30 photos

I've seen versions of this here and there on various blogs, so I thought I would do the same and give you all a little peek into my life via some photos. 30 of them to be exact! I'd love to see your 30 as well, so if you decide to join in the fun leave me a link so I can check out yours too. Enjoy!

01 / someone you spend a lot of time with:

02 / a picture of you:

03 / a random picture of you and your sig. other:

04 / a picture of something that makes you happy:

05 / an old picture of you:

06 / a picture of your sibling:

07 / a picture you never posted on your blog before:

08 / a picture of a person you miss:

09 / a picture of people who know you now and then:

10 / a picture of your favorite place: (NJ shore)

11 / a person you can tell everything to:

12 / a picture of your everyday life:

13 / a picture from a place you love:

14 / a picture that reminds you of great times:

15 / a class photo: (kindergarten, I'm the little blonde on the right in the purple dress)

16 / a picture from the best day of your life:

17 / a picture that always makes you laugh:

18 / a picture of your spare time:

19 / a photo from a great night:

20 / a picture of the people who are closest to you: (missing my sister in this photo)

21 / a picture of someone you always have a good time with:

22 / a picture of your parents when they were your age:

23 / a picture from last summer: (Kona, Hawaii, the beach right next to our house)

24 / a photo of your closest friend of the opposite sex (not sig. other):

25 / a picture of you on a favorite vacation: (Moorea, French Polynesia)

26 / a picture of an accomplishment: (Master's degree)

27 / a picture of your closest friends: (minus a couple)

28 / a random picture from photobooth:

29 / a photo that makes you smile:

30 / someone you will never let go of: (two of them)

March large sponsor highlight and GIVEAWAY!

Hello everyone! This is March's highlight and giveaway post for my large ads. The first group I am highlighting aren't participating in the giveaway this month, but please be sure to stop by their sites and say hello; all of my sponsors are amazing and definitely worth checking out. Below this first group you will find the rest of my sponsors, and the items they are giving away. 

TO ENTER:

Simply leave a comment with your name and email. If you'd like to enter twice, you can tweet or blog about the giveaway and leave an additional comment with that link.

Good luck!

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Hey there!  I'm Heather and I'm thrilled to be back again this month sponsoring Sometimes Sweet!  Lilac and Lace is a blog about my life as a burned out ballerina, my British boy, the beautiful things I likes to make and living life in Beverly Hills.  Head on over to find unique DIY's, fun crafts and creations, as well as read the dish on dance, decor and my daily L.A. adventures.

TART: I'm Jessica. A wife & mama with rock star aspirations documenting daily life in Hawaii.  

Hi, I'm Lindsey. Mama to my sweet baby girl, Parker, and wife to my completely attractive husband, Jon. I blog about our life. I blog about things that inspire me and things that are pretty. I cook. I laugh. I drink water and wine. I do yoga and love to go on walks. I love the seasons in Ohio, but winter really presses my buttons. My blog is my daily life journal...I'd love for you to stop by!

My shop, The Little Illustrator, is full of fun, cute, and quirky art for the young and old alike!!  I have fun finding inspiration and creating my art and with two babies under 2 running around, I most definitely have plenty of inspiration =)

Seablanket is a place where I get to share creative ideas with like minded individuals. I love posting free DIY tutorials and beauty advice, helping empower people to feel confident and  beautiful.

All This Grace and Charm. "Likes," photos and tales of adventure from a Chicago twenty-something, engaged to be married this March.

And like I mentioned above, here are more of my large sponsors-  the giveaway item will be mentioned in each of the write ups and shown in the second photo.

My name is Cameron and I'm 25 year old self-taught artist who somehow landed a job painting piggy banks at the Nordstrom flagship store here in Seattle.  A complex amalgamation of comic books, cartoons, and go-gurt all my life has produced a constant and growing flow of imaginative creativity in my noggin and I've recently decided to crack it open and share what's in there with the world.  My blog, cameron+whitney, is a way for me to document and share my art, my various adventures, things I like, and my love for my partner in crime, Whitney. Up for grabs is a custom and completely hand-painted, small piggy bank by me, featuring a Blue Bird x Cherry Blossom design, pictured below!  See the rest of the pig on my blog under the piggy bank tab.

may.tree.ark. Hand spun handbags for travel and everyday made with new and vintage materials.  Built to last a lifetime. The Hipshack® is a tiny satchel that’s an essential accessory. They are a sturdy replacement to a handbag when you need to travel hands free. Each one is specifically designed for cellphones, keys and ids to fit harmoniously around the waist or chest.  At  6 x 4" and a 68" release buckle strap it's a one size fits most bag. Giveaway item: one black hipshack!

Hi, I'm Jessica from the blog Midnight Black. I'm a photographer, student stylist, lover of the night sky, and a sweet girl. I just moved to the wonderful city of Chicago about 7 months ago, and I live with my high-school sweetheart and a cute little kitty. I post about my adventures in Chicago, yummy vegan food, fashion, and more! My giveaway: some heart shaped cookie cutters, leopard print knee high socks, and a case for eyeglasses!

Pamplemousse1983 chronicles my adventures in life.  I blog about pretty things, photography, craftiness and most recently my journey to motherhood. I am giving away an "All You Need Is Love" screenprinted onesie in the size and color of your choice.  The design was hand drawn by me and each print is done individually resulting in a unique product each time!

 

Pretty Little Mustache is a lifestyle blog about a momma who loves all things vintage and all sorts of other random tidbits. Ivelisse is a momma, who aside from being a blogger also recently opened an etsy shop focusing on infant/children's vintage clothing and accessories, which will be updated with awesome new finds on a weekly basis.  if you enjoy vintage, uniqueness, shopping and life in general, you will more than likely have something in common with Pretty Little Mustache! The item up for grabs is an adorable vintage crochet unisex baby blanket from the PLM etsy shop! This darling blanket has a white, red and yellow pattern, and is looking for a stylish wee owner!

I'm Rachel. 25 year old city girl/craft enthusiast with a love for photography, design, and fabric!  Life in a Dreamboat is the documentation of my inspirations, ideas, and everything that makes me smile. This month I'm giving away a black feathered hairband adorned with a vintage button! Good luck!

Artsy Ants. A sisterly art collaboration, we are 2 artsy ants, an ocean apart, busy making art on our ant hills whilst caring for our colonies. We're passionate about paint on our fingers, lovely design, thrift stores, snapping away, kissing baby feet and skype! Up for grabs is a "Playful but Delicate Ornament Letter": The winner will choose which letter of the alphabet he/she would like. The hand made wire letter will made with love and will be truly unique (see more samples in our artsy ants shop). The letter is made from copper color wire and colorful beads with an approx. size 3.5 x 3 inches, depending on letter shape.  (The picture frame as seen on the sample photo frame is not included). You can use and enjoy it just by itself or as ornament or embellishment for scrap booking, hand made greeting cards, mixed media art, a table decoration for a special day, wall hangings, gift wrapping ornaments, a window hanger...the list goes on!

Paper Mama: A paper mama and her paper baby. Want a sleeve of tattoo's without the pain? Well, here you go! I will manipulate your own photo to put tattoos on you, your baby, your grandma... whoever! The giveaway is for tattooing one person.

Moon and Sable jewelry is handmade and assembled from a tiny apartment in San Francisco. I search up and down for unique and vintage stock to make these items.  I like to create items that are intended for good luck, holding memories, and mystical. I hope you enjoy! Item giveaway is: Triangle glass locket, it's a locket that hangs low about 28 inches. The locket itself is 2 inches and you can place any tiny keepsake in it. I like to place one itty bitty feather in it. : )

 

and don't forget, TO ENTER:

Simply leave a comment with your name and email. If you'd like to enter twice, you can tweet or blog about the giveaway and leave an additional comment with that link.

xoxo

It's WEDNESDAY (a quick update).

Before I get into my quick little update, I wanted to talk for a minute about the photo above, put together using the diptic app on my iphone this morning. The dolls in the pictures are some of my most favorite things, and I bought them a year and a half ago, before I was even pregnant. They're designed by LA-based tattoo artist Jason Schroder, and the second I saw them I knew I had to get both for our future son or daughter.  Henry loves them, and I love that they even look a little bit like Mommy and Daddy! And as an added plus, one of the tattoos says "Henry." Too cool! To get the pair for yourself, you can visit this link.


But anyway, hello Wednesday! Today's been great- minus the whole thinking it was Tuesday thing. Yup. I went all the way down to the Y to take my first stroller bootcamp class this morning with an old student of mine/friend Mandy, and when the front desk attendant reminded me that no, the class meets Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, I replied with "Well, yeah, but it's Tuesday!" HA! Wrong. So I came back home and while Henry napped I went on a cleaning spree. It may be weird but I really enjoy cleaning and organizing. I wasn't always like this (just ask my Mom about my teenage self's notoriously clothing-covered floors), but somehow over the past five or six years I have become quite the fan of all things having a place! It was so nice to have a good hour or two to do all the deep cleaning I didn't get to do last weekend due to being in Phoenix. Also, that nap just so happened to be the first nap he's even taken in his crib! This week has been a week of firsts; he gave me his first belly laugh on Monday and then rolled over for the first time that same day! And now, he's napping for the first time in his crib. Our baby is growing up way too fast. But at the same time it's so exciting to reach all of these milestones. Everyday is something new, a new sound, new movement, new facial expression...and it's amazing how quickly everything moves along. After he woke up Henry and I headed downtown to meet my friend Lisa at the Raven for some tea. We walked for an hour or two, catching up and laughing. It was an awesome afternoon, and one of those days where I am reminded yet again of how much I adore our town. I've traveled all over the country, spent time in big cities for extended periods of time, but when it comes down to it, I'm definitely a small town girl at heart. I grew up in one, went to college in one, and now, making our life in one. I'm a huge fan of the slower pace and the "hi" and "hello" at every corner. It's a good feeling to love where you live, and although it did take me a couple of years to fully embrace it, I couldn't imagine being anywhere else. Now, I'm about to immerse myself in a good book and relax the night away while Hank is out, playing music with friends. I hope all of you had a great day and a wonderful night too. I'll be back tomorrow with my "Slice of" post, and a healthy recipe!

Mama Said, V.5

Welcome the fifth edition of "Mama Said." Today I am pleased to present a couple of amazing ladies and more awesome advice and words of wisdom. The first mama this week is the wonderful Rachel Denbow. Rachel is one of my favorite people, and has always been such a kind and caring friend. She gave me lots of support throughout my pregnancy and has always been an inspiration to me. She's one of those seasoned Moms a lot of other Moms look to, and I am beyond excited that she agreed to share some of her wisdom here. The second fabulous mama this week is Erin, who is one of my dearest friends, and someone who has been in my life since the "old days" of college at NAU. Erin and I met back in the year 2000 and were instant friends, and ended up rushing the same sorority (Pi Beta Phi). Over the past eleven years we've gone on countless girls' trips together, been through all of life's milestones side by side, and even got pregnant just months apart. She's one of the best girls I know, and I'm so pleased to call her a lifetime friend and sister. Thanks to both of these pretty mothers for being a part of Mama Said this week! And now first up, Rachel!

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I'm Rachel from Smile and Wave and I'm so happy to have been invited to share a little bit of what I've learned from almost five years of motherhood over here on Sometimes Sweet! Our family currently includes one dashing husband that rides a Vespa and is working on his Masters in Counseling while serving in the R.O.T.C. and the Reserves, one high-energy four and a half year old boy named Sebastian, and a surprisingly fast one year old little girl named Ruby. We love spending time together taking family adventures, having Transformers wars, and making messes in general.  I'm a work at home mama that splits time between blogging about vintage finds, DIY projects, and life as a mama as well as writing e-courses, and designing and creating product for sale at RedVelvetArt.com.  We currently live in Springfield, MO which is known for it's fantastic flea markets and some sort of special take on Cashew Chicken!

There has been some great advice already offered up already that had me nodding my head in agreement.  Here are a few more little nuggets that have been learned from trenches. Pardon my terminology. ;)

1. The transition from pregnant to babe in arms with your first child is the most beautiful and most challenging kind. I remember after one month of sleep deprivation wishing I could just feel like my old self again, go out on a relaxing movie/dinner date night, and not have to schedule my life around nap times and feedings. Then after three months of sleep deprivation I remember feeling like I was finally figuring out the tricks to making it to a dr.'s appointment on time, how to enjoy movies at home instead, and a sense of confidence in who I was becoming as a mother. Having the responsibility of around the clock care for a needy little baby, regardless of how much help you have, can be the most overwhelming feeling at times but suddenly I had become this more giving, patient person. It's part of the gift of motherhood, I think.

Now, some of that wears off at around 18 months...haha, no really. This leads me to my second piece of advice.

2. You will feel like you've got it all finally figured out and then suddenly they pull a fast one on you. They move into another developmental stage and are no longer sleeping as well or start challenging your authority and it's all you can do to not want to throw in the towel, at least just for the night, in order to regain some sense of sanity. Being honest about your feelings with people that care about you and understand the wide range of emotions you will naturally feel can be so important to working through the more challenging times. Even if it's an online mama who's been there before, having some support can make all the difference and make you feel less crazy.

3. Lastly, making time for yourself to enjoy whatever you enjoyed before you were a mother will help you in a myriad of ways. Whether it's spending time with your favorite girlfriends, carving out time to create in your studio, or making sure you can still get through a book (or more) a month, you'll feel more grounded as your identity shifts a little into this new role.  It'll benefit everyone around you when you give yourself some time to be renewed.

Hello everyone :) My name is Erin and I recently had the privilege of becoming a mother at the beginning of September to a beautiful boy named Kyler. My husband and I will be married 5 years this coming March and are thoroughly enjoying all that being parents have to offer. It definitely is much harder than I anticipated but to balance it out, the rewards and love are deeper than one could imagine. Jeff is an amazing father and has truly embraced his role. There is nothing more amazing than watching your husband play and care for the baby. Our family began with our two dogs Riley and London. We are amazed how well they have adapted to everything and we like to say they welcomed the changes with open paws. :) London (being the baby of the family before Kyler came) especially surprised us. We anticipated her being upset and unsure with the baby, however she is quite the opposite. When Kyler was a newborn, London would wake up with me when I needed to nurse him several times a night. She would sit right next to me on the couch and then when Kyler was done eating, she would walk with me into his room and "help" me put him back to bed. London did this every 2-3 hours with me for weeks. It was incredibly sweet. These days she stays snuggled in her bed instead if I have to get up, but for those weeks, she was right there with me. I still find it to be pretty amazing. Riley is our other furry friend. She has remained the loyal and protective girl she always was and always has her eye on Kyler to make sure he is ok. It has been so much fun to watch the dogs react the Kylers laughs and squeals. The girls get so excited.

As for advice, there are so many things I would already do differently and also some thing I would keep exactly the same. It's such an incredible learning process.

1. Don't use the baby books as a "how-to," use them more so as a guide. I was one of these moms that read several books about how do all these things for your baby and would get so frustrated when Kylers mirroring what the books said. It made me feel like I didn't know what I was doing and that I was doing something wrong. What I learned was,  I was doing it wrong.... I was too fixated on what the books were saying that I was missing his cues. So, if you like to read and you are like me, do it but don't think that your doing something wrong if your baby isn't following your book of choice. To get Kyler on a schedule when he was ready, we took notes on his patterns for a couple weeks right before he was 3 months old and then implemented the schedule that he had started. This worked wonders and would highly recommend this.

2. Breastfeed if you can. This can be a difficult topic. Some woman want to do this so badly and it just doesn't work out for them and others are unsure about it. All is understandable. For me, it has been the best decision. The bond is truly incredible and what you are providing for the baby is even better. Plus you lose your baby weight so fast it is unreal! My advice is if you are struggling with breastfeeding, seek help. There are so many wonderful resources out there. Also,when my milk came in, I pumped every day in the morning to start my supply and then would feed Kyler after I pumped to help stimulate milk production. To this day he is almost 5 months old and I still have a great milk supply even with working. I also know I am very lucky, but pumping early seemed to help.

3. Plan ahead with pets. We had Jeff's parents bring home one of the blankets Kyler had been wrapped in and cut it in half so each dog had part of his blanket with his smell on it. This worked wonders. When we brought him home and introduced them, it was as if they were expecting him. During the prenancy, I would let them sniff my belly and sit with us in his room etc. We tried to make them a part of preparing for him. Seemed to help them adjust which was important to us.

Overall the best thing to remember is that you aren't perfect and you shouldn't expect yourself to be perfect. Believe in yourself as a mother and know in your heart that you know your baby and ultimately what is best for him/her. Cheers to motherhood!

Have you featured me/Sometimes Sweet?

Hi all!

I am revamping a few of my pages, and I'd love to include a "featured" tab, that will link to any and all posts that have mentioned OR featured Sometimes Sweet! So, if you've ever had me guest post, interviewed me, featured or mentioned this blog, or anything of the sort, leave me a link below so I can get them all organized on a new page, so people can head over to your blog and check it out!

Thank you so much in advance!

xo
Danielle

Tattoo Tuesday V.59

Name/blog name: Erin, http://erinnnnnnnnnn.tumblr.com/

Age: 21

Occupation: Admin assistant/ a graphic designer’s assistant

Age of first tattoo: 18

Favorite tattoo: The top half of my arm which are roses. It was my first big piece so finding someone who could convey exactly what i wanted was something i was looking for in an artist, and i found her! She did a wonderful job and continues to do great work on me.

Featured tattoo/location: Right thigh, Pin up girl who i call "lady luck".

Artist/shop/location of featured tattoo: Tiffany Thornton at Planet Ink in Ottawa, Ontario Canada.

1) Tell us about your featured tattoo- is there a background story or special meaning? Why did you choose this particular piece of art?

Lady luck doesn't have a whole lot of meaning but I've always wanted a pin up girl, and I've always been told that "you've got luck on your side" so that's what made me think of the idea. I just went to Tiffany and said "Hey, here are a few ideas... run with it, do whatever you want". I let my artist do her thing, and I trust her with anything.

2) Do you have any other tattoos?

I do! I have:
pocket watch(right arm)
snake(right arm)
Dita von teese portrait( left thigh)
Anchor (right foot)
heart locket (right foot)
Dilligaf on the left side of my ribs
"Bring me your love" (inner left arm)
"Finish Strong" on the back of my neck

 

 

3) Do you plan on getting more? 

Absolutely! I have an idea already in the works!

4) How do your family and friends feel about your tattoo(s)? Have you run into any adversity or negativity because of them?

When I first started getting tattooed, I think what my family was worried about was that I may end up with bad work, but now they see the work being produced and are okay with my choices. I work in a pretty easy going environment and before my job now I worked in a kid's section of a book store, and they allowed me to wear short sleeves. So I've been pretty lucky with being able to be myself without having to cover anything up. Although, depending on where i go in town, i do get a bit of negativity, but mostly people are just interested and will ask questions.

5) Any advice for those interested in getting tattooed but haven't gotten one yet?

I say go for it and I'm not being biased either. You only live once, so if you want something, do your research and find an artist that fits for what you want.