Wordless Wednesday: Our 10th New Year's Card

{Photo Credit: Terrence Adderly Photography}

Winter Entertaining with Paperless Post

Disclosure: This post is in partnership with Paperless Post; all opinions expressed are my own.

Flake Fall

We are enjoying a quiet holiday break at home, but not without a few parties to celebrate! One of my favorite parties to throw is an Open House party where we literally have an open door for about 4-6 hours alleviating the pressure for everyone to show up at a certain time. We stock plenty of easy-to-heat-and-eat apps, delicious drinks and tasty treats. Here are a few Paperless Post invitation options to inspire your guests to show up and show out!

Galentine's Day or Valentine's Day: It's Complicated

I want to say "Happy Valentine's Day," but I'm still relishing in the beauty that was my 2nd annual Galentine's Day party I hosted last weekend. Remember when I posted about my first one?

Galentine's Day 2019

Heading into it this time around was a bit different as my sister Ariane was in town visiting for a few days, and we sat down for the first time on Facebook Live to chat about our relationships with women...

Our 2019 Minted Card & Day Designer Winner!

{Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.}

10 Things I'm Looking Forward to in 2019 (& a Giveaway)

{Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links.}

Happy 2019! In case you've been wondering where I've been lately look below...

Prepping for Galentine's Day 2019 with Paperless Post

Disclosure: This is sponsored post in partnership with Paperless Post; all opinions expressed are my own. 

We've just about made it to 2019 and can you believe Valentine's Day merchandise is already in stores? I don't mind because I'm excited to throw another Galentine's Day party! Last year was my first time throwing one, and it was super simple to set up especially with the help of Paperless Post. 

5 Quick Ways to Simplify the Holidays

2018 blew me away with all the travel it involved! From starting the year in Palm Springs to ending it with our last trip of the year coming up in Nashville, I'm so thankful to be grounded with my kids at home for their December recess.  This is our 3rd Christmas as homeowners, but will only be our 2nd Christmas actually at home. To make it extra special, I've partnered with Wayfair to reflect on 5 quick ways I'm simplifying this holiday season. 

Easy Holiday Cards with Minted

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in partnership with Minted and contains affiliate links; all opinions expressed are my own. 

 

I have a confession: if you send me a holiday card I save it forever! Moving 5 times across 4 states since we became a family has helped us make many friends over the years, so when the holiday season comes it's such a joy to see the updates come through the mail. Social media is great and all, but there's something to be said for getting a piece of mail and slowing down to relish in how old friends are doing, displaying the cards prominently as they arrive. 

This season will be our 4th partnering with Minted, and I love how stress-free they make it. I have something extra special planned for this year's card, and today I'm sharing my top 3 tips that have worked for me over the years:

Easy Deconstructed July 4th Flag Cake

One of the hardest parts of celebrating July 4th with kids in the in-between stages of babyhood and pre-teens is the tricky timing of fireworks and bedtime.  Add rain on top of that and it's sanity saving quite tempting to completely skip over the holiday with a young family. Our first July 4th as a family of four was super easy: we lived in Jersey City at the time and had an amazing 360 degree rooftop view that allowed us to see about 5 sets of fireworks from Manhattan to deep into New Jersey. 

Here's a throwback pic...

My Peter Rabbit Movie Garden Party

Disclosure: I received samples to facilitate this review in partnership with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment; all opinions expressed are my own. 

This was my 9th Mother's Day and if there's anything I've learned is that there's nothing wrong with making your own day special. When a special Peter Rabbit Movie surprise arrived for me and my family I knew it'd be perfect for a Mother's Day Garden Party. We had seen the movie in the theater when it was first released and absolutely loved it so when I set up everything for my kids to see they were so excited!

Christmas in Charleston

Today is Winter Storm Grayson here in Boston, and it is intense (and yes, Grayson cried when we told him he shares the same name as the storm). School is cancelled today and tomorrow for both kids so I thought it would be a good time to catch up on recapping our Christmas break.

Happy 2018!

{This card was designed in partnership with Minted (not an affiliate link); photo by Third Eye Chic}

Check out our past New Year's cards here!

 

Let the Holidays Begin with #XfinityMoms!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in partnership with Comcast; all opinions expressed are my own. 

What I love about being back in Boston is seeing how certain things have changed and that includes Comcast. I've shared before how I was a Comcast customer in my single-hood days of living in Boston post-college, and once I moved to NYC it was so hard to get used to a different provider. Now back in Boston with Comcast I'm loving all the new updates especially now that I have a family. 

Gift It: Nitro Circus' Signature Hyper Bicycles

Disclosure: I received samples to facilitate this review; all opinions expressed are my own. 

One of my most favorite Christmas memories when I was a child was getting a bicycle. I can still remember it so clearly - it was hot pink and black. Despite the coldness of that Christmas day in Ohio, I ran out the door to give it a try and yes, I was quite the little diva on my bike.

Now as a mom with active 3 and 7 year olds who are constantly engaged in some manner of obstacle course and stunts around the house, when Nitro Circus reached out to surprise them with bikes in time for Christmas I knew they'd be excited. 

I was right!

Too Late to Send Holiday Cards? Not with Minted!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in partnership with Minted and contains affiliate links; all opinions expressed are my own. 

It never fails: right after Thanksgiving I start seeing the question of whether to send holiday cards pop up in my feed and boy, does it cause a lot of stress!

Special Feature: 12 Days of Giving

I'm pausing from the chaos of holiday party prep to share a special feature today that I'm participating in hosted by Amanda, a fellow Boston-metro blogger at Prim and Propah. We first met at BlogHer in NYC back in 2015, and it's been wonderful becoming blogging buddies and meeting up with our little guys too (remember this EPIC toddler moment?!).

Today, please head over to her blog to see not only how you can give back to a fantastic charity, but also win a special something for yourself! You may even spot a cute little throwback family pic of the Lovebirds... And continue to follow for the remaining 5 days for more giving opportunities and prizes.

Thank you Amanda for including me!

 

Whoa December!

We went to a tree farm fully prepared to cut our tree, but this pre-cut one was our fave!

I looked up and this year is pretty much over. Welp!

Here's what's going on lately (in pictures)...

My Thanksgiving Wayfair Blogger's Picks

This month I'm excited to share my Blogger's Picks are featured over on Wayfair.com! Here are my selections inspired by my recent dining room reveal - you can click through each one to be taken to the item:

Trufant 16 Piece Dinnerware Set The hand-decorated, raised floral design adds a romantic element and texture to a dining room table. While it's easy to go with stark white dishware, I appreciate the warmth of cream and how it plays off of other fall tones.	íWarmth IVí Print on Canvas Drawing up on so many colors, this piece isn't overwhelming, but adds a beautiful focal point that can play off of other design elements in the dining room. From the blues, oranges and creams it lends itself to being able to switch up the decor seasonally as well.	Mercury Glass Candlestick Holder I have a thing for silver and how it reflects light. These candlesticks bring texture to the table and I'd add a few of them in various heights to create a rich ambiance.
Phoebe Burnt Orange Rug A colorful rug is so lush and this one pulls out the colors of the art print I selected especially with the touch of blue. I enjoy adding bits of blue to a room as I find it calming.	String of Pearls Large Deep Platter As with the candlesticks, the silver will reflect the warm colors of fall foods beautifully. The pearl trims also connects to the nail heads on the arm chairs I selected.	Rustic Thankful Sign This simple script sign is a beautiful reminder for the reason to gather around the table this holiday season. I imagine it propped up on the buffet table amongst the holiday dishes and floral arrangements.
Carterton Solid Blackout Grommet Single Curtain Panel Red curtains are so lush in a dining room and compliments the colors of the rug and art. I selected a plush textured fabric to bring warmth and richness to the dining room and appreciate the blackout lining for privacy.	Argana Arm Chair These sturdy chairs make elegant accents to the table as the header and footer chairs pulling in the nailhead design that's so popular without being overwhelming. The rich wood detail and thatched fabric add another dimension of luxury to the dining room.	Odell Server The decorative details on the glass doors of this buffet server stand out not only providing functional storage, but also serving as a display case. The dark wood adds a stately aspect to a dining room and will contrast with the bold colors of additional accents.

Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year? What inspires your holiday decor?

 

Thanksgiving Countdown: Decorating Our First Dining Room with Wayfair

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in partnership with Wayfair; all opinions expressed are my own. 

In 17 short days my family will come together for our first Thanksgiving in our new home and in the wake of recent news while we always acknowledge the importance of family, this year's gathering feels especially sacred. 

Personalize It with Always Southern Co.

With a name like Quiana comes great sacrifices including never being able to find my name on personalized items at the store! In the rare instances I find a "Q" item I snatch it up with a quickness. I'm so jealous of the kids nowadays with unique names since the advent of custom online shops including my friend Mary Baker Reconnu's shop Always Southern Co.