Freshly Picked & Two Sparrows (Giveaway)

What an honor to team up with Freshly Picked and run such an incredible giveaway for you amazing people!!! First of all, I can say with 100% honesty that I admire and respect Freshly Picked as a whole SO very much. The owner & founder, Susan, has an infectious drive and passion for what she does, as well as an amazing consideration for helping out small businesses (like me!).  Grateful for the opportunity not only to team up with FP, but with nancy noble photography (because, who else?) to bring you these adorbs photos, a giveaway, and a full out honest review of these amazing moccasins! So let's get to it...let me take you on a little Freshly Picked journey through a review of their product and three crazy toddlers.

Freshly Picked Moccasins...if you haven't heard of these yet, may I ask, where have you been hiding? Not only are these the most sought after and adorable moccs on the market, but they come in so many delicious colors that are absolutely TO DIE FOR! When I was asked to write up a review, I was able to choose which color I wanted, and if you know me, you know that wasn't a very hard decision....gold it is! I said :)

When I got these moccasins, I took them out of the uh-mazing little drawstring bag that comes with every pair ordered (who doesn't love great packaging?!), and showed them to my girlies. "OOOooooo slippers!" was their response, and clearly they wanted to try them on RIGHT. AWAY. Slipped these buttery metallic gems on my girls' feet and off they went to test them out! As a mom, of course we want shoes for our kiddos that are comfortable, but we'd be lying if we said we wouldn't want them to also be adorable too right? I love these for the fact that they're a breeze to slip on and off, my kids are comfy in them, and this color in particular goes with pretty much any outfit.

Another plus to these is that they are unisex! As you can see, my girls are rocking their gold moccs hardcore, but my sweet nephew is also rocking the Butterscotch pair! And lucky for us, they're just about a size apart so if my sister & I were feeling adventurous, we could swap and they'd look just as cute on my girls as they do on her little man!

As far as cost goes, these puppies are $60 per pair, and worth EVERY PENNY. Now, I have two girls, and can I get an amen for how quickly clothing/shoe costs can add up when you have girls?! (I'm sure it's the same with boys!) But let me just say this. I can feel comfortable spending this amount of money on a product that I know will be high end, GOOD quality, and USA made. I can also say that anytime I have dealt with Freshly Picked and their customer service team, I have gotten a reply within the same day, and nothing but friendly and helpful service. These are all things that mean something to me when I'm spending money on a good quality product that I know will LAST.

One more thing I'll say about these moccs is that they wear really well. I'll just go ahead and say that my girls did not get their father's graceful and poised balance or way of carrying themselves. They are more like their mama in that respect;) and can be pretty rough on things...especially their shoes. These moccs are durable and well made, and I fully anticipate keeping them and handing them down to our next kiddo when they grow out of them.

All in all, we LOVE FP! I am so impressed with this company and all opinions on these moccasins are completely of my own.

Now, let's talk giveaway! You guys, this is a pretty INSANE prize! You have from today until Saturday, May 31st to enter. One lucky winner will receive:

1. One pair of Freshly Picked moccasins, color and size of YOUR choice.
2. ONE YEAR of Two Sparrows headbands or accessories! You will receive one hair accessory per month for one year starting August 2014. At the time of winning may choose either adult, child, or some of each.

(oh, and I didn't forget to mention these brand spankin' new bows, clips & headbands...but you'll have to wait a few more days to find out more about those ;)

To enter this giveaway, head on over to my instagram page to find out more! (Click the instagram icon under my photo at the right!)

Thank you again to Freshly Picked for being a part of this collaboration, as well as nancy noble photography for the incredible photos!

xoxo

Jamberry & TS Giveaway

Have you guys heard of Jamberry Nails yet?! I'm totally obsessed! I first heard of them through my sweet friend Marisa, who is an independent consultant for Jamberry. You can check out her website here! For someone that has painted her nails, oh maybe five times in the span of 2 1/2 years from having kids, I have to say these are the easiest and longest lasting way I've found to keep my nails looking polished! (haha, get it?) These are totally non toxic nail wraps that are super easy to apply and maintain. When I tried mine for the first time, I applied a coat of white nail poilish, and then put the metallic gold pinstripe right over my polish. They were super easy to place on my nails, and each one I did got a bit easier than the last. A little filing on the edges of my nails and I was set! These stayed on through washing dishes, doing laundry, playing outside, and all of my other daily mom activities :) No chipping and they looked amazing! Another thing I really liked about these was that they were only $15 for a set, which has enough wraps to last 2-3 applications depending on the length of your nails. For me, that's $5 a manicure!

There's so much versatility with these, and there is literally a design for every mood you're in. Oh, and did I mention that there are solid colors too?! My current favorites are these and these  and these.

Marisa so sweetly partnered up with me today to bring you a Jamberry & Two Sparrows giveaway! One pretty winner will take home a Gray Orchid lace bow from my new Golden Blush Collection, in addition to a $40 gift certificate to get some Jamberry's of your own! All you have to do is head on over to my Instagram (you can click right on the Instagram button to the right of this article, right under my family photo) and tag three ladies that you know! The winner will be chosen this Wednesday, May 14th at 7:30pm.

Did you know that Jamberry makes wraps for kids too?! Dying over some of the patterns they have for littles, and I absolutely plan on trying them on my sweet chicks:) If you'd like to place an order, make sure to check out the website mention Marisa DiCocco at checkout. 

Happy Monday! xo

(all photos courtesy of nancy noble photography)

B&C Top 5

Oh hey! Welcome to a new series on my blog...B&C Top 5! Let me give you a little background before we jump right in...

So, my girl Bianca & I have been friends for quite some time now...from our little cheerleading days in junior high/highschool, to her and her little (or not so little anymore) bro being pretty much the sole reason that my hubby and I first started getting to know each other. And in just a few months I'll have the sweet privilege of standing with her & her man as a bridesmaid as they say I Do. We've been through a lot! And this girl has been nothing but a sigh of relief to me the past few months especially as I've been getting busier and busier with Two Sparrows. Cutting fabric, throwing out ideas, typing up timelines, and giving me that little push and/or extra cup of coffee when I'm slacking. So grateful for her help and passion for Two Sparrows, to see it flourish and become more of what I've been dreaming of it to be! But more on that later...

We wanted to collab on a blog post once a month to break things up and bring you a little sass from each of us, so here you have it, B&C Top 5! Clearly it has taken us hours upon hours to limit our current favorite obsessions to FIVE THINGS, but we hope you can find some of these useful, or that they at least bring a smile to your face! xoxo B&C 

1. Made By Mary Design. NEED I SAY MORE! If you got here today through my instagram feed or look at the photo posted above, you'll see my *favorite* necklace of all time made by this talented chick. I posted a photo of it a few weeks back, but my awesome photog sis was able to capture a pretty legit photo of the detail of it! This is her shop, and she creates custom bar necklaces among other things.  I so happened to score this bad boy during one of her amazing sales, and literally PULLED my car over to the side of the road to order because I knew she'd sell out...and that she did, in an hour! Girl's got talent. You can find her on instagram (@madebymarywithlove). {C}

2. This bathing suit. I'm crossing my fingers that it comes with the sultry beach waves and mysterious caves. Or at least the fun bangles?! [Full disclosure: I just bought this and C has one almost identical to it already and LOVES it! So flattering] {B}

3. THIS print . Ahh, Lindsay Letters, another talented mama who I respect so much! Her beautiful prints & canvasas have me looking for hours, deciding which five, no six, no seven, to order at one time. I currently have this print and am planning on having it be a part of my gallery wall over my living room. THIS is what I'd love for my living room wall to look like when it's done...for that matter...my whole living room ;) {C}

4. This is beautiful, right?? I *love* flowers, and this would be an incredible way to have flowers in the house! Now I just have to figure out how to get them to stay... {B}

5. I constantly go back to this post on one of my favorite websites, APW.  It may be one of the most beautiful stories of love that I've ever read. The author paints a picture of a love lifestyle that I want to create in my own life, and helps me recognize specific moments in my day that I can choose to understand as love. {B}

Have a lovely day! 

(a little throwback from our last highschool/college days;) 

How I Wore It: (Easter Edition)

We had such an amazing Easter this year! Unfortunately my chicks were pretty under the weather most of the weekend, so the plans of decorating Easter Eggs and doing a few fun festive activities didn't quite happen. Thankfully, they were much better by Sunday and can I just go ahead and say that I don't think I've ever had more fun at an Easter Egg hunt than watching my kiddos go crazy over it!?  We hid 30 eggs, thinking between my girls and my one year old nephew (who really didn't pull his weight in the "finding" aspect;) we'd have plenty...and the eggs went so quickly into their baskets and when they couldn't carry them anymore they recruited the grandpa's to pick them up. ha ha. And when the grandpas had all the eggs and the baskets were full, they'd say "Mo' eggs! Mo' eggs!" So my hubby pulled the old trick of "hey-let's take the eggs that they already found and re-hide them while they're not looking", and what do ya know, it did the trick for a while ;)

 (hoarding never looked so cute) 

(What a good sport my little nephew was-we may have coerced him into wearing a pair of Two Sparrows bunny ears over his hat;) 

I love Easter...first and foremost for it's importance in remembering Christ's death & resurrection for us, but also for it's promise of spring, warmth, and new things to come. It was the perfect bright & sunny day and we were able to celebrate at my parents house both my and my hubby's family.

(My mama was the hostess with the mostess, even down to the deviled eggs that looked like baby chicks!)

We kept things fairly simple this year as far as what we wore, and honestly I don't even think I ever got a full picture of what I wore, but made sure to get a few of my ladies :) I had been eyeing a few dresses for them online, and just never got around to ordering them and then it was the week before. I popped into Marshalls one afternoon and found these two adorable peach & white vintage inspired dresses! You know that moment when you have an idea in your head and just come across it and want to just scream?! For $24 total I couldn't really complain! I tried grabbing two of the same, but as you know the one downside of Marshall's is it's hit or miss, and they didn't have two of the same size. I love dressing these girls the same sometimes, but they are each so unique in personality that I love dressing them to express those differences too!
                
               


I was pretty busy with custom orders the week before Easter, but I had to whip up some pretties for my girls to coordinate with their dresses. Wanted to keep their headbands simple, and go along the same lacy, muted vintage tones that their dresses had. They were just the right amount of fancy but neutral enough to wear again with everyday outfits.
               

(My dress was a simple floral longsleeve that I got a few months back at H&M for $5! ore some rose gemstone earrings that I had and a gold and lace bow under my topknot in the back.) 

We managed to make it out the door in time (ok, ten minutes late..but with kids we consider this "on time") for the 8:30 am service at our church, all fed, dressed and happy, and the girls sat sweetly through the whole service with the help from kind grandparents and some pretty great friends in the row in front of us. We even got a picture together...!?!

(the squinty/tired faces on my chicks and diaper bag on the ground only add character right?) 

Happy Ressurection Day from our family to yours! 

xoxo Carolyn

The good, the bad, and the slightly embarassing.

Hi friends! It's been a while since my last post, so I thought I'd make it up to you with a whole bunch of embarassing pics and facts about myself :)

FACT: I'm 27 years old and I still love playing dress up. One of the things I love about my work is the photoshoots! The planning, the staging, shopping at my favorite thrift stores for the perfect outfits & props,color scheming, hair, makeup, I love it all!

                                                   

But the truth is, that isn't real life. Real life is flashing myself a glance in my kitchen mirror on my way out the door making sure I don't have food on my face from breakfast. Because, spending an hour getting ready every morning making sure my face is flawless and my hair is on point? HA. Not happening. In case you forgot, I have two sweet and BUSY little toddlers running haywire in our house daily. Things are less than peaceful while getting ready in the morning.

FACT: I'm pretty bias, but I think my daughters are just beautiful. From their fiery personalities to their huge eyes that are just like their daddy's, I just cant get enough of their sweet little faces. So cliche, but they are literally so beautiful on the inside that it just shines. They are sassy and inquisitive and smart and funny and just all around two of my favorite people.

But lets remember, they're two. They have tantrums that are bigger than they are. They yell things that are more than slightly embarassing in public. Every task is "all by yourself". They repeat E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G...which may or may not always be the best for mama over here. Oh, and despite what it may look like, posing for photos is not always their favorite pastime.

  (thrilled) 

(I mean, if you have an itch...) 

                                                                  
FACT: It may seem to you that I am a sweet, quiet, feminine person who daily wears flowy vintage dresses and the most divine shade of lipstick and high heels while I vacuum. 

In reality? I am a huge dork. Laughing is my favorite and anyone who can make me laugh or laugh with me can quickly win my affection. I love to joke around and feel like very few things should be taken too seriously. (Disclaimer: Despite my love for all things humor, I am a highly responsible mom/wife/human and make sure to be overly obsessive about safety and health. ;) I do feel that a strong reason I am like this is due to my nature that I am NOT an overly graceful person. I am constantly running into things, tripping, or saying "oops". If you can't learn to laugh at yourself, what can you do? :) 

FACT: Girlfriend doesn't "eat clean" all the time. Enough said. 

FACT: What you see isn't always the full picture.

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, I love posting updates of what my kiddos are wearing, what new collection I'm working on, or a new way to wear a Two Sparrows headband. However, what you don't see is my messy craft room (why I can't keep this one room clean at all times is beyond me), my mismatched t-shirt and sweats, or that somehow ALL of my socks get holes in them. ?

Go ahead, I give you permission to stare at this gorgeous Christmas-card worthy photo of myself. AKA if any of you ever have a reason to blackmail me, this photo right here is for you. I had an idea for a preview photo for my Christmas Collection last year, and my sis is an amazing enough photographer to make that first photo look so alluring and gorgeous. What you DIDN'T see when I posted that original photo was that I had no makeup on, my hair was far from done, and I was wearing socks. I can't. People, this is real life.

FACT: My daughters are such good sports. I love that I have a business that I am blessed enough to do from HOME so that I can be with them every hour of every day.

It has always been my dream to be a stay at home mama, and I'm beyond grateful to be living out that dream. I try to limit how much work I do during the day, so that I don't spend my minutes sewing and scheming rather than soaking up the precious moments I have with my girls. But when I do have to do a little work, my little chicks work right alongside me. And that includes photoshoots! I can't say they're always as thrilled as I am, but I hope that one day I can look back on these photos with them and share things like, "remember when I loaded you two up in the stroller and carried a rocking chair, pillows, blankets, snacks, baskets, AND a canopy all in my arms while pushing you just so I could set everything up without having to make multiple trips?" Oh, and I did all this without realizing that the stroller brake was on and the whole time I wondered "WHY is this thing so hard to push today?" Their mama is crazy. ;)

FACT: My family is amazing. From my ridiculously talented photographer who just so happens to be my sister, to my cheering dad & nephew who put up with a whole lot of estrogen during photoshoots, to my helpful & fun mom who herds the chicks, and my sweet-as-pie in laws who love to entertain my girls sometimes while I sew or catch up on orders. SO incredibly grateful for family. Couldn't do it without them.

One thing I hope I portray in my work is that I strive to be authentic. I never want people to think I have it all together, or that me & my chicks are dressed and ready to rumble every day by 8am, or that I know the secrets of balancing it all. Because I don't :) And I'm on that journey of figuring all of this out right along with everyone else. I love sharing small pieces of my life with you through my work, and I'm so grateful that you've allowed me that opportunity! xoxo