Paint By Number

As I mentioned in my last post, my mother-in-law and brother-in-law came for a visit last weekend. (This was in the middle of the stomach flu mania that had overtaken my house. Miraculously, my children perked up for the time our visitors were here, although my smaller twin came down with the bug mere hours after they left. Luckily, neither of our guests caught the virus.)

It was quite a productive trip.

My brother-in-law got to meet our twins for the first time, and he even installed two new light fixtures for us while he was here. (Have I told you how wonderful it is to have a brother-in-law who’s a contractor? Gotta love that!)

And my mother-in-law brought us two bags of yummy cheese straws made by a lady in Georgia. Now I can make cheese straws – I made two big batches at Christmas – but it’s A LOT of work. I can’t tell you how thrilled I was to have two bags hand-delivered to us in the midst of all the craziness we’ve experienced of late!

My mother-in-law also mentioned her plan to take a group photo of all eleven grandchildren during our extended family beach trip this summer, and her quest to find matching outfits. She had found the perfect Lilly Pulitzer dress for the little girls at a store in her hometown, but she needed two in size seven – and they only had one. So now she was looking for another idea.

Wait – did she say Lilly? (If you’ve been reading long, you know I consider this an area of expertise!)

I had her describe the dress to me. It turns out that the dress she was considering is the Little Lilly Shift in the Shorely Blue Paint By Numbers print, which is brand new for spring. It has to be the cutest Lilly dress for little girls I’ve ever seen.

Here it is:



Lilly Pulitzer Little Lilly Shift in Shorely Blue Paint By Numbers



























And here’s a close-up. Do you see the numbered spaces that aren't colored in, like a Paint By Number that’s not yet complete? How adorable is that?



A close-up of the print


























I became a woman on a mission. I had to help her find that dress. I told her to call the store in her hometown and ask them to hold the three dresses they had while I tracked down the final size seven. After calling a few of my favorite Via stores, to no avail, I called Lilly Pulitzer at The Domain in Austin, Texas (where the service is always phenomenal). Jackpot! And the best news is that they don’t charge shipping on full-priced items, so this lovely little dress was shipped to my mother-in-law for free! She was thrilled. (I hope I earned some brownie points!)

She’s thinking about having the little boys wear khaki shorts and turquoise polo shirts to match the dresses for the group photo. Personally, I love these cute turquoise and white checked shorts from Orient Expressed, paired with white polos. (Although I realize that sizes might be an issue again. We have seven boys to outfit!)

Tuquoise and White Checked Shorts from Orient Expressed

Either way, I think this is going to be a darling photo. What do you think?

Falling for Orient Expressed

It may only be mid-July, but in the retail world it is time for fall and winter clothes to start making their appearance, as evidenced by the magazines and catalogs that have been gracing my mailbox. The new Orient Expressed catalog arrived yesterday, and all I can say is, “Ooh la la!” They have some truly adorable options for outfitting the minis this fall and winter.

I’m particularly enamored of:

The Reversible Tractor/ Football Shortall

(This is the other side.)

The Reversible Carriage/ Mouse Jumper

(This is the other side.)

The Reindeer Shortall

The Red and White Checked Big Collared Dress

(This is supremely cute with the collar monogrammed!)

And this delightful little jon jon, which is a repeat item from last year. I ordered it for my tot last fall and I'm thrilled with how cute it is in person.

Of course I can’t forget that Orient Expressed also sells specialty linens. I received a set of their linen hand towels for Christmas a few years ago, and I always look forward to using them. This year’s designs are so fun!

(Aren't these perfect for the preppy house?)

Those of you who’ve purchased from Orient Expressed before know that you have two options for ordering: through your local home show representative or directly from their catalog and website. If you know a local rep, it’s always nice to show them some love, but if not, ordering directly from the company is wonderful, too! (I have ordered both ways in the past and there was no difference in the service I received, although last year I attended a trunk show and was able to check out the designs and sizing in person before placing an order. I found this to be particularly helpful since I was unsure what size my little guy would need.)

Either way, the result is darling!

No Ordinary Bootie

Every baby needs some gorgeous footwear to warm his or her tiny toes. These lovely cashmere booties from Hermés certainly fit the bill.

Be forewarned; At $130, they are not inexpensive. (You really didn’t expect them to be, did you?)

For a more wallet-friendly option, take a peek at these adorable crocheted cotton creations from Country Kids.

(Available on Amazon.)

Dressing the Diaper Set

One of my favorite activities is shopping for gorgeous clothes for the minis. And I get particularly excited when there are bargains to be had.

I just ordered these two adorable bubbles for the twins. They happen to be on sale at The Children’s Cottage, just in time for summer. They are by Vive la Fete and Silly Goose, respectively.

This fabulous jon jon by Anavini, which is already hanging in my tot’s closet, is also on sale at Best Dressed Kids.

Other great summer finds include these cuties from Shrimp and Grits Kids. (I can’t even begin to tell you how much I LOVE their line.)