Saturday, July 31, 2021

Saturday Shopping

Friday, July 30, 2021

A Special Story


This is just something little I thought I would share with you all because it is so special to me and I am soooo excited to wear it and there is a crazy story that goes along with it. I have been wearing this ring around the house ever since I got it back from the jeweler from being resized and engraved!

As my wedding approaches, I'm truly overjoyed but also sad at the same time that my grandpa won't' be there for my wedding day as well as my Grandma and Papap (my mom's parents). I feel so lucky to have been able to spend so much time with all of my grandparents throughout my life. They are all wonderful and great examples of what lifelong commitments to each other look like. I miss my grandpa, grandma, and papap each day. I am so fortunate to have my Grammie in good health- she is 95! She will, of course, be at our wedding and for that, I will be forever grateful. She is our only living grandparent on my side as well as my fiancé's side and she is the very best. 

My grandpa (my dad's dad and my grammie's husband) passed away in 2010. He worked in the jewelry industry. When he passed, my grammie started wearing his wedding band, which I think is so special. He had other wedding bands, though.... as a jeweler, you kind of end up having extras and backups. 

She gave me one of his gold bands. I cannot tell you how special the gold band is to me. It is beautiful and elegant in its simplicity and something I will have for the rest of my life and then end up passing down. It's truly a priceless heirloom. 

My fiancé and I got wedding bands for each other as couples do for their wedding. But I also had always wanted to wear a plain gold band at times. I love that Annie in Father of the Bride does this and I actually notice in a lot of Nancy Meyer's movies, her characters wear plain gold bands. I think it's understated and so classic and traditional. 

I had to get the ring resized, so I took it to the jeweler and I had 'Carver' engraved on the inside. I am choosing to change my name once married, which I am so excited about, but I also have a very deep connection and love for my current last name. I've been Sydney Carver for 31 years. I'm actually going to drop my current middle name and will be switching it to Carver because I just couldn't bring myself to get drop it entirely, hence my new monogram sSc. My grandfather's last name was Carver (obviously) so I just felt that this was the perfect way to honor my maiden name and keep it with me always. 


I actually had a Godwink moment when I was taking the ring to the jeweler, it was sitting in the cupholder right next to me as I was driving. I was driving under a small bridge. There was a bit of traffic that day so I was stopped there for probably 30 seconds. I noticed the letters WMC spraypainted on the top of the little bridge. There was no other spray paint/graffiti. Only WMC. Honestly, I got chills. WMC is my grandpa's (and dad's) initials. I truly felt like this was him giving his blessing...I know I sound a little crazy, but he was there. It was the craziest thing I've ever experienced. I'm honestly getting choked up even sharing that! I drove back there the other day to see if I was seeing things or if it was really there. Sure enough, it was there and I snapped a photo that time to show my family because I just could not believe it. 

I'm glad I thought to do the resizing and engraving all before our wedding, too, because we will have this ring with us so it can be blessed along with my official wedding band! 

Just something little I thought to share with you all that is very special to me. I love my family so incredibly much and there is nothing more important than that!

Thursday, July 29, 2021

Lately


Shop the Outfit:
Happy Thursday! We are nearing the weekend, yay! This past week was so busy, but all very fun! We had my favorite sushi takeout and we celebrated a family friend's birthday! 

Not a lot more to recap, but lots of snaps from this week so far! 

Wearing: This Sweater Tank is only $20 and not the highest of quality but I think it is so cute for the price. Adorable for pre-fall weather... aka sweltering hot but you can't wait for fall! It runs true to size. 

Eating: We got Little Tokyo takeout this weekend and it's so darn good. This is my favorite meal in all of Pittsburgh and I definitely think it is the best sushi in the city! 

Drinking: 2020 was the year I splurged on really nice red wines, and it seems like 2021 is the year I have been splurging on really nice champagnes. This one, I think, is my favorite of all time. It's actually rosé champagne but oh my goodness, it is a treat. I've also been working on our 'wine collection' and will buy a really nice bottle here and there. My parents have always had a little area in the basement as a 'wine cellar' type thing and I love that! They always have the appropriate bottle on hand for any occasion that arises! 

Reading: My grammie just read The Rose Code. It is by the same woman who wrote The Alice Network and she said it was wonderful so I think I am going to add that to my Kindle for when we are at the lake! 

Sale: This necklace is giving me total 80's vibes (kind of like a vintage Kenneth Jay Lane look), but I WANT! It's a little pricey for costume jewelry (even on sale) but I just think it's gorgeous and would look fabulous with a simple crew or boat neckline! I do think even though it skews a bit 80s/90s, it is also timeless in its own right if you style it simply. 

Watching:
 Have you guys seen Doctor Death? It's on the Peacock streaming service... it's free, you just have to make an account. We started it and are liking it so far- not the best we have ever seen but enough to keep us entertained... it's a little hard to follow so you have to pay attention! 
Ann Mashburn buckle shoes
Loving: These shoes have been on my mind for months. They have been out of stock in my size but just popped back in stock this week in my size. I ordered them and they are supposed to arrive today. I am anxiously awaiting them!!! 

Loving II:  Saw these little bud vases in Target the other day and they were so cute. A nice thing to have on hand for a Tablescape. A few on either side of a centerpiece would look beautiful! Only $5! 
Wanting: This is the red, white, and blue pre-fall dress of my dreams. 

Pittsburgh: Summer with the Symphony at Hartwood Acres sounds so lovely! There is a Sinatra one on 7/13 and 7/14. I am so sad we can't make that one- or any of them! But check them out if you have a free Friday or Saturday coming up! 

Traveling: Can't wait to head to the lake so soon! 
Quoting: See more of my favorites, here.

Wednesday, July 28, 2021

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Public Access




Happy Nordstrom Anniversary Sale open access to all! If you are new here, I've done a few posts about the sale you can find here:


Today's my last Anniversary Sale post- I'm sure some of you are done hearing about it, ha!! But really, a lot is already sold out and I didn't think much of it this year, so this post will be quite brief! 

I ended up only ordering 3 things (cardigan, jacket, vest). When my window to shop opened up on 7/16, a lot was already sold out including the faux leather pants that I was interested in. 

This Coat has a navy puffer-style body and the sleeves and collar are a thick black knit. It appealed to me because I felt like it had a Moncler vibe for a fraction of the cost. Moncler does a lot of jackets that are puffer and knit and I think that's a pretty look. This is not for frigid temperatures but it was much warmer than I was expecting. It's also really nicely made for the price. A high-quality jacket. It's also packable so it's the perfect thing for winter travel. I'm honestly surprised more people are not talking about this coat. 

It runs true to size. I am wearing a size small. Sometimes, in winter coats, I size up to a medium because I like there to be plenty of room for a thick sweater. However, this size small is plenty roomy for a thick sweater so I would not suggest sizing up! If you live in a warmer climate and don't need to wear a heavy sweater and a coat, I suggest sizing down for a snugger fit.

This cardigan is really nice quality. It is thick and well-made. It's heavy so it is definitely more for the colder months. It runs roomy, so if between sizes, size down. The 'white' part of the sweater is much more of warm cream in person rather than a bright white as it's showing in the photo. 


This vest is navy blue and it's a deep blue. It is faux fur on the front and then a nylon-type material on the back (which looks sportier). but the faux fur goes all the way around at the collar. It zips down the front, has 2 pockets and then zips on either side to give more room if you need it. I would say this runs true to size and if anything, size down. 

The description on the site says 'hooded', but even on the model photo, you don't see a hood. I was hoping there would be no hood. I was pleasantly surprised to see that was the case when it arrived! This is a heavy vest so it will really only work in pretty cold weather. Might even be a good substitution for a coat if you live in a milder winter climate. 

If you all loved the faux fur vest I constantly post about (sold out currently, but I always keep an eye for it to pop back up during the colder months and share if it does) this is something that I would say is pretty darn similar. It's almost as soft as the one I have, it has an a-line shape to it and a big collar. I would say this one skews a touch more casual than the other one I have as the nylon-style back is just not as dressy looking. Otherwise, they really are super similar.

Tuesday, July 27, 2021

Hotel Welcome Bags for Wedding




We are in the home stretch of wedding planning doing all of the 'little things' on our checklists. It's definitely time-consuming so if you've seen a lack of me over on Instagram stories, it's because I have been QUITE distracted with so many things to take care of! 

Anyway, last week I started brainstorming and putting together mockups of what our welcome bags might entail before I actually needed to fully execute it all for the wedding. I wanted them to be small and simple and not cost a fortune! We have custom-made welcome tags and itineraries, but for the time being, I wanted to see what color tissue paper, what color bag, what to fit in them, etc. I was glad I did this with enough time to change things around because I did make some edits after this! I can share the final product with you all after our wedding if that is something you are interested in. 

Today I am sharing that mockup with you all. We will end up tweaking some things here and there for our actual club guests, but this gave me a really good starting off point!

I love my Walmart+ membership. I have been using it for over 6 months now. So today I'm partnering with Walmart on this post because I was able to order everything I needed to put inside our welcome bags from Walmart using my Walmart+ membership. It's $98/year and you can sign up for a free 15-day trial before committing. You can also select a monthly plan for $12.95/month. With the one-year option, rather than the monthly option, you save $57.40/year in membership fees.

If you have ordered grocery delivery in the past then you know these services usually come with a delivery fee. If you place two orders for free delivery from your store ($35 minimum, restrictions apply) each month the membership pays for itself every month (based on the $7.95 non-member delivery fee). Membership benefits of Walmart+ are dependent on location, so check out their site to see what benefits are in your area!

Besides groceries, Walmart+ has the benefit of Walmart+ free shipping from Walmart.com with no order minimum (excludes freight & Marketplace items).

Delivery and shipping from Walmart+ has been quick and reliable. Specifically for this, it was so nice to be able to create a list of everything I needed for these welcome bags and then be able to check each item off of my list once I added it to my cart. 

My Walmart+ membership has truly been a lifesaver throughout planning our wedding! After doing this welcome bag mockup- I realized I probably needed one more item to fill the bag and needed more pretzels than I thought to buy. My new last name will be Snyder so I definitely thought the 'Snyder' brand pretzels would be fun to have in there! 

I also MIGHT have started to dig into the Pub Mix on my own... so I had to order a whole lot more of that, too, ha!! 

When I realized what other stuff I would need, I was able to easily add that to my Walmart grocery cart and have it delivered with Walmart+! It's one less trip I have to make and as crazu busy as I am at this time, that's SUPER helpful to me. 

Thank you to Walmart for sponsoring this post, all opinions are my own! 

Monday, July 26, 2021

The Elements of A Comfortable Bed

The Elements of A Comfortable Bed

The Elements of A Comfortable Bed

The Elements of A Comfortable Bed

The Elements of A Comfortable Bed

The Elements of A Comfortable Bed

The Elements of A Comfortable Bed
Euro Pillow Inserts (not pictured)// Euro Pillow Shams (not pictured)
Mattress Foundation (aka bed frame, but no need for boxspring)// Headboard Brackets
Headboard (fabric is Allie Sky and has since been discontinued) 
My Pillow Insert (stomach sleeper)// My Fiancé's pillow insert (back sleeper)

I did a post like this a few years ago, right when I moved into this house. I have since changed things up slightly and thought I would share exactly what we have on our bed as I know this was requested quite a bit lately! 

I am someone that fully believes in creating an incredible bed. A nice mattress, incredible sheets, fluffy pillows, etc. We spend so much time in bed. A quick Google search tells me we spend 26 years actually sleeping and 7 years trying to fall asleep so like 33 years in bed. Wow. 

I am also a sleep-lover. I am lucky in that I don't have sleep issues or trouble falling asleep. I love to get many hours of sleep as possible and sleep in on the weekends! 

So my bed is my haven and I treat it as such. You all know I love blue and white but I did try to keep the busy-ness to a minimum in our bedroom since I wanted something soft and peaceful. I think the headboard is the perfect accent and adds enough color and vibrancy to an otherwise, muted room. I always do white bedding. With a dog, it's the easiest thing to keep clean because I can bleach anything if need be. 

I also change my sheets 2x per week. I think I've shared this before, but I was straight-up scarred during my freshman year orientation at JMU. We went to this presentation which was all about campus life and one of the slides was about what happens if you don't wash your bedding. All I have to say is ew ew ew. From that day on, I literally have changed my sheets at minimum weekly but it's definitely more like every 3-4 days. Same with bath towels... I wash them like every 2 showers. It's a lot of wear to the fabric, regardless of how nice the quality is, so I make sure to have several backup sheet sets and towels so they can be rotated. I think the motivation for this also lies in the fact that I truly think there is nothing more wonderful than getting into bed at night and the sheets being fresh or stepping out of the shower and grabbing a fresh towel. 

Also, having our washer/dryer right next to our bedroom is literally the best thing ever. It was like that in my apartment, too. Amazing and a huge game-changer. We live in a new construction home, and main floor or upstairs washer/dryers are common in newer homes, and obviously, my apartment was one floor. However, Pittsburgh has a lot of older homes and it is very common for the laundry to be down in the basement (along with a lone Pittsburgh toilet... HAH! if you know, you know). My parents have laundry in the basement. I love older homes and whenever my fiancé and I talk about potentially moving (in years to come), I always comment about how I am not sure I could ever do basement laundry again. Truly, our laundry being next to our bedroom is the greatest luxury of all time for me. 

Anyway, that was quite the tangent, back to our bedding... I LOVE everything about our bed. It's seriously the most comfortable and even when I stay at the most luxurious hotels, I am always so glad to be back in our own bed. 

So here's the rundown...

I did an Instagram campaign with Boll and Branch, so while this is not sponsored, I was gifted the linens for the sponsored Instagram campaign. They also gave me a code that is good until the end of this month, so if you are interested, definitely take advantage (I don't get anything from you all using the code, just a nice perk!).  The code is SUMMERW15 and you'll get 15% off. 

These Boll and Branch linens are truly the real deal and completely worth the hype you see all over Instagram. After I got them gifted to me for my bed, I ordered some for my parents to try out because they're that good. They also come beautifully packaged so it's a nice-looking gift, too. They are soft, crisp and somehow they don't wrinkle as much as my other linens do. They're 100% organic cotton. I'm really picky about the fabrics I use for bedding and it always has to be fully cotton! 

Also, I always get questions about our Leesa mattress. It's one of those mattresses that ships in a box. I had one for my apartment (which the company is now out of business) and it was the greatest thing ever. My apartment bed is now our guest bedroom bed so we needed a king mattress when we moved into this house. Let me tell you, this mattress is the BEST. It is beyond comfortable. Truly could not recommend this more. 

We use a mattress pad overtop as that typically extends the life of a mattress. I searched high and low and did a lot of research about mattress pads. Some can get really pricey and some are just garbage made of so many synthetic materials. The one I found was affordable and 100% cotton and so incredibly soft and comfortable. It is extending the life of our mattress but also adding even more comfort to our bed (which I didn't think was possible). 

These pillows are what my fiancé prefers to sleep with. He sleeps on his back and I sleep on my stomach, so I need a different pillow. However, I will say these pillows are amazing as pillow inserts for shams if you want the pillow to look really nice and full! They are really nice pillows, especially for the price, but just not for me for sleeping. 

Saturday, July 24, 2021

Saturday Shopping

Friday, July 23, 2021

Pupdate

australian cattle dog blue heeler

australian cattle dog blue heeler

australian cattle dog blue heeler

australian cattle dog blue heeler

I haven't done a Henry post in quite a bit! I love to update you all about Henry because I love him soooo much! But also, to remind you all to adopt a pup if you are able to! They are so rewarding and if you believe you are capable of caring for a pup, this is your sign to go for it!!! 

We have now had Henry for about 3.5 years, so we think he's like 5 and a half. I cannot believe it!!!!

A New 'Trick'
This is new within the last 6-months and I think it's the best thing EVER. Ever since we moved into our house, Henry would occasionally look out of the window from the house when we are driving away down the street. A lot of our windows go almost to the floor so Henry always has a great view and loves to look out. Recently, though, we accidentally taught him 'go look out the window'. So when we leave we tell him to go look out and he does. Seeing his little face from the window is the cutest thing ever and breaks my heart a little every time because he loves going places! It's so funny when Buddy is over and we are leaving them both and they are both peeking out watching us!  

Buddy
Buddy is my parent's dog. They got him in early May and at first, it was truly questionable if they would be friends. Henry is obsessed with my parents. He spends a ton of time with them and they watch him when we are out of town. I think Henry definitely felt protective and territorial of my parents when Buddy was new. I could also totally tell he was jealous, so we really tried to get Henry used to Buddy by lots of exposure and now they are great friends! Phew. We are going to the lake in a few weeks and I'm truly so excited to see Buddy enjoy the lake but also see Bean (my sister's dog) and Buddy and Henry all together!

My cousins had this toy at their house for their dog. Henry was at their house and started playing with it and seriously played with it on his own for a solid 20 minutes. I ordered it on the spot and I have never seen him love a toy so much. I've also never seen anything occupy him for so long. I also love that it is rubber so it is gentler to his teeth. 

Nylabones
We have stopped buying Henry nylabones and all of those hard chew toys. We have heard one too many stories of dogs breaking their teeth on them. So we have started to get softer items like the toy I mentioned above. He loves nylabones and we have not had any issues with him with them, but I'm just a worry wort and would rather be safe than sorry!

Fireworks and Thunder
So we learned early on that Henry does not like fireworks or thunder. We've had a lot of thunderstorms lately and I've been surprised that the thunder does not seem to bother him as much as it used to. He's still bothered by it, but oh my gosh, fireworks are on another level. We always stay at home with him during the 4th of July fireworks to make sure he is OK. Luckily, we can see the 4th of July fireworks from our living room windows so we didn't have to miss them. But for days after 4th of July, Henry would be really afraid/apprehensive to go outside once it got dark. He got over it eventually but I always feel so bad because he is just so so afraid! 

Thursday, July 22, 2021

Lately

I felt a little 'off of my schedule' this week because I had to move things all around to make it all work... kept things interesting that is for sure, but sometimes you have to do that! 

I'm trying to work ahead on a lot of stuff so I am able to take some vacation time come August so it's been a lot of behind-the-scenes computer work and all of that! 

This past weekend my sister came home for my dad's birthday! We had a fun dinner out on Saturday at Pusadee's Garden and then Sunday we had a little family party at my parent's house with key lime pie and chocolate cake. Yum!! 

I also ended up getting a massage which is a first. I love massages but usually only get them when I am on a trip at a hotel. I don't know if I have ever gotten one in Pittsburgh before. I didn't know where to go so I just Googled 'massages' to find a spot and ended up going to Hand and Stone. It's similar to Massage Envy in that it is a chain with membership options. It was actually a really great massage; I was impressed. I think a massage depends on who you have as your masseuse as well as the location but I enjoyed it so much I already made an appointment to go back. It's definitely not luxury resort level in terms of atmosphere and amenities but for a massage, it was really affordable- only $60 and I feel it was well worth that if not more! Check it out if you have one in your area. I had never heard of it before I went and kind of just took a chance! 

Wearing: I have not worn anything presentable Monday through today. Since I've ben doing so much computer work and all of that, I've just been doing the bare minimum in terms of getting ready each day. You all wanted to know where my dress was from from my Wren home announcement and I will link that for you. It is so cute! 

Drinking: When we were out to dinner this past weekend, we got a bottle of white wine on the left. I am not a huge white wine person, but this was truly wonderful. I went to Wine and Spirits to get a bottle for a dinner we have this weekend and of course, in PA they only sell it to people with a liquor license. So, if you are out of PA, find this wine and buy some because it's so delicious. It's dry but very flavorful and so refreshing. The bottle on the right is what a guy at the state store told me to get instead. He said it will be pretty similar, so I'll report back! 

Sale: I can't believe this cashmere dress is marked down to $108. I am picturing this with a faux fur vest and booties come fall. I ordered it but I've noticed a lot of delays in shippig. So I'll review it when I get it but if you really want it, I'd try it now as it might be sold out before I can review it. It's free shipping and returns. Love these flat sandals currently on sale! Also, Club Monaco's sale keeps getting better and better! It's up to 60% off and an extra 10% off with code ENDOFSEASON. 

Loving: We got the white wine version of our red wine glasses that we love. I am not a huge white wine drinker but it's nice to have these on hand for guests! I did have some rosé with my mom when she was over last night to test them out. The shape is a little more modern than I typically skew but I just love them. They are elegant and simple! 
Wanting: Oh my gosh THIS COAT!!! Very interested to try these jeans

Pittsburgh: Like I mentioned above we went to Pusadee's Garden this past weekend. For those of you in Pittsburgh you've probably been before but maybe not since they have reopened with their entirely renovated space. It's like a completely different restaurant in terms of vibe and menu but I give it a 10/10. Might be one of the coolest/best restaurants I've been to in Pittsburgh ever. It is hard to get a reservation. I suggest making one exactly one month in advance... honestly it's a little elusive... borderline like the Polo Bar in NYC in terms of getting in, but exactly one month is the trick. The only thing that I thought was odd is that they were not making use of the entire restaurant. Lots of tables free but all the reservations were booked. I can only think they must be having trouble getting help. 

Smelling:  I got a deluxe sample of this hand cream in one of my orders and oh my gosh... it's one of the best things I have ever smelled. I have absolutely no idea how to put the scent into words... I had my fiancé smell it and he loved it too. It's unlike anything I have ever smelled before. It also works wonderfully and really hydrates my hands. The only thing that is annoying about it is that it doesn't come in a tube or something lighterweight that is easy to tote aroumd. It is beautifully pacakaged in a glass tub. I don't love tubs because I just never think that is sanitary, but also because the glass is heavy in a handbag. Anyway, it's amazing, but wish it came in a tube!! 

Quoting: 'Talk about your blessings more than you talk about your problems' // See more of my favorites, here.

Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Amazon Finds

Shop the Items:
I have been meaning to share these Amazon finds with you all for a while now as they are items I've had since the beginning of the summer and have turned into some of my favorite things. The best part is that they are all affordable. 

If you ever want to see anything else I find on Amazon, I have a page on Amazon's site that I add to here and there! 

I'm really not a huge Amazon shopper when it comes to clothing as I often feel like there is just WAY too much to weed through. However, I have gotten really lucky lately with some of these finds. They're all of nice quality and work within my own personal style without feeling too trendy or looking too 'cheapy'. 


Ok this might be my most favorite Amazon find in terms of clothing ever. This dress is SO classic and SO nice. Like truly if you took the tag out of it and told me it was J.Crew or Ralph Lauren, I would believe it. It has a cute bateau neckline and a pretty placket of brass-like buttons down the back. There is really nothing cheap about it. The stripes line up at the seams and it's the most flattering dress. It's not cut straight like a shift, it has a little more shape to it which I find to be more flattering than a typical a-line shape. My mom also has this dress and loves it just as I do. The fabric is beyond soft and doesn't shrink in the dryer. It runs true to size. 
My mom actually found this and I was honestly skeptical at first before I got it in the mail. As soon as I opened it, I knew it was perfect. It's somewhat sheer and so breezy feeling. I love the print and colors, it is the perfect thing to throw on over your swimsuit. They now have a blue printed one that I love and want! I own much pricier coverups, but I feel like I always reach for my less expensive ones because I'm always covered in sunscreen, sweaty, chlorine or saltwater/sand and I don't want to ruin anything!
These are SUCH a good find. The top is a jersey-type cotton and the bottoms are a more poplin type of cotton. Both are soft and high quality feeling. I sized up to a medium but think a small, which is my true size, would have been just fine. I like pajamas roomy so I often size up... the shirt was honestly fine, but the medium shorts are a little big, but I don't mind! I think this is a great option if you want to do matching pajamas for a holiday or vacation or even for bridesmaids... you could get the shorts monogrammed! 


This was kind of random. I was searching for pearl cocktail picks (LOL) and this popped up as recommended for me. I ordered it on a whim and it's so cute. It looks a bit cheapy looking off of my head, but once on, it looks so nice. It also looks dressy so I will likely wear it for dressier nights out when I want my hair out of my face! Also a fun accesorie for a bride-to-be!
I got these on Amazon Prime Day and honestly, I am not super into the whole biker short trend. So I wanted to pay minmal for something like this because I didn't really think that I would love them. I actually bought them specifically to wear with this Sloppy Joe's sweatshirt... apparently Princess Diana used to wear this pullover brand often. I really love the sweatshirt- it is definitely huge but in the best lounge-around-the-house kind of way. I wear it all of the time now. Anyway, it's longer so I couldn't really wear it with athletic shorts because they would be too short. So the biker shorts really make sense with something like this for the summer months until I start wearing leggings agin. I got a size small and would say they are true to size. I would not work out in these but they are comfortable and just fine for the price. I don't think I will actually wear them with anything other than this pullover, so the price was definitely right. 
This was another Prime Day purchse. I liked the look of them and they were sooo inexpensive so I figured why not. They're definitely not the nicest or highest quality by anyone's standards, but they don't look cheap when they are on and they are really nice and lightweight so there are no headaches. The lenses are good, too. I have since bought a second pair to keep in my car! 

Tuesday, July 20, 2021

WREN Home x Sydney Carver

Wren Home x Sydney Carver

Wren Home x Sydney Carver

Wren Home x Sydney Carver

Wren Home x Sydney Carver

Wren Home x Sydney Carver

Wren Home x Sydney Carver

Wren Home x Sydney Carver

Wren Home x Sydney Carver

Wren Home x Sydney Carver

Wren Home x Sydney Carver

Wren Home x Sydney Carver

Wren Home x Sydney Carver

Products in my Curation:
Discount Code: SYDNEY20 for 20% off! 

Today I have some really fun news! I partnered with homeware brand, WREN, to curate items into a mini collection of four pieces from the WREN brand: Medium Sapele Nautical BoardMedium Maple Nautical Board, Glass Champagne Flutes, and John Boos Medium Maple Board 

Hosting friends and family is one of my greatest pleasures in life and WREN creates high-quality, personalized products to do just that! I enjoyed working with their team to choose 2 monogram/initial designs and one font for these pieces as I’m very much a believer that everything is better with a good monogram! 

I chose classic, timeless personalization options because whether you are gifting an item to a loved one or purchasing something for yourself, it will be a piece to love for many years to come. 

You'll see with the personalization options you have three choices:
- An elegant script
- A single initial with wreath 
- Fishtail which you can do in both a single initial or a monogram 

For the script, I was inspired by luxury hotels that always seem to have a beautiful script as their logo. The single initial was something I wanted as I feel like that's nice and simple but the wreath 'dresses it up', adds a bit of whimsy, and can feel festive. And lastly, I love love love a fishtail monogram. I think it's classic with a bit of modern flair. I have a lot of items in our home with a fishtail-style monogram and this was the first one that came to mind when they asked me what types of fonts and monograms I was interested in! 

WREN also just launched a monogram preview feature on their website so you are able to preview what your initials will look like before you buy.

I first discovered the WREN brand last year when they sent me a nautical board. I didn't know what to expect but when I got the board I was blown away. The quality is just beautiful. I have had that board leaning against our kitchen backsplash since the day I got it and love to use it for entertaining. I always get complimented on it when people see it in our kitchen! 

WREN keeps sustainability top of mind. They offer products that are FSC certified, GreenGuard certified, created by NHLA Members, and made with recycled materials. You can read more about what each certification means, here. WREN also partners with factories in the USA that treat their workers well to ensure that their products feel as good to buy as they do to use.

The items I curated are the type of products that are perfect as a housewarming or wedding gift or even to treat yourself! We are personally in a season of life where many of our friends are getting engaged, married, and buying homes, so I curated these items with that in mind! 

I also think that the nautical boards make a great beach/lake host gift or a holiday/birthday gift for someone who owns a boat! 

I'm taking the 3 boards with me down to Georgia in early August because I think it's the perfect spot for these hosting items. We are always having happy hour complete with meat and cheese with a big group of people.

The WREN team gave me a discount you can all use for 20% off of your purchase. Use code SYDNEY20 at checkout! I hope you all enjoy WREN as much as I do- this was such a fun collaboration to work on!
 

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