Posts Tagged ‘sponsored’

Sponsored: 2013 Christmas Candy Box Freebie

December 10th, 2013
14 Comments
Inspired by this month’s give-back theme for the Fiesta Movement, what do you plan on giving this year? I love this idea of paying it backward! I’ve been a lucky recipient of in years past (way before blogs were ever a thing). It’s great how such a small gesture can brighten someone’s day.
 
Ford Fiesta is teaming up with What’s Trending for a Tube-A-Thon benefit for Covenant house. Click here to participate and find out more.

 

It’s that time of year when my family comes in town and we make caramels! My mom will be in town in about a week so I thought I would get the ball rolling a little earlier on this year’s candy/gift box. Introducing the 7th Annual Christmas Candy Box!

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Last year we were in such a rush I ended up doorbell ditching most of my candy boxes on our way out of town. This year I look forward to getting these babies done in plenty of time to spare. And this year’s design is so easy, I’ll have a load of these boxes made up in no time.

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Each year, I’m limited to the constrains of the print margins of an 8×10 piece of paper. It’s really not much room when it comes to making boxes. I’ve found that pillow boxes are great, but they can be a pain in the rear to score and fold.

Regular boxes can be easier, but there are too many sides to cut and glue. However, a three-sided box is just the trick! I can make it nice and roomy, it’s easy to cut and fold, and the triangles are fun. I was able to cut the whole template with regular scissors and fold with just a bone folder (a credit card would do just fine).

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The box is 5.75 x 2.5 x 2.5. It’s the right size for a small assortment of candies, jewelry, baby clothes (a onesie would fit perfectly in here) and gift cards. I designed the box very much like this year’s thank you printable. They match! Looking for more shapes and designs? Check out previous years:

2007 • 2008 • 2009 • 2010 • 2011 • 2012

I’ve got two versions of the little gift box, one with a label and one without. Download the free* printable below.

 

 This is a sponsored post and I was compensated for my participation. The opinions expressed are my own.

 

*This tutorial/freebie is free for personal use and should not be distributed/republished without my consent. Altering any files is NOT ALLOWED. If you would like to use this freebie for commercial purposes, please email me. Thanks!

Sponsored: Easy Thanksgiving Decor

November 26th, 2013
2 Comments
This post is sponsored by Way Basics – your source for eco-friendly, light-weight and strong organizational systems. Each of their products is designed for the world’s easiest assembly. 

We don’t have any holiday decor. Holiday decor isn’t something that can be purchased all at once like a couch, or bed linens. I feel like these things are collected over time. So this year I’m working on making and buying festive decor that will easily store and last for years to come. I’m hoping that my efforts this year will make a dent and make next year’s decorating for the holidays just a little bit easier.

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Just before Halloween, I found a few of these paper mache pumpkins while at Michael’s. They’re not there any more, but I’ve since found them online here and here.

I love that they offer a blank slate. I had them out as-is, but recently decided to give them more of a Thanksgiving/Fall theme the other night.

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Is it strange that I’m still making fall/Thanksgiving decor even though most people have already decorated their homes to the gills for Christmas? Sometimes I feel behind the times, but I remind myself, “NOOOOO!! I’m going to enjoy Thanksgiving FIRST.”

I simply grabbed a #2 liner brush, white ink and went to town on my little pumpkins. While “thanks giving” may lend itself most towards the holiday, it’s a great mantra to have in the house all autumn long. I think these little babies will be a permanent part of my fall decor.

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On another note, this is the first wall shelf that I’ve mounted in our new house (besides the utilitarian ones in my studios). I love having parts in my home strictly for decor that can be “untouchable”!

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I loved how easy Way Basics’s wall shelves were to mount. I actually mounted this during a late night, it was 3 in the morning and it was still easy to install in my sleep deprived state. Total win.

I was compensated for this post, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Giveaway: Automagical Silhouette Portrait

November 20th, 2013
219 Comments

So there’s this new word. And it’s actually a real word. Automagical. Chris tells me this word is most closely related to software/web development. Where you write code and things just automagically happen. Like you know it should work, but it’s still magical when it does.

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Chris and I have been working our tails off on a redesign of my calligraphy site, so the word automagical is an over-used term around our home. So I had to put it on one of Chris’s boringly plain tees.

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I used Bauhaus font, Silhouette’s yellow flock heat transfer and my cutter, which are also very automagical things. I’m always surprised at how many fun things I can make with my Silhouette. Which brings me to the second reason of this post.

I’M GIVING A SILHOUETTE PORTRAIT AWAY. 

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Yup. One of you U.S.-based readers will win one. Use the rafflecopter widget below to enter. Hopefully that’s not annoying. Only one hoop to go through, though. Of course, the more hoops you go through, the more chances you have of winning. A winner will be chosen randomly and announced morning of November 28th. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sponsored: Holiday Prep and Shining Shoes

November 12th, 2013
12 Comments
Inspired by this month’s entertainment theme for the Fiesta Movement, how do you prep for the upcoming season’s parties and festivities?

 

Thanksgiving and Christmas are fast approaching. Besides decorations and gifts, how do you prepare for all of the parties, caroling, strolling and eating? Growing up, my dad made sure to teach me how to properly care for my shoes so they’d last the whole winter without getting destroyed by mud, snow and salt. I was in constant awe how he could make a pair of old shoes look brand-spanking new.

He taught me the importance of keeping my nice things nice.

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I know a lot of people out there have different opinions about buying and using leather. I don’t disagree with those feelings, I think leather is a great material that should never go to waste. It’s incredibly strong and durable. The real shame in my opinion is if someone just neglects to take proper care of his/her leather goods and destroys it beyond repair.

My dad literally has shoes older than me. You wouldn’t know it, though. Leather can last forever. It’s a matter of protecting, cleaning and polishing regularly.

For my suede babies, I just prevent with Nikwax and call it good. If I spray every couple months, it doesn’t seem to go bad.

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Now these babies. I was at a photoshoot a month ago and we were stomping around in some serious mud. They’re filthy and just about destroyed from all that mud and salt!

I use a leather cleaner (we got a bunch when we bought our house) to get most of the mud off. It works like a charm.

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So much better, but it’s still not quite there yet.

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I don’t know if other people use this method, but my dad taught me to put a sandwich bag around my finger and cloth on top for polishing shoes. It’s a great way to spread polish and keep it from getting on my hands.

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You can see a huge difference between the polished shoe (left) and the cleaned shoe (right). Now I can go trudge around town looking polished and put together (pun not intended). After polishing, I shine the shoes with a brush. DONE. All it takes is about 15-20 minutes.

Frankly, if you don’t get the results you’re looking for, take your shoes to a cobbler. I’ve had boots re-soled with a winter tread, zippers fixed and leather repaired. What can’t a cobbler do? Really. They’re not terribly expensive (certainly not more than buying a nice new pair) and they can save your favorite shoes from the dump.

This is a sponsored post and I was compensated for my participation. The opinions expressed are my own.

How to Get Rid of Muffin Top Tights Tutorial

October 29th, 2013
45 Comments

This post is brought to you by Baby Lock. Baby Lock is dedicated to the love of sewing by creating a full line of sewing machines all with ease-of-use, high quality and a touch of elegance.

Connect with Baby Lock on Facebook and TotallyStitchin.net.

I’m not talking about losing weight. Weight is never the issue. Tights and hose are no respecter of persons when it comes to the blessed muffin top. Since I have 1-2 pairs of tights that don’t give me muffin top, I’m bound to think that I’m not the only one with this issue.

Also, it’s not really about the bulge of skin peeking out from the opening of tights (okay it’s partly that), it’s about how terribly uncomfortable tights are when they have such a tight waist. I’m not so prideful that I purchase tights within my dimensions. I always size up. It’s just a gamble whether or not those particular tights were made with a suffocating waistband.

It’s not  reliable to stick with a certain brand, either.

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I would show you a real before and after, but no one needs to see me in my tights. You get the idea with the illustration above.

But I solved the problem this weekend. It’s crazy easy. I’ll show you how to lose that muffin top without diet, exercise! Is it witchery, you ask? Perhaps. Let’s get started.

No-More-Muffin-Top Tights Refashion Tutorial

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Supplies

  • seam ripper
  • scissors
  • pins
  • measuring tape
  • regular sewing machine
  • elastic
  • tights

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Cut that nasty, too-tight-for-real-humans waistband off your tights. Snip! Snip!

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Measure you’re waist and cut a length of elastic (I used a wide picot elastic, but any comfortable, stretchy elastic will do). Sew the ends together.

Do you see how enormous my true waistband looks compared to the tights waistband? It’s bananapants.

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Pin the elastic on top of the tights in quarters. Split the seam allowance along the back seam of your tights. Now you’ll always have a front and back to your tights, too!

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Stretch the tights as you sew and sew a generous zig-zag stitch all the way around.

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Guaranteed, it won’t be the prettiest of fixes. At least mine weren’t. We’re going for speed and function here since I never expect anyone to see me wearing  just my tights!

I can’t begin to describe how much more comfortable I felt on Sunday. And I had nice smooth lines under my wiggle skirt. Big win!

 

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