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

Meet Our First "Child"

No, no, no....little Baby C is not here early.
I wanted to introduce you to our first "child"....our puppy, Sophie.

Andrew and I got Sophie about one month after we got married and moved in together.  She's a chihuahua pug mix (a CHUG) and could almost fit in the palm of my hand when we first got her.
Sophie's a quirky little dog.  She is truly only comfortable when she's at home with just Andrew and I.  Or alone.  She likes to have our queen sized bed to herself and only wants to snuggle on HER terms.  She's a cutie though.  A cutie with very bad breath and tendencies to bark at the wind (which scares the crap out of me--no matter how many times she cries wolf, I can't help but run to the window to make sure there's no one lurking on our porch).

Sophie lounging with Andrew

Dogs have such great instincts.  I swear she knew I was pregnant before even I knew...and I don't think she was very excited about it.  I promised myself I would love her just the same, even when a "real" baby was in the picture...but I must confess that I have become more and more neglectful of her and less and less tolerant of her "quirks" as the months have passed.  Poor girl.
So this is my apology to Sophie:  I love the way you jump on the bed and nuzzle your  face into my neck every morning.  I love when I come home from work and you shyly wag your tail and roll over onto your back for a belly rub.  And I love having you as my little couch companion, so I never feel like I'm home alone.  I promise to give you more treats and let you run free in the yard more.  You will always be our "first" and you are going to be a great big sis.

"Cousin" Aurora, attempting to love on Sophie

xo,
Jayme

Baby L's Nursery: DIY #4

Hey there, it's Amanda again.  I know, two blogs in one week! WOWZA!  I'm taking over this week's DIY because I have been dying to share it with you....except it was a surprise for Jayme's shower, so I had to keep it on the DL until she got it last weekend.

I wanted to make a wooden initial to hang on the wall of my niece's nursery.  But it couldn't just be a boring painted letter...I wanted it to look vintage.  And in the end, it did!  I love how it turned out (and so did Jayme), and it was pretty easy, so I thought I'd share the steps with you.

I sketched the L-shape I wanted (There's a clue for all of you, readers!  Baby's first initial!) on a piece of wood, and Q cut it out for me.***

***Disclaimer:  I am thankful to have a pretty rad husband who knows how to do pretty much anything involving tools and woodworking, which made this DIY extremely personalized from its inception...but if you don't have a husband with a room full of every saw/router/ known to man, you can purchase a wooden letter (I've seen them in the craft sections of Target, Walmart, Michael's, etc.)

He edged it with a router to give it depth/interest.


Then he carved out/sanded any rough edges.

We were ready to go!  (This is where you'll start if you have a pre-made wooden letter.)

1.  I added a coat of white primer...

2....then a coat of the aqua blue after that dried. 
 
3.  (And a second coat of aqua after that one dried).
 
4. Then I went to work sanding down the paint a bit.

5. I focused on distressing the edges where the letter might naturally wear down more.

It looked pretty good at this point, but I still wasn't happy with it, so I decided to use a little throwback from middle school history projects:  tea staining.  I wasn't sure if it would work/last, but I figured it was worth a try. 

6.  I steeped two large bags of earl grey--though I'm pretty sure the flavor doesn't matter as long as it's black tea, I do love the fragrance--in boiling water until the water was cool enough for me to reach in and grab the bags.  I then proceeded to squeeze out the tea bags and rub the leaves on the letter.  (It's kind of messy, so you'll want something underneath as you work.)  I left the tea grounds and drips on the letter overnight.

7.  In the morning, I wiped the clumps of tea off and scrubbed at any places that were too dark.  The letter had the perfect "vintage" tinge to it.

I used it as a centerpiece for Jayme's shower (post and MANY more photos coming soon!)...

And now it's hanging in their nursery, above a darling vintage print I found while thrifting. 

Pretty simple and really pretty.  I had so much fun surprising her with a gift that Q and I had made completely from scratch.  Hope I've inspired you to do some of your own DIY's!

xo
Amanda

Halloween Recap from A&A

Jayme has been blogging up a storm--but there are actually two of us who design and plan and keep this blog! ha.  We had quite an eventful weekend with Jayme's shower on Saturday (blog to come!) and Halloween on Sunday.

Q and I perused online Halloween costumes in early October and found one that we kind of liked:  a baby mermaid.  I found it on sale on another website and bought it right away.  It was sized 0-9 months, and Aurora is 8 months, so I assumed we'd be golden.  Unfortunately, Aurora JUST fit in it and there was only the tiniest piece of velcro for her to kick right out of.  This was a problem, as was the general boringness of the outfit.  It was cute, but just....not cute enough.

I knew we'd be in Pennsylvania on Halloween morning with my family, and I didn't have time to fix the mermaid costume prior to J's shower.  I still wanted to dress Aurora in the holiday spirit, and I had thrifted a pumpkin onesie for her in September, so she started the day in that outfit.   I topped it off with the cutest vintage beanie (since the onesie didn't come with a matching hat) and took some outdoor photos when we got home.

As soon as we got home, I got to work on Aurora's SECOND costume (yes, this baby has costume changes).  The mundane mermaid was not going to happen.  I got out the sewing machine, needles, thread, felt, stitch witchery (LOVE), and iron and got right to work.  I was in a bit of a rush, and the costume didn't fit Aurora that well to begin with, but I think I definitely gave it a little edge...

And after...seashell bra, tutu, flower iron on flower, and some pearls on the headpiece.  Our little mermaid (with her Little Mermaid truck hand-me-down we just got this weekend!  It was perfect.  She LOVES it.)

I had fun working on her costume, even though sewing is a very frustrating task for me (since I lack the necessary patience).  I look forward to future years when she gets to choose her own costume and we get to find fun ways to create it--together!  But even more than that...I look forward to the Halloweens when she can get a bag full of candy to share with me. Our trick or treaters cleaned us OUT! (Though it's probably for the better, being that I'm also back on Weight Watchers--after six years away--and determined, once and for all, to lose this baby weight! More on that in another blog...)

xo
Amanda (& Aurora)

Week 32: Playing Make Believe

This past weekend was my baby shower.  After a long (and lovely) day full of family, friends, cupcakes, presents and hugs, Andrew and I came home with all our baby loot and dumped in the nursery.  It was pretty surreal to be handling the packs of diapers, tiny socks and soft blankets…as I folded them and put them in their drawers.  The next day I had a newfound jolt of energy and desire to continue my “nesting” (which I had kinda put on hold for a bit).  I even took the plunge and ordered some fabric from an etsy shop, to make curtains for the nursery (DIY blog to come!).

I keep doing this thing lately where I try to imagine she’s already here.  I’ll be wrapping some packages for our shop (which involves taking over our living room floor with tissue paper, boxes and tape) and I’ll pretend Baby C is fast asleep in her nursery.  Do I need to be more quiet?  Will I really have the energy to go about my daily work when I’ve spent the night up with a baby?  Or Andrew and I will be spending the evening at home… he’ll be playing video games (sorry babe, I’m outing you!) and I’ll be trying to fight boredom, searching for new blogs to read or browsing twitter.  I imagine baby is here and snuggling her on the couch while we watch daddy play his games. 

It is truly impossible to really know what our lives with be like once our baby girl gets here….but I can’t help but anticipate pure bliss.

This week’s photos are taken in the nursery.  It’s just a little sneak peek at the final product!  The dresser is an antique (or just really old), re-finished by my mom, with vintage glass handles.  The knick knacks on the dresser are mostly items from my baby shower (Amanda decorated in all vintage baby stuff—and I got to take home anything I wanted!).  My dress is the “boho mama” dress that I got in Vermont this summer.  It was originally floor-length, but I thought it looked too costume-y, so I hemmed it short (admittedly I made it a little too short.  tights are definitely required with it now).

In these photos:  vintage 70s dress, earrings from Target, tights and boots (both unknown)

Belly’s lookin pretty big huh?  Today marks 8 months—so I still have 2 more to grow!

xo

Jayme

CLOSED. Handmade Feature/Giveaway: Blossom and Grow

This giveaway is now closed! Stay tuned for the winner and for another amazing giveaway later this week! xo

This week we are featuring the super cute etsy shop-Blossom and Grow--full of adorable bibs and matching burp cloths.  These aren't just any bibs and burp cloths though, the designer/owner behind Blossom and Grow, Kathryn, has a keen eye for details.  We love the mod/vintage feel of her fabric choices, contrast stitching, terry cloth backing, and fun button closures on the bibs.  

Let's get to know a little bit more about Kathryn:

Kathryn with daughter, Emma

What does your life outside of Etsy look like?  Well, I am a new mom!   Our daughter Emma Kate is 8 months old.  My husband Josh and I have been married for almost four years now.   I work part-time from home doing the advertising for a local garden center.    My mom lives ten minutes away so I take Emma to see grandma quite a bit.  My mom is an incredible seamstress and has begun to teach me how to sew.   So being a mommy and sewing are my new adventures right now and I am loving it!

Describe yourself in three words.

Creative, Easy-Going, Restless-I can’t sit still for to long.   

Fall piece you can’t live without:  Snuggly Sweaters…   

Most recent fashion-related purchase:  Skinny jeans.  I am venturing out.  I never liked them but recently decided they aren’t so bad…

Do you craft/make anything else outside of what’s in your shop? 

Not too much..  I really enjoy photography so I guess you could say that is making something.  I do like to bake but haven’t had much time to do that lately.  I am always up for trying new crafty things though…

Any pet peeves?  Moodiness.  I like people and my surroundings to be happy. : )

Bad habits?  Forgetting to eat, then half way through the day I feel horrible….

Desert-island food?  Pizza..

Three bands/singers you can’t get enough of:  Don’t really have too many specifics.  Country is my favorite but I’ll listen to just about anything..

What made you decide to start a shop?  Well I’m not working as much as I use to so I thought a little extra cash wouldn’t hurt anything.  I love sewing so I have made all these bibs and burp cloths and Emma can only wear so many bibs. : )  And it’s relaxing for me.  I was looking for a hobby that I enjoy and can relax doing and sewing is that hobby.

Significance of your shop name:  I’m not really sure how I came up with it.  I love plants and flowers so that’s kind of were blossom came from and I just thought how fast Emma is growing and thought grow fit well with blossom.  When I put the two together I thought it made a cute name for a baby shop.

Favorite item in your shop right now?  Zebra Print Bib and Burp Cloth Set

Loving these super adorable designs from Blossom and Grow?  Enter for your chance to win one of their signature bib and burp cloth sets!  In honor of November--and Thanksgiving being right around the corner--Kathryn has designed a "Gobble Gobble" set that would be PERFECT for your little one to wear on Turkey Day!

Here's how to enter:

1. Follow our blog! Once you become a follower, just leave a comment below, telling what your favorite item from Blossom and Grow is.
2. Follow Miskabelly (@miskabelly) on twitter…and again, just a quick comment to let us know you did (with your twitter user name) and share what your favorite item from Blossom and Grow is.
3. If you’re already following the blog and our twitter—simply leave a comment, telling us what your favorite item from Blossom and Grow is!
4. Once we tweet about the giveaway, you can re-tweet to gain an extra entry!

Multiple entries are allowed (if you want to follow the blog, AND our twitter AND re-tweet AND vote for us, go for it!).  This contest will run through next Sunday, November 7th.  The winner will be chosen through a random number generator. 


Good Luck!!

Manda & Jayme 

AND THE WINNER IS...

Thanks to all who entered to win the giveaway from Bikki's Beehive by Bikkand!  We loved hearing about your favorite items from Prasanna's shop.  The winner of the crochet mary janes with headband AND additional pair of mary janes is.... #3:

stumbull said... 

I am a follower and I love all the maryjanes, my little girl can never have enough cute shoes!
stumbull at gmail dot com

October 25, 2010 7:59 PM 

Congratulations!  We'll be emailing you shortly with details on how to claim your prize!

xo

Manda & Jayme