The Small Things Blog

links + loves

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I found the prettiest rug for Emily’s room and I have to admit that it makes me so happy to walk past her room and see this rug. It really finishes off the space nicely! We’re having her room painted soon, taking down the curtain rod, and adding a little bit more wall decor/shelving but otherwise her room is very close to being complete!

I shared links to as many things as I could find in her room but a lot of the items are quite old and have been used for both of the boys as well. Justin and I bought a nursery set from Pottery Barn when I was pregnant with David and I’m so glad we did. The dresser, changing tabletop, and the crib is still in fantastic shape. The quality is what I would expect for the price and I’m planning on using the items as long as possible. The changing table topper can be easily removed without making it obvious that there was one on the dresser at all, so I imagine Emily will have that dresser for most or all of her childhood. Changing out the knobs would be an easy way to make the dresser look a bit more modern but for now, it’s perfect.

Let me just take a moment and give Wayfair a shout out. I’ve had to buy a lot of new rugs/furniture for this house. This is not sponsored but the majority has come from Wayfair and I’ve had such a great experience. Their shipping speed is fast, the items come well packaged, and we even have had a wonderful experience with the “delivery and set up” offer that is available on some purchases when we got the guest bedroom furniture.

I read the reviews about items before I buy them as I find them to be very helpful and generally spot-on. So if you are in the market for any home-related items, I’d recommend checking out Wayfair.

A few other links + loves:

I’ve purchased 2 colors of this waffle tank from Amazon. It’s a great throw on, casual shirt that is very lightweight. It can easily be snagged so keep that in mind but the price point is quite low!

I recently got this bra and it is so extremely comfortable. Natori bra’s just work well for my shape and needs, and while this bralette doesn’t offer as much support as a traditional cup bra would, it’s very soft, breathable, and comfortable on a day you want to wear a light, soft bra.

If you are in need of a cutting board, look at how cool this one is. The story behind it is very heart-warming and also sad, but it’s so cool to see this family continuing their father’s dream!

I love Mara’s round-up of affordable coin necklaces!

Are you confused or curious about Retinol? Read this post!

I love a white cami and this round-up of a few plain white ones is helpful if you are in the market!

In this post:

How to Balance Jewelry

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I love jewelry. I typically follow jewelry trends pretty closely and I have to say I’m pretty happy that bracelets have come back into style. I haven’t quite jumped on the wrap or beaded bracelet trend yet, but I love the delicate and dainty options.

My personal guideline when choosing my jewelry for the day is to balance the look with an 80/20 ratio.

For example, if “100%” is the maximum impact a piece of jewelry can give, and the necklace I’m wearing gives off about an 80% impact, I’m going to balance it with more understated earrings that only add 20% impact.

So a statement necklace is paired with more delicate earrings, while conversely, a delicate necklace can handle stronger statement earrings.

The only time I like to really layer up is if everything is delicate. I’ll happily layer a few necklaces on top of each other that are delicate, and add a watch with a smaller delicate bracelet as well.

I linked up a lot of my favorite jewelry below, simply click on the image to shop! My mom and sister also both own jewelry shops. You can shop at my sister’s online store, Elisabeth Ashlie, or shop at my Mom’s Etsy Shop, The Dotted Poppy!

In this post:

Life Simplifiers: Kids Clothes

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photo by Carissa Graham from a grandparent shoot earlier this year

I was talking with my friend recently about kids clothes and she was telling me that she almost gets more enjoyment from dressing her kids (two boys) than dressing herself.

I literally could not feel more opposite than her. And I must admit, I thought I would care more about what my kids wore before I became a mom, but as it turns out I’m pretty apathetic about what they wear.

I *do* care that their hair is done and that they don’t have food on their faces or hands, but as far as their outfits go I let them choose almost every morning.

When buying new clothes for the boys, I try to stay within a dedicated colorway for each kid. It’s not something I consciously decided, but I found myself getting more navy, blue, green, or white for Luke, and more black, grey, orange and red for David.

This makes it easy for them to pick out whichever shirt or shorts they want to wear and still look coordinated. It sets them up for success, empowers them to feel responsible for their clothes, and saves me from having to ask them to change clothes.

As far as Emily goes, she still wears whatever we chose for her and has only expressed dissatisfaction with some dresses. She’s a busy little girl so putting her in dresses, especially ones that hit mid-calf on her, is a recipe for disaster. She’ll trip on it and seem annoyed that it’s getting in her way, so I generally put her in stretchy shorts and a simple or tunic-length top. We love the Cat & Jack bike shorts to go under some of her longer tops.

Some of my favorite places to shop for kids clothes are Target, Old Navy, H&M (online since in-store can be a little challenging), and Carters. We also absolutely love Hanna Andersson pajamas too!