Lovelay 2011 Release

Recently, I sat down with my dear friend, Valerie Hammond, to discuss taking my dreams/thoughts/ideas/visions for Lovelay and capturing & portraying them through the lens of her camera.

Needless to say, she exceeded every desire as she photographed this new line. She is so amazing to work with and I am thankful for her friendship!

Also, needless to say, I am very excited about this.

Along for the ride was long time friend, Chelsea Lankes. Chelsea made a huge contribution to the look & feel of this Lovelay photoshoot. She lent her eye for fashion, styled the accessories & the girls, and was such a great spirit to have on as we explored A Day in the Life. Chelsea is a singer/songwriter in town among other things. She works at a local boutique and many of the outfits are from the boutique.

Gracie, Jenna & Betsy all helped bring Lovelay to life. These three beautiful women embraced the role of of a Lovelay Lady and I am honored to have them as the faces of Lovelay.


Photographer: Valerie Hammond
Stylist: Chelsea Lankes
Models: Gracie Spires, Jenna Farro, Betsy Jones

Enjoy "A Day in the Life"

You can find the collection here. I would LOVE to help add a dash of lovely to your every day.

i love...

how she sits as she plays.                                               her sweet & crazy sneeze.

her sweet little face & how she always has to wants to know where i am.

sweet moments like that one.

her super amazing ability to "strike a pose" and be a complete ham in front of the camera.

how she is starting to enjoy "cuddling" on the couch with us & that she is entertained by children's shows. it is precious when she laughs at silly sounds and sings along with the singing animals.

toesies. 

her sweet, perfect, soft little toesies.

the way she always has her feet crossed & can't keep them still if they're not crossed.

how ticklish they are & how she thinks it's funny when we tickle them.

the fact that she has been standing & walking on these tiny little feet.

these sweet, tiny, perfect little feet are growing.

which means my baby is growing.

which means she is changing & learning & exploring & ... growing.

sweet, sweet, sweet little toesies.

sweet, sweet, sweet baby girl.

the way i see things

there is a little tornado that sweeps through my house on a daily basis.

i try my best to stay one step ahead of her, pick up as we go, replace "undesirables" with "baby friendlies"...

but, i am not always successful.

case in point:

a box of tissues. an innocent box of tissues.

big people don't see the appeal and awe that the tissue box brings.

baby people see an amazing opportunity to put fine motor skills to use.

(or something like that)

as soon a i saw this mess explored territory i sighed, rolled my eyes, thought about a new and out of reach place that we could put the tissue box. and then i laughed. hysterically. and couldn't stop laughing for about the next 20 minutes. 

i laughed because once layla realized that i noticed what she had done she was so pleased, excited, happy and she wanted to share with me what she had found. so she laughed too. 

see:

(noticing me laughing, thinking about it, sharing her goodies)

(laughing, more laughing, holy cow this was funny)

(she really wanted to share her tissue)

after a few minutes (i know i said 20 minutes earlier, but it was more like a few...sorry) of amazing laughter she sat down to continue to play with her tissue.

when layla plays with a tissue it means ripping it to shreds and attempting to eat it every time momma turns her head. 

i never turned my head.

i asked her to smile for me and this is what she did:

she's such a ham.

and at some point she lost a sock. it's probably in her toy box...

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i should know how amazing these little messes are for her.

i worked with toddlers for years and i told parents day after day that every mess, every dirt covered dress, every misplaced remote control is a learning experience for their child. it's an opportunity for the child to discover and explore. they need limits but they also need to not have their creativity crushed.

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so, the way i see things is this: 

 

i am excited to let her explore. we are loving and dream filled people after all. i am kind of really looking forward to all of the other messes she decides to make in her attempt to discover this big wide world around her.

**if we happen to run out of tissues, i might alter my thoughts a bit...but we'll talk then** :)

LOVE

grateful details

i love having a holiday completely dedicated to sitting back and taking into account all that we truly are thankful for.

i am most thankful for the people in my life...

i am grateful to be a daughter of God and to know that i matter to Him, always.

i am grateful to have a husband who is patient with me, quick to forgive, always willing to serve everyone around him. i am especially grateful for his love.

i am grateful to be a new mother. the past 9 1/2 months have been so humbling. and special. and magical. and beautiful. and gosh, i could just watch as she learns and explores and laughs all day long.

i'm grateful for family and friends who are always supportive and encouraging.

when i think really think about it, my relationships with my loved ones, my family, my new baby girl, my relationship with my heavenly father... these are the things i am most thankful for in life. what a wonderful world. happy thanksgiving!

Now I am officially ready for Christmas season. Don't be surprised if you see us wandering around town in red, green, sparkles or any combination of the three.

cello dude

We all know Layla. (well, if you don't you haven't been reading my blog :)) We all know how beautiful, funny and smart she is. She is almost 10 months old.

crrrraaaaazyyyyy.

Well, my almost 10 month old daughter's daddy (aka my handsome husband, aka cello dude, aka j) is an incredibly talented musician. His gifts and abilities are so beautifully created by God and he uses them in such glorifying ways. It melts me. It also melts me how amazing he is with our daughter. and what he is willing to do for her and for our family. He recently picked up a second job to allow me to become a part time nanny for a family and have Layla with me full time. It has changed my world. and his. He has so selflessly given of his time and complains as little as possible! :) In no way do I wish for him to give up a passion, a dream, a gift that he is very successful with but I also don't want to give up my dream to be a full time mommy. He takes every free moment that he gets to be creative. Whether it's playing an instrument, jotting down song ideas, being inspired by his precious daughter, having beautiful conversations with me and with our friends and family. He doesn't let his limited free time be an excuse to "rest". I respect and appreciate that so much.

I'm learning so much every day on how to love him, serve him, cook for him, encourage him, support him, TREASURE him. I am his wife. It is an HONOR to do these things.

We met in 2009, were married in 2010, welcomed Layla in 2011, and here we are...approaching 2012. Our life has been a whirlwind and I wouldn't have had it any other way. Through all of the beautiful chaos, he has loved me, been patient with me, laughed with me and truly been my best friend (the bomb.com). It would be silly for me not to acknowledge the blessings his life has brought mine.

Plus...he's a stud. 

Anyway, I felt that since Thanksgiving is fast approaching (it's basically a day away, y'all) it would be an appropriate time to share with the world how thankful I am for my man.

Who are you thankful for??

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{can you say adorable?????}

Things Layla Loves volume 5

Wow. I am super behind on getting this up. To be honest, I have been waiting to see if Layla would actually walk before I posted it. It hasn't happened but is definitely close.

There are so many things that she truly loves to do that it is really hard to narrow it down to just ten.

1} She really loved the pumpkins at the pumpkin patch. She kept wanted to feel them and tried to pull the stems off!

2} She will try and rip anything that resembles paper. So, don't give her money. She is very strong.

3} She will literally pull up on anything. She thinks it is hilarious to stand up in her crib. It makes for a nice treat when we come get her after naps and first thing in the morning (which is 6:30 thanks to DST. I am just thankful she isn't waking up at 2 anymore)

4} She has discovered that she can open ANY cabinet. And she tries. This picture was literally her first attempt & it thrilled her. Now, we have babyproofed but it hasn't stopped her from trying. She is one determined and curious little babe.

5} She is fascinated by things in boxes and could explore them all day. Really, anything that appears just out of reach is the perfect thing to keep Layla entertained. The box she is looking in holds "Layla friendly" boxes and kitchen items but is also difficult for her to really get in to. Doesn't mean the girl won't give it a valiant effort.

6} She started climbing over us about a month ago. She has since climbed over me as I was laying on my side, she has climbed up one step (with me right by her side, of course), she has climbed over a pile of clothes on the ground. She has no limits. This makes me nervous :)

7} She has started sticking her tongue out a lot. It cracks me up. My boss says that she might be feeling her teeth with her tongue. That makes sense. Whatever it is, I love it. and so does she.

8} She loves tags (from clothing) like she loves paper. She thinks it's fun to hold the tag in one hand and flick it with the other. She also loves tags that are made of fabric or ribbon (but what baby doesn't)

9} Seriously, she could do this all day.

10} The first time she waved, Justin was at work. I cried. Seriously. I was so excited for him to get home and see it. Since then, she waves at us all the time. It is the sweetest thing.

I love this...

 

Seriously, the sweetest thing in the world. Love my family.

Have a wonderful weekend.

{crock pot} recipes

So, here's the deal.

My husband {who has just started working full time} is an amazing cook.
The fact that he has just started working full time has put a damper on the frequent{ness} of his amazing meals.

I am not a cook. I don't really even like to cook.
BUT - I want to and need to learn.

I have been told that crock pot recipes are pretty much amazing.
So, I need your help.

Do you have an amazing and simple {or just tasty and simple...key word is simple} crock pot recipe that you could share with me so that I can cook tasty meals for my working man??

:)

Thanks so much! I'll let you know how they turn out.

randoms & updates

Let's get the randoms out of the way.

 


Date night.

J & I went on our date night take 2 last night. We went out a couple of weeks ago & had to end the date early due to a slight babysitter door locking mishap. But, all was well. We went & saw Money ball & really enjoyed it. Go see it, ok? Ok.













Baby Date.

My cousin, Casey, has four amazing children. The youngest, sweet Will, is a month and a half older than Layla & is the only boy of the crew. It is fun watching how the dynamics of their relationship changes each time they are together. Will's mama is the best. I love my cousin, Casey. Family is the best.

Light.

This is my sister-in-law, Julie & her husband, Sean (more like sister & brother). I just wanted to share their beauty with you. The Lord radiates throughout these two. Their love is warm, open, humble, strong. They have been through so much & I am confident that God is going to use them in their marriage in unfathomable ways. I am thankful to be a part of it & glad they love my Layla so much. (I did not take this picture, btw)

Now, for the updates & excitings.

First things first.

Designs by Abby Lynn is now Lovelay. 

I am extremely excited about this direction and am thankful for my sweet little darling who has provided me with lovely inspiration on a daily basis.

Please update all necessary information & try not to get too confused (I know I'm confused already) when searching for Designs by Abby Lynn.

You can now find me at:

www.lovelay.blogspot.com
www.etsy.com/shop/shoplovelay
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lovelay/104806092941502?sk=info

I did my first show last weekend. 

I tested my products under Lovelay & got an incredible response. 

Here is a picture of my booth for the festival:

I am still in the process of changing all of my layouts/pictures/etc. but it will get done. 

I appreciate your patience & support and hope that you are as thrilled with the improvements as I am!

Next.

I was published the other day, y'all. Published. You can check out the AMAZING Gothic Style Shoot that my sweet & incredibly talented friend from high school designed here. I was *so* honored that Tamara asked me to be a part of this shoot & I look forward to sharing more work with her in the future.

And then.

Layla was a Lady bug (or a Layla bug) for Halloween and it was pretty darn fun. Especially for a nine month old. Check out a little first Halloween visual documentation:

(I guess that was a little random. It was kind of a big deal though, right??)

I think this is the last thing I have to tell you...

Kim (my college friend over at Oh, Sweet Joy!) has invited me to be a part of her Handmade Holidays Gift Guide! Basically, one of my products will be featured (along with several other handmade shops) as sort of a "catalog" for holiday shopping & fun! I am pumped to be taking part in this and excited to dive more into the blogging and handmade community! Be on the lookout for more details regarding this fun journey!

Have a wonderful rest of your week. My parents are in town for a couple more days and we plan to soak up the beautiful Nashville weather tomorrow. Mmmm, Fall.


LOVE.

Layla Grows {9 months}

I seriously cannot believe that nine months have gone by so quickly.

The joy and blessings that she has brought to our lives are indescribable.

She is changing and learning new things daily.

If you notice, she is wearing shoes. This is a new habit we are trying to form.

She is determined to stand and "walk" and shoes make this process a little easier. 

Three more months til one year. Does that make it acceptable for me to start planning her party?? :)

Love my sweet baby girl.

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Stay tuned for some exciting news, announcements, changes, etc!

LOVE.