Basket of Sunshine Tutorial

...I gotta basket, gotta basket full of sunshine.... (thank you Natasha Bedingfield)
As part of one of my random acts of kindness, I created a basket of sunshine for a woman at my sister's church. I made the basket for her, her son, and her husband. I saw the idea around Pinterest as a box of sunshine. I used a basket instead. I liked seeing all the yellow out in the open!

I started writing a list of all things yellow while I was at work. It was pitiful. I decided to just walk around Target and see what I can find. Lucky for me, a lot of good things are yellow!

The stores I bought from were Target, Cost Plus World Market, and Big Lots.

Here's my loot of all things yellow:

• rubber ducky - Cost Plus
• Crayola crayons - Target
• Crayola markers - Target
• post it notes - Target
• dinosaur stickers / Car stickers - Big Lots
• a candle - Big Lots
• a box of golden Oreos - Big Lots
• lemonade mix - Big Lots
• notecards - Target
• EOS chapstick - Target
• Sally Hansen nail stickers - Big Lots
• a glitter headband - Big Lots
• a slinky - Cost Plus
• basket with filling, cellophane & twine - Cost Plus

I listed where I found everything to show that this could be very inexpensive. I tried to put something for everyone in there. The excitement and "WOW THANKS!" from her son made my heart melt like a popsicle on the 4th of July.

I will definitely be making this again.

close up and personal

What would you include in your basket of sunshine?

Do you or someone you know need a little light? Let me know! :)

Let's be friends.

email: miranduh007@yahoo.com
IG: meranneduh1
Pinterest:1

Valentine Garland Exchange

I am participating in my very first garland exchange. Emmy hosts them. She is fabulous and so are her exchanges.

You sign up through Emmy's site, donate $5, get your exchange assignment, craft away, and send it off to your partner!

Oh! Did I mention the money helps fund adoptions?? Pretty things for a good cause! Swoon!

I'm pretty happy with the way mine turned out. I went for a more muted Valentine's look instead of red and pink all up in your face. Not that there is anything wrong with that, I just don't know my partner's style.

I wish I could crochet those cute little hearts, but I don't know how :( paper garland it is!

These two are my favorites. The colors. The words. The prints!

The big cards are from this set. I got them at Target for either $1.99 or $2.99. There's a bunch in there and they are double sided!

The little scalloped circles are from paper scraps I had at home.

Mini clothes pins are from Michaels. The heart clothes pins were from a spotlight sale on Jane.

I will be mailing it off this week and cannot wait for my partner to get it!!!! Eek!!!!

You should definitely keep an eye out for the next Emmy Exchange. They are so much fun!

Have you made any Valentine's garlands? If so, leave your link below! I would love to take a look! :)

Let's be friends.

email : miranduh007@yahoo.com
IG : meranneduh1
pinterest : meranneduh1

Liebster Award Nomination!

What what!

Thank you, Sam from College Beauty Buff and Julia from Pennies & Paper :)

The Liebster Award is for bloggers who have less than 200 followers. Liebster is a German word meaning "darling", "dearest", or "sweetheart." Who knew!

The rules are :

• Link back to the person that nominated you. (in this case, i had 2)
• Answer the 11 questions given to you (this number depends on the person - some use different rules)
• Nominate 11 blogs with under 200 followers
• Give those  blogs 11 questions
• List 11 facts about yourself

My Answers:
1. Top 3 favorite albums. Go.  Oh man. I don't listen to whole albums anymore. Tailgate & Tanlines and Crash My Party by Luke Bryan. I love country. #3? I don't know!
2. What's you go-to sad-day movie? The Notebook, probably.
3. Do you wear makeup? If so, what's your favorite kind of product? Hardly. I love mascara and lipstick though.
4. You're stuck on a deserted island and can only bring four things. What are they? Cell phone, charger, my boyfriend (he's a smart one)  and contact solution. Contact wearers, can you imagine???
5. If you could eat one type of food for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? Probably pizza. It covers all the major food groups, of course!
6. Give me a fun fact about you. I am a black belt in Taekwondo.
7. Have you ever been to a foreign country? Does the Bahamas count?
9. The best concert you've ever been to? Taylor Swift or Luke Bryan.
10. What's your favorite cafe? Hmm. Not sure.
11. And the most important question of all - do you like Nutella? If so, what's your favorite recipe? I love crepes with Nutella and fruit. Or I made a nutella frosting for cupcakes once. Fab!

Nominations:
1. Elizabeth @ October June
2. Allyssa @ Life with Lyss
3. Kimberly @ Kimberly's Chronicle
4. Ella @ The Feisty Mamma
5. Rachel @ Sunshine and Sinatra
6. Kenzie Ann @ With Love, Kenzie Ann
7. Em @ The Rant
8. Laura @ College is Awkward
9. Megan @ The Grooming Chef
10. Leigha @ Minougirl
11. Alyssa @ Frosting at Midnight

Ladies, I apologize if you have already been nominated! Your blog must be super fantastic ;)

My Questions:
1. What is your favorite  color?
2. Who is your favorite author?
3. What is your dream job?
4. Why did you start blogging?
5. Coffee or tea?
6. If you could visit one place, where would you go?
7. You've just been granted a shopping spree, which store would you pick first?
8. What is the craziest thing you have ever done?
9. What is your favorite memory?
10. Favorite Disney character?
11. What book are you currently reading? Or most recently read?

11 Facts About Me:
1. Purple pen is my favorite to write with.
2. I am a black belt in Taekwondo. (as listed above)
3. I make and sell cupcakes as my side business. I bake. I craft. I blog!
4. I would love to be blog famous someday.
5. I make lists for everything. I usually forget to look at them.
6. I have two sisters and three nieces. We all look alike.
7. English was my favorite subject in school. I love reading and can write a pretty good essay.
8. The beach is my favorite place to be.
9. I have 5 tattoos.
10. If I had the opportunity to be a mermaid, I would so take it.
11. I love Target. I don't stand a chance against the dollar section!

Please comment below when you have finished your post! I would love to read your answers to my questions and your fun facts. :)

Let's be friends!

email : miranduh007@yahoo.com
IG : meranneduh1
pinterest : meranneduh1

One Site To End Them All

Unroll.me

Check it. Seriously.

I have recently decided to unsubscribe to a lot of the emails I receive on the daily. (see budget post) It's annoying, honestly. You have to wait until you get an email, find the unsubscribe button AND THEN answer questions about why you are unsubscribing.

Where are these options?
- your multiple emails a day annoy me.
- you are too expensive - poor college aged student, duh.
- I haven't worn your stuff in years.
- your style changed and now you suck.
- your sales aren't really sales and I can't handle the heartbreak any longer.

Back to the point.

You log in to Unroll.me with your email address and your email password. It then searches for your subscriptions for a few minutes...

86??? Lordy Lordy. (I had to google how to take screen shots)

Once it is done scanning, you continue onto this page. The page of shame.

Annnnnd then. You click that handy dandy unsubscribe button and they disappear! Well, into your unsubscribed box that is.

Slowly, your number of subscriptions will go down. Abercrombie? Highschool called. They want their style back.

53. Still too much, but I have attachment issues.

Go unclutter your inbox and your life!

PS. You are only allowed 5 "Unsubscribes" until you share on Twitter or Facebook. Those sneaky sneaks.

PPS. PSS? I'm pretty positive this isn't a complete list of my subscriptions. I won't tell if you won't.

Let's be friends.

email : miranduh007@yahoo.com
IG : meranneduh1
Pinterest : meranneduh1

Weekly Spending Sheet & Savings Tracker

I'm officially a big kid. I have created a budget. Gasp! With my move happening in about 6 months, I want and need to start saving. With all the possible expenses, security deposits, and rent - I want a safety net. I'm hoping for $10,000 by the time I move - mid June.

I googled and googled trying to find the best budget sheet for me. The simpler, the better. Although I like pretty colors and patterns, the ones I was finding were way too much. I want to concentrate on the numbers, not the six different chevron patterns decorating the page.

I found these sheets here. The sheets are from Mead's line "Organizher". I've seen these products at Target. Super cute. The website offers free printables and I am all over that. Totes budget friendly! ;)

The link above is for the general website. Click here for the free printables page.

There is also a page for tracking your ultimate goal. Perfect!

Here's what the Spending Sheet looks like if you were to by it from a store.

Love the colors and the inside is still simple! The sheets in this match the free ones exactly. I think I'll splurge on this right before my move. It'll be the ultimate big girl bill tracker. :)

Update on Week 1 : I have unsubscribed to most of the emails I get from various shopping outlets. I wake up with 30+ emails each morning. The temptation is always there!!!!!! Seeing sale prices flash at me all day long had to be put to a stop. I unsubscribed from all of the major retail shops. I still have 3 pop up shop emails coming through. Those are my favorite. Craft supplies = a must have for a blogger/entrepreneur.

I also stayed under my budget for week 1! Woot woot!

*this is not a sponsored post. all opinions are 100% my own.*

What is your weekly budget? Do you have any tips to sticking to it? Comment below! :)

6 Simple Ways to Boost Your Metabolism!

This post is totally unplanned, but I really wanted to share this information with you!

This morning while checking my Yahoo mail, I saw an article about simple ways to boost your metabolism. I'm usually not impressed by these articles. It's always the saaaaame information, with little to no explanation about why I should actually follow the advice they are trying to give. This article isn't like that. Thank you Fitness Magazine and Yahoo Shine!

1) Hit the weight room. Weight lifting burns more calories than cardio and burns them even after you stop lifting!

2) Ditch crash dieting. Skipping meals is not okay. Ladies! Shoot for 0.5 to 0.75 grams of protein for each pound of your body weight every day.

3) Don't party too hard! With heavy alcohol intake, your  body prioritizes detoxing over the metabolism of fat. Settle for one glass of wine, not six!

4) Cut back on sugar. The average American consumes 152 pounds of sugar a year!!!! Gross. That averages out to 43 teaspoons a day. Step away from the M&Ms.

5) Get more sleep. Sleep deprivation = more grehlin (hunger hormone) and less leptin (appetite suppressor) If you can't get 8 hours of sleep a night, shoot for consistency. 8 hours of sleep? What's that?

6) De-stress! Chronic stress causes Cortisol secretion and prompts fat in the body to be relocated and deposited deep in the abdomen. Maybe that's my problem!

So there you have it! 6 ways to boost that metabolism!!!

Let's be friends! :)

email : miranduh007@yahoo.com
IG : meranneduh1
Pinterest : meranneduh1

3-D Heart Clip Tutorial

Is this actually considered 3-D? I think it makes it sound cool. So 3-D it is.

I posted a picture of this clip to Pinterest. It was linked to my Etsy and not my blog. I've had it repined 25 times since I posted it. Man!!! I missed out on all those potential blog views. So ta daaaa! Tutorial! You better believe I'm pinning this again! Sorry Pinterest peeps.

For this little cutie, you will need :

and a hot glue gun. Mine is not shown because it was my mother's and it is old. ( I don't like change)
I ordered little heart clothespins for a garland I am making, but it worked perf for this job. They were spotlighted on Jane. One of my favorite pop up shops-they are sold out now.

This bow is so easy.

My ribbon is not measured perfectly. I just cut and bent until I found a size I didn't think would be overwhelming on a little girl's head. The pink is between 4 and 4.5 inches. Cut your white ribbon shorter than the first color. Half inch or more. Again, whichever you would prefer.

Here goes! Step by step pictures can be found at the end of this post.

• Cut that ribbon! Heat seal the edges.
• Make a V shape with your pink (or big heart) ribbon. Place a dot of hot glue at the V point.
• Start bending your ribbon into a heart shape. Don't make the middle of the heart too long, it won't look as good. Once you decide on a shape, put a dot of glue where the two ribbons meet.
• Repeat those steps for the smaller heart.
• Now you have two hearts! Lay the smaller heart on top of the bigger once at whichever angle you prefer, I do the white one a little off set. Put a dot of glue between the bottoms of the hearts.
• You can attach this beauty to an alligator clip or a headband. The clips seem to be popular.



use your clothes pin  or clip to test the length of your ribbons

i'm a recovering nail biter. don't judge.

dot of glue at the V point

test your shape before you glue!

big heart done. now repeat for the little one.

two hearts are better than one...

the final product! now, clip or headband?

blooper! be careful when moving the heart around before it is attached to a clip, it will get all crazy!

I hope this tutorial wasn't too confusing. It's my first one. If you have any questions, feel free to comment or email me!

email : miranduh007@yahoo.com
IG : meranneduh1
Pinterest : meranneduh1

 

22 Random Acts of Kindness

I turned 22 in November and I decided to do 22 random acts of kindness throughout the holiday season.

It ended up being a lot of fun! I was constantly thinking up new ideas. I was by myself for all of them, so the pictures aren't that great. I also don't have as many pictures as I would like, for that same reason.

I got the super cute printables from Mique's blog here. I just used neon colored paper (cut a little larger than the RAK tag) and glued them together!

Here are some that I did!

• sent an Edible Arrangement to a coworker
• bought a coworker's lunch unexpectedly
• left a Starbucks card for my waitress who was having a tough night
• left a filled up sandwich stamp card at Which Wich for someone to use
• left quarters on the vending machines at work
• left quarters on the little toy machines in the grocery store
• sent a Starbucks card to a small business owner who resent me a package after the post office lost mine, free of charge! - check out The Printed Palette!
• paid for an order in the coffee drive thru
• delivered a basket of sunshine to a woman from church - separate tutorial post coming soon
• baked & sold cake pops for a coworker's daughter's cheer trip - sold out of them!
• donated toys to the Toys for Tots drive at my work
• bought a "share a meal" bag  from Savemart for someone's Christmas meal
• took cupcakes to my boyfriend's grandparents as a thank you
• donated $25 to an adoption fundraiser - they have been matched!!! Check them out here.
• held the door open for everyone I encountered
• arranged for sandwiches to be taken to the local fire department
• delivered fresh fruit to the local food bank for Thanksgiving meals
• donated $100 to become a sponsor for the Choose Joy Conference. More on that here.

This isn't the complete list. I repeated some and some failed. Like me leaving a Starbucks card for the mail man in the mail box. He never took it. :(

Sam (the waitress) posted this on IG.

vending machine at work! ching ching!

free sandwich card! a family walked in right after. I hope they took it!

our office filled up 6 boxes! it took 2 people to move each one!

basket of sunshine!

failed attempt for the mail man

What are some of your favorite random acts of kindness? Comment below! Or send me the links to your own blog posts!

Choose Joy Giveaway!

Foster parenting (is that a real phrase?) and adoption have been close to my heart for the last few years. My aunt and her wife have fostered multiple children and are in the process of adopting two of the cutest kids I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. They have such big hearts and the love they show for every child that comes into their home is humbling. I'm thankful that because of them, I get a glimpse into the wonderful world of adoption.

I have been an avid reader of Emmy's blog and a follower of her instagram for awhile now...afraid of reaching out. Last week, she posted a picture on her IG account looking for sponsors for the Choose Joy Conference happening in May. THIS IS MY OPPORTUNITY. I wrote her and hoped for a response. Well I got one and here I am!

Conference Information:

The Choose Joy conference is for people who suffer from infertility, have an interest in fostering or adopting, or people who are looking to support those who are facing these challenges. All of the information can be found here.

The Giveaway!

With the help of sponsors, Emmy is giving a lucky winner the opportunity to attend this conference! Plane ticket, hotel, car rental, all of it!

If you would like to enter the giveaway, visit here and comment on the posting. You can enter once per day! Do it, do it, do it!

If you are not interested in attending this event or winning the giveaway, but want to make a donation, click on the links above. At the end of the conference, a lucky raffle winner will receive funds to grow their family!!!

Stitch Fix #1

I have discovered something revolutionary! Okay, I didn't discover it, but I am introducing you to it.

Two words. Such greatness. Oh wait, those aren't the two words. The next two.

Stitch Fix.

This website is every girls dream. You answer some questions, pick a date, and a box full of designer clothes is shipped directly to your door step!

Basically, a stylist picks out 5 items for you based on your size and style. You can stay in your comfort zone or cannon ball into something crazy. You can even specify if you want a "fix" for a certain event.

They charge a $20 styling fee whether you buy clothes or not. If you do make a purchase, the $20 gets credited to that! You have three days to try the clothes on and decide which ones you want to keep. There is a bag included with a shipping label that you just put the unwanted clothes in and mail away. If you purchase all 5 items, you save 25% on the whole total plus the $20 is credited to you!!!!

No crowds. No dressing rooms. No pressure. No monthly obligations. (unless you sign up for that) Freshen up your style, whenever you want!

My stylist hooked me up for my first fix. I got a jacket, a dress, a top, leggings, and a necklace. Totally my style and they all fit perfffff! Photo cred goes to my super cool boyfriend. He has a nice camera and a lot of patience.



I loved this dress. The print. The color. The sleeves! (my pose had to show them off, of course)


(the top and the leggings were in my fix)

 I loved this top!!! The color. The detail. The style. So me!!!!! It was a little short in front, so I would wear a long tank top under, but it does cover my butt in the back. :) The leggings are not see through and they are ankle length. They are a nylon/spandex mix.

This is not something I would buy for myself normally, but after trying it on, I had to! It fit  great, which is always a challenge for my long arms. It looks cool. It goes gives your waist a flattering shape. (no picture for that) And it can be worn a couple different ways. (note the two zipper options)

 

SWOON. This necklace is just fantastic. I recently got a tattoo on my side of waves like this and receiving this necklace was totally a coincidence. It's different and has a long chain! Totally channeling my inner mermaid.

Long post made short. I think me and my stylist just became BFFs. What are you waiting for??? Go get your fix!!!!

update: click this referral link to help me get a credit toward my next fix! https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/3258571

*this is not a sponsored post. All opinions are 100% my own.*

Apartment Therapy's January Cure

The new year brings lots of stuff...remnants of holiday décor, Christmas presents, and all the junk we've accumulated over the past year.

Apartment Therapy is doing something called The January Cure. You sign up using your email address and every day for the month of January they send you a project to do around your house. One project a day is totally doable!

I just signed up today, it's not too late! To sign up and catch up, click here.

When the month is over, we will be so glad we did this!

22 Lessons For My Little Sister

Here you go, sister bear. This one is for you.

1. you are enough
2. if you have to question it, he isn't worth it
3. mom really does know everything - even when she doesn't show it
4. hoes girls before bros
5. it's okay to say no - about anything
6. brown and black don't match - just don't do it
7. words hurt just as much as sticks and stones - be kind
8. see the good in everyone - even if it back fires
9. don't be in a hurry to grow up - it sucks
10. your big sister is crazier than she seems - use her when you need to
11. cry if you have to - just don't let them see it
12. study! or repeat after me..."do you want fries with that?"
13. learn to love yourself
14. everything in life is a lesson - good or bad
15. don't be afraid to go up a size in pants - nobody can see the number, but they can see your muffin top (you don't have one, by the way)
16. time really does heal things - especially heart aches
17. once a cheater, always a cheater
18. give the good guy a chance
19. friendships should come easy - let go of the bad ones
20. once you are old enough for a job, save your money - mom won't always buy those Hollister jeans for you
21. don't take things so personally - the earlier you learn this, the better
22. you are beautiful. you are smart. remember that. you go Glen Coco

* there is nothing wrong with fast food jobs
** your waistline does not define your beauty