You probably know by now that I am a champion for small businesses. I love a perfectly curated business, send virtual hugs to women rocking the business world and love spending my dollar to make a difference in the lives of a follow small business owner when I can. It’s a huge bonus when the shop is just a lovely as the owner and each piece is something I would adore in my own closet!

Enter Poppy and Pink! Kaylee and I actually met when Christina Leigh Events was part of the Southern Weddings creative team portfolio. After the magazine said farewell Kaylee jumped into owning a small business herself. She and her co-founder now have the most perfect online boutique!

“You deserve to love what you wear no matter where the day takes you. We’re an online clothing brand equipping you with the statement pieces you’ll love to reach for in your closet.”

In just 72 short weeks the boutique has launched, hosted fabulous collaborations and can now add Featured In Southern Living Magazine to their resume!

To celebrate the fun feature the shop dropped fun new arrivals today and I’m having a hard time not hitting purchase on all of them! The pieces all celebrate classic southern style with a hint of whimsy – and I am here for it! I love that the site not only has the perfect look for every occasion, but all of the accessories a gal could wish for!

You can find the gorgeous Southern Living collection page LINKED HERE, and shop the full site HERE. Don’t forget to enter your email on the P&P site for 10% off your first order!

I was so honored when Kaylee reached out and asked if I wouldn’t mind sharing the amazing news! Of course I had to jump in on the fun! I hope you love learning a little about the boutique and seeing a few of the precious pieces.

Let me know below if Poppy and Pink if new to you, and if you would love seeing more small business features in the future!

xo Christina

As I always say when I talk about any brand I won’t share it if I don’t own it, or love it. When you shop from any of my links it is possible that I am earning a small commission. The cost of the product is not more for you, but the commission exchange happens between the retailer and myself, through the affiliate link you likely clicked on! As an entrepreneur I am in the business of affiliate marketing and appreciate you shopping my favorites through my links! 

It’s time for my yearly planner! Yes, you heard me correct. Today is the launch of the 2023-2024 Academic Yearly layout (August 2023 – July 2024) planners from Simplified, a brand by Emily Ley.

I have been a Simplified planner girl for years, I’m certain it’s more than a decade. I found Emily the year after she sold laminated planners and the simplicity of that first planner sold me. It is the commitment from the Simplified Team to that same simplicity, with a whole new flair, that keeps me coming back!

I have a few tips and insights in this post and hope you find it helpful for today’s launch!

First thing is first, lets talk about the different planner options:
1. The DAILY planner. This layout dedicates a full page to every day of the year, although Saturday and Sunday do share a page. It offers a monthly spread for each month and you can get a DAILY planner in a coil bound format with beautiful pattern options.
2. The WEEKLY planner. This layout dedicates a double page layout to an entire week. The WEEKLY layout can be found with the beautiful book bound, patterned WEEKLY planners as well.
3. The DAPPER DESK planner. While this planner option doesn’t necessarily have the new patterns painted on it’s cover the beautiful leatherette options have held my heart for the past few years. You can find the blue and fawn leatherette options in both a daily and a new weekly format!

You will also find the TEACHER PLANNER, a hanging wall calendar, notebooks, pens, pouches, teach cases and more!

Now for what I know you all are here for, what am I choosing you ask? Let me share!

After going from the weekly planner, to the daily planner (oh hey, babies entered the chat), then to the daily Dapper Desk (hello sleek and professional) I am gunning for that beautiful blue weekly Dapper Desk this year! The vertical weekly layout is screaming for me to switch it up, yet keep with my same rhythm of starting a new calendar in August.

I also hope to grab a new amazing pen clip (genius) and since the Dapper Desk doesn’t come with a sticker sheet I’ll be grabbing the new Blush Magnolia sticker sheet.

A few notes for shopping:
1. I linked all of the items above, including the amazing Dapper Desk bundles, yesterday before the site when down for launch. My hope is that when it comes back up the links won’t be broken. If they are I will try to fix them as soon as possible, but rumor on the street says is you’re looking at the new weekly Dapper Desk like I am you need to be there right at launch.
2. Speaking of launch it is 10:00am ET / 9:00am CT / 7:00am PT
3. I have linked the main SIMPLIFIED SITE HERE for a straight link to all things new, but if you are shopping for the first time and would like $15 off of your first order – I would be honored if you used my give $15, get $15 LINK FOUND HERE.

I will also note that while this launch is for the ACADEMIC (August – July) layout, the YEARLY (January – December) layout planners – in the same beautiful patterns and designs – will launch later this year!

I would love to know if you are a Simplified fan, if you’re trying Simplified for the first time or if you are making notes for your purchase later this year! Chime in below!

To see last years picks CLICK HERE.

Having been a luxury wedding and event planner for over a decade my love for weddings runs deep in my bones. It’s the type A personality in me that loves creating timelines, the dreamer and visionary in me that loves designing one of a kind events and the servants heart in me that loves giving all I have to each of my couples.

It only seemed fitting for me to begin celebrating my sweet little girls marriage day on her first birthday. So when I stumbled across this precious cake knife tradition I just knew that I had to have it be a part of Charlotte’s birthday celebration.

Let’s break the tradition down.

It’s unclear where the tradition came. Although cutting a birthday cake dates back to Germany in 15th century A.D. it wasn’t until Victorian times when the Brides Cake entered a wedding celebration. As far as gifting a cake knife on a first birthday the history is unclear, but when I stumbled across it I knew it was the key to the perfect first birthday gift.

What:
A special cake knife is gifted to a little girl on her first birthday.
Note: I did receive messages that it can also be custom to gift a little boy a cake knife as well.

Why:
The special cake knife can then be used for special occasions leading up to ones marriage day. Birthdays, communion, graduation, etc.

Julia Childs did say that any event without cake it just a meeting. We all know that cake is generally key to a proper celebration so why not have the perfect cake knife for each special occasion.

How:
For Charlotte I will admit that I didn’t have a formal cake knife for my wedding, or I would have passed our wedding set to her. Instead we got her a set from Tiffany’s as her very first blue box.

A few of the options we looked at were:
Tiffany and Co.
Kate Spade , with blue
Kate Spade, with rose
Vera Wang for Wedgewood
Sterling Silver Set
Waterford Diamond Set

Leave it to me to be indecisive about what I want to engrave on Charlotte’s set. For her birthday it was blank, but I think I have decided to simply put her formal name on the cake knife and for her wedding we can then add the name of her groom to the cake server for her set to be complete.

I have also heard of a simple message on the back of the cake server to be a great option. Something like:
Here’s to the first of many celebrations honoring you.
Happy First Birthday! May this cake knife bring you joy each time you celebrate.

In hindsight I may have given Barrett his own birthday cake knife, but will reserve that for his someday bride. Maybe she will have been gifted her very own cake knife.

Our precious cake knife sign came from Honey Bear Pages to match all of our stationery for the party. She has an adorable Etsy shop and is the sweetest! I would highly recommend reaching out to her for a cake knife sign or any stationery needs.

What do you think of the tradition? Did you receive a birthday cake knife, or have you gifted a special cake knife to someone? I would love to hear below!

xo Christina

It’s no secret that when you have a little one learning to drink with a straw every parent on the planets number one request is for the cup not to leak! That is how my Mr. BMF and I found these amazing cups with built in straw. The handle helped our little guy carry around his cup and he learned how to pop his straw up and down, bonus!

Thru TODAY you can get any of the above with FREE personalization! There are a few more styles available, but these are our tried and true favorite options. Barrett now has three of his very own cups that transitioned from learning to drink with a straw to school quite nicely! Add a free monogram or text and you have a built in label for your kids drink this fall!

Shop my favorite drinkwear for back to school (in the classroom and car rider line) here!

I can’t believe we are here. Truth be told after having our first little guy I was dead set that the Lord had it written in my story that I was set to be a boy mom. We had boy names, knew what we were going to do and then I heard my doctor, “it’s a girl.” I was shocked and overwhelmed, but had no clue how hard it would be to name a precious baby girl.

If you read this post you know that we like to add meaning to our kiddos names. Blair and I like strong names rooted in family. With Barrett we knew his middle name before his first, so why not start that way again.

Truth be told there are two women in my life that I wouldn’t be who I am today without. Two women who shaped me to my core.
My mom, Wendy Eileene, who taught me that I could be anything I wanted to be, to fight for your individuality and to push through no matter the circumstances. She taught me that it’s not always about the crown, but the journey – and that God’s plan is always worth the storm.
My moms mom and my Grammy, Eileene Marguerite, was the second leading lady in my life. I spent summers in her south Houston home. She taught be how to waltz around her library table, taught me that proper vocabulary (thank you to my nightly hooked on phonics lesson and Wheel of Fortune with bowl of ice cream) was something you had to work for. She taught me how to paint and cherish classics like Anne of Green Gables that we checked out from the library. The biggest lesson of all was that you were always better off volunteering for causes close to your heart, and getting involved in your community and church.

Two women, one name. Eileene it was. The perfect middle name for a precious baby girl.

Next up was a first name. We wanted a name that was timeless, and would fit with her middle name. Blair and Barrett are both B names so Blair had the suggestion to go with a C name so she would have a tie to me. In addition to the C we landed on a 9-letter name (like the 9-letters in Christina) and finished with the perfect sibling pairing; the double-t that you find in Barrett.

Welcome to the world Charlotte Eileene Frederick. You have captured our hearts already and we can’t wait to see how you make your mark on this big, big world. We hope you grow up with a servants heart, a peace to stand firm in who you are and a love for your family – because we sure love you.

Today was the day! The big launch! Can I just say I’ve officially had a Simplified Planner by Emily Ley for eight (or is it nine) years now. I found her amazing brand the year after she offered personalized monogrammed, laminated planners out of her home. From day one they have been nothing but amazing space for me to write out my dreams, to-dos and big plans. Yes, the paper (hello amazing paper) binding and designs have evolved over time, but it’s safe to say I’m sticking around for the long haul!

I thought it would be fun to share my picks from today with you all! I love the academic calendar option because, for me, changing to a new planner in July fits better with my schedule. I don’t have the pressure of the holidays + new year to go overboard with my calendar. Now that I have a kiddo in school it also makes sense to have a calendar that runs August thru July of the following year.

If you can’t get on board with the academic calendar layout have no far, in September team Simplified releases their yearly planners in the same beautiful cover options, but with dates the run January thru December!

So let’s get to it! This year my order contained the following:

Dapper Desk planner in blush! How beautiful is this planner. I love that it has a page for each day, including Saturday and Sunday! As an event planner having a full page for weekend days is critical! I also love that it lays flat!

Monthly planner in Carolina Blooms. This is the first year for a monthly planner layout and I’m excited to test this format out. I plan on using the monthly for my blog overview, big business goals and quarterly numbers.

Mini notebook in Blue Hydrangea. How AMAZING is this print! Jesse Bray in the in house designer for Simplified literally made my heart a print. It’s beautiful and I simply couldn’t pass up this perfectly sized notebook!

Magnetic book marks in Blue Hydrangea and Carolina Gingham. I love these page markers for my planner each year and grabbed an extra for my monthly. These page markers find themselves all over my office and I love them!

Of course there were items I had my eye on, but didn’t add to my cart so I had to share those too!

Daily Planner in Blue Hydrangea. I told you this pattern has my heart. Before switching to Dapper Desk last year I was a daily girl for years! I love that you can fold the planner in half and that the binding is extra sturdy. This would have been my pick, hands down, if I would have gone the daily route again.

Pen in Navy Gingham. I love the Simplified pens! My brides each get one to sign their contracts and I have a few in my office. I love how they write, but my office pens still write perfectly fine so I held off on this one this year.

Clipfolio in Navy Blooms. How perfect is this! I love a good Clipfolio and perhaps the only reason I didn’t grab it is because I have one to many. I love the clip on the front and full size pocket and legal pad on the inside. I still might have to grab one (if they aren’t already gone) because of how much I love the function of these!

Have you ever shopped Simplified? If not, you can use my affiliate link for $10 off your very first purchase!

If you did shop today I would love to know what you grabbed! Share with me below in the comments!

I can’t believe 2021 is almost a quarter of the way over and that Easter is almost here! If you caught my LIKEtoKNOW.it post you know that todays Easter Brunch blog post is going to be three parts! When I asked what would be helpful for you all this Easter season a few of your mentioned an Easter menu! So let’s do it!

When I think about brunch it can go a few ways, sweet or savory being the main two options, but also formal, fun or relaxed so that is what we are going to look at today!

FORMAL

I love a good formal Easter brunch! This is for the host who has beautiful white china and is looking for a few extra fun holiday touches and a great menu, for a refined palette. I love these rabbit napkins, chargers and precious stoneware egg plates for salad. For the menu, let’s take a look.

FIRST COURSE
Shrimp Cobb Salad
with Bacon Dressing
Salmon Smoked Crostini
Fruit Salad
with Vanilla Dressing

MAIN COURSE
Chipotle Pineapple Jerk Glazed Ham
served with Oven Roasted Carrots
Baked Potato Casserole
and Fruited Rice Pilaf

DESSERT
Blueberry Lemon Poppyseed Custard Cake

This salad is an all time favorite of mine and I love it served on these adorable plates. The main course is full of flavor and such a beautiful presentation and desert – how could anyone ever forget dessert! This custard cake is the perfect note to end your time at the table to head out to the big egg hunt!

FUN

Next up is cute, fun and kid friendly! How amazing are these bowls and I love the melamine plates. Great pieces for little hands! I love the versatility of this menu. It has all of your brunch staples, but friendly for the youngest guest.

FIRST COURSE
Caesar Salad Wonton Cups
Prosciutto Asparagus Puff Pastry Bundles
Hot Cross Buns

MAIN COURSE
Eggs Benedict Bake
Skillet Baked Eggs and Ham
Upside Down Waffle and Egg Cups

DESSERT
Strawberry Coconut Carrot Cake
with Mascarpone Buttercream
served with Vanilla Ice Cream

These bowls are perfect for this fun dessert and allow kiddos to enjoy their treats, or adults to take their dessert outside to supervise play time! Who doesn’t love cake and ice cream?

RELAXED

For a busy day filled with hustle and bustle I love the food to feel effortless and fun. These paper plates and napkins are the perfect addition to the buffet and allow your guests to serve themselves and enjoy their Easter brunch on their time. To keep things easy I love the idea of a combination of grazing boards.

FIRST COURSE
Waldorf Salad Platter
English Cheese Board
Sharp Cheddar Scones

MAIN COURSE
Build Your Own Bagel Brunch Board
Build Your Own Waffle Brunch Board
Build Your Own Avocado Toast Board

DESSERT
Easter Cupcakes
Easter Candy Board

I love these cupcakes for the sheer fact that they look just like an Easter garden should! They’re easy, festive and free of refined sugar, dairy and gluten! Perfect for any allergies and the pickiest eater won’t even know! Of course, you can also go 100% relaxed with this amazing Easter Candy Board!

What kind of Easter brunch host are you? I am a mix of formal and relaxed for sure! What menu do you prefer? I would love to hear below!

Yesterday was all about beauty so today we are jumping in to wine and whiskey! Yes, that’s right Easter Baskets perfect for the parents of the house! I also love this wine basket as the perfect bunny gift for someone who just bought their first home or is newly married!

First up, let’s celebrate the men! I don’t know about you, but the men in my family are big whisky drinkers. The one thing I can appreciate is a classic decanter and rocks glass set. Pair it with a great set of cocktail napkins and tea towel and you can freshen up any liquor tray any day of the week. A couple of gadgets my husband loves are this smoker and his round ice cubs. If you have a whiskey aficionado who is looking to perfect the round ice cube I might suggest THIS SET, but for any beginner this mold is a great place to start. Pair this with the perfect bottle of whiskey, and a sweet treat, and you’re all set!

Sources: Tray, Smoker, Decantar and Glasses, Cocktail Napkins,
Ice Mold, Ice Set, Candy, Towel

If you know a wine lover then this is the “basket” they need! I truly think this would be perfect for a first time home buyer, a college graduate, a newlywed or just a wine lover in general. You can always pair your favorite bottle of red, or white wine with this basket, but can we talk about what I love most? This amazing, custom monogram porcelain wine party bucket paired with this perfect blue charcuterie board and these melamine plates! Swoon, I’ll take one of each please! I am also a firm believer that everyone should own a classic corkscrew, great set of wine glasses (red and white), decanter and cheese knives. Don’t forget the chocolate to pair with your red wine and this basket is finished!

Sources: Party Bucket, Charcuterie Board, Wine Glasses, Plates,
Corkscrew, Decanter, Candy, Cheese Knives

Which basket are you, wine or whiskey? I would love for you to share below! To see the beauty baskets from yesterday click HERE!

I can’t believe I am writing this, my little boy is one!

If you caught THIS post you know that we thought long and hard about his name. A piece of that puzzle is that a part of Barrett’s name is a nod to my amazing husband, Blair Bear as his family affectionally called him.

I know I only have a few years to pick birthday themes before my little guy weighs in, so I am taking full advantage! I wanted d bear theme, but everything that is mainstream looked like a campsite, and everything else looked like a baby shower. So I took matters into my own hands.

To start I sketched a very special little bear for my little guy. Hidden in his “fur” is a birthday message from mom and I will cherish this detail forever.

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I loved working with Katie and Co in Houston to bring the paper details to life. The Sugar Cookie Studio is my go-to for adorable, custom cookies and Alicia knocked these out of the park.

Let’s not forget the adorable bear macarons from Macaron by Patisse and the food from Tout Suite. Thank you Cinnamon Lane for lettering the perfect backdrop to our snacks!

I always knew I wanted to make my children’s birthday cakes, but this was quite the tricky situation. 3 days prior to Barrett’s birthday he actually put his tiny finger in my eye and made quite the mark. Needless to say I am eternally grateful that my mom, Barrett’s Gigi, was in town to help! She and her mom, my Grammy, were where I learned to bake. To have her help me with our family secret white chocolate cake and a chocolate mocha cake was just what was needed. I am sure I would have been off on measurements with my 48 hour eye patch! We also made Barrett a gluten, dairy and refined sugar cake… I’m certain he loved it, but will let you decide.

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It was the perfect day with balloons from Big Ass Balloons and bears that we donated to the local fire department.

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Happy Birthday little guy. It is the greatest blessing to be your momma, and I love that the Lord gave me a gift of celebrating others to celebrate you!
xo Christina

Photography, Balloons, Venue and Catering

I have linked all of the party supplies on my Amazon page here!

Let’s just say I have written and rewritten this post more times that I would like to admit, so here it goes.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not
to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11

The truth is that I knew when I created this website that this blog would eventually be used for more than just glimpses of my work, my heart for the organizations I volunteer for or things I advocate for. I knew it would eventually be to share more of my family; I just didn’t know how long that journey would take (which is a big reason to why this website has been in the works for a few years).

If you know me you know that I have two fur babies (the CL Mascots as we call the goldendoodles) and am married to the most amazing man! I know that every wife says that about her husband, but I truly mean it. When we got married 1,971 days ago I thought I loved him with all of my heart. Fast forward to our third year of marriage we both knew our love had grown as we started really visiting the idea of babies and a family outside of our four-legged children. Fast forward, yet again, to today and I truly understand that love knows no bounds and is bigger than I have yet to experience.

Courtney Leigh Photography

However, the one thing we didn’t know when we began that conversation was just how long God had our journey planned for. With more bumps in the road than I like to admit after more than 1,050 days something was different. Although we had been to this place before it wasn’t until December 6, 2017 that it became more of a reality than the times before.

With us taking things a little slower than others may have I am beyond blessed and incredibly humbled to share that Blair and I will welcome the biggest blessing we could ever comprehend this July. The amazing Courtney Brown of Courtney Leigh Photography captured all of these amazing images that Blair and I will be forever grateful for! Including a tiny baby bump we have been praying over for 17 weeks!

The honest truth is that while we are beyond ecstatic to share our news my heart also goes out to those in the midst of this journey. While we don’t know what your individual story might be, we do know what its like to love something so much and never meet. We know what its like to be asked when were going to jump on the baby train (to which my husband will tell you we may have very easily been the conductor – his ability to make me laugh may be one of my most favorite things about him) and what it’s like to see baby announcement after baby announcement, or what it seems.

Please know that if you’re in the middle of a journey, confused or discouraged that God is with you. If you need someone to talk to, or someone to pray for you I am more than happy to, and I’m happy to share more of our story.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged,
for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9

To each of you who have shared in our journey, who have prayed over this precious baby or have loved on us and our marriage – we are so grateful for you and can’t thank you enough! We would love for continued prayers as we begin an entirely new chapter and welcome baby Frederick this summer.

For this child I have prayed and the Lord has granted me the desires of my heart.
1 Samuel 1:27

With Love, Christina and Blair Frederick