Big Arrival: My Baby Grant

On Tuesday, April 24, 2012 my life was forever changed.  Grant Michael was born at 6:30pm at 7 lbs and 4 oz at 20.5 inches.  I can not express the joy, happiness, and love I feel for this little one; the whole process of being pregnant, giving birth and now being a mother is an unbelievable one.  

Sharing a couple of photos today of my little son and as I continue blogging, I look forward to sharing little bits of him, in addition to my daily fashion stylings. 

Words can not describe how happy I am and when I look at him it's an unbelievable feeling.  Thank you for all your wishes, congratulations, and love.  

Red Hot Lookbook

Armani Exchange Blazer  |  Forever 21 Striped Top  |  Forever 21 Maternity Denim  |

Celine Mini Luggage Bag  |  Christian Louboutin Pumps  |  

t+j Designs Brass Long Crystal Necklace  |  Red Colorblock Cuff

Pulling out my favorite color with my new favorite bag.  Short post today -  feeling a little bit swollen and developed some carpel tunnel so trying to rest up and relax!  

Mother's day is vastly approaching and our timeless collection is my favorites for gifts.  Delicate, classic, and beautifully made I am offering 20% off the entire timeless collection this week!  Pieces are plated with 14K or 18K and under $52 after discount.  Use promo code MOMSDAY for 20% off.  

Black & White Lookbook

Zara Blazer  |  Missoni for Target Dress  |  Christian Louboutin Pumps  |

Chanel Bag  |  t+j Designs Luxe Twisted Black Crystal Necklace (on sale)  special discount code below  |

Silver Edge Bangle

The last time I wore this dress was in this post in October!  Good thing for knits, they grow with you.  Feeling super pregnant these days and planning out my posts on the blog. I really can't believe it's my last week before my due date.  Excited and nervous.  Thanks for all the support and kind comments, it has been unbelievable and keeps me going everyday.   

If you love the necklace I am wearing - I have a special code that will get you the necklace for $16 (currently $28 online).  Use code "JENCRYSTAL", originally $78, this necklace is a steal right now.  

Pop of Accessories Lookbook

Elizabeth & James Blouse  |  Maternity Forever 21 Skinny Jeans  | 

 Valentino Couture Bow d'Orsay Pumps  |  Celine Mini Luggage Tote  |

t+j Designs Statement Turquoise Drop Earrings  |  Gold Crystal Love Necklace  |

Mother of Pearl Rose Gold Necklace

Simple outfit - white blouse with skinny denim but I added great accessories to pull together an outfit.  I recently added these Valentino Pumps to my shoe collection.  I've been eyeing them forever; they offer the shoe in 3 colors but went with nude as I know I'll be wearing these for a while.  

If you have the budget and have been on the search for something special and wearable for years, I also also love these three Valentino options:

Bow d'Orsay in Red  - gorgeous color - I have a pair of red Louboutins so I went with my nude color

Rockstud Open Toe  - I saw this in person and they are to die for!  Also comes in red.  

Metallic Nappa - Was deciding between nude and this gold.  Wouldn't these also make a great wedding shoe?

And the earrings I'm wearing in this post - I've gotten so many compliments!   The turquoise blue and the crystals make a statement without being too much. It's always nice to hear from sales associates at department stores and at J. Crew that they love my jewelry!  

Statement Turquoise Drop Earrings

Happy Friday peeps and wishing everyone a great weekend!  38 weeks - 2 more weeks till my due date.

DIY: Miu Miu Jeweled Shoes

I love Miu Miu and their jeweled shoes.  Every collection that comes out, there's a pair I die for and wish I could have.  When I saw this DIY by HonestlyWTF, I kept in in my archives and been meaning to share it.    They did a pair of boots which I love, but I would love to do a pair of heeled sandals (as the first Miu Miu pair above).

Here is the list of items needed:

• a pair of heeled shoes
• 40-50 large and medium (10-15 mm) multi-shaped rhinestones
• 30-40 small (3-6 mm) round rhinestones
• E-6000 glue
• tweezers
• small dish or container
• toothpick
• flat nose pliers
• flat nose pliers (optional)

Some pics from their tutorial - but if you want more detailed info, link is here:  

My top three picks for heeled sandals for the project:

All from Zara and $69 and below.  The first pair I have in blue color block as seen in this post.     

You can buy different rhinestones/crystals online and here is a size chart that helps with sizing as I needed this when I looked up crystals.  

My goal now is to find a beads store in Chicago where I can pick different shapes and make sure I love them.  There are a ton of vendors online where you can get Swarovski flat black crystals, but I tend to like to see things in person.  

What do you think?  Is this one you would try?

Preppy Celine Tote Lookbook

Tommy Hilfiger Blazer (old)  |  Joseph Stripe Top  (similar, love this one from J. Crew)  |

Maternity Forever 21 skinny jean  |  Vince Camuto Leopard Sandals (similar from Steve Madden)  |

Celine Mini Luggage Tote  |  t+j Designs Gold Hammered Link Necklace  |

Red Colorblock Cuff  |  Red Enamel & Gold Bangle Set

Mixing a little red, white and blue with some leopard this weekend.  Was so excited to use my new Celine Mini Luggage Tote I pretty much decided my outfit around it.   If you are searching for the bag, call Bergdorfs, they were great and got this bag within a week of when I called.  

One thing I definitely recommend to everyone is having a striped top/tee.  This Joseph top (when I was thinner I actually wore it out as a short dress) has been one of my favorites.  Navy and white stripes are a great basic that pair well with so many things.  I love heading to J. crew for basics such as these; my top 3 favs are the following:

Painters Stripe Tee

Saint James Tee

Stripe Sequin Tank

With a pop of color being so popular for spring & summer, any of these tops would look great with colored denim/bottoms/shorts and a fantastic necklace (from t+j Designs of course:)

Have you been obsessed with cuffs like I have?  Been working on these cuffs and the silver ones finally arrived and launch on our site today!  (Gold ones will launch soon).  14K plated brass and beautiful for only $38 for two!  Get them here.

Lucite Love for the Home

I am in love with anything lucite for the home; it's romantic, modern, and if you have a small space lucite items help your room feel decorated without being cluttered.  The below is our console and entry way into our home.

Along with fashion I love looking at inspirational interior images and here's a couple of how to decorate with lucite.  

 I love the idea of a lucite trunk either for my living room or baby's room or bedroom.  

Aren't the colors of this room so pretty? So impractical with a baby coming but so clean, fresh, and feminine

Love this office table and the gold etageres!

One of my favorite color schemes - gray, bright pink and zebra

I've been on the search for a lucite trunk and a fellow friend blogger Patience had one at her house and gave me the link.  So excited as it's less expensive than I had seen before.  Below are some recommendations of items that are more affordable for your home:

Lucite Trunk - hoping this is my next purchase for the home

CB2 - has great options for lucite

Target - great deal!  

Personalized Lucite Trays - love the idea of these for organization

Do you love lucite? 

Happy Friday and weekend!

Cobalt Blue Lookbook

Zara Coblat Blue Tee (similar)  |  Maternity Leggings  |  Zara Basic Sandal  |

t+j Designs Gold Hammered Link Necklace only $28  |  Black Pyramid Bracelet  |

Staying comfy in my 37th week of pregnancy.  A simple tee, some leggings, and some fun heeled sandals (which by the way are only $49.90 from Zara).

You guys are the best in keeping me upbeat and keeping me stylish throughout my pregnancy.  It was
 surprising how easy it was to make some items work through the journey but I do admit, having my own jewelry line certainly helps me feel stylish.  No matter what size you are, jewelry works!

Keeping it short today but excited to show a DIY I'm working on, glimpses of our baby's room, the reveal of the Celine bag, and hopefully get a post of how to do my hair bun in the next weeks or so.  

Coveting: Polka Dot Denim

I'm in love with polka dots and seeing these outfits made me obsessively search for the perfect pair of polka dot bottoms.  

www.style.com

 Wendy's Lookbook

Atlantic-Pacific

These are my top three choices and I think I'm getting the AG polka dot ones as they would look great with a neon top and some wedges and always easy with a crisp white tee or top like the first two images above.  

AG Polka Dot Ankle Stevie (also comes in gray and yellow, as pictured above on Blair from Atlantic-Pacific)
Paige Denim Verdugo
  Current/Elliott Stiletto (Wendy wears these above) |  

And peeps, just a touch of items that are my favorites from my jewelry new arrivals:

http://www.tplusjdesigns.com/new-arrivals/

Don't forget about my beautiful Theodora & Callum Scarf Giveaway, ends Wednesday, April 11th at 9pm CST.  Enter here~!    Worn by celebrities and worth $155!

Spring Pink Lookbook

Zara Sweater  |  Maternity Leggings  |  Gucci Shoes  |  Chanel Bag  |  Target Hat  |

t+j Designs new arrivals! Gold Crystal Love Necklace  |  Gold Pink Crystal Heart Necklace  |

Bamboo Bangle Set

I love the color and coziness of this Zara sweater but it is also one of those items where I do feel I look bigger than I am in it.  Do you have pieces you love to wear and you see yourself and think, wow that makes me look big?  Do you keep wearing it or toss it?

Launching some new jewels today in my jewelry line.  So many pieces I love layering with and you'll see that they are very affordable.  Take a look at our new arrivals. 

Hope everyone had a nice weekend and Easter.  I hope my readers and supporters will continue following my journey as I keep on blogging through these weeks until the baby arrives!  Official due date for those wondering - May 2nd. 

All Black Lookbook

Burberry Trench (similar)  |  Rugby Sweater Dress  |  B by Brian Atwood Boots  |

Nordstrom Polka Dot Tights (similar)  |  Chanel Bag  |  t+j Designs jewelry:  

Delicate Luxe Rhinestone Necklace  |  Silver Clasp Bangle

I rarely wear all black but when I do I like to mix the textures & patterns up.  The sweater dress has a cable pattern in a wool blend, my silk Burberry trench has a plaid pattern, my tights are polka dotted, and I paired it with my leather boots and bag.  

These days I am a bit tired, not sleeping well, and counting down the weeks.  4 weeks left, can you believe I'm 36 weeks pregnant?  Happy Friday!  Time to relax and hopefully catch up on some much needed rest.

Dont' forget about my Theodora & Callum Scarf Giveaway, these scarves are gorgeous and not only can you wear it as an accessory, it is perfect as a swim coverup for vacations.  Easy to enter!  

*Up to 70% of spring sale @ t+j Designs.  Check it out here!