I’m back. What a week it has been! Busy! But the best kind of busy. I was in LA last week for the Design Bloggers Conference, home for a few days and then spent this weekend in Palm Springs celebrating my 40th b-day with my husband. So much fun. I took way too many pics along the way (of course I did!) so today I’m doing a major cell phone picture dump. (And sharing what I wore to the conference for all of my fashion friends!)
(*affiliate links used)
{left to right – Brittany, Bree, me :), Shauna} {my outfit: Shoes/Cargo Joggers/Shirt/Necklace/Crossbody bag} – SO in love with these grey cargo pants! They are darling and comfortable and two of my friends ordered a pair after they saw them on me. A new Spring/Summer staple for sure!
The conference was held in LA about two hours away from my house so a few of my friends flew in the day before the conference to stay overnight at my house and then drive up with me. I was so excited to pick these three up from the airport!
We left the airport, went out to eat and then came to my house. It was so surreal to have them over! We have been close on-line friends for so long and to finally have them in my house was just the best. They wanted to see everything and then after the house tour we plopped on the couch and talked the night away. Kenny snapped this pic of us talking. I loved that my friends got to meet my family! We hung out with my family for a while and then Kenny took the kids upstairs so we could have some girl time. With my new favorite coral throw and Fritos of course… because what’s a party without cozy throws and Fritos? :) *If you are new here you can tour my family without food all over the coffee table here. ;)
Love them.
Brittany spent some time teaching me how to do IG stories.. oh my word. We got laughing so hard this weekend! I am so technically challenged. It’s sad you guys. We made a deal that I’ll makeover her pantry in exchange for her technology assistance. Ha!
{Love this new green top! I wore it with my Anthro belt but it’s cute without it too.} {Shirt/Belt/Jeans/Shoes}
Early morning ready to head to LA!
We stayed at the Beverly Hilton and they had lemon trees…
and black and white stripes. I felt at home immediately. :)
View out our hotel room window. My friends from colder states were loving our sunshine!
{Left to right: Kris/Sita/Brittany/me/Randi/Jen/Shauna/Jen/Bree}
We met up with the rest of our crew when we got to the conference and were so excited to all be together again we had a hard time sitting still in the first few sessions! I was so excited to meet Sita because we’ve been on-line friends for so long but I hadn’t met her in person yet. Love her! I can honestly tell you that every one of these girls are just as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside. And talk about talent! I’m so honored to call them all friends.
Time to work! Or take more selfies. ;)
Heading to dinner the first night. This grey purse is so cute and looks a lot more expensive than it is!
Day 2 of the conference! Summer joined us! Loved meeting her in person for the first time too.
K I have to tell you all that I LOVE my new ruffle gingham skirt. It was a hit! It’s fitted, but comfy and I love the length. So cute with these navy espadrilles and my new favorite saddle bag purse (it comes in several colors). My friends all looked so darling. We always want to buy each other’s clothes after trips like this!
I roomed with Kris and Bree and we were laughing that we all got dressed in navy and white. So in sync. :)
Me and my partner in crime. :)
{New favorite Denim Dress/Navy Clutch/Necklace/Similar Shoes}
Dinner out with Traditional Home Magazine and Ferguson! The brands at the conference were all amazing and I met so many wonderful people. This denim dress is a new favorite that I couldn’t love more. SO flattering you guys! If you look on-line it looks shorter. I’m only 5/3 so it’s longer on me, but the petite size was short. I liked it a bit longer so I bought the regular. True to size!
We all got our own marquees with our IG handles at dinner. :)
The conference was filled with classes but in-between we managed to play as much as we could! We went to lunch one afternoon at the iconic IVY in LA.
It was the most charming restaurant I think I’ve ever been to! You all have to go if you’re ever in LA. These colorful bouquets of fresh roses were everywhere!
Everyone together at lunch!
After that we split up for a few hours. Some went back to the hotel while a few of us hit Rodeo Drive baby. (Can’t you just hear Kit on Pretty Woman?) ;)
I found this cute new dressy/casual layered top for the conference and it was darling with jeans and black heels but I knew we were going to be doing a lot of walking so I changed shoes and put on my comfy Adidas sneakers. Not the most fashionable.. ha! But I was comfy hitting the streets. :)
We found Macaroons..
and a HUGE Pottery Barn. That might have been my doing. :)
And Tory Burch! Love all things Tory.
We bought these fun “Embrace Ambition bracelets” to remember our trip and donate to their woman entrepreneur cause. I also picked up this Tory double wrap logo bracelet that I’ve loved forever as an early b-day gift from me to me. :)
{Jeans/Shoes/Crossbody bag/Coat is a few years old and sold out}
The last night of the trip a lot of my friends flew home. It was hard saying good-bye to everyone! My friends above and I stayed one more night and went out to dinner to celebrate my 40th birthday. It was such a fun trip and I felt grateful to be surrounded by so many close friends leading up to a birthday I wasn’t all that excited about. Took the sting out a little. ;)
Something else exciting that took the sting out of turning 40 this year? You guys.. we won! I won! Which means we all won! :) I’m sitting in the conference and they gave out all of the awards and we clapped and were excited for the winners and then they dimmed the lights and starting sharing a bit about each blog nominated for “Best Design Blog.” When I was listening to all of the amazing things the other candidates were doing and have done I honestly started feeling silly for even being nominated for this award! They said some wonderful things about my blog when they got to me and all I was thinking was “phew! They made me at least sound good enough to not be embarrassed for being in this category.” Ha! Then they announced the winner: Erin from Sunny Side Up! I think my jaw hit the floor. I honestly was so not expecting to win. My friends were cheering and everyone was clapping and it was a surreal moment. Then I had to speak. Oh my word… not expecting that one either! I rambled something off about being honored and grateful and I thanked my friends and readers and then said “if my husband were here I’d thank him for all of his support with my late night blog shenanigans..” Um Shenanigans? Really Erin? WHAT prompted me to say that!? Ha ha! I was so nervous and just rambled off the first thing that came to my mind! My friend filmed it and we all had a good laugh after that one. :) I sent the video to my family and they were all excited and proud but my brother wanted to know why I didn’t thank him for all the creative inspiration he adds to my blog and my mom wanted to know why I didn’t thank her for being my spell checker (I get daily texts from her saying “cute post today hun.. you need an apostrophe in you’re third paragraph from the top.. stop staying up so late to blog..”) :) I told them all that I was caught a little off guard and didn’t have a speech prepared or time to thank the entire academy. ;) But I do want to thank all of you! The vote was 50% judges choice and 50% reader vote so thank you so much to everyone who voted for me. I’m so grateful for your support and know without a doubt that I have the sweetest readers EVER.
My close friend Kris at Driven by Decor won in her category too for “Best Design Blog Graphics/Photography” and I was so excited for her! Kris and I are always roomies at these conferences and I love her to pieces! We have so much fun together. We snapped this quick early morning pic before we left the hotel. Some strange lighting is going on with my neck so let’s ignore that! And how strange our hands look holding our awards because they seriously weigh a ton. I was glad I was driving home because my bag would have been WAY over the weight limit for flying if I would have had to toss that award in my suitcase. Plus I always pack one too many pairs of shoes. ;)
{Shirt/Jogger pants/Sunglasses/Adidas sneakers}
Comfy clothes for the drive home! And a few teary good-byes. It was a great trip.
Home with my sweet kids for a few days and then my parents came to town for my birthday and Kenny and I spent the weekend in Palm Springs.
SO nice to get away! It was 90 degrees in Palm Springs this weekend! Hello summer and couple time. :) This week has been the best. I thought I would be so sad to turn 40, but I’ve been surrounded and loved by so many wonderful people (and still have a few things planned with my San Diego besties next week!). I’m feeling pretty grateful and blessed right about now.
And thinking that maybe 40 doesn’t look so bad after all.
:)
*Outfit links are below and you can also find them on on my “Shop My Favorites” tab at the top of my blog header along with other recent favorite clothes and home decor!
I totally thought about signing up for this conference and now I am kicking myself that I didn’t go!! I love each and every one of these girls and would have loved to spend time with you all!! Happy birthday sweet friend! xoxo
Thank you so much sweet Sarah! So fun hearing from you on the blog! We love you and would have loved having you with us! Next time for sure. :) xo
Congratulations on the win and being 40 and fabulous. Happy happy birthday to you! …and many more. :)
Thank you so much JC! :) xo
Oh, Erin, you definitely deserve that award! I just love how fun and down to earth and darling you are. You certainly have named your blog perfectly for who you are! Congratulations and Happy Birthday, Erin! You are just the sweetest! 😄
What a heart felt comment Nancy! Thank you so much! You made my day. :) xo
Congratulations, Erin! So happy for you! You looked smashing in all your photos. The conferenece was in a beautiful location with some special people. Sure looked like you had a lot of fun learning together. How exciting that your blog won in its category. Very well deserved! :) Happy 40th! That sure looks good on you, too! How fun that you had a weekend away with your special guy. What a fun and exciting post to read. :)
Thank you so much Jeanne! So sweet of you. It was a fun b-day week for sure. :) I’m so happy you liked this post! xo
You all look so pretty. Looks like a nice time. I love all your outfits. I really love the bell sleeve blouse , I believe Shauna is wearing in the 1st photo. Where did she get it? I also love the black cold shoulder dress. Not sure who’s wearing it.
Thank you Carol! I think Shauna has that linked on her blog somewhere! And the black dress is my friend Kris and I’m pretty sure she linked to it too so definitely check out their blogs if you want the sources! I know.. all of my friends looked so cute! xo
Hi Erin,
Congrats on the award.x
That’s brill news, I cheered for you when I read about the award.:)
You deserve the award, you do a great job with your blog.
By the way, do you ever find it hard to find clothes that are church -standard? A lot of the clothes in the UK are not exactly church standard.
Congrats too on your 40th Birthday. Happy Belated Birthday.x
Wow, the temp certainly gets hot where you live!
Congrats again & long may your brill blog continue.x
That’s so sweet of you Julie! Thank you! It doesn’t get quite that hot in San Diego. Palm Springs is two hours away from us and it gets really toasty there. We’re next to the ocean so it stays pretty Spring like where I live. :) And yes! Not always easy to find cute clothes that work! That’s why I get so excited when I do find something I love. :) Thank you for your sweet words and support Julie! xo
Congratulations on winning! Well deserved!
Thank you so much April! You are so kind to say that! :) xo
Erin, we had the best time and I’m so happy we got to celebrate you turning 40!! Can’t wait to see you again soon and be your roomie!! Always love hanging out with you and spending time st these conferences 💗
It was such a fun trip Bree! I’m so happy I get to see you again next month! :) xo
Happy birthday! Definitely a great week for you!!
It really was! Made turning 40 not quite so painful. ;) Thank you so much Jess! xo
Congratulations Erin!! So awesome that you won! And happy belated birthday!!! Really enjoyed this post and I too said “Rodeo Drive baby” when I first saw that pic lol #greatminds
Ha ha.. great minds for sure! :) Thank you so much sweet Aria! xo
Congrats on your award Erin, well deserved! So happy for you! xo
So fun hearing from you today Taylor! You always make me smile. Thank you!! xo
First of all HAPPY BIRTHDAY and welcome to the 40 club. It really isn’t bad at all!
Congrats on winning your award…so deserving. Loved you outfits. I especially loved the joggers. So cute and so comfy! Thanks for always sharing your life with us and being so relatable!
Thank you so much Pam! Oh my word.. those joggers are so incredibly comfy! I love clothes like that! And I’m happy you are in the 40’s club with me! Hard to believe we are here, right? But I agree that this is really going to be a fun stage of life. Happy we’re in it together. :) Thanks so much for your kind words and continual support Pam! xo
Congratulations, Erin! So deserved! Also, I am happy that you and Kris both won as I voted for you both in those exact categories that you won in–makes me feel like my vote counts… at least in the design blog world ;-)! Happy that you got away for your 40th as well. I personally think the 40s are amazing for so many different reasons. Hopefully you will feel like you have hit your stride in your 40s, know what you like, and don’t worry too much about what others think because you know what is important to you and your family. Thanks for sharing with us! <3 Tina
I totally agree Tina! Even though it’s hard to believe 40 is here, I’m actually loving this stage of life. You really do start to feel like you know yourself at this stage and care less about pleasing everyone and just doing what you know is right and what makes you happy. Cheers to a great stage of life! :) Thank you so much for your sweet comment. It was so kind of you to vote for me and Kris! Clearly it made a difference! Thank you! That means a lot. :) xo
So glad you had such fun, and for your win…WOW! Seriously, you rock “40!”
Hugs,
Carol
I love you Carol! :) Thank you so much! Hugs right back. :) xo
Congratulations on winning, you so deserved that recognition! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Seriously sounds like you had an amazing week! Keep up the great posts, they are so very inspiring and uplifting to read and you just make everything look good :) Hope you continue celebrating your birthday all month and have FUN!
Lacey what a thoughtful comment! SO sweet of you – your kind words completely made my day. Thank you!! I’m so happy you enjoy my posts! I’ll keep having fun.. just for you. ;) Thanks again cutie! xo
Oh Erin, I couldn’t be happier for you! A huge congratulations on your award! Very well deserved! Happy belated 40th birthday too! I turn 52 on Wednesday! Yikes! I’m really enjoying the new blog layout. Keep being you… xoxo
Oh my word Shari.. your comment made me so happy! Thank you sweet friend! Don’t stress about your birthday because 50 is the new 30, right? Which means I’m only 20.. ha ha.. :) I’m rolling with it! ;) xo
Really fun post to read! I follow many of your friends and it’s so neat to see you all together! Congrats on the win too! Happy Belated as well!
You make an adorable typo (not to take the place of your mama) when you said “your my family…”, but I think you should keep it- it’s super charming!
Oops! Your my family- sorry!
Oh my goodness- I’m messing up your blog! Autocorrect is not my friend-
Tour my family!
Thank you so much Andrea! You are so sweet. Fun that you follow some of my friends too! :) xo
Well I definitely voted for you! So excited you won and it looks like your trip/b-day was awesome. Thank you for your continued inspiration. Blessings,
You are the sweetest Cindy! Thank you so much. That means a lot to me! xo
Congratulations on your award, and Happy Birthday!
Thank you so much Janine! xo
Erin, Congrats! and Happy 40th! Loved all the outfits-bought the denim dress!! Have a great week!
Thank you so much Jamie! YEA! You will love it! :) xo
Congrats on the award, Erin, and on turning 40! God has really blessed you! Thanks for sharing with all of us…
Thank you so much Clare! xo
Erin! I can’t believe you won! Ok, that doesn’t sound right, I can’t believe you are now winning awards for best “design blog”! Of course I can believe you won, but I was just laughing to myself thinking how I would never have thought of your blog as a design blog, thinking of how you started as your family blog with lots of your organizing and then become so popular with out even trying, then as you built your house and just how it has evolved! You are just so talented you do all these things with out even trying!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I always think of your blog as my friend Erin, sharing her mad organizing skills and her gorgeous house. Anyway very cool that you won! Glad you had such a fun week and great birthday!
Thank you Josie! Oh my word.. I’m just as surprised as you that I won that! Kind of a crazy journey I’ve been on with this blog, but I still love it so as long as I do I’ll keep trucking away. ;) Thanks for reading for so long and even more for your friendship! Love you and I wish we saw each other more than we do. I still have dreams sometimes that we are neighbors and I always wake up wanting to go back to sleep and keep the dream alive! We would have too much fun. :) xo
We are neighbors in my dreams for sure! Except then I would never get a thing done because I would just come over and hang out at your house all day and talk and laugh. Although it might work out nicely if I just cooked double dinners for you guys and you could come organize and decorate my house! Cooking and baking in exchange for your organizing and decor services! Ah, in my dreams for sure! Although I’m sure Kenny would enjoy the cookies!
Um that would hands down be a win win for everyone! Ha! :) xo
Can you provide a link to your sunglasses in your travel home day where you are holding your award? Congrats and happy belated bday!
Thank you Meredith! I just added the link for you. :) xo
Congratulations! You truly deserve the win. What makes you and your blog so special is you are genuine and humble and let’s talk about your sense of humor! You really are “sunny”. Happy birthday as well; what a way to celebrate.
Rebecca! Your thoughtful words mean so much to me! That is such a kind thing to say and I’m going to save your comment to read when ever I need a little pick me up. ;) So so sweet of you. Thank you! Sending a huge hug your way! :) xo
Congratulations Erin. Well deserved. What a beautiful group of ladies. Adore Kris, and would love to meet her as well as you in person some day. Happy Birthday!! And, as someone who is approaching 50 in a year and a half…40’s not so bad ;-)
Thank you so much sweet Lauren! I’d love to meet you too! And you don’t look a day over 30 so let’s just both stay “in our 30’s” forever. ;) xo
A very well deserved award Erin! Thank you for your constant inspiration and organizing goals!! A very Happy 40th Birthday to you, welcome to the club and many wishes for a beautiful next decade!!
You are so sweet to say that Jill! That means a lot to me. Thank you so much! And best wishes to you and your family too! xo
Of course you won! I’m not surprised at all. Your darling personality comes through on your fun blog. Congrats! And Happy Birthday!!!! And I love that denim dress. You look smashing in it. I’m afraid it would be too short on me, but I love it so much I might have to check it out to be sure. ;)
Oh Courtney you are always so thoughtful! What a sweet comment. It made me so happy! Thank you! And you should try the dress! It was a lot longer on me than on the model.. but then that’s usually the case with me.. ha! ;) Thanks again for always reading and for being so sweet and supportive. It means a lot to me and I wish I could give you a big hug. :) xo
What a beautiful set of ladies, you all looked so stunning in every picture! .. and I loved every outfit you all wore. But dang girl that denimn dress fit you like a glove!!
I loved that you all went to tory burch. I love her too. I have my eye on the small fleming bag in baby pink.. I’ve linked it to my hubby a lot. I don’t think he got the hint 😂😂 ( or more than likely saw the price hee hee)
I’m so glad you had a wonderful week. Happy 40 th !!!!!!
Thank you so much Heidi! Ha ha.. keep sending him the link! He’ll break down at some point. ;) xo
Oh ps. . Congratulations on your win. . I didn’t have a doubt!
You are the sweetest. :) Thank you so much Heidi! xo
Hi Erin
A big Congratulations on your win. I feel very thankful to read your blog all the time.
Also, a big Happy 40th Birthday. I hope you were spoilt.
xo Shelley (Australia)
Sweetest comment Shelley! That just made my night! Thank you SO much. I feel thankful for kind people who read my blog like you. :) xo
Super fabulous, congratulations. You so deserved your WIN. But oh, my, you are all so young, thin and beautiful!!!! Are there any 70 plus old fat crones that blog?????
Ha ha.. Barbara!! You seriously made me laugh out loud!! I’m sure there are.. and I’m sure some day we all will be. ;) But I know! I do have beautiful friends! Thank you so much for your kind words about my award. You are the sweetest and that meant so much to me! Enjoy your weekend! And thanks for the laugh. ;) xo
Congratulations on your award, your WIN! So exciting!
Thank you so much Monique! :) xo
Hi Erin: I’m a new subscriber to your blog! I know I’m going love the sunny side up blog and all the information and inspiration you provide. I believe we have similar taste and likes because I love your decor and fashion style. I’m a big fan of Pottery Barn, Tory Burch, Nordstroms and Chanel! Keep,on blogging I’ll look forward to reading!
So nice to “meet” you Bridget! Oh my word.. we DO have a lot in common! Sounds like the two of us need to go shopping together. ;) Thanks cutie! I’m so happy you found me! :) xo
Happy 40th!
I love reading your blog! Truly inspirational!
A Canadian fan,
Julie Purmalis
So sweet of you Julie! Thank you! You made my Saturday. :) xo
So many wonderful memories of a beautiful weekend!! I can’t even believe I was lucky enough to celebrate your big 40!! Being in your beautiful home, meeting your beautiful family and celebrating beautiful YOU will always be a treasured weekend in my heart. Miss you tons and wish we lived in the same city! Tell kenny to pack up Californina roots and hit Colorado…it’s TIME!! ;)
Love ya!!
xoxo
Such a special weekend for me too Shauna! And I miss you too! So much that I’ve even considered.. for just a minute.. moving to the snow so that I can live next door to YOU! :) Love you cutie! xo