Friday, January 31, 2014

Friday Favs 28

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger... Happy Friday!! One of my very favorite things about Fridays is the fact that we get to wear jeans to work if we give a donation to whatever good cause we are raising money for that week.  I absolutely LOVE to be able to wear jeans to work, and doing so in conjunction with donating to a good cause feels awesome.

So last night, I was browsing some of my favorite style blogs for some outfit inspiration (please tell me I'm not the only one who does that), and it occurred to me that while I shared my favorite home decor blogs with you a few months ago, I haven't yet shared the other blogs that I adore!

Fav #1
Marionberry Style.  I just love seeing the outfits that Marion puts together.  She has a great sense of style and is basically Cindy Crawford's doppelganger.  Plus she's a school psychologist, so I can relate to a lot of her stories, AND she makes me laugh out loud. On the regular.  Check her out here.


Fav #2
Suri's Burn Book.  If this is not part of your reading list, you're totally missing out!  "Suri" provides hilarious commentary on the comings and goings of all of the other celebrity kids.  Whether she's hating on the Jolie-Pitt clan, crushing on Cruz Beckham, or worrying that Blue Ivy will one day challenge her self-proclaimed role as 'most fab kid in Hollywood', she's hilarious.



Fav #3
Mix and Match Mama.  I discovered Shay's blog back when her brother, Sean Lowe, was The Bachelor and have been following her ever since!  I actually kind of feel like we're friends....she just doesn't know it. Not creepy at all. Shay actually write two blogs, one about her adorable family and another where she shares simple, delicious recipes.  If you're a Bachelor fan, you've got to check out her behind-the-scenes look into The Bachelor wedding!


Fav #4
Pinterest Told Me To.  Sheaffer (who is actually one of Shay's friends.  Not her "friend", like I am.....they actually hang out.  So jealous.) writes a great fashion blog, where she takes outfit inspirations from Pinterest and recreates them using items from her closet.  She's always up-to-date on the best sales, and gives fantastic tips on 'must have' wardrobe items, along with links to buy them for yourself.  Plus, she's HILARIOUS.  Her brutally honest Bachelor recaps alone are reason enough to follow along (read HER commentary on The Bachelor wedding here. Anyone who felt compelled to puke if they heard the term 'grown sexy' one more time is sure to enjoy it!)


Fav #5
The Dairi Burger.  If you grew up reading the Sweet Valley High series, are not easily offended, and are entertained by cynicism, then this is the blog for you!  Meg Go Run turned me on to this blog a few months ago, and I've been slowly but surely reading every post.  Basically, the blog is a breakdown of every single Sweet Valley High book ever written from the older, wiser and more sarcastic perspective a woman in her thirties.  A hilarious woman.  With a foul mouth, and apparently a lot of time on her hands!




What are your fav blogs?  I LOVE finding new ones....especially if they crack me up!

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Thursday, January 30, 2014

January Chalkboard Art

So now that January is practically over, it's occurred to me that I never showed you my chalkboard art for this month.  

Nothing like waiting 'til the last minute.  But better late than never, right?

So here you go:


 I know, I know!  What was I thinking?!


No. More. Snow.  
Or cold.  

Maybe February's chalkboard should just be a big ol' margarita?

Thoughts?

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Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Plant Plans


Five months.

Five months (actually more like four and a half) from now, I'll be spending my days with the windows open, laying out in the sun, eating fresh basil and mozzarella sandwiches, sipping icy cocktails, and being warm.  

It will be glorious. I'm so over winter.


Until then, I do have a plan to help bring more life into home, which is currently feeling dreary, lifeless, and cold (and not just because our thermostat is set at 66 degrees). 

And that plan is houseplants.  

I used to kind of hate house plants.  They always seemed so.....unattractive and messy.  But over the past year, I've had a revelation!  

Houseplants are ALL about the vessels they're planted in.  Even a great plant looks like crap in a crummy, plastic container.  But stick that baby in a cool planter....and it suddenly looks fresh and modern! 

  I'm not exactly sure why it took me years to come to this realization.....sometimes I'm a little slow.

Anyway, here are some of the plants I'll be looking for!

Fiddle Leaf Figs are all the rage, and gorgeous pics of these beauties can be found all over blog-land.  I'm not exactly sure where to find one of these, but Lowe's and Home Depot seem like a good place to start.  I love the huge leaves!    



Air plants are another great option, primarily because they can be planted in almost any vessel and require almost no maintenance.  I've mentioned Sea & Asters before, and continue to be in love with these great sea urchin planters!


I also think orchids are such gorgeous decor.  I have a tiny orchid that I've been caring for all winter, and it seems to be growing!  It's nowhere close to blooming yet, but I'm hopeful that it will turn out to be purple or white.  And that I won't kill it before it blooms.


I'm not exactly sure what type of plant this is, but I really like the way it cascades from the mantle.  It reminds me of a spider plant, but I don't believe that's what it is.  Any ideas??


And finally, I want to bring some succulents into the house.  I have a few of these at work and they are so great!  They survive my sporadic watering, and bring some much-needed life into my office.  Plus, I love the idea of being able to creatively seek out a cool vessel.....like this awesome clam shell!


I can't wait to go plant shopping!  Keeping them alive will be another story....

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Monday, January 27, 2014

Scarf Organization

One of my 2014 goals is to become more organized around the house, and a natural place to start was with my wardrobe.  Keeping my clothing organized is an ongoing challenge for me!  I organize, then I get busy and don't put things where they belong, and before I know it, the inside of my closet is a mess again. 

One source of chaos?  Scarves.

I LOVE scarves.  I have a ton of them, and with the amazing and affordable scarves that  Everyday Icing and Pick Your Plum keep offering, my collection is growing rapidly.  However closet space is at a premium around here, and the scarf situation was getting out of control.  

Enter the multi-tiered pants hanger, aka Best Scarf Organizing Tool EVER....



I looped each scarf around the the bars of the hangers, and hung them on the back of our bedroom door using over-door hangers.  

I love that all of my scarves are visible and easily accessible when I'm putting together outfits...


...But I also love that they are out of sight when I'm not.  


One wardrobe organization project down, many MANY more to go.  Shoes....you're going down next.

Linking Up At
The DIY'ers
Work It Wednesday

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Friday, January 24, 2014

Friday Favs 27

Happy Friday!

If you're a home decor or fashion blog junkie like me, you surely already know that Pantone has named Radiant Orchid the 2014 Color of the Year.  But for those of you who don't spent Saturday mornings with coffee in one hand and a laptop in the other, let me introduce you to Radiant Orchid...

While reviews are mixed, anyone who has checked out our living room or my blog background can probably guess that I'm a fan of this shade that's somewhere between pink and purple.

 In my opinion, such a bold, polarizing color has the most impact when used sparingly, infusing pops of color into decor.  So....here are some great ways to incorporate Radiant Orchid into your decor!

Fav #1
This amazingly gorgeous tile.  How can I possibly incorporate this into our house?  I must find a way.
Image via Pinterest

Fav #2
This gorgeous flour sack tea towel from Shapes and Colors. I've raved about these towels as a Friday Fav before, but recently I was the lucky winner of this fabulous towel through a giveaway hosted by Kayla at Homecoming.  My towels arrived this week and they are so soft and gorgeous!  Buy yours here


Fav #3
 This gorgeous Radiant Orchid artwork.  I love it with all of the neutrals in this room!

Image via Pinterest

Fav #4
Wouldn't it be fun to paint a piece of furniture in this gorgeous color?! 

 Image via Pinterest

Fav #5
This fab clock.  Such a fun and unexpected place to have a pop of color! Buy yours here.


Image via Pinterest


Fav #6
I love the pops of color in this room! So fresh.  

Image via Pinterest

What are your thoughts on Radiant Orchid?!  I think you either love it you hate it....I'm looking forward to finding ways to try it out in our home!

Have a great weekend!!

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Thursday, January 23, 2014

Pom-Pom Wreath Tutorial



I've been eyeing up pom-pom wreaths on Pinterest for a while now, and Tuesday's snow day gave me the time I needed to make one of my own. Once Christmas is over, winter is a tough time for outdoor decorating, but this wreath seems perfect!  It reminds me of freshly fallen snow.

Best of all, like my burlap wreath, it's a perfect blank canvas for almost any embellishments that I want to add, making it incredibly versatile.  Imagine it with pink and red for Valentine's Day, aqua in the summer, or black and orange for Halloween!  

To create this pom-pom wreath, I used one large skein (1077 yards) of white yarn and an embroidery hoop.   Initially, I wanted to choose super fluffy yarn to create a thick, full wreath, but the fluffy yarn was going to run me about $20, while the yarn that I bought cost only $5.97, so I quickly adjusted my plan.  Combined with the 49 cents that I spent on the embroidery hoop, the cost of this wreath came in under $6.50.  

Basically, all that is needed to create this fun, fluffy wreath are dozens and dozens of yarn pom-poms.  Creating the pom-poms was pretty mindless, which allowed me to work while hanging out with my BFF, Netflix.  I'm pretty sure that binge-watching episodes of One Tree Hill while you work is a key to success, but I'm pretty sure that Dawson's Creek, 90210, or Gossip Girl would suffice.

Yes, I'm a grown woman who loves teen dramas.  Don't judge.

To make yarn pom-poms, start by placing one end of the yarn through the opening between your ring and middle fingers, and leaving a 4-5 inch end of yarn hanging out over by your thumb.  


Wrap the yarn around your fingers 75 times.

 And then use the end piece of yarn that you left hanging by your thumb to wrap around the center of the loops, using it to cinch the loops, and tie it tight. 














Then, use scissors to cut the loops, and you have a pom-pom.  Fluff it up and trim any uneven ends, if necessary (I didn't really have to do this).  


Once you have a bunch of pom-poms, tie them onto the embroidery hoop to create a wreath. There was no special technique here, I simply tied the pom-poms right onto the hoop.


Continue the entire way around the embroidery hoop.  Finish by fluffing the pom-poms and snipping off any long strings.  

Now time for the eye candy!



I finished my wreath off with a glittery monogram, of course!


Would you try a pom-pom wreath?  What guilty-pleasure show would you watch while you made one?

Linking Up At
Get Your DIY On
The DIY'ers
Inspire Me Please Weekend Blog Hop
ShareYour Creativity

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Monday, January 20, 2014

What We Ate {Mashed Potato Puffs}

I'll be perfectly honest.  I make mashed potatoes from scratch exactly one time each year:  New Year's Day. They're a must to pair with our traditional pork and sauerkraut, and year after year, I tell myself 'If I'm going to go to all the work to make these suckers, then I'm going to make a big batch.

One problem.  I'm not really a big fan of leftover mashed potatoes.  So this year, I combined my leftover potatoes with some other yummy ingredients and baked them in single-sized portions, creating hot and crispy mashed potato puffs.  They were so good!!



Mashed Potato Puffs

4 cups mashed potatoes
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
3 Tbs. Parmesan cheese
3 Tbs. chives
1/2 cup sour cream
Salt
Pepper



Combine eggs, sour cream and cheeses.  Stir mixture into leftover mashed potatoes. Stir in chives and salt/pepper to taste.  


Spoon mixture into greased cupcake pan, filling each spot about 3/4 full.  


Bake 30 minutes at 400 degrees.  Let cool for 5-10 minutes and turn puffs out of pan.  Serve hot.


I froze the leftover puffs and am going to try to reheat them for quick weeknight sides.  Hopefully they freeze well!!

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Friday, January 17, 2014

Friday Favs 26

Happy Friday!  I'm particularly excited this Friday because Mr. M. is coming home tonight after being away for work all week, AND we are making homemade ice cream to celebrate my birthday this weekend. YUM.  Oh....and I'm pretty much always excited to sleep in on weekend mornings.

Sooo......let's get the weekend rollin' with some Friday Favs!!

Fav #1
My TopStyler.  I'll be honest.  I kind of suck at doing anything to my hair...and I generally don't experiment with it all that much.  But even I can handle the TopStyler.  All I have to do is blow-dry and then wrap sections of my hair around two or three fingers, clipping each curl with C-shells that heat up in 3-5 minutes. When I unclip my hair, I suddenly have tons of pretty curls and body! The whole process takes less than 15 minutes and is amazingly simple.  Which is pretty much all that I'm capable of.  Check it out here.


Fav #2
Target's Cartwheel program. How did I not know about this?!  Cartwheel offers fantastic savings on tons of items in Target!  Some of the discounts are exclusive to Cartwheel and ALL discounts can be stacked on top of regular sales, coupons and other Target savings!  My current fav deals?  40% Giada de Laurentiis cookware and cutlery and 15% off mirrors and art.  But there's SO much more!!


Fav #3
Revlon Just Bitten Lip Stain and Balm.  This. Lipstick. Is. Amazing.  I actually just started wearing lipstick regularly in the last few weeks. Until recently, I always felt kind of weird wearing anything other than a neutral lip.  Almost like I was pretending to be an adult or something.  But since I actually AM an adult (even though I rarely feel like one), I'm giving it a try.  And  it's actually kind of amazing how much more pulled-together I feel by adding something as simple as lipstick! Plus, this two-in-one version is perfect.  The stain goes on first and is very pigmented and dry, while the balm moisturizes and seems to bring the color down to a more wearable shade that feels like lip balm. I've been using Midnight, which looks dark to start, but quickly evens out to a wearable, berry color. The best part is that it lasts for hours! Yesterday's test run lasted 7 hours through talking, several bottles of water, and even an aerobics class.  I can't wait to try a new shade!



Have a great weekend!!

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