Its been too long...

It's been about a year since I last blogged which is really incredible when I think about how much I truly enjoyed it in the past.  Unfortunately, I had several life changes in the past year which contributed to my lack of blogging.  I will go a bit into those in the next post.  This is short and sweet but I'd like you to know that you didn't get rid of me that easily! I will be back soon with a bit more of an explanation..

October Birchbox Review, I'm really loving this beauty subscription company reviewing gig that I made up out of my own imagination!

This is our second Birchbox and AGAIN, my girls and I were so happy with the goodies!  We received our second Beauty Army box and it's not worthy of a blog post.  I've even cancelled our subscription.  Some of the same product as the month before and truly just itty bitty samples. Blah.  The fiberboard paper box it comes in is nice though! LOL  I have a hard time not saying one thing positive about a company, so there, they've got a pretty box with pink camo inside!

Birchbox on the other hand has been nothing but happiness for us!  I have to say my girls fight over who opens the box and who gets what!  If I had a wee less maturity I'd be wrestling in there with them!  Lot's of good ol' goodies in a Birchbox subscription box!

Here is what the inside looks like:  Luxurious hand and nail cream that seems to be from I high end company.  Sugarbomb lipgloss from BENEFIT in a glorious medium mauve-nude that I imagine looks fabulous on everyone. Plus it's a GREAT size to pop in your pocket or your bag when your running out to the grocery or out for a glamorous night with the girls!  A nice size packet of conditioner for curly hair which I fight with every day, so I'm happy with that.  And...in that mysterious blue box is this FABULOUS nail color that's a metallic, small shimmery army green that's absolute PERFECTION for fall!  I'd give you a better photo but that would mean leaving my coffee and you and my computer and again MY COFFEE and getting it out of Callie's stash upstairs.  That girl snagged that color like it was a bar of gold!  We've yet to use the green tea scrub but it looks very enticing!

Yet again, this month I'm tickled with the Birchbox so I don't think this subscription is going anyway it's totally worth the $10.00 a month.

I also received the September POPSUGAR subscription box.  It's going to be my next post.  Let me just say...SWOON!  This box is spendy so I won't be able to keep it up much longer but if this box is indicative of the typical box, WOW!  So check on back for that post!

I'm having so much fun with these beauty and lifestyle subscription boxes that I wish I could order more and more!  But I'm just testing a couple out to see what I'll keep in my budget.  I already canceled the Beauty Army, I'm excited to see next month's Birchbox and next months POPSUGAR. I subscribed to Julep too, the first month is free.  My daughter Callie changes her nail polish like 2 times a week. And Julep is mainly nail polish, right up Callie's Alley!  This is so much fun, my girls and I are loving it!  Try out a box, they are fun and you can't go wrong with the two I just mentioned!

bits and bubbles

Been gone for a few days from blogland.  Busy co-planning a shower for my lovely niece. And I snuck in a few senior photos of my one of my twins, Cole.  I've got some blog posts in the works but don't have time to crank them out right now so I'll show and tell you what I've been working on.  First my son's photos.  He's not the most comfortable yet in front of the camera but I hope that changes.  He's had some interest from some agencies.  This is never really something we had on a plate so not really having a budget for a pro photog to get together a portfolio means Mom pulls out her old digital lens reflex and we get snapping.  We really don't know what we're doing.  I know it's going to take another session or two and I hope he  loosen ups so we can see the real Cole.  Cole's 6'3.  That's a lot of boy to capture.  Here are a few we came up with.  

Okay and now to a total TURN of attention...I've been plugging along for Kady's baby shower for sweet little Charlotte who has yet to make her appearance, thank Goodness!   Kady's mom came up with the idea of a little theme of "she's about to pop!".  When Kady was little on up till now she has an affinity for delicious caramel corn from a local seashore shop.  Karen is bagging it and tagging it with the "She's about to POP!" theme.  I'm making table squares out of this sweet light pink polka dotted fabric.  For the center pieces, I'm using my oodles of milk glass vases with just simple baby's breath, baby pink carnations and some pretty Zinnia's from my garden.  We are also going to use those sweet lanterns everyone has from Ikea with pink tea lights.  One day while checking out Pinterest for just a minute or two (HA! Yeah right, I get lost in there) I saw some lollipops wrapped in tissue.  DING DING DING!  I'm using the same table square material to cover BlowPops and tie a  pretty little white bow on them.  

You use pinking shears and cut 6"x6" squares for the pops

The Washi tape is from.....wait for it........THE DOLLAR STORE! LOW AND BEHOLD! Who'd a thunk?

We were fortunate enough to find this chalkboardish bag to add to the slight chalk board theme going on in the background.  The chalkboard below is in my kitchen!  

I'm going to erase this tonight and write WELCOME SWEET BABY CHARLOTTE to display at the shower

I'll follow with a full shower post in a few days.  I've got some tricks up my sleeve!

TREND ALERT: X Stools!

Okay, okay, I know I just did the pouf which is sortakindalikaxstool.  BUT...the X-STOOL is more fancy Nancy.  More Park Avenue.  A bit more upscale. A little more on the formal scale of design.  They actually have been around in design since like the dinosaurs or something like that.  In reality I'm just a bit too lazy to look up the date they were birthed and my mind is too sieve like to remember. On to the X-STOOLS...

stylewithinreach.com

Surinde de Young



The estate of things

classicblackclassicwhitetumblr             This also has the lucite trend too!

style carrot says everyone needs one or two!  Hhhhmmm, they do seem to come in twins!

thefoodogatemyhomework.tumblr.com

paloma81.blogspot.com

houseofturquoise.com

niagaranovice.blogspot.com

Alicia Cleary

mm

MJM    and yet another x-stool and lucite....yummy

elements of style

dcdesigncoop.com

Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams

TREND ALERT: POUFS

Leather poufs, fur poufs, shiny poufs, colorful poufs, poufs,poufs, and more poufs!  They are popping up everywhere like toadstools after the rain.  But these are FUN! Useful too!  Plop on down onto one or kick your feet up on it.  Serve appetizers on it if you like!  There are poufs to fit every decor and every corner!

I just succumbed to the pouf rage myself with a set of twin grey and white square chevrons for my family room.  We are doing a little mini makeover of the family room as I mentioned a few posts backs so someday you'll get a reveal.  

No source for these, sorry

Poufs come in all price points too which is really cool.  It's really a trend for the masses, I'm telling you!  Mine are indoor/outdoor with washable slipcovers that I scored from Joss and Main for $42 with free shipping!  I've seen similar ones for over a hundred dollars and they weren't washable!  Let's check out some of the cool poufs available around the internet marketplace.

Mine look just like these.  This one is from Kohl's





IKEA $279.99

I've seen some like these at Target!

Poodle pouf from CB2

Sorry no source

Ohhh furry poufs!

This one is available on Etsy for $245