What I Whipped Up Wednesday Linky Party- Week 13 + Giveaway Winner Announced!

I'm opening the linky party early this week because I have the time right now and I fear that tonight will be spent packing and/or painting the kids' new bedrooms at our new house.

Yay for additional time to link up!

First, time to announce the winner from my one year blogiversary:

Congratulations, Laura! (And thank you for being a new reader!)

I will be emailing you soon with details on how to get your goodies. :)

Now on to What I Whipped Up...

Sorry for the lapse in linky parties, but I'm sure you can understand since this year has been extremely eventful!

Two weeks ago, Kim turned a closet into an adorable sewing space:

The Spangler created this amazing dress from a 50 cent top at a thrift store:

Erin tweaked a Family Fun Magazine tutorial to create these adorable candy Valentines:

I'd love to feature more of your amazing ideas, but Hubby just called and said that he won't be home in time for me to use our rental car to get The Girl from school.

Did I mention that I crashed my car at on the 10th? Yeah, $11,512.00 in damage to my car. The Boy was with me and was terrified from the airbag, but fine. Hubby's car decided to die on the 9th, so we're down to just the rental car.

Looks like we'll be going from rental car to moving truck...

And it looks like today I will be walking to school.

{I'll miss being able to see the elementary school from my bedroom window!}

Before I go, here are a few things to remember:

Must be your project...any craft, recipe, makeover, or idea you want to show off.

Must be linked to the specific blog post; not just your blog's url.

Feel free to grab the button so that others can link up too!



The linky party is open now and will close at 11:59 PM on Friday.
Happy Tuesday and Wednesday!

We're Moving!

So, last you all heard, I scared off a listing agent with my super awesome house hunting skills.

Things have changed since then.

We're moving!

I have the key to the new house in my pocket, actually.

We had an appointment to see a house in a beautiful neighborhood this past Sunday.

On Saturday, while searching for the ad on Craigslist to confirm our appointment, I came across another ad for a house on the other side of town.

I called the ad, jumped for joy when Scott didn't answer and a sweet lady did, and made plans to check out the listing within the hour.

I fell in love.

It's the same floor plan as my childhood home (except that this house is 4 bedrooms, not 3) and has an enclosed patio that has been converted into an extra room.

The converted room is just off of the livingroom and perfect to use as a playroom!

And the extra bedroom is going to be...are you ready for this...A CRAFT ROOM!

I'm sure Hubby will set up a desk and put his laptop on it from time to time, but I'm taking over with my fabric collection and paper cutting machines and supplies.

{happy dance}

The entire house is smaller than our current house, but the floorplan is open and upgraded with new paint and carpet.

The best part: Hubby doesn't have to struggle getting up and down stairs anymore!

{happy dance}

I'm hoping to re-open my home childcare & preschool so that I can help out with our new monthly payment.

Lots of exciting new things happening for us!

Here's a photo of our new home (minus the van in the driveway and the sign in the yard):

Please forgive the quality- the photo is from the Craigslist ad.

I'll be blogging as much as possible when I'm not packing or freaking out, but if Sugar and Dots becomes a little quiet anytime soon, you'll know why.

:)

Happy Monday!

HELLO, My Name is Awkward

To make a short story shorter: we're moving.

Not necessarily soon, but sometime before the middle of summer.

I'm 75% sure it will be sooner than that.

We rent.

I love our house.

Our house is going up for sale soon.

So, in hopes of finding the perfect home, I am on the hunt.

I'm browsing Craigslist like a mad woman.

(A mad woman trying to sound pleasant and sane while calling homeowners and listing agents.)

So, last night we went and checked out a place about 20 minutes from home.

It was completely re-done...full backyard...large pool on the side yard...cul-de-sac...wood floors...granite countertops...

Gorgeous, right?

We met up with a listing agent named Scott at the house.

Loved it.

Told the agent we loved it.

Asked for the application to be emailed to us.

Drove home and decided the house wasn't exactly perfect.

There were three closets total.

Three bedrooms, two hallways, and three closets...one was a linen closet.

The kitchen was a bit funky...the fridge would only fit in the laundry room.

The laundry room could only accomodate a stackable washer/dryer unit.

The house had no access to the garage.

Yadda...yadda.

So, we ignore the agent's email.

I'm sure we would have responded eventually, but today...ignored.

So today, I browse Craigslist.

I find a home I'd like to go check out.

I call.

Me: "Hi, I'm interested in the home you have listed on Craigslist..."
Man with a familiar voice: "Great! I'm actually the listing agent. I would love to take care of everything for you."

Me, realizing this is the same agent we met with last night: "Oh, okay...great..."

Agent who confirms my realization: "My name is Scott. I actually just showed a property like this one to a family last night. I'd love to show you that home too, if you're interested!"

Me, wondering how I'm going to get out of this phone call: "Actually, I really love the neighborhood that this home is in. But perhaps I could speak to my husband and call you back?"

Agent, making my life impossible: "Nonsense! I would love to call you back. I know finding a home can be hard... no need to add stress with phone calls and details! I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?"

Me, thinking I can pull off something other than Kimmie: "Oh, umm...Kim."

Agent: "Jen?"

Me: "Mmm-hmm"

Agent: "Great, I'll go ahead and add you to my contacts right now and get back to you this evening. I look forward to working with you!"

Me, very very quietly: "Bye."

And...scene!

So when he goes to add Jen to his contacts and realizes that Jen and Kimmie have the same number, I wonder if he'll call either woman back.

This whole house hunting thing is shaping up to be an awesome adventure.

Happy Wednesday!

Barbie Themed Birthday Party

It's that time of the year again: the time when my baby girl decides to turn a year older and celebrates with her friends while eating way too much sugar.

Last year we did the carnival thing.

This year, we skipped inviting more than four classrooms' worth of students, and went with a very girly, very tiny, very sweet Barbie party.

Here are the invites that I made in Photoshop (poorly edited for blogging purposes):

All of the food and drinks were white, pink, and purple.

I brought all of The Girl's Barbie items downstairs and flooded the living room with pink and purple.

I blocked off the fireplace with a large piece of cardboard and some streamer paper.

As soon as the girls arrived, they promptly started playing dress up and found a Barbie of their choice.

The Boy spent the day with Hubby, but had fun chasing around the balloons while guests arrived.

While the girls played, I called them one by one into the downstairs bathroom to have their nails painted.

The Girl chose her favorite colors for her friends before they arrived.

(I knew that if I put all of my collection out, it would be a loooong process.)

When their nails were completely dry, we took a bunch of silly group photos, danced to ridiculously loud Justin Bieber songs, and started watching Camp Rock 2.

{The party was Saturday. The Barbie movie I rented off of Netflix arrived promptly this afternoon. Party FAIL.}

When Camp Rock 2 became boring, I busted out mega packs of foam stickers and foam sheets to decorate.

Six and seven year old girls are extemely easy! The party was low-key, less than $100.00, and super fun.

Here are the favors they took home:

Well, kind of.

The polkadots you see are from the gift bag.

Each bag contained either a Barbie pencil/eraser set, or a sheet of Barbie stickers.

Each girl was given a set of hair rubberbands, a hand-written thank you note from the birthday girl, and a Barbie-style Frayed Bloom attached to a headband.

I had given them enough sugar while they were here, so I avoided sweets in their goody bags!

I had originally made them each a shirt to match with the headband, but The Girl said it was too fancy and not appropriate as a party favor.

Her exact words.

Haha!

And after all was said and done, here is the aftermath:

That's all proof of a good time, right?

:)

This week...

I am [this] close to suffering from a total nervous breakdown.

I have so much going on.

About 99.9% of it is stuff I would rather avoid.

I am feeling extremely overwhelmed and extremely sad.

Thankfully the weight I was gaining during my stress baking days has come off with my new stress starving days.

But really, that's my only good news.

No What I Whipped Up Wednesday this week, but that means you have a full week to enter my blogiversary giveaway!

And later today I will be blogging my daughter's 7th birthday party that took place this past Saturday.

Okay, so I guess that lowers the crummy stuff to about 98%.

;)

Hope you'll stick around during my mental breakdown.

Happy Monday, friends.

ONE YEAR BLOGIVERSARY! (Plus a Guest Post by Jen from Tatertots and Jello and a Special Giveaway!)

I think that the title sums it up nicely, no?

:)

Happy one year blogiversary, Sugar and Dots!

You have morphed from Fancy Kimmie, to Live Fancy, to Sugar and Dots.

You have had more headers and backgrounds than I can count.
(More coming soon...ha! I had planned on a big blog reveal with lots of new features, but I'm not sold on the blog design...hoping to have it up sometime next week!)

You have brought me friendships and helped me connect with women through topics that I thought I was alone with.

I have been attacked via comments, emails, and tweets.

I have grown stronger and have gained confidence.

This little blog has brought me more than I even knew existed.

And I owe it all to you, my readers.

Thank you.

Each and every one of you.

Mushy enough?

Let's move on...

When I first started blogging, I came across a blog that I spent hours on.

I read through old posts, and hopped from sponsor to sponsor.

I clicked on the commenter's profiles and created a reading list of my own.

Reading this blog lead me to an assortment of bloggers...crafters, artists, working moms, bakers...

I spent my first two months of blogging practically stalking this blogger's site.

And now, here she is guest posting for me:

Hi there!! I'm Jen from Tatertots and Jello and I am so excited to be here. 

I just adore Kimmie and think she is the sweetest person and so so talented!! 

I'd love to show you a little project that would make a 

fun homemade Valentine's Day gift this year -- Beaded Heart Jewelry.

You can make these beaded hearts and then make them into earrings or different necklaces. And you can make them different sizes -- for any taste or age!! 

Here's What You Need: 

Beads. I used 4 mm Swarkovski crystals {from Michael's} but any bead will work.
Wire -- if you are using 4mm beads or smaller you will need to use 24 gauge wire.
Jump Rings {1 per heart for earrings, 6 per heart for necklaces}
Earring wires {if making earrings}
Ribbon and ribbon findings {if making necklaces}
Lobster Claw {if making necklaces}
Gorilla Glue or Super Glue {if making necklaces}
A few links of extra jewerly chain {optional - if making necklaces

What I Whipped Up Wednesday Linky Party- Week 12

I'm opening the linky party early this week because there are a lot of things coming to Sugar and Dots within the next few days!

Before I get started on last weeks' What I Whipped Up Wednesday features, I want to mention a few things.

First, hi. How are you? Have you had a crazy start to the new year like me? Are you still totally overwhelmed from the holidays? 2011 is kicking my butt and we're not even two full weeks into the year yet. If you follow me on Twitter, then you get to hear my daily rants. If you don't follow me on Twitter, don't start now...the "unfollow" button will be enticing. ;)

Did you know that Thursday is my one year blogiversary? It's true! One whole year of figuring myself out, finding my style, connecting with incredibly kind and amazingly talented people, and documenting our life as it changed rapidly. I love this blogging world more and more everyday. Thank you so very much for choosing to be a part of my little piece of the internet. I adore my readers! Your support, comments, follows, emails, tweets, Facebook comments, and hand-written letters have brought me incredible joy. I actually started to type out a thank you to each and every Sugar and Dots subscriber, but my week got a little nutty and the project came to an end. I promise I had the intention though...I'm just a bit too stressed and sore to create a big project like that right now. It will happen one day!

Speaking of Thursday- I am honored to announce that sweet Jen from Tatertots and Jello will be here guest posting! {happy dance} Her post is uber cute and fun! You won't want to miss it! I will also be announcing a fun giveaway for my newest product right after Jen's post! If all goes according to plan, my blog will have a completely new look on Thursday, too!

Wednesday I will be stocking the newly designed shop with lots of new goodies. Want a sneak peak?

I'll be posting about those on Wednesday night. :)

Now on with the party!

Last week was a smaller linky, but you ladies didn't disappoint with quality! It was nearly impossible to choose just a couple to highlight, but here they are:

Melissa made an adorable (and easy peasy!) ruffled scarf that I am dying to re-create.

Jen made this flirty apron...you all know my love for aprons!

Kathy displayed a saying close to her heart in her dining room. She also tells a story that many can relate to.

Elizabeth showed off a fab tutorial that I know you're going to love! I have a post written up for nearly the same tutorial that will go up on the blog Friday, but our techniques vary slightly. Great minds... ;)

Now it's your turn!

A few things to remember:

Must be your project...any craft, recipe, makeover, or idea you want to show off.

Must be linked to the specific blog post; not just your blog's url.

Feel free to grab the button so that others can link up too!

                                                           &<SPAN style="BACKGROUND: yellow" class=goog-spellcheck-word>lt</SPAN>;a border="0" <SPAN style="BACKGROUND: yellow" class=goog-spellcheck-word>href</SPAN>="http://www.<SPAN style="BACKGROUND: yellow" class=goog-spellcheck-word>SugarAndDots</SPAN>.com" target="_blank">&<SPAN style="BACKGROUND: yellow" class=goog-spellcheck-word>lt</SPAN>;<SPAN style="BACKGROUND: yellow" class=goog-spellcheck-word>img</SPAN> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND: yellow" class=goog-spellcheck-word>src</SPAN>="http://i4.<SPAN style="BACKGROUND: yellow" class=goog-spellcheck-word>photobucket</SPAN>.com/albums/y135/g00dy2sh0es/<SPAN style="BACKGROUND: yellow" class=goog-spellcheck-word>linky</SPAN>.<SPAN style="BACKGROUND: yellow" class=goog-spellcheck-word>jpg</SPAN>" />&<SPAN style="BACKGROUND: yellow" class=goog-spellcheck-word>lt</SPAN>;/a>

The linky party is open now and will close at 11:59 PM on Friday.

Happy Wednesday!

Winter Faux Mantel

On December 26th, I took all of the Christmas decorations down and created a simple new look for our faux mantel and the shelf in the dining room.

I adore Christmas, and loved the decor, but with wrapping paper piled to the ceiling and gifts sprawled throughout the house, I was in a hurry to clean up the clutter and move on.

Here is what I came up with for the faux mantel on one side of our diningroom:

Above you can see Riley's shadowbox, the faux rosewood wreath I made, and some vintage goodies that I found nearly a year ago.

The sticks in the Ikea pitcher are from my front yard. The feather bundle was 30 cents at Michaels about a week after Christmas. The stone candles were a gift from my mom by PartyLite. My Scentsy warmer has $2 wax from Walmart (best.deal.ever.). The little elephant was a gift from Hubby when we recently spent a day at Knott's Berry Farm. The hand statue of Hubby and The Girl is still my favorite.

The owl statue was found at Kohl's not long ago for 70% off! The chalkboard plate was my second ever chalkboard project and the overspray still makes me crazy.



This shelf hangs above the fish tank in our dining room. The chalkboard sign that reads "Eat" was part of a memo board that was in the back of our garage. The elephant votive holders (minus the votives) were gifts from my mom this past Christmas. The yellow pitcher was a $7 steal at Ross. The smallest "vase" on the right with a mini pinecone on top is actually a Coke bottle. They had fun round bottles recently at Walmart, and I removed the wrapper to create a new look.

If you've created a Winter mantel, come link up with me at The Stories of A to Z for Beth's mantel linky party.
Also linking up to Tatertots and Jello, Under the Table and Dreaming, and Funky Junk Interiors.

What I Whipped Up Wednesday Linky Party- Week 11

Have you ever been so sick that you know the second you admit to being sick, you're going to curl up and die?

No? Only me?

I faked being well for the past week(ish).

I was feeling awful but figured if I pretended I was fine and carried on normally, it would go away and I wouldn't waste my time being ill.

Unfortunately things have progressed horribly since Sunday morning, and I am now sick-sick.

No more faking it.

I feel like I'm coughing up my lungs every 15 seconds, and I have to keep lying my head on a table/couch/pillow/stranger next to me just so I don't feel like I'm going to pass out.

Boo.

All of that just to prep you for this:

I'm only featuring one person this week.

I just can't keep my head up to type and think and create a decent post.

Sorry.

(By the way, since starting this post, I've hit backspace at least 417 times, and I've put my head on my desk twice.)

I adore this photo canvas awesomeness. You will too.

I hope you had time to create/post about something this week!

I know that it's been pretty crazy with the holidays recently, so I forgive you if you didn't. ;)

A few things to remember:

Must be your project...any craft, recipe, makeover, or idea you want to show off.

Must be linked to the specific blog post; not just your blog's url.

Feel free to grab the button so that others can link up too!

                                                           &<SPAN style="BACKGROUND: yellow" class=goog-spellcheck-word>lt</SPAN>;a border="0" <SPAN style="BACKGROUND: yellow" class=goog-spellcheck-word>href</SPAN>="http://www.<SPAN style="BACKGROUND: yellow" class=goog-spellcheck-word>SugarAndDots</SPAN>.com" target="_blank">&<SPAN style="BACKGROUND: yellow" class=goog-spellcheck-word>lt</SPAN>;<SPAN style="BACKGROUND: yellow" class=goog-spellcheck-word>img</SPAN> <SPAN style="BACKGROUND: yellow" class=goog-spellcheck-word>src</SPAN>="http://i4.<SPAN style="BACKGROUND: yellow" class=goog-spellcheck-word>photobucket</SPAN>.com/albums/y135/g00dy2sh0es/<SPAN style="BACKGROUND: yellow" class=goog-spellcheck-word>linky</SPAN>.<SPAN style="BACKGROUND: yellow" class=goog-spellcheck-word>jpg</SPAN>" />&<SPAN style="BACKGROUND: yellow" class=goog-spellcheck-word>lt</SPAN>;/a>

Wednesday's linky will open at 12:01 AM on Wednesdays and close at 11:59 PM on Fridays.

Happy Wednesday!

What You Need to Know if We're Going to be BFF's

I read Heather's post this morning and saw that she was inspired by a different post, so I'm tagging along as the third wheel and writing my own.

:)

What you need to know if we're going to be BFF's:

I love to text. I do it all the time. If we're super close, you get a LOT of text messages from me. And now that I have a fancy new phone (thanks, Santa!) I don't think I've set my phone down. Send me your number if you're bored. ;)

Almost everything I do is completed with the phrase, "Good enough!". I should strive for perfection instead of a passing grade on every task I complete, but it's really hard for me. I "half-ass" my way through life.

{source}

I wear my hair in a messy bun almost everyday. If it's ever down, I make sure to jump into as many photo ops as possible. This includes taking lame pictures of myself with my laptop.

I can easily leave the house without makeup, in sweats, and with my hair in a messy bun. However, I cannot leave my house if my toes aren't perfectly polished...

...Because I wear flip flops 365 days a year...rain or shine.

I would rather have my house look like it is owned by a crazy cat lady in 1960 than a wealthy homemaker in 2011. Eclectic vintage and kid/pet-friendly awesomeness makes me happy.

{source}

{source}

I don't own a passport; plan your all-expenses-paid vacations with me accordingly.

I eat a lot. That can go both ways...I eat a lot (often) and I eat a lot (quantity). I keep meaning to post about this, but somehow can't find the strength...which is surprising since I posted about Riley without hesitation. One day I hope to go into detail. Until then, just know that I am a bottomless pit.

I avoid laundry like the plague.

I have a ridiculous amount of books that I keep meaning to read. And I have owned a Kindle 2 for quite some time now and have yet to download a book. Hubby has taken over the Kindle until I accomplish my book-reading goals. I should post about that, too. I would rather get a book as a gift than jewelry. True story.

I say bad words all the time. Up until I was 19, I didn't use profanity at all. I was given the nic name "goody two shoes" by an old friend because of my constant "phooey!" and "who the cuss does she think she is?" remarks. I now drop the f-bomb like it's my job. I despise it. I don't know when it started. It is one of my resolutions to stop this year. I fear being shipped off to sea the way I speak.

No one in my family closes the bathroom door when we are the only people at home. This goes for every bathroom activity except showers. I seal off the bathroom when I shower and let the bathroom fill with steam before I get in. When I get out, a cloud of steam leaves the bathroom with me and makes me feel like a superhero. Hubby does the same thing. I'm fairly sure this means my kids will grow up with superhero wannabe tendencies, too.

I bite my nails.

If I didn't fear what others (society) thought of me, I would have at least one full sleeve.

{source}

I adore karaoke.

I never had a wedding, and plan mine daily. We eloped at the courthouse, and I would love to wear a wedding dress next to my husband one day. We want to renew our vows for our ten year wedding anniversary. I hope to have a little wedding for the event. Yay for the year 2014! :)

And with that, I end my list. I could go on and on. Obviously.

Happy Monday!