Sneak Peek...

My Bestie and my Mommy are throwing me a shower.  Things are pretty much on the hush hush about what they are planning, so I was super surprised to get an email with a sneak peek of the invitation!  I am making some guesses to their plans, but know I am going to be totally shocked and amazed at what they come up with. Now I just need to find something to wear!

From one Mommy to another...

I have been wanting to do a monthly post and was not sure what to do.  Then over this past weekend it hit me.  Mom to mom advice, a little something that I do that makes my day a little smoother.  And I would hope that you all would add on to this posts with a little something that works for you and your family.  So expect a post at the end of each month with this theme.

This month I wanted to share two little things that make life a little easier.

First:

For those of you with kiddos old enough to drink out of cups know that when you are at restaurants and order a kiddy drink, 99% of the time the straws that come to the table do not bend.  And for me this use to mean A LOT more stains then I wanted to deal with, since Buggie would tip her drinks.

So I started carrying bendy straws in my purse and to make sure they are easy to grab and did not get smooched , I use a .99 cent toothbrush holder to store them!  

Oh BTW not sure how I am going to handle going from my purse to a diaper bag again...

Second:

As I am sure all of you can contest to this, when you get a good 10-15 min uninterrupted shower in, it is AMAZING!  For me this also means I can think.  Which usually produces something to  remember that I need to get done.  So instead of forgetting the minute I turn off the shower and hear the first "Mommy!", I put bath crayons in the shower.  Now I can jot down my thoughts, which means the aren't down the drain!

Then when I step out I have a little note pad and pen in my bathroom drawer to take down my shower revolutions.  This makes my scattered brain seem less chaotic.

I hope these little things I do might help you!

Now please share something small or big helps you get through your day! I look forward to sharing...

Oh an make sure you do not miss out on the AWESOME giveaway I am hosting this week.  Click here to enter

Monday = Giveaway

Following my Hang it Up theme this month, my last giveaway is from my favorite childerns artist Modern Pop! I asked Ryan to share a little bit about herself, so take it Ryan!

Designing art for kids really happened by accident. After receiving a BFA in photography from Parson School of Design, I left New York and moved to Los Angeles where I have worked as a freelance producer for print in advertising over the last 5 years. I think I just needed an outlet that didn't involve my own field. I always loved illustration and design, I often thought about returning to school to get my masters in Graphic Design. So I began with a line of witty stationery and calendars for adults, and out of that MODERNPOP has grown into a world of art prints for children. A lot of people might be surprised to know that I don't have kids. It seems logical that kids would be my inspiration, I sometimes wonder myself where this all comes from, maybe my biological clock is trying to find another way of getting my attention?!?, HaHa :) I absolutely love designing for kids, it has given me a freedom I never thought possible!

Thanks Ryan.  Here are a few of my favorite prints from Modern Pop.  Now mind you I could have just put her whole store here, since they are all amazing.

This one will go in Jellybeans room if we have a boy!

So over the weekend Ryan announced on her blog that this is one of two prints that Orange County Museum of Art (LA) will be carry in their store! How cool is that?!

Want to know what Ryan is so graciously giving away? 

How about a set of these beyond adorable little piggy prints (each print is 5x7)! Wilson and Besty (come on how cute are their names?!)  need a home, so here is how you can adopt these little guys:

Please leave a separate comment for entry:

1. Become a follower of my blog. Then go over to Modern Pop and come back lets us know your favorite.

2. Become a follower of Modern Pop's Blog.

3. FB and/or Twitter about this giveaway

4. Blog about the giveaway

The giveaway will end Oct 4th at midnight.  A winner will be announced on Oct 5th using random.org

Good luck little Piggies!

Girls just want to have fun & a WINNER!

Buggie channeling her inner Cindy Lauper.

We had a wonderful weekend spending family time with Hubby, SO happy he is home!

Are you the winner of the Steel Dreaming giveaway?

Click here to find out.

Check out the new giveaway I am hosting this week!

Friday Sharing...

Wanted to share a few of the custom orders I have been working on.  They turned out sooo cute  I had to list them at True Love Found...

Henry's is having a jungle themed 1st birthday. It is the day before Halloween so everyone is dressing up as jungle animals.  Henry of course will be a lion.  His Mommy asked me to make a crown for his cake eating pictures, which he is wearing a shirt with a camo number 1...

Lane's Mommy has been a devoted buyer from True Love found from pretty much day one.  This little crown and wand combo will be perfect for her to play dress up for many years to come.

This one is for Lane also, her Mommy is throwing her a cupcake themed party and really liked the style of this crown.  

Thanks for all the support everyone has shown my little nook on Etsy.  I have been having so much fun coming up with new ideas and making all these Mommy's visions come true!

Check out this lovely giveaway.

The TomKat Studio is currently hosting a super fabulous giveaway from Papaya Art. The store contains some of the most wonderful colorful pieces.  Very unique and beautiful. Here is my fav:

Pumpkin Love Winner...

Thank you all for your wonderful fall comments.  Makes me wish that I lived somewhere with an actual seasonal change occurred!  The foliage alone would get me to move.  As you were leaving them I was braving the Florida heat (the car read 103 when we left the park at 3:30) with my best friend at Epcot (it's funny how Buggie's best friend is her son, like they had a choice!) We had a MAGICAL time and here is just a few pictures from our day...

The winner using Random.org is:

Here are your random numbers:

2 

Timestamp: 2009-09-24 13:43:44 UTC

Congrats Polka Dot Sally who wrote this about fall:

i follow! i love fall because i get to decorate with orange and black polka dots all over my house and husband doesn't complain. i'm in a mad search for polka dot candles in orange, white or black for my front entry table. this pumpkin candle will go in my kitchen! :)
it's fall, y'all!

Check out Sally's blogs:

Polkadotmom.com

&

Polkdotbirthday.com

Mid Week Mini Giveaway...

I couple of weeks back I had mentioned in my favorite falls things how I adore pumpkin scented candles (which I guess I should have said anything and everything pumpkin from bread to lattes)!  The candle I had found on Etsy from Buggytown Candles sounded soooo yummy I had to try it.  I purchased myself one and mentioned that I had blogged about their candles.  And low and be hold they sent me an extra pumpkin candle!  So I would love to share my pumpkin love with one of you.  So for today only I am having a mini giveaway for one 6oz. Pumpkin Crunch Cake Jelly Jar Soy Wax Blend Hand Poured Candle.

Here is how to enter:

- Become a follower and mention why you love the fall season (from family traditions to how you decorate please share)

I will announce the winner tomorrow morning!

And one last note about the candles, I have lit mine everyday since getting it and it still has a full jar.  And the smell, oh the smell is truly divine!

***GIVEAWAY CLOSED***

Another Monday and another giveaway...

Over a year ago I came across Steel Dreaming Designs and fell in love instantly.  As many of you out there with stainless steel appliances know the lack of magnet space can be VERY frustrating.  So all those beautiful wedding invitations my friends and family spent hours pondering over sat on the side of my refrigerator where absolutely no one saw them.  Or all those super cute birthday invitations Buggie would get from her little friends, where would they end up?  Thats right on the side of the frig, so unless you were using the toaster oven you would never see them.

Now you can see why I had to have my very own Steel Dreaming Design magnet board.  Here is pictures of my boards:

This is my small board 9x13:

This is my large board 13x18:

Recently I reached out to Stacey at Steel Dreaming to let her know that I am still very much in love with my boards, and I had to ask if she would like to do a giveaway and guess what she graciously accepted!  She is giving away to one lucky ducky winner their choice of any of her small boards.  

Here is how Stacey describes her small boards: 

This extraordinary magnet board is constructed from a solid piece of steel measuring 9x12. Use the small board in your home or office. This board makes a beautiful picture frame. It also functions perfectly as a basic memo board for organizing to-do lists, keeping coupons handy, and making sure birthday invitations don't get tossed in the trash can. Board comes with 5 magnets, which you have two choices of either neodymium or ceramic magnets.

There are a few pics of other boards (some of my favs):

And how cute are her gift cards?  Mini magnet boards!

You have up to 4 ways to enter:

1. Become a follower of my blog. Go to Steel Dreaming Design and come back to leave a comment on your favorite item (never hurts to tell me how you might use it!)

2. Blog about this giveaway.

3. Post on FB or Twit about this giveaway

4. Let me know what you have been up too, tell me something you have done creatively lately.  Links are very much welcome!

Please leave a separate comment for each entry.  Giveaway will end Sept 27th at midnight. Winner will be chosen by random.org on Sept 28th and announced.

Good luck my little ducks!

Oh and if you have noticed a trend in my past two giveaways, hint hint all about walls.  Just wait until next week for more!

Masterpieces & a Winner!

As promised here is a picture of our masterpieces from the Mommy Daughter date Buggie and I had the other day.  When I asked her what the cat and princess's names were, her response holding up the cat "This is Girl." then holding up the princess "This is Kitty." Oh the mind of a 3 yr old...

Are you the winner of the Uppercase Living giveaway?  

Click here to find out....

Hello from India.

We are half way through with Hubby's trip to India.  Yesterday he went to the Taj Mahal.  He said it was so big and beautiful it seemed fake.  It is pretty hot there and the poor guy had to wear business casual attire, it is customary.  So after a 3 hr ride there and another 3 hrs back, on not so paved roads, he got some pretty cool shots.  The only mishap of the day, was with a monkey at one of the many tolls they had to stop at.  Nothing serious just a little banging on the windshield.  Here is a little info on the Taj Mahal, one of the eight wonders of the world:

The history of the Taj Mahal tells us "why was the Taj Mahal built" and many other myths and facts associated with this wonderful structure. Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan erected the Taj Mahal in the memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Shah Jahan (then Prince Khurram) met Mumtaz Mahal (then Arjumand Banu Begum) at the age of fourteen and fell in love at the first sight. She was a Muslim Persian princess and Shah Jahan was the son of the Mughal Emperor, Jehangir. Five years later, in 1612, they got married.

Mumtaz Mahal, an inseparable companion of Shah Jahan, died in 1631, while giving birth to their 14th child. It is believed that during her last moments, Mumtaz Mahal obtained a promise from Shah Jahan that he will build world's most beautiful monument in her memory. But this has not been proven to be true, till date. However, Shah Jahan did indeed build a magnificent monument as a tribute to her wife, which we today know as the "Taj Mahal". Shah Jahan, himself also, lies entombed in this mausoleum along with his wife.

The construction of Taj Mahal started in the year 1631 and it took approximately 22 years to build it. An epitome of love, it made use of the services of 22,000 laborers and 1,000 elephants. It was built entirely out of white marble, which was brought in from all over India and central Asia. After an expenditure of approximately 32 million rupees (approx US $68000), Taj Mahal was finally completed in the year 1653. 

Hope you enjoyed your little history lesson today children!

Mommy I miss my Daddy SOOOO much...

Today Buggie and I dropped off Hubby at the airport.  He is off to India for 9 days.  We had not even left the airport when Daddy's Little Girl, asked "Mommy when is Daddy coming home.  I miss my Daddy SOOO much."  Even after I answered her, she asked about 10 more times on our 20 minute ride back home.  When we got home I decided we needed to make something to show Buggie how many more days until Daddy comes home. CRAFT TIME...

Just like those you made back in the day to count down to Christmas we made a day chain.  I hope this helps her "see" how many more days until we get to go pick up her Daddy. (Plus if we get a little counting lesson out of it, that will not hurt either!)

Wishing you a happy Monday morning with a giveaway!

My sweet friend from high school days has graciously agreed to host a giveaway this week!  Tiffany is a consultant for Uppercase Living and is giving away this beautiful wall expression.  But wait the lucky winner will also get 25% off any additional wall expressions purchased through Tiffany!  

Make your space a reflection of the unique individual you are. Whether you identify with a deeply motivational thought, a beautiful embellishment, a bold image, or a combination of these, Uppercase Living® expressions let you be who you are and let you express that uniqueness in your surroundings. We call this the art of self expression.

Here are the dimensions 24" x 6" and the color is matte black.

You have up to 4 ways to enter:

1. Become a follower of my blog and leave a comment about how you would use this wall expression to jazz up your walls.

2. Become a follower of Tiffany's super awesome blog www.stealsdealsandheels.blogspot.com

3. Blog about this giveaway 

4. Tweet or Facebook about this giveaway.

Please leave a comment for each entry.  If your email is not visible please make sure to include it in your comment.  Giveaway will close midnight on Sept 20th and the winner will be chosen by random.org and posted Monday Sept 21th.

Mommy & Daughter Date

While Hubby has been hosting a bachelor party at our beach house this weekend, Buggie and I have been enjoy Mommy Daughter time.  Today was so wonderful, we got up early and were home from Target by 9:30!  Then we watched some movies (nice on a gloomy day).  And around 2:30 I got an itch to go somewhere.  So we got up and off we went to paint pottery.  After we were done with our masterpieces (I will be posting the finish products after pickup on Friday) I decided I did not want to cook.  I knew just where I wanted to go, off to get sushi we went. Don't you just love those days that have no real purpose but end up creating such wonderful memories...

Oh if you have not noticed in other posting Buggies apron (see above) it is from a super cute shop Wild Olive Kids.  I got Buggies last x-mas and it has gotten plenty of use.  And I given them as gifts, way cute!

A few of my favorite things...

As the best of Julie Andrews pipes from Buggie's playroom, I was inspired to share a few of my favorite fall things. 

Football is an essential part of our fall schedule.  We do live in a house divided.  Hubby is from Boston and I am from Tampa so as the story goes I am a Bucs fan and he is a Pats fan.  I just got a email this morning from Motherhood Maternity, with super cute football tees.  

I love chili and this recipe from Bobby Flay sounds like a yummy twist on the traditional.  I will be trying it for sure.

Lastly nothing like a pumpkin candle to set the fall mood.  I found this candle from Buggy Town Candles (love the name by the way) this morning and is sounds like it smells scrumptious.  

Spearmint Baby's Name Game...

Ok Shari you got me, here is my short list that did not make the cut this time around. And these are in no particular order.  Oh and just in case my friends and family are viewing this, you will not find Jellybeans name here:

                                                            Boys:                           Girls:

                                                            Quinn                          Elle

                                                           Felix                             Veronica

                                                           Maxwell                      Georgina (I love Georgie)

                                                           Miles                            Lila (Way too popular now)

                                                           Gavin                            Poppy

Now go make your own list and link it up on Spearmint Baby, even if you are not expecting!

Check out this super cute giveaway...

If I were you I would head on over to Kate Williams Design's Blog.  She is having a giveaway for one of her crayon roll-ups.   What's a crayon roll-up you may ask, it is an awesome little vessel to stick crayons in for easy travel in your purse/diaper bag.  Her giveaway is for any crayon roll -up in her shop, YOUR CHOCIE!

Just a little sharing...

Buggie is one lucky chickie.  Lets just say my parents love her and do not mind spoiling her.  As you can see in these photos she got a super cute outfit from Lilly Pulitzer.  So I can I just say I am beyond jealous of my 3 year old and her new sweater!

The pants were a little big, so I used some ribbon to make a belt for her.  I am glad they are big so she can wear them next spring because I am not good with white after Labor Day.

I mean look at this sweater!  The big navy enamel buttons are adorable. This is going to get some milage this fall.

Oh I just love her...

View from up here...

This is my view of Buggie these days, a little obstructed one would say.  But as we start our long weekend she has gotten a sneezy & runny nose cold, so my view of her was on her sick spot on the couch.  I can only hope she is on the mend tomorrow so we can enjoy our last family weekend together for the next month, Hubby is a traveling fool in September, come Monday morning I will have to tell him see you in October!

Lovin the retro feel...

I just came across a lovely shop, Ollie Graphic.  The designs are beyond cute and have such a fun retro feel to them, totally I Dream of Jeanie or Bewitched comes to mind.  The idea of buying PDF's and printing as needed is such a nice offering.  I can not tell you how many times I have bought custom cards and had to go back to order more.  I am going to go order some of my own right now, I will share for sure!   Here are some of my favs:

The little boy space cadet is beyond adorable!

This is a clip art PDF you can purchase, how cute are these little girlies.

So far loving our choices...

Just wanted to share a few pictures of the basics for Jellybeans room.  So far we have fresh coat of paint up, the crib and dresser assembled.  

The crib is awesome!  Hubby wanted something dark and I wanted something white, so low and behold we got both!  The bedding is from Serena & Lilly's Rory collection (which I should have tied the bumper up before I took pics).  And we went to Home Depot and had them color match to the sheets for the green on the wall.

Buggie's Blankie is from My Blankee Inc.  So we let her pick one out for Jellybean and she choose the Stars and Moon in teal.

The dresser is from Ikea's Hemnes collection.  I plan on putting a changing pad on top with a basket for quick grab items.

I am so excited to pull everything together with other colors, things on the walls, and all the personal touches.  I am oozing with excitement....

Oh so many ideas...

After a super sweet customer requested a crown with interchangeable numbers, my mind started racing with all new ideas.  This is not the crown I made for her but one I thought of afterwards.  I am a HUGE sucker for traditions.  And I love the idea of taking a photo every birthday in the same crown.  The memories and photos to look back on, make it so special.  So I will be making more of these super cuties.  And I also have some other plans for the princess type crowns!  This crown and many more can be found at my store True Love Found. Well better get back to work...