Cabi – Spring Fashion Preview

| The Bee Life

The spring collection of Cabi is full of pastels, fun patterns and bold shapes – all designed with inspiration from Spain. In case you missed it; I shared a preview for the Fall/Winter 2017 collection this past August sharing a few of the staples to jump start your Cabi wardrobe.

Cabi 2018 Spring Preview - the bee lifeMy absolute favorite piece for this Spring collection is the Bralette it is such a fun and comfortable piece that can be worn over the Whitney Blouse paired with the Brick Dust Skinny pant. You could also throw the Bell Jacket over the bralette with some nice tall skinny jeans. And finally I love the Flipside Blouse with the white Zip Skinny pants and the stunning Tanner Trench Coat to finish off the look.  The Tied Up Sandal is just a fun statement to dress up any look.

These are just a few of the many pieces that fill this stunning collection to make hundreds of different looks and styles.  You can also get inspired by shopping by look from casual, to girl boss, to dressy and date night.  And I will say again, every collection I see the clothes online and there will be a few that jump out at me.  And 9/10, I will fall in love with other pieces and won’t even end up picking anything I initially had my eye on.  The pieces fit your body so much differently than how they look online, the fabrics are stunning, soft and so unique.

Enjoy the full collection; here!

Bee’s Tips for Organizing

| The Bee Life

With the start of 2018 being pretty chilly, there hasn’t been much I’ve wanted to do besides hit the gym, dream of running outside and slowly work through parts of the house for a deep clean! From the pantry, to the freezer, to closets and the basement this year has started with a lot of organizing and purging and it is SO rewarding.  And as much as we are clean/organized people, and have places for everything – it’s amazing when you actually go through things how much crap we really hoard away!
Bee Tips for Organizing - the bee life
So if you are like me and have been purging or have been thinking about it, but just don’t know where to start – here are a few tips and pointers to help.

Start Small. If you’re just jumping in, and not one for cleaning or organizing, start small like tackling your refrigerator or freezer.  Cleaning out condiments especially can really work wonders especially once you start checking dates.

Pro Tip: Plan this around garbage day!

Downsize. If you have containers or organizers that are too big, downsize. For example we had a nice paper organize on our desk in the office – I thought it would be perfect. Well I only ended up piling more papers in each of the slots, never looking at them again. So I downsized, I got a simple 3-section mail holder to replace – much more streamlined plus it makes me be more selective with what I put in it.

Buy Tubs/Containers. If you’re working on a bigger space – like a closet, and are organizing clothes, keep sakes, crafts, gift wrap, all of the things – make a list of containers you need and go make the commitment.

Pro Tip: Label containers on the tops and sides for easy reading 

Make Pile’s.  The best way to get started with any project is creating 3-piles: Keep, Donate, Trash. Establishing these piles, will help you when it comes time to finalizing everything – what you still need space for, what you can throw away immediately, and what you can pass along to those in need.

Getting organized can be a bear, but it’s staying organized that is the real trick – so the key is to set yourself for staying organized, while you get organized. Labeling, color coding, and even just shifting were you keep things can help make a closet a little cleaner or the pantry fuller.

Happy organizing!

 

Image Sources: Right Image | Left Image 

Latest Obsessions 02.18

| The Bee Life

It’s that time to share my latest obsessions this month!  And these obsessions are all around the house, the latest trends and styles that I’ve got my eye on to help make a statement.
Latest Obsessions 02.18 - the bee life
Floral Curtains. Obsessed with adding any pop of floral I can throughout the house, and a great way to do this is with floral curtains, especially when styled right, absolutely stunning. I haven’t worked floral curtains into our home just yet (chairs and pillows, yes!) but they’re always in the back of my mind trying to see how they might fit when I’m working through room updates. I love the vintage like patterns and bold colors these can bring to a room – I’ve got my eyes on this pair from T.J. Maxx.

Kate Spade Kitchen. We received a handful of Kate Spade goodies for our kitchen from our wedding registry and they’re some of my favorite things, from glasses, to serving platters and bowls, mugs, a rose vase, champagne flutes, oven mitts, and canisters. Not to mention, “Eat Cake for Breakfast” is basically my mantra – it’s become a thing.

Chunky Knit Blankets. These make such a statement and can be that finishing touch to a bed or sofa, and I’m completely obsessed with them (and that bedroom above).  Although I am NOT obsessed with the price tag on these beauties, but that’s another story! Etsy has a lot of these in various colors and sizes, too and I love this one from Ethan Allen.  I’ll be shopping around a bit more for a decent price!

Statement Tile. I love that patterned, statement tiles are becoming more and more popular and accessible. This patterned tile is not only affordable but classic and available at Lowes!  I hope to one day have some stunning tile like this in my bathroom or kitchen.

What have you been obsessing over lately? Any latest trends that you are dying to bring into your house?

Image Sources: Top Left | Top Right | Bottom Left | Bottom Right

Weekend Highlight – Paint Your Pet

| The Bee Life

This weekend was relatively low key, we saved all the fun for our Sunday! A few weeks ago we planned a double date with L + C to attend a local ‘Paint Your Pet’ class at a nearby studio. I jumped on the idea of painting our own keepsakes in a heart beat, since a lot of those types of classes are a little more cookie cutter.

We had sent the pictures of our Moz the week before (picking two pictures was tough!) and they were all set up and ready for us when we arrived with a rough outline of her face! The class walked us through about 6 different stages to paint our pups working to the finished product.
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The class was a lot of fun, mainly in part to some great laughs with L + C, some bubbles and of course painting our little girl. It was so cool to see how everyone’s pups came out, the different styles and techniques. B and I’s pictures although different pictures of Moz are entirely different in style but they both look like our sweet girl!

After the class we grabbed some tacos and then went impromptu bowling for a round before finally coming home and being pooped. It was a fun yet still accomplishing afternoon and great way to spend time with B and friends while getting out of the house!

What was your weekend highlight?

Life After Wedding

| The Bee Life

Let’s keep the love train going! This weekend, B and I will be celebrating our 2-year proposal anniversary!! Yah, I know it’s a little obnoxious to celebrate every little anniversary or moment – but that’s what makes life special! And we always love an excuse to drink champagne and order Chipotle.

It’s crazy to think it’s been 2-years since we started this new journey of being engaged, wedding planning, and now living life married! After the wedding and all the holiday crazy, I had a weird lull – as I know many brides tend to have – where I kept asking myself; “Now what do I do?” We were consumed for almost 2-full years of planning, meetings, parties, and more planning for one single perfect day… and now it’s all over!  I loved planning our wedding, I would do it again, but our day was also so perfect and special I’d never want to replace it.
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So back to the question, now what? Well, we need to figure out a few trips this year, we have some ideas but nothing is finalized yet, we went on 4-trips last year, and I want to keep that up.  We are also figuring out and prioritizing house projects that have been on the list for the last 3-years… *smiles* … so looking forward to those, since that is something we both enjoy doing. Also, just continuing to experience more things together like more of our city, new foods, new adventures with friends and family and new hobbies.

I am also in the process of scrapbooking our wedding, which means I’ll continue to swoon over all of our gorgeous pictures, randomly post one or two now and then on instagram (or here!) and this lull will quickly turn into getting back on track to a normal life! A normal, beautiful life with B.

XOX

Valentine’s Day – 2018

| The Bee Life

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

The somewhat controversial, holiday that has been called many things – a Hallmark holiday, only for people who have a sig-o, a day to buy overpriced flowers,  yada yada.  But, I love, love!
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This year I decided to show a little extra love to B each and every day of February instead of just the holiday. It’s been fun planning out each day with a new surprise, I wanted to do it for 28-straight days because it’s far too easy for us all to just focus on spoiling our loved ones on this one, single, day — thinking we are in the clear until the next anniversary or holiday.   Some days have been more extravagant than others, and some are simply a text with a memory or a handwritten love note (my fave!)

So regardless of your feelings on the day, I want to send a little piece of my love and well wishes especially to those reading right now. And I hope that you can share a little bit of extra love today, whether it’s smiling at a stranger, buying someone’s coffee, taking out the trash for your boo, giving a compliment to a coworker or calling someone you haven’t seen in awhile.

Don’t forget to share love, today but most importantly… always.

Photography by: Timothy Logan Photography

DIY Headboard Inspiration

| The Bee Life

After being in our house for three-years this past November, it more than feels like home and the random after thought rooms are looking more finished – almost to the point that I need another house to decorate! *grins*
DIY Headboard Inspiration - the bee life
But there are still pieces and parts of the rooms that need finishing touches, for example our one guest room, formerly our master, needs a headboard! We currently have the bed set-up as a day-bed, which I really like because it just adds a little extra space in the room.  So while I want to add a headboard to this bed, I really want to keep it as a day-bed, but know I’ll probably want to switch it back – so there in lies my challenge to create a custom headboard that functions both for a day bed AND easily convertible to a normal bed.

Two summers ago I made a custom, upholstered headboard for our master suite, and it was fairly simple once the dimensions and pieces and parts were gathered and cut. That is why I am fairly confident of remastering another headboard to pull off the custom versatility I’m looking for for this space.  Although I love the corner looks for the day bed, it isn’t practical for wanting to switch up the space.  So the bottom right look and style is probably what I will work to replicate for ours!

Hoping to share the finished product soon!

 

 

Image Sources: Top | Bottom Left | Bottom Right

Fitness Friday 02.18

| The Bee Life

As I reach my one-year anniversary this month of being back in the fitness game, I continue to feel more and more vested and determined to not only maintain all of my progress, but to continue to set new goals and reach them!  One aspect of our health and wellness that can often get overlooked is preventive care for our immune systems.  It unfortunately is the season of sick, and it’s important we not only stay fit and active but take care of ourselves to stay healthy!
Fitness Friday 02.18 - the bee life
Here are some ways that I like to keep a tap on my immune system, stay-in tune with my body and also work preventatively against getting sick!

Sleep: One of the most important ways to stay healthy is making sure you get enough rest. I’ve become more attuned to my body when it’s asking for this and have learned not to fight it anymore.  When the body needs sleep – give it sleep, it’s helping you store-up and fight off anything brewing within.

Daily Echinacea: This is a herbal natural supplement* that supports immune health and helps fight off illnesses.  I take echinacea daily for preventative, and multiple times a day (based off the label) when I am starting to feel not well. It has helped in many instances were I feel I’m coming down with something and I swear by it.*

Vitamin C: This is another supplement that I have in my daily routine on top of echinacea to help build up that immune system as preventative care.  When I’m starting to feel a tinge of something come on, I double up on Vitamin C.  Emergency-C packets are a great thing to have around the house in those situations to give an extra boost.*

Exercise. Yup! Regular exercise promotes general good health which in turn benefits your immune system health as well. On the flip side, just like sleep, I’ve learned to listen to my body when I need to take a break on exercise (for rest!) but I’ve also gauge when I can push myself and still exercise to release the toxins.  Maintaining this into your routine helps promote that healthy lifestyle.

There are many other factors that can affect your immune and general health like stress, your diet and eating the proper nutrient foods, and even alcohol intake. When working to maintain a healthy lifestyle and work towards fitness goals, it’s important to maintain your best self to reach those! This includes actively working towards your immune health daily and not just when you’re starting to feel sick.  Remember that if you’re sick all the time you won’t be hitting the gym or reaching any of those goals!

 

*DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor and never will claim to be one, so please consult with yours on what would work best for you to help support your immune health on a daily basis. 

Local Love: Yogatta Give Back

| The Bee Life

Today’s local love is spotlighting one of my favorite local businesses which combines yoga and giving back to the community.   The founder, Danielle, also happens to be a dear friend and it’s been so impressive what she’s been able to accomplish having just started Yogatta Give Back this past June. In seven months YGB has supported 15-local non-profits and has participated in 4-neighborhood clean-ups.
Local Love - Yogatta Give Back - the bee life
What I love the most about Yogatta Give Back is you’re not only taking care of your own body, mind and soul, but you’re also contributing and giving back to your own local community in the process. Giving back is something I always have on my list of to-do’s but don’t always find a way for it to fit in regularly, with events offered weekly, I can refine my yoga skills AND give back on a routine basis to local organizations.

Classes vary from donations being monetary (and often built into the class fee) or specific to the non-profit from canned goods, to school supplies, or simply picking up trash.  In the warmer months, classes take place in various locations like rooftop patios, local parks or community centers. In these cooler months, Danielle leads practice in historic fire houses or partnering facilities.  With classes held multiple times throughout the week, the opportunities to practice yoga and give back are endless!

You can learn more about Yogatta Give Back; here and also be sure to check  out Facebook and Instagram!