The Monthly Edit: February

I'm excited about this new monthly series around here! Each month I'm going to round up some of my favorite things to share with you. If there's a special holiday or season that month, I'll be sure to include some items that coordinate to encourage celebration! Of course, this month we have Valentine's Day coming up, so I've included a fun heart printed sweatshirt, a photo frame, some floral and pink items. 
Enjoy!

1.  heart sweatshirt: this cozy top is so cute for the colder months, especially February! Since we're all living in athleisure these days (wait, is it just me?!) I think this is a great number to add to your wardrobe.
2. woven frame: give me all the textures! When designing spaces for my clients, I always include varied textures in many ways throughout the space to offer visual interest. This frame is so beautiful; a lovely way to display memories!
3. cozy blanket: this is the blanket of your dreams. If you're anything like me, you have to have a blanket on your lap while sitting on the sofa at.all.times. It's in my cart, as I've heard nothing but amazing reviews.
4. mini lip gloss duo: these lip jellies smell (okay, and taste!) delicious, their safe for you, and deliver an impactful shine. I love wearing them around the house, since with masks, glosses aren't especially our friends ;)
5. milk & sugar stoneware: I grabbed these last month with some Christmas money and they added such a sweet touch to our open shelves in the kitchen! I use a tiny bit of sugar every morning in my tea, so it's useful, too.
6. beanie: at least in Michigan, you can never have enough of these ;)
7. gold candlesticks: these look like something you'd find in an antique store and I love adding treasures like that to any room to give it a "collected" feeling.
8. personalized floral stationery: I've said it before and I'll say it again-- snail mail is the best!! I always love writing thank you cards or just-because cards for friends or family (I try to write my grandma's once each season to send them some happy mail!), and I also love personalized goodies. This stationery is designed by one of my friends with her signature watercolor florals and you get to personalize the top with your monogram!
9. floral pillow: add a little feminine touch to your bed or sofa with this modern, line drawn floral print. It comes in a couple sizes!
10. sneakers: these are the sneakers I have and I love them. Mine are a slightly more muted pink (sold out), but this color is so fun, too. They also come in black!
11. henley top: I've been LIVING in this top!! I didn't realize how amazing and soft everything from Aerie is. I recently grabbed this henley (in gray) and another sweater. Both are so cozy, I'm finding myself reaching for them over anything else. 


What are you loving this month?! 

xoxo



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Valentine's Day Gifts for Ladies & Gents

Valentine's Day is just about a week away and while we have sworn off gifts this year in favor of heading to Florida together instead, I wanted to give you a couple of ideas if you are exchanging gifts with your guy or with your girlfriends!

Ladies: silk pillowcase / candle / lip gloss / red makeup pouch / heart ring / hanky panky lace undies (set of 3) / pj set / heart earrings / headband / floral vase / LOVE t-shirt / ugg blanket / neck wrap heating pad  Gents: mens joggers / navy socks with hearts / boxers / 3 in 1 charging station / sweater

If you need a little inspiration of what to do on Valentine's Day morning, make these delicious oven pancakes! I make them every year ;) 

Do you have any gift ideas in mind?! xoxo



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Valentine's Day Inspiration & Decor

Valentine's Day is one day away, so to get in the mood I scoured the web for some fun pink and red inspiration! And after finding these donuts, it will now be my mission on the 14th to find some extra cute Valentine's Day inspired donuts. I kind of want to make this XOXO runner too. How easy would that be?! Just some craft paper and black paint! Maybe these will spark some festivity in you as well:

tablescape / XO table runner / heart cookies / cocktail / flower wall / donuts /  Something else I think is SO fun are balloon garlands! They're all the rage right now and I just love how my friend Tara of One Stylish Party did this one:

Will you be doing anything to celebrate or get festive?! I'm so excited to make my husband breakfast. I always set the table really cute (not sure if he cares about that, but I sure love it!) I got the fresh fruit and OJ today at the store...and got sausage, but turns out it was veggie sausage, not meat sausage, which is what I meant to get. Oops ;) Going back to the store tomorrow I guess! xoxo
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Friday Finds: Valentine's Day Gifts for Him & Sale Finds

Hi friends! Happy Friday! I meant to get my Valentine's Day Gift Guide for Him up yesterday, since last week was a whole snow week, I have been playing catch up on appointments and just didn't have time. But don't fear, it's here in today's post! I'm also rounding up some of my favorite sales and cute finds below:
LOFT: 40% off tops, sweaters and jewelry
J.Crew Factory: 40% off sweaters
Anthropologie: extra 25% off sale
I have this top and love it (got it for Christmas!) and it's under $45 now and comes in a couple colors. It's one of the softest things I own. I love the bell sleeve and collar!

Here it is on me!

Nordstrom: up to 60% off
This gorgeous dress, perfect for weddings and events, is on sale!

Also obsessed with this cozy top! I love this neckline recently. This brand is known for being ultra soft!

Beautycounter: When you purchase the Flawless in Five Collection (6 makeup items to help you get ready in 5 minutes or less! Foundation, concealer, eyebrow pencil OR brow gel, mascara (choose volumizing!) blush, and lip gloss of your choice) then you get a free retractable foundation brush!

H&M: Friends-- I want this pair of overalls so bad. If I need to be stopped, now's the time. I think they'd be so cute in Spring and Fall (with converse or booties and striped shirts underneath!) I've seen a couple friends share about them being a great fit, but to size up (as with almost all H&M clothes).

Here are a couple other finds that caught my eye!

Okay, now for our Valentine's Day Gift Guide for our men! I hope this compilation of ideas is helpful! I'm getting my husband something on here, but can't tell you what, in case he reads this ;) 

SHOP: chocolate caramels / apple watch band / fit bit smart watch / air pods / 5 love languages / creative questions for couples book / Fierce Marriage / Patagonia 1/4 zip (my husband has this and wears it ALL the time!) / button up (love the color!) / heart boxers / oil free face lotion / beard oil / rainbow flip flops / 

When it comes to Valentine's Day, we usually exchange very small gifts, a card, and go out to dinner together. Also wake up with my husband and make him a big pancake breakfast on the 14th! What are some fun ways you make your guy feel loved? Any gift ideas I should add to the list?
Enjoy your weekend!
xoxo interior design website / services / portfolio

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Valentine's Day Gifts for Her

How is Valentine's Day so close?! I know, I know...it's a Hallmark holiday and it can be cheesy, overdone, and can often make one feel sad if they don't have a partner, but I think any excuse to celebrate (and celebrate love at that!) is a good one, be it with friends or your guy. Whether you want to get your girlfriends a galentine's gift or you want to pass along some gift ideas to your significant other (wink wink), there's something here for everyone!
From my favorite panties in.the.world to a beautiful floral robe, cozy throw blankets, and some fun ways to pamper yourself with a charcoal mask or lipgloss, these ideas will definitely make the recipient feel loved!

SHOP: pink swell bottle / heart phone case / pink champagne glass phone case / candy sugar lips / kiss mugs / jade roller / zoya nail polish / pink furry 1/4 zip / lip gloss / floral robe / set of 3 hanky panky undies / drop necklace / pom pom blanket / charcoal mask / barefoot dreams blanket / stud earrings / blush / candle / matches / kiss the cook dish towel
Other than sweet gifts like the above, I love getting a massage or facial gift card, or just simply some pretty flowers :) You can never go wrong with flowers!
What do you do on Valentine's Day? When I was in college and single my girlfriends and I made heart-shaped pizzas one time! Ever since being with my husband, I make him these special pancakes on Valentine's Day morning, then we go out to dinner that evening. 
Stay tuned for my gift guide for Him coming soon. And if you have any ideas to throw in, do tell!! xoxo interior design website / services / portfolio

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Valentine's Day Makeup Day to Night + Giveaway!

Happy Valentine's Day, friends!! Whatever your relationship status is, I hope you know that you are SO loved! To celebrate Valentine's / Galentine's Day, I thought I'd share the love and host a little giveaway of a few of my favorite things.  You all probably know I've been switching over all my cleaning and beauty products to products with safer ingredients over the past few months. I was so glad when I found Beautycounter and actually fell in love with their products! I joined the team back in October and have had so much fun being a consultant (trying to be a non-salesy one at that! ;)), but the best part is I see a huge improvement in my skin's overall appearance and I feel great about what I'm putting on it.  Today I'm sharing my simple steps for taking my look from day to night, perfectly Valentine's Day ready, as we head out to a fun interactive cooking class dinner tonight! During the day I have some client design appointments, but tonight I'll be throwing on extra blush, some winged eyeliner, curling my lashes a bit extra, swabbing one more coat of mascara on, and layering my favorite lip sheer with my favorite lip gloss! It'll take all of 3 minutes to touch up and be ready to head out the door. Blush I apply to the apples of my cheeks. (I have Bloom / Tulip shade and adore it)

When it comes to curling my lashes, I do it once before applying any mascara, and then again after my mascara has totally dried, so that I get the most lift possible! I just picked up this great eyelash curler at Target the other day. It's gold, which means I had to have it ;)

I apply my eyeliner, then put on mascara (in which I brush it on top and on the bottom of my lashes to make sure they're fully coated). I use the Volumizing Mascara and really like it. I do not like the Lengthening one (it's waterproof = difficult to get off and smaller brush), so just a heads up!

When I'm trying to spice things up a bit, I like to go bolder with a lip color, so I am layering this Rose lip sheer (just a little thiner than a normal lip stick) with my Peony lipgloss. 

So, that's my look! Now for the fun Valentine's Day giveaway! I'm giving away either a blush color of your choice or lip gloss color of your choice to one winner! Enter below:

All you have to do is sign up for my Safer Beauty Tribe newsletter where you'll get some helpful info about safe beauty and skin products in your inbox only once a month! If you're already signed up but want to be entered to win, please still sign up with the rafflecopter tool below! It helps me keep track of entries :) a Rafflecopter giveaway The giveaway will end this Monday and be announced Tuesday. Good luck!! Hope you have a wonderful day! xoxo interior design website / services / portfolio

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DIY Heart Garland: Valentine's Day Craft

One of my goals this month was to do one craft for Valentine's Day. I haven't done a craft or DIY project in a veryyy long time, so I was half dreading and half looking forward to this goal! Well, this last week I looked into my paper, cards, bows and ribbon drawer and found all the fixings for a simple and sweet craft project. I didn't have to buy a single thing to make a cute (SUPER EASY) heart garland. Let's be honest, a kindergartener could do this, which makes it the perfect craft for kids! You'll need: cute patterned paper (mine is cardstock from Hobby Lobby that I originally picked up to make a photo album guest book for my friends' 2 year old girl's adoption and birthday party!), scissors, string or ribbon, tape and a hole punch.

I simply cut my patterned cardstock paper into squares, then folded them in half to cut out my heart shapes. I made 16 hearts for about 2.5' of string.

I happened to have this cardstock with gold foil on it and I'm so glad I did! It makes for such a pretty and more 3-dimensional garland.

Then I tied the end piece in a knot so all the hearts wouldn't slide off.

Next I hole punched the left corner of all my paper hearts.

Then strung them along, spacing out the patterns!

I taped it to the wood sign hanging in our living room.

Even my husband said he liked it (after I showed it to him, since he didn't notice it at first haha!) and it adds a little touch of Valentine's Day love. If you have some paper laying around, maybe you should try this easiest DIY heart garland ever!
Also, PSA to everyone: you've GOT to make these oven pancakes on Valentine's Day! It's been our tradition for the past 3 years and I love it so much. My husband even said this week, without me reminding him of the tradition, "are you going to make those fluffy pancakes in the skillet this week?!" YES. Yes, I am. They're really easy and you probably have everything you need, aside from fruit, in your pantry. Happy Monday xoxo interior design website / services / portfolio

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Pink & Red Favorites

Thank you for all the emails, comments and messages about yesterday's post. I'm so glad is resonated with a lot of you and encouraged you, too. Sometimes the scariest posts to hit "publish" on are the best ones. Thanks for your encouragement as we shared our hearts.

Alright, it's Tuesday. Can you believe Valentine's Day is next week?! The bright and cheery color palette that comes with this special day is one I don't often wear, but the 14th sure is a good excuse! Truth be told, I'll be wearing a black dress to our dinner date, but during the day you'll find me in pink! I couldn't resist pulling together some of my current color crushes together here.

From festive earrings, to cute socks, soft sweater tops, bold gingham, delicious candles, comfy lounge pants, a beautiful robe, the comfiest and most beautiful underwear, and a few pretty dresses, I want alll of this to magically end up in my closet ASAP ;)

I don't own any red, but pink and coral, that pretty salmon, and event the dark berry color are all colors I can get behind. What about you?


Hope you have a wonderful Tuesday!
xoxo

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Valentine's Day Gift Ideas for Her

Happy Friday! This week's Friday Finds are gift ideas for the ladies for Valentine's Day! This post is for our guys. You can forward them the link to the blog post real quick...I'll wait ;) It's also perfect if you're doing a little gift exchange with your girlfriends! If you missed the gift guide For Him, you can catch it here.  One year all my single girlfriends exchanged panties and it was probably the most fun gift exchange I've ever done!! Just a little idea for you.  Okay, diving into the Valentine's Day gift guide for her...

undies / bow mules / sunglasses / fur throw blanket / pink planters / peony candle / velvet ring box / magnolia market heart mug / vitamin C mask / pink lipgloss & lip sheer / floral robe / champagne gummy bears

Ladies, I usually never talk about underwear on the blog (ha!), but I can't not tell you about my favorite brand! They make the perfect Valentine's Day gift (to yourself or coming from your hubby!) This is a set of 3 for a discounted price. They're super soft, stay in place, and amazing quality.
I'm pretty picky about candle scents, but I just LOVE this collection. The peony scent is to die for!
A sweet new lip gloss and lipstick would also make a great gift. This one is special for Valentine's Day, so it's at an exclusive discounted rate! I've tried a ton of glosses over the years (because I'm an addict) and can honestly say this is my favorite gloss I've ever tried. And it's totally safe for your skin, too! It's super moisturizing and soothing. This Vitamin C mask is also a fave of mine. It's brightens your skin and gives it a firmer look, while decreasing fine lines. If you're not using products with vitamin C for your skin, you should be!!
If you've ever tried these gummy bears, you know why they're on the list ;) Enough said!
I love drinking my morning tea in a cute mug and this heart one fits the bill. It's from Magnolia Market!

If you're a guy reading this post: Guys, let me tell you a few things about your ladies! They are much easier to shop for than you are ;) Also, you could pretty much walk into Anthropologie and choose literally ANYTHING for us and we'd like it (at least that's true for me!) We like to be pampered and thought of! Personalized gifts show effort. Bath and spa gifts get us excited to relax and spend some me-time. Shoes are a girl's best friend (but don't get them unless your girlfriend or wife actually showed them to you first). Something sweet and tasty will always earn you points. These gummy bears are delish! A cozy blanket will get you some cuddles on the couch....and a velvet ring box will house that bling you got us so perfectly, even if you don't understand why we like velvet or ring boxes (been through this with my husband before ha!)  One last note: flowers are a must. Even if you agree not to exchange gifts this year. Flowers don't count ;)  I think that about does it! Have a lovely weekend xoxo interior design website / services / portfolio

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Valentine's Day Gift Ideas for Him

I cannot believe Valentine's Day is right around the corner! Do you celebrate?! I'm all for an excuse to celebrate, so we do! Even when I was single I got together with girlfriends for fun. One year we made heart-shaped pizzas and it was a blast. 
Guys are always so hard to shop for, but I feel like for Valentine's Day you can just keep it simple if you're into giving gifts. Here are a few of my ideas for the guys:

watch / gummy bears / PJ pants / heart and arrows boxers / whiskey stones and Mr. & Mrs. glasses / slippers (on sale!) / my husband's favorite coffee (from Santa Cruz, CA!) / bacon my heart dish towel / microwave popcorn popper

Okay, first off, I have to tell you about this coffee. My dad works across the street from this coffee company called Cat Cloud Coffee in Santa Cruz, CA. When my husband and I went to visit his office once, we discovered it and now it's my husband's favorite coffee. He's a total coffee junky, so it's always a great go-to gift for him! Now my parent's ship us coffee ;)
I think giving boxers with Valentine's Day theme to them is so fun! I put boxers in his stocking at Christmas, too. 
If your guy is into whiskey, these whiskey stones are a great pick, along with a set of Mr. and Mrs. glasses. These are gold and so I love them even more!!
If you live in colder temps like us, slippers might be a really practical and thoughtful choice! So would the PJ pants. They're so affordable!
My husband's family is SO into popcorn! Whenever we go to the movies, I swear he could down two full bags by himself. Fun fact: I don't really popcorn. Don't hate me! But when I saw this popper for the microwave, I thought he'd love it!

Another thing I love doing on Valentine's Day is gifting experiences or writing in the card that I have a date night planned for the two of us. 
We're doing things different than we have in years past. Instead of giving gifts, we gifted ourselves a cooking class on Valentine's Day!! It's a really fun demo/hands-on cooking class, then we get served the meal we learned to prepare. It's a 4 course meal I think, along with 2 cocktail demos. We usually go out to dinner anyways, so this is just making it more interactive and memorable! 
Do you exchange gifts on Valentine's Day? Give me some of your ideas! xoxo interior design website / services / portfolio

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Valentine's Day Love Letter

danielle poff photography / michelle lywood florals

To my Husband,

When I was little I used to dream about the man that would one day become my husband. What would he look like? What would his name be? What would my new last name be?! So many questions. I remember making a list of qualities I wanted in a husband; I think I did this with some friends once. Funny, smart, handsome, nice teeth (seriously...I have this thing with pearly whites;)), loves Jesus more than he loves me, loves and wants kids, values family, likes dogs, is considerate, passionate, kind, fun, likes to travel (specifically to Hawaii), and some other random things. (PS. While I think this exercise was helpful in setting a standard for myself in the men I dated, I don't always recommend making lists like these, because if you're so focused on checking all the boxes on your list to find the ideal husband, you will miss him. No one is perfect! Plus I have found that God likes to surprise us. He always gives us what we need, even if we didn't know it.) Anyways, it's crazy to be here, 5 months into marriage, knowing it's you. It was you all along. Through singleness, heartbreak...all of it. God knew you would be my husband. 

I'm thankful for the time before you, because that was the Lord preparing my heart, and yours, so we could be the best for each other. Not perfect, not even close; but by the grace of God, we are being made new each day. Just like my vows at our wedding said, I never expected love to take me to a different state, but the Lord knew I would experience His grace most by your side. And that has been true every day of our marriage. 

Thank you for laughing at my jokes, even if just a courtesy laugh. Thanks for taking out the trash and helping with things around the house. Thank you for protecting me, standing beside me, making the best scrambled eggs ever, and pushing me to be more spontaneous. Thank you for pointing us towards Christ. Thank you for loving me, even when I'm hard to love. You pursue my heart and that's the best feeling. I'm so thankful it's you. 

You are my forever valentine and I love you SO much!

xoxo

***

Whether you celebrate this day with a bunch of girlfriends that love you to pieces or your spouse, I hope you feel loved today! One year in college, my friends and I made heart-shaped pizzas. It was a blast :) I know this is a polarizing holiday, but any chance to celebrate love is a good day, in my opinion! 

Happy Valentine's Day from me to you!

xoxo

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Valentine's Day Oven Pancakes Recipe

Breakfast is absolutely, hands-down my favorite meal of the day. Whether we eat it actually in the morning or if we're whipping up breakfast for dinner, it always hits the spot. I first made these with my grandma when visiting my family a few years ago and ever since making them there, I've made them on Valentine's Day for my guy! Believe me when I say, this was THE best breakfast I've ever had. Who knew you could even bake pancakes in the oven and have them be so delicious?! AND they bake into a bowl shape, but taste just like regular pancakes. I actually bought mini skillets to make them in at home, which are also super fun. Too. Good.

I'm here sharing the results and the recipe with you today!

Ingredients
1 cup each raspberries, blueberries, and sliced strawberries
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus 4 teaspoons for the dishes
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Maple syrup and confectioners’ sugar, for garnish

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Gently combine the berries and sugar in a small bowl and set aside while you make the pancakes. Place 4 (6- to 7-inch) individual gratin dishes on two sheet pans. Place 1 teaspoon of butter in each gratin dish and set aside.

Place the eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until mixed. Add the milk and combine. Slowly add the flour, vanilla, orange zest, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and the salt and mix just until smooth. Whisk by hand if the mixture is lumpy.

Place the gratin dishes in the oven for 3 minutes, until the butter is hot and bubbly. Make sure the butter covers the bottom of each dish. Immediately divide the batter equally among the gratin dishes and bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until puffed and lightly browned. Divide the berries among the dishes, drizzle with maple syrup, dust with confectioners’ sugar, and serve hot.

Recipe By Ina Garten, found here.

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Can we talk about how the final picture of our oven pancakes actually resembles the picture in the cookbook?! We were equal parts shocked and proud :) You can buy the dishes we baked them in right here! Here are the items I use to make them:

Give these pancakes a try tomorrow, or another time, and let me know how they turn out!

PS. Check out these adorable Valentine's Day kitchen dish towels!

Happy Monday

xoxo

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