a lovely living

Archives

July 11, 2013

Getting to know me…

Hi friends! Well, it’s been almost two months since I started out on this blogging venture and I’m truly enjoying myself. It’s been fun sharing my thoughts and advice on fashion, food (ok, sweets) decor and whatever else I’ve had on my mind. At times I still feel brand spanking new in this world as there are tons of amazing bloggers with years and years under their belts. I thank you for giving me a few minutes of your day and hope that I have been able to inspire your life in some way. Even if it’s just to try out a new shade of nail polish or rearrange your porch!  I’ll keep trying.

Get to know me

Some of you are close friends, some acquaintances and others I have yet to meet. Instead of filling out an “about me” questionnaire or trying to guess what questions you may have regarding my background/likes/dislikes/family life etc, I wanted to open this up to you, my readers. In the comments below or via email (to remain anonymous) I’d love for you to ask any questions you may have for me. Anything from what do I do in my spare time (spare time?) to what’s my favorite brand of toothpaste? Joking, unless you really wanted to know, it’s Colgate ;) (more…)

July 10, 2013

Piece of Pie

Blueberry pie, to be exact. My family has been indulging in all of the summer fruits this season. Madelyn (13 months) is turning out to be quite the berry fanatic. Since our fridge has been constantly stocked with these plump berries, I decided to jump on this recipe when it arrived in my inbox. It would have been perfect for the 4th, but just as delicious a week late!

pie9

I am a huge fan of the Smitten Kitchen blog. The food that comes out of her kitchen is incredible. She’s very detailed, which I love, especially when it comes to baking. I always use her pie crust 102 when I need it. It’s not all that different from others, but her emphasis on keeping the butter (yes, butter, not shortening) cold and no smaller than pea size turns out a wonderfully delicious, flaky crust. (more…)

July 9, 2013

Wedding Ensembles…at shocking prices!

I love a chance to get all dolled up and weddings are a perfect excuse. However, for us, this summer/fall seems to be more about the babies than the weddings. The obvious results of all of last years weddings ;) But for those of you ladies that do have wedding plans in your future, I have worked together some lovely ensembles for you.

rent runway

Cute, yes? Now when I tell you the retail prices are as follows, Slate & Willow $298/ Mark and James by Badgley Mischka $325/ Shoshanna $395, you want to punch me, right? Honestly, who wants to spend that kind of cash when chances are good that you’ll wear this dress once, possibly twice? This is where Rent the Runway enters and I tell you that you can borrow these dresses for $50/ $50/ $70. Want to hug me now? (more…)

July 8, 2013

Wearing White

Happy Monday everyone! How was your weekend? What a busy, fun filled long weekend we had! It was full of friends and family and fairly few meltdowns, always a plus!

white1

Now that the 4th has come and gone, summer feels like it’s in full swing. We only have a few short months that technically allow us to wear white and I love taking full advantage. I found this tank at JCrew Factory and although I have thrown it on with cut-offs, I always feel like it screams for white denim. I realize that white and young kids don’t pair well together, but I managed to make it through the day unscathed, yay! (more…)

July 5, 2013

High Five for Friday

I hope everyone enjoyed the 4th and are continuing to have a fantastic long weekend! Looking back on my week, it has basically consisted of fun, food and family…

H54F 1My son during “Touch A Truck Day”. I can’t begin to tell you what a genius idea this was. Every truck you could imagine in one place. It was this little boys dream! (more…)

July 4, 2013

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July, my friends! We were spoiled for the past few years living in Hoboken and being able to have front row seats for the Macy’s fireworks. They were set off on barges in the Hudson River which separates Hoboken from Manhattan, and each year my son cried on my shoulder. Now it’s time to see how Pennsylvania compares! Maybe it’ll be a tear-free year :)

July4image: shutterstock

Interesting fact:

Both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the only signers of the Declaration of Independence later to serve as Presidents of the United States, died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration. How weird is that?

Enjoy your day everyone!

July 3, 2013

My first Birchbox

Last week I received my very first Birchbox and was giddy with excitement while going through it. My daily routine rarely changes and this is in large part due to the fact that I hate spending money on products that I never know if I will like. I know that a lot of stores honor returns, but there are far too many options out there and that’s just too much work. I stick to what I am comfortable with and know will do the job. Birchbox has crossed my mind a time or two but I finally caved and decided that $10/per month was worth being able to sample a large number of beauty products without risk. I’m glad I did!

First to note is their packaging. I do a lot of shopping online and I always appreciate when items arrive beautifully packaged.

BB

This months box included Davines three step hair system, Youngblood Hi-Definition Hydrating Mineral Perfecting Powder, Oscar de la Renta live in love body scrub, Colorclub Wonderlust in Reign in Spain, and a cute set of postcards featuring various cities. (more…)

July 2, 2013

What She Wears: Neon

neon1

Today I am joining the What She Wears link up with my fashionista friend and blogger Becky at Mommy in Heels, along with some of her fellow bloggers. If you have a moment, you need to check out her blog. She’s beautiful, hysterical and has killer style. I’m always learning from her. (more…)

July 1, 2013

Housewarming

This weekend I finally had a chance to visit a dear friend and her family back in NJ (if you’re new to the blog, my family and I relocated from Hoboken, NJ to PA this past March). She and her family built a beautiful home and moved in months ago, but this was the first time I was able to get there. I love those relationships where things just pick up where they left off. Wish I could pick them and their home up and move them to PA with us ;)

I debated on what to get them as a little house warming gift. It’s hard when you don’t know how much/what decorating has been done. Gift cards are always nice (personally, I love them), but they can also be impersonal. I then remembered something I had pinned awhile back. I love making my pins come to life, don’t you? I borrowed this pin and here’s what I came up with…

gift

As you can see, I started with a glass canister and gathered a number of items that would be useful around their home. I had to include a little something for their sweet dog as well. It’s very practical and chances are it will all be put to use.

(more…)

June 28, 2013

High Five for Friday

H54F

 

  1. Madelyn and myself celebrating my gf’s 30th birthday. 30’s are the best years of our life, right??
  2. Jack is finishing a week long Safari camp today. He was thrilled about me taking this pic.
  3. Some new items arrived from Zara this week. Their adult line is always great, but if you haven’t checked out the kid’s clothes you should take a look. Reasonably priced as well, especially on sale!
  4. I received my first Birchbox yesterday, exciting! More details next week.
  5. The best $7 I spent this week was on this basket. It now holds all of the kid’s clutter in the back seat and looks oh so pretty sitting back there. (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.