Sarah Jane Studios {free shipping}

My Little Lamb

Thanks to Pinterest I discovered Sarah Jane Studios on Etsy! 

I've fallen for her beautiful illustrations of lovable childhood moments.  You can read more about Sarah and her adventures on her blog.

Just Stay Little

Sarah Jane Studios is offering FREE SHIPPING on all orders placed through Monday at midnight EDT and this special offer is for USA residents only.

Add your item(s) to your Etsy cart, enter the code 09sarahjane at check out by clicking the button 'Apply Coupon Code'.

Going Tandem

Have a safe and fun Labor Day Weekend!!!

Happy First Day Of School {printable}

I found this adorable Happy First Day of School printable (from The Sweetest Occasion blog) on Pinterest. The timing might be a little late depending on when you little return to school, if it is then save this cutie for next year!

Pinterest is my latest obsession - so many lovely inspirations and information!

A Christmas Goodnight

Take a break from the August heat and Back-To-School lists to snag a copy of A Christmas Goodnight.  This magical book will be released at the end of September but with limited quantities so be sure to pre-order yours today.  It’s a steal of a price to pre-order online - as I type this lovely book is priced at under $8 at Amazon!

The illustrator is the wonderfully talented Sarah Jane Wright of Sarah Jane Studios. 

I can't wait for our copy to arrive next month!!

momAgenda - sprial planners at Staples

I've been using a momAgenda desktop planner for years now (see my post last year around this time)! I love my momAgenda desktop but each year money seems to get tighter and tighter and I struggle with the product price ($43) and shipping costs. Last year I was able to use a free shipping code but this year they are not offering free shipping for Back to School and wanted to charge me $8.95 shipping - ouch!

I decided to go with the 'new' spiral momAgenda ($24) because its cheaper and has the same functionality that I love in the desktop {but it doesn't have the fun color cover - boo!}. I went as far as I could to cut my cost by emailing the customer service rep and got a special shipping quote of just over $5. But before I ordered I was paging through the momAgenda FB page and noticed an older post about Staples carrying their products. I promptly went to Staples.com and discovered the wall calendar was almost half the cost at Staples! But they didn't list the spirals online .... so I stopped into a local Staples today and scored a spiral momAgenda for $19.99 - $10 less than I would have paid through the customer service rep and over $30 less than I would have paid if I purchased the desktop!

I saved money and I still have all of the functionality that I need to keep myself organized for the next year - YAY!! I'm off to write down all of our August and September events in my crisp new planner!

Stella & Dot {little girl jewelry sale}

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday weekend while celebrating the birthday of our great country and our beloved freedoms!!  I wanted to share with you the fabulous sale that ends today from Stella & Dot - all sale items are marked down an additional 20% through tonight.  There are some amazing deals to be had!!

Its crazy, the Back to School displays are at Target already.  I'm not ready to stock up on folders and composition books yet, but now is a great time to stock up on gifts for little girls thanks to the holiday sale at Stella & Dot. 

Fiona Ring

was $14, now $5

Gracie Headband and Barrettes

was $24, now $12

Mini Bloom Flower Ring

was $14, now $5

Mini Soiree Bracelet

was $16, now $8

Lola Bracelet

was $14, now $5

Happy 4th!!

It feels like I've blinked and its been over two weeks since the last post here - how does that happen?!? 

Our early summer days have been filled with crafts (some were hits, some haven't turned out like I pictured in my mind), time at the pool, boring home stuff like laundry, and lots of idea/inspiration gathering in preparation for painting and decorating the bedrooms.  I guess all that explains my lack of idea sharing here at Penguin's Gift! 

What are you doing this holiday weekend?  We have a busy few days planned that includes fireworks, pool, picnics, and a bike parade.  We are kicking off the holiday weekend by having a bunch of great friends over for a playdate.  While at the craft store we picked up a fun summer craft for all the kids to enjoy and last night I put together these sparkler favors:

The printable sparkler tags from Twig & Thistle - the fun printable includes sparkler cards, matchbook wrappers, and straw tags!

Have a safe and fun holiday weekend -- happy 4th everyone!!!!

{I promise to be back soon to share some of the great gifts that my daughter was lucky enough to received for her birthday!}

A Birthday Recap {Anna is 6}

As promised here is a little recap of my daughter's sixth birthday party!!

This is the sample invitation from Chickabug {I love Chickabug and all of Heather's party creations - you'll see more below}.  For the second year running there wasn't a party theme so my daughter picked two colors from Chickabug's Design It Yourself (DIY) color chart {plum and rose} and Heather created this fun invitation. 

A cute birthday banner to get the party started {from Chickabug}!

Since there wasn't a theme I decided color coordinated drinks were a must! ;)

Pink lemonade and grape kool-aide with polka dot straws from Hey YoYo on Etsy.

The girls snacked on alphabet pretzels in these adorable cups {another great find from Hey YoYo}

Party planning starts early in our house - like months and months before birthdays.  We talk about what kind of party they would like to have that year and what will fit in the budget.  Just after Christmas I was suggesting different kinds of spring parties and one of the ideas was a pottery painting party.  She *loved* the idea but waited a few more months until the decision was a definite and I contacted Kathy Fick Designs. 

Kathy is so sweet and great to work with - the girls enjoyed painting their cupcake plate and Kathy was very helpful and patient.  If you are in the Baltimore area I highly recommend Kathy Fick Designs for pottery and fused glass parties (its not just for the kids - Kathy does parties for all ages.  Girls Night In anyone??!??)

Yummy cupcakes {toppers from Chickabug}! 

I had matching purple and pink candles but they melted in the sun.  No worries, I was thankful to have a beautiful day to host an outside party so sacrificing coordinating candles was well worth it!

We ended the party with favors, of course {tags from Chickabug}.  Want to know whats inside the bag?  The birthday girl was very specific with the favors ... lip gloss, fun fashion rings, pony tail holders, three lolli pops and six Reese's peanut butter cups!!

Party Credits:

~Invitations, banner, cupcake toppers, and favor tags from Chickabug on Etsy's DIY collection in Polka Dots {also check out the Chickabug blog!!}

~Polka dot paper straws and polka dot baking/nut cups from Hey YoYo on Etsy

~Pottery and all the supplies from Kathy Fick Designs