Summer 2014 Favorites!

And these are a few of my favorite SUMMER TIME things!

Summer time brings a few of my favorite things, like long evenings on the patio, sun kissed skin & freckles, delicious fruit, amazing smells and more. Below are a few of my summer must have items and items I am adding to my summer wish list. 

1. Hawaiian Tropic After Sun Lotion 

This is my favorite summer lotion it smells amazing and is super moisturizing.

2. EOS Lemon Drop Balm

Great SPF protection during summer days and delicious scent and taste.

3. Not Your Mother's Wave Spray  

The perfect product for the days you don't have time to dry, straighten & style. Spray and go and you'll look like you just came off the beach.

4. Cynthia Rowley Oversized Beach Towel

I adore these oversized towels by Cynthia Rowley (I've found both of mine at TjMaxx for a great price.) They are comfy, plush and big enough to use as a blanket.

5. Target Stylish Fedora

You have to protect your scalp and what better way to do it, than to do it in style!

6. Guess Flip Flops

Another Burlington Coat Factory cheap find, these flip flops are like walking on clouds and water resistant. Perfect for summer days at the pool or beach.

7. Mason Jar Tumbler

Louisiana girls have to have our Mason Jars and these little guys are too cute not to share. They are doubled walled so you don't have to worry about condensation ruining your furniture or your glass sweating in the hot summer heat.

8. Sinful Colors Nail Polish

These polishes are my favorite for three reasons, they are super affordable, long lasting and they have so many great summer color options.

9. Intex Wood Grain Pool

If only I could convince my darling husband that we really DO need this beauty. I love the wood grain look of this pool. If you had to do an above ground pool this is a way to do it and keep it classy.

10. Swingasan Hanging Chair

I can not get this chair out of my head. And one day when I find an extra two hundred and sixty dollars laying around I will run to the nearest Pier One and purchase myself one. Until then I'll keep admiring it from a distance.

Thanks for checking out my summer favorites, be sure and leave yours in the comments below!

Kitchen Tour

Kitchen Tour

Lets take a quick glance around the room where bellies get filled, cakes are baked and laughter is shared over warm plates and cold drinks!

Our kitchen is painted the same Sherwin Williams Functional Gray as the living area. We also have a double mantle fire place that is on the kitchen side and living room side. It is so comfy in the winter when cooking a pot of warm soup and turning the fire on while eating dinner at the dining table. Our light fixtures are a gold bronze rubbed metal and the fixture over the island also doubles as a pot holder.

As you can see in this picture here most of our appliances have homes under the counter. Since our kitchen is filled with such great storage space. A few of my favorite and most used items I keep on the counters are;

 Spice Rack, Cuisinart Can Opener, Anchor Canister Set & The Dish Drying Mat

Here is a better view of the double mantle and fire place. 

Custom Abstract Art By Angel Turner Dyke. 

Our Pantry is the small white door to the right of the fireplace. Ok, you want a peek inside? Don't judge me I suffer from OCD!

Top Shelf stores all quick breakfast items, juices, paper towels my handy Grocery Bag Holder & my favorite Straw Dispenser (I never drink without one!) Second shelf is dry goods (rice, beans, ready meals, desserts) Third shelf is canned good and condiments, Fourth shelf houses snacks and chips and the bottom shelf houses canned drinks, a small ice cooler and extra paper products.

Here is my Spice Pantry, I use my spice rack underneath and house the extras in this area closest to the stove. A Louisiana Girl can't live without her Tony Chachere's! Top shelf houses tea, hot chocolate and drink mixes, Second shelf houses larger items and liquid seasoning, Third shelf is a collection of my favorite and most used spices. 

Next we move over to the cabinet near the sink, this area and glass cabinet store all my pretties! Below the canisters are housing; Sugar, Snacks & Flour. 

And I have a yummy little ripe watermelon just waiting to be enjoyed.

The lighting wasn't working for me on catching a shot of the kitchen sink. Here is where dishes get clean ;) and underneath the sink is our cleaning supply storage. I'll even let you sneak a look at that area.

Just a few pretties, Deer are popular here in the south and this little gal makes me smile. I also have an antique milk glass vase and a tiny little candle holder picked up in the dollar section at Target. On the other side is my bamboo plant (It brings good luck, right?) And my crystal ring holder, my little ring sits here and waits for me to finish the dishes each night.

Here is the cleaning supply area, I keep all most used cleaners on the left. And my favorite can be spotted in the middle because nothing smells better when cleaning your kitchen or tile than Fabuloso! Trash bags in the middle and the right container stores, dishwasher detergent, carpet cleaner and my diva cleaning gloves. 

Here is a view from the living room. It may seem crazy to love a trash can so much but I can't get over this Stainless Steel Trash Can. Seventy dollars seemed crazy to pay, but I've loved it so much because our giant (Yes giant..) pup can't get into the trash anymore. Plus it looks sleek and chic.

Here is the view of the cabinet closest to the trash can, it houses plastic cups & easy to grab paper products. Underneath this cabinet is our weekly menu and fruit bowl.

At the end of the day, when the dishes are washed and the kitchen is clean and smelling of lavender Fabuloso, I light my favorite Bath & Body Works candle and prop my feet up for the night. 

Oh look, its the trash monster herself! Willow :) She is our sweet Great Dane rescue baby. And she really is precious... She just loves trash.

DIY Succulent Terrarium

DIY: Succulent Terrarium

Succulents are all the rage these days! I am a plant lover and I adore adding plants into our home decor. I have an ever growing collection and over Memorial Day weekend I tried a little project to bring more green indoors. And you can join me by following these easy steps to create your own Terrarium.

You'll need to start with a clear glass container. You can choose an open container like the one I snagged for only twelve dollars at TjMaxx, or you can choose a container that is enclosed or has a lid.

The next step is to throughly clean and sanitize your container and river rocks. You want to be sure and kill any bacteria to avoid mold growing inside the container. 

You'll need to choose succulents that can grow in the same climates and container environment. I chose succulents that were all drought resistant, needed to be in a container with a drainage system and low sunlight.

You'll need to layer river rock, pebbles or marbles at the bottom of your container to help the water drain and to keep the soil from holding moisture. I picked mine up at the Dollar Tree for one dollar. Home Depot & Lowe's sells them as well but they were nearly five dollars a bag and I like to save money anytime I can ;)

Now is time to move the project outdoors, it can be messy!

Simply layer your rocks

&

Then layer your soil several inches deep so that you can plant the succulents.

Mist the soil with a spray bottle before you plant your succulents. All that is left to do now is arrange your succulents inside the terrarium. I also added a few additional river rocks to add some more detail.

And here is the finished product in its new home on our dining room table! I love the color and design it adds into our dining area. 

Radiant Review: Venus Snap Razor

Radiant Review:

Venus Snap Travel Size Razor

I received this tiny little razor from Influenster and I was so excited to try it out. It has five blades and a moisturizing strip for extra moisture. This razor is the perfect razor for the girl on the go, it comes with a cute container to pack it up and throw it in your bag. I liked the results after using it a few times, I typically use a men's razor to shave my legs because I like how close it shaves. But this little razor did a great job as well in comparison to the other brands I've used before. 

I give it 4 stars out of 5.

Cons: It is very small so it isn't a razor you would want to use daily. 

Pro: Close shave and perfect for weekend trips and travels.

If you are interested in receiving free products for your personal review and opinions leave your email in the comments below and I will send you an invitation!

  

Living Room Tour

A Glimpse of the Living Room!

I also recently purchased a set of industrial style nesting tables from Ivan Smith Furniture. 

Our living room is where we spend the most time and we love our big comfortable sectional from Ashley Furniture. The living room paint color is

Sherwin Williams Functional Gray. 

Our living room decoration and theme are based off This rug I fell in love with from 

Overstock!

And here is another glance of the nesting tables, I really love them. And even more so that I was able to buy them off the floor for an extremely discounted price.

Turquoise and teal are my favorite color. And even though the blue accents in the living room are very bold and bright. The grey walls, curtains and pillows help to tone everything down. The blue is very functional and modern.

Our Quincy Chairs were purchased from World Market, they no longer sell them in this Peacock color but they have a Caribbean blue still availble. These chairs are not only stylish but extremely comfortable. They have a bronze nailhead detail on the sides and back.

Here is a close up of our shelves and picture display. All of the photographs are from our wedding day. I gathered frames from local thrift shops and spray painted them each matte black. The figurines are from random stores and places, my glass Elephant and Hippopotamus were made in Africa and given to us by a sweet missionary friend whose family operates Children's Cup. You will see many hippo's in my decorations throughout our home. They are my favorite animal and Austin tolerates them everywhere because I adore them.

Our pillows are from the Target Threshold Collection, and this Cremieux Throw blanket was purchased at Dillard's, snuggling in this blanket on a friday night may be just about as close to heaven on earth as you can get. ;)

This is a quick glance into our Foyer. The focal point of our entry way is the massive custom abstract art piece by Artist Angel Turner Dyke.

We have an antique Queen Anne Sofa Table (<- this one is pricey, you can find cheaper replicas on ebay!) and my Meyer Lemon Tree is hanging out in the right hand corner. 

The entryway rug was purchased from Homegoods. Top paint color is a charcoal from Sherwin Williams and bottom is the Sherwin Williams Functional Gray.

If you would like a more detailed tour of our Foyer please leave it in the comments, we recently refinished our foyer closet and turned it into a functional coat closet.

And finally a quick glance from the sofa on a friday movie night (you have to have mint chocolate chip ice-cream or it just isn't right!).

 We have a double fireplace that goes into our kitchen/dining area. If you would like to see a tour of those rooms leave a comment below!

The living room isn't complete just yet, I still need some accents, I am experimenting on mixing metals and I'll update on those things as the room is more complete.