This year for Halloween I wanted to make something for Sofia that is unique, adorable, and iconic.  I had seen so many really cute costume ideas as Chanel bags, fashion icons, and so forth. It wasn't until I started to organize my jewelry box that it hit me. How cute would be to make the iconic Tiffany jewelry satchel come to life as a life size costume? It was going to be adorable, but I had to make it perfect! If you are interested in a DIY tutorial of this costume let me know, then I could start working on one and make another costume to show the steps. 

I headed to Joann fabric to find the perfect Tiffany robins egg blue to make the costume, but the fabric had to have some shape to it. It couldn't just be regular thing cotton fabric. I wasn't finding too many options, but I did get lucky and found a color that was super close, but a little more on the blue side in a thick, soft, more luxurious version of what I think is felt. It did hold some shape to it and it was easy to manage and manipulate. 

I cut out the shape of the Tiffany punch and then started to sew all of the sides together (inside out) that needed to be attached. I added some stretchy elastic to hold it up right at armpit level. I also had to get robins egg blue yarn to twist to create the satchel drawstring. I left a hole open at the top and the bottom where the top part would connect to the round part so Sofia could put her arms through there. 

This costume was such a big hit at the mall. We went to the Tiffany Store at the town center and the sales associated couldn't get enough of Sofia. Sofia got so many compliments and people stopping her to tell her how cute she looked, she was loving it! 

How do you think I did on this costume?

 

Is there anything cuter than an adorable smocked outfit? Do you have a hard time finding where to purchase them? Well look no further! I will help you find gorgeous and custom smocks for your kids! These classic staples are perfect for almost any occasion, and trust me, I will find an occasion to wear a smocked outfit on my baby. From Disney World trips to Target runs, I've got a smocked outfit for the job. The first time I saw a smocked outfit I didn't know what a rabbit hole I would be jumping into. It's not so easy to find them as a n00b, but once you've familiarized yourself with the various websites and companies that make them, and join all types of preorder groups in Facebook, a smock of any kind is at your fingertips...even custom ones!

if you are new to the smock game, let me help you dive into the smocked outfit world! I will show you my growing collection and tell you all about where you can shop for your own growing collection. 

Here is a list of my favorite smocked outfit sellers and websites:

Lana Grace Boutique - This is an online boutique that offers both pre-order and ready to ship items. You can also join their Facebook group to learn about upcoming pre-orders and interact with the owners, they are super nice! They also have hard to find smocks like Princess and the Frog Tiana themed smocks and Toy Story smocks! They even have the most adorable Target themed smocks! Ahhh!

Magic Kingdom Boutique - Oh, this is a MUST! This is where I get most of my Disney inspired smocked outfits from. I am also a member and very active in their Facebook group and often order through their pre-order section. Pre-orders can take up to 12 weeks so just know what you're getting yourself into in advance of placing your order. They do offer ready to ship items but they may be left overs from preorders so there may not always be the size that you want available. This store has it all when it comes to Disney smocks! They even offer shoes sometimes to match the smocks! Unreal!

Little Farmhouse Boutique - This is an adorable boutique that has mostly ready to ship items. They also have adorable appliqué items and bubbles. This little shop is super unique!

Smocked by Lures and Lace - This is a great pre-order company and your best bet with this one is to order from their Facebook group. If you search or them on Facebook and add yourself to their group you will get updates on when they have upcoming preorders opening up and you can then buy it through Comment Sold, which is a platform that they use to receive your payment and confirm your order. They have adorable items and you will have to wait to get them but you will not be disappointed. I even got a pair of shorts to match my little one from this site. This shop is really unique and offers some one of a kind items. 

Birmingham Bubbles - This is an adorable ready to ship website that has super cute character inspired outfits and bubbles. I ordered an adorable Aladdin and Jasmine themed bubble from this site. I love it so much and will keep it always as a heirloom item. I will probably also order it in a larger size when my girl outgrows this one. This shop ships quickly and the quality is amazing. 

Honey Bee Smocked Boutique - This sits is great for character bubbles. They are mostly ready to ship. From this site I purchased the Little Mermaid bubble. They also sell cute masks and pajamas. This shop also ships quickly and the bubbles and smocks are adorable!

Sweet Southern Smocks - This is another awesome website and Facebook preorder group to join. They have wonderful styles and even take some custom orders sometimes. This shop is great for preorders and unique items. They usually open their preorders for a short window of time and their ready to ship or extra items sell out pretty quickly. They had the most adorable Barbie collection smocks that I missed out on! 

Busy Bees Smocks - This is a great Facebook preorder group to join and website to shop for adorable smocks and appliqué items. Tis shop has incredible preorders and the most unique designs. Don't think twice because once theyre gone they become super hard to come across again!

AWE Smocks - This another one of my ultimate favorites. The owner of this company is awesome and has some great creative and unique styles. Totally join this Facebook preorder group.  This is a must follow. This shop is always coming out with new designs and don't hesitate to buy them. The owner is a hard worker who tries her best to get your shipment out to you as soon as possible! 

Sweet La Rose Smocks - This is a mostly preorder group and website. They will have nothing on their website until they have a currently open preorder. They usually keep their preorders open for about a week until its closed and then you just wait for your items to ship out to you. They have some really nice and unique designs that I haven't seen anywhere else. Im currently waiting on a long pants Monster's Inc smocked outfit to be delivered to me from this preorder shop. 

I will be adding more sites and groups as I come across them so you can revisit this blog post for updates. 

Happy shopping!

I love every season, and I try my best to embrace them all, even though I love in perpetual summer here in South Florida. Fall is fun, with the warm colors, the pumpkins, my birthday, and of course, Halloween! I cant wait to show off Sofia's Halloween costume. I made it myself by hand and I think its such a cute idea. I think it will be a very unique costume too, it's definitely not something I have ever seen for sale as a costume.

I love dressing up my little ham, especially for when we visit Disney World. How adorable is this Monster's Inc smocked bubble! One of my favorite places to get her outfits for Disney World is from a preorder group on Facebook and website - Magic Kingdom Boutique. This company has a website that you can get ready to ship items from but they may or may not be available in the size that you are looking for. You'd have to be lucky. If you order during their open slots for preorders then you are guaranteed to receive your smocked or appliqué outfit, but it would take several weeks to be delivered to you as the clothes need to be made to order. 

Sofia's bow is custom made by Vera Rose Bows, which you can purchase from on her Etsy shop - Vera Rose Bows on Etsy , or directly through DM messages on Instagram - @verarosebows. 

We are a Disney obsessed family and we frequently visits the Walt Disney World theme parks using our annual passes. Covid caused a lot of changes throughout all of the parks and one of the new additions to the parks is the Disney Genie Service feature on the My Disney Experience app. Genie Service is an at your fingertips concierge service to plan your day at any of the 4 parks. The Genie Service dashboard populates a Tip Board with recommendations on how to plan your day for both experiences and dining. With the tap of a finger you can buy Lightning Lane passes for some rides at the parks at a cost of $15 per person, with some big wait time rides having their own add on prices in addition to the $15 per person. For example, we purchased Lightning Lane passes for our day at Magic Kingdom and we got to hop on Haunted Mansion, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, and Big Thunder Mountain and were able to schedule a time to hop right onto the rides with a wait time of probably 5 minutes max. Rides like Space Mountain and Seven Dwarves Mine Train were an uncharge, around $9, or $12 per person. 

 

Every little kid loves to pretend play in a playhouse, so I decided to get one for Sofia, even if it seems like she is too young to have one for her first birthday! Pretend play and dramatic play is so valuable for child development. It encourages imagination and creativity, supports social and emotion development, and recreate experiences and positive relationships through play. Children can experiment with different roles and develop their language skills through pretend play. It is true that play time has been the first thing to be cut when it comes to school curriculum. The amount of time children are allowed to play has been drastically cut throughout the years. It's so important for kids to be kids, so allow them to play!

 

Finding the perfect crib is every mom's goal once they find out they're expecting a bundle of joy. I had purchased a full size crib for my baby just to discover that I was too worried and scared to leave her alone in there. My baby as going to sleep in a bassinet right next to my bed every night. This was the case until I discovered the Delta Children Essex mini crib which was the perfect little crib to place right next to my bed.