Swooning For Stripes

I'm joining the ladies of The Creative Closet today to talk a little bit about stripes.

I love stripes! They're classic. They bring just enough interest to a piece to catch the eye, without going overboard to leave people thinking "Oh wow... Oh, no!" Just about every jewelry piece I own goes with a striped shirt.

When Stitch Fix sent me this shirt a few weeks ago, it was the only thing I kept from my style box. Because duh, it had stripes. It's flowy and easy to wear. The fabric is super soft. I didn't already own something with this particular cut - it's not just a basic striped t-shirt!

Shirt: Dahlya // Jeans: J Crew // Flats: Vera Wang // Bag: Louis Vuitton // Necklace: Summer Ellis

You know what else is great about a basic striped shirt? You can wear whatever you want with it. Including "statement shoes." I paired my shirt with some bejeweled Vera Wang flats (my wedding shoes, actually!)

When I saw today's prompt was "Swooning for Stripes" I knew I had to get in on the action. Stripes are my jam. You want to know a secret about stripes? I misspelled it every time I wrote it in this post. It's like my fingers don't believe there's a R in there! Stripes are quirky like that.

Do you have your go-to color or pattern that you enjoy wearing?   

What Never Bounced Back After Baby

Having a baby is an insane physical feat. Your body grows an entire human, then you push it out. You eat a ton of calories to accomplish this challenge and you gain weight. Your breasts get much bigger as they prepare to feed the human you just grew. Your hips widen as they make room for baby's exit.

And then in four to 48 hours (or, six weeks if you're me) you go into labor and the whole process is over. Just like that. Which is a speed race of an ending to a marathon of an event.

Me at 28 weeks, just entering my third trimester. Recognize the hair, makeup and outfit? I had just gotten everything done for the photos for this blog! I launched it a month before giving birth to Henry... Coming up on my one year here!

It's been ten months since I had my speed race finish six weeks of labor with Henry. While I "bounced back" in an amazing way, there are some things that will just never, ever be the same. They are forever altered by the physical feat of baby growin'.

I thought it'd be fun to share with you those things. So that all the other mama's can smile along with me and say "Yup! I'm with you, sister" and all you childless readers will shudder I mean, stay childless or ummmm... appreciate your own mamas and mommy friends more.

If you're faint of heart to the TMI/over-share, click on to the next blog dear reader.

Stomach skin will never be tight again. Mind you, I only put on 24 pounds. I didn't get huge. But that skin stretches like no other, my friends. While my abs are back and I'm prebaby weight, I can grab folds of skin around my midsection. And that's lame. It also causes unsightly muffin tops that refuse to stay tucked in. Sigh.

Last belly shot before my water broke at 36 weeks + 4 days. That's a lot to bounce back from, friends.

The girls dropped. There's nothing like glorious pregnancy boobs! They're full and round and lovely! And then you nurse, and they get even bigger! And then you stop nursing. It's like deflating a balloon...  You end up with a soft, squishy resemblance of a former glory.

What's up with the feet?! Mine grew a half size during pregnancy, which wad'nt no thang since I had small feet that are now still on the small size of normal. Growing a shoe size in pregnancy is very common. But mine changed shape, and now they're strange looking! My first three toes got longer (that's where the size came from) and now they look odd. Permanently. Boo.

Thongs? HAHAHAHAHAHA JOKE'S ON YOU. I used to wear nothing but cute fancy thongs. While I haven't digressed to pure granny panty territory (I still have self respect, damnit!) there's no way I'm wearing a thong all day. Sure, I'll don one if I'm wearing leggings. But only for a few hours a day. No full day wear-age anymore. Not after baby. Strings now be goin' and pullin' where no string should go.

One week after having Henry. Little did I know my hair would look like this everyday. Joke's on me?

I should note that all of these changes were totally worth it! None of them were so drastic that anyone other than me or hubs can tell.

But YOU being happy with YOU is the most important person to be at peace with. While I'm happy with my bounce back rate, I won't lie: I'd roundhouse-kick a stranger to the face to have prebaby Paige body back, even for a few hours!

Five Art Finds on Minted.com

I was searching for Henry's first birthday invitations on minted.com when I noticed the site also has artwork. Well, we just bought a new home and happen to be in the market for artwork... But I didn't want any of that mass-produced cheesy and cheap junk typically found on online "art" stores.

I was pleasantly surprised! It hosts real, independent artists doing real photography and prints of watercolor, oil and acrylic paintings. Better yet, you can select what size you want the piece to be, so if you find something you love, you're not limited to the listed dimensions. Better yet again, you can buy it framed or unframed. Better yet times three, you can pick the frame. The website software allows you to "try it on" over your chosen artwork so you can see what it will look like before buying.

And the best yet? The prices are reasonable. Here are my Top Five picks off the site:

1) I saw this guy and y'all already know it's a hit for my Texas themed dining room!

2) This piece is cheery and bright and would be perfect for a kitchen or breakfast nook:

3) Perhaps because I hail from the upper Midwest, this number caught my eye. It looks just like rural Minnesota!

4) If we ever have a little girl, better believe this will grace her nursery walls (PS, mamas - there is a TON of great nursery/kiddo room options! It was hard to choose just one)

5) What I like about this one is that it's unexpected and versitle. You could add it to a collection of family photos to add some dimension and variety on the wall, or mix n' match it with other contemporary prints and photos.

Want to purchase one of these photos? Simply click it to take you directly to the seller's site!

Have you ever bought art online? I've purchased many thing via Etsy, but never any wall art. I love that Minted.com is giving independent artists a marketplace to sell and share their work!

Per usual, I'm linking up with Amanda, Karli, Friday Five ladies, and H54F! Happy weekend blog reading to all :)



*I was compensated for this post. However, all reviews are my own and I hand selected each piece of art to share with you.