Happy Easter!

pic via here

Have a lovely Easter Sunday!

Grandma's Surprise 88th Birthday

On Tuesday, one of our favorite LA cousins flew into town to surprise our Grandma for her 88th birthday.  So we (mainly my mother-in-law) quickly put together a surprise birthday party and headed over to her place to surprise her.  All of the munchkins were thrilled and couldn't wait to see her reaction.

She was completely surprised and had no idea the entire family was going to show up for her birthday!  She had heard it was possible our cousin was flying in, but no one had confirmed his plans so it was a total surprise.  Luckily, her place had lent us their party room for the surprise (we were doubtful all 16 of us would fit in her apartment), so after she put on some lipstick and threw on a cardigan, we headed back to the party room.  They were very sweet and decorated the tables with Easter bunnies and baskets full of eggs and even had fresh coffee brewing and an ice bucket.

Our Grandmother is the sweetest lady, and was sure to acknowledge each one of us as we sang Happy Birthday to her.  Afterwards, she opened presents and received the sweetest drawings from our nieces, Abby and Mary.  Then it was coffee and cake followed by silly moments and lots of laughter.

Happy 88th Birthday, Grandma!

Darling Thursday: Children's Animal Coats

While rummaging through the pages of Etsy, I happened upon the cutest little shop filled with the most enchanting children's coats - owls, and lions and dinos, Oh my!  Seriously, they are ridiculously adorable and also made by a fellow Texan so I thought I would dedicate this week's Darling Thursday post to Little Goodall, a whimsical shop featuring handmade coats for the little ones.  The coats were even selected as one of Babble.com's Top 100 Newborn Essentials in 2011, and it's owner, Molly, is all too happy to gift wrap your coat for their special birthday.  Hop on over to her shop and have a look at more of her wonderful creations.  Happy Shopping!

Quote of the Day

  {pic via here}

DIY Polka Dot Tablecloth

Although I am still working on my current DIY project, I can't stop thinking about my next one, a Polka Dot Tablecloth by Oh Happy Day.  This is such a fantastic idea and looks so easy!  Plus, how cute will this tablecloth be for birthday parties and Spring brunches.  I love it so much, I am thinking about making several for all of my sister-in-laws for Christmas. Eek!

{pics & instructions available at Oh Happy Day}

An Etsy Easter Basket

one / two / three / four / five / six / seven / eight / nine / ten / eleven

Easter is on Sunday, and what better way to celebrate it than by buying baskets and filling them with goodies for the kids! You can always choose to buy the pre-made baskets from stores, but I love personalizing them with heartfelt gifts, school supplies, and lots of yummy treats.  Besides, aren't these Etsy goods much cuter than those store-bought baskets?!

With 11 nieces and nephews, buying treats for everyone gets pretty expensive so I usually try to make them colorful eggs filled with confetti, sugar cookies with elaborate decorations, and then buy funky erasers for school from Target's dollar aisle along with little metal pails or felt baskets.  They never seem to mind what's in the basket as long as there is lots of candy.  Then of course, we all get ready for the big hunt and hide eggs all over the yard for them - eggs filled with candy, confetti, money, and even hard-boiled ones.  Last year, our littlest niece ate the entire hard-boiled egg, shell and all!  It was absolutely hilarious and no one had even noticed until she was almost done with it.  How about you - do you have any fun Easter memories?

New Single from She & Him

seriously love them.

Jackets for Spring Weather

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It was such a beautiful weekend - we spent the entire day on Saturday hiking through Zilker park, riding the Zephyr train, playing on the swings and dreaming of summer days at Barton Springs Pool.  Afterwards, we went to Homeslice Pizza for a bite to eat and a few beers followed by shopping on South Congress.  

Then Sunday morning rolled around and cold weather had arrived in Texas causing many of us to ravage through our closets for the perfect jacket for this crisp Spring weather. Though I didn't find appeasing options in my closet, I did scour the web to find many cute options - some with 3/4 sleeves, some light, some heavy (snow is still falling in the Midwest!), some colorful, and others true classics.  So, happy shopping and hope you're having a wonderful Monday.

Happy Weekend

pic via here

I am absolutely thrilled to have my big brother, little nephew, niece, AND mom here for the weekend!  We are planning a trip on Saturday to the Texas Hill Country which means picnics in sunshine, wine tasting and antique shopping plus lots of board games and storytelling.  It is always amazing to having them here with me and I'm really looking forward to helping him celebrate his birthday.  Then after they leave on Sunday, one of our favorite people ever is flying in from LA on Monday for two days.  It's definitely going to be a wild weekend, but special nonetheless.  I hope you have a lovely weekend and please enjoy these links from around the web.

celebs on pregnancy

hilarious commentary on David Beckham's bum

a moving photo by Yoko Ono on John Lennon's death

and in celebration of their wedding anniversary, their wedding album

npr on dubstep and SXSW

green sunglasses

Katie Holmes' beauty secrets

perfect schoolbag for kids

gift guide for men

cute peter pan collar

buy shoes for a good cause

most hilarious birth announcement ever

Spring Wedges

colorblock, check. coral, check. wedge, check.  

all signs point to this being the perfect & most affordable spring shoe!

Pretty Flowers

happy spring.

a pretty picture to brighten your screen.


{photo via Pinterest}

Darling Thursday: A Baby Nursery for Girls



mobile / crib / kitten / bear / heart print / eames rocker / pouf / floor lamp

This April there will be two new additions to our family including a precious baby girl and the other is still a surprise.  As a result though, I've been shopping for cute little dresses and layettes and visiting the cutest baby boutiques.  I am amazed by how far nursery designs have come over the years - you can truly tailor the nursery to fit your design aesthetics by choosing modern furnishings or shabby chic fabrics or whimsical artwork.  The result is a room that flows well with the rest of the house's design versus one awkward & random room. 

Pictured above are some of my absolute favorites - the classic Eames rocker, a pouf to rest your tired & swollen feet, a sweet heart print reminding your little one of how much you love them, and something pretty for them to look at from inside their cozy but modern crib.

wallpaper / dresser / mirror / ladybug

 

And of course, every little one needs lots of storage to tuck away those darling dresses, pajamas and separates.  As your little one scoots around on her ladybug, Momma can fix her hair in this modern mirror or marvel at how sweet this flowered wallpaper is!

 

 

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And then there's the artwork.  How cute is this collection of whimsical prints & vintage needlepoint pieces?  I seriously want to purchase all of these and place them on a wall.  It's a really great mix of new & old but sweet enough for your little one.

 

I hope you love & adore these nursery items for a little girl as much as me!  What do you think - too modern or just right?

Quote of the Day

{pic via here}

Austin House Tour

This place is AH-mazing & super cozy.  The wallpaper in the hallway was very unexpected
in a fantastic way and I am totally envious of their outdoor space.  Modern spaces can be very cold sometimes, but this couple does a a great job of keeping it cozy by adding different pops of color via pillows and artwork as well as by adding various textures to the rooms (check out the rugs in each room - each one is a totally different texture and color adding a feeling of warmth and anchoring the room in a way that seems necessar with such white walls.

{pictures via Apartment Therapy}