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Helloooo! Welcome back for another Favorite Things post, where I share some of my current favorite things! Catchy title, yes? Really leaves you in suspense, doesn't it? Haha!
Well, if we're talking about my favorite things, then we have to talk about the person (who I realize isn't a THING) but who is topping the charts as one of my favorites......my handsome hubby, who also happens to be having a birthday today! Feel free to leave him your birthday greetings in the comments section, if you'd like -- because I know some of you are just that sweet! -- and I'll make sure he sees them. :)
So I can't share a Favorite Things post on his birthday and not wish him a wonderful day!! There's no one on this earth who has blessed me more than him. He's loved me, cared for me and supported me, literally through thick and thin....we've been THROUGH it together....through some of the darkest days of our lives. But we've also shared the absolute best times of our lives over the years as well!! There's no one else I'd rather be on this journey with than him. There's no one who can make me laugh harder and no one who knows me better, other than the Lord, Himself! He's the absolute best and I don't tell him nearly enough, so I'm saying it again. I'm beyond blessed to be able to call him mine and am beyond grateful that the Lord brought us together. He knew how much we'd need each other and how perfect for each other we would be. Bartley has taught me how to toughen up a bit and I've softened some of his rough edges. ;) We are better together and I'm so happy to be able to CELEBRATE him this year! Although right about now as he reads this, he's likely wishing I'd stop talking about him and his birthday! Haha! But if there's one thing we've learned in recent years for sure, it's that not only is each birthday a gift, but each DAY is a gift worth celebrating and so, that's what we do around here! We laugh and we dance and we joke and we sing at the top of our lungs for no reason sometimes. Of course, the bonus on this birthday of his, is that I'm well and can actually eat the birthday cake or whatever other foodie treats we celebrate with this year! Praise the Lord....He's brought us so far! Happy birthday, Bartley....I love you more than you know!
So the thing I'm supposed to be doing in this post, is sharing some of my favorites that you can get for yourself and since they haven't figured out how to clone Bart McVey yet, how about if I share some things that could actually be yours, if you should choose to buy them? Haha!
Click the links below, to check out the items at Amazon.
Lotta From Stockholm Peep Toe Clogs - Ok, so let's talk shoes first because this is the one I'm the most excited about. You may have seen these in pictures recently on my instagram. I have loved these shoes for a couple years now. YEARS, people. And just like the earrings I told you about last month, that Bart had to listen to me comment on during EVERY episode of Fixer Upper, when Joanna Gaines was wearing them (because I loved and wanted them), he had to hear similar comments about these shoes. She wears them in a lot of episodes! Haha. I wondered though, could they actually be comfortable because let's face it, it looks like you're just walking around on some wooden planks. LOL. How comfortable can they be?! Bartley recently got them for me, as a belated birthday gift and it turns out, they are REALLY comfortable and even passed my Sunday morning church test! That's when I wear them to church on a week when I'm helping lead worship with the worship team, because we're there for like six hours and I'm on my feet most of that time. Some shoes never pass that test and my feet are begging for me to kick my shoes off halfway through the morning! But not these babies! They clearly have just the right amount of arch support. I wore them this past Sunday and made it through the morning with happy feet all the way till I got home and took them off when I changed into my softies (lounge-y clothes) for the rest of the day! They passed the test, which only makes me want them in other colors now, too! Haha! The ones I have are the "brown oiled nubuck" (pictured above) and that specific color isn't available on Amazon at the moment, but they can be ordered directly from Lotta in the UK. I linked to the next closest color that Amazon has right now, which is called tan leather. It's just a great goes-with-everything kind of color. They all also come in a version with a bit lower heel, if that's more your speed. I totally have my eye on a few other pairs in other colors because....well, just look at them! No explanation needed! Ha! They're beauties. The darker pair pictured above would be so great going into fall because of their darker colored leather AND base, but those aren't available on Amazon at the moment. Here's the close toed clog version in the same colors though....dark taupe on brown base. Love. Wouldn't these be so cute with jeans and a cozy cardigan? Also, here are the open toes are in apple green leather. And, here they are in red leather. I know the bright colored ones aren't nearly as practical but good grief, they're fun, yes? They're definitely on my wish list. Oh, and for size reference in case this helps anyone, I'm a size 8 but since they don't make one that says US 8, I got the US 7.5 and it's perfect. But follow the instructions for measuring your foot to be sure, if you have any question about which size to get.
iPad Cover - For those of you with iPads, I wanted to throw this one on the list, because Bart has had a cover in a similar style to this one, for literally years now. His is black and it's served him so well. Because it's done so well, I knew I wanted to get one that would be similar in it's functionality and also in how well it protects my iPad. It rotates, it works as a stand, it has a holder for an Apple Pencil, it totally protects the iPad itself....and it's super durable. I'm very impressed with it. Mine is the marble-looking one.
Paper Mate Flair Pens - Of course we have to have pens on the list, because who doesn't love a new pen (or set of pens!) now and then?! I love these because of all the color options. Side note: Michaels recently added a new open-stock pen section, where you can buy single pens and I even found a new one of these in a teal color I didn't already have! It's the teal one in this Candy Pop! set. That first link though, is a big set, in case you don't have any of the colors.
Pentel Energel Pens - Ok, so I'm sharing these again, even though I shared them a few months back but I have a good reason! I told you last time I talked about these, that a friend had given me a set of 5 and I love them for how smooooooth they write and for the great colors they come in. But, again at Michaels, I recently discovered that there are even more colors that I didn't know about and didn't have! They're included in this set, including that great brown and a teal! Yes, I love teal pens! What can I say? The heart wants what the heart wants! Haha. Also, it seems like it might be a weird thing, to be excited about a brown pen, but think about it. When do you ever see BROWN PENS? Not very often! I'm loving using it in my planner and it's especially fun to write with as we head into fall. Yes, it's ok to have seasonally appropriate pens. Haha!
Kelly Creates Learn Brush Lettering Workbook - for small brush tip pens OK, so if you're into hand lettering at all, like I am, then this is for you. I've shared a few things lately, that I've gotten to help me practice and improve my hand lettering skills and these workbooks are two more items that fall into that category. I love these because they've got practice sheets as well as tracing paper BUILT IN to the workbook! So you can trace over the practice sheets, directly onto tracing paper. When that page is filled up, turn the page and there's more tracing paper! So each practice sheet can be traced over three times, before you move on to the next practice page. And even after that, if you want to keep practicing, you can just stick a piece of tracing paper in your workbook and keep practicing. I shared the link to the tracing paper I use, last month, so just scroll back to that Favorite Things post or click on the Favorite Things category over in the right had side bar of my blog, to see all the previous Favorite Things posts.
Kelly Creates Learn Brush Lettering Workbook - for large brush tip pens I got both sizes of workbook (found mine at JoAnn's), but if you prefer to just learn how to letter with a small brush pen or a large brush pen, you can get which ever workbook suits your lettering style best.
Loloi Nadia Ivory Fiesta 8' x 8' Rug - So this is a bigger ticket item than I usually share here, but I'm sharing it because we recently got it and I LOVE it! I will tell you that we found ours at a local furniture for a bit less than this, but I was pleased to see that it's available on Amazon, so perhaps some of you can enjoy it in your home, too! Our old rug, that was under our kitchen table was old. Like, maybe 12-15 years old. And since Windsor came along 7 years ago, we taught him to sit between us when we say the blessing at every meal. He gladly does this because he knows that as soon as we say "Amen", he gets a carrot. Hahahaha!! Only problem with that is that he sits there during the prayer, drooling!! And after 6 or 6-1/2 years of his sitting in the same spot and drooling on that rug, it was looking kind of ratty! Hahaha! Over the last couple of years though, we were really just basically in survival mode over here while I was so sick. So neither one of us really had any head space to even worry about things like the rug or what was hanging on the walls that might need updating or anything else decorating-related, for that matter. But times are changing around here -- praise the Lord!!! -- and now we're looking around us going, "Hey, that looks kind of icky...maybe we ought to replace that" or "Hey, that wall's been blank now, for like five years, since we last repainted. Maybe we ought to hang something on it."! Hahaha. It feels soooooo good to have the margin in our brains to be able to even think about such things! SO, I'll be sharing fun finds like this when they come along. Anyway, back to this rug.....it's now under out kitchen table and it feels soooo good under bare feet! And also, it's so COLORFUL! Let me interject though, that the photos do NOT do this rug justice! In real life, it has pinks and oranges and reds and also some light turquoise.....all the sorts of colors I love, but in smaller quantities so it's not like "HEY LOOK AT THE RUG" right when you walk in the house. Haha! It's super tasteful but also super colorful. I love it. I think in real life, it reads a little less 'yellow' overall, than what it sort of looks like in the pictures. You can check my instagram feed for more pictures of the rug (and my new shoes!), in case the additional photos will help you determine if the colors might work for you. This same rug comes in other sizes, so if you like the colors of this one, but need a rectangle or a different sized circle or whatever, there are other options for you. And if you like this style/type of rug, with it's sort of vintage-inspired look but maybe these colors won't work with your decor, there are other color options as well. I can for sure recommend this one though, for how beautiful it is and for how soft it us when you walk on it barefoot.
Airheads Extremes Rainbow Berry Bits - Ok, and to offset the bigger ticket rug favorite, how about a cheaper item....a candy favorite! My littlest sister brought these along recently, on our girls' overnight to the Beth Moore/Living Proof Live event and it was the first time I'd ever had them. I love sour candy and these fit that bill perfectly!! They are YUMMMMM. They've proven to be hard to find around here, though I saw some at the JoAnn's check out stand, of all places. But you can order them from Amazon and I linked to what looks to the be the best price-per-ounce, since they don't have just a single bag, cheapo option.
Ok, friends.....that's all the favorites for today but we'll do this again, as long as you want to keep seeing them! Lots of you seem to enjoy these posts and like I said in the little disclosure paragraph at the top of this post, I sure do appreciate you all using these links for your shopping, if you're gonna be buying the items anyway. I may only get a teensy bit of a kick-back from your purchase (at no extra cost to you!), but all of those teensy bits add up and I appreciate them!
I'll be back tomorrow with a Throwback Thursday post for you, so I hope you'll stop back by and don't forget that tonight is Release Night at Papertrey, so all of this month's new releases will be available at 10pm EST, including my Scalloped Stackers: Small dies, the Say It Simply: Wishing You a Lovely Birthday die and the Say It Simply: Giving Thanks For You die!
And as always, I'd love to hear from you if you find something here that you're already using and loving or if one of these items becomes a favorite for you, too! And let me know if there's something you're loving that I should check out myself!
Have a great day, friends!
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