Category — The Nest

Ever since traveling 1,000s of miles away to actually get a tan (note: we live in Miami), I realized the hubby and I could stand to, well, stand in the sunshine.  I go from home to car to work to car to home.  Not good.

So I’m going to be industrious, and force our butts outside – Martha Stewart style.  The plan: dining al fresco.  I love the idea of a picnic – they look so lovely in pictures; then again, I’m not exactly “one” with nature, I’m more “allergic” to nature.  So I’m thinking baby steps – -we have this great outdoor set-up on our little deck and we never ever use it.  Operation, dinner outside, in motion.

Do you do dinner outside?  Do you ever just plop down on the grass and enjoy the great outdoors?

I’ve got to get on this, or else we’ll wind up just purchasing one of these crazy picnic table contraptions via Architizer and calling it a success …

Images via: Classy in the City // Pinterest // Architizer

I’d like to thank my Grandma on this one – she’s been lathering up her skin with every lotion, body wash, and serum for as long as I can remember, and her skin is like butter.  It’s also no secret that I am a total magpie to good beauty product.  I don’t discriminate – drugstore finds are just as fantastic as the department store splurges, and I pile all on my skin generously.

When my husband and I moved in together, I think the thing he was most shocked by was the incredible amount of product I bring with me (and the uncanny appearance of dinner on the table each night … you’re welcome, honey!)  I see, I buy.  Promises of smooth skin, clear skin, exfoliated skin, moisturized, younger-looking skin: I want it all.  In my twenties I know the anti-wrinkle potions might be a bit ahead of my time, but I like to be prepared.

Exhibit A: the shower ledge (just the shower ledge)

But amidst the chaos, I do have some tried and true secrets to perfectly smooth skin:

1. Be kind to your skin and your body.  Ease up on caffeine when you can, sleep at least 7 hours (no excuses), get a little sun if you don’t get any (guilty) or ease up on the sun if you might be over-doing it, and drink so much water.
2. Exfoliate.  I love a great body scrub – nothing too abrasive – a scrub will make your skin instantly smoother (best kept date night secret!)  I’m also completely enamored with exfoliating gloves.  A friend suggested these puppies for smoother wedding arms, and I’ve been devoted to the scrubby gloves ever since.  They carry them at Target or any drugstore.  Amazing and inexpensive.
3. Keep your skin clean.  If your skin doesn’t get too dry, a good old-fashioned bar of soap is OK, but I love washes and bursts (they’re super moisturizing and they smell amazing.)
4. And last, but most definitely not least, COVER yourself in sunscreen.  Wear it all day, everyday.  Buy makeup with SPF in it.  Then put more sunscreen on.  And … bonus, every day you’ll smell like the beach – what’s better than that (short of actually going to the beach)?

What are some of your perfectly smooth skin secrets?

And for a chance at winning a $1,500 shopping spree, designer clothes, and the best in beauty, enter the Style Your Spring Sweepstakes at www.beauty.philips.com!

Philips Satin Perfect is an innovative solution for women who are looking for a simple, at-home hair removal tool to ensure they are ready for any outfit at a moment’s notice. Satin Perfect is a cordless, total body epilator that removes even the shortest hairs in one stroke, so skin stays silky smooth for up to four weeks. It includes an extra-wide epilation head with textured ceramic discs to remove even the finest and shortest (.5MM) hairs.  Visit www.Beauty.Philips.com for more information on Philips female hair removal products.

**Compensation was provided by Philips via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Philips.

In case you missed my Guest Post for Let it Be Beautiful …

I’ve always dreamed of having a perfect space to work in and out of and as of a few months ago, the hubby and I moved into our first house (rental, but still … a house!)  Until this major life move, we had existed in tiny apartments with tiny bathrooms and tiny closets and hardly enough room for a Costco shop, let alone an office.  But now the “office” is filled with crafts (trust me, a wonderful thing to be full of), but I buy crafts every time I get bit with an idea, so the piles are growing, and my sweet little desk, it’s nearly bare.  I do most of my work perched on my sofa, staring woefully at the office just across the way.  Clearly my little office/craft-room needs an upgrade and a bit of TLC!

Because I know everyone dreams of a glamorous office (I mean, who doesn’t pin gorgeous workspaces on Pinterest?), I thought I’d break down what’s in my dream office first …

1.  If I’m going to try out this whole fashion blogger thing with my very own fashion blogger office, I’d like to look the part!  I’d love a bold chair (preferably with grommets or animal print!), a bold floor rug, and a sleek desk big enough to accommodate all of my junk. #hoarder

2.  An inspiration wall.  I’m torn between a chalkboard wall and a corkboard wall, though I’d venture to guess the corkboard is easier for tacking idea after idea.

3.  Organization!  I dream in organization — in perfectly-placed shelves and ergonomic storage.  I’d store documents, ideas, and most importantly – my crafts!  Also, the Container Store is magical.

So there you have it!  Now it’s your turn.  Tell me, what is it you look for in a perfect place to work/get-inspired? Are you happy on the sofa?  Do you work best at a desk?  Are you a neat freak or a stuff-collector?

Image Board Created by Glitter & Pearls // Illustration by the ever-talented Caitlin Mcgauley // Office images: 1 // 2 // 3

Happy Wednesday, all!  Today I’m guest posting over on A Newfound Treasure.

A peak at what I’m lusting after …

This year, Valentine’s day sort of bit me on the butt.  Pardon my French.  And I’m a tad rattled about it being so early on in the marriage, sans romantic love day plans.  But you see, last Valentine’s day, only a few short months into our marriage, I went and got sick.  Surgery, couture wearing, hospital sick.  So this Valentine’s Day, I told myself, we’ll have a perfectly romantic well-thought-out evening.  (And yes, to me, romance, is generally thought-out.  I’m not a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of girl — can’t you just hear Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman saying that?  Type-A, all the way.)  But I digress.  And then it was Tuesday … the 14th … of February.  And I had no plans.  So here we are.

Be My Valentine Homemade Pizza Recipe:  If I have time, I will definitely be trying this tonight.  (The recipe even calls for refrigerated pizza crust – my kind of easy.)  If not, it’s good old circular (greasy) pizza for the hubs.

Etched Vino Decanters:  Oh so pretty; however, ours will come in a bottle.  Hey, at least it’s not a box.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Red Velvet Brownies with White Chocolate Buttercream:  These have been on my to-do list for months.  Here’s to another year … on the to-do list.

Also on my to-do list – sweet card, cut-out newspaper hearts, and the world’s most phenomenal tent/fort/hybrid.  I coo-ed over that tent last Valentine’s Day, and this year is no exception.**  Only this month, I’ll be recreating said tent with towels, stacks of pillows, hair ties, and broom.  I’m willing to bet on disaster.

If all of this falls through, I’m taking my man to Waffle House.  (Seriously, major fast food chains are offering romantic Valentine’s Day packages, complete with candlelight and tater tots.)

Tent, Hearts, + Card via the ever-talented: Justina Blakeney for Design*Sponge

** Sadly – last year – once I read fishing line and screw hooks, I retired from fancy fort-making.  My brilliant plan that time, “I’m going to sit on my sofa with a blanket over my head.”

I’m a big fan of February, and V-day in particular, but I’m not really a pink-heart-romper-wearing kind of girl. Though I’m as feminine as they get, I live for black, gold, studs, eyeliner, and rock ‘n roll.  As for our big night plans, I’ll be staying in this V-day with the hubby.  I guess when you’re working all day everyday, the sofa, a bottle of wine, and ice cream – those are the crème de la crème.

1. Lauren Moshi Willow Diamond Lips Sweater // 2. Alexander McQueen Leather Wrap Skull Bracelet // Emily Elizabeth Open Heart Bangle // Emily Elizabeth Secret Open Bangle // Emily Elizabeth Skull Open Bangle // Alexander McQueen Twin Skull Bracelet // 3. Picnic Time Picnic Basket // 4. Hanky Panky Zipper Low Rise Thong // 5. Barefoot Dreams Wild Leopard Throw // 6. Ice Cream

I’m a sucker for pink (remember that gorgeous industrial loft with bright pops of pink?)  I could list all of the reasons I crave pinks (Barbie, Legally Blonde, cotton candy), but the list would never end.  Also, I’m undeniably girly.  And, when it comes to design, I swim in a sea of mostly neutrals.  Any bright piece injects a fresh pop of color into an otherwise monotone space, and it awakens a room with a jolt of modern personality (a.k.a., accessorizing your rooms.)

I love the bold hot pink chairs in these bedrooms and living spaces, but my husband, not such a fan (marriage = compromise, or so they say.)

Now in my office – that’s a different story.  (Not surprisingly, my office is brimming with pink, clutter, and many many crafts.)

Not sure what I love more – the pink-cushioned chair, the mirrored table, or those leopard pumps.

Images here, here, here, and here

Visit Glitter Weddings – WEDDINGS FOR THE TYPE-A BRIDE {WITH GLITTER ON TOP}

These doors make me want to break out a stencil and some highlighter-colored paints.  I must be on some kind of neon kick.  I wonder if the hubby would notice a neon yellow pantry door.

{Images here}

Visit Glitter Weddings – WEDDINGS FOR THE TYPE-A BRIDE {WITH GLITTER ON TOP}

I love love love the look of a white wash piece of wood.  The paint technique creates furniture and other wood that is looks both vintage and beach home chic. {Read my earlier post all about white wash and how to DIY on the cheap!}

This home, dreamed up by Australian interior designers Lyn Gardener and Amanda Henderson-Marks of Gardener & Marks, is not only one of a kind but is chock full of white wash.  LOVE IT.

Via desire to inspire

I am a design student wannabe, though I wear that “wannabe” status proudly, as no two ideas are the same – I love every style, era, theme, and pattern – and would likely flunk out of design school … fast.  This image, spotted on Pinterest (where else?), has me swooning.  Exposed beams, white wash, farmhouse table, stainless steel appliances … no doubt, I love it all … but paramount is the wall adorned with vintage silver trays.  This wall is everything I love in a good house project – shopping/hunting thrift and garage sales (*bliss*), vintage finds, and a hammer and nails project for the hubby (he’s a very proud hammerer).

Image found on Pinterest // Via This Photographer’s Life