WE LOVE: OUR RECORD PLAYER

The good people of RedEnvelope offered us a gift for Preston for Father's day and I immediately chose the crosley record player. Our family loves music and a record player seemed like the perfect gift for him. I purchased a few records I knew he would love and hooked up the player in literally a minute. So simple! We absolutely love it. It is compact enough for our apartment, has great sound and the fact that we can transfer our records to digital files is a huge plus. I'm a very practical gal, and the thought of buying a record and not being able to hear it in the car etc. just wasn't happening. This is the perfect option for us. The warm sound with vinyl is just the same as ever. We even found a record single of our song at a thrift store. So romantic! If you are in the market for a record player this is a fantastic option. And of course, Elliott loves dancing around like a ballerina to the music.

And now, for a super short but fun video. In retrospect, I wish I hadn't taken it using vine. Ah well!

This post is sponsored by RedEnvelope. As always, thank you for supporting the companies that help make Ardor possible. All words and opinions are our own. We really do love it! 

WE LOVE: DENVER

Remember how I said I would share more about our trip to Denver? Here are a few pictures that kind of sum it up. We had a blast with Melanie and co. hanging out, eating seriously amazing food, going on an ice cream crawl (the winning flavor was salted oreo - life changing!) hitting up some parks and a lot more. We had never been to Denver and we were surprised by how much we loved it! The downtown area is full of fun things to do and sites to see. I am so glad we visited in the warmer months so we could actually enjoy walking around. We owe all of our fun to our hosts of course. Thank you, Blodgetts for an amazing time. Denver, we hope to see you again soon!

Is this kid not the cutest? He is so sweet and just down right lovable.

WE LOVE: PAINTING

One of Elliott's absolute favorite activities to do at home is painting. Whether it be simple watercolors, acrylic works of art for loved ones, or helping me paint a dresser or two, he loves it! And to be honest, so do I. I have to admit, I am not as talented as I would like in the detailed painting department, but I love what a fresh coat of paint can do to a chair, a bird house or a canvas. 

I don't normally talk too much about our various house projects here, but Elliott's bed is in dire need of a paint job. It's just bare wood, so a primer and color in one would be ideal. The only trouble I am having is finding a color that would go with his room. I recently found out about Ace Hardware and their new line of paints. I love that they group them into color families that will go well together. Leaves all the guessing and worrying whether this color will go with that color up to the professionals. Here is a funny little video about Ace's new paint lines. Check it out for a good (informational) laugh. 

This is a sponsored post. Thank you SO much for supporting the companies who help make Ardor possible!

WE LOVE: PATTERNED SIDEWALK CHALK

We ordered this sidewalk chalk a little while ago and we are thrilled with it! I love the pretty patterns and the colors. Since the weather has been warm, Elliott has been outside nearly every day coloring with these. He mostly colors roller coasters that look like other things, but you know, they're still roller coasters. He loves the chalk so much, he insisted we get some for his "girlfriend" for her birthday, so of course we did just that. It's a tad bit more expensive than the chalk you can buy at the store for $1, but that chalk is so dull! And patternless! Now that our chalk has stripes and polka dots, I don't think we could ever go back.

As you can see, he loves it. After we finished dressing up the concrete wall we took a pass or two through the sprinklers. Always a good time.

WE LOVE: OUR NIGHT LIGHT

We recently got this little moon night light for Elliott's room and we love it. When I ordered it I was a little skeptical. We have purchased moon items in the past and have been let down by the quality of the image of the moon. But this little night light is perfect! The one kind of negative thing is that it gives off a little too much light. Other than that it's fantastic. Elliott loves looking at it and making shadows on the walls with the light it gives off (again, maybe too much light?) They also have this earth night light and this galaxy one which both look pretty rad too. Maybe my favorite part of the purchase was the actual purchase. Six bucks? Done.