Seattle's Largest Sample Sale...Tomorrow!!

Mark your calendars ladies...this one is not to be missed.

Crave Spring Market Party

June 1st (12-4) at the Fisher Pavilion/Seattle Center.

This is the perfect opportunity for the bargain-conscious fashionista (and who isn't right now?), as all vendors are required to sell 50% of goods at wholesale prices. WHOLESALE PRICES.

Besides shopping, there are many other events going on...fashion shows, raffles, manicures & massages, and mini classes on dressing great for less and new make-up trends.

Of course, Sweet Petula will be there, along with 50+ other vendors and boutique stores. Who am I saving my pennies for?

Kennedy & Cate

Great store on Bainbridge Island. Last year I bought the most perfect Ella Moss top there.

Undies & Outies

My hands down favorite Seattle store. I love this place. I'm super picky about how I spend my money, and I could buy out the entire shop. From shoes, to clothing, to great cards and baby gifts. If you've never vistited this Queen Anne shop. Go. Now. And even better...the women who work there. Friendly, cute, helpful, etc.

Clutch

This new handbag store is in the same building as the Fairmont Olympic Hotel downtown and is simply fabulous. The owner has chosen some great brands of handbags and they are always getting in new merchandise. This event is a great opportunity to grab a great maybe a normally little $$$ out of reach bag. My biggest problem is trying to figure out how to shop and sell at the same time. As soon as the doors open, I'm rushing the Clutch booth. p.s. I will use my elbows if needed.

Horseshoe Clothing

Located in Fremont (right across the street from my honey's work), is this little boutique. I'm in love with everything they have and am super impressed by the store decor. They managed to be 100% original in a town full of great boutiques.

And again, Sweet Petula will be there with lots of goodies to sell and giveaway. Stop by and say, "hi"!

Please don't shoot.

Unlike most other women....I am not excited for the Sex and the City movie. Of course, I'm still going to go see it, and I do actually love Sex and the City.....I have the entire box set. But I can't imagine how they are going to continue the story. I loved the way the series ended.....I think they might ruin it. Why does Carrie have to get married? She was just perfect the way she was. What if they ruin her?

Moving Weekend

It's the big moving weekend. Woo-Hoo! I'm trying to psyche myself up for all the massive amount of work I have to do in the next 3 days. Fortunately, it is a beautiful sunny day out there.

I'm so excited for my new neighborhood, Pioneer Square in Seattle. During the day it is bustling with energy and I simply love it. The new Sweet Petula is about 2 blocks away from Cafe Umbria which is my second favorite coffee (Cafe Vita #1 all the way) of all time, but my very favorite cafe to visit. The Pioneer Square Umbria location is like being at a swank Italian coffee bar. They have the walk up counters and tall standing cafe tables. Definitely worth a visit when you are down in my new neck of the woods. The new shop is also right around the corner from the Seattle Fire Department, which is making all employees clamor for the downtown shifts. I, of course am only concerned with safety and am so pleased that should I ever need assistance help is just moments away.

I think I might smell smoke

Tutus

This peony reminds me of a tutu. Which got me to thinking....why do only little girls and brides get to wear tutus? I wish I had a tutu.

Tutu dress fit for a grown up by Ouma Clothing in Pheonix.

Cleaning is fun!

I've been working like a crazy person trying to condense my 2,000+ s.f. office full of too much stuff into our new exactly 800 s.f. new Pioneer Square space. I have such a hard time getting rid of crafty bits I may need someday. And I have boxes and boxes of crafty bits. Sadly, some of it (more than half to be exact) simply must go. In the process of my deep clean, I have found some interesting things. Things I thought I had lost. But now they are back.

1. A black top hat that was my grandmothers.

2. Twin sized quilt I made out of tiny tiny squares when I was in high school that I hope to now finish for my niece Anneka.

3. The Oprah Magazine issue that Sweet Petula was featured in. I thought I had lost it, and didn't have a copy. I've been trying to buy a back issue on Ebay for the past few years with no luck. Do you know how much back issues of "O" magazines go for on Ebay? A lot. It is silly. Anyway, I don't need any old used Ebay "O" magazine anymore...because I found mine! My copy with a letter from the magazine's beauty editor, Valerie Monroe. So here it is. Our Bay Rum & Lime soap featured in Oprah Magazine.....in all it's shining glory...during the biggest shopping month of the year. It was super fantastic. That Oprah. She's alright.

Bitten By Vanity

Today I had some photos taken for a book I am going to be featured in. The book is about *Smart, Sexy, Seattle women in their 20’s and will be out in October. In preparation to look my absolute best, I had a few beauty mishaps that I really should have seen coming. But sadly, I turned a blind eye and learned the hard way that vanity can truly be a bitch.

My first great idea was to (do not judge), darken up a bit via tanning. I decided on a place in Burien that looked nice. The woman behind the counter had 80’s hair and skin that looked like a honey baked ham. At no point, did my sensibility stop me from taking this gals advice. I blindly followed her into the room and proceeded to bake my “fairest of them all” complexion. About 2 hours after my session, my skin started to turn bright red and remained that way for the next week or so. It was the most pain I have ever felt. I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t sit, couldn’t shower or go anywhere in public where a bra was required. Finally, the pain eased and phase two began. In phase two every square inch of me started peeling off. There was no hiding it, as EVERY SQUARE INCH of me was molting. At this point, I was tired of hiding indoors and just went about my daily business dressed as usual hoping the general public would assume I had some sort of rare and mysterious disease. The most embarrassing part of this whole “fake-n-bake” is the fact that every time Tom B. would look at me...he would bust out laughing. He did at one point go buy me some pain spray and hose me down. Not really the most romantic point of our relationship, but the boy is helpful.

My second big beauty no-no was going to an uncharted, untested, unheard of “spa” for eyebrow waxing…...48 hours before the photo shoot. I am going to give you the name of this place, as I don't want ANY of you under ANY circumstance to go there EVER. It is new and called “Spa Botanical” in the Grand Central Station in Pioneer Square. As I walked in and noticed the unfinished treatment rooms and untidy conditions my brain was screaming, “leave this very minute”. Instead I decided to chance it and give some unknown woman a go at my face with hot wax. This woman butchered my eyebrows. One is noticeably shorter than the other and I’m left with this odd, slightly quizzical expression. It’s bad. All I can say is, “thank god”, for my Italian heritage. Everything should grow back in a few weeks. In the meantime, there are always eyebrow pencils. The worst part of this waxing experience? I paid in full…..and tipped. It was all I could muster to just wander out speechless.

Wasn’t it Thoreau who said, “Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes”? I’m going to amend it to “Beware of all enterprises that require new looks”. Vanity kicked my ass.

*this is a blatant lie. No wonder my karma is messed up. The book is really about Seattle Boutique Owners.

( not the look I was going for, but when you see the book tell me I look pretty anyway)

1st Annual Trunk Show

Thanks everyone for turning out at the Trunk Show last weekend. We had a great time and can't wait to do it again. Pictured above, Sarah (has worked at Sweet Petula since she was 15), Me, and Rachel (one of our fantastic vendors).

cranky times

so delicious umm......

photos by Gretchen Drew, Eugene, Oregon photographer

Yesterday, I was told by my new doctor, that I have to stop drinking coffee. Apparently, getting 2/3rds of your daily calories, hydration and energy from lattes is not okay. Who knew? Really, we should be told these things. Needless to say, I am very cranky today. My head may explode. Lanna (below), sums my mood up perfectly in this photo.

Lanna, is the little fruit of Rachel & Nathan. They really know how to make children. Lanna is so smart and funny and cute. I'm convinced Rachel ate nothing but hot peppers and cupcakes while she was pregnant.

Eye Spy

The Soap Opera

One of my very favorite shops of all time, The Soap Opera in Madison, Wisconsin. The Soap Opera opened their doors in March of 1972. 3 months before I was born! And they are still going strong with a on-line as well as brick and mortar presence. The best thing about The Soap Opera is the sheer number of brands they sell. They have it all...even Sweet Petula, of course. The owners, Chuck Bauer and Chuck Beckwith (the two Chucks!) began selling soaps and toiletries out of an old, wooden dresser, strapped on to roller skates and covered with a chintz canopy. They have come a long way (baby) in the past 35 years, and have a huge following of dedicated customers.

I love this shop for many reasons, mostly because is reminds me of this soap place I went to when I was growing up called the Soap Box. Everything was slightly handmade looking (in a good way) and you could custom scent a variety of different products. It was my first experience with handmade natural bath and body care. It is also very similar to me as the original C.O.Bigelow Apothecary in New York's Greenwich Village....the happiest place on earth, which opened in 1838.

Approximately one-third of the Soap Opera's inventory is their own line of biodegradable, cruelty-free products, which cover the gamut from custom-blended fragrances and lotions to new products such as a combination witch hazel and aloe vera toner that Beckwith devised himself. Raw ingredients such as French civet parfum oil are imported in heavy metal containers resembling small gasoline cans and mixed in a small, unadorned basement space.

If you aren't in the mood for a quick drive to Wisconsin, check them out on-line. You can find almost anything you could possibly want there. They offer a great discount on multiple items, which pretty much covers your shipping. My favorite new thing? Pretty wrapped soaps by Mor Cosmetics.

what kind of girl do you think i am?

Not the kind that flashes her nipple on her web page...that is for sure. Okay, so in the last few days I've had 2 people ask me if the photo on my website is me. That brings to grand total to about 10 people in the past few years who have asked. Goodness...no! First off, I'm not really that narcissistic...I would never put a giant naked photo of me on the front page of my site. Buried a few pages in...a little smaller, well, perhaps. But, I just thought the photo was pretty and felt soothing, relaxing, girly, etc. But then after it was up, I did realize that there was a little (a lot?), more showing than I had first noticed. But it's subtle and I still like it. And nipples are natural. Nothing to be scared of. But again, "no"...it is not mine.

Thank you.

Happy Mother's Day

16 Reasons Why My Mom is the Best Mom (an incomplete list)

1. She still looks exactly like this photo only now she is a little taller.

2. She has the energy of a 4 year old (after said toddler has had a few cups of coffee).

3. She raised 2 kids by herself while working & attending school. Growing up I had no idea how broke we were because I never went without.

4. She laughs at all my jokes, even the raunchy ones.

5. She loves my dog Arlo and takes very good care of him.

6. She is always trying new things. Like White Water Rafting, Leg Waxing and Facebook.

7. She thinks it is illegal to use the "F" word via email.

8. She still takes me shopping for bras & underwear.

9. She can read men and their intentions like no other woman I know.

10. She has never uttered the words, "I told you so" even when the phrase would be very appropriate (see #9).

11. She has taken care of 3 people she loved while they were dying. She did this with more grace & humor & love then most of us can muster on our best days.

12. She thinks the words spice & spicy are synonymous. For example, Basil is both a spice & spicy. "I can't eat that spaghetti. It's too spicy".

13. She is always supportive of me in all that I do.

14. She makes up words that she incorporates into her every day vocabulary. Like "Sweet Petula", "Tallula Bell", & "Hootie Hoo".

15. She gives much more than she ever takes.

16. She thinks I'm perfect.....and I'm pretty sure I'm her favorite even though she would never admit to having a favorite.

Sweet Petula's Handmade Trunk Show

Saturday, May 10th

10:00 am-6:00 pm

Great Handmade Goods & Gift Bag Giveaways for the first 50 customers

daily dose of pretty

Hmmm...what do I love more than these earrings by (into) the fray? The designer's blog. It is so full of good and pretty things. I should feel bad for showing you these earrings, since I just bought them.....but I don't. All for me. Me. Me. Me.

Buy Handmade!

Sweet Petula & Rue de Lyon's

Trunk Show this Saturday

10:00am-6:00pm

first 50 customers will recieve a gift bag full of surprises....some giftbags have over $100 worth of merchandise! Don't miss out.

oh dear...that's adorable

These little fabric covered magnets are just so darn cute. These babies aren't for sale, instead we will be giving them away in our swag bags this Saturday at our HANDMADE TRUNK SHOW..
which by the way Tom B., calls my "junk in the trunk" show......I'm not sure if I should be offended or not?

Buy Handmade! Trunk Show May 10th

Please Join Sweet Petula & Rue de Lyon (our neighbor) for our 1st Buy Handmade Trunk Show

*first 50 customers will get a great gift bag full of surprises from Sweet Petula*

Saturday, May 10th from 10am-6pm

Stop by and enjoy special treats and great giveaways all while shopping for handmade gifts from a few of the area’s talented artists. Discover beautiful handmade jewelry, home decor, gifts for baby, custom pet portraits, and more. Artists will be present for you to chat with as you shop their remarkable creations

Sidney Ann House of Design will be here with her great handbags and coaster sets as well as some new items. 20 Lucky customers will receive a handmade purse mirror from Sidney Ann House of Design in their gift bag. I particularly love these new laminated totes she is making. Very stylish.

Great example of Sidney Ann's Vintage feel coaster sets. She will be bringing many different styles to choose from.

My Little Sunshine Vintage Jewelry by Spokane designer Rachel O'Brien

Rachel has designed lots of new earrings for us to check out during the trunk show. These little beauties go fast and most all of her designs are one of a kind. Two lucky people will get a pair of Vintage earrings in their Giveaway bags.


this cupcake will NOT be at the event, as I ate it.

Babyhoot things for baby....super cute baby items. Lots of blankets, bibs, burp cloths, and my personal favorite, super cute aprons. Babyhoot has lots of boutique-style items for kids and babies without that expensive boutique price tag. The two sisters/owners make high quality baby items and are very proud of the quality and time they put into their line. Everything is handcrafted out of the best materials to ensure all of babyhoot's items will last. And "Babyhoot" is just so fun to say.

There will be more artists at Rue de Lyon, my favorite being Cody Blomberg. Cody does really great animal themed paintings and custom pet portraits. Pet portraits require an appointment. Please call Rue de Lyon (325.3682)

Grocery Getters by Melissa Vest Designs

Handmade Grocery Getters by Melissa Vest Designs. These fun totes are a little larger than most reusable grocery bags and come with nifty designs that make you smile. Two lucky customers will be getting one of these great bags at our upcoming...

Handmade Trunk Show

Stop by, Shop & Meet the Artists

Saturday, May 10th from 10am-6pm

first lucky 50 will get swag bags....don't be late.