September 29th

The huge, amazing seven prizes, seven winners September sponsor giveaway ends today! If you haven't already, you need to head over and enter it. Your chances of winning are almost as great as the prizes!

The other thing that ends today is September. It's not too late to be an October sponsor and join me for LOTS of Fall fun (or, Spring fun if you're one of my friends on the other side of the world)! If you're interested you can contact me at mamalovespapablog@gmail.com

Have you entered the Totsy giveaway and linked up to Small Style yet? It's not too late to do so! I know I had a LOT of crazy technical difficulties yesterday and I'm so sorry about that. I guess it's what happens when you're at the mercy of computer programs and machines. Oh my!

Small Style #31 (and a GIVEAWAY from Totsy!)

Happy Thursday, friends! It's almost the weekend. YAY!

I took these photos of Miss Finley right before our Costco run. Eric went ahead with the boys and Finley and I stopped in the parking lot to snap a few pictures. She was WAY more interested in the motorcycle parked nearby than having her picture taken. I told her that it was dirty, so that she wouldn't touch it. The whole time, even after we did our shopping and were leaving Costco she kept saying, "Motorcycle loud. Motorcycle dirty."

I love this sweet sweater that she's wearing from Totsy. The buttons at the shoulders and the bell sleeves are such sweet details and I could help but think, WHOA, that size 2T fits her too well. Where did my baby go?








Sweater- c/o Totsy, Shorts- Gap, Shoes- c/o See Kai Run, Bow- Adornme Girl
As you all know, I like to dress my kids cute and I like a good deal, which is why I love Totsy. Totsy has so many adorable items at up to 90% off. They have toys, apparel and items for kids, but some of my favorite things have been for...me! I love the mom directed sales. When you invite your friends and your friend receives their first purchase you get $15 credit. (Such a great way to shop!)

My favorite part is that Totsy employs sustainable "green" business practices. They plant a tree in honor of your child when you make your first purchase. How cool is that? So far, they have planted over 25,000 trees in Peru!

Right now there is so many cute things up! I am loving the Secretly Spoiled sale. That little girls trench coat? I die.

Today Totsy is giving away $25 credit to one lucky person. To enter become a member (if you're not one already) and leave a comment with your favorite item for sale right now.

For additional entries (please leave a separate comment for each entry):
-Follow @MyTotsy on twitter
-Like Totsy on facebook
-Follow @mamalovespapa on twitter
-Like mamalovespapa on facebook
-Tweet, blog, or post on facebook about this giveaway

You have until Wednesday, October 5th to enter. A winner will be chosen using random.org. I was given Totsy credit to review a product, but all opinions are mine.

Link up here: (Sorry for all of the technical difficulties!)

Sew A Long: The Bodice

So, remember when I told you my next pictures were going to be way better? Well, I lied. That was before my camera decided to break, so you get this lovely hideous thing instead. (That thing on my lip isn't really on my lip. It's a smudge on my mirror. Whoops!)

I finished my top bodice thing. Yay! I can't say that it wasn't without much confusion, frantic emails to Tatum, and getting to be bbfs with my seam ripper, but I did it. I even did the fancy-schmancy seam finishing thing ala Tatum.

I can't wait to really see this thing come together and, no matter what, I'm determined to wear it out. I have total dreams of sewing a lot more of my clothes, but I guess I need to take it slowly and do the next step.

(Oh, and yes, my dslr is broken. I'm sending it in to get fixed tomorrow and I'm really hoping it's a quick, easy, and CHEAP fix. In the meantime, I only have my point and shoot and camera phone.)

Whispers and Willows and Lulu's Giveaway WINNERS

The winner of the beautiful locket from Whispers and Willows is #2 Deanna. Congratulations!

Don't forget to use the coupon code BIRDS for a secret amount off of your purchase.




The winner of the $40 credit to Lulu's is #62 AubreyLaine. Congratulations!


Make sure to enter the September Sponsors Giveaway with seven amazing prizes to win!

Guest Post: Manda from Once Upon My Life

I'm so excited to introduce you to one of my lovely sponsors, Manda from Once Upon My Life. I am always so inspired by Manda's beautiful pictures and the fun things she does with her family (and, I love her boys' names!). This is such a fun idea and I know you'll love it!

Don't forget to come back later this afternoon. I will be having an A-mazing giveaway from several of my lovely sponsors. You will not want to miss it!
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Hi! I'm Manda and I blog at Once Upon My Life. I also have a little shop, Mooies, where I sell sweet vintage clothes for your sweet little ones. I'm the mama to three handsome little men, Lincoln {5}, Malacai {3} and Levi {1}. I am so thrilled to be guest posting here on Morgan's incredible blog. I love the creative things that Morgan does with her children and thought I would share a creative/crafty idea with you today - "birthday paintings". The idea is to have my boys do a painting every year on their birthdays - and I hope to continue this through their eighteenth birthdays. I thought this would be a fun way to encourage them to be creative and I get some great artwork to hang on my wall!

Here's a glimpse of what it looks like doing our birthday paintings:



Getting ready. {It was a bit windy the day we painted, thus the rocks holding everything down}. I stocked up on acrylic paint from Michaels when it was on sale. I let the boys choose the colors they want to use.



My little artists - Lincoln and Malacai hard at work. {Also - I have no idea why they are painting in their good shirts...it never occurred to me to change them when we got home from church. Thankfully they were very neat painters this year.}



Levi doing his very first painting. It's a bit trickier on their first & second birthday - they need a lot of help to make sure that paint actually makes it on the canvas.



Lincoln proudly displays his 5th birthday painting {I love the little purple guy in the middle of his painting!}. I always make sure to write their name, date they actually did the painting, and what year the painting is for.



The collection of birthday paintings so far. Can you imagine what 54 will look like?!


Some thoughts:

-My boys do not share birthdays or even birthday months, but as you can see from the photos - this year, they all did their paintings on the same day. Some years I do better at having them do a painting on or close to their birthdays - some years I'm off by a few months - I don't stress about it.
-I have the boys do their paintings on a 6x6 canvas, but doing this on any size canvas would look great. Smaller ones would be cute. Or using a combination of sizes would look really good too. If you're worried about not having enough wall space for yearly paintings, another idea could be to use some quality paper, paint and frame it, and then every year just slide the new painting into the frame.
-My husband actually makes our canvases. If you or your spouse is handy this could save some money on buying the canvases.
-This year, I did a colored coat of paint on the canvas before the boys did their paintings, and I love how this looks.

Thanks so much for hosting me today! I'd love to hear from you - stop in at my blog and say hi. Also, Mama Loves Papa readers get a discount at my shop this month - use code MAMALOVESPAPA20 - to get 20% off your order. Have a lovely day!

Sew A Long: Cutting

Happy (late) Monday night/Tuesday to all of you, friends! I'm sorry this post is coming so late. My life has been so crazy, I can't even begin to tell you. I'm praying that things settle down soon.

Today I am guest posting over at Lovers In a Dangerous Time. I'm sharing places that I'd love to visit while Eva is in Italy. Wouldn't you love to be in Italy right about now? I definitely would!



Tatum has the first two steps of the Sew Along up. Have you read them yet? I have my pieces cut out (I'll take better pictures tomorrow when the sun is out) and I'm ready to sew the bodice. Wish me luck!

I decided to go with a plain navy cotton fabric. The first dress I cut out was a vintage floral print, but I thought that a plain dark pattern would hide my mistakes and be easier to line up (and I could avoid the "Eve look," as Tatum hilariously put it, by a mistakenly placed flower). I also think navy is perfect for Fall!

A few tips that Tatum gave that helped me were- when it comes to pinning more is more. When you don't have enough pins it's easy to get off on your cutting. Pin at every corner and curve and long stretch, then add a few more. Also, the notches on the pattern face inward, but you'll cut them outward. That's probably obvious to everyone but me. I couldn't figure out where my notches were.

Come join us over at the flickr group! You can post questions, pictures of your process (don't feel like you have to keep up...just work at your own pace!), and we'd love to have you introduce yourself.

September Sponsors GIVEAWAY

Hello readers! I am giving away the most popular item from my shop, one of my 100% Cotton Crocheted headbands (modeled by the lovely Arielle Elise of A Beautiful Journey! Crocheted and stitched by me with precision and LOVE! You will be able to choose from a wide selection of colors to suit your style.
SHOP - BLOG



200x200 October Ad Space at Changing Lanes Blog
BLOG



A lovely vintage tablecloth in sweet Fall colors from Roots and Wings. Use on your table or for a special project.
BLOG


For one lucky person in the internet you'll have free range of your choice of one item in my shop once upon a time ... there's lots to choose from be it a tee for a special little person of a custom felt toy. It's up to you ....
SHOP
Use code teatime1 for 10% off.



Any large PRINT in stock from my SCRAPPS FLEA MARKET ETSY store.
BLOG - SHOP


A $20 shop credit toward any merchandise in Little Vintage Me!
SHOP- BLOG - FACEBOOK
Use code MAMALOVESPAPA15 for 15% off.



A burpy/onesie gift set of the winner's choice.
SHOP - BLOG
Use MAMALOVESPAPA for 10% off any non-custom order.


There will be seven lucky winners- one for each item! To enter visit each blog and shop and leave a comment here about something you love!

For extra entries tweet, blog, or facebook about the giveaway. (Leave a separate comment for each additional entry.) You have until Saturday, October 1st to enter. A winner will be chosen using random.org. Good luck!

Welcome to the Lisette Sew A Long!

Today's the day! (Well, for those of you on my side of the world...I might be a few hours behind for the rest of you.) Tatum from somewhere in my imagination is kicking off the Lisette Sew A Long over at her blog with a welcome vlog (she's the cutest!), the rundown, and a list of supplies.

Each day Tatum will post instructions on one part of the pattern and some tips with her expertise. The next day I (the novice/beginner/have no idea what I'm doing lady) will post my attempts following Tatum's instructions and show what I did. I'll include any helpful hints I found along the way or things that stumped me. Feel free to post comments on Tatum's blog, mine, or the flickr group.

So, head on over to Tatum's blog and say hello. Will you be joining us? I hope so!

Guest Post: Mandie of Moxie Mandie

Today I'm so excited to have Mandie of Moxie Mandie guest posting. I love Mandie's style and her incredible eye for beautiful fabrics. I know you'll love hearing a little bit about her crafty journey and how she started her shop.

Thank you SO much for sharing with us, Mandie!
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Hi there. I'm Mandie, & I run a shop & blog called moxiemandie. I'm a girl that loves fabric (amongst many other things) and decided to do something about it. You see, I've had a designing eye & inspired mind for quite some time, but didn't have an outlet. I tried to pick up sewing 2 years ago, but for some reason, it just didn't *click*. I had ideas floating around my head, with no realistic way of executing them & was frustrated.

Fast forward a bit of time, and my life had shifted a bit- my hubby was laid off & went back to working nights, so I suddenly had 5 nights a week to myself. Around the same time, I received an email from my old sewing teacher saying that she was starting up a weeknight class & would I like to join? Things were slowly (or not so slowly) settling into place for a new thing to happen, and I was having fun.

I learned how to install a zipper before anyone told me that it was supposed to be tricky or hard (thank God!), and began making little zipper pouches out the wazzoo. I signed up for a craft show, and brought as many little zipper pouches as I could turn out with, and moxiemandie was born.

Since last fall, my shop has evolved a lot and several products have already run their course. I began with zipper pouches, and now sell nothing (at this time) with a zipper in it- my shop is almost exclusively home accessories now. I knew very little about anything business related when I opened last October, and to be honest, it's definitely not my strong suit yet. However, I hit the ground running, or I guess in my situation, sewing, and have had a blast. There have been disappointments, and I'm sure there will be more, but I can say that it's been one of the best experiences of my life, and that through all of this 'shop stuff', I've learned more not only about who I am, but who I'd like to be and what it may take to get there.

I'd like to encourage you to start- anywhere- with what your dream is and run with it. It's not going to be easy, most likely, and it won't happen in one day, but honestly, & I know this is so cliche, but the journey really is where it's at. :)

Small Style #30

Thank you so much for visiting this week's Small Style! I'm love seeing new faces join in each week and, of course, I love all of you who have been here since the beginning! Small Style is definitely something I look forward to each week!








Dress- c/o Minor Edition, Shoes- Saltwaters

Have you heard of Minor Edition? I hadn't until recently, after chatting with Ipshita the founder of Minor Edition, on twitter. Minor Edition is a UK based shop filled with gorgeous dresses for little girls.

The dresses are, "manufactured ethically on a small scale. The fabrics are from India...and the designs were all sketched by hand on paper and then stitched in detail for your gorgeous little ones." These dresses are well-made, have so many beautiful details, and are well-priced. Finley and I both LOVE her dress!

This week only all international postage from Minor Edition is only £4.00 (about $5.50). Have fun shoppping! Thank you so much, Ipshita!

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So, about the weather (You know I love me some weather talk. Just call me old lady.), has is cooled down where you live? It's still in the 90s around here and I guess I should be enjoying it while it lasts. We'll be bundled up for awhile once the cool weather starts, but I sure am anxious for it now!

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Don't forget to enter to win the beautiful locket from Whispers and Willows. The giveaway ends tomorrow!

Link up here:

Want to Sponsor?

October is glorious!

Changing leaves, cool air, pumpkin patches, apple picking, harvest parties, and trick or treating.

In our family, our oldest turns seven and we'll be celebrating in....Disneyland!

We'd love to have you along for the ride!


If you are interested in advertising on Mama Loves Papa you can visit this page or email mamalovespapablog@gmail.com.

Vintage Love

Dress as top- Forever 21, Skirt- Vintage, thrifted, Shoes- Urban Outfitters
First, let me explain the facial expressions. This is a place that we love to take photos. It's pretty much a deserted parking lot. The background looks cool, but the problem is that on the other side of the parking lot the sun is shining directly on a white concrete building. It's SUPER bright. In pretty much every picture I was totally squinting (except where I'm looking down).

Second, let me explain the skirt. When I bought it I wasn't so sure about it. It's a little big in the waist, but after I belt it I fell.in.love. I am loving the midi length skirts right now. Fortunately for me I scored a navy midi-length skirt at another thrift store. I love thrifting.

Have you had any good thrifting experiences lately?

I'm linking up at The Pleated Poppy.

Will I see you tomorrow for Small Style?

10 Things I Love

"Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes, snowflakes that stay on your nose and eyelashes, brown paper packages tied up with string, these are a few of my favorite things." -The Sound of Music

Source: brooklyncruiser.com via Emily on Pinterest

Today I thought I'd share with you a few of my (totally random and in no order of importance, silly and superficial) favorite things.

1. Boots. I love, love, love boots. I've been into riding boots and cowboy boots for a long time (still love them), but this year I'm dying to wear my thrifted black motorcycle boots, 70s boots from my grandma, and newly purchased Minnetonkas.

2. Snacks before bed. Well, I love food in general, but there's just something so indulgent (and it's also a total comfort thing) about a snack before bed. The only thing that would make this better is if my husband would actually partake with me. (He always says he's, "no hungry." Bah humbug!)

3. Bike rides. Riding my bike makes me feel so free and child-like. And, it's exercise. Win-win.

4. Nerdy computer stuff. But, blogging is cool, right?

5. Coffee dates. Drinking coffee in your house or on the go is just not the same. You have to sit in the coffee shop and have a conversation for maximum enjoyment.

6. Running. I don't always love the process of running, but (cliche, cliche, I know) I love the way it makes me feel when I'm done and I love what it does to my body. I feel strong when I run.

7. Shopping. Well, duh, right? Retail therapy. I believe in it.

8. Holding hands. With Eric or the kids, there's something so sweet about holding someone's hand.

9. Quiet nights by myself. I don't mind when Eric goes out at night with friends (as long as it's after the kids' bedtime, so I don't have to do the bedtime routine alone), so I can spend the evening doing whatever I want. That usually includes watching a show or movie that Eric doesn't like, eating a snack (see above about snacks), blogging and answering emails, and massive amounts of tweeting (see above about nerdy computer stuff).

10. Vintage shoes. I've totally scored in the vintage shoe department while thrifting lately. That makes me happy.

World Music Festival

This weekend we went to the annual Chico World Music Festival. It's always fun to hear the bands play, hang out on a blanket, eat good food, and they even have some fun activities for the kids.

We got there early (Samuel was with my mom, he had spent the night with her the night before) to set up our blanket and then let the kids do some craft projects.

We listened to a local band called The Railflowers. I went to high school with one of the sisters who is a part of the band. I loved them so much I even bought their cd!

My dad met up with us at lunch time where we ate my favorite thing EVER- Indian food. YUM! The Indian food is one of the main reasons we go to the festival. We enjoyed our Indian food while watching some crazy hippy dancing and then it was time for our bike ride home and nap time for the little ones.

September Coupon Codes and Special Offers

Here are the September sponsors' current coupon codes and special offers. Have fun shopping!


Coupon code for 15% off with MAMALOVESPAPA15 at Adornme Girl.



Coupon code MAMALOVESPAPA for 15% off at Mum's Little A's.




Coupon code SEPT20 for 20% off at Roots & Wings.




FREE worldwide shipping when you buy 2 prints [including at least one large print- 20cm width or height, OR larger] at Scrapps Flea Market.
Paypal customers only. Applies to prints, not original canvas work.




Coupon code MAMALOVESPAPA15 for 15% off at Little Vintage Me.




Coupon code mamalovespapa for 25% off at The Vintage Letter.




Coupon code HELLOFRIEND for 20% off atSpancy Ketosherosh.



Coupon code MAMALOVESPAPA15 for 15% off at Sugar Petite.




Coupon code MAMALOVESPAPA20 for 20% off at Mooies.




Coupon code teatime1 for 10% off at Once Upon A Time...




Coupon code BIRDS for a secret amount off Willows and Whispers.

Minnetonkas

So, I'm really wanting some Minnetonkas for the Fall- a pair for Finley and a pair for me. The difficult part is deciding on a style.

What do you have your eye on right now?