My favorite sale of the year is here! As much as I hate to think that school starts exactly one month from today, I am excited for a new school year with both kids starting milestone school years (Jonah middle school and Baron Kindergarten!), the anniversary sale is the best time to snag some fall back-to-school pieces on sale and grab some tried and true favorites for a capsule wardrobe (sweaters, boots and denim). We’re also building a home, so the anniversary is also a great opportunity to shop for home decor items at a great value.
This year the sale takes place July 28 through August 8 (though Nordyclub members can shop Early Access starting July 16)
It was maybe even more anticipated this time around since folks loved the first release in March so much (another silver lining during quarantine). As much as I wanted to set my alarm for a super early wake up call this time around, I didn’t because I was preoccupied with enjoying my only free weekend this month before the kids’ first games this season. Thankfully I had previously saved a bunch of items I liked to my favorites and shopped what I could around 10:30am CST. By then, some highly coveted items were sold out.
Thankfully since Targets are open, some of the designs trickled into stores before the big launch and I did get a few beautiful pieces!
Here’s what I got and loved:
I’m a sucker for affordable decor pieces, especially from some of my favorite designers that happen to partner with Target. I snagged the wood bowl and a couple framed pieces of art to start. The bowl is transitional and can be used to function in a kitchen or sit pretty on a shelf. I also love the vintage inspired art pieces so much – best of all, the pieces are so budget friendly!
Here’s what I’m hoping to still find:
I was really hoping for the brass sconces, the metal two arm ceiling light fixture, and abstract wall art. I feel like one can never have too much lighting and art in the home, and I have the hardest time finding ones that I really love but are also affordable. Also, the wood boxes are adorable – I love the layering look of them for a shelf space. For you Studio McGee design fans, what do you have your heart set on?
A decade has come and gone by in a flash. It really has been the fastest decade of my life. The majority of it was spent raising kids, working, and establishing a home. Over the course of the decade, I’m sharing some of the lifestyle trends that defined each year.Disclaimer: By no means is this a definitive list of all trends, but more of a personal reflection of the decade trends that I participated in or adopted in aspects of my own personal life.
A lot of these trends I foresee carrying over to this new decade as some of the trends are also non-trends suitable for daily life and everyday style, such as classic fashion pieces that never go out of style, a less is more approach (in the home, with material possessions, and consumption), wellness, plants and gardening, and high quality and crafted foods designed for both entertaining and everyday sustenance.
Here is my decade trend recap (as best as I can remember!) from each year:
2010: Macarons are at every dessert table, subscription boxes (produce, meals, clothes, beauty, etc), wedge sneakers, skinny jeans, photo collages, booties are a closet staple, festival wear, street style bloggers are the go-to for inspo, #ootd
2011: Succulents are everywhere, cheese boards/charcuterie boards are a kitchen entertaining staple, garden beds and container gardens are the norm, colored denim skinnies, millennial pink
2012: Fiddle Leaf Fig, boho interiors, Birkenstocks are back, peplum, lighter and brighter interiors replace dark furnishings
2013: Boyfriend jeans, the year of Moscow Mules and the copper mug theft across America! Rose all day! Farmhouse everything thanks to the HGTV hit FixerUpper, LaCroix’s comeback, foil ballon number and letters
2014: Blazer capes, coats worn over the shoulders as capes, Doc Martens reemerge, cropped jeans, mom jeans, the lob (long bob), essential oils, KonMari Method book changes life
2015: Midi dresses, off-the-shoulder tops, slip-on sneakers, athleisure, backless loafers/mules, fanny packs/hip sacks, embracing the art of Hygge
2016: 90s revival: bodysuits, crop tops, high-waisted pants, lug sole boots, the block heel, faux fur coats, animal print, faux stems and greenery are more than acceptable
2017: Midi skirts, culottes, paperbag pants, bras and bralettes worns as tops, hikers as everyday shoes, chunky sneakers (again 90s), wildflower loose stem bouquets, floral arches, floral garlands, eucalyptus, IG Stories
2018: Balloon garlands, biker shorts, dad sneakers and Tevas comeback (again 90s), snake print, olive trees
2019: Neutrals, microbags, slip dresses (again 90s), organic earthenware, pottery, mixing metals, earth tones, Amazon The Drop
What are some of the decade trends that you are bringing with you into 2020 and beyond?
Some of my favorite ways to update a space is to add plants and art. As we already know with plants, they purify the air, increase oxygen levels and remove toxins from the air. What I love most about plants is that they add instant style and enhance your décor. When you combine greenery and art to any room, the combo livens up the space and adds color and texture.
We’ve always had tons of plants in our previous homes, but when we were getting ready to move to Texas, we found out we were not allowed to travel with our large mature houseplants. (The years of investing in its growth!). Thanks to OfferUp and Facebook Marketplace, I was able to find good homes for our beloved Fiddle Leaf Figs and succulents. Now that we are settled in our new home in Texas, I’ve been slowly adding new plants to different rooms of the house. The sun exposure and directional placement of the house is quite different from what we’ve been used to, so I often find myself moving plants around to different parts of the house to test where it might be most happy and thrive.
My favorite room of the house right now is our breakfast room. This is the space where we come together as a little family to eat most of our meals, where we share highlights from our days, and talk about our plans for the coming week and next day. The breakfast room also faces windows looking out to our backyard and greenbelt and it is a beautiful sight in the spring and summer seasons. During the winter months, the bare trees and bare branches are hardly inspiring, so having something happy and beautiful to look at helps liven up the area even boosts our moods. Enter Betsy the Cow and a Fiddle Leaf Fig. Two pieces I’ve added to our breakfast room since we moved here. I got so excited when I stumbled upon this Betsy art on a random HomeGoods run. I remember seeing a larger Betsy The Cow print a couple years ago, but I didn’t get it then and have regretted in ever since. When I saw this one, I knew I had to have it and I already had the perfect spot to hang it. The background color also match perfectly with my chairs. As for the fiddle leaf fig, you can never have too many fiddle leaf figs in your home. This one is the perfect starter height and grown in a tree form so it will retain its sculpture like shape. I can’t wait for it grow!
Here’s a before and after shot of the breakfast room. The space before from the previous owners’ MLS listing was darker with heavier furnishings and fixtures.I really love how this little corner in our home feels now and has transformed with just the art and plant addition and furnishing updates.
More plants and art scattered throughout the home…
What are some of your favorite ways to update or refresh a space?
Despite the crazy weather that we must come to terms with as new residents of Texas (70 degrees on Wednesday and 30 degrees freezing yesterday!), I do have faith that spring and summer is on the way. We like to spruce up our patio early in the season so when the warm weather hits we are ready for morning coffee, impromptu entertaining, and grilling on a daily basis.
Our patio furniture has been left sitting outdoors all winter underneath a covered porch, however dust and other grime still gets to it. After deciding that this was the area we wanted to tackle first and busting out the patio décor from the garage, it was time for the refresh. Here are our steps for refreshing an outdoor space:
Step One: Wait for frost to melt.
Step Two: Remove outdoor furniture covers and clean off furniture (do this before cleaning off the patio since debris may fall on it). We love cushions with removable covers for easy machine washing and spot cleaning. All weather wicker cleans and wipes easily too.
Step Three: Clean off debris from the patio floors by sweeping or using a pressure washer.
Step Four: Clean outdoor rugs with a hose, scrub any stained areas and allow to hang dry. Better yet, if your rugs are in bad shape or permanently stained get a new one. Target has some really cute outdoor rugs this season – love this one too!
They’re inexpensive, come in a variety of styles, pretty patterns and textures, and they pull together a space.
Step Five: Now for the fun part! Your patio is now ready to be decorated! Add outdoor rugs to create defined spaces and arrange furniture. When coming up with a furniture layout, think about how the space will be used. Make sure there is room for ‘flow’ and movement in high-traffic areas. If possible, put seating in the shade and keep the grill area away from areas where kids may roam, etc. Add patterned pillows for texture and pops of color. Sprinkle in some fresh or faux greenery and plants for liveliness, and string some lights to create ambiance. Voila! You’ve got yourself an outdoor oasis.
The next area we will tackle of our patio refresh will be the pool area and garden storage/solutions which we will work on in March. Full post and photos coming soon!
My favorite sale of the year is here! As much as I hate to think that school starts exactly one month from today, I am excited for a new school year with both kids starting milestone school years (Jonah middle school and Baron Kindergarten!), the anniversary sale is the best time to snag some fall back-to-school pieces on sale and grab some tried and true favorites for a capsule wardrobe (sweaters, boots and denim). We’re also building a home, so the anniversary is also a great opportunity to shop for home decor items at a great value.
I really love how this little corner in our home feels now and has transformed with just the art and plant addition and furnishing updates.
