Thursday, November 19, 2009

Sew Cute!


Excuse the pun but I whipped up the cutest Black Apple Doll yesterday for my niece's 1st birthday. I can barely sew people and this was easy (except that I didn't get the entire arm sewed on so I had to rig it a little...hopefully the little one will be gentle with dolly).

I picked out fabric at an adorable new store in my 'hood, Fabric Crush. Sarah's fabrics are to die for. She also has an etsy shop so check her out. This store makes me want to learn to "really" sew.

Back to the doll....isn't she awesome?

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Mission accomplished


I found my "holiday party" dress for 2009. I really wanted the Ruffle Shimmer Dress to work from Ann Taylor Loft but the fit was way off. I decided on the Satin Dress with Neckline Applique. The fit and price were right and it'll go well with Mr. PaperCourt's crazy pants. The Ann Taylor website says "online exclusive" but I bought it in the store.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Teaching kids manners


But more specifically, teaching them about Thank You notes. Several posts ago, I mentioned my son's 6th birthday party. Sadly, it's taken us until today to get all of the thank you notes written. I felt that since he knows how to write and needs the practice, he should write the notes himself. That's quite a task considering he just started kindergarten and is exhausted at the end of the day. According to Emily Post, I should've waited a year on that (oops). To make them easier to write, I added ruled lines when designing the stationery (which can be done with any PaperCourt Press order - just let me know).

Emily Post offers the following tips to parents and kids regarding thank you notes:

  • Explain that receiving thank-you notes makes people feel good. And it lets them know that the gift arrived safely and is appreciated.
  • The sooner the better! Get those notes written as soon as possible. But don’t be embarrassed by a note sent a bit late, even a month after the gift was received. It’s far better to send a late note than no note at all.
  • Spend a few minutes talking about the gift and what made it special: It’s a book you loved reading. You’ve already made three projects with the art kit. The toy is so much fun to play with you haven’t wanted to do anything else. You had a great time shopping with your friends and found the perfect sweater with the gift card.
  • Have fun, age appropriate materials on hand to get your child interested in the project: colorful notepaper, markers, fun pens, stickers and stamps.
  • If you have a camera, take a picture of your child and the gift. Include the photo with the thank-you note.
  • Again, remember to keep it fun! If you view this as drudgery, so will the kids.

A preppy Christmas

Look at these beauties....

Mr. PaperCourt picked these out for his company party. People in Seattle do NOT wear critter pants (especially red corduroy with Christmas trees) so I can't wait to see everyone's reactions. I personally think they're adorable. If you want a pair, you can find them (and a slew of other preppy items) at Castaway Clothing.

Now what am I going to wear? Clearly, the pink dress is now out of the question.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

The perfect dress

It's time to start thinking about holiday parties. I hate bring this up right after Halloween but I've got start thinking about this.

I scoured BlueFly last night and learned that I have very expensive taste. If it's over $300, I totally love it. I'm hoping to find something I can also wear to an auction in March.

Here are a few that I like...

Maggy London jeweled neck chiffon trapeze dress at Nordstrom - Pretty plain jane which is what I always end up wearing.


Banana Republic assymetrical ruffle dress
- I'm not sure how I feel about the one shoulder look or the huge ruffle but something is drawing me to this dress. I have a small upper body so it may look silly.

Castle Starr raspberry brushed silk beaded short dress - Only 1 left...of course...the stress! And it's way more than I want to spend...I mean WAY MORE!

What do you think? Any other suggestions of places to look?

Are you sick of your Halloween candy yet?

I'll be honest. If there is a bucket of candy sitting around, I'm going to eat it. I have no self control whatsoever. I heard somewhere about donating Halloween candy to our troops so googled it found Operation Gratitude. They are taking up a collection and will send it to the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan. So start collecting...and send it on to California and they'll distribute.

What a great way to teach the kids about giving! I'm even asking the parents at preschool to participate!

Monday, November 2, 2009

And the winner is.....

Charity!

Congratulations! Let me know your favorite and I'll start printing

Thanks for entering everyone!