Happy Halloween!!

Whew! So it's been over a month since we embarked on our move and I've been able to update the blog... apparently I'm only capable of focusing on one thing at a time! I've obviously got a lot of catching up to do... and I've also found some great products over the past month that I want to share with ya'll - but for now... the my thoughts on the highlights!

- We moved from Michigan to Illinois and are still in the process of getting settled in at the new house. I was able to at least get the girls' rooms to a minimal level of "done" and have a few pictures to share at the end of this blog post of my start on them!

- Adjusting to a new area has been a lot harder with this move than I ever anticipated. Moving with children is a totally different ball game than our previous between states move that we did before we had kids... You get so into a routine as a Stay-at-Home Mom and develop such a support system (no matter how big or small) - that it really is a shock to the system when you not only have to deal with a cranky kiddo in the middle of Target, but then also have to use up energy trying to figure out where the darned Ziploc bags are placed in the store too!

- Baby Bean (still no permanent nickname! still a girl!) is still cooking and seems to be doing well. We did have a slight scare after we moved over here when my new doctor ordered a growth ultrasound (since all of my previous ones had been done in Michigan) and the results came back that they thought the baby wasn't growing enough/too small. (10th percentile) Thus started a whirlwind schedule of twice weekly appointments to the regular doctor's office, additional appointments with the maternal fetal medicine doctor, and the like... Currently, the conclusion is that they are thinking that Baby Bean is just meant to be a smaller child - but are keeping a close eye on me none the less.

- I'm currently 38 weeks, so we're in the home stretch!

- We still love hair bows, but have taken to also occasionally putting Cupcake's hair into a pony tail out of necessity... sometimes it is the only hair style she will leave alone!

- Our new location doesn't have neeeear the shop-portunities that our previous location did. This is leading to a LOT of online ordering. I may become a pro at finding deals online while we are here, and also have some exciting cashback tips too!

- I've gotten a few new handbags that I'll share with you in a future blog post... some that I think will work great, others that I've decided aren't going to work for my lifestyle. So I'll share a review of all of those at some point and also still on my "to do" list is the Best Mommy Bags video - I haven't forgotten! (Here's a sneak peak... the Balenciaga Work unfortunately is not going to make the list!)

Here are some pictures of the girls' work in progress rooms!

The jungle animal themed room...

And the beginnings of our cupcake tea party room...

I know... a lot of work yet to be done. 

So I hope everyone is having a Happy Halloween!! Cupcake is dressing up as a monkey this evening, and then her little stuffed monkey that she carries around everywhere with her is dressing up as... her! (Bow in hair, wearing a onesie, etc.) I'm looking forward to sharing some pictures and having a fun Halloween! It's one of our favorite holidays, right after Christmas & Thanksgiving! Be safe everyone!

Ultra cute Scentsy cupcake warmer!

Scentsy's "warmer of the month" for July is an adorable mid-sized pink and green themed cupcake!

I hadn't tried Scentsy before, but have a few friends that are consultants and numerous friends that have raved about using Scentsy in their homes... so decided to finally give it a try! And well... you can get me to buy just about anything if it's shaped like a cupcake.

The cupcake warmer is the warmer of the month for July 2011, and I also ordered the scent of the month, Happy Birthday. The cupcake warmer is classified as "mid-sized" and although I don't have any of their other warmers to compare sizes just yet, I would say that it's a really generous size. Much larger than I anticipated it was going to be. (So much bigger, that I decided that if this is the size is standard to their other warmers... mid-sized is probably the biggest size that I would need in my house - because it looks size appropriate for a counter top or something of that nature.)

If you've been living a rock like I have, and haven't tried Scentsy yet (because it seems like everyone I know has already tried these...) the deal is that it melts little bars of fragranced wax with the use of a light bulb and is covered, so that it is more pet and child friendly to have in your home than an open flame.

The scent I ordered, Happy Birthday, smells fantastic - and it has a lot better staying power than other room scent options I've tried once it's turned off. Hubby noticed it instantly when he came upstairs the first night I tried it, and agreed that it smelled like, "walking through a field of cupcakes"... Ha!

I think I'm going to be trying a few different types of warmers and scents in the future, perhaps a nice apple smell for the kitchen and wall plug-in warmers for places like our bathroom. While these are definitely safer than an open flame to have in your common living areas where adults are present - the wax that gets heated up in the top (and the cover itself) does get VERY hot. So it could be a burn hazard if tipped over near children or pets. I used pot holders to take the cover off to see what the wax looked like once it was turned off. So a sturdy location that is high enough out of a child's reach is probably the best spot to keep it, as with all heated scent home items.

All in all, I'm really pleased with my first Scentsy product and I can't wait to try another item from their product line!

This review was done independently. Reviewer did not receive compensation for their opinions.

Easter Fun! And what we've been up to!

Well, I've been remiss in blogging, but it's been a busy past week or so, with family in town visiting and trying to keep the house going. Hopefully I'll be back to my regular routine in the next few days! Some fun exciting things have been going on though, all of which will be the topics of future blog posts... Cupcake starts her first Mommy & Me swimming class today (so excited!), lots of pictures to follow of that... I actually DID get a new bag finally, which I will be excited to share with you in a future blog post, and the Great Cupcake Remodel is going well! I actually found the PERFECT bedding set to go with the theme I had in my head for the Cupcake Tea Party theme, and it is on its way to me! Lots of pictures of that to follow as well!

For today though, I just wanted to share a little Easter fun we had over the weekend... It will be one of Cupcake's "last first" holidays, since she'll be turning 1 year old soon! Then she will have "been there, done that" for all of them!

She opened her Easter basket first thing...

And also had a few packages from grandparents waiting for her as well...

Later in the day, we decided to play a little dress-up - and make sure one of the outfits I've had for a while in mind for her 1st birthday pictures still fits. (It does, hooray!)

Not actual shirt I'm planning on using... but we just had it on so she wasn't in the buff!

Her first pair of "designer" shoes... :)

Then we took some time to swing outside and play with her new bubble gun...

All in all, it was a great day! Hope that you & yours had an awesome Easter as well!

Perfume Atomizers...

I love when you open a magazine, to find something sitting in the pages that you were already hunting down or contemplating getting. It just kind of gives you that feeling of being on point, and honestly... it's also just nice because it gives you another store reference of where to find the item!

This happened to me most recently when I was flipping through (back to front, of course) my Lucky (shopping & style) magazine this weekend. I have no idea why I back to front - but for some reason it helps me take in the information better.

As I was flipping through, I found on page 113 of the April 2011 edition, something I had been on the hunt for over a month now - a perfume atomizer!

Available on www.smallflower.com (Currently sold out)

I love these things... they remind me of my childhood, when I would sneak into my grandmother's bedroom and stare at her vanity, knowing I wasn't supposed to touch anything on it. She had a small dainty ring box that played music when you opened it and was a shimmery golden color. From what I remember, the top had a mother of pearl inset that had a picture of a peacock... or a piano... or something majestic. Or maybe it was shaped like a piano... in any case, I just wanted to open it, and close it. And open it...

It was one of those traditional vanity areas, that had a mirrored tray that everything set on, a beautiful comb and brush that always sat on there, and I'm sure there were other bits that were on there as well. It's interesting how the mind always remembers the things that made the most impression on us.

I was most intrigued by a beautiful perfume atomizer, that had the long string that hung off of it, with a tassel on the ball at the end. (I obviously don't know the technical names for all of these pieces.) I wanted to be an adult, right there, right then. I wanted to brush my hair with the brush, put on makeup while looking in the mirror, and spritz on a dash of perfume with this regal atomizer before walking out the door to go somewhere important.

As best as I can recall, I don't think I ever did spray that atomizer - but it did make a lasting impression on me. It's been on my mind for the past month or so after seeing an atomizer during at trip to Hobby Lobby in February... and I've contemplated getting one for my dresser ever since. I know I want to get one, but I would love to find one that resembles the one that I have in my mind from my grandmother's vanity, a beautiful rose gold colored glass with a cream atomizer.

For now though, I may have to be content with the various reproductions that are available at retail outlets like hobby - for at very least an atomizer that I want to be able to use. I do remember while visiting antique stores in Missouri one time four or five years ago, then the one downside to vintage perfume atomizers is usually that had residual perfume leftover in them, and have an "old perfume" smell to them. So great for home decor, but not as great if you want to actually be able to use it to put your own perfume in them.

So maybe atomizers have been something I've always wanted to get as an adult, since I remember intently looking at them on that trip in Missouri, but always putting them back for some reason. I think it's time I finally gave in, and added a pretty perfume atomizer to the perfume area on my dresser...

We've created a labyrinth in our living room...

Since our downstairs was unusable (for Cupcake anyways) for a short period of time while we were waiting on our carpet to be installed. (If you haven't heard the full story, see my story about living in a construction zone.) We decided that it was finally time to order those long baby gates we had been looking at, to be able to block certain parts of our upstairs off.

We ended up deciding on this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00020L78M

It's the North States Superyard Classic XT Gate and we choose it based on it's simple design, good reviews, and decent price.

When it arrived, I took to blocking off our dining room from the living room (the room Cupcake was using as a main play area since the downstairs was out of commission) and cut off her route to the kitchen. Although she was none too happy about this change, she quickly adjusted. It made for a nice puzzle like labyrinth in the beginning...

We also tested out having it in a hexagon, and it still fit nicely in the room...

The final layout that we've used while the downstairs was completed is what my husband likes to call, "The Great Wall of Cupcake" - and we have the gate stretched out to block off her routes to the dining room and kitchen.

All in all, this has turned out to be a great buy for us and luckily we had the good sense to order two of them (one for upstairs, one for downstairs) when we placed our Amazon order.  I think this will be a really great thing to have in the Spring and Summer, when we're wanting to spend more time outside and it works great to keep her contained in one specific area. (While still giving her more room to move around than a play yard.)

Bottom line... This is a great product that I would recommend to a parent that has an active 8-9+ month old baby, they are great to keep areas of your house blocked off and are versatile since you can add and remove panels to fit the area that you want to use it in. It definitely has saved my sanity since Cupcake has become A LOT more mobile lately!


(This is an independent review, writer was not compensated and purchased the product themselves.)

Reflecting on Wall Mirrors

After the carpet is finished in our family room, I'm going to be move on to being on the hunt for a good mirror to go over the fireplace. Mirrors seem to extend the boundaries of the room , and sometimes I feel like they are even more interesting to look at than a painting or picture. They are constantly changing and evolving with the room around them. Pictures in some areas of the house just feel too... flat.

Traditionally, mirrors above fireplaces tend to be rectangle shape.

Image courtesy of MarthaStewart.com

And I also had the idea of looking into a circle or sunburst shape for our family room fireplace, because it doesn't look as stuffy in a more casual room of the house.

Image courtesy of DecorPad.com

However, the idea of combining the images of a circle and a rectangle together to come up with a uniquely shaped mirror, has started to appeal to me as well. This scroll mirror available at  PierreDeux.com is one of my favorites:

PierreDeux.com - Salerne Scroll Mirror, $198

On my hunt, I've also found a number of traditionally shaped choices that are contenders:

HomeDecorators.com - Cassia Mirror, $189

Kirklands.com - Golden Links Mirror, $89.99

HomeDecorators.com - Rowena Mirror, $239

I'm also planning a few trips to stores like Home Goods, that have a continually rotating stock, to see what they have in store. I will be sure to post up my final choice after it's been found!

Hooray - New Carpet!

I would have preferred a new handbag... but you know, potatoe, pahtatoe.

Our carpet that we ordered from Home Depot arrived yesterday and what can I say... it's not concrete floors! I have a feeling I'll have a much better opinion of it once our furniture is all moved back in, but for now I'm just happy that it's not concrete.

It has a slight square design to it and the walking scuffs don't show up as much in real life as they do in my pictures. I tried to get a color of carpet that would compliment the wall colors down there and also go with our couch color. (Plus something a bit more stain resistant than what was down there before, since we have 2 cats + 1 kid.)

I ended up ordering a 100% nylon carpet that was made by Martha Stewart from Home Depot. (Not because it was by Martha Stewart mind you... but because it was 100% nylon and on sale.) Apparently, nylon is supposed to be better for carpeting than the polyester type, and wear better in the long-term as well. (And if anyone knows to the contrary... do not tell me!! We just spent the equivalent of a really nice handbag, some cute shoes, the start of a Spring wardrobe, and possibly a wedding band upgrade on this stuff!)

So without further ado...  the before - yucky concrete (after the old carpet was pulled up), bare wood on the stairs, and an unusable room:

And the after:

Please tell me it was worth it. That's all I want to hear... even if it maybe wasn't... just tell me it's fabulous regardless.

Oh, and Cupcake seems to like the new carpet too:

Vanity Restyle

I'm in that age range where you transition from your young adult years, when it is still moderately acceptable to a bit whimsical in your daily life - to a full fledged adult - when you are expected to be all responsible, organized, and put together. (And stuff.) I actually really enjoy organization (I'm sure my husband would declare otherwise), but I just get so caught up in the routine of day-to-day living, that sometimes I have to step back and look at things from a different perspective in order to see the disarray.

Case in point, was my vanity area. I bought this vanity because the house we lived in just prior to our current one didn't have a built-in vanity (which I had been used to having from the house previous), and just had a small open room with bare walls to use for a vanity and dressing area. So I found this vanity to solve the problem of having a place to do my makeup.

When we moved to our new house that we live in currently, it didn't have a separate dressing OR vanity area either - so I had to take up a corner of our bedroom with my vanity. (I sacrificed having a separate vanity area when we narrowed it down to this house from the other ones we were looking at, to give my husband a space to have his "man cave" area - just want that on record. Ha ha!) With a new baby and just getting settled into the new house, it was too easy to walk past my vanity on a daily basis and just ignore it. I used my makeup out of separate makeup cases and could never find anything!

The before:

Not really a pretty sight to look at, was it?

So one day, I was inspired and realized that I needed to do some re-organization... desperately.

I purchased two clear drawer acrylic containers from Space Savers (which I've also since purchased one to organize my daughter's changing table), two glass vases, and some vase filler from Michael's. I started sorting through things and found things I had forgotten I even had! I sorted the items I used the most into categories like face, eyes, and lips. And for brands like Nars, I had enough to have one drawer dedicated to holding it.

This was the result:

Everything was out in the open and easy to spot! I was amazed that this actually help cut down on the time it took me to get ready too!

In the vanity drawer, I organized all of my Bare Escentuals shadows, Benefit powders, and extra brushes:

And inside the acrylic drawers ended up looking like this:

Overall, it was a relatively inexpensive project that made a big impact! I happily can now find all of the makeup items I own quickly, and also have been using different products in my makeup routine, since I can find more than just my go-to items!

The Great Cupcake Remodel!

I got a flash of inspiration a few months ago for Cupcake's first birthday - Cupcake Tea Party theme - and then ideas just started taking off from there.

Why stop at a theme for just a first birthday party? Why not do her whole room in a cupcake theme for her first birthday?!?! I know it may seem like it's just a tad bit overboard. I guess I should back up and explain, that her room is currently done in a neutral animal theme, which is cute, but basically it is just alot of greens and browns with splashes of pink thrown in. I was trying to be good when I was pregnant, picking out things that were neutral, could be used for the next one, weren't an "overdose of pink" since it's so tempting when you find out you're going to have a girl... Yada, yada, yada.

I've had a change of heart since then though, because quite frankly - she is a girl, and I want to be overwhelmed by pink when I walk into her room. After all, as many of my mommy friends have since explained to me as she's gotten older, I've only got another good year or two that I can pick out the clothing she wears and how her room is decorated - before she starts calling the shots anyways. (They grow up so quickly, don't they? Already prepping for being a teenager at age three. )

So with that in mind, it was settled - cupcake theme for her room it is. Main colors? Pink, purple, pink, turquoise, pink, brown, and maybe once all of those have been used... a little more pink.

The first thing I did was have Erin from Cute Kid Creations make a custom room sign. Her work is amazing! I've purchased a few hair bow holders from her (which I will post about in a future blog), one which was personalized to match her current animal room theme. Cute Kid Creations can design an item to perfectly match whatever bedding or theme you might be using in your child's room. Her wait time extends up to 4 months before your item may be received, but trust me when I tell you... it is worth the wait!

Here is our custom made "Cute as a Cupcake" room sign from Cute Kid Creations:

I found these items at Hobby Lobby while on "vacation" visiting family in Illinois:

And I've ordered a matching hair bow holder from Cute Kid Creations, which I will post up pictures of when it arrives.

I also picked up these book ends at Homegoods right after I had the Cupcake Tea Party theme inspiration... There was a fair amount of squealing going on in the aisle when I found these. 

So it's a start at least, of course the biggest parts of the theme would be the bedding and fabric room decor, such as window coverings. Cupcake still does not use a blanket at night as it's something we wanted to wait to introduce until she was at least a year old, but since she will soon begin transitioning into using things like blankets once she goes into the toddler stage next Winter, I've got my eye on this bedding & accessories set from Trend Lab:

All cupcake room decor items from Trend Lab are available at BabiesRUs.

So, I will continually be on the hunt for other cupcake room decor items in the upcoming months and hope to even find a cupcake bedding set that has a little more purple in it, to more closely resemble our 'Cute as a Cupcake' sign. I cannot wait to share the final outcome with you!