My Girlish Whims

Your Whims Wednesday #112 {And Features}

2013-05-21T21:00:00.000-04:00

Time for another Your Whims Wednesday Party!

Here are some of my favorites from last week!

Chocolate Chip, Cream Cheese and Sour Cream Cookies by It's a Lovely Life

Summer Sundress Tutorial by Scattered Thoughts of a Craft Mom

Decorated Fridge Shelves by Restoration Beauty

Nursery Curtains by Night Owl Corner Thanks to all who linked up! Grab a button if you were featured :)
Now... onto this weeks party!

I show off my girlish whims weekly on my blog, and now I want to see yours with
Your Whims Wednesday!

Guidlines:

1. Link up as many projects as you would like: as long as it is one of your girly ways, you can link it! I'd love to see crafts, recipes, style posts, etc. Anything and everything feminine :)

2.Please add my button (code at the top of this post) to either your blog post or somewhere on your blog.

3. Take a quick moment to comment on at least one other entry. We we all love comments!!

4.I'd love if you would follow me as well :)

My dog has chewed through 7 pairs of my panties

2013-05-20T22:11:00.000-04:00

My dog has chewed through 7 pairs of my panties

My dog has chewed through 6 empty tampon dispensers.

My dog has chewed through 5 single flip flops (none from a matching set of course)

My dog has chewed through 4 high heels

My dog has chewed through 3 slippers

My dog has chewed through two tubes of chapstick

My dog has chewed through one pack of birth control.

My dog has chewed through 1 iphone, 1 computer charger, 2 cell phone chargers, 5 bobby pins, 3 clothes pins, 1 CD, 4 pieces of coal, 1 old banana peel, 3 coasters, 7 rocks, and

every single napkin, tissue, or paper towel that has EVER been placed on a tray table, coffee table, kitchen counter edge, or ANYWHERE REMOTELY NEAR WHERE THE DOG CAN REACH HIS HEAD.

Oh, and he's drank out of the toilet about 4 times now too. Kisses anyone?

If he wasn't so cute, I don't know what I'd do.

Note: no dogs have been harmed in the writing of this blog post.

Mermaid Necklace Tutorial

2013-05-19T23:00:00.000-04:00

I've titled this DIY Jewelry Tutorial the Mermaid Necklace. However, no need to start singing Part of Your World or combing your hair with a fork because I don't literally mean a necklace a Mermaid would wear, but when I look at the finished product I'm definitely getting a sea-vibe from it.

I think that these pretty blue/green glass drop beads are what make it feel so beachy and elegant at the same time. Whatever the reason, I love how this necklace turned out!

Also! If jewelry making is not your thing this necklace is for sale in my etsy shop!

DIY Mermaid Inspired Necklace Tutorial

Supplies:

For this project you will need: teardrop beads (I used these pretty blue and green teardrop beads from Wholeport), gold spacer beads, head pins, eye pins (not pictured), gold chain, jump rings, a clasp, needle nose pliers, round nose pliers, and wire cutters.

Steps:

This necklace is made up of a bunch of links of the teardrop beads. For each chain of beads you will need one bottom bead on a head pin, and the rest put on eye pins to be able to connect to the next bead. So, first step is to string a teardrop bead and a spacer bead onto a headpin.

Bend the wire 90 degrees using needle nose pliers.

Trim off most of the wire leaving only a short tail with wire cutters.

Grab the end of the tail with round nose pliers and bend the wire around the pliers forming a loop

Next, string a teardrop bead and a spacer bead onto an eye pin

Create a loop at the top just like we did for the first bead.

Next, attach the first bead to the bottom loop on the second bead using needle nose pliers to squeeze the loop open and shut.

Keep building your chain of beads:

Continue for however long you want your necklace to be. My longest link was six beads long.

Next up grab some chain. I decided to go with a heftier chain than the gold chain I originally pictured - so glad I did! I think it helps balance out the beads better than a thinner chain would have.

Snip the chain to your desired length using wire cutters

Find the center of the chain and attach the longest link to it using a jump ring and needle nose pliers

Do the same thing for the rest of the links

Lastly, attach a clasp to the back of the necklace using jump rings

All done! Step back and enjoy the stunning new necklace you've just created :)

The color of these beads I think just makes the necklace, but it still would be pretty with a solid color for a different look.

Hey, if I was Ariel I would wear it :) And you know, if I was a human like I am I'd be ok with having it in my collection as well.

I'll be linking up to these parties:

Monday: CraftOManiac Monday, Making Monday Marvelous, Market Yourself Monday, Motivate Me Monday. Craftastic Monday, Just Something I Whipped Up,, Made By You Mondays, Making the World Cuter,

Tuesdays: Tip Me Tuesday, Tutorial Tuesday, Take-a-Look Tuesday, Show Me What Ya Got, Get Your Craft On, Homework

Wednesdays: Your Whims Wednesday, Creative Share Wednesday, We did it Wednesday, Sugar and Spice, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Show & Share,Lil Luna, The 36th Avenue

Thursdays: Strut Your Stuff, Hookin Up With House of Hepworths, Catch a Glimpse

Friday: Friday Favs on Naptime Crafters, Weekend Wrap-Up Party, Frugal Friday, Show and Share Day, Weekend Bloggy Reading

Saturdays: Whatcha Got Weekend, Saturday Night Special, Show and Tell Saturdays, Scraptastic Saturday, Positively Splendid

Sundays: Sundae Scoop, Sunday Showcase, Think Pink Sundays

My Experience with1800 Contacts

2013-05-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

I was approached to write a review for 1800 Contacts - and I truly was excited to because I've actually always had a GREAT experience using the site. It's easy to write reviews for a company you really do enjoy using!

I wear both contacts and glasses, but glasses more out of necessity. I've had some issues with dry eyes and have had to cut back a little on my contact wearing, but if it was my choice I would wear contacts all the time because I just personally feel a little more put together with my contacts in.

When I lived with my parents we always got our contacts through Costco. After I moved out though that was NOT going to work. I remember having to go to Costco to drop off the prescription, wait a week or two for them to get them in, and then drive allll the way back to pick them up. I knew I had to find something that was cheap and practical for me.

I had seen commercials for 1800 Contacts and finally tried them out when I saw that I could earn extra cash back from my Discover card by buying my contacts through their site. Seriously it's such a good deal! I get 10% cash back by starting through the discover website and then going on to 1800Contacts. So if I spend $100 on contacts I get $10 back in rewards ( I like to use these rewards to buy things on amazon!)

I've used two different kinds of contacts since I started with 1800Contacts and they've provided them both. The nice thing about 1800Contacts is that the website is SO easy to use. Armed with my little prescription from the eye doctor, I went online the first time and had my contacts ordered within 10 minutes.

1800Contacts always likes to double check that you are ordering the right kind of contacts, but they make it easy for you. They will check in with your eye doctor, or to speed the process up you can fax them a copy of your prescription, email them a copy, or even text a picture of it. Last time I ordered my contacts I got two personal emails from customer service reps letting me know they were on top of my contact order which was NOT something I was expecting.

Now, the customer service and ease of ordering is nice, but really I care about price above all else. Luckily 1800Contacts has great prices (which is important now that I'm using DAILY contacts which cost a lot more than my old 2-week ones did!) and best of all? Free shipping for all orders over $50 (which is easy to reach when you are ordering contacts!)

Last thing I really enjoy about the website is that reordering is super easy. I tend to buy my contacts in 2-3 month increments (so I don't have to fork over a huge chunk of change for a years' supply all at once) and it makes is super easy to re-order. They remember what I ordered last time so a couple of clicks and I can get more sent out to me!

So if you are looking for a new contacts provider I really would reccomend 1800Contacts!

This is a sponsored post but all opinions are my own. I really use 1800Contacts and would recommend them!

CB2 and Novogratz Giveaway Info! #CB2NovogratzBrasilSweepstakes

2013-05-16T05:00:00.001-04:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of CB2 for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

So we all know summer is around the corner...what do you guys have planned for vacation?

Do any of you have...A DREAM BRAZIL VACTION planned??

No? Well I'm excited to share some news about a fun giveaway to give you all that chance!

The CB2 family has partnered with husband-and-wife design duo Robert and Cortney Novograt (you've probably seen them on the TV home design shows!) CB2 loves their bold, colorful style that has a mix of modern and vintage elements. Together CB2 and the Novogratz have debuted a new CB2 and Novogratz Collection that was inspired by their vacation home in Brazil.

This new collection has tons of pops of color and unique design elements:

And now that this fun new collection has debuted, you and three friends could win a FABULOUS trip to Brazil to stay at the vacation home of the Novogratzs in Trancoso, Brazil. 10 other winners will recive a CB2 giftcard worth $100 as well as a signed copy of the book "Home by Novogratz:

To enter the CB2 and Novogratz Brasil Sweepstakes, visit cb2.com/sweeps before June 3rd!

Also, be sure to follow CB2 on all their social media sites to stay updated on the giveaway as well as new collections and exciting new products!

-Twitter: @CB2Tweets
-Pinterest: CB2
-Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cb2

Your Whims Wednesday #111 {And Features}

2013-05-14T21:00:00.000-04:00

Time for another Your Whims Wednesday Party!

Here are some of my favorites from last week!

Glass Glitter Cupcake Toppers by Migi

Initial Art by Essentially Eclectic Rainbow Jello Recipe by One Little Project Sew Along Handbag by Sweet Bee Buzzings Thanks to all who linked up! Grab a button if you were featured :)
Now... onto this weeks party!

I show off my girlish whims weekly on my blog, and now I want to see yours with
Your Whims Wednesday!

Guidlines:

1. Link up as many projects as you would like: as long as it is one of your girly ways, you can link it! I'd love to see crafts, recipes, style posts, etc. Anything and everything feminine :)

2.Please add my button (code at the top of this post) to either your blog post or somewhere on your blog.

3. Take a quick moment to comment on at least one other entry. We we all love comments!!

4.I'd love if you would follow me as well :)

This post sponsored by:

stylish wedding dresses

What's in my Bedside Drawer Pinterest Contest!

2013-05-13T21:37:00.000-04:00

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bedsider.org

Ok - this post is just for the LADIES out there. Granted, I really don't think any men read my blog, but wanted to toss out that disclaimer for good measure :)

So, hubby and I have been married for a little over a year now. We love each other very much and have plans to start a family....ONE DAY. But folks, that day is NOT today. Hubby and I both really want kids, but just not at this stage in our life. I'm only 22 and he is 24. Our life is so exciting right now as we explore being married, living in our little home, and putting effort into our jobs. We are so happy with this little stage in our lives and would just like to keep life simple and like this for at least another two years or so.

However, hubby and I also reallly love each other. And we are married which is great so we are free to enjoy each other! But, to do so without having any bundles of joy popping along in 12 months, we obviously have had to do a little planning.

Now I know this is a very personal subject and EVERYONE has their own beliefs and opinion, which is great because obviously this is a personal decision. Today I just wanted to share a resource about some of the different options out there for preventing "bundles of joy." Now, I'm not a prude but if you told me last week that there were 17 different kinds of viable birth control options I would have looked at you like...wahhh? Because there are!

If you're in the same boat I was in, Bedsider.org is a great resource to learn about all the different options there are out there. Seriously though, there are 17. (Go count them!)

Because really, whatever you "keep in your bedside drawer" is fine as long as it works for you. But sometimes it is nice to know about what other options there are available to you in case anything changes in your situation and another method might be more convenient, effective, whatever you need. That's what I liked about Bedsider.org - it is very informative and helpful and not at ALL in a trashy i need to delete my history after reading this kind of way.

To raise awareness of the great resource that Bedsider.org is, they are hosting a Pinterest party as a great way to win prizes! Now - in all honesty - I keep my "method of choice" in my purse but I do have a few sneaky things in my my beside drawer *blush*. I also have a lot of mundane things too haha.

Here's what I pinned to my board:

That body lotion? Best freaking stuff in the world. Also making the ranks was my kindle, iphone, burts bees, and an edible shimmer powder. HAH. I know. It was a bachlerette party gift that I attempted to utilize once and was it was NOT met with much excitement. (Hey, I had to throw SOMETHING fun in the mix. But not too fun cause this is all public knowledge then after I hit publish ya know??)

It was super easy to make my own pin board and you should too for a chance to win some FABULOUS prizes! And cause I'm curious what you keep closeby at night too :)

Here's how to enter!

Follow Bedsider.org on Pinterest.

Create your own Pinterest board titled, “What’s in My Bedsider Drawer?”

Repin this rules pin found here and at least one Bedsider’s 15 contest images found here from their board titled, “What’s in My Bedsider Drawer?” Be sure to tag each pin with the hashtag, #BedsideDrawer.

Pin at least 5 additional images to represent your ideal bedside drawer. Tag each pin with the hashtag, #BedsideDrawer.

Share your board’s URL on the Bedsider’s Facebook page here. Make sure to enter by 11:59 PM PST on May 29, 2013!

Happy pinning! PLEASE share your link with me if you do! Here's mine

Every girl has that bedside drawer that holds the bedroom essentials: their Kindle, a pair of reading glasses, sexy lingerie. – whatever fits their personality. No matter what your drawer says about you, there’s birth control that will fit right in. Find the best method for your routine and style at Bedsider.org.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bedsider.org.

Gold Pearl and Ribbon Necklace Tutorial

2013-05-12T20:30:00.000-04:00

I've got a thing for pearls and ribbon together. I just think it is such a modern twist on the classic pearl necklace. I posted this ribbon & pearl necklace almost two years ago, and now I'm back with a little different variation.

Gold Pearl & Ribbon Necklace

I've got a full tutorial for you guys, but if you are not into making jewelry this is also for sale in my etsy shop!

Supplies:

4mm Round Pearl Strand - Gold

Two Large Jump Rings
Gold Ribbon

I got my pearl beads from Prima Beads and the rest of the supplies you can find in any craft store.

Tutorial:

First step is to string the pearls onto beading wire. I used 4mm, 6mm and 8mm pearls and strung them at varying lengths. I taped the ends of my strands during the process until I figured out the exact lengths that I wanted.

Now, this next step could be done using a ribbon connector, but I didn't have any laying around that were gold, so I just grabbed the biggest gold jump rings I had and tied a knot with the ribbon onto the jump ring.

Cut a length of ribbon and fold it in half. Thread the jump ring through the folded end.

Bring the ends of the ribbon back through the loop in the folded end and pull tight.

Do this for both sides of the necklace and burn the ends of the ribbon so they will not fray.

After the ribbon ends are good to go, start crimping the beaded pearl strands onto the jump ring. (See a full tutorial on crimping here)

Crimp each strand onto the two jump rings like so:

And after that, you are done!

The nice thing about the ribbon closure is that it allows you to change the length of your necklace depending on what outfit you are wearing. The bow in the back would also look super cute if you were to wear your hair up!

So what do you think - not as hard as it looks, right? I think the end result is very elegant. Too bad I didn't make one for myself too :)

Monday: CraftOManiac Monday, Making Monday Marvelous, Market Yourself Monday, Motivate Me Monday. Craftastic Monday, Just Something I Whipped Up,, Made By You Mondays, Making the World Cuter,

Tuesdays: Tip Me Tuesday, Tutorial Tuesday, Take-a-Look Tuesday, Show Me What Ya Got, Get Your Craft On, Homework

Wednesdays: Your Whims Wednesday, Creative Share Wednesday, We did it Wednesday, Sugar and Spice, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Show & Share,Lil Luna, The 36th Avenue

Thursdays: Strut Your Stuff, Hookin Up With House of Hepworths, Catch a Glimpse

Friday: Friday Favs on Naptime Crafters, Weekend Wrap-Up Party, Frugal Friday, Show and Share Day, Weekend Bloggy Reading

Saturdays: Whatcha Got Weekend, Saturday Night Special, Show and Tell Saturdays, Scraptastic Saturday, Positively Splendid

Sundays: Sundae Scoop, Sunday Showcase, Think Pink Sundays

Silver Leaf Earrings from Blue Nile & GIVEAWAY

2013-05-08T22:02:00.000-04:00

So news flash for you all: Mother's Day is THIS Sunday! I know, when did that happen?

Luckily my mother is pretty easy and when I asked her what she wanted she said white chocolate M&Ms than can only be bought from Target. Seriously. That's all she wanted! Hah.

However, I know my mom deserves more than M&Ms for Mother's Day and I'm sure yours does too!

I was lucky enough to be sent a pair of these pretty earrings from Blue Nile. If you are still looking for a last minute Mother's Day present or for another special occasion, Blue Nile stock some beautiful pieces!

I really like these sterling silver leaf earrings - they are very light weight, shiny, and add just the perfect amount of elegance to an outfit! I don't have anything like them and I can see myself wearing them a lot in the near future :)

The earrings retail for $40 normally, but you can get them for only $30 with code MOMSDAY13! They are not just for moms though :) I'm not a mom and I still think they are super fashionable!!!

EVEN BETTER though, is that one of my lucky readers can win a pair for themselves or to give to your mom!

And we're going to keep this giveaway simple: just comment on this post with what you plan on getting your mom for mother's day this year (no shame if you're still not sure!) and you will be entered! Giveaway will be open until next Wednesday. Good luck!

Your Whims Wednesday #110 {And Features}

2013-05-07T21:09:00.000-04:00

Time for another Your Whims Wednesday Party!

I spaced on getting this weeks link party scheduled so no features tonight - sorry I'll do extra next week! We are in the middle of painting our family room currently and it has my whole house jumbled up and has been taking away my blogging time!!! I will be glad when we are done painting and everything gets put back together again!

Now... onto this weeks party!

I show off my girlish whims weekly on my blog, and now I want to see yours with
Your Whims Wednesday!

Guidlines:

1. Link up as many projects as you would like: as long as it is one of your girly ways, you can link it! I'd love to see crafts, recipes, style posts, etc. Anything and everything feminine :)

2.Please add my button (code at the top of this post) to either your blog post or somewhere on your blog.

3. Take a quick moment to comment on at least one other entry. We we all love comments!!

4.I'd love if you would follow me as well :)

Invisalign: The New Alternative to Braces!

2013-05-06T16:00:00.000-04:00

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own!

I recently had the opportunity to learn ALL about Invisalign about my mini bloggy boot camp and I really learned a lot and am excited to share with you about this great alternative to braces!

When I was a kid I was lucky enough to never have to go through the braces phase. I do NOT have perfect teeth (more on that later) but they are kind of in the "eh, not that bad" category so my parents decided that braces were not really worth it for me.

That's not to say that I didn't have tons of friends who had braces though! When I was in elementary school and middle school, it wasn't that big of a deal. I actually remember being a little jealous of when my friends would come in having just had their braces redone in red and green Christmas colors or red and white if it was baseball season for the Phillies. I thought that was so cool that they could make their teeth coordinate with different events. Hah!

However, after we got into Junior High, High School, and then even college, I was DEFINITELY not jealous of any of my friends who still had braces! You can call me shallow, but I remember a girl in my freshman class of college who was really pretty but came into college for the first time still wearing braces, and I just couldn't get past that!

That's why it was so nice to really sit down and LEARN about what Invisalign really is. I've heard of it before, but I was never really sure on the specifics. So let me set it straight for you! Invisalign is a new alternative to braces. Invisalign's goal is to straighten your teeth in a MUCH more discrete way than using braces!

Just look at the side-by-side between braces and Invisalign:

WHAT a difference!

Invisalign works with clear aligning "trays" that are specifically created for your teeth of a clear and thin plastic that slips on over your teeth. Every two weeks you switch to a new tray that eventually works to straighten your teeth!

Come on now, I've never even had braces and I can think of three HUGE reasons right off the bat as to why these are SO much more awesome than traditional braces:

1. They don't look like you are wearing anything on your teeth at all!

2. No more not being able eat apples, corn on the cob, etc. Eat whatever you want! You take the trays off during meal times.

3. You can take them off. Going to prom? Having a little smootchy smootchy alone time with your man? Invisalign is NOT a permanent part of your mouth and can be easily removed.

Invisalign even has a new program, Invisalign Teen that makes this great new alternative available to pre-teens and teens. (Someone really should have explained this to that girl in my freshman class!)

So, we are all obviously following all of the benefits of Invisalign so far. So why would you still choose braces? I don't know! Invisalign is essentially the same cost as braces, and doesn't require as many doctors appointments. It is even covered by dental insurance! (To the limits of your insurance of course. I know this because I called to find out how much would be covered for me to get Invisalign after this event THAT'S how much I really enjoyed learning about this new way to straighten teeth!

I personally would consider Invisalign. My teeth, like I mentioned before, fell into the the "not bad" category when I was little. However, just recently ONE LITTLE TOOTH decided it was not happy where it was (all my life) and has jutted out against my two front teeth. It's really kind of hard to tell from these pictures, but the photo on the left was probably about 6 years ago, and the one on the right is from just last weekend. The tooth directly to the left (in the photo) of my two front teeth has changed in the past few years and has been driving me nuts. However, at the *ripe* old age of 22 I would NEVER consider starting with braces now. I'm starting out in life with my husband and trying to really create a professional appearance at my job, and having braces on would NOT help that image!

Starting with a clear alternative to braces however, exactly what Invisalign is, I would MUCH more be likely to consider. The event I went to had a panel or real teens who have used Invisalign and NO ONE knew they were wearing their Invisalign trays unless they told them! No more metal mouth - no more smiling only with your lips closed - no more!

So - what do you think? Do you know anyone who as used Invisalign or would you ever consider it for yourself or even your kids?

Interested in connecting more with Invisalign? Check out their website, Twitter, and Facebook.

This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are my own. This is totally a product I would consider using!

How to Make a Lemon Drop Martini

2013-05-05T22:06:00.000-04:00

Today I'm going to share with you all my FAVORITE martini:

The Lemon Drop Martini!

I LOVE this drink for so many reasons. It's really really refreshing - it is not a heavy drink at all. It also is strong, but doesn't really taste like it is. I'm a sucker for girly drinks and this one is right up my alley. When I think of "martini" I normally think of something very strong and alcoholy, but this drink goes down very easy for me.

Ingredients:

-1 1/2 ounces of vodka

-1/2 ounces of peach schnapps (the traditional recipe for this drink calls for triple sec, but I favor the peach schnapps. The drink does NOT taste like it though!

-the juice from one lemon

-1 teaspoon sugar

Here's everything I use to mix mine together:

I normally juice my lemon into the cocktail shaker and then run the lemon around the edge of a martini glass and HEAVILY coat it with sugar. Personal preference, but since the drink is a little more tart I love getting a good lick of sugar off the glass before each sip. Perfect combo!

Pour everything into the cocktail shaker and shake it up with a couple ice cubes until it is nice and cold and then pour into the prepared martini glass.

Add in a twist of lemon or a decorative wedge and enjoy!

These drinks are addictive. Two give me a buzz and three...well after three I'm feeling good. They taste so dang good though that they are easy to throw back!

This drink is perfect now that the sun is out more and the weather is getting warmer, such a refreshing treat!

Ok, ok, are you drooling yet?? Here's that nice pinnable of the recipe again so you can save this for later!

I'll be linking up to these parties:

Monday: CraftOManiac Monday, Making Monday Marvelous, Market Yourself Monday, Motivate Me Monday. Craftastic Monday, Just Something I Whipped Up,, Made By You Mondays, Making the World Cuter,

Tuesdays: Tip Me Tuesday, Tutorial Tuesday, Take-a-Look Tuesday, Show Me What Ya Got, Talent Tuesday, Get Your Craft On, Homework

Wednesdays: Your Whims Wednesday, Creative Share Wednesday, We did it Wednesday, Sugar and Spice, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Show & Share,Lil Luna, The 36th Avenue

Thursdays: Strut Your Stuff, 20 Below Thursdays, Hookin Up With House of Hepworths, Catch a Glimpse

Friday: Friday Favs on Naptime Crafters, Weekend Wrap-Up Party, Frugal Friday, Show and Share Day, Weekend Bloggy Reading

Saturdays: Whatcha Got Weekend, Saturday Night Special, Show and Tell Saturdays, Scraptastic Saturday, Positively Splendid

Sundays: Sundae Scoop, Sunday Showcase, Think Pink Sundays

Mini Bloggy Boot Camp

2013-05-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I felt like a real legit blogger. You can tell your friends that you blog, you can tell random strangers that complement your jewelry, but sometimes when I say I have a craft blog people just look at me like...oh that's nice. What's a blog? No really. Someone asked me that this week.

So, when I had a chance to go to a mini bloggy boot camp hosted by the SITS Girls in Philadelphia, I was SO PUMPED. See, I feel like half of crafty bloggers live out in Utah and the other half live in California or Texas or someplace like that. And that's where all the conferences seem to be as well. The East Coast seems severely unrepresented, and so when I heard this event would be in the closest major city to me, a little bit of dancing ensued.

The event was at a super swanky Philadelphia hotel, so of course I had to dress swanky as well.

Cute little peplum dress from Ross, curled hair, red lips. I don't even put this much effort into dates with my hubby. Priority problem noted.

I first heard about this event from Christina from Christina's Adventures. We actually live really close to each other in real life and had met briefly one time in person before. We decided to venture out of our little suburbs together and make the trek into the big city.

Please note: I was the one in charge of getting us to our final destination - and I am like THE WORST at directions. Like, so bad that my parents bought me a GPS before I even had my license because THAT'S how bad they knew I would need one if they ever wanted to see me again.

But, thanks to the wonders of google I figured how we could take the train into the city super easy and we made it and we didn't even get lost!

About to get off the train - excited to meet up with other bloggers and the stinky homeless men we had been sitting with had already gotten off and we could sit together finally. Yay!

The event was held at Hotel Palomar in center city Philadelphia. (Photo from their website). This place was SUPER fancy and made me feel SUPER important.

The event itself was great. The night was sponsored by Invisalign (more on this company later!) and was hosted by the SITS Girls - Tiffany and Fran were awesome! Fran taught a great mini class on SEO and Tiffany did a great session on sponsored posts. It's so nice to hear someone tell you how OK it really is to do sponsored posts. We provide so much free content to our readers - we deserve a little compensation where we can get it!

The sessions were great - but this was my creepy excited face for the free wine that was was promised to come later. You know I was all over that business.

It was fun to meet some other area bloggers - besides Christina I didn't really know many blogger even remotely close to me. Of course it was great to talk with people who just GET IT - they know what I mean when I talk about the whoas of Pinterest and WHAT AM I GOING TO DO when google reader is finally gone for good. I had a great nigh of networking and chit chatting and it was a great night of confirmation about WHY I blog.

Eventually Christina and I had to head back home...but not without a potty break first. Even the bathrooms at this hotel were cool. Here's a selfie I took on the way out...right after I walked into the mens room first by mistake and then SERIOUSLY almost peed myself laughing so hard with Christina when I realized what I had just done.

Another thing I just noticed? All of the photos from this event are of my face. Man I gotta learn to branch out and not be so self absorbed :)

Thank you SITS Girls and Invisalign for such a fun night out! And thanks Christina for being my buddy into the big city :)

What I Wore Wednesday

2013-05-01T07:28:00.000-04:00

This weekend the weather got SO nice here! It was in the low 70s and was the perfect opportunity to break out a cute little summer dress!

This cute little number was on the Target clearance rack. Score!

AND I KNOW I KNOW I am so white holey moley it's blinding my eye balls!!!

SECRET TIME: My hair? It's two days old in these pics! I guess that's normal for some people, but I always always wash my hair everyday. I took the time to curl my hair the day before this though and it still looked half decent in the morning so I just added on a bunch more hairspray and touched up the curls. Not washing my hair cut my shower time down so much!

I am SO ready for summer time! I was in touch a good mood Sunday because it was so sunny and beautiful. I think if i lived in Alaska or someplace cold and dark ALL THE TIME I would go into a severe depression - lol!!

Your Whims Wednesday #109 {And Features}

2013-04-30T21:00:00.000-04:00

Time for another Your Whims Wednesday Party!

Here are some of my favorites from last week!

Thrifted Tray turned Sign by The Gingerbread Blog

Little Girls Room Reveal by A Little of this, a Little of that

Baked Crab Mac and Cheese by Will Cook for Smiles

DIY Jewelry Holder by DIY Vintage Chic

DIY Boutique Dishtowels by Posed Perfection

Thanks to all who linked up! Grab a button if you were featured :)
Now... onto this weeks party!

I show off my girlish whims weekly on my blog, and now I want to see yours with
Your Whims Wednesday!

Guidlines:

1. Link up as many projects as you would like: as long as it is one of your girly ways, you can link it! I'd love to see crafts, recipes, style posts, etc. Anything and everything feminine :)

2.Please add my button (code at the top of this post) to either your blog post or somewhere on your blog.

3. Take a quick moment to comment on at least one other entry. We we all love comments!!

4.I'd love if you would follow me as well :)

Use Washi Tape to Decorate Wooden Letters

2013-04-28T21:54:00.001-04:00

This craft is a quick and fun and cheap project to give you an excuse to use up some of your washi tape stash! This technique is NOT mind blowing, but the outcome is really fun!

Washi Tape Letters

I picked up one of those plain wooden letters one time while wandering around a craft store on a whim as "oh, I can use this to craft some kind of cute monogram for our house." But then, it sat in our craft room for a few weeks until I finally decided I needed to do SOMETHING with it.

So you want to know my grand, new crafting concept???

WRAP IT WITH WASHI TAPE BABY!

Yup, that's it! Start with a plain letter and wrap it with Washi Tape! (this picture was taken with my iPhone on my lap - I did this craft while watching TV - so simple)

To wrap the letter I would wrap one time around the letter, rip the tape, and then start on the next row. I got my cute tape from a deal on Groopdealz.

After the letter was wrapped, I left it sitting in my craft room for a few days to dry and I noticed that some of the washi tape was lifting up on the ends. My solution?

Just slap some Mod Podge on that sucker! Seriously though. What can Mod Podge NOT fix. I coated the whole letter in a heavy coat of Mod Podge and it dried clear and now all my little strips of washi tape stayed put!

Currently my little Washi Tape U has found it's home on the shelves in our bedroom.

Still need a little basket for that last shelf. But besides that, this cute little Washi Tape letter feels right at home in our master bedroom.

I think this would be a great technique to use in a nursery: getting letters for the name of your baby and covering each one in a different pattern of Washi Tape?? OK - mental note for when we have babies - DO THIS!

This project was really cheap too. AND if you keep up on any of the crafting trends I'm sure your already have a stash of Washi Tape that you need a project to use up some of your supplies - to this little monogram would be perfect for you!

I'll be linking up to these parties:

Monday: CraftOManiac Monday, Making Monday Marvelous, Market Yourself Monday, Motivate Me Monday. Craftastic Monday, Just Something I Whipped Up,, Made By You Mondays, Making the World Cuter,

Tuesdays: Tip Me Tuesday, Tutorial Tuesday, Take-a-Look Tuesday, Show Me What Ya Got, Talent Tuesday, Get Your Craft On, Homework

Wednesdays: Your Whims Wednesday, Creative Share Wednesday, We did it Wednesday, Sugar and Spice, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Show & Share,Lil Luna, The 36th Avenue

Thursdays: Strut Your Stuff, 20 Below Thursdays, Hookin Up With House of Hepworths, Catch a Glimpse

Friday: Friday Favs on Naptime Crafters, Weekend Wrap-Up Party, Frugal Friday, Show and Share Day, Weekend Bloggy Reading

Saturdays: Whatcha Got Weekend, Saturday Night Special, Show and Tell Saturdays, Scraptastic Saturday, Positively Splendid

Sundays: Sundae Scoop, Sunday Showcase, Think Pink Sundays

Celebrating Mothers Day with Helzberg Diamonds

2013-04-28T12:09:00.000-04:00

Let's start this post off right:

Yeah, any post that starts off with a little box and the word "DIAMONDS" on it is a good post in my opinion!!

Mothers Day is right around the corner and so this makes it a perfect time to share about the new INFINITY X INFINITY Jewelry Collection by Helzberg Diamonds. The collection is inspired by the show revenge (which I've never personally watched but heard good things about! And now of course I'm intrigued to watch it since it has it's own jewelry line)

This collection is designed by award-winning jewelry designer Udi Behr and features the double infinity insigna symbolizing infinite love. The great thing about the collect is that the pieces in it range from $49.99 to $1,299. Because, let's be honest, we all LOVE our moms but may not have a fortue to drop on them every year for mothers day. All of the more affordable pieces are just as beautiful in my opinion anyway :)

I was sent these beautiful earrings that retail for $99.99 - and I love them! They have a simple elegance that make them easy to wear with many different outfits - not just to be saved for something super fancy.

Mother's Day only comes around once a year but of course we all love our Mothers unconditionally and infinitely, and this collection is such a sweet reminder of that and would make a great gift for any mom!

The INFINITY X INFINITY collection can be found online at helzberg.com/infinity and in Helzberg Diamonds' stores nationwide.

To receive exclusive offers and deals from Helzberg Diamonds sign up for their emails! For more jewelry eye candy you can also find them on facebook, twitter, and pinterest.

Lastly, use code FREESHIP25 for free shipping between now and Mother's Day!

I was provided free product in exchange for my honest review of this collection. All opinions are my own.

Site Review: Minted

2013-04-27T10:46:00.000-04:00

I have such a fun website to share with you all today!

Minted is an online store that uses designs from independent graphic designers and produces the best of their work in the form of paper goods.

That's basically a fancy way for saying they sell pretty paper items :)

They offer tons of different products, but I really fell in love with were their art prints. I'm still working on making our house look a little more loved and lived in, and I'm so excited to be able to find a home for these two sweet prints I ordered:

To Build a Home Art Print

I think this one is going to go in my craft room. The girly floral & pink color will fit in perfectly in there :)

Love Builds Art Print

This one is going in our family room that I'm repainting in a light turquoise soon! Currently this room is a brownish color that is just heavy and dark. I'm so excited to bring more light into the room and accessorize accordingly!

Minted has 554 art prints currently, and I MAY or may not have looked through all of them before deciding on these two... I just love the style of all of them. They all have a happy, kind of retro-indie vibe to them which I find adorable.

The eye candy doesn't stop with art prints though...

They have adorable journals

Themed party decor

Personalized stationary (that come in really cute shapes toos!)

I also oggled over their wedding invitations which are all so adorable!!! Of course I don't need any more wedding invitations anymore :) but there were tons of really beautiful designs for any of you other single ladies still!!

Don't take it just from me though - check out the eye candy at Minted for yourself! Maybe you don't need to look through all 554 art prints like me, but I warn you the site is addicting! Take a peak and let me know if you agree!

I was provided store credit for an honest review of this site - all opinions are my own. I really like products this site offers daggnabit.

Your Whims Wednesday #108 {And Features}

2013-04-23T21:00:00.000-04:00

Time for another Your Whims Wednesday Party!

Here are some of my favorites from last week!

Chain & Bead Earrings Tutorial by The DIY Dreamer

Rosette Pin Cushion by The Simple Craft Diaries

Everyday Mantel Decor from Made to be a Momma

Pallet Clock by 2 Crafty 4 My Skirt Thanks to all who linked up! Grab a button if you were featured :)
Now... onto this weeks party!

I show off my girlish whims weekly on my blog, and now I want to see yours with
Your Whims Wednesday!

Guidlines:

1. Link up as many projects as you would like: as long as it is one of your girly ways, you can link it! I'd love to see crafts, recipes, style posts, etc. Anything and everything feminine :)

2.Please add my button (code at the top of this post) to either your blog post or somewhere on your blog.

3. Take a quick moment to comment on at least one other entry. We we all love comments!!

4.I'd love if you would follow me as well :)

A Meal Without Wine is Called Breakfast

2013-04-21T20:27:00.000-04:00

While wondering around the home decor aisles of Ross one day, I found an eclectic sign with the saying "A Meal Without Wine is Called BREAKFAST"

As a wine lover, I loved the sign and thought it was hilarious. However the one in Ross was very tacky looking and not something I wanted to decorate my kitchen with - so I made my own!

I love how it turned out: classy but funny and with custom colors to match my kitchen!

PS- I loved this sign so much I'm now selling it in my etsy shop!

Here's how I made my version:

I started with an 8x10 canvas I got at Michaels.

I painted it with two coats of craft paint. Best part about crafting - you can customize your crafts to match your room colors :)

While I was waiting for the canvas to dry, I designed the art for the canvas and cut the design out with my silhouette on vinyl. I weeded out the letters and just kept the background to be able to stencil with.

After a few sticky failed attempts and grumbling at the thin font of "breakfast" that kept giving me trouble, I finally got the vinyl onto the canvas. Don't forget to bring over the inside parts of the e's and a's etc.

Next I stenciled on the words and art using a gold craft paint.

After I was done stenciling I pulled off the vinyl and....ick! Haha. There was a little bleeding under the vinyl. But not to fear!

I used a tiny paint brush to touch up the paint around the bleeding errors. I don't think it looks half bad anymore :)

I displayed the sign in the kitchen after I made it, and when hubby came home he said "I see you bought a new sign!" and then I was really impressed with myself. I tried to make him guess where I bought it until he gave up and then I told him I got it from my craft room!!

I put the sign in my kitchen in this little display shelf above the sink. For the whole first year we've lived here I did NOT know how to decorate this little space. I'm so pleased with how it looks now!

I got the little red vases for $6 total at a local boutique and she threw in the candles for free. The candle holders were recycled from a wedding favor and the flowers were less than 8 bucks from Michaels. Now this little nook is so cheery!

I think every kitchen needs a little quirky saying sign - and this one is perfect for me!

I'll be linking up to these parties:

Monday: CraftOManiac Monday, Making Monday Marvelous, Market Yourself Monday, Motivate Me Monday. Craftastic Monday, Just Something I Whipped Up,, Made By You Mondays, Making the World Cuter,

Tuesdays: Tip Me Tuesday, Tutorial Tuesday, Take-a-Look Tuesday, Show Me What Ya Got, Talent Tuesday, Get Your Craft On, Homework

Wednesdays: Your Whims Wednesday, Creative Share Wednesday, We did it Wednesday, Sugar and Spice, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Show & Share,Lil Luna, The 36th Avenue

Thursdays: Strut Your Stuff, 20 Below Thursdays, Hookin Up With House of Hepworths, Catch a Glimpse

Friday: Friday Favs on Naptime Crafters, Weekend Wrap-Up Party, Frugal Friday, Show and Share Day, Weekend Bloggy Reading

Saturdays: Whatcha Got Weekend, Saturday Night Special, Show and Tell Saturdays, Scraptastic Saturday, Positively Splendid

Sundays: Sundae Scoop, Sunday Showcase, Think Pink Sundays

Bead Fest Finds 2013

2013-04-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

I've blogged about what Bead Fest is here and some past finds here and so I just had to share what I bought this year as well :)

Basically Bead Fest is a HUGE bead show that comes to the Philadelphia area twice a year and is SUPER close to where I live. And the show is KIND OF a big deal. Like people fly in and rent hotels to go to it. And it's only like 20 minutes from my house! awesome sauce

The show itself can be kind of overwhelming. The are always TONS of ladies milling around all the booths and fighting for space to dig through beads. I mean just look at this pile of heaven: $1 bead strands just piled and piled on tables!!!

Here's what I walked away with this year!

You could EASILY drop a couple hundred dollars at a show like this so I try to be responsible in my spending. I only dig through bead strands that are $4 or under a strand and I won't spend all afternoon at the show. Longer you're in there = more money you'll spend :)

I'm happy with what I took home with this year though: I got some fun bright color beads (already have something made and ready for a tutorial with those turquoise beads!) and some nice neutrals and metal beads as well. I probably spent about $100 between the entrance cost and all the beads I got. Beads are not cheap I tell you! But Bead Fest only comes around every so often so I let myself splurge just a bit when it does :)

Here are some of the projects I made from my Bead Fest finds from last year:

FOUND:

MADE: Top Set of Red Beads- DIY Red Statement Necklace

MADE: Bottom Set of Blue Beads- Cobalt Blue Cluster Necklace

FOUND:

MADE: Right Set of Black Beads- Black & Gold Statement Bib Necklace

FOUND:

MADE: Black Briolettes on Left- Chunky Black Statement Necklace

Well that was fun to look back on :) Not too shabby! Although I still have a bunch of beads leftover from last year. Adding to my stash! Hopefully I use up more of this years beads and come up with TONS of great tutorials for you all in the process! Sounds like a plan? Ok :)

Your Whims Wednesday #107 {And Features}

2013-04-16T21:00:00.000-04:00

Time for another Your Whims Wednesday Party!

Here are some of my favorites from last week!

Craft Room Embroidery by The Simple Craft Diaries

Vintage Dress Style by The House of Shoes

DIY Boxwood Wreath by SmartGirlStyle Paper Dahlia by The Concrete Cottage Thanks to all who linked up! Grab a button if you were featured :)
Now... onto this weeks party!

I show off my girlish whims weekly on my blog, and now I want to see yours with
Your Whims Wednesday!

Guidlines:

1. Link up as many projects as you would like: as long as it is one of your girly ways, you can link it! I'd love to see crafts, recipes, style posts, etc. Anything and everything feminine :)

2.Please add my button (code at the top of this post) to either your blog post or somewhere on your blog.

3. Take a quick moment to comment on at least one other entry. We we all love comments!!

4.I'd love if you would follow me as well :)

This post sponsored by:
Photo on Canvas: www.SUMOpix.com/da/foto_paa_laerred

New Dress from eShakti's Spring Line

2013-04-15T20:20:00.000-04:00

I just adore the clothes from eShaki. They have a little bit of a classy, retro vibe to them that just makes all of their pieces so special!

I've posted about them before and shared my love, so I was so excited to have the opportunity to try out an outfit again from eShakti's spring line! Here's the dress I picked out:

Isn't it so cute??? I picked this dress because of the cute details on the bust of this dress: it has double breasted buttons like a winter coat would have, and I just find that detail so adorable on this dress.

My only con about the dress was that I didn't have any jewelry to wear with it!! haha. What kind of necklace would look good with this neckline? Help me out so I can make something for the next time I wear it!

Back to the company behind the dress though...The best part about eShakti clothes are that you can get them custom made for your body. I've got a big booty and some big boobies too (hah!) and this dress keeps them both modestly covered because it was made for my specific measurements! Isn't that awesome? It doesn't stop there - most items of clothing offer custom styling as well. So if you liked this dress but wanted it longer or shorter or with a different length of sleeve, they can make it happen.

The best thing is the customization won't break the bank. Custom size and styling starts at only $7.50. If you want to save some cash though, you still can order regular sizes 0-36W from eShakti!

So be sure to check out the pretty clothes at eShakti and if you are a first time user you can register and get $25 free for your first purchase!

Side note: looking at all these pictures of me may BLIND you because I'm so white! ack! Looking forward to some beach trips and tanning after it gets a little warmer!! :)

Guest Post: Shruti-DIYbyme

2013-04-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

Today I welcome guest blogger Shruti - she's a jewelry maker like me and all her projects always get tons of clicks on my weekly link parties! Let's see what inspiration she has for us...

Hi all, my name is Shruti and my blog is shruti-diybyme. It's a new blog and I am loving all this blogging world. I would like to thanks Rebecca for letting me this opportunity as a guest blogger. She is an inspiration for people like me who are fairly new in jewelry making. My experiments with jewelry making started a few months ago and it has never stopped from there. I heart jewelry making and today I will show you this fun "Fringe necklace". It's simple to make and result is well you can see for yourself.

So, if you are interested in making one for yourself, here is the tutorial for you. Gather your supplies:-

Pink Pearls (from Bead show)
Head pins and eye pins
Silver chain
Clasp
Jump rings

Tools:
Wire cutters
Pliers
Nose pliers

Measure the chain around your neck, how long you want it to be and cut it (mine is around 16 inches)

Take your clasp, open the loop with the help of pliers and attach it to the end of the chain on both sides.

Your chain will look like this.

Take a head pin and put the remaining chain for cutting the fringes for your necklace like this. Head pin will help you to cut all the pieces alike.

Cut as many fringes you want in your necklace. I cut 16 for this necklace.

Now take a pearl and put it in an eye pin like this and make a loop above with the help of nose pliers and cut the extra with the wire cutters. (It's kind of difficult to take pictures of these step yourself).

This is how it will look like.

Connect one end with the jump ring.

Take a head pin, put a pearl on it and make a loop above it as we did with the eye pin and cut the extra with the wire cutters.

Connect both the pearls with the chain you cut earlier. Repeat all these steps for all the fringes and then start connecting it to the necklace with the jump ring. (The headpin portion will be the lower end of the necklace).

This is what your necklace will look at last.

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and will make a necklace for yourself too I would love to hear from you. Do give me your suggestions and views. Happy crafting....

Shruti.....

Fancy Scroll Frame Wall Art

2013-04-11T22:17:00.000-04:00

While wandering around Michaels one time I found the base frame for this project. I forget exactly how much it was, but it was under 15 bucks and I knew I could use it to make some statement wall art for our bedroom!

Side note: after I picked this up I decided I needed to stop aimlessly wandering around the craft store or I would go broke...

Here's how I used it:

Fancy Frame Wall Art (Cheap & Easy Way)

The frame came a natural wood color and I painted it black using craft paint. I bought the frame on a whim but LUCKILY the insert was a common picture size. I uploaded one of my wedding photos to Walmart online and got this print for about $6. I mounted it onto a black poster board using rubber cement to be able to attach it to the frame.

I trimmed it down to be jusssst enough extra on each side to attach to the frame.

I just hot glued it down to the back side of the frame. Nothing easier than a little hot gluing :)

To hang it up, hubby just hammered a nail in the wall and hung the frame from the top scroll. The frame is super light so there is not much weight to hold! Yeah, I'm a crafter, NOT a super great DIYer. I still have my hubby hammer my nails for me ;)

We hung this on the front wall of our bedroom in between my new shelves. It looks a little lonely up there....but don't worry I already have some wall scones bought to add to the display. Scones? just kidding. That would be weird. Sconces. Man does that word look funny. nowiwannascone.

First thing hung in our bedroom after a year living here. At this rate we'll be all decorated in like...6 more years. Please try to contain your excitement :)

This post sponsored by:

Breath Appeal is a fruit based formula, it is non-toxic and non-alcoholic. Breath Appeal instantly eliminates odor causing molecules and kills the germs that cause them.

I'll be linking up to these parties:

Monday: CraftOManiac Monday, Making Monday Marvelous, Market Yourself Monday, Motivate Me Monday. Craftastic Monday, Just Something I Whipped Up,, Made By You Mondays, Making the World Cuter,

Tuesdays: Tip Me Tuesday, Tutorial Tuesday, Take-a-Look Tuesday, Show Me What Ya Got, Talent Tuesday, Get Your Craft On, Homework

Wednesdays: Your Whims Wednesday, Creative Share Wednesday, We did it Wednesday, Sugar and Spice, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Show & Share,Lil Luna, The 36th Avenue

Thursdays: Strut Your Stuff, 20 Below Thursdays, Hookin Up With House of Hepworths, Catch a Glimpse

Friday: Friday Favs on Naptime Crafters, Weekend Wrap-Up Party, Frugal Friday, Show and Share Day, Weekend Bloggy Reading

Saturdays: Whatcha Got Weekend, Saturday Night Special, Show and Tell Saturdays, Scraptastic Saturday, Positively Splendid

Sundays: Sundae Scoop, Sunday Showcase, Think Pink Sundays