Stuff You Should Buy

Happy Saturday Loves! Here are a few bargains I spotted recently!

I was at TJMaxx (the one in Mount Pleasant for you locals) and saw these Sam Edleman Renzo Spiked Heels for $99. A real steal considering they had been $250. And Oh how I love the leopard. I wrote about my love for the bootie version HERE

Colorblock Tunic from Forever 21. It is $17.50, enough said.

Please buy this cheese from Trader Joes. It is so darn good. Each one costs $5.50 and they taste amazing. You just pop it out of the container and it looks like this beautiful cheese appetizer you made. I will be buying these often!

Thoughts For Friday

I have been home this week visiting my parents and it has been lovely. We have been running around like crazy shopping and working on stuff for little man's birthday.

I found these great coffee table books at The Habitat store for $4! And I finally got my brass sea urchin I have been eyeing for months! I can't wait to get home and set them all up on my coffee table.

We cooked the most delish dish for dinner last night. Quinoa with Greens and White Beans topped with Roasted Salmon. So darn good! Check out the Recipe HERE. We just added salmon to ours and roasted the tomatos per WayWay's suggestion.

I highly recommend this Pinot Noir to any red wine lovers. It was so good and I believe it cost less than $15. We tasted the Cab as well but everyone preferred the Pinot.

Guess what I finally got? After thinking about this blouse since Monday I finally bit the bullet and bought her. They had 3 blouses left in the Charlotte store and one happened to be my size, I like to think that was fate!

I stopped in West Elm, why in the world don't we have a West Elm in Charleston? That store is filled with so many cute things! I originally went to get this front door mat for our house.

But instead I picked up this mat. It was a touch bigger and the chevron rug was more gray in person and I needed black for our front porch.

I also got these adorable owl measuring cups in the light blue. I plan to use them as bowls when entertaining as well.

I can't wait to get home and read my new Bazaar with Gwyneth on the cover. I am beyond excited to read her interview, love her!

I came across this quote and love it. It is so true. Something important for us all to remember.

Have a great weekend! xoxo

Party Planning

It is hard to believe but my baby boy's second Birthday is 15 days away! Where did the last two years go? I am just starting to plan his 2nd birthday party. Yep, I am slack like that and just ordered his invites yesterday, but I work best under pressure. Thank God for Pinterest. I have been scouring the site for ideas for the big day. We are doing a low key party at our house. I like to have parties that are fun for the kids and adults (hence why booze will be served). Here are a few ideas I am loving. Any other fabulous Birthday Party ideas shoot them my way please!

Flavored Vodka for the Adults a definite yes.

Anti-Pasta Skewers. Love this unique spin on skewers.

Cute Pigs in a Blanket decomposed.

Adore these Fish Cupcakes, just not sure if they might be better suited for a birthday party with kids older than two!

Balloons with Streamers. This needs to happen on my porch.

Rainbow Skewers, perfect for the kids and pretty to look at.

Love the presentation of this veggie bar.

I am seriously considering buying some canvases for the kids to paint. Obviously not this large, Mama can't afford that, but I thought some small ones might be cute set up on a table. I like the idea of a craft the kids can take home and I adore all the paintings Sterling has created.

I am also working on goodie bags. I hate goodie bags filled with random stuff Sterling will never use or eat. So tell me moms, what are your favorite things to find in goodie bags for your child? Thanks for all your help during crunch time!

Oreo Layer Dessert

I was look for a quick dessert to whip together last weekend for our dinner guests. I had a crazy busy day so I needed something with not too many ingredients that was easy to throw together. I had seen this recipe floating around Pinterest (are you surprised, I stalk that site for recipes daily) and thought it looked amaze. Let me tell you this dessert did not disappoint. It was so good. Sometimes simple desserts are the best! Matt actually wanted to throw the leftovers away because he could not stop eating it! Seriously make this next time you need a tasty dessert. If loving oreos is wrong I don't want to be right.


Oreo Layer Dessert
1 pkg of regular Oreos
1/2 c. of butter
1 lg box of instant chocolate pudding
2-8 oz cool whips
8 oz. of cream cheese, softened
1 c. powdered sugar


Crush the whole package of cookies either with a food processor, or in a bag and a rolling pin. Save a 1/2 c. to sprinkle on top of dessert when it's done. Pour remaining crumbs in a 13x9 pan. Melt butter and pour into crumb mix. Stir it up good and press crumbs in bottom of pan to make a crust. Make chocolate pudding according to package directions and let it setup in the fridge. In a mixing bowl blend cream cheese until nice and smooth and then add powdered sugar, mix. Then fold in 1-8 oz thing of cool whip. Top oreo layer with cream cheese mix, then pudding, then your last 8 oz thing of cool whip, and then sprinkle remaining Oreo's on top. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe and Photo via

Obsessions

BELLE CHEVRE BREAKFAST CHEESE
I am a huge fan of goat cheese. I know that not everyone is but if you do like it you must try this breakfast cheese spread. I saw it at Harris Teeter and it retails for $11.99 which I would probably not normally pay, but right now they have it on special for $4.99. I bought the Fig flavor and I have been eating it on toast every morning. It is also tasty on crackers! There are 5 different flavors. I think I will try the Honey one next. It is kind of similar to cream cheese and so delish.

JCREW STRIPPED BLOUSE
I was browsing in JCrew yesterday and saw this beautiful stripped blouse. I love the kelly green and navy color combo. Since the New Year I have implemented the 24 hour rule for purchases where I really think about how bad I want/need the item. Well I can't get this blouse out of my head. I am picturing it with skinny jeans, long gold chains, and high heeled booties. Sigh, it's 24 hours later and I am still dreaming about her. I think I need to buy her.

LITTLE WHALES WALLPAPER
I am convinced I need to wallpaper Sterling's bathroom in this adorable whale wallpaper. It comes in three color choices: gray, blue, and aqua. I am leaning towards the gray. How adorable is it?

HAIRCUT
Ladies trust me when I say I will never have really short hair again (and I mean it). I did it once, along with going very dark brown (also a horrible idea) and will never do either again. That being said I am thinking about cutting it a little bit. I have the itch for a new do for Spring. I am smitten with Gwennie's hair in this picture not to mention her color. Thinking about bringing this to my hairdresser in a few weeks. Dish- Love the long bob it or Hate it?

THIS QUOTE
This quote reminds me of both my boys. LOVE.

Admiring.

One of Matt and my favorite shows to watch is the CBS Sunday Morning Show. Yesterday I was so excited that they featured a segment on Tory Burch. I already loved her but this interview made me admire her even more.

I knew she came from a family of privilege and was married to Chris Burch who was beyond wealthy and helped her launch her line, so yes financially she had things easy to start her brand but without her vision it would be nothing. She wanted to create a luxury line at a lower a price point and I think she highly succeeded. "Luxury itself is not exclusionary" Tory said in an interview. She created clothes she herself wanted to wear. She even designed her infamous tunic for her mom because she had a hard time finding clothes that fit her properly.

and named the popular ballet flats "Reva" after her mom as well.

She is such a family person. She has three sons and three step daughters from her marriage to Burch and always talks about how important they are. She started off working at Ralph Lauren and Narcisco Roderiguez where she said she gained invaluable info on the fashion world. In February 2004 Tory started Tory Burch out of her Upper East Side Apartment, to fill a void in the fashion industry. By offering an affordable, accessible, luxury lifestyle brand, Tory innovated the marketplace. The first year her brand took off but it was really after Oprah featured her tunic on her show that the brand became a household name. Tory said that day their website received 8 million hits. Today it is a multi-billion dollar company with flagship stores all over the world.

The designs of her stores are equally impressive to me. Not only does she have an eye for fashion but also interior design. I love the bright colors and mix of patterns. The TB store in Charlotte is one of my favorite places to shop when I am home!




Not to mention Tory's own personal style is pretty impeccable.



This was the first year she did an actual Runway show at NYC Fashion week to showcase her Spring 2012 line. All the clothes are beyond gorgeous.


Here is my top pick from the Spring line I am lusting after!
TB Wildflower Maxi Dress

I also wouldn't mind owning this white tunic. The perfect white shirt for summer. Love it paired with the pale pink jeans and I think it would also be cute with shorts.
TB FLOR KNITTED TUNIC


Can you tell I am pretty smitten with Miss Burch? I have a major girl crush on her. She is such a successful entrepreneur with great taste and values on top of that! Do you love Tory as much as I do?

The Look For Less

I keep coming across this picture from the Elie Saab 2011 Spring Fashion line on Pinterest. I am obsessed with the maxi dress and the gorgeous green color. Sadly Elie Saab ain't in this Mama's budget. Well guess what, I came across a pretty similar dress at a fraction of the price!!
I present to you The Hive and Honey Maxi dress from Piperlime for only $79!

And if you don't like the green it comes in this gorgeous coral color too that would look pretty amazing with some turquoise jewelry!

I seriously want to order the dress in both colors. What a steal for a cute maxi dress! You are so welcome for this Sunday Deal of the Day!