Product Review

Antique Farmhouse Floor Lamps Review // Lamps.com Pin to Win GIVEAWAY

8 · Aug 29, 2013 · 22 Comments

This floor lamps reveiw / giveaway post brought to you by Lamps.com // When it comes to decorating, I am all about the statement piece. Building a room is much like building a good wardrobe. When filling your closet, it’s good to invest in some quality staple pieces like a classic white shirt, fabulous jeans, classic boots. Items that are timeless and will also stand the test of time. Then once you have a good selection of these classic items, then you add in the fun trendy stuff. These items you don’t need to invest a whole lot in because they are in one season and then out the next. They same goes for dressing your home. Let’s face it, our tastes change… Well, I know mine does!

When designing a room, it’s also a good idea to invest in good quality anchor pieces that are classic and will look fabulous for years and then accessorize with the fun colors and other trendier items. Sofas, tables, large pieces & lamps are all the types of items that you want to invest in timeless quality. I’ve been recently introduced to Lamps.com and I am thrilled with their selection most definitely their quality.

Lamps.com contacted a little while ago to see if I would be interested in reviewing one of their lamps and for sure, I jump at the chance. I knew that they are known for their huge selection, quality merchandise & excellent service so why not take one of their lamps for a test drive.

Let’s talk about their selection… aaaaamazing! Seriously, you can find any type of lamp that you are looking for at almost any price point. They have lamps under a $100 and then they have some stunning chandeliers that would knock your socks off and almost anything in between. I selected this beautiful Antique Farmhouse Brass Floor lamp to dress up my living room here at the new house. When it arrived I was blown away by the quality of this lamp. I haven’t ever been skimpy when purchasing lamps. Like I said before, quality lamps are an investment and should last a lifetime. I’ve bought my current lamps from Pottery Barn and they are great, but this farmhouse lamp from Lamps.com blows them out of the water.

Each element is solid metal and crafted beautifully. It adds a bit of rustic elegant charm to my new room design. I couldn’t be happier with my lovely new lamp and I can’t wait to find some more treasures at Lamps.com! What treasure would you like? What’s your style? Are you looking for a table or floor lamp, or some fun pendant lights for your kitchen? Come on over to Lamps.com and Pin your favorite lamps for a chance to win a $100 to Lamps.com!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer // This giveaway is sponsored by Lamps.com. I did receve a lamp to review but I was not paid for the review. All thoughts, ideas and opinions are my very own!

Fabric Wrapped Mason Jar Vases

5 · Jul 8, 2013 · 4 Comments

This fabric wrapped mason jar vases post, brought to you by Michaels Craft Stores // How many times have you been shopping in Michaels Crafts and gathered up everything thing that you need for a project and then sent up this wish to the craft fairy… "I wish Michaels had FABRIC!" I know I have about a MILLION times. To have such a lovely craft store without fabric was just sooooo sad. Well, my 1,000,001 wish was granted! Michaels now has a simple fabric section!! They have a fun selections of several types of fabric from your basic cotton all the way up to your fancy burlap…

Each fabric comes in different lengths from 18 inches up to 2 Yards and has a comparable price point to other fabric stores. This is perfect for simple projects like my fabric wrapped Mason jars, or even a stunning cotton quilt, depending on your skill level. Michaels sent me some fabric to try out and I fell in love with the canvas key print fabric…

Aren't those keys just divine? The feel and the weight of the fabric is just perfect as well. I have to say, Michaels didn't compromise on quality at all. I used this fabric to wrap a Mason jar that I was using as a vase for a table center piece. It's so simple, I'm almost embarrassed to share…

Fabric Wrapped Mason Jar Vases Supply List

Mason Jar
Michaels canvas – key print
Divine Twine – red
Scissors

Instructions

Take your fabric and measure how wide you need your fabric strip to be. Mine is about 3 inches, but it will be different based on what jar you select. Make a little snip one inch in from the edge of the fabric, and rip the fabric all the way down. This will give you a rough edge on both sides of your strip. Then measure in three inches (or whatever your measurement will be) make another snip and rip all the way down again. You will then have a lovely fabric strip with rough edges on both sides.

Next, wrap it around your jar and measure how much fabric you will need to wrap the jar completely and then trim the excess fabric. With this canvas I was pleasantly surprised at how I didn't need anything other than the twine to secure the fabric. The fabric has kind of a velcro type quality, so I wrapped the jar and then just secured the fabric with some Divine Twine and that was it! No hot glue or glue of any type needed at all.

This is a great way to dress up any table from a simple dinner to a large scale event like a wedding or such. The best part… you can get all the fabric you need at Michaels… YAY!!

What else would you make with some of this fun fabric from one of our favorite craft stores?

Disclaimer // I received free product from Michaels Craft Stores for this post. However, all thoughts, ideas and opinions are my very own.

Hello I Love You Wood Sign // Silhouette Promotion and GIVEAWAY

0 · Jul 1, 2013 · 308 Comments

Silhouette Promotion Affiliate Team Member // Can you believe it? It's JULY already!! The fire flies are a blaze here in Lincoln and I am LOVING the summer so far. It's so green and lush here and did I mention the fire flies? For a girl who has never lived in an area with the luminescent bugs… this is just magical!

Well, with a new month we have a new Silhouette promotion… and I've created a new sign with the help of Rhonna Designs mad design skillz and the Silhouette Designer Edition Software…

Before I dive right on into the project I want to let you know about his month promotion… You know, just in case you are like me and have the attention span of a gnat. This way if you are dying to get a new CAMEO, Portrait or just the Designer Edition Software you don't have to muddle through my boring old tutorial on how to make this aaaaamazing sign. So, here are the details…

SMOKIN' WHITE HOT DEAL, right?

Click here to visit the Silhouette Shop to check out all of July's special deals!

Now, before we get to the GIVEAWAY… Let me tell you a little bit about the sign I made this afternoon. It is a super slick, super easy sign to make. I bought the wood at Lowes and it was already cut in the 6×24 length with is perfect for making signs. Then I grabbed a couple of wood shims to secure the wood planks together and that was it…

I laid the boards out and placed the wood shims on the back and secured the boards with come short nails and I was good to go.

I primed the wood with some Kilz Spray Primer and then painted a few coats of Krylon Catalina Mist. Then while it was drying I prepared my stencil with my Silhouette Designer Edition Software.

The Designer Edition Software is a must have addition when you have a Silhouette machine. It just gives you greater design options that with the basic software that comes with your machine. With this image above, I was able to convert a PNG file from Rhonna Designs into a cuttable file. That means that your design options are limitless with the CAMEO or Portrait!

Once my design was complete I cut the vinyl and used it as a stencil to then paint my sign with Krylon Sun Yellow. I also made a sign where I just added the vinyl to the sign rather than using the vinyl as a stencil. They both look great!

Here's a post that I created awhile ago with a video on how to convert a PNG file in the Silhouette Designer Edition Software.

Want to compare the Design Studio options? Here is a breakdown…

The best part… You can grab the Designer Edition from now until July 10th for only $24.99! Not to mention some smokin' deals when you bundle that with a CAMEO or Portrait!

Wait, you want more?

How about I give away one Silhouette Portrait with the Designer Edition Software to one of you!!

All you have to do is follow the directions in the Rafflecopter box below and you will be entered to win.

// This giveaway is open from July 1-8 and only for residence of the United States. A winner will be announced on July 9th. //

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Favorite Camera Bags for Women // the Jeanne Oliver Mia Bag

0 · Jun 25, 2013 · 4 Comments

Jeanne Oliver Mia Camera Bag Review // I'm super excited to share one of my favorite finds with you guys today. A couple of years ago, I bought a new camera and with a new camera… I needed a new bag. First I googled "camera bags for women" and found a few bags, but nothing really hit the spot. Then I hit the Twitterverse and asked if anyone knew of some great, stylish camera bags that I should check out. Within just a few minutes, someone (I wish I could remember who) messaged me back with an amazing (new to me) find… The amazing Jeanne Oliver and her stunning bags!

My Twitter friend showed me the now retired camera bag that I've been using for over a year now.

This bag is not only my camera bag, I've used it as a purse, diaper bag, conference bag and carry-on. I LOVE this bag!! Recently Jeanne launched her new line of bags and with this new launch she has introduced a new camera bag called the Mia Bag. From the minute I saw the new bag on Instagram, I fell head over heels.

Isn't it just divine? The fabric, the colors, the workmanship… I just love it all! Here, I'll give you a quick tour!

Here's the inside. I have one of my cameras in one of the padded pockets. Keep in mind, this is a Canon Rebel so it's the standard, non-professional sized camera and it fits nicely in that pocket. If I were to put my Canon 5D Mark II in the bag, it would fit in the main compartment and have two padded spaces for extra lenses or an external flash. But, with the smaller camera I can also fit my wallet, my iPad, a notebook AND my Macbook Pro along with other smaller items.

The bag is fully padded and has two padded pockets along with a side zipper pocket perfect for keys, makeup and other small items. It has a cell phone pocket as well as a smaller pocket perfect for items like memory cards and such. This is the perfect purse / camera bag!!

The fabric is a heavy duty upholstery fabric that is easy to wipe clean and holds up to a lot of use. The front flap secures with a magnetic closure which I love. I hate fussy closures on bags.

The bags construction is superb and is up to any challenge you have to throw at it. The strap is sturdy and comfortable to wear.

I just love Jeanne's tag inside the bag, it's just so darn pretty!

AND, the handmade fabric flower on the front flap!! I just adore this detail. I love that my bag does not scream CAMERA BAG. That it's stylish and looks one of a kind. Now that I have two of Jeanne's camera bags (I also have one of her ruffled totes that I just LOVE) I can honestly say… They are by far my favorite camera bags!

You should check out the Jeanne Oliver Designs Site… she is one extremely talent lady who has her hand in many different creative pots these days. She designs bags and has two more in this summer's collection along with a handful of other items for sale.

The Sadie Handbag and the Elsie Linen Messenger Bag

Jeanne is also an amazing artist and photographer and she also teaches some amazing classes through her Jeanne Oliver Creative Network. This site is FULL of talented friends who have a passion for their work and love to share their talents along with what they have learned along their creative journey. It's an amazing site, you should check it out. All in all, I am a HUGE Jeanne Oliver fan and just had to share one of my loves with you guys!

Disclaimer // This is not a sponsored post. I did however, receive one free bag to review. All thoughts, ideas, opinions are my very own.

Product Review

Fabric Wrapped Mason Jar Vases Supply List

Instructions

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