April Showers....

I hope that some of the locals here were able to make it out to the Dragon Boat Festival in Olympia this weekend. It was SOOOO much fun--The weather was perfect, the mood was right, and it was such a huge hit! I'm so happy to have been able to be a part of it. Friends were made, food was eaten, fun was had by all.

Dharla's Boutique had it's first booth set up at a huge, public event: Say "CHEEZE!" =D

Thanks to all that came out to say hi, and to pick up a little something special! So much sold before I was set-up that my booth looked pretty bare very quickly! I am so thankful for that.

I also had a great view of the waterfront, but was so busy (mostly chatting it up!), that I didn't get to see much!

And because I like to talk ( A LOT), this is the ONLY pic that I was able to take while the races were going on...

It's the first set of racers heading out to victory! /cheer!

After all was said and done, I was able to pose with my friend Drake... ;)

(yeah...I named him)

The "photographer" kept telling me that my eyes were closed, but I was just so exhausted that it only looked like they were. :)

We had such a great time and I'm looking forward to keeping in touch with all of the new friends that I made today. Until next time, Have a wonderful weekend! :)

Sixth Annual Dragon Boat Festival

Saint Martin's University hosts the annual Dragon Boat Festival in cooperation with the Washington Dragon Boat Association. The 2011 celebration will be held at Port Plaza in Budd Inlet in Olympia, WA on Saturday, April 30, 2011.

Aside from the fun dragon boat races, vendor booths, and opening ceremonies, there will be traditional art demonstrations, traditional lion dances, music, and martial arts performances. This festival is a celebrated time for the community and is expected to draw the attention of about 4000 people!

For a schedule of events visit here. To see a sneak peek of what is expected, watch the video below of the 2010 Dragon Boat Festival.

Dragon Boat 2010 from Saint Martin's University on Vimeo.

Dharla's Boutique will proudly have a booth displaying all the gorgeous clothing and accessories available for purchase. (Including items not seen on FB or anywhere else!) We hope to see some of you there. Also, first FIVE customers who mention being a fan of Dharla's Boutique on Facebookm Twitter or a Blog-follower will receive a FREE Gift with their purchase! =)

LMNOP Kids Consignment Sale

We have just recently completed one full year here in the beautiful state of Washington. In this year, among all of the wonderful things there are to do here, there are TWO that are constantly repeated to me as "must do's." The first is the Olympia Farmer's market, which I may discuss in depth at another date. The other is the LMNOP Kids consignment sale! Apparently it is HUGE, popular, and fantastic!

This sale occurs only TWICE a year with the next one coming up FAST! As in Saturday, April 30th! People sign up as consignors to "sell their gently used baby and kids items like clothing, furniture, gear, toys, books, games and more."

They have special shopping hours on Friday, April 29th from 5pm to 7pm for expecting & new parents, teachers, firefighters, police, and military families.

Regular shopping hours are Sat, Apr. 30th from 10am - 6pm and Sunday, May 1st from 11am - 2pm.

And it will be held at the Thurston County Fair Grounds in the Sokolik Building. (3054 Carpenter Rd. Lacey, WA 98503).

Make sure to visit their website HERE for info on becoming a vendor, consignor, volunteer, or any other info you would like. Media for the event is being sponsored by Parent Map.

So if you are looking for clothing, furniture, toys, games, baby gear, etc...this consignment sale is the place to go! Also, as a special bonus, the first 250 shoppers receive a FREE goody bag containing coupons, free items from vendors, info on local businesses, and more!

Puyallup Spring Fair!

If you live in the WA state area, then you know it's the season for fairs and carnivals! It's so fun and exciting to see all the rides go up, smell the roasting corn, eat some cotton candy! Unfortunately it's also the RAINIEST time of year, but that didn't stop us from putting on our rainboots and heading out to the Spring Fair in Puyallup!

Car packed and ready to go! (well, I'm the one taking the photo, there's "J" and "L" our good friends/neighbors, along with my girl and my little guy. :)

There was so much to do, see, and eat!

The Carousel (my girl's favorite),

the cotton candy, the ferris wheel, (Note* Do not go up on a ferris wheel when it is cold and raining, ugh!)

We donned THE most fab, "fashionable" rain gear made...

...don't be jealous.

And best of all, there were lots of fun activities for the kids to do, and most of them were FREE! The girls planted pumpkin seeds, checked out the reptiles,.

Then there was spin-art,

and music playing,

building with legos, & throwing darts,

face painting, deciphering mind-bogglers, and giant, scary, mutant, man-eating bugs! aaahh!

.... aaaawwww. :)

I hope you get a chance to visit the fair with your family this year.

Don't let the rain put a damper on your parade!

We didn't. ;)

Puyallup anyone?

Spring break has come (yay!) and gone (double YAY-- in all caps!) We all got sick (of course), so we didn't do much. But this week there should be lots of fun to be had!

The Puyallup Spring Fair is going on and they have free/discounted admissions this weekend!

Thurs. Apr. 14th: Kids (ages 0-18) get FREE admission Thursday, April 14 with a recommended donation of a non-perishable food item for the Puyallup Food Bank. Spring Fair open 2 pm - 10 pm. PLUS get 7 rides or games for $16.*

Friday, Apr. 15th: Military Appreciation Day: Gate admission is FREE to all active, retired and reserve military and their dependents, plus disabled veterans with a valid military ID at any Fair gate on Friday, April 15.

You can also buy your tickets in advance at certain retailers for a discounted price! See all the info at www.thefair.com! Maybe we'll see you there. :)

Dharla's Boutique Camera Strap Winners-Announced!

The day has come and gone and I have YET to announce the camera strap cover winners! To make a long story short, I did choose the winners yesterday, but traumatizing events had me out of sorts. So I couldn't focus on work much.

But to get to what you really want to know...who won?!?!?! Well, I went to random.org and put in numbers 3 thru 14 -- sorry 1 & 2 :( Hopefully you'll be eligible for a different give-away! =) So random.org chose #10 & #12!

Congrats to #10 Kayla Black, and #12 Traci Ryant! Ladies, please email me at dharlasboutique@gmail.com with your mailing address so I can send your prizes. Feel free to state a preference, but if you both want the same one, then I'll random.org it again. ;)

Here are the available covers.

Thanks to all who entered the contest! You can always purchase your very own DB Camera Strap Cover via facebook or my dharlasboutique.etsy.com shop! Accessorize your life...the Dharla's Boutique way!

Have a great weekend all!
Valerie @ DB

Life and its ironies...

Not to long ago, a friend asked me to make a "wet" bag. I had never seen one before, but from her description I was able to depict what it was, and draw out a pattern. So today, Day 3 of Spring-break-ish, I decided that I would work on that on my non-existent spare time. :)

At some point in the afternoon, I finished one. I was so happy and proud and felt very accomplished. So much so that I felt like doing some errands! (WHAT?!) Yep, went grocery shopping with Thing 1 and Thing 2 in tow. Since it was after 4pm, I decided to go to WinCo in Lacey since it's closer than the commissary and I feared traffic to and from base. Nice, normal day so far, right? Wrong! What happens as soon as we arrive at WinCo? BIG, exploding, poopie diaper from Thing 2! It wreaked something awful and was all over the place. Since this has never, EVER happened before (outside), I was ill-prepared: no extra clothes, no where to put the stinky, poopie clothes. Ironic no? Had I had one of my very own Wet Bags, it would have been an open and shut situation. (teehee)

Guess what I won't leave home without from now on?! ;)

Coming soon to Dharla's Boutique: www.dharlasboutique.etsy.com

Spring Break! (ish)

Good morning! Happy Friday! =) Next week is spring break for my 4y/o daughter and we have a TON of fun outings and play dates planned! Yay!

I guess that means that Dharla's boutique will be on a bit of a hiatus! I'm actually excited about this little "hiatus." Firstly, because I'm going to hang out with the kiddo's and have some fun! And secondly, because I have lots of great things planned for DB when I get back.

I'd like to change inventory (so we all don't get bored of seeing the same 'ol thing), I'm preparing for several bazaar's, (so I may see some of you in person around Seattle, Tacoma, or Olympia! Make sure to say "hi!") Also, I'm putting some items up in a shop in Olympia, as a vendor. AND I want to have a focus! (as if!)

So for the week of April 3rd thru Apr 9th, I will be on and off a bit-- more "off" than on more likely, but I'll have lots of wonderful changes to bring you when I get back on Apr. 11th!

How about you? What are your spring break plans?