Our Nugget will Survive.

 Hello everyone! I am happy to introduce you to our orange Nugget. I chose the title above for this post because as a Mama of very two active boys, not just any furniture piece will survive here, especially a piece that is meant for their space.  It must be able to withstand being mistaken for a trampoline and be easy to clean. So far our Nugget has passed those tests with flying colors, hence it will survive!

 Based in Durham, NC(we're literally neighbors!), the company Nugget created a product that is as easy to move as a bean bag, and it's a fully functional piece of furniture, like a futon, but also lighter, sturdier, and more animated than its ancestors. Additionally all materials are sourced in North Carolina and packaged in Durham.

 There are different colors to choose from and you can customize your own, but you know I can't get enough of orange, so... It even came packaged in a beautiful orange box which I am also keeping!!

We love how sturdy it is and the lumbar support from the pillows is wonderful! Because it's portable we can move it from room to room. So far, it has been in Zion's room, the living room, the sunroom, and now(above) in Ian's room. I'm already making plans to curl up here this weekend with my favorite mags and a good book. 

P.S. I was provided with the Nugget mentioned, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

New Paint Color Inspired by My Sukhi Rug and A Painting Tip.

Last year I posted an updated version of Ian's bedroom, but it wasn't too long after that I would change the wallpaper used in his room update(pictured below).

pic: Lea Hartman

It wasn't lively enough nor did it  reflect his personality at all. 

I painted the bed head wall(the one that was wallpapered) with this left over Benjamin Moore Gentleman's Gray color at Christmas. It was livelier than the wallpaper, but it wasn't THE ONE.

Fast forward to recently when I received this AMAZING handmade Alisha Sukhi felt ball rug. Sukhi felt ball rugs are handmade by artisans in Nepal.

Once an artisan has finished creating a rug, her name is placed on a label attached to the rug. The wonderful artisan who made my rug is Binita Khad Ka. Thank you so much Binita! The Sukhi rug has the most vibrant colors(so me), is beautiful, well made,  and feels amazing underfoot.  As soon as I saw it, I thought it's going in Ian's room and it will be the inspiration for his new wall color. And so it was.

Meet Benjamin Moore Tangerine Dream. 

The color goes beautifully with the Sukhi feltball rug and complements the adjoining walls painted in BM Brittany Blue nicely.

The color reflects Ian's happy and fun personality. Coincidentally I learned too that Sukhi means happy... Imagine that!?

The room while it's not the attic has similar features of an attic space and the  height of the bed head wall has always bugged me because it's shorter than the other walls and while I could place the bed on another wall, where it is now is the best spot. So this time around while painting, I decided to extend the paint all the way to the ceiling to give the illusion of height and it worked. 

Ian playing hide and seek with his little Minion friend(pictured under the blanket)

His little art wall. Big Bird in the cute socks was done by the wonderful artist, Charlotta Ward. 

My Sukhi felt ball rug is much more beautiful in person and I absolutely love it! Thanks to the lovely ladies at Sukhi rugs for this beauty!xx

The rug looks right at home anywhere in the room. In fact, I think it would look great just about anywhere in our home.

P.S. I was gifted this lovely rug but opinions expressed are my own and the rug is amazeballs!

The Chant Sport from the House of Marley: A Review

"One good thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain."~ Bob Marley. 

It could be because I grew up listening to music in Jamaica, so I cannot live without it, but a day doesn't go by when there isn't music filling every nook and cranny in our home. We. Love. Music.  Our love for music led us to wireless speakers. Well, let's just say that my husband is a fanatic of wireless speakers and we have a little collection going as a result. So with a collection going,, why add the Chant Sport? 

Well, it is waterproof. You can't beat that. The ones we already have are not and as a beach loving family, we will undoubtedly be taking this on all our trips. It is portable and can fit into my beach bag without taking up too much space.

I rarely find the time to take a bath, but when I do it is quite an indulgence. I can place the Chant Sport atop the tub and it fits beautifully because it is not very wide. Most importantly, since it is waterproof, I don't have to worry about it getting wet. This makes listening to Sade so much more relaxing. Did I mention that the sound from the Chant Sport is crystal clear and although it's not very big, it packs a punch in the sonic department.

Additional Why I love the Chant Sport Information: 

*2 X 4.5W - 1.75” DRIVERS + 2 X PASSIVE RADIATOR 

*BLENDED BIO-PLASTIC, SILICONE AND RECYCLABLE ALUMINUM HOUSINGS
*BLUETOOTH 4.0, A2DP MONO AUDIO
*BUILT IN MICROPHONE ALLOWS FOR USE AS SPEAKERPHONE
*CARABINER CLIP
*DESIGNED TO FLOAT 

*FITS IN MOST CUP HOLDERS OR WATER BOTTLE CAGES 

*IPX7 LIQUID INGRESS PROTECTION 

*UP TO 8 HOURS OF WIRELESS PLAY
*USB CHARGING CABLE, RECHARGEABLE LITHIUM-ION BATTERY

Are you a fan of wireless speakers? 

P.S. Although I was provided the Chant Sport to review, all opinions above are my own. 

What Wine Region of the World is My Wine From? and Wine Folly Book Review.

Wine is one word that gets used here quite a bit. It's a must have whenever I am entertaining and whenever I need to unwind from the stresses of life. In fact, we never run out wine. Never. I have so many fond memories that involve wine. Like that time when we were in Gardaland Italy and had our first bottle of Valpolicella. I remember that taste distinctly and was so enamored.

 Fast forward to today and there is this amazing book called Wine Folly- the Essential Guide to Wine by Madeline Puckette and Justin Hammack that helps me to understand more about that bottle of wine I had in Italy.  Wine Folly provides enlightening information on wines and their regions. As a wine lover and someone who throughly enjoys traveling and soaking up other cultures, reading this book was amazing!

I've already learned from reading the book that my unforgettable Valpolicella wine is from the Veneto region of Italy and that Northern Italian wines have higher acidity, tart fruit, and herb flavors. I've also learned where all the wine regions of the world are. They are in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, and the United States. I feel so wine smart! 

Though I am really taken by the Wine Region information in the book because of my love for travel, Wine Folly offers a comprehensive guide to wine.  As an avid modern day hostess, I highly recommend it as a must have. In fact, it would make the perfect hostess gift and can be purchased here. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! xx

Adding Zen with Luludi Living Art.

Zen to me means being present, slowing down, and fully absorbing my surrounding and experiences as they happen. I was delighted when I was asked to review one of the lovely living art products from Luludi Living Art because I love their green approach to creating and their terrariums are simply beautiful!

I chose the Zen Gem Rose Quartz Crystal terrarium because i couldn't resist the pink but most importantly because of its meaning.

Rose Quartz known as the 'love stone' as the message it emits is the strong vibration of unconditional love, joy, warmth and healing.

This beautiful pink crystal has a powerful energy that resonates within both the heart chakra and the higher heart chakra, or thymus chakra, the area related to compassion.

This stone will also resonate out the love energy into its surrounds, and aid all those nearby, such as your nearest and dearest.

Not only will it assist you with healing yourself but its energy may bring faith and hope to all in the vicinity, and this energy is well known for its action to stimulate romance in your life(based on info from healing crystals for you).

It fits in perfectly with all the plant life and all the pink in the sunroom. It also makes a great addition to the coffee table.

Do you have any terrariums in your home?  I can't believe the week has almost ended! xx

Inspired by nature, Luludi Living art's misson is to be the nexus where nature meets art and design.  Luludi is the go-to living design source for the tri-state area and beyond. They also offer terrararium classes at their Astoria and Manhattan locations.

P.S. I was furnished the terrarium to review but all opinions expressed in said review are my own.

This Equals That Book Review and a DIY

I was recently asked to review the book titled, This Equals That, from the Aperture Foundation. This is is the foundation’s first children's photobook and is authored by Jason Fulford and Tamara Shopsin. Given my fascination with photography, I was immediately intrigued since the narrative employs a sequence of photographs to convey meaning.

This Equals That is aimed at children ages five and up. The book is also enjoyable for adults, well, I loved it. The pictures are vivid and appealing. I enjoyed discussing the relationships between photographs and Zion was happy to point out similarities in shapes and numbers.


We love this book because of the unorthodox method used to facilitate associative thinking in children while reinforcing colors, shapes, and numbers. As a visual person, I really enjoyed just simply looking at the pictures and admiring their beauty and artistry. Publish date is September 30th 2014, but you can preorder the book here and also save 23%(pre order price).

The DIY

Zion needed a table for his playroom since the one we had before broke. I bought the one pictured from the thrift store, lightly sanded and primed it. Then I spray painted it with a lovely green color from rustoleum(leftover from a prior project). In fact, I already had everything(except the table) at home for this diy.

A very fun and simple diy. I love the clean lines of the table and its new color. Also, the size is perfect as it won’t take up much space in the playroom. Have a fabulous day everyone! xx

P.S. I received the book mentioned above to review but the thoughts on said book are my own.

The Best Craft Cocktails and Bartending with Flair: A Review

Just in time for New Year’s Eve

I am a coffee and cocktail snob. I love a classy, sophisticated looking cocktail although ones behavior may be quite the opposite at the end of consumption( though we should always drink responsibly). I just love when things look pretty! This book overflows with hip, fresh, and modern takes on cocktail creations. It’s no surprise since both authors are trendsetters. One of the the authors, Christine Dionese is a co-founder of Garden Eats, a place to learn about organic kitchen gardening that provides easy and tasty ways to facilitate a healthier lifestyle. The other author, Jeremy LeBlanc is the head mixologist for the well known Altitude Sky Lounge.


A well dressed bartender with a winning smile greeted me as soon as I opened the book AND then I flipped a few pages ahead where I saw this:

Of course since I have almost all of these already here, I plan on actually giving this a test try tomorrow for a New Year’s Eve "shinding" that I’m hosting.

I’ve highlighted a couple of my faves from the book below. I am also really smitten with their presentation.

Shake, Shake Twist on page 25

Basil Julep(perfect for Kentucky Derby parties too), page 39

Mon Cheri Moscow Mule. A mixture of cherries, ginger, vodka in carbonated ginger beer has to taste divine! I am in love with the container too! Page 115

Pressed and Minted can only mean refreshing and earthy. I imagine this would be a go to cocktail especially in the Summer. Page 182.

In the book, a craft cocktail is defined as one that has been constructed with time and thoughtfulness, intended to imprint an unforgettable taste.  I am looking forward to impressing guests and leaving an unforgettable taste in their mouths. Heck, I want to leave an unforgettable taste in my mouth so I will be trying these even if I am not entertaining!  It’s definitely worth your perusal. It’s almost 2014!! How amazing is that!? Blessings and one love. xx

P.S. I was given the book to review but the thoughts, adjectives, and unique expressions are all my own.

Meet Kimberley: An Emiliemshop Review

I was recently contacted by the lovely folks at Emiliemshop.com to choose a bag that I like for a review. I usually am very picky about what I choose to review here, and only the best make the cut. When I went to their site however, I was in bag heaven! I was also very happy to see that their prices were affordable.


The Kimberley Compartment shoulder bag in Ivy Green caught my eyes. I’m loving on all things green right now. I was happy when I received the box and saw this beauty. It was even more pretty in person than on their site. The colour is a beautiful shade of green that actually would work well with almost any other colour in your wardrobe.

On the exterior, this Kimberley shoulder bag sports three zip compartments, two side pockets, and one front pocket. In addition to two cell phone pockets, an inside zip pocket, this beauty  has a leopard lining! Standing ovation please! 

adorned in my favourite colours

At $85, this bag is a great buy. For me, the size is a plus because I can fit diapers, wipes, juice, and some makeup inside( a necessity). If green isn’t your cup of tea, there are other colours and also different styles available on their site.

A big shout out to Lea of Lea Hartman Photography for snapping these pics! Happy Tuesday everyone! XX

*This post is sponsored by Emiliemshop, but the views expressed are my own.

Uncle Goose Big and Tall Blocks Review

Zion has an obsession with letters and numbers. Therefore, when I was asked to review these Uncle Goose Big and Tall blocks(soon to be on the market), I gave a resounding Yes because my immediate thought was “I’d love to see how Zion manipulates them.” There are 20 blocks in the set and 12 of them are double the height of a traditional block and the other 8 are of standard size.

The font isn’t traditional, but Zion was able to recognize all the letters and numbers with ease. The colours featured are orange, green and black. Of course, those colours would fit beautifully anywhere in our home, but it’s almost as if they were made just for our playroom. The colours are exact! They would add a lovely pop of colour in a home with a neutral palette.

Zion did a lot of stacking, sorting, and counting of the blocks.  Oh, did I mention that the blocks are light weight? That’s really a big deal because the other block toys that I have are so heavy that if one falls on your foot, one usually wants to yell an expletive or two. They hurt!  These Uncle Goose blocks thank goodness will not give rise to a potty mouth or a screaming toddler/baby if one accidentally falls on someone’s foot.

Other shining qualities in these blocks are that they are handcrafted from sustainable basswood sourced from the U.S. and the blocks are embossed with nontoxic inks.  So when Baby Ian takes a bite out of one of them(which is inevitable), I don’t have to worry about him consuming any harmful toxins. Also, I’m just thrilled that there aren’t any off gassing of harmful toxins in the air from these lovely blocks.

As an adult, besides being smitten with these Uncle Goose blocks because of their educational benefits and environmentally friendly appeal, I also really love their decorative appeal. I placed them on one of our bookshelves and they added such a great graphic punch to the bookcase. However, Zion immediately told me in no uncertain terms that they were his and he wanted to play with them some more. Anyway, the point is they would look really cool in an office or as a decorative item in your home. I think since there are such big pieces, I could take some of the blocks and place on a bookshelf and maybe Zion won’t notice they’re missing… Honestly I wasn't able to find any cons with these blocks. 

I absolutely love them and most importantly Zion hasn’t gotten bored with them yet and that is a very good thing! Many thanks to the folks at Uncle Goose Toys for giving me the opportunity to review such an awesome product. The kiddos definitely took over the blog this week, didn’t they? Happy weekend everyone! XX