Grove Collaborative: Why I Truly Love It

This past Friday I mentioned a little teaser about my newest discovery, Grove Collaborative.

Where did I learn about this? A fellow blogger, of course! How else do we learn what our must-haves are this day in age?? I sometimes tell myself not to think about how much money I've spent on purchases just because one of my favorite bloggers mentioned that she loved it. #truestory (am I alone in that?!)

Here is the assortment of products I chose for my first shipment. Two multi-surface cleaners (we use this type of product a LOT in our home), two hand soaps (also used frequently), a tub and tile cleaner, a glass cleaner, a soy candle, and an organic lip balm. Shipping was quick, the items were packaged securely, and I love knowing that with a toddler -- and soon to be newborn sibling -- around our home, I am using safer cleaning products around the house. 

Alright, so Grove Collaborative in a nutshell is like this:

+ You shop their online store of natural cleaning and household products

+ The prices are discounted!

+ The box shows up on your doorstep

+ You adjust/tweak the delivery schedule to suit your needs. All set on products and need to skip a month? No problem. Want to sign up for Method glass cleaner to arrive only every six months? Easy peasy.

I was really thrilled with the products I got, and the smell is so much better than the chemical-laden products that were under my sink before. The grapefruit basil hand soap above smells heavenly, and my number one favorite scent is below, the honeysuckle scent by Mrs. Meyers. DIVINE. My next shipment will contain a lot more items in this scent.

So what joining Grove Collaborative all came down to for me is this...

Why would I join another subscription program instead of just streamlining it and adding these products to my Amazon wishlist or Target cart?

And that's when I geeked out and did a cost comparison. Oh yes, I did. 

All of those products shown in the first photo? I compared my Grove Collaborative price to the Target price and the Amazon price. In every single scenario, the Grove Collaborative price was LESS than the cost of the item from the other two retailers. Even by using services like Amazon Prime Pantry, you'd still be better off going with Grove Collaborative for the cost savings. And for me, that justifies the service.

The only other thing for me to put to the test? I did not want the monthly deliveries to be a pain in the rear to tweak to our needs. I'm a busy mom, and I need a quick, no-hassle, no-questions-asked way of saying "let's take a month off from each other." I have found that it is extremely easy to adjust the delivery schedule to your needs so you don't end up with a Hoarders-worthy stockpile of all natural dish detergent in your garage. 

Like many other subscription boxes, Grove Collaborative offers a referral program for their members. When you join, you are given a special link to share with friends and family that can earn you credit on your future purchases. The bonus is that it also gives them a $10 credit to shop! :) My links here are referral links, so if you join, please make sure to pass along your own links (instead of mine) to your buddies so you can start reaping the rewards. 

So ... with that said, two thumbs up for Grove Collaborative! And if you do decide to give it a try, remember that you can use this link to get $10 OFF and FREE SHIPPING on your first order!

Five On Friday ::: Five Halloween Glimpses Around Our Home

It's time for another edition of Five on Friday and I do hope you'll join along!

Remember, all you have to do is post about five things on your mind, add our logo (found at the bottom of this post), and join the party using the linky tools below. Easy, and a great way to find new blogs and be found. :)

Today I thought I'd share five glimpses of Halloween around our home!

O N E  
We start with my newest addition ... I'll give you three guesses where this Tricks & Treats sign is from. Paper Source? Noooo. Target? Noooo. Hobby Lobby? Noooo. 

I found it at the good ol' Dollar Tree! I just bought it Wednesday, so if you are looking for a little sign like this, chances are good you will still be able to find it at your store!

T W O
My other new addition this year is this darling burlap BOO banner! My blog friend Shayna (The Fancy Yancey) has opened the most adorable Etsy shop selling burlap banners. You can find her shop, The Fancy Yancey Shop, here. She offers much more than Halloween banners -- name pennants, save the date and wedding banners, birthday celebration banners, you name it!

Fun news! Shayna agreed to offer my readers 20% off anything in her shop from now through October 14th using code ALIZTWENTY at checkout.

T H R E E
This is another Dollar Tree find from a previous year ... our very pretty bust got a little Frankenstein makeover using a rubber face mask!

(The terracotta bust is from Hautelook from a few years ago. It was a total deal at $25! Did you know Hautelook is part of the Nordstrom brand?)

F O U R
Cobwebs, cobwebs, everywhere! The table in our foyer had a spooky update of raggedy cheesecloth, a skull votive holder (from Homegoods), a decorative pumpkin (Hobby Lobby), and a scary crow (Dollar Tree). We have a few more of these birds around the house, on potted plants and lamps.

F I V E
Lastly, a glance at one of our front doors. I made two of these wreaths a few years ago, and you can check out the tutorial HERE.

TGIF y'all, and hope you will join in on Five on Friday this week! Cheers to the weekend!

Our Next Home?

I love our home, I really do. We live in a smaller home that is in a great area. If given the choice to be in a smaller older home, closer to the city or larger newer home, further from the city -- I've always chosen the first option. Only lately have I begun thinking that the idea of moving out a bit, getting more space, having a big fun playroom for Camille and maybe even a creative area for myself would be pretty darn perfect.

I like saving ideas to my Dream Home board on Pinterest. Here are some of my favorite inspiration photos.

Kitchen

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Pantry


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Bathroom


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Back Porch


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My Creative Area


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I do think we're a bit out from considering a move, but I love having the Zillow app on my phone so I can quickly research homes for sale. Yesterday I came upon a gorgeous home for sale right at a stopsign, so I quickly looked it up and saw it was listed for $850k. (!!!!!!!!) Needless to say, that one won't be happening. Not even close. 

What's your vote, smaller home in town or larger home on the outskirts?

Our Daughter's Nursery Reveal

The nursery .... the nursery.
My very favorite room in our home.

My vision for this room was that it would be feminine, pretty, and visually appealing to our baby's little eyes.

Everything really came together when my Aunt Karen came down for a long weekend to visit me and gifted me with the most amazing pieces in the room -- she sewed the cribskirt, the changing table skirt, and the drapes for our little girl. I just can't even explain how thankful I am for this gift ... a true labor of love, and exactly what it took to bring my vision all together. I'm so in love with it all.

I'm just giddy to share this space. Let's jump right in, shall we?

Wall Color: Behr from Home Depot, Satin Sheets

Rug: Ikea

Crib: Bassett, found on Craigslist

Cribskirt Fabric: Fabric.com

Light Fixture: Home Depot

Polka Dot Pillow: TJ Maxx

Mermaid: Bla Bla Doll, gift

Shadowbox: Hobby Lobby (holding her coming home gown made by Mom)

Paris Map Art: TJ Maxx

Dress Form: gift from Mom years ago

Gold Vase on Dresser: Marshalls

Gold Tray on Dresser: Marshalls

Apothecary Jar on Dresser: Michaels

Drapery Fabric: Mary Jo's

Drapery Hardware: Target, circa 2004 (clips are recent, from Hobby Lobby)

The Rocker

I went a little non-traditional here by not going with a glider, but this special family heirloom just had to have a place in the nursery. The rocking chair was passed down to me from my paternal grandparents and has been in the family for years. The tassel table holds some frames but also a notepad, pens disguised as flowers (made by a coworker for my baby shower), and a coaster just ready for an evening glass of wine, whoops, I mean bottle of water.

Rocking Chair: family heirloom

Rocking Chair Pad: Pier 1 Imports

Rocking Chair Pillow: I made it - stuffed a placemat with fiberfill

Ottoman: already owned

Sheepskin Throw on Ottoman: Ikea

Tassel Table: Midnight Velvet, no longer available, similar here 

Tassel Table Frames: Homegoods

Lamp: Target (circa 2004)

Wall Medallion: Old Time Pottery, sprayed glossy black

Chicken Painting: Ernest Lee

The Closet

When this room was our home office, we had a very simple closet in it -- sliding louvered doors, one top shelf, one bar for hanging clothes. We had a handyman to build it out and replace the teeny doors with French doors for more space. Cubbies and a dual hanging rack make for lots more room for her little clothing items and accessories. 

Wicker baskets: Michaels

Closet Knobs: Hobby Lobby (use app for 40-50% off)

The Changing Table

Originally, I'd planned to use a low dresser for a changing table, but since we already had a tall one in our guestroom we could repurpose, I decided to go with a regular old changing table. But of course I had to gussy it up a bit. My aunt made this amazing skirt for it which hides all of Miss Priss' unmentionables, like her diapers and wipes. It affixes to the table with stick-on velcro that I already had on hand from Hobby Lobby. The shelf above has some special photos on it and a beautiful new piece of art. The frame on the right which has a picture of us in Rome will be swapped out with a photo of the baby once she's here. 

Changing table: Ikea

4-Sided Contoured Changing Pad: Zulily

Changing Pad Cover: Etsy

Changing Table Fabric: Fabric.com

Wood and Pressed Tin Shelf (painted white): Hobby Lobby

Painting: "The Lily Pad", a gift from sweet Katie of Miss Dixie

Black Frames: Michaels

Decorative Fleur De Lis (holding bonnet): Rue La La

The Bookshelf

We already owned two of these Ikea bookshelves. They flanked the office desk. When we switched out the office to the nursery, we kept one shelf in this room and moved the other to our joint office/guestroom. These were pretty easy to put together and it's a great way to store some of her play items, books, and necessities.

Bookshelf: Ikea

Gold Basket: Marshalls

Monitor: Levana from Amazon

Gumption, Style and Charm Wooden Print: Rue La La

Equestrian Bucket: Target (few years ago)

Bronze Elephants: Old Time Pottery

Fleurs Wooden Container: Marshalls

So, that is our little space for the babe! I am so excited with how it all came together. All it's missing is one thing ... HER! Come on sweet one, we can't wait to meet you and hold you and kiss you.