Pocketful of Joules

I just received my fifth box from FabFitFun and I can easily say that it is my favorite box from them so far! Not the other boxes haven’t been great, but this one is like they tackled fall, wrapped it up, and sent to my house.

About FabFitFun
The FabFitFun boxes come on a quarterly basis and cost $49.99 each. It is a bit more expensive than other subscription boxes I’ve tried, but there is usually at least one item that makes it worth it for me. If you want to sign up, here is a special $10 off link for you to use on your first box.

Before I get into my Fall Box Reveal, here are some quickie links to previous boxes and a note about what I’m still loving from each:

Previous Boxes: Quick Favorites Update
Summer 2016 Reveal – Absolute favorite thing from the box I use all the time: OSEA Atmosphere Protection Cream. This one was a sleeper because I didn’t even know I needed it until I started using it. Now, I smooth it on almost every night before I go to sleep.

Spring 2016 Reveal – Absolute favorite thing from the box I use all the time: Tag Necklace from Jook & Nona. I wear my “Love” necklace ALL THE TIME and it is one of my favorites. Close runner-ups are the Bath Bomb Trinity (Jack’s favorite to use, my favorite to smell while I’m snuggling him after a bath) and the Shaving Emulation Lotion by HelloLegs (this has totally replaced my shaving gel). I’ve purchased both of these again after finishing them both.

Fall 2015 Reveal – Absolute favorite thing from the box I use all the time: FabFitFun x Tappan Collective Umbrella. This umbrella lives in my car for unexpected rainstorms. It’s really cute and also folds up really small so I can stick it in my purse. Fun fact, my husband took my truck to work today so he could get it checked out and left me both my sunglasses and this umbrella on the front table, just in case I need them. So thoughtful!

Summer 2015 Reveal – Absolute favorite thing from the box I use all the time: Gorge “I’ll make you look amazing” Daily Spray. I love this leave-in conditioner/protector spray that I’ve actually ordered two more bottles since I received my first one! Great stuff and I think it keeps my color looking fresh longer.

A Look Inside my Fall 2016 FabFitFun Box:

Before we even look inside the box, the BOX is its own activity. The inside and outside are both designed to color and Jack was thrilled when I gave it to him. He already spent over an hour on it last night!

FabFitFun Coloring Book & Colored Pencils, $14
In addition to the box, they also included a coloring book and coloring pencils too. The book I received is the “Nature Coloring Book” and it’s the perfect size for me to take on our upcoming vacation for some in-flight entertainment.

Modcloth Loch & Key Scarf, $34.99
This beautiful blanket scarf is super-sized at 55” x 55” super-soft too. I love the black plaid color scheme and can definitely see getting a lot of wear out of this. You can buy the scarf directly from Modcloth here. However, it’s only $15 more to buy the entire FabFitFun box. I was originally thinking of gifting this… but then I tried it on to do a sneak peek yesterday and the combo of the softness and great smell (from the rest of the box contents) convinced me to keep it for myself!

The Created Co. To-Go Coffee Mug, $19
There were two different versions of this mug sent out and I received the one that says “Joy comes in the morning” Not only is it super cute, but Created Co. donates 10% of their profits to charity:water’s mission to bring clean and save drinking water to those in need.

Skin Laundry Restoring Night Serum, $50
This restoring night serum contains a combination of antioxidants, vitamins, natural extracts and amino acids to help visibly improve skin texture, firmness and elasticity while you are sleeping. The 1 ounce bottle will last me for a really long time, so I’m really happy to get this one to try out.

Mullein & Sparrow Mini French Lavender Body Oil, $18
I’m really picky about scents and I absolutely love the soft lavender small of this body oil. You an either use it as a daily moisturizer, a massage oil or pour a little in your bath for a calming soak.

The Browgal Clear, Water-Resistant Eyebrow Gel, $20
This eyebrow gel is to be used on top of your pencil or powder to help it seal and give it extra staying power. I don’t really have unruly brows, but was interested to see whether it would give me more volume like it claimed. Unfortunately, once I swiped it over my brows as instructed it felt like I had brushed some rubber cement on them. I didn’t like it at all and pretty much washed it off as soon as it dried!

Spongelle Bulgarian Rose Body Wash Infused Buffer, $16
Jack is such a little bath diva and totally already stole this one from me. He loves the flower shape of the sponge and both of us love the scent left on his skin after he gets scrubbed down!

Pure Cosmetics Nude Collection Eyeshadow Palette, $50
This eye shadow palette is really fantastic. It has 12 wearable shades that are right in my wheelhouse (what can I say, I’m a bronze-kinda girl). I can’t wait to try them out!

Toesox Toeless Fitness Socks, $18
I wasn’t really sure what I was going to use these socks for, since if I do yoga or Pilates I’m in my living room and don’t tend to slip around. Then I saw that another blogger suggested them for winter pedicures – to keep the rest of your foot warm while you paint your toenails – and I totally love that idea.

Bonus Sponsored Items
Bonus items aren’t counted towards the value of the box, but are just thrown in by sponsors to introduce you to their products. This month we received Cottonelle Flushable Cleansing Cloths and Secret Clear Gel antiperspirant. They both came at the perfect time to be added to our suitcases for our trip!

The total value of everything in the Fall FabFitFun box is: $239.99. As I said before, this box is one of the best I’ve received and I’m really excited about a bunch of the items. Right now, I’m thinking my favorite items are: the scarf, the coffee mug, the lavender body oil, the spongelle body wash buffer and the skin serum. This box was totally a winner!!

Do you want to try out the FabFitFun box? I have a special code that will give you $10 off your first box, just use this link.

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post and FabFitFun did not pay for me to review their products on my blog. If you decide that you would like to sign up for your own subscription and use my link, I will receive referral credits on my account and you will receive $10 off your first box. This post contains ShopStyle affiliate links. This means that clicking on a link may help me earn a small commission at no cost to you.

You guys know how I have no willpower when Anthropologie puts their sale section on an additional sale, right? Well, last week they did exactly that and I came across this:

Source: Anthropologie.com

The Grasslands Midi dress was originally $178, but with their extra sale going on I was able to scoop it up for $69. I went back and forth in my head before submitting the order, because the reviews are mixed. People either loved the dress, or they thought it looked like an oversized bag.

Now, I’m an hourglass shaped lady, so typically a swing style dress won’t really work on me. But I liked the print and embroidery so much that I decide to chance it. I mean, the worst that could happen is that it looks terrible and I drop it back by the store next time I’m nearby.

As an added bonus, I could have a little extra fun and show you guys a few different ways to style it! Want to see?

Here is the dress on me with just a pair of simple sandals. It’s certainly different than my normal fit-and-flare look and kind of almost gives of a muumuu vibe. But I pretty much fell in love with it the moment I put it on. The embroidery is even more amazing in person, and it totally has room for a large lunch. Or a large dinner. Or a large lunch, large dinner AND dessert! I’m actually now strongly considering moving around my packing list and taking this baby on our next cruise.

But, let’s say you want to give it a little more of a flattering silhouette. Well, bring on a belt!

I tried it with both a skinny belt and a thick belt and both do a pretty good job at cinching in the waist a little bit. Visually, I prefer the skinny belt because it pretty much gets hidden in the crazy pattern.

I didn’t stop there though, I decided to give the dress another look by styling it with a cardigan and booties.

You might as well put a Pumpkin Spice Latte in my hand, because this look basically screams FALL, right?! When it gets a bit cooler, I could easily add a pair of black tights to keep my legs warm.

Okay, so we can do cute boho Fall, but can we make it business-appropriate?

POW! That just happened. By switching out the cardigan for a black fitted blazer, I gave the dress a little more of a nipped in shape at the waist. I also switched the booties for a pair of serious heels and would totally feel confident wearing my fancy muumuu to work for a presentation.

So yeah, it looks like this dress has found a new home. I’m glad I tried it and can’t wait to switch it out with some different color cardigans and maybe even a denim jacket and scarf too.

Which is your favorite way of styling the swing dress? Do you agree that it looks like a fancy muumuu?

{Disclaimer: I am a Red Door Spa #GalSquad Ambassador and receive services at no cost.}

Out of all the possible Red Door spa services, the one that I was most looking forward to happened to be scheduled for my birthday month. I am a huge fan of massages and if I were able to, I’d get one a week. Or one a day. Or just have a masseuse follow me around throughout my day and rub me on an ‘as needed’ basis… Is that a thing? As it is, my friends at the Red Door Spa scheduled me for one of their famous Signature Massages!

The Red Door Signature Massage ($140) lasts for 50 minutes, and incorporates essences of shea butter cream, facial acupressure and foot reflexology for head-to-toe balance and relaxation. I scheduled my massage for Sunday morning as a great way to get ready for the week.

For my massage, I was back at the Baltimore Red Door Spa location and had Tanja as my masseuse. Tanja is actually the same masseuse that I saw last year for my Brandied Pear and Marshmallow Body Melt Treatment, so I knew I was in good hands.

Before starting the massage, Tanja asked if there were any areas I wanted to focus on or avoid. Since I spend most days hunched over a computer, I asked her to spend some extra time on the knots that find their way to my neck and shoulders. The massage was fantastic and she worked from my back to my legs, before I flipped over and she finished with my feet, arms, neck and an amazing scalp massage. The scalp massage was my favorite part!

In the middle of the massage, and also after she was finished, Tanja placed one of their Heat Therapy Herbal Neck Pillows on me to enjoy. I loved it so much that I decided to buy one to take home. After a long day of traffic and computer work, I think it will be great to have the warm pillow on my neck while snuggling up on the couch.

I loved my Signature Massage and will have to make sure to take care of myself by booking massages more often!

Reader Bonus:
My friends at Red Door Spa generously have provided my Maryland readers with a special promo code. From September 1 – October 31, you can use the code GSFANSEPT1 for 50% off a Red Door Massage Membership at the Baltimore and Gaithersburg spa locations. You can book online or call 1.866.RED.DOOR with the special code.

Are you a fan of massages? Do you schedule them regularly or only for special occasions?

Disclaimer: I am a Red Door Spa #GalSquad Ambassador and receive services at no cost. Offer valid at Baltimore & Gaithersburg locations. Offer valid at Baltimore & Gaithersburg locations. Please enter offer code during online booking, or call to book and mention offer code. Offer cannot be combined with other offers or discounts. Not valid towards product, gift certificate, gift card, packages, Red Door More Membership or Series purchases. Offer expires October 31, 2016. Code: GSFANSEPT1

Disclosure: This post was made possible by Lamps Plus.

It has finally happened. Jack FINALLY has started growing out of the ‘everything huge and plastic’ stage of toys. For years, it has been huge plastic baby jumper here and super-sized plastic ride-on item there. But now, I feel our house can start looking like adults live here!

When we originally moved into our house, I had the idea to set up a play area behind our couch in the living room. It was the perfect spot for all of Jack’s toys – I could see him from the kitchen while making dinner, he could go and play after meals while Travis and I finished up at the kitchen table, and it was mostly hidden behind the couch. Over the years it worked out really well, but lately I’ve been itching for a change.

Mostly because…this:

The toys just multiplied and this was what the area typically looked like. Of course, I’m a bit of a neat freak, so a few times a week I’d get it cleaned up. But it still looked like this when everything was “put away” properly.

BETTER, but not great. Although the tool bench was still really fun, I decided that it was time for it to go up to our designated playroom. We also needed to weed though some of the millions of toy cars and trucks, and donate a few (dozen) of them. But the biggest thing I REALLY wanted was a reading nook.

I had met a fabulous lady from Lamps Plus when I was at the BlogHer conference, so I did a little clicking around on their website when I got home. I didn’t realize that Lamps Plus has a million things other than lamps, including seating, tables, and home accessories. And, of course, all the floor lamps you could imagine!

I was pretty much salivating over all the amazing options. I basically clicked and pinned, clicked and pinned, and click and pinned some more. You can see my House Décor pinterest page here that was totally overrun with options for our living room space: Pocketful of Joules Home Decor.

After a ton of clicking (and pinning), I narrowed down my chair choice to the Tivoli Bella Ink Velvet Tufted Armchair. It looked like the perfect size for our spot, and I loved the blue velvet and silver nail-head trim. To me, it looked both classy and like something that I could cuddle up in. I also decided I needed this Forest Oaks Americana end table. You can’t see it in the pin, but the top of the table is super fabulous (spoiler alert…keep scrolling down to see it!). I finished up my order with a bronze torchiere floor lamp with a reader arm and a pretty bonsai plant that I can’t kill.

I posted a sneak peek on Instagram a week or so ago:

A photo posted by pocketfulofjoules (@pocketfulofjoules) on Sep 12, 2016 at 2:10pm PDT

Ready for the big reveal?

First, a quick refresh of the “before”:

Now, the “after”:

So much better, right? By moving everything around and paring down Jack’s toys, I was able to keep it super kid friendly, but added in a little class too. The chair is super comfortable and so pretty too. Here are some closer looks of the new space:

I absolutely love the change and surprisingly Jack loves it too. In fact, the past few times I’ve gravitated to my new velvety chair with my Kindle in my hand… I found that Jack was already there with HIS Kindle.

A huge thank you to Lamps Plus for making this post possible!

What is your favorite part of the new reading nook? Are you like me and totally infatuated with that shade of blue velvet?

Disclosure: I received furniture from Lamps Plus in exchange for writing about it on my blog. All thoughts and opinions are my own and if I hated anything I would totally tell you guys. As it is, I really love the new look of my reading nook and hugely appreciate my friends at Lamps Plus for the opportunity to work with them on this!