Big Backyard Bubbles

The Bubblemakers

This weather has been so unpredictable lately, so we get super excited when the sun comes out to play - especially Keira and Erik.  I came home to find the two them blowing big bubbles out in our backyard, but not from the typical bottle of bubbles you buy from the store...instead from a tupperware filled with dish soap and water, an attachment from our leaf blower, and a water bottle cut in half!

As I stepped out onto the deck, Keira pulled my hand and said, "Come here Mommy I have to show you something I made with Daddy!" I looked at what she was holding in her hand coming to realize that she had found the missing attachment to our leaf blower, then I saw her run out and dip it into a bowl of water and this is what I saw...

Keira with her vacuum attachment and bubble concoction 

...and it works!

...Daddy's turn now

POP!!!

Sometimes, sunny days remind us that one of the best reasons to have kids is to be able to act like one when you go outside to play with them!

Cheers to more sunny days to come!

My Favorite Place

My obsession with HGTV continues, and I actually feel good saying that I have finally narrowed it down to one of my all time favorite celebrity homes... for now at least. Kara Dioguardi's home is BEAUTIFUL! It's bright, modern, open, airy, contemporary and just chic with some added natural wood elements that just balance out this space perfectly! It is definitely my inspiration when I redo my house - clean lines, high contrast, bright, and comfy.

I love window bench reading nooks...and her luxury fur throw 

The entrance foyer

The grande living room

The wide open floor plan...what a great place to entertain

This dining room is just AMAZING - I'm in love with the ceiling and reflective walls

...and more open space for entertaining.

 The Master Bedroom  

The exposed natural wooden beams are a gorgeous balance for this chic glamorous room. 

The view of her house from the infinity pool

These photos don't quite show you just how beautiful this home is, compared to what they show you on the show...try to catch it on HGTV's show My Favorite Place.

Happy Dreaming!

New Pregnancy Essentials

Being pregnant calls for a new set of daily "ESSENTIALS" and here are a few of the things that I now need once again...

Prenatals:  My sister recommended these Organic Prenatals which I actually bought from Whole Foods and I love it, you have to take it 3 times in a day, but I find it a bit milder than just taking one fat vitamin pill a day.  I also take Omega-3, which is also very important for prego women to take. Added bonus, it's also helps keep your eyes healthy.

Water: My husband always keeps me on track of me drinking at least 12 glasses of water a day.  It's very important for the baby and for yourself to stay hydrated, plus it's a great way to further prevent stretch marks.

Mama Mio Stretch Mark Oil & Body Butter:  This is amazing and it has lasted me 6 months now. I lather this on daily and sometimes twice a day, definitely after a warm bath.  I put this oil on first and then layer the body butter on top to keep the moisture sealed in.

Skinny Jeans (or Jeggings) & Stretch Leggings:  It's been so cold lately that I've been having to wear boots almost every day because my feet get so cold - so skinny jeans have been my best friend!  I love the Old Navy low cut Maternity stretch leggings they're so comfortable!

Fashionable Flats / Boots / Running Shoes: I bought these Sam Edelman Icelynn flats a couple years ago, but they are one of the most beautiful pair of flats that I own because I LOVE crystals and there are a lot of them on this shoe, plus I love the metallic iridescent finish on the upper.  Find something that keeps you feeling glamorous, even if you can't wear heels all day long anymore for the time being...even my Simply Vera Wang rugged boots have rhinestones on them!  Also, if you're going to go sporty, try a bright fun color for your running shoes. Erik bought me these Nike Lunarfly's not too long ago.  I love them - they're so comfortable and plus they make me feel bright and happy...even when it's a bit hard to see my feet with my belly in the way!

Great Read:  This Belly Laughs book by Jenny McCarthy is hilarious. I've read it twice, both times I was pregnant and it still makes me laugh.  I highly recommend it.

Great pair of Earrings:  Of course I have to say that I just love feather earrings, especially bright ones from Velvet Throne ;).  They're so light to wear and the bright colors make your face just glow even more.  Also, since it's a bit tough to wear a lot of accessories like layers of long necklaces (since they almost always touch my baby bump and never quite sit right on me right now) - earrings are the perfect way to accessorize!

Now for Beauty:  I'll do a separate post for my normal daily makeup & skincare products I love to use, but for now my favorites that I use EVERYDAY are:

Daily Moisturizer:  I've been using Body Shop's Vitamin C Daily Moisturizer with SPF 30. It feels great and smells refreshing.

Eyeliner: My MAC Fluidline Eyeliner in Blacktrack is my daily go to liner.  However, on days where I want it to stay put longer, I use MAC Superslick Eyeliner in On The Hunt Black color (this is definitely on my hospital packing list when I deliver! It will NOT come off your eyes!!)

Lipstick:  MAC Angel Lipstick.  I love this color, it's the perfect lip shade of pale nude pink on my skintone.

Can't forget to "Contour":  IT Cosmetics My Sculpted Face Palette - I am obsessed with contouring my cheekbones.  I own a TON of products for facial contouring and highlighting, but this is my all time favorite kit because it has different shades for contouring and highlighting your face.  Plus it has a mirror and cheat sheet on the inside cover.  It's perfect, especially if you're new to contouring - you'll just love it. It seriously can take 10 lbs off your face by slimming your cheekbones and highlighting other areas of your face.  It works wonders especially when you're eating for two ;)

Cheers to a happy mommy and happy belly!

Sitting on a Velvet Throne

Yes, I've been sitting on my Velvet Throne Accessories Collection for over a year now, and have finally gotten it together to open my online Shop on ETSY.  I have been busy with custom orders, and private events, and now with getting everything ready for the new baby, I thought...what better time than in the middle of all this commotion to finally open up my store! Yes, unfortunately, that's how my crazy mind works. The busier I am the more I can actually get accomplished!

I only have a few items left in my shop but I'll soon me adding a few more new pieces shortly! I hope you enjoy them!

Shop now:

VELVET THRONE DESIGNS

To see more of my previous sold designs please visit by Jewelry Blog at:

www.VelvetThrone.com

Life Shift: From collecting Christian Louboutins'... to caring for little ones...

It feels like a moment ago I was debating over what could possibly be the most justifiable reason for me to spend $1000 on another new pair of Christian Louboutin heels… and the next moment I’m trying to figure out what the best pre-school would be in our area that wouldn’t completely exceed our monthly budget!  Along with that, I have now noticed that my email inbox which was once filled with Net-a-Porter, Nordies, and Neiman emails informing me of "Insider" SALE events have now been replaced with Baby Center, Circle of Moms, The Daily Kick, and Martha Stewart Living emails with "Insider" TIPS on how to balance work and family life.  Could it possibly be that if you met me today and didn’t know me at all 3 years ago, you might not have even believed that I am the same person! Okay, well some things haven’t changed that much. I still love fashion and shopping, but now I’ve just found ways to do it logically where I wouldn’t need to justify it to my husband - especially now that there are 3 (and soon to be 4) of us.  Just because those single, selfish, extra income, no rent days are over - doesn't mean that my style has to suffer ;)

I’ve found better ways to shop and came up with some DIY projects that are chic and budget friendly!  Along with that - I’ve taken on a few new interests that I’m very excited to share with everyone, like my Velvet Throne Accessory Line and newly opened ETSY shop.  This has become my new way of living in style without having to break the bank!  These days, I get as much joy just watching my little "fashionista" daughter try on all my shoes (oh does she love the heels)! Check her out here doing this “photo shoot” in our backyard. She was loving it!

I know it’s a bit scary to think that in a few years she may already be wanting to actually wear these out, but for now…hey, at least someone in the house gets to wear the Louboutin’s! ;)

The moral of the story is.... 
Save your money!  The best justification for NOT spending $1000 on a pair of new designer heels is to realize that after you carry a baby for 10 months and want to get back into those gorgeous shoes…most likely they’ll just end up being too tight to even wear!

Lesson Learned!  Cheers to that! ;)

Have a great day everyone!
Kathy

*Photo Credits: Me

The "Once Upon A Time" + Woodsy + Hollywood Regency Nursery

It's hard to believe that I've gone from single, to married, to mother, now to mother of TWO! I've been so busy, but somehow with all of these things going on, I just cannot wait to put up our son's nursery.  Originally, I was going to go with a clean black and white striped, nautical vibe with blue accents.  However, I got inspired by a GORGEOUS lamp I saw at Home Goods (my all time favorite place to shop for home treasures).  Here's what the new inspiration for the nursery is:

I like to call it the "Once Upon a Time Lamp".

I love that show "Once Upon a Time" and the birch tree cut out on the lamp shade reminded me of the gorgeous wallpaper from the mayor's office in the show.

So, with this in mind, I have decided to still go for a Black & White themed nursery, but with a more playful, woodsy vibe with a pop of color, and some old Hollywood Regency inspired pieces because I just love the details those 1930's furniture pieces have that we just don't have in our mass produced market any longer.  Plus those Dorothy Drapers are really making a come back in to the design world as Hollywood Glamour with a modern twist is still quite poplar.  It's definitely a great way to mix vintage and somewhat borderline-tacky pieces and have them live in harmony with each other... and what better room to play around with this thought than a child's nursery for a few different reasons:

1. Since nurseries are already strongly themed, why not play around with the bolder graphics, tacky pieces, and exaggerated repetitive theme?? It's a great excuse to finally spray paint that hideous old brass owl a glossy white! You'll love it!

2.  Although the room is somewhat playful, it is also very chic.  It's great because it gives you something to look at while you rock your baby away for hours at a time in there.  Just because it's a nursery doesn't mean it has to be painted a pastel color and decked out with wall decals of cartoon animals on the walls...it can be something that they can also grow into...and they do grow fast!

3. Since babies are really drawn to bolder color combinations as their eyes adjust to the world around them - what better than to create a room with bold stripes and highly contrasted pieces to keep them interested!

So, here's what I had in mind...it looks a bit crazy, but there has to be some balance in the way it will all come together in the room.  I can't wait to show you what I got (or made) and how it all turns out!!! 

Stay tuned.....

Subscribe to my blog or follow me. I'd love to have you come along!! ;)

Cheers!

Kathy

New Year. New Blog. New Life. New Style

LIVING MY STYLE is a blog of all events I’ve lived and learned from, projects I’ve been inspired to do and have completed (or wish to still complete), memories I’ve created and want to share, dreams and aspirations I hope to one day fulfill, and just the priceless moments in life that make me smile each day.  Life is beautiful and each day is worth living to the fullest…with style, of course!

I hope this blog inspires you as much as I am inspired everyday to keep learning, growing, and styling your life to be just the way you want it to be.

Follow me on my journey and have fun living your style.  

It’s your life, style it just the way you want it! ;)

Love & Cheers to the max!

Kathy

It's 2012! ...and it's TODAY!

Yes, I woke up from a dream and now it's 2012. Okay, let's be honest - it's called "procrastination" and it was out to get me.  Alright, it got me...until TODAY that is! 

I've been inspired to start a blog ever since my daughter was born in 2009, and as you can see for yourself in the link below, I wanted to share my new experiences as a wife and a mother on that blog to share all the changes I was going through in life and as I noted in that one (and only) post in 2009 I did say, "I’ve finally decided to put an end to my procrastination and just start writing." Let's face it, that didn't happen. So now, TODAY, I'm sticking to my word and going forward with this.  The good news is that now that it's been almost 3 years later, I have even more interesting stories and things to share with you all and I'm so excited to actually start!

Come and follow me....today ;)