Leopard print and thank you

First of all I want to thank all of you who wrote me an email and left baby product advice on the last post. I've listed down all of your suggestions and advice and it has been SO HELPFUL! I've responded to about half of the emails and I'm working my way through the rest so if I haven't responded yet, don't think I'm a meany ;P

Daryl bought me this lovely leopard print shirt a couple of weeks ago and I tried fitting it over my belly on Tuesday and it BARELY fit! I'm pretty sure this shirt will only get worn one more time until baby gets here. Also after taking these pictures I realized I was in need of a fringe trim, you can barely see my eyeballs. I ended up getting a trim yesterday and I can see again, hooray.

In other news, we bought our first DSLR camera and I'm so excited to learn how to use it! I've been messing around with it for the last day and can't wait to test it out! I'm currently on the hunt for a cute camera bag, I've bookmarked a few that I'm highly considering. I think I will do a blog post sometime later today or tomorrow with my top picks so look out for that!

Blouse: Wholesale Dress

Jeans: Pac Sun

Shoes: Blowfish

Necklace: Forever 21

HAPPY FRIDAY FRIENDS!

Friday Favorites

BEAUTY & THE FEAST: DESSERT TO DIE FOR 

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In this post, Allie shares about this amazing little place that has to die for desserts! That shake and cake look absolutely delicious and I'm not even a cake person so that's saying something (;

HOUSE OF TONG: LUSH GREEN

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Tiffany shares some gorgeous pictures of the Ko'olau Mountain Range. Her pictures make me want to take a vacation to a tropical paradise!

THE BRADLEYS: COLLECTING VINTAGE COOKBOOKS

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Elizabeth has a unique hobby and collects vintage cookbooks. She likes how they go more into depth and how people spent a lot more time cooking back in the day. 

SCUTTLE: MEET MY FRIENDS CARRIE & ARIA

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Holly looks absolutely stunning in her most recent outfit post. I absolutely love the fun combination of colors.

BILLIE JEAN: DECORATING THE BEEHIVE

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Crystal recently went shopping for antique furniture and I love all of the little bits and pieces she purchased. Aren't those chairs pictured above so cute?!

SPARKLING FOOTSTEPS: PRIMARY COLORS

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Lynzy looks amazing as always in this primary colors inspired outfit. I fell in love with her shoes but she didn't post a 640x480 shot of them. If you have a minute you should go check out her full blog post!

MISS HEPBURN PRESENTS: FUZZY FRIENDS AND MAYBE A LITTLE FASHION

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I love Adelyns mustard colored top and her bag, such a perfect look for fall! I also love how her neighbors dog George decided to pop in and join her photo shoot (;

PS: The winner(s) of the Group Giveaway were announced HERE last night. 

Attention all mamas with babies/toddlers

Daryl's mom and dad are coming down to Utah to visit tomorrow and I'm pretty excited. We are going to go shopping for some baby necessities and I can't wait! One of my favorite things to do these days is to wander aimlessly through baby aisles at super markets or actual baby stores and see all of the darling things I want to buy. 

But to be 100% honest guys, I have NO IDEA what I NEED for my baby boy. I'm kind of freaking out here but there's this handy little list on this site that I will probably make an organized list out of and check off things as the months go by. 

I would absolutely love for all of you current mamas to give me some advice on your favorite products/things you can't live without. I'd also like opinions on things you don't like or refuse to buy for whatever reason. I've done quite a bit of research on my own but it's always nice to hear from actual moms and their experiences. Feel free to leave a comment below or if you'd rather email me at dearestlou@gmail.com that'd be great. He's going to be here in less than 3 months and that thought alone is both exciting and mind-boggling (:

Thanks in advance!

Jeans: Gap

Shirt: Thrifted

Oxfords: Target

Under shirt: Forever 21

Necklace: Giveaway win

Fedora: Don't remember

PS: Today is the last day to enter the Group Giveaway!
PSS: Click to see if you are one of the winners of the SHY Boutique Giveaway or Sheinside Giveaway.

Maternity Series >> 27 weeks

Belt: Thrifted

Shirt: Forever 21

Earrings: Forever 21

Skirt: Shy Boutique

Boots: Urban Outfitters

Crochet vest: Forever 21

PS: Attention all female readers, I saw this skirt on Shy Boutiques fb page and knew I had to have it. I highly recommend it and for only $21 it was a steal (pregnant readers order a size up). Today is the last day to enter the Shy Boutique giveaway, you could easily use some of your $50 credit towards it (;

Fun Fact: I'm exactly 27 weeks on the 27th of August. It's the only time in my entire pregnancy that it will line up like that.

Fabulously Vintage Giveaway (CLOSED)

Drum roll please. Have you heard of the etsy shop Fabulously Vintage? Well if you haven't, you are in for a treat! The lovely Shannon owner of Fabulously Vintage is offering one lucky Dearest Lou reader a $30 credit to her shop! Fabulously Vintage has some of the cutest vintage pieces on the web and I know all of you vintage lovers will adore everything!

Here are my top picks that I would use my $30 credit towards:

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There are 2 mandatory requirements to keep in mind:

1)You must follow Fabulously Vintage Blog via GFC

2)You must be a follower of Dearest Lou via GFC

**If you fail to follow the mandatory requirements I will be forced to pick another winner, sorry!**

Contest is open worldwide. One lucky winner will be selected and notified via email on September 4th. Thanks friends and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

UPDATE 9/7:
Congratulations Jessi, I will be contacting you in the next little while so look out for my email! As for everyone else, thanks so much for entering and supporting my blog! There will be another great giveaway shortly.

Pretty dress and back pains

The weather is finally beginning to cool down! It's no where near autumn temperatures but at least it's in the 80's. I wore this little outfit on our date to Five Guys last night. It was actually freezing in there so I'm glad I layered up. Plus I think my bump looked super cute in this outfit. I got this dress at Zara for only $9.99! I love the color and I think it's a great layering piece for fall. I've attached the link below for those of you who may be interested in purchasing it.

I'm happy to say that I'm feeling a lot better than I was earlier this week! Baby boys movements are getting stronger each day and my energy levels are going up. The only negative thing I've been experiencing as of late is having lower back pains. It's probably normal during this stage of pregnancy and I didn't have a strong muscle-y back before I got pregnant so let the fun begin (;

I've noticed that Baby Harvard has been moving around more when he hears familiar voices like when Daryl and I have a conversation or my sister talks to him. It's really cool! I wonder if he's beginning to figure out who everyone is. . maybe I'm crazy for even thinking that! At my last doctors appointment my doctor scheduled me to do the glucose test next week. I'm honestly scared out of my mind because I HATE NEEDLES!! I don't know how to express this over text but if you ask anyone who has been with me during a shot or when they draw blood it's quite the show.

Dress: Zara || Boots & Cardigan: Urban Outfitters || Necklace: TJ Maxx || Belt: Thrifted

PS:I haven't gone through and moderated most of your sweet comments.

I'm usually pretty good at commenting back in a timely matter but things have been busy.

I promise I will get on it lickety-split (;

Friday Favorites

BEAUTY & THE FEAST: AN AGE-OLD DILEMMA

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In this post, Allie questions the age-old question on whether or not you can be friends with an ex. In her comments she had some really good feed back. If you have an opinion on how to help a girl out head on over to Beauty and the Feast!

HOUSE OF TONG: SHARING YOUR BELIEFS

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I absolutely adore Tiffany's "Sharing Your Beliefs" video. It's truly inspiring and reminds me of how to always be positive and uplifting to those around you. Please take a moment and watch it either here or on her blog (;

FRILLS FOR THRILLS: MY BABY SHOWER

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Sarah had her baby shower last Saturday and everything looked so lovely. Sarah looked especially adorable in her mustard colored dress and heels. I hope I look that amazing at 32 weeks!

CHALK WHITE ARROW: NEW YORK PART 1

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Sara recently went on vacation to New York for her birthday and it sounds like she had the time of her life. She was even gifted a new fancy camera to take pictures of her vacation. Go take a gander.

FABULOUSLY VINTAGE: VINTAGE CHEVRON SUIT

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I'm absolutely in love with this chevron swimming suit from Fabulously Vintage. Chevron is so in right now and this bad boy is currently on sale! I would totally purchase it if I wasn't pregnant right now.

HELLO MISS KELLY: WHY I *DON'T* BLOG

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Do you ever feel like you are in a rut and don't have anything to blog about? Do you ever wonder why you bother blogging? Kelly expresses the reasons why she sometimes doesn't blog and how she is trying to find a direction for Hello Miss Kelly. I love how she wants her blog to reflect her and not someone else. Go check it out!

STYLE GURYL: PREPARING FOR FALL

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Saini looks absolutely adorable in this little outfit. Her polka dotted top is a perfect staple piece for fall. I can't wait to see her other fall looks (;

Sponsor in September

It's that time of the month again.. the awkward call for sponsors, yay! (;

I'm accepting sponsors for the month of September and beyond. If you are interested in sponsoring my blog next month, first of all, thank you! I'm planning on adding a new DIY series to the blog and will be entering into my third and final trimester. You can find all of the information about my statistics, sizes, and rates here. Looking for other ways to be part of Dearest Lou? Additional opportunities for promotion can also be found on my sponsor page. 

PS: I have ONE solo feature spot left for 2012 during the month of December! If you would like the front and center spot at the top of my page, email me (:

August Group Sponsor Giveaway (CLOSED)

Hello Friends it’s time for this month’s group giveaway! This month there are 10 lovely prizes up for grabs and there will be 10 lucky winners. In order to qualify for each of the prizes you MUST follow the entry rules on rafflecopter and then you can do the additional entries if you want a higher chance of winning. You can enter 1 giveaway or all 10 it is completely up to you. ::winks:: Group giveaway is open to all Dearest Lou readers thru August 28th. Winners will be announced August 29th. Good luck!

[photo taken by: bleubird vintage]

Sara from Chalk White Arrow is giving away a customized light from her light shop, a $100 value! Giveaway is open  to readers with a US mailing address only! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Holly from Scuttle is giving away a $15 gift card to Anthropologie! 

Giveaway is open internationally!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Erin from Simply Just Lovely is giving away a necklace of the winners choice from her shop!

Giveaway is open to readers with a US mailing address only!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lynzy from Sparkling Footsteps is giving away "Big Spender" ad space on her blog, a $35 value!

Giveaway is open internationally!

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Crystal from Billie Jean is giving away an 18 inch initialed necklace from her shop, a $28 value!

Giveaway is open to readers with a US mailing address only!

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Megan from Freckled Italian is giving away a medium ad space for the month of September!

Giveaway is open internationally!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Elizabeth from The Bradley's is giving away an ad space and guest post on her blog!

Giveaway is open internationally!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Gentri from Gentri Lee is giving away a large ad space for the month of October, a $20 value!

Giveaway is open internationally!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 Abbey from Along Abbey Road is giving away a $15 credit to her shop!

Giveaway is open internationally!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Breana from My Beautiful, Crazy Life is giving away a medium ad space on her blog, a $15 value!

Giveaway is open internationally!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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UPDATE: 8/30
And the winners are:
Custom Light from Chalk White Arrow: THERESA SUTTON (REESE)
$15 Gift Card to Anthropologie from Scuttle: CALLI WELSCH
Necklace of winners choice from Simply Just Lovely: BELLA MOSQUEDA
Large Ad from Sparkling Footsteps: ELISE TIRALLI
Initialed Hand Stamped Necklace from Billie Jean: MCKENSIE FERGUSON
Medium Ad Space from Freckled Italian: MISH RENDON
Ad Space and Guest Post from The Bradley's: PHOEBE
Large Ad Space for October from Gentri Lee: LAURA WHITMAN
$15 Shop Credit to Sprightly So.: JENNI OPROSKO
Medium Ad Space on My Beautiful, Crazy Life: ABBEY HARRIS

I have sent all of you ladies emails, so check your inboxes!