a lovely living

Monthly Archives for October 2017

Fab Finds Under $50

I hope you guys had a great weekend! Despite a lot of rain and the first Penn State loss of the season (booo!), we had a good weekend. Bowling with the family, a date night and we even made homemade churros for the first time for my son’s Venezuelan school project…they turned out pretty well! They are covered in cinnamon and sugar, so regardless, I’m sure his class will devour them ;)

Today I’ve rounded up a bunch of great pieces that are all under $50! They will all take you from fall to winter adding both warmth and style to your wardrobe. This week does take us into November after all….crazy, isn’t it?! Anyone remember this JCrew sweater from last year? It sold out before I could catch it on sale, but this time around the price is much more reasonable. I had a hard time finding a cute pom pom beanie last year as they had all sold out, or should I say the cute ones had all sold out. I love this one because the fur doesn’t look overly faux as some do. I love turtleneck sweaters, and this one is priced perfectly. Cute, comfy sweatshirts, pretty, sleek rain boots, and faux fur shrugs (can you believe this one is under $40??) are a few more of my favorite things at the moment.

Have you found any good steals lately?

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On The Go

Some weeks I can tell the day by how casual my outfit has gotten, haha. Or maybe it’s in how busy my schedule is? Regardless, there are days when I know my productivity level will remain stronger if I am wearing more of an on-the-go outfit. And speaking of, on-the-go, thank you all for your kind words and feedback on Wednesday’s home design post!  We’re all so thrilled with how it turned out. My schedule lately has been packed full of kids activities, school events/planning, design meetings and blog work…all great things that I’m so thankful for! Now I just need a great date night to balance everything out :)

These sneakers arrived this week and if you follow on Instagram, you may know that I’ve had my eye on them for a few months. I was debating between colors, but am so happy that I went with grey. Thanks to all of you that put forth that vote ;) They are the perfect on-the-go sneaker (I’ll stop saying on-the-go now, I promise), leave me feeling like I’m walking on air, and are cute enough to pair with some of my everyday outfits. This fleece turtleneck was also a recent purchase when Anthro had a 25% off sale, but I’d venture to say this guy is worth full price. But you can always throw one in your cart and hope for the best as I typically do!

Hope you guys have a great weekend! Any good costume parties happening??

Details: Anthropologie top / Jacket (similar here and here) / Madewell denim / NB sneakers

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New Home Build: The Jones’

I’m so excited to finally be sharing this post with all of you! It’s been a long time in the making as I was fortunate to have been a part of this project since before the ground was even broken. Our friends, the Jones’, are the sweetest family of six and see this home as such a blessing for their family. It was an honor to have been a part of it.

Some of you may remember when my good friend twisted my arm and hired me to help design her kitchen renovation last year. That project has since opened doors and started a new journey for me that I could have only dreamed of. When I was a child, my answer to ‘what do you want to be when you grow up’ was always an Interior Designer. Well, life had it’s ways of taking me on a different pathway and yet somehow it’s circling back around in the most surprising of ways. Over the past year, I’ve had my hands on a number of projects; from brand new builds to helping clients select paint colors for their home. I don’t know exactly how I would coin myself just yet, but what I’m drawn to the most is working with colors and pulling together different finishes and textiles (which is similar to what I enjoy about fashion as well). I find myself speechless as I see projects come together and feel so extremely blessed that people appreciate my help on something I have always dreamed of doing! I hope you enjoy getting a look into the Jones’ home because I have more projects in the works that I hope to be sharing in the future as well.

Initial meetings with clients always come with a bit of anxiety on my part. I want to make sure I’m able to get a real sense of their style and get a good feel for what they’re really looking for, despite what they think they are looking for. Once I’m able to tackle that part and get inside their thought process, the ideas start flowing and thoughts are bounced back and forth until something sticks. The other complication I’m discovering, is working with husband and wife couples ;) I find it’s part of my role to achieve a balance between what each is looking to get out out of the project (ie their home). Here, we walked the line of mixing her ‘give me ALL the white‘ and his ‘I’ll take all the dark, wood finishes, please‘. No pressure, right? Well, both ended up giving and taking until the perfect balance was found.

I worked alongside Steve Hackman Builders on this project and I can’t speak highly enough of them and their team. They build amazing homes, are fantastic to work with and put up with just about anything I throw their way ;)

The one thing the Jones’ did know, was that they wanted to go with a grey home. When I started going through roof and stone samples I went in a warmer direction with the colors so that the home wouldn’t end up feeling too stark or ‘cold’. Red was all I could think of when it came to the color of their front door and I think it’s the perfect pop for their home. We used SW Antique Red here.

We went with coordinating light fixtures from Hite Co. in the entryway and dining area and they were the perfect mix of masculine and feminine for this couple.

As kitchens can do, this one kind of steals the show in terms of a house reveal. It’s a white kitchen lovers dream! The white was a given, but pulling in the grey island really gave the room some character.

Classic subway tile but with a grey grout added a little more of a punch. The quartz counters that we all fell in love with are Berwyn by Cambria. The colors are soft and earthy, pull in the taupes we were going with and it has the prettiest soft shimmer to it in person.

And then there’s the opening shelving…

…that beautiful open shelving!! I know this feature isn’t for everyone, but for those that can manage keeping a few shelves clean and tidy, they can be stunning in a kitchen, or any other room for that matter!

You wouldn’t believe the amount of natural light this kitchen receives, showing off every last detail.

The bulk of the home was painted in SW Accessible Beige, my favorite greige and the color I have in my own home as well. In the hall bath however, we went a few shades darker and used SW Fawn Brindle. I love the contrast with the white vanity. The mirror I found at Target…so beautiful and such a steal!

If only I were a professional photographer and I could capture the magnitude of this bed that Mr. Jones made by hand! It seriously looks like it came right out of West Elm or Restoration Hardware for thousands of dollars, doesn’t it?!

The master bath is the perfect retreat for them. A soaking tub with a stunning picture window that lets in plenty of natural light. These mirrors also came from Target and I think they look so sophisticated for a master bathroom.

The fireplace was a place of ‘do we do it or not‘ and I’m pretty sure they are both thrilled that they did. It has such a great visual presence in the living room (that shares the same open space with the kitchen). The shiplap above was a perfect finishing touch.

I helped select new sofa’s for the room that happen to be taking their sweet time to arrive. I just may have to update this post once they get them in there! But for the time being, their current furniture fits the bill perfectly.

Here’s a view standing in the living room looking towards the kitchen.

One last bit of eye candy…the mudroom! If you have children, mudrooms can make a world of difference in a home! Especially when there are four little ones running around with shoes and coats and water bottles and snacks and backpacks and rain boots and umbrellas…you get the point ;) This mudroom does not disappoint! A hook for everyone and an abundant amount of baskets for everything previously mentioned should have this family feeling more than organized.

And that’s that! As much as I love seeing projects come to fruition, I also hate seeing them end! Thankfully I call them friends, so I’ll be looking forward to many visits ahead :)

Sources:
Builders: Steve Hackman Builders
Kitchen Counters: Cambria Berwyn / Waterstone Collection
Kitchen Knobs/Pulls: Amerock, Westerly Collection
Lighting: The Hite Co.
Hall Bath Mirror: Target
Master Bath Mirrors: Target
Paint: Living Area / SW Accessible Beige
Front Door Color: SW Antique Red

 

Pink + Plaid

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend! Unfortunately Audrey woke up with a fever and some vomiting Saturday morning…my apologies if you haven’t finished your cup of coffee yet! Needless to say our weekend plans went by the wayside. I enjoyed a bunch of cuddling and we had plenty of downtime. She’s not quite out of the woods yet, but I’m praying she will be soon!

This was the outfit that I had laid out for church Sunday, in hopes that Audrey might have woken up bright eyed and full of life again! Sadly that wasn’t the case, so later on that afternoon I pulled myself together and had my husband shoot the look in our back yard. A total sham I tell ya ;) Regardless, this outfit will be worn again, the scarf in particular (fyi it’s on sale today for just under $35!) as I’m obsessed with the color scheme and plaid…which is a given!

Details: Madewell scarf / LOFT top (similar) / Madewell denim / Mules (similar) / Hat (similar here and here)

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PomPom Sweatshirt

When we have the kids in tow, I’ve been throwing out the option of being in ‘mommy’s photos’ to them every now and then. Madelyn has been the most eager but I’m hoping Jack will will decide to jump in one of these days. Too cool third graders ;) Audrey would likely be a blur in every photo, but she’ll have her time!

I love this cute pompom sweatshirt. Honestly, I love every sweatshirt that’s embellished in an adorable way! I may have been reminding Audrey all day that ‘no, the pompoms do not come off of my shirt‘, but I think she finally got the point! I layered my utility vest over it which was kind of a no-brainer when it came to adding a light layer. I also threw on my new Noonday necklace for the first time. It’s definitely a new favorite this season!

Marisa: JCrew sweatshirt / Vest (similar) / Denim / Boots (similar) / Noonday necklace

Madelyn: Cat&Jack top / Leggings (similar) / Sneakers (similar)

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Following on the tail of Monday’s post, I thought it might be a good idea to pull together some of my overall looks (styled for fall in particular) to give you more examples of just how many ways you can wear them. These looks are from the past year or so and they are all fairly timeless in my opinion. The gist of it is, by layering with a sweater, jacket, cape etc. they can be a ton of fun to wear!

This first look is probably my most favorite way to style overalls. Booties, a long cardi and a printed scarf. It’s a no-brainer.

 
The next obvious choice is to layer with a jacket. My guess is that many of you have something similar to this already in your closet. I wore it over a mock turtleneck here and you can see a similar look below over a plain tee and a scarf.

 
Next up, Converse and a striped tee. Plain and simple.

 
It was obviously a bit warmer when I wore this outfit, but for today I would throw a cape on top of this look and be set!

 

And then one final look back to what I wore in my last post. I love how adorable goulashes look paired with overalls. Add a go-to jacket and scarf and you’re set!

 

I hope this is helpful for some of you! Break out those overalls or throw them in your cart and let me know what you think!

 

 

Overall Layers

The ground may have been wet, but we had a great day for picking pumpkins over the weekend. The only problem was that every pumpkin in the patch was gigantic, so we decided to pick out one big family pumpkin…that dad could carry ;) I shared some of the day on Instagram and had every intention of getting a few family shots on our camera but it turns out we left without a memory card. Totally fail on my part! I’ll throw in one of my iphone shots below so you can see two smiling faces and one cool kid ;)

I wear my overalls year-round, but I think I love them the most in the fall. I love being able to layer over them, including my Hunter’s when necessary!

Details: Overalls (updated version) / Top / Jacket (similar here and here) / Scarf (similar) / Hunter boots

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Weekend Steals

Happy Friday, guys! Between a migraine and rainy weather this week, any plans I had of shooting another look were quickly thrown out the window. The good thing is, there are plenty of sales for me to share with you at some of my favorites.

I love the Free People brand, and I’ve been finding some of their best prices at Macy’s. This cozy cardigan is more than 60% off at the moment! And this asymmetrical sweater is a favorite of mine this year. This coat is very similar to my green JCrew cocoon coat that I adore. Check out the great colors it comes in and is currently under $100! Anthropologie doesn’t offer sales as frequently as some of my other favorite stores, but when they do it’s always worth checking out. I wouldn’t mind grabbing this comfy little number.

Take a look and let me know what you find!

 

Anthropologie: 25% off dresses/jumpsuits, 20% off tops/jackets/sweaters, 15% off pants/denim/skirts

 

JCrew: Clearance event, up to 70% off

 

JCrew Factory: 40-50% off outerwear for the entire family

 

Macy’s: Extra 25% off purchase with code FRESH

OTK Boots: Under $150

Over the knee boots have come a long way. Years ago it seemed almost promiscuous to wear them…think Pretty Woman here ;) Now we wear them around with skinny jeans and over-sized sweaters which is much more up my alley! As they started to gain more momentum a few years ago, it seemed impossible to find a quality pair that was under $250. But as I spent some time curating my favorites over the past few days, I was thrilled that I was able to find so many under the $150 mark. You can actually find a number of them under $100 as well, but I did my best to find the borderline where quality isn’t sacrificed….nor is style, but that’s a given, right?!

Here’s what I came up with! Great shapes, great colors and a great way to instantly lengthen those legs! ;)


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Boho Floral

We spent this past weekend in NY along the Hudson with my husband’s extended family for a long overdue reunion. There were six kids, most of whom had never met one another and they had a better time than we ever could have imagined! The house we stayed in was gigantic (it held 7 families comfortably), but I spent the bulk of my time chasing down Audrey, my 2 year old, who felt she had free reign over the entire property! My father-in-law and his twin brother turn 70 next month, so we started the celebrations a bit early enjoying cake, drinks, and enough food to keep me full for a week! There were plenty of cooks in the kitchen, one who happens to be a professional chef, so this was to be expected and very much appreciated!

The horrible blogger that I am, did not pack one blog-worthy outfit. Shame on me! I suppose packing for a family of 5 had my mind elsewhere. Thankfully I was surrounded by family, and thanks to a cousin-in-law with great taste and a mother-in-law with the perfect earrings, I was able to pull this look together and take advantage of the scenery! Not to mention, this top is from Express, a store that I haven’t checked out lately, and one that I think I just may need to rediscover, because how adorable is this top?!

Now, to do my best to catch up on some sleep and jump right into the week!

Details: Express top / Madewell denim / Earrings / Stella & Dot necklace / Sandals (similar)

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