May. 21, 2014
My husbands taste is very clean and modern, while I have a bit more vintage inspired style, so we felt mid-century modern was the perfect style for us to land on. We have very little storage in our closet aside from hanging space, making it difficult to keep things like bathing suits, socks, etc organized and orderly. After searching for months for the perfect dressers around town, we decided we would need to go another route to find what we were looking for.
I started searching the web for mid-century modern furniture from places like Ikea, West Elm, Crate and Barrel, etc. and all the pretty dressers I fell in love with were much more than I was willing to part with. Etsy even had some gems to be found, but still nothing under $400 each, and I wasn’t ready to drop nearly $1000+ on a box to hold my socks…
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So, we scoured Craigslist for weeks waiting on the perfect dressers to come up, which were unfinished (cost effective) and in our budget. Patience is the key to Craigslist, and after several misses, we found these beauties and snagged them up for under $200, total. What a blessing!
They were honey colored with some minor scuffs, but other than that in perfect condition and I knew they would be perfect for what we were wanting for our master bedroom. The only issue, and partially how we got them so cheap, was they were not all real wood, but covered with laminate making them difficult to sand and stain as we normally would with real wood furniture.
After scouring the web for inspiration, we chose to go with a style like shown above, mixing white with the dark wood that is found elsewhere in our home. The white portions would be simple, we simply built a little spray booth inside our garage and primed then sprayed them white with a high gloss oil base paint. They came out beautifully and the finish is so firm and durable!
The drawers were a bit more challenging, since we couldn’t sand them down we had to find a product that would allow us to stain over what is currently there, yet be translucent enough to still see the wood grain of the laminate. Then we found this stuff on amazon! After searching the MinWax website to see what shade we needed, we decided on Tudor, the dark brown shade with subtle gray tones, to finish the drawers with. We tested one drawer by simply painting it on with a foam brush and after a couple of coats it looked fantastic and just as we had hoped. Because we had so many drawers we sprayed the rest to save some time, and let it all dry for about a week so the white sections could completely harden before moving it back inside our home.
We are completely floored by how great they turned out, especially for not even being real wood. No one would be able to tell and I think they look just as great as the expensive options on the web.
May. 14, 2014
Well, its back. It’s swimsuit season again…
Suit shopping has never been my favorite idea of shopping, but after scouring the internet for the perfect suit, I found several that I can’t take my eyes off of. It is so challenging to find modest, yet stylish suits on a budget, but I think designers are finally taking the hint that many of us are after just that! Though many stores are still full of the tiny bikini tops and skimpy bottoms, the options below give me some hope that modesty is still alive and I can look cute in a one piece after all! No matter what I weigh or how I feel about my body, I think it is important to keep modesty in check, and hope this is something I am able to teach my children in the future.
One of these became a lucky winner for me this summer, see if you can guess which one. From a very budget friendly $30 to a splurge of $200, here are several adorable swimsuit options to get you in the mood for the beach. 
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May. 2, 2014
Now that Spring has officially sprung I just can’t wait for the weather to be warm (and stay warm) long enough to enjoy some sandals and glasses every day. Today is one of those days, so I’m here to share my spring essentials. Finally, those bright fun colors are back in stores and these goodies instantly brighten my day. From my favorite EOS lip balm (that I just can’t stop using) to that amazing Kate Spade Saturday.com design your own weekender bag, these are a few of the items I’d love to have around for spring:
1. Kate Spade Saturday Umbrella | 2. RayBan Wayfarer Sunglasses | 3. EOS Sphere lip balm | 4. Gap Dip-dye Tunic | 5. Kate Spade Saturday Custom Weekender | 6. ASOS Leather Slider Sandals | 7. Essie nailpolish | 8. Anthropologie striped sun hat
Apr. 28, 2014
1. Paper Fans | 2. Invites | 3. Piñata | 4. Guac | 5. Food Picks | 6. chalkboard | 7. blouse | 8. Margarita Salt
Next Monday is Cinco de Mayo and I just can’t wait for it to get here. What a great excuse to eat chips and salsa and sip on Margs with your friends. Here is my vision for a fun Fiesta Party:
The Invites:
There are tons of adorable invites for Cinco de Mayo or Fiesta parties on Etsy! Simply print them yourself as an affordable option or have them printed if you prefer the simple route. I love the idea of throwing a little confetti in the envelopes just to add a little surprise for your guests as they open the invites.
The Decor:
More than anything else Cinco de Mayo is a great excuse to use an outrageous amount of color. I generally shy away from color and rely on my natural instincts of black and white, but on May 5th, the brighter and bolder, the better! Throw in a little glitz and glam to modernize this fun fiesta by including a shiny piñata or some colorful rim salt for all those wonderful Margaritas.
The Food:
We love the idea of having a dip bar at our party. Complete with queso, salsa, guacamole and 7 layer dip of course. There are tons of yummy recipes out there to choose from or just grab a few jars of yummy stuff at your market and keep it hassle free. You could even have a contest for your guests by inviting them to bring their best dip and vote for their favorite throughout the evening.
If you want to bump it up a notch turn that dip bar into a taco bar instead. See our post for Fish Tacos from the past for an idea of what this can look like, but toppings are endless for street tacos. We also use this crockpot chicken taco recipe all the time and it is delicious!
The Entertainment:
Although I love the amazing silver piñata shown above, it’s a bit out of my budget. However I found this amazing DIY that I can use to make my own! So whether silver glam is your style or you prefer a more traditional multi colored version you can easily create one on your own.
For a fun adult party fill your Piñata liquor miniatures instead of candy. Each guest can have a couple shots of tequila to add to their margarita mix or take home that evening for the future.
Or tell your guests to grab some tissue paper and scissors to make their own paper picado banners of their own. There are tons of templates and tutorials on the web to choose from. They may look intimidating, but if you can make a paper snowflake you can make a paper picado in just a few minutes or less!
Please share your favorite Cinco de Mayo party ideas by leaving a comment below.
Apr. 23, 2014
1. Candle | 2. Custom iPhone Case | 3. Personalized Pie Dish | 4. Custom Throw Pillows | 5. Recipe Box | 6. Living Succulent Wreath | 7. Custom Initial Bracelet
Mother’s Day is just around the corner and we always struggle for the perfect way to show our moms how much we love her. She tirelessly devotes her love and time to our family never ceasing even though we are grown. She treats our son with more generosity and care than I could hope for and there is only one day a year to celebrate all that she does for us. It should really be called Mother’s Week…
This year was my first full year to be a mother, and although I can’t get ready in the mornings without interruption, I can count all the meals I’ve had while sitting down on one hand, and I’m pretty much guaranteed to have at least one small stain somewhere on my shirt each day, it has been the most rewarding year of my life. My heart explodes with joy at the sight of my smiling babe’s face each morning and he fills me with the energy to carry on another day.
I hope that you all take the time to celebrate your mother, no matter what type of relationship you have with her. I know some are harder than others, but despite everything our moms deserve a day of thanks. Maybe a gift certificate to a spa day, a beautiful bouquet of flowers just to say I love you, or even inviting her over for a meal that you have prepared for her could show her more love than you could imagine. But if you’re more the gift buying type here are a few ideas to make shopping a bit more easy and unique to your mother.
There are so many customizable items out on the web right now and last year we gave my mom a phone case with our baby boy on it which she loved and got compliments on all the time. No better way to keep your phone protected than to have your smiling babe or grandchild on there! I also love the new throw pillows from Shutterfly, and secretly want a couple for our home. Their modern designs are hard to choose from, but would be adorable with our family photos on them.
I am always searching for a great wreath, as I find myself being very picky on door decor, but this living succulent wreath stole my heart. I would love to have it hanging on our door.
I hope you all take the time to celebrate your moms on May 11th and let her know how much you care.
