Author: lissa612@yahoo.com

Hostess Gift Guide

Holidays / It's Party Time!
November 8, 2018
4

Hello! Welcome to my FIRST gift guide of the Holiday season. I thought what better guide to start with then hostess gifts?!? I know we all have so many parties to attend so don’t wait to buy these gifts. They sometimes become the most stressful if you ask me. Also, don’t be afraid to add a Starbucks gift card inside the coffee mug, or a bottle of wine with the wine charms, or even a nice loaf of bread with the olive oil! Doing this will elevate your gift at a minimal cost!

Happy Shopping!

Cheers,

Lissa

Monogram Cheese Plate

Monogram Coffee Mug

Green Holiday Candle

Christmas Wine Charms

Sugarfina Christmas Box

Christmas Hand Towels

Another Monogram Cheese Board

Beverage Napkins

Wine Stoppers

Olive Oil

****All Links are Affiliate Links, which means I may make a percent of the sale****

A Bag for Santa

Gifts / Holidays / Motherhood
November 4, 2018
2

“Mom, are we pretending it’s Christmas?!?!?” Lol. This is what Max asked me when I told him he had to put on these Christmas PJ’s and he had a present! Truth be told, I am NOT a holiday skipper! Tbh, I LOVE thanksgiving. A Lot 🦃! Fun Fact: Dusko’s Birthday is in November, sometimes it even falls on thanksgiving. But truthfully, we all have so much to be thankful for 🖤 so I really try to appreciate each holiday. Although, it does appear we are decorated for Christmas it was just a little set up! I had to do all of this because I couldn’t share the BEST new Christmas Book that everyone needs without feeling the Christmas Vibe.

Drum Roll….the book is called, A Bag for Santa 🎅. It’s an adorable Christmas book about giving to others and the true spirit of Christmas! The author, Kendra Esbrook is from a Chicago Suburb and a stay at home mom of 2. So hurry and get yours today! Not only will your children have a different understanding of Christmas this year, but supporting another mom is such a good feeling ❤️. When the book is mailed to you it looks like an actual present! And, you get A BAG for Santa! Without giving away the whole book, are you starting to get it?!! You can shop Kendra’s book HERE!

Also, I have no problems buying Matching Christmas PJ’s early! Let’s be honest, they will run out of sizes!! These PJ’s are 50% off through today, so get clicking!!!!

Shop all of our PJ’s HERE!

XOXO,

Lissa, Maxwell, & Emerson

***This book was given to me but all opinions are my own. It’s the cutest!!!***

Zumbini

Baby / Fitness / Motherhood
October 24, 2018
2

Looking for a fun mommy & me class? Look no further! Zumbini is the cutest class for babies and toddlers ages 0-4. They call it “Happy” Hour for mom and child! Zumba partnered with Babyfirst to create this program full of dance, music, and educational tools. And named it Zumbini, I mean even the name is cute 😍.

So far Emme and I have attended 2 classes. In our second class I could already see Emme’s improvement of cognitive skills and a simple understanding of what was coming next! It’s so fun to watch her grow. Max is usually at school when we go but I’m anxious for him to join us soon and since the program is for ages 0-4, he can surely join us!

Once you sign up for the full program you get this cute little Kalino stuffy and a cd for the car! Plus a full songbook to enjoy at home.

Below are a bunch of pictures to enjoy of Emme and her friends participating in class with Coach Dana! You can check out her full site here! Use Code: ATBLOG for $10 off a session.

Can’t wait to see you all at class!

XOXO,

Lissa & Emme

Favorite Things Party

It's Party Time!
October 17, 2018
4

If you have been following along with me for awhile you will realize other than fashion and family, I REALLY love my friends and Girl’s Nights!!! Recently my college friends and I went to New Buffalo Michigan for an entire Girl’s Weekend that mostly consisted of drinking wine, however, we started out the weekend with a Favorite Things Party! I had heard of this and totally wanted to do it for a long time! So when we all decided to do it I was ecstatic. There are a few different ways to have a Favorite Things Party but call us greedy(we wanted everyone to get one of everything)! haha. So we had a $5 price point and we all bought for everyone. It made this super fun and actually easier!

Disclaimer: Not all of the Favorite Things were wrapped but it was kind of fun so that no one could see them!

Seriously, thats all you do:

Find a group of girls!

Everyone buys all of the girls a gift(whatever price point you want)

All the girls get together, drink wine, eat, talk way too much, and give out their favorite things!!!

Some of our favorite things were:

Caramel Apples

Everyone Hand Soap

Micale Lynn Scrunchies

Halloween Masks

Light up Pumpkins with our initials

Silicone Wine Glasses

Wax Eyebrow Pencil

Egyptian Cotton Sheet Spray

Truly everything we got was SO fun!!!

We also turned out favorite things party into a little halloween party since it was the start of October! All of this fun and SUPER cute decor is from The Paper Merchant! It is one of my favorite little shops to go into on Third Street!!

My friend Cory made all of our matching Boos T-shirts!!! You can find her shop here :). She also makes fun wood stuff too!

And would it even be a party if we didn’t take awkward self timer pics over a balcony?!?!?!? Seriously though, this did happen and we probably took way too many!!!

Have a great week! I would love to hear if you have attended a Favorite Things Party!?!? How did you do it? What were your favorite items you received? Drop a comment below!

XOXO,

Lissa

***All items from The Paper Merchant were sponsored but I would not have used them if they weren’t the cutest things ever!***

Scentcerely Yours 🖤

Gifts / It's Party Time!
October 9, 2018
0

There is basically nothing I love more than a good craft, diy, or an event! However, I DO love to do these things outside of my house. I mean no clean up, Amiright?!? So let me give you the lowdown on my new FAVORITE shop, Scentcerely Yours! First of all, it’s nestled in downtown Geneva which is a gem in itself. Second of all, the owners are AWESOME! Trust me, you will love them within seconds of meeting them. They are super passionate about their shop and truly genuine people. I strongly believe Everything in business starts at the top and it shows at Scentcerely Yours. Third, you get to make your OWN candle to take home 🖤!!! AND, drumroll…..you get to pick your own scent!!! Yup-hence the name Scentcerely Yours!

Emme and I spent the morning there about a week ago and made our own candle while Maxwell was at school. Note: Scentcerely Yours is totally cool with your littles being in tow!! Below I will walk you through the process of making your own Scentcerely Yours Candle.

See what I mean about being “nestled” in Downtown Geneva? If you blink you might miss it, so be sure not too:).

(Susi & Rob-owners, Britt-Marketing Coordinator)

Upon walking in you likely see one of these three smiling faces above! Susi and Rob(the two on the left are the owners I mentioned that really make this a place you want to go back too. They actually ran this business as a test in their basement before officially opening! Britt is the super fun and spunky marketing coordinator that is sure to help you!

This wall of approximately 100 candles are actually pre-made candles for purchase but also the scents that you choose from to make your extra special Scent-Scentcerely Yours! You pick 3 to make your scent. I found this part challenging because I am V indecisive when it comes to REALLY major decisions such as making a candle. lol. They provide you with a paper to track all your favs and will support you in making a scent that goes well together. So don’t stress about that!

The next major decision in your candle making journey is choosing what container to put it in! Truly, they are all cute! But I knew within seconds I needed this grey and gold number(it’s a surprise so you will see it below).

Then the real candle making begins….

You mix all three of your scents and do multiple sniff tests along the way!

As you can see, Emme enjoyed her time there eating a cookie!!

Next, you mix the wax and the oils together.

Being a part of the process really is such a good time!

I ended up choosing Bourbon, Roasted Chestnut, and Honeycrisp to make my Special Scent.

And I then named it: Apple Orchard. See you even get to make your label. I probably should have gotten a bit more creative with this part.

The final step is that your candle has to sit for 90 mins, which is actually amazing in Geneva because there are SO many good restaurants. So go have lunch and a drink will you wait!

Then you get to pick up this CUTE package!!!!

So, ladies, gentlemen, everyone, get your little booty over to SY’s and make yourself a candle! Or, look at ALL of the fun ideas and or reasons to head to Scentcerely Yours!!! Plus, you can actually make other things besides candles. Check out all of the scents and other products by clicking here.

Here is my candle at my house, I know, It’s weird that it’s Apple Orchard and it’s by a pumpkin sign but whatevs!!!!

XOXO,

Lissa

Shop my look HERE!

***This post was sponsored but all opinions are my own***

Alice’s Table

It's Party Time!
September 25, 2018
2

Last Thursday I got to attend an event that basically screams Alissa! I mean, the company is named Alice’s Table, the initials are AT. Which just so happen to be the same as mine. The funny part about this is that while at the event I was sharing pics and videos to my instagram stories and I hadn’t even noticed that we “share” the same initials! I had numerous messages from friends asking questions! No wonder I had such a great time!

What is Alice’s Table?

Alice’s Table is a company that was on Shark Tank back in March, but has been around for 3 years. In fact the night of this particular event, September 20th, happened to be their 3 year Anniversary! Cheers! Alice’s Table has consultants that host floral making events anywhere and everywhere! This is where Melissa comes in(Melissa is the consultant that hosted the event I attended), Melissa was a stay at home mom for 18 years! She now works part time as a CPA and needs a creative outlet. Her creative outlet is hosting parties for Alice’s Table.

Where was the event I was at?

The event I attended was at an awesome Jewelry store in Downtown Geneva, IL, called Falmouth Road. Falmouth Road is super unique, you should take a second to check out their website here and learn about who they are! If you are local you MUST stop in there!

What did we do?!?!?

This is where all the fun pictures come into play! I am such a visual person and these flowers don’t need a ton of explanation. All of the images you see in this post were taken by Just Ducky Photography.

Melissa had everything set up for us on the tables. The vase, all the equipment, our cute little aprons, and our flowers were all displayed like a little market! Ellen from Falmouth Road had LOTS of wine and yummy apps!

Melissa then walked us through set by step what to do in order to make our flower arrangement. They seriously look like they came from a luxury florist! It was so fun to see how everyones turned out!!!

You can see the progression of the arrangements!

And TA-DA!!! Everyone’s bouquets!

I am sure you are all wondering, how do I have a fun party like this?!?!?!

All you have to do is find an event by clicking here

If you are local, Melissa’s next event is going to be extra cool as she is partnering with a vintage clothing company called Barley Wheat Vintage. Click here to join! Or email Melissa if you would like to host your own event! melissalynn.alicestable@gmail.com

You can always follow along on Melissa’s Floral Journey through instagram or facebook too!

A couple things to note:

Melissa picks up fresh flowers from the flower market! No wonder they are so gorgeous, right??!?!

A fun event idea would be to do this for a Bridal shower, or even with your bridesmaids the night before your shower!!!

Have a good week Y’all!!!

XOXO,

Lissa

***This event was sponsored but all opinions are my own***

Blogger Event

Inspired / It's Party Time!
September 17, 2018
2

My friend Julia and I threw the cutest little party in the cutest little town at the cutest little restaurant this past Saturday!!! And now I’m here to tell YOU all about it!

What was the event?!! In a nutshell, as bloggers you can sometimes feel like you are out on an island alone, learning things on your own, and really wishing you had “your” people to help you through it. So we decided to start a Tri Cities Blogger Group(The area that we live in) and thought what better way to meet our soon to be new friends than to through an awesome party with awesome swag! Amiiright?!?!

Who came to the event?!? I’m going to Link everyone’s instagrams below because you should definitely give them a follow! Everyone that came has something completely different to offer which made it that much more fun!

Julia: @theblissfulmomma

Renata: @renewingmom

Becky & Kat: @sweatequity101

Laura: @lauraswansieckman

Krystle: @darlingdwelling

Who Sponsored our event?!? Truly the best of the best!!! Also linking their insta!

Restaurant: The Walrus Room

Workshop: Renewing Mom

Flower Crowns: Willrette Flower

Silk Bandanas: Jori & June

Leather Earrings: Hide & Heart

Photography: Wild Indigo Photography

What did we do?!? Naturally, we wined, dined, chatted, and even did some goal setting with our girl Renata! Did you know that your To Do List is most likely full of goals? Which means we set wayyyy too many for ourselves!

Photo Gallery in no particular order:

Hope you enjoyed this as much as we did! Follow the hashtag #tricitiesbloggerbabes to follow all the upcoming fun!

XOXO,

Lissa

Shop my full look HERE!

Create & Cultivate: The Conference

Fashion / Inspired / It's Party Time!
September 4, 2018
0

Let me just start off by saying this will probably be the most instagram-able blog post you will ever read, no really! This conference was GORGEOUS!!! While I was at Create & Cultivate I had a lot of people ask me what it was and or how you can go. It’s basically a conference for all women entrepreneurs and influencers. A few years ago I remember Lauren Conrad being a keynote speaker at one of the Create & Cultivate conferences so naturally it sparked my interest and ever since I have wanted to go! It is a very intimate amount of people, I would say around 500(definitely the smallest I’ve ever been too). This is what made it extra special, not to mention there were no lines! The conference was located in Chicago at The House of Vans. Super cool venue that made the event that much better.

The above picture is the outside of the House of Vans, below is what we walked into!!!

Some of the cutest stages that I ever did see!!!!

Any event that has a balloon drop is definitely where I want to be!!!

So many photo opportunities and vendors giving us ALL the swag!!! Seriously came home with so much of it. Shop my entire look from Conference day HERE!

If I am being honest, it was overwhelming at first!! I didn’t know where to walk to first and or what I wanted to see/do. Once I realized I had the whole entire day, I was good to go. haha.

They had a braid bar, see how my hair is up now?!?!?! And Mary Kay had a brow bar where Luis Casco from Project Runway was doing brows!!! So MUCH fun!

When you match the RX Bar wall, you obvs take a pic!

If you had a VIP ticket, you got to drink all day at this Ca-UTE bar!

See what I’m saying?!?!?! Every single time you turned around there was something else prettier than what you just saw!

The Speakers were off the hook, and they really only spoke for 30-45 minutes which was fabulous for keeping you interested!

Some of my favorites of the day are shown below and obviously Whitney Port and Ashley Tisdale!

I also got to meet some of my favorite local influencers which was great!!!

This right here was truly the message of the whole conference: Collaboration OVER Competition. We will go farther if we all work together!

It really was A WORK PARTY!!! You should definitely join in next time!!! Any other questions, send them my way! Would love to hear from you!

XOXO,

Lissa

One last thing, there was a happy hour the night before sponsored by WeWerk. That is truly where we made all the friends and met all the people!!! Here are a bunch of fun pics from the night!!!! You can shop my entire look HERE!!!

My Partner in Crime for the Weekend!!!

Naked Cake

Eats / It's Party Time!
August 3, 2018
0

The Easiest and Prettiest Cake you will ever make! I just want to start out by saying I am NOT a baker! I do love to decorate things but if there is a will, there is a way!! So as if I am not busy enough lately, I committed to making a cake for my friend Kate’s Birthday Gathering. I kept swaying back and forth on if I should make/decorate or just buy something! However, I have been wanting to make this specific cake for awhile and I felt it was totally her style! If the shoe fits! haha. So, here you are, step by step!

Ingredients/Supplies(linked the important stuff):

3 Wilton 8 inch round cake pans(you can totally get away with 1)

Wilton Spatula as shown below

Pam Baking Spray(This stuff is life changing)

2 boxes yellow cake mix(or make your own)

2 containers white frosting(or make your own)

Powdered Sugar

Faux Succulents

Cake Stand

It is great to have 3 pans because all I did was spray the pans, throw the mix in, and baked all 3 at the same time! They fit on one rack in the oven. The first time I ever did this I only had one pan. I literally baked each one at a time. lol. Ridic!

Pro Tip: Let them cool for about 15 mins in the pan, then take them out, let them cool completely, put them back into the pan until you are ready to decorate!

My cakes never cook even(flat) and for stacking they obviously need to be. All I did was slice the top of each of the 3 cakes with a huge knife to make it flat.

Next, I slathered frosting between each layer. Doesn’t need to be pretty, we will save that for the end.

Then I took the spatula(wiped the frosting off with a paper towel), held it vertical, and just went around the cake. This gave it that smoother look and also made the frosting kind of spread out.

I wish I would have gotten a better picture of this step….let me tell you it was a HOT mess!!! It’s all part of the fun. This is the part where I absolutely don’t know what I am doing but I just want the cake to look a certain way, so I literally threw the powdered sugar all over it! and Ta-Da!!! Doesn’t she look pretty?!?!?

I was lucky enough to have faux succulents laying around the house! All I did was stick them in the cake where I wanted them. SO easy!

The Finished Product!

Happy Baking!!!!

XOXO,

Lissa

Shop my full Look HERE!

My Athleta Top 10 Must Have’s!!!!

Fashion
July 29, 2018
8

First of all, I want to give a BIG thank you to everyone that came out to my First ever Styling Event yesterday! I had SO much fun and I really appreciate the support!!!

Athleta is hands down one of my FAVORITE stores. It is athleisure at it’s finest and for a very good reason! They are a B Corporation, if you don’t know what exactly that is read more about that here. The clothing is Ca-UTE!!! And, it really performs! I did a blog post awhile back with Tips of shopping Athleta. Check it out here, it’s worth the read!

I pulled my TOP 10 MUST HAVE Athleta items below! Scroll over to see all 10. I still have a couple 20% off codes from my event. Comment in this post with your email and I’ll get ya one!

Here are some of the other items myself and all the ladies yesterday found to be our favorites!

You guys, this is my grandma. Isn’t she the cutest?!?!?! She is 81 an looks adorable in the Athleta stuff she chose. And don’t you worry, I think she left with more than me!!!

Shirt | Pants

Sweater | Pants

My Mom is the cutest too! But she preferred me not to put her head in the pics!!! hahha. This Burgundy sweater comes in a few colors and is SO soft(my mom cannot handle anything itchy) and is the perfect item for fall!