worth the marital risk: the laughing giraffe.

Y'ALL.

so i've done something you have to hear about. 'cause Lord knows i'm not ready to tell hubby. there's no sense in inviting trouble to the party any earlier than absolutely necessary. (read: i'm keeping my trap shut 'til he checks the mail {or our bank statement} and finds the evidence.)

like any good girl mommy, i started dreaming about easter outfits not long after christmas was over.

i looked at a couple of places in town but wasn't particularly impressed - nothing seemed quite special enough. blah.

i'd looked on etsy and found a couple of cute options ... sweet pillowcase dresses with satin ribbons and even a pattern for a cute outfit that nana said she'd be willing to attempt. but then the idea of ordering fabric, measuring the wild woman and having to endure the hellish experience of multiple fittings to get everything just right got pretty overwhelming. never mind how sticky the situation would have gotten if nana put in all that work and then i didn't love it. i get twitchy just thinking about it.

so.

i sat down during my conference period on tuesday to write lesson plans (which are still sneering at me from the corner of my desk - UNdone.) but naturally ended up perusing etsy 'for just a sec.'

i actually wasn't even looking for myself - my partner teacher mentioned she had never heard of etsy (ohh. emm. gee. are you living under a rock, sister?!) and wanted to know how to look for personalized birthday goodies for her sweet baby boy. i showed her the keywords i use to search (in this case: easter dress 5t {ordering it big enough so we can hopefully get a couple of years' worth of wear out of it.}) and how to narrow down the results to hone in on what you're really looking for.

and then, when i wasn't even really looking for it, i found the most adorable dress i've ever seen. times 3.

the shop is the laughing giraffe, and the fantastically talented creator is the too-sweet linda (she answered my constant barrage of questions and never batted an eye!), who does all of the designing and sewing herself. her shop is FULL of precious monogrammed clothes - for girls, boys & adults too! - and other personalized gifts and pretties that are indescribably irresistible.

i did my best to narrow down the choices for the wild woman's easter ensemble but quickly found myself hitting a wall. there was no way to choose.

so i didn't.

i ordered 3 dresses. at the same time. and i never even flinched.

before you see them, allow me to lay out my entire palette of rationalization. (i worked hard on this and y'all are my dress rehearsal before i have to take the stage in front of hubs when i get busted!)

1. the prices are shockingly reasonable for being handmade AND monogrammed.

2. all 3 are size 5t and can be worn for a good long while - AND 2 of the 3 are adjustable and can even be worn as shirts when they're too short to be dresses.

3. i didn't buy her an easter dress last year because we re-wore the one from the year before. so really, that means i only bought 1 extra dress instead of 2. you know, if you make one of them retroactive to count for last year.

thoughts? observations? tips for improvement?

i doubt i'll ever convince hubby with any of these, but with any luck he'll at least get tired of me talking and drop it just so i'll shush.

my ultimate goal is to dodge the conversation until he's locked in a black ops death match and wired on sweet tea. a girl can dream, huh?
but back to the dresses. i can't get enough. and the coke money in my wallet says you can't either!

...all of the images you're about to see are taken directly from the laughing giraffe with express permission from the shop owner...

the molly. this one will be her easter dress ... i'm pairing it with the white ruffly petticoat pants she wore under last year's dress and a pretty white cardigan if the weather is cool. i'm thinking a high ponytail with a GIANT bow to finish it off. total swoon!

the mia. the only way i can think to describe this one is perfect. i love the knots and that it can be worn for a long time. i was torn between this one and another one i'll show you later, but like lots of my twitter friends said, i think the fun combo of colors and pattern just scream wild woman.

the poppy. this one was more for me than it was for my girl - i am pretty much obsessed with this fabric and these colors. it's another one that she can wear a couple of different ways, and i'm so excited about getting good wear out of some of her monogrammed pretties. (it makes me SO sad to retire anything monogrammed.) i'm also thinking this one could stretch into fall with some cute jeans and a long sleeve shirt underneath.

as much as i hated to stop my shopping spree at 3, i figured it was best to exercise at least a small degree of self control. (3 dresses instead of 13. baby steps, folks. baby steps.)

here are a few of the others that i hated to leave behind (at least for round 1 - there's always memorial day to think about!) ...

the violet. there are quite a few color combinations for this dress. the ruffled collar melts me. you have GOT to go check them out. totally presh. like wow.

the meredith. this is the one i was so torn about. i ended up going with the mia - but i adore how classic this one is. i'm a total sucker for seersucker, and i'm not totally sure i won't end up with this one too at some point.

the sweet pea. Y'ALL. i can't get over this one. if an unhealthy percentage of her closet weren't already pink and brown, this one definitely would've ended up in the cart too. ohmygoodnessgracious.



the charlotte. the sash. i die.

the elle. heavens to betsy. help me, rhonda.

the cooper. a seersucker jon-jon?!? almost enough to make me want another bambino right this second. not quite - but almost. there are several variations of this one too - just another reason to visit the laughing giraffe!

i told you she made gorgeous things for adults! a little more success on the weight watchers front (and back, for that matter) and this hot little number will be mine. no doubt.



who doesn't love a seersucker tie??? loooove.



monogrammed prissy pants. i better stay far, far away lest the cuteness sucks me into a bout of baby fever.



she even monograms sippy cups!

have y'all ever SEEN such cuteness?!

and in related news, have y'all ever seen a grown woman literally skip to the mailbox?

do yourselves a favor and visit the laughing giraffe. i promise you'll love the pretties, and i promise you'll love linda.

(fine print: this isn't a compensated review in any way, shape or form. i simply found the laughing giraffe and loved it so much that i asked linda if i could blog about her fantastic talents. thanks, linda!)

love & the Lord knew i was meant to be a girl mama,