Fall Trend Report Collaboration with The Market Common

FALL--It's finally here!

My anticipation of the fall fashion season is so feverishly deep-seated that I once went on a date wearing my new fall jacket OVER my new mock turtleneck sweater even though it was still a bazillion degrees outside! I just couldn’t (and can’t ever) wait to wear my new fall finds! Fall presents the most amazing opportunities for style thanks to the ability to layer beautiful, richly-colored fabrics... once it cools down a bit at least. Can't wait for some actual #sweaterweather!

I’m so excited to share with you this fall’s latest and greatest trends by way of flat lay looks that I’ve curated using beautiful, practical, and affordable finds from The Market Common’s ensemble cast of retailers. I've been sitting on this collaboration for over a month and I am so glad to finally show you some of the amazing outfits you can create when you mix high and low pieces from The Market Common's shops. Not every item is available online but those that are I've linked to. Just click the pictures to shop or head out to Market Common and see for yourself what's in store! 

Before we get started, thank you to the fantastic Crystal Lee Photography for photographing the looks I've styled. Crystal is awesome! We've worked with her on Iris's first year milestones package and couldn't be happier with her work.   

Come along with me and see my take on Fall's best trends and how to style them in a way that works for your lifestyle.  

In a word

If I had to sum up this fall’s fashions in just a word, it would be DETAILS. This season’s looks are rich in texture, notions, embellishments, and embroidery, all made to be admired up close.  

Color

The fall 2017 color story includes something for everyone. If you love blush, give this season’s dainty ballet pink a whirl and pair it with gray, olive, or plummy port shades. You’ll find warm tones in maple, buttered rum, and grenadine, my personal favorite pop color. Plus there are coolly elegant jewel tones by way of spruce and navy peony, which has a bit less red in its composition than traditional navy blue.     

 

Luxe fabrics

This Fall is also punctuated with beautiful textiles of varying weights, from light-as-air lace and illusion fabrics to more substantive corduroy and velvet. And you can expect the unexpected when it comes to fabrics, like satin and velvet sneakers, from Charming Charlie and White House Black Market respectively, which raise your comfort classics to next-level chic.  

Embroidery

Like a tattoo for your clothing, embroidery is such a fun way to spotlight your personality, and there are so many beautiful options to do so this fall. You’ll find jackets, blazers, jeans, and button downs all elevated from staples to stand outs thanks to intricately stitched designs.

One of my favorite pieces right now is the Ferrah Embroidered Dress from Anthropologie, designed by Eva Franco. This is a “get noticed” kind of dress with its colorful embroidery, fit-n-flare silhouette, and flutter sleeves (even our flat lay is fluttering! It’s so romantic).  The vertical panel of flowers down the front of this dress will elongate shorter frames, which is an added benefit in my book! I love that this dress can be worn now while the days are still warm, and it will layer perfectly as temps drop by adding black tights, a cardigan or blazer, and booties. The Ferrah dress can even go out on the town for a cocktail event or to a fall wedding. As I’m telling you all of the wear that you’ll get out of this fabulous frock, I’m also adding it to MY fall wish list! J Here I’ve styled it with a suede obi belt, also from Anthropologie, and lace-up wedges to lend an edge to the feminine detailing of the dress. Swap the wedges for a daintier ankle strap heel when you want your look to read full-on pretty.

Here I’ve styled the Ferrah dress a bit more casually with a gold-studded mini backpack from Bijuju and shoes and accessories from Charming Charlie. This look works well for creative workplaces, and the dress is both interesting and timeless, so it could look amazing on a 20-something (add a leather moto jacket), a beautiful silver-haired fox (elegant dinner party anyone?), and every age in between. 

Florals

I can’t help but think of Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada when she sarcastically clucks, “Florals for spring? Groundbreaking.” Because while florals for spring are certainly expected (and beloved), florals for fall are indeed groundbreaking! Everywhere you turn this season you’ll be enveloped by a heady rush of lush blooms in rich hues like red, fucshia, and plum, reminding me of vintage Victorian Valentines (say that three times fast!). 

This mustard floral dress from Francesca’s is a fantastic wear-now, wear-later piece. Paired with this Band Jacket from White House Black Market, it’s perfect for the workplace. I love that the Band Jacket looks every bit as professional as a blazer and will also look equally chic with denim. The stitching and antique hardware on the jacket are great examples of this fall’s attention to detail.  I paired this look with cabernet-colored studded heels from WHBM and a dusty olive handbag from Charming Charlie to pull out the beautiful colors found in the floral print of the dress. Even though this fall frock is sleeveless, your LFD, little floral dress, will keep blooming as temps drop, simply by layering a silk turtleneck and textured tights underneath or by adding an over-the-knee boot, another hot trend for the fall.

  

If you aren’t big on dresses but still want to show some floral-love this fall, then this garden-print top from Bijuju with tie trimmings on the neck and sleeves is a stylish choice paired with WHBM’s bi-stretch button-hem ankle pants. With a pop of red on your arm and your day planner or tablet safely tucked inside, you’ll feel both feminine and fierce. What would be your shoe of choice? I left this slate blank so you can envision your dream office shoe: a pointy-toe pump (I’m imagining cobalt or candy apple red!) or maybe you’re more of a brogues gal, a la Katharine Hepburn?

Don’t discount these work-worthy pieces for the weekend either. Undo the neck tie and pair this blouse with dark denim for casual brunch. Throw your coziest sweater over these ankle pants for Saturday errand-running. These pieces can keep up with you no matter where you go!   

Statement sleeves

If you loved summer’s statement sleeves, you’ll be relieved to know that the romance continues for fall as statement sleeves become one of the major style players of the season. Think ruffles, pleats, and bells of dramatic proportion, plus sleeves with beautiful embroidery and contrasting fabrics.

Thanks to the statement sleeves trend, we can also add a new word to our fashion vocabularies: lantern sleeves. This applies to any top where the majority of the volume falls below the elbow and the wrist is banded or elasticized, creating a shape similar to a Chinese lantern. I love the Berry Bouquet top from WHBM because you can pair it with all sorts of bottoms—denim, a maxi skirt, a pencil skirt, slacks—you name it! The banded wrist is great because you won’t have to worry as much about dipping your sleeves in your dinner like you do with bells. Tell me I’m not the only one who does that? Hey, how about the dash of pink with this studded clutch? I love that fall and spring are blending their color palettes so playfully! This clutch from Charming Charlie also has a crossbody strap, one of my favorite inventions ever.   

Denim: Embellished and Distressed

My hands-down favorite thing about fall is new denim. Yours too?! I guess it is ingrained in us from all those years of back-to-school shopping. I always kick off fall by treating myself to new jeans because denim is the perfect foundation to build outfits for tailgating, chili cook-off-ing, beer festival-ing, hayriding, and heading up to the mountains to take in the autumnal fireworks of the leaves changing color. So many gerunds, so little time.

Add to your fall shopping list a pair of beautifully embroidered jeans that you can dress up or down and can style edgy or elegant, depending on your mood. I spotted these embellished jeans in the window of WHBM and it was love at first sight. Dress them down with a quilted vest and sneakers or glam them up even more with a kimono or blazer, heels, and a clutch.  

On the opposite end of the spectrum, you’ll find fancy denim’s alter ego, 90s grunge-inspired distressed denim, available in dark, medium, and light washes. Pick your poison and wear them with your favorite vest or jacket. While some of fall's denim styles are uber-distressed with expertly placed tatters, many simply give the look of being perfectly broken in through thoughtful washes. Here I’ve paired Chico’s Coated faux-suede moto jacket with their So-Slimming Girlfriend Jeans and a flame-colored tank that’s reversible (get out!) to a fall-tastic flame orange for two shirts in one. These jeans have the perfect rise for modesty without feeling like Mom jeans, and they give the look of being well-worn and still street appropriate.  

Fashion note: Head-to-toe red is a major fall trend, but it you feel intimidated wearing the traffic-stopping shade all over your body, take a cue from this flat lay and layer a textured candy apple red necklace over a red top. It’s a great way to dabble in the trend while staying true to your style. This necklace is also from Chico’s.

I also encourage you to mix textures liberally this season. Here were have a soft-as-butter suede jacket mixed with a vegan leather bag and perforated faux suede booties. The pieces give off varying levels of being worn-in so your look feels curated and relaxed, which makes you look incredibly self-confident like a lady James Dean.  

The So-Slimming jeans also mix well with leopard print. Here I’ve played with proportions using a trapeze tee from Bijuju (the entire back panel is leopard and it’s amazing) layered under Ivy & Leo’s cozy perfect shawl vest which comes in a million gorgeous colors for under $30. Hello, perfect weekend outfit! Add a moody berry lip and a sleek low ponytail and you’re out the door in under 20 minutes! Side note, a feminine silk scarf (this one’s from Athropologie) lends a sophisticated note to your leather backpack. Pop on a pair of glamorous oversized shades like these ones that remind me of Iris Apfel and no one will know that you had a late night with your besties, babies, or your beau!   

For a casual outfit that delivers the same comfort as wearing pajamas, I’ve styled a pair of distressed jeans (they have a few intentional rips and holes not visible when folded) with a crimson puffer vest and camel-striped tee for a look that’s perfect for the park, playground, or tailgating. Ribbed knit insets down the sides of the vest offer the perfect amount of stretch to flatter your figure. This tunic-length tee also Ivy & Leo has an asymmetrical hem which I love knotted in the front or slightly off-center around hip level for a jaunty touch. You could add a tartan headband and small hoop earrings to make this outfit feel preppy or layer on some 90s-inspired encrusted jewel-tone pieces on a base of heavy metals. Think the jewels on Madonna’s Like a Prayer album cover. Google it. I’ll wait! J

Oh, you’re back. Yay! Let’s talk purses.     

Bag it: A Tale of Two Purses

Move over bucket bag. The current 90s revival has given the Lazarus treatment to the mini backpack! (Alexa: play “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls…) I don’t know about you but I love going hands-free, especially with my toddler in tow, and I think most of us can agree that everything is cuter in miniature, bags and babies included. My personal pick for fall is Bijuju’s gold studded backpack in a perfect neutral shade, which is pictured with the Ferrah dress from Anthropologie at the beginning of the blog. That clever bag even has a sleek gold handle on top in case you want to casually carry it like a satchel.

I also love Charming Charlie’s mini backpack, which comes in nearly every color of the fall palette and holds a surprising amount inside. Whether you pick a pop color or a neutral, you’re sure to love tossing it over your shoulder. Plus a backpack is good for your posture—shoulders back, head up!

If you prefer a traditional kind of bag, this season is all about beautiful ladylike purses. Large or small, you’ll find that feminine detailing and shapes similar to handbags carried by HRH Queen Elizabeth will reign supreme. Look for structured frames, clasp closures, and a wrist strap or handle. These smart bags will make jeans and a sweater look infinitely more put-together.

To change up the look of your signature bag, tie a square scarf around the handle for a look that is gracefully unfussy. This is a smart and affordable way to add another layer of color or pattern to your look. Square scarves also look great tied around your ponytail or knotted like an ascot above the collar of your favorite shirt or jacket. I also like them tied around the wrist in lieu of a bracelet. Just keep the knot small and neat so it doesn't look like a bandage.   

Of course you can never, ever go wrong with a catchall tote in a pop color, especially if, like me, your purse pulls double duty as a diaper bag and mobile toy box. Or if you’re like my college-age neighbor and basically live out of your purse. You need a fab bag to keep the important stuff on your person! While styling these flat lays, I got the exclusive sneak peek at Charming Charlie’s collaboration with the fashion-forward Kardashian-Jenner sisters, Kendall & Kylie. ;) What I love about their collection is that even though their fanbase is younger than my favorite pair of boots, they still offer this goldenrod tote with matching wallet included so that I can sit at their lunch table too, so to speak. ;) I’ve styled it with another stunning silk scarf from Anthropologie and looped my favorite cat-eye readers from Charming Charlie clipped over the edge for a look that’s ageless.  

While we're on the subject of purses, expect to see unusual shapes this fall and lots of fringe elements. This circle bag from Bijuju is a major statement with studs and fringe in the season's most coveted color.

Ornate Shoes

Shoes are another platform (pun alert!) for self-expression and drama this season. Shoe trends have moved to colorful, ornate, dainty, and daring this fall. The cabernet studded heels from WHBM that I’ve pictured a few times are a must-have, and I am really excited about the retro-glamour of these velour leopard heels from Francesca’s. (A word from the Wise, you’ll be seeing more red roses this fall than on an entire season of The Bachelor!) 

On these purrrfect shoes, the rose embroidery is so beautifully 90s, and I confess that while I was styling these, I asked Alexa to serve up Seal’s “Kiss from a Rose.” (#methodactor)

Open-toe shoes are also a huge trend for fall so keep up your pedicure. Just be sure to swap out your summer nail polish for an autumn-approved burgundy or sparkling navy blue. Check out the circle of sole-sisters I styled below for six of my favorite open toe styles.

Rock, paper, scissors: what’s new for jewelry

For the latest in accessories, Charming Charlie and Bijuju have you covered. The mainstay of the fall trends is geode jewelry, a stunningly organic intersection of ombre and texture. Expect other mineral and gemstone jewelry to take center stage as well. Did you see the amazing purple agate collar that I paired with the lantern sleeve top? It’s a major statement piece!

On the paper front, expect a wave of folksy, homespun accessories using raffia, rickrack, and patchwork elements.

As for scissors, you’ll find swingy fringe everywhere this fall from earrings to pendants to trimmings on purses.

  

Which of the fall trends are your favorites? I’ve rounded up a checklist to help you keep track of your fall finds!   

Fall Style Checklist:

□ Floral top or dress

□ Wear-everywhere jacket

□ Embroidered top, tee, or vest

□ Embellished and/or distressed denim

□ Statement sleeve top

□ Mini backpack

□ Ladylike handbag

□ Small square scarf

□ Conversation-starting shoes

□ Fringe details

□ Geode and mineral accessories

I can’t wait to see how you style your fall looks! Tag us using #marketcommonmb to show off your favorite outfits of the season. For style questions, drop me a line at SaraWiseStyle@gmail.com.

Stylishly yours,

Sara

   

Celebrating a special milestone with sea glass jewelry

Sea glass. It's beautiful, mysterious, birthed by the ocean in the prettiest use of the word upcycling. What goes into the ocean as glass bottles, china, and even old light covers comes out as beautiful gems after being tumbled by waves until it is frosty and romantic. I like to think of it as mermaid's diamonds.

I first learned about sea glass in a novel called Sea Glass by Anita Shreve, a nice summer read if you need to squeeze in one last book before the fall officially begins.  Before reading that book, I had no idea that sea glass existed. Thanks to Ms. Shreve, I was able to recognize it when Josh and I were combing a rocky beach in California a few years ago. I was tickled to find half a dozen tiny green fragments of sea glass in the sand which I proudly keep in a tray on my dresser.

For awhile I considered having my friend Meg Carter, who designs beautiful sea glass jewelry and engagement rings, convert these pieces into a necklace, but I really enjoy looking at them as individual pieces, so I decided that I would instead choose a piece of Meg's gorgeous sea glass jewelry to wear so I could keep my sweet little collection in my tray.

Last fall I decided that treating myself to one of Meg's unique sea glass creations would be my gift to myself for reaching my goal of breastfeeding Iris for one year, a goal I wasn't even sure that I wanted to reach when I was pregnant.

For the record, any which way that a baby is fed and nourished is best. I don't want anyone to think that I am one of the SRBs: Self-Righteous Breastfeeders. 

I'm celebrating this milestone because it has been a big commitment, coming from someone who doesn't really like commitments of any sort. But I do like challenges for the thrill of proving to no one but myself that I can do something. I honestly don't know why I struggle with believing in myself, but I've taken on plenty of personal challenges to show myself what I am capable of: running a dozen half marathons, a triathlon, and a marathon, learning how to ballroom dance and trophying in it, launching and operating a wedding planning business for five years, starting a blog, and breastfeeding for a year. It's fun, trying to stretch and grow. Of these things, breastfeeding has by far proven to be the largest personal sacrifice, given that it put me on a pretty short leash, either feeding or pumping nearly every three hours each day.

I didn't even know for sure that I wanted to breastfeed or that I wanted to reach a particular milestone until I better understood the expense of formula and how that would put a strain on our family's budget. Even then I went into the whole breastfeeding thing worried that I wasn't going to succeed due to factors in my imagination like non-functioning mammary glands, a child born with a full set of razor sharp teeth, and the fear of the ever-impending zombie apocalypse, which is always convenient to distract yourself with when you're a natural born worrier. And as it turned out, Iris and I had plenty of challenges, just none of the ones in my head. More on that in a sec.

At about eight months pregnant, I remember sitting in the breastfeeding class that I voluntarily attended and hearing the substitute instructor open with, "There is no TRY in breastfeeding. Either you do, or you don't." Not the words that someone predisposed to anxiety needed to hear. She may well have titled the class Breastfeeding: Ride or Die. Incidentally, this instructor also dissed the choice of mint green for a nursery, not knowing that the Benjamin Moore Spring Mint had barely dried on my nursery walls. I didn't take offense, mint isn't for everyone ;) but I definitely didn't feel inspired by her approach.

While I was recovering from labor, I met the lactation coach who normally teaches the class, and I feel confident that her approach would have been a bit gentler. She's actually the reason I stuck with breastfeeding, because she cheerfully answered a million questions, many at ungodly hours, long after I was discharged from the hospital. She encouraged me when things inevitably got very, very bumpy, and she even had me bring Iris in for a feeding so we could weigh her throughout to see if she was receiving plenty of milk during a feeding (she was).  

Because Iris was born just shy of 37 weeks, she hadn't quite mastered the ability to latch, so we struggled just to get the basics of breastfeeding down for almost a month. I took to using a clever gadget called a nipple shield to help her, and I went nowhere without it. Come to think of it, that on a silver chain could have been a swell trophy for this accomplishment. ;) Thankfully, we dropped the shield after a couple of weeks. and I get to celebrate with a much prettier necklace, which I'll unveil below.

I also managed to plow through painful mastitis, probably like many other breastfeeding mamas. If you haven't heard of it, it's inflammation of the breast due to infection. It feels pretty horrible and comes with a free side of flu-like symptoms. A round of antibiotics, a lot of time spent on the heating pad or taking hot showers, and these amazing gel thingies work wonders for the problem. Thankfully I only got it one time, though I dealt with plenty of clogged ducts as well, which are absolutely as fun and exciting as they sound.

It was really clear to me early on why so many mamas give up on breastfeeding. Nursing for a year is a milestone that only 17% of women reach, thanks largely to time commitment, workplace hassles, nursing difficulties, and lack of support at home. And on top of it all, a weary, sleep-deprived new mother doesn't always have the wherewithal to be patient with herself or baby when she's undernourished, overly-exhausted, and feels like a prize dairy cow. Even with Josh being really supportive, I spent plenty of nights crying and ready to say, "Forget this!" because I felt like I was failing at something that was supposed to be natural. A friend texted me some encouragement. She said that I needed to give myself and Iris some grace because we were both learning a new skill. That helped. And it's a useful tenet for so many things. This simple message has been really helpful to apply to all the things Iris has learned and will learn to do like rolling over, crawling, walking, talking, saying her name, feeding herself with a spoon, and eventually potty training. Give yourself some grace. Grace as a first-time mom who has no clue what she is doing and grace to a baby girl who is doing every single thing for the first time in her little life. That nugget of wisdom and a pretty strong stubborn streak kept me going.

When I went back to work, I managed to stick with my plans to breastfeed by pumping in the privacy of my office, which is pretty cushy compared to the life of anyone who shares an office or works in a cube and has to haul her pump to a broom closet three times a day. It was pretty inconvenient lugging a pump and bottles and a mini cooler everywhere, for sure, but I had an office door that locked and my own mini fridge. Still there were coworkers who made inappropriate jokes and bosses who didn't make it the easiest or most comfortable thing, but thankfully there are laws that support my choice to nurse my baby, so I slugged it out, many times forgetting pump parts and having to improvise in some way or make an unexpected Target run during lunch. I also pumped while I drove to and from work sometimes if I had a particularly busy day and couldn't squeeze in enough pump breaks. And thankfully I only had one episode of leaking when I couldn't get my pump break in on time. A quick shirt change and all was fine.

There were many days where I barely pumped enough to feed Iris for the next workday, which only added to my stress and mom-guilt. Some mornings I woke up early to pump in order to meet the minimum amount needed, but thankfully there was always enough.  If you aren't really familiar with how it works, some moms have an abundance of milk and are able to store lots of it in the freezer while some of us are considered "just enoughers," only producing the minimum without a comfy cushion to sock away for times when we can't be around. Suffice it to say that whether you produce plenty or barely enough, pumping is probably one of the least enjoyable things ever. Not as invasive as a trip to the OBGYN or anything, but just not that fun to deal with.

All that womp-womping aside, somewhere around the fourth month of breastfeeding, I started to get the hang of it and actually enjoy the time I spent, not tethered to a pump that seemed to keep chanting "broccoli, broccoli" as it whirred and swished, but the times when I actually nursed Iris. Even in the middle of the night, it wasn't a terrible inconvenience because it gave us a much-appreciated chance to be snuggly. And as Iris got more active and playful, nursing sessions really were the only time that I could count on her to be still and quiet. Nursing also became a break for me, a chance to nestle into my comfy rocking chair put my feet up on the ottoman and just REST for a few glorious minutes. I didn't spend every moment of every feeding gazing at Iris with adoration, I confess. There were plenty of times that I used nursing sessions to check emails, scroll through social feeds, and do waaaay too much online shopping.   

I actually was fortunate to enjoy the blessing of a late-teething baby, so I didn't have to endure the scary shark-tooth baby of my nightmares. Iris didn't cut a first tooth until around 16 months, and while we still nurse some, she's pretty attached to solid foods these days, especially avocado, cheese, yogurt, and tay-toes, aka French fries. #momwin.

To celebrate reaching my goal of breastfeeding for one year, I touched base with Meg of Made by Meg to choose a piece from her collection as a means of patting myself on the back for a really tough challenge completed. Meg offered me something even better by designing a custom piece for me!! I was so touched when she said that a stylish gal like me deserved a unique piece. And I was so excited to receive several sketches to choose from. Meg and I both were drawn to one of the four designs in particular, and it turned out that Meg loved the design so much that she decided to include it in Prism, her wildly new colorful collection of seaglass jewelry. As if  that wasn't enough (but wait, there's more!), Meg asked if I minded bringing my colorful wardrobe and modeling some of the new line for her.

Aside: I say this all the time: I did NOT get into blogging to be a model. I'm now a stay at home mom and am hardly ever camera ready or even showered for that matter. I'm mostly here to help you feel more put together and stylish through advice and great finds. But when Meg excitedly invited me to show off her new creations, I couldn't say no to being her jewelry model, grown-out roots be darned.

The shoot would be the first time I would see my beautiful milestone necklace, which Meg affectionately named the Nurture Necklace. Ready to see it?

Ta-da! I. Love. It.

Here's what's behind the design: I selected Blue Jay and Tropical Aqua stones, from Meg's Prism collection, for my necklace, because aqua is a favorite color of mine, and Iris is my blue-eyed baby who incidentally wears blue beautifully. I feel like these two colors represent us well and look harmonious together. The sterling silver ring around the stones (that lovingly lean against each other if I do say so), represents that all-important Grace that mother and baby owe each other when figuring out the new skill of breastfeeding. As we continue on, I see that same grace being applied as we discover the many ways that we are different and learn to navigate those differences while still being bonded together. How's that for sweet, sappy, and introspective? All that aside, it's also a cool looking design, one that I would wear if it had no sentimental quality to it. Lucky for me, I get to wear a piece that embodies both style and substance in one, and you can too.

Meg's Prism collection, which the Nurture Necklace is part of, is just my style: punchy, vibrant pops of color. These pieces are actually genuine white sea glass that have been colorized via a unique and top secret process that Meg and hubby Jon have worked tirelessly to achieve for a long time. In short, this new process allows them to offer bright, colorful genuine sea glass jewelry without having to factor in rarity like they do with traditional sea glass colors. Certain colors are more rare and are therefore very expensive. Here, all colors are the same price whether you want Canary Yellow or Hot Pink. This is especially nice when you're someone who always has expensive taste. Here, you don't have to settle for your third favorite color due to price, which is a joy. (For example, a hot pink piece of sea glass spit out by the ocean could cost you $800 because that color is so rare. A white piece of sea glass colorized hot pink with Meg's process is more attainable at $58-78.)

Here are the official colors, splitting the picture below into three rows:
top: coral, blue jay, tropical aqua
middle: purple rain, dreamsicle, kiwi lime
bottom: hot pink, canary yellow

You know what's extra amazing about Meg? She pays attention to details. After seeing an Instagram post about my hope that Iris might become the fifth generation of left-handed ladies in my family line, Meg took it upon herself to swap the clasp on my necklace so it would be compatible with my south-paw. That's the level of thoughtful customer service you get with Meg on top of wearable art that is so beautiful and unique.

Here you can see the cuff bracelet, ring, and earrings in Tropical Aqua. It's definitely a favorite color of mine.

Meg also knows how much Iris loves bubbles and came prepared at the shoot with bubbles to blow and a brand new Minnie Mouse toy for Iris to play with. It's now her current fave toy and often manages to sneak into the crib at night.

Here's a sampling of some of my favorite pics from the shoot.  

Want to know something extra cool? In all of these shoot pics, I had NO CLUE yet that I was pregnant with Baby Dean, my sweet and second baby who I am presently enjoying a healthy breastfeeding journey with! It's been much easier this second time around, though not without some struggles. Another update? Meg's Prism line is over a year old and has grown to offer so many more colors and even gorgeous gradients. Check them out  HERE. 

Canary Yellow 

   

Here's the Valley necklace, a cool design with two stones on a curved branch. You can choose any color stones from the Prism collection. 

Tropical Aqua 

Dreamsicle 

Hot Pink (one of my personal faves)

 Blue Jay (I wear this stunning ring all the time!)

 Coral 

Kiwi Lime

Purple Rain