LABOR DAY WEEKEND SALES roundup

I'm not sure how I feel about the summer coming to an end. Fall is one of my favorite times of year but our summer's are so short here in New England that I'm never fully ready for summer to be over. When we lived in Pennsylvania, the summers were so hot I couldn't wait for the cooler temps to arrive but I think I need a couple more weekends of warmth before we hibernate for the next 7 months. 

We're having a low key weekend with the kids, soaking up the last couple pool days and enjoying our outside patio now that it's complete and I'll be browsing some sales because there are great deals out there so I thought I'd share what I found because there are some good deals to be had! 

Hope you enjoy the long weekend! 

• ANTHROPOLOGIE has an extra 50% off all sale items and an additional 25% off all furniture.  all prices update at checkout. You can shop the sale here 
• Backcountry is having a series of deals around labor day with up to 50% off and an additional sale on sale with 20% off big names including Patagonia and Marmot. 
• GAP is having 40% off everything with an additional 50% off sale items with code DAYOFF. 
• Good American is my new go to for denim and they are having a great sale with up to 70% off 
• J.Crew is having 40% off everything with an extra 50% off sale items with code SUNSET. This cute Nantucket sweatshirt is only $22
• J.Crew Factory is having 50% off everything! You can score a great deal on coats for Fall including this one that is such a great staple and this button neck sweatshirt that I think I need in every color.  You can shop the sale here
• MARK & GRAHAM is having an extra 30% off with code LABORDAY and this travel pouch is such a great gift idea. It never hurts to get started on dare I say...Christmas shopping. 
• McGee & Co has some great items that they added to their sale. Our door mat is looking worn and I love this Fern one, there are also so many great baskets and kitchen accessories too. 15% off rugs, furniture, artwork & mirrors with code NEWLOOK
• NORDSTROM is having a great sale right now. You can find some items even cheaper then the anniversary sale and they're back in stock too! 
• OLD NAVY is having 50% off all dresses, jeans and tee's 
• POTTERY BARN is having their buy more, save more sale and you can score up to 30% off with code SAVEMORE
• RUGS USA is having up to 70% off their rugs. This paddle rug is one of my clients favorites  
• Serena & Lily is offering up to 30% off seating including our kitchen bar stools which we LOVE! 
• TARGET has a huge home sale going on right now, including 20% off one piece of furniture of your choice online! 
• Williams & Sonoma is also having their buy more, save more sale but they are offering a couple Labor Day specials and if you've had your eye on a Vitamix, they have a great deal on them this weekend. You can shop the sale here. 

FATHER'S DAY GIFT GUIDE

Wow, it's been a hot minute since I've had a chance to write a blog post but I've had lots of requests for a Father's Day Gift Guide. What better way to jump back in then to give me the task of finding gifts for the hardest person to shop for on the planet, am I right? Guys are pretty simple and don't usually ask for much so when it comes time to find something for those men in your life, it's a daunting task but I think I can help you out with some gifts I know the Dad's would like. 

1. Functional Apron- whether grilling, gardening or deep frying turkeys, this apron provides a lot of pockets including one to hold his cell phone. It can also be personalized too. 

2. New Hat- My guys in my house love these Travis Mathew hats

3. Golf Watch- Have a big golfer in your life, then this watch was rated as the top for that

4. Yeti cooler- if he doesn't already have a Yeti cooler, then this is the gift to give. We have the large bag and a smaller cooler but I think the size of this one and the backpack feature makes it my favorite pick out of all the coolers. The big bag is nice for the beach, etc. but it can get heavy. 

5. Heated Razor- the world's first heated razor, I have no idea what that means but after reading that it feels like a hot towel on your face with every swipe, I'm starting to think I need one for my legs! 

6. Whiskey & Cigar glass- I'm not sure why no one thought of this sooner but this is a brilliant idea. Great for poker nights. Extra 20% off with code SUMMER

7. Travel bathroom bag- I love a personalized gift and Mark & Graham has the best gifts for that like this personalized travel bathroom bag which comes in 2 other colors as well. 20% off with code SUMMER

8. New Shoes- I got my husband these last year and he loved them. I had to slip them on to take out the trash and they are so comfortable and lightweight

9. Away suitcase- I put this on my gift guide before but it's for a reason...it's the best suitcase ever! 

10. Lightweight sunglasses- these are the lightest sunglasses and a versatile look that looks good on majority of people. Deciding between the black or navy blue is the hardest decision

11. Linen shirt- I love the color of this one because you could pair it with basically any color short. perfect summer shirt! 40% off with code WEEKEND

12. JBL Portable speaker- we recently got one of these and man can these little speakers put out. We were going to put speakers outside and decided against it because this is good enough. Great for the beach, bbq's, fishing on the boat. 

13. Traegar grill- this is a splurge gift but for those Dad's who love to grill this is the splurge gift to get

Hope everyone has a nice Memorial day weekend! 

WHAT TO MAKE FOR A SUPER BOWL PARTY

The Super Bowl is this weekend and this is my favorite weekend to plan some yummy food for the big game. It also helps that our team is in the Super Bowl which makes it even more exciting. If you're teams not in the Super Bowl and you're just here for the food then you came to the right place. 

This year I've included a couple healthier options. I'm still trying to lose the baby weight (hello, metabolism, you can speed up any day now) so I don't want to overindulge too much because I've been working hard to try and get it off so I don't want to erase all my hard work. Plus I notice that I feel like crap once I do over indulge. 

 WHAT TO MAKE

Chipotle Sweet Potato Chicken Poppers by PALEO GLUTEN FREE OATS

Skinny Taste Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Dip

Giada's California Turkey Chili-this is a different take on chili but I like mixing it up from your average chili

 HUBS WINGS

Bake at 400 degrees I think 

Right on the sheet pan and leave alone 

They will get crispy and I don't time anything so when they're done

Toss with your favorite sauce. 

Buffalo sauce

• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (3 sticks Butter, softened)
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon paprika
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 3/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons chili sauce

Ranch sauce

2 tsp melted butter 

1 tsp dry ranch dressing mix 

1 tsp minced garlic

 DESSERT...the best part!

Pretzel Rolo Treats, so easy to make.Place rolos on top of pretzels, bake in 250 degree oven for a couple minutes and add your teams colored m&m's on top. 

The First Year Blog Football Puppy Chow Mix 

and it wouldn't be a Super Bowl Party without some cute decorations 

 

evite 

 

Cute Printables Click on Picture to shop 

Get your game day supplies here: 

         

       

         

       

     

        

TIPS FOR PLANNING A SUPER BOWL PARTY

The Super Bowl is this weekend and we are so excited for our New England Patriots. I know they're not a fan favorite but you have to admit that it's pretty impressive what Brady has done over the years. I may be a little biased as I've always been a Brady fan but no matter who you are cheering for or if you're just here for the commercials and food, I'm sharing some tips on how to plan a Super Bowl Themed party your friends and family will enjoy starting with the invites. 

I'm a paper girl and always loved receiving invites in the mail since I was a little girl but times have changed and digital invites are what all the kids are using these days. It's faster, cheaper and you can manage RSVP's a lot easier. My go to for online invitations has always been Paperless Post. You can customize online invitations and cards to reflect your style. They offer free cards and a coin system. You can add or remove options, including envelopes, liners, backdrops and logos when creating your design. I love their selection of cards to choose from for planning events. I've chosen a couple of my favorites for the big game this weekend. Who will you be cheering for? Or are you just here for the ads? 

Cute matching liner and envelope 

Later this week I'll be sharing some of my favorite Super Bowl Party recipes including my skinny buffalo chicken dip!

Design Plans & Goals for The Style Nest Home

Did we seriously blink and 2018 was gone? 2018 was such a great year for us but it all feels like a blur. I think I was in shock that I was pregnant for the first part of the year, then I was pregnant and now I'm still in the sleep deprived infant stage living in that sleep deprived mom brain fog. I still can't believe we had a baby in 2018 but what an amazing gift he has been. He has brought so much joy into our home and I couldn't imagine life without him. How we're going to top off 2019, I'm no so sure but we have design plans and goals over here at The Style Nest for this year.

We've lived in our home for over 5 years and we've been chipping away at projects. Last year we worked on the outside which has been an ongoing process, a very expensive process but it needed to be done. I can't wait for nice weather and to entertain out there and enjoy it! We also finished the babies room, which is now my favorite room in the house. 

Since we now have a baby our priorities have shifted a bit as to what needs to be finished in our home. The living room which was the only room almost complete, now needs to be completely redone because nothing is baby friendly. I thought it would be a good idea to plan ahead for what's to come in 2019 and live with these design boards for a couple months before fully pulling the trigger on pieces.

The other project in DESPERATE need of being renovated is our one and only full bathroom. This has been delayed because of that. This will be our big project this year and I honestly cannot wait to take a sledge hammer to that room. I have 2 design concepts I'm deciding between. I think I made up my mind but I'll share what I'm thinking and let me know if you have a favorite.

2019 Goals:

+ To organize and maintain that organized home. For me having a clean home is a form of self care and I am just a much better person when my house is in order. I want to share how I organize my space as well. 

+ To complete rooms that are 90% done and finally photograph these to share with you on the blog

+ To share more style tips on the blog of what is going on behind the scenes with our design work

+ To simplify things. Now that we have a baby, my time has been non existent. I want everything in it's place and to not spend what little free time I do have cleaning. I read Marie Kondo's book last year and got halfway through until I got to the paper part and panicked. Binge watching Kon Marie's show on Netflix may have pushed me to finally complete this.

+ To share more fashion posts on the blog. This was the most requested item on my questionnaire last year and with being pregnant I doubt anyone was looking for me to share any fashion tips at the time. I'm very awkward in front of a camera but I want to overcome this and instead of sharing fashion mood boards, I want to share more of what I like to wear. 

+ We have a couple fun trips planned this year so I will also start sharing more of our travel adventures on the blog as well. I love to do a lot of research before heading to our destination and I love reading tips from other travelers. We've found a couple great recommendations over the years and I'd like to share these from our travels. I also want to put together a What to do in Boston guide as I get asked this frequently. Although I haven't lived here my whole life, we've been here for 11 years and frequent the city often so I have some great places to share. 

Cheers to 2019 going a little bit slower then 2018! 

GIFT GUIDE FOR KIDS

Sorry for the delay on the kids gift guides. I was having technical difficulties that we couldn’t get figured out until now. I know it's late and most people might be done shopping but I thought I'd post them anyway in case you're a procrastinator like myself then maybe they'll come in handy. So I’ve combined all my kids gift guides on this one post. There are gifts for the littles and gifts for the older kids. I do a lot of research on these and pick gifts that I think kids will actually like because well they told me themselves. I even have a couple go to girls I ask for advice on my gift guides every year. They’re always more helpful then my boy go to’s who give me nothing!!! The number one answer for teens was gift cards but you need to have some gifts to wrap and put under the tree so I’ve rounded up some other favorites on their list and I hope this helps you finish up some of your Christmas shopping. 

1.Pop up cafe - this is just too cute. I know I would have loved this as a kid and would have spent hours here. 40% off right now!

2.Name puzzle - I love giving personalized gifts. Etsy has so many great options that you can customize but this was one of my favorites. It gives your little one a head start on spelling their name too. 

3.Wicker baby carriage - I put this on here because I had one of these when I was little and it was my absolute favorite. It would also look darling in a little girls room as decor too. Another cute moses basket idea here

4.Personalized Photo Book

5.Wooden truck carrier - little boys favorite 

6.The cutest balance bike ever! I sort of want to buy this for Mason now even though he can’t even sit up yet

7.Adopt a dog - I saw these at crate & kids a couple weeks ago and thought they were the cutest! 

8.There are so many adorable kitchen play sets out there but I love this one! I see a lot of moms ask if a kitchen is ok for a boy and let me tell you that my boys played with our play kitchen more then any other toy. So yes, play kitchens are good for boys! 

9.Coffee cup teether so that baby can be just like his tired mama 

10. Hearth & Hand doll house - the cutest doll house of all. One of my Instagram friends decorated hers for Christmas and it made me love it even more. Check it out here all decorated for the holidays. 

11.Tip toe tiger book - soft cloth book for the littles 

12.Dreamer crown - because every little boy deserves to be a prince 

Soft blanket. I love this brand and now that we’re headed into the winter I’m finding myself reaching for warmer blankets when we head out for walks. 

13.Flamingo doll - this company gives back which is why I love them. They provide meals to kids in need with every purchase. The newly released flamingo is just the cutest! 

14.Pretend and play coffee maker - I got this for my niece and she loves it! 

 15.Wooden push toy - when you need to have toys all over your house it’s nice to have one that actually looks cute 

As I said above the first thing requested when I surveyed tween boys and girls was gift cards. Gift cards to places like Bath & Body works, Nordstrom, Athleta, Abercrombie, XBox, Starbucks, Nike and the movies were the top requests. As for gifts, I rounded up other items that were requested by the big kids. 

1. Sugarfina candy - who wouldn’t love this! The sugar sour lips are my favorite!! 

2. Wireless headphones on sale! 

3. Personalized luggage - this is a great gift that will last for years to come

4. Caboodles - I may just be adding a childhood favorite of mine on here because everyone needs a caboodle.

5. Personalized wristlet 

6. Athleta Sweatshirt- I actually have this in the adult version and love it!!! 

7. Vans high top sneakers 

8. Colorful adjustable wishing bracelet

9.  Toilet paper spit gun - this is something I could really regret but I know boys would love this 

10.  Hero avengers coding set - for all those super her fans who love to get creative with coding 

11. Roller Coaster LEGO set

 12. Basketball hoop - how cool is it that you can keep score on it too?! 

13. Video game storage set - kids might not be excited about this so I’d pair this with a video game and gaming headsets 

14. Nintendo switch - my 9 year old loves this. The older one prefers Xbox because of fortnite. I like that they can use the switch as a tablet if they want to take it on road trips. 

15. Hover board - I know these have been around for awhile but a couple kids I asked this was on their list. It’s on my 9 year olds list this year. 

*This post contains affiliate links

GIFT GUIDE FOR HIM

Next up in the Gift Guide Series is the Men! The hardest people to shop for our the men in our lives so when I put together the Men's Gift Guide, I have to search high and low for gifts that I think any guy would like and gifts that they don't already have. There are a lot of higher end gifts on the gift guide this year but they're items that will last forever! There are also a lot of great items on sale today so grab them while you can because some of these items, like the Patagonia coat never go on sale. 

1. SOLO STOVE

2. BEARD MAINTENANCE KIT

3. LEATHER WALLET IPHONE X CASE

4. BLUE TOOTH SPEAKER 

5. CHEMEX COFFEE MAKER

6. LARQ SELF CLEANING WATER BOTTLE 

7. NIKE SWEATSHIRT

8. MENS ADIDAS SNEAKERS

9. BOSE WIRELESS HEADPHONES

10. PLAID BUTTON DOWN

11. TB12 MEAL DELIVERY SERVICE

12. TUMI BRIEFCASE (MY HUSBAND LOVES HIS BECAUSE IT CAN SLIDE OVER HIS TRAVEL AWAY SUITCASE WHICH WAS THE TOP GIFT BY MY READERS LAST YEAR)

13. PATAGONIA RETRO PILE VEST

14. YETI BACKPACK

15. FUNNY SOCKS

16. BIG GREEN EGG (BEEN ON MY HUBS XMAS LIST FOR AWHILE) 

17. PATAGONIA COAT 30% OFF ON CYBER MONDAY (PATAGONIA NEVER GOES ON SALE SO GRAB IT NOW)

18. TRI POCKET DENIM APRON