A few finds I thought you might like.

I'm so sorry for the lack post recently. I had been working on a new grosgrain dress which CONSUMED me. But it's over now and I'm back on the saddle again. As an atonement I included many pretty things I've found here and there and everywhere.

This cuter than cute felt cake has over 50 decorations to stick on and create all kinds of designs. Buy it at Chasing Fireflies.


You can buy these turquoise chairs at Ibiza but I think it would be even better if you spray painted some old folding chairs and did the tin punch yourself!



















Emma and Avery has the most gorgeous children's clothing. Creative and reminiscent of Marie Antoinette's era.





















I don't know why but turning fruit into containers, cups and fruit punch dispensers tickles me with delight.






















I remember pretending I had a mermaid fins after seeing The little mermaid. These would have been right up my alley. Buy them here at Chasing Fireflies.

No work today!

For Memorial Day we all rented a minivan and went to Knobels Grove Amusement Park with Brian’s family. Quite a nice day. Keeping in mind that we had two small children and I was nursing yet another health issue I have to say that it was really enjoyable. Lily had a GREAT day, as you can see. Her favorite rides were the slide and tugboat.

Knobels is such a great place for kids since 95% of the rides are for children 42” and above. But best of all, the park is COVERED in trees. My biggest complaint with a lot of parks is lack of foliage and broiling temperatures that accompany the black asphault. At Knobels, dogs are allowed (on a leash) as well personal food, alcohol, barbeque gear AND you don’t have to pay to get in, just to ride. In all, we spent $30 for three people to ride all day not including the $10 book of tickets I found on the ground. Good deal.

Oh….and it’s never more than a 15 minute wait to ride. What more can you ask for?

Cupcake wrapper roundup

Just in time for your summer cupcakes here are a couple various wrappers lying around the internet just waiting for you to pick them up! Just click on the picture to be taken to the store site. The last one isn't a cupcake wrapper but I thought it might make a good one. It's red polka dotted cloth. Neat idea? I could see it in Martha Stewart Living.

Lily gets a new dress!

New Grosgrain Post! Here!

This flickr group takes the cake....literally.

For those of you who have ever taken on the task of a multi-layered cake or had the pleasure to try their hand at fondant you HAVE to check out flickr's Cake Fun group. Pictured left is a cake I made for Lily's first birthday. I stayed up until 3am to finish, but totally worth it. Molly's first birthday is coming up pretty soon and I plan on making her cake as well. This site is great for inspiration.

My favorite is pictured to right. It looks so springy while staying edible, I think I will try it. Sike. I'm not that good. For those who like cake decorating on a smaller scale, check out flickr's Cupcakes Take the Cake group.

No more Dora, Disney or Diego Flip Flops!!

While dressing Lily for one of my Grosgrain posts I couldn't find any shoes that I thought were appropriate for what she was wearing- dressy but not glossy. I was looking for a matte finish ballet flat. I looked everywhere, Payless, walmart, the children's place, gymboree, even.....jcrew (ridiculously over priced). Finally I found what I was looking for at Target. You'd think more stores would carry ballet flats for kids. It's such a simple shoe. But no. Target has them in a variety of colors. LOVE THEM! Better yet, they are on sale and super cheap. They are currently offering free shipping on orders over $50 AND I have a $5 off coupon here if you spend $50. Buy the shoes at Target online here! Speaking of ballet, Lily is in her third month of classes. Isn't she adorable?

Wholesome family fun

I always liked the idea of family entertainment like in The Royal Tenenbaums- Where the children pass their time by putting on plays, playing tennis, breeding dalmation mice, the usual pre-tv past times.
For those of you who feel the same, here's a cheap toy for encouraging creativity. Good for puppet theater (human theater to0). Buy it here at Carton Chic.

Lily gets a new dress

New Grosgrain Post! Here!

Charming on so many levels

The girls and I watched Balloon rouge, Le (The Red Balloon) today- a french movie made in 1956 about a boy and the red balloon that befriends him. Although it's made half a century ago in a foreign country it transcends language as there is very little dialog. It's quite charming and if you have Comcast Cable I recommend watching it on IFC Films on Demand.

RUN don't walk to Tarjay

Just bought these delightful Issac Mizrahi dresses online. Better yet, I bought them on sale, got free shipping and used a $5 off coupon (love coupon codes). I figure I better snatch them up while I still can. I don't know what I'm going to spend my money on after he leaves Target. Maybe I'll make MY own clothes too.

Behind the bathroom curtain

Found this adorable blog dedicated to sharing your child's artwork, writing, whatever. Users are free to comment on the artwork and as any parent knows, kids LOVE feedback. The creator, Brian, found the inspiration for the site in a box full of his old schoolwork and drawings that his parents had kept over the years. Poring over all the old papers, Brian and his wife were entertained by how bizarre and

imaginative a lot of the work was. He knew that there must be millions of people with similar material to share, so he decided to create a forum in which the artwork and creativity of children everywhere could be showcased. Pictured at top is Lily's first submission- a portrait of her sister Molly drawn on the bathroom wall during one of her brainstorming baths. To the right and left are a couple submissions featured on the site. Post your child's artwork at TheBlog WeeMade.

Lastly Lost

On a personal nerdy note, LOST! Need I say more. I've never mentioned my obsession before but now is a good time with the finale airing in two weeks. And I can say, FINALLY, finally Jack knows about Claire. Great! Talk about pleasure delaying. The wait was almost worth the look on his face when he realized everything. They say there will be one significant death in the finale. But after Charlie I don't think I can take another good character's demise. Anyone but Desmond....pleeeaaazzze. Take michael, take rose, even Juliet. I don't care, anyone but Desmond. I need that unification with Penny, don't you? Lastly, the whole Oceanic Six possibly being dead and in the afterlife is throwing me off a bit. I could see perhaps Jack and Kate and Hurley but not Sun. Then again, with Lost, who knows. With any luck the island will bring Charlie back and all can be right with the world.

A substantial headphone without the ugly bulk

Found the most delicious stripey headphones. Like the large retro kind you used to wear at the library in the listening booths but more updated and prettier. The headphones are manufactured by ZUMREED. It has 15 different colors and can be folded while not in use. The recommended price in Korea is 38,000 Won (approx US$37). Since they are primarily sold in Japan they are hard to find even on the internet but you can buy them in US dollars here!

99 red luftballoons

I'm really debating whether or not to combine lily and molly's birthdays. They are close enough so that the decision becomes rather difficult- almost exactly one month. I don't think most people would come to one party and then another in three weeks. And hey, my birthday is in there too! I could make Molly's one week early and lily's one week late so they weren't as close together. Ugh. I don't know but I'm going to have to decide soon. At any rate, I'm contemplating ideas and I like these very round red balloons. Very retro. Very large. Very eye candy. You can buy them here!
I thought about a 99 red balloons theme but Brian tells me that song is actually about Nuclear War. Am I the only one who didn't know that? I included some more party inspirational pics for anyone else in the same boat as me. Enjoy.