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Décor

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My Favorite ‘Small Shops’ (Giveaway!)

ShopSmallGiveawayOne of the greatest blessings that has happened this year is the newly formed friendships I’ve made with some incredibly inspiring women. I started my Instagram account almost one year ago, and through it, I’ve ‘met’ (and really met) very talented photographers, bloggers, makeup artists, event planners, and last, but not least, small business owners, most of whom are ‘mompreneurs.’ Being a WAHM (or ‘Work at Home Mom’ – so many acronyms to keep up with!) is not an easy task, as balancing raising children with running a business is no easy task.

I am such a big advocate of the whole ‘shop small’ and ‘shop local’ movement, which I believe was greatly empowered by the creation of Etsy. Although I would be lying if I said I didn’t love buying clothes from big retailers like Gap, Nordstrom, Carters, etc., I do make a very conscious effort to purchase a lot of our outfits and gifts from ‘small shops’ (this always feels like a funny term, since some of the stores below are far from small!). 

Today, I’m sharing eight of my favorite shops, all of whom have kindly offered some of my favorite items in a giveaway (which, to be honest, I’d really like to win!). Enter using the widget below and make sure to read about each of the shops below! Also, make sure to check out my favorite Etsy stores post here for more small shop love! 

PS This post was supposed to be published yesterday as part of the Shop Small linkup (here), but I had a nasty stomach bug! Make sure to check out some of the other posts in the linkup.

Shop Small Giveaway

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Cuteheads: Esther, the owner of cuteheads, is one of my favorite mamas around – you’ll quickly know that from reading her #GIRLBOSS interview here. I’m sad that Isla no longer fits into her adorable cuteheads chambray pom-pom romper. It’s so cute! I am so excited to see the new collection, and I’m even more excited (read: jealous) that Esther is including a seersucker top in the giveaway. 

Sugar & Cloth + BHLDN (Plus, A Familiar Face!)

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A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I spent my afternoon with the Sugar & Cloth team for a styled shoot with BHLDN. I was ‘modeling’ (it feels wrong to not put that in a quote as I’m the furthest thing from a model) alongside Aelish and Meredith (who could both actually be models). We had a ton of laughs while having the photos taken (by the very talented Jared). Ashley was directly all of the shots, and their sweet-as-can-be intern, Kayla, was helping style too.

Decorist Makeover: Your Opinion Wanted

DecoristIn the spring, I had a conversation with a good friend about how the interior design industry has changed recently given the popularity of sites like Houzz and Pinterest. What used to be an intimate face-to-face process has become something that can now take place virtually. Interior designers do not need to walk into your house in order to style a room, they can do it all remotely, and I love this.

Just days after having this discussion, Decorist reached out asking to do a collaboration. I went to their site and was immediately sold. I spent ages and ages looking through the design inspiration, and learning about how the design process works.

Cake & Confetti Turns Two

Photo (1 of 1)-27Last night, I attended the world’s most perfect dinner party. Like flawless flowers, lust-worthy flatware, delicious food, tasty cocktails. Meredith, the owner of Cake & Confetti, knows how to throw a party. It is her job after all, and she knows what she’s doing. A group of her friends and fellow creatives got together at her house to celebrate two years of her being in business (did you read her #GIRLBOSS interview here?).

I had the honor of photographing the dinner, and of course, I immediately edited them upon getting home at 10:30pm (yup, I’m crazy too). I’m bursting at the seams to show the photos, but I can’t for now. I am able to share some of the photos we took a month ago to use as a follow-up to the big dinner party. Meredith’s creativity is endless. I love the 2 sparkler in the macaroons (although she did get slightly burned by the sparks!). 

Get Crafty Workshop: Floral Crowns

Get Crafty Workshop (1 of 1)On Saturday afternoon, I headed to the owner of Baanou’s gorgeous (like jaw-droppingly perfect) house for a floral crown workshop, led by my friend, Meredith of Cake & Confetti (her #GIRLBOSS interview here). I’ve ordered three silk floral crowns now (all for Isla!), and I decided that I needed to learn how to make them myself, instead of continuing to buy them! Meredith had picked out the most elegant (and real-looking!) silk blooms, and we sat down with bubbly in hand and learned how to pick, place and secure the flowers around the wire. After two hours, there were 15 gorgeous crowns being adorned by an even more beautiful group of ladies.

I loved learning how to create these crowns (and not-so-secretly want to wear mine everywhere I go!). A tiny floral crown would be the best gift for a baby girl (umm, friends expecting babies, duly warned!) – and the larger ones would be perfect for a friend’s bridal shower or bachelorette party!

In addition to nibbing on sweet treats and cheese and sipping champagne, the workshop attendees were able to shop the Baanou’s racks – which were filled with the trendiest clothing ever, and I was slightly dying inside that Sasha has put me on a spending freeze for the rest of the month post-Isla’s birthday party (whoops!). The store is currently working by appointment only, and if you live in the Houston area, I highly recommend you call to make one asap (713.505.1347).   Get Crafty Workshop (1 of 1)-22