Thursday, October 25, 2012

Gap Elastic-trim Tank: A breastfeeding favorite!

Hello breastfeeding mamas, I've found nirvana. Literally.

Mamas, meet Gap Elastic-trim Tank. My new favorite nursing essential, I wish I had bought them in every color when Gap had a 30% off promotion last week. I only bought it in off white, and I will be buying them in every other color come the next sale. It stretches like crazy, I can pull it down under my boob and pop D on my boob for a feeding. I really never thought I'd find normal tank tops like this that would give me so much stretch, I hate the typical nursing tank tops - they are too much work for me. When D gets hungry, he wants his boob, NOW.

The tank tops are available in red, off-white, navy blue and heather gray and priced just right at 19.95 (but if you are just as cheap as I am, wait for a sale!). Get them now at Gap.

Tons of hugs,

Michelle

 

 

 

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Christmas Postcards

Mr. D's going to be 4 months old on Monday, cue the teary eyes. I can't believe how much time has gone by.. I feel like it was yesterday that he was born and I was sending out his birth announcements. I used photos of D from the hospital photographer (Bella Baby Photography), she did an exceptionally great job taking pictures. She blew all the typical hospital photos outta the water, seriously. I believe I got lucky with her, I've heard horror stories of butchered hospital photos with Bella Baby in general. Anyhoo, back to the point. :)
I ordered D's birth announcements from Tiny Prints, I choose the Tweeting Trio postcards since it fit in with D's woodlands nursery theme. To be honest with you, I had low expectations for Tiny Prints and when the postcards arrived, that changed! I couldn't believe how rich the colors on the postcards were! The only drawback was that the postcards were a bit thin, it could've been more thicker. I was satisfied overall and I plan on making more orders with Tiny Prints for Christmas! I'm considering the Retro Snowflakes photocards.. What are you getting? Buy your customized Christmas cards from Tiny Prints today!
Tons of hugs,
Michelle


Monday, October 15, 2012

Etsy Find of the Day

Look at this most adorable long johns for baby boys! I was jealous of all the cute clothes for girls up until now. Awwww :)

Andrea from Mabel Label outdid herself! Buy this item here.

Tons of hugs,

Michelle

 

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Fall Vignette & Dirty Beard Press

My husband found a letterpressed thank you note from my BFF the other day, I felt inspired. It's amazing how a simple handcrafted note can do that. My BFF, Laural, owns her own letterpress shop out in the New England region. Dirty Beard Press has been up and running for a few years now, Laural can press anything for you from wedding invites to a simple notecard. She's mighty good at illustration too, if you need something designed for your letterpressed goodie.

I told the hubs that I wanted to go to IKEA and grab a frame for it, we had to go there anyways to make a return. I got the 4x6 RIBBA frame in black for the notecard and a pair of cheap NYTTJA frames to throw a couple of family pictures in for the half bathroom.

I built a small fall vignette on my fireplace mantle using the newly framed notecard among the other knick knacks I already had lying around. The number one rule for creating a vignette is to group items in odd numbers, never even!

1) Dirty Beard Press letterpress notecard with the IKEA RIBBA frame. 2) I Married Adventure: The Lives of Martin and Osa Johnson book. 3) Pinecone candleholder.

I'm all set for fall, I'm not lifting another finger for halloween decor. Everything will collect dust in the basement until 2013 including Christmas decor, there's a particular baby that likes waking up his mama every two hours at night. I've been forced to favor naps over fun stuff like decor, sigh.

Tons of hugs on this beautiful fall day,

Michelle

 

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Top Five Baby Essentials

OOPS. This post was on the backburner for some time now, mom duties come first. Now that Mr. D is 14 weeks old, I feel that I've got enough experience under my belt to determine what was (and still is, I like to think my baby is a newborn until he can start eating solids) the most essential for the care of newborn babies.

1. Aden and Anais Swaddle Blanket

These are lifesavers! Made out of muslin, they're perfect for multiple uses. I use them as a breastfeeding cover, to swaddle Mr. D at night, floor cover for tummy time, protection from the elements (just drape over car seat or stroller) and as a burp cloth. I always make sure I have one on hand everywhere I go. No need for a hooter hider or fancy burp cloths.

2. BumGenius 4.0 All in One Diaper

For the cloth diapering mamas (to those who arent cloth diapering, you should give it a shot!), this is the most easiest way to cloth diaper or CD. Just stuff your insert in the diaper and go. Its also one size fits all. Pure genius I tell ya! The color options are long, I bought about every color possible. For those who are curious, I have 18 diapers in my stash, it lasts me a couple days.

On another note: A friend, Erika, recently gifted me a diaper from The Little Bee Co, this will become my go to diapers in the future for baby #2. Their diapers are all in ones too, they come with the most plushest microfiber inserts. The workmanship is really great and for the price its even better than the BG AIO diapers! They've got pretty awesome people behind the name, they donate a diaper to babies in need for every diaper purchased.


3. Weleda Calendula Shampoo & Lotion

Your baby will start to smell and get dirty at some point. I wanted something that would be gentle on my baby's sensitive skin. This fit the bill and the smell is nice - it has that hippie smell - which I love. :)

4. Beco Gemini carrier

Beco makes their carriers out of organic material, they feel more soft and comfortable than the other carriers I scoped out at stores. I carried Mr. D the first few weeks in the carrier, no problem mate. I've only carried him chest to chest at this point, I haven't tried the hip hold yet and I refuse to forward carry him for several reasons to be discussed at a later point. I got my carrier through Craigslist at a measly 60 bucks! Score! I have it in the Paige pattern, gender neutral in my opinion.

5. Carters Onesies

You gotta dress up that baby, this one is an obvious essential. Carter's has the best onesies around in my opinion, they give you the best bang for your buck. They come in packs of three or five, I bought them in white - the most versatile color. The other similiar priced brands are sized weird and they feel cheap.

Tons of hugs,

Michelle