We've got some stuff goin on!

I am excited to share with you some news in the next few days that is gonna knock your socks off!  Plus a new logo and Monkey mascot (eeeee, so exciting!) But, until then I've got some work to do clearing out our inventory to make room for NEW and EXCITING product for you Monkey Toes lovers (does that sound weird?).  I'll be featuring one style per week with a great price attached...This week's deal - The LUV Bug mary janes.  I've got 10 pairs of these babies left and they're only $18!!  I know what you're thinking... What? That's unheard of !! I know!! So get them NOW!!  (sizes 1-10, limited quantities, only while supplies last).

Know what these little cuties are perfect for?  Valentine's Day!  What a great gift and an adorable finishing touch on any little V-Day outfit.

PS - I can guarantee the pricing will go back up once our new stock is in.

How do I love Thee?? Let me count the (Givea) ways...

Many of you who follow me on Twitter know that I have an obsession with sweets.  Thankfully, I am NOT alone in this department - I share my sweet tooth with my #sweettootholympics buddy Sweet Harper (@sweetharper).  We're constantly tweeting about our latest sugar highs and cravings.  

I thought I'd share my sweet tooth love's fun products with you because it's back to school season.  And who doesn't love new hair accessories for school?  (um, I can't think of anyone!) Check out Sweet Harper's etsy shop for amazing clippies for your daughter - they are the cutest things around.
 

We received these fabulous headbands from our Twitter BFF, aren't they great? 

 Rose's words exactly "Oh MY Gosh, Mom!!!  These are the cutest things I have EVER seen in my whole entire life" (I think she liked them?!)

  Ella's favorite colors are blue/brown. Sweet Harper did a fabulous job capturing that! 

So here's the fun...
It's a Double Whammy giveaway.  You've got two shots to win - here and there.  So get your contest fingers ready for our very first giveaway!!

In honor of Back to School Sweet Harper & Monkey-Toes are giving away prizes on both of our websites.  Sweet Harper will give you a $20 store credit to go crazy, and Monkey-Toes is giving away a pair of your favorite shoes (valued at $37.50).  If you love them, and us, the contest details are below...Folks, it's super easy!!

Mandatory entries (there are 2) - 
1 - Go to Sweet Harpers Etsy Shop and tell us what your favorite item is, leave 1 comment below
2 - Go to Monkey-Toes website and tell us what your favorite item is, leave 1 comment below

For additional entries (make sure you leave individual comments below for each entry - and more chances to win)
1- Follow Monkey-Toes on Twitter
2 - Follow Sweet Harper on Twitter
3 - Follow the Monkey-Toes blog (super easy, you're here already, so click on the right)
4 - Follow Sweet Harper's blog (you won't regret it!)
5 - Tweet about this giveaway and make sure you include @monkeytoesshoes & @Sweetharper in your tweet.  Cut and paste the link below

And remember, Sweet Harper is doing the SAME giveaway on her blog...Go over and enter that one too - you're already half way there.

Contest Ends Friday August 20, 2010 at 11:59 pm CST. Open to US & Canada residents only.  Tracy from Sweet Harper sent those gorgeous headbands for free for us to review, love her!  

Weekend Project - Tweet Tweet

Wall words are pretty popular these days and I have to admit, I've got some in my house too - just above a family photo in the hallway (minus Oscar, but if you look REAL close, that's not bloat - he's in there).

The saying "All you need is Love" is inspired by the Beatles (I do not take responsibility for this song running through your head night and day now)...

I'm truly not an artist.. Ya, I can come up with creative ideas and skate by to get a good prototype, but for the most part I leave the true work and details to my very talented artists.  However, I was pleasantly surprised at the masterpiece I was able to create on my own in Rose's room.  We decorated her room in pink and brown for her birthday last year and when I saw these adorable little birds and bird cage, I couldn't resist.  BUT - I could resist the $60 price tag that came with the cute little vinyl stickers!  So I decided I could paint these myself...and I did. I figured if I messed up the walls that bad I could paint over it, right?

Here's my sneaky little secret...tracing paper! Yep!  I printed out the image that I liked, blew it up and used tracing paper to transfer it to the wall.  Found some colors I liked (who doesn't LOVE pink little birdies??) in acrylic paints and voila - after a few coats of paint it looked fabulous!

The part I love the most is its "tweet" little imperfections.













 
Final Result...

I surprised Rose with the finished product - she adored it!  What project in your house are you most proud of?  Share a link with me...

PS - don't think you can attempt this project yourself?  You can purchase those cute little birdies online here

HOW TO: The Ladybug Birthday

We're constantly getting calls and emails for a last minute Little Ladies shoes for a birthday party!  Who woulda thought, our little ladybug shoes would be the finishing touch to a cute little ladybug themed birthday party.  We're so honored to be a guest at each and every one of those cutie patutie parties. And with so many requests I decided to recruit The Indie Tot's (@theindietot) very own Erika Pitera to show us HOW TO throw your very own ladybug party.  Whether you're crafty or not I know YOU can do it :). Enjoy...

 If you’re looking for a children’s birthday party theme that’s simple, fun and guaranteed to be a smashing success, try planning your party around a ladybug theme! For those of us who aren’t so crafty, a ladybug theme is really easy to shop for and decorate. You can do a lot with simple, inexpensive store-bought decorations, but if you really want the party to pop, give some of these ideas a try.

Invitations

(1) Once you get an idea of how many children to invite, you can find plenty of sources for customized and personalized birthday party invitations. I particularly like vanillaink’s Ladybug Custom Birthday Invitation because the shop will customize the design to fit any message you want.
Then, within 24-48 hours, you’ll get an e-mail proof. Once you give the okay, you’ll receive a high resolution file via e-mail that you can take to any professional printing store or print at home. It’s simple, affordable and great for last-minute planning!

Partyware

(2) With solid red and black partyware, you can create a cute ladybug theme with relatively little effort. Plates and Napkins, for example, offers solid red and solid black plastic utensils, plastic or paper plates, crepe paper streamers, tablecovers, etc. You can mix and match the solid colors and then accent with the red and black polka dot balloons.
If you purchase extra red paper plates and some craft store staples like glue sticks, felt, wiggle eyes, etc., you can even let the kids make their own paper plate ladybug crafts (click here for some ideas).

Sweets

(3) Thanks to Wilton’s Lady Bug Cake Pan, you can even have a sweet little ladybug birthday cake!
If you’re not up to baking a cake, there are plenty of options online for ladybug-themed cupcake wrappers or even edible fondant cupcake toppers.

Outfits

(4) You can really let your little one be the star of her birthday party with a pair of Little Ladies MJs from Monkey-Toes. These adorable little handpainted Mary Janes are for infants and toddlers and feature an elastic buckle for easy on and off. You can also try the Little Ladies Tennis Shoes with springy laces!

(5) Monkey-Toes can easily pair with a simple red and black outfit, but if you want to go one step further, check out the Miss Ladybug Tutu Costume from PoshTots. It includes a handcrafted red prima ballerina tutu with black polka dots, a pair of polka dot wings, fur antennae and a ladybug wand!
If you’re feeling up to a craft project, you can make antennae for all of your little guests fairly easily. You’ll need thin headbands, ribbon, pipe cleaners and red or black pom poms (click here for instructions).

Handmade Ladybug Party Goods

In our recent feature of handmade ladybug party goods on Etsy, we found some adorable party favors and invitations. Click here to check out our finds!
These are just a few tips to help you with your party planning. A quick search of the Web will surely help you find even more ideas to prepare for the party.

With a little creativity and a lot of love, you can throw a fabulous birthday bash for your little ladybug!

What other themes are popular right now?  Share your favorite...