a lovely living

Archives

July 25, 2013

Fun with Nails

I’m not one to get nail art on a manicure no matter how hard they push their flowers on me at the salon. Actually, it’s very rare that I even get a manicure done at the salon because they’ll last a whole day and a half on my nails. But when I do them myself, I love a a straight up solid color, typically by Essie.

When I came across ‘set in stones’ by Essie, I was lured in by the sparkles and decided to give it a try in order to spice up my nails. At first I only did my ring finger. So what if we’ve been married nearly seven years, that’s something to celebrate, right?! The next day I decided to go crazy and add some sparkle to both hands. I love the look it created. Fun but not over the top and it would still go with anything I had on. Once that manicure had worn off I tried it with a lighter shade underneath. Either way I enjoyed the added glam on my nails. It’s a great idea to try out for any wedding or special events you may have on your calendar.

nails

How do you spice up your nails?

July 24, 2013

Trending: Peplum

peplum6I can’t decide if peplum has over-saturated the fashion industry yet or not, but it’s probably close. For whatever reason I haven’t added many peplum pieces to my wardrobe. That’s not to say I don’t think it’s adorable, fun and flattering (ie instantly adds a waist to any body). Here you will find a few of my favorite fashionistas decked out in designer peplum dresses. Regarding trends, I typically like to buy cheap due to the fact that you never know if it’ll be in style come next season. This tank was the perfect addition to my closet.

peplum2 (more…)

July 23, 2013

7 New Items for Your Kitchen

Just as I always have an on-going wish-list for fashion, I also keep one for my kitchen. New clothes and accessories inspire my outfits the same way that new tools/gadgets inspire me in the kitchen. At the top of my list remains a KitchenAid mixer. I know this is a hot item on wedding registries, but when my husband and I were registering, he somehow talked me out of adding one due to the fact that we didn’t have much room in our tiny apartment. Seven years later and I can’t tell you how many times he’s heard me request one. My main problem is that I can’t for the life of me decide on a color and I swear each year that goes by, ten new colors are introduced! Ahh well, maybe I’ll narrow it down by Christmas.

Kitchenupdates

In addition to the mixer, here are other various items I’d love to add to my kitchen:

  1. Steak knives in an array of beautiful colors.
  2. Jadeite cake stand which would make any cake look even more delish.
  3. Farmers market basket to rinse and display fruit in a cute way.
  4. Updated potholders.
  5. Love the idea of this pitcher to infuse your water. Perfect way to enjoy the summer fruits and stay hydrated.
  6. Ohhh, the KitchenAid mixer.
  7. It may be a bad idea, but I’m so tempted to buy this milkshake mixer. It makes my mouth water just looking at it!

What items inspire you in the kitchen?

 

July 22, 2013

Outfit of the day/ JEG Giveaway winner

tankdress1

It appears that we’re closing in on my favorite part of summer. The season is in full swing, everyone’s a bit sun-kissed, and summer clothes are going on sale making way for the new fall arrivals. As I have mentioned, fall is my favorite season, but I can’t quite focus on jackets and sweaters with this heat surrounding us. For now I will take full advantage of the sales and continue to embrace the airy, cotton apparel. I found this tank dress on Target’s clearance rack recently and quickly threw it in my cart. I even attempted to try it on since I only had one child with me, and yet my daughter still managed to crawl out of the fitting room more than once. Fortunately it was only into the hall and not someone else’s room ;) (more…)

July 19, 2013

High Five for Friday

Happy friday my friends! Another summer week has come and gone and the heat continues to linger. After a week full of rain last week, this week we welcomed the sun, even if it did include temps ranging from 90-100 degrees (It was the first time I saw my car register a 102 temp!). We spent a lot of time near the water or in the AC and very little in between.

H54F719

 

1. Conquering hills during a HOT run this week, but enjoying the beauty all around me.

2. My son is becoming quite the outdoorsman.

3. I upgraded to the iphone 5 this week and so began the hunt for a new case. It’s not so much an issue finding a case, it’s finding the right one. It’s an accessory that you will carry around everyday for the next few years. I know I could buy more than one, but these things get pricey! I finally settled on this one from Jonathan Adler and I’m sure I’ll fall in love with a new one next week ;)

4. Some vintage jewelry was passed on to my mother who graciously passed some pieces on to me. I love being able to play with unique pieces and can’t wait to put them to use.

5. We had this caricature of the kids drawn at the People’s Choice arts festival and it cracks me up. It was so sunny that afternoon and they couldn’t help but squint :)

Have a great weekend everyone and remember, you have until tomorrow night to enter the JEG $50 giveaway. I’ll be announcing the winner on Monday! Enter here.

Linking up with Lauren Elizabeth today for H54F!

July 18, 2013

A peek into the Nursery

I’m not sure why kids have to grow up so fast, but I guess that’s just how it goes. Not long ago, my 13 mo old daughter, Madelyn, was crawling around chewing on teethers and now she’s climbing on tables and stealing her brother’s toys. Before I know it she’ll be ready for a big girl bed, so I figured I would give you a peek into her sweet little nursery before it’s too late.

nursery6

We were living in Hoboken, NJ when Madelyn was born and at that time she and Jack were sharing a room. His bedding is blue and green so I wanted to find something for Madelyn that would coordinate well. Although I was in love with a few sets from Serena and Lily, I found this bedding at Pottery Barn which worked perfectly with their room scheme. Now that we are living in PA, the kids are lucky enough to have their own rooms. It has been fun being able to decorate their rooms separately. I’m not sure Jack would have loved a hot pink chandelier hanging on his wall :) (more…)

July 17, 2013

Fashion party and a GIVEAWAY!

What is more enticing than spending an evening with a group of ladies, sipping drinks, nibbling on snacks, chatting away and shopping with a discount?? Not much I don’t believe.

jeg5

Last Friday I mentioned that I attended a party at a new fashion boutique, JEG,  in my hometown of Hollidaysburg, PA. Should you live in the area, I recommend getting yourself to a party or better yet, hosting one of your own. Tiffany, the owner, has a great variety of fun, trendy clothing and accessories. She’s extremely friendly and fun to be around and has a great eye for fashion. As a note, party guests receive 10% off of their purchase as well as being entered to win a $50 gift card that’s given away at the end of the night. I hear that the hostess receives some pretty nice perks too! (more…)

July 16, 2013

All About Marisa

That title alone makes me cringe a bit because I’m not one to be the center of attention, which is ironic since this blog is all about me. My thoughts, my ideas and my advice. I’m working out of my comfort zone here friends! I know my family would beg to differ, but that doesn’t count.

about me 1

Well, here are the answers to your questions from last week as well as some random info that you may or may not care to know about me. In the end, at least you should have some sense of who I am. (more…)

July 15, 2013

Comfortable Style

Sometimes my outfits are planned around a fun top or a beautiful piece of jewelry. This outfit, however, was built around a super comfy cotton tank. You know those shirts that make you feel like you’re wearing your pj’s all day? Sometimes that’s all I want. All you need to do is play it up a bit. Add a blazer and some jewels and you’re set. We spent the day at an arts festival, so heels were not an option, although the right pair could really vamp up this outfit.

armypant1LC Lauren Conrad blazer, Monrow tank, JCrew pants, Gentle Souls sandals, Zara Tarez bag, LOFT necklace, Michael Kors watch, Target bracelet (more…)

July 12, 2013

High Five for Friday

Thank goodness I captured some images from this week so that I can remember what happened. It totally flew by for me, how about you? I love and hate those weeks because obviously the weekends typically prove to be a good time and it’s exciting when Friday arrives, but at the same time it reminds me how fast time goes by and in essence how quickly my kids are growing up! At least their lives will be well documented :)

friday712

(more…)

← Older Newer →
© 2016 A Lovely Living. Please note that Alovelyliving is a part affiliate networks, and clicking on certain merchant links may result in commissions.