Amazon Easter Basket Ideas for Her Under $25!

Here we are.

Day 1,698,654,654 of quarantine.

Or so it feels.

How ya holding up?

If you're anything like me, it really depends on when you ask me that question. One minute I'm killing the couch potato game and the next I'm wandering aimlessly wondering when or if we'll ever get to leave again.

 So, in an effort to create some normalcy and mostly just pass the time, I thought I'd share some Easter basket ideas with you guys (because there's a slight chance that I wasn't fully prepared for a pandemic and I don't have Easter baskets ready for my girls). Everything I've put together is from Amazon and, at the time of this post:

- Ships free with prime -

- Will arrive before Easter -

- Has great reviews -

AND

- Is under $25 each! -

While you might be able to get some of these items at your local store for a better deal, my goal was to encourage us all to do our part and stay home during this time ❤

* scroll down for clickable links *

1. Every Easter basket starts with, well, a basket.

These two options could easily be repurposed in a ton of different ways.

Basket 

Basket

2. Candy. If you get nothing else, get candy. 

One bag of the chocolates could easily be divided up amongst 3-4 baskets, or use it to fill plastic eggs!

Chocolate Candy

Gummi Candy

3. Here are some popular and trending jewelry pieces. Some of the items come in other finishes.

Bracelet

Initial Necklace

Earring Set

4. Sweatshirts. My girls literally live in sweatshirts. There are multiple color and style options available in each one, just pay attention to the shipping date and price, as they may change.

Hoodie

Crew Neck Sweatshirt

5. Leggings. Because you can never have too many pairs. There a large variety of color options in this style!

Leggings

6. Sleep Mask. These are super handy if you've got kids that share a room or if your family frequently travels.

Sleep Mask

7. Face Masks. This is a super good deal! Divide them up amongst several baskets or save some for gifts later on.

Face Masks

8. Candles. We've got 4 girls in our house and we all love yummy smelling candles. Yankee Candles are known for their great quality and this is a really good price!

Candle

Well friends, I hope that gave you some ideas for your Easter baskets!

Stay safe, stay healthy and stay home! Thanks so much for reading!

Jessica 

Botanical Printable

Hey friends!  Happy Thursday!

As we begin the transition from Winter to Spring (which feels comical to write because it’s a snow day here today), I felt like adding some botanical prints to my décor, especially my mantle, which I’m always switching up based on the current season or upcoming holiday.

If you’ve been following along for a little while then you know that I’ve got a thing for DIY projects, especially ones that cost next to nothing. So, being the savvy shopper that I am, I jumped online and found a few FREE printables that I just love and thought I’d share how I incorporated them into our home.

Here is the printable I used:

And here’s how I used the Chamomile print in my mantle refresh:

Now, just for funsies, take a look at how these talented designers used botanicals in their homes.

(click pics for the link)

Simple perfection.

Great use of large prints.

LOVE this one!

Warm, cozy and classy.

I hope you're inspired to try some botanicals in your own space! 

Thanks for reading,

Jessica



Easy Valentine Décor Ideas

I've always been one who decorates for every little holiday, but this year I just wasn't feeling like dragging out the Valentine décor. Didn't we just take down and put away Christmas?! Plus, I'm really enjoying the clean, simple way the house was looking (I use the term 'clean' VERY loosely).

But then I went on Pinterest.

Isn't that how it always starts? You seen something cute online, doesn't matter what it is, and you think "Aw! I wanna do/make/get/buy that"!

So, naturally, after my lengthy stroll down the never-ending streets of Pinterest, I've circled back round to the whole Valentine decorating subject and I'll give you one guess as to whether or not I changed my mind......

Do I even need to tell you the answer to that?

Nope.

Didn't think so.

I did, however, vow to keep it super simple and only add items to my existing décor. A few hearts here and there, a cute bunting or two, a small cute sign, you get the idea.

But just in case you're asking yourself what the heck is a bunting and what do I use it for, I've rounded up some cute Valentine decorating ideas and affordable items you could get to pull off the look yourself!

Aren't those ideas cute??

There are seriously so many talented folks out there and I love how their inspiring work is just a click away through the power of Pinterest!

Thanks for reading, hope you have a great day!

XOXO

Jessica



Modern Farmhouse PRIME!

Let's talk about one of my favorite ways to shop, shall we?

In my younger years, I was happy as can be shopping endless hours at the mall.  At the time, fighting crowds, wrangling kids and the need for comfortable shoes weren't concerns or even thoughts that crossed my mind.

Now that I'm - ahem -  wiser, my shopping routine has undergone a little make-under, and if there's one thing that has revolutionized the way in which I shop it's Amazon Prime.

I mean come on.

Shopping for anything from toilet paper to electronics to the birthday present for your daughter's classmate that you totally forgot to get, all whilst laying in bed braless sipping your favorite beverage (which may have contributed to the whole forgetting the present incident), then having it all sent right to your door in 2 days. Seriously, does it get any better?!

And ya know what else? Amazon has a ton of cute home décor items.

For real.

While it's definitely not the same experience as shopping at Homegoods, you can find some really great stuff.

So I thought it'd been fun to put together a Modern Farmhouse inspiration board full of fab décor finds that are all eligible for Prime (except for the chairs. don't hate me).

Plus, they're ALL under $100 and have at least a 3.5 star rating (because I'm picky about that)!!

*at least they were/did when I wrote this post*

If you see something you love, just click the description and you'll be taken straight to it on Amazon's site!

Gooseneck Wall Sconce $29.99

Rustic Farmhouse Cotton Diamond Throw Blanket $16.99

Bistro Café Side Chairs (set of ) $99.99

Stone & Beam Vintage-Look Sliding Window Mirror $89.99



Grey Verona 5' x 7.5' Area Rug $90.54



Rustic Wooden Coffee Table with Metal Frame $85.99

Faux Leather Pillow Cover $26.99

Coffee Tea Sugar Enamel Metal Containers $14.38

Set of 2 Farmhouse Corbels $19.99

Cute, right?!

Thanks for reading friends!!

XOXO

Jessica

Home for the Holidays 2017

Good morning and Merry Christmas faithful friends, followers and readers!  Let me start by saying how much each and every one of you mean to me.  I know just how precious time is, so the fact that you’ve taken some of yours to read my post(s) really means the world to me.

 

How’s the final push of Christmas prep going for y’all?  Are ya ready and waiting?  Or will you be braving the masses today in hopes of finishing up your shopping?  Either way, I just love this time of year.  Whether it’s the hustle and bustle of the mall or being cozied up at home, Christmastime is my favorite.  The parties, the break from school, the gift giving and the decorating, I love it all.

In the past, our house has been one that’s divided when it comes to a very ‘touchy’ Christmas decorating subject.

White lights or colored lights.

Every year I’m the captain for team white lights and, if you know me or have ever played a board game with me, then you know that I’ll do whatever it takes to win.  What. Ever.  When the girls were younger they were usually on team colored lights with daddy, but as the older two have grown they’ve come around to my purest ways of thinking. 

A few years ago, in a moment of weakness or guilt, not sure which one, I agreed to alternating between colored and white lights every other year.  However, truth be told, I wasn’t totally and completely faithful in that agreement.  I would put up the tree and the decorations while the kids were sleeping or at school and the husband was at work.  When they’d say “Hey, isn’t it a colored lights year”, I would innocently say “Is it?” then promptly change the subject and distract them with baked goods, hot cocoa and/or presents.  One year my husband insisted on colored lights.  It didn’t go well.  I threw a monumental fit and told him that he was ruining Christmas.  I hung the colored lights and my dignity on the tree that year. 

In early November, as I began planning this year’s Christmas décor theme, (because apparently the theme can’t just be Christmas) I had a revelation.  I thought about the Christmases of my childhood and what those looked like.  My mom had knack for transforming our house every year with a beautiful fresh tree, miles of garland, handmade stockings and, you guessed it, colored lights.  In fact, I can remember when she did her first white light tree (somewhere around the early 90’s white lights became the must have in Christmas décor).  While I was instantly sold on the white lights, there was a part of me that was going to miss those sparkling jewel tones that had faithfully and perfectly lit up our living room year after year.  

In that moment of Christmas pasts reflection, I made a decision, and what lights I’d be using that year was only a byproduct of this epiphany.  You see, when I decorate every year it’s not just for the family and I.  Nope, I’m thinking about everyone else and what they’ll think of my Christmas décor.  Will people like how it looks?  Will it be Instagram worthy?  It was a slippery slope of aiming to please that I’d been sliding down for far too long.  Here I was setting aside the wants and likes of my own family in hopes of getting them from complete strangers. 

That settled it.  My family, the only demographic that I should have been focused on pleasing all along, was getting their colored lights, and I was getting a whole new outlook.

We’ve decorated and displayed messy, imperfect gingerbread houses, looked through piles of handmade ornaments from years of classroom projects and laughed at the stories each one told.  We’ve had dance parties by the light of our colorful tree and I proudly displayed a beautiful brightly colored Christmas decoration made by my Great Grandmother.  Simply put, it’s been perfect.  It seems silly to say, but I feel a little like the Grinch when he realizes what Christmas is really all about.  While I knew it all along, it just took a few boxes of colored lights to remind me.

I’m excited to share a little tour of our home with you this Christmas!  I hope the pictures offer more than just décor inspiration and encourage you to fully embrace all that this season has to offer.

(This is the wall hanging my Great Grandmother made)

Merry Christmas, God bless and Happy New Year!!

Jessica

PS Thanks for hanging in there with this longer than usual read 😊