What I Wore {While Writing} / New Series

I think I did it, folks. I think I've made history.

Well, not yet anyway but I've been thinking for the last few months about this blog. If you've stuck with me through all of my blogcations and blakes {blog vacations and blog breaks, get it?}, I sincerely thank you. There is nothing more frustrating than following a blog and then having the blogger stop writing new content.

As a stay-at-home/ almost work-at-home wife and mommy, blogging is the best outlet for my creative mind. It's like a digital journal and way to connect with other awesome people. If you still read my blog, you may remember when I was participating in a fashion series started by +Danielle Doerr from Framed Frosting. It was called the Six Piece Remix series and though I didn't finish the entire six weeks, I had a blast doing it!

When re-vamping this blog, I wanted something to showcase my writing but not lose that fashion fun side. I admit, I do not consider myself a fashionista or trend-setter by any means. Which is WHY I am launching a new blog series! It is time to hang up my furry bathrobe, throw those jammies into the hamper and have some daily fun in my closet. I've been actually practicing getting dressed every day...isn't that kinda sad for me to say? Mommies that stay home, you KNOW what I am talking about!

So I am infusing fashion and writing, two things that are fun for me and two things that I actually haven't seen together in the blog world. I'm not talking about being a "fashion writer" but about how fashion can help writing. Every day, I write. I schedule time when my baby boy is sleeping to get down on my laptop and type like mad. Sometimes, creativity doesn't show up and inspiration is running dry. To get the wheels turning and ideas flowing, I am going to experiment with some fashion love.

You all know, when you have a cute outfit on and your hair all stylin', you feel GOOD about yourself. You feel confident and bold. You feel successful before you even leave the house. Well, I am in the house all day, so why not change out of the frumpy-comfies and into something with personality!

I hope you will join me as I start this new devotion to writing while being fashionable. Disclosure: I'm not going to dress like the hottest Vogue cover girl or the latest celebrity. I am going to still be me, using what I have, to bring a positive environment into my space so that my mind can be free to create great things.

Will you follow me in this new series?
What are your thoughts about mixing fashion with writing?
What is your favorite piece to wear to feel confident?

The first post will go live next Wednesday, so stay tuned!
Follow the hastag #WIWWW on Twitter and in the blog tags.

DIY Baby Sensory: Edible Painting with Real Fruit!

Naturally I am an artist so I'd love to pass on some creativity to my youngin'. I mean, come on, his good looks are from his daddy {insert brownie points here.} I combed Pinterest looking at different edible painting ideas on various blogs and sites but none of them fit what I wanted to do with my boy.

David was breastfed and when he was introduced to solids, I took time to make the food myself. It saved us lots of money and I felt good about feeding my baby real, wholesome meals instead of factory infested foods, like his mommy and daddy eat. I understand not every mom can do this, I'm not boasting here. You gotta do what you gotta do. I was blessed to be able to give my baby the best nutrition especially within his first year of life.

Enter in this homemade paint recipe I whipped up! I thought "You know, fruit is colorful, why not paint with it?" This is how my brain works, friends. I see something not as it is but what it can become. Rather than using corn syrup, sugars and artificial dyes, I opted instead to use natural fruit with some ingredients we already have on hand at home.

What you will need:
- Fresh or frozen fruit {I used frozen and just microwaved until soft. I lack patience, what can I say}
- Medium bowl
- Flour
- Water
- Paper
- A cute baby {check!}

I went with raspberries and blueberries. In the photo above, I show the ingredients in measuring cups. This really is for just the photo. It doesn't take that much flour or water to create the paint paste we need. I suggest play around and try mixing to get the consistency you like.
Tip: try mixing 1 ounce of fruit, 2 tsp flour and 2 tsp water to start. Then go from there.

The first photo shows the fruit before the added ingredients. If the fruit is soft enough, mash it with the spoon. If not, put it in the blender for a few seconds then mix in the flour and water. The second photos shows how the fruit thickens and becomes more paint-like.

That's it! Now for the fun part. If you are a tidy mommy, just stop now. The baby will get messy. The floor will get dirty. The highchair will get out of control. A bath will be in order. But the way I see it, I not only have a boy who will get messy eventually but I feel that getting his hands dirty and really into things is part of the learning experience. This is good for baby's tongue to explore texture and tastes but also for his hands to touch and understand different textures. Paint with real fruit, what else is better! I didn't have to worry about what he was consuming when he ate some {because of course it will go into the mouth.} And as you can see, he loves painting with fruit too.