Saturday, September 23, 2017
UPDATE YOUR HOMES CURB APPEAL FOR FALL
Fall is such a beautiful time of year. The air starts to get crisp, the trees are an array of gorgeous colors, boots and turtlenecks come out and cider donuts...need I say more!
One of my favorite things to do is to get our house ready for fall. Here are some tips to update your homes curb appeal just in time for trick or treaters.
Update your planters:
Summer flowers are starting to look wilted and scraggly and our planters are in need of a fresh new look. Mix and max grasses and cabbages with brightly colored mums and flowers.
Replace your doormat:
Since you'll have more visitors in the next coming months, why don't you give them a good laugh as they enter your home.
Add a new wreath to your door:
I love a good magnolia wreath or bay leaf wreath which can carry you into Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Dress up your lamp post / porch columns:
Add some corn stalks!
You can shop some of these looks for your home here:
*This post contains affiliate links
Friday, September 15, 2017
OUTFITS TO TRANSITION INTO FALL
This summer flew by and were headed into one of my favorite seasons...FALL! Now is the time to start mixing some of your summer favorites with new fall pieces. So no packing away all those tees just yet because they're a perfect layering piece. I especially love them under a blazer in the morning when it's cool. These are some of my favorite summer tees which are on sale for only $11 if you need to refresh any, now is a great time to stock up!
This cute little blazer caught my attention at Target the other day. Pair it with your favorite summer tee, raw hem jeans, a cute pair of slip on mules and these yellow studs (only $24). Then dress it up with red heels for an evening out and these tassel earrings. I love shopping places like Target, Old Navy and F21 for more trendier pieces and investing in more staple pieces such as good jeans.
Shop the look:
Have a pair of booties you're dying to wear but it's still 80 degrees outside? Pair them with a cute dress and if it's cooler add a cute leather jacket for the evening. I got this Cupcakes & Cashmere dress this summer and planned to wear it out to dinner but ended up wearing something else. It's such a great color combo I decided to keep it to transition into fall. I paired it with these booties and this leather bomber. These new pieces just arrived from Stella & Dot and would be a great compliment to the dress. Earrings // bracelet
Shop the look:
Apple and pumpkin picking may be my favorite fall activity. Grab your favorite striped summer tee and layer it under your new favorite cable-knit sweater. When I saw this in the L.L.Bean catalog I immediately went online and it was SOLD OUT! I was like WTF...it's not even Fall yet? I'm hoping it's being restocked because I NEED it. I included it here because I loved it so much and pray it will come back in stock. I also snagged this cute felt hat from H&M. The beige is sold out online but they were just stocking them at the Legacy Place store and other locations as well. Olive may be my fall color obsession and this crossbody satchel just arrived! We can't forget our accessories when going apple picking and these druzy semi precious stone earrings and bracelet are even more gorgeous in person. Anyone else think it's ok to wear white after Labor Day? I'm in, especially since these cords at J. Crew Factory are BIG1 FREE!!
Shop the look:
I got these bow flats at H&M the other day and love the way they look on. If you can't wear jewel tones well like myself but it's a hot color this season then add it with accessories, like shoes and bags. I love mixing fun patterns with solid black and this outfit could work as an office look or dinner with the hubs. These pants at J. Crew factory are B1G1 free right now! The earrings are 2 in 1 and are a great accessory for the holidays. I've been wearing this bracelet with everything.
Shop this look:
Workout gear is easier to transition into fall, just add a jacket or sweatshirt and maybe splurge on a new pair of sneakers to kick start your workout after all the summer cocktails you enjoyed. I'm seeing so many cute jackets that is was hard to choose just one. I tend to invest in these because I know I will get a ton of use out of them year after year! The infinity scarf is reversible and this India Hicks backpack works great as a gymbag!
Shop this look:
Thursday, September 14, 2017
A WEEKEND IN KENNEBUNKPORT MAINE
We visited the adorable coastal town of Kennebunkport, Maine last weekend. A classic New England town with beautiful views, cute shops and great restaurants. I had booked this trip last minute because we were all in need of a relaxing getaway, especially Rob who hasn't taken a vacation since the beginning of the year. I knew he needed a relaxing weekend away and this was the perfect little getaway. Since it was last minute I was scrambling to find a hotel, places to eat and things to do. I'm not originally from New England so I hit up a couple friends who are for recommendations. Nothing disappointed.
Where we stayed: The Lodge on the Cove
This place is a hidden gem! I wanted a kid friendly place with a pool that was close to everything. When I saw the description said the hippest kid friendly hotel in Kennebunkport, I was sold. This checked off everything on our list and more. I was nervous about not being in the heart of everything but this ended up being exactly what we needed. It was a quick bike ride to Dock Square which was our favorite thing to do as a family. It was so quiet and peaceful. We loved all the extras around the hotel. They have free bike rentals, including kids bikes. They also provided towels, beach chairs, surf boards for the kids and beach passes. All you need to bring is your bike helmets. The lodge has a ping pong and shuffle board table which is right next to their restaurant the Dory. So us parents could enjoy a drink in our cozy little booth while we watched the kids battle it out in ping pong. Right off the restaurant is the pool which was nice and warm. So even with our chilly temps that weekend, the kids didn't mind jumping in. Next to the main lodge was a little clubhouse to hang out in with even more games, movies and a cozy fireplace. They have smore kits to make your own smores, a movie night and an ice cream sundae night. The hotel was filled to capacity but the whole time we felt like we were there with maybe 5 other people. They included muffins, fruit, coffee, tea and juice for breakfast but we explored some other places.
The Dory
via instagram
via instagram
Where to eat: (We didn't eat at all of these places but they were on our list and recommended by some locals we met)
Breakfast: Salt & Honey, Satelite Donuts (this is a must when visiting)
Dinner: The Tides Beach Club (ask for a table on the porch so you have a view of the ocean) Bandaloop, White Barn Inn
We also got in the car and drove to Perkins Cove to eat at MC Perkins. Although we didn't get to explore because it was pouring, the view is amazing and so is the food.
What to do:
Bike rides. We took a bike ride along the coast. We checked out the Bush compound, fought a couple whining kids and took in the scenic views. Take a trolley tour around town. A lobster cruise. Hit the beaches. Explore the shops at Dock Square. One of my favorites was Day Trip Society. Beach Grass, Dannah's, Shoot the Moon and Spaces are a couple others to check out. Hit the Sugar Shack with the kids.
We really enjoyed our weekend away. Although I had done day trips before I didn't have the chance to explore as much as we did and we fell in love with this cute little town. It's the perfect getaway for a family or a romantic weekend away. We passed The Cabot Cottages on our bike rides which looked adorable as well as The Kennebunkport Inn for a romantic weekend away.
What I packed:
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Project Patio
Exactly four years ago we moved into our fixer upper dream home. One of our favorite features of our home was the size of our backyard. Back in the day, this country girl would have laughed if I said this backyard was big but for Boston suburb standards, it's a decent sized yard. Now don't get me wrong, this wasn't some amazing manicured lot. In fact the deck was so rotted the inspector told us not to even walk on it. There were random plants in the middle of the yard, everything was overgrown and the property is surrounded by massive trees. The trees in the front of our house are what made me fall in love with our neighborhood. Picture father of the bride. Those trees are staying and I hope they never have to come down. The backyard was a different story. There were 3 massive pine trees that were actually planted for the 3 boys that lived here. We lost half of one during a hurricane and the other half went over our large retaining wall into 3 neighbors yards causing us to pray the other 2 didn't follow suit. We recently had the other 2 taken down before they could do it on their own. I got nothing done that day because I was amazed at how those guys work. No equipment besides a harness and a chainsaw.
I was hesitant to take them down. Not because they were pretty but our yard felt enclosed and what I feared happened...I now feel naked in my backyard and need new trees planted ASAP! Add it to the backyard renovation list. We're in the midst of finally fixing things up and I wanted to share the process of what's going on over here but before we get to that I'll fill you in on what our thoughts were before diving into this project.
We plan on eventually adding on to our home. It's a HUUUUGE renovation! Since we have an exposed basement, we have to add 3 stories and a new garage and that is not happening for awhile but we didn't want to live with our dilapidated deck until we renovated. So we had to come up with a solution to make the backyard livable for entertaining and hanging out with the kids but also not go crazy since it will eventually all be ripped up again. After nixing the idea of building another deck since it wasn't very cost effective we decided to go with a partial stone patio and peastone gravel seating area. I was very hesitant about how the gravel was going to look in our yard but I'm hoping it will all come together nicely. That's the thing about working on the exterior is that you may not see the final outcome until a year or two later when all your plantings fill in and make it the space you envisioned.
Here are some before pictures of the back of our house before anything was done.
I had painted the lattice black and the decking gray because it was red before that. Even though it was falling down I was trying to disguise the eye sore that it was.
and yes, I was really lazy when I painted around our outdoor rug
Sort of scary when we learned that there wasn't really anything much supporting that little roof
We used gray composite decking for the deck boards and stairs since it was a small area. Normally I'd just go with a pressure treated wood but since it gets lots of use and the area wasn't large we went for the more durable stuff.
We removed the deck and had a new smaller portion built with steps which will lead down to the new patio. The railing will be painted white and we will be adding horizontal decking below to cover under the deck and the foundation of the house. I'm still trying to figure this one out so it's at a standstill right now and still looks ugly.
I debated over the deck railing design for awhile and decided to go with a simple design. The carpenter added a wider ledge too which has come in handy for holding drinks!
Stay tuned as I blog more about our #jcdprojectpatio this summer!
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