Interior Design + Inspiration

Yesterday I stopped at the Interior Design Store, Willow, and loved everything in it. Unfortunately, everything was also way over my budget. I couldn't believe these two stools (that I fell in love with) were over $1000 each. I'm thinking they will be inspiration for a diy project. I am going to start searching for a similar stool- Craigslist, Ikea, Target. Something inexpensive, of course. Then I will spray paint the legs gold and buy the spotted cheetah fabric.

Another piece of inspiration is this pretty pink box. I've seen these laquer boxes at Home Goods, as well as the agate coasters. With a little super glue I could recreate this for less. I'm sure when I go shopping I won't be able to find what I need. Does that happen to you, too?

I also loved the pair of lime green lamps. It reminded me of the turquoise lamp I recently spray painted, but I am still shopping for a lamp shade. I also loved all of the bookcase and console table styling. Lots of coffee table books and decorative objects. 

Recipe: 5 Ingredient Pesto Chicken Soup

We went food shopping on Saturday this weekend, and I liked going on this day of the week. Everything was in stock (unlike on Sundays) and it was a family trip, which meant I had help with the girls from Nick. I was able to browse Pinterest to look up recipes to buy the ingredients. One of these recipes was this delicious soup I had pinned last week. When I saw one of the ingredients was pesto I knew I wanted to try it. We love pesto in our house and I always make my own recipe. The prep and cooking time was minimal- only 15 minutes total!

I cut down on cooking time by using a Rotisserie chicken from Whole Foods. I also made my own pesto recipe, but you can buy jarred pesto anywhere. When recommending this soup to my Mom (a vegetarian) I suggested substituting the chicken stock for veggie and the chicken for tofu. I may have to try this version next. My changes are in bold.

Gimme Some Oven

5-Ingredient Pesto Chicken Soup

(4 servings)

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4 cups good quality chicken stock

3 handfuls (about 3 cups) fresh spinach

2 cups shredded chicken (I used Rotisserie and shredded)

2 14-ounce cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained

1/3 cup pesto (I used my own recipe)

(optional topping: grated Parmesan cheese)

1. Stir together chicken stock, spinach, chicken, beans in a medium saucepan. Cook over high heat until the soup reaches a simmer.

2. Then reduce soup to medium, stir in the pesto, and let the soup continue to simmer for 2 minutes.

(I brought soup to a boil, then reduced to low heat and let simmer after adding the pesto)

3. Serve warm, top with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Enjoy!

The Luscious List

First, we have a new addition to our family. My brother and sister in law welcomed their fourth baby on Saturday morning. A girl! They already have a girl, 6, and two boys, 4 and 2. I'm so happy that they had another girl and Summer will have a girl cousin close in age. Ellie was so excited to meet her. They came home from the hospital a day early and we took the girls over to their house last night.

This baby girl arrived two days before her brother's birthday. Today my nephew turns 2. He is just the sweetest and is such a happy boy. I love him so much. Happy Birthday, Hank!

I am looking for new tops to add to my closet. Affordable ones, of course. Here are a few I am loving.

 Love the detail on this one:

Crochet Woven Top

I tend to think leopard is a neutral (and most women would agree, too). I need new go-to tops in my closet and this would be one of them.

Leopard Print Open Back Tee:

 I love this basic scoopneck tank:

And, the long-sleeve version looks equally as comfortable:

I received a sample of this cheek stain at Sephora at the beginning of the summer. I love it for this time of year when I am outside often and it is so hot and humid. It stays and doesn't run, which is always a good thing. It's also great for the beach or pool when I know I will be in the water. It adds a little bit of natural color. I definitely recommend!

Cheek Stain in Flush

This looks like such a refreshing treat and something fun to make with kids this summer.

Zoku Slush Maker

The girls and I are headed to the children's museum this morning. Ellie is painting right now and I have to go wake Summer so we can get out of the house. Hope you have a great Monday!

Disclosure: some of these links contain affiliate links, which means if you click on the link and you purchase the item I will receive a small commission.

New at Pottery Barn + Kids

I love scoping out the new arrivals at Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids each season. Here are my favorite new items:

I would flip this mirror and hang in an entryway. It would also look very pretty in Summer's room!

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 I want this one year frame for both girls. It's perfect! It would make a great baby gift.

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This shelf would add character to any space- even a bathroom. Love the unique pattern. I could find many uses for this!

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After I pinned this baby bag I realized people may think I am expecting baby #3. That's not the case at all!! I just love this bag. Look at all those pockets and the gold hardware. Wish this was in stock before Summer!

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 I could find so many places to hang this scalloped light fixture. I love it so much.

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 My love for animal print continues with these napkins. Would be such a chic addition to a table.

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 Horses are so popular right now and this wall art makes such a statement.

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The Luscious List

Athleta is having their big summer sale. You can save an extra 20% with the code EXTRA20. I love this top (especially the thumb holes) and these shorts, but they don't have my size. I ordered the blue workout capris and love them. They are so soft and comfortable. These will be a staple in the cooler weather. The cap sleeve rash guard I got from here is sold out, but they have the long-sleeve available in a few colors. I also love the gray top below.

I mentioned this watch in my Nordstrom Sale favorites post, but it has sold out. My runner-up pick is this one by Michael Kors. I've never been much of a watch person and every fall I contemplate getting one, but I never do. I love gold jewelry so I would definitely choose gold over silver.

I just printed this free wall art I found on Pinterest:

 
I am loving this shirtdress from Banana Republic for fall. I really don't want to be thinking about fall yet, but this stood out as I was browsing the new arrivals.

My week started off great as I had a fun girls dinner Monday night with two close friends at Harvest Grill. Unfortunately, Ellie woke up with a high fever yesterday morning so that was sad especially on a hot summer day. She basically slept all day and didn't eat much and I gave her Advil to bring down her fever. She slept with me last night and woke up with a slight fever this morning. She is more like herself so hopefully she will be all better tomorrow. I'm really hoping Summer doesn't pick it up.

Hope you are having a great week!

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is here and prices go back up August 4th. I love that they include beauty, jewelry, and home in this sale. Now is the time to order Frye boots for fall. I bought my first pair last year and I love them. You can save over $100 by ordering now. These are my favorites!

 

sweater / maxi dress / tank / jeans / sweater

jeans / necklace / boots / dress / watch

bare minerals / nars / jacket / top / leggings

 

Happy Shopping!

 

 

The Luscious List

I went to the mall this week and this necklace is on my wishlist. I love the grey one, but I don't like the stones on the border. I'll wait for a 40% sale for the turquoise one.

Gap was also having a sale on top of their sale. I got some great items for Summer, including this adorable blue leopard print dress for only a couple bucks! I also couldn't resist the "Oh Hey, Summer!" tank.

American Eagle is having 20% off everything in store and online. Plus, and extra 40% off clearance. I got this top for only $15. It is better than I expected. The fabric is very light and perfect for hot days. I love the bright orange. I also love this tank and this dress.

I received this fabric paint and I'm hoping to get started on painting our dining room curtains this weekend.

Yesterday my Mom, the girls and I, and my niece and nephew went to the city to Art Splash. We did this last year, too. This year there were two sandboxes filled with pink sand. Of course, it was a hit. I knew there was a good chance Ellie would be playing in the dirt so I threw the tank in last minute to go with the shorts she was wearing underneath the dress she insisted on wearing. Pink sand + sprinklers = a big mess. The sand really didn't come off in the water, but it did come out of her clothes in the wash. The kids had a blast playing in the sandboxes and they looked adorable in pink. Summer didn't go in so I chased her all over the place (since she loves running from me) and watched the kids play. On the way home we all stopped at Custard and Cakes Creamery for ice cream. I highly recommend this place. They are known for their ice cream cakes, which I have eaten twice in the past 3 weeks. It was a very fun afternoon!

A new hairstyle for Summer. I do this to Ellie's hair and this will definitely be a regular for her. So cute!

 Summer also insists on eating a banana now all by herself:

 Visiting family today and Ellie decided to entertain herself by rolling down the hill. Fun!

 She fell asleep in the car on the drive home and was still groggy so she watched an episode of Wally Kazam. That show is kind of odd. But, I always hear her laughing which makes me smile.

Then, we went outside to have a snack and play while Summer napped. Ellie was content playing in the water table so I brought out a couple magazines and my iced coffee and relaxed for a bit. This never happens during the day. If she is outside playing I am usually weeding or playing with her. I really should relax more often when Summer is napping! The weather was perfect today.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Spray Painting DIY Projects

I bought this sphere at Target on clearance for $5. I didn't love the metallic gray so I decided to try gold. I don't know if it's the color of the paint or the fact that I was painting over an already dark color, but I didn't like the dark gold. I was hoping it would be lighter. So, I did another coat of purple and love it!

When I painted the sphere the first time I put it on a canvas and it didn't adhere well. The second time I hung it on an "S" hook on a perfect branch in our yard. Now I know to do that for the future. I will just put the imperfect side down on the table. 

Ellie chose the purple paint for her chairs in our backyard. We were at Home Depot and I let her pick any color she wanted. Great choice! The new purple chairs look amazing. I got these cute little Fisher Price chairs at a garage sale for 25 cents each. This was one of those projects I asked myself why I didn't do this sooner. Love the color!

I used Rustoleum's Grape in Gloss (the same purple for the sphere). The chairs are plastic so I sprayed a few layers and did a couple touch-ups this morning. 

The chairs fit perfectly with this $2 Ikea table I picked up at a consignment shop. Ellie and I colored and did a puzzle using her "new" table and chairs.

I finally spray painted our umbrella stand from a light wood to a darker one using Rustoleum Metallic Oil Rubbed Bronze. It makes such a difference!

A few weeks ago I picked up this lamp on the side of the road- in a torrential downpour. I'm glad I grabbed it though because not only was it free and it works, but I love the shape. I went for a bright turquoise. Now I just have to find the perfect shade for it. I've already looked at Target and Home Goods. Next I will try Bed, Bath, and Beyond where I found our bedroom lamp shades. I'd prefer a white shade, but it has to be big enough to be in proportion to the base.

I also have plans to do these- a safari lamp and these two swans I found at a consignment shop for cheap. I plan to use them as bookends. I just have to decide on a color.

I love that spray painting is such an easy and inexpensive way to transform something. Have you spray painted anything lately? What are your favorite colors? The Rustoleum Grape is now one of my favorites.