Hello, Friends! It feels like such a fun weekend. I’m getting a kick out of all the royal wedding hype. Did you get up early to watch?
After work today, we are driving north for the second part of our Spring Break trip. We are staying tonight in Brugge, Belgium and then spending a few days in Amsterdam. I hope we’re not too late to see the tulips! Do have any Brugge/Amsterdam tips or recommendations? I’ve never visited either city and would love to know the don’t miss spots.
What about you? Any fun springtime plans?
While I make a packing list for our trip, here are a few things I’ve been wanting to share with you:
- Great vintage details.
- So cute!
- Excited for summer.
- Are you a candle addict? (Most are too strong for me — but they’re so pretty.)
- Dying laughing.
- Awakening joy.
- Layered house.
I write for Babble. Here are this week’s posts:
- On my wishlist for Mother’s Day.
- A smart new site.
- My new favorite baby book.
- A clothing line just for boys.
- This Mom Jeans card is hilarious!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend. I’ll meet you back here next week. I miss you already!
kisses,
Gabrielle
P.S. — At the Easter Egg Hunt, all of the guests brought thoughtful gifts (a surprise to us). Local apple juice, small toys for the children and fresh flowers — like the lovely lilies of the valley, pictured. These photos were shot after the party by Paul Ferney.
photos by Paul Ferney
Ready for the Easter Egg Party rundown? I’ve got dozens of photos to share, in case you’re interested.
The party started at 3:00 on Saturday. Guests (there were about 50 people including our family) arrived and scoped out the scene. In the yard, there is a trampoline, a treehouse, a jungle gym with slide and swings, and we set up a badminton net as well. So the kids started entertaining themselves immediately.
The tricky thing for us is always the language. To prepare for the party, Ben Blair translated 20 or so phrases he thought he’d probably need as the host and he did a great job communicating and chatting with guests. My language skills weren’t up to snuff, so I gave lots of big smiles, welcoming gestures and sorry attempts at speaking to try to make guests comfortable. I’m sure I was a comic scene. : )
Click here to see many more party photos.
I just read about Kickstarter (am I the last to know?) and I’m in love with the whole idea. It’s a cool new site where anyone can pitch her brilliant idea and get grassroots funding to launch it. I’m such a fan of entrepreneurs, and I think Kickstarter is genius! Here are five cool kickstarter projects I saw this week:
- Pretty building blocklets.
- World’s longest marble run.
- Vertical garden.
- Switchhooks.
- A community kitchen.
So fun! It makes me want to launch an idea/product too. How about you?
You’ll love today’s giveaway! It’s sponsored by Hanging Mobile Gallery and they’re offering two beautiful mobiles as the prize.
The winner will receive the Tilt Mobile by Ekko ($180) and the Birds Mobile by Djeco ($35). Both are so good-looking! I would hang the Tilt in a living room over a sofa. And the Birds would be sweet over a crib or in a sunny playroom. The Birds seem especially appropriate for a Mother’s Day gift, don’t you think?
I’m such a mobile junkie. If you’re a fangirl too, then you might want to bookmark Hanging Mobile Gallery as a favorite source, because they pretty much carry every mobile on the planet. : ) Extra fun: use promotion code DESIGNM to get a 10% discount through May 8th.
To enter the giveaway, check out Hanging Mobile Gallery and leave a comment below. The winner will be announced on Monday. Good luck!
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Laura is the lucky winner. Thanks for playing!
photos by Paul Ferney
Because the garden here is so beautiful, pretty much the only thing I added for party decorations was ribbon. Lots of it! I bought seven rolls of inexpensive double-sided satin ribbon and hung it everywhere. In doorways and arches. On garden structures and the welcome bike. On easter baskets and in hair.
Here are some of my favorite ribbon-y images from the party (and from the party prep). They look like Spring!
Click here to see more images from the party.
These are the invitations for the Easter Egg Hunt.
I ordered them from Minted. I actually chose this one-sided Easter card option and asked if they could turn it into an invitation by adding text on the back. They’re so great about customization — I love how they turned out!
The yellow border has a hint of an orange wash on one corner, and the paper is a heavy white stock. Pretty.
Funny story: I was very worried about getting the French translation correct. I made my best effort, then had several different French-speakers edit it to get it just right. When I was finally satisfied, I sent my final approval to Minted and they started printing.
That night, I literally sat up in bed in the middle of the night with a gasp and slap to the forehead. I forgot to include our address! Aaaack!!
For a fix, I made a cute little map to our house and included it with the invitation. : )
Have you ever made a big mistake like that? I’m so glad there was a simple solution in this case.
Here’s another great one! Today’s giveaway is sponsored by AJ Madison, they are offering a Miele Vacuum that sells for $600 — the S2 Series S2181 to be exact. Which is awesome!
AJ Madison is the #1 independent online retailer of appliances. They ship nationwide and have the best deals on the market. In fact, they list tons of deals on their facebook page — definitely worth checking out. And the Miele vacuum looks pretty darn amazing. I’ve never used a Miele before, but last time I posted about vacuums, dozens of readers swore their undying affection for the brand, so I know it must be great. I hear Mieles are both powerful and really quiet — which sounds like the perfect Mother’s Day gift to me.
To enter, visit AJ Madison and leave a comment below. The winner will be announced on Monday, May 8th (right here on this post). Good luck!
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Katharine is the lucky winner. Thanks for playing!
photos by Paul Ferney
When I was out shopping for food for the Easter Egg Hunt, my sister Jordan sent me an email that said, we’re leaving Paris in an hour and heading to your house, should I bring anything? So I asked her to stop at Ladurée on her way out of town and pick up macarons for the party.
A purchase from Ladurée, whatever the size, always feels like an event. So my brother-in-law Paul, took photos while we set out the cookies. They’re so pretty!
Have you ever had a Ladurée macaron? Do you have a favorite flavor? (I like caramel and vanilla.)
P.S. — More party posts coming. I’ll tell you about the invitations and show you where we hung the ribbon tomorrow.
Oh. This is a good one. The first Mother’s Day Giveaway is sponsored by Terrain, and the prize is a gorgeous Hydrangea Print.
The print was created exclusively for Terrain. It comes ready to hang in a beautiful reclaimed wood frame and sells for $220. Because the frame has been naturally weathered, no two are exactly alike. Cool! I think this would look amazing hanging in a living room, or kitchen or sun room. Even over your bedroom dresser.
One of my favorite spots on the internet, Terrain is the picturesque home and garden shop created by the Anthropologie people. It’s full of great gift ideas — I especially love the vintage section.
To enter, visit Terrain and leave a comment below. The winner will be announced on Monday. Good luck!
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Heather is the lucky winner. Thanks for playing!
photos by Paul Ferney
Are you ready to start the new week? Me too. And I have 3 things to mention:
1) The Easter Egg Hunt was so much fun! It really made me happy to gather friends and family for our little celebration — I’m excited to tell you all about it. I’ll start by sharing photos of the welcome sign we set at the end of the driveway to greet guests.
I used scrap wood from the barn and sidewalk chalk to do the lettering, then rested the sign against a charming yellow cruiser that belongs to the homeowners. Potted hydrangeas in the bike basket and a few ribbons help it feel especially festive, don’t you think?
The pictures make me happy.
2) The kids don’t have school for two weeks and we are attempting to make the most of their time off. So, I’m actually on a Spring Break roadtrip with the whole family, and typing this up from Hotel Perigord in the Dordogne region of France. Stephmodo & Co. are kindly playing tour guide for us. It’s gorgeous here and I’m snapping photos like crazy. Can’t wait to share them.
3) Mother’s Day is coming fast — it arrives on May 8th, which is less than two weeks away! I thought it would be fun to start the celebrations early, so that it doesn’t sneak up on us. So I’ve got several fantastic giveaways for you this week, especially for Mother’s Day. Watch for the first one later today.
kisses,
Gabrielle
