#theskinnygetsdressed

since opening The Skinny, meg and i have been busy trying to get our name out there and share our shop and its products. it's easy, albeit time consuming, doing the usual sort of things like facebook posts, instagram, giveaways, etc. but we really wanted to get a few unique ideas out that will not only showcase our awesome products, but also be helpful to those that may want a little extra out of a site. this is where #theskinnygetsdressed comes into play. i've dedicated this to a new series on fancy napkin, as well as on instagram and our Facebook account showcasing both small shops, unique items, and ways to style certain pieces from our various collections. 

i sincerely hope you enjoy, and that you get a little use out of this concept too! also! if you have any cool shops or items that you think would be great for this series, please reach out and send them my way! i'm always on the hunt for the newest and coolest ;)

#theskinnygetsdressed [1]
pants
sweater
cowl
moccs
panda mask

#theskinnygetsdressed [2]
buffalo check dress - poppy
black shoes
grey sweater jacket
black felt floppy hat
grey tights
wood tea set
tassel scarf

#theskinnygetsdressed [3]
plaid trouser - grey
high 5 sweater
black hi-top sneakers
red scarf
little monster pendant
wood play golf set
adventure print
dude hat

.gift guide 2013, for jack.

now that it's the first week of december and about a million other blogs have released some form of a gift guide or another, i figure i might as well jump on the band wagon and post my annual gift guide too!
this is what my sweet jack will be whispering into old jolly st. nick's ear this year. hopefully he's been a very good boy ;)

[one] ski pajamas || this is probably more for jack's daddy than anyone as he loves skiing so much, but i have a feeling our little jack will be a master of the slopes too! and these pj's are just so darn cute.
[two] wood fire station || jack loves his le van toys [he has a pirate ship & double decker bus amongst other things] and this would be just perfect to add to his little collection.
[three] faux fur sleeping bag || as noted above, jack's play teepee needs some homey items placed inside to make it all cozy and snuggly for those reading sessions jack loves. this sleeping bag is just the ticket!

[four] the little yoga mat || i mean?! right?! utterly adorable. and now jack and momma can do a little morning stretch together.

[five] love you more blanket || simply perfect. i actually want this as a keepsake it's so great.

[six] 5 string banjo || my little budding musician would love to play like his uncle luke. this may help.

[seven] camp socks || cozy camp socks. perfect!
[eight] farm to table apron set || my budding little chef already begs to be held while we prep dinner and this little apron set is just the sweetest! not to cutesie and just the right amount of awesome!
[nine] moose || just a really cute stocking stuffer.
[ten] felt campfire || jack got a play teepee for his birthday from momma and daddy. this little felt campfire would be just the greatest thing ever to situate just outside it's front opening. i can just imagine many many camping adventures in our future.
[eleven] boots || jack needs some new boots as his feet keep growing like little weeds. these are warm, lined and awesome.
[twelve] the jungle book by jennifer adams || jack actually has every single one of these books in this series and loves them all. so does his momma, so that's a win win in my books [pun intended!]. this would be a great addition, along with this one too!

*contains some affiliate links, however as always, all opinions are my own! and i thank you for supporting those companies that help make fancy napkin possible!

.some online little dudette shopping.

and for the little ladies in your life, some virtual outfits to inspire your little fashionista! or little dudette's. ya, i much prefer little dudette ;)

happy shopping.

outfit 1: buffalo check shirt || skirt || shoes || hat || boots || headband || heart tights || mittens || bracelet

outfit 2:  plaid pants || bandit long shirt || boots || glitter headband || wood pancake set || navy pom scarf || noodle fox || what does the fox say book

outfit 3: check dress || leopard slippers || grey or cream ear knit warmer || hello scarf || glitter bracelet || toque || jacket || wood salad set

outfit 4: mittens || dress || tights || jacket || gold shoes || backpack || barrettes || wood toy blender

*contains some affiliate links, however all opinions are my own and i thank you for supporting those companies that support fancy napkin, xo

.some online little dude shopping.

last night, while peter did a little reading [rare!] i did some online shopping. can we just point out, that with all the sales popping up and being in the mood for gift giving, this proved to be dangerous! here are some seriously cute outfits and items i found, just for the little dude in your life.

little dudettes coming up next! stay tuned.....

sources.

outfit 1: raccoon sweater || trousers with suspenders || leather jacket || head phones || raccoon wobbler || boots || hi bye mittens || drums

outfit 2: pirate sweater || plaid shirt | skinny jeans || toque || mittens || telescope || sneakers || wood pirate ship

outfit 3: sweater || trousers with suspenders || boots || sneakers || magnatab || ride-on car || shadow puppets || plaid scarf

outfit 4: gold kisses sweatshirt || colored skinny jeans || plaid shirt || sneakers || fur hat || wooden space center || astronaut duckies || mousetronaut book

*contains some affiliate links, however i adore each and every one of these items!

.need, want, eat, make: jack's almost 1.

our little jack bugg is about to turn one.

all i can think is damn, where has the time gone?

i am literally knee deep in party decor at the moment, planning his first birthday, and just had to sit back and take a few minutes to reflect on the past year. gosh, it's been wonderful. and busy. and emotional. and full of growth. and full of love. and full of exhaustion, but just so so so amazing. as my good friend, who is a fresh new mother herself, texted me the other day "this is better and harder than i ever imagined" and i just couldn't agree more.

so back to turning one. gosh darn it. my little boy is getting big and old.
and planning a party is waaay up my alley, so i won't complain much ;), but here's a little that needs to be done.

need || every birthday boy needs a bowtie. that's fact. 

want || this superhero sweater is just plain awesome. and that's a fact too!

eat || i love this balloon cake so much. simple, fun and looks delicious. all wins in my book.

make || these birthday straws are pretty darn great. i think i could possibly make them myself with these colorful straws, however if time is running tight buying them from here also works! perhaps if they came in a buffalo check....hint, hint....a little sneak at jack's party theme ;)

.the cookie party.

so five months ago [gosh, where has the time gone?!] i hosted a cookie taste-off party.
i personally can't take credit for the idea - that baby was sprung from the blog, you are my fav - and i basically edited it a bit and called it my own.
see, i was considering hosting this get together the minute i came across the invitation on pinterest and couldn't stop thinking about how much fun it would be. i mean, friends + cute kiddos + sweet delicious cookies? yes, please!
after what seemed like the most unlucky week to throw it [we had a few kiddos come down with croup, a few failed babysitters, etc, etc.] i gathered a small group to head on over to my place and just throw all caution to the wind by feeding both mama's and their kids as many cookies as we could put into our bellies.
the cookie contest was scored by counting the highest number on this score sheet. each cookie was put onto a plate marked with a # [as anonymous as i could get] and each # was marked and tallied on the score sheet. the winner was the highest score counted. yay!
all in all, i think it turned out pretty darn good.

^^the aftermath^^

each momma took home some extra treats in these adorable 'goodies' bags, as well as a recipe card for each cookie. [i've attached the recipes below for you to print for yourself at home. just click on the cookie for the pdf].

hershey's crinkle cookies | best ever chocolate chip cookie | brown sugar oatmeal coconut chewies | double chocolate chunk cookies | cookie fail 2013 | sweet potato cookies |

the winner was this sucker right here....heather's brown sugar oatmeal coconut chewies. super tasty, super great texture and just all around delicious! heather also went home with our small prize: fred's number cookie cutters + a mixing bowl + sprinkles :)
*i also wanted to take special mention of chelsea's 'cookie fail' recipe that she created herself! she got the directions a little mixed up and thought that you had to create your own cookie recipe from scratch, which wasn't actually part of the rules, but hey! i enjoy the enthusiasm! haha!

in the end, i think everyone had a nice time and i can't wait for the next little get together! thanks again girls!

.currently loving: children's things.

rounding up my summer editions of 'currently loving', i saved the best for last. or at least my favourite to shop for.....children!

there's just something about buying 'little people' anything that gets me so excited. could it be that my son looks so darn awesome in everything [bragging and biased mamma? completely and utterly yes!], or it could be because i can get a little more crazy with my combo choices, or it simply could be because everything 'mini' is sooooo much more adorable than anything regular-sized? well whatever it is, i simply enjoy it so darn much!

here are some things i am utterly dying to buy my little jack bugg.

1] stella mccartney kids owl sweater [just darn cute. my idea of a stick owl drawing]
2] stella mccartney belt [a baby belt has to be the best thing ever! and kinda hard to track down, actually. these colourful stripes would be perfect to jazz up an outfit and also, keep those pants in place. win win!]
3] stella mccartney kids baseball tee [this indian baseball tee has me just dying! how adorable, right? i think my jack bugg would look all sorts of cute in it too!]
4] converse chuck taylors [baby chucks. doesn't even need a desciption. just.plain.awesome. jack has white, but i just might need this black pair too!]
5] justice league underwear [when jack is potty-trained, these will be his big boy undies. fact.]
6] minnetonka moccasins [i think i have every other type of moccasin out there for toddlers, but i'm missing these! don't ask me how, because they really are the cutest.]
7] babar's birthday book [we have a thing for babar in this house. i used to watch it as a child. peter used to watch it as a child. and now jack watches it. he also has a great stuffed animal version and some amazing pyjamas [courtesy of aunt julie and holt renfrew - yes, one spoiled babe!]
8] stella mccartney horse sweatshirt [omg. horses on a sweatshirt. jack needs! this is a new fav for sure...did i mention that grandpa wayne has actual horses at his house? and now you know why jack needs this.]
9] giant colourful pencil crayons [just amazing. plain and simple. something every kid needs, no?]

*contains some affiliate links, however thank you for supporting my choices and helping to make fancy napkin possible!

.summer girls clothes, under $20.

a girls summer style guide
[& all under $20!]

in keeping things fair with yesterday's post [boys clothes, under $20], i want to share my favourite little ladies clothing, which of course are all under $20!

while i think boys are super fun to shop for [i really do!], somedays i seriously wish i had a little girl to dress. it would be trouble to the bank account thats for sure, but with so many options out there, a total blast.

so for you readers with little girls, here are some of my top [under $20] picks for girls summer style.

outfit 1: jean vest | initial necklace | checkered coral gingham shirt | leopard print skirt [for more awesome coral + leopard combos, check out my girl christine @ just bella blog]

outfit 2: straw fedora | bathing suit | kids california sunblock stick | espadrille sandals

outfit 3: straw hat | gingham romper | charm bracelet | bow flip flops

ps. have you entered the red shoe crawl- edmonton giveaway yet? [link here!] tomorrow is the last day to enter for this awesome event!! food + drinks + supporting charity + whyte ave? why wouldn't you enter??

*contains some affiliate linke, however all opinions are my own.

.summer boys clothes, under $20.

a boys summer style guide 
[& all under $20!]

with the sun finally shining and my little guy getting bigger, i decided it was probably time to bring out the summer clothes. currently, i am loving these summer boys items, that are seriously cute as can be. and the best part? they are all under $20! 

outfit 1: sunnies | mini boden stripy t-shirt | red skinny jeans | side zip canvas sneakers

outfit 2: straw hat |  sweet heart breaker tank | floral swim trunks | neon slip ons

outfit 3: hello raglan shirt | jean shorts | neon cord bracelet | grey canvas slip on shoes

and check back tomorrow for my under $20 girls summer styles. loving this warmer weather!

*contains some affiliate links, however all opinions are mine

.product review: mustache baby.

the wee man, pete, and i were lucky enough to be sent a copy of the new children's book, mustache baby by bridget heos, for a read and a review. from the very first page, we were all smitten. i mean, a baby who is born with a moustache! how can that not be a hit with both youngsters and parents??? a perfect book to read together as a family. 

so basically this adorable little babe is born with a moustache. he grows it into all sorts of styles, changing his looks from everything like 'the artist' to 'the cowboy' to 'the spanish painter". one day, the mustache grows into a bad sort of mustache and the story continues from there....

seriously, the story is adorable. the illustrations are ridiculously cute. and we have read it multiple times since receiving it. i highly recommend for your next book purchase.

**hometown side-note: i was thrilled to learn that the illustrator, joy ang, lives in my hometown of edmonton, alberta, canada. she has drawn some of the best modern cartoon illustrations i've seen in a while and i was just so proud of some local talent hitting the semi-big league!! wicked awesome if you ask me! can't wait to see what else you have coming joy!!

*special thanks to canadian family for sending our family a copy of this book to review and enjoy. while we were asked to review it, all opinions are our own. this really is a wonderful little book for all to enjoy. happy reading!

.mightee kids.

see that shirt up there that my little mr is wearing? 

cute, right?! 

it's from a company called mightee kids and i just have to spread the word about these pretty wonderful people. so let me break it down with three points about that shirt:

one: it's part of a monthly subscription that i signed the little bugg man up for. each month he gets sent a cool new shirt delivered right to our door. you pick your size and can change it at any time. so when your baby grows, his shirt can grow with him. 

two: the shirts are just simply adorable. plain and simple. great quality and a truly cool + unique design. 

three: each shirt represents a non-profit charity for that month. each month is a different non-profit and a different designed shirt [jacks particular design above supports 'children with autism']. and $5 from each shirt goes to helping that specific non-profit. pretty cool right? also! you get these awesome info cards to read with your child, filled with helpful hints to explain to them what each charity is all about. i think this is such an awesome way to teach your kids a little about the differences in the world, a little about compassion, and a little about giving + helping.

so basically, your children look cool while helping others. win-win in my books.

february, march and april designs.

*this post is not sponsored in any way. i just truly believe that mightee kids are trying to make a difference in a persons life who truly need the help. whether it be children, animals, or a community. and that, my friends, just needs to be shared.

.pink lemonade party.

almost to the day, one year ago [gosh time flies! i'm about to head out to her 2nd birthday party in a couple hours....sheesh!], i helped celebrate a 1st birthday for one sweet little girl, miss presley.
and i have to tell you, her crafty momma threw one of the cutest parties i've attended yet! complete with a pink lemonade theme!
i'll let the pictures do the talking, but as you can see, it was pretty darn rad.

i'm pretty pumped and excited to see what her momma has in store for this year....no pressure, meag's ;)