Plain Jane Blog

Meet Miko! Mother of 6 beautiful children, ranging from ages 21 years old all the way down to six. If you follow her on Instagram you'll notice each day is spent with her children, usually in her (gorgeous!) kitchen cooking up something wonderful. She speaks so sweetly of each child individually and oozes kindness. I am so grateful she decided to share a little bit with us on how to keep family traditions alive even when your children range from a verity of ages!

"Christmas time is my very favorite because to me it means 100% pure family time, and there is just nothing better than that. Every year on Christmas Eve I make a huge batch of sugar cookies and we decorate them as a family. As the years go on and our family has continued to grow the size of the batch of cookies I prepare does too! It's been so fun to watch my kids decorating skills evolve and grow, it's quite a competition now to see who can make the most professionally decorated cookie. While we save some for us and of course pick the best ones for Santa, we also deliver some to our neighbors as a Christmas Eve treat made with love from our whole family. It's a tradition that I look forward to all year long."

-Miko

We are so flattered to be featured on the amazing blog, Inspired by This. Each season they compile a list of their favorite gift-guides for any and every occasion. 

Here's what they have to say about the 24 Hour Dress being a must have:

"5. The Plain Jane 24 Hour Dress is necessary for a mom at any stage in her life – newborn (it’s nursing friendly!), toddlers or older kids – because we all know being a mom is a 24-hour job. This genius dress is one you can sleep in, play in, shop in or go on a date night in. We especially love the stripe pattern, olive green and buffalo check. BONUS: they carry the dresses in kid’s sizes too – so you and your mini can match!"

Head on over to see the rest of the amazing items they have picked out for you and your baby this season. (Click images above!)

+   

     Here's our story, or as much of it that we could get in a 3 minute video. I am documenting some extra details below in case you want to read more of our story.

     It all started five years ago when Kam was reading to our daughter like he did every night, as I type this my eyes fill with happy tears because in this very moment he is doing the same thing he did five years ago.

     He came out of her room, looked at me and exclaimed, "I want to write a book, I want to write one for our girls!" We then went into deep conversation about wanting to put out a book that had good content, but at the time we had no money and no resources to do so. That very night against the odds that we faced of every actually having the  resources to publish it, he sat down and started writing "Steve the Star." We continued on our daily lives for the next little while and I didn't go a day without hearing the words and dreams of "Steve the Star."

     Once Kamron was finished we knew we wanted to hire a local artist. I had been following along Paige Christensen's artwork for a while and wanted her have her beautiful paintings for the illustrations. We first met at a local bakery and talked about the book, our dreams, her dreams, and everything under the sun for hours. Over the course of a year we both experienced moves, having babies, raising babies, & the daily life of young families. We discussed every detail throughout that time. During that year, somehow, the artwork was complete and perfect.

     While it was finishing, a new entrepreneurial dream was lingering in my heart that I couldn't shake, Plain Jane. Kam finally told me to go 100% in the business and we could spend time doing his book later. We decided to put the book on hold and start putting our savings into Plain Jane. The process of getting everything ready to launch for that took longer than imagined-but we did it! We started our very own small business and we were completely blown away by the immediate response of launching the shop. I thought we would have the extra time and money to start publishing the book but we were completely thrown into the realities of owning a small business, aka having no free time to start a new project.

     Over the last year I have been working extra hours each week on designing and figuring out how to self publish a book. With the help of knowledgeable small business owners and other resources available we finally were able to make it happen. I cannot say how thankful I am for all of the wonderful people who have encouraged us along the way. It has been a journey that we are so appreciative of.

     Steve the Star is a children's book about a star who learns how to believe himself again. Steve finds love in being a star after wanting to be anything but who he was. It's a beautiful children's book for the families to enjoy together. It's small enough to fit in any bag but sturdy enough for tiny hands to hold and play with. Young children fall in love and stay in engaged because of the beautiful illustrations and sweet words.

Thank you for following along our journey!!

xo, The whole Webb fam

Sometimes the thought of taking photos with a newborn is daunting. We absolutely love the way Hailey Devine styled this in-home newborn session. Sweet little Lucy is wearing our Cloud Blue Flutter Sleeve dress which is soft enough to cuddle up to baby sister, and fun enough to jump on the bed with Mom + Dad.

We are sharing some of our favorite tips and tricks when it comes to planning newborn photos.

Don't stress it:

The more calm you are, the more calm baby will be. Speak with your photographer ahead of time and tell them what you are envisioning. Sometimes the occasional diaper change (look how cute Greta is on her changing table below) and real life mothering makes for beautiful moments captured.  Create your own memories and don't worry about that entire Pinterest board you created for this, just go with the flow!

Temperature:

Wait, what? Yes, temperature! We lived in Colorado when our second daughter was born and it was freezing that winter. I decided to bring a space heater into my room to warm things up a bit-and it helped keep her asleep.  The same goes with families in warmer climates, make sure your baby isn't bundled up and overheating. (This is all personal preference, please use at your own caution, if you decide to use a space heater make sure it is not close to the baby and not sitting on or near anything flammable.)

When to feed the baby:

Now this may be different for each baby, but rule of thumb is to feed the baby right before the photographer arrives. That way you have a good window of time to take some pictures and you can start as soon as they get there. Before you feed the baby we suggest feeding them in what they are wearing for pictures that day. If your baby tends to spit up often or have reflux I would suggest the opposite. I would feed them an hour before the photographer shows up and wait to change them so their tiny tummy can settle. Each baby is different, so I say trust your instinct and going with what feels right for you. Sticking to your normal feeding routine is important and photographers understand this, so keeping them in the loop on when works best for you is important.

Over prepare:

You can never have enough baby wipes, burp cloths, diapers, and backup outfits on hand. Newborn sessions are either surprisingly seamless, or a little unexpected. I've experienced both as a mom. You will never regret having an abundance supplies in case of emergency.  As prepared as you are something will go unplanned and that's okay! Photographers who work with newborns are used to the nursing breaks and other newborn session realities.

Get in the pictures:

20 years from now you and your children will love looking back on photos that capture your entire family. As cute & adorable as newborns are it is such a beautiful time in a mother's, father's and sibling's life too! We suggest treating yourself  to a shower (you know you are a mom when a shower becomes a treat!) the night before or morning of photos to help you feel refreshed,  wear something comfortable, and focus on the way you feel not look. I love the way Hailey wore a loose dress and natural makeup.

I hope these tips can be helpful as you welcome those little ones home. Thank you Devine family on sharing these gorgeous family pictures with us!

xo,

Sarah

photos by: Black Bird Photography

We love seeing families exploring in our dresses. One of my favorite fall adventures has to be this one. Amber Fillerup Clark and her family traveled to the Gerber fields where squash is grown for baby food. It's a dreamy farm scene, check out more photos on her blog here.

We love seeing families adveturing in our dresses. One of my favorite fall adventures has to be this one. Amber Fillerup and her family traveled to the Gerber fields where sqush is grown for baby food. It's a dreamy farm scene, check out more photos on her blog here.

     It’s safe to say that we love Halloween, creative simplicity, and of course, our amazing customers!  So with that in mind, we came up with our first addition of ‘How to dress up for Halloween’- the Plain Jane way.  We enjoyed sharing these on our Instagram page over the last few weeks and hope it may have sparked a few ideas (or even now, for those finding yourself in a pinch!) for those PJ gowns nestled in your drawers. 

Alice

Daydreamers, bookworms and adventurers, this one’s for you!

Supplies:

-Plain Jane gown (any shade of blue will do)

-White Apron (we found ours at Hobby Lobby for $5)

-White tights or stockings, paired with flats

-Fluffy tutu to add volume underneath (optional)

Top it off with a black bow, clip, headband- anything will do.  We found an easy DIY version using felt that we had on hand and made the over-sized one shown in the picture. 

 Miss Thundercloud

Do you have a future Weather Forecaster on your hands? A puddle-jumper?  Or how about just a little girl that loves to twirl an umbrella every chance she gets?  Come on whirlwind mama, you can whip this one up in no time!

Supplies:

-Plain Jane Dress (any one will do)

-Rain Boots

-White or clear umbrella

-Small bag of quilt batting

-Hot glue gun

Plain Jane Pirate 

Aaaarg you ready for Halloween? Get your feisty little miss ready to sail the seven parties she has booked this week in no time.

Supplies:

-Plain Jane Dress (our poppy stripe shift dress is perfect for this!)

-Pair it with her favorite old boots or flats she has in her closet

-Eye Patch & Clip-on earring, both can be found on Amazon for under $5!

Wendy

Girls- in a land full of Tinkerbells, be a Wendy!  Strong, kind, confidant, and always seeking adventure!

Supplies:

-Plain Jane gown (any shade of blue will do)

-Cozy slippers

-Accessorize with a ribbon or bow

…and that’s a wrap!  We had so much fun with these- ideas are already buzzing for next years’ addition of PJ costumes!

Happy Halloween from the Plain Jane team!