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While we were in Florida to visit the parks in Orlando, we actually stayed with my brother and his girlfriend in Tampa. They took us to Clearwater Beach, we hung out at their community pool, and we spent Mother's day at brunch, walking Tampa's riverwalk, and visiting the children's museum.
P.S - mine and P's matching swimsuits are from Kortni Jeane.
Do you guys have a favorite smell? Mine are :
Seriously, I could stand there with my nose in a lilac bush all day. And it looks like Penny discovered the amazing smell, too! We took a golden hour trip to Spy Pond last week to see this giant display in all its glory and give Penny some time on the playground. I just wish the season lasted longer because I know by the next time we go there, they will be gone.
P.S - mine and Penny's shirts are from Mama & Little!
You guys, we came up with the idea of doing a Disney trip the night of my birthday. We booked it the next day and were on a plane a couple weeks later. That's crazy for us because we never do last minute trips! I'm a planner. But we wanted to squeeze in a trip before Penny turned two, so we could still fly her for free on our laps.
Anyway, I wanted to share some photos from the trip! Surprisingly, I didn't take nearly as many photos as I though I would or that I normally do. I guess I was having too much fun to even think about pulling out my camera. Oh well!
We only had one day to spend at Disney, so we chose Magic Kingdom since it is the most toddler friendly out of all the parks. You guys, Penny did SO good and loved every minute of it. I'd been to Disney World when I was younger, but this trip was so much more fun watching her enjoy it. We rode the teacups over and over and over and she thought it was the very best thing every time. She also loved the Dumbo ride and all the singing fish on The Little Mermaid ride! Turns out she likes seeing all the characters from afar, but meeting them up close was disaster haha (see the photo below with poor Goofy). She took a nice long stroller nap while we sat near the castle and listened to one of the shows, and she picked out a Mickey bubble wand and kid's stationary kit as her souvenirs. And that hat. That freakin adorable hat that she kept on her head THE WHOLE DAY. We seriously did not want to leave at the end of the day. I can't wait to take her back again (and take more photos next time haha).
We debated what to do the next day. Should we do Animal Kingdom? Harry Potter World?
Ultimately we decided to do the park hopper pass to Universal Studios becauseas a diehard HP fan, I can't be in Orlando and NOT visit Harry Potter World. We got engaged there 7 years ago when it was only one side of the park, and I've been dying to go back. This time we got to finally see the Diagon Alley side and ride the Hogwarts Express. I highly recommend it to any big Harry Potter fan. It is seriously so magical. I didn't think it was possibly, but the Diagon Alley side is actually even cooler than the Hogsmead side.
BUT. While I'm happy we did it and I LIVE for that place, Universal isn't exactly small toddler friendly. Unlike Disney, even most of their kids rides have height requirements that someone Penny's size doesn't meet. While she did enjoy her first truly leg and taste of bitterer, there were only 2 rides in Seuss land she could ride. She did enjoy the rope course play area in Jurassic Park though, so that come highly recommended from my almost-2 year old if you ever visit.
Like I said, I'm glad we visited this time. But next time (hopefully next year!), I think we'll concentrate on Disney for Penny!
You guys - I made jeans! Megan Nielsen Ash jeans, to be exact.
Since the sewalong I created for Design Diary is kicking off this week, I thought it was the perfect time to share these photos. Ash is a 4-in-1 pattern. With it you can create a mid-to-high rise pair of stretch jeans with either a skinny, slim, wide, or flared leg. It also has 3 inseam options - regular, tall, and cropped! Here, I've made the skinny version, slightly cropped. For reference, I'm usually a size 24 in denim, and made the 24 in these jeans with very little adjustments! I only let it out the hips a tiny tiny bit. Also, I took these outfit photos before I added the rivets, because I'm impatient, ha. But I've added in a few flat photos so you can see the rivets, too.
I have to say, I was a little nervous to make jeans. I'd never done it before! But it was nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be. A little time consuming, sure. And detailed. But not very hard!
If you've already bought the Ash pattern for yourself, don't forget to check out the sewalong on Design Diary! And if you haven't yet or still need supplies, Meg also stocks all the notions you need here.
I'm back with another one of my Rivers! These photos are from back in February, hence the longer hair and lack of spring-iness haha.
Anyway, this one is the knit top version, made out o a scuba knit. I paired it with my old Axel skirt (see it worn here). Not much to say about this one. It's such a simple and satisfying make - a perfect beginner's pattern! I made zero adjustments on this one. It's straight out of the pattern envelope! Well, PDF, but same thing.
have you fallen in love with River yet!? I still have 2 more versions to show you. I’m kind of obsessed with this one.
I'm so excited that Megan Nielsen released two new patterns today - River dress and top, and the Ash jeans! I've been working with Megan the last few months to create the sewalongs for these two patterns (coming soon!), and I've been dying to share with you all of the goods I've made along the way! I made four Rvers and one pair of Ash jeans!
We'll start out with one of my River dresses. What's great about this pattern is the versatility. It can be a dress or top, made from woven or knits, belted or loose, has optional pockets, and is reversible from v-neck to rounded neck! Here, I've made the woven dress version in linen. I chose to do contrasting colors for the raglan sleeves, and included the pockets and belt loops to have the option of belting it.
If you scroll all the way down, you can see that I have two sets of photos. The second set is from right after I made it back in February. I wore it belted. Since then, I've raised the hem a tiny bit and cuffed the sleeves a little more, too. Which is what you see in these photos up top here. I also opted to skip the belt the second time around, which I think I love it this way the most! But I like having the option to belt it if I want to.
What do you think? Do you prefer the belted or unbelted style? And who has already bought themselves a River pattern of their own!?
Keep and eye out over at Design Diary within the next few weeks for the sewalongs I created for both River and Ash.
I'm so happy with the way this Papercut Patterns Moana top tuned out! I previously made the dress version (here) and fell in love with it, and have been waiting for the perfect fabric to make the top version.
Bonus at the end of this post: a cute little Penny babe wearing some new Nelly Lou ;).
-rest of my outfit:
jeans: Old Navy
purse: Old Navy (old)
shoes: Target
-Penny's outfit:
jean jacket: thrifted
skirt and turban: Nelly Lou
socks: June and January
shoes: thrifted
I'm so happy to announce that my new spring/summer collection for Nelly Lou is live in the etsy shop! I call this one Foxes and Fossils - there are dino, foxes, and a couple of other fun prints. And of course some super cute solid colors!
Oh yeah, In addition to the usual turbans, headbands, and tees, I now also have suspender skirts! I'm so excited for these, you guys! They come in 3 solid colors, go up to a size 2/3T, and are offered 'Made To Order' just like the tees.
I hope you love this collection as much as I do! Don't forget to follow along on Instagram (@shopnellylou) for updated info, discount codes, and other fun stuff. Psssssst- there may be a giveaway soon, so definitely make sure you're following there!
I mentioned the Papercut Patterns Kyoto tee in my beginners resource guide as one of my favorite beginner patterns. And here's proof how much I love it! I've made two versions so far, this medium weight matte black one, and the pink one below. And I have a short sleeve one in my queue for this summer!
Also - the overalls are from Thelma Dean and they are so perfect.
This next set is actually from last October, that I thought I blogged but apparently didn't #whoops. The fabric is a really lightweight french terry knit from Fabric.com. Bonus - I used the leftovers to make Penny a matching peplum tee!
Remember when I used to do DIYs her all the time? I've been thinking about starting back up posting some again. I mean, don't get to excited, it will only be once in awhile HA. But it's something I want to try again.
So I thought I'd I do a little round-up of some of my past favorites! I'll link every one to their original post.
I was so proud of this one! I loved making them so much, I even started making them to sell in my Etsy shop. Since Nelly Lou has started to take a different direction, I'll no longer be offering them for sale. So now is the time to re-visit the DIY and make one for yourself!
Zach and I used to use this blanket all the time at the beach! I'm thinking I might eventually make a larger circle one with a more toddler/small child friendly game. I'm not sure what that game would be though, so if you have any suggestions let me know!
I've made a lot of these. I mean, this one pictured and the one in the DIY are both way too short for my lifestyle now, ha. But it can be made in whatever length you'd like.
This one was a hit and one of my all time favorites! I used the left fabric in this dress, but this could also be used for pillows, tea towels, etc.
An easy DIY for those colder months. Stick em in your pockets and then put your hands in there and you'll be toast warm!
I actually did this DIY post for Megan Nielsen and it was a HUGE hit. It's an easy garment to make because its just a few rectangles, no actual pattern required. You can check it out over at Design Diary.
Kind of a random one and not for everyone, but I think it turned out pretty cute! Good for heading to a stadium that only allows clear purses.
This is a real oldie, and the post isn't formatted for my current blog format. But I remember a lot of people liking this one at the time, so I wanted to include it!
Those are some of my favorites! You can find some more in the DIY category on the left.