VALENTINE GUMBALL NECKLACES

How adorable are these gumball necklaces by One Charming Party? Such a perfect and special treat for Valentine's Day! They are so beautiful that I can hardly believe that they are made of gumballs. But they are - see, I'll prove it!


Here is a gumball being pierced with a skewer to create the necklace. Go here for the how-to!

For a similar look that will last a bit longer, check out these adorable designs from Stella & Dot. Each necklace arrives packaged in an adorable little tin for a lovely presentation and safe keeping. An adorable gift for a sweet little Valentine.

NAUGHTY OR NICE? FREE 8X10 PRINT DOWNLOAD!

Have you been good this year? Let Santa know with this fun holiday print. If not, he'll at least want to know that you tried, right? These prints look so adorable hung by the tree, on the fireplace mantel or framed and left by the cookies and milk. And as my gift to you, they are here for free download!


Simply click on the image of the print you wish to download, drag to your desktop and print on 8 1/2 X 11 cardstock (these look really nice if the stock has some texture to it). Then trim to 8 X 10 and frame or mount on some matboard.



You can also reduce the size when printing to make really cute notecards - couple the notecards with a print, package up in cellophane envelopes and you have yourself a sweet little hostess gift.

Enjoy!

GIRLS CAN SAVE THE WORLD

They're back!! My most favorite shirt from last year has made an appearance at Old Navy once again. And like last year, I was tempted to buy one for every girl on the planet (including me!). I settled for just the girls in my little family, but the sentiment in this shirt is huge. And I LOVE it.

Taking the world saving to heart, Petunia has once again set out to help by spreading the American Girl doll love - (go ahead, insert eye roll; it's OK). She's nine, so in her eyes there's no better way, right? Having raised money to donate American Girl dolls to The Home for Little Wanderers and Birthday Wishes for a couple of years now, this year Petunia had to get creative with her fundraising efforts. And she did!



Petunia has an "in" with Stella & Dot and decided to sell their new friendship bracelets to help with her fundraising this year. And you know what? She's a smart little cookie, that Petunia! These bracelets match the spirit of her efforts so beautifully that she could not have thought of a better idea! The friendship bracelets are available in four colors, each representing the best traits of a true friend - smart, fun, true and kind. Qualities that every girl needs if she's going to save the world! So for every friendship bracelet sold through this link, 100% of the proceeds will go to the Home for Little Wanderers to fulfill wishes for children who may otherwise receive nothing at all this Christmas.


Since you may not need a friendship bracelet (why? I don't know - they're super cute!). But you may not, so I will extend this effort and donate 100% of the proceeds of any purchase made through this link to The Home for Little Wanderers. Be sure to enter Jo-Ann Coe as hostess to receive the reduced trunk show shipping rate. Stella & Dot ships so quickly (and beautifully packaged), that there is still plenty of time for holiday shopping! So you can cross some gifts off your holiday list (let's face it, you're running out of time!) or even glam yourself up for all of those holiday festivities! Orders are shipped directly to you and received in 3-4 business days!


Have you set out to save the world? Tell me how - I'd love to hear!!

HOLIDAY GIFTING: FREE PRINTABLE NOTECARDS

I love having giveaways. Love it! The thrill of pulling a person's name and making their day is a total rush. But then, like any rush, there's the let down. In giveaways, the let down is that once you choose the winner, you've just made everyone else who entered a loser. Well, not a loser, but you know what I mean. So in the spirit of holiday gift giving, today, everyone's a winner here at Pumpkin Petunia! And the best part about this gift is that you can regift it! That's right, go ahead and give it away, I won't mind. Honest.

My gift to all of you is a free download of these beautiful Floral Cheers Notecards! Simply click on the image above then right-click or drag to desktop to download and print on letter sized cardstock. Cut on the solid line, fold on the dotted line (use a bone folder for best results) and you're done! Package a set of these up with A2 sized envelopes and a pretty pen and you have yourself a lovely little gift!

But before you get started, I have to give props to the source for the amazing floral pattern used in this design. Thanks so much to the Inspired Bride for sharing this lovely pattern. Please remember that the notecards (and the design elements at Inspired Bride) are for personal use only. You are free to print as many notecards as you like; use them and give them away to your heart's content, but please do not sell or represent these designs as your own.

THE WE ARE NOT MARTHA GIRLS AND A GIVEAWAY!

I recently had the pleasure of meeting the adorable We are not Martha girls. The lovely Chelsee and Susie hosted a Stella & Dot trunk show this past weekend and let me tell you, these girls have got everything going for them! First off, they are absolutely adorable (as you can see!), they write a great blog featuring some amazing recipes (you MUST check it out) and they are such a joy to work with: organized, friendly and the best part - it's super simple to get in touch with them because they are always together!

So head on over to the We are not Martha blog to hear all about our fun day.

And be sure to check out their great giveaway of the Petra Bracelet (pictured above) just in time for the holidays!

I LOVE A GIFT THAT GIVES TWICE!

(Full disclosure: I work for this company but do not profit from the sale of these bracelets. My commission goes directly back to the foundation.)

Have you noticed that back to school time also means birthday time? My kids have been back to school for less than a month and the birthday party invitations have been rolling in like crazy. After several moments of panic over gifts for all of these parties (some of these invites come last minute, have you noticed?), I decided to take control of the situation and plan ahead.


My daughter has this adorable foundation bracelet from Stella & Dot and wanted to give one to a good friend who had admired hers. So I decided to order a bunch and save them for all of the birthday parties that are sure to arise throughout the year. The best part? 100% of the net proceeds from the sale of the foundation bracelets go to support three charities that focus on creating positive change for women and girls. (buildOn, Girls, Inc. and ACCION USA) In only the first month of sales, enough money was raised to build an entire school through the buildOn organization! I think that's pretty amazing and something that I definitely want to be a part of.


The foundation bracelets are available for women, as well. (I have the pink with gold charms and it such a beautiful, warm combination of colors.) I may or may not have stocked up on a few of these as well, planning ahead for some holiday gift-giving. I wouldn't want to ruin any surprises, of course...

Along with the bracelet, which comes beautifully packaged in an adorable tin for girls or a chic and stylish box for women, I include a little note letting the recipient know that their beautiful bracelet represents a donation to the foundation that supports these three incredible charities. Like I said - I love a gift that gives twice!

Oh, and if you do get a last minute invitation - not to worry. Shipping is lightening quick; you will receive your order via priority mail in 3-4 business days. Love that!

MITETEES PERSONALIZED PRINCESS SHIRTS

Check out these adorable, personalized princess shirts from Mitetees. They are on sale for $14 (reg. $22) through Sunday, August 22nd! I absolutely adore all of Mitetees products, (cute, clever and impeccable quality), but I especially love this crown. A perfect gift.




For older princesses, I adore this sweet little sterling silver crown charm from Stella & Dot. Add it to one of their fashionable silk bases and you have yourself the perfect gift for princesses of all ages!

Speaking of gifts, I am sorting through photos of Peanut's Lilly Pulitzer-inspired party. I promise to share all the deets later this week!

SOMETHING NEW

These are so pretty I just had to show you. There is a wonderful woman named Heidi on Martha's Vineyard who owns two shops and she has absolutely impeccable taste. How do I know this? Because she carries my wish necklaces! No, not really. Well, she does carry my wish necklaces, but that's not how I know she has great taste.  Heidi told me that her customers are really into wampum (quahog shells buffed into a shiny bead) and wondered if I could make Wampum Wish Necklaces. Well, here they are! Aren't they great?

The wampum beads that I use are authentic wampum made by Native Americans right here in Southeastern Massachusetts and they do fantastic work. The variations in color on the beads are spectacular.  The Wampum Wish Necklaces can currently only be found at Heidi's shops (I'll ask Heidi for the two locations and update later) and I made a few extra to have on hand because I loved them so much. So, if you just have to have a Wampum Wish Necklace and are not planning a trip to the Vineyard, just let me know and I'll hook you up!