{skirt crush}

Browsing DownEast Basics the other day, these two lovelies caught my eye...

Whimsy & Perfect Picture

I wear skirts every day...these would be a perfect addition to my wardrobe!

*****

You could win a lovely headband :: enter the Paislee Lane giveaway!



Paislee Lane {giveaway!}

"headbands for hip girlies"

Paislee Lane is an absolutely adorable shop filled with gorgeous headbands.

See?

You may have seen the lovely headband featured in the recent color love {eggplant} post.

That was Paislee Lane!

I was actually privileged to win a Paislee Lane giveaway,

and I received two of the maddie style headbands.

They're gorgeous in person, and I love dressing up my hair like that!

One of my favorite things about this shop is that there's something for everyone. Each headband is available in sizes that range from newborn to adult. Perfect!

You can even stay updated with the Paislee Lane facebook page!

Stephanie is ever-so-graciously giving away a

sadie. headband

of your choice!

I know you'd love to win. I would, too!

To enter, please visit the Paislee Lane shop and tell me which headband you'd choose.

{extra entries :: leave separate comments}

- tweet this giveaway {include @thesweetpetunia, please}

- blog about it; comment with link

- {heart} Paislee Lane on Etsy

*the fine print*

Open to everyone. Please leave an email address so I can contact you.

This giveaway will end next Tuesday {10/5} at midnight.

The winner will be {randomly} chosen and announced Wednesday morning.

I was not compensated for this giveaway.

I received 2 headbands from a giveaway that I won.

All opinions are my own.

Thanks!

{day at the beach}

Confession: I did not go to the beach at all this summer.

Yes, I live in Florida, the beach is about 15 minutes from my house...

but I rarely go.

So on Friday, I got to spend the day at the beach with the sweetheart & his family!

We had a lot of fun, with the ocean, the sun and the sand.

And I always love an excuse to spend time with my man. :)

Anyway...

I wanted to show you all my new swimsuit, because I think it's adorable:



Nicki Tankini from Lime Ricki

Isn't it cute?!

I needed a new suit SO badly - I'd had my last one for about 5 years.

I can't remember how I stumbled across Lime Ricki, but I've had my eye on the Nicki top for quite awhile.

I finally ordered it when they had their Labor Day sale.

And now I need an excuse to go to the beach more often...September is definitely still beach weather in Florida!

*****

Happy Tuesday, dear readers!

What are your plans for today?

{sneak peek}

Just a little {sneak peek} of what my new shop will hold.

I've been working on several different pretties over the past month or so.

Can't wait to open up shop!

color love {yellow + grey}

I can't resist this lovely combination...

LOVE print

pleated bag

invitation/announcement

*****

Happy Weekending!



{ten things}

{one} I miss blogging whenever I can't post regularly. And I'm super behind with all your lovely comments.

{two} My dad threw his back out last Thursday...thus the disrupt to my schedule. He could barely walk, was supposed to be better by Saturday, and is forcing himself to go back to work today. Hopefully he survives.

{three} Mornings are my least favorite time of day. I literally have to drag myself out of bed. Especially because...

{four} I've been staying up WAY too late reading this and this. Both excellent books in totally different ways.

{five} Life has gotten quite busy. I'm not quite sure how.

{six} I like messy buns. My curls don't allow for much else!

{seven} I'm really struggling with life right now. I may fill an entire post {or three}, but for now, I'm not sure how much I should share. Just know that I am far from perfect, and far from having a perfect life.

{eight} I'm trying/planning/hoping to open up a brand new Etsy shop...and calling it Petunia Blooms. What do you think about the name? I need your opinions!

{nine} I've been crocheting. A lot. And I like it.

{ten} I think it's easier for me to formulate my thoughts in list form. You'll probably be seeing more {ten things} posts in the future.

{winner!}

And the {randomly chosen} winner of the Charmies giveaway is:

Bec from the iheart blog!

Congratulations, Bec - please email me so I can pass your info on to Tiffany.

Thank you to all of you who entered!

{I promise, tomorrow normal blogging will resume...}

{reminder!}

I'm running out of time today...

So I just wanted to pop in and remind you to go enter the Charmies giveaway if you haven't already.

A winner will be chosen {randomly} tomorrow!

And I'll hopefully have more time for blogging, too. :)

How was your weekend, while I'm here?

color love {eggplant}

this {color love} inspired by the lovely Katie Lane...

{ eggplant }

lacy flower messenger

zohar necklace

plum rose brooch

sadie.fabric flower headband

cozy cowl

*****

I think {eggplant} is a lovely color for Fall.

What's your favorite color for this season?

{community}

Lately, the word community has been on my mind.

It's the thing that I appreciate the most about blogging, I think.

When I started blogging {2 years ago this November!}, I didn't have any readers.

And I really didn't expect any! Somehow along the way, I gained readers, and it's a great feeling.

I'd like to say that I don't blog for comments {because I don't really},

 but each comment left was such an encouragement.

Each person who left kind words pushed me to keep going, even when I didn't feel like it.

Community.

No, I don't know any of you in real life.

And I may never get the chance to meet you {although I'd love to!}.

But I appreciate each and every one of you so much.

What do you appreciate the most in your blogging experience?

How can I encourage you in your endeavors?

{photo source}

{wishlist.2}

This lovely necklace from Lisa Leonard is on the top of my wishlist right now.

I'd get the rectangle tag with 'happy' stamped on it.

Because whenever I see this necklace, I think of the times that I share coffee with my sweetheart.

Which makes me very happy.

What's on your wishlist this week?

{charmies} a litttle giveaway!

Charmies Online has some lovely personalized jewelry!

I asked Tiffany to tell us a little about herself and her jewelry:

Hi. I am Tiffany from New Orleans, Louisiana. I started my personal website shortly after Katrina in late 2005. I was laid off from my job (since the place was destroyed) and needed some income. I have made jewelry since 1999, but I wanted to make something that was more personal. Along came my personalized Hand Stamped Jewelry Collection, which is now my life. My website took off and now I'm created personalized hand stamped keepsake jewelry for people all over the world. I LOVE stamping jewelry to compliment those loved ones in your family. All pieces are created by me so special detail is paid to each and every item ordered. All items can be customized so if you don't see what you are looking for, just send me an email. I would love to design that special piece for you.

Tiffany has graciously offered a fun little giveaway for you today!

You could win your own Hand Stamped Initial Charm.

{It would be adorable to add your initial to your favorite necklace}

To enter, stop by Charmies and leave a comment about your favorite piece.

For extra entries, tweet or blog about this giveaway {leave a separate comment}.

Please leave your email in your comment so I can contact you if you win!

This giveaway will end next Tuesday (9/21) at 8am, and the winner will be announced here.

{crochet} do you?

autumn brights washcloth set from easy123

Our local homeschool co-op is offering an Intermediate Crochet class this semester.

My sister and I signed up {grateful that this was a class for adults, too!}, something we can do together and learn some new stitches & techniques.

I've known how to crochet for quite awhile now, although I wouldn't call myself proficient.

I make a few things really well, but need some new inspiration.

I like to crochet practical things, things that have use and purpose.

I'm excited to see where this class will take me!

Do you crochet? What is your favorite project to work on?

I've been crocheting washcloths left and right lately!

{encourage one another}

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up..." {1 Thessalonians 5:11}

Today is a National Day of Encouragement.

Encouragement is important. Sometimes you may never guess just how important it is in someone's life. But I know from experience that a kind word, a card sent, or a gift just to say "I'm thinking of you." can make a big difference.

At our church, we have a Secret Sister program. Names are given to all the participants, and for one year, you encourage that person secretly, mostly with small gifts and cards.

I won't lie...the woman I have this year is someone that I don't really get along with. God must have given me her name specifically because He wants me to love her as He does. My goal is to encourage her, and it's hard to do that without love. God is working on my heart.

This week, I sent her a card in the mail {anonymously, of course}. I had the privilege of receiving a Hope & Encouragement card pack from DaySpring, and the cards are all beautiful. My hope is that she opened the card just when she needed it, and that it made her feel God's love even more. To me, that's what encouragement is all about.

Who will you encourage today?

To encourage others and be encouraged yourself, check out (in)courage.

color love {caramel latte}

inspired by my love of coffee & caramel together...

{caramel latte}

caramel latte facial pads

Nicole - headband

topaz necklace

handbag

organic coffee, pumpkin spice flavor

How do you take your coffee?

{adding some color}

If you've been reading The Sweetest Petunia for very long, I'm sure you've noticed that I love color. A lot.

(check out the {color love} section if you haven't been here long)

A while back, I had an outfit I wanted to wear. It's kind of complicated, but I had found some shoes, put together an outfit...but it just needed something. Something fun and colorful to brighten it up.

I had some Amy Butler fabric from the Love collection that I'd been hanging onto, and Mandie had posted about this scarf she made. I figured I'd give it a try!

I didn't use a tutorial, although Mandie told me a little about how she made her version. I think mine ended up being wider and shorter, but I like how it turned out. I just fastened it with a posey pin from The Pleated Poppy instead of wrapping the scarf around.

What do you think?

It was fun to wear, and even the sweetheart liked it.

Have you ever made a scarf?

If you need a little help getting started, check out Julie's fun Scarf Along tutorials!

{busy days & a winner!}

I hope you've all had a lovely {long} weekend!

I haven't forgotten about the blog, I've just been a bit busy...

But without further ado, the winner of the Journal Junky giveaway!

Random.org chose #11, the lovely Lisa from Moore Minutes.

Lisa, please send me an email with your info so I can pass it on to Nicole. Congrats!

And thanks to each and every one of you who entered. :)

color love {cranberry}

because Fall is right around the corner...

{cranberry}

{netherfield harvest hair clip}

{journal}

{little flared dress}

{cranberry tart necklace}

{everyday purse}

What is your favorite Fall color?

*****

to see more {color love} posts, click here.

{september, already?}

Yesterday was the first day of September!

{as I'm sure you all knew}

Wow.

Sometimes it seems like life moves so fast...

Anyway, thinking about the fact that it's September made me realize that my favorite season ever, Fall, is right around the corner. Yay!

Living in Florida, Fall really doesn't look like this...

{source}

But I still love it. I'd love to visit somewhere that the leaves change.

And it will {hopefully} be getting cooler!

Florida is a hot place.

I look forward to the first cold snap every year.

Mainly because I love wearing things like this...

{source}

And as soon as it does get cooler, I'm taking myself to Starbucks for one of these...

{source}

Yum!

What are you looking forward to this Fall?

*****

be sure to enter for your chance to win a lovely journal from Journal Junky!

the {color love} page

{turquoise bag}

Did you know that there's a page for the {color love} posts?

I just spent some time updating it, so if you are need of some color inspiration,

check it out here.