#MonthlyMani: Winter Wonderland

Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year, especially when it comes to all of the fun holiday things that you can paint on your nails!  I decided to do snowflakes for this one.

I used 3 nail polishes for this design.  I love the skinny brushes from Kiss.  They make it easier to do designs that require more precise lines.

{Kiss Silver, Pure Ice Frosted Ice Starry Nites, Kiss White}

First I started with this gorgeous blue base color.  I've had this color forever and it always seems to be the perfect shade for winter themed nails.

Next, I started the intricate snowflake pattern.  First, I painted a simple star design.  

Then I added a mini zigzag between the star lines, creating diamonds.  

Finally, I added 2 more lines at the end of each star point to create a "fork" for the tips of the snowflake.

They look a little messy up close, but from just a little ways away they look much better. :)  I added a couple half snowflakes on my middle and pinky nails and then silver lines on my pointer and ring nails.

PS ~ This post is going live a little late because today is my birthday! Between my baby shower, birthing class and my birthday, I had too many activities going on the past few days, but I finally found some time to do my nails. :)

Check out the rest of the gang's awesome winter nails:

Kristi from Delightfully Kristi

Piniel from Pins-Place

Justine from The Thrifty Girl's Guide

Kate from Into the Stratosphere

Miche from Buttons and Birdcages

Jacki and Lesli from Sistas from Cali

Marlena from Here, Pretty Kitty

Natalie from Being Mrs. Olson

Also, check out this link for some other cool nail art ideas for the holidays!  I think I'm going to try one of the Christmas tree designs next.

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White Shirt + Leopard

Happy almost Thanksgiving!  I am so excited to celebrate with family and eat lots of good food in a couple days!  Are any of you planning on shopping on Black Friday?  It was always my favorite day to get some Christmas shopping done and also get a few items that were on my wishlist that were now at a super discounted price.  Sadly, I'm not doing any shopping for myself this year unless it's a baby item on sale.  Oh, how my priorities have changed! :)

I'll put together a round up of my favorite sales from the places I normally shop, along with items from my wishlist that I would get if I wasn't preggers, and post them on Thursday (in case you need some shopping inspiration).

One of the maternity pieces that I thought was worth investing in was a crisp white button up for work.  It can be worn so many different ways by simply adding a different (non-maternity) cardigan or sweater over top.  I added a belt to make it seem less bulky on my small frame.  I also invested in a nice pair of black pants for work.  Since they are classic and go with just about anything (and since I wanted to save money and only bought a couple pairs of maternity work pants), I've worn them regularly on repeat (sometimes even twice a week) and no one's the wiser.  

What I'm Wearing
Shirt ~ GAP Maternity (Regular version here)
Cardigan ~ WHBM (similar)
Pants ~ A Pea in the Pod (similar non-maternity)
Necklace ~ GAP (similar)
Earrings ~ Park Lane (cute option here)
Belt ~ Limited (similar)
Purse ~ Limited
Shoes ~ DSW (similar)

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Pregnancy Update: Weeks 29 and 30

Hey, I made it through 3/4 of my pregnancy!  I always thought the 9 months would seem like forever, but it has been flying by.  I can't believe that I'm almost to single digits in weeks left.

I have to go in to visit the doctor every 2 weeks now instead of once a month.  Everything is looking good so far.  Baby girl was a little stinker when the nurse went to check her heartbeat this last time.  Every time the nurse would find her heartbeat, she would move away from the monitor device.  She did this for at least 5 minutes and finally the nurse gave up and decided to let the doctor do it.  It took the doctor awhile as well, but finally baby girl took a break and let her get the heartbeat.  We were laughing about how active and crazy she was being.  She is causing trouble already! :)

I'm definitely feeling a lot more movement as she is getting stronger and kicking me harder.  I think I've felt some hiccups recently too.  It's a weird sensation.

This last weekend we got a lot accomplished with the nursery.  We painted the walls, bought a crib and dresser and put those together, and picked out a rug for the room.  I will share some pictures once it's a little more put together.  It definitely felt weird when I was helping my hubby with the crib.  It makes everything feel so much more real.  Sometimes I feel like it still hasn't sunk in yet that I will have a baby in 10 weeks.  Eek! :)

I've decided to hire a doula to help me through the last part of my pregnancy and through the labor and delivery.  I'm meeting with a couple this week and am really excited about it.  I'll share more information on that in a future post.

Past Pregnancy Posts:

Weeks 27 and 28

Weeks 24-26

Weeks 21-23

Gender Reveal

Week 20

Week 19

Week 18

Week 16 & 17

Week 15

Pregnancy Announcement and Weeks 11-14

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Layers: Vest + Jacket

A few weeks ago we went up to NY to visit family.  The trip was great and it was the first time in years that I was up there during fall when the leaves were changing.  It was beautiful and I miss experiencing this time of year.  It was a bit colder than we were expecting, so I was glad to have the different layers to wear together to stay warm (especially since I can't zip up my jacket over my belly, haha)!  In addition to giving the outfit a fun layered look, the blue vest under the jacket also gave it another pop of color.

What I'm Wearing
Shirt - Limited
Vest - Columbia (similar)
Scarf - WHBM
Jacket - Victoria's Secret
Jeans - WHBM
Boots - Ugg
Purse - Kate Spade


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#MonthlyMani: Think Pink

This month's theme for our #MonthlyMani link-up was Think Pink in honor of October being National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

I like to use these monthly mani posts to experiment with different nail polish techniques and this month is no different.  I decided to do a random dot design using different color pinks over a white background.

{Pure Ice Tease, OPI Suzi's Hungary Again, CHI Ring Around the Roses, OPI Tutti Frutti Tonga, Pure Ice Super Star}

I started out with 2 coats of white.

Next I used a Q-tip to add some dots of one shade of pink.

Then I added more dots of the other shades of pink with the Q-tip.  I tried to make them as random as possible.

They didn't photograph well, but they look pretty cool in person.  It's almost like a watercolor effect.  It kind of reminds me of a Monet, only with pink instead of green and blue.  I think it would be fun to try an ombre effect next time with the dot technique.

I also did these pink nails a couple months ago.  They would've worked great for this month's theme too. :)

Check out how the other ladies did their nails:

Kristi from Alligator Toe

Piniel from Pins-Place

Justine from The Two Cent Chick

Kate from Into the Stratosphere

Miche from Buttons and Birdcages

Jacki and Lesli from Sistas from Cali

Marlena from Here, Pretty Kitty

Tracy-Ann from Mint Statement

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I'm So Fancy

I know, the title probably got that song stuck in your head, hehe...sorry.  It's exactly how I felt in this dress though and I was excited that it was stretchy enough to fit my bump.  So, for the time being, I have one super nice dress to wear out! :)

Also, speaking of that song, have any of you seen the parody of it called I'm So Pregnant?  It's hilarious, especially if you are currently pregnant or have been in the past.  Check it out here when you have a chance.

I love how the back of this dress comes to a V!

What I'm Wearing

Dress ~ Adrianna Papell (very similar with lace sleeves, similar in silver)

Clutch ~ Limited (similar in silver and red)

Shoes ~ Enzo Angiolini (I like these ones)

Earrings ~ ILY Couture

Bracelet ~ Lia Sophia

Ring ~ Lia Sophia

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#TBT ~ Colorful

This is really funny - I was looking through my blog postings for some stats and I came across this post that I had started back in July but never published!  I don't know what happened, whether I was distracted or just plain forgot (maybe I can blame this on pregnancy brain since it was about a month after I found out I was expecting, haha).  But anyways, here it is, as a #ThrowBackThursday if you will.  I was about 2 months along at this point but not really showing. :)

What I'm Wearing

Top ~ WHBM (similar)

Jeans ~ Limited (similar)

Clutch ~ Henri Bendel

Shoes ~ Banana Republic

Necklace ~ Tiffany & Co

Earrings ~ Henri Bendel

Bracelet ~ Lia Sophia (similar on sale!)

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Striped Maxi with Chambray

When I put this outfit together in my head, I was really hoping I could pull it off because none of this clothing is maternity!  While I have finally embraced maternity clothing and am consistently wearing it, I still like to work in the chunky sweaters and stretchy tops that still fit the bump somehow.  I still plan on wearing items from my pre-preggers wardrobe as long as they will fit, to give me more options.  The chambray button-up definitely wouldn't fit if I had to button it, but it works like this over another top! :)

What I'm Wearing

Top ~ Target (similar)

Chambray Button-Up ~ WHBM (almost identical here)

Maxi Skirt ~ Limited

Flats ~ cathy (similar)

Earrings ~ Park Lane (super cute option for under $10)

Necklace ~ Groopdealz (similar here and here)

Bracelet ~ Groopdealz (awesome sparkle version)

Clutch ~ Steve Madden (similar)

Sunglasses ~ Emporio Armani (same style, different color here and here)

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Leopard and Feathers

Happy Labor Day friends!  How many of you took advantage of the awesome sales going on this weekend?  I wanted to get some more maternity wear but I am out of town.  Oh well, there will always be another sale. :)

I tell ya, dresses are my thing now.  That's about all I wear to work now.  It's funny how certain dresses with a well-placed belt and cardigan will completely hide my bump on a frontal view.  It's definitely still noticeable from the side!

I played off the lacy pattern on the dress with my ridiculously small purse. :)

What I'm Wearing
Dress ~ WHBM (kind of similar dress here with cool stripes and eyelet cutouts)
Belt ~ Steve Madden (similar)
Cardigan ~ WHBM
Purse ~ Victoria's Secret
Necklace ~ ?? (similar)
Bracelets ~ Stella & Dot and Guess (similar for under $5)
Shoes ~ Two Lips


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