There are some new and exciting things coming to the SWS Etsy Shop!  I've been making my own paper garlands for just about every holiday for months now, and I finally decided to add some to the Etsy shop.  So hop on over there (by clicking here) and check them out.



There will be more designs added soon, including St. Louis Cardinals garland (gasp!).  Stay tuned.....

I love Easter.  It's one of my favorite holidays, and we couldn't have asked for better weather this Easter.

On Saturday, we met the Easter Bunny for the very first time.  She had the same reaction to the Fred Bird four months ago.

We finished the afternoon with a little Easter egg hunting in the park, and browsing through the Tower Grove Farmer's Market.  \







I spent the rest of the afternoon baking Easter treats like a crazy person getting ready for our big Easter lunch the next day.



On Sunday, my little Funny Bunny loved her Easter basket.  She promptly removed the books from her basket first.  This kid loves books.




After church we had a big family Easter lunch, followed by more Easter goodies for Katherine.  I successfully made my first big holiday meal, with only a few minor mishaps.  All in all, I call it a success.  


I hope everyone had a great Easter Sunday filled with family, love, and yummy goodies!  

A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned my favorite make-up products (link to that post here).  I mentioned how a comment made in high school led to my interest in make-up and hair styling.

Let me start off by saying that I have very very thick hair.  For years, no hair care products worked on my thick hair.  When I straightened my hair, it wouldn't stay straight.  When I curled my hair, it wouldn't stay curled.  I was introduced to Big Sexy Hair by a college roommate and I've never looked back.  I LOVE Big Sexy Hairspray.  I can't say it enough.  It works so great on my hair.  I can keep any style for days with Big Sexy.  Love.

I got some Paul Mitchell products for Christmas and I'm still using them.  I love the shampoo and moisturizer.  Dove Leave-In Foam and Moroccan oil leave my hair super soft, and in between shampoos I love Dove dry shampoo.    

Again, I'm not a professional hair stylist/expert.  These are just my favorite products that work really well for me.  

1.  Paul Mitchell Clarifying Shampoo
2.  Paul Mitchell Moisture Super-Charged Moisturizer
3.  Organix Moroccan Argan Oil
4.  Big Sexy Hair Mousse
5.  Dove Oxygen Moisture Leave-In Foam
6.  Dove Invigorating Dry Shampoo
7.  Big Sexy Hairspray

As far as hair tools go, I once again have to turn to the higher end salon brands to style my thick hard-to-manage hair.

1.  Hot Tools 1-1/2" Curling Iron
2.  Hot Tools 1" Curling Iron
3.  Chi Flat Iron

For more ideas on skin and hair care, I love this blog.

I love trying new beauty products and hearing other people's favorite products.  What are your favorite beauty products?

Yesterday we took Katherine to the zoo for the very first time.  It was the first stop of a long list of places in St. Louis that Katherine will visit this summer.  We live in a great city with lots of awesome stuff to do and see and I'm embarrassed to say that we rarely take advantage of such opportunities.

{"Impressed zoo face"}

Easter is one of my favorite holidays.  I love the bright colors and warmer weather (hopefully!).  Our house is finally looking springy (that's a word right?) and ready for Easter.

I made another glitter paper garland with spring colors, and I scored some awesome finds on my last trip to Dollar General.







I found the awesome glitter Easter eggs and egg tree at Dollar General (random!) while on a storage bin run.  They were a great find and at only $1, I couldn't get them in my basket fast enough!  Putting them in glass vases with a little green paper "grass" was an easy and inexpensive way to decorate for Easter.  The egg tree was only $3!

I made yet another wreath for the front door.  This time, I went with a simple spring wreath.  Everything for the wreath came from Hobby Lobby (at half off!).  I love the simplicity of this wreath.
I'm so ready for Easter and all things spring!  

My love of resale began years ago.  I remember my mom taking me to consignment shops where I would find the name brands of clothing that everyone at my school wore.  My mom would buy them for me and I'd keep it a secret where I bought them.  I didn't want to be labeled for shopping resale.

When I got to college, I discovered thrift shops.  I would shop at Goodwill and the Salvation Army for random things that you couldn't find just anywhere.  I even dabbled in vintage shops.  My interest in resale didn't go much farther than that. 

It wasn't until I moved to St. Louis that my interest became something more.  I was looking for a job after college and randomly answered a job posting for a consignment shop (learn more about that here).  It wasn't until I started working there, that I realized what a big industry the resale business actually is.  I learned from my boss and co-workers about other resale shops in St. Louis.  Before too long I was visiting them all on a regular basis.  I could honestly say I had visited a vast majority of the resale shops in St. Louis.  I was able to go to a NARTS (Association of Resale Professionals...I know right?) workshop, where I learned even more about this bumming industry.  Before too long, I was on to bigger and better things (read about that here), and found myself working for a non for profit resale shop.  I feel like I became a real "resale professional" at this job.  I even got to attend a NARTS conference, where I spent three days learning about the resale/consignment/NFP business.  I really saw this as my career and I feel like it could've been, but that's another story for another time.

One of the things I love about resale (besides it's affordability) is that you can find very nice things at very low prices.  I especially love NFP (non for profit) stores.  When you spend money at these shops, the money goes to help a certain organization or cause.

St. Louis has so many resale shops, that I can't even count them or visit all of them (although that is a tempting challenge).  If you live in St. Louis or are planning to visit, here are some awesome resale shops to visit (I'll link each shop with their website):

Children's Resale
Kangaroo Kids Favorite! You can also find breastfeeding support groups here!
Purple Cow You can get lots of designer and higher end items here!
Sprung Favorite! This is a non-profit store full of awesomeness.

Women's Resale
Rung Favorite! This is a non-profit connected to Sprung.  Perfect for mother-daughter/son shopping!
Upscale Resale Higher end items with a higher price tag.
Women's Closet Exchange Get your designer items here!

Teen's Resale
Dos Favorite! Love this little gem in the heart of Clayton! Great prices too!
Clique Find higher end and designer brands here.
Refresh  Another awesome non-profit.

Furniture Resale
Second Sitting If you see it here, buy it!  It may not be there tomorrow.
Consign and Design Favorite! If Pinterest had a store, this would be it!
Garvey Decor Allow plenty of time to shop this store!  They've got lots of stuff!

A Little Bit of Everything
The Scholar Shop Favorite! And this shop has TWO locations! Also a non-profit.
Ditto This non-profit has everything!  Women's, men's, children's, teen's furniture, home decor!
The Resale Shop Another non-profit!


Here are some national chain stores that are also full of great finds:

Goodwill Everything!
Plato's Closet Teen's
Once Upon a Child Kid's
Avalon Exchange Teen's, Women's, Men's, Vintage
Hut No. 8 Teen's
Red Racks Everything!

Again, there are so many resale shops in St. Louis that there are lots of awesome shops that I haven't even visited yet.  This list doesn't even cover all of the great vintage shops in St. Louis.  I'll save that list for another day....

What are your favorite resale shops?