Archives for November 2012

Fancy This Fridays #103

November 30, 2012 11 Comments

Happy Friday Friends! It’s Kayli.

So in case you missed it last week, we’re doing things a little different these days and combining our parties and our features in one post. Since lots of people show up to get in on the fun, the features are more effective this way! (: After checking out the features, be sure to link up at the bottom of this post! Here are some of my favorites from last week’s party-

It’s finally getting cold around here and I’m SO excited to get into the swing of wearing sweaters, baking cookies and snuggling up with cocoa and all of that wonderful stuff! Kathe from Kathe with an E is sharing a recipe for Chicken and Dumplings that would be perfect for a cozy day in, and it looks AWESOME.

It’s that time of year! And now that Thanksgiving has passed, I can blast Christmas music and get in the spirit of the season- A good way to do that? Christmas decorating and crafting of course! Two of my favorites from last week were

This awesome . There are 75 FREE PRINTABLES guys! SEVENTY FIVE. Yeah. So much fun and SO many options.

AND this crazy easy Old Sock to Christmas Ornament Tutorial from Amanda at The Little Giggler! Super cute right? And a great way to make use of some of your stash that are missing their mates!

I’m pretty much excited about doing all of these.

Be sure to grab a button ladies!!

and now, THIS week’s 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 stopping by! And don’t forget to come back NEXT Friday to check out the features and party it up with us again!

Filed Under: Fancy This Fridays

Tips for Growing Your Blog

November 29, 2012 14 Comments

Today we’d like to introduce you to our blog sponsor, Tess of The Framed Lady!
She’s recently seen some growth in her blog numbers, so she’s here to share what’s worked for her and what might work for you as well!
Be a dear and tell her hello won’t you! 😉 Especially because these tips are all great ideas for anyone wanting to grow their following!

Take it away Tess!!!!

_________________________

Hey everyone!

I’m Tess from The Framed Lady! I’m super excited to be here on Truly Lovely! Here’s a little about me and my blog.

I live in San Diego with my husband and chinchilla. I’m a college grad (woohoo!) and I’ve recently thrown my weight behind my blog and seen some awesome growth in the last couple months. Networking and growing my blog is one of the most fun, fulfilling things I can imagine (aside, obviously, from motherhood, I guess). I just hit 600, and I’m already almost at 700!

I wanted to share some of the tools and techniques I’ve used that have been successful for me. You can view the original post here.

As a starter, you should just focus on getting some attention. A good way to do this is to follow and comment on other people’s blogs, and leave your URL so people can check you out if they want. Be genuine in your comments, and never say “Follow me back!” Also, never expect someone to follow you simply because you commented. I set a goal to comment on 5 blogs a day, whether I’m a new or old follower.

Another good way to get some attention is to sponsor other blogs, and have the option to sponsor on your blog. Prices will vary based on blog size. A lot of blogs offer an ad “swap,” where you can trade buttons and advertise for each other for free. You generally do ad swaps with blogs that are equal in size to your blog. You can also enter giveaways to win ad space if you don’t have a wide budget for sponsoring (plus, it’s really fun to win). As your blog grows and people want to sponsor you, this will turn into a way for you to make money.

Start a Facebook page! Invite your friends to like the page, and use “liking the ” as an entry for giveaways. Post all your blog updates and posts onto this page so that followers can get the latest! Also start a for your blog (or just yourself and use it for both). I also linked the two together, so that when I post something to Facebook, it also goes onto Twitter (on Facebook, there’s an option to do this).

Once you get to 50 followers, you can host your first giveaway! If you have a shop or blog who wants to do the giveaway for you, great! If not, use your own creativity. Giveaway something you made or something of value. I’ve even seen giveaways for gift cards! Using Rafflecopter is a really good way to make giveaways more organized (versus counting a bunch of comments and choosing one at random). Have giveaways as often as you want to.

Once you reach 100, you can start deciding on your permanent blog name. Hopefully at this point, you’ve developed a style and a specific audience. Decide on a concise, catchy blog name, and get your own URL! You can use sites like GoDaddy.com. To find out if your blog name is taken, simply search for it. I considered the name “I’ve Been Framed” when I got to this point, but when I searched ivebeenframed.com, it was taken, and the people who owned it wanted to sell it for $10,000! I decided on The Framed Lady, which was available for $12.99/year, which is a pretty typical price.

When you know what you want your permanent blog name to be, you can also invest in a blog design. I’ll tell you now that just because you pay more doesn’t mean it’s a better design. You can find some great designers who are just starting out and are willing to give you a great deal. My designer found me and asked if I’d be interested in a $20 blog makeover. I jumped on it. You don’t need to pay $200. Do some research, or barter with a friend.

At this point, you’re doing all of the major things to get attention for your blog.

Have a button

Sponsor/be sponsored

Ad swaps

Facebook page

Twitter

Giveaways

Have a name and a design

Remember that these guidelines are not hard rules – they are just what worked for me. One of the biggest things to remember as a blogger is to be genuine. If you find that your pageviews (and confidence) are low, or that you’re writing more for the attention than you are for yourself, consider taking a break from the attention aspect. I did. When you’ve regained your perspective an motivation, try again. A good thing to notice is that if blogging ever starts to feel like a chore, you’re doing something wrong.

I recently started doing blog consulting, where I help you implement these and other growth strategies. It’s a really tailored approach, specific to your blog. You can read more about that here.

You can connect with me via: Blog////////Instagram

_________________________

Thanks for sharing Tess!!!! Please let us know if you have any other questions for Tess (or us here at Truly Lovely) about how to grow your blog! We’re all glad to help someone else just starting out… after all, we were there once too! 😉

Filed Under: Blogging Tips, Guest Posts

Well hello there Channing Tatum….

November 27, 2012 2 Comments

You’ve seen it by now right? It’s been all over the news, twitter-sphere, blogisphere…
Mr. Channing Tatum is this year’s choice for PEOPLE Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive!
You bought the special issue, yes? You gotta know, I did! I marched right down to my local Walgreens, picked up the PEOPLE Magazine’s Annual Sexiest Man Alive issue and a snack to enjoy while reading of course… I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, it’s the perfect way to unwind and relax after a long day!

My store had the issue right there at the cash register! No need to search the magazine rack… An issue this big was front and center!

Now, I don’t know about you but when I am indulging in a guilty pleasure like PEOPLE Magazine I figure, might as well indulge all the way, right!?! So I sat down with my magazine, my phone {might need to tweet about an article or something}, a little snack of chips and queso and a cold drink to do a little indulging. 😉

I’ve gotta say I was kind of impressed with how Channing Tatum talked about his wife. It really seems like she’s a huge priority… In fact, many of the guys in the Sexiest Man Alive Chill Guys section talked about spending time with their spouses and families as being their favorite way to have a good time. Families are important to Hollywood stars?!? How refreshing! 😉

On a completely different note, reading about how Magic Mike (Have you seen it? WILD!) was based on some real things he experienced as a stripper, but to know he made it through clean… I commend you Channing Tatum! I really do.

Speaking if Mikes… Having a photo of Micheal Buble dressed as a cowboy?!? Classic! You know how I feel about cowboys, right!? 😉 Plus, he’s pretty much Kayli’s favorite, so this is a win-win for us! haha.

On a more serious note, I really enjoyed the article on Lauren Scruggs. She’s the girl that walked into a plane propeller last year and lost her left eye and arm. After seeing it play out on the news it’s awesome that she’s coping so well, learning to live a different way, but underneath she’s still the same girl she always was!

And finally, another favorite in this issue of PEOPLE Magazine was definitely the look back at how the stars of Twilight have grown… They look so young in their before pictures compared to now. Are you Twilight fan??

So tell me lovelies… Do you read PEOPLE Magazine? What are your thoughts on this year’s Sexiest Man Alive??
Oh! And did you see that Laura won our giveaway?? CONGRATS lady!

Disclosure: This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™, but all my opinions are my own http://cmp.ly/3/KqtZiE.

Filed Under: Sponsored

How to Keep School from Sucking Out Your Soul

November 26, 2012 3 Comments

Sometimes school is a dementor.

All dark and dreary and soul-sucky.

Unfortunately, you can’t even conjure up a patronus. (Though there’s no shame in trying. Give that pencil a swish and let me know if it works out for you.)

Us poor muggles just have to trudge through and take it. I mean yeah, you’ve made it to November, (Congrats on that by the way, I know it wasn’t easy bro.) but you still have a whole month left before the semester is done and I don’t know…… eternity? before you graduate. You’ve got papers to write, and speeches, and group projects, and presentations, and quizzes, and tests, and you definitely just referenced something you learned in your ed psych. class in normal conversation. “Well actually, according to Piaget…”

What the what?

You’re pretty sure you’re losing your mind.

Breathe friend, there are a few things you can do to take back your sanity and get through the next four weeks/ years. Let’s go through them shall we?

1. Get A Planner.

If you do not have a planner and you’re overwhelmed- GO GET ONE NOW. If you do have a planner but it’s at the bottom of your stack of books with the price tag still on it, GET IT OUT AND USE IT. For real. You’re not in high school anymore homie, very few professors are going to consistently remind you about assignment due dates and if you forget and fail- whatevs, they see kids come and go all the time. That means you have to be ready to take on the responsibility of remembering everything yourself. Do yourself a favor and write down deadlines as you hear about them. You’ll feel a lot more sane if you can see exactly what needs to be done and when it needs to be done.

Summary: Get and Use a Planner: You’ll know what’s due and when.

2. Just Do Your Homework.

I know that this time of the semester especially, I put things off until I have homework backed up for miles. So you slacked- dude you’re in college, that’s what we do- but don’t let it slide past the due date. Sit down and make yourself do it. No Facebook, no Pinterest, and definitely no YouTube cat videos. You don’t have that kind of time. When your friend texts you and says “Dude! Mad rager at the frat house tonight!” Text back a polite “Maybe next time man, I have an essay due.” Just sit down and do it, you’ll feel a million times less stressed if it’s done and you can turn something good in. Remember that you’re at school to get a degree, and they don’t give you one of those if you don’t do the work.

Shocking, I know.

Summary: Make Yourself Do Your Homework: Getting it over with will make you feel better and keep you from panicking later.

3. Go to Sleep.

Chances are, you don’t get enough sleep. Wanna know how I know? Cause you’re a student.

You’re going to have nights where you stay up late studying or where you’re up until one in the morning writing a paper- but here’s what’s funny about sleep- you have to do it or your body CANNOT function. Weird how that works right?

If you’re having a busy week, skip staying out until two in the morning and just freakin go to bed. If you know you have a class you need to be at at 8:00 a.m. tomorrow, then common sense says that staying up until dawn is not a good idea.

Summary: Go to Sleep: You can’t get anything productive done when you’re out-of-your-mind tired. Just go to bed!

4. Work Out.

I don’t know about you, but when I’m stressed I don’t want to do ANYTHING, much less bust out my running shorts. But we should do it anyway. Working out will help make you healthier, happier, and less stressed. I’m not suggesting you spend hours at the gym. Just go for a walk, go to a spin class, do SOMETHING. My friend and I are taking a Zumba class on campus for free during weeknights and both of us feel so much better after. You’ll feel productive, you’ll be doing something for YOU, and you’ll have much more energy in the long run.

Summary: Work Out: It’ll help relieve tension and you can battle that freshman 15 that followed you to junior year.

5. Don’t Eat Junk.

I’m a girl, so I know that chocolate seems like the perfect cure to a rough day. And if you’re not into chocolate, some ice cream or something soaked in grease will also suffice, right? Wrong. Because you and I both know that once you decide that eating something awful for you will fix your day, you’re just subjecting yourself to hours of guilt later. And then you feel gross. So your mood is worse. And then your mind is like “Remember 10 minutes ago when you ate that bag of chips and for a second we were so happy? Let’s do that again.” So you do.

And the vicious cycle goes into full swing.

Don’t get me wrong, chocolate is good stuff and not necessarily meant to be sworn off for good. BUT if you’re eating it to feel better…..Just don’t do it. Eat something healthier. Make yourself a salad, or a sandwich, or better yet, fajitas. Are fajitas EVER a bad idea? No. No they are not. And you won’t want to hide under your blankets in shame for eating them.

You’ll feel better, you’ll have more energy, and you won’t feel guilty.

Summary: Don’t eat junk: You’ll feel better and have more energy if you skip fried and coated with sugar and eat something good for you.

6. Find a New Perspective and Just Breathe.

It’s not just about being stressed out with school work, am I right? Being stressed out can make you feel like you’re in a rut.

Remind yourself that it’s okay that you have no freaking idea what you’re doing sometimes.

Remind yourself that the things you’re worried about right now, aren’t the most important things that will happen in your life. Even the worst case scenario wouldn’t be the end of the world.

(Yes, the sun WILL rise tomorrow despite the fact that you failed your math quiz. And you ARE going to be okay.)

Remind yourself that this time in your life only lasts a few years and when it’s over, you’re going to miss it.

Life won’t look like this forever. In fact, I bet for a few weeks in December in January, things will look completely different.

Just do the best you can TODAY.

And if you don’t like the way things look, change something. Your path is not set in stone.

Summary: Find a New Perspective: Find a way to see your situation in a new, positive light.

7. Do Something You Love.

If you feel like you’re being drained by all of these stressful things you don’t enjoy, then you should spend some time doing things that you DO enjoy. Pretty logical if you ask me.

Does playing basketball make you happy? Do it.

Does running a sewing machine make you happy? Do it.

For me- reading makes me happy. So I should do it.

Whatever your beliefs are, I absolutely would encourage you to practice the things that bring you peace. Whether that’s just by being in nature, or through prayer, or scripture study, whatever it is.

You can’t always subtract, never add, and still break even. You know?

Summary: Feed your soul. Remember that it needs to be nourished too.

What do/did YOU do to keep your sanity in school? Anything you’d add to the list? Let me know!

We can make it to break! I believe in us!

“We do not need magic to transform our world. We carry all of the power we need inside ourselves already.” -J.K. Rowling

Even the dementors can’t argue with that.

Filed Under: Kayli

Happy Thanksgiving and a Pick Your Plum Giveaway

November 22, 2012 18 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving dolls!!!

WE ARE THANKFUL FOR YOU! Our blog readers and friends!
Just as a little thanks for sticking with us, we’ve got a fun giveaway for you today! In between chowing down on some yummy Thanksgiving food, spending time with your loved ones and relaxing, we hope you’ll take a second and enter to win!

Have you heard of Pick Your Plum yet? It’s an online deal site, where you can receive the daily deal in your inbox and purchase that item online. They share their daily deal on their as well, so you have the chance to ‘Get it before your neighbor!’

One lucky winner will receive a box of Pick Your Plum goodies valued at $75!!!

It might include some fun craft supplies like some colorful twine….

Some fun baking items like maybe a cute cupcake stand…

It might contain some lovely home decor items… maybe personalized wooden words for your walls…

The contents of the package will be a surprise, but it’s guaranteed to be awesome! 😉

Enter to win below using the Rafflecopter form! Good luck!!!
A winner will be chosen next Thursday, November 29th!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have a Happy Thanksgiving friends!!!

Filed Under: Giveaways Tagged With: Giveaway, Thankful

Holiday Gift Ideas and The Life of Pi

November 20, 2012 6 Comments

With Thanksgiving just a couple of days away we’re already in the full swing of this year’s holiday season!
The holidays are a very special time of year in my family. I have personally always loved seeing the decorations start to go up around town, to be able to decorate the inside of my own home and the holiday lights are a definite favorite!!!

Every single year the entire family gets together and exchanges gifts, enjoys a home cooked, extra special holiday meal and spends quality time together. And every single holiday season I promise myself that I won’t wait until the last minute to finish my holiday shopping…
Well, THIS year might finally be the one! I’ve been looking for a one stop shop to get the majority of my gifts, gifts that my loved ones will love and I’ve finally found it at World Market. Win-win, am I right!

I’ve even created an inspiration board of fun gifts that I know will be absolute crowd-pleasers at this year’s holiday celebrations!

World Market Gift Ideas by kassi-mortensen on Polyvore

Light Natural Cowhide Rug | World Market / Faux Cowhide Toss Pillow / Owl Cookie Jars, Set of 2 | World Market / Hammered Copper Tea Kettle | World Market / Multicolor Stacking Mugs or Espresso Cups Sets of 6 | World Market / candles holders | World Market / 6 Bud Vases with Wire Caddy | World Market / Nico Nesting Tables, Set of 3

World Market has unique rustic items like the cowhide accessories, cute items like the cookie jars, bright colors for the bold ones in my life, and fun decorations for the world travelers, like the NY word sign! A gift for everyone on my h0liday shopping list all at one location! I’m excited to get my holiday shopping finished early and then have time for other fun holiday activities! Like going to the movies for example…

I am right in the middle of reading the book, The Life of Pi. The story is about a young Indian boy named Pi, of course, who through some tragic events ends up stranded in the ocean all alone except for a Bengal tiger!! Pi’s story will debut on the big screen starting November 21st (TOMORROW!) and I can’t wait to see it!

Now, how does the Life of Pi coincide with World Market you ask? Well, on Black Friday (November 23) the first 100 customers to shop, in store at World Market, will receive a FREE Limited Edition Life of Pi ornament and a FREE Life of Pi movie ticket. The first 100 customers to shop in-store on Saturday, November 24 and Sunday, November 25 will receive a FREE Limited Edition Life of Pi Tote Bag and a movie ticket.

Holiday shopping done AND a FREE movie plus other fun goodies!?!? I’m sold!!!

They’re also hosting a HUGE Life of Pi Sweepstakes! Enter here on their sweepstakes site or .

Oh! And just a little heads up… If you share the sweepstakes with 5 of your friends (via FB share or email) you can receive 5 additional bonus entries. You can also enter daily for more chances to win!!

And while you’re getting entered, stay up to date with all future World Market fun all across the web!!!
Website | | | |

Disclosure: This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™, but all my opinions are my own.http://cmp.ly/3/KqtZiE.

Filed Under: Holidays, Sponsored Tagged With: gift ideas, Movies

Fall Ribbon Candles and a Discount Code

November 19, 2012 4 Comments

Thanksgiving is only a few days away!
Are you ready?? Do you have your centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table? A few cute decorations around the house?
Here’s a SUPER easy craft you can whip up in just a few minutes to add some fall fun to your celebration!

These fun candles only require a few materials:

Two (or more) pillar candles
Fall themed ribbon
Glue dots
Scissors

I used two plain brown pillar candles… Ones that were already a part of my living room decor actually. You might remember them from my living room makeover. That’s what makes the glue dots so useful… Once fall is over you can just remove the ribbon and keep on using the plain candles! Or even change out the ribbon for more winter themed colors if you’d like!

Step 1: Measure out lengths of ribbon to wrap around each candle. I chose yellow, brown, white and orange ribbon for fall.

Step 2: Wrap each ribbon around the candle securing both ends with a glue dot like so….

Step 3: Do the same with the other candle(s), until they’re all are wrapped with ribbon.

Step 4: Display as decorations on their own, or group together in the center of your Thanksgiving table for a unique centerpiece idea!

There you go lovelies! A quick easy way to add a pop of fall to your decor!
OH! And about that discount code I promised in the title… Since we’re sharing quick and easy as a sort of theme today… Go ahead and mark off another to do on your holiday list by quickly and easily creating then sending a personalized greeting card from Treat (a brand new Shutterfly greeting card brand) for FREE!!!!! That’s right, tell the neighbors Happy Holidays, wish a Happy Birthday to a friend, it’s up to you!!!
Use the code TREATBLOGR today and tomorrow!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Treat. As always opinions shared are 100% my own!

Wishing you and yours a Happy Fall and a Happy Thanksgiving from Truly Lovely!!!

Linking this here and here and .

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

Filed Under: Crafts, Holidays Tagged With: candles, Fall, Ribbon, Thanksgiving

Archives for November 2012

Fancy This Fridays #103

Fancy This Fridays Rules:

Tips for Growing Your Blog

Well hello there Channing Tatum….

How to Keep School from Sucking Out Your Soul

1. Get A Planner.

2. Just Do Your Homework.

3. Go to Sleep.

4. Work Out.

5. Don’t Eat Junk.

6. Find a New Perspective and Just Breathe.

7. Do Something You Love.

Happy Thanksgiving and a Pick Your Plum Giveaway

Holiday Gift Ideas and The Life of Pi

Fall Ribbon Candles and a Discount Code

Get Truly Lovely in Your Inbox!

Truly Lovely Sponsors

Looking for something?

Truly Lovely Affiliates

My Blog Tribe

THANKS for your VOTE!!!

Truly Lovely Participation:

Truly Lovely: A History…

Our Lovely Bloggie Buddies!!

Fancy This Fridays is Powered by:

Follow Us on Twitter

Like Us On Facebook

Archives for November 2012

Fancy This Fridays #103

Fancy This Fridays Rules:

Tips for Growing Your Blog

Thanksgiving Favorites Part 3

Thanksgiving Favorites Part 2

Thanksgiving Favorites Part 1

Well hello there Channing Tatum….

How to Keep School from Sucking Out Your Soul

1. Get A Planner.

2. Just Do Your Homework.

3. Go to Sleep.

4. Work Out.

5. Don’t Eat Junk.

6. Find a New Perspective and Just Breathe.

7. Do Something You Love.

Happy Thanksgiving and a Pick Your Plum Giveaway

Holiday Gift Ideas and The Life of Pi

Fall Ribbon Candles and a Discount Code

Get Truly Lovely in Your Inbox!

Truly Lovely Sponsors

Looking for something?

Truly Lovely Affiliates

My Blog Tribe

THANKS for your VOTE!!!

Truly Lovely Participation:

Truly Lovely: A History…

Our Lovely Bloggie Buddies!!

Fancy This Fridays is Powered by:

Follow Us on Twitter

Like Us On Facebook