Stella's First Birthday - A Haute Mom Never Does It Alone

I know all us haute moms dream about the grand 1st birthday party that we are all going to throw our little ones.  It is natural for us since, as haute moms, we thrive on party planning.  And not just any old party planning, but THEMED party planning!  Secretly, I started months ago when I bought a hot pink zebra birthday banner for Stella from Bannerparty.  I couldn't draw myself away from the sassy hot pink and zebra print in the banner - I felt it was a definite match for Stella's personality.

After the theme was decided, I just couldn't help myself.  My hubby thought I was "getting a little nuts" with the zebra print and hot pink but I shrugged him off as we haute moms do and continued on my merry planning.  We decided to have the party at our tiny little house even though we were expeting about 40 people to come.  My hubby was in charge of cleaning and I took care of the rest.  We invited friends and family and were shocked at the turn out! 

Etsy was a HUGE help in finding matching decorations and items.  Kenzy Bug supplied hot pink zebra gift bags, matching tutus, and even a matching tank top and bows for me and the family.  Her stuff was DARLING and reasonable!  I bought matching cupcake toppers from Get The Party Started that were seriously one of the greatest things I have spent money on in a long time.  The toppers had different messages on them and, of course, fit right in with the theme.  She had so many cute things to buy for themed birthdays but I had to restrain myself.  They came super fast too!  Last but not least, I have to mention the cupcakes.  I got them from Delightful by the Dozen, a local cupcake maker who has the most delicious cupcake AND they deliver! She had a fantastic choice of flavors and she even dyed some of the frosting hot pink to go with the colors!

All in the all, the party was fabulous and we were surrounded by our closest friends and family.  Stella even got to meet her great-grandfather for the first time which, to me, was the best present yet.  Take a look at some of the pictures, and pay close attention to Get The Party Started who has generously agreed to give all Haute Mom followers 15% off a purchase if you enter the code "HAUTE" at checkout!  Kenzy Bug will give all followers a 20% discount if you mention Haute Mom at checkout or send a conversation prior to ordering mentioning this blog. How haute is that?  Party planning anyone?

The birthday girl

Stella and her great-grandpa greeting the birthday zebra.

Gift bags from Kenzy Bug

Cupcakes and those FABULOUS toppers from Get The Party Started

 A closer look

The start of it all - the zebra print banner by Bannerparty

"Going nuts" according to hubby

Stella - The First Year : homemade banner (can't you tell?)

This wasn't me "going nuts" - this was from grandma (I guess that's where I get it)

Stella was a little...uh...overwhelmed when we sang "Happy Birthday"

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Thrifty Thursday

That's right haute moms - Thrifty Thursday is back! I know I haven't posted one of these in a few weeks but to be honest, I have been waiting for a really great deal to come along! I finally found one in a great little place called Etsy. For those of you who aren't familiar with Etsy, it is a site where people can buy and sell things that are handmade. If you saw my Bib Kerchief giveaway, those were made by an Etsy seller. You can find great items from furniture, to glassware, and of course baby stuff!

I recently received a pair of shoes for Stella on Etsy. I have been having a difficult time with putting shoes on her because all of the shoes seem so uncomfortable on her tiny little baby feet. Frankly, I don't like the red marks that all of her shoes leave on her because none of them fit right and I have all different kinds from Riley Roos to Robeez. These shoes are not cheap either! I definitely like the soft sole shoes since she is not walking yet but I still haven't found ones I love...until now!

Chic Monkey Boutique makes Soft Sole Baby Shoes (among MANY other things) that are as comfortable as socks or booties but with a sole on them. Stella fits into a 6-12 month size and they don't fall off like some of her other shoes but there is still plenty of room for growth. When I take them off of her, there are no red marks or signs that the shoes are rubbing or pinching her feet. Want to hear the best part? They are only $19.95! For this price you can buy a bunch of styles in darling patterns so your baby can be as haute as you are! The sizes run from 6-12 months to 18-24 months which means Stella will be wearing these for years ahead.

Check out Stella wearing her Soft Sole Shoes in Miss Kitty Tuxedo!

What's the best part of this Thrify Thursday? You guessed it! Chic Monkey Boutique is going to give a $25 gift certificate for a pair of Soft Sole shoes (or any other Chic Monkey product) to a lucky Haute Mom follower! So check out Chick Monkey and start making that wish list!

To enter you must follow Haute Mom publicly! Go to Chic Monkey Boutique and leave me one comment telling me which Soft Sole shoes you would put on your wish list! This is required and must be complete before you do any of the extra entries!

Extra Entries - leave one comment telling me you have done each of these.

-Follow Chic Money Blog

-Like Haute Mom on Facebook

-Like Chic Monkey on Facebook

-Follow me on Twitter - www.twitter.com/ktenny

-Follow Chic Monkey on Twitter - http://twitter.com/Thechicmonkey

-Tweet about this giveaway (you may do this once a day)

-Join Haute Mom on Networked Blogs

-Visit Frills and Fireflies and leave a comment about an item you would add to your wish list

-Post the Haute Mom button on your blog

-Blog about this giveaway and link back to Haute Mom

This giveaway will end Friday, November 19th at 9 p.m. PST. The winner will be selected by Random.org. Good luck!

Haute Giveaways!

There are some haute giveaways going on this week so have fun entering! Don't forget about my featured giveaway for two Reversible Bibs made by Etsy's Bloom by Arissia!

Stella loves hers!

Enter here

Here are some of the other giveaways going on around the blogosphere!

My Favorite Little Must Have Giveaway!

I recently found a small item to help Stella and I through this wet time period we call "pre-teething". It is called the Bib Kerchief and as I mentioned in my sneak preview, these are handmade and sold on Etsy by Bloom by Arissia! What is so good about the Bib Kerchief? The bibs are made for the drooly baby and have a snap close which is so much more comfortable for little Stella's neck than velcro. The bib is small enough that Stella can wear it throughout the day without it being bothersome! The Bib Kerchief is made with 100% cotton on one side and flannel on the other so it is machine washable and super absorbent. Better yet, I don't spend my day playing catch the dribble off of Stella's chin!


The Bib Kerchief is also made to be worn from three months to toddler, up to two or three years old. This, for me, was quite a bonus since most things I buy can't be worn for very long. The prints are stylish and the bibs are reversible! Stella loves wearing hers!


Let's get to the good stuff!! Blooms by Arissia is sponsoring our giveaway by providing two Bib Kerchiefs, both in gender neutral colors. The prints are adorable...on both sides!


To enter you must publicly follow this blog and visit Bloom by Arissia on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/bloombyarissia?ref=top_trail and tell me which item you would LOVE to have! Please leave me one comment when you have done both of these things. This is required and must be complete before you do any of the extra entries!

Extra Entries - leave one comment telling me you have done each of these.

• Like Haute Mom on Facebook
  
  
• Like Bloom by Arissia on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bloom-by-Arissia/315568554128?ref=ts
  


• Follow Haute Mom on Networked Blogs
  
  
• Follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ktenny
  


• Tweet about this giveaway and leave me the link to your tweet. You may do this once a day.
  

Be a HAUTE mom and start a trend! All the other mommies will want one! This giveaway will be ending Wednesday, October 27th at 9 p.m. (PST). The winner will be selected by Random.org. Good luck!

Giveaway Sneak Preview

This week I will be holding my next giveaway. The giveaway is from Bloom by Arissia and you can find her stuff on Etsy. I am very excited about this giveaway because the products are handmade so you know there has been a lot of love put into them for your precious babes! Keep posted for more details!

For now you can check out these great giveaways from Living Out Loud!