Banner Boutique

It's Here!! {Featured} The TomKat Studio Gift Guide!

2011-11-21T14:28:00.000-08:00

So...I've been a bit of a *slacker* on the blogging lately...long story short- bed rest and craziness! Enough said! ;)

I HAD to jump back on the blog to share this though! I didn't think I wanted/needed anything for Christmas...until I saw this!! Check it out!!

The TomKat Studio 2011 Gift Guide!!!! FABULOUS gift ideas for ALL of the lovelies on your list- you WON'T be disappointed!!

XOXO,

Lindsay

An attitude of gratitude!

2011-10-24T14:07:00.000-07:00

Via

I'm excited to finally have a chance to sit down and do an actual blog post! After fall break and the craziness of field trips etc. etc. last week, this little blog didn't get the attention it deserves ;)

Via

When I re-committed myself to writing more regularly on this blog, I decided the content would be focused not only on keeping our wonderful customers up to date about Banner Boutique happenings, but also a place where our customers could get to know the real person behind Banner Boutique. Each time I sit down to write a post, I try to think about what is most on my mind, and although any blog author will tell you, you can't always be a completely open book due to the privacy of others, I do like writing about what is most on my mind and on my heart.

Via

These past few weeks have brought about a lot of opportunities for change. Change is an interesting thing. All in all, I think change is most often a VERY good thing. I look back on my life and realize that almost every single time a big change entered into my life, A LOT of good came with it. The only problem, change is hard.

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At first, I didn't like all this talk of change. It made me uncomfortable, anxious, uneasy. I was having a hard time holding onto a good attitude at times. Sometimes change isn't a welcome thing we are grateful for until all the decisions are made and everything falls into place. Sometimes it's easier to just wish things were a certain way and grumble about it...like I have at times. Although I can't yet go into details about all this change I'm speaking of (so annoying, I know), I will say that it has also caused me to really reflect on the many things I am grateful for in life! Remembering to be grateful throughout this decision making process sure does help! Remembering that no matter what, I am grateful for my family, for my health, for the opportunity to be living on this earth, for the opportunity to serve, for the ability to provide food, shelter and clothing for my family with my husband, for the wonderful, kind, caring husband that I have... and so on...this truly helps me to relax and know that all will be well, and eventually we will know what answers are right for our family...and once again, it will all fall into place if we patiently seek for and pray about what the right answers are!

Via

I am anxious to share with you all of the decisions going on around here...some have to do with our family, some with Banner Boutique...all of them are exciting...and due to the privacy of others involved, I can't quite share it all...but I do know it will all be good in the end!

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So for now...I am going to keep focusing on all of my many blessings, and instead of letting myself get overwhelmed with the many decisions that lie ahead, I am going to remind myself to be grateful that I get to make decisions!!

Via

PS- I saw this cute wreath (along with all the above quotes) on Pinterest (surprise)! There are no direction attached to the link- but it looks so easy and straight forward- what a great idea!! I think I need to go make one right now!... ;)

XOXO, Linidsay

Pinterest...oh how I love thee!!

2011-10-19T20:12:00.000-07:00

Via

After doing so well to stay connected to the blog...I seem to have struggled this past week during Fall break!! When kids are home...it seems near impossible to get to the blog! I marvel at how so many of my friends not only live life but somehow find a way, every day, to blog life as well!!

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During fall break we enjoyed lazy mornings, just hanging around the house, visiting the park, and all the lazy fun things you do when there's no schedule to keep! We also made a last minute trip to So CA to see family! So fun!

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So, until I can get to blogging lots of other fun things I need to cover here on the blog...I thought I'd show you a few of my recent pins from Pinterest!

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There have been a lot of *not so fun/have to" projects on my to-do list lately, also including dishes, laundry...the regular not so exciting stuff ;) Sometime I require a carrot in front of my nose. Lately that carrot (luckily) has been the calorie free indulgence of Pinterest for 5-10 minutes before, during, or after I've completed one of my big projects. Pinterest has been just the thing I need sometimes to *reward* myself!

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I have been finding fun recipes to try for dinner group, cute clothing ideas for my during and after pregnancy body, visions of clean and organized houses that help me envision what I am sometimes trying to achieve in my own house (even if it only lasts for 5 minutes), decorating and party inspiration...anything that makes me smile!

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So sit back, relax, and enjoy a little bit of happy....

Via

XOXO,

Lindsay

Another fun blog I love...!

2011-10-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

Via

It's been a hectic week around here! The kids have had fall break this week which means my normal working hours disappeared for the week! Thank heavens for Amy and the rest of the Banner Boutique team that keep things running smoothly during weeks such as this!

I wanted to pop in on the blog though and share another one of my favorite blogs I like to check in on every so often...

Via

This blog is called Simple As That...and it IS just that! Simple!!

I love how everything on this blog is truly simple and fuss free! Now, don't get me wrong...I love a good 'ol over the top party every now and then...but for the most part, I need my life to be simple...because many other things aren't so simple ;)

Click on over there and check it out! She just posted this darling leaf garland tutorial you can make with your kids!! My kind of craft!!

I am off to CA, yet again...but I hope to get to some blogging tomorrow...maybe Monday...we shall see!

Have a fabulous weekend!!

XOXO

{Show and Share} CAKE Blog...

2011-10-11T07:43:00.000-07:00

Via

Ever since I started Banner Boutique, I have been introduced to and stumbled upon MANY fabulous people. blogs, companies etc. It seems that all of the creative type businesses cross over each other and mix together as we create fun photoshoots, parties, products....! So- I thought it would be fun to start sharing with you some of the many beautiful and creative blogs I love to go to for inspiration!

Via

First up is the CAKE blog! I stumbled upon this darling blog several months ago! I think what I love most about this blog is the simplicity in many of the parties featured. A lot of the ideas and events featured onthis blog incorporate the idea of simplicity...something I as a mom can appreciate!

Via

I wanted to share just a few of my favorite parties from the CAKE blog here...and encourage you to go check out the whole blog in its entirety!! The first party featured above (and below) is the French Toast Birthday Brunch! SOOOO darling with the candy eggs and bacon treats, french toast bar etc.!

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You can check out the complete post and all of her darling pictures for this party HERE

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Next up is this DARLING Goldfish First Birthday Party!!

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Again, I LOVE all of the simple details!!

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You can check out the sull post HERE!!

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Another party that I thought was SO cute and such a fun idea...a backyard movie party!!

Again, such simple, fun details!!

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Check out the complete post and details HERE!!

Keep Calm and SERVE On...

2011-10-08T15:05:00.000-07:00

Picture found HERE

As I near the end of this pregnancy, prepare for child number 4, try to keep my house in some sort of order, go through all of the growing pains of having a new website, try to encourage and support my husband in his career AND 18 credit hours he is taking this semester at ASU etc. etc., I was reminded this morning of the incredible blessings we can receive when we choose to serve.

Picture found HERE

When we have a lot on our plates, it is very easy to make excuses of why we don't have time to serve or "I'll do it later when I have more time" or "I'll let someone else do the service" etc. etc. This morning was no exception. I had a list of excuses a mile long of why I didn't have time to serve. Instead, my family and I woke up early, on a Saturday morning, piled into the car, and gave service. It was wonderful. It was rewarding. It gave me the feeling of peace I had been missing these past few days amongst the chaos of everyday life.

Picture found HERE

I truly believe that when you take the time to serve, you are doing His work, the Lord's work. You are doing something He would do himself if He were here in person. When you serve someone, ANYone, you are directly serving Him, because anyone you are serving is His child.

I challenge you (as well as myself) to integrate more service into your life. I promise you, there is no way you can deny the benefits, the uplifting feelings that abound when you truly serve.

I am so grateful for opportunities to serve! There are endless opportunities all around us! It doesn't always have to be something overly extraordinary, sometimes the small and simple things mean the most, like being a friend to someone who needs a friend, writing a note to someone you are thinking about, taking dinner to a mom who could maybe use a night off from cooking...you get the idea!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend...and maybe we can all slip in one more act of service this weekend!!??

XOXO, Lindsay

Exciting announcement!!!

2011-10-06T13:59:00.000-07:00

Be one of the first 15 people to sign up to host your own party and receive an additional $15.00 gift certificate to spend at our new website!!

Dinner Group

2011-10-05T21:44:00.000-07:00

Recipe HERE

With all the many things that need to get done on a daily basis, dinner group has been a true help and saving grace for my family and I! To give you the quick overview of how it works, I, along with 2 of my friends, each take a night of the week, Tues through Thursday, and we cook for all of our families. Which means...I get yummy, home cooked meals to feed my whole family 3 nights a week and I only cook once!!

Here are the HUGE benefits, the way I see it:...

Recipes HERE (PS, this blog makes me drool!!) and HERE (um, and this one too- YUM!)

1.) It's much easier to triple 1 dinner instead of coming up with a new dinner and making 3 dinners from scratch three times!

Recipe HERE

2.) TIME...time is not plentiful for me, as I'm sure it is not for many of you! TO have dinner delivered to my house 2 times a week and all I do is place it on the table...heaven sent!!

Recipe HERE

3.) Somehow dinner always tastes better when I don't have to cook it myself ;)

Recipe HERE

4.) It saves money- it's cheaper to buy in bulk and make 1 huge dinner then 3 different, smaller dinners.

Recipes HERE and HERE

5.) It's always more fun to go *all-out* when you know a LOT of people will benefit from your hard work! When I cook for my own family, they don't always get super excited- it's nice to have others get *excited* about the meal you have prepared for them!

Recipes HERE and HERE

6.) It makes cooking so much more fun when you aren't doing it day in and day out.

Recipe HERE

7.) It makes it so much more fun to try new recipes...something I'm not always so fond of when I'm cooking day in and day out and pressed for time!

The recipes you see above are some of my favorites as well as a few I am getting ready to try!

A few things to consider when getting a dinner group of your own together...

1.) You want to make sure you match yourself up with similar sized families...it may not make sense to match a family of 4 up with a family of 8

2.) Make sure your tastes are similar...you've got to *trust* the other people's cooking- you must all be on the same page food wise. For example- we try to make sure our dinners always have some sort of meat...we also don't do fish due to kids (and some spouses) not being huge fans.

3.) We use the Pyrex set of three dishes with lids and a carrying case to deliver each other's food in- this way it stays hot or cold and we have at least 3 dishes to fill for each meal- you can always add anything extra too ;)

Something to think about if you're a mom like who wants to feed her kids well every night...but is often short on time and creativity ;)

XOXO,

Lindsay

Accessorizing for Halloween!

2011-10-03T15:19:00.000-07:00

We've been getting a lot of questions lately about what accessories we have to best match various Halloween outfits and costumes...so hopefully this post can help on your quest for the perfect Halloween accessorizing!!

Scroll on through to see some of our very new Halloween items as well as the links to find them in our shop!

http://www.melissalynphotography.com/ link to flower to Striped Ribbon Flower

Photo by http://www.melissalynphotography.com/ Halloween Striped Ribbon Flower Sold HERE Outfit HERE

Flower Available Here Photography by http://www.melissalynphotography.com/

http://www.sierrastudiosphotography.com/ Tulle Poofs (shown in small size) available HERE

These tulle poofs are available in ALL colors!! Perfect for almost EVERY Halloween costume or outfit!

http://www.vickilynnphoto.com/ Purple Lace Poof available HERE Black Lace Poof Available HERE

http://www.vickilynnphoto.com/

http://www.melissalynphotography.com/ Halloween Hair Bow HERE Outfit and Bag HERE

http://www.melissalynphotography.com/ Jersey Knit Black Rosette with Black Velvet and Black Lace Accent HERE

http://www.melissalynphotography.com/ Printable shown HERE

http://www.sierrastudiosphotography.com/ Black Tulle Rosette HERE

Halloween Bows

This Dainty Flower Headband Available HERE

This NEW headband, the Halloween Hampton Headband is available HERE

The Original Hampton Headband available HERE http://www.peekaboophotos.com/

Chocolate Carmel Rolo Cookies!!

2011-10-01T11:04:00.000-07:00

Better late then never...right!!?? :) Here's my dear sweet friend Malisa with her fabulous chocolate carmel Rolo cookie recipe!! Take it away Malisa...

{Malisa}...You might think that I just stay home everyday and bake, but you would be wrong. It's every other day!! When I mess-up on something, which is more often than I would like to admit, I have to fix it. Most things can be fixed with sweet treats, and for sure with chocolate. I forgot a birthday on Sunday for the sweetest boy, and in our church you get to stand up front while all the children sing happy birthday to you. It's a big deal!!! So, I had to think of something that all kids love; chocolate, cookies, and candy came to mind. I came across this recipe on the Hostess With the Mostess blog, one of my favs. These Chocolate Caramel Rolo Cookies are ooozzzing with sweet goodness. I whipped them up, packaged them up super cute and delivered to the birthday boy. I managed to tuck a few away before my husband and kids could devour all of them. Good thing my dinner group loves sweet treats as much as me.

Chocolate Caramel Rolo CookiesIngredients:

2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
30-36 chocolate covered caramel candies (Rolo's work well)
2 tablespoons sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375` degrees
In a large mixing bowl, add sugar, brown sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla. Mix together until well blended.
Add flour, cocoa and baking soda and mix well.
Refrigerate and chill dough for 30 minutes.
Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place 1 rolo candy in the center of each dough ball.
Form dough ball around the majority of the rolo.
Roll each dough ball in sugar.
Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 7-10 minutes.
Let cool on pan for 1 minute then take off and place on cooling rack.

I am also packaging up some of these cookies and taking them to a great kid who found out he cannot play football anymore because of his 3rd concussion. His mom was telling me he loves football and it is a passion of his. I talked to him on Sunday and he seemed to be handling it well, but I can only imagine some of the frustration he must be feeling. I am going to put this note with the cookies for him. It is long but worth the read:

"I cried because I had no shoes until I saw a man who had no feet." Author Unknown

Appreciate the life that you have. Celebrate the skills and talent that are a part of you. Be grateful for your God-given gifts, your physical body, personality, intellect, and aptitudes. Far too many of us get caught up in playing the dead in games of "the grass is always greener" and "if only I could be like Mike." The fact of the matter is that while we are very busy distracting ourselves with all that we think we're unhappy with, with all that we think we lack, we are blindly missing how very rich we already are. Yes, the grass may be somewhat greener in someone else's front lawn. However, there are far more yards out there that don't have any grass at all. Our society typically sets us up to always look outside of ourselves for our happiness. The sad fact of life is that as long as you look outward for the light to light up your life, you'll remain in the dark. You may have physical handicaps and shortcomings as an athlete/person. You may suffer great hardships and disappointments in your life. Understand that these are there to make you a stronger person. These are there to hone your mental toughness and kindle your determination. Appreciate what you do have. Don't waste energy on what you think you're lacking. There are always those much worse off than yourself.
Words to ponder.

Love all your sweet guts,
Malisa (Mrs. Sweet Soiree')

{Giveaway} Come meet the fabulous Anders Ruff Party girls...and win!!

2011-09-30T07:03:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled to turn my blog over to the fabulous ladies over at Anders Ruff today!! So without further adieu, here they are!...

Hi! This is Maureen Anders, owner of Anders Ruff writing. I am so excited to be posting on the fabulous Banner Boutique's blog! (Which I love and find to be a constant source of inspiration, motivation and entertainment!) I love how Lindsay is constantly empowering women entrepreneurs and I'm sure excited to feature a giveaway on her site today.

In true "Lindsay Banner" style, we wanted to tell you how Anders Ruff came about... I am always reiterating that our story tells that anyone can turn their passion into a job. Like Lindsay did, follow your dreams and talents and you will succeed!

Adria’s background was in the fashion industry and I have an engineering and medical sales background. After having kids, we were both stay-at-home moms that did freelance design work on the side. Adria worked in photography and graphic design, and I was a commissioned artist and freelance designed hand made invitations. We were complete strangers until a preschool open-house in January 2010. In the hallway before parting, we realized that we had a lot in common– the love of all things paper, design and parties. From there a wonderful friendship formed and within a few weeks we decided to embark upon a business together. Anders Ruff was created. With both of us devoted and passionate about graphic design, we hoped to change the face of celebration style for those who love it as well.

The past year and a half has been a whirlwind and we have had the chance to work on some awesome projects! Most recently we were hired by Universal Studios to design a printable girls night in package to be included in the release of Bridesmaids, the movie, at Target! (see photos above)

Our passion? Graphic arts and party styling. We have quite an obsession with details and unique styling ideas. (After all, a jaw dropping event is all about the details, right?!) We design and create printable party accessories and decor for themed events. Children's birthday parties are one of our primary focuses and we strive to make the most unique designed printable invitations, favor tags, banners, drink wraps, party flags, place cards and more. Anders Ruff makes it easy to personalize your party and take it to the next level.

Along with customized party printables, we also offer seasonal and holiday printable packages that are ready to use and are typically priced around $10-$15 for around 20-30 pages of designs. Each holiday, we brainstorm our new theme and color scheme and we design a printable collection that includes all of the necessary paper designs to celebrate that holiday. Our latest collection is our "Haunted Halloween" printable design collection. We style a fully detailed photo shoot where we show off the best way to use all of the printables from the collection. In the photo shoot, we try to show new ways to decorate, crafts, diy projects and easy desserts that make big impacts. These are always featured on our website under our "partyfolio" and the listings can be found in our shop
(http://www.andersruff.etsy.com/)

Above, you can see some of our Fall and holiday printable party photo shoots. (Fabulous new Thanksgiving and Christmas packages are in the works as we speak!)

To celebrate Banner Boutique's new website, we are thrilled to participate in a giveaway on Banner Boutique's blog. Making our children's birthday parties special is so important and when you've picked out the theme, you will probably be picking out outfits and accessories (From Banner Boutique, of course!) for the mini guest of honor.

You will also need invitations and printable party decor to help decorate and style your party. You are in the right place because we are giving away a $50 gift certificate to Anders Ruff! This gift certificate is good for any choice of designs from our shop. (http://www.andersruff.etsy.com/)

To enter - head on over to (www.facebook.com/andersruff) and "like" us and we'd love you to leave a comment to say hello! For an additional entry, do the same over at Banner Boutique's Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/BannerBoutique) and/or become a follower on this blog! Be sure to leave a comment here on this blog post for each entry you complete!

As a bonus - we are offering our DIY Printable Holiday/Seasonal Packages for SALE for only $12 in the shop here (40% off!):

http://www.etsy.com/shop/andersruff/search?search_query=diy&search_submit=&search_type=user_shop_ttt_id_5783916&shopname=andersruff

We hope we can help you in the future to make your celebration the stylish, fabulous and memorable. (And don't forget to accessorize for your party with Banner Boutique!)

I had a wonderful time *meeting* you all this morning!! Feel free to drop in and say hello over on our blog at http://www.andersruff.com/! We'd love to see you!!

Maureen Anders

Halloween Ideas for Kids!

2011-09-29T22:25:00.000-07:00

From top left, clockwise: Via Here, Here, Here and Here

This is my son Carson's first year in a *formal* classroom setting. He attends kindergarten prep...he goes for 3 hours a day and I think it's the perfect fit for my sweet 4, almost 5 year old boy. As far as my kids are concerned, there really is a difference between girls and boys!! Kaitlyn was ready to hit the ground running in kindergarten both academically and socially by the age of 3. Carson on the other hand, let's just say I hope he's ready by the age of 5 (almost 6) when he starts next year. Needless to say, kinder prep is a very good thing for my 150% all boy, BOY! I have loved watching him grow and learn this year...and I love the times when I get to go into his class and help.

So...tomorrow I have a meeting with his teacher and some of the other parents to plan Carson's class Halloween party! I've had the opportunity to be room mom before for Kaitlyn's classes...so we are planning to do 4 or 5 little stations comprised of crafts, games and food. I gathered some new ideas on (you guessed it) Pinterest to add to my arsenal of Halloween-kid-friendly activities. Thought I'd share them with you...

Via Here

The kids always seem to LOVE any type of treat making. I thought it would be fun to do maybe one treat activity for them to eat at the party and then maybe one treat activity for them to pack up and bring home to share with their family.

Top Via Here, Bottom Via Here

There are so many simple yet tasteful crafts that I think the kids would really enjoy..things that won't require to much expense or time!

From top left, clockwise via Here, Here, Here and Here

And I'm always a sucker for cute garland! I thought his teacher might have fun letting the kids make a garland together that they could use to decorate their room- it would be a fun class projectt that they could all be proud of!

Via Here

And what's a Halloween party without the dooughnut game!? This game is my kids' favorite game!! Always a hit for sure!!

So what are your plans with your kids for Halloween?? Anyone having a party...? Anyone else helping to plan a class party!!?? :)

Oh, and one more thing...be sure to check in here at the blog tomorrow!! I have some VERY special guests that I'm EXCITED to introduce you to!!

XOXO, Lindsay

never, never, never, ever, give up!

2011-09-29T00:13:00.000-07:00

Via

Today my house looked nothing like this (above)...

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My office most certainly did not look like this.

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Even the desk in the kitchen looked nothing like this.

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I'm suffering from what's called "post vacation reality/just launched a new website/children with no school today/manager Amy is leaving on vacation/Chloe is teething like crazy/the baby in my tummy is huge and sucks all my energy" situation.

It got so bad today that I just had to sit down for a minute and gather up some things/pictures to encourage me to not only keep going, but keep going strong!!

Via

As much as I would like to start each day like the lady pictured above, the reality is, I do not. I do, however, try very hard to eat healthy for the most part and I do stay pretty active just by default of having young children and a crazy business.

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Eating and living healthfully is not quite as easy as it was when we were all infants. Most of us aren't satisfied drinking a perfect blend of nutrients all day, every day.

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It takes a little more effort now that we aren't infants.

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The baby growing in my belly right now feels as if he's already 10 pounds. This makes most everything in life (other then swimming) a lot more challenging. My energy seems to wane almost as soon as my feet hit the floor each morning lately. For this reason, I feel like I need to step up the *healthy eating* even more so to get through these last 2 months.

Via

So, I gave myself 10 minutes on Pinterest today to pull together an inspiration board full of healthy eating recipes, tips, advice and motivation. I did the same for organization...because it's going to take a LARGE amount of organization, energy and health to get through these next few months with baby #4 arriving soon, Banner Boutique being extra nuts during the holidays...and life in general as I know it!

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Sometimes a little visual inspiration goes a long way with me. It has the ability to change my tired, overwhelmed mood to a happy, energetic, *I can do this* type of attitude.

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Pinterest helped me do just that today.

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So instead of sharing more pictures from my vacation (that already seems like a distant memory), I thought I'd share some of my *finds* on Pinterest first ;)

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I'm happy to report, these images and words helped me to not only finish out this day, but finish strong!! It also made me realize that low energy and a bit of a bad attitude are two things I can totally handle- and change!! Life is good! Life is very good!! I am a grateful girl...and I'm even excited to do it all again tomorrow...because I am grateful for the simple gift of even having a tomorrow!!

Via

So if you ever have *one of those days*, like I had today...feel free to take a look at some of the pictures I've gathered on Pinterest. Maybe they will help lift your mood!? Or maybe you can make a board on Pinterest too and share it with me!!??

XOXO, Lindsay

PS- just a reminder, the $5.00 shipping ends tomorrow!

Back to the whirlwind!!

2011-09-27T14:43:00.000-07:00

After leaving life as I know it behind for several days and then coming back last night, I realize even more how crucial this little vacation with Mike, away from regular life, away from kids was. On the plane trip home last night I felt like I almost couldn't go one more minute without seeing my kids. It was the perfect amount of time away where I didn't miss them too much, but as soon as the last day hit, I felt like seeing them was like getting oxygen, dramatic, I know, but true...

Since we don't live close to much family, we have our kids with us ALWAYS. We don't leave them all that often for vacations. When we go on trips, it's all of us. We do have the occasional 2 maybe 3 day trips, but it's been awhile since it's been a whole week without the kids. Bottom line, we are used to having them by our sides ALWAYS...and we love it, despite the days where you feel like you just can't go on, we can't imagine it any other way. I am a regular mom who truly adores her kids, naughtiness and all and Mike is the type of dad who literally looks forward to coming home every night after work and just snuggling with them on the couch or wrestling with them on the floor. We both adore our kids, so leaving them, although a necessary break, is tough towards the end of a trip like this and for sure is the best part about coming home!

I quickly loaded all 500 pictures from my camera into my computer. I wish I had more time to go through them and share them right now, but today is oldest daughter Kaitlyn's 7th birthday...so I need to finish prepping for a neighborhood birthday party and getting back into the swing of things around here...for now- I'll share a few though (I can't wait to share some things I discovered later though)

The first picture up above is us driving down the roads of South Beach- loved this area- so upbeat, so full of diversity (something I wish we had more of in Arizona!)!

Our first day was amazing! Mike and I went with Mike's brother and sister in law- they were perfect traveling companions!! Mike and his brother spent the first day on the golf course while Stephanie and I relaxed at the Ritz Carlton Spa- the perfect way to settle into a relaxing vacation! The picture above is the view from the Cantina where we dined after our massages! Gorgeous views, beautiful ambiance!

I ordered these chicken roll up taquitos- divine...and we shared homemade, fresh guacamole...perfection! The boys joined us for more at this cantina when they finished their round of golf. We enjoyed watching the sun set and the perfectly peaceful surroundings as the candles lit the area.

We checked into our main hotel, the new Marriott villas in Palm Beach...amazing!! It was a brand new hotel and we were on the 19th floor! We had literally a 270 degree ocean view since we were on the corner and water surrounded us in every direction! Down below you can see where we spent many of our days, just sitting and relaxing under beautiful umbrellas in the gorgeous white sand...and the water- amazing too! Crystal clear and blue- I didn't realize the Bahamas were only 53 miles off the coast from where we were!

So...as great as it was, as relaxing as it was, as much as I loved it, and as crazy as life is back here at home, I am HAPPY to be home!

There is a LOT going on at Banner Boutique that I am anxious to share with you, A LOT more fun pictures I would love to share...so many things swirling around in my head I can't wait to post here on the BB blog...but for now, I need to finish getting ready for my sweet girl Kaitlyn's seventh birthday...how did that happen!!??

XOXO, Lindsay

time to relax...

2011-09-22T09:11:00.000-07:00

The Ritz Carlton, Biscayne

After a crazy morning of rushing around, getting the kids all situated, typing out medical release forms and schedules for each child, talking with Amy about an excessive amount of *things* to keep Banner Boutique running smoothly (and hopefully avoid Amy feeling too overwhelmed), getting the house in order, running to a baby doctor appointment etc. etc. etc....I finally joined my husband (and brother and sister in law) and hopped on a plane to Florida.

After only being here for less then 24 hours so far- we can already tell
we LOVE Miami! We LOVE the diversity here, the Latin influence we see and feel everywhere, the fact that so many cultures are surrounding us, the waterways that wind through the city, the amazing restaurants, the one of a kind shops lining the street, the abundance of fresh flowers...even the humidity!! And what I am MOST excited about for today...my appointment at the Spa...the Ritz Carlton Spa none the less!!

As Mike and I have more and more children and as life gets more and more busy, it does get harder to escape and get away, just the two of us. There are always lists of obstacles to overcome when trying to figure out how we will get away on our own...but it is so good when we do! I even find myself worrying about things that I never used to worry about- like when we have to fly together, both of us, I do now worry about things like "what if the plane crashes" etc. However, at the end of the day, I know everything will be alright, my kids are in good hands with my sister, and I need this time to be with my husband to talk about life in general, reconnect, make more plans for the future together, take inventory of where we are at in all aspects of life and just relax.

so today...my sister in law and I are starting with the RELAX part of our vacation...my favorite part!

and I promise...this recipe from Malisa...it's coming! ;) I even have a SUPER cute idea to display them and give them as Halloween treats I'll show you when I get home!

XOXO, Lindsay

{Featured} The TomKat Studio NEW Spooky Halloween Collection and SALE!

2011-09-21T11:56:00.000-07:00

http://www.melissalynphotography.com/

Be sure to head over to The TomKat Studio and checkout their newest collection we included in our photo shoot!! Thank you to ALL of the fabulous vendors that participated in this shoot!!

{Featured} HGTV and upcoming debut...

2011-09-20T21:42:00.000-07:00

Did you happen to catch this *indigo* post on HGTV by my friend Kim? So cute...and so fun to see one of our NEW fabric rosettes displayed in her collage!...

http://www.melissalynphotography.com/

...another fun {feature} coming tomorrow...the Halloween part of our photo shoot where we incorporated Kim's newest printable Halloween set...think classic black and orange with a bit of spooky thrown in!! You're going to love this classic Halloween set!!

http://www.melissalynphotography.com/

as for me...I'm finally starting to see that it might actually be possible for me to get on the plane with my husband tomorrow and head to Florida for a little rest and relaxation. I will be honest...there were A LOT of meltdowns today...not only by Chloe, but me too. Lot's of emails sent to the hubs telling him I may not be ready to go by tomorrow! Today was our first time ever sending a newsletter to our database of almost 10,000 customers who have purchased from us previously. And let me tell you...10,000 emails sent out brings A LOT {A LOT} of orders...and not that I am complaining about that for even one second...I just wanted to make sure that I didn't leave my Banner Boutique team in a situation that would have them cursing my name while I was away in Florida. Anyway- it was a BUSY (BUSY BUSY) day of trying to get Banner Boutique all buttoned up and ready for the rest of the week ahead while I am gone.

In case any of the BB team reads this, I want to again give them my sincerest thanks for keeping BB rolling smoothly every time I am away. I would in no way be able to have this business without ANY one of them!! Amy, Jeni, Jen, Ang, Hannah, Marilyn, Wendy and Patti and Malisa too...you ALL are the reason I can even keep this business! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to enjoy this business yet still have a normal life as well!!

I will be in and out of touch throughout the rest of this week...but stay tuned...I have a few more things to show you/tell you this week ;)

XOXO, Lindsay

The BEST thing you can do for your kids...

2011-09-19T20:23:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here trying to get through the hundreds of emails that still await a reply, get everyone and everything organized for Banner Boutique, get the kids clothes/laundry washed sorted, put away etc., plan out schedules, carpools, meals, soccer games, practices, etc. The list goes on. I'm sure MANY of you
know the endless list that precedes any out of town trip when you leave the kids behind. And although it seems as if there is no way I'm going to be ready to leave on a trip with my husband while leaving my children and work behind, I know it is of utmost importance for our marriage and for our kids. I do believe whole heartedly that the BEST thing you can do for your kids is truly LOVE and take care of your marriage, i.e.. your spouse.

Via HERE on Pinterest

So, although I feel completely overwhelmed, under-paid and over-worked, I'm going to go with the quote above and trust that Audrey Hepburn is right. I'm going to plow through this endless list of to-do's and know that whatever I don't get to, well, it's not as important as spending some real quality time with my husband...HE is a priority.

Via my HERE on Pinterest

so for now, I'll leave you with a couple more of my favorite quotes...

Via HERE on Pinterest

Oh, and PS, I found this cute list of ideas to help me prepare for our trip!! Don't tell Mike :)

XOXO, Lindsay

Recipe for Brown Butter Apple Cake by Mrs. Sweet Soiree!

2011-09-17T14:49:00.000-07:00

Via Pinterest on my board, Apples!

I thought we needed to talk about something other then Banner Boutique. As much as I do love BB, sometimes I need a break from it (actually, a lotta times); it's easy to get burnt out! I have a LOT of hobbies, a lot of interests; cooking, entertaining, party throwing, creating, homemaking, family in general...the list is endless (my husband can assure you of that). I am one of those people who gets giddy as the seasons change. I am often ready for change, ready for the next adventure, ready for what the new season will bring...especially when it comes to fall!!

Fall to me means apples, pumpkins, family, baking, cooking, preparing, togetherness, entertaining...see- ALL of my *happy things!* The other day, my sweet friend Malisa (aka Ms. Sweet Soiree) brought me some Brown Butter Apple cake. It was one of the last days before the launch of the website and I was frantic and crazy. The sweet thought and yumminess of it all was just what I needed to get through the day. I think it's ok to find happiness through friends bringing you food, especially if it's this cake!!

I posted a picture of this YUMMY cake on Facebook and promised the recipe. Malisa was kind enough to sit and write it out for us...but first, let me share a few of my favorite pictures/things about apples...

1.) I love decorating with apples. Cheap. Easy. Brings the feeling of FALL! (above collage)

Via Pinterest on my board, Apples!

2.) Baking/Cooking with apples. I don't think I've ever had a recipe with apples in it that I didn't love! If you click on the link under this collage above, it will take you to my Pinterest board where you can click on the individual boards to find these recipes etc.

Via Pinterest on my board, Apples!

3.) Another one of my favorite things...ALL things apple on a stick. They're cute AND yummy. The options are endless when you put an apple on a stick!

Via Pinterst on my board, Apples!

4.) I've been seeing A LOT of fall weddings using apples for decorating! LOVE this idea!

Hopefully I've got your wheels turning and helped you see a few fun ideas to incorporate the beloved, inexpensive apple into your fall decorating and cooking!

Now here's Malisa and her promised Brown Butter Apple Cake!! ...with not only 1, but 2 frosting recipes!! Just for the record, I LOVED both recipes, I could not decide!!

Via my iPhone

Here's Malisa:

I was trying to help a friend come up with some ideas for September gift baskets. Since it is APPLE season we came up with doing a dessert or treat made with APPLES. Oh, and what a sweet treat it turned out to be! I am not a huge fan of Apple desserts, (I'm not a huge fan of fruit or vegetables, that's a whole other story), but this is one I knew I would like just from the aroma coming from my oven. The frosting puts this cake over the tipsy top. The recipe is from Southern Living, those southerners have got it going on.

Fresh APPLE Cake

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1/2 cup butter, melted

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 pounds Granny Smith APPLES (about 4 large), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges

Browned Butter Frosting (recipe follows)

Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350`. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through.

2. Stir together butter and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl until blended.

3. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; add to butter mixture, stirring until blended. Stir in APPLES and 1 cup pecans. (Batter will be very thick, similar to cookie dough.) Spread batter into a lightly greased 13-x 9-inch pan.

4. Bake at 350` for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack (about 45 minutes). Spread your choice of frosting over top of cake; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup pecans.

Browned-Butter Frosting

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

1 (16 oz.) package powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Cook butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, 6 to 8 minutes or until butter begins to turn golden brown. Remove pan from heat immediately, and pour butter into a small bowl. Cover and chill 1 hour or until butter is cool and begins to solidify.

2. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy; gradually add powdered sugar alternating with milk, beginning and ending with powdered sugar. Beat mixture at low speed until well blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

3 tablespoons butter, softened

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.

2.Gradually add sugar and salt, beating until well blended. Stir in vanilla.

The Brown-Buttered Frosting deserves using good quality butter, yes it is true, not all butter is equal. I used Land-O-Lakes European Style Butter, it has a higher fat content. Which is good in Butter and Baking!! My fave was the Brown-Buttered Frosting it just was so yummy with the APPLES and pecans. However, the Cream Cheese Frosting was good and a lot sweeter, so if you like sweeter (is sweeter a word,) you will like the Cream Cheese Frosting.

A little side note, I liked the cake served warm, so I did not frost the cake. I would warm the cake slightly in the microwave and then dollop the frosting on the cut servings of warm cake, don't be shy with the frosting. I'm already thinking of new ways and new treats to put the Brown-Buttered Frosting on. I will keep you posted which means Lindsay gets to do some more taste testing.

Love your sweet guts,

Malisa Ms. Sweet Soiree` (pardon the dust, under construction)

It's Time!!!!!! and a few secrets revealed...including 5$ shipping for ALL size orders!

2011-09-16T00:48:00.000-07:00

http://www.melissalynphotography.com/ Shirt: http://www.oh-fiddlesticks.com/ Pillow: Urban Fringe

Hooray!! The time has finally come! After a LOT of behind the scenes preparation by MANY people...we are ready to turn our website *on*!! Let me say, this has been a LONG process, and like many other things I've learned in business, it's WAY more work then I thought it would be! There are still many things to tweak/adjust on the new website, but I'm so happy to say it's ready to be shopped! a HUGE thank you to Catherine at The Avalon Rose Collection for designing this site!! She was WONDERFUL to work with!!

To answer the million dollar question that many of you guessed...Banner Boutique's flowers, fabric rosettes, and lace rosettes are almost ALL interchangeable now! Yes! You heard me right- interchangeable! Let me give you a little background and answer a few questions that I'm sure many of you will have...

5 years ago when we started this business, we were NOT huge fans of interchangeable headbands that used a clip to secure the flower to the band. We just don't love the hard clip laying right against baby's head AND we don't love the way the clip sticks out and causes a gap between flower and the headband itself- to us, it just didn't look right. The only way we were completely in love with the headbands were if they were completely secured to the band itself causing no awkward gaps and no indents left on soft little heads from the hard clip...although...we did dream about having our cake and eating it too...which is what lead to our vision.

Since Banner Boutique has been pure and utter craziness since opening our doors directly to the public, it's taken us awhile to get patents filed and everything in place to make this transition. Although Velcro itself cannot be patented, certain aspects of our new line could be patented and required paperwork and thought before launching.

http://www.melissalynphotography.com/ Halter Tops: http://www.kateemerson.com/ Tutus: Brenna Leigh's Party Decor: The TomKat Studio Pom Poms: A Dash of Color

So, how does it all work, you ask? Let me try to answer that in as simple a way as possible. Although not ALL of our headbands can be offered as interchangeable, almost all of them are! The flowers listed under the *interchangeable flowers* link on the new website are placed on Velcro and can be attached to a variety of different headbands, clips, belts and sashes for newborns all the way up through adults. This gives everyone INFINITE possibilities!! Another FABULOUS part of this new system: The headbands, clips, sashes and belts can hold 1, 2 or even three different flowers, fabric rosettes etc. so that you can create custom color combinations until you hearts content!!

http://www.melissalynphotography.com/ Halloween Tee and Dress: Cotton Laundry

Although this new system will be the most preferred way now to buy your accessories, I know that a few of you may prefer to buy them the old way where the flower is permanently secured to the headband. If this is the case, we are in the process of adding that option to all of our flower headbands. If you are wanting to purchase a headband this way and it does not yet have that option in the listing, please email us at bannerboutique AT hotmail.com. We will be adding this feature over the next week- but are happy to add it right away if you are wanting to buy certain ones this way.

http://www.melissalynphotography.com/ Halloween Banner: The TomKat Studio

So now for a little surprise! For a limited time, ALL orders ship for only $5.00, no matter the size!! Please know, with the limited quantity of many of our items, some items will sell out quickly during this website launch, so if there are items you know you are wanting, we do advise purchasing sooner then later since some of the items will not be re-stocked.

http://www.melissalynphotography.com/ Ring: Blush Envy

A few other things to keep in mind...this is our very first, custom website design. Although we have run through it many times, there may be certain things/issues you may see as a buyer. We would LOVE any and all feedback you can provide us! There are several things we still need to tweak over this next week, such as the thumbnail images not being a uniform size etc. Overall though- we cannot wait for you to see it!! We want to take a minute to thank http://www.melissalynphotography.com/ in Orange County for our HUGE photo shoot to get this website ready as well as http://www.sierrastudiosphotography.com/ for helping us finish the final photo shoot!

http://www.melissalynphotography.com/ Petti Romper: Banner Boutique Tutu: Brenna Leigh's Party Banner: The TomKat Studio

One more thing to note, although we are working as fast as we can to get ALL of our products from Etsy listed on the new site, there are still several products that have not yet been added to the site. If you are wanting to purchase something on the new site and do not see it, please contact Amy at bannerboutique AT hotmail.com and we will add it asap for you!

Pair of Art Pieces: Urban Fringe Tiered dessert stand: Olivia Dru Pom Poms: A Dash of Color

Another question I can anticipate being asked: Will all of your items be available on Etsy? The answer: No. Etsy will always remain there, however, for a complete selection and to see what's new, the new website will always be your best bet when it comes to placing an order.

http://www.melissalynphotography.com/

Something else I'd like to quickly mention...over the next few weeks we will be featuring MANY of the vendors that were involved with our most recent photo shoot! There are a LOT of fabulous items we came across and I can't wait to share some of them with you! For now, click on the links to some of their shops listed in this post (below the pictures) and throughout our new website.

http://www.melissalynphotography.com/ Outfit: Gaia Baby

So, sit back, relax, grab a snack (or two), and start browsing through our new site! I'm excited to see all the many ways you adorn your wardrobe with Banner Boutique accessories!! In fact...

http://www.sierrastudiosphotography.com/ Interchageable Rosettes: http://www.bannerboutiqueonline.com/ Coat: Old Navy

we will be having a contest in the near future to see all of your many ways you interchange our new products!

http://www.sierrastudiosphotography.com/ Belt and Interchangeable Flowers: http://www.bannerboutiqueonline.com/ Dress: Target

We've had fun mixing and matching during the photo shoots and will continue to post various combinations and ways to use your accessories!

http://www.sierrastudiosphotography.com/ Headband and Interchageable Rosettes: http://www.bannerboutiqueonline.com/ Hats: Target

So stay tuned...and happy shopping!! Thank you for being a part of our success! We wouldn't be the company we are without each of you!!

http://www.sierrastudiosphotography.com/ Dress: The Fresh Stitch

XOXO, Lindsay

(website will launch officially between 8-9am PST; http://www.bannerboutiqueonline.com/)

*Stay tuned for Giveaway winner!

So much to do, so much to say!!!

2011-09-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

So, I am dying to share a lot of things here on this blog...dying I tell you!! Like how I get to be a part this FABulous dinner group that allows my family to eat yummy meals every night instead of mac and cheese if it were all up to me on my own! The above dish is creamy coconut chili chicken over rice...but today I have to help finish up all the website *stuff*!! So next week friends, next week we will get back to some serious blogging where I can elaborate on all of these things I want to share!

Chloe's 1st Birthday Party Photography by http://www.sierrastudiosphotography.com/

One of the fabulous ladies I do this dinner group with is my talented friend Malisa, the one who made me that yummy brown butter apple cake yesterday that I shared on facebook and the one who made this fabulous desert table a dream come true for Chloe's first birthday- yes, I don't mind having her cook for me every week- and Jen, my other friend who does dinner group with us- she's a darn good cook (and UBER talented lady) as well!! ...but again...more on all of this later!

Add caption

San Clemente Farmers Market Sep 2011

and another thing I really want to share- the rest of our adventures in San Clemente...like the beautiful farmers market and all the yummy things I found there...

San Clemente Farmers Market Sep 2011

Marriott Ocean Point, Palm Beach FL

another thing on my mind...now that I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel after this whole website craziness...my trip to Palm Beach Florida with my husband on Wednesday ! I can't decide if this is good or bad timing! I'm thinking it's really good timing for me, Amy (BB operations manager) may not agree with me...? :)

Palm Beach, FL

BB PhotoShoot Aug 2011 http://www.melissalynphotography.com/ DARLING Tutu by Brenna Leigh's Photos and Props

I can't wait to share all of these gorgeous pictures I'm loading into the website...1 by 1 by 1...creating a website, I have now learned, is WAYYYYY more work then I thought! But again...more on that later....

Via Pinterest

And another thing I'm itching to start sharing on the blog...Holiday ideas!!! I am a LOVER of all things holiday!!!

Via Pinterest

So...for now...back to finishing up the website and prepping for *Operation Luanch BB Website*

and don't forget..the SALE ends tonight

and the last day to enter the giveaway is TOMORROW!

Have a Happy Thursday!!

XOXO, Lindsay

an even BIGGER sneak and a BIG Giveaway {up to $200.00}!!

2011-09-13T09:39:00.000-07:00

*UPDATE* Congratulations to

Comment #95, The Holland Family

Who said...

I love putting pretty little things (headbands/clips) in my little girls hair because not only does it complete her outfit but they add so much to her cute little face and it seems that her personality comes out even more! :o)

Please email Amy at http://www.bannerboutique/ AT hotmail.com to claim your prize!

Click HERE for details about our SALE that ends this Thurs night at midnight

Photography: http://www.melissalynphotography.com/ Clothing: http://www.oh-fiddlesticks.com/ http://www.kateemersondesigns.com/ Party Printables: http://www.thetomkatstudio.com/ Mini Doughnuts: http://www.doughadeer.com/

Did I mention it's crazy town around here...good crazy town, but CRAZY town! As I load each product into the website, I do get a little giddy about all of these fabulous new headbands, the DARLING props that MANY vendors sent in to be used in all of our photo shoots, and then overall excitement of finally debuting the new site on Friday!

Photography: http://www.melissalynphotography.com/ Headbands and Petti Rompers: http://www.bannerboutiqueonline.com/

Did I mention there is a REALLY big secret about all of the new headbands...??? Did I mention we will start selling a few new products in addition to hair accessories...? One of them (pictured above) will debut with the new website...others will join the new website throughout the next few months...

http://www.melissalynphotography.com/

So- in an effort to spread and share the excitement...AND to celebrate the fact that we are now over 5K strong in terms of Facebook fans...I thought it best that we do a BIG giveaway!

http://www.melissalynphotography.com/

Want to enter?

http://www.melissalynphotography.com/ Pillows: www.etsy.com/shop/urbanfringe Shirt: http://www.oh-fiddlesticks.com/

Here are the rules to enter:

For 1 Entry, leave a comment telling us why you love to put pretty things in your or your little one's hair! (Read on for more entries)

http://www.melissalynphotography.com/

For another entry, either become a fan on Facebook or let us know you already are and leave another comment here. (keep reading...)

http://www.melissalynphotography.com/

For additional entries, tell your friends about Banner Boutique and have them become a fan on facebook as well! For every friend of yours who *likes* Banner Boutique on Facebook, leave an additional comment here! This will help us spread the word about our NEW website!! NOTE- if the winning entry is You telling us that one of your friends became a new fan- you BOTH receive a $100.00 gift card to the new site! (*keep in mind, these entries will need to be verified ;))

http://www.melissalynphotography.com/

Last but not least, for another entry, leave a comment telling us what you think the *secret* is about each of these new headbands...shhh...I'm not telling until Friday... ;)

http://www.melissalynphotography.com/ Shirt: http://www.oh-fiddlesticks.com/

This giveaway starts immediately and ends this Friday at noon- PST.

http://www.melissalynphotography.com/

Have a wonderful Tuesday!

XOXO, Lindsay

More Sneaks...and On My Mind...

2011-09-12T07:18:00.000-07:00

To get the details about the SALE, Click HERE

Photography by http://www.melissalynphotography.com/ Shirt by http://www.oh-fiddlesticks.com/ Pillow by: www.etsy.com/shop/urbanfringe

This weekend was a whirlwind. LOTS of prepping for the new website. It sounded and looked like a true factory over here on Saturday- ALL of Banner Boutique team was here pretty much the whole day! The sound of sewing machines working their little tails off filled the air while Amy and I officially started loading all of them products into our new website!! We were a bit intimidated at first, but once we loaded the first product, we were off!! Having the new website will be glorious!!! The fact that there will be drop down boxes for everything from size, color, style, accent colors etc. etc. will be heaven sent!! We truly cannot wait...can you tell!!??

Photography by http://www.melissalynphotography.com/ Petti Romper and Headband by http://www.bannerboutiqueonline.com/

Like I've mentioned before, my work hours are generally 12:30-3:30 Mon through Friday. I really have not had to work much more then that ever since we brought Amy (our operations manager) on board. I have truly enjoyed that schedule, however, for the past few weeks and until the website launches, my hours have been much more. I have come to learn this is part of the deal when owning a business. You can set yourself up for a great schedule and learn what works best for you and your family, but every so often, when big projects are going on (like launching a new website), your work hours spike. Although it's all exciting etc.- I am anxious to get back to my routine, normal schedule.

Photography by http://www.melissalynphotography.com/ Petti Romper and Headband by http://www.bannerboutiqueonline.com/

The three pictures above are new items that you will see in the new website! There is also a secret about each of these items that will be revealed with the new website that I think you will LOVE!

In the mean time...here are a few pictures I snapped over the weekend...above, Kaitlyn dressed Chloe up in a princess dress for the first time over the weekend- complete with lip gloss- she loved it!

Chloe loves to be silly and make us laugh, like Saturday night when she put one of Carson's (clean) pull-ups on her head ;)

Chloe loves to snuggle...but only for a second- then she's off to bigger and better things! ;)

I'm hoping that when nutritionists talk about the importance of having several small meals throughout the day a Hershey bar can count?

Pictures like this make me happy!! This is the start of MANY headbands being made to gear up for the website launch!

So- before I leave you for today...I wanted to share something I was thinking about while in church yesterday...something that we were discussing. As *BUSY* as we all are, as caught up in our own lives as we can be, we must make time to help and serve others. This fact is more true for ME this week then ever. My to-do list is longer then it has ever been with the deadline of launching a website staring me in the face! And although my to-do list is growing by the minute, I can't forget the importance of why we are here on earth, to help, support, serve, and love others. I am committing to each of you that even though this week is crazy, I will work hard to look for at least one opportunity each day to help, serve, support and love at least one other person in need (not counting my family). I have learned that if I choose to do this, I am blessed beyond measure and my frantic, chaotic schedule somehow runs more smoothly and I can accomplish more with my Heavenlyy Father's help because He blesses me when I do this. I encourage each of you to do this in your own life! I promise, you will see true blessings from this!!

XOXO, Lindsay

My September 11th

2011-09-10T21:14:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take a minute to write down my emotions regarding September 11. I think we all think about where we were, what we were doing, what we were thinking/feeling, how we felt as it all sank in. I was working in LA as the director of student services for 2 vocational school campuses. These schools taught things such as medical and dental assisting, computer technology and office administration. I was responsible for the department that taught all of the career curriculum, placed the students into internships and then ultimately placed them into jobs when they graduated. I had a diverse staff that consisted of young college age people all the way up through older women in their sixties.

It was my *semi-worry-ridden* sixty-something year old employee who was the first to tell me that something crazy was happening in New York as I walked into my office. I set my bags down, checked in with all of my employees to get the day going, then went straight to the break room to turn on the TV and see things for myself- and ultimately assess the situation for myself knowing that my *worrisome* employee often exaggerated things and maybe this was one of those times.

I remember staring blankly at the TV as I watched the first tower that had already been hit pour smoke up into the air. I kept staring and staring, not able to wrap my mind around what I was seeing. Eventually the second plane flew into the second tower, still I stood there, blank, emotionless, as if this was some horror movie I was watching, for sure not a real account of what was going on in my world.

Soon I was in the head directors office. The director of Education, myself and the head director got confirmation from our corporate office that school was officially canceled. We reported back to our departments and sent all of our employees and told the teachers to send their students home.

I don't remember all of the details after that- I just remember meeting up with a friend of mine who was the director at another one of our campuses on Rodeo Drive in LA- why, I don't know, that's just where we ended up- I think because it was half way between our two campuses.

Fast forward to today. September 11th is a reminder of many things for me. First, I cannot believe that it has been 10 years. It truly feels that it happened just yesterday. The fact that my 6 year old daughter was not even close to being on this earth back when this happened is crazy to me. The fact that this is now an event that she learns about at school as if it is *history* is crazy to me! We are still at war because of this! We are still fighting for the same things! Our men and women are risking their lives day in and day out for what started now a whole decade ago!

September 11th is a reminder that God will not stand in the way of any one's free agency! He told us from the beginning that we have our agency to choose for ourselves, and sometimes people choose to do bad, bad things! As much as I am sure that our Heavenly Father would like to intervene on our behalf every time someone was about to injure or cause pain to one of His children, He does not take that agency away from us, that is part of His plan that allows us to grow and become strong while here on this Earth.

September 11th is a reminder that evil is a real thing, Satan is a real thing. If we do not choose to teach our children about God, Jesus and good, Satan will still do everything he can to influence our children. If we abandon this responsibility to teach our children about good and about God, Satan may very well win.

September 11th is a reminder that we are strong!! America is strong, each of us are strong! America did not stop and roll over and give up when September 11th happened! Despite disagreements and varying views, Americans will and can rebuild, move on, learn from past experiences, and keep going! I cannot tell you how many INCREDIBLE stories I have watched these past years, especially this weekend of person after person who persevered through the challenges and losses that came because of September 11th only to become a stronger more resilient person! Americans are amazing, truly amazing, and their desire to serve and help each other when the chips are down is inspiring! Even people who might have been enemies before, are now brought closely together because of their shared hope to rebuild and strengthen themselves and their families!

September 11th is evidence that no matter how awful anyone thought George Bush or any other political leader may or may not have been, George Bush and many, many other politicians were deeply, truly, affected by this and they did every single thing in their power to protect and then defend America! You cannot deny that George Bush truly and sincerely loves this country and did everything he was able and aware of to then fight for and protect this country! September 11th was such a beyond horrific surprise to everyone. No real person could have predicted it's exact happening! No matter how prepared we could have or should have been, I truly feel George Bush and many others always had this country's best interest at the very top of their priority list and it showed through their commitment and dedication in the months, weeks and years following 9/11.

And last but bot least, September 11th is evidence once again of the fact that life is a gift, a true gift, and in the blink of an eye this time here on earth can be taken. Any survivor or descendant of the deceased from September 11th can tell you that. We all have our complaints, some trivial, some not so much, but either way, if you are here reading this, you are blessed to still be here on this earth with whatever opportunity you CHOOSE to take advantage of. Our life is in our hands while we are here. We need to realize how we spend each day, each minute is up to us. What we choose to do with those precious minutes is what matters.

What matters to you?

This is a question I think about often. This is a question that helps me prioritize my life, my time.

I hope you all get to take a moment and reflect on this. I think it'd fitting that this day falls on a Sunday, a sacred day at our house. We will be attending church as usual and then watching some 9/11 documentaries at the request of my oldest, Kaitlyn.

I feel beyond privileged to live in this country. That blessing right there places me in a position of ultimate opportunity.

XOXO, Lindsay

{Featured} TomKat Studio New Halloween Cupcake Collection

2011-09-09T06:32:00.000-07:00

To get the details about the SALE (ending soon), click HERE

One of my favorite things I get to do with Banner Boutique is collaborate with lots of other VERY talented women! One of my favorites is Kim who owns The TomKat Studio! She is debuting her NEW Halloween cupcake collection and Banner Boutique got to adorn lots of little girls and a *mommy* with clips on their aprons, clothing and hair!

All of the gorgeous details were captured by Vicki Lynn Photography

I don't know about you...but for some reason I don't think I look this *hot* when I'm throwing a party for my kids...isn't that the beauty of *staging* a party scene and doing a photo shoot- everything looks amazing!!

Everytime we do a collaboration like this where certain pieces are showcased (like the halloween hair bows, the black and white striped clips etc.), we get a spike in sales on those particular items...so, because we are only a week away from launching the new website, and because our Etsy shop is still down (for hopefully no longer then this afternoon), I want you to know that these items WILL be available...just as soon as the Etsy shop is back in business- if you are a fan on Facebook you will know the minute the shop is back up!

Could this sweetheart be any cuter with her pigtails and coordinating Halloween bows?! And I'm loving that black and white striped poof that she clipped on to her apron (also available in the shop)!

The lace poof headband shown here will also be available...

Love the Camryn polka dot rosette on the *Mommy's* apron- also available in the shop!

Head on over to the TomKat Studio's FULL POST to get ALL of the details and find out how, for a limited time, you can snag this entire Halloween Cupcake collection for 50% off!!

...and I promise to keep you posted as to when the Banner Boutique Etsy shop is back open ;) (For those of you who don't know, Etsy unknowingly removed all of our listings with no warning, no email explanation. We are patiently waiting for them to read any of our 5 emails and turn our shop back on- we hope this will happen sometime today...)

{The Shops} San Clemente Family Vacation Part 2

2011-09-08T21:23:00.000-07:00

To get the details about the SALE, click HERE

Among the other things I love about San Clemente (and many quaint towns for the most part) is the small, non-chain, independently owned shops lining the street. I snuck away with Chloe and Kaitlyn in tow to visit some of my favorites. Here are a few pictures I snapped really fast- keep in mind I struggle in the photography department...I hope to someday take a class or two so I can get better- but hopefully these photos at least give you a good idea of all the treasures to be found!

Can you believe I'm only through the first 300 pictures of almost 700 I took while we were there...I will have to consolidate the rest ;)

TODAY is a gift!

2011-09-08T07:38:00.000-07:00

Click HERE for details about the SALE

My Family Dec 2010, Photography by www.SierraStudiosPhotography.com

"This is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind...let it be something good."-author unknown

So...I was supposed to be finishing up the sharing of pictures from our San Clemente trip...well, life happens, plans change, things get busy-right? :) I promised myself that if I did start blogging on a more committed/more regular basis I would need to blog from the heart. I felt very strongly that I needed to be prayerful about what I share on this blog each and every day, whether it be things about the business, family vacations, thoughts about life in general- it may sound a little cheesy, but I kind of made a deal with my Heavenly Father that I would let Him guide me- even on something as trivial as this blog might be.

Yesterday I called up my friend Judy, the friend that we were in San Clemente with just this past weekend. I called to just check in with them, make sure they made it home safely...and maybe just complain a little bit to her about how much laundry and piles of sand were staring me in the face and how sad I was to leave the perfect beach weather. When I called her- right before I was about to lay into all my trivial complaints she said, "Did you hear what happened to Jeff (her husband)?" My heart sunk and I said "No, you're scaring me, what happened?"

Long story short, Jeff was doing a routine maintenance project at their house which out of the blue went awry and hurt him pretty severely in the face causing him to have to go to the ER and is now looking at several months before a full recovery. Of course, Judy being the girl I know her to be (this is why we love them so much), she immediately said, "Lindsay, it could have been so much worse! We are so grateful he is going to make a full recovery and things were not any worse then they are!"

I have not been able to stop thinking about them and about the simple fact that life really is so short and fragile! No matter how on top of the world we may feel, no matter how normal and routine our lives may be, things can change in the blink of an eye. This is something I forget all too often! I get going every morning with my mile long to do list and easily find myself grumpy or complaining about all the laundry or errands etc. etc. that need to be done- instead of remembering that each and every day truly is a gift- whether it's full of mundane chores or a trip to Disneyland- it's all a valuable, wonderful gift!!

So- with that- I am off to finish a few last minute preparations for my sweet friend Kim and her Thanksgiving photo shoot today!! I hope to get back to finishing up those pictures...possibly tonight...possibly tomorrow?? :) I am going to treasure this day- no matter what though!!

Family Trip to San Clemente, Part 1 {Real Pictures}

2011-09-06T21:31:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it requires leaving town to be able to focus 100% on your family, at least for me, that's how it goes. We made some last minute plans with dear friends of ours to rent a beach house and meet up in San Clemente. These are some of our most favorite friends- the type of couple who not only do I love the wife but Mike grew up with the husband since childhood- these are the type of friends who we could travel the world with and never get sick of them.

Our kids also match up almost exactly age wise- their oldest is 9 months younger then our oldest, but their second and third children were born almost exactly when ours were- needless to say- each of our kids has a perfect playmate when we are with these friends (you can see Carson (on the left) with his buddy Jackson on the right- above).

We got there late Friday night...so Saturday morning we started the day off right with a trip to the fabulous Bagel Shack- just up the street from the beach house we were staying in. A couple bagel sandwiches for me and the kids, an acaci berry smoothie bowl split in 2 for us to share and 2 strawberry bagels for the kids- heaven.

We went back to the beach house, packed up some snacks, and headed down to the beach. For some reason, turkey sandwhiches on fresh deli rolls have always been my beach snack of choice- ever since I was young.

Our walk down to the beach was perfect- I nice little stroll, no more then 1/4 of a mile. We had 2 little wagons to put all our stuff in- Carson loved pulling it down to the beach all by himself.

Although San Clemente is part of Orange County, it really has a small town feel to it, that's one of the things I loved most about it when we lived there. I love that there's a perfect mix of just a few shops right down by the beach, pizza, ice cream, deli, convenient store etc.- just the right stuff available right there at the shore.

I also love how wide the boardwalk is- plenty of room for runners and bikers to move in both directions- also makes it so easy to pull/push your stroller/wagon all the way down the beach without having to pull it through the treacherous sand the whole way.

Chloe soaking in the beach air...in a headband that will debut on the new website ;)

The big girls get right to building a castle- they have an agenda and have no time to waste!

This is our friend Jeff and his oldest...it's moments like this that remind you why it's so important to take time away with your family. Moments where it's just you and your kids, your wife, your daughter- to soak in the time together.

There's a train that runs right along the beach in San Clemente- a HUGE bonus for our train loving kids! Everyone dropped what they were doing and just stared in amazement every time the whistle blew and the train rushed by- thank heavens for us parents that there was a nice sturdy fence that separated us from the train though!

This is my Carson boy- who doesn't really like to smile on command- this is his classic "mom, don't make me smile, smile" ;)

This is my oldest, Kaitlyn, who is looking more and more grown up to me every single day! :( I am almost down to only 11 more years with her before she leaves my house- and I'm being serious- I often think about how truly short our time is with our children before they leave our nest forever...this time is so precious!

This picture isn't in focus- but I love how it shows Chloe's excitement every time the train passed- so glad she pointed it our for use each time!

Chloe was a busy excavator moving and hauling sand! She did so well at the beach- she was truly entertained the whole time to just roam around and play in the sand- all of my kids could have just dug in the sand ALL DAY LONG...

LOVE those chunky thighs!!

and here's my big girl Kaitlyn with her shiny new 2 week old ear piercings ;)

Digging a giant whole with the dads was a must every day we were there!

Carson was pretty serious with his wheel barrow- loading it up then moving the sand all around- thank heavens we had a wheel barrow!

And that was just the first part of day 1...don't worry, I'll try to minimize the pictures on the next post...where I'll also show you all the fun shops I like to visit while I'm there- like the one above!

our San Clemente trip thus far from Instagram...

2011-09-05T07:37:00.000-07:00

Looking at San Clemente Pier

I must say, it's a lot easier to embrace Arizona and try to forget all of the wonderful things we left behind in San Clemente when we are in Arizona. It gets a bit tougher to do when staying in San Clemente, surrounded by beautiful beaches, sunsets, restataurants, weather, family and friends. That's all I'm gonna say ;)

It's been fun to finally get back to being the official family photographer. I used to take TONS of pictures, all day everyday. As life got busier, I started slacking with my picture taking- but I'm back! Here are just s afew pictures from my iPhone using Instagram...I'll share some more from my real camera when we get back tomorrow.

A shredded beef crunchy taco and chicken flauta to go with my Avila's soup at my favorite, El Ranchito!! Yes, I DID eat all of it BY MY SELF! I'm eating for 2, remember!?

LOVED the San CLemente Flea Market!

LOTS of baths for babies who are full of sand!!

Babies who have slept soundly every night because they are so exhausted from the days activities!

Yummy dinner at Bro and Sis in laws house full of YUMMY veggies from their garden!

loved visiting one of my favorite children's boutiques- it was actually the very first boutique we EVER started selling Banner Boutique products at! Lots of fun new children's lines I found and will share with you when I get back- they always have the best stuff!

more fun and new lines at the boutique!

brother and sister playing in the sand together- simple, beautiful!! love these days!

Princess sitting in her chariot trying to decide if she's ready to get dirty in the sand!

Breakfast at the beloved Bagel Shack!

wiaiting to order my breakfats bagel and acaci berry bowl...mmmmm, mmmmmm

Chloe grabbing some groceries to stock the beach house

Carson driving around the grocery store

Kaitlyn and Chloe ready for 10pm grocery shopping

The gift I received from Etsy that made me a little *bothered* right before I left to CA...more on this later! Did any of you other Etsy sellers receive this?? If so, were you annoyed like me??

Chloe *getting in the way* as I tried to pack my bag

Chloe checking out the empty luandry bag

More to come!! Enjoy your labor day!! I hope it's filled with food, friends, fun and family!!

XOXO

Do you like to save 40% ?? SALE

2011-09-01T14:56:00.000-07:00

Stark White, Off White or Cream Reg $9.95 on SALE for $5.95
http://www.etsy.com/listing/73520833/sale-stark-white-headband-off-white

As we frantically get ready to debut our INCREDIBLE new website...we want to reward you all for being so patient!! So- from now until the site debuts (which will be somewhere between 1-2 weeks), certain favorites in the shop will be marked down up to 40% off!! Yep, you heard me right- up to 40% off!! This offer will only be good while supplies last and will end as soon as the new site goes live! That means you will be getting your hands on TOP of line hair acessories for *bottom of the line* prices...PS- we've never done this before...I think it's because we are all so anxious to launch this new site so we want to start celebrating!!

Also...for a FREE surprise headband, post about this SALE on Facebook, blog about it, or email it to your friends (min of 10 friends). Be sure to put the link (or cc us for emails) in the *notes to seller when checking out in ETSY ;)

*You will know which items are sale because those particular items will have the word SALE in the title* scroll on down to see all the yumminess that is marked down!!

Set of ANY 2 Shabby Chic Headbands Reg $16.95 on SALE for $12.95
http://www.etsy.com/listing/71543459/sale-2-packnew-colorsshabby-chic-roses

Set of 3 Boutique Hair Bow Headband Reg $19.95 on SALE for $14.95 (less thatn $5 a headband!)
http://www.etsy.com/listing/71170676/sale-choose-three-headbands-pink-bow

Pink Bubble Gum Triple Flower Headband Reg $9.95 on SALE for $5.95
http://www.etsy.com/listing/66827123/sale-baby-headband-pink-flower-headband

Deep Rustic Red and Taupe Fionna Headband Reg $13.95 on SALE for $10.95
http://www.etsy.com/listing/80006832/sale-headband-baby-headband-flower

Pink and Taupe Fionna Headband Reg $13.95 on SALE for $10.95
http://www.etsy.com/listing/62569653/sale-pink-flower-headband-taupe-pink

Red Velvet *PERFECT for Holidays! Reg $8.95 on SALE for $5.95
http://www.etsy.com/listing/62852895/sale-red-velvet-flower-headband-velvety

Chocolate Brown Double Flower Headband Reg $8.95 on SALE for $5.95
http://www.etsy.com/listing/61782106/sale-chocolate-brown-double-dainty

Summer Candy Reg $9.95 on SALE for $5.95
http://www.etsy.com/listing/57901415/sale-summer-candy-triple-dainty-flower

Peach Crumble Reg $14.95 on SALE for $10.95
http://www.etsy.com/listing/77468303/sale-peach-flower-headband-baby-headband

Color Collection- Choose ANY COLOR Combination Reg $14.95 on SALE for $10.95
http://www.etsy.com/listing/80007668/sale-white-flower-headband-baby-headband

Color Collection CHOOSE ANY COLOR COMBO Reg $14.95 on SALE for $10.95
http://www.etsy.com/listing/61988008/sale-color-collection-bright-zinnia

Hot Pink Double Dainty Flower Headband Reg $8.95 on SALE for $5.95
http://www.etsy.com/listing/57193467/sale-double-dainty-hot-pink-flower

Spring Pink or Holiday Red Hydrangea Headband Reg $8.95 on SALE for $5.95
http://www.etsy.com/listing/62587632/sale-classic-red-or-spring-pink-double

Hot Pink Anenome Flower Headband Reg $12.95 on SALE for $9.95
http://www.etsy.com/listing/70028405/sale-hot-pink-flower-headband-baby

re-focusing...

2011-09-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the photo shoot I mentioned in my last post. It was exactly what I anticipated, long, painful in some ways, chaotic, full of bribes and children, exciting, crazy, and exhausting all rolled into one!! We always have at least 6-8 children on hand because you can count on at least 6-7 of them being in a bad mood at any given time- they're kids- they want to play- they don't really want to sit still and look at a camera- you can't blame them! I feel so lucky to be surrounded by lots of friends and family who are always willing to offer up their muses to me to get these kinds of things done!

So after the shoot- the above picture represents what my entire house looked like after using it as a photography studio! Pictures off the walls, props everywhere, stacks of clothing strewn about, snack galore covering the carpet- it was a sight to behold! My sister helped me get at least the family room and kitchen area back in order (only took 2 hours), the the rest of the house, well...I am sitting here staring at it right now, trying to hold back the tears, literally! My desire for order and control feels as if it is no where in sight!! I kept praying some miracle would happen and I would walk back into my house at some point yesterday to find it all magically back in order...it didn't happen though! :(

So friends, instead of sitting here, continuing to tell you my sob stories of what today's duties entail (ALL DAY CLEANING EXTRAVAGANZA), I'm going to refocus myself here in this post real quick in an effort to get me through this day that I am dreading!

Let's start with my little Clo Bell...sitting in what her brother and sister call her *dumbo* (instead of bumbo). She is a handful- but she also is PURE joy! She is head strong and stubborn- just like her mama, but she already knows how to be that with a smile on her face, allowing her to pretty much get away with everything! She is all things baby lately, loves to snuggle, kiss and swaddle her babies all day long! She also loves to do all kinds of naughty things, like unload certain drawers and draw on furniture with markers- her newest thing is to wave and tell you *Bu-bye* if she wants you to go away so she can do something naughty...sneaky girl! LOVE her!

Then there's my Carson boy! He is my little learner right now- preparing for kindergarten next year as he goes to preschool! He has a love hate relationship with anything school related- sometimes he loves it- sometimes he doesn't! He is addicted to the iPad lately and is constantly asking me how to spell things so that he can shop and buy more iPad games- luckily I finally caught on to this trick and stopped telling him how to spell firetruck, police car and garbage truck! He has finally rounded the corner from terrible two's, three's and four's and is actually my little snuggle boy instead of only being a daddy's boy!

And my oldest, Kaitlyn! She is the typical first child, she wants and usually can do anything and everything, she is creative, assertive, and wants to always grow up quicker then I am ready for! This past weekend, after literally years of begging, she finally convinced me she was ready to get her ears pierced...even though I thought we were going to wait until she was 8! I've realized I want to let my kids feel that they are in as much control of their own life as possible, within reason of course, and if they continue to make good decisions, I will continue to let them make decisions on their own- as much as possible! She convinced me she was ready to be dedicated enough to washing and cleaning her ears three times a day as it would require- so we set out on Saturday- went to Lolli Locks (thanks to good friend recommendations) and there she sat, in the chair, brave as can be. She was prepared for it to hurt pretty bad- but was strong and didn't shed one tear as they pierced the first, and then the second! My little girl is growing up- and I am lucky she is mine!!

California 2008 Kaitlyn was 4, Carson was 2

And last but not least, another thing I'm going to focus on today that will help me get through this not so fun day...our trip to San Clemente! We leave tomorrow to go back to what is pretty much home for us- we lived in San Clemente before we moved here to AZ about 2 and a half years ago. It's hard sometimes to look back at pictures of us at the beach almost every day, enveloped in perfect weather year round, surrounded by almost every single member of our families on both my husband Mike's and my side, weekly (often times more than weekly) trips to Disneyland (truly the happiest pace on earth), and all that my home of southern CA has to offer! At the same time though, both Mike and I have often talked about how we wouldn't change one thing! We are meant to be here in Arizona! There are so, so many wonderful blessings that have come from our move to Arizona! Great friends, amazing opportunities...so much!!

So- in an effort to get my lengthy to do list done before we leave tomorrow...I better run!! But stay tuned...I've got some fun news coming...later today- possibly tomorrow- we'll see how the day goes ;)

Keeping it REALLY real

2011-08-30T21:10:00.000-07:00

Photography by http://www.melissalynphotography.com/

One of the most fun parts about owning Banner Boutique is seeing gorgeous pictures of our products! It's always a thrill to see gorgeous images sent in from literally hundreds of photographers!

Photography by http://www.melissalynphotography.com/

One of the most frequent questions we get asked on a more than daily basis is: "Do you trade photography for product?" Although we do not have an exact science as to how we choose which photographers we work with and which ones we don't, I will say, 99% of the photographers we work with are people who first bought our product, then sent us their GORGEOUS/stunning/unique photos. This is how we have found pretty much every single one of our *go to photographers* that we work with on an on-going basis today. We now will randomly ship our beloved photographers goodie boxes filled with the latest items needing to be photographed. However, as we continue to grow larger and larger, it has started to become easier sometimes to do large photo shoots with one photographer where we style the entire shoot, beginning to end.

Just last week we had a HUGE shoot in Orange County CA with Melissa of http://www.melissalynphotography.com/. This shoot included about 16 models of various ages, 14 additional vendors who sent props etc. in, and it lasted about 12 hours total when all was said and done. We did this shoot in Orange County because that is where most of my family is (who I rely on to help me through these shoots), because Melissa is located there, and because it would be child abuse to have 16 kids shoot through 120 degree weather for 12 hours here in Arizona.

As fun as it all can be in some ways, it's all quite overwhelming too!! For instance, we are having one more photo shoot with Jessica from http://www.sierrastudiosphotography.com/ tomorrow because after 12 hours in CA, we still have a few more items we didn't get through. In an effort to show you not just the gorgeous/glamorous photos that we end up with for Banner Boutique, I want you to see what kind of toll this takes on my house during the week leading up to a shoot and the week after. This picture is what my studio/computer room looks like right now, sad, but true! It takes hours and hours just to sort through all the new product, match it up with the outfits it coordinates with and match up the props that would best work into the shot.

A snapshot of a few of the new items

I also got to spend a few hours sewing my little heart out getting some final pieces ready hoping that I can get everything for the rest of this year shot in tomorrow's shoot...

But as fun as this all is for the creative part of my brain, it's also way more then I prefer to do on a regular basis. It reminds me of the time when I first started this business and my life was way out of balance! I craved my kids and just sitting and playing with them! I craved not having time lines and pressures resting on my shoulders constantly getting in the way of me just enjoying my family. I craved the hundreds of kisses I usually would get from each one of my kids that I didn't now have the time for. I craved soaking in every bit of them, all day long. I even craved doing their laundry, washing their dishes, and cleaning up their messes.

my kids reading to each other this morning, I adore them!

As excited as I am for this website to get done, as excited as I am to see all of these new products beautifully photographed, I am even more excited to return to my normal business hours of 12 noon to 3 pm while the kids are at school and Chloe is asleep. That's all, that's it- that is plenty "Banner Boutique time" at this stage in my life. I'm glad this period of preparing for the new website is only going to last 3 weeks- and then I am back to my super part time Banner Boutique status!!

For now, I'm going to start cleaning up the mess that is my office ;)

My Chloe intrigued by her sweet little reflection

An updated introduction...August 2011

2011-08-30T13:22:00.000-07:00

Chloe (my youngest and me August 2011) Photography courtesy of http://www.melissalynphotography.com/

Welcome! When I read a blog or buy from a mom-owned, home based business, I like to know who the person is behind the hand made shop. So, in an effort to update my last *introduction* from a couple years ago- here we go…!

My Family, December 2010-yes, I changed my hair from blond to brunette just a few months ago ;) Photography courtesy of http://www.sierrastudiosphotography.com/

My name is Lindsay Banner and I’m the owner/blog writer for Banner Boutique! Banner Boutique has been in business for about 5 years now. It started with my sister Angela and I selling straight to boutiques, wholesale only. We never thought selling straight to the public would be financially worth it, so it wasn’t until I found myself moving away from all of my friends and family in Southern CA, relocating to Arizona, suddenly with a lot of free time to actually try selling our products on Etsy… and boy were we wrong!! Banner Boutique exploded on Etsy and it has been a wild and crazy ride ever since! We now have about 6-8 other women who work with my sister and I at any given time including Amy who is our operations manager and Jeni who is my *domestic assistant* who helps me keep the laundry running and the dishes under control (more on that later).

Is it wrong that I'm not in love with my oh so pregnant behind!!?? I put a nice little flower to cover a bit of that up ;) I didn't want Melissa's gorgeous photography to go wasted and have me ruin the picture! Photography courtesy of http://www.melissalynphotography.com/

First and foremost though, I am a wife to a wonderfully supportive husband Mike and mother to Kaitlyn (7), Carson (4), Chloe (1.5) and baby #4 who is scheduled to arrive December 6^th!! The opportunity to be a wife and raise these amazing children gives me satisfaction beyond measure. Mike and I met in Newport Beach over 10 years ago and have now been married for almost nine years. Although I truly adore the entrepreneurial adventure Banner Boutique offers me, I have found myself unwilling to give up my chosen role as wife and mother first; this is my true passion! Banner Boutique is a perfect compliment to my already busy life, which is why I have chosen to let Banner Boutique grow yet bring in many other women to help me along the way so that I don’t have to give up my life as wife and mom! I am a southern CA native trying to learn to embrace the desert life here in oh so sunny and warm Arizona!

photography courtesy of my lovely iPhone ;)

I invite you to check in here often with me on my blog as I finally commit to writing on a very regular basis…now that I have all the right women in place to run Banner Boutique! Here we will discuss things I am learning/have learned along the way such as the importance of focusing on your marriage despite the chaos of children, the true joy that motherhood can offer (as well as the not so joyful moments), food/recipes (and the fact that food really does bring me joy and I am not ashamed to admit it), my love of all things holiday and any reason for celebration, my desire to start wearing real clothes and velour sweat suits less, my love of travel and the adventures we go on, how I attempt to juggle being a wife and mom as well as run a business and anything else you ladies want to talk about (within reason of course!).

My family December 2010, Photography courtesy of http://www.sierrastudiosphotography.com/

I will warn you, I am a VERY passionate (sometimes confused as opinionated) person, however, I am a very open person as well who likes to learn as much as possible!! The things I believe in, I believe strongly, yet I am also very aware that we all have our own opinions and we all MUST respect each other despite our differences, this is what makes life wonderful!! Please remember, when reading my blog that this is my view/my opinion/my philosophy, and it’s really OK if you do not agree, I am totally OK with that and completely respect that! Again, that’s what makes this blogging world so wonderful, we can visit and learn about different viewpoints from various people, whether or not we agree- this is what makes it all so interesting and enjoyable!

So…let’s get to blogging!!

Aunt Jill's Famous/BEST Salsa Recipe EVER!!

2011-08-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

photo via

I wish I had the time (and the talent) to make my salsa pictures look like the one above...sadly I do not. However, I do have the BEST salsa recipe EVER...courtesy of my auntie Jill! I promise you- this stuff is GOOD, and I would LOVE to hear back from you ladies (or men) who try it!! Let me know what you think!! If I could, I would send you each your own jar...because that's how special I know each of you are- but unfortunately that's not an option...so the next best thing is to share the secret recipe ;)

Here are some pictures of the actual ingredients I use...courtesy of my trusty iPhone!

You can buy your diced tomatoes plain, but I prefer the ones with some mild green chiles already added- in addtion to the chiles I add on my own. I know some of you may think that using fresh tomatoes would be better...but I am here to say- I MUCH prefer using canned tomatoes- they have a more guarenteed fresh/yummy flavor. You can't always count on your local grocery store to have the best tomatoes- however, if you can get your hands on some yummy homegrown ones, I'm sure those would be good too- I actually think I still prefer the canned though- just try it and you'll see!

When canned tomatos are on sale I like to stock up...I love having the ingrdients for this salsa always on hand- you would be surprised how much I use it! I think this is what I'll be giving the neighbors for Christmas, to balance out all the sugar that the rest of the neighbors might be handing out ;)

Plain old yellow onions and cilantro

So here's the famous recipe:

3 14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatos

1 large white or yellow onion chopped

1/2 or 1 full bunch cilantro chopped

1 small can tomato sauce (7 oz)

1 7 oz can diced green chiles

1 teaspoon cumin

1-2 teaspoons garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Toss it all in your Cuisinart or blender and mix to desired consistancy. I prefer mine moderately mixed, not too chunky, but definaitely not soup.

Feel free to change up the amounts on ANY of the ingredients. Truly, you really cannot mess this recipe up- and everyone's taste varies slightly so experiement!

I like to put mine in canning jars of various sizes depending on what I'm using it for- and if I'm feeling like I'm in a giving mood, I like to send some over the back fence to my neighbor Mary and share some with whatever lucky Banner Boutique employees happen to be around ;)

Nothing makes a better meal then this salsa all over taco salad!

Last week I made Salsa Chicken (put frozen chicken breasts or tenderloins in the crock pot, cover with pace picate sauce and simmer for 4-6 hours until you can shred the chicken easily) then spread the chicken and cheese over some crunched up tortilla chips, covered with lettuce, diced tomato, cilantro, homemade salsa and guacamole (sometimes I add a tiny bit of ranch too)- DELISH!!

Stay tuned...because I have finally committed to being a regular, (close to) full time blogger for this poor, neglected Banner Boutique blog! Instead of coming to this blog and seeing all the sales you might have missed from Banner Boutique, you will start seeing A LOT of fun things...like the new blog look thanks to the talented Catherine at Avalon Rose Designs!

Buy Some Get Some FREE!! Ends Friday June 10 at midnight PST

2011-06-02T13:38:00.000-07:00

Ready to get some FREE Banner Boutique Products!!??

Here's the deal:

When you buy 3 items, choose any 1 item of equal or lesser value then the least expensive item for FREE!

When you buy 6 items, choose 3 items of equal or lesser value then each set of three items you buy (for instance, if you buy three Audrey headbands one of your FREE items can be an Audrey headband and the other two must be of less value then the least expensive item purchased)

When you buy 9 items, get 5 items for free (the free items need to be of equal or lesser value then each of the three sets of 3 items purchased, for instance, if you buy 6 Audrey headbands 2 of the FREE items can be of equal value to those and the other 2 need to be of equal value of the least expensive item purchased, if you buy 9 Audreys, all four FREE items can be of equal value to that.

When you buy 12 items, get 6 items for Free!!

IMPORTANT!!

You MUST enter the code FREEITEMS in the notes to seller section when checking out through Etsy to qualify for FREE items.

Free items NEED to be stated in the NOTES TO SELLER section when checking out through Etsy- not Paypal. If no selections are made for FREE items, your order will be held back until you contact us via Etsy to let us know of your selections.

PLEASE convo us before placing an order if you have ANY questions at all!! ;)

XOXO,

Happy Mother's Day Sale! Now through Monday May 9th

2011-04-26T10:45:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since we've had any kind of sale...and what better reason to have a sale then to celebrate all the mothers!!

Here are the details (please be sure to read them all carefully):

1.) For every $25.00 (not including shipping) you spend, you get a $10.00 credit to spend how you wish on any of the items listed below.

2.) When you hit the $75.00 and $100.00 mark or higher, you will receive an additional surprise headband for every $25.00 spent.

3.) You MUST include the word *MothersDay* in the notes to seller section while checking out through ETSY.

4.) You must include the exact item names (or links) for the items you are wanting for your FREE items in the notes to seller section when checking out through Etsy.

5.) All FREE products will come in our standard sizes and colors listed, NO CUSTOM requests will be able to be accommodated for free products and no substitutions, so sorry!

6.) Please do not request FREE headbands that are worth MORE, or add up to MORE, than your credit. We will not accept additional payments to make up the difference for a FREEBIE that is worth more than your credit. If you do request something that is worth more than your credit we will make adjustments as we see fit, i.e., we'll pick something for you. :)

7.) If you have remaining credit that can't be used worth more than $2.00, we will surprise you with something to make up the difference. :)

8.) This sale is not retroactive for previous orders.

Here are the items available for FREE using your credit, happy shopping!!:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/59960440/spring-pink-or-valentine-red-double

http://www.etsy.com/listing/58145240/sunny-day-yellow-triple-small-flower

http://www.etsy.com/listing/71578170/new-item2-packshabby-chic-roses-on-soft

http://www.etsy.com/listing/71537524/new-itemshabby-chic-roses-on-soft

http://www.etsy.com/listing/66698181/new-item-pink-bubblegum-triple-dainty

http://www.etsy.com/listing/62775254/dainty-stark-white-off-white-or-cream

http://www.etsy.com/listing/70952377/lime-green-gerber-flower-headband-on

http://www.etsy.com/listing/59693150/terra-cotta-salmon-flower-headband-on

http://www.etsy.com/listing/56989101/new-itemspring-dream-triple-flower

http://www.etsy.com/listing/61860676/turqouise-blue-ice-triple-dainty-flower

http://www.etsy.com/listing/62569653/the-fionna-in-taupe-and-pinkflower

http://www.etsy.com/listing/57901415/summer-candy-triple-dainty-flower

http://www.etsy.com/listing/62179428/apple-red-zinnia-flower-headband-with

http://www.etsy.com/listing/62287685/new-itemruffly-pink-double-dainty-flower

XOXO,

Spring Value Pack!

2011-04-06T13:38:00.000-07:00

I love a good deal...and I know all of our customers do too! I also love *exclusive* offers...

This Spring Value Pack is worth $63.75 but is bundled together for only $39.95!! The other great thing about this Spring Pack...3 of the headbands included in this package are available ONLY in this pack...no exceptions- sorry!

Here is the breakdown (PLEASE be sure to read all details before ordering):

1.) Lavender Boutique Bow Headband on Lavender Stretch Lace $10.95 (exclusive to this offer)

2.) Sunny Day Triple Yellow Dainty Flower Headband $10.00

3.) Blue Sky Rosette on Thin Blue Headband $10.95 (exclusive to this offer)

4.) Spring Princess Pink with touch of green flower headband $13.95

5.) Double Rosebud clippie- Light Pink $3.95

6.) Coral Candy Triple Hydrangea Flower Headband $10.00

7.) 1 of 4 Bunny Clips (the color will be chosen by us, you can state your request but we will only be able to accomodate as stock is available) $3.95

ALL this for only $39.95...now there's an Easter treat that won't add any calories to your diet!! ;)

PLEASE READ:

*We are unable to accomodate ANY substitutions

*ALL headbands will be made to fit 2/3 months through adult

*The 3 headbands that are not available in the shop are not available for purcahse seperately

*To ensure delivery before Easter, you must place your order by Thursday April 14th ;)

For Purchase link, click HERE

Pictures of the Spring Princess courtesy of http://www.peekaboophotos.com/

pictures of the Sunny Day Triple Yellow courtesy of http://www.melissalynphotography.com/

NEW ITEM...The Shabby Chic Rose Duo Headband! 6 Color Options!

2011-04-05T11:07:00.000-07:00

Picture courtesy of http://www.stephaniefisherphotography.com/

I am in LOVE with these new headbands!! They are quite possibly, the perfect headbands!! They are easitly dressed up or dressed down, super soft and they look classy yet laid back all at the same time!!

to view the listing in the shop, click here or for the pack of 2 click here

Happy Tuesday!!

XOXO,

Introducing...Petite Field Flowers, The PERFECT Boutique Bow Headbands and the Mini Audrey!! Introductory Pricing for 1 Week Only!

2011-03-31T07:00:00.001-07:00

(Photography courtesy of http://www.melissalynphotography.com/)

Field Flowers

Field Flowers with Green Leaf Accents

We are so excited to finally launch this new line of mini field flowers, with and without green leaf accents, Boutique Bow Headbands and The Mini Audrey!! For one week only, we will be offering special pricing on these items!!

The petite field flower snap clippies will hold the tiniest bits of hair...perfect for those babes who came into this world with a full head of that baby fine hair OR for those little ones just starting to sprout hair after years of being beautifully bald!

We are also thrilled to offer the PERFECTLY tied boutique bow headband!! This bow is the perfect size, not too big, not too small and it comes in a rainbow of colors!

and last but most certainly not least...The Mini Audrey!! This is a smaller version of one of our most popular full size headbands...it looks darling on newborns and older girls alike! Now that we offer SeaGlass green, canary yellow and lavender these will be the perfect touch to any spring portrait or spring ensemble!!

For one week only...Introductory Pricing on each of these new items is as follows:

Petite Field Flowers (w/out green leaf accents): $10.95 instead of $12.95

Petite Field Flowers with Green Leaf Accents: $13.95 instead of $16.95

Set of Three Boutique Bow Headbands: $14.95 instead of $19.95

Mini Audrey in Any Color: $23.95 instead of $26.95

Last 2 photos courtesy of www.AndreaBurnsPhotography.com

Audrey Winners!!

2011-03-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who entered our giveaway!! Without further adieu, the winners are....

Herlina who said... Just shared Nicole picture with Black Stella headband on BB FB and Mary who said... I posted on my FB wall. my fingers are crossed!!!

Please send Amy an email at BannerBoutique AT hotmail.com with your details and colors!! ;)

Stay tuned on facebook for upcoming news and new products always!!

Also...we are now offering the *Mini Audrey* pictured below! This headband is perfect for Easter dress season, gorgeous in portraits and comes in virtually every color under the sun!! Lavender, canary yellow, pink and Sea Glass have been some of the most popular colors right now!

Have a wonderful Tuesday everybody!! (pictures courtesy of www.AndreBurnsPhotography.com)

XOXO,

AUDREY(S) Giveaway and the Winners!!!

2011-03-25T10:05:00.000-07:00

(To get the details about our current SALE and FREE gifts with purchase ending Monday March 28, please click here)

I am so, so excited about today's giveaway!! There are several reasons why...first though, let's talk about AMANDA R and how she is the Winner of yesterday's giveaway!! Congrats Amanda!! On top of that...you guessed right!! Wendy is having a beautiful baby boy!! That makes the score 4 boys 2 girls in their house. Wendy and her husband Jake are very excited, her daughter, Susie, on the other hand, let's just say Wendy needed to come and grab a pretty beanie and flower in an effort to cheer 5 year old Susie up! She's having a tough time coming to grips with it!! ;) So Amanda R., please email Amy at BannerBoutique AT hotmail.com and let her know what you won and that you won the additional $50.00 prize pack and we will get those right out to you!!
On to today's giveaway!!
From the pictures, you have probably guessed today's giveaway is the Audrey headband, not just one Audrey, but 2 Audrey headbands!! On top of that, not only does each winner win a headband for themself, they also win a headband for a friend of their choice!! So, 2 headbands for each winner!!
To give you the quick background on the Audrey headband, the AUDREY is named after the beautiful little girl pictured above, Audrey. She is the daughter of Andrea Burns, one of the very first and most talented photographers I have worked with (check her out if you are near Montgomery Village, MD). We started working together because Andrea would send me these gorgeous pictures of Audrey modeling our headbands. My sister Angela and I would just die over each and every picture she sent. Each one was more amazing then the next. You can find LOTS of pictures of Audrey throughout our shop from the time she was a tiny newborn through today...here, here, here, here, and here to name a few.

Anyway...almost a year and a half ago, Andrea contacted me with this vision of a headband she had seen and wanted me to create something similar. She wanted it for Audrey's one year photo shoot. Andrea is so great, I had to do this for her!! When she sent me the picture of Audrey in the headband we couldn't help but list it in the shop! It is now one of our most popular headbands we sell! The portraits she ended up with for this shoot are the very first photo shown at the top of this post and the black and white picture above which Andrea also had put on to a gogeous purse!!

So, another reason for my excitement about this headband...we now offer the netting that accents the headband in black as well as cream!!! We used to offer only white- and white is great- but more options are even better!!
So- on to the giveaway details on how to enter!!

1.) Just leave a comment here telling us you are a fan on Facebook (and you do indeed need to be a fan ;))

2.) For 2 additional entries: Post about this giveaway on your facebook page and post the link in the form of another comment here- this time, this entry will get you 2 additional entries- you can comment twice for this entry and give us the link if you do this ;)

3.) For an additional entry: Post a picture of your baby wearing one of our headbands on our facebook page- be sure to come back and leave another comment ;)

4.) And last but not least, for another entry, tell us what colors you would pick if you won 2 Audreys!

This giveaway will run through Monday, March 28 at midnight PST

Have a WONDERFUL weekend!!

**Thank you to http://www.chrissiemariephotography.com/ , http://www.andreaburnsphotogrpahy.com/ and http://www.nosmallmoments.com/ for the gorgeous pictures!!

Winners and another Great Giveaway!!

2011-03-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

(For information about our current FREE Gifts with Purchase offer ending Monday March 28, please click here!)

(photography courtesy of Sierra Studios Photography)

Good Morning (afternoon almost) everyone!! I have to say, this week has been so fun for me! Although I have never been able to keep up this blog other than for communication reasons in regards to sales etc., I have really had fun being committed to posting every day for this giveaway week! It's fun to read your comments and know that what I am posting is of interest...even if it's only becasue you want free stuff...I really am ok with that! It's just fun to have a place where I know our fans/customers can come and hear what's new with the shop! It makes me want to keep on posting more regularly and not only keep you more involved with the happenings of Banner Boutique, but use this blog for good.

On a side note, before we get to the giveaways... as a business owner, I have many opportunities to get involved with a variety of good causes. Although I only have so many hours in a day just like the rest of you, and I can't always do ALL that I want to do in regards to helping out, I do feel a strong desire to help as much as I possibly can as a way of thanking my Heavenly Father for the blessings that he has provided me. I am so grateful for healthy, happy children and a loyal, kind and dedicated husband. I am very aware that this is a luxury and not always the norm so I want to give back in every way I can.

I was just made aware of a new little boy we will be able to help by donating to a silent auction. This is one of the most common ways we get to help in raising money and support for these families facing incredible trials. Banner Boutique will be making a headband to sell in an effort to raise money for this family. All proceeds from that particular headband will go towards helping this family pay medical bills...I will also be sure to make it a FABULOUS headband that you won't be able to live without! You will be able to give to this family while also getting something great from us as a token of thanks for your donation. If you would like to learn more about this sweet boy please click on the link at the end of this post. I hope to have the new headband ready to sell by next week.

So, now on to our winners from yesterdays giveaway!! (did I mention how much I love giving out FREE stuff!!??)

Winner #1: Mabel Beltran!!! Who also suggested we name the Bright Pink New headband soon to be listed in the shop, *The Scarlet*!! LOVE the name Mabel, Scarlet it is!! I will try to get that headband listed asap!!

Winner #2: Melanie, who suggested we name the headband *Elizabeth Taylor* in honor of her passing. Another wonderful name Melanie!! We will be naming the new raw silk collection piece pictured in yesterday's post *The Taylor*!! Thanks Melanie!!

Ladies, please be sure to send you info and headband selection to Wendy at our Banner Boutique email address: BannerBoutique AT hotmail.com

On to today's giveaway!!
Today's giveaway is for a pair of Black Luxe Clips!! The Black Luxe is shown on my older daughter Kaitlyn above. The black Luxe is also available on a headband.

Here's how to enter:

To Enter today's giveaway:

1.) Just leave a comment here telling us you are a fan on Facebook

2.) For another entry: Post about this giveaway on your facebook page and post the link in the form of another comment here

3.) For an additional entry: Tell us your guess as to whether one of our Banner Boutique employees, Wendy, is having a boy or a girl!!??? She finds out this morning!! If you do this and guess right, you will also receive and additional PRIZE pack worth $50.00

**Giveaway ends tonight at midnight PST

See you all tomorrow for the next installment of Giveaway week!!! We just *might* be saving the best for last!!! ;)

**Thank you to Jessica Downey of Sierra Studios Photography for these wonderful pictures! If you live in AZ, you should definately check her out!!

**To learn more about the little boy I was referring to earlier, Dakota, please click here to read their story.

Giveaway Day Three!!

2011-03-23T00:09:00.000-07:00

**For information about the FREE Gifts with Purchase (ending March 28) and how to qualify, please click here.

(photos courtesy of Melissa Lyn Photography)

Thank you all so much for entering the giveaways!! It's so fun to read your comments...it was especially fun to read all of those wonderful quotes!! If you happen to post a question on the blog and we don't respond, please always contact us through the *contact seller* button on Etsy! This is always a sure way of getting a response within 24 hours.

Now...on to the winners!!!

Winner #1:Natalie Alexander

And winner #2: MarkyDsMom

Please send your contact information and if you earned the additional freebie to BannerBoutique AT Hotmail.com...also let us know which headband you would prefer! Congratulations!!

On to todays Giveaways...yes, there are 2 again!!

These items haven't even been listed yet! The first one is an *oversized* chiffon fabric flower, the second is our newest raw silk headband with suede leaf accents and Swarovski crystals...in our newest shade of silk...canary yellow!

So here are the ways to enter:

To Enter today's giveaway:

1.) Just leave a comment here telling us you are a fan on Facebook (and you do in fact need to be a fan, why would you NOT want to be a fan!!) ;)

2.) For another entry: Post about this giveaway on your facebook page and post the link in the form of another comment here

3.) For an additional entry: Help us name the headband pictured above, the Chiffon fabric flower!! If you do this and you are the winner, we will include an additional freebie!!

**Giveaway ends tonight at midnight PST

See you all tomorrow for the next installment of Giveaway week!!!

Winners, FREE Gifts for ALL, and new giveawayS!!

2011-03-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

Drum roll please...................................................................

Today's winners (yes, I said winnerS- I couldn't help but pick two today) are:

Heidi

and

Amanda D!!

Please send your color selections and shipping address to:

BannerBoutique AT Hotmail .com!! **Also, let us know if you made a purchase in the shop yesterday- you will also win an additional $100.00 worth of surprise FREE items!!

For today's Giveaway!!: 2 Items which means 2 more winners!!

The Yellow Rosette Headband: Perfect for Spring!!

And the Lavender Lilly- which has not yet been listed in the shop!

ALSO...For the rest of the week...enter the code: CELEBRATE in the *NOTES TO SELLER* in the ETSY checkout with any order placed now through Monday March 28 and receive HALF the dollar amount spent in SURPRISE FREE GOODIES-no matter the amount, every order with the code CELEBRATE gets FREEBIES!!! That means if you spend $50.00 you will receive $25.00 worth or more in surprise FREE goodies, if you spend $100.00 you will receive $50.00 worth or more in surprise FREE goodies...and the goodies are GOOD!!
(shipping amount not included)

To Enter today's giveaway:

1.) Just leave a comment here telling us you are a fan on Facebook (and you do in fact need to be a fan, why would you NOT want to be a fan!!) ;)

2.) For another entry: Post about this giveaway on your facebook page and post the link in the form of another comment here

3.) For an additional entry: Tell us one of your favorite inspirational quotes: if you do this and you are the winner we will include an additional freebie!!

See you all tomorrow for the next installment of Giveaway week!!!

Let's Celebrate 2,000 + fans!!! Giveaway Week!!

2011-03-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

I always love a good reason to celebrate...and today we have a GREAT reason to celebrate!! We just hit 2,000 fans...so let's start the giveaways!! We will be doing a giveaway EVERY SINGLE DAY this week- and there might be a **SPECIAL** giveaway I am saving for last...on Friday!!

If you are anything like me, you might feel like "what's the point, I never win anything," but I am here to say- YES!! You CAN win!! In fact, just last week for instance, I RARELY enter ANYthing (bc of my Debbie Downer attitude when it comes to giveaways), and lo and behold- I WON!!! Out of like 600 people I WON!! Seriously- I couldn't even believe it!!

So- even I am a believer that YES- YES you CAN win!!!

Here are the ways you can gain entries:

1.) Just leave a comment here telling us you are a fan on Facbook (and you do in fact need to be a fan, why would you NOT want to be a fan!!) ;)

2.) For another entry: Post about this giveaway on your facebook page and post the link in the form of another comment here

3.) For an additional entry: Tell us your 2 favorite items in the shop right now: if you do this and you are the winner we will include an additional freebie!!

LAST, but not LEAST: IF you make a purchase of any kind in the shop today and you are also the winner of our giveaway, you will also win a SURPRISE Package of some of our FAVORITE items from the shop worth $100.00!!! YES- that's right, $100.00!!! All you have to do is enter the code 2000 in the notes to seller when checking out in Etsy!!

OK- ready, set, GO!! And don't forget to come back tomorrow for the next installment of Giveaway week!!

Here is a link to see what today's giveaway is!!: LINK (in ANY color you choose!!)

HAPPY Monday!!

Extended through Monday March 14th!! Free Gifts with Purchase!! Friday March 4th through Monday night March 7th!!

2011-03-04T10:01:00.000-08:00

(click on image to enlarge)

It's that time again!! Time to get a lot of new FREE headbands with your purchase...and we have got some FABulous freebies for you to add to your headband collection!! Be SURE to check out the MANY new items listed in the shop as well!! We will continue to add new items every week so be sure to check back often!!

Here are the levels and how to qualify...please be sure to read ALL rules ;) Remember, for each level you hit, you receive that item AND ALL lower level items as well!!

Spend $23.00 Earn level 1 (see FREE item here)

Spend $38.00 Earn level 2 (see FREE item here) (freebie will be sent in pink)

Spend $59.00 Earn level 3 (See FREE item here)

Spend $82.00 Earn level 4 (see FREE item here)

Spend $118.00 Earn level 5 (see FREE item here)

**Be sure to enter the code *FREEBIES* in the notes to seller (on Etsy checkout) to qualify!!

**Earn an additional surprise FREEBIE by emailing this Promo to your friends or posting this link on facebook!! Enter the additional code: *FBFRIENDS

**Qualifying amount does not include shipping

Thank you again for being such wonderful customers!! We so appreciate each and every one of you!!! Happy Friday!!!

Below are some of the new headbands recently added to the shop...be sure to check out all of the others as well!!

(Click on image to enlarge)

XOXO,

Happy Monday...FREE gifts with Purchase!!- Extended to Tuesday!!

2011-02-28T08:48:00.000-08:00

To make Monday a little sweeter...we're doing some "free gifts with purchase" today!!

Spend $24.00 or more and receive the spring pink peony clip (pictured above). You can see the listing here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/55133913/dainty-peachy-pink-rose-bud-clippie-with

With any purchase of $39.00 or more, receive the pink peony clip AND the ruffly pink double dainty headband!! Click here for the listing to see the details ;)

And...for every order that totals $55.00 or more, get ALL THREE of these items, including a surprise color collection headband (colors will be chosen by us). Click here to see the listing ;)

For any orders totaling $79.00 or more, you ALSO get to choose a color collection headband of YOUR CHOICE made to YOUR specifications!! *Same headband shown above, this time you get to choose your colors!!

**For every level, you get that headband/clip AND all lower level items

*Qualifying amount does not include shipping

**No coupon code necessary

Happy Monday and Happy shopping!!

XOXO,

Banner Boutique

It's Here!! {Featured} The TomKat Studio Gift Guide!

An attitude of gratitude!

Pinterest...oh how I love thee!!

Another fun blog I love...!

{Show and Share} CAKE Blog...

Keep Calm and SERVE On...

Exciting announcement!!!

Dinner Group

Accessorizing for Halloween!

Chocolate Carmel Rolo Cookies!!

{Giveaway} Come meet the fabulous Anders Ruff Party girls...and win!!

Halloween Ideas for Kids!

never, never, never, ever, give up!

Back to the whirlwind!!

time to relax...

{Featured} The TomKat Studio NEW Spooky Halloween Collection and SALE!

{Featured} HGTV and upcoming debut...

The BEST thing you can do for your kids...

Recipe for Brown Butter Apple Cake by Mrs. Sweet Soiree!

It's Time!!!!!! and a few secrets revealed...including 5$ shipping for ALL size orders!

So much to do, so much to say!!!

an even BIGGER sneak and a BIG Giveaway {up to $200.00}!!

More Sneaks...and On My Mind...

My September 11th

{Featured} TomKat Studio *New* Halloween Cupcake Collection

{The Shops} San Clemente Family Vacation Part 2

TODAY is a gift!

Family Trip to San Clemente, Part 1 {Real Pictures}

our San Clemente trip thus far from Instagram...

Do you like to save 40% ?? SALE

re-focusing...

Keeping it REALLY real

An updated introduction...August 2011

Aunt Jill's Famous/BEST Salsa Recipe EVER!!

Buy Some Get Some FREE!! Ends Friday June 10 at midnight PST

Happy Mother's Day Sale! Now through Monday May 9th

Spring Value Pack!

NEW ITEM...The Shabby Chic Rose Duo Headband! 6 Color Options!

Introducing...Petite Field Flowers, The PERFECT Boutique Bow Headbands and the Mini Audrey!! Introductory Pricing for 1 Week Only!

Audrey Winners!!

AUDREY(S) Giveaway and the Winners!!!

Winners and another Great Giveaway!!

Giveaway Day Three!!

Winners, FREE Gifts for ALL, and new giveawayS!!

Let's Celebrate 2,000 + fans!!! Giveaway Week!!

Extended through Monday March 14th!! Free Gifts with Purchase!! Friday March 4th through Monday night March 7th!!

Happy Monday...FREE gifts with Purchase!!- Extended to Tuesday!!

{Featured} TomKat Studio New Halloween Cupcake Collection