{POSH IDEAS}

Giveaway Romantic Valentine's Giveaway!

2013-02-05T23:30:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you really wanna get away! I am so all about helping you out with that. Today we are giving away a one night stay at a Marriott hotel. What's that? I'm amazing. Thanks.

I'm not the only amazing one. Some friends {amazing bloggers} are helping out with this giveaway as well.

Here's how it works:
We're giving away a hotel stay in your home town (or the closest Marriott to you).
You have to use the stay within one month of the giveaway.
This is supposed to be romantic so if I were you I would leave the kids with Grandma.

To enter: Follow all of the bloggers that are making this awesome giveaway possible on Pinterest. {Links below} We would love to share our inspirations and ideas with you via Pinterest! Once you've done this, leave a comment letting us know that you did it.
You can also get one entry for every blog you like on Facebook! A winner will be chosen on Monday, February 11 at noon. Simple, right? a Rafflecopter giveaway

Grandway Apron Review and Giveaway!

2012-12-21T18:45:00.000-08:00

This is the busiest time of year for holiday baking. Just this week I think I have been through 2 pounds butter, 24 eggs, cups and cups of sugar, 3 batches of frosting, too many treats to count! I usually always wear an apron while making dinner or baking. I was so excited to test out a new apron from Grandway I had a hard time deciding which apron to choose they have a great selection of fun prints!
How cute is this green polka dot the Audrey?
.
I immediately fell for the black and white polka dots. This Sophia Apron was a winner.

I also loved the double ruffle on this cute Victoria Apron.

I was so excited when my apron came in the mail. I was really impressed with the quality. It’s always a great surprise to order an online product and find it better than expected and even cuter in person.

I’m so excited Grandway has graciously offered a Sophia Apron to one of my readers as well!

Please comment below to enter the drawing by heading over to Grandway and picking out your favorite product

Winner will be chosen by random next week on December 28th!

Cinnamon Pull Apart Loaf

2012-11-30T16:43:00.001-08:00

I wanted to share a favorite breakfast treat! This is great to serve around the holidays and is a complete “Cheater” recipe, We love Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread!
Ingredients:
2 Cans Refrigerator Biscuits
2/3 C. White Sugar
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1/3 C. Butter
2/3 C. Brown Sugar
Instructions:
Open your biscuit dough and cut each biscuit in to 1/4ths
mix 2/3 C. Sugar with 2 t. cinnamon in a Zip Top Baggie
Toss quartered biscuits in the cinnamon sugar and then arrange them in a greased Bundt pan.
Meanwhile melt butter & brown sugar in a saucepan on the stove for and bring to a boil on medium heat for 1 minute.
Then pour over the biscuit dough in the baking pan.
Bake at 350 Degrees for 30 minutes then let cool 10 minutes in the pan before flipping it out onto a serving plate.
Yum!

Elegant Buttercream Class at Orson Gygi

2012-10-31T08:26:00.003-07:00

I was so excited to hear that Ashlee of I'm Topsy Turvy was going to start teaching Cake classes at Gygi. She is so incredibly talented, and such a fun person, so I was so excited to be able to attend a blogger night out to take a mini class for learning my buttercream basics!

It was really fun to learn all the fun trends in cake design and practice all my skills and mistakes right on the counter, then scrape it off and start over again!

Here is Ashlee doing her thing. She has such fluid and precise hand skills piping that frosting.

Here is my finished cake I made that night!

Click on over here to view Ashlee's class schedule at Gygi and she's also sharing a coupon code TOPSYTURVY for my readers that can be used online for products ( I really want to buy the whole store) with free local pick up, as well as on your cake classes! Her Buttercream Class is going to be on Nov. 5, and Nov. 12 from 10 a.m. until noon. so if you are interested register right away!

Pumpkins wrapped in Tulle

2012-10-25T12:27:00.001-07:00

This time of year you can easily find cheap fake pumpkins, but they are just that, cheap and fake right? I grabbed these at Walmart, I also snatched up some black tulle by the yard so this is a very inexpensive project. I simply cut a square of netting about 14” and wrapped up the pumpkin tying it off with some fun holiday ribbon!

Tomato Cage Topiary for Halloween

2012-10-18T15:47:00.001-07:00

I had seen some ideas of Tomato Cage Topiary for Christmas using garland and decided to try a simple Halloween version. I already had orange lights and two tomato cages so this project was free!

I simply used some floral wire to tie up the 3 pointed ends to make the top of the tree then wrapped around and around with the orange lights. I loved how this added so much to my porch of pumpkins and mums, and it was free, quick, and easy!

Simple Cake Bunting Tutorial

2012-09-17T21:32:00.001-07:00

Some of my favorite craft products lately are washi tape, paper straws, and bakers twine. I recently made a birthday cake for my dad and created a simple little cake banner I wanted to show you. I can’t even quite call this a tutorial because it’s ridiculously easy!

Measure the width of your cake and add a little length to tie it to the paper straws then simply fold over your washi tape and add a trim as you please!

So easy right? It makes for a simple way to dress up any cake.

Painted Pumpkin Trio

2012-09-05T22:44:00.001-07:00

Fall is upon us can you feel it? Just about Sept 1st I start pulling out a few fall pieces and I love the change of the seasons. Cooler weather, sweaters, fall activities, & comfort food. When Melissa from Fab Décor was looking for some friends to showcase some of her products I was excited to get crafting! I can’t wait to show you some of these great kits over the next few weeks! Our kit consisted of 3 block pumpkins and some fun pumpkin faces.
We started out painting our blocks, and then our little pumpkin stems.

Next we added our vinyl jack-o-lantern faces. This is a super simple craft, but the beauty of the project is you can flip those faces around and decorate the back side for “Fall-Harvest” Season as well.
For the back side I simply pulled 3 different orange fabrics from my stash and used pinking shears to trim down the fabric and then used Mod Podge to adhere the fabric to the wood.

Mindy Mae's Market- This Saturday!

2012-09-05T05:00:00.000-07:00

I love everything about fall and especially fall boutiques! I'm so excited to be participating in Mindy Mae's Market! I am alreay pretty obessed with everything Mindy Mae. Their products and pricing is top notch! What a better way to spend a beautiful Saturday in September than shopping! I hope you can make it!

Peach Desserts

2012-08-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

At my house it’s Peach season, my peach tree is practically falling over so I’ve been creating all things peach this week!I created this easy recipe that is super quick and no bake. This can be made in individual portions as I did, or in a pie plate.

Peach Dessert
1 package golden oreos (crushed)
6-8 Ripe peaches peeled and sliced
1 Can sweetened Condensed Milk
1/4 C. Lemon Juice
Whipped Cream, Vanilla, and Powdered Sugar

Directions:

Crush Oreos in a food processer and layer 3/4 in the bottom of your container (individual jars or pie plate) Save the remaining 1/4 Crumb Mixture to top with later.
Peel and slice your peaches and arrange them over your oreo crust.
Combine Sweetened Condensed Milk with 1/4 C. Lemon juice. Whisk this together and then pour over the peaches.
Whip some cream and sweeten with Powdered Sugar and add a teaspoon of Vanilla then smooth this over the Peaches, condensed Milk.
Use remaining Oreo crumb mixture to Garnish your desserts, then Chill until ready to serve.

Don’t forget presentation is everything right? I simply added a cupcake liner on with the mason jar lid, and tied on a spoon with some bakers twine. I also loved grabbing a basic cup holder from 7-11 to deliver these in. So simple but adds a fun touch! I hope you enjoy!

Recipe Guest Post: Peach Dessert

2012-08-09T20:58:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to be a guest host today over at Bridgey Widgey! Bridget is such a talented party designer you must pop around her site to see all her talent! I created a fun summer dessert and I'm sharing the recipe. I hope you'll stop by and say hello!

Free Journal from {Paper Coterie}

2012-07-30T15:15:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to share with you a company I am loving so much. Paper Coterie! Right now you can get a journal for free with the coupon code:WELCOMEJOURNAL all you pay is shipping! If you are anything like me I can never have enough cute journals and notebooks around! Also through tomorrow you can buy their giftcards at a 70% off discount through 7/31. So I'm buying giftcards for my Christmas Cards! What a great savings and the quality is amazing.

Summer Fun

2012-07-17T23:45:00.001-07:00

Seriously Summer is flying by! There is no shortage of fun at our house though.

$3 DIY Ballard Chandelier Makeover

2012-06-28T20:00:00.001-07:00

I have never loved my kitchen chandelier. It’s basic and lately I’ve been wanting to replace it. That is not something I’m willing to spend money on right now so I started looking into getting some shades to change up the look. I have loved these simple shades from Ballard Designs but seriously these are $18 each? then times that by six and you pay over $100! So at that point I would rather buy a whole new light.

Here is my Chandelier. Simple black metal a little to blah.

Then I found 6 matching shades at the DI for 0.75 each. then I talked to the Cashier and got all six for $3.00! Score. I love a deal.

I trimmed them in some 3/8inch Black Grosgrain Ribbon that I already owned. Apply with a steady stream of hot glue and smooth onto the shade.

And Project complete! A nice little $3 facelift wouldn’t you say?

Linking up at some fun parties!

Summer Kick Off Popsicle Party

2012-06-01T17:42:00.000-07:00

I just threw a little end of school party and it was a total blast, and a breeze.
I’ve decided the best way to throw a party is in your driveway. All the mom’s met and welcomed the kids off the bus with Popsicles! Mom’s were cheering, bus driver was honking, and kids were running off the bus in excitement.

I was such a great day to kick off summer! What do you do to celebrate?

Linking up to my favorite parties!

Countdown to Summer

2012-05-18T14:28:00.001-07:00

Do you remember the tutorial on how to make your own little magnetic countdown here?

A quick change out of paper, (I adore this paper from Dear Lizzie) fill your tins with some goodies, and add a little sign.

We now have our countdown until Summer begins!
Do you celebrate the end of school and kicking off with your kids?

30th Mustache Birthday Bash!

2012-05-18T13:44:00.001-07:00

In the end of April my cute Husband turned the big 30! He did not want a party, big surprise. So of course I threw a party anyway! I thought the mustache theme was a funny idea and I kept my color scheme to Brown, Orange and Light Blue. I always get out my big chalkboard for a party. I made this from a thrift store frame and some Chalkboard paint.

The kids all loved the photo booth props as well.
I also made a little banner of childhood photos . I had some packing tags that I stamped with a “30” and a mustache. Then attached a photo on with some Washi tape.

This fabric bunting was bought on clearance at Michaels and I added adhesive mustache’s from Zurchers
I also strung some party balloons with a needle and thread it was really easy and adds a great cheap pop of color!

For favors I made “Milk Mustache” suckers out of molds and white Chocolate.
I got the molds from Bake It Pretty

Strawberry Lemonade

When I’m in party mode I keep my eyes open for anything that fits into the “color scheme”.

For the Food I picked all of his favorite things:
We had a big fruit plate
Costco Hot Dots
J-Dawgs Sauce
Maverick Hot Dog Buns
Red Butte Pasta Salad
Cowboy Caviar & Chips

And nothing says Happy Birthday like an embarrassing lawn sign!

Women of Inspiration: Ashley from Lil Blue Boo

2012-04-27T09:08:00.000-07:00

I'm still recovering from my amazing weekend at SNAP! A full recap is in the works. I've had so many friends wanting the full review and details of the fantastic conference. Once I survive this very busy week of mine I'll get it posted! During SNAP one of the main thoughts that kept popping into my head was all the amazing women that were there in attendance and the amount of strength, creativity, and influence they posess. We are all women with the innate desire to create!

One such beautiful woman of inspiration that I met there is Ashley of Lil Blue Boo. Ashley loves to create beauty in her whole life. She is truly and artist and sells her childrens clothing, and paterns. Last Fall Ashley was diagnosed with Cancer. Throughout her treatment and trials Ashley's motto has been "Choose Joy"

One of my favorite most moving posts of hers is her video when she cut off all her beautiful blonde hair. You must click on over to watch it. It will make your heart swell.
I love how she lives creatively everyday and shares her passions through her blog! So as we are faced with trials, and obstacles that overcome us I hope we all can be a little more like Ashley and Choose Joy!

Jane and Me

2012-04-22T22:26:00.000-07:00

Spring is in the air and we are all looking for great ways to spruce up our wardrobes. Jewelry is the perfect element for color to add something new! So It's time for a giveaway from an amazing company Jane and Me. I'm so excited to share an amazing product with you! Jane and Me is a complete customizing jewelry and accesory line. You can pick your amazing necklace, pendant and bauble to customize for a completely unique and personal piece that will reflect you and your style!

You have many opportunities to enter. Winner will get the necklace, pendant and bauble of your choice. Comment by telling me what you are loving about their new spring line! Giveaway closes April 28!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

DIY Colored Denim

2012-04-17T20:44:00.001-07:00

I have been wanting to buy some fun colored denim for summer, but have been hesitant because I’m cheap and I don’t want to spend too much on trendy items.Will we all be wearing these next summer? So I decided to make my own. I wanted to try orange first one of my favorite colors!

I grabbed two pairs of pants 1st pair was from Old Navy an old pair of white cargo capris, and a Thrifted pair of White denim carpis from the DI.

I grabbed my RIT Dye from Smith’s this can be found at almost any grocery store and Craft, and Fabric stores usually have a great selection of colors. The box of Dye was $2.

Now for the Directions:

1- Wash your fabric- start with clean clothing.

2-Prepare the Dye, I dissolved the dye powder into 2 c. hot water (carefully this is super concentrated)

3-Soak your pants in hot clean water

4-Start your washing machine for the longest hot cycle, & for the largest capacity load.

5-Add the Diluted Dye mixture to the hot water in the washing machine

6- Add 1 C. Salt

7- Then drop in your clothing for the Dye Bath! I just let it run through a full cycle

(I was so nervous at this point I’d only used dye previously in Tie-dyed Camp Shirts! As I watched my washing machine fill with bright orange Dye I thought Let’s hope this works out and doesn't ruin everything)

8-Once the cycle stopped I washed them again with my home made laundry detergent in a cycle.

9-Then I tossed them in the dryer as normal.

10- I also washed my washing machine by soaking a rag in bleach and rubbing the drum out, then ran an empty cycle on the washing machine of Laundry detergent and 2 cups of bleach. It’s now cleaner than before!

(I’ve been doing laundry all day and my washing machine is clean and didn’t get anything else orange phew!)

Now how did they turn out?

Photo credits from the iphone by my 4 year old photographer!

These thrifted pair are my favorite, they are capris from White House Black Market

The 2nd Pair I threw in were already in my donate pile that I never wore but might be more inclined to wear them more with a T shirt and Sandals for Summer!

So for a grand total of $7! I have two new pair of Colored Capris for Summer!

Watch out local friends I will be buying up any cute pair of white denim at the DI!

Linking up to:

Show and Tell Blue Cricket Designs

Tatertots and Jello

Growing Easter Grass

2012-03-25T22:07:00.001-07:00

Can you believe Easter is only 2 weeks away? Have you ever grown your own Easter Grass? I remember doing this as a little girl with my mom and it’s such a fun activity to do with your kids and super inexpensive!

To grow your own Easter Grass you will need:
2 Cups wheat
Potting Soil
Container, or plastic liner
saran wrap

Instructions:
Step 1: Soak your wheat a good 12-24 hours to help give the wheat a jumpstart to SPROUT!

Step 2: Scoop a level amount of potting soil into your container, I put a couple inches in mine. Then get the soil very wet.

Step 3: Then liberally spread the sprouted wheat all over the moist soil. Once this step is complete wrap well in Cling Wrap and put in a warm sunny spot.

After about 2 days watching your grass sprout remove the plastic wrap and watch it grow. Keep the grass moist daily with a good misting of water. This picture is my grass after about 9 days after planting.

This will be darling on any Easter Table or in a little galvanized bucket for Spring!
So this is your week to plant Easter is 2 weeks away!
linking up at:
Tatertots and Jello

Spring Cleaning, it’s really time to get your clean on!

2012-03-19T21:46:00.001-07:00

This post is sponsored by Pine-Sol® Clean & Disinfect with Pine-Sol®: The Powerful Scent of Clean."
I was compensated for this post as a member of Clever Girls Collective, but the content is all my own.

Spring is knocking on the door can you feel it? Sometimes in Utah it takes a while to break through. Saturday we were in flip flops, and Sunday we got snow! Even though the weather seems a little confused I have got serious spring fever. A trip to sunny California two weeks ago seemed to get me in the mood even sooner. Along with the changing seasons, Spring Cleaning seems to top my priority list lately.

My home is my favorite place to be, but it’s not always sparkly clean and company ready. I like to think of myself as pretty domestic but a Deep Clean Diva I am certainly not! Ironically the older I get, & the more kids I have had, along the way new tips and tricks have been implemented. With a busy family of 5, 3 kids 6 and under my time is more valuable than ever. Here is my top 5 tips for Spring Cleaning our homes!

1- Start with a list! Go through your home room by room evaluating what needs to be done. By giving each room it’s own checklist you can customize and help delegate to your family what needs to be done. This may take some time before the cleaning even begins but by creating a 1 time Master Spring Cleaning list it will save you time in the future.

2-Get Supplies Ready-Take a quick evaluation of what supplies you will need for spring cleaning, what you have in your home, and if there is any product, or items you need to pick up at the store so when you start your clean you are ready to go.

3- Schedule the Cleaning- a deep spring cleaning is a big undertaking and something that needs to be scheduled in my life, or it will never get done. Take a good guess on how long it will take you and plan accordingly. I like to give myself about 2-3 weeks to complete my whole list. Inside and out, and top to bottom.

4-Get Cleaning- Start from the ceilings and move down all the way to the floors, wipe all solid surfaces, and wash all linens, move any piece of furniture you can you’ll be amazed at what hides under beds and dressers!

5-Celebrate and Evaluate- Phew that was a lot of work but it’s so worth it, I love a clean home. It’s now time to evaluate on what worked what didn’t and record it. Or what needed extra cleaning, or took longer than expected and you can adjust your master list accordingly. Year after year it will get easier and won’t seem so daunting. Slowly we we become more effective about our cleaning to enjoy a good deep Clean!

Are you a little extreme when it comes to cleaning? Win the Pine-Sol® Deep Clean Diva Crown and $5000. Enter Now!

Easter Decor

2012-03-16T17:22:00.001-07:00

It feels so great to get out all my spring and Easter decorations up after the gray skies of winter!

linking up to Tatertots and Jello!

Swatch Fabric Mini Banner

2012-03-16T16:54:00.001-07:00

My mom had some sample fabrics she had leftover from an upholstery project and I snatched them up. This project could practically be done for free many fabric stores will give you a swatch of the fabric before you buy. They are all about 4 x4 squares.

I went to my go to twine from the Dollar Tree!

I cut my swatches into 1” strips with my pinking shears and simply folded over a small seam and hot glued it.

Once it dried I strung them on my twine and hung on my little hood mantle in my kitchen.

This turned out so fun and could be done for practically free from swatches from the fabric store or our own stash!

Happy Spring!

Linking up to:

Whipperberry Friday Flair

Tidy Mom I’m Lovin It

Tatertots and Jello

St. George Parade of Homes

2012-03-01T13:57:00.001-08:00

Over President’s Day we headed down to St. George. It was also the Parade of Homes while we were there. While most of the homes tend to be more Southwestern style, that is so not my personal style. I did enjoy a few great homes. That had bright and cheery interiors! With more of a cottage feel. Enjoy some of my favorite spaces that I saw over the weekend. Sorry for the iphone quailty pictures! I didn't feel like hauling around my big camera.