New Baby Essentials

Before I had my babe I had a massive registry filled with lots of things i thought i would need. I have found that you really don't need much for a newborn. Here is my "essentials" for anyone expecting.

1. Blankets - all shapes, sizes and materials. You'll want some swaddle blankets, maybe some receiving blankets and then a few heavier blankets to put over them and their car seat when you go out. I really liked these swaddle blankets from Carters I received at my shower. There were a few "accidents" and milk spills on the blankets so having 2 or each type is very handy. I also really liked this blanket too, its nice and warm. We're using it right now.

2. Sack/Gown Sleepers -  These are amazing for midnight diaper changing. Trying to snap a bunch of little snaps in the dark is such a pain especially if yours is a kicker, like mine. 

3. A Boppy and/or Brest Friend Pillow - I got a boppy handed down to me from a friend and my doctor suggested a brest friend for breast feeding. I figure a woman with 3 kids has to know a thing or two about feedings. Both are great for their own reasons and both have different uses. The boppy is great for holding your babe so your arms don't get tired, great for new dads I would suggest getting a couple different covers for them. The brest friend is ideal for breast feeding. Its a stiff pillow with two humps for the baby's head, It holds them at the perfect angle plus you strap the pillow to yourself so if you need to get up to get a drink of water or a snack you can just pack the pillow and babe with you instead of trying to put them down and hope that they don't wake up...which never happens. The brest friend is a little spendy but I think its totally worth it!

4. Sleep & Play Sets - My little man pee'd or poo'd just about every sleeper he wore for the first week or so, sometimes it takes a bit to get things worked out with their diaper, finding the right size and how tight or loose to wear it without leakage. He was going through 3 or 4 outfits a day, now he doesn't have any problems but you'll want those extra outfits just in case..I only had a few outfits in the beginning because he was 5 weeks early and much smaller than I expected. Of course I was not expecting to have a newborn sized baby and if he had gone full term he wouldn't have been but that's life for you.

5. Changing Pad - Our pack and play has a changing station in it but we've only used it once. We usually change him on our bed  or on the floor with a changing pad from the diaper bag. I also ordered 2 of these vinyl pads for around the house too. I could not find somewhere to buy just a changing pad like the kind you get with a diaper bag...the one we got in ours is amazing, works wonders and we just rinse it off and it dries in seconds if he decides to tinkle on it. 

6. LilyPadz & Nursing Bras (if you're breast feeding) - I've got disposable bra pads and lily padz, I love the lily pads for going out..the disposable ones are great for night time and being at home but I haven't had any leaks with the lily padz even after let-down. Nursing bras are amazing, Its so much quicker than having to try to find a bra that you can easily slip in and out of and they're really not that expensive..only about $20 at the Motherhood Maternity store. I really like this one, I want to get about a dozen more of them, they're easy to snap in and out of and they're comfortable to sleep in.

The rest of the items you'll surely receive from your baby shower and the hospital like baby soap, those nose sucker things..oh i can never remember the name of those things. Diapers and wipes of course. I suggest disposable until they're out of the "tar" stage. It only lasts a few days.

Nearly Done Nursery

 I am so much in love with my little baby boy. Its taking a little while to get back in to the swing of things. We did take our first trip to the thrift store today, he wasn't very happy he cried most of the time. He just wanted to eat and be held so it was a short trip. But I did manage to find more designer ties, a 70s cowichan cardigan and a few little girl's dresses. We also FINALLY got the nursery finished...well, mostly finished. There are still a few things to finish and a few more pieces to get for the room but I think it came together pretty well.

 Here is my little man, just out of the bath and in his room for the first (extended period of) time

 view from the hallway, you can see his swing a gift from grandma, the rocking horse and some of the blankets we've received hanging on the crib.

 Thrifted artwork with painted frames and tons of clothes (his on top, shop on bottom)

 We got lots of balloons at the showers, I'm not quite sure what to do with them so they just kind of hang out in his room right now. You can see his dresser, the red baskets are his toys, frames on top, rattles, stuffed animals and larger toys in the bottom drawer. I want to upgrade to something like this, this or maybe this..we also put in the little boat coat rack at "kid height" and his tummy time mat was a gift from his great grandma.

 The top of the dresser is kind of a mess right now filled with some fun thrifted items, a piggy bank, some books and a picture of daddy as a baby that I'm going to put in one of these frames.

 I love his crib, for now the mannequins still live in his room...probably until he starts crawling or until we have the extra cash to get some lights for the basement.

 My favorite part of his room is his ship. We found this locally at a second hand shop, its awesome and huge, I paired it with some seagulls I thrifted over the years, I'm going to paint them all realistic seagull colors..eventually.

On the end of his crib hang my baby blanket (white) and a gorgeous blanket a co-worker crocheted for the little man, the color is stunning. I should've got a better picture of it... so yeah, that's his nursery. I still have his pom's to put up over his dresser but we're pretty close to being done. I think it turned out really cute.

My next post will be for all those new moms out there, what I couldn't live without (so far).

Shop The Sponsors - Created & Collected

Its a snowy day here in the North-West so of course I'm thinking about beautiful spring pieces and where better to look than with the sponsors? Created and Collected is one of my favorite shops on Etsy, I bought one of my very favorite summer dresses from them last year, My DeWeese. I wear it all the time, or at least I will be when the weather permits as well as this "tweet" skirt. Here are some beautiful springy finds from Created and Collected.

 This DeWeese is sure to have you thinking of warm days and sandy beaches.

 This Roxanne swimsuit fits in all the right places and the colors are gorgeous

 How could you not be in love with this Alex Coleman novelty print dress? Adorable!!!!

 This perfectly tailored John T Shane suit has details to spare, you're going to love this from spring to autumn

 This embroidered Saks party dress is wedding-worthy.

 Also plenty of beautiful jewelry in the shop like this amazing rhinestone pin (and earring set)

 You can't beat an Emma Domb for classic elegance, shelf bust and rhinestone studded bodice..pure perfection in springy yellow!

 Also beautiful decor is waiting in the shop for you, check out this 3D ceramic horse head!

And to top it off how about some Joan Holloway style because lets face it, we all want to dress that understated-sexy..at least once in a while.

Now this is just a very small fraction of the 9 pages of beautiful items that can be found in the Created and Collected Shop. Have a look, won't you?

Surprise!!

On last Thursday we had a little surprise that weighed 6 lbs 13 ozs. My son was born, 5 weeks early. Hence my absence on the web and in my shop. I do apologize for leaving you all in the dark but we've been so busy with visitors, hospital stays and bilirubin issues. But everything is a-ok now and we're getting all settled in at home. Its been a very busy nearly 2 weeks but he is really such a good baby, we are so blessed. Truly. I can't stay too long my snuggly little man is calling, I promise to stop in very soon (with more pictures) We're doing his infant photos soon.. So excited!

Thursday Thrift

Its a lovely sunny day here (for once) and I was able to take photos today of some of the inventory I picked up this week. There are still a couple more things to shoot and then I still have the kid's clothes to do but here is nearly everything found this week. I will admit I bought a lot of cute nautical decor for the nursery this week too..teehee

 Bright and shiny silver swing rain coat...this is so "spy film" to me...love it

 a pixel print sun dress in a larger size

 men's (or ladies) rust orange cardigan

 cropped 70s faux fur jacket with "hoodie" pockets

 chevron stripe sun dress

 peach and gold dual strand necklace with that lovely moonstone sheen

 MOD patriotic brooch

 seagull brooch, I've got one just like it!!

 very large wicker beach tote

 3 men's designer ties. YSL, Hermes and Burberry (in that order)

A set of brass candle sticks..smaller than the ones already in the shop. They haven't been polished yet but they will be, before they're listed.

I picked up another little girl's dress and still havent photographed the hat I picked up last week. We've been busy working on the nursery..and having really crappy weather so I haven't been able to photograph anything this whole week. HOping to get caught up this weekend and release more items in the shop next week.

Oh and there is a 35% off weekend sale running in the shop Saturday and Sunday so if you're not into watching the super bowl..you can go save some $ on vintage, instead. ;)