Archives for July 2012

Laundry Room Makeover and a Giveaway!

July 31, 2012 62 Comments

Hi there pretties!!

I am so excited to share my laundry room makeover with you today!!
It got a brand new coat of paint (two colors) and a few new accessories!
Shout out and a BIG thank you to Kayli, Brianne (my SIL) and Tammy (MIL), for helping me!!!

Let’s dive right in shall we??

I realized after we had already cleared everything out and started taping, that I hadn’t taken any good before photos… The photo on the left above is from before we even moved in!

So I quickly snapped a few for prosperity’s sake…. OK, and because I TRY to be a good DIY blogger… 😉

As you can see lots and lots of white/off-white going on in there. I do LOVE my cabinets. They’re the same in the kitchen and have this lovely rope detailing at the top… Can you say made for me and the hubs!?! So I decided to use the dark brown as an accent color for the accessories.

The paint colors I chose were Deepest Agua by Glidden and Elegant Lace by Glidden.

Gotta tell you when I showed Tammy the aqua color we were going to use she was sort of taken aback… “Blue?!” she said… But after… “This color looks so good!!!” Thank you Tammy! Thank you! 😉
I personally love how well the white and blue look together! Since the door, breaker box and trim are all white, the white ceiling really ties it all together! Not to mention my washer and dryer and the little deep freeze are white.

The two brown rugs in the above photo were purchased at Wal-Mart for about $18 (bigger rug) and $8 (lighter rug).

So, the color looked great… I love it!!! But it needed something more….

Enter… Quote the Walls!

I wanted to go with a western theme to fit the rest of the house and our style…
You guys, the ladies at Quote the Walls were so great to work with! I told Rebecca the quote I wanted, the color, even the font, and she sent me over a digital proof with the western decals added in for good measure!

I chose the larger size option, 14″ x 53″, because I had that large wall to contend with. Because the vinyl was SO big, we were afraid we’d really have trouble getting it up…. but between Kayli and I we got it centered and on the wall in no time!

Isn’t it fun!?! I love how the brown looks against the aqua and the sort of western whimsy it adds to the space.

If you look to the left from the photo above…
You’ll see the horseshoe Scentsy Warmer that was in my craft room got a new, more fitting home and the aqua color looks nice against my counter top as well!

So… what do you think of my new Western Laundry Room????
Without the Quote the Walls vinyl, it’s really just your run of the mill, newly painted laundry room. The vinyl gives it a more polished look and feel, don’t you think???

How would YOU like the chance to win a $25 gift card to Quote the Walls, so you can get your very own wall vinyl!!
You might choose one just like mine, now available on their site!! 😉

Perhaps you’d like one for your bathroom, bedroom, or little one’s room?!?
Your choice if you win!!!
Enter below using the Rafflecopter form and good luck!!!
Giveaway closes on Tuesday, August 7th.
Winner announced on Wednesday August 8th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks to Quote the Walls for the AMAZING wall vinyl!! I received the wall vinyl in exchange for my review and hosting of the giveaway, however, as always all opinions are 100% my own!

Linking this here and here and .

P.S. Hope you enjoyed this post! If so, we’d love if !

Filed Under: Home Decor, Our Home Tagged With: Giveaway, Review, Sponsored

Fancy This Fridays #86 and A Call for Sponsors

July 27, 2012 12 Comments

Happy Friday pretties!!!

Before we jump into the weekly Fancy This Fridays party…. We are accepting August sponsors! For your viewing pleasure, a slideshow of recent referrals from past sponsors of Truly Lovely!

Links to these lovelies: * * Jenny * Lena * Breanna * Jerri * Katherine *

A few things we promise to our sponsors:

You WILL receive comments and visits from us on your blog!! {I hate paying for a sponsorship to never have that person visit our blog… I promise you WILL see me at your blog throughout the month!!!}
Varying number of twitter and facebook shout outs throughout your sponsorship duration. The number varies on the ad size you choose. I have over 1,000 twitter followers that will see your link! We also have over 800 Facebook friends that are exposed to your site! 😉
You will be included in a sponsor spotlight feature posts! Again, varying on ad size, it will either be an individual feature or group feature. See examples here.
Optional inclusion in a group giveaway for all ad space sizes! XL ads also have the option for their own giveaway during their individual feature post! June’s group giveaway received 504 entries! The July Group Giveaway is still open and already has over 630 entries. That’s MORE exposure for your blog/shop!
We will be friends by the end of the month!

Because we love ya, we’d also like to offer a discount to our readers for August. Use the code LOVELY to receive $2 off any sized ad space as a reader/subscriber of our blog! Thank you so much for reading!!!!

Sponsor Truly Lovely here.

Time to party!!!!

Fancy This Fridays Rules:

1. Please link directly to the project post on your blog.

Not the blog itself.

2. Please link only your OWN posts.

We prefer to see what YOU have been up to… not someone random.

3. Please grab a button and display it somewhere on your blog. On your sidebar, on your posts, on your linky party page. We aren’t picky!

4. We would LOVE if you would comment on at least one other link.

Just pop over and say “Hello, coming by from Truly Lovely”, or something more clever… You know. 😉

Thanks for linking with us dolls! Have a lovely weekend!!!

Filed Under: Fancy This Fridays

Bloggie Bestie – The Creative Paige

July 26, 2012 12 Comments

Hello lovelies!!!
We’d like to introduce you to Paige of The Creative Paige today!!!
She’s here to share a few of the thrifty projects she’s worked on recently.
Take it away Paige!!!!

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I’m Paige and I’m so excited to be here at Truly Lovely as a Bloggie Bestie!

I love finding cheap ways to make things look great and you’ll find that and a lot more over at my blog, The Creative Paige. Today Kassi is over there sharing a delicious new recipe that you should definitely check out.

Today, I hope to inspire you to run out and scour your closest thrift store because, I’ll admit it, I love thrift stores. There’s something so exciting about finding a great item in the midst of everyone’s junk.

And, of course, I love the price.

Recently I’ve been finding some fabulous items at local thrift stores. Unfortunately, I was so excited when I got them home that I forgot to take before pictures! So, you all get to see the awesome “afters” and have to trust me that the “befores” were pretty rough.

Here are a few of my most recent treasures:

Broken Mirror w/shelf —> Children’s Art Display

This was a pine frame with a broken mirror in it. I got it at an antique mall on clearance (because the mirror had a huge crack through it). We (very carefully) took the broken mirror out and discarded it. Then, I spray painted it, white washed and sanded until I got a weathered blue color. I attached wire to the back using the brackets that used to hold the mirror in and bought mini clothespins from Hobby Lobby. Now, we have a perfect spot to showcase our boys’ artwork in their playroom. The pegs serve as a great place for dress up items.

Outdated Photo Board —> Chic Mail Station

We have been looking for a place to stick current bills for a while and I stumbled across a hanging cork board with a small bin below it at Goodwill. It cost me $2.99! It was a slightly boring cherry wood color with beige fabric. I took it apart, spray painted it with Soft Yellow Rustoleum, covered the cork board with chevron fabric from Hobby Lobby and ouila! I love it more than I could have even imagined! Now it seems too cute to put nasty ol’ bills in…

Old Mirror —> Trendy Striped Mirror

This beauty cost me $3 at Goodwill on a 50% off Saturday and it was tucked behind lots of other frames. I knew when I saw it, I could do something cool with it. I painted it with white craft paint, then taped off the diagonal stripes and spray painted it yellow.

Dirty Wall Cabinet —> Who knows?

This is my next project! I got it at Savers for $6 and am not quite sure what I’m going to do with it. I know it is going to go in our downstairs bathroom to hold toilet paper and other necessities. I can’t decide if I should go bold (like aqua) or do something more classic (like white). The good thing is, I can always paint it again if I absolutely hate it.

Hope you enjoyed seeing some of my favorite thrift store makeovers – and I hope you feel inspired to do some of your own. You can always stop by and share your discoveries at my weekly Link Party – the Creative Genius Link Party every weekend!

Thanks, Kassi and Kayli, for letting me steal your spotlight for today!

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Thanks so much to sweet Paige for sharing her fun projects with us today!!! I NEED a chic mail station in my house ASAP! Hope you’re having a lovely Thursday friends!

Interested in being the next Bloggie Bestie??? Learn more here.

Filed Under: Bloggie Bestie

Christmas in July Gift Exchange

July 25, 2012 6 Comments

Hi pretties!!!

SO today is the Christmas in July link up over at Everyday is a New Adventure??
Do you know Alyx? She’s one of our favorites!!

Any who, I’d like to introduce you to my new friend
Lori of A Crazy Walk on the Safe Side!!!

Such a lovely right!?! Inside and out! I was paired with her for the Christmas in July swap!
So a few things you should know about Lori…. We have a lot in common! (Well done on the match up, Christmas in July girls!!!)

She’s a 20 something newlywed
Fur mommy
College grad
She likes to read
Southern girl
Love her WIW posts!
She likes lace, burlap, florals and sparkly nail polish

Click on over to A Crazy Walk on the Safe Side to see what I sent her!!!

Here’s what I received in my package –

Pink Essie Nail Polish, Turquoise Essie Nail Polish, a pedicure stick, a lovely journal and some chapstick!
I LOVE the chapstick already! It’s a new staple! I’m wearing the pink polish as we speak. It’s called Off the Shoulder in case you’re interested. 😉 So excited for a pedicure day this coming weekend! And I am looking forward to writing in my pretty new journal!!

Thanks so much to Miss Lori for taking the time to choose gifts that fit me so well!
And to the ladies of the Christmas in July exchange! You girls rock!

Have a good rest of your week dolls!!!!

Filed Under: Kassi Tagged With: friends

The Story of a Girl and a House

July 24, 2012 8 Comments

Hello dears. It’s Kayli. (: This was supposed to go up much earlier…but sometimes I stink.

So there are a million things I could write about. I still have about a month left of summer but in the summer that I’ve had so far I’ve learned so much and so many things have happened. The biggest thing though is probably that I’m working on cleaning and restoring a house to its original adorableness. These pictures are pretty representative of what I’ve been up to. Lots of cleaning and redoing and yard tending and flower growing. Tons of loving. And it’s been awesome. It’s this adorable little two story house with a sidewalk that runs right up to it and a yard full of trees. It’s been a lot of work, and there’s still a lot to do, but I’m super proud of my work so far. Just a little work in the front yard has made tons of difference.

Cute little daisy patch that popped up.

I planted flowers in the yard, in a flower bed on the east side of the house, and in pots on the porch. I also removed this awkward flower bed that looked like a grave and let grass grow in it to fill out the yard. Little kids would legitimately ask me who died there. It had to go. (: I also put up a humming bird feeder.

Then I made a cute little sign with a K on it since everyone else in town has a cute little sign. (: I used horseshoe nails and barbed wire to put it on he front gate. I finished it off with a denim bow and called it golden. I would write some type of tutorial on this, but I have faith that you’ll be able to figure it out. (: It really did make the yard look happier.

And I’ve had company in it all. A cat that showed up one day and decided we were best friends. She sits on the porch every day and waits for me to show up. I have a decided dislike for cats. But isn’t it hard to refuse to love someone that loves you? Even if you only love them back a little, you just can’t help it She’s the exception to my disdain.

It’s funny how it started out looking sort of sad and just a few little things have changed its whole personality. So that’s been my main project lately. To tend to this sweet old house that’s really tended to me. It’s been a good experience- learning so much about my family history and about taking care of things and about life. I go and sit on the porch and read, and write long letters, and think about things while it rains or while I water the yard. It’s all really picturesque. (; So that’s where I’ve been all this time. Where have you been this summer? What have you been up to lately? Any fun yard projects or remodeling? Share them with me!

I hope your July has been as lovely as mine.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Kayli

Fancy This Features #85

July 23, 2012 10 Comments

Hi there!!! How was your weekend???

Let’s start this week off with some fabulous features from Fancy This Fridays, eh!?! 😉

First up, this Chicken Broccoli Ring from Happiest Mom on the Blog, sounds delicious!!! Plus it looks all fancy schmancy but you probably have the ingredients in your kitchen right now!

Next, this Master Bedroom Makeover from Virginia at LiveLoveDIY is just lovely!!! Check out the before and after!

And last, but certainly not least, we love this Dip Dyed Pillow Cover from Lindsay at Little MudPies! It’s just the right pop of color without being overwhelming! Perfect!

Here’s a featured on Truly Lovely button for you ladies!

Don’t forget to check out your projects pinned to our !
We get likes and repins every single week = More exposure for you!!!

Thanks to all who linked up and shared with us this last Friday! See you this Friday??? K, good. 😉

Have a good week friends!!!!

Filed Under: Features Tagged With: DIY, Recipe

A Brighter Summer Look – Revlon Expressions Experiment

July 20, 2012 20 Comments

This post brought to you by Revlon. All opinions are 100% mine.

Hello there lovelies!

So.. you know I've been feeling sort of frumpy lately… To combat that I recently talked about expanding my wardrobe soon with my anniversary gift money from the hubs and today I have another routine refreshing idea to share with you!

The Revlon Expression Experiment! I have been happily testing out a few fun Revlon products lately and I am excited to share my experience with you!

Revlon Expressions Experiment

The cosmetics that I received to test out are in fun, bright colors! Perfect for summer.

Here's a short vlog about the Revlon products that I received, including the eye shadow and makeup primer, as well as a few words encouraging YOU to try a little something new… {I apologize in advance for my crazy hand movements!}

There are a few things specifically that I really enjoyed incorporating into my makeup routine that I'd like to touch on a little further.

First up… The Revlon ColorStay nail polish trio!
I received a top coat, base coat and a pretty Indigo blue!

Revlon Colorstay Trio

The polish was super easy to apply. You just apply each coat, waiting for dry time in between. So far I've worn it for over a week. I'm pretty hard on my hands and nails, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it held up really well! Much better than many other nail polish manicures I've tried!

Next up… the red lipstick! I received a red lip gloss, red lip butter, and red lipstick. I've never really tried red lips so this was something WAY out of the box for me… And you know what? I felt so sassy and fun wearing it!

The red lip butter was smooth and creamy but didn't feel heavy while worn.

Revlon Lip Gloss

I posted my lip gloss picture shown above to Instagram and received so many likes and compliments on it! Thanks to those of you that weighed in!

Like I said before, it was something new for me, but I give red lips two thumbs up!! Wearing the lipstick made me feel so empowered! Like I could tackle anything! Really, Revlon as a brand is such an empowering tool for women! It's amazing how a small tweak in your makeup routine can make you feel like a whole new person!

I strongly encourage each of you lovelies to try something new this week, this month, this summer! If you're not sure where to start, the Revlon Expression Experiment Facebook application is a great place to look. They have challenges you can join in, examples of other women stepping outside their comfort zones and just a whole lot of fun and encouragement!

Tell me friends… Have YOU tried red lips? What did you think?
What are some other makeup tricks you use to feel and look your best?

Here's to a brighter, more empowered summer!!!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

July Sponsor Group Giveaway

July 20, 2012 25 Comments

Happy ~~Saturday~~ Friday Lovelies!!!
{I had originally planned to post this FABULOUS giveaway tomorrow… but I’m headed out of town for the weekend, and really want it to get the attention it (and these sweet sponsors) deserve!)
If you’re looking for Fancy This Fridays just scroll down or click here.}

Let’s celebrate July, summer, the weekend, whatever you want to celebrate!!! 😉 With a GIVEAWAY!
An AMAZING giveaway at that! Our sponsors ROCK, just so you know… 😉

So… here’s what the lucky winner will receive…

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So much awesomeness all in one place!!! Thanks to these lovelies for gifting some fun prizes!!!
It would be super cool of you if you’d click over to each link (click on the image) and say thank you to these pretties for spreading some prize love! 😉

Enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter form below! Winner will be announced on July 30th!
Please keep in mind that I do verify entries… So if you’re chosen, and you didn’t actually complete the entry, I’ll choose a new winner who did.
Good luck and thanks for playing!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Giveaways, Sponsor Spotlight Tagged With: Sponsored

Fancy This Fridays #85

July 20, 2012 9 Comments

Hi there loves! Happy Friday!!!

How about a few Instagram pics before we jump into this week’s party!?! Ok, good. 😉

We’ve been all kinds of busy lately. Fun busy though!
We attended the wedding of my aunt and uncle on Saturday. They have been together for more than 17 years and decided to officially tie the knot! So the hubs and I road tripped from our casa in AZ all the way to Alamogordo, NM! Really, it only took just over 4 hours, but that sounds like it should take a really long time. 😉

Nate and I in my aunt and uncle’s BEAUTIFUL, lush, green yard!

The ceremony was informal, but fun… just their style!!

Speaking of weddings… when we celebrated our one year wedding anniversary last week, we tried this Sinless Strawberry Margarita Mix that I won in a giveaway over at This Little Momma…

The verdict… I thought it was pretty tasty! I whipped up some frozen margaritas for us and enjoyed most of mine waiting for the hubs to come in from outside. The only thing… Don’t let them set… Nate’s was pretty watered down by the time he came in… Not so good then!

Linking this up to Life Rearranged for…

Now… onto Fancy This Fridays! What have you fancied up recently???