Real Mama Style: Rainy Day Errands

I think this is my first (Amanda) style post on the Miskabelly blog! I post my vintage looks more frequently over on the Miskabelle blog because I get dressed up from time to time to show readers how to wear vintage.  Jayme had lots of pregnancy photos just in time for our blog start and has been doing a great job looking stylish while toting a baby (and breastfeeding! yeah!).  But what do real mamas of toddlers wear?

I am finally to the point where I can't stand being in pajamas all day. Even if it means just going out for a long walk, I force myself to get dressed.  I am definitely more stylish in a regular 9-5 job setting (because you see many more people and have to make an impression), but in terms of working at home, it's just not necessary.  But I've decided to start thinking of my jobs as real work...since they are, after all...and maybe I should take myself more seriously and get dressed!

This is what I wore yesterday for a trip to the post office, a vegan cupcake, a run to CVS, and some late night Starbucks with Q and Aurora (had a drink around 8 since I had to teach 12am-2am last night!)

blood orange cardigan-thrifted, white tee-old, jeans-Seven (old), heels- UO (last fall), pyramid necklace-vintage

This is a really easy and comfortable look! (In total, the whole outfit may have cost me about $50).  A comfy tee with a bright cardigan (and heels!), your favorite jeans, and a standout accessory.  Just make sure the heels aren't too high, since you may be chasing a toddler around the post office lobby...

I feel like I'm finally hitting my stride with post-baby fashion. I've gotten rid of a lot, I'm settling into my (new) size (though still trying to stay fit and, of course, eating vegan), finding things that work together, and saving the sweats for bedtime.

Also, the next time you see a photo of me, I may look a little different...stay tuned for that. ;)

xo,
Amanda

Aurora Style: Cutest Jorts Ever

Hello! It's Amanda (and Aurora) reporting to you LIVE from North Carolina.  This little style post isn't live, however. It's a little number that Aurora wore this past weekend while visiting her grandparents and aunt/uncle/cousin in Pennsylvania!

This is a head-to-toe thrifted outfit, even though the pieces are like new! I had been looking for jean shorts (aka jorts) for Aurora every time I stopped at our thrift, but I could never find the right size.  I bought a pair of 2T's that were still too big on her and just fell down. So when I found these adorable Levi's, I was really excited! And I think every little girl needs a pair of jellies for summer...it's practically mandatory. ;)

Top-Carter's (thirfted), Jort-Levi's (thrifted), Jelly Sandals-Old Navy (thrifted)

It's also your lucky day, readers.  I have two Aurora style posts in one!  I couldn't resist sharing this cute little idea for growing toddler hair.  I tied a silk scarf around Aurora's head like a headband, and she loved it!  Maybe because she matched her mama or maybe just because she looked extra cute. This is a silk scarf from years ago (I think it may have even been Jaymes?!) the size of a handkerchief (the extra large square scarves might not work as well on toddler heads.)

As we do every Thursday, we're linking up with Mama Loves Papa for Thursday's Small Style post! Check out more stylish babes over on her blog.

Now, I'm off to get some more work done while my pretty little babe is napping.

xo,
Amanda (& Aurora)

Mama Wardrobe {Must vs. Lust}

I promised myself as a stay-at-home-mom I would not succumb to the practicality of staying in sweats all day.  I have only stayed in my pajamas all day about three times since Lyla was born, yesterday being one of them (and I did end up changing into a clean shirt once Andrew got home from work).   On the weekends I like to challenge myself to try new outfits.  And by "new" I mean, new-to-me.  I haven't gone shopping for a very long time (babies=expensive), so when I want to change up my wardrobe, I dig through all my bins of vintage clothing.  I found this pastel striped skirt (that I had previously hemmed shorter).  It hung a bit low on the hips so I quickly sewed up the back of it to make it smaller so it could be worn higher on the waist.

(Vintage yellow belt, vintage silver cuff bracelet, vintage brooch worn as a necklace)

I honestly feel like I have a make-shift wardrobe.  Not only do I wear a lot of vintage but I also keep my modern-day stuff for a REALLY long time.  Case and point--this purple tank top.   I got it back when the empire waist/baby doll style dresses and tops were really in.  (It's from Urban Outfitters via a discount store.)  On this day, the color worked with my candy striped skirt but the cut was not doing it for me.  So I took a cue from Kendi (LOVE her.) and knotted it in the back.  Instant update!

Isn't this a great photo??  Totally not staged!  Andrew took it as I was getting into place for my posed pics.

Lastly, let's talk shoes.  I love shoes. But like the rest of my wardrobe, my shoe collection hasn't been updated in a very long time.  And I am way too practical.  I'll admit--I buy shoes I don't like that much just because they're cheap, or they're comfortable.  So the silver, strappy sandals I wore here were not my ideal...BUT they were great for carting around a baby on my hip.  I would have loved to have worn something more like these:

But as moms, we make sacrifices!  (Clothing choices being the least of these.)

xo

Jayme

Steppin' Out on a (Sunday)

Another crazy busy Saturday without an outfit post (soccer games, grading, photographing items for the shop, and cleaning our house/yard to get ready for a campfire!), but Sunday happened to be special, so I had to share.

Q & I celebrated our 6 month weddnig anniversary on Thursday...except we didn't celebrate.  Trying to make anything happen during the work week takes at least a month of advanced planning.  We had Sunday completely open--and with an "extra" hour to boot--so Q planned a little daytrip out of town.  It was a secret!  I just got dressed (comfortably, at his suggestion) and got in the car.  He even packed up Aurora's stuff for the day.

It was a lovely, sunny fall drive to Strasburg, Virginia where Q's plans were:  adorable coffee shop (where we worked on our wedding party thank you's...now almost a month and a half late. oops.)  ANTIQUE MALL.  Lunch:  my choice.  It was perfect.

Here's what (we) wore:

 me (having a grunge-casual day):

  gray tee (?), flannel-thrifted, army jacket-UO, jeans-Seven, Converse All-Stars, scarf I've had forever, bag-Coach (thrifted and coming to our shop soon!)

 

 Q wore (and will probably be embarrassed to be on display as a fashion icon):   

Jeans (?), Converse All-Stars, button up-Tommy Hilfiger, Vest- Columbia

Aurora wore:   

Carter's onesie, Gap army cargos (thrifted), knit hat (thrifted), Robees shoes, pink hoodie (gift)

my delicious cappuccino at Cristina's Cafe

I found several fantastic clothing items for the Miskabelle shop, but Q and I also found some things for our kitchen.  We'd be hunting for canisters FOREVER and these copper-lidded ones were so cool that we had to have them:

They just so happened to be sitting on top of this breadbox--which is light pink, but that we also loved (and are planning to paint since it kind of clashes with our green kitchen).

Q spent a good chunk of the evening polishing the copper on these babies with an old toothbrush while we watched some Friday Night Lights and I graded assignments for my online classes (laaaame). It's Monday now and I'm mourning the weekend, but that extra daylight savings hour sure feels great.

xo

Manda

Steppin' Out on a Saturday

Yes, it's Saturday, and yes, I got dressed up because I actually had somewhere to go!

Today we celebrated our niece Zoe's first birthday.  It was a gorgeous day for a party.  Aurora fussed all morning and refused to take a nap, so she of course fell asleep in the car on the way there, then only napped about 15 minutes.  There were lots of other little ones at the party, so she thoroughly enjoyed herself.  I thought it was going to be much cooler outside than it was, so I had her dressed in this cute sweater and all ready for her own Steppin' Out pic, but it ended up being way too hot.  So, no outfit pics for Aurora (she's in a plain onesie and leggings) or Q (who came straight from coaching soccer in his coach's gear).

Just me:

leather jacket-vintage, black top-?, lace skirt-Target, tights-?, boots-vintage, 
necklace-vintage key on a chain

I have been dying to wear this leather biker jacket and planned my whole outfit around it...then I got outside and it was too hot to wear to the party!  Of course, I still wore it for the outfit photos.  You also may notice my hair looks a little different (it looked much more awesome yesterday, but today it flattened out since I took the pics post-party).  I did my own ombre hair, and I love it!  The ends turned out awesome.  I will have to get a closer photo, but it was really easy and the color is amazing.

Here are a few little pics of the birthday party--which was fall-themed.  Zoe's dad made two really cool pumpkin (as in, shaped like actual pumpkins) cake and there were lots of yummy goodies to go around.  There were also party favors for all the little ones--a new book for Aurora to add to her library (Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin).  Q read it to her at bedtime...and man, was she pooped.  She napped for two hours once we got home this afternoon, and I bet she'll be sleeping well tonight.  Mucho stimulation.

 Party people! (No babies were hurt in the making of this photo.)

 Aurora made a new friend.

 The birthday girl with mommy and daddy (and a glimpse of the awesome pumpkin cake!)

 

Aurora was thoroughly enjoying all of Zoe's new toys...

 

 ...but she got her own little present to open too!

We had such a good time at the party...I couldn't help but start thinking about Aurora's turn to party in a few  months. WOW.  These babies are growing up too fast!  It's so amazing to watch how far they come with every single day.  Being a parent is beyond words.

xo

Amanda

Steppin' Out on a [Sunday]

I am usually the person who arrives five or ten minutes early, but this time I'm late to the party.  The blog party, that is.  You see, the funk and funky Mandy, over at Harper's Happenings, has graciously invited lovely mommy bloggers to share their weekend outfit posts on Saturdays, in conjunction with her own "Steppin' Out on Saturday" theme.  But yesterday (Saturday), I spent most of my day at soccer games in comfortable (and warm) clothes, my hair all windblown and eyeliner running.  It was NOT cute.

Sunday was our "date day" this week. We planned to go to the Georgetown Flea Market (BUST) and Dumbarton Oaks Gardens (AWESOME). It was one of those perfect, sunny fall days.  We also had a  pretty yummy Mediterranean lunch (chicken shwarma and a falafel plate with hummus and olives) at the Georgetown Cafe, which was ruined for me when a creepy old man came in and had to have the table next to us, where he proceeded to talk to himself (or his other self) the entire time, as well as read part of a book entitled "Real Life Therapy" aloud.)  But hey, at least I looked cute. (And so did Q and Rora!)

*When viewing these photos, just pretend it's Saturday. It's like I'm photoshopping myself into the party pics.*

 vintage cardigan, scarf (?), embellished tank (Target), jeans (Gap-thrifted), boots (Durango, perfectly worn out by me, but not vintage)

 

 another pic to show my vintage mini saddle bag and tank detail (it was warm in the sun, so I ended up looking like this for most of our day.)

  

my babes! Q is wearing: Calvin Klein top, Levi's jeans, and Converse sneakers

Aurora is wearing:  Carter's onesie and The Children's Place jeggings (oh yes, I did)

Sidenote:  There is something so hot to me about a guy in Converse carrying a baby in a front carrier.

 

 I couldn't resist sharing a few pretty pics from the garden.

So there's my first real outfit post.  It was a good day--my feet hurt a little, only because we walked two or three miles in total around Georgetown.  We came home and napped (though not as long as we would have liked--Aurora was ready to play after only half an hour of rest!).  I'm feeling that weekend-ending sadness overtake me now as I grade essays, and look at my schedule for the week ahead.  

Until next weekend (Saturday, perhaps?),

Manda

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More Thrifty Mama Finds

I have to confess that sometimes I spend 24 hours in the same clothes (well, pajamas).  Working from home is both a luxury and a curse.  I don't have to get dressed, but I would certainly feel better if I got dressed and left the house.  However, Aurora gets dressed everyday.  I have so much fun picking out her little outfits.  Everything coordinates (thanks to some shade of pink, most of the time).  And it's impossible for her not to look cute.

 See what I'm talkin' about?

Here are some pictures from the gorgeous fall day we had.  I realize I am doing outfit posts with my baby.  I should be the one doing outfit posts.  And I will be soon (see Steppin' Out Saturdays).  But this week involved more staying in than going out.  It also involved more thrifting, which makes up Aurora's outfit of the day:

 Aurora is wearing:  The Children's Place pink corduroy jumper, OshKosh denim jacket, handmade heart beanie (all thrifted!), and Trumpette socks (gift)

 Hats are one of my absolute favorite accessories...and I got this one for 99 cents.  YES!

Okay, so I loved the hat a little more than her, but she needs to learn to wear one for the winter, amirite?

 She loves pumpkins and fall...just like her mama.

I get so high off finding these great kids pieces--barely worn.  I wash them and they're good to go!   Aurora's wardrobe is slowly eclipsing my own, especially as I've gotten rid of a bunch of things that I can't fit my huge new boobs (or belly or booty) into anymore. I'm starting to try to stock up on basics and accessorize like a champ.  

I don't want Aurora to be obsessed with physical appearances:  most of us know that's not what counts.  But there's nothing wrong with taking care of yourself and wanting to look good. (I feel worlds better if I just get a shower and blowdry/straighten my hair during the day.)  I want her to take pride in her beauty, inside and out, and the only way I can do that is to model it for her.  That means my stinky self esteem has got to go.  I haven't lost all (or much) of the baby weight.  I am doughy, and I hate that.  But I have great hair and I'm damn good at makeup and I have a sense of style that isn't just workout pants and a hoodie.  

Can't wait to share my own thrifted and vintage finds with you in weeks to come...and my proud mama strut.

xo,

Manda

me on wedding celebration morning, out to breakfast. 

vintage short sleeved red cardi, plaid top (?), Target skirt and socks, my favorite Frye engineer boots, vintage Dooney and Bourke bag



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