DIY Painted Hex Nut Bracelet

I’ve been on a pink and yellow kick lately. I’ve made these bracelets in the past, they take a little bit of time to get the hang of braiding in the hex nuts, but with a little patience and practice, you can easily get it done in about 20 minutes. I put a springtime spin on it by painting the hex nuts-and I looovveee how it turned out!

xo, d
www.sophandlulu.com

I had most of this stuff around the house, so I only had to purchase the craft paint for $1.75 per bottle.

I painted the hex nuts using a foam brush and did about 3 thin coats, with about an hour of drying time in between coats.

Be sure to tape the ends of your twine to make it easier to string on the hex nuts. See a full tutorial for how to braid in the hex nuts here.  The key to making this bracelet is to take it slow, and always keep the hex nuts pointing up towards the top of your bracelet as shown in the below pictures.

Wrap it around your wrist a couple times…and you’ve got a trendy and fresh new bracelet!

Is there anything cuter than baby shoes?

I have a very serious question for you today… I would like to know if there is anything cuter than a tiny little pair of baby shoes? I mean seriously, if you really think about it… the tiny little feet scrunching up those tiny little toes making it hard to put on those adorable tiny little shoes. But once those shoes are on… how super cute is it to see fat little legs kicking and kicking those shoe covered feet?

So today, let’s talk about the most adorable of all the adorable baby shoes shall we?

1 // All About Heidi
The most adorable petal shoes! Handmade out of a single piece of leather, there are no seams so no roughness on little feet. The petal silhouette allows your little one to stretch their toes any which way while still being protected. Perfect right?And if you are interested there is a giveaway going on over on my personal blog for a free pair!!

2 // OWO Shoes
Handmade out of leather and lined with a super soft lining, they come in some fabulous colors! The laces ensure a perfect fit and they come in all kinds of sizes from newborn on up! I’m pretty sure they will become something to keep and treasure forever. I mean look at them… are they not adorable?

3 // Freshly Picked
Ohh moccs… I have a soft spot for moccs… The colors, the fringe, the silhouette, the fact that they become more adorable as they’re worn in AND they’re handmade? Basically they’re worth every penny!

4 // Scarlettos
Baby canvas shoes that look like little Toms! With elastic so they stay on! Handmade with lots of different patterns! Adorable!

5 // Manimals

Now these are moccasins. The mix of the fringe and the little tie are perfect for a little boho baby! Plus they come in yellow and HOT PINK! Sweet right?

6 // Weepereas

Little cloth reversible slippers with an endless list of patterns. Don’t these look like the perfect little things to keep those socks on those adorable little feet?

For more from me be sure to visit Just Dawnelle! I’m there chatting it up everyday and would love to have you!

Spring Things For Mom

.. sandals .. headwrap .. water bottle .. sunglasses .. nail polish ..

With spring weather finally showing it’s face where I live, I cannot tell you how excited I am to pack up our winter coats, hats and gloves! There is something so freeing about the beggining of this season and I am loving all things spring. While I have been doing some shopping for my little boys, I wanted to focus on Moms this week by sharing some of my favorite “spring things”! Sunglasses, sparkly shoes and colorful toes certainly have been cheering me up lately as I’ve been getting outside more with my boys. What are your favorite things for spring??

Visit my personal blog at comesincolours.blogspot.com!

-Gillian

What we’re wearing (Spring)

Quinn, Rhys & Avery’s
Spring outfits c/o Tea Collection

Are we connected?

Twin Style / 9 Months

Her / Carters + H&M

Him / Target + Old Navy

just love // kelly

OshKosh for Boys

I bought the boys new outfits for Easter at Target this year. It was a good excuse to get them something new for spring since we are pretty casual about Easter in my family. I instantly fell in love with these neon shorts! You can’t really tell from the photos, but the shirt also has little neon specks in the fabric as well- so cute! There are a lot of really adorable OshKosh brand little boys clothes at Target right now, some of my other favorites include this striped shirt and these striped shorts! Is anyone else really excited for warm weather??

-Gillian

Visit my personal blog at comesincolours.blogspot.com!

Little Leggings

<<<<<<< 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – 6 >>>>>>>

I am so into the baby legging craze right now! Leggings are great for little boys and girls because they are comfy, easy to put on and ADORABLE! I had a hard time finding cute inexpensive leggings for boys until I started looking in the girls section at stores! LOTS of leggings can be gender neutral so don’t be afraid to shop for your baby boys in the girls section!

Visit my personal blog at comesincolours.blogspot.com!

-Gillian

TWIN STYLE / 8 MONTHS

Oh how the time flies! These two are 8 months old this Friday and boy oh boy do they sure act it.
Rolling over, trying to sit up, eating solids!
It’s like they forgot that they’re only supposed to be 5 months old right now.
I’m beginning to think the whole adjusted age thing for preemies is moot on these two.

HIS
Bodysuit c/o The Bird & Elephant
{ Learn more about them here
& Find their latest giveaway over here. }
Pants / Carters

HERS
Bodysuit c/o The Bird & Elephant
Leggings / H&M

just love // kelly

Brother Style.

Ok, I have to admit that since I found out I would be having another little boy, I have always dreamed about dressing my children in matching outfits. I’m not sure what it is about kids that match – but it is always adorable! My mom used to dress my sister and I alike pretty often when we were little. These outfits for my boys just kind of “appeared” into my life. I bought Roman the blue Old Navy skinny jeans and the rest of the outfits were gifted by family members. Of course I had to jump at the chance to grab some cute matching photos of them!

All of these items were on clearance from Target and Old Navy which are my favorite stores (following thrift stores of course!) for children’s clothing.

Shirts (Target) Skinny Jeans (Old Navy) Socks (Target)

Visit my personal blog at: comesincolours.blogspot.com!

-Gillian

MAMA STYLE / CHUNKY BABIES AND ALL

Well, it’s official. I have a chunky baby!
I always wanted one of those.

Third one did the trick.
I remember sitting at home with Quinn reading way too many new mama blogs while my string bean napped in my arms, and drooling over the chunky babies everyone was having.
I was a chunck-ero, so was the Hubs, but put us together and
apparently we made the skinniest of skinny kiddys.
{-5% for weight, 10% for height, tiny little noggin.}

But not anymore.
Rhys weighed in today at 19 lbs 1 oz.
My itty bitty 28 week preemie who started out at 3 lbs is now HUGE.
He will never cease to amaze me.

xoxo

△ △ △

Mama //
Top / Old Navy // Pants / The Jean Girl
Blazer / F21 // Shades / Burberry

Baby //
Top / Boutique in Mendocino // Pants / The Children’s Place
Hat / Carters // Bomber Jacket / BT Kids

△ △ △

Are we connected?

Mother & Daughter Style: At Wedding

Left: Lace wedding dress, Right: Made to order (contact vivatveritasshop@gmail.com)

Hello Spearmint Baby readers! How was your New Year? My year 2013 didn’t start off so well. My sewing machine and laptop broke and I had to replace them both..sigh.

Today, I wanted to show the dresses I made for a lovely lady from Sweden. She is getting married in February, and her little daughter is going to be her flower girl. According to her request, I made a matching dress for her daughter. The sleeves, fabric and the neckline are all mini-version of her mother’s wedding dress! I thought the idea of matching dresses was so special.

~ Chie  {find me elsewhere: blog, shop, facebook, etsy, twitter, pinterest}

SIX MONTH STYLE

HIS | TARGET // HERS | OLD NAVY

Six months and counting.
It still feels too good to be true.

xoxo
kelly

Are we connected?

Modern Nursery Decorating Ideas & Tips to Inspire you from Here Comes Baby

Looking for nursery decoration ideas to inspire you to decorate or revamp your baby’s or child’s nursery? We found these gorgeous inspirational nurseries photos from Amélie at Petit Home and they are so so chic. Amélie advises to “Add a few cushions, a colourful quilt, a fairytale lamp or a poetic wall-sticker to give a fresh look to a room!”

Putting together your baby’s nursery can be one of the most fun parts of your pregnancy. You get to choose the colours, design the layout and don’t forget the best part which is shopping for all the lovely baby things. Here are some suggestions to help develop your nursery decorating ideas.

When putting together your nursery decorating ideas first plan what key element you will need in the room:

• When choosing a cot bed try to choose one that converts to a toddler bed, which gives a longer life to your crib and saves you money.
• Are you going to have a changing table or a large chest of drawers that doubles as a changing table?
• Do you want a rocking chair or cosy chair for late night feeds or comforting?
• What kind of lighting do you envisage, think about full lighting from the ceiling to ambiance lighting a night light can provide.
• What kind of flooring do you like – carpet, wooden/laminate/Karndean? Will you have rugs?
• Curtains with fun fabric or neutral blinds?
• What style or theme do you want? A theme can be as subdued or as busy as you want it.
• Look for accessories that complements your theme.

For the nursery decorating ideas photo above:

Key elements:

• Bird theme: using wall stickers (remember to place these higher than little hands otherwise they become fun peeling past time for your little one!) and a bird mobile.
• Colours are differing shades of grey which can look purple in different lights.
• Changing table doubles as a storage cupboard.
• Dual function cot bed.
• Floor seating for relaxing on the floor and for reading time.
• Magnetic board to display changing art postcards, photos and fun keepsakes.
• Matching storage bags and changing bag so when not in use they can still be chic in the nursery.
• Laminate flooring for easy cleaning.

Sources:

1. Airdeje changing mat cover flower
2. Airdeje hanging mobile bird, fish and butterfly blue dots

Read the full post for more nursery decoration ideas and tips to inspire you. (more…)

Win a SUPPORi Baby Sling on Here Comes Baby!

We have five SUPPORI Baby Slings to

give away!

Our Suppori Baby Sling review is below to share with Speamint Baby readers. If you would like to win the baby sling then not pop on over to Here Comes Baby Blog to enter to win a SUPPORi baby sling.

Here Comes Baby was asked by Lucky Baby, Japan, to review their innovative and award winning SUPPORI baby sling and of course we were super excited! So we thought we give it to a family to try for the week to give us their honest thoughts and opinions of the baby sling. Lucky Baby recently showcased their baby sling at Playtime 2011 in Paris and walked away with the show award so we want to discover why this baby sling is getting so much attention.

When the SUPPORi baby sling arrived it was packaged so tiny that we wondered how something so small could provide enough support for you and your baby, but it wasn’t long till we were completely won over. The sling feels and looks high quality, the range of colours is brilliant – there is certainly something for everyone including the dads. When you put it on it is comfortable and looks and feels good for your baby too. It is not designed for wearing for a long time but it is definitely handy for situations where you need to be able to quickly carry your baby and have your hands free, for example getting the food shopping, picking up your other children from school… The only negative we could find is that if you and your partner are differing heights then you will have to buy two SUPPORi baby slings. But with the price and colour range you will probably want a colour each anyway!

We love:

• the range of colours – with dad friendly colours too!
• so small that it can be carried in your bag for any occasion
• easy to use & convenient
• machine washable at 40°
• price £34 to £44 (depends on size)

Things to consider:

• Sizing for differing heights and chest size
• Baby must be able to sit unsupported, up to 13 kg.
• One shoulder design

(more…)

Mini Piccolini: Stylish while Nursing

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – fashion is not my forté. I struggled while pregnant and only really managed to pull it together a little at the very end.

And in my opinion, nursing fashion is even more of a challenge than pregnancy style. Not only are you probably not the size and shape you were pre-pregnancy (nor are you a size and shape you would want to shop for since you’re not planning to stay that way), but you might have a sensitive c-section scar to consider, your boobs might be huge (or at least huger than usual) and you need quick and easy access to them at all times. There is also a lot of spit-up and other goo to contend with when you have a newborn attached to you at all hours.

And though it seemed impossible just a few months ago, the truth is that there is one stage of life where the clothes you can buy are actually uglier than maternity clothes. I have yet to see any nursing clothes that I would care to sport outside of the comfort of my own home.

Needless to say, I am struggling a little.

On Friday we went to some close friends’ for an “Aprés Nursery School” get-together. It was rough and rainy out and I got caught off guard by how late it was in the afternoon and how little I felt like getting myself all dolled up. But in the end I found the perfect alternative to sweats:

1. A Jumpsuit. Mine is a black jersey jumpsuit by Filippa K that I have had for a few years. There are a ton of fun jumpsuits available and if you can find a strapless version and wear it with a cardigan, it’s actually very convenient to nurse out of. Mine has straps that you can just tuck into the top if you want to go strapless. It’s soft and comfortable and it was easy enough to just pull down one side of the jumper to breastfeed.
2. A Shawl-style Cardigan. Nice and warm and cozy for a chilly day, it is also the perfect thing to wrap around your baby like a blanket or to cover yourself while nursing. I have a BCBG hand-me-down from my ver stylish sister that I am loving so much right now.
3. A Good Nursing Cover. If you’re not comfortable nursing completely out in the open, there are some great covers available. I love my Hooter Hider in Camden Lock (though I could do without the ruffles). It’s pretty, it’s convenient, I can see down to Baby really well, it’s not too heavy and it gives us some peace and quiet for nursing on-the-go.
4. A Good-Looking Diaper Bag. I love my Kate bag from MZ Wallace. It carries everything I need but doesn’t look too mommyish.
5. Flats. After whining for months (here) about not being allowed to wear heels, I find that I’m not exactly dying to don my 3-inch favorites. On Friday I opted for comfy J. Crew ballerinas. Even for shorties like me who really should wear heels 24/7, there are so many great ballerinas out there now.

See how I navigated maternity fashion here. And click here to follow my Pinterest board Mum Style.
Click here to visit Mini Piccolini - all the best stuff for Moms, Babies, Kids & Families!

Contemporary Soft Pink Nursery for Eugénie from Here Comes Baby

Eugénie’s pink nursery is small but perfectly formed just like herself. Baby Eugénie’s nursery is contemporary, chic and peaceful. Eugénie’s mother created this baby room for her 1^st baby girl Eugénie. The room is painted in a soft pink/beige tone (not too babyish) and the furniture and accessories are in soft white, grey and pink tones. I love the idea of leaving a white space to hang pictures.It adds life and personality to the room and it is can be updated easily as your child grows up. I also like the idea of placing little shelves to display lovely baby items (adorable shoes, soft toy & lovely lamps).

The lighting greatly contributes to the peaceful atmosphere of the room. The little mushroom lamp by Heico adds a fairytale touch to the pink nursery. It looks gorgeous when turned off and cast a wonderful warm light when turned on. Heico makes the best lamps for children! The lovely soft toys, cushion,changing mat cover and musical mobile give a refined touch to the pink nursery. They create the unique atmosphere of the room and make Eugénie’s nursery special.

(more…)

Stylish Newborns

I stumbled on to polarnopyretusa.com and found all of these newborn items on the sale section under $30!  So, I had to let y’all know about it of course – what do you think of these pairings? I think these would be the perfect transition pieces for fall.  I want the polka dot blanket for my self. -ijin

Trick on Wearing a Non-Maternity Skirt as a Maternity Dress

Hello all! Today I wanted to show you the trick I used when I was pregnant to wear non-maternity skirt as a maternity dress. This is the skirt I scored for $6 at a thrift shop. Although I was 34 week pregnant, and the skirt would obviously not fit, I found this bright orange skirt with yellow and teal tulip print so cute, and I had to grab it.

The skirt waist measures out as 66cm. My trick is to make a loop with an elastic band, and attach it to the skirt using safety pin. I threw on a cardigan to hide the opening part in the back. I felt like I’m wearing a moo moo with just that, so I added a belt under bust. Now I have a baby doll style dress:)

~ Chie  {find me elsewhere: blog, shop, facebook, etsy, twitter}

Mini Piccolini: Dressing a Baby Bump for Summer Receptions

I am now well into my third trimester with baby #2 and still struggling to find my fashion groove! On Friday I had two highly-anticipated packages arrive. One from J. Crew with three pair of Cece ballet flats and one from Hatch Collection with two dresses and a jumpsuit. Five of the six pieces have moved into my closet and I’m hoping they will save my summer from a pregnancy-fashion perspective!

I have two pairs of J. Crew Cece ballet flats from before and I always get compliments on them (especially the suede ones in “flame”). I have problems with SPD (symphysis pubic dysfunction) so I’m completely banned from high heels for the duration of my pregnancy and only get to wear anything other than proper running shoes for special occasions. I’m short so my (fairly extensive) shoe collection is mostly made up of really high heels so I needed a few pairs of flats to dress up some outfits for summer. I got the Cece ballet flats in sapphire suede, tawny sand leather, and gold brocade.

I couldn’t resist Hatch Collection’s gorgeous pieces, and I ended up ordering three of them, partly hoping that not all would work out as they are definitely not cheap. I’ll be keeping The Jumper in charcoal silk and The Slouch Dress in cobalt silk. I think (but it’s hard to be sure) that both of these will work even post-pregnancy (though definitely not while breastfeeding which is such a shame).

I have at least two events to attend this week and a couple next week and I am hoping that the Hatch pieces will work for all of these. This evening I’ll be wearing the slouch dress (to a very un-slouchy reception). The dress code is summer elegant but I’m not sure the weather will cooperate. I’ll probably pair it with a double-front blazer from 5th Avenue Shoe Repair, Jeffrey Campbell patent fleur de lis flats (or the new gold ballet flats to make things feel a little more summery), a chunky gold necklace made out of gold chains from my mother’s family or dangly gold earrings, and a Madonna for H&M black patent leather clutch.

And tomorrow I think I will debut the jumper at a less formal family reception. I’ll probably pair it with a cute little cream Club Monaco blazer with asymmetrical zipper and shoulder pads that I’ve had since right before Little A was born and maybe the new blue ballet flats. I’ll have Little A with me (what will he wear??) so I’ll be carrying my diaper bag…

Click here for more pregnancy style inspiration.

Click here to visit Mini Piccolini - all the best stuff for Moms, Babies, Kids & Families!

For New Mamas & Babies: Christmas Gift Guide

Clockwise from top left: Pom Blankets, Organic Striped Booties, Eat Sleep Poop, Orfeo Bloom Rattle, IGLU Wooden Play Gym, Striped Bodysuit, lifefactory Bottles, Knit Rattle, Knit Pom Booties, Wooden Crochet Teether, Birth Print, Gizmine Humidifier, Donna Wilson Plush, Sakura Bloom Sling

www.withtwocats.com

little . BIG

little . BIG

http://www.withtwocats.com

For Your Wee Ones: Bear with Me

 Clockwise from top left: paper puppet, mobile, zipper pouch, plate, wooden box, card, portrait print, plushie, badge, teepee print 

 clockwise from top left: one, two, three, four, five, six

http://www.withtwocats.com

For Your Wee Ones: Light as a Feather

 

http://www.withtwocats.com

Hearts & Lace: Mama & Baby

Mama: one, two

Baby: one, two

Mellow Yellow: Mama & Baby

Mama: one, two

Baby: one, two

And don’t forget to enter to win $75 to Tea Collection – globally inspired clothing for babies, kids, and mamas alike!

http://www.withtwocats.com

For Your Wee Ones: Metallics

 

Sweet Vintage Clothing

If you like the vintage look but don’t like digging through racks and racks of clothing at your local thrift store, definitely check out the littlest – I just bought Violet a sweet little romper there:

And the prices are great too! Happy shopping

vintage