NoteTrunk is a wonderful etsy shop that specializes in Custom Rubber Stamps, for Address, Wedding Invitations, Wedding Save the date, Housewarming Gifts and much more! NoteTrunk loves to combine old and vintage, with new and modern styles. Creating unique personalized stamps with a twist that will add a fresh look to all of your paper-goods. They offer both recycled Eco and Wood Handle mount stamps and convenient Self inking stampers.

Look at some of the beautiful designs they have to offer...

And that's just scratching the surface! There are pages and pages of NoteTrunk with all sorts of stamp designs. I love that you can just have a stamp and add your personal return address to any card or letter you send out! I always get so tired of hand-writing it or using the generic return address stickers I get from various organizations through the mail. Now you can have a beautiful stamp that reflects your personal style!

Today, NoteTrunk is giving away 2 $33 gift certificates! All you need to do to enter is visit Notetrunk and find your favorite stamp. Then come back and leave us a comment with which one it is. For a second entry you can like Notetrunk on Facebook. This giveaway will end on Tuesday, July 3rd at 11:59pm PT.

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Kiwi Crate is a great site that offers crates filled with fun craft activities for kids delivered right to your door! You can join and get a crate each month. The crate comes with everything you need to complete two fun projects with your kids. They are centered around a certain theme and are so fun!

I received a Kiwi Crate to try out the other day and I was excited because it was just what I needed for a fun summer activity for my boys. I particularly liked that everything was planned and organized already for me. Sometimes it can get quite tedious thinking up crafts and getting all the supplies for it, so it was such a great thing to have it all ready to go. This crate had a garden theme, so my boys got to make a hanging window garden, and plant pots.



Kiwi Crate was a really fun package to have delivered to our door to open up and have everything we needed for a fun activity.

This post is sponsored by Kiwi Crate. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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Yes, I'm in the middle of another move, so we're feeling lucky to have a great guest post from Selina of Creative Juices Decor to share some fabulous interior design tips! (Remember her canvas map tutorial?) I love her advice--and looking forward to using it in my new home soon!

Hi Little Birdies Secret Readers!

Today I’m coming from CreativeJuicesDecor (a.k.a Selina) as an interior designer that wanted to share some easy tips and tricks how to decorate and  change your place from drab to fab.   I promise if you follow these simple ideas you can really make a difference in how your home feels.

1.) ADD GREENERY! 

I understand that some folks can’t keep a plant alive for the life of them but there are some really nice faux plants out there too.  Sometimes they cost a lot – but they add so much to a room – definitely worth it. I just bought a beautiful palm tree for 35.00 at the thrift store (I was very lucky)  High end furniture stores I worked for sold these same trees for $250.00, but I’ve run across less expensive trees at home discount stores too.

2.) Create LAYERS and TEXTURE! 

An example would be a nice textured blanket (or fluffy sheep skin!) thrown across the edge of the sofa or chair. Prop layers of mirrors or frames against a wall, overlapping them slightly. Stacking books with a cool shaped vase on an end table or console table is great, see, now we’ve created dimension and layers!

    Pottery Barn

3.) Organize your open areas!

Organize open shelving or armoires with cute storage bins or baskets. It pulls the room together and what could have looked like a cluttered mess now looks like a trendy designer look! 

      Kissingthejoy blog

4.) Add ambient lighting!

Luminaires (lamps) add so much! Many of the luminaires I own I have fixed up from a thrift store and cost me under 10 bucks a piece. Even if you have to spend lots of money on a luminaire or torchiere (light the shines upward) it is worth it for the mood it sets off in your home.  Luminaire lighting is so much softer than overhead lights.  Also up light your plants for a real designer look! (plant up lights can be purchased at Home Depot or Lowes)

                                                         Thrift store lamp I bought and fixed up.  I also got the mirror second hand too.


5.) The Miracle of Mirrors.

Mirror’s are amazing!!  They can really give the illusion of more space and can lighten up an area immensely. Be sure plan a space for a big mirror – you’ll be so happy you did! 




6.) Everything should have a spot.

Have an organized spot for your “daily messes”. Find a nice wicker serving tray for the remotes on your table, and a fun iron mail organizer.  Believe me, this will really help with making your space look better.


7.) Fireplace holes.

Don’t let your fireplace become the black hole in “off” seasons.  Fill it with a collection of candle pillars or a woven basket or colorful pots.



8.)  ADD plates to your wall! 

This is also one of my favorites (along with #1).  It is just so simple and cheap!!!  It gives your space a big bang for your buck.



9.) First impressions count!!!

If you only have a small budget spend it on your entry.  Start by bringing in a small dresser, table or bench to create a focal point, then add accessories.  Place an umbrella stand or a tall vase next to the table/dresser to give it some dimension.  (see point 2)  Pretend you are a stranger and open your front door – what do you see, is there anything that grabs your attention? a focal point? something that looks pretty???  If not, pull some stuff around and make that great entry!




10) Adding art and how to place your art.

If your art seems to just float in a space move it closer to the sofa or table it’s hanging above.  The items should relate, not disconnect.  My personal rule of thumb is to hang pictures 8-10” above the top of whatever it is I am hanging it over. Need a big piece of art?  Combine a bunch of smaller frames next to each other to create a large wall collage.



Check out the post of my brother's BEFORE AND AFTER pictures where I implemented these tips all on a thrift store budget!  Or, do you need tips how to decorate the tops of your cabinets?  Just click the link and I'll show you how!

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Summer is here and my constant task is finding fun activities for my boys to do each day. Sometimes it's an art project, sometimes it's playing with friends, or at the park and sometimes it's a movie day!
Recently we went to Redbox and got Dino Dan: Dino Trackers/Ready? Set? Dino! and my boys loved it.

When looking for movies for my boys to watch, I like to pick something that will spark their imagination. Since this was a movie about dinosaurs I knew it would definitely hold their attention while also encouraging imagination. The boys watched it and then afterwards they began exploring around the house like they were tracking dinosaurs. It was so fun to watch. They put backpacks on and found a magnifying glass to hunt with. They also pulled out their dino pillow pets to pretend they found dinosaurs. They even discussed the different features of each dinosaur! I was so happy that not only did they watch a movie that they really enjoyed, but they spent a better part of the day using their imagination and playing together!

Ignite your child’s imagination this summer! Rent Dino Dan: Dino Trackers / Ready? Set? Dino! and other Family Fun movies & games from Redbox this summer and you could win one of three family vacations, including a trip for four to Toronto for a walk-on role in Dino Dan (if you rent before 7/8)! Official Sweepstakes Rules

3 Easy ways to enter!
1. Rent a participating movie or game at a Redbox kiosk before 8/27 and enter your email at check out. Click here for a complete list of participating titles
2. Reserve a Summer Family Fun title online
3. Go here to find out how to enter without renting

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Redbox. The opinions and text are all mine.

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Thanks for entering our comet spring cleaning giveaway. The giveaway has ended and we are excited to announce the lucky winner! The winner of a spring cleaning caddy filled with goodies from comet is...

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Have you already gotten all your spring cleaning done? I sure haven't. I have gotten some closets cleaned out and re-organized some things but as far as cleaning goes...well that's an everyday battle at my house.

Am I the only one who has stainless steel appliances that are constantly covered in kid fingerprints and smudges? Comet recently sent me some of their new stainless steel cleaners to try out and I was really excited to try them because I need a good stainless steel cleaner!

I really love the Comet Stainless Steel Spray. This was perfect for cleaning my dishwasher, oven, and fridge. It got the fingerprints off with no streaking! Winner.
 


Then they have a stainless steel powder which I used on my stainless steel sink and I don't think it has been that shiny and clean since it was brand new!

All the cleaners are really great and I am happy to have found some great products to use. Lucky for you, one of you has the chance to win some of these fabulous products from Comet! Look at this great cleaning caddy filled with goodies...

You can win all the cleaners, plus other great items like coupons and a gift card to buy more supplies! All you need to do is leave a comment telling us which cleaner you want to try the most from the new Comet Stainless Steel Cleaners. For a second entry you can share this giveaway on Facebook. Leave us a link to your post! This giveaway will end on Tuesday, June 26th at 11:59pm PT. Good Luck!

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I'm in the middle of packing for another cross-country move, so my summer crafts with the kids have had to be relatively simple. Like this twisted yarn necklace we made for Skip To My Lou's Craft Camp this week. I made one for myself and I actually wear it!

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Last week I shared this easy temporary tiered serving plate idea over at Make and Takes. I've been having lunch with different friends the last few weeks as we get ready to say goodbye to Iowa (has it been a year already?). Since all my cute serving plates are in storage in Seattle, I've gotten creative with my one set of everyday dishes I have here to make my presentation a little more interesting. After throwing down a piece of wrapping paper for a table runner, I made these tiered serving plates to hold cupcakes and cookies. Yeah, I totally forgot to photograph them with food on them. I even forgot to take pictures with my cute friends. That is just a perfect example of how my brain is working these days! Please forgive.

The reason I love these is that you can make these cake platters out of any dish you own, but it doesn't have to be permanent (like this upcycled cake platter and these cupcake stands I made). Check out the full tutorial over at Make and Takes and take some of the stress out of summer entertaining!

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#1) Spouse Subway Art {The Dating Divas} - Custom-make a subway art piece based ON your husband! This free site we found will help you do just that!
 #2) Luggage Handle Cover {Little Birdie Secrets} - A great "manly" gift for the guy who travels! This luggage handle cover is a quick and easy project, but one that will surely be appreciated by the dad in your life. Not only does it make his luggage handle more comfortable when lugging it through the airport, but it makes his bag easier to spot on the luggage carousel!
 #3) Best Daddy Ever Beans {The Letter 4} - This is so fun for the daddy who loves jelly beans! The printable provided renames the jelly bean jar "Best Daddy Ever Beans" and the flavors of each bean are replaced with a trait of daddy. ex. smart, caring, kind, etc.
#5) "All About You" Basket {The Dating Divas} - Who DOESN'T love to get compliments? Write down things you love about the man in your life & pair them with fun little presents to create the ULTIMATE "all about you" basket!  
#6)Father's Day Canvas Collage {Somewhat Simple} - A sweet and simple gift to Dad from the kiddos.  
#8) "My Pop Rocks!" {My Insanity} - This gift basket is so fun and easy to put together with free printables! Does your "pop" rock? Tell him with this pop-themed basket, featuring pop rocks, popcorn, soda pop and more!
 #9)Map O'Love {How Does She?} - Create a memory of your lives together using maps of where you have lived and the special moments that happened there...all in one special Map O'Love book. A beautiful, meaningful, personal gift.
#12)Father's Day Message Plaque {The Crafting Chicks} - A fun and simple gift where the kiddos can write love messages to their daddy. The best part is that it's dry erase vinyl, so the message can be changed every day!
 #13) Birthday Week Gifts 4 Him {The Dating Divas} - Originally a birthday post, these GREAT ideas for "manly" gifts would double perfectly for Father's Day!

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I was looking for a small table centerpiece recently and after searching around and either not finding anything I liked or not wanting to pay a ton of money, I decided to make my own! With just a few simple supplies from Plaid and Walmart, I was able to create a beautiful mason jar centerpiece that I just love!

Plaid sent me a box of supplies that Walmart is now carrying in a Plaid Crafts section of the store and I was excited to try the new items out on my centerpiece. I also bought a container of pint jars for my project.

So, here's how easy it is to make your own mason jar centerpiece. You can customize it however you want, and I think it would be so pretty to make several of them and line a long table in coordinating colors and patterns!

You need:
--acrylic paint or spray paint (depending on how you want to paint your jar)
--patterned paper
--pint jar
--mod podge
--twine or ribbon or other embellishments you choose
--flowers or other greenery you want in the jar
--optional: stencil, if you want that variation


1st, paint your jar. You can paint it by hand, you can spray paint it, whatever you do, just paint the jar. Pick a pretty color while you're at it. It might take several coats for the jar to have full coverage. These Plaid attachments that fit perfectly onto their paint bottles came in handy for me. Love it!

After I painted my mason jar (and it had dried!), I cut a strip of patterned paper and brushed mod podge onto the back of it.

Then I attached the paper around the mason jar and glued it together where it matched up.

After the paper was on the jar, I brushed over the paper with more mod podge so it would really flatten out and adhere to the jar.


After that had dried, I wanted to embellish my jar with a little twine ribbon wrapped around it.

Finally, I snipped some flowers out of my yard and added them to the jar. You could actually add soil and a plant to the jar if you wanted to keep it around for a while.


There it is. You have an easy, simple centerpiece. Now go make some more to give as a lovely house-warming gift, or for a dinner party or just to line a long table with.

I also made another version that had a monogram stencil on it. I received some stencils from Plaid, so I just used that along with the acrylic paint and the brush attachment. I painted the stencil right onto my patterned paper.

This would be such a great idea to give as a gift or if you wanted to personalize centerpieces for a wedding or other event.

For more fabulous craft ideas and for information on Plaid, visit Plaid on Facebook and Twitter.
I wrote this post as part of a paid campaign with Plaid Crafts and Blueprint Social. The opinions in this post are my own. 

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