✥ UT Blogger Social Recap ✥

Oh my goodness.
You guys.
I had so much FUN at the Utah Bloggers Dinner!

Lindsay {via Southern Lovely} and I were thrilled to meet up with several local bloggers. We had so much fun chatting it up and eatin good grub at the Brick Oven in Provo.
{Too bad we took this pic while gals were at the salad bar- but we tried to get at least one before we stuffed our faces!}

Lindsay and I had never met in "real" life before- but truthfully, I felt like I had known her my whole life. You know how that happens every once in a great while?  I could not have asked for a better girl to put this little shindig together with. She rocked the house in a major way and I was totally thrilled to know her in real life!

So many talented ladies showed up and I feel like I made a ton of great friends. It was fantastic!
It was exactly what I was looking for- friends who understand the what an SEO is... and the importance of social networking. Gals who would rather paint walls than their nails.  I can't speak for anyone else-
but I was totally blown away by how great all the girls were and ow fun the night was!
I guess I was feeling nervous to meet all new people and about how things would go, but {thankfully} it exceeded my expectations!!!


I had TONS of fun with these darling friends- {it's me}, Beth from Free Stylin &
 Erin from Lavender and Lemon Drops!
Beth is hilarious and such a treat to talk with! She runs a crafty, DIY and design blog. We both have a background in social work- so it's too funny that we both blog about design.
Erin runs a DIY and design blog- that I've been a fan of for months and months. We both love us some knock offs- so I was first drawn to her for that. I love how her casual and friendly approach to blogging. She has great style and taste, so you can always count on her to round up beautiful ideas.


Amanda from Burlap and Denim & 

Ruth from What's Cooking With Ruthie
I have "known" Amanda for quite some time- and adore her work. She is crazy, ridiculously talented and has a crafty DIY and design blog! {A girl after my own heart!}
Ruth is a brand new buddy- I luv her blog story- she writes a fab food blog and it's named after her grandmother's cooking TV show from the 60's, with the same title. Too cool!

Mary from Casey~Mary~Gerret, Marissa from Raegun Ramblings  &
Elisabeth from La Vita Bella
Mary is totally funny and a super cute local blogger and a close friend of mine- we went to church together and worked in the nursery. If that's not a bonding experience, I do NOT know what is!!. She writes a family and lifestyle blog.
Marissa is a sweetheart- she is totally outgoing and a great networker! I've linked up at her Wednesday party for months now. Her blog is full of great sewing ideas and recipes. I may have to take her up on the offer she made to teach me to sew-- but see what I mean? She's so nice to offer!
Elisabeth is also a new friend- but she is so sweet and a friendly, outgoing person. She is fantastic at making contacts and making people comfortable. She writes a fun and quirky lifestyle blog.

Aimee from Granite Gurus and Vintage Radness &
Tonii from Blue Skies Above
Aimee is actually a friend of mine from Boston/childhood- though she moved away in high school and we both happened to end up in Utah of all places. She writes a couple of blogs- one about kitchens and then a fun and cheeky blog about vintage items.
Tonii runs a fantastic blog with great ideas for families- like family night activities, games and events for kids and recipes. She is adorable and her blog is so super cute- if you have kids you need to check it out!

{from left to right} Ruthie, Aimee, Tonii,
& Debra from Housewife Eclectic
Debra is a brand new resident of Utah. I know she just rolled in to town 4 days prior and we were stoked she made the effort to come! Too bad she had her camera on her all night, I guess she didn't pose for any other pics. Her blog is filled with cute crafts tutorials, photography and book reviews.

The round up...

Amanda ● Elisabeth ● Ruthie ● Aimee ● Tonii ● Debra ● Marissa● Lindsay ● Me ●Erin ● Beth ● Mary

Now, check out the line up of super rad sponsors! ☺

We were able to give away 6 {!!!} frames from Cut it Out- they are the cutest things ever and I adore the fun shapes. Krityn from Lil Luna was a doll to work with to get this set up- talk about friendly and helpful!

So in this dorky candid pic I was conducting the drawing for our winners!! Debra and Mary were the lucky winners!

I made up little gift bags to hand out the rest of the swag.

Check out the oh so generous giveaways! 

 

Honestly, I was a little so honored that companies would support our little dinner. I mean, yeah- we do have a bunch of subscribers, especially between all our blogs- but it was just lil ol Lindsay and I hoping to have a fun get together. So I feel touched they took the chance that people would show up!

I owe a BIG "thank you" to each of you!

I loved that we were able to share ideas- and tips. Like this impromptu camera lesson happening in the background. I learned a lot about blogging- had some questions answered. It was great to discuss sponsors and ad networks. Things that are difficult to figure out on your own.



Thanks again, to Lindsay, for all her help and for everyone who showed up.
I truly thought each person who came was a total sweetheart and I was super excited to get to know them beyond all our blog correspondances. It's funny how blogging only shows limited parts of someone's personality, you know? These gals are even better in person! Loved it! Even for someone like me, who's kinda shy, it was a blast!
 I am itching to do something like this again! In fact a company approached me about doing it at their venue. Who would want to come?

✥ "Cut It Out" Frame Giveaway ✥

Are you guys familiar with Cut It Out? It's a frame company that offers creative, stylish fun shapes of frame that can be finished however one would like. Perfect for a DIYer, right?!

Well, I am so excited to announce Cut It Out has decided they want to hook up one of you, with some of their super-rad frames! Yay!

Here's what some of our favorite blogs are doing with these frames.

Lolly Jane

Craft o Maniac

Tatertots & Jello

Lolly Jane

Southern Lovely

They are offering you guys one (1) 8x10 and two (2) 5x7 of any style- and there are tons to pick from!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winner will be on Sunday, July  29th.
Good luck, everyone!

✥ Guest Post: DIY French Label Towel ✥

 Good morning lovelies! Today Heather from Setting for Four - will be here with you all! I asked her to share her DIY project that's sos awesome, it's now on my to-do list!


You guys will love Heather- she is one of my bloggy besties. Truly one of my all time favorite peeps I have met in Blogworld. She's an Army wife and is actually moving to Canada this week, where her and her hubby just bought a new home!  I am super excited to see what they do to it- now that she no longer has to rent {unlike me- *boo.} Heather is totally sincere, super thoughtful, and a great friend! You guys will love getting to know her!

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Hello everyone! This is Heather, from Setting for Four, and I blog about creating a home and decor that won't break the bank. Today I am sharing a very easy DIY Sharpie French Label Towel.  This project is one of the most inexpensive and easiest projects I have ever made!

It doesn't even require transfer paper or Citra Solv - just a black permanent marker!  I love that there is no need to buy transfer paper and no mess from using Citra Solv!

Supplies:

Flour Sack kitchen towel, pack of 2 - Mainstays brand, Wallmart

Ultra Fine Point black permanent Sharpie marker

Black and White photocopy of French Chocolate label - I used the 'Cacao Payraud' label from the Graphics Fairy.  There are also many other graphics and labels on this wonderful site to choose from.

2 straight pins

Tutorial:

Wash and dry the flour sack towel.

Place photocopy of French label on table, with the printed side facing up (make sure something is under the photocopy to protect your table).

Place towel on top of photocopy.

Pin the towel to the paper in two places to prevent shifting.

Trace the words onto the towel using the sharpie (The towel is see through enough that you can see the black wording underneath.)

That.Is.It!!!   No kidding - you're done!

Because this project uses permanent marker - it won't disappear in the wash!  I have washed mine and the printing didn't wash out or 'bleed' at all.

You could vary this tutorial in so many different ways: use a different color of permanent marker, a picture or other script to customize this to your home!

Make sure you stop by my blog to see another towel idea. Where I share how to turn your children's art into tea towels!

✥ Reader Feature: Vintage & Modern Nursery ✥

I received the cutest comment from a lovely new follower of mine. Her name is  Emily, and she has a brand new blog called Dear Owen. When I saw the nursery she created for her son- I was smitten and knew she had to share it with you all, too!

I love the vintage map, the industrial light fixture, the modern patterns. You guys know me- this is right up my alley. In fact, I think I would have chosen a similar design if I were expecting! I'll let Emily tell you all about it.

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My husband and I were so lucky to have my talented friend Monica come and take pictures of Owen's nursery for us. She did such a great job! Thank you Monica!!!  The nursery was so much fun to do, and I gathered lots of inspiration and ideas from some of my favorite blogs like, Holly Mathis Interiors, Jones Design Company, and Honey and Fitz. I really wanted this room to be a mix of modern and vintage pieces with a touch of rustic.

We tried to incorporate family items into the room to make it extra special. We used my Dad's old baseball jersey, Clark's old map that his Grandma gave him, fish flies in remembrance of his Pops, family pictures, and antiques that have been given to us or that we found.

My amazing Mom made the curtains for the room, Owen's bedding, the chevron pillows,  and the bed skirt on the twin bed. We were so lucky to have her do all these things for us. Thank you Mom, you are the best!

My biggest thank you has to be to my amazing husband who did soo much work on O's room. He ripped up carpet, refinished the hardwood floors, built a closet, painted the walls and trim, installed the light, built the shelves, and of course put together all the furniture. He is a talented and hardworking man...love you so much honey!

Now that we have been using the room for 2 months, I have to say, I am really glad we used the twin bed in the room. I was unsure for a while on whether we should put this in his room but I am really glad we did. Not only does it give us an extra place for guests to sleep, it is also great for bouncing a fussy baby, or for the hubby or I to hang out on while the other is rocking Owen. 

Using an Ikea chair converted into a rocker/glider saved a lot of money and it works great, it's comfortable enough..overall I'm happy with it. 

Owen's current favorite place in his room is his changing table. Glad we decided to put it in front of  the window because he loves to look out the window and get some sunshine...seriously, if he is fussy this is our go-to place to cheer him up. He almost always stops crying when we lay him on the table and talk to him.

We've spent lots and lots of time in this room and know we will continue to!

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Doesn't Owen look picture perfect in his crib? I love the fabric Emily chose for the bedding. A-Dorable!
I am so jealous I don't have a vintage, family heirloom map in just the right shades or turquoise and tan! How does everyone have these things!! {I'm just going to have to call Ebay my "Grandma", so I can have some awesome vintage scores in my family, too!!!] 
Have any of you converted your Ikea chairs into rockers? If you have, what do you think of them? I think this was genius and now I want one for my bedroom! {No, I don't have a kid, I just like to rock- OK?!} 

If you liked the decor in Owen's nursery, then stop by Emily's to find out where she  got everything in the room!

✥ Guest Host: Vintage Recipe Filing System @ Primitive & Proper✥

It's Friday YO!!!! Today I'm super stoked to say you can find me over at Cassie's place, Primitive & Proper. I am SURE you all know her- she kinda famous like that. But in case you don't, then here's a few of my favorite furniture transformations- a la Cassie.

 This recent turquoise gem- this lovely vintage dresser is now dressed in a vibrant new color! Though this is like one of a hundred awesome furniture makeovers. It's kinda just what she does!

 Cassie's "Color My World" coral challenge- look at these chairs. I just die for that color!!! {And PS, can I get an antique sign like that toooo.....?}

Now this may not look like much- but you are WRONG! Cassie has replicated the crazy awesome finish the stores like Restoration Hardware {my personal fav- duh] charge an arm and a leg for. Stop by to see how she does it!

Holy cow! I almost forgot- I am sharing a NEW project! 

I hope to see you there! Come on over and show me some comment love! ;-)