my favorite things

With the holidays approaching, it got me thinking about some of my favorite things that would make a perfect addition to any Christmas wishlist or would make great stocking stuffers. In genuine Oprah-style... here are my 12 favorite things for this holiday season! Some of them are very popular items but they are all things you cannot go wrong with!

1. Scentsy

Yes, I know you probably know several people that sell Scentsy and while I don't, I will tell you... I love it. I have several warmers in my house and in the past two years since I started purchasing Scentsy, I have only come across two scents that I didn't love. I love how I can leave them on while I am away and come home to a wonderful smelling house! I'm sure I will love it even more once I have a little boy trolling the house getting into everything!

Silhoutte Collection
Glowing Core $40 with Castille Wrap  $12

2. Clarisonic Skin Cleansing Systems

Talk about some soft skin! Seriously. And the best part is that you can combine it with any type of cleanser that you want. You can use something with a little exfoliation for some serious deep cleaning or you can use a regular cleanser but with make it work extra hard with the Clarisonic. I'm amazed by how yucky mine looks when I first finish using it from all the makeup it takes off my face (and I don't wear that much make up)! They have a variety of styles of price ranges for any budget. You can also get a variety of attachment heads to suit any skin type needs.

Clarisonic Classic, $195
On sale right now for $159

Or if you're not quite ready to splurge on the Clarisonic, Olay has a great model too that's a bit simpler but still very effective. It's available at any drug store.

Olay Pro-X, $30

3. Pyrex

For the person who loves to cook and bake... Pyrex! I never realized how great this stuff was until I got married and started cooking. We got a set as a wedding gift 4 years ago and it is one of the most used gifts we received still. I have several sets now for cooking, baking, storage, etc. The kind with the lids are GREAT. It can go in the freezer, oven, microwave, dishwasher, etc. Plus it's practically impossible to break. 

Pyrex 17-piece Set, $45

4. Chic & Stylish Return Address Stamp

Who doesn't need one of these? Not that I mail too many things these days with the Internet being as it is but when you do, why not make it stylish? The things I do mail are often Christmas cards, notes, etc. that I want to look cute when they arrive. This return address stamp makes it super easy to make your cards and notes look great! What a great little stocking stuffer.

Return Address Stamp, $20, Etsy.com
This one is customized to the city skyline in which you live.

5. Longchamp

I bought this bag several years ago on a trip to New York and I fell in love. It's so simple but holds EVERYTHING. I use it as a daily bag, a carry-on to hold my books and iPad on planes, a gym bag, etc. etc. It's so roomy that it's uses are practically endless. They have several colors and sizes as well. I like the large size. It's just big enough to hold what I need without feeling TOO huge. Just please don't judge the bag what mine looks like... I'm in desperate need of a replacement! 

Longchamp, Le Pliage, $145
Available at longchamp.com

6. Microwave Potato Bag

So this one is a little random and probably something you only need if you really like potatoes like I do. It's just a cloth bag that is lined in just the right way to perfectly cook potatoes in the microwave. I have tried several ways of making potatoes in the microwave and they always end up too hard in parts or with weird things happening to the skin or something strange. But these bags cook the potatoes just right in about 5 minutes. Seriously better than heating up your oven for 2 hour to bake a potato. It's perfect for nights when you want to fix potatoes to go with the meal you slaved over for hours in the hot kitchen. ; ) I personally love sweet potatoes but hubby does not so it's nice to be able to cook one up quickly just for me!

Microwave Potato Bag, $6, Etsy.com

7. Anthropologie Capri Blue Candle, Volcano

I know I raved about how much I love Scentsy but I do still love candles too. I like the ambiance of candles, especially for smaller rooms such as bathrooms. This is the BEST candle I have ever smelled. Seriously. It smells AMAZING. The smell description "...tropical fruits, sugared oranges, lemons and limes, redolent with lightly exotic mountain greens." YUM!

Capri Blue Jar Candle in Volcano, $28
anthropologie.com

Capri Blue Mercury Glass Jar Candle
in Volcano, $28
anthropologie.com
So pretty for the holidays!

8. Clinique Liquid Facial Soap

Yes, it might be old school but it's been around so long for a reason. It's the best! This is the most effective cleanser that I have found that is mild enough for everyday use. I have pretty sensitive skin and this works great. It removes makeup while leaving your skin feeling clean and fresh. I keep a bottle by my sink, in the shower and always keep an extra on hand. They have three different formulas to meet the needs of various skin types. I prefer the mild formula.

Clinique Liquid Facial Soap, $16.50

9. Pottery Barn Pillows

I love basically anything Pottery Barn but I really like how they do their pillows. You buy the inserts and the covers separately which makes it super easy to change the style of your pillows when you want. I say this like I've actually done it but I've been too lazy in our four years of marriage to actually buy new covers and change them out. Oh well. It's a good idea in concept and for someone that's more on top of things than I am, it's great! My favorite covers are these super soft ones that we got as a wedding gift -- I will say hubby actually picked them out because he is a sucker for anything soft to lay on (pillows, blankets, etc).

Pottery Barn Faux Fur Pillow Covers, $39.50

10. Gap T's 

Gap has the BEST T's. They are super soft, comfy & stretchy. They are one of those items you want in every color available. I've been loving the maternity version of the same T's lately. My favorite thing to wear is jeans and a comfy T since it's super versatile. There's so many options with jeans and great T and Gap has the best.

Gap Pure Body V-neck T, $16.50

Gap Maternity Pure Body Crew T, $22.95

11. DIORSHOW Mascara

This is the last beauty product item on the list as I am not a huge product junkie but I do have a few essentials that I cannot live without (first-world problems much?). A friend of mine introduced me to this mascara a few years ago and I have tried several things in between now and then but just haven't found anything that I like as much as this mascara. They sell several different versions with different applicators and such but my personal favorite is the DIORSHOW Iconic Mascara. It goes on so well, my eyelashes curl just right and it doesn't get flaky or smudgy by the end of the day. I do use eye makeup remover nightly or it looks scary when I get out of the shower. Just don't tell my husband that I spend $30 on mascara... ; )

DIORSHOW Iconic Mascara, $28.50
sephora.com

12. Fleece Lined Slip-on Shoes

Don't judge me - I love slip-on shoes. Yes, I'm lazy. My two personal favorite are the moccasin-style slippers and Toms. I have a few pair of the slippers from Target and I have definitely got my $15 worth out of them. That's the beauty of Target, I can replace them every year without feeling guilty! (And when I saw replace, I really mean that I buy a new pair but continue to wear the old ones as well). I also came across a pair of wool fleece lined Toms earlier this year and I absolutely love them. I love Toms in general... Don't be at all shocked when you see Cohen rockin' the baby Toms 24/7.

Minnetonka Slippers, $40

Chaia Moccasin Slipper, $19.99
target.com

TOMS Bray Women's Classic, $54

Happy holiday shopping! Maybe I can get hubby to do a "favorite things" list! : )

adventures in furniture building

Forewarning: This post is mainly going to brag on the husband!

We recently purchased a new 60' TV, blu-ray player and a whole slew of surround sound speakers. You can guess who was making these purchases. ; ) As it turns out, the media console we had was the perfect size for our 36' TV and had just enough room for our DVD player and Dish receiver. The new TV looked ridiculous on the media console we had! Plus we had a stack of new receivers and other components that went along with the new stuff we got. We needed new furniture! 

Here's the problem with new furniture. I love, love, love Pottery Barn & Restoration Hardware furniture. I would buy the entire catalog if I could. What I don't love and what hubby especially doesn't love are their prices. Thus... the problem.

A few months ago, I turned him onto this awesome website -- http://ana-white.com/. She has amazing plans for DIY furniture. There are plans for all types of furniture! And a lot of it is Pottery Barn style knock-off furniture. Jackpot! After browsing her site for a while, he came across a media console that she had built but alas... it was one of the few that did not include instructions! Do you think a man would let this deter him? Of course not! So Michael spent a few days constructing his own blueprint of sorts, determining the type of wood he would need, how much, the various cut lengths, etc, etc. And then he went to work. Just for context, his parents live just around the corner from us and they have a full on shop that consists of about anything you need to build just about any piece of furniture. Without that, we would have ended up at Pottery Barn!

I don't have all of his blueprints and dimensions on hand so I don't have any specifics but I know he has them around somewhere!

The initial framework.

It has sides and bottoms!

     

Putting the top on.

Here it is in our garage, just waiting to be painted!

We sprayed the edges and a few other parts with brown spray paint first
so it would show through dark when we distressed it.
(And yes, I'm painting in pj pants... Don't judge!)

Two coats of paint, distressing with sandpaper, polyurethane sealer and it's done! The hardware is from
Lowe's and the paint color used is Olympic Off White.

Up-close of the distressing Michael did. I will give him all the credit for that.
I wasn't even home when he did it!

With the new TV and components! He made the shelves to fit the correct height of all our components.

Now what he doesn't realize is the list of other projects I have in store for him now that I know his furniture building abilities! : )

furniture upgrade

I posted a couple of weeks ago about finding furniture for Cohen's nursery. We decided to revamp some old furniture we already had. It was nice furniture, just a little outdated and beat up and not to my taste preferences. We had a beautiful old cedar chest that came to Michael from grandmother and a hand me down dresser from one of his sisters -- she has 6 children so you can imagine that it has taken a beating over time. : )

Michael took on the task of refinishing the cedar chest since it required a lot of sanding, stain and finish that is not healthy for pregnant lady! I had the task of the dresser since I decided to repaint it with chalk paint which is low odor and does not require any sanding, stripping or any other harsh chemicals. Chalk paint is really, really cool! It goes on super smooth right over the existing finish and dries super fast. It has a weird feel when it dries but once you finish it in either wax or satin finish, it feels much smoother. It's super great for giving furniture a distressed, vintage look. After I put two coats of paint on, I took a piece of sandpaper to a few spots to scratch off some paint and change the color a little bit before I put the finish on. I went with the satin finish because it's supposed to be a little more hardy and durable than the wax. The only downside of chalk paint is the price. It's $35 for a quart... a QUART! Plus another $30 for a PINT of finish. But when you're working with free furniture, it's not so bad. : )

Needless to say, we are VERY happy with the finished products and it looks like our quest for the actual furniture part of the nursery is complete. Now just on to the decor! Pottery Barn Baby, here we come!

The product... CeCe Caldwell's Chalk Paint in "Seattle Mist"
and Satin Finish. That's $70 worth of paint right there!

Before

Before

After one coat. It goes on a lot dark than it dries.

One coat

One Coat

The finish product! Two coats of chalk paint and satin finish and I added new hardware!

Cedar Chest before... The color is not so great. 

After hubby sanded it all down... It looks even worse!

He used several coats of Minwax Ebony Stain and Polyurethane Sealer... Looks revamped and beautiful now!

Keep a lookout for these pieces when there are pictures of the complete nursery!

Also stay tuned for our next DIY post... : )