My Rainbow Baby Shower

Genesis 9:13: "I have set my rainbow in the clouds and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth."

Last Saturday, February 25 I had my baby shower. It was such a nice event especially since I was robbed of having that experience with my first born DJ. I knew early on that I wanted to have a Rainbow Shower as the theme of my baby shower. I chose the rainbow theme because it allowed me to celebrate the awaited arrival of my new bundle of joy, Grayson, while paying respect and honoring my first born son I tragically lost, DJ! A rainbow shower represents the yin and the yang of life. No matter what, life will always provide you ups and downs. It will throw at you highs and lows. But how you react to those situations truly garner your peace of mind. I've learned through my tragic storm of losing DJ that no matter how bad it gets, God is ALWAYS there with you. He promised never to leave us nor forsake us. I am a living testament of what it looks like when God is walking right besides you even in the midst of the eye of the storm. He is why I can have a genuine smile on my face even with a loss looming over me!

Planning my shower was fun. I gathered my inspiration from an Instagram page that I ran across called Oh Happy Day, where they put on a rainbow shower. I loved the concept, the bright colors, and the lightness and the ambience that the amazing decorations created. I knew I wanted something similar, so I showed my handy dandy, right hand man, Ashley my vision and we collaborated to bring everything to life, adding our own touches to make it more personal. I knew I wanted a brunch theme for the menu, a "virgin" mimosa bar, a Polaroid picture frame to take pictures with guests, building blocks that spelled my sons name, and bright colors used to lift the event space to even higher heights. I got all of that and then some! The shower was absolutely, positively beautiful!!! I even had guests come in solid colors like the rainbow ROYGBIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet), while I donned all white with rainbow accessories to stay on par with the theme of the shower and show solidarity for what the rainbow truly represents. EVERYTHING turned out magnificent.

Rainbow necklace custom - made by my event planner AshleyMonique

Sandals laid out with Pom-Poms before my DIY project began

The finished product
DIY Details: Sandals: Rue 21, Bag of Assorted Pom Poms: Amazon, Hot Glue Gun & Glue Sticks: Hobby Lobby

Pre-shower selfie after getting a subtle beat by M.A.C

"Follow the Rainbow" signs to direct guests to the venue

The "virgin" mimosa bar

Grayson's Goodie Bar aka the ROYGBIV candy station

Rainbow Candy Bags for Grayson's Goodie Bar

Grayson and I showing off next to his building blocks

I absolutely loved these blocks, so much so they are going into his nursery as part of the decor

Mommy - To - Be all smiles under the rainbow

Posing with my DIY Polaroid Picture Frame

Alishia & Derrek sitting in the tree...K-I-S-S-I-N-G; First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Grayson in the baby carriage

My event planner and fashion twin, AshleyMonique

Grayson's Grandma Valarie

Grayson's Grandma Kim

At the head table with my main squeeze

About to do the balloon release for DJ 

An assortment of balloons about to be delivered to my sleeping angel in heaven

The party was an absolute success. We ate, fellowshipped, played games, opened gifts, and took plenty of pictures. When all the commotion died down, my husband and I along with a few of our family members and friends went outside and used all the balloons that were decorations at the party, so we could release them up to my sleeping angel in heaven, DJ! This little gesture (along with having a designated table where guests could write their well wishes to DJ as a big brother, Grayson and us as parents) really warmed my heart. It showed that even though DJ is not here physically, we could still honor his presence in our lives while awaiting our second bundle of joy with great anticipation.  

A "Rainbow Baby" is the understanding that the beauty of a rainbow does not negate the ravages of the storm. When a rainbow appears it doesn't mean the storm never happened or that the family is not still dealing with its aftermath. What it means is that something beautiful and full of light has appeared in the midst of the darkness and clouds. Storm clouds may still hover but the rainbow provides a counterbalance of color, energy and hope. 

 - Anonymous Author 

Thanks for taking a sneak peak into my awesome rainbow shower! What's waiting for you at the end of YOUR rainbow? Is it love? Is it money? Is it new found self confidence? Don't be afraid to go after it starting today! It's waiting for you if you just take action. 

TGIF Luvs,

-Ali

White Maxi + Lace Kimono

One of the reasons (among many others) I started my blog was to show real women, like you, how to take your wardrobe and remix, reuse, and revamp looks with simple items that you already have in your closet that are readily accessible. I don't have an endless supply of money or clothes so I reuse a lot of the pieces in my closet and make them appear different simply by mixing and matching, and switching and swapping different foundational pieces to create new looks.

I took that same lace kimono that I wore last week here and revamped it by swapping my floral crop top, distressed jeans, and fedora with my white maxi dress and floral headband. By simply exchanging my crop top and jeans for this maxi it gives the look a whole different personality. I truly felt like a little "Flower Child" or "Hippie!"

I am not one of those bloggers who wears something once and lets it sit in my closet. If I love a piece I will wear it over and over., with NO shame. I try to challenge myself to change up a look by switching up my styling methods each time I wear it! If you are one of those people that wear the same thing again and again try challenging yourself to see how you can remix your current pieces by styling them differently the next time you wear them. 

Outfit Details: Lace Kimono (Charlotte Russe), Maxi Dress (gift: Express), Floral Headband (DIY), Aviators (H&M), Necklace (Forever 21), Earrings (Charlotte Russe), Charm Bracelet (Juicy Couture), Sandals (old)

This look made me want to just throw up the peace sign and twirl around in a meadow of sunflowers! I received a ton of compliments on this look (even one that made me blush from one of my nephews who told me...."Auntie Lish you look beautiful!"). Talk about a confidence booster. All you need to accomplish this look is a simple kimono (which you can score from stores like TJ Maxx, Marshall's, Forever 21, H&M etc.) and a simple maxi and wallah, you have the look. I truly love the look because it has ease, comfort, and most importantly...I didn't have to iron it (that's a BONUS)! 

I hope you have a wonderful, productive, positive Monday! I will see you later on this week. Have a great day!

-Ali

White Maxi + Shaggy Fur Vest

HI!!!!! I've missed you all so much! I know you're probably thinking..."who are you?" It's been a little minute but I had to take a little break from blogging. I've had A LOT going on between school, church, being a wife etc. so I decided to take a short hiatus. But I'm back with some great stuff for you during this last half of the year. Can you believe it's already October??? So let's jump right into it.

Who said you can't wear white after Labor Day? Well, clearly I've put that myth to rest. As the temperatures drop slowly, I wanted to pull out my white maxi (that I received as a gift, that I haven't worn before), and style it with my shaggy fur vest. I was able to structure the bulky vest by adding a belt to define my waist. I then added my gladiator heels to give me a little more height so my dress would not drag on the ground. My fedora was added to create a little element of cool! I finished out the look by layering gold jewelry (necklace, earrings, sunnies, and a broach). It truly pulled the entire look together. Check out the full outfit below.

Outfit Details: White Maxi (Express), Fur Vest (Forever 21), Belt (Unknown), Gladiator Sandals (DSW), Necklace (Thrifted), Fedora (Forever 21), Sunnies (Forever 21), Earrings (Forever 21)

 Is it super cold in your area already and you can't get away with wearing short sleeves? Swap the vest for a cute leather motorcycle jacket OR layer the moto jacket on top of the maxi and use the vest as your outer most layer. Would you wear a maxi with a fur vest? Let me know in the comment section below. 

P.S. It feels good to be back. I missed you all ;)

Happy Monday,

-Ali