Last call! Enter to win FREE Valentine's cards!

We've partnered with 4 of our wholesale dealers to give away a set of 24 mini Valentine's cards to each store. Click on the links below and be sure to comment to get entered to win! Winners will be announced next week. In case you don't win, be sure to get your order placed by Friday, 2/5 to allow enough time for you to receive them. Thanks and have a blessed day!

Paper Dolls in Greystone, AL

http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/Birmingham-AL/Paper-Dolls/113789427216?ref=mf

Kidz Closet in Vestavia Hills, AL

http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/Vestavia-Hills-AL/Kidz-Closet-More/341223270346?ref=mf

In Stitches Monogramming in Prattville, AL:

http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/Prattville-AL/In-Stitches-Monogramming-by-Kim-King/104512550954?ref=mf

Paper with Purpose in Birmingham, AL

http://paperwpurpose.blogspot.com/

Cool Baby Kid

Thanks to Cecelia at Cool Baby Kid for the review of our Valentine's Day cards. Check it out here:

http://www.coolbabykid.com/2009/01/little-lamb-design-mini-valentines.html

Thanks to Kate at The Shopping Mama for the great write up of our Valentine's Day cards! Check out the review here http://theshoppingmama.com/2010/01/little-lamb-designs-personalized-valentines-giveaway/

Coloring book Valentine's Day card contest

We're entering a contest through Etsy andCoolMomPicks for coloring book style Valentine's cards. Winning designs will be sold on Etsy with 100% of proceeds going to The Children's Heart Foundation. Wish me luck! Here are my entries.

I love being a "boy mom"!

The photos say it all!

www.stellaschreiber.com

Sooooo beautiful!

Sooooooo not in the market for a new wedding gown. Happily, happily married for many years now! BUT...this dress almost makes we want to do it all over again. I've never seen anything like it! It is from Jane Wilson-Marquis's painted collection. Go have a look at their website http://www.janewilsonmarquis.com Oh my my! I have really never seen anything like any of her gowns. They really stand out from the typical white straplesses you see at every wedding you go to.

Paper is not the enemy ;)

So being in the paper industry, obviously I love paper. Many environmentalist would have us all believe that paper is evil because of deforestation. In this very interesting blog post from Roger Dziengeleski, Vice President and Senior Forester for Finch Paper, it is pointed out that "suburban sprawl" is the largest threat to forests these days, NOT PAPER!

http://www2.finchpaper.com/our-environment/where-have-all-the-forests-gone/

http://www2.finchpaper.com/our-environment/where-have-all-the-forests-gone-— part-ii/

So don't be a hater :) Send an actual handwritten thank you note for those birthday gifts, not just an email, and certainly don't NOT say thank you at all!

Cool party favors

Here is a very simple and inexpensive party favor idea. Take some disposable paper cups and cut the tops off with scalloped scissors from the craft store. Fill plastic baggies with candy (we used chocolate kisses). Tie with ribbon and then affix one of our gift stickers to the front. WhaLah! What a great way to thank people for coming to your party.

The gift sticker says "We sending kisses on your way. Thanks for helping Angela prepare for Tanner's Birth Day!"

Baby Shower Ideas

One of my dearest friends just had her 3rd baby. Her closest friends and I wanted to honor her and help her prepare for the arrival, but she had just about everything she needed because he is her 3rd. So we decided to give her a "Diapers and Wipes" shower. It was actually a lot of fun! We joked about her needing to find 30different ways of acting excited about opening a pack of diapers ;)

At left is the invitation. I just love the colors and the pattern, so I carried the same pattern throughout all the decorations and favors and even her gift...what else? A diaper cake!

I adapted the invitation into a guest book sheet for everyone to sign, thank you notes for her to use after the party (don't forget, this makes a great gift you can give too!), napkin rings (paper strips rolled into a circle and held together by double stick tape), and water bottle stickers. Lastly, we made cute little favors for everyone to take home. I'll be posting instructions on how to make those tomorrow!

Before and after

Who doesn't love a good before and after? I can't get enough! This one comes straight from my own powder room! We've lived in our house for 7 years now, but the house was built in '97. The bathrooms are SO mid-90's, so it was time for a change! I couldn't take the polished brass "builder grade" powder room for another minute, but because we're saving up for a kitchen remodel, I didn't want to spend much. So here is the 1st thing I did. This is the BEFORE. While it is a lovely light fixture, I wanted something with an oil rubbed bronze finish that is more en vogue these days. New bathroom light fixtures are not terribly expensive, maybe $100ish, but why spend it? I removed the light from the wall and painted it with this super cool new Rustoleum Universal spray paint.

Then when I attached it back to the wall, I turned it upside down and added some shades instead of the globes it came with. The shades were super cheap and then I glued some beads to the inside to create the fringe. Here is the AFTER:

WELCOME!

Welcome to a NEW YEAR, NEW DECADE, NEW WEBSITE, and NEW BLOG!

We'll all be posting on here periodically, but mostly it will be me (Ellen). I want to use this blog obviously to increase sales (who doesn't want to do that these days?), but I also want to share some of our inspiration, ideas, and personal items as well. Things that might randomly affect you and cause you to have a better life :) (or at least a better party!)

So here's why I named this blog BaaBaable. Obvoiusly lambs say "baabaa". But also, I am SUCH a babbler! Do you remember the episode of Friends where Chandler said all the wrong things because he was nervous?

He kept saying to himself "Just stop talking! Just stop talking right now!" but he couldn't and he kept digging himself deeper and deeper in a hole! Well, my friends and family know that's me! I have no filter and tend to say the wrong things at just the right time. I just keep babbling and babbling and can't stop! LOL!

So here's to a great New Year and let's all BAABAALE together!