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Home, Home Decor

My Favorite Cottage Style Backyard Patio Decor for Summer + Memorial Day Sales Galore!

This summer may look slightly different than the last, but there’s one activity that will remain unchanged in our household and that’s a good backyard hang sesh! Whether it’s lounging […]

Home, Home Decor

My Favorite Cottage Style Summer Entertaining Ideas & Decor + Memorial Day Sales Galore

I feel like the name of the game when it comes to cottage style decor in the summer is outdoor entertaining. Am I right? When I think of the cottage […]

Unique Homes in Arcadia Phoenix AZ tour featured by top Phoenix blogger, Love and Specs

Arcadia Neighborhood Home Tours, Home

Unique Homes (And Cute Corners) in Arcadia Phoenix AZ – Part 3

The spring Arcadia neighborhood tour is finally here, and oh what a charmfest do I have for you today, my friends! Today’s virtual home tour of this little slice of heaven here in Phoenix, Arizona, appropriately called Arcadia, is full of flower-lined walkways, colorful front doors, charming cottage and farmhouse details galore and so much dream home design inspiration my heart may explode with happiness. So step inside and feast your eyes.

Home, Home Decor

Sunny Cottage Style Summer Decor Ideas to Love

Those summer scenes we daydream about during the winter months may look a little bit different this year, but the arrival of the punchy, peppy summer decor I love so much is giving me seriously happy summer feels from behind my keyboard! I’m sharing tons of my favorite cottage style summer decor finds and ideas from around the web in hopes that it might inspire some fun summer decor daydreams of your own or just inject a little summer sunshine into your day!

Beauty + Grooming, Holiday Favorites, Home, Home Decor, Lifestyle

14 Game-Changing Products I’ve Fallen in Love With at Home That Make Genius Mother’s Day Gift Ideas!

After hunkering down at home over the last month and a half or so, I’ve made some revelations, friends. Home revelations, garment revelations, cleaning revelations, life revelations & it’s made what’s essential, what’s useful, what works and what just downright makes our lives at home easier and more comfortable so much more clear, so I thought it would be really fun to take a different approach to Mother’s Day gifting & use what I’ve discovered to guide my Mother’s Day gift ideas! Gone are the tchotchkes of old & in are the unique things that make mom’s life easier or better in some meaningful or useful way! I’m going into detail about why each product has been such a game-changer in my life at home over the last month or so in hopes that something in there speaks to the mom in your life or… even just to you. Because treating yourself is always appropriate.

DIY, Furniture Makeovers, Home

DIY Home Decor Tutorial: Another Fresh, Fun Painted Furniture – How To Paint a Console Table

I warned you that no piece of furniture in our house was safe from my paint brush, and apparently I wasn’t kidding! Today I’m walking you through yet another fresh, fun DIY painted furniture how to via a beat up old Craigslist console table that was in serious need of a Cinderella-style makeover. Plus, I’m talking all about my anxiety when it comes to choosing the perfect paint color and how this project helped me find a new cottage-perfect paint color I absolutely love!

DIY, Furniture Makeovers, Home, Room Makeovers, Tour Our Cottage Style Home

DIY IKEA Hemnes Coffee Table and Media Console Hack

We haven’t done an IKEA hack in a while, and definitely didn’t intend to do another one any time soon, but thanks to a inspecting every inch of our house for weeks on end now, no piece of furniture in our home right is safe from my paint brush! So today we’re sharing a super easy IKEA coffee table and media console hack with a DIY furniture makeover tutorial that can be applied to upgrading any old, beat up piece of furniture around your house.

Spring Zoom backgrounds by top Us lifestyle blogger, Love and Specs

Cute Backgrounds & Wallpapers, Lifestyle

Our Cute & Free Spring Zoom Backgrounds, Phone Wallpapers, Desktop Backgrounds

They’re HERE! Our fresh, new, super cute and totally free spring phone wallpapers and Zoom backgrounds are here and we hope the pretty pastel color palette and playful floral designs put a smile on your face while you’re staying safe at home or connecting virtually with friends, co-workers and loved ones

Book Reviews, Lifestyle

The Thunder Point Series: An Endlessly Fun Quarantine Activity!

Looking for the perfect escape during your time at home in quarantine? Look no further than the seriously fun, funny, deliciously romantic world of Thunder Point, a 9-book series by the same author that brought us all the beloved Virgin River book series that inspired the Netflix show of the same name! I absolutely loved getting lost in all of the happenings inside the tiny coastal Oregon town of Thunder Point, and today I’m breaking down everything you need to know about the lovable book series, including what you’ll find inside the pages, which of the 9 books were my favorite, where you can buy them right now and more!

DIY, DIY Favorites, Home, Room Makeovers

Stuck At Home? Easy Home Improvement Projects: Cleaning & Organizing Checklist That Will Make Your Home Shine Like New!

Today we’re not only sharing the ultimate, ultra satisfying home improvement and deep cleaning task checklist to help make your house sparkle like new without having to spend a bunch of cash, but we’re also talking you through the easiest, most effective methods and totally accessible supplies you’ll need for tackling each task like a pro.

cleancult review featured by top Phoenix lifestyle blog, Love & Specs

DIY, DIY Favorites, Home

How We Transitioned to a Simple, Effective Green Cleaning Routine with cleancult®

Cleaning products and safe, thorough cleaning practices are top of mind for almost everyone right now due to current events, and now that we’re hunkering down at home, those topics have never had more of my attention, which I’m sure is true for so many of you, too. Which is why we thought it would be the perfect time to share our new safe, simple, effective green cleaning routine with cleancult® that’s allowed us to finally transition to cleaning supplies that we can feel good about using in our home. This is a brand we’ve genuinely fallen so in love with after putting their products to the test in our home, and we think you’re going to love them, too!

Home, Home Decor

The Best Flush Mount and Semi Flush Mount Lights for Small Spaces

Today we’re talking about lighting, and not just any lighting! Specifically, the lighting category that was made for cute, cozy homes with small spaces, low ceilings and hallways galore – flush mount and semi flush mount ceiling lights! We’re sharing the new, super cool flush mount lights we installed in our office, what we learned in our hunt for the perfect flush mount and all of the affordable flush mount and semi flush mount lights we found and loved along the way!

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Maryal Miller Carter

loveandspecs

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Happy holidays from our crazy little fam to yours! The joy and excitement radiating off our two (not so) little tornadoes this month has been nothing short of amazing. I could have never in my wildest dreams imagined just how fun and hilarious this season of life would be. 🥰
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Charm for days! The Arcadia Cottage is officially ready for her next lucky family. Come take a look inside the house that feels like magic!✨#arcadiaaz #phoenixrealestate
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I'm just collecting Valentines left and right these days 💘🥰 Love these cuties of mine today and every day. Here's to the silliest, but arguably the most frivolously fun holiday there is!
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On the blog today, step inside Tilly’s magical nursery that includes two very special pieces we absolutely love from @davincibabyusa. 

One thing that’s surprised me about motherhood is how attached I’d grow to my babies’ nurseries. I underestimated not only how much time I’d spend in these spaces, but how many special memories they’d hold. When Emmet grew into his big boy room & we started to reimagine his nursery for Tilly, I thought there was no way I could ever replicate the magic. Now that it’s complete, I love Tilly’s space even more than I could have ever dreamed!

Tilly’s nursery is a blend of high & low, old & new. Cherished family treasures from my childhood & fresh additions like the charming DaVinci “Beau” crib & “Charlie” dresser, that will set the stage for countless special memories we make for years to come. DaVinci’s commitment to quality and affordability ensures that their products not only last, but also offer maximum style and function without breaking the bank, which made choosing them for Tilly’s two nursery essentials - the crib & dresser - a no-brainer. In a tiny nursery, form meets function is where the real magic happens. ✨ #davincibaby #davincibabystyle #babygirl #babyroom #babyroomdecor
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Step inside Tilly’s magical nursery that includes two very special pieces we absolutely love from @davincibabyusa. ✨

Tilly’s nursery is a blend of high & low, old & new. Cherished family treasures from my childhood & fresh additions like the charming DaVinci “Beau” crib & “Charlie” dresser, that will set the stage for the countless special memories for years to come. In a tiny nursery I’ve realized that form meets function is my sweet spot, so this time I knew I was looking for a mix of pieces that were cheerful, safe, stylish, timeless & durable enough to grow alongside Tilly. 

After having a DaVinci crib for Emmet that’s as beautiful and versatile today as it was the day he was born 2.5 years ago, I knew exactly where to look for the two most important essentials for Tilly’s nursery. DaVinci’s commitment to quality and affordability ensures that their products not only last, but also offer maximum style and function without breaking the bank.

You can find all the decor sources and design details for everything you see in Tilly’s nursery (including those magical art pieces) at the link in my bio! #davincibaby #davincibabystyle #nursery #babyroom #babygirl #babyroomdecor
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I still can’t believe she’s here and she’s all ours @olcartier ! Theophilia “Tilly” James, may you have your mom’s spunk & your dad’s level head. That should keep you sticking to only the good kinda trouble 😉 Let this be your sign that the baby-in-a-bucket photos are absolutely equal parts ridiculous & adorable & 100% worth the effort it takes to drag everyone out of the house 1 week postpartum 🥰 @taq.photography.llc I love you to the moon for always filling these first months with so much joy! #newbornphotography #babygirl #babyphotography #momlife #cottagestyle

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