free printables :: mother's day {via oh happy day}

images via Oh Happy Day

I was going to do a set of free printables for mother's day, but then Jordan beat me to it, and hers are darling. Head on over to Oh Happy Day for your copy. They are clever and too cute!

desktop calendar :: may

My kids have been loving popsicles, bubbles and pool time since it has been really warm here.

So I guess I have summertime on my mind, hence the colors and bubbles in this month's calendar.

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baby shower :: black, white & yellow

*taken with my iphone, better pics to come*

I helped plan and throw another baby shower for a friend. Here is a tiny little sneak peak. Stay tuned this week for more details. I will be sharing the invitations I made as well as the rest of the decor and food. This time it was a boy baby shower, and we went with a very clean and simple feel. Everything turned out great, but of course it's always a relief to have these type of events over with. Right?

ashlee raubach :: mini sessions

go here to see more photos from this shoot

The amazing Ashlee Raubach took these photos of my sister and her beautiful family. Yes she has five daughters who are all incredibly pretty. I am one lucky aunt! Great news...Ashlee is offering mini sessions, for those of you in Southern California, at an amazing rate. Be sure to check out the details here and hurry quick because slots are filling up fast.

home projects :: girl's room

I am having my second girl, so I have been trying to decide on how I want to decorate their room. I will have a crib and a bed in there and I have decide on this Rosette bedding from Anthropologie that I got for a steal. I am thinking I will pair it with these DwellStudio for Target sheets on the crib that match perfectly. Now I just need to figure out my accent colors and get searching for some decor for the room. Do I find throw pillows I like, or do I make them myself? I can't decide if I want it to be a little more modern/sophisticated, or more kid-like. I am leaning towards the less kid-like route. Any ideas?

custom party :: roma june

custom labels :: tyrannosaurus max

Hailey throws the best parties and is such a pleasure to work with. I am always excited to collaborate with her because her parties are one of a kind. This time around, it was a t-rex party for her son's 4th birthday. Of course no detail went unnoticed and the party looked like a hit. I made water bottle labels, party favor tag, napkin ring stickers, and a fact sheet about the birthday boy. Be sure to check out all of the details over on Hailey's blog.

just for fun :: gold polka dots

A few weeks ago I saw this idea over on Oh Joy!. I am filing it away for future use in my daughter's room. Such a fun and easy way to spice up a room, especially if you rent and aren't able to paint!

I also love this corner in her studio where she hung some fun things from confetti systems and then some original art hung with vintage hangers...darling!

photos via ohjoy!

ikea :: kidlark favorites

Ikea is one of my favorite places to pick up party supplies, especially paper goods. Their plates, cups and napkins are dirt cheap, great quality, and always come in fun corresponding prints and colors. I am especially loving the plaid theme as well as the blue and white theme they currently have in their stores. Even if you don't have an upcoming party, it's always a good idea to stock up on cute paper goods for future parties and get togethers.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

{click on corresponding number for link}

Bugaboo Donkey

During our interview at Giggle

Images via Bugaboo

My husband is a stroller guru/fanatic. He even had a little business where he would buy used strollers and resell them for more money. Because of that, we have had almost every stroller under the sun. The Stokke, Bugaboo Chameleon, Bugaboo Frog, Bugaboo Gecko, Bugaboo Bee, Orbit Baby, Phil & Teds Vibe, Quinny Buzz, and Quinny Zapp to name a few. Out of all of these, the Bugaboo Bee tops our list. It is hands down the best stroller around. When we had our second child we had to get a double, so we got the Phil & Teds Vibe. It's a good stroller, but is so difficult to maneuver compared to the Bee or the Chameleon. So when we heard that Bugaboo was releasing the Donkey, their first double stroller (that can also convert to a single stroller), we couldn't wait to see it!

Giggle in NYC had an exclusive launch party for the stroller last week, so we hurried over there while we were in NYC to check it out. While we were looking at it, there was a news crew interviewing Cool Mom Picks for the news, and they asked if they could film and interview us as well.

Needless to say, the stroller was absolutely incredible and definitely did not disappoint. If you haven't seen any videos on it, you should definitely watch this one here to see all of the features and options. It's seriously amazing!

travel log :: nyc

The husband and I arrived to NYC early this morning after a rough red eye flight. We decided to take a last minute trip to celebrate my birthday, and as a sort of babymoon before our new addition arrives. Our first stop, after sleeping of course, was one of our favorite restaurants. Balthazar is a tasty French restaurant and is always a must when we come back to the city. I ordered the homemade fettucine and Andrew ordered the steak frites...both were amazing!

We are heading to Boston on Thursday and I haven't been in over ten years. If you have any suggestions of things to do or places to eat, please send them my way!

party ideas :: calling all bugologists

My son went to an amazingly creative birthday party last Saturday. The birthday boys mom, Natalie, is the genius behind it all and she definitely made sure every detail was taken care of, down to the tree stumps she found on Craigslist. My friend Chrissy, the stylish girl behind the fun blog To & Fro, posted all about it yesterday. Be sure to head over here to see all of the crazy details of the party. Of course, my Bennett was terrified and not at all into the bugs and reptiles, but the birthday boy was in heaven with snakes around his neck and frogs on his face.

custom biz card :: nicole davis (me oh my)

As promised, even though it's a day late, here is the final biz card design for Nicole of Me Oh My. I love the graduated chevron stripe she went with, and especially love the simplicity of the front with the large sans serif font.

fun find :: Fjallraven Kanken Backpacks

Bennett & Scarlett

March 27, 2011

Back in January, the husband and I took a quick weekend trip to San Francisco without the little ones. Since we left the kiddies at home, we wanted to bring them back a little surprise. While shopping in Hayes Valley, we came across these darling little backpacks. According to our friend who is a resident of San Francisco, these backpacks were also the new "big thing" (whatever that means). Regardless, I have loved them and so have my kids. They are especially perfect for church. We keep all of their crayons, books, toys, and snacks packed away in their individual packs each week. While looking through the new arrivals at Crewcuts last week, I noticed that they now sell the same backpacks. So perhaps our friend was right, they are the new "big thing". The ones we purchased are the Mini, but the one on the J.Crew website is the full size pack. Check out the Fjallraven Kanken site to see all of the fun colors that are available. They are a little on the pricey side, but definitely worth it! I am thinking that I might need to get this one in yellow for myself. I am randomly finding the need for a backpack these days...like when we go to Disneyland etc.

custom biz cards :: me oh my

My friend and neighbor Nicole, over at Me Oh My, came to me in need of some business cards. She told me the styles she liked and I came up with a few different ideas. These are the designs I came up with. Check back on Monday to see the final card she decided on.

{I am currently offering these cards as template designs and I also offer custom biz card designs.

If you have questions, or are interested in rates, please email me.}

hot spot :: cafe habana

When we lived in NYC, our favorite Saturday lunch spot was Cafe Habana. We always got the Cubano Sandwich, the street corn, and two Mexican Cokes. Even our little Bennett, who was only 1 at the time, LOVED the corn. So you can imagine our excitement when we found out that they opened a location in Malibu. We have been wanting to go for about a year now, but never found the time. A few weeks ago, we finally MADE time and drove up to Malibu for the day. The weather was perfect, our friends joined us which made it even more fun, and the food was just as delicious as we remembered. The only bummer, they didn't have our trusty Mexican Coke, but I guess unlimited refills of Coke were just as good...almost.

fun find :: bling bling flats

I love Steve Madden flats. They always fit my foot great, have fun styles, and are usually very reasonably priced. I especially love Steve Madden flats that are on sale. I stumbled upon these new flats for spring and love the little blinged out heel...even more I love that they are 30% off. I just can't decide if I like the nude color or the cognac color more. Decisions decisions.

family time :: az

My brothers and sisters: Oldest to Youngest

Dustin, Amy, Erin, Brooke, Jonathan, Me

February 2009

Jonathan, Amy, Me, Dad, Mom, Brooke, Erin

March 2011

We returned home last night from a quick weekend trip to AZ for my aunt's funeral. It was this exact time two years ago when my siblings and I headed to AZ for my uncle's funeral. It's funny how funerals are so sad but can also be such a happy time. It was so fun to be with my brothers and sisters (minus my oldest brother Dustin), and to see all of our relatives that we don't get to see as often as we would like. I really am so lucky to have such an amazing extended family in addition to my immediate family. We grew up in a very very large family. My mom is the 4th of 13 kids and they are a very close-knit family. Most of them still live in Arizona and I feel so lucky to have such an amazing heritage. Not only do I have the best brothers and sisters and parents in the world, I also have the most amazing aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. I count my blessings for all of them daily.

fun find :: jbsdd {jb's daily dose}

A friend of mine (who also happens to be kind of related to me) had a genius idea a while back. He started a blog where every day he posted a new song to download. For a long time this blog was private, but he recently went public with it, JB's Daily Dose. Back in the day, I used to contribute occasionally to the blog but I have gotten very lazy and haven't been sending him my recommendations. So, if you are in the market for some new tunes, check it out. You won't be disappointed. There is a good variety and a lot of stuff that I am sure a lot of us have never heard of but wish we had. The best part about it, is you can listen to the playlist while you are surfing the web, working, or while cleaning the house!

**You can also follow them on facebook here**

custom labels :: M is for Moses

Here are a few images of the custom labels I made for a client. I made the napkin rings, as well as the party favor stickers. I love the color scheme that she went with. So perfect for a cute, modern, baby boy shower.

party ideas :: confetti invitations

I am bookmarking this idea for a future party. Jordan over at Oh Happy Day always has some great party and invitation ideas. I especially LOVE this one. Seriously genius!