these days...

 I wish I had a garden full of peonies (and poppies, herbs, tulips, English garden roses, etc.) One day.... This pretty peony is leftover from yesterday's style shoot with Lisa....photos coming next week (it's the last of the Altar'd State looks...)

I'm sorry for the absence on the blog these days...I have been incredibly busy trying to get our house ready for our little girl. You wouldn't believe how much stuff is literally stuffed into our house right now. I'm using two of these shelves to house props and baby things. Our birth center bags are packed, I started packing the diaper bags, and we have her car seat. We're just about as ready as we can be! I'm trying to just stay on top of house cleaning, too...finding it increasingly difficult to lean over the kitchen sink and carry the laundry basket. Oh belly, you are so big!  

In addition to cleaning and organizing, I am trying to finish up 4 photo shoots and a few other little projects before our baby girl arrives. Not sure how successful I'll be, but I'm taking one day at a time.

What have you been up to?

Style | Altar'd State + 37 Weeks

 Friends! I am officially 37 1/2 weeks today! Which means I've entered the 5-week window (from 37-42 weeks) where I'm permitted to deliver our baby girl naturally at our midwives' birth center. Praying she joins us on her own accord in the next few weeks so I don't have to be induced!

These days, I'm all about the dresses (and air conditioning) because boy, growing a baby (and shopping for baby/nesting/etc.) is hard work and 90 degree weather is not fun! When Altar'd State sent me this striped maxi dress it quickly became a wardrobe staple...it's incredibly comfortable, and can be paired with great belt/sweater/shoe combos! Best part about it? I'm wearing it at 37 weeks, and plan on wearing it all summer long! And it's not maternity! Avoid-maternity-clothes mission accomplished. Thanks, Altar'd State!

Crafty Girl Maxi Dress: c/o Altar'd State // Belt+Necklace: thrifted // Sandals: Target (past season)

This dress is so versatile! Perfect for a stroll+book picnic at a nearby park, an afternoon coffee date, thrifting around town. And I am so looking forward to bringing this dress on our beach vacation in September. Already planning family outfits...! 

Local Northern VA friends, did you know there's an Altar'd State right here in Leesburg? You should check out the store - the staff is incredibly friendly, and they have some lovely summer dresses (and everything else you need).

Happy Tuesday!

Photography by Lisa Chiu for A Daily Something

baby | handmade gifts

This past weekend, my mom hosted a beautiful baby shower for us! It was simply lovely - seeing my New Jersey family and friends, the menu (I mean, c'mon...Paula Dean french toast casserole?!), the sweet decorations (pink ranunculus everywhere), the wooden blocks made by each guest - every detail was perfect and I didn't want the day to end.

Joe and I registered at a few stores for things we thought we needed. It's difficult to know what to get for your baby, especially when everyone says different things are "essentials." So, we registered for the basics - car seat, stroller, moses basket, swing, bath tub, some cute clothes, etc. It's always nice opening a gift to see something you registered for...a tad expected because you essentially picked it out, but so appreciated, because you needed it and someone gave it to you as a gift!

When someone gives a handmade gift...what a precious surprise. A few dear friends gave us homemade gifts and I was blown away by their generosity and abilities to make such lovely presents for our baby girl.

The first and last photos are Doodads and Noodles, made by my friend Wendy and her son Joshua. You can check out some other Doodad and Noodles designs here, and even place an order!

The second photo is Henry the Hedgehog, made by my friend Savannah - I'm trying to convince her to open a shop and sell these!

The third photo is a knitted sweater made by Tia at Fibre and Spice. *hint* She takes orders. *hint* I cannot wait for our baby girl to wear her sweater this fall + winter.

Aren't these gifts just adorable? What are some of your favorite handmade gifts (that you've given or received)?

my weekend in NJ + NYC

I'm back home in Virginia, with a house full of new baby things, props we dragged down from storage in NJ, and unpacked suitcases. And our internet isn't working quite right today, which means I have no excuse: I must organize this place!

These two photos are little snapshots from my weekend in NJ + NYC. No. 1 is from the simple Mother's Day breakfast my siblings and I made for our mom on Sunday. I pulled out her eclectic blue & white dishes for the table, and now I wish I had my own set. You will probably hear more about blue & white dishes as my thrift store search begins.

No. 2 is my styled tabletop from Pepperologie! West Elm was a sponsor for my Creative Entertaining workshop, and I had so much fun picking products to work into my subtle fiesta tabletop! I used pieces from their glazed terracotta, bold stroke, blue dot, and organic white dinnerware sets. I also used their gold flatware, olive wood paddle board, and wine carafe.

I had a blast styling unique place settings by mixing-and-matching the new West Elm products with pieces I already had. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to share some tidbits of my style & entertaining philosophy with the lovely ladies at Pepperologie. I cannot wait to show you the official photos and more details with you. Also, exciting news: I'll be blogging over on West Elm's blog, Front & Main, in June!

Hope you're having a wonderful Monday!

P.S. Did you enter our Furniture Makeover book giveaway? Just four more days before we pick a winner!

Happy Weekend + A Book Giveaway - closed

Happy Friday! To welcome the weekend, we have a fun giveaway! My friend Grace over at Pink Olive has graciously offered the readers of A Daily Something a signed copy of Furniture Makeovers by Barb Blair. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of this book, which is just overflowing with ideas for transforming furniture. I'm not usually very ambitious with furniture, so I'm sure this book will become a favorite for inspirations and instructions! How gorgeous are the drawer colors on the book cover?

To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment telling me what piece of furniture you'd love to give a makeover! I have a little bookcase I bought for $5 at a yard sale and it's just crying for a new coat of paint. I have plans to use the bookcase in our baby girl's nursery, if we ever move out of our loft!

This giveaway is only open to readers in the continental US, and one winner will be randomly chosen & announced next Friday, May 17.

ALSO, Barb will be in NYC next weekend - May 18 - for a special book signing event at Pink Olive in the East Village. If you're in the NYC area, go meet Barb and check out Pink Olive - it's one of my favorite shops ever! Make sure to RSVP, too - the first 25 people to sign up get a super fun goodie bag!

Have a lovely weekend!

Update: We have a lucky winner! Congrats to Jessica! Send me your contact info and address so I can get you your SIGNED copy of Furniture Makeovers!