April 2013 - Page 2 of 2 - Popcorn and Pandas

It’s A………….!!!!!

I interrupt the Guilty Jean jewelry series for a very special announcement!!! The hubby and I went to the doctor on Friday for our anatomy ultrasound for Little Monkey. We opted not to find out the sex of the baby that day. However, we decided to plan a little surprise reveal for ourselves. We had the nurse write down the sex and place it in a sealed envelope along with the ultrasound photograph of “the goods.” We then took the envelope along with a large empty box to Hallmark and asked them to fill the box with either pink or blue balloons depending on whether Little Monkey was a girl or boy. Yes…the Hallmark employees knew before we did! They wrapped the box up beautifully, and when we opened it…SURPRISE!!! Our friend, Justin, was gracious enough to spend the day with us and document this special moment. We are so thankful for the many photographs he took and time he spent working on them. I think they turned out fantastic. Scroll down to see the big reveal for yourselves!

8626424952_98cc2ddcfa_b — Boy…or Girl???

8626924023_36442d17b4_b — Opening the card with ultrasound from the doc

8628977139_13bfaccf24_b — Proof of “the goods”

8626905787_134c6cf259_b — So excited for our Baby Boy!

8628783810_3f6420d5bf_b — So in love and so excited for the newest addition of the Notes Family to arrive!

Photography by Justin Goldberg of Eudora Video Solutions

Were you surprised? Or did you “know” already?

As you can see by the photos above, Zack and I were clearly shocked! It was such a magical day, and I’m glad we decided to do something fun and a little different to reveal the sex of Little Monkey. We are so excited for our little bundle of joy, and cannot wait for our Baby Boy to get here in September. I already ended up buying him his first onesie today at Brooklyn Flea. I mean, come on. There was a panda on it. You can’t blame me.

We had such an amazing weekend, and it is definitely one we will remember. We are so glad we have these photos to capture our surprise and excitement of this day, and I look forward to showing them to our Little Boy one day.

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend!

XO,

Gina

Preppy With A Twist {Guilty Jean Series #2}

Here is my 2nd look from the Guilty Jean photo shoot over the weekend. I was definitely enjoying the sunshine on this beautiful, glorious Saturday! For this look, I purposefully chose the same Guilty Jean jewelry pieces as my last outfit post to show how versatile this line can be. Even if you don’t see yourself as someone who is “edgy” or “punk rock,” you can still glam up your look with Guilty Jean’s designs. This particular look gives the preppy business casual girl a little edge. I love how these pieces work so well with a variety of different personal styles, and I plan to rock these jewels no matter what I’m wearing!

Photos by: Zack Notes / Edited by: Myself

Yellow Button Down: GAP / Blazer: GAP / Jeans: Motherhood Maternity / Pretty Little Evil Necklace: c/o Guilty Jean (on sale!) / Turquoise Bracelet: c/o Guilty Jean (on sale!) / Sinner & Saint Bracelet: c/o Guilty Jean (on sale!) / Clutch: Express – similar / Sparkly Flats: Nordstrom Rack / Watch: Michael Kors / Ring: Banana Republic – similar here and here / Sunglasses: Ann Taylor LOFT / Lip: Mix of MAC Candy Yum-Yum and Lancome Fuchsia Clutch / Nails: Essie Smokin’ Hot

Hope everyone is enjoying their week so far! I have been busy busy, so I am looking forward to a little R&R tonight.

XOXO,

Gina

Spring Has Sprung {Guilty Jean Series #1}

Here is the first outfit post from my Guilty Jean series, and this is one of my favorite looks of the bunch. The weather was gorgeous for the first time this spring, and I was clearly loving it! This look is girly, flirty, and fun, but definitely has a bit of edge as well. When I found this dress and floral crown, I immediately couldn’t wait to add my Guilty Jean jewelry to complete the look. I love how the skull and bow necklace sits at the perfect length, and the pop of turquoise on the bracelet is a perfect compliment to the pink and black color palette. Spring has finally sprung!

Photos by: Zack Notes / Edited by: Myself

Dress: Hot Topic (on sale!) / Jacket: Macy’s / Shoes: Betsey Johnson / Pretty Little Evil Necklace: c/o Guilty Jean (on sale!) / Turquoise Bracelet: c/o Guilty Jean (on sale!) / Skull and Cross Bracelet: c/o Guilty Jean (on sale!) / Ring: Forever 21 / Floral Crown: Urban Outfitters / Eyes: Make Up Forever – Lid: No 26 Fuchsia – Crease: No 58 Dark Raspberry – Brow: No 303 Diamond Pink / Lip: Mix of MAC Candy Yum-Yum and Lancome Fuchsia Clutch / Nails: Essie Smokin’ Hot

Of course, now that I am back in New York, I am feeling much chillier temps this week. I am eager for that sunny, warm weather I experienced in Maryland this past weekend! Come back to me!

This week has been a bit busy with unpacking, eating Easter leftovers, a girl’s night, and tonight I have photography class. Hope you are all having a good week so far!

XO,

Gina

Introducing Guilty Jean

They’re a little bit girly…a little bit rugged…a little bit dark…a little bit spiritual…and a little bit rock and roll. They are…Guilty Jean! The phenomenal jewelry collaboration by artists Nicole Rivera and Maria Vaspasiano is a personal favorite of mine. Connecticut born and New York City based, these two ladies handcraft each piece of jewelry in their collection. They are extremely talented individuals with a passion for fashion and a love of all things edgy. I was so excited when Nicole and Maria surprised me with these fabulous pieces from their “Sinner & Saint Collection,” and I could not wait to style them. This line has an element of gothic punk mixed with spirituality. It’s flirty, yet edgy at the same time. I love the mix of skulls with religious symbols and bows. If you know designers Nicole and Maria in person, you know this line totally fits their personality. Take a look at some of my favorites from the collection below. I know you will love it just as much as I do!

IMG_7146v2 — Guilty Jean provides detailed write-ups in their packaging about the materials they use to handcraft your jewels.

Stay tuned this week and next for some upcoming posts on how I decided to style this amazing jewelry line. In the meantime, stop by Guilty Jean’s website to browse some of their other pieces. Both the “Sinner & Saint” and “Rockstar Buddha” lines are currently 20% off all designs. And you’ll definitely want to check out their new 2013 Spring/Summer collection called “Love, Gypsy.”

Gentlemen, don’t feel left out! They also have a men’s line which is equally amazing.

Enjoy, and hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday!

XO,

Gina

Easter Celebrations

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend! The hubby and I went down to Maryland to spend Easter with the family, and as you can see from these photos, there were a lot of sweets involved. Yes, my Mom even made us Easter Baskets. Never too old for Peeps right? We also celebrated my Granny’s 92nd Birthday and my Uncle’s 58th since we were all together. We feasted on BBQ chicken, filet mignon, potatoes, baked beans, salad, spinach artichoke dip, pasta salad, deviled eggs, and more. I was stuffed to the brim before having to drive back to the Big Apple. And what a drive that was. 6 1/2 grueling hours of traffic. Much different than our 4 hour drive down. Feeling pretty exhausted today, and can’t wait to get some and catch up on some Zzz’s.

It was great seeing some friends and family this weekend, and I also had time for a photo shoot featuring Guilty Jean jewelry. I cannot wait to share these! Stay tuned this week.

XO,

Gina