Neutrals just go together

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High Five for. . . Thursday?
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34 weeks pregnant
sweater: H&M mama
booties: Target, last year (similar)
necklace: J.Crew Factory (similar)
I picked up this sweater from H&M Mama a few weeks ago and it’s finally chilly enough to wear it! There’s pretty much nothing “maternity” about it, it just happened to be in that section of H&M. 

One of the greatest purchases I’ve made since becoming pregnant are these hudson maternity jeans. I cannot express to you how comfortable they are. They are my absolute favorite pair of maternity pants and I’m very pleased with that fact since they cost a pretty penny. 
It’s no secret that I lean towards neutrals in my wardrobe. I feel comfortable in them, and I feel like I can mix and match my entire wardrobe since it’s mostly just a variety of neutrals.
When it came to shopping for a diaper bag, there were a few things that were important to me:
1. that it didn’t scream diaper bag. 
2. that it wasn’t a wild and crazy pattern
3. that it “fit in” with my wardrobe
4. that it was functional

I browsed tons of places online, and came up with nothing since it seems like the majority of diaper bags are wild and crazy patterns. 

And that’s when it clicked. 

My friend Rebecca, the founder of Better Life Bags, and I were chatting about my diaper bag dilemma and she offered to make one for me. And I nearly fell over with both excitement and the feeling of “why on earth didn’t I think of this sooner”. Besides the fact that I love her bags (remember this post?), I love the mission behind her business.


I also love her as a person. In fact, I came home from the conference and told my husband,”I’m pretty annoyed she lives in Michigan. I’d really like to hang out with her on the regular.”
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She gave it to me at a conference we were at recently and I loved it immediately. She even let me pick some custom fabricGrey and white stripes, is anyone surprised?

It hit everything on my list. It didn’t scream diaper bag, it was super cute, it will go with nearly every outfit I own, and it was functional. I also loved that it was a messenger bag, so I can sling it across my body and keep both my arms free. 

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If you happen to be in the market for a diaper bag, I’d highly recommend looking at Better Life Bags. And I hope this post isn’t coming off too much like an advertisement. I get absolutely nothing in return if you buy one. No commission check, no affiliate earnings. She offered but I refused. I just wanted to share my diaper bag choice with you.

If you do, in fact, want to order one, plan on about a 3-5 week turn around time. Better Life Bags is busy for the holidays with orders, so it may take slightly longer than usual for this diaper bag.

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The bag has a back pouch, two outside pouches, and two inside pouches. It’s roomy and not heavy (empty), and the strap is adjustable. It also has gold hardware.

As you can tell, I’m pretty excited about this bag. I can’t wait to start carrying it. I’m sure there will be more posts about this bag in the future. Maybe I’ll even do a “what’s in my diaper bag” post once the baby is here.

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Kacia Hosmer says · 11.08.13

absolutely LOVE it. and you are gorgeous. ’tis true.

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Brooke C says · 11.08.13

You look beautiful! The diaper bag is adorable also.

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Shasta says · 11.08.13

Adorable bag! I got a diaper bag (Skip Hop Versa) and then ended up switching to a regular bag from Target (Merona Zip Closure Hobo) and it holds everything I need for Rylie and me. I absolutely love that bag that was made for you, it’s just beautiful!

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Julie S. says · 11.08.13

I love BLB too and have a slight obsession after rooming with Rebecca at the first Influence conference. Great fabric choice!

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Amy Faulkner says · 11.08.13

I noticed a possibly unintentional, teeny-tiny nursery preview! Love the sheets and your wall color! And everything else in the post too, of course!

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Olivia Rickert says · 11.08.13

awe, I love that bag!! The kitty named sardine made me litterally lol!! Your to funny!
http://www.theflippingintofashionblog.blogspot.com

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Ashley says · 11.08.13

Gorgeous!! I love that bag, so adorable!

xo,
Sincerely Miss Ash

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Ashton Steckly says · 11.08.13

I have been debating between the Emily and the Chloe for a couple of weeks now. I am a teacher and I feel like this bag would be perfect to carry all of my “teacher things” around in. I have the Molly, which is great as a purse and holds my iPad, but I definitely need something bigger for my laptop, planner, etc. So ladies, this isn’t just a diaper bag! 🙂

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Jillian Dolberry says · 11.08.13

YES they do! I love that bag and the sneak peak of your nursery! If you are in need of art prints check out our FLASH SALE!!!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/hazelberrypaper

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Lovely.Smitten says · 11.08.13

This comment has been removed by the author.

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Lovely.Smitten says · 11.08.13

Love that bag!! Great use for it.

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Chelsea L says · 11.08.13

that is the most incredible, perfect diaper bag I have ever seen. It’s as if J Crew started making baby gear – GENIUS. And I absolutely love the Better Bag mission – what a great way to help others (and help yourself!). Thanks for sharing. 🙂

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Kate says · 11.08.13

what a sweet comment!

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Christina Storm says · 11.08.13

You look gorgeous!

The Style Storm
xo, Christina

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Jules says · 11.08.13

What a lovely bag! The other thing that occurred to me (I don’t know if this was intentional) was that it is fairly gender-neutral as well so your husband could use it without it looking too girly!

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Britt T says · 11.08.13

you might really like my friend’s hand-calligraphy art prints… she’s a believer and has cute things for baby boys too! check her out at lindsayletters.com 🙂 ps – i love that bag!!

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Michelle Ash Latham says · 11.08.13

Beautiful bag — just like all of the Better Life bags! Love it!

http://www.ahealthymrs.com

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Megan {Willow Way Blog} says · 11.08.13

You look wonderful and that bag is perfect!! Not too loud, but functional. I love it!

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Cate says · 11.08.13

Love that bag! A tip for all the mommies out there: if you’re going to be doing any air travel, GET A BACKBACK. We live far away from both of our families and so we travel a lot. You need to carry SO much stuff with you, especially with a newborn, and the backpack is a lifesaver. I ended up getting a cute Vera Bradley one. So I have my regular diaper bag for everyday use, and I use the backpack for when I want to be more hands free (I have a messenger style bag too, but it still gets in the way) like the airport, museums, zoo, etc. 🙂 Now that my little one is a toddler it makes life so much easier!

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Sarah says · 11.08.13

Hear is the link for the MAMA sweater in case anyone wants to order it!
http://www.hm.com/us/product/11585?article=11585-B

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Kate says · 11.08.13

thanks!

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Lauren Elizabeth says · 11.08.13

ahhhh! Sardine made a cameo!!

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lyndsay says · 11.08.13

Love this bag! Is there a inside zip pocket?

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Kate says · 11.08.13

No, but you could possibly add it on!

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Nicole Marica says · 11.08.13

Love the bag Kate! That’s going to be a must purchase when it comes time for me to have a little one!

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M says · 11.08.13

Kate what size did you order in the sweater from h and m. Never…gasp…ordered from there but saw some cute maternity tops I love

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Kate says · 11.08.13

It’s a small!

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Night Owl says · 11.08.13

You are too stinking cute pregnant. I don’t care what anyone says but preggo looks good on a lot of ladies now a days. You look awesome girl. When are you due? Cant wait to see post about your new angel. and now a days they make cute things for moms and babies.

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Evelyn Morales says · 11.08.13

What a nice diaper bag it really will go with all outfits.I wish I had such a nice bag, when I had my kids there were only a few nice bags out there but they all were super expensive!!

http://welldressed25.blogspot.co.uk/

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withwhimsyblog says · 11.08.13

Your diaper bag is gorgeous. Thanks for sharing this!! I am so excited about the mission of her company and am going to try to purchase bags through her for my friends for Christmas. I love that you use your blog to share people who are doing great things like this. What a wonderful use of your platform!

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Chloe Fusselman says · 11.08.13

Love the mustard color on the inside of the bag. And your hair is so gorgeous!
xx Chloe
http://topknotsandpolkadots.wordpress.com

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Beth McFadden says · 11.08.13

“On the regular” – haha love that!
I have a Miche diaper bag that I can change up the outside if I ever feel wild. Haven’t done it yet….

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Carla says · 11.08.13

I absolutely love that bag! I was also very picky about choosing a diaper bag. I ended up with the Kalencom Weekender. My baby is over 2 years old now and we still use her bag. The pockets on your bag are similar to mine. You will love it!

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Astin says · 11.09.13

I had the Kalencom messenger bag! I used it until I stopped carrying everything and the kitchen sink with me. Now, I just carry a big purse and throw a couple of cloth diapers, a plastic bag, and a pack of wipes in it. lol

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Eva-Lynn says · 11.08.13

I love how neutral the sweater is because sometimes I feel like maternity clothing is like “you’re trying to hard” with all the dots and bows and frills! Change is good! x

fashionistainthedark.blogspot.com

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Jessika Garcia says · 11.08.13

You just reaffirmed me that there is nothing wrong with wearing neutrals. I love black but my boyfriend tells me I wear too much of it, but it’s just a good looking color and it goes with anything! As for the diaper bag, it’s totally adorable and although i’m not in the market for a diaper bag, I have bookmarked her shop so I can look! Thank you!

xo Jessika
Jessclassy.blogspot.com

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Melanie says · 11.08.13

First off. I love how you styled this look. So pretty and that bag is amazing!!!! I want one

xo Mel
turquoise blonde

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Melissa says · 11.08.13

I love the bag! And I love that it’s from a company helping women right here in the US.

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corners of my life says · 11.08.13

Neutrals are indeed a cut above . . .

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Cortni says · 11.09.13

As soon as you posted the previous Better Life Bags post, I ordered a bag and LOVE it. I thought it would just be an all purpose bag for books, etc, but I carried it all summer as my purse.

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Kathleen says · 11.09.13

That is a cool diaper bag. I never needed one that big though even with three kids in diapers, but everyone has their own preference.

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Lara Dickerson says · 11.09.13

As a mama of two, I think you will LOVE that bag! It is awesome. All you need now is a diaper roll (you know the nice padded thing you roll out to change their diaper) and a ton of baby stuff:) And I hope your little munchkin loves the blabla doll as much as mine do!

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Lara Dickerson says · 11.09.13

As a mama of two, I think you will LOVE that bag! It is awesome. All you need now is a diaper roll (you know the nice padded thing you roll out to change their diaper) and a ton of baby stuff:) And I hope your little munchkin loves the blabla doll as much as mine do!

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Elizabeth says · 11.09.13

I love everything about this outfit! you are so adorable!

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jessica says · 11.09.13

LOVE your diaper bag! I had the same dilemma and finally bought a leather Fossil messenger bag. The hubs and I both love that it doesn’t look like a diaper bag and when our daughter grows out of the diaper bag stage, we can still use it. (We treated the leather so it can handle abuse.) Wish I would have known about Better Life before splurging on our bag, but I’ll definitely let my girlfriends know about it! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

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Amanda says · 11.09.13

What a great bag! I want one as purse! 🙂 I’m a neutrals girl too. Thanks for posting and you look beautiful!

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K Naga Prathap says · 11.09.13

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K Naga Prathap says · 11.09.13

Classicpolo is one of the best brands for exclusive collections . you can Buy shirts online, buy t-shirts online ,buy formal shirts online from our store @classicpolos.com. we have widest range of collections. you can choose the best pants . Buy pants online and Buy trousers online from the store at best price
Buy pants online

Reply
vijay kumar says · 11.09.13

Get the best exclusive leather wallets from Linoperros; we deal with all kind of wallets and one of the best stores for Men’s accessories

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Valentina Duracinsky says · 11.10.13

cute outfit!

Valentina
Valentina Duracinsky Blog
Facebook Page

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Lindsay Logic says · 11.10.13

You are so photogenic! Such lovely maternity pictures. I love the bag!

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Sarah Staggs says · 11.11.13

Love this bag! I bought a Ju Ju Be diaper bag and it was WAY too small! I used it for about a week before I went to a large tote (which stunk too because everything was disorganized!) I’ll definitely be looking into this for my next baby! http://movingeastonwest.com/

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Megan Cornelius says · 11.11.13

I love, love, love that bag! You look awesome – not a trace of similarity to a barge, which is what I felt like by this point in my pregnancy.

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Katherine @ Grass Stains says · 11.12.13

I love the diaper bag … what a great choice! And to have been made by a “virtual friend” makes it even more special. It will get you through more than one child since it looks so well-made, but if it makes it even longer than that, you could CERTAINLY use it for years to come as a catch-all bag as you head out for Saturdays to ballet, soccer or on hikes, etc. So versatile!

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Kathrine says · 11.13.13

Pregnancy looks so great on you!

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Colleen McCloskey says · 12.09.13

I let my husband pick a diaper bag based on one he is willing to carry. It’s all black but not too bad. And by “let him” I mean I forced him to pick.

I really like your bag. It definitely doesn’t look like a diaper bag.

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Jenelle Botts says · 01.19.14

Hi! Now that you have the baby, how do you like the diaper bag? Is it functional for what you need? I’m in the market for a new diaper bag and this one is so pretty but since I can’t see it in person and hold it and stick my hand in it, I am hoping to get an opinion from a mom as to how functional it is.

Thanks and congrats! Davis is gorgeous!

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christine says · 03.29.14

hello! love your diaper bag, and was wondering if you still find it functional now that you’re using it with your little one 🙂 i don’t consider myself an overpacker, but not a minimalist either, so i was wondering if this bag can get a bit heavy with all your diaper needs in it. and do you still like the messenger strap? only because i have a toddler and a 1 year old who i have to chase after quite a bit.

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Chelsea says · 06.02.14

Any chance you can updte us on how you are liking the bag??

I find myself not needing as much space now that my son is 6 months than I did in the beginning and wondering if you find yourself wishing you had a bigger bag or if from time to time your find the bag you have is too big…

… and I totally just scrolled up and saw a few of the same questions.. man are we pesty or what!?

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cosmetic dentist houston cost says · 09.16.14

Your smile is the best depiction of you, portraying your emotional state and also behavior in any kind of circumstance.

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