such cute cookies that i just added to my etsy favorites. i think they’d make perfect shower or party favors. the details are incredible!

via @imeondesign

earlier today i tweeted about being 8 months pregnant and finding some great non-maternity clothes at j.crew and old navy that fit really well. better than maternity clothes actually. i got quite a few responses and questions wondering if j.crew made maternity clothes [i don't think they do, but wouldn't that be great?!] and what i was able to find specifically. so, i wanted to share with you the goodies i went home with.

first, i must say that i didn’t go to the regular j.crew store since i live really close to a j.crew outlet. so, what i pulled from their site is as close to what i bought as i could find. however, earlier in my pregnancy, i did go to the regular j.crew store and scooped up a few things including these cords. and they still fit. i wore them today with my tummy tube.

but, back to my most recent finds. the v-neck gray shirt is similar to this. the pink shirt i bought has a higher scooped neck and has less rosettes, but it’s similar to this shirt from j.crew.

the black skirt is this one from old navy. i also bought it in white and brown since it’s so comfortable. much more so than restrictive maternity jeans. my tummy can breathe! the cardigan is also from old navy and can be found here.

it was actually on a whim that i found out j.crew fits my baby bump. i realized that most maternity clothes are super long and a bit more loose in order to accommodate an expanding belly. after many frustrating trips to maternity stores only to figure out most maternity clothes fit me like tents, i thought about j.crew. i love their clothes. however, i’m really short and prior to pregnancy, i always had problems fitting into them mainly because their clothes are too long and loose for my short torso. so i thought hum, maybe, just maybe j.crew would work for me now. and they do.

i realized regular old navy may work because i tried on a non-maternity short tiered skirt that i already owned. it has a stretchy waist so it fits. i just wear it below my belly. i went online to see if they happened to carry something similar this year and sure enough they do! and they are on sale! so, i went to the store to check them out. and like the j.crew shirts, the old navy cardigan fits because it’s also long. instead of tying the belt around my belly, i just tie it behind my back. this gives me a nicely defined waist. bonus!

so, there you go. my little guide to non-maternity maternity clothes. happy shopping!

i’m loving the orla kiely stationery on gilt today! i’m trying desperately hard to talk myself out of the oatmeal address book. especially since i just bought the lovely design file box. certainly i don’t need two… or do i :]

30 cute + clever cakes and step-by-step guides on how to create them.  |  via kirtsy

another baby book recommendation that i’m considering. this one is a bit more than i want to spend, but it’s beautiful. it’s screen-printed and comes in a keepsake box. definitely an heirloom piece.

if you have any other baby book suggestions, i’m all ears!

in preparation for the baby, i think nesting is kicking in and not just in the nursery. we recently did a little revamp in our bathroom. thanks to young house love, we discovered extra long shower curtains. so, we changed out our too short one and put in this nice long white one. it looks so much better! and now that we’ve got a new shower curtain, i think it’d be nice to add a few accessories too. maybe a pretty framed print or two. something soft and fresh to compliment our new white addition. i spotted these two prints and i’m thinking they’d look lovely.

if you follow us on twitter or facebook, you know that i put out a call for pretty baby book recommendations. for quite a while now i’ve been looking for one that’s a little unique and not too cutesy.

these are two options that i’m considering. the first is from ruby love designs. the second, from edna mae baby.

if you have any other suggestions, please let me know. i’d love to see what you’ve purchased or found and love!

lovely photos from another beautiful food blog i just discovered.

we had a nice break in the cold weather and actually had a few nice, almost spring like days. however, today is full of sleet and cold. i’m pretty sure i’m over winter, and i’m ready for warmer temps. so today, i’m liking these sea urchin prints. they remind me of sunshine and the warm beach waters ahead.

between graduation announcements, custom business cards, baby announcements and moving announcements, we’ve been quite busy in our little studio. above are house sketch moving announcements we recently completed for a couple of clients. like i’ve mentioned before, i really enjoy going back to the basics and taking pencil to paper to create these custom sketches, and i love how they turned out.

thanks to my sister-in-law and my good friend who both had baby girls about the same time ours will be born, we’ve been given lots of super cute hand me downs. we’re so fortunate, and our little one is pretty much set. and even though we haven’t bought a lick of clothes so far, i’ve done lots of window shopping and online browsing. i can’t help it. i mean, there’s just so many cute things out there like these dresses from olive juice. classic + darling!

how cute is this summer getup from janie and jack? super cute. i was so tempted to buy at least the swimsuit yesterday. i could just picture our little girl in this ruched rosette beauty splashing in the water at the lake house.