Skunkboy Blog

Summer Ad Sale!

noreply@blogger.com (skunkboy) — Sat, 25 May 2013 15:51:00 +0000

I figured summer was a good time to have my first ad sale! Get 20% off the purchase of 3 months (or more) from now until June 25th with the code SUMMER! You can check out my sponsor page for more details, and if you have any questions, feel free to email me!

Snapshots

noreply@blogger.com (skunkboy) — Fri, 24 May 2013 03:40:00 +0000

1. Being suuuuuper coordinated and falling over on my bike (Really, that happened. Not in this picture, but it happened.). 2. The girls having ice cream on the porch and Poesy having the sleepiest eyes ever. 3. Accidental color-coordinating. Quick, we're ready for family portraits! 4. Hers and his treats outside when all is quiet. 5. Hide-n-seek with Poe: "Ready or not, here I come!" "I over here!"

Happy Friday, friends!

Giveaway With Ever+Mi.Crush

noreply@blogger.com (skunkboy) — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:15:00 +0000

Ever+mi.crush is an online boutique that carries adorable clothing and accessories. Today, they are offering a $50 gift certificate to one lucky winner!

To enter, stop by ever+mi.crush and pick out a favorite. Share it in the comments here! For additional entries you can:
Follow ever+mi.crush on Twitter
Like ever+mi.crush on Facebook
Follow ever+mi.crush on Pinterest

Please leave a separate comment for each entry. The winner will be drawn on Tuesday, May 28th. Good luck, friends!

***Here's a bonus discount code: get 10% off with the code "EMC10".

See the winners of the giveaways with ShoeMint, InstaThis, and BonLook.

Thrifted Bench: A Love Story

noreply@blogger.com (skunkboy) — Wed, 22 May 2013 04:29:00 +0000

Sometimes I feel like a really lucky gal to have a counterpart (husband) who loves going to flea markets as much as I do. He's usually looking for good old drums or guitars, but it's still nice to have a companion by my side. While we were out thrifting a couple of weeks ago, I happened upon this couch-y/bench-y guy. It was pretty gross, but I decided to take the plunge and bring it home. Once we got it out of the dirty flea market, I was horrified at my decision. It looked SO much filthier once it was in our bedroom. I grabbed some wet-wipes and went to work. Nothing but surface muck came up, so we brought out the big guns: toothbrushes. Some friends on Instagram suggested things like Mr. Clean Magic Erasers and tile scrubbers, but I didn't want to harm the surface of the couch. My friend, Kate, suggested baking soda and that REALLY helped. Johnny and I scrubbed our Friday night and Saturday morning away. Here are the results:

By the time we finished, the couch was a much different color. It was really rewarding to see such drastic results, and I still feel like photos don't even begin to do it justice. It went from brown to orange in a weekend. High five for vigorous scrubbing and major persistence!

Like I say every time I share a portion of our bedroom, more photos of the upstairs are coming soon! It's one of my very favorite places to spend time. :)

Also, I wanted to share what my friend, Anita, is doing to help raise money for the Oklahoma victims. I can't even imagine the sort of devastation these families have been through, but I do know that I want to help in any way I can. Hello Merch is selling these tanks and donating all of the proceeds to the Oklahoma Red Cross. There are many ways to help. Please consider helping in any way you can.

Park Days

noreply@blogger.com (skunkboy) — Tue, 21 May 2013 03:27:00 +0000

This weekend one of our local parks had a celebration in honor of its birthday. The weather was awesome, there was jazz music, and the kids loved the games. Poesy met a fluffy puppy that made me realize that there is a whole other level of cute to be attained. Puppies and kiddos?? Melt. I'm looking forward to many more days like this. Springfield, we officially love you.

Let's Talk Makeup/Beauty Products

noreply@blogger.com (skunkboy) — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:36:00 +0000

I love talking beauty products with friends. It's fun to get recommendations and find new things to try. Last year I did an Everyday Styling over on ABM, where I shared my basic daily routine. I've found some new products since then, stuck with some old standbys, and changed up my routine a bit, so I thought I share some of my current favorites!

1. Sephora Smoothing and Brightening Concealer-- I use this for under my eyes to brighten up. I used to use the Stila version, but my local Sephora doesn't carry it anymore. I was pleasantly surprised by the Sephora brand in this particular product, plus it's quite a bit cheaper (win!).
2. Sumita Raina Contrast Eye Pencil-- This is a blue eyeliner that is really bold and pretty. I originally got it in my Birchbox, but I have been using it a ton.
3. Kiehls Line-Reducing Concentrate-- This is the only product in this grouping where I'm unsure on how I feel. This is a sample that I have been using off and on for a bit now, and I'm not sure if I'll buy the product or find something a little less harsh. I did feel it was worth mentioning because A) I have been using it, and B) I know you're not really supposed to talk about getting fine lines and whatnot, but I've hit that 30 mark, guys, and I'm starting to explore these sorts of products.
4. Sephora Eyebrow Pencil 02-- I seriously stocked up on these eyebrow pencils when they were on sale a year or two ago (I bought 20) and I still love them!
5. Maybelline Falsies Mascara-- I'm still going strong with this brand of mascara. It gets the job done and doesn't make my lashes too stiff.
6. Clinique All About Eyes Rich-- I love Clinique eye creams. I had been using the Anti-Gravity version of this, which I think I liked a little better. I do really like this one, though.
7. Simple Revitalizing Eye Roll-- I also got this in my Birchbox semi-recently and I really like it for those days when I wake up and my eyes are all swollen underneath. Gotta love allergy season!
8. The Balm: Mary-Lou Manizer-- I love this eyeshadow as a highlighter on my brow bone, cheeks, and inside corners of my eyes. It has such a pretty shimmer.
9. Mary Kay Loose Powder-- this is my good ol' trusty. I've tried a lot of other finishing powders and loose powders and I always come back to this guy.
10. The Balm: Hot Mama Shadow/ Blush-- The name of this blush makes me feel a little embarrassed, but it is a really great blush! It has a lovely shimmer and the color is great with my skin tone.
11. Maybelline Line Stiletto-- I also find myself using Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner, but between the two of these, I have my liquid liners more than covered.
12. Dr. Jart+ Black Label Detox BB Beauty Balm-- Before I got this particular BB cream in my Birchbox sometime last year, I never wore any sort of foundation or tinted moisturizer. This stuff goes on really light and doesn't settle in my (ahem) fine lines like a lot of others do. If you are in the market for something like this, I highly recommend this one.

I've found a lot of new things from signing up for Birchbox (this is my refer-a-friend link, FYI) this year. It is $10 a month, but even in the months where I'm not that excited about the contents, it's still fun to get a surprise package. Otherwise, I just try things that friends have recommended or use the samples they give you at Sephora to find new products.
Where do you find new products? Do you have any especially exciting things you'd recommend?

Brunch Date

noreply@blogger.com (skunkboy) — Sun, 19 May 2013 06:00:00 +0000

There isn't a lot better than having brunch out as a family. We try to do this at least once a week. It is important to try every single breakfast place in town. Right?? I judge a town by the breakfast options. :)

***Glasses from BonLook.

Hey. You.

noreply@blogger.com (skunkboy) — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:52:00 +0000

If you are sitting there right now, thinking of the 500 reasons you disagree with this: JUST STOP. Accept the damn compliment. Be kind to yourself.

Home School Diaries

noreply@blogger.com (skunkboy) — Thu, 16 May 2013 04:34:00 +0000

A few weeks ago we talked about the effects of pollution and acid rain. This experiment was kind of a dud, but it was a starting point for a great discussion.

Snapshots

noreply@blogger.com (skunkboy) — Wed, 15 May 2013 06:04:00 +0000

Things that are really good in life right now: **Having the cutest garden helper. Poe waters plants with the best of them. (AND, I have since weeded my garden. That mint got crazy out of control.) **St. Vincent "Marry Me" on vinyl. This is the only one I hadn't acquired and it was a happy surprise on a kind of bum day. **Pineapple Whip. I love that it's warm enough for shorts and ice cream (or whatever Pineapple Whip is). I still get excited about summer, even as an adult.

I hope you are having a lovely week so far!

Weekly Wears: Berries and Bunnies and Snow Cones

noreply@blogger.com (skunkboy) — Tue, 14 May 2013 06:00:00 +0000

Shirt: c/o ModCloth; Jeans: Cheap Monday c/o ModCloth; Backpack Purse: RustyCuts via Etsy; Sunnies: Urban Outfitters; Bracelet watch: Cookoorikoo; Shoes: Wörishofer c/o ModCloth; Earrings: Christmas gift

So, here's a fun story: the first day I got this shirt, I put it on and we went out as a family to a special event. At this oh-so special event, a sweet child sitting behind me dumped his melted red snow cone allllllll down my back. It was sticky. And red. Did I mention sticky? Somehow that red didn't absolutely ruin the shirt... I'm thinking it's probably the pretty peachy color masking it. Whatever the case, that was a thing. That happened to me.

In other news, our first strawberry was one day away from being plucked this week and some little critter got it before we could! I'm thinking it's time to cage off the fruits and veggies in hopes of actually eating some of them. Although, if it's that cute little bunny that lives around our neighborhood snacking on our efforts, I almost don't care. Almost.

Happy Tuesday, friends!

Clog Restyle

noreply@blogger.com (skunkboy) — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:24:00 +0000

I've had these natural leather clogs for some time and haven't really put them to good use. When I first got them, Lotta told me that if you rub the leather down with olive oil it will change the color. It took me a while to do this because I thought I might enjoy having a pair in the lighter color. Even though it's really pretty, I haven't worn these lovely clogs the way I should. So, I decided it was time to give them a makeover. :)

I began by rubbing them down with olive oil. Here, you can see the color difference. After I got them totally oiled, I decided to use gold paint to add polka dots to the heels. I've been really digging the striped and floral heels I've seen around this season-- patterned heels make regular shoes double cute, if you ask me. :)

I made the dots by dipping a cap in the paint to make the outline and then I filled the circles in with a paint brush. This method worked really well since a lot of the circles had to painted on free-handed in the trickier spots.

I can't say much for the wear and tear of the dots on the heels, since I haven't gotten to wear them extensively, but so far the dots are staying on perfectly. The paint I used is great for pretty much anything.

I've been wearing them a ton since I restyled them. I love taking something in my closet that isn't being used and turning it into something I love!

Happy Mother's Day!

noreply@blogger.com (skunkboy) — Sun, 12 May 2013 06:00:00 +0000

The girls gave me my gifts a day early since we will be spending Mother's Day celebrating Johnny's mom and my mom. They each drew me a special picture and Johnny found some plastic to put over it to make it into a lenticular. I thought it was really cool and such a sweet, personal gift. Hope also picked up this vintage charm for me and was jumping out of her skin to give it to me. Oh! AND I was taken for macarons and lavender ice cream, so this day was pretty much the best. I'm so lucky/blessed to have such an amazing little family. I love them so much.

Happy Mother's Day, mamas! I hope you are shown so much love today (and every day, of course). :)

Take Me Out

noreply@blogger.com (skunkboy) — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:26:00 +0000

1. Satchel 2. Dress 3. Shoes 4. Picnic Basket 5. Earrings

This would be the perfect outfit for a picnic date in the park. I can already picture myself there...

BonLook Kids + A Giveaway-- CLOSED

noreply@blogger.com (skunkboy) — Thu, 09 May 2013 18:00:00 +0000

I was pretty excited when heard that BonLook was releasing kids' glasses. I mean, I LOVE my glasses from BonLook. I wear them most days. These glasses are darling, and the best part? Poesy got a hold of Hope's glasses the first night and DIDN'T break the arms off, because they have crazy bendy hinges. Poor Hope went from horrified to a serious case of the giggles in a matter of seconds. Whew.

If you would like to win a pair of kids' glasses or sunglasses, simply check out the BonLook site and leave a comment here sharing your favorite pair of kiddo glasses. The winner will be drawn on Wednesday, May 15th and announced shortly after. Good luck!

Here's the winner of this giveaway:

Weekly Wears: Flamingos!

noreply@blogger.com (skunkboy) — Thu, 09 May 2013 04:44:00 +0000

Dress: c/o Sugarhill Boutique; Denim jacket: old; Knee socks: Target; Shoes: Wanted; Tote: c/o Tulle; Glasses: c/o BonLook

You know that emoji with the heart eyes? That is me for this dress. Guys, it has FLAMINGOS. The back detail is darling and the cut is great, but I would probably wear this dress if it were a square sack with arm and neck holes cut out. I mean... flamingos.

In other news, today I ran 3 miles. I was pretty sure I couldn't even run 1 mile, but I have some seriously encouraging friends AND the drive to acquire bragging rights to a 3 mile run. In all seriousness, it made me feel really good. I need to keep up with it-- accomplishing little goals over and over soon turns into accomplishing really big goals. Life is really fun when you see it that way. :)

Starting From Seeds

noreply@blogger.com (skunkboy) — Wed, 08 May 2013 05:15:00 +0000

We've decided that we need to grow more things. I think it sort of becomes an obsession once you start to see the fruits of your labor (har har)-- you want to grow more and more things. Our strawberries are so close now, they should be ready any day! Hope has really been wanting to put some cucumbers in our garden, but the places we've checked haven't had the plants. I picked up some seeds last week and we are starting them up, right here, in the great indoors.

Poesy even helped us a little bit. It made her feel like such a big kid. :) Oh, and if you are curious, Hope was watering the cups with a clean syringe. She wanted to get the perfect amount of water in each one.

In addition to cucumbers, we also planted some basil and cilantro. I'm extremely excited by the prospect of fresh cilantro. I'll report back in a couple of weeks and give you an update on how it's going!

Weekend Bits

noreply@blogger.com (skunkboy) — Tue, 07 May 2013 06:00:00 +0000

We had a pretty eventful weekend. Johnny and I went out with the grown ups on Friday. It was really nice. Plus, the girls enjoy having a babysitter every once in a while. Hope and I had a "big girl's brunch" with my friend Janae and her oldest. Hope brought the tricks out while we were there and Hazel got her own private magic show. Sunday, we went to Emma and Trey's shower. It was fun to get together with friends to celebrate the two of them. Plus, there were sweets, so you can't really go wrong with that. After the shower we headed over to an award ceremony for gymnastics, where Hope received an award for being the "Hardest Worker". I'm really proud of that kid... if you couldn't tell. ;)

How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun or just relax?

My Bed Nook Makeover

noreply@blogger.com (skunkboy) — Mon, 06 May 2013 13:00:00 +0000

As the seasons change, so does my desire to switch things up a little in my home. I bought a new Springy quilt from Gypsya via Etsy recently, and after that I knew the rest of my space wanted a little face-lift.

I have been storing this large vintage coat rack that my MIL snagged for me down in my basement, waiting for the perfect place to use it. After finding these terrariums on Amazon, I knew it would be the perfect home for creating a tiny hanging garden above our bed! I'm thinking I may even want to add more terrariums to it.

I found the pillows cases over at Stay Home Club. They had me swooning as soon as I laid eyes on them. I knew they would be the perfect compliment to our new floral quilt and they did not disappoint! I think they might be the sweetest pillow cases ever.

We have a tv on the wall at the foot of our bed. It's a bit of an eyesore when you walk up the stairs, so I had been brainstorming ways to hide it. I didn't want to commit to making a box on the wall to cover it, so curtains seemed like the perfect, simple solution. We purchased hooks for the ceiling, drilled small holes so they would fit, and suspended a curtain rod from them. I purchased the curtains from Amazon after initially seeing them in the studio over at Elsie's. They are beautiful and a nice, airy addition.

I'm really pleased with how our bedroom is coming along. I'm excited to share more of our space in the coming weeks! If you'd like to see what this nook looked like before, just click right here!

(Here's a guide to where I purchased things: quilt, curtains, pillow cases, terrariums, air plants)

Sunnier Days

noreply@blogger.com (skunkboy) — Mon, 06 May 2013 04:05:00 +0000

On one of the most beautiful days of the year so far, we grabbed a loaf of bread and headed down to the park. The geese and ducks were very happy to see little girls throwing chunks of bread. So happy, in fact, that they would sometimes pop themselves out of the water to come over and say hello. MAYBE some of us got a little freaked out at first. I won't name names...

Okay, okay... I was the 'fraidy cat. Here, I was grabbing Poesy and briskly walking the other way. I got braver the longer we were around them. ;)

And then it snowed. No joke. I'm really glad we took advantage of the weather this day. It was a good one.

(My top is from ChicWish & shoes from Minnetonka.)

Etsy Love

noreply@blogger.com (skunkboy) — Fri, 03 May 2013 04:31:00 +0000

These hand-painted coin pouches from Lazy Doll are so sweet!

I'm in love with this detachable collar from Dapper Moth Tie Co.

This card from Quill and Fox makes me so happy!

I'm pretty sure I need this purse from Golden Ponies. Stat.

This garland from Fun Cult is just about the prettiest thing I've ever seen.

Happy Friday, friends!

Snapshots

noreply@blogger.com (skunkboy) — Thu, 02 May 2013 06:00:00 +0000

We've been spending as much time as possible in the great outdoors (between rainy days). Our favorite thing to do as a family right now is have breakfast on the front porch and take walks in our neighborhood. I'm chuckling while typing this, because Poesy is wearing the same dress in almost all of these pictures and they were taken on very different days. Sometimes she is very specific about her outfits. ;)

Giveaway With ShoeMint-- CLOSED

noreply@blogger.com (skunkboy) — Wed, 01 May 2013 18:00:00 +0000

ShoeMint is back this month to gift another pair of shoes to one lucky winner! Are you familiar with ShoeMint? It's a free, member's only site full of great shoes made from real leather and suede. The shoes are designed by Rachel Bilson and stylist Nicole Chavez and are manufactured by Steve Madden. ShoeMint is great because they offer luxurious, stylish, high quality shoes at an affordable price, and they add new styles each month based on current trends. Plus, they offer free shipping and returns which is always a win in my book!

To enter, sign up for ShoeMint (for free!) and leave a comment here sharing which pair is your favorite. If you are already signed up, then you can just check out the newest selection and share the prettiest pair here.

This giveaway is for US and Canada residents only. The winner will be drawn on May 7th and announced shortly after. You can find the winners of the last ShoeMint giveaway here. Good luck, friends!

Here's the winner of this giveaway:

Guess what! You can also save 20% off of your first pair!

April Showers// How Does Your Garden Grow

noreply@blogger.com (skunkboy) — Wed, 01 May 2013 03:23:00 +0000

We've had quite a bit of rain over the past couple of weeks. The rain has killed off some motivation for going places and making plans, but I love what it's doing for our green things. The tiny green strawberries are so cute it hurts. Hope and I planted cucumbers and herbs this week, so I'm excited to see how they grow in. Oh, and the mint is going CRAZY. I need to get on making some seriously minty drinks, stat!

Make A Bandeau From Old Leggings

noreply@blogger.com (skunkboy) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 05:57:00 +0000

Yesterday I was searching and searching my house for a bandeau to prevent an inevitable wardrobe malfunction. I have a bunch, but I couldn't find any. Anywhere. I NEEDED one to wear under a specific dress, so I decided to make one. I have a huge fabric stash, but sometimes it feels daunting to go through it all. I was in a hurry... and maybe feeling just a little lazy. Anyway, I found these tie-dye leggings that I wore maybe once and decided they would do.

I cut just below the elastic on the waist and just above the (ahem) crotch. I tried it on, decided how tight it needed to be and then stitched a straight line there. I cut off the excess and put it on. It was that simple. If you like a more finished look, you could definitely hem the top and bottom, but honestly, I don't care a bit about the rolled edges.

I'm probably going to end up doing this with all of my old leggings just because it's super simple and gives them new life. Plus, I can never find the things when I need them, so it never hurts to have a few extra. ;)