Ahead of myself...

I guess I'm seriously wishing it was Friday today...because I posted my Friday find a day early! OOOPS! Oh well, everyone gets it a day in advance...one more day to check out these lovely handbags.

Happy THURSDAY everyone!

{Friday Find} Opelle Handbags

You just have to love Etsy. Yesterday I stumbled across Opelle...a shop dedicated to handmade leather bags. I'm in love! Here are my favorites...

The Ballet Bag in black

A larger version

Loving the tassle accent and the gold hardware!

Want something lighter for summer? Available in bisque too

They also have other styles like this clutch, perfect for a night out!

Enjoy and Happy Friday!

{PS Party Theme} You are my sunshine...

Pretty Smitten's You Are My Sunshine print has been one of the most popular items in the shop since I created it a couple years ago. I started singing the song to Owen shortly after he was born. It became a nighttime ritual...one I now share with both Owen and baby Amelia. But I'm not the only one who has an emotional connection to the song...more often then not customer's tell me why they love it, who they sing it to, or who sings it to them....and I absolutely adore these stories!

So why not create a party around it? A few sunshine parties have popped up around the web...check out a couple here and here. But what would a Pretty Smitten sunshine party be? Well of course we have to start with the print...

I see it in kelly green and yellow. Just like the grass and the sun, perfect for an outdoor party. And for the invitations? How about the medallion pattern, stick with our color scheme of kelly green and yellow and throw in a monogram.

And then add in some...

fresh flowers in Mason jars

HWTM

pretty paper lanterns, hanging from trees

Sara's Party Perfect

lemonade

getty images

Sara's Party Perfect

Pretty Smitten striped straws

and sweet treats

Sara's Party Perfect

Sara's Party Perfect

And you've got yourself a sweet party for your little sunshine. So, who wants to be my first client to throw a Pretty Smitten sunshine party?

Royal Fun

Will you be watching the Royal Wedding this Friday? I'm not sure I'll be able to resist the fairytale! And if you're really getting in the spirit and planning a wedding watching party, well then you'll have to check this out...

Mini Boden, home to some seriously adorable children's clothing, is getting in on the festivities with free printable party downloads. Invitations, decorations, party games and more, find them all here.

Invitation

Decorations

Bingo game

Recipe

Cute right?

Happy Monday!

Bisquits with my baby

Happy Saturday morning everyone! Owen and I decided to make buttermilk bisquits this morning. He loves to cook with me and Saturday morning is always a good time to bake.

We used a recipe from Southern Living. So easy with just three ingredients....self rising flour (4 cups), shortening (1 cup) and buttermilk (1 3/4 cup). I've never actually used shortening before! California raised I guess. But it was quick and easy to make these little bisquits. Owen's favorite part? Cutting them out. He was quite good at it!

And here they are all lined up. We actually only baked three this morning, and the rest are headed into the freezer to be baked for Easter morning tomorrow.

My official taste tester. He approved.

And they got even better with a little blueberry jam and cup of coffee in my favorite mug.

And here's a little bit of real life...

There was flour EVERYWHERE! But we sure had fun, and thankfully Daddy helped with the clean up!

Enjoy your Saturday!

{Friday Find} Oh La La!

Found...a chic little pillow from the Etsy shop Alexandra Ferguson. Purchased it a while back and I've been meaning to share it with you guys! It now sits happily on a chair in our master bedroom.

Fun, right? She has a bunch of other cute pillows too...

Here's Oh La La in red...bookmark this one for next Valentine's Day!

Loving this one too, cute in a kids room or nursery

And can't go wrong with a simple monogram. I'm thinking one for each member of the family...thrown on the playroom couch upstairs (that we don't own yet, but is calling my name!)

Check out her shop for these pillow and many more!

Happy Friday!

Pretty Smitten with Party Straws

via

Have you noticed these darling striped straws popping up all over the blogosphere? Well I have and I'm totally smitten. I'm so smitten in fact, that I've decided to now offer them in my shop. I think they are the perfect compliment to our Pretty Smitten Party line.

via

For first birthdays, weddings, showers and more...such a fun and whimsical way to dress up your table.

And not just for drinks!

via

If you've been browsing in my shop lately you'll notice that these straws are popping up in my party listings.

In our Garden Party...

Our sailor party...

In the Candy Shop...

And in one of our customer favorites, the red wagon party...

And remember, each of these parties can be completely customized....click on any of the parties to see all of our options. You get to pick your theme from a bunch of motifs, or instead choose a monogram....and pick your colors and font!

Straws are available in 9 colors...aqua, grey, pink, green, red, blue, purple, orange and yellow. And for only $4 for 25, they are an inexpensive way to add that pop to your party. Find them here.

Happy Thursday!

Sweet Treats for Easter

Will the Easter bunny be making a visit to your house? He's hopping into ours for sure! I've got Owen and Amelia's Easter baskets almost all set and now I'm now just having fun checking out all of the Easter treats online. So many options!

From Sweetopia...how cute are these flower sugar cookie pops? Make a batch of them and you'll have an adorable cookie flower bouquet. Create them in any color to match your Easter decor! See the full tutorial on Sweetopia's site here.

And this idea for cupcakes in flower pots from Project Nursery is so clever!

Here's a cute way to display jelly beans from Martha Stewart. Again this could be done in so many color schemes.

Or dress up your cupcakes with cotton tails! This one comes from an adorable "Bunny Hop" party featured on HWTM.

Or how about mixing in something healthy....loving this carrot display. Also from HWTM see the full party here.

Happy Monday everyone!

Come sail away...

Finally! Thanks for your patience with me folks, at last I'm getting back to normal again. My shop actually has some items in it! Yippeee!

Last week I gave you a sneak peek of a couple of the parties I set up at my house...it's one of my favorite things to do...design, create and set up party displays! And now I'm excited to share with you all of the photos from my sailor party. Done in a classic bluebell, navy and orange color scheme with a modern chevron pattern, this party would be perfect for a little boy's birthday party or baby shower.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures! Would love to know what you think!