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”!

Lust List Image

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!”

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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.

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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

VonBon Apparel

Happy Thursday! Happy because there’s only 1 more day until the weekend, but also because I have one of my favorite companies to share with you guys today, as well as a coupon code.

You’ve all heard me talk about Vonbon before, but my love affair with this company is so strong that they deserved their own post!

I’ve searched for scarves for my tiny lady since she was old enough to wear them, and could never find anything that was modern, well made, and in her size. I started buying adult scarves for her (not cheap), cutting them in half (what a waste), and sewing them into little infinity scarves (I’m terrible at sewing, even straight lines)…then I discovered Vonbon, and the addiction started.

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Jennifer and Kristen, two absolutely stunning sisters, created the Vonbon brand out of their desire to fulfill the need for quality, organic, and beautiful products suited for both mother and child. Tired of giving their expecting friends the traditional baby gifts, they began creating goods in neutral and sophisticated patterns that were easily transitioned from outfit to outfit, as well as being gender neutral. Vonbon uses only premium, organic fabrics, water based inks, and to ensure quality, they’re printed in small batches. These ladies are so incredibly sweet, and seriously care about their customers. Working with them has been so fun!

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve seen Camryn rocking her Vonbon frequently. Here are a few of my favorite pictures of her wearing the neutral feather infinity cowl, neutral triangle infinity cowl, and the nude polka dot headband.

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Are you in love yet?

The first thing most moms want to know is “How do they wash?’, and the answer is GREAT! See that red frosted cupcake? Y’all know it t went all over her scarf, but you’d never even know now. A gentle cycle later, and it was good as new. The products are so well made, and I really appreciate that the children’s infinity cowls come in a generous size, so I don’t have to worry about Camryn outgrowing them anytime soon. I can actually wrap them around her neck 3x’s if it’s extra cold outside and I want her neck to stay warm and have the ability to zip her jacket all the way up. The neutral patterns make mixing and matching headbands and infinity cowls so easy, but doesn’t give off that “matchy matchy” look. I know these will still be favorites of mine when we decide to have baby #2, and they’ll look just as adorable on a boy or girl.

Here are some other Vonbon items that I’m currently lusting over:

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Gray Antler Blanket – This would be so great in a boys room, or in a girls room in need of a masculine touch to balance the pink. It’s the perfect size for tummy time, swaddling, or as a car seat blanket.
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Why don’t these Stella headbands come in my size?! They’re seriously adorable.

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What baby wants to wear a bib when they could wear this black & white chevron bibdana?
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Blush Antler Knotted Hat
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Burp cloths that won’t make you cringe.

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Adult Infinity Cowl in Blush Triangles

The girls at Vonbon are giving all of you a 15% discount on your total order until December 12th with code VONBONPEARLS

Go get your Vonbon on, and snag some Christmas gifts for friends!

Be sure to enter the 3 GIVEAWAYS while there’s still time!

Giveaway 1: https://playdatesandpearls.com/on-the-first-day-of-christmas/

Giveaway 2: http://playdatesandpearls.com/on-the-second-day-of-christmas/

Giveaway 3: https://playdatesandpearls.com/on-the-3rd-day-of-christmas/

XO – Samantha

On the 3rd Day of Christmas….

starbucks card starbucks mug Starbucks-Creates-Wonder-Shares-Joy-with-Customers-this-Holiday-Season

Today’s giveaway is my personal favorite. I may or may not be a coffee addict, and also obsessed with all things black, white, and gold. I bought this darling limited edition mug by Alice + Olivia for myself, and knew I needed to snag another one for one of you.

I’ve been loving Caramel Brulee lattes lately, and the crunchy little golden sugar bits on top are absolute heaven. Camryn and I make trips to Starbucks a few times a week for Mommy/Daughter dates, and usually end up at our park afterwards. If I order her a hot chocolate, she promptly corrects me with “No Mommy, Cammy likes warm chocolate, not hot!” (Yes, she refers to herself in 3rd person….she’s a pistol.) Which holiday drink is your favorite?

BONUS…The mug comes with a special treat inside! :-)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Because this mug is fragile, this will be a U.S. only giveaway. Sorry.

If you haven’t already entered Day 1, & Day 2‘s giveaways, GO NOW! The first winner will be announced tomorrow.

XO – Samantha

PS…A few of you have asked who won the Giveaway that I hosted with My Simple Kitchen for the Anthropology Apron and “Can’t Cook Book”. The winner was Aliesha Pentecost. Congrats to Aliesha, your gift is on it’s way!

Gift Guide: For Her & a very special HALF birthday!

Gift Guide: For Her

1.|| Keepsake Gift: Artifact Uprising Photo Book

2.|| Pajamas: Target Velour Robe, H&M Pajama set, H&M Slippers

3.|| Fragrance: Buy her a new perfume. I have been using Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb lately, and love it.

4.|| Decor & Fashion Obsessed: If she loves all things fashion and interior design, she’ll love receiving these coffee table books. Not only are they amazing to look through, but they’re beautiful to display. Bazaar, The Big Book Of Chic, Influence, Kate Spade.

5.|| Relaxing Spa Essentials: Milk and Honey Spa Lip Scrub, Gift Certificate, Laura Mercier Almond Coconut Honey Bath, Sugar Lychee Bath Cubes

6.|| Shoe Lover…aka every woman: Ugg Glitter Flats, Tory Burch Flats

7.|| Protect her favorite accessory in style: Marc Jacobs Gold Foil case, Kate Spade “Be Dazzling”, Cynthia Rowley Confetti case

8.|| Luxury Beauty: Marc Jacobs Eyeshadow Palette, Chanel Mascara (This stuff is amazing!!!), YSL Rouge Volupte Shine

9.|| Set the mood: Kate Spade Candles

10.|| If all else fails…buy her chocolate & Starbucks! ;-)

If you haven’t already entered my 2 current giveaways, you still have time! Enter to win a “Naughty Candle” by Illume and a Philosophy “Merry Cherry Tidings” gift set here, and enter to win the Too Faced “Be Merry & Be Bright” face palettes here. Another exciting giveaway starts tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Extra special news: Today is Camryns HALF Birthday, so we’ll be out celebrating and doing all her favorite things. What’s a birthday without cake too?! Here are some of my favorite pictures of her growing up….

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4 months {Halloween 2011}

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Found her toes!

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Christmas 2011 {6 months}

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Auntie Love

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First trip to the beach

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Being inappropriate with Elmo. He looks shocked!

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First trip out of the US

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Aunties wedding day <3

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That day she learned to walk in Central Park

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WooHoo I can walk!!

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First ponytail (Yes, this counts!!)

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Being a female driver

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First kiss

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Halloween 2012

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Halloween 2012

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Visiting Grandma in NC

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Look who found her belly button!

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A family that wears footie pajamas together…

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Winter 2012

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First vacation without Dad!

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6 months

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Twins

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Learning to walk

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After a very long day visiting Nana & Papa in WA

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1 year DR visit

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French Riviera

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Starbucks date with Mommy

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Sundays at the Farmers Market {Getting face painted}

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Age 2 1/2 {Yesterday – 12/2/13}

I can’t believe my baby is already 2 1/2…where has time gone? She is such a joy and bright spot in my life, and I am the luckiest Mommy ever! I just love my tiny lady to pieces!

XO – Samantha

On the SECOND day of Christmas…Giveaway + Cyber Monday

Let’s kick off the day with my Second Day of Christmas Giveaway! Keep reading for Cyber Monday links, and product info, as well as a little chit-chat.

Too-Faced-Be-Merry-Bright-Palette-Set

Today I am giving away the Too Faced “Be Merry & Be Bright” face palettes valued at $45. Ulta describes them as ”12 merry and bright shadows, 2 perfect blushes, 2 sexy bronzers and a volumizing Lash Injection mascara - to create a festive face for every Christmas party. Or break apart and give one palette away and keep one for yourself! The two palettes are all in a purse-friendly kit (inspired by celebrity decorator and TV personality Mary McDonald) with a full-size Lash Injection Mascara, so you can create your look morning, noon or night.” These palettes are BEAUTIFUL, and I almost kept them for myself….almost. For a full review and swatches, check out this post. You can enter to win below. Good Luck! :-)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It’s officially December, and WOW, everyone is in the holiday spirit. I on the other hand haven’t even dug my holiday decor out of my closet. We bought Camryn her first Christmas tree, and decorated it, but my own tree is yet to find it’s way home with me. Ba-hum-bug. I blame my husband. Every time I even bring up the subject of getting a tree, or digging out our boxes of holiday decor, he shuts me down. We officially have more stuff than we need, so we’ll be adding very little to our wishlist this year. I guess that’s why it’s taking us longer than usual to get in the spirit and start decorating…usually I live for tree shopping and turning my house into a winter wonderland. We’re going to have a very small, relaxing Christmas this year. Instead we’re putting most of our energy into making an amazing Christmas for a family we’ve “adopted” at the Ronald McDonald House who are very far from their home in Barbados, and have a 13 year old daughter fighting cancer at Dell Children’s Hospital. Shopping for them has been SO MUCH FUN!! I’ll post more on that soon.

Speaking of shopping, today is Cyber Monday. Here are the stores I’ll be shopping:

Starbucks: Take $25 off any purchase of $60 or more + free standard shipping. I bought a few of these over the weekend as gifts.

Tory Burch: 20-30% off (based on spend) with code HOLIDAY

H&M: 40% off your entire purchase + 25% off sale items. I bought these pajamas, more of my favorite skinny jeans, and a few gifts for the girl I “adopted”.

Old Navy: 30% off with code CYBER. I bought Camryn a few bits and bobs: PJ’s, shoes, and more shoes

Gap & Banana Republic: 40% off with code CYBER (My sister asked for workout gear for xmas, so I snagged these, and some other goodies. Sister, if you’re reading this, stop snooping. Geez!)

Lulu & Georgia: 30% off with code THANKS30

CWonder: 30% off everything with code GIFTS30. I absolutely love this monogrammed jewelry box.

Ulta: Deals on individual products, including 25% off Body Shop products. They are also offering $10 off all purchases of $50 or more, and a free gift bag worth $100 when making a $40 purchase or more.

JCrew Factory: 50% off everything with code HOLIDAY50

Lands End: 30% off everything with code WONDERLAND

ASOS: 20% (additional) off everything using code EXTRA20

Serena & Lily: 20% off with code THANKS20

And my personal favorite…. Freshly Picked Moccs: 25% off your entire purchase with code BESTYEAREVER

Bath & Body Works is also running a bunch of sales, and are offering the VIP bag for $20. I bought this last year and was really happy with the products.

This is NOT a sponsored post, these are just places I’ll be shopping (or have already shopped for Black Friday).

I will update this list with any new information as I recieve it.

XO – Samantha

On the FIRST Day of Christmas….

I may not be your true love, but you can call me Mrs. Claus, because I have some very exciting gifts for all of you! Starting today, I will be hosting a giveaway every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until December 25th. Each giveaway will be separate, and YES, you can enter all 12. The winners will be chosen randomly, so there is a chance that you could win more than one of these fabulous prizes. Entering will be easy, all you have to do is follow Playdates + Pearls via e-mail or on Bloglovin’, and “Like” us on facebook. Additional entries will also be available by following us on Twitter, Instagram, tweeting about the giveaway, leaving a comment, etc. The more you enter, the better your chances are of winning. Each prize has been hand picked by yours truly, and will make the perfect gift to yourself or your loved ones.

So here’s the real question…have you been Naughty, or Nice?

naughty candle The first item in my First Day of Christmas Giveaway is this Illume “Naughty” candle. This candle has a spicy, holiday scent. You know what would pair nicely with this oh-so-naughty candle? The Merry Cherry Tidings gift set from Philosophy.

Light your candle, fill your bath with warm cherry scented bubbles, and enjoy!

One of you will be the lucky recipient of these two delicious smelling items. Enter Below. Good Luck!

XO – Samantha

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Happy Thanksgiving

XO – Samantha

 

Gift Guide: Gift Swap $25 or Less

Today I have rounded up my favorite gifts under $25. So many of you asked for co-worker gift ideas, or gift swap ideas, and I think these are all perfect. Many of these items are MUCH less than $25, so pick your price point and shop my finds. Gift Guide- $25 or Less

1.|| Pattern Post Cards

2.|| Turquoise Glass Water Bottle

3.|| Twisted Peppermint B&BW Set

4.|| Harry & David Snack Box

5.|| 2014 Calendar

6.|| Body Shop “Born Lippy” Balm Collection

7.|| Essies Winter Nail Collection

8.|| Rose Gold Travel Mug

9.|| Coffee Connoisseur Kit

10.|| Tea Lover Set

Gift Guide- $25 or less pt2

1.|| Fox Cocktail Shaker

2.|| Navy Anchor Note Set

3.|| Rifle Paper Co. Floral Coasters

4.|| Kate Spade Bookmarks

5.|| One Line A Day Notebook

6.|| Olive Oil Dipping Set

7.|| “Put some hair on your chest” Flask

8.|| Burts Bees Skin Care

9.|| Lush Rosy Christmas Set

10.|| Christmas Kisses Lip Prep Kit

I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving! I’ll be back on Friday, and kicking off the official “12 days to Christmas” countdown with a “Naughty or Nice” inspired giveaway. I will be hosting a giveaway every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday leading up until the 25th. 12 days, 12 prizes, DON’T MISS OUT!

Screen Shot 2013-11-25 at 8.35.18 PM XO – Samantha

A little chit-chat….

Pre-warning, this post might be a bit rambling, and random. You’ve been warned.

First off, thank you all for the “Gift Guide” recommendations and requests. You guys have given me SO MANY awesome ideas, and I’m excited to share some of my roundups.

My MIL & FIL are in town for Thanksgiving, so it’s a busy week in my house. We braved the grocery store today, it was pure chaos! Totally worth it – I love thanksgiving! Can you believe it’s already the end of November? Christmas is LITERALLY one month away. Whaaa?!!!

Cute shoes have been popping up everywhere lately, like these:

Jessica Simpson Flats

Kate Spade Glitter Loafers - These are too good to be true!!

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Argenta

The girls over at VonBon introduced me to Yarning Made’s shop on Etsy, and I am seriously lusting over this blanket. The cutest, right? Must. Own.

Old Navy is having a big sale, and I found this vest (which looks a LOT like the cult favorite JCrew vest).

I have my top TWENTY Coworker/Gift Swap/Stocking stuffer guide coming tomorrow…basically gifts under $25, including male and female gifts, so stay tuned for that.

Hope you’re all having a great week! If you haven’t already entered to win the beautiful Anthropology apron that My Simple Kitchen and I are giving away, you can do so here.

XO – Samantha

PS….I told you today was going to be random. :-)

Gift Guide: Toys {Babies & Toddlers}

4.|| Confetti Guitar
10.||Owl Clock
Clothing items aren’t always every kids favorite gift, but moms will LOVE unwrapping these Freshly Picked Moccs:
and keeping your mini warm in the cooler months is easy, and chic, with VonBon’s infinity cowls:
I hope you all enjoyed my first Gift Guide installment. I’ll be sharing 2 per week until Christmas.
XO – Samantha
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