Merce & Me: August 2017

Sunday, August 27, 2017

Wild for Flowers

There's this new brand that launched the beginning of August, maybe you've heard of it? WILDFLOWERS! I don't know all the details, but Sam McDonald (yes the same Sam McDonald that was with Matilda Jane for many years) seems to have teamed up with Eleanor Rose/Kelly's Kids/Bourgeois Bebe to start her own line. So yeah, we had to give it a try.

Wildflower Clothing Stand Out Theatre Dress
Merce & Me Necessities Cream Clara socks
Old Soles Lady Jane Gold Maryjanes from Just Shoes for Kids
Joyfolie bow
©merce&me photography 2017

Wildflowers' first release was August 1, 2017, "Written in the Stars". It is a home party based business, like Kelly's Kids used to be and Matilda Jane is, but different. If you didn't attend a home party, you had to wait to order until after party orders were in. And there were no pictures online, you had to rely on stock pics that were distributed by the consultants. If you were part of the consultant or party hostesses Facebook group then you could see the items, otherwise you had to rely on sneaks or order blind. NOW the website is up and going, so you can see everything that released, even those items that sold out.

Fortunately for me, I was in a group and a very sweet hostess hooked us up. We own two pieces of Wildflowers first release and I feel very lucky for having them considering there were no parties anywhere near our rural little Oklahoma community.

This is the Stand Out Theatre dress, size 6. This piece is true to size. The material is nice. Not super soft, but not super stiff cardboard feeling material either. Merce said it was comfortable and she loved the bright pretty colors. We have the Forever Cardi as well, but forgot to put it on. It was in my purse the entire shoot. If you are interested in the Forever Cardi, it's sold out, but you can find it on the Wildflower Addicts Facebook page I'm sure....anyway, it runs small. At least a full size small. The size 6 was too slim and the sleeves were too short. We amazingly found a trade for an 8 and it fits perfectly. If she grows at all though, it will be too small. Take that into consideration if you are looking for one. Here's the link in case you are wondering what this cardi looks like: https://wildflowersclothing.com/forever-cardi

Wildflower Clothing Stand Out Theatre Dress
Merce & Me Necessities Cream Clara socks
Old Soles Lady Jane Gold Maryjanes from Just Shoes for Kids
Joyfolie bow
©merce&me photography 2017

her socks are Merce & Me Necessities Clara in cream. MMN launched 8/25/17 at 1000 CST, and almost sold out! this cream color went so fast, but it will be restocked soon along with 4 other returning colors and 4 NEW colors!

Her shoes are from Just Shoes for Kids. I've mentioned them several times because we get a lot of Merce's shoes there. They have a large selection and several pairs that I've not seen anywhere else. I love them because they have everything from nice and sweet shoes, to all out funky shoes. Funky shoes are my favorite. ;) I've blogged about these shoes a couple times before. They are so comfortable, have a velcro strap and arch support! The gold color is just gorgeous.

Now I said Merce said the dress was comfortable, and she meant it. She really put it all to the test tonight. The beautiful park we shot at has a playground. And how can you say no to this face?? 😂😂😂

©merce&me photography 2017

I love that crazy face of hers. But here's further proof that she was able to move in the dress, socks and shoes with ease. The dress didn't wrinkle, and the socks didn't fall. I'd say this outfit is P.E.-proof!

©merce&me photography

From what I hear Wildflowers has a release coming up in September, the 12th I think? If you are interested in Wildflowers and need a hostess I'd be happy to hook you up. No it's not me, and I do not benefit in any way from hooking you up with an amazing hostess. I know I'll be waiting impatiently to see what is next. From the sneaks I've seen, I think it will be a good one!

Sunday, August 20, 2017

Knee highs aren't just for dresses!

Mikoleon boots
Merce & Me Necessities Mustard Clara Socks
Distressed Jeans from BHip Kids
©merce&me photography 2017

As the first load from Merce & Me Necessities nears, I thought it would be fun to play around with a fall style other than dresses with our clara socks. So we grabbed a pair of boots, some distressed jeans, and a fun shirt with amazing fall jewel tones.

Mikoleon boots
Merce & Me Necessities Mustard Clara Socks
Distressed Jeans from BHip Kids
Tank Top from Old Navy
Sunglasses from Joyfolie
©merce&me photography 2017

She did have a sweater on at one point, but it's august in Oklahoma so it didn't last long. I love this look because it's so easy for school especially on those days when it's cool in the morning and warm in the afternoon. They just ditch the cardi or sweater like Merce did, and they are still comfy...and stylish. ;)

This tank is definitely worth mentioning. It's from the girls section at Old Navy (not the baby/toddler section) and is a size small. it's a little big on her, but that's ok. It didn't hang down too far in the front so there's no foul. It's beautiful colors caught my eye from across the way, and it was on the clearance rack. That's right, $4.97. I LOVE a good clearance rack.

Her jeans are so stretchy and comfy! They are from our favorite little local boutique, BHip Kids, and are truly amazing. they have just the right amount of distressing without having holes in them, and along with all the stretch they also have an adjustable waist! Merce is wearing a size 6. They have no growing room, so we will be going back for a 6x or 7 soon for sure.

Mikoleon boots
Merce & Me Necessities Mustard Clara Socks
Distressed Jeans from BHip Kids
Tank Top from Old Navy
Sunglasses from Joyfolie
©merce&me photography 2017

The socks are our Mustard Clara socks. I love them loose like this with boots and rolled skinnies. They just add interest and a pop of color where it's needed. These mustard Clara socks will be loading along with 7 other colors on August 25, 2017 at 1000 AM. they are knee high and have a fun scalloped edge to them. Merce wears a size 1 shoe, and a medium in this sock. We will soon have size large coming that will fit size 2+. They are so soft and stretchy, they even stretched to fit my size 9.5-10 foot! They were a little tight on my calf, but not uncomfortable. So this means the older girls can have knee highs too! I do not have a load date on those yet, but hopefully it'll happen in September.

Merce is wearing Mikoleon boots. I've blogged about those before (The Boots to End All Boots). They are handmade artisan boots and so soft. This is the one pair of boots that looks even better the more scuffed they are. I don't mind sending Merce to school in them, I hope she drags her toes on the swing to distress the boots a little more! they are just gorgeous.

And last, her sunnies. They are from Joyfolie. This summer Joyfolie did a $30 Thursday and loaded a lot of amazing shoes, dresses and accessories at very low prices. These sunnies were part of a mystery purchase. I purchased a $5 mystery accessory and received these! She loves them, and only $5 so I'm not going to complain at all.

Old Navy Tank Top
Mikoleon boots
Merce & Me Necessities Mustard Clara Socks
Distressed Jeans from BHip Kids
©merce&me photography 2017

We had so much fun creating and shooting this outfit. Merce had input, which she loves. She was definitely born to be a leader. And she got to climb the fence. It was a win-win for her! 💖

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Let Them Be Little

This is a tough one for me. This isn't about a specific brand, or an outfit that I fell in love with. This is about something that each of us wear everyday....on the inside.

Recently, a conversation took place on social media that targeted not only me, but Merce. Yes. My 6 year old daughter. I could not care less if someone thinks my photography is the worst they have ever seen. I could not care less if I am named the worst stylist ever. I am an adult. I am not innocent or perfect. Children are innocent and perfect. EVERY.SINGLE.ONE.of them are.

I struggled with whether to put this out in the world, or to just stay quiet and let it go. I never confronted the persons responsible, even though I know their names. I never took it to a larger group to "out" anyone, although it made it to other pages without my help....by people I don't even know that were appalled by the behavior. And it is those people that took a stand, not knowing me or Merce that changed my perspective on keeping quiet. I won't lie, I'm scared to put this out there but I'm more scared that someone else's child will be the victim of virtual bullying.

The saddest part is that this is nothing new. This is not the first time that someone has made a comment about a child on social media. This is not the first time that someone has made a comment about MY child on social media. But this is the time that I will take a stand, and challenge the boutique world to do the same.

In the boutique world of BST (buying, selling, trading) everyone knows the phrase "children are off limits". In this world in which we are all preaching against social media bullying, there are grown women engaging in indirect bullying of a child.

Let's look at this picture.

This picture posted on instagram resulted in the following questions from one woman:

Why does she always have on a dress on in tunic length with no bottoms?
Why does she always appear to be in pain (or possibly constipated [insert speak no evil monkey emoji here--ironic huh?])
Who does these photos? I'm not photographer but they aren't that good.

the third question is irrelevant. I don't care if others like my photography. As long as the shop owner we are shooting for does, we are happy. But #2 is unacceptable. Perhaps she thought it was funny? Maybe it was 'said' in the thread to amuse others? Maybe this person is just trying to fit in? I don't know the answer to that and never will. The answer doesn't matter to me. This comment was made in a large group of women, a 'secret' chat group on facebook. Many saw the comment and replied to it. Including some people that I had thought were my friends. Not one of them said "hey, not cool. hate the mom all you want but don't talk about her kid." or anything to that effect. Later in the thread some mom's did come to the defense of the child, they were ganged up on. I would never allow Merce to see the things that were written, but.....she can read. What if she came across them? What would she think? How would she FEEL?

question 1, why does she always have a dress on in tunic length with no bottoms? That question came because they read this blog and like to critique it. Not only critique the blog but also judge that I am unintelligent by what they read here. And that I have no styling skills at all. And that's fine, it's all opinion. We love a good vintage length, vintage as in short. It was recently argued that vintage means below the knee. So to clarify, vintage = short in my world. She ALWAYS has bloomies or shorts of some sort on. and it's noted in each blog. Merce is tall. Her legs are long. And she moves ALOT so the bloomies and shorts ride up. She dances and twirls and jumps all through the shoots because she has fun...trying to stop her and pull her shorts down constantly would double the time it takes to do a shoot and make her self conscious about the length of her shorts. I refuse to make my child feel she shouldn't be carefree and that she has to worry about the length of her shorts or what others will think of her.

So I'm taking this stand. This stand that I feel is worth it, even if I am berated, belittled, or shunned for it. I stand for peace among the boutique world. I stand for children being off limits, and I challenge those that may see this type of behavior to stand up for others like you would your own child. 💗

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Back to School Mish-Mash.

School has started! In fact they have been in school for almost a week now. That means I spend the days dreaming of combos I'd love to photograph but can't because no one is here to wear it. ;) This is what Merce wore the first day of school:

Upper Looper Apple Dress
Merce & Me Necessities white clara socks
Whim and Wander maryjanes
Adorable Essentials backpack and lunch box
©merce&me photography

She choose it all. Now I know people are doubtful when someone says "my kid dressed themselves" but this is a true story. scouts honor. She picked the dress from her closet and said "apples are good for school". I asked her, do you want socks or no socks? She said she wanted socks, so she was given three choices (red, white and blue) she obviously choose white. And her shoes, I told her to choose a pair of brown shoes. She has 4 pairs of brown/tan shoes. She chose the whim and wanders. Which was not the best choices because she came home in her p.e. shoes and carrying her cute little brown shoe with the sole flopping and hanging half off. 😒

Anyhow, this dress is amazing. it's from upper looper and very well made. The material is thinner than I expected, but it's still a nice fabric. When I saw this dress I immediately envisioned Marsha Brady with her knee high socks and cute little shoes, and I think because of that I expected a thick polyester. Thankfully it's not. It's cotton. Merce is still 49", 52# and this is a size 6. it's a little roomy on her so I would say it's on the larger end of true to size. Bonus, etsy currently has 2% back in ebates. Don't have ebates?! it's a rebate system, shop online at certain places and you earn cash back. It's really that simple. I love it for Christmas shopping! you can sign up here: https://www.ebates.com/r/JHELME13?eeid=28187.

We also did a quick photo shoot with this dress when it arrived. And I mean quick! An average photo shoot takes about 10 minutes, and that includes time for her to run around like a normal 6 year old and climb trees, throw pine cones, admire pretty rocks. This dress was amazing for our shoot. I just love it.

Upper Looper Apple Dress
Merce & Me Necessities Navy clara socksWhim and Wander maryjanes ©merce&me photography

So now that we've covered what she actually wore the first day of school, I'll show you a mish mash of my favorites and then Merce's favorite dress right now. Some of these you might recognize from our MMN blog, but they are worth a repeat!

Lacey Lane Willow Neck Tie Blouse
Olive Mae Skip to My Lou Skipper Skirt
Merce & Me Necessities Cream Clara Socks
Joyfolie boots
©merce&me photography

This skirt from Olive Mae Clothing is so much fun! Merce is wearing a size 6 and she could have easily sized down to a 5. the straps tie in the back so you can adjust the fit. We chose a high-waisted look because it complimented the look of the tie-neck blouse and the Joyfolie boots. But don't worry, she's wearing some cartwheel shorties under there...similar to volleyball shorts. Spandex, tight, and short, but definitely covering her Bat Girl undies.

Lacey Lane Willow Neck Tie Blouse
Olive Mae Skip to My Lou Skipper Skirt
Merce & Me Necessities Cream Clara Socks
Joyfolie boots
©merce&me photography

The skirt is so easy to dress up or down. Throw it over a cute little tee and with some chucks and it's a fun little outfit. We just chose to go preppy because I had just retrieved that fabulous lacey lane shirt from the mailbox and was itching to use it. The shirt does run a bit small. this is a size 7. We have a size 6 as well but the sleeves were way too short and it was tight across the chest. So I would suggest sizing up one size in this one. Her boots are a size 1. Seem to be true to size for us. and her cute little socks are a size medium. I just love the scalloped trim on these socks!

Now this is just amazing. It's Olive Mae's ABC Bloom dress. it has more of a vintage length, purposely. She's wearing a 6 and it's a perfect fit. Not a lot of growing room as you can tell by the sleeves, but it's just gorgeous. Again, no worries, she wears shorties. I'm pretty sure she had hot pink Madison Grace shorties on under this one? But don't quote me on it. It was a few photo shoots ago.

her socks are Merce & Me Necessities Berry Clara. These are her favorite pair! We love how they bring out the pink in the flowers on the skirt of the dress. And her shoes are old soles from Just Shoes For Kids. They are sooo buttery soft. I just love them. They run true to size for us and have arch support!

Olive Mae Clothing ABC Bloom Dress
Merce & Me Necessities Berry Clara socks
Old Soles from just Shoes for Kids
©merce&me photography

Apparently this should be renamed, Olive Mae and Lacey Lane. Another LL and OM pairing that I adore. The school days peplum is great for fall, it can be worn with anything! Any leg type of jeans, skinnies, icings, skirts, shorts.... we paired with lacey lane puckers in a size 5. The shorts are a perfect fit right now, meaning there is no growing room, but it's also not too tight in the waist or leg. She's wearing a size 6 in the peplum and has growing room in it. her mustard Merce & Me Necessities socks are a size medium, she will need to size up to a large when she gains another shoe size. :( The shoes are amazing! Zuzii brand, handmade in California and don't break the bank! These are the Oxford in Haze and they are very flexible and comfortable. She's wearing a size 1 so they are tts as well.

Olive Mae Clothing School Days Peplum
Lacey Lane Puckers
Merce & Me Necessities Mustard Clara
Zuzii Oxford in Haze shoes
©merce&me photography

And our last outfit, her favorite. We were asked to photograph a new dress that is releasing tomorrow (Wednesday 8/16/17 at 10:00 am CST) over at Adorable Essentials. Y'all, Merce SQUEALED when she saw it. Seriously, I hear this high pitched voice screaming "kiiiittttiiiieeeessss". I'm pretty sure the neighbors heard her too. So here it is. Catitude. Perfectly named for the mood it put Merce in when we went to shoot. Oklahoma is a fickle state when it comes to weather, so we shot quick between the rain and wind and then heat. It took two days, and a good washing in between, you'll see why in a minute.

Adorable Essentials Cattitude Dress
Merce & Me Necessities white Clara socks
Walmart rain boots
©merce&me photography

She is wearing a size 6 in the dress. We almost always size down in knit to give it a closer fit, but this comes in even sizes so we decided against it. the 6 fits perfect! And Since she's being silly, it looks shorter on her than it does when standing. the dress has cute little pockets on it too for her to hold all her pretty rocks she picks up EVERYWHERE we go. 😂 Notice the boots? For good reason, not just because they are super cute, and were on sale for $14 including tax....but because there were puddles everywhere. Here's evidence....

Her cute little white Clara socks aren't so white anymore! but she's a kid wearing rubber boots and there are water puddles, so it was just meant to be!

I love this time of year, I really do. It's not usually 110 degrees outside (just 95+), school is in session, the apple and pear trees are ready to harvest, and Fall and the Holidays will be here before we know it! I can't wait to start putting together more Fall outfits and trying new designers and brands. I'm always happy to hear your favorites so we can give them a try as well! 💗

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Merce & Me Necessities' Grand Opening!

Merce & Me will be launching soon! How soon? Very soon! our clara socks are scheduled to be available for purchase before the end of the month....barring any difficulties or surprises. We are launching with 8 colors that I feel are perfect for fall! Some of these colors will restock and stick around, some will go away to return next fall. winter colors are already in the works too! Make sure you are on the mailing list to be one of the first to know when they will load! You can join the mailing list by visiting the site at www.merceandme.com and entering your email address, then you will be the first to know when items load, any sales or promotions, and information about any new products!

Navy Blue Clara Sock
Whim & Wander maryjanes
UpperLooper Apple dress
©merce&me photography 2017

So with every good news there's always bad new right? Well I'm going to give more good news, and then I will sandwich in some bad news, and end with more good news. You know, soften the blow of the bad news. 😂 If there's one thing I've learned the last lots of months, it's that for every step forward in creating a business, you take half a step backward.

Berry Clara Sock
Old Soles shoes from Just shoes for kids
Olive Mae Clothing Dress
©merce&me photography 2017

Good news! I am getting close to having all the first ever Merce & Me Necessities Brand Reps chosen! There were SO MANY applications. I attempted to count them several times, but then the kids wanted to 'help' so I got lost. I initially was going to chose only 2 reps per size offered (XS, S, M, L), but there were twice as many applications that would fit our size small so I decided to choose twice as many reps as originally planned! Brand Rep notifications will go out on or before August 14th. I think Merce is even more excited for Brand Reps than I am....she loves taking pictures and all, but it's still hot right now and I keep putting her in socks and sweaters. 😂

black clara socks
kpea original halloween dress
primary.com cardigan
©merce&me photography 2017

Not as good news......our fourth size is not yet ready. The manufacturer is custom making the size for me so that our girls that wear size 1y+ shoe can shop too! I have not yet approved a sample, but I am very hopeful about the perfect sample will be on it's way here next week. Our size medium fits Merce and her size 1 foot. So we will launch with socks that fit up to size 13-1, and our size Large will be in as soon as the sample is perfect. I'd rather wait for perfection, than go forward with imperfection. 💕

Speaking of sizing....M&M Necessities uses xs, s, m, l for socks. Sizes are approximate and overlap some because they are stretchy socks! Merce wears a solid size 1y and the medium fits her well, she can also wear the size small for a shorter look.

XS--approximate shoe size 3t-7t

S--approximate shoe size 6t-10t

M--approximate shoe size 10t-1y

L--approximate shoe size 1y-4y* this is an estimate until the final product is in my hand.

Cream Clara Socks
Olive Mae Dress
Mikoleon kids boots
©merce&me photography 2017

More good news! A couple new products are in the works! I cannot wait to show them to you all. They are Ahhhhmazing, and perfect for the upcoming season. 😉

White Clara Sock
Top and Skirt from Eleanor Rose
Manuela de Juan for Persnickety shoes
Adorable Essentials back pack
Kidsccesories hair bow
©merce&me photography 2017

And the last bit of good news before you see the last of our Fall line up: Everything will be ready to ship! 👏

Here's the rest of the 8 color line up! There will be: berry, crimson, cream, navy, mustard, white, black, & steel gray. We have had so much fun matching these colors with Merce's current wardrobe--we hope you do too!

Mustard Clara Sock
Joyfolie Shoes
©merce&me photography 2017

Steel Gray Clara Socks
Zara Shoes
Old Navy Dress
Primary.com Cardi
Walmart hat
©merce&me photography 2017

Crimson Clara Socks
Joyfolie Shoes
©merce&me photography 2017

Monday, August 7, 2017

Trick or Treat

It's August, school is starting (in 3 days whoop-whoop!), it's been unusually cool here in Oklahoma, and all I can think about is Fall. And when I think about Fall I automatically think of pumpkin spice EVERYTHING (yes I'm THAT kind of girl) and Halloween. Luckily, Olive Mae Clothing has the same way of thinking as I do, because look what just showed up in my mailbox!

Olive Mae Clothing Halloween Tunic
Matilda Jane Clothing Amarillo Shorties
Merce & Me Necessities Black Clara socks
Manuela de Juan Solaris Anais Mimi shoe from Just Shoes for Kids
©merce&me photography 2017

This tunic is so fun for Halloween! Merce thought so too, and has now started thinking about what she wants to be for Halloween....a witch is at the top of her list right now. I'm sure there will be a post about that in our near future. 😏

A little birdie told me Olive Mae is busy working on a Halloween release, including a photo shoot happening very soon, and a release not long after that! The little birdie was pretty specific actually.....Thursday August 17th at 10:00 am CST. And there will be a handful of fun Halloween styles to choose from! 😲

For now, let's take a closer look at this one. Merce is wearing a size 6. It was a tight fit. She's 52#, 49" and a 7/8 would be the best size for her. This tunic is one you could easily size up on, maybe even two sizes to wear as a flutter-type dress.

Olive Mae Clothing Halloween Tunic
Matilda Jane Clothing Amarillo Shorties
©merce&me photography 2017

The combination of fabrics couldn't be better on this one! The humorously eerie haunted houses, bats and black cats, the newspaper print, gold stars and the pop of orange on the hem and sleeves to match the bodice. There's so many colors in this top that matching will be a breeze! We chose Amarillo shorties from Matilda Jane....the are under there I promise. They are super old and small and crawl up with every step she takes. I would size up in them but they are almost impossible to find anymore!

Look! There's those shorties. It may be a little cooler here than normal, but it's still close to 90 degrees outside. Our ideal 'cooler weather' match for these would be a pair of black Brooke leggings from Madison Grace Clothing.....if someone could put a bug in the owner's ear for me, that'd be fabulous. 😉 If Merce wanted an edgier look, some deconstructed black jeans and Doc Martens would be the way to go. But until it's routinely in the 70s outside, we will wear our shorties and Merce & Me Necessities Black Clara socks (coming later this month!). I just love these socks, they have that beautiful little scallop on them that give me all the heart eyes. And now....Her shoes. Y'all know I love shoes right? Let's check these out.

Merce & Me Necessities Black Clara socks
Manuela de Juan Solaris Anais Mimi shoe from Just Shoes for Kids.
©merce&me photography 2017

We chose yet another pair of Manuela de Juan flats. This is the Mimi style, identical to the shoes used in two photoshoots for Nelly Madison Clothing Co. It's a classic Mary Jane style with a modern texture. These are gorgeous, and take the color of both red and orange, depending on the lighting and what they are paired with. It's like they are magic! We purchased these from Just Shoes for Kids, they seem to have a selection of shoes that I don't find anywhere else. The owner is super sweet, and the shipping is fast. What more could I ask for?

I'm not sure what you have planned Thursday August 17, 2017 at 10:00 am CST, but I know I will be logged into www.olivemaeclothing.com waiting to cart another Halloween tunic and dress! I hope to see you in the virtual carting line.....unless you're going for the same items and size as me, and then I hope your internet freezes....just for a few seconds. 😂😂

Saturday, August 5, 2017

Back to School with Merce & Eleanor.

School starts here in only FIVE DAYS! No I still don't know what Merce will be wearing the first day, but we now have a new strong contender! This is our first Eleanor Rose purchase in well over a year, but it was a good one!

Hair Bow by Kidscessories
Eleanor Rose Elephants Keara Top
Eleanor Rose Elephants Kristina Skort
merce&me necessities white Clara socks
Manuela de Juan shoes for PersnicketyAdorable Essentials Dottie Backpack
©merce&me photography 2017

We ordered the Keara top and Krstina skort from Eleanor Roses' E is for Elephant remix release, and Merce said it's a keeper! I'm not usually one for re-releasing the same line but the vibrant colors and the gorgeously thought out elephant design and lettering sucked me in hard.

We ordered a 5/6 in both pieces, the Kristina skort fits perfectly and I appreciate that they made it a skort and attached those shorties underneath. I saw those shorties several times tonight during our shoot! The shirt I felt ran a little wide. Merce is a solid 6 in most clothes, and this was not as slim as I expected it to be on her. But it fits and she loved it; the shirt was $24 and the skort $28 which made me happy too. She also insisted we tuck it in........

I don't mind it tucked in! It was a little difficult to keep it taut with the attached shorties in the skort. But that's to be expected. Look at that face! She looks up to something right???

She had a visitor on the set! This is Ranger. He's our 15 week old 'baby'. He photobombed more pictures than I wanted to count. But you know what? His visit resulted in Merce's shirt being untucked. 😂

The skirt material is thick, but it still twirls! She loves to twirl on these floors b/c it's slick and she can just go and go and go....until she falls. And that doesn't usually take long to happen.

The shoes are Manuela de Juan Pietro in blue They were sold through Persnickety last winter. I waited it out and snagged them during a half price sale, $49!! SCORE! They are pretty true to size. Merce is wearing a size 1 comfortably, which is her normal size.

The socks. Aren't they cute?! Merce & Me Necessities Clara socks! They have a cute little scallop trim and will be available in 8 colors this month! She's wearing the classic white here, but so many other colors could go as well!

Merce picked her own hair bow for this shoot. Purple is her favorite color, so of course she picked a purple felt glitter bow from Kidscessories on Facebook! We have several of her bows, and the owner (Isabel) is very friendly and accommodating.

Lastly, her backpack and lunch bag. Adorable Essentials was having a preorder for backpacks this year and I was scrolling through just to see what they had, and I hear this little voice behind me yell (directly in my ear) "I NEED THAT BACKPACK!" and so the Dottie backpack and lunchbox was ordered and delivered very quickly! The lunch bag was only $15 and I feel like that's quite a steal! It's very nicely made, and large enough for her lunch and drink. The softsides help it to accommodate larger containers. The backpack was $29, and it appears to be very well made too! It's a great size for Merce, maybe a tad big, but that's good because she can use it for several years. We opted not to have it monogrammed, but it was an option on the website.

And now, let's look at more pictures! this is my favorite part. 💖 Our original plan included an actual school and green grass and trees. But this is Oklahoma and we have 25mph winds. We had a quick change of plans and I can't say I'm too upset about it!

Still reading? I'd love to know what your little one will be wearing their first day of school! I'd also love to hear about your favorite brands of clothes, shoes and accessories for girls so we can give them a try! 💕

Thursday, August 3, 2017

Back to School--Nelly Style Remix

It's not often that I reuse something in pictures or a blog, other than shoes, but this Hannah and jacket demanded a re-do.

Joyfolie Aviators
Zara Jacket
Nelly Madison Clothing Co Sunshine Hannah dress, sz 4 as a tunic
Old Navy jeans
Old Soles Lady Jane Old Gold Mary Janes from Just Shoes for Kids
©merce&me photography 2017

I think it's important to note that Merce is now 52# and 49". She just keeps growing, and I just keep crawling into the corner to cry.

This jacket seems to run a bit small. She's wearing a size 6. The sleeves are short and she has zero growing room in the width. It's perfect for this picture, but to wear longer we need to size up. It is 100% cotton and nice and thick, not a lot of stretch though. As you can tell from the pictures, even though it's a little small and all cotton, she has no trouble moving! Yes it's all white, but since it's cotton it will clean well.

The Sunshine Hannah is a size 4 and it fits perfect as a tunic. She still has room in the chest of this Hannah. I just love this yellow...not only does it make my heart smile seeing it on Merce, but I have yet to see a skin tone it didn't compliment. And yes, it still twirls as a tunic.

Zara Jacket
Nelly Madison Clothing Co Sunshine Hannah dress, sz 4 as a tunic
Old Navy jeans
Old Soles Lady Jane Old Gold Mary Janes from Just Shoes for Kids
©merce&me photography 2017

Her jeans are a boyfriend cut from Old Navy last year. They are obviously too short but we just cuffed them and they work just fine! They are a 6 regular with an adjustable waist. She still has room in the waist and it's no longer adjusted.

Hair Bow from Lacey Lane
Joyfolie Aviators
Zara Jacket
Nelly Madison Clothing Co Sunshine Hannah dress, sz 4 as a tunic
Old Navy jeans
Old Soles Lady Jane Old Gold Mary Janes from Just Shoes for Kids
©merce&me photography 2017

The shoes. 💖 Finally we get to discuss the shoes. These are Old Gold Mary Janes from Old Soles. Merce was blessed with the opportunity to rep for Just Shoes for Kids, and they sent us these shoes. I'm so happy they did! Honestly we may not have picked them out ourselves from the website, and we would have missed out completely! These are amazing beautiful......gold leather with a "hook and loop" closure And the best part, that you don't see much in kids' shoes?! ARCH SUPPORT. Yes. This shoe has arch support.

This is such a fun, sassy little outfit. She wasn't too sure about it to begin with, but once she got it on I turned a little Radio Disney on and she danced and sang, and spread sass all through the neighborhood. You can tell when a little girl loves something. Her face lights up and you can see her personality radiating from her soul. There's just something special about little girls....and I am especially excited to see what this one accomplishes in her life. Her current career goal is to be Cinderella at Disney World. Dream Big, Little One. Dream Big.

Hair Bow from Lacey Lane
Zara Jacket
Nelly Madison Clothing Co Sunshine Hannah dress, sz 4 as a tunic
Old Navy jeans
Old Soles Lady Jane Old Gold Mary Janes from Just Shoes for Kids
©merce&me photography 2017