Baby Bath Gift

I had a baby shower last weekend and had really great intentions of making these cute ribbon embellished burp clothes but in true procrastinators fashion upon realizing that my sewing machine was out of commission I had to find something else fast. I am a geek. I like themey type gifts, so I decided on a baby bath gift set. 

Just choose as many things as fit your budget:

Baby bath

Hooded towel

Wash cloths

Rubber ducky

Terry robe

Wash mitt

Baby wash

Baby shampoo

Baby lotion

Arrange bath items in the tub with the cutest things on top. Fill the rest of the baby bath with blue tissue paper to look like water. Add a cute little letterpress card in coordinating colors and you're done.

Easy peasy ducky squeezey!

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Evo

Anyone who follows me on twitter is well aware that I was able to attend the Evo conference a couple of weeks ago. It was a great opportunity that for me was all about connecting. (And I missed connecting many of you with my camera so please forgive me!)

1. Connecting with fellow bloggers... 

Left to right, top to bottom: Lolly Jane Twins, Jen from Craft-O-maniac, Linda from Craftaholics Anonymous, Laurie from Tip Junkie, Sachiko & The Dating Divas, Sachiko from Tea Rose Home

EVO was in Park City, Utah which is just over the mountain from me, but I was

lucky enough to stay with 15 fantastic ladies in two amazing condos.

Tauni from SNAP!, Heather from whipperberry, Amy from the idea room , me, Desiree from 36th avenue

Kristyn from lil'luna, Landee from landee see landee do, Jodie from eighteen25, Shauna from orange blossom, Mandi from vintage revivals, Brooke from all things thrifty & Courtney from orange blossom 

Jen from eighteen25 and Kristen from kristen duke photography (missing: Linda, Jamielyn, & Nikki)

Our condos from Links Luxury Rentals were seriously fab-u-lous! Here's a little peek...

images courtesy of the eighteen25 girls since my phone pics could not do it justice.

We had lots of late nights (or should I say early mornings) laughing, crying, or laughing until we cried. There were cupcakes and cookies and of course chocolate involved. Really it was just great to spend time with other bloggers, hear their stories and enjoy being around those who understand editing pictures until wee morning hours.

2. Connecting with sponsors...


It was great to see big national brands like Disneyland, McDonald's and Lowe's and also local companies like Provo Craft there to connect with bloggers. Lowe's hosted a hands on workshop involving a blogger challenge. We were given a bucket of random supplies and 1.5 hours to create something great. It was like the best version of Craft Wars ever!

My team (Linda, Kristyn, Kelli, Kirsten) created a campsite complete with sleeping bag, smores, fishing equipment, Barbie tent, bench and more! And for the icing on the cake, Lowe's put it to voting on their facebook page and we won! Thanks to all who voted for us! See all the fun projects here.

3. Connecting with valuable information...

• The SEO class with Dennis from The Next Corner seriously blew my mind. He is like an unending wealth of knowlege. I've learned I may have to become friends with Google Plus.
• I loved how Allison from No Time for Flash Cards stressed that "Bloggers are your community, not your competition." It's true. There is enough traffic for everyone and we are here to support each other!
• I had an epiphany about my negotiating skills in the class with Kevin from Webgrrls. He had so many great pointers to offer. Like "don't fear the silence" and "the first rule of negotiating is to ask."

All in all it was refreshing to be among such talented women and find support in our common goals.

Top:Kristen, Brooke & Kirsten, Me

Bottom: My housemates Kristen, Kristyn, Jamielyn, Nikki (to whom I will be forever grateful for letting me use her curling iron), Linda

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Recognizing Bullying

This post is sponsored by Chase -- a strong supporter of the Bully Project, a program committed to ending bullying and ultimately transforming society. Learn more here.

This last year was my oldest son's first year in preschool. I was the eager parent so excited for him to start this social milestone with dreams of cute little friends and how much fun he would have. I always pictured the perfect situation, little Mr. popular whom everyone adored and wanted to be friends with. Now don't get me wrong, he LOVES school and is excited to go back this year, but I had concerns. 

Mid-year I noticed a trend. Each time I would pick him up from school the kids would be playing tag and my son would be "it." At first I didn't think much of it, but after a few days of the same thing I asked him about it and if he always wanted to be "it." He told me how all the kids always said he was it and that's how it was. He said sometimes he didn't want to be it, but they would make him. We talked about it and role played a little about how he could nicely ask his peers if they could take turns being "it" because he would prefer not to have that role every time. 

This is such a small situation, but it got me to thinking about what may be coming. Could he be susceptible to bullying or for that matter being a bully? I wanted to know more about what is considered bullying and when childhood banter has gone too far. I was excited to see that there are some really great resources out there to help educate parents, kids and teachers alike on exactly what bullying is and how we can recognize it.

There are so many bullying resources out there, but here are a few I really liked: 

• Signs Your Child is Being Bullied
• Signs Your Child May be a Bully
• Cartoon webisodes to help recognize bullying
• Teaching Kids about bullies using Disney

Have you or your child ever been bullied? 

What did you do to positively resolve the issue? 

Do you know of good resources for those being bullied or for parents raising a bully?

I would love to hear any personal experiences or recommendations in the comments or by email (tipsyblog@gmail.com) if you prefer.

Image source

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Fun in the Sun

Hey Friends. I know things have been a little sparse around here, but I have not forgotten about you. I have something BIG in the works and it's been taking up all of my project/blog time. I am moving things back in and finalizing details which in reality might take another week or two.

No worries, in the meantime I have a delightful healthyish fudgesicle recipe to share over on Kiki & Company for her fun in the sun series. So kick back, enjoy the summer and have a cool sweet treat and we'll be happy to share a room makeover I think you'll enjoy soon!

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Road Trip

Hi All! We've taken a little road trip over to Brown Paper Packages today to share a little project to enjoy a little of Disney's Cars Land at home!

Race on over for the details on how to create a car of your own!

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Outdoor Oasis

This Spring we took a trip to Maui and I wished so much that we could take some of the island spirit home and make a little oasis of our own. Lucky for me summer begins with Mother's Day and my birthday so as gifts, I filled my yard with color, relaxation, and fun.


I started by updating a garage sale urn with a little spray paint and some bright flowers for the deck. Then of course came the hammock. This was one of my favorite activities from Hawaii, just lounging lazily in the hammock. I added some fun outdoor pillows to continue with the pops of color. 


Every time I lay in the hammock I am usually joined by one of my boys to snuggle. My oldest loves to push me in it, which is fantastic. Hammock + pinterest app + raspberry lemonade = perfection.

Now see that item in the upper right corner of the last hammock picture? That is the other key to a fun and relaxing summer in our outdoor space, a swing set for the boys within eye shot of the hammock. The swing set is complete with the outdoor chair pad attached at the base of the slide so my 20 month old doesn't get a jolt when he gets to the end. We learned that one quickly.

I love how these items make our yard feel like another living space; our own little family oasis with a taste of color, relaxation, and fun!


Now that I have shared what turns my backyard into my perfect summer oasis, I want to know what you’ve done to transform your backyard into your oasis. One of my lucky readers will win a $25 Sears gift card!


Need help finding your own pieces for your backyard? Sears is bringing the ease of searching for those perfect pieces with their recently launched iPad digital catalog. On your computer? Don't fear, Sears has an amazing digital catalog built just for you.


This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sears. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.