Monday, June 30, 2014

Stella's 2nd Birthday Disneyland Shoot


We are gearing up to celebrate Stella's second birthday. As many of you know we have had passes as a couple for years, and have been taking Stella regularly since she was 5 months old. Watching her face light up as we walk up to the gates has been such a magical time. I have cherished all our adventures at Disneyland, and look forward to make many more as Stella grows. 

When choosing a theme for Stella's second birthday we chose Disneyland, since it is her favorite place to visit. Our photographer, who we have used for our maternity photo shoot, and recent family photos has a pass to Disneyland, so we thought what a great opportunity to take her second birthday photos at the happiest place on earth!  Stella currently has a Tinkerbell fascination, and since Tink is the mascot of Disney we thought this would be the perfect outfit for the shoot. We are going to use these photos for the invitations, and as party decor for her Disneyland themed soirée in August. I just love how these photos turned out, and think our photographer captured Stella's free spirited, and energetic personality so perfectly! 


























Vendor Credits
Photography (Jack Rodriguez) | Tinkerbell Costume (The Disney Store) |
Sequin Shoes Toms | Custom Tinkerbell Bow Birdie Baby Boutique  |
Party Hat Little Blue Olive

As many of you know going to Disneyland has been such a special place for Stella, Trevor, and I. We have made so many memories there. I will treasure these photos forever. A huge thank you to our photographer Jack Rodriguez for making this possible.

Happy almost two years Stella Bug!!

(Ps. I will be taking a vacation away from the blog for the next two weeks. When we come back we have some exciting things happening)

Yours Truly,
Melissa 

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Beach Bound Essentials


I only have two more days left of work, then I'm officially on "vacay" for an entire week!! I'm so incredibly stoked to have some quality Mommy and Stella time during this staycation. Although we are not going on any fancy trips, we plan on making many trips to the beach! This is just one of the awesome perks to being a So Cal mom. The weather has been so beautiful we have already made quite a few trips on my days off, so I thought I would share with you my favorite beach bound essentials.

We all know that when you have a little one, you need free hands. Last year I received this awesome beach chair that has back pack straps, making it an easy lug down to the sand. It's also super comfortable to sit in making it a must have! Other favorites include a beach mat that is easy to roll up, light weight, and won't get soggy like an oversized towel. For entertainment you can't go wrong with some sand scooped ice cream toys. Although, I highly recommend going for the real thing after your trip. Stella and I have been hitting up Rubys on the pier for a milkshake with two straws and it has been the sweetest new tradition.

Of course it wouldn't be a trip to the beach without some stylish threads! I'm obsessed with this new retro inspired swimsuit we got from La Pina Childrens Shop. It's so incredibly well made, and probably the coolest swimsuit on the market right now.

Check out all our favorite beach bound essentials below.




Happy Sunning! 

Yours Truly,
Melissa 


Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Little Celebrations: Under the Sea

So we are officially just two months away from celebrating Stella's second birthday. We took her second birthday photos yesterday, which had me feeling a little emotional. The time seems to be passing at warp speed. As many of you know I love planning parties, so putting together a sweet little celebration for Stella is definitely one of the most fun things I get to do as her mom. 

Last year the theme of Stella's birthday was "Under the Sea". I used classic mermaid colors of lavender and aqua as the color scheme, then  added seashells, sand, and fishing nets to create the sea like atmosphere. With Stella's party being in the middle of summer, we encouraged guests to bring their swimsuits to take a dip in the pool with the mermaids. I also set up water tables and little kiddie pools for the kids. 

For the sweets table I looked for candy and baked goods that resemble all the things we love about the sea. Cake pops that resemble octopus, gummy sharks, seashell shaped cookies, and salt water taffy, kept our friends sweet tooth happy. The center of the sweets table was a mermaid inspired two tiered cake covered in mermaid scales. It was beyond tasty too! 

For the tables I framed pictures from Stella's cake smash photo shoot to use as center pieces. I tied rope twine around mason jars, and added sand and seashells into the jars. Each table featured orchids, and a fish plate full of lifesaver candy. I found all of these touches at Home Goods! Anybody looking to put together a beach/ mermaid party this summer you must check out Home goods. I couldn't believe all the perfect under the sea decorations they had. 

For party favors I bought sand buckets and filled them with goodies, such as personalized mermaid coloring pages, and mermaid wands for the girls. I found letter stickers at Michaels and personalized each bucket. Probably my favorite decoration at the party was this oversized octopus plush I found at Pottery Barn Kids.  The kids took it down and had a blast playing with it. 

You can find all the vendor credits we used at the bottom of the page. We did a lot of shopping on Etsy, and had the best experience with all the vendors. Great communication, and fantastic homemade products! 

I feel like this was just yesterday. Where does the time go.... 


















Vendor Credits: 
Cake, Octopops & Seashell Cookies Tinseltown Cupcakes | Macaroons Sweet and Saucy Shop
Personalized Coloring pages Sugar pie Studio |  Menu Cards A Petit Soirée | 
Fish Confetti Foolish Worker Bee | High Chair Bunting  JP Pink Daisy | 
Stella Banner Little Pink Tractor | Birthday Hat Prop Shop Boutique | 
Smash cake Bunting Hartranftdesign | Mermaid Napkins A Southern Flair |  
Paper Goods The Party Fairy | Mermaid Wands Ella Jace Crafts  | Favor Tags Scrap Your Story | Stuffed Octopus & Mermaid Sign Pottery Barn Kids

Yours truly,
Melissa 

Friday, June 20, 2014

Shop Spotlight: Little Kate Designs

Happy Saturday readers!! Today we are spotlighting one of our favorite small business shops, that you will see Stella wearing quite a bit. Little Kate Designs is an accessory shop specializing in leather hair accessories, based out of Las Vegas, NV.  All of the designs are handmade by Tanya, the owner and creator of Little Kate Designs. This shop is full of the coolest leather accessories such as braided headbands, metallic bows, and leather snap clips in multiple fashion colors. Each piece is functional for your every day lives, and full of fashion forward styles. 

Tanya is a mother to a gorgeous almost two year old named Lucy Kate, a wife, and their family is expecting a new addition this December. Tanya had worked as a personal stylist at a high end retailer for years, however, after Lucy Kate came along, they decided she would stay home to care for their daughter. Being passionate about fashion, and missing that part of her life, Tanya started to design accessories for her daughter, and the rest is history. She came up with the name Little Kate Designs after her daughter, as she is the one who inspires the aesthetic and designs of the business. Some people assume the shop is named after her, so they call her Kate, which "makes her smile every time". I had the amazing opportunity  to interview Tanya, to get some more background on her as a designer, and the background of the shop. Here is what I learned about Tanya. 

Q: How did you come up with Little Kate Designs? A: " I have always loved fashion; the textures the silhouettes, and shapes are all so intriguing to me. The shop is named after my daughter, Lucy Kate, as she is my little inspiration"

Q: As a success business lady yourself, is there a "boss lady" you look up to as a mentor? A: " There isn't one particular businesswoman I strive to emulate because I feel like we are all unique in our own different way. There are many boss ladies I admire though: thecoralpear, fabric wraps, madebymarywithlove are some of the many! These girls are all friends of mine and I admire their dedication as moms and wives and business women alike!" 

Q: "Whose celebrity style do you admire the most, and why? A:  "This may sound cliche but I have always adored Angelina Jolie's style. It's so effortless and classic. I love the clean lines and elegance of each and every piece she has worn. " 

One of our favorite designs from her shop include the leather braided headband which are available in baby to mom. They are designed from three leather pieces intertwined in a braid, then secured in a Headwrap.  These headbands come in multiple color ways such as metallics, neutrals like black, white, and brown, and cool fashion colors such as fuchsia, sun kissed yellow, aqua mint, and ballet pink. You can find 32 different styles in her shop, and each one is so utterly cool. 



Little Kate Designs makes a wide variety of hair accessories using leather. One of my favorites are the classic leather bows attached to an alligator clip. These sweet bows will keep the hair out of your little ladies face, while keeping her stylish. Featured are the fuchsia, gunmetal metallic, white, and canary yellow created from 100% genuine leather. 


Leather bows on glitter elastic are a favorite among moms with newborns. Seeing this dainty accessory on a teensy newborn girl will honestly make your heart explode! Such a great accessory for those precious newborn photo shoots. 


Metallic Bow Clips 

I'm also a huge fan of her prints! These printed bows are on trend, and sure to make a statement no matter what the season. I mean, what girl doesn't love a little leopard? 


Stella is wearing this black and white striped leather on a gold elastic band. It doesn't get any cooler than this people! 


These glitter bows are sure to make you sparkle! These are ideal for holiday, New Years, or if you just love a little bling. 


For summer Tanya has added some awesome neon leather styles. Stella recently rocked the neon up yellow at the beach, and received so many compliments on this fun accessory. These are a must have addition to you and your littles summer wardrobe. 



Thank you so much Tanya for sharing more about yourself and your awesome accessory shop with us. Your hair accessories are truly amazing, and one of our favorites to incorporate into our outfits in our everyday lives. 

Readers- now go and shop Little Kate Designs. She also provides a fantastic deal for you ladies looking to load up on some of her shop. For all orders over $30 you will receive 25% with code Little25. 

Shop small!! 


Yours Truly,
Melissa 

Top 10 Onsies


There is a baby boom happening in my neck of the woods!! There are some beautiful babies coming into my life in the next few months and I couldn't be more thrilled. Nothing is sweeter than a teensy newborn, and some chubby baby rolls styled in a onsie. In honor of those sweet babes coming into my life, I thought I would feature ten of my favorite onsies for the newest additions in your life. From funny sayings, to sweet ice cream prints, these onsies are sure to be favorite piece to add to your babies wardrobe. From what I remember with Stella she wore at least three onsies a day, so my tip to any new moms is that you can never have too many onsies.

Ps. (Number six is by Little Boogaweezin and she is offering 20% off everything in her shop today only with code: FRIDAY ) 

Links to all the onsies provided below. 


Yours Truly,
Melissa 

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Cool like a Popsicle


Summertime. I have a love hate relationship with this time of year. First the HATES.  I hate the heat. Unless I'm at the pool, in air conditioning, or at the beach, if it's hotter than 80 degrees, no thank you. I hate the crowds. I usually get at least one day off during the week, and it's pretty nice, because the rest of the world is usually at school or at work. I enjoy going to Disneyland and not having to wait in ridiculous sweaty lines. Summertime= crowds.  It's my busiest time of year at work. I mean it's blackout time. After July 6th, you can forget about going on vacation. It's the busiest time of year, sort of like Christmas time in heat. Now, so I don't sound like the Bah humbug of summer, here are the things I love. 

(Which Definitely outweigh the hates, making this season a PLUS in my book.)

 I LOVE being outside. Stella may not have gotten her hair color or eye color from me, but she definitely has MY personality. She is a free spirit who loves to be outside and be free. I love my home, but I get anxiety if I'm in the house for too long. I need to explore. I need to be outside. Summertime allows us to spend our free time outside, soaking up the sun. I LOVE All the bright colors and relaxed fashion styles. My dirty summer uniform consists of boyfriend shorts, a soft tank, and a cool pair of sandals. 

So since I can't make the heat go away, at least Stella is keeping it cool. Today she enjoyed one of the things I love about summertime.... Popsicles!!! 

It went sometching like this.... 



I don't want this! (Blah!) 


Its like Ice Cream???? 


Ok, I'll try it...


This is pretty tasty...


It's going down.. 




Even though it's hot, at least Stella is staying cool !  

Vendor Credits: Bow ( Birdie Baby Boutique ) | Tank: ( Tiny Whales ) | 
Shorts : ( Susie's Custom )  | Moccs ( The Coral Pear ) | 


Yours Truly,
Melissa