I am so happy to be featured as Linqia's May Influencer Of The Month! They've asked me share some of my greatest Pinterest Tips, and it's such an honor to be recognized. Learn more here!
Read MoreFreezer Fresh Ideas ~ Basil Chicken Broccoli Pasta ~ Quick and Easy Dinner Idea
A delicious and easy-to-prepare meal for those days when things couldn't be busier! Check out my latest recipe, inspired by Kroger.
Read MoreFruit Infused Mixer Station For Your Game Day Ritas
Gove your guests the option to choose whatever drink ingredients they want! Also, learn some cute ways to decorate your drink station for The Big Game {Super Bowl Sunday}
Read MoreDIY Summer Fun - Cookie Cutter Jewelry & Trinket Trays
I recently collaborated with Wendy's to create several Summer Inspired DIY Projects! Throughout the next week or so, I will be sharing instructions to all 5 projects! This project in particular, was inspired by a blog post I found on the Aww, Sam Blog. * Note - this project is kind of messy, so lots of paper towels were needed!!!! So excited to present you with these Cookie Cutter Trinket Trays! Enjoy :)
MATERIALS:
- Air Dry Clay (2 smaller packages will do)
- Cookie Cutters - I got mine here (for 99 cents each!). I got a cactus, hand, lips, pineapple, and teepee.
- CeramCoat Paint in green, white, red, tan, black, and yellow
- Clear Poly waterproof paint-on coating, optional.
- Clay sculpting tools (I found these ones for $2.47 near the clay supplies at Hobby Lobby)
- Water in a small dish to use for smoothing clay with your fingers
- Waxed Paper and Tape to keep surface clean
- 2 Paint Brushes for larger areas, and then one for finer detailed lines
- Paint clean up supplies like water and paper towels
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Prep your work surface. On a smooth, dry table, tape down a piece of parchment paper that will cover the surface well.
- Open your clay, and grab a hand full of clay.
- Roll clay into a smooth ball, and then place it onto the waxed paper. press the clay down with the lid of the clay container, until it is less than 1/2 thick. Alternatively, you can place a second piece of waxed paper on top of the clay, and use your hand and/or a rolling pin to flatten the clay.
- Once flattened, press one shape at a time out of the clay, and carefully remove the clay from the cutter. I wound up using a clay tool to help with the hand space and the top of the pineapple shape.
- Next, you need to flatten and smooth out the clay shape. I did this by setting the clay shape onto the waxed paper, and then using water on my finger tips to smooth the edges. If you wanted raised edges, apply more pressure to the center, and less around the edges. I used a clay tool to kind of give the teepee dish a ridge around the sides.
- Also, you can use a plate and paper straws to shape the sides of the clay while it dries.
- Let dry for at least 3-5 hours, or ideally overnight. I didn't have that much time, so I painted them after about 5 hours and the paint seems to have stuck very well!
- I just LOVE how these turned out! Remember, check back soon to see what other summer DIY projects I have for you! Have a happy and creative summer :)
- A special thanks to Wendy's for inspiring me to create this project! Check out their Blackberry Lemonade ASAP, it's good!!!
- Find more summer DIY Ideas On My Blog and On My DIY Pinterest Board.
HelloSociety + Our Social Campaigns
I wanted to use this space today to extend my gratitude to a wonderful company, HelloSociety. I've had the chance to visit them in Santa Monica, CA, three times, and have grown close with many of the team members. They're very inspiring to work with, and I love each and every project I complete for them.
Over the past few years, I have been a part of a large number of campaigns, where I created content for brands and shared those images with almost 1.5 million people. Check out my page in their Influencer Lookbook, here. Most of this would not have been possible without the support of them! I have blogged about many of these projects, so you may be familiar with some or all of these, but I just wanted to share a few of my all-time favorite projects with HelloSociety!
You can find HelloSociety around the web!
Pinterest // Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // Their Blog
FYI Style Unzipped
Nordstrom Rack + Lily The Wandering Gypsy
A little while back, I collaborated with Nordstrom Rack! They have some pretty wonderful items, for a fraction of the price you would normally find at Nordstrom. I got to choose from hundreds of items, within certain brands, and I chose all sorts of lovely accessories.
This Mint Tote from Nine West (The It Girl Tote) is really beautiful. I love the size of it and used it for a long time, right until it got too chilly to be wearing as bright of a purse. The little laser cut flowers show off a bronze metallic layer underneath, I love how it shines!
Also, these Sam Edelman Studded Sandals are very cute! They make an outfit look a lot dressier then other sandals. They are a little bit tight in the toes, though, so I would recommend getting a half size larger than normal.
Next, the J. Simpson Camellia Stud Satchel, below, and the Lucky Brand Alixis Flats were cute as well. I thought that styling them with these ripped up and distressed jeans was great! I normally would prefer a darker colored purse, but if you do like lighter colors, this one may be for you. The Lucky Brand Flats have this cute little bow at the back, and the back was even stretchy, making them more comfortable. With these shoes, I would recommend even going a half size smaller or just right at your average size, so that they don't slide off your feet. These could really be dressed up quite a bit!
I also chose this black, Nine West Angular Zipper Satchel and the Kate Spade New York Cooper Pyramid Stud Leather Strap Watch. The watch was my absolute favorite item of all. Extremely comfortable, and I also love the colors! The purse was extremely sturdy, and only had hand held handles, so if you prefer a more structured purse, you might like this one.
Love this watch!! Kate Spade really knows what's up :)
Skype With Me! Let's Chat About Halloween!
Halloween is almost here! Did you know you can use Skype to text photos and messages to one person or a group of people? I will be Skype chatting this morning, beginning at 10:30EST, join me and others as we discuss Halloween ideas today. Add SkypeHalloween in Skype to join in on the conversation! http://bit.ly/3242231
And 5 people participating in these chats will win a $1,000 Microsoft package including a Surface!!!
Missouri Department Of Tourism
Super excited about this recent collaboration with Missouri Department of Tourism! They even posted my recipes on their blog (here). They asked me to submit ideas and then images of activities someone would do in Missouri in the Fall. I immediately thought about all the times we have camped, fished, hiked, and road tripped to Missouri! Bobby used to go down with his family to camp in Missouri a countless number of times when he was younger, and he was the one who really showed me the beauty of the state.
CHECK OUT THE MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM BLOG HERE
Here are a few of my favorite images Bobby and I created for this amazingly fun and nostalgic project! View all the images in my Portfolio (here).
VIEW THE WHOLE PORTFOLIO HERE
Portfolio Spotlight - FYI Style Unzipped - Cute Fall Ideas
FYI Style Unzipped was such a cute show, and a fun brand to collaborate with! I have always LOVED fashion, and you can see that in my pins I find daily. I also love TV shows where you learn about fashion, so when FYI approached me, I was beyond excited! I was asked to showcase my style in regards to scarves, ballet flats, and neon! These terms are pretty open-ended, so I did my best to try and figure out how these specific terms were most relevant to today's most current trends. Check out my FULL PORTFOLIO...
DogVacay - What's In Cabbie's Bag?
Sometimes, we are lucky enough to take our pups on vacation. But, sometimes, it's just not feasible. Next time I travel without my baby girl, I am considering using DogVacay! It's a service tat enables you to hire a dog (or cat) sitter to come to your house, or you can actually bring your pet to their house. There are thousands of sitters in the country, which is pretty cool, so most likely, someone close to your home can help you out.
Cabbie + DogVacay - Get a FREE day or night of Pet Sitting! Click the image to learn more!
In honor of New York Fashion Week, I wanted to show you what's in Cabbie's Bag! These are some of the items I would pack for her for a weekend away at a sitter's house.
Water and food bowl, toys, poo bags, lots and lots of treats, rawhides, leash, collar, E-Collar with remote, A blankie that smells like home, and her new dog bed.
HOW DOGVACAY WORKS
DogVacay is an online community that connects dog owners with our 20,000 vetted and insured pet sitters across the US & Canada, ready to care for your dog like a member of their family in their home or yours.
All reservations include pet insurance, 24/7 customer support, and daily photo updates of your pooch enjoying a "Vacay" of his own. You can finally travel with peace of mind--at prices half the price of the local kennel.
How it works:
Type in your zip code and find a PAWesome sitter in your neighborhood.
Schedule a meet ‘n greet to meet your Host, then book your pup’s Vacay and pay online.
Receive photo updates showing how much fun your pup is having, and rest assured knowing each Vacay is covered with our free pet insurance and 24/7 customer care.
Featured in the Wall Street Journal, the NY Times, Forbes and The Today Show.
BECOME A DOGVACAY HOST:
Who can Host? You! Whether you're a professional dog sitter or just a regular dog lover, DogVacay makes it easy to earn money watching pups. Simply create a free profile, set your own rates, decide which dogs to take and when to take them. We do the rest!
With over 1 Million doggie nights booked, our Hosts rest easy knowing each Vacay is covered by insurance and 24/7 customer care.
Use code WANDERINGGYPSY for a FREE day or night of pet sitting on DogVacay!!
Cabbie + DogVacay
Cabbie + DogVacay
So, remember, if your fur baby needs a sitter while you are away, DogVacay has you covered! Get a FREE day or night of sitting with code WANDERINGGYPSY.