#NSALE Under $50

It's not too late ladies to get some shopping done at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.

I've done some looking around and found some options for you for under $50. Think birthdays, Christmas, hostess, teacher and babysitter gifts.

Click the numbers below the graphic to be taken to each item.

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

Any of these would be great options. The dress will be a great transition piece from spring to summer and summer to fall if you add tights or leggings and boots.

The eye and cheek palette (#1) are the perfect neutrals for working women, stay at home moms or teens just starting to wear makeup.

The Lush tunic (#2) is a favorite of bloggers across the board and the price is a steal.

The jewelry items 5, 7 & 8 are great options for friends, teachers, sister in law, babysitters, aunts...

Think about breaking the candles up and using them for teachers by themselves or with a cute notepad or gift card.

And the faux leather drawstring bag is a great size for a teacher, mom carrying diapers, college student or frequent traveler.

Hope these ideas spark your gift giving creativity and help you become proactive before gift giving crunch time.
#hohoho

Lisa

XOXO

#NSALE favorites

Here's a quick look at a few more #NSALE favorites.

Oh how I wish my money tree would bloom.

Click on corresponding numbers below to be taken to item

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

Which one is your favorite? Leave a comment if you have a favorite I should see. 

Happy Thursday!

Lisa

XOXO

Show & Tell Tuesday: Home Tour

SHOW & TELL TUESDAY: HOME TOUR

I am really late to this party because I was traveling most of the day and didn't have time to get this together before I left...but...you know what they say...better late than never, right?!?!?!?!

This time we are showing and telling about our homes. Kent and I have had 4 homes in our almost 24 years of marriage. I'd have to say for a lot of marriages I think we are on the low end of the median range for this.

Our homes in the past have had nice lots with pretty yards, but with land being at a premium in California, it's really hard to find that here and when we were looking for a house 3 1/2 years ago, this was without exaggeration the only home available to us. We considered ourselves very lucky and felt the Lord was looking out for us by providing this one since so many people were looking, on lists, in housing lotteries, etc...

See where my lovely pots with the dead flowers are? Well those have been replaced with some Italian Cypress trees to add some color and height.

When you come in the front door the living room and dining room are to your immediate left. The sofa and chair in the living room belonged to my grandparents and I've now had them recovered twice. Honestly, it's not the furniture I'd choose if I was going to out to buy it, but it's sentimental and I love it.

Next up the kitchen.

We have a lot of cabinetry and it was all cherry. I love cherry, but it was A LOT so I decided to paint the island to break it up. You can read about that whole process HERE.

I love how it turned out and next I'm going to paint the built in bookcases in the family room, white.

See, won't that look good? (Feel free to say yes :)

We have a guest bedroom and bathroom downstairs which we love when our parents or company comes to visit so that they have their own space. This bedroom furniture was the first furniture my parents purchased as a young married couple and then became my bedroom furniture as a child.

So let's head upstairs...

At the top of the stairs is Katie's room.

Those are her graduations balloons that she's not ready to get rid of yet. ;)

I love the little chandelier over her bed.

Her bathroom is a Jack and Jill and NO, it doesn't usually look like this. We had just cleaned and I was lucky to get a quick shot of it before it became a teenage mess again. (that I won't miss when she goes to school.)

The room adjacent to her bathroom is our office/exercise room.

When you come up the stairs if you turn right we have a "loft" are that serves as an upstairs T.V. room. This is where Katie spends a lot of time watching Netflix.

To the left is the office and to the right is Benny's room.

This bed frame belonged to the other set of grandparents and when we were doing Benny's "big boy" room, my dad stripped it and painted it for us, so it's another sentimental piece.

My kids don't realize how lucky they've been to have their own bathrooms in our last 2 houses. I tell them I've never had a bathroom all to myself and they'd better enjoy it while they have the chance.

At the top of the stairs if you turn all the way around you go to the master bedroom.

I have to tell you one of the things that makes me really happy is vacuum marks on carpet.

#itsthesimplethings

I'm used to it now, but when we first went in the model like this house I thought "how stupid to put a bathtub out in the room like that". I still think it's stupid, but now it seems normal to me.

And there you have it. Our house. As you can see, we have plenty of room for visitors and especially now that the kids are in college (or at least they both will be in a month)

Hope you enjoyed seeing where we live. I can't wait to read and look at all the homes on the link up. I often wish neighborhoods just had open houses to allow you to see where people live, but then I realize I wouldn't want strangers just marching through my house. LOL

It is fun to see other peoples homes though.

If you missed any of the other Show & Tell Tuesday posts I've participated in you can check them out here:

My life's mix tape

Your personal style

My tribe

Here are the future Show and Tell Tuesday topics.

Hope you're having a good week!!!

Lisa

XOXO

Weekend Wrap Up

We had a full weekend filled with fun.

Starting with dinner out Friday night and Katie even came along.

#dinnerfor3

Katie and I rode to the airport with our friend April to pick up our friend Sarah and her little girls who were flying in from Hawaii.

While they were getting the luggage, Ella and I were doing this.

#snapchat

She is a hoot. Four years old and completely knows how to work Snapchat. 

#supersmart

Saturday we decided to take a little trip to IKEA. I had a couple of things I wanted to look at and since we didn't have anything else on the agenda, we took advantage of a free day.

#camehomeemptyhanded

Do you notice anything odd about this ginormous sign?

I'm pretty sure the words "Not actual size" were unnecessary. If that cinnamon roll was "actual size"  I have no idea how you'd fit it in your car.

#oryourbelly

We had a late lunch at a local pizza place called Pizza My Heart. This is a chain of pizza restaurants  that are scattered here and there in CA. We love it. 

You can get pizza and salads but the kicker is you can get a slice and a t-shirt for $7. 

SEVEN DOLLARS....are you kidding me??? NO, I'm not.

#whatabargain #givemealltheslices

#ilovepesto

Sunday was a busy day and I didn't capture any of it, but we got to enjoy some more time with our friends and days like that are always special.

Last night I was over the moon excited to find out Accessory Concierge is having a 40% off sale with the code "ChristmasinJuly"!!!! (no affiliation, just jewelry love here)

#hohoho

I recently gave one of my girlfriends my wooden tassel necklace and so I took advantage of this sale to replace it. Below are 4 of my favorite necklaces that I wear a lot from AC.

Azul Stone Pendant / Rainbow Wood Bead Tassel / Sayulita Silver Tassel  / Freida Lattice

Tomorrow Katie and I are off to Minneapolis for a week to visit friends. Kent and I were talking last night and it's ironic she and I are flying back to MN on July 19th, because it was that day 3 years ago we flew to CA to live.

#timeflies #whataretheodds

I'm excited to go, but it will be like Christmas when I get back home because all my goodies I've ordered from #NSALE should be in. Then the hard part comes, deciding what to keep and what to return.

#iwantitall

Have a great Monday friends!!!

Lisa

XOXO

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, Take 2

Good Golly Miss Molly...

This is a long one, so grab a cup of coffee, put your feet up and prepare to read and maybe even laugh (at my expense).

This entire sale makes my heart race. I'm not sure if it's excitement, stress, anticipation or a combination of all three. I went into the store yesterday and walked in like a boss to the sectioned off areas where all the goodies are. 

It was somewhat like ants on an anthill and of course if you know me I ended up just chatting it up with several different ladies who were also shopping.

#makeafriend

My first stop was the jewelry "tent" and I found quite a few pretties in there. 

I seem to be broadening my horizons in the watch department and this Fossil watch is right up my alley. I love the size and the casualness of the leather band making it perfect for everyday wear.

Fossil Leather Strap Watch

There are lots of other watches included in the sale all of which you can see HERE, but this pink Kate Spade watch is too cute if you are looking for a really fun watch.

Kate Spade Watch

Next up I spotted these abalone Kendra Scott earrings. When I saw them online I wasn't really that taken by them, but in person they won my heart. These babies will go with just about everything.

Kendra Scott Elle Drop Earring

I bought my first Kendra Scott jewelry last year during the anniversary sale and it was a gunmetal finish just like these earrings. I have absolutely loved it!!! I wasn't really sure about the gunmetal finish, but as it turns out I wear it all the time.

This might be the worst picture ever, but I wanted to show y'all these adorable, delicate necklaces. This is two separate necklaces, the long one and then a short one and it's available in a couple of finishes. The longer necklace could be wrapped once or twice to give you the look of 3 chains or a multistrand short necklace.

#onenecklacemanyways

#loveverasatility

Alainn Bezel Short Necklace 
Alainn Extra Long Bezel Necklace

This bracelet is feminine but still makes a statement.

Nadri' Starry Night Hinge Bangel

These earrings aren't in the sale, but I spotted them on my way into the fitting room and loved them. It's hard to tell from the picture but they are silver and gold and I like to mix metals almost everyday so these will be perfect and they are so reasonably priced, I don't even care that they aren't on sale.

Panacea Beaded Teardrop Earring

I breezed through the cosmetics and fragrances area and this set of beautiful blushes/bronzer caught my eye. The colors are prettier in person than this photo or online. They look like they would be subtle but give you a healthy glow.

Bobbi Brown Cheek Set

It feels like we're seeing a lot of open front ponchos for the fall. I saw this one on line and really liked the look of it, but wasn't sure how the texture would be. It looked like maybe it would be itchy, but it's not. #happyface It's soft and cozy.

Ready. OK. (doing my best cheerleader impression here)

Treasure & Bond Fringed Stripe Poncho

You'd never know it to see it in the picture, but this crossbody bag is burgundy. It's the perfect size for a crossbody. Not too big, not too small. So many of them are so little you have to drastically reduce the amount of "stuff" you normally have in your purse and I don't know about you, but as soon as I take something out I need it. 

#lawofthejungle

Sole Society Crossbody

Time to hit the dressing room and here are the first round of items that made the cut to go in with me. Last time I did one of these posts someone commented they liked seeing all the items hanging there before seeing them on because they look so different.

I bought last year's version of this shirt and loved it. It is so comfortable and I wear it a lot. The neck line of last years is slightly different and I think I like this one even better. I wasn't sure how'd I like this print when I put it on but I LOVED it. These blouses are seriously affordable and functional. I usually just wear it with jeans but you could easily put it with pants or a skirt if you work in an office environment.

#lotofbangforyourbuck

This top runs big. I'm wearing and x-small and think if was available in an xx-small I could probably wear that size.

Pleione High/Low V-Neck

Here's the same top in another cute print. It's available in about 15 different solids/prints.

#iwantthemall

This is another top that I purchased last year (in black and wine) and I wear them A LOT.  This years is slightly different and again, I think I like the new one even better. #luckyyou They are perfect with skinny jeans and boots or booties and especially on days when you want to wear something loose but still look cute. It's long enough to cover your hiney if you have the legs for leggings and looks darling with them. Throw on your blardigan  or baby blardigan and you are ready to go. Great travel wear!!!

Pleione Split Neck Mixed Media Tunic

Slightly longer in the back. You can also do a half tuck in the front with top.

For a girl who isn't really a tee shirt kinda girl, I really like this one. It comes it a variety of stripes and solids and is a steal of a price. I'm wearing an x-small, so it's cut pretty generously.

Caslon Relaxed Tee

I think the utter glee on my face says it all about this next top. It was another one of those I looked at online and wasn't sure what the fabric would be. Oh. my. word. It is the SOFTEST thing and I can't wait to get mine and wear it on a cool fall day. This is described as a sweatshirt, but it has a little more panache than a sweatshirt and with a long necklace added to it...perfection. 

Bobeau Rib Long Sleeve Fuzzy Sweatshirt

Hangs longer in the back.

Here's another cute sweatshirt option. It has side slits that make it roomy and hang nicer. I think I might be developing a sweatshirt fettish.

Caslon Side Slit Sweatshirt

I bought a sweater similar to this one last year by the same maker and it's been a favorite. This is made of pretty thin material and would make for an awesome change of season sweater paired with leggings or jeggings. I think it would look great on someone a little taller perhaps with a little less #junkinthetrunk ;) I tried on the red for something different, but I'm pretty sure I'd like it better in the black or grey.  For size reference I'm wearing an x-small.

Halogen Oversize V-Neck Sweater

Being completely honest, this one was a miss for me. I will say it was one of the softest sweaters I've ever put on and maybe if I'd brought a solid into the dressing room I would have felt differently.

Caslon Drape Neck Top

This jacket I picked up not knowing what to expect. It's a heavier weight and for someone in a warmer climate like I am, you could probably use it as a winter "coat".

Caslon Convertible Collar Sweater Coat

And finally, the almighty, truly beloved, soft as a kitty, coziest thing you'll ever wear blardigan.

I was completely unsure of this ombre color combo when I saw it online and didn't order it in my first batch of things, but after trying it on in the store I was convinced and in love. This color combo works better on blondes and the black ombre looks better on brunettes. I say this because as I was #makinganotherfriend she was trying it on and had dark hair. We agreed the lighter one made her look washed out and the darker one was better for her just like the lighter one worked better for me. This was her first blardigan and I assured her I wear mine EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. The sales girl said anytime men come in looking for something for their wives she points them straight to these and they usually respond with "You're just showing me the most expensive thing". She said she responds with "No, I'm just showing you something she won't return" ;)

Barefoot Dreams Drape Front Cardigan

And last but not least....the baby blardigan. This is indigo, but it still looks good with jeans and did I mention it has POCKETS. What is it with us women and pockets? I have no idea, but we sure do love them.

Barefoot Dreams Circle Cardigan

aka Baby Blardigan

Okay girls, I hope this gives you helpful information and shopping inspiration.

Speaking from experience if you find something you like don't wait. Strike while the iron is hot. You snooze, you loose. Are you getting the picture?

I'm heading back to the mall tomorrow and dragging Katie along to check out some things and find some more gems for you.

Happy shopping friends!!!

Lisa

XOXO