My new favorite shirt from Fashion to Figure

A few weeks ago I got the opportunity to do a review for Fashion to Figure (FTT), an online plus-size clothing company. Fashion to Figure has a great online selection of clothes that fit sizes 12-26.  They carry stylish and cute clothes, perfect for women or girls like me who want to add a few trendy pieces into their wardrobes.

I chose the Eyeshadow Blouse with Ruffles to review. I really wanted a cute top to take with me to SNAP.  Something I could mix and match with other basic pieces in my wardrobe, a top that would be perfect for layering under a sweater or cardigan if it was cooler in Utah, and a top that was feminine and made me feel cute (The ruffles were great at pulling that off for me).

I wore this top with my skinny jeans and a pair of flats, but I also loved the way it looked with my jeans and boots. The top is 100% cotton, and is pretty easy to hang dry, and then iron. I had my husband snap this picture of me the third time I wore the shirt, after we had been running around town. I love that I can wear it for a casual day out, or dress it up for a rare date night. ;)

It’s no secret that I am plus-size since I’ve talked about my weight before, but something that might be a secret is my struggle to find cute clothes. There are a few retail stores in my town that sell plus size, but often have a very limited selection, or the styles are, um…somewhat outdated.  Fashion to Figure is a great new store I can shop through, and I don’t even have to leave my home.

The FTT sizing chart that is pretty accurate for the clothes that they offer, so definitely check it out before ordering anything. And if you do order something that doesn’t quite fit, they have a great return policy. I hope you check out their site soon!

Here are a few other pieces I loved from their site:

• Sheer Chiffon Ruffle Button Down Blouse
• Ziggy Dress with Black Belt
• Cotton Twill Shorts

Disclosure: I was provided one item of clothing to review and write about. All of my opinions are honest and my own. No further compensation was provided.

Sprucing up our porch for Mother’s Day, with the help of #KmartOutdoor

I am so excited to show off my new front porch you guys. Spring is here, and summer is fast approaching, which means our family will be spending a lot of time outside. I have been wanting to makeover our front porch for the longest time, and yesterday was the perfect time to do it.

Our front porch is the first thing people see when they enter our house, and there’s no reason it shouldn’t look every bit as stylish as the inside of our house, right? 
This is what it looked like yesterday morning:

Yikes! It’s not welcoming. It’s certainly not stylish. And I definitely don’t want to spend a long time there.  I headed to Kmart to check out their amazing outdoor décor and gardening section.

You have to pick up one of the Kmart Outdoor Living catalogs if you go. It’s beautiful and full of inspiration. I wanted every single patio set in it.

They had so many gorgeous pillows, candles, and patio sets. It was so hard shopping because every time I turned around I saw something else I wanted. You can see the rest of my #KmartOutdoor shopping trip photos in my Google+ album.

I loved so many of the patterns and designs that were on the items I bought, but a few of them weren’t the color I wanted, so I painted them. Seriously, if you love something at a store, the design of it, or the pattern that it has, but it’s not the color you might want, consider buying it anyway, and just paint it! 
This plant stand was the perfect size/scale, and the design on top was intricate enough that I could use it as a side table.  And the price was great, only $11.99. That is such a good deal for a table, even if you have to buy a can of spray paint to make it the color you want.


After painting everything and letting it dry overnight, I woke up this morning and set about creating a little patio oasis.


I loved bringing some greenery up onto the patio with a couple of plants, and the pops of color from the pillows, side table, led candle, and the rolling plant stand are so perfect. Can’t wait for this evening to turn on the strand of lights that we strung along the door.

I was so happy with our patio makeover, I poured myself a cold drink, and got ready to hangout in my new favorite spot. Happy early Mother’s Day to me! And to you!

In honor of all the wonderful moms out there, Kmart has an upcoming Mother’s Day Sale perfect for you to create your own patio makeover! (Who says a mom cave has to be indoors?)  From May 6-12 get 20% off outdoor cushions and umbrellas as well as 20% off planters, fountains and garden décor.  You can also find more great info or promotions through following Kmart on Twitter or their Facebook page.

“I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. #CBias #SocialFabric”

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Snap Swag and Sponsors

I think this is my last post on SNAP….I think. I haven’t ever gone to a conference before, so I had no idea that there would even be swag. Let alone a whole entire bag full of it!  We got a stencil from Royal Design Studio, a frame from Poppy Seed Projects, stationary from The Green Kangaroo, spools of thread from Pick Your Plum, a sticker maker from Xyron, fabric from Riley Blake, scrap book paper from American Crafts, ribbon from the Ribbon Retreat, and sooo many other items were in our bags. (A full list of sponsors can be found on the SNAP site.)

And since I had never been to a conference, and there are all kinds of new airline fees for bags, I only had a small carry-on and my Jo Totes bag with me for the conference. I didn’t know how I was going to shove all the swag into my small bag. I would either have to ship it, or by another bag and check one of them.  Which is what I ended up doing.  I bought another carry-on size bag at Walmart, and shoved all of my swag into, plus a few of my clothes. That second bag was much needed too, because when I got done packing, both bags were full to the brim!  I now know that next time I am going to bring a big bag to check, a carry-on and a purse. Lesson learned!
And one of my favorite things that I received when I was at SNAP, was this pretty necklace from Amy Cornwell…

The necklace is stamped with the words, “JUST BE YOU”, the theme for the SNAP Conference. 

It was a perfect reminder while we were there, to be confident about who we are, what we do, and to not try to be anyone else. Thank you Amy, for the necklace and the reminder.
The sponsors for SNAP were just amazing, and I swear, we had some amazing food and desserts because of them.

The first night’s dinner was delicious! And dessert was brought to us by Velata, Scentsy’s new line of chocolate warmers.

I loved the Caramel Mix and the Dark Chocolate. I am all about the chocolate dipped strawberries! And definitely need to order one of the chocolate warmers. Who doesn’t like chocolate fondue?

The rest of the time I forgot to take pictures of the awesome dinners and lunches before I started eating them, because they were just so yummy.

The yummy fajitas we got to eat were gone in no time, and I had to snag a picture of my friend Kellie’s plate. :) But seriously, we ate so good that weekend. It was awesome.


I know I keep gushing about SNAP, and I promise, it will stop soon! But I had to thank all of the amazing sponsors for everything they provided, and how nice they were to talk to and meet. Thank you guys so much!

Snappy Business Cards, get it? Snap-py?

Okay, one thing I wish I would have done before I left for Snap, was to order some business cards that matched my current blog design. I loved my mini MOO Cards, but I had ordered them months ago, when they were a free Klout Perk. Yes, they were free, I only paid $5 for shipping. Nice, right? I ordered my cards without even planning on updating or changing my blog anytime soon, but you know how it is when you’re a DIY-er at heart. You just can’t leave things alone.  So one day I decided I wanted to stretch the width of my blog, but that messed with my blog header, which caused me to make a new one, and update my blog button and colors, etc, etc, etc….But I forgot all about my business cards. The cards that I would be passing out at SNAP!  

Well it was too late to design and order new ones, so I took my mini MOO cards with me anyway, and just planned on designing and ordering new cards when I got home. Even though I didn’t have matching business cards, or totally rockin’ ones, other ladies at SNAP did! And I am going to show you some that I thought were pretty awesome.
Kami’s cards, from No Biggie, folded and opened up to a sweet little peppermint candy, and beneath her picture it said, “we were ‘mint’ to meet”. How cute is that?

I met Kirsten from the The Crafting Chicks in line while registering for Snap. She is so sweet and kind, and I would have never imagined her a mom of 4 kids! Cause that girl looks good y’all!

I loved Sara’s (from Mom Endeavors) cards, the cute pictures on the front, the info on the back, and the awesome QR code.

Amy from Mod Podge Rocks, had a reader send her a cute illustration of her, and she turned it into the back of one of her cards. So cute! And I loved this cute card from Earth Cookie Creations. The design, the colors, the font. I love everything about it.

My friend Maegan from I love Chesterrific, has the cutest dinosaur design, and all her info on the back. I love how cute it is. And my boy loves dinosaurs too!

Okay, now here is something I thought was so awesome. Laura from Pink Cake Plate, passed out handmade suckers with her cards, and she had a cute scratch and sniff sticker on her card that completely goes with her design! I loved her idea.

I loved Patty’s card design, from My Craft Spotlight. The Keep Calm trend, and the simple black and white design made it a hit with me.

Okay, and Shari from Soren Lorensen Design, should get an award for having the cutest photo on the front of her cards. Look at that little girl, her face, her clothes, the background! It’s just gorgeous, and I loved it so much. 


So now that you’ve seen some of the business cards from all the gals that came to Snap are you just dying to make some of your own?  I know I am, and there are literally a ton of ideas going through my head. When I finally come up with a design I will come back here and post it for you guys to see, and hopefully you’ll give me some feedback.   I am already debating whether or not I should put a QR code on my card, what do you guys think?  Should I go all modern on you, or not?

Sweetest Bags EVER!

ME, KELLIE, AND MAEGAN.
Okay, so this post is gonna be all about my friend Kellie from Nest of Posies. She doesn’t know I am writing it though, I wanted to surprise her. :)
She is literally the sweetest woman. And her voice is like that of a sassy southern belle. I first “met” Kellie on twitter. I think I had followed her because of a giveaway I entered, and she was “crafty”, and her site was gorgeous. So I started out just by following her on twitter. But not in that super creepy stalker way, not yet anyway. 
One night she was tweeting about something, maybe asking a question, and I told her about my favorite go to place to find the answers to all my questions, the Crafterminds site. And I told her about a group I was in on Facebook. She said she’d like to be added to the group, even though that meant making me her “friend” on Facebook first.  (I told her she could delete me after joining the group, but lucky for me she didn’t.) 
After that, I volunteered to write a little post about her Nest of Posies shop and her posie pins she makes.  They’re adorable, and come in every color you can think of!  I kept chatting with Kellie, visiting her blog, checking out her favorite Instagram pics, and a friendship was born.
I was so excited that I was going to get to meet her at SNAP. Not only because we’ve been chatting and talking for the past several months, but because Kellie is so nice, so creative, and so darn amazing, that anyone would be happy to be her friend. 
And also, you guys should know that Kellie makes bags, awesome embroidered bags, that you can have customized with your blog name, initials, little saying, and in cute colors. I was amazed at all the Nest of Posie bags I saw at SNAP. Almost every where you turned there would be a cute blogger holding one.  And not only was I amazed at how many gals had a Nest of Posies bag, I was JEALOUS! I wanted a cute bag with my blog name on it, and fun posies too!
It wasn’t until the second night when Kellie and her cousin Maegan had come to hang out in our hotel room, that Kellie gave me the biggest surprise I’ve had in a while. She had made one of her gorgeous bags for me, and kept it a secret! 

I was so surprised, and honored to get one of her bags! And lame-o me, didn’t even notice the bag sitting next to me because I was rambling on about the free swag, and trying to find a way to get it home, haha.  But it was just one of the highlights of my trip, and because Kellie is so amazing I knew immediately that I wanted to share all about her in a post with you guys.  Plus, she gave me another new friend during SNAP, her cousin Maegan! Who is awesome just like Kellie, and so funny!  Plus Maegan’s a California girl, which means that we are going to have to get Kellie out here to visit both of us!!

I hope you guys will go check out Kellie’s blog and shop, and see all the inspiring things she makes and posts. It will be well worth it for sure!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my bag you guys! And I just hope Kellie knows how much I love her as well!