Shout Out

Hey kittens I wanted to give a quick "shout out" to Twila Jean of Twila Jean Vintage and her blog TwilaJean.com.

She, like me is very close to having her babe, a little girl (cue the awwwwww) but I'm talking days away..it could really be any hour now and like most vintage shop owning mama's she'll need some down time after the baby is born so she is trying to get as many sales in before baby go-time as she can. Could you please stop on by her shop and take a look at what she's got. There are some stunning mid-century pieces as well as some burlesque costumes, patterns, shoes, nylons and hand dyed lingerie. 

Here are some of my favorite pieces.

 strapless 50s dress

speckle 50s dress (large size!)

 my dream bathing suit (large size)

 plaid wiggle dress w scarf

 Ann Fogarty cocktail dress

 perfect peep toe pumps

 cotton halter neck dress

egyptian print 40s bikini

So so so so so much more to see in her shop. Go visit, lots of styles in lots of sizes..help her get baby-ready!

Feels Like New

My hubs and I have been working pretty much non-stop for the past 2 weeks to get the house ready for baby. We wanted of course to give the babe's room a new look but we also did the living room and are working on the bathroom as well. Its been utter chaos around here trying to get everything done and then trying to clean up after everything we've done so far. So here is what we've been up to, we're obviously not finished..but its feeling and looking a lot more grown up around here.

 First we went and picked out paint colors, most people spend months pondering what paint colors to get...we literally took about 5 minutes.

 next we prepped the nursery for paint

 and got to it..you can see the original "blue" up top on this pic.

 here is the room all "finished' paint drying

 the next morning we started on the living/dining room in the most amazing tropical green color

 it matches kitty's eyes...and our stupid orange couch. Its quite a challenge when you've got such a big mix of random furniture and decor to find something to tie it all together and i think this green is perfect!

 we went out later that night for trim for the baby's room. I was originally going to stencil on some "rope" details but we found this rope trim so we used that instead.

 since we're eventually going to get a new tv that will be mounted above the fire place we decided to take down the mirror and look what we found! The original soft pink with gold details and a power outlet..what luck! My guess is that the mirror must have been put up in the late 60s since we know that the house was also painted a tealy blue, avocado green and white after that.

We've spent the better part of the last week trying to clean up the mess and re decorate for the new living room set up. Pictured below are my favorite mid-century curtains, the inspiration for the green. They're all the colors I love.

 I also played a little bit with stenciling on the dresser...obviously I'm not very good at it..so I'm REALLY glad we went with the trim instead of painting the rope detail on.

 We've still got lots of finishing touches to do in the baby's room and living room. Once we get all the furniture in we're going to decide where to hang everything on the walls, including this adorable boat..

 and this mirror my mom bought in vegas. (oh do you like the new switch cover? i painted it to match the room)

 we just barely touched on the bathroom, we got a new light fixture

 and new vanity, I really wish that I had a picture of the previous sink..it was a mess to say the least. In total the bathroom has cost about $50 so far...not too shabby I think.

 we've also got the pack and play set up in our bedroom.

and..this totally got me, my hubs put up the zombie mobile (from salty and sweet) above the sleeper...so flipping cute I could hardly stand it.

We're getting there, one step at a time. Closer and closer to baby-time. Now under 8 weeks away.

Watch Me Grow...

 I know I haven't shared too much of my pregnancy because frankly, I don't want to scare anyone away..hehe. But I thought well, since I'm almost done, maybe I could do a little recap for you and why not start with the belly...since after all that IS what its all about isn't it?

10 weeks, 11, 13..as you can see I wasn't very good at doing them every week...especially in the beginning because there was practically no change.

Hey look...its starting to look like something is happening!

This is 18.5 weeks, found out it was a boy and finally bought some maternity pants.

After 18 weeks I gave up the actual camera pictures in exchange for something easier...cell phone pics in my always messy bedroom.

here is 19 weeks.

20 weeks, here I am on my 26th birthday

21 weeks, as you can see my growth was pretty rapid and dramatic

22 weeks

24 weeks

25.5 weeks

27 weeks

27.5 weeks

29 weeks

and the latest...this is 30 weeks, 50 inches of baby and yoga pants. Not exactly pretty I know but hey..pregnancy isn't always "beautiful".

Things I also discovered this week, I'm allergic to cocoa butter. This pic was right before I broke out in a terrible rash that I'm still trying to get rid of. 

I hope I didn't offend any of you with my (GASP) bare belly pics, I just thought it would be fun to share my experience with you, thus far.

Oh Boy!

Well As I mentioned earlier today is the day we found out what I'm growing, boy or girl.

It is a Boy. A big, squirmy boy and since I didn't have much in the way of boy clothes I did a little bit of shopping today too.

 Here is what I wore today, as you can see there is not much in the way of vintage that will fit my big belly now. I'm carrying all out in front so its nothing but maternity pants & tops..with a vintage cardi of course.

 BAM..belly

 Wearing my one of a kind bracelet a sweet handmade treat from Tree & Kimball, today.

 First official baby boy purchases. 0-3 mo Long sleeve onesies, 3-6 mo short sleeve onesies, an adorable outfit (6 mos) and 2 frames.

 Love these frames!!!

Oh and these cutest ever little robot doggie shoes. awwww.  

I had a lot more but I thought I had better save some for my next trip and I guess I could leave some for friends and family to buy..ya know..cuz everyone loves to buy tiny baby things. I'll be going through my girl clothes and setting aside my favorite pieces and the probably selling the rest so you should see a huge influx of baby girl clothes in the shop in the next few months as well as a bunch of winter items coming probably late Oct, early Nov including some ugly christmas sweaters..HA.

Oh and to help me fund my baby purchases there is a 20% off sale happening in my shop this week. Prices good until Sunday at midnight.

Dressing the Bump (vintage)

I've been looking and looking and vintage maternity clothes are practically impossible to find. There are plenty of patterns out there and if you've got a sewing machine and don't suck at sewing that would be your best bet for that "vintage look". Especially because most of the vintage maternity clothes you find out there are over $100 because of the rarity. Plus I'm not a big fan of the "suit" style. And that seems to be all you can find. I wish i would've bought one of the 40s maternity dresses exquisite bones or fabgabs had a while back. I haven't seen another like them since. I did break down and buy myself one of the classic 50s tent maternity tops with the most adorable "city" print and tie neck. I sure do hope it fits for a while. The bust measurement is already what I'm at right now and the arms look pretty small so I am hoping I'll be able to open them up or I may just have to pass it on.

Here is my top:

Isn't it darling? I love the pockets!

Well fingers crossed for this one (from Vogue Vintage).

In the mean time lets have a look at some of the other 50s maternity clothes you can find on etsy.

 here is a great mid-century suit from fabgabs

 and another from fabgabs that would look great this autumn!

 this one is probably not "maternity" but I would die for something like this in my size. It looks so comfy. thegreedyseagull

 Great 2 piece maternity suit in polka dot from re-cultivation

 

 This is new to etsy, a little late for summer...but is it not the cutest thing you've ever seen? Great for you Aussie's who are seeing summer soon! vimvigorvintage

 NOS suit from Jumblelaya with great tab and button details

If you're looking for the best deal on etsy check out this shop, two amazing maternity outfits...obviously need a steam but they're very well priced (plus there is a coupon code in her banner)...just a smidge too small for me or i would've snatched them up.

And I thought I would share this pattern because I just adore the photo from it. Two overly-stylish women in their heels with a pair of knitted baby booties. It just cracked me up. I love it.

midvalecottege