for thinking this, but I was further convinced after every single old wives tale AND a Chinese gender chart told me I was having a boy. Everyone in my family, with the exception of my little cousin Vinny, thought I was having a boy. When I asked Vinny what he thought I was having, he said, "A girl. Her name is Girly Vincent." He said it so nonchalantly, like he totally knew what he was talking about. He didn't even take a break from playing Batman and Robin with his action figures!


We had our anatomy scan Wednesday morning, and spent two and a half hours staring at our little baby bean. Bean wasn't being very cooperative, and just like at the 11 week scan, bean was jumping all over the place... twisting and turning, flopping around, enjoying their little home. Needless to say, it took quite awhile to get all of the necessary measurements but I certainly didn't mind -- we even got to see Bean sucking their thumb!

And then came the really fun part: my friends wife runs the ultrasound department at the hospital, and she wanted to be the one to tell Ben & I what we were having. Our ultrasound tech said she'd run to get Tanya, and within a few minutes Tanya was squirting more cold gel on my belly.

She asked us what we thought we were having, and we both said boy. We were so convinced. But then she turned to us and said:

I cried. I don't know why I cried. I was so happy and so, so, so thankful to hear that we had a perfectly healthy little girl. Our daughter. My husband was elated! For the last three days, he's been beaming and telling me how much he loves his little girl. His daughter. He's already putty in her hands!!


We joked that it's a good thing we are having a girl because we absolutely could not agree on any boy names.

So, what's her name? Chloe. My husband asked me weeks ago how I felt about this name, and I just loved it. We decided that if we were having a girl, this is what her name would be.


Telling our family was amazing and so much fun. Everyone was so convinced that we were having a boy, and it came as such a surprise that we're having a girl. Just like when I told her I was pregnant, my nana screamed and dropped the phone on the floor. My sister surprised us with a few gifts for Chloe:

up next, her nursery mood board + inspiration!

{WOW} moments

{via modern life studios}

OK, so maaaayybe it's my pregnant hormones + cravings but WOWZA this is awesome. I need one, to eat, pronto!!

And in case you were wondering, this yogurt-topping-inspired bouquet was specially-designed by Haute Floral for Miss Frozen Yogurt. Have you ever seen anything so cute???

{made with love} 17 week update

well, I promised that I'd keep you all posted! I hope that my 17 week update isn't too boring :)

Day to Day Life: Things are slowly returning to my normal day-to-day routine. I'm staying up a bit later and going to bed around 9:30 or 10 now (which is a huge improvement from the 7pm a few weeks ago!) and sleeping throughout the night. I'm feeling very rested, but still lack a bit of energy come evening-time. I'm still waiting for that burst of energy everyone talks about in the second tri!

Weight: As of last Wednesday, I still haven't put on any weight. My OB and the nurse didn't seem to be the least bit concerned. I'm carrying very low, so my waist is still defined. I'm bigger in places I wasn't so big before so it's really hard for me to image that I haven't put on any weight yet! I look in the mirror and feel as though I've put on at least 10lbs, but I haven't. I'm guessing it's just shifted around.

Fashion: Definitely wearing maternity clothes now! There aren't many stores in my area that carry maternity clothes, so I've been relying on online shopping. I'd say at least 90% of my new wardrobe is from oldnavy.com. You seriously can't beat their pricing, and when stacked with coupon codes it's almost a shame not to cave and buy something new! I have several outfits from Kohls and Motherhood Maternity, too. My favorite outfit? Jean capri's with strappy sandals and a long tank top OR a bright maxi dress.

Sleep: I'm finding myself staying up later and later every day, sleeping throughout the night, and feeling extremely well rested in the morning.

Cravings: My non-existent appetite has exploded into full-on-hunger. I can't seem to eat enough! Fortunately for me, my cravings have been healthy foods -- hummus, strawberries, watermelon, salads and pickles. Yesterday, I ate three lunches. Yes, three!! With my humongous appetite, I consider myself completely lucky to have not put on a single pound yet.

Movement: Yup! I've been feeling slight movement and a popping sensation for the last three weeks now. Just starting this week, I've felt distinct kicks and jabs. It's still few and far between, but it's an incredible feeling and I can't wait until it's more consistent!

Milestones: We’ve chosen a name for our son or daughter, and go for our gender scan on May 25.

Thanks for reading my (very!) long update and allowing me to share this joy with you all!! :)

{font friday} matchbook.

Today's font is a super fun serif. I love using it when working with invitations, but I think it would look really great on a poster too!

And at a price tag of FREE, it would be a shame not to add Matchbook to your collection!

For more gorgeous typeface, be sure to visit my friends at Lauren Elise Crafted, Hank & Hunt, Little Bit Heart, Super Swoon, and Aerialist Press.

{inspiration} pretty pretty picnic

{WOW} moments

Today's WOW moment is brought to you by Alex Gibbs Photography:

if you're interested in seeing the entire wedding (and you should be!), kindly visit alex gibbs photography blog and check out the rest of the stunning photos from Jenn and Ryan's wedding.

{tuesday shoesday} comfy flats.

{via one stylish bride}

Head on over to my friends at Ruby & Willow, Post Cards & Pretties, and Brancoprata for more shoe candy.
ps: do you also participate in tuesday shoesday? let me know, and I'll add your link!

{new} pink lemonade party printables

I came across the sweetest photo of a little girl's birthday party. Her parents had built her her very own lemonade stand, and it made for the cutest photos. It really inspired me to create me own set of printables for your summer parties and picnics!

There are several purchasing options.

The invitation is available for $15.
The two signs and six 4" party circles are available for $25.
The cupcake/drink flags, water bottle labels and party circles are available for $25.
The whole set (invitation, signs, party circles [4" and 2.5"], water bottle labels, cupcake/drink flags) are available for $45.

I truly enjoyed designing this set, and hope you like it too!