Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Link'n Blogs #23


Welcome to Link'n Blogs {#23} !
A place to link up your projects and make new friends. We are all about visiting links and following new bloggers here at Link'n Blogs. Remember to leave comments and PIN PIN PIN!
Cause sharing is caring. 

**Your links will show up on ALL blogs hosting the link party!**

Interested in guest hosting Link'n Blogs?!
I've created a spreadsheet where you can sign up to host a link party! It's a great way to get to know other bloggers, share a recent post with other party goers and pick the features. Sign up using the link below!

Grab my party button! 
 




*Feel free to post my party button on your blog and say you linked up here!*



I am sharing a cute birthday wreath I made for my daughter's pink & gold 1st birthday party last year.


Polka Dot Burlap Birthday Wreath





CO-HOST:

Katelyn from Learning, Creating, Living 


Katelyn is sharing her fabulous office makeover, including this DIY desk. Look for the tutorial on her blog!



Be sure to give some love to our guest hosts - you will love their creative blogs!


Sonnet is sharing a really fun way to store craft supplies {or anything, really!}. I love these fun boxes!





These ladies have a fab round up for all your Cinco de Mayo party food needs. It's coming up on Monday, so PIN these asap!





These girls are sharing a donut party that's almost as cute as they are. I love donuts and want to throw a party like this one! See all the cute details on their blog post.




Here are this week's features:

Monday, April 28, 2014

Pink Polka Dot Birthday Wreath

Happy Monday! Guess what? We moved last Saturday! Well, not everything, but we loaded up a 26' U-Haul and moved most everything out of our house and into a storage unit. It's so weird to see basically your entire life all piled up in a 10x15 cement space. We will move the rest this Saturday (and by "the rest" I mean just our beds!). My husband is gone almost this entire week for a work trip, so I'm kind of on my own to finish up. The appraisal on our house is Wednesday, and there are a few minor repairs from the home inspection and maybe a couple more from the appraisal, since it's FHA. Selling a house is definitely an adventure, and I truly hope we never have to move again. This week is going to be CRAZY - I just know it - but I'm super grateful to have my little Avabean to hang out with the whole time and make time for reading her new book from Grandpa's trip to England ("Peppa the Pig Meets the Queen") and eating lots of Chick-Fil-A, of course. :) What are you up to this week? Anything wild and crazy or exciting? Or just the same ol' same ol'? Which is truly a blessing, too!

Today, I've got a fun wreath tutorial for you that includes my 2 craft faves: POLKA DOTS + BURLAP. I could probably do a roundup of polka dot + burlap crafts from my own portfolio and fill up an entire blog post - I've done so many! Hopefully you aren't tired of polka dots + burlap yet. ;) I made this wreath for Ava's 1st Birthday last December. It may have stayed on my front door through Christmas, and New Year's AND Valentine's Day. My > St. Patrick's Day Wreath < was the only thing that finally brought it down, ha ha. This little ol' wreath is very simple & easy (classic Put A Bird On It, right?!). My fave part? The pink balloons pretending to be bows! 


POLKA DOT & BURLAP BIRTHDAY WREATH



You'll need a wreath form {I liked this straw one, because I didn't have to worry about metal or green styrofoam showing through}, balloons, polka dot burlap wire ribbon, floral pins




Wrap the ribbon around the wreath. The one spool was JUST enough.

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Contributor Post at Pretty Providence - April

Today is very exciting, friends. Today is my very first contributor post - ever! Not just a guest post, but an actual C-O-N-T-R-I-B-U-T-O-R post, which means I'm a recurring lady on someone else's blog. I'm REALLY excited and kind of nervous at the same time. The blog is Pretty Providence.


I've followed Jessica and Sarah's blog for a while now, and really love it. Their style and tastes are super similar to mine. I've thought about being a contributor on another blog before, and have even been asked to be one, but I've never felt like the timing was right or found that one special blog that really fit ME and MY style. Pretty Providence does that to a 'T' - so when I read they were calling for contributors, I didn't even hesitate to apply. Jessica and Sarah were amazingly nice enough to love my blog and really want me to be a contributor! I'm just so excited to share my love of simple & easy crafts with others. I'll be posting once a month over there as a Fashion DIY contributor, and I'll give you all a reminder the day I do, so you can check out what I have to share!

Today, I am sharing a cheap & easy tutorial for making your own Anchor Tee. I just LOVE mine and wore it to SNAP! {a blog conference here in Salt Lake City}. I even got complimented on it from a huge blogger that I totally {heart}, so it kind of made my day. I hope you'll visit Pretty Providence and check out my first contributor post {there may even be a FREE PRINTABLE for you!}. Have the best day!

DIY Anchor Tee at Pretty Providence


xo


I hope you'll stop by my link party and link up at Link'n Blogs before you go! Click > HERE <

Also, you can enter to win Ad Space for your blog on MY blog for the month of May!


Friday, April 25, 2014

10 Ways to Show Your Husband You Love Him ... Guest Post by Danielle of Today's the Best Day

Hey you guys! My name is Danielle and I blog over at Today’s The Best Day. It is SUCH an honor to be here on Daniela’s AMAZING blog… Put A Bird On It! I met Daniela just a few months ago at my very first Blogging Conference, Build Your Blog 2014 and we became IMMEDIATE friends! If you love her blog – you would absolutely LOVE her in person! She is just as fun, creative, kind and beautiful in REAL life! Thanks so much for letting me join you today!


Just a little bit about me – I am a wife to my High School Sweetheart and a mom to a miracle baby girl! My husband and I suffered with infertility for many years before we were blessed with our sweet Laila and she has truly made us the happiest people on earth! On Today’s The Best Day, I share daily deals, things to do, fashion tips and other tricks for our babies and marriages…as we strive to make EVERY day, the BEST day for our families!


My husband, Tyson, and I met when we were 15, started dating when we were 16, were married when we were 21 and have been married now for almost six years! I can honestly say being with him is just the best thing that has ever happened to me! Our marriage isn’t perfect and we both make mistakes, but getting through those challenges and learning from our experiences has made our marriage stronger.

My daughter loves the movie Enchanted. In the movie there is a song called “That’s How You Know.” Have you seen it? It is such a darling movie!! Some of the lyrics are as follows:


It's not enough to take the one you love for granted
You must remind her, or she'll be inclined to say...
"How do I know he loves me?"  
"How do I know he's mine?"

Well does he leave a little note to tell you you are on his mind?
Send you yellow flowers when the sky is grey?
He'll find a new way to show you, a little bit everyday
That's how you know, that's how you know!
He's your love...



Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Link'n Blogs #22


Welcome to Link'n Blogs {#22} !
A place to link up your projects and make new friends. We are all about visiting links and following new bloggers here at Link'n Blogs. Remember to leave comments and PIN PIN PIN!
Cause sharing is caring. 

**Your links will show up on ALL blogs hosting the link party!**

Interested in guest hosting Link'n Blogs?!
I've created a spreadsheet where you can sign up to host a link party! It's a great way to get to know other bloggers, share a recent post with other party goers and pick the features. Sign up using the link below!

Grab my party button! 
 




*Feel free to post my party button on your blog and say you linked up here!*



I am sharing a recipe for homemade vapor rub for baby's congestion. You can use this on yourself, too. It smells divine!


Homemade Vapor Rub for Baby




CO-HOST:

Katelyn from Learning, Creating, Living 


Katelyn is sharing a really cute way to display succulents this spring. So sweet!




Be sure to give some love to our guest hosts - you will love their creative blogs!



Bre is sharing some fun crafts for Earth Day. Definitely PIN these for next year!




Michelle is sharing a yummy body scrub recipe. I'm definitely trying this!




Erlene is sharing a yummy recipe you definitely need on your Food Boards. Pin away!




Here are this week's features:

Ad Space Giveaway - May

It's that time again! Time to enter to win YOUR BLOG'S AD on the front page of my blog. If you scroll the left sidebar of my blog, you'll see a section called WINNER OF THE AD SPACE GIVEAWAY. That cutesy blog button could be YOURS! Winner will win ad space for the month of May. Yay! Just enter using Rafflecopter below. Good luck!

{Rules}

Must have a blog

Must be a human being

Must not be a "bad" blog 
{no, I won't advertise your blog if it's about bad stuff. we all know what bad stuff is, so, yeah. ha ha}

All entries will be verified



Monday, April 21, 2014

Homemade Baby Vapor Rub for Chest Congestion

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a great Easter weekend. My little family enjoyed an amazing church meeting {easter.mormon.org}, then spent the evening at my mom's house with my family. There was no shortage of delicious food, PEEPS, egg hunts, dirty diet cokes and strobe light dance parties. :)

I originally posted this baby recipe on Today's the Best Day. I'm happy to share it with you today! A few months ago, Ava got sick for the very first time! She had just turned 1. Seriously - she had never been sick before. I thank breastfeeding 'til she was 1 for that (really - I don't know - but as soon as I stopped, she got sick!). The thing about being a baby is that you can't have any medicine. But poor Avabean would toss and turn all night - whimpering and coughing and being unable to suck her binky due to a stuffed up nose. I felt SO BAD as her momma not being able to do anything. 

I'd heard the rumors of putting vapor rub on baby's feet, covered by socks, and that it helps with their congestion. I'd never tried it, but wanted to try something to help my little munchkin. I've been really careful about what I give Ava as a little tot - I made all her own organic baby food when she was 6 months, she drinks a local whole milk now - yeah, I'm kind of "that" mom. But don't worry, we kick it with Chick-fil-A and diet coke as much as the other guy. :) To help Ava with her congestion, I made a homemade baby vapor rub (NO petroleum or any of the questionable oils in vapor rub). A little on her feet + socks + bedtime = a happy baby. I didn't use it all day or every day, since she was only 1, but it definitely helped the days I used it.


Please do your own research when deciding what essential oils to use for your baby! Some are safe - some are not. Even specific TYPES of the same essential oil are not ok. For example, only the Smithii variety of eucalyptus oil is OK for babies. Use what YOU are comfortable with!

The following advice was given in the Mommypotamus article where I got my recipe:

"Please note that lavender and chamomile are generally considered safe for babies under two months, eucalyptus (only the smithii variety) can be introduced at two months and tea tree can be introduced after 6 months. Essential oils are very potent so use sparingly!*




I do love using essential oils now. I'm really careful and not hard core, but Ava and I love lavender oil baths and adding a drop of lemon oil to my water bottle is a must. Like I said, do your research, but essential oils can be great.

Friday, April 18, 2014

Burlap Bunny Treat Bags for Easter + Free Printable Bunny Stencil

Happy Friday! I've been thinking ALL DAY today was Saturday, because my husband gets work off for Good Friday, so it feels like a Saturday. It's been throwing me off in a major way. I even started typing the beginning of this post with a "Happy Saturday! Yes - I'm posting on Saturday..." message, but then, thankfully, realized I was talking loco and checked myself before I wrecked myself.

Easter is in two days, people!!!!! Easter has always been one of my most favorite holidays as a kid. We would (sometimes) get a new Easter dress to wear to church. We always had an indoor Easter egg hunt and an outdoor one. The indoor hunt consisted of my parents going downstairs and closing the door at the top of the stairs. They would hide all the candy (with some of the floor for the littles) and us kids would wait excitedly at the top of the stairs for my parents to push little jellybeans under the door - you always wanted to be the first to grab that candy! Those little beans coming under the door is a memory I will cherish forever. :)


I've got a fun Easter DIY tutorial for you that I shared last week on Creative Ramblings. These mini burlap treat bags are a great last minute idea, if you need something for your kids on Sunday or to take to church or a party! Read on to see how easily you can make these this weekend.

Supplies

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Link'n Blogs #21


Welcome to Link'n Blogs {#21} !
A place to link up your projects and make new friends. We are all about visiting links and following new bloggers here at Link'n Blogs. Remember to leave comments and PIN PIN PIN!
Cause sharing is caring. 

**Your links will show up on ALL blogs hosting the link party!**

Interested in guest hosting Link'n Blogs?!
I've created a spreadsheet where you can sign up to host a link party! It's a great way to get to know other bloggers, share a recent post with other party goers and pick the features. Sign up using the link below!

Grab my party button! 
 




*Feel free to post my party button on your blog and say you linked up here!*



I am sharing some tips for selling your house while you and your toddler still live in it! Hopefully, you can learn from my mistakes. ;)

How to Sell Your Home While You Still Live in It




CO-HOST:

Katelyn from Learning, Creating, Living 



Katelyn is sharing a brilliant idea for bringing the outside IN with just a little tissue paper. These tissue paper flowers are super easy and super adorable!



Be sure to give some love to our guest hosts - you will love their creative blogs!


I'm so happy to have these ladies back again! They are sharing a cool way to update furniture using {would you even guess it?!} contact paper! Check it out!







Heather has a fun series on her blog to help the busy blogger! This week, it's all about Pinterest. These are great tips!





Tammy is also sharing a fun way to bring the outside in this spring, by updating your mantel. I love decorating my mantel for different holidays and seasons!




Here are this week's features:

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

How to Sell Your Home While You Still Live in It with a Toddler!

Most of you know - we are MOVING! After 6 years in our beloved home, we are moving closer to my husband's work. We knew when we bought our home that this day would eventually come. It's just surreal to know that day is here!

We are building a home, so it won't be ready for several months, but we really wanted to get our house on the market to sell as soon as possible. That way, we could move in with our amazingly nice family {immmm, family, we are moving in, ha ha}, save that house payment each month, and not have to worry about having to sell last minute. With the up and down housing market, we didn't know if our house would take days ... weeks ... or MONTHS to sell. The tricky part about selling your house before you move out of it is just that - YOU STILL LIVE IN IT! So having showings in the house you're trying to live in can get tricky. If you have a few days between showings and they're scheduled far enough ahead of time, you aren't as stressed. But most agents would call and want to come in an hour or two! We had 12 showings in the first week -- and 1-2 showing every other day the following week. So we couldn't ever really LIVE in our home. To get a call and need to have your house ready to show in 2 hours doesn't give you a lot of time for putting away that craft project, folding the laundry and cleaning up the lunch dishes...

I have compiled some TIPS for selling your house while you're still living in it with a toddler. It wasn't easy. It was very stressful. But we got through it and sold our house in less than 3 weeks! If you're in the same situation - YOU CAN DO IT! I hope my tips will help you get through it, too. :)



Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Bebe Bloom Boutique Feature & Giveaway

Today, I'm happy to introduce you to an adorable shop! Bebe Bloom Boutique is a handmade accessories boutique for our little one. Headbands, dresses, bow ties, suspenders, pacifier clips, hats - it's all there! Annie is the owner, and I love what she says on the About Me page of her website about starting Bebe Bloom Boutique:





"Born out of a need to find one-of-a-kind items that just weren’t being stocked in stores, Bebe Bloom offers unique handcrafted accessories and beautiful handpicked apparel for infants and children. As a mother of two beautiful little munchkins, I came across this little dilemma while searching for these hard-to-find novelties. Unsuccessful in my search, I decided to make them myself! As my hobby grew, I learned that friends, family, and colleagues were absolutely crazy about them! Realizing there was a market for exclusive hand-made items, Bebe Bloom was born."



Ava was able to try on a couple of these adorable headbands!

Monday, April 14, 2014

Because I'm Worth It ... Tees for Charity

Hello lovies. Do you remember my friend Cady of Enjoy Essential? She makes the adorable onesies Ava loves to wear. Cady reached out to me asking if I would share a special shirt she has designed to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society - and I am very happy to share it with you today! Here is the info Cady sent me - all about her friends that are running for cancer awareness. I hope you'll check it out and share the love, if you'd like to help support. :)




"Enjoy Essential is partnering up with two young women who have decided to run the San Francisco Nike Women's marathon this fall, and in order to do so, they will need to raise money for the charity of their choice. We have designed kids tees and women's tanks to support their cause, and all proceeds will go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Here is some info about Arianna and Jenn and how they encouraged each other to start running and training, and why:

Friday, April 11, 2014

DIY Initials Etched Mug *Gift Idea* ... Guest Post by Sarah of Creative Ramblings

Hey I’m Sarah and I blog over at Creative Ramblings.  I’m excited to be here sharing a fun gift I created using my Silhouette. If you like what you see stop by and join me on my creative journey.  

Earlier this year Little Lady and I were searching for the perfect gift for Daddy.  She had 2 things in mind 1) he likes coffee and 2) he likes gum balls.  Her original thought was to go to the mall and buy him a cup of coffee along with some gourmet gum balls from the candy store.  Before we made that trip she spotted a bag of gum balls at Target and we happened upon a clear glass mug on clearance.  Perfect gift for Daddy!
etched glass mug using a Silhouette, filled with gumballs for a simple sweet gift
To dress the gift up a bit I decided to etch Daddy's initials into the mug using my Silhouette.  Not really a project a 3-year-old can help with, but she did help in picking out the font and of course filling the mug with gum balls.
etched glass mug
When I bought my Silhouette last year the glass etching kit was included! It wasn't something I needed, but I have used it several times and love it.