Friday, November 29, 2019

GIFT GUIDE FOR THE LITTLES



I'll be shopping for the big kids and a little kid this year so I rounded up some cute gifts ideas for the little kids too. The little kids are actually more fun to shop for in my opinion because their gifts are so cute. Although Mason is obsessed with our roomba so if you're shopping for a roomba this year for yourself, maybe you can gift it to your toddler instead. 



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GIFT GUIDE FOR THE GUYS

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Now it's time to focus on Christmas and I don't know about anyone else but Black Friday gives me anxiety. I'm always thinking I'm going to miss a really great deal on one of the kids gifts and will end up having to pay full price for it. Luckily most sites have great sales from now until Christmas, it's more about things selling out. Today I'm sharing the gift guides for the guys because let's be honest, they're probably the hardest to shop for. I actually found a lot of fun gifts that are husband approved. 


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Tuesday, November 26, 2019

GIFT GUIDES FOR THE BIG KIDS

One of my most requested gift guides this year was for the bigger kids. As kids get older, their gifts tend to get more expensive and they get harder to shop for and ask for really expensive gifts, like a pair of Yeezy's (insert eye roll).


I've rounded up a list of gifts that my kids have asked for or gifts that they've loved over the years and some gifts that I would actually enjoy myself. As for the girls, it was all a guessing game but I think any teen girl would love to receive any of these gifts, I know I would. There are a lot of great Black Friday sales that have already started like the Xbox, it is $150 off right now and you also get an e-gift card with your purchase. A lot of these items have been selling out so I will try and keep these updated through the holidays. 


XBox ($150 off right now!) // Nikes // Tabletop Ping Pong // Football // Beanie // Legos // Meme Game // Charger Case // Arckit Home // Prank Kit // Spikeball // PS4 Virtual Reality (Good Black Friday Deal!)








For the girls:



Saturday, November 23, 2019

HOLIDAY STYLING THAT BLENDS WITH YOUR EXISTING DECOR

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When it comes to decorating for the holidays, I’ve started to take a less is more approach and blend my holiday decor into my existing decor. This has helped me streamline my holiday decorations and has also taken out the stress of feeling like I need to go over the top decking the halls. The holidays are about enjoying your time with family & friends and creating homes that are warm and inviting for the holidays without all the fuss. I’ve partnered with Wayfair to share how to create simple additions to your home for the holidays without the added stress. 
STEP ONE:
First starting with a faux Christmas tree. I was always a fan of going to pick out a real Christmas tree. Growing up with a family in the business, I looked forward to cutting down our tree every year, sipping some hot cocoa and going to visit the reindeer. (I grew up in the country where reindeer actually lived) I wanted to continue this tradition with my children and after we moved into our home, live Christmas trees quickly became a fire hazard due to our heating system. I finally bit the bullet and went faux and let me tell you that it’s the best thing I ever did. We still go to the Christmas tree farm and get hot chocolate and the obligatory Christmas tree picture but I buy fresh greens instead of a tree to bring that woodsy Christmas smell into our home. So you better bet I did my research on the best faux Christmas trees. I found so many great options on Wayfair from prelit to flocked trees and big trees to charlie brown trees and at a reasonable price too. From my experience, a prelit tree is only going to last for many years to come. I don’t think it’s necessary to spend over $1000 on an artificial tree when all of these options are just as beautiful if not even more beautiful in person. For more tips on how to choose the perfect faux tree click here. I've included a couple of my selections below as well. 
STEP 2:
After your tree is selected now you can focus on the decorations. I like to buy my trees prelit so that I don’t have to fuss with lights. If your using a tree collar you want to make sure this is in place before decorating the tree. (It’s not fun trying to get a tree into it after it’s decorated, I wouldn’t know that though ðŸ˜¬) if you’re not using a tree collar, a simple neutral tree skirt can be added at the end but is easier to do at the beginning. You want to know why? Because there is a way to make your tree skirts not lay flat on the ground. I crumble up tissue paper to give it some height. Especially if you have a Charlie Brown faux tree, you will want to cover the trunk as much as possible. 
I also choose a theme each year for my tree. We actually have 3 trees so I have 3 themes. Our main tree matches the neutral decor of my family room with brass, metals, mercury ornaments and a couple black ornaments thrown in. This year I’m all about more natural elements so these wooden beads would be a great addition to a tree. Our other 2 trees are our kids tree which is in their playroom and that includes all their ornaments they have made over the years and the ornaments we have gifted them every year on Christmas Eve. I also have a flocked tree in my office which may be getting a makeover this year. Once you've decided on your theme, choose ornaments that coordinate, are different shapes and sizes and have different textures. Wayfair has an array of ornaments to choose from. It's also nice to add in plant stems/picks especially if you have a couple empty spots on the tree. Lastly, choose a cute star like this one for the top of the tree like this one
STEP3:
Decorating the mantle is a favorite of mine because it’s such a focal point in the room and you can really get creative with it. Whether your using real greens or faux greens like this eucalyptus mixed green garland you can create something simple or over the top. Investing in a good faux garland is also something I recommend because it can be used year, after year and although real garland looks beautiful, they are pricey. Another idea for the mantle is to add different heights like a grouping of bottle brush trees paired with a pretty lantern or a vase filled with evergreens and berries. Add different elements like these metal reindeer. Have a large mirror over a fireplace? A simple green wreath looks pretty tied with a simple ribbon to coordinate with your current decor. I love this magnolia wreath. And we can’t forget the stockings hung by the chimney with care. How cute are these stockings and I’m loving this large brass pole to hold all the stockings. 
STEP 4:
For the rest of my home holiday decorating I find things around my home that I can use for decorations, like big bowls that I can fill with extra ornaments or fresh greens. Pretty water pitchers that can be filled with greens and a tray to layer candle pillars. Buy a simple green wreath from your local garden center and attach these cute bells to it with a ribbon for the front door. Honestly if you just add some fresh greens around the house it can take it from boring to festive very quickly. 
Step 5:
If you’re hosting for the holidays, (we can't forget that) Wayfair has you covered for the hosting part as well from dishes, to servings pieces, extra chairs and tables and cute decor like this tree board! It would make a cute addition to your kitchen but also a great hostess gift or hello pretty charcuterie board. We can't forget about the dinner table and I love these black Christmas tree place card holders which you can also use to label different cheeses on a charcuterie board. 

Wayfair helps take the stress out of the holidays with a one stop holiday shop so you can spend more time baking cookies and watching holiday movies on repeat. I've included some of my favorite finds on Wayfair that would work in any home for the holidays! 

Friday, November 22, 2019

GIFT GUIDE FOR THE HOSTESS

I honestly cannot believe it's gift guide time again. I know I probably say that every year but this year or I should say this fall has FLOWN by! I thought I'd kick off my Gift Guide series with the hostess gift guide. Whether you're headed to visit family or a Friendsgiving you can be prepared with a cute hostess gift. Hosting is a lot of work, so show them how much you appreciate their hospitality. Giving something personal with thought behind it doesn't have to be expensive. A little candle paired with a wick trimmer, or a pretty platter with your favorite cookies and you can't go wrong with a nice bottle of wine in these gorgeous personalized leather wine bags. These are all great gifts to stock up on for the holidays so you are prepared when those invites start rolling in. 


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Sunday, November 3, 2019

FAMILY PHOTO STYLING GUIDE

I think the number one request I get asked is "What to wear for family photos?" so I thought I'd create a couple styling guides to help assist you and some tips and tricks when I start planning our family photo outfits. When the kids were little, I wanted to make it a tradition to get family pictures taken every year. I just love having these pictures around my home and looking back at how little the boys were and how fast they've grown over the years. It's not an easy fete getting outfits coordinated, getting yourself dressed and getting kids to cooperate on photo shoots but in the end, you never regret having those pictures. We've used the same photographer for years because she always manages to capture my boys personalities every year even though I think to myself there is no way she captured one picture because they were goofing off and not listening. She also knows who my difficult one is and he did not disappoint this year. I set my expectations really low and hope for the best. If you're local we use Rebecca Deaton Photography. She is great and so easy to work with! 

Where to get started: 

Choose your photographer: 
If you don't have a photographer, ask for recommendations, look online at their galleries and find someone with a style that you like. All photographers have a different style, so choose one that you like best. A lot of photographers have mini sessions available this time of year. Kids only have so much patience so sometimes one of these mini sessions is all you need. 

Pick your photo shoot location: 
When thinking about pictures, think about the location, if the photographer hasn't already selected it (they know the best spots). We're into fall/winter pictures here but if you are fortunate enough to live somewhere where it's warm right now, the beach may be your location. Wherever it is, you will want to plan accordingly. For example, don't show up to a Christmas Tree farm in high heels. The location will also help you with the "outfit theme" you decide to use. 

Choose your theme:
Once your location is chosen, decide what look you want to go for. Casual, preppy, funny or dressy, what look you are going for choose a color theme. I will sometimes find an item that I love and go from there. This year I found the babies sweater and that decided our theme for this year. Previous years I wanted to do brighter preppier colors because we were at the beach, or muted fall tones because we were on a farm. In a snowy location, choose boots and cute hats and scarves. 

Choose your outfits:
Shopping for everyone and coordinating can be stressful, I get it. I will pull everything together and lay it out and this helps me visualize if the colors will coordinate. If you have to take everything to the store with you and do it there, that helps a lot too. H&M, Gap, J.Crew and Target are some of my favorites to shop for outfits. Target also has great shoes, don't forget the shoes! I have to plan around all boys so I always like to wear a skirt or dress to mix it up and I think it looks great in pictures when the girls have skirts or dresses on. I love a little boy in a blazer or vest! I think I enjoy planning family photos because it's one of the very few times a year I get to dress my kids. 

Below are a couple of our Family Photos over the years along with a Preppy, Trendy and Fancy style guide to help you out with choosing outfits for family photos, you can click on the picture to shop the look: 


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Our Family Photos over the years:

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