I've never gone back to see which items I shared that you guys have loved...until now! It was a really fun exercise and will be helpful for me to share things that resonate this year. I'm going to get right to it with the top 10 things you guys purchased (note, the Amazon data is not easily available but I did include the one item that shows up every time I get a report!)

This post was inspired by my absolute love of the Land of Nod (Remember, I got Nadia's party activities from there?).  And my absolute reality of a budget. One that does not include $44 blocks.  Even on Christmas.  I love "look for less" posts!  And I love writing them; finding similar items in lower price brackets is such a fun challenge.  And pretty much my reality. (And all of our realities at some point right?).  Now of course I love the "look for less" features where one item is $5 and the other is $5000 and they look exactly the same.  I'm going to apologize in advance that this is not one of those posts.  BUT it's super realistic and all the price differences (from $7 to $30) add up--especially at Christmas time.  Not to mention that if you're looking for kids' gift ideas, I think you'll love some of these!





Now in some cases the differences are more obvious.  And they might be worth the extra $15.  But in others, the differences are minute...and while you might notice them, I'm guessing your two year old won't.  

Or should I say "impossible to find toddler bedding." Now that other projects are coming to an end (Nadia's circus party for instance) and others are under way (stay tuned for a post on Genevieve's dresser), I'm finally ready to get back to Genevieve's "big girl room."  My goodness, I've been working on this on and off for some time.  And I'd love to mark it as complete.  Besides finishing her dresser, the next step in her room is to get her out of her crib!  She climbs out if it almost on a daily basis (and will say to me "go stand over there and watch me." as she climbs out or climbs in--landing head first of course).  I'm just waiting for her to land wrong and hurt herself   It's an awful feeling!  But I guess not awful enough for me to grab her toddler bed out of the garage and make the transition   I mean, am I supposed to let her sleep on it without cute bedding?  What, am I an animal or something? ;)  I asked my husband about it the other night and he says, "well I guess we should do it soon--maybe you can go with her and pick out fun bedding..." All I heard was "blah blah blah maybe you can decorate her entire room with Disney characters" and I started to hyperventilate   I figured I better get some cute bedding fast before daddy intervenes.  So of course I started researching.  

I should give you a tiny bit of background--I initially figured I'd skip the toddler bed phase.  Why spend the money on something she's only going to use a short time?  A twin bed close to the ground would be fine.  I then found this adorable twin bed on craigslist.  But then Nadia happened.  I had zero time to paint her twin bed while designing Nadia's nursery.  At the same time, my mother-in-law's co-worker gave her a barely used toddler bed that would work just fine.  It's not nearly as pretty as the curvy number but it's white, real wood, and has nice clean lines.  I may even be able to get away with painting it (still contemplating that one).  And the more I thought about it, the more I thought it would be really great to have more floor space for playing.  I'm definitely hanging onto that bed (is it wrong to assume our next house will have bigger bedrooms or a playroom?) but for now, the toddler bed reigns supreme.


Back to that bedding.  I'm looking for something yellow (or a vibrant pink) and modern.  Is that so difficult to ask?  I LOVE the Michael Miller zoology print in yellow (my inspiration room used this fabric) but alas it is sold out everywhere.  And I can't find anything close to it that I like.  However, here are a few sets I did find. Not all of them go with my color scheme but they are all cute and modern and might help someone else out. These are all either girly or gender neutral by the way.

Giraffe Neutral Toddler Bedding 5 pc Set by JoJO Designs. I love that you can create an animal themed room in a cool modern way (just please don't buy the wall hangings that go with this set). ;)

Gray and White Diamond Toddler Bedding 5pc Set by JoJO Designs. SO modern and cool! This one would look great in a boy's room!

I searched. and searched. and searched. for the perfect dress for Nadia to wear to her circus party.  And I absolutely LOVE the one she wore.  I fell a little short when it came to shoes.  oops.  I really wanted her to wear these.  And I wanted to make her a bow like this.  Oh well.  She still looked adorable.  Didn't she?

Have you heard about Heidi Klum's new fashion line for kids?  As if she wasn't already rockin our worlds with her "Loved" and "Lavish" maternity lines.  She's at it again--this time with "Truly Scrumptious"--an adorable, fashionable, and fun line for bebes of all stages.  It debuts at Babies-R-Us in stores and online today.  Check out these cool duds:

Is it me or are there so many tempting deals on GroopDealz today?!  Check out these cool finds:

So a while ago I posted that I would be writing for Tall Clothing Mall.  I wrote a newsletter recently that I had such fun with that I had to share a portion of it here!  It was a list of "Resort Wear Must Haves for Him and for Her."  All of these items (besides accessories) are available in tall sizes.  If I hadn't had that limitation I would have gone crazy with options! It's kind of like real life- If I could wear anything off the rack and wasn't obsessed with buying clearance items only, I'd probably be a gajillion dollars in debt.  Thank you God for protecting me from myself.  Anyway, here they are.  Visit the Tall Clothing Mall Blog for sources.

Hey peeps, Just thought I'd let you know that I am working for Tall Clothing Mall again.  Those of you who know me personally might remember that a couple of years ago I wrote articles for TallClothingMall.com.  Well Krista (the proprietor of the site) has asked me to re-join the team.  Since I am not working full time, I have a bit more time and will be contributing to her blogs, (tallclothingmall.blogspot.com & tallsnob.com) as well as writing her newsletter, and potentially helping clients with personal shopping requests. 

Me at 7 or 8.  Notice how much taller I was than the other kids!

This is a cause that's dear to my heart.  I've been tall my whole life (I came out of the womb at 2 1/2 feet.  ok, I'm kidding).  But seriously since I could remember, I was taller than the other kids, boys included.  If I had a nickel for every time I heard (from the latter) "she's cute but she's too tall..." I'd be, well not rich but I'd at least have a handful of nickels :)  I didn't  love being tall until I was in college.  Part of the reason why was the clothing aspect.  Back then you really couldn't find long inseam clothing (or certainly not in my parents' price range anyway) and I'd wear high waters or mens' pants.  I loved fashion even then and the fact that I had to choose between dressing like a boy and wearing high waters made me want to gag.  Every kid has her thing- too tall, too short, too skinny, too fat...so this is no sob story.  I only tell you that to let you know that I seriously empathize with people who are not the norm and can't find what they're looking for--clothes, or anything else for that matter--and am really excited about helping folks meet that need.  I also love to write (shocking!) and so writing about shopping for tall people?  It's pretty much a perfect gig.  The only downfall?  I am totally coming across tons of great clothing items that I must have...but since I'm not bringing home any bacon, can't really justify.  Shame right?! 


My first pair of womens' jeans that were long enough were Lucky Brand.  I bought them my sophomore year of college.  They were $70 and I had to put them on layaway!

Check out the site--even if you're not tall, her sales page is awesome and always loaded with discounts and coupon codes for a variety of stores, most of which are not specifically geared toward tall people.  If you are tall and haven't checked out Tall Clothing Mall yet, please do and make sure to sign up for the newsletter! It's an amazing resource full of options for you!