Clean & Scentsible

Dimple Prints Giveaway

2013-06-19T16:00:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! I am back with a fun little mid-week giveaway from Dimple Prints!

For those of you who saw my Under the Sea Party, you know that Dimple Prints creates the cutest party printables and can customize them just for you. It definitely saved me a ton of time and I was so happy how it all came together!

There are so many themes available - I'm sure you will easily be able to find everything that you are looking for! I love all of the color combinations and it provides a great starting point when you are planning your event.

{Bi-Plane Deluxe Party Package}

Party printables let you create a fun coordinated party with ease! Each party package comes with a ton of different ideas so you can still create your own unique party.

{Fishing Deluxe Party Package}

The party packs can be used for birthday parties, showers, BBQs, family reunions, or to just add a little fun to a simple get together!

{Ice Cream Party Package}

Dimple Prints also has a fabulous blog filled with lots of party and holiday ideas and free printables. If you are planning a party or other special event, you will definitely need to check it out! You can also connect with Dimple Prints on Facebook or Pinterest.

{Red, White and Blue Sangria}

So who has a party that they would like to plan? One lucky reader will win a $30 credit to spend on any party package of your choice! Just enter below...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck and happy party planning!!

Raspberry Watermelon Granita {Whipperberry Creative Team}

2013-06-19T04:00:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! I am SO excited to be over at Whipperberry today as part of her new creative team! I'm sure you are all probably familiar with Heather's amazing blog - if not, you will definitely need to check it out!

Today I am sharing one of my favorite summer recipes - it's easy, healthy, and delicious! The perfect summertime cool down treat!

So head on over to Whipperberry and check it out!

Have a wonderful day!! {and check back later tonight for another fun giveaway!}

Like this post? I'd love to have you follow along! You can connect with me here...

The Inspiration Exchange {No. 4}

2013-06-18T16:00:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Welcome back to another night of The Inspiration Exchange! There were so many wonderful ideas linked up last week - I can't wait to see what you have to show us tonight!

{In case you missed it, you can find the features post from last week HERE}.

Before we get started with the party, here is a quick peek at what we have been doing...

First off, make sure you don't miss out on this fabulous giveaway for a $550 prize package including a 5 speed hand held KitchenAid mixer, a $200 gift card for World Market, and a Margaritaville Margarita Maker courtesy of Woot Froot!

There are also lots of amazing recipes to help inspire you to create your own summertime soirees!!

Blueberry Quinoa Salad
Our Under the Sea Party
How to Organize Your Car {this is what I will be doing today to get ready for camping season!}

Last week Kristin was busy with her son's preschool graduation *sniff*, so instead of a project, on Monday she shared a few photos of him, plus some giveaway, linkys and blog hops you'll want to be sure to be a part of!

Giveaways, Blog Hops, and Linkys Oh My

Gorgeous Piano Bench Makeover

Strawberry Shortcake Cookie and Ice Cream "Cupcakes"

You can find Yellow Bliss Road here:
BLOG / FACEBOOK / PINTEREST / INSTAGRAM / TWITTER

Spring Chalkboard Art, Free Template and Tutorial Link

How to Make the Perfect Italian Cream Soda and GIVEAWAY

You can find Ella Claire here:

BLOG / PINTEREST / FACEBOOK / TWITTER / INSTAGRAM

My Summer Story and Bringing Meaning To Your Home Celebrating With Watermelon SpritzersBeach Bike Art

You can find City Farmhouse here:

BLOG / FACEBOOK / PINTEREST / INSTAGRAM / TWITTER

***************
So who's ready to party?

Please link directly to your specific post {not the homepage}.
Please do NOT link up giveaways or items that you are selling.
Please add a text link back to your host at the end of your post. We would love for you to help spread the word!
If you would like, follow along with Facebook or on our group Pinterest board to see if you have been featured throughout the week and don't forget to pop back on Sunday for our features post!
Please be sure to check out some of the other fabulous links. This is the time to exchange ideas and a few nice comments always inspire us to create more!

Like this post? I'd love to have you follow along! You can connect with me here...

Blueberry Quinoa Salad and Giveaway!!! {Summer Progressive Dinner}

2013-06-17T04:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday! I'm kicking off the week with a fun summertime dinner party and an awesome {$550!} giveaway from Cost Plus World Market, KitchenAid, and Woot Froot!!

I am so excited to team up with some of my very favorite bloggers to bring you our best summertime recipes! From the appys to the desserts - we have you covered and hope to inspire YOU to create your own summertime celebrations! I will be starting off with one of my favorite summer salads...

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup Quinoa
1/2 cup sliced almonds
4 cups baby spinach leaves
3/4 cup crumbled light feta
1/4 cup sliced red onion
1 cup blueberries
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
4 tsp honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
pepper to taste

PREPARATION

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Prepare the quinoa as per package directions.
Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until they are lightly browned {approximately 5-6 minutes}
Divide the spinach into 4 large or 6 small servings. Sprinkle the feta, quinoa, onion, and blueberries evenly.
Whisk the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and season with pepper. Just before serving, drizzle the dressing over the salads.

I absolutely love this salad and it tastes great with strawberries or pomegranate seeds as well. It makes the perfect light summertime meal or healthy starter salad and is so quick and easy to prepare.

And now for the rest of the meal!!

To find all of the above recipes (from left to right) just click on the links below and enjoy!

Appetizers

Best Guacamole Ever from White House Black Shutters

Melty Caprese Appetizer from Cook the Story

Skinny Southwest Chicken Dip from Yellow Bliss Road

Salads
Blueberry Quinoa Salad from Clean and Scentsible

Quinoa and Grape Salad from A Place for Us

Spicy Marinated Tomatoes from KokoCooks

Main Course

Grilled Greek Pork Tenderloin from Katie's Cucina

Mama's Sweet Marinated Chicken from Craft Quickies

Mexican Grilled Corn from Nest of Posies

Desserts

Triple Berry Cheesecake from The Lilypad Cottage

Mini Berry Pies from A Pumpkin and a Princess

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake from Crazy Little Projects

Beverages

Perfect Italian Cream Soda from Ella Claire

Mango and Mint Lemonade Chiller from Sweet C's Designs

***************

And to make this party even better we have also put together an amazing giveaway for you thanks to our wonderful sponsors...

KitchenAid: Did you know that KitchenAid has a new blog - The Kitchenthusiast? Be sure to check it out for amazing recipes, tips and entertaining ideas!

Cost Plus World Market: Now who couldn't use $200 to spend on a shopping spree at World Market? From the yummy food and drink selections to the amazing decor and entertaining items, World Market has everything you need to create the perfect summertime soiree!

Woot Froot : Woot Froot is excited to bring you the ease and convenience of fresh cut peaches and nectarines just in time for summer! They would be perfect for summer snacking, dishes, and drinks {like peach margaritas!} Fill out the Rafflecopter form below for a chance to win a fabulous Margaritaville Margarita Maker and get your party started! {valued at $200}

The lucky winner will receive:

a five speed hand blender courtesy of KitchenAid
a $200 gift card to spend at Cost Plus World Market
a Margaritaville Margarita Maker from Woot Froot

Woo!Hoo! All you need to create a rockin' summertime party! Good luck with the giveaway and we hope you enjoyed our dinner!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I linked up with Stone Gable, Savvy Southern Style and Lil Luna.

Like this post? I'd love to have you follow along! You can connect with me here...

Fabulous Features from The Inspiration Exchange {No. 3}

2013-06-15T04:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday! I hope you have lots of fun plans for this Father's Day weekend! The sun is out here and I am off to explore a local vintage market before a little power washing time this afternoon. My little dude came down with the flu last night {and conveniently got sick in the middle of the movie theater} so it might be a short trip but I'm sure the hubby can man the fort for a couple of hours. :)

Last week was another amazing week of link ups at The Inspiration Exchange. You should head on over if you haven't had a chance to check them out - there were so many fabulous ideas! It's always hard to choose features but here are some of our favorite summer inspired projects...

Summer Themed Coastal Photo Display by Hymns and Verses

A Barnwood Flower Box by The Moon and Me

Daphne side table by Cottage Instincts

Blueberry Jam from A Pretty Life

Gorgeous Kitchen Reveal from Shabby Love

Beverage Drink Stand from an old changing table by Twelve O Eight

DIY Patriotic Spoons by Pleasure in Simple Things

Healthy Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars by The Chronicles of Home

And my favorite pick of the week is this wood beach sign from Upcycled Treasures. I can't wait for some beach time!!!

Under the Sea Party

2013-06-13T04:00:00.000-07:00

My little guy turned six last month and chose an Under the Sea party. I was so happy to get at least one more year of doing a "cute" birthday before Transformers or Ninjago takes over!

I usually start thinking of party ideas at least a couple of months before the actual party - there is something about party planning that I just love! This year, however, was much busier and Connor kept changing his mind every two seconds in regards to what theme he wanted, so this party came together with just a couple of weeks of planning and one really LONG day of pulling it all together!

One of the many amazing people that I got to meet at SNAP was Carli - the creative mind behind Dimple Prints. She makes the most adorable party printables and has an amazing selection of themes to choose from. Her party package came with a HUGE selection of printables - invites, cute food packaging, decorations, favor tags ... pretty much everything I could think of and more!

So here is a peek at how our party came together...

Decorations

The decorations were kept fairly simple. I punched out various shaped circles in 3 shades of blue and hung them on fishing line in front of the window. On the walls we twisted some blue and green streamers for sea weed and hung balloons with more fishing line. We also hung some lighted lanterns from the light fixture to hang over the center of the table.

At the table, I used some of the Dimple Prints printables to dress up the table with the napkin holders, cups, and cute flags added to some matching paper straws.

{Here's a night shot of the window covering to give you a better idea of what it looked like}

Food Ideas

Despite the fact that I usually hate to cook, planning the party food is always my favorite thing to do. There are always so many fun ideas! {Maybe I wouldn't actually mind making dinner so much if we could always eat like this}

I made some more of the crab cupcakes that Connor took to school for his birthday and also used a shark fin printable from the party pack to create the shark fin cupcakes. We had some "sub" sandwiches and I placed some rock candy in a couple of wine glasses filled with graham cracker crumbs for sand to add to the table {these were taken home as part of the goodie bags}.

The Ocean Blue Punch was a mix of blue Kool-Aid and lemonade.

These little jello bowls were a BIG hit with the kiddos and the first of the food that was gone!
Blue Jello + a mandarin orange + some white cardstock on a toothpick = sailboat fun!

Pretzel Goldfish + Ruffled Chips

I love these little water bottles for kids' parties - they are small enough that the water does not usually get wasted and the sports top lids are great for avoiding spills. I bought the water bottles from Target, removed the labels and replaced them with some green cardstock and these cute printables from Dimple Prints.

For the "sushi" I used a cookie cutter to cut out an oval shape from Rice Krispie squares, placed a gummy fish on top, and wrapped it with fruit roll-ups that I sliced into strips. Let me tell you, green fruit roll-ups were really hard to find around here so we had to improvise with a little blue too! My boys are both color blind so they didn't even notice.

Cake decorating has never been one of my strong points, but I do always make a point of making the kids' birthday cakes each year. I found this cake pattern over at Martha Stewart and I think he turned out pretty cute. I didn't have a tray that was big enough so I took a large picture frame off the wall and wrapped it up!

Favors
We had striped bags filled with candies, sand buckets with a large bouncy ball and a package of goldfish as well as a goldfish food bar {with different varieties of goldfish crackers} for the party favors.

The kids also each picked some "sea coral" on their way out.

Thanks so much for dropping by the party! It was lots of fun to put together and I LOVED the printables! Dimple Prints was awesome to work with and the printables definitely made things quicker, easier, and SO much cuter!! :) You can connect with Dimple Prints here:
BLOG / SHOP / FACEBOOK

You can also find our party invites HERE.

This post is part of Dimple Prints' Summer Party Series and I did receive a free set of printables from Dimple Prints. As always, all opinions are 100% mine.

I linked up at Stone Gable, Savvy Southern Style, Lil Luna, Lolly Jane, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Flamingo Toes, I Heart Naptime, House of Rose, Tidy Mom and Craftberry Bush.

Like this post? I'd love to have you follow along! You can connect with me here...

The Inspiration Exchange {No. 3}

2013-06-11T16:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to another night of The Inspiration Exchange! There were so many wonderful ideas linked up last week - I can't wait to see what you have to show us tonight!

{In case you missed it, you can find the features post from last week HERE}.

Before we get started with the party, here is a quick peek at what we have been doing...

Blackberry Cheesecake Pots {this is actually an older post but one of my favs!}
Creating Beautiful Outdoor Spaces and the June Household Organization Diet To Do List
Watermelon Pudding Pops

Mac and Cheese Crostini Appetizers (AKA: Heaven!)

How to Create a Faux Weathered Look for Clay Pots

French Bread Pizza Recipe (part of the "Dinner's in 20" Series)

You can find Yellow Bliss Road here:
BLOG / FACEBOOK / PINTEREST / INSTAGRAM / TWITTER

Making a Vintage Planter Safe for My Herb Garden

My Favorite Dingbat Fonts

Garden Cabinet Before & After

You can find Ella Claire here:

BLOG / PINTEREST / FACEBOOK / TWITTER / INSTAGRAM

Country Living Fair and A Beautiful Weekend

Turn A Vintage Crate Into A Coffee Table

You can find City Farmhouse here:

BLOG / FACEBOOK / PINTEREST / INSTAGRAM / TWITTER

***************
So who's ready to party?

Please link directly to your specific post {not the homepage}.
Please do NOT link up giveaways or items that you are selling.
Please add a text link back to your host at the end of your post. We would love for you to help spread the word!
If you would like, follow along with Facebook or on our group Pinterest board to see if you have been featured throughout the week and don't forget to pop back on Sunday for our features post!
Please be sure to check out some of the other fabulous links. This is the time to exchange ideas and a few nice comments always inspire us to create more!

Watermelon Pudding Pops

2013-06-10T04:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday!! I hope you had a great weekend! We had some friends over for a BBQ on Saturday night and I wanted to make a fun dessert for the kiddos. We decided on these watermelon pudding pops...

I had seen some of these made with Jello before {in a magazine while waiting in line at the grocery store!} but the kids don't like lime jello. Just a quick switcheroo of the Jello for some instant pudding and we were all good to go.

INGREDIENTS

2 packages vanilla instant pudding {prepared according to package directions}
red and green neon food coloring
chocolate chips
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup softened cream cheese
1 1/2 cups thawed Cool Whip topping
5 oz. disposable paper cups

PREPARATION

Prepare the vanilla pudding as directed on the box. Divide the pudding up into two bowls placing just over half into one of the bowls {for the red} and the rest in a second bowl {for the green}
Add food coloring to desired color. I used approximately 8 drops of food coloring in total for each bowl.
Place 5-6 chocolate chips in the bottom of a cup and add a layer of the red pudding mixture filling up almost half of the cup. Using the back of the spoon, push the pudding down firmly so all of the air spaces are removed. The cups that I used were somewhat translucent so I was able to check that the pudding was filled up all the way around the edges.
Using a toothpick, push a few more chocolate chips down at various depths close to the edges for a few more "seeds". Place in the freezer while you are preparing the next layer.

Beat the cream cheese and sugar until blended. Stir in Cool Whip. Spread over the red pudding layer filling to approximately 3/4 of the cup. Wipe the sides of the cup with a paper towel if there is any excess.
Add a popsicle stick. I used some stamps to put the kids' names on the popsicle sticks with "yum" on the other side.

Add the green pudding layer to fill the cup. Freeze for 2 hours or until firm.
To release the pudding pops from the cups, run under warm water for a few seconds and push out from the bottom of the cup.
Makes 6-7 pops.

All of the kids loved them except for my oldest who informed me that he doesn't like vanilla pudding either. Sometimes you just can't please! :)

Have a wonderful week!

I shared this project at Savvy Southern Style, Lil Luna, Lolly Jane, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Flamingo Toes, I Heart Naptime, House of Rose, Tidy Mom, Design Dining and Diapers, The Shabby Creek Cottage, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Stone Gable and Love Grows Wild.

Like this post? I'd love to have you follow along! You can connect with me here...

Fabulous Features from The Inspiration Exchange {No. 2}

2013-06-08T04:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday! What are you up to this weekend? The sun is supposed to be out here all weekend long and we are hoping to have our first "official" BBQ of the season!

Last week was another great week of link ups at The Inspiration Exchange. Thank-you SO much to all of you that came out to the party to share your ideas. We really appreciate you taking the time to join us and we hope that you were able to take some time to look through the other projects as well. As always, there were so many wonderful ideas - here are just a few of our favorites...

Tangy Corn Coleslaw from A Pumpkin and a Princess

Kitchen Island IKEA Hack from Golden Boys and Me

How to make your own Mason Jar Soap Dispensers from Love Grows Wild

Vintage Metal Glider Makeover from Hymns and Verses

"Kitchen Scale" Side Table makeover from Cottage Instincts

Tips for Painting Like a Pro from Maison de Pax

Building a Potting Bench from Design Dreams by Anne

French Vanilla Dream Bars from Live Laugh Rowe

Each week we will each also be picking our favorite post of the week. I just LOVE this driftwood vase from Simplicity in the South. So pretty!

The June Household Organization Diet Tasks - Outdoor Spaces

2013-06-05T04:00:00.000-07:00

This month The Household Organization Diet moves OUTSIDE!! I have a feeling that this might turn into more of an all summer project but here is what I have planned...

Depending on your outside space, you might have a very different To Do List that you would like to work on but hopefully we can all spend some time this month creating a beautiful outdoor space that we can enjoy all summer long! I'll be posting my projects throughout the month so stay tuned!!

You can download the above To Do List HERE or a blank June To Do List HERE. If you are just starting to put together your Household Organization Diet binder, start HERE.

Now for some outdoor inspiration! Here are a few of my favorite ideas from my Pinterest board...

10 Ways to Increase Curb Appeal from Better Homes and Gardens

Potted Flowers in Wicker Baskets {unknown source}

Beautiful Front Porch from Canadian House and Home

Barn Door BBQ from Inspiration For Outdoor Spaces

Door Pergola from Brabourne Farm

House Number Sign from Alderberry Hill.

Garage Door Arbor from Better Homes and Garden.

How to Build an Outdoor Fire Pit from Sew Woodsy.

Terra Cotta Planters from Better Homes and Gardens

Vintage Flower Wagon from Common Ground

Summer Porch from Yellow Bliss Road

DIY Rock Covered Bucket from Centsational Girl

And my Personal Dream Porch from Decor Pad :)

So pretty!!! {*sigh*}

Are you new to The Household Organization Diet? You can find the first post HERE and get caught up on all of our past projects over HERE. Now is the time to get organized!!! ;)

I'd love to hear what your outdoor projects are!

I linked up with Savvy Southern Style, Flamingo Toes, The Shabby Creek Cottage, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Love Grows Wild, I Should be Mopping the Floor, I Heart Naptime, Six Sisters Stuff, Tatertots and Jello, Liz Marie Blog, Craftberry Bush, Tidy Mom, The 36th Avenue and Stone Gable.

The Inspiration Exchange {No. 2}

2013-06-04T16:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to another night of The Inspiration Exchange! I am so happy that you are here! There were so many amazing ideas shared last week - I can't wait to see what you have been working on!

I'm sure you guys are all wondering who the lucky winner of the $100 gift card giveaway is. Well... ...it's No. 689 - April Knapp.
Congratulations April!!! Happy Shopping!

So here is what we have been up to this week...

Cherry Raspberry Lemonade Slush
How to Clean a BBQ
Easiest Ice Cream Cake Ever

This week Kristen took some time off, so she is sharing pictures of her beautiful home instead.

Our Living Room

Our Dining Room
Our Bonus Room

You can find Ella Claire here:

BLOG / PINTEREST / FACEBOOK / TWITTER / INSTAGRAM

Refreshing Watermelon Lemonade (and the easiest lemonade recipe EVER!)

Easy Meatball Sliders (and a new (20 Minute Dinners" Series)

Bright and Cheery Summer Porch

You can find Yellow Bliss Road here:
BLOG / FACEBOOK / PINTEREST / INSTAGRAM / TWITTER

Simple Summer Touches & SEA Sign

My Top 5 Budget Friendly Makeover's

My Summer Decorating E-Course

You can find City Farmhouse here:

BLOG / FACEBOOK / PINTEREST / INSTAGRAM / TWITTER

So who's ready to party?

Please link directly to your specific post {not the homepage}.
Please do NOT link up giveaways or items that you are selling.
Please add a text link back to your host at the end of your post. We would love for you to help spread the word!
If you would like, follow along with Facebook or on our group Pinterest board to see if you have been featured throughout the week and don't forget to pop back on Sunday for our features post!
Please be sure to check out some of the other fabulous links. This is the time to exchange ideas and a few nice comments always inspire us to create more!

The Easiest Ice Cream Cake Ever

2013-06-03T04:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday! I was planning on having the June Household Organization Diet tasks up today but the weather was so nice on the weekend that I wanted to get some work done outside. So instead of some work to do, how about making in ice cream cake instead?

Anyone who knows me, knows that the kitchen is one of my least favorite places to be and this is especially true during our beautiful summer months. We don't get a ton of sunny weather around here so it's nice to be able to spend those summer months outside! This ice cream cakes takes less than 15 minutes to create, looks great, and is a big hit! As an added bonus, there is very little mess to clean up - it's a win-win!

INGREDIENTS

one box of your favorite ice cream {this one is chocolate marble}
2 1/2 cups of Oreo crumbs
1/2 cup of butter {melted}
chocolate sauce
2 Kit Kat bars cut into cubes
1 package of chocolate ice wafers

PREPARATION

Mix the Oreo crumbs with the melted butter.
Open your box of ice cream from the side {don't remove it from the box yet though}

Using the back of a spoon, press the Oreo crumb mixture into the ice cream covering the whole top surface {this will be your base} You will probably only need about half of the mixture. Place back in the freezer for a few minutes until firm.
Pull open the sides of the box and flip it over onto your serving tray so that the Oreo crumb mixture is on the bottom. Remove the box. {You may want to place some parchment paper down before you do this if you want to keep the serving tray clean while you decorate}
Sprinkle more of the Oreo crumb mixture over the top of the cake. Drizzle with chocolate sauce over the top and down the sides of the ice cream. Place back in the freezer until hardened.
Cut up the chocolate bars and cookie wafers into cubes.
When you are ready to serve, remove ice cream from the freezer and top with the wafer and chocolate bar cubes. {save about half}
When you slice the cake, sprinkle some more of the Oreo crumbs and a few of the wafers/chocolate bar cubes on the side of the slice to decorate. {Sorry I didn't get any pictures of this - it didn't last long enough!}

While I definitely won't be winning any Weight Watcher's awards for this cake, it sure is a nice treat!

I hope you have a wonderful week!

I linked up with Flamingo Toes, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Love Grows Wild, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Craft-O-Maniac, I Heart Naptime, Six Sisters Stuff, Tatertots and Jello, Liz Marie Blog, Craftberry Bush, Tidy Mom, Live Laugh Rowe, The 36th Avenue, Stone Gable, Savvy Southern Style, Lil Luna, Not Just a Housewife, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Lolly Jane and Today's Creative Blog.

Like this post? I'd love to have you follow along! You can connect with me here...

Fabulous Features from The Inspiration Exchange

2013-06-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend! We have been doing some much needed work in the yard and I am hoping that the sun comes out today so that I can enjoy it. The boys are all out of the house for a "boys' day" so it looks like I will be having a a little peace and quiet around here! :)

We were so thrilled to see so many of you out for our first Inspiration Exchange link party! I was happy to see lots of familiar faces from The Creative Spark and found some wonderful new blogs to follow too. There were so many amazing projects linked up - we hope that you were able to find some creative inspiration too! Here are just a few of our favorites...

DIY Chalkboard Paint Wall from Rooms for Rent.

Driftwood Wreath from The Wood Grain Cottage.

Summer Bar Cart from Lake Girl Paints.

Book Page Wreath from Knick of Time.

DIY Typography Prints from Carissa Miss {the whole alphabet is available}

Father's Day Art from Becoming Martha.

DIY Ruffled Curtains from Maison de Pax.

Fresh Strawberry Lemonade from Place of My Taste.

We will also all be sharing our personal favorite on each of our blogs. My pick for the week was this beautiful vintage flower wagon from Common Ground. Love the picket fence too!

Head on over to City Farmhouse, Yellow Bliss Road, and Ella Claire to see their favorite pick of the week! If you missed the party last week, you can find all of the projects HERE and don't forget to check out our group Pinterest board for even more features!

There is also just one more day left to enter our giveaway for a $100 giftcard to Target, Homegoods/HomeSense, Pottery Barn, or Michaels. Head on over HERE to enter.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

How to Clean Your BBQ

2013-05-30T04:00:00.000-07:00

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of PROXI Products. As always, all opinions are 100% mine.

Summer is almost here and that means the return of BBQ season! My husband is definitely the one that runs the BBQ around here but apparently he neglected to notice that it was in need of a little cleaning...

It was really disgusting!!!

I have honestly never cleaned the BBQ before as Dave always attended to this task. Our definition of "clean" however, is obviously a little different so I decided that I would give it a go.

I am always on the look out for new green cleaning products and came across PROXI Products a few months ago. Their products use environmentally-friendly ingredients without any chemicals that could be harmful to you or the air in your home. The PROXI disinfectants use hydrogen peroxide as their active germ killing ingredient and are highly effective against bacteria, viruses, mold, and mildew. The hydrogen peroxide uses the oxidation process to kill germs and simply breaks down into water and oxygen leaving nothing behind {remember high school chemistry?}.

MATERIALS

stiff-bristle wire brush
toothbrush
scour pad {non scratch}
old rags
PROXI dish soap concentrate
PROXI multi-purpose disinfectant cleaner
baking soda
microfiber cloth
spray bottle of water

TO DO

Before you get started, be sure to turn off the gas supply at the source or disconnect the propane tank. You should also check your BBQ manual to see if there are any specific cleaning instructions for your particular model.
If you are not cleaning your BBQ directly after use, heat up the BBQ , close the lid, and leave it for a few minutes until warm. This will help to loosen some of the build up. Using the wire brush, scrape away as much of the build up as possible. Wait for the BBQ to completely cool before proceeding.
Place a drop cloth or old towels down on the ground, remove the grates, flame guards, and burners and place them on the towels. Fill up your sink with PROXI dish soap using the hottest water possible. Soak your grates and flame guards {1 or 2 at a time} for 5-10 minutes. Scrub the grates using the metal brush and a scour pad. Make sure you are using a non-scratch pad for the flame burners.

{love how you can totally see the bubbles working!

To clean all of the grease build up on the inside of the BBQ lid, make a paste with water, baking soda, and a little of the PROXI dish soap {the consistency should be similar to that of a thick toothpaste}. Rub it on the inside of the grill lid and allow it to dry. Once dry, spray with water and wipe clean.

While the paste is drying, empty out all of the ashes from the inside of the BBQ. I used a toothbrush to get into all of the little spaces to brush out the loose ashes. We have a pull out tray in the back of our unit which dumped nicely into a garbage bag.

Fill a bowl with warm soapy water and wipe down all surfaces on the inside of the BBQ with a sponge. Spray the outside of the grill with PROXI multi-purpose disinfectant cleaner and wipe with a microfiber cloth.
Before putting everything back together, make sure to inspect your burners for any blocked holes or dead bugs that have found a nice home over the winter months. You can purchase a venturi tube brush to help clean out the inside of your burners from any debris or simply use a pipe cleaner. Refer to your owner's manual for details on this as it is definitely not my area of expertise!
I used a microfiber cloth to clean the knobs and polish up the outside of the BBQ and it was good to go!

Compared to my BBQ, yours will probably be a breeze to clean! And if PROXI Products can clean this, I'm sure that they could clean about anything! You can check out their full line of green cleaning and personal care items HERE.

Happy Grilling!

If you don't want to clean your BBQ, maybe you would like to win a shiny new one? Head over HERE to enter. Good luck!

I linked up at The Shabby Creek Cottage, Love Grows Wild, Craft-O-Maniac, Liz Marie Blog, Craftberry Bush, Tidy Mom,The 36th Avenue, Stone Gable, Savvy Southern Style, Lil Luna, Not Just a Housewife, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Lolly Jane, Today's Creative Blog, Thrifty Decor Chick, Uncommon, Alderberry Hill, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Flamingo Toes, I Heart Naptime, Six Sisters' Stuff, Barns and Noodles, Thirty Handmade Days and Whipperberry.

Cherry Lemonade Raspberry Slushie

2013-05-29T04:00:00.000-07:00

So today I thought that I would share my new favorite drink with you...

Remember my summer lemonade bar?

Well, I have been playing around with different combinations of the lemonade and cherry kool-aid to find my perfect summer drink.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups ice
2 1/4 tbsp lemonade mix
1 1/2 tbsp cherry mix
1 cup water
1/2 cup frozen raspberries

TO DO

To make you drink more slushie-style, blend up your ice first. If you have a cheap blender like me, just do 1 cup of ice at a time to avoid plugging it up! Did you know that the blender top will fit on a mason jar? It makes it a little easier to clean up when you are only making a couple of drinks.

Add the drink mixes to one cup of cold water and mix. Add to the ice.
Add frozen raspberries and blend to desired consistently. If you don't like raspberries, it works well without them too!
Makes 2 drinks.

So now I just need some summer weather!

I linked up with The Shabby Creek Cottage, Love Grows Wild, Craft-O-Maniac, Liz Marie Blog, Craftberry Bush, Tidy Mom, Savvy Southern Style, Lil Luna, Not Just a Housewife, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Lolly Jane, Uncommon, Alderberry Hill, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Flamingo Toes, I Heart Naptime, Six Sisters' Stuff, Barns and Noodles, Whipperberry and Stone Gable.

The Inspiration Exchange {No. 1}

2013-05-28T16:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the first night of The Inspiration Exchange! I'm so glad that you could make it and I can't wait to see what you have been up to!

If you haven't already noticed, I now have some new hosts joining in on the party! All you have to do is link up at one of our blogs and you will be seen at all four! Hopefully this makes it easier for you to link up and will give you a little more time to look around at all of the other amazing ideas shared!

I had a bit of a "mini-blogging break" this week in order to get caught up on a bunch of little {non-interesting!} projects around the house - not too exciting but definitely nice to get out of the way! I did have a few things for you though...

Lemonade Bar
Under the Sea Invitations {and a party sneak peek!}
Six Burner Propane Grill Giveaway

And now, I'd love to introduce you to my new hostesses!

City Farmhouse...

My New E-Course-Inspired Decorating Ideas For Summer

Coastal Inspired Lifeguard Art

You can connect with City Farmhouse here:

BLOG / FACEBOOK / PINTEREST / INSTAGRAM / TWITTER

Ella Claire...

My Spring Chalkboards
A Very Special Announcement
Planting the Garden

You can find Ella Claire here:

BLOG / PINTEREST / FACEBOOK / TWITTER / INSTAGRAM

and Yellow Bliss Road...

Firecracker Marshmallow Pops

Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Cupcakes

Free Chalkboard Printables for the Last Day of School

You can find Yellow Bliss Road here:
BLOG / FACEBOOK / PINTEREST / INSTAGRAM / TWITTER

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And we have even more exciting news...

In honor of the new party, we have a fun giveaway for you! And what could be more fun than a shopping spree? The lucky winner will receive a $100 gift card from one of our favorite stores - Home Goods {or Home Sense here in Canada}, Pottery Barn, Target or Michaels. Your choice!!! Just follow the Rafflecopter prompts to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And finally onto the party!!!

Please link directly to your specific post {not the homepage}.
Please do NOT link up giveaways or items that you are selling.
Please add a text link back to your host at the end of your post. We would love for you to help spread the word!
If you would like, follow along with Facebook or on our group Pinterest board to see if you have been featured throughout the week and don't forget to pop back on Sunday for our features post!
Please be sure to check out some of the other fabulous links. This is the time to exchange ideas and a few nice comments always inspire us to create more!

Summer Grillin' Giveaway

2013-05-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend! And to all of my American friends - Happy Memorial Day! I will be thinking of you all relaxing while I am at work today! :)

A giveaway is always a great way to start the week so I have teamed up with some fabulous bloggers to bring you our summer grillin' giveaway! What could be better than a shiny new BBQ to kick off the summer season? This would also be perfect for a surprise Father's day gift!

So who wants a chance to win?

Step 1: Pin the image above {you can find my Pin It button at the beginning of the post}. Unfortunately, due to shipping issues, this giveaway is only open to U.S. residents BUT I will have another giveaway for you tomorrow!

Step 2: Follow all the bloggers listed below on Pinterest.

Step 3: Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. For additional entries, follow some awesome new blogs on Facebook! The rafflecopter may take a second to load.

a Rafflecopter giveaway Good luck to you all!

My Sunday Sparks {No. 92}

2013-05-26T04:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday! I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend! {and I know many of you will be happily celebrating the long weekend!!} Although the weather is quite cool and rainy around here, it sounds like many of you are already getting into summer mode. So, in honor of my favorite season, I thought that I would pick some of my favorite summer inspired projects and recipes from last week's Creative Spark...

I love a good summer salad and this one from Love Grows Wild looks amazing. I always like a little crunch to my salad!

Nothing says summer more than watermelon and lemonade! Combine them both into this easy watermelon lemonade from Cheerios and Lattes.

And of course, you can't have summer without ice cream so here are some Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Cupcakes from Yellow Bliss Road. Yum!!

An Extraordinary Day shows you how to plant a window box. Her flowers look beautiful!

And once you have your window box planted, why not convert a trash can to a planter? I just love this idea from The Lily Pad Cottage - it is amazing what a little paint can do!

If you don't have a trash can, you can always use a colander! The Happy Housie made this cheerful succulent planter from a garage sale find.

Hopefully these projects will bring you a ray of sunshine even if it is not quite looking like summer outside! And for those of you that are already enjoying summer weather...well...I'm jealous! :)

Thank-you SO much to all of you that came out to the party last week - you are ALL amazing!! If you happened to miss it, you can check out all of the other fabulous ideas HERE. You can also find all of the party features {past and present!} over on my Pinterest board.

I also wanted to remind you that I will be back this Tuesday night with a NEW and IMPROVED link party - The Inspiration Exchange!!

And I am excited to have some new friends joining me!

Kristin from Yellow Bliss Road
Kristin from Ella Claire
Jen from City Farmhouse

We will be kicking off the new party with a $100 giveaway and are looking to promote YOU!! So get your best projects ready and join us here at 4:00 p.m. PST every Tuesday night. I really hope to see you all there!

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Under the Sea Invitations {and party sneak peek!}

2013-05-23T04:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was Connor's Under the Sea party. Coming up with the invitations is always one of my favorite things to do when I am in party planning mode...

These invites actually went together pretty quickly especially considering that I had 12 of them to do!

MATERIALS

cardstock {royal blue, green, lighter blue, white}
google eyes
double sided tape
glue
fish template {download HERE}
circle punch {I used a 3 inch and 2 inch punch}
baker's twine

TO DO

Print and cut out the fish template {download HERE}. Cut out your fish from the blue cardstock.
Cut 1 1/4 inch x 6 inch strips from the lighter blue and green cardstock. Cut scallops along one edge. {I cut one that I liked and then used that as a template for the rest}
Apply double sided tape along the straight edge. The scalloped part should be free of tape. Starting at the tail, add your first strip. When you apply your second strip slide it underneath the scalloped edge of the first piece. Repeat until all 6 strips are completed.

Turn your fish to the backside and trim the strips down buy cutting along the shape of the fish.
Add a google eye.
Punch two 3 inch circles and 4 2 inch circles from white cardstock. Cut a piece of baker's twine approximately 8-10 inches long and attach to the back of three of the circles {one 3 inch circle and 2 two inch circles} using double sided tape to form the bubbles. Glue another circle to the back of each of the circles to cover up the baker's twine. The Number 6 tag that I used for my invitations was part of an awesome printable package from Dimple Prints that I used for the rest of the party. I wrote all of the party details on the back of this "bubble".

To attach the string of bubbles to the fish, cut a strip of the royal blue cardstock approximately 1/2 inch x 3 1/2 inches. Apply a small piece of double sided tape to attach the bubble string to the strip. Use two more small pieces of double sided tape to attach the strip to the back of the fish. This will form a little "pocket" for the bubbles to sit in.

The bubbles can then be pulled out to reveal all of the party details!

If you are looking for more Under the Sea ideas, you can check out my crab cupcakes here...

...and stay tuned for more party details!

{printables all from Dimple Prints}

There will be lots more to come when I actually get a chance to go through all of the photos!!

Just keep on swimming...

I linked up with Lolly Jane, Flamingo Toes, Six Sister's Stuff, Barns and Noodles, Whipperberry, Gingersnap Crafts, Craft-O-Maniac, I Should be Mopping the Floor, I Heart Naptime, Be Different Act Normal, Tidy Mom and The Frugal Girls.

The Creative Spark {No. 92}

2013-05-21T16:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to the last official night of The Creative Spark! After almost two years of hosting this little party, the time for change has arrived. I have LOVED getting to know all of you better and I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you taking the time to share your ideas and encourage others on their blogging journeys. I know that there are many wonderful parties out there, and I am so grateful that you were able to be a part of mine. I know that many of you have been around since my first party so thank-you so much for all of your support and comments each week. I love you guys!!!

With all of that being said, I'm not really going anywhere. The party will be back next week but it will have a new look, a new name, and some new faces!!! I will be teaming up with some of my favorite bloggers to make this party bigger and better! Please give a warm welcome to...

Jen from City Farmhouse

Kristin from Yellow Bliss Road
and

Kristen from Ella Claire

So even though there are four of us, you will only have to remember 2 names! :)

One of my main goals with this party was to give you guys a chance to gain more exposure for your blogs. Now when you link your ideas up to one of our blogs, it will be seen on all FOUR of our sites and open things up to some new readers. Hopefully this will also give you a little more time to visit each other's blogs as well. The more we are able to share and encourage each other, the more beneficial the party will be! I hope to see you all there!!!

Now on to this week's party!!!

This past week was very busy around here getting things ready for Connor's Under the Sea party. I have so much stuff to show you from the party but that will have to wait just a little bit longer! Here's what I did manage to get up on the blog though...

Connor's crab cupcakes that he took to school on his birthday.

My little summer lemonade bar!

And some of my favorite black and white inspiration photos.

And don't forget to check out last week's fabulous features!

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Okay, so now it`s your turn!! What have you all been up to? Feel free to link up anything that YOU have created - crafts, DIY, scrapbook projects, organization ideas, decorating, recipes - anything goes!

Want to link up?

Link directly to your specific post {not the homepage}.
Please add The Creative Spark button to your post or blog {the code is in my sidebar} OR place a text link at the end of your post. I would love for you to help me spread the word!
Follow along with Facebook to see if you have been featured throughout the week and pop back on Sunday for my feature post.
Check out some of the other fabulous links. A few nice comments always inspires us to create more!

Lemonade Bar

2013-05-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

Summer is almost here so it is time to whip out the lemonade! You may remember my hot chocolate bar turned bunny bar...

Well, it got a little summer makeover!

The bottles are filled with lemonade crystals, some paper straws, and cherry Kool-Aid. I was actually trying to find some pink lemonade crystals but I couldn't find them anywhere. The Kool-Aid mixed with the lemonade actually tastes pretty darn good though! ;)

I purchased the bottles last fall at Decor Steals but you can also find them over at Farmhouse Decor {along
with lots of other fabulous goodies!}. The sign is just a wooden rectangle that I purchased from Michael's and sprayed with chalkboard paint. Chalk pens make it SO much easier to draw on little signs like this one!

I made the labels for the bottles, punched them out and and glued them onto some patterned scrapbook paper. I then tied everything on with some baker's twine. If you would like a copy of the labels, you can download them HERE. I added a pink lemonade label for you just in case!

Now all that's left to do is make a cool glass or lemonade and relax!!! Happy Victoria Day to all of my Canadian friends! I hope you have a wonderful long weekend!

I linked up with Liz Marie Blog, Craftberry Bush, The 36th Avenue, Not Just a Housewife, Thrifty Decor Chick, Uncommon, Alderberry Hill, Flamingo Toes, Six Sister's Stuff, Barns and Noodles, Thirty Handmade Days, Whipperberry, Gingersnap Crafts, Craft-O-Maniac, I Should be Mopping the Floor, I Heart Naptime, Be Different Act Normal, Tidy Mom, The Frugal Girls, Savvy Southern Style, Lil Luna, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Home Stories A to Z, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Lolly Jane and Today's Creative Blog.

My Sunday Sparks {No. 91}

2013-05-19T13:50:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday! I hope you are all enjoying your weekend. We are recovering today from Connor's birthday party yesterday and I am hoping that the house will magically be put back in order. So far no luck...

Anyways, I am just popping in today to show you some of the amazing projects linked up at last week's Creative Spark. There were so many fabulous ideas - I wish that I could highlight you all!

I love this colorful flower sign from The Happy Scraps!

Laura's Crafty Life turned some dollar store baskets into beautiful faux metal baskets. Perfect for organizing!

So Much Better With Age created this awesome kitchen office space. My favorite part is definitely their charging station - brilliant!

How fabulous is this DIY Herb Garden from Ginger Snap Crafts? She has a great tutorial for you too!

2 Crafty 4 My Skirt made this amazing potting bench from some old pallets. Check out her post for lots of other pallet projects too!

I have never made my own soap but I really want to try this oatmeal goat's milk soap recipe from Essentially Eclectic. My skin could definitely use a little love.

And, finally, my food pick of the week is these cheesecake filled strawberries from Happier Than a Pig in Mud. A perfect, easy-to-do summer treat!

Thank- you so much to all of you that came out to the party last week. You are ALL amazing!! If you haven't had a chance to check out the links, you can head on over HERE and all features {past and present!} can always be found on my Pinterest board. If you were featured here or on my Facebook page, please feel free to grab a button from the sidebar.

Wishing you all a wonderful Sunday!

Black and White Inspiration

2013-05-17T00:02:00.001-07:00

It has taken me some time to figure this out, but I LOVE black and white together. I used to think of myself as being drawn more towards whites but ever since I re-did our master bedroom last year, I realize that I have a bit of a dark side too.

Right now I am still working on finishing off our dining room and have continued on with the black and white trend {with a few wood tones and some color thrown in there too!} Today I thought that I would share some of my black and white inspiration with you....

{Traditional Home}

{Harmony and Home}

{Em for Marvelous}

{Canadian House and Home}

{Better Homes and Gardens}

{Clean and Scentsible}

{House and Home}

{The Bright Life}

{The Kitchn}

{Copy Cat Chic}

So what do you think? Do you lean towards white, black or a little of both?

I linked up with Gingersnap Crafts, Tidy Mom, The Frugal Girls, Lil Luna, Savvy Southern Style, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Home Stories A to Z, Lolly Jane, Alderberry Hill, Uncommon, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Flamingo Toes and I Heart Naptime.

Crab Cakes {cupcakes}

2013-05-15T04:00:00.000-07:00

My little dude turned SIX on Monday and I am still trying to figure out where all of those years have gone! It makes me a little sad to see him growing up so quickly but I know that there will be lots of new and exciting adventures with each new age. We will be having some of his friends over for his birthday party on the weekend but he wanted to bring some cupcakes to school on Monday for the whole class. Since we are doing an Under the Sea theme for his party, I thought that I would make some "sea inspired" cupcakes as well...

When I first saw these cupcakes over at Cutest Food I knew that they would be perfect. Decorating cakes and cupcakes is not a strong suit of mine but these guys were so cute and easy to make!

INGREDIENTS

cup cake mix {or you can be fancy and make your own!}
white icing {vanilla or cream cheese}
1 C graham cracker crumbs
1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C butter
candy eyes
gummy orange slices
gummy fuzzy peaches
round orange gummies {I had to buy a multi-color pack for these and pick out the orange ones!}
toothpicks

To Do

Bake and ice cupcakes.
Mix graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and butter. Sprinkle on the top of the cupcakes for your "sand".
Slice fuzzy peach into a crescent shape
Use toothpicks {they will need to be cut down} to add the fuzzy peach "claws" to the orange slice "body".
Use icing to attach the candy eyes to the round orange gummies. Use toothpicks {that will also need to be cut down} to attach the "eyes" to the orange slice body.

I just love these little guys! Too bad they were quickly gobbled up!

Enjoy your day!
I linked up with Not Just a Housewife, Six Sisters' Stuff, Barns and Noodles, Thirty Handmade Days, Gingersnap Crafts, Be Different Act Normal, Savvy Southern Style, Lil Luna, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Home Stories A to Z, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Lolly Jane, Today's Creative Blog, Under the Table and Dreaming, Craft-O-Maniac, Alderberry Hill, Uncommon, I Should be Mopping the Floor, Flamingo Toes, I Heart Naptime, Tatertots and Jello, Whipperberry, Crafty Scrappy Happy, Love of Family and Home, The Frugal Girls, Becoming Martha, Tidy Mom, Somewhat Simple, The Shabby Creek Cottage, The 36th Avenue and Stone Gable.

The Creative Spark {No. 91}

2013-05-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to another night of The Creative Spark! I can't wait to see what you have all been up to!

I just want to give you a little heads up that there will be a few changes to this link party in the near future. I really do appreciate all of you coming out to party with me each week and I am always looking for ways to promote your wonderful ideas even more. I am so excited to share all of the details with you but I just have a couple of things left to work out! Stay tuned!

This week I showed you some Spring changes that I did in our front entry...

...and I shared a sweet memory album to write little notes back and forth between you and your kiddos. Remember to start that communication while they are still little! :)

There was also a free printable that could be framed for a nursery or baby shower gift.

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Want to link up?

Link directly to your specific post {not the homepage}.
Please add The Creative Spark button to your post or blog {the code is in my sidebar} OR place a text link at the end of your post. I would love for you to help me spread the word!
Follow along with Facebook to see if you have been featured throughout the week and pop back on Sunday for my feature post.
Check out some of the other fabulous links. A few nice comments always inspires us to create more!