Where have I been you ask? So many things are happening at work and I have been especially focused these past few weeks. Many changes for our portrait photography business, cobblestone rue and literally our storefront studio that should have happened a couple of years ago. We are excited for all the positive changes, and with all of it comes a shift in priorities and focus. But I am giddy to be blogging again especially this post!

A little history: We launched our portrait brand, cobblestone rue on Christmas Eve, 2007. Yes back then we worked even during the holidays :( Then we announced it to the public on January, 2008. So much has changed, but one brand that has remained constant and still continues to be a source of inspiration for us is kate spade. Our brand colors were (and still are) white and “kate spade green”. I was hooked on this company when I bought my first pair of kate spade sunglasses in 2005 and it came in a hot pink case. I loved their preppy, playful, and sophisticated style and everything that they did made me smile. I loved everything from their customer service to their packaging, and I knew that I wanted to incorporate what they did to our business because I believe in what their business stands for. It was perfect when cobblestone rue was born.

They have launched a campaign, “live colorfully” celebrating every month of this year a different color. In March the color was yellow, this month it is their signature green! So timely for all that we are doing for our brand!

They launched a promo video today on Twitter and of course it is PERFECTLY ADORABLE. They partnered with Adeline Adeline which is a great pairing. Remember my “dreaming of bicycles” post? Well the search is over! Everything else in the video is pretty much fantastic: the music, colors, location, style…the DOG!!!

Well done kate spade, I am a fan for life.

***Oh and one other thing. I have been nominated for Top 25 Party Planning Moms at Circle of Moms! It would mean so much if you vote for me it only takes a second and the best part is that you don’t have to sign up or register! Here is the link: http://www.circleofmoms.com/blogger/cobblestone-rue#_You can vote every day until April 11, just click on the gold thumbs up! Maybe I can throw a party and you are all invited when I make it! I just need to make it in the top 25, crossing fingers and toes! Thanks!

Happy Spring!!

On Campbell: 2 years old

Hair clip: The Sandbox children’s boutique (Chattanooga)

Gray sweater:Target

Brown dress: Target

Brown boots: H&M (Aberdeen, Scotland)

Black and white backpack: Stephanie Dawn collection (gift from friend)

On Gray: 5.5 years old (I think she dressed herself)

Headband: The Sandbox children’s boutique (Chattanooga)

Polka dot cardigan, gray dress, (gift from friend) knee high socks: crewcuts

Sparkly converse shoes: Old Navy

Would you like to submit an Out & About? We are now looking for Spring and Summer submissions. Click HERE for details.

And here are more information and links on how you can help with Tsunami aid and relief.

One night this week, as I was getting ready to tuck her in, she asked me as she pats the rocking chair, “Rock baby…manket?” (She was asking to be rocked with her blanket). I sang “Rock a Bye Baby” as I rocked her and she had the biggest smile. Its one of those moments as a parent I will always cherish and never forget. Well, every night this week, she asked “Rock baby?” How could I say no? My heart just melts and this is how Campbell is. What a sweet, cuddly, hilarious, strong, independent, loving little girl. The best daughter and little sister around.

I was thinking of her birthday party months before and even thought of a great theme, but it had been an unusually busy January and we decided to celebrate her birthday with just the four of us at home. But then I felt guilty thinking I wasn’t throwing a party for her because of all the busyness and everything else that had gotten in the way. So I decided, I would plan a small party within a month and to invite close friends and family…..I figured fourteen invitations was a perfect amount for a quaint and intimate event. Well with over 30 guests confirmed and add a little excitement with details…get ready for some picture overload…

I quickly emailed Liana for help with my concept for Campbell’s button theme party translated to her invitation. She and her husband, Mike designed it exactly as I imagined, the pink and grey colors were perfect, and the letterpress work is just gorgeous. It was so fun to also be able to use her birthday crown this year again.

It has become tradition when I host a baby shower, I give the mom-to-be a “wishes for baby” card where guests can write a message for baby. I now include this for the girls’ birthdays (with their name and age) and hope to do it every year. I also was able to get these wooden blocks as Campbell’s first and middle name initials from Paloma’s Nest. Another favorite detail was the grey polka dotted tablecloths!

My husband has been SOOOO supportive with my party planning obsession and I think he has gotten into it as well ;) He came up with purchasing wooden circles at Michael’s, drilling two holes in them and hanging them as garlands across the dining room. I also had to incorporate the tissue poms, they really add alot to events.

Ahh the cake…its been an interesting journey with cakes. I used to describe a cake to some of the local cake bakers, and they always seemed to come back the opposite of what they are supposed to look like. I got tired of it and started making them myself. I actually loved making them for birthdays! I also love the look and taste of homemade cakes. As I planned for this party and the more details and projects I did, I realized a week before the party that I will not have time to make the cake. I remember seeing on Facebook recommendations from friends and photos of cakes from someone local who I had met at a recent wedding who made the wedding cake. I contacted her and described the cake, forwarded some photos, mentioned milk allergies of family members…WOW, did she over deliver and did an amazing job! The cake was not only gorgeous, but tasted DELICIOUS! Every button was handmade out of fondant. It was chocolate with buttermilk vanilla frosting, (soy/almond milk was actually used) layers of cool whip and chocolate ganache….it was the best cake I had ever eaten. Trust me I have eaten tons of cake! If you are in the Chattanooga area, get in touch with Queenie Lewis!

The adorable handmade ceramic buttons from Paloma’s Nest are not normally for cake toppers, but they worked out perfectly.

I made pink chocolate melts with button molds and there were pink ranunculus flowers in mason jars, courtesy of the super sweet and talented florist, Grafe Studio!

I was really happy with the pink burlap to use as tablecloths for the guests. We tied huge pink balloons to the mason jars and I strung pink buttons on pink striped cotton twine that were placed in the middle of table.

We now use this bunting banner every year for birthdays.

Sooo fun…we had three stations we called “bar”. One was the juice bar. We had six different juices: pineapple, pink lemonade, orange-pineapple, grape, apple, and orange. Guests could mix them up and drink them with different sized mason jars. Really loved the striped grey and pink straws.

For the little kids, they had a special juicebox. We had these labels printed (along with the labels in grey frames) at Kinko’s.

The second and third stations were a burger bar and fruit bar. We had all of Campbell’s favorite fruits…she can eat fruit all day long!

The burger bar was a hit. Knowing that about 95 percent of the guests were vegeterians, we served 100 percent vegetarian burgers. There were three kinds: “chicken” patties, grillers (both were Morningstar brand) and the homemade patties, so good! We cooked up lots of those…I think there were at least 100 miniature burgers! If you would like the recipe to the homemade ones, let me know, I’ll see if my husband is willing to share the ingredients ;)

I made button sugar cookies…tried to do it Bakerella style, but did not really succeed, but they were yummy anyhow.

More overviews of the room. Garrett’s grandma makes the best pasta salad and it went really well with the burgers. YUM.

It was quite a surprise for the weather to be so sunny and the temperature around 70…in February. So as you can see by the lack of decorations on the back deck, we were not really planning for us to use the screened in porch but the kids LOVED eating outside and parents were able to eat inside and still be able to watch the kids through the open windows. It worked out so great!

Time for cake!

Gray is the most helpful big sister and she just adores Campbell.

Sampling the delicious cake for the first time. And taking a moment to be with my daughter.

We had three games. The first one was “Pass the Button.” Garrett drilled four holes, painted and tied fabric around the homemade button. Sooo cute! The kids loved passing it around with music.

Then we played a similar version of Pin the Tail on the Donkey. We had “Pin the Thread on the Button.”

The third game was “Guess How Many Buttons?” Everyone had a chance to guess how many buttons in the jar…there were 374!

Soooo fun to have all the cousins and lots of friends together!!

Time to open presents!

One of my favorite details was the favor bags. I asked my mother-in-law to see if she could make a similar favor bag that I had seen online…I have very little knowledge in sewing and had actually asked her for sewing lessons 8 years ago…she is truly so talented and has quite a gift. I asked if it would be hard to make the bags and would we have enough time (this was two weeks or maybe less before the party). She graciously said yes, she could do it and it wouldn’t be hard at all…she even added special details with scalloped edged flaps and bow finished twine. It turned out way better than I dreamed of! Thanks Mom!

Everyone took home a favor bag and in it had the chocolate button lollipops, clementines, and pencil with pencil sharpener (for older kids). I love that the bag itself is re-usable for a toy, or give-able as a gift, etc.

Last but not least, the “thank you” cards. I just mailed these out last week…I think it was in record time! These were letterpress thank you cards made by Liana and Mike customized for Campbell. I absolutely love her monogram initials and button on the back! Their customer service is also the best out there, they truly go above and beyond.

Whew, you made it!

Thank you for reading this and I hope you were able to get some ideas for your next event! I wasn’t able to link everything, so if you have any questions, please let me know.

If there was something that I regret not doing, it was to have someone official photograph the event! I know I deserve a slap in the hand as we are photographers and we should know better! Honestly, we overlooked it and just totally forgot :( Garrett took most of the pictures and yes we indeed got some great photos, but we should have had someone there so we could actually be with the guests more and serve as better hosts. I almost forgot to have a family shot too, thank you Amanda! Lesson learned!!

To all our friends and family who came, we loved getting to spend time with you. I know Campbell had a blast. Thank you also to those who helped us out, we truly appreciate it! And for the ones who weren’t able to come, we sure missed you and hope to see you soon!

I want to especially thank my husband, Garrett for his wonderful support with all this! His creativity along with encouragement of all of my crazy ideas was unbelievable. He is a keeper :) And love to my beautiful daughter Gray for patience, humor, and being a wonderful little helper.

On to the next one!

From super cute kids’ recipes to simple DIY crafts, it is a magazine full of delicious eye candy and great insights for children. I can’t wait to get my printed version to add to my magazine collection.

Photo Credits: Sweet Paul

Super fun yellow glasses from one of my favorite French brand, Smallable. I especially love the polka dots detail. They are also available in red and blue.

I have always loved the choice of kids’ eyewear from crewcuts. Especially the Selima Optique collection. I want these clear ones just for me!

And one more from their collection…I love this shade of green.

I am always inspired by Emmanelle Khanh from Paris for her famous collection of retro-inspired eyewear. Of course, she has one for kids :) I adore the pink one!

Photo credits: 1: Smallable, 2 & 3: crewcuts 4: Little Fashion Gallery

If you don’t know what Pinterest is…don’t bother finding out, you’ll never get anything done. It is an addicting, informative, creative, eye candy of a site. I love seeing things I love all connected on my very own virtual inspiration board. It does create a challenge to be more creative since there are many ideas on there you want to do or you have thought of and there it is, shared by people you know, but its definitely fun and full of inspiration. I have been dreaming up home improvements since we finished our dining room and there is one I follow that has collected all the projects I have dreamt up!

I have been dreaming of a fun and new front door…not that we need it…but if for any reason we need a new one in the future, the above Dutch door is PERFECT.

I am hoping I will not be dreaming about our loft project forever. We actually have drawn up plans for it and hopefully will be starting on it sometime this year. The above loft is so close to what I am picturing ours to be.

Another project I would love to do is a built-in dining nook in our breakfast area. This is a teeny tiny private nook so I had to include it. I have a whole folder on Pinterest for built-in dining nooks and lofts….I have become obsessed.

If I was to describe a room just for me…this photo is it. Its a library with a private library behind it. I would stay in that room forever. Oh and yes, I am dreaming of another library room.

Don’t get me started on our girls’ rooms.

What home projects have you been dreaming of?

We have a fun-filled family weekend planned: celebrating Garrett’s recent print competition awards from WPPI! I am beaming with pride and you can read all about it on our photo blog! A baby dedication for our niece and Campbell’s 2nd birthday party (lots of buttons!) I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Find the original sources and photo credits for the projects on this Pinboard.

Photo Credit: ABC Television

I am honored to introduce to you Trista Sutter for my next Family Interview. From what I know, she is a wonderful person inside and out: a truly dedicated wife and fantastic mother. She married the love of her life, Ryan, more than 7 years ago and they have a beautiful family.

Briefly tell us about yourself, your family, where you live, and what you do?
Trista: My name is Trista Sutter.  I live near Vail, Colorado with Ryan Sutter, the man I met and married on ABC’s The Bachelorette. We have 2 beautiful kids named Max (3) and Blakesley (1). I call myself a stay-at-home-and-work mom, as I work from home on any projects I have at the time, so that I can personally raise my children.

ON FAMILY:
What do you love the most about your family?
Trista: I love that our family is grateful & loyal, fun-loving and happy.

Do you have any fun family traditions (birthdays, holidays, vacations, etc)?
Trista: My favorite tradition is during Christmas. Ryan’s mother’s favorite book when she was a kindergarten teacher was “Alfie, the Christmas Tree”. Every Christmas, we create our own Alfie by hiking up to a tree in our area and decorating it with homemade peanut butter and birdseed pinecones.

What are your dreams/goals for your family?
Trista: I dream of long lives filled with love, health, and happiness.

One piece of advice to other families/parents/soon-to-be-parents?
Trista: Know that there will be days that are all about laughter and days that tax your patience and happiness.  You are not alone.  Reach out for help when you need it and don’t be ashamed.  Then, when you find yourself in a day of abundant laughter, cherish it (and take good pictures!).

Photo by: Melissa Darst Photography

ON MOTHERHOOD/SELF:
What was your childhood/upbringing like and what effect has it had on your adult life?
Trista: I grew up in the suburbs of St. Louis…Chesterfield, Missouri to be exact.  My parents were extremely supportive of my interests and did everything and anything they could to ensure I had a happy childhood, even though they were not meant to stay married.  Even though I was devastated as a child, I now know that their divorce was for the best and that staying together for my sake would not have been beneficial for everyone.  Going through that, I took my time and did not settle in trying to find Ryan. I wanted to be sure I would not be faced with the decision my parents had to make…even though I know they made the right one.

As a modern mom, what are three things that you couldn’t live without?
Trista: I couldn’t live without my Toyota Sienna minivan, Jack’s Big Music Show on Nick Jr, and my husband.

ON BUSINESS:
When it comes to work and business, what are you involved with and what is your role?
Trista: I am involved with a few different projects right now, but my main focus is on my clothing collection with My Vintage Baby.  They invited me to join their company as a designer this year. I work with the owners of the company to design fun, unique, stylish clothes for both boys and girls, and they take care of the rest.  :)  Please visit www.myvintagebaby.com to find a rep in your area and either order online or book a home party.

Do you support any charities that we could mention?
Trista: We proudly support many charities, including the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation that receives a portion of the profits from my collection with My Vintage Baby.  This year, though, we have focused much of our attention on trying to raise awareness and money for an organization called First Descents.  They provide free outdoor adventure therapy to young adults, aged 18-39 with cancer.  Ryan has raised nearly $100,000 for them this year through a string of challenges he competed in.  Please go to:  http://101010.firstdescents.org to learn more.

Thank you so much, Trista, for taking the time to share your family insights with us. You and Ryan are excellent examples of true love, commitment in marriage, and devoted parents. I found the very sweet proposal scene and just had to share it!

For more information about Trista, follow her on Twitter or go to www.ryansutter.com.

I’ve been a fan of Audrey Hepburn for awhile now and for so many reasons. Her style, character, presence, career, legacy…well pretty much everything about her I adore. The above photo of Audrey Hepburn’s quote was a surprise Valentine gift from Garrett. He created it in Photoshop and had it mounted especially for me! It now sits above my desk as an everyday reminder to me of this beautiful message.

Stay tuned tomorrow for Trista Sutter’s Family Interview!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I am receiving some fun party things in the mail and now that we have mailed the invitations out, I wanted to give you a sneak peek!

I collaborated with Liana and Mike to create a simple and sweet invitation. I am thrilled with the result!

Beautiful letterpress invitation designed and made by: Liana and Mike Hall of Apres un Reve.

Also you may have noticed something different on the blog. You can now read each post as a complete post instead of opening each one. You can also comment easier with the comment box visible and less things to fill in. And you can now  “Like” the posts :) Thank you Flosites!

Speaking of buttons….

I found some of these great Valentine craft supplies a month ago and finally got them out today. Gray went to work and did her own thing. Felt heart buttons, heart stickers, kraft paper, and heart doilies from  Michael’s. Cotton striped twine from Anthropologie.

How appropriate and adorable! Valentine’s Day is around the corner. I found this button heart and its perfect because I wanted to give you a sneak peek on Campbell’s birthday “theme”. Yes its buttons and the colors are pink and gray!  I’ve been planning like a crazy lady and its such a fun thing to put together. The invitations are ready to be mailed off. I’ll be dreaming of party favors and whats on the menu and wrapping special Valentine gifts this weekend. Hope you spend it with people you love.

Here are more adorable buttons. Pink vintage.

White buttons. LOVE.

Wooden buttons I adore and group them with ribbons, spools and twine….perfection.

Photo credits: 1) tinywhitedaisies 2) frecklesfairytales 3) Country Living 4) Stipje All via Pinterest

These are my 10 favorite Valentine books for kids, all available on Amazon:

1) I Love You Through and Through

2) The Day It Rained Hearts

3) A Book of Hugs

4) If You’ll Be My Valentine

5) Amelia Bedelia’s First Valentine

6) Henry In Love

7) You Are My I Love You

8) Kiss The Cow

9) Everyone Says I Love You

10) The Night Before Valentine’s Day

Gray: 5.5 years old

Headband and sparkly shirt: crewcuts

Shorts: Zara Kids

Gloves: H& M Kids

Polka dot tights: neige

Sparkle shoes: Old Navy

out & about: fun photo session

Photo credit: dad

]]> http://www.cobblestonerueblog.com/out-about-just-for-fun/feed/ 4 http://www.cobblestonerueblog.com/fun-friday-find-striped-skirts/ http://www.cobblestonerueblog.com/fun-friday-find-striped-skirts/#comments Fri, 04 Feb 2011 13:50:45 +0000 Joy http://www.cobblestonerueblog.com/?p=1983

I ADORE these lovely striped skirts for anne m cramer 2011 spring collection.

The middle one in particular is perfect for Valentines!

I hope you have some fun planned for this weekend with loved ones. We are off to Charleston to spend time with family, do some Valentine crafting, and also photograph a special wedding!

Photo credit: anne m cramer

The dining room has been one of those rooms I have always felt inspired to change from the norm and to sit in and dream…other than eat yummy food of course!

The above photo was our dining room when we used to live in Orlando back in 2004, (please excuse the logo, I got the photo from our photo blog). The dark plum paint was already there which we loved and we decided to add the black bookcase complete with a rolling ladder! I was reading rue magazine the other day and there was a quote on pg. 41 that spoke to me: “It doesn’t matter if it’s supposed to be a dining room. How often are we going to use the dining room? Can it also be a library? A study?” It made me miss our dining-library room!! Of course we put a table in there too, so we could actually eat. hehe.

Fast forward to the summer of 2007, when we moved into our house that we live in now.  This is the only photo I can find of our dining room with the red walls. We didn’t do anything special to the room nor did we hang anything on the walls for a looong time. I did not know what to do with it. Check out Gray when she was only 2!

In the fall of 2009, I was inspired by the Urban Outfitters store in downtown Charleston, SC, with their beautiful white moldings and plum walls. I decided that is what we needed to do with our dining room. I know lots of people would think, PURPLE?! And in the dining room?! This is why we didn’t ask anyone’s opinion, we just went for it! Its different, risky, mysterious, lovely, and fun! And my darling husband said, “if you want me to paint the dining room purple, we are definitely going to put lots of pictures up!”

We had a big collection of frames and some mirrors that were just stored in closets, so we decided to make use of them. We wanted all white frames and we wanted to fill them with many of our favorite family pictures. To round out our collection, we also hit the antique stores in town to find some perfect vintage frames! Below are more of the frames that we found after taking the previous photo.

Here they are on our back porch, spray painted by my loving husband…and even Gray was able to help out.

Almost done!

Voila! This project took 6 days and wrapped up by Labor Day weekend in 2009. Just in time for a wedding shower I was hosting. There was a total of 40 white frames and 3 white mirrors!

Most of the vintage frames were originally gold.

I absolutely love hanging out, having guests over for dinner, and hosting parties in this room. It truly inspires me because its so different and I adore seeing my family photos on the walls. I say it is ALMOST finished…still have to decide if we will put in drapes or shutters, find the perfect buffet and chandelier! And all of the pictures in the frames can easily be changed, updated or replaced. Speaking of which, we should probably update some of them now!

We were so honored to have our dining room featured on the National Association of Professional Child Photographers (NAPCP) blog!

Now I am trying to figure out what is the next inspiration room…

Photos in dining room wall from awesome photographer friends: Amber Holritz, Alice Park, Tina Wilson, and hubby Garrett Nudd

Valentine’s Day is around the corner and I am loving some great DIY projects I am seeing on the web. I have always loved Valentine’s Day and now with a family who loves celebrating, it couldn’t be better. I especially have my heart set on gifts and projects that are handmade with love and meaning.

First up are Valentine’s fruit stickers from Twig & Thistle. How precious and practical!

A Personalized Kraft Notebook from Paperwink. You know why I love it.

Pie Crust Heart Cookies from smashed peas and carrots as seen in One Pretty Thing.

Country Living magazine’s TreeMail as seen in DesignSponge. Brilliantly sweet concept.

I love so many things about rue magazine, not only for the name (they have great taste in choosing it ;) but they have filled the void in my magazine life. It has been sad to not have Domino and Blueprint around.

They are a free online magazine and just launched I believe their third issue.

I was curious on Twitter with the name and what all the buzz was with this up and coming magazine last fall.  I have been a loyal reader ever since. I love how chic everything is and I can easily find a product in just one click! Where have you been all my life?

Bravo to the editors and I look forward to reading and browsing every page of every issue!

Photo credits: rue magazine

Our sweet Campbell turned 2 yesterday and we had such a great time celebrating with her including a super fun photo session with her sister and dad. I have been planning her birthday party which will be next month. Can you guess what the main style focus will be and the colors? I haven’t told a soul (except for Garrett of course) so I will be so excited if you get it right!

Child: Campbell, now 2!!
Birthday crown: Stell and Livi on Etsy
Birthday dress: LIHO London from Zulily
Cupcake: Whipped Cupcakes (downtown Chattanooga)
out & about activity: birthday photo session
Photo credit: daddy (all photos)

Gray hat: Gap Kids
Dress: crewcuts
Tights: Zara Kids

Dress: Plum Pudding from Gigi’s (Rosemary Beach, FL)
Tights: H&M Kids
Boots: H&M Kids (Aberdeen, Scotland)

Hellloooo!

Its been quite a week and I apologize for the lack of blogging. Internet went down and it would have been tough blogging from a phone :( Also so many exciting things have happened and hoping to share here the next few days.

Super thrilled, I will be traveling to Rosemary Beach, one of my favorite areas to visit for a girls’ weekend I was invited to for much needed down time with 6 other fabulous women. And I have been secretly planning a baby shower for one of my dear friends, Alice! Surprise! She just received her invitation last night and took a lovely photo of it so here’s a sneak peek. Can you guess the “theme”? :) Planning a shower for out of state can be tricky so I will post about it and will be giving some tips. Still so fun with all the wonderful details!

Child’s first name: {Fin Hudson Buick}
Age: {5}
Parent’s first name: {Kasey}
State & Country: {Illinois}

Outfit in photo(s) comes from:
Jeans: thrifted
Collar shirt: Gap Kids
Button sweater: DID TOO
Sneakers: Target
out & about: photo session in library

Submitted by: Kasey Buick
Photo Credit: Maggie Fortson Photography
Favorite clothing brands: { Small Paul. Anything thrifted with an edge. }

Philosophy on clothing style: { Easy and simple. I love to dress my kids in what their personality is}

Would you like to submit an Out & About? We are now looking for Winter and Spring submissions. Click HERE for details.

I have a lot on my mind lately especially after being snowbound for more than 3 days.

My little girl is growing up.

This morning we attended a Kindergarten meeting for Gray. We met at the school she will be attending in August and we were able to meet the wonderful teachers, tour the school, ask questions, etc. I decided right at that moment she will be attending school and registered her without any hesitation.

I. am. so. relieved. I finally made the decision and can breathe better. I really really like the school (although I will have to start saving up my pennies for the tuition, yikes!) and what amazing programs and opportunities they offer.

We will go through some big changes when she goes to school. So what a timely message I read on Facebook, a parent posted a message they received from their kids’ school.

Suggested resolutions for parents. Some things we already do, but some  really resonate with me and will be reading DAILY.

Living with Children

John Rosemond

Given that this is the first column of a new year, I’m proposing a number of parenting New Year’s Resolutions for my readers to consider. The list is by no means comprehensive. It’s just a good beginning on what is probably a much-needed family revolution:

1.    We will not throw expensive “event parties” for our children on their birthdays. Instead, we will confine all birthday celebrations to our family, including extended family. We will keep it uncomplicated: a special dinner of the birthday boy or girl’s favorite food, a cake, the obligatory song, and a few simple gifts, mostly clothing or other useful things.

2.    We will spend at least as much time helping our children develop good manners as do helping them get good grades in school, which means we will cut back significantly on the time helping with the latter (in consideration of the fact that good manners, which are expressions of respect for others, will take one further in life than will good grades). Each week, we will work on one specific social courtesy, such as saying “excuse me” when you walk in front of someone. Taking two weeks off, that’s fifty courtesies a year!

3.    We will show our love for our neighbors by properly disciplining our children, insisting on proper behavior, and reprimanding immediately (even if that means in front of other people) when they behave otherwise, and on those occasions we will also insist they apologize appropriately.

4.    If we have not already done so, we will assign a routine of daily chores to each of our children (at least those who have reached their third birthdays) and we will insist that said chores be done, and done properly, before they engage in recreation or relaxation.

5.    When our children ask us for cell phones, we will tell them that they may have cell phones when they are able to pay for them as well as the monthly bills.

6.    When our children complain that they are the only kids who don’t have cell phones (and do chores), we will tell them that learning how to be different is character-building.

7.    Our children will not be able to order customized meals unless we take them to a restaurant. At home, they will eat what we are eating, and they will sit at the table until they are finished. We will do this so that when they are invited to eat at someone else’s home, they will be the best of guests.

8.    We will put our marriage first and our children second…for their sake as well as ours. They will revolve around us; thus, they will not grow up thinking the world revolves around them.

9.    If I am a single parent, I will take good care of myself for my sake as well as my children’s. I will have an active, adult’s only, social life. I will take plenty of personal time to simply relax and do those things I like to do. I will do all of that so that my children will not ever think the world revolves around them.

10. We/I will put our/my children to bed early so that we/I can end each day reconnecting as a couple or relaxing as a single.

11. We will eat as a family around our own table at least six nights a week.

12. We will keep after-school activities to a minimum, and only let them enroll in activities that do not prevent us from delivering on number 10.

13. Instead of buying our children expensive things, we will help them develop hobbies and take them to museums and on trips.

14. We will do all of the above so that when they grow up, they will have wonderful memories of their childhoods and raise our grandchildren in a manner that honors us.

Happy Friday!

I must say, I am so glad I stumbled upon this online boutique, EmersonMade via OhJoy on Twitter.

I adore everything. I love the style, colors, style, the couple who started it, style, design…did I mention style? Its definitely a breathe of fresh air and now one of my favorite clothing brands.

Just a few of my favorite pieces, (and yes I will need to save up to afford some of these):

The Ribbons Dress, Little Grey Dot

The Emerson Shift, Tiny Dot Tweed

Sunday White Wild Rose (LOVE LOVE LOVE the flower pin!) Check them out here.

EM GO Dress

And the clutches!!

Ballet Dahlia Clutch

Dandy and Dogs Clutch

School Bloom and Lucky Clutch

I have seen a preview of her spring collection and it is to die for. The LittleBlouse and Trench Dress…drool. I will go wishlist happy when they are released.

See the preview on her blog.

Photo Credits: EmersonMade

]]> http://www.cobblestonerueblog.com/emersonmade/feed/ 1 http://www.cobblestonerueblog.com/out-about-ready-to-play-in-snow/ http://www.cobblestonerueblog.com/out-about-ready-to-play-in-snow/#comments Sun, 09 Jan 2011 13:30:15 +0000 Joy http://www.cobblestonerueblog.com/?p=1876

We are expecting lots and lots of snow here all day, something we are not used to in Chattanooga.

Taken with my trusty iPhone camera, here are the girls’ outfit for the snow!

Campbell, 23.5 months old

Hat and Coat: Gap Kids

Sweater and Corduroy Pants: Target

Boots: next purchased in Aberdeen, Scotland (hand me down from Gray)

Mittens: not pictured, instead a baby blanket given as a gift.

Gray: 5.5 years old

Hat and Gloves: Gap Kids

Coat: Bebe Jr by Minihaha purchased from b braithwaite Atlanta

Sweater: Target

Pants: crewcuts

Boots: Target

out & about activity: playing in the snow!

Would you like to submit an Out & About? We are now looking for Winter and Spring submissions. Click HERE for details.

Intel made a fantastic documentary video of him and its definitely worth a few minutes of your time to get to know the man behind the camera, his vision and insights.

Been dreaming a lot lately.

Now that I have graduated from a diaper bag I cannot stop looking at handbags.

I was never big into accessories. I would always go to Target or a similar place to find a decent handbag for everyday use. It would spend a couple years with me until it was falling apart, and then it would be replaced. Not that there’s anything wrong with getting a bag from Target, but I had been doing this since high school and college and it seemed I never grew out of it. Well, its time for a change around here.

While I am not about to go on a shopping spree to find the latest accessories of the season, I am definitely interested, I know they are important to finish the look of an outfit, and I have been dreaming of them…nice handbags in particular. This is a huge change for me and I am excited. This year I am embracing the importance of accessories as I finally release my inner sophisticate.  Who’s with me? :)

So this week, I peaked in Anthropologie as well as perused their catalog…of course they highlight accessories, great timing! Normally, I would have ignored it, but wow do they have some fabulous ones! There are three in particular that caught my attention:

Cherry-Trimmed Bag

Daily Brights Satchel (Blue Satchel above is my fave and also available)

Elegant Angles Bag

And one of my favorite online boutiques, Ruche has a fantastic collection of handbags for reasonable prices. If you haven’t discovered them, rush over and check them out. I LOVE all their goodies! Here are three of my favorites:

Silhouette Flower Purse

Brickyard Library Handbag

Annabell Blossom by Melia Bianco

And don’t get me started with Kate Spade, in my humble opinion, the ultimate sophistication in handbags.

I have always dreamt of owning a Kate Spade bag, its one of the reasons I fell in love with the brand. Oh the chic simplicity. I do have a yellow wallet from there so one step at a time though Joy!

Then there is J Crew as well as the host of other well-known designer bag collections. Oh my, where to start?!?!?

I’ll stop here. This deserves another post.  ;)

Photo credits:  Anthropologie, Ruche, Kate Spade

I think I have gone crazy but I have fallen in love with wooden spools. I saw some at Hobby Lobby as well as Etsy several months ago and wanted to take all of them home with me. Maybe because I also adore ribbons, strings, and twines to put on them or my home improvement project obessions lately.

But before I take home the spools I have to find a place to put them in. I have been searching online the past couple of months and found a perfect shelf below. I will also try to find them at our favorite antique store here.

A photograph you can buy on Etsy.

Another fine art photo print on Etsy.

Yes I really, really want a shelf full of wooden spools with all kinds of ribbon, string, and twine. I’m so serious about it, I put in on my wishlist :)

Photo credit 1, 2, & 6 from Etsy.

Its almost the new year! Will you be celebrating tonight? We are having friends over for a book study, to hang out and reflect on what a blessing this year has been. I’m definitely ready for 2011.

With a new year comes new goals, wishes, dreams.

I haven’t had the chance to sit down and write them specifically, but I do know what they are. Here are some of the major ones…

1) A major goal is to spend more personal time and travel more as a family. When I think of the most memorable times, I remember our personal projects, quality time, and travels most.

2) Live a more healthy lifestyle. Slowly working on this. Like go to bed before 3. And don’t eat too much chocolate.

3) Never forget where I came from. It reminds me of countless opportunities and blessings I have and I am forever grateful.

4) Think and do more for others.

5) Be authentically creative.

6) Take more risks both personal and business.

7) Ask for help.

8) Spend more time face to face with people instead of online.

9) Live simpler. We have been purging lots this past month and may it continue.

10) Continue to dream and dream bigger.

I have more specifics especially with the dream section and hope to “cross out” and share as time goes.

I highly encourage you write your dreams down and print out where you can see them everyday.

Happy New Year.

I hope you had a fantastic Christmas with loved ones.

We had the best Christmas ever. Why? It snowed the entire weekend here and it was the first white Christmas for our whole family. I never thought I could get so excited about snow consistently falling on my favorite holiday. We also took the week off from work and I have to say it was one of the best things we have done for our family. Its been one busy wedding and portrait season and we wanted to really celebrate Christmas and spend quality time with our girls and this was truly so memorable.

Christmas cards have been sent off and here are the results of our 2010 Holiday Portraits. How appropriate for an out & about :)

Gray’s dress: Bonpoint

Gray’s scarf: Bonpoint

Gray’s headband: crewcuts

Gray’s shoes: Kid Express at n2 shoes in Chattanooga

Campbell’s dress: Zara Kids

Campbell’s tights: H&M Kids

Campbell’s shoes: Gap Kids

Garrett’s shirt and sweater: Ted Baker

Garrett’s jeans: Zara

Garrett’s shoes: Baggat from Milan, Italy

Joy’s dress: Banana Republic

Joy’s sweater: J.Crew

Joy’s headband: J.Crew

Joy’s shoes: Banana Republic

Joy’s tights: Kate Spade

Location: Asheville, NC (Photos by Brandy & Sticky Rammel)

old
1. opening one gift every christmas eve, pj’s or a game to play together
2. leaving cookies and milk
3. watching “twas the night before christmas”
4. getting our stockings first and pics with them on the stairs BEFORE peeking
5. setting up the nativity that was my great-grandmother’s

new
6. leaving cookies, milk and now, reindeer feed (in the yard)
7. driving around with hot chocolate to look at the lights
8. attending the local parade, again with hot chocolate
9. christmas eve service at church, sometimes followed by cookie decorating with the grandparents.
10. watching my daughter and mom set up the same nativity set that i used to. love to see it come full circle.

and of course we still do the pics on the stairs with our children now. i also make sure that we watch “twas the night before christmas”, “frosty the snowman”, and of course, “rudolph”!

Thank you Jennifer! I love your traditions! We especially love driving around looking at lights and the Christmas Eve service, we may see you there!

It is fun to ask your family to respond to a list of “favorite” questions each year and then compare to what they said in past years.  Especially fun when kids are small and then remind them of their answers when they are older.  Also fun to capture what adults (parents) reveal and how that leads into story-telling from their childhood memories.  Here is an example of the questions:
1.  Give your favorite Christmas memory.
2.  What is your favorite birthday memory?
3.  What was your favorite vacation memory?
4.  What is your favorite holiday meal?  Why? and would you like to change it up any?  How?
5.  What is your favorite activity with your mom?  and dad?
6.  What would you want to give your parents if you could make it anything?
7.  Where do you want to spend Christmas five years from now?
8.  Where do you like to spend time when you want to be quiet?
9.  What is your favorite song?
10. Do you think you will know the answers to what everybody else said?
I never come up with more than 10 questions but have always discovered this leads to alot of conversation, laughs and more awareness about your family members.  We do it on Christmas eve and do it in our own handwriting……..somehow that makes it more personal and when you look back, it is another fun memory to see the handwriting of the family member (some of which may no longer be with us)
Thanks for asking for this question – it was fun to think about and recognize that we all have some kind of traditions in our families!

Thank you Sharon and I totally love this. I love that it is handwritten and adds such a personal touch and warmth to it.

Photo from Google Images

Child’s first name: Althea
Age: 1
Parent’s first name: Seth and Jordanne
State & Country: Ohio
Outfit in photo(s) comes from:
Moto jacket: Gap Kids
Striped shirt: ASOS Kids
Black skinny jeans: Gap Kids
Shoes Crazy8
Headband: Claire’s…which i tore it off of a different headband and attached it to a stretchy band for a kid friendly fit!!
out & about activity: holiday portrait session
Photo submitted by: Jordanne
Photo credit: Brandy J
Favorite clothing brands: gap, target, and we cant wait to fit into crewcuts!! :)
Philosophy on clothing style: I love finding different pieces in boutiques, stores and online then combining them to create a whole different look! I love for althea to look like a little girl but also have the style of a grown up little fashionista!! :)

Would you like to submit an Out & About? We are now looking for Winter and Spring submissions. Click HERE for details.

You HAVE to watch this super fun alternative holiday greeting sent from fab friend, Lisa of E Events. This is a collaboration of both Lisa and the equally talented Jeffrey of Stoner Video.

Click here to watch their creative greeting!

Lisa says:

It was a creative, fun, MESSY, eco-friendly way to send out our greeting this year. We simply emailed it to everyone that was on our Christmas card mailing list.

Its that time of the year again. It’s hard to believe its the 6th year of our annual holiday tradition of “feet” Christmas cards. It has become quite the tradition.

What started as a 10 minute, simple portrait session, has now turned into a full blown different-destination-each-time-pick-your-clothes-six-months-early-highly-anticipated-published-in-a-photo-magazine-photo-session.

Can we say stress?! Well, to date we have survived each year and although it takes much planning, it has been so worth it.

Things worth noting:

1) It has been SO fun to see our kids grow through the series. We started when Gray was just 6 months old. She is now 5-and-a-half and Campbell turns 2 in January. Tears!

2) The photo destinations! We used to live in Orlando, then we moved to Chattanooga. I am from Charleston, SC, and Asheville, NC, was a random choice. Hmmm, where should we go next?

3) Our photographers! Long time friend, Paul who lives in FL. And wedding clients turned friends, Brandy and Sticky, who we also photograph their session. Both have been so patient with us and lots of fun!

4) Our change in style. Someone told us they noticed the change especially in Garrett’s shoes. Hehehe.

For years people have asked what and where do we buy Gray’s clothes for the session (part of the inspiration for the out & about series on this blog) as well as many of our portrait clients ask where to shop and what to wear for clothes for THEIR holiday family photos. So, in addition to reminiscing over our 6 year card tradition, I will also mention some of the clothes info.

out & about family!

2005 in Winter Park, FL (Photo by Paul Martin)

Graycen’s coat and pants: Gap Kids

Garrett’s jeans: Gap

Garrett’s shoes: Kohl’s

Joy’s pants and shoes: Banana Republic

2006 in Winter Park, FL (Photo by Paul Martin)

Gray’s coat, jeans, and shoes: Gap Kids

Garrett’s shirt: English Laundry

Garrett’s jeans: Diesel

Garrett’s shoes: we can’t remember!?!?!?

Joy’s top: Modern Grace Boutique (College Park in Orlando, FL)

Joy’s jeans: Diesel

Joy’s sandals: Marie-France Boutique (Thornton Park in Orlando, FL)

2007 in Winter Park, FL (Photo by Paul Martin)

(Note: Just came back from visiting Europe: Paris, Aberdeen, and Lake Como, Milan. We had to go shopping!)

Gray’s hat and dress: Bonpoint (Paris, France)

Gray’s shoes and leggings: H&M Kids (Aberdeen, Scotland)

Garrett’s shirt and jeans: Zara

Garrett’s shoes: Bagatt (Milan, Italy)

Joy’s dress: Zara

Joy’s shoes: Bagatt (Milan, Italy)

2008 in Chattanooga, TN (Photo by Brandy and Sticky Rammel)

Gray’s shirt, shorts, tights: Zara Kids

Gray’s shoes: Gap Kids

Garrett’s shirt: 7 Diamonds

Garrett’s jeans: Guess

Garrett’s shoes: Steve Madden

Joy’s maternity dress: due maternity (Buckhead in Atlanta)

Joy’s shoes: Michael Kors from Nordstrom’s

2009 in Charleston, SC (Photo by Brandy and Stick Rammel)

Gray’s dress: bebe children’s boutique (Park Avenue, Winter Park, FL)

Gray’s headband: crewcuts

Gray’s shoes: Gap Kids

Campbell’s dress and sweater: Gap Kids

Campbell’s tights: crewcuts

Campbell’s hair clip and shoes: Pediped shoes, WiggleWorm children’s boutique (Chattanooga, TN)

Garrett’s sweater and blazer: Banana Republic

Garrett’s jeans: Guess

Garrett’s shoes: Robert Wayne

Joy’s dress: Anthropologie

Joy’s sweater: Express

Joy’s shoes: Aldo

Stay tuned for our 2010 photos in Asheville, NC!

A friend recently posted on Facebook, wondering about the length of time and planning required for a holiday portrait session. Garrett responded after a few fun comments so I wanted to include it here below:

You should start in the summer sometime. This is assuming that you update your wardrobe on a somewhat regular basis. Don’t go out specifically looking for holiday picture outfits, or you will be angry and frustrated. Months in advance, keeping in mind the ages/sizes of your children, when the right outfit jumps out at you get it and don’t look back.

You may have to invest more money than you wish. But you will look back on these pictures for your entire life, and when children are young, they change and grow and develop every year. In a portrait, often the subject’s personality is revealed in their outfit as much as it is in their face. In our family (my current immediate family) the holiday picture is a standard by which we look back upon. Of course I realize my perspective is different.

Once you have identified that “it” outfit for whomever is the lucky person, you can begin looking for outfits for the rest of the family that compliment. As a photographer my suggestion is to compliment, not match. People often make this much harder than it really is. If you want the children to stand out, put them in something that will stand out against what the parents are wearing.

Last year I found a great knit dress for Gray when I was working in Orlando. We dressed the rest of us around it and everything came together quite easily. This year was a little bit harder. We had a great dress for Gray from France that we got several months back, but we weren’t  sure if it was the right one for the holiday picture. A few weeks ago in Orlando I found a really chic little dress for Campbell and it compliments Gray’s dress perfectly. It also provides good contrast, so they should photograph well together. Joy and I were a bit harder to outfit, but it’s more about the kids anyway. Of course it’s important to pay attention to shoes and accessories, as they can make a huge difference in making the scene look “finished.”

If you’re struggling try reading magazines. Sad to say, I read Vogue, Elle, and Marie Claire on a regular basis. Hey, it’s part of my job…kind of. Vogue Bambini and Milk are also great kids fashion mags. When you look at their editorial shoots you’ll see how easy it really is to coordinate subjects. The obvious constraint is budget, which we all have to consider. It’s easy to go overboard….don’t!

Final suggestion, hire a good, patient photographer who “gets it.”   ;-)

And don’t forget the fabulous giveaway (which ends TONIGHT at midnight ET) from Envelopments here on the blog. All you have to do is comment and you get a chance to win 3 beautiful sets of notecards! Details HERE.

1) opening one present Christmas Eve – always pajamas and always excited
2) not being allowed downstairs on Christmas morning until everyone had washed faces and brushed teeth and made their bed….we went down stairs in single file
3) stockings, breakfast, presents…one at a time
4) fondue on Christmas Eve (growing up…then became lobster newburg and now what ever I choose)
5) watching Love Actually, The Family Stone, and The Holiday during December with Marty
6 ) a fabulous Christmas card! (Janelle is one of our awesome clients and photo above is by cobblestone rue!)
7) collecting Nova Scotia Crystal annual ornament for each of the girls
8) traditional Christmas fruit cake that I make in October , wrap in Rum soaked cheese cloth and store away
9) getting together with British friends to make proper plum pudding. Everyone stirs the batter and makes a wish
10) making trifle for Marty (or he makes it…once weighed 13 lbs!)
11) we don’t have a church here so we read the Bible story and other favorite readings after dinner on Christmas Eve…all stragglers come to our house (those with no family to go to) and they are invited to share as well

Thank you so much Janelle! We definitely share the Christmas card tradition as well as watching holiday movies with the hubby! I love all of them :)

Gray, (5) going to church

Headband: crewcuts, JCrew

Dress: Zara Kids

Tights: H&M Kids

Mary Janes: Gap Kids

Campbell (23 months) going to church

Grey Wool Dress: Bonpoint (hand me down from Gray, purchased in Paris, France)

White Shirt: Zara Kids

Tights: H&M Kids

Flats: H&M Kids

***Would you like to submit an Out & About? We are now looking for Winter submissions. Click HERE for details.

****

And don’t forget the fabulous giveaway from Envelopments here on the blog. All you have to do is comment and you get a chance to win 3 beautiful sets of notecards! Details HERE.

Heard of the great online company, zulily? Friends Katie and Brandy forwarded their information to me and zulily emails product deals everyday with great brands that are specifically for mom and kids. Its perfect for finding awesome gifts for the holidays.

Here is my invitation link to you!

http://www.zulily.com/invite/jnudd602

I came across this on Facebook and it is awesome for those who believe in Santa. It is Portable North Pole TV where you can receive a personal message from Santa! Click this link on his message for Graycen.

And a fabulous giveaway from Envelopments here on the blog. All you have to do is comment and you get a chance to win 3 beautiful sets of notecards! Details HERE.

And its not too late to send in your favorite Christmas traditions (you can send in one or more!) growing up or what you do now. If you list 10, you will be entered to win $25 gift certificate to Amazon! Here are a couple of fun ones already posted:

Michele in New York

Amanda in Tennessee

Browsing through Sam Flax, an awesome art store in Atlanta and Orlando, I am always drawn to the specialty paper they offer.  Envelopments always stands out and takes the lead among so many choices. Not only do I love their beautiful product offerings, their customer service is pretty top notch too.

They have introduced some fun new products such as Roll-O-Decks, Note Card Sets, and Artist’s Pads.

My favorite of the 12 Note Card Sets are:

Country Club

Classic

French Cafe

You can choose from 12 stunning designs here.

Each set comes with 8 3.5 x 5 folded cards, 8 envelopes and 8 optional envelope liners.

This week, Envelopments is graciously giving away any 3 sets of your favorite note cards to one lucky winner! You can give as a gift or keep for yourself. Nothing beats a handwritten note card!

Here is how you can win.

Giveaway Guidelines:

- You have 6 days to enter this giveaway (closes Wednesday, December 15 at midnight).
- Go to shop.envelopments.com/pages/note-card-sets and pick out notecard sets that you love. Comment here and let me know.
- Make sure you enter all your information! No anonymous commenters please.
- Comments on other sites will not count. Increase your chance to win by doing all of the above.
- If for some reason you are unable to comment on the box, please email comments to: info@cobblestonerueblog.com

- The winner will be chosen and announced on Thursday, December 16 at the bottom of this post.

For more information, visit their shop: http://shop.envelopments.com

website: http://www.envelopments.com

blog: http://blog.envelopments.com

The winner is:

From Amanda:

In no particular order, these are the things we did EVERY YEAR at home. I am a complete nut when it comes to Christmas. Just ask my parents, and especially my brother. They think I’m a little bit crazy, too.

1. Load up entire family + aunts, uncles, cousins and drive around looking at Christmas lights the week after Thanksgiving. While we were out, we would go and buy our fresh Christmas trees for each home and we (kids) would all eat candy canes and giggle our heads off.

2. Kids receive a new ornament every year that relates to something special about them for that last year. (Example: Freshman year of H.S., I sewed my first dress and my mom gave me a sewing machine ornament that year. This year, Maddox gets a Lego ball to hang on the tree and Maggie gets a little puppy dog. Her obsession.)

3. ALWAYS leave out milk and cookies on a special plate w/ a special mug for Santa on Christmas Eve. It was always gone when we woke up the next morning. We do it with our kids now.

4. On Christmas Eve (when we still believed in Santa) my dad would have a friend hide outside our house somewhere and ring sleigh bells. If there were plane lights in the sky it was even better. :) He would tell us to hurry and get to bed b/c Santa was waiting to come while we were asleep. Such a good memory!

5. Mayfield’s Peppermint Ice Cream – a must!!!!!!

6. No presents under the tree for kids until after they are asleep on Christmas Eve. Even now that I’m married, my Mom wont put the gifts for ME or my kids out until we are upstairs. It’s so exciting to go to sleep w/ an empty tree and wake up to that magnificent goodness of presents all over the place. Magical!!

7. My brother and I would always sleep in the same room together on Christmas Eve (even until I moved away and got married). I would get overly excited and couldn’t go to sleep, so my dear younger brother would play board games and talk to me until I fell asleep. (I tend to squeal a lot on Christmas Eve. The excitement is too much to handle!) We could see the shadows of our parents going back and forth down the hall, hauling gifts to the tree downstairs. We were forbidden from opening the door. :) The next morning we would wake up at horrifying hours such as 4am and our parents (who had just gone to bed) would get up with us. The rule was that we had to sit on the top step together until our parents went down and turned on the tree lights and set up cameras and video cameras first. We still do this whole scenario (except for the sleeping arrangements) when we are both in town at Mom’s for Christmas. Sorry that was a long description, but it’s such a happy, good memory for me. :)

8. ALWAYS have Blueberry muffins for Christmas morning breakfast.

9. With Maddox, we’ve started reading him the Christmas story (Jesus) all through December and then HE gets to sit in front of the tree on Christmas Eve and “read” the story to us. Until he can read the whole thing himself, it makes for some very sweet and heartwarming video memories to hear him tell it the way he understands it.

10. It’s not Christmas unless you listen to Dolly Parton’s “I’ll Be Home With Bells On”. I drive everyone nuts singing it every year when I show up at my Mom’s door for the holiday. :)

Thank you Amanda! We share in the tradition of riding around looking at Christmas lights and the LOVE for Christmas!

Names: Harper (left) and Annabel
Age: 17 months
Parent’s first name: Josh and Nicole
City & State: Buford, GA

Outfits come from:
Shirt: Old Navy
Skirt: Cherokee from Target
Tights: Baby Gap
Shoes: Payless
Out and About: walking around downtown in Buford, Georgia
Photo credit and Submitted by: Nicole Puckett

Favorite clothing brands:  Crazy 8, Baby Gap, Target
Philosophy on clothing style:  My philosophy is simple, comfortable separates that are interchangeable. I also like modern, unique handmade pieces from my mom or Etsy.

I am so excited for Christmas! Its totally my favorite holiday. I get a little excited.

My Fun Friday Finds this week are a couple of gift guides for budding artists.

I took my friend Amanda to Ikea in Atlanta last September for our girls’ weekend….she forced me, she had never been ;) We had a great time and its always fun to watch someone’s reaction when they go to Ikea for the first time. (apparently, she’s not the first I dragged there for their first shopping experience there…).

One of my favorite section is the kids’ area. And of course the price is ridiculously good for the value and of course I buy way more than intended to.

BUT we did find a gem! I have been looking for and researching easels and just could not get myself to buy this one (even though its still on my wishlist, I love everything Land of Nod). We found the Ikea Mala Easel for…brace yourself….$14.99! You can buy the roll of paper which is attachable, chalks and markers since it has two sides, (we pretty much bought the whole Mala series) two kids can share, you can fold it flat and save space.

SO AWESOME.

BUT wait! That’s not all.

I saw this in Target today. It is the RoseArt Color Playhouse.  The kids can use crayons, markers, or paints to personalize the house…and again its only $14.99! There are now so many of these types of color playhouses to choose from, but you can’t beat this price and who doesn’t love Target?!

Have a great weekend!

From Michele of  Michele Calderon Photography:

My favorite is one we’ve done since my kids were little.  Every year, I wrap 24 Christmas books and put them in a basket, and each night during December, one of the kids opens one before bed and we read it.  When we first started, I didn’t have 24 books, so we borrowed from the library.  (Since they were holiday books, they could only be out for 2 weeks, so they got special “open me first” wrapping paper LOL!)  But now we have more than enough……and the kids (ages 9, 12, and 14) still really look forward to it – they won’t even let me get rid of the old board and pop up books!

Many of our books were chosen from reading the Chinaberry catalog.  My favorite source for children’s books – you can get lost for hours in their detailed catalog.  www.chinaberry.com.  You’d love it!

Not long after Michele contacted me, Katie emailed this link for the same traditions and it shows ideas on how to do it as well as book recommendations!

Thank you Michele, this will be a new tradition for us THIS year. We LOVE books too and this fantastic idea of a tradition and couldn’t wait to start next year so I ordered some last night :)

Do you have favorite Christmas traditions? If you’d like to participate on here, let me know! I’ll be posting throughout December.

Child’s first name: Grant
Age: 1, will be 2 next month
Parent’s first name: Chuck and Mel
City & State: Cincinnati, OH

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today’s guest post is from a dear friend, fellow shoe lover, and fantastic wedding designer, Lisa Konecny of E Events. I love how thoughtful and creative she is with this! Read on…

Our ”gifts“ as hosts {cooking, cleaning decorating, setting an elegant table} can seem monumental at times.  Many of us {read; ME} put an extraordinary amount of pressure on ourselves to personally hand pick each ingredient and cook every last recipe to perfection.  I’ve been a hostess for various holidays for as many years as I can remember, so switching gears for this Thanksgiving and being invited as a *gasp* guest has been welcomed challenge.

I still very much wanted to have a personal touch on the holiday, of course, and so I have set my focus on a lovely hostess gift.

This year, I am a guest at my beloved Jeffrey’s mother’s house.  She is the most delightful woman and I would consider her to be the same kind of hostess as I am.  She is a marvelous chef, she can feng shui a table like it’s nobody’s business and she is driven solely by the comfort of her guests in her home. Because of this, she rarely accepts contributions or assistance.

This year my hostess will receive a “Day After Thanksgiving Survival Kit.” A bottle of wine seems so ordinary, her table will be set beautifully and her menu is set, so …she can enjoy the components to her kit on the weary day after:

Packed in a set of tins from IKEA, she will enjoy:
*Hoagie Rolls {For turkey sandwiches!}
*Gourmet Dry Soup Mix {Just add water!}
*Cranberry Vanilla Hand Soap {Kickin’ off the Holiday season}
*Shea Cashmere Hand Cream {She will likely have scrubbed lots of potatoes and washed some pots and pans!}
*Milk Chocolate Cherries {Jeffrey says these are favorite indulgence}

My idea and gesture is for her to barely lift a finger the next day all the while knowing that I was incredibly grateful to sit at her Thanksgiving table in a most loving and beautiful environment.

Sources:
Tins: IKEA
Hoagie Rolls: Bakery / Local Supermarket
Soup Mix: Country Gardens Cuisine {Found at TJ Maxx}
Hand Soap: TJ Maxx
Hand Cream: Bath and Body Works True Blue Spa
Milk  Chocolate Cherries: Harvest Sweets {Found at TJ Maxx}

Thank you so much Lisa! For more information on Lisa, visit her fabulous website: E Events and join her Facebook Page HERE.

Greetings from Asheville!

I am so excited to be back since we used to visit all the time. I went to an awesome boarding academy here for my senior year in high school and loved it! We are here for our annual holiday family photo session. More on our 6-year family tradition later. We met up with fellow photographers and close friends, Brandy and Sticky from Ohio for our annual fun holiday photo sessions and Garrett photographed them on Monday. We ate at Suwana’s Thai Orchid that night. Really good Pad Thai!

Afterwards, we met up to go to the Candlelight Christmas Evenings at the Biltmore Estate. We had visited there  12 years ago in the daytime but this was the first time for the Christmas show and for the girls. I have heard so many great things about it and WOW, they really transform this gorgeous home. We could not take any photos inside so the above photo was the view of what we first saw driving in…(photo from Google Images). I was in awe walking into the estate and the decor was quite impressive. One really awesome memory which stood out was the 35 ft. Douglas Fir Christmas tree in the dining room with all the huge wrapped presents under it! There was a choir singing and Christmas trees in almost every room. The whole thing from the decor to the customer service was top notch. It is a MUST do for the holidays especially if you are nearby!

Today was our actual photo session. The girls LOVE Brandy and Sticky (so do we!) and its always a ton of fun hanging out with them. They just announced some awesome news and we couldn’t be happier for them!

I will refrain from telling you what outfits the girls wore…watch for a separate post on that :)

We went to lunch at Tupelo Honey Cafe. I had grilled cheese, tomato soup, and mac n cheese. YUM. No worries, I shared with one of our girls ;) They also serve breakfast all day, my kind of place. Too bad I had already eaten breakfast at our hotel.

When you purchase tickets to the Biltmore Estate, you also have a pass to the new Antler Hill Village, (photo credit, Romantic Asheville) among other places.

LOVED. THIS. PLACE. Especially our girls. It consists of shops, restaurants, entertainment, a farm, winery, and more. Very kid-friendly and even though it was raining, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

We fell in love with Antler Hill Farm. Above photo, Gray was petting the sheep: Mia, Ma, and Mini! She was especially intrigued by the blacksmith demonstration.

There were old-fashioned toys in the stables and all around the farm for kids to play. SO. FUN.

Here is the perfect description of it from Romantic Asheville:

“With the reorganization of the Antler Hill Village area, the entire farm is more convenient to explore. The farm offers a glimpse back at Biltmore’s agricultural past. Traditional farming demonstrations take place in the Barn, including authentic blacksmithing by local craftsman Doc Cudd. The Farmyard continues to house animals that children love, and the Kitchen Garden is now a demonstration area showcasing fragrant herbs and vegetables used in Biltmore’s restaurants. “

Above, Gray and Campbell exploring the Kitchen Garden even though you can’t see it.

We loved it so much, we got season passes to the Biltmore Estate and all it comes with! (Its only $25 more per person to upgrade…kids 16 and under are free!) It is a good thing we have family moving to Asheville within the next few months :)

If you have never been to the Biltmore Estate, you need to go! Here is an excellent website for more tips and information!

This evening we stumbled upon this gem of a place to eat: Posana Cafe in the heart of downtown Asheville. Not only was the meal fantastic, (we ordered vegan/vegeterian meals) the presentation, customer service, and atmosphere was wonderful as well. Just check out the desserts we ordered!

Our time here is almost over and then we head to my hometown, Charleston, tomorrow to spend more family time for Thanksgiving! I know there are tons of things to do in Asheville, but if you are ever here for just a couple of days and nights with the family, you now have an idea for a fun two-day itinerary.

I couldn’t have done this without my trusty iPhone and Instagram App!

**Note: I will be doing a series in December of your top 10 Christmas traditions. If you would like to participate, send me an email: info@cobblestonerueblog.com with subject: Christmas Traditions. It will be fun!!

Child’s first name: Josie
Age: 3, will be 4 in January
Parent’s first name: Chuck and Mel
City & State: Cincinnati, OH

Outfit in photo(s) comes from:
Jean Jacket: H&M Kids
Shirt: H&M Kids
Tie: Handmade by Aunt Brandy
Skirt: crewcuts
Tights: H&M Kids
Shoes: Sam & Libby purchased at Endless
Out and about: photo session and preschool
Photo credit and Submitted by: Aunt Brandy J

Favorite clothing brands:  Children’s Place, Old Navy, Target, and The Gap
Philosophy on clothing style:  To be completely honest lately my philosophy on clothes, is whatever is clean ;)!! and the fact that I am so tired of pink and purple for girls.

Would you like to submit an Out & About? We are now looking for Fall and Winter submissions. Click HERE for details.

I love how their style stands out and their branding. It also helps they belong in the same family as Anthropologie :) While in New Orleans, I got some great finds and REALLY needed certain new things and thought I’d share:

Kimchi Blue Front Pocket Lady Satchel

(I haven’t bought a trusty handbag in 4 years and needed to graduate from a diaper bag)

Fun new Oxford shoes Garrett found for me….I haven’t had one of these since I attended Catholic school in Scotland! Can’t find the exact ones online, but they’ve got some great ones you have to check out. Also some fun tights for the season so I can still wear dresses and keep warm.

Best thing is both items are under $100 :)

Have a great weekend!

Gray’s birthday is in May but we decided to celebrate it in early June due to hectic travel schedules. She actually liked it because she felt like she was having two birthdays! Her party was a cooking theme with create-your-own-pizza-and-cupcakes. And she and her friends even had their very own custom aprons!

Details:

Location: our home here in TN (the back screened porch) to make their own pizza, backyard to eat and make crafts, and dining room to sing happy birthday to and decorate cupcakes. The party was for girls only.

Lighting: lanterns from Target.

Plates, cups, and napkins: Target

Gray’s Birthday Outfit: Appaman from Snap Kids

Aprons: I had an idea for cooking party and a vision for custom aprons and they were beautifully created by my friend, Konika. We went to a thrift store and found a dozen pillow cases, which she made the aprons. Not one was alike. Gray’s apron was an early gift from a friend, Annette and was purchased on Etsy.

Personal pizza pans: borrowed from a friend, Katie. She bought them from Ebay and they used to be pans from Pizza Hut.

Pizza dough: ordered about 25 doughs from a place called Roselli’s Pizzeria the night before. Owner lives in our neighborhood which is a plus, customer service was top notch!  The girls were able to kneed the dough and put toppings on it.

Pizza toppings: cheese, tomato sauce, olives, fresh basil, mushrooms. Each guest had two little white bowls filled with cheese and tomato sauce and then we had a little toppings bar off to the side. Parents who stayed were able to create their own as well.

We put the pizza in oven for 500 degrees for 15 minutes.

Drinks: water with lemon slices and fresh mint from our garden in a glass pitcher with spout, on a “lemonade stand”

Decor: fresh flowers from friends’ Maria and John’s garden, hydrangeas and lavender.

Activity: after they ate outside in the backyard, we put up a tent and blankets and they made crafts: created their own books from construction paper, drew pictures, and decorated with glitter and sprinkles.

Cake: made by mom and dad. Strawberry cake with real strawberries, pink icing, coconut topping. Continuing the tradition with a cake stand for birthdays from Rosanna.

Gray’s birthday crown, another tradition: from StellandLivi on Etsy

Cupcakes: homemade with strawberries baked in. Toppings bar included: chocolate chips, strawberries, marshmallows, sprinkles, and cupcake icing of different colors.

Gifts: On her invitation and a tradition for birthdays, in lieu of gifts we asked guests to donate to the Nashville Flood Relief.

She did receive a few cool gifts! One of Gray’s gifts from us matched the theme: it was a Rosie Flo’s Kitchen coloring book.

All photos by: her daddy :)

Gray, (5) going to church

Headband: crewcuts, J Crew

Shift Dress: Zara Kids

White Top: Tea Collection at WiggleWorm in Chattanooga

Knee High Socks: crewcuts, J Crew

Brown Leather Flats: Kid Express at n2 shoes in Chattanooga

Would you like to submit an Out & About? We are now looking for Fall and Winter submissions. Click HERE for details.

She begged to get a photo in front of our piano again (she is teaching herself to play)…..sigh.

Photo Credit: Her Daddy

]]> http://www.cobblestonerueblog.com/out-about-gray-4/feed/ 3 http://www.cobblestonerueblog.com/metallic-ballet-flats/ http://www.cobblestonerueblog.com/metallic-ballet-flats/#comments Fri, 12 Nov 2010 13:34:37 +0000 Joy http://www.cobblestonerueblog.com/?p=1513

My favorite shoes are ballet flats, hands down. I would own every single one that comes out of my favorite stores if I could. This season I am particularly loving the metallic ones!

Here are a few of my favorites!

1) Jingle for Kate Spade

2) Flashy Footwork Flats from Anthropologie

3) Merona Flats for Target

4) Jacquard Flats for J Crew

These are definitely fabulous Friday finds! Have a great weekend!