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
Cupcake Party
March 30, 2009 by Michelle · 13 Comments
A cupcake birthday party is a fun and fabulous theme for girls of any age, especially when you combine your daughter’s love of cupcakes with her favorite color as the inspiration behind the party planning. In our house, pink is the color of choice!
If you enjoy planning parties like I do, then you definitely want to go all out with your decorating. The invitations are the first step. Invitations set the tone for the party. Here is an adorable Cupcake Invitation that you can customize in your color of choice. You can also purchase address labels, thank you stationery and party favor stickers that all coordinate. Don’t you love that?!
For the party, your daughter would look so sweet wearing this Cupcake Dress or the matching Cupcake Aprons shown below. You could serve pink lemonade and small sandwiches cut out with a Cupcake Cookie Cutter served on these Cupcake Carousel Plates. Your daughter will also love seeing her birthday cake when you present her with a large cupcake using the Wilton Cupcake Pan.
If you wanted to do individual cupcakes instead, this book, Crazy about Cupcakes, has a lot of cute decorating ideas to help you to get started. You could set up a decorating station and have several different bowls of sprinkles and tiny bits of candy for your guests to add their own toppings. Your guests could also decorate cupcake shaped cookies to package up and take home with them.
In addition to cookies as a favor, Etsy has a great collection of Cupcake Soaps that any girl is sure to love. Place the cookies, soap and maybe a few cupcake stickers into a little bag topped off with the cupcake favor tag and ribbon and you have the perfect goody bag! Of course if you really want to go all out with your cupcake themed party, what little girl wouldn’t love this fun table made by Imaginative Play Toys.
Written by Michelle of Sweet Mady’s Paper and Sweet Mady’s Notes
Pinwhirls Pinwheels
March 4, 2009 by Emily · 10 Comments
Have you ever seen a more delightful set of handmade pinwheels…ever? I think this website has got it goin’ on. These handheld mini cupcake toppers were some of my favorites (I’m all about the scalloped pink and green edges).
Pinwhirls features personalized party pinwheels which are perfect for both birthday parties and baby showers. They are available through custom orders or you can learn to make them yourself with their handy do-it-yourself kits.
Even if you don’t want to purchase some of your own, they have a fabulous gallery of custom pinwheels that you may like to view…just for fun.
Emmie Cakes Giveaway
February 23, 2009 by Emily · 346 Comments
Contest Update:
*We have a winner!! The randomly chosen winner for this contest is: #309 Jan M. - Congratulations! Thank you to everyone who participated - please stop by again as we have a new contest each week.*
Deliciously Yummy Banners are exactly what you’ll find at Emmie Cakes. They are handmade and simply perfect as decorations for birthdays, special occasions, new baby arrivals, parties and holidays too. Emmie Cakes also takes custom orders!
These banners are made from heavy duty cardstock and pretty patterned paper, all tied together with a variety of coordinating ribbon, yarn and tulle.
Win It:
One lucky Window Shoppe Reader will win an Emmie Cakes banner!
To Enter:
Simply check out Emmie Cakes and leave a quick comment letting me know which banner you would like if you win! This giveaway ends on Monday, March 2nd at midnight PST. The winner will be chosen randomly and will be announced at this post Tuesday, March 3rd. 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) Add this contest to Twitter. Simply let us know about it with your Twitter name in an additional comment.
Sweet Sushi
February 13, 2009 by Emily · 18 Comments
What do you get when you mix a little coconut, fruit leather and Swedish Fish? Your very own yummy plate of Sweet Sushi. Coming straight to you from FamilyFun.com, this treat is a lot of fun to make and if you haven’t had a chance to try this out, I think you’ll love it!
Here’s what you need:
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Pound cake, cut into 1-inch-thick slices
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White frosting
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Fruit leather (Family Fun used FruitaBü Organic Smoooshed Grape Fruit Twirls)
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Flaked coconut
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An assortment of candies and jellies for sweet toppings and sushi sides
Step 1
Sushi bases: For rolls, use a knife to cut 1 1/2-inch circles from a slice of cake. Frost the tops of the circles, then wrap a 6-inch strip of fruit leather seaweed around each one, using a dab of frosting to secure it. Press coconut rice into the frosting. For individual sushi, cut a cake slice into rectangles and round the edges, as shown. Frost the top and sides of each oval, then roll it in coconut.
Step 2
Sweet toppings (Referring to top picture): From left to right, starting with the top row, Family Fun used orange nonpareils, apricot preserves, and pieces of Twizzlers Rainbow Twists. In the middle row, they used a green gumdrop slice, diced Swedish Fish, and gumdrop wedges. On the bottom row, they topped the sushi base with a Swedish Fish, then wrapped it with a strip of fruit leather.
Step 3
Sushi sides: Finally, to make wasabi, warm a green Starburst candy in the microwave for 10 seconds, then use your hands to work it into a mound. For pickled ginger, microwave and flatten an orange Starburst candy, then bunch it up into a pile, as shown.
Pretty creative, huh? Have you made Sweet Sushi before?
Martha Stewart Craft Kits
February 9, 2009 by Lauren · 9 Comments
Confession: I waste an embarrassing amount of time wandering around the local Super Walmart. (blush!) In my defense, it’s a very big, somewhat disorganized place that tends to require some serious browsing in order to find what you need. And lately, as I’ve meandered through the aisles, I’ve stumbled onto great little finds! By far my favorite discovery has been the Martha Stewart Crafts section.
There you will find a gorgeous array of crafting treasures! And while they do offer great “Martha” style supplies and tools, I gravitated straight towards the fun little kits. Have you ever watched her show and thought “Well, sure, she can do it, but she’s Martha. There’s no way I could create beautiful floating flowers out of some tissue paper and couple pieces of string.” Oh but you can!
I made these a couple weeks ago, in preparation for my little girl’s upcoming birthday party (flower themed!). They were quick, easy and turned out looking just like the picture!
In fact, I was feeling so good about Martha’s Walmart crafts that a few days later I tried my hand at this fun birthday garland. Again, I was amazed at the lovely simplicity of the project. These kits are well thought out and user-friendly. My little ones even helped here and there!
Last on my “Birthday Party” prep list are the favors, and I have a feeling I will be turning to the Martha Stewart Craft Kits again. This time I think we’re going to have these darling little boxes hold a sweet treat and a flower necklace or two. I know all these lovely accents might not mean much to our 3 yr. old guests, but their mommies will be in attendance too!
Written by Lauren of Supermom Central
One Cool Football Lantern
January 27, 2009 by Emily · 9 Comments
OK, how cool is this football lantern? I first discovered it while browsing Thoughtfully Simple ~ a cute new party planning site with ideas and inspiration for your everyday.
Superbowl Party Dips
January 27, 2009 by Vanessa · 10 Comments
I make the two same dips for every big party we throw because they are always a huge hit!
Shrimp & Cheese Dip
This fantastic dip takes only 4 ingredients:
- 1 small 16oz bottle of mayonnaise
- 1 block of Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp cheese
- 1 minced onion
- 1/2 lb of shrimp
- Begin by mincing the onion and the shelled shrimp. Cook the onion and shrimp for a few minutes with a little salt and pepper, but be sure not to use too much oil in the pan or it will make your dip very oily.
- Cut up the block of Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp cheese.
- Mix everything together in a small casserole dish.
- Cook at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, you will need to stir it once while it is cooking.
- Serve with your favorite sliced bread and Enjoy!
The next dip is my favorite to serve with veggies or sliced bread, it makes everyone want to eat their veggies. Yes, even at a Super Bowl Party!
Sun-Dried Tomato Dip
{Image and recipe courtesy of Food Network}
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped (8 tomatoes)
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup good mayonnaise
- 10 dashes, hot red pepper sauce
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
Puree the tomatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, red pepper sauce, salt and pepper in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the scallions and pulse twice. Serve at room temperature.
Written by Vanessa of I Never Grew Up
Queen for a Day
January 19, 2009 by Emily · 10 Comments
Birthdays are the best {My husband and I are celebrating ours this week}! So, while I was looking for ”birthday ideas”, I happened to find these charming handmade paper crowns from Paper Lady Invites. These crowns would be the perfect way transform any “normal” day into a “super special” one. You can even turn the crown into a card and write on the back. Truly a unique and memorable way to say “Happy Birthday” to your loved ones, don’t you think?
So go ahead, check them out, you know you want to! {Crowns priced as low as $3.75 and $1 shipping on all items}
Super Bowl Sunday
January 19, 2009 by Michelle · 3 Comments
Now that we know the two teams that will be in the Super Bowl, the countdown is officially on. The big game is in just two weeks and it is the perfect night to gather friends for a great time. A Super Bowl party can be casual and easy to plan.
When planning food for the night, think sandwiches, appetizers and dips. Also plan to have different bowls filled with pretzels, nuts and chips throughout the room for your guests to munch on during the game. Make sure you provide plenty of cold beverages for guests. Water bottles with the favorite team logo affixed on it will make a nice touch. If you want to go an extra step, you can even personalize each bottle label with your guests name and a jersey number.
Decorating for the party can be inexpensive, yet just right for cheering on your favorite team. You can walk into any party store to find football plates, napkins and accessories. Another option is to purchase a green tablecloth and solid color plates and napkins to represent your favorite team, yet you will be able to use them again at any occasion. Use ribbon to tie up the napkins for a little bit of flair on your table. You can also use the ribbon to tie around vases that you can fill with small soft footballs found at your local party store. You can also purchase pom poms in your favorite teams colors to place throughout the room, even putting them in vases and send them home with guests at the end of the night.
One last thing to plan in advance is seating for your guests. Make sure, if possible, you have plenty of chairs placed in the room where you will be watching the game. If not, place floor pillows around the room to make guests who choose to sit on the floor more comfortable.
By planning ahead, you will be able to sit back, watch the game and cheer on your favorite team. Have fun football fans!
Written by Michelle of Sweet Mady’s Paper & Sweet Mady’s Notes
{top photo by: David Lee}
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