Goodbye to Little Window Shoppe
May 18, 2009 by Emily · 62 Comments
My Dearest Window Shoppe Readers and Friends,
This post has taken me over a month to write - partly because this is my last post on this blog. I am so sad to announce that as of today, Little Window Shoppe is closing for good.
The decision was not taken lightly and was really hard to make, but a combination of factors came together that brought me to this post…very much wanting to spend more time with my family (I have a very busy two year old who needs more mommy-time), 
getting ready for baby #2 in November (I’ve been out sick for two months! But it’s totally worth it as we’re so excited to have a new baby come to our family), and finally getting ready for a move to a new state with my family this Summer (my hubby is starting a new job).
{Photo source: Wilson Library Reserve}
I have learned so much from blogging at Little Window Shoppe and will be forever grateful for the kind friends I have made and the amazing experiences that I have had here!! Thank you so much for taking time to make Little Window shoppe a part of your lives and for being such a fantastic community. And also, thank you for all of the nice emails and inquiries about how we are doing.
Before I say goodbye for good, I want to thank a few people who helped me along the way:
First and foremost, my husband Scott. He is an incredibly supportive husband and friend and was the first person to listen to my every idea and concern throughout my blogging adventures. He has also been Superman at my house and has cooked, cleaned, taken care of our two year old and helped me out while I was sick over the last seven weeks! I couldn’t ask for a better man in my life and I love him so much!!
I also wanted to thank Holly of Tutus and Turtles. She is so cool and listened and talked to me for hours on the phone as I worked out how I would end my Window Shoppe blogging days. Her blog has been an inspiration to me from the beginning and I think that her blog ideas rock!!
Finally, I wanted to thank each of the writers and contributors for Little Window Shoppe. Each of them had creative and beautiful ideas to share and I’m so grateful and honored that they wanted to be part of this blog with me. They have become some of my dearest friends and were the best group of writers a blog ever had! They even sent me tulips when I was sick (just about made me cry, I felt so loved).
Please visit each of their blogs to keep up with their cool ideas!
- Vanessa - her blog: I Never Grew Up
- Lauren - her blog: Supermom Central
- Michelle - her shoppe: Sweet Mady’s Paper
- Michaelle - her blog: Monkeys Momma
- Cassie - her shoppe: Madison Envy
- Kelly - her blog: Albany Mommy
Also, I wanted to leave you with a few additional recommendations of blogs I love - in case you are looking for new places to subscribe:
- www.simplemom.net - this is my absolute favorite blog to follow…it has the best family tips and ideas that make sense, the ideas are easy to follow and I just can’t get enough of its coolness.
- www.howaboutorange.blogspot.com - artsy, tons of crafts, diy ideas, printouts, and the best time-wasters ever.
- www.thepioneerwoman.com - recipes, photoshop tutorials, photography 101, down-to-earth life.
- www.makeandtakes.com - the coolest (and most creative) kids crafts ever!
- www.metropolitanmama.net - and for all you contest lovers, this Metro Mama has excellent giveaways all of the time - and she writes helpful articles with tips for parents. Love it.
There are so many more…but I think this is a great start.
If you want to stay in touch with me, you can follow me at a few sites:
- www.emilyjune.com (I’ll still be designing blogs and websites - starting again this fall).
- I’m also going to be checking in and updating my facebook page and my family blog regularly. They will have weekly updates of my family life and the cool fun things we are doing.
**If you want to stay in touch with me at my family blog or on facebook, just email me or leave a comment letting me know and I’ll send you the links.**
Thank you again for making this the best blogging experience I have ever had!!
Always,
Emily
Creative Art Storage
March 27, 2009 by Emily · 14 Comments
Today’s guest writer is Candy from Sobella Creations. A little while ago, she and I were admiring a variety of charming storage/organizer boxes and she just put an article together with some of her creative finds that I think you’ll really like!
Do you have a little artist in your life? What about piles of art work that you just can’t bear to throw away? Well that is the story of my life. I have been searching for the perfect way to store my girls’ art work. I have two girls who love to draw, color and paint, and if you’re like me, you may often be on the lookout for ways to organize your child’s precious art work.
My first solution is the Li’l Davinci Art Cabinet. This frame comes in various sizes and stores up to 50 sheets of paper! This frame is great because you can easily display, store and switch your children’s art work as often as you want.
My second solution would be a pretty fabric-covered box. Here are a few examples of some I have found online:
Hullabaloo Home Decor offers textile and gift boxes covered in Sandi Henderson Fabrics. I love Sandi Henderson fabrics so I ordered a Textile Box and a Gift Box. They are both super nice, and afforadable too.
The Container Store has every storage idea you can imagine! These whimsical Yumiko Gift Boxes are technically for gift-giving, but they are also quite sturdy and can be used over and over for some of your favorite items and special memories. The Container Store also has a great selection of storage boxes too.
And finally, you can also turn your child’s art work into Stamps, Placemats, a Memory Quilt, Note Cards, and Calendar. My favorite is Snap Fish where I love to compile my children’s art work into Flip Books and Photo Books.
Win a Gift Certificate to Studio JK Vinyl
March 18, 2009 by Emily · 457 Comments
Contest Update:
*We have a winner!! The randomly chosen winner for this contest is: #379 Karen - Congratulations! Thank you to everyone who participated - please stop by again as we have a new contest each week.*
It’s vinyl like you’ve never seen it before! It’s gorgeous, modern, bright and it all comes from studio jk vinyl.
If you’re considering vinyl for your home, this beautiful artwork is the perfect alternative to stenciling/paint for your walls and it’s easy to apply too.
I love these pictures.
Win It:
Have you been planning out a spot in your house for some of these cute art stickers like I have? Well, be sure to keep that spot in mind since one lucky Window Shoppe Reader will win a $35 gift certificate to studio jk vinyl!
To Enter:
Simply take a peek at the shoppe and then leave a quick comment letting me know which item is your favorite. This giveaway ends on Thursday, March 26th at midnight PST. The winner will be chosen randomly and will be announced at this post Friday, March 27th. Good luck, everyone!! (Please feel free to read our contest rules for additional details)
(Optional) For extra entries:
- Are you a Subscriber? Just let us know you’re subscribed to Little Window Shoppe in an additional comment.
- And (Or) Blog about this giveaway. Simply let us know about your blog link in an additional comment.
Spring Cleaning Tips
March 12, 2009 by Cassie · 9 Comments
{Photo by James Steidl}
The first day of Spring is March 20, and by this time of year I am ready to do a little cleaning after a long winter. Here are a few tips to help get you jump started, and hopefully get all that cleaning done as fast as possible.
Make a Checklist
Starting with the end in mind will help you to know where you are going. Make a “Master List” with everything you want to get done, and then daily lists for things to get done that day.
Stick to One Room
Don’t hop around from room to room trying to get everything accomplished. By staying in one room or project until it is done helps to not leave rooms half cleaned.
De-Junking
When cleaning a room or area, especially closets, make 3 piles. Throw Away, Give Away & Keep. If you haven’t used or worn the item in the last year it is probably time to get rid of it. If you have nice clothes in wearable condition consider trying to sell them on sites like craigslist and ebay, or there are always donation sites as well.
Cleaning With Kids
Don’t forget to get your kids involved in the Spring Cleaning. Assign them their own areas to clean like their room, their toys, etc. Make a game out of the cleaning to get them excited, or put some music on and do some dancing!
Written by Cassie of Madison Envy
Papers Edge
February 19, 2009 by Vanessa · 5 Comments
Papers Edge fills the void we as parents sometimes have when looking for modern and affordable children’s art. Their limited edition giclee prints are the perfect gift for a new baby and you can use the prints to decorate every room in your home, from the nursery to the family room.
Emily offers custom paper silhouettes that capture your child’s personality and custom family silhouettes too. She is currently working on a custom masterpiece for my family and I cannot wait. She displays love and joy into her art beautifully and every print makes me smile.
Written by Vanessa of I Never Grew Up
Cherished Impressions
February 5, 2009 by Emily · 9 Comments
Just after I was married, my mother-in-law made a personalized Family Name plaque for my husband and I that we love and keep in our home. If you’re looking for one of your own - let me introduce you to Cherished Impressions.
With exceptional workmanship and special attention to details, I think that the items in this thoughtful boutique will help to add a touch of beauty to your walls.
Custom made picture frames, wood plaques and vinyl wall lettering are their specialty, you simply choose the paint color, lettering style, vinyl color and wording.
Feather Your Nest
January 22, 2009 by Emily · 11 Comments
With dazzling home decor left and right - Feather Your Nest is the perfect place to window shop if you want a healthy dose of vintage inspiration.
This charming specialty shop features vintage-inspired home decor, accents and gifts, (including one of my faves): bright and bold kitchen pottery with red & white polka dots and stripes.
Valentine’s Day Delights ~ Part One *Decorating*
January 16, 2009 by Lauren · 10 Comments
For me, Valentine’s Day is like a friendly little life-preserver in the middle of the long winter. After the hustle and bustle of Christmas is over, I find myself unwilling to let go of that cheerful holiday spirit! The charm of Valentine’s and the idea of dedicating a whole day to expressing love to others keeps my heart warm during these coldest winter months.
Which is why I’d like to focus my next few contributions here at Little Window Shoppe on the 3 D’s of Valentine’s Day Delights – Decorating, Dressing and Dining!
If you’re anything like me, you’ve just finished packing up all the Christmas decor and the house may be looking a little empty. But all the “merry making” usually leaves me a little cash-poor in January so I’ve come up with clever ways to make my Christmas decor do double duty! These fun ideas are easy, inexpensive and will definitely spread some Valentine’s cheer.
Candle Bling
A quick and cute way to dress up some plain candles (maybe leftover from the holidays?) is to press thumbtacks or brads in them! You can go with the basic red dots (less than a buck at Walmart) or hit the craft store and get creative!
The Year-Round Candy Jar
You’d be amazed at how far you can go with a clear jar w/ red lid from the dollar store! All you have to do to change the look is fill it with seasonal candy and hang an ornament from the lid. Come summertime, this same jar will be all decked out for the 4th of July. During Autumn I tie an orange and yellow ribbon around it to bring out the fall colors. At Christmastime it looks quite merry full of holiday treats and “decked” with holly.
Garlands of Hearts
With just some construction paper, scrapbook sheets and ribbon, you can add a sweet Valentine’s touch to any spot in your home. I selected several different kinds of scrap-booking paper which incorporated the colors of my home, and cut out hearts about 8 inches wide, 5 inches high. After gluing them onto white construction paper, I cut about an inch outside of the hearts to create the white border. Then I hot glued them onto red ribbon saved from our holiday gifts! You can hang them separately throughout your home, or glue several onto one ribbon to make a Valentine’s garland just perfect for windows, doorways, fireplaces, etc.
Hope these ideas bring a little extra love into your home! Next Friday I’ll be showing off great picks to help you dress to impress on Valentine’s Day. See you then!
Written by Lauren of Supermom Central
Giggleberry Creations
January 13, 2009 by Emily · 35 Comments
First of all, I love how “warm” this picture is, it really makes me happy about spring coming! How about you? Giggleberry Creations is the home of these beautiful pennant flag banners, handmade by Australian Designer/Mom Amy C. I truly enjoyed visiting this shoppe and think you will like it too.
These banners make an excellent addition to a picnic or party, a nursery or even your bedroom. There are quite a few possibilities. Although hard to decide, this colorful little critter banner is one of my favorites.
Quote The Walls
January 8, 2009 by Emily · 6 Comments
Looking to liven up your home? Quote The Walls is the perfect one-stop shoppe for timeless vinyl wall art and wall quotes. (Love this collection)!
Discount:
20% off discount! Just mention: “Sweet Shoppes”
Featured Shoppes
