Currently Obsessed: Herend for Baby!

As new mothers, we all think that our baby is the most special baby on earth!  Of course, no new baby is getting as much attention as HRH Prince George Alexander Louis!

It makes me sad to think that Princess Diana will not ever hold her little grandson.  I like to think that she would have been a very warm and loving grandmother. I am sure that there are many things that Prince William will pass down to his son that he learned from his mother.  One of them might be a set of china!

As the story goes, Princess Diana loved her Herend Birds China.

Rumor has it that the new young royals also love Herend and the company has released the beautiful Royal Garden Commemorative Royal Baby Collection in honor of the young Prince.

Isn't it pretty?  It is a limited edition of 2013 pieces and is inscribed with the name and birthday of the HRH Prince George.

But if that isn't your style, here are a few more of my favorite Herend baby pieces:

News about a baby is always wonderful!  I'm so excited about the announcement of the Royal baby and I love watching the smiling faces of so many people outside of the hospital and Buckingham Palace on the news.  In honor of the little Prince, I have a few of my favorite baby boy products on the blog today.  What are your favorite baby items that you think Kate just needs to have?

Q by Equinox

I loved being a part of the Q by Equinox blog with my holiday wish list.  It was a fun opportunity to share some of my favorite things:  Jewels by Cindy Chao, Linens by GAIA, and the North Texas Food Bank Food 4 Kids Campaign that I am co-chairing for the second year.

invitation etiquette

I am crazy about this Guide to Baby Invitations by Tiny Prints !  Check it out for etiquette and advice on any Baby event invitation from a baptism to a baby shower.

Making Memories with Sticky Bellies

I know what it's like to go camera happy when your new born wears her first dress, or when he puts on a facial expression that resembles a smile, but how many photographs must you take before realizing the truth behind these snapshots? The constant documentation is taking away precious time that you could spend holding, caring for, or playing with your child. While I'm not suggesting that we do away with the camera completely, I do think that we should lessen the frequency that we take it out. Let us take the lens out from between our eyes and our infants and spend some quality time making memories until the real milestones approach. Here is a little incentive to start this movement!

A darling product that I came across and love, is Sticky Bellies. Sticky Bellies are these clever little stickers that look like fabric appliques. The stickers are numbered from month 1 through 12 and you can stick them on any piece of clothing then safely tear off, and dispose of them when you're through!

The purpose of the Sticky Bellies is to enable you to photograph your baby once each month, then when your child turns one- year- old, you will have brilliant documentation of the growth that your baby experienced during his or her first year. What a great way to save your family's memories with cute chronology! And at a price like $14.99, why not give them a try?

Win Wednesday - A Charitable Child and His Happy Blankie

Children are often selfless, yes, but very rarely can that translate into changing and improving another child's life in another state or even on the other side of the world. David Holdridge was just seven- years- old when he came up with Happy Blankie, a concept that expanded into a remarkable mission.

In 2008 David decided that he wanted to combine his little sister’s two favorite things, which were obviously her stuffed animal and her blankie. With some help and encouragement from his mother, Emily, the comfy half stuffed animal- half blankie evolved into a charitable cause that not only warms our hearts, but also, the bodies and homes of children in need.

For every blankie sold, David, Emily, and the rest of the Happy Blankie family donate a blankie to wherever you choose for it to go in the world. Therein lies the message behind their motto, “One to love. One to give.” Such a beautiful idea that sparked in the mind of a compassionate seven- year- old boy.

Happy Blankie was kind enough to donate one small and one large blankie as giveaways for two lucky readers! Here is how you can enter to win:

- Follow our blog

-Follow us on Facebook

-Follow us on Twitter

- or comment on this blog entry!

If you participate in all four then you will be entered four times to win an adorable Happy Blankie! Our winner will be announced here on Friday.

Looking Hot at the Hospital...yes...you read that right!

Looking "hot" at the hospital was not something I thought possible until I heard about Annie & Isabel's chic hospital gowns.  Sisters Anna and Selena are both nurses and started making cute hospital gowns after learning that  inadequate, flimsy, worn, and stained hospital gowns are a major patient complaint!  Their "aha moment" came when one of the sisters was in labor and they remarked that it would be nice to have something beautiful to wear for such a joyous occasion.  Anna and Selena saw and opportunity to improve the hospital experiences of their patients by making them feel more comfortable and cute!
They called the company Annie & Isabel in honor of their great-grandmother, Annie, and their grandmother, Isabel.  As little girls, they dreamed of naming their own children after their grandmothers but, six boys later, they settled on honoring them through their work instead.
Not only are the gowns stylish but they also take care of the "draft situation" if you know what I mean!  Annie & Isabel gowns give some dignity and control back to the patients by keeping them covered in style.  
The gowns run $68 and make a fantastic shower gift or a great gift of encouragement for anyone you know who is suffering with an illness that requires time in the hospital.  Imagine what a new hospital gown could do for their morale!

Selling has never been easier!

Being a mom is wonderful but there is a lot of gear that goes with it!  There are so many baby stages that go by so quickly and they each require a new set of equipment!
Now there is a great new outlet for buying and selling all of the outgrown baby gear that is taking up all of the room in your home!  TradingCradles.com is an on-line marketplace specifically for moms with needs...either needing to get rid of things or needing to purchase things!
Moms out there are probably thinking they don't have the time to take a shower much less sell their extra baby stuff but TradingCradles.com gets that and has made it super simple and crazy quick!  Categories such as cribs, strollers, and clothing make the search easy and posting your own items is as simple as filling out a form and uploading an image.  TradingCradles.com crew claims that it takes less than 30 seconds!

Baby Memories

Yesterday I told you about one of my most treasured possessions, my ten year journal.  it is the perfect way for me to record my memories but I wanted to get something with more space for my son's comical stories and actions that I did not want to forget.  I invested in a lovely leather bound book with blank lined pages.  It is beautiful but has basically remained on the shelf since we got it!  I realized one day that if I did not write down his funny action right as it happened, then I would forget to do it later.  It is just too hard to keep his journal up and take care of him at the same time!  I love keeping it but I must admit I am not always diligent enough about writing things down. It is too much of a juggling act and I can't throw another ball in the air!
My husband came up with a great idea one day.  He set up an email address for our 15 month old.  It sounds crazy, right!  It is genius and works well for us!  We simply email our son his funny story or sweet memory or sometimes just a cute photo.  Sometimes I sit at the computer and write out a long note but other times I just shoot him a quick email from my phone about a funny word he just said or a "first."On the first of every month, I go in and print out each of the emails and stick it into a binder for him to enjoy someday.  The other great part is that he gets emails from other family members and friends.  My dad, his grandfather, will send him cute email notes and my brother always sends him photographs.  It is a great way for everyone to feel they are chronicling his childhood along with us.  I hope you will do the same for your little ones!

Footprints in the Sand Forever!

Love the Sandy Feel Casting Kit I saw on line today.  What a fun way to commemorate a beach vacation!  This precious kit comes with everything you need to cast your child's footprint.  It makes a great bon voyage gift or baby shower gift as well!

Paloma's Nest

I am crazy about Paloma's Nest.  Paloma means "dove" in Spanish.  It is a powerful symbol of peace, tranquility, hope, rarity, purity and elegance and the founder of the company, Caroline Vasquez, didn't even realize it when she gave the name to her daughter!  Paloma's nest is a busting, full time studio in Austin Texas but Caroline's artistry has been admired all over the world including features in Martha Stewart Weddings and Vogue Living.

In an effort to replace the fluffy ring-bearer pillow that often end up stuffed away in a box with something that would last and that could be displayed in the home, she created My Ring Bearer Bowl.  It is a small ceramic dish with meaningful text stamped into it.  They have wonderful phrases like "To have and to hold" but you can also customize it with names and a date.  My Ring Bearer Bowl has two small holes near the top rim.  It comes with a silky cotton cord to tie the rings with but you could also replace it with a ribbon that co-ordinated with the wedding colors.  After the ceremony, the bowl could be displayed on a counter top to hold rings or hung by the cord either on the wall or as a holiday ornament.  So clever!

The line also includes party favors, gifts, tabletop and an annual Holiday collection.  The little dove bowls are my favorite!

Baby Gifts Galore

My husband and I love going to Flea Markets in whatever town we are visiting and yesterday we found a charming spot while on holiday in a tiny little town in Canada.  The thing that really caught my eye were all of the hand knit and crocheted baby items!  Even though my little man is almost two, I could not resist scooping up these treasures as gifts for friends.  Even though they were not the bargains you might expect from a flea market, I think the fact that they are made with love makes them far more special than any typical gift that could be picked up in any shop with little thought.  It is not easy to find anything made by hand these days so whenever I find these special treasures, I snatch them up!  I wish that I could make them myself, really!  I have been trying to finish the needlepoint on my son's Christmas Stocking for 18 months now and I am not even halfway there! These are the gifts that are sure to become family heirlooms.  If you can't make it to a Flea Market or simply prefer on-line shopping, check out these charming websites:

Bumble Bee Designs from down under (yes, I mean Australia) are truly unique and give the traditional art of knitting and applique and fun and modern new twist.  They are seriously worth the over seas shipping!  Now, if you can tell me that you have ever seen booties this cute then you must send proof!  I think these are just the most precious booties ever ($33 Australian Dollars)!  I love that they make the train design for boys.  Precious boy things are harder to find.

For a very sweet little girl in your life, you might consider this cupcake set ($90).  The set is hand appliqued and about as adorable as it gets!

Green Little Beans (such a cute name!) is filled with wonderful options.  I love their beautiful white blankets but at $80 each I think that they should be reserved for future nieces and nephews!  My other favorites on this site are this hand crocheted bib and bootie set 

in a beautiful and organic natural taupe yarn ($28) 

 

and this precious little yellow number that any baby should really have her portrait made in ($44)!

Patty Cake Fashions has a nice little variety of crocheted booties ($20), sweater and hat sets and little bib shirts made from handkerchiefs ($35).