Sunday, December 9, 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


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 

 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


Monday, November 26, 2018

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. 








4. BLUE TOOTH SPEAKER 


6. LARQ SELF CLEANING WATER BOTTLE 






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)



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)

























   





Friday, November 23, 2018

GIFT GUIDE FOR HER



Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Today, I'm kicking off my Holiday Gift Guide Series. Over the next 2 weeks I will be sharing lots of gift ideas for everyone on your list. I'm starting with the gift guide for her. This is basically my Christmas wish list. Some things I have and love and the other things are things I've been eyeing up that I'd love to receive as a gift. With so many great sales going on right now, it's a great time to shop for yourself too. Please tell me I'm not the only one who buys gifts for themselves while buying for others. I mean some deals are too good to pass up. 




1. DYSON AIR WRAP VOLUME & SHAPE STYLER FOR FINE FLAT HAIR

2. LEATHER WATCH BAND 

3. COMFY COZY SWEATER

4. LONG FEATHERED NECKLACE

5. BINDLE BOTTLE (STORE KEYS AND MONEY IN THE BOTTOM)

6. GOLD SNEAKERS

7. PLAID SCARF

8. OIL DIFFUSER THAT'S PRETTY LOOKING 

9. POM POM SLIPPERS

10. COGNAC LEATHER BAG (BUTTERY SOFT. MY FAV GO TO BAG)

11. VICTOR PERFUME

12. BAREFOOT DREAMS ROBE

13. BOSE HEADPHONES

14. SENSOR MIRROR

15. DRUNK ELEPHANT FACE MASK (THE BEST FACE MASK EVER!) 



18. UGG FLEECE LINED SOCKS

Sunday, November 18, 2018

HOW TO DECORATE THE THANKSGIVING TABLE & MY FAVORITE RECIPES

Thanksgiving is about food, family, friends and pretty tables. We’re not hosting this year but I thought I’d share my past years thanksgiving tables and give you some tips on how to create a simple tablescape of your own. You don’t have to have a green thumb or crafty. Setting a table can be easy and fun. So while you’re making your shopping list for turkey day don’t forget to add some flowers to the list. All of my flowers I buy at Wegman's grocery store.

Here are some of my past years tables and what I used to create them. 

Blush Table 





This was probably one of my favorites because it wasn’t your typical fall colors and it turned out so pretty. I incorporated fall flowers into my centerpieces with the mini green and white cabbages, mixed with white hydrangeas and blush roses and berries. I used hearth and hands black vases which make flower arranging so easy. Just make sure you cut down your flowers so that they aren’t too tall in the vases. I also used my leftover sugar pumpkins and votive candles to fill the rest of the space. 



Bright & Blue




I fell in love with the color of these blue napkins when I spotted them at target and thought they would be pretty paired with pops of color. I used clear low cylinder vases which you can find at Michaels or if you live near a Wegmans they have them there as well. For the flowers I bought an assortment of bright colors, mixing in tulips, daisies, 


Buffalo Check 







Then there was the year that Nate Berkus gave me a shout out in Instagram with my buffalo check table. He’s been one of my design inspirations since I watched him on the Oprah show so this was really exciting for me even if it was just over a little place card holder, I’ll take it. For this table I found a buffalo check table runner in the dollar section at target, used 3 square wooden floral boxes which can also be found at Wegman's or a local craft store and filled with green floral foam. Cut your florals short and just stick them in the foam until you fill up all the empty spaces. To fill up the rest of the runner I used pomegranates (some cut, some whole) and oranges and tree bark candle pillars. I also used Nate Berkus’ cute snail place card holders which aren’t available but you can find cute place card holders at Target, Crate & Barrel and Pier 1. 

         
        



And for the best part of Thanksgiving...all the delicious food. Here are some of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes I like to make every year and are definite crowd pleasers. 








Paula Deen Pineapple Casserole (sounds weird but SOOOO good)

Cajun Injector Turkey Frying Spice Kit Creole Butter with Injector and Cajun Shake

My husbands favorite marinade for the deep fried turkey (Deep frying tip from the hubs: if you're marinade has a sugar in it you want to make sure it's not on the outside or it will turn black) 




Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! 

Monday, November 12, 2018

MY HOLIDAY INSPIRATION & DECOR ITEMS


I seriously don't know how we're into the first week of November already. I'm not sure if its that I've been in a newborn fog the last couple months or what but this has crept up on me so quickly. I'm starting to pull some holiday inspiration for this years decor. November and December are two of my favorite months of the year. Everything from the decorating, entertaining, fashion, spending time with family and friends and creating more memories with my kids. An even more exciting year this year because we have a new little bundle to cuddle. 

Today I wanted to share my holiday inspiration for this year and things I'm looking to add to my collection and things that I'm loving. I like to plan out my spaces because it helps me not go super crazy when I'm out shopping because I tend to walk into a store and act like a kid in a candy store when I see holiday decorations. My head starts going crazy with all the things I could do and then I don't have the time to do those said things so a plan is what helps to keep me in check. My hope is that this post helps give you some holiday inspiration as well! These are all items that can carry you from Thanksgiving through Christmas. 

Stack Beads //  Faux Juniper Vase Filler // Plaid Door Mat // Bay Leaf Garland (I use this on my mantle and it's amazing and lasted in my dry house) // Gold Vase (perfect for a white pointsettia) // Matte Christmas Ornaments // Wicker Tree Collar (Under $30 right now until Friday) // Gold Wreath // Antler Art // Fur Throw // Plaid Pillow // Tassel Garland (Comes in cream too) // Wooden Ornaments (these are so pretty in person and would look great in a bread bowl) // Faux potted paperwhites

We are also in need of a new faux tree. Are you a real or faux tree household? I've always loved real trees but we learned quickly that our new (old) house is very very dry and within a week the branches were basically hanging on the ground and our tree was such a fire hazard I almost went and bought another one so we could make it until Christmas. The next year we decided to go faux. In a way I love a faux tree because you can keep it up longer, you don't have a bazillion needles to clean up and it's easier to decorate. I'm debating whether or not I want to get a flocked tree or not. I shared on my Instagram stories the options I'm considering. Help a girl out and go vote over there! 

TREE

I'm on the hunt for a new tree this year and these are the tree's I'm considering. I'm very picky about the lights and I like the warmer white lights over the brighter led lights. I prefer to have them prelit but you can buy them without lights and string your own on. 


http://www.thestylenestblog.com/2018/11/my-holiday-inspiration.html
pinterest

         
         

                


PILLOWS & DECOR

I plan on incorporating green velvet and windowpane pillows this year. I also love the look leather with dark green so I will be keeping those pillows and adding the green and windowpane ones.  I want to keep a modern yet traditional look this holiday season. I normally have my workroom create my pillow covers for me but my other favorite place to shop for these is Etsy where you can find beautiful and affordable pillows. 


http://www.thestylenestblog.com/2018/11/my-holiday-inspiration.html
thestylenest

         
         

     


        
GREENERY

This may be my favorite part of decorating. Adding greenery can make such a difference in your home. Over the years I've found some great faux greenery for garland which I was psyched about because some of the faux stuff can look so cheap. For real live greenery I have really liked Williams and Sonoma Home. They're having their Friends & Family Sale right now with code FRIENDS so it's the perfect time to grab these. I also like to shop my local garden centers to support small businesses for my swags and outdoor planters. If you have a faux tree, you will notice that over the years it starts to look scrawny. My trick for fixing this is to add faux picks in the tree which you can find at your local craft store. This is also a great way to beef up your garland as well. I will also mix faux and live too. 
         
http://www.thestylenestblog.com/2018/11/my-holiday-inspiration.html
Monika Hibbs


         

                

GIFT WRAP

Yes, I match my gift wrap to my holiday decor. Again, doing this helps me not overspend on this stuff. I'll be doing a lot of white and black wrapping with velvet and natural ribbons. My favorite places to shop for gift wrap are Homegoods and Target. Homegoods has the best gift tags and ribbon. 


http://www.thestylenestblog.com/2018/11/my-holiday-inspiration.html
pinterest

         
        
TABLE SCAPE

I love me a good table scape. Over the years I switch up my table for the holidays. Last year may have been one of my favorites. Magnolia leaves are usually my go to because they can go from Thanksgiving to Christmas easily. Pair with white flowers and add some berries and greens for a more festive look. 


http://www.thestylenestblog.com/2018/11/my-holiday-inspiration.html
homesbylauren


         
         

                
*this post contain affiliate links*





Wednesday, November 7, 2018

ONE ROOM CHALLENGE - WEEK 6 THE FINAL REVEAL




Ahhh...we made it! For the past six weeks we’ve been working like crazy on our modern boys nursery and it's time for the reveal! This was my first One Room Challenge and although I think I was crazy taking this on with a new baby, it motivated me to complete this room. When you're your own client you don't always have a deadline to meet like your regular clients so this gave me that push to get it done. 
If you want to go back and catch up on any of our previous week’s progress – here are the links.
I will share all of my sources at the bottom of this post
In case you forgot what this room looked like before here's a little reminder

BEFORE


AFTER

Just a tad bit brighter. 

Let me take you on a little tour of this room starting with this crib that I love from Dwell Studio. I love the base of the crib and it's modern style and simple lines. 

For the art above the crib I chose Leslee Mitchell's prints. I had fallen in love with these a couple years ago and they were the jumping off point for this room. The only hard part was picking which ones to use and I love how they look against this Serena & Lily feather wallpaper. The wallpaper is one of Mason's favorites, he loves staring at it. 

I had originally wanted to shiplap the whole room and put wallpaper on the ceiling but I'm so glad I decided to only do it 3/4 of the way up the wall. The shiplap is painted in Benjamin Moore's chantilly lace. 

I went with a striped crib sheet because I'm drawn to all things stripes and added a soft gray throw, windowpane pillow and the cutest little sloth by Jelly Cat. (Don't worry I will remove these once he's sleeping in here)

http://www.thestylenestblog.com/2018/11/one-room-challenge-week-6-final-reveal.htm

http://www.thestylenestblog.com/2018/11/one-room-challenge-week-6-final-reveal.htm

In a nursery you spend a lot of time in the rocker and we wanted something comfortable but that was also a recliner. When I hear the word recliner I cringe a little bit but what I loved about this Pottery Barn Kids rocker/glider is that it doesn't look like a recliner. I love that it swivels too and has a high back. I paired a modern reading lamp for bedtime stories and my favorite may be Mason's little Bla-Bla dog. I like buying from companies that give back and a percentage of the sale of these eco-friendly dolls is given to a charity that helps to protect our planet. 


http://www.thestylenestblog.com/2018/11/one-room-challenge-week-6-final-reveal.htm

http://www.thestylenestblog.com/2018/11/one-room-challenge-week-6-final-reveal.htm
 Toutou the Dog

http://www.thestylenestblog.com/2018/11/one-room-challenge-week-6-final-reveal.htm


This bamboo shelf was my grandmothers and has traveled through many states and finally landed in Mason's nursery. It was the perfect size for this wall to store his books and toys. I spotted this Cool Dude banner at Crate& Kids when Mason and I were shopping for accessories for his room and thought this was the perfect spot for it. The iron whales tale hook on the back of the door helps to hold my Lands End tote that was given as a gift from one of my best friends. I love the # she chose. I keep extra diapers, change of clothes and anything needed to quickly grab and go. 


http://www.thestylenestblog.com/2018/11/one-room-challenge-week-6-final-reveal.htm

http://www.thestylenestblog.com/2018/11/one-room-challenge-week-6-final-reveal.htm

This room gets the best light ever and I wanted to keep it bright and colorful and bring in some natural woven textures like this Momeni rug by Erin Gates. I had debated between 2 of her rugs and decided on this one and I like the warmth if brings to the room. 

http://www.thestylenestblog.com/2018/11/one-room-challenge-week-6-final-reveal.htm


For storage you can't beat the IKEA Hemnes dresser. These drawers are so deep and the dresser is a taller height which works great for diaper changes. I switched out the hardware with these Anthropologie brass knobs. A tray adorns the top of the dresser to hold diaper changing essentials and how cute is the little cloud mobile?


http://www.thestylenestblog.com/2018/11/one-room-challenge-week-6-final-reveal.htm


http://www.thestylenestblog.com/2018/11/one-room-challenge-week-6-final-reveal.htm

Thanks for following along with my first One Room Challenge. I hope you enjoyed seeing this room come together and we can't wait for our little guy to use it. 

To check out the other reveals you can head on over to the One Room Challenge blog. I can't wait to see how everyone's rooms turned out. 


SOURCES

Jelly Cat Ant Eater
Side Table-old
Lamp-Homegoods (similar here)






Instagram

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