Monday round up

Thanks to the magic of Anbesol liquid and the Graco swing, my poor poor teething baby is finally napping, so after my first hot lunch in a long time, it's time for a quick round up of last weeks outfits. I'm really loving my current wardrobe, and not just for its ease in feeding the little guy. I love knowing that I am still me, as well as mama, and rocking my beloved vintage styles. You can catch my #ootd each day on instagram, which lists the details of where I have got them. This week I even got to glam it up, for the first time since the little bird arrived. I'd almost forgotten how to use my make up!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A mama's work is never done!

I was delighted when my pal Naelany asked me to guest on her blog  as I've really enjoyed resurrecting my own. As this weekend is a busy one, I decided to cross post my article here too, especially as parts of it fit pretty well with yesterday's Body Positivity Day. 

I'm not getting a huge amount of knitting done these days, which is how I met the lovely Naelany, but despite being deep in the new mama trenches, I am still crafting hard. Harder than ever before, in fact!

Let me tell you a little about myself. At 39, the lovely, kind,  National Health Service refer to me as a geriatric first time mama, and there are days when I most definitely feel it! I've been told many, many, times that I was born in the wrong era, preferring vintage styled clothes and I've always had an old-fashioned attitude to life, loving all the crafts I've come across. I began by teaching myself to crochet around age 16, and to use a sewing machine soon after. Twenty odd years down the line, I added knitting to the repertoire and culminated in (after a little help from the NHS) crafting my own little miracle last year.

Since my Little Bird arrived 4.5 months ago, I've found that my body confidence has soared. Unlike many new mums, I am so proud and confident in this new body of mine! I decided to embrace my love of all things vintage, and in particular the fashions of the 30's,40's 50's & 60's. As a plus size mama who has chosen to breastfeed, finding these styles can be difficult, so I resurrected my blog to share my finds with other plus-size pin-up mamas.

When I discovered that I was finally pregnant, like all mums-to-be, I had day dreams of dressing my little one in my favourite styles, however, the reality hasn't quite lived up to those dreams. There are tons of vintage-style baby clothes for little girls, but hardly any for the boys unless you've got little Prince George's wardrobe budget. Since I can't find the style of clothes I'd like, I've decided to put my sewing skills to use and start my own small business making reproduction & vintage styled children's clothes, as well as accessories such as car seat blankets to keep those tiny toes toasty for the UK's cooler months.

Getting crafty as a mama isn't easy. I hoard every spare minute of free time, and I have to have my lists, of course. Sometimes I can convince the wee dude to join me in my craft lair for a time, and sometimes I count the minutes until daddy comes home to take him for some man time. Still, by maintaining my style and getting my craft on, I help myself to retain a sense of 'me' in a time of constant flux.

On the slate this weekend was getting my first 'line' of clothes up and running. After browsing tons of vintage children's photos and several different sewing patterns, under the watchful eye of my little guy, I carefully drafted out my chosen styles, hunted down the right fabrics and began to cut out the various pieces I needed.

I'm praying that the boy co-operates this week and lets me get to the actual sewing portion! Not sure how that will work out when even as I type, and in his sleep, a wee hand has crept onto my leg and is holding on tight....and I wouldn't have it any other way. Perhaps I'll spend this nap time reading  my other pal S.M Lumetta's book 'You Are Here' instead of cutting more pattern pieces.

 

ETA- this was written last weekend...and what a week it has been. Little Bird got a tummy bug, but I still manages to sew a little. One little romper, ready to roll!

This is my life now

My wee man is 4.5 months old and recently diagnosed with silent reflux. It is so damn hard when they can't tell you what is paining them! The mama guilt is bad enough, but to get to 18 weeks only to be told that your kid actually has a problem and it isn't just teething hurts pretty hard. Our first round of meds (gavison) left him constipated and suffering from acid farts so bad that even without pooping, his poor arse was red raw. We are ten days into the second option, ranitidine, and we have the opposite problem.

Thanks to the frequent bum changes, we've been getting through disposable change mats pretty bloody frequently, but until this week, the only ones we had found were the pampers ones, 12 for £4 in most stores. However a few days ago the husbeast went on a nappy run to Aldi (hands down the best nappies we've tried...and we have tried them all!) and came home with a pack of Aldi brand mats at £2 for 14. Lo and behold, these are in fact so much better! So much fluffier, thicker, softer and definitely more absorbent! Cheaper and better works for us!

While on the subject of changing, here's a pro tip for changing those wriggly Lil boys, cos lets face it, getting pissed on is never fun, no matter how much you love them. My mama gave me this suggestions and it has worked great for us. Instead of laying the baby down square on the mat, lay the mat diagonally and place the top point at th small of baby's back. Then, if you get shit on the mat, just fold up some of the bottom layer for a clean mat again. Or, if they're just recreating the Bellagio fountain, bring the bottom point up between their legs to catch the sprinkle. Voila!

Jump!

I'm always seeing the beautiful items from Miss Candyfloss on Instagram and I've been lusting after so many pieces from the new Librarian Girl collection, however very little looks BF friendly, so I've held fire. I couldn't resist getting a few things, one of which was their gorgeous 40's style jumpsuits.

Dear God but it is lovely! It's incredibly comfortable to wear as the fabric feels lovely against the skin & the cut makes moving around simple. The handy dandy zip up front makes feeding a breeze, in fact I'd say its one of my easiest and most discreet items to feed in. there is one working button and a wee pop fastener at the top to keep things closed and the gorgeous cut of the V-neck means that your boobs look incredible, but not indecent.

My only downside is that the length of the trousers is rather long for my 5'5 frame, even with heels. I'm going to have to take them up a touch when I can get back to my sewing machine.

I wore this to take my little boy in to visit my school for the MacMillan coffee morning on Friday, as well as running a few errands in town and I had nothing but compliments and double takes wherever I went. I even has one of the lady employees in the Apple store stop me to say how stylish I looked! Enough to turn a girls head ;-)

My suit is the wine colour in 3XL, I'm 5'5, a UK size 22 top, 20 waist and 38 HH boobs. I styled it with some retro heeled sandals from Gianni Bernini, a mustard cardigan from Dunnes stores and one of my own hand knitted hair snoods. How do you wear yours?

Www.miss-candyfloss.com

Redheads can't wear pink

So when I finally got up this morning, the sun was shining merrily and I couldn't wait to get out and about. I've never been much of a one for rules, so despite my red hair, there is the odd item of pink in my wardrobe. Not long ago I bought a gorgeous pink and white polka dot dress from Lindy Bop and today was the day to give it an airing. Fully lined, the fabric feels gorgeous, flows beautifully and there is enough give in it for me to pop a boob out around the wrap front. My only downside is that I can still see my bra peeping out the front, but that's more of an issue with the quality of nursing bras available in a 38HH/J, and nothing that a small popper won't fix, when I get around to it. The length is ideal for me (5'5) and it left me feeling flirty and fabulous...with nowhere to go 😉 check www.lindybop.co.uk to see if they have your size!

 

 

 

This body's too boobylicious!

So my name has changed twice in the last two years, with a wedding and a baby, and it's not only thing to have changed. Those of you who know me, know that I have always loved the vintage silhouettes of the 30's, 40's & 50's, but I'd never had the confidence in myself, or my plus size, to wear those styles full time. Over the last 3-4 years, my confidence has been slowly climbing, and in the last few months, after discovering an amazing group of women (yes RetroMummies, I'm looking at you!), I decided to say screw it and I stopped giving fucks about what others thought of me and my style. As always, my weight has yo-yoed, but since the birth of my boy, I'm at the largest I've been in a very long time. 

Yet, I'm also at the most confident I have ever been. I made a human with this body! A whole tiny human was nurtured and grown inside me. Hell yes, I've got a muffin top, that's where they cut me open to get my kid out and I wouldn't exchange it for any old six pack. Are my boobs ginormous? Indeed they are, they are the sole source of sustenance of my kid, and I never cease to be amazed, annoyed and intrigued by them these days. 

However, breastfeeding, and being a plus size mama, have their own issues, especially when you aspire to look fabulously vintage on a daily basis. Finding clothes that are easy to feed in, comfortable to wear, and affordable on maternity pay, is not an easy job. So in an effort to assist those other statuesque mamas,and mamas-to-be, I've decided to resurrect this blog and document my finds, along with my ups and downs as a mama, for those who come after me. Summer is drawing to a close, and the nights are getting both darker and cooler. Soon will be the time when I used to haul out my sweaters and jeans and hibernate my legs for the winter, but not this year. This year I forge a path into stylish vintage motherhood! At least I hope to 😉 I'd love for you to come along with me and share your finds in the comments. Below are a few snaps from my recent weekend away in the Scottish Highlands...which I'll be blogging about over the next few days and weeks.

 

 

 

 

Where to begin?

I know, I know, I suck at this regularly posting thing. It's been a busy two years for me. Like I said last time, my life changed in the blink of an eye after meeting P. We met in late February 2014, and by July we were engaged. Well, when something feels right, what was the point in waiting? We married in May 2015, a truly gorgeous day, despite the early rain. It was everything we had hoped and planned for, and I felt like a million dollars.

See, I am never going to be thin. I've come to terms with that. P loves me just the way I am, and I have learnt to love myself. I'm the healthiest I've been in years, so what if I am a tad curvaceous?

Just a few short months later, our happiness stretched even further when we discovered we were expecting a little bundle of joy. Little Bird (not his real name, don't panic) has changed my life completely. It was a tough pregnancy, culminating in him arriving a month early, so when I say it's been a whirlwind...I'm not exaggerating! We brought him home on our first wedding anniversary, and life as mama is a most amazing place. Life, truly, is good.