Porcelain and Plaid: March 2019

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Luxurious & Practical Baby Gifts for Spring Showers

Is it me or does it seem like there are always so many new babies due to arrive in the spring? There is something so adorable and so special about spring babies!

I know most of us turn to the mothers' registry for baby shower gifts - I do the same, but I always like to add in something luxurious that the mother may not have registered for. Most new mothers are registering for items they need that are practical. Here are some of my favorite little luxuries for baby that are also very practical.

1. The Laundress Baby Wash (found here)

If you could bottle the smell of a baby, this is exactly what I think it would be. I love the smell of this baby wash. It is gentle, yet concentrated so a little bit goes a long way. I love the elegant bottle. I know this may be impractical and expensive to wash baby's clothes in every day, but it definitely could be used for that first month of baby bliss. This is a little luxury to help a new mom get through those sleepless nights and endless laundry piles.

2. BeautyCounter Baby Bundle (found here)

If you have not heard about Beauty Counter yet, you seriously have been missing out! Beauty Counter is a company that is on a mission to spread the word about safer skin care and beauty products. If you have not already started using safer skin care on yourself, you should definitely start. At the very least, you could start with providing your baby or a friends baby with safer skin care products. The bundle includes the baby oil, gentle baby wash, and baby balm. These products are free of harmful ingredients and irritants. They are perfect for a newborns' very delicate skin.

3. Butterscotch Blankies Initial Blanket (found here)

I LOVE this Butterscotch Blankies stroller blanket. What I love most about it is that it is a nod to the luxurious and famous Hermes throw blanket. This was one of my favorite blankies for Charlie as a newborn.

4. Doc- A - Tot (found here)

This is something a new mom may have registered for. If not, she will definitely appreciate receiving this item, anyway! We loved our Doc-A-Tot for when we visited family and friends, we could easily bring it along with us. When Charlie was too little to sit up, we laid her down in this and we could all relax around the Doc-A-Tot and watch her wiggle. It was such a great place to set her down and she couldn't roll away.

5. Kickee Pants Jammies (found here)

Kickee Pants are some of the softest, strechiest jammies I have ever felt! The quality is great and the stretchiness allows for them to really last well past babies current size. They come in super cute patterns or solids. There are some with ruffles, some with cute things on the tush, some with feet, some without, etc. There are so many adorable options. I also loved that these jammies came in preemie size when Charlie was a preemie!

6. Anitca Farmacista "Baby" Diffuser (found here)

The Antica Farmacista baby diffuser is such a luxury! It has such an amazing smell and sets the mood in babies nursery. The scent also helps some of the smells your diaper pail might not mask!

7. Wub-A-Nub Pacifier (found here)

I am sure you have seen Wub-A-Nubs every where by now! They are pacifiers attached to adorable little stuffed animals. My daughter LOVES her Wub-A-Nubs...she even has a favorite! Some babies go through so many pacifiers and if the Wub-A-Nub ends up being their favorite kind, it can become expensive. I think a mother can always use an extra Wub-A-Nub for baby.

Enjoy shopping for upcoming spring baby showers!

Sunday, March 10, 2019

Just a Hint of Irish Dinner

"May the dreams you hold dearest be those which come true

and the kindness you spread keep returning to you."

With St. Patrick's Day around the corner, I wanted to add a little bit of Irish flare to a dinner we had with friends on Friday evening. I love everything blue and white and our house is decorated with blue and white already, so I wanted to include blue and white in my table with hints of Irish green. When I don't have florals ordered through a florist, I can always find some pretty good flowers to work with at our local Kroger. I love these bright green hydrangea stems. I used a white Pottery Barn pitcher and two ginger jars as my vases.

Here are sources for my tables cape (this picture was taken pre- silverware & stemware):

Navy Runner: No longer available at PB, similar here and here

Blue Placemats: One of my best purchases ever from Hobby Lobby, I could not believe they carried placemats this cute. No longer available, similar here

Water Hyacinth Placemats: These are a big deal! They look just like the Serena and Lily style sold here, but I got them for SO much less here

White basketweave dinner plates: My all time favorite dinnerware from Williams Sonoma found here

Napkins: My napkins were purchased from a linen shop in France during our honeymoon, but you can get monogrammed styles from so many sources, such as here.

Napkin rings: These napkin rings I found on Amazon here. They are such a good price and showed up literally within 24 hours. There are a bunch of other colors available, too.

Blue & White Ginger Jars: I have found my ginger jars as so many different sources. From online store to Home Goods to thrift shops and consignment stores, there is no shortage of blue & white. There are good options here, here, and here.

White pitcher: My white pitcher is from Pottery Barn (found here), but you can use any cute white pitchers like the ones found here, here, or here.

All florals are from Kroger.

In keeping with the St. Patrick's Day theme, I wanted a little green in the food, so I made this all green fruit salad. My toddler loved it and a bonus- this meal didn't require any yucky artificial food coloring!

I am not sure if a Shepard's Pie is even Irish (LOL), but it sounded good and traditional, so I went with it. I found a recipe that had a more modern twist using sweet potatoes and the filling was paleo. First, I cooked the sweet potatoes separately from the filling.

I then placed the filling in my Le Creuset baking dish and topped it with the sweet potatoes.

This is how it looks prepared before I baked it all together in the oven.

The recipe can be found here.

I wanted to make a salad that felt spring-like, so I made this spinach salad with raspberries, oranges, and toasted walnuts. We kept the blue cheese on the side.

I made a citrus vinaigrette using apple cider vinegar, fresh squeezed orange juice, olive oil, honey, and salt & pepper.

It wouldn't feel Irish without some Guinness ;-)

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

St. Patrick's Day with Silly McGilly

St. Patrick's Day has always been a fun holiday for me to celebrate. Although my memories of past celebrations are a bit fuzzy, it is justifiable because of my Irish heritage, right?? 😉

My days of celebrating St. Patrick's Day flying solo are long gone and now it is time for our family to start having some fun St. Patrick's Day traditions together. Experiencing fun holidays, like St. Patrick's Day, is much more fun to experience through a toddler's eyes. Now that Charlie is old enough to kinda-sorta start understanding holidays, we are going to start some traditions.

One cute tradition I would like to start is with this little leprechaun, Silly McGilly, showing up on St. Patrick's Day morning and creating all sorts of mischief. How adorable is this little guy? The book tells a cute story about a leprechaun who likes to play tricks. This is perfect for toddlers!

Silly McGilly Book & Toy

He is also going to bring fun treats and gifts like this cute girl's purse from Target.

Girls Clover Crossbody

This little Irish flag can be found here.

Stickers & confetti are a part of every holiday tradition with Charlie.

I found ours at Target.

This Silly McGilly is also going to turn all of our food GREEN on St. Patrick's Day.

I can't wait to see Charlie's reaction...especially since she is just now learning about colors.

So fun!

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

Summer Dreaming

Here in the midwest, it is still feeling like Christmas, with snow blanketing the ground (not gonna lie- I was actually listening to Christmas music today!), but as us Michiganders know, snow today- gone tomorrow. In the blink of an eye, we can be in midst of summer before you you even have time to pull those UGGs off. Although snow is still coming down, I think we should peek into some of the hot summer decor that is out right now.

I am currently in the market for some fun patio umbrellas for our pool deck.

I though these two were adorable and the prices are unbeatable!

Safavieh Fringe Umbrella 9ft

Safavieh Elegant Patio Umbrella

I just purchased this Opal House rug from target for my screened porch. I LOVE the round rug trend and I especially love this outdoor version. It is going under out bistro table.

...and speaking of bistro table, these chairs NEVER go out of style.

Savafieh Grey and White Outdoor Chair

Serena & Lily Outdoor Riviera Side Chair

Savafieh Hooper Outdoor Chairs

If you know me, you know there is no question that my child is a diva!

I thought this chaise would be perfect for my little diva to kick back by the pool.

Really, the price is too good to pass up on something this cute!

KidKraft Kids Chaise with Umbrella

Lastly, there are some really fabulous outdoor pillows right now. I especially am a fan of pillows from One Kings Lane because they are super custom looking without the hassle of having to order and wait (and wait and wait) for custom pillows to show up. These are a little pricey, but I have no doubt that they are good quality. Can you believe these are outdoor?

I am in love with these!

Outdoor Poka Pillows from OKL

I am big on any pillow with a fun detail like tassels, poms, fringe, etc.

Liz Outdoor Pillow from OKL

Here are some good looking and more affordable outdoor pillows. The first is a classic wide stripe in a neutral. The second is a seriously amazing deal from Target. I love the chambray.