Lust List: 1/10/14

kate spade bow usb

1.|| I am LOVING this Kate Spade Bow USB. I take a lot of photos of Camryn, and am constantly using my USB to store them and transfer pics between my macbook and iMac.

elbow patches

red heart

2.|| DIY lace elbow patches and heart – here’s the finished look. I love how they turned out, and will definitely be doing this to one of my own sweaters.

3.|| I found this darling elephant print on Etsy ( by Oana Befort) while sourcing items for a girls nursery (Full Nursery post on Monday), and love him! Isn’t he precious?

4.|| I’m flying home for my sister-in-laws babyshower next week, and I’m so excited!! They find out the gender in a few days and I can’t wait to start shopping for my ONLY niece/nephew. Future spoiled baby alert!!!

5.|| Since I’m flying home with Camryn, and without the help of my husband, I decided to have a carseat shipped to my In-Laws to avoid the hassle of bringing mine. This carseat is the #1 rated on Amazon, it’s cheap, and accommodates babies 5lbs-40lbs so my future niece/nephew can also use it when they visit home.

6.|| The man who became part of a lion pride. Amazing video – a must see.

7.|| This is such a great oversized clutch (it’s huge), and I love the optional monogramming. It comes in tons of great colors.

8.|| These “His & Her Vow” cards are darling, and the perfect gift for any couple getting ready to walk down the aisle. They’ll make great keepsakes for the Bride and Groom too, and would look beautiful framed and displayed on eachothers night stands as reminders. One of my sweet friends is getting married in May. :-)

9.|| Goop did a “Guest Apartment Challenge” and this beautiful space was created. Check out all the photos here.

10.|| Jenn from The Chic Pad revealed her foyer makeover, and it’s beautiful! Go drool over it, you won’t be sorry.

Hope you all have wonderful weekends!!

XO – Samantha

First Lust List of 2014

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The-Little-Market-Styled-Trunks-7602-434x652 1.|| This beautiful white and brown leather trunk from The Little Market has me swooning.

2.|| I’ve been eyeing this headboard for Camryn’s room.

3.|| We need new light fixtures desperately, and I’ve been loving a few from Restoration Hardware, including this dramatic little gem. I’m loving these for over my bar.

4.|| I mentioned yesterday that my husband and I want to travel overseas again this year, and we’ve been talking about seeing Greece. After looking at pictures, I’m sold! Has anyone been? Do you recommend it? My husband visited years ago, and wants to return.

5.|| I recently started watching the Gossip Girls series on Netflix after one of you suggested it to me, and I’m hooked! My husband will not stop making fun of me, and says it’s a show for young teens, but I highly disagree, there’s some stuff going on in the show that is not at all for young teens. Please leave a comment if you watched this show, and prove my husband wrong!!!

6.|| I saw this picture on Pinterest a few weeks ago, and I can’t stop thinking about changing my hair. Ombre? I have the length and I like the idea of focusing the damage to the ends of my hair so I can chop it off if I get tired of it being bleached. Thoughts?

7.|| If you live in the Austin area, be sure to check out the grand opening party at the new SprATX location on Saturday the 4th!

8.|| I found thinly sliced agate at Homegoods last week and I plan to frame them for my husband office. I’m envisioning 2 stacked frames (similar to photo above) with antlers above. Moth Designs has a great DIY tutorial for framing agate if you want some for your home.

9.|| This kills me.

10.|| How cute is this dress from Mason and the Tambourine? I couldn’t buy it for Camryn fast enough. I wish Candy Kirby Designs would start making dresses, because I’m smitten with her fabrics.

Did you check out yesterdays “Camryn Daily” pic? Our park doesn’t have potties, so I’m always that ghetto mom toting around a kid potty in my car. My house is only 4 houses away from the park, but this mommy is not going to pick up my kid and start running home when she says “I need to potty Mommy!”. Yeah, I lead a really glamorous life. If you haven’t checked out the pics you can see them all here.

Happy Friday!!

XO – Samantha

 

Lust List + Giveaway: 12/20

It’s Friday! Ahhh that feels so good to say. IT’S FRIDAY!!! I feel like this has been the longest week, and I am so exhausted and ready for the weekend. If you guys could see the bomb that is currently my home….I would take a picture for you to laugh at, but honestly you wouldn’t find it funny. You’d probably just feel really bad for me. Yeah, it’s that bad. I have storage boxes from all our Christmas decor sitting in a stack by my front door because I’m trying to force myself into re-organizing my hall closet. I had cleaned and organized it over the summer (when I wasn’t thinking of Christmas at all) and managed to pack all Christmas related boxes in the very back of the closet. Everything had to be pulled out, and made a mess of, just to get Christmas decor out. Organize fail. I keep meaning to go buy a garage shelving unit from Lowes for in that closet so I can easily stack boxes and still be able to access all of them without it being a huge chore. Add it to my to-do list. Speaking of organizing and de-cluttering, I think that will be my New Years resolution. I despise clutter, and lately I feel like we’ve accumulated too much “stuff”, and we need a good purge and some fresh organizing to happen. Maybe I’ll do a “30 days organized” challenge in January and tackle a different space each day.Would you guys be interested in tackling this with me, in your own homes? A different task, or space each day, and then we’ll have happier and more enjoyable spaces to live in! Add it to my to-do list. ;-)

I have been so busy posting about products, giveaways, and the holidays lately that I haven’t had a chance to sneak in a good chit-chat with you. What is going on in your lives lately? We’ve been doing a lot of potty training work over here, and moving from daytime potty training (which we’ve been doing for months now) to night time and nap time potty training. It’s been hit and miss. 3 days without any accidents, and then yesterday she pooped in her undies while sleeping…not my fave. She’s really been doing good though, so we’re sticking with it. The hardest part is having to limit liquids close to nap time, and not allowing her to take a water to bed with her. She’s notorious for chugging an entire sippy cup of water down when she gets in bed. I’m so glad that we tackled potty training in the summer when it was warm enough to run around the house without pants, because it’s too cold here to do that now. If you want to see a post dedicated to our potty training failures and successes, leave me a comment. Otherwise I’ll stop boring you with #2 talk.

We are going to visit my husbands grandparents next week, and spend some holiday time with them, and then my mom and her husband arrive on the 26th (my birthday) to have Christmas with us. Last year was so much fun because Camryn was finally old enough to understand the idea behind Christmas, and had too much fun opening gifts. This year she’s been asking me every single day if she can open presents yet. She’s fully aware of what’s going on, and she knows that inside all those boxes there are toys for her to play with, and the anticipation is killing her. I feel like I say “Not yet…X many more days…” at least twice a day. She’s going to be bummed when she realizes that 90% of those gifts aren’t even for her, and are going to the little girl we “adopted” at the Ronald McDonald House. The anticipation of bringing that family their gifts is killing ME. I feel like a real life Santa this year, it’s been so much fun! I’ll take pictures when we go and share them with you.

OK, enough of my blabbering….Here are the things I’ve been loving this week:

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1.|| This family is awesome, and their Christmas “card” is even cooler.

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2.|| Beyonce’s visual album is amazing. She always looks flawless.

3.|| I tried out a new food delivery service called Plated, and showed two meals and gave my review over on My Simple Kitchen. I used the code FBFIRSTPLATE to try 4 meals (“plates”) free.

4.|| Have you met Surya the orangutan and her hound dog BFF?

5.|| Jessica from Afternoon Style featured holiday recipes on her blog, including my peppermint milkshake. Told y’all they are YUM!

6.|| I mentioned that I recently visited Ikea – here’s an article about incorporating Ikea finds into your space in chic and sophisticated ways. Love me some Ikea.

7.|| “What does my kid say?” Mommy anthem.

8.|| What are your sentiments on the Phil Robertson interview with GQ that caused him to be “suspended indefinitely” from A&E’s Duck Dynasty?

9.|| Leigh Viner’s etsy shop is a HUGE source of inspiration to me, and her art literally makes me stop and stare in awe. This is one of the many pieces that I’m eyeing (no pun intended). I already own a few of her prints, but I’m dying to snag an original in the new year.

10.|| A celebration of a mom’s love – this will definitely make you teary eyed. Pass the Puffs!!!

Today’s giveaway will be on my instagram at some point today, so keep an eye open! :-)

XO – Samantha

Lust List: 12/12

Lust List Image 1.|| I’m co-hosting a giveaway for a beautiful Bindya scarf with Lulu of Simply Lulu Style today, so come say hi and enter to win!

2.|| Urban Decay released their Naked3 palette, featuring rose hued neutrals. I own both the Naked1 & Naked2 palettes and love them. (Naked1 is my favorite of the two, if you’re curious) The palette sells for $52 and features 12 NEW shades that are exclusive to this palette. I am not a fan of the packaging, which is the same as the 2nd palette. I do love their brushes though, and use mine everyday for my concealer (not for applying their eyeshadows).

3.|| I ordered kitty cat shoes from Daily Look for myself to match the ones that I bought from Old Navy for Camryn. I also bought her the fox ones, just because I know they’ll make me laugh every time I see her wear them.

4.|| This interview with Susan Petersen of Freshly Picked is so inspiring.

5.|| I’m loving this indian inlay stencil by Cutting Edge Stencils and really want to get my hands on one. Wouldn’t this be awesome on a console table?

6.|| I ordered this darling sweatshirt from GreyThread on Etsy for my tiny lady. Go check out Nichole’s etsy shop, she has a ton of super cute apparel, like this other shirt I bought Camryn.

7.|| Popular mens brand, Bonobos, is launching AYR for women.

8.|| 7th Day of Christmas Giveaway!! Win a manicure kit containing the ever-so-popular Seche Vite topcoat, Seche Vite’s Iconic Red nail polish, Absolute! nail polish removing pads in spring fresh scent, and an Apricot Vanilla hand cream. Enter to win below. Don’t forget to go enter Day 5, and Day 6 before they end.

Have a great weekend!

XO – Samantha

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Lust List: 12/6/13 & On The 4th Day of GIVEAWAY!

Well everyone, we survived the week, and now we get to enjoy a little R&R this weekend. Wahhooo! You know what I love most about Fridays? Knowing that I get to sleep in tomorrow morning because my husband will be home and will get up early with our daughter. I volunteer him for morning duties every Saturday. He’s a gem. :-)

Let’s kick this Friday off right with my Lust List, and then Day 4 of my “12 Days of Giveaway”!

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1.|| How Kids Decide Who To Marry (Short & Sweet Article that is sure to make you smile!)

2.|| I love this gift topper tutorial from the blog “The House That Lars Built”

3.|| I was sent a sample of an exfoliator that has officially stolen my heart. It’s the Microdermabrasion Paste from Rodan + Fields. It smells of citrus, warms as it exfoliates, and leaves your skin feeling softer than a babies bum. You guys know I love my face masks, and I will gladly put this in my top 5. It reminds me of Kate Somerville’s Exfolikate, but not as stinky, or green. I’ve had the opportunity to test a few Rodan + Fields products, and I’m really enjoying them. My favorite (daily use) products so far are part of the Redefine line, which are targeted at aging skin. I really appreciate the emphasis on using SPF, and that the package includes an eye cream focused on fighting wrinkles, which sadly, I have. :-( I’ll do a full product review when I’ve finished sampling all the lines. For reference, my skin is combination-dry, and does breakout on occasion. I have a lot of freckles, which make my skin look discolored the older I get (I swear the little bastards are joining together to become one giant freckle!) I love exfoliating products, and brightening products, or anything that helps fight wrinkles. I have deep set eyes, and in the last 2 years I’ve developed fine lines around the inner corners of my eyes, so I’m always on the hunt for a good eye cream. A special thank you to Paula for allowing me to try all of these products out and give my honest feedback and recommendations to all of you. My opinions are my own, as always. :-)

4.|| The perfect appetizer. These make my mouth water just looking at them.

5.|| Speaking of things that make my mouth water…Anyone want a Kahlua Hot Chocolate? Go check out this recipe from Damn Delicious.

6.|| Danielle, from THE EVERYGIRL, shares her fabulous Chicago Apartment.

7.|| My friend introduced me to the amazing world of Pinterest Fails. My husband and I cried laughing in bed the other night looking through them. My favorite part? “Nailed it!”

influental

8.|| Beautiful new “Influence” art by Jen of MadeByGirl would be the perfect addition to any gallery wall, or inspirational piece in your office, or closet. I love that Jen’s art is always classy, and clean, and always adds a touch of glamour to any space.

9.|| When you let your kids play ball inside the house…amazing things {sometimes} happen. Watch this video until the end. Very inspiring.

Day4

10. Day 4 of my “12 Days of Giveaway”!! Win this eclectic collection of holiday gifting items, like a gold glitter journal (great for keeping in your purse and making notes or lists), a gold polka dot bag, gift tags, gold polka dot pillow boxes (perfect for gift cards), red and white striped twine, magnetic to-do list, thank you cards, all occasion “&” cards, and fun pens. I want you to recieve these goodies with plenty of time to use them, so this giveaway will only last 5 1/2 days. All entries will be verified. This entry requires to follow Playdates + Pearls (by e-mail, or on bloglovin’) AND follow Playdates + Pearls on Instagram. All additional entries are optional. Good Luck!

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Oh, and HAPPY FRIDAY LOVES!

XO – Samantha

Lust List: 11/22/13

Happy Friday!!!

My daughter and I both caught colds this week, and have been laying pretty low, trying to recover. Usually my husband is the culprit bringing home germs and whatever illnesses are running through his office, but this time I think I was the dirty bird who got us all sick. Wahhh!

I have been watching Orange is the New Black on Netflix while trying to recover, and I’m a little bit obsessed now. You guys, this show is CRAZY!! I keep catching myself getting all sassy (while drinking my chai tea, and hugging my box of tissues) and *Z snapping* at the screen, saying “Yeah girl, you tell her!”, and “Oh no he didn’t!”. I do the same thing when I watch Sons Of Anarchy. I’m an embarrassment to my family. ;-) Are any of you watching the show too?

If you missed yesterdays post, go enter the giveaway here. You can win the prettiest Anthropology apron and the “Can’t Cook Book”.

Here are all the other things I’ve been loving this week. Enjoy!
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1.|| I love this DIY gift guide from Lauren Conrad. These mugs are my favorite.

2.|| Please tell me you’ve seen this ridiculous Kanye West video. Is he serious? I love Ellen’s reaction at the end.

3.|| I bought my sister this candle for her birthday in April, and everytime I go to her house I smell it because it’s AMAZING. One of the best smelling candles ever. This would make a great gift.

4.|| These girls can sing!!

5.|| I received samples of the Guerlain Lingerie De Peau foundation with my Sephora orders, and it might just be my new holy grail product. It’s has absolutely blown me away, and I’m adding it to my Christmas list. (Dear Santa, I wear color Beige Clair 02) If you’d like to see me do product review “vlogs” or a tutorial on how I apply this, please leave me a comment down below. I’ve been on the fence about doing the occasional youtube video for “favorites of the month” videos, and product reviews like this. I know I always enjoy seeing a product used before purchasing.

6.|| How fun is this Christmas Bucket! Kids unwrap an activity a day, for example: write letters to Santa, make homemade ornaments, sort through toys to give to a shelter, go look at Christmas lights, hot chocolate before bed, Christmas movie and so on. I found this little gem on Pinterest, but couldn’t find the original source.

7.|| This book looks like DIY heaven.

8.|| Jennifer from The Chic Pad introduced me to High Street Market recently, and it’s so good! Definitely worth checking out. She’s rounded up some of her favorite pieces from there, so you can check her blog for a designers picks.

9.|| This post from Kristen of 6thstreetdesignschool was so refreshing. My previous home looked absolutely nothing like my current home. Pinterest and beautifully written blogs like Kristin’s have giving me a completely different look at interior design.

10.|| Awesome video from Fun Fun Fun Festival 2013 of the SprATX artists. They sell art and shirts designed by extremely talented local Austin artists.

I am starting to put together Holiday Gift Guides for you, so leave me a comment below if you want a specific type (ie: Kids, Co-workers, Husbands, or if you want me to focus on a store, like Target, etc) Wishing you all a great weekend!

XO – Samantha

Lust List – 11/1

Lust List Image 1.|| Celebs dressing as other celebs. Ellen’s costume is hysterical.

2.|| I’ve had my eye on this Kate Spade watch. It’s so feminine, and classic.

3.|| A caramel apple bar – these look delicious, and like a fun kid activity, or addition to a party.

4.|| I received a Wet Brush in my October POPSUGAR box, and I am IN LOVE!! I have very long, curly, tangly hair, and I will never go a day without one of these ever again. Miracle worker!

5.|| Sometimes the most simple and functional decor is the prettiest. DIY gold + acrylic clipboards for office spaces.

6.|| This living room and dining room before and after are incredible. I absolutely love Kristen’s work!

7.|| Holiday inspired nails. I wish I had this type of nail painting talent!

Hope you all had a safe, and fun Halloween! My husband and I were Woody and Jessie, and Camryn was Buzz Lightyear. Pictures are on my Instagram if you want to see. :-)

If you haven’t entered the necklace giveaway yet, here’s the link.

XO – Samantha

I’m also linking up with Lulu of Simply Lulu Style, so come visit me here.

Lust List: 10/25

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1.|| This delicious pumpkin spice protein smoothie from LuluLemon. Healthy and yummy? Yes, please!

2.|| Have you heard about Martha Stewart’s opinion on bloggers? Leave me a comment below telling me what you think about her viewpoint. You might be surprised to know mine…

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3.|| Crockpot applesauce – Camryn helped me make this on Monday, and we’ve been eating it all week. It’s so easy, and tastes like heaven! Peel & core 10-15 apples (basically fill your crockpot with apples), sprinkle cinnamon & sugar over apples to taste (I used about a tablespoon of cinnamon, and 1/4 cup of sugar). Cook on high 4-5 hours.

4.|| Pantone named the spring 2014 colors, and the color of the year – Dazzling Blue! I’ll be guest blogging next Wednesday over at “Can Ya Heel Me Now?” and talking about how those colors translate into shoes and your wardrobe.

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5.|| Loreal’s Color Riche Nail Lingerie. My ring finger has the “Elite Chic” sticker over Revlon’s Gray Suede (which might be my all time favorite polish). It’s beautiful in person!! I’ve been wearing it for 2 days, and no chips, or peeling of the sticker. I’d like to try a few brands of these 3D nail art stickers to review for y’all soon.

6.|| I had the in-office Glo Whitening procedure done on Tuesday, and also purchased the take-home system for continued whitening, and touch-ups. I have incredibly sensitive teeth, and was nervous that I would feel that terrible tooth pain associated with whitening, but I had very little post-whitening discomfort. The system comes packaged beautifully and reminds me of Apple packaging. I plan on doing a full review of this product, with before/after photos, next week after I’ve used it more. I’ll include links on where to buy, and how to save money while making this “splurge purchase” as well.

7.|| Sign up to be an Ulta Member, and receive 20% off your entire order until 11/2

8.|| Clever Halloween costumes – As a mom, and a lover of Harry Potter, #3 was the obvious winner for me!

9.|| After our rainy weekend, where I nearly lost my mind from being a caged animal, I started looking for activities to help Camryn and I survive this coming winter. This list will be a huge help!

10.|| This weekend I am taking the Tobias chair from ikea, and giving it my best “Ikea Hack”, and hoping it turns out similar to this. Mama needs a new office chair. I’ll share pictures next week.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

XO – Samantha

 

Weekly Lust List

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1.|| This delicious baked oatmeal casserole. I am making this tonight!

2.|| Serena & Lily are having their 20% Friends and Family sale. Use Code HEART20

3.|| These new Freshly Picked Moccs for Camryn (Walnut & Platinum). I absolutely love these moccs, they are such high quality, and so durable.

4.|| Gulliana and Bill Rancic’s home tour in Traditional Magazine. I could move right in to this dream house!!

5.|| Tory Burch just launched her new fragrance, with notes of peonies, and the most beautiful packaging. Add this to my Christmas wish list!

6.|| I just received this cookbook in my monthly Pop Sugar Must Have box. I love her “Deceptively Delicious” book, so I have high hopes. I’ll let you know how we get along. I’ll be giving away a November Pop Sugar box, so stayed tuned for how you can enter to win!

7.|| Febreeze Spray in “Falling Leaves and Spice” smells amazing!

8.|| This quick and healthy treat makes my mouth water!

9.|| All of my favorite shows are coming back. Are you watching Greys Anatomy, Scandal, Sons Of Anarchy, and Homeland? My hubs also got me to start watching Blacklist with him, and I can’t lie, it’s pretty good if you like action and suspense. I’m also get my once-a-week trashy TV fix with the Kardashians. What are you watching lately?

10.|| This beautiful bedroom makeover done on a serious budget, by the incredibly talented Kirsten of 6th St Design School. I’ve been reading her blog for years, go check her out!

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