Gift Guide: The Lux List

Ok, this is the dream list. 

The one with the items we wait all year to ask for. 

Investment pieces that we will wear and enjoy forever and quite frankly you deserve it. 

1. A Hermès Evelyne bag in a incredible colors $2600

2. Diamond huggies to wear every day $355

3. Cozy Gucci boots that are fun and functional $890

4. A pink Moncler jacket $1,015

5. Golden Goose sneakers to wear ALL OF THE TIME $525

6. A Gucci belt bag with a retro vibe $790

7. A mother of pearl heart necklace to cherish $440

8. A YSL tote and crossbody bag for all the things $995

9. Valentino boots she has always wanted $1375

10. Luxury noise cancelling headphones because she lives on planes $399

11. A Valentino crossbody that is just big enough $661

12. A fun ski jacket for that upcoming vacation $635

13. Opps! Put two on this one! 

A Dyson hairdryer that will change her life $400

A Moncler sweater/puffer jacket $805

14. A classic but fun Gucci watch $1020

15. A diamond heart bracelet she will never take off $715

Shop My Other gift Guides! 

Men

Kids

Moms, Grandmas, & Inlaws

Teens

Hostess & Friends

Under $300

Under $100

Under $50

Under $25

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Gift Guide: Under $50

A luxury gift does not have to be expensive and this list proves it in so many ways. From cult beauty buys to serve ware and jewels, this under $50 list is so good. Anyone would flip over these! 

1. Gorgeous birthstone stackable rings $36

2. The new Echo for all the things $50

3. Cashmere (!) gloves that come in many colors $49

4. The Glossier body set that I can vouch is amazing $46

5. The most amazing massager for knots $30

6. Super soft faux fur slippers $30

7. The crazy Hanacure mask that pops up in your Insta Feed $29

8. Beautiful ceramic mugs for her morning coffee $37

9. The perfect pitcher for margarita night $30

10. French candles that smell like heave $45

11. A chic hand knit headband for cold days $36

12. A killer Kiehl's set with all their best products $50

13. Fancy Jo Malone misters for travel $45

14. A leopard passport holder for the jetsetter $28

15. Classic leather sneakers to wear with everything $45

Check out my other gift guides! 

Men

Kids

Moms, Grandmas, & Inlaws

Teens

Hostess & Friends

Under $25

Shop The Post

Gift Guide: Girl on the Go

Fa La La La La, It's time to shop. 

Gifting is always such a fun part of the season. That smile you see on someone's face. Whether it be a Starbucks gift card or that bag she has been eyeing, it is the best. 

I try to hit all the sweet spots that will cover all the people on your list over the next few weeks. Including yourself! ha 

First up, this is a guide for that girl that is always on her way to the next place. 

Be that near or far, for work or pleasure, here are some amazing gifts that will make her happy. 

1. An amazing suitcase set that is easy to pull / 2. A mini speaker to jam to anywhere / 3. A beautiful watch so she's always on time / 4. A cape that is also a scarf LOVE / 5. A pillow spray that helps her sleep well anywhere / 6. An agenda to keep things straight / 7. A pretty phone case / 8. Comfy kicks that always get compliments / 9. Because the lighting and mirror always stinks in hotel rooms / 10. A chic way to store all those cords / 11. A bag set for impromptu shopping trips  / 12. A beautiful jewelry case / 13. A big tote that will carry everything (comes in other colors) / 14. A mask to refresh post travel skin 

xo

Erin 

Bathroom Renovation: Wet Room

Hi there. So I was away for awhile, got some sun, avoided reality, and am now back and settling back into it. Posting has been spotty, but this warmer weather and sunny days always motivates me to write more. So here is to hoping. 

A huge project on my mind right now is one that will hopefully be happening this Summer (let the permit gods bless us with a fast turnaround). We are doing a few small additions to the house, one of which will expand our master bath. I have been pouring over images for inspiration and ideas and working through sketches with the architect. One idea that came up was a wet room. Or really a huge shower with a small tub in it. I maybe use our current tub 3 times a year, maybe. So a tub is not a huge priority, but we still need one. The idea of a wet room seems like a good space saver for our particular floor plan. Here are some ideas: 

source unknown 

via: Dyna Contracting

via: David Coleman / Architecture

via: Shirley Meisels

via: Chris Pardo Design - Elemental Architecture

via: Nest Architectural Design, Inc.

via: Jane Kim Design

via: Jody Brettkelly

via: Glass Doctor

What do you think??? 

Our layout would be a steam shower with glass with the tub towards the back, two shower heads on each side. And don't even get started on tile and finishes, plenty of narrowing down to do before I start sharing. One step at a time. 

xo

Erin 

Can't Live Without: Holiday Edition

Last year we talked about traditions, which I loved. So this year I thought I would ask a few great ladies what they Can't Live Without during the holiday season. I only allowed one answer, which I know was really hard since there are so many great things about the season. My answer? Christmas lights. They make everything look magical. Cheesy, I know, but you know it is true. Now on to the other girls...

1. Love Actually
2. Sitting by the cozy fire, looking at my family's stockings. It is a dream come true! 
3. Nordstrom for gifting: Free shipping, easy returns, and something for everyone
4. Personalized Gifts from Head's Up Boutique 
5. Mom's Frosted Butter Cookies (recipe below)
6. A Peace Carol: John Denver & The Muppets
7. My leopard print Ugg slippers 
8. With all the after work parties and events, Clinique all about eyes is a must. It's amazing for dark circles and under eye bags!  Clinique All About Eyes 
9. Last Christmas I Gave You My Heart by Wham
10. Ugg gloves
11. All I Want for Christmas Is You by Mariah
12. My nightly ritual of looking at the glowing Christmas tree with my son with the lights dimmed, preferably with a cup of hot coco. ("Ooooh, mama, it's so beautiful.")
13. Wine! Lots of Wine! 
14. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I hope you all have a great weekend. It is going to be sixty degrees in Chicago. Which I have mixed emotions about given it takes us even further from a white Christmas. But, it makes for great temps for holiday parties. Which we have this weekend. Combining that with outdoor walks with the kids and hopefully a cozy pizza night in. If you need some gift ideas for weekend shopping, check out the guides here. More to come next week. Cheers! 
xo
Erin  

Mom's Frosted Cookie Recipe

by Katie's Mom :)

Preheat oven 350

In a mixing bowl cream 1 cup ( 2 sticks) soft butter; gradually add 1/2 cup sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in 1 egg and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Gradually blend in 2 and 1/2 cups sifted regular all-purpose flour. Divide and make 2 balls roll them in wax paper, chill dough for easy handling. About half an hour.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8th in thickness (each time to roll dough, dust surface and rolling pin with flour). Cut into desired shapes. Rub cookie cutters (sharp side)  in a little flour. Place on baking sheets. Bake 8-12 minutes. 

Remove to a wire rack or to a cool surface to cool. Then frost using recipe below. 

Put 1 pound of powdered sugar in a bowl and add about 1/4 cup of milk and mix and if needed, add more milk slowly until smooth and spreadable. Divide into several little bowls and put some frosting and a couple of drops of different colors in each, saving the rest in big bowl to mix up when needed. Tape down wax paper when decorating, then all you need to do is pull it up and throw it away for easy clean up. 

White Washed

We have a living room in our house. Do you? I want it to be a room that we will actually use, not one that sits there looking pretty. My thoughts are that it would be nice to make it another family room with no television. That way it has a comfortable feel that makes it usable daily, yet I also want it to have style for entertaining guests. In my search for inspiration, I have found myself gravitating towards rooms painted white. Which is strange because I am really a color person. Although, lets get serious, I usually choose some version of gray. White walls seem so chic with neutral furniture and pops of color from plants, pillows, art, or window coverings. Here is what is steering me this way...

Love that mustard settee in the middle of the room and the striped rug. 

Traditional sofa and wing back with modern wood chairs. So Cool. 

Gray, gold and white is such a great combo. 

The rugs are little random for me, but that painting is gorgeous. 

I love the ease of this room, yet it also looks comfy. Worship the rug. Anyone know of one like it? 

I for sure want a fiddle fig like this one, and I like the texture of the ottoman. Z Gallerie has a similar one. 

Again, loving the stripes and the fiddle fig. 

Very neutral with geometric pillows would be easy to put together. And there is that striped rug again. 

Striped sofas. yes. 

A few too many patterns for me, but I like the striped fabric. And those tables, I saw them at World Market on sale. 

Classic, with wood accents and brass. 

Think I am going in the right direction? Can't decide if white is boring, or leaves you with endless possibilities. 

xo

Erin 

Decking the Halls

Putting up Christmas decorations always starts fun for me, but always ends up being a bit more work than I remember. This year, there are more mantels to decorate and I wanted to use things we already had. Outside, I actually hung the garland and lights myself only to find them on the ground an hour later. Matt rehung them for me (almost) happily. I was bummed since I wanted to accomplish that on my own, but at least I tried? 

I went with fresh garland and just lights around the entry. The house is set away from the street, so really no one will see it except guests and us. It was my first round buying real garland. I clearly did not pick the lushest of them, which I will do next year. 

The larger LED lights are a cooler color than the traditional. I like how much it lights up the entry. I bought the wreath (all of them) and got crafty by making the bows. 

We use a fake tree inside. It is just easier and I love how it is already lighted. My mom gave me these fun yellow, silver, and black striped ornaments last year. I love the unexpected colors in the tree along with the more traditional ones. 

The fresh wreaths inside make up for the fake tree. They smell amazing. To keep them fresh, I spritz with some water every other day or so. The little bells garland and the crystal candlesticks are what I usually use as the centerpiece for Christmas dinner. 

These glass vases are always on the island, so I just filled them with some pine cones and garland. I am using that low vase to hold Christmas cards this year. 

Glittery little trees for the side table in the family room. 

The mantel in the family room has some great (fake) garland from Nell Hill's that my mom sent me on it. 

Also from Nell Hill's is this amazing lighted wire. It is battery operated, flexible and gives off great light. Genius for indoor decorating. 

I used this idea last year. It is an easy way to add cheer to a vignette. 

The mantel in the living room I kept simple since the tree is in here. I watched a video to help me tie the wreath bows. I used a plaid tartan and white polka dot ribbon. Then I used some bulb lights from Ikea and Moroccan tea glasses as votives. It will be pretty with the lights turned off at night with the tree. 

Since I was already all over the decorating, I finally put round bulbs in my new light fixture (vintage). I go in the living room and turn it on all the time now. Just to stare. Yep, obsessed. 

Here's to happy holiday decorating and a fun weekend. 

xo

Erin 

Gut Job

Since doing a full gut job in the basement, there have been workers here every day. That was over a month ago and even though you cannot see much progress from these photos, there has been so much done. From electric, plumbing, dry wall, etc. I really had no idea how much work this was going to take. The good news is that a lot of the fun stuff is coming. In the mean time I can share some photos so you can see where we began and where we are now. 

Before and not quite after photos...

We decided on lots of built in storage to get ahead of the toy situation that is in our future. Plus, a nice spot for the tv. This room will be a nice family room and play space. 

We will have a half kitchen with another washer and dryer in this space. There will also be a bar in the cut out. We also decided to do a ton of storage in this space, you can never have enough. 

This bathroom is hard because it is dark and only has one window in the shower. White cabinets, white subway tile and dark floors should keep it light and bright. 

If you have ever done a full renovation like this, you know it seems never ending. But I am hoping that in the next month I can post some much more fun pictures of how this space is coming together. I also do not want to move onto other rooms of the house until this is done. 

Oh and let's not forget that we added a walk out door in the middle of this project just to keep things interesting. It is very nice to have an entrance to the backyard. It makes this space also much more like an in-law suite. Perfect for grandmas and grandpas. 

Any advice from those that have gone through projects like this is much appreciated! 

xo

Erin 

Weekend Wish: Class Up Halloween

I saw the greatest quote this morning from Nicole Ritchie: "Girls, can we all pledge that we will not dress slutty for this Halloween? The jig is up!" 

Just as portrayed in one of my all time fave movies, Mean Girls, Halloween seems to be the only time that it is ok to dress in your underwear in public. I get it, some girls want to show off what they got and it is the one day they have an excuse to do it. I have been guilty of some bad taste over my years (early twenties, no judgement) of such behavior. 

My weekend wish is that everyone comes up with something fab to wear this weekend and dare I say, chic? That word is not usually associated with this holiday, but let's give it a shot. 

Happy Halloween and Have Fun! 
xo
Erin