Archive for July, 2013

Amy’s Notebook 07.31.13

Wednesday, July 31st, 2013

Vintage Door Outdoor Bar

Source: Infarrantly Creative

 

How amazing and cool would this beverage station made out of an old door look at your next outdoor get-together?

I absolutely LOVE this idea and list of 33 ways to ‘craft it forward! My favorite on the list? So many, but #27 is a great one.

It’s fresh basil season and I’m happy to find this list of 10 delicious ways to use a bunch of basil – yum!

This modern house tour is beautiful and inspiring – I’m loving the orange buffet!

Chocolate dipped frozen bananas sound just perfect right about now – especially with a sprinkling of chopped pistachio nuts.

As does this southwestern grilled sweet potato salad – doesn’t it seem like a wonderful change from regular potato salad?

 

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I hope you enjoyed this collection of gathered links to DIY crafts, food projects, and thrifty ways to spruce up your home. Nothing brings me more joy then to highlight other fabulous bloggers. Follow me on Pinterest for daily inspiration!

 

Book Review: Forever Interrupted

Tuesday, July 30th, 2013

Forever_Interrupted In the summer I am always looking for a good reading escape and I have found that with, “Forever Interrupted,” by Taylor Jenkins. It is a love story that has been forever interrupted when Elsie Porter meets her soul mate, gets married, and finds herself being widowed… all in six short months?

What complicates the story further though is that Elsie’s husband has never told his family about her and his mother is less-than-happy to find out that Ben had a wife that he had never told her about.

It would be an awfully short story though if it ended there and Reid beautifully weaves together the amazing love story of Elsie & Ben from the very beginning while flashing forward as Elsie struggles to move on and finds comfort in one of the most unlikely of people.

I would recommend this one for fans of Emily Giffin, our readers that loved, “Arranged,” as much as I did,  and for those who appreciated the love story of, “One Day.” I found myself both laughing, crying, and sometimes laughing and crying all at the same time.

I bet you read this one in just a couple of short days- it is a hard one to ever put down! I can’t wait to read more from this author!

MomAdvice Rating- 5 Stars out of 5 Stars

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If you are looking for a little reading inspiration, be sure to check our MomAdvice fan page for a weekly check-in on what everyone is reading each week on our Facebook Fan Page. I hope you will swing by on Fridays and share about the books you are working on or request recommendations with one another!

You can also follow me on GoodReads & Instagram for more reading inspiration!

Disclosure: The link provided is an affiliate link and is provided so you can locate the books quickly and easily. Feel free to order a book, but we encourage utilizing the library system and buying me a latte instead.  Then we both would be really happy and we could have our own little book club together! Wouldn’t that just be so much more lovely? Happy Reading!

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Apron Full of Giveaways 07.30.13

Tuesday, July 30th, 2013

red_poppies_apron

Source: Dot and Ann,  $32.00

 

Welcome to our Apron Full of Giveaways! I hope everyone is having a great week this week! As we do each week, here is our round-up of giveaways for our readers. We hope that this is beneficial to you and your family! Please let us know if you guys win anything- I love to hear the success stories!

Below are the contest links-if you are hosting a contest please link it up below. Sorry, we are not giving away the aprons just showcasing them! Please put your site name and then what type of contest you are hosting. For example, “MomAdvice (Kid’s Movies).”

Good luck to each of you!

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Crafting With Vinyl: The Best in Record Crafts

Monday, July 29th, 2013

Crafting_With_Vinyl_Records

I am so excited to share with you these fun ideas to try when crafting with vinyl records.

Today is all about the best in record crafts and things you can do with old or scratched records.

Did you know records are a mere quarter at our local Goodwill? Record crafts are a fun and frugal craft hobby to try!

 

Crafting With Vinyl: The Best in Record Crafts from MomAdvice.com. Crafting With Vinyl: The Best in Record Crafts from MomAdvice.com.

This winter to celebrate my birthday and the launch of my book, my amazing friends all pitched in for a record player and my first stack of vinyl for my birthday.

Since then, it has been my little weekly hobby while the kids are in school to head to the stacks of records at my store and spend an hour flipping through records to bring home to listen to over our evening meal.

At a mere quarter, it is easy to get a little carried away with my record collecting, but it has proven to be the perfect thrifty hobby for me.

There is nothing more fun than settling in with some of my favorite albums from my youth and hearing them on record, just like when I was a kid.

Records that are scratched can still get a great deal of love in your home and today I wanted to showcase some fun record craft ideas you could create for your home with these budget-friendly wonders!

 

 

Make a Wall Decal

Did you know that you can create, cut, and mold shapes with records to make a wall decal?
Me either, but I am so excited to try this amazing idea for decorating a wall as demonstrated in this easy DIY butterfly craft from Threadsence.
I am already imagining all the possibilities with this craft and think it would be a fun way to dress up a craft room wall or a fun addition to a teen/tween bedroom.

Decorate a Corner With Records

Records come in different sizes and I often see the smaller 7″ records available for purchase at our store.
Don’t overlook the overabundance of these tiny little powerhouses of music because they make the perfect size for tackling smaller crafts.
These tiny records are the perfect size for creating a cute hanging fixture to decorate a room.
I can picture this as a fun mobile in a trendy nursery or as a fun addition to a family game room.(Source Unknown)

Create a Side Table

If there is one thing I love, it is easy crafts and you can’t get any easier than grabbing your hot glue gun and attaching a record to a plant stand for a side table.
This little table would be adorable in any room or the perfect gift for the music lover in your life.
Scratched records make the perfect little resting place for your morning coffee and breathe new life into a tired piece of vinyl.

Craft a Cake Stand

I am all about turning anything that I can find from Goodwill into a cake stand. Remember these adorable board game cake stands I created for a party?
You can attach an inverted candlestick holder or martini glass for an easy stand for these.
These would be adorable at themed parties you are hosting or just a fun way to serve up retro food for an evening with friends.
Check out cake for the full scoop on this fun addition to a party.

Make a Clock

Wall clocks can be expensive, but a necessary addition to many rooms in your home.
That is why I love this easy DIY Vinyl Record Clock idea featured on Apartment Therapy.
Simply choose a record with a label that compliments the color of the room and use a few clock hardware pieces to create your own version for your wall.
Can’t you picture one of these adorable clocks in a dorm or teen/tween bedroom too?
I love it!

Make a Record Bowl

Looking to add a fun fluted bowl to your party table?
Just as was showcased in the wall decal craft that I talked about here, you can also shape and mold records into bowls to adorn your tables at parties.
This easy DIY requires no cutting of records, but simply a heating and shaping of them to create these adorable bowls.
I can picture popcorn, candy, or nuts as fun appetizers for a party.
Check out Prudent Baby for this easy record bowl tutorial.
Don’t forget that you will need a spot to store your new-to-you record collection!
I have fallen in love with this DIY Industrial Storage Cabinet on A Beautiful Mess for an adorable stand and place to display your favorite records.
It looks like the cabinets I have been eyeing online, but is made at a fraction of the price.

My collection has grown so much that I had to find a way to store all of my treasured vinyl in my house.

I found a storage ottoman at Target was the absolute perfect size for my collection and brought it home with me to store all of my new (to me) finds.

It makes hunting for a record much easier than sorting through the stacks in my cabinet and it also is fun for my friends to flip through when they want to grab a record they love.

 

Happy record crafting & hunting, friends!

 

This post contains affiliate links.

 

Don’t miss these other great ideas from MomAdvice.com:

 

DIY Roll-Up Puzzle Mat

 

 

DIY Bar Cart Tutorial

 

 

 

No-Sew DIY Blanket Scarves

 

 

DIY Slow Cooker Pumpkin Spice Candles

 

 

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Don’t Miss the Flourish Overstock Sale!

Thursday, July 25th, 2013

Overstock_Sale_2 Oh, Happy Day! The Flourish Boutique Overstock Sale starts up this weekend for all of my local friends. The sale takes place from Friday, July 26th-Sunday, July 28th. They will be open from 10AM-6PM on Friday & Saturday and 12PM-4PM on Sunday. 

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Overstock_Sale_4 I got the chance to sneak peek the sale last night and the deals are incredible. The entire lower level of the store has been transformed into a bargain shoppers delight. I ended up snagging this dress in both pink & white and black & white for a mere $22 each. Did I mention that it is lined and came with a really cute belt? Such a steal!

The Overstock items are marked down between 60-90% off their original price and there are many bargains to be had for less than $25! 

Flash Sale

Are you not local? No problem! The Online Flash Sale will take place ONLINE ONLY on Thursday August 1st. Join the Flourish FB Page and participate in their sale live from 7PM-10PM, with items selling in auction style format! 

Flourish_8 Thank you again to Flourish Boutique for being a valued supporter of MomAdvice and giving me the chance to preview their incredible sale! I hope you won’t miss it!  Happy shopping, friends!!

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Amy’s Notebook 07.24.13

Wednesday, July 24th, 2013

blackberry blondies

Source: Baking Bites

 

Blackberries are in season and these Blondies with blackberries added to the batter look incredible – who would’ve thought?

I think even frozen strawberries would work to make this Easy Strawberry Sorbet – and what a perfect dessert for a warm summer’s night.

I’m loving this fun vintagey Australian apartment full of retro furniture and things like pink flamingos. You’ve gotta check out the pink cuckoo clock!

Make your own reusable Peppermint Kitchen Clean-up Wipes, a quick and easy project that can save you time and money (not to mention producing less trash).

This beautiful diy Pottery Barn-knockoff seagrass style headboard was crafted from a $1 yard sale seagrass-type roller shade – love it!

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I hope you enjoyed this collection of gathered links to DIY crafts, food projects, and thrifty ways to spruce up your home. Nothing brings me more joy then to highlight other fabulous bloggers. Follow me on Pinterest for daily inspiration!

 

Apron Full of Giveaways 07.23.13

Tuesday, July 23rd, 2013

blue-gathered-apron

Source: Pretty Ditty,  $12.50 {pattern only}

 

Welcome to our Apron Full of Giveaways! I hope everyone is having a great week this week! As we do each week, here is our round-up of giveaways for our readers. We hope that this is beneficial to you and your family! Please let us know if you guys win anything- I love to hear the success stories!

Below are the contest links-if you are hosting a contest please link it up below. Sorry, we are not giving away the aprons just showcasing them! Please put your site name and then what type of contest you are hosting. For example, “MomAdvice (Kid’s Movies).”

Good luck to each of you!

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DIY Outdoor Chalkboard Door

Wednesday, July 17th, 2013

DIY Outdoor Chalkboard DoorWhat could be better than a fun summertime outdoor project? Today I want to showcase an easy DIY Outdoor Chalkboard Door that I created to entertain my kids in the summer months. This DIY chalkboard project that we created is one of my new favorite things in our backyard.  This project featured is in conjunction with my job as a Walmart Mom and all of the supplies can be found at your local Walmart store.

DIY Outdoor Chalkboard Door

Here is a picture of what our tired old door looked like on our outdoor shed. The neutral paint showed all of the dirt, debris, and water drip marks all over it. It was becoming an eye sore in our backyard. Instead of painting it with regular paint, I decided to transform this spot into a new backyard activity area and give the kids a spot to do their drawing outside.

For adult entertaining, this can double as a place to jot down a menu, create a welcome sign for your guests, or keep tally of game scores in a wild game of badminton.

We are crazy like that.

DIY Outdoor Chalkboard DoorSupplies List (if you buy everything it will be less than $25 in supplies!)

1- 30 ounce container of Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Paint in Black Finish (over in the painting supplies)

Soapy Water & Rag (for wiping down your door)

Painters Tape

Paint Roller

Paint Brush

Paint Tray/Liners

Directions

1. Clean your surface and let it dry. I wiped my door down with a grout brush and a pail of sudsy water and then rinsed it with our hose.

2. Tape off around your door handle to protect it from getting paint on it.

3. Pour your paint into your paint tray and begin applying your first coat with your paint roller. The paint will be dry to the touch within thirty minutes, but give it a full four hours before applying your second coat.

4. Add a second coat of paint and repeat with the same timing above, if you desire, to add a third coat.

5. Allow the door to dry for three whole days before beginning  your conditioning or writing on it.

6. Before writing on it, after three days time, condition the surface by rubbing the side of a piece of chalk on the surface and then erase.  I like to rub my chalk in one direction and then rub it in the opposite direction for good coverage. This  will leave a coat of chalk dust that will provide erasability. Your chalkboard can be wiped clean with a damp towel, but wait seven days after painting before wiping it down. Repeat the conditioning step after cleaning.

DIY Outdoor Chalkboard Door

DIY Outdoor Chalkboard Door

Give your kids some chalk and the chance to create their own welcome sign for your guests outdoors!  I hope your family loves this project as much as we do! The best part is the hours of enjoyment they get and the lack of dirt showing on my outdoor door in the backyard.

A win-win for both kids and parents!

If you loved this project, I just know that you will love these ideas for Chalkboard Fun & Outdoor Entertaining!

S’More Toppings Bar Party

DIY Chalkboard Conversation Bubble Cookie Jars

Dollar Store DIY Chalkboard Food Label Frames

DIY Lunchbox Creation Station

walmart_mom_disclaimer

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Amy’s Notebook 07.17.13

Wednesday, July 17th, 2013

Beach-Towel-Backpack

Source: Craftaholics Anonymous

 

Wouldn’t it be nice for your kids to carry their own towels and stuff to the beach or pool on their backs? Create one (or more!) of these cute beach towel backpacks and you’ll never have to hold their water bottle again…maybe!

This Woodland kid’s birthday party is seriously swoon-worthy.

If you’ve got a stash of colorful buttons, making up some adorable DIY button rings with your kids is a great way to use a few of them!

With all the grilling that comes with summertime, I’m thinking that having a list of 11 marinades made in minutes is a good thing – a very good thing.

If you love corn and tomato season, then you’ll love this list of 10 summer salads that all use a combination of these two vegetables!

amys_notebook

I hope you enjoyed this collection of gathered links to DIY crafts, food projects, and thrifty ways to spruce up your home. Nothing brings me more joy then to highlight other fabulous bloggers. Follow me on Pinterest for daily inspiration!

Apron Full of Giveaways 07.16.13

Tuesday, July 16th, 2013

reversable apron

Source: Walkerville Textiles,  $34.50

 

Welcome to our Apron Full of Giveaways! I hope everyone is having a great week this week! As we do each week, here is our round-up of giveaways for our readers. We hope that this is beneficial to you and your family! Please let us know if you guys win anything- I love to hear the success stories!

Below are the contest links-if you are hosting a contest please link it up below. Sorry, we are not giving away the aprons just showcasing them! Please put your site name and then what type of contest you are hosting. For example, “MomAdvice (Kid’s Movies).”

Good luck to each of you!

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