The Tumtum Tree: June 2008

Monday, June 30

My oldest daughter's birthday is coming up soon and I'm searching for gift ideas. As I was searching I found this and thought it would be a lovely present to give a child. Buy it at Chasing Fireflies.

If anyone has any other ideas I'd be delighted to hear them!

FIRST GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!! CHECK IT OUT!!!!

Friday, June 27

FIRST GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY! HERE!
Strawberry Quart Caplet with Simple Sailing Frock

Do you like my clothes? Do you want them for....free?!

To get the Grosgrain word out, I've decided to try something new and radical with this blog. We'll see how it goes. The plan is....on a semi-regular basis (approx. once a week)....I will raffle the clothes that I create to visitors who leave links on their blog THAT LINK BACK TO THE GIVEAWAY POST.
To leave a link all you have to do is:

1) Click on "Links to this Post" at the bottom of the post beside the "comments" link.
2) It will take you another page with a "create a link" button at the bottom of the page. Click on that.
3) Create a link.

And voila. You're done.
I can see who's created a link and will choose randomly from those who have.
I will then post the winner's name and blog at the top of the post a week after it has been listed.
I'm guessing that I won't have a slew of posters, at least for now, so if you link, you might actually have a sporting chance of winning something!
I'll then get your address and send you the piece courtesy of Grosgrain:)
What do you all think of this? Neat idea? Not so much? Please let me know. I'd like to get your thoughts.

Book of the week....

Thursday, June 26

When I was 10 I fell in love with Chris Van Allsburg. You may have heard of him through such blockbuster hits as Jumani and Zathura. However, it was a combination of his writing style and illustrations that struck me. His stories are strange and are filled with ambiguity allowing the reader to fill in the blanks. My favorite book, which is a perfect example of this, is "The Mysteries of Harris Burdick". It is my book of the week and I encourage you to check it out the next time you visit your library. To the right is an excerpt from the book. The caption reads ""Mr. Linden's Library - He had warned her about the book. Now it was too late."

The book is filled with random scenes with cryptic captions. Love it!

Grosgrain: Polka Dot Party Frock

Wednesday, June 25

Grosgrain: Polka Dot Party Frock: "My littlest little baby has just turned one. I just can't believe it. It's so strange how they go from baby to toddler in just a year's time."

Molly gets a new dress!

Tuesday, June 24

New Grosgrain Post! Here!

Party planning....

Well, here's my chance to live up to my self-proclaimed "party planner" title. Lily and Molly's birthday party is coming up and I've been perusing the internet for inspiration. See what I've dug up.

father's day for brian

I know father's day was over a week ago but I wanted to post his surprise....
When he walked into the bathroom on father's day....A few framed pics of us mid-morning routine were there to greet him...along with a daddy caricature card courtesy of the fam.

Vintage Couture at a very uncouture price

Found this awesome blog that sells vintage inspired clothing at a very "Forever 21" price. Check her out here. These are just a few of my favorite pieces.

Mollys 1!

Monday, June 23

I really can't believe Molly is already 1! She still seems so small....to me. We devoted the top tier of the cake solely for the birthday girl. I thought it was a cute idea for photographing a child eating their first cake.

PS
You don't even want to know what the kitchen looked like in this cake's wake. Sort of like the way Molly looks below.

etsy helps you give props

I love photographing the clothes I make for my daughters, especially photographing my daughters in them. Etsy has provided a new tutorial on how to photograph props to look more appealing. See it here! Looks yummy.

It's been a while....

Saturday, June 21

Well, it certainly has been a while since my last post. With all the attention I was devoting to the Grosgrain site, I was debating whether or not to change this site into something more of a personal update page about the fam. However, I had a comment in my last grosgrain update from someone who mentioned that they had missed my posts....and to tell you the truth I did too. So, starting Monday I will start to post new tips and finds on a regular basis as before. To kick things off here is an AMAZING online magazine that totally inspired me in so many ways. It's called SMALL. Take a look here!