I saw this Martha Stewart enamel paint in the jewelry aisle at Michael's the other day and wondered what it was. Then I saw they are featuring it in the January/February 2014 issue of Martha Stewart Living, which you can find on newsstands now. These are a few examples of brass jewelry painted with Martha's new paints. Check out the full article online for more ideas, links to buy the jewelry blanks, and full instructions. These would make fun Valentine's gifts!

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Here's a round-up of 30 of Little Birdie Secrets' favorite Valentine's Day projects, crafts, decor, packaging, recipes, and more! Enjoy!

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Sweet Coconut Chex Mix. I'm not gonna lie--you will hate me for sharing this recipe with you. But I must. My sister-in-law made it at Christmastime and I was hooked. That's why it has been affectionately named "Christmas Crack." You will become addicted. No matter how much your brain tells you to stop eating it, your body will tell you to keep eating. And you will obey.

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Thanks to everyone who entered our Mimi Lou Jewelry giveaway! The winner is. . .

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My new year's resolutions to get more sleep and enjoy more time with my family are going splendidly I'm happy to report. It leaves less time for blogging, but hopefully you won't hold it against me.

As a little peace offering, we have a fabulous giveaway for you! I recently purchased some handmade jewelry from a fabulous new Etsy shop called Mimi Lou Jewelry. I loved this dyed turquoise initial charm bracelet and this fun anchor bracelet and had to have them for an upcoming cruise. They'll be perfect for the warm shores of the Caribbean. Miriam, the cute shop owner who has been creating jewelry since kindergarten, is offering our readers a giveaway and a generous coupon code!

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This post is part of a sponsored campaign with Dollar Tree and Blueprint Social. All opinions are my own.

Have you heard about the Dollar Tree Value Seekers Club? It is a club full of crafts, recipes, décor, tips, contests, insider information, frugal fun ideas, and more! I recently signed up on the Dollar Tree website and I love it. There are so many fun project ideas and great inspiration for holiday gift ideas that are very simple and inexpensive to make. Membership is free and the content changes each month so there are always new, great ideas to try. The project sheets can be saved or printed which is perfect so that you can take it to the store as a shopping list and also have the instructions right at your fingertips when you begin your project!

I saw the White Chocolate Peppermint Pretzels Recipe and knew it would make the perfect project to make with my kids and deliver to some of our friends for the holiday season. I am a total sucker for chocolate covered pretzels, so I am sure a few of these treats will stay right at home with me!

This project was so simple and inexpensive to make. My favorite part about the Dollar Tree Value Seekers Club is that you can buy all the supplies or ingredients you need at Dollar Tree, which saves so much money! I know we are all looking to save money at the holidays and find great gifts that we can make without breaking the bank. I picked up all the supplies I needed and got to work with my dipping!

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This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Barilla, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #JoytotheTable http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.

I know it is the busiest time of year and I try to do anything I can to simply! Today I want to share a great recipe for bulk pasta sauce that you can prepare in advance and freeze, as well as some cheesy tortellini that is super simple and can help you get a meal on the table in no time when life is really hectic.

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It's the middle of December already and I barely have time to breathe let alone create handmade gifts for the people on my list. But this is one crocheted item that you can crank out in no time at all: The Crochet Chain Necklace. Not only that, it is absolutely the EASIEST crocheted item you will ever make. It is literally the most beginner pattern you can find (if you can really call it a pattern). In fact, this is an awesome way to practice making crochet chains before you start learning real stitches.

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This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Cottonelle, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #CottonelleHoliday http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.

Two weeks until Christmas! I am super excited but there is still a lot of prep work to be done at my home. There are treats to be made, gifts to be mailed and my house to clean. I always love to get my house really clean before Christmas so that I can just sit back and enjoy the holiday and not feel stressed about my home being in disarray.

One thing that's for sure, is there are always a lot of people coming and going at my home for the holidays. We usually have guests, and visitors all throughout the holiday season. Does anyone else find that you are constantly trying to keep your bathrooms cleaned and toilet paper filled? Honestly, I am in a house with three boys and I feel like all I do is put new toilet paper rolls on and when we have guests it is even more true!

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This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and WE’VE Built but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #GiftaStory http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO


I am really excited to share with you a great website that I have just discovered that I think is so wonderful! It is called WE'VE Built. Beauty of craft meets power of story.

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How To Create a Tablescape

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My boys love to read! That makes me so happy because I love reading and I know it is such an important part of learning and development. Having a 9 year old boy, I have learned that it can be hard to find fun books for his age that he can get enthralled in and that will challenge him (his perspective, his vocabulary, his reading level, etc).

I was excited when I heard about Travels with Gannon & Wyatt. Travels with Gannon & Wyatt is a middle school adventure book series that takes children to exotic locations around the world. Each novel entertains through fun tales of exploration, while promoting an understanding of world geography, cultures and wildlife. I knew my 9 year old would love this! He loves adventure and I knew it would be so neat for him to learn about different places and cultures.

There are three books in the Travels with Gannon & Wyatt series. Botswana, Great Bear Rainforest, and Egypt (to be released in January 2014). The first book is Botswana and my son loved it! When Gannon and Wyatt travel to Botswana for an African safari, they hear that a poacher has shot and wounded a lioness. They set off into the wild in the hopes of saving the mother and her cubs before the poacher finishes the job.

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 This post is sponsored and written as part of a campaign with Michaels, but all opinions are my own.

Remember how I told you I was a part of Michaels dream tree challenge this year? I promised you I would reveal my tree on November 1st. Well, guess what folks? It's November 1st! That came along faster than I anticipated but that seems to happen to me quite often. Well, it has been like Santa's workshop over here and I am excited to share my tree with you.

Michaels sent me a pre-lit tree so the first task was unboxing it, setting it up and making sure the lights all worked. That's my least favorite part about decorating a tree so I had my little elf (actually big) help me. He's always willing to do the dirty work for me.

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My favorite part about Halloween this year was my front porch. All the color made me so happy! I stole the Ikea orange and white polka dot rug idea from cute Jen at Tatertots & Jello, and the wagon full of pumpkins from Miss Sassy herself, Tausha at Sassy Style Redesign. Thanks for the inspiration, ladies! If you don't already follow them on Instagram, you should.

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This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Kleenex but all my opinions are my own. #KleenexAllergy #pmedia http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

I have a home filled with people suffering with allergies--big and small. My son suffers from asthma and last year we decided to have him allergy tested so we could know exactly which pollens trigger his asthma. Well...the poor guy was allergic to EVERY single weed and grass he was tested for. Man, that's the pits! My husband also suffers from allergies but not as severely as my son, at least not now that he is an adult.

I have learned over the years to put up a good defense against these allergens because I just don't want my poor family suffering more than they have to! I have allergy medicine constantly stocked in my cabinet and I make sure to keep my son away from freshly mowed grass and other weeds when they are really circulating outside. But one of my biggest defenses...Kleenex. The truth of the matter is that you just can't avoid allergens all the time. Especially with kids who love to run and play and be outdoors! I don't want to miss out on fun family memories at such fun times of the year because I am worried about allergies. So I keep my Kleenex close at hand and we don't have to!

I have Kleenex all over my house. Let's be honest. When you feel a sneeze coming on, you need some Kleenex very nearby, otherwise all that junk is ending up in your sleeve or on your hand. Kleenex has such nice patterned boxes that I don't feel bad keeping it around my home and it is so gentle on those little runny noses.

The Kleenex pocket packs are my best friend. I carry them everywhere I go. Seriously. Ok, I will prove it. Look inside my purse.


I didn't just put those in there for your benefit. I actually caught a friend peaking in my purse one time and when I asked her what she was looking for she said, "I just wanted to see just how many Kleenex packages you had in there!" After several kids sneezing, having runny noses, and watery eyes, I just learned it is best to keep these in my purse all the time. They are a real lifesaver. The adorable patterns don't hurt anything either.

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