The One With the Matching Gingham Outfits

When we moved into our apartment 2 years ago, the leasing office told us what the pet fee would be per month if we ever did decide to get a dog. We quickly responded, "Well THAT'S not happening!" Fast forward a year and I wanted a dog so bad ;) Everyone in the apartment complex had one and I'd see the owners walking their dogs all the time, so I got puppy fever! Then I convinced myself and my husband that I needed a buddy at home, since I work from home. After serendipitously meeting our breeder at a parade in town and visiting the puppies, we fell in love with Lincoln anddd now we're the proud owners of the pet fee the leasing manager told us about when we moved in (and the cutest puppy ever, of course!)
All that to say, you never think you're going to be THAT dog mom, but then you are. Thoughts I have had before getting a dog:
- Our puppy won't bark
- Our puppy won't be allowed on the furniture
- I will never dress him in dog clothes (let alone matching ensembles) 
Well, it's safe to say all those "rules" have been broken! Ha! We are working on the barking one. He's basically our son (I even took him to doggy daycare this week when I was gone all day teaching a workshop). So when one of my favorite companies, Rent the Runway, told me they had matching outfits for pups and owners, I was like "YEP". And my husband literally did the palm-to-face emoji. Since Lincoln is a boy, we had to get him something a little more manly...so gingham it was! Aside from L's raincoat, this is his first item of clothing. He looked so cute, but he really didn't want to move a muscle in this thing.
Matching won't be the norm for us, but it was sort of fun!

Anyone need a furry friend ringbearer?! He cleans up nice ;)

But in all seriousness, I absolutely LOVED this gingham top and jacket I rented. I wore it 5 days in a row, so definitely got my use out of it! It's a t-shirt material up top with a silky gingham trim. It's feminine and flirty, but not too over the top. Of course I wore my favorite (waterproof) booties ever with the outfit.

The necklace was so fun, too! Give me all the tassels!



Lincoln: "Is this real life? Ma, are we done yet?"
Me: "STAY! Do you wanna TREAT? STAY, STAY!"

Nailed it:


Just before he sneezed while trying to get a "detail shot" ;) More than anything, these pictures make me crack up. He has so much personality usually, but put the dog in an outfit and he's stiff as a board!
If you're a crazy fur mama like me, you might want to sign the petition to get Rent the Runway to start adding dog clothes to their lineup! 
But more than anything, if you haven't tried RTR yet, you should! I have rented many dresses for special occasions like my bridal shower, bachelorette party, engagement photos, and other wedding-related events. I have loved every single one! This month I'm trying out the Unlimited package, thanks to my sweet friends at RTR, which means I can rent as many items as I want in the month (up to 4 at a time). So I'm going to be taking a few sundresses with me to Hawaii on vacay in a couple weeks. It's a fun way to wear new items without paying the hefty price tag of actually buying it! I think the only way it'd make sense for me to do this Unlimited package is when I have a vacation or a couple events in one month. It'd be so worth it!!
Have you ever tried Rent the Runway? 
Have a great day!
xoxo
Michaela & Lincoln 
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The Best Beach Bags

If you guys missed my first two Spring Break posts, you can catch my spring break swimsuit favorites here + my beach makeup essentials here. Today is all about beach bags. I have the stripe one down below and it is SO GREAT. It's also one of the cheapest bags I'm sharing! It has 3 consoles with a bunch of zipper pouches and I literally could fit every single thing I needed for the day in the bag on our honeymoon to Maui and last summer at the beach. It's like a Mary Poppins bag and I love that!
I got mine from Nordstrom, but it's sold out so I found my coverup romper at Walmart here  and in black here / this one is similar and super cute

I scoured the web and found some adorable beach tote options for you below. I even adore the backpack! If you're a mama, I think this might be a more practical option!
SHOP:

If you're looking for the best beach towel of all time, look no further than my friend's towel company, Beach Bum Towel Co. My mom has the mint towel and I have the pink / coral one. I will be packing it for Hawaii and taking up precious space in my suitcase for it, that's how much I love it. It's so big that even my 6'3" husband fits on it. It's also thick, so it really gets you dry. The tassels at the end are an added bonus ;) (PS. genuinely sharing my opinion, this isn't sponsored!!)


If you have an awesome beach tote I need to know about, tell me!!

Happy middle-of-the-week!
xoxo
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Modern Farmhouse Client Progress Part 3

If you've been following along with my Modern Farmhouse client project, then you'll know we're almost done!! In fact, this week we are moving in the furniture! Last time I updated you here on the progress, we were about to paint and floors were about to go in. Now we have backsplashes in, paint, the beam in the family room, stain on the staircase, and so much more! 

Here's the beautiful two-story entry, with the woodwork all stained. The side of the stairs has shiplap on it to offer some texture and we're thinking of doing a gallery wall on the right wall as you walk down the hallway towards the dining room.

Here's the dining room with it's lighting all up!

Kitchen pantry of my dreams! So much storage!

In the powder bath we did a fun accent trim detail with tile in between to give it a little something extra. The mirror should be going in shortly! Can't wait to get some colorful art in here to make it pop.

 This is a look at the room from the other side. Two huge sliders offer TONS of natural light, which I love!!

This archway in the kitchen leads to the mudroom which features 7 lockers-- one for each kid + mom and dad. I think they turned out so cute!

Here are a few other updates in the kitchen! The vent hood went in, the pendant lights are up, the beautiful backsplash is installed and I'm loving everything!

We went with a handmade subway tile, which just means it has texture to it and isn't perfectly smooth. Then over the range we did this gorgeous marble detail. You can catch a glimpse of the pretty quartz countertops, too!


Here's another look at the lockers. Eventually, we'll get a bench cushion and a pillow or two made for the bench. Baskets will go up in the cubbies as well.

Here's the laundry room. This room might make doing laundry a littleee more enjoyable ;) I love the stainless steel backsplash, quartz counters and of course this amazing floor!! The washer/dryer will go right in under the countertop there.


 Moving into the great room, we have the beam and ceiling fan installed! I think the shiplap ceiling is so beautiful and gives the room the right amount of texture. I also think this is a very classic way to bring in a shiplap detail! You can't tell because of all the dust, but the floors are a gorgeous dark wood that ties in with the beam and mantel color.

Here is the Master Bedroom. Again, the ceiling is pitched and has the pretty shiplap. The walls are a nice soft gray / blue.

Here's the bathroom! Still waiting on the mirrors, but the tub is in and the paint is done!


Master closet is ready to be filled! (The carpet was in the middle of being laid during these photos ;))

Out of my client's 5 kids, only 1 is a girl, so she gets a dainty chandelier in her room! It's going to be a sweet retreat for this little girl.

 Her bathroom is also getting touches of gold! Love these sconces!

In the boy's bath, we did a chevron tile all the way up to the ceiling for a wow factor. I love how it turned out! The mirrors should be arriving this week, which I can't wait to see up.


There's a little update for you! I'll be sharing a few peeks at the furniture getting moved in tomorrow on Instagram

Happy Monday!
xoxo


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Spring Break Makeup Essentials

I clearly have my upcoming vacation on the brain this week! I know some Spring Break's are sooner than others, so I wanted to share my makeup essentials for our tropical vacay coming up. If you missed my swimsuit round up, find it here



Above are a few things to pack in your beach bag for simple, dewy and beachy makeup looks. I'm planning to go very minimal with makeup! I'll be wearing the Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer and giving myself a break from foundation, of course use sunscreen, a little blush (love the bright flamingo color-- just got it in the mail. A little goes a long way!), a swipe of gloss and maybe some bronzer. Did you sunscreen is one of the products that have the most harmful chemicals? A safe sunscreen that works and has good consistency is hard to come by, but this one is great! It comes in a face stick or all-over sunscreen.
 
PSSST!
If you struggle with razor burn or sensitive skin when shaving (like me!), here are some tips for you as I have extremely sensitive skin:

- Before shaving, use a scrub to exfoliate. This one is great!
- I use Trader Joe's shaving cream which has been really good for me. I make sure to run hot water through my razor before shaving, too.
- Putting coconut oil on my legs after shaving is the only thing that doesn't burn my sensitive skin! This is also super nourishing. 

My skin is so sensitive that after shaving and then going into ocean water with salt, it burns! These steps help cut down on that. Hopefully it helps someone else, too!


If you're local to West Michigan, I'd love to meet you TONIGHT in Hudsonville where I'll have lots of Beautycounter products at our PopUp event, along with lots of other local boutiques! Stop by my table and enter to win a $25 credit to BC :) RSVP HERE. 

Have a great day!
xoxo

** After switching over to safe makeup and skincare, I joined Beautycounter's team as a consultant! If you're interested in learning more about my decision to use non-toxic products, click here. If you want to sign up for my safer beauty tribe newsletter (just one email per month with helpful facts and promotions!), click here. If you are interested in trying a few samples or need help color matching, I'd be happy to help! Just email me: hello (at) michaelanoelledesigns(dot)com **


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How to Set Your Spring & Easter Table

Easter is only two Sunday's away and the first day of Spring was yesterday! I can't believe it. I know a lot of you will be hosting Easter this year, so I found some really inspiring tablescapes (to me at least!) and thought I'd share them with you here. Under each image is how you can get the look yourself! If you want to go really simple, just fill bud vases with tulips spanning the whole width of your table. It'll have a big impact, but not break the bank, since tulips are everywhere right now :)

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If you're making name place cards and want them to look more elegant/handmade, check out this tutorial to make your own DIY Deckled Edge paper.
And if you like to dye Easter eggs, here are a few of my favorite tutorials for unique ones!
This one is for watercolor floral eggs. I tried it a few years ago and absolutely loved!! I might do it again this year :) Here's how mine turned out:
If you're a black and white kinda girl, this one is cute! It's just sharpie.

This blue one is calling my name (my love affair with blue and white continues!) It says it's decopauged (with egg whites), but it almost looks painted. I love these! Now to find a pretty blue floral napkin...



Hopefully this gets you excited for the holiday coming up in just about 10 days! 

Happy (or should I say "hoppy"...ha!) Wednesday!
xoxo
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