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spring fashion: gold + navy

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i don't know what it is about clothes right now, but i am loving everything i see! especially anything that has to do with navy and gold. maybe it's because i am excited to have this baby and get back into my pre-preggo clothes?? anyways, pretty sure i want to purchase everything in this set...except the cell phone case. don't get me wrong, it's freaking adorable (and i'm slightly obsessed with anchors and polka dots right now too...), but i can't get myself to spend $37 for a cell phone case. more importantly my hubby would flip. and i am like, what? the queen of cell phone cases? haha. but maaaybe this would make a good DIY case cover? i'm thinking definitely yes. so, stay tuned for that!


*what are your favorite color combos right now?

*is there one accessory that you are "addicted" to more than another? i'm like addicted to them all. ha! but i do reeeeaaally love me some earrings or a cute watch right now!

DIY: nail art decals + silhouette file

i have been dying to show/tell you guys about this little discovery since foreeeever, so i hope you get as excited as i did (and still do)! you all know i love me some polish and painting my nails. it's fun and relaxing for me, and i love looking down throughout the day to see a happy little manicure on them. well do you remember back in January, when i posted about these awesome nail decals? i loved them so much, and wanted more, but didn't want to keep paying for them (am i cheap? maybe....), especially when i started formulating a plan to make my own nail decals...using my Silhouette SD! i figured, why wouldn't that work? so i tried it you guys. and it WORKED.


i seriously can't tell you how excited i was to figure this out. just ask my girlfriend Nancy, or all my sisters, my sis-in-law Lins, or my mom. i texted them a lot about this (and they are probably sick of hearing about it from me now. ha!).

would you like to make your own too?! (and don't worry if you don't have an electronic cutter - i have some tips and links at the end on how to make your own decals without a machine!)

SUPPLIES
▲ vinyl sheet(s)
▲ Silhouette machine
▲ nail polish of your choice
▲ clear top coat of polish



when this idea popped into my head, i jumped on Amazon and bought this pack of vinyl. when it arrived i couldn't wait to get started.

STEP 1: i opened up my Silhouette Studio software, and Photoshop. 

STEP 2: then in Photoshop, i created an image that i wanted on my nails (today it's an anchor and small stripes), and saved it as a png file.

STEP 3: i opened that png file up in my Silhouette Studio, and traced it. bam. the hardest part was done. 

STEP 4: send it to the machine and CUT!




the colors:


• charlotte russe (i couldn't find a name or # on this bottle-sorry!)
• new york color: french white tip (#134)
• new york color: extra shiny top coat (#271)
• orly: LAB4402 (i couldn't find a name on this bottle either!)


...and don't forget the dotting tool (first mentioned in this post)!


i think i did a lot better this time than on my last time using it :) oh, and if you were wondering, the idea for these nails came from here.

below are some of the ways i have been using/wearing my own nail decals! check 'em out:


now i know a lot of peeps don't have Photoshop. so i am sharing a Silhouette file i created for you to use, to cut your own decals with! it has some of everything that i've been using thus far (aka: lots of options)!




and there you have it. you can create some fun designs, have a girls night while doing your nails, and save some moolah (maybe to spend on more cool polish? haha)! i hope you love these as much as me!
.............................................................

so now the question: what if i don't have a Silhouette or any special cutting machine? don't worry my friends, i found:

▲ this great youtube video 
▲ this awesome tutorial, as well as
▲ this pin

...and tried it myself! all you need are some scissors, scotch tape, and your choice of polish!


i used some fun pinking scissors to create some chevron decals, and you can see them in that big collage above. (they are the white chevron used with the green polish and black aztec designs, in the top right and bottom left corners!)

and for those that don't care to do either of these options, then get on over to Etsy and grab some cute decals from:

Nailed It Decals (by Made By Munchies Mama)
▲ Cover It In Vinyl

i've bought from both of these ladies and loved their decals and service!

**update 2/9/15: i had a request to share the png files, for those without a Silhouette (maybe using an older Cricut and Sure Cuts A Lot!), so here ya go:


DIY: burp cloth tutorial

first off, this post was scheduled for last week, but my cheaper-than-crap-Kmart-6-year-old-sewing-machine just decided to die on me out of the blue. go figure. it was a great little machine, and was a well-spent $40. usually i could get it running again by giving it a good slap to the side, but not this time. i let it sit for a day and tried again...and the next day, again to no avail. so i kind of freaked out, didn't know what to do, texted my "master" seamstress friend, got her opinion on some machines, then ordered one. i ordered this one through Amazon, because i am not a sewing guru, and really don't get more daring than the "straight stitch". it arrived Tuesday afternoon, and you can bet i was on that thing all night. it was like Christmas had come! it's not by any means a Bernina or Singer, but dang. that thing runs soooo much smoother, quieter, and is more heavy duty/solid than my old $40 one. haha, i love it!!

here is project #2 on my list of "things-to-get-done-before-baby-girl-comes"...hah. not really titled that, but you get it. and if you missed it, you can see project #1 here.


these are "sew" easy to make. one of my sister-in-laws made me a bunch of cute ones for Bronx, and i knew i wanted to try making them myself for baby girl (which, yes she has a name, but Kevin and i keep having heated discussions about how to spell/pronounce it...). 


SUPPLIES:
1 pack (or however many you want) of cloth diapers. i grabbed mine at Walmart, and there are 5 in the pack i got.
5 different patterns of fabric, cut to 1/4 yard. again, use however many prints you want, depending on how many burp cloths you're making. as you can see in the above picture, i have 6 because i had an extra cloth left over from...who knows when/how :)
fabric scissors, pins, sewing machine, thread

honestly, there's not a ton to these babies.

STEP 1: cut out a strip of fabric about 5 1/2" x 19". basically just measure the burp cloth length, then see how long you want your cute middle print fabric to be. below you can see that my rose fabric is not flush with the burp cloth fabric, so if you want yours longer or to match up to each end, add an inch onto the length of the burp cloth and you'll be good.


STEP 2: pin it on. the burp cloths are folded in a way that makes it easy to position your fabric in the center, so yay!


STEP 3: sew it on!


and there you have it. totally doable. now i can look somewhat cute as i carry around a baby that is spitting up all over me. oh, and if you were wondering: all my fabric came from Hobby Lobby.


*do you sew? what kind of sewing machine do you own?

*click HERE to read more of my sewing tutorials!

spring fashion: fab floral + orchid


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having lived in a different state for the past 3-4 years, it's always interesting to see how each season plays out.  down here in NM this spring, it's been pretty awesome. we have sunny days, yet there's still a slight chill to the air, which is why i think i am obsessed with scarfs lately. i saw this one on Pinterest, fell in love, and bought it. 
okay you're right. if you looked closely, you'll also see that i also have those awesome radiant orchid earrings from OnelittleMomma's Etsy shop (they're not in stock now - bummer, i know! - but she has a ton of other fun colors if you go look...i have my eye on the mustard yellow and green ones now!). these orchid ones go perfect with the scarf, and a white over-sized V neck tee for my over-sized 37 week belly! i have to admit though, at first i was nervous to wear them because i didn't think i had anything to wear them with...wrong! i love the pop of color both the scarf and earrings bring to my comfy/casual maternity outfit.

another plus? i'm wearing 2014's color of the year: radiant orchid. ooooo ahhhh...hahaha who knew? i'm totally not one to follow along/keep up with that, but these items happen to fall into that category, so bomb is what i say.

Happy hump day peeps!

*what is an accessory you are obsessed with lately?

*if you'd like to see my other fashion pins and follow along, you can do so HERE!

why yes i do have pet peeves

even though yesterday wasn't the biggest of holidays, i hope you had a fun one. or at least a better one than we did. 


our St. Patrick's Day consisted of lots of movies, tissues, and warm baths. and actually that's what it's been like over here since Saturday afternoon, when this little dude suddenly caught the wicked cough and runny nose. poor thing. i hate it. he's been wanting to go outside so bad (and we usually do for walks), but i won't let him because it's been cold and super windy lately. i'm talking like Rexburg wind people (for you East-Idahoan's...you know exactly what i mean!)! it's ridiculous. so i've had lots of cuddle time, and along with that came some good thinking time, as well as some blah time. in one of those "blah" moments i created a list on my phone and titled it "peeves". this is what i came up with:

when Pinterest pins don't have correct links. oh my heck. please tell me this bugs you too! i absolutely hate finding the perfect ______ (insert whatever you have been searching for/in need of forever), and i go to click on the picture...only to be thrown into a web jpg, or some random site that has nothing to do with the image. arrrrgh! if only peeps would take 2 seconds and link their images accordingly/correctly. sometimes i get so frustrated that i try to google and find the true source myself, just so that i can link it to my pin correctly. ocd? maybe. but it's helpful, right?!

when people park on the street and not in their driveway. we moved into a fairly new neighborhood and i kid you not, the first dozen houses you drive by when turning in, have about 2 cars EACH parked on the street. on both sides. so it feels like driving through a crazy mess of a maze to get to our house. i think it's the dumbest thing ever. and looks bad. 95% of those driveways are empty...park in your driveway people (or your garage!), that's what it's for! (yeah, i realize that may sound dumb...but these are just MY pet peeves, remember?)

when my nails chip. being a mom, i think it's just inevitable: the dishes, baths, cooking...heck, i put Bronx in his carseat once and my paint will chip. awe well. (haha, i know: life is so rough)

...and because this is totally not meant to be a downer post, here is another list i made on the same page in my notes, titled: "love":

piña coladas from Belize. my hubby and i went on a cruise in 2011, and one of our stops was Belize. we went tubing down a river through some sweet caves, and then after, a small group of us went and had lunch at a private lagoon. it was one of the coolest things ever, with THE bluest/prettiest water i've ever seen. we had lunch there, and were served (virgin!) piña colodas. i've been craving another ever since. especially through this pregnancy!

folding and putting away the laundry within 24 hours of coming out of the dryer. this is a huge feat you guys. 

having dinner ALL ready when Kevin walks in the door. again, another feat that really shouldn't be so hard to me, yet is for some reason...

my leopard leggings.


even if my hubby hates them! haha. i bought them on a sale rack at Body Central because 1. i only feel comfy in leggings 2. i wanted something fun and different than my black and brown, and 3. they were $5!

ps: my new sewing machine should arrive tomorrow (freak yeah!), which means i can FINALLY finish some projects and share them with you here!

*what is one of your pet peeves? do tell!

i'm blue. if i was green i would die

...did you sing that? does that song take you back? it reminds me of going to youth dances that my church would throw. hah. good times. but anywaaays. it's St. Patty's Day = the day of green! i know i already mentioned here that i just really don't like the color green. like true green. which is weird actually, because that's the color of my eyes, and a color that looks fairly good on me. but i'm definitely a lover of mint-green, and that's just what i gravitated towards when decorating my little table.




the table. like my Valentine's decor this year, i wanted to simplify and keep it clean looking (i've packed stuff on my table in years past). and of course, i wanted to focus more on mint/lime green instead of a traditional green. oh, and gold. man i just love me some good gold lately (sorry if you feel it's being beat to death! haha)


the tassel garland. i told you that you'd be seeing more of these. i kept the gold and white from my (again) Valentine's decor, and just traded the black and pink out for mint and lime green tissue paper grabbed from Hobby Lobby.


the LUCKY printable. i posted about here, and that's where you can download a copy for yourself! i know polka dots are not for everyone, but i sure love them! :)





the KISS scrabble blocks. so my hubby has been working on building me nightstands, and when i was out in the garage looking for some scrap wood last night, i saw these babies and snatched them up. perfect for making scrabble words, which are in right now (and so fun/cute)! i simply cut black vinyl using my Silhouette SD, slapped it on, and called it good. didn't even sand them or anything, which is the look i wanted.





the paper balls/flowers. i had been searching the internet for a good origami ball tutorial, but didn't find any that i particularly liked (or they were like, WAY too complex/time consuming for me!). i finally googled "paper ball silhouette" and i clicked on a picture i thought looked doable HERE. oh my gosh i was so happy to have found this post/link; it was just what i had been searching for! aren't they so cool looking?


the white shamrock/green board. used the back of my "14" wooden sign from here, slapped some shimmery green cardstock from Hobby Lobby on it, cut out a white shamrock shape with my Silhouette SD, and stuck in in the middle. not hard by any means :)

the "pot of gold" jar. i used sequin ribbon from Walmart and wrapped it around a pickle jar (held in place with double-sided tape). the stand was from Walmart from years past (cheaper at the $ store!), and i spray painted it white to match the already painted lid. if i would have been more on top of decorating, i would have filled it with gold coins or some other fun treat! haha, but good thing Bronx doesn't really know the difference or what's really up with holidays yet.


growing up we always had the fun typical breakfast of green pancakes, eggs, and milk. after school we'd come home to green cookies or some other fun green treat. it was simple. nothing else really, but my mom made it fun, and i hope to do the same for my babes as they get older. thanks for swinging by here today! and Happy St. Patrick's Day to you!


*you can check out my other fun printables/freebies HERE!

*click HERE to see my past decorating posts and get more ideas!

lucky printables and wallpaper set

T G I F! let's celebrate with some free printables and wallpapers shall we? as per usual i am late getting my St. Patty's Day/holiday decor up (what is UP with that this year?!)...hello only 3 days away. and last night i needed a printable to go on my table. so i started making one and ended up with three. of course i'll share :)



grab and download the printables from this box:


and the wallpaper set? i was digging the gold polka dots. so here you go:


TO DOWNLOAD:
» if viewing from your phone, simply click the image you want and save it
» if viewing from your desktop, simply click the image, then right click and "save as". then transfer to mobile device. (i have found the fastest/easiest way to do this is through Dropbox)
» TIP: there have been some issues with the sizing of images/wallpapers in iOS-7. to fix it so your wallpapers can be viewed properly, simply go to SETTINGS>GENERAL>ACCESSIBILITY>REDUCE MOTION (turn ON). then you'll be good to go! and here is the article i found out how to do this, if you'd like to read it yourself :)

desktop:

ipad:

iphone:



*any plans for the weekend? no. i wiiiiiish i could attend my little brother's wedding in Idaho, but nope. i'm too close to my due date. cue massive amount of tears. on the positive side, it's the hubby's day off so we get to chill together, and then go out on an official-no-Bronx-date tomorrow night :)

*want more freebies, like cute wallpaper and printables? then go HERE!

nail art: polka dots + coral + glitter

i was scrolling through Pinterest the other afternoon when i saw these nails, and immediately had to copy them. they were just too fantastic in my opinion, and shouted "S P R I N G!" and "cuuuuuute!" and the polka dots said: "fun!". so whilst the hubby went to play ball at the church, Bronx went to bed, and i turned on my recording of American Idol, i painted (ps: i painted my toes too. and that is NOT an easy task to do at 9 months! haha).


the colors:


• nail color(forever21), peachy cheeks
• new york color/long wearing nail enamel, extra shiny top coat (#271)
• pure ice, beware
• china glaze, for audrey <<yes i do love that name :)


so there are these cool "professional" dotting tools that i've heard about people using, but never tried. a few weeks back i ordered me some on Amazon (see here), so luckily i had them already on hand to try for these polka dots. since it was my first time using one, the dots didn't turn out quite how i wanted them to (the original puts mine to shame), but hopefully i'll get better...there's always next time, right?


*have you ever tried painting your toes at 9 months pregnant?

*have you ever used one of these dotting tools? did you like it? eh? any tips you've figured out with it?

blog design: USAT Florida Region Ladies



Lacey does triathlons. if that isn't impressive, then i don't know what is! she wanted her site to be fierce yet girly, and she wanted pink :) so naturally, i added black into the mix. we also wanted her site - even if it is a blog - to look professional and clean. she is on the USAT Florida Region Board (so cool!), and her blog was designed to help woman everywhere become more motivated to get out and get involved in triathlons. head on over to take a closer look HERE!


* what do you look for/want in a blog design the most?

* you can see my custom blog portfolio HERE, and my premade blog portfolio HERE!

spring fashion: coral + chic floral

you guys. besides getting a major case of this thing called "nesting", i have major "spring fever" right now. but instead of going out and blowing all my moneys, i decided to round up a few items i am loving/have had my eye on currently, and share them with you! ...okay, and one or two may end up being purchased by the end of this week...
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...i am in LOVE with that cell phone case, and need some cuter sandals to wear everyday besides just flip flops.

we have been having some pretty awesome weather down here, and i will most likely be busting out my box of shorts by the end of the week. not that i'll really be able to fit into any of them (dang preggo thighs!)...but it gets me excited for spring all the same. something else that put me into "spring mode"? i actually just bought my first official "big girl" sunglasses over the weekend. i know. whaaaa? i have this thing (fear?) that all sunglasses don't look good on me because i have a small oval face. for some reason i just think they look cute/awesome/whatever on everyone else...but i snatched up a pair the other day, and decided i was sick of squinting while pushing Bronx on our daily walks. i seriously almost cry because the sun gets so bright down here. haha, but i love it (the sunshine-not the crying/eyes watering)!

here are said sunglasses and yeah, the bump. or rather giant watermelon:



*what is your favorite spring accessory?

*do you love wearing sunglasses?

*do you love daylight savings? i am loving that it is lighter longer now! and that it doesn't feel as late when my hubby gets home!

DIY: carseat cover tutorial

36 weeks you guys! ahhhh! i am officially in that "nesting" stage and hauling my butt to get everything done that i want/need to before this little miss arrives. last week i was able to get to Hobby Lobby and gather up a ton of cute fabrics (if you follow me on Facebook, then you already know this and saw them!). and in between some custom blog designs, i was able to finish up my first project! behold, the carseat cover:


super girly right? i am in love (yes, with everything pink). okay so before i go much further, i need to make it clear that the idea for this tutorial comes from Calli via Make it Do found HERE <<so that is the tutorial i used, but didn't round the edges/corners like she did. i actually came across her tutorial when i was pregnant with Bronx, and i made his with the rounded corners (which i managed to somehow screw up, and need my mother-in-laws help to fix...). this time around i pulled up her tutorial page, but kind of just went at it and the end result differed slightly, and was better than i thought...or basically i was just proud i didn't screw anything up/need help. hah! and if you know me, then you know i am NOT a seamstress by any stretch of the imagination. so this says a lot, and if i can do it then you can too!

SUPPLIES:
▲ 1 and 1/3 yard fabric for top (i chose the black and white damask cotton)
▲ 1 and 1/3 yard fabric for bottom (i chose hot pink minky)
▲ fabric scissors
▲ sew on Velcro
(and of course you'll need a sewing machine and some thread!)

...ps: sorry i don't have great in-the-moment pictures for each step! i wasn't planning on sharing this, so...i made Photoshop images instead that should still be helpful!


step 1: i cut my backing/minky fabric first (ps: minky is not the funnest of fabrics to work with...) down to 41"x33"


step 2: i layed down my top black/white damask fabric next to that, and decided how much of the pink minky i wanted to show on each side. i chose to cut my damask fabric to 31"x33" and then with the left over minky fabric i cut out two strips that were about 33"x5" (tip: be SURE if you are using a fabric with a print, that you make sure the print is going the way you want it to run! for example, i almost made my damask print run horizontal instead of vertical. man, i would have freaked if i'd have done that. so just be aware!)


step 3: sewing! (oh joy) i took my top damask fabric and one of the minky ends, placed them right side in, pinned them together, and sewed a straight line all the way down (about 1/4" in from the end). i then did the same with the other side so it looked like this:


step 4: (i was getting excited at this point because i could see it coming together!) i then layed my top and bottom fabrics together right-sides facing each other, and pinned them together

step 5: i started in the middle of one of the long sides, and went all the way around but stopped leaving about a 5-10" gap open. then i pulled it right-sides out, and finished sewing it shut

if you're like me, you'll feel like a master seamstress and like you could conquer any crazy sewing project at this point. you'll be so happy! but then you'll remember...

...THE STRAPS!



step 1: cut 4 strips of your top fabric (or backing or whatever you want. i wanted my straps to blend and match the top damask fabric, so i used that) to 3"x7"

step 2: take 2 of those strips of fabric and place them right sides in, and sew all the way around, leaving one of the 3" ends open. stop and pull it right side out, and then sew up the end (you can fold/tuck/iron in the ends a little to make it look better). do the same with the other 2 strips.

step 3: cut your velcro to fit on the strap. remember to place one piece of velcro on each side of the fabric strap (that way they match up when you wrap it around your carseat handle/bar)

step 4: attach to carseat cover! i placed mine about 21.5" in from the front and 7" apart (you may want to adjust how far apart your straps are or aren't, depending on your carseat handle):

i was soooo happy when i finished sewing these straps on you guys. the final touch i wanted to add was the bows, that i saw on another carseat cover here.




*you can find more of my sewing projects/tutorials HERE

*do you like to sew?

*do you have a sewing project you're working on right now? i still want to sew 2 blankets before she arrives, and some burp cloths!