First - we have a bunch of our new designs available now in our shop including our Anne of Green Gables Thermal (which I had to print on a white thermal because despite looking EVERYWHERE for a nice green one I couldn't find any that had a complete range of sizes left in stock), the Little Women one and some Fairyland ones in new colors for both women and children. (Pictures of everything are at the bottom of this post). We will have the 'Twas the Night Before Christmas shirt available for kids later this week. The ribbon on it will be optional that way it can be for either boys or girls.
I also wanted to tell you I we have some really fun new embellished shirts that we are working on that will be available in the spring. Originally my plan was for all of our screenprinted shirts to have some embellishments (chiffon, lace, buttons, rosettes, etc). I was really inspired by all of the J.Crew ones this summer and wanted to be able to make similar ones with a Dear Lillie twist on them but offer them at a lower prices. Unfortunately, the morning sickness hit hard right when we started printing so that all went out the window for fall. However, as soon as Christmas is over I am dying to get to work on what has been in my head for the past six months!
On another note Lillie and I are starting to get into Christmas mode a little early here =)....we haven't quite won Jon over to it yet, though. Haha! This afternoon we went and got some little fir trees to put in our urns on the front porch and had fun planting them. I wanted to take down all of our fall stuff this afternoon to get ready for our Christmas stuff and almost did seeing how Jon was gone at a scrimmage all day, but figured he might die when he got back so decided against it. I used to always wait until after Thanksgiving to start, but the last two years with Lillie and Dear Lillie, I have discovered it takes so much longer to get everything done especially when I have lots of new Christmas projects I want to do, so I have started a little earlier. I suppose I should wait at least another week or two though.
Some decorating we have done, though, has been to add some more gray into Lillie's room. I am trying to slowly make it a little less pink and my sister Jamie made her a matching pillow and blanket for her bed and that has really helped. Now I just need to hang something above her bed...if only I could decide!
For more pictures of Lillie's new big girl room click here.
And here are some of the new shirts now available in our shop. Also just to let you all know we won't be printing any more thermals before Christmas (except the kids Christmas which we will have later this week) so what we have now is it!
Okay and last but not least, Lillie's birthday is in just a few weeks and I am trying to decide what to do for her birthday party. Last year we had a fun pink theme, but I am torn about what to do this year. We are going to do a small little tea party up in New Hampshire and I was thinking about doing either a chocolate theme (she might love chocolate even more than me!) and do lots of little mini chocolate desserts, or maybe a sugarplum/winter wonderland theme and do lots of fluffy white decorating, or maybe a Fancy Nancy themed tea party, but I really am not sure and I need to decide in the next day or two so that I can get to work making stuff.
Do any of you have any opinions or ideas?
If so I would LOVE to hear them and if someone comes up with an idea that I end up using I will send you a free shirt of your choice (and yes, Jamie, I will let family members enter this contest - haha!)
I hope you all are having a lovely weekend!
I love Lillie's room, it reminds me so much of the girl rooms in the Restoration Hardware catalog. I really love the combination of pink and gray.
ReplyDeleteThe new thermals are adorable!
I think your ideas sound great for Lillie's party. It is so cute that her and Jude are only days apart
The tea party idea is very cute! I have twin girls who turned 2 in July and they love Fancy Nancy, so my vote is for her. For a child that little I do think it is good to bring in things that will interest them(like a favorite character). I'm guessing she won't be really drinking the tea- so maybe do some beautiful petit fours with bright colors, flowers, maybe decorated some like little presents. Something really visual for her. If she likes to dress up, you could have some chic boas, tiaras, and jewelry-- very Fancy Nancy style! If there will be kids her age there, I think a small craft is great. My girls had a fairy party this year, so we made fairy wands with lots of sparkles and ribbon. It kept the little ones (and the adults!) busy! Have fun planning! Love the new shirts, too! :)
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of a "Birthday Bloom" party where you could decorate with tons of different blooms-- both real in pots and handmade flowers. Favors could be either seed packets they could take home for the Spring or a small potted bloom...or of course your gorgeous flower hair clips! Plus all of those paper poms out there now could definitely work nicely into a bright Bloom-themed party. Invites could say something like "A poppy for me, a peony for you...Lillie is turning 2" or even "look who's turning 2"
ReplyDeleteBTW- I LOVE the new thermals!!
I am planning on using an icecream social theme for my daughter's next birthday. I am hoping to find some fun containers and spoons to hold all the fun sundea toppings and give each child a personalized sundea bowl.
ReplyDeleteI also like the other ideas you picked out as well. Isn;t it funny how much we mom's stress over these things :)
What about a fairy garden theme? I"m thinking lots of flowers and white fabrics. Some hints of glitter for fairy dust. Tiny sandwiches and cookies. Mini cupcakes.
ReplyDeleteI have a great site that gives FABULOUS ideas I follow... here it is! They even have printable templates for invites/party favors/etc.!! She even has an etsy shop!
ReplyDeletehttp://tomkatstudio.blogspot.com/2010/08/real-parties-tea-with-trista-alice-in.html
This is the link to her tea party themed party. It included an Alice in Wonderland twist with little cakes that said "eat me" on small tags etc. Adorable!
~*~*Love your new stuff!!! Also love the chocolate and brown theme party!! Brown and pink polkadots would be fun decor!! Hugs,Rachel~*~*
ReplyDeleteMy six year old, Sophie, was Fancy Nancy for Halloween, and my nine month old, Lillie, was her "posh puppy" (an adorable pink poodle! I would attach a photo if I knew how! :)
ReplyDeleteMy oldest's second birthday was a ballerina birthday, "we're just tutu excited that Sophie's turning two!" We made the invitations with tulle tutus on them. We had beautiful tutus for all the girls and top hats for the boys! My sister is a ballerina, and she gave a mini-dance lesson!Of course, the hokey-pokey wound up being all the two-years-olds favorite part!
Another precious idea that sounds a bit like the Sugarplum idea is a Candy Land Party. It's fun to have tons of beautiful candies displayed in apothecary jars, and since Lillie's birthday is in December, it might be neat to bring in gingerbread houses. (I started decorating gingerbread houses with Sophie when she was 15 months, and she just loved it!) You could theme out the food based on ideas from the game. Candy Cane Forest, Gum Drop Mountain etc, Lollipop Woods, etc. (or even decorate different areas of the party as the different areas). Also, you can get those cardboard houses that look like gingerbread houses that your guests could color. There are also some cute vintage-y looking Candy Land items that could be included as party favors.
My husband always helps me create party soundtracks, and you could do songs like Good Ship Lollypop, Sugar Pie, Honey-Bun, I Want Candy, etc. You might want to read the story of the Gingerbread Man if you bring in gingerbread houses or men.
It's so funny that you are asking about birthdays because I just sent my mom, my sisters, and my aunt your post about your Lillie's birthday last year to provide inspiration for my Lillie's birthday coming up in January! :)
Oooh, I think Fancy Nancy would be fun. We love her in our family! I have some good recipes and idea on my blog: www.livvyloowho.blogspot.com, check them out in the party link label on the right.
ReplyDeleteIn the past I have always done chocolate covered Oreos and pretzels using molds and they are a HIT!
PS, I have been IN LOVE with your Mary Poppins shirt FOREVER! Love it! I hope I win, your products are great!
PPS, not kissing up to win, just giving a genuine compliment:)!
My daughter did a Fancy Nancy party for my granddaughter's 6th birthday and it was a dress up party. She had a runway and took pictures of all the kids dressed up so fun. My granddaughter wore a tiara for the entire party and had her hair really curly like Fancy Nancy. So, the Fancy Nancy party would be really fun.
ReplyDeletelove the tea party idea. what about naming it 'girls with pearls' and have like a chest full of dress up items like pearl necklaces, hats, jewelry etc etc for the little ones to dress up with. You can have a mirror set up for them to see themselves all dolled up. You can even have a nice little candy bar. have different sizes of clear jars and put whatever color theme your going for in the jars. I think ribbon candy is so pretty too. You could decorate with ruffly, pretty frilly stuff. You can even go with the chocolate idea too. Have a chocolate bar with different small chocolates and do browns and pinks as the color or whatever color you are liking. I just love pink. :) whatever you choose, I know it will be fab and she will love it. I can't wait to see pics of her party!
ReplyDeleteoh and you can have little cute bags set up to where the guests can make themselves little goody bags like in a real candy shop. :)
ReplyDeleteAs i lay in bed last night it came to me! Lillie's Storybook birthday! I know how much you adore books and love to read, so i thought Lillie must be a little book worm too:) You could have bookmarks with the guests names as place cards. You could use Lillie's favorite books as decore, encorporating Fancy Nancy and others. You could make banners with some of her favorite quotes or lines from her favorite stories! Not sure how to work it into cupcakes or cake yet but i'm sure there's some fabulous way. Just a thought. If there's anyone who could bring this idea to life it would be you:) Have fun with it and take care of yourself! Hugs
ReplyDeleteI love the ideas in the "Penny Whistle Party Planner" books. You can find them in the library.
ReplyDeleteWarmly, Michelle
You could do a cupcake party & incorporate the chocolate & the sugarplums into that!
ReplyDeleteYou could always do an Anne of Green Gable Party. With suitcases as deco. And you could serve some of the food that is metioned in the book. And have different areas named after the different places like lake of shining water. but I guess this would only work with adults.
ReplyDeleteI just finished planning an elaborate birthday party for my 2-year old. My husband jokes that the parties are as much for the Mamas as they are for the girls!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of a Nutcracker Ballet birthday party for Miss Lillie. This theme would be a great excuse to jumpstart your Christmas decorating, as well as showcase those gorgeous Dear Lillie tutus!
Miss Lillie could come as a mini-Sugarplum Fairy dressed in a pink tutu, while the other gals could wear white tutus to look like the ballerinas from the Waltz of the Snowflakes.
The decoration opportunities are endless: pink tissue paper pom-pom flowers, glittering snowflakes, wooden Nutcracker toy soldiers, satin ballet slippers, etc…
Since it is a tea party, you could serve food items based on Act II of the ballet, when Clara is presented with a celebration of sweets from around the world. There’s Spanish chocolate, Arabian coffee, Chinese tea, marzipan and of course ginger snaps (for Mother Ginger). In lieu of a birthday cake, you can have a tiered tray of cupcakes topped with beautiful fondant flowers (for the Waltz of the Flowers). You also can make gingerbread soldiers and these adorable chocolate-covered cherry mice would be a nice nod to the Mouse King: http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/chocolate-cherry-mice-800468/
For party favors, you can either give a Christmas ornament or a CD of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Ballet. If you do this theme, please take lots of pics b/c I might want to steal it for my little girl’s party next year!
Good luck!
Ruthie
PS. We did an Alice in Wonderland party for my little one last year. I'm happy to share photos if you are interested!
I highly recommend a 'cupcake decorating party'... so easy, so fun, and all the cupcake decorations/toppings made a great tablescape. I bought pink chef hats for all the guests and aprons (of course, I had my Caroline's monogrammed as the birthday girl)... I found her an outfit that cupcakes on it... and then spent a few hours baking different variety of cupcakes and had a buffet of undecorated cupcakes laid out and then the kids made 6 cupcakes... frosted them, decorated them with all types of candies, etc... and then I bought cupcake to-go boxes and they got to take them home, with their chef hat and apron. Super fun, and so cute!
ReplyDeleteI did a tutu tea party for my four year old last month and it was so much fun. Her guests took home a tutu and hair bow, they had two easy crafts to make after drinking tea and having snacks. I think a tea party with a whimsical theme is fun for little girls. Love the shirts & your daughter's room decor!
ReplyDeleteLola B did a birthday party with an Alice in Wonderland theme. You can see pics here: http://kaseybuick.com/2010/07/wonderland/
ReplyDeleteI'm so impressed you have time to bake and decorate! I barely have time to sleep! Hope you feel better soon!
How about I just get a free shirt? :)
ReplyDelete-Jamie
Or in exchange for having the party at my house? I'm in need of a few more waffles, so I can stretch laundry day from once a week to once every two weeks! :)
ReplyDelete-Jamie
How about Breakfast & PJ's party? You could have it early mornin'ish (10 am). For the menu - pancakes, sausage, and fruit. The kids can decorate the pancakes. Fun and simple! Or I also like a sundae party where the kids can make the own sundae's which work perfect with little cupcakes too. I am loving the new ruffle pillow and blanket.
ReplyDeleteOh my you must check out my blogging buddies party that she did for her girls this past spring: Lemonade & Sunshine Party
ReplyDeleteIt was georgous...all pink gingham and white furniture and she does graphics so she did all fo her printables...just lovely. I wanted this party for myself. Seriously...her party looked like your home...very fresh and provincial. Tell her Roberta sent you if you go visit. AND please give her the free shirt if you pick my comment ;)
http://penandpaperflowers.blogspot.com/2010/06/lemonade-sunshine-party-party-day.html
OMG...just found this Wizard of Oz party...
ReplyDeletehttp://blog.amyatlas.com/2010/11/wizard-of-oz-guest-dessert-feature/
It's so darn cute...not sure if it's too old for your daughter or not...but just had to share (again I found it through my friend Jess ;)
Wow Amy Atlas's site is a such a treasure trove of parties...somebody stop me :0
ReplyDeleteI promise this will be my last comment but I just had to share all these georgous kids parties. Enjoy! Fondly, Roberta
http://blog.amyatlas.com/2010/11/dr-seuss-inspired-guest-dessert-feature/
http://blog.amyatlas.com/2010/11/bubblegum-and-soda-guest-dessert-feature/
http://blog.amyatlas.com/2010/11/county-fair-guest-dessert-feature/
http://blog.amyatlas.com/2010/11/apple-inspired-guest-dessert-feature-part-i/
That Amy Atlas site is fabulous, Roberta! Thanks so much for sharing it. I hadn't ever been there before and now I am hooked!
ReplyDeleteJenni,
ReplyDeleteI saw this post today and thought of Lillie's party....
http://www.hostessblog.com/2010/11/real-parties-sweet-butterfly-birthday/
I'd love to see a shirt with Jane Eyre or Emily Dickinson quotes!
ReplyDeleteLove the Fairyland shirt!
Or J.M. Barrie
Love your stuff - Tatertots sent me!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you've come up with a great idea for Lillie's party by now, so have fun!
ReplyDeleteWhen my daughter was 4 we had a medieval princess themed party. Unable to find a pink and purple unicorn pinata, I improvised by "redecorating" a DONKEY pinata, giving him a horn and everything. Trouble was, I used so much hot glue on that thing, that it was impossible to break it when the time came! Not even the dads could get it open. My husband had to get out his saw. So funny (now).
Oh, forgot to mention that you might want to check out Pizzazzerie's blog at http://www.pizzazzerie.com/category/childrens-parties/ . I follow her and Amy Atlas on twitter and they both plan absolutely stunning events!
ReplyDeleteI love any theme that takes me back to my childhood. Your items are so youthful and playful! Love that!
ReplyDeleteI've bookmarked this party idea of milk and cookies for my baby's first birthday. It could easily be done for any age birthday. It's classic and would be perfect with the chocolate tutu that you sell on your ETSY site.
ReplyDeletehttp://creativehostess.co.uk/2010/02/08/adorable-party-contest-finalist-milk-and-cookies-first-birthday/
Okay, so I know this is a year and a half late, but I HAD to comment. I was so inspired by your 1st pink birthday party {and I thouroughly plan to use your 2nd b-day party as inspiration} that I did my own pink party with a "Amy Atlas" inspired dessert table. So, in case you need inspiration {based on YOUR inspiration. hehe} check out my daughter's 1 year birthday party. Thanks so much for all of the beautiful inspiration that you provide. ;)
ReplyDelete