Life, Family, and Home - Simplified & Sweetened
Did you know May 31 is National Macaroon Day? I’ve been celebrating a little early with some delicious macaroons and other gourmet cookies from Klara’s Gourmet. Recently chosen as a Fancy Food sofi Finalist for “Outstanding Cookie,” Klara’s Gourmet was founded in 2006 by Klara Sotonova, an emigrant from the Czech Republic. Klara came to the U.S. in hopes of making her dreams of owning a business come true. [Read more…]
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Cambria Estate Winery for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
Do you have a place in your life that is like no other? It could be a cabin hidden away in the woods, a hot, sunny beach, a favorite restaurant, or it could just be sitting in your favorite reading chair, drinking a glass of wine.
In my life, I have two places like this. The most obvious one would be sitting on the couch by my husband. Whether we are talking, watching television, or just hanging around, we always have a great time, and it feels good just to be with him.
My second place like no other is my office area. This is the place where I work on my blog, make jewelry, work on projects, and take photos. It is also a place where I can just sit and be with my thoughts, or just put my headphones on and be in my own world as I work. And of course, it is a great place to hang out with my office assistant cats.
For me, a place like no other is any place where you can relax, feel at ease, and just enjoy. One such place away from home is a winery like Cambria Estate Winery® in Santa Maria, California. Here you can relax, try Cambria’s unique wines, and just drink in the culture.
The Cambria Estate Winery® has rich wine making traditions. Located at the northern end of Santa Barbara County, Cambria’s estate vineyards thrive on the foothills of the largest east-west oriented valley on the West Coast. Cambria’s hand-crafted wines is special because it is made in one of the coolest wine-growing regions in the world, and an area with a growing season, which results in fully developed and concentrated flavors in the fruit.
Want a taste of what it might be like at the vineyard? Their website is filled with helpful articles, including tips on how to throw a wine tasting party, and great recipes like Grilled Artichokes with White Wine Dip. To get this small taste of the vineyard, just Visit the Cambria blog for terrific recipes, DIY tips and news from the Cambria Estate Winery Vineyards.
The legal drinking age is 21 years old, as always please drink
responsibly.
Today I am excited to share a very easy, yet beautiful (if I do say so myself) living room makeover! I recently received got a slipcover for my couch from the great folks at Sure Fit, and I am so happy with the transformation. I purchased a slipcover for my recliner a year or so ago, and so I’ve been wanting to get a matching slipcover for the couch.
Let’s start with the chair. As I said, I bought this from Sure Fit a while back, and it still looks pretty great, and then I just purchased this new throw pillow, just to add a little color and style: [Read more…]
With summer break right around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about summertime snacking for your kids. If you’re looking for some delicious, yet affordable options, you should check your local CVS. Their Gold Emblem brand includes a wide range of goodies from chocolates and candies, to cookies, chips, nuts, granola bars, dried fruit, and a just about anything else you can think of to snack on. [Read more…]
Hey everyone! Welcome to this week’s Friday Favorites. I’ve been cleaning out my garage this week for an upcoming yard sale (yay!) and anxiously planning upcoming posts, so I’m running a little late and have no features this week, but I’ll be back next week with double dose of your featured goodies!
Also, while you are here today be sure to sign up for my giveaways from Mary Kay and OxiClean!
And one last thing before we get to the linky…… a couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I will be doing a summer of series of recipes from guest bloggers. In the next week or so I will be contacting bloggers about participating in this event. If you would to be a guest on Simply Sweet Home this summer, please send an email to simplysweethome@hotmail.com and I’ll be sure to send you an invite! Thanks! [Read more…]
Mary Kay has been helping women to look and feel beautiful for years, and I am always happy to partner with them and talk about their products. This week Mary Kay was honored for their beautiful packaging. Check out this release for more details on this honor: [Read more…]
Hi Everyone! Welcome to Friday Favorites. While you’re here, please enter my new giveaway from OxiClean!
Today we’re enjoying a taste of spring and summer with some Strawberry recipes! Hope you enjoy! [Read more…]
A week or two ago, I started going through clothes for my upcoming, and much anticipated yard sale, and I also rearranged all my closets and drawers, putting away winter clothes, and getting those spring and summer clothes organized and accessible. Whenever I do my semi-annual clothes clean ups, I usually find there are a few things that need to be thrown in the washer for a little freshening up. Enter OxiClean!
I’ve been seeing OxiClean advertised on television for years, but I only just recently tried one of their products. The company has a number of powdered and liquid detergents for clothing and dish washing. In my case, I tried the White Revive Laundry Stain Remover.
The product comes in a small 3 pound tub, which is enough for 45 loads. As you can imagine from the name, it is especially designed to remove stains and keep your whites bright. But unlike other whitening products, the OxiClean is chlorine free, has no harsh odors, and is safe to use on colored clothes. And it is also dye and scent free, which means it is safe to use on baby clothes and on items for people with sensitive skin and allergies.
Personally I was happy with the results I got from this detergent. It did a great job of cleaning the clothes. Plus, I know a lot of people don’t like the fruity or flowery smells that go along with other detergents, so if you are one of those people, this detergent would certainly be to your liking in that regard.
Giveaway! One Simply Sweet Home reader will win a box of OxiClean detergent.
To enter, please use the Rafflecopter form below.
Disclosure: I received free product to facilitate this post. The opinions are my own.
This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Kalaty Rug Corp for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
I’m currently researching and shopping for ideas to makeover various areas of my home. Last week I told you that I was specifically looking around for items to put in my living and I shared some of my favorite trends in wall decor. I just got a brown slip cover for my couch, and now I believe I’ve narrowed it down and decided that I want a color scheme of brown and blue-green for my living room.
I’ve been looking at rugs and I found a great selection at Kalaty.com. Kalaty has all hand made and mostly hand knotted rugs. The Oriental rug businesses started in the early 1900s in Iran and came to the United States in 1979. Today it is still a family business, and as such, they have a focus on high quality design.
Their designs include contemporary and classic patterns. Just a few that I think you’d love include the Verona, the Sierra, the Majave, and the Caspian, but they are all truly great!
Check out this video for information on the company:
Often the couch or entertainment center is dubbed as the focal point of the room, around which everything else is centered; however, a rug can be just as imporant. A great rug can grab your attention and draw your eye in. It can also provide contrast. For example, if you have a brown or black couch, a brightly colored rug, could really make the room pop. And if you have a a lot of similar colored accent pieces in the room (vases, lamps, wall art), that rug can really bring everything together and create a cohesive color scheme or theme.
To illustrate what I’m talking about, I created a collage and inspriration board of decorative items, inspired by a rug at Kalaty.com. Since I’m leaning towards blue and brown for my living room colors, I decided to chec out some items that would go great along side this Tibetan Weave Rug:
I’m currently looking for items with a modern and chic look, with perhaps a little “shabby chic” thrown in to the mix. Here are a few ideas:
For other items that fit the color scheme, you can check out my Mood Board of Decor.
And for more rug insiration, connect with Kalaty on their social network pages:
Does your living room have a unique color scheme or theme? If so, please tell us about it in the comments. Also, visit Kalaty.com and tell us your favorite rug on the site!
