Brand to Blogger Event

So...here's the story...

My cousin Brittany from Love Stitched was signed up to attend the Brand to Blogger Event at the Riverwoods with her friend Leslie from Little Mookie.  Brittany ended up having to go out of town at the last minute and asked me to take her place as her "assistant."  Ha ha.  Ok.  So, I did. 

I wore a name tag that said "Brittany from Love Stitched" and had to explain to people that while I am representing Love Stitched, I also have my own blog (cait + create) but also work with a FABULOUS new company called Very Jane.  It was quite the introduction!

Let me take you on a tour of what we did:

Blickenstaff's:

I have been to Blickenstaff's before.  Back in November I threw a Harry Potter 7 part 1 movie party/birthday party for my cousin Mike.  We wanted to serve only food mentioned in the book, and of course, we needed the candy.  It turns out that not many places sell Harry Potter candy.  Some friends of our recommended that we check out Blickenstaff's because they have all kinds of unique and vintage candy and toys.  Our friends always go to get vintage soda that they've never found anywhere else.  Lucky for us, they do in fact carry Harry Potter candy!  And while we were there, my cousin Mike loaded up on $100 worth of candy!  It was that cool!  Think Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium...

I'm kind of a sucker for vintage toys too.  They carry some of the favorites that we already have (Melissa & Doug wooden toys, Hopping Rody Pony, wiggle car) and some that I really want but don't have yet (rocking horse, trike, vintage games, etc).

This is how excited we were:

Funny side note:  Leslie and I wore the same thing...ha ha...skinny jeans, purple cardigan, black boots...it was great :)

They have a huge section of vintage "candy by decade" including abba zabba.  Are those vintage?  I still eat those...

I loved the wax mustache!  I can totally see it on Saxon!

Leslie and I doing our own picture inside the photo booth.

Yep, they have a photo booth!

Called to Surf

This is a super-fun shop specializing in modest swimwear for women.

Have you ever tried to find a cute and modest swimsuit?

It is not easy!

My sister Brooke just got accepted to BYU Hawaii (Yay Brooke!)

We have been searching high and low for a 1 piece suit that was not speedo.

Now I know where to send her :)  How cute are these retro-suits!

And a bonus for moms like me who spend all summer outside...

mini-rash guards.

I call my Dad in California every year to send rash guards to my boys for the summer.  We spend SO MUCH time in the sun that I have to protect their skin.  For how much we use them, the kind you can buy at wal-mart and target just don't work.  A real rash guard is long and skinny, dries quickly, and has a tie down at the bottom to attach to their board shorts and keep it from rolling up.  The fake kind don't do the trick for us.  At "Called to Surf" I even found a little bitty rash guard in size 2T.  Fabulous!

Provo Beach Resort

 Now this is somewhere that my kids would go CRAZY over!  A carousel, mini crochet, arcade games, a MASSIVE ropes course, indoor surfing and more!  They managed to give it that "Santa Monica Peer" type of feel in an indoor place in Provo Utah.  Wanna know the coolest part...they have a Spa.  So, Dad can play games with the kids and mom can get a massage.  Mmm...I can see it already...ha ha.  My sister-in-law once told me that it is the benefit of having all boys.  Send the boys away to do "boy things" and have yourself a spa day.

I am dying to try this!  (Although I wish I could have my first try without an audience, ha ha).  The Flowrider indoor surfing.

Malawi's Pizza

Oh WOW, this place was AMAZING!  I've actually seen it several times and always wanted to try it but have never had the chance.  I LOVED everything I tasted!  It has a laid back feel inside (so I wouldn't be afraid to take my kids) and they bring you your food within minutes...literally.

The best part...for every meal bought, they donate a meal to a child in Malawi.  They have all of their overhead costs taken care of privately, so it is actually a 1:1 exchange.  1 meal bought = 1 meal for a child in Malawi.

Salads, pizza, pasta, dessert...I loved everything I tasted, and believe me, I tasted everything.  I can't wait to go back!

After having a fun afternoon out with the girls, I was ready to come home to my munchkins.  And...I came home with gifts!  They got a bag of vintage candy from Blickenstaff's and some dessert pizza from Malawi's.

The favorite by far:  Razzles.