A Simple Kind of Life on Bloglovin'

The buzz is going around that Google Reader will be nonexistent as of July 1st. Good news is you can still follow A Simple Kind of Life on Bloglovin'! What is Bloglovin'? It's a great and easy way to keep up with your favorite blogs. Head on over and check it out.

 

Follow A Simple Kind of Life on Bloglovin'!

 

 

HAVE YOU CHECKED OUT MY OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA?

 

Facebook 

Blog updates and some sneak peek photos.

 

Twitter

Blog updates and some of my random musings.

 

Instagram 

A peek into my daily life and sneak previews of projects I'm working on.

 

Pinterest

Basically my huge to-do/to-buy/inspiration/wish lists.

 

Must See Shop: GlamourMash The Shop

One of my favorite bloggers, Holly from GlamourMash, has just launched her very own Etsy shop!

 

GlamourMash The Shop is a place to shop for pretty things. The shop features an array of handmade jewelry, but expect to see some home accessories coming soon! The prices for the handmade pieces range from $14-$24.

 

I am loving the bold colors and geometric shapes of the jewelry and I've already made myself a wish list. The Metallic Mama in White Haute is my favorite of the moment. Here are just a few of the piece she is featuring, but be sure to stop by GlamourMash The Shop to see them all.

 

Happy Shopping!

 

 

Congatulations Holly!!

Once your done shopping, don't forget to check out her blog, GlamourMash.

Guest Blogging at Table For Three

I'm back! Well, not quite 100% but enough to write a quick post. Megan over at Table for Three kindly asked me write a guest post for her this week while she and her sweet family are on vacation. 

I feel as though I've been going a mile a minute these past few weeks (which might explain why I, the girl who never gets sick, caught the flu). The holidays are literally around the corner, this is the busiest time of year at my job, plus I'm trying to maintain my normal daily routine of being mommy and wife. I'll admit I sort of threw this DIY together at the last minute over the weekend, but I'm really glad I did. The end result was a pleasant surprise when I put them on our TV stand and they really helped complete that corner of our living room. Funny how things work, right?

Check out my guest post and learn how I made this painted planters here. 

Blog Crushes

I get legitimately excited when I stumble across a new blog and fall in love. There's just something about finding a new goldmine for DIY projects, or getting to peek into the home of someone whose taste I just adore that gives me the motivation and DIY-bug to get my butt into gear and start working on our house.

While I'm working on getting back into my project groove (I've got a nice to-do list set for this weekend), I thought I'd share with you all some of my favorite blogs that I've recently found and now visit on a regular basis. Maybe one of these will become your new favorite.

sfgirlbybay - I find so much inspiration from this blog, in both home decor and personal style. She has great bohemian-modern taste that I just adore. I'm a follower on her Twitter and Instagram, too! I crave the decor in every picture she posts and it makes me want to redo every room in my house (but I won't).

A Lovely Life - I recently stumbled across this blog by accident (I forget what I was even googling...) and now I'm hooked. I especially favor blogs that feature not only home design/decor topics but some family/motherhood posts as well. This blog certainly covers all those aspects for me. She has been sharing her tips for traveling with a toddler (I've had my infant traveling tips post on the back burner since our trip in April) which I definitely plan to bookmark for later use.

Enjoy It: Elise Blaha - I have serious blogger envy for Elise and how she is able to tackle so many projects (including Project Life which I'm dying to do). She has great taste and her blog has opened my eyes to a decor style that I never would have initially considered for our house. Her skills range from DIY projects, organization, photos, baking/cooking, gardening and even running her own business. She's definitely one I'd like to sit down and ask 'how do you do it all??'

A Beautiful Mess - This blog has some of the easiest, but most unique DIY projects I've come across. Hair, clothes, art, food, they prove that you can pretty much DIY anything! I always have one of those 'why didn't I think of that?' moments when reading this blog.

August Empress - Another blog filled with inspiration. I love scrolling through the pages and exploring all the detailed, colorful pictures. Also where I purchased my social media buttons.

What are some of your favorite blogs that you check out on a daily basis? I'm always looking for more!

February Photo of the Day Challenge

You may remember that in early January I started to post a photo of the day that shows something I'm working on, something I find inspiring or just something that caught my eye each day.

While perusing my blogs on my lunch break, I saw that Shelley from House of Smiths is participating in a February Photo of the Day Challenge. I missed the boat to join in for January, but I'm excited at the idea of starting fresh for the month of February

It's pretty simple: using the below list as an inspiration take a picture each day. Then share your photo on Instagram, Twitter, your Blog and/or Facebook using the hash tag #FEBPHOTOADAY.

Here are the topics for the month of February:

I'm already getting inspired with all these fun ideas.

My biggest challenge will be remembering to do this on the weekends or not skipping a day, but I like the idea of a good challenge.

Anyone else want to join in??

New Blog Email

I've created an email account for the blog:

simplekindoflifeblog@gmail.com

Wish it was shorter but all the good ones were taken!

Any questions, comments, anything at all, don't hesitate to reach out!

Guest Blogger: Danielle from Neat & Tangled

Today I have a special treat - my friend Danielle over at Neat & Tangled is guest blogging! You may remember I did a guest post for her last month with the owl silverware holders I DIY'ed. Danielle is a different kind of DIY-er than I am - she does paper crafting. Paper crafting has always amazed me because of how intricate the designs look. It's such a different type of DIY than I do and I love looking at Danielle's blog and seeing the variety of cards she creates. I never quite understood how she made them and they look so detailed, so I asked Danielle if she'd mind giving a tutorial of how to create a card from scratch. Check it out:

Hey there! Danielle here, doing a little guest blogging for Jess.  She was so kind to help me out back in November by doing a guest blog post for me while I spent time with my new baby.  I was so excited when she asked if I’d like to do a post for her – of course!

Now let me preface by saying I’m not so much of a home improvement DIY type (although I have done a few things), I’m more DIY on the paper crafting front.  I’m big into making cards, stationary, scrapbooks, etc.  The beauty of what I make is that it doesn’t have to be limited to those things. The cards and things I make can easily be transformed into wall art, or used as inspiration for other projects. For example, here is a picture of how I incorporated cards into a collage on my son’s bedroom wall.

I had a really hard time deciding what to make to share with you all, there were so many ways to go. First I made some stationary…

It was cute, but it seemed a little dull. So, I decided to show you 2 different approaches to card making. One is super simple, so if you just want to get your feet wet you can. The other is a little more in depth. All the supplies I used are listed at the bottom of this page. You can click the thumbnail and it will take you to a shop (Simon Says Stamp) where you can get everything.  Although most supplies can be found at your local Michael’s, JoAnn’s, or AC Moore.

Rather than do a photo step-by-step I shot a little video to show you how these cards came together. I tried to keep it short and just give you the basics. If you think you’re remotely interested in diving into this world of paper crafting I’m doing a  “getting started” video series starting the week after Christmas that will cover all the basics.  So be sure to swing by my blog and check it out.  Now onto the video:

And here are the finished products.

 I thought it would look lovely framed and hanging on a wall, so I did that too :o) 

Thank you Jess for letting me hang out on your blog today!

Supplies:

InLinkz.com

Caught My Eye

No matter how much I intend to get done on a Sunday night, 

as soon as this one falls asleep on me, it's all over.

Here are a few things that caught my eye this weekend:


- My good friend Andrea from college started a blog about healthy living. Great guide to what foods to snack on and what to avoid along with other tips to living well. 


- Speaking of, another classmate from college has become a YouTube sensation with her fitness videos and guide to healthy living. She now has a great website. I find her videos especially helpful as I don't have time to get to the gym with Lucy and try to squeeze workouts in during her naps. (via Sarafit)


- Joanna's holiday gift guide. She does this every year and gives amazing suggestions for your best friend, brother, sister, dad, and mom. Now I need her to give ideas for your husband! Maybe this week. (via Cup of Jo)


- Such a fun, interesting website featuring old loves. Some I'd forgotten about, and others I never knew dated! (via Old Love)


- Every blogger should read Kate's ten tips for better home photography. I know I'm always trying to improve my blog pictures. (via Centsational Girl)


- I love, love the look of these gingerbread snowflake cookies. Must try! (via Cupcakes and Cashmere)


- I'm dying to try this tutorial I recently pinned showing how to convert photos to canvas art. Now to decide on the perfect photo. (via a beautiful mess)


- Speaking of Pinterest, check mine out. Here are more DIY projects I've been dying to try. May need to implement my own version of a Pinterest Challenge. Who wants in??

Blog Takeover: Neat & Tangled

What are these? 

And how did I make them?

Head over to Danielle's blog, Neat & Tangled, to find out.
I'm doing a guest blog today to let her spend some QT with her new bundle of joy.
Thanks Danielle for letting me takeover Neat and Tangled for the day!

Friday Fun: Blog Hopping

via 


Here are a few things I've been checking out this week:

Jordan and I are both kind of obsessed with this website. We flip through it in bed at night wishing our house looked like every single one on here. We enjoy the clothes, too. (via pursuit Aesthetic)

I bought Lucy some great American Apparel onesies (here and here) in Cinder, Dijon, Pomegranate, Black and Heather Grey. Such a good change from the boring white ones. (via Amazon)

I can't wait until she's bigger and I can dress her in bodysuits, neon tights, and a chambray shirt like mommy's (via American Apparel)

Love these tips for cozying up your house for fall (via Pure Style Home)

I cannot wait to see how Nicole gets her house ready for baby #2! (via MeOhMy!)

I need to try this no sew pillow cover - I love the fabric, too! (via 346 Living)

A great post about living to be healthy, not skinny (via Five Feet of Spice)

Fun: Cheese or Font?

This article has gotten me even more excited about making Lucy's food (via Bethenny Frankel)

(More on this topic in another post)

I have set aside the perfect frame in hopes of replicating something similar to this (via Like the Rain)

This awesome table setting has gotten me really excited about for holiday entertaining (via mint love social club)

Ain't this the truth! I don't care how skinny you are pre-baby, it's not easy to bounce back to normal. (Unless you're Gisele Bundchen.) (via Little Miss Momma)

So what if it says 'Summertime.' I'm rocking this look for the fall. (via More Design Please)

Happy Friday!