Five Friday Favorites - A Little of This and A Little of That

This week's Five Friday Favorites is a mix of a bunch of things I'm loving right now...shoes, clothes and household stuff.  Check it out.

 #1 - Platform Sandals from Amazon

shirt / pants / sandals

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these platform sandals from Amazon. This style is on trend this season. I'm seeing them everywhere. At first try they seem comfortable but only time will tell over time. Comes in a bunch of colors and band styles. I like this basic tan color as it will go with so many things. Fit is true to size and they are under $35!!! Don't have a color you like...try these from Target.

#2 - Succulents

I ordered these ADORABLE succulents from Etsy seller SuccItUpSucculents as the favors for my sister's baby shower and they were AMAZING. A whole bunch of varieties came and even a few extras in case they were damaged in transit. She has all sort of amazing succulent offerings for you to have as favors for your next party, to gift or simply to have at your home. Highly recommend. And great news for you guys, she's offering 15% off for my readers with code CHRISTINASFAVS. Check out my other Etsy loves here.

#3 - Beach Hat

You will be seeing this hat on repeat this summer. I've had it in my Amazon shopping cart saved items for a year now. I discovered it at the end of the season last year and decided to wait to pull the trigger till I actually needed one again. I'm so glad I did. I LOVE the look and fit. And you can't beat the under $20 price tag.

#4 - New Balance Sneakers

I am LOVING these New Balances I got from DSW. They are under $60 and the PERFECT blush pink for spring. You will start seeing these on repeat for sure. Very comfortable. Highly recommend.

#5 - White Eyelet Dress

dress / shoes / clutch

I am DEFINITELY packing this Top Shop dress for spring break. LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! It's so romantic and flowy and I'm a sucker for the eyelet detail. It runs big...I ended up sizing down one size. Also comes in blue. Now I just need a tan and it will look perfect! 

Gift Idea Friday - Baby Blankets AND a Giveaway!!!!

When Ella was born she got A LOT of blankets from people...some homemade, some bought, some for snuggling and some for swaddling.  We have a few favorites and there's one that I wanted to share with you.  My good friend Kristen bought Miss Ella this adorable navy blue blanket with pink and white chevron detail (her initial on one side and dragon (2012 is year of the dragon) on the other side.  They are from etsy seller My Little Mookie and probably the most comfy blanket she has.  One side of the blanket is t-shirt jersey and the other side is a soft cuddle fleece.  We use it both to snuggle with and also have her lay on because it's got a little cushion to it.  My husband loves the blanket so much that I caught him snuggled up it...well his legs anyway because it's so small.  I decided he deserved a blanket for himself so I contacted the seller and she made me a custom family blanket and I was just over the moon excited when it arrived.  It turned out so good.

In addition to selling these fabulous blankets, she also has super cute bibs, burb cloths and onesies.  She was very generous and sent some goodies for me to giveaway to my blog readers!  I have three giveaways to share and I'm keeping them somewhat a secret so you can be surprised if you win.

1) Toddler Shirt

2) Small Baby Blanket

3) Diaper Covers

To win, all you have to do is the following -

1) Be a follower (see right hand side)
2) Leave a comment that you are a follower and your email address
3) For an extra entry, follow my blog on FB and leave another comment letting me know you follow

Giveaway closes Friday at 9pm ET and I will announce the winner sometime next week.  Good luck! 

Favorite Thing #224 - Etsy Stalkers blog

I absolutely love Etsy and sharing with you the fun boutiques I find. I came across a blog that does this regularly. Etsy Stalkers is a great blog that highlights amazing Etsy boutiques. Between this and Heartsy I am going to be finding lots of great new boutiques and gift ideas. Definitely recommend you check out both!

Etsy Find - Letterpress Stationary

There is a great Heartsy deal today for an Etsy seller, Ari Press, who does amazing letterpress stationary. I definitely just ordered this deal - for $12 you get a $30 credit to her shop. I can't wait to order some fun stationary. Here are some of my favorites...

Thrifty Thursday - Heartsy

It's been a while since I've done a Thrifty Thursday post but as soon as I found Thank you SOOO much to Ann at It's the Little Things for blogging about this thrifty find - Heartsy. Consider Heartsy a Groupon style site for Etsy. Each day there are several Etsy boutiques or other Etsy like vendors offering discounted coupons for their products. I'm so excited about this site because I love shopping at Etsy and this will expose me to soo many more fun sellers! I definitely recommend you sign up for the daily emails.

A Fabulous Etsy Seller

I love talking about Etsy sellers that I love and hopefully giving them new business. Classic Designs by Theresa Mink is an incredible boutique that sells very classic jewelry. I know own two of her pieces and one on the way. The first piece is a very dainty cross (see above). It was on my wish list for Christmas and was giving to my by Hubby's aunt and uncle. It comes in both gold and silver. The second piece, also on my Christmas wish list, was given to my by my FIL and it's the Silver Reign necklace. It's a super cute, long necklace with silver discs. I will wear this necklace a lot this spring/summer!
I just purchased this necklace and can't wait for it to get here! It's very simple and I will probably pair it with Favorite Thing #94. Make sure you check out her boutique!

A New Etsy Find!

A found these adorable bags while browsing Etsy a few weeks ago. KaraMiaSofia has an adorable shop with so many cute makeup bags in really great patterns. I ordered a couple and they are absolutely ADORABLE. The price is great and each bag came individual wrapped. She has an array of makeup pouches, gadget pouches and clutches. I definitely recommend you check her stuff out - great quality, very affordable and super cute.

Etsy Find!

I was really disappointed when I found out that the etsy seller that made the wood plaques I bought a while back moved to Germany and wasn't making them anymore. I searched etsy to find a new seller and found StyleMarkDesigns.

She also does wood plaques that are very affordable. They are different from the ones that I've bought previously but I really like them. The seller was very responsive and professional. I was so happy with the quality of service and product that I will definitely be ordering from her again. Check her stuff out.

Latest Etsy Purchase

It's been a while since I've purchased anything from Etsy. I was very excited to find this makeup brush roll. It's super cute and a great price ($16.99). This Etsy seller, A Soft Black Star, has lots of fun patterns for these brush rolls and some of them have matching makeup bags. Check her stuff out here.

Another great Etsy find!

Thanks to Fantabulously Frugal for this great Etsy find. This fabulous shirt is by Etsy seller Roselabiche. I love this shirt and definitely think I'm going to order one after the holidays. There are lots of other cute things in the shop so definitely check it out. The designer is French and resides in Paris.

Another great Etsy find

Thanks to I am Style-ish for featuring this super cute knit hat from Etsy seller MaxMelody. This Etsy boutique has some really cute hats and scarfs for sale. Definitely go check them out.

Fabulous Etsy Find

Thanks to Bright, Bold and Beautiful for featuring Kyle Ann Metals in her Fall Accessories Under $100 post. There are some GORGEOUS handmade pieces in this etsy shop. I have my eye on the earrings. I can't decide between the Vanilla Ice or Rose. What do you think?

Favorite Thing #181 - Bright, Bold, and Beautiful Blog and Etsy Shop

I can't remember how I discovered Bright, Bold and Beautiful but I'm so glad that I did. This blog features all different Etsy sellers. She features sellers that have jewelry, clothing, housewares, etc. I've found so many adorable things for myself and gifts because of her site. She does the research for me! You definitely should add her to your reader. Not only does she have a fabulous blog but she is an Etsy seller as well. She's a very talented water color artist. Check out her amazing stuff here. I've had my eye on this piece.


and I also love this one.



Unfortunately, Favorite Thing #81 got canceled. I loved this show. Oh well at least I still have Gossip Girl.

Review of some recent purchases

I've been really good about my shopping and not going too crazy. I've bought a few things recently so I thought I would review them. I can say that each purchase was under $10.
First up is this beautiful lavender shirt from BCBG. Cost - FREE. I bought this last week when BCBG had their RueLaLa boutique. Retails for $158, RueLaLa price $49, my cost $0. I had referral credit in my account so I didn't have to pay a single penny for this shirt. It's a great knit sleeveless shirt with ruffles. I love it!

Rue La La is a By-Invitation-Only Sample Sale site. Click Here to sign up using my personal invitation link. This link will grant you immediate access to the site after you sign up. (FYI - If you just sign up the regular way you will just be put on the waiting list.)

Next up is a an onyx ring from Farafield Jewelry. Hubby got my a pearl ring from her Etsy store for my birthday so I was looking at what else she had and I found this ring on clearance for $9. The price was too good to be true. I wear a lot of black so I knew I would get a lot of use out of it. The Farafield Etsy shop is currently closed while she is on vacation.

And last I got this cute Mariposa silver cocktail napkin holder via One Kings Lane. We entertain so much and this is going to be a perfect addition to my serving pieces. Retail price $44, One Kings Lane cost $22, my cost $9.95. I had a $20 credit from them for recently signing up so I really only paid for shipping and taxes.

One Kings Lane is by invitation (like Rue La La) so either leave me a comment with your email address or email me at christinasfavoritethings@gmail.com and I will send you an invite.

Gift Idea Friday - Custom Wood Plaques

This gift idea is another great Etsy find. These custom wood plaques are from A Simple Impression. It is the perfect gift for a bridal shower, wedding, or housewarming. I got one of these for my home and I love it. We have it right above our kitchen table. They come in a variety of styles and colors. The one I ordered looks exactly like the one pictured above. They are very affordable ($25) and unique. Check out the Etsy store for some of their other great offerings.

Very Exciting News...

One of my favorite Etsy sellers is back! Daisy's Darling Designs is back up and making bibs. These are the bibs that I got for my niece when she was born and I was in desperate search for something similar when my nephew was born but didn't find anything that came close. I'm sooo excited that she's back to making bibs. I'm definitely going to order some for my nephew for Christmas. These make the perfect baby gift so so check out her Etsy site.

My Birthday Wish List

My birthday is this month (June 20 to be exact). I can't believe that I am going to be 27. Hubby has asked me to post a birthday gift wish list so hear it goes -

Sweater

Bracelet

Shirt (Size XS)
UPDATE: no longer available :(

Ring

Ring

Ellen and Ollie dress

Pillows

Necklace from Target

and the matching earrings

Dressy jersey cinched dress

Chandelier Bracelet

Chandelier necklace

Also, I'm looking for a pair of simple gold (not real) ball stud earrings (like Favorite Thing #28 but I don't want them to be Tiffany)

Another Great Etsy Find...

The Etsy store retrofied makes some adorable purses and diaper bags. The fabric patterns are so cute. And the bags themselves are adorable. Here are some of my favorites -

Another Great Etsy Find...

I am obsessed with the pillows from this Etsy shop. Alexandra Ferguson has the most adorable pillows. I really want the pillows below. Obviously I would get a C (from me), an M (for Hubby) and and S as the middle pillow (for our last name). I wish they weren't so pricey because I don't think I can convince Hubby to spend $149 on pillows.