Get The Look: Family Photos

Dressing for professional photos can be tough because you want the clothes to pop in the photos but not overtake them ... you want to look stylish but not be part of an embarrassing trend you'll regret five years later ... and you want to wear something that flatters your body, showing off your best assets and concealing any trouble spots.

You're already spending money on photos, so you may not want to break the bank, either, with a new expensive wardrobe. Shop your closet and shop sale sites, and you can come up with some pretty outfits!

For our photos last week, I focused on bright, springy colors with classic styles.




So, the yellow top I'm wearing is actually something I scored from ThredUp. You know I love consignment shopping, and if it's online, even better. You can get $10 off of your first order using my referral link HERE.

A quick ThredUp search for "yellow blouse" brought up these four items on the above left, all currently available on ThredUp!
// J. Crew (size L): $12.99
// Milly (size 2): $35.99 ... originally $297
// Kate Spade (size 8): $60.99 ... originally $258
// J. Crew (size 2): $23.99

White distressed jeans: I scooped these up for $59, free shipping! I love them.

Kendra Scott mother of pearl earrings: $65 here at Zappos

For the girls' clothes, I brought a few options, all of which I bought secondhand, bought on Zulily, or that my mom made. She made Charlotte's smocked dress in the bottom photo above. All of the childrens' clothes in the collage above are currently available from Zulily. I made their simple white hairbows and will be adding more styles soon to our Etsy shop.

Happy shopping for lovely spring clothes!

+++

Tomorrow I will be sharing some information about my new monogramming/embroidery machine and would LOVE for any of you who have experience with these to chime in with your experiences, tips and tricks! Please make sure to come back tomorrow for lots of good information!

Spring Photos

Last week we had the opportunity to have some beautiful pictures taken with the very talented Lindsay Hart. She's currently gearing up for some spring garden mini-sessions and is going to use some of the images from last week on her marketing piece (shown below). I brought a few outfits for the girls, our silver rattle that proved to be so helpful in catching Charlotte's attention, and Lindsay took care of everything else. She's a mom to four so she definitely knows how to capture little ones' attention and get THE shot. When you're investing time, effort and money in family photos, that is key. 

Here are the photos she shared with me last night ... I love her bright, colorful, dreamy photography style. And personally, she is just a really friendly, upbeat and lovely person to be around. If you're in or around the Charlotte area, I would definitely recommend her for photos. 

Thanks again Lindsay for allowing me to brag on you! We treasure these photos, and now I'm excited to print one for my husband's desk!

Saturday Sip and Shop

Sip:

The Firecracker Cocktail
Watermelon, cucumber, and lime... right up my alley!
Recipe HERE from The Creative Culinary

Shop:



Multi Tassel Tote HERE

Five On Friday

It's time for another edition of Five on Friday and I do hope you'll join along!

Remember, all you have to do is post about five things on your mind, add our logo (found at the bottom of this post), and join the party using the linky tools below. Easy, and a great way to find new blogs and be found. :)

O N E
You may have seen on Snapchat that I now am the proud owner of a monogram/embroidery machine! My mom gave me one for my birthday. I've been having a good time stretching my brain trying to figure out all of the bells and whistles (and also getting a good lesson or two in patience along the way). I would love to do a blog post soon where we can all share information since it seems like several of you also own one ... or would like to. I've already received some awesome advice from a handful of you. Stay tuned for that post!

T W O
I am in desparate need of a new phone case. Anyone have any good recs? Ian wants me to get one of those rubbery, military grade indestructible phones because, you know, TODDLERS. I want one that is "cute." Is there a good meet-in-the-middle version? I saw this Speck one and am curious if anyone has experience with it?

T H R E E

One of my college besties is having her little boy any day now! Godspeed to her! I told her last night that I loooooved having babies and would do the delivery over and over again if I could. Heck yes, with an epidural again please, but what an awesome experience it was.

F O U R
I can't wait to share some photos next week of the little girls that we had taken on Wednesday! I even got a chance to hop in a few photographs. The weather was beautiful and the girls were so cooperative and perfect. It helps that our photographer is a mom to four kiddos and knows exactly what to say and do to get that impish little grin captured on film!

F I V E

Remember that today is the last day to get 25% off of your Bella Tunno order using code SMIDGEOFTHIS25. The code expires tonight at midnight. I really appreciate the Bella Tunno ladies allowing me to pass on a discount to you for a bag that is truly gorgeous (and priced well to boot).

TGIF y'all, and hope you will join in on Five on Friday this week! Cheers to the weekend!

St. Pats Planning

March is here, St. Patty's is around the corner, and while I may not be closing down the bars drinking green beer this year, it's still fun to get in the spirit and enjoy all of the green.

bridal shower invitation // first birthday invitation // st. patty's invitation // watercolor shamrock

The invitation on the bottom right is soooo adorable. My favorite!

Definitely planning on doing this paper plate craft with Camille! She would love this. You can get the paper streamers so inexpensively at a party store or dollar store.

And you can't beat a minty ice-cream based shake! Recipe HERE. I just need to pick up this mint extract. 

What sort of things do you have planned for the 17th?

Tuesday Coffee Talk

Good morning friends!
I've got a cup of French Roast right here and just wanted to share a few goings-on with our familia.

We had a wonderful weekend at the lake with my parents, sister, brother-in-law and precious nephew. Great food per usual, some fun family games after the three babies were asleep, even a boat ride (that we had to abandon halfway through because of rough waters). My mom had a great new NYX lipgloss that I tried on, and don't you know she snuck it into the pocket of my purse before we left because she said it looked great on me. I found it yesterday. That's a mom, am I right?

Back here at home, Ian and I watched The Accountant on Sunday night and he made us copycat chili cheese burritos from Taco Bell because, you know, we're classy. Honestly, they were absolutely delicious. If I told you we added Fritos inside them, too, would you hold it against me?

We've been spending time outside each and every day. It's the perfect way to burn that 4:30-5:30 hour before dinner begins. Char absolutely loves the wagon these days, and Camille loves to ask for "a little bit of biking."

I just got in some new Lilly ribbon to debut tomorrow night on our Tipsy Bunny instagram (here)! The most fun prints. I do have a few bows left from these other prints (top right sold out currently). They are $12/ea and $3 to ship no matter how many bows you buy. It's not too early to think about Easter baskets! If you're interested, message me or comment below!

Camille had ballet yesterday and Charlotte and I have music class today. We're off to get ready for the day. Make it a beautiful day! Last day of February!

Protection and Adoration

 

 

One of the questions I get asked most is about the transition from one to two babies. 

I am no pro, and thousands upon thousands of women transition from one baby to two every.single.day. So our family's experiences, while beautiful and ever-so-important, are not groundbreaking. I hope I'm not bursting your bubble. I think having a second baby sort of pierced my own MAMA BUBBLE in a very gentle and endearing way. A crucial way. 

"Will I love my second as much as I love my first?"

I struggled with this, and I was scared to have a second baby that I would constantly compare to Camille. I even wrote Camille an email right before Char was born so that I could express how much I loved her without it coming across as favoritism. It was the last time that I could say things like "You are my world." 

Of course you will love them both. They are your babies. And you will love them in different ways. 

With my first baby, it's more pride and awe. 

With my second baby, it's protection and adoration.

I think Charlotte is just the sweetest, most perfect little thing, and I want to keep her safe and sheltered. I find us hesitating on anything that makes it feel like she's growing up too fast. We want her to stay our eternal newborn. :)

I've just come off of a very wonderful family weekend where I saw glimpses of my two daughters that showed me how they will be at 5, at 15, at 25, at 50. I love these sneak previews. They are so wonderfully different from each other. We often say that Camille will be the daughter who wants to be dropped off with her girlfriends at the movie theater on a Friday night, and Charlotte will say "I just figured I'd go out to sushi with you, Mom and Dad."

I wonder what it's like for those of you who have added a second, third, fourth, fifth baby to your families. What words would you use to describe the love you have for your kids -- and how does it differ from child to child? 

Five On Friday!

It's time for another edition of Five on Friday and I do hope you'll join along!

Remember, all you have to do is post about five things on your mind, add our logo (found at the bottom of this post), and join the party using the linky tools below. Easy, and a great way to find new blogs and be found. :)

O N E

Do you ever love something so much you just wanna sqeeeeeeeeeeeeze it?

Me too, Camille. 

T W O
I've got a new Bella Tunno bag and I'm so excited to share! They recently debuted their BOSS BAGS for the mama-on-the-go who wants to look stylish. If you're currently carrying a diaper bag with a giraffe on it, pay close attention.

I chose the cognac color. There are tons of pockets, a full clutch inside, a changing pad, a cross-body strap, I mean basically everything you'd want in an everyday bag. And the vegan leather is so soft. They have passed along to you the coupon code SMIDGEOFTHIS25 for 25% off starting now through next Friday, 3/3. Now is an awesome time for you to snag this bag!

And remember, this Charlotte-based company is doing it right. For every product sold, they donate one full meal to a child in America.

T H R E E
As I mentioned recently, I've been enjoying having gel polish on my nails recently. On my last salon trip, I tried a new nail color. It's pinker than what I had on last time, which was OPI's Let's Be Friends. This one is called Mod About You and you can also buy it in the non-gel polish HERE on Amazon. It's a beautiful opaque light pink.

 

F O U R
I posted on Snapchat earlier this week about the cake batter overnight oats we enjoyed for breakfast. Oh mah GAH y'all. Delicious. Camille and I were both big fans. And, contrary to the name, it's not a sugar-laden calorie bomb. It's quite healthy!

So, my friend Caroline (you may know her from this blog) recently started a meal planning and menu service called Pots & Plans that is based around delicious food and saving money. Two things I love. If you're interested in the overnight oats recipe, check out her Facebook page HERE, and I'm sure she will also send you a sample menu plan if you're interested!

F I V E
We had this impromptu family photo taken last weekend at a birthday party by the talented photog Lindsay Hart. Love it!

I also love love love the Lilly tunic I'm wearing. I am wearing the XS and it fits true to size. These are $98 usually, but 6pm has several on major sale right now. They are great for this transitional weather when it's a little chillier in the mornings and evenings. Also so pretty with cute shorts for summer beach trips!

TGIF y'all, and hope you will join in on Five on Friday this week! Cheers to the weekend!