EXCITING NEWS!!!!

And, no, I'm not expecting #2 (I know that's what you were thinking, what with this blog name having the word "baby" in it and all).

I JUST BOOKED MY CONSULTATION FOR MAKEUP TRAINING!

Oh yes. It's next Saturday,  and I'm slightly  freaking out. I'm going to have to bring some wine with me and pound a bit right before the appointment so as not to seem like a complete lunatic. I think I have not been this excited since 1. my wedding day and 2. the moment I realized I was in real, actual labor.

Do you know what this means? 1. I start my classes soon--like classes, of doing makeup, and talking about makeup, and doing real things with makeup and...oh my gosh... and 2. Being a real, live, certified, makeup artist. Hoolly ccaarrraaapp. 3. Being this excited causes me to create numbered lists.

OK, enough freaking out. Here are some gorg photos so you can get an idea of what is flashing through my mind right now. Thank Pinterest for these beauts.

Now excuse me while I go squeal like a 16-year-old who just got her license.

P.S. If you didn't see the Shabby Apple giveaway, check it out here
P.P.S. Didn't enter the Inspired By Felicity giveaway yet? That baby is over here

Shabby Apple Giveaway!

Ladies, ladies, ladies. By now I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with Shabby Apple. Chic, vintage dresses with an ever so modern flair. My person favorite are the shirtdresses! Not to mention these beauties that put traditional bobby pins to shame:

Oh, and you know how it can be so annoying when you buy something online and it doesn't fit? Not a problem at Shabby Apple thanks to their free returns! They also offer live chat, style advice and a fit guide. I'm thinking with all this helpfulness, you may not ever need to return one of these perfect dresses, but it's nice to know the option is there just in case.

And now, for the important part...are you a chronic giveaway-loser? Well not anymore. One of you is going to win a $50 gift card to Shabby Apple, I can feel it.

But just in case your giveaway losing streak happens to continue...here's a code for 10% off your purchase. Just use notyouraveragebabyblog10off at checkout...phew, that's a long one...you might want to copy and paste that sucker to save yourself some time (Love, the lame girl with a long blog name).

So what do you have to do? Glad you asked! Here's the deal.

To Enter:

1. (mandatory) Visit shabbyapple.com and leave a comment here telling me which dress is your favorite

2. Like Shabby Apple on Facebook here

3. Tweet about the giveaway (can be done 1x per day)

4. Blog about the giveaway

5. Pin something from Shabby Apple on Pinterest

6. Follow Not Your Average Baby Blog via GFC

7. Follow NYABB on Twitter here

8. Follow NYABB via Bloglovin' here

That is a total of 8 possible entries! (+1 additional entry for each tweet)

{Minor Details}

+leave a separate comment for each entry
+include contact info so I can let you know if you win!

+include links to blog posts/tweets/pins
+Ends 10/31

+U.S. Only

Good Luck!
*giveaway closed*
winner is Jenna H. You have been emailed!

GIVEAWAY with Inspired By Felicity

I have the darlingest of all giveaways for you today. Do you need picture perfect accessories for  the little girls in your life? Well, perfect. Because here is your chance to win a $50 value prize package from Inspired By Felicity. It includes:

1 pair of shoes (available in sizes up to 18-24 months)

2 hair accessories

and one....wait for it...pink tutu! This is the epitome of adorable, people. You best get on it.

Oh, and if you happen to be without children, nieces or friends with children, then you may want to stop by their website to check out their adult hair accessories. This peacock fascinator is calling to me.

This giveaway is super easy to enter. The only mandatory entry is to "Like" Inspired By Felicity on Facebook. Get on it!

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Looks Lately

Sephora Collection lip stick / Buxom lip gloss / Korres lip gloss / Make Up For Ever lip gloss

Guys, you know those days when you just don't feel like sporting lots of color? I have them almost every other day. Don't leave your lips bare, it's not super cute. If you want to ditch the bright lips once in a while, these are my favorite nude glosses in the whole wide world. If I had to pick just one I think it would be #2 just because it's the most opaque and I'm a huge fan of opaque nude lips.

Here are my lips wearing Buxom. They told me they were very happy about it:

I'm also loving nautical nails...

And little fish tails...

That's all for now, ladies. Enjoy the weekend!

Felt Flower Tutorial + GIVEAWAY!! (3 WINNERS!)

So guys, I NEED to introduce you to this lovely lady, Jodi. She owns a shop called Mia and Mackie in the Mirror. She makes lovely hair clips and flower headbands perfect for newborns and little girls! She also has ADORABLE Baby Cakes Gift Baskets  for new little boys too! She also raises money for the Danny Did Foundation by selling these precious bottle cap necklaces made by her daughters and nieces. Read more about it here. 

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Hi, my name is Jodi and I am a wife to a handsome and hard working husband Matthew, a mother to two very intelligent little girls, both with very strong personalities, Mia (6) and Makenna (3) and an artist. I create unique, one-of-a-kind hair candy for all ages, hand painted furniture,  and a lot of other fun personalized gifts.

While growing up I was always drawn to arts and crafts. I was surrounded by artists, from my mother, to my grandfather, brothers and cousins, everyone had their own niche in the art world.  To this day my cousins are still heavy involved in the art community, my mother is still a brilliant painter and poet, and my grandfather's sculptures carry his legacy.

After I had my first little girl Mia, in December of 2005,  I found that all the headbands I put on her head would leave indentations on her fragile skin and all the clips were too heavy for her fine hair. I started by dissecting store bought bows and attaching them to soft cotton headbands, and soon after I bought my own ribbon and fabric and got to work.  And thus, my company was born but still unnamed, until one day I was brainstorming with my mom, and baby Mia crawled over to her mirror and started to kiss herself as she so often did, it was a no brainer, Mia in the Mirror it was!.

Shortly before Mia was eight months old, I met with a hip baby boutique in one of the trendiest areas of Chicago, and was pleasantly surprised when they placed an order and put my products up for sale in their store.  And it didn't stop there, I went to a few boutiques around the North Suburbs where I'm from and they too took orders and put my products in their store as well. Since then I have done dozens of art shows, charity events and had my products selling in boutique's and hair salons across the Chicagoland area.

In 2009 baby Makenna graced us with her presence and of course she needed to be added to the name of my company, Mia and Mackie in the Mirror. I love having two girls to dress up, and for the time being, they love it too.

My company is not just a business, it is a passion. I put great effort into each piece I create, it takes time to make things just right. My motto is that every princess deserves to be the fairest of all, therefore every piece I create should be fit for a princess.

Materials Needed

*Felt

*Scissors

*Something Circular to trace (cup, vase, or in this case the cardboard used to protect the icing in a cinnamon roll package...yumm!)

*glue gun/ glue stick

*around 4.5 inches of 3/8 inch grosgrain ribbon

*alligator clip (any beauty supply store will have them and if you buy a big box you will save yourself $)

STEP ONE: Start by folding your felt so that you can fit your circle three times across. You want six circles when you are done cutting. **Trick, if you press down hard enough with your circle you will get an indentation that you can easily trace your scissors with, no need to draw on your felt! 

STEP TWO : Cut your circles, you will need five for your petals and one to use as a base.  

STEP THREE: Take one circle and fold it in half 

STEP FOUR:  Fold the circle in half again, but before you do put a dab of glue down

It should turn out something like this, I think it looks like a fortune cookie...yumm! 

STEP FIVE: Do this with five of your cut out circles, remembering to leave one just the way it is.

STEP SIX: Put a dab of glue in the middle of your "left alone" circle and place one of your fortune cookies down like so

STEP SEVEN: Continue to do it with three more fortune cookies. It should look something like this.

STEP EIGHT: Put one more dab of glue in the middle and place your last fortune cookie on top.

And Voila -- you are done with your flower!

Now to line that alligator clip!

Cut your ribbon around 4.5 inches, it should be good, I am going to let you all in on a little secret --- I never measure anything, Yep that's right, I craft without measuring!

I always slide my ribbon in place before I glue, like so. Once it is all lined up place a small line of glue on the ribbon that is in between the prongs of the clip.

Bring up the ribbon around the glue and press for a few seconds.

Finish gluing the ribbon down along the rest of the clip

Add a little glue the  top portion of the clip, place your flower down and you have yourself an easy DIY felt flower hair pretty!

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 

It's time to give this beautiful headband/clip set away along with two other prizes: a $15 shop credit and a 50% off voucher for any (one) item!!

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Guest Post: Amanda from Flightless Bird Design

Hi friends! I'd love to introduce you to Amanda, the owner of  Flightless Bird Design on Etsy.

I am in love with so many items from her shop. Here are just a few of them:

I seriously love this print and Amanda was sweet enough to send it to me! I can't wait to find the perfect place for it!

Don't worry, I won't make you wait to hear from her any longer. Friends, meet Amanda:

I feel like I’ve never been that artsy or creative in my life, but all of a sudden I wanted to be that person terribly. So one day, I found myself sitting at my kitchen table starting to draw. Mind you, the first dozen drawings were not exactly what I wanted and eventually got better in time. After I got the creative juices flowing a bit, I started to expand my mind into other creative outlets. I have found that I do like to work with my hands and produce things that make me happy but will also bring happiness and joy to others. I first started making things because I found it to be quite enjoyable and relaxing. But then I found myself with an abundance of items that I had no idea what to do with! Then ta-da! I found Etsy, and that is how my shop was created. 

My shop is really just a collection of little things that I like. In each piece I make, I like to think that it reflects different parts of my personality. Some of my favorite things in my shop are my drawings. I truly love the prints that I make available to everyone. Each one tells its own story to the person looking at it. It may mean one thing to one person, but could mean something completely different to another. It gives people a chance to kind of make it their own in a way. I have always been a fan of drawings or music that could have multiple meanings to mass amounts of people. It just makes it all the more powerful. 

I really do think that everyone is capable of being that person they always aspire to be. It is hard work and sometimes not that easy to get to, but is completely worth it in the end. 

I once read this quote, and sometimes can’t remember it at times that I truly need it, but every time I do see it, it is inspiring all over again. It reads, “Don’t dream your life, Live your dreams”. 

Go check out her shop, it's lovely! And follow her on Twitter!

Hope you're having a wonderful Tuesday. We had an interesting day yesterday. Stay tuned. 

DIY: How To Fix a Cracked Mirror

Forget the bad luck associated with broken mirrors. It may just be the best thing that ever happened to you. The other day, I was walking around TJMaxx when I spotted a large mirror that would work perfectly in our living room. Then I saw the huge crack. At first I was disappointed and then I decided to check the price...$3.50!! For a $60 mirror! This was a sign. Without any idea what I would do with it, I lugged the mirror to the checkout and brought it home (Tom was with me, I don't think I could have handled the huge mirror, Carter in his stroller and my other purchases all at once--and there are always other purchases at TJMaxx).

This is the mirror in its cracked state:

I got home, brainstormed a bit, and decided to cover the crack with kitchen backsplash tiles. Genius! I drove to Home Depot with my sister and her roommate (Home Depot is more fun with friends). Let me just take a second right here to tell you that I LOVE the smell of Home Depot. I always have. For years and years I've been saying Yankee Candle should come out with a Home Depot scent. Well, my prayers have been answered because they just came out with a saw dust/wood scented called 2x4! Finally!! (P.S. that idea was all me).

So we're in Home Depot in the backsplash tile aisle (rhyme, score) and I found the most perfect tiles ever.

I also picked up some clear silicone to adhere them to the mirror (had to ask my mom what would work best, this is what she suggested. She made her own kitchen backsplash. Maybe I'll do a post about that in the future--it's awesome).

Got home, glued and glued, and came up with this:

This picture is the best I could do with my lacking photography skills. It's placed in a weird spot behind the front door, which doesn't get any light when the door is closed! (and if the door is open, I can't take a picture of it! haha)

These tiles can be put around any mirror border. I chose to only put them on the bottom of the mirror, but you could definitely go the whole way around too. You can obviously add this to a perfectly in tact mirror as well : ) And if your mirror happens to completely shatter, just cover the whole darn thing in beautiful tiles and hang it on your wall! It will look amahzing.

P.S. You want to wait a few hours after gluing the tiles to hang the mirror on the wall to make sure the silicone has time to dry. Also, if your tiles don't fit perfectly (like mine randomly, amazingly did) you'll need a little cutting tool like this one.

This entire project cost just under $13 for the mirror, the tiles and the silicone! Now that's a thrifty DIY if I've ever seen one.

P.S. You can also find this DIY at Coastal Charm's Nifty Thrifty Tuesday Link Party.

Time for a GIVEAWAY!

So I decided I would have a giveaway in honor of some upcoming Makeup Tutorials. {!!!}<--this is you being excited.  I was thinking the other day about what my absolute favorite things are, and makeup is way up there on the list (pretty much right after the husband and the baby). So why don't I blog about it more? Who Knows! But it's about to change real soon.

What is the prize, you ask? a $25 gift card to my favorite store in the entire world...SEPHORA. I could spend hours in this place. It's so dangerous (dangerous for my bank account and Carter's future college fund that is, not dangerous in the sense that some foundation is going to jump off the shelves and even-skin-tone-you to death). And ordering online? Amahz. Just looking at the samples gets me in a tizzy.

Enter the giveaway, share it with friends, and come back for some makeup awesomeness. You will be pleased.

Giveaway ends 6/17 (Father's Day--don't forget to go pick up some grilling stuff or other manliness).

P.S. If you are unfamiliar with Rafflecopter, there is information HERE on how to enter, and information HERE on how to log in. Hope that helps! : ) Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It's a Guava-Ganza!

It's no secret that I LOVE guava everything. Well, actually, it might be a secret to most of you, so here is me telling you that I love guava:

These are some things that I ALREADY LOVE:

Have you ever tried kombucha? It's super healthy (contains all sorts of probiotics and such), is low in calories and it's freaking delicious. This one is Guava Goddess. Kombucha is one of those things where you either love it or hate it; I happen to love it.

find it here

I'm really not a big fragrance person. I usually think perfumes are too strong and they just give me a headache. Pacifica solid perfumes are different though. This one's super light and smells like summer! I kind of want to eat it.

And a few things that I WANT and WILL LOVE can all be found here. That Yves Saint Laurent lip gloss is seriously calling to me.

Well I thought I'd share a little bit of summer with you. It's been super cloudy and rainy here for days on end, so I thought it was appropriate to escape that for a bit.

The DIY posts I've been promising are in the works. Actually, I wrote them already, the pictures are just sucking because of said cloudiness. It looks like 8pm in here all the time. Gross.

Do This DIY!

Friends! You must do this DIY from Blogilates on YouTube! It's for a racer back work out shirt and it is so easy and cute. I did it in about 20 minutes. You know those times when DIYs are a complete disaster, yours looks nothing like the tutorial, and you just end up frustrated with a big mess to clean up? This will not be one of those times. Promise.



I used a an old white Hanes t shirt for mine and it came out great! I'm making another one tonight with an old Celtics shirt! Woo!

Also--I have recently done two of my own DIY projects that I'll be sharing soon! I am particularly excited about one of them!!

OK, back to work!

Sperry Boat Shoes!

Aren't they the best? My birthday was this week and Tom got me some adorable Sperry boat shoes, among some other cute things. I tried them on and the 7 was too big! aahh : ( I am always a 7, but apparently these run big. I went back to the store to exchange them for a smaller pair, and no such luck. 6s did not exist in the entire store. I was sad at first, but...I'm ordering these:

!!!! Wooo! Leopard + sequins? Yes, please. 

P.S. Go checkout a GIVEAWAY for this beautiful print at HER AND THE BOYS. She always has interesting things to say! : )

The Noonday Collection

On a blog I recently started following, She Breathes Deeply, there is a giveaway for jewelry from The Noonday Collection .  The website features fair trade jewelry, accessories and home decor. Who doesn't like helping others while helping themselves to beautiful things?

Here is the mission statement from their website:


"our passion at noonday collection is to connect you with the lives of artisans struggling for a better future while styling you along the way. fashion and design are a vehicle for opportunity and change. you, too, can be a voice for the oppressed!"

I really like these Tagua seed bracelets. 

So cute!

New Fave

This is my new favorite online store.

I want this:

 And this:

And this:

And C would look cute in this: