pinned it and did it - weekly board

All righty, I can check one more Pinterest pin off my 'to craft' list.  I love to reuse items I already have...it makes me feel so accomplished in having something new that I didn't have to pay for!

Today I have something that I am so excited to start using.  I love organization (my mom is chucking right now) I'm just not so good at keeping up with it!  I make a lot of lists and write things down.  So, I knew that this would be perfect for me.

One of my favorite parts of this craft is the price tag...absolutely nothing!  Here's how I did it...

pinned it and did it - pencil vase

My best friend is a teacher and there is no one I like making things for more than my BFF!  I found the perfect idea on Pinterest for a pencil vase and just HAD to whip one up.

This was so incredibly simple to make and really did not take much time at all.  What a great Teacher Appreciation gift, Christmas or even end of the year gift.

My favorite part of the project was the price...under $5!

Here's how I did it..

pinned it and did it - makeup brush storage

As I mentioned before, Pinterest is a HUGE addiction that I've fallen in to!  All  of the creative ideas and tips are unbelievable...I'm SO hooked.  I have gotten SO many great ideas for simple and inexpensive crafts and organization.  I also have found quite few pictures of some gorgeous clothes, bags, shoes and living spaces...being such a visual person I am pretty much in love.

Today I want to share with you an awesome organizational idea that I found on Pinterest.  It is a smart and simple way to store your makeup brushes.  Here's how I did it...

cupcake travels

Yesterday I shared with you my new favorite way to ice cupcakes.  Today I will share with you my new favorite way to package and transport those pretty babies.

I also got this idea from Pinterest and it just deepens my love for this sweet little site.

Simply take a clear plastic cup and drop the cupcake in it.  This keeps the cupcake from from tipping over and your beautiful creating from becoming a glob of yumminess.

I was asked by my co-workers 'how do I get it out?' more than once.  Simply turn the cup over and the cupcake will fall out.  The icing will have hardened a bit from being exposed to the air.  So, don't worry this should be a no-mess task!

I put the cupcakes in cups in a cute package also...

Foodie Friday: rose cupcakes

I had seen a post on Pinterest for how to make a rose cupcake...it seemed easier enough but I was still a wee bit skeptical.  I already had the star icing tip so I thought I might as well give it a try...and, boy was I impressed!

This is BY FAR the easiest way to ice a cupcake and gives the most impact...it has quite a 'wow factor'!

check it out

I haven't been blogging much lately.  With my new job, preparing for my husband to come home and car shopping I have been SUPER busy!  However, my husband is now home, I'm pretty well settled into my job and we found the most perfect car that ever was!

what I've been up to lately

I know I know I know...I haven't blogged in a while and, I apologize for that.  I recently started a new job and was working on a little project that I want to share with you today!

As I have told you in past posts I LOVE Lauren over at Piccadilly Pictures.  She did my wedding as well as the weddings of my friends and family.  Go on over to her page and check out some of her work...you'll probably fall in love too!

Well, this past weekend we met up in Orlando to do a wedding inspiration shoot.  I wanted to share with you the outcome of the shoot as well as write a short series on how to make some of the details I've included in the shoot.

Foodie Friday: oreo filled brownies

Yes, you read that title correctly...brownies filled with Oreo cookies!

I was going to a girls craft day of sorts with some ladies from our church and wanted to bring something tasty...and wanted to make something new.  I had already bought Oreo cookies thinking I would just make Oreo cheesecake cupcakes.  Instead, I jumped onto Pinterest and sought out a simple Oreo recipe.

This is what I came up with...

Foodie Friday: handheld breakfast

As you may or may not know...I'm in love with bacon.  I'm not joking...I'm addicted.  So, naturally I gravitated to all the recipes containing bacon on pinterest.  This week I made a handheld breakfast and it was quite tasty.

Here is how I did it...

Foodie Friday: one poppin' treat

It's been not even a week since I finished with my summer job (working at a youth camp) and I haven't had a day with nothing to do since.  I'm loving it...being productive is so much more fun that procrastinating.  Who would have thought?

Well, since I've been back I have been trying my hardest not to get sucked into Pinterest for hours on end...but, it's SOOO easy to do.  While I enjoying all the beautiful things and clever ideas I came across a few recipes I wanted to try.  I then realized how full my recipe pin  board was getting and decided that I didn't want to have a board full of recipes and not intent on making them all.  So, I've set a goal.  My goal is to make at least one new recipe a week.

I know that before this summer I was doing a 'Friday update' in which I updated you on changes in my house.  I've decided to tweak that a bit.  From now until eternity...I stop finding recipes I want to try every Friday will be Foodie Friday here on my blog!  Aren't you just so stinking excited?  I know, me too!

This week I want to start off with a quick and easy appetizer that I made and devoured rather quickly last night.  I made jalapeno bacon popper...minus the jalapenos and double bacon!  Here is how I did it

new obsessions

The past few weekends I have discovered my new obsessions...and I've got it bad.  One is called Pinterest, which is an online pin board of inspiration.  You can 'pin' images from all over the web (and if you get the app on your phone from anywhere) and organize them.  The images are linked to the site they came from, which comes in SO handy with tutorials!  The other is called Polyvore, you may have heard of it.  Polyvore is a site where you can make an inspiration board of sorts for fashion.  I am so stinkin' hooked on this one.  I accidentally posted a few sets yesterday...I love this site!

free money for school

Lately I've been thinking about going back to school.  The biggest and worst draw back is MONEY!  We don't have it...but would sure love some!  I registered on a scholarship finding site when I was in high school and just recently went back and updated my information to see what kind of funding would be available to me.  The site I use is called FastWeb and it is completely free.  All you do is sign up and put in some info then it searches the internet for scholarships which you quality for and lists them all in one place for you.  How much easier could it get?  Some scholarships are essay contests and other are simple entries.  You can choose which to enter and which to discard.  I applied for probably five or six scholarships in about a half hour this afternoon!  Now granted, I'm not expecting to win every single one of the scholarships I entered...though, I have a better chance now than if I had never entered.  It didn't cost me a thing and barely took any time...can't beat that!

2/50 Shoe Challenge - Platform Sandals

2/50 Shoe Challenge - Platform Sandals by mrspeluyera featuring cotton skirts

Vneck shirt
$7.99 - tillys.com

Wet Seal cotton skirt
$20 - wetseal.com

Diane von Furstenberg suede sandals
$99 - jildorshoes.com

Crossbody bag
$50 - topshop.com

David Aubrey south sea pearl necklace
$103 - maxandchloe.com

Forever21 beaded jewelry
$3.80 - forever21.com

1/50 Shoe Challenge - Pumps

1/50 Shoe Challenge - Pumps by mrspeluyera featuring leather jewelry

Chiffon cocktail dress
£30 - bankfashion.co.uk

Zara shoes
$100 - zara.com

Lanvin handbag
$1,350 - kirnazabete.com

Linea Pelle leather jewelry
$55 - zappos.com

life update

Well, summer is almost over and so is summer camp.  Which means I will be able to craft and blog more!  As much as I love working at camp I also miss my craft times!  I mentioned about my anniversary in some earlier posts, it was July 30th and my husband flew me out to California to see him!  Talk about an AWESOME first anniversary.  I haven't traveled much...at all so it was pretty much the most exciting thing ever! 

I flew into L.A. on a Friday afternoon and drove to where my husband is stationed, about an hour north west.  I felt like I was in a movie driving down the PCH!  The traffic was ridiculous but, it allowed me more time to enjoy the scenery.  I got to my husbands base and got settled in and we went to Santa Monica for a date night.  We spent the rest of the weekend thrift store and boutique browsing and just spending time together.  It was such a magnificent trip and the best way I could think of to spend my first anniversary.  We celebrated our actual anniversary on Saturday with a trip to a Japanese Steakhouse...our absolute favorite kind of restaurant EVER!  On Sunday we make eggs and toast and went to a Salsa festival then walked along the beach and grabbed some pizza.  Sunday night Matt had to head back to his dorms.  
Monday morning I woke up bright and early to see Matt one last time before he comes home in just under two months.  He was wearing his 'soldier clothes' (as I so lovingly call them) and it was so hard to say 'bye'!  Though, we're closer to the end than the beginning...he'll be home before we know it!  I flew back on Monday afternoon and arrived Monday night.  Tuesday morning I headed back to camp and there I stayed for the week.

Just one more week of camp left for me then I have to get a real job...booo!  However, I am excited about different opportunities and doors God is opening in my life and we are so excited to see what the next year of our live together holds (no, we aren't talking babies over here!) and where God will lead us!

gettin' scrappy

I shared with you yesterday my new completely free cut off shorts which I'm wearing right this very moment!  I can't wait to break 'em out while on the west coast...I'm probably going to pass or a California girl!

I promised you a little goody reveal using the scraps I had from my jeans...and here you are!

I simply cut a strip of denim from my left over leg bit and put that baby on my head.  I folded the strip over some and will probably wind up tacking it with a few stitches in a few places...or just cut the next strip narrower.

I clipped on a flower barrette I made a while back and there you go...one fine dandy!

free fashion refashion

I had this past week off from camp and got a chance to catch up on my magazine reading.  I then realized how badly I needed a pair of cut off jean shorts in my summer wardrobe.  Plus, I'm going to California this weekend to visit my husband and celebrate our one year wedding anniversary.  So...hello?  I'm going on vacation...I need new clothes.

Problem: less than no money in the 'Steph gets new clothes' fund.  Solution: rework some of what I got!

score some points

I just wanted to remind you of some websites I have suggested in the past.

First, My Points is a site that gives you points per dollar spent at common retailers.  Joining My Points is free and you can even ear points without purchasing a thing!  There are registrations you could sign up for, email click-thrus and even surveys to take.  Whenever I need to purchase something offline, I sign into my My Points account and search for the retailer on their site.  Once I find he retailer, I click through to the stores website and My Points is now able to track how much I spent at the store.  I am then rewarded with a certain number of points per dollar, each store has a different number of points.  Once I have accumulated points I can redeem them for gift cards!  If you remember a few months back I received $50 in gift cards, and all of that was from My Points!  I made money by buying things I was already planning on purchasing!

To join My Points you can simply register at the site or you can email me your name and email address and we both will receive an extra 750 points after you make your first purchase over $20!

Second is u.talk.back which, is a survey site.  You are emailed when surveys are available for you to take.  Once you complete the surveys you are rewarded with a predetermined amount of points.  Once you have accumulated enough points you can trade in your points for magazine subscriptions or gift cards.  Just last week I received my $50 gift card to Express after I traded in my points!

Third is My Survey and it is also a survey site.  Joining My Survey is free as well and you are emailed when surveys are available for you to take based on the information you provide (age, gender, location).  You then are rewarded points for completing the surveys and can trade them in for rewards whenever you like.  I joined My Survey not very long ago and have already been able to redeem some points for a $10 credit to Amazon (which my husband loved)!

To join, you can do so on your own through the site or, you can email me your name and email address and I will send you an invite with a direct link.

I just wanted to share with you these point earning opportunities that I have found online.  I know times are tough and money is tight, especially in our house.  By using these sites I've been able to 'make money' and it has helped us out!

get the picture part 2

I shared with you the new joy in my life that is my living room wall in a previous post.  I love how what I have turned out and I can't wait to add more and more pictures to the wall.

As I told you, I picked up some frames from thrift stores and ran into a few problems.  Two of the frames had no way of displaying or hanging them.  Weird, I know.  I was a wee bit confused as to how the manufacturer intended them to be used.  I also got two large frames that were meant to be hung vertically though, I needed one vertical and one horizontal.  The hanging hardware was a wire.  I grabbed my husbands power drill and solved these problems in a pinch!

get the picture

I'm still alive...in case you were wondering.  I've had a busy yet wonderful summer so far.  I've attended two beautiful weddings and worked six weeks at a youth camp.  I am gone all week at the camp and have been out of town a few of those weeks...my poor little apartment has been so empty!

However, I did manage to sneak in a little project last weekend while I was home.  I had forgotten my camera at camp, so the picture quality won't be so great.  You'll get the picture, though (pun COMPLETELY intended!)

I decided that I wanted to fill up the wall behind our sofa with pictures.  I have so many great pictures that I want to display...I just never did!

FREE PHOTO SHOOT

My friend Lauren, over at Piccadilly Pictures has a giveaway going on in honor of her new blog and website layouts.  Lauren is a fabulous photographer and a ton of fun.  She is giving away a photo session and all you have to do to enter is 'like' her Facebook page and send her a picture of you along with the type of photo session you would like it you win!!

wedded bliss weekend

Well, my best friend is now a married woman!  Yesterday she married her knight in shining armor at an American/Japanese wedding wonderland.  The wedding weekend started off with a rehearsal dinner (of course) where the bride and grooms family all wore traditional Japanese attire.  The grooms family flew in form Japan and brought with them the gorgeous outfits.  They even had an extra that I got to wear!

sweet summertime

Well, it's here folks...SUMMER!  Yay for beach days and pool time and vacations and all that jazz!  I will be having some extra fun this summer, I am working at a youth camp!  I'm so excited to work at camp again this summer.  I worked at this same camp two summers ago, it's actually where I first met my husband (but totally wasn't interested...funny story)!  I will be at the camp all week and home some weekends.  I've got a busy summer, two weddings and a one year wedding anniversary trip to Cali! I will most certainly blog when I can (oh, those weddings will for sure be documented on here, don't you worry!) about whatever.  I know this blog has turned a little bit more into a personal blog and I'm okay with that...as long as you are!  The posts may be a wee bit more personal than most of my previous posts.  Though, I pinky promise...if I complete a craft I will be sharing it with you!

I hope you have a magnificent summer full of fun and excitement!

jump on these deals...PRONTO

Once again, Groupon is offering some AWESOME deals!  First, they have the 5 one-night Blockbuster Express rentals for $2!  That's 3 rentals for FREE!  To find this deal, search for deals in Orlando.

Even better though, they are offering $20 worth of merchandise at Old Navy for $10!  Say what?  $10 to spend at Old Navy?  Yes, please!  Hurry though, this offer ends soon!!

To create an account head on over to Groupon.com and sign up.  It is super simple and totally FREE!  Groupon is a daily deal site that offers discounts up to 80% off in any area.  Once you have an account, set your city and state and you will be shown deals available in your area.  However, you can always buy deals from other areas.  Some offers are redeemable online, making them accessible to customers in any area.  The certificates (if that is what you bought) will be emailed to you to print out and use whenever you like.  You can also send these offers as gifts!

happy memorial day

I hope you are having a wonderful Memorial Day! 

 I'm at the beach with my parents, sisters and brother-in-law.

I'm so thankful for all those who have died fighting for my freedoms to do just that.  For those who have paid the price for our liberties and freedoms.

Thank you, a million times over.

holiday craft coupon bonanza

Yay for a holiday weekend!  I'm 'between jobs' (for real...I'm not trying to nicely say I'm looking for a job!) so every weekend is a three day weekend for me.  Actually, I worked Saturday through Wednesday for about a year so...I'm just now getting used to this whole weekend on the actual weekend thing.

What are your plans for this weekend?  Are you beach bound?  Catching up on housework? Spending time with kids?  Basking in the joy of summer?  I am headed to the beach with my family this holiday weekend.  Actually, my family went on this same vacation last year...and my older sister got engaged!  Who hoo!!  I wasn't with them...boo...so I will just have to celebrate their one year engage-aversary with them!  Whatever you are doing this weekend, I hope that you have a magnificent time while honoring the true reason behind memorial day, remembering and honoring those who have sacrificed so much for our freedoms.

coupons for life

I know I've blogged before about the daily coupon site Groupon, sharing with you some of the stupendous deals they offer.  This post today is about the same!

Groupon is ushering in summer with National Burger Weekend.  They are offering groupons (a printable coupon) for numerous burger joints across the country!  Most are for 50% off!  For instance, in Jacksonville Beach they are offering $20 worth of burgers, wings and more at Dick's Wings and Grill for only $10!  In the Orlando area they are offering $10 worth of food at Cheddar Jack's for only $5, $16 worth of food at Burger Bar for only $8 and more!

Now that I have your mouth watering and your wallet smiling, how do you even get a groupon?

trip of love - day four, last day

The day had come.  Our last day with my hubby.  It was Sunday morning and my husbands only request was that he didn't have to go to church on base.  As much as it was a blessing to have an 'escape' or sorts for some downtime each week, he missed our church terribly and told me so each week during our phone calls.

We picked him up, once again at 0900 (9:00 am) on the dot! We were unable to find a church that we felt comfortable attending within the limits that he was allowed to go in.  We emailed a few pastors from home who recommended some churches.  Though, we settled on going down to the Alamo and walking around downtown San Antonio with our parents.

trip of love - day three

After spending two days with my husband (the super handsome Airman) I was so blessed to get to spend a whole day off base with him.  He was able to leave base at 0900 (9:00 am) and he told us to be there early because he didn't want to have to wait!!  We were in the parking lot, I was hanging out of the door of our rental car at 8:50...ready to pick up my hubby!

We decided to head back to the hotel to hang out for a little bit.  Matt snacked on some more of the 'goodies' we brought him.  He really isn't a fan of pictures and especially not at 9:00 in the morning!  Though, he wasn't getting out of ANY pictures this weekend!

trip of love - day two

After day one of my trip to see my husband, I wasn't sure how much better it could get!  Then...we got to leave base!

We woke up early again and headed to the base.  We arrived on base and were bussed to the Parade Grounds where we waited for our Airmen.  Finally, the came out and the ceremonies began.  The flights marched across the bomb run (a long concrete path in front of the bleachers) and were introduced.  My husband's flight earned Honor Flight status, for earning the most points of all flights in his graduation week group.  Oh yeah, talk about one proud wifey!!

top it all off

Yesterday I showed you how I frosted the cupcakes for Leslie's bridal shower.  Today, I'm going to spill my secret for the toppers! 

I'm not even kidding you...this is the simplest thing EVER and we got so many compliments on them yet, I didn't feel the least bit guilty when it came time to throw them away! 

They were super inexpensive, too! SCORE!  We made about thirty of them in under twenty minutes.  DOUBLE SCORE!  We also had some supplies left over to use for the picture clips.  TRIPLE SCORE!  The total price of it all...under $7!  HOME RUN!!

What you need:
Toothpicks
Stickers, embellishments, scraps of paper
Scotch tape

trip of love - day one

As you know, this weekend I was in San Antonio to attend my husband's graduation from the Air Force Basic Military Training (BMT).  It was one of the absolute greatest experiences of my life...followed by one of the most heartbreaking goodbyes.

My parents and I met my mother-in-law in San Antonio on Wednesday night.  We hit up Wal-Mart, ate dinner and went to our hotel.  We woke up SUPER early the next morning...MORE than ready to set our eyes upon the man we had missed so bad for eight weeks.

icing on the (cup)cake

For Leslie's (my best friend) bridal shower I knew exactly what kind of cake we would have...cupcakes!  Want to get on Leslie's good side?  Bring her sunflowers, cupcakes and her fiance!

I decided that rather than buy the cupcakes (they NEVER taste very good anyways) I would make them!  Thank you Betty Crocker for your assistance both with the cake and the frosting.  If you have the time, energy or want-to to make cupcakes from scratch then more power to you...this girl wasn't about to make that kind of mess!

After I made the cupcakes I decided to frost them a wee bit fancier than I normally would...and I made toppers that were pretty much the cutest stinkin' thing ever.

blossoms above

Last summer, for my wedding I decided that I wanted to use tissue paper flowers as decorations.  I watched a tutorial online and whipped up about 20 or so with the help of my sister and mom.  They were SO easy to make and were so stinkin' cute when hung up!  I loved these simply and SO inexpensive decorations.  When it came time to plan my best friends bridal shower, I knew jut the thing for a fun POP of color!

off into the wild blue yonder

This picture says it all.

What a great day it was today with my husband...the Airman!

Can't wait to spend the rest of the weekend off base with him.

Thank you everyone who has prayed even a single prayer for Matt and I.

We're so blessed to have such wonderful people in out lives who care so much about us!

leavin' on a jet plane

All righty bloggies...if you've ready ANY of my posts in the past eight and a half weeks I am sure that you know about my husband.  He is in Basic Military Training (BMT) for the Air Force and guess what?  I am leaving on a jet plane this afternoon (though, I know exactly when I'll be back again) headed for San Antonio.  We will arrive tonight and then wake at the (butt) crack of dawn tomorrow to go see my sweet, sweet love!

I just wanted to share a little bit of the process with you...

set the table

For smaller scale parties (baby showers, bridal showers, anniversary parties) I always want to do something special...I mean, these aren't your everyday birthday party.  Though, as you know my goal is always to spend as little as possible without it looking like I did so!

When my bridesmaids and my mom threw my bridal shower last summer they invited me to help decorate the night before.  Some may see this as odd...I LOVED it.  Sitting at home knowing that they were decorating something and that I couldn't be a part of it would have KILLED me!!  They came up with an idea that I think is just absolutely genus!  I used this same idea in the decorating for my best friends bridal shower...trust me, you're going to LOVE it....and love the price tag!

Clipped On

My best friend, Leslie has a favorite flower...SUNFLOWERS!  However, I could not find any sunflowers that I liked enough to use as centerpieces.  I was quite stumped and honestly...panicked!  I knew that I needed something in the center of the tables, I just had no idea what.

Last summer, my bridesmaids (my older sister and Leslie) bought some glasses from Ikea that we used as vases for the centerpieces at both mine and my older sisters bridal showers.  I wanted to use the glasses but, once again could not find flowers to suit my fancy.  Then, about two days before the shower I had an idea...a great one, too!

I ran down to JoAnn's and picked up a package of 20 small dowel rods (wooden sticks) and a package of 24 mini clothes pins.  I stopped at Wal-Mart and got some super glue and black spray paint.  The total cost of my materials was under $10 and the outcome was quite dandy!

Showers of love

Finally!!  I can share with you all of the projects I've been working on for my best friends bridal shower!  My BFF is getting married in June and we threw her a sweet little shower today.  I just wanted to share with you some pictures from the party and give you a sneak peek at the projects I will be posting soon!  Enjoy!

happy happy birthday and more

Happy Birthday to...yours truly!! (that's me!!)  That's right...on this day twenty four years ago my parents birthed a perfect child!!  Ha ha ha ha...my mom is laughing out loud right now.  This year I am celebrating my birthday by whipping up some goodies for my best friend bridal shower, babysitting for my church and then heading down to Orlando.  Why to Orlando you ask?  Well, because IN ONE WEEK I WILL SEE MY HUSBAND!!!  Can you tell I'm excited?  One week from today I will FINALLY be able to wrap my arms around my one true love.  In case you don't know, he is in Basic Training for the Air Force and has been gone for two months.  I get one 15 minutes phone call a week and FINALLY got to see his face when the BMT Facebook page posted his flight photo.

$6 for 1 year of GLAMOUR

I don't know about you but I LOVE magazines.  I don't know why but, every time I get one in the mail I feel like I've hit the lottery.  My only problem is that I DO NOT like paying for them.  My husband would treat me every now and then when seeing me eyeball the magazine racks near the checkout at Wal-Mart.  It was sad!  He would say "do you want a magazine?'  I would respond "no, they cost too much...and I can just flip through them while you stand in line!"  His comeback: "please don't be so cheap...I will buy you a magazine!!

I follow some blogs who have posted about some free subscriptions and I am very proud to say that of the fiveour magazine I receive...I pay for only one, and that was less than $5!  However, today Groupon had a deal that I couldn't pass up.  They are offering a one year subscription to GLAMOUR magazine for just $6.  That is .50 an issue, I can deal with the cost.

To snag your subscription, head on over to Groupon and sign up for an account if you don't have one already.  Set your city and state to Jacksonville, Florida and click on the link for the $6 one year subscription to GLAMOUR.

double fail

I know I failed you with the whole Thrifty Thursday debacle...and here I am on Friday night failing you again.  Ooops!  I've been working on some things for a friends wedding and my best friends bridal shower so my house has taken back seat.  You should see the mess I've made...it's REALLY taken a back seat.

However, I promise you that I have some tricks up my sleeve to share with you.  I've got plans in the works for my living room wall and for my craft room and also that Mother's Day project I was telling you about yesterday.

Just to prove to you that I haven't been sitting around neglecting my faithful bloggies...here is a sneak peek of the little bitty tool I had to visit Home Depot three times in the past few days to finally find!

Now doesn't that look exciting?!

thrifty thursday #8

So, Thursday has come and gone and I've shared nothing with you!  I apologize or my failure.  I pinky promise that I have a project.  Well, I have most all the supplies...sort of.  I just need to exchange a drill bit at Home Depot tomorrow and then I can tackle this special Mother's Day gift I have in the works.

I guarantee you won't be disappointed with the outcome...unless i completely screw it up.

Hey, good intentions are better than no intentions...right?  Check back for the results of my project!

50% off LARGE prints and 1 FREE

Now through Saturday, May 7th you Walgreens is offering 50% off of poster prints.  These are prints 11x14 and larger.  I am ordering a few for the picture grouping I am planning for our living room wall.  The best part is you can order these prints from your computer and pick them up in store in just hours!  The normal price of one 11x14 enlargement is $10.  I am getting three of those puppies for just over $15!  Oooohhh yeaaaaah!!

Just head on over to Walgreens.com and upload your pictures.  Be sure they are high resolution photos so they will be clear when enlarged.  At check out use the code: MOMPOSTER for 50% off your entire order of poster size prints!

They are also offering a free 8x10 collage print when you use the code: FREECOLLAGE or code: FORMOM
That's right...two codes, which means two collages!

Be sure to order yours now, what a great Mother's Day gift idea!!

PIZZA GIVEAWAY!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of FRESCHETTA®. All opinions are 100% mine.

That's right, you read correctly.  I'm hosting my first ever giveaway and it is sponsored by new FRESCHETTA® Simply…Inspired™ pizza!  You could win a coupon for a FREE frozen FRESCHETTA® Simply…Inspired™ pizza AND a bamboo cutting board!

the 'everything stew' of appetizers

One night while sitting at home I decided I wasn't hungry enough for a whole meal...and didn't want to clean all the dishes that came with it.  I decided I would make something light and quick.  I had no idea what, though!  What I did know was that I had some specific cravings...cheese, bacon and crescent rolls.  So naturally, I decided to join the three and made a delicious little snack that I want to share with you!

Don't worry, I didn't eat ALL of them that night.  What was left my brother-in-law and two sister-in-laws heated up and ate.  They even said they were good...so it's not just me!!

I can't wait to have a party of get together so that I can whip up this little treat to share with more people!

Here's how I did it:

polish it off

Today I made a trip to Ulta (one of my all time favorite stores) and got 4 bottles of Ulta brand nail polish for just over $6!  What a steal!  I got a clear topcoat, Moody Blues (for my husbands military graduation. I didn't want to go all normal with just red), The Jungle Look (I'm totally in to teals and greens lately) and Goddess (for those days when I want to be dainty and girly).

Oh, and that is my parent's cute little doggie, Penny!

Here's how you can do the same:

friday update #8

Here we are, another weekend is beginning today!  Let's kick off this weekend with a Friday Update!  This week I have done some decorating in my guest bedroom.  Mostly because my mother-in-law and sister-in-law were in town and I wanted the room at least partly done when they came.  Now, this room isn't even remotely what the wheels spinning in my head say it could be.  Though, I'm not displeased with how it is coming along.

Come on in, put your feel up, sit a spell...just don't mess up my house!  I have more guests coming this weekend!

thrifty thursday #7

I wanted some art for my guest bedroom.  However, my funding was right at zero dollars and zero cents.  I wanted to get something on the walls before my Mother-in-law came this weekend.  I had to come up with something...and quick.

Finally, after much thought and deliberation a light bulb went off.  I stopped at Home Depot on my way home from church and got my supplies.  My total cost...NOTHING!  That's right, you read correctly; nothing.  No, I didn't get any discount...not even a five finger discount.

I did however, have to pay out for the frames for my project.  Though, I didn't mind paying for those because they are something that I can use and reuse.  Plus, I only spent $18 on the frames...doing a whole art project for under $20 is pretty good in my book.  Also, if you  had some old frames lying around the house you could always just spray paint them and get the same effect!  Your costs could be much lower than mine...you could WIN!

Here's how I did it:

shopping spree for free

I told you about a site called MyPoints not too long ago.  MyPoints is a site that awards you points for shopping online at common stores like Target, Kohl's, Vera Bradley and SO much more.  You rack up the points and then redeem them for gift cards that they mail directly to you!

I did some of my Christmas shopping through MyPoints, sent some Valentine gifts and even a birthday gift through the site.  Last week I traded in my points and my rewards came in the mail today! $50 in gift cards!  That's right, I simply bought things I already was going to purchase and took an occasional survey and was rewarded with a shopping spree for me!

Are you interested yet?  You should be!  I love this site and it's completely free!  To sign up simply visit www.MyPoints.com and create an account to being getting rewarded.  Though, if you'd  like extra points, email me (mrspeluyera@gmail.com) with your name and email address and I will 'invite' you to join.  When you join through that link both you and I will be rewarded an extra 750 points!

What are you waiting for?  Get your account started today and join me in a shopping spree for free!

hung up on organization

I showed you the changes to my craft room this past week on Friday update.  Now it's time to show you how I made that magnificent (not-so-)little memo board.

I knew I would need something that could house all of my inspiration and papers in my craft room.  I just wanted something that would be pretty and personalized to do it.  I knew right away that I would need a memo board of some type.  I have made memo boards before and they are SO simple.

The hardest part of this project was finding the right fabric...and frame, I'm quite picky about my frames!

Happy Easter!

What a beautiful day it was here in Orlando!  What a wonderful day for celebrating the resurrection of my Lord.  Just wanted to share with you some pictures of my day.

Here is my family after church.  I left room for my husband to be photo-shopped in!  Only 25 days until I get to go see him.

The Easter bunny even made a stop and dropped off some goodies for me!

My friend Bethany came with me this weekend.

My momma made one DELICIOUS Easter dinner for us!

She had yummy dessert, too.

I hope that all of you had just as wonderful of an Easter!