Summer adventures

We have been hit hard lately with summer sicknesses.  First a virus and now Phayre is getting over a double ear infection.  We are all finally on the mend and I have never been more crazy with the hand sanitizer.  Hoping we can have a fun and healthy summer from here on out.  Taking care of sick kiddos is exhausting and I feel like we've had a pretty bad case of cabin fever these past few weeks.  Now that both girls are feeling better, we've been out and about and checking items off of our summer bucket list!

One of the things I wanted to do this summer was visit new parks and splash pads in and around Portland.  Sloan is a total playground junkie, girlfriend could spend all day climbing and swinging.  I packed the girls up this week and headed to a new park and it was just what the doctor ordered!  The girls sat and played together and then we enjoyed a picnic lunch.  The girls were all over each other, a total love fest... I wondered if I was there just to haul all the stuff around ;).  Sloan ran around the playground and then I pushed the girls on the swings until we were thirty minutes past nap time.  It was so fun!

So I may have been living under a rock, but we've never owned an outdoor blanket.  We spend all summer at parks and splash pads and I have always just brought a regular blanket.  We use it, wash it, use it, wash it... Which is great because I just LOVE more laundry #not.  We just started using the JJ Cole outdoor mat and I'd like to know where it's been all my life?!  It's waterproof and really easy to wipe off.  It also folds up really small and has a handle so it's easy to transport.  Ya'll know I love to match and coordinate, so I had to have the coordinating diaper bag.  I've been using the JJ Cole Satchel bag and it's so spacious.  It has lots of pockets and I love the stroller attachments that are included.

I so encourage you to find new parks with your kiddos and get out and about, it's nice to change up your scenery.  And whatever you do, do not forget the outdoor blanket!!  That thing is a major time saver!  Summer will come and go before we know it, let's all make the most of it!

Xo

Marisa

I partnered with JJ Cole on this post, all opinions expressed are 100% my own!

Our Favorite Bow Shops

One of my most favorite things about having girls is all the bows!  I have been buying bows since Sloan was in my belly and we have acquired quite the collection.  I get asked all the time on social media which bow shops are our favorites so I thought I'd share a few today.  You really can't beat a handmade bow, the options are endless and there's a hard working mama behind the bow!  Call me a bow snob, but I so appreciate a handmade bow (and it's all I put on my girls)!

These are just a few of our favorites, but there are so many other amazing shops!  If you have a favorite, please share in the comments below.  I always love finding new shops!

A Little Lady Shop

This has been one of my most favorite bow shops since Sloan was a baby.  Shop owner Marie creates the most timeless bows and the "little lady" style is one of my most favorites ever.

A Little J and K

As a girl mom times two, Karissa caters to the girliest of girls.  She creates fun sparkly sequin bows and super dainty hand tied bows.  The dainty "Koko" bows are one of my favorites!

Beck and Belle

If sparkles are your thing, head to Beck and Belle right now!  Molly makes the cutest bows out of sparkly glitter fabric.  She is also my go to for fun holiday headbands (think reindeer antlers and bunny ears!).

Sometimes it really sucks to be the little sister ;).

Emmy's Pretties

Molly has the cutest fabrics and her "Elizabeth" style bow is one of my all time faves.  She has a lot of great fabric choices which change out each season.  And you didn't hear it from me, but she has some really killer sales!  

Fancy Free Finery

The most whimsical felt flower headbands you've EVER seen.  Katie is like a felt wizard and seriously creates the most beautiful headbands and decor items.  I am dying to own some of her new summer colors!

Gugu Baby Boutique

While Brittani may be known for her classic fabric bows, I cannot get enough of her Minnie ear bows!  They are seriously a must for every little girls next trip to Disney!

Little Kate Designs

Leather and glitter oh my!  Tonya makes some of the cutest bows around, I seriously love everything in her shop.  Sloan and I have been wearing her braided leather headbands for years and probably have one in every color!

Loved By Sophia Claire

Lexi creates little dainty bows that are a staple in our weekly bow rotation.  They come in every color imaginable and you can get matching paci clips!  Also-I always refer pregnant mamas looking for newborn bows, perfect for little noggins.

Miss Ruby Locks

Julianne is probably the biggest fabric hoarded EVER.  She offers simple cotton bows in hundreds of prints.  From solids, to florals, to holiday prints, and everything in between.  Miss Ruby Locks has you covered.

Ryan and Wren

Hands down the best snap clips (that stay in the whispiest of hairs) come from Mary of Ryan and Wren, but they have super cute headbands too!  These are some of the first clips that Sloan wore when she FINALLY starting getting hair.  I'm serious, the best for whispy baby hairs!!

The Splendid Bow

Alex of The Splendid Bow shop makes heirloom quality bows in some of the very best fabrics.  Her liberty of London collection is UHHmazing (if florals are your thing!).  Her bows are one of my biggest obsessions, I wish we owned them all!

Willow Crowns

If you're not following Megan on Instagram, you're seriously missing out.  Her feed and style are beautiful, the bows, lace crowns, and flower crowns she makes are just a major bonus!  Sloan wore one of her flower crowns on her third birthday and I cannot get over how beautiful it is!

Zozu Baby
One of my current obsessions are dalmatian spots and Sandy makes the absolute cutest dalmatian print bow in all the land!  She makes a few different styles of bows in fun fabrics and I love them all (the zoey bow style is my all time fave).  Sandy's summer fabrics have been on point and I can't get enough of her two toned bows, these have definitely been my go to bows lately!

These are shops that I've purchased from for years now, and I adore all of the hard working mama's behind these shops!  I actually started writing this post months ago and am just now coming back to it... I've recently discovered a few more shops that are definitely worth mentioning...  Elle Bowtique (lace, lace, and more beautiful lace!), Loopy Loo Bows (perfect basic bows, but some delicious florals as well), Mag and Mae Co (perfect hand-tied bows), Ellia May Designs (every print imaginable-I love the sailor style!), and The C Shoppe (super simple and sweet felt flowers, love them).

I hope this helps when you're looking for that perfect bow!  There are so many different styles, you're sure to find something perfect.  And please comment below if you have a favorite bow shop so I can check them out!

Xo

Marisa

Lotus Everywhere Travel Crib // Guava Family Review

Warmer days and summer vacations are on the horizon!  We've already had a few weekends away and have more trips planned this summer.  I love getting away as a family, I think it's important to change up our scenery and press the "reset" button every once in awhile.  As a mom, I'm always in charge of packing.  Packing for two kids is no joke.  I have to make sure nothing gets left behind and that everything fits into the two bags that Eric will let me bring!  Over-packer he is not and I am expected to abide by the same philosophy (sigh).

Kids come with a lot of stuff.  It's important to bring the essentials along with what will keep your baby comfortable.  A necessity for every trip is a travel crib.  In the past we've always brought a big clunky pack n' play.  They're so heavy, hard to set up, and I never feel like the girls are comfortable.  Well my friends, throw your clunky travel crib out and get yourself an everywhere crib!  I am so excited to share the Lotus everywhere travel crib by Guava Family with you today.  We've taken it on our last two trips and I am kicking myself for not getting it sooner!

The Lotus everywhere crib is incredibly light weight and folds up so small that you can wear it as a backpack (the carry case actually has backpack straps).  It's small enough that you could easily take it on an airplane as your carryon.  Setting it up takes under a minute, I'm serious it's that easy!  It has breathable mesh sides and a zippered side door.  It zips all the way down so that Sloan (or me!) can crawl in and play with Phayre.  And of course it's tested for safety and is completely non toxic.  Do I sound excited??  Well I am, I seriously love this baby gear item!

We all know vacation sleep can suck when you have kids.  Both of my girls sleep through the night, but when we go on vacation it's like they forget how to sleep.  I bring their favorite blankets, sound machine, and try to make them as comfortable as possible, but it never fails-they wake up all through the night and are up for the day with the sun. On our last weekend away, we took the Lotus everywhere crib.  Phayre slept through the night and actually slept in!  She was comfortable and safe and slept so well.  I think it's because there isn't a hard bottom, the bottom of the lotus crib sits on the floor and has a soft pad.

So obviously our lotus crib will be traveling everywhere with us this summer, but I also plan to use it when we're outdoors or at friends houses (now that P is mobile, I need ways to corral her ;)).  I plan on purchasing the fun shade so that P can play in it while we're outside.  The mattress is comfortable enough for sleep, but the crib can also be used as a safe play area.  A crib sheet is also included so you don't have to buy one separately, I thought that was great feature.

I am so excited to take our Lotus everywhere travel crib on all of our adventures this summer!  It is one of my favorite baby gear items, I so highly recommend it.  I will definitely be adding this product to my baby's first year must haves.  If you have summer trips planned, don't make the mistake of not bringing a lotus everywhere crib!  You can thank me later :).

Check out the Lotus Everywhere Travel Crip here and make your follow along on Instagram and Facebook as well!

Xo

Marisa

I partnered with Guava Family on this post, all opinions expressed are 100% my own!
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Farewell

I feel like it's time I finally give an update on Sloan and Co. and where I'm at with my shop.  I opened my shop almost two years ago and it has taken me places and grown in ways I couldn't have ever imagined.  I am eternally grateful for the support that my friends, family, and customers have shown me.  What a fun and exciting experience working in the handmade world has been!  I've gotten to meet so many amazing mamas and have had the opportunity to be a part of some really cool things because of my shop.

With all of that being said, I feel that I have outgrown my shop.  As my family has grown, it has left little time for Sloan and Co. (so basically I'm saying you can all blame Phayre ;) just kidding!).  I have learned that the only way to run my shop is at the expense of my children.  I cannot be the mother that I want to be and run a successful business.  There aren't enough hours in the day or enough of me.  I have SO much respect for the women who are running successful businesses (especially ones out of their homes!) and raising their children.  I don't know how they do it and apparently I'm not one who can.

If you're a parent, you know how incredibly fleeting time becomes once you have children.  I am painfully aware of time and how fast it's slipping away from me.  I don't ever want to look back and feel like I missed things because I was trying to run a business instead of holding, rocking, or playing with my babies.  It's a personal choice and one that I hope you can all understand and support.

So, I have decided to close my shop.  This was not an easy decision, but I know it's the right decision for my family.  I just restocked the shop for the last time and will be closing as soon as bracelets sell out.  All of the bracelets are ready to ship and will ship within three business days.  Please use code FAREWELL for 15% off!

I will continue to focus on my blog and you can always catch up with us on Instagram (@hellobabybrown) or snapchat (marisalately)!  I have started an Instagram account where I will be selling some of Sloan and Phayre's gently used clothing (@hellobabybrowncloset) and might post some bracelets on there when I get the urge to be creative!  Again, THANK YOU from the bottom of my very very full heart for supporting me, my shop, and my family.  I am so humbled and grateful.

Xo

Marisa :)

How we store our bows and headbands

I get asked all the time about bows.  Which are our favorites?  Which ones stay in whispy hairs?  How we store them?  Well today I thought I'd share how we store our bows and headbands because we have A LOT.  My girls wear handmade bows, which are so beautiful.  They need to be displayed, not tucked in drawers!  Also out of sight, out of mind.  So, I try to display the girls' bows so that I can see all of them all the time.

Phayre will pretty much only wear bows on nylon bands.  Every once in awhile she'll wear a lightweight lace headband, but never a fabric head wrap (such a bummer because there are so many cute ones out there!).

When I had just about finished P's nursery (you can see her full nursery tour here), I realized I didn't have anywhere to display her bows.  I got a random idea to hang them from her picture ledges.  I only thought of it because I literally had no where else to put them.  So I grabbed some twine and mini clothes pins out of my craft box (they were leftover from a baby shower that I had thrown).  I used packaging tape to attach the twine to the shelf (that's how last minute and random this idea was!).  Because the nylon headbands are so light, the packaging tape has actually held up!  Twine, mini clothes pins, and packaging tape... doesn't get much easier than that!

Phayre does have some head wraps that I often try to make her wear (and she rips them off... sigh).  I keep those in little glass jars.

I didn't have to put much thought into Sloan's bow storage because Belle and Blush did all the work for me!  I love Sloan's bow organizer, I can see everything and it's easy to get her bows on and off.  I also have some glass apothecary jars on her dresser that hold her headbands.

I hope these ideas help you find ways to organize your little lady's bows or headbands!

Xo

Marisa

Our Master Bedroom Makeover!

Eric and I recently gave our master bedroom a little update, and by update I mean I changed everything except for the carpet (because Eric said no on new floors).  So we redid everything, from the paint to the window treatments.  I am so happy with how it turned out and beyond excited to finally share it with you guys!

We bought our original bedroom furniture right after we got married and it was big and dark.  Our bedroom was dark and boring and I absolutely hated the tan walls.  I told Eric I wanted to update our room when we moved into our home a year and a half ago, but clearly it took a lot of convincing.  An update was long overdo so I'm pretty excited it's finally done!

I've heard from several people that you should make your bedroom a sanctuary for you and your spouse.  That you shouldn't include photos of your children or make it a regular space for them to be. Let's just say I did the opposite of that :).  Our bedroom is the hub of our upstairs.  We bathe the girls in our big soak tub, get them ready in our room, and often let them roll around and jump on our bed.  I included family photos and tried to create a space that was beautiful, but also functional for all of us.

Without further ado...

The first thing we did was paint our room.  We chose the color whisper white from Behr paint and hired Roberts Painting and Restoration to do the job.  They did such a great job.

I LOVE our new king size bed.  It's so conformable and BIG!  We went from a queen to a king and I will never ever go back!  We chose an upholstered headboard and I love it way more in person than I did online (plus it's so reasonable!).  I purchased our quilt on clearance and couldn't find it online, but this one and this one are similar.  For the first time ever I purchased really nice sheets and they seriously feel like heaven, I will definitely buy another set!  Having nice sheets makes me feel like such a grown up :).

As you know, I am a lover of all things handmade, so I definitely wanted to include some handmade pieces in our bedroom.  Fancy Face Studio made us the most perfect neutral tassel garland that I put above our bed.  I love how fun it is, yet still grown up enough to be in our master bedroom.

Hands down, my favorite items in our master bedroom are the "love you more" and "love you most" paintings that hang on either side of our bed.  I actually have three pieces of art from Home Spun Signs in our room because I am crazy obsessed with everything in their shop!  I purchased simple nightstands and lamps with gold accents from Target (this lamp is super similar and I absolutely love it).

Our room is pretty neutral with lots of white, so I added a few pops of color here and there to keep the room fun and interesting.  I chose a colorful abstract painting to hang over our dresser.  We switched out the knobs on our dresser to make it fit within the space.  A few family photos, fresh flowers, and a cute gold tray completed our dresser and I love how it all looks together (similar tray here).

Eric's only request was that he had a chair in our room so I purchased a wicker chair and ottoman  that fit's perfectly in the corner of our room.  I found the adorable yellow pom pom blanket on the giftagram app.

I love getting ready while sitting at my new dressing table.  I found a cute clear acrylic chair and hung a gold mirror above.  Sloan probably sits at my dressing table more than I do pretending to do her makeup, let's just say it's getting a lot of use!

Ok, ok I know it's not the most stylish thing to have a TV in your room, but I love laying in bed and watching movies as a family.  Every Friday night we have movie night in our bed and I wasn't willing to give that up for the sake of aesthetics.  So we put a console under the TV and it's actually a really functional piece of furniture.  We keep the cable box and dvd's in it, as well as extra blankets and a little basket that I keep diapers, wipes, and lotion in.

Family painting by Ash and Boot.

I hope that you've enjoyed seeing our master bedroom makeover!  I am so happy with how it turned out and love enjoying it with my family!

Xo

Marisa

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