Saturday Shopping with Me and My Friends #21

I’m shopping with my friends this week and I know you will enjoy all the fun items that they are sharing with us.

A wicker basket with a large floral bow on the handle, filled with pastel eggs, a fabric pouch tied with a pink ribbon, and small wrapped gifts—perfect for shopping with friends—sits on a light surface with three pastel eggs nearby. — Photo Credit Pottery Barn Kids

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Beautiful Easter Baskets

I still use my Longeberger Easter baskets for my kids if they are home for the holiday. Now that I have a grand baby, I’m excited to make him an Easter Basket this year.

There are so many beautiful Easter Baskets that are available. Here are some that I found.

I was able to find the beautiful Longeberger Easter baskets that I have in my collection, on Etsy.
The new collection “LoveShackFancy” at Pottery Barn Kids is so beautiful. The collection reminds me of vintage Laura Ashley. Their Easter Baskets are stunning.
I’m obsessed with scalloped baskets. If you use this basket you can repurpose it for storage after the holiday.
Williams Sonoma has a really cute felt Easter Basket that is already filled with goodies. This makes for one stop shopping.

A banner with the text "Shopping With Friends: So Much Better Than Alone" above five polaroid-style photos of smiling women labeled Anna, Lynn, Diane, Cindy, and Tora captures the joy of shopping with friends.

What My Friends Are Loving

A dark blue background with a subtle, wavy abstract line pattern running across the center, reminiscent of the flowing creativity often found when living large in a small house.

A woman with blonde hair in a ponytail, wearing a light beige sweater, stands smiling next to a white table lamp on a wooden surface, as if pausing after shopping with friends, with a vintage window frame in the background.

Anna

Sky Lark House

Here are some cute things I found knowing Easter is later this month. Each item shared below is $35 or less. Use code SHIP89 to get free shipping on orders $89 or more. A quick note, last month I shared some Peter Rabbit bowls, platters, and plates – they sold out within a few days. It took some work to find these recently listed Peter Rabbit items. They won’t last.

I love these Peter Rabbit mini loaf pans. They are perfect for Easter and less than $13 for two.
Along the same lines, these Peter Rabbit ramekin dishes are so useful and reasonably priced.
Finally, with spring in full swing, this Bunny Williams book on Garden Style is indispensable.
This is a charming and fun door mat. Plus, it’s less than $20.

Cindy

Reinvented Delaware

Have you found the perfect jeans? I think I have! In fact, I am convinced I have! The Gloria Vandervilt Amanda jeans fit me to a tee! They are high rise (thank you for holding in my menapause mid section!), have the PERFECT amount of stretch and come in several colors including white. I have the light wash (currenly only $17!!!), the dark wash and just added the vintage white (currently on 49% off sale!) color to my cart. They will be perfect for summer!
My hairdresser gave me a fresh cut and when she styled my new curly bob-ish cut, she used a One Step Hair Dryer and Volumizer tool to style it. Omgoodness, this tool is amazing! I had to order one. This all in one tool hair dryer dries, smoothes and adds volume to my thin hair. And it is super fast!
Recently I made the cutest vintage bunny pillow covers for our living room. I bought neutral toned pre-made pillow covers and added a cute bunny and laurel wreath design to one side. The covers have a hidden zipper on the back and are machine washable. I’m ordering a light blue pair as well as a soft green color. The covers fit my Pillowflex pillow inserts perfectly! BTW, those are THE BEST pillow inserts!
Yard clean up has been underway here! We have lots of shrubs and small trees to trim. My hands have developed arthritis and holding clippers all day become tiresome. So we splurged on a Stihl Battery Powered Pruner. I wish I had one these tools years ago! It looks like a very small chainsaw but weighs no more than my power drill. Clipping the bushes is so easy with this tool! I HIGHLY recommend getting this battery- powered pruner if you enjoy yardwork but need to get it done in a timely fashion!

A smiling woman with curly gray hair and glasses, wearing a denim jacket and pearl necklace, stands outdoors after shopping with friends.

Diane

South House Designs

Planning your Summer getaway too? To help it feel real, let’s do a bit of shopping and prepping for those trips!

I won’t consider a bag that does not have a secure exterior pocket for my phone/camera. And I want a bag I can wear securely crossbody but also as a belt bag (fanny pack). You, too? I found this streamlined one in leather, and then this cute one and in blue, and this one might be my fave and the same but with a different pocket configuration.
Whether by train or car, we want to travel comfy, yet pulled together. There is nothing as easy as matched sets. I’m loving this set (the pin tuck down the pant leg, helps them fall nicely). And I always want a light sweater or jacket on planes in particular, whether a shrug like this one or this one, or this long cardigan sweater.
My go-to for summer is the mighty skort! Nothing beats it for versatility and comfort. And now they have them a bit longer. This 20-inch length skort is great (also 18-inch) and so many colors and patterns to choose from. If you can only get one thing — this is it! Pair it with this oversized tee, or a lace trimmed v-neck tee or a great basic tank.
Now vacay always calls for a bit of twirling and strolling. So a flowy casual skirt is called for. But a tiered one to minimize any extra bulk around our waist and hips – like this ankle length one that’s my fave (in the blue and black), but no pockets. So if you’re like me and require pockets, this is my next fave and the one I have on its way — in spice floral. I may also have to get this one in either the leopard print or polka dots.

A woman with glasses and wavy, shoulder-length blonde hair smiles softly, perhaps recalling a joyful day shopping with friends. She is wearing a white shirt and a gray jacket. The blurred green background suggests an outdoor setting.

Lora

Lora Bloomquist

The naturalistic watercolor art in Ruth Chou Simon’s books are so beautiful. And her words focus the heart on faith-filled inspiration. Her books make a wonderful gift to a friend, or yourself. You can find her books HERE.
I’m currently faking Spring inside my house, since everything’s white outside:( I love using Mrs. Meyers Spring-smelling cleaning products. They definitely help my mood. My faves are Fresh Cut Grass, Peony, Honeysuckle, Daisy, Rose, Bluebell, and any sweet Spring fragrances. Find Mrs. Meyers products HERE.
Easter is just around the corner; time to get your silverware bright and shiny! Over Christmas when we were sick, Mr. Fix-it polished several sets of our silverware; they look so beautiful! Hate to tell him I found a whole other set in a box from a relative (I forgot about;) We use both liquid silver polish (HERE) and for small touch ups, a cloth (HERE).
This time of year I bring out all the vintage bird books I’ve found. The illustrations are beautiful. I prop them in a plate rack, open to a pretty page, or rip out a page to clip onto an old clipboard for art. The smaller books get tucked here and there in Spring vignettes. Definitely start a collection of these books for yourself! Find vintage bird books HERE.