Guest Post: Adie

Hi, I'm Adie and I totally hijacked Danielle's blog!! Bwahahahaha! Now you are all held captive as I share my life with you! Don't even think of clicking the back button...you're stuck here, and you’re going to like it! Hehe!

Alright, now on the the meat and potatoes :

If you are one of my real life pals or read my blog, you're probably pretty familiar (perhaps tooooo familiar) with the craziest thing I've ever done. A couple of weekends ago, I threw my hat into the ring and went to a casting call for the new Lifetime show, Project Accessory. That's right. I tried to be on TV. Adie. Me. I auditioned for television. The show is a Project Runway spinoff (same producers and all that stuff) for accessory designers like me who want to compete to win a big ol' prize to kick start their line. I was reaaaaalllyy nervous, but I just dusted off my courage and did it. (You can read more about that stuff here if you're interested)

 

After I came back home to good old Prescott, I formulated a list of things I learned about myself (and TV) in the process so here that is:

ONE: Their world is television. Mine is design (dare I call it that). I'll be fine in mine, whether or not I end up in theirs. Same can be said for any other goal/job/aspiration. Just tell yourself as you go in for the interview, or what have you, "Their world is ____, and mine is ____. I'll be fine in mine whether or not I end up in theirs." Because, no matter what, being you and loving you because you're amazing is the most important thing of all! It'll sustain you in times of feast or famine...love yourself first!

TWO: Nothing is too big for little old Adie. (Insert your name here: Nothing is too big for little old ____)

THREE: I should really practice putting on deoderant. Especially when I'm going to spend a full day nervous sweating. Yep, not smelling like a mix between hippie/dog/hamburger/etc etc would have been helpful.

FOUR: Always bring a jacket to cover up your raunchy pits, Adie (see point #3 above).

FIVE: Don't over-edit. Bring it all, let them see it all. If it's part of your "story" than it is relevant.

SIX: When driving, even though you're excited to go try out for TV in Los Angeles and all, don't follow Highway Patrol cars too close while singing to Ellie Goulding to yourself. That'll get you pulled over. But you'll get to listen to said Highway Patrol Officer tell you that "Being on TV is over-rated", so that's cool.

SEVEN: Always get drinks in the bar downstairs after you've done the craziest thing you've ever done. Always. You never know when there is a V.I.P. party going on that you can sneak into by touting false fame.

EIGHT: When there is a red carpet rolled out, always walk on it. Just tell the photographer (as he puts his camera down) "We're going to be famous" (thank you, Molly. You rule). Seriously, that red carpet is really soft and squishy, your feet will thank you. Hahaha!

NINE: Aim for the moon, and settle for a piece of cheese. No, really. The Moon probably doesn't even taste good, guys! When you dream big, the smallest of achievements feel HUGE because, let's face it, they are huge! Sometimes, all we need is a little shift in perspective in order to see the beauty all around us.

TEN: Breathe in and out, and trust yourself. Nuff said.

I hope you all enjoyed reading about the craziest thing I’ve ever done, and I’d love to hear about yours! Feel free to share below…that would make me really happy!

Xoxo,

Adie

Guest Post: Marie from Marie Bee

Hello readers of Sometimes Sweet! I'm Marie of Marie Bee.  My blog is my outlet for sharing what's on my mind or in my ears, shop news, and probably most of all, my 18 month old boy, Ephraim. I'm so happy to be here while Danielle and her family are off enjoying the East Coast.

My family and I just moved into our second house in May, and today I'm going to share some bits of artwork that have helped turned our new-old bungalow into a cozy home.





Bird prints | Owl print


Bird & Nest prints | Great Lakes print | Porcelain vase
(I was thrilled to find the old wood crates left in the basement. Voila- shelves!)






Feathers print | Watercolor prints






Dairyland print






Wool pillow covers | Cozy thrifted throw






Assorted prints found on Society6. I got lost on that site for a night, so many amazing artists!

One of my absolute favorite things about summer is the abundance of fresh flowers around the house, courtesy of our weekly farmers' market.

I've still got some walls to fill, and I'm excited to see what this summer's rummages, thrifts and Etsy splurges add to our home. Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Guest Post: Rachel from UpperBottom

Hi!  I'm Rachel, dropping in from my personal blog, UpperBottom, where I write about all things motherhood, marriage, family and pop culture.  Lately it's been a lot of Bentley talk, not gonna lie.  This fall it'll be all about Twilight.  Again. 

Thanks for having me, Danielle!

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Stroller Physics

You know what mom thing I just can’t seem to grasp in this liquefied baby brain of mine?  That one should not remove her child from a stroller without first removing all heavy items that may be hanging from the stroller’s handles.  Very important, moms.  Otherwise, you’ve got yourself a situation and let’s just hope you didn’t have a $4 Starbucks beverage in that cup holder.   

Last week I swung by a sub shop on the way home from work, toddler in tow.  My average-weight purse and our food were hanging from the stroller handles as I scooped my son, Benjamin, up from the seat to put him in the car. 

The stroller began to tip.  Slowly.  Slowwww moootion. 

I quickly caught the stroller with me knee, as I was already in the bent down position.  NOT AT ALL AWKWARD.  And Benjamin was dangling from my arms.  Oh, and he’s heavy, by the way.  My only option- unless I wanted to decorate the parking lot with marinara sauce, which I did not- was to place Benjamin back into the stroller and fix the weight distribution issue.  Only that wasn’t going to happen due to the gymnast-like contortion thing I had going on.  Ugh!

Cue the toddler thrashing limb bit.  Yay.

Cue an audience, as the owner of the car next to mine approached and proceeded to get in to her Honda and start that bad boy up.  Never mind I was clearly having a stroller crisis over here.  Not only did she not offer to help (although I’m sure I would’ve been all, “Oh, I got it, we’re good!”), but she further eliminated the possibility of setting Benjamin down on his feet so I could readjust.  Now I had to hold him for dear life! 

WHILST I HELD THAT STROLLER FOR DEAR LIFE.  (I was hungry and sandwiches = dear life.)

Fast forward about a minute. 

Honda woman must’ve decided she wasn’t going to back up, what, with all the stroller drama going on 3 ft away.  Instead, she chatted on her cell phone.  This was good.  So I wrestled Benjamin to my right and sat him down between my body and the tire of our car.  I shuffled a bit, snatched him back up, and set him in the stroller for just long enough to grab those stupid sandwiches and throw them in the car.  Crisis averted.

When it was over, I kinda felt like kicking the stroller… just because, you know?!  But then I remembered I’m not two.

This wasn’t the first time I’ve done that.  It’s happened in Target, it’s happened at a theme park, and I’m pretty sure it’s happened in multiple restaurants.  But this was the last time.  The.  Last.  Time.  You hear that, universe? 

Papa Said V.6

photo graciously provided via Jess

This week's edition comes from one of my closest online friends, who has also become a great "real life" friend too- Erin of Happy Owl!  Erin is one of the most genuine, kind (and hello, beautiful!) people I've met via blogging, and I feel so thankful I did. Whether it's her laughing at me leaving such "teacher-like" voice mails, or me receiving one of her amazingly supportive emails, Erin always manages to leave a smile on my face.  And her hubby Mike seems no different. In their photos I always see him being so active with their two incredibly adorable boys, and you can just tell that this family knows how to have a good time. I'm so excited to have Erin here on my blog again, and I'm very thankful that Mike took some time out to share a bit with us, too! So here you go, Erin and Mike's "Papa Said!"

 

Hi everyone! My name is Erin from Happy Owl and I am so excited to talk about my favorite people, my boys! I am married to an amazing man named Mike and we have two fabulous sons, Noah 6 and Logan 2. We live in gorgeous Juneau, Alaska which is a perfect place to raise our little dudes.

My mister works for youth corrections and the fire department so his work hours are crazy. With that being said, he still makes us his priority above everything. He plays with the boys for hours, has light saber fights, make huge living room forts and is the best wrestler. Noah says he has the best daddy because, "he loves me and we do really cool stuff together!" Mike is such a tender dad and the boys and I adore him. Thank you Danielle for letting me brag about my man...

Now here are a few tips Mike has for dad's out there:

1. Being raised by a single mother, I never had a dad. So my focus is to make sure my kids never feel the void I did by not having a father.

2. Foster and nourish the relationships with your children and support and develop their individual interests. Noah loves to fish with dad but Logan loves watching float planes all day.

3. It's important to keep in mind kids are a blank slate from birth and our actions have long lasting effects on shaping their lives. I see kids on a daily basis whose lives have been negatively impacted and the common denominator generally starts with issues in the home.

Christianity and Tattoos

A man who owns a tattoo shop located downtown contacted me. More about him in a moment.After reading his response, I couldn't seem to get the subject of tattoos and body piercings out of my head. I recalled a British minister - a man in his late 50's at the time - testifying that the Lord had directed him to pierce an ear in the fashion of the bond servant referred to by the apostle Paul. Such a

Guest Post: Chelsea from Tea Talk

Hi everyone! I’m Chelsea and I run the Tea Talk blog. Awhile back Danielle asked me if I would be interested in guest blogging for her while she’s away on vacation. I thought it was so sweet of her to offer and I jumped at the opportunity to do so. Danielle and I met early last year and have been friends ever since. She is seriously the sweetest lady, and I really hope that she’s having an amazing time on vacation!

Anyways, today I thought I would share a summertime outfit with you! My blog focuses on personal style and my every day life, so an outfit seemed very appropriate so show you what my blog is all about (although I am missing a coffee in hand in these photos, but if I was that would pretty much some up my blog & life because I am coffee obsessed).

To me, this is a perfect summertime outfit for a cool evening. Right now I’m traveling around Colorado and I’m in a tiny town named Paonia. The weather is so temperamental, and only 30 minutes before I took these photos it was pouring down rain and I was wearing a rain jacket. After it cleared up though the air was cool and crisp, so jeans were definitely needed, but my flowy peasant top, which feel so much like summer to me, felt perfect.

I took these photos in the town’s beautiful park. I was surrounded by the most beautiful, ginormous trees. I sort of felt like I was in a fairy tale, or at least in the Pacific Northwest (that is where I associate trees like this, since Washington is my favorite). Growing up in the desert (did I mention that I’m a Phoenix native?), I wasn’t really surrounded by much green. So when I’m in Colorado during the summer I really like to soak it all up, especially when it’s summer and the beauty is in abundance.

Since it’s summer and there is that easy kind of lifestyle happening all over, I like to keep my outfits fairly simple as well. I didn’t want to bring down the outfit with too many accessories (maybe if it was for a dinner date, or going out to summer party I would add a few more), so I wore my simple Fossil watch and carried a pretty bag from Le Mode Accessories. I felt really great in this outfit, and because of it my evening was that much more nice. I truly believe that if you dress up in something that makes you feel good, then your mood and day will instantly be better.

Thank you so much for having me, Danielle! If anyone is interested in learning more about me, or wants to see more of my daily outfits, check out my blog, Tea Talk. You can also keep up with me by checking out my Twitter page or my Flickr photostream!

Outfit details:
Peasant top: Nine West
Jeans: Levi's
Watch: Fossil
Bag: gift from Le Mode Accessories
Flats: Gap

-Chelsea XO

Guest Post: Carynn of Honest to Blog

Honey.

First things first... Some background music:



Sure, we all know honey is delicious on a peanut butter sandwich, and you probably add some to your tea once in a while, but when is the last time you slathered it all over your face? Oh, not lately? Well... you should.

Honey has been used to cleanse, moisturize, tone, purify, soothe, and just plain pamper faces all over the world for thousands of years. The simplest and most beneficial way that I have found is to use it 2-3 times a week as a facial mask.

The mask gently exfoliates and removes dead skin cells while firming the skin and adding a beautiful, healthy glow. Plus, if you "accidentally" get a little bit too close to your mouth... yum.

Simply shmoop the goop on your clean skin and leave it on for 10-15 minutes. Raw, organic honey works best. Local honey is an even bigger bonus. The firmer the honey, the more comfortable you will be. If it's too runny, it may slowly run down your face and tickle in a really annoying way. An easy and awesome way to avoid runny honey is to refrigerate it. The cold honey feels so good on a hot Summer day!

This is the firmest honey I have found:

I also love honey as a spot treatment. If you find yourself with a blemish, simply dab a mixture of honey and cinnamon on the spot before bed and wake up to a more presentable face. If an uneven skin-tone is your dilemma, a mixture of honey and nutmeg will do the trick. Heck, add 1/4 cup honey to your bath and relax, resulting in silky, luscious skin. There are so many things you can do!

Take the time to treat yourself with sweetness! If you're interested in easy, natural, DIY beauty feel free to check out my Food On Your Face Friday series on my blog, Honest To Blog.

Thank you for reading!
Carynn