03/19

Goodbye Winter Feet…

Hello Lovelies!

This might be a little awkward. I don’t usually talk about my feet with my friends, and frankly, they’d probably stop being my friends if I did…But, spring and summer are upon us, and I know I’m not the only one who needs a little tootsie TLC. I live in my sandals, almost year round, and i’ve discovered a few tricks that really help keep my feet looking their best.

Here are a few of the things my feet can’t live without during flip-flop season:

flexitol Flexitol Foot Balm

This foot cream doesn’t smell like perfume and doesn’t come in a fancy bottle that you’ll want to display on your vanity, but this stuff works! I’ve tried more expensive foot creams than I care to admit, and this is my hands down favorite. (I also love using aquaphor.) I slather this on my feet every night before bed and it keeps my feet soft and callus free.

leopard socks

I’m also obsessed with wearing gel heel socks overnight (I apply moisturizer first, then heel socks). Any brand will do, I’m sure, but this leopard pair is obviously sexier…or not?!

I keep a foot rasp in the shower and exfoliate any dead skin away once a week. I like to slather my feet in soap first, and then use the rasp, versus using it on wet (non-soapy) feet.

Speaking of flip-flop season, I bought these gladiator sandals on sale at Target a few weeks ago and I’m in love with them!

I’m also stalking these, and praying they go on a 90% off clearance sale. A girl can dream. ;-) I might snag these instead.

Oh, and currently on my toes – Essie’s Style Hunter. I just picked up Spin the Bottle and can’t wait to try it. I’ll Instagram a pic sometime this week.

Hope you’re all having a great week.

XO – Samantha

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Filed Under: Beauty, Fashion Tagged: , , ,
03/17

How to give your space a spring sprucing!

You all know I’m a home decor-aholic. My husband cringes with every new season, knowing I’ll be walking through the door with new pillows, lamps, rugs, etc to reflect the changes outdoors. In the winter you can bet I’ll be snuggling under a fur throw, burning a musky candle, and and enjoying warm toned pillows and accessories. But spring is my favorite season of all, and I look forward to sprucing up my space for spring weather all year!

Here are a few of my favorite items to “spring up your space”.

Screen Shot 2014-03-16 at 11.05.20 PM

A jute rug is the perfect spring/summer addition to any decor. It’s natural, durable, and the muted coloring pairs well with almost anything. The beachy, summer-home feel that a jute rug gives off is perfect for this time of year (and year round). I just purchased a jute rug for my living room and I’m absolutely loving it! The above rug is from Ballard Designs and is 20% today.

Floral pillows, as well as bright corals and summer colored pillows, are an easy and cheap way to freshen up a space. Layer different textures, colors, patterns, and sizes to create a well-styled sofa. I read somewhere that every room should have something black & white, as an anchor, so pop a small accent pillow in the mix. You can purchase the floral pillow, coral geometric pillow, yellow bloom pillow, and black and white pillow at Target.

Target has also brought back their upholstered x-benches in grass and coral, and I am beyond thrilled! These babies are perfect for tucking under a console table, in front of a fireplace, flanking a living room table, and more. The colors pair perfectly with florals, and scream spring. Run, don’t walk, to get your hands on these!

Last but not least, fresh flowers. No need to spend a lot on expensive roses, just grab a $4 bunch of carnations or whatever your local grocery store sells, and pop them in a fun vase. Get creative! I used my Alice + Olivia mug as a vase recently and it looked so chic. You can also light a fruity or floral candle (I’m currently burning this one from Bath & Body, and it smells amazing) and your home will scream spring within minutes.

XO – Samantha

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Filed Under: Home Decor Tagged: , , , ,
03/13

Tres Bien {Collaboration}

stylish moms collab copy

My sweet friend Bethann, of BethAnimalPrint, reached out to me a few weeks ago and asked if I’d be interested in a “Stylish Moms” fashion collaboration. My obvious answer was “Duh!”

The shirt we chose to style was the “BIEN” screenprint scoopneck tee, which is sadly no longer available. You can find something similar (and under $8 – say what?!) here. The goal was to style an outfit that can take you from play dates with the littles to brunching with your girlfriends. No mini skirts that will flash the goods when you bend over to tie a tiny shoe, or heels that could break an ankle if you tried chasing after your rugrat.

I decided to stick with my usual “mom uniform” and paired my shirt with skinny jeans from H&M, brown leather bow belt, ballet flats, and my Michael Kors white boyfriend blazer (no longer available – similar & similar). You can recreate this entire look for under $90.

BienShirt

Bienshirtnojacket

details
noboobs

If you’re a mom, you understand the annoyance with shirts that droop open and flash your boobs to everyone when you bend down to pick up your little. Here’s the trick: use your sunglasses! I hook my sunnies to my shirt and push the end of the frame under the center of my bra. It keeps your shirt from hanging open if you lean forward. ;-) Is that a tip, or just a weird fact about me?! nojacket

walking

We spent a family day down at our dock, and then went for lunch and ice cream. Family dates are the best, aren’t they?
talking

walkingtodock

holdinghandsbw

This last picture has nothing to do with my outfit, I just love it because Camryn was holding my hand and being so stinkin’ sweet.

Click the links below to check out all the other stylish mamas, and see how they wore their Bien shirt!

BethAnimalPrint

Blushing Basics

Lou What Wear

XO – Samantha

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Filed Under: Fashion Tagged: , , , , , ,
03/12

Zoo

Good morning, and to any of you still reading my blog, thanks for sticking around! I’ve been a little MIA lately, and not blogging as regularly as usual. I wish I had a better excuse, but the change in time, being a mom, and being overrun and just exhausted by evening has been getting the best of me.

Here’s what I did yesterday instead of blogging. Camryn and I watched this hilarious video in the morning, and then she begged me to take her to see the goats, so we did. I played hooky, and took my tiny lady to the zoo. :-)

zoo

zoo2

zoo3

This happened…and yes, those are underwear of my child’s head. I’m blaming this on a sugar rush from snow cones at the zoo.

zoo4

zoo5

zoo6 We had too much fun!

In other news, have any of you been following the Malaysia flight? I literally can’t stop refreshing my phone for updates. The twists in the story, and new information coming from Malaysian military is beyond crazy. If you’re interested in helping in the search for the missing flight, you should check out Tomnod, a crowdsourcing site which allows you to view satellite maps of the areas being searched and tag anything unusual.

Hope you’re all having a great week, and I promise a very fun collaboration is coming your way tomorrow, so stay tuned!

XO – Samantha

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Filed Under: Camryn
03/10

My Weekend in Instagram Pictures

Good morning sleepy heads! I bet you’re wishing you had that extra hour to snooze…I know I do!! ;-)

If you follow me on Instagram, this will look familiar, but for those of you who don’t here’s a glimpse into what my weekend looked like.

weekend1

How darling is that romper? Gap sales never fail me. weekend2

Camryn and I finally started feeling better, and had enough energy to begin painting her room. If you have a toddler, you’ll understand why she has her own mini-roller and paint tray…She has to help me do EVERYTHING. I had to paint while she watched a movie and was entertained, keep the room closed off for hours with windows open and fans on so it could dry and air out, and then finally let her “paint”. She was thrilled! I also ordered the Anthropologie wallpaper for her room, and should have it this week. Woohoo! weekend4

weekend3

My husband takes Camryn out for dates on the weekends, or weeknights if it’s not too late, and has quality daddy-daughter time with her. They grocery shop for me, go out to dinner and ice cream, play at the park, and do fun things just the two of them. It’s my favorite time to relax, put on a face mask, read a magazine while soaking in a bubble bath, and they both come home happy (and tired). Win-win! If you ask Camryn who her favorite is, mom or dad, she always says “Mommy!”, but he’s slowly wearing her down…one frozen yogurt at a time. weekend5

Those pigtails kill me. Some days I just can’t believe I made that cute baby…and that my “baby” is not such a baby anymore.

What did you get up to this weekend?

XO – Samantha

P.S…So many of you have asked what happened to “Camryn Daily”, and here’s the truth…I failed. It was a lot more work than I had anticipated, and life happened. I have decided to change the project from Camryn Daily to Camryn Weekly, and I’ll be updating with her weekly photos within a few days.

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Filed Under: Camryn, Let's Chat
03/07

Friday Lust List

Lust List Image

Photo Via Ramblings of a Suburban Mom

1.|| Popsugar Must Have March Spoilers are out! (Special thank you to Ramblings of a Suburban Mom for this image) What do you think of the contents? Total estimated box value is ~$185. I’m pretty stoked. If you want to sign up for a Popsugar Must Have Box, use code BOX10 to save $10.

2.|| H&M released their Spring Line, and it’s pretty great! I’m especially loving a few of the girls items: fringed sandals, shoulder bag, spring scarf, cheetah print sunnies, ballet flats, & striped sweater.

3.|| I’m heading to Napa Valley in a few weeks to vacation with my husband, mother-in-law, and Camryn. My mom has never been, so I’m planning (in my head) all the places I want to take her. Bouchon Bakery, Hess Vineyards and Museum, shopping in Old Downtown Napa…the list is long. My sister and I visited last summer and had too much fun!

4.|| I’m dying to get my hands on these new blushes. Have any of you tried them?

5.|| Greys Anatomy, Scandal, Suits, and all my favorite shows are back, so if I go MIA you can find me at home, on the couch, binging on TV. Yep, I’m living that crazy mom life! ;-)

6.|| I came across this pin on Pinterest, and am on the hunt for this gold pen. Clear polish to seal in your nail art and you’re done!

That’s all I have for you today. Did you check out my pancake recipe already? If not, keep scrolling down.

Hope you all have a great weekend! I’m continuing to paint Camryn’s room.

XO – Samantha

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Filed Under: Lust List
03/07

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Pancakes

I posted a picture on Instagram a few days ago of Camryn holding a giant plate full of pancakes, and I had a few requests to share my recipe. It’s so easy, and takes hardly an extra minute to make in comparison to plain old pancakes…I actually feel guilty calling it “my recipe”, because it’s that easy.

pancake

What you’ll need:

Pancake Mix – I use Bisquick Heart Healthy Pancake mix

1 egg

1 1/4 Cup Milk (follow your pancake mix directions…mine calls for milk and an egg)

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

1-2 bananas (depending on size. Sometimes I get bananas on steroids) The more ripe, the better.

Cinnamon

Vanilla Extract

Preparation:

Make pancake mix as directed on box. Add 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 1 tsp. cinnamon, chocolate chips, and sliced bananas to mix. Cook on griddle as usual. I top mine with butter, and sometime melted chunky peanut butter. Enjoy!

cookingpancakes

pancakes I’ll update with my Lust List later this afternoon, so check back for that. I’ll post the link on Facebook for any of you that follow.

XO – Samantha

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Filed Under: Food
03/05

Matte Nails Using Steam

Hello Lovelies!

Today I’m bringing you a super simple matte manicure using nothing but plain old polish and steam. Yes, you read that correctly, steam. No more fancy matte polishes and top coats. Go bust out a pot and get some water boiling, and find your favorite polish. If you want to multi-task and make your spouse think you’ve been slaving away and cleaning the house, add some essential oils (like eucalyptus) or sliced lemons to your boiling water. Your house will smell amazing!

wash

Step 1. After shaping your nails and cleaning up your cuticles, wash your hands thoroughly.

exfoliate

If you have dry, winter hands, use a pumice to gently exfoliate your hands.

boil

2.|| Start boiling water.

paint

3.|| While you wait for your water to boil, start painting your nails with whichever polish you’ve chosen. I used Formula X by Sephora in Unmistakable, a pale jade color. I’m craving spring!!

steam 4.|| After applying 2 coats of polish, hold your hand over the steam (while the polish is still wet) for 5-10 seconds. Ta-da! Matte nails.

matte nails2 Hope you all have a great day!

XO – Samantha

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Filed Under: Beauty, DIY Tagged: ,
03/04

Jonathan Adler for TOMS

One of my all-time favorite designers, Jonathan Adler, has teamed up with do-gooder brand, Toms, to create a limited edition line of shoes and shades that are drool-worthy. As soon as I saw them I was dreaming of short shorts, tanned skin, and the laid back summer life. My husband had to stop me from buying one of each pair.

Bright Yellow Bright Geometrics

My personal favorite – Zig Zag

Dark Blue Geometrics

Vegan Correa Sandal – Multi Geometric

Grey Zig Zag

Vegan Sandal – Navy Geometric

I love the attention to detail; the pops of color and pattern on the inside of the shoe make them so fun and happy. I can’t wait to pair these with a simple white tee, shorts, and sunnies…a fedora hat, frozen margarita, and a caribbean beach wouldn’t hurt either. ;-)

XO – Samantha

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Filed Under: Fashion
03/03

Popsugar Must Have March Sneak Peek

Quick Mid-Monday interruption – I just received this e-mail with a sneak peek into the March Must Have box, and I wanted to share with all of you. How gorgeous is this Ikat scarf? I’m so excited for my box to arrive!!

There’s still time to purchase a box for yourself! Use code IKAT10 for $10 off, making the entire box (including shipping) just $30.

Leave me a comment if you subscribe to Popsugar also, and what you think of this spoiler!

XO – Samantha

PS…I purchased an extra box to give away to one of you! Details on how to enter coming soon. :-)

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Filed Under: Popsugar Must Have Box
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