denim: the great neutralizer

 shoes: steve madden. skirt: vintage. shirt & cardigan: gap. necklace: gift.

Happy Leap Day! My friend's daughter turns "2" today (actually 8, but she's a Leap Day baby, and I like to tell jokes that never get old). Other than that little tidbit, though, it's just a regular day around here, full of muddy paw prints on the wood floor and justifications of chocolate cake for breakfast. Y'know, the usual.

I realized after I got dressed here that nothing I'm wearing really matches. I mean, sure, the denim skirt is a gimme, as are the neutral bootie heels, but my top half is crazy-random. We've got some mustard, red, and blue in the shirt, some pastel lemonade-pink and mint-green in the cardigan, and a full-on salmony coral necklace.

Here's one thing I've learned about meself in the past month: I'm pretty lazy about some things lately. Like retyping the word "meself" into "myself" (nope). Or doing my social duty and changing my clothes to, if not look great, at least make some sort of sense (uh-uh).

So today there's just meh-ness to my madness. But it's still a good day because I got my highly recommended Poppy King (J.Crew) lipstick the other day, and I can't stop wearing it. It's like a fire-alarm wake-up-call to my face. And, really, aren't we all going for that?...Guys?...aren't we?...ah crap...

Happy Leap-Day Wednesday.

similar stuff (maternity & regular):

More Steve Madden...

HomeStyle: Fabric-backed Kitchen Cupboards

You guys, I have a sickness. And it's called "I can't stop doing stuff in my house." Now, this wouldn't be a problem if it was useful stuff, like laundry and vacuuming and cooking. However (and unfortunately for my family who happens to enjoy a delicious dinner or two), it usually involves messes spread over all available surfaces and lots of paint.

This project was on the smaller scale (much to everyone's relief) but it just might rank among my favorites thus far. Inspired by this post, and because my one open cabinet was woefully dark and overstuffed and lame, annnnnnd because it's visible right when you walk into the front door, I decided to amp up the style factor and tackle the fabric-backed cupboard for a fresh new look.

Actually, I had attempted face-lifting this particular cupboard recently in the past, but I chose paint that was the total wrong color and I then filled the dang thing too full of random dishes so it looked, in a word, stupid. (You know it's serious when I use the "S-word," which is a pretty big no-no around here.)

For $2.50, I bought a piece of foam board at WallyWorld, cut it to size, and pretty much followed the tutorial I linked to above. Fortunately, I had some fabric left over from this project that would work in the kitchen, so I used that.

Then I edited my already meager collection of displayable dishware because I'm trying to embrace the adage "less is more." (I believe this in many instances, but it's often hard for me to narrow things down. Which is why my posts, like this one, are wordier than necessary. Heh.)

It's a work in progress (my whole house is, frankly, and I'm loving it!), but it's a start. And it took about 30 minutes to do and clean up. Which means there's room on the countertops to make dinner and chocolate cake, nearly half of which I may or may not have consumed already.

My husband's reaction to the cupboard: "Wow. Fancy." No exclamation points (he's not one to become weepy over, say, a photo of someone's beautiful interior like I am), but he likes it. Phew.

Happy Tuesday.

HomeStyle: Vintage Button Art

Inspired by this post (and every other post on her blog, let's be honest) and having been given many vintage buttons from my mom (and my MIL's having a fine collection useful for filling in the color gaps), I decided to make a piece of vintage button art for the nursery.

 I had an old, ugly frame with an old, ugly rooster pic attached directly to it. Perfect. After a quick spray painting and light distressing of the frame, it was ready to go.

My kids helped me pick out the buttons. Since it was going into the nursery, my girls thought the baby would most appreciate a rainbow formation. Easy enough. I spray-adhesed (awesome verb) some old burlappy cotton fabric over the ugly rooster art and, after spreading out all the buttons on the floor to get the layout right, I began gluing them to the framed fabric.

To me, few things beat heirloom buttons. So much diversity and strangeness and awesomeness in the buttons' design and colors.

 

I did add some contrasting thread to some of the simpler buttons, just for interest... and because I'm addicted to pairing red with aqua these days.

I really like how it turned out. I can sit and study this thing for a long time, because the buttons themselves are so interesting individually and collectively. And I like the textural contrast of the organic cotton fabric.

Overall, I think it's perfect art for a nursery corner where, let's face it, many hours upon hours are going to be spent. Plus, total cost: $free$. Sweetness.

Happy Monday!

Insights on Mommyhood

I don't have a post for today. But what I do have, for your reading enjoyment, are a few short vignettes about being a mom that I've written for another site. Here are the URLs if you're so inclined:

Insight on Mommyhood #1

Insight on Mommyhood #2

Insight on Mommyhood #3
Insight on Mommyhood #4

Because I'm an English-degree-toting nerd and thrive on this type of thing, I'd love your feedback (positive or negative constructive) on any or all of the articles. Edit, baby, edit.

Happy happy Friday!

quietitude

 shoes: american eagle outfitters. jeans & puffy vest: gap. shirt: old navy. watch: target.

Pic above is Scary Exhibit A of smiling-with-one's-mouth-but-not-one's-eyes. Let's make this a learning moment for all of us, shall we?

So, I've been feeling a little down lately. (I know, I know, cue the violin music and toss me a psychiatrist's couch.) My life is so blessed, I have nothing real to complain about...and yet I still find stuff. Go figure.

Anyways, as a result, I'm in a rather quiet mood. Which doesn't happen often around here here, so let's enjoy it.

I'll just make this short and sweet, then. I'm glad that this little blessing I'm carrying around with me is so active--it makes a few bruised internal organs worth it. I smiled that my cute 3- and 5-year-old daughters changed into striped shirts and puffy vests of their own at lunch today so we could all be "twinners." I love that my son ran out of his classroom at school when I was volunteering this morning to give me an enormous hug. I'm grateful that my intuitive husband tucked me into bed early last night so I could get some extra sleep.

I appreciate all of you who read this little blog, and I hope that life treats you well today.

Happy Thursday.

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More Splendid...

a zigzag scarf and a brush with death...or at least some squooshy mud

 boots: target. jeans: old navy. shirt: duo maternity. scarf: forever 21. earrings: etsy.

I know, I know...the boots-and-knee-high-socks thing has been done to death. But it's comfy and warm and covers up some of my water-retaining legs. So we'll just have to agree to agree-but-let-the-pregnant-lady-have-her-way for another month or two, mmmmkay? Thanks a mil.

I took my 3-year-old daughter for a walk this morning. She's adorable but has a stubborn streak that comes to a very vocal head when she's asked to do something outlandish. Like walk. So she rode in the stroller.

Our route led us up a small hill and then back down. Wanting to change things up on the way home, at the bottom of the hill I took a scenic route (read: death-defying brush with nature) along the canal. It was muddy, snowy, slushy, puddley (yep. real word. maybe.), slippery, bumpy and all things "-y" that would potentially cause one well-meaning but off-balanced soul wearing zero-traction boots to careen into the nearby waterway.

You'll all breathe an enormous sigh of relief, as I did, when our squeal-worthy rugged-terrain journey ended with zero fatalities and only one really muddy boot. Which, frankly, is a happy albeit fairly anticlimatic ending to this tale.

I know what you're all thinking: Why would she share such a pointless Story of Meh? What a waste of my time. Doesn't she know Nate Berkus is almost on? Fair enough, but in my defense, the alternative was a riveting story about how I chewed a hangnail on my super-dry thumb until it bled and now the bandaid keeps coming off. So.

You're welcome, and I accept your apology.

Happy Tuesday.

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More Missoni...

I love shoes because they fit when nothing else does.

This is what I wore today, blah blah blah.

 shoes: converse. pants & hoodie: gap. shirt: duo maternity.

Anyone who uses the word "blah" in the first sentence of a style blog post (and then repeats it twice more) probably shouldn't be writing a post at all. And yet, here I am. And here you are. For what reason is a mystery to me, but my grandmother always told me to seize opportunities, so I will.

[Editor's note: Actually, she rarely told me that. Her words of wisdom were more like, "here's $20, why don't you go get us something yummy at KFC," and "you're my favorite grandchild." She was awesome. And KFC is, on occasion, delicious.]

Ahem. 

Despite the randomness of a hoodie and button-up combo (not to mention the chucks and khakis...shhh, there there), may I still brag about my tummy-toting self for a moment? Today's lengthy to-do list is all but finished (and I didn't even cheat and include stuff like "roll out of bed" and "put on deodorant" for once), I have a dinner idea and ingreds, and I finished the sudoku in today's paper even though my pencil was really dull and I couldn't find a sharpener.

PLUS I didn't say something snarky to the guy at the grocery store who s.t.a.r.e.d. at my belly during an awkward shopping cart approach-and-pass. Let's be proud.

Happy Tuesday.

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More Converse...

i have (a) big belly & i cannot lie. you other mothers can't deny...

shoes: american eagle outfitters. maternity flare jeans: gap. cardigan: j.crew. flower clip: downeast basics.

You can't really tell in these photos, but my shirt here is a light lavendar. Ish. Which I think is super pretty paired with a mossy olive green. It's like, in nature, when you find a rare light-lavendarish butterfly perched atop a, um, mossy olive green rock. It doesn't stop there. How about spying a light-lavendarish flower growing out of a patch of mossy olive green shrubbery? Bingo. Samesies.

And if you're impressed with my command of the English language in description and titlage, well, what can I say. I kind of excel at that kind of thing. Like when I made mac & cheese for dinner one time but, in a fit of genius, proclaimed it to be "cheesy pasta" so that my son (who doesn't love mac&cheese) would actually eat it.

Stick around, kids. You can't fake this kind of ingenuity.

Happy Friday.

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More Gap...

*yawn*

The jumping-off point for today's outfit was anything that would cover up this lovely giraffe-head tattoo that my toddler positioned on and adhered to my forearm.

 I have a tree frog tattoo on the back of my hand, too, which is equally awesome. But I'm fresh out of fingerless gloves, so that'll have to just be visible to the world.

 And by "the world," I of course mean my toddler...who put the dang tatts there anyway.

 On an unrelated note, have I told you lately how much I love my Clarks shoes? I have? Redundantly and many times over? Oh.

(*awkward pause*)

shoes: clarks. maternity skinny jeans: old navy. long-sleeved maternity tee & hoodie: gap.

For those of you style-savvy readers, this post is the yang to your yin. Meaning I prob couldn't have come up with a less-inspiring ensemble if I'd lain awake all night trying. Which is a feat deserving of some kind of award. Or respect. How 'bout a pitying half-smile...?

But some days are meant to be lived out contentedly in a hoodie and comfy jeans. My overworked washer and dryer couldn't agree more. Those guys only WISH they had a comfortable coral hoodie to fit over their square bods.

Wow. This post mirrors the outfit. Maybe I should start all over with an ensemble (and, thus, text) that highlights, rather than hides, the tattoos. Just think where our lives would be then. I'd probably be wearing a bright floral dress and boarding a cruise ship to the Virgin Islands. You, though, would probably still be ready to click away from this blog. Dang.

Happy Thursday.

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More A Pea in the Pod...

knee-length dress no matter where the belt's placed

I'm on the fence about wearing a belt at this stage in the pregnancy game.

 I've long since jumped a different fence and have run waddled a mile up the nearby hill, though, about turquoise jewelry. Love it. Amen.

boots: kohl's. slip: a slip shop. linen dress: paris, france. cardigan: j.crew. belt & necklace: forever21.

I know. My hair here is, like, 2 generational inches shy of beehivehood. All I can think about when I see these photos is that one Seinfeld episode where the lady physical therapist has "old-fashioned" hair, and everyone makes fun of it except Kramer, who totally encourages her to keep it that way. I think I might be that girl, 'cept without the medical training. Or Kramer.

I learned that heeled shoes aren't that fun to wear for 4 hours when one's body is off-balance. But what IS fun is hiding some snags in the knees of one's tights with an exposed slip. It's like a little game with the universe in which, at any given moment, you're totally winning. Which, in turn, is comparable to eating the en.ti.re. box of chocolates in one sitting so that you won't be tempted by them later. Hah! Joke's on you, Cosmos.

Happy Wednesday.

p.s. For those of you tired of and/or unable to relate to a maternity-centered style blog, I promise I will post soon about some projects I'm working on. In the meantime...belly's up.

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More Gap...

what's red & pink & tweed all over?

RED: check.

 PINK (about 12 shades): check check check.

 TWEED: check. 

 or, for you overdo-the-pink-on-V-Day purists, TWEED: UNcheck.

 shoes: converse brand. tweed jacket: talbots. scarf: gift. bracelets: forever21 & gifts.

Hey guys, it's Red-and-Pink day at Everybody, Everywear. Fitting for Valentine's Day, obv. I actually have a red maternity corduroy skirt that I contemplated wearing with this shirt, but I'm glad I didn't. Seemed a little too bleeding-pepto-bismol for me. Not that that's a bad thing, of course. Oh, wait. Yes it is.

You know what's weird? (Aside from the fact that my 3-year-old is developing an affinity for pickle juice. No lie. Ew.) I think pregnant bellies actually look better when you can see their real outline. Which is the paradox of the universe, but there it is. 

If I had my way, I'd drape myself in a canvas tent and call it good for the next 2 months. But there are others to consider. Like my husband. And the circus clowns who, frankly, need those tents to make a living. Speaking of...is it odd to wear red chucks with a tweed jacket? Probably. I mean, are we college-professoring today or boarding at the skate park? One just can't tell. Which, to me, makes the combination a little Unexpected & Maybe Awesome.

Happy Valentine's Day.

other cute red and pink stuff (maternity & regular):

More LOFT...

argyle sweater in green. life is good.

Argyle in cardigan form.

And a fake oversized gold watch that may or may not reliably keep time.

And some dark uber-flare jeans.

(Basketball-for-belly is optional.)

jeans & cardigan: gap. shoes: american eagle. watch: target. pink tee: vintage (translation: hand-me-down).

 What I've just given you, my friends, is a failproof recipe for dressing like a free-spirited study-hall-frequenting prepster chick, sans nerd glasses and freshly woven daisy crown. And, really, isn't that the look we're all going for?

Answer: Yes, yes it is.

Speaking of going for stuff, I could really go for a vacation to the Virgin Islands right now. Either that or a glimpse of the sun. One or the other, really, I'm not that picky. What, no sun in sight? I guess it's just you and me then, Expedia...us and the large glow-in-the-dark orb I carry at my belly these days. Y'know, for emergencies.

Happy Monday.

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be Linkylicious.

Hey friends,

So, in a couple of weeks, Google Friend Connect will no longer be available to non-Blogger users. If you want to show me some love (you know you do) or stay in the know of this blog (you think you do) or just pass the time in this my little planet in cyberspace (you're not so sure you do), follow me via the new Linky Followers near the top of the right-hand sidebar.

Everybody's doing it, you know.

I'll be your friend forever and call you Linkylicious as a pet name if you do. Or I'll swear that I'll never type the word "Linkylicious" again. Yeah, maybe that one's more motivating...

Thanks. Hang ten. Be Linkylicious. And peace out.
Brittney

valentines decorating with kids

Valentine's Day is all about candy. And not just the sugar-coated corn-syrupy stuff. I'm talking eye candy. So many things people can do to make their surroundings beautiful and sweet and all things lovely and lovey. Such as:

photo: efrandesigns

photo: hgtv

This year I turned the reins over to my kidlets for decorating our house for Valentine's Day. Just wanted to see what would happen. What happened, and continues to happen everytime I look around me: happiness at kid-dom. And some laughter. 

Exhibit A: Non-color-scheme flowers and a nearly empty candy dish. (I must admit slight disappointment that the bottles are in the correct order. Don't you think "U heart I" would've been better? Dah well. Maybe next year.)

Exhibit B: Our handmade felt "cookies" lined up against the verrrrrrry back wall between some shelves.

Exhibit C: A heart-shaped hot pad hanging (festively? one must assume) on the fireplace. Alone.

Exhibit D: An impromptu snowflake-style heart (which looks suspiciously like a buffalo skull or some creature out of Star Wars) taped prominently to the living room wall. Welcome, esteemed guests.

Exhibit E: Nearly-backwards-facing hanging heart.

 Exhibit F: Simple, individually decorated brown bags for our family Valentine's mailboxes. Note the sticker remnants on my 7-year-old son's. A typical get-this-over-with-quick boy. (Just like his dad...see far right example.)

I think this kids-decorate-for-V-Day might be a new tradition around here. The results are priceless. And I guess I can always turn to pinterest and the bloggy world for eye candy, anyway.

Happy Friday.