Friday Things - Washi Tape, Salsa, and Black Widow

I'm off work from today until Tuesday! Whoo hoo!! I love holiday weekends! Let's get this Friday started.
One. Like I said, I love holiday weekends. But let's remember WHY we have this glorious summer holiday. When Labor Day was first proposed back in the 1880s, it was to consist of a street parade to showcase "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community. Without those hardworking Americans that came before us, we wouldn't be where we are today. So, take a moment away from the barbeques, boat rides, and sleeping in to remember that this holiday is in remembrance of those who dedicated themselves to making our country better.
Two. Now, to change the tone completely, did you see the giveaway I'm co-hosting? I teamed up with 5 other bloggers to bring you the chance to win 1 of 6 awesome items! Enter now. 

Three. Watermelon Peach Salsa. This is my Paleo recipe find of the week, thanks to Pinterest. I'm definitely going to try making this very soon! 

{photo source: shugarysweets.com}
Four. Iggy Azalea's music is starting to grow on me. I'm liking her new song, Black Widow, with Rita Ora. Check out the video!

Five. Washi tape and the Whitney English Day Designer. Swoon. Organizing my day has never been more fun!

Enjoy your Labor Day weekend!! :-)
I'm linking up with:

The Grits Blog for Little Friday Link Up | Lauren Elizabeth for High Five for Friday

September Farm for Oh Hey Friday | Meet @ The Barre for Friday Favorites
XOXO Rebecca for That Friday Blog Hop | The Diary of a Real Housewife for Friday Favorites

Happy National Dog Day + Wake Up Wednesday Linky

Yesterday was National Dog Day. In honor of that, I'm photo dumping pictures of my fur-baby, Lily. Enjoy!

 Stalking the neighbors.

Naptime jazz paws.

Don't disturb.

More naptime.

Even more naptime.

Just look at those furry paws. 
Does your pet sleep in crazy positions like Lily?
Here's the Wake Up Wednesday Linky! Don't forget to add your link at the bottom! And enter the Rafflecopter giveaway!
Tweet #wakeupwednesdaylinky

               

Welcome to the 31st week of 

 Wake Up Wednesday "Linky" 

29 Blogs  -  1 Party

& 

 Giveaway

We are so excited to have you all party with us.

Thank you so much to all those who participate in our party.

Last week we had  395 awesome link ups!   

 Wake up and be happy, get excited and have fun with us! 

We want to be inspired, entertained, laugh and have a good time!

 The hop is hosted and posted on these different blogs! 

Your link will appear on the blogs of

 Sew Crafty Angel, Cuddlebug Cuties, 

God's Growing Garden,   A Peek Into My Paradise,

 Epic Mommy Adventures,  Natalie Loves Beauty,  Three Kids and a Fish, 

  A Kitchen Hoor,   Crafty Brooklyn Army Wife,   Row House Blog  

   Heidi's Wanderings, To Work With My Hands,   The Organized Dream,

 Far From Normal,   Mice in the Kitchen,   Relaxed Thairapy,   

Mandee- The Kitchen Wife,  Teach Inspire Love Raise,   Cristina's Beauty Box,   

 Organized Chaos,    Grow It Girl,    Grace and Gravy

  

 

Shelly - The Domestic Heart,      Julie - Homegrown State of Mind

Paris - My Big Fat Happy Life,   Linda - Crafts A La Mode,   

Lisa - Chronically Content,  Chelsea - Mommie and Wee

Interested in Co-Hosting Wake Up Wednesday?

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This weeks 

Featured Bloggers

adding nailhead trim to a wood table

from The Honeycomb Home

When furnishing our garage turned family room, I knew I wanted a round table with some chairs in there.  This way the room could double as extra dining space as well, or as desk space.  I had my eye on the Weston Crank Bistro table from Arhaus furniture for a while.

Painting Metal Chairs with Chalk Paint

from The Cookie Puzzle

I am not sure where I got them, but they have been painted many colors...here, you see them blue, with little red peaking through, with just a touch of rust too..beauties I tell you, beauties in the rough!

Poncho Shirt Tutorial

from So Much To Make

This idea for a poncho shirt has been swimming around in my brain for a while. I have a shirt from Charlotte Russe that is similar to these, but is not as long as I would like it to be. I looked at the basic construction of that shirt to come up with my plan for making these.  They are easy and fast to make, and oh-so versatile. I could see them with a cardigan over or a long sleeve under in the fall and winter. Enjoy! 

Slow Cooker: Beef and Broccoli Recipe

from Lou Lou Girls

This is hands down the best thing I have ever made in our married lives. I’m pretty sure my husband loved it more than anything else I have made. He is so sweet he will never say anything. But honestly try this out, it is delicious and super easy to make!!

Eating Peas

from  My Life As An Adventure

This is a picture of my sweet grand-daughter Emmaline after she experienced

 eating peas for the first time:

DIY Chain and Pearl Necklace 2

from Kolture Shoq

Remember this DIY Chain and Pearl Necklace I posted yesterday? Well, someone requested that I make her one. And I did. And it was awesome.

A Fantastic Flower Box

from Lovely Livings Blog

Today I’m sharing a fantastic flower box with you. On Saturday my niece Laura was married. Her wonderful reception was at a vineyard here in Connecticut.

It was held outside under a tent, that was exquisitely decorated! The weather was perfect for the occasion. It felt like an early fall evening. Everything was beautiful, especially the bride!

The Benefits of Olive Oil Castile Soap

from Giveaway 4 Mom

Natural Way Organics creates all-natural, organic products for hygiene and other purposes around the house. Not only can you safely wash your hair and entire body with Olive Oil Castile Soap.

Modern Dating Means Waiting to for a Man to Hunt For Me

from Divorced Kat

Waiting for him to ask for my number.

Waiting for him to use it.
Waiting for him to ask me out on a date.
Waiting for him to confirm said date.
Waiting for him to pick me up for said date.

D elicious Lemon Brownies

from Just A Mum

I love getting a bag of lemons given to me, our wee tree is getting there but only have 3 lemons from it so far! The next decision is what to make with them. A few months ago Pinterest was full of Lemon Brownie recipes, I was intrigued - I am a little slow on the uptake but I finally made them today and they are delicious! Lovely lemony smell filling the house and a lovely fresh alternative to our decadent chocolate brownie you will find elsewhere on my blog.

Tool Caddy Magazine Holder

from Our Crafty Mom

Years ago I found this awesome wood caddy at an antique store. It was stained a dark wood & I refinished it in burgundy to go in my guest bathroom to hold magazines. 

Favorite Summer Makeup

from My Life Well Lived

Alabama heat is no joke! It has felt like spring for most of the summer, but now that the true to

 form humidity and soaring temperatures are coming to fruition, it’s the perfect time to 

showcase my Favorite Summer Makeup. These products have been my saving grace this summer for some color and to cover any unwanted blemishes.

Faux Leather Base Tote Bag

from Let's Make It Lovely

Hello my lovely friends, today lets climb one more step on sewing ladder and make a Tote bag with faux leather base. Are you as excited as I am? Then, lets do it!!! This post looks too lengthy because of explanation, but trust me its super simple to sew it.

Zucchini Salsa Verde--Canned or Refrigerated

from So Much To Make

You go one morning to check the garden for any ripe produce. There's a zucchini there that is still a bit puny, but should be ready by the next day. You forget to check in the morning, but remember and look after dinner. It has gone from the size of a hot-dog to the size of your arm in less than 2 days! Yikes! What are you going to do with all that zucchini?!

Plum Tart

from Make Mine Lemon

I had peaches on my shopping list, because it is peach season. However, the ones I found did not look fresh or ripe, and had no smell to them. I am not sure what that is all about, but like a store-bought tomatoes there was no flavor. So what to do? I went through the market sniffing fruit. The plums I could smell and looked inviting so I brought home enough make a plum tart.

The Best Homemade Café Frappé Recipe – 

Low-Sugar, Rich & Creamy!

from Roxy's Kitchen

I’ve said this before, I’m not a big fan of coffee – with one exception though, frappes! They were very popular during my high school years back home in Romania (15 years ago!), especially during the summer time. This is when I pretty much fell in love with this delicious iced coffee drink. 

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Link up your funny stories, DIY posts, crafts, decorating, fashion, makeup, health & fitness, recipes, mommy moments -- anything at all, as long as it is family-friendly.


Please visit some other bloggers and make some new friends and say hello to old friends..

• Please leave me a comment , I love to hear from you.
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Adding your link to this blog hop gives Sew Crafty Angel permission to share your posts and pictures via social media and as features on Sew Crafty Angel And Co-Hosts.  Note- All features on Sew Crafty Angel And Co-Hosts will be linked back to the original source .Social media features are linked back to the linky party.

Angel

An InLinkz Link-up

Ten on Tuesday - Award Show Edition

It's finally Tuesday! Yay! Since the MTV Video Music Awards were on Sunday night and the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards were held last night, I thought I'd base my Ten on Tuesday post about those award shows. Here it goes:
1. Twerking. I was hoping that Twerking would be cut from this year's VMAs, because no one wants to relive that debaucle that was Miley Cirus last year. Well, within the first 10 minutes of the VMAs, there was some twerking. However, if you have a butt like Nicki Minaj, I believe you're allowed to twerk, a little. It was a bit more tasteful, with her cheeks painted at least, so she wasn't bearing all. But it was still a bit risque. Maybe next year will be the end of twerking altogether. Here's hoping.

{photo source: billboard.com}
2. Taylor Swift. I'm just so confused. I liked you better as a Country artist. Why do you want to sing Pop music? She performed her new song, Shake it Off, with a Great Gatsby theme. Although, this new song is super catchy, I like the old Taylor better. But, here's the video to her new song. If I have to have this song stuck in my head, so do you. :-)

3. Kim Kardashian West. I could've gone without seeing her boobs on display, but I'm LOVING her shorter hair.

{photo source: celebrity.yahoo.com}

4. Beyonce is in fact, a real, live person. She actually cried when Jay-Z brought her daughter Blue Ivy on stage. She won a well-deserved Video Vanguard award. 

{photo source: mashable.com}
5. OITNB. Can you believe that on the left is Crazy Eyes? Yeah. Hard to believe. Uzo Aduba, Taylor Schilling, and Laverne Cox clean up nicely, compared to their trapped-in-prison characters.

{photo source: perezhilton.com}
6. Breaking Bad stole the whole Emmy show. Bryan Cranston won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama, Aaron Paul won Best Supporting Actor, Anna Gunn won Best Supporting Actress in a Drama, and there was a lot of writing/directing awards given as well, including Best Drama. Why did Breaking Bad have to end?? By the way, I loved Anna's makeup. It was so minimal, but stunning.

{photo source: cnn.com}
7. The Bromance Award goes to ... Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey. Have you ever seen their show True Detective? It was nominated for several awards, so it must be good.

{photo source: popsugar.com)
8. This happened. Bryan Cranston and Julia Louis-Dreyfus reenacted a scene from Seinfield when Julia won her Best Actress in a Comedy Series award for Veep.  
{Gif source: perezhilton.com}
9. Chris Hardwick explained a very important grammar mistake while talking about Internet trolls. THANK YOU! (Side note: I have no idea who he was before this. Lol)
{source: perezhilton.com}
10. My pick for best dressed: Amy Poehler. She looked phenomenal in silver. 

{photo source: eonline.com}
Did you watch the MTV VMAs or Emmys?
I'm linking up with: Weekly Wrap Up | Ten on Tuesday

Ribbon Chix + Giveaway!

Happy Monday out there! My weekend flew by again and just seemed too short, but alas, the weekend is never long enough. Give me all the coffee.
Today, I'd like to talk a little about my favorite local boutique, Ribbon Chix, and share a new group giveaway! Ribbon Chix is located in Murray, Ky., about 45 minutes from where I live. It's the most adorable boutique and they provide the cutest of the cute in clothing, shoes and accessories. They carry brands such as Toms, BedStu, Big Star, Free People, Dingo boots, Minnetonka Moccasins, Lenny and Eva, and my favorite Bourbon and Boweties bangles! Just look at some of their new fall arrivals!

{Photos from Ribbon Chix} I've shared my love of Ribbon Chix in this post, where I showed off a new shirt from there and some Bourbon and Bowties bangles. 

Also, in this post, about my trip to a winery with some gal pals, I wore a maxi dress from none other than Ribbon Chix. :-) 

What I love most about this boutique is that their gift cards can be used to shop online! So when Morgan from the Truelife of KMK suggested a local giveaway, I knew I had to add a Ribbon Chix gift card to it! 
I joined five other bloggers to bring you a "local" giveaway, where we all selected something from our hometowns to give to you. There will be six winners. Be sure to follow the other lovely hosts and check out what they are giving away too! Enter now!

1: Scarf and earrings from Francesca's 

2: "Dontcha know" magnet, Aubrey raspberry lip balm, Kind bar, Cinnamon, Orange poppy soap bar, Umbrella earrings, Hand-painted feather arrow adjustable ring

3: $20 giftcard to online boutique- Ribbon Chix

4: Scarf and earrings from Retrospect Boutique in Fortworth, Texas

5: Assortment of healthy snacks and makeup

6: Captain Planet Necklace from Vestique Boutique (found here)

Morgan // Hannah // Julie //  Ashley // Amanda // Chastity a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck!
How do you get through rough Mondays?
I'm linking up with: Mix it Mondays | Mingle Monday | Let it Shine 

July Favorites

Boy, August sure came up quick and it's already almost halfway over. Where did the time go? Today I finally had a chance to link up with Mia @ Make Me Up Mia and Kelli @  A Deeper Joy for their Monthly Faves link up.
So I'm throwing it back to July for this Thursday, and sharing some of my favorite things.

1. and 2. bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Speak Your Mind and Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in Show Off. I love this pink combo! I'm not really a lipstick/lipgloss wearer, but I tried this combo out, and love it! The only downside is that they have a bit of gluten in them (Yes! Lipstick and lipglosses sometime contain gluten!). So I only wear these occasionally. The lipstick stays on forever, and the lipgloss has an added touch of minty/refreshing feeling to it, which I love.
3. Foodie Penpals. I participated in The Lean Green Bean's Foodie Penpals in July and it was so much fun! I had a blast selecting items to send to my penpal, and I loved all of the food items I received. Check out my review here.

4. The Bachelorette. I was glued to my TV for every episode of Andi's season. Loved it. So glad she found love at the end. :-)
5. Pool time. I got to spend some much-needed pool time with my gal pals in July. 
6. Kombucha. I learned how to brew my own and I sure brewed a whole bunch in July. I'm addicted. Here's my tutorial on how to brew your own.
7. Essie Big Spender. I love this pink raspberry color. It's great for a summer-to-fall transition. I wore it for most of July.
8. I purchased my first pair of Corkys flip-flops! They are unbelievably comfortable and super cute! The footbed is super wide, so I feel like my toes can really spread out. And these particular Corkys are on major sale right now.
9. Last, but definitely not least, Josie Maran Argan Milk. This stuff is AMAZING. It feels so wonderful on my face, and gives me nongreasy hydration, which was perfect for the hot month of July. I love all of Josie Maran's products, but this stuff is my favorite.

My beauty essentials from July.
Link ups:

3 Southern Gals TBT Link Party | Treat Yo'Self Thursday | The Hump Day Blog Hop

Thanks for reading!