Myla month-by-month: 5 months

So I'm like two weeks late on this post but on the 21st of last month, Myla turned 5 months. It's crazy how quickly time is flying. It seems like she has developed a whole new side to her personality since last month and I love it. Here is what she has been up to:

• Still rolling like a steamroller.
• She only sleeps on her tummy now.
• Myla is a growler. Don't know why but she loves to growl.
• This little one loves to be sung to.
• Extremely ticklish in so many places: neck, armpits, tummy, and her cute little thighs.
• Sucks on her tiny thumb.
• She has a tiny little tooth that cut through (ouch), but she took it like a champ.
• Had her first baby food meal of avocado mixed with some delicious breastmilk. She loved it.
• Falls asleep on her own for naps and at night with little to no fuss.

Myla is a petite little girl with a lot of energy and spunk. She smiles at anyone with a face and we couldn't be happier to have her.

Look at those long and skinny feet of hers! They are the cutest! The headband she's wearing can be found in my Etsy shop <here>.

I have been trying to up my photography skills by taking more artistic photographs. In these photos I used a lot of natural light. Whenever I take photos, I turn off the lights, pull up the blinds and start shooting. That sun is seriously one of God's greatest creations. I don't plan to become a photographer but I love the practice. Someday I hope to get an 85mm lens but unfortunately that won't be anytime soon.

Positive thinking: I've been really into vampire diaries lately. I had my reservations (it being about vampires and all), but I really like it! It's more than what I expected it to be. Cleaning is always more exciting while watching Netflix.

Looking forward to: My sister Julie is a presenter for the makeup company Younique. She is doing so good with it too! I have been using their 3D fiber lashes and they are totally different than anything I've ever seen in a mascara. I am doing a tutorial and product review for her and I am so excited to show you this crazy eyelash goodness!

xoxo, Missy Dorius

Grand opening of DailyMade!

As promised, today is the grand opening of my new Etsy shop, DailyMade! That's right, it's officially up and running and I am so excited about it. Thanks for all of the love and support you have all shown me. I am especially grateful for my wonderful husband John for sticking with me during my never ending entrepreneurial endeavors. He is the greatest.

Of course Myla is my little model. However, these headbands come in 4 sizes: newborn, infant, child, and adult. Now you and your little one can match!

Currently we hold four different fabric prints: floral ivory, charcoal scallops, modern stitches, and pink scallops. I love, love, LOVE these prints. I ordered them from Fabric Worm from the Bari J. Ackerman, Emmy Grace collection. All fabrics are jersey knit so they have a good stretch to them. These headbands actually stay on too. I am not sure why but they even stay on Myla's head and she is my little wiggle-worm. 

In honor of the grand opening, I am offering free shipping on all purchases with this coupon code: GRANDOPENING. This coupon will run now clear through Saturday so hurry while you can! As time goes on I will be adding more styles and fabrics. Stay tuned!

Positive thinking: Myla woke up with an eye infection yesterday and I have heard time and time again that a few drops of breastmilk is the best thing you can do. I dropped some in Myla's eye every time she would nurse and when she woke up this morning it was almost all healed. Man that stuff is magical. I am so happy to be able to breastfeed her.

Looking forward to: I know this Etsy stuff is going to be a huge learning process and I am so excited for it. I need something to keep me busy other than Myla, so everybody put in your orders!

xoxo, Missy Dorius

Diy 02: Crib bumpers

Remember how I was tackling making Myla's crib bumpers? Well I finally finished them and I am so happy with how they turned out. When I was pregnant I decided I would save some money and make Myla's bedding. Well after doing a lot of research I learned that the trend of crib bumpers is dying down because it can increase the risk of SIDS. So I decided to hold off on them until she got older and actually needed them for safety purposes. Well the need for bumpers came a lot sooner than I expected. Myla rolls and moves around like crazy during her naps and at night. Plus we let Myla put herself to sleep so if she gets stuck while she's winding down then she gets so mad. I don't blame her. There's still that SIDS risk but Myla is strong enough to roll around and hold her head up if she needs to so I am not too worried. 

Anyways, I am not going to do a tutorial for this one because I am still a pretty amateur seamstress and there are a lot of steps in this project. The tutorial I followed was found on a blog called Embracing the Unexpected. The link to it is found <here.> It's a really awesome tutorial with very clear steps and explanations.

Thanks for checking out my blog again. All of the page views make me feel so great about myself so keep on coming back please!

Positive thinking: Tana got me out of bed this morning to go to a barre workout class. Usually Myla wakes me up like clockwork but today she didn't so I was late. Anyways I pretty much missed the whole class so I decided to stay for the full body class afterwards. It was such a good workout and I was pretty much dying by the end of it. Tana was sweet enough to stay with me even though she was already exhausted from her first workout! Holy wow she is such a good friend.

Looking forward to: I have decided to do something kind of crazy and I am excited to share it with you all. Unfortunately it deserves a post of its own so you will just have to wait until then!

xoxo, Missy Dorius

Diy 01: Knotted sailor headband

The other day I posted a picture of my latest project on Facebook and got a lot of tutorial requests so I decided to give it a whirl! This is a sailor knot headband made out of a t-shirt that always fit me weird. It was surprisingly easy and the headband stays on so well. I always have a problem with headbands slipping off whenever I wear them. I took the pictures out on my patio to take advantage of the awesome sunlight. Light just makes images look so much clearer! So just ignore the cement background.

First I cut 1 1/2-2" strips out of a t-shirt. Don't worry about making them perfect because you won't even be able to notice when it is all finished. For this headband I used four strands. You can do six if you want to make it thicker but it just needs to be an even number.

Then just join your strips into two and follow along step by step.

From here, just pull the ends and tighten. You can make your knot as tight or loose as you would like.

Now if you want to break out the sewing machine here to join the back then go ahead! All I did was take a smaller strip of fabric and tied the two loops together with a simple knot.

And voila! This is super easy to make. Plus it's a great way to recycle unwanted t-shirts! 

I of course had to make one for Myla too. I just cut the strips in half to do this since her head is obviously smaller. 

Just look at that adorable little face! Thanks for checking out this tutorial. I plan to do more in the future so I would love it if you would follow along!

Positive thinking: When John got home from work last night he took care of Myla so I could go get some groceries. It has been a while since I have ran errands without Myla with me and I was pleasantly surprised that I got hit on by two men. Of course I only have eyes for John but it was flattering that I caught their attention. Thank you random strangers. 

Looking forward to: Last week I caught a little stomach bug. I don't know what it was but it was not very fun. The next day my allergies kicked in and then that evening I got a terrible sore throat. Since then I have been struck with an icky cough for the last three days. I am finally starting to feel better and I cannot wait until I am back to my old healthy self. Fingers crossed for good health!

xoxo, Missy Dorius

Blessing Myla

We blessed Myla last week on Mother's day and I am getting around to editing and sharing the photos with you all! I got brave and actually made her dress and headband. This is the first piece of clothing I have ever attempted and I am so happy with how it turned out! It is ivory lace with little sequins all over. The only problem is that it is not super cozy. Myla's poor little arms had little scratches on them from the sequins. Note taken! Good thing she only had to wear it once.

My grandmother Goldie was a quilter. She made so many blankets in her lifetime. She made all of my siblings these silky soft blankets to give to their first babies when they were born. Before she passed away, she made one for me to give to my firstborn. I have kept it in a pillowcase for over 7 years. Well, I finally got to use it. When I pulled it out of the pillowcase I held the soft material up to my face and I got a good whiff of it. It smelt just like her and so many memories flooded to mind. I hope Myla will love it just as much as she grows older. It is beautiful ivory which is why I made Myla's dress ivory instead of the traditional white.

My family reunion was going on at the time so everyone was there except for my sister Amy. John's parents drove from Spokane, Washington and his sister Dolly came with her kids from Burley, Idaho. It was so good to be surrounded by so many loved ones. Plus John did such a great job at her blessing! I was definitely one nervous mom sitting there, just hoping Myla wouldn't cry during the blessing. From now on we will be sure to bless the rest of our babies when they're so sleepy. 

xoxo, Missy Dorius