Friday Favorite-THE Dress & a little dreaming

Images Gia Canali

I've said it before, but I really, really mean it now. Perfection. I found this dress through Leslie's blog and I am so happy I clicked over that day because I have not stopped thinking of this gorgeous dress since. This dress was made for a wedding, by the bride! Couldn't you just die?! Perfect. The wedding looked beautiful as well. It is one of those weddings that make me want to get married (to my husband!) all over again, just to plan the perfect ceremony and party. I am seriously considering tackling a similar dress for my anniversary next year. How amazing would that be?! Inspirational and gorgeous. Definitely my Friday Favorite.

*I had to add a link to this blog. Gabrielle featured the blog a few days ago and I just love it. I am impressed by any mom who is that creative and has energy to create memories for her family. So creative, a definite must read.

Image via Mila's Daydreams, Adele Enersen

Favorite Photos 4-Texas Spring

I call this image my Chookooloonks flower because Karen takes such gorgeous floral photographs. It's also very Karen because this was the only poppy in the entire area. Just one single, perfect flower. It seemed out of place for a Texas country road, but it was also completely beautiful. You can see in the last picture that it really stood out. All of these pictures are straight out of the camera; that's beauty for you.

Last Crafty Fairy Party Favors

I found this party today and could just kick myself for not thinking of some of those fantastic ideas! Anyone else have crafter/hostess remorse?! Those flower fairies? Gorgeous. She even made the flower tissue paper garland I wanted to try. The snack table?- so cute, how did she make crepe paper look that good? Please, click the link! Oh well, just kicking myself...I realized that I never showcased the crafts and things I made.Fairy Toadstool colored pencils. It would have been so cute to have made these from the "wooden" pencils, but I didn't realize it until it was too late. The toadstool pencils were so easy I don't even have step by step pictures: 1) take wooden buttons from the craft store, glue on the end of the pencil, 2) use tape to tape off the pencil so you can paint the bottom of the toadstool (I used a paint pen), 3) paint the top with a toothpick, 4) add dots with the paint pen.

To make fairy wands, gather a bunch of tulle, ribbons, and glue. I used tulle ribbon left over from skirts/tutus I made for Em's birthday a couple years ago. I cut the tulle in strips about 6-12 inches long, then stacked about 10 of them before tying in a bundle and folding (much like making a tissue paper pouf). You know I love making tissue paper poufs, so these were no problem.Meanwhile, wrap a wooden dowel with ribbon, securing once every inch or so with hot glue. Tie ribbon at the top, then hot glue your tulle flower pouf on top. Instant Fairy Wand. I just found a detailed tutorial here, she explains it in much more detail.These two low-impact crafts made a huge impact on our fairy guests. I prefer making party goodies; it's more fun than buying little trinkets and makes me feel slightly like Martha. That's it for fairy celebrations. Now, to plan a Rock Star Game Party.

Linked to Today's Creative Blog

And to Just a Girl's Show and Share Day.

Two is Enough

M with her cousin

This weekend my brother and sister-in-law brought their adorable 2 year old son for a quick visit. As it turned out, I got to play super aunt and super mom to my two girls and my nephew Saturday while my husband was out of town and my brother and sister-in-law enjoyed a well-deserved date. Y'all, I was WIPED at the end of the day. Dog tired. And, the kids weren't bad at all. I was just out numbered. How do all these amazing moms of more than 2 children do it? I am one of three children and always thought I would have at least three kids. Actually, I wanted four. When I was pregnant with my first daughter, I decided three would be OK. While pregnant with my second daughter, I decided two was enough. Over the past two years, I began to doubt our decision. I wanted another baby. I felt like we needed another child to complete our family. Every time my baby passed another milestone-sleeping in a big girl bed, potty training, giving up the pacifier, my baby clock would start ticking. I love babies. I love everything about them. Our girls were such fantastic babies. Well, there was that whole first two months of M's life where she would scream bloody murder every day around 5 for two hours unless I held her. That was fun! However, their momma wasn't such a gem of a pregnant woman. So, I knew we were done. This weekend showed me why. As much as I love kids, I am not cut out to be a mom of three (or more). I simply don't have the energy. I was outnumbered. Thankfully, the kids were all really good, but I felt so stressed the whole time-just trying to make sure that each child got the attention they needed. I'm happy to add an extra kid for a day or two, but no more babies for us. *Also, how would I plan a homemade birthday celebration for each child if I had an extra kid to actually parent?!

Two is enough...for now. I kid! I kid!

Friday Favorite- Groupon

I love online shoppign and pride myself at being able to find the best deals. In fact, I would put my online shopping prowess second only to the lovely deal-finding Mir. As a result, I am somewhat addicted to the online "exclusive" shopping websites and am sort of embarrassed by the number of emails I get with daily designer deals (Rue La La, Ideeli, Gilt, One Kings Lane, Totsy, Zuilly,etc.). Despite the number of emails I get, I rarely buy anything. Mostly because most of the good sizes are gone before I get around to looking at the sales. However, there is one email I always look forward to- Groupon. I have gotten some great deals on Groupon. Groupon is basically a collective bargaining discount middle man; they contact local businesses from clothing stores, yogurt shops, to gyms, and salons to negotiate a discount for anyone wanting to purchase at the set price. Some of the deals are kind of bizarre, but I have stockpiled credit to one of my favorite online dress retailers for a fraction of the normal retail price. If you are not already a member of Groupon, I highly recommend joining. Since Groupon cuts deals with retailers in various cities, you may want to look at deals in cities you travel to often, or vacation destinations. There's even a person traveling around the US using only Groupons, see here! I'm not at that point so I don't have a problem...yet.

Groupon is my Friday (and every day) Favorite.
*I was not paid or compensated in any way for this post. I really like Groupon and felt like sharing with the Internet.*

Love Thursday-Wrap It Up

Love Thursday is all about finding Love in different places. Weddings and anniversaries are celebrations of love, so I think this post technically still fits-even if it is about shopping. (Oops!)I pride myself on finding the perfect gifts for my friends and family. I try to find unique items from independent artists. This year, we have a number of weddings and big anniversaries to celebrate. I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite "Love" themed finds with you. Each of these items is under $40, which means you could buy the happy couple something perfectly sentimental and something off their registry! Some of these items I have in our home-or will have soon. I think they all make wonderful gifts for a special couple, or for you. I love discovering new artists, let me know if you have a gift that should be on the list. (All images are from the designer/artist's shop)

Elm Studios You + Me =Forever Bowl Paloma's Nest Bouquet Tile. I love her pieces.Custom Calendar Pillow
A modern take on the couple's Love Story Here

Cozyblue's Custom Family Tree.

Heart & hands print from Le Papier Studio

My list would not be complete without an item from Lisa Leonard's shop, her Pewter heart is perfect for weddings and anniversaries. If you REALLY liked the couple, a Modern Bird piece would be perfect.

Happy Shopping & Happy Love Thursday!

Favorite Photo 3

I missed our vacation/run to Napa, so I am remembering other vacations. I took this photo on our trip to Kauai, Hawaii. Actually, I took this photo mid-flight on our helicopter tour of the island. The waterfalls looked inviting; I wish we could have dropped in for a swim! This particular location is famous for being part of a TV series. Anyone know which TV show? Hope this image gets you over the Hump day. I'm certainly going to be thinking about vacations and Hawaii all day now.