Archives for June 2013

Fancy This Fridays #133 and Features

June 28, 2013 10 Comments

Hey dolls, first a few things before we get into this week’s Fancy This Fridays party. As of yesterday I am 37 weeks preggo so that means baby can make her big debut anytime in the next 3-4 weeks if she’s late… 😉 SO I would love to invite each of you that link up with us every week to share a guest post here on Truly Lovely while I am away preparing for her arrival, delivering and the like. Kayli and I will both still be posting as we are able, but we’d love to have a few BABY sitters lined up to entertain while we are away. If you’re interested, just tell me so in the comments section or shoot me an email.

Next, have you joined in on our 20 Wishes Project yet??? Consider this yet ANOTHER invitation to write your list and join us!!! You can read all about it and link up here.

OK, now onto the features from Fancy This 132.

First up, it’s vacation season and Sam of The Kitchen is my Dance Floor shared her tips for making and sticking to a vacation budget! I know I could use a few of these for my next vacay!!

Next up, I have been craving ice cream and cold treats here lately and these adorable little ice cream cones from Brandy at The Moody Fashionista look cute and tasty! Click over to see what her secret is!!! 😉

And finally, here’s a unique headboard idea and the complete tutorial from Christine at The DIY Dreamer. She shares all the steps for making your own Shutter Headboard.

Here’s a Featured on Truly Lovely button for you three mentioned above! Hope you’ll grab one and share it over at our own blogs! 😉
Don’t forget each of these features gets pinned to our !! Check it out for past features and some fun ideas!!

Now onto 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 linking with us lovelies!!!
Hope you have a safe and fun weekend!!!

Filed Under: Fancy This Fridays, Features

20 Wishes Progress Link Up – May and June

June 26, 2013 10 Comments

Do you ever think about those things that you’d really like to try one day… or really like to accomplish sometime in the future… Ponder those things for awhile but then push them aside because there’s just not time right now, or money, or whatever excuse you can come up with at the moment? Well, the ENTIRE point of the 20 Wishes project here at Truly Lovely is to write down those things and then really make an effort to get them completed! If you have yet to write your list and join us, here’s your invitation! This link up will be open for a month… That’s PLENTY of time to think of 20 things you really WANT to do. Write them up and link them with us here. To read more on the what and why we’re doing this check out this link. It’s a year long project for your wish motivation!

For those of you that have already joined us, it’s 20 wishes progress time!!! And here’s a button for everyone to remind you to come back each month and share!

You can see my May – June progress here and Kayli’s here.

We aren’t requiring you to follow anybody, visit anybody, or anything else really. The point is for you to have a place to share and work towards accomplishing those things you really want to do. Although, it would be SUPER awesome if you were to link up your list, then visit the others that have shared and offer a little encouragement. 😉 Just sayin…

OH! And if you’d like to invite your friends to join in, please do so! The more the merrier!!!

Filed Under: Twenty Wishes

Kayli’s 20 Wishes Progress- June 2013

June 25, 2013 8 Comments

It’s summer! And time to get caught up on the progress that I’ve made so far. (Even if it is a little underwhelming.) (; We’ll have a link up for you tomorrow so we can see how things are coming a long with YOUR lists! And in case you haven’t started yet- you still have almost half of a year to catch up with us, so feel free to hop on the band wagon!! (: And grab yourself a button!

Here’s how things are going!

All progress/updates from the first month are in red, February updates are in purple, and April updates are in blue.
June updates are in green.

Kayli’s Twenty Wishes by December 2013

1. Grow a garden. (Like really grow one. Keeping the weeds out and tending it to it and all!)

Planted! Hopefully it warms up a little and things don’t get squashed by a late freeze! (:

2. Start playing the guitar.

~~3. Make and send valentines.~~

My roommate and I made some this weekend! So the sending part is stalling out a little bit. I WILL be sending them- they might be a few days late but they’ll get there! (:

Sent one or two. I’m just excited I actually made them!

4. ~~Buy my first pair of converse.~~

I didn’t finish this one- but I AM changing it. The fact of the matter is- I just don’t really WANT to spend that much money on shoes I’m not gonna wear very often. What I DO want to spend money on is a new pair of boots that I love! And I’ll be getting on that VERY soon! (:

5. Make meditation a habit. (Not necessarily the kind of meditation you’re thinking, just learning to be.)

I’ve started this one- it’s been sort of difficult because adding a new habit is hard- but I have time to improve.

I have to admit I’m not doing a very good job of this, but I’m trying- a little at a time. (:

Guys, why is this one so hard?! haha I always forget! I’m going to try breaking it down by week, we’ll see if things get any better by next month!

6. Finish an embroidery project. (Like pillowcases, or a dresser scarf or something.)

I actually finished my first pillowcase AND I’ve done another little small project- but I won’t cross this off until I finish my other pillowcase (:

7. Learn the alphabet in American Sign Language.

I started this one too! I had them all memorized for like a week and now I forget a few, so I still need to rehearse to keep it in my long term memory- but we’re getting there!

8. Reread the entire Harry Potter series.

Planning to start The Sorcerer’s Stone soon and work on this once school is out!

9. Paint again! (And maybe try something super abstract)

10. Sleep under the stars.

11. Read at least one C.S. Lewis book.

12. Buy 1 FULL outfit that I really love and maybe wouldn’t buy otherwise.

13. Get a professional best friend photo shoot done with Sara.

14. Go fishing in the evening off of the dock.

Plans are in the works for this- prime fishing time! (:

~~15. Do the Color Run!~~

All signed up and ready to go in January! (:

Went and LOVED it!!! It rained the whole time and it rocked. Seriously, there was color everywhere and music and people were dancing and yelling and it was THE. BEST.

16. Spend an entire day riding horses PURELY for fun- wherever I feel like going.

Been spending a little time with my favorite girl (my sweet horse) lately and hopefully will be able to grab a day to take her out and have a long day of riding. (:

17. Throw someone a full on party- birthday or just because.

(I just changed this one because I like this wish better! You can see what I replaced it with by going to my original list here.)

So I threw a baby shower earlier this month and it was super fun- but I’m going to leave this one up just in case another party opportunity comes my way. I discovered this is something I LOVE to do!

18. Go to the Catwalk.

19. Learn to bake homemade bread!

20. Donate, even if it’s just a little, to a cause that I really believe in. (I’ll be doing lots of research for this one! (; )

Working on this for sure. Just a matter of getting it done. (:

Well, that’s it. haha Summer has been so good to get going on this stuff. The warm weather and the extra time have made for quicker work of things. I really do need to just suck it up and start reading and get going on the guitar thing. But I’m pretty proud of myself for keeping these things in mind and working on them a little at a time!

Can’t wait to see YOUR progress!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Kayli, Twenty Wishes Progress

Fancy This Fridays #132 and Features

June 21, 2013 8 Comments

Hello dears- it’s Kayli!!

Happy Summer!! I’ve been spending my time out of school doing chores and trying to keep up with everything here at home- I think the links I chose for the feature today will keep me plenty busy for awhile! Let’s get to it. (:

First up are these adorable DIY hanging dishtowels from Stephanie at The Tip Toe Fairy. So easy, so functional, and you can mix and match for yourself which is fun!! I will definitely have to make some of my own.

hanging dishtowel

Gotta have pretty dishes to go with your new dishtowels right?? Alice from Mums make lists shows us how to get sparkling dishes from the dishwasher every time with her quick tips for clean dishes and a clean dishwasher. A lot of these were news to me and so brilliant! I’m definitely a little bit of a clean freak so I’m excited to try them out for myself!

And to top it all off, I have a feeling I would LOVE this Old Fashioned Cherry Cobbler from Bonnie, The Pin Junkie. (: Um, YUM. Perfect for summer and not complicated at all! Those are always the best kinds of recipes, am I right?

And there you have it! Make sure you grab a button ladies! And make sure to look for your pin on our . And while you’re there, look around- so many cute ideas from features past.

I’m seriously excited about these- maybe I’ll get ambitious and do them all this week. (: In the meantime, we want to see what YOU have been up to lately. Time for 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 over- hope you all have a great first day of summer and a wonderful weekend!!

Filed Under: Fancy This Fridays, Features

Kassi’s 20 Wishes Progress – May & June 2013

June 20, 2013 8 Comments

OK so we might have missed posting 20 wishes progress reports for the month of May…. Oops!!! Things have been hectic around here with baby showers, baby planning, doctors appointments weekly now… Let’s just say it’s been a little bit crazy!! So sorry we missed last month, but let’s get caught up this month!!!

How are your 20 wishes coming along??? Have you written a list yet? If you have yet to join us, please check out this post for the what and why, then write up your 20 wishes and come back here on Wednesday, June 26th, to link up your list! We love seeing the progress that everyone has made and love to see encouragement floating around!!!

So here’s my updates as of these last two months!

{May and June updates are this color and in italics. April updates are this color and in italics! Progress for March are this color and in italics. Progress updates from February are this color and in italics. Progress updates for progress report one are red and in italics.}

Here’s a button for those of you that have yet to join and those of you that have yet to grab a button! 😉

Kassi’s Twenty Wishes List for 2013

1. Read 50 books, just for fun, that I WANT to read. {So this got stalled a little bit. I’ve been reading up on pregnancy in my What to Expect book, and studying my manual thing from our prenatal class… All other reading has gotten pushed to the way side. WILL work on reading more in the next few weeks!!! So far I’ve read 22 books putting me 8 books ahead of and almost half way finished with my 50 book goal by the end of the year. I read the Beautiful Creatures series this last month and really enjoyed it if you’re looking for something fun to read in the young adult genre.}

2013 Reading Challenge

Kassi has
read 22 books toward her goal of 50 books.

hide

22 of 50 (44%)

view books

~~2. Take a trip up Mount Graham.~~ (I’ve lived here a year now, think it’s time to start checking out the local sites!) So on a random Saturday afternoon Nate told me to load up our dogs and a few drinks, we stopped and got a picnic lunch and drove up to the very top of Mt. Graham!!! I have several pictures from the drive there and back, but here’s one to hold you over until a full post can be written!

The ‘Arrow Tree’ on Mt. Graham. Apparently people stop on the side of the road and shoot arrows into it… There were hundreds in this tree!

3. Make a scrapbook of my trip to Australia. (I’ve had the photos since um… 2003…. oops….)

~~4. Participate in a Color Run!~~ {You can see the full post on our Color Run experience here.}

5. Host a girlfriends’ dinner party in my home. Invites, menus, the whole she-bang!

~~6. Build my photography portfolio to include 10 different sessions.~~ {Over the last couple of weeks I’ve photographed my first wedding and did my first maternity shoot to round out my goal of ten sessions!!! I’ve even photographed another family and had my first senior session this month!! That officially makes 12!!!} {Just an update for May-June, so far I have photographed 17 sessions! One was a birthday shoot for a sweet 8 year old girl, a wedding and a few family sessions!}

7. Make a photography website and FB page with those 10 sessions. {I just launched my website!! I purchased the domain (www.kassimortensenphotography.com) and set it up in March! I’m working on getting the ~~8 sessions~~ 12 sessions I have added to the page. Be a dear and go check it out, yes? And maybe follow…. 😉} {Facebook page is done!!! Won’t you be a doll and like ?!? Oh, and check out my sweet new logo c/o while you’re there. 😉}

8. Attend an AZ blogger event.

9. Makeover my master bedroom. {So this is a work in progress. We purchased a Cal. King mattress via Groupon. AWESOME deal! Then a few weeks later during, Mother’s Day weekend, my amazing husband took my to purchase a bedroom set in town! We got a beautiful set with a bed, dresser and side tables! No more plastic nightstands for us! We feel so grown up. 😉 BUT because they were able to deliver the bed set that day I haven’t had time to paint it like I wanted. So maybe in a few months once things with baby have calmed down. We’ll see… 😉}

10. Visit a winery and do a wine tasting.

11. Plant rose bushes in my backyard. {This is actually a goal in progress! I’ve picked out the spot to plant them. Just need the hubs to dig the holes (preggo girls aren’t so good at digging 27 weeks in…) and purchase the rose bushes.} {So I actually purchased two roses, had Nate dig the holes for them and we planted them. The one rose is thriving now and even has a few blooms, but the other… Sadly it just didn’t make it. SO I’m not marking this one off until I can get it replaced!!!}

12. Take a 2 year anniversary trip just me and the hubs.

13. Private wish. (This is something I REALLY, really, REALLY wish for, so I don’t want to jinx it… When it does happen I’ll share what it is.) 😉

14. Makeover our guest bathroom.

15. Plant an upside down Mulberry tree somewhere at my house.

~~16. See George Strait in concert for his final tour.~~ {On April 6 me, Kayli and our mom saw King George in Las Cruces! He was AMAZING! See the full post on completing this wish here.}

17. Take a photography class or work shop. {This month I started the online photography certification course that I purchased a few months ago via Groupon. So far I’ve made it through the first lesson!} {True story… That first lesson is still all that I’ve completed. SLACKER! I know, right!?! Will do better this next month!}

18. Download a Book of Mormon reading app of some sort and read at least the first half! {I downloaded Book of Mormon Chapter Tap, it’s an app for $0.99 that lets you check of each chapter as you read through. So far I’m well ahead of schedule!} {Actually I am WAY behind schedule now… This goes along with my reading for the year… I just haven’t been into reading the last few weeks. Weird, right!?! Will be working on this one too!!!}

19. Visit Build a Bear and actually build a bear.

20. Host a holiday for my family including a traditional dinner.

So there you have it! My 20 Wishes progress as of May- June 2013! Don’t forget we hope to mark all these wishes off by next December!
See you back here on Wednesday with your progress, yes?

Filed Under: Twenty Wishes

Little Cowgirl Baby Shower #1

June 17, 2013 8 Comments

On May 18th one of my best friends, Meghan, and my sister in law, Brianne, hosted a sweet Little Cowgirl Baby shower for me and baby girl Mortensen. Kayli took all of the photos so I’ve been waiting on her to get them sent to me, but I have them now and I am excited to share the sweet baby shower my friends and family threw!

So this is a little all over the place… Lots of photos for me to share with you but also so that I’ll have something to help me remember. 😉 Apologies…

cowgirl baby shower cake

The cake was actually made and decorated by my next door neighbor! My sister in law commissioned her to make it for the party… Until then I didn’t even know she made cakes!?! Funny how someone can have an amazing talent and you not even know! I LOVED the little Precious Moments cake topper. *Random fact, I collected Precious Moments trinkets and things when I was little!

For the food they created a nacho bar. There were tortilla chips, hot nacho cheese and just about any topping you could ever want… olives, green onions, seasoned beef, jalapeno peppers, and more! They were seriously so yummy!!! There were also some fruit trays and dip.

little girl diaper cake

Speaking of cakes, how cool is this diaper cake!?! ALSO made by my next door neighbor and her daughter! Right now I have it displayed in baby girl’s room. The diapers are size 4 so I have some time before I need to ‘use’ the cake… 😉

baby shower game

One of the games we played was the ‘What’s in your purse’ game. We were given a list and then had to go through our purses to see how many of the list items were in your bag. Jastine, my husband’s step-sister, had all kinds of goodies in her purse. We went through her change and I’m pretty sure she had every state quarter ever made in that sucker! 😉 haha.

baby shower game ideas

Another of the games we played was guessing the price of the baby items. There was a bottle, baby food, binkies, baby lotion, etc. and you had to guess what each item cost. They gave two prizes, one for the most items guessed within ten cents, and one for the overall total closest to the actual total… Guess who won? 😉 I had the most guesses correct within ten cents and Kayli won for the closest overall total! Door prizes were pretty smelling hand soaps from Bath & Body Works!! Whoop!

In that photo up above you can see one of the decoration elements was a little ‘clothes line’ with cowgirl clothes hanging on it. Of course I got to take home all of the cute little clothes AND all of the baby items from the guess the price game!

playing baby shower games

I was so blessed to have so many of my closest friends and family come to this shower. At least the ones close to the area that we live in now. We had a great turnout and it was fun to see everyone.

Sister in law, Jessie. Mom. Kassi. Kayli.

We were also blessed to receive so many adorable baby clothes, baby necessities and the like. Let’s just say baby girl’s closet is fully stocked from newborn through 12 months old now! 😉

Kassi and Meghan

On the invitation guests were asked to bring a signed children’s book instead of a card so we received lots of books to start baby girl’s very own little library! The guest book was even a little cowgirl book about a girl that needed a horse. All of the guests signed it for us to keep! {You can kind of see it on top of the basket in the next photo…}

cowgirl baby shower

One of the special gifts I received was a live orchid from my friend, Meghan. She just had a baby boy back in October and her mom gave her an orchid. They are supposed to be proponents of calm, peace and serenity. She said I’m supposed to put it somewhere I’ll see it often and when I get stressed (as you will with a new baby), looking at it is supposed to help me feel less overwhelmed and just better. Such a neat idea, right!?!

You can also see the party favors in the photo above. Meghan made homemade trail mix and then bagged it in cute little brown paper bags that said ‘Happy Trails’. SO fun!

Reiner

The definite star of the show was little mister Reiner! Meghan’s baby boy and my godson. Such a handsome little cowboy he is already! We’ve already decided him and baby girl Mortensen will be the best of friends. 😉

Kassi and Brianne

While us girls were at the shower the gents all got together for a round of golf and a diaper party to celebrate Nate becoming a daddy. We received all kinds of diapers and hopefully won’t have to buy any for a really long time! I HIGHLY recommend hosting a diaper shower for your daddy to be!!! Or asking a friend to host it for you! The guys all had a good time hanging out and we raked in the diapers!

gifts

Thanks so much to Meghan and Brianne for hosting the shower and everyone that came and spent a fun afternoon with us!

Filed Under: Baby, Party Ideas Tagged With: baby shower

Fancy This Fridays #131 and a Double Feature!!

June 14, 2013 8 Comments

Happy Friday!!! In case you missed it we’re hosting a giveaway for THREE copies of The Black Shard, the sequal to Victoria Simcox’s The Magic Warble book! I made an interchangeable necklace with two very different looks from the Styled by Tori Spelling collection. AND I shared my Blackberry Z10 Keep Moving Party!!

So last week I promised a double feature since I missed featuring any projects from Fancy This 129! So without further ado… Here are the features from two parties back… For the theme from that week I stuck with summer activities! All fun things to do in the coming summer months!

First up, Wanda Ann of Memories by the Mile shows us her organized craft room! It’s so pretty and tidy! I need to reorganize my craft room this summer!!!

Next I love Popsicles during the hot summer months! Kaysi at Keeping it Simple shows us how she made some fun freezer pop holders! There are light saber looking holders, pretty holders for the girls… You name it! And it makes eating that popsicle so much easier!

And for our final feature from Fancy This 129 Chrissy of Hot Commodity Home Decor is sharing her summer reading list! I’ve read a few of the books on her list like Gone Girl, but I see several that I’ll be adding to my own summer reading!!!

SummerReading2

Now onto the features from Fancy This 130!!!

First, for all you procrastinators, here’s a set of free Father’s Day printable cards from Allons-y Kimberly.

And here’s a tasty Italian Chicken Skillet dinner from The Pin Junkie that you can whip up for dad this Father’s Day weekend!

While you’re at it make dad a yummy dessert like these Lemonade Cupcakes from Jen at Don’t Mess With My Tutus!

Here’s a Featured on Truly Lovely button for you SIX mentioned above! Hope you’ll grab one and share it over at our own blogs! 😉
Don’t forget each of these features gets pinned to our !! Check it out for past features and some fun ideas!!

Now onto 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 linking with us lovelies!!!
Have the best weekend!!!

Filed Under: Fancy This Fridays, Features

The Black Shard; A Sequel and A Giveaway!!!!

June 13, 2013 1 Comment

Hey there lovelies! Remember the giveaway I hosted a couple of weeks ago for The Magic Warble by Victoria Simcox? Well today I have a fun treat for you! The sequel to The Magic Warble entitled The Black Shard is now available and I have THREE e-book copies to share with three lucky Truly Lovely readers!!!

First, a little bit about the book…

The Black Shard is 267 pages long with 1-2 pictures per chapter. It’s listed at a middle-grade read, ages 9-13. This story picks up where The Magic Warble left off, of course. It leads our main character, Kristina back to the magical world of Bernovem to be reunited with old friends from the first book. I was able to review The Black Shard and much like The Magic Warble, I found it to be a clean, fun read. Quick and easy to breeze through as an adult but the perfect story for the 9-13 age set.

And now, an excerpt from The Black Shard by Victoria Simcox….

_____________________

Chapter 5, Recalling: Excerpt

While she was speaking, Kristina suddenly felt a tug on her pant leg. She looked down, and flabbergasted, her mouth dropped open. “Did I surprise you?” a familiar voice said.

“Oh, my gosh! Raymond!” Kristina said, full of surprise. Her eyes filled with warm tears as she bent down and scooped her former pet rat into her arms. After a long, heart-filled hug, Kristina placed Raymond down again. She noticed that Raymond had grown a little larger, mostly in his belly area. “Wow, Raymond, somebody must be feeding you very well.”

“Yes, I must say, maybe a tad bit too well,” Raymond said, standing on his hind legs and patting his full belly.

Kristina looked behind Raymond and saw another rat, patiently waiting for him. “Are you going to introduce your friend to me?” she asked Raymond. Raymond turned to look at the other rat. “Come a little closer,” he whispered nervously.

Timidly, the other rat went to stand beside him. “Kristina, this is my girlfriend, Lilly,” Raymond said. Kristina’s eyebrows rose and the first thought that popped into her mind was, your girlfriend? Uh … You didn’t ask my permission to have a girlfriend.

Lilly lowered her head in a humble bow and then held out her little pink paw toward Kristina. Kristina crouched down and shook it.

“Pleased to meet you, Kristina,” Lilly said. “Raymond has told me wonderful stories about you and him.”

_____________________

So fun, right!?! Raymond is back! 😉 NOT to give away an spoilers or anything… Now onto the giveaway! Again, we’ll have three winners, the giveaway is open to both U.S. and International participants. Please enter using the Rafflecopter form below. The giveaway will end on Thursday June, 20th at midnight and the winners will be announced the following day!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for entering and good luck!!!

Filed Under: Books, Giveaways

Interchangeable Necklaces Styled by Tori Spelling

June 12, 2013 4 Comments

*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Styled by Tori Spelling and Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft stores for a campaign via Blueprint Social. As always opinions shared here are 100% my own!

Every woman and young lady that I know loves jewelry… The more pretty baubles you have to choose from when getting dressed for work, a night on the town, or just every day the better!!! Am I right!?! That’s why I am in LOVE with all the pretty new pieces now available at Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores!

You might’ve seen the Styled by Tori pieces that were available before but now there are even MORE fun colors and ways to mix and match pieces to create your own unique looks! Just check out all the blingy goodness I received in my Blueprint Social sampling box!!! And that’s only a small snippet of the awesome-ness that is now available!!!

One of my favorite features of this jewelry line is that they are made to be interchangeable. You can purchase just a few key pieces and create several different looks! For example with just four pieces from the Styled by Tory Spelling Noir collection I was able to create two very different interchangeable necklaces!

Step 1: Gather your necklaces pieces. Mine included two necklace bottoms, one necklace top and a set of connectors.

Step 2: Connect the first necklace bottom to the necklace top using the two connectors. You can see in the photo below, it’s SO easy to do. Simply open the connector and slip the two ends inside. That’s it!

Viola! There’s your first necklace! The necklace bottom shown here is the Five Stone Bib bottom in the Smoke color.

Step 3: Create a completely different look by replacing the first necklace bottom with the second necklace bottom. Simply change it out at the connectors, leaving the connectors attached to the necklace top.

And boom! There’s your second necklace! The necklace bottom shown here is the Leaf and Rhinestone Tri-Color Necklace Botto.

You can find more information and ideas for creating your own Styled by Tori Spelling looks by following them on , and . Oh! And make sure you get entered into the being hosted by Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores! It’s only open from June 3-20th, so hurry to get your entry in!!!

To enter click over to the , fill out the official entry form and upload a photo of you wearing jewelry made with the Styled by Tori Spelling collection.

The Grand Prize includes a trip to L.A. for you and a friend! The winner will head to an LA area Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store to shop & craft with Tori Spelling! Winner and guest will each receive air transportation, hotel accommodations, dinner, up to $100 to spend for the craft items and $100 Styled by Tori Spelling gift basket. Five first prize winners will receive $100 in jewelry!!! .

To see more fun Styled by Tori Spelling looks created by my fellow bloggers check out the links below!

Filed Under: Crafts, Product Reviews Tagged With: Jewelry

Blackberry Z10 Keep Moving Party

June 11, 2013 Leave a Comment

We’ve all seen the old Blackberry devices, right? When I think of those I think of big and clunky with the small push button keyboard. Well, the new Blackberry Z10 now available at Verizon Wireless is nothing short of sleek and stylish! Plus it has all kinds of amazing new features!

As part of the Verizon VIP Crowd on Crowdtap I was recently given the opportunity to test out a brand new Blackberry Z10 and share it with a few friends at a Blackberry Z10 Keep Moving party.

Prior to the party I created an event on Facebook to share information and invite friends to the party. The group also included several poll questions and a request for a photo from each of my guests that described ‘What keeps them moving?’

Shown below is a few examples of the poll questions asked in the Facebook event group. As incentive to get guests to fill out the poll questions a Blackberry USB pen was offered as a giveaway prize to everyone that participated.

When I received my party package I was able to load my information like Facebook account, twitter account, etc. onto the phone to test out it’s features. One of the things I was most impressed with was the photo editing capabilities. My iPhone 4S has basic editing features like cropping and red eye reduction. But the Blackberry Z10 goes above and beyond that with filters and effects already preloaded into the phone! In other words, you don’t NEED an app for that!

For example here’s a photo I took of clouds above the mountain near my house. After editing it within the Blackberry Z10 photo editor using the auto enhance feature and the contrast feature we get an ominous looking storm out of some crazy sci-fi movie versus a normal cloudy sky! Cool, right?

I was also really impressed with the Story Maker app that allows you to edit your photos and videos into a movie with background music and everything! I tested it out by making a photo tutorial of a craft I had completed recently. You can see it here: .

At the party itself I had planned on taking my guests out for drinks after my baby shower in May… but by the time the shower was over and everything was unloaded at my house everyone was ready to just stay in and relax… So instead we purchased a few drinks and snacks from the nearby grocery store and hung out at home to check out the Blackberry Z10.

As I shared earlier each guest was asked to send me a photo of what kept them moving. I had several guests participate so with their photos I made another Story Maker movie. At the party I also filmed a short clip of everyone waving at the camera and then showed everyone how easy it is to edit a movie by adding in the clip I had just taken. Here’s the finished video…

Overall everyone had a great time checking out the new Blackberry Z10, learning about all the cool new features and getting to spend some time together. So glad I invited all my tech savvy friends who were able to ask questions that I hadn’t even thought about!

Your turn: Are you a Blackberry user? Will you be trying the Blackberry Z10 anytime soon? Or have you tried it already? What were your thoughts?

Filed Under: Product Reviews, Sponsored Tagged With: CrowdTap, Verizon

Archives for June 2013

Fancy This Fridays #133 and Features

Fancy This Fridays Rules:

20 Wishes Progress Link Up – May and June

Kayli’s 20 Wishes Progress- June 2013

Fancy This Fridays #132 and Features

Fancy This Fridays Rules:

Kassi’s 20 Wishes Progress – May & June 2013

2013 Reading Challenge

Little Cowgirl Baby Shower #1

Fancy This Fridays #131 and a Double Feature!!

Fancy This Fridays Rules:

The Black Shard; A Sequel and A Giveaway!!!!

Interchangeable Necklaces Styled by Tori Spelling

Blackberry Z10 Keep Moving Party

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