Smart shopper

Ever since last summer I have crushed on this red Norma Kamali suit (seen on Miranda in the Sex and the City Movie). With a price tag that reads $350 sadly meant that it wasn't going to happen for me and my suit.

Well lucky me browsing Tarjay last weekend I spotted this suit on the rack. There was only one left and the price was $35.99. So I left happy with my imie (imitation for those of you not familiar with my short speak) and now will have a cute suit to rock in Vegas this weekend.

Something's gotta give

All of you Mommas out there do you ever fall prey to one of those kid's marketing gimmicks? The other day at the groc I actually bought these at the multiple requests of my Big.You would have thought that he had found a golden ticket he was so excited. I suppose saying yes in the dairy aisle beats saying yes at the checkout candy. Though my kids are happy just to smell the candy at the checkout because they know I won't buy anything. Weird, I know but letting them smell it beats them asking over and over for some. As a mother sometimes something has to give, my giving is the occasional can of Spaghettios (which they hated thank goodness) or pack of Danimals Crush Cups. Everyone has their breaking point, what's yours?

Outdoorsy

How is the weather in your neck of the woods? Here it hasn't quite hit sizzling so I'm still dreaming of cozy outdoor spaces.

[images via House Beautiful, The House that A-M Built & Southern Accents]

Today's medicine

I'm currently self-medicating with these. Yum.

What's your favorite med?

I'm taking a poll

I've got a chair like this (not this one but almost the same) and I'm planning on painting and reupholstering it.

So I can't decide here are the options: 1.) black paint/fun fabric (think Rubie Green-esque) 2.) colored paint/fun fabric 3.) black paint/simple stripe fabric. I'm taking any and all suggestions so please help a girl out!

*I guess I should clarify the chair is most likely going into my closet, I need something cute and girly in there.

I'm Cindy

I'm feeling a little like Cinderella trying to get all of my cleaning done before I can head to the ball...or in my case the Circus.

Spring Brights

I love the punchy color of this sitting room, lovely.

[image via Desire to Inspire]

Respect Mother Earth

Happy Earth Day!

[image via Pilates Pro]

Kid fingers

My mom always tells the story of my nails. When I was a teeny baby she accidentally nipped my finger, I bled and she cried. After four children she can still claim that she never again trimmed baby nails, just in case. I've always been the nail trimmer in my house. Always being super careful not to trim them too short or accidentally pinch their sweet skin. Yesterday I was trimming my Big's fingernails and I noticed something. They were no longer the sweet, Tiny Chiclet nails of a baby, they had changed. Overnight they had morphed into kid fingers.

At first glance they were the same, a little raggedy with a bit of dirt under the nails from playing outside but somehow they looked completely different. More capable, sure of themselves, like they had fun without needing my help. Long gone are the baby fingers that would hold my necklace while he nursed or the the sticky little paws that just didn't seem to ever come clean. I guess I will enjoy my big kid fingers while I can, trimming them carefully until he doesn't need me to do it anymore.

Cute tablecloth

Oh in blogland there is just way too many good ideas! I love this DIY oilcloth tablecloth. Hmmm...I wonder if there's any way to make the scalloped edges without the sewing machine?

[From Twig & Thistle via Party Perfect]

Sauteéd Chicken Cutlets with Asparagus, Spring Onions, and Parsley-Tarragon Gremolata

I've been dying to try this recipe, the only thing is I'm not a big fan of cutlets. I think they're a little easy to overcook so sometimes they're a little tough. The sauce looks easy and delish so I guess I'll have to be extra careful with the cutlets unless you can suggest a yummy alternative...

Twinsies

There are times when I think the best idea is to put both boys in twins in the same room. This is purely selfish so I can move the toys into the extra bedroom and turn my living/playroom back into a space for grownups. But then I would have to figure out what do with the extra bed and then I would have to buy two beds so it doesn't really make the most economical sense. But photos like these having me longing for twins.I can't decide which set of twins I like better. How about one for girls and one for boys?

All mascara is NOT created equal

One day while shopping my local Tarjay I decided to take the plunge and purchase a drugstore brand of mascara. I read on a blog that they thought it was the best thing ever and I thought I will give it a shot. Bad idea. For the next few days I had black flecks of mascara all over my face. Not a good look. So I'm back to my old standby, my favorite perfect mascara. I love it because it makes my lashes look super long and doesn't get all over the place. But I'm a product whore and like to try new things from time to time. So please share your go-to product that you can't live without.

Happy weekend!

So it's Friday already huh? Well my week has been good and went so fast. Tonight I'm going to dinner with a girlfriend, tomorrow night we're headed to a wedding and Sunday I have to take my Little to a birthday party. All in all it sounds like a whirlwind.Honestly though I'm looking forward to all of it. What's on your agenda?

[ffffound image via Design Crush]

Prom

While browsing Etsy I spotted an article about prom dresses. This one in particular made me click. I love it and if I were 17 this is what I would be wearing. Oddly enough it looks a lot like a prom dress that I did wear, raspberry with a sequined bodice and a bubble skirt. This must be the updated version. So let's talk prom am I the only one who wore hideous dyed to match shoes?

Early mornings

As much as I love the spring weather the early morning sun starts to drive me crazy.

My pooches like to get up as soon as the sun makes even the slightest appearance and if I don't get up they decide to bang around in the boys rooms. Ugh. So then we're all up. Fun times.

The Lettered Cottage

I have a new blog crush on The Lettered Cottage. I was introduced to it by Joni at Cote de Texas and have been going back ever since. I love all of Layla's DIY projects and the best part is she shares how she does them. She turned this fireplace

into this.

Gorge huh? I wish I were half as handy.

Hmmm...

I'm not sure I'm loving the chairs at the end of the bed. Where do you stand on this little design decision?

On the other hand I do love the headboard, I would take that in a minute.

[image via House Beautiful]

Gotta love Monday!

[image via flickr]

Happy Easter

Have a lovely holiday.

xo - Sarah

[image via Martha]

Easter eggs

For the past week the boys and I have tried to find time to make Bakerella's cupcake pops and today we finally got around to it.

They weren't bad at all peeps, easy peasy. Next time around I might even try something a little trickier. Please keep in mind these are a first try (code for not too pretty) we whipped these up fast right after dinner so we could decorate a couple before the kids went to bed.

I thought I had corn syrup to attach the sprinkles, but it must have gotten tossed in a pantry purge. Since I didn't want to go to the groc and find myself in the Easter craziness I decided to improvise and use maple syrup for the glue. I diluted it a bit so it wouldn't be so dark but next time I'll have all of the necessary supplies.

OK, now I'm off to be the Easter Bunny have a wonderful holiday!

Girl Crush: Gwyneth

For those of you that have been reading this forever know that my girl crush is Gwynnie (like we're on the first name, but whatev). I know she can come off a little pretentious and snotty but seriously the girl can rock a look that's for sure.

Adorbs!

Recipe from the Room: Croissants

This room designed by Courtney Giles with it's warm toasty fabrics and rich woods immediately made me think of a simple but favorite combination of mine of croissants and cappuccinos. I haven't actually ever tried to make a croissant only because I know that all of those buttery layers are lot of work and I know my baking skills wouldn't do it justice. Here is a recipe but my advice to you would be to head to your local patisserie and choose your favorite. Mine is almond...yum.

[room via Habitually Chic]

Motherhood

I was invited by Emily at Wide Open Spaces to share my 5 favorite things about motherhood. I thought what a perfect time because three of my favorite bloggers are pregnant. Paige and Erika are expecting their first and sweet Jora is blessed with a third. I'm sure they can totally relate to what I'm feeling here.

1.) I love the look of surprise on their face when I share stories of my own childhood with them. They love hearing that Mommy was actually a kid just like them.

2.) I love looking into my husband's face when he's looking at our children because I know he feels exactly like I do. We're both shocked and amazed that we could create such perfect little people.

3.) I love it when they figure something out on their own for the first time.

4.) I love reading book after book to them, they like the stories but I love the closeness.

5.) I love sneaking into their rooms at night to stare at their sweet sleeping faces. They look like angels.

What to do with a cookie cutter?

I live in Arizona, land of suburbia and cookie cutter homes. Don't get me wrong there are lots of things I love about where I live but my least favorite part is the lack of charming details in newer homes. So how does one go about making their home look like it's more than just the builder special? I posed this question to some of the design blog gods and goddesses and they gave me their top 3 fixes for adding character to a newer home.

Eddie Ross
1.) Add molding on the walls, crown and baseboards it sets the tone of the room.
2.) Adding texture to new hardwood floors, also stains and waxes
3.) Decorating with flea market finds is always a great way to add charm.
Lauren from Pure Style Home
1) Add architectural details: you can add moldings, bead board ceilings and or walls, chair rails, wainscoting, switch out plain doors for historical ones, ditch your carpet for style-appropriate hardwood or tile, add panes to windows, etc... research whatever style it is you're going after & figure out what you can do to your home architecturally to get it there.
2) Switch out your hardware: LIGHTING-LIGHTING-LIGHTING!!! Switching out builder's grade lighting with special chandeliers & light fixtures is an easy way to inject your personality (& the feeling of age if necessary!!) into your home. The same also applies to plumbing fixtures & even your door knobs if you want to go that far.
3) Don't buy all new: Shop flea markets, antique stores & garage sales. If your furnishings and/or accessories have a sense of age about them, so will your home. Make it feel is if it has been designed & collected over time.
Seleta Hayes from Simply Seleta
Tricks for adding character in a newer home: [I've gone from most to least expensive]
1) If you can swing it, adding special architectural features such as molding or horizontal boarding instantly brings in character. Even finding an architectural piece of molding and hanging it above a fireplace or on a long wall above a sofa can be stunning. An inexpensive trick I did in my first child's nursery was adding a chair rail with large squares above and smaller squares below the rail. The squares were made of inexpensive picture molding trim. The supplies and labor only cost $200 and I had the carpenter help me measure it all out in advance. With a classic paint color and crisp white trim, the nursery went from drab to charming all while offering the character of an older home. To this day, it's still one of my favorite rooms I've ever designed.
2) If molding is out of the question, then adding one beautiful antique piece of furniture can bring both texture and personality into a room that really makes an impact. That's exactly what I did with my favorite antique from Scott's in Atlanta. It's an old green chest from Hungary coated with layers and layers of paint and markings that make it very imperfect. But it's those imperfections that add so much visual interest in a newly built space.
3) A collection of antique plates or prints hanging on a wall can make an instant statement. It doesn't have to be an expensive collection, it can even be things found at flea markets or borrowed from a favorite Aunt or grandmother. Whatever grouping you do decide to display, be sure that it is similar in theme, subject or shape. This way the grouping has continuity and reads as one large piece or focal point. Otherwise, it can end up looking "knick-knacky" which is never good. Pair the grouping with a modern chest or lamp and suddenly you have that contrast which makes for such an interesting interior. I always find it charming to see a vintage collection in a brand new house.
Erika McPherson-Powell from Urban Grace Interiors
1.) Make the big open spaces feel smaller. New construction is known for the "open floor plan" which is often hard to decorate. Use area rugs to better define spaces.
2.) Add mouldings, sometimes builders of big box track homes skimp on the details (crown moulding, trim, wainscoting)... If you can afford to add trim details it always adds interest.
3.) Swap out the fixtures/fittings. It's easy for a builder to pick one chandelier and put it in every house. Swap out the "builder lighting" for more customized fixtures that fit your style, even if you find it at Goodwill and spray paint it yourself. It's those little details that add character and bring more of "you" into your home

Joni Webb from Cote de Texas
1.) Windows and doors - Those are two things that new homes really try to get away with saving money today. To make a new home seem older, replace the windows with wood casements, it will add so much style and give it an older feel. And throw out the hollow core doors and replace them with wood doors!!! The house will feel so much more solid.
2.) Moldings - Be sure you have the appropriate moldings, especially over sized or tall baseboards and nice thick crown moldings. Add bead board where ever you can or pine paneling and paint it !!! Stucco the walls. In other words, get rid of as much plain sheet rock as possible. Old houses don't have much sheet rock in them.
3.) NO can lighting at all - Use only lamps, sconces, and chandeliers. No recessed lighting!!! And while we are on ceilings - no textured ceilings. Anywhere!
4.) Make huge rooms smaller, create nooks, add window seats - Try to add charm to the house. Huge rooms are so lifeless and cold and scream McMansion. If you have a huge master bedroom, put up walls and divide the room into a sitting room and a bedroom for instance.
Thank you so much designers for sharing your advice on how to make your home not only more beautiful but also more interesting.

[All images are newer homes with vintage elements or homes with lots of vintage finds. Images courtesy of House Beautiful, Country Living, Desire to Inspire, Remodelista and Southern Accents]

Sunny spot

Doesn't this little table look perfect for playing a game with your kids or to use as a sunny bill paying spot? I think it helps that the table is presh!

[image courtesy of House Beautiful]

Oh the cuteness...

Seriously Bakerella is one creative cupcake maker. I want to give that little chicky a big smooch he's so cute.

[Bakerella Pops via Hostess With the Mostess]

Alison Berger

About 3 years ago I completely fell in love with Alison Berger's lighting. At the time I saw the Pistol Pendants in a magazine, wrote down the name of the light and then looked them up online. This was long before my blog and at the time I thought, "I like these lights so much I will never forget the name." Well that was a long time ago and guess what I forgot. I never forgot what they looked like and I knew that when I saw them again I would know. Well the other day I when I saw a post at Remodelista I knew immediately that I had gotten lucky. My holy grail of lighting was found, Alison Berger.

Get all of the delicious details here.

Morning sunshine

Just a little pretty to brighten your morning.

I've been suffering from a crummy cold and going like crazy the past couple of days, that's the reason for the light posting. I hate it when I can't pay as much attention as I would like to my little blog, I'm pretty sure it begins to miss me. I do have a juicy post up my sleeve I just need some time to put it together, so check back.