July, 2015 | A Lovely Living

July 31, 2015

Last Chance for the Sale!

Last evening I spent watching Fixer Upper reruns (anyone else obsessed with them?! I can’t wait for season 3!) and browsing the Nordstrom Sale one last time before it ends this weekend. I gathered more of my favorites to share with you below. Let’s call them my Friday Favorites, shall we :) Fall will be coming sooner or later so you may as well grab what you can while it’s still on sale. Hope you have a great weekend. I foresee more painting and weeding in my future….maybe yours will be a bit more exciting!

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July 29, 2015

S’more Bark

S’mores are one of those perfect summer indulgences that never get old. We finally put the fire pit at our new home to use this past weekend and introduced our kids to the sweet treat that I hadn’t had in years. Jack loved roasting the marshmallows and Madelyn was dripping in chocolate within minutes. They fell in love (who wouldn’t?) so I’m sure this is going to be a regular happening from here on out! With s’mores on my mind, I sought out this recipe for s’more bark to take to my family reunion. Not only is it tasty but it turns out looking like a piece (or pieces) of art!

S’more Bark via A Kitchen Addiction:

Ingredients
• 24 oz dark chocolate (or milk chocolate)
• 8 oz white chocolate
• ¾ C graham crackers broken into pieces
• ½ C marshmallows bits
• 2 (1.55 oz) Hershey’s milk chocolate bars (or dark chocolate), broken into pieces

Directions:
1. Line a 15×10 inch cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Melt dark chocolate according to instructions on package, making sure to stir periodically.
3. Melt white chocolate according to instructions on package, making sure to stir periodically.
4. Spread melted dark chocolate onto prepared cookie sheet. Spoon white chocolate over the top. Swirl white chocolate through dark chocolate using a knife.
5. Sprinkle with graham cracker pieces, marshmallow bits, and broken chocolate bars. Lightly press topping into chocolate.
6. Place in refrigerator and allow to refrigerate for at least one hour to cool and set.
7. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container.

July 27, 2015

Summer Shift

I’ve worn shift dresses on here before and I’m sure this won’t be the last you see of them if you continue to tune in. This one in particular came from Madewell a few months ago. I can always count on them to carry classic shift dresses and I knew it would be perfect post-baby as I worked to get my pre-baby body back. A little forgiveness is always welcome! Summer is finally heating up but sleeves are perfect for the times you spend in the comfortable air conditioning and the loose fit allows it to transition well when you move outdoors. Oh, and excuse the wrinkles, I happened to be cuddled with a certain little 11 week old prior to this :)

Details: Madewell shift (love this, this and this option) / Stella & Dot necklace / hat (similar) / shoes (similar)

Linking up with this week’s Style Sessions

July 24, 2015

Nordstrom Sale (going on now!)

Nordstrom’s Anniversary Sale has been open to the public (ie the ‘non-cardholders’) for over a week now and there’s still another week left…oh the temptations! For those unfamiliar, they discount a number of their new fall arrivals for a short period before switching back to the full retail price. Now I’m certainly not ready for fall by any means, but you know I love a good sale! There were a number of items that caught my eye and three that ultimately made the cut. Here I’m showing you the items that came home with me and some styling ideas I have for the fall. Everything shown below is straight from the sale so feel free to browse, you have a little over a week left!

Outfit 1: cape / hat / bracelet / booties / jeans

Outfit 2: shirt / sunglasses / bag / boots / jeans

Outfit 3: jacket / sunglasses / scarf / boots / jeans

July 22, 2015

Updating Old Hardware

I can’t tell you how thankful I am for other bloggers. I turn to them for everything! I turn to fashion blogs to inspire my personal style, food blogs for what to make for dinner, and design blogs for decorating and DIY projects for the home. Until we owned our own home, I spent years pinning and pinning and pinning as I would come across good ideas for home projects and I am finally getting to put them to use. This particular doorknob revamp I can thank Young House Love for. Our sliding door goes from our kitchen to our back deck and in the few short weeks we have been here it’s been used some 50 times per day as the kids run in and out and in and out (and I remind them that they don’t live in a barn!). The handle needed a little love and it turns out Young House Love tackled this exact project.

Here’s what we started with (some blogger I am, forgetting to take a pic before removing the handle, oops!):

We started by using some Liquid Deglosser on it as opposed to sanding. The deglosser also helps the paint to adhere (we used deglosser prior to painting our front door as well…that post will be forthcoming). I then ran to Home Depot to grab some of this spray paint which was recommended by Young House Love. There were a ton of finishes to choose from but since we have bronze fixtures in our kitchen I went with oil rubbed bronze in metallic which gives a beautiful shine to the finish. It’s a primer and paint in one saving you (and me) yet another step.

I laid out the hardware on some cardboard and began spraying thin, light layers. Three in total with time to dry in between. I left the screws in as I sprayed so the tops would get painted but **note** to tape the ends beforehand. I ended up spraying them in their entirety and when Jack was putting it back on the door, the paint wasn’t allowing them to screw in tightly. Luckily some nail polish remover did the trick, but you can save yourself that step by covering the ends in the first place. Also, be sure to flip the lock (not shown) back and forth as you paint so that you don’t miss any spots.

I didn’t even bother to look up the price of a new doorknob, but I am positive it’s more than the $7 it cost to re-do this one!

Quick and easy fix that I was able to tackle during the kids’ nap and one more thing to check off of my list!

July 20, 2015

Floral Dress

In addition to ruffles and bows, florals are another favorite of mine to wear. I can’t say I own a ton of floral print, but that makes items all the more special when I come across those that I love. This actually came from my girlfriend’s store Elizabeth & West last year just before I was pregnant and I never had a chance to wear it. Luckily for me the wrap style is perfect for nursing post-pregnancy! This one is no longer available but I have found some other options that I link to below.

Details: Elizabeth & West dress (similar here, here and here) / Pumps (similar) / Stella & Dot necklace / Michael Kors watch

July 17, 2015

Life Lately

Hi guys! I’m having a hard time believing we are half way through July! I still haven’t even had time to realize summer has arrived! We spent this past weekend in Pittsburg for my brother’s wedding which means that none of our little (or big) projects were able to continue getting tackled around the house. Most of the boxes are out of the way and I’m realizing how much furniture we are still in need of. A little overwhelming but I keep reminding myself to be patient and take my time to do things right!

I love the privacy the woods behind our home brings, but with that comes some other friends like little ‘Sammy the Snake’ pictured here. Harmless, I know, but back to the woods he goes!

Audrey and I prepping for the wedding. My girlfriend gifted this absolutely adorable dress before she was born and I just love seeing it on her!

Repainting our front door is on our list of said tasks. I’ve decided to go with ‘drizzle’ from Sherwin Williams, a pretty robin’s egg blue. Stay tuned for this outcome!

My sweet girls. Audrey had her 2 month vaccinations this week which she was none too pleased about. Lot’s of extra sleep but she’s doing just fine.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

July 15, 2015

Room (nook) Reveal: Command Center

These past few weeks have been equal parts exhausting and exciting. Moving is So. Much. Work. But now that we are starting to see the ground as the boxes are leaving the house, I’m slowly getting around to the start of decorating. One area that has been driving me crazy was our mudroom/entryway from the garage. It has plenty of space to serve as both a home to shoes/coats as well as a command center for our family and with mail, bills, keys etc. being thrown around causing much confusion these past few weeks, it was time to get things in order.

I wanted to start with a console that fit the space and wasn’t oversized. I found this one on Ballard and it fit the bill perfectly. Not only does it provide extra storage but it also allows for the inevitable ‘drop spot’ keeping my kitchen counters clear.

My main focus was to keep paper organized. We have what feels like an insane amount of constant paperwork between bills, school papers, receipts, invitations to be kept up with, thank you’s to be sent out….I’m not alone here am I? I found these galvanized metal bins and envelopes at none other than Target and knew they’d do the trick. Be warned, the bins aren’t open the whole way down as they look, so they wouldn’t be good for holding folders or anything oversized.

I know a typical command center would include a calendar, but my husband and I have tried the pen and paper calendar and it’s never worked out for us. We work much better with synched google calendars, so we’re going to stick with that for the time being.

Here’s to hoping this system keeps us on track!!

July 13, 2015

Another Successful Rental

It was a close call, but I almost didn’t get a chance to wear this beauty of a dress (or attend my brother’s wedding, that’s what’s important, right?!). This past weekend my family and I spent in Pittsburgh, PA celebrating the marriage of my brother and his new wife. As timing would have it, I came down with mastitis (a crazy infection that can happen while nursing which results in flu like symptoms) during the wedding rehearsal. I had this infection previously with my other daughter so fortunately I knew exactly what was coming on and was able to have my doctor call in a prescription for me immediately. I may not have been 100% but I wasn’t missing that wedding! I had booked this Monique Lhuillier dress from Rent The Runway and I wasn’t about to let that go to waste either. Getting to wear a designer dress at a fraction of the cost certainly helped to perk my spirits :) I’ve used this service a few times now and have loved each experience. If you have yet to try them out I encourage you to do so. They send you two sizes in case you are unsure (huge bonus, right?) and they handle all the cleaning. All you need to do is get it back into a UPS drop box and you’re done! This isn’t a sponsored post either, I’m simply voicing my satisfaction for a company I’d highly recommend!

Details: Monique Lhuillier dress via Rent the Runway / Nine West pumps (similar here and here) / Sole Society necklace (under $20!) / Stella & Dot bracelet / Kate Spade sunglasses

July 8, 2015

Casual Summer

Packing and unpacking these past few weeks hasn’t allowed for much creativity in the styling department. I’m finding myself reaching for denim and a t-shirt on a daily basis both for the comfort factor as well as the ease of nursing (hello cotton). When I need to run out the door, my sneakers and a hat (because who knows what kind of shape my hair is in!) are what I reach for. My brother is getting married this weekend and I’m certainly looking forward to getting all dolled up for the first time in a while. I turned to Rent the Runway once again and thankfully they send two sizes, one of which I’m hoping will fit! Until then, here are some staples I’ve been turning to day after day along with a variety of some of my favorite tee’s/tanks…

hat / shorts / sneaks

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a lovely living

Monthly Archives for July 2015