Photo Shoot

As most of you know, I won a photo shoot from Dina Chmut Photography last week. :) 

You could read about it here.

If you haven't already, you cold also read the story that I entered :)

I am sooo excited!

Dina and I went over a few details and she suggested I get a red floppy hat and a little black dress :)

Here is what I came up with.

 

The red floppy hat off eBay

The gorgeous dress from White House Black Market

Back :)

And my red shoes :)

I was raised to be a modest girl, I know, I know, but I just fell in love with that dress!!!

Besides, my hair should cover the open part :)

Oh and for the record, my hubby LOVED it!!! :D YEY!

The photo shoot is on Monday, I still have to get my nails done and get a few accessories!

What do you think about the dress? Is it too open?

What about the ruffles? I LOVE them! he he

I hope you're having a fabulous week!

xoxo

Elephant Wall Mount

I have been spotting lots of deer heads that are mounted on the wall in many homes :)

No, not just cabins ;)

Image via decor pad

or this...

Image via Kenneth Brown Design

It has become quite a trend! 

Sorry, but it's totally not me.

Well so I though....

I was invited to a friends house and I saw this:

Oh! It's magnificent! And sooo beautiful!

I wish I had my "real" camera to take a picture that would do more justice to this Elephant Head!

According to my friend, it was imported from ??Uh, i can't remember!

I always saw deer heads, but never came across Elephant Heads!

Turns out, they're just as trendy as the Deer Heads!

lol

I honestly don't think I'll ever have one of these heads in my home, but it sure did catch my eye!

There is a great post and a cute DIY on this subject!

Hop on over to Sabbe Spot, Stephanie is amazing! You'll love her blog!

Is it in India where Elephants are really loved? 

I think so :)

Hope your week is going great!

xoxo

Craigslist Find!

I was in a great mood scanning through Craigslist a few days after my post here.

I was so inspired!!!

Craigslist has AMAZING deals, you just have to be looking at the right time. lol 

So...yesterday, I got a pair of these AMAZING End Tables from Potter Barn!

via Potter Barn

These were in Excellent condition for..

drum roll please....

$75!!!

 Ahh!! I am soo excited!!! While I was there, chatting with the seller, 7 people called him about it! 

I'm so glad I called within minutes of it's posting!

These look amazing in my "not yet finished" Living room!!! :)

Ok, please don't get me wrong, I'm not bragging, I'm simply showing proof that there are AMAZING deals out there! You just have to be patient to find the right piece, and act FAST!  

My CL Tips

Always refresh your browser, or press "search" every couple minutes to get the "freshest" deals.

Now, do your research, know what you're looking for and how much it's worth. 

Just because it says Potter Barn style, doesn't mean it's from Pottery Barn :)

Always act FAST.

Here is an example.

A few days ago, I came upon 2 beautiful leather ottomans in forest green :) 

Perfect for my office.

I emailed back and forth with the seller and said I will get back to her after I talk to my hubby.

Hubby was working and called me back in a few hours.

He totally loved them and approved!

I emailed back and said I'd like to come purchase them tonight.

The seller replies: Just Sold.

This was only 3 hours later!!!

Ahh!!!!

This is what I missed out on!

Seller was asking $80 for both. He/She purchased them for $100 each.

Please notice that the pictures are not that great, but this is where you, as the buyer score!!!

I couldn't find anything like that online. If you have any idea on where they're from, please let me know!

I apologize for such a long post.

I hope it was helpful.

Have a wonderful Monday!

Happy <3 Day!

xoxo

  

I won!!!

I am so excited to tell you that I won the Valentine's Day Contest!!!

Thank you all so much for voting!!

If you would like to read my story that I entered into the contest, click here :)

So what did I win?

A Photo Shoot with Dina Chmut!!!

Please visit her Facebook Page and check out her work. She is truly AMAZING!!!

Again, thank you everyone that voted!

God's blessings :)

Happy Sunday!

xoxo

Craigslist Fun

Have you ever walked into a store and wished you could buy EVERYTHING? lol

When I was a little girl, I would often ask my mom for things at the store, she would say no most of the time. So I told her, "When I'm going to grow up, I'm gonna buy the whole entire store!"

Ha ha! The optimism kids have! 

Anyway....

I am overwhelmed by the deals on CL!!!

I wish I could get them all!!!

Here are some great finds that are sure to inspire you to look ;)

This chair is only $60!!! 

Wouldn't you just LOVE to turn it into this?

This amazing transformation was done by Janis, from Navy Bean

Check our her post on details how to do it yourself!!!

or this amazing victorian couch for $175!!! :O

With a ton of patience, or an expensive upholstery, it could turn into this beauty!

 

Oh if only my hubby would appreciate it's beauty!!!

$50 for this Chair!

 

Oh Craigslist, how much I love you!

Have you found any deals on CL? 

Share them with me!!!

I'd love to hear, and be inspired!

xoxo

Valentine's Day Treats

 

We all are in the phase of preparing for Valentines Day!

Whether you celebrate it, or not, nothing feels better than to show your loved one that he's loved!

This is a recipe that my grandma had, a recipe that doesn't have a name. Um? Well, we now call it, Grandma's ;)

(If you happen to know when these would be called, plz let me know!) ;)

These are the engridients that you will need:

3 1/2 cups flour

200 grams margarine (2 small pkgs)

1 cup sugar

1 cup of jam (preserves)

2 eggs

1 tsp soda (w/vinagar)

1 tblsp corn starch

pinch of salt

powdered sugar

Beat the eggs, mix in sugar

 Melt the margarine, mix it in with sugar and eggs.

Pour the vinegar over soda and let sizzle for a few seconds (kinda like a science project ;) 

and pour into the batter

Add 3 CUPS (save the 1/2) flour

Grease a 9x11 pan (i forgot to line mine, you could use waxpaper or foil :) So much easier to clean!

 Spread HALF the batter in a 9"x11" pan.

 

Sprinkle the corn starch, spread around

 

 Add the jam, make sure it's the thicker kind

 

 Add 1/2 cup of flour into the rest of the batter, mix.

It should come out like this:

 Using a grater, grate the rest of the batter on top. Make sure it's even :)

Put into a heated over, 425 F for about 25-30 min. Middle rack. Until golden brown.

 Ta-da! (I kinda burned it....uhg, it still came out delish ;)

Using cookie cutter, make hearts!

Sprinkle with some powdered sugar :)

Hope you try it and enjoy it!

It's much easier than it seems.

I think I made it look harder than it really is.

It's super fast and doesn't take much ingridients.

This is my first recipe that I'm sharing online, so please, bear with me, I'm not the best explainer. lol

Enjoy and happy early Valentine's Day!

xoxo

Valentine's Day Contest

My dear bloggy friends :)

I submitted a story of the sweetest thing my hubby, then boyfriend did for me in 2004 for a Valentines Day Contest :)

The winner will win a FREE photo shoot!! How fun! Oh an not to mention, with the most talented photographer in the world!!!

My submition is one of top 4!!!

It would be soo nice of you to vote for me :)

Please visit Dina Chmut Photography, and like her page.

Than, click here, and "like" my entry! (Entry #1)

Here is my story :)

Please click on photo to enlarge

Thank you so much my dearests!!! 

xoxo

Prayer Inspiration

As a mother, I love my kids like I have never ever loved anyone before. 

 Unless you are a mother, the Love a mother has cannot be understood.

Sometimes I get very worrisome about my children's future. Who are they going to be? What are they going to do with their lives? Are they going to serve God? Are they going to live for Him? 

So many questions arise every time I see them "growing up" 

I have always prayed and always will pray for my babies, but sometimes, I have no idea where to start! What to say?  It's so overwhelming, knowing that they will grow up, and have their own character, their own ways of doing things; I just pray it's the right way.

Out shopping one day, I came across a yearly Calender by Day Spring. It's called: The power of a praying parent. I has changed the way I pray! Literally!

Every day, there is either a verse from the Bible in relationship to Children/Parents, or a beautifully written devotional. Something to think and pray about all day. It's amazing.

For today, this is what it said.

Isn't that amazing?

I hope and pray that this inspires you not only to be a better parent, but a daily, praying parent for your children.

God has an amazing plan for every child, but so does the Devil. It's so important to pray for God's will to be done in our children s lives, as well as ours :)

Do not underestimate the Power of PRAYER!!!

xoxo

Parenthood

I just watched an episode of the show "Parenthood" on NBC.

To be honest, I have been watching it since season one and every single episode brings tears to my eyes.

It's very rare to come across a good show, especially now days. But that's a total different subject :)

Parenthood is a show about the Braverman family. 4 Siblings that have kids of their own and how they handle life with family, kids, and their parents.

I would say my favorite family is Christina and Adam.

They have a 16 year old daughter Haddie, and a 8 year old? son Max. Hattie wants to date an older guy and Max has asperger syndrome. (often considered a high functioning form of autism)

Every time I watch the show, it really hits me what it's like to be a parent of an older child.

At 16, I was no angel. I wasn't a rebel, but definitely not an angel. Looking back, how I used to be, makes me feel so bad for my parents. Now watching this show, what the parents are going through make me think. I really need to gear up with patience, and wisdom for when they become teens.

I enjoy this show, but a lot of times, the script doesn't come in alignment with my beliefs. 

I think it's very important to filter EVERYTHING we see. Take in the good, and cast away the bad.

For example, the character Christina inspires me. She is so supportive of her husband! 

I could definitely learn from that.

I don't have a child with learning disabilities, but I have a brother who does. I can relate to the family somewhat.

Overall, I enjoy watching the show. The happy and sad moments families go through are very realistic. I think that  Ron Howard and his team did an amazing job with the script.

I especially like the intro song :) You tube doesn't have it. ;O I cannot believe it. So you have to start watching an episode to hear it :) The words are sooo beautiful!

Anyway, I hope I didn't bore you with my love for this show. lol

Do you have a favorite show?

xoxo

Neutral Baby Nursery - DIY

 Long before the birth of our second son, I started to think about his nursery. :)

I wanted it calm, warm, and relaxing.

A room I could go to, to nurse, change, enjoy and love my baby boy :)

I had such a pleasure working on this room! It was extra special to me since we didn't make one for our firstborn because we were in the middle of major remodeling!

It came out pretty close to what I had imagined ;)

The beautifully stars were by Martha Stewart that i purchased at TJ Maxx, Crib was from CL the Sheep Rug from Ikea. The beautifully bedding set is by Wendy Bellisimo and borrowed to me from my good friend Olga :)

I wish the yellow was lighter....Oh well ;)

Imagine sign I got at Salvation Army for like a $1, if not 50 cents.

The Gliding Chair and ottoman, we purchased off of CL :) For $50! ;) The IKEA table from CL for $6! Originally $60!!! It had a little water damage, hubby sanded it down and spray painted with $4 paint :) Voila!Lamp and curtains also lent to my from Olga :)

The changing table, dresser combo was Free of of CL :D SCORE!!! You will not believe it but I just wiped it down with a rag :D It has some nick-knacks but is amazing condition :) Did I mention it's a PALI brand? :D

The gorgeous shelf was also from Olga :)

The mobile was also from Olga :)

And this is the little guys that lives in this room ;)

Totals:

Paint - $40

Crib - $224

Dresser/Changing Table - $0

Sheep Rug - $25

Table - $10

Little square shelves from Goodwill - $1

Martha Stewart Paper Flowers - $5

Boarder - $20

Imagine sign - $1

Total $326

This is not considering the little essentials such as the diaper pad, wipe warmer, etc....

I love bargain hunting!!! It sure does pay off!!!

Please tell me what you think!!!

xoxo

Hand Made Baby Birth Announcements

After our newest arrival was born, I looked online to order birth announcements.

I really wanted something different and unique, but did not want to pay big bucks for it.

Unfortunately, you can't have both :)

I decided to make my own. I went in to Joann's and picked out some Photo Mats. I think that taking that route saved me time and money. I'm not too crafty and I don't have all the supplies, so the double photo mats worked out great!

I also picked up some ribbon, brown and blue, the best color combination ever!

Oh how could I forget buttons!? :)

With some double sided tape, scissors, time and creativity, I came up with this!

The photo mats came in all sorts of colors and designs, I did not use all of them though, there were quite a few greys, blacks, and white. Perfect for next project! Whatever that might be. lol

So I made about 15 announcements, these are the totals :)

Photo Mats - $3.49 Orig. $4.99

Buttons - $2.49

Ribbon - $5.08

Photos - about $8

I used a 20% off coupon that took $2.61 off

Comes out to about $16. Note that I didn't use up all the mats and i have a TON of ribbon left, I also have photos left. ;)

That's like $1 per announcement! Good deal I think :)

I really enjoyed this project. :)

Please let me know what you think!

Would you do this yourself or would you rather just order them online?

I LOVE your comments! They mean the world to me!

xoxo