 Perhaps a lovely Easter gift? I think these are positively adorable and since I have four little guys I have a wonderful excuse to get all of them. What little boy wouldn’t want to ride an alligator or tame a zebra or elephant? Anwyn is more into the blue spotted pony.
caitlin, February 20th, 2010
It’s always a good time of the year for little gifts; hostess gift, birthday, anniversary, get well soon . . . . The Spoon Sisters have you covered for just about any occasion.
Best of all, they are offering you lovely pinkpeppers readers 10% off anything on the website.
Just enter the promo code: Pinkspoons at checkout.
Here are a couple things we flipped for:
 Adorable. This would make a cheery comfort all winter long.  Send your loved one out the door with his java and a little message for the day.  Who can resist a linen tea towel with embroidery and mini pom poms?
 Nesting pink flower bowls, functional prettiness! (They also come in adorable orange and yellow)
 Add a little bling to someone's life. . . for 5 bucks! Happy gift giving!
caitlin, February 4th, 2010
I just need to brag for a minute about Zac’s grandmother, my kid’s great grandmother, who we all call Nana. She can turn out unique handmade gift for anyone, from knitted children’s hoodies, to re-usable fabric grocery bags, to full-sized quilts. She’s made things that are are so clever I wonder why I’ve never seen such a thing before.
Freyja’s Christmas gift was no exception: a coloring book bag, sized perfectly for a book to fit into, with a pocket for each crayon, all made up in the most adorable vintage fabric ever.
 Freyja is now a traveling artist
I’ve already warned her that I will be beating down her door for sewing lessons soon.
Here are some craft patterns for similar little bags.
caitlin, January 28th, 2010
My wonderful friend Rachel threw a baby shower for me last week that got me all excited and ready for this little boy. I thought you might like to glean from a few of her fabulous ideas that made the party so special:
Dessert
I am still thinking about (no, dreaming of . . . . no, obsessing over) the S’mores Cupcakes she created, and I’ve pretty much decided I need to have a box in the delivery room as motivation. These little beauties are the brain children of a local baker (Trophy Cupcake, who I’ve featured in Seattle Bride’s newest issue– on stands now) and the recipe was featured on Martha Stewart as her favorite cupcake flavor!
All the hype is for good reason, basically, they are to die for. And along with the Coconut Butter Cream Cupcakes and fruit that Becky and Aileen made, I could have hung out at the food table most of the night.
Fun
Rachel set up a table with white newborn baby onesies and paint and pens for guests to decorate. It was fun to see everyone’s clever designs and personality expressed on the little wearable keepsakes. Here are a couple designs.
Gifts
All my lovely friends proved my preconceived notions– about boys clothes not being very fun– completly wrong! But then, I’m just lucky to have friends with such incredible taste. I couldn’t believe the adorable assortment, and I’m going to be envious of my son’s shoe collection!
 
Over the years I’ve received a lot of beautiful mail. I have a folder in my file cabinet devoted to correspondence and it’s bursting with my favorite ones. There are letters from when Tim and I were writing the distance away from across the United States and then from there to Europe. I have the first letter I ever received from him– made from an old record album cover– and all the ones after that. My sisters are all very creative, so I have cards made from vogue magazine clippings, type-writer typed with little messages “Erin, to my cool sister: if you were any cooler….” flip to the inside “you would be me”, hand-made envelopes, birthday wishes, thank you notes…. They are beautiful and so much more lovely to me than a card picked up from Cranes.
The War on Spending is still in full battle array at our house, so I don’t even tempt myself when I get Anthropologie or any other nifty-looking catalog. I immediately stow them in my desk drawer where I keep cardstock, gluesticks and other supplies so I can later on pull them out and use clippings from their beautiful pages.
One particularly useful idea I got from Meghan was using these clippings for presenting vintage jewelry or other little trinkets in gifts. Antique pieces can make great presents but often the method of displaying them is a little disappointing since they don’t come with pretty backings or boxes. Poked through a hand-made card and wrapped nicely though, a pair of rhinestone earrings doesn’t scream “look at the used item I got you!”. When I have time I prefer to piece together the message on the card using individual letters clipped from varying types in magazines rather than writing it.
caitlin, January 7th, 2010
(Especially with a give away!)
Amidst the nutcrackers and giant pretzels of Leavenworth, Washington, you will find Mapel, a shop offering you something you’ll be happy and proud to claim as your souvenir from the Alpine village (quite unlike that pair of green lederhosen that somehow pulled you in).
During Christmas vacation, we made a day trip to the town in Eastern Washington, and as we traipsed the cold streets after dinner, Mapel’s purple lamp shades and pillows caught our eyes and drew us right in. Inside we found name brands, beautiful hand made things, even some men and baby items, and an adorable Staci Stevens, who opened Mapel two years ago because… basically, it was destiny, she says.
 Stevens, left, with business partner, Landgraf. With an entire family of self-employed go-getters, Stevens knew owning her own business had to be in the cards and after life took her down the path of a degree in fashion and work in clothing retail, she knew a boutique was just the fit. It helped too, that Sevens found a perfect business partner in her friend Jenelle Landgraf when they crossed paths working in Seattle. The terrifically in-vogue team runs their brick and mortar shop (617 Front St., Leavenworth, WA 509.548.5225) as well as their online component (shopmapel.com), all under the philosophy that “Fashion is sweet”.
They offer customers a special treat with their purchase: one of their signature truffles (made by a local chocolatier) as well as some other equally tempting delights, free shipping being a big one, and a daily happy hour online from 2-6. The “menu” is different every day, Stevens says, with charming perks like 40% off handbags, or $10 off that shirt you fell in love with.
In addition to the popular big name brands like 7 Jeans, Stevens says she is devoted to offering small labels by up-and-coming designers. Names like Champagne Lace, Velana K and Melanie Renee Design are a few that joined Mapel’s collection just last year.
So, if you’ve got a skiing trip to Leavenworth in the works, Mapel is simply not to be missed. And even if you never make it to the Bavarian town, skibble right over to their online store and enjoy sweet rewards for having good taste in fashion.
Good news!
Mapel is offering a give away to Pink Peppers readers! Just mention this story with a link on your facebook, your blog or tell a friend about it via email (let us know you did in your comment below) and you’ll be entered to win this gorgeous Stevie Wrap by Alternative in whatever color and size you’d like!
Comments welcome until 5 p.m. Sunday, January 10– winner to be announced Monday, January 11!
meghan, September 29th, 2009
 Fox sporting his little hat  Thanks Auntie Cait My sister Caitlin scored this most delectablesweater in Vegas before she knew she was having a boy. I’m glad she didn’t know or I may not have gotten the sweater. She said she would have kept it.
It is cashmere and nicer than any sweater I own.
 It was knit so I couldn't resist this little outfit.  My beautiful nursing cover. My good friend gave me this nursing cover. I don’t tend to swear by any baby gadgets but I love this one. It has a little strap to stay on your neck so you aren’t left hoping that the blanket loosely draped about the baby won’t in one moment be thrown off you by one little swipe of their arm. Great invention and yet so simple.
So here it is as promised: The Best Garlic Press in the World. Pressing whole cloves of garlic with ease is no longer an unattainable dream for the many weak-fisted people of the world. Caitlin, I thought you could put Freyja to the task now– she’s like, what? 8 months old?
I hope she’s a trust-fund baby though, I’m not going to make any bones about the price– it’s spendy. $45 from Williams Sonoma and a bit cheaper here.
The Rösle Garlic Press. All others are impostors.
 
These were the most wonderful gifts from my mom. They are wooden 3D puzzles which my kids had a blast painting. The puzzles come in flat sheets which you punch out then assemble. I found some sites online with some really beautiful puzzles and I’m tempted to buy some more.
http://www.i8899.com/shop/
Unlike most kid’s crafts, these ones are lovely hanging up in their rooms.
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