Something Borrowed

Yesterday I found myself frustrated because I'm running out of shirts that sufficiently cover my ever growing belly.  Thank goodness I have a boyfriend with good fashion sense AND a freakishly long torso- our legs are the same length but he is 6 inches taller than me, you do the math.

The striped shirt belongs (or used to belong) to my boyfriend, I threw a belt on it and voila a shirt that comfortably covers my bump.  The shorts are non-maternity, but they have a knit waistband that is meant to be folded over.  I just unfolded and pulled it up so that it essentially serves the same purpose as a panel on a traditional pair of maternity shorts.

shirt~ BDG

shorts~ Nordstrom

belt~ Urban Outfitters

black necklace~ Forever 21

pink necklace and earrings~ clothing swap

Saved by the Ankle Boot

I got a little ahead of myself yesterday and decided to wear sandals to work, which resulted in blisters all over my feet.  I go through this every summer so I think I have subconsciously always made sure to have a pair of boots on hand that won't over heat me in the summer.  In past years I might have been able to tough it out with a little discomfort, but not this one!

I apologize for the small photo, but the sun was making ti difficult to take pictures today.  I bought this dress about 2 years ago at Marshalls, therefore it's obviously non-maternity.  It is similar to the orange dress from my first post in that it has some extra length making it ideal for pregnancy.  There is an empire waist with an elastic, but I have added my belt again because the area of that dress is a little *ahem* stretched (growing 2 cups sizes will do that) and the belt helps to make this less noticeable.  

I made this necklace from pieces I found at, you guessed it, Savers!  The pendant was a part of a broken brooch I had lying around, so I took the pin off the back and attached to some gold chain I purchased at AC Moore.  The pearl necklace had a broken clasp and was too small so I managed to attach it to the chain as well.  So while I look like I'm wearing two necklaces, it's actually all one piece. (I'm sneaky like that)

dress~ Marshalls

tank top~ Target

boots~ Mia

belt~ Urban Outfitters

This outfit was brought to you by Savers!

Yesterday I decided to check out the new Savers location- it was everything I dreamed of and more.  Who knew moving a mile and a half down VFW Parkway in West Roxbury could make cause such a dramatic change.  I have been a Savers disciple since high school, but the new store is at least three times the size of the old one, much cleaner and extremely organized.

The title of this post is perhaps misleading- not everything I am wearing is from Savers, BUT I based my entire outfit around my desire to wear the new belt I bought yesterday for the bargain price of $1.99.  I've had the pink tank for at least a year, and it's nice and long so I can still pull it off (for now at least).  The grey vest is a goodwill find that is wonderful for adding a little coverage over fitted shirts without the extra bulk.

Considering the belt was my outfit inspiration, I figured it deserved a close-up.  I love belts that are not restricted to a set of holes and can be made any size.  While this is a typical style, (I recall having a belt like this when I was in 7th grade) this one has small metal adornments inserted throughout, which give it sort of a vintage southwestern look.  The tassel necklace is from The Kitchen Sink Bag jewelry collection.  Perhaps I'm a bit bias because I work for Helena Grant the fabulous designer behind TKSB, but come on re-purposed hardware materials fashioned into unique animal friendly handbags- how can you not love it?  See for yourself at thekitchensinkbag.com

tank top~ TJ Maxx

vest~ Jamaica Plain Goodwill

belt~savers

necklace~ The Kitchen Sink Bag

Saturday brunch (yay!) and a trip to Lowe's (yay?)

Saturday marked a momentous occasion for me- I ate scrambled eggs again for the first time since being pregnant!  I had an aversion to them that long surpassed the 1st trimester nausea, but last Saturday I sat down to breakfast at The Dogwood Grille in Jamaica Plain, and blurted out "I want eggs!" like an excited 3 year old.  And what was I wearing during this stupendous moment in Sheena history?  Well, let me show you:

The pants are in fact maternity jeans, which I feel are without a doubt a worthwhile investment for the pregnancy journey, in fact I don't know if I ever want to wear real jeans again.  The best part about this pair is that many of my friends thought they were my regular jeans, and often laughed at the fact that I managed to find maternity skinny jeans (which , in reality is not that hard).  I thought that with a growing belly I would be more comfortable in wider leg jeans, but turns out that I felt most comfortable dressing as similar as possible to the way I did pre-pregnancy.

The shirt is not maternity, just one with a looser fit.  I often choose to wear belts just above my bump because it forms an empire waist, which is slimming.  Also, it gives some shape to baggy shirts keeping me from looking like a nebulous blob.

The shoes I am wearing are hard to see in the long photo, so I've included a close-up.  They are very versatile because I can wear them with or without socks depending on the temperature as well as with tights.  Also, I like how they tie so I can wear them looser if/when my feet swell.  I realize by mid-summer I will most likely be confined to flip flops, but a girl can dream.

jeans~ Old Navy maternity

shirt~ TJ Maxx

belt~ Urban Outfitters Basement

shoes~ Mia

necklace~ clothing swap

earrings~ street vendor in Costa Rica

DIY baby room decor

A few weeks ago my boyfriend and I accompanied his family on a wonderful weekend vacation in North Adams, MA.  We spent an afternoon at Mass MOCA and one of my favorites exhibits was the Sol Lewitt retrospective (if you are interested, you can read more about it here http://www.massmoca.org/lewitt/).  One of the first things that came to my mind was that the patterns, colors and shapes were reminiscent of those I had seen on blocks, mobiles and other baby toys.  I know what you're thinking- crazy pregger can't experience an ounce of culture without attributing it back to something baby related.  I assure you I didn't do this in every exhibit, although I did covertly tail a woman pushing a stroller with an adorable young infant, but that's besides the point, we're getting off topic here....

Anyway, in the gift shop my boyfriend and I found postcards featuring works from the exhibit and decided they would make nice decorations for the baby's room.  I had a frame that I had previously purchased at Savers and the faux wood was a near perfect match to the wood flooring on the postcard.  I painted the cardboard black and attached the postcard...you may notice that the frame has no glass, well that would be because I dropped it while shopping in the purse section of Savers and it shattered all over the floor, but it still serves its purpose!

I also had a pair of white frames laying around, but they were rather dirty and scuffed.  I used the spa blue paint sample that we were considering for our "boy nursery" color to paint the frames.  I find that these kinds of projects, while simple and easy, help ease my impatience for my baby's arrival!

Today is the first day I have ever worn this dress

I've had the idea to do this blog since I was about 3 months pregnant, and at 5 months I am finally composing my first post.  My main reason for the delay- several attempts to have my boyfriend photograph my outfits foiled by either unfortunate weather or lack of time.  Finally today I discovered a way to photograph myself that does not involve me awkwardly holding an iphone in front of a mirror.  As the title states, I have never worn this dress before, which I think, among other reasons makes it the perfect outfit to start with.

This is a non-maternity dress that I purchased at the Upper East Side goodwill about a year ago. It's an idyllic example of my view on pregnancy fashion because I have tried to invest in as few maternity clothes as possible.  Not that I have anything against maternity clothes (jeans with elastic? sign me up!)  I just didn't want spend a fortune on a wardrobe with an expiration date.  I was always drawn to the color of this dress, but every time I tried to wear it, it never felt right.  To my pleasant surprise, pregnancy has enhanced the fit of this dress for me- I think it is a little on the long side for my taste, but thanks to my bump, that is not an issue. 

The fabric is rayon with a bit of spandex, so it's extremely comfortable and obviously a bit stretchy, which I have found to be one of my new favorite clothing qualities during pregnancy.  Another integral asset to this dress is the empire waist with a bit of shirring that makes you feel nice and skinny with some tactful coverage at the top of the baby bump.  

A quick note about the Upper East Side Goodwill- and I should first give credit to my friend Kendall for discovering it- if you are ever find yourself in NYC, I highly recommend checking it out.  Because of the location you can find designer items in nearly perfect condition, it's pretty amazing!

dress~ UES Goodwill

tights~ Express

shoes~ Blowfish

necklace~ Forever 21

earrings~ stolen from my mother, ha.