Hannah and Thea

Hi, Today's blog is about headbands as we have a fair few in Thea's collection!

i say a fair few it could be worse i tend to put Thea in the same few and have a couple that i got to match certain outfits or dresses. 

My love of headbands started before Thea was even born! i blame Pinterest and Instagram i saw so many new born photography with babies in headbands! which lead me to go on Etsy where i bought the first thing for Thea after we found out she was a girl, a white hand made oversized bow from Australia - I could have found an English seller but i was over excited and from Australia seemed more fancy ha ha, i wanted  a simple style white bow for what i kept thinking i would use for her birth announcement pic - i didn't count on feeling like i had been hit by a bus after the labour and c section - it took me four days to get a pic of her wearing it and it wasn't as photogenic as the ones i had been looking at ha ha but i still love the pic and her first headband i have yet to buy more of this style in patterns and colours! 

places i buy from - top place would be amazon- so many choices and designs from headband bows to head wraps which i have yet to try i'm to into the bows to try anything else! 

amazon have great prices for headbands ans most of the ones i order are from china at a super cheap price of no joke 29p and shipping is maybe a few pounds so all round great, my fave amazon ones are the soft washer woman style technically on the website as tonsee rabbit bow ear headband. 

i only bought this style in pink and white as they seem to match most of Thea's outfits and i think she find these the most comfy to wear as she rarely attempts to pull them off!

i did order a red one from another brand but i found the bow part to big and have only used it once so far as the red is more of an orange red i was searching for a true red for Christmas - happened to find the perfect one more on that later..

other amazon ones i bought are a grey and pink one to match a grey and pink dress dom bought for Thea i could have used the white amazon but i wanted something that matched it more, i also got a white satin gem flower one which goes with loads but Thea doesnt like wearing it as much as the others i think this is because its smaller and the material is not as soft as the others! the grey one was £1.48p and the white one was £1.02 both free uk delivery 

a new find for the most adorable hand made bows and headbands which i just love and Thea wears this headband the most is from a company called little dotties bowtique on instagram and facebook, my sister actually sent me a pic from her insta page and knowing how much i love a headband said i should check out the bows as she knew i would love them and she wasn't wrong! 

any headband or bow combo you can think of and custom orders! 

so far i have one band as i said but i intend on expanding this into a collection and i shall be getting Thea's first birthday band from this company as you can ask for custom designs, so to my point i was on the hunt for a Christmas band for Christmas day and the festive season and the bow maker had posted a beautiful set of small bows which was made in headband form also so i jumped at the chance to get one who doesn't love red and red glitter?! i also bought one for Thea's baby friend to wear for a festive baby photo session with matching jumpers! yes we love Christmas that much! 

long story short these headbands do not disappoint they are very well made and a good size you order age according which can be risky as not all babies have the same size head! both bands fit really well and look super cute and this sounds weird but they photograph so well - when the bands arrived i tried it on Thea she was in a baby grow and the light wasn't the best but the bow looked great in the pics and every photo ive done since the band just looks lovely  i cant recommend this company enough! and i love that its a independent brand.

This headband goes with so much festive jumpers and baby grows and even some tops and dresses that i wouldn't have thought it would have looked good with but it does! i'm sure if i had one in white Thea would live in it, i love that it holds its shape and that Thea finds it  comfortable to wear! i love that  it fits well and that it was a great price and its helping an independent company for both bands it was under £9.00 and i think even the custom ones are a similar price! all round by far my fave new place to get bands from if you couldn't tell from my facebook and insta page!

Hi , today's blog is about another makeup brand i love and i can honestly say i love this brand of eye shadow more than mac! big statement i know if i was reading this as a makeup wearer i would be thinking impossible! i had no idea a drugstore brand could make eye shadows this blend-able  and this creamy and dreamy ha ha!

smokey black eye using just a black and warm brown warm brown from comfort zone black from blue had me at hello

comfort zone eye shadow looks washed out as it has an insta filter over the top!

blue had me at hello

blue had me at hello

petal pusher

blue had me at hello shades

Hi, today's blog is about the tomee tipee perfect prep machine! 

When I told my friends and family that I was thinking about buying this machine there was a mixed response, some people thought it would be a good time saver , others said I was being lazy and why not just do it like everyone has been for years with the kettle. 

I am in no way saying you must get this machine I am expressing my views as I chose to buy this product it is personal choice like formula feeding vs breast feeding! 

Yes this can be seen as lazy and yes you may not a agree but for me I am glad I got this machine it took all the worry of is it cold enough out of bottle making as a new parent I had many bottle issues some of which are silly like the is it cold enough ?! But I found having the machine that makes the bottle to room temp a help and also night feeds were quicker instead of hanging around cooling the bottles or waiting for the kettle to boil I could make a bottle in less than a few mins. 

It has also been great when Thea is so hungry she won't wait it's so quick this really isn't an issue as it would be if you hadn't pre - cooled your bottle for feed time !

not my kitchen or machine  image taken from google! pic showing the machine dispensing the second load of room temp water

I had read and watched many reviews on the machine again mixed bag some loved it some hated  it and when I finally decided to get it I did wonder if I was doing the right thing due to the way the bottles were made - to achieve room temp in under 2 mins the machine gives 1 ounce  of boiled water and then the remaining ounces in room temp water via a filter , now bottle making rules change all the time back when I was little you could store them in the fridge all day if you wanted these days it seems you can't and have to boil the water and make as you go - now yes I understand that the boiled water will kill any germs in the formula making it safer and full feeds boiled would of course be better than 1 ounce.

Now when my midwife saw I was using the machine on a visit she said she had been advised to ask parents not to use the machine because of the fact that the machine only gave a small amount of boiled water therefore not killing the bacteria or germs in the formula, and she had seen reports of mould growing in the water filter tank - yes I see this is horrible and not safe but we clean ours regularly and we change the filter regularly therefore no mould has the chance to grow the water is not in there long enough to cause a build up of stagnant water. 

And as I had used it from day one I and hadn't noticed Thea was unwell from it or anything bad and I even facebooked asked other mums if they had it and how they felt incase I really shouldn't be using it but all of the mums who had one said they had used it their kids were ok and healthy so it really put my mind at ease so I have continued to use it and even my family members who hated it at first have come around to how quick and easy it is and how much time it saves !

filters for the machine- they last 3 months

Yes the health concerns worries me and yes I do wonder did if I did the right thing by buying it but as Thea is now 6 months her body is growing and is less likely to pick up any formula issue regarding germs I feel ok to continue to use it i did also question if that was the cause of the reflux and sickness at first but we know for sure it's not due to the formula changes and skin issues it was in no way related to the machine it was the milk protein allergy that was causing the sickness. 

As this crossed my mind more after the midwife told me to stop using it ! 

Overall it is personal choice and I find it to be helpful and safe in my case and there were no reports on kids being unwell from the machine jut that mould can grow ?! 

Anyway enough of the politics if formula feed  or breast feed someone will judge you and so machine or no machine is really a personal thing ! And health risks can be in any form of feeding ! 

So the machine itself I like and I find it easy to clean was easy to set up and easy to work however my biggest issue with this machine is the fact that it is so sensitive to heat that if it's hot out the machine will not work until it is cool enough so no warm water when filling and you can't use it if your kitchen is hot ?! Out flat is 27 on a day with no heating and it's normal temp outside so you can imagine the machines reaction to our flat ! So many times over the summer we had to chuck in ice to get it working! And that was very annoying and frustrating ! - this was mentioned in reviews but I didn't understand why it was an issue until I experienced it for myself ! Day in day out in the summer!

not my machine or kitchen image taken from google! image showing the ounce settings on the dial

To be honest that is my only issue with the product I like how easy it is to change the setting when the feeds go up in ounce and I love how easy it is to work and use.
all in all as i only have one issue with the product i'm glad we got it, the other issue that came up on reviews was that the machine beeps loudly during making the bottle to alert you to add the formula - this is not an issue for me it never woke Thea up or bothers us during the day!
we bought the back to nature starter set to go with this machine although we bought this first and eventually got the machine the bottles fit and everything can be used the kit has everything you need its a great starter pack for anyone looking for one! - most bottles fit the machine we also used Dr browns.

thanks for reading hope this review helps if your searching for this machine or just curious!
hope to write again soon
Hannah and Thea xx

back to nature starter kit we bought it in black!

Hi, today we talk all things Halloween!

Halloween and Christmas are my fav times of year so much so I take the decorating a little to far even the bathroom gets some festive decs around these times! 

I hope when Thea is older she shares my excitement for Halloween and Christmas! 

I thought I would write a Quick blog on quick and easy costumes for babies, I'm writing this after a long night of no sleep a lot of crying and constant struggle to stop Thea itching - we tried some new foods which set her skin and sickness off to a new level of BAD ! So the

Last few days and nights have been a struggle  so forgive me if there are spelling mistakes and things I haven't noticed during the typing and checking before publishing this today is Saturday 29th so I  wanted to have the Halloween blog up and ready for  the 31st ! 

So massive costume fail on my part for Thea's first Halloween I got her a pumpkin all in one but it was massive and I didn't get the chance to exchange it for the smaller size I got 6-9 but thea is still on 0-3 mostly baby grow wise ?! Why I thought it would fit who knows I got excited was shopping with my sister at the time and we saw the adult Halloween t shirt section ha ha that sounds weird !!
( nothing weird I just mean big people t shirts !)

So Thea actually has no costume but before I ordered a couple of random easy and

Quick Halloween / baby photography costumes that could be good for last min options 

The first one I got was a lady bird I just had in mind that I could photo it for Halloween and also use it for a photo shoot

For my sisters new born since I have been  off work I've been attempting to do some baby photography mostly with Thea! Just for fun I really enjoy the creative side of it, so I thought great a double use for that costume! I love it think it's really cute and easy if you needed a quick costume only thing is you would need a black baby grow - hardest thing to find I swear ! For the pics it was just a nappy but for actually using it as a costume baby grow is needed !

The hat is easy and cute and fits Thea well a tad big for my sisters new born but laying down to photo it you would never know ! The shell was cute tho a few of the dots were falling off my the end of the photos ! And it doesn't attach to anything as it is made for

New borns who don't move but this is easily solved by some ribbon so you can use it as a costume which I'm panning to do for Thea as we have a fancy dress party coming up !



The second one I got was a peacock costume which I gravitated towards because of the headband and the colours no one else likes this costume ! Anyway it's again needing a black baby grow if it was to be used as a costume but the tail part attaches around the waist and the headband is cute could even be used for a 40s theme it's great for new born photos it's actual purpose!
The third one I got again a photography outfit really was a little rabbit one which is a hat and a bottom part that cover and attaches like a nappy - best way to describe it ! This one is easy with a white baby grow under it ! All of these are cheap and quick and easy! 

The only other Halloween thing we have done is go pumpkin picking with my sister and her 3 girls which was fun and we had our traditional hocus pocus night with our friend Alex it's not Halloween without watching hocus !
My pumpkin carving skills is so bad I can't even bring myself  to upload the pic I wanted to do jack from nightmare before Christmas but ended up using the wrong knife and ended up doing a ghost face which then I messed up and it caved in on itself so now it looks like Micky mouse!
Next time I'm letting my sister Laura do my one she's really good a carving them ! And my sisters husband is always doing really good ones for the girls !



I hope one year we can spend Halloween in America ! I think that would be super cool much more festive than here maybe!  I've seen those Halloween stores jam packed with Halloween goodness! In America , While we get small sections in supermarkets and of course fancy dress shops but it's just not the same here! Would be so cool to have a massive Halloween shop ! And maybe some different Halloween sweets!





We hope you have a spooky Halloween!
Thanks for reading
Hannah and Thea
XxX 

For makeup photos same as baby photos i use INSTAGRAM most but recently i found another app that i love which is ENLIGHT another app i also love and used for my own bump pictures was AFTERLIGHT - great for shadow shots and editing backgrounds not so great for me personally for filters i much prefer insta or enlight! PICFX is one of my most used apps so there is a section on that.
  this is how i edit my photos i am not a professional and i just do it my spare time!  if your a new mum or expecting or have a little one this blog will show some quick and easy ways to get cute photos! the makeup ones are always inspired by photos i see in makeup books or on pinterest!
anyone who knows me well enough will laugh as most of these are colour filters but my fav baby photos are often classic black and white!
As this is a quick little blog if you wanted full app details and a more in depth look youtube is full of tutorials on these apps i just play around with them so i may not be using them to the full potential!

As shown i open insta with a original un-touched photo it takes all of a few seconds to scroll along and see which filter compliments the makeup or if it was a baby photo i would look for outfit colours and which filter brings them out or enhances the light or exposure of the photo.

so as shown in the pic i went for the filter nashville for this photo as it enhances the colour of makeup and hair and evens out the skin as i'm not wearing any other makeup other than eye and lip! insta is the quickest and easiest of the edit apps for me often i barely change the photo! most people use insta so i dont need to go into detail!

ENLIGHT  

I love Enlight for more fun filters you can mix colours in various ways in a mix of combos to create some cool effects as shown below 

this is a duo effect filter, this is one of my most used apps and filter overlay options, you can do a range of combos and a range of shapes and pick the colours you want if you dont want to use the pre set ones
the Elight app has great filters under the analog section which same as the duo you can choose if you want to change them up by using the direction of the colour or mixing or adding colour if you click on tools under any of the filters you can do simple changes like brightness, exposure,shadow,highlight and definition - you could for a super quick edit do that in your i phone camera settings no need for a separate app! 

In Enlight as i said you can choose the direction of the duo filter and the colour which means you and highlight any particular part of the photo for example you could choose one part to highlight the hair only slightly creating a ombre colour look or highlight the skin or face and not the other parts keeping them more defined in the original colours 

duo ombre colour example on one of my makeup looks this photo was taken in day light and i used insta to darken the background and then added a duo filter over the top in Enlight

original image no filters