Guest post from my in-post sponsor!

Hi all! I'm Becky, and I blog over at www.maketodayanadventure.blogspot.com.

I was really excited when Angela asked me to do a guest post, and today I'd like to share with you a couple projects that I recently or not-very-recently posted on my blog, and a few tips on how to make them. :)

One of my very first projects was this comfy tshirt-dress. Most of my ideas I gather from Pinterest, but this one was "original". :) I think the hardest things to sew are bodices and getting the sleeves and neckline right, so this one was super easy in that regard. ;) 

I started with a tshirt I liked (but was too short) for the bodice, then added specifically-measured scraps of tshirts to that!

When I sew it's really easy for me to take the easy way out and take a lot of wild guesses, but in the end I'm left with a lot more failed projects then if I had taken the time and effort to do it right! Hit and miss isn't usually the way to go...

So for this dress I measured the "hem" of the dark gray scrap, then made sure the next "layer" was 2 inches larger. I did the same with every layer, making each one 2 inches longer then the one before, then working it in so it didn't wrinkle, but got larger gradually. Didn't want something really "huggy". :)

If you love denim, or have just outgrown or inherited a bunch of jeans, this project would be perfect. I used a CD case to cut out all the squares evenly, then sewed them all together... Not sure how long it took, but the result made me grin!

I added leftover felt (from a failed project) and fabric from an old plaid skirt to the back. Super comfy!

I'll just end now with a couple more pictures and really short descriptions... :)

Sheet music Wallpaper.

Wooden plaque with a permanent photo transfer.

Thanks again to Angela for letting me write this post! I'd love to have any of you stop by and hopefully get some project inspiration! Maybe you can get around to some of those Pinterest projects that have been sitting around on the "To Do" list for a few months. :)

Check out my sponsor:

A long journey and giveaway time!

Well, I was suppose to be guest posting on another blog today. I guess that is no longer happening. I understand that things happen in life, and some we can control, but some we cannot, but that sort of irks me. I spent a good amount of time working on that post and really didn't have much energy for it.


Yesterday was the first day I didn't have anything to do. Literally, nothing. I haven't experienced that in a few years. I went to the grocery store. That's it. Graduate school is officially over. In 4 days I will walk across the stage in my Hogwarts-like cap and gown and have my name read as earning a Master of Arts in School Counseling. If you had asked me when I graduated high school if I was going to get a Masters degree, I would have looked at you and said "huh?" I went to Florida State with the intention of becoming a high school English teacher. In high school, I earned my high school diploma as well as an International Baccalaureate diploma. The IB programme was a rigorous college prep program and when I earned that diploma, it helped me begin my freshman year of college with 30 credits. So, on day one of college, I was really starting out as a sophomore.

High school graduation - May 2006

By the end of freshman year, and then almost classified as a junior, I had no idea what I wanted to do. But, with almost 60 credits at that point, I was accepted into the College of Education. Funny enough, the only time I ever stepped foot in that building was to chat with my advisor about changing my major. I didn't officially make that change until right before my junior year began. Sophomore year is what I refer to as the "dark days." I was really depressed. I saw a counselor. I wanted to move home. I wanted to quit going to school. Thank goodness my Mom encouraged me to keep going. I registered for a lesser number of classes and kept with it. My GPA was terrible. Embarrassing, even. I never earned below a C- though. The summer before my 3rd year at FSU something finally clicked. I went into my junior year with my head held high. I switched my major to Family and Child Sciences. I started studying and caring about school. I worked my butt off. I credit this change a little to myself but a lot to my best friend J who was working her butt off in school. I realized if I worked hard, I could do well.

Me and J

In my junior and senior years of college, I only earned one C, in an 8 a.m. class of course. During my senior year, I made it on the Dean's list. I was really proud of myself. I became more involved in extracurricular activities and joined RENEW, a peer counseling group that worked closely with the University Counseling Center. I did one-on-one peer counseling and gave presentations to student groups. I put in over 100 hours of community service in my senior year alone. All while making (almost) straight A's. I earned a B that year in public speaking which was my least favorite class. I graduated with my best friend which was something I had not expected a couple of years before.

During my last semester I began applying to graduate programs. I really wanted to stay in Tallahassee, but unfortunately FSU had done away with their School Counseling program. I applied to their Mental Health Counseling program anyway, but was not accepted. So I looked at the university back in my hometown: FGCU. When I was a senior in high school, I wanted to move as far away as possible, while still remaining in Florida. After 4 years of being away from my family, I was ready to come back home. I applied for the School Counseling program, had a phone interview, and was accepted to begin in the Fall of 2010.

It's so hard to believe that the picture above was taken exactly 3 years ago. So much has changed in my life. I can't wait to see what the next 3 years bring.


Now, for the giveaway! This giveaway is brought to you by Natalie, blogger of At Home With the Hinkleys. I have loved working with her this month. She has a Meet and Greet post on her blog today. Be sure to go check it out! And now, enter away!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaways in abundance + OHPW

I couldn't be involved in any more giveaways right now if I tried! I love it!
I am so happy to be meeting wonderful people in the blogging community.

If you are a follower and haven't introduced yourself yet, please do so, now! I want to get to know you lovely people who are reading my crazy thoughts.

Check these out:

$75 Target gift card - from A Night Owl Blog + sponsors. But seriously, don't enter it. I need some more Target obsession funding. I NEED this, this, and this. Plus more, if I'm being honest.

Lipgloss and Crayons April sponsors giveaway - Carly is the coolest person! I won an ad space spot on her blog from her March sponsor giveaway and am so thrilled that I did. She is so easy to work with and communicates really well. If you have thought about sponsoring her, stop thinking, and do it. It is worth the price. She takes time to build a relationship with her sponsors, which I admire and adore. 

$15 iTunes giveaway - from me! Carly is hosting this on her blog and you have 14 hours left to enter. Get to it stat :) Who doesn't love music?! Or apps, movies, whatever iTunes has, it's all good.

Now on to Oh, How Pinteresting Wednesday with The Vintage Apple

                                                                       Source: heartofthesouth.tumblr.com via Angela on Pinterest

Yep.

                                                                           Source: weheartit.com via Angela on Pinterest

Well said, girl.

                                                                          Source: Uploaded by user via Amanda on Pinterest

                                                                           Source: ratemyink.com via Angela on Pinterest

Looking for my next tattoo, clearly.

And, last but not least, this is 100% me. I choose wisely. Very wisely. 

                                                                                   Source: imgfave.com via Angela on Pinterest

Giveaway time: $50 Amazon giftcard

I'm bringing you another giveaway today!

Jackie from Jackie Jade has teamed up with her sponsors and blog friends to bring this giveaway for a $50 Amazon gift card. Check out these lovely bloggers and enter in the Rafflecopter below!

Jackie - Jackie Jade

 Catherine - Bailey Dailies // Sabrina - Cattails & Cardigans // Vickie - Oh Abby Day

 Adrienne - Black White Color // Michelle - Mish Lovin' Life // Ady - When in Doubt Just Add Glitter

 Kristen - Just a Girl and Her Little Dog // Marquis - Simply Clarke

Rachael - Letters from a Mermaid // Angela - Adventures to Remember

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck to everyone! All entries will be verified and the winner will be notified once their entry is verified.

Happy Monday everyone!

Guest post: Meet Stephanie!

I'm giving away an iTunes gift card over at Lipgloss and Crayons. (Don't leave just yet to enter it, keep reading!) Last month, I won a giveaway Carly and friends were hosting and snagged some really awesome ad spaces, one being on her blog. Well, she totally rocks and I 100% recommend sponsoring her blog if you haven't done so already! Go check out the giveaway and her post about what she, as a teacher, wears to school. But first, check out the rest of today's post...

I am so excited to introduce you to a lovely lady I have met in the blogging world named Stephanie. I can't remember exactly how I stumbled onto her blog but I am so excited I did. I swapped blog buttons with her for the month and we got to talking and discovered we have a few things in common. We are both working in the education field as school counselors (I'm still not employed yet, but she is!), we both thought we would HATE middle school before we started working in it, and we both live in Florida. Enough from me: read about the reasons she loves being a school counselor, and be sure to stop by her blog too!

Hi everyone!  My name is Stephanie, I blog over at Never The Same Spice Twice...where I plan my meals each week (most weeks anyway), post recipes and tips I've picked up along the way, and talk about what life is like with the sweetest hubby AND a baby on the way!  But what a lot of people don't know about me is that I'm a school counselor (my day job)!  I'm excited that Angela has invited me to guest post over here, and thought I would talk a little bit about the 5 reasons I enjoy being a counselor!

1.  Every day is different!  I can't even tell you how many times I catch myself saying "Never had this situation before"!

2.  There is an extreme entertainment factor!  Yes, kids say the darndest things...and so do the parents!  You just have to laugh!

3.  You get to make a difference!  You may not see the results for a while, and sometimes you will wonder if "it's all even worth it".  And then suddenly, that "Ah-Ha" moment comes, and you realize why you love your job!

4.  You get to do a little bit of everything!  Ok, if you are thinking of going into the field you probably have heard "you don't get to do nearly as much counseling as you would like".  Unfortunately this is true, but you get to do a variety of other things so it never gets boring!

5.  You get to go all out with school spirit!!!  This is the beauty of working in education in general...see picture above!  You get to participate in decade days, crazy sock days, pirate days, character dress up day...the list goes ON!  

Don't get me wrong there are days when I feel completely overwhelmed!  Things move very quickly, and there is literally not enough time in the day to even scratch the surface!  But at the root of it all I'm still happy with my career decision, and I'm grateful to work with a wonderful team!  Since this is one of the craziest times of the year, coordinating state testing, 6th grade orientations, as well as the beginning stages of developing next years master schedule....it is nice to reflect on the reasons why I do love being a school counselor.  

If you have any questions, just ask!!!

Another giveaway!

I participated in my very first blogging giveaway last week. Entries are still open to win the Clarisonic Mia 2 by the way, so go check it out and get your last entries in before the contest closes this evening!

Now, another sponsor of mine this month/blogger who is sponsoring me is also hosting a giveaway! Here is the information on the giveaway Melissa and friends are hosting! Over $150 worth in gift cards are yours for the taking, from just about everywhere: Target, Starbucks, Etsy, Amazon, iTunes, Victoria's Secret (my personal favorite!), Forever 21, B&N, and Francesca's. There are also 2 ad spaces up for grabs! So start entering to win all these fabulous things below and be sure to check out the fabulous bloggers who are giving away these prizes.

1 // Sarah  // $15 Starbucks Gift Card

2 // Brianne // $20 Etsy Gift Card

3 // Meghan // $25 Victoria Secrets Gift Card

4 // Maia // $10 Target Gift Card

5 // Gia // $10 Starbucks Gift Card + $5 Sponsor Spot

6 // Kristine // $10 Target Gift Card

7 // Rebecca //  $20 Amazon Gift Card + 1 month large Ad Space

8 // Angela // $15 iTunes Gift Card

9 // Nikki // Forever 21 Gift Card

10 // Chloe // $10 Barnes & Nobles Gift Card

11 // Melissa // $10 Francesca's Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Which of these awesome prizes would you be most excited to win???




Be sure to check these other lovelies out today!

 #YOLOmondays + Mingle Monday

Check out this blog hop hosted by Peacoats and Plaid.

My very first giveaway!

Have I mentioned how much I adore Rachel from Postcards from Rachel? I'm sponsoring her, she is sponsoring me, and she is seriously the coolest! Check out this giveaway I am co-hosting with her. 

Would it be wrong of me to enter to win it? ;) The Clarisonic Mia 2 is amazing product and it comes in 13 different colors/patterns!

Giveaway Details
MUST be a follower of Postcards from Rachel (If you aren't already, you are missing out!)
The giveaway is open to US residents only
A winner will be selected on March 26th
All giveaway entries will be verified!

Don't forget to stop by the blogs of these other lovely ladies!

What Makes Savanah Smile//Lost in Travels//'Cause You Gotta Have Faith//Everything Happens for a Reason Back East Blonde//One Haole Girl//Cup of Ash Tea//Her & Nicole Like Ordinary Life//The Girl Who Loved to Write//Glitter and Gapske//Postcards from Rachel Penguins, Pasta & Polka Dots//Adventures to Remember//As Told By Kendahl


a Rafflecopter giveaway

What color or pattern would you choose to get it in if you won?

P.S. Have you seen the Bloglovin link up Postcards from Rachel and Northern Belle Diaries are hosting? Be sure to check it out and join in on the fun!

Very pinteresting

You may have noticed lately that I am sponsoring some lovely blogs in my sidebar! If you want to get your blog button on my page, just sign up on the Contact or Sponsor page. It's totally free! And I am being sponsored by some lovely ladies as well: Rachel from Postcards from Rachel is just the coolest. She has the most adorable puppy (aside from mine of course - biased fur mom here) and her life looks like tons of fun from all her traveling pictures. Check out my feature in her latest blog post. I feel so special. 

Thank you, Rachel!


I'm also linking up today with The Vintage Apple blog, for Oh, how Pinteresting Wednesday. Have I mentioned how much I love linking up with other bloggers? It's so fun for me to read what other people are seeing/saying/doing.


I was introduced to Pinterest about two or more years ago by a friend of mine. By Christmas that year, Pinterest was suddenly a topic of conversation at our Christmas Eve family dinner. My cousin had made these and all our bellies were filled with its goodness. Fast forward to today, and I'm one of these people:

I'll be honest, for a few months span, I was addicted to Pinterest.


Here are some of my latest Pinterest obsessions.

Hot red and b & w chevron = <3

Source: expimage.com via Angela on Pinterest

Dreamy kitchen. I really love this shade of blue with the crisp white cabinets. I also love the see through paneling at the top part of the cabinets. 

Source: houseofturquoise.com via Angela on Pinterest

B-e-a-u-t-y

                                                        Source: bloomingdales.com via Angela on Pinterest

And, last but not least...revenge at its sweetest.

                           Source: imgfave.com via Angela on Pinterest