Accessories for Women- Gift Ideas

Wrapping up the week of gift ideas with accessories!  Who doesn't love a pair of shades, a favorite cosmetic, or a piece of jewelry you've had your eye on.  Below is my little list, I'm sure you all have your own.

Lash Primer (a must)- Clinique

Pave link bracelet- J. Crew

Skitch aviators- Von Zipper

Hanging earrings- Etsy

Miss Dior Cherie- Sephora

Jewel brooch headband- Etsy, Blustarfruit

Have an awesome weekend!

Home Gift Ideas

What do you give when it comes to house related gifts?  I feel blankets or throws are always a welcomed yet safe option, whereas monogrammed towels are a must 'luxury-felt' item.  Everyone should own a monogrammed towel sometime in their lifetime.  As simple as it seems, it's something that feels as if it's yours, you have the right to it on a daily basis.  One of the very first things I purchased when I moved into my very own place were monogrammed towels.  What would you like to receive as a home-related gift?

Enamel canisters- Farmhouse Wares

Pendant- Restoration Hardware

Monogrammed towels- Pottery Barn

Alpaca Throw- Canvas Home Store

Striped bedding- West Elm

Etsy- Are your favorites public?

This gifting idea is mostly Etsy related.  If you are and Etsy member, do you choose to have your favorite items listed publicly?  Personally I do.  I like to also view my friends favorite items, if we have the same taste, I know that most likely the things they save will be items that I will dig too.

And when you have really sweet friends (*insert- Margo)- they can get quite sneaky and look up your favorite saved items, surprising you with a gift they purchased from the very list.  SO SWEET!

I like to save both items and specific shops, always knowing they can quickly by re-visited come time to make a little purchase for a friend, a specific event, or to treat myself.  What's saved in your favorites?  I've also recently been following the same procedure on Pinterest when it comes to favorites.

Some recently saved favorites of S&S are:

via

via

via

Guy Gifts

What are guys into you ask?  Apparently if it involves leather, something loud, or a 'man bag'- they're all in.  My husband dreams about these things (I guarantee day and night)!

Shadow Backpack - Nixon

Royal Enfield Bullet C5 Military Motorcycle - Enfield Motorcycles

51-30 Chrono Leather Watch -Nixon

Schott leather Jacket

Five Days of Bad A$$ Gift Ideas

Hola!  I thought it would be a great week to have a bit of fun and feature a few Bada$$ gift ideas for this holiday season, or really it's just an excuse to post a bunch of things things I like.  Fun, no?

Today is a compilation of items which I've personally sent to Santa this year on my wish list (aka Husband of the Lifetime):

Bow pin:  Etsy- Green Eyed Bird

Vintage Blue Table Linens:  Etsy - Kerry Can

Amazing Idea that will change the World Book:  Etsy - Sparrow Nest Script

Jungle Leather Slouch Tote (diaper bag)- OiOi

*not preggers, just like to plan early*

LOVE!

M

What's on your list?

Need to Keep Spirits Bright

Feeling a little bummed.  A little disappointed.  Need to keep my spirits up.  A few things that have come up have made me feel taken advantage of.  Tomorrow's a new day!

It's Friday Peeps

Thank goodness it's Friday!  It's sunny today, not a cloud in the sky, bright and beautiful with a chill in the air.  LOVE December, love that it's Friday.  Grabbing my caffeine and out to get this day in the books.  Have a great one :)

photo via  etsy  The Cozy Project

Isn't this cup cozy rad?  May have to try my hand at making one with my new crochet skills!

Crocheted Cowls

Alrighty now, I've had my faith restored that it's not cheesy to make handmade neck cowls for my friends for Christmas  :)  I hope they all like them as much as I do.  Of course the ones I've made so far are all in my classic 'go to' colors- grey, beige, and aqua (what's new).  I just finished a red one to match my new wellies, can't wait to rock it this winter.  Just thought I'd share the progress:

My Mom started out making the grey one for me, I then made my first one (the aqua), then made my first gift one, the beige.  Got more gift ones to go, better get on it!

Didn't lay it flat or quite even top to bottom, but here's the first gift:

And a peek at me enjoying both my grey cowl, hugging tightly my new white vase. After Hubby D took this pick, he said he wish he got hugs this tight (awww).  Guess I really had a 'thang' for that vase. 

What handmade items are you into?

Full of Pink

Hi All! 

My apologies for disappearing last week- I really will try to keep up my blogging, I know I've said it before, but I really do what to get back on it.  I will still be sharing my friend's lovely creations before the end of this week, so please do stay tuned for some amazing artistic inspiration and products that are not only fun to look at, but to wear as well.

How's your transition into the holiday season going?  We're getting ready for December and excited to spend time with family again this year.  I do not feel an overwhelming sense of stress this year- which a good thing!  I'm not worrying about shopping and gifts too much- taking a more relaxed approach this year.  I've had some free time to squeeze in crochet lessons from my Mom, so I think friends will be receiving handmade cowls this year for Christmas.  Is this cheesy?  Would you enjoy a hand-crocheted neck cowl as a gift?  Sometimes it's hard for me to gage if something I like would be enjoyed by someone else just as much.

I'm still loving all things pink lately- as you may have noticed by our Christmas cards.  I put together a little board, all images via Pinterest.  I'm a little tardy with hopping on the Pinterest train, but loving having a place for saving images (rather than on a bunch of flash drives).

Hope all is well!



Happy Short Week!

Hope everyone is gearing up for a short work week (me?...........YES)!  Can't wait!  I'll be sharing the amazing work of my talented friend Valentine on the blog tomorrow since it didn't get up last week- so fun and refreshing- don't miss it!

Other than that, I'm hoping this week is mellow, much like how I felt in this photo:

It was another weekend of no makeup, over sized fuzzy sweaters, frappuccinos, and sporting my new wellies (early X-mas gift to myself).  How was your weekend?

Holiday Card Sneak Peak- Making Spirits Bright

I've got a confession to make:  We've already designed and purchased our Christmas cards for this year and they just arrived yesterday- so stoked!  They turned out exactly how we hoped, couldn't be more pleased. 

I had been scoping out a few card designers on Etsy, and kept going back to one in particular, Mink Cards.  They just launched their brand new web site with tons of exciting designs and it's definitely worth a browse when you have some time to look over all the amazing styles.  We wanted something fresh, something bright and very "us."  I have to say that when I read the 'about us' link on Mink Cards, I was beginning to think that owner Melody must somehow be my long-lost perfectionist-strived twin (haha).  This little bit of insight was what really caught me eye:

"Mink is a labor of love born out of Melody’s deep desire to create something pretty. Each year Melody would search endlessly for the perfect card, only to drown in frustration that she was limited by a lack of choices. Driven by the need to express herself, Melody ventured to create her own hip cards. Realizing she couldn’t possibly be the only passionate perfectionist in the world, Melody created Mink."

Is this not you too?  I have to say- totally ME!  We worked with Melody to create our perfect card and she even customized the main front design font to coordinate with our photo/theme.  Although this may sound like a plug- I assure you it's not- I just believe it's my blogger duty to share an amazing business that excels in both quality product and customer service.  The contact doesn't stop when you click the purchase button, follow up emails messages and design proofs, revisions and several options all await your review.  

Our chosen design and color combo for this year:  Red and Bubble Gum Pink.  Wooo Hooo, and an awesome Husband knows not to question his wife when it comes to Holiday cards (he actually was more open to the pink than I thought).  The whole vision stemmed from this rad paper I picked up on sale last year for 12 cents a sheet, all along I was thinking it would be the perfect envelope liner:

Living up to the crazy that I am, I scanned the paper 'liner' and sent it off to Melody of Mink to ensure we were choosing the right colors for our cards.  Done, perfect, happy as can be!  Thanks Melody!

We don't want to spoil the final cards until we get them mailed out to family and friends (some which are blog readers), but I will share more with you all once we hit December.

What are your plans for Holiday cards this year?  Color combos, patterns?

photo via

Weekend Recap

It was a chill weekend with Hubby D, one that didn't include any 'set' plans or outings.  I wish every weekend could be as laid back as this was. 

Saturday was rainy, all.day.rainy.  The rain didn't stop until the sun went down, but we braved the morning rain and got a bit of errands out of the way: the usual Target for necessities, Starbucks fuel, and stopped at Joann's Crafts for a few things.  We remained home for the rest of the day and relaxed.  D watched movies and I browsed online, and pinned on Pinterest (I'm a bit late to board the boat when it comes to Pinterest, but I'm quite addicted).  He made the most delicious blueberry muffins for us, and boy did we mack them!  He made sure to smother on extra butter for me! 

Yum.

Sunday was just as chill.  We started off at our usge Coffee Bean stop and it was unusally slow and quiet, a nice start to the day.  D ordered a new holiday ice blended flavor, English Toffee.  Next weekend I'm sooooo ordering that one with extra caramel, mmmmm.  We then drove home (took the long route to scope out any new real estate signs), kind of our new 'thing'.  We then decided to head to OB for a bit of antique store browsing on the boulevard, we found a nice addition in the perfect color:

It was a makeup-free, ratty hair kinda day, but in this hippie town, I never have to worry much about the primping.  We then decided to take a stroll on the pier, a perfect clear day after the stormy day before.

This seagull was being stalked by my camera, until I got too close and it flew away.

I asked it to please not squirt on my head.

Ratty Hair.

Surfers are like honey badgers, they don't give a f*$! that it just rained and the storm water

is polluting the waves they're riding, they just think they're bada$$

Actually, after a while I sort of wished I was in that water.  I wore my Uggs today and it was WAY to warm for them, I was sweating nastily.  We then headed over to Pizza Port, the single reason we continue to go to OB, for the best pizza ever (Nicole, you can confirm this as true)!  With full bellies, we headed home for more relaxation, time to paint my nails a new grey color I picked up, and a bit more pinning.

How was your weekend?



Waving Hi and What's to Come

Hi All- it's been a light week of posting, my apologies.  It's been one of 'those' weeks, keeping busy and gathering fun things to share for the week to come.

Stay tuned next week, I'll be sharing the lovely work from a dear friend whose talents, in my eyes, are endless.  Here's a sneak peak of her work......and fellow designers, you'll fall in love with the drop of an architectural ruler!

Bubble Scarf via VV

Fall- Brighten Up

Fall is bright this year.  I'm digging not only the the orange and yellow tones, but red and pink hues as well as pops of turquoise.  Which colors do you like to surround yourself with this time of year?

We have some new additions to our potted plants near the entry:

Friday Feature- Sun Kissed Love

Today's Friday feature showcases another awesome shoot by Yuna Leonard featuring the S&S classic burlap Love banner, shown in a new sun kissed light.  What are your thoughts on the natural look?  I'm partial to the soft light and stylish simplicity  , especially for this brisk Fall.  Props to Isha of Lovey, local San Diego wedding designer on that gorgeous strapless gown. 

Loving the vibe:  Indie + burlap + neutral + organic = LOVE!

Have a happy Friday and awesome weekend!

November Adjustment

Hope your November is off to a great start.  It's been a busy week in the Mr. and Mrs. S household:  family in town to visit, our tea class (which turned out to be quite fun), and we're already chanting for Friday night to come so we can sleep in and relax a bit this weekend.

The weather has been strange lately, the santa ana weather of a typical October has drifted into November, not fun for stirring up the feelings of allergies.

D and I went shopping last weekend (after a shopping drought), and we both actually found 2 pair of jeans (grabbed, tried on, purchased, done).  Amazing.  I was working myself up for disappointment, as jeans are always difficult to find just the right fit, but we scored big time.  D opted for good 'ol Banana Republic and Joe's and Seven never let me down!

I'm already thinking about ordering our Christmas cards, it's going to creep up- fast.

Tea update*
Our class was fun and informative.  D actually enjoyed it and is quite the charmer with the "older" folks, haha.  Some of the information presented was a refresher on the history of tea (which we had learned last year during our visit to Celestial Seasonings in Colorado), although we learned how to pair some tea flavors with savories and sweets, as well as the proper etiquette for afternoon tea.  It's fun to have a date night and experience something new!

Infused Tea

I'm dragging D to a class tonight on infused Tea.  We get to learn about making different infusions, as well as other tea-related activities.  My husband has clearly stated that he will not be broadcasting this on his social networking profile.  Nice.

photo via 

I'll let you all know how it goes!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from S&S!  Hope it's a fun one.

photo via

Friday Feature

"New" idea popped in my head- every Friday I will try to feature something related to my Etsy shop, either a real client's event showing S&S product, something new added to the shop, or just a rotation of what Sweet Peas and Seashells has to offer.  I think it will be a good way to incorporate product without filling the whole blog with it (which I know I have done a lot lately while trying to play catch up with taking so many breaks).

Today I'm featuring a lovely Bride Shelley, who I worked with to create a natural table runner for her cake table.  She was referred by Sweetgrass Social (thanks Meredith)- her event planners, to consider this added touch for her wedding decor.  I was thrilled to stumble upon the photos on their blog:

Loving this color palette for anytime of year!

Congrats Shelley and Greg, you two are a gorgeous couple and I wish you all the best!

Prim and Proper

I have an event to attend today after work.  This means extra effort in getting ready: pencil skirt-wearing, hair flowing, too much blush applying, extra lip gloss adding.

I already can't wait to come home, shower, hoodie sweater it up, and sit on the sofa with D

It's one of those "I have to do _____", but I'd rather ______ days.  

photos via fashionising.com

Fall Glam Inspiration- A Touch of Gold

It's no secret that I haven't really favored the look of gold accessories, I'm more of a silver girl.  Lately I've switched my tune- I still rock the cooler tones, but have been warming it up a bit with either gold or bronze accents.  There are so many fun Fall fashions out right now, and I've got my wheels turning as to what I can swing on a budget:

Gold Glitter!

photo via Yuna Leonard Photography

Gold ring with shell detail:

photo via Star of the East

 

Gold hardware drop necklace:

via Nordstrom

(scored for $16, free shipping- def. in the budget!)

Gold glitter nails (I really want to try this):

photo via The Looks for Less

Metallic gold flats with suede toe (scored these during the Summer @ Banana Republic

retail was $98- scored them on sale for $28!!!

Photo via Banana Republic

What are your thoughts on Gold, do you rock it?

New Banner in the S&S Shop- And the Two of Us

Some words come into mind when I think of the Fall season:  Brisk air, filtered sunlight, loosely curled hair, vests, lace up shoes, acoustic instrumentation, baked goods (we all already know that)!  I had the pleasure of connecting with Isha of Lovey, a local San Diego Etsian who is also involved in the wedding industry as a designer of gorgeous custom-tailored dresses.  I was fortunate enough that Isha was willing to take some new S&S products with her for a rustic photo shoot in the woods of Griffith Park in Los Angeles.  I had to work (my "regular" day design job) on the day of the photo shoot, yet I did not want to miss this amazing opportunity for such a fun concept shoot with the talents of an awesome photographer.  Thank you Isha, I can't want to collaborate again- in person!

Yuna Leonard Photography is the talent behind the lovely images, and I'm so excited to introduce the new "And the Two of Us" natural burlap banner.  Affordable priced, the "&" sign can be designed in any color of your choice:

Isn't it always better when it's you & your other half!

 

Swooning over that stunning strapless bustier dress, visit Isha's Etsy shop here to browse her beautiful designs.  Her head pieces are another vision in themselves!