The Florida Girl

𝕝𝕚𝕗𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕪𝕝𝕖 𝕓𝕝𝕠𝕘𝕘𝕖𝕣 • 𝕞𝕠𝕞 • 𝕙𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕕𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕣 • 𝕗𝕒𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕠𝕟

It’s the nature of the beast

It’s part of parenthood and life our kids grow up and get older, whether you want them to or not, am I right? I can’t believe my baby is in a big girl bed.

We recently welcomed our 2nd miracle baby into our lives and it was time for Hendrix to hand over the crib and she was more than ready and excited. We have been long time consumers of the Naturepedic brand. We have a Naturepedic EOS Classic mattress in our guest room and love it. When we determined we were transitioning Hendrix we immediately knew we wanted a Naturepedic mattress for her.

We chose the Naturepedic Verse Mattress for her. It is certified organic and is designed without glues, adhesives, flame retardants, or other questionable materials. It has multiple layers of thick organic cotton batting that provide cushioning over a premium glueless encased coil support system for a comfortable design that promotes airflow to reduce overheating. It was a no-brainer. Only the best for our girl!

Not only are the mattresses super comfortable and ridiculously high quality we love the fact that Naturepedic is committed to protecting the environment through the materials sourced, products created, and business practices they use. They source organic materials certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).

We are all happy and in love with Hendrix’s new mattress and big girl bed. We can sleep rest assured we made the perfect decision for her.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Naturepedic for Naturepedic. All opinions are 100% mine.

DIY Fall playhouse decor

Florida fall…it’s is a real thing. Well, it actually might require asking a friend to mail you some fall leaves but, hey. This year I was determined to bring all the fall feels to South Florida and deco out Hendrix’s new playhouse! Here are the steps to creating this gorgeous fall boho wreath & boho initial door emblem.

Brand New Iloveplum Pearl Ivory Tutu & Plie Twist Crop Sweater
Items Needed:
-fresh Fall leaves 
(or store-bought fake ones here)
-hot glue gun
-scrap cardboard
-decorative yarn
-floral wreath hoop
-scisscors
-boho dried flowers, pampas, palms or pinecones
-twine
FALL BOHO WREATH
Directions:
-Use hot glue gun to glue dried flowers & palms to floral hoop
-use twine to wrap the stems (this is decorative and functional,
it helps keep the flowers on tight)
-keep the design very asymmetrical and simple
-use fall leaves for final accent
BOHO INITIAL DOOR EMBLEM
Directions:
-use scrap cardboard to draw initial (can be in script or print)
-use sciscors to cut out the initial
-use hot glue gun & start wrapping the cardboard initial with decorative yarn
-use a piece of twine as the "hook"
-add a few leaves as an accent to conveal command hook

I layered the boho wreath with some cool textural pumpkins on the ledge of our playhouse and used the initial emblem on her front door!

The most fun part of it all was seeing Hendrix’s face as she threw the leaves up in the air like confetti!

Help me help you!

I know you know that line! “Help me, help you.” Jerry McGuire…ring a bell? Well, I have discovered the best household tool for all things cleaning! Cue the Rug Doctor rentable pressure washer! Let them help you! Show us your mess! Rug Doctor is hosting an amazing contest where you can simply take a picture or video showing an outdoor mess you need help cleaning up and post to Instagram using #showusyourmess #contest and tagging @rugdoctor for a chance to have someone come help clean your mess! Contest runs 8/14-8/23/2020! See all the details here!

With a new baby, I am all about simple & fast cleaning options! Thank goodness the amazing brand Rug Doctor reached out to me and asked if we could work together! My answer, obviously, “HECK YES!”

Rug Doctor portable pressure washer is super versatile. When I used to think pressure washer I thought “loud, wild, heavy, and cumbersome.” I also used to think they were only good for cleaning sidewalks and driveways. Little did I know, this bad boy is perfect for so many household chores.

Say hello to my little friend…

The first project we tackled was our pool deck! Dirt and mold build up quickly under the furniture, floor mats, and our potted plants! The Rug Doctor pressure washer was powerful enough to remove all the grime and gentle enough not damage our painted concrete patio deck! Score!

Check out how amazing it was coming along! This is how it looked after just a few seconds. The grime is gone! Say goodbye to the dirt.

Impressive on the patio, yes, but I must say, one of my favorite uses of the Rug Doctor rentable pressure washer is the ability to use it on all of our beach gear! When we come home after a long day on the water the last thing I want to do is spend hours cleaning our beach chairs, umbrellas, buggy, and paddleboards. The pressure washer is so simple to set up and nails it on removing all the sand and salt.

Plus, I feel super cool using it!

Being native Floridians, we are huge on being outdoors. If we can’t get outside we want all the curtains wide open in order to let all the sunshine in! Shamefully, I must say, we have yet to officially clean the windows since owning the house over 3 years ago. But not anymore!

The Rug Doctor pressure washer was the ideal cleaning solution for us to wash our windows and sliding glass doors! They offer a glass cleaning solution, which left our glass pristine clear and streak-free.

As if it didn’t get any better! Here’s another use! Who wants to schlep buckets, soap, towels, sponges and scrub brushes and manually scrub down your car? Not me! Our car washing days are forever changed! The Rug Doctor pressure washer has made car washing so easy!

Simply grab the lightweight portable pressure washer, fill with the cleaning solution & water, hook up to a hose, and wash down your car. Tada! Sparkling clean! Thank you very much Rug Doctor! Be sure to enter to win a chance for Rug Doctor to come help you clean your mess! #showusyourmess

Pop, Bang, Boom!

This summer feels super invigorating and the crafting game is going strong. Maybe because it’s the first year where my daughter Hendrix is becoming more aware and excited about the holidays.

Here is a simple little craft you can do for Father’s Day, a birthday, and or 4th of July! Or combine any of them!

Supplies for bomb pop garland:
scissors
single hole punch
twine or rope for stringing and hanging
paper cutter (or cut free-hand with scissors)
red, white & blue strips of paper approx 5-1/2″ long x 1-1/2″ wide
(*I used slightly muted down colors to go with my Instagram feed)
hot glue gun or glue sticks
wood popsicle sticks

Directions for bomb pop garland:
cut strips of the red, white & blue paper
hot glue all 3 together 
roll and hot glue the edge of the red, white, & blue paper into a roll
hole punch on each side at top of red color strip
hot glue popsicle sticks – (*repeat for as many times as you would like the length of garland)
string with twine or rope you have
hang in the desired location

Additional Supplies (if adding the finger paint portrait ornament):
7″ wood star ornament from dollar tree
various paint colors
twine to glue to the edge of the star

Directions for star portrait:
use kid’s hands in whatever color paint to make a shirt & jeans
use fingers to paint a round face w/ ears
use a thumbprint to make hands
use a thumbprint to make shoes/feet
use 3 fingers to make hair
wait several hours for the paint to completely dry *(I used a blowdryer to speed up the process)
use a sharpie to add face & tie details
hang alone or add with bomb pop garland

Not only is this little bomb pop garland/banner the perfect decor piece, but it also makes for adorable accessories for flat lays! Check out all these little goodies! Baby girl is sure to be a firecracker in this adorable white iloveplum tutu, sunnies, bows, and sandals!

Lighten Up

Welcome to the heart of our home – our kitchen! Not only is it my favorite room, it literally is in the middle of the house. We recently completed a full home renovation in order to add a suite on for my mom, who moved in with us over 3 years ago after my dad passed away. I am super proud of how the space turned out. There was just one (well, maybe 3) little things wrong with it…

Those 3 little things were the tiny black island pendant lights! During the renovation we were moving so quickly and selecting materials so fast (oh, and did I mention bleeding money?). When my contractor needed all the lighting on site we mad a very rash decision and tried to be budget conscious and selected the black pendants. I never really was happy and always felt they were wrong for the space, but sometimes you just go with the flow and against your gut.

As a designer, a woman (and one who is 8-1/2 months pregnant at that) I reserve the right to change my mind, and, in this case, I definitely changed my mind! I knew 3 pendants would technically fit… but had a feeling as 2 were hung that as the magic number and sweet spot.

I have worked with and specified Kichler Lighting for many of my clients’ projects in the past so when it came time to picking the proper pendant lights for my space, I knew I was going to select from their line. When I saw the Kichler Elias White convertible pendants I instantly knew they were the ones.

I still had hubby hold the third one up, and ultimately hang it in place, BUT two pendants were the perfect quantity & scale!

Scale is the size of one object in relation to the other objects in a design  and those old black pendants were just not cutting it – AT ALL! Out with the wrong and in with the new, and right.

The softness of the white pan-inspired shape of the shade and the subtle gold interior finish coordinate and accentuate all of the existing gold hardware and plumbing perfectly!

I am so happy with the overall farmhouse modern feel these beautiful new Kichler pendants have brought to our home!

Ladies love brunch

Am I right or am I right…ladies love brunch? If you saw my Ain’t Life Peachy post, you’ll know I have been preparing for this day for a few weeks now! I don’t mess around! If you have been wondering what simple things I put together to make a huge impact, here is how it all turned out!

Outfit Details:
You can find my crop top HERE and my skirt HERE

The most important item at brunch is the food, duh! Check out this spread of biscuits & gravy, scrambled eggs, ombré pancakes, fresh fruit, and bacon! All the basics and a little touch of “extra” with the ombré pancakes…but they sure do add a punch (and help keep up the peachy theme)!

A few drops of red food coloring and voila, you have ombré pancakes! It makes such a huge impact. I am sure there is a natural food color you can use like beets or even blueberries or raspberries, but for time sake I just used red food coloring.

The second most important brunch item for me is FLOWERS! Trader Joe’s has some of the most economical stems by far! Do yourself a favor and run there now! If you are not feeling creative they have some prearranged bouquets too. I love creating floral arrangements so I purchase a ton of different flowers (not only are they the best-priced flowers around they have some of the more unique stems too) like these peonies and ranunculus.

Check out my “We are here for the fun” Blog post to see some of my must-have neutral houseware items for serving a party!

Last, but certainly not least on my list of must-haves for brunch is a good cocktail (or mocktail in this case). I have been posting new mocktail recipes on Instagram every day around lunchtime. I even have a few story highlight reels where I have saved them all. One of my favorite recipes lately was a blackberry pineapple lemonade drink. I knew it would be perfect for brunch.

Oh, and I can’t forget laughs! Every good brunch is to be filled with your favorite friends and family, which ultimately will create the belly laughs!

Ain’t life peachy

Mother’s Day is fast approaching and even though the country is mostly on lock-down from the Coronavirus, I wouldn’t let this holiday go by without doing even something small…and pretty! I am starting with a little bar cart set up to prepare for the at-home brunch we shall have the day of!

If you couldn’t tell from the title, the color scheme and theme is “just peachy”. Peach was a great start but I had to throw in some soft blush and pale lavender too, because, why not? Well, really, I was inspired to add those colors after Grace Rose Farm so generously gifted me two dozen gorgeous organic heirloom roses! These roses are seriously some of the most fragrant flowers I have ever smelled, not to mention, look how beautifully they fluff up and bloom!

You may be thinking “Eeeeeek, I don’t have a cute bar cart like that!” Don’t worry… you can always set something like this up on the kitchen counter, a dining table or a console table! PS, IF you ARE looking for an amazing bar cart and happen to like this one, here is the link to mine shown here! (Check out these alternate options here & here).

Most all of the adorable tableware and accessories are from, the one and only, Target! I absolutely love shopping in the bullseye section (AKA the dollar spot). I snag things there all the time! You never know when you want to do a little impromptu brunch or party. I have linked the party goods here! Check out the plates, napkins, cups, silverware, water pitcher & cakestand! Additional napkins here and here as well as the peachy plates!

One of my favorite home accessories is this 18″ wide Rettle Kraft Paper Roller. I recently purchased the decorative accessory shelf and a roll of white paper to keep things light and airy and to coordinate with my new White GE Cafe Refrigerator (which has been my dream since completing our home remodel!) Next on the purchase list is the matching Oven–Microwave combo and Dishwasher.

The only thing left to do now is planning the brunch menu, come up with a signature cocktail (for mom), and a mocktail recipe for my 6-month pregnant self! Stay tuned for that blog, coming soon!

Somewhere over the rainbow

We are all lollipops, gumdrops, rainbows, and donuts over here! It’s that magical time of year – St. Patrick’s Day. I will be honest, I am NOT much for this holiday and have never really celebrated it until having my daughter. That being said, you will not be seeing the traditional shamrocks, leprechauns, and green beer here (sorry if that’s what you were expecting). I am all about a non-traditional theme and we are going all out with rainbows this year!

All the heart eyes for this gorgeous fringe backdrop, compliments of Glam Fete! Our heads are in the balloon clouds thanks to Blue Lime Events, and our tummies are full of delicious cookies thanks to Confetti Confections!

Hendrix’s adorable tutu was gifted to us from the incredible I Love Plum. They have the most gorgeous tutus, loungewear, and accessories!

Nothing says magic like Lucky Charms marshmallows! You know I HAD to pick them out and serve them! Not to mention, they make the best decor! Look at those magically delicious colors!

It’s all in the details

These Rustica custom barn doors are breathing life into our space, but it wasn’t always like this! See the transformation!

In June 2016 my husband and I purchased this quaint little home in Delray Beach, Florida. We were super excited because it was pretty much turn-key. The previous owner’s did an amazing job at creating a clean, crisp home ready for someone to come and bring it life. It was very “basic”, in modern-day terms (as shown below).

As a kitchen and bath designer, I immediately started making decisions to add unique character and special details to change this builder-grade home to a custom home. One of our initial projects was the master bedroom. We added molding to the main wall, installed pendant lights over our side tables, painted a fresh light and bright color, and modern furnishings!

Shortly after we moved, my mom made the best decision and decided to move in with us because we found out we were expecting our first child. Not only did the news of us expecting & mom moving in turn our world upside down, we got even crazier and decided to completely remodel our home and add on a mother-in-law suite. Out we moved for 6 months. Let the construction commence.

Things were looking so good! New floors, fresh paint, and custom details like these built-ins and dark trim!

I must say though, I hated the “plain-jane” way our bedroom transitioned to our closest & master bathroom area. In addition, the room craved much-need light. I have always loved barn doors and was searching for a space in our home I could implement them. At first glance, this area wasn’t a candidate, but after much thought and tons of research online, I found the perfect solution, Rustica. They make the most gorgeous barn doors. Our space is very specific. It required bi-parting doors since the adjacent wall space wasn’t going to allow a typical single barn door.

Our space would also require some construction, but I was determined to have a Rustica Modern Cottage French Barn Door. I reached out to them and their customer service was amazing! They answered every single question I had and helped me plan the perfect door for our space.

As a designer, I could see the entire design and space complete in my head, but my hubby and mom needed a visual, hence this little sketch below. It became the perfect tool and helped us all fall in love even faster! That being said, we ordered away!

Five short weeks later, our custom Rustica double-sided bi-parting metal barn doors arrived! In the meantime, my contractor and his crew built down a header for the track to mount to. I painted and prepared the space so as soon as the door arrived it could be installed. I wasted zero time. My contractor came right away and here she is in all her glory!

The best part, as stated above, we chose to do double-sided mirrored doors so that when the doors were closed we could use them as our dressing mirrors from the closet/bathroom side of the room.

The Rustica doors reflect so much light and bring so much character to our space. The black metal frame ties in our trim, interiors doors, and industrial farmhouse accents. Not to mention, they are the best try-on & selfie mirrors ever!

I will just leave these gorgeous photos here and we can all bask in the beautiful Rustica doors together!

Pop-Colored Nutcracker Christmas

Grab a cup of hot cocoa or coffee and enjoy our home tour featuring the most joyous pop-color themed Nutcracker holiday decor. To say I was elated to be a part of this year’s Design Council 2019: Holiday Style Stars with Treetopia is a bit of an understatement! Christmas is not only my favorite holiday, but it’s also the birth month to my daughter, Hendrix. She is the color in our life, so it is only fitting we decorate and prep for her second birthday that’s fast approaching. Last year I specifically wanted to have her party be Berry Sweet (but not holiday-themed). This year, we changed gears and it is gun-ho Sugarplum fairyland!

This year Treetopia is hosting their 8th Secret Santa Giveaway where one winner AND their friend will each win 1 Treetopia tree of their choice! The giveaway runs from Nov 17-28, 2019. Be sure to enter HERE!

These gorgeous Treetopia Frozen Fir Flocked Artifical Christmas Trees were gifted to us and are the perfect showstoppers and canvases for our pop-color Nutcracker theme.

And, as if it couldn’t get any sweeter, Treetopia sent us the coordinating Winter White Artificial Christmas Wreath and Garland. I automatically knew I wanted to hang the garland over the chalkboard at the coffee/hot cocoa bar, and it is perfect!

These gorgeous shots are just the tip of the winter wonderland iceberg. Stay tuned for more details to be revealed in the upcoming birthday blog post.

In the meantime, be sure to check out the other creative Holiday Style Stars to see how they implemented other fun Treetopia products and accessories!

I am already scoping out the Treetopia website for other fun colored trees for future projects!

Colorful Christmas Trees

Green Christmas Trees

Wreaths and Garlands