AddiBug Designs + Giveaway!

Hey, y'all! I wanted to post about one seriously fabulous little girl hair accessory and hat boutiques - AddiBug Designs!

Recently, I was contacted by the very talented (and seriously sweet) Kristin about sending Caroline one of her beautiful handmade turbans. I took one five-second peek at her Etsy shop and was floored by the cuteness. I mean, the flowers, the bows, the woven preciousness...a girl momma's heaven, friends.

Kristin creates all of her bows, flowers and turbans by hand in a variety of seasonal colors and fabrics. I could not get over the amount of detail that went in to each and every single design of hers.

I'd go on, but I think I'll just let you see for yourself.

And no, the adorable child featured here is not included with the purchase of a turban ; )

The little white bow was one we already had, but I wanted to show how versatile these turbans are. If you have bows with alligator clips, you can easily attach them to the front to make them coordinate with multiple outfits. Hello, options!!

These makes amazing baby shower gifts for friends expecting girls, so keep Kristin in mind when you're buying. Also, Easter is right around the corner, so you might want to think about adding an AddiBug creation to your little gal's ensemble!

And, as promised in the post title, a giveaway!

Kristin is giving away this sweet little Valentine-themed headband set to one lucky reader! I'll announce the winner on Friday. To enter, please do the following and let me know that you did by commenting on this post!

1. Go "like" AddiBug Designs on Facebook
2. Follow ABD on Instagram (username is addibug_designs)

Be sure to also check out her blog, which is chock full of advice for momma's, pictures of her adorable daughter and much more!

That's it. How easy, right?

Check out Kristin's Etsy shop for more goodies, just like the ones seen here today!

August Lou

I wanted to take a sec today to tell you girls about a really adorable Etsy boutique, August Lou Designs. Recently, sweet Katie contacted me and told me all about her newest venture designing precious little diaper covers/bloomers and accessories for babes.

I mean, talk about cute, right? Gaw. Too much to handle.

She was incredibly generous and offered to send my little Caroline a diaper cover of her own and a couple of beautifully made matching headbands.

I was just blown away with the attention to detail and the quality of the items. Needless to say, I can't wait to put them on our sweet baby girl in just a few weeks!

One of the things that I was most taken with is that Katie donates a portion of her sales to children with special needs. Both of Katie's parents are child psychologists, and she grew up being very involved with the special needs population, often volunteering with organizations like the Special Olympics.

Any of Katie's fabulous creations would make the PERFECT baby gift, so be sure to keep August Lou Designs in mind!

Fab Etsy Finds (Like the Monogram Door Hanging!)

I buy a lot of stuff on Etsy. To me, it's the best place to go to A) support small businesses and artisans; and B) get neat things cheaply. Here are a few of my absolute favorite things I've purchased from Etsy recently.

Monogram Door Hanging from Southern Greeters

Featured in last week's 23 Week Bumpdate

Seen here on Southern Greeters' store page

Headbands for Caroline from Bebebands

2013-2014 Day Planner from Whitney English

 

I will say, this hasn't shipped yet (ships in July), so I haven't actually used it yet, but my co-worker has one and LOVES it. I've been eyeing hers for a while, so I know I'll adore it, too.

Self-Inking Address Stamp from Foryoo

What are some of your favorite Etsy stores and recent buys? I NEED to know this stuff ; )

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P.S. - Stay tuned this week for a hair tutorial vlog (we're talking straight hair that will hold up in summer humidity!), as well as a MAJOR blog link-up announcement for mommas and mommas-to-be!! Whether you're expecting your first little one or if you're a veteran mom at this point, you won't want to miss the chance to glean advice and tips from your fellow bloggers, (AND give your own!)

Fall...In All Its Glory

Found here.

Is there any better season than fall? In my opinion, definitely not. As a citizen of the South, I like to refer to fall as "the great relief". And what, pray tell, would this region possibly need relief from?

The 10,000 degree heat, of course.

(If there were an upside to such temps though, it would be that we can bake cookies on our sidewalks from June 'til August. Eh??)

So as a girl living in the Deep South (Farmer's Almanac classifies Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and Tennessee as "Deep South", but I think y'all in the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida qualify too), I feel it's my duty to celebrate fall. And everything beautiful that comes with it.

Wreaths

I love a decorative, rustic-looking wreath for autumn. In my opinion, anything with pinecones and burlap is just dandy. And I believe that wreaths bring a certain warmth to the outside of the home. It says, "Come on in, y'all!" (Unless, of course, you're a cat or a solicitor.)

I'm all about this pretty little thing from Etsy. The chartreuse bow just makes it, doesn't it?

And this one is beautiful too. I love the addition of the little initial!

Scents

I think I've blogged about the wonderful candles from Bath & Body Works before, but in case you missed it...I love the Cider Lane and Leaves scented candles. They burn for several hours and the scent is just marvelous.

Eats

When it comes to fall cookin', it's all about soups and chili at the S household. We love a crockpot of chili while we watch football, and for rainy Mondays, well, you can't beat a bowl of broccoli cheddar bisque.

For our favorite chili recipe, go here.

For the broccoli cheddar soup that I've tried and love, click here.

Decor

I think throw pillows are such a fun, inexpensive way to change up the seasonal decor of a room. Since plum is one of the trendiest colors this fall (for both decor and clothing), I thought it was fit to find a perfectly royal looking pouf for the couch. Behold!

She's plush and oh-so-pretty! Pssst...and only $34!

And please. Can't we talk about the cuteness of this herringbone throw from Dillard's?

Scarves

Oh my. If y'all knew how many scarves I owned, you'd think I was cray-cray. I love using them to change up an outfit on the fly. Ch-ch-check these out:

The Village People scarf from The Elle gets me so pumped for fall accessories!

And this Shimmering Leopard Scarf from Forever 21 is just as pretty in person as in the picture. I would know...stopped in during lunch yesterday : )

Boots

Are ya kidding? I can't sum up my thoughts and adoration for boots in one section. I'm doing an entire post next week, so please stay tuned. It's a good 'un!

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Okay, I'm out until Monday! We are off to Chicago to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary. There should be lots of wine, lots of photos and lots of ooshy-gooshy romantic nonsense. All my favorite things in life.

And don't think I won't be raiding H&M whilst there...psshaw! Stephen is dragging taking me to a Cubs game, so I think it's only fair that a shopping trip happen, right? ; )

Talk to you soon!

Be blessed, lovelies-

Pretty Smitten

I stumbled upon this gem of an Etsy store while perusing Pinterest last night. Have you guys heard of Pretty Smitten? Well let me tell you, this store is precious!

I'm not being paid to say this stuff, nor have I actually ever purchased anything from there, but I think that's about to change.

I mean lucite trays, personalized stickers, iPhone cases...the list goes on.

I've got my heart set on this iPhone 4 case. The silhouette is so cute, right?

Anywho, just thought I would share this little treasure I found.

Be blessed, lovelies-