TripleP in the Home: How to Add a Hint of Your Style

Remember the DIY gold sequin hanger from earlier this week? I found the perfect spot for it:

Too subtle for Santa? <wink with a little chuckle>

I was in the middle of a wrestling match in the living room (I was the ref) with my three sons and for one brief moment, time ceased and I thought to myself, "Holy Crap, I have three boys," and I felt my sense of girliness drowning beneath sporting equipment and events, and other manly raucous........stuff.  (In other news, I should win an award for the best run-on sentence, ever.)

I have since learned to relish what little feminine powers I have left, including adding a touch of my feminine side to the Holiday decorations around my home.  Being the only female, I've kindly tried to decorate our home in gender-neutral ways (you won't find any pink or gold polka dots in this home.)  Even the bedroom, bathroom, and closet I share with The Mr are carefully curated into a subtle combination of man and wife.  To make sure I don't absorb too much of the testosterone floating in the air, I hit up my bedroom with this:

and my bathroom with this:

Bam!  Take that testosterone!

I love, love, love these glittery shoe and handbag ornaments from Nordstrom (and they should be going on sale right about now!) and I never miss an opportunity to score a free deluxe perfume sample from Sephora.

How do you add a touch of your own personal style to your decorating?

TripleP: Holiday Gifts Guide (brought to you by Coupons.Com)

You can barely sneeze without finding yourself viewing yet another gift guide.  They come in all shapes and sizes, range in extravagance to budget-saving; there are color-coded gift guides, hobby-related gift guides and everything in between.  There have been pins, blog posts, retailer emails, friendly suggestions, and ideas abound.  Where does one even start (and we are looking at the last few days of shipping to arrive before Christmas!)?  Well, I love giving gifts, but every year I know Mr. Clause could use some help with my stocking......so yes, in the spirit of selfishness, I've made a gift guide just for The Mr (for me, lol!) of my favorite stocking-sized goodies:

1 Fitbit //  2 J.Crew Tortoise Claw //  3 Diptyque Mini Candle //  4 Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment //  5 Ampersand Design Studio Hair Ties for Mane Message //  6 Estee Lauder Nail Lacquer // 7 Andes Mints // 8 L'Occitaine Rose Cream // 9 Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream

I can't end this post without mentioning Coupons.com holiday gift guides, mostly because they would love to give you several chances to win some amazing things.  On the blog today, we've got a giveaway for a $200 e-gift card to Amazon.com; On Coupons.com, they've got several gift packages from their Coupons.com Holiday Sweepstakes.  The Gift Package I have my eye on?  The gift guide contest for gifts for Mom (um Kate Spade anyone?)

Who's ready for that fabulous giveaway from our generous sponsors?

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Perfect Friday: All That Glitters is Gold (DIY Sequin Hanger)

I've seen these gold sequin hangers around for awhile now and I finally decided I had to have one.  Ever the glutton for punishment, I decided I could easily make my own.  I thought I would document it for any other people who love to make their own things:

You will need 3 rolls of single strand sequins (I got mine at JoAnns), scissors, a hanger and double-sided tape.  Next time I think I will spray paint the hanger and hook gold first.

Tape it up (more than is shown here!  I used this suit-coat hanger because I am hoping it will add more dimension to the hanger.)

Start wrapping/winding (whatever arts & crafty term makes more sense to you) starting from the end of the hanger.  

A tip for the hook (wrap around it twice):

For switching the pattern direction:

and then finishing off the ends:

I have a pretty good idea of where I'm going to hang this fun sequin hanger, but you'll just have to stick around to find out where.

I have this sister-in-law, The Midas Touch we shall call her, who has this innate ability to turn everything she touches to gold (the edible kind for her food, haha.)  She could probably finish this perfectly with a snap of her fingers.  If you aren't like her (I'm not like that, everything I touch turns any color but gold haha!) then here are a few links to ready-made sequin hangers: here here and here.

Where will you hang yours?

Polished Wednesdays: How to Wear Your Holiday Dress Year Round

I recently posted a few sequin pieces I have my eye on, over at RedefinedMom.com.  I fell in love with this Starlit Stripe dress from Anthropologie when I tried it on at the November birthday bash I was invited to (even though my birthday is NOT is November?)  Fellow blogger and friend Meg said it was a "Carrie moment."  Whatever it was, I loved it, but the price tag (it's now on major sale!) was a little bit overwhelming (even with 15% off) for a dress that is memorably not-basic; I'm also not a fan of showing up to a party in the same dress as everyone else (ready-to-wear problems, sigh.)  And that is my inspiration for getting the most out of this dress:

Dress: Starlit Stripes Dress from Anthropologie (now on major sale!)

Look 1, perfect for party #1:

Forever 21 Polka Dot Chiffon Button Down, but wish I had this Adele Polka-Dot washed silk blouse. J.Crew Venus Flytrap necklace

Anthropologie Tabbed Leather belt (comes in really great colors!)

Enzo Angiolini Black Patent Pumps - I love these Kate Spade Jive pumps, almost 50% off!

Look 2, perfect for party #2:

American Eagle Cable Knit sweater in mint (we should all have mint in our closets right now, but here are two alternitives: ASOS Crop Cable Sweater or this wool-blend cable sweater)

Anthropologie Tossa belt

H&M Bead Necklace

Rock & Republic Silver Mirror High Heels 

Look 3, perfect for a lunch date with the girls:

J.Crew Nolita Denim Jacket (this J.Crew Vintage Denim Jacket is a perfect substitute)

J.Crew Venus Flytrap Necklace

Gray Converse All-Stars

I want to hear from you now, so tell me about your favorite Holiday Dress!

Taco Tuesday?

The Mr and I made it down the to Chuy's for a dinner-date and um.  Stop the presses.  While the food was perfectly delicious (and the portions are mega-sized,) it was the atmosphere that sucked me in to loyalty.  I promise I won't ever eat at another Mexican (tex-mex or not) restaurant again.  Sitting in the waiting area for our table (it was a Saturday night after all,) I was a little bit alarmed.  Kitschy, touristy t-shirts were on display (and for sale,) there was an Elvis lamp in it's own little recess in the wall, on display like a religious artifact (and I'm sure it is to some.)  The color scheme had me thinking Florida retirees and traditional tex-mex styles.  The tables and chairs were retro diner.  The music was......lovable.  There were people carrying margaritas everywhere.  We were finally seated, and helped by a most gracious server (an interior decorator and blogger.)  The longer we sat, the more we fell in love with this place.  There was laughter, loud talking, large gestures and a general party-atmosphere.  There may not have been a happier place on earth that evening (and yes, we've been to Disneyland and Disney World.)  The Steak Burrito (big as yo' head) is delicious - it's not sweat-inducing spicy, I promise <wink>

Go check out one of Kansas City's newest restaurant - you will love it!

 

 Chuy's originally started in 1982 in Austin, Texas. Through their eclectic restaurants and delicious Tex-Mex food their popularity has grown and Chuy's recently opened their doors to a new Kansas City location on the Plaza. Good food is their #1 priority, and you can taste it with their hand rolled tortillas and freshly made salsa. Chuy's offers several signature dishes such as the "Chuychanga", their Chile Rellenos as well as signature sauces ranging in spiciness from mild to hot! (yes they added an exclamation point!). You can follow along with all the Chuy's Kansas City fun on their Facebook page. Chuy's is wanting to help spread the word of their new Kansas City location by offering 5 readers the chance to win a "Dinner for Two" gift card valued at $30 which includes an appetizer, two entrees, a dessert and non-alcoholic drinks for two! Several local bloggers have teamed up to bring you this fantastic giveaway. This giveaway will run from December 10 through December 16. Please enter if you live around the Kansas City area and are able to visit, or if you have family or friends you could gift the prize to. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Participating bloggers are not responsible for prize fulfillment. Winner(s) will be verified, emailed and have 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen.

*I was offered a gift certificate in exchange for this promotional post.  All opinions are, and will be, my own.

Polished Wednesdays: How to Polish Silver

I'm just kidding.  I don't know how to polish silver, but judging by the comments on the many pins I've seen - it must be a pain in the butt.

This is actually a simple recipe* for an easy salad (that your guests will be sure to polish off - did you see what I did there? #nerdalert)  My sister made it for us when we went to see her for our fun Wax Museum date, and I fell in love with the taste and its' simplicity.  I always ask for dressing on the side not because I'm watching my weight, but because most places tend to have a "would you like salad with that dressing" ratio than a "would you like dressing with that salad" one.  In fact, whoever is in charge of determining the ratios of ingredients to dressing should probably be fired.  End rant.  Oh wait, I forgot to tell you the part where I hate balsamic vinegar, and thusly all vinaigrette's) another reason I love this recipe. So, without further ado.....

Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Olive Oil dressing**

Salad:

2 Cups spinach
1 handful of strawberries, sliced (or 5 handfuls, depending on how well you like strawberries lol)
1 handful of cashews, chopped (see above)

Dressing:

1 T olive oil
1 pinch dried basil
2 turns of the pepper mill
1 pinch of salt
A little less than half of a lemon or lime, squeezed (of course)

Stir dressing ingredients together with a fork, drizzle over spinach (you did put the spinach in a bowl, right?, toss (the salad.)  Top with strawberries and chopped cashews.  Eat it.

*I'm not a professional chef, cook or baker.  I am however, a professional suburbanite who watches every season of Top Chef, loves eating food, and loves this salad recipe.

**Recipe adapted from Loren Cordain's The Paleo Diet Cookbook, copyright 2011

Waste of Time Wednesdays: Quality Time on the iPad

Dying with laughter over this app y'all.  It's not just for girls.

 *This is a Fashionista Events opportunity

TripleP #momlife: Just Dance Kids 2014

My seven year old is always upset that every single package that gets delivered is for me (what? I shop online a lot!)  He was beyond excited when one day, finally, the package was for him; he ripped it open and........

"YESSSSS! (insert fist pump) Now I've got One Direction!"

Huh?  I didn't even realize he knew who that band was, let alone that he felt like it was "missing from his life."  Haha!  Don't get me wrong, I love each of my children equally.  Sometimes I love different things about them (okay, most of the time.); I happen to love my seven year old's party lifestyle.  He loves to interact with others, loves to dance and have parties (especially if junk food and sweet sodas are involved) and promotes fun and games everywhere he goes.  He can be the life of the party; I can be the dead-weight who just wants to keep the house clean and our bodies healthy.  Haha.

Apparently the last party we threw wasn't lively enough.  My son couldn't wait for guests to start leaving so he could turn on Just Dance and start boogieing (he does not use that word, it isn't cool enough.)  We had music, dancing, balloon artists and lots and lots of sugar.....and then we had Just Dance 2014 (you can purchase Just Dance 2014 here.)

Sadly, I only got actual footage of the raucous (haha) dancing from my cell phone.

Thank you Ubisoft for sponsoring this post. To learn more about Just Dance Kids 2014, visit the Just Dance Facebook Page here: http://clvr.li/JDK2014. I was selected to review Just Dance Kids 2014 as a member of Clever Girls Collective; the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.