Welcome to the Inspire Me Please Weekend Blog Hop!
I’m a huge sucker for anything that says “chocolate” and “parfait” so it’s no surprise that I am starting this weeks features off with a yummy looking Double Chocolate Pudding Parfait Desert.
Remember when I posted about my friend Kelly and her adorable monogram wall decals? All the money that she made from the wall decals went to bringing home their new dog…and just in case you wanted to see how cute he is, take a peek!
Ummm, isn’t he precious. Truly.
She and her family were so grateful that y’all ordered enough monograms to support their dog fund! Woo-hoo! You guys rock!
Barley is the most laid back dog on the planet. I often tell her that she hit the dog lotto. For realz. He doesn’t even jump on people. WHAT?!
Not to switch dogs here {ahem!}, but I MUST tell you the sweetest story EVER about my other friend’s dog named Charly. Charly went missing. He jumped up and unlocked the door, opened it and escaped. Sneaky sneaky guy.
Unfortunately he was at my friend’s business when he went missing and was not familiar with the area much. We were worried he wouldn’t know how to get back if he ran off.
That night they looked all over for him, but had no luck so the next morning we set out on a mission to go find him.
I can’t really explain it…but I had this feeling that we would find Charly. It was unlikely since he had been missing overnight, but I just had a feeling. My best friend Katie made signs to put in mailboxes and hang on electrical posts and so we started by going mailbox to mailbox.
About an hour in to our hunt we passed a electrical post and I just happened to get a glimpse of a flyer that resembled my friend’s dog.
We passed it up, but something told me to go back. And thank goodness because it was a FOUND poster with a picture of Charly! We could not believe it!
The wonderful couple that found him the night before made flyers and hung them the same night. How stinkin’ amazing is that? I seriously don’t know many people who would find a dog and within a few hours hang flyers. They were pretty awesome peeps!
It was a good day when Charly was reunited with his fam! It felt really cool to be a part of such a happy ending!
Ok, enough about dogs…let’s talk Vegas {the same place where men act like dogs…kidding…kinda.}
I shouldn’t group “all” men in Vegas in the dog category. That’s not nice of me.
But the majority of men we came across {and when I say came across I mean as little as walked by} were not very respectful.
Something about Vegas makes guys think they can treat you however they want. I don’t get it.
Luckily I am a happily married woman who knows my boundaries and what I find appropriate and inappropriate. But I could see how single women in Vegas…could easily be taken advantage of.
Did I mention I was there for my bestie’s bachelorette party?
<Target Dress, Sperry Sandals from Dillards>
Despite the spring break like attitude of men in Vegas…we still managed to have a wonderful time and stay clear of the dogs.
We hung by the pool, shopped, and ATE a ton. One thing I learned about staying at a hotel casino in Vegas? You never sleep. Apparently they pump oxygen into the casinos…which, in turn, keeps you awake forever.
I didn’t go to bed until 4:30 am one night {which was actually 6:30 am IL time}. Unheard of from me.
I also realized that no matter how much fun Vegas is…4 days is one too many.
Three would have been perfect. I was dog tired {no pun intended – haha} when I got back to my Rose boys.
I will admit it was a much needed break from motherhood. And really, when will I get a 4 day trip with 8 girls again? Probably another 5 years from now.
A couple restaurants to try if you ever head to Vegas:
Nobu – Amazing sushi…like the best I’ve ever had.
Nine – A steakhouse where we saw P Diddy. Sean Combs? P Diddy? Puff Daddy? I don’t know what he goes by anymore, but he was there.
STK – Another steakhouse {equally as tasty as Nine}.
I just want to give daddy {my baby daddy not Puff Daddy} a huge high five for taking care of the boys while I was away. Every time I called to ask how it was going his response?
“Cake!”
Not as in they were eating cake, as in it was a cake walk.
Why are they always so well behaved for the dads? I really wanted him to worship me when I got him for all the crap I deal with, but nope, they went off behind my back and acted like angels. Darn them for ruining my plan.
Maybe it was because of the sweet treats I left on their door knobs…
…or it could have been the nice detailed schedule I left for daddy to follow. Either way, I like to think I aided in their good behavior.
Let’s just say that the following video is definitely something they only do when daddy has them. Mommy hates puddles. And mud.
Have you been to Vegas? If so, where are you favorite places to eat? We go back every year to stay with J’s mom and I love new restaurant ideas!
If you are looking for ideas to take up some wall space, but don’t know what to hang?
I have the perfect solution. And it’s totally on the cheap.
<<<DIY WALL ART FRAME PROJECT>>>
Step 1:
Find a few decent sized photo frames. I found mine at TJ Maxx for SUPER cheap.
They hold 5×7 photos in the mat or 11×14 without the mat. The actual size of the frame is 18 inches tall by 14 inches wide.
Truly, the size of the frames is not a huge deal because this entire project can be tailored to fit ANY size frames.
Step 2:
Lay your frames out on the floor. I put a few inches of spacing between them, but not a ton.
Use trim {I had mine leftover from when we built our fireplace} and decide how big you want the exterior frame to be.
Again, you can make this as big or small as you want.
Step 3:
Call your dad.
KIDDING! You can do this, I promise.
Cut your trim to the exact size you need for your frame.
We used a circular miter saw {I don’t know saw lingo} to do this and the cuts were super easy. This does not take extreme talent to do.
Step 4:
Use a level and outline on the wall approximately where your exterior frame will be placed.
It doesn’t have to be perfect because you are going to have a few inches of trim to cover the painted area. For this reason I usually suggest drawing your line to be the size of the inside of the exterior frame.
Step 5:
Tape off the exterior frame area and paint.
I used paint that matched the lighter colored walls in my oldest son’s room {Lambs Ear by Valspar Signature from Lowes}, but you can technically use any paint color you want.
You can even get creative and use a stencil {which I did when I did something similar to this in the basement and it turned out fabulous}. Whatever you use {plain color or stencil} it will be the background of your exterior frame.
Step 6:
Put up the trip pieces that make the exterior part of the frame.
You can do this with a hammer and nail, but I will say it is way easier to have two people helping. One to hold it up and the other to nail it in place.
Step 7:
Fill your smaller frames with something. This is where you can get creative.
I had nothing to put in my frames…so I decided I would google “free transportation clip art” and I found some cute little cars. I literally saved the images and then just printed them in color.
I added colored card stock behind the circled cars. I just cut the card stock to 5×7 size and taped the car paper in the center.
Yes, I said taped.
Step 8:
Hang your smaller frames inside your big exterior frame.
There you have it…an easy way to add wall art without breaking your budget.
This entire project cost me $23 {which was the cost of the smaller frames}. Everything else was stuff I had on hand. Even if you have to buy trim…you can find trim for $6 – $20 per piece. This project took two 8 foot pieces.
To see the entire big boy room just click HERE. Or if you are interested in learning how to stencil a canvas {another cute, but cheap room idea} than click HERE.
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I feel like it’s been forever since I have worn a belt. Probably because I have been pregnant for a gazillion years and I am just now finally NOT pregnant. Phew.
Cheers to a smaller sized belly…that’s been 6 years in the making. {ahem}
I just recently discovered how much flare a belt can add to an outfit when I received this gorgeous coral floral belt from Outfit Additions.
Isn’t it darling?
And it matches my new summer sandals from Aldo that I got on my Vegas trip.
Outfit Additons is a California based accessories boutique with a beautiful collection of jewelry, belts and wallets.
And I am here to vouch that their belts…are awesome!
They also have gorgeous jewelry pieces that I have yet to get my hands on. But I will I will. A girl can never have too many necklaces, right?
Right now I am focused on my belt collection. Since most of mine are from 2002…I’m on a mission to get some more cute ones and I loved adding this coral one to my collection.
And after seeing these pictures it’s clear that I also need to focus on my tan. <<UGH>>
The lovely folks at Outfit Additions will be giving away a $100 Gift Card to their store!
How to enter?
All you need to do is sign up for their newsletter by entering your email in the Rafflecopter widget below and then leave a blog post comment with anything about their store {fave product, feedback, general comment, etc}. You can find Outfit Additions HERE.
I’d love for you to sign up for my monthly newsletter as well, but it’s not mandatory for the giveaway! You will get an extra entry for signing up {leave your email address in the Rafflecopter widget}.
Welcome to the Inspire Me Please Weekend Blog Hop!
Since it’s SJ’s birthday I’ll be busy stuffing my face with cake and ice cream while I dream about how I’m going to makeover his nursery in to a “big boy” room{lots of tears}.
Every week I see something new that inspires me and I change my mind about how I want it to look. This week I decided that if I got to do a nursery re-do…I’d do exactly what 551 East did for her little boy nursery….
<<mouth drop>>
Wowser fabulous, right?
Lots of great inspiration going on at this party. LOTS.
I’ve had a baby for six years straight. SIX LONG YEARS. By age 2 each of my two oldest boys were either preparing for a new baby or had a new baby brother. And now? Now SJ is turning 2 and there is no new baby in town. My baby days are ending. Tear. I [...]
Do you ever have that itch to brighten things up a bit? Whether it be your outfits, recipes or your home decor…I am constantly wanting to add “PIZAZZ” to my life. Picture me giving you my jazz hands RIGHT NOW. Wooooo pizazzzzz! As you know I work from home and I shared my work-from-home office [...]
As I celebrate Mother’s Day this year I can’t help but think that this could be the last year I am a mother of three. Next year at this time I will be a mother of four. My children will have another brother or sister. Our family will be blessed yet once again. It’s so [...]
*Author and House of Rose Contributor – Kristina, from Bella Mia Blog. My new obsession is quinoa so I am loving this quinoa salad recipe that Kristina is sharing. If you are on a healthy eating kick like me…you won’t be disappointed! __________________________________________________________________________ This was served during my daughter’s playschool potluck last week. It was so [...]
Welcome to the Inspire Me Please Weekend Blog Hop! Lots of great inspiration going on at this party. LOTS. Here are some of my favorites from last week: Aqua Mint Dresser Makeover by Revolutionaries. DIY Kitchen Island by Sash to Treasure. Chalkboard Vinyl Pantry Door By Vintage Violet Style. Reupholstered Chair by The DIY Dreamer. Chevron [...]
By far the best makeup YouTuber on the web…Emily Eddington. Emily has a very popular {and by very popular I mean over 400,000 subscribers} YouTube channel called Beauty Broadcast where she shows “how-to” videos about makeup, style, and fashion. She has tried, reviewed, and vlogged about almost every possible makeup brand on the planet. Seriously [...]
I'm a boy mom, fountain coke lover, diy wannabe who loves to decorate! Lucky for me I have a dad who can make any Pinterest project a reality! We are currently adopting our 4th child from the Philippines and I quit my full time job to blog. You can read more about how I did that on a site that my husband and I have called Dollars and Roses. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you find something that interests you! Please sign up for my monthly newsletter below!
