Saturday, December 24, 2011

Christmas Eve


What a week it has been! I had so much I planned to blog about: how I wrapped everything, our neighbor gifts, our New Year's gifts and then life happened. I know I am not alone as so many people have emailed or called me with similar stories. In years past, this would have sent me over the edge, but this year I really feel like God has just stepped in and help me chill out!

Baby C has both pneumonia and RSV, Mr. G has bronchitis and Mini K and I are on a lovely Z-Pack cocktail. We found out my mom wouldn't be able to be with us on Christmas due to a strong dose of radiation and Baby C being under 2 and 6 friends will now be getting New Year's and not Christmas presents. Baby C decided the one thing he really wanted to throw was not a ball, but the Christmas ornament Mini K had made at school. The egg nog poundcake for Christmas breakfast will be made tomorrow morning. All of these things would have sent me into tears last year, but this year, I just accepted it. I am not taking credit for my calm at all, it is all God.

Something this week made me embrace it. If I couldn't control it or fix it I just accepted it. It was hard, then it got easier. Two dear friends were really sick so we took them Chick Fil A chicken noodle soup. I gave up thinking the family room had to be spotless without a toy in sight every night.

Tonight, Mini K and I went to mass alone as Baby C couldn't go so Mr. G stayed home. It was the first year she knew all of the carols and it was so special to sit next to her and sing with her. We played Santa on our way home to a few good friends, then picked up Baby C and took both of them in for a check with our doctor on call at the hospital. Thankfully, Mini K's lungs are clear and Baby C doesn't seem to realize he is really sick.

Dinner was takeout, not what I had planned, but the kids didn't seem to care. I don't know why I felt like I had to get on my computer and post this, but I did. As I type, Mr. G and Mini K are watching Santa videos on Norad Santa and I did sneak in a few presents for myself at the last Call after Christmas sale.

I am going to take it all in and realize what I consider to be the biggest and hardest lesson to learn: I am not in the driver seat and that is for the best. Sometimes my plan isn't the one that God wants and I have to accept it. Sometimes life isn't fair, but it is always special, if you look for the blessings instead of for the items on your to do list.

I wanted to take the time and say thank you to all of you that have supported the Grove, the blog and Grove Gal E and I over this year and the years before. Life seems to speed up each year and I am so thankful for the people that support me and my family!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours!

xox,

Grove Gal K

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Gift Cards

If you have been reading this blog for awhile you know I have a thing about giftcards. I hate the act of just handing them over, no wrapping, no fun and what makes me think no effort. Now before you get mad, I am NOT saying there is no effort involved, or money for that matter, in a giftcard, but I am saying that I believe that deep down, EVERYONE loves the excitement of unwrapping an unexpected present.

Enter my love of cello, and ribbon and fluff in a tub. Fluff in a tub in the Grove casa is not marshmallow, it is what I call the stuff I purchase throughout the year and store in plastic tubs in my gift closet. I have a tub for kids, one for my girlfriends and one that is unisex. I pick these items up at Old Navy, Michaels, Joanne and Justice online. A little tip: both Michaels and Joannes ALWAYS have a coupon on their website that you can print out for 40% off one item and I am not above making a few trips if I want to stock up.

What you need:

Cello bags and ribbon. Purchase these when craft stores have their 40 and 50% off your ENTIRE purchase and STOCK UP! They dont take up a ton of space and Pinterest has some great ideas on how to store your ribbon.

Fluff
Some of my twitter friends have asked what items I consider fluff so here is a basic list:
Lipgloss, stickers, pencils, pens and hand sanitizer from the Target $1 section
Hello Kitty items on sale at Old Navy
Glow in the Dark and Mood changing nail polish and lip gloss from Justice
Mini Hairburshes from Michaels and Justice
ipod accessories
fun breathmints or gum

As for Justice, I REFUSE to step inside the store, but thankfully they are on ebates and run 40% off sales on a regular basis. YES, I am still on the ebates bandwagon and have over $100 coming to me in January from doing my Christmas shopping online and I plan to spend it on an anti-aging facial. If you haven't signed up, take advantage of the J.Crew 30% off EVERYTHING and Justice sales by joining HERE. One last thing, you get 20% cash back for purchases at Snapfish, so while your family thinks you are being so sweet for sending them photo gifts, you can be planning your next trip to the spa!

Now onto giftcards. I am going to talk about how I wrap 4 types of giftcards.
Starbuck's
I have 2 go to ways to give a Starbuck's card:
1. Purchase the keyring giftcards and attach it to a fun keyring. I always tend to go for a monogrammed option! Put them in a cello bag and tie with a bow. You can either attach a gift tag or fill out the to and from on the giftcard and the "tag" is on the actual present

2. When you purchase your giftcard ask for a tall size cup and lid. Put the giftcard and a note inside the cup, put the lid on the cup and attach a stopper. Place the cup in a cello bag and tie with a bow. It adds a little size to the card.

Target
This is what we give the teacher's at Baby C's daycare. I purchase the giftcard boxes at 50% off during the day after Christmas sales. Last year they had a ton of sparkly turquoise and pink stripe and red and white stripe. I can use those patterns all year so I literally purchased 50, for $6 total. Score! I have been using them all year. I put the giftcard in the box, put it in a cello bag and add a big bow that depending on who I am giving it to might have a small bottle of hand lotion or hand sanitizer or lipgloss attached to the bow.
iTunes
The mother of tween giftcards! I am extra careful with these because Mini K knows what itunes is and I don't like her to think of giving her cousins, or friends cash. She is almost 6, she will have the rest of her adult life to budget, but her childhood I want focused on seeing excitement in her friends and families' faces when they open a present. I try to wrap an itunes card with some sort of music accessory: fun earbuds, a keychain speaker, a cord keeper. It keeps the theme of music and if we are giving the itunes giftcard to a movie fan (my Dad!) we put a bag of microwave popcorn or some 3D glasses in the cello bag and a bow!

Food / Restaurant
This year, my nephews really wanted Subway giftcards. They live in Chicago and Subway is their afternoon snack before a hockey game or after practice. We know they listen to their ipods when they warm up so we put a cord keeper in the cell bag with their giftcard and a box of Altoids. If the giftcard is for a nicer restaurant, say Capital Grille, you could throw in one of those handbag hangers, a wine opener or when you are at the restaurant purchasing said giftcard, pick up a few boxes of their matches to put in with the giftcard. You can also usually find inexpensive small candles. In other words, if you are giving your parents a "night out" put the matches, the candle and the gift card in the cello bag and you have given them a lot more than a giftcard without spending a lot more money.

I hope this helps and if you need any ideas, leave a comment or send me an email.

In other news, we celebrated Mini K's 6th birthday in Eloise fashion on Friday night with 26 of her closest girlfriends! My ears are still ringing, but they all had a great time. I promise more details tomorrow!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Fountain of Youth

No this isn't a post on some miracle cream (if you find one let me know!) or spa procedure, but sometimes it just feels good to feel young...even after you have entered your REAL birthdate!

I know I promised a post on wrapping giftcards, and it is coming tomorrow! Today I wanted to help you with filler, some last minute shopping and maybe something for yourself.

Remember your college days, where the end of the month seemed to last forever and you couldn't wait for a new month to begin so your allowance would start all over? I might be alone here, and for those commenters who never want to leave their name, YES I did work in college and graduated in 3 years so you can leave all the comments you want about being spoiled as I know the truth.

Well our college babysitter introduced me to UScoop about a month ago and I am hooked. The best part is you DO NOT have to be in college to be a member! The deals are geared towards the classic preppy lifestyle with an occaisional curveball of quirky thrown in. It is not a daily deal site, but the deals tend to occur around once a week. You can join HERE.

Now what does this have to do with wrapping giftcards? I like to wrap my giftcards with an item and I call that filler. The filler needs to be related and I always purchase filler in bulk, usually on sale and store it in plastic tubs that I label: guys, girls and minnies. This way I know when I am getting low and can re-stock.

UScoop has a great deal right now with Stephanie Johnson. It is NOT on their website, you had to receive the email to get the code, or have someone share it with you. Allow me: UScoop1 will get you 40% off the ENTIRE site! My favorite items of hers to give are the zippered pouches and the small box bags. They are great alone or with a gift card but I give these bags with a specific purpose. The medium pouches are great when paired with a starbucks card or a fun lipgloss. The small zippered box I use to store all of my charging cords for my ipod, ipad and iphone. I usually give it with a car phone charger (mom), an itunes giftcard (friend), LOTS of Advil (Mini K's teacher!) or band-aids, hand sanitizer and baby wipes (new mom)! I always have a list in my planner of who I gift throughout the year and what I have given them in the past. I jot down if they have a favorite color, are a silver or gold person, etc. It makes shopping A LOT easier.

UScoop is also running deals with Tucker Blair (I prefer the original Smathers and Branson) and Margaret Elizabeth jewelry.

If you haven't checked it out you should, because you never know when you favorite preppy designer might throw out a bone or a deal to their loyal customers!

And for those pesky government FTC types, I wasn't paid to write this post, I just believe in sharing a good deal or a fab find! If you have a deal PLEASE leave a comment so we can all enable each other to shop!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

NYC Weekend


We had the best time with Mini K in New York City and Baby C was all too happy to stay at home and snuggle with Miss T for the weekend!

The weekend was a blur of teas, shopping and yummy food. We surprised Mini K with the Eloise tea at the Palm Court with her friend Mere from school. As you can see the two of them enjoyed themselves!
The train home on Sunday came super fast and we are back in the holiday and birthday rush! Grove Gal E was so sweet to deliver orders over the weekend so I could enjoy the trip with Mini K. I was in line at Staples to see my favorite UPS lady by 8:15am on Monday morning to ship out our family presents as well as 22 orders! (and yes A yours was one of the boxes!)

Mini K and grabbed a couple of stars off the Giving Tree at school and I made time to pick up some happies to add to our giftcard packages. (A couple of you have emailed or tweeted me and YES, tomorrow I am doing a post on how to package giftcards!)

Today was spent chasing down last minute orders and putting the finishing touches on our invite for Sunday's SANTA SALE! Check out our Facebook page (and "Like" us if you haven't already!) as this Sunday we are having a HUGE SALE on all remaining in stock items and our favorite monogrammed totes can still be ordered and DELIVERED in time for Christmas if you are in the D.C. area. We have pink, navy, green and navy and white striped in stock and the totes are $50 each with a monogram.
I am going to spend the next few hours sewing a tulle table skirt for Mini K's Eloise party on Friday night and watching The Biggest Loser season finale. At the start of this year I promised myself I would find the balance and while its never going to be perfect, I also realize that I wasn't made to be anything but super busy....give me free time and I somehow end up behind, but give me a packed schedule and I somehow get it all done with the help of Starbucks and a few sleepless nights. The truth is, it's easy to stay up late if you LOVE what you are doing!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

19 Days and Counting


What is with the calendar this year? It is only the 6th of December and yet I know I am not alone in feeling like Christmas is TOMORROW.

I just hung up with a client who was placing a photo card order. She was SHOCKED that her order would ship on Monday if she ordered it today. She was convinced she would have to RUSH it.

Her call is one of many today so I knew I had to write a post. Grove Gal E and I wanted to make our paper site easy for you: our clients and friends! You upload your photo AND approve your proof when you place your order so there is NO waiting for a proof to be emailed to you.

Orders placed today will ship next week and that leaves you plenty of time to beat Santa to the mailbox!
I do have to admit that I LOVE some of the New Year's Cards that people are ordering today! My favorite so far says:

We wanted to be early!
Happy New Year!

and the other says:

Fashionably Late = Happy New Year!

I love getting cards the week between Christmas and New Year's as it makes you remember the real reason for the season: friends and family and not all of the after Christmas retail frenzy.

As always, Grove Gal E and I are here to help so PLEASE email us if you need assistance with your photo or order.

And remember...you have 19 days until Christmas, so grab a red Starbucks cup (or solo cup), take a deep breath and enjoy the season and let us do the work for you!

Monday, December 5, 2011

Fab Find Under $30


Last week I had to spend three days in Florida for my day job. Needless to say I came home to an even longer to do list and orders to deliver!

Mini K and I had to take time out to shop the Junior League of Washington's Capital Collection of Shops. We stumbled upon a sugar plum fairy booth of sorts and walked away with yet another product I wish I had invented!

For weeks every single time we have gone to the grocery store or Target, Mini K has wanted one of those gingerbread house kits. I just don't trust them. I fear they were made in China, by some child Mini K's age and been in a box for too many years to count. I know she will lick her fingers to eat a piece of the candy and I just don't want to think about it.

Am I alone in that thinking?

Well if I am not let me introduce you to the Lollipop Lodge. It is a safe plastic, reuseable gingerbread house kit that costs less than $30. I am NOT KIDDING. The best part, other than you can use it year after year, or holiday after holiday, is that you wash the candy off with hot water and it can go in the dishwasher! Seriously, all you need to add is the frosting and the candy! Pure genius if you ask me.

We have been focused on FINALLY putting lights and ornaments on our tree, but the gingerbread house is on our to do list for the weekend after we go to NYC.

For those of you in the D.C. area trying to figure out how to make your gift card presents look a little bigger, bring your gift cards to our FINAL cash and carry trunk show of the season on Sunday, December 18th. We will happily bag and bow any giftcards with purchase.

I had to share our Lollipop Lodge with you, but I am back to Groveland to process orders and plan tomorrow's deliveries!

Night!

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Big Impact, Small Price







Don't you love giving a gift that has the wow factor? We think it is even better when the WOW factor doesn't leave a dent in your wallet!


From the start, the Grove has been about personalized gifts that we would love to receive and use that are accessible to everyone on every budget.


We searched high and love, but have to say our acrylic line is one of our favorites. It is thick acrylic, engraved with your choice of monogram or name included in the price.


The best part, most pieces are under $50! All items are on our website and will arrive in time for Christmas!




The vanity tray is our #1 best seller. It is perfect to serve small bites, hold your keys and mail, in the bathroom or on a vanity. At $38 engraved, people will think you spent a lot more!


My favorite is the square handled tray. We use it in our family room to hold all of our remotes and magazines.


The champagne bucket is the perfect way to thank your host for New Year's and will last a lot longer than a bottle of bubbly!






Engraved acrylic seems to leave in the most picky person on your list with a smile of thanks!












Tuesday, November 29, 2011

DIY Holiday Gift Link Up

Hopsy suggested doing a DIY Holiday gift link up so I thought why not! I have already followed her lead and made my own ornament wreath for our front door. It took a little over two hours and made me realize that a cordless hot glue gun is truly a gem!



But since Mini K is a December baby, I decided to do a post for those that have both a birthday and Christmas in the same month.




Today a friend had a baby girl. She has been through one of the most horrible pregnancies I know of and this week will be an emotional roller coaster. Since I am out of town for half of the week I wanted to make something that would make her smile when she brought her little princess home.


To make a diaper wreath you will need:




1 box of Pamper Swaddler Newborn size
9 yards of your choice of ribbon, I chose different shades of pink grosgrain
A wooden letter from your craft store
Acrylic paint
A metal wreath form
Hot glue gun


Assembly
Paint your wooden letter the color of your choice and let dry. make sure to paint both sides of the letter.



Attach a piece of 18" ribbon with the hot glue gun to your letter and tie it to the metal wreath form.


Begin to wrap the diapers around the form and tie a knot with the ribbon.

Continue to work around the wreath until it is completely covered in diapers.


I love to give this as something fun to hang on the front door or baby's room.


Monday, November 28, 2011

Stocking Stuffers



In my family, stockings contained our special gift and the fun stuff! The presents under the tree were always second to the excitement around "opening" our stockings.

I LOVE to come up wtih ways to personalize stocking stuffers or gifts for teachers and coaches.

Our monogrammed key fobs and wrist fobs are the perfect gift! The smaller key fob comes in every color combo under the sun, includes monogramming and is only $20!

The larger fob is made with super 2" wide grosgrain ribbon, includes monogramming and is only $25!

These have been flying out of the Grove this season. Just send us an email with your colors choices and monogram and we will take care of the rest.

A lot of clients have paired them with the small, key ring Starbucks gift cards, in school colors for the ultimate teacher happie.
We can take orders for these until December 10th and still get them to you by Christmas!

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Cyber Monday Savings!

We hope you had a great Thanksgiving and we know a lot of you had a great Black Friday based on the orders we have seen!
So we took our lead for Cyber Monday from you! For the first time we are offering a discount on our exclusive smartphone and ipad personalized covers!

Everything in our ETSY store is 25% off with code: CYBER.
This special is only good until 11:59pm EST on November 28th! These make a great stocking stuffer or gift in your choice of colors.
Happy Shopping!

Friday, November 25, 2011

Black Friday



We hope you had a great Thanksgiving! We had a deal with Mini K yesterday...NO WORK and I wasn't fast enough to schedule a post so a belated Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

We had a little holiday travel drama yesterday, but that comes with the holidays and today we are in the thick of holiday shopping! That would be helping everyone else with their holiday shopping!

I did sneak out this morning at 6am to get a new pair of running kicks at 30% off at Pacers and brought home Starbucks for me! Mr. G is like Nordstroms...one holiday at a time! So he enjoys his pumpkin spice latte from October through Thanksgiving and then starting on the day after Thanksgiving switches over to the Gingerbread latte! He is predictable!

I came home to finish my attempt at an ornament wreath and the orders and emails have been flooding out inbox!

We really wanted to run a special when everyone feels like they need a little something! The holidays are about family and what better way to keep in touch than good old fashioned mail!

So take advantage of our Black Friday Sale: all photo cards are 20% off through tomorrow! The best part? You can see your card proof as you place your order so no wait time for aproof! Those cards will be in the mail in no time flat!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Why Wait Until Friday???

It's not even Thanksgiving yet, but we are so thankful for our customers and friends we decided to start the party early!

ALL photocards are 20% off NOW through November 26th (Friday!)at our paper site:


The best part? You can upload your photo and approve your proof from the comfort of your house or sofa in your Thanksgiving finery or lounge pants!

We have been posting some of our favorites and we know we will have more after we see what you choose.

Thank you for letting us share your special events and trusting us with your family memories. We are honored to have your business and wanted to help you keep in touch with family and friends this year at a discount!

We wouldn't score you any points by cooking your turkey, but our photo cards will make you the envy of every mailbox!

You can view ALL of your card options HERE.



Monday, November 21, 2011

Black Friday DISCOUNT Announcement

The Grove has been full of smiles, families and a few tantrums, but it is all in the name of holiday cards so we expect it!

SO many of our clients have emailed us that the holidays seem to have snuck up on them this year and WE AGREE! How is it possible that this Thursday is THANKSGIVING?

Well we hear you so for the first time ever we are making our Black Friday sale PHOTO CARDS!!!!! That's right ALL PHOTO CARDS on our paper site will be 20% OFF November 25th-27th! It is our little present to you!

We know that the price of everything seems to have gone up this year, but the holidays are about family and friends and we want to help you stay in touch AND keep your costs DOWN!

And in case you might be sleepy from the turkey or in a one sided discussion with the BCS via your television all you need to do is pick out your wording, your photo and you can approve your proof on our site while you place your order! We have also discounted our normal rush fee of $50 by 50% so you can RUSH your order for a $25 charge and have your cards shipped within 2 days of approving your proof!

For a couple's first Christmas, how about this card and a photo from the wedding with: Merry Merry Married Christmas!

We love this card for a new winter baby! For wording your can do:
We have a new stocking on our mantle this year or No More Silent Nights!
If you have a new puppy, don't forget you can leave a note in the special notes section to include a "puppy paw print" by your names so Fido isn't left out of the holiday wishes on this card!!
For a new home and holiday card combo this one is a great choice and wording can be fun too:
Our tree has a new home this year or Santa has a new route to us this year!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Sunday Randoms


This is our busy season and while it doesn't give me much time to blog we LOVE helping everyone cross things off their list! We are crossing off completed orders with our sparkly Sharpies! It's like tinsel on paper as Mini K said!

Mr. G officailly put Baby C on skates this week! Not surprisingly, he had ZERO fear!

Last week Mini K's favorite teacher Ms. R had a birthday. Since all of the kids bring cupcakes or treat sin for their birthdays, we thought Ms. R deserved a cake to! So Mini K and I spent an evening making the candy bar cake! It was so much fun and the candy masks all mistakes!

Just pick your favorite cake recipe and make 2 round 8" cakes. Bake and cool are you normally would and prepare or purchase your favorite frosting. We have a go to family buttercream recipe that we LOVE to make, and Mr. G and Mini K love that it always makes extra! Frost your cakes. Now here comes the fun part!
Surround your cake with Kit Kat's, our 8" cakes took 5 packages of King Size Kit Kat's. Once the "fence" is cup, tie a ribbon around it. Then take a package of your favorite M & M's or chocolate chips and fill in the top.

It is an impressive cake and oh so easy to make!

The other news around the Grove house this week is our little jumper decided the crib was his next target! That's right, Baby C can now officially get out of his crib! This is a record as Mini K was in a twin bed at 17.5 months because she wouldn't stay in. I felt like I had to put her in a twin bed because there was no bedding for a toddler bed. Well, Ann at Organic Blankees must have been reading my mind a year ago, because she came out with a crib sheet set. I purchased it last year for Baby C at Christmas, because there isn't much on an 8th month old's list for Santa. Well we put the crib sheet set on Baby C's crib and he snuggled right up and the jumping has stopped! The best part, when we convert his crib into a toddler bed, the sheet set will work because you use a crib mattress.

I know a lot of you have little ones and Ann and Organic Blankees always have the BEST deals so how does 50% off sound??? You read that correctly, use code: organic to get 50% off your total purchase. Mini K and Baby C both have the Organic Blankees with monograms and our crib sheet set is also monogrammed, did you expect anything less from me?

We have BIG NEWS tomorrow...let's just say you will need to be by a computer sometime November 25-27th!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Tales From The Backseat


The juggle of having a fulltime job, the Grove and 2 kids continues. My life it is a lot of things, but boring is NOT one of them.

Mini K was given homework last week: she had to disguise a drawing of a turkey. What she chose to do resulted in almost 12 hours and took years off of my eyes!

I found your choice funny for another reason, my dearest friend Alexa is the only other person I know that would have done this and I am pretty sure she and Mini K are on the same planet: their own!

SO what does a turkey do for a disguise at Thanksgiving? It bedazzles himself of course. That's right, our single sheet of paper now weighs a few pounds, is sporting a few carats and we have been fully introduced to the concept of glue and tweezers!
She did a great job and then it happened...the idea that may make me send her to Aunt Alexas's house...

LET'S BEDAZZLE MY ENTIRE BATHROOM

Something tells me this would land us quite a few repins on Pinterest with the tag lines of crazy, insane and what were they thinking.

So mental note: Mini K and Aunt Alexa will not be involved in the bathroom planning for our addition!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Bags and Bedazzled



I am ALWAYS on the hunt for a new fun bag, and when I find them I am thrilled when they can become a part of the Grove inventory.

Last week we added two great new bags.

Our new clutch has a detachable gold chain and leather strap, a zipper closure that is big enough to hold my iPhone AND Blackberry, lipgloss, my credit cards, cash and keys and has a back pocket for my valet claim check. It comes in black, red and purple and your monogram of course! At $100 is a deal compared to the Louis Vuitton model and goes with everything!

I have had a long love affair with my Goyard Saint Louis tote...in yellow...in black...in blue, but what I love the most is the shape of the bag. It holds all of my stuff, a water bottle and some sort of MUST HAVE for Mini K and whatever Baby C decides to throw in it when I am not looking.

I was so excited to discover a bag in the EXACT same shape, that I can monogram and guess what? The price....$50 WITH MONOGRAM!!!!!!

The bag comes in gold, silver, hot pink, kelly green, white, navy and my personal favorite: the navy and white stripe! These would make GREAT bridesmaids or teacher gifts and you still have time to get them before Christmas.
If you are interested in either of these bags just send us an email (grovegifts at gmail.com) and we will be happy to help you place your order.

And our big news is that we are now offering monogramming! After years of trying to find the perfect fonts partnered with top quality stitching, we have found our ideal and can now bring that service to you!

Sunday, November 13, 2011

What A Week!

I told you last week that you wouldn't hear from me for a few days, but I am back which means we survived 4 trunk shows in 5 days! The shows were a great success and we are so grateful for our friends & clients who support the Grove.

I have spent today processing orders and taking Mini K to her friend Raleigh's birthday party at the Spy Museum. She was so happy to be invited to an official BIG KID party...that would be a & year old party.

We came home to work on Mini K's Thanksgiving school project. I promise to share it when it is finished, because then you will understand why it has taken SO BLESSED LONG to complete.

This week we are going to have a last minute trunk show at Casa Grove to CLEAR OUT our in stock merchandise. Let me define CLEAR OUT: $5, $10 and $15 bins full of preppy goodies, hair accessories and YES Lilly P. Make sure to LIKE us on Facebook for all of the details.

In the meantime I am back to my day job and finishing up the plans for Mini K's birthday party. I don't think I have mentioned (feel free to tell me I am insane!) that we are having Mini K's birthday party BEFORE her birthday this year...AKA before Christmas. This means I have a week to get her inivitations out and less than 2 weeks to get all of my holiday cards addressed and stamped.

Speaking of holiday cards, ALL of our photo cards are currently 15% off! We have tons of designs in both the digital cards (where your photo is printed on the card) and the traditional photo cards where you attach your own photo. Grove Gal E and I noticed that everytime we turned around this weekend another family was having their picture taken. The holidays really do seem to be sneaking up on us this year! For those of you that are hoping to take your photos over Thanksgiving, and think the deals will have past you by, think again. We busy working girls (and we mean both at the office and the ever demanding, never off duty stay at home office!) have to stick together so for the FIRST TIME EVER we will be having a dela for you over the ENTIRE BLACK FRIDAY weekend so make sure you click on over to our Facebook page.

I am now off to wrap Christmas presents so my oldest (that would be Mr. G!) doesn't start snooping!

Hope you had a great weekend!

Monday, November 7, 2011

Ruffles & Warmth

Grove Gal E and I have too many trunk shows to count this week! The Grove is not camera ready right now, but it is trunkshow ready. We are so excited to debut our new ring dishes, baubles, bags and paper deals galore! The cello bags are ready, the ribbon is bowed and the plastic transport tubs have moved in! All of this prep has left me craving my comfy workout clothes!

I confess that after a long trunk show or day at the office, I crave a hot Starbucks and some comfy clothes! Who are we kidding, as much as I love Mini K and Baby C there are days that I feel this way after answering WHY for the 100th time.

About 4 years ago I purchased my first pair of Lululemon pants. I still have them and they still look new. I wore them my entire pregnancy with Baby C, they stretched, and they went back to their normal non-pregnancy size. I know they are more expensive than other brands, but how many yoga pants look like new after 4 years of weekly wear? And my thumb shirts, as Mini K calls them, LOVE LOVE LOVE!
Lululemon Cabin Longsleeve Shirt, $68

I am NOT getting paid for this post, I just love them. If you know me in real life you know I think about my purchases in terms of cost per wear and these have to be pennies per wear!

As much as I love my Lululemon, I have been on the hunt for some new pieces. I keep seeing these So Low ruffle pants and LOVE them. They might be in my future.
So Low Foldover Ruffle Pants, $70

I will be thinking of my comfy close by the time our show ends tomorrow! I promise to post photos from the show and remember, if you need us to drop a hint on your behalf, just shoot us an email with the item and email for the hint.

Our deadline for monogrammed necklaces is November 23rd!

Friday, November 4, 2011

Reminder

It's been A WEEK. I am thankful it is over, but this inspires me to remember a half full glass can be seen two ways!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Cello, Ribbon and Trunk Shows Galore


I feel like I have been living in a tunnel. I have barely been able to sneak a peek at twitter, facebook and Halloween already seems like a week ago.

It is holiday trunk show season and the Grove is wrapping at full speed! I have been up to my eyeballs in cello bags, grosgrain ribbon and orders and I couldn't be happier!

If any of you will be in D.C. next week, or have friends or family that live there, PLEASE feel free to spread the word about our trunk show! My friends J & K are launching their kids clothing line, Oh My Darling Designs!, did I mention they have smocking for under $40, our friend Aimee will also be their with her fabulous, very Martha, seasoned nuts and it wouldn't be a Grove holiday trunk show without cocktails and a sale corner (which may involve a lot of pink and green, hint, hint!)

So please forgive me if my next few posts involve sugar and Starbucks (the diet of a small business champion if you throw in some Chickk Fil A iced tea!), but I am thrilled that the new paper site and our trunk shows are keeping me busy!

Monday, October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween



Eloise and Lion are back from their trick or treating adventures and we have enough candy for the entire neighborhood! We will be donating most of it to the soldiers at school tomorrow! Our little Lion ended the night with a roar....the last of his molars are coming in...all of them and Mini K spent an extra minute brushing her teeth after all of that candy!

SO off I went to CVS to get his nighttime Orajel in hopes of sweet dreams.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

The Countdown Is On


I cannot believe the last time I posted was Tuesday...of last week! I don't think I have stopped moving...actually I take that back....I stopped in my tracks yesterday when Mini K told me it was snowing...in October! I am officially nervous about this winter!

We have been processing teachers gifts and holiday card orders nonstop in the Grove these days. I promise this week I will post some gift ideas in the under $30 category. We have received a lot of requests for that price range and ladies it is possible to give a gift that looks great and feels great on your budget!

A lot of you have chosen a traditional red, green or red and green card this year, but we have some favorites in the outside the box category. The best part: they are all 20% off through tomorrow night at 11:59p.m. EST with 50% off your envelope printing or return address labels. This is our best DISCOUNT of the season so click on over HERE. The best part, you can see your proof immediately. This means that if you always aspire to be the gal that gets her cards in the mail the day after Thanksgiving...this is your year to make it happen!

If you love ribbons and pink and green like we do, then you will LOVE this card. Such a preppy twist on holiday cards. We love it!

Red somehow goes from classic safe choice to modern with this coral card. It is perfect for a black and white photo from the beach!

Maybe it's my love of my new chevron dress, but I absolutely think one of you MUST order this card. It just makes smile!
How can your days not be MERRY & BRIGHT with this card? We love the unusual color and text box!

Who doesn't love chocolate that has ZERO calories but is super chic? We love the fact that pattern is printed on the back of the card too! You can get it HERE.
You Family is the star of your holidays so why not make them the star of your card? We love THIS full bleed style.


Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Trinket Dish

I grew up hearing my mother call these trinket dishes so that is what I call them. I think most people call them ring dishes. At the Grove if we cannot find what we want, we just have it made. I have never been a fan of those dishes that have the stick in the center that you put your ring around because they never have space for my watch, bracelet and earrings.

So off we went in search of what we wanted....we have partnered with an American painter to create these monogrammed trinket dishes. In my opinion they are the perfect gift for sisters, friends, mothers, teachers, babysitters....you name it! The dishes are $40 each that includes your monogram and a painted bauble if you wish. You can choose from diamond earrings, a sapphire ring, a diamong engagement ring and your bauble can either be "platinum" or "gold"! Your monogram or initial can be in your choice of color. The dishes are 4.25" in diameter.

We just had a bride order these dishes for her bridesmaids and we are going to wrap them up for her with a pair of earrings and ribbon to match her wedding colors. One of these would make the perfect gift for a newly engaged gal!

Because there is somuch to customize we are selling these at our trunk shows and through email. You can leave a comment on the blog and we will email you to help you with your order or you can email us directly at grovegifts @gmail.com




Which one is your favorite?