Erin, Author at The Sunny Side Up Blog

Favorite Things

11.23.17

2017 Favorite Things!

Friends! It’s time for my annual round-up of favorite things! One of my favorite posts to write every year! Before we kick things off I’m so excited to announce the winner of the Container Store gift card! I have to say.. reading about the things you are all excited for this holiday season was just.. special. I don’t know how else to describe it! So much love and warmth in all of your responses. So much to be grateful for and love for family and all we celebrate this time of year. I’m sorry I didn’t get the chance to respond to each of you, but I read and loved every single thing you said. There are a lot of good people in the world and my readers are at the top of the list. If you’re in the mood to just feel good.. go read the comments on this post. They definitely made me feel good! So. Winner of the gift card! Drum roll please..

Noreen who said “Everything about the Christmas season is wonderful and magical. From hanging the first decoration to the piles of wrapping paper on the floor when all the gifts are open! There is not one thing I can say that excites me, it all does from beginning to end! There is really something special about the whole holiday season.” 🎄

Congrats Noreen! I couldn’t agree more. :) I’ll be e-mailing you soon to get your address!

(affiliate links used below)

{Luggage/Adidas sneakers/California Love Sweatshirt/Black jogger pants/similar Rebecca Minkoff purses here and here}

On to the favorites! I always write this beloved post from my mom’s house because we always spend Thanksgiving in Utah with family. I’m more relaxed here than I’ve been in months! One cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie down, 23 recorded and waiting. ;) Nothing like coming to moms! My mom snapped this pic of me when we pulled in and it’s full of favorite things so it’s perfect to kick off this post! I’ve absolutely loved this luggage set this year! So cute, nice and roomy and I love the way it’s organized. I’m wearing my favorite California Love hoodie in Utah.. that way I have a bit of both of my homes with me. ;) And these joggers are long time favorites – SO comfy.

Starting with all things I love for the HOME! When I shared the Christmas tree in my master bedroom a lot of e-mails came in with questions about items you can see in this pic. All room pics and sources are coming in the new year, but because they are all favorites of mine below are links to our bedding (love this comforter!), my favorite sheets (just ordered a new set – so soft!), the rug (which shed like crazy for months and then finally stopped!), and below are links to similar chairs (high and lower price points) since my exact chairs are sold out.

Some of my favorites this year were on last year’s list because well.. they are things I still really LOVE. Like these memory foam bathroom rugs. Funny thing I’ve noticed about me with rugs. When I find one I love, I keep duplicating it in my house. Ha. These crazy soft memory foam rugs are in my powder bathroom..

and in Kole’s bathroom.

Of course these black and white striped rugs are long time favorites. I have two of them on my front porch, three of them in my kitchen..

and one in my upstairs laundry room. I get questions about washing these rugs. I have washed my kitchen rugs (laid them out to dry) and they did wash nicely except they shrunk a bit! They still look fine, but heads up about the shrinking if you are going to wash them.

I can’t have a favorites post and not include our beloved family room rug – PB’s Chunky Wool and Jute. I know.. snore for all of my regular readers I’ve talked about this rug so much, but it’s crazy you guys. I get e-mails about this rug every single day! This rug and my paint colors are my most asked about things. So for newer readers, I wrote a post with info. about this rug here.

A close-up when it was brand new.

I have it in my dining room too I love it so much. :)

And just for fun here is a pic I found from last December when the new rug came in and we moved the older same rug to our dining room. (Btw.. this is the natural and the largest size.)

We moved our furniture into the kitchen and when we went to move it back it was occupied. Ha. :) And yes.. my kitchen was a mess. It typically is this time of year because there is so much going on!

Favorite rugs:

My fiddle leaf fig is a long time favorite. Still. :)

And baskets! I was thinking the other day how much I LOVE baskets. For decorating and organizing. I have them in every room and closet in my house!

Below are my favorite baskets I have throughout my home! You’ve seen a lot of them.. some will be popping up in posts next year. :)

Love these cutting boards! Kitchen staples. And this marble and copper beauty is on my Christmas list this year. Because Santa knows I don’t have enough cutting boards in my life. Ha. And these snowflake marble and copper coasters would make a darling gift!

I first discovered these Bliss throws during the Nordstrom Ann. sale and just can’t say enough about them! Perfect to me because they are fuzzy and warm, but not too hot. They are just the right length and come in so many fun colors.

Plus they look so pretty draped over a chair or a couch corner! My #1 gift to give this year. :)

My second favorite throw (that also makes a perfect gift) is this one I’ve shared before. Love those poms! I have the pink and the Ivory. Of course you can’t go wrong with Pottery Barn throws (I have more of them than I want to admit) and they are all on major sale! Woot woot!

Favorite Throws:

Of course any and all PB Christmas decor has to be on my favorites list. I shared exactly what I have and love in this post!

I’m so in love with this Alpaca Faux Fur tree skirt I got this year and it’s on sale!

Goes without saying I love PB Christmas pillows too. I just bought these pom pillows in red and love them! I have to store my PB Christmas pillows in a few separate places because if my husband sees how many I have all together I’m in trouble. ;)

Some of my favorite PB Christmas decor:

Ok. Let’s talk purses! My all time favorite purses are Rebecca Minkoff handbags! I just couldn’t love her style more. So many RM handbags were just marked down and always sell so quickly (my purse above was marked down and sold out before I could even share the news!). Here are some of my favorites that are on sale and a few new handbags that just came in that I adore!

My second favorite style and brand of handbags is Tory Burch. You just can’t go wrong with Tory! This Tory bracelet has also been a favorite jewelry staple. I love it in the pink too! My favorite Parker Leather Tote is on sale (yea!) and so are a few other styles I love. Any of these bags below would make a great gift.. (are you reading Kenny?) :)

With my girls yesterday. I’m wearing a favorite top I’ve had for two years and still love wearing! It’s this Hanna split neck top. Love it! And love these over the knee boots.

This cute J Crew sweater that has been on repeat for me is another favorite that’s on sale.

And it’s hard to see how cute this scalloped sweater is but it has been one of my favorites this Fall! Comes in lots of colors. Below are other favorite sweaters,cardigans and a favorite blouse!

Kenny snapped this last night of me and Ad. My coat is a favorite and while it’s sold out, this coat is so similar – a longer version that is so cute and on sale! It would be perfect for chilly weather! I’d buy it for me except I only get to wear my short coat a few times per year. I also found a darling version for girls that I want for Ad. She’s still young enough to think it’s cool to twin with her mom. Her sister.. not so much anymore.. ;)

Let’s talk PJ’s! LOVE LOVE LOVE a good pair of pajamas. Definitely high on my favorite things list.

I’ve mentioned this before on the blog – I have two favorite brands of pj’s that I just don’t think you can go wrong with. Make and Model AND PJ Salvage.

Both brands are the softest coziest pj’s! I’ve linked favorites below!

I’m more of a jeans and boots or sneakers type of girl, but if I do have to get dressed up, these shoes and this dress were hands down my favorites this year. Both on sale!

I also started wearing tall black over the knee boots for the first time this year (I always thought I was too short and had too big of thighs for them!). I was wrong.. they work for short people and bigger thighs and actually help both of those situations appear better. ;) Plus they help the whole “it’s winter and I’m white and not in the mood to shave my legs” situation. I’m a fan! This exact pair sold out but here are two other pairs that are similar and on sale..

Adidas sneakers! Favorites this year for sure. I got to my mom’s house and she was so excited to show me that she bought my pink pair and loved them so much that she then bought them in mint and a similar pair in grey! Love all of these shoes so much!

On a side note.. isn’t her back porch cute!? Pillows and rugs from Target and this table is still one of her favorite things.

Let’s talk skin care. I have two must haves for healthy skin. A good sunscreen is one of them and this Elta MD sunscreen is my all time favorite. I gave it out for gifts a few years ago and wear it daily. I think of it like make-up! It’s tinted and helps even out your skin and goes on so smoothly. I love it!

Second favorite thing (that I forgot to photograph) is my Mia Clarisonic! I swear by this and use it every night. It scrubs your skin so clean. I’m getting one for my girls so that I can teach them good skin care early on!

Bobbi Brown make-up is my all time favorite make-up and I’ve linked to my every day favorite make-up below! (I love BB brushes too!)

Two new favorites this year. Flowerbomb perfume (oh my word.. love the smell so much!) and Baublebar earrings. This tassel fringe pair is my all time favorite I have in three colors!

Hydro Flasks. These are the first set we had.. now we all have new styles/colors. We use these every single day and love them. They keep your water so cold! I gave them as gifts a couple of years ago and still hear how much everyone I gave one to loves them!

I have a few recent favorite scarves I’m loving and a few favorite necklaces that would all make great gifts (how cute are these fun state necklaces!? Love them!)..

And here are a few things I have and a few more that are in my cart that are marked down BIG time this weekend!

Alright friends! Those are my tried and true favorite things from 2017! I know a lot of them are repeats I’ve already shared, but they are just the things I really use and love!

I’m incredibly grateful for all of you this year. For all of your kindness and support. It truly means the world to me that you make stopping by my blog part of your routine or down time. (I know how precious down time can be!) You all top my favorites list each year and bring the sunny to Sunny Side Up. :) Wishing you all the best Thanksgiving! I hope you are able to spend it relaxing with loved ones and eating lots of good food. My make and model joggers will be on major repeat for the next few days. ;)

xoxo, Erin

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Home Decor

11.20.17

Fake it, don’t bake it: stress free holiday hosting!

Hello friends! I’ve got quite a treat for you all today! Literally.. ha. :) Anyone starting to feel some holiday stress creeping in? With Thanksgiving this week and Christmas right around the corner it’s easy to start feeling overwhelmed with all there is to do. Today I’m joining five other bloggers to share one simple way that you can eliminate some stress this holiday season! Each of us have taken a store-bought food item and dressed it up to look beautiful and homemade. Yes.. this little blog hop is right up my alley. I’m the queen of store-bought meals and wear that crown proudly as you all know well. ;) The truth is.. we can’t do it all! If cooking isn’t your thing we’ve got you covered! You can still pull off a beautiful meal with no work or stress involved.

If you’re popping over from KariAnne’s fun blog Thislewood Farms hello and welcome! I’m so happy to have you here! (Isn’t KariAnne a doll!? Love her!) We have a good time here at Sunny Side Up too so I hope you’ll stick around. :)

Before we get started, I have a confession to make. I’m not into pies. (GASP!) I know.. my husband thinks it’s an absolute crime and that I should be tried and sentenced. But I just don’t love them. At all. Now cheesecake! That’s a different story. Because of my undying love for cheesecake today I’m sharing a fun way to dress up a store bought cheesecake and not only make it beyond delicious, but also make it look like you spent hours putting it together instead of minutes! All you need is the cheesecake – right out of the freezer section of the grocery store, mini Reese’s Peanut Butter cups (lots of them!), nuts – already chopped or you can chop them quick yourself, and fudge.

Is your mouth watering already? Mine too. :)

Take the cheesecake out of the box and put it on a plate. Because you just slaved over it for hours, remember? Then chop a few handfuls of mini Reese’s Peanut Butter cups into halves and thirds. Chop up some peanuts if they aren’t already chopped. (I just used the bottom corner of a cup to chop them quick!)

Then heat up the fudge in the microwave. I like to heat mine in a measuring cup like this so it’s easy to pour on after.

Pour on the fudge letting it drip all down the sides – the messier the better! ;) Then add your Reece’s to the top middle of the cheesecake and sprinkle the chopped nuts around them. DONE. Takes about 10 minutes and this dessert is a total crowd pleaser! Plus it looks like you spent a lot of time in the kitchen. When everyone praises you and asks for the recipe simply smile and thank them and tell them it’s a well kept family secret.

I won’t tell a soul. ;)

Now for a quick and easy Thanksgiving tablescape to go along with your store bought dessert! Because for me THIS is the fun part. :)

Remember all of the pumpkins I had on my Halloween Porch? Kole washed them all so nicely for me. ;)

And all of the pumpkins I had sprinkled throughout my family room this Fall?

I had a lot of them. :)

With Christmas decor taking over most of my house the pumpkins needed a new home!

I put my faux Fall branches underneath, added pumpkins on top and then candles here and there. So pretty! So festive for Thanksgiving!

So done in 15 minutes. :)

I laughed when I went to decorate this table and pulled out my gold silverware only to remember that I was going to buy the rest of the set and never got around to it last year (story about my airhead moment decorating this table last year here). Ha ha.. they are on my Christmas list so that I won’t run into this little problem again! ;)

The candles add such a nice touch during the day but look even more beautiful at night!

So warm and inviting.

Enough to distract your guests from whatever you are serving that you ~~haven’t~~ have slaved over in the kitchen all day. ;)

I hope my easy dessert and tablescape gave you a few ideas of how to ease some stress this holiday season! Really.. we can’t do it all so keep things simple and stick to what you enjoy and do best.

I’m so thankful this year. For my family.. for my health.. for all of you sweet friends!

And for anything that takes the baking out of meal prep. :)

Thanks again for stopping by today! If you missed the new Frosted tree I decorated in my bedroom this weekend you can see it HERE (such a fun color change for me!). There are also lots of fun gift ideas for everyone in the family HERE and you can see my office decorated for the holidays and still enter the Container Store giveaway HERE. Yea! Fun things going on. I’ll announce the gift card winner in my next post. :)

{POST SOURCES} *affiliate links used

Next stop on the tour is a real treat! My amazingly talented friend Kelley at Kelly Nan is sharing her secret to simple mashed potatoes! Plus she is the queen of beautiful tablescapes (and will no doubt have ALL of her silverware.. ha.). ;) After you visit her blog make sure to stop by the rest of the amazing blogs on this tour! Lots of talent and fun ways to simplify your holiday meals. :) Happy Thanksgiving prep everyone!

Kelley Nan

The Lettered Cottage

Driven by Decor

ZDesign at Home

Thistlewood Farms

xoxo, Erin

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Christmas

11.18.17

Frosted Christmas Tree – 12 Bloggers with Balsam Hill

Friends! I’m so excited to show you my new Frosted Christmas tree today! I’m joining Balsam Hill’s 12 Bloggers of Christmas and sharing my new tree along with a peek of my master bedroom. I know. I’ve been promising master bedroom pics for a while now and I’m so sorry that post hasn’t happened yet! (My head is hung in deep shame in case you can’t see it..) I actually tried to get that post up last week before I shared this tree, but after four hours of working on it and realizing I’d only made a small dent I knew it would have to wait until after the holidays. So it’s coming in the New Year! Right now you’re saying to yourself whatever Erin.. sure it is. And at this point I don’t believe me either. Ha. But it is! I think. We’ll see. ;) In the meantime, here are some of the windows in my master bedroom! Windows just perfect for a frosted Christmas tree. :)

This is Balsam Hill’s Frosted Frasier Fir 9′ with clear lights and oh my word. To say I’m in love would be an understatement! I’ve had my eye on this tree for years. It’s so beautiful and I love the frosted look! It’s my attempt to bring a touch of winter to San Diego. Never mind the sunshine blaring through the windows. I can close the blinds, turn on the fireplace, turn on the Christmas music, turn on the tree lights (maybe turn on the air conditioning to balance out the fireplace) and BAM.. I just turned on winter. :)

Now you know I’m all about RED during the holidays, but my bedroom color scheme is softer so I thought it would be fun to mix it up in just this one room and try something different. I was thinking frosty glam! Or something cool like that. :)

I used lots of Balsam’s essential medium white glossy and essential medium small glossy ornaments. They are such nice quality and I love their simplicity. Plus check out the boxes they came in! Perfect to store them in all year long. The boxes were a happy little organizing surprise. I get excited about things like that! But you all knew that didn’t you. :)

I placed some of the medium sized white ornaments close together in pairs.

Because I’m wild and crazy like that.

Then I went equally crazy with Balsam Hill’s French Country Ornament Sets. I’ve always LOVED this style of ornaments. They are so beautiful. I used the Etched, Crackle and Foil ornaments on this tree. Next year I’d love to add some of the Ombre to the mix!

I also sprinkled in this beautiful Antiqued Snowflake Ornament Set. I love how the snowflakes are so different and unique.

Then I used this stunning antiqued snowflake tree topper for the top. I love the way it shines!

I added a little quilt batting to complete my frosty glam look and a few pink ornaments from the craft store. A new favorite soft pink throw over my chair also adds a pretty touch. (Throw source in this post with gift ideas for the whole family.)

To complete the look I used Balsam’s Mongolian Faux Fur Hexagon Tree Skirt. It’s so fuzzy and soft and blended right in with my rug. I love that there is plenty of room for presents under the tree too! Hopefully Kenny and Kole won’t mind if some of their gifts have pink bows. Ha. I’m seriously wanting to bring the Christmas morning party to our bedroom I’m so in love with this tree! And the best part?

This frosted Christmas tree looks AMAZING at night! Oh I so wish I could have you all over to see it in person! My pictures don’t do it justice. All of those beautiful lights give off such a warm glow.

Christmas perfection.

I always get lots of questions about this tree in our family room and it’s also from Balsam Hill. This is their Silverado Slim Tree. Just like my Frosted Christmas tree it’s also 9 feet with clear lights. The Balsam trees are full of beautiful lights and are amazing quality. Plus you can’t beat their trees for easy set up! I’m a fan.

I have a feeling I’m going to be spending a lot more time in my bedroom this next month! In fact I’m thinking it might become my new office for December.

Because I could stare at this pretty tree all day long.

And because I’m wild and crazy like that.

Lost of Christmas tree inspiration is coming your way with the other 11 bloggers joining Balsam Hill’s 12 Bloggers of Christmas! What a party. They will be sharing throughout November and I’ll add links as their posts go up each day so make sure to check back to see them all! Balsam Hill is also running a daily giveaway that you can enter if you’d like to HERE. Huge thank you to Balsam Hill for partnering with me on this fun post!

French Country Cottage

Z Design at Home

Rooms for Rent

Nest of Posies

Pink Peppermint Designs

Tidbits

Burst of Beautiful

11 Magnolia Lane

Love Grows Wild

Christinas Adventures

Inspired by Charm

Happy Christmas tree decorating friends!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. :)

xoxo, Erin

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Christmas

11.16.17

Holiday Gift Ideas for Everyone on Your List!

How is the holiday shopping going friends? Have you started? Are you done? Haven’t even started to kind of think about going there? Ha. :) I hope my Gift Giving Printables have been helpful! (You can snag them here if you haven’t already.) I’m not there yet, but I’m still hoping to have my Christmas shopping mostly done before December hits. So far I’ve bought most of my gifts on-line and that has made things so easy! What did we do before there was on-line shopping!? On my list of things I’m grateful for this Thanksgiving. ;)

Today I’m partnering with Nordstrom to share holiday gift ideas for everyone on your list! I have spent a lot of time rounding up my best, favorite items for the whole family! One thing everyone in my family gets each year for Christmas (and they always have!) is a new pair of shoes. Because #1 – I’m a shoe lover. :) And #2 – because my kids are usually due for a new pair this time of year. Their feet grow so quickly! I’ve rounded up my favorite shoes (a lot of them are on sale right now.. YEA!) along with other fun favorites I have and love. I’m also sharing a few things I’ve already bought this year to give to others.

So if you’re on my Christmas list, stop reading NOW.

I mean it.. I love you but stop reading and go away. :)

Ok friends.. let’s do this! I divided my favorites into gifts for the women in your life, the men, and some fun ideas for the kids. I hope my round-up of holiday gift ideas for everyone on your list gives you a few ideas this year!

*affiliate links used

Favorite shoes for women that would make great gifts..

So many of my favorite things..

Favorite shoes that would make great gifts for the men in your life..

Other favorite gift ideas for men..

Favorite shoes that would make great gifts for the girls..

Other favorite gift ideas for girls.. (younger and older!)

Our favorite shoes for boys..

Other favorite gift ideas for boys..

Huge thank you to Nordstrom for sponsoring this post! And for carrying such an amazing selection of gifts for the whole family. You are making my holiday shopping SO easy this year. Bless you.

xoxo, Erin

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Home Decor

11.14.17

Office Christmas Decor with Container Store Gift Wrap (and a giveaway!)

**Giveaway at the end of the post is now closed.

Friends! Today’s post is making me slightly giddy. :) I’ve partnered with The Container Store to share some fun ways I’m using their gift wrap in my home this holidays season! Yes.. you heard that right. I’m partnering with The Container Store! Ahhhh! (Angels are singing in the background in case you didn’t catch that..) You all know how I feel about The Container Store (my home away from home!) so this is definitely a pinch me moment for me and my little blog. That isn’t so little anymore but still feels that way to me. :) You know their saying “Contain Yourself!” That’s how I always feel when I walk in their store! I try to contain my excitement and honestly can’t! That place is too much fun. I’ve been buying their gift wrap for years so I’m thrilled to share their new Christmas collections with you all today! They are darling!

(affiliate links used)

Do you remember my cute little mudroom tree that was new last year? I was so excited to decorate it again this year! This mudroom leads to our garage and car so we are in and out of this room 20 times a day. This little tree makes us all so happy when we are rushing around it. :) (And no.. we don’t use the dutch door much this time of year (two doors in this room!) so it works to have the tree in the corner.)

I LOVE red, black, tan and white colors for Christmas so I used paper and ribbon from their Signature Collection and their Alpine Collection. I love the way they tie in so well with my tree decorations! Now friends.. I am NOT a skilled gift wrapper. (Ask my sister who is so good at gift wrapping.. she teases me about my gifts every year!) I can’t tie big pretty bows and I don’t like to spend a lot of time decorating gifts that will ultimately be torn apart. That’s why I love these collections so much! Everything color coordinates and looks so cute together. Even if you’re not a fancy gift wrapper it looks like you are! They make it look like you spent a lot of time putting together the perfect gift when really it was done for you. I’ll take it. :)

One things I’ve always loved are The Container Store’s gift tie-ons. Such a fun and easy way to dress up a gift and then they can be used as Christmas tree ornaments so it’s like a little mini gift on top of your gift. :)

I always use their chalk labels too!

This year The Container Store gift wrap was so cute that I decided to use some to decorate my office for the holidays too! I’m so excited to show you.. come in come in! :)

Aren’t things looking all sorts of festive in here!? Ellie walked in a few days ago (she didn’t know I had decorated the office that morning) and suddenly yelled to me in the kitchen “Mom! I love this room! It’s making me so happy and excited!”

Mission accomplished. :)

I put some Christmas books in our baskets on the wall so that I can easily snag one to sit down and read with Kole after school. Even my girls still love hearing their favorite childhood Christmas stories!

Then I used some cute gift tags from the same gift wrap collections I mentioned earlier to make this fun display on our chalkboard! You could make something similar for a fun advent calendar to count down the days before Christmas.

I’m thinking we’ll use it to write down all of the fun activities we want to do during December (make our annual pretzel hugs, visit Christmas card lane, deliver an anonymous gift to a neighbor, etc.) and then we can pull off a tag once we’ve done that activity and try to fit everything in!

At the top of my chalkboard I added a cute wreath and these ice skate tie-ons. Love them!

More fun Christmas decor on my shelf. :)

I love this fun red polka dot gift wrap so I used it to cover my mini chalkboard and add a fun pop of red.

My sweet baby snowman pops up all over my house every holiday season as most of you know. :) I so wish I could just have one or two days with Kole that small again! I would hold him and smell him all day long. Moms with babies.. I know you are in the thick of it and most likely so exhausted all the time like I always was when my three were little.. but try to see past it and know how quick of a stage it really is! Hold them and love them and smell them and enjoy them as much as you possibly can every single day! — K- where did that rant come from!? Sorry.. baby pictures of my kids do that to me. Ha! Back to my office decor after a minor detour. ;)

Wrapping paper is such an easy, inexpensive way to decorate! I love the color pops and whimsy the cute Santa and Dinosaur gift wrap bring into my office. They are especially fun for a kids’ space. Try switching out pictures in clip boards and frames on your wall with wrapping paper for a fun holiday look that’s easy to switch back when Christmas is over!

Moving on to the other side of the room! I should have warned you about the picture overload at the beginning of this post but I figure you all just know that will be the case with my posts by now. ;)

Merry Christmas wooden blocks over my computer and El added the Santa screen saver. :)

And more gifts! This room turns into our gift wrapping station during the holidays so you can always find lots of gifts and tape and scissors and wrapping paper in here! It’s usually not this tidy. ;)

I used more gift wrap from the Signature and Alpine collections to wrap these presents in my office. So cute!

Isn’t this paper fun!? And I know Kole will play with this cute little dinosaur tie-on more than he’ll play with what I have wrapped inside the box! I’m keeping the owl for our tree. :)

I used the space on this wall by the door to hang up past Christmas pictures my kids have drawn. Their artwork makes me so happy! Best decor around. :) I always get asked how I hang things to my walls like this and my secret is painter’s tape! I use blue painter’s tape to stick so many things to my walls! It peels right off and doesn’t leave a mark or hurt your paint.

So that’s it! A little Christmas in my office. I hope you enjoyed the tour. :) You can find office sources in this post.

You can also check out this older post to see how I organize my gift wrap with baskets and tags from The Container Store! This little station makes wrapping gifts a breeze.

Huge thank you to The Container Store for sponsoring this post! And for coming up with such darling gift wrap that makes wrapping holiday presents so much easier! And a lot more fun.
:)

NOW! I have some fun news for all of you! The Container Store has given me a gift card to give to one of my readers for $150! YEA!!! My mind is racing with all the fun you can have with $150 in The Container Store this holiday season! To enter make sure you are subscribed to my blog (subscribe at the bottom of this post if you haven’t already) and then leave your name and a comment on this post telling me one thing you are excited for this holiday season! Good luck sweet friends!

{POST SOURCES} Click the links below or you can find everything HERE.

xoxo, Erin

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Fashion

11.10.17

Tapered Collection – new favorite tees!

*This post was sponsored by Tapered Collection but you wouldn’t be reading it if I didn’t truly love their products. All opinions are my own! :)

Happy Friday friends! We’ve had a busy week! Lots going on with the kids outside of the house.. lots of decorating going on whenever I can steal a minute inside of the house. :) I LOVE decorating for Christmas but you know what I don’t love? Fanning out the tree branches. It’s the only part of the whole Christmas decorating process I don’t enjoy. And I can’t complain about it to my husband because then I get grief about “then why in the world are you putting up so many trees!?” Ha ha.. we do have quite a few this year. :) I can’t help it. I love them! So I will continue to climb on ladders and fan branches until my fingers are about to fall off. {sigh} Oh well. Small price to pay. ;)

But before we get into all things Christmas decor, today I’m sharing something else I’m loving with you! Friends. I’ve found the perfect tee! And you know how I feel about tees. I’m so excited about these! The founder of Tapered Collection reached out to me a while back to see if I wanted to partner on a post about her tees. I did some research and read all about them and to be honest, they sounded too good to be true! I told her to send me some to try out and I figured I’d wear one or two and just see if they met the hype. Um.. let’s just say that they exceeded my expectations so much that I’ve hardly taken them off this month!

Ok.. let me tell you about these tees and what makes them so special. First of all.. I love the material. They are thick and soft and comfortable and high quality and they DON’T shrink in the wash. At all! You can wash them, dry them, they wash beautifully. They are also longer than some tees which I love (it drives me crazy when tees are so short I feel like I can’t bend down!). But the best part is that these tees are made for real women and are so flattering. They have some give in the midsection! If you’ve had kids or don’t love your waist line you will definitely appreciate these tees. :) This tee is the Long Sleeve Henley and I absolutely love the fun neckline!

So cute with my camos! You can see how this tee is fitted at the top, drapes in a flattering way with some give around the mid section, and then is fitted at the bottom. I so wish I would have discovered these after having my three kids. This is the perfect tee to wear for months after having babies! And years after that if necessary. ;) (Btw.. they fit true to size and I’m wearing an xs)

I wore this Henley Tee last week to meet a super hot guy for lunch. Don’t tell my husband. ;) Seriously though, we have had the hardest time prioritizing a date night because our weekends have been so busy so we’ve been trying to meet one afternoon during each week for lunch. Just one quick hour of uninterrupted conversation that doesn’t include any scheduling, the not so hot math score, friend drama, the upcoming science project or who’s taking who to what birthday party. It’s an hour of conversation about us and our interests over pizza and I look forward to it every week!

The Short Sleeved Tapered Tees are perfect for layering! I’ve been wearing mine under all of my cardigans..

and jackets.

Another fun detail on all of the Tapered Tees is this wide, fitted band at the bottom. Just gives your outfit a little something extra. :)

I wore the white Long Sleeve Henley to Ad’s last play performance under my green military jacket. She was the cutest little lioness I’ve ever seen! So proud of her.

We all are. :) And now we are officially taking a break from theatre productions until after the holidays! This mom needs a break from at least one child’s activites!

Ok.. I saved my most favorite tee for last! It’s the Three Quarter Tee and I am seriously going to LIVE in these. Love that the white is opaque, not sheer! I never like white tops that are see through and I’ve found that most are.

Like the short sleeve tee it’s perfect for layering.

I even dressed the black Three Quarter Tee up a bit for church one Sunday. :)

Then I washed it and wore it again a few days later.

And then washed it and wore it again a few days after that. Ha. :)

But the best part about this tee? When I come home at the end of the day and trade in my skirt or jeans for sweats, it works with them too. Now that my friends.. is what we call a wardrobe staple. :) Nothing like a good tee!

These tees cost a bit more than your regular tee, but they aren’t like your regular tee! They are such nice quality and with the way they fit and wash and all the ways you can dress them up or down they are worth it! Especially if you live in tees like I do. This weekend Tapered Collection is having their Friends and Family Sale and you can get 20% off of your purchase! Click on MY LINK HERE to get the discount (or any of my links in this post and add FALLFRIEND at checkout). Yea! Awesome tees on sale for everyone! (Yes mom.. I’m buying you some too.) :)

And what do you know.. my favorite Three Quarter tee is perfect for fanning out tree branches! Even if I’m not. Addison took these pics and got me laughing so hard I almost fell off my ladder!

If any of you need me this weekend you know where I’ll be!

And what I’ll be wearing.

xoxo, Erin

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Home Decor

11.06.17

Favorite Christmas Decor!

{Pink Pom Pom Throw/Rebecca Minkoff Paige Leather Satchel/Ugg Fleece Slipper Socks}

(*affiliate links used)

Happy Monday friends! On Saturday I shared some recent fashion favorites with all of you (I’m going to be posting fast and furious to fit everything in during the next two months!) but I forgot to include a picture of this gorgeous pink pom pom throw! So here it is. To pretty to not share and I’m loving it in my bedroom. It comes in 2 other colors and would be a beautiful gift for any home decor lover – like all of us. :)

Ok.. moving on to all things Christmas! Have you started decorating yet? Or do you like to wait until after Thanksgiving? I wish I could have Christmas decor up for half of the year. I really do. In fact last year I left one of my trees up through January.. ha! I wasn’t ready to take it down after Christmas. So I didn’t. :) My philosophy has always been to decorate for the holidays whenever and however you want! Do what makes you happy. Christmas decor makes me incredibly happy so I start early. :) Today I’m sharing some of my favorite Christmas decor I started pulling out this weekend! You’ll see how I’m using a lot of these items in my home soon, but I’m sharing them early because unfortunately the good stuff always sells out FAST.

Like my red It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year sign. It came back in stock in October and had sold out before Halloween! Crazy. (It comes in a similar gray and gold that are still in stock.)

These are a few things I’m decorating with this year that I’m so excited about! The pillows I’ve had for a year or two (merry/stag/plaid) but I needed a new tree skirt this year and just ordered this Alpaca faux fur tree skirt – it’s so soft and beautiful! It’s the first tree skirt I’ve owned that isn’t red! And I’ve loved adding a new cute little deer to my collection each year. They are adorable and look so cute on a table or tree or mantel.. anywhere you put them! (big deer/small deer)

I ordered these lit glitter birch trees on-line and loved them even more when I saw them in person! They are really nice quality trees and aren’t the little lights beautiful!? (They are battery operated and these two are the medium and small sizes.)

And this Santa Magnetic Advent Calendar! I actually bought this at PB right after Christmas last year. It was the only thing that wasn’t marked down and I bought it anyway.. after getting all sorts of grief from my husband for shopping an after Christmas sale and coming home with the one item that wasn’t on sale. Ha. And now it’s actually on sale! I should have just waited and got it this year. Oh well! I’m so in love and couldn’t wait to pull it out of my attic! The snowflake is magnetic – so fun to count down to the big day. My kids will love it.

Almost as much as I do. :)

The merry towels are a new addition for the bathroom. :)

After years of messing with real garland (and the crazy mess it left after the holidays!) I finally splurged on this lit magnolia garland last year.

It lights up at night and looked so beautiful on my stairs! And the best part.. no mess. :) I got so many questions about this garland last year and it sold out fast. Happy that they brought it back for any of you who wanted it! My girls can’t wait to get going on their snowflake wall again this year. :)

I always get lots of questions about this Santa hat tree topper and it also sells out quickly every year too so don’t wait if you want it! You could obviously use any Santa hat to top a tree, but this one has wire in it and sits just right without much effort. My type of decor. ;)

I was so excited to pull out my Christmas rug! And this striped table runner I love and have had for years.

My red and white stripe bowls are long time favorites back in stock!

And my sleigh bell lumbar pillow is on sale! Some of you know how long I’ve had this one..

Kole 7 years ago. :) This pillow was his favorite when he was a baby because of the little red bells. I had to sew one back on because he pulled it off when he was two. Best part of Christmas isn’t it? The memories that come with all of the decorating and celebrating.

Our stockings come with all sorts of memories too. I’d love to mix it up this year and do something different on this mantel..

but these stockings are a long time tradition and I don’t think this little Christmas elf will let me. :)

7 years ago and it feels like this was yesterday. Can’t wait to celebrate another Christmas with these three!

In other fun Christmas home decor news.. Chip and Jo’s new line was released at Target this weekend! Looks so good! Did any of you get to check it out!? I’m so hoping I can squeeze in a quick Target run this week. I don’t really have time.. but I might have to make time anyway. :)

Links are below to the Christmas decor I shared above along with other favorites that will be popping up in my home this season! I hope that whenever you start your Christmas decorating.. you enjoy it immensely. :)

xoxo, Erin

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Fashion

11.04.17

Fashion Friday! On a Saturday. :)

Happy weekend friends! I have so many cute fashion favorites to share with you! LOTS of fun things on sale and LOTS of pictures so I’ll keep the chit chat to a minimum. Or try to anyway. I always do my best but can’t make any promises. As you know. :) Huge thank you to Nordstrom for sponsoring this post! They are having their huge Fall sale right now and so many fun things are 40% off right now! Dangerous! In the best way possible.

(Affiliate links used)

First up – my favorite Vince Camuto over the knee boots are on sale! I love these. Obviously. I have them in three colors.. ha. :) They are so comfy for a heeled boot and I love the suede! They look good with everything and I live in them in the Fall/Winter.

A few things I’m loving lately and wearing with these cute boots..

This turtleneck sweater is so cozy! Perfect for chilly weather.

Not only are these cute boots on sale, but this faux leather tote that is a long time favorite is marked down to just $24!

This bell sleeve ribbed sweater is another recent soft and cozy favorite that looks cute with these suede boots. It comes in so many colors! I love this blue. The material of this sweater is so smooth! It’s gorgeous in person. My purse is this grey Leather Satchel. Similar to other Rebecca Minkoff bags I have? Yes. I can’t help that they call my name. :)

This color of boots I wear the most is called “foxy” and they have enough grey and tan in them to work with every color. That’s what I always look for when I buy a new couch! Ha. Home decor and fashion have a lot of similarities. :) I love this color of boots with black tops and sweaters! And yea for cool enough weather to finally wear this hooded cardigan. It’s so cozy I feel like I’m in pj’s when I wear it.. always a good thing. :)

I like to wear my black Vince Camuto boots with grey tops. This ruffle turtleneck sweater is darling! Comes in 3 colors and is warm but lightweight. I love the fun gold zippers on the bottom of the sleeve!

A closer look.. I wore this outfit twice in one week! Made sure I wasn’t going to see the same people. And then I tell all of you so that sort of defeats the purpose of trying to be sneaky about it.. ha. :) {purse/earrings}

Next recent favorite shoes are these comfy Swift Run Adidas sneakers! Wearing them here with my Adidas jersey tee and favorite high waist Zella leggings.

I’ve been obsessed with Adidas shoes for a while now (I live in these pink Gazelle sneakers!) and they have so many fun new shoes out right now. (Wearing my favorite AG jeans that are also on sale right now in sizes that are still left!)

A pic Kenny snapped quick of me and Ad lounging one weekend. We look so short to me in this picture. I guess because we are. {Free People Sweatshirt/Leggings/Adidas sneakers}

These Adidas sneakers come in several fun color patterns and are seriously so comfortable. And while we’re on the subject of comfortable.. did you all see that Nordstrom has their Ugg socks back in stock for the holidays!? Ahh! LOVE these! I bought a pair last year and gave a few for gifts. Everyone I gave them to loved them! I loved mine so much I grabbed a pink pair for this year. So cute and cozy! I love slipping them on every morning when I wake up. These Adidas sneakers and the Ugg socks are a happy present for your feet. :) Sharing some other fun Adidas shoes and Ugg slippers below. They make perfect gifts in my opinion! This pair is on my wish list! Maybe in black or green? Flashback time for sure. :)

Wearing my pink Ugg socks in this pic with these Velour PJ Salvage pj’s. {Top/Bottoms} I can’t even begin to tell you how cozy these are. I’m so excited for the time change this weekend because it means I get to put these on even earlier each night. :)

And speaking of pj’s I can’t wait to put on.. TEAM SANTA. I couldn’t resist! :) So excited to bust out my Christmas decor this weekend in this sweatshirt! I would turn on Christmas music if I could but my kids want to wait a couple of weeks on the music (sigh). What’s wrong with them!? I could do Christmas for six months! EASY. :)

More Adidas long time favorite sneakers! I really do love their shoes. And my Taco Tuesday tee is on sale for just $20! Kole gets so excited when I wear this shirt. :)

He loves my taco shirt, but I’m a hit with the teens when I wear these Adidas sneakers. I like to remind all of these girls that I bought them first. ;)

The types of pics you get when you hang out with dancers. :)

These two besties in black are nicknamed Pizza and Taco (long story!) so when I saw these purses at Nordstrom a few months ago I couldn’t resist. :)

I wore these Adidas sneakers on Halloween too. So much walking! I wanted to be comfortable. :) I dressed up as the family photographer this year. ;) Also wearing this flare sleeve sweater that is one of my go-to’s! It fits so cute and I get compliments every time I wear it. I’m so bummed it’s sold out in my size in blue or I’d buy another one! The only thing you have to watch is cooking with these sleeves. I was wearing this sweater a few weeks ago and went to heat Kole up some soup and about started my sleeve on fire! Ha! Some would say that the flare sleeve sweater needs to go. My first thought was “exactly why I shouldn’t be using this stove.. time for take out!” ;)

My boots aren’t the only cute boots/booties on sale! My favorite peep toe booties are also marked down along with so many other cute Fall shoes.

Cutest side tie sweatshirt that’s also on sale! I bought this at full price a while ago and have been living in it. I love the pink, but that color tends to wash me out so I came home with the grey. {Favorite AG Jeans}

I wore it a couple of weeks ago with my Hudson Camo pants (similar Hudson’s camo pants on sale!). Isn’t it cute!? Just so casual and comfortable and you can dress it up a little with jeans and booties or wear it with sweats or leggings.

Another day I had it on with my favorite jeans and my Toms booties (similar Toms on sale). Love this sweatshirt!

Two other quick favorites that are on sale! My favorite black ruffle tee is marked down!

And so is my black Corset seam tee. CUTE. I love the way both of these black tops fit. Wearing them with these Ex-boyfriend cropped jeans that are also marked down! My grey booties sold out, but these are similar and so cute.

{Bell Sleeve sweater – so cute but not ideal for cooking/favorite AG jeans on sale/Necklace/Suede boots on sale}

Snapped this heading out on a hot date with my favorite little man! We went to see his sister’s play together. :)

Whew! K friends. Long post I know! But seriously.. can you believe how many cute new things are on sale right now at Nordstrom!? Great time to get a few gifts bought and wrapped early. You can check them off your new list! :) And maybe pick up something cute for yourself in the meantime because whew.. all that Christmas shopping wears us out and we need a pick me up to keep our energy going. ;)

Enjoy your weekend friends! Signing off with some pics we took right before Trick or Treating on Halloween. We had such a fun evening with friends! As my 7 year old would say.. the evening was “EPIC.” Ha. Love that kid. :)

Three fuzzy animals. Two crazy ninjas. And one family photographer who just wanted to wear a favorite sweater and comfy shoes. :)

And my friend’s dog. Because his outfit tops them all. Wonder if he got it on sale at Nordstrom?

{POST SOURCES}

xoxo, Erin

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Christmas

11.01.17

Free Christmas Printables for Organized Gift Giving!

Happy November friends! Oh my word. So excited just typing that! It’s November! I LOVE November. And December! Don’t even get me started. Best time of the year! But I’ll admit. Sometimes those excited “Christmas is coming!” feelings also come with a side of anxiety anticipating all that needs to happen during the next two months. I want to make this time of year special for my family and I want to enjoy it myself. I want to be in a happy, good mood! Not running around like a stressed out, sleep deprived maniac. Been there, done that. ;) For me to be at my best during the holidays I have to be organized. One of my main goals every year is to have if not all, most of my Christmas shopping done before December 1st. It’s the best feeling to start December with gifts ready to give! Maybe even already wrapped! But for me this takes some time because I like to make sure I’m giving gifts that my friends and family will really love and enjoy. Giving gifts is a way we show people that we care about them so I like to put some thought into my gifts. I’m trying to teach my kids that it’s not about the gift or how much money you spend.. it’s the thought behind the gift that tells people that you love them.

So I’ve created something to help be us be more organized and thoughtful this year with our gift giving! These are my free Christmas printables for organized gift giving. I’ve been using and LOVING them! I’m seriously so excited about this because I make printables all the time for myself. You know I’m a huge fan of lists. :) But now I’ve finally figured out how to create and share them with all of you too! My blog besties! Printables for everyone! It’s a printable party and we’re all invited!

K – you get that I’m excited. I’ll move on now. ;)

This first printable is just a basic list for you to use to write down everyone you’re giving a gift to (extended family, friends, kids’ teachers, etc.) and a line next to their name to write down two or three gift ideas if you’re still brainstorming. I have two of these filled out and they have been so helpful! I wrote names of everyone I definitely want to give something to and an idea or two about gifts. Then when I buy/make their gift, I’ll check the box on the left. Done! I’ve been carrying them in my purse so if I’m shopping I can pull them out and remember what to be looking for.

I use this separate list for gift ideas for my kids! I usually pull this list out in September so next year I’ll get this list up on my blog earlier. I like to brainstorm ideas for my kids for a few months because I really like to get them things they actually NEED or will love for Christmas. I don’t want any more extra “stuff” in my house that I know will end up in a goodwill bag in three months. :)

I put three lines at the top of this list because I have three kids, but obviously if you have more kids you’re buying for, print more than one! Or if you have one or two kids you won’t fill all the columns. Or use the columns for something else! Whatever works for you. And these are just ideas! I won’t necessarily buy my kids everything I write down. But sometimes I’ll be somewhere and see something and think “oh.. Ellie would love that!” Or Addison will come downstairs with slippers on that have a hole in them they are so worn out and I’ll think “slippers would be a good gift!” If I don’t write that stuff down when it pops in my head, it pops right back out and then before I turn around it’s two weeks until Christmas and I’m buying them things they don’t really love/need just to have presents for them to open. Not good! This list has solved that problem for me – I start jotting down ideas when they come to me early in the Fall and then Christmas shopping is a breeze! Santa still pulls the bulk of the load of course. But I do what I can to help. :)

This last printable is my favorite and it’s one for the kids! They write down people they want to buy/make a gift for and then write down a gift idea or two. The focus is on giving, but I also added three lines at the bottom for them to write what they would love for Christmas.

I had Kole and Addison each fill one out and they had so much fun thinking about who they wanted to give a Christmas gift to this year.

It made me smile when I saw that Kole put question marks next to my name so I wouldn’t see his gift. :) He listed family and his close friends and we talked about thinking about gifts that each person would really love or enjoy. He did everything completely on his own except asking for help spelling a few words. He wants to ask Santa for a camera this year so he can take pictures with mom. The sweetest thing! Love him. I could use a good photography assistant. ;) Now when we have some down time or he tells me he’s bored I can remind him that he wants to make cards for his grandparents for Christmas and we can get working on them. Bonus. ;)

Addison had some fun ideas for her grandparents and wanted me to cover those on the blog so that the surprise wouldn’t be ruined. ;)

Every year I crack up at what she wants for Christmas! Two years ago she sat on Santa’s lap and asked for a slinky. Seriously! That was all she wanted. I said “Ad.. that’s what you want? A $5 slinky? This is Santa and Christmas.. it’s your chance to dream big!” Santa and I were cracking up. :) And she got her slinky. It’s all about the thought behind the gift anyway, right? ;) Looks like this year she wants a little spa set, a foam roller (I think this is something for your muscles she has heard about in volleyball?) and you know.. either a snake or world peace.

I’ll have to see what I can do about those last two items on her list. (Um.. how about another slinky Ad?)

Anyway.. you get the point! :) It’s a printable that helps kids think about gifts they are giving to others ahead of time so they have some ownership in the process. It also helps parents get a jump start on the gift buying/making. Win for all!

So that’s it! Three free printables that help me stay organized when it comes to gift giving every year. I hope they help you too! Just head to the bottom of this post for the sign up form! Here’s to a more organized, less stressful holiday with well thought out gifts that are bought/made and wrapped ahead of time.

CHEERS! :)

xoxo, Erin

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Home Decor

10.29.17

Fall Living Room Decor

Happy Monday friends! Major picture dump today. Sometimes Mondays call for major picture dumps. This is one of those Mondays. :) I never shared our Fall living room decor and thought it was time with Halloween just a day away. Which I can’t even believe as I’m saying that! (Typing that I guess I should say.. is it weird that I always feel like I’m talking to all of you? Even though really I’m just typing away in an empty room alone on my couch because everyone else in this house went to bed hours ago? I do love our late night chats..) Point is.. this month has flown by. :)

*affiliate links used

I decorated this room for Fall in under an hour. That’s my favorite thing about having neutral furniture and a neutral rug. So easy to make a few quick switches and have a totally new look!

I updated the gallery wall with some new/old Fall pictures of our family. Clearly I can’t get enough of that picture of Kole when he was a baby next to the pumpkins at the patch. Had to have one of them in every room in the house this Fall. ;)

A few new pillows on the couch. I kept all of the navy in the room and love the existing navy pillows with my new orange velvet pillows from PB.

Cozy.

My 3 little pumpkins a few years back. :)

I used a lot of real pumpkins to decorate other rooms in my home this Fall so I loved displaying all of my faux pumpkins in my dough bowl.

I didn’t do much to change the shelves. Just added a few little pumpkins here and there.

And of course you can’t add Fall decor to your living room without including a cozy throw. Or two. Or ten.

I’ve shared these Bliss Plush throws with you before.. they are a bit of heaven on earth in my opinion. :) I really can’t say enough about them. They are so stylish, the perfect length, come in LOTS of colors, and they are the ultimate in cozy! What more do you need? :) This blue throw is the Majolica Blue and it’s such a rich, gorgeous color. I love the way it pulls the blues out of my pillow. Giving lots of these throws as Christmas gifts this year! Can’t wait.

Fall in the living room. We don’t get the pretty orange colors outside in southern Cal so bringing some of that Fall feel inside the house makes all the difference.

I was so quiet and snuck a couple of pictures of Ad and Kole over the weekend.. he was reading his library book to her and I wish I could have recorded their sweet little conversation.

That apparently turned pretty hilarious. Ha! :)

{Coziest Cardigan EVER!/All time favorite jeans ON SALE!/Peep toe booties also on sale!/Similar Necklace/Leather Tote}

Signing off but I have to share my fun news for any of you who missed my weekend IG announcement! My all time favorite pair of AG jeans that I live in are ON SALE!! Seriously I about fell off my couch when I discovered this news late Friday night and I ordered another pair in record speed! These never go on sale! And they are the BEST jeans! They are already backordered in most sizes so act quick if you want a pair. And if you want to know what they look like just check out every fashion post I’ve written over the past two years. I’m wearing them in 90% of my pictures.. ha! I call them my “good self-esteem pants” because they seriously take off pounds when you slide them on. Like magic! :)

You can find the link to them above or on my Favorites Page that I just updated with some recent favorite things! (This cozy cardigan also made my favorites page.) I know a lot of you love gift ideas this time of year so I’m going to keep this page updated and full of fun favorite things that make great gifts. I also have something else fun coming up to help you with your gift giving this year so stay tuned for that! I seriously can’t wait. The most wonderful time of the year is finally here! I mean AG jeans on sale and Christmas right around the corner!?

It just doesn’t get any better than that my friends.

{ROOM/POST SOURCES}

xoxo, Erin

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Fashion

10.25.17

Mens Fall Clothes (gift ideas for the men in your life!)

When Nordstrom reached out and asked me if I was interested in partnering with them on a post about mens fashion two quick thoughts ran through my head. The first one was “awesome.. I just already bought Kenny so many fun clothes for Fall!” Followed quickly by my second thought which was “shoot.. now I’m going to have to photograph him in them..” I knew all too well that a photoshoot featuring my husband would be more work than it was worth! He is so sarcastic and takes nothing I do seriously.

(*affiliate links used)

nordstrom-fall-clothes-for-men

{Cotton/Cashmere Pullover/Sperry Gold Cup Sneakers}

Perfect example. First picture we took. I said smile and he did this. Then when I told him he was going to have to take this serious and help me out he answered “babe.. I’m the new face of Nordstrom.. don’t give me any grief.”

Then he laughed at himself which always makes me crack up too and before I knew it we were laughing and getting absolutely nothing done.

Pretty much how I envisioned this experience going down. :)

mens-fall-clothes-nordstrom

Just when we had stopped laughing and were ready to try again a little someone appeared outside and wanted to join the party.

fall-clothes-mens-nordstrom-sweater

I decided at this point ‘if you can’t beat em join em’ and just gave up trying to control the photoshoot. I started snapping pictures of whatever they threw at me. :)

happy-halloween-porch-mens-clothes-nordstrom

I did manage to catch a few sweet moments between the two of them. Love my boys! Even though they both drive me completely crazy. :) I also really love this cotton/cashmere sweater. SO much that I bought it in two colors for him!

fall-nordstrom-sweater-mens-clothes

He was a good sport and agreed to try it on in both colors for me to make up for his earlier shenanigans. ;) Isn’t the teal fun!? I loved the teal and the tan, but it also comes in a grey and a darker blue. Kenny is lucky that he can dress pretty casual at his office for work so this is the type of stuff he wears every day. He’s had these shoes for almost two years. They have held up so well and are still his favorites!

mens-shoes-nordstrom

nordstrom-long-sleeve-fall-shirts-for-men

{Vista Waffle Knit Tee/Sperry Gold Cup Sneakers}

The rest of the pictures I just snapped of Kenny when he was wearing the clothes I wanted to share with you all. Much easier than a planned photoshoot with this one! Getting ready to make the morning eggs. He makes me and Ellie scrambled eggs for breakfast most mornings and some evenings when El comes home from dance hungry. Bad things happen when I try to scramble eggs.. ha!

aviator-jacket-mens-clothes-fall-nordstrom

{Barstol Aviator Jacket/Ecco Lace Up Sneakers}

This was a few weeks ago when he was heading to the mountains! Which sounds so nice right now because we are having a massive heat wave. He hasn’t been able to wear his new jacket since but I know he will wear it out this winter. Especially when we visit family in Utah. I love this jacket! It’s lightweight but also really warm and comfortable. The color is a favorite too. I was excited when I found this for him.

nordstrom-quilted-vest

{Crewneck Sweater/Newel Quilted Vest/Cole Hann Grand Pro Tennis Sneaker}

I buy my husband a new vest every Fall because I love him in them. :) This crewneck sweater looks good on its own and is perfect for layering. When I bought him Cole Hann shoes in blue last year I wondered how much he would wear them, but they look good with so many outfits! He wears them all the time.

mens-slim-fit-sport-shirt-nordstrom

{Slim fit non-iron sport shirt/Sperry Gold Cup Sneakers}

I was waiting one morning before he headed out the door to work to take a picture of him in this sport shirt, but his “hang on two seconds while I check this e-mail” turned into minutes and I couldn’t wait. So this is what we got. Pretty typical scene in my house anyway. :) LOVE this shirt. The slim fit dress shirts from Nordstrom are our favorites for him because they have such a nice flattering fit and are comfortable. This one doesn’t wrinkle much either.. bonus!

mens-nordstrom-clothes

{Textured Colorblock Sweater/Cole Hann Grand Pro Tennis Sneaker}

This week we had our family pictures taken.. ahh! What an exhausting ordeal that always is! Getting everyone in coordinating clothes and cleaned up and to the correct location on time. Then smile and look your happiest when everyone is completely exhausted and over it before the photoshoot even starts.. sounds familiar!? Ha ha.. :)

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But we made it! Took pictures in 90 degree heat with my boys in sweaters, but they survived and if I can just get at least one pic of everyone smiling for a Christmas card this year I’ll be a happy mom! Fingers crossed. I snapped these pics with my phone when we were done with the photoshoot. Boys were in great moods after it was all over!

I bought this textured color block sweater for Kenny for pictures and I love it so much! Can’t wait for it to cool off so he can wear it again. Such a nice sweater and he loves the way it fits. I told him I was so jealous of his role in family pictures. He met us at the location from work and just put on what I gave him to wear. That’s it! His role. I pick a photographer, pick a location, put together coordinating outfits for the whole family (which moms know is a lot of work!), get me plus all the kids ready and out the door on time (which moms know is an even bigger amount of work!). Then I’ll choose the picture to use, choose a card, get them made, update addresses, get the envelopes addressed, mail them out.. etc. etc. etc. Kenny meets us somewhere and puts on a new sweater.

Like I said.. jealous. ;) Lucky for him I LOVE giving and receiving Christmas cards so it’s worth the work to me!

*Btw.. Kole is wearing this cute fleece sweatshirt and these Chino Pants. I forgot to include them in the recent boys Fall fashion post I wrote! My post on girls Fall fashion is here too if you missed it. The whole family is taking turns being the new face of Nordstrom.. Ha! ;)

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These boys just don’t know how good they have it! ;)

Huge thank you to Nordstrom for sponsoring this post and for keeping my husband comfortable and looking his best!

And to my babe.. thanks for volunteering to be “the new face of Nordstrom.” I don’t know about that.. but I do know I’m lucky to have you. Sarcasm and all.

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xoxo, Erin

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Home Decor

10.24.17

Fall Mudroom Decor and a New Rug

Well! Happy Wednesday friends. By the time you read this post, it will be Wednesday. I know this because today (Tuesday) on my IG stories I was sharing details on my shiplap Halloween display and I told everyone happy Wednesday. Then text messages from friends, IG messages and a phone call from my mom came pouring in. All informing me that I was off a day and that it was in fact Tuesday. Ha ha.. oh my word. So embarrassing! Mom brain! I get it often. So happy Wednesday friends! Let’s hope I can keep things straight for a change. :)

Sharing some Fall decor in the mudroom and my new rug in this space today!

(affiliate links used)

I decorated my mudroom the same as I have in past years. A throw, pillows and wreath from Home Goods. Simple orange touches to bring in the season!

This wreath usually only lasts about a week on this dutch door before my husband complains about having to move it to go in and out of the door and takes it down. Kinda similar to how he complains about having to take off the pillows on our bed every night and the way I keep moving his precious family room clock around where he can’t see it. Ha! I don’t get it.. I mean .. what does he expect? That we live here too? ;)

I added some pumpkins to my little side table in the corner of the mudroom..

And this beautiful painting of the Eiffel Tower I got when we were in France last year. It was the only souvenir I bought that whole trip! I love it so much and it reminds me of such a fun week with my husband. (I still need to write about France! Post #3,486 on the list.) ;)

Cozy corner!

The only thing missing was a rug! I usually have this rug in front of our mudroom lockers – perfect for Spring and Summer but Fall? Not so much. :)

So I did a little digging and researched lots of runners and ended up with this Chenille Jute Basketweave Runner from PB (the natural). I LOVE it! It’s so soft, the perfect fit and very neutral and cozy for Fall. :) This is a major traffic area with my kids and while the border shows a little dirt (not too bad) the inside hides dirt really well. (You can read about the rest of the rugs throughout my home in this post.)

It just makes the whole room feel warm – always a good thing! Speaking of PB.. oh my word you guys. I’m trying to contain myself when it comes to their Christmas decor, but seriously! They have the cutest things this year! I know.. I say that every year. ;) But they always do! I just ordered these bathroom towels and this vintage Santa advent calendar. And their Christmas signs! How cute is this one!? Trying to figure out a fun spot for it. Also my favorite Magnolia Garland is back in stock! I know I know.. we haven’t even had Halloween yet. But I have to decorate early to have posts ready for the blog so my brain is already in total Christmas mode. (Major job perk in my opinion.) ;) I’ll be showing you all of my favorite Christmas decor in a post at some point, but things are already backordered and the good stuff always goes so fast! It’s hard for me to contain my excitement when it comes to Christmas decor. All things Christmas really! I have so many fun things coming up on the blog.. can’t wait to share it all with you!

Speaking of all things Christmas coming up.. I’d love to hear from you! What would you like to see on Sunny Side Up this holiday season? Christmas decor? Fun holiday outfits? Ways to stay organized during the holidays? Gift ideas? Things we do with the kids? Anything specific? I have some fun things planned, but would love to also make sure to cover anything specific you’d enjoy!

Such a happy time of year! Ok.. back to Fall and Halloween. I hope you enjoyed the Fall mudroom decor. Since I’m taking it all down November 1st.

;)

xoxo, Erin

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