The Found and Fabulous Mobile Boutique Truck

Not that I needed something else to add to my list of strangely fun and offbeat ventures, but two and a half months ago I decided to buy an old laundry truck and transform it into a mobile boutique. Owning a mobile boutique has been a little pipe dream for me since I first encountered the concept on a trip to Seattle in 2012. Since I apparently have some weird innate ability to find the most random projects ever and focus on them until they become a reality, building out a mobile boutique was right in my wheelhouse.

I decided to merchandise LuLaRoe brand clothing because it is super fun and unique, but mostly because I didn’t want to have to deal with all the other work involved in finding multiple wholesale dealers with products I love. What started as a side project that was purely for my entertainment and a way to get out and meet new people has quickly taken on a life of its own. LuLaRoe is very new to my area and I’ve been enjoying sharing it with people, but I had no idea how popular it would be. I’m attempting to limit my “Pop Up” event bookings to two nights a week and one weekend event a month, but there is so much more potential. I’ve got other projects going on that need some attention, so I’m forcing myself to avoid over committing to events.

I am very fortunate to be able to choose what I do with my time and financial gain was never a primary goal of owning a fashion truck. It was about the experience (and hopefully breaking even on the money that I had invested.) I never expected LuLaRoe to be a profitable venture, but it has definitely surprised me. I just sold the equivalent of a month’s take home pay (when I was a public school teacher) in two days. I’m sharing this because while I’m struggling with trying to find a balance between all my other bizarre things I do (like writing another book, organizing a national convention, and being a mom to arguably the most awesome little boy ever.) There are lots of friends out there that are struggling in other ways. It may be a financial struggle or just longing to create and build something that is yours. Just go for it! You never know where it will take you.

Summer Living: Bringing a Little Costal Flair to the MIdwest

I updated our living room for the summer. I found some new beachy throw pillows for the couch (at Target) and I finally got around to using some of the shells we collected in Florida. They weren't very nice to look at when I started. The shells looked like they had a foggy film on them and had lost their luster. It took some fine grin sandpaper to smooth out the surface of the shells and then polished them with a little mineral oil. I "borrowed" some sand from L's sand box and placed it in the bottom of these fun containers I purchased at Michaels for 60% off. I really like how changing out just a few little details in a room can bring about such a transformation.  Now I'm enjoying the warm weather and pretty costal décor from the Midwest. ♡

My KonMari Journey: How One Little Book Helped Change the Way I Looked at My Stuff in a Big Way

Beautifully folded tees make it quick to choose a top.

I've spent countless hours chasing my tail when it comes to organizing my home. Once one area has been "organized", another area needs attention, and then another, and it is soon time to start all over again. It is a vicious cycle full of bins, storage tubs, and pretty patterned boxes. I only need to find the right container or storage system and my home will be put in order and I can finally rest. This was my mindset. This was my mantra.

By tucking items away out of sight, things may seem clutter free and in order for a bit, but clutter has a way of escaping those pretty patterned boxes and perfectly sized baskets. Soon, I'm face to face with the Clutter Monster and he's gaining ground. He'll take over my home room by room, unless I fight the battle daily. It's disheartening. It's exhausting. It's depressing. My home is no longer a sanctuary. It is a prison. I'm being controlled by my possessions and I am tired of fighting a loosing battle.

I'm not sure how I stumbled on the KonMari method. I suppose it came across my news feed from one of the many organizing groups to which I subscribe. The name intrigued me. It seemed foreign and magical. Upon further searching, I discovered the KonMari method was created by a petite Japanese woman by the name of Marie Kondo and in fact, her best selling book is titled, "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing ." In a matter of moments, I had placed the book in my online shopping cart and it was soon in my hands. Though small in size (5.2 inches by 7.3 inches) and length (a little over 200 pages), Kondo's book is big on Joy. In fact, the heart of the KonMari method is to declutter and discard all items in your home that do not "spark joy."

To determine if your items meet this joy sparking criteria, you must sort through each category of items in your home in a specific order. Every item must be held in your hands and you must ask yourself, "Does this item bring me joy?" If it brings a smile to your heart and you feel warm fuzzies inside, then the item makes the cut. If not, then the item is promptly thanked for its service and discarded. Kondo believes that every item holds energy and by thanking an item for the role it has played in your life, you are releasing that energy to reenter your life in another form at another time.
As Kondo suggests, I began my KonMari journey by tackling my clothing. I soon found that while the KonMari method is simple, it is not easy.

My closet is now neat and orderly. I can find things at a glance and I no longer feel overwhelmed when choosing an outfit. 

Clearing out items has always been a struggle for me. If I thought I may need something someday, or if something was still good , I believed it was worth keeping. Since I started clearing things out using the KonMari method, I feel so much lighter and I've noticed the more items I sort and properly store, the more time I seem to get back in my day. Once items in a category pass the "Joy Test," the items are promptly put away. They need no additional attention. Prior to beginning the KonMari process, I was spending time trying to maintain and organize items that didn't really matter. I have completed the clothing category and am now ready to move on to the next category, books. The tail chasing has ceased, at least as far as my wardrobe is concerned, and I couldn't be happier with my progress.

Eleven bags of items were thanked for their service and discarded. The nicest items were pulled out for consignment and/or sale and the others were donated to charity .

Playdate: Little Leprechauns St. Patrick's Day Playdate

 I have so many things to post about, but finding twenty minutes to blog has been a struggle. We've had a full schedule in March and April and I hope to give you a glimpse of some of the fun.

Typically, when spring rolls around, I tend to focus on all things Easter in my decorating, playdates, and parties. My home is usually filled with bunnies, chicks and pastels and I love it. This year, however, I decided to mix things up and go green for St. Patrick's Day. I hosted a Little Leprechauns playdate at our home.

 It was a morning playdate, so I went light on the snacks and purchased Shamrock Cookies from a locally owner bakery, Heitzman Bakery. I typically go with Loft House Cookies, but the selection at our local Kroger was pretty slim and these were still yummy and festive.

When planning a Playdate, I like to develop activity stations that are not only age appropriate, but high interest for the little ones. Plus, if the kiddos are happy, then the mommas get chat and hang out, and let's be real... that is at least 50% of why we go to Playdates! This station I called "Create a Sticker Scene." Preschoolers and toddles LOVE stickers so this station was a favorite.

I pulled out some green cardstock that I had in our home office and placed it on our kitchen table. I had picked up some fun St. Patrick's Day themed puffy stickers at the Dollar Tree and I tossed them in a basket along with some crayons. I've found that puffy stickers work best because little hands can easily peel them off the backing.

 

The second station, was a simple "Play-Doh Play Station." To make it fit into the holiday theme, I used green Play-Doh and kneaded nontoxic gold glitter into it to make it sparkle. In the past I've made my own Play-Doh and there are some great recipes out there, but a few months ago, I discovered that Wal-Mart stores sell Play-Doh for fifty cents a can. You can grab a variety of colors, or in my case, load up on 10 cans of green. Not only did it only cost me $5, it also saved me time and cream of tartar (seriously, the homemade Play-Doh recipes always clean me out of cream of tartar!)

 

The final station was a fun "Photo Booth Station." This was my favorite. To create your own at-home photo booth, all you need is a couple of yards of fabric, something to hang it on, fun themed props, and a digital camera. I use a portable double clothes rack that I had in the basement to hang the fabric and then use duct tape to tape the fabric to the bar.  You could always tape your fabric straight to the wall, but I'm afraid of it pulling the paint off during the removal process and I don't want to have to touch up my walls. The fabric that I used for this photo booth was originally used for my son's Mickey Mouse themed birthday party a few years ago and it was perfect.

 

All of the photo props came from the Dollar Tree and I borrowed the green tub from our front bathroom. It usually stores my son's bath toys.

To tie in the St. Patrick's Day theme in the entry way, I pinned some fun sparkly shamrocks to our repurposed shutters that act as a seasonal display for photos, cards, or L's artwork.

We had a great time and ended up with some super cute photos of everyone from the photo booth that we shared via email and Facebook with the group.

Party Time: A Gal-entine Chocolate Tasting!

First, let me say that my neighborhood is awesome. The people are friendly, the school is terrific, and it is just plain fun to live here! The local ladies of the neighborhood plan a monthly game of Bunco (involving lots of shenanigans) and there are lots of other gatherings that take place throughout the year from cook-outs to ice cream socials.

 In an attempt to get more involved and make the most of living in this great community, I organized and hosted a Valentine's Day themed event in my home. Since this was open to all the "gals" in the neighborhood. I affectionately dubbed it "A Gal-entine Chocolate Tasting."

The concept is simple. Pick out 6 different types of premium chocolate, taste them, and record your findings. Add in some champagne, and snacks and you've got a party!

I found a roll of chevron print wrapping paper for $1 at Michaels and used that to cover my island area and create the base for my partyscape. Not only did it look cute, it also provided a clean surface to place the chocolates so I didn't need to clutter things up with extra plates.

 

I purchased this large chalkboard with scalloped edges at Michaels in their new "Make Market" section. (I seriously could have loaded up my cart from things in this aisle, but I resisted. When I get a really great coupon, I'll be ready to go back and pickup some more fun stuff!) I used a chalk pen and wrote out the basic procedures for the activity. I picked up the chalkboard standing markers at Gordman's for $3 for a pack of 3. I used them to identify each type of chocolate and to number them from 1 to 6.

The Popcorn Bar made yet another appearance at this party. It is so easy and always a big hit. I lined the basket with more chevron wrapping paper and added a new sandwich board sign to the mix. The sign was purchased at Michaels for $3.99 (but I'm sure I had a coupon so it was slightly less than that.) One side is a chalkboard and the other is a dry erase board. To give the seasonings some height, I placed them on a photo box decorated with metallic hearts and arrows ($2 on sale at Michaels.)

 

 

To balance out the salty popcorn, I added some Lofthouse sugar cookies. If you haven't tried these yet, you need to get some immediately. They sell them at Kroger (and other places as well) and they are delicious. If you don't feel like baking, they are a great option and are one of my go-to solutions when I don't want to get my kitchen messy. 

Another favorite made a repeat appearance: The Mimosa Bar. This time around, I simplified it offering only two types of mixers (orange juice, and Ocean Spray's Cranberry Wave.) The champagne paired really well with the chocolate and it just made the whole affair feel extra fancy. I sliced up some strawberries and raspberries to be used as a snack or drink garnish (or both!)

I placed a tray with both the tasting mat printables and the scoring page printables along with a cup of sharpened pencils on our ottoman. These printables were created by www.thedatingdivas.com (and they are FREE!)

To carry the Valentine's vibe into the living room, I switched out one of my square pillows with a red chevron cover (I also use this at Christmastime) and added two new "love" throw pillows (purchased at Kohls) and couple of heart shaped pillows that I had picked up in the Target Dollar Spot a few years back. It turned out really cute and festive (please ignore my son's over the door basketball hoop in the background lol!)

The Gal-entine Chocolate Tasting was a successful gathering with lots of chocolate, champagne, and fun had by all. In fact, I ended up taking the tasting on the road by request to both my book club meeting as well as a friend's spa night she hosted in her home this past week. Needless to say, I've hit my chocolate quota for awhile. Not that I'm complaining. ;)



Kid Style: Two A-MAZE-ING Valentines!

Lots of love to you and yours on this Valentine's Day!

L needed Valentine cards to pass out during his preschool party so I got started by searching for fun ideas. I've already resigned myself to the inevitable reality that my child will realize very soon that he should be able to choose what he gives out to his friends. Luckily, he didn't have a strong opinion on the matter this year and was thrilled with the cards we created for his little classmates.

Theses cute cards were both quick and inexpensive to make. I created the card template in Photoshop and purchased the mazes in the party supply area at Target. They are made by the brand Spritz and I think they were $3 for $18 of them. If your Target doesn't carry them, there are tons of other cheap plastic favor maze options on Amazon, and I assume at your local Party City store. I printed the cards on cardstock and stuck the mazes to the cards using sticky dots.

I have uploaded the template I created for you to use for your little ones. It is available to download for free. I removed L's name so anyone can use it, but please link back if you decide to post it elsewhere online.

 

Once we finished with the cards for the little ones, I shifted my focus to the teachers. Being a former teacher myself, I can totally appreciate the effort that goes into running a classroom each day. Teachers are definitely deserving of a little love on Valentine's Day! What better way to show someone you care than by sending them a Starbuck's gift card?! Around here, it has been cold and gloomy and a warm cup of coffee or a hot cup of tea is like happiness in your frozen fingers. Thanks to the peeps over at skiptomylou.org I was able to simply download their fun teacher card designed by Paper and Pigtails and stick my gift cards to the front using my handy dandy glue dots. To make it even easier, my local Starbucks had adorable Valentine's Day themed gift cards, so I didn't feel like I needed to add anything extra (like the baker's twine wrap that is suggested on the skiptomylou post.) Head on over to skiptomylou for this awesome FREE download!

Kid Style: Cookie Crisp Sandwich Cookies

Last night as I was relaxing on the couch watching the Big Game (aka the Super Bowl commercials) it suddenly occurred to me that tomorrow is L's turn to bring in preschool snack. At this point, I deemed it too late to run out to the store, and in full disclosure, a morning stop would never happen as it is a miracle to get out the door on time as it is. So, I was forced to dig through the pantry and pray that I could find something suitable to feed fifteen tiny people. Pickings were slim as I hadn't made it to the grocery store over the weekend, but I managed to find an unopened box of Cookie Crisp cereal and some white chocolate chips.

 

A quick search on Pinterest revealed that I wasn't the first to concoct an on-the-fly Cookie Crisp treat and in fact, someone had been kind enough to create some adorable tags so my last minute efforts appeared way more put together than they actually were.

 

 

Using the tiny Cookie Crisp Cookies, I melted the chocolate put a dab between two cookie pieces using my handy dandy Pampered Chef icing bottle. This was the first time I've had a chance to use this handy dandy tool, and it was way easier than using a regular icing bag!

 The whole process of making the tiny sandwich cookies took about an hour and then I placed a few in snack sized baggies and stapled one of the cute FREE printables to each bag.

The result was adorable! If you are looking for a cheap Valentine's Day treat idea, this could totally be an option!

Happy Monday!