Browsed by
Author: Elizabeth Smillie

Hello there! I'm Elizabeth. Welcome to my website and blog space. All the products in my little shop are hand crafted and stem from my desire to provide creative and high quality products that make people feel lovely. I believe the little moments of life matter, every day should be celebrated, and that the beauty all around us is a gift from the Creator to be enjoyed. I'm married to a wonderful guy who happens to be my greatest cheerleader and best friend, mama to three little ones and currently reside in the heartland of America.
a little boy Cars party {sneak peek}

a little boy Cars party {sneak peek}

Well, as you’ve heard, our little boy had a birthday {he’s 3!} which, of course, means that we had a party :)

Emma Grace loves parties, and being the awesome big sister that she is, she took on helping Ian “plan” his party months in advance – “So, Ian, you like cars? Hm, you want a Cars party?!” To which he {of course} replied, “YES!!!” So we’ve been talking about the Cars party for months.

For planning purposes I had been putting the ideas I’d found all over the interwebs onto a Pinterest board, and then {just like for Em’s party} closer to the day I narrowed down what might be feasible. Here is a quick peek at how it turned out!

Cars themed party from the Path Less Traveled some DIY signage over the snack/dessert table – and lots of cars and stars!Cars themed party from the Path Less Traveleda view from the front room to the back of the house: we chose to have an evening party for family, so the kiddos needed to have a light dinner before everyone arrived – they really enjoyed waking up from their nap to a decorated home and eating dinner at the “road” table!Cars themed party from the Path Less Traveled

the back yard – we had a few showers, but all in all in was a beautiful evening for a party. I’ll be showing you a full tutorial tomorrow on how I made the balloon garland over the inside table – be sure to check back!

All in all, not too shabby for a 3rd birthday party! Especially considering that the mama had rolled in late the night before from the Hobnob Summer Market, and most of the prep happened on the morning of the party. :) I love it when a plan comes together!

Have you had a chance to enter the Red, White and Blue Giveaway yet? I hope your Monday has been lovely, and I’ll see you here tomorrow,

 

<3

time for a giveaway!

time for a giveaway!

Yippee – it’s time for a giveaway! This time I have a sweet set of 4th of July themed goodies for one of you darling readers!

This awesome prize packet includes one of my newest garlands – the Large Red, White and Blue Star Garland! – and a dozen of our classic {for good reason – they’re so darling!} Red, White and Blue Star Cupcake Toppers. Wouldn’t these be the perfect ouch for your 4th {and pretty much any Summer party}?

Extra Large Red, White and Blue Star Garland from the Path Less Traveled

To enter, use the Rafflecopter widget in this post {email subscribers will need to click over to the blog} and follow the prompts.

giveawayPretty simple! I’ll announce the winner on Monday, July 1, 2013 and mail the prize as soon as they confirm their address.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

note – this giveaway is open to readers in the United States only

little bits from the week

little bits from the week

the photos that I capture on Instagram are just little bits and pieces of our life, and it’s really interesting to see what moments I capture {and which ones I don’t} – of course, it seems as if {since I instagram from our iPad} I only capture the things that stand still.

Which of course explains why Emma Grace, Ian and John don’t show up very often, but flowers, projects and Olivia do. Of course :)

If you’d like to follow along, I’m @pltmarket on Instagram <3

It’s been a few weeks since my last post like this, so let’s play catch up, shall we?

IMG_2450 my sister-in-law is redoing her master bedroom in neutrals, gray and light pink – and asked for a custom garland to grace it. I love what I came up with!IMG_2457 have you tried {re}growing green onions yet?IMG_2461 silly baby girl! this is her “I’m such a funny girl – I can grin with my eyes shut!” face … and it melts me.

Of course, she also does this face when she is really tired and crying …. IMG_2462 she’s a roller now! Olivia has been {purposefully} rolling her way across the room to get to the curtains and then plays peek-a-boo with herself in them :)IMG_2464 new cake garlands coming soon! “mr. & mrs.”, “hooray”, “congrats!” and “we do” will all be showing up … soon. I promise <3IMG_2466

Ian got to touch his first snake on Memorial Day {see? we’re really playing catch up!} and was absolutely fascinatedIMG_2475 Ian loves his toy horses. Almost as much as he loves his cars and guns :) He has a daddy horse and a little boy horse, and they seem to go on LOTS of adventures – I find them in some of the most random places!IMG_2485 being darling, of course <3IMG_2488 a custom cake garland – this time for a little guy’s Thomas the Tank Engine birthdayIMG_2490 prepping inventory for the Hobnob MarketIMG_2497 my rose bush has been blooming! I’s still on the small side, so I’ve been hesitant to cut any long stems, but I’m loving snipping a small bloom every now and then!IMG_2495 I’ve been adding some new Red, White and Blue items to the shop – have you checked them out yet? IMG_2499 She loves sleeping on her tummy – and sticking her feet through her crib bars.IMG_2502 Rollin’, rollin’! She rolled her way over to the box and snatched the tape off of it – apparently it was a pretty fun chew toy until I snagged it away from her! IMG_2507 Last night I made up the Brown Eyed Baker’s Chocolate Bundt Cake. Yum. Next time I need a chocolate fix, I seriously need to choose a healthier recipe {although, this one DID have 5 eggs in it – can that count as breakfast? (if you don’t know what I’m referring to, you NEED to watch this video of Bill Cosby)}IMG_0002 another custom order! this time a banner of light blue hearts and cream circles stamped with “Bride to Be” – LOVE it! and might even make more for the shop {what do you think, maybe in custom colors?}IMG_0003 making up a newborn size lace onesie

IMG_0004

and last, but not least, a super fun surprise – Pretty Prudent {aka Prudent Baby} featured our Subway Cupcake Toppers on their blog!!! To say I was excited to find out would be an understatement.

So there you have it – 3 weeks worth of pics in one fell swoop. Are you still with me? ;)

On to other things – I’m planning another giveaway {yay!} and would love your input. What would you like to win from my shop?

I hope you’re having a lovely weekend, enjoying the beginning of Summer {or Winter if you’re one of my lovelies in Australia} and soak in some time relaxing and being refreshed in your soul.

{hugs}



life rearranged

p.s. the giveaway is live! check it out and enter to win your very own set of 4th of July themed decor from the shop!

Chair Garland Decor Ideas {a continuing series}

Chair Garland Decor Ideas {a continuing series}

Have you heard? The chair garlands in the shop aren’t just for decorating chairs!
When it comes to using these petite garlands, there are so many options that chairs are only the the start! This is a continuing series {see more posts here} where I’ll share some of my ideas with you {and, if you’d like to share some of yours, I’ll post them as well!}

DSC_0076 For the Summer holidays – Memorial Day, Ian’s birthday, Flag Day, the 4th of July, etc. – I am decorating with lots of red, white and blue. {those balloon in the reflection? they’re left over from Ian’s party :)}

This vintage mirror lightens a corner in our dining area downstairs, and as I was decorating for our little guy’s birthday I decided to see if one of the Red, White and Blue Chair Banners would fit across it to add an additional pop of color – and look at that, it fit perfectly!

DSC_0080

How about you? Have you tried using one of these sweet, short lengths of garland in an unexpected spot? Share your ideas in the comments!

 

<3

 

our little buddy is three

our little buddy is three

oh my, our little buddy is three! I know it’s a bit cliche, but when I look at him I wonder, “how is it even possible?! Where did these few years fly to?” He’s such a sweet – and yet rambunctious – darling!DSC_0140 gah! his eyes slay me – full of the joy, enthusiasm and tenderness that are his trademarks, they, combined with his long lashes, will make your heart melt <3

DSC_0143Ian requested a car themed party, and I did my best to pull it off. Only a few of my ideas actually happened, but, as you can tell from his expression, he was thrilled!!!  I’ll be posting more about the party in the next few days :)

 

Happy Monday, Lovelies!

<3

this just in … a new garland! {and psst, there’s a coupon, too!}

this just in … a new garland! {and psst, there’s a coupon, too!}

this just in … a new garland!

Extra Large Red, White and Blue Star Garland from the Path Less TraveledI’ve just added our newest garland to the shop! {you might have seen a sneak peek of it in my Instagram feed or this post}

Extra Large Red, White and Blue Star Garland from the Path Less TraveledIsn’t it lovely? Each of the stars is almost three times larger than the stars in our smaller patriotic garland, and makes an even bigger visual impact – because sometimes you just need a big”pop” of color!

Also, because today is Flag Day here in the US, and because tomorrow is my birthday, and because I can’t actually invite all of you lovelies to my party {am I even having one? not sure yet … Honey? am i? hint, hint!} I have a coupon for you to use in the shop this weekend :)

You can use the code “happy happy” for 10% off of any order! The code expires at midnight on June 16th {which is also Father’s Day – my, this weekend is packed!}.

 

<3

from the hobnob {a photo dump :)}

from the hobnob {a photo dump :)}

Well, hello there :) You were just dying to see the promised photos from the hobnob market, weren’t you? It’s been almost a week since the last post, and to  make up for lost time I’ve got lots of photos …of the first day :)

{the second day looked quite similar, but my hands were a bit full with holding a certain darling babe to take any more pics!}

hobnob marketthe event was held in Kennekuk County Park near Danville, Illinois and on Friday night there was a pre-shopping event with live music and yummy goodies!hobnob market

this section of the park featured a red barn, dining car and old train station – it was fun to wander around and explore a bit as I walked Olivia :)hobnob marketwe had a bit of rain Friday afternoon, but once it cleared up it left us with a gorgeous evening sky over the barn and main exhibit tent.hobnob market

hobnob markethobnob marketthe booth I shared with my sister-in-law {Sparkly Star Creations} and friend {Inspiring Joy Studio}hobnob marketDSC_0019hobnob markethobnob marketThe shopping selection from the other vendors was lovely, ranging from vintage, to re-purposed to handmade, and our booth was complemented well but the ones around it. It was a wonderful weekend, both the selling/shopping experience and sharing it with friends <3 The organizers are planning another indoor version for November, and I’d love to participate!

How about you? Have you ever done something like this? Or do you enjoy browsing markets like this?

baby fix

baby fix

because I’m sure you all needed a good baby fix today :) you’re welcome <3

Gah! This precious one keeps getting sweeter! Just when I think she’s reached the limit for the sweetness allowed in a single baby, she gets sweeter. And cuter.

I apologize for the quietness around here the past few days. There are so many things that I’ve been wanting to share with you {I have How-Tuesday posts coming out my ears!}! Somehow when I signed up for the Hobnob Market I completely forgot that May and June are wedding season. And that Ian’s birthday is coming, too. And well, life keeps moving, the hours of the day tick by and sometimes I choose to spend my free moments cuddling this darling and reading “Go Dog, Go” over and over. And I know you understand. :)

I’ll be back soon. ‘Till then, how’s the beginning of your summer? I’d love to hear!

<3

amy merrick – pure gorgeousness

amy merrick – pure gorgeousness

Have you heard of Amy Merrick or seen images of her floral arrangements? If you haven’t, I recommend {highly, HIGHLY recommend} hopping over to her site and browsing through her blog. The displays she styles are pure gorgeousness!

See what I mean? And her photography is rather inspiring, too :)

Oh, how I wish I could crawl into these photos, soak in the glory of these petals and surround myself with their perfection every day. Can you tell I’m in love?

Whenever I see one of her posts pop into my inbox, I know my soul is about to be refreshed.

Do you have artists that inspire you, whose work feeds your spirit?

 

XO

 

– all photos are from Amy Merrick’s blog