The Fat Hydrangea

Sara Michelle - Columbus, Ohio

Shopping,Shopping

Home Keeping Essentials

ShoppingSara Michelle B.Comment

Cleaning and keeping the house picked up has been on my mind a lot lately.. Probably because it is very, very difficult to keep up with when you have a newborn and a wild, energetic two-year old running around! That being said, I decided to pull together a list of my top 10 favorite home keeping products that help me out around the house:

1) Kik-Step Stool. I use this thing a dozen times a week for dusting, putting away hard to reach dishes, wiping windows, painting - you name it!
2) Williams-Sonoma Hand Soaps and Lotions. My little splurge because they look beautiful and smell delicious!
3) Williams-Sonoma Dish Towels. I've used these FOREVER! They hold up really well and come in the perfect colors. A staple in my kitchen!
4) The Magic Strainer. This collapsible silicone strainer is the BEST. It has a long handle so it can rest between the ledges of the sink and leave your hands free while you dump your pasta, fruit, veggies, etc.
5) OXO Dish Brush.  Looks good and is just the right size and shape. Holds a few squirts of soap in the handle to quickly press a button and clean a dish without digging the dish soap out from under the sink. You can also buy replacement heads for it
6) Rowenta Steam Iron. I hate ironing. This is sooo easy to use! Also works well on drapes, pillow cases, etc. 1000x faster than ironing.
7) Shark Floor Steamer. I owe my clean floors to this product and this product alone! It is seriously more effective than washing the floor on your hands and knees. (Believe me, I know from experience!)
8) Dyson Compact Vacuum. We have 3 floors in our house and I'm constantly moving our vacuum up and down between the three of them (four if you include the basement!)  This one is great because it is super lightweight and easy to maneuver. I never thought you could love a vacuum, but I do!
9) Weiman's Stainless Steel Cleaner. Only stainless steel appliance cleaner I've ever found that actually works!
10) Fresh flowers and candles. Now these aren't necessarily a homekeeping product, but these two things always lift my spirits no matter how many dishes are in the sink, footprints are on the floor, and toys are scattered around!

(Click the pictures below for a link to the product!)
 

Any other items you'd recommend? I'm always up for trying new things!

Company Crush: Little Unicorn

Company Crush, ShoppingSara Michelle B.1 Comment

Happy Black Friday! No sale on the items I'm about to share with you (unfortunately!), but I love them nonetheless. These Little Unicorn cotton muslin blankets have been my go-to for Miles for swaddling when he was little, shading his stroller from the sun, and for a little lightweight warmth on walks. I have also gotten these blankets as baby gifts for my friends who have recently had babies because I love them so much! They are the best ones out there.

I'm also super excited because Little Unicorn JUST released a bunch of new patterns. These ones are my favorite:

Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Saturday Shopping - 2nd Edition

Shopping, Saturday ShoppingSara Michelle B.1 Comment

So I probably have not shopped at Abercrombie & Fitch since I was in high school.. (Let's not do the math!), but I recently stumbled upon several articles about how they are reconfiguring the brand and trying to bring it back to life. They are apparently actually going to dress their models (shocker!) and try to cater to a more mature, slightly older audience.  It definitely caught my attention and I am surprisingly pleased with some of the cute items I found on their website!

Check them out below!

What do you think? Pretty cute right? Would you actually shop there? I have a cart full of items all 30% off today using the code 15583... Still debating!

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Company Crush: Cement Tile Shop

Company Crush, Bath, ShoppingSara Michelle B.1 Comment

One of my upcoming projects (Spring 2016) is going to be to remodel our 3rd floor bathroom. I want to do something fun! The third floor will be our guest room for a number of years and if we stay in this house long term, I imagine one of the boy's rooms once they are older.

I'm totally drawn to this amazing tile from the Cement Tile Shop! Modern, fun, and beautiful.

My only concern is that I don't want it to be too feminine if it does eventually become one of the boy's rooms!

What do you think? Has anyone ever purchased from here?