friday finds

one // I caved. I know this time of year we are supposed to buy things for others...BUT....these babies that I posted about a couple weeks back are on their way to my door step as we speak!

two // New found favorite makeup products! I was in need of a new concealer the other day while shopping at Ulta, and just happened to grab these two NYX concealers and they are both awesome!! Who would have thought? Awesome coverage for only $5 a piece! I am shade 03 in both.

three // After seeing this image on Biana's blog, I instantly went to the Kohl's website and have these two items sitting in my shopping cart just asking me to hit "Checkout". I've never really shopped at Kohl's, but this adorable LC collection has me reconsidering that!

four // AHS Season 3 just came out on Netflix and I will be binge watching over the holiday break! I just watched the first two seasons about a month ago (2 seasons over like 5 days - I became slightly obsessed). I didn't like season 2 as much as the first, but I've heard season 3 is really good, so I'm excited!

five // One of my favorite parts of this season is hot mulled cider! My dad made it for my Mum's birthday party this past weekend and I had like 4 glasses - it is so delicious!

six // Ahead of the game! I've already got my 2015 planner - this cute Sugar Paper one from Target.

... And lots of funnies for you this Friday!! ...

Or let's be honest, any store really...

Lost it when I saw this one - immediately was sent to my sister and about 5 other people ;)

 Did any one else think this too?? I legitimately feel stupid that I didn't realize this in my whole 26 years...

Smart ass...

 I'm pretty sure Aaron gets this face from me on a regular basis - I have an attitude problem ;)

Wouldn't you just love to have natural shimmer built into your face?...but alas...

Amen.

Happy Friday ladies!! Can't believe we are only 6 days away from Christmas - I still have SO much to do!!

Join some lovely ladies in the Friday link ups here...

friday favorites

Happy Friday ladies! I will be so happy in a couple of days...Tuesday to be exact, because the fall semester will be over and I will get three whole weeks off of school before spring semester starts back. Plus, 13 days of those three weeks, I will also be on vacation from work - it is going to be glorious!! ;)

// Favorite Meal

I've been loving lavender tea along with toast with eggs and avocado for breakfast or lunch.
I add a little extra sharp white cheddar to mine :)

// Least Favorite Moment

Those of you who follow me on Instagram (@emiliestorey) know that the other morning we woke up and Deeds face looked like this! :( We rushed her to the hospital - and they are almost positive it was a bad bug bite. Lots of benadryl and a day later - her face was back to normal, but I hated seeing her like this!

// Favorite Snuggles

One of the best times of the day is when this little guy finally calms down and crawls up onto me for snuggles. 

He is such a sweetie! (when he isn't being totally rotten ;)

// Favorite Drink

Love this Luk cider than Aaron got me. I was supposed to drink it with Thanksgiving dinner, but it ended up behind things in the fridge and forgotten about until this week. Was a nice surprise to find though after a couple stressful days!

// Favorite Spot

If you can't find Dexter, chances are he can be found hovering over or laying on top of the heating vent while it's running. He loves his "warms" as we call them :)

// Funnies

And of course, no Friday post would be complete without a few funnies to brighten your day!

A hard lesson to learn...

Notes to mom...these two had me almost crying

Find more on Buzzfeed

 

I know mine can for sure...

Ah, the days of playing countless hours of Oregon Trail in computer lab. Can you still get the old version anywhere? It would be so fun to play again :)

Have a great weekend!! xx

unique holiday gifts

Yikes!! Slack much?! Life has gotten the best of me and I can't believe I haven't blogged in nearly 3 weeks :( But no worries - I am still here! Just knee deep in finals week at school and scrambling to get all sorts of things done for the holidays like decorating, shopping, wrapping, etc. I tell myself I'm going to be on top of it every year, yet somehow - that never happens and it always is down to the wire :)

There are quite a few people on my list of friends and family that are hard to buy gifts for...I struggle every year to think of things to get them.  My dad is one of the hardest to buy for - he seems to have everything already! Are any of you in the same situation?? 

I've looked around and come up with some great ideas that can work for those "hard to buy for" people on your list...here are some unique gift ideas for when you are stuck!

1// For the Beer-Lover in your life...a personalized wall mounted bottle opener

2// Love the custom iPhone cases from Treat! A perfect gift for anyone on your list, as so many of us now have smartphones. I would love one of these with pictures of my pups :)

3// For the sports fan on your list...you can get framed patents of different sports items from footballs, to helmets, to golf clubs!

4// Custom canvas prints would make anyone on your list smile - turn a photograph you love into a three dimensional work of art for the home. This is a great alternative to a typical framed photo gift!

5// This wooden iPhone alarm clock is a great gift because it's functional, but will also look attractive on anyone's nightstand!

6// The stylish ladies in your life would definitely appreciate this gorgeous personalized clutch purse by Gigi New York - and they come in a huge range of colors, from black and neutrals, to funky brights too!

7// For those that love to entertain and / or cook...what about this unique platter for cheese and crackers? A funky new way to serve your guests!

8// I fell in love with these adorable Scrabble-inspired throw pillows from Etsy. A great decor gift for anyone...you can get someone's initials, or even spell out names or words with multiple pillows!

dream decor ~ bedroom

I've been really inspired lately to start to get our home closer to the "ideal" I have in my head - piece by piece, since I know it is a process and can't be done all at once. I thought I'd put together a little series sharing what I am thinking for each of the major rooms in our house...starting with the master bedroom. 

I love our master bedroom - it is the entire third floor of the house and has vaulted ceilings in a pyramid shape and lots of light from the dormers and windows.

When I think of how I want the bedroom to be, what comes to mind is a place of complete relaxation. Whites and neutral tones are very calming to me, which is why I've picked pieces and decor that fall into those color schemes.

// Lots of candles in scents such as Eucalyptus Spearmint or Lavender

// Mirrored tray for holding decor like white picture frames and candles

// White china jewelry and trinket boxes - love the gold handle detail on this West Elm piece

// Eastern inspired decor - I've expressed my love of Buddha figures before...I'd love to add a silver bust piece to my collection

//  Succulents...because you always need a bit of green and nature incorporated into every room, and they are the best plants :)

// Cozy and comfy throw blankets - you can never have too many! 


Due to the way our ceilings are - there isn't much space for art (or full length mirrors - which is a HUGE problem, but that's another story ;) So I found a couple calming pieces that I would like to hang on the limited space that we do have.

Two pieces are by Etsy artist Clare Elsaesser and one is by local Akron artist (and a friend of mine) Bernadette Glorioso...both ladies are extremely talented and I just love their work!

What decor and design ideas / artwork have you incorporated in your master bedrooms? 
Please share!! 

christmas wish list

Hiya!! Thought I would share the few things that are on my Christmas Wish List for the coming holiday season. Some of these things I will be buying for myself... but Aaron, both our sets of parents, and my sister always ask for a couple ideas of things I would like. 

So...I've been racking my brain to sort through my wish lists (many of which I've shared with you all through posts on here!) ...and come up with the items that make the cut ;)

one // Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb Perfume - always

two // Argan Conical Wand

three // Bip & Bop Jessica Necklace - engraved with "DD & Dex" with a paw print :)

four // LED Makeup Mirror

 

five // Crystal Head Vodka
six // Restoration Hardware "Wolf" Faux Fur Throw
seven // Yes Please by Amy Poehler
eight // New throw pillows for our couch 

What's on your Christmas or Holiday Wish List?

friday finds & blogiversary

Happy Friday! 

I just realized it is Beauty Blether's 2nd anniversary! Can't believe it's been two years, but I am so happy to be a part of this community and have met so many amazing ladies through blogland! Thank you so much to all my readers/friends who have shown me support over these past 2 years! :)

one // Lenny is just the coolest. Can a man be one of your fashion icons? ;) I love his style more than a lot of celebrity women's! 

two // After seeing these BCBG leopard print pumps show up on a few of my favorite fashion blogs, I'm feeling like I need to take a trip to DSW and pick them up!

three // Love this dining room set up, especially the table...and you all know I'm a sucker for white.

four // Yes.

five // Found a home made recipe for Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana soup, one of my favorites :) It's a sausage, potato and kale soup. The copy cat recipe sounds good, and if it turns out as tasty as the restaurant's I'll be excited! 

Finally, I will leave you with a snap of the new furbaby from a fall inspired photo shoot ;)
Just kidding - he was eating leaves and I was able to get him to sit still for a millisecond so I could get a quick picture! 

a house full of dobies

Happy Monday!! 

If you follow me on IG (@emiliestorey) you already know about the new little member of our family that joined us this weekend...

Meet Dexter <3 

He is a blue doberman rescue pup from a shelter up in the Toledo area. Aaron and I had been toying around with the idea of getting another dog - mainly for Deedee to have a companion. She is such a sweetheart and I hate that she spends so much time home alone during the weeks while we both work, Aaron travels, and I'm in school. We love dobermans, but it is hard to find them as rescues, and I really didn't want to buy one from the pet store...so I have just been frequently checking pet finder to see if any thing popped up.

Friday morning I did my typical pet finder search and these pictures popped up...

I think I probably squealed :) He looked so perfect and was only a 2.5 hour drive away! I sent the link to Aaron to check out, and we emailed them right away with an adoption application.  Saturday morning, we got the call that they loved our application and we could come get him as soon as possible! It all happened so fast, but now he his home safe with us.

He is a sweetheart, so affectionate and such a snuggler! He loves to climb up into our laps and curl up, rest his head on our shoulders, or just be held. I can already tell this is going to be a completely different experience than with Deedee though...she is a very timid and anxious dog (has been from the second we met her) so she wasn't too mischievous in the house as a puppy (and still isn't today). But this little dude isn't timid at all! He's rambunctious and curious - already loves to romp in the leaves outside and chase Deedee around.

Speaking of which, if anyone has some tips on how to acclimate a new puppy into the house that already has a dog, I would appreciate it! They are okay so far, but Deedee gets too excited and tries to play with him as if he was much bigger - so we have to watch like a hawk because we are worried she'll pounce and hurt him.  She's not being mean at all, just trying to play too rough like she would with a dog her size. Any suggestions are much appreciated! 

If I am a little blog-absent over the next couple of weeks, this is why ;)
Puppies are a handful! But I'm so excited to have Dex in our family and looking forward to him and Deeds becoming best friends.
I'm sure I will have tons of more pictures to share by this weekend! xx 

wrapping up october

one // My attempt at home made butternut squash soup (this is a picture during the making, not the final product) It turned out okay...but it still needs some work. The flavor is good, but I thought the consistency was a bit too thick.

two // Fall is for Gingers ;) my perfect color palette.

three // Colder weather brings out the blankets for this pup, who loves to snuggle up and be warm all the time.

four // A rare shot of the two of us together - she barely ever lets me take pictures with her!

five // Beautiful weather this weekend meant lots of time spent outside. Running on Friday, hiking on Saturday, and bike rides on Sunday - all while exploring three different metro parks in Columbus!

six // A+ climber - next up, the rock wall! 

friday finds

Happy Friday ladies! Joining up to share some of my favorite finds from this week :)

one // slippers

I live in slippers and big cozy socks when the weather cools down, because my feet are ALWAYS cold! 

Love these cute options from H&M.

  

two // OOTD look

Ran across this outfit post on the blog Magicpoks - I can't read any of the text (since it's all in Finnish) but I love the pictures and love this simple classic look! And it further justifies that I need these Michael Kors sandals in my life...once the weather warms up again! 

three // cardigans 

More love for H&M...they really have some great cool weather finds right now!

H&M Purl Knit Cardigan

H&M Boucle Cardigan

four // celeb look

Ummm, she's amazing. That is all.

 

five // favorite funnies
You know we always have to end the Friday posts with some laughs :)

Our pup does this every morning to Aaron - except it's not wagging her tail, it's licking his face haha!

The threat is real...

This next one is so me...and I'm not even ashamed...

I love finding out what my soul animal is or what Tim Burton character I am, who's with me? ;)

Join in on the link-up fun here!!