Month: June 2012

by Allison

Make your manicure last this summer

Summer is horrible on nails.  Just flat out rotten.  Between gardening (maybe I’m projecting a bit), swimming, cleaning, and the brittle scorching heat of the sun manicures don’t last too long.  Pedicures too.  So let me help you out a little.

Help me help you.

make your manicure last

I can help you make your manicure last this summer with a handful of pro tricks, but you have to be obedient.  Promise me here, I’m counting on you.

I wrote a whole post on top 10 tips to make a mani or pedi last and you want to follow every single one, all the way to 10.  Your nails will thank you.… >> find out more…

Allison

I'm Allison, founder and editor of Petit Elefant. I run the gamut from granola to glamour and love everything in between. I think the beach is always a good idea, as is Diet Dr. Pepper; on ice. Sometimes I put out the fires and sometimes I start them. Sometimes I really do have it all together. Sometimes my children say otherwise. We just like to keep it real around here.

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by Allison

Play package giveaway winners!

Hey I have three winners for the play package giveaway for kids:

Get in touch with me ASA to the P so I can get play packages shipped out to you.

Allison

I'm Allison, founder and editor of Petit Elefant. I run the gamut from granola to glamour and love everything in between. I think the beach is always a good idea, as is Diet Dr. Pepper; on ice. Sometimes I put out the fires and sometimes I start them. Sometimes I really do have it all together. Sometimes my children say otherwise. We just like to keep it real around here.

by Allison

What’s in your purse series week 88

This week’s What’s in Your Purse Series purse is from Heather, thank you!

–If you love this series and want more of it, submit your purse. Take two photos of your purse {NICE, CLEAR, NOT-BLURRY ONES} one of the outside, one of the inside, along with a listing of the contents to:

allison AT petitelefant DOT com

My purse is a canvas cross body bag that I picked up at Target. It was love at first sight. Cross body bags are essential for me in the day to day running around with my 3 little kids.

what's in your purse series
what's in your bag

  • diaper, wipes case, and a clutch to hold both
  • toy cars: Lightning McQueen & Optimus Prime
  • wallet
  • silver hoop earrings
  • watch (super cool rubber slap bracelet style)
  • sunglasses
  • hair tie
  • mini hair clip
  • antibacterial hand sanitizer
  • gum
  • cosmetic bag: Kiehl’s lip balm, mirror, Stila lip gloss, clear nail polish
  • Loehmann’s receipt (from a recent splurge)
  • Life Planner & pen (as much as I love digitizing, I still need to use pen & paper to to stay organized)
  • cell phone
  • Luna bar (chocolate dipped coconut – my favorite flavor)

    • … >> find out more…

Allison

I'm Allison, founder and editor of Petit Elefant. I run the gamut from granola to glamour and love everything in between. I think the beach is always a good idea, as is Diet Dr. Pepper; on ice. Sometimes I put out the fires and sometimes I start them. Sometimes I really do have it all together. Sometimes my children say otherwise. We just like to keep it real around here.

by Allison

Cute kids summer style ideas

It’s officially summer if you live in the northern hemisphere.  If you live in the southern hemisphere I apologize, but I don’t feel too bad because *ahem* (I’m looking at you Australia) you live in the southern hemisphere.

Anyhow, we just got back from a few days in the southern California sun and I would’ve moved in at the beach but that sort of thing is frowned upon.  Instead I’ve put together a couple of style boards with cute summer style ideas.  One for the little ladies and one for the boys.

Little girls summer fun

 Let’s hear it for the boys.

Boys summer style

 

Oh how I’d love to be surfing today, wouldn’t you?

… >> find out more…

Allison

I'm Allison, founder and editor of Petit Elefant. I run the gamut from granola to glamour and love everything in between. I think the beach is always a good idea, as is Diet Dr. Pepper; on ice. Sometimes I put out the fires and sometimes I start them. Sometimes I really do have it all together. Sometimes my children say otherwise. We just like to keep it real around here.

by Kimberly

Giveaway Winners

 

Friends! It’s time to claim prizes! Way past time to claim prizes! Seriously! So, if your name is listed below, make sure to email us if you haven’t already.

For the William Riera Dress Giveaway:

#78 Brenda 

I “Liked” William Riera on Facebook (and I really liked it too)

#49 Heidi F.

And I subscribed to their newsletter!

And the Cowabunga Bay Water Park Winners are
Cathy who said “I subscribe.”
Stacey M. who said  ”Like Petit Elefant on FB.”

Kimberly

...by day, making a home where the buffalo roam. By night, pretty much the same thing, punctuated by the occasional fantasies of sunny beaches, italian movies and sparkling lemonade.

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by Allison

Picture perfect Hawaiian beach

You know how sometimes you have an idea in your head, an idea of something really, really specific?  Maybe you carry it around for decades, believing your idea will never come to fruition but you hold on anyway just in case one day it does.

pipeline hawaii

It happens to me all the time. 

I spent a lot of summers of my youth in a dentist’s chair, memorizing the perfect tropical beach in the poster on the ceiling, trying desperately to relax while the Novocaine seeped into my bloodstream.  I wasn’t 100% positive beaches like that actually existed in real life but I knew I’d die trying to get to one.

Pipeline in Hawaii?  Totally one of those beaches.  Look at the perfectly curled waves, the white sand and relaxed people chilling on the sidelines; it’s the perfect dentist poster beach.  I feel relaxed just thinking about it.

snorkeling in hawaii

If there’s any possibility in your future, any teeny-tiny, itty-bitty possibility at all of getting to the north shore of Oahu in Hawaii, I highly recommend it.  Way more than a cavity.

Grab a pair of snorkels for $15, throw an ice cold bottle of water on top, and cross the street to Shark’s … >> find out more…

Allison

I'm Allison, founder and editor of Petit Elefant. I run the gamut from granola to glamour and love everything in between. I think the beach is always a good idea, as is Diet Dr. Pepper; on ice. Sometimes I put out the fires and sometimes I start them. Sometimes I really do have it all together. Sometimes my children say otherwise. We just like to keep it real around here.

by Allison

Why are you gluten free?

vegan smoothie

Did you know I’m a leader in the Udi’s gluten free community?  It’s a place for the gluten free people of the world to hang and share ideas for gluten free living, and is a great support in general for people who are totally gluten free or looking to dabble a bit.

I’ve gotten a lot of really great ideas from the Udi’s community to make gluten free living easier, since I’m in the dabbler category.  I’m not officially ‘Celiac’ but I feel about a thousand percent better when I eat gluten free, so I try my hardest to eat that way.

I’m curious, here’s a question I posed this week in the gluten-free community:

Why are you gluten free?… >> find out more…

Allison

I'm Allison, founder and editor of Petit Elefant. I run the gamut from granola to glamour and love everything in between. I think the beach is always a good idea, as is Diet Dr. Pepper; on ice. Sometimes I put out the fires and sometimes I start them. Sometimes I really do have it all together. Sometimes my children say otherwise. We just like to keep it real around here.

by Allison

Not your mom’s pregnancy style

Pregnant Style

 

Let’s face it, pregnancy can make fashion a nightmare.  My first go-round I wore flower tunics with Peter Pan collars and weird, heavy Dr Marten sandals.  My second time at the pregnancy rodeo I alternated between my super stylin’ mu-mu and a hospital gown.  Sometimes I wore flip flop sandals when I got super fancy.  These days maternity fashion is a whole thing; sexy high end jeans have maternity lines, and designers have maternity pieces in addition to their regular collections.  You can be pregnant and still rock a hot outfit without getting comments about how maternal you look in those high waist”mom jeans”.  Thank heaven it’s not your mom’s pregnancy style anymore.

Pregnancy can be a special super weird time for your skin and hair too, so pull the pregnancy card for a little extra pampering.  Treat yourself to a pedicure and a massage, and use yummy creams on your belly as your baby grows.  Take really good care of your hair and nails, and put your feet up once in a while, they could use a little TLC.

– This post was sponsored by P&G who makes practically every beauty product in my home.  Here are

… >> find out more…

Allison

I'm Allison, founder and editor of Petit Elefant. I run the gamut from granola to glamour and love everything in between. I think the beach is always a good idea, as is Diet Dr. Pepper; on ice. Sometimes I put out the fires and sometimes I start them. Sometimes I really do have it all together. Sometimes my children say otherwise. We just like to keep it real around here.

by Allison

Super easy gluten free summer dinner recipe

easy gluten free summer dinner recipe

I tend to overcomplicate things.  If there’s a backwards 20-step process to get something done, I’ll do it.  If I need to find shortest distance between two lines, I skip the lines altogether and make a circle around them.  I draw the radius and find the area, and write a short essay on the nature of mankind and why it’s important not to focus on the distance of the lines but the reason they exist in the first place.

It’s just a thing I do.  I try really hard not to make my life trickier than it is, (it’s plenty tricky on its own) but I overthink almost everything, including dinner.  But I’ve seen the light and the light says it doesn’t have to be that way, so here’s a suuuuuuper super easy gluten free dinner recipe.

No two lines, no circle, no philosophy, just dinner.

super easy gluten free dinner

Hawaiian haystacks.  If you ever tried this dinner you know it’s the easiest recipe ever.  It’s tasty, especially with fresh ingredients and eaten outside somewhere.  Maybe for a picnic at a sunny park.

Ingredients for a super easy gluten-free summer dinner recipe:

Allison

I'm Allison, founder and editor of Petit Elefant. I run the gamut from granola to glamour and love everything in between. I think the beach is always a good idea, as is Diet Dr. Pepper; on ice. Sometimes I put out the fires and sometimes I start them. Sometimes I really do have it all together. Sometimes my children say otherwise. We just like to keep it real around here.