Unique Night Lights

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Nights were once used to help small children fall asleep and without having the “boogeyman” sneak up on them while they are in bed and parents to safely go check on their babies without disturbing their sleep by turning on a bright light.

When I was younger, I shared a bedroom with my brother who “needed” a night light on in order to go to sleep, which was usually some cartoon mostly aimed and favorited toward boys. I vaguely remember falling asleep with a soft light coming from one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles plugged into one of our bedroom walls.

Eventually, we got our own rooms (Yes!) and my brother stopped requesting night lights all together. However, now that I’m older and a little smarter, I come to recognize that adults could benefit from night lights, too. Who wants to wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and stub their toe, because they can’t see where they are going? This may or may not have happened to me recently after moving my bedroom around a few hours before and forgot. Like I said, may or may not.

Added safety and navigation aside, a soft and subtle light in the background as you fall asleep can be very soothing and appreciated.

Here are some more mature and unique night lights for us adults and still appropriate for kids.

owl-concrete-night-light

I love the simplicity and fun feel of this owl night light. Plus, the modern design helps easily blend into your living space for an extra touch of decor. You can never go wrong with a laser cut design of an owl…in my opinion.

moon-night-light

Looking for a traditional nightlight without the kiddie vibes? You might be interested in this moon night light, which is very simple and very cool the same time. It looks like it can be very entrancing.

book-rest-lamp

As a pseudo-minimalist, I love when convenience, function, and design collide to create something awesome. Case in point, the book rest lamp provides a soft light to read, but also doubles as a book rest to help you never lose your page. Here is where design and creativity enters. When you place your open book on top of the lamp, it creates the look of a house! So cute!

Lumio_Product_Maple

If you are a fellow fan (read: obsessed) and avid watcher of Shark Tank on ABC, then you might remember the Lumio. It was one of those inventions that was so unique and amazing that almost all the sharks wanted a piece even with the high price investment request. In case you aren’t familiar, Lumio lamp is a portable, multi-functional lamp that conceals itself in the form of a hard-cover book and opens to 360 degrees. Not only is it functional and convenient, but so cool. It comes in various sizes, including one that’s small enough to fit in your back pocket. I want Santa to bring me one this year.

 

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Podcasts for Creative Entrepreneurs

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For the past couple of years, I’ve been hooked on podcasts. I tend to listen to podcasts at night as I fall asleep and/or use them to get through long days at work to speed up the day.

I wish I could say that I’m subscribed to only a few podcasts in a certain niche, but I’m not. Currently, I’m subscribed to well over 20 different podcasts that mostly includes pop culture and comedy stations. I usually listen to these as I fall asleep at night. Who doesn’t want to fall asleep with a smile on their face?

Currently, one of my favorite types of podcasts to listen to while at work are podcasts are aimed toward creatives and entrepreneurs. They are usually very motivating and share valuable information that I can implement in my work, creative endeavors, and life.

So, I decided to share some of my favorite podcasts for creative entrepreneurs with you. If you work/live or aspire to possess a creative lifestyle or start your own business, then you will definitely appreciate some of these podcasts. Check them out!

mattieologie-podcast

Mattieologie – Mattie James is the beautiful branding bad-ass behind the Mattieologie podcast and Mattieologie blog. In her daily podcast, she shares tips and suggestions on everything from blogging, social media, and video content creation in less than 10 minutes. No, seriously, some of podcasts are less than 5m minutes, but are so thorough and filled with awesomeness. I tend to listen her podcasts from throughout the week on Friday, while getting ready for work. LISTEN HERE!

askpat-podcast

Ask Pat – Ask Pat is a podcast hosted by Pat Flynn, who is known for helping other create and curate profitable online businesses through his blog, Smart Passive Income.  Like Mattieologie, the format of this podcast is daily short episodes where Pat answers a question from one of his supporters including questions about blogging schedules, what equipment to use for podcasts, and email marketing. I binge listen to this podcast on Sundays, on my way from church. It helps me slowly get back into the upcoming work week. LISTEN HERE!

lewis-howes-podcast

Lewis Howes – Lewis Howes is a former professional athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur that shares great life and business tips from personal experiences and also interviews with other creatives and entrepreneurs. Each episode is informative and inspiring. LISTEN HERE!

girlboss-podcast

#GIRLBOSSES Radio – So, pretty much anything that has Sophia Amoruso name attached to it automatically gets my vote, including her #GirlBoss podcast, which is named after her best-selling book that was released earlier this year. In her new podcast, the founder of Nasty Gal, interviews other inspiring #girlbosses about business, life, and everything in between. Unfortunately, she’s only released a few episodes, but they are so worth listening to and waiting patiently for the next one. LISTEN HERE!

creative-start-podcast

Creative Start Podcast – I recently found this podcast, but I really enjoyed the interviews with creative entrepreneurs who discuss how they got started with their business/careers. So inspirational and reassuring! New episodes are supposed to start soon. However, in the meantime, you will enjoy their past episodes. LISTEN HERE!

SDIHW-podcast

She Did It Her Way – She Did Her Way podcast is the reason I’ve hardly listened to the radio on my way to work the past couple of weeks, because this podcast is specifically geared toward the top female entrepreneurs who climbed the ladder of their success their way with interviews from women who’ve succeeded in various businesses. LISTEN HERE!

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SAVE OR SPLURGE: Mod Booties

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I love when I find a good dupe to a pricey or discontinued product. It feels like I was challenged to keep a piece of joy in my life and I won. FYI – I’m a firm believer in small victories.

Well, I feel this same bout of enthusiasm when I find a similar fashion buy, too. Case in point, these 3.1 Philip Lim Emerson Short Chelsea Booties have been on my heart and mind for a while. Unfortunately, that $650 price tag for these chic mod booties was just too much for me and wallet to part with so close too holiday shopping season. You know? Real tears.

However, imagine my delight while scrolling around ShopBop.com and see a pair of Jeffrey Campbell Larice booties that were very similar to the Lim booties. The JCs had the same stacked wooded heel look and elastic sides, which is what I love the most about the 3.1 Philip Lim booties. Not to mention, the JCs are very attainable with a price tag of less than $200.

Mod booties and the whole sleek retro vibe is coming back hard this season. Plus, can you really have too many booties in the fall and winter? I think not.

Affordable dupes make my wallet smile, especially when it comes to super cute mod booties.

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LINK-END ROUND-UP

LERU-11-06-15

*Sniffle*

Currently, I’m in slowly creeping toward the end of a sinus infection I’ve been dealing with the past few day. However, with the right medication, it’s almost over.

As usual, I plan to have a very chill weekend. I might squeeze in a trip to my dad’s house to feast on some west African meals and catch up and a little cleaning out my house in preparations for the holiday season. Still, the focus is to have a peaceful weekend.

So, please enjoy these links that I equally enjoyed this past week.

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Easy Meals with Rotisserie Chicken

easy-meals-with-rotiserie-chicken-stained-couture

The days are officially getting shorter and now that we have entered the holiday rush, our time is very valuable. One daily chore that tends to fall to the waist side is preparing dinner. Unless you get ahead start by prepping dinner in the morning, the chances of making a filling and nutritious meal after a long day is slim to none.

The majority of people opt to hit up the closest fast food spot and grab a bag full of grease and processed ingredients. I will admit that I’ve fallen victim to the ease of a drive-thru window after a long day. However, I’ve recently cut back on fast food. Okay, I might have stopped by Chick fi la a time or two in the past month, but that’s it.

Still, on those days when I really don’t have time to prep and cook or know I’m going to have a busy week, I opt to stop by the grocery store and pick up one those rotisserie chickens. I always keep bags of spinach in my fridge. So, I pull off a thigh and wing off the chicken and throw it on top of a bed of spinach and tomatoes to create a fast, simple and healthy dinner when I get home. However, I’m usually left with plenty of chicken leftover.

So, I’m always looking for other recipes that I can use the remaining chicken to create an easy and more satisfying meal. So here, are some easy meals with rotisserie chicken, be it store-bought or homemade chicken.

chickentortillasoup

You can never go wrong with a nice soup on a chilly night. Therefore, this quick and easy chicken tortilla soup will be very much appreciated by all and it only takes 30 minutes. Can’t beat that!

chicken-fried-rice-recipe-critic

One of my favorite meals I made recently was this chicken fried rice recipe from The Recipe Critic. Not only was it delicious, but like it’s name, it was way better than takeout chicken fried rice.

Creamy-Chicken-and-Kale-Enchiladas-with-Salsa-Verde

Aside from spinach, kale is another one of those vegetables that I buy in bunches and then left with having to find more ways to use it other than for juice or a salad. Next time I have chicken and more kale than I know what to do with, I will definitely try to make this healthy creamy chicken and kale enchilada from An Edible Mosaic.

chicken-pot-pie-pastry-puff-katies-cucina

Chicken pot pie is an ultimate comfort food. The hearty chicken and vegetable filling combined with the soft and flaky crust is just a win-win all around. I love this chicken pot pie recipe from Katie’s Cucina, because the recipe is easy and the individual servings are convenient to take leftovers to work for lunch.

If you have any other suggestions for quick recipes that you can use with leftover chicken, share below. Remember, sharing is caring!

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