Meet Megan + Necklace Giveaway!

Hi, friends!

Natasha is out on a work trip this week, hope she's doing ok being away from Ethan for so long, but I'm sure she's enjoying a little down time. ;) 

Natasha is a working Mom that I look up to, she always appears to have it under control (although, guaranteed there are moments of mass chaos that we don't see!). I also have a huge respect for all of you SAHM's - now, that's a hard job, but also oh so fulfilling!

I should probably introduce myself before we go any further, heyyyy ladies!!! I'm Megan, wife to Mike, Mama to Sofia, I work full-time for a shipping company (if any of you deal with logistics, give me a holla!), write Hello Newlywed Life blog & I own and design jewelry at DolceAve on the side. With all of that going on, family is always my #1 priority. I would give anything to be a SAHM, but that's just not in the cards for us at the moment.

Here's a sample day for us, just because I think "day in the life's" are fun, it's always interesting to see how other people live their lives. Right?

|6:20am|

Wake up, get ready & make the bed - this is a rushed process before Sofia rises, 'cause when she's up it's next to impossible to get dressed with the mini tornado working her way through our closet, pulling out every pair of shoes & necklaces that I have. She usually walks in the bathroom rocking my flats "walk-e walk-e" "Mammmma" then I walke walke miss hot stuff right back to the closet to clean the mess.

|7:00am|

Get Sofia up (if she's not already) & dressed

|7:15am|

Downstairs to grab Sofia's milk, throw her lunch in the diaper bag & off to the sitter

|7:45am|

Drop Sofia off & head to work

|8:00-4:00pm|

Work

|4:15pm|

Pick-up Sofia & give her a snack that I prepped in the AM, otherwise I hear "NACK NACK" the entire ride home...in traffic. Music to my ears.

|4:45pm|

Home - check the mail, let our dog out, start dinner & throw on some glorious yoga pants

|5:30pm|

Mike gets home & we eat dinner as a family. So thankful Sofia eats what we eat, makes things much easier!

|6:00pm|

Clean-up dinner & take a family walk

|6:45pm|

Sofia's bath (if it's bath night), jammies & milk

|7:15pm|

Brush Sofia's teeth, read books and chill in the rocker

|7:30pm|

Tuck Sofia in then I'm off to blog, work on getting orders out, clean the house & prep for the next day

|10:30pm|

Lights out & an episode of House Hunters International before zzz'ing

Everyday feels so rushed, by time the weekend hits we're all ready to relax. I'm sure many of you can relate. SAHM or working Mom, time is just a tough commodity to find these days. It won't be like this for long, so I try to embrace the chaos!

In honor of Mother's Day & all that each of you ladies do for your little ones, I'm giving away one necklace of the winner's choice. Enter using the Rafflecopter below, winner will be chosen 5/20.

Good luck & thanks for having me over to chat today, Natasha! xo

a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Sponsor + Wish List!

Happy Black Friday!

Did you all have a great Thanksgiving?  I know we did!  :)  

I am excited to announce my newest sponsor, Kim from Keller Creative!

Her customer invitations and holiday cards are adorable!  You must check out her Etsy Shop, here.  She has also generously offered a Holiday Card giveaway to one lucky reader...be sure to check in next week for details!

I am also kicking off the holiday season right, but guest posting over at Hunter's awesome blog, Navy & Orange.  I'm featuring my wish list for this Christmas Season...it's a good one too!  Hop on over to check it out!

Hope you all have a wonderful Holiday Weekend!

xo natasha

Guest Post::Design Shuffle

 Happy Hump Day friends!  Hope your week is going well so far.

I was contacted by the peeps at Design Shuffle to feature a guest post for all of you today.  The topic?  All things turquoise.  Naturally I was intrigued!  I checked out their blog and was very inspired...lots of great tips and beautiful images...totally up my alley!  I think you all love them too!  I'm pleased to feature them today...check it out!

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Hi all, I'm Susi, a writer for Design Shuffle, a fabulous social media site where you can meet other design lovers and design professionals, showcase your interior design projects and find inspiration. One of my favorite colors is turquoise (I love it paired with orange), so I'm happy to be guest blogging about turquoise for Schue Love today. 

Turquoise is kind of like gray, it can work with almost every other color. Touches of turquoise in a painted piece of furniture or accessory add a happy pop of color to an interior. Love it. Thanks for letting me and Design Shuffle visit Schue Love. Enjoy!

Turquoise is such a cheerful, happy color that can work in any decor. Turquoise accessories, like this hobnail glass vase, add a pop of cheery color to the room.

Turquoise painted furniture makes a cheerful accent in any room. Turquoise works well with so many colors that it is easy to incorporate it into most decor.

Love this chandelier hung with turquoise drops. The ornate plaster ceiling medallion grounds this gorgeous chandelier, a perfect match.

This turquoise bead chandelier is by Marjories Kouras. The beads make it feel a little bit more casual than crystals or glass drops. Beautiful, saturated color. This dining room is filled with beautiful decorating ideas. What's your favorite?

The mid-century classic Wishbone chair looks fresh and new in a coat of glossy turquoise paint. Love the mix of light and dark blues in this clean white kitchen.

Like natural turquoise stone, turquoise is a color with a range of hues. Love the pale turquoise on the bed and wallpaper accented with bright turquoise coverlet on the bed.

Looking for inspiring kitchen design ideas? Turquoise glass tiles are beautiful as a backsplash behind the stove in this chic white kitchen. White, silver and turquoise is a pretty combination for a kitchen or bathroom.

Painted bookshelves in any color are a great accent in a room. The turquoise color looks lovely with cream and antique silver accents. Even painting the interior of a cabinet or bookshelves can be a dramatic change.

This content was provided by Design Shuffle, a diverse network of talented Los Angeles interior designers to New York interior designers who can upload their portfolios and be an inspiration to design enthusiasts everywhere.Images [1 /2 /3 /4 /5 /6 /7 /8 ]


***

The kitchen and shelves are definitely my favorite.  I have that very kitchen pinned on Pinterest...love.

Thanks for reading along today!

xo natasha

P.S. I feel it necessary to let you know that I was in no way compensated for this post...just a fun thing I thought you would all enjoy!  :)

P.P.S. It's snowing right now...really?!?

Find me at Ten June Today!

Happy Wednesday Lovelies!

I'm very excited to be guest posting over at my girl Michelle's beautiful blog Ten June today!  

She asked me to participate in our awesome Genie Series, where I get to indulge in three wishes!  Definitely head on over there to check it out.

 

For those of you who don't know Michelle's or her blog...you're defintiely missing out!  She's witty, talented, and beautiful to boot!  I got to meet her in San Francisco during our Blogger Meet Up and I instantly loved her!  :)  She has chronicled the make-over of her house and I never cease to be amazed at all she accomplishes and designs!  Take a look:

 I am in LOVE with her office...those stripes are just gorgeous, aren't they?!

 Her breakfast room is so clean and chic.  That living garden wall is pure perfection.

 Her kitchen is classic...love the white cabinets and dark granite counters.

I seriously need this yellow rug in my life...and the pillow is the perfect companion.

Michelle and her husband recently finished remodeling their master bathroom.  They gray cabinets are absolutely genius!  The whole space feels like a romantic spa...such a beautiful job.

For a full house tour, go here.

And don't forget to check out my guest post today...found here!

Hope you're all enjoying your week so far!  

xo natasha

Office Tour::a' la mode

Hi Lovlies!  Hope everyone is having a great week so far...I know I am...especially because I get to spend the day in San Francisco tomorrow with some of my favorite bloggie gals!  Woo hoo!  

In anticipation of meeting in the heart of the design district and with so many inspirational ladies, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to showcase an amazing designer!  I received great feedback when I briefly featured Shelli's home here, so what better way to celebrate design than to welcome the talented designer behind a' la mode?  She's dishing out details on her gorgeous office and I could not be more excited.  Take it away Shelli!

***

Hi ya'll!  I'm super excited to be at Schue Love today!  My name is Shelli and I am a former medical device sales rep, turned stay at home mommy, to the cutest 17 month old hot mess you have ever seen.  I am fairly new to the blogging world, and have had a ball delving in! 

 When it comes to interior design, I am drawn to an eclectic mix of traditional furnishings and clean lines.  I love pops of color but on a calm and serene base palette.  I want there to be history in my space mixed with new, fresh furnishings.  I want the details to speak about me and my family. 

Please come meet me in my office!

 

 While I may not be working in the corporate world, I knew I needed a space all to myself.  A place to have a glass of wine with a girlfriend, listen to music, pay bills, or let's be honest...to blog!  I brought the chandelier with me from our bungalow in Atlanta, it was in our dining room there.  It reminds me of that home, and all the happy memories we made there....our daughter's first home, if only for a few months.

 

 Bookshelves can be overwhelming.  Especially if you are like me, and cringe at the thought of clutter or nic-nacs.  I found that grouping books together by color, and choosing a color 'theme' of sorts for my ceramics, helped to keep order in the chaos.  I like them to have a layered feel.  We need a place to put our degrees and my sales awards, but I certainly don't want them as a focal point, so I placed them behind something colorful and pretty.  

Seating for chit chats is a must for me.  When my favorite neighbor pops over for a glass of wine, we retreat to this room, shut the glass doors and vent about our husbands and motherhood discuss current events and important matters in the world.  The turquoise color pops continue here to ground the use of color in the space.

 A simple white parsons desk and Eames inspired office chair are the perfect setting to gaze out the window or at my favorite blogs on my laptop. This is also where I monogram (another random hobby of mine).  The blue lamps are a repeating color theme in most rooms of my home.  This helps those of us who have design ADD and like to mix up our accessories often without breaking the bank.

 The details in a space bring it all together. No room is complete without fresh flowers.  

 If only they magically appeared in my home weekly!

 A place for your book and your glass of wine to rest.  A detail not to be missed.

For me, my favorite design books are a  big part of those details.   I love to flip through them for inspiration.

 A very special thank you to Natasha for having me today!!

 All sources for this space can be found here

For more peeks into my home, please visit my home tour.

www.alamodemaven.com

***

Thanks again for being here Shelli...I just LOVE your office!!!

xo natasha

Guest Post::a' la mode

Happy Monday Pretties!  :)

Today, I am beyond thrilled to be guest posting over a Shelli's amazing blog, a' la mode!  I'm talking about how to style animal print three ways...check it out here.

If you have never stopped by Shelli's blog, then you are definitely missing out!  She has impeccable taste and her home is something out of a magazine.  What I would do to call her house my own!  Take a look:

I LOVE her living room...so chic and yet cozy...how does she pull that balance off?

Her master bedroom is soothing and inviting.

I just DIE over this room...the pops of turquoise are perfection.

Here's another shot!

One of the cutest baby rooms I've ever seen!

For a complete home tour, go here!

I hope you all had a great weekend...I got to spend time with the girls at the beach, go to a fabulous wine event and meet my bestie for lunch in Sacramento.  It was quite a fun-filled weekend!  :)  Hope you had a fun one too!

xo natasha