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Fancy This Fridays #91 + Another Stint as an Angel

August 31, 2012 13 Comments

WHOOT for Friday!!!!
So before we dive into this week’s Fancy This Fridays party…
I need to tell you about my second stint as an ANGEL! A Blog Angel that is…

This time around (you can read about last month’s experience here), I had the lovely Leike as my angel recipient! :) She blogs at Swirling Away Every Day.

 To help Leike, I didn’t want to completely give myself away by suddenly following her blog and social media accounts… So instead I bookmarked her site, then went to visit periodically. I commented on several posts… and noticed she didn’t have a blog button at the time. So I designed one for her using a picture and sent it through Rosie of Craftbotic. See… 😉

Since then she’s gotten another really cute button that you can click over and see here. She also asked for some pros and cons about her site, that I am planning to send to her after this big reveal!

I’d also like to offer her a medium ad space for September! :)
Leike, contact me as soon as you see this and we’ll get you set up!

Thanks to the ladies who hosted another fun month of blog angels!

Now… onto Fancy This Fridays!

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 lovelies!!!

Have a FUN/SAFE Labor Day weekend!!!! 

Filed Under: Fancy This Fridays

Bloggie Bestie – Larissa of Papa is a Preacher

August 30, 2012 17 Comments
Hi there lovelies! 

We have a BRAND new Bloggie Bestie to introduce you to today!
Larissa of Papa is a Preacher!!

We owe her a BIG thank you too, because she was kind enough to switch with another Bestie we had scheduled that had an emergency and couldn’t do it today. SO THANKS LARISSA!!!

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Hello Truly Lovely readers! First of all I’d like to thank Truly Lovely for giving me this wonderful opportunity and honor to share a little something with their readers.

My name is Larissa. I blog over at Papa is a Preacher, and today I have a simple and fun DIY project to share with you all. As do many (if not most) girls, I absolutely love hair accessories. Headbands, clips, flowers, you name it!

Recently I found a very easy way to make my very own inexpensive hair clips! Basically what we’ll be doing is giving regular bobby pins and hair clip tic tacs a little sprucing up and personalizing them a little bit. I had a couple of old tic tacs that were beginning to lose their paint and look their age. This was a great way to cover them up and still be able to use them!

Here’s what you need, and how to make your very own hair accessories:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See? I told you it was super simple! I had lots of fun putting these together and they’re so versatile! You can make one to match any outfit and have lots of fun making different combinations.

I hope you all enjoyed and that you have fun! I also hope you’ll hop on over to Papa is a Preacher and learn more about us. We’re a great little community and are always having fun over there!
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How cute are those sweet hair pretties! Thanks so much for the tutorial Larissa!!! Hope you dolls will stop by her place and see the post I’m sharing today! You know me… It’s another EASY craft! 😉

Happy crafting!!!

Filed Under: Bloggie Bestie

Return the Favor…

August 29, 2012 7 Comments
Kassi here: This week has been BUSY, BUSY… (I should be completely working from home by the end of the week!!!)
SO today instead of your normally scheduled programming… And really, what’s normal around here anyway… 😉 We’re helping out our girl Chelsea of Yours Truly with her Return the Favor hop. So here she is…
I’ll be back in FULL force next week… I promise. 😉

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Last Wednesday was the third week of the Return The Favor hop, and it’s proving to be a success week after week! Please spread the word so this Bloglovin’ week is just as successful! I look forward to you all linking up and finding some new friends to follow!

If you would like to be a co-host in the future, please send an email to  and let me know what type of hop {Twitter, Facebook, Hellocotton, etc} you’d most like to co-host!

Follow your host & co-hosts

Share the hop with others, whether it be via Twitter, Facebook, your blog, etc!Come link up with @chelseaoliviaxo and other wonderfuls to find new Bloglovin’ friends! http://www.yourstrulyblog.com/2012/08/bloglovinhop.htmlFeel free to copy the code for the button from my sidebar and put it up on your blog.

Take a couple minutes to visit some other people who have linked up and let them know you stopped by from the Return The Favor hop – and hopefully they will return the favor!

Chelsea from Yours Truly

Torrie from Free Spirit Reigns

Melissa from Scribble n’ DashBrook from Cutesy Bootsie

Julie from The Funny Thing of It Is…

Kassi from Truly LovelyAntonia from Lovefullys

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Fruit Kabobs and Dip

August 28, 2012 27 Comments

Good morning lovelies! Or evening, afternoon, etc… wherever you are! 

This summer has been CRAZY hot in Arizona (where I live) and all over the country really… You know, record heat um, everywhere?!? I don’t know about you but when it’s hot I prefer a cool, easy to whip up treat over hours in the kitchen with the oven on….

So here’s one of my favorite summertime dishes….

Fruit Kabobs with a two ingredient fruit dip!
So easy and SO delicious!

summer BBQ ideas

So, like I said the dip…. TWO ingredients. That’s it!
1. A tub of Marshmallow Creme
2. 8 oz. cream cheese

Mix them together and chill before serving.

summer BBQ ideas

For the fruit kabobs all you need is kabob skewers and various kinds of fruit.
We used strawberries, grapes and blueberries.
As long as their super careful with the skewers, the kiddos can even help with this part!

making fruit kabobs
And viola! A tasty cool treat for your next summer BBQ!!

summer BBQ ideas

Happy what’s left of your summer lovelies!!!

Linking this here and here and .

P.S. We’d love if ! Thanks new friend!!

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: , fruit

Fancy This Features #90

August 27, 2012 6 Comments

Happy Monday lovely friends!!! 

The winner of the August giveaway was announced! Congrats Torrie!!!
Want to be a part of next month’s (September’s) giveaway? We’d love to have you join us!

 Crazy to think we’re already on the 90TH Fancy This Fridays party!!!
Thanks so much to those of you that show up, link with us, and comment every week! We are so grateful to have you hanging around our place in this big ol’ blog world!!!

Now, onto the features from the 90th party!!! 😉

 I’m with Jodie of JodieFitz.com… I’m NOT ready to give up on summer! It seems like everywhere you turn people are already jumping feet first into fall! It helps that it’s still near the 100s here in Arizona… So this tropical smoothie is calling my name!

How neat is this window seat/pull out bed from The Creative Lady of the House!?! I want one for my home office!!!

Stephanie of Grinning Like An Idiot proves that sometimes, the FOURTH time is the charm! It took her four tries to get this fun painted drink canister right… But so worth it! Cracks me up!!! See if you can tell which word is misspelled… 😉

Here’s a featured on Truly Lovely button for you dolls! We’d be delighted if you would share it with your readers!

Thanks to everyone else who linked up!!! Looking for more fancy inspiration? Check out our Pinterest board!

Have a lovely week everyone!!! 

Filed Under: Features

Back to School Medium Ad Lovelies

August 25, 2012 4 Comments

Happy weekend lovelies!!!
Remember August’s Sponsor Spotlight theme???

Back to School!!!

Each of our lovely sponsors has shared a school related photo as well as the answers to a few school related interview questions! Read through, get to know these pretties… You’ll LOVE them. We do! ;)

Today we are thrilled to introduce you to our medium ad sponsors!

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* Blog *  *  *  *  *

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So… do tell friends!! What was YOUR fave subject in school?
Fave extracurricular?
Fave school lunch???

Happy rest of the weekend!!!!

Filed Under: Sponsor Spotlight

Fancy This Fridays #90

August 24, 2012 9 Comments

HAPPY FRIDAY loves!!! I am SO ready for the weekend! 
How about you???  

Miss Kayli started school yesterday… and shared a post asking for YOUR thoughts on a few things.
You can click here to see that.

Sweet miss Alisha shared some AWESOME ideas for coordinating your outfits in your next family photos!

 There’s only just one day and a few hours to get entered in the HUGE August Sponsor Group Giveaway!

AND… Speaking of sponsors, we’ve revamped our Advertise page and are accepting sponsors for September!

So… I am WAY behind on my reader. (I read blogs chronologically… it’s a weird thing I have…) so if you receive comments from me a few days late, you’ll know why… 😉
But in the meantime, if you’re feeling congratulatory, there have been THREE babies announced in the posts I’ve been able to catch up on… These sweet mommas would LOVE a congrats note on their new loves I’m sure. :)

Casey, Kassie, and Heather.

 So… Your turn!!! What have you been up to lately??

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 lovelies!!! Have a lovely weekend!!!! 


Filed Under: Fancy This Fridays

Family Photo Outfit Coordination

August 23, 2012 17 Comments

Hello dolls!
In leiu of our weekly Bloggie Bestie post this week, we have a special guest post from our AMAZING sponsor,

Alisha Hunsaker Photography!!!

Today Alisha is going to share a few ideas with you on how to coordinate your outfits for a family photo shoot!

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Hello Truly Lovely readers!

My name is Alisha Hunsaker and I am a photographer for Alisha Hunsaker Photography. I am so happy to be sponsoring Truly Lovely! If you would like, please check out my website, my blog or me on Facebook!

As a photographer, I often get asked what to wear for a photo shoot. Let me tell you, the combinations that you could come up with are endless! To help you out a little, I have put together a few idea boards for what you could wear for your family photos.

Hopefully, if you are in an outfit rut, this will provide a little inspiration.

First of all, we have a classic that I love. The Primary Colors. Any combination of this works and it always looks nice.

Next, we have Pink and Gray. A family I took photos of a while back used these colors and I have loved them ever since!

Third, Teal and Black, and Green and Black. You can pretty much use any color with black and it would work. These just happen to be two of my favorite colors!

Last we have Purple, Green and Blue. One of many combinations that works with more than just one or two colors.

Well, I hope this gave you some ideas, or at least gave you motivation to create your own unforgettable combination! Good luck!

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I’m loving the teal and black combo…
What about you? What’s your favorite color combination for family photos?
Alisha has a fun portfolio over on her website that includes lovely family photos, sweet engagements, beautiful weddings and more! If you’re looking for a photographer in the Phoenix, AZ area, we HIGHLY recommend her!
Let her know we sent you. 😉

Filed Under: Guest Posts Tagged With:

What My Summer Looked Like

August 22, 2012 9 Comments

Hello dears, it’s Kayli. (:

So my summer is pretty much over. Classes start Thursday and I’m headed back to the desert; which I’m not sure how I feel about yet. On the one hand it’ll be nice to get back into the swing of things down there and my friends but on the other hand, my heart is in this little valley, and it’s always tough to leave it behind. So I wanted to write a little bit about what these three months have been to me and how I feel about school.

First and foremost, this summer has been a learning experience. When I left to come home in May I had a feeling that this summer would be important, and I was right. I’m right in the middle of this whole “Who am I? What do I really want? What would make me really happy? How do I get there?” stage. And I pretty much wing it everyday because I don’t really know what I’m doing… Which I’m hoping I’ll grow out of. (It isn’t like this forever right? Eventually I’ll kind of get it figured out?) In the last little bit I’ve learned so much about myself. I still don’t have all the answers of course, and I may not ever have all of them, but I know more about who I am. This summer I took all of these projects, all of these chores and ideas and found pieces of myself within them.

Like cleaning out my house and taking care of my own yard. Planting flowers and moving bricks and mowing the grass.

            

I learned a lot sitting there on that little porch. More than any blog post would do justice to.

I learned to love and appreciate home more than ever before, because now I know what it’s like to be somewhere so different. I learned how much I love every mountain and every green field and every wildflower -because it’s not the same at school in the desert.

I think it’s funny how different this time in my life is than I had expected. I sort of figured it wouldn’t be all that different from high school in that I would feel the same and see things the same way. I knew it would be hard to get used to, I knew it would be at least a little different, but I didn’t know that it would so important for me spiritually and emotionally.  College isn’t all parties and making a million friends and skipping class for me- it’s been about meeting people that have already changed my life and creating new relationships with my friends from before. It’s about building my testimony and learning to be in a new, really big pond instead of the little one I was used to.

Which makes me wonder whether that’s common.

What was/is college (or whatever you chose to pursue at this age) like for you?

I feel like this period of my life is of a lot of consequence. The choices I make now and the lessons I learn now are and will be SO important. And I want to know if anyone else feels or felt that way too, or if anyone has any advice or stories about their own experiences at my age. I’d love you forever if you’d share.  (:

In the meantime I had a summer full of awesome experiences and I’m SO lucky.

I’ll let you know how it goes. (:

Filed Under: Kayli Tagged With:

Chocolate Fudge Brownies

August 21, 2012 14 Comments

This post brought to you by NECTRESSE™Sweetener. All opinions are 100% mine.

I've mentioned a time or two before that my husband isn't big on sweets… But the one dessert that he asks for every time is brownies! Brownies every week can really pack on the calories if you're not careful… 

BUT I've found a delicious substitute for the sugar I put in my homemade brownies! A substitute that has ZERO calories and tastes just like the real thing… NECTRESSE™Sweetener!

chocolate fudge brownies

Nectresse sweetener is the only 100% natural sweetener made from fruit that is available in my local grocery store! It's made from the monk fruit extract, a small green melon that grows in mountain regions throughout Asia. 

To make your own Chocolate Fudge Brownies using Nectresse sweetener in place of granulated sugar, you can use the following recipe… 

  • 1 1/4 cups melted margarine

  • 4 eggs

  • 2 cups of sugar  1/2 cup of Nectresse Sweetener

  • 1 1/2 cups flour

  • 2 tsp vanilla

  • 3/4 cup cocoa

Mix all ingredients and press into a glass baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. 

 

You'll notice I replaced 2 cups of sugar with only a half cup of the Nectresse…. That's because the sweetness of Nectresse in a 1/4 teaspoon equals the sweetness of a whole teaspoon of regular sugar! 

 

Nectresse product family.jpg

 

I used less of the Nectresse sweetener than I would have if I used sugar and the hubs couldn't even tell the difference in his favorite dessert! I loved that the brownies tasted just as delicious as always, but with less calories than normal! Win-win!!!

 

Not sold yet?? Lisa Ling is the official spokesperson for Nectresse and shares some more interesting facts in the video below. Please take a second to watch the video and learn a little more about this awesome new sweetener! 

 

 

Want to try Nectresse for yourself? Visit the following link for your own FREE sample of NECTRESSE™Sweetener!!! You can find recipes and more information at their website as well! 

 

Happy baking lovelies!!!

 

by Kassi at Truly Lovely

Filed Under: Uncategorized
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