Summer Lovin: Friday Favorites

It's Friday Favorites time! I am a Pinterest junkie. Seriously...I have 118 boards and I am just a few pins short of  6,000. It is such an inspirational site for me. I realized though... that I need to physically do more projects and not just stare at all the pretty things all day. Friday Favorites are great for me, because I can share all the goodness of Pinterest and other sites I spied great finds on during the week. 

Arrow Finials-You guys.... these are sold out! They were not earlier this week, but I am sure this pic went around Pinterest and everyone fell in love, as I did. The curtain is what really caught my eye. It is so bohemian and lovely. I have been contemplating changing up my little guys room. There is nothing wrong with it now... but I so want to redecorate it in a woodsy/cabin/hunting/lodge kinda feel. I thought these arrow finials would be great. 

Wet Brush-This brush is so great! I have long and very tangled hair. My scalp is also super sensitive, so this brush is great for painlessly brushing through my tangled wet hair. I don't know how it works, but it is magic!

Thayers Peach Witch Hazel- I had to have this, of course, because it is peach scented. I was running low on my witch hazel(which I use as a facial toner) and saw this on Vitacost and put that guy right into my cart. It smells so good and gets rid of any extra dirt and/or makeup leftover on my face after I cleanse. It also adds a bit of moisture. 

Smashbox BB Cream- This is one of those products that I got a sample of and fell in love with and then realized it was a little pricey but I didn't care because it is so good! I use this all Summer long. I don't like to put on a bunch of face makeup during the Summer. This is great because it is a BB cream. So , basically it is a primer, concealer and foundation all in one. It is also wonderful because it has SPF35 in it so, I also don't have to use a sunscreen on my face. I can't say enough about this product. 

Zara Frilly Sleeve Top- I recently discovered Zara. Zara is one of the biggest international fashion companies. Their clothes are so unique. I saw my favorite Makeup Guru wearing this top and I fell in love. I really want to buy it but, I am hesitant to buy clothes online. The closest store to me is about an hour away so, I may venture out there and try it on. 

St. Tropez Tanning Mousse-This is another product that is a bit pricey, but nothing compares to it. It is a self tanning mouse that you use a mitt to apply. The mitt allows for a even coat every time. It is a gradual tanning mousse, so after about 4 hours you can rinse it off in the shower and it leaves you with a perfect tan. There is a darker bronzing mousse if you have a darker skin tone. This one is perfect for me and my fair skin.

Have a wonderful weekend! I have some fun posts coming up next week and I am excited to share them with you!

Home Is Where My Heart Is

I love all things to do with the home. I remember as a young girl my family would bring my dad lunch at his job sites(he is a Carpenter). I would collect all of the nail gun droppings and any other hardware I found. I would walk around the freshly framed up walls and try to envision the finished product. I loved the smell of sawdust. It will always remind me of my dad. Once the homes my dad was framing up were completed, we would always visit the model homes and it was the best family outing ever.  I actually remember these times more than Disneyland trips! Home is where my heart is.

When I was old enough to have my own place, whether it was an apartment or a house, I continued  the love for all things home. Our wedding registry was another amazing moment in my life. I was choosing things that would fill up my home. Things that The Hubs and I chose together...or things I sneaked on the list without approval:). Our first place, like many, was a small space. It was filled with so much love though. It was the first time The Hubs and I could make our own stamp on a space. Apparently, our stamp was palm trees. I recently just got rid of the last bit of our palm tree items from almost 11 years ago!

The Hubs shares my love for the home. He is a Realtor and so we both geek out on going to Open Houses. We love seeing how other people live. It is so inspiring. A home is where your personality shines. It is also an indicator of what is going on. If you came over before this past 3 day weekend you would notice that I needed a three day weekend. I was a bit overwhelmed and the clutter was a dead give away that I have been too busy.

Yard sales and thrift stores always make me happy. An old painting can enjoy another decade in a new home. What once served a purpose in someones home can bring joy to another.

But, this is all just the physical stuff that fills a home. I appreciate the structure of my home and the items I have chose to fill my home, but the people inside and the memories we make are my favorite. We move a lot. I actually love it. It is a chance to fill a new home with our personality. I love the traditions that we make in our home and others home. My parents have lived in the same home for 25 years! So I can still go to my old bedroom and remember memories from age 7-21. Every Christmas we all pile together at The Hubs parents' home. We wake up and make more memories. Now we share that with our children.

Home is where my heart is. It isn't the wood that frames up my home, the newest decor or the old treasures found for my home but the traditions, memories and love that fill up the home.

                                                                      Home Sweet Home.

Field Trip: Cedros Avenue Design District

Having a day off is glorious. Especially when The Hubs agrees to go to San Diego and take a walk around Cedros Avenue. We have been here a few times in the past but, we discovered a lot of great new(to us) stores this time. Cedros Avenue is located in Solana Beach, CA. Every time I go to San Diego I ask myself why I don't live there. It is my happy place. The people are so friendly(unlike another nearby beach community). The weather was perfect and there was a beautiful ocean breeze....ahhhh. 

One of the first stores we visited was Leaping Lotus. We have been to this 21,000 square foot store before. It is one of my favorites. It has 130 shops all under one roof. Each vendor is in their own booth and each shop is unique. From cute beach decor, art and stationary, they have it all.

Next stop was Solo. This store also features different merchant shops within one large building. I was in awe of all the design books they had! There was the largest selection of Mid Century Modern books I have ever seen! The Hubs and I were totally geeking out. I ended up picking up a design book on different bloggers' home and tricks they share about blogging about interior design(see link below). I can't wait to dig in. 

Design Bloggers at Home

Aren't these awesome! They have a ton of ads from the 50's and 60's!

Finally, we stopped in a new store to us but, I believe it has been there for awhile. It is called the Antique Warehouse. It was filled with different antique vendors. Of course, you know what we were looking for....anything Mid Century Modern and boy did we score. They had about 3-4 spaces with MCM decor and furniture. The last space we checked out had a painting that was amazing and we bought it. Unfortunately, we were overcome with excitement and it clouded our brain with MCM goodness and left no room for thinking about measuring it to make sure it fit in our car. It didn't fit and they are closed on Tuesdays. So, we have to let the painting stay at its' old home until Wednesday. We will be forced to be apart, but the good news is we HAVE to go back to Solana Beach! We even debated tying it to our roof rack but we envisioned it flying off and getting destroyed on the way home. Anyways, this place was awesome and we will definitely be back...on Wednesday.

There she is!!!!! Look at all that other goodness!

What a fun day! I highly suggest checking Cedros Avenue out. 

Sundays they have a Farmers Market from 1-5. 

Summer Lovin: Friday Favorites

This week I wanted to do something a little different with my Friday Favorites post. I have been loving You Tube. You probably already know that I love to watch makeup videos on You Tube. In the past I thought You Tube was more for watching funny videos or for figuring out how to fix something. I was so wrong! I was looking for some info on how to do a smokey eye about two years ago. I stumbled upon a girl named Jaclyn Hill on You Tube, who is a professional makeup artist.I watched her video and then proceeded to watch every video she had ever made! Then I discovered all these other girls who do these videos too and my life was ruined changed.

Recently, I have tried to branch out and find videos on health, interior designing and organizing. There are not many home decorating channels that I can find( if you know of any..please comment below). So, anyways I thought I would share some of my favorites! Links to their You Tube Channels will also be below.

Makeup:

The girl who started my obsession: Jaclyn Hill. She is so knowledgeable and is a big goof ball. I wish we were friends. She is amazing and gorgeous! She is a professional makeup artist so she has a lot of great tutorials. (When I went to get her link I saw she just posted a new video!!! I'll be right back!!!)

Makeup by Tiffany D. Tiffany is such a down to earth girl. She needs to be my friend too! I like her channel because it is not just makeup. She also posts about fashion and home decor. Her home is absolutely gorgeous! She has a blog as well that I always look forward to. 

Danna Ann is so beautiful. I love her personality She is easy to follow and always has great reviews and tutorials. She really goes into depth about the products she tries and I always check her channel out before I purchase something. 

Casey Holmes is again...gorgeous. They really all are but, they are also all very sweet girls. She is a Southern girl. She has a funky style and has awesome tutorials. Casey also has great reviews and is really honest about each product she tries. 

Kassie is another talented beauty guru that I follow. I am not sure if she is a professional makeup artist, but she is super talented. I love watching her channel because she tries out a large array of makeup and beauty products. Many of these girls are not professionals(but could be)...they just have a love for beauty and share it with all of us!

Health:

This is Summer and she is awesome! Number one she is a fellow Summer. Number two she is the reason I love Vitacost and has made me more interested in trying natural products and got me taking my vitamins again. Three she loves Jesus. I stumbled on her blog when I was searching for articles on anxiety She struggles with anxiety too and has shared a lot of great stories that have comforted me.  I could go on and on about how great she is!

Kendra Jorde is another down to earth girl. She shares many tips on how to stay healthy. She is also a Vitacost lover. Kendra uses a lot of natural beauty products as well and is a great resource when trying to find products that don't have a bunch of junk in them.

This girl's channel, Glutes N Glam, is new to me, but I already have learned so much. I recently watched he meal planning video that was very helpful. She also posts videos showing you step by step instructions of many different healthy recipes. 

Home Decor and Organizing:

Alejandra is all about organizing. She has soooo many great tips for every nook and cranny in your home. If you need help getting your space in order, I highly recommend her channel. She also has a website with even more helpful tips. 

This channel is a little different as it is not just one persons' channel but a magazine, House and Home. They feature many different tips and videos about different makeovers. As, I mentioned before there are not a whole lot of channels that I have found on interior decorating. This is a great resource!

I have so many others that I follow. If you want to know of any other beauty You Tubers I follow I will gladly share them! If you have any you love please share!

Coco Chanel Inspired Tablesetting

I had the opportunity to decorate a table for the Women's Council of Realtors Annual Spring Tea. This was my second year. The ladies really go all out. I remember showing up last year to set my table and feeling like a little dingy among huge ships. So, this year I wanted to step it up a bit! I saw a few pictures on Pinterest that inspired me to do a Coco Chanel themed table. It is super girly and sparkly so, of course I had a blast putting it all together. I only had a week and was stressing out. I usually like to order items online because that is where I find my most unique pieces. I ordered everything the day I found out. Many things came a few days later but, a few items came the day before the event!

I started with a black tablecloth that touched the floor. This is very important if you want your table to look polished. There is nothing worse(to me) than a tablecloth that doesn't touch the floor. Especially round tables. 

I then added some black and white crosshatch fabric from Joanns for my overlay. I searched high and low  for a wide black and white striped tablecloth or fabric. No luck.  If I had more time I might have been able to find something. I was really bummed I think it would have added all kinds of fabulousness! I ordered chair sashes from my favorite online site for linens called eFavormart. They have amazing prices and they were offering 30% off at the time I ordered! I had previously ordered those pink satin napkins for another tablescape I did years ago.

I had a few ideas for the centerpiece but, when I saw these hat boxes at Joanns I knew I had to have them! I wanted some height so these were perfect. They were originally a cardboard color I simply painted them black with a sponge brush and then added a diamond trim. I seriously had to stop myself with the diamonds I wanted to put them everywhere! I also purchased those from David Tutera's wedding line at Joanns. If you have not taken a look at his line it is a must..so pretty! I took down a large round mirror I had hanging in my living room for even more bling. I was browsing the clearance section at Joanns and found those 2 wooden C's! I couldn't believe it. It was like they were just waiting for me. Scored those for only .25cents.

I  think this was my favorite project to make. I found a square vase from Michaels and typed out a Chanel No.5 perfume label to mimic a perfume bottle. I added large pearls that I got from eFavormart. Then I found these fun feathered flowers at Joanns. I added some light pink ribbon and topped it off with...you guessed it... more diamonds!

This art print was an instant download from the Etsy shop, poppy loves to groove. Instant downloads are awesome when you are in a pinch.

I had this crazy idea that I wanted to use a purse as a vase! I went to the thrift store trying to find something that would work..nothing. I was looking through my closet and remembered I had this cute sparkly clutch that the closure had broken on. It would be perfect. I simply found a plastic container, covered it with tape, making a grid for the flowers to go into and filled it with the flowers and water. 

I also ordered these drawstring bags from an Etsy store called Lovey By Elle. The were stamped with two different saying from Coco Chanel. This shop is so amazing. The owner knew I was in a hurry and got them in the mail the next day! I put in a Paris hand lotion from Bath and Body Works since Coco was from France. 

 I had to make a few desserts for the 10 people at our table. I bought lady fingers which you can see on the tea saucers, from World Market. I then made some cupcakes and topped them off with fondant that I imprinted a quilted pattern on to mimic a handbag and topped with an icing bow that I found at Joanns.

Last, I made perfume bottle shaped sugar cookies. I found the cookie cutter on Etsy. I just added some icing and mixed yellow and orange sprinkles to mimic the look of perfume. I had this jewelry box and thought it would be great as a cookie box!

Overall I had a wonderful time creating this tablescape. Now onto thinking about the theme for next year!

Summer Lovin: Friday Favorites

This week has been a scorcher! I went on the hunt for all things outdoors. From entertaining Al fresco to a simple picnic with the kiddos these finds will get you outside in style. I made sure to add a few drink recipes to keep you cool and not melt while you are hanging outside!

Roxy Sunset Beach Blanket
Nate Berkus Beach Towel
Crate and Barrel Picnic Cooler
Zigzag Beach Chair
Drink Dispenser
European Water Bottle
Metal Cage String Lights

A few drinks to keep you cool and to sip on while enjoying the great outdoors:

Recipe found here

Recipe found here

On Trend:Seeing Spots

I have been seeing spots everywhere! Specifically black and white Dalmatian spots.They are showing up in home decor and clothing. I am no Cruella but, I do love some faux animal prints.

Dalmatian-Spotted Walls//Vintage Vogue Cover//That Chair!

Gymboree Shoes

Pillow//Skirt//Purse(50%off)

I apologize for some of these links. Many are from Pinterest and they do not have an actual link. That is my biggest pet peeve about Pinterest. It is why I love Keep.com. They always have links to where you can buy everything on their site! But don't worry Pinterest I still LOVE you. With all this Dalmatian talk I want to go watch 101 Dalmatians!

Happy Monday Loves!

Summer Lovin: Friday Favorites

Garden Grove Floral Watch-I saw this on Francesca's site while searching for Mother's Day Gifts I have to be honest. I have never stepped foot in this store. We have had one for awhile in our local mall and it just seemed like an "older lady" store. I saw some younger girls on YouTube who purchased some really cute jewelry there and thought I better give it a chance... while I was at the mall a few days ago. I am glad I did. They have the cutest clothes, shoes and jewelry!
Heart Coffee Mug Set- I would love to buy these mugs from the Etsy shop owner, but they are a bit too much for my pocketbook. I thought these were great inspiration for a DIY project!
Mac Blush in Melba-I did it. I went to MAC and bought my first blush by them. I was afraid I would fall in love, because again these are pricey...but they have the pretties colors. Of course, I fell in love. This shade, Melba, is a gorgeous peachy pink. Perfect for Spring! (At least that is how I justified it and I may have purchased another shade).
#redballoonsforryan Tote- My sweet friend Alyssa of Beckett's Threads is donating all the proceeds of her red balloon stamped leggings, shorts and this adorable tote to the family that tragically lost their little boy last Friday. For more info and pricing you can follow Beckett's Threads on FB or on IG. She makes the cutest stamped leggings, shorts and even came out with her signature stamp on a t-shirt. My little man loves his shirt.
Ikat Glasses Case-I wish I would have seen this case before I purchased my last sunglass case. This one looks super retro and I am in love. If you are like me and constantly wear sunglasses this is a must for protecting them from everything in your purse.
Palazzo Pants-Do you guys remember these? I can't believe I am old enough for styles to be making another round! I wore these wide legged pants in high school. I personally love them because they flare out and distract from my booty and hips. They are also super comfortable and a great light weight pant option for the Spring and Summer.

I Heart Mint Nursery Design

It is finally here! I finished my niece's nursery! A few days ago I went and put the final touches on my sweet little niece's nursery. If you remember I wrote a post on some inspiration pieces for her nursery. I went with the colors mint, blush pink, coral and gold. I originally threw in peach but, only ended up using a splash here and there. I only have a boy so, doing a girl's nursery was a dream come true. It had to be super girly and filled with lots of sparkle! My sister is an amazing graphic designer and she made some adorable prints for the room. My brother in law is always so helpful and painted the room with me!!! I hope they all love it and enjoy spending time together in the new room.

My sister recently moved into her new home with her husband just days after she had her little girl. So, as you can imagine she had her hands full! I asked her if I could help put together her nursery and she gave me full reign!!! I was so excited. 

My sister found this crate and it originally had a Christmas design on the sides. I thought it would be great to hold books in. I simply painted the sides peach and added a monogram letter to it. Love using vintage items!

I found this pillow on Etsy and I couldn't pass it up. Blush pink and gold polka dots....xoxo! WilderandBean is such a cute shop. Check out her other pillows and blankets. They are not only cute... but very well made.

While I am loving on some Etsy, let me just show you my favorite part of the room. The gold heart wall!!! I purchased these decals from OwlHills. These are wall decals that come in 38 different colors. I was so excited when I saw they came in metallic gold! They also have other decals like polka dots and arrows. If you are looking for an easy way to add something special to your walls I highly recommend their decals. They were super easy to use. The placement we chose was tricky but luckily the decals are repositionable:). 

These are prints my sister made. I need to ask her to put them in our shop! Also, I seriously need to work on my photography(ugghhh...that glare)! It was so hard for me to get any good pics. I moved things around... added things...subtracted things...turned on and off lights. Whew, it is hard work! I think I got like one good pic. 

 I found this lamp at Goodwill. It did not have a shade but that was ok because I found the cutest one on clearance at Target. I then added some dollar section crocheted flowers from Michaels to give it a vintage touch. It came out to around 15.00 for the lamp and shade. I pictured my niece using this little space to play dress up and look at herself in the little antique mirror or maybe a little reading corner(which is more suited for her as her parents are readers...my little girl would be using it to stare at herself in her newest outfit). :)

I love this vintage nightstand my sister found thrifting. I also used the matching dresser that my sister already had from when she was little. That rocking chair is also my sisters from way back when. Kudos to my Mom for keeping our cute furniture! 

This is the matching dresser from my sister's childhood. I love the feminine lines. I added a wire heart wall art piece to hold all of my niece's hair accessories.

Isn't that pouf so cute???? That was the best score! It was on clearance at Target for only 7.48! It had all the colors of the room, except for mint.  

And here is the bed. You my be thinking..."Where is the crib"? That is what I had envisioned, as it is a nursery. My sister has a fancy pack and play and decided to use that for as long as possible and thought it would be best to just get a toddler bed. She may choose to get a crib later on, but for now she has this pink toddler bed. I have to say this threw me off. The scale of it is so small. It looks like doll furniture next to everything else. I made that "C" scroll art from some wood pieces from Michaels. I pictured the crib going under the art pieces but when that idea was nixed I had to think!!!! I saw a picture of a room that used a towel rack to display a quilt. I thought this would be a great place to use this idea as it would add some height to the bed. I thought about floating the bed in the middle but as my niece grows bigger I know she will need the room to play. The quilt on the bed is one that I try to steal from my sister every time I come over. My Nana made it . She made one for me too but I used it so much it started to fall apart. Now that it is my niece's I guess I won't try to steal it anymore....maybe:).

A lot of Auntie love went into this room. It was so fun to put together. If there is anything that I did not link above I will link down below. Sweet dreams little niece! Enjoy your new space!

Paint Soft Mint Green(top)Softest Juniper(bottom)//Curtains//Rug//

Towel Rack//Decals//Pillow//Bed//Blanket above bed (custom made by Grandma)