Tuesday Tablescape

To say that I LOVE Shabby Chic is an understatement! This is a "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" Vintage Shabby Chic baby shower.  Love the theme and pretty simplicity!

{photos via On To Baby}

Bedroom Inspiration

Simplistic? 

Or Bold and colorful?

Our current bedroom looks like a mixture or photo #1 and #2- but seeing these gorgeous colorful rooms  makes me want to add some color and moroccan prints to our space. I especially love the idea of incorporating some turquoise to our decor too- it is just so pretty! 

What is more attractive to you for a bedroom space, Simplistic or Bold and Colorful?

{Photo 1 via BHG; photo 2 via Milk and Honey Home; photo 3 via Home Trend Design; photo 4 via Elle Decor}

Nutritional Cleansing and New Business Opportunity

Three years ago I quit my 9-5 job and decided to "succeed on my own terms." Three years later I can look back and say that I have successfully built a real estate business that is continuing to grow and a blog that has given me the opportunity to be hired as a freelance writer and get paid for what I love to write about. The journey has been a series of ups and downs, but worth the dream coming true. It is very hard to get up everyday and motivate yourself to work for yourself. It is a lot easier to go to work each day and work for someone else's dreams- they just tell you what to do and you follow their lead. Some people like that, but I found out quickly that it was not for me. If you are a natural born leader, and looking for a new vehicle to make all your dreams a reality then this post is for you!

My current work/life schedule = me going a million miles a minute. I am always "on." Clients call all hours of the day requesting showing/listing appointments or for me to find out information about properties. Then there is my blog, which more then half of my readers are bloggers themselves, so you know how time consuming it can be. When I found out I was pregnant in March, one of the first things I thought of was "how am I going to make this all work?" 

I believe everything happens for a reason, and it was then that I met up with a friend Danielle, who introduced me to Isagenix. I had been researching the network marketing industry and different companies for the past year but nothing seemed to "fit" my lifestyle until Isagenix. After my meeting with Danielle, I was blown away by what the products had to offer, but also the compensation plan. 

Isagenix could not have come at a more crucial time in my life. In the begining of my pregnancy I was eating pancakes, cereal, and croissants. I knew that it was all "dead" nutrition, and I wasn't eating healthy for myself and my baby. My Dr. confirmed that I needed to change my eating habits immediately, because I was already showing early stages of gestational diabetes.

The week after memorial day, my husband and I committed to changing our lifestyle to incorporate Isagenix super-foods into our diet and living the healthiest lives we can live for ourselves and our baby.

Vanilla Isalean Shake with 20 servings of greens!

So what's this really all about you ask? 

Isagenix is a Nutritional Cleanse and Healthy Lifestyle Maintenance Program. Nutritional Cleansing is NOT a diet or colon cleanse. It's an opportunity to gently rid your body of toxins and flood it with excellent nutrition. You will safely:

1. Strengthen Your Immune System
2. Support Your Vital Organs
3. Eliminate Unhealthy Cravings
4. Lose Extra Weight
5. Support Healthy Brain Chemistry
6. Slow The Effects of Aging
7. Restore Antioxidants
8. Gain Unstoppable Energy
9. Feel Amazing!

Obviously because I am pregnant, I skip the cleanse days and incorporporate all of the great nutrition like the Isalean Shakes, IsaGreens, IsaFruits, and bars into my diet. My skin is glowing, my hair is as thick and healthy as it has ever been, and I am full of energy, happy, and healthy. For anyone who is currently pregnant or breast-feeding, you can e-mail me for all product recommendations.

Here are the most popular Isagenix Systems

Presidents Pak:

This Isagenix Pak is the best value, biggest seller and most popular pak because it includes free membership, an entire 30 Day Cleansing and Fat Burning System PLUS:

1 Ageless Essentials Vitamins™ with Product B

1 30-count box of IsaDelight Plus™

1 10-count box of Chocolate Cream Crisp IsaLean® Bars

3 5-Piece Sample Paks

1 IsaFruits® packet

1 Isagenix Greens Packet

IsaBlender®

$50 Isagenix event coupon

30 Day Cleansing and Fat Burning System:

 This system is designed to gently rid the body of potentially harmful impurities, while infusing it with essential vitamins, botanicals and other natural ingredients to help shed pounds naturally without the use laxatives, stimulants or diuretics. This is for people who want to lose 15 - 40lbs in a month. 

9 Day Deep Cleansing and Fat Burning System:

The five nutritional components of the system help you cleanse while infusing your body with premium nutrients for optimum health and safe weight loss. The products in the Cleansing and Fat Burning System are stimulant free.

How To Purchase Isagenix?

Because the products are not sold in stores- you order the products through the person who shared them with you. It's was a no-brainer that I would set up my account as an associate and get the best prices! 

Visit My Website!

www.caragardner.isagenix.com

Click Sign-Up and Save (top right corner) to purchase the products at wholesale. Then fill in all of your information, choose which pak or products you would like, and complete your order!

The company rewards you by paying you directly (rather advertisers)  to share these products with others! The same thing as reccomending your favorite restaurant to a friend. If this is something that interests you, and you would like to join my team, I would love to help guide you! Please e-mail me for more details or leave a comment below! 

So now along with my blog, my real estate career, and my upcoming motherhood, I am welcoming Isagenix as the perfect compliment to my personal and  professional life. I know my baby and my husband will thank me later.

Decorating Your Lounge Vintage Style

What makes a room appear vintage?

The term vintage, when applied to home interiors, is generally reserved for the styles prevalent in the middle part of the 20th century (1940s-1950s), when design reflected the restrained mood of the age. There are a large selection of styles and themes within the vintage category, some like to call it shabby chic, others may refer to it as antique or distressed, but the purist will identify vintage style as that which includes decor originating from the post war era, a time of austerity but equally a time of hope and optimism for the future. It was an age of great innovation in design and new materials were being developed and introduced all the time.

Why we like vintage style

Many of us remember household interiors that held vintage furnishings from our childhoods and we look back fondly to those times and feel comfortable surrounded by such decor. This is surely something to do with the resurgent interest in all things vintage.

Get the look

The lounge is a high traffic area at the heart of the home and demands a decor treatment that is comfortable, relaxing and functions on a practical level. Choosing the right flooring is key to getting the look right. Dark, hardwood floors are a signature feature of vintage interiors. When re-designing lounge decor in vintage style, install richly colored wooden floors to create a clean, warm feeling to the room. Vintage style color schemes are typically rich and bold, shades such as slate gray and deep mustard seem austere at first, but coupled with a mellow hardwood floor, the effect is stunning.

Lounge furniture should be comfortable. Vintage style sofas are found at modern furniture outlets and crushed velvet and vinyl or leather fabrics give a convincing impression. Fans of thrift shops and yard sales should keep their eyes open for original vintage sofas and armchairs for absolute authenticity, although be aware that ‘fire retardant properties’ regulations were not in place when they were manufactured.

Other steps towards achieving the vintage look include the addition of opulent antique mirrors and framed pictures and lamps. Select items that reflect the personality of the household. Don't be afraid to inject a little humor with a leopard print armchair or a frilly, lace covered lampshade – the joy of vintage is that the loose blending of styles is all part of the effect. Items made of materials such as Bakelite enhance the vintage look, hunt through antique shops for interesting light fittings and original telephones that will add authenticity to the scheme.

Ceramics and textile design in the 1950s broke new ground with stylish, minimalist designs and bold, vivid colors. Collect plates from the era and arrange them on the walls for a pleasing effect. Curtain treatments using original textiles will really underpin the whole look and searching flea markets and online for fabrics will reap dividends.

A vintage look in the lounge is not difficult to achieve and does not have to be expensive. Reference books featuring historical interiors can be a real source of inspiration. With a little confidence and ingenuity, it is possible to put together a room treatment that speaks of another era at the same time as looking totally fresh and re-energized.

{All photos via Elle Decor} {This is a Sponsored Post}

Quote of the Day

"Never interrupt someone doing what you said couldn't be done."

Amelia Earhart

{via Vogue}

Weekend Plans

Now that we know we are having a baby girl, I can relax a little bit. I don't know how anyone can wait the full 9 months (it's actually more like 10 months) to find out! The suspense was literally killing me! The planning is now in full effect, and let me just tell you, this is going to be one lucky little girl! This weekend I plan to get eat some seafood, go to the beach, and BBQ with friends. What are your plans?

{image via The Alternative Wife}

Drum Roll

It's...

A...

GIRL!!!!!

We are over the moon that we are expecting a baby girl!! The excitement we feel is beyond words. We can not wait to start planning her nursery and for her December arrival!

*Update: My white dress is Theory from a few years ago- similar style available HERE*

Boy or Girl??

Gender reveal day is here! Tune in later to find out if we are having a baby boy or a baby girl!

What do you think it will be? Pink or Blue?

{photo via The Pretty Blog}

Tuesday Tablescape

Holy cow! This has "Cara" written all over it! This might be the first time I have seen a fringed table linen- and I am *smitten*

{Photo via} 

A Wedding Fit for a Fashion Queen

While browsing some sites this weekend I came across Mandana Dayani and Peter Traugott's Santa Susana, California wedding- and it knocked me off my feet! The dress, the shoes, the details, the location- everything was pure perfection! But seriously, would you expect anything less then total gorgeousness from someone that works for Rachel Zoe?

Check out all the details and more photos HERE

Quote of the Day

"Leadership is all about people. It is not about organizations. It is not about plans. It is not about strategies. It is all about people - motivating people to
get the job done. You have to be people-centered."
--Colin Powell

{via}

Happy Weekend!

This totally adorable/sexy swimsuit is available purchase HERE, and also available HERE in blue!

Thank you for all of your wonderful comments, e-mails, and well wishes from yesterday's post! It makes me extremly happy that I have a whole support system out there besides my close family and friends. A lot of you asked me if we know what the baby's gender is, and to answer your question, we will find out next week! So look forward to that post probably next Wednesday!! 

Happy Weekend!!

New Chapter and New Beginnings

Hi Loves! I have a very exciting announcement to make...Kevin and I are having a baby! I am 5 months today and due December 1, 2012. So far my pregnancy has flown by, and I really can't complain that I had any tremendous morning sickness or uncomfort (besides some pesky kidney stones!). We are so excited to start this new chapter in our lives, and I am happy to share all of the details with all of my readers. I can't believe when I started this blog 3 years ago, with the intention of writing about "all things pretty and inspiring," that one day I would be adding "baby" to the list of topics! I promise, this will not turn into a "mommy blog" but with so many cute things out there for babies, I am sure you will find a post on here from time to time. Plus- this is our first baby, I will need lots of reviews and suggestions! "Thank You" all for being a part of my life, and I am looking forward to sharing this new adventure with all of you!

Real Estate Spotlight

Looking for a charming little beach house at the Jersey Shore? Look no further!

Imagine sipping your morning coffee and rocking in your rocking chair on this lovely porch...

The gourmet kitchen is the perfect mix of modern and vintage cottage chic!

Retreat to your master bedroom on the second floor...

Enjoy summer bbq's in your private garden oasis!

Complete with an artist studio!

I am dying over all of the details in this cute as a button farm cottage/beach house! Contact me or visit my website for more details.

Asking Price $449,000

{All photos via Monmouth County MLS}

Tuesday Tablescape

Holy gorgeousness!

Because I know your gonna ask ;) Linens

Monday Style

Hello dolls! I hope you had a fabulous weekend! Since the holiday fell during the middle of last week, I feel like I have been celebrating {with food} for days... The last thing I want to do on a Monday morning is put on something tight and constricting... So the first thing I look for on days like this is a light and flowy dress..

Get the Look

Charlie Jade Tunic Dress

Kenneth Jay Lane Maltese Cross Ring

Salvatore Ferragamo

Happy Monday!

{Photo 1 via}