3 Holiday Looks: Velvet, Sequins, and Pink. Oh My!

December 11, 2016

Here we have within this post a combination I never in my wildest dreams thought I would allow within my wardrobe. Pink + Sequins. Or how about fur + velvet? I don’t know what is happening to me ladies, but I do know I would have bet $50 ten years ago when I was living in my snap down adidas pants that you would have never caught me in sequins. Pigs have flown today friends. I usually try to buy pieces that can work multiple ways, but then I end up with a closet of neutrals. Where is room for the fun stuff? So I thought I would show you 3 pieces that can work 3 ways for multiple holiday occasions!

Look One: Sequin dress (similar one) // Blush Velvet Skirt (sold out, but here is another option I loved at a super affodable price) // Nude heels or blush pink heels // Necklace // Rose Gold Barrette

Look Two: Blush Velvet Skirt (already sold out, but here is a similar one available in all sizes) // Ruffle Trim Turtleneck // Nude Heels // Furry Clutch

Look Three: Sequin dress (sold out, but here is a very similar one) // Blush Velvet Sneakers // Furry Clutch

Sometimes it’s just fun to try something completely unpractical I admit. Like pink velvet sneakers. There is nothing that can justify that purchase except for the fact that they make me feel like I can moonwalk;)

Enjoy these type of posts? Let me know! I am working on content for the New Year!

P.S. Just a few days left to enter the airline voucher giveaway to get home for the holidays!

Photography by Morgan Blake

Items Featured:

Gift Guide: Little Finds

December 7, 2016

1.Pom purse – It’s tough to find little purses for girls, and Veronica is really into gathering up all kinds of things to stuff in her own bag. I instantly fell for this mini purse from Shop Bitte. Just the right size.
2. Apron and tools – Gabriel asked me to teach him to make eggs and Veronica and Max beg to help whenever I am making them. It takes patience to cook with little ones, but giving them little responsibilities and teaching them boundaries in the kitchen pays off. Little aprons with mini tools are a great way to start!
3. Maple rattle – Wooden toys are much easier to maintain, are always good teethers. Loved this little maple rattle for Azelie!
4. Pom bonnet – I cannot resist hats for babies. I may have a problem. All I know is Azelie’s squish factor in a pom bonnet would be too much for me to handle.
5. Logging truck – for the 1-3 year olds this is such a good busy work toy that I know my Rocco will love. He likes to stack and dump so I think this covers it!
6. Maps Book, Shine a light Winter Book, Paper Dolls – Usborne books offers such a wide range of classic, learning, and activity books for kids. Also loved this map book for my adventure loving boy.
7. Magna tiles – Easily my children’s favorite activity to date. Every one of them has loved these. They are so good for working with the hands, construction problem solving, and color matching. They keep my kids occupied for hours! We are getting another set this year.
8. Art Jar – If your little ones are on the creative side or just enjoy making messes, art supplies always make wonderful gifts. Land of Nod has so many fun gift ideas, and I really liked this bundle of supplies in a jar. My little ones go through supplies fast because they are doing art projects daily.
9. Classic Guitar – This is a really good size and sound for the jammers;) Musical instruments are always good for little ones to engage in.
10. Fishing game – This is made in Hungary! Such a cool magnetic wood game to do with toddlers. Can’t wait to give Max this set from Shop Bitte.

Good grief, this was THE hardest gift guide to assemble! I get really jazzed about good finds for little ones because you have to wade through a ton of sites to find good options. We just do three simple gifts for each child to keep things less focused on gifts. We have steered away from battery operated toys for Christmas because ain’t no body got time to change batteries! I also gravitate towards toys I know will stand the test of time in a house of 5 kiddos. These items above are things we have gotten our little ones in the past, or hope to gift them this Christmas from Azelie (3 months) all the way up to Gabriel (7 yrs.). If we are able, I love supporting small businesses, so have found a few of these from favorite shops.

My children also love Melissa and Doug wooden games and toys as well as Leap frog letter factory for learning to read activities. They have proven to be a hit with all of them. My boys are really into the Young Explorers, and we have found some really great finds on there as well! I hope this helps narrow down the hunt and search for you.

What small shops are you supporting this season?

Mini + Me Holiday Look

December 5, 2016

I wanted to capture a few pictures with my girls while Azelie was so little, and it was a really good excuse to spend some time with just them. Azelie has been an incredible peace maker in our home. She brings out the best in each of my children. They all have a soft spot for her and turn to mush when they see her…even Rocco. Gabe still can’t believe he has two girls, and I find him staring at her completely mesmerized.

And me….well I never want to put her down. She is true flesh and blood proof of divine providence, and I carry within me an overwhelming gratitude for the gift of her life.

I never thought I’d be the matchy mom type. Shoot. Oh well, here I am in tulle and flower crowns. What is happening to me?

Wearing:
Anna: Tulle Skirt, lace tank (similar), nude heels (also love these), watch, necklace
Veronica: Gold dress, Ballet slippers
Azelie: Dress, Gold moccs

V’s floral crown was from when she was a flower girl in my sister’s wedding, and I just used eucalyptus to may mine and Zelie’s.

And while this is rarely what motherhood looks like at home, it captures the essence of what these girls bring to my life…an immense amount of joy.

I’ll be sharing one more mother-daughter holiday look next week if you need some more ideas for Christmas, so stay tuned! So happy to support a fellow mompreneur Ele Story in this post. Thank you Morgan Blake for capturing these photos.

Front Door Makeover

December 1, 2016

The holidays don’t leave a lot of time or money to work on home remodeling projects, but it’s pretty incredible what something as simple as a knob switch and a fresh coat of paint can do! We decided to give our front door a little update for the holidays, and I’m so glad we went for it. It is such a fresh change, and the merry bells make it quite a happy entrance. Here’s how we gave it an overhaul…

(front door before)

(front door after)

PROCESS + TIPS:
The first step to the door makeover was removing all hardware and taping the edges of the window frames and door edges with painters tape. I went back and forth on selecting an exterior paint color for weeks before deciding on “Rainy Afternoon” by Behr. (It was a tie between burnt crimson red.) The door ended up only one coat of exterior paint, and it dried pretty quickly. You can get either a flat, semi-gloss, or gloss finish based on your preference.

After the coat of paint, we switched out the handle set. We had pretty standard lock knobs on before the update, and Gabe had been wanting to change the locks, and add more secure ones. He is much better at thinking of safety precautions than I am. So we found a door hardware combo from Schlage that was pleasing to both the guy seeking safety and the gal seeking aesthetics;) We really liked the camelot set with georgian knobs in the matte black paired with the color of the door. Gabe installed a set on both the front and back door of our main floor. Make sure to get your measurements on your doors and locks correctly before ordering to avoid any misalignment issues.

The project only took a few hours total, and it made such a visual difference, allowing the home to feel updated with minimal time. I kind of want to go knob happy and continue the switch outs on the main floor. After the door was finished decked the halls with some fir trees, mini lighted trees, and a eucalyptus wreath to make it a merry welcome for all who pass through:)

So come on over! The cocoa is ready.

P.S. Schlage is running a pretty cool sweepstakes right now giving away daily prizes to give your home a holiday upgrade including gift cards, Schlage door hardware and electronic smart locks, and the grand prize: a $5,000 Lowe’s gift card. Get on that!

Schlage products are available online at Amazon.com and Build.com, as well as in retail locations including Home Depot and Lowe’s. To learn more about Schlage and view all their unique decorative door hardware, visit schlage.com. This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Schlage. The opinions and text are all mine.

Our Christmas Cards + Minted Giveaway

November 30, 2016

If Minted hadn’t offered to give you readers some gift cards, I don’t think I would have kicked myself in the pants to get these Christmas cards done! Now it will probably take me an entire month to write one hundred addresses and notes, but maybe with the help of a few old christmas movies and a few boxes of Trader Joe’s dark chocolate stars…

I’ll share our Christmas pics soon! Since we hadn’t yet done a birth announcement for Azelie (you know it’s your 5th baby when…), we did the folded card design with recycled paper and put her pic on the inside. Couldn’t resist sticking chub face on the back of the card either. It might be my favorite pic of Rocco to date.

There were so many designs to choose from. I had a tough time narrowing it down. Almost went with this one, and I loved their gold foil options. Also, if you all are more organized than I am and have your addresses on the computer, you can now have them added to your envelopes when you order your cards. Glory halleloo! I at least got to take advantage of adding return addresses.

As our second gratitude giveaway for you readers, we are giving away TWO $125 gift cards to minted!
1. ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE
+
2. Leave a comment with your favorite holiday tradition.

Winners will be notified via email on Dec. 6th.
Best of luck! Thank you for visiting IHOD each day!
(Announced the winner of the weekender bag in this post.)

P.S. If you are local to the Atlanta area, Chelsey Heidorn is your girl for Christmas photos!

A Cozy Him + Her Gift Guide

November 28, 2016

A cozy him + her gift guide:
Pajamas for him, pajamas for her (40% off today only)
Throw for him, throw for her (Use code cybermonday for 30% off)
Rugby stripe socks for him, Reindeer fair isle socks for her
Swedish fire torch set, Candles for her (20% off today only)

I love the chance to gift him + her gifts, and recently gave a monogrammed mug set + flannel throw to some newlyweds. What cozy gift ideas would you add to these pairs?
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving break. I’m ready to have all my chics home for Christmas!

P.S. If you are an email subscriber, you will receive an extra gift guide and news about our big giveaway!

This our hymn of grateful praise.

November 26, 2016

I meant to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving yesterday, but it was really nice to take the day completely unplugged. It was our first Thanksgiving in the new house, and although it was simple, it was so meaningful to us. I felt filled to the brim, and I hope each of you felt the same in your own homes surrounded by loved ones. Many of my sisters and brothers were spread out this year, and this is the hymn we took turns singing to each other over the phone, because you know, Little Women! …

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