If you are a fan of GOOD pajamas, and matching with the family during the holidays, LAKE Pajamas has the best options.

If you have been around here for a while, you know we LOVE LAKE pajamas! I started wearing them during pregnancy and immediately fell in love with their PIMA Cotton sets. You might also remember us wearing the Blair Eadie x LAKE Collection during our trip to Primland.

We had our first twinning moment with the kids when they were little (see below for a throwback!) last year and to say it was a core memory is an understatement. I can’t believe how little Olive was omg. We love the seasonal collections as well as the classics that they have year-round! They always do special prints for the holidays that are beyond cute. Last year Olive and Phoenix did the Nutcrackers and ornaments and they were ADORABLE. This year they have more cute and festive prints to choose from! I had my eye on the Scarlet Antoinette if I was going to add a print. The snowflakes are super cute too and you definitely wear both of those all season long.

~ HOLIDAY PRINTS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY ~

*for kids I recommend sizing up in all pjs! adults run TTS *

We went with the classic red stripes this year in order to get more longevity and wear out of them, but don’t get me wrong I am swooning over the prints too! I wear my red stripes year round and trust me when I say that these Kimono Pajamas are my most worn item! I have them in blue too and they totally can pass as loungewear. Below I am wearing them when John and I had our wine & Christmas cards night a few days ago!

~ shop the classic collection ~

The post LAKE HOLIDAY PAJAMAS appeared first on the crystal press fashion blog.

OK OK, I can’t believe it has taken me this long to write this post. Oh, wait, yes I can because it takes me forever to do anything these days

I pretty much picked out the Gucci Diaper bag the second I found out we had a viable embryo. Instead of getting any new handbags for a few years, I figured I would opt for the Gucci Diaper bag instead. Afterall, you don’t really carry a purse AND a diaper bag. ( I wasn’t actually sure this would actually be the case, but it really is, I only use the diaper bag.) So, basically, the price tag seems steep for a diaper bag, but legit for a designer bag. End of statement.

SO, I know you are on the edges of your seats wanting to know if the bag is worth it. How big is it? How much does it hold? Does it have the right pockets? I have made videos so you can see inside and see what I keep in it, don’t worry.

And, YES. I think it is worth it.

SEE THE UNBOXING VIDEO HERE.

In case you didn’t want to watch the unboxing video here’s the deal. It has one big inside pocket, two smaller pockets, a changing mat, two outside pockets and one back pocket. Lots of pockets. Lots of space. But not TOO much space that you will be able to accumulate TOOOO much junk.

Take a look at what I kept in the bag when Olive was 8 months old HERE.

It fits perfectly under the stroller as you can see below, and I honestly thing overall it is the perfect size. The canvas is easy to wipe off and so far, after 10 months carrying it everyday it is still in pristine condition. I know I have friends who have gotten some of the trendier diaper bags and after 10 months they look like an absolute hot mess. I think you truly get what you pay for!

Pretty much the only time we do not use this diaper bag is when we travel, because a backpack is easier for that. (We use the Pottery Barn backpack which is Johns dad bag!) Overall, we loveeee our Gucci Diaper bag and I would choose it again and again and again.

~ PIN FOR LATER ~

The post Is The Gucci Diaper Bag Worth It? appeared first on the crystal press fashion blog.

Life with Olive through our month milestone photos.

Oh, what a joy it has been to be the mom to this little miracle baby girl. If you’ve been around here for a while, you know about our journey to Olive.  Years TTC and then going through IVF was the hardest thing we have ever done, but BOY was it worth it a million times over! These photos may not seem like anything too interesting and let’s be serious – they are mostly here for me to look back on.

My favorite thing about this is probably watching her hair grow. SO CRAZY.

ONE MONTH WITH OLIVE <3

wearing the cutest magnetic me gown. we looooooved these when she was a newborn. so soft and made diaper changes sooo easy. this is the outfit she came home from the hospital in, too, which makes it even more special.

SMILING AT TWO MONTHS <3

I ordered this personalized onesie for Olive off of Etsy and was hoping to take her first photos in the hospital in it. BUT, since she was in the NICU and things went a little differently than expected, we didn’t end up getting those photos! So I wanted to use it here. It was real soft and real cute. One of those things it was really hard to put away when she outgrew it.

OLIVE AT THREE MONTHS OLD <3 SITTING UP (kinda)

I remember taking this and propping her up, with her still being pretty wobbly. I had one hand on the chair to make sure she was stable. GOSH, seems like yesterday.  And we loooooooved this Roller Rabbit ‘fit from my friend Liz. She wore it for a while and watching the next few months in photos is a real flashback.

FOUR MONTHS OLD <3 

Olive was NOT having it for this day. I was trying to keep her attention with the rattle and she was majorly teething, so she wouldn’t take it out of her mouth. For some reason, I really loved this photo and once I got it, that was the one. Perfectly captures who she was at that time.

SIX PRECIOUS MONTHS OF OLIVE <3 

Funny thing about the 6 month photos! We got her all dressed, took the photos (see photo at the top of the post) and then afterwards realized we forgot the 6 month card. So we had to do it again the next day. But gosh, she is just the cutest thing in all the photos! The little toes. And the little outfit.

SEVEN MONTHS WITH OUR GIRL ON THE GO <3

It is getting harder and harder to keep Olive still for these photos! At 7 months old her personality is coming out and she is the sweetest, smiliest, most fun girly.  She is giving us a hard time with her sleep, so luckily she’s cute   Her hair is getting so long that we pretty much have to put the bows in her hair each day. Here are our favorite bows that come in a giant pack and are real affordable from Amazon.

The post Olive’s First Year Milestones appeared first on the crystal press fashion blog.

There are SO many suggestions for things that you need before your baby comes. All babies are different and all moms are different but we all want to be prepared, so we register for all of it. I was definitely guilty of this! I thought if I had all the things that would make this giant life change easier.  And it some ways it did, and some ways it didn’t. It certainly didn’t hurt. But there were definitely lots of things we never used because they just didn’t fit with our needs.

SO, I thought I would just highlight a few things that we registered for, got and used a lot in the first three months.  Again, these are my personal experiences and opinions but hopefully they are a helpful for you!

BOPPY! 

The boppy is one of those things you either receive as a hand-me-down or you definitely have on your registry! It is meant for different uses as your baby grows and starts out as a *nursing pillow* Personally, I didn’t really use it when nursing, but we did use it just as a little lounger on our lap to give our arms a rest. John particularly loved using it this way! Then, as they grow you can use it for tummy time, help to learn to sit up and lounge once they can sit up. Definitely worth having.  Our rainbow Boppy Cover.

DIAPER CADDY

We have 2 diaper caddies in our house. One in our bedroom for late night / early morning diaper changes and one downstairs.  Both are stacked with the essentials so you don’t have to wonder where the wipes are, where you can find those burp cloths that keep disappearing, etc.  They are also GREAT for travel. If you are going somewhere via car you can just fill it full and take it with you! We did this when we went to the beach, the Homestead and to my sisters when Olive was a newborn. Here are a few caddies & the essentials I like to keep in it.

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UPPABABY STROLLER SYSTEM

We chose to register for the Uppababy Cruz Stroller and Mesa Car Seat. The Cruz is the smaller stroller (Vista is the larger) and since I usually have to get in a car to go for a walk, I wanted something a little smaller.  The real question is: Is Uppababy worth it? My experience: YES. The car seat is manageable, easy to put in the car on its base and you can use it with the stroller making everything just that much easier.  I don’t really have experience with any others except from our initial research but what I can tell you is this: WE LOVE OUR UPPABABY CRUZ V 2 & MESA CAR SEAT. period. My mom has the Vista and we love that too.

BABY BJORN BOUNCER

I didn’t see how this could possibly be worth its price tag, but boy was I wrong. Babies just LOVE this bouncer. SO simple yet effective. A must.

FRESHLY PICKED SWADDLE

OH, the swaddle days! How I miss them! Everything seemed easier then. We tried a bunch of different swaddles and when Olive slept through the night the first time in this Freshly Picked Swaddle that was it. It was the only one we used until she *busted out* of it and we had to stop.  It is so easy to use and I have only heard good things from other friends who have tried it too!

LOVEVERY PLAY GYM & PLAY KITS

LOVEVERY’s play gym and play kits take the guess work out baby toys.  Their play kits come with various toys curated for your babies age, grow with them and are truly perfect for each phase.  Olive LOVES her Lovevery toys and they make it so easy for me.  See more about LOVEVERY here!

SEE MY NEWBORN BATH ESSENTIALS HERE

~ PIN FOR LATER ~

The post Baby Registry Items We Used in The First Three Months appeared first on the crystal press fashion blog.

I* In case you missed my love letter to LAKE at Christmas time *

I am just absolutely swooooooning over the LAKE Pajamas Valentine’s Day Collection! The lips and the hearts are just too adorable.  LAKE’s super soft PIMA Cotton pjs have become a staple in our house ever since my best friend gave me a pair during pregnancy! We wore them over Christmas as a family (even John had them) and I just think their mommy and me sets too sweet.

I went for the Poplin nightgown for this collection since I have a good number of the sets and it is breathable and cooling and chic. Honestly, it is kind of out of character for me but my style has changed since Olive was born! I’m a sap. I mean, the kisses! It comes in the heart print, too, and both come with matching sets for the little ones. Cath even got the kisses for Phoenix too and I gotta say they are ADORABLE for little boys.

Because I have a little baby Olive napping in my arms right now, I will keep it short and sweet but trust me when I say that any purchase from LAKE is money well spent. Every pair I have is worth the price!

The post Valentine’s Day with Lake Pajamas appeared first on the crystal press fashion blog.

Lake Pajamas became an instant favorite of ours this year!

TIS THE SEASON! PAJAMA SEASON.

We have been highlighting gift ideas that we will be gifting / would love to give this year. Like the things we actually have and love. LAKE PAJAMAS are DEFINITELY on that list. We fell in love with LAKE’s Pima Cotton pajamas earlier this year and haven’t looked back. They are BEYOND soft.

I wore them throughout my pregnancy, they have nursing friendly options now, they carried us through the summer and now we are loving their holiday collection! They have pajamas for the whole family. Phoenix and Olive have little matching sets and we are gonna grab a couple of pairs for our husbands this year.

~ for the ladies ~

HAPPY GIFTING!

~ for the littles ~

( olive is wearing baby nutcracker & phoenix is wearing kids ornaments )

The post TCP Favorite: Lake Pajamas appeared first on the crystal press fashion blog.

Let’s start this one out by saying, going into this shoot I was kicking myself for not scheduling our maternity photos sooner.  I was 35 weeks when we took these, and I really wish I had scheduled them around 30 weeks. At 30 weeks I felt better and, in my opinion, looked better. Cute bump and not all the swelling.  Luckily for me, Johnny assured me that I looked great so I decided to just embrace the hot, sweaty, pregnant bod for the photos.

SO, LET’S TALK OUTFITS.

ACTUALLY… FIRST: DECIDE ON LOCATION + VIBE. 

Naturally, I had a hard time deciding on a location and a vibe, so I decided to do more than one location and not two but three different vibes.  We went with Romantic/Ethereal, Street Style & Sleek/Sexy.   I started out with one big long blog post for all three looks but it was going to be INTENSE so I decided to create three different posts. Here you’ll find my tips for a sleek and sexy shoot. For the others, click through below to find a full post on the vibe you are looking for.

ROMANTIC / ETHEREAL MATERNITY PHOTOS 

SLEEK & CHIC, SEXY MATERNITY PHOTOS 

OK, back to the topic at hand..

get the street style vibes

If you had told me a couple of years ago that I wanted photos with my belly OUT, like really out, on a hot summer day during my pregnancy I would have told you that you were crazy. But crazy things happen during pregnancy and one of those things is a whole new appreciation for the female body.  This body has done some amazing things while growing this little girl, so why not show it off?

I honestly am not sure where the inspo for these outfits and photos came from, but I just had this idea for us both wearing cool sneakers and me with a bra top and jean shorts. I wasn’t reallyyyyy sure it would work the way I envisioned it. But DANG, it really did work.  I am obsessed with all of these photos. Thanks to Halle’s genius, the lighting, the city, the composition and the overall *vibe*, we really nailed the street-style-cool-thing, I think.  I would be thrilled if these took pinterest by storm and inspired other moms and dads to be to adopt this vibe with their photos!

The bra top – SKIMS. I LOVE SKIMS. I will shout it from the rooftops! This particular cotton bralette provides the perfect amount of light support without being uncomfortable which is CRUCIAL during pregnancy.  It also looks enough like a crop top to, ya know, be a crop top. I also love the Cotton Rib tank which during pregnancy is also a crop top on me and would have been great for these photos too.

Maternity denim shorts – These were a hand-me-down from one of my friends and they are LEGIT.  I would say for 90% of the time I have been living in dresses, but sometimes shorts just feel better. And for this vibe they were 100% necessary.

Sneaks – I love my custom One-Twelves, but really any good pair of sneakers would work – like John’s Vejas! Honestly, I think the sneakers are the most crucial part of nailing the street style vibe so choosing good ones for you and your partner, or picking favorites out of your closet should be the most fun part! Here are some favorites for inspo:

VEJAS on YOOX 

Air Force Ones

Adidas Stan Smiths 

Converse

location

Choose a cosmopolitan location! (did that make me sound like a city gorl?) Downtown streets, or in our case, a rooftop parking deck with views of the city are perfect options.  If these aren’t options for you, really any street-style-y location works as long as you bring the outfit and the attitude. Also, you always want to choose golden hour. This is an hour or two before sunset and the lighting helps to add that extra something to the photos when you shoot at golden hour

for him

Throw on a pair of sneakers with one of your man’s favorite outfits and VOILA! *vibe* achieved. For John’s outfit, I have been seriously loving Abercrombie lately! They have frequent sales where everything is 20% off sitewide, and I recently grabbed him a new short sleeve button down and a couple new pair of shorts on sale.  The shirts are perfect for summer and come in a bunch of fun prints. Highly recommend for your men, ladies! Graphic tees would also be perfect to nail the street style mood.

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~ PIN FOR INSPO LATER ~

The post Reb’s Street Style Maternity Photos appeared first on the crystal press fashion blog.

here are a few style tips if you are planning dreamy, romantic maternity photos. 

photos by Halle, Wild Heart Creative

Let’s start this one out by saying, going into this shoot I was kicking myself for not scheduling our maternity photos sooner.  I was 35 weeks when we took these, and I really wish I had scheduled them around 30 weeks. At 30 weeks I felt better and, in my opinion, looked better. Cute bump and not all the swelling.  Luckily for me, Johnny assured me that I looked great so I decided to just embrace the hot, sweaty, pregnant bod for the photos.

SO, let’s talk outfits.

Actually… first: decide on location + vibe. 

Naturally, I had a hard time deciding on a location and a vibe, so I decided to do more than one location and not two but three different *vibes.*  We went with Romantic/Ethereal, Street Style & Sleek/Sexy.   I started out with one big long blog post for all three looks but it was going to be INTENSE so I decided to create three different posts. Here you’ll find my tips for an ethereal / romantic shoot. For the others, click through below to find a full post on the vibe you are looking for.

STREET STYLE MATERNITY PHOTOS 

SLEEK / SEXY MATERNITY PHOTOS 

OK, back to the topic at hand..

romantic / ethereal

Find a green space, field, farm, or waterfront location to achieve a romantic and ethereal photo vibe. For ours, I wanted to recreate the vibe from our 5 year anniversary photos with Halle.  We took them in a field outside of town and to this day I just love them so much! *hello long quarantine hair* But, we had to improvise with the location this time, in the city, so we took them near Great Shiplock Park. A nice little green space along the canal in the city.  A hidden gem, if you will.

I know, I know, let’s get to the dress! For these photos, a dreamy maxi dress is a must.

I absolutely fell in love with the black version of the Hatch Collection Nala dress when they sent it to me earlier in my pregnancy and knew I just had to have the pink version, too. It was absolutely perfect not only for these photos but also for my baby shower.   Everything from Hatch is just what a pregnant mama needs to help you feel GOOD in your changing body. There is a reason for the price tag and let me tell you, they are WORTH IT.  I know I will keep wearing these dresses after baby girl comes, too, which helps!

If you are willing to spend a little extra, they really do have some gorgeous options >>

HATCH COLLECTION DRESSES 

Here are some of my other favorite places to shop for maternity dresses.

(Because here is the deal: you can size up in regular clothes at the beginning of your pregnancy, but I found that there is a certain point where sizing up just doesn’t really work with the way your body changes. There’s a reason maternity clothes exist.  Luckily for us, there are some pretty great options out there now.)

PINK BLUSH MATERNITY has some great options. They are usually always having some sort of sale and they have allll kinds of different dress options. 

INGRID & ISABEL  was also a favorite of mind during pregnancy!

I also love layering up some gold necklaces if you have an open neck situation.  It adds a little bit of subtle glam! gorjana is always the first place I go when I’m looking for affordable gold jewelry that I can wear daily.  I have had their pieces for years and they really hold up.

FOR THE GUYS: 

I gotta be honest, ideally, John would have been in khakis here for a more truly romantic vibe, but it was HOTHOT summer, so I let the shorts slide.  I am, however, NOT a huge fan of flip flops on guys his age but he loooooves his flip flops so, there you have it.

It’s really all about the shirt, though. This particular short sleeve button down is from Zara, but the other go-to when I want something affordable but nice and fun for him is Abercrombie.  He wore his Abercrombie shirt in the street style pix and I just LOVE it.  We first discovered how great these shirts were for the 5 year anniversary photos and the ones he got then are still in major rotation a couple years later.

SHOP SHORT SLEEVE BUTTON DOWNS ON ABERCROMBIE MEN.

~ PIN FOR INSPO LATER ~

The post Get The Vibe: Dreamy, Romantic Maternity Photos appeared first on the crystal press fashion blog.

We only have one additional room in our house aside from our bedroom (and the open living spaces), so the only real option was to turn the guest room into the nursery. (see the *before* here). I always thought I would be a neutral nursery kind of gal. Whether it was a boy or a girl, I envisioned something gender neutral with light pops of color *maybe.* However, once I became a *girl mom* all of a sudden I wanted girly things. So, anyway, without further introduction: here are the deets on how the room turned out and how we got there. 

CHOOSING A THEME /COLOR SCHEME

When choosing a theme and color scheme, I suggest having a *light* idea of how you want the room to turn out, and to be flexible as you go.  Choose a few colors as your base and go from there. Or choose a theme and let that be your base.

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I knew I wanted something girly, but not over the top, so I chose terracotta / rust colored accents and peach walls as my base.  The paint color is HGTV by Sherwin Williams Provincial Peach, which I chose back in February on a whim and love the way it turned out.  We took the doors off of the closets and replaced them with the terra cotta curtains and added the same color duvet to the twin bed in there, as well (both from Amazon.)  Along the way, I also decided a Noah’s Ark theme would be cute and that is how we decided on the art work! I worked with Minted on a few of the pieces and then added a few TEIL prints at the last minute.  TEIL is a childhood friend of my best friend and we have a bunch of prints in our house already so this was a no-brainer when I wanted to add a couple more pieces to the nursery.

BABYLETTO 

I was lucky enough to work with Babyletto at the beginning of our nursery planning and they gifted me the crib and the glider which helped set the tone for the nursery! The Toco Swivel Glider is simply perfect and I have already logged quite a few hours in it, just taking in the nursery vibes I was such huge fans of the pieces once they came, that I decided to get a mini dresser from them as well too.  We have lots of closet space, so I didn’t feel the need to get a huge piece of furniture for dresser / changing table and I truly love the Babyletto Hudson 3 Drawer Dresser.

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CLOSET ORGANIZATION

I got the idea for the 6 Cube Organizer from one of my friends and really ran with the idea of the storage bins from there. The organizer was so affordable from Target that I was able to spend a little more on the bins and baskets to use for additional storage! I chose an assortment of bins and I really love the way it turned out. I am under no fantasy that this will stay organized once she gets here, but for now it is nice to have everything sorted and stored in a way that is pretty and practical!

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OTHER NURSERY ITEMS 

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NANIT PRO MONITOR — more on that in this post!

WEST ELM BOOK SHELF — We do not have great luck installing wall shelves, so we decided to go with the cutest little book shelf and just love how it looks at the foot of the bed.

GUCCI DIAPER BAG — This was one of the first decisions I made and asked for for Christmas! Instead of adding a new bag to my collection this year like I reaaaaaally wanted to, I decided to go for the designer diaper bag instead. It is seriously great; has the right pockets and all of that. See the unboxing here.

MUSHIE NURSERY ACCESSORIES  – I loveeeee this baby brand that you can get on Amazon! Not only do they have the softest crib sheets and swaddles, they also have great *and aesthetic* things for feeding, pacifiers and toys!

FEATHER CHANDELIER — This affordable lil thing from Wayfair was one of the first purchases I made for the room and I love it.  Again, its affordable and from Wayfair, so you know, not the best quality in the world but does the trick and I think looks super cute.

WHEW if you made it all the way down here, you must have similar taste so cheers to that! We are just overjoyed to spend time with our little girl in here and because of that had the best time redesigning the room. DMS and email are always open with any questions!

~ PIN FOR INSPO LATER ~

photos by McKenzie Fairclough 

The post Reb’s Peach & Terracotta Baby Girl Nursery appeared first on the crystal press fashion blog.

I probably asked three different times on instagram stories for people’s favorite registry items! Knowing every baby is different and every mom has different preferences, I just wanted to use it as a base for my list of “must-haves” and ultimate “wish-list” items. People are very passionate about their favorite things and there were a few items that lots and lots of my mom friends suggested. I am sure once baby girl is here we will develop our favorites, but for anyone else planning their registry, here are a few suggestions!

NANIT PRO CAMERA BABY MONITOR

When I again polled my instagram friends about which baby monitor they recommended, the overwhelming response was Nanit! Like, almost every single person who responded.  And not just a brief mention, but an enthusiastic response with lots of DMs and reassurances that Nanit is the best. This smart baby monitor gives parents peace of mind, eases anxiety and stress while keeping you updated on your baby’s sleep and well being.  94% of parents say they sleep better while using Nanit Pro Smart Baby Monitor! That is about all I needed to know to know it was the one for us and so far, setting it up and setting up the app already have me feeling a little more comfortable about our baby girl.

STOKKE TRIPP TRAPP HIGH CHAIR 

The high chair that grows with your child! I am so excited to use this one with our baby girl. Stokke is a Norwegian company that makes aesthetically pleasing, yet useful and practical items for your child.  Starting from the Newborn add on, which we got, to growing with your infant and toddler, this high chair is one of the best in the biz and another highly suggested item by my mom friends! It comes in a wide range of colors to fit the aesthetic of your home and is sure to make meal time just a little easier and a lot more fun. (I hope!)

BABY BJORN BOUNCER

My initial thought was $200 for this bouncer thing that you have to bounce yourself!? BUT, my friends assured me it was worth it.  I also saw a fellow new mom influencer talking about how much she loves this today, too. SO, we’ll see what baby girl Piersol thinks, but any little thing to help keep our girl entertained and comfortable when we need a little break is a win in my book.

LET’S TALK TOWELS BABY BLANKET

Okay, you caught me, I am partial to this one and it is one of MY most highly recommended.  Our Let’s Talk Towels baby blankets are made of 100% Turkish Cotton, are breathable but also keep your babies warm and snuggly. In our experience, babies loveeeee the texture of one of our favorite textiles, plus they are just so cute. If you use babylist for your registry, you can manually add via the app or the babylist browser plugin! Here’s a how-to for the app.

PORTABLE SOUND MACHINE 

I know, it sounds simple. It sounded simple to me too. But I have seen this little thing work wonders for friends while out with your baby so it was a no-brainer for me! We have actually already been gifted a few of these already, so must really work.

Click through to this web story for video footage of all of these items!

MAMA FRIENDS – what are some of your must-have registry items? Do you agree with these or do you have some others? Leave ’em in the comments.

~ PIN FOR INSPO LATER ~

The post Most Frequently Suggested Baby Registry Items appeared first on the crystal press fashion blog.