Whimsical Big Girls Room

My husband and I have been talking about moving Camryn into a big girl bed for a few months now, and I think it’s nearly time we actually made the transition. She currently sleeps in her toddler bed and has done great in it. We never have issues with her getting in and out of bed throughout the night, and she’s never fallen out of bed, so I feel safe moving her into something bigger. We have a full size bed for her, but I need to buy a new headboard and change up her room decor. I want to design a space that she can grow into for awhile, and that can have minor changes made without having to overhaul the entire room.

Here’s what I currently have my eyes on:

Screen Shot 2014-01-08 at 9.13.14 PM Anthropologies Great Meadow Wall Paper

To say that I’m in love with this wallpaper would be an understatement. It’s so whimsical, and reminds me of the Secret Garden. It’s the perfect artistic piece for any girls bedroom, and I know my tiny lady would think it’s pretty amazing. I also love having such a big palette of colors to work from, which will make changing small pieces in her room as she gets older really easy.

Here’s what Anthropologie says about the artist, Nathalie Lete:

“French art and designer Nathalie Lete works as a solo artist, creating paintings, ceramics, textiles, jewelry, books and toys centered on themes of fantasy, humor and childhood memories. With this limited edition, grand-scale floral mural, the artist awakens the child-like wonder in all of us, leading one to imagine what it might be like to be minute amid a verdant meadow.”

Camryn’s room is currently painted a light grey, which I’ll repaint in Benjamin Moore’s Swiss Coffee. This color is a beautiful creamy off-white, without any yellow tones.

swiss coffee I found a darling pink headboard at Costco

The photo does this headboard no justice. Here’s a photo of the headboard in a girls room designed by the uber talented Kristen of 6th Street Design School.

There is a large dark wood dresser that I considered painting, but because it’s such an expensive and well made piece, I might leave it. The dark wood might be a nice contrast to the otherwise bright and colorful room. The nightstand needs to take up little space, and not obstruct too much of the beautiful wallpaper…I’ll let you know when I find something.

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I want to make Camryn a little desk area and I found these darling industrial chairs thanks to Erin of Candy Kirby Designs. They are exactly what I’ve been looking for.

I also found 2 beautiful rose gold polka dot pillows at HomeGoods. They look exactly like these, but in a rose gold coloring:

Camryn has a huge window seat (with storage – Hooray!) that I want to have a custom cushion made for. I want to pile on a bunch of pretty and comfortable pillows so her and I can lay and read books, watch the sunsets, and look at stars from her window.

I’ll keep updating as I make progress on her room over the next few months. If any of you have good decor suggestions like lighting, a nightstand, bedding, etc. then leave me comments below.

Tomorrow’s Friday, so go grab yourself a coffee and keep on truckin’, because I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. There’s also a new Camryn Daily photo up if you haven’t seen it already. We had a little rain yesterday, so we threw on our Hunter Wellies and puddle jumped for a bit. :-)

XO – Samantha

DIY Lace Elbow Patches

I came across this picture on Pinterest, and well, I fell in love and then realized I could easily DIY something similar. So off I went to Michaels to grab lace & fabric glue. I found one of Camryn’s old’ish sweaters that will be perfect for Valentines, and started DIY’ing away.

This is SO easy, and requires very few items. 1 roll of lace, fabric glue, scissors, and your shirt or sweater of choice.

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Cut your lace into the shape and size you need. Apply glue to sweater, and then place your lace on top. I used a small paint brush to add additional glue on top of the lace, just to seal everything together. The glue dries clear, is flexible, and can be washed (turn garment inside out).

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The glue takes 24 hours to fully set, but I’ll update with a picture of Camryn wearing it tomorrow. This was quick, easy, and cheap, and it will look so cute on V-Day. I’m tempted to go cut up one of my own sweaters and try to replicate the first image now…

Here’s a tutorial for adding wool elbow patches to a shirt or sweater.

Happy DIY’ing. XO – Samantha

UPDATE:

Here are the pictures of Camryn wearing her sweater. :-)

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elbow patches

Green Smoothies

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Many of you have vowed to eat more veggies (and less fries), exercise regularly, and be healthier in the new year. We all want to lead healthier lives, but eating the amount of veggies that the Doctor recommends isn’t always easy, or tasty. One of the ways I consume my veggies with very little prep, cooking time, or even the hassle of doing many dishes is by drinking green smoothies. It’s also the easiest way for me to keep my toddler healthy and eating her greens, and she drinks them without a battle. In fact, she requests them, because they really are delicious!

There’s an easy formula to follow to make a great tasting, and great for you smoothie. It’s 5 simple steps:

1.|| Pick your base: Coconut water, almond milk, coconut milk, orange juice, filtered water, green tea….

2.|| Pick your leafy greens: spinach, kale, collard, swiss chard, beet greens, romaine (sweet in flavor)

3.|| Pick your fruits: Strawberry, Raspberry, Blueberry, Mango, Peaches, Papaya, Avocado (I always add avocado, no matter what other fruit I add), Banana…

4.|| Healthy Additions: Grains, Seeds, Proteins, Nut Butters, Spirulina…

5.|| Sweeten if needed: Stevia, Honey, Agave, Maple Syrup…

BLEND! So easy, and so healthy.

Here’s my BASIC go-to green smoothie recipe that Camryn and I share regularly:

1/2 Avocado (I buy a bulk amount of avocado, cut them into 1″ cubes, and freeze them so they’re at the ready when I want to make a smoothie.)

1 banana (I do the same with my bananas as I do my avocados)

2 large handfuls of Spinach – If you’re thinking “Oh hell no!” at this point, then stop. You can hardly taste the spinach, if at all.

1/2 cup greek yogurt

Frozen Blueberries, Strawberries, Raspberries

1 tbsp Chia Seeds – These are SO good for you, give them a shot!

1/2 Cup Coconut Milk (add more or less liquid to achieve desired consistency)

BLEND. Camryn and I always change our smoothie depending on what I have on hand, but the avocado, banana, coconut milk, spinach, and chia seeds is our constant.

If Camryn has a sweet tooth then I’ll use chocolate milk and replace the berries with peanut butter for a chunky monkey smoothie.

Cheers to a healthier 2014!

XO – Samantha

Weekend Recap

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Let’s pretend it’s not Monday, and instead talk about the weekend, shall we? My weekend was fairly low-key, but we did venture out on Saturday to the SprATX grand opening. The space looks amazing, and is the perfect balance of industrial (think brick walls, and exposed ceiling pipes) and modern. It’s obviously a labor of love by all the many local artists, one of which is my BIL. Here’s some pics of the store, art, and my sister and BIL.

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If you’re interested in knowing more about the story behind the artists, and how this awesome company/collaboration came to be, check out this video.

I bought a piece of art that I’m just a tad obsessed with. I’ll post photos as soon as it’s framed. I’m thinking it will be the perfect addition to my office space…if I ever get around to designing it. What’s that saying that rolls off my tongue far too often?! Oh, yeah, “add it to my to-do list!” (Worlds longest to-do list. Ahhh!) With that said, all of you Moms that also have full or even part-time jobs and still run your household like a boss, I applaud you, and I don’t know how you do it all.

Next door to the new SprATX shop were these train tracks, so I shot this picture of my sister helping Camryn walk the tracks for Day 4 of my Camryn Daily project.

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After hitting up the SprATX opening, we accidentally ended up at In-N-Out, which recently opened here in Austin. Losing weight and eating healthier weren’t on our New Years resolution list, although clearly they should have been.

firstinnout Camryn had her first In-N-Out cheeseburger and, my little bird who hardly eats anything in large quantities, chowed down and finished half of it. Less surprisingly, she helped polish off my chocolate shake.

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On Sunday I took Camryn to the farmers market, a Sunday tradition for our family, and she had her face painted as a puppy. We always buy breakfast tacos, pain au chocolates (chocolate croissants) and choquettes. Camryn had to bring her little doggy to show Miss Melissa, our friend who paints faces at the farmers market, for face-painting inspiration. It was really windy and cold out, so we hurried home and spent the rest of the day relaxing, cleaning the house, and I might have watched some Gossip Girls…which by the way, NONE of you admitted to having watched. My husband now believes he’s won this war, and is 100% convinced that the show is for teenagers. I thought we were friends!? Friends don’t let friends-husbands win battles over chick tv!! ;-)

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What kind of fun did you all get into this weekend?

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

 

Resolutions

I try really hard not to bully myself into being a “better” version of myself each New Year. I try to never set myself up for failure, because I’m my worst critic, and I get down on myself when I fail…I’m sure I’m not the only one. I do though believe in setting healthy and attainable goals. I perform well under pressure, and setting a goal that gives me a little push can help me grow, and is sometimes a really good thing. I’ve been thinking about things I’d like to try this year, places I’d like to go, and things I want to try to do to improve my health and well being, and here’s what I’ve come up with.

1.|| Drink more water!!! Ok, this is not a goal, this is a necessity. I am terrible about drinking water. I avoid it like the plague and will trade in a glass of H2O for coffee, juice, or a diet soda any day. My husband is constantly harping on the fact that I’m probably chronically dehydrated, and gets highly annoyed when after eating my meal I pound down his glass of water because I’m so thirsty. Apparently by the time you actually feel thirsty, your body has already started becoming dehydrated. This is a habit I need to break, especially so that I can be a good role model to my daughter. Priority #1 this year. (I failed at beginning this yesterday, so I’ll start today. Oops!)

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Before & After

2.|| De-Clutter my home. In the course of a year I have managed to accumulate a lot of stuff, and all of this stuff is cluttering my home and making me feel anxious. I crave clean, organized, and clutter-free space. Most people would look at my home and think “Looks good to me!”, but it all feels so chaotic and messy to me. I’ve already started on this task by cleaning and organizing the closet under our staircase. It’s a massive L-shaped closet that became a war zone after pulling out Christmas decor. I bought a wall organizer and containers from Lowes, donated boxes full of things that we hadn’t used in the last year, and magically found the back of my closet! I will continue tackling the clutter room-by-room, and I’ll post progress pics for all of you that would like to make the same goal. Power in numbers, right? Let’s do this! PS…Please keep encouraging me, and remind me that de-cluttering may feel a lot like cleaning…which we all know sucks…but it MUST be done! ;-)

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3.|| A photo a day of my sweet Camryn. I printed a book last year of all my instagram photos of Camryn, and it is by far my most loved possession. I skim through the pages and reminisce, usually cry, and tell my husband “I need another babyyyyy!!!” I can see how much she changed over such a short period of time, and I get to relive all those moments with her, and it’s just a really beautiful keepsake. I have wanted to do this for a really long time, but never took the leap and started, but now feels like the right time. I took the first picture of her yesterday while she was riding her new tricycle, dressed as a kitty (her current obsession). I created a page called Camryn Daily located at the top of the blog, next to Contact Me and Home Tour. I will keep that page updated with ALL of the photos, and in addition I will post some on FB, IG, and here in random posts.

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4.|| Travel. Our little family took a 2 week vacation in September 2013 to France and had the most incredible trip, and it’s something we want to continue doing each year. Our daughter is no stranger to traveling, and has been to 4 countries, and been on nearly 50 flights. Visiting other countries, immersing yourself in their culture, seeing all the art and history, and experiencing the beauty of those places is a reminder of how little space we occupy on this earth and how little we know about one another. I want my daughter to meet people who live differently than we do, and learn to value our differences, and respect their ways of life. I want her to see this amazing world. We only get to live on this earth once, and it would be a shame not to see as much of it as we can.

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One of my favorite memories with my husband and daughter. Summer 2013

5.|| Prioritize. I like to tell myself that I can do it all, but honestly, I can’t. I want to make an effort to put down my phone, close my laptop, and walk away from my office in the evenings and spend good quality time with my husband and daughter. I spend all day, everyday, with my tiny lady but I want to be more present and in the moment with her. I am guilty of being on my phone instead of playing, or getting involved in my blog each night instead of curling up with my husband…although, I’m not sure he’s been missing me lately. Football is his mistress…I should say his other mistress, because work takes the cake. Work hard, play hard. Prioritize, and then reap our reward…hopefully we’ll be reaping our rewards somewhere overseas this year. HA!

Those are my goals. What are your goals or resolutions for the new year?

XO – Samantha

2013 Beauty Favorites

Happy New Years!! Wow, 2014…It’s so cliche to say, but the last year came and went in a blink…a beautiful, memorable, fun, and adventurous, blink.

I posted a photo collage of my favorite moments in 2013 over on my instagram, so check those out if you want to see what my life (pre-blog) looked like.

I wanted to share all my favorite beauty products from the last year with you; the items I repurchase over and over again, and would hate to ever live without. I broke things into sections, and linked to everything that I could. What are your must-have products?

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HAIR

DermOrganics Hair Oil - This is what keeps my hair healthy & glossy…for those of you who ask me constantly. Shhh…top secret info! ;-)
It’s a 10 Leave-In Conditioner + Keratin
The Sultra Bombshell Curling Wand 1″

Wet Brush

SKIN CARE
Clarisonic
Origins GinZing Eye Cream

Cosmedix Pure C - antioxidant rich crystals (dot powder over blemishes or discolored areas and be AMAZED when they begin disappearing. Great for adding to your everyday moisturizer.)
Ren Glycolactic Exfoliating Mask
Embryolisse Moisturizer (Discovered in Paris, and hooked ever since. This stuff is so hydrating, and feels beautiful on the skin.)
Blistex Deep Renewal

BODY
St. Tropez Self Tanning Mouse
Laura Mercier Body Souffle
Organic Coconut Oil - I love using coconut oil around my eyes when they’re extra dry, and all over my body after I’ve shaved and exfoliated.
Aquaphor - I literally could NOT live without this. I put it on dry lips, my feet when they’re dry from wearing flip-flops all summer, my daughters diaper rashes, and on any other dry or irritated skin.

NAILS
Formula X by Sephora Nail Polish
Seche Vite Top Coat

Revlon Gray Suede

MAKEUP
Guerlain Lingerie De Peau
YSL Touche Eclat OR L’Oreal Magic Lumi
Bobbi Brown Under Eye Corrector
Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage
chanel-bronze-universal-chanel1587 Chanel Bronze Universal
Nars Orgasm Blush

MUFE HD Microfinish Powder

Dior Shimmer Star Highlighting Powder – Amber Diamonds
Naked2 Palette
Stilla Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner
Shiseido Eyelash Curler
The Falsies Mascara - I curl my lashes and then apply 1 coat of this mascara in the WATERPROOF formula, which helps keep my lashes curled. I then apply a coat of Chanel’s Volume de Chanel mascara over this for big, long, dramatic lashes. (Skip the chanel mascara for everyday looks)

Le Volume de Chanel Mascara
Anastasia Brow Wiz
Chanel Glissimer Lip Gloss

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Miss Dior

Michael Kors

Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb

Those are all the products I love, and have been using for the last year+, and will continue using throughout the new year. I always love trying new products, and will undoubtedly discover new loves to share with all of you in 2014.

On a side note, I just want you all to know how amazing the past few months have been for me, and what an incredible impact this blog and all of you reading it have had on me. I’ve met some of the sweetest ladies, blogged on some pretty awesome blogs, and worked with companies that put out the coolest products. All of the comments, tweets, and interactions on facebook and instagram mean so very much to me, and I just love getting to know all of you. I started blogging to create a happy place where people with similar interests as me could get together, chat, and support each other, and I’m SO in awe of all of you who are making that dream come true for me. I’ve always been a little shy in large crowds, and never really put myself “out there”, so starting this blog was a big leap for me but I’m so glad I jumped! You guys are constantly building each other up, supporting one anothers goals, and just making this little corner of the internet a happier place. For all of you, I am grateful. 2014 is going to be a really, really good year.

Happy New Years Friends!

XO – Samantha

New Years Party Pinspiration

Want to throw a celebration worth remembering? Something black, gold, glitzy, and glamorous? Gather your friends and family and get ready to count down the seconds in style. Here are all the New Years Party pins i’m loving, and they’re sure to help you throw the best bash of 2013:

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As for me, I’ll be ringing in the New Year with my husband and a bottle of Dom Perignon. :-)

Happy New Years ladies!

XO – Samantha

Hello again…

Hello darlings! It feels like forever since my last post, and there is so much to tell you all, I’m not sure where to even start.

Christmas in the Hawes’ house was very interesting this year…I’m not sure who was more excited about Christmas this year, my husband or our 2 year old. Instead of waking up at the crack of dawn, my daughter decided to sleep in until 9:30 and make my husband and I wait on her for hours. He kept asking if he could go wake her up. On Christmas Eve he made “santa footprints” all the way up our front walkway and into the house and couldn’t wait for her to see that Santa had come. He also helped her hide a key outside so Santa could come in the front door instead of squeezing down the chimney. Isn’t he the coolest Dad?! Fast forward to Christmas morning – once my sweet little sleeping beauty decided to wake we discovered Santa’s footprints, the half eaten cookies, and a special note, and then we began opening gifts. My husband and I bought fancy new mattresses for all the beds in our house as early gifts to each other, so I had no expectations of exchanging gifts, but he managed to surprise me with the Popsugar Neiman Marcus box! It’s amazing! You can check out all the contents here. Christmas was bittersweet for us because my BIL had to go to the hospital due to a severe migraine, which they later discovered was from very high blood sugar. We were later told that he was very lucky that he didn’t go into a diabetic coma. He spent the next few days in the hospital, but is now out and doing awesome. The next day was my 27th birthday and my mom and her husband came to visit, so we picked them up at the airport and spent the day eating yummy food, opening MORE gifts, and visiting my sister and BIL at the hospital. Very low key, which was exactly what I needed after a long couple of days prepping for Christmas.

Here’s a few pics from my week:

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Coffee Table Books – my mom knows the way to my heart!

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Christmas Eve Cocoa

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Tiny Lady and her Daddy

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Delivering tons of gifts to The Ronald McDonald House

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Rainbow Kitty {Sundays}

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Who’s birthday is it again?!

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Enjoying my birthday mug from my sister. :-)

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Dinner at Ramen Tatsu-ya. Mmmmm!

How was everyones holiday vacation? What did you guys get from “Santa”? If you didn’t get everything you were hoping for, there’s still a $100 Sephora gift card available for one lucky winner…Go Enter, there’s only a few hours left!!

I’m compiling all my favorite things of 2013 for you – beauty, skincare, haircare, and fashion reviews coming very soon! It will be my MUST – HAVE products. Things I repurchase as soon as I run out, and have used over and over again.

I hope you all had an amazing holiday.

XO – Samantha

$100 Sephora Giveaway

Happy Holidays Everyone! Only 2 more days until Christmas!! :-)

My husband, Sister, Brother-in-law, and I took Camryn to see the “Trail of Lights” here in Austin for the first time last night, and so did everyone else in Texas. It was packed!!

trailoflights On Saturday we had a package delivered (Overnighted…Saturday delivery…very important) from Tiffany & Co. I went to go open it and realized it was NOT my name on the package. Noooooo!!! I called Tiffany’s and they apologized and are sending a manager to my house, an hour away from the nearest Tiffany store, to pick it up. The box is sitting on my counter, staring at me, begging me to open it. Why are you not addressed to me?! Ha!

We are visiting my husbands grandparents tonight, and then we’ll be spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my sister and BIL. My mom and her husband arrive on the 26th, my birthday….25 again this year ;-), and they’ll be staying with us for a few days. I’ll still be instagramming and on twitter, but today will be my last blog post for a few days.

I had intended on running 3 more small giveaways between last Friday and Christmas Day, but I want to combine those and do one last BIG giveaway.We all love Sephora, right? My final Giveaway of 2013 is a $100 Sephora gift card!! All entries will be verified, so please make sure you’re completing all entry requirements. Many of the previous winners had not met all requirements, and a new winner had to be chosen, so don’t let that be you.

I hope you all have the very best Christmas!! I’ve starting compiling a list of all my favorite products of 2013, so I’ll be sharing those with you very soon. There are so many amazing products to share with you, I might need to vlog it.

XO – Samantha

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