first call picks

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

neiman marcus' first call sale starts today and i like to avail and take first dibs on this initial sale because i know sizes will be scarce by the time last call is here. great time to shop for holiday gifts and prepare for that perfect holiday party outfit sure to dazzle everyone! here are just a few on my list.....





NM first call starts today with great savings of up to 40%! start shopping now




backyard diaries

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

we are currently taking on a huge backyard/patio project which is partially completed and now we are ready to tackle the new phase. i will share the complete backyard pictures when it's all done but in the meantime, i pulled a few images that were bits and pieces from our main inspiration for the whole backyard look and feel!






to see more garden inspiration, visit my pinterest board HERE.
can't wait to share our completed backyard images with you. hopefully it'll be all done before the holidays! 


race car birthday party

Monday, October 29, 2012

last weekend we went to celebrate cutie david's 2nd birthday at sugar land's stomping grounds with a race car-themed party. david's mommy, my niece ailynne did such a great job coordinating and coming up with the design theme with bright colors and fantastic font (ferro rosso) to match the racecar theme! 

invites and cupcake toppers were created by laurel of go against the grain. the delicious chocolate marble cake was baked by nat nat cakes. ailynne put together the notebooks and notepads for the party favors which had coordinating logos on it. the kiddos had so much fun at the indoor playground with their slides and mazes. they get to enjoy breakfast treats such as french toast sticks and dessert of cupcakes and the yummy birthday cake! 




birthday boy with big brother daniel, mommy and daddy 


sweet birthday boy with his custom birthday shirt by uberprints


with the sweetest aunt and uncle! 





thanks for having us at your birthday david! we surely had so much fun! 

if you recall, we had fun at david's little pumpkin first birthday party last year also featured here. time sure flies so fast. these little ones are off to college soon! 

PARTY DETAILS AND SOURCES : 

photography : AILYNNE ABARADO-REMIGIO AND ANNE-MARIE ABARADO-DO
invitations and cupcake toppers : GO AGAINST THE GRAIN 
custom birthday shirts : UBERPRINTS
mini cupcakes : WHOLEFOODS
birthday cake : NAT NAT CAKES



insta-week

Saturday, October 27, 2012

the days and weeks are flying by so fast and soon thanksgiving and christmas is here. before all the holiday frenzy, here's a quick peek at my past week with some halloween preps and lovely goodies to share with you!  Insta-week

  • we are halloween ready at home ~ what's more welcoming than a pumpkin atop an urn! 
  • my friend nina is busy packing inventory for her gifts and accessories online store that is set to open soon ~ this beauty (which is sold out here) i am trying hard to resist (contact her at PBCcloset [at] gmail [dot] com for availability & pricing)
  • our blog sponsor bushel peck and paper sent me this cute favor bags perfect for halloween. they will be filled with sweet treats for our little friends 
  • i literally tore open this package i won from pretty smitten's giveaway ~ thanks elizabeth for the gorgy lucite tray!
Insta-week
i'm also sharing some shots we managed to get before attending a wedding last weekend. we cleaned up good, dressed up nice and snapped a few photos for good measure! have a great saturday, friends!


mickey's spooktacular halloween party

Friday, October 26, 2012

i get really excited whenever i get party submissions and i can't wait to share it with you! 

this super cute Mickey Spooktacular But Not So Spooky Halloween party submitted by patty of sweet treat stands is brimming with endless creative details. the unique twist of shabby chic and spooky fun party decor is so much fun. we are a few days away from halloween and let this amazing party be an inspiration to any halloween party plans you may have. 

as patty shared, read on all the details and DIY projects she did to prepare for this party : 

"Ive been wanting to throw a Halloween party for years. Our little 2-yr old boy loves Mickey! So I decided to throw a Mickey themed Halloween party. I knew I wanted it to be different though. I did a spin off on the name from Disney's annual Halloween party, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. I decided on a shabby chic look. The tablecloth is made of burlap fabric with an orange and black tulle ruffle"



"Halloween banner is made with different printed scrapbook paper, fan paper design, Mickey and spider web cutouts.  Twine was used to thread the banner.
The cupcake stand has 3-tiers wrapped in a variety of fabrics: orange with black dots, muslin/cheesecloth, black with orange dots and black lace on the insets in between the tiers. Black chandelier style beads are also hanging from each tier. The middle tier is a Mickey Mummy theme. It's covered in a cream colored muslin fabric and then wrapped in cheesecloth like a mummy with a Mickey cut out using beautiful black printed scrapbook paper and just his eyes peeking through. I brought this theme back to the top of the cupcake stand with a Mickey Mummy head wrapped in torn strips of cream colored muslin and cheesecloth and adorned Mickey's ears with the same black chandelier style beads as well"



"For the backdrop, I incorporated the same/similar fabrics from the cupcake stand and tablecloth such as the orange and black polk-a-dotted fabrics, muslin, burplap and lace. The backdrop was made of fabric strips that varied in texture, color and width. They were staggered in length and even knotted together to add fullness and dimension"


"The food ranged from gourmet style Granny Smith apples dipped in homemade caramel, semi-sweet chocolate, white chocolate, sprinkles and Oreo cookie crumbs with real tree branches. Homemade Mickey Mouse cookies drizzled in orange, black and white colored chocolate, Oreo cookie pops drizzled in white chocolate for that "mummy" look adorned above hand painted black wooden coffins that were filled with candies. There was also an assortment of chocolate covered/drizzled pretzel sticks and popcorn snack mix. There were a variety of yummy Halloween cupcakes from cute Mickey Mummy cupcakes to beautiful fondant covered cupcakes that were also nut free. The fondant cupcakes displayed were spider, mummy, spider web and ghost designed fondant cupcakes that were cream filled and provided by Juliette of Fairy Tale Cakes. Candy favor boxes with Mickey shape cutouts and ribbon were also provided. To match beautifully wrapped juice boxes in coordinating colors, ribbon, Mickey shape cutouts as well as Mickey Mummies and Mickey Ghosts. So cute!"







thanks patty for sharing this incredible halloween party! 

PHOTOGRAPHY : WENDHY JEFFERS 

CUPCAKES : FAIRY TALE CAKES

MICKEY MUMMY CUPCAKES : CAROL ZEICHNER

PARTY STYLING + CUSTOM CUPCAKE STAND + TABLECLOTH + BANNER + FAVOR BOXES + OTHER SWEET TREATS : PATTY SMITH OF SWEET TREATS STAND



pumpkin patch from the past

Thursday, October 25, 2012

see, our son is now 5. he thinks he's too hip for the pumpkin patch now. i would still want him to have pictures at the pumpkin patch but he's putting on the breaks and would just love to watch the little babies frolic at the patch.

so, i'm staring at this precious moment back in time in 2010 where he smiled and posed. it actually made it to our holiday card that we decided to do thanksgiving card that year instead of christmas. uhm, can we bring my baby back? 


happy thanksgiving to you and your family!

custom thanksgiving card by WHHostess 


thursday's thoughts

she is...............

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sale alert

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

sale alert





shop my sale picks here :




quick links here : 



brooke's top five fall favorites

Tuesday, October 23, 2012


it's time again to feature one of my favorite bloggers and her top five fall favorites. brooke of style wise blog is one stylish lady living in houston and she's here today sharing her fall fancies. before she goes into that, i do want you all to check out her gorgeous home featured in her famous Aunt Joni's blog, cote de texas. i am seriously crushing on her house!

thanks for being here today, brooke!  
i am coveting everything in your list! 



Diptyque candles are the ultimate in luxury candles. I purchased my first in its home city of Paris last fall. My favorite scent for fall is the rich, woodsy and spicy Ambre scent. It’s the perfect blend and makes my home literally smell like fall. 




I indulge in a weekly manicure and I always look forward to the fall colors to be released. Chanel released 3 gorgeous colors for fall that I have had on rotation. I am currently wearing Vertigo! 
 Chanel Fall 2012 Nail Polish: Suspicious, Frenzy & Vertigo



Leather has been one of the biggest trends this season but can also be super pricey. These vegan leather skinnies are the best fit and are super easy on the wallet! 


I can’t get enough of sweaters in the fall and this layered look is just perfect! And that touch of leopard…killer! It also has an exposed side zipper that allows you to show as little or as much of the print as you would like…so versatile! 



I have been living in booties as we are transitioning to fall here in Texas. My can’t live without of the season are the DV Joust booties. They are the perfect heel height and I love the zipper detail. 



sweater weather

Monday, October 22, 2012

sadly, we are still experiencing warm weather here in texas and it's becoming to be a bore. it may get down to maybe high of 50s early in the morning but by the time 10 o'clock rolls around in the morning, the temps get high and is annoyingly hot. 

all this time, we will be longing for a great sweater weather and hoping to wear one of these cute kitschy sweaters featuring adorable furry friends on it!

pony sweater (similar here) // birds sweater // twin cat sweatshirt



holiday photo sessions

Sunday, October 21, 2012

it's that time of the year again. time to schedule and gather everyone for a holiday photo session worthy of that perfect holiday card to be mailed out to loved ones and friends all across the globe. last year we finally did a family session and couldn't be more happier to get everyone together and keep all those precious images forever!

my talented niece ailynne is now scheduling these sessions if you're in the houston area, sugar land and katy. her rate is reasonable $100/hr which includes at least 30 images on CD. no travel fees within 20 miles of sugar land, tx (contact her for travel fees). she gets booked fast so let her know if you're interested! 








ailynnea (at) gmail (dot) com
281-248-6442 phone 


a neon adventure party

Friday, October 19, 2012

happy friday friends!

thought i'd feature this amazing neon little adventure party by our friend, super talented mommy therese (yes, she was just in our blog last monday!) for her precious daughter natalie, who is a little adventurer! 

this party was just too special not to be featured so i'm sharing images from her party. the invitations were amazingly done by therese herself with a little help from the birthday girl. check out the pink envelope sparkly details! 

the party was naturally held outdoors with glam girly details such as the use of mini chiavari chairs, lots of pink streamers, rustic flowers and of course, neon arrows!







for more on the darling party details, please head over to therese's blog and 
read about them here and here

all images by therese jacinto