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17 Favorite Songs of 2017

Happy New Year! I’m so glad that you stopped by my blog, Little Things and Sunshine. Last year, I posted my favorite worship songs of 2016 (you can find that post here).  This year, I thought that I would share my favorite songs of 2017, secular and Christian. These may seem a bit random, as there’s quite a variety of genres lol, but this is what I’ve been loving;)

  • Words as Weapons (US Version) – Birdy
  • He Will Hold Me Fast – Norton Hall Band
  • How Long Will I Love You – Ellie Goulding
  • Sweet Creature – Harry Styles
  • All I Have Is Christ (Live) – Sovereign Grace Music
  • Wonderfully Made – Ellie Holcomb
  • Perfect Duet – Ed Sheeran & Beyoncé
  • It’s All Coming Back to Me Now – Céline Dion
  • Waving Through a Window – Dear Evan Hansen
  • Broke – Lecrae
  • Old Hymns/New Hearts – Tom McConnell
  • Beautiful – Carol King
  • He’s Always Been Faithful – Chelsea Moon & Uncle Daddy
  • Let It Be – The Beatles
  • The Power of the Cross – Keith & Kristyn Getty
  • Funny (Live) – Tori Kelly
  • Take My Life – Norton Hall Band

What are your favorite songs of 2017? Comment down below!

Emerald @ Little Things and Sunshine

I Have an Etsy Store!

Hey y’all! For today’s one-word prompt, I thought that I would share something that makes me very jolly. As you can see by the title, I have opened my own Etsy store! Earlier this month I decided to take a risk and order several hundred dollars worth of vintage clothing off of an online bulk wholesale store. Needless to say, it was kinda nerve-racking to order so much inventory from a place all the way in Philadelphia. Thankfully, pretty much everything that they sent me was amazing! I have piles of vintage denim, t-shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts, and so much more. As of last week, I officially opened my store on Etsy and have already had my first order! Want to know more? Just keep scrolling;)

 

  • What is your store called?

My Etsy store is called Vagary Vintage.

  • What all are you selling?

On Vagary Vintage, you’ll find an assortment of vintage apparel. There are hoodies, sweaters, mom-jeans, denim jackets, and t-shirts. Most of it is 80s and 90s vintage, but there are some great 70s pieces to come! I try to add several new items every weeks, so check in often. Here are a few pics of my current inventory…

  • How can I find Vagary Vintage?

To find my store, you can search VagaryVintage on Etsy. Either my store-front or my listings will pop up. You can also follow us on Pinterest by clicking here.

 

Well thanks for stopping by! I hope you are all having a very jolly Christmas season.

Emerald

P.S. Come by later this week for some holiday recipes!

via Daily Prompt: Jolly

Last-Minute Gift Guide

Hey y’all! It seems like the holiday season is just flying by! Thanksgiving has come and gone and Christmas is only 17 days away. Most of us have probably purchased most of the gifts on our lists already, but what about those hard-to-please family members or last minute hostess gifts? Whatever the dilemma is, there is sure to be something on this gift guide to please everyone.

  • Casetify phone case – This company makes some of the cutest high-quality cases that I’ve seen. Not only are they adorable, but they’re also supposed to provide great protection. Casetify also makes Macbook sleeves, Apple Watch bands, and a variety of other tech items. With the wide selection of designs, you’re sure to find something for everyone on your last-minute list.
  • Redbox gift cards and promo codes – Need a little something to stick in stockings or add to cards? You can actually purchase movie/game rental promo codes and gift cards at redbox.com. This can also be a perfect addition to a movie-night hostess gift basket.
  • Classic Book Collections – For the bookworms, home decor junkies, or nameless others, a set of beautiful classic books, such as these, is the perfect gift. These types of sets are great for a variety of age ranges from your six year old niece, to your cranky great aunt;)
  • Hot-chocolate Kit – If you don’t mind a minor DIY, a kit like this makes for a quick and easy gift. All you need is a cute jar, hot chocolate mix, and any toppings, such as marshmallows or chocolate chips! (It’s also very budget friendly.)
  • Subscription boxes – These are literally the gifts that keep on giving. They come in a variety of themes, frequency, and prices so it’s easy to find something for everyone. For Her: Ipsy, POPSUGAR Must Have, EarFleek, The Bookish Box, CampusCube, or FabFitFun box. For Him: Birchbox Man, Geek Fuel, Say it with a Sock, CampusCube for Guys, Dollar Shave Club, or Boomtown Box.

I hope that this helps make your Christmas shopping a bit easier! If you have anything to add, please leave a comment below!

Thanks for stopping by,

Emerald

3 Ways to Eat Chia Seeds

Hey Y’all! I’m sure you’ve heard about chia seeds, the tiny super foods that all of the celebrities and health food junkies rave about. Chia seeds contain loads of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, omega 3, fiber, and protein. They’re one of my favorite things to incorporate into meals and snacks. Here are just a few of the ways I love to sprinkle them into my diet;)
image   In my nut-butter~ One of the easiest ways to add chia seeds into your regular meals and snacks is through nut-butters. Sprinkle some into almond butter to enjoy with apples or celery. image In my smoothie bowls~ Another much raved about food item is the smoothie bowl. I love to add chia seeds as a topping along with frozen mango, shredded coconut, and hemp seeds.

img_1562 In my homemade popsicles~ One of my favorite treats are homemade popsicles. It is so easy to combine fresh fruits, and even vegetables, into healthy indulgences that can by enjoyed by the whole family. For convenience, I like to blend all-natural fruit juice, frozen berries, and chia seeds in a blender, pour into popsicle molds, and freeze overnight for an anytime pick-me-up.

Thank you so much for joining me at Little Things and Sunshine! For more posts like this, you can follow me by simply clicking the button on the right or down below. Let me know what your favorite ways to eat chia seeds are, and I hope you have a great day!

Emerald

3 Ways to Unwind

About this time of year, mid-terms arrive and work schedules seem to be never ending. It is so easy to get bogged down and let the stress of day-to-day life get to you. With that being said, it is also just as easy to unwind after a long day. A little bit of self-care can go a long way in bringing much needed relaxation. Here are just a few ways that I like to unwind when life gets crazy…

A Cup O’ Tea: Ahhhh I love tea! For me there is nothing better after a long day than sipping on a cup of tea as I settle down for the night. Some of my favorites for relaxation include Traditional Medicinal’s Organic Throat Coat tea, Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Honey tea, and Twining’s Lemon and Ginger tea.

Working Out: It is crazy how much stress can be released through exercise. Most days, I like to go for a run, stretch or do yoga, or do a floor barre or boxing workout video off of Youtube. Just moving, especially after sitting all day working on school and writing, eases my mind and makes for a much better night’s sleep.

 

Listening to Podcasts and Music: While reading is great for relaxing, after looking at school books and a computer screen for most of the day, it often hurts my eyes and is just unappealing. Instead I really enjoy listening to a podcast or music while I sip my tea, walk, or get ready for bed. For podcasts, my two favorites are Glorious in the Mundane, a podcast by Christian singer/songwriter Christy Nockels, and Gospel in Life, a podcast of sermons by Timothy Keller. For music, I love listening to artists such as Audrey Assad, Ellie Holcomb, and the Norton Hall Band. My Encouraging Morning playlist has some of my favorite songs by these artists.

Well there you go! Thank you for visiting me here at Little Things and Sunshine.  I hope these suggestions help you to “take a deep breath”. If you have any favorite ways to unwind, let me know in the comments!

Emerald

 

Encouraging Morning Playlist

Hey y’all! Welcome to Little Things and Sunshine!  Today I thought that I would share one of my favorite morning playlists with you. Music is such an important part of my life, and listening to something encouraging really helps me to start my day out right. This is a great playlist to listen to as you get ready, make breakfast, go to work or school, or just hang around the house!

                     My Morning Playlist

Well I hope you enjoy all of these songs! I would love to know which ones are your favorites and what some of your favorite encouraging songs are! Thanks for stopping by:)

Emerald

~June Favorites~

Do you ever have one of those months where life just goes well? June was one of those for me. The last week of June, I went on a great lake trip with my family, my house is almost complete (see I live in a camper), and I’ve discovered many new favorites! Here are just a few of the things that made June so great…

Outshine popsicles: So far, summer in Georgia has been its typical, humid and muggy self. Nothing helps me beat the heat more than a good ol’ popsicle. Outshine’s have been my favorite this month because they’re simply made and have a variety of flavors. Mango and Strawberry are two of my favorites

Coconut Le Croix: When I went to stock up on Le Croix I thought that I would be adventurous and try the coconut. Now this flavor isn’t for everyone, but I personally love it. It makes me feel very “summery”☀️. The Strawberry Pineapple is amazing too.

Carol King: I was flipping through some records at a local antique shop and found a Carol King record for $2.50. Ever since that day Carol King has been my go to artist for pretty much every day. Plus I’m a huge musical theater nerd, and there just so happens to be a musical about her named Beautiful (the soundtrack is so great!)

Baseball caps: Let’s face it. During the summer, I don’t tend to have many great hair days. Humidity, heat, lake water, sunscreen, wavy and sometimes frizzy hair don’t typically go together. So for me, baseball cap style hats have been a life-saver. All I have to do is wake up, plop the hat on my head, put my hair in a messy bun or ponytail, and go!

Lipstick Queen Frog Prince collection: Summer is also a time that my makeup routine gets super simple. The Lipstick Queen Frog Prince collection has been a life saver. I have a set with the lip gloss, sheer lipstick, and creme blush that I wear basically everyday. It’s also so much fun to put on. All of the products are green but turn a perfect berry color for your skin tone when you apply it.

Thanks for stopping by! I would love to hear what you’ve enjoyed this past month:)

Emerald

~Mini Skin Care Haul~

Well this week I walked into Walmart saying, “Emerald, you aren’t going to buy anything. You need to save your money and be a wise person,”…. well that plan backfired the minute I walked past the skin care section. Needless to say I walked out with $17.58 worth of stuff. Yay me😂! Let me show you what I gave into weakness for…


Bioré Charcol pore strips- Being a but skeptical, I’ve never used a black head strip. These actually proved to work very well. They do a great job of getting the very deep blackheads. 

Queen Helene Cocoa Butter hand + body lotion- Now I was drawn to this stuff because of the insanely good price (it only cost around a dollar for a huge bottle!). A lot of women use this during pregnancy to reduce stretch marks, so I figured it  might help with all of the “average teenage girl” stretch marks that come with insane growth and a love for chocolate (trust me. I’m in the same boat as you.) When I used it, I was very surprised at how fast is absorbed and how little it took. While I’m not sure about the whole “stretch mark reducing” claims yet, it is extremely moisturizing. 

Burt’s Bees Sensitive facial cleanser – I was looking for a gentle, soap free cleanser that wouldn’t make my skin super dry or overly oily and this one seems to do the trick. It let my face feeling soft and clean and worked well with my Neutragenia Naturals moisturizer. 

You can find all of the products on Amazon at the links below: 

Pore strips~  https://www.amazon.com/Biore-Cleansing-Charcoal-Strips-Count/dp/B00T6IHQCC/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1497646462&sr=8-1&keywords=biore+charcoal+strips

Lotion~ https://www.amazon.com/Queen-Helene-Lotion-Cocoa-Butter/dp/B010D02S7E/ref=sr_1_11_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1497646591&sr=8-11&keywords=queen+helene

Facial cleanser ~ https://www.amazon.com/Burts-Bees-Cleanser-Sensitive-Ounces/dp/B00NQ2K7B6/ref=sr_1_1?srs=7301146011&ie=UTF8&qid=1497646673&sr=8-1&keywords=burts+bees+sensitive+face+wash
Well I hope that you enjoy these products as much as I have! Also, do you have any summer holy grail products? Let me know in the comments;)

Have a fantastic weekend! 

Emerald 

Watermelon Days.

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The arrival of summer means loads of freshly cut watermelon and sunshine. What does summer mean to you? How do you spend your watermelon days? Send me a comment and don’t forget to follow Little Things and Sunshine!

“Live in the sunshine. Swim in the sea. Drink the wild air.” ~ Emerson

May Favorites {2017} 

Hey y’all! This past month, I’ve had several things make a big impact in my everyday life. I thought I’d share some of these things with with my first favorites post!

1. Red Sea Road- Ellie Holcomb.

This album has been going through my head phones all the time. All of the songs have a fantastic message about the love of Christ and I simply can’t get enough of it.

2. Traditional Medicinals Throat Coat tea.

Oh my goodness. This tea has been a staple in my routine all winter and I just can’t get away from it. It’s such a great, all-natural way to nip a cold in the bud. It works like a charm to add a little warmth to a rainy day:) While the tea is available at most grocery stores, you can also purchase it online here.

3. Glorious in the Mundane podcast.

This podcast by Christian worship leader, Christy Nockles, has been such a blessing this month. My mom recommended it and I’ve been listening while walking in the evenings. She does interviews with other artists and talks about simple,everyday life.

4. Woman’s Boyfriend Shirt- Mossimo Supply Co.

I was given this shirt about a month ago and it has become one of my top wardrobe staples. It’s simple style can be worn in soooo many ways and is just a great item to have in your closet. The fabric is also very lite weight which makes it great for wearing all year long. You can find it at Target here.

5. Dani Austin- YouTube
Dani Austin is a lifestyle/fashion youtuber who also happens to have a great blog. She has such a great personality and an amazing sense of style. Go check her out here!

Well thanks for stopping by Little Things and Sunshine! Let me know what you think of my May favorites and what you’ve been enjoying. Have a great day and don’t forget to enjoy the simple things.

Emerald