Sunday Funday

Last week is still a blur of back to school activities, fall sports starting and meetings for this working mom.  This morning we woke up to fall like weather and I finally feel like I am hitting my stride!

I am hoping that this is the week I can finalize the trunk show schedule and get the website updated...I have over a 100 new products to put on the website.  So excited about our new finds and you will also find that some products will be listed as K's Finds.  Mini K is joining the Grove and has selected some items that she likes to wear and give as gifts.  I am hoping this helps with that hard to shop for tween market.  And if you know your budget, but don't know what to get just send us an email and we are happy to help you select the perfect gift, wrap it up and send it off to you!

These scented hairbrushes are one of K's favorites.  Even the tangles don't seem so bad with a fun sparkly and scented brush!  They come in Cherry Lime, Strawberry Cake and Watermelon and are $15 shipped!

For those of you that needlepoint, you know September is crunch time to send everything off to be finished before Christmas.  I finished this little pretty this week and am having it turned into a throw pillow for the sitting room.  So excited!

Coffee!  You didn't think I could survive without it did you?  If you know me you know that I am always looking for a good deal.  Shutterfly is giving away FREE coffee mugs this weekend with the code:  CHEERS.  If you don't like their standard mugs, you can use the same code and take $14.99 off the price of another mug.  I let the kids design a travel mug for their Daddy for his stocking at Christmas.

And speaking of the holidays, YES for those of you that know me, I have started my shopping!  So many of you have taken advantage of our 35% off holiday photo cards that I have been busy (and loving it!), but for those of you that haven't taken photos yet, do not fret...I have more sales planned!  So all you need to do is pick out your card design!  This card is one of my favorite new designs!  You can add rounded corners, put photos on both sides and who doesn't love a little glitter!

This blog has become my accountability to stay in touch, get things done and have some fun in the process!  I would love to hear how you do it, because I can always use some help and encouragement from my friends!

XOX

Favorite Fall Pieces

It has been chilly in the mornings this week, but hot by early afternoon, but I am silently and maybe not so silently willing fall to hurry up!  I took advantage of some sales this week that I thought I would share in case anyone else has been needing an excuse to help their fall closet.  If yuou haven't joined EBATES yet, join NOW if you want to purchase any of these items as you can get extra cash back on your purchases not just the discounts!

Vests
I will not confess to how many of these J.Crew vests I own, but I love them!  This week I had to add the camo one to my closet, especially since ALL purchases are 25% off with FREE shipping.

Sweaters
My favorite sweaters are Vince.  If you are not familiar with the brand, it is sold at Neimans, boutiques and Sak's.  It is also sold at Neiman's outlet store Last Call.  This week Last Call is having their friends and family sale and taking an additional 30% off their discounted prices.  I picked up 2 Vince sweaters for less than I would have paid for 1 plus I am getting 5% cash back through Ebates!

Boots
I LOVE my Frye Paige riding boots from the Shoe Hive so much that this year I decided I needed the gray pair too!  In addition to their sale I am getting 8.5% cash back through my Ebates account!

Leggings
Last year my friend Elizabeth who owns The Shoe Hive introduced me to ilux leggings.  Let me tell you, they are LIFE changers.  They are not see through, they do not snag and every pair from last year is still in great shape for this year.  For those of you that live where it gets cold, I highly suggest the fleece lined leggings.  I will be adding the Winona style to my collection this year as they are the contour version aka they suck it in!  Just call Elizabeth and she will have them on their way to you!

So what am I doing with all of my savings....stocking up on gifts for Mini K's friends.  Plum District is having a GREAT deal on Rainbow Loom bracelet supplies.  The deal is $10 and it includes everything but the loom itself: 1,200 loom bands in assorted colors, 48 clips to connect your bracelets and 2 loom hooks.  If that isn't enough to have you clicking over,  you can save an extra 20% with code: SepBest20

Hump Day Happies

Today I am grateful.  I didn't blog on Monday because this momma was a nervous wreck.  baby C went in for major surgery yesterday.  We were supposed to stay overnight in the hospital for a couple of  days, but this flu outbreak meant the surgeon would be sending us home with instructions and less risk of complications.  Baby C continued his reign as one tough cookie and might be the only 2 year to ask for food within minutes of waking up.  In fact he found the apple juice a pain once he saw the icy pops!

So the Grove has a little helper this week and I find myself looking at him in awe of his smile and strength!  The one complication was not one we expected, he is sporting a bloody infected lip from the tape used for the breathing tube, but the ointment is working and it could have been so much work.

In fact he keeps saying "am I 3?"  Let's just say that he is loving get well presents.  Since many of you have been so kind as to pray for him, spoil him and talk me off the ledge of stress, I think this Wednesday calls for some surprises.  I mean who doesn't like a mid-week happy?

For our brides to-be and graduates to-be, I thought we would take 30% off ALL of our Save the Dates with code:  GLEE30.

These wedding save the dates remind of my friend Meredith who will be a beautiful bride this June.

And one of my favorite customers and friends has 3 daughters graduating from high school this year and she is going to order these with a photo of the 3 of them and all of the details for their graduation weekend?

For my customers that avoid the birthday card aisle at all costs (even if it is because you are shopping last minute), I am marking ALL calling cards and stickers down 30% as well with code GLEE30.

These are one of my favorite designs and ours say Happy Happy! so I can use them all year long.  You can choose whether to include the star or about 20 other designs.  I pair them with hot pink, white, red or orange ribbon and they will work with any holiday or event!

And for those of you that got a new iPhone 5 over the holidays we are taking $8 off ALL of our cases so they will be $50.  This includes the photo cases!  You can see all of the designs HERE, but this one is my favorite.  I think even I might be able to keep track of my phone with it!

I have a few more emails to send tonight, but ALL orders are shipping on time and I am crediting my cute little assistant this week!

Night!

Weekend Sale!

Please excuse the lack of posts!  Tuesday threw me a curve ball!  My internist had told me that my foot was badly bruised and my arched had fallen.  It hurt so I went with it.  By Tuesday morning, I could barely walk so I called, or Mr. G actually insisted I call my orthopedic surgeon.  One appointment and 2 x-rays and a shattered sesamoid bone later, I am in a walking boot on my right foot.  I have a cat scan on Monday to see if surgery is needed which I pray I can avoid.

SO while I may be moving a bit slower, I think we really need to celebrate the weekend and look forward to the holidays....hopefully a walking foot free holiday!

A lot of our clients have asked us if we are going to do a sticker sale and we thought we could do a little better than that!

So.................

From tomorrow until Sunday ALL stickers, bag tags, coasters, gift enclosures and hanging tags are 30% off with code:  HGIFT12.

These coasters make a great hostess gift, stocking stuffer or present for neighbors, coaches and college kids!  Help someone entertain in style!

These classic khaki coasters are one of our best sellers!

I love giving people gift stickers as gifts.  You always need them and you could do a couple of designs and wrap them up in a box.

Bag tags are the perfect stocking stuffer for everyone on your list!  Your black suitcase won't be mistaken again!  I LOVE these square orange and pick tags!  Personalize them with name and address or your child's name on one side and emergency contact information on the other.

Baby C has these gift stickers and I can just write in the name of who the gift is for and off we go!  At 30% off each one of these stickers is less than 1/3 of the price of a birthday card and you don't have to make a trip to the store!

I love the clean modern lines of these stickers and often give them as hostess gifts.  I simply wrap them in a cello bag and tie a lollipop or two for the hosts minnies and know they will get more than a one time use like a bottle of wine.

As much as I love a good sticker, there are times, when I just need an enclosure card so I can write a little more!  The Grove carries both flat and folded enclosure cards, but I am partial to a folded enclosure in a tiny little envelope.  There is something about the envelope that I think is better suited for more formal and special circumstances.  Polka dots are everywhere this season, including on my enclosure cards!

Our 30% off sale ends on Sunday!  We hope this makes your weekend a little brighter!  Just enter code:  HGIFT12

Party Favors

I have always liked giving favors to my guests for anything from a shower to a birthday or even an open house.  Party favors can be a stressful process, but these are some of my go to happies that are stress free.

For large events, I tend to go with a food favor.  I have tried more iced cookie companies than I can count, but have found one that makes a GREAT tasting cookie that is also a stunner visually.  Batches cookies are not your typical crunchy sugar cookie, they are soft and their icing isn't fondant, it's almost like a cross between a royal icing and a buttercream.  Lisa and Ira the owners are great to work with and they have done everything from tennis, to ice skating, to monograms for me and I have LOVED them all!  I am almost finished with my list of what I need to order for the holidays.  I always have them send them to me in bulk and then I wrap them up in coordinating ribbon or containers to fit my theme.  You can visit their fabulous shop HERE.

Mini K has been lobbying HARD for a sleepover party.  Clearly this wouldn't be for the 18+ girls in first grade or I might need to therapy!  We get a LOT of requests from mom's for non-food favors for smaller groups of girls.  One of our best sellers are the monogrammed bows in the school plaid for those that wear a uniform or a solid color to match the party decor or birthday girl's favorite color.  These bows are $20 and that includes the monogram or $25 for the custom school plaid bows.  You just ship us a skirt or a jumper and the monograms and leave the rest to us!  If you are interested in a particular color or large quantity, email us as we would LOVE to work with you!

Nail Polish sets are also a great idea.  I LOVE these gameday sets to give for a party that would be on a Friday night and you can always have some Gameday snacks or bloody mary's ready in the morning for when the parents come to pickup.  You can find them on sale for half price HERE and they have a LOT of school combos!

You can also get 3 nail polish paint pens for $15.99 HERE.  I think pairing one paint pen with some candy in a cello bag with a big bow would be a great favor!

I always found first birthday party favors tricky as the birthday boy or girl is usually the youngest at the party. I LOVE these sippy cups as party favors.  They are on sale HERE for 2 cups for $14.99.  Just add a cello bag and a bow and you have a great gift that babies, toddlers and big kids alike will enjoy long after the sugar high from the cake fades!  There are boy designs as well.

Now who said only kids like favors?  I am planning a ladies lunch for the holidays and am hoping our book club can go back to actually meeting, notice I didn't say reading?  It's always fun to surprise a friend or two or 6 with a treat.  I LOVE these tumblers for the car and at less than $8 you could tie a bow to the straw and have them at the door as a "roadie" cup or put them out to make book club or supper club more fun!  You can see all of the designs HERE.  These would also make GREAT teacher gifts alone wrapped up or partnered with a Strabucks giftcards or some candy.

What is your favorite favor to give or get?

Good Things Happen In 3's....

I have been out of town for my day job for the past 8 days!!!!!  For those of you that have placed orders at the Grove don't worry...everything is still shipping out on time...I have just been burning the candle at both ends.

I realize that most normal people are not doing posts at 9pm on a Saturday night, but we have been glued to the start of college football season ALL day.  If you have heard the voice of a toddler screaming TOUCHDOWN, it would be Baby C!

Since I titled this Good Things, I must share my 3!

1.  Happy News!
My dear friend A just got engaged today!  I could not be more happy for her and had to start the celebrating my mocking up her new monoram!

2.  College Gameday!
Mini K woke up this morning and said, today is Gameday, we should wear orange!  While Mr. G did not attend a football school, I have made sure to raise 2 little Longhorns!  So both Baby C and Mini K were dressed in orange today!  College football season to me is the start of fall and while it was in the high 80's today I couldn't help but think that hopefully soon we will need sweaters and boots and some fall shopping.

3.  The Holidays are coming!
If you are a fan on Facebook then you know Mini K and I had our first official candy corn sighting of the year!  You know how I ALWAYS share a good deal...well today, I have 3!

1.  Charmed
I am a BIG fan of charm bracelets and was given a charm from Planet Jill with a photo f Baby C and Mini K.  What I love about her charms is that you can get them in sterling silver, 14k white gold or 14k yellow gold.  You upload the photo of your choice and the photo becomes part of the charm.  These charms have been seen on the necks and wrists of Jennifer Garner, Maria Shriver, Ricki Lake and Cindy Crawford.  The charms themselves are a great price, but when I saw this deal I had to share.  The PJ necklaces, bracelets and charms make the BEST gifts for moms, friends, daughters and grandmothers so I thought some of your might want to start your holiday shopping.

You can purchase a $100 gift certificate to Planet Jill for $32 right HERE.  Just enter code LaborDay2012 at checkout and it will bring your total from $40 down to $32!  It gets better, when you then create your photo gift at Planet Jill, if you share it on your Facebook page you can get FREE shipping.

2.  Holiday Cards
I know it's early, but a lot of you are clearly organized!  We are doubling your order for FREE on all personalized holiday cards until September 10th!  If you order 50 cards with return address printing, we will send you 100!  I have loved watching the beach photos come in and must admit, I am always envious when I open a holiday card to see a tan person in the cold of winter.  While a lot of you have submitted photos, a lot of you have ordered from our selection of cards where you attach your own photo later!  A client added a note in the message box that she was going to have a card addressing party complete with gluesticks!  I love cards with texture and depth and have been known to take a great photo off of a card and stick it in a personalized frame and give it as a hostess gift at a later date!

You can see all of our cards on sale HERE.

3.  The Look For Less
We have all seen J.Crew's bubble necklace, complete with its $150 price tag.  I am sure we have all seen the sellers on Ebay that will sell you the necklace for less but take an entire season to actually ship it to you!  I have discovered a happy medium, same quality, super fast shipping and how does $14.99 sound!  I ordered a couple of these for myself and a couple to give as gifts this holiday season.  These necklaces come in a LOT more colors than the ones shown below and can be ordered HERE.

I often get emails asking for help coming up with wording or packaging for invites, gifts and notes so I thought  I would share a few ideas for this necklace.

Congratulations on a new job or engagement:  We are bursting with happiness for your engagement/good news:  wrap the necklace in tissue, put it in a cello bag, and tie a bottle of bubbles to the cello bag and attach your card.

Sip N See:  I always like to take something for the mom as well as the baby.  You could do the same packaging and say we know you are bursting with love for your new bundle!

Paper Present!

What a week!  I have been hiding something this summer...our little home improvement project.  Why, well because we were not sure if we would be able to move forward with it.  I believe in working with the bones of a house and not tearing them down.  We have done it twice before and made a decision to stay in this house and do a major renovation.  Let's just say that the city we live in does NOT like homeowners who want to make their homes bigger, so cue two frustrated homeowners (Mr. G & I) and  one AMAZING attorney and fast forward two months to today and Christmas came early in the form of a sheet of paper.  OUR BUILDING PERMIT!  It is now taped to our window, where it will live for the next four months until our new addition is complete...then we will start on the basement.

This past week has been an emotional roller coaster and it is not that I didn't want to share the good, bad and VERY ugly, it's that each day the story changed as this unfolded.

What I can say is that I am extremely thankful that I could focus on the flood of orders coming in and not the legal battle.

In case you missed our post on Facebook (just 8 more LIKES until we give away a pair of personalized sunglasses, so click on over and leave a comment!), we are having a MAJOR PAPER sale.  Since my day was made with a piece of paper and I couldn't wait to stick it on the window, I thought I would share today's big sellers.

It seems that a LOT of you are getting ready for the holidays and school birthday parties early!  We are doubling your order of stickers for FREE until August 13th!

You can view all of the stickers HERE.

These holiday stickers have been a huge hit.  Our two most popular phrases seem to be Merry Merry! and A Merry Little Something From The....
During the sale you get 48 personalized stickers for $24!  I don't think you can beat $0.50 a sticker.

One of our favorite customers has boy girl twins.  She ordered these exact stickers for her son to have for birthday parties this year.

And these stickers for her daughter.

I love the idea of picking a color theme for the year, stocking up on colored ribbon in that theme, white tissue and cello bags.  Even a giftcard will be well dressed and you won't have to stress about wrapping gifts before a party!

I always love to see what our clients select and today we had 4 different people chose these stickers today, all 4 of them chose the EXACT same wording:  Thank you for having us! Love, The XXX  What a great idea to have these stickers ready to go for hostess gifts, house hosts, neighbors, etc.

Stop the Clock

I have no excuses, this blog isn't more fun that watching my kids have the time of their life this summer!    Baby C is now officially a kid, no longer a baby and I have had so much fun watching him interact with Mini K.  He has a determination to keep up, or try to, with her and her friends.

This weel I am attempting to add some new products to the website and believe it or not have started my list for both back to school and WAIT FOR IT....Christmas!  I know I am insane!

Mini K has spent what feels like hours selecting her new lunchbox and backpack and now we wait for them to arrive so we can have them monogrammed.  This brings me to my yearly rant, why is it that Pottery barn Kids will only put your child's NAME on the backpack when EVERY SINGLE child safety expert tells you to NOT put your child's name on their backpack as stranger's can call it out and confuse out little ones?  We continued our love affair with Garnet Hill and ordered from them for the 3rd year in a row.

I have also managed to find some great deals lately that I thought I would share.

Land's End is offering an additional 20% off all sale items with code:  Banner and Pin: 2323.  I just purchased Baby C his first burnt orange puffer vest for a mere $15...marked down from.  The girl's vests are the same deal.  Even better, sign up and shop through your Ebates account and get an extra 3% cash back!

Gilt also had some great deals on stuff for your minnies!  How cute are these bracelets and necklaces for little girls?  Mini K doesn't know it, but I got her a K and a couple for her friends for Christmas.  If you aren't a Gilt member you can join HERE.  If you are a member of Gilt, don't forget you can get 4% cash back on your purchases when you shop through your Ebates account.

And how cute is this Elmo hat?

Last but certainly not least, all of the little feet here in the Grove have grown this summer.  Our wellies no longer fit and puddles are much more fun to jump in when our feet our dry...and monogrammed.  So from now until September our kids wellies are on SALE!  Trust me, when their wellies have their monogram on them, they do NOT get lost at school!  You can order them HERE.

I am taking dinner to some friends that just had the sweetest little baby girl tomorrow.  It will be an all pinterest meal and I promise to post a review of how I think the recipes turned out!

Sunday Steals For Kids!

Had to share some of these with all of you, because it seems that our mailbox is full of summer birthday party and cookout invites.  It won't surprise you that I like giving personal gifts, items that I think people will love, but wouldn't always purchase for themselves.

I usually keep a stash of these in the gift closet, but with construction about to start, the gift closet has become plastic tubs in our storage POD in our driveway.

The best part about today's finds is that all of them can actually be purchased through Ebates and we all know how I like a good deal!  You can join Ebates HERE and TRUST me it is worth it!  I usually end up getting around $100 cash back each quarter.

Mini K has three friends that LOVE owls!  Two of these girls are having swim parties at the end of July.  It was perfect when I found this adorable owl backpack on Zulily today.  I ordered two and will have them both monogrammed in time for the party!  You can find the backpack HERE.

Our high school babysitter plays lacrosse so when I saw this, I knew I had to get it for her!  I plan on having her name and number embroidered on it!  Such a fun gift and both the bag and the monogram will still be way less than paying full price for the bag!  You can find the bag HERE.

Mini K was given an Oreora necklace for her birthday last year from a friend of mine in London.  She has the globe that has a crystal where the United States is located on a silver chain.  We have gotten a ton of compliments on it, but I have never seen the brand at a store.  I was thrilled to see it on zulily today and we purchased a chain and cupcake charm for her cousin M's birthday in August.  The charms are all $9.99 and the 16" sterling chain is only $9.99.  You can find the jewelry HERE.

If going through Ebates to get 3.5% cash back and the half price deals on these items on zulily is not enough of a deal for you, use code:  COUPCABZU685 and take an extra 10% off your purchase of $50 or more!

I can hear Mr. G and the kiddos coming back from their Father's Day walk to get donuts!  We have a full day of tennis for Mini K, then a father daughter ince skating trip while I push Baby C on my daily walk (so ready to be cleared to run again next week!) then we are all meeting up to watch the big kids swim meet.

Happy Sunday!

Good GIfting: House & Baby

I hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day. Mini K and I picked up dinner from Daddy's favorite restaurant so we could eat early at home before he had to catch his flight.

And I took advantage of a quiet night to go through that stack on my desk that has been staring me down! It seems the holidays were the time for people to get engaged, move or make some changes with their childcare.

I am now caught up on my mail and email (919 emails answered last night and inbox cleaned up!) and need to do a little shopping.

My old intern just purchased her very first condo and is so excited about having an address of her own that I had to get her some address stickers! You can find these, 30% off no less, HERE.

I have a couple of friends whose children are going through some changes: one is starting at daycare and another one is starting at a new school. I would say the both moms and the minnies are nervous and excited. I made up a double batch of my favorite chocolate chip cookie dough recipe and packaged it in the contessa tubs from Garnish and delivered one batch with bag tags for my friend whose child is heading to daycare and stickers for my friend's daughter to have for all of her new school activities.

All bag tags and stickers are 30% off at the Grove through the end of the month.

I ordered these adorable bag tags for friend's son Sam, but instead of an address I put his mommy's name, email address and cell number on one side and his name on the other. That way he can tote all of his gear to daycare in style!

Our other friend's little girl is starting at a new school due to a move and I wanted to send her a little something that would be just for her. I picked out these stickers and think they will be perfect for gift giving or just labeling her stuff!

You can find all of the SALE ITEMS HERE.

As a child I remember my mom would always send a little something to friends when they moved away and would drop something off if they moved but were still in town. It is yet another example of who doesn't like a little unexpected cercie?

One gift that I think is great for marrieds, singles, men or women for a housewarming gift are new towels. The Grove only has white towels and yes, they are monogrammed. I think you cannot go wrong with a white towel with a white monogram. For some reason, I get asked all the time why I would have white towels with two kids. My answer is simple: BLEACH.

We have had 3 friends move recently so that means it's towel ordering time! My go to is always 2 hand towels and 2 bath towels for couples and 2 hand towels and a bath towel for singles and yes I monogramed them. I think Horchow has a great selection of towels and the monogramming is usually free so I headed to ebates to click through so I could double dip: CASH back from ebates and Incircle Points from Neiman Marcus. Well, I got my own surprise this morning when I discovered that almost everything is 30% off today on Horchow with code: LOVEHC. I got 6 bath towels and 6 hand towels all monogrammed, including shipping for the price of 2 hand towels and 2 bath towels, plus 3% cash back! If you are in the market for towels or sheets I would take advantage of the Horchow sale as today is the last day. If you have been coveting any of the Lilly Pulitzer furniture, well it is 25% off today as well! If you haven't joined ebates, join before you make your purchase so you can save even more. You can join HERE.

Handwriting Happy Challenge

Mini K needs to work on her handwriting, but neither her teacher or I believe that writing letters over and over are fun! Last week she announced from the backseat that she LOVES mail and it got me thinking. Who doesn't love mail? I am not talking about stacks of junk flyers or the standard catalogs, but a card or letter or maybe a special catalog, and a surprise box, well that is even better.

Now the Lawyer's Wife has a daughter that is only a year older than Mini K so I told her that Mini K was going to write Miss M a letter. Mini K thought it was super fun and now loves to say she has a pen pal.

This got me thinking, our love of mail doens't stop once we are adults so I got out mystationery, monogrammed of course, and wrote 3 notes to friends for no real reason. Today those 3 friends all called to say how much they liked their notes.

My point is the little gestures can have a big impact. You never know when a friend or family member may just need a little smile at the end of the day.

So here is my challenge:

This week write a letter (and MAIL IT!), send a box of happies, drop off a note with something yummy at a neighbor's house or surprise someone with a cookbook...JUST BECAUSE. There is one condition: do NOT expect ANYTHING in return. In the words of Nike, just do it.

Trust me, you will feel better for it!

Happy Happy

What a day! I have been looking forward to this post all day, because we know I LOVE a good deal. I intended to post it earlier, but Mini K lost the first of her two front teeth and I needed to assist the Tooth Fairy in finding some worthy gold coins.

We may have 6 more weeks of winter, but starting tomorrow the Grove is having a HAPPY sale! What is a HAPPY sale? Well how does 30% off ALL id tags, stickers, enclosure cards, save the dates and wedding invitations sound? Yep you read that correctly, 30% off from February 3rd-February 28th. Just enter code: HAPPY30 to receive your discount.

I lost track over the holidays of how many Facebook status updates for engagements I read so we wanted to do a sale that offered something for EVERYONE.

One of my favorite things to give are id tags. They are something everyone needs, but most people will not spend money on them for themselves. These are great on their own or pair them with a boat tote, a beach towel or as part of new baby gift if the baby will be going to daycare. We have a lot of military spouses order these with their name, cell phone number and email address and monogram on the other side. Since they move so much, they won't have to constantly being ordering new ones! I love the khaki and orange combination, but you can see all of our designs HERE.

I love stickers! Simply put one on a cello bag and you can save a fortune on birthday and baby shower cards. Each member of the Grove family has their own stickers, plus we have some from our entire family, and some from just Mini K and Baby C. I keep them all in page protectors in a three-ring binder on a shelf so when I need one I can just pull it out. My cercies are currently gifted with these stickers, but mine say Happy Happy xox, Grove Gal K. You can see all of our stickers HERE.

Most people think of Save the Dates for weddings. but lately we have had a lot of clients order them for Frist Communions and Confirmations. With so many families living across the country they are a great way to send all of the details, with plenty of notice, in style. This blue and coral design is one of our best sellers. I love the idea of including a photo of the special girl or boy, or use it as a traditional wedding save the date. You can shop all save the date cards HERE.

This is one of my favorite wedding invites. It is perfect for all seasons, has a big impact, but a simple classic style and the price is unbeatable before the 30% off so with the discount it is a DEAL! You can shop all wedding invites HERE.

We believe in sharing a good deal, so feel free to pass this on!

Cookie Monster

Never in a million years did I think that one of my favorite recipes would come from the NY Times! The Times claimed that this recipe is the BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe and our entire house, Mini K's class, my office, Mr. G's office and our neighbors agree. I am pretty sure the flour is the secret.

I have altered it by using dark chocolate chips, heath bar pieces and mini m&m's instead of regular chocolate chips and am convinced it is the cookie dough base that is winner!

I believe in sharing, especially when it involves calories!

Ingredients

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons cake flour (8 1/2 ounces)

1 2/3 cups bread flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons course salt

2 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/4 pounds (yes POUNDS) chocolate chips (Iusually do half milk and half semi-sweet)

Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt together and set aside.

Using a mixer cream the butter and sugars for about 5 minutes. Add eggs. Stir in vanilla, and begin adding the dry ingredients slowly. Add in chocolate chips.

Now the dangerous part...refrigerate the dough for 24-36 hours...I suggest locking up ALL of your spoons!

To Bake

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

For gooey dough like cookies bake for 8 minutes, for a more crunchy cookie bake for 11-13 minutes.

I usually take half of the batter and freeze it.

Gift Hint

Cookie dough is a great hostess gift if the party is at someone's house. Place the cookie dough in a cute container. I prefer old fashioned white ice cream pints. Fill pint with cookie dough and place a gift sticker on top.

Last year our stickers said:

Chocolate Chip Cookies For Santa's Helpers

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes and serve with milk!

Sweetest Holiday Wishes!

XOX,

The Grove Family

New Look

I am so lucky to have Miss E as a friend, a very talented friend. She has given my blog a little freshening in. Last week's malware unpleasantness left it feeling a little tired and stressed.

I love how it looks so far: clean and classic, just like a monogram. I spent the weekend working on finalizing some new products, help some great friends and clients with their holiday card selections and joined Mini K in the kitchen to make our first batch of pumpkin soup for the 2011 season. I promise to post the recipe along with some other fall must haves this week, but I am so excited to share one of our new products.

I love a ring dish! I am not a fan of the ones with the center pole, but a classic dish. This should surprise any of you now that we know each other, but I believe that a monogram makes everything, well better.

I had so much fun working on these with a very talented artist and am so excited that we will be carrying them! You can personalize your dish with your monogram, name and a bauble if you wish. Each dish is hand painted and made in the USA. Your toughest decision might be which bauble: a diamond ring, a cocktail ring, pearls earrings or diamond earrings. The best part, each dish is only $40. If you want to add a date or message instead of a monogram or in addition to we can add that for an additional $10. They are the perfect gift for newly engaged friends, in-laws, teachers, babysitters and don't forget yourself!

We have always said that we sell products that we would like to give and receive and these dishes are one of my favorites. We will be taking orders on our Facebook page and you can also email us at grovegifts@gmail.com.