Home Decor Gift Guide 2020
Home Decor Gift Guide 2020

Bridal season is upon us and I keep getting asked for home decor gift recommendations! It seems like there are so many summer birthdays too and anniversaries. I have also had several friends move too and they definitely need a good housewarming present. I mean all of this during a pandemic! Seriously impressed.

So I have rounded up some of my favorite items for home decor from a favorite of mine….Nordstjerne. Nordstjerne designs home accessories which combines functionality with a hint of dekadence. They are greatly inspired by the rawness of the Scandinavian and Nordic landscapes and they wish to bring that unique feeling indoor with Nordstjerne’s simple yet elegant items that can fit any interior! And because it can suit any interior, these pieces make for the perfect gifts!

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Home, Shop, StyleSamantha RubleComment
Pumpkin Carrot Peanut Butter Banana Pupcakes With Old Mother Hubbard All-Natural Dog Snacks
Pumpkin Carrot Peanut Butter Banana Pupcakes With Old Mother Hubbard All-Natural Dog Snacks

This Pupcake recipe is for all of my friends out there who treat their dogs like their children. My two sweet boys love healthy pupcakes so much! (scroll down for recipe)And luckily with all the time I have had at home these past few months I have been baking some wonderful treats for my dogs. However I still love having store bought healthy dog treats in the house- not only because I love spoiling my pups but because they come in handy for so many various things! (keeping them occupied during my at home zoom meetings, training them to be pro walkers on the leash especially now that the river trails are getting so packed with cyclists, and just giving them a little special treat to let them know how much I love them) I will do anything to see those sweet wagging tails! My knowledge of dog health and nutrition is vast and I believe that all dogs deserve healthier and better tasting snacks!

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Les Chiens, RecipesSamantha RubleComment
One Kimono Robe That Adds A Little Luxury To Your Day
One Kimono Robe That Adds A Little Luxury To Your Day

There’s no question I inherited my affinity from my mom; when I think back on my childhood, I recall someone frequently cascading down the stairs in a satin robe, or curled up on the couch in a plush terry cloth one watching Lifetime movies!

My own personal collection is quite impressive. And they each serve a distinct purpose: terry for immediately post-shower, jersey for hot summer days and when applying oils and lotions, and a few silk options for when I’m feeling especially leisurely chic! And these last few months in isolation..well let’s face it…all I have been living in is robes!!!! Some of my robes even mirror fab kimonos and dresses so they create the perfect dress up situation for a waist up Zoom meeting! Hey..there is actually no shame in my game! I admit this! I love adding a little luxury to my days now even when lounging. And my KIM+ONO kimono just makes me feel beautiful!!! Their hand-crafted kimonos are just so special.

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StyleSamantha RubleComment
Oui Please Summer Goodies
Oui Please Summer Goodies

My Oui Please box arrived yesterday and I just had to share because there were so many fabulous trés chic goodies!!!!!!!!!!

My absolute favorite item was the PAPIER D’ARMENIE SCENTED FRAGRANCE STRIPS…..

Older than the Eiffel Tower, Papier d’Arménie was born in Paris in 1885 as a result of the experiments of a chemist and a scientist. The idea came from a travel to Armenia, country where the benzoin resin, derived from the bark of trees – the major ingredient of the booklet – was used to purify the air.

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Beauty, Francophile, Home, ShopSamantha RubleComment
GO NATURAL -HEALTHY NON-TOXIC MATTRESS
GO NATURAL -HEALTHY NON-TOXIC MATTRESS

Would you agree that sleep is a number one priority in life?!

The older I get 8 to 9 hours of sleep a night is simply not negotiable. Without sleep, nothing else works. Without sleep, you lose your sanity and health..plus possible weight gain too! (LIFE CAN BE SO CRUEL)

SO many things contribute to good sleep! I personally need the room to be quiet, cold, and dark! A nice mattress and soft breathable linens are a huge factor in good sleep too!

Lin and I have been sleeping on an organic mattress for the last 7 years but realized that our purchase was not the best. We were so excited to be making a “green” purchase too because had done our research! Did you know chemical gasses released by some mattresses can take years to dissipate? YEARS!!!!! Mattresses seriously pollute the environment! But all that to say the mattress we purchased was way too soft and luxe and I have no idea why we waited so long to fix this situation that was affecting our sleep…(even sleeping in the guest room) .

Two months ago we partnered with Avocado Green Mattresses! The Avocado mattress is an eco-friendly and non toxic mattress that is absurdly comfortable, attractive, annnndddd we are getting ZZZZZ’s again! Seriously I just cannot believe we waited so long to do this…..!!!

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Home, Health + Wellness, Les ChiensSamantha RubleComment
Summer of Pink
Summer of Pink

pending the morning in an ecstasy of language and emotion. I highly recommend The Summer of Pink if you are looking for a new beautiful read by the pool! Teacher, writer, influencer, activist, and poet, Gabrielle Mbeki writes to heal. Summer of Pink is a wonderful collection of poems reflecting on the breakdown of relationships and intimacy, and how it influences a person. Created with three sections in mind to show the intuitiveness of looking at the past, present, and future, with the help of three Major Arcana tarot cards; the most impactful cards to the author in order to guide her, and the reader through her path of love, loss, and redemption.

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Black Lives Matter, FeaturesSamantha RubleComment
Shine + Oil Control With Mamonde Skin Care
Shine + Oil Control With Mamonde Skin Care

In the summer, my skin gets shiny. Realllllyyyyy shinyyyyyyy.

It’s taken some time to finally come to terms with the fact that there’s no miracle solution to have matte skin when it’s 200 degrees but I do know that I need to keep my pores super clean! I have been using the Pore Clean Line from Mamonde for a a little over 30 days now and am loving the results I am having! When your skin is as shiny as mine and you go through so many blotting papers, I just want that super clean matte feeling.

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BeautySamantha RubleComment
Beautiful, Simplistic & High-Quality Dog Toys & Grooming Products
Beautiful, Simplistic & High-Quality Dog Toys & Grooming Products

When you have pups, their toys, bowls, beds, and other detritus, become part of your decor, whether you like it or not. Their grooming products also have dedicated shelf space in the bathroom too! No matter how much you clean up after them, their stuff will always be dotted around your house. And, if you have to look at this stuff all the time, it might as well be aesthetically pleasing, right?

I discovered Molly Barker and am so excited to share them with you today! I was so attracted to their modern design principles that compliment modern home design trends.

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Les ChiensSamantha RubleComment
BONNE NUIT : PARIS PERFECT
BONNE NUIT : PARIS PERFECT

I have several sets of bedding for my guest room depending on who is planning on visiting! And lately I have even been crashing in my guest room as I have made it feel like a fabulous chic hotel in Paris! Since I cannot travel to France right now, I have brought France to me!

I am always striving hard to ensure my guest room offers all the comforts a visitor could hope for. The key to offering a pleasurable stay is anticipating the needs of your guests and providing these things in easy to find places so they don’t need to search or ask. A bedside tray with fresh water is one of my absolute musts.

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Home, FrancophileSamantha RubleComment
Clean Green Home Featuring Supernatural
Clean Green Home Featuring Supernatural

I’ve always been pretty good at keeping things tidy and picked up, but tasks like wiping down cabinets, dusting furniture and baseboards, scrubbing tubs…. (in other words, the things that make a house feel really clean) can fall by the wayside when life get busy. And my life is super busy!

Anyway, I hope Lila is happy with how I have kept up around here when she comes back. I’ve found that it’s infinitely more manageable when I stick to a weekly schedule where I check a couple of house cleaning tasks off my list each day. (thanks Katie..this was a life saving tip when I was falling apart) It’s all about habit, right?

Today I have teamed up with Supernatural and I know you are really going to fall in love with them, especially if you love essential oils! I have been using these products for about two months now and I can truthfully tell you Lin and I will never stop using them!

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Home, Health + WellnessSamantha RubleComment
Hair Care That’s Skin Approved.
Hair Care That’s Skin Approved.

I’ve been living in super low maintenance beachy hair few months now in quarantine and I’ve been trying out some new new products to see what works best for my overly sensitive scalp. For those who follow me over on Instagram, you know I have had a long time battle with an overly sensitive scalp and even my skin, getting so many itchy breakouts on my back and my chest. (more on that in a bit because I cannot believe that I was not registering that my shampoo was irritating my body) I get so many requests had a ton of requests to share my favorite shampoo and conditioner and to be honest, it’s taken me a bit to find a good shampoo and conditioner that checks all my boxes. So many of them are either too heavy (my hair is already oily enough on it’s own) or do virtually nothing for my hair. Lately, I’ve been using SEEN Skin-Caring Shampoo and SEEN Skin-Caring Conditioner and loving them!

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Beauty, Health + WellnessSamantha RubleComment
Making Your Bathroom A Self-Care At Home Spa With Osmia Organics
Making Your Bathroom A Self-Care At Home Spa With Osmia Organics

Hands up if you could use a spa experience? Yeah, me too!!! But most of us aren’t getting one any time soon (thanks pandemic and budgets!) My city is technically open and spas are open but I am STILL not feeling comfortable to book and appointment just yet, especially now that Covid cases are on the rise again.

That being said——-none of that’s stopping me from embracing the self-care habits that I know will really get through these uncertain trying times.

We all want to make our lives less stressed and more fun this summer, and who knows when we get to feel normal again! So in the meantime, I can’t think of anything more luxurious that slowing down and savoring a self-care moment every morning and every night – right from home.

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Beauty, Health + Wellness, HomeSamantha RubleComment
OLPHACTORY CANDLES, "An Ode to Jazz, Thru Wax".
OLPHACTORY CANDLES, "An Ode to Jazz, Thru Wax".

Sharing the loveliest brand I discovered born and shipped from my beloved BIG D !

Letting B. Anderson tell you the story today because it’s lovely....

"A Love Supreme", by John Coltrane. The legendary jazz album that transformed my life. The first time those notes from "Trane's" saxophone resonated through my ears, this heart of mine followed. I fell in love, DEEPLY IN LOVE. It wasn't a physical love, it was on a much deeper level. A SPIRITUAL LOVE. My heart clamored for MORE. More jazz, more trumpets, more drums, more bass, more trombones, and more piano.

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Features, Home, Black Lives MatterSamantha RubleComment