PUMPKIN PETUNIA and STELLA & DOT - SPECIAL OFFER!

Offer extended through May 31st at midnight!!!

This weekend is not only the official beginning of summer, but it also launches party season!! With so many graduation parties, baby and bridal showers and birthday parties on the agenda, I'm here to help you all get ready in style! For the very first time, I am offering a joint special and I'm super excited about it!!! I hope you love it too!



Here's the deal! I'm going to help you get ready for those summer parties in more ways than one. First, get your style on with those must-have accessories to jazz up that summer wardrobe. You don't need a complete fashion makeover, just add some key jewelry pieces to your existing wardrobe and you're ready to go! Love that great dress from last summer but want to do something different? Accessorize it! When you do, Pumpkin Petunia will help you throw your own summer soiree - ON US!


Purchase $75 or more at Stella & Dot through this link and enter Pumpkin Petunia as your hostess (this is how we will identify that you qualify for this promotion) and receive TWO FREE SETS (that's 50 invitations!) of custom party invitations of your choice (retail value: $60). But the deal gets even better...



Purchase $100 or more of gorgeous jewelry from Stella & Dot (again through this link and entering Pumpkin Petunia as your hostess so we can identify your eligibility) and you will receive a COMPLETE CUSTOM PARTY PACKAGE (consisting of a set of party invitations, thank you notes and cupcake picks. Retail value: $90)!!



So get some gift-shopping done (think graduations, birthdays) or get something amazing just for you and score yourself some free party packages in the process! Pictured are just some of the designs available to choose from. We'll let you choose from absolutely any design or color scheme that we have available!

So go ahead and freshen up your wardrobe for party season and then get your party on with custom party packages on us!!! But act quickly - this offer is available this week only! It expires at midnight EST on Friday, May 27, 2011.

Fine print: All Stella & Dot orders are shipped immediately and arrive via priority mail in just 3-4 business days. Kindly allow three weeks for delivery of custom invites. Rush orders may be available but are not guaranteed; in short, we will do our best! Free party packages must be redeemed no later than December 31, 2011. If you wish to redeem the offer for custom Holiday cards, you will receive a credit for the value of the party package for which you qualified ($60 or $90). Holiday card orders must be placed no later than November 1st. For details on ordering your party supplies, email me here.

THIS IS HAPPINESS

I adore this print from Love Sugar.
Definitely at the very top of my wish list.

SPEAKING OF OOH LA LA...

Check out this amazingly versatile collection
from Stella & Dot inspired by Coco Chanel. LOVE!

(sorry, that did not imbed the way I thought it would.
please click on La Coco to see the video.)

FARMHOUSE WARES

I've been coveting these individual cupcake stands from Farmhouse Wares for quite some time now. Frankly, I'm not quite sure how I've been able to resist. Currently out of stock (obviously others do not have my willpower - lucky ducks!),  so I can rest easy from temptation for a bit. Fingers crossed that they're back in stock in time for my birthday.

P.S. Have you noticed that I've been posting some client proofs here? It has proven to be a quick and easy reference for all involved. Please let me know if it becomes too much of a bother and I'll stop.

CRUSHING HARD FOR MARY RUFFLE

Have you met Mary Swenson? She's the brilliance behind Its Pretty Good and Mary Ruffle and I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm crushing hard for her beautiful photography made even better with lovely typeface. Each day that I head over to Its Pretty Good I am reminded in the best possible way of why I love New England and despite the cruel joke that Mother Nature sometimes plays on us (50 degrees in July!?!!), I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. 

A GIRL CAN DREAM

Some fun looks from Kate Spade:

Plaza Esti Skirt with Bow

Color Cafe Stripe Ring

Mulberry Street Noel Opus

Papillon Lany Short

Junebug Frog Pendant

Caprice Sandal

I WANT TO BE IN THIS WEDDING

{via Green Wedding Shoes}

LOVE the dresses and then I would have a reason to buy these shoes:

THANK YOU!

This week has been very exciting here at Pumpkin Petunia! While busy preparing for a big family celebration this weekend (which is exciting in and of itself), two of my favorite daily reads featured my July 4th Bike Parade!

Ohdeedoh, part of the Apartment Therapy network, is featuring the parade as part of their great outdoors series. (so exciting!)

And Sara Hicks Malone, former art director for none other than Martha Stewart Baby and Kids Magazines, featured the parade on her beautiful blog Party Perfect. Sara has also previously featured the Wii Bowling Party. Thanks Sara!

I am thrilled to be recognized by two sites that I truly admire. And if you haven't visited Ohdeedoh or Party Perfect yet, what are you waiting for? Click over there!

SUMMER! (FREE DOWNLOAD)

Summer starts today for my crew (at exactly t-minus a couple of hours!). Sadly, mother nature did not get that memo as I'm wearing a sweatshirt right now and am about to put on some socks. So I whipped up this banner to help set the mood. I'm hoping the sun peeks out to get a better look at my festive creation. At the very least, it will greet the kids as they arrive home and put them in a summer mood despite the gloomy weather. 

Want to help spread the summer love? Download your copy of my Summer Beach Ball Banner below. (Just click on More and select Save or Print.)

If you would like a birthday version of the Beach Ball Banner, email me and I will create one for download, as well.

Beach Ball Banner

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Travel literature florida

Enjoy!

P.S. Scribd is not allowing me to link to this in my usual way so if you have problems downloading, please let me know!

COLOR PALETTE PARTY INSPIRATION

Peanut and I have been thinking a lot about the celebration of her third birthday this August. A lot. She has dug in her heels and decided upon a Pretty Dress Party and no mention of bubbles and swimsuits and the fact that the party will be by a pool will sway her. So a Pretty Dress Party it is! But this leaves the color palette wide open ("I love all colors, Mama.") and to be honest, while thinking about the Pretty Dress Party, I've lacked a bit of inspiration - until now. One look at this summer color palette from crewcuts was all I needed. Isn't it lovely?

THEME CAKES MADE EASY

Parenting.com has a beautiful cake gallery with designs to suit a variety of themes. But what makes this gallery stand out is that they use common candies and products to produce truly professional looking cakes.  

I love these diagrams they provide of each cake, along with a comprehensive tutorial. You can find the tutorial for the shark cake here. (Buffett fans take notice!)

Princess Cake Tutorial

The face is a sugar cookie! Brilliant!

Spaceship Cake Tutorial

Purse Cake Tutorial

Parenting.com has a beautiful cake gallery to suit a variety of themes. But what makes this gallery stand out is that they use common candies and products to produce truly professional looking cakes. 

Be sure to check out the whole gallery for more great designs. And while we're talking about cakes, here's a great idea from Real Simple for simplifying the serving of ice cream at parties. Perfect for summer parties where the ice cream tends to melt quickly! 

From Real Simple:

To prevent a sticky situation, start scooping before the party starts. Place individual scoops in a cupcake tin lined with paper baking cups and transfer the tray to the freezer for up to several hours. After the cake is cut, remove the scoops from the paper baking cups (or not) and drop them onto the waiting plates.

FABRIC SCRAP NECKLACE

I've been dreaming about holding a little arts and crafts camp this summer for Petunia and some of her friends. Nothing too formal, just a few afternoons over the course of the summer. Some ideas that I have for projects are bookbinding, printmaking (of course) and a little sewing project that I will share with you soon. When I saw this brilliant recycling project, I knew it was the perfect idea to round out our lineup. These adorable little necklaces are made from fabric scraps! Aren't they pretty? They remind me of those faded rope bracelets that I have always loved to wear (Petunia is sporting one right now, as a matter of fact!). Only these necklaces are much more fun and colorful.

For a complete tutorial, go to Cakies and then gather up all those scraps. I have a feeling that once we start making these, we won't want to stop.

ETA: As I hit publish, my brain just exploded with happy ideas. Picture these strung together as a garland on a white flocked christmas tree! Or strung and draped over a table as party garlands! I hope I have enough scraps...

GIRLFRIEND GET TOGETHER

{photos found here via Paulette Ink}

These photos are inspiring me to pick a day and get my girlfriends together for some summer cocktails.  I can hear the chatter and laughter already! Off to consult my calendar.

THE FIVE YEAR PLAN

Had to share this great new planner I found: The Five Year Diary by designer Tamara Shopsin.  I was looking for a planner that, first and foremost, was small enough to fit in my purse. If I can't carry it with me, the information inside is useless! I also needed it to show an entire week's schedule across two pages with enough lines under each day to include both my to do's and appointments. This diary fit the bill and then some. It's great design makes me look forward to writing in it and I love the idea that it will chronicle 5 years of my life, from mundane tasks to big events. Perfect in every way.

Photos from and available at Rare Device.

DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU

Once you start playing at this site, you will not want to stop. Create a polaroid collage of your photo, then shuffle for a new combination every time. Hope you didn't have anything else that needed to be done today.

Similar time waster here.

MAY DAY

Surprise family and friends with little hanging posies! All you need are some flowers, paper, ribbon and a couple of minutes time to spread the joy. (Instructions here via Martha Stewart)

SISTERS LIVE HERE

Peanut will be moving to a big girl bed soon, which is the perfect opportunity to redecorate the room that she shares with her big sister. Nothing major, as we just redecorated two years ago to accommodate Peanut's arrival, but new bedding and decoration are definitely in order - and a new bed for Peanut, of course!

The room that my girls share is not nearly as large as the one in this picture, but I really love the feeling of this room. It looks like sisters live here; fresh and lively and filled with giggles,  I can just tell. I'm hoping to create a room with a similar mood for my girls, in about a quarter of the space. I think it's doable.

Note: I can't for the life of me remember where I saw this photo. If you know, remind me so I can give proper credit?

Photo source: House Beautiful via Mary Ruffle. (found my notes!)

HOME OPENER

Don't blame us if we ever doubt you

You know we couldn't live without you

Red Sox! You are the only only only

BEYOND BRILLIANT

{photographed by one of my absolute favorites, Mary Swenson}

MAKE A WISH!

Today is a great day! Not only is it my little girl's birthday, but it is also the day that I am finally able to introduce my new line of wish necklaces. And let me tell you, it's been a long time coming! After endless delays in customs (the charms are handmade in Australia) and my packed schedule of work and children and life, it seems it has taken forever to get to this point. But thankfully, we're here!

So without further delay, I am thrilled to introduce a new line of wish necklaces, each representing a specific wish: a wish of love, of friendship, of luck, of hope and of peace. The centerpiece of the necklace is a stunning sterling silver and stone charm, handmade by an incredibly talented jewelry artist based in Australia, strung on an 18" sterling silver chain. When these charms finally arrived at my door, I immediately knew they were worth the wait! Each color charm represents a different wish: pink for love, teal for friendship, blue for hope, green for luck and hint of gray for peace (this gray is much more subtle than it appears in the photo). Make a wish each time you wear the necklace - then Trust. Hope. Believe.

 

Wish necklaces make the perfect gift for graduations, birthdays, mother's day, bridesmaids or anyone who can use a good thought and a wish come true. And who couldn't use one of those right now? So, head over to the shoppe to check them out and be sure to become a fan of Pumpkin Petunia over on Facebook to take advantage of our fan-exclusive discount (fifteen percent!).

Note: If you're a fan of our discontinued line of wish necklaces, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that we will still be offering limited quantities of our ballet slipper and cheerleader megaphone wish necklaces at least through spring and early summer to accommodate recital and cheer tryout season. The bad news is that all other styles are no longer available.