Sitting here sipping a Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew (yum), wondering how on God’s green earth it’s about to be SEPTEMBER 2020. I mean, no new news here, people…we’ve been saying “I can’t believe it’s about to be ____!” since the dawn of Cool Sh*t I Lovelovelove, and it ain’t stoppin’ anytime soon, I’m sure. Time flies, right? This month saw many biggies, like the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale (which ends in two days, FYI!). A favorite of mine has been my new Barefoot Dreams leopard cardigan, but since it’s been sold out since just about the second it launched, I figured I’d include only in-stock favorites for ya today. 😉 Let’s hop right into it…
For a not-even-20-bucks t-shirt, I am MAJORLY impressed. Do I recommend wearing the purple tie dye with purple soft shorts like I did to run errands last week? Not unless you want your husband calling you a grape. But OTHERWISE, there are quite a few tie dye varieties AND solids to choose from, and if every single one is as dang squishy SOFT as this is, I’ll take one of every color thankyoukindly. It’s that perfect fabric blend that doesn’t wrinkle and just feels divine on your skin, and it’s not see-through at all – so that’s an obvious win in the white t-shirt department.
This was my biggest, happiest surprise of the lot! I first learned about Shoott through a Facebook Ad on my newsfeed, and let’s just say I was #influenced. 😉 The whole concept is that you get a free 30-minute photoshoot with a professional photographer, and you only pay for any photos that you actually like after the fact. They’re affordable, and if you end up buying the entire session, it’s still around $200 total – which is cheaper than many other professional shoots can run if you end up with 100+ pictures. With Liv being 22-months-old, the thought of investing hundreds of dollars in a specific professional photographer was daunting, because Lord knows life with a toddler is predictably unpredictable. 😉
At first I was a bit nervous, because once we were assigned our photographer the day before our session (that’s the one “downside” of the service – you don’t have a say in who does your shots!), I did some digging and wasn’t thrilled with the work I had seen. Granted, I’m admittedly suuuuuper picky with photography given what I do for a living. HA. But I hoped for the best and found some Pinterest inspiration to inspire our shots. Our photographer ended up being really sweet and easy to work with, and the winner winner chicken dinner of the session was none other than Miss Olivia Grace. Girlfriend was a CHAMPION. She was cheesing for the camera left and right and just doing the dang thing, and we ended up with so many favorite shots…for $200 we got more frameworthy pictures than we did in last year’s family photo session, which were around $500. So. I’d say it was a WIN.
If you use this link to book your own session, you’ll get 10% off your photo purchase! I’m not working with Shoott or anything – they actually just give everyone a referral link so that you can spread the word and help a friend if you loveloveloved your experience + shots! So, friend, here ya go. 🙂
And for a little sneak peek at our session…
I first learned about these pretzels on Instagram. It seemed like every Midwestern blogger and her mother was swearing they were the best pretzel ever, and I didn’t quite get it…I mean, they were just pretzels, right?
Um, wrong.
Fast forward to when we were in St. Louis and I happened upon a bag in a corner store. I figured what the heck and gave ’em a go – and LORDY, they are not your average pretzel. The seasoning is SO GOOD.
Lucky for all of us, they’re on Amazon. Are they outrageously expensive for pretzels? You bet. Are they worth it? Heck yes.
If you saw our Piano Room reveal, you know the story behind this piece of art. Long story short, I had been on THE HUNT for the *perfect* piece for this wall to complete the room. I knew I wanted specific lyrics from one of my favorite Christian songs, How Great Thou Art, especially because “then sings my soul” just felt so appropo to a musically themed room. I knew I wanted an artsy script and a black-and-white color scheme.
I thought I wanted a big wooden sign or the like, which was what I was initially seeing on Etsy. Then after a little break from my hunt, I came back and found THE PIECE – a canvas that was the exact same size as the other art canvas in the room, with the perfect scripted font. It’s lightweight (therefore so much easier to hang), and truly perfect. Couldn’t be more jazzed about it.
OK SO you know my stances on “dupes” – namely that it’s GREAT to get a designer look for less, but not-so-great to have counterfeit items, or things blatantly ripping off a name brand. This line from Walmart is great because there are print options that look nearly identical to the cult-classic, absurdly popular Louis Vuitton checkered print, but with NO name infringement. I included my real LV Neverfull as a side-by-side comparison so that you can see the similarities/differences in coloring, as well as how the real one says Louis Vuitton in certain squares while the Walmart checkered bag does not.
In terms of quality, I’m impressed. These feel like great pieces, and you could absolutely not tell that much of a quality difference between them and the real deal to constitute the $1,000+ price gap.
If you’re not into the check print, they also come in options like leopard, snakeskin, etc!
One of my biggest bummers in this year’s NSALE was not being able to snag the spotted Adidas from my wishlist – that apparently every other blogger and her mother had on their own wishlists, too. HA. I swear they sold out in the very first round of Early Access shopping! And of course, they never came back in stock – but luckily, I found an alternative.
While the NSALE Adidas were on sale for just under $50, I found a near-identical look for less at only $17 instead!!!! AND THEY’RE GREAT!
They’ve got memory foam soles and work for workouts and athleisure alike. Definitely SO happy with this buy and so glad I got the look anyway!
Victoria Emerson Alicante bracelet
I’ve been wearing Victoria Emerson bracelets for YEARS – ever since my trip to Disney back in 2017 or 2018. The wraps hooked me in because they’re snug to your wrist, which is something I always need being at a laptop typing all day – ain’t nobody got time for clicking and clanking around.
Their boho cuffs are insanely popular because of the magnetic closure – it’s easy and quick and stays shut, so it’s great for a one-handed approach. Since they say these are named after Victoria’s travels, maybe that’s why I ended up loveloveloving the Alicante so dang much – because I spent a summer in college studying abroad in Alicante, Spain and had the time of my life, and it definitely feels like a familiar vibe!
These also make GREAT giftables – I always have a few Victoria Emerson bracelets in my gift closet just in case.
This Magnadoodle has been an absolute saving grace with Liv! She loveloveLOVES it, and it’s definitely helping in encouraging drawing and creativity without worrying about marker on a wall. 😉 My mom actually found this exact one on Amazon and it reminded her of one that my brother and I had + adored as kids, so she grabbed it for the OG. And sure enough – it’s a huge hit.
It has four color “quadrants,” and then the whole alphabet + numbers are around the edges subtly to help match and learn and draw.
This has also been great in car rides since the pen is attached!
colourpop bare necessities palette
My best friend Taylor sold me on this palette the second she got it in the mail herself, because she couldn’t stop singing its praises. It’s got all of my personal favorite shades for everyday wear – loads of shimmery taupes and pretty neutrals. It’s also got a solid mix of shimmers and mattes, with a nice range of hues for layering and playing from day to night.
The biggest things with ColourPop as a brand, I think, is the price point. It’s SUCH an affordable brand with incredible value for what you get; this palette has 30 shades but only costs $34.
It’s currently sold out (BOO), but you can hop on a waitlist to know first when it’s back!
If you’ve been following any of my NSALE coverage, chances are, you know about Sofft. This was a new-to-me brand that I discovered during this sale, when I ended up buying not one but TWO pairs of their included slip-on sneakers. Dude…what a win. They’re ridiculously comfortable, come in four colors (I already bought two, whoops), and are just bomb dot com for slipping on and running out the door fast – which I feel like is my life.
Perfect if you’re always on the go, and/or for my busy mamas in da house – this is like OUR SHOE. Ha! Who has time for socks and shoelaces anymore?! Not I. 😉 So they’re definitely a fave and on repeat over here!
HAVE YOU TRIED ANY OF MY MONTHLY FAVORITES YET?
And what have been YOUR Monthly Favorites? Would lovelovelove to know!
P.S. ICYMI and wanna get caught up on or last month’s favorites, just click here!
