Archives for February 2013

Welcome the A Little Tipsy Creative Team

February 12, 2013 By Michelle Barneck Leave a Comment

I am so excited to introduce you to the newest additions to the A Little Tipsy Creative Team! These ladies each have something very special to offer and I am thrilled to be able to have them share their talents with you. In the near future each Tuesday will be creative team Tuesday and you will get a special treat post from one of these fabulous women.

Home/DIY

My name is Ali I have been blogging for two years over at House Vintage sharing my flea market decor and budget friendly DIY projects. Thrifting is in my genes, and one of my favorite childhood memories is exploring garage sales with my Grandma. On the weekends you can find me searching flea markets and estate sales for treasure to repurpose or resell. My guilty pleasures include taking naps, watching reality television, and eating raw cookie dough. My home is my place in the world because it is a reflection of what and whom I really love. I am excited to share my projects with you as a new contributor at A Little Tipsy!

Entertaining/Home

Aly Brooks loves a good party, anything and everything vintage, and a challenge. “Boundless energy and creativity” is her mantra. She owns an event Management company called, Entirely Eventful, and blogs at entirelyeventfulday.com where you can find everything from party ideas to home design to yummy treats. Aly is most at home in her painting clothes or behind a mega phone. She has been directing events and throwing parties professionally for the past six years and loves it more every day. She is mother to three little ones and wife to one uber-supportive husband. And right now, Aly is thrilled to be part of the A Little Tipsy Creative Team!

Holiday/Seasonal

I’m Amy, blogger at The Happy Scraps, and I am so excited to be part of the contributing team at A Little Tipsy. I am the wife to one great guy and a SAHM to four boys. I’ve had a variety of jobs since I was old enough to work, such as a janitor, heavy equipment operator, and administrative assistant. I’m a certified scuba diver, chick flicks are about the only kinds of movies that I watch, and exercising is not my favorite thing. I love potatoes in almost any form, but especially french fries. I love Oreo truffles, but don’t like Oreo’s and I would rather create than cook! On my blog you will find papercrafting, cardmaking, wood crafts, gift ideas, sewing, and scrapbooking ideas.

Recipes/Crafts

Hello! I’m Kelly from Smart School House. I’m a stay at home mom with a bachelor’s degree and a teaching credential that are collecting dust as we speak. I met my husband at the youthful age of 19. Over ten years later, we are married with two toddlers (Stella & Mitch) and a pretty home in San Luis Obispo, California. I’m overly excited to be here at A Little Tipsy to learn, create, share, and have fun!

Sewing
I’m Terra and I blog over at mama says sew. I am a SAHM to my three favorite children in the whole world. My love of sewing began on my fifth birthday, when my grandma gave me a sewing kit, complete with blue fabric with elephants printed on it. I made many Barbie clothes out of that fabric. I eventually took a few sewing classes in high school, which helped improve my (very shaky) skills, and really fell in love with sewing when I started sewing for my children. I love sewing for my two girls and my son and occasionally my home.

Recipes/Crafts

Vanessa is a wife, play at home mommy, blogger at Our Thrifty Ideas, and possibly the reason Dr Pepper is in business. She lives a crazy and fun life full of creativity, laughter and love with her two Littles and hard working husband. She loves the summer time and everything it entails; BBQ’s, parades, parks, and of course Dr Pepper while basking in the sun. So although she lives in Utah, the state known for it’s snow, her heart and mind are often found in tropical places, or even just California where the sun still shines in January!

Did you notice that through some stroke of fate all of their blog button colors totally compliment mine?! It’s like it was meant to be!

So here’s how it will work. We will rotate through the team to give you a good mix of post topics and will be kicking off Creative Team Tuesday two weeks from today with a fun home post from Aly (I got a sneak peek today and it is super cute) so stay tuned!

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Zermatt Resort #getawaytomidway

February 7, 2013 By Michelle Barneck 1 Comment

A couple of weeks ago, we were asked to visit Zermatt Resort in Midway Utah. We were excited to have a mini vacation and with some stressful things brewing on the homefront it could not have come at a better time!

We checked in and first thing hopped on over to Matty’s Bistro. We were starving and overjoyed to see the size of the raspberry lemonades! I tried out the fish and chips (pictured below) which were great and Jared was pleasantly surprised with his steak.

We went on locals night (Thursday) so it got really busy by desert time and they seemed short handed. Luckily, our waitress Angie was fantastic and took good care of us even in the rush. We took a brownie sundae to go, which looking back we would have skipped. It didn’t measure up to the rest of the experience.

I am happy to report to those who want to know that the pillows in our room were karate chopped with precision. 😉 Having heard general things about Zermatt, I was wondering if it would be fancy for kids. You know, the worrisome items around the room that you just know your little guys will destroy before the end of the night. I am happy to report that our room was totally family friendly and nothing was overly ritzy.

There was pure amazement by a phone that plugged in to the wall. I learned that the going rate to rent a movie in a hotel room is $15.99!!! What the?! My parents informed me it was the same on their trip to St. George. Luckily, with two small boys we travel with out portable dvd player in tow.

The little one couldn’t have been happier in his “big bed” with an unlimited supply of ice to chomp.

The next morning we tried out breakfast at the bäckeri and eis café. The breakfast biscuits were a delight and reasonably priced.

And of course the best part of any hotel stay with little ones…the pool.

My two year old daredevil taught himself how to swim, jumping in and flailing to the top of the water for one big breathe. Once all fingers and toes were properly pruny, we swapped swim suits for snow clothes and headed to Soldier Hollow for tubing.

This ain’t your mamas tubing hill. (Well I guess it’s my kids’ mama’s tubing hill.) This has a lift that takes your tube to the top of the hill where you have your choice of five different runs. I loved it, the kid loved it, the hubby loved it. They even have a tiny hill where your toddler can ride since you have to be three for the big boy slopes. This wears the kids out just in time for the ride home. Ah, peace. Now to unpack.

Disclaimer: I was provided with dinner, hotel room, and tubing passes to review.

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5 Tips for a Healthier Lifestyle

February 7, 2013 By Michelle Barneck Leave a Comment

With the new year comes a renewed motivation to live a healthier life. There are tons of ways to do this, but here are five small ways I am living a healthier life this year.

5 Tips for a Healthier Lifestyle

1. Every morning before you get in the shower, tighten and hold your ab muscles for 60 seconds. Continue throughout the day, holding for 30-60 seconds whenever you think of it. This came from my sis-in-law’s nutritionist and it has made a huge difference for me.

2. Use smaller dishes so your portions seem larger. The eye is the first to feast so make your plate look really full by using a salad/lunch plate for dinner or a small bowl with a baby spoon for ice cream. Eating with a tiny spoon makes it last longer.

3. Pre-portion snacks in 100 or 150 calorie bags. I know I could not live without certain sweets and snacks in my life, but I eat them in moderation by pulling out only a certain amount. (DYK you can have 18 Quaker Popped Cheddar Rice Snacks for only 140 calories?!)

4. Keep water easily accessible. I keep a large insulated mug with a straw on my kitchen counter. I drink more with it ready and waiting and it’s proven that you drink more with a straw.

5. Keep healthy snacks in plain site. We have a fruit stand right on the counter so great choices full of vitamins are always right before our eyes. The candy bowl on the other hand is on the top shelf in the pantry making it harder to get to.

Quaker® Quakes® are now Quaker® PoppedTM – a new name for the snack made with the delicious goodness of whole grain brown rice and corn and a great snacking solution.

What small steps are you taking toward a healthier lifestyle?

Reply below for your chance to win a sample of all 14 flavors of Quaker Popped Rice Snacks and $1,000 gift card to help you achieve your New Year’s resolutions.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Quaker. I received product in conjunction with this post. The opinions and text are all mine. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. See Official Sweepstakes Rules

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DIY Monsters Inc. Shirt

February 6, 2013 By Michelle Barneck 1 Comment

Anyone else excited for Monsters University to come out in June?! We are HUGE Monsters Inc. fans and we can’t wait for the sequel. We’ve got a fun way to count down the days. How about making a Monsters Inc. shirt? It is so, so easy!

SUPPLIES:

t-shirt
white heat transfer
silhouette (or some patience to trace and cut on your own with an xacto)

Just find an image of the Monsters Inc. logo online and follow this tutorial to trace and cut the heat transfer. My little dude showed his off at California Adventureland. I’d say he fit in quite nicely.

We went on the Monsters Inc. ride like three times in a row, but why not? We were dressed for the occasion. I only wish we had run in to Mike or Sulley during our trip.