The Trunk Blog

Datevitation Giveaway and Coupon

2013-05-09T06:45:00.001-06:00

Surprise! Datevitation is back with a discount code and a giveaway just for The Elephant's Trunk readers! Datevitation takes your traditional handmade coupon books, the ones that you used to make as a kid and kicks them up a few hundred notches! These books are the perfect gift for your significant other because you can pick from over 350 romantic date ideas to gift to your lover.

Datevitation books can be customized by the dates, the cover, the text of each date and the illustrations that you include. The best part of Datevitation is that now there are 200 new illustration activities that are specifically designed for kids and that makes Datevitation a perfect gift for Dad this Father's Day.

How fun would it be for your kids to pick out activities to offer as coupons that they want to gift to their Dad on his special day?

Mom's can get in on the action to by creating a very special steamy edition to really show those Dads how much they appreciate them.

The options are endless and with your creativity and Datevitation's help you can have the perfect, unique gift that will surely wow that special someone.

Now is your turn to try out Datevitiation, you can enter here to win a promo code good for a custom Datevitation gift book with the cover of your choice, personal message page, and 5 activity pages (code includes free general shipping)! Enter quick because this giveaway only lasts until May 22nd!

Can't wait to win? Take advantage of a very special offer to The Elephant's Trunk readers, enter the discount code TRUNKBLOG at checkout and receive $10 off your Datevitation book in the month of May and June.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Vinyl Giveaway

2013-04-30T06:00:00.000-06:00

Sometimes the kiddos need a little reminder from Mom even when she can't be there. This Eventually Cottage vinyl piece can be placed in your kid's bathroom to remind them to keep up on their hygiene.

Eventually Cottage is a fun vinyl shop on Etsy creating custom signs and decor for your home. Here are some of the great pieces from Eventually Cottage's shop:

I Love You Sign

WISH Sign

Today you can win the wash your hands vinyl pictured above! This giveaway will last through Tuesday May 7th, so enter fast before your chance is gone.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

How to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse from FamAlert.com

2013-04-01T19:40:00.001-06:00

ATTENTION: Wedding Vendors

2013-03-20T20:10:00.000-06:00

Planning a wedding has taught me a lot about what I look for in a wedding vendor. I've had a lot of success searching for wedding vendors online as well as a lot of failures. There are many simple ideas that wedding vendors can do to create an easy experience for customers and potential customers. In no way to I consider myself an expert in this category but I do believe this information could benefit wedding vendors.

1. List all your social media links on your website. When I first visit the website the first thing I do is look for your social media links. I want to go directly to your Facebook even before browsing around your website. Chances are there are more up to date photos I can find on your Facebook then on your website. If I can't find your Facebook easily it becomes frustrating and many times I loose interest looking for much else. This also goes for your Twitter and Pinterest accounts. I want to look at your Twitter so I can follow along with you and the most current information from your company. I want to look at your Pinterest because I want to get a sense of your style. Do our styles mesh? Social media allows me to see behind the scenes of your business.

2. Display your contact information on the home page. Call it lazy but when I have to search for how to contact you through other pages other than your home page my patience starts to dwindle. I personally hate the contact forms on websites, I get the convenience for vendors but I just want to shoot you an e-mail from my personal inbox and write what I want/need to say. I don't want to fill out scripted forms and fill out word verification prompts.

3. Update your website. Simple enough: add curent pictures, add current prices, add current contact information and so forth. It sometimes takes a little time and patience to make sure your website is up to date but it can make all the difference in gathering future customers.

4. Be active on the social media networks. I love following potential wedding vendors and my wedding vendors on all of their social media outlets. I get to see their current work, ideas and interactions. This gets me excited about who they are as a wedding vendor and what I can expect on my big day. I have a hard time trusting a wedding vendor who is inactive on social media. Are they up to date with the trends?

5. The last tip isn't really a direct suggestion for wedding vendors but more a plea. Make quick responses a priority. I've been constantly frustrated with wedding vendors who have taken weeks to get back to me. I understand being busy...don't we all? All it takes is a simple e-mail just to acknowledge you've received a bride's shout out. The e-mail just needs to state when a bride can expect to hear back from you.

Once again I am not an expert I'm just a bride-to-be with a few suggestions.

Dawn from Eventually Cottage

2013-03-13T21:38:00.002-06:00

I just love Dawn from Eventually Cottage and today she is here to talk about creating for her handmade sign shop!

1. Where does the name Eventually Cottage come from?

I came up with the name Eventually Cottage when hubby and I bought our last home. It was an 1850's carriage house that we "eventually" turned into a cozy family cottage for our family.

2. Where do you get inspiration for your shop?

Inspiration for my pieces comes from everywhere! My imagination, and things that I see in the marketplace.

3. What is your favorite piece you have created for your shop?

My favorite piece in my shop is the Disney Dreams sign that I originally designed as a graduation gift for my cousin.

4. What do you do when you're not creating?

When I'm not creating, I'm working as a 911 dispatcher for county, spending time with my family, or decorating my home.

5. Do you allow custom orders? What was your favorite custom piece you create?

I love custom orders!!! My favorite custom order was my Home of the Brave firefighter sign that I personalized with a family's name as a holiday gift for a customer.

6. Where do you create?

Right now I create all over my kitchen! Haha! "Eventually" my workshop/office will make it's home in our spare bedroom!

7. How do you describe your creative style?

Hmmm...I'd have to say whimsical and simple.

//Blog//

//Shop//

//Twitter//

//Pinterest//

//Facebook//

//Instagram//

(make sure to follow Dawn on IG because she offers some awesome deals on her signs through IG!)

Inspirational Words

2013-02-24T10:18:00.003-07:00

Some Engagement Pictures

2013-02-09T19:41:00.001-07:00

Some of you may know but I am engaged, just recently moved back home to Colorado (from Texas) and we've done a couple engagement sessions. Brendan and I are not really the photographic couple nor do we enjoy getting out picture taken too much. We did want to have photos taken in all the places that were important to us.

-The photos started in San Antonio with a friend Sada Lewis (if you are in San Antonio please look her up).

-Then we went to Washington (where Brendan's family is from) and had some incredibly scenic photos taken by the talented Erik Vail.

-Our last session happened in Colorado where we both grew up and now where we both call home. The photos were taken by a talented lady who will also be taking our wedding photos, Caroline Pippin. Here are some of those photos...

Style Finds That Blow My Mind

2013-02-03T20:04:00.002-07:00

Please excuse the title name. I'm not sure if this will be a series that comes back to the blog and if so possibly I should spend some more time on a new title. I am really trying to push myself to be a bit more stylish every day lately and wanted to share a few things that may need to make a home in my closet.

River Island Lace Tiered Shell Top

Thermal Sweater

Jersey Maxi Skirt

Chambray Shirtdress

Zoe Karssen Paris Tee

The Denver Heart Ball

2013-01-31T16:03:00.001-07:00

I am a volunteer for the American Heart Association and have been now for four years. I love helping out for a great cause that is close to my family. My Grandmother passed away from a heart attack, My Grandfather under went an open heart surgery and my Mother suffered a stroke while three months pregnant with my sister. Every year I help out on the silent auction committee for the Heart Ball a black tie fundraising event put on by the AHA. The Heart Ball was last Saturday and it was a night to remember. My future brother-in-law proposed to his girlfriend right before they arrived at the Heart Ball (they met three Heart Balls ago). Here are some photos from the big event!

Great Recipes to Try for Dinner

2013-01-24T11:05:00.001-07:00

I don't know about you but I'm guilty of what I call the "pin and bail", I pin some great recipe and I never go back to make this recipe. I wanted today to share some recipes that I have honestly given a shot. Hopefully it will inspire some ideas for dinners and desserts at your house next week.

Southwest Chopped Chicken Salad

by: Baking with Blondie

I sent this recipe to Brendan's Mom this week and we made it on Tuesday. It was absolutely amazing. Filling and delicious. It will be on the menu for another week. We added some extra olive oil to the dressing because it did get a bit thick.

Hot Spinach Queso Dip

by: Haystacks and Champagne

This dip was so easy to make that it makes a great last minute party snack. I would suggest adding a few things to kick it up a notch. I added some chopped onions as well as chopped tomatoes.

Penne alla Vodka

by: The Pioneer Woman for the Food Network

What can go wrong with the combination of booze and pasta? The best part about this recipe (besides the taste) was how easy and fast this recipe was to prepare. This recipe is worth making again and again.

No Bake Strawberry Ice Box

by: So, How Does it Taste?

Another easy recipe to prepare that packs a lot of taste satisfaction. I loved the crispy bites of chocolate that happened in each bite. I lighted it up even a bit further by using the low fat graham crackers. Before you begin this recipe leave your Cool Whip out for awhile so it is very easy to spread over the graham crackers.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bundt Cake

by: My Baking Addiction

This cake was pretty delicious and the best part about it was hands down the peanut butter filling. I may next time try to mix up the chocolate bundt cake recipe. The cake portion turned out a bit dry. It would be easy to plop the center filling in any other chocolate cake recipe.

What recipes are you making for dinner or for dessert that you have found on Pinterest?

Martin Luther King Jr.

2013-01-21T20:25:00.000-07:00

A Custom Love Coupon Book Giveaway

2013-01-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

Valentine's Day is around the corner and I've decided we are all going to make a pack. A pack to give a little something more creative then chocolate this year to our loved one. Luckily I've got an idea today to make keeping our pack a little easier--Dateviation which is a custom love coupon book!

-Dateviation is the first web-based platform where you can create your own date coupon book. Who doesn't love a coupon book?

-When you create your Dateviation book you get to pick all the dates and you customize the text to say exactly what you want to say.

-The date options are endless to pick from. There are some great steamy date options as well as some adventurous ones like skydiving.

-You also aren't limited to coupon books just geared to your significant others, you can create a book for anyone!

-The books start at just $20! So you're not breaking the bank and it is a gift that keeps on giving.

-Luckily for you all you can get $10 OFF your Dateviation book with coupon code THETRUNK (that means you could create a book for just $10).

My favorite part about Dateviation is that it is is a business run by a husband-wife team of Alex and Olga Karpman. Check out how Alex proposed to Olga:

Today I am giving one lucky reader a chance to win their own FREE custom love coupon book from Dateviation! To enter simply follow the instructions in the RaffleCopter below. Remember if you can't wait to win you can get $10 off your custom love coupon book right now with code THETRUNK.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Find Dateviation around the web:
Pinterest
Facebook
Twitter

FamA!ert Coupon

2013-01-14T18:23:00.000-07:00

FamA!ert is an exciting project I've been lucky to be a part of and I wanted to share a little bit more about it and offer you a discount!

FamA!ert improves the safety of children, elders and everyone in between. FamA!ert gives you a unique phone number to give to schools, camps, and babysitters that instantly and automatically calls everyone in your support network. With two levels of backups, you're assured calls will always reach a person and not voicemail.

Put the number anywhere you leave emergency contact information for your kids (school forms, camps, babysitters), for yourself (traveling, outdoor activities, on the fridge, with the alarm company), and for your parents (with the assisted living facility, on medical bracelets, at hospitals).

FamA!ert is flexible Your needs change. So can your network. In just a few clicks, you can add or remove contacts from your lists, or move people from primary to backup roles.

FamAlert is operated by 9-1-1 Labs, Inc., a provider of mission-critical services to the public safety community. Our applications run in geographically distributed, redundant data centers to ensure a 9-1-1 level of quality for every call.

Do you want to give FamA!ert a try? Right now you can create a free FamA!ert number and test it out for a month. After the 1st month the service is $9.95 a month, but I have a coupon code for you!

20% off for a three month subscription or an annual subscription with code BLOG20.

If you are a hero (military, teacher, law enforcement, EMT, or a fire fighter) you will receive 25% off your three month subscription or annual subscription with code HERO25.

Please check out FamA!ert on the various social networks where we are sharing tons of safety tips!

Facebook

Twitter

Happy New Year from Mexico!

2013-01-03T13:29:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about this year. It is finally the year that I am getting married! I hope that you all had a wonderful holiday. I was lucky enough to spend mine in Mexico with Brendan and his family. Here are some photos from our vacation.

Nightly Doodles Giveaway

2012-12-06T00:30:00.000-07:00

I love fun prints and great typography and Nightly Doodles has the perfect combination of the two! The Nightly Doodles shop is full of great gifts for others and for yourself.

Cheer Up Peanut Butter Cup Card

Art Supplies Necklace

Baby Onsie

Today you could win your very own tote and print from Nightly Doodles! Here is what is up for grabs...

This giveaway will run from December 6th to December 13th! So hurry up, enter, so you can treat a friend to a fun gift or yourself.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Eventually Cottage for the Holidays

2012-11-28T11:27:00.000-07:00

Eventually Cottage is an adorable Etsy shop full of handcrafted signs. This holiday season add an Eventually Cottage sign to your decorations or better yet, gift one to a friend!

HoHoHo Sign

Dear Santa Sign

Personalized Cookie Plate For Santa

Be Naughty Sign

Thankful.

2012-11-16T19:24:00.001-07:00

I love to try and always count my blessings, but there is something about the Thanksgiving season that really has me, well... thankful.

Brendan: This guy is pretty much my hero. He has sacrificed a whole lot for us and couldn't be more thankful. I love him a whole heck of a lot.

My family: These three are some of the greatest people I know. They would do anything for me and I would do anything for them.

Carmelo and Willie: It is is so crazy how happy a couple of furry animals can make me but these two do a pretty good job at that.

There are so many other "things" I am thankful for but I'll get to that at a later blog post.

Host and Hostess Gifts

2012-11-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

It's about that time of the year... the season of parties! Make sure that you don't show up empty handed to a party with some of these great host and hostesses gifts.

1. Tell your host(ess) just how thankful you are for them with this Bubblewrapp'd block. The Thankful Block can be displayed on your friend or family member's kitchen counter, mantel, desk, or nightstand. No matter where they put they will always remember they are appreciated.

2. I love this shrimp dish and to tell you the truth I hate shrimp. This bowl is genius though. Place some ice in the bottom bowl, fill the top of the bowl with shrimp, and not only bring an appetizer but also a beautiful keepsake for your host(ess). The best part about this bowl... it's only $21.95!

3. Sometimes it's nice to bring something a bit different from the typical re-gifted bottle of wine or floral arrangement. This classic Bon Appetite sign is a perfect addition to anyone's kitchen decor. You'll always be remember as the guest with gift creativity.

4. Tea Towels are also a practical gift that can be used again and again. Why not spice it up a bit with this brilliant Whiskey Rebellion screen printed tea towel?

5. Knock out both the host and the hostess with these fantastic coffee mugs. You could even pair these mugs with a bag of the host and hostess' favorite brew.

This or That

2012-11-11T13:59:00.000-07:00

Let's all get to know each other a little bit more. I've created the below survey to simply ask you to pick between this or that. Feel free to elaborate anywhere you'd like to explain your choice. Simply copy and paste the survey into your blog, delete my answers and enter in your own choices between this or that. If you don't have a blog feel free to share your answer in the comment section below.

1. Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate

2. Morning or Night: Night

3. Eating in or Out: Both (if Brendan's cooking- in and if not- out)

4. Cats or Dogs: Dogs

3. Apple or Windows: My laptop is windows but I have an iphone and an ipad. I've also been thinking about getting a mac book.

4. Store bought or homemade cookies: homemade

5. East coast or West Coast: West coast

6. Night out or night in: Night in

7. Coke or Pepsi: Coke

8. Laundry or Dishes: Dishes

9. Football or Basketball: Football

10. Reality TV or Sitcom: Reality TV (I'm a junkie)

11. Electronic reader or book: Electronic book

12. Facebook or Twitter: Tough one... most of the time Facebook

13. Eloping or Wedding: Wedding (although planning my own has made me think of how much easier it would be to elope)

14. Math/Science or Language Arts: Language arts I don't do well in subjects with just one answer

15. Salt or Pepper: I usually like them both but always add just a bit more salt

16. Friday or Sunday: I like the laziest of Sunday, but the fact that on Friday I know the next day is Saturday

17. Going to the movies or Renting: Renting

18. Paper newspaper or online news: online news

19. Valentine's Day or Halloween: Valentine's Day

20. Oscars or Grammy's: Grammy's (much more entertaining)

21. Gas stove or electric: Gas stove

22. Gold or Silver: Tough one I am really loving gold lately

23. Soda or Ice Tea: Soda

24. City or Country: City

25. Diamonds or Pearls: Diamonds

26. Peanut butter or Jelly: Peanut butter

27. Colors or black and white: Black and white

28. Online shopping or actual shopping: Actual shopping

29. Coors or Budweiser: Coors

30. Breakfast or Dinner: Breakfast

Help Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts

2012-11-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

One of my sponsors Dawn from Eventually Cottage has created this special ornament to help the Sandy relief efforts. Please take a moment to read below how Dawn is doing her part to assist in the cleanup of the aftermath of Sandy.

The Jersey shore holds a very special place in the hearts of our family. The devastation of our favorite vacation spot is heart breaking.

I have been trying to come up with a way to help in the restoration/recovery of the shore. My friend, Paige from Artsy Anthrology contacted me last night and asked me if I'd like to participate in her efforts for the cause. My response what "of course"!

I quickly got to work on my laptop and designed a Christmas ornament/sign and will donate $5 or from the cost of each ornament to directly aid in the recovery via the Hurricane Sandy NJ Relief Fund set up by the First Lady of NY! Each ornament/sign will sell for $10 ($2 shipping)...that's a donation of 50% from the sale of each ornament!

You can purchase this ornament in my Etsy shop here.

Fiesta!

2012-11-05T09:49:00.000-07:00

My lovely parents have birthdays in October that are just ten days apart and I thought it was time that someone threw them a birthday party. It has been years since either had a birthday party and I was so excited to get it going. I decided on a fiesta theme since we all love margaritas, cervezas and Mexican food. With that theme I knew I could stick to fun and bright colors. In the photo above you can see some beautiful sun flowers I found at the local market (they were dyed that color but it worked perfect for the theme). I simply trimmed them down, added some limes in a vase (did you know limes float?) and arranged them as a centerpiece.

I'm all for DIY party decorations, but when I'm on a time crunch and I can find decorations for cheap...I'm going to buy them. These lanterns and garland were all purchased from Party City. I simply hung them up with some push pins above the breakfast bar in my parent's kitchen.

You can't have a fiesta without some guacamole and a pinata! Our pinata had his life spared that evening and was used only for decoration.

Cheese and crackers are a staple at all of our family gatherings. I "fiesta-fied" them up a bit with some pepper party picks.

A birthday tradition around our house has always been cookie cakes. There is a local bakery down the street that makes the best ones and luckily for me they could whip up one that matched the fiesta theme.

If you plan on having a party anytime soon, you need to make these individual seven layer dips from The Girl Who Ate Everything.

No fiesta is complete without a fully stocked bar!

The taco bar was set up with a handy dandy brightly colored table cloth from Party City, some chafing dishes, tortillas, hard shell tacos and all the taco fixings. The garland was also purchased at Party City (I had a vision of creating my own tissue paper garland and then I found exactly what I wanted already made... cut me a break what was I supposed to do?). My Mom had this huge vase that I stocked full of limes and it made a perfect center focal point. I was lucky enough to have two pictures of each of my parents in somberos (both photos from past birthdays of theirs). I sent the pictures to the Walgreens to get printed, picked up a few bright frames from Hobby Lobby and set those puppies on display (much to my father's dismay).

(That's my Mom on the right)

(That's my Dad to the left)

Side note: I did not buy the somberos and mustaches for guests to wear...we're just lucky enough to know some crazy amigos who brought their own : )

What Makes Me Happy

2012-10-30T20:17:00.000-06:00

I have many blessings in my life to be happy enough for 6.7 people, but sometimes I just find myself in the dumps. I hate that feeling. You're feeling so low that there doesn't seem to be any way out of the darkness. I wanted to write a post today about some of the things that make me happy. I also want to know what makes you happy.

Brendan Nelson
My puppies
Shopping trips with my Mom
Long talks with my Dad about nothing at all
Watching movies with my sister
Pasta
Wine
Diet Coke
Sleeping
Comfortable pillows
Freshly washed sheets
The feeling after I just shave my legs
Earl Grey tea
Uncontrollable laughter with my friends
Golfing
Reading a great non-fiction novel
Green chili
Baths
Colorado
Laying on a beach chair in Mexico
Going out to dinner
Wine (did I mention that already?)
Dressing up
Snail Mail
A cold glass of milk
Fall
Getting my nails done
Shoes
Makeup
Hoodies and yoga pants

I would love for you to share with me what makes YOU happy. ---Feel free to post on your blog, post on Facebook, share on Twitter/Instagram with #makesmehappy, or if you'd like to share what makes you happy here... e-mail me your post with a photo of yourself (elephantstrunk 42 at gmail.com).

Remember- count your blessings and no matter how dark it may seem...you always have something you can be happy about.

Advertise Here!

2012-10-29T16:08:00.000-06:00

I love love love small businesses, handmade businesses, and blogs. If you fall under one of those categories I want to help you succeed. I'd love to partner with you as a sponsor of this blog and promote your business through my little nook of the internet. Let's create a supportive community here and join us for what is going to be a wonderful end to 2012!

Let's Be Really Real

2012-10-26T18:08:00.003-06:00

So I'm really wanting to get back into blogging like I used to be... with multiple posts a week and what not. When I started to try to define myself as a fashion blogger, DIY blogger, wedding blogger, baking blogger, comedic blogger.... I really couldn't narrow down.

My life really isn't

-All stylish outfits everyday (most of the time I'm wearing Lucy sweatpants and Brendan's sweatshirts)

-Great DIY projects that transform lives

-My wedding is exciting to me but probably not to all of you

-My baking skills are something I'm working hard on and most tries aren't "blog-worthy"

-I think I'm hilarious... you may not

I then decided that although I'm not "perfect" or my blog posts are not "pin worthy" every time...

-I do like to create

-Baking is a skill I want to master

-My wedding is going to be beautiful

-I'm still funny

and most importantly I love to blog. So, when I have instances that are "blog-worthy" you're going to see them here. I am also going to post some blogs that are "really real".

On a side note... have a great weekend and I hope you'll be back soon!

Colorado

2012-10-24T19:17:00.000-06:00

Some of you may know, but for those who don't I am from Denver, Colorado (more specifically Highlands Ranch). My family moved to Colorado from Lincoln, Nebraska when I was three years old. I love Colorado. There is so much to do outside. I am biased, but I've been to a lot of states and Colorado is by far the most beautiful state.

I was recently living in San Antonio for two and half years and now I am so happy to announce I'm back! There will be details shared later about living with my parents...no seriously. Until then I'm going to go dig myself out of some boxes.