*This post may contain affiliate links

Happy Wednesday! 

Guys, it has been a LOOOOONG week! I have been a little AWOL due to me prepping for our BIG move...and well, yesterday was the day! We moved into our new rental. Yay! 

Christmas if almost here and I do not have a single gift wrapped BUT I did receive a gift from my secret blogging Santa. In fact, I think she spoiled me!!! I must have been good this year...haha! Want to know who my secret Santa was? Well, it is none other than the host of this blog hop and the creative mind behind this challenge....Sara from Shabby Grace Blog. 

If you do not know about Sara, you ought to! haha! She is a mom, fun, creative, innovative, a vintage collector, a designer, and last but not least she is pretty dang cool! I am not saying this just because she was my secret Santa, but because she truly is. I can honestly say she is always one of the first people to comment on any of my post, she shares everyones post, and she just eludes positive energy. I don't think I could have asked for a better secret Santa! 

I hinted in the questionnaire given that I would love the new Emily Henderson book, on her own Sara was able to look at my home decor to know that I love gold...so that is where I believe the Jewelry holder comes into play...and that my name starts with a "J", AND when I shared a "My Favorite Things" post, I shared that I am loving cozy house shoes...you can NEVER have too many of these.  Not pictured above, she also gifted me a Frozen Charlotte doll (click the link for more info about the doll). I have never heard of them before, but I have seen them. They remind me of the roaring 20's and Titanic...Oh how I love things with a some history! I love how thoughtful she was and she was able to incorporate little pieces of who I am in every single item. 

A BIG thank you to Sara for these AH-MAZING gifts....girl, you made my Christmas season. All this love was very thoughtful, kind, and very much appreciated! Love you!....Thank you! 

I cannot wait to see who got who and all the goodness that was given...exciting! If you are hopping from blog to blog, the next one up is My Life from Home....Thank you for stopping by I love all of you.... MERRY CHRISTMAS and Happy Holidays. 

This post is sponsored by Cutting Edge Stencil, but ALL opinions are my own. 

Happy Thursday everyone! If you are new to here every month a group of bloggers participate in the Create and Share challenge hosted by Stephanie from Casa Watkins. This challenge allows us to be creative and think outside of the box. For this challenge in particular, I was given a holiday stencil from Cutting Edge Stencil for free in return for review. This challenge compared to the past Create and Share challenges had me scratching my head. I really loved the reindeer stencil, but was left stump when I realized how huge it was. So, I decided that I wanted to create an edgy reindeer tapestry. 

At the end of this post, do not forget to enter the Cutting Edge Stencil Giveaway for your chance to win a stencil of your choice with a $50 value. 

I Love the finished product of my tapestry and if I am speaking the truth, I was terrified to debut it because it is so me...PERFECTLY IMPERFECT!!!! The silhouette I created out of the Cutting Edge Stencil is raw and is totally up my alley in home decor. I hope you enjoy it, but please...if you are looking for a perfectly outlined stencil painted nicely....sorry, to say...my style is the complete opposite. 

Materials Used: 

Cutting Edge Holiday Reindeer Stencil

Mod Podge Pearl finish and matte finish

2 paint brushes 

Fabric of your choice

Chain of studs*-I purchased mine in the jewelry section of 

Trim

Scissors

Dowel

Steps: Follow Below

Lay your stencil on your fabric. With your paint brush (or foam brush) and Mod Podge with a pearl finish, paint it on the stencil, as shown above. 

Once the whole stencil is painted with the Mod Podge, quickly remove the stencil. 

While the Mod Podge is still wet apply the gold leaf on top of it (pat it down) and allow it to dry. I waited a few hours before I started brushing the gold leaf away. 

Now...the technique I use will NOT leave you with a perfect silhouette. After the Mod Podge dries, brush the excess gold leaf off. 

Note: Before I started this project, I decided to stay true to my style and what I like. As much as I love this stencil...I knew that it would not be perfectly outlined or to the likes of store bought deer silhouettes. My goal was to create something that I would hang on my walls. 

Seal the gold leaf silhouette using Mod Podge matte finish. 

Note: I could have painted the deer silhouette with gold paint and applied the same technique that I used on Charlotte All Over Stencil, but I chose to use pearl finish Mod Podge because I wanted to create a different look compared to what I have done in the past. I love how raw and unique the pearl finish looks underneath the gold leaf...almost to the affect of a worn shirt. 

The finished product! 

The studs I used...one word, MICHAEL'S! Love...it adds a bit of rock and roll! 

I cut the fringe and applied the chain and trim using my "magic" hot gun. haha. 

 

I used a decorative dowel to give the look a more regal, tapestry feel. You cannot really see it in the photo but there is gold decorative wire used to help hold the tapestry up. Well folks, that is how I do it.  I hope you enjoyed my post and were able to see my vision for this Christmas decor come to life. 

Do not forget to Enter the Cutting Edge Stencil Giveaway

Happy Sunday! I normally do not post on Sunday's, but today is a bit different because I am joining a group of my favorite bloggers to bring you a Home for Christmas blog hop. Basically, we will be sharing Christmas inspired DIY's and garden ideas...everything from projects to home tours. If you missed part one and two of my Christmas Home Tours, check it out here and here. I shared my dining tablescape in part two of my Christmas Home Tour, but today, I am going to share with you how I made an easy to create ornament place setting. 

Materials: 

Ornaments

Galaxy Marker- I purchased it for $1 at Target.

Costume Jewelry Bracelet

I picked up some halloween costume jewelry from Target for 80% off. I originally planned on deconstructing them and and making similar napkin rings to my Santa's Belt Buckle, but I really like the look of the ornament sitting on top of the plates...so I decided to go with that. 

Steps: 

1. Clean the ornament, make sure no grease or dust is on it. 

2. With the galaxy marker write your name and your guest name on the ornament.

3. place the costume bracelet on top of the plate and the ornament  on top of the bracelet and you are done. 

Here it is! Nothing much, just a few items. I really wanted to incorporate a "glam" feel to the tablescape and I believe the costume jewelry just that. Well, that is it for this gal this Sunday. I hope you have a good day and please check out all the other participants Christmas inspired DIY and garden projects. 

Happy Wednesday and if you are stopping by from Refresh Living's, create and share, Welcome! 

Wow, Thanksgiving is literally next week....where has the year gone? I feel like time is going by so fast! At this moment all I can do is reflect on my year and count my blessings. I have so much to be thankful for, but most of all I am thankful for my family. They are my heart, my rock, my everything. I love them so much. This past year, had some hardships and a whole bunch of blessings that followed. I decided to go pro blogging, my daughter who was sick most the year is  now pretty much healthy with minor problems, both my daughters are striving in school and working hard to be their best, and my son's vocabulary has expanded and his speech improving.---I am beyond blessed! I am so HAPPY and so THANKFUL! 

Since Thanksgiving is only a week a way, I decided to team up with some of my favorite bloggers for a Create and Share Thanksgiving/Harvest Tablescape blog hop. I used a combination of thrifted and new items to create this table setting.  I even decided to incorporate my DIY Floral Plate Charger into the mix. I love to layer items so for my place setting I paired the floral plate chargers, with brass plate charger, a simple black plate, a patterned plate (black, white, and grey), a gold rimed white plate, and plaided napkins with a wooden napkin ring. Phew...that was a lot! 

When I originally thought of putting this table together, I was inspired by my cheetah print pumpkin but once I started gathering my home decor pieces for the table...inspiration hit and I realized I had a REAL beautiful pumpkin sitting in my kitchen waiting to shine With all the craziness surrounding the holidays, I really wanted to find a simple way to add a bit of "Domicile 37" to table and break up all the "prettiness" so I decided to add a little flair to the pumpkin using...Tape! Not just any tape, but electrical tape. This project took only 5 minutes to create and no money at all....I know ridiculous, right? 

Materials: 

Pumpkin

Electrical Tape

Scissors

Steps: 

1. wipe dust and dirt off of pumpkin

2. Cut tape to desired length (if using electrical tape cut longer than circumference of pumpkin because electrical tape stretches)

3. wrap tape around pumpkin, try to get it as evenly around as possible

4. For another row of stripes repeat steps 2-3

5. press tape down into the crevices of pumpkin to secure placement

*I added three rows, feel free to add as many rows as you like. 

This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on the links and make a purchase, I will receive a commision at no additional cost to you.

Happy Friday! 

I have joined forces with 50+ bloggers to create the Ultimate Gift Guide hosted by Jeanette from Snazzy Little Things. All of us bloggers have been planning this for a couple of months and let me say, I personally have been feeling the pressure to deliver a thought-out gift guide for $25 and under and I think I may have done it...So, Lets go shopping! 

50+ Bloggers // 50+ Gift Guides // Over $3,500 in GIVEAWAYS

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9  

10 // 11 // 12 // 13 // 14 // 15 // 16 // 17

When planning this gift guide, I was faced with the challenge to find things that can relate to everyone. I broke my gift guide down and separated it by categories: For Her, For the Designer, For Him, and For the Kids. Being a designer myself, I felt obligated to incorporate some chic finds into my gift guide. 

For Her:

1.  U.S. Polo Assn. Woman's Gold Tone and Pink Watch - The color of this watch is beautiful and you cannot beat the price. 

2. Premium Synthetic Kabuki Cosmetic Brush Set - Any girl would love a brush set for the holidays...I know I would! 

3. Barse: "Jubilee" Ornate Wide Band Ring - This ring is everything has such a worn, vintage, chunky feel to it...It is gorgeous. 

4. House of Harlow: Small Button Cuzco Stud Earrings - How gorgeous are these earrings?...and they match the Barse ring (#3) perfectly. This is not your typical gold or silver earring, it definitely has some style to it. LOVE! 

5: Enchanted Forest Adult Coloring Book - Adult coloring books have been super trendy this year and have fun whimsical pages. 

For the Designer 

6. HANDMADE Original Vintage Style 1940's Lana Turner Pink Decor Art - Can I say this art piece is "Golden" I literally want this for myself. It is GORGEOUS and it is handmade....one word, Talented! 

7. Emily Henderson: Styled - Emily Henderson released this book this year and it has been a hit! I personally do not own it but it is on my wish list for this Christmas. 

8. Turquoise Chinoiserie Vase - This is a bit of splurge, but if you love a good Chinoiserie decor than you will need to have this one...I have never seen any "Chino" pieces in this color. LOVE

9. Vint+Au 11x17 Gem Mineral Watercolor Print - I personally have the 3 piece rock set similar to this and they are gorgeous. They are trendy, colorful, and edgy and can add the perfect amount of coolness into a space. 

10. Minted Notebook - If you need to notebook for the upcoming year, Minted is your company. They have a plethora of notebook designs and for a little extra money, you can add an address book and planner to it. 

For Him 

11. Wooden Cufflink Box 24 Pairs - This is such a smart way to organize cufflinks. 

12. Set of Assorted Cufflinks - Cufflinks are a great gift for any man and are sometimes just an after-thought...Don't let this be an afterthought! Plus...What would you have to put in your cufflink box? Ha!

13. Phillips Norelco Multigroom 3100, All-In-One Trimmer - This is the best gift you can get your husband, son, friend. The mister always tells me that his all-in-one trimmer is the BEST gift he has ever received...Plus...the price is amazing! 

For the Kids

14. Spirograph - How cool is this...This totally reminds me of my childhood and can keep any child busy for hours. 

15. Art Set - If your kids are like mine, then art is their happy place. This art set has a plethora of art supplies AND a case to keep it in...WIN, WIN! 

16. Artist Desk Easel - An art easel to go with an art set...How else will the little ones do their art work? 

17. Lego Classic Creative Bricks - Lego's--Every kid loves lego's, right? 

Phew, that was one hell of a list!...BUT do not go just yet. All of us bloggers participating in the gift guide was asked to host a giveaway and I was lucky enough to get Minted and Vint+Au to sponsor my giveaway. They will be gifting a $50 store credit giveaway EACH. Since I have two sponsors, I figure I would host two separate giveaways. Please feel free to enter whichever one you want. 

2 GIVEAWAYS // 2 WINNERS // $50 Each

*Products in image is just for aesthetics and not actually part of the giveaway

Vintau Shop

Our giveaway sponsor Vint+Au Shop is a hip online shop owned by my friend, Sandra. This shop specializes in mineral decor. She creates watercolor mineral gem prints and actual mineral stone decor. How cool is that? She does have some AWESOME prints that are selling for $25 and under. 

8x10 Vintau Green Gem Mineral Watercolor Print 

Handmade set of cement stone magnets (Sneak Peek of new product)

Minted

Minted is that shop that has everything...it even has things in my gift guide price...YAY! For those who love to buy ornaments as gifts, Minted sells packs of trendy ornaments for under $25. If you want to gift that busy-body in your life the perfect gift, Minted sells notebooks/journals (in different styles) for $16 and for a little extra money you can add a planner and address book. For your art lover, Minted also sells some curated art prints size 8x10 and smaller, unframed, within my gift guide price. 

Pack of Holiday Ornaments 

Notebooks/ Journals 

Minted Art, unframed, 8x10 and smaller 

Don't forget to enter both GIVEAWAYS for a chance to win $50 from either Vint+Au or Minted

and

Stop by the bloggers site to browse their gift guide and enter their giveaway(s)

*This post contains affiliate links

Hello and Happy Tuesday! Welcome to another Behind the Blogger Series. Today we are sharing "A Day in the Life" ---basically a day in OUR life. Some of us will share how blogging intertwines with our personal life, others will concentrate on other areas, but all-in-all, this is REAL LIFE! If you have missed my past two previous post, you can check it out here and here. 

Stephanie from Casa Watkins // Deb from Seeking Lavender Lane  

Jen from Fresh Crush // Ruthie from Refashionably Late

Before I break down my day for you, I want you to know that before I am a blogger, I am a mom. The more serious I get about blogging the more I realized that some people forget that. They see that I posted something on Facebook or Instagram and assume that is how I spend my day. Although, I am busy on the daily, I am busy primarily because of the life I live with my family. Blogging is secondary and something I love to do, but it does not replace my job as a mother and wife. 

In the last Behind the Blogger, Man Beside the Blogger, I shared with you my love and for those who do not know...He is a Strength Coach. With that said, he is a very busy man and works extremely long hours and depending on the sporting season sometimes I only see him a couple hours a day or a few hours a week. 

My day normally starts off between 5:30 and 6 am. I wake up, pray, and depending on the day I may meditate and read scriptures or inspirational talks--This is something that I am working on. I am not perfect, but I do understand the importance of mediation and setting that time apart to focus on spiritual growth. After that, I start networking. Whenever I schedule a post, I schedule it to go out super early in the morning so I have to to network and get my post out there. I continue to do this until 7am. Once it is is 7am, my focus is on my kids and getting them ready for school. 

When it comes to my kids morning routine...All hell breaks loose because the mornings are one of the most HECTIC part of my day...It is ridiculous. I have 3 kids that I am responsible for looking somewhat decent on the daily. ALL of my kids dress themselves, yes you read that right, everyone from my 7 year old to my 3 year old dresses themselves. I basically, get my girls clothes ready for the week, fix their hair, make sure they brush their teeth, have their snacks for the day ready, shoes on, and bags packed. I have one hour to get my kids ready. Once they are ready, we all sit down at the dining table read scriptures as a family and say a daily family prayer. This normally last between 5-10 minutes. Then it is off to school. 

I have two kids in school and one child who attends speech classes every day of the week at different times every day. So depending on the day, his classes may be in the morning or the middle day. After I drop my girls off at school, I have my son with me. We normally eat breakfast once we come back home or in the car. After breakfast is eaten, I normally clean or pickup the house for an hour. While doing this I like to listen to inspirational talks. This normally calms me from my hectic morning.

After my one hour of cleaning is over. I do more networking, sharing of my post(s), and blog. I normally have approximately 3 hours of doing this. I try to schedule certain task to do on certain days. This is also the time frame that I work on my tutorials or projects. I live in a dungeon so this is when the most natural light is in my house and the best time for me to take pictures. If I am sitting down and networking, I normally have my son sitting on my lap or on the chair next to me working on some educational games on the iPad or I use my multitasking skills and we are working with flashcards on his articulation. If the weather is nice and I am working on a tutorial or project my son will watch a little bit of TV or play with his toys. Also during this time, my son and I will eat lunch or a snack then I lay him down for a nap. You may have noticed that I do not take my son outside during this time. I normally allow my son to play outside prior to or after his speech class or when we pick his sisters up. We do not have outdoor space for him to run around. I know I sound like a boring mom, but this is what works for us. Please do know, my blogging life is extremely unorganized as I have a difficult time sitting still for so long and get distracted easily. This is just a schedule I try to stick to, but sometimes it does not work.

By now most of my day is gone and around 1:30, I start wrapping up my networking and prep myself to lay my head down for a nap. I take a nap on the regular, it allows me to clear my mind from the blogging world and focus on the task of being a mom. Sometimes this is when inspiration sparks...well, anytime I sleep my thoughts come together...it is very comforting and soothing. Once my nap is over, I pick my girls up from school. 

After school is a special time for me. I put my computer down and try not to schedule errands during this time, unless necessary. This is the time I dedicate to my daughters and I call it quiet time. I literally sit beside my daughters and help them with their homework. Some may say I am a helicopter parent and to some degree, I am, but it is my duty to make sure that they are completing their homework and that their projects are turned in on time. I do not coddle them and hold their hand when they do homework but I am there more as support...if they have a question. I love them and I want them to succeed. 

We normally work on homework for an hour (sometimes longer), then I begin making dinner. I am typically cleaning the kitchen and preparing dinner at the same time. We all have chores in our house and this is the time that my kids help out. From the time I pick my kids up from school to the time they go to bed, their (my kids) time is my time. I may check my phone here and there during this time, but I am not actively blogging or on social media during this time. 

Once the kids are asleep, I catch up on my social media and I go through my blog. I normally do not write my blog post during the week, but I do look over my it during the week and make edits during this time. Oh, and this is when I binge watch TV and spend time with the mister. 

This is truly a day in the life...of my life. Thank you for stopping by and don't forget to check out my blogging buddies sites to get the details on a day in their life. 

Stephanie from Casa Watkins // Deb from Seeking Lavender Lane 

Jen from Fresh Crush // Ruthie from Refashionably Late

The dresses are both thrifted. The red one is her size but since she is so petite it comes to the ground,. I am the only mom I know that uses BIG puffy church dresses as costume. Hahaha! The black dress is a woman's sheer blouse that ties in the back with lots of black knitted dots. It is very detailed and beautiful. I saw this at the thrift store and had to buy it. I knew from first sight that I would use this shirt for my kids Halloween costume...one of these days.  

Believe it or not, one of my FAVORITE places to buy fabric is the thrift store. The faux feathers in my girls costume (throwback) was all thrifted. I still have fabric from this batch to use for future costumes. The black shirt that my daughter is wearing as her body for her bird costume was purchased at the thrift store. Normally...well 99.9% of the time I know that I am going to "experiment" on piece of clothing I normally buy my supplies at that thrift store. Looking at these pictures makes me feel super guilty for not creating a 100% homemade costume this year...I will have to step up my game next year. 

Last year my kids wanted be Disney's Elsa and Sofia, so we had to compromise and I gave up my dream of being whatever I wanted us to be that year. The theme we went with was Disney princesses and prince with the exception that I can be the evil step mom inspired by Once Upon a Time.  I shared my Once Upon a Time Regina inspired costume last week and believe it or not it only cost me 99cents. I only purchased the cape. I made the feathered part and the crown. The dress I already owned...I LOVE this costume! 

Again, all the fabric used to on Elsa costume was thrifted some of it was even picked up at a "swap-and-shop"---I will talk about that on a later date (it is like a free thrift store). The shirt for the prince costume was purchased at the thrift store, everything else I already had. 

I know I shared this Macabre tablescape a couple weeks ago, but I could not help myself since everything but the skeleton hands were either purchased at a thrift store or at a swap-and-shop.