Fun Finds at Market

Fun Finds at Market

I have a dream of owning a little gift shop someday.  I love buying unique gifts for family and friends and I am always on the lookout for some fun finds.  I help a couple of my clients with their retail shop marketing, and with being a retail shop owner comes…..MARKET!  I have never been to “market” before, but I do watch closely on Instagram each season it is happening for fun new products.  Earlier this year I was keeping an eye on items from The Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market via Instagram, #atlmkt

 

Here are some unique items I found:

 

Obsessed with this lamp from Doublemint Home.

How adorable is this tooth fairy kit from Tree by Kerri Lee !?! I don’t know about you, but I never wanted to leave my teeth under my pillow!

This set from Emily McCarthy is party ready!

These items from Night Owl Paper Goods are so cute….especially those wooden bookmarks!

Umm, who doesn’t want to recieve a Confettigram?!!!  Amazing stuff from Inklings Paperie.

These mugs are gorgeous! Enamelware handmade in Turkey by Bornn

Absolutely beautiful embroidery in this American & Beyond Bohemian luxury eco-conscious brand.

A clever way for easy floral arrangement by Annabelle Noel Designs.

So good. Mug design by Dancing Elephant

Ok, so I actually knew about this last year – see photo ….but it is so amazing!  No dye needed for Easter eggs.  Thank you Eggmazing!  Just in time for Easter next month…

 

in one month i will be driving across the country

in one month i will be driving across the country

Exciting news! My little sister is moving to Portland, Oregon next month and I am going to drive with her to get there.  Of course, I am a little sad that she is moving so far away to the west coast, but I am so excited for this new adventure for her.

I have always wanted to drive all the way across the country.  Definitely an item on my bucket list. I have been to the Southern California many times and a few cities in between, but have barely seen the mid-west/north-west.  Little did I know my sister would bust out the news a few months ago that she was moving across the country!   I quickly jumped on the opportunity to make the trip with her.  And did I mention her sweet one-eyed “Jack” is going to make the trip with us… he is the cutest!

One Eyed Jack

We have planned our trek, booked our hotels, booked my flight back home and we are ready to explore!  Last month we spent the morning at a coffee shop with maps, a computer and calendar.  We used my favorite road trip planning guide – Road Trippers.  You can set your destinations and search on the interactive map for extraordinary places, unique hotels and sightseeing must-sees.   Then, you can pin your stop to keep up with milage, timing, etc.  To keep a 3,000+ mile trip interesting, you want to see some cool stuff for sure!  Here is our planned trek as of now…

Road Trip Map from Charlotte NC to Portland OR

Some of the highlights we are planning to see along the way…

St Louis Arch

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St. Louis Arch.  Showing you this at night because that is how we will see it when we roll into town.  Trying to drive all the way the first day here from Charlotte.  That’s over 700 miles.  Wish us luck….and no traffic.

Corn Palace South Dakota

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The Corniest Stop we will make goes to the Corn Palace in South Dakota. Because, why not.  I mean, I’m sort of excited about it.

Prairie Dog Town USA

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Prairie Dog Town USA.  Can you believe their is such a thing?  I can’t wait.  According to this website, they will eat peanuts out of your hand!  Cue cuteness overload!!

Mount Rushmore South Dakota

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Mount Rushmore.  How can you not take a trip through South Dakota without seeing this magnificent rock sculpture!

Dinosaur Park South Dakota

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Dinosaur Park in Rapid City, South Dakota.  This vintage road side attraction is a must for some great photo ops!

Beautiful Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park.  This is definitely one we are really looking forward to. Driving through Yellowstone is going to be a dream!   Hoping to see this amazingly beautiful Grand Prismatic Spring.  Mandi’s sister has been traveling through Yellowstone this past week (on her way to Alaska!) and has shared some crazy cool photos. I need to chat with her and get some road trip tips for sure.

Road Trip Across North West

Yellowstone National Park

From Yellowstone, we are pretty close to Oregon.  We will stay over one more night and see some cool roadside sights like this giant red wagon slide….

Giant Red Wagon Slide

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Can’t wait to see Portland too!  I have never been and neither has my sister.  Pretty exciting and brave of her to move to a city she has never been to, right?  Love it!  I am so proud of her. She rules.

Portland Oregon Sign

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Portland Orgeon at Sunset over Mt Hood

And you had better believe we are planning some sweet road trip tunes and lots of entertaining activities for the car trip….


 

So in just about a month, my sister and I will hit the road for this very exciting trip!  More details to come on how you can follow our adventure on Instagram.  And if you aren’t already, be sure to follow Sunny Slide Up on Instagram so you don’t miss the photos!

Have any travel tips or places not to miss to share?  Please comment below and let us know!

On top of Chimney Rock overlooking Lake Lure NC

Cheers to our adventure sister!

Heather Johnson - The Creative Stack

let’s throw a virtual birthday party for mandi

let’s throw a virtual birthday party for mandi

It’s Mandi’s birthday today!  Yay!  Happy Birthday Mandi!

Happy Birthday Mandi

It’s also Mother’s Day, so happy day to all of the baby mamas, furry baby moms, grandmas, soon-to-be moms, and wishing to be moms!   Mandi is a super mom, and her little guy just celebrated his first birthday.  Happy Birthday Hudson!

Super Mom Costume

So, for Mandi’s birthday, I thought we should throw her a virtual birthday party!  First, let’s dream up some fun party decorating ideas. Pinterest is THE BEST party planning place ever.  Follow our “Party On” board on Pinterest for a ton of great party ideas.

Painted Pineapples

Painted Pineapples from Life, Love and the Pursuit of of Shoes

Yay Cake Topper

DIY Pom Pom Cake Topper from Momtastic

Design Inspiration from Ruffled Blog

From Simply Savannah Events via Ruffled Blog

Also, some great ideas on a past post of ours – 10 Easy DIY Party Decor Ideas

Now, let me share some favorite birthday gifts to give these days, or shall I say some of my favorite things lately!  (Mandi, I have one of these goodies in a birthday bag for you… see you soon!)

Creative and Funny Birthday Gift Ideas

  1. Alter Eco Sea Salt Truffles
  2. 25 oz. S’well Bottle (it holds a whole bottle of wine!)
  3. Fitkicks Active Lifestyle Footwear
  4. LZ Pencils
  5. Leather fold over clutch from Sans Map Bags
  6. Unicorns are Jerks Coloring Book (hilarious!)


Virtual Birthday Party for Mandi

Happy Birthday Mandi 2016

Now, let’s party!  Please take a moment to leave a comment below and wish Mandi a very happy birthday!  You can also connect with her on Twitter and Instagram and send some birthday wishes her way.