crushing on velvet — Hello Honey

When it comes to trends, I like to try almost everything at least once and have never been one to shy away from something trendy. That's not always a good thing, as classic, timeless pieces are a safer bet but you can't knock something until you try it! When the velvet trend started last year, I hopped right on the bandwagon because it's always been one of my favorite fabrics- it just feels so soft and luxurious without the hefty price-tag of other similar options. I found the top I'm wearing above at Nordstrom Rack on sale for under $20 and it's been a great transitional fall piece.

I finally decided on a dress to wear for our family pictures in Paris- after buying three different dresses and not loving any of them, on a whim I ordered this dress off Amazon Sunday evening after reading rave reviews and it came in this afternoon. Y'all, I am in LOVE. The quality is amazing for the price and it's so flattering on- it's also the perfect maternity dress to show off the bump (without being too tight or uncomfortable). I obviously have a thing for velvet wrap dresses since I wore this one in our gender reveal photos- I just can't stay away! But I wanted to share my dress find with y'all in case anyone was looking for a good holiday or family photo dress, as well. The only thing I will mention is that it's longer than it looks in the photos- I'm 5'3 1/2 and the hem hits me just above the ankle, not mid-calf as pictured. It's definitely closer to a maxi dress than a midi dress but I don't mind since it's for winter photos and a dressy occasion, anyway.

I'm linking some of my other favorite current velvet pieces below, some I own and others I need to own!

I have so much to get done this week before we leave and a growing to-do list...just when I thought I had things somewhat under control this afternoon, Bear comes and tells me he spilled a jar of mayonnaise in the pantry. I knew instantly it was something else since we don't buy mayonnaise and had to do a full five minute prep just to work up the courage to check out the crime scene. In Bear's hot pursuit of Cheetos on the third shelf, he managed to knock over a glass jar of alfredo sauce that broke and got EVERYWHERE. I'm talking the mess of all messes. Pretty sure our pantry will smell like Olive Garden for the next two years (there are worse things, I guess- love me some OG). This wouldn't really be a big deal if just last night, Bear hadn't stuck a tiny Lego piece WAY UP HIS NOSE. It got stuck, of course, but thankfully Zach played surgeon with tweezers and finally got it out. I'm no help in a crisis so I was in full on panic mode and already grabbing stuff to head to the ER, but turns out Z had it all under control, per usual. Life with boys...never a dull moment!
xo, Britt