Welcome to the World, Lyla Georgette!

Jayme gave birth to Lyla around 6pm this evening, December 19th!  

Baby weighed 5 pounds, 13 ounces and was 18.5 inches long.  The little family is doing well and excited their little Christmas gift game 9 days early. :)

Photos to come...

(but Blogger is being stupid and not allowing me to load them...this issue happens consistently. 

Blogger, if you're reading this, CUT IT OUT!)

CSN Stores: for all your shopping (and baby!) needs

With a ten month old crawling all over the place, it's been so convenient to do most of my holiday shopping online this year.  Of course, I had about fifty different log in names and passwords (and my cc info) out there...
 which is why I love the idea of being able to shop for everything I need in one place, a convenience that CSN stores provides!  At CSN you can find counter height stools for your kitchen, a rug for your living room, a variety of convertible cribs for your nursery and MUCH MUCH more!  CSN combines over 200 stores with everything from housewares to fitness gear to shoes.

Why am I telling you this?  We're excited to be partnering with CSN for an upcoming review and giveaway.  Would you like the chance to win free money to spend at CSN on whatever you want?  Yes, we thought you might. ;)

So stay tuned...and check out CSN.com in the meantime for all of your online shopping needs.

xo
J&A

Week 38: Better Than Christmas

I’m still in a bit of shock that Christmas is less than two weeks away.  I’m definitely a summer-girl but I also love me some Christmas cheer.  I get a little giddy when I see the first commercials for department store Christmas sales, hear that first Christmas song on the radio and spot the first Christmas lights glowing on our neighbors’ rooftops.  This year feels a little different though.  I want to say “I have more important things on my mind” but then I feel guilty (I mean…to outright say that I think MY baby’s birth is ‘more important’ than the birth of baby Jesus…that’s just wrong).  I guess what I really mean is that I’m distracted this year.  We’re going minimalist on the decorations (less to put away come January!) and cutting back on our gift giving (less time spent shopping…more cash in our pockets to pay for diapers!).  We did manage to get a tree and decorate it—and I’ve been rockin’ out to Hanson’s Christmas album (um, it’s awesome) in the car.  But it just doesn’t feel the same.  I guess it’s kind of a great way to describe to someone what the anticipation of having a baby on the way is like—it’s like all the excitement of the Christmas season—but times a hundred.  Yes, that great.  

In these photos:  Michael Stars long sleeve tshirt, leggings from Walmart, vintage shawl, vintage cowboy boots, and my best accessory--my handsome hubby.

xo

Jayme

Holidays with Miskabelly

It's that crazy time of year...December is flying by.  We're busy with holiday festivities, but also with the shop!  We've just added some great holiday pieces for your kiddos, sure to make it to you by Christmas if you order by December 15th.

 

Week 37: Soon soon soon

So I have a confession to make:  This is the second week in a row where after shooting my photos I thought to myself “Hopefully that’s the last time I take bump pics…”   What can I say?  I AM READY.  

Having a baby is probably THE biggest/craziest/noteworthy things anyone could ever do.  It is unfathomable how in an instant, your life completely changes.  Until I’m actually holding this little girl in my arms and seeing her with my own two eyes, I don’t think I’ll be able to grasp the fact that all of this is real.  Obviously I am BEYOND excited.

As much as I can’t wait for Baby C to get here…there are some things I’m looking forward to in addition to baby snuggles. 

1.  My old wardrobe.  I think baby bumps are the cutest—but I really miss fitting into high waisted skirts and JEANS.  Though I do adore the dress in this week’s photos—it was part of an amazing vintage haul that Amanda came about on a weekend thrifting trip.  And let me just tell you, there are at least 3 other dresses that I would have LOVED to at least try on, but would by no means be do-able with a belly.

2.  Bear hugs from Andrew.  This is such a sweet/emotional time in our lives and we share more hugs in a day than I can count.  But I miss those cozy hip to hip, arms-tight-around-my-waist, squeezing-all-the-air-out-of-me hugs.

3.  Coffee!  I have drunk more decaf coffee/lattes in the past 9 months that I care to think about (I spend way too much $$ at Starbucks!!), but I have completely avoided regular coffee.  Funny thing is, I’ve still been having the occasional Pepsi and chocolate and other caffeine-ridden things.  But there’s certainly a faux pas with having a baby bump and sipping on a regular cup of joe.  My barista even warned me of the hidden caffeine in the chai frappucino I ordered one day (like I said….I frequent Starbucks more than I care to admit), so you can imagine having a fully caffeinated coffee would get me some reprimanding. 

Guess that's really all I'm missing at this point.  That's actually a pretty pathetic list (lucky for me).

 But still.  I'm getting antsy here.  Any day now little lady.  

In these photos:  vintage fringy dolman sleeve dress (soon to be for sale at Miskabelle), Tommy Hilfiger brown ankle boots (that I’ve had FORever), earrings from Charlotte Russe.

xo

Jayme

Baby C’s Nursery: DIY #5

It has been a while since I’ve done one of these posts!  But don’t let that fool you—I didn’t lose interest in decorating this nursery with lots of do-it-yourself touches.

When trying to put together a room, curtains are ALWAYS my downfall.  I can’t grasp what looks good.  So many lengths, weights, curtain rods to choose from!  (times like this I need my girl, Cole from Just Cole, to come put her talents to use!  Must remind her to blog about curtains for those of us who are interior-design-challenged….)

In the interest of saving money, I simply looked for a fabric that matched my color scheme and purchased 2 yards (from http://www.etsy.com/shop/imaginefabric).  At first I was looking for vintage fabric, but ended up caving and getting this vintage-inspired floral print.  I also purchased a yard of purple gingham fabric from Jo-Ann Fabrics to give my curtains some interest (ok….and because the 2 yards I ordered wasn’t enough to cover 2 windows!  Oops.).

First things first, I cut the floral fabric into 4 panels.  I then sewed the gingham to the bottom of each pattern to add some length (and to make them cuter!).

(photo 1- a sketch of the plan…or more like, a sketch of the LACK of plan and how to fix it!

photo 2- adding extra length by sewing a contrasting print on the bottom

photo 3- floral and gingham—a match made in baby nursery heaven!)

Next comes the most time-consuming part—hemming ALL edges.  I simply folded each edge twice and eyeballed it.  The gingham pattern worked as a great guide for straight lines!

(photos 4, 5, 6—hem and hem and hem….)

After all the edges were finished I folded over the top edge to make a space for the curtain rod.  To make it a little fancy, I measured down one inch and sewed a seam and then did the other seam and the bottom of the fold.  The rod will go in the lower of the two openings—this allows for a little bit of a “ruffle” on top, above the curtain rod.

(photo 7- measure the fold-down length, based on how long you want your curtains to be

photo 8- sew two rows, so that the curtain rod doesn’t have to go right at the top of the curtain—makes a cute ruched top detail

photo 9-final product should be two openings at the top.  Put the curtain rod through the middle one)

Lastly, IRON them!   Ironing sewing projects give them a much more finished look.  It smoothes out imperfections and gives curtains a much more crisp look.

(photo 10- take that extra step and iron!)

Here is the finished product—a happy accident of two-toned curtains!  I wish they were a teensy bit fuller and a smidge longer… but they are made with love and I can’t wait for little Baby C to see how hard I worked to make her room pretty!

Excuse the poor photo quality!  The sun shines into the room so brightly, but there's no light going out...so taking pics of windows is next to impossible!  I will try again once I do the final nursery tour!  Stay tuned...

xo

Jayme