Friday, November 21, 2014

Annie Griffin Maxi Dress Pre-Order

Hey Girls and TGIF!!  I wanted to let you know that my friend Sarah at Social Dress Shop is taking pre-orders for this gorgeous Annie Griffin Maxi Dress and today is the last day to place an order.  Last year her maxi dresses sold out so fast so this guarantees you one.  I am obsessed with this pink one and know I will be wearing it often come this Summer!  You can pre-order it HERE





Lulu & Georgia $100 Giveaway!!



Happy Friday Friends.  I am thrilled to be teaming up with Lulu & Georgia for their 12 days of giveaways.  I am giving away a $100 gift card!  It is no secret I am a huge fan of Lulu & Georgia.  We have three of their rugs in our house and various accessories and love them all!



Their Holiday stuff is pretty amazing this year too.   I would love any of these in my house!

cheers
A few other gorgeous things I love:


So many awesome things you could put $100 towards!!

Enter to win below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, November 20, 2014

A Boy and His Boots || Sterling's Favorite Shoes

 
I have to admit Sterling is very opinionated when it comes to what he wears, from his outfits to his shoes.  I don't know if it is because he is 4 and sassy or just because he is my child (and we all know I am particular about my outfits).  Either way he tells me what he wants to wear every SINGLE day.  I gave up the battle a long time ago and let him wear what he wants.  Sometimes I cringe at what he puts together and sometimes I am amazed at what he put together and proud of his style, either way I let Sterling be Sterling.

He loves shoes and oddly enough shoes are some of my favorite things to buy for him.  I feel like you get your money's worth out of shoes more than clothes because they are worn more frequently.  Once the cold weather hits Sterling is all about boots.  I am not kidding he wears them basically everyday, either his cowboy boots or his Hunter Boots.  Both have been worth every single penny we paid for them;  they are well worn and well loved.



I am a huge fan of  Hunter Boots, they can get dirty and all you have to do is wipe them down.  Sterling picked out the navy for his boots which I love because they go with everything.  Best part they are easy to put on unlike some other rain boots.  They also come in black and dark green.  Sterling got these last year for Christmas and they still fit so they last awhile if you buy the right size.


 He even insisted on wearing them for our Christmas Card pictures, I almost protested but decided they make him happy and show off his personality.  I will smile every year when I look at our cards.


If you have a little girl they also come in gloss pink and red which I adore.
They also come in a bit different style with a bigger heel and buckle if you like that look better.  This style is made for the older kids as well.
 Do any of ya'll use the socks with the Hunter Boots?  Most of them are on the girly side but I kind of love these mustache ones.  I think I am ordering a pair for Sterling's stocking.  They come in blue, red, and green- really cute colors.
SOCKS HUNTER

You can view all the kids Hunter Boots Here, Nordstrom has a great selection.

His other favorite pair of shoes are his cowboy boots.  It honestly makes me smile every time he puts them on.  I didn't want to drop $100 on Frye boots when I wasn't sure how often he would wear them.  Little did I know he would want to wear them everyday.  These boots are $39 and pretty awesome.  We went with dark brown but they also come in black, metallic pink, gold glitter, and red.


If you want to invest and spend a little more these Frye boots are pretty darn cute and on sale.

You can view all the kids cowboy boot options HERE.   There are some cute options for girls as well.

I know most of you think of toys for gifts for the kids but shoes are a great practical gift that can be fun too.
Most kids love a fun rain boot or cowboy boot.  A few of our favorite rain boots and cowboy boots are below.  All from Nordstrom who by far has the best kids selection of shoes and if you live in Charlotte you must stop by the shoe department in the store.  Sterling is obsessed with the big fish tank there, plus free balloons equals a great combo for shopping.




thanks to Nordstrom for sponsoring this post



Wednesday, November 19, 2014

thredUP || #BagUP Event!




Are you gals familiar with thredUP?  If not you should be.  It is an online Consignment store where you can sell your old purses and clothes and shop for new ones.  They have a great selection and it is great way for you to get rid of things you no longer use and make some cash!

 Currently thredUP is running an amazing deal: If you send your handbags to thredUP before the end of the year, thredUP will not take any commission on them, you get 100% of the sale.  This kind of deal never happens at any consignment stores so it is a great time to sell your old bags if you have any!  I have a few I am going to send in that I never carry!

A Few #BagUp Details
  • Send your handbags in to thredUP between 11/10 - 12/31 to receive 100% of the amount the bag sells for. There's no catch; thredUP's giving you every penny that someone pays for your bag, taking 0% commission.
  • As always, thredUP will cover the cost to send your handbags to us in one of our Clean Out Bags (order one here). They do all of the work to photograph, list and sell your bag.



some interesting stats about women and their purses:

Bags consume serious real estate in a woman's closet
  • American women, on average, own 11 handbags
  • Nearly 4 in 10 (37%) women own at least 10 handbags
  • 1 in 10 American women own more than 20 handbags!
And only 35% of women are using all of their bags
  • 1 in 5 women (20%) hold onto their handbags because they've spent so much money on them
  • Half of women (50%) are holding onto them all to have a variety of styles to chose from
I definitely won several bags that I no longer carry but just can't quite part with but need to!

Thredup is also giving away six designer handbags (pictured below)  from brands including Fendi, Jimmy Choo and Stella McCartney. Enter at thredUP.com/bagUP by sharing the contest on Facebook. Entry will close on Friday night and winner will be announced on Monday. Selection is random, but you can enter daily to increase your odds of winning!  

You can check out the whole thredUP site here, and don't miss out on this great handbag #BagUP event!

* Thanks to thredUp for sponsoring this post!



Winter Kale Salad + Boots on Sale


If you love Kale like me, you will love this salad.  It was so delicious.  I actually loved it so much I think I am adding it to our Thanksgiving Dinner Menu.  I used the flat kind of Kale -lacindo because it was in my CSA basket last week and it was just wonderful.  Sometimes I prefer it in salads,  but I am sure the curly kind would work as well too.  Best part about this salad is the crunch and flavor combinations.  The fresh granny smith apples, bacon, carrots, and Parmesan cheese go so wonderfully together. You can make this ahead of time.   I assembled it in the morning but then did not add the dressing til dinner.  and actually I saved the leftover salad with the dressing and ate it for lunch the next day and it still wasn't soggy.  It makes a beautiful presentation for any special event and would be great for the holidays.


|| W I N T E R   K A L E   S A L A D ||
Adapted via Style and Grace


Ingredients
  • 1 bunch of kale, stem removed & chopped
  • 1/2 green apple, julienned
  • 1 medium carrot, peeled and thinly chopped
  • 2-3  (or heaping 1/3 cup) stripes of cooked bacon, crumbled
  • 2-4 ounces of Parmesan or similar cheese
Dressing
Adapted from New York Times Cooking
  • 1/2 shallot diced finely
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
  • 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions
Prepare dressing – In a medium sized bowl, whisk together together shallot, vinegar, mustard, and salt + pepper. Continue to whisk while you add olive oil. Set aside.

In a large salad bowl, massage the kale with 2-3 tablespoons of dressing.
Add apple, carrots, hazelnuts, bacon and top with grated Parmesan cheese. Toss with a little salad dressing at a time – you won’t need the entire amount. Taste & add more if needed.
Top with a little more cheese and freshly ground pepper.


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Shopbop is running a sale on boots just til tonight at midnight!
25% off all select pairs.  My favs below and you can shop all the others HERE


boots







Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Gift Guide for Me : My Holiday Wishlist

Dear Santa I hope you are reading- or at least Mom and Dad:) 
I like to share my Christmas list every year on my blog.  My family likes to get it early to start shopping early.  I always love seeing what is on other people's wish lists so please share what you are asking for, I can always add to my list!

I am such a candle lover, I can never have too many.  I heard these TB ones smell divine plus I love the look of the candle, so pretty sitting out.
Also in Blue and Green


I have two of these gold baking pans and they are my favorites.  I would love this whole set.


Love the colors in this scarf, so gorgeous.  Extra 25% off right now with code SHOPNOW.



I bought a robe last year from JCrew and is my favorite robe ever, I would love another one and just adore this heart print.



I am still working on updating our dining room and bedroom and would love some new art.  This piece is stunning from OKL.

Major love for this clutch, been wanting it forever.   I own one Claire V purse and just adore it, it is always my go-to clutch.
Today only you can take 30% off all orders over $200 on Piperlime, use code HOLIDAY30.

because I don't have enough blouses, but seriously they make me happy.  I love this white floral blouse.  Great for now and you can wear it into Spring.

Second blouse on my list is this leopard number, just reduced!!  Also back in stock is the Audrey Leopard Dress, I own this in the Summer version and it rocks.
 


I so want a set of Gold Flatware.  Love it.


Ugg Slippers are hands down the best slippers ever.  Mine are in rough shape from wearing them so much so I would love a new pair.


I have the ones above, but also love this style.

I have mentioned these bracelets on here before but I just started collecting them.  I love them all layered together, and really love this stacked version that is currently 40% off.  A little pricier but I also love this one.

I am really wanting to try the Tom Ford lipstick, I have read nothing but rave reviews about it and love all the colors.
I never have anywhere to store my sunglasses they are always just sitting out and that means usually the kids get them and they are covered in finger prints.  Love the idea of this cute storage case.
and for my book collection because I can never have too many books.  Beautiful to display and read.

I would love a runner that I could use for everyday entertaining and holidays.  I think this one is neutral enough you could jazz it up with your table settings and use it often!


Meet my newest boot obsession.  It is metallic and has a short enough heel so I could wear it daily, so good.  You can also take 30% ff these with code HOLIDAY30

As cheesy as it sounds I want this sweater because of Frances Moon.  In fact I really should have ordered it to wear for her birthday next week.