An American Girl [American Girl]

Christmas morning of my eighth year of life was one of the best memories. I remember waking up with so much excitement. I tip-toed into my parents room, gently tugging on my dad's arm telling him to basically come the eff on.

My parents staggered out of bed, while my eyes were probably sparkling out of their sockets as I ran to our Christmas tree. There, underneath the branches, was the box I had been waiting so long for. It was a simple box with just two words printed on it: American Girl. If that box would have been filled with straight gold nuggets, I would have been crushed. But luckily? it wasn't. Tears streamed down my cheeks. I finally had Kirsten. She was mine.

I took that doll everywhere with me. People would always stop and exclaim that she and I looked so much alike. I loved it. I loved her.

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Anyohtobeakidagain, Adrienne had no chance; she was going to play with baby dolls. For her third birthday, I gifted my Kirsten to her. At nearly twenty years old, the doll still looks new. It meant a ton for me to be able to give my American Girl doll to my child. It brings tears to my eyes now.

That doll symbolized happiness and magic and dreams. She symbolized my childhood.

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Being the American Girl doll lover that I am, you can imagine my excitement when American Girl contacted me about reviewing the new Saige movie and a doll.

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DEAD.

I literally picked up Adrienne and swung her around a few times screaming about American Girl dolls. If I wasn't her mom she would most likely think I was a wackadoodle. But, she is used to my weirdness by now.

I finally calmed down enough to tell her that American Girl wanted her to screen their new movie, Saige Paints the Sky, AND wanted her to have a Saige doll. As soon as I told her, Adrienne quickly ran to get her American Girl catalog to find which one I was talking about. We I couldn't turn the pages quickly enough. When I got to Saige, she exclaimed that was the one she had always wanted. She seriously kills me. She said Saige looked like her, and the doll even wore a dress in her favorite color, blue. THAT'S why she wanted Saige. Makes sense.

Each day, Adrienne would ask if the mail man had left her package. When it finally arrived, my kiddo freaked her little freak. I mean, this picture pretty much sums everything up.

Magic. Excitement. Dreams. All right there, folks.

Saige is a gorgeous doll. She has long, silky auburn hair, with bright blue eyes. What kills me the most are her tiny freckles. How cool are freckles? Very. She comes with her own book and comes wearing a blue dress that is embroidered around the waist. Her little ears are already pierced, something I haven't seen in person before, and she even has a tiny turquoise ring. She also comes with tall riding boots that Adrienne loved and wanted me to "go buy" her some to match. Because money is no object for a three year old.

Another cool thing about Saige is that she is a Girl of the Year doll, which means she will only be around until December. So, you will need to purchase one sooner than later. She won't be around for long. And they are also retiring Molly! The last of the originals. ::tear::

All in all, American Girl has been a staple in my life for many, many years. It's so awesome to be able to share the love of this brand with my own child now. I can't thank American Girl enough for making my 3 year old's life. No, for making so many little girl's lives.

Be sure to also check out Saige Paints the Sky when it comes to DVD on July 2nd. I will be talking about that on Monday!

Saige Copeland doll c/o American Girl.

DIY Cake Stand

Stopping in real quick like to share a super easy DIY. Who doesn't love homemade jaunts? This cake stand that I whipped up in, oh, about two minutes tops, makes a gorgeous gift. Need a housewarming present? Look no further. 

DIY Cake Stand

|| supplies ||

Large Plate (found mine at the Dollar Tree. Hey-oh)

Bowl (Dollar Tree)

Ceramic Glue (E-6000 is a good one, I just didn't have any on hand)

Twine (optional)

Cookie Mix (optional)

- I probably don't even need to type out instructions. But for those of you non-visual types, just basically put glue around the bottom rim of the bowl. 

- Place the plate's bottom on top of the bowl's bottom. Okay. Did I just make that sound really confusing? 

- Let dry. 

- Wrap the the cake stand with twine (or ribbon, yarn, whateves) and add a bag of cookie mix. Done. It's a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am type of thing.

Now go get to crafting. I also guest-posted this DIY over at Love Joleen Photography a few weeks ago!

Winsome Words Wednesday

#always

Olivia Welles Jewelry

Stopping in to let all you lovelies know about the Olivia Welles sale that is going on right now at HauteLook! Go find a gorgeous piece of statement jewelry for just about any outfit you own. 

Hurry up. Pieces are already sold out!!

Anyjewelsaremyjam, Olivia Welles sent me their gorgeous drop pendant to wear on the regular. Let me just tell you, it's pretty much the perfect go to necklace. It's super long, giving it a real boho feel, and the triangle point is turquoise, which is a staple color for summer. Plus, the ornate base gives it the perfect amount of fancy. 

If you can't catch the HauteLook sale, be sure to head over to the new Olivia Welles website! Ohmygosh, they have so many beautiful pieces of jewelry. AND the jewelry is also up to 70% off! Win slash win.

Here are some of my favorite items. 

Rag Dolls

When I found out I was having a little girl, I was overjoyed that I would be able to relive my childhood through her. Barbies, dress up, baby dolls, pink everything, paper dolls, doll houses, the list goes on. I now have an excuse to play with that ish. And I do. On the regular. 

I've been a doll lover since I can remember. I still haven't grown up and never will. When we go shopping, it's usually me that wants to go down the toy aisles the most. It's also me that picks up baby dolls and sniffs their sweet baby-powdered plastic smell like a straight creeper. But I don't care. 

Even my eBay search predicts American Girl and Madam Alexander dolls pretty much every time I sign on. It's like, thanks, eBay, for visualizing my lameness. But, then my ADD kicks in, and Oooh- I see a new Bitty Baby item that was listed. I quickly forget how strange I am.

Anydon'tstoptilyougetenough, Jess Brown dolls are a new obsession of mine. At close to $200 dollhairs a pop, they're a pretty pricey rag doll. But, still I swoon when I see them. I decided to scour Esty to find some handmade rag dolls that give the Jess Brown dolls a run for their little rag doll money.

Freshly Picked Moccasins Giveaway OVER

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW OVER.  
Congrats Krystyna (@sewmelove)! You have won a pair of Freshly Picked moccasins in your size and color of choice! Yayyy! Congrats! I will be contacting you shortly! Also, a big thanks to everyone who entered this amazing giveaway. Make sure you enter my newest contest! You never know, lady luck just might be on your side this time.

It's not every day that I want to drown myself in pinot, but some are worse than others. And those latter times I do have a bottle stashed for emergencies. I put my child to bed, take a deep breath, pour a rather tall glass, and turn on the Kardashians for some me time. Because. I. deserve. it.

Today is going to be one of those nights.

Irregardless and very much regardless at the same time, this brings me today's amazing giveaway. I've been an avid watcher of the Kardashians for a long while now. Since the very beginning, as a matter of fact. Those people are pretty much my frands. Don't judge.

I remember watching the show when I first noticed Mason's shoes. Mason is Kourtney Kardashian's son for those of you living under a rock, which you should probably spruce up while you're at it. Mason is always in the same shoes. All the time. Like, come on now, why can't he wear something else besides moccasins? They have oodles of money. That family is American Royalty. Okay. Full disclosure- they are American Royalty to me.

Anypleaseadoptmekhloe, I looked up Mason's shoes, because I wanted to see what all the Kardashian fuss was. And then I found out about Freshly Picked Moccasins.

This genius company was started by a mom, Susan, who wanted some well made baby shoes (aka comfy things that actually stayed on tiny feet). She basically set up shop in her home, using some scrap leather from a yard-sale (my kind of woman), and whipped up some moccasins for her kiddo. And the rest is shoe making history.

Freshly Picked Moccasins sent Adrienne a couple of pairs of their ridiculously adorable moccs to romp around in. As soon as I opened up the drawstring pouches that housed the moccs, I understood all the hype. I was holding little handmade pieces of gold. Except they were a pair of handmade, walnut-colored, leather moccasins. Same/same.

I immediately put them on Adrienne. And she started dancing. Natch.

Freshly Picked Moccasins so soft, yet durable. I was super hesitant to even let my child go outside for fear of her ruining them. I was worried that these little treasures wouldn't hold up. After not finding reviews on the wear and tear that would surely be bestowed on these baby moccs, I decided they were just too darn cute not to show off.

Well, let me tell you, since receiving these guys, they have become Adrienne's go to shoes on the daily. The leather soles have gotten a bit scuffed up, but other than that, they still look perfect.

I now completely understand why Kourtney Kardashian puts these moccasins on her children's feet. They are so comfortable, stylish, and kiddos love them. Freshly Picked Moccasins are our new favorite jam. It's a if-you-don't-know, now-you-know type of deal.

Okay, it's time for your chance to win a pair of moccs in your choice of size and color! I'm so honored to team up with Freshly Picked to host this great giveaway! Eeeek!!

For your chance to win, just log into the Rafflecopter below (or make a new Rafflecopter account), and follow the directions for each entry. Please make sure to actually do what's required for each entry. If you just click enter and not do what it's asking, I'll know. If you are unsure how to do one, skip it and contact me. I can't stress this enough. I go back and check to make sure the winner actually did what was required. I will not let cheaters win. DON'T CHEAT. Meh.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW OVER.

Congrats Krystyna (@sewmelove)! You have won a pair of Freshly Picked moccasins in your size and color of choice! Yayyy! Congrats! I will be contacting you shortly! Also, a big thanks to everyone who entered this amazing giveaway. Make sure you enter my newest contest! You never know, lady luck just might be on your side this time.

Also, for extra entries, share the giveaway photo or enter the Tag-Your-Frands giveaway photo both on Instagram!

For the IG Share Giveaway: 

1. Follow @freshlypicked and @coffeeandcashmerelove on Instagram

2. Repost the giveaway photo on your IG stream tagging both @freshlypicked and @coffeeandcashmerelove with the hashtag #freshlypickedcoffeeandcashmere
3. Make sure to heart and leave a comment on my IG post saying you shared.

For the Tag-Your-Frands Giveaway:
1. Tag your friends in separate comments on the Tag-Your-Frands Giveaway photo on my Instagram account.
2. Each tagged friend is an extra entry.

This giveaway will end on June 30th, 2013! One winner will be picked at random and will receive their choice of moccs from Freshly Picked. This giveaway is only open to US residents. The winner will be announced on coffeeandcashmere.com and will also be notified via email. The winner will have ONE week to respond to the email and claim their prize. If the winner never responds, a second winner will be picked at random.

Thank you so very hard, Freshly Picked, for being such an inspiration. And for creating the greatest kiddie foot candy. Ever.

Adrienne is also wearing a handmade dress that my sweet frand brought her back from Ecuador. The little pearl bracelet is an American Girl doll necklace.

The winner of Coffee and Cashmere's last giveaway was Crystal R.!