We recently had the pleasure of visiting Charleston for a week and it’s safe to say I fell in love with that city. It has so much to offer! It’s close to the beach (Sullivan’s Island), it has a city feel, but you can also get away for a calmer “suburb” experience in Mount Pleasant. 

That’s actually where we stayed. We got an Airbnb in the Old Village in Mount Pleasant. Just a short, 12-minute drive to Downtown Charleston and about 15 minutes away from Sullivan’s Island. It was truly the perfect location and it allowed us to explore Charleston to the fullest while also enjoying plenty of greenery, parks, and nice walks with the dogs. 

We were there from Sunday evening through Friday morning and truly it was the perfect amount of time to explore the Holy City. However, if you only have 3 days I’m pretty confident you can still experience quite a bit. Either way I’m sharing our Charleston itinerary so you know what’s a must-visit if you’re planning a trip to Charleston! 

Day 1:

Our first full day was quite a packed day. If you like to take things slow, our Charleston itinerary might feel a bit overwhelming as Kris and I like to explore as much as we possibly can with whatever time we have. However, you can also pick and choose what you’d like to see! 

Breakfast: 

We started our morning off visiting Callie’s Hot Little Biscuits. Beware there WILL be a line! It’s quite a popular spot but the line does move quickly. Take this with a grain of salt: it wasn’t our favorite spot. However, I’m not much of a biscuit person in general so it’s definitely a me thing, not a Callie’s thing. Their biscuits are a bit drier and more like a cake consistency so they can be quite filling (and I’m not a cake person). However, they taste really good. They were just a little too much for me and a few bites was more than enough. 

Time to Explore:

After breakfast we walked around King Street. Callie’s Hot Little Biscuits is on King Street so we didn’t have to make any detours. We just walked down the street and visited a few shops and historic spots. I’m a huge fan of The Notebook so we walked past The American Theater and reminisced on Allie and Noah’s date. We also walked past the William Aiken House, though we didn’t go inside because we were with the pups. I did some shopping at Two Cumberland, a super cute boutique and also visited the Amanda Lindroth store which has beautiful handmade products for your home! Other cute stores include Hampden Clothing, Beau and Ro, and Old Whaling Co. 

Lunch:

While we were walking around King Street we got really hungry and found AW Shuck’s, a really good seafood place. That’s one thing about Charleston- there is seafood galore! The tacos were absolutely delicious and they had an adorable outdoor seating area that reminded me of European cafés. 

Visiting South of Broad:

After lunch we decided to visit South of Broad. That included The Battery, Rainbow Row, and the Calhoun Mansion. One thing to note about Charleston is parking can be hard to find depending on where you are. Parking on King Street was so easy – there were plenty of parking garages and the occasional street parking spot. However, parking on South of Broad was a bit harder. We were able to find a parking lot right by Rainbow Row so we just walked around the other areas to explore (wear comfy shoes).

Rainbow Row is a must visit in my opinion so plan to include it in your Charleston itinerary. The colorful houses make for beautiful photos but also just to simply admire them. It truly is a beautiful area. The Battery is not only a beautiful park and area in general, but it’s also quite historic (obviously). There’s lots of cannons you can walk past as well as look out the water so you can envision what battles were like years ago. Lastly, we walked past the Calhoun Mansion as I was committed to visiting all The Notebook spots. It was closed so we could only see it from the outside but that was enough to fill my heart with joy. 

Dessert Time:

After all the walking we needed some dessert to fuel us up! We stopped by Offtrack Ice Cream and enjoyed a Key Lime and Peach Crisp ice cream cone. They have tons of flavors and options, including affogato if you like coffee and ice cream. Overall 10/10 recommend. 

Dinner:

Dinner was at Post House Inn in Mount Pleasant. I’ve seen Julia Berolzheimer recommend it a few times so I knew we had to go. The food was absolutely delicious, they had great seasonal drinks, and the service was amazing. As the name suggests, it’s also an inn so you might consider staying there as well. They offer bikes to guests so you can bike around Mount Pleasant and explore the area. 

Day 2:

Coffee Stop:

We started our second day of our Charleston itinerary with coffee at Brown Fox Coffee. It’s located in Mount Pleasant and it was just a walk away from our Airbnb so we took the pups on a walk to grab coffee. I enjoyed a delicious PSL and since it was just a walk away, we stopped by again a few days later and I got the Pumpkin Spice Chai – 20/10 recommend! 

Time to Learn:

We visited the Boone Hall Plantation where we learned a lot about the history of the plantation, slavery, and the Gullah people of Charleston. The Notebook was filmed in Boone Hall Plantation so that was fun as well. The mansion is actually a private property so we weren’t allowed to take any photos but it is beautiful. There’s tours every half hour and you get to see the first floor of the house as the second floor is closed off to the public. We also walked through the gardens and listened to a lesson on the history of Boone Hall and slavery in the plantation. Lastly, we also watched the Gullah Show where we learned more about the Gullah people of Charleston and their culture. Highly suggest making time for that. Overall we spent about three hours at Boone Hall so make sure you account for enough time there. 

Lunch:

Afterwards we went to Sullivan’s Island to eat lunch at The Obstinate Daughter. The food was absolutely delicious and probably some of the best brussels sprouts I’ve ever had! I got the chicken with farro and Kris enjoyed a pizza, which he also said was absolutely delicious. 

Exploring Sullivan’s Island:

After lunch we walked around Sullivan’s Island, including Fort Moultrie. It was closed that day so we were only able to walk around it but it was still quite interesting to see how the fort was built, where the cannons were and reading more about its history. 

Dinner:

Since I love Paris and everything French I had to take advantage of all the French cuisine in Charleston. For Dinner we went to 39 Rue de Jean and truly it’s one of our favorite restaurants we visited. Kris said he had the best short ribs in his entire life, and I enjoyed a delicious chicken and gnocchi. The gnocchi was clearly freshly made, though be aware their portions are quite large so go hungry! 

Day 3:

Workout:

I hadn’t taken in-person workout classes since before quarantine but when I found out there was a The Barre Code 5 minutes away from our Airbnb I knew I had to go. I absolutely love The Barre Code but sadly their Miami studio closed so I haven’t been able to go for so long. The Mount Pleasant studio is amazing and Courtney, the owner, was so friendly and welcoming. She also taught a killer class so if you’re looking for a workout while visiting Charleston I highly suggest The Barre Code. 

Coffee Stop:

On our third day of our Charleston itinerary we stopped by Harken Cafe for breakfast. All of their coffee is from Colombia so I was absolutely stoked. I got a pumpkin spice latte (what else is new) and a brie and apple biscuit which was amazing! 

Exploring Around Town:

After coffee we visited Hampton Park which is absolutely beautiful and the dogs played in the dog park for a while. Later on we went to The Tiny Tassel where I got a mug and headband designed with Charleston’s best spots like Rainbow Row. We then visited The French Quarter which has beautiful cobblestone streets. I stopped by The Pink House for a photo and walked past many other beautiful pastel colored houses. Waterfront Park is in The French Quarter so we visited that area and walked to the pier right after that. We also visited the Pineapple Fountain and got some pictures of Ollie and Milo in front of it. 

Lunch Break:

After all the walking we got quite hungry and enjoyed lunch at Ruru’s. While it was good I didn’t personally think it was as delicious as all the other meals we had during our stay in Charleston. I got the tacos and guacamole while Kris got a massive burrito. 

Dessert Time:

After lunch we stopped by Jeni’s Ice Cream and got a Rainbow Buttermilk Frozen Yogurt ice cream cone. It was absolutely delicious and refreshing though I think I liked Offtrack Ice Cream better than Jeni’s. The good news though is that Jeni’s is sold in stores so I can still enjoy delicious ice cream in Miami since we don’t have a Jeni’s Ice Cream shop. 

Late Dinner:

When we set the dates for our trip to Charleston the first thing I did was check for reservations at Husk. I’d heard so much about that restaurant and knew it would get booked quickly so I had to search for reservations right away. Lo and behold there were just two timeslots available. An early 5:30pm dinner or a later one at 8:45pm. We went with the 8:45pm option and trust me when I say that is the best restaurant we ate at during our stay. It’s easy to see why it’s always booked as the food was amazing. Their menu changes daily so you can go as often as you’d like and there will always be something new to try. It’s on the pricier end but it truly was worth it and a must in a Charleston itinerary. 

Day 4:

Coffee and Breakfast:

Our last full day in Charleston was a day to explore anything we hadn’t yet. Our Charleston itinerary was pretty packed but we wanted to have a day to roam around. We started off by going to The Harbinger Cafe where I got a Turmeric Chai Latte that was amazing as well as a toast with a pumpkin compote. Highly recommend it though we noticed a lot of students go their to study so all tables fill up quickly. 

Exploring the Market:

After breakfast we stopped by the Charleston Candle Company where I got their no. 11 scent: Pineapple Fountain. If you like candles as much as I do, I suggest you visit that place! Shortly after we went to the City Market and walked around looking at mostly handmade products. From paintings to jewelry, candles, and accessories they have it all. 

French Lunch:

Keeping up with my goal of visiting French restaurants, we stopped by Felix where I enjoyed a Croque Monsieur with Truffle Parmesan Fries and Kris got a burger. Truly a delicious meal and the restaurant is absolutely beautiful. I’m personally a big fan of French food, hence why I included so many French spots in our Charleston itinerary so if you’re a fan like I am, you’ll love Charleston!

Dessert Time:

French was definitely the theme of the day as we stopped by La Patisserie next to Hotel Bennett (also beautiful and worth a visit to their Pink Champagne Room). Their desserts are almost too pretty to eat but nonetheless they were so delicious we had no choice but to indulge. We also walked over to Sugar Bakeshop to get some cupcakes to go. I’d heard so much about that place I knew I had to visit. It’s an adorable, small cupcake shop with plenty of options to choose from. We got the Raspberry Lemon and ate it later that night and it was amazing. 

Sunset at Pitt Street Bridge:

Pitt Street Bridge is in Mount Pleasant and a great spot to watch the sunset. You can walk with your dogs so we took Ollie and Milo for a walk along the bridge while the sun was setting. Some people were having a picnic there and truly it was a brilliant idea as it’s a beautiful spot. 

Dinner in Paris:

Our final dinner in our Charleston trip was in Maison, a French restaurant. The outside has a very large painting of the Eiffel Tower and the inside is decorated with pictures of other Parisian iconic spots. The food was amazing, I had a roasted chicken with brussels sprouts and squash and as an appetizer we enjoyed a soup croquette** which was pretty much a croquette filled with french onion soup – absolutely delicious! 

I hope this extensive Charleston itinerary has been useful and helps you in planning your trip to Charleston. It’s a gorgeous city with so much to offer and I highly encourage others to visit. 

The post Charleston Itinerary: Our 4-Day Guide appeared first on Dear Moscato.

Since first publishing the home tour series, the workout room and home office have gotten a revamp. The furniture we had in that room was furniture we brought from our original apartment so it definitely did not fit our current home’s aesthetic. Plus, I felt like it made the room feel very dark and moody instead of bright and airy. Now that I’m working from home permanently, I thought it was the perfect excuse to redecorate the room and make it a place that truly feels productive and bright. Thus, the updated workout room and home office tour. 

Workout Space

More than ever, working out at home has become a necessity. Thus, I’ve been adding more and more home gym equipment and needed the extra storage to keep it all organized. The original 4-cube shelf was replaced with this 6-cube shelf and now all of my equipment fits perfectly. From dumbbells, to kettlebells, and smaller equipment like booty bands, it’s all there! I also wanted to add a touch of pink since it’s my favorite color. It’s the one room in the house that is practically all mine, so why not. I went on what felt like a scavenger hunt to find this vase at target and was so happy when I finally did! I also bought the other collection items like the larger vase and the book ends, though admittedly I am using them simply as decor. Also, my yoga mats now have a home as Marie Kondo would suggest. They were previously all over the place but now they’re nicely organized in a basket! 

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Home Office

Across the workout shelf is the workspace. I admit this room is 90% workout room and 10% office space, but it works just fine! I updated the desk to this white and gold desk with a light pink accent chair because pink needed to have a space in this room. The larger target vase is on the desk and I’m hoping to add some pampas grass to it soon. The desk accessories and stapler are from target, obviously. Also, I got a laptop stand that helps keep my eyes at a higher level and encourages better posture. The wall decor remained the same but I felt like this style made the girl boss print fit right in. 

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I hope you like this updated workout room and home office tour. I’m so happy with how clean and organized this room looks now. Home decor makes me so happy! Plus, I feel like it’s so important to have a place that feels like your own. I keep telling Kris that every time I walk into that room it sparks so much joy. Truly, I think I’m making Marie Kondo proud! 

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In case you don’t know this about me yet, I’m a crazy dog mom. Ollie and Milo are my best friends and I just love spending time with them. This includes Kris, of course, but today we’re talking all about the pups. They make life so enjoyable, keep me active, and I constantly wonder how so much love can fit in a tiny body. Kris and I both try to spoil them as much as we can because let’s be honest, they deserve it so much. For that reason, I wanted to share a few of my favorite dog products for Ollie and Milo. Sadly they can’t give me their opinion on these products. However, I’m going off of how they behave around the product and how useful it’s been for Kris and I as dog owners.

Favorite Dog Products for Ollie & Milo

Below I’m sharing a mix of toys, treats, home pet accessories, travel-friendly items and more so you have everything you could possibly need. Please note Ollie and Milo are Cavalier King Charles Spaniels so they behave differently from other dogs and are relatively small. Most of the products I’m sharing will work for all dogs, you might just need to adjust for sizing. Another thing worth mentioning, these pups may be small but they chew through everything. That’s why you’ll find most toys we choose are for hard chewers. Anywho, enough notes, let’s get on to their favorite dog products.

Toys

First and foremost I had to start with toys. We had a Barkbox subscription for them for some time but the toys are simply too soft for them. They ended up destroying them as soon as we gave them to them. Plus, we had to constantly monitor them to ensure they wouldn’t eat the toys. We even tried the super chewer version of the box and somehow they managed to destroy them all. I think Barkbox is an amazing subscription and I wish it would’ve worked for us but it just wasn’t worth it. Since then we try to focus on products that are for super chewers and avoid products that are stuffed since Ollie likes to eat that. He’s also a big fan of balls so we always have a few at home to play fetch with him. Milo luckily does not let any toy go to waste and always goes through his toy basket to find a different one.

Home Accessories

While the pups are huge fans of our couch and bed, that wasn’t my original plan. Obviously I gave in and now I have to live with dog hair everywhere but anyway, that’s not the point of this. They have their own beds downstairs so they can take naps, and we got them a big, comfy bed for our bedroom. Again, the intention of that bed was to keep them away from ours but that did not happen. I can say that their bed is super comfy though (yes, I tested it). In addition to beds, we got them a cute toy basket so they can store them when they’re not spread out all over the living room. Side note, if anyone’s been able to train their dogs to put their toys back, please hit me up! Lastly, I got lucky last year and won a Furbo at a Cavalier meetup (it’s a thing) and we love it. It’s great for when we have to leave our house (not that that’s been happening much this year) so we can keep an eye on them, talk to them, and share treats. 

Treats

This is probably Ollie and Milo’s favorite category. These dogs genuinely love food and do not miss a chance to remind me when it’s treat time. While we usually buy their treats, I recently started making their own thanks to Once Upon a Pumpkin’s recipes. It’s actually been quite fun and I got some super cute baking molds. Plus, I always like to bake them a little treat for their birthdays. They also get multivitamins daily and while it serves as more than a treat, it appears to be very tasty. They actually sit by the pantry every morning waiting for it. Lastly, Ollie’s not a fan of taking his flea and heart worm prevention medicine so we got them some pill pockets that truly make it so much easier. 

Travel-Friendly 

While we don’t travel often, we do take the pups with us everywhere we go. For that reason, it was important for us to find the perfect travel-friendly accessories. This means travel-friendly water and food bowls, crates, and a tote to carry everything. Whether it’s a long trip or a trip to the park, we also love to take water bottles that have a drinking bowl attached. Lastly, we have car seat covers that we use when we take them places. 

Grooming

Last in the categories is probably our favorite dog products, albeit Ollie and Milo’s least favorite. However, they do need to be clean so it’s a must. We love using an odorizing spray to keep them smelling fresh in between baths and especially when they come back from the dog park. We also use a shampoo to protect their coats and brush them daily to prevent knots. Lastly, we keep their teeth fresh with a toothpaste they tolerate. It’s not the easiest but it’s worked for us so far!

There you have it. Those are our favorite dog products for Ollie and Milo. I hope this blog post helped. I’m always looking for recommendations so if you have favorite dog products of your own, feel free to comment below or DM me on Instagram. 

The post Favorite Dog Products for Ollie & Milo appeared first on Dear Moscato.

2020 has not been what we expected, has it?

Quarantine made us get real creative with our workouts, work from home, classes, and even date night ideas. While Kris and I love going out and exploring, we’re both quite the homebodies. However, the second you tell us we cannot leave, we suddenly want to go everywhere. Go figure.

In order to make this time at home fun without driving each other crazy, we decided to do at-home date nights every week. They’re quite simple dates, which honestly are my favorite kind. But the point is, you don’t need to spend tons of money on date nights. Just make it a point to spend time together doing something you enjoy.

Truthfully, Kris and I rarely have over-the-top dates or dress up fancy. We just love spending time together and most of the time that means chilling on the couch or going for a walk. What matters is finding something you and your partner both enjoy. 

Below I’m sharing a few at-home date night ideas we love.

At-Home Date Night Ideas 

Order food or get takeout – When the pandemic first started and we learned about so many local restaurants struggling, we made it a point to order food once a week. We got to enjoy yummy food while at the same time supporting local businesses. While ordering out frequently can get expensive, if you have the means, I suggest doing it once a week. You can even make it a fun game of trying new food every single time. Or maybe one of you gets to pick one week and alternate the others. Either way, it’s a good way to eat great food while supporting your community.

Pizza Night – Every Saturday is pizza night at our house. I personally like to make my own pizza with cauliflower crust and dairy-free cheese, while Kris usually buys pre-made pizza. However, he enjoys helping me make my pizza which turns into a fun date night. We make my pizza and then sit and eat and talk. We’ve also made sushi in the past. Either way, if you enjoy cooking something together make the time for it once a week!

Movie Night – I’ll admit we usually have a hard time finding a movie to watch, however, movie nights are always so fun. We’ll sit on the couch and watch a movie while we munch on snacks. You can easily find tons of movies on Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ or even Redbox. It’s an easy way to disconnect and have fun.

Go on walks – Thanks to Ollie and Milo, Kris and I frequently go on walks. It’s a wonderful way to disconnect, spend time in nature, and get active. We like to talk while we walk and enjoy all the views nearby. While this one is technically not “at-home” it’s close enough since we just go for a neighborhood walk.

Do a fun workout – While Kris and I rarely get to work out together because our schedules don’t match, we have fun when we get the chance to! I try to find something he’d be okay with, and we make space in our workout room to work out together. While he’s never done a barre class, I’m actually quite tempted to have him do an at-home barre workout with me. 

Watch sports – Kris and I both like soccer and Formula 1. Every Sunday morning we watch the F1 race and on evenings we watch soccer. Maybe you’re a baseball fan or enjoy a different sport, either way I think it’s a fun way to bond and yell at the TV for a bit.

Have a dress up date – As I mentioned, Kris and I rarely get fancy for date nights. However, every once in a while he likes to surprise me. He’ll make me dress up fancy and cooks a four course dinner for us. I honestly love it because I get to dress up while being in the comfort of my own home, a win-win! Plus, Kris’ cooking is beyond amazing.

Create a vision board together – While I’m more into vision boards than Kris is, it’s fun to talk about our future. We like to discuss any trips we’d like to take, plans for our short and long-term future, and simply spend some time envisioning our dreams. Vision boards are a fun reminder of these plans, but they’re not necessary. Even just talking about it is a great way to connect and plan for the future.

Those are some relatively easy at-home date night ideas. While we have fun simply spending time together, we’d love to hear any other date night ideas you have! Feel free to share them in the comments below or DM me on Instagram. 

The post At-Home Date Night Ideas appeared first on Dear Moscato.

While Summer is probably my favorite season, Fall is a close second. I love how the leaves change, the temperature lowers a bit, Fall outfits are my favorite, and anything pumpkin and apple flavored is a win in my book. 

While Fall in Miami is pretty much non-existent, I love bringing a touch of the season with Fall home decor. 

I’m talking pumpkins, pinecones, red and orange leaves, and just in general more amber tones. Plus, you can’t forget candles that will make your home truly smell like Fall. 

While I broke down the Home Tour series by separate areas, today I’m sharing an overall glimpse into how I refresh my space with Fall home decor. 

Fall Home Decor Staple: Pumpkins

You can’t talk about Fall without mentioning pumpkins. The smell, the look, they just scream Fall! Pumpkins are simply a Fall home decor staple. 

The good news is there’s plenty of pumpkin styles to choose from. There’s pumpkins with more of a Halloween vibe, there’s ceramic pumpkins, pumpkin-shaped candles, and even rafia-texture pumpkins. 

I love decorating every space I can with pumpkins. From trays, to the stairs, to furniture pieces, adding pumpkins everywhere is my favorite. 

Create a Cozy Space

While the temperature barely drops in Miami, Fall is usually associated with a cooler weather. For that reason, I love making the space feel more cozy with blankets, pillows and using more earthy tones in my decor.

I’m always cold so blankets are a must in our house regardless, but during Fall I like to lay this blanket over our couch to create a cozy and inviting space.

I also like to change up the pillows to have a more earthy tone. Plus, pillows are always a great way to add comfort which is exactly what Fall is about.

Fall Foliage

My favorite part about Fall after pumpkins is seeing the leaves turn. While that doesn’t happen in Miami, I like to bring my own Fall foliage home.

I update the wreath we usually decorate our door with to place one with a Fall vibe. On the interior, I decorate our stair rail with a Fall garland. Our home is usually minimalist in terms of design, but I love the warmth the Fall leaves (even if they’re fake) add to the home. The dining table also gets updated to add Fall garland over the table runner, along with pumpkins of course. 

Lastly, the flower vases, that usually have fresh flowers, get decorate with Fall flowers. Sadly, because I can’t get real Fall flowers, I settle with artificial ones. However, I will say they look pretty real from a decent distance and they look beautiful so it’s all worth it! 

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 I hope you enjoyed this post and found some inspiration to refresh your space with Fall home decor.

If you find some amazing Fall goodies, please send them my way as I love seeing, sharing, and getting all Fall decor!

The post Refresh Your Space With Fall Home Decor appeared first on Dear Moscato.

Since last year I decided I was going to make a conscious decision to be more eco-friendly.

I’ve always been interested in being more eco-friendly but honestly never really took the effort to educate myself and actually make eco-friendly updates to my day to day life.

While it may seem difficult at first, it’s all about creating new habits and sticking with them until it becomes second-nature.

Whether it’s turning off all lights any time you leave a room, buying reusable straws, or taking reusable bags to the grocery store with you, little by little these changes can be made to reduce our carbon footprint. 

Below I’m sharing a few things I’ve purchased in the last year to replace items that are normally non-recyclable and non-reusable.

Stasher Bags

The Stasher bags are an amazing eco-friendly update to your every day.

Most of us use Ziploc bags for just about anything.

Instead of using plastic bags that are non-reusable, the Stasher bags allow you to use them over and over again.

Best part? They’re dishwasher friendly!

They also come in a variety of sizes so you can pack snacks, fruits, and even non-edible items.

I personally use them to store bananas and other fruits that I then put in the freezer for my morning smoothies. Makes meal prepping a breeze!

They’re honestly a game-changer when it comes to storing things.

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Straws

Clearly I love my smoothies and it’s one of the first ways I’ve made eco-friendly updates to my every day.

Not only do I use Stasher bags to store the frozen fruit, I use reusable straws for drinking them!

There’s so many different reusable straws you can find. I personally have a few silicone ones and my favorite is the Final Straw, which was a gift from my best friend.

It’s super cool because it folds and has its own little storage case so you can take it with you anywhere.

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Wool Dryer Balls

Instead of using the regular dryer sheets, I found these wool dryer balls that you can use over and over again. 

What’s nice is you can add essential oils to them to give a nice scent to your clothes. 

Single-use dryer sheets produce needless amounts of waste and emit potentially harmful chemicals into the air, which is why I wanted to find an alternative to them.

It’s the little changes in our lives, things we never even considered could be harmful to the environment, that can make a difference.

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Reusable Produce Bags

Instead of grabbing the plastic bags at the grocery store to pack up the produce, I found these reusable woven bags so you can put it all in there without creating any waste.

Simply unpack your produce when you get home and the bags are ready to be reused.

I like to keep them in my car just in case I have an unplanned trip to the grocery store so I don’t forget them at home.

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Water Bottle

Last but not least, having a reusable water bottle is an amazing (and easy) eco-friendly update to your every day.

I have quite a few reusable water bottles at home but my latest purchase was a BKR.

It sounds silly but I like to buy pretty reusable water bottles because it really encourages me to drink water.

Not only is it great for you to drink lots of water, but it’s so good for the environment to reduce our consumption of single-use plastic water bottles. 

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There you have it! These are 5 easy eco-friendly updates to your every day that will truly make a difference long-term.

I know so many people think there’s not much difference a single person can make but I strongly disagree.

Not only will you be reducing your own carbon footprint, but I’ve learned it also encourages other people to follow suit.

And guess what? Then we create this amazing chain reaction where people make eco-friendly updates to their every day lives and slowly but surely we start making a positive impact.

So I encourage you to join me in making eco-friendly updates to your every day so we can really make a difference in the world.

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Well this is it, the final part of the home tour series: the master bedroom tour.

You’ve probably seen a little bit of our master bedroom if you follow me on Instagram since I frequently share mirror selfies (quarantine made me do it).

Master Bedroom Tour

I knew I wanted the master bedroom to have calming vibes. As much as I hate to admit it, I’m stressed out quite frequently and have a hard time slowing down.

For that reason, the master bedroom needed to be a place that allowed me to relax and have great sleep.

That’s when Kris and I went on a hunt for the perfect mattress and pillows. After testing out a few, we decided on the Leesa mattress and pillows.

I honestly cannot recommend them enough. We found Leesa at West Elm and that’s when we decided it was perfect for us.

Since most of our furniture downstairs was going to be West Elm, I decided to look into bedroom furniture there as well so we could take advantage of their buy more save more sales.

That’s when I found our bed (which, sadly, has been discontinued since), our dresser, nightstands, and full-length mirror. 

I love that the nightstands not only look modern, they’re also very functional with the two drawers.

One of my favorite items on them are our wireless iPhone and Apple Watch charger stands because we used to have a really hard time with so many cables.

The dresser is also cute and stylish, and having multiple drawers was a must for Kris since I take up 95% of the closet space (and, admittedly, take up the majority of the dresser drawers).

Speaking of the closet, Kris custom built it for us with pieces from The Home Depot.

I’m so grateful for his hard work and building a closet based on my poorly drawn design.

Our bedroom would not be complete without a comfy bed for Ollie and Milo. Though I will admit they end up jumping on our bed in the middle of the night while we’re fully asleep (sneaky little pups!).

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Master Bathroom

Ever since we moved in together, Kris and I have always wanted a double sink vanity since I, yet again, took up most of the bathroom space.

Luckily our home has a very spacious bathroom that I made sure to take full advantage of. 

In order to keep it organized, I bought a couple of storage baskets to put inside the cabinets and hold all of my skincare and haircare products.

I also have storage for makeup and trays to hold things in place inside the drawer.

On the counter I place a tray that serves as decor and to hold canisters with cotton balls and more. Clearly I’m a fan of pretty yet functional things!

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I’m grateful to have so much space to get ready in the mornings and just love spending time in our home.

Quarantine has given me a whole new perspective on our space and I’m just thankful to have a roof over our heads.

I hope you enjoyed our home tour series and its last section, the master bedroom tour.

If you have any questions, feel free to comment below or DM me on Instagram!

The post Our Home: Master Bedroom Tour appeared first on Dear Moscato.

Up next on our home tour series is the guest bedroom tour.

In case you missed it, here’s the kitchen tour, living room & dining room tour, and workout room tour.

When we moved into our home we knew we needed to have a guest bedroom.

My family doesn’t live in the US, Kris’ family lives in IL, and our friends are spread all over the US so we wanted to have space to host them.

We also wanted to make their stay an enjoyable one so I drew some inspiration from Jess Conte’s vlog to give our guests a fun experience when staying with us!

Guest Bedroom Tour

Most of the guest bedroom furniture is from IKEA that we had in our previous apartment and just wanted to repurpose when we bought our master bedroom furniture.

It’s comfortable and allows our guests to have their own storage space while staying with us with the nightstands and dresser. Though, admittedly, I do have some of my winter stuff stored in a few drawers (oops!).

Part of the decor is functional, like the Alexa Echo Dot so they can control the lights, fan, set alarms, etc. and part is just decor like Ollie and Milo’s illustration that a friend of ours gifted us.

Probably the most functional part (aside from the bed, of course) are the curtains. As weird as that sounds, the guest bedroom has large windows that make it a very warm room.

The curtains are not only blackout for great sleep but block some of the heat and keep the room cooler.

That’s pretty much the basics of the guest bedroom. My favorite decor though, is the memories the room holds.

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A Guest Experience

When our friends stay at our place, I want to make sure to document it.

For that reason, I always take a polaroid and hang it on the burlap frame on the wall.

I wish we had more pics but we’ve only been at our place for a year and with coronavirus, we haven’t had guests in so long!

Friends: that’s a hint to come over and visit when all of this ends!!!

In addition to having our guests take a pic for memories, I like to make sure they feel welcome from the moment they step in.

That’s why I like to have a basket with towels, face masks, other self-care items, and their favorite treats when they walk into the bedroom.

I want our friends to feel like they have everything they need when they come in, including the WiFi password!

I found a cute template on Pinterest, printed it out, wrote our password and framed it.

This may all sound a little “extra” but honestly I just love having people over and nothing makes me happier than making other people happy.

Plus, if I can make their stay enjoyable they will hopefully come back again!

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I hope you enjoyed this guest bedroom tour and found our “welcoming guests ideas” useful.

If you have any other ideas you’d like to share for making our guests feel extra welcome, please share them in the comments below.

See you soon for another home tour!

The post Our Home: Guest Bedroom Tour appeared first on Dear Moscato.

Thanks for sticking around for the home tour series! If you’ve missed the previous one here’s the kitchen tour and the living room & dining room tour.

I recently shared my favorite at-home fitness products that I have in what I refer to as my Studio Tone It Up.

I thought it was only fitting I shared a workout room tour next so you can take a peek into my morning workout space.

Pretty much my entire working out life (I was not into fitness for many years) I’ve worked out at home.

Whether that was my brother’s room, my college dorm suite, or our apartment living room, I’ve always been used to working out in a small space.

However, when we were looking for a home to buy I told Kris I really wanted to have my own workout room. 

While working out in the living room is fine, I’d much rather have my own space to work out and meditate in.

Luckily, he was super understanding so we looked for a place with enough rooms to include a workout space!

I will add that my workout room has a small corner that functions as my office space, though I don’t use it too often since I like to work from different areas of our home.

Workout Room Tour

On my previous blog post I discussed the small workout equipment I use at home and sometimes travel with.

However because it’s small, I wanted to have a space to keep it all together.

I got my workout equipment shelf a while ago to keep in my closet for a few extra things but after moving into our new home I decided to repurpose it to hold all my workout equipment.

I have a box where I store my booty bands, resistance bands, Bala ankle weights, face towels, jump rope, etc. 

The other shelf spaces have my dumbbells, kettlebell, foam roller, and Tone It Up decor since I call this room Studio Tone It Up.

We got a TV for the room to easily stream my Tone It Up app workouts and it’s honestly been life-changing not having to stare at my smaller screen from afar.

Right before I did the TIU Strength program on the app, we got a weight bench and a barbell that I’ve continued to use even after finishing the program.

It also has the added bonus that it encourages Kris to work out since he would often say my dumbbells were too light for him (probably just excuses, am I right?).

I keep the extra weight plates for the barbell on a basket next to my shelf. It’s not perfectly organized but honestly everything gets moved constantly in that room so it’s probably the only space were looking cute was not my main priority. 

Finally, I hung a mirror on the back side of the door that I use to keep an eye on my form and make sure I don’t get injured while working out!

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Office Space

The workout room also doubles as my office space.

While I hope to update the desk and chair in the future, it’s not my main priority at the moment as I don’t use it that often.

I normally don’t work from home (quarantine has changed that though) so the office was not a concern.

However, I do hope to change the furniture some time soon for lighter colors and I’ve linked them below. 

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I like to switch my work space (keeps the creative juices flowing) so even though I’m working from home I usually only work from my office space once a week.

I love working from our dining table, kitchen island and balcony so I keep it varied!

One major thing above my desk is my vision board, intentions, and a motivating girl boss portrait.

I love having it all there so I can see it daily and remind myself of what I’m working towards.

I hope you enjoyed this workout room tour and stay tuned for a few more home tour spaces!

The post Our Home: Workout Room Tour appeared first on Dear Moscato.

If you missed part one, check it out here: Kitchen Tour.

Moving on to our dining room and living room tour, this is the area where we spend most of our evenings.

We love watching TV on our couch and have made it a point to eat dinner at the dining table frequently since we were used to eating on the couch at our previous apartment. 

Much like the kitchen, I knew the living room and dining room needed to be perfect for entertaining. After all, I hope to be able to host my family for Christmas some time (was hoping this year but with COVID they will most likely not be able to travel).

We’ve had a few friends over since we moved into our place. Luckily, the spacious couch has come in very handy for the extra seating! 

Plus, I’ve also had super fun movie days with my girls.

Overall, we knew we wanted this place to be perfect for having people over as well as feeling cozy. With that in mind we chose the furnishings and overall decor.

Dining Room Tour

I love the modern style but in order to avoid it coming off too cold, I love adding plants.

Now I will say, the plants I choose are 99% of the time artificial because I have no green thumb.

I found our beautiful and modern table at CB2 and knew I needed the chairs to match the modern look. 

Honestly I searched high and low for our chairs because the original ones are extremely expensive. Luckily, there’s a few brands that have replicated the style at a more affordable look. 

While they may look like they’re not the comfiest chairs, they’re actually quite good! They’ve been very durable so far and easy to clean.

I decorated the table with a wooden tray and artificial flowers from Hearth and Hand. 

Above it is the chandelier, which honestly adds a nice, modern touch.

Most recently, we got an artificial fiddle leaf fig from Target’s Studio McGee collection (my all-time favorite partnership). It gives the space the warm, homey feeling that it was missing.

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Living Room Tour

The layout of our home is actually a bit different than what the builder had originally planned. Our dining room was supposed to be a family room and the living room was going to be a dining room and TV room in one.

However, we found it would be a waste of space to have two couches so close to each other. Instead, we turned the “family room” into the dining room and went for an extra large living room.

It works perfectly for us because we wanted to have a large couch and a designated bar area. Plus, we wanted as much room as possible for the dogs to roam around freely. 

Knowing we had a big space for the living room, we searched for a large couch to fill up the area. I found the perfect one on Wayfair but it was sold out for months.

I set a notification for in-stock alerts and finally the couch came back in stock just in time!

The design I had in mind for this place from the get-go was modern and minimal. I love a clean look so I wanted furniture that would not allow for any clutter. 

Plus, I love a wooden touch to add more coziness to a minimal design. 

For that reason, I chose a media stand that has wooden cabinets to cover the mess (AKA Kris’ PS4 and all the games) but can easily slide for access to said mess.

I decorated it with pictures and little touches like a wooden tray for placing the remotes. This makes it look more organized and clean.  

While I was opposed to the idea at first (making holes on the wall freak me out), hiding the TV cables behind the wall makes for an extra clean look I love. 

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Since there was a lot of space to play with in our living room, I added a blanket ladder in one corner and floating shelves decorated with artificial plants.

These add even more warmth to the space while still keeping it clean and modern.  

I’m really happy with the way our living room turned out, especially because it is the area we “live in” the most. 

Stay tuned for the rest of this home tour series and in the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this dining room and living room tour!

The post Our Home: Dining Room & Living Room Tour appeared first on Dear Moscato.