I hope you are enjoying your weekend! Ours has been so relaxing. Lots of down time with family and friends and just what we all needed after a busy May with school winding down!
Our flag is out and the porch is feeling festive! If you missed my favorite patriotic decor I shared it in this post. Nothing like red white and blue! Makes me want a hot dog real bad.
;)
I ordered this red rug from Amazon and had to flatten it a out. Kenny’s law books to the rescue again! Man I love them. Always coming in so handy to flatten my rugs and add height to trees.
Constitutional law is a personal favorite for rug corners. So thick and heavy it flattens them in no time. I always knew law school would pay off at some point. Ha. ;)
This patriotic porch was so easy because I already had my planters, trees, jute rug and faux hydrangeas up for summer! I just added a few items and had a new look in minutes.
I love seeing the flags waving this weekend. Such a special time to honor and remember all of the amazing men and women who sacrificed so much for us.
A few years ago we planted red geraniums near the stairs in our front yard leading up to our house. I thought we would have to replant them by now but every year they keep coming back stronger! So beautiful.
Happy Friday! YEA for making it to the weekend! It’s the end of the school year for some of you! We have 4 days left after the long weekend and all have summer fever big time. This week was so busy and everyone at my house feels like we are crawling across the finish line with little strength left. Ha. I’m posting my weekend favorites & sales early this weekend because the Memorial Day sales are so good and I know some of my favorites will sell out quickly!
So I’ll keep the chitchat short (hard for me.. I like to ramble) and get to business. ;) I have loved this beautiful drinkware collection and it’s all on sale! So fun to pull out this time of year to entertain and it looks beautiful displayed on a shelf when it’s not in use.
My new side table arrived and I’m in love! I ordered this for my bedroom and love it near my window between the two chairs. I haven’t had time to style it yet so I’m hoping to get to that this weekend.
It’s hard to tell in these pics how large it is! I love the white oak and black detail at the bottom. So good and on major sale this weekend!
My favorite serving set is on sale! It’s included in my round-up below along with SO MANY other fun items on sale this weekend. (The sales really are so good this year!) I hope these round-ups of items I personally love are helpful! You will recognize a lot of the sale items below from my home. :)
Mcgee & Co kicked off their Memorial Day sale early.. 25% off everything! I shared these items in a previous post, but I’m sharing them again so that all of my Memorial Day sale items are in one spot and easy to find. :)
Sharing a few quick and easy last minute teacher gift ideas today! Two weeks for us! The countdown is on. I know that some schools are already out so if that’s the case for your kids, tuck these ideas away for the next school year. OR you can use these ideas for birthdays and other fun occasions. They are versatile! Very tricky like that. :) One of my go-to gifts for teachers is to get a medium sized vase and add flowers and a gift card. If you know their favorite store or restaurant that’s always great. If not you can never go wrong giving a teacher a Target gift card! It can be used for anything from school supplies to the next Mcgee home decor collection.
Here are a few fun vase/flower options! Of course my recent fav. :) I personally prefer spending money on faux flowers over real! I know not everyone feels that way, but two weeks later they will still be around to enjoy! And the next season? Still there. Add a gift card and now you have a really generous gift where the recipient gets to choose something they love and also keep something that reminds them of you.
If you’re going the real flower route, add a beautiful vase that they can keep and use long after the flowers are gone. This is a recent favorite from Amazon.. so beautiful! I ordered one for me too when I saw how gorgeous it is in person!
For years when my kids were little I wrapped up a cute beach towel with a magazine (sometimes adding a gift card) for a teacher gift. Some of you who have been with me for a while might remember! Summer items are always a fun gift and this POOLSIDE bag I recently shared is a perfect reminder that good times are coming. :) Fill it with summer items or just give the bag on its own depending on your budget!
This is another cute summer bag option! Love the inside lining on it too. It’s a floppy style so I had to get my assistant to hold it up for me. Thanks Kole. ;)
I’ve shared this gift idea many times but couldn’t resist sharing again because my new marble board would make a fabulous gift! On its own or with a fun boards book. Here are other fun charcuterie book options!
Friendly reminder to add a quick note of appreciation (from you and your child!). I still have most of the sweet cards my students and parents wrote me when I taught for six years 20+ years ago. I pulled this out of a binder that holds them all. :)
Cheers to the end of another school year and a huge thank you to all of the amazing teachers out there! As a parent I couldn’t be more grateful for all you do.
Happy weekend! I hope your week was a good one and I hope you are surviving May! It isn’t a month for the weary that’s for sure. We have two weeks of school left and are definitely counting down. I had an evening at home tonight and it was the first in a while. It felt so good and is making me excited for lazy summer days and evenings without so much on the agenda! I’m a planner at heart but May always makes me want to throw my planner right out the window! Then I want it to fly right back in come early September. :)
Ok favorites and sales! I have some fun items on the agenda today! This cute Amazon lounge set has been a popular item for good reason. A friend of mine wore it to lunch and everyone there asked for the link and promptly ordered it! Talk about comfortable. I feel like I’m waltzing around in my pjs with it on which you know makes it a 10/10 for me. I do wish Amazon carried xs more often. I’m wearing the small and the pants are a little long for me (an FYI for shorties!). They look perfect rolled up at the waist, but that doesn’t work with the top. Still so cute and definitely a keeper!
I love the top so much I’ve been wearing it with jeans too! We are in the middle of our “May Grey” season on the coast which means cool and cloudy weather so I haven’t broken out any shorts yet. I’m over the clouds and ready for sunshine but bracing myself because “June Gloom” usually follows “May Grey” so jeans might be a staple a little longer. Good thing this pair is so cute! They are really flattering and the perfect amount of flare. They come in standard, tall, plus and petite and I am wearing petite so that I can wear them with flats/sandals. So cute with my new sandals from Target!
Wore this outfit today for lunch and errands with Ad. This pic is so dark but in our favorite Greek restaurant that we basically live at. I don’t want to admit how often we get take-out here, but let’s just say that we’re both pretty tight with the staff. I call and say “picking up the usual” and we’ve added them all to our Christmas card list. Ha. The rest of my family is sick of the food because we get it so much but not us! Ad and I could eat there every day no problem. :)
I started rounding up old and new patriotic decor today so I can start decorating! I love putting it all up before Memorial Day so that we can enjoy it mid May through July. I pulled out my faux red geraniums that I used on my porch last year and next thing I knew I had my patriotic decor all over my living room floor. :)
I saw this americana wreath on-line. And wow. Talk about love at first sight! I’m not really a huge wreath person to be honest (aside from Christmas time), but the faux hydrangeas on this are so gorgeous! It’s a little pricey so I really went back and forth, but I’m so glad I ordered it. I held it up on my front door yesterday and it’s just beautiful! It’s HUGE and makes such a statement. I know I’ll have/use it for years and years. I’m going to use the other wreath inside or in our back yard. It got booted from the front door. ;)
Other new additions include this cute doormat (on sale today!) and the flag plates. I’m so excited to set up a fun outdoor table with them for summer dinners! The little flags I’ve had for years and they are perfect to set inside plants, flowers, anywhere and everywhere. :)
I clearly have a thing for melamine. I’m pretty set on summer plates after I bought the plates I shared in this post, but I couldn’t resist. In fact my blue gingham Target plates will be perfect to layer with these! I have the outdoor table all planned in my head. :)
These two pillows I recently bought for my outdoor area will work perfectly too! I flipped them around on the floral side and we’re set! Bring on the red white and blue.
This beautiful short marble cheeseboard is adding a little something fun to my kitchen. I’ve had it a few months and love the herringbone wood pattern!
So fun adding touches of summer here and there despite our cloudy weather! I bought this rattan candle last year and was excited to pull it out again. This faux plant is such a favorite that I own two of them. It’s perfect on shelves and everywhere I set it. My marble cake stand is back in stock!
Mcgee & Co kicked off their Memorial Day sale early.. a sale I’m always patiently waiting for! 25% off site wide! These beautiful woven trays are favorites I bought during past sales that I have used and loved so much.
Also my bed! Probably my #1 favorite Mcgee purchase ever. Nice reminder that I need to take/share a pic of how this room is looking without the Christmas tree. :)
I mentioned in my last post I’ve been looking (for over a year!) for a new light for my living room and kept going back and forth between getting a black fixture or a rattan fixture. When I saw this chrisley pendant light I knew it was a sign and meant for my space. Why pick just black or just rattan when I can have both!? Ha. Plus it matches the console table I’ve been wanting for my entry. I tried to order the dana console during the last Mcgee sale and it sold out too quickly! I was on it this time around. Very excited about the outdoor side table too.. such a great price on sale for this size of table! A peek at what I’ll be sharing in my home soon. :)
Ending this weekend post with a few Amazon home favorites. That black cabinet is gorgeous isn’t it!? Enjoy the rest of your weekend and moms of school age kids.. hang in there!
*our annal Mother’s Day picture. See the end of this post for the outakes. ;)
I hope you had a beautiful Mother’s Day weekend! We had such a nice, relaxing family day. Low key which was so nice after a busy week. Then right when we were all getting ready for bed around 11 pm Ellie realized her car keys were missing. She drove home with them and locked the car so they had to be in the house. We tore the house apart and looked EVERYWHERE until past midnight and then when I finally said let’s just go to bed and look again tomorrow I heard a “mom” coming from Kole’s bedroom. He was suddenly awake and not feeling good. So Ellie went to bed and I was up with him until close to 3 am. Good times! It wouldn’t be Mother’s Day without some real mothering right!?
Sharing my summer mantel which could not be any more simple this year, but simple is really speaking to me. My rattan arched mirror is back in stock and on sale! So beautiful for the price. This basket (I’ve had for a while) is holding a few summer throws with my favorite celine throw on top. :)
I’m really loving these green faux branches from Amazon! The bright green feels very summery and one branch was just enough to add a little something to these black matte terracotta vases. (You can see one branch has several smaller branches off of it so it doesn’t take much to make an arrangement!)
I love the 2 same black vases at different heights side by side. Speaking of vases!
This large handwoven vase is absolutely stunning. It’s HUGE and so beautiful for summer. I filled it with the same leafy green faux branches and love how realistic they look. My brass metal nesting tray is a long time coffee table favorite and is on sale right now!
Happy Mother’s Day! My college girl is home for the summer so we are all 5 together again.
I’m a happy mom this year. :)
Very excited to spend Mother’s Day with my crew. Moms I hope you all feel loved and appreciated this weekend! Most importantly I hope you don’t have to prepare one snack or meal.
Sorry.. just projecting my Mother’s Day wish onto everyone else. ;)
This card made me laugh because it is SO spot on at my house! My first weekend favorite. ;)
Next up.. I found the cutest sandals at Target! Fun right!? Just $20, so perfect for summer and I love them with my new Madewell bag. They come in white too!
I bought these sandals last year and have LOVED them. So cute. So comfortable. They work with jeans and skirts and everything and are on sale!
Below are more weekend favorites and sales! 4th of July decor is popping up and I’m excited to start pulling out some red, white and blue. All good things ahead this time of year. :) Enjoy your weekend!
My summer porch is off to a good start! Technically this is my spring porch but since I didn’t pull it together until mid May I decided to call it my summer porch. Now I feel ahead of the game instead of behind it.
I’m super tricky like that. ;)
I tried a few different trees and rugs this year and truly can’t decide which look I like best! I’m sharing all options so let me know if you have a favorite. If you can’t decide either my porch might just have a new look every other week. I can think of worse things! :)
The one item I won’t be switching out any time soon are my new modern rustic fluted planters. Ahhh! They are so beautiful! I have wanted black fluted planters for a while and almost bought these concrete fluted planters but I just couldn’t get excited about how heavy they are. These modern fluted planters are lightweight and easy to move! HUGE selling point for me since I’m always moving my decor around so much and have zero upper body strength. Ha. I love the wide fluted design and texture. They come in 4 sizes and I bought the medium and large. They will be perfect during the fall/winter months too. So versatile! I added some faux white hydrangeas to the medium planters. (My exact hydrangeas didn’t come back in stock this year but I’ve heard great things about these faux hydrangeas from Amazon! Very affordable too. I linked other similar options above.)
Very realistic for the price! I have a few books below each tree adding some height. If you’re new here, I went with all faux plants and flowers for my porch a couple of years ago and haven’t looked back! My porch gets all shade and we travel a lot during the summer. I struggled for years to keep things living in this spot and wasted so much money on plants that didn’t last long! I love having a porch that always looks put together with ZERO effort after I’ve styled it. It reminds me of trying out a faux Christmas tree for the first time. Once I did that it was over! Never going back to the hassle of real again. Ha.
I love this jute area rug. If it looks familiar to you that’s because I had the runner in my kitchen for a year. It’s in my upstairs laundry room at the moment!
Oh wait.. there’s a 4th. :) I bought this cute little stripe rug to try layering on top of my jute rug, but it’s too small so I put it in front of our mudroom door.
As if I didn’t have enough options with my various rugs I decided to try these beautiful olive trees too! I feel like you can’t ever go wrong with a good olive tree. Or with good olive branches!
Cute! See why I can’t decide!? I love the olive trees too!
They aren’t as full and bright green as the faux ficus trees, but they have a sophisticated look I love. I didn’t need books with the olive trees because they are a little taller too. Weighing all pros and cons here. :)
Let me know if you have a favorite tree and rug! I love them all and I’m indecisive at times so come on by to visit this summer and you’ll probably see a different look each visit! Especially since I plan on adding some 4th of July decor soon.
Good thing my planters are lightweight and easy to move. ;)
Happy Tuesday! Quick post today if you need a last minute Mother’s Day gift idea! I was going to share this make-up bag in my weekend favorites post but it’s so good and would make a great gift. I’ve had it a few months and took it on my last two trips and LOVE it.
How much it can hold! You can fit so many items inside of this baby! It opens wide and has pockets on each side and one in the middle. (I use the middle pocket for my make-up brushes.) Then it folds together to close using every inch of space for your make-up.
Like magic! It doesn’t look that big or take up a lot of space considering how much it holds! It comes in pink and brown and black too. Ten out of ten! It would be a fun gift on its own or you could fill it with a few favorite products. I linked most of my must have beauty/hair products above!
I pulled out my celine throw (both of them!) the other day to style for summer and thought I would share it too. It’s a beautiful throw (comes in so many color options!) that would make a really nice gift. I actually have 3 of this same throw total so clearly I’m a fan. :)
Below are a few other fun ideas/favorites I rounded up including fun gifts for the new mom/mom to be! I put together some gift baskets in this post if you missed it! I also included my Amazon gift idea collage again at the end of this post because those gifts will come FAST if you are a last minute gift shopper. ;) Happy Mother’s Day shopping and enjoy the rest of your day!
Happy Sunday! I hope you are enjoying your weekend! We had a sunny beautiful day today after a week of clouds and it put us all in such a good mood! I finally got the outdoor entertaining area off of our kitchen nook cleaned and put together so we are officially ready for all things outdoor. May is always crazy busy so it makes summer break even more enticing. Bring it on! We are feeling ready at our house.
I loved the large striped outdoor pillow so much I decided to get two of the striped outdoor lumbar pillows in the same pattern for my two large chairs. They also come in a fun red stripe that’s perfect for 4th of July celebrations.
The embroidered palm tree pillow is also so good! Total vacation vibes.. we’ll take it. :)
I love to have friends over and entertain during the summer and so do my kids! It’s what we all look forward to most. Along with lazy mornings when we can all sleep in. (Lots of night owls in this house! Ha.)
I knew I wanted to pick up some kid friendly dishes this year for summer get togethers and couldn’t believe my luck when I found so many cute options on-line from Target!
The fruit plates are also adorable. So fun on a table with just one fruit or a combo of all of them! This rectangle rattan serving tray is beautiful. A great size and perfect for outdoor use. Just $13!
I love that there are so many fun ways to mix and match these cute plates!
They are melamine which makes them perfect for kids meals and snacks, but they are cute enough for adult summer get togethers too.
I’m slightly squinting in this pic but sidenote.. these jeans and top are 10/10! Both so flattering and cute! I got the jeans in petite and they are a perfect length to wear with flats. (I’m 5’3 and a half) :)
I snapped a selfie in my house to show the top better (ignore the paper piles behind me!). It comes in other colors but I love the blue floral. So pretty for spring and summer! I went one size bigger in this top (wearing a small) because it’s a more fitted/smaller fit. This initial pendant necklace necklace is a long time favorite (my most worn!) and would make a great mother’s day or graduation gift.
All of this cute summer serve ware is ready to party! Now we just need the food. Food! That’s always a second (or third or fourth) thought at my house.. ha. Cleaning and decorating – done. Then I’m too tired to cook and resort to ordering pizza.
Every time.
But how cute would pizza look on my fun new plates!?
I’ve been blogging for longer than I care to admit (ha) and I’ve covered organization on pretty much every spot in my home. Ten times. :) One thing I haven’t shared before is car organization! I honestly didn’t give much thought to car organization when my kids were little. I just always focused on keeping my car clean so that goldfish crackers and moldy chicken nuggets didn’t resurface. ;) I was one of those people who always said I would NEVER drive a mini van. Then I had baby number 3 and said HOW FAST CAN WE GET A MINI VAN!? Practical definitely won on that one! Moms feel me I know. :)
After my girls grew up and both started driving it was time to say good-bye to the mini van and get something smaller. Most of the time these days it’s just me and Kole in the car and before I blink it will be just me and my podcasts! I can’t say that I miss driving my minivan, but I DO miss having more room to set things. I’ve had to get creative with this car and thought I would show you a few favorites I’ve been using the past two years that keep my car clean and organized with everything in its place!
First up is this cute little car trash can. It fits perfect in a cup holder and makes it easy to toss gum wrappers, paper.. any car trash! If Kole is with me in the front seat and we are using both cup holders for drinks, I set the trash can behind me in the back seat cup holder. I love having a spot for garbage so that my car stays litter free!
My van had a spot for sunglasses but my current car does not. No worries! I found this magnetic sunglass holder on-line and have loved it. It clips on to your sun visor..
and has a strong magnet that holds your glasses in place.
It’s easy to open and close with one hand and keeps your sunglasses close when you need them and out of the way when you don’t!
These seat hook hangers have made me so happy! I never had a good spot for my purse in my current car. I used to just toss it in the back seat, but then it was hard to reach if I needed a credit card for the drive through or something else out of my purse.
Now it’s so easy to hop in my car and hang my purse on this hook on the passenger seat. It’s so easy to reach whenever I need it! This might not work for you if you still have a car full of kids. Once in a while I’ll drive Kole’s friends and then my purse ends up on the floor, but most of the time I’m using this hook and my purse finally has a home.
This car seat side organizer is my absolute favorite. Such a game changer and it cost less than 10 bucks! It attaches to the passenger side seat and now I have a spot for my phone and keys. I especially love having my mail key easy to grab when I’m pulling into my neighborhood.
The little zipper pouch on the bottom is perfect for tissues, chapstick, whatever you want close! I always keep floss in my car. Anyone else? I’m kind of fanatic about dental care. Ha.
With everything I need so close and easy to access I don’t even need my center cosole for storage. I have some breath mints inside and that’s it!
When it comes to keeping my car clean this cute little dashboard duster is the best! It fits perfectly in my glove box so it’s close and easy to grab when I need it.
It’s so easy to use! I dust my dashboard, steering wheel, seats.. everything with it. Then when my car gets really dirty I tell Kenny and he takes care of it. So get yourself this handy dashboard duster and a handy spouse who doesn’t mind car cleaning and you’re set. ;)
*Full disclosure – I handle all things laundry and he handles everything with the cars. That’s the trade off!
Then you just pull it open and instantly have storage for all the things! It has dividers you can use or take out. I love the dividers to keep Kole’s sport stuff organized. I also always keep sunscreen and towels in our car.. especially during the spring/summer. You never know when a pool or the beach will call our name mid day!
This first aid kit is another car essential. I have one in my house and one in each of our cars. I have used them more times than I can count! Usually just for scrapes or bee stings (thankfully nothing worse!) but they are so handy to have in the car.
That’s it! A few car essentials I love that keep my car organized and clean.
It’s time to turn on Vacation (my favorite summer song) and enjoy the sunshine!
Today is my dad’s birthday (Happy Birthday dad! Love you!) which means that it’s the end of April! I can’t even believe that. January and February felt like a year but March and April have flown by in a blink! Did it feel like that to you too? Life always seems to move at a faster pace when spring hits. I can’t believe Mother’s Day is right around the corner. I’ve put together some fun gift ideas together for you! These first 3 gift ideas are all things I would love for Mother’s Day! I shopped my home for a few items. :)
I put this basket together for the mom who loves home decor! These items are so fun grouped together in a pretty basket, but you could easily give each item as a single gift or put two of these items together. I’ve shared this sage throw several times but just love it so much! It’s perfect for the end of a bed and I love it over a chair too (you can see how I styled it in this post). Of course the cute ceramic vase is a great addition with the matching throw! Add these faux tulips.. so good for the price.
Last but not least I included these beautiful spiral candles. A recent obsession! They looks so good styled on a table in candle holders. You’ll see them popping up around my home soon. :)
My next Mother’s Day gift idea is all about spring/summer entertaining! This jute tray basket holding everything is so beautiful on its own! Great to put on any shelf for decor or in a bedroom to corral random items. It comes in black too!
I filled it with fun items that make me think of a summer picnic! This rattan caddy is such a steal and so cute to hold flatware for outdoor dining. Aren’t these fruit platters cute too!? They come with matching dishes that you’ll see in an upcoming post because I couldn’t pass them up. The gingham cups also come with matching plates and are so fun for this time of year ($3 per plate and bowl! So cute and perfect for kids.) Add some decorative napkins to match and done! Such a happy gift. :)
Isn’t this poolside tote fun!? It’s a great size to take to well.. the pool! Or the beach. :) I love the tan detail with the black straps and know it will be a staple for me this summer.
Add some cute towels and a Stanley tumbler for a fun gift! I love this gift idea for graduates who are ready for summer break too. A few other options you could include are flip flops, a pool float, sunglasses, tanner, a straw hat, a cute cover-up, a good book, etc. Any pool essentials! I included a few of my favorites below. Am I the only one reading organizing and time management books by the pool? Probably.
This straw tote is another cute/smaller option for the pool or beach!
I hope my gifts gave you a few fun ideas for Mother’s Day! I rounded up other options below. Anthro has 30% off Mother’s Day gifts this weekend! I went through everything on sale and rounded up my favorites. Most of the items below you’ve seen in my home! I also rounded up some Amazon favorites that make great gifts and some cute pjs because you can’t go wrong with a good pair of pjs!
At least for this mom. :)
Enjoy your weekend! Moms.. take a break today. You deserve it!
Happy Thursday! Wayfair is having their annal Way Day Sale and friends.. it’s GOOD. So many of my favorites are on major sale (only through Thursday!). First example.. my cute metal floor lamp! It comes in a set of 2 with a desk lamp that I had on my console table for years and now have upstairs.
Ad’s nightstands are half off! Well.. 49% off but close enough. :) We’ve loved these nightstands. They are a great size and come in lots of fun colors. They have one big drawer that looks like two and I love the hardware. Her bench and bed and fan and basically everything in her bedroom are also on sale right now! I still need to take a new pic with her new lamps. :)
Wayfair is a go-to spot for me for inexpensive art and my fields of gold print is hands down my favorite! So gorgeous! Especially in the fall.
I have the same print with the black frame I love it so much! Below are a few other fun options on sale followed by other Wayfair favorites! Wayfair is also a go-to for me for organization and I shared some of my organization favorites in this post.
Most of my outdoor furniture is also on sale right now! I’ve loved having this little conversation set next to the pool. I sit here often with my time management books and read while the kids swim. :)
My beloved canopy chairs are also marked down the lowest price I’ve seen them. LOVE these chairs because I can keep my face covered but still get some sun on my legs!
So nice having a place to keep all of Kole’s pool toys. I know I’ve shared these outdoor items before, but most are on sale for such crazy good prices and if you are like me you are starting to think all things outdoor. I had to share! If you pick up something you love let me know! More fun Wayfair sales (including cute rugs!) and outdoor favorites are below. I just ordered this modern black bowl. Beautiful! l also rounded up some fun outdoor pillow options for great prices. Have the best day! Hopefully we’ll all get some sun.
:)
{SALES/FAVORITES/SOURCES}
xoxo, Erin
Share
Join the Sunny Side Up
Community!
The best way for us to stay in touch! Sign up for my newsletter so you’ll never miss a post! You’ll also gain access to all of my home and organization printables.