Currently Craving: April Favorites

I know I say this every month, but another month is seriously over?! I'm not sure if it's series' like this one or what making the time go so fast, but I sure am excited for summer so no *real* complaints here! Yesterday was my last day of classes for undergrad and I'm seriously so beyond excited. Two essays and two tests stand between me and summer/no more school! I feel like I say this a lot too, but there has been SO many amazing products I've tried and loved or have found and want this April. It's been a busy shopping month - mainly because of Mother's Day (check out my gift guide ideas here!) but I could never complain about shopping, let's be real here ; )
Finding product favorites isn't exactly hard, clearly - but figuring out which are my favorite things is also good for figuring out what to buy, what to pass on and what to wait on until it goes on sale. In case you missed my previous Currently Craving posts, here are January's, February's and from March.
From shoes to bags to fun summer must-haves, it's been hard to narrow it down to less than a million products to share here, but here are some of my absolute favorites:

How to Grow Your Etsy Shop {Like a Pro}

In partnership with ezebee.com

In August of 2015, I began my Etsy shop as a fun little side job and hobby. It's definitely been that since I started, but more recently, I've been considering expanding it - adding more categories and listings, etc. - and to do so, I realize that I need to increase my Etsy strategy and do more promoting than I've been. It's kind of crazy to add this to my plate, but it's something I enjoy doing. I've tried a few things here and there, but I definitely haven't been consistent and honestly, for not much of any promoting at all, I think my shop is doing okay.
Etsy has grown so much and there are over five million active listings on Etsy right now. That's INSANE! As a small business owner/blogger, I love to go to Etsy to shop for almost everything. And as an Etsy shop owner, I know how important it is to help support each other if and when possible. Etsy is wonderful for unique items, gifts, and especially my favorite - monograms! There's endless amounts of things you can buy on Etsy and honestly, it's one of the best platforms to sell on if you ask me. But with selling comes the challenges of keeping up sales, keeping up with sales and gaining clients that are new and returning too.
Here are some of the tools I've been using to up my Etsy game in the past few weeks:

Magnolia Home Collection

I may or may not be beside myself with excitement right about now! I literally JUST found this as I was shopping (shocker, I know!) and it's absolutely AMAZING and quite the game changer if you ask me. Get ready...
Joanna Gaines now has a home collection at Nordstrom!!!
That's right my fellow Fixer Upper fans!! You can now shop products just like Joanna does when she goes to those amazing antique stores, to Clint's woodworking shop or tag sales. A few months ago, I wrote all about 10 ways you can decorate like Joanna Gaines would and now that dream just may be coming true in an easier way than ever! Talk about making a week day a good day! The collection is small still, but I have a feeling it's going to grow and it's going to all sell out pretty quickly. This stuff is amazing and at pretty good price points too which is even more exciting.
My favorites from the Magnolia Home Collection (so far):

12 Hacks to Successfully Shop at Home Goods

If there's one way to describe myself, it would be saying I'm indecisive - to say the least. I'm always "in the mood" to redecorate and I never am not shopping for home decor, even if it means I'm going to need a storage unit soon ; ) There are always new things to find, want, love and need, duh! Constant change when it comes to home decor keeps a room feeling fresh and updated. As I watch the season five premiere of Million Dollar Listing New York, I realize more and more how much of a dream designing and selling homes is to me, but it also makes me realize just how expensive decor can be.
Home furnishing stores are everywhere; Pottery Barn, Pier 1, ZGallerie, Lulu & Georgia, Restoration Hardware, etc etc... but the holy grail of it all - Home Goods. Honestly, I don't know what I did before I a.) realized how many Home Goods stores were so close to me and b.) shopped there. If you've never been to Home Goods, then march your you know what there ASAP!! It's not just an addiction, it's a lifestyle. For real.
Since each store is different in terms of stock and layout, there's different ways to plan your attack. Guys, this is more than a shopping trip, it's a mission.
Okay maybe that's a little dramatic, but I have a real Home Goods obsession. There's aisles and aisles of amazing deals on designer home furnishings of all type and if you miss one aisle, you could be missing a LOT. I tend to make it to a Home Goods once a week.. sometimes twice; here are my top tips for shopping at Home Goods and finding the best items in the store:

Mother's Day Gift Guide

We're getting closer to Mother's Day and I'm realizing I need to get to shopping! There are always so many fun gift ideas, but this year I think I've hit the jackpot with fun ideas. I hate feeling like I buy the same things for people over and over - especially for Mother's Day - so coming up with new things is important for me, but also can be really hard. My mom is probably the least picky person in the world, but I find her hardest to shop for always! Anyone else?! My favorite thing to do for Mother's Day is to put a gift basket together with a bunch of fun things in it. I try and stick to a theme, but that usually doesn't work (shocker..)
Here's some things I've found this year that will work great for Mother's Day!

Rise-n-Shine Strawberry Banana Smoothie

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MySmoothie #CollectiveBias

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and a great way to jump start your day. It isn't every morning that I find myself having time to sit down and eat breakfast (unless it's a day off or on the weekends) and these also tend to be the days that I'm hungriest in the morning, go figure!
My two go-to ingredients for breakfasts that are quick, easy to make and east to grab and go are Jif™ Creamy Peanut Butter and Dannon Vanilla Lowfat Yogurt. These are two ingredients that are used for so many different types of recipes, but my favorite are smoothies. All sorts of smoothies are one of my favorite things to eat at ALL times of the day! Not only are peanut butter and yogurt two of the yummiest things ever, they're also so good for you and the best way to get your day started. Any meal that includes peanut butter and yogurt will be so energizing too.
Having a breakfast option that is easy to make in a rush and portable is important for a lot of us - and smoothies are just that!
Here's a super simple and extremely delicious smoothie recipe for rushed mornings, sluggish afternoons, or even relaxing evenings when you crave something sweet:

Using Groupon Coupons to Save this Spring

Thank you to Groupon Coupons for partnering with me on this post!

 

We all know and love Groupon, and it's become a shopping staple in most of our daily lives. I think it's mostly because it's so easy to use and there are SO many great things you can buy via Groupon. My first thought when I'm looking to buy something is to check if there's a Groupon for it or even if there's a Groupon Coupon for it, which there likely is! This time of year is so busy with gift giving for Mother's Day, communions, graduations, etc. and considering how easy Groupon Coupons are, there's no reason to not use them and their awesome selection of coupons!
There's a ton of brands that use Groupon Coupons and these coupons always work and are verified - no more wondering if there's a "success rate" for coupons that you get off of Google. When you have a shopping addiction, it isn't every day you're able to save moeny, so when I can save money it's a really exciting day!