My frugal side and aesthetic side are always at odds. What's the right balance between budget-friendly and beautiful? How much is too much to spend on a house project? And on the flip side, will I regret being a cheapskate if I make too many decisions based on price? I often look to value for an objective measuring stick: if I can be confident that we've added more value to our house than what we spent, then I feel good about a project. That's partially because we expect to sell this house at some point down the line (years from now, but still). If it was our "forever house", then we'd probably splurge in more areas. Likewise, if we were working on a rental house, we'd probably make even more budget-friendly choices. It's all a balance. But the BEST is when I can find a win-win...a design choice that saves us money AND looks beautiful. We recently found one of those ideas, and I gotta give Ben credit for it. I was originally thinking to add two or three pendants over our kitchen island, like you normally see in inspiration photos. But electrical work is expensive, and buying multiple lights adds up quickly too. So Ben asked, why can't we just do one light? At first, I though whaaaat? no that would look weird. But then I remembered this kitchen by Emily Henderson, with the linear pendant that I absolutely loved. It still looks proportionate to the island, and one light actually feels so fresh. SO I quickly pivoted and decided YES, let's do it! Here are a few more inspiration photos with linear pendants over kitchen islands. Beautiful, right??

by Emily Henderson

by Kara Cox

by Wayfair

What do you think of this "trend?"

This is a collaborative post. All opinions are my own.

Your wedding will be an unforgettable and magical experience because of the significance behind the event; you’re marrying the one you love. But that doesn’t mean the finer details of the big day are inconsequential. Yes, getting married is obviously the most important part of the day, but the little details that contribute to creating a special day still count too. Here’s how to nail every last part of your wedding.

1. The venue

Let’s start off with the venue, since it's often the piece that kicks off the entire planning process. You can’t be sure of a date until you reserve your venue, after all. As soon as you get engaged, start looking at venues and find out what their availability is for the season you want to get married. Your perfect venue might only have one Saturday left that's available next summer, so that might just determine your wedding date.

2. The rings

Your wedding rings are more of a symbolic token for you and your partner than an aspect of the wedding that impacts all of your guests, but they still matter on the big day--and they still use up some of your budget, so don't forget about them. Your wedding ring could match the engagement ring, but it doesn't have to. In this modern age, it's easy to look online and find inspiration photos you love. Nowadays, there are more options for mens' rings too...you can go simple and classic with a plain gold band, or more unique with diamonds, different metals, or a hammered pattern.

3. The memories

I think a good way to narrow down the rest of the decisions is to think about the memories you want to make. What experiences have you loved at other people's weddings? What's the overall vibe you want to have? For a casual summer wedding, you might choose wildflowers in mason jars, food trucks, and an ice cream bar. You might have a horseshoes station, bocce ball, and other lawn games. An elegant indoor affair will lead to totally different choices. Maybe you'll have white peonies, crystal chandeliers, and a tower of macarons for dessert. Maybe you could set up a pretty backdrop for guests to take photos at (like at prom, haha). No matter what your style is, think about how to make your wedding memorable and fun for your guests of all ages.

4. The photos

Speaking of memories, another important expense is photography (and maybe videography too). Capturing all the special moments of your wedding is something you can't DIY...and trust me, you will treasure the photos. One day, you'll show them to your kids, and on anniversaries you can reminisce and remember every last detail. A professional wedding photographer (like Vittore Buzzi photographer) is ideal: someone with a portfolio of high-quality, gorgeous photos. But if budget is tight, you can also look for photographers who are looking to break into the wedding industry--just make sure they're not brand new to photography itself. Perhaps they have experience with another type of photography like senior photos or family photos. These days, it's also popular to have friends and family post their photos on social media with a specific hashtag, so you can easily gather more photos from your special day.

5. The food

Food is undeniably important. If you want your wedding to be unforgettable for positive reasons, then you need to feed your guests well! Get creative and think outside the "wedding food" box. What about a giant charcuterie board that spans a whole dining table? Or teriyaki chicken and rice? Maybe you could custom-design your cake to showcase your interests--like if you're both hikers, the cake could be decorated with trees. Think about what food you actually like, and don't just go with the traditional recommendations. Your wedding should be a reflection of your tastes!

6. The personal touches

Every part of your wedding will be personalized in some way, but you can think of additional ideas that’ll set your day apart. The small details really make a difference when it comes to creating a memorable day for you, your spouse, and all your guests. Maybe you end the evening with a sparkler send-off. Maybe you have a station for the kids with coloring pages and crayons (bonus points if the coloring page is an illustration of you two!). Maybe you create a custom stamp of your initials that you use as a signature piece of branding across the invitations and decor. Maybe you have a slideshow with photos of you both from childhood til now, or you bring out freshly baked cookies at the end of the evening. There are tons of possibilities...it's really up to you!

This is a collaborative post. All opinions are my own.

My sister-in-law is a master at packing. She has five young kids, and managed to squeeze everything for her family's 10-day trip to Iceland into carry-on bags (including all their boots and cold weather gear). Meanwhile, Ben and I had two big rolling suitcases we checked plus car seats and a stroller. As we struggled to fit our big bags into our small rental car, it was pretty clear that their method was superior. Since then, whenever we travel--especially if we're flying--I try to keep our luggage compact. Traveling light is wonderfully easy at the airport, and you'll appreciate it again every time you have to deal with your luggage: loading up the trunk of the car, unloading into your hotel or vacation rental, etc. Especially now that we also have kids to carry, we can't be dragging around big oversized bags too!

1. Choose the perfect bag

The right bag is a critical component of packing light. So first things first, choose a suitable cabin bag (one that can fit in the overhead bin of any plane). There's a wide assortment of carry on luggage to choose from, including tote bags, satchels, wheeled luggage and more. One of the main factors to decide on is the material of the luggage itself. Do you want a hardside suitcase that will protect your fragile items, or a soft bag that can be compressed into a tight space? Do you want it to have wheels for easy maneuvering in the airport, or backpack straps so you can carry it hands-free? Personally, I think hardside luggage looks cuter and I like the ease of wheeling it around...but a big negative is that it can't be squished into awkward spaces in the trunk of your car. And if you end up bringing less stuff back home (like in our case, we ate a bunch of food and used up a bunch of diapers)...well, you can't exactly fold up a hardside suitcase and shove it into another bag.

2. Separate your essentials

Set aside the "essentials" that you want readily accessible during your flight and when you first arrive at your destination. This of course includes your boarding pass, passport, your itinerary, and printouts with confirmations of your accommodations and travel plans. It also includes cosmetics like contact lenses, a mini-toothpaste, makeup, and deodorant--whatever you'll want to have handy when you first arrive (make sure to adhere to the security restrictions for the amount of liquid you can carry). I also think it's a good idea to separate one change of clothes and underwear. Not only does this ensure you are prepared for any travel delays, but you'll also have a change of clothes easily accessible in case you get food spilled on your travel outfit. And you'll probably want your phone handy plus some kind of entertainment for the plane, like a magazine, headphones for watching a movie, or a guidebook to your destination. Pack all of these essentials in a separate compartment of your carry-on, so it's easy to find them.

3. Add your hard items

Next, set out all your "hard' items--the stuff that can't be squished down. This includes things like shoes, food, a laptop, diapers, baby wipes, waterbottles, and books. Try to limit the amount of these hard items that you bring, since they'll quickly fill up the space in your carry-on. I think two pairs of shoes is enough for most trips. And you can always buy diapers and wipes when you reach your destination, so you really only need enough to get you through your first day or two.

4. Compress all your clothes

Now comes the magic that makes this method possible. Put ALL your clothes into a compression sleeping bag sack. Now squiiiiiiiish them all down as tiny as you can. It's absolutely AMAZING how much space this saves. Yes, your clothes will get wrinkly, but honestly my clothes always get wrinkly when I pack them for a long trip anyways. Don't worry about making a separate bag for each person, you can put your whole family's clothes in one bag. When you reach your vacation rental or hotel, take all the clothes out and separate them by person. If you're staying in one place for the whole vacation, you could now put your clothes away in closets and dressers. If you're on a road trip where you'll be moving from destination to destination, then you can transfer them into separate bags for each person. This can be as simple as a plastic garbage bag each. You'll still want to limit the clothes you bring--if you'll be gone longer than a week, plan to do laundry at some point--but it's truly impressive how much space this one trick saves.

This is totally my sister-in-law's genius method, so I can't take any credit...but I can totally attest to its power! We watched them squish their family's clothes (SEVEN people, mind you) into one carry on bag.

This is a collaborative post. All opinions are my own.

Did you guys know that before I started this blog, I used to run a wedding blog? This post brings me back to those days, writing about weddings and engagements day in and day out. It's not my usual topic here, but I know a lot of people that are engaged right now or are starting to discuss timing for an engagement. One of the tricky questions during that exciting time of life is, how do I subtly drop hints about the type of engagement ring I want, without seeming too presumptuous or materialistic?? After all, marriage is about so much more than a piece of jewelry, yet...it's an important piece of jewelry that you'll hopefully have for LIFE, so you do want to love it! The good news is, your guy also wants you to love the ring he chooses (and he's probably nervous about such a big purchase), so he'll likely be grateful for a little direction.

Image Source

Use The Power Of Social Media

Your man probably follows you on social media, and this is a great way of subtly giving your other half ideas on what rings you like. Pinterest is my favorite place to find and curate inspiration photos. Other social media platforms can also be good places to follow jewelry designers or jewelry stores with designs that you like.

Leaving digital breadcrumbs is a good way of feeding up suggestions without being too forceful or obvious.

Go Window Shopping Together

Before they get engaged, a lot of couples will find the excuse to wander strategically towards a jewelry shop front. They might casually browse the array of rings on display, perhaps ask the shop clerk how much does this size of diamond cost, and take the opportunity to get the ring finger sized up. Window shopping can be a great way to figure out exactly what you like (and don't like) and discuss rings together in a low-pressure way.

Give Specifics

If you’re at the point in your relationship where you can be pretty open and don’t mind if it's not a surprise, you can always just be specific with what you want. Take a moment to sit down with your partner and discuss what style of rings you like and what materials or stones you'd prefer. This might not be for everyone, but if you are particular in what you’re after, there’s no harm in just giving it to them straight. A lot of guys appreciate not having to try and read between the lines.

Whatever engagement ring your partner ends up choosing, the moment they do propose will be truly a moment you’ll never forget. After all, at that point. It’s not about the materialistic things like a piece of jewelry, it’s about you and your partner. So cherish this moment and trust that your partner has found you a ring that you’ll love--and that symbolizes a beautiful future together.