The perfect vase

Back in May, I was delighted to learn that I had won one of these way cool vases from Jillable in a contest on My Mom Shops (and I'm sooo not lucky people, I never win things). They are made from a durable plastic and come in all sorts of cool patterns and colors. They take up very small amounts of room because they fold completely flat when they don't have water in them. A pretty cool concept, in my opinion.

When I got it my vase in the mail, I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical. It has been sitting under my counter next to all of my other vases for about a month. On Sunday night we attended a wedding for my cousin, and there were all of these white roses everywhere. At the end of the reception, we were leaving, and the brides mom (my aunt) handed me a HUGE handful of these gorgeous white roses, and I certainly wasn't going to say no -- they would have ended up in the trash. So, when we got home I pulled out the Jillable vase, and, still a bit skeptical I cut the bottoms off of the roses under the water and then proceeded to place them in the vase. As I filled the vase with water it expanded, to create a stable base so that it would stand up straight. I placed the roses in it, and thanks to the narrow top on the vase, it created this gorgeous bouquet of roses that I can never seem to accomplish in the vases with wider necks. Best of all, it actually stood up on it's own and looks ADORABLE.

So now I'm in love. This is the perfect vase -- it doesn't take up too much room, folds flat when not in use, but is fully functional and trendy when you need it. This morning my friend T walked into my house, and, pointing at it said "Is that a vase?!" I nodded, proud of my little Jillable vase. It's way cool.

Oh, and it's affordable too -- at only $8 per vase, and you can choose your pattern. I have the "Flower Power" but I had a hard time choosing -- they are all really pretty. Check them out at www.jillable.com.

Coloring and Cupcakes

I was browsing Etsy this morning when I happened upon these beautiful items from the storefront of ChichiBoulie. Based out of Lille, France, all of these exquisite pieces are hand drawn. Among my favorites are these adorable coloring books -- like this one for boys called "Le Mer" (the sea):They are 10 pages long and retail for $5.50. At 4 by 6 inches, they are the perfect size to slip into a travel bag for some quiet coloring time.

My other favorite items are these adorable gift tags -- you can get a set of 6 for $5. I like the cupcake style, but there are other designs as well, like Bridal Shower tags!

Check out these as well as the many other adorable designs at ChichiBoulie -- she also sells custom artwork and stationery, among other things!

Posh Plates

I admit that I'm addicted to Jon and Kate Plus 8, and since we've been out of town for 3 days now, I'm assuming that all of the reruns have probably filled up the empty space on our DVR. Kate always has the cutest stuff for her kids, and once I discovered that a lot of the things I like were Em Tanner Designs, I have become a frequent visitor to the website. I have been cyber-stalking these adorable melamine plates for a while now, and I think I am going to break down and order one for Little AG. I liked the ones with the full name on them, but then I discovered these initial plates, and now I'm torn. No matter which one you choose, it will show up with your child's name on it, which I think is SO cool. All of the designs are so cute -- go check out Em Tanner Designs to see what you can fall in love with!

Little Boy Blue

I just love custom stationary, and these adorable birth announcements from Tiny Prints are no exception. I adore the fact that you can add a photo plus have the monogram initial with full name printed over it. If you haven't yet discovered Tiny Prints, you are certainly missing out -- they have some amazing (and ever so Chic!) paper products! So check out these adorable Blue Monogram Birth Announcements from Tiny Prints, $1.69 each.

Glow Candle Glow!

I am ridiculously giddy over these way-cool and colorful candles from Gloco Candles. The candle flames burn the same color as the candle themselves! I bought some for Little AG's first birthday (which, in hindsight was kinda dumb since she was turning 1, and I only got to use one of them) and still think they are just as cool as the first time I ran across them. Of course, hubby wasn't nearly as excited about them as I was (but then, is he ever?) but even he begrudgingly admitted that they were cool. Anyway, check them out by going to Traylor Paper's website and cyber-grabbing your self a pack of 'em for $4.25.