Back in May I was able to review the Bubble Gum crib bedding set from Bananafish. This fun, not-too-girly four-piece set featured a “bubbly” design in pinks and greens on a yellow background with coordinating striped dust ruffle. It is one of my favorites from Bananafish (along with about seven other sets I love) and now I get to add a couple more to the list.

Bananafish recently added five new sets to their current line and I was able to personally drool over the Confetti Girl collection. With a modern take on the typical baby girl bedding, this scrumptious set features faux suedes (super soft) and cottons in yummy pinks and greens. With polka dots (I can never resist those) and stripes you’ve got a simple yet chic design perfect for your nursery. And get this, you’ve got options when it comes to the Confetti bedding. The dust ruffle that comes with the set is actually reversible—how cool is that!

When you think confetti you think celebration, so celebrate the birth of your baby in style with the new Confetti bedding from Bananafish. By the way, other sets in their new line include Cocoa, Confetti Boy and the Crayon, Moda, and Daisy collections. I’m going to have to add the Cocoa and Moda collections to my list of Bananafish favorites for sure!—Emily

This week, Daria dishes the BIG NEWS! Boutique Cafe is a new member of the MommyCast and Friends Family Channel – powered by Podango. She shares news of the Expo, and a few friends we made on our trip. Amelia is here with her “Guilty Pleasures” topic for Fashion Forward Friday – be sure to blog your reply and then come and post a link in our shownotes to participate.

We also want to remind everyone to get snapping those family pictures, and enter our Boutique Cafe Family Photo Contest, sponsored by Philips. You can win one of four Digital Photo Frames in the gorgeous Seasonal design. Contest closes on Oct. 25th so upload to our Flickr group for entry. More details here ». All this, plus Boutique News and our Podsafe song by Lee Coulter “Booty Voodoo”. Links include: Cherish Collages, MonaLisaBoutique, Francoise*Studio, Amy Butler Design, YCMT

**Please note, when you click on the “Listen” buttons the file will download directly to your computer. We’ve had a few server issues today which are being worked on. Thanks!

For most of us hosting a party means some last-minute cooking even with the best efforts at planning ahead. Plus I often find myself whipping up a little more of this or that during a party to feed hungrier-than-planned-on guests. When doing so I have two choices: one, wear my old kitchen apron to protect my carefully chosen outfit while at the same time hiding said outfit, or two, go sans apron and chance getting hot artichoke dip on hot outfit. With Heavenly Hostess I no longer have to make such a difficult decision. Their fabulously stylish aprons are party outfit and protection all in one.

Heavenly Hostess first caught my eye at Nest, a local boutique. I’ve never been one to collect things but when I saw the aprons in the window I seriously considered becoming a collector—and doing more cooking in the process. Heavenly Hostess is all about “serving with grace,” and even I could be graceful in one of these beautiful designs. When I received the new Holiday Skaters halter aprons in both my size and my daughter’s I immediately started thinking about hosting a holiday party so I could not only serve guests with grace but in high style. Full reversible with a fun print and beautiful detailing, Heavenly Hostess aprons have “hot holiday hostess” written all over them. (Well, maybe not the children’s sizes…those say something more like “cute holiday helper.”) And if you prefer a cocktail apron, I can tell you firsthand the Santa Baby apron is the way to go this season. I love the classic Santa print and huge bow in back. It’s definitely a piece to plan around when choosing what to wear to your own party! Read the rest of this entry »

It’s that magical time of year once again. The holiday’s are fast approaching, and hundreds of boutique designers are launching their whimsical wear for your tots! There are so many drool worthy group launches right now, dripping in peppermint and shimmering with dupioni and dazzle. I love the holiday fashions, it’s dreamy to kick back with some cocoa and indulge in all these talented women have created. If you are dreaming about the perfect Holiday wear for your little ones, now is a great time to search before the big rush – plus you can get those portraits done early this year!

Here’s a sweet little Holiday Snack – just a few special auctions to help us all catch that holiday spirit!

Raina’s Design Originals – Christmas/Pageant gown for the VendeMia Launch search VendeMia for the entire launch.

SweetBettyCo dazzles us with her Pink Snow Girl set (lovin’ the boots too!). For the Entire Studio E Launch click here ».

ella*monde parties with peppermint and gives us a fresh idea for our Christmas Wish List! SearchIvyLane for some special holiday treasures.

And finally, Maddie*Kate’s custom Santa hoodie and pants would be comfy and cute on any little girl this holiday season. Check out her group members auctions by searching BoutiqueJaynes
If all this hasn’t inspired your imagination yet, you can always go the old fashioned route and search BIG on eBay, using Boutique Christmas as your search term.

**If you or your group have Christmas Launches you’d love shared in our FINDS, email the link to daria@boutiquecafe.com . We’ll be featuring amazing auctions with clear pictures and great clothing. Please note that not everyone will be spotlighted, but we will do our best to showcase a broad range of holiday trimmings. Thank you for submitting your running auctions to us! – Daria

...with flair! And the environment never looked or felt so good. El Naturalista is based in Pamplona, Spain and features environmentally friendly materials in their footwear. “Being a ‘Naturalista’ implies a respect for a rich and deep philosophy that places its trust in life and, on principle, attributes all things to nature.” Impressive? Yes, and that’s just a small taste of the story behind the name. It’s worth your time to read more about a company that limits their impact on nature but definitely doesn’t limit the chic style and extreme comfort in their shoes.

I was lucky enough to receive a pair of El Naturalista shoes to review for the Daily Dish. When I laid eyes on the beautiful Dakyu ankle boot I immediately fell in love with its delicate scalloped edges and super soft leather. The feminine design is perfect for skirts or my favorite pair of skinny jeans (still have to lose the pregnancy weight before wearing that combo). The 100% natural rubber sole gives this boot serious durability and flexibility, and the anatomically designed insole fits my foot like a glove, which is good because I plan to wear these babies a lot!

But even better than the shoe itself, or at least just as awesome, is the story of “the trip that inspired this model.” Each line of shoes is the result of a trip somewhere, from Ancient Greece and Atlantis to Namibia and Peru. Dakyu was the name of a beautiful seven-year-old mare from Tandil, Argentina. Want to hear more? Read the inspiring story behind the shoes here. I love everything about the company and everything about their shoes. The more you learn about El Naturalista the more you’ll want to set out on your own adventure, and I’m not just talking about discovering which pair you like the best.—Emily

Momosclothes shows us all how to act like a little lady, with this gorgeous Pink Lady set sized 3/4. The set is one of a kind and features sweet details such as vintage skirting, puff sleeves, coordinating pants and matching hairbow. But what really grabs you is the punch of pink!

View the FIND »

For more information on MomosClothes, check out her eBay About Me page >

What little girl doesn’t love jewelry? Okay, maybe a handful do exist but I have yet to give birth to one. My girls love anything that shines or sparkles and can be worn around the wrist, around the neck, or in the hair, so when High IntenCity sent samples from two of their high-fashion jewelry lines they were in heaven.

High IntenCity manufactures fashion jewelry and accessories for “girls, tweens and teens.” Brands include Charm It!, Jewels Girls Love to Wear (that would be all of them!), and I CARE. I received samples of their new Charm It! Gift Sets and a tiara and jewelry set from their recently launched Princess Collection. Fortunately the package contained two Charm It! sets so each older daughter had her own. Once I showed them the cute boxed sets the girls disappeared for a while. Just when I started worrying the house was too quiet, they proudly displayed their new charm bracelets. Read the rest of this entry »

Big Announcement! News broke early last Friday morning at the Podcast & New Media Expo in Ontario, California that MommyCast would be partnering with Podango, to develop a family channel of podcasts. We are honored to announce that Boutique Cafe is a New & inaugural member of the MommyCast & Friends Channel, of family friendly podcast content. MommyCast & Friends.com will be launching soon with content that will entertain, educate and uplift today’s moms and parents. Thank you for supporting Boutique Cafe and for cheering us on in this huge opportunity!

Big Announcement! News broke early last Friday morning at the Podcast & New Media Expo in Ontario, California that MommyCast would be partnering with Podango, to develop a family channel of podcasts. We are honored to announce that Boutique Cafe is a New & inaugural member of the MommyCast & Friends Channel, of family friendly podcast content. MommyCast & Friends.com will be launching soon with content that will entertain, educate and uplift today’s moms and parents. Thank you for supporting Boutique Cafe and for cheering us on in this huge opportunity!

Watch for our show later this week, where we explain what all this means for Boutique Cafe and YOU our listeners!