Around Here.

Hello, hello! It's Craft Camp week, one of my favorite weeks of the year. I'm spending my mornings with nine of the sweetest girls around and then afternoons by the pool. Blogging may be light for a few days, friends. I know you understand. So, until I get a real post together for you, enjoy these shots of miss Audrey dancing poolside. 

This firecracker has all kinds of moves. Puts me to shame, for sure.

Inspired By:

The Parent Trap.

I've been spending some time getting ready for Craft Camp and have found myself terribly inspired by The Parent Trap. This movie was a summer staple in my home growing up and I'm continuing the tradition with my own children. The scenes from Camp Inch where Susan and Sharon first discover one another have been in my brain all week. I love the colors of the girls camp uniforms, the canoes, teepees, and that "Bless Our Broken Home" sign from the very beginning of the movie. There are also banners made of feathers that I can't seem to forget either.  

All of the above images are from Design Sponge's "Living In" feature which is completely wonderful. 

Cowboy Birthday Party in Parents Magazine!

I was thrilled when I received an email waaaaay back in March from Parents magazine asking if they could use Owen's Cowboy Birthday Party in the July issue. Of course I said yes and I've been counting down the days to get my hands on a copy so I could share the news with all of you. Have you seen it yet? I have to say, it's fun (and surreal!) seeing my name in a real magazine.  Owen was pretty excited too.

The July issue of Parents is still available on newsstands. You need a copy, right? Also, you can hop over to Parents.com and check out this slideshow for even more pictures and details from the party.

Hello, Paper + Twine and a GIVEAWAY.

The winner of the Paper + Twine giveaway is:

Congratulations Teacher Anonymous! You will be hearing from Paper + Twine shortly.

I've been a fan of the lovely goods in Paper + Twine's shop since the moment I first laid eyes on their darling Tooth Fairy Kit.  I know you'll agree with me when I say it's the cutest! Shop girl Casey has thought of every last detail to include in this kit, even down to the fairy dust. Plus it's packaged in a gocco printed cloth bag. That alone ups the cuteness factor, am I right?

I'm thrilled to announce Paper + Twine as my latest sponsor. Not only does Casey create her darling tooth Fairy Kits, but she has a shop full of hand bound journals and cards.

Each card is illustrated by hand then gocco printed in the prettiest colors and come with coordinating envelopes. I'm in love with the illustrations.

Today Paper + Twine is offering up any four cards that are currently in the shop to one lucky reader. Winner's choice. There are so many darling options, I have no idea how you'll decide. Good luck!

Giveaway Guidelines:
-Make one comment on this post to enter.
-Giveaway closes Monday, June 27th.
-Winner will be chosen via random.org and announced on Tuesday June 28th at the top of this post.

This is a sponsored post. If you have a shop that you think would be a good fit for Dandee and are interested in sponsorship, I'd love to hear from you! Email me at dandeedesigns@gmail.com for more information.

Weekending.

Is it Monday already? Sometimes in the summer I have a hard time keeping track of the days. 

Please tell me I'm not the only one. . . 

This weekend started off with a trip to the farmer's market.

Then there was a swim party.

A wedding.

There were lazy mornings in bed.

And a handsome father to celebrate.

It was wonderful.

Oh, and I have a new obsession to tell you about. It's called Instagram and it's my new favorite app. It transforms my iPhone pictures into pretty vintage looking snapshots. You can find me there (just search for danyelle_mathews) + see the father's day card I created, my new favorite skirt, and other tid-bits from our day to day. It's super fun and free. What's better than that?

This very moment. . .

We're recovering from kidney stones, muscle spasms and colds. All during the first week of summer. Boo.

Craft Camp is coming together and is going to be better than ever. 

Oliver is obsessed with trains and is currently sitting on my lap, driving them over the keyboard jkldsidygbgm.

I can't stop thinking about the exciting news I have to share! Just waiting for one last piece to fall into place.

Summer hasn't quite made it's way to our neck of the woods. The days are still windy with cloud bursts here + there. Are you enjoying summer yet? I hope you are.

Summer In A Basket.

As a little thank you to the children's teachers for all they do, I put together these Summer In A Basket gifts for the last day. Inside I tucked a few of my favorite summer things: Sparkling Clementine Izze, a striped straw, Essie polish, a Barnes & Noble gift card and my favorite snack of the moment- raw almonds + dried cranberries.

Sources:
Mini bushel baskets- Hobby Lobby on sale for .64 cents each
Mini chalk boards- Jo Ann's
Bamboo cones- Garnish

With a little tweaking you could make this work for pretty much any occasion. A housewarming basket would be really fun to put together. . .

Welcome To Summer.

Today was the last day of school! To celebrate, I picked the children up from school and surprised them with a summer party. We had a picnic lunch in the park with our favorite friends, frisbees, kickball, bubbles and the biggest hit of all- 300 water balloons.

It was the perfect beginning to summer. 

Shop For The Cure | Win A Stationery Kit.

I have a friend who always, always has her hand in a good cause. She's the kind of person that sees a need, then bends over backwards to try and fill it. Right now, Karen is raising money for her Relay for Life team and is hosting a "Shop For The Cure" event on her blog. Items are being auctioned off with 100% of the proceeds going to The American Cancer Society.

Today on Karen's blog you can bid on your very own Stationery Kit like the one I created this past winter. The kit will be completely customized to you or the person you choose to give it to. My Stationery Kits are not available in my shop so this may be your only opportunity to get your hands on one. Plus, you'll be supporting a really great cause. The bidding will be happening over at Karen's blog, starts at only $10 and will close tonight at 9 pm PT. Good luck, friends! I'd love to send a little kit your way.

Summer Reading | Blog Edition.

I loved reading all of your book recommendations yesterday. Thank you! I now have a hefty list to choose from and am excited to get started.

I thought today we could continue the conversation but switch it up just a little. I've been thinking a lot lately about blogs. And blog content. And link love. There are more blogs in my Google Reader than I care to admit. A list that far exceeds my "inspired by" list over there in my sidebar. With all of the great content online, it's easy to let things get out of control. I'm currently working on sprucing up my link list in this space and editing my list in my reader. Here's a question for you, if you have a blog do you link to other blogs? How do you choose which blogs in your reader to link to?  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

While you're thinking, here are a few places (that may or may not be new to you) that I really enjoy.

I had the pleasure of meeting Annie of Annilygreen at Alt and instantly loved her. She is quick witted, sincere, and has a great eye for design. On her blog, Annie is currently keeping readers up to date on her rental re-do. Did I mention Annie's incredibly kind? Because she is.

I'm not sure how long Barefoot in the Kitchen has been in my reader. It's been a couple of years at least. I love Stephanie's perspective on pretty much everything. She is a mother that loves being a mother. Her simple + sweet posts always leave me inspired and uplifted. Plus, she bakes and sews like I wish I could.

I am what you would call a visual person. I tend to prefer blogs with more pictures, less words but Marta Writes is the exception. I pretty much lap up every post. Marta's thoughts are so well written, so natural I get excited to see a new post pop up in my reader. Even better, Marta is a dear. We met at Alt too and I've loved getting to know her.

Now tell me, what are some of your favorite blogs?

Summer Reading.

Every so often I scroll through my Amazon cart and gift myself one of the lovely clothbound Penguin Classics. It's fun to treat myself and to see my collection grow. The beautiful covers, with their pretty colors + simple illustrations, make me happy. 

I've already plowed through half of them with Jane Eyre being my current read. It's my first experience with this story and I have to say, it just may be my favorite. Ever. It's the sort of story I never want to end but can't wait to finish all at the same time. Does that make any sense?

Once I am finished I think I'm ready to read something modern. This book has caught my eye recently. Have you read it? Or perhaps you have another suggestion?

Weekending.

Saturday was a great day. For years + years we've been wanting to purchase a boat. We live in an area with plenty of rivers to enjoy and having a boat is a great way to keep cool during our long, hot summers. It's also a way to create happy summertime memories with our children. In my post Saturday morning I mentioned we would be doing something we've been dreaming of for a long time. Guess what we did? We finally bought a boat.

To celebrate I packed a picnic lunch, grabbed my sun hat and headed out for an afternoon on the river.

The weather was lovely although the water is still a bit too chilly to enjoy.

I think I smiled the entire time we were out. 

And on the ride back to the dock? Oliver fell asleep on my chest which made the day all the more perfect.

Only one more week of school. . . 

Inspired By:

Pinwheels.

As a mobile for a sweet nursery,

on cupcakes,

as festive party decor,

as a boutonniere,

and on top of packages.

Pinwheels are so happy which is exactly how I'm feeling. It's Saturday, the children are already outside swinging + playing in the backyard, the chores are done + we're doing something today we've been wanting to do for years. Details to come, friends!

In the meantime, enjoy your day. And maybe make a pinwheel or two.

Images: Dosta Beba, A Baked Creation, You Are My Fave, Ruffled, Eat Drink Pretty.