I was one of what seemed like a small handful of bloggers who did not attend BlogHer this year, but I still managed an invite to SweetSuite by fellow Fancy Mom Corine aka @ComplicatedMama. Luckily, some of the other mom team members could go as well!  I took the train to NYC with Cristina aka @CCFWorkingMom (we actually rode a rickshaw to the event) and met up with Debra aka @TheHarriedMom for a night of feeling like a little girl in the Barbie aisle.

As with most BlogHer events, we left with two enormous bags of swag to have fun with. I still have to sort through all the stuff, but I wanted to share our instant favorites so you can do some shopping with confidence. It may come as no surprise that Cristina, Debra and I have the same favorites, but I’ll let them tell you in their own words.

From Hilary (moi): We only scratched the surface of SweetSuite (since we had dinner reservations without expecting to need a few hours to navigate the toy explosion), but it wasn’t hard to find what I liked. The two brands I really wanted to see were Charm It and Alex Toys and they ended up being my fancy girl’s favorites too! When I came home with a charm bracelet with a fairy, Cinderella carriage and ice cream charms, I knew I had to alert the grandparents that Charm It was a must for any future gifting opportunities. The other activity she loves is coloring. Right before SweetSuite, she had just colored in an Alex Toys Glambrella and literally took it with her everywhere and in any weather (“It’s too sunny; I need the umbrella so I don’t burn.”). When I came home with the Color A Flower Wristlet, she grabbed it and went straight to her craft table to color away. I know what I’m stocking up on for Christmas (and buying for her friends’ birthdays too).

I also recruited my tween niece to be a product tester. She tackled the Fashion Angels Fashion Capital Sketch Portfolio and proceeded to create multiple outfits for me. She even texted more to me later that night.

And then for some silly fun, I pulled out the MadLibs bandaids and had a quick grammar lesson with my 4 year old. Honestly, the phrase we built could quite possibly happen with the way she dances wherever she goes. It was funny, and even more hilarious on her forehead.

From Cristina:
Aside from the fact that I was sipping wine, I felt like a kid in a toy store at Sweet Suite12! Walking away with a host of toys made Mommy a far better “business tripper” than Daddy whose financial conferences give coffee mugs and or calculators.  “Mommy brought home toys!” greeted me Friday morning. So our top two favorites: Charm It bracelet with charms and the Perplexus Ball.  My daughter is making a list of charms she would like Santa to send and everyone (Hubby and I included) are trying to master the maze ball.

From Debra:
It was literally Christmas in July in our home last week following my first-ever Sweet Suite from The Big Toy Book, which was held during the BlogHer conference in NYC.  The top three favorites for this mom & her own little fancy girl, who clearly is fascinated with bling,  were: the satin bejeweled floral headband from Alex Toys showcasing their 2 Pretty Headbands kit, the Pony Royale World dolls (we got Misty and she has a beautiful jeweled aquamarine birthstone blaze), and the Charm It bracelet with three adorable animal charms.  I also was excited to see that Nickelodeon is bringing back The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to both TV & toys.  I loved them myself growing up and now I’ll be able to share that experience with both my fancy girl and my son!