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DIY: Floral Crown

I seriously, seriously love floral crowns. They are perfect for weddings, wedding showers, maternity shoots, baby showers, newborn photos or just because! I have made suggestions on outfits with which you can style a beautiful floral crown at the bottom of this post.

Ever since I started my Floral Arranging 101 class, I’ve been motivated to create my own. I have read a number of DIYs (like this, this and this), and decided to give it a try! At first, I thought about doing a little one for Isla (she’s already worn this one in her newborn photos), but decided to do an adult-sized one and I’m so glad I did! I will admit that this DIY is perhaps not the most technical (as I use a hot glue gun, which would make many florists cringe!), but it works! Read the process below:

  1. I went to the grocery store and picked up some cremones and carnations. Then I went to my front yard and cut down some foliage for fillers – you can also find these in the floral department of your local grocery store.
  2. I cut all of the flowers so that they had 2-3 inch stems and then laid everything out on the island and placed it in the order I wanted for the crown.
  3. I took an 18 gauge floral wire and bent one end about half an inch from the end and thread one of the carnations through – it is important to use a thick stem flower versus a piece of foliage at the end.
  4. I then began to add the flowers and foliage by wrapping floral tape around the base and the floral gauge – laying the pieces along the length of the wire. When I got to a carnation or a cremone, I would take the wire through the stem of the flower versus the side layering technique.
  5. Tip: As mentioned earlier, I also used a hot glue gun to secure some of the floral tape to the wire, and in some instances, to glue the bushy leaves to the wire.
  6. When I finished filling the floral wire with flowers, I cut two pieces of cream ribbon 7 inches in length. Put a dot of hot glue on one end of each strand of ribbon and secure it to the end of the wire. Once the glue is dried, you can put it on your head and tie a bow at the back!

You can extend the life of your crown significantly by storing it in a drawer in your refrigerator. Mine lasted four days, then some of the flowers started to wither. Make sure you start the process with the freshest florals you can find.

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Arrange all flowers in the order you’d like them on the crown, then thread them through the floral wire (steps 3-5 above)

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Add the ribbon to the ends and tie, then voilà… a beautiful floral crown!


How to Style the Crown

St-Germain French 75 Cocktail Recipe

It is no secret that I love St-Germain liqueur. It was the ‘her’ drink at our wedding (see menu below), and I missed it a lot during my pregnancy. Now that I’m breastfeeding, I can only have it in small amounts, which is why I made this delicious French 75 recipe in a champagne flute-proportion (also because it’s pretty with the garnish!). If you’re also breastfeeding, I highly recommend these Milkscreen Alcohol Detection Strips!

McKenzie and I used to go to my favorite bar in Houston, Anvil, when we lived together and always ordered French 75s. They were amazing (and strong!). It was made with champagne, lemon juice, simple syrup and gin. Instead of using simple syrup to sweeten it, I decided to use lemon flavored La Croix, as there is no sugar in the drink (healthy perk!). I decided to mix a little St-Germain into the recipe and ohmygosh, yes. It works. It’s delicious, and I highly recommend that you try it.

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Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 ounces Prosecco, Brut champagne, or dry sparkling wine
  • 1 1/2 ounces St-Germain
  • 2 ounces Lemon La Croix
  • 1/2 ounce gin (I recommend Hendrick’s Gin)
  • Lemon twist, for garnish
  • Ice cubes (if you like it cold)

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Isla Loves: A Little Lady Shop (Giveaway)

Everything is bigger in Texas, including their hair bows. I must admit it, I am not a huge fan of the over-the-top-floofy flower headbands that take up 70% of a newborn baby’s head. However, I do love cute bows that are appropriately sized for baby girls’ heads (I am a bow fanatic after all). When I discovered A Little Lady Shop, I fell in love. They have the best – I mean, best– bow selection for little girls of all ages. Marie, owner of A Little Lady Shop, kindly sent me three adorable bows – Felt Bow in Teal on Alligator ClipPink Leather Bow on Alligator Clip, and Felt Tails Bow in Navy on Alligator Clip. I love them all so much! The bows are all available in a wide range of colors and the option to be put on an elastic band for a headband or an alligator clip. With Isla’s fluffy hair, I opted for alligator clip. It stays in her hair better than any of the other bows we’ve tried. The bows are available in such a wide range of colors, you could literally have a bow that matched every single outfit (yes, I dream of this).

Not only are their bows adorable, but also they have the sweetest fabric wraps and crown headbands. I am so upset that I did not find these products before Isla was born – I wish she was wearing these in her newborn photos.

These bows are the perfect gift for anyone you know who has a girl or is expecting one. If you fit this bill, then you need them too!


I’m excited to be teaming up with A Little Lady Shop to give away a free bow or headband (of your choice) to one lucky individual! In order to enter the giveaway, you must do the following:

  1. Reply to this post, including your name and which bow or headband you would like to win
  2. You will get an extra entry by being or becoming a follower of my blog, Snapshots and My Thoughts (see ‘Follow’ button at the bottom righthand corner on desktop version of the blog)
  3. You will get an extra entry by posting the giveaway’s URL to your Twitter or Facebook account (please tag @ailee_petrovic on Twitter or mention Snapshots and My Thoughts on Facebook)
  4. You will get an extra entry by re-posting my Instagram post about the giveaway and tagging me @SnapshotsAndMyThoughts

One winner will be drawn at random. The more entries you have, the higher the chance you’ll win! The giveaway ends at midnight on Wednesday, September 10. I will announce the winner by Friday. I look forward to reading your responses.

Follow A Little Lady Shop on Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest // Follow Snapshots and My Thoughts on Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest


Felt Bow in Teal on Alligator Clip

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Pink Leather Bow on Alligator Clip

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Felt Tails Bow in Navy on Alligator Clip

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I was given the baby bows by A Little Lady Shop for my review. I was allowed to keep the product, but the opinion I am sharing remains my own.

Isla Loves: The Wedding Chicks (40% off Promo Code)

It may sound ridiculous to anyone who does not have kids or is not pregnant, but the first year monthly photos are a pretty big deal, and deciding how you will style and take them is something that takes a bit of consideration. Will you buy cute little stickers and put them on a pillow (like these: Lucy Darling Monthly Onesie Stickers) or on a plain onesie? Or will you style a photo using wooden blocks to spell out the months (like this cute photo)?

As you can see from the photos below, I decided to buy The Wedding Chicks’ Genny Monthly Onesies, and I’m so glad that I did. All twelve months have different cute fonts and you can select from a wide variety of colors. I cannot wait to put all 12 pictures next to each other to see how much she changed throughout her first year. The Wedding Chicks also have Ombre Monthly Onesies and Modern Monthly Onesies – I love them all.


I discovered The Wedding Chicks while planning our wedding a year and a half ago and immediately became addicted. I bought hankerchiefs for our flower girls and my dad, and recently bought Isla one after she was born to give her at her wedding. I am about to order Isla this onesie, as every Texas gal needs it!

I also love customizing totes and gift bags for engagement, wedding and birthday gifts. The prices are so reasonable, and it is such a nice touch to have a personalized present. Their selection of customizable baby bibs, onesies and shirts are so cute.


If you’re like me, you’ll want everything in the store, and fortunately, you can get it all for 40% off today (Friday, September 5) through next Friday, September 12. All you need to do is go to Shop.WeddingChicks.com, load up your shopping cart, and use promo code ‘SMTPromo‘ when checking out.

Have a great weekend and enjoy your shopping! If you have Instagram, I’d love if you followed my new blog account!

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She has grown so much in the past two months! See Month 1 and Month 2

Isla Loves: Milk Nursingwear (Giveaway)

When one of my best friends, Kirby, told me about Milk Nursingwear‘s amazing nursing tops, I was very intrigued. Most of the maternity tops I had ordered were very ‘momsy’ and far from stylish. I trust Kirby’s sense of fashion, so I went to their website and was pleasantly surprised by their selection of nursing wear. Milk Nursingwear was nice enough to send me this gray scoop neck shirt to try, and I love it! The top section pulls up to allow for discreet breastfeeding – others genuinely cannot see a thing. Given that newborns are so unpredictable with their feeding, it’s nice to know that I can feed outside of the house if needed without giving up my privacy.


I’m excited to be teaming up with Milk Nursingwear to give away a $35 gift certificate to one lucky individual! In order to enter the giveaway, you must do the following:

  1. Reply to this post, including your name, email and which Milk Nursingwear item(s) you would buy with your gift card
  2. Follow Milk Nursingwear’s freshmilk blog
  3. You will get an extra entry by being or becoming a follower of Snapshots and My Thoughts (see ‘Follow’ button at the bottom righthand corner on desktop version of the blog)

One winner will be drawn at random. The more entries you have, the higher the chance you’ll win! The giveaway ends at midnight on Wednesday, August 20. I will announce the winner by Friday. I look forward to your responses. Good luck!

Follow Milk Nursingwear on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and their blog.


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Milk Nursingwear Sleek Gray Striped Scoop Neck Shirt // Isla’s Carters Romper // Kendra Scott Rayne Necklace // Kendra Scott Ailee Bracelet (my favorite, obviously – more here!) // J. Crew Chino Shorts // Dolce Vita Jentry Booties // Tory Burch Robinson Double Zip Handbag

I was given this nursing top by Milk Nursingwear for my review. I was allowed to keep the product, but the opinion I am sharing remains my own.