Bump Styled: Boho Brights

<< Top: c/o Questhaven Fashions (non-maternity), Denim: Gap, Wedges: HM, Necklace: Chicpeek, Earrings: Bauble Bar, Ring: c/o Ily Couture, Bracelets: Loren Hope, InPink >>

This Monday morning has me in a hazy cloud. 

A dream of a weekend but there is zombie state aftermath!

We hit up the Atlanta Dogwood Festival and sent most of the day there yesterday. No bugs, no humidity, and nothing but sun. There are only a handful of weeks like that in the year!

How was your weekend??

Its crunch time for the website launch. (hint: coming in the next 24 hrs! facebook/twitter will be the first to know) I will be transferring the blog feed over to the new site but if you lose updates, it should be easy to re-subscribe. Will keep you posted!

Jezebel Magazine Feature

A huge thank you to the talented Kate Abney for the interview in the April issue of Jezebel Magazine! Completely flattered that I am interesting enough to be "One to Watch" this month. She made me sound way cooler than I actually am;) 

Thank you Jezebel! 

To read the feature, view online here, or if you are in the south, pick up a copy on newstands!

Giveaway: $75 to The Silver Acorn

I have talked about this charm bracelet before. Its my favorite piece of jewelry (next to my wedding rings of course). It was a gift from Linda, the talented designer behind The Silver Acorn. The way this piece of jewelry can intertwine and represent so many pieces of my heart is what makes it such a treasure to me. 

She custom designs and creates each wax seal in her shop. They are made from high quality reclaimed silver or bronze, and are designed at her home studio in Houston Texas. You will have to see all the varying pieces with many spiritual or religious symbols, or initials of loved ones. So excited to share her work with you all and team up with The Silver Acorn to giveaway a fun prize!

$75 to one lucky winner to spend as you like:)

Enter below - best of luck~

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Shop Scoop: Parc Boutique Spring Lookbook

Sometimes, a lookbook is done so well, that it makes you want to jump in and live inside its pages. I probably looked through Parc Boutique's Spring lookbook 23 times....no joke.

My friend Thao not only runs this online and in store boutique, she directed and styled this lookbook.

Talk about multi-talented superstar!

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. You can find the lookbook and its featured pieces here.

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Fun links for your weekend:

I love seeing husband and wives team up in a business. You all have to check out Check out newly launched Clyde Oak - the hard work of Megan Gilger and her hubs.

Cori wins my favorite look of the week.

Since I am on a simplicity kick, this etsy shop is a new favorite.

Make your own guitar picks?!

Compound butter three ways on Mara's Blog. I'll take the Strawberry!

Happy weekend friends:)

P.s. Last day to enter to win a statement necklace from Kluster Shop:)

Veronica Rose: 2 years too old

Veronica and I both couldn't sleep last night. Maybe she knew it was her birthday today...

We sat up looking outside at the moon in silence for a looooong time.

She just asked, "mama hold you." (which translates to pick me up) I most willingly complied.

I was secretly thankful for those moments to snuggle up and squeeze this little baby of mine who has suddenly become a little girl. 

Veronica Rose, 

These are a few things I hope to never forget about you:

You hate to wear pants (we will work on that), and prefer to run around in just a tee shirt and rainboots.

You prefer baseball caps to bows.

You like to do anything your big brother does...trains, bikes, digging in dirt, and getting messy. You are more daring than we bargained for.... you walk the line and push the envelope.

Climbing, dumping, sneaking....you giggle out loud when you are caught doing something wrong, followed by "Yes sir.." and a pretend sorry face.

You are sometimes more spice than sugar, but I know its because you got my strong willed nature. You also got my sensitivity and your daddy's big blue eyes and eyelashes.

This may prove to be a challenging combo, but if daddy and I do our part, someday you can choose to be strong willed for all the right things. We know God made you perfectly in His image. Speaking of your daddy, he gets this sparkle in his eye when he talks about you. He won't admit it, but you turn him to mush. He loves you to the moon and back and you are so lucky to have him and Gabriel looking out for you. 

You and Gabriel are best buds. You squabble every day, but you also share many hugs and kisses. He makes sure you always get any surprises or treats he is having, as well as avoid any danger. He says with pride that "he is your big brother and he needs to protect you." We all can't wait to see who you grow into.

And even though come June, you will no longer be the baby of the family, you have my whole heart and soul. Always.

I have gotta wrap this up before I start making this happy day a tearful one...:)

Happy Birthday my beautiful blue eyed girl!

Mama

And here's a video from two days ago. Seemed appropriate since I caught her without pants on film;)

*Veronica's birth story here and First birthday here.

IHOD Brand Re-Design: Process Board

Left to right clockwise: Image 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6

With every brand design, there has to be the starting point of inspiration. A spark or strand of ideas that the designer or brand client connects with. I wanted to share with you all, a sneak peek at my own personal inspiration color board that started the re-branding process of IHOD:) I will always be a lover of bold color, but since my posts are already so heavily saturated with color, I decided it was time to scale back in the logo colors. I have four interchangeable colors that will be used throughout the site,  but the logo is black and white!

Can't wait to reveal the look and share more of the steps I took in the re-branding process as well as why I am switching to wordpress! Stay tuned:)


P.S. Giving away some goodies on the facebook page in honor of launch week! 

Shop Scoop: Litographs

 A favorite book and movie of mine is now breaking in the formerly drab neutral walls in our guest room. It will be the leading lady on this soon to be gallery wall. The entire volume II (Cosette) of Les Miserables is written into the poster. These prints above are just a few examples of the classics that are transformed into posters and tee's through tiny words that make up the story. 

Litographs.com offers color or black and white variations of your favorite tales in the coolest of art forms. Check out their magnifying glass zoom option to see how the words form the imagery. Its fascinating! Which story would you choose to wear or display on your walls?

P.S. In honor of the new site launching soon, I am going to be doing a fun giveaway on the FB page if you want to come check it out:)

*This is a sponsored post that is 100% my own opinion.

Bump Styled: Black and White

Anna // Tee: Target, Tank: Blanqi Bodystyler, Denim: Gap, Heels: Zara (similar), Sunnies: UO

Gabriel // Shirt: RL (consigned-similar here), Jeans: Gap (consigned), Sandals: Target

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Ever since Gabriel felt the baby move, he has been frequently asking me what the baby is doing, and what we should call him/her. Here are some of the names that were being discussed while Gabe was snapping these pics...

Mary Fawn
Mary Chapstick
Mary Nose

He cracked himself up. He gets his joke skills from his dad..;)
Speaking of names, do you name the baby before he or she arrives? We have a few favorites for both boy and girl that we have up our sleeves. I like to see the face of the baby though before naming them. I was pretty sure the name Veronica needed to be a dark hair and dark eyed babe, but when I saw little V for the first time, I knew that it fit her just right. Gabe and I talk about names on a regular basis. We have a whole list we love. We'll see how many we get to use;)

We had a beautiful weekend here in Georgia. Spring is finally staying for a minute. Happy Monday!

P.S. Last day to enter to win a pair of Wayfarer Ray Bans!

Shop Scoop: BRIKA

I have often said, one of my favorite things about being a lifestyle blogger is being able to connect with  different sites of talented artists and unique finds. Excited to share this with you...

BRIKA features the work of entrepreneurs and designers in a well picked and curated collection of products that combine modern craft with the artisans shared belief that our lives can be as beautiful as we wish to make them. These are some of my favorite items, but there is a grand selection that you can browse by category or by the maker. I hope you have fun checking it out! Those triangle necklaces...such a steal! Trying to decide which color to go for:)

By the way, very member that signs up for BRIKA receives an instant $15 credit in their email inboxes to spend! You are also automatically entered into a giveaway to win one of 2  $100 BRIKA gift cards.

Happy Friday to you all! 

*This is a sponsored post which is %100 my own opinion.

Bump Styled: Wear and Go Basics

Top: c/o She Inside //  Denim: Gap // Necklace: DIY // Orange Tote: HM (Same here) //  Long Haul Bag: c/o Fly Girl Handbags // Wrap Bracelet: Iristy // Leopard flats: F21 (similar)

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There are a few basics this pregnancy that I have been switching out back and forth. Comfortable pants are probably the most important factor for me. I use a Blanqi to keep up non-maternity pants and to smooth and shape. I also love long and loose tops. My leopard flats are almost at their end considering I have worn the life out of them! Color and prints can be thrown in with accessories. For instance...

Sometimes I stick a tote inside a larger carry all:) I can fit just about everything into this Long Haul Bag - laptop, bottles, diapers, snacks (for low cal emergencies for both the kids and I;), wallet, make-up, etc. That way, if I am heading into a store and don't need it all, I can pull out the smaller tote to stick in necessities.  

So there you have some of my wear and go tricks of the mama-hood trade;)

Rayban Wayfarer Giveaway with Smart Buy Glasses

Now that the sun is finally showing its face (halelluiah!), I am thrilled to team up with Smart Buy Glasses to give a lucky reader a pair of the new Ray Ban Wayfarers! 3 color options as displayed above! These sunnies don't mess around. Durable and stylish, and made of acetate and glass. These will last you for miles. 

In case you are not familiar with the site, Smart Buy Glasses offers everything from prescription lenses to designer shades at all price ranges, so it is worth the look!

Enter the giveaway below, and we will draw a winner next Tuesday!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

April 1st Fresh Picks

Image 1 // Image 2
Citrus Print // Necklace // Shoes // Plates

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With Easter came little signs of new life surrounding us.
Its a sunny warm day in Atlanta, the birds are chirping, and the trees blossomed in our neighborhood. I think there is a reason for the seasons....anyone else almost lose it in March?? ;) How was your Easter? I shared a few snapshot recaps on instagram. Early sunrise Mass, a pig roast, and sugar meltdowns were highlights;) My family arrives today from St. Louis so we are anxiously awaiting their arrival.

Stay tuned for an exciting week here on IHOD (you won't want to miss tomorrow's giveaway) and the new site launch!