Category Archives: Favorite Finds

01.17.13

His and Hers - January Favorites

Posted by Christina // 7 Replies

A day late and many dollars short thanks to someone’s birthday.

We are back again with our favorite things. 1. Who forgot to give me the memo on wontons? Seriously….I found some frozen ones on sale and have been addicted ever since.

2. Ohhh Armani Code, I just want to thank you for all of the compliments I get. I can’t even describe the smell other than to say it is very unique and not too sweet. Plus it gets Tim’s smelling sensors going into overdrive….he’s like a honeybee and I am that giant-sweet-smelling hive.

3. My friend Simone introduced me to the Fit Bit brand and now I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Flex. It tracks your steps, calories burned, even your sleep. I am buying it with the excuse that I need it to keep my resolutions alive.

4. You probably already know the Mint Green is coming on strong in the fashion department. This is my favorite nailpolish right now so you can just call me trendy….or something.

5. Does anyone remember Susan Powter? Okay, so she may be a little crazy….or a little more than a little. She is still the only one who keeps me motivated to work out. Even if I have to stomp around to a VHS.

6. Here is where I declare my love for the blog A Beautiful Mess. From good eats to cute clothes to crafty projects the girls have a lot to offer, and the photos are gorgeous. I get lost in their beautiful web for hours upon hours. 1. Lately our big dog has decided it was a great idea to bark. After eleven years of being a non-barker, we now have a noise maker. I blame the little dog. To keep them both in line we bought a PetSafe bark controller. I call it our magic machine these days.

2. For my birthday Christina took me to the Melting Pot, it has become “our spot” for special occasions. We love the Boston Lager Cheese Fondue and the Gorgonzola Port on a great steak. Plus I get to cook it just how I like it, raw. Christina said I have to mention the salad, something about God coming down and making it himself.

3. If you follow us, then you know any day now we are expecting a baby shark. I am pumped.

4. Say hello to my new favorite snack. I munch on these all night because they keep me full and cure my salty-sweet craving. Too bad I go through a whole jar a night, I wish I were kidding.

5. We have been working feverishly on organizing the basements and these shelves have been a life saver. They are adjustable and only took about an hour to fully assemble. Some of our other shelves take all day to put together and they aren’t very sturdy. Feels good to give everything a home.

01.09.13

I dare you not to be impressed....

Posted by Christina // 11 Replies

Maybe it’s because I just watched Pitch Perfect, or maybe I’m just a sucker for a capella. Or possibly I just wanted an excuse to listen to some T. Swift without my boyfran-man fussing. Hint: It’s all of the above.

I feel like you absolutely need to see this.
Try not to sing along….go ahead try.

You’ve been challenged.

Even if you don’t like the original song, just veg out for the next couple minutes.
Then daydream about starting a band….I’ll be in it with you.

We could be famous.

If you think that is “kinda neato” you should she what they can do with instruments. The kids from Walk off the Earth are seriously skilled.
A warning: once you start you might as well consider yourself in marathon territory. It is a serious time-sucker. They cover everything from the Beatles to Lady Gaga, and here is the time-consuming part….you watch every video completely because they are always throwing in surprises. Like “ohhhh I had so idea he could play the standing bass” “is that the same person” and “wait when did they switch places” oh and let’s not forget “where did that flying ukulele come from”. Consider yourself warned. Here is the video that is making them famous.The best news is…they are finally releasing original videos.
And they are just as good. I’ll leave you with the best multi-tasking I have seen all year.Is anyone else as jealous of all this talent as I am?

12.17.12

His and Hers - December favorites

Posted by Christina // 2 Replies

Every month we highlight all the things we have been loving.
You can find all of our previous months here.

Even though I am Christmas obsessed, I kept it pretty kosher for our favorites. 1. This time of year, my hair has a mind of it’s own. It seems like most products for hair get crunchy or weigh my hair down. The worst offense is when product make me look like a greaseball. Aveda’s Be Curly products give me the “oh my hair is naturally this perfect and I wake up with it looking like this of course” hair. I like effortless you know.

2. I got this nail polish in my Birchbox a couple months ago and I have been wearing the heck out of it. It looks like foil on your fingers and it is perfect for this time of year. That little bit of glitz you need when you can see your breath.

3. Matching gloves and scarves are like a weakness. How often do you get to wear functional accessories. I’m not kidding Joules always has something cute and bright to gawk over.

4. I bought this ring during a “Cute Stuff Sale” hosted by none other than my girl Roo. After a lot of post office drama, the owner of Proteales was so sweet and made sire I got this adorable little seashell on my finger. Her store is chock full of dainty jewels that make perfect gifts. I can’t wait to get a few more to stack along with my little shell.

5. I am a firm believer that snowboots can be totally adorable. I mean who wants wet shoes, and why wear those poofy lace-ups your mama used to strap on ya. I am loving the ribbon on the back of these wellies. I am thinking that could make a really awesome project for next weekend.

6. I am so utterly in love with these little peppermint kisses from Hershey. I could really eat them all day long. All. Day. Long.

1. Phosphates are one of the most important water parameters to check when monitoring your tank. This Phosphate checker makes life a whole heck of a lot easier and it is more accurate than most chemical tests.

2. Christina has me reading the book “One Second After” and don’t worry she is already writing a post to recommend it all to you. It is a great book, but it really gets you thinking about some unpleasant things. Like the world ending, so maybe wait until after the 21st to read it.

3. You guys already know how much I love mining shows and anything that shows on the History Channel, so it should come as no surprise that I already like this show after watching just one episode.

4. Check back to number two and you will understand why we just invested in “bug out bags” to be prepared for basic emergencies. We are on one of the largest fault lines and between the book and recent hurricanes we started a little food and water stockpile just to be on the safe side.

5. I got an LED flashlight from my awesome gal for Hanukkah. I had no idea how bright they were and the fact that they are super light and the bulbs last forever are really just bonuses. Go get you one.

What about you all…got any favorites for December we should know about?

11.21.12

Don't show up empty handed tomorrow....

Posted by Christina // 5 Replies

Are you all ready for Thanksgiving?

If you are one of the lucky ones that gets to attend instead of host this year make sure you show the little host some love.

Don’t show up empty-handed, because everyone loves a gift. My go-to gifts have always been a bottle of wine or a fall candle but I think I am going to step out of the box this season. Here are some of my ideas for all the great people slaving over deviled eggs for me this year.

1. Bringing something they can use right away is genius in my eyes. Check out this adorable butter knife that says “spread the love” because isn’t that what this time of year is all about.

2. If you are pretty close with the hostess and you know their favorite recipe, why not turn it into a gorgeous art print. Mom’s famous cookies….my sister would love this.

3. I can at least class up my usual bottle of wine by throwing it in a personalized wine koozie. Tim’s wine loving mama deserves one of these bad boys.

4. Tea towels are always a hit, and there are so many cute options. I’ll host all day long if I get cute tea towels.

5. Not just any plant, give them something to add some flavor to their kitchen. Grow your own spice kits are so cute you could eat them up.

6. I have a retro apron fetish. Enough said.

The best part about all of these gifts is that they are small businesses. Tim and I have vowed to only shop homemade and local for the holidays. I am off to a great start. Later today I will be sharing my homemade hostess gift, make sure to check back in.

What would you most like to receive if you are hosting?

11.15.12

Our favorite things....sweet November edition

Posted by Christina // 6 Replies

For anyone new on the block, we do a little collection of our favorite things in the middle of every month.

Here is what my manfriend has discovered and loved during sweet November.

1. So they sucked me in by telling me that someone hits it big. It is that little explorer in all of us that makes me want to sell everything and drag Christina to Alaska. Until I can convince her that she can befriend that furniture builder blogger (geesshh he is talking about Ana White y’all…the disrespect…sorry Ana) then I will just have to pull for Parker.

2. We actually just bought this Sigma 10-20mm lens and in the two weeks we have had it, I think I’ve used it everyday. It has given us so much more freedom with it’s super wide lens so that we can include more in our pictures. Christina says, “she is thankful not to have to stand so far away”.

3. I actually just found hootsuite.com through John and Sherry’s blogiversary post. It manages all of your social media in one place so that you don’t miss a tweet or mention. One of those things that once you have it you think, “how did I ever survive with out this?”

4. Thanks to my girlfriend draggin me up to Chicago at all hours of the night for this trip, I have found a new store. West Elm put on such a great event for the Young House Love Book Tour. The people were awesome but the real showstopper was all the cool stuff. The products they sell are “pretty” enough for ladies to fawn over them and “cool” enough for guys to actually like. As opposed to a lot of floral towels we almost came home with from other stores, West Elm had a lot of really awesome things that I would have gladly taken home. Like this fox ornament.

5. I know I am jumping on a rather old bandwagon, but I finally got on Twitter. This is for all of my friends that think it is silly, it is like an all-of-your-favorite-things news station. If you like sports, then it can be all sports updates. Gamers can find out when there are new releases. I can find the sweet corals and deals on lights. You follow who you want so it is all things that interest you. Pretty great concept if you ask me.

6. Oh man, I saw a commercial for an Orange Julius and it is all I can think about lately. Christina said she is finding a homemade recipe on Pinterest and I can’t wait. Orange Julius’ for everyone.

1. Tis the season….for bringing your famous dish. So I say do it with syle. These adorable casserole warmers are so cute and if you are a really good friend I think they make an awesome hostess gift.

2. I can not get enough of all things peppermint. Peppermint hot chocolate, peppermint candy canes, peppermint bark. I love it all, it really gets me in the holiday spirit. Yes, I am already putting on the pressure to get our tree and lights up. On top of being oh so tasty, I think this packaging from Williams Sonoma is super vintage and sweet.

3. I know most people love summer, but I love pretty coats. So by default I have to like the colder months. This lovely mustard coat is a steal and I imagine all the possibilities of jazzing it up with scarfs and mittens. Imagine throwing this on with boots, you don’t even have to brush your hair because you already look fashionable.

4. Like I said, tis the season. You will inevitably have leftovers. Instead of giving out your good Tupperware and hoping for it back, or wrapping leftovers in foil…why not give them to your guests in these cute little containers by Think Garnish.

5. You knew this would make the list, right? I am emersed right this very minute in the words and projects of the Petersiks. Go get a copy, you won’t regret it.

What are your November needs? Do you love you some riding boots? Can’t get enough of that pumpkin candle? I love hearing about new stuff so lay it on me.

11.07.12

If you like it then you shoulda put a Keep on...

Posted by Christina // Leave a reply

You know I love to tell you all about great new products and sites….well I have a new addiction for you.

It is Keep.com

It is basically the epitome of Christmas lists.

You know how on Pinterest you pin ideas and cute stuff and you usually end up DIYing your own version. And you know how you find a cute product that you want to buy but can never find the original source. Here is your solution, put your internet beakers down little miss social scientist.

Keep is a product-based wish list. You get to peruse pretty things and have the option to “keep” it and add it to your collections or you can “buy” the item.

Hello window shopping, easier than ever.

I will be using Keep to send my gift list out this year, hint hint Timmy.

You can find my measly beginnings here.

But the real story is that they are doing giveaways….oh hello we-love-free-stuff. Today you can win this sweet thang.

All you gots to do is create an account, it’s free because I got your back y’all.

Then “keep” the gift of the day to one of your collections. There are still a few days left with lots of great gifts, but folks please back off the adorable North Face vest because I got dibs mmmkay.