Baby caspian is on his way!!

After 41 weeks and 3 days of waiting patiently for our first born Caspian Moj Jamshidian I'm sitting here in the hospital reflecting on this amazing journey and writing down in a notebook all that I want to remember about this pregnancy, current events and any other details so that someday I can share the memories with my son.

Pregnancy is a different journey for everyone and I have been truly blessed with this one. If I can pass on any advice for future moms to be it would be these important things:

1. Always keep moving and being active but rest when you need the rest.

2. Treat yourself to all of the things that make you feel good- pedicures!!

3. Eat those cravings! For me it was protein and calcium so ice cream was in my diet all of the time and I still only gained the recommended weight.

4. Don't overwhelm yourself with information about this whole process. Take everything in stride and when you feel motivated to research and learn about birth, baby registry etc it will make the experience much more enjoyable. Everything will all get done in preparation for your bundle of joy!

5. I highly recommend finding a prenatal yoga or Pilates class. It is the best thing you can for your baby, body and mind. It's your special time with your baby and a chance to de-stress and take care of yourself.

6. Try and make yourself feel as good as possible whenever you leave the house. It makes such a difference when you put on some makeup do your hair and have on something you feel comfortable and look as cute as you can in, depending on how far along you are. When the bump comes and it's obvious show it off! Wear that form fitting stuff!

7. Take those belly pics when you feel comfortable! It's a fun thing to do and believe me time will start to go by quicker than you think!

8. Everyone has opinions and different beliefs. Consult the people you feel will support you and filter the rest out! Take every piece of advice and opinion with a grain of salt.

9. Last but not least enjoy every moment! It'll never be the same again as I'm about to find out!!

Below are some pics from my documented bump journey!
These may or may not be in order. They start at week 24 til week 41!

Old Family Dresser Gets a Face Lift! 

I recently inherited this dresser from my grandmother's house. I think it was my dad's and I don't know too much about it except it was free and would be something passed down in the family. Possibly a dresser for the baby's room? 

The old hardware had to go, I'm all for vintage but the gold handles weren't quite calling my name. 

$40 later at Lowes and I had what looked to me like a brand new dresser! 

There's some fading of the wood where the old hardware used to be but it's not so noticeable that it's driving me crazy and something like this usually would!

In the future I'm contemplating painting it white to match the rest of the furniture in the baby's room, but for now I really like the simple face lift it got :) (See picture below)

Essie Luxe Effects- Stroke of Brilliance

I had no will power yesterday, between being obsessed with finding the perfect baby boy blue nail combo to metallics to the dark colors of fall, I caved into my want and desire of some new polish.

Essie has a great website especially when it comes to suggesting base colors underneath their amazing luxe effects top coats.

Lapiz of Luxury and possible base coat recommendations

In this combination which i've named Caspian Sea after my son i'm expecting at the end of October, this combination uses the base coat lapiz of luxury with stroke of brilliance on top.

They also recommend chinchilly which I purchased which is also a great neutral on it's own, and if glitter isn't for you lapiz of luxury is an amazing lavender hue color for fall.

I also bought two polishes from the metallic collection: Blue rhapsody and nothing else metals - perfect for fall as well. Essie Metallic Collection

RVA Creates

This amazing and inspiring video makes me proud to be from Richmond, Virginia.
It's always been a place of history, culture and creativity and the awesome thing is there's so much more to come!

DIY Valentine's Day Cards & More!


Even though Valentine's Day is over it's never too late to make some handmade cards for any occasion. Personalized random cards can be the best when you want to express a feeling towards someone or simply drop them a little note. 
Now that I have a few supplies in my arsenal, and my first Valentine's Day card mass mailing under my belt, you can bet that I'm going to continue making everyday cards for my friends, family, co-workers and whoever crosses my path that may need a little bit of love, inspiration, encouragement etc! 


Supplier: Michael's
What you'll need to purchase: 
1. Recollections Cardstock paper (100 sheets) comes in various sizes. Make sure you get the size that fits your envelopes. Remember to allow extra room for stuffing the envelope, especially if you tie a bow around the card like mine. (around $8.00)
2. Rubber Stamp Ink: I bought two colors for this project, Color box chianti (red) and Brilliance graphic black (around $7.00 each)
3. Rubber Stamps: I bought a pack with letters and some symbols ($15-17.00) and I also bought the background script stamp you see in red ($12.00) 
4. Envelopes: Thankfully I had these off white envelopes which were perfect on hand but I recommend purchasing envelopes at envelopes.com (I use them all the time)
5. Ribbon: Michael's has all types of ribbon at your disposal! (around $4.00)


This ended up being somewhat of an expensive project but I made and mailed over 20 cards to family and friends and I received the best feedback from all of them! Totally worth every penny. 

Resolve to PUMP up your color palette and get FLIRTY this February. It's the perfect time to get inspired and try new products. Here are some that I've had my eyes on and already purchased!




1. Dress Jason Wu for Target: screams date night!
2. Michael Kors clutch: Hello statement piece. That's all you need as an accessory that night!
3. Essie nail polish: my personal fave is really red, see image below
4. Amazonian Clay blush: I purchased in the color Frisky, my goal was to have bright pink long-lasting color on my cheeks and that is exactly what I got! Amazonian clay hydrates dry skin, minimizes oil, improves the appearance of skin clarity and texture. Lasts for 12 hours!
5. Cover Girl flipstick: purchased in Pucker, tested and approved for moisturizing two tone tint of color. see image below, according to InStyle bright pinks lips are in for to liven up a dull winter!
6. Kat Von D True Romance Eyeshadow palette: I love this colorful palette for spring, when used with eyeshadow primer the color really pops on the eyes.
7. TOMS classic canvas shoes in Red: I'm a huge fan of TOMS and their cause. The shoes offer comfort for my horrible arches and you also support a child in need. I'm also lusting after a new pair of their flats (see below)
8. Kat Von D triple threat tattoo eyeliners: Poetica, Sinner and Saint: Three different thicknesses, felt tip pens to help you acheive whatever look you're going for, whether it's the thick movie star look, cat eye or just a subtle liner. 

Kat Von D Saint eyeliner, Stila Pro Artist Palette shadows

Essie Really Red nail polish

Cover Girl flipstick in Pucker

Don't call me a Kardashian but i'm officially
obsessed with e.l.f. (find at Target) false eyelashes
and they are only $1.00

Stila Pro Artist Palette #1

New Year's Eve Nuptials!

Click here to go to article featured in the Richmond Times Dispatch on January 22, 2012 by Arlene Stewart

This year New Year's Eve was pretty low key compared to last year's wedding festivities. But, just as soon as I thought Ram and I's wedding was a thing of the past, we receive great news that our wedding is to be featured in the Richmond Times Dispatch Celebrations Section called Sweet Deets. I had a fun time reminiscing and telling our story to writer Arlene Stewart just a few weeks ago and before I knew it, the article was published and voila. The purpose of the section is to give other people ideas for when they find themselves in wedding planning mode which you can never have enough resources! 

I enjoyed the whole wedding planning process so much that I find myself wanting to help fellow brides brand their wedding the way I branded mine, whether it's designing them custom save the dates, invitations or programs, I'm starting to realize my calling or shall I dare say passion?

It was October 2010, my sister (for good reason) bailed on making my dream wedding dress. Lucky for her I was understanding (which is sometimes rare for brides) and had this gut feeling that everything would be ok and I would end up finding "the dress". I called in my go-to amazing women team duo of my mom (Cindy) and aunt Jane. We had one weekend to find "the dress" and so our hunt began in New York City. I mapped out a couple places to look and we started at Saks Fifth Avenue. Dresses were nice, they pushed to make a sale and I felt pressured, but the voices of reason (Cindy and Jane) told me to keep looking. We broke for dinner and beers and strategized about our game plan for saturday. By chance, we found online a sample sale at Selia Yang in the East Village. We looked at the dresses on the website, fell in love with her style and decided that would be our first stop in the morning. 

Catching the LIRR from Long Beach to Manhattan we were off on day #2 of the wedding dress hunt. We came upon the cute, warm and welcoming boutique called Selia Yang around 11:30am. Two racks of dresses lined both walls of the boutique with an ottoman, three way mirror and box in the middle back. We quickly browsed the racks pulling off dresses to try. Small, Medium and Large sizes soon gave me comfort that I might actually be able to fit into these dresses and not have to "imagine" them on! I must have tried on 4-5 dresses all of them being amazing and good fit for a woman of curves, but I wasn't able to make a decision just yet. My aunt pulled a simple strapless fitted and semi mermaid-ish dress off the rack and asked me to try it on, I quickly looked and said "no thanks, I don't really care for it" and then she replied "oh but sara I think it'll look completely different on"...how could I refuse, she asked so nicely and she does have a great eye for things. I went into the dressing room and the sales assistant came back to zip me up...not only did it zip all the way up, it fit perfectly! The sales assistant quickly tied a sash around it and out I walked. I'll never forget the look on my mom and aunt's face. It felt perfect. We looked in the mirror and kept saying over and over I think this is the one! 

Then, to top it off, in walked a petite gorgeous asian woman, whom I immediately knew was the designer. She took one look and said that dress was meant to be on you. ...SOLD to Sara soon to be Jamshidian. We didn't want to leave the store we were so happy, we could've hung out there all day. We left with the dress in hand that never had to be altered...amazing. 

We had to celebrate our feat immediately by taking in brunch and mimosas at a nearby cafe. Union square is where I found my black birdcage/fascinator and White House Black Market I found my shoes. The day shall I say was more than a miracle. 

As time goes by and I think about what it is I really want to do and what makes me happy... I keep coming back to the whole experience of finding my wedding dress. It was magical, and I would love for a million other girls to feel the way I did that day. I'm pretty sure at some point in the near future I would love to own a dress boutique in my hometown of Richmond, VA. Simple in concept, just like Selia's. I would love to feature her dresses if at all possible and promote smaller less known labels that perhaps are just getting started. In the back of the store front I would love to have a small studio where I could take bridal portraits and continue to help future brides design and brand the look of their wedding. Is this possible? We shall see, I'm hoping so. 

Lots of Love, Sara

SIMPLE movies are SIMPLY the best! 

For your reviewing pleasure: Midnight in Paris

Here's IMDb's brief synopsis of the movie: A romantic comedy about a family traveling to the French capital for business. The party includes a young engaged couple forced to confront the illusion that a life different from their own is better.

Here's my take: Enjoy the simple shots of the opening scenery of a magical city, before you know it, you're intensely watching the characters develop to try and anticipate where the story line is going. I could not have anticipated the illusionary journey that Woody Allen takes you on, but before you know it (if you're into the arts) you are enjoying Owen Wilson's fantastical nights out on the town and rooting for him to take the risk we all know he wants to take! I love that it was so easy to get into the story and enjoy the ride. The setting speaks for itself, the music moves you along and in the end well lets just say I had a big smile on my face and wanted to watch it again! 

Sidenote: I'm a fan of the entire cast, but it was weird to see Owen and Rachel McAdams at odds when we know them all so well from Wedding Crashers :)

For other reviews check out: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/midnight_in_paris/

EFFORTLESSLY CHIC - Claire Danes
I saw that some people were very (yawn) bored with the Golden Globes, maybe it's because I haven't caught an awards show in a while, but I rather enjoyed seeing all the celebs together in one room dressed to impress and the speeches never fail to ignite some chatter post winning. 


After the show I tuned in to E! with Juliana Rancic to see who she was interviewing and I have to say Claire Danes is back on my radar, I mean she always looks stunning at any event she attends but I just fell in love with her look of the night. She looked classy but with some edge, the red lips, dark eyes and simple pulled up hair and rather comfortable! Not only did she win an award but she truly looked like she was enjoying the night even though she was sans husband, but hey that is awesome to casually admit he's in London partying it up for his brother's bach party! 


I seriously need to tune into her show Homeland because I've heard it's gotten great reviews and she is just uber uber sweet and down to earth in my book. 

NARS Spring 2012 items have been released for the public eye, here are some things i'm crushing on. Stay tuned...will purchase, apply and share what I discover!

Heyyyooo I've been absent from my blog for a week because of busy-ness at worky-ness, but that doesn't mean I wasn't thinking about what to blog about!

So my favorite new bath and body item that I received in my stocking this christmas and I've already re-stocked my supply so I don't run out... What is it you ask? It's a little item called the SPONGEABLES!

My favorite scent so far is the lavendar. I love it because it really exfoliates your skin to make it soft and clean. There are two sides, one is less abrasive than the other and the soap is in the sponge! It last for about 20+ washes and you just feel amazing after a hot shower, exfoliating your skin then follow up with applying body lotion. Right now it's buy 2 get 1 free on ulta.com! STOCK UP!http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?skuId=2202587&productId=xlsImpprod1930155&navAction=push&navCount=1&categoryId=cat110032

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/zooey-deschanel-saves-her-pennies.html

Another reason Zooey is my fave! Good to know some celebrities in hollywood have a budget and spend their own money. Inspiring.

Just read the January issue of Self Magazine and the content is great! Pretty much read it cover to cover.
I love Jillian Michaels and her workout DVDs, in this issue they have 8 moves you can do with your own body weight for 1 minute each, 2 sets and it's supposed to be very effective which I totally believe.

Lets see if I can manage to fit this in at least ONCE a week. I mean come on, it's only 16 minutes out of my day!

Exited and LOVE! 

I need to start working on my own line of color... WOMEN SUPER HEROES!!

http://www.opi.com/

Kicking off 2012 with some inspiration! 
Today, In honor of my 1 year wedding anniversary I'm wearing my silver sparkly TOMS that I wore at our reception when my feet could not be in heels anymore.
http://www.toms.com/womens/glitters/silver-glitters-shoes


I sat on my couch reading the first chapter nearly crying and being inspired by Blake Mycoskie's "Start Something that Matters" book. I highly recommend this book for anyone who's looking for that next step in life and as he says 
http://www.amazon.com/Start-Something-Matters-Blake-Mycoskie/dp/1400069181/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325446203&sr=8-1