3 My Custom Garden Flag!

Most of you know that we own a travel trailer and love to camp.  Part of camping is the cheezy lawn decor and lights.  It is all in good fun and I of course have to participate.  We have some lovely lights that string through our awning, and of course I have my solar lights throughout our sites.  I also have a hanging wind chime type thing.  One of my favorite pieces is our hand carved bear that we watched be made... his name is Beary.

17 30 things you might not have known about ME!

 {this was 15 months after we started dating... I had JUST turned 18}

1.  My husband and I met when I was 16 and he was 20.  And I didn't like him at first.  I mean, he wore socks with sandals!
2.  We adopted my oldest child 8 months after we were married.  I was a senior in College.

3 Link Party Wrap Up

I just love getting inspiration from all of you creative ladies.  Each week you blow me away with your talent!  Here are a few of my favs from this weeks parties:

 Learn how to make a chevron skirt by using striped fabric with Sugar Baby Boutique.

Isn't it gorgeous?!?

 Follow along with Johnny in a Dress as she turns regular old burp clothes into FABULOUS, boutique style burp clothes!

Reading Confetti linked up their Ice Cream Sharks recipe!  So much fun.

Loving these edible finger paints by Atkinson Drive - we all know that kids, yummy looking colors and fingers in mouth are inevitable... why not make them edible?

I had to share this GREAT idea from Closet Crafter!  No need to waste cheerios when you can have a cute little spider as a target.
If you were featured, feel free to grab a button!

Kim is a Marketing Director by day and Crafter/Blogger/Blog Designer by night. She lives with her husband, three beautiful children, and her dog and cat. You can also visit her design site, seven thirty three – – – creative blog design.  For even more seven thirty three fun, like her on Facebook or follow along via Twitter!

6 Geometric Calendar - FREE PRINTABLE!

Remember the calendar I made for my mini kitchen makeover?

I needed a new one because I took down my dry erase calendar, which I loved.  But honestly, it didn't work for us!  I need the future months so I could keep track of appointments and events.  I do use my Outlook calendar a lot, but I also like to use my kitchen calendar because it is there in front of me, everyday.

3 What are little boys made of? #122

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Party Guidelines: 1) please link to your blog post (not your blog main page) so people can go directly to your project and 2) Enter your blog name and in parenthesis add the name of your project so we can clearly see what it is 3) Don't forget, these should be BOY RELATED (Big Boy projects are accepted too)! AND PLEASE grab my button!

7 Sugar & Spice #121

Quick money saving announcement!  Use promo code 73N7NER at eShakti for 10% off your purchase! Code is valid for sale items. Not valid on overstock. And if you sgn up for eShakti emails you can get a $20 credit! And of course there is free custom sizing on your first order.

 Grab the button!

Copy and paste into your blog.

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The party guidelines are: 1) please link to your blog post (not your blog main page) so people can go directly to your project 2) Don't forget, these should be GIRL RELATED (can be for us grown up girls too)! 3) AND PLEASE grab my button and add it to your post so that other crafty ladies can come join the fun.

3 Go To Pattern Shop - Blog Tour

 Andrea from The Train To Crazy has come up with THE PERFECT dress pattern for us Mama's to girls.
It is the GO TO SIGNATURE DRESS Pattern and seems almost limitless in its options.

Seriously, with 3 lengths to choose from, 7 sleeve options, 4 different pocket options, 3 different ways to do the waist and an optional hood, you can customize this dress for your little princess! I haven't done the math, but I feel like there must be at least a hundred variations of this dress!

I personally fell in love with the maxi dress, and since I am still new to sewing clothes, I chose the super easy ruffle sleeve with elastic waist band and inset pockets.

19 All You Need Is Love... a Cedar Plank Sign

Yesterday I shared with you my new kitchen makeover. Today I'm going to share how I created the star of the show:

{Of course the quote is from of my fav Beatle's songs.}

 

17 Kitchen Update - Work in Progress

I've been working on my mini kitchen makeover.
Still a work in progress but thought I'd share.

{I really, really wish I could find a minute to read my new photography guide by Kristen Duke!  These pictures don't do the room justice.  It looks soooo good in person...please ignore my blush as you continue}

It was planned, but did not happen when expected!
To avoid the drama of the the makeover and just see pics, scroll on down!

You see, I emailed my husband while he had the day off last Tuesday.  I told him he would be the best husband ever if he removed the chair rail and border from our kitchen.  I didn't expect him to actually DO IT!  I thought I would get a sarcastic reply about it being his day off and so not happening!  Well imagine my surprise when I got a phone call at work saying he already had the chair rail off, but the border was being stubborn.  He made it sound like he wasn't going to finish because he had other stuff to do.  Remember, my son's party was THAT Saturday and I had 40+ people coming over!  Crap.

My mind was spinning at this time thinking about how I'd have to spend the evening getting the border off, picking out paint, painting during the evenings, sewing the curtains and faux roman shade, finishing my cedar plank sign and getting some finishing touches... all by Saturday.  When I got home my turkey off a husband had actually finished the WHOLE BORDER, along with patched the holes in the wall from the old fixtures and wall hangings!  Phew!  Yes, I still had a lot to do but it felt more managable with that out of the way....  Tuesday night I sewed up my yellow chevron curtain panels for the back sliding doors.  It took an hour and a half, but they turned out great.  The fabric came from Fabric.com and I LOVE it.

4 Link Party Wrap-Up

Phew!  I know I've missed the party wrap-up posts the last two weeks.  Things were a bit hectic so I hope you forgive me!  Now let's get into my favorite links for this week's parties.  And if you're featured today, feel free to grab a button!

{rumbbblllleeee} Know what that was?  My tummy!  It's making noise after looking at that delicious photo!
BLT's are one of my favorite foods and these BLT Pinwheels look delicious!  Head over to Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom for the recipe!

I love unique shelving ideas and this bathroom organizer is right up my alley!

Visit Artsy VaVa to see how she turned this regular shutter into a unique piece.

 I know my son would LOVE to receive this as a gift. Everything needed to make a fort whenever, where ever you want!  Stop by Celebrate Every Day with Me to learn how to make one.

You all know I love a good photo prop and this little pirate is the cutest!
Perfect for a pirate (or Mermaid) party!  Stop by Sugarsnips to find out how it!

GREAT DEAL ALERT:

Kim is a Marketing Director by day and Crafter/Blogger/Blog Designer by night. She lives with her husband, three beautiful children, and her dog and cat. You can also visit her design site, seven thirty three – – – creative blog design.  For even more seven thirty three fun, like her on Facebook or follow along via Twitter!

0 What are little boys made of? #121

Grab the button!

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Party Guidelines: 1) please link to your blog post (not your blog main page) so people can go directly to your project and 2) Enter your blog name and in parenthesis add the name of your project so we can clearly see what it is 3) Don't forget, these should be BOY RELATED (Big Boy projects are accepted too)! AND PLEASE grab my button!

13 Back-to-School Mini-Clipboard

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Astrobrights Papers by Neenah Paper. All opinions are 100% mine.

You've all been in a paper aisle at a store and had your eye immediately drawn to really bright, colorful paper, right?  I know I have!  And 99% of the time it is AstroBrights papers.  When I was looking for envelopes to mail out my daughters Little Einsteins Birthday Party invites and needed something BRIGHT and RED, Astrobrights envelopes are what I ended up with.  Talk about ATTENTION grabbers!  These brightly colored products will help get you noticed.

I was challenged by Astrobrights to create a Back-To-School craft using some of their colorful papers.  You know I can't pass up a good challenge... so today I am going to show you how to make a mini-clipboard to hold little notepaper or sticky pads, in this case I cut up the Astrobrights paper and made colorful notepads.

11 Sugar & Spice 120

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The party guidelines are: 1) please link to your blog post (not your blog main page) so people can go directly to your project 2) Don't forget, these should be GIRL RELATED (can be for us grown up girls too)! 3) AND PLEASE grab my button and add it to your post so that other crafty ladies can come join the fun.

8 It's an Army Birthday Party!

 

I'm pretty excited to share with you Mason's Army 5th Birthday Party!
I was so worried that this shin-dig wasn't going to happen.
Last Sunday/Monday my three children all had a NASTY stomach bug.  Luckily it only lasted 24 hours.  Unluckily, they went to daycare on Tuesday only to come home with a note that there were several confirmed cases of Coxsackie (hand, foot and mouth disease).  Panic set in at that point!
The next day?  My husband woke up with the same stomach bug and my daughter came home with a note from her day camp that they had a confirmed case of head lice.  Are you kidding me?
Oh wait, it gets better.  Friday morning rolls around and guess who wakes up with that nasty stomach bug?  ME!  UGH.  Thankfully Saturday found us all relatively healthy and we were able to enjoy the 90+ degree day (much of the time was spent in our pool!).

0 BabbaBox Giveaway Winner is...

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Yea Ashley! Check your email!

Kim is a Marketing Director by day and Crafter/Blogger/Blog Designer by night. She lives with her husband, three beautiful children, and her dog and cat. You can also visit her design site, seven thirty three – – – creative blog design.  For even more seven thirty three fun, like her on Facebook or follow along via Twitter!

2 Quality Eye Wear at an Affordable Price!

I am blind as a bat.  Literally.  I have worn glasses since age 9 and boy have the styles come along way in 20 years!  Although I typically wear contacts I do have two pairs of glasses that I wear at night.  If I wore glasses on a regular basis I think I would want to own several more pairs just so I could keep things fresh!  Of course for many people that isn't an option, but now with me introducing you to Firmoo, you just may be able to!  Firmoo offers stylish glasses at an affordable price!  Especially with their first-time customer program where eligible customers can get a FREE pair of glasses!  Can't go wrong with free, right?

 Lovely self-portrait while sitting shotgun in the car.  Isn't this a classic FB profile pic?

0 Party Feature: Back to School

I am currently prepping for my son's Army Party this afternoon.  We have 50+ people (big family, remember?) that will be joining us in celebrating his 5th birthday and I am ready to party!  Since today is party day I thought it would be fitting to share with you this really great, community service worthy party that Nancy from A to Zebra Celebrations sent to me.

0 Paper Cone Dolls by Mr Printables

I found, on Pinterest of course, these adorable Printable Paper Dolls by Mr. Printables and just HAD to share.  These are great for littler hands.  They are easy to dress and fun to play with - perfect for restaurants or hotel rooms, or in our case, camping.

5 What are little boys made of? #120

You'll definitely want to enter the BabbaBox giveaway if you have not already done so
{and have kids ages 3-6!}

Grab the button!

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Party Guidelines: 1) please link to your blog post (not your blog main page) so people can go directly to your project and 2) Enter your blog name and in parenthesis add the name of your project so we can clearly see what it is 3) Don't forget, these should be BOY RELATED (Big Boy projects are accepted too)! AND PLEASE grab my button!

9 Sugar & Spice #119

You'll definitely want to enter the BabbaBox giveaway if you have not already done so
{and have kids ages 3-6!}

 Grab the button!

Copy and paste into your blog.

<center><a href="http://733blog.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_yA_6K7ea4aE/S6130M3H_II/AAAAAAAABuI/Sl7dtOkX0C4/s320/SugarSpice.png" /></a></center>

The party guidelines are: 1) please link to your blog post (not your blog main page) so people can go directly to your project 2) Don't forget, these should be GIRL RELATED (can be for us grown up girls too)! 3) AND PLEASE grab my button and add it to your post so that other crafty ladies can come join the fun.

6 Creative Fun in a Box with a Giveaway!

I arrived home from work on a Thursday evening to find this fun colored green and brown BabbaBox on my door step.  I could not wait to open it, so the kids and I dropped our bags and did just that.

But first, what is a BabbaBox?

It is a monthly subscription box that is delivered to your home with ALL the physical materials plus know-how content to really engage with your kids. Encourages natural learning, as well as quality family time.

1 Hand Towel Art Smock Tutorial

I can't believe I'm typing this right now... but it is Mason's FIFTH birthday today. It really, really seems like only yesterday I was giving birth to him, rocking him, feeding him. He is such a sweet boy, and I can't wait to continue to watch him grow!

 My two young kids were in desperate need of aprons for when we craft, especially while camping.

We love to paint rocks and many of the campgrounds have arts and crafts hour and we ruined a shirt or two, you know, since there is no laundry and I didn't have any stain sticks.  I decided that the easiest way to create an art smock would be out of a hand towel.  I didn't have any extras on hand, so I stopped at Goodwill and picked up two microfiber ones for $2.50 each.  Using ribbon, velcro and my sewing machine I put together a very simple art smock.

2 Camera Cap Strap

I loved the camera cap strap that Mom4Real put together for her DSLR.I am always misplacing my lens cap.  I've even totally lost it and had to order a new one!  I'm forever looking around saying "do you seen my cap?"

I used the same method Jessica did - mod podge, hot glue and a lanyard clip.
I got to test it out this past weekend on our camping trip and it worked perfectly!  Love it!

Kim is a Marketing Director by day and Crafter/Blogger/Blog Designer by night. She lives with her husband, three beautiful children, and her dog and cat. You can also visit her design site, seven thirty three – – – creative blog design.  For even more seven thirty three fun, like her on Facebook or follow along via Twitter!

5 Did you know...

I wanted to share a few tips that I use in my everyday life to make things simpler, or to save a buck.

 I use to buy makeup removal pads at the grocery store at $7 a pop.  They were expensive and didn't last long.  One day my cousin noticed me using them and told me a little secret.  Shhhh, come closer... did you know that baby oil does THE SAME thing as the removal clothes?

Actually, it works better!  I picked up a generic small bottle at Price Chopper for $2!  I only wear eye makeup and a tinted moisturizer, but waterproof mascara is a bear to remove! A small dab of the baby oil onto a tissue wipes it clean every time.

2 What are little boys made of? #119

Don't forget to enter the Sears Gift Card Giveaway!

Grab the button!

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Party Guidelines: 1) please link to your blog post (not your blog main page) so people can go directly to your project and 2) Enter your blog name and in parenthesis add the name of your project so we can clearly see what it is 3) Don't forget, these should be BOY RELATED (Big Boy projects are accepted too)! AND PLEASE grab my button!

6 Sugar & Spice #118

Don't forget to enter the Sears Gift Card Giveaway!

To all of my American readers: I wish you a Happy Independence Day!

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Copy and paste into your blog.

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The party guidelines are: 1) please link to your blog post (not your blog main page) so people can go directly to your project 2) Don't forget, these should be GIRL RELATED (can be for us grown up girls too)! 3) AND PLEASE grab my button and add it to your post so that other crafty ladies can come join the fun.

My Backyard Oasis and a Giveaway from Sears

Summer is finally here and my family and I are spending more and more time in our backyard. We have made so many changes since moving into our home 6.5 years ago. It was basically a blank slate with a shed, a deck and a spattering of trees. The first change we made was to add a swing set for the kids. We also were not fans of the deck and since we knew we wanted to add a pool we decided to switch it up. We made it a DIY project and my husband spent about two weeks tearing the old one down and building the new deck with pool platform.

Before (sorry, this is the only image I could find of the old deck)!

2 Knit T-Shirt to Criss-Cross Headband

I've loved the criss-cross headbands that I've seen pinned from several different sources on Pinterest.

{don't you love my post workout glow? HAHA} I didn't haven't any knit fabric to make one out of, so I searched through our Goodwill pile for an old shirt.

I took this yellow tank (OK! So not technically a t-shirt, but same difference! - and obviously this was post cut) cut a strip towards the bottom.

It is now a circle.

I cut it in half along one seam to make one long piece.

Now you have your strip and you can follow Fine and Feathered's tutorial for how to put it on!

I also like to wear it without the criss-cross so it just looks like two strands.  Either way works and is comfy.

Kim is a Marketing Director by day and Crafter/Blogger/Blog Designer by night. She lives with her husband, three beautiful children, and her dog and cat. You can also visit her design site, seven thirty three – – – creative blog design.  For even more seven thirty three fun, like her on Facebook or follow along via Twitter!