'Tis the season

It's my favorite time of year! Cheers!

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Happy {belated} Halloween

I'm just now coming off my sugar coma, which explains the major delay in this Halloween post. But I couldn't resist sharing the Little Bean's costume that I made the day before trick-or-treating festivities. Let me first say that I had another costume planned, but since he is now old enough to have an opinion, I had to surprise him with his request.

Team Umizoomi is his favorite show and the only one he likes to watch. (Thankfully, we've been spared from Dora, Barney, or any other painfully annoying character.) For those without young toddlers, Team Umizoomi is a cartoon that teaches kids about math, shapes, and problem solving. Geo is one of the characters:

Unfortunately, the only "Geo" costume I could find online was sold on eBay at the beginning of October - when non-procrastinating moms start looking for costumes. And since this is not one of the more popular shows, or maybe because I waited until the day before Halloween, I couldn't find this costume at any local big box store. So with a little felt, glue, and some hand-sewing...

...we were "ready for action"!!! (<--a phrase from the show)

 

He was so excited that when he saw himself in the mirror, he softly patted me on the back and quietly said, "Thank you, mommy. It's perfect." That's really all I needed to hear to make the hours of work the night before worth it!

So for future reference for anyone with a young son wanting to be Geo next year, here are the basic instructions for this costume:

• Print this template, for the boots and helmet wave (ignore the rest of it, unless you also need the template for the shapes belt).
• Buy a blue plastic toy helmet. I think this was a racing helmet; I took the middle stripe off. You can also use a blue beanie or backwards baseball cap, if that's your only option.
• Glue (or double-sided tape) 2" of yellow felt along the bottom of the helmet.
• Add the light blue felt wave to the the helmet. (I made the wave extend to the back of the helmet too.)
• Paint a styrofoam ball red. Cut in half. Glue red card stock to the bottom (cut) half. This makes it adhere to the helmet better since the styrofoam won't bend with the helmet, leaving you with a misshapen surface to tape or glue.
• Paint 2 smaller styrofoam balls red, as well as a toothpick, and stick the smaller balls into the top half of the larger one.
• Make the shapes belt and attach to bottom of a bright blue short-sleeve t-shirt. (I couldn't find a plain blue shirt in a size 2T, so I used this old pull-over and rolled-up the sleeves.)
• For the roller skates, I printed the template, and cut the shape out of felt. The template for the yellow tip of the boot is incorrect, so I had to just measure that as I went along. Sew the top together, leaving the back open, so you can slip it over the front of your child's boot or shoe. I found that I could safety pin the back together, slip it on his foot (like a sock) and then it fell easily over his boot. Much easier than trying to pin or velcro it closed once he's fully dressed and ready to run out the door. (The bottom of this "roller skate" is open, so he's actually walking on the soles of his own shoes.)

I threw this together at the last minute, but he was happy and that's all that mattered to me! Hopefully, these instructions made a little sense for those of you trying to follow.

Hope everyone had a happy Halloween!

PS - Since we don't really let him have candy, we told him that all the candy he collected would be left overnight for the "Great Pumpkin" and in the morning, he would find a gift in exchange. We bought a couple of books as his Halloween treats and have spent the past week eating 3 pounds of chocolate. It's a win-win idea if you ask me!

Right on Target

The Target + Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection Lookbook has arrived! As mentioned here, the partnership includes designers from the Council of Fashion Designers of America who have created products exclusively for the Target holiday collection. There are 50 fab finds ranging from $7.99 - $499.99. Below is a peek at a few of my favorites. So mark you calendars for Dec 1, when you'll be able to snatch them up for yourselves.

 

1. Tracy Reece dessert plates || 2. Marchesa girl's dress || 3. Eddie Borgo box || 4. Oscar de la Renta dog bowl

5. Philip Crangi trinket box || 6. Lela Rose women's top || 7. Joseph Altuzarra cocktail set and tray

Foxy Lady

I'm loving the new mascot that designers have adopted this season:

clockwise: necklace 49.99 || sweater 284.56 || wrap bracelet 125 || cuff bracelet 145 || clutch 1,995 
|| sweater 495 || earrings 68 || (similar earrings 13.80)

{chic finds} 15 things from Forever 21

I forgot about this new baby phase where everything I wear is immediately covered in spit up. So this fall, I'm looking at Forever 21 for pieces I can wear without worrying which end of baby will stain it.

1. Peplum is a big trend this season and generally flattering on most body types. This purple one will give a pop of color and a bit of polish when worn with jeans.
2. Yes, another striped top. This one is grey and tan, completely different from the black & white, navy & white, gray & white, navy & black, blue & gray ones I currently own.
3. This cross sweater comes in reverse colors in the store (cream with black cross), which reminds me of this sweater I liked on Pinterest.
4. Denim shirts are a go-to and perfect for colored denim or printed pants.
5. Started getting into polka dots recently (seen here) and this one looks easy to wear.
6. Hunter green is the color of the season. I like the pyramid stud on the shoulders of this easy blouse.
7. Colored denim is still in and burgundy is an update from your summer colors.
8. People always ask if my $10 skinny jeans are J Brand. Nope. These (shown) are $24 but a higher rise than the $10.80 jeans.
9. Saw similar pants at Barney's for much more. They look like comfy pajama pants that I am happy to wear after a sleepless night.
10. Speaking of sleepless nights, a big floppy hat and...
11. ...cat eye sunglasses will be the answer to a skipping hair and make-up.
12. Over the arm party, so this woven knot bracelet will just be a party of one.
13. A cap toe nude ballet flat. Chanel, Tory Burch, Forever 21...pick your price point.
14. A large shopper tote to be used as a diaper bag.
15. I've loved the fabulous fox since I saw a vintage fox ski poster years ago. These fingerless-gloves are a fun accessory on cool days.

More Forever 21...

And one more makes four

Way long ago, I posted this story and never finished it. Can we blame baby brain?

I wanted to do something a little fun to announce the sex of our second baby, so we made a really cute gender reveal video for our friends and family, and had our first "family-of-four" photo shoot. With the help of a talented photographer, and a little patience from a young toddler (2 year olds aren't great at all-day photo shoots), our Little Bean pulled a string that dropped a room-full of blue balloons to announce a LITTLE BROTHER!

....and he arrived last week perfect as can be.

 

I'm excited to be home for a while, basking in new baby bliss, and enjoying my favorite season with my favorite boys. I may even have some new posts for you. Stay tuned...

Spreading joy

I love this video, but most of all, love the idea of leaving little bits of happiness around to spread my {post-pardom!} joy. Happy Monday!

video via

I heart this sweater

Remember this sweater from last fall? Well guess who's having a sale??? The sweater is now at J. Crew outlet for $75, BUT right now it's on sale for 40% off, which makes it $45. And if you spend $120 or more, you receive another 20% off, making it only $36 (vs. last year's full retail price $88). So go ahead and buy them in both colors. Someone else may or may not have.

Another little tip: J. Crew factory has a new online shop launching in October. Go to jcrewfactory.com now and sign up to receive free shipping til Nov 1 and 20% off on your birthday. Personally, I find the factory product fits a little different than full-price stores, but my husband loves their soft cotton tees, so he loads up here. Happy shopping!

Sneak 'Peaking'

Since I will soon be a nursing mother again, I've been looking at my post-maternity wardrobing options for fall. Unfortunately, nursing tops leave little to be desired. Plain, stretchy tops are fine for taking walks or running errands, but what if a little soiree comes up? Enter, Peaks of London. Chic nursing tops and dresses rigged with discreet functionality to feed the little birds at their command.

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*The blue dress on bottom right was worn by Sienna Miller.

See the collection (all on sale!) here.

{chic finds} Target non-maternity

As previously mentioned, I generally shop at two stores: one for clothes/shoes (Neimans) and one for household staples (Target). But now my worlds are colliding. I saw a similar dress available at NM Last Call for about $75. Then I found it at Target.

I just did the math on this outfit: the entire thing (minus the watch) is under $50. Dress: 24.99, pendant necklace: 3 (H&M), hat: 12.99, sandals 7.99 (after a 'buy 1 get 1 50% off sale'). You can get these Dolce Vita sandals for $69, but since I wasn't sure how long I'd like the gold bar in the middle, I went with good ol' Mossimo. And bought them in both black and white. I can't find any of the pieces online, so you'll have to go to your local Tar-jay. As you can see from here and here, it's been my retailer of choice through this pregnancy.

The dress is in the non-maternity section and also comes in black with white bands. It's incredibly comfortable and a bright color, which you would see if I could take a good picture. And the hat? I'm not a hat person because of my freakishly large head, but this hat has saved many weekends. Lip gloss, aviators, hat - done. If you've seen me at all on the weekend, I'm wearing this hat. It doesn't matter what else I'm wearing; I've decided it goes with everything.