Blog Sugar High

Step 1. Find out about amazing blogger opportunity a couple weeks after starting your blog.

Step 2. Miss the boat and wait patiently for the next event.

Step 3. RSVP "yes" to the event.

Step 4. Have your husband's work schedule change and change your RSVP.

Step 5. Pout.

Step 6. Have your husband's work schedule change back to normal.

Step 7. RSVP "yes" again hours before the event.

Step 8. Meet random woman outside of event.

Step 9. Thank awesome woman for encouraging you to enter a home with 60 people you have never met.

Step 10. Walk into Blog*Sugar.

I am so thankful for a gazillion things that I picked up at tonight's event.

The laughter.

My new friends.

The amazing blogs I will now be reading.

The cool new business card collection I own.

The swag Lindsey gave to Jeannett for each attendee.

The compliments.

{Hel-lo thrift store top...you rocked your 50 cents worth tonight!}

I had a blast.

I was able to put faces to names.

I laughed hard.

I met people I would have never met if it weren't for blogging.

If you blog, you get it.

If you don't, create a blog and share in the amazing feeling I am having right now.

For reals.

I was at Rachel's house for 2.5 hours.

That amount of time changed my life.

Not only for blogging and networking, but for friendships.

Me and Rachel (the amazing hostess of the evening)

Me and Julie

Me and Jeannett

Me and Melissa

Elsie, Me, & my new BFF Pam

I wish I had gotten a photo with my friend Andrea.

Or with my other table buddies Melissa, Amanda, and Kara.

Next time.

I bought a packet full of blog tips and tricks.

A manual, really.

I am excited to spend the long weekend reading it and coming up with the purpose of my blog.

Because really, my blog is The Seinfeld Blog.

A blog about nothing.

I kind of like it that way.

We'll see what happens with blogging.

If anything, I am learning a ton and having a stinkin' good time while doing it.

Thank you Mrs. 17 for the opportunity.

For the effort you put into tonight's event.

For the dedication you have for strangers and for friends.

You are a rockstar.

And thank you Andrea for being her rad sidekick.

And don't worry, you are funny in person, too.

:)

Off to eat Taco Bell.

Because apparently after 30, you can't eat everything you want to anymore.

At least that's what I was told tonight.

Four years left.

Better eat as many chalupas as possible.

Happy 3-day-weekend, lovelies.

Fancy 4 Friday No.1

This week was crazy busy.

Okay, duh.

Every week is crazy busy.

This weeks' fancy finds:

1. Hubby hooked up our converter box {we don't have cable} and I got to watch TV in real time.

I {heart} my new little gadget that gets terribly horrible reception but allows me to watch trash TV like The Bachelorette.

If you follow me on Twitter, you saw me gossip about who Ali should pick.

Any favorite guys for her?

Yeah, I know...slim pickings.

2. Be Happy or I'll Scream by Sheri Lynch. It is my favorite book and I picked it up again Monday night.

I'll probably be finished with it tonight.

It's short, but it makes me laugh out loud.

3. This blog. If you haven't visited yet, go now.

She is amazing for like, a gazillion different reasons.

Go see for yourself.

4. This pin cushion.

The pattern is sold online.

I am too cheap to buy it without being an awesome seamstress first.

Want to make it for me?

:)

So there you have it.

Things I came across and fell in love with.

What did you come across this week?

Share your four favorites every week right here.

And every Friday starting next week, I will highlight 4 separate blogs that posted 4 favorites and linked up.

So every week you will see 4 links to 16 amazing things right on on my sidebar.

{Confused yet?}

You may see your blog name on my sidebar every now and then.

And you will definitely hear from me about your weekly favorites.

This is for you.

Reflect on your week.

Take a minute to write a post that you will be happy to read years from now when you look back on your blog.

See what you have in common with others.

Give your Favorites tab a break.

I'm excited to see what you come up with that made you smile.

Happy Friday!

change is good

After weeks and weeks of complaining to you guys, reflecting on the amazing emails and comments you have sent me, and soul searching, I have made a few changes around here.

Goodbye, followers section.

I have visited a ridiculous amount of blogs.

When I find one I like, I follow it.

That is, if they have a large number of followers.

Perhaps I am the only one, but I am guilty of not clicking "follow" on blogs that have say, 18 followers.

Why?

Is it because I'm mean?

You tell me.

I have thought about it a lot, and for some reason, I am guilty of following those that are already leading by majority.

I realize that the amount of followers can directly affect what people think of your blog.

I love my followers.

Some of them have turned into real-life friends.

Many of them are inspirations to me.

You will no longer see your cute little picture on my sidebar.

Sorry.

Goodbye blog awards, featured button, and blog roll.

Just to clear the clutter.

Spring cleaning, really.

Goodbye Facebook page.

It was too quiet over there, and I can't keep up with my personal Facebook, Twitter, blog, and email.

Time to trim the fat and have more time for other social networking sites.

Hello Fridays button.

I am super excited to announce my new linky party here at live fancy!

Are you crafty?

Join my linky.

Do you despise crafts?

Join my linky.

That's right, something for everyone.

Every Friday I will host a party for you lovelies to link a blog post that shares what you love.

Four things you love, to be specific.

{Prefer craft linkys? Instead of blasting your latest project all over the place, create a blog posting that links your project and lists three other things that reflect your personality. Easy peasy.}

Have you come across a blog you adore?

Go see a great movie?

Read an amazing book?

Pick out the perfect baby name?

Great.

Write a post and tell the world what tickled your fancy that week.

Blogging is becoming impersonal- share with the world what your week was like and why you loved what you loved.

In the process we will all come across some pretty fabulous things, I'm sure.

We will also get to know one another a little better.

And down the road, you can look back on your blog and smile about all the things that made you happy.

Be ready to see my list of 4 every Friday.

Share the love and join in tomorrow.

Feel free to grab the new Fancy 4 Fridays button for your blog.

I will also be adding a new item to my shop every Friday.

Rather than stressing about filling orders and creating new items, this once a week goal should work out beautifully.

And if you order something from me, you'll get one of my new business cards.

{happy dance}

I hope you'll join me in the new direction I am taking Live Fancy.

Happy Thursday, friends.

Moving on up

When Hubby and I moved from our itty bitty one bedroom apartment to our not-much-bigger two bedroom apartment, we had a blast decorating it.

When we lived in our itty bitty one bedroom apartment, I somehow convinced him to paint our entire living room sun yellow, and our kitchen (including the cabinets) grass green.

{Photo of wretched kitchen can't be found- will post at a later date. Be excited.}

I promised him that I would be happy all the time living in such cheery colors.

{Awesome baby-proofing, I know.}

Did I mention we also had a bright blue denim sofa?

{She is modeling the wig that I wore for nearly a year. Why? Because I let Hubby bleach my hair and about 85% of it fell out. More on that later.}

Oh, and back then, my awesome DIY projects were barstools like these:

Pretty, right?

Barf.

So, when we moved, I promised Hubby that he could pick the colors and I would go along with them.

He was in charge of every room except the kitchen.

I got my deep red kitchen that I had always wanted.

With the leftover living room, dining room, and kitchen paint, we matched them with water-based paints and let our little artist go to town.

At the time, I was pregnant with Riley, and had envisioned doing this again later for our not-much-bigger 3 bedroom house.

{These are proudly displayed in our living room, and will probably stay there until I am old and gray.}

Then The Boy came along, and I had planned on having him make his own set when he turned 2.

FAIL.

So finally, at 2.5, in our oh-so-much-bigger 4 bedroom house, he got his chance.

These will be going in his room this summer.

This summer he will be moving from his toddler bed to a twin mattress.

Because he should wake up everyday with a dry diaper within the next month or two.

So. Close.

Wednesday is Hubby's birthday.

If you know him, give him a little shout out tomorrow.

Exciting new things coming to my shop and to my blog on Thursday.

Stay tuned.

Happy Tuesday.

Poo Poo Cupcakes Version 2.5

Last Wednesday we celebrated The Boy's 1/2 birthday.

{When I was pregnant with The Girl, I decided we would celebrate half birthdays for everyone. The very first time she tasted cake was when she was 6 months old, and we have had a dessert of some kind in honor of someone ever since. In our house, we have a special dessert 8 times a year.}

The Boy is now 2 and a half.

He is addicted to Toy Story {1 and 2}.

He can eat his body weight in Funyuns.

He is becoming a potty training success story.

He loves us and shows us every single day.

My little cuddle bug.

I decided to make him cupcakes to celebrate.

We had Toy Story cupcake liners, and the ingredients to make quick cupcakes.

We only had chocolate frosting at home.

I didn't complain.

However, I am not used to chocolate frosting.

I decorate with white.

As soon as I finished piping a few cupcakes, The Boy shouted, "Me no poo poo cupcakes!"

I then realized what he meant.

  

After cracking up, I solved the problem and vowed to never use chocolate frosting again.

At least not around a 2.5 year old.

We sang Happy Half Birthday and had Woody chime in with some silly birthday lyrics.

I may or may not have said, "There's a snake in my cupcake!" a bazillion times on Wednesday.

The Boy loved it.

We did a fun project to celebrate his milestone, too.

I'll post the project tomorrow.

Happy 1/2 birthday, Bug.

Have a happy Monday, friends.

Discouraged

If you are a close friend of mine, you know that lately things haven't been so awesome for me.

I won't depress myself further and make a list of everything BLAH, but that word sums up May pretty well:

BLAH.

When I first started this blog, it was called Fancy Kimmie, and I had planned on writing about my life.

I had no page tabs or links.

I didn't even know how to change the font color.

Julie said to create a blog, and since I had an old blog, I figured I should start over and see where it took me.

Then I discovered craft blogs.

Women linking up to these linky parties that I had never seen before.

Giving one another compliments and adding each other as friends.

I wanted in.

Goodbye Fancy Kimmie and your mundane life, hello Live Fancy and endless possibilities.

I have always been into crafts.

Not art.

Crafts.

I found something awesome.

After linking up to some parties, I discovered home makeover blogs.

Blogs completely devoted to "transforming a house into a home".

I have read countless blogs with that exact title.

I love home makeovers.

I have painted every room in my house at least twice, and have moved the furniture so many times that I have considered starting a moving company of my own.

{More on that later.}

In the two and a half years we've lived here, I have transformed every room.

No before photos taken since I didn't know people did that.

I re-did my master bedroom in hopes of creating a pretty little space for me to hang out.

I moved my stuff out of the downstairs office and moved up here to my room to have my own place.

Everything is in order.

I have the ideas, inspiration, the space to create.

I also have life.

Not as in, "I have a life."

I'm just trying to keep up with the day to day.

As in, my laundry pile doesn't wait for me.

It continues to grow until I am in tears or pouting that I will never stop folding laundry.

My children want to play with me.

And have homework.

We have 11 pets who need some sort of attention.

I have a husband who works hard and would like to come home to a clean house.

Does everyone just blog about the pretty?

Am I the only one having a serious struggle trying to find craft time to keep up with linky parties?

Staying up until 2 AM trying to read the latest book recommendation?

Making project after project in hopes of getting a compliment?

Honestly?

Am I?

Because I am staring at the computer with the most discouraged and angry face on a daily basis.

How do you guys have time to look fabulous?

Am I the only one without a maid?

Without a nanny or relative who can take my children for a few hours?

I do it all.

My husband is busy.

I do most of the parenting alone.

Reaching out for new friends in a community that looks so inviting is exhausting.

And meeting people online who sound like they have a lifestyle like mine end up posting about the billion dollar home they just bought or the seventy pairs of $200 jeans they own.

My most expensive pair of jeans cost me $39.99.

If you are my friend, you know that my wardrobe comes from clearance racks from stores that also sell bread and diapers, and that I will never turn down a hand-me-down.

Even at 26.

So lately if I have given you the stink eye, please try to understand why.

I am trying to find balance.

With my home, with my time, with my family, with my friends, with my income, etc.

I know everyone seeks a happy balance.

I just seem to be struggling more than "everyone".

Before I feel completely discouraged and unplug my laptop forever, please know that normally I am a giggly, happy, outgoing mama who only complains when it can be said in the form of a joke.

Tell me how you're making this work.

Tell me that your laundry pile is out of control.

Tell me that your child has a homework tutor.

Tell me that your kitchen floor is sticky.

Tell me that when you're dressed fancy, it's because you have a support system that occupies your children so that you have enough time to not only shower, but wear makeup.

And if you can't tell me any of those things, please stick around and watch me struggle trying to find balance.

If anything, I might get really good at complaining joke-style.

Making people laugh is better than nothing.

Happy Thursday

Dessert Stand Jewelry Display

If you didn't get a chance to check out my first guest post this week, I am bringing it from It's Fun to Craft to here just for you.
Enjoy:

Today I am going to show you my easiest most recent project.

Dessert stand turned jewelry display.

I bought a fancy little 2-tier dessert stand and had every intention of decoupaging it.
{I was inspired by the pretty tiered dessert stand by Liberty if London at Target. However, have you seen the customer reviews on that beauty? Not so pretty.}

After taking all of it apart, this lovely little piece proved to be intolerant of all things crafty.

A stubborn mod-podge mess, if you will.

So, I grabbed a dessert stand out of my kitchen cabinet and went to work.

I cut strips of scrapbook paper {that my daughter picked out} with pinking shears.

They are all various lengths and widths.

I simply used a sponge brush to paint the surface, added a strip of paper, and continued around the entire piece.

After it was finished, I smoothed it down and covered the entire surface with an even coat of mod podge.

I added a random piece of ribbon to the top since this stand didn't have a fancy finial like the original.

I seem to always have a dessert stand of some kind in every room.

This one is for my daughter.

I turned her jewelry collection from this:

To this:

Here is a close-up of her collection:

Now her room has another pop of color that match the stripes on her walls, and she has all of her jewelry in plain sight.

{Next project: trying to keep my 2-year-old son out of her room.}

*I removed the goodies that were written for Stacey's blog.*

This project can be done about a bazillion different ways for a bazillion different reasons.

Send me your projects and I will happily feature them here.

Happy Thursday, friends.

P.S. The Daisy clips were a hit last night! Woot!

Daisy Petals

The Girl is a Girl Scout.

She became a Daisy at the beginning of the kindergarten school year, and she has loved it.

Every minute of it.

I was the same way.

I planned on growing up and showing my daughter my Brownie vest full of patches.

Telling stories of how each patch was earned.

Laughing over Grandma's sewing skills.

{You rock, Mom.}

Sadly, in the 4 times we've moved, my vest has gone missing.

I will have to rely on only my memories as I see the new modern patches.

She has been earning tons lately.

{Thanks for brushing me up on my sewing machines' manual, Daisy Leaders.}

Tonight I am giving each girl in her troop a gift.

Each girl will get a daisy hair clip.

Each petal represents each patch earned.

I have added them to my shop.

If you have a Daisy Girl Scout, or know of one, these make awesome gifts.

Just saying.

Happy Wednesday!

My 1st Guest Post

Tomorrow (Tuesday May 11th) I am guest posting over at It's Fun to Craft!

I know you all remember Stacey...my html hero who saved my blog in the middle of the night.

Why?

Because she's awesome.

Go see my easy peasy fun project tomorrow.

Why?

Because I said to.

{She has all kinds of goodies and giveaways taking place right now, too!}

Happy Monday!

The Big Picture

As I mentioned last week, my husband's uncle passed away and yesterday we attended his funeral.

We actually were running late after sitting in traffic for over two hours, and missed the eulogy and most of the service.

Thankfully we got there in time to see family members smiling at old photographs and telling stories about his life.

Every single memory was a happy one.
As we drove to a relative's house to gather and pay our respects, one of my husband's cousins asked everyone in our car how we thought we would be remembered.

We told jokes and poked fun at each other.

We laughed.

We told one another our favorite memory of my husband's beloved uncle.

I loved his sense of humor.

How his smile reached all the way to his eyes and how he winked after telling jokes.

How he hugged tighter than anyone I have ever met, and how compliments rolled off of his tongue genuinely.

How he raised his children to be amazing, caring, people who could only say positive things about him.

Even when he was here with us.

I want to be remembered like that.

I want my funeral to be full of smiling people.

Not tears.

Full of hugs among people that I brought into the world, or people that I affected in a positive way.

The last time I was around anyone discussing death in such a serious manner was when we lost our child.

I have only known death to be uncontrollably sad.

It was nice to be able to see the happy side of remembering someone who has passed.

I also realized two things:

1. That cremation is my preference. Please do not let anyone put me in a claustrophobic box surrounded by bugs. I'm not sure what I want done with my ashes yet, but I definitely don't want to be in a vase on someone's mantel.

2. Wear something happy if you're coming to my service. Black is respectful for others, but you should all know by now that pink is my color of choice. If you don't want to wear pink, pick a happy color. I want my life celebrated, not mourned. If you end up singing karaoke after paying your respects, I won't be mad.

Just saying.

So as yesterday faded and Mother's Day arrived, I came to the conclusion that I am here on this Earth for my children.

I knew at a very young age that I wanted to be a mother, and I think everyone in high school knew my plans for after graduation.

Motherhood was my calling.

If anything, I hope to be remembered as an amazing mother who raised amazing children, who continue to pass the awesomeness down to each generation.

My Mother's Day was like any other day.

Hubby worked.

I accomplished the laundry and rewarded myself with craft time.

I am not upset that my husband was away on the day that other women are off pampering themselves.

I am thankful that he was away, because in doing so, it allowed me to be home with my children.

Not just today, but everyday.

So thank you, Hubby, for working hard and letting me be the mother I have always wanted to be.

Sorry on the heavy post, guys.

I think it's important to focus on the big picture every once in a while.

Stop shuffling through the day-to-day.

Stop saying you'll get around to things "someday".

Stop telling your children to "hold on a minute" when they ask/whine/beg for your attention.

Be thankful for the title "Mother".

So many women long for that title.

Happy Mother's Day.

Beef & Bikinis

If you're a crafter, you know that Walmart is more craft-friendly.

If you're like me, you appreciate being able to grab a gallon of milk after you buy a few yards of fabric.

I'm not ashamed to say it: I love Walmart.

Yesterday, I cheated on Walmart and ventured over to Target.

{swoon}

They have been mailing me things for about a month now to let me know that they have remodeled and that they now serve fresh groceries.

I had to check it out.

I bought Febreeze Noticeables (thanks for the cheating post, Jeannett!), toilet paper, guacamole, bananas, and a purse.

How rad is that?!

For all of you who have Super Walmart or similiar stores, I know you are not joining in on this happy dance.

You have to realize that in Orange County, stores like this are rare.

We don't get to buy beef and a new bikini at the same store.

{Which is exactly what one Target shopper had in her cart yesterday.}

Thanks to Target, I can be lazier eco-friendly and drive to fewer locations.

Awesome.

While I was there, I grabbed a little something for a project I am working on with Stacey.

I can't tell you what it is, but I will give you a hint:

It has something to do with this Liberty of London beauty:

Today I will be crafting like a mad woman.

You will get to see all of my projects next week.

{And if I accomplish everything, you might see a small project here tomorrow.}

I hope you had a wonderful Cinco de Mayo yesterday.

We had a crazy normal day and nothing went as planned.

I had McDonald's at midnight for dinner.

Thankfully the kids didn't mind eating a quick microwavable meal after Girl Scouts last night.

{The Girl Scout meeting that I was supposed to bring snack to, but didn't.}

Today is another holiday.

National Day of Prayer.

Go pray.

For someone else.

It will take you 10 seconds and can make all the difference.

If you aren't keen on praying, don't worry.

I'll be sure to tell God that you said hello.

Happy Thursday, people.

All aboard the free craft train

My friend Lori gave me a train table for The Boy.

This is the same friend who posted my Etsy link on her Facebook without me asking her to.

The same friend who ordered a handful of things to give away as gifts so that I could feel legit as a new little business owner.

The same friend who waited over two months for me to deliver her Girl Scout cookies and didn't complain that they were delivered late.

The same friend who saves hand-me-downs for me, who got me started with my previous home childcare & preschool, who has always been a true friend no matter how many miles have separated us.

I can see Lori once a year and still feel like I have seen her once a week.

I am honored to have such a rad friend.

And I'm about to end our friendship with this post.

Follow along.

Step 1: Have your friend give you a free train table after looking through Craigslist ads for one for months with no luck.

Step 2: Have your friends' husband load it into your car for you while you prove that you have zero tolerance for your own children.

{Case and point: The Girl was coloring and told us, "I have a great idea about what to draw!". Lori and I both spoke at the same time. I said, "Great. Do it." Lori said, "Really, sweetie? What is your idea?!" Decent mommy FAIL on my part.}

Step 3: Put the water-damaged lid under the toy box that you got from the Free section of Craigslist and leave it there for a week.

Step 4: Put the lid outside after a week. Give it a good scrub. Dry it thoroughly. Spray paint it with chalkboard paint.

Step 5: Forget to take pictures for the last three parts of the above step.

Step 6: Let the chalkboard paint cure.

Step 7: Erase the chalk after the table has cured and draw something that only a two-year-old will appreciate.

Step 8: Watch your children enjoy the train table without any fighting.

Step 9: Make your friend totally jealous of your new train table.

Step 10: Blog about it and smother her with {true} compliments so that she doesn't show up at your doorstep ready to take her train table back.

I hope you're all having a wonderful Wednesday!