Funky Tights & Dress Coats

Hey girls,
  Last Friday I had the pleasure of helping to style my new friend, Jill.  She is so fun - super easy to talk to and laugh with.  We shopped a good part of the day and found her several new items for her closet.  A couple of our conversations inspired today's blog post.  We were talking about options for tights/leggings under dresses and I reminded her that funky tights are so fun and people forget that they can be a great accessory.  I also asked her about a staple dress coat for the winter that she can wear with dresses (or even with pants for a different look).  I really think a good, basic dress coat is a huge necessity if you are someone who likes to dress up some.
  This last Sunday we were early for church (only because we were late for the first service and so then decided to go to second service ;)) and I realized that my outfit embodied both of these topics so we grabbed a couple pictures at the park where we were playing with the kids.

Dress:  Sears - Kardashian Kollection

Tights:  Maurices? It was years ago...

Shoes:  Target

Coat:  Maurices

I hope this gives you some fun ideas for fall/winter!

Cheers!

Joy

Scarlett Turns 6 Months

My sweet, cuddly girl turned 6 months on Sunday and I can't even believe it.  Time goes SO MUCH faster the 2nd time around.  What a joy she is to me (and our family) and I love watching her little personality develop.  She is not as happy-go-lucky as Simon was (at her age) but she is still a pretty happy baby and definitely is a lot more aware of things than he was.  She definitely is just as social and loves to "talk" but being in loud crowds for a while will over-stimulate her (un-like Simon) so then she needs to retreat to a room where she can have some alone, quiet time.  That is something that I totally get as I was much the same way for a lot of my life.  I would actually get raging headaches as a child when I had been in loud, social functions for too much time.

  Our oldest niece, Maddi, was in town and snapped a few pictures for us to commemorate Scarlett turning 6 months.  Maddi did Simon's 6 month pictures (in this same park!) so it was neat to do them again with her.

                                   

You know, we really tried to get one with all of us looking ;)

I just had to put this one in because it cracks me up =)

Scarlett's Nursery

I have slowly been working on a nursery for Scarlett and while I still feel like it's not done, I have come to the realization that it's probably as "done" as it's going to be until we switch her to more of a big girl room.  I do have some more things I would love to get for her but I think I will wait until we have her bed (and not crib) in there so that I'm not doing a room now and then again later.
  Once again, the pieces we have for her have all been generously donated to us (she is using the same crib Simon did) so while they don't match, I'm not caring at this point because most of them will leave once we switch her room over anyways (no changing table, no crib etc).
  I love neutral colors for her while still adding a feminine touch and a bit of glam (let's face it, she's MY daughter after all).  =)  Pictures still need to be printed off for her wall (you'll see an empty frame!  ;)) so that's still to come as well.

Of course they had to pose in the crib 

Playing on her rug

I just love the mobile

Gold Mirror:  Target

Pillows:  Target

Lamp:  Walmart

Basket (on dresser):  Homegoods

White Mirror:  Walmart

Rug:  Ikea

Curtains:  Pottery Barn

Mobile:  Pottery Barn

Cheers!

Joy

Blmommy.com

Hey girls,
  http://blmommy.com/mommy/ is a pregnancy/beauty site that I follow on instagram and I think they are just so fun.  You will find everything on there from blog posts to photo shoots to birth to babies, beauty and everything in-between. I love scrolling through all the different photo shoots that various photographers have done.  It is so fun to see all these beautiful families celebrating a new, little life.

  One fun thing on there is that they feature different photographers from different states so if you are looking for one that specializes in shoots from maternity to newborn (or 6 month or 1 year photos) etc, it can be a good resource for you!

  They also just started printing actual magazines and because of our amazingly talented photographer, Christa Taylor, our photos were picked to be featured in one of their prints!  I have already ordered a couple copies (I want to make sure I save one for Scarlett for when she is grown). But, if you click here, you should be able to see the digital version.  We are featured starting on page 133.  =)

Anyways, just a fun tidbit for you.  And Christa's info is on the page too so you can schedule with her for your next shoot. She truly is amazing and has given our family such a gift with these photos.

Cheers!

Joy

  

Nails: What's the Scoop

Ladies, today we will be discussing the latest trends with nails. Yes, even nails have trends (like everything else).  I am totally NOT an expert in this field but let's just say that I have tried them ALL and definitely have a favorite.

When I was in highschool and college, the acrylic nail was touted as the best:  This is where they attach a false nail to the end of your own nail and then fill it in with a hard solution.  It can make your nails feel a lot stronger (and thicker).

The classiest look for them was, of course, the french manicure.  Now, I don't think acrylics will go away anytime soon, but there are certain ways of wearing them that will look outdated.  For example, while there is nothing wrong with a french manicure, it's more "in" right now to do a solid look and if you want more the french feel then do a light pink or even a solid white on your whole nail. If you like them really long, try the pointed look to be super trendy.

-Gel Nails - these are basically the same as acrylics so there's nothing really to differentiate here.

-Gel Manicure:

Okay, as you may have guessed, this is my current favorite.  A gel manicure is a regular manicure in which they use a polish that is thicker and hard.  It is not a regular polish, it is a gel consistency. This allows you to showcase your own nails but have your color last a lot longer than a regular manicure.  I can stretch these out to about 3 weeks if I have to (and if I go to the right salon), although, depending on the color it will go longer or shorter.  Square is still in as is the pointed nail.  I have never bought one of these kits to try at home because I really am not good at painting my own nails. =)  These manicures typically run around $25 a session which I think is pretty reasonable.  Some people have said that this gel color leaves their nails weakened afterwards.  If you are not going to be doing this regularly then a tip to avoid weakening your nails is do not pick at the color when it starts to come off!  Soak them in acetone, scrape it off and then buff your nails (or pay $5 to have them take it off).

-Regular Manicures - I think any manicure will never go out of style and while I have done these before (typically if I'm doing a color that will look dirty soon - aka, white), I know that the color will chip after only a few days and it's not worth it to me to keep going back weekly.  (Also, I love that the gel color makes my nails a little thicker and stronger so that they don't break as easily.) As a Mom, I'm pretty hard on my nails. =)



So, that's my run down of the different kinds of nail options out there.  Here are a few random tips to keep in mind:

-Shorter, clean, nicely painted nails will never look out of style. =)
-White nails are super hot right now but it will look dirty faster so maybe don't pay for a gel color if you are just going to want it off in a week.
-Black nails are still really in although they are more of a fall and winter look
-Any light, nude color is extremely classy and will make your hands and arms look longer and more graceful (a bright color will not do that for you as it breaks up the overall look from your arm down your hand).
-If you like it, the pointed "cat" nail is something fun to try.
-Pick a color that will compliment the colors in your closet
-French is okay if you love it but it's a tad "outdated" at this point =)

Cheers!

Joy

Maxi-SKIRTS

Okay, I have been wanting to write this post for a while because I love finding ways to use different articles of clothing to create multiple looks.  One of the easiest ways to do this is to wear dresses as skirts.  Yes, I do this a lot.

One of my pet peeves is when I buy a maxi dress, wash it and it shrinks several inches and becomes too short.  That means that I now have to pair it with flats (which are ok sometimes, but yes, I am a girl who likes her heels ;)) OR it looks super awkward and highwater ish.

Example A 

So, I decided to wear some of mine as a skirt instead which then makes it longer and allows me to wear the heels I like.

Of course I had to get a couple pictures with Miss Scarlett because she was looking so cute in her green dress.  She is in such a fun stage right now and I am really enjoying her a lot.

For this look to work, I wore a black tank top and used a belt to cover the top of the dress (because it had the sweetheart neckline).   I'm not sure why it looks bunched up in some pictures - I didn't realize til after they were taken and it was too late to fix it.  ;)  You can find lots of ways to make dresses into skirts and it's so fun to have a new look without buying a new piece.


Dress:  It's super old - I got it long before I was ever married.  Hot Topic I think?
Shoes:  Target
Tank Top:  Motherhood Maternity (please tell me I'm not the only one who loves maternity tank tops??)


So tell me, how do you like to re-use your dresses?  I love new ideas.  =)

Cheers!

Joy

St. Tropez

Okay girls,
  My latest summer obsession is the St. Tropez Tanning Mousse!  Seriously, if you haven't tried it, you are missing out!!  It gives the BEST color that I have ever tried and it's totally smooth with no lines or anything.

As a Mom, I don't have time to lay around at the pool getting a tan - I'm running after my toddler and holding my baby which means that my arms/back/chest can get some sun on their own but my legs hardly leave the water nor does my face see the sun.  I didn't want to just have white legs and face all summer so I've been self-tanning them to match the rest of my body.  This stuff looks so natural, I have had people tell me that my tan looks good (including legs) and when I tell them it is a mousse, they don't believe me!

If you try it, you HAVE to get a mitt to use to apply it with.  I had never tried one before but was very interested (anyone who self tans knows all about avoiding the orange palm ;)).  I purchased both at Sephora and I will never be going back!

It is so easy to apply, dries quickly and gives the best color.  I look forward applying my new tan on a weekly basis!

Here's how I apply it:
-I shower first (usually in the evening) so that I can exfoliate well and shave.  You want to make sure that you shave right before you apply it (including your face if you do so!) so that you'll get the best, non-streaky look that lasts the longest.  

-After I have dried off, I put some lotion on the parts of my body that I want to make sure don't look weird (elbows, knees, ankles, wrists, armpits etc). I give that a minute or two to dry and then just put my mitt on, squeeze some mousse onto it and rub it on.  It practically melts into your skin.  You will see a tiny difference at first but not a ton.  

-Wait til it dries on your body to get dressed (usually I put on pj's afterwards so that it's loose clothing).

-Give it a few hours to set in - usually I just go to bed and in the morning I wake up with a perfect, sun-kissed glow.  


Tip:  When applying to your back (I usually don't need to during the summer), have a friend or spouse do it for you in the places that you can't reach.  =)





                                                                                     

Cheers!

Joy