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baskets & containers -storage organizers – new favorites from Ikea!

baskets and storage container organizers - new favorite items from Ikea

I have recently discovered the Clutterbugs styles of organization.  I have to say I am a lady bug.    Visual simplicity and fast is a must for me as a toddler mom.  I day dream about finding the perfect way to store things.  😉

I have been living in my new home since the end of March.  I have been trying to find the perfect storage or a cabinet system for shoes, my son’s closet, and cans.  I recently went to Ikea and found these items which I love. 

baskets and storage container organizers - new favorite items from Ikea

Click here if you would like to watch my quick video review!

 

  1. Can storage baskets & storage organizers - new favorites from ikea

I actually first used this in my bathroom at my old house for storage.  My old house did not have a lot of counter space in the bathroom and I didn’t like things looking smooshed all together.  This was a great solution for that.

Now it’s a great solution for my cans.  There are 4 shelves and each shelf can hold 6 cans plus another stack of 6 on top.  So a total of 12 cans.  It fits perfectly in my pantry.  I think this could easily be used in almost any room for different storage ideas – art supplies, books/toys, movies,  & toiletries.  Click here for the shelf unit. 

2. Kuggis Box with lid.

baskets & storage organizers - new favorites from ikea

My husband spotted these and I love them.  They are actually a pretty big size box.  Click here to look at the link for this box. 

I am using these in my son’s closet.  One thing nice about these boxes is they have a flat lid, so the are perfect to stack on top of each other.  I use mine in my son’s closet to store old baby items (nursing cover, hats, nail clippers), and some old clothes I’d like to keep.  

I think these boxes would work great for storing papers, office supplies, shoes, or under the bed storage!  They also seem super easy to wipe clean.

3. Gabbig baskets. 

baskets & storage organizers - new favorites from ikea

I am starting to become a bit of a basket lover.  These Ikea baskets were some of the cheapest baskets I could find.  I love the rich brown color.  

I wanted to provide some visual simplicity on my shelving unit in my family room.  Before the baskets there were so many different types of things just sitting on the shelves.  Now I have a basket just for my husbands tools, my son’s educational supplies, electronics, binders, and cookbooks.

Click here for a link to the basket.  I plan to buy more of these in the future, if they still have them.  The website does say “last chance to buy.”

4. Trones Shoe Storage

baskets & storage organizers - new favorites from ikea

We have a shoe problem at my house.  My husband has work shoes, mowing shoes, church shoes, and errand shoes.  I also have several types of shoes, but I tend to be able to put my shoes up. 😉 

My husband wanted to try this in the garage for his shoes and we both love it.  It actually goes well with the wall and isn’t big and bulky.  I was surprised by the small tray it provided on top, perfect for sunglasses or keys.  Click here for link to the Trones shoe storage. 

I would highly recommend this product.  Click to watch the video for more detail on how we installed it.  

I am so happy with all my new storage solutions.  If you have any Ikea favorites please leave ideas in the comments.  I hope these can help any other lady buggers searching for some perfect baskets and containers!.  😉

Happy Friyay!

-Gracefully Fashionable Britt

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Do 2 year olds NEED A “Birthday Party”? How I planned a party for my toddler.

Do 2 year olds NEED A “Birthday Party”? How I planned a small party for my 2 year old.

What even is birthday party requirements?  Balloons, cake, lots of other food options, presents, goodie bags for the guests, matching decor, matching plates, matching cups….

As it got close to my son’s second birthday, I started to research different ideas.  I came across the idea that challenged me. 

Does a two year old really NEED a birthday party?

When our children are two, they most likely will not remember the party.  They don’t really understand choices or have favorites they can tell you about. 

This really got me thinking into what is IMPORTANT to have at a birthday party.  And the truth is really all that is needed at a party is fun, love, and maybe some cake. 😉

So I planned to have a small get together with just a few family members for a cost of $150 dollars.  That included decor, pizza, a snack, and some very expensive cupcakes that I will never buy again. 😉

Do 2 year olds NEED A “Birthday Party”? How I planned a small party for my 2 year old.

Click here to watch my video review!

I chose my theme: Thomas the Train.  

Do 2 year olds NEED A “Birthday Party”? How I planned a small party for my 2 year old.

 

I found this adorable Pinterest idea with a shirt that said “Choo, Choo, I’m Two!” I loved that saying, so I decided to do a train themed b-day.  I was able to download a file to use with my Cricut to create the shirt.  I’ll leave a link to the Etsy shop I got the link from here.

I then went to a store called Party City and bought some Thomas the Train Decor.  I got a huge backdrop that had two large trains and a Happy Birthday saying at the top.  I liked this option to take some birthday pictures with.  I also got an adorable train engineer hat that we used to take pictures with. 

Do 2 year olds NEED A “Birthday Party”? How I planned a small party for my 2 year old.

I also got some Thomas the Train themed – plates, napkins, hats, and blowouts.  They had lots of other options as well.  

Do 2 year olds NEED A “Birthday Party”? How I planned a small party for my 2 year old.

I almost got a balloon, but my two year really doesn’t seem to care for balloons.  I spent $28 at Party City for decor.

Food: Pizza, Pretzels, Strawberry Lemonade, and Expensive Cupcakes. 

We chose to do pizzas, it’s one of mine and my son’s favorite foods.  We ordered two pizzas.  One was gluten free.  Next, I bought some pretzels to put in a bowl as just- an -extra- you -need -to -get -the- cupcake- taste -out -of- your- mouth -snack.  We had I believe it was “Sunkist Strawberry Lemonade.”  It was carbonated and my son loved it.  Don’t worry it was caffeine free.  😉

Last, we had expensive cupcakes.  I am gluten free and my son eats mostly gluten free.  I decided to order some gluten free cupcakes from a local bakery.  I was expecting 30-40 which is still expensive but I thought semi reasonable for a dozen gluten free cupcakes.  However, the cupcakes I ordered was $62!  While they were delicious, I will never again order them. 😉

Do 2 year olds NEED A “Birthday Party”? How I planned a small party for my 2 year old.

My son had fun playing with the family that came over, he enjoyed his birthday gifts, he was given lots of love and kisses, AND he had cake.  I believe he had a wonderful birthday for a two year old.  

Looking back now, I could have went even cheaper with this small party.  I am very pleased with my decor purchase and I am actually going to use my banner again at another small party. 

I hope my thoughts and ideas have been helpful to any of you planning a party for a toddler.  It can be stressful when you look at Pinterest ideas or other friends ideas.  

Just remember what is important while planning the party for a two year old who probably won’t remember it – fun, love, and cake.  🙂

~Gracefully Fashionable Britt

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Ikea Friheten Sleeper Sofa, Farmhouse Table, & More- New House Favs!

New House Favorites! Ikea Sleeper Sofa, Farmhouse Table, & More
Hey guys! Happy Friyay! I wanted to share with y’all some of my new favorites from my new house – Friheten Sleeper Sofa, Ashley’s Furniture farmhouse table, Nathan James Wesley Scandinavian TV Stand .  It has been a crazy two months trying to unpack, getting attacked by a goose (I explain in the video lol), and dealing with an ALMOST two year old.

In this video review, I share my review of the Ikea sleeper sofa, farmhouse table, farmhouse table chairs and bench, rugs, shower curtains, tv stands, clothes, and more. I hope you enjoy this video!

New House Favorites! Ikea Sleeper Sofa, Farmhouse Table, & More

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO

New House Favorites & Links:

–Lowe’s Rug – I very quickly scanned online and I did not see it. I did purchase mine in store. If I have more time I will add the link when I find it.  I absolutely love this rug and it works perfect with my curtains! It is so soft!  I don’t remember the price, but I do believe it was less than $250

–Ashley Furniture Table – this is my first NEW table I’ve ever owned.  I get so many compliments when people come over about my table.  

–Amazon Chairs – these go perfectly with my table.  They are very comfortable and easy to clean when dealing with sticky toddler fingers.  😉

––Amazon Bench- this matches very close, not perfectly but close.  We are happy with this bench.  I feel like it adds a nice special touch to the table.   In the video there is more of a noticeable color change but that is due to the lighting.

–Shower Curtain – I was obsessed with finding the perfect blue pattern shower curtain.  I found this one at walmart for less than $20!

–Hamper – I now own three of these and I am so happy.  It’s so nice being able to carry the hamper with just one arm.

–TV Stand – This TV is a little smaller than we had hoped, but it does look very nice.  My husband did say putting it together the material felt “cheap.”  However, it went together nicely and we have not had any problems with it so far.  We got this for $119 off Amazon.

–Ikea Couch- We love this Friheten Sleeper Sofa.  If you love this couch and have the finances for it, you should go buy it RIGHT NOW!  Here in Indiana, our Ikea sold out of probably 50% or more of their furniture due to different circumstances.  We got put on a waiting list for our couch.  I went and bought our couch before it was even off the loading dock at our Ikea when I get the text it was in.

This couch does take one to two hours to put together.  We are very pleased with our purchase.  This couch is comfy, it folds out to a bed, AND my 6 foot tall husband can stretch out completely on the couch, which is rare.  😉

This couch also has storage for sheets and blankets.  We have been pulling it out as a bed on the weekends to enjoy the weekends playing on it with my little two year old.  This couch is $599.00.

I hope you all enjoy my review!  If you have any questions just leave them below.  Happy Friyay!

 

~Gracefully Fashionable Britt

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2021 Home Edit Day Designer Planner- Setting goals, weekly agenda, and monthly inspiration!

2021 Home Edit Day Designer Planner Review- Setting goals, weekly planned, and monthly inspiration!

I am super excited to start using this Home Edit Day Designer Planner.  I have been using the Day Designer brand since I have been married for the past 6 years.  The Home Edit Day Designer Planner has pages in the front to help you set goals, a simple weekly agenda to align your days with, AND monthly inspirations in the back for EACH month!

I hope you find this review helpful.  I found this Home Edit Day Designer planner at my local Target for $15!

2021 Home Edit Day Designer Planner Review- Setting goals, weekly planned, and monthly inspiration!

Click here if you would like to watch my video review!  Much more detail!

Fun things about this planner: 

-color coordination for each month – If you have watched Home Edit on Netflix you know that is something they love!

-2 small pages of stickers – I feel like they are cuter than my last planner.

-2 small folder pockets in the front!  – So perfect for things you don’t need to forget.  

-Each month starts with a cute quote introduction page.

The Planner layout

In the front – you have some normal planner pages.  You have a monthly calendar for the midyear 2021-2022, meet Home Edit girls page, pages to write goals and routines, and important dates page.

In the middle– You have a 2 page spread for each month and a 2 page spread for each week. 

2021 Home Edit Day Designer Planner Review- Setting goals, weekly planned, and monthly inspiration!

2021 Home Edit Day Designer Planner Review- Setting goals, weekly planned, and monthly inspiration!Each month has a 2 page spread.  One thing new I love, at the end of each month, there is a page split into 4 columns- Things I did, Things I did but didn’t have to, Things I didn’t do, Things I absolutely had to do – so need to do next month.  I love this feature for reviewing at the end of the month. 

Each day of the week has its own column except Saturday and Sunday, which is splitting a column in half. 

Each day includes a section for top 3 things to get done, agenda, and everything else.  

I recommend the app “Fly Lady”. This is a great app that allows you to set up daily routine for morning, afternoon, and evening.  This is where you can list your daily chores so you don’t have to write them in your planner.  You can also have the app send you notifications.  I hope to use this app more.

End of Month review 

-In the back – WHICH IS MY FAVORITE!  

I absolutely love that they added this feature this year!  I have owned 6 Day Designers and I have never seen this.  

For each month has a page that focuses on different things to work on that month.   Click my video above to see the pages in more detail!

-July -Stay Getaway Ready – checklist for packing

-August – Fall into your Routine 

-September – Operation Get Cozy – movies to see, shows to watch, books to read, podcast to listen to checklist.

-October – Refresh your Fall Wardrobe checklist

-November- Holiday Season Begins – Checklist for people’s gifts.

-December – All is Merry & Bright – Holiday Decor checklist

-January – New Year’s Intentions (Not Resolutions) Ideas

-February -Focus on Finances 

-March – Spring Forward – Ideas to get done

-April- Spruce up for Spring – Items to purge

-May -Make time for Self-Care – self-care ideas

-June- Surviving in the Great Outdoors – Outdoors checklist

I am so excited to uses these ideas each month.  There are tips at the bottom of each page for the different activities suggested for the month.

There is also a couple blank note pages in the back.  I used these pages for things like my Christmas list.

I am so excited to use this planner!  I have not been this excited over the previous Day Designers.  

I hope you found this review helpful!  Highly recommend this planner!  You can check out my Youtube Channel or here on the blog for more Day Designer Reviews!

~Gracefully Fashionable Britt 

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3 Thoughts One Year After Invisalign Treatment – Retainers & Schedules

3 Things I Wished I knew After Invisalign

Happy Friyay!  I believe it’s actually been a little over a year from my last Invisalign post.  There I discussed Three Things I wished I knew BEFORE Invisalign.  Click here if you would like to check it out!

 

3 things i wished i knew before invisalign

 

Now, I am one year after my treatment.  I am still very pleased with Invisalign and would recommend it based off how easy it is and less painful then the old style braces.  

Here is what I have learned AFTER my treatment:

  1. Clean your retainer! 

Retainers get pretty gross.  I normally rinse mine out after each night of wear, but super gross – they kind of get a smell.  I even sometimes would rinse them in Listerine, which I believe you are technically not suppose to do.  But I did it just for a few seconds.

Finally, I found some cleaning pods you put in a warm cup of water and let your retainers soak for 15 minutes. It is similar to denture cleaner.  I will link them here on Amazon.  They work well and I try to do that at least every 3-5 days.  

I did notice that there still seemed to be grime in my retainer,  no matter how much I rinsed them.  I thought I was going to have to go ahead and order a new retainer.  I couldn’t stand seeing how gross it looked and putting it into my mouth every night.  

I called my orthodontist and explained the situation.  They suggested I come in and have them clean it before I consider ordering another pair. 

Due to such a quick appointment, I took my toddler with me.  Thankfully, he was pretty good.  

They took my retainer and cleaned it while the orthodontist checked my teeth.  

When they gave me my retainers back the retainers looked MUCH better, NOT brand new, but better than I could clean them on my own.

2. Ordering a new Retainer

I remember when I first got my retainer, they offered a plan that I could get I believe two other retainers for around 500 dollars.  These could be my back -up retainers.

I was only ever given one retainer the first time I got braces, so I turned down their offer. 

When my retainers got so gross, I kind of wished I had accepted their offer.  

However, my orthodontist explained she rarely suggests ordering a new retainer unless you are getting holes in your current retainers.  She explained just to bring the retainer to them to clean or my dentist.  

I did not have holes in my retainer, so I just needed a good clean and not a new set.

3. My Retainer Schedule

I pretty religiously have worn my retainers every night up to a year after I was first given them. 

Then, due to the grossness, I decided to do every other night.  I believe I had read somewhere that wearing them every other night was okay once you had finished your years worth of every night wear.  

It actually works well for my teeth.  When I alternate nights, my retainer still slides in great and my teeth do not feel pressure from the night I missed.

Now, I continue this habit in hopes it will add length to how long this retainer will last.  

If you want to read more about my Invisalign journey – Click here – Invisalign – Braces for the Second Time.

Invisalign journey

I hope my one year after thoughts can be helpful if you are on an Invisalign journey.  It is a very slow progressing journey but I am very happy with my own results.  If you have any questions, please leave them below.

Happy Friyay!

~Gracefully Fashionable Britt

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The Perfect Crossbody Wallet for a Busy Toddler Mom

perfect crossbody wallet for busy mom

Happy Friyay!

I am so excited to share this post.  I have been loving this crossbody wallet I got for Christmas!  I’ll link it here!

perfect crossbody for busy mom

**** There is an updated version of this wallet with a zipper. ***

I am a busy toddler mom.  I have a 19 month old boy.  While I work from home a couple hours a week, I am mostly a stay at home mom.  Which means, I run all the errands just me and my bae.

I use to put all my stuff (wallet, keys, phone) in his diaper bag.  I have a blog post review for the diaper bag here!

It started to get annoying whenever I needed my wallet or phone – taking off the diaper bag and trying to fish my stuff out.  I was carrying my Vera Bradley wallet, which I love, before switching to this wallet.  If you want to see my review of my Vera Bradley wallet – click here!

perfect crossbody wallet for busy mom

Click here if you would like to watch my quick video review!

So if you are a mom, student, or just a busy person, here is why I think this bag can be great for you:

What I love:

  • It has an adjustable strap – make it as long or short as you like.
  • The strap is removable if you just want to use it as a wallet in another bag.
  • Phone Pouch!  This is a winner for me – why don’t they make leggings with pockets ;). It does fit my iphone with a popsocket.
  • 8 card spots with 2 for Id’s
  • 4 extra large pockets- perfect for more cards, coupons, or checks.
  • HUGE cash pocket – maybe could even add a pen or lipgloss!
  • Change zipper in back – also could work as a spare pocket.
  • Don’t have to take the diaper bag off to find my wallet or cards!
  • $20 bucks!  Great gift idea!

What I don’t love

  • On the metal snap closure on the phone pouch it says – “Prettyzys – The Best Gift for me – Forever Friend.”  It is really small writing, so it is not super noticeable.
  • Snap closure – it is a little tricky to snap close – you have to get it perfectly lined up.  Now that I am use to it, it’s not a problem.

I hope you found this review helpful!  I absolutely love this wallet and I am so happy to share my fun find!

~Gracefully Fashionable Britt