Insta-wham!*

(*don't wait for that title to ever make much sense....I just like the way it sounds).

Alright....so you guys know I’m obsessed with Instagram....
But did you know they have web profiles now?

What does that mean?
Well...basically it means if you’re someone without an iphone (i.e. My mom) but you’re also someone who wants to see daily pictures of my daughter (i.e. My mom) you can now view instagram pictures online in one convenient spot.

For those of you interested (i.e. My mom) you can see my feed here. And Dustin’s feed here.

Want a snapshot (literally) of what you can expect?

Well....there's a lot of squishy adorableness (with my mug as occasional distraction bonus):

Some daddy-daughter adorableness:

Occasional worky-work shots:

And a bunch of general silliness:

Oh. And a whole lotta these babies:

No. Really. Like a whole, whole lot. Plus more.

But if that’s not enough to convince you to follow along, I’ve got a fun idea in the works for advent that I hope you’ll like. First pic goes up tomorrow...hope you'll come along for the ride!

Three Ways to Wear It: Dot Mesh Top

Nothing like a jolt of fashion to get you going in the morning, am I right? Well how about a cobalt-colored, polka-dotted jolt? Yes please!

Sheer Shapes Tee- Madewell.

When picked this baby up from Madewell, I knew the options would be almost endless. Plus it was marked down to $19, from the original $65...plus an additional 25% off. You just don't say no to that kind of retail math. It was cute, fun, and had the bonus of not already looking identical to everything I already have in my closet. Sold.

Now....for what to wear with it. Here's a couple ideas I whipped up: 

Long sleeve T- Old Navy.

Jeans- AE (always!), shoes- Converse

One of my favorite looks right now is a mix of dressy + casual. I love taking a nice top and making it more accessible with a pair of my fav jeans and relaxed sneakers. And it works the other way around too- to take my uber casual outfits just a bit more polished. A simple grey underlayer keeps the contrast subtle, but still allows the dots to shine. And I love a good "short over long" layered look because it extends summery pieces into the starting-to-get-cooler months.

I'd probably add an armful of bracelets and an obnoxiously large ring or two...But that might go without saying at this point.

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And at the opposite end of the spectrum:

Black tank- aerie, Skirt- Forever 21, shoes- Gabriel Brothers ($6!)

Necklace- a gift from Kent State for serving on their fashion thesis panel

(yeah that's right....I'm kind of a big deal. Except not really at all)

I almost never have to dress up, so I have to push myself a little if I want to break out of my denim rut...For this look I went simple: a plain black tank underneath, and tucking it into a black mini.

I initially pared it with one of my typical "more-is-more" statement necklaces...which worked, but ended up opting for a simple version instead.

(the "watch" doesn't work anymore, but it's more about form than function, right?)

At this point we'd probably need to grab some tights, and add either a sweater or a black blazer (that I don't own) to make the look seasonally appropriate (and maaaaaaybe let's be real: age appropriate). But it's a good starting point for territory I typically don't veer into. (Gah! a sentence ending in a preposition! Good thing my dad only skims the fashion posts...)

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And last....(lastly? Dad...where are you when I need you?)

Boyfriend tank- aerie, Cardigan- Old Navy.

Jeans- AE, shoes- Chooka.

Color! I know I get a reputation for being a grey+navy girl (wherever did you get that idea?) but these days I find myself wanting to pile on the color. The cobalt of the shirt ends up feeling even richer against bright pop of the chartreuse sweater. (For the record- there isn't much I WON'T wear with this sweater. Adore.) And then for some extra fun, I added a string of periwinkle beads. It's possible that the whole look is a little too kooky, but sometimes it's worth mixing it up just for fun.

Oh- and the boots? Those are my new rainboots. THAT I'M OBSESSED WITH (like obsessed enough to use shouty-capitals at you.) This of course would work with plain brown boots (as in the brown boots). But if you have room in your closet/budget/heart for another pair...these wellies are winners.

But just for fun I tried it with some moccasins (from AE) instead...Which pair would you pick?

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So there's a handful (ok, a trio) of looks to rock with one little tee. There are probably about a million more options for this one item... I think it could be great over an oxford shirt (again, a little quirky, but worth a shot!) and it would be perfect under a jean jacket (but what isn't). What would you wear it with?

For more pretend-dress-up fun, check out the last installment of 3 Ways to Wear It here. 

Proof is in the Potatoes

Guys.....

She's mine.

And I'm thankful for that.

(we're both thankful for cheesy potatoes.)

Piper's Premier Party Photos (P to the 4th Power!)

OK.

So we had the fun theme...

and we had the delicious pie...

But all you loyal followers know that there is one crucial element to every Bowdenisms party that's been missing thus far...

THE PHOTOBOOTH!

yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
(not to overuse a Christian cliche- but photobooths might be my love language.)

I saw chalkboard trays on this site, and immediately knew we had to have them at Piper's party. Then it was just some quick trolling around on Pinterest, and the rest of the decor was settled. I went simple with this one- just plain white balloons, and clear balloons filled with tissue paper confetti. (one of the perks of having a dad in the helium tank industry...unlimited photobooth supplies!) We tied them all to white and yellow ribbon, and weighed them down with tissue paper wrapped rocks. (yep...rocks.)

I made some instructions, set up the tripod and set people loose:

And I'll say it was a bit of a hit. I have a hundred or so pics to share with you...and truly, every single one is worth seeing...but let me share the choicest of choice with you here:

Ok. Stop right there. I just need you to know the entire ordeal would have been worth it for that one photo. The only thing better than a birthday photobooth, is an unsupervised birthday photobooth. Priceless photo surprises.

aaaaand on with the show.

For real you guys. These make my heart happy in a way I can't accurately describe.
And now: Prepare yourselves for the

BEST

PHOTO

EVER

TAKEN

(at a one year old's birthday party)

Dying.




P.s. 
Check out the other Piper's Premier Party posts, including the "Pi Bar" 

And if you're interested in more photobooth fun: Check out our past antics...

Pied Piper

So you have the decorations, the presents, the fancy little dress....but we all know a first birthday party is about one thing: The Cake!

But I apparently have an aversion to all things conventional (really just cake) so I insisted upon making Piper's "smash-cake" a pie instead. And again, by "making" I obviously mean buying a fruit tart from giant eagle, mashing up the insides for her and covering it all with canned whipped cream. Because she's worth it.

People worried about the decision (for real...multiple people told me there would be disappointed guests. The people want icing on the baby's face. Give the people what they want!!) But I was undeterred. I insisted pie was the way to go...and let's just say, mama knows.

 So cute right? 

She sat patiently while we sang, which we hustled through a bit so we didn't end up with melted wax all over her mini-pie (or burned mini-fingers as she kept trying to grab it.) And when it was time to dig in, she gave us this face:

Where does she come up with this stuff?

She approached the dessert cautiously at first, just dipping her fingers into the tippy-top of the whipped cream...

 But soon enough she dug in, and made it a two-fist ordeal. 

A baby eating cake pie is pretty much an irresistible sight, so the flashbulbs were going like crazy, as she went to town on her tart. if she had bothered to look up, this would have been her view:

 Hilarious, right? The people...the people got what they wanted.

And as much as she loved it, she was still willing to share...

Aaaaaaand then right back to chowing.

We eventually called the ball when she was about half way through, but seventy-five percent covered. (I'm happy to say the dress recovered nicely after an evening in oxi-clean). All in all...smashing success.

P.s. If you still can't get enough Piper Party Pics, check out the other Piper's Premier Party posts...including what I might deem the best photobooth ever,