Going Martha For Nugget's Birthday

A last minute travel requirement had us going to NYC/LA/NYC and back all before the nugget's 2nd birthday. We flew back Friday night and were having people over that Sunday at 2pm to celebrate her 2nd birthday.

I'll sidebar here, as any mother must, to mention the obvious that I only started to grasp the minute she was born...time flies! It's a happy and sad thing for me. I'm in awe every day when I look at her and see how much she has grown. I think back to when she could only manage to roll her little body around the carpet and needed her tiny bowling ball head held up by the palm of my hand. Now she toddles around talking and pushing her very own baby in a stroller that she takes care of. *sigh*

I should stop now as this could quickly turn into a sappy, mommy drool post about how there are days I wish I could stop time and just keep her at this age. And trust me, the more of this fine wine I sip while writing this, the more I fear that will happen...SO - on to her birthday!

All along, I had this brilliant idea that I would do an owl themed birthday. So Saturday morning I woke up and set out to make the:

a) owl cupcakes
b) owl lootbags
c) owl confetti
d) owl decor
e) owl tags

...yes, I was so having an over compensating crazy Martha mommy moment because I felt bad I had only 1 day to plan a fab birthday. Needless to say, my great husband pitched in and helped me pull it all together. I even managed to make birthday themed shooters (for the adults) cause what doesn't scream kiddie party then some shooters welcoming you at the door?!

I've posted some pics from the party as I think it turned out pretty well! What do you think?

New Fabrics Added

Spring/Summer 2009

We are pleased to announce that we have added a few new fabrics to the lineup. These fabrics are available to our customers to customize the look of any of our baby products available in our boutique. See below for images of our super cute fabric lineup!

I'm very excited to announce that I am now selling some of my dresses in a store in Europe! It's a small deal but one that I am extremely proud of. I've sold quite a few things that have gone across the pond, mostly in Paris, Belgium & the UK. Seems that one of my customers in Paris had a friend who saw one of my dresses and wanted to carry some in a local shop she runs. Love word of mouth advertising!

That aside, I have finished a new design! I sourced some great new fabrics and got inspired to make my baby girl a nice dress for the summer. It is now a part of the Abbey Lane line and can be custom made according to the fabrics you select! Let me know what you think!

FREE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE ON ABBEY LANE BABY BOUTIQUE HAIR CLIPS

Finally people! It is starting to feel like spring! You don't know how excited that makes us after a very loooong winter of grey skies and cold, cold air.

Since we are in such a good mood and have started designing some spring line items, we thought it would be a great opportunity to offer our worldwide FREE SHIPPING opportunity on our Abbey Lane Baby Boutique Designer Hair Clips.

So here it is folks! Abbey Lane is offering free shipping worldwide on the full line of hair clips up until April 21st. Check in now to see what's new and what's on sale. We look forward to having you stop by and as always, please let us know if you have any questions regarding our AbbeyLane products.

Cheers!

It's those little things...

Do you ever stop for a moment and look back when you were single and think about what you thought 'romance' should be all about? I did yesterday - I really did. I liked what I thought romance should be all about. I liked that no man ever achieved my ideal romantic notions - it kept the hunt interesting. ;)

What's funny though, is after just a few years of marriage and a baby, the idea of romance vastly changes. For example, my little one and I have been sick with a cold lately. We've been cooped up in sick mode and over the weekend my husband suggested we go for a car ride to get some fresh air. Now indulge me because this part requires a bit of explanation. In order to start said car, you only need the little transmitter to be ON you and not IN the ignition. So many times, he leaves the house ahead of me, packs that baby in and starts the car. When I come out with the diaper bag, I then have to (everytimeeee) go to the car, get the house keys that are attached on the 'transmitter', take it back to the house, lock up, and get back in the car. Yes, I know, no big deal, but my brain says to myself every time "really hubbie? you know i need the keys, but you're just gonna sit there".

----Okay so back to romance. ---

So this weekend, my poor sickly body shuffles around to gather the diaper bag items and as I open the door and get ready to go to the car to grab the keys...HE IS ON THE STEPS READY TO LOCK UP! My draw dropped and I literally shed a tear - just one. That my friend, was romance.

Me: Awww, really? You never do that!
Hubbie: I know..but my sweetie is all sick
Me: sniff, you are the best
Hubbie: *smooch* let's go get a coffee!

Ya, my perception of romance has changed but I would never go back. This tiny little insignificant thing (that, let's be honest, if I heard myself 10 years ago I would think was lame) was the best moment of that Saturday.

heh. romance. go figure!

Treasury Time!

There really is a wealth of talent out there and I'm constantly amazed and how many times I come across beautiful products for children that I had never seen before - and all hand made. I have decided that many of my gifts this year will be handmade - mostly because I have found some really unique items that I think my family will love AND because I have found so pretty adorable things for the kids that I couldn't find anywhere else!

Through my adventures of opening up an online boutique, I have stumbled across a great many of talented artists that span across categories of children, jewelry, art, pottery, crochet, etc. I was lucky enough last night to grab a "treasury" so I thought this time around, I would throw out my tribute to the children's artists I have come across. If you have the chance, click the link below to check out my

New Treasury

Kid Fashion

Like most moms, it seems my overall purchases are for my little peanut rather than myself. As such, I have a growing obsession for cool, unique children's fashion. I happened upon this shop and fell in love. Please allow me to introduce you (if you haven't seen her already!) to Jessica Haley, owner and creator of Mia Joie. Her shoes are awesome - clever, creative and colorful! I have included my latest favorite, "The Gretel" boot. She has a great line of mary jane's, boots, and regular shoes for both boys and girls. I hope you take the time to explore her shop when you have the chance as she has some great items you just can't miss out on! Please visit Mia Joie today.

Please visit again soon as I will be updated weekly with my latest finds!

~Abbey Lane