Thursday, September 29, 2011

Ombre Trend - Inspiration Board

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Since I started my Etsy shop and this blog, I've become much more aware of fashion trends than I ever was before and I've learned terms I'd never even heard of. Let's face it, as a stay-at-home-mom, New York's Fashion Week is in no way going to affect my everyday life. But every once in awhile I come across a trend that I just love (even if I am late to the game) and this inspiration board is dedicated to my new favorite trend: ombre!

According to FabSugar, ombre comes from a French word and means "shaded." The ombre trend of late has been seen in nail polish, dresses, even hair. Here are a few amazing ombre finds from Etsy to inspire you!

Ombre Inspiration Board by Tricia @ SweeterThanSweets


(I'm pretty sure my sister had those shorts in the '80s and I was so jealous.)


Want DIY ombre? Check out these ombre tutorials!

Ombre Dying Feathers by (Indie) Pretty Projects
Ombre Dying Feathers by (Indie) Pretty Projects


Ruffle Shower Curtain by Elle Apparel
Ruffle Shower Curtain by Elle Apparel


Ombre Swirl Cake by Glorious Treats
Ombre Swirl Cake by Glorious Treats


How do you like your ombre?

Friday, September 23, 2011

The 15 Best Family-Friendly DIY Halloween Costumes for Adults


After getting a great response from my awesome readers on my posts featuring the Cutest DIY Kids' Halloween Costumes and Cutest Handmade Kids' Halloween Costumes on Etsy, I decided to pull together the best DIY adult costumes for you...

But then when I started searching, I realized what "adult Halloween costumes" usually means... trust me, it was hard to find wholesome grown-up costumes, especially for us ladies. So I did the work for you and I now present you with the 15 best family-friendly DIY costumes for adults!

Real Life Lichtenstein Comic Girl by M.A.C. Cosmetics
Real Life Lichtenstein Comic Girl by M.A.C. Cosmetics

Spider Web Mama and Baby by Martha Stewart
Spider Web Mama and Baby by Martha Stewart

Pregnant Skeleton and Matching Husband by Make It And Love It
Pregnant Skeleton and Matching Husband by Make It And Love It

No-Sew Jellyfish by Martha Stewart
No-Sew Jellyfish by Martha Stewart




Sock Monkey by HGTV
Sock Monkey by HGTV

No-Sew Bat Costume by Martha Stewart
No-Sew Bat Costume by Martha Stewart

Dino Man by My Li'l Pumpkin
Dino Man by My Li'l Pumpkin

Optimus Prime by dannyeurena
Optimus Prime by dannyeurena

Popeye by mikeasaurus
Popeye by mikeasaurus

Paparazzi by cockeyed

Toy Army Man by PUckstoppingPoke
Toy Army Man by PuckstoppingPoke

And now for the Best Family Costumes:

Incredibles Costume by Freshly Completed
The Incredibles by Freshly Completed

B.L.T. Sandwich by Parents
 B.L.T. Sandwich by Parents

S'mores Family by Disney's Family Fun
S'mores Family by Disney's Family Fun

Cop and Robbers by Living Locurto
Cop and Robbers by Living Locurto

It seems like this is turning into a blog series. How about DIY pet costumes next?

Monday, September 19, 2011

Deal-a-Day Sites: What do you think?

Do you love these Deal-a-Day sites that keep popping up? I love to check them out and they're quite addictive. My favorite one is Mamabargains:


MamaBargains was the first deal-a-day site I'd ever heard of and I've bought several things from them in the past few years. I recently became an affiliate of theirs (did you notice my first two ads in the sidebar?) because I just love MamaBargains!

Why do we like these deal-a-day sites so much?

I think it's because we are in the over-information age and these sites make life a bit more simple by just featuring one deal at a time. Ahhh, simplicity is so nice sometimes.

Here are a few more that I check regularly:

Zulily




I Love kidSTEALS.com
New Steal Daily - 9am MDT


I'm thinking that given the time of year, I need to start browsing deal-a-day sites for Christmas gift ideas!

What's your favorite deal-a-day site? Why do you like these sites?

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Winner of the MyMemories giveaway and a Coupon Code for $20 off!


Drumroll please... The winner of the MyMemories Digital Scrapbooking Software is:

 (Entries were numbered chronologically and additional entries that did not have separate comments were added to the end.)

Congratulations, Emily! I've emailed you to let you know you won! Please get back to me within 48 hours or I will draw a new winner.

*********************************************
Everyone else can get $10 off the MyMemories Suite v2 and a $10 coupon towards downloads:
 
Use Promo Code STMMMS63353 for $20 off your favorite MyMemories products!


*********************************************

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Last chance for the MyMemories Digital Scrapbooking Software Giveaway

Just a reminder that today is the last day to enter my giveaway for MyMemories Digital Scrapbooking Software--a $40 value!



And don't forget...
If you can't wait for the giveaway to end or you don't win, you can still get $10 off the MyMemories Suite v2 and a $10 coupon towards downloads: 

Use Promo Code STMMMS63353 for $20 off your favorite MyMemories products!



Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Emotional Animals Game: Teach Kids about Emotions

Just in case you missed my guest post over at Craftionary last week...

I'm sharing with you a tutorial and game that you can play with kids ages 2 through 6. (Older kids would probably enjoy it, too, especially helping teach the younger ones.) Young children tend to relate well to animals. So why not use animals to help teach kids about emotions in a charades-style game?


I graduated with my Master's degree in School Psychology 2 weeks before Little Sweets was born and I became a stay-at-home-mom. Now that she is 2 years old, I've been enjoying finding ways to help her learn to recognize and deal with her emotions.

The Emotional Animals Game is played by rolling the "dice" and acting out whatever you roll. Let's let Little Sweets show you how it's done:


Easy as that!

All you really need for this game is a permanent marker and two square solid-colored blocks from a set like this:


I painted two of Little Sweets' unfinished wood square blocks with some craft store paint, but that is totally optional.

Now you're going to want to pick out some emotions to write on one of your dice. There are four basic emotions, from which most other emotions come: mad, sad, happy and scared. Then there are plenty of other options for you to pick from. Just think about which feelings or states you'd want to teach your child(ren) about.


Next, pick six animals that are relatively easy to mimic. We chose: cat, dog, monkey, cow, mouse and elephant. (Elephant is a little harder than the others...maybe a bird would've been easier?)

Now let's see your best "silly dog"!


Hmmm, what would a scared elephant look like?


This game can also be taken a step further, depending on your child's readiness to explore emotions deeper. For instance, when Little Sweets acts out a mad animal, we can talk about the best ways to handle anger. Put it in terms of how an animal might react because, again, young children tend to relate well to animals.

I hope you and your kids enjoy playing this game and learning about emotions together!

Sunday, September 11, 2011

September 11, 2001

10 years ago today...

I was living alone in a new city, having just graduated from college and in the midst of planning our wedding. Life was about to begin for me, and then it changed for us all.

September 11th Printables
by Junk in their Trunk

Today, I'm remembering the fallen and praying for their families. Thank you to all who continue to serve our cities and our great country.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Cutest (Handmade) DIY Kids' Halloween Costumes

The other day I shared with you the Cutest (Handmade) Kids' Halloween Costumes on Etsy. and soon I'll be showing the best DIY family-friendly adult costumes. Today I'm sharing links to tutorials for the Cutest DIY Kid Halloween Costumes. Hope these cuties inspire you as much as they did me!

Peacock by creatively christy
Owl Costume by Finding My Aloha
Dragon Tails by Running with Scissors
Lego Indiana Jones Costume by niboras
Cinderella Dress by Make It and Love It
Ba Ba Black Sheep by iLoveToCreate
Tinkerbell Fairy Costume by Prudent Baby
Sock Monkey Baby by Grosgrain
Cotton Candy Costume by Craft with Confidence
Pink Owl Costume by Pure Joy Events
Veggies Costume by Better Homes & Gardens


Which one is your favorite?

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Teach Kids about Emotions: Guest Post at Craftionary

Today I'm guest posting over at Craftionary with a super easy tutorial to help teach your kids about emotions!


My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software Giveaway ($40 Value!)

{Update: Giveaway closed.}

Happy Tuesday! I have a new giveaway that I'm excited to share with you today.

It's MyMemories Digital Scrapbooking Software. One of my readers will win a free My Memories Suite v2--a $40 value!


I had the chance to try it out this past weekend and I made a few scrapbooking layouts from our trip to Wrightsville Beach

I have been wanting to scrapbook photos from last year's trip to the United Kingdom, but not wanting to get out all my supplies. This software will be the perfect way to finally get that album done!

The software also allows you to create Videos, Gift Tags, Photobooks, Calendars, join the Design Club (5 kits per month!), and if you love challenges and linky parties, you can share what you created on the MyMemories blog's weekly challenges.

If you can't wait for the giveaway to end or you don't win, you can still get $10 off the MyMemories Suite v2 and a $10 coupon towards downloads - Use Promo Code STMMMS63353 for $20 off your favorite MyMemories products!



How to Enter:
(up to 5 entries per person--leave a separate comment for each entry)
  • Check out MyMemories Suite and comment here telling us your favorite digital paper pack or layout (1 entry) 
  • Follow MyMemories on Facebook and/or Twitter and/or the MyMemories Blog (1 entry--If you already do, comment that you already do)
  • Follow my blog (1 entry--If you already do, comment that you already do)
    ***My Followers widget does not always show up, but it should be on the top right of the page--refresh your browser if it's not there***
  • Tweet or link on Facebook or your blog about this giveaway or my blog (1 entry)
  • Become a fan of SweeterThanSweets on Facebook (1 entry - If you already are, comment that you already are a fan)

Please make sure that I have access to your email address in your Blogger profile or in your comment so I can contact you if you win.

Giveaway ends Thursday, September 15th at 9:00 a.m. EST. Open to international entries. Winner will be chosen via random.org and will be emailed a code for a free download of the MyMemories Suite v2.

Good luck!

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Labor Day weekend

It's Labor Day weekend... time to get outside and have some fun!

This morning, we went to a little lake near our house. They have paddle boats, rope swings and slides into the lake, a swimming pool with a 2-story waterslide, a splash pad for the little ones and a lazy river.

Little Sweets surprised us by wanting to go down the big waterslide over and over again. She's usually very cautious but she loved the ride on our laps! I lounged a bit by the pool while my Sweets took Little Sweets in the pool. See them there by the yellow slide?


Since the lake and the pools were a bit retro (that's the nice way of putting it!), I decided to put some retro flair to our photos using the Instagram app. So fun and I think it's another thing I'm going to soon become obsessed with.

What are you doing this weekend?