Adorable Stephen Joseph Beach Bags at Fickle Baby

Easter is almost here and I like to put things in Gabby's Easter Basket, other than candy...

So, I was sitting at work the other day, checking out Facebook (yes, we all do it) when my friend, store owner of Fickle Baby, posted this adorable Stephen Joseph Beach Bag, I decided immediately that I must have one for Gabby's Easter Basket (and just maybe she will actually carry her own beach toys this year, since I am usually carrying her stuff, my stuff, the chairs, towels and cooler)...

...after all they are only $22.  I went with the pink/yellow fish.

They also have this dolphin, for all the dolphin lovers

And the shark (pictured above) for the little fellas.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that the bag included a few beach toys.

I also LOVE that the back of the bag is mesh so that we can leave the sand at the beach

Fickle Baby also has a few cute accessories to match the bags, water bottles for $5 or hats for $18.

These are not available on the website, you can call the store at 903-581-2798 or contact them on their Facebook Page.

Now that we have our super cute beach gear we are just waiting for the warm weather to get here!!

Giveaway and Clearance Sale at Katiebug's Children's Boutique

My dear friends at Katiebug's Children's Boutique are having an online clearance sale and a giveaway on new spring purchases.

First let's talk CLEARANCE SALE details, since they are my favorite.  I have selected a few steals to highlight here.  Shop the SALE SECTION on Katiebug's Website, all items are already reduced but then enter code CLEARANCE for an additional % off, making items 60% off and items will ship free with an order of $75 or more.

First I found this Lemon Loves Lime Argyle Dress and Leggings.  Original price was $108, it is already reduced to $54 and by using code CLEARANCE, you can get this set (dress & leggings) for $43.20!!!

One of our favorite items from this past fall/winter is also on clearance, Persnickety Double Ruffle Jeans, originally $86, on sale for $43 and CLEARANCE coupon code makes them $34.40!! (the matching Persnickety Basic Flower Tee, is also on CLEARANCE)

We can't forget the shoes - Livie and Luca's are also on Clearance.  These Livie & Luca Grey Blossoms, were originally $52 and are now on Clearance for $28 (notice, they also match the Lemon Loves Lime outfit above).  Seriously, these are the best shoes, we have had this color combination Blossoms every year.

So, now the Giveaway... For every $100 you spend on NEW SPRING items at Katiebug's, you will be entered to win a FREE Spring outfit of your choosing up to $100.  But you must hurry, offer ends on March 3.  If you are still in the market for your Easter Dress, I have a few suggestions for you (all items below are NEW SPRING and will qualify you for the give away).

For Easter, Gabby will be wearing the Persnickety Opal Dress

Gabby wears Persnickety for Easter every year but this year, I was very tempted to go another direction when I saw this Moxie & Mable Butterfly Dress 

Lastly, don't forget to grab your Livie & Luca Petals, lots of boutiques are already sold out of these, but Katiebug's has several sizes left in all 4 colors!!  Grab them now because they are going fast.

Don't forget for every $100 you spend on NEW SPRING items before Midnight on March 3, you will be entered to win a Easter outfit of your choosing up to $150.  

What to do now that your Persnickety Lucille Dress is too short...

So if you are anything like me, and if you are reading this you probably are, you immediately pre-ordered the Persnickety Lucille Dress the second that you saw it, not realizing it had about as much length as a College Cheerleaders skirt, used it once this fall for pictures...

and then when you pulled it out of the closet to wear again, it was too short...

Well that is what happened here but then I decided to try it with our Swanky Baby Vintage Cream Leggings and since it is now the length of a tunic, it worked great.  These leggings are now $12.75 and ship free at One Good Thread.  They have these leggings left in every size, I am not sure why because we love the quality of these leggings, they are thick and hold up well in the wash, so at $12.75 with free shipping are a steal.

Please excuse the quality of the photography of my last 2 photos, while at our son's basketball game last night, I decided what a great blog post this would make (lol at where my mind travels to all the time...)

The winner of the SewCuteStitches Giveaway is Kristal Hatch Mulder

Kristal Hatch Mulder is the winner of the SewCuteStitches giveaway.  Kristal, please contact SewCuteStitches, by either FB PM or posting on their timeline to claim your prize.

GIVEAWAY ~ one Applique Shirt from SewCuteStitches

Now that the holiday weekend is over and everyone is all shopped out, I have a giveaway for you from SewCuteStitches.  SewCuteStitches is a custom clothing boutique that can be found on Facebook.  The owner is a stay at home mom and she loves to sew and create custom outfits for her children as well as yours.  We have one shirt from her and will be buying another for Christmas.  We wore ours for Thanksgiving so here is my little model showing off her shirt

I like these shirts better than any others that I have bought because the embroidery is nice and thick (not cheap or thin)

The t-shirt itself is also nice and thick, not the thin Garanimals shirts that we usually receive when we order an applique shirt.  I also love the ruffle details on the cuffs and waist (boys shirts do not have ruffles, lol)

So now, the giveaway, SewCuteStitches will be giving one lucky reader one (1) applique t-shirt (short sleeve or long sleeve).  To enter you must "like" SewCuteStitches (click here to be redirected to her page) and then leave a comment.  You must "like" and also leave a comment on SewCuteStitches Facebook Page to be entered (if you already like SewCuteStitches you only need to leave a comment).  We will be accepting entries until 9 p.m. EST on November 28 and will have a drawing shortly after 9 pm EST on November 28.

Although the giveaway is for a shirt, the owner also makes custom outfits.  Here are a few examples of her work.

Don't forget the giveaway!  "Like" and then comment on SewCuteStitches Facebook Page before 9 pm EST on November 28 and you could win one of these shirts.

Give Custom Wall Art by Michelle Raye a try!

I usually (always write about clothes) but today we are changing things up, with something new and super cool that I just discovered...

Over the past few weeks, I have been transforming our guest bedroom into a playroom for Gabby (which is why I haven't been writing very much, it has been keeping me super busy after work).  I have been agonizing about what to do for artwork for the walls.  I didn't want family pictures, or regular boring artwork.  I wanted something creative, playful and fun that would work well with the art that Gabby creates at her art table that we then hang on her art display. That is when I stumbled upon Michelle Rayes Designs, and my problem was solved.  She is a facebook friend of mine that I B/S/T and chat with, but I didn't know she was such a creative, little computer artist!! Here are a few examples of her computer artwork.  You can use these for a playroom or themed bedroom.

As I was perusing her page, I also discovered that she can make custom birthday party invites.  I am so non-creative that I buy pre-packaged, lame, invites from Wal-Mart and fill them out by hand (yes, I know, I suck) but now that I have found these, next year Gabby will have awesome, custom birthday invites.

She can also make you a grown up piece of family artwork, using your names, children's names, birth dates, anniversary dates, etc  (hint:  these would make a great Christmas gifts for Parents or the ever hard to buy for Grandparents)

Or, you can get one of these for the sports fan in your life

Lastly, with the holidays coming, it is time to look for teacher gifts...  So, I saw this on her page and thought it was a super cute idea

This is inexpensive, original, creative, custom and fun!!  You can have a piece of custom artwork made, size 16x20, and emailed to you for $17 and then you can have it printed by which ever photo service you use to print your digital photos (not sure where else, you can get custom artwork for $17).  If you select a design she has already created, then the cost goes down to $12.  The cost to create a custom birthday invite is $7, which is emailed to you and then you can print at home on cardstock (seriously, this is cheaper than the lame, pre-packaged ones that I have been buying...).  Teacher gifts are 8x10 size and cost $7 (being that they are 8x10 you can also print them at home).

If you are interested, you can order on her Facebook Page.  She is a super, nice mom, that I have gotten to know over the last year and will do a fantastic job for you!

Can I brag? Gabby's 4 year old portraits in Persnickety

Every fall Gabby has her yearly portraits done at CSM Photography by Connie Sue and just like previous years, we chose outfits by Persnickety Clothing Company.  I did have to shop around to find all the pieces for these outfits.  All these outfits, including the Joyfolie Shoes, we purchased at Addy's Closet, Smart and Sassy Looks and The Frilly Frog.

I say this every year, but this year's pictures are my favorite.  The first outfit we chose was the Persnickety Lucille Dress, Persnickety Cream Leg Warmers and Joyfolie Maci Boot

I do like to do an outfit change during our photo session, so the second outfit we went with was the Persnickety Alice Vest, Grey Dot Basic Tee, Grey Dot Ruffle Legging, Black Tutu Skirt (from the Holiday 2011 line) and the Joyfolie Kat Shoes.

If you are in North Carolina, I recommend checking out CSM Photography by Connie Sue, she has great, affordable packages, with a CD from your photo session, so you can print your own pictures, as many as you like :) and of course you know I recommend Persnickety Clothing for your portrait outfits.