Modern Printmaking - A Book Review

I enjoy learning about new artistic mediums. It helps me to grow creatively, and I never know when I am going to find one that inspires me.This year I am creating a project each month that I haven't tried before (TSNEM). For August the theme is printmaking, so when I saw Modern Printmaking through Bloggers for Books, I thought this would be the perfect way to learn more before I go to create my project. Read below for my review of this book.

printmaking modern review traditional digital textbook


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Easy to Sew Four Square Coasters

What cute coasters you can make with this easy tutorial! Pick your favorite fabrics to make these easy to sew four square coasters. I love sewing projects to work on where I create something easily and have the finished product right there to enjoy.

sewing tutorial easy coasters TSNEM DIY fabric

These coasters are great to have for your home, make as a housewarming gift to a new neighbor, or to include in a gift box with mugs and drinks. Once you have made a few of them, these will be a quick little project to work on.

I made these coasters to send to my book & a cuppa swap partner, Wendy. She said that her favorite colors were yellow and brown, so I went to JoAnn's to see what fabrics I could find  in those colors. I like the way the light yellow contrasts with the darker brown. The flowers on the brown fabric added a nice pop of color too.

Let's get started!
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Book & A Cuppa Swap Reveal

book cup swap mixed media handbook hot cocoa blogger

A few weeks ago I signed up for the Chaotic Goddess Book & a Cuppa Swap. I was paired up with another book loving blogger named Wendy. Wendy blogs at A Day in the Life on the Farm where she shares recipes, weekly menu plans, book reviews, and fun food match-ups with movies and books.

Wendy and I emailed a few times to get to know each other and shared our wish lists on Goodreads and what type of books we like to read. We both like historical fiction and cookbooks, as well as many other types of books. It was fun to see the items she had on her list
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Creamy Chicken Soup

This Creamy Chicken Soup has a lightly creamy broth and is filled with flavorful vegetables. It is light enough in warm weather and paired with a sandwich it is filling in cool months.

creamy chicken soup vegetables light meal all year

One of my favorite meals to eat is soup. I love the blending of the flavors and the soothing broth. This creamy chicken soup has a wonderful tasting broth that is creamy, but not too thick and filling. We love the vegetables and find the flavors to compliment each other very nicely.

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3 Google+ tips for Bloggers

I have heard quite a few other bloggers talk about how they don't even bother to share their content on Google+ because it's just a waste of time. I have had a very different experience when using Google+ to promote my blog posts. I'll share 3 tips with you how I effectively use Google+ to bring additional readers here to my blog.

Google + Plus bloggers tips increase readers

If you do a search for how to promote your blog using Google+, you come up with articles that pretty much give the same information:
  • set your blog to share automatically each time you post
  • set up your profile with a link to your blog
  • add other bloggers in your niche to your circles so you can share your post with them
While these three items are useful to implement, you want to make sure that you are making your content available to your target audience - the people that are interested in your unique content. So, how do you get your content in front of the people that would be most interested in your articles, help them notice your update in their feed, and help them to know you appreciate them as a follower?
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14 DIY Valentine Decor Ideas

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. It's not too late to make some cute decor pieces for your home though. I'm sharing 14 ideas for DIY Valentine decor from some wonderfully creative bloggers.

14 DIY valentine decor idea projects


I hope you enjoy these 14 creative ideas of Valentine decor that you can make for your home. I have provided links to each original post so you can see how these crafty bloggers made each of the projects. Please pin only from the original post.
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Love Frame with Scrabble Tiles

Display a picture of you and your sweetheart in this easy to make decorated frame. When you follow this simple tutorial, you can have a cute frame perfect for displaying a lovely photo in less than an hour.

Love Scrabble Tile DIY Decorated Photo Frame


This week I was looking in the garage for some items I bought a while ago at the thrift store. I found a plain craft wood picture frame and thought that it would be fun to decorate it. This frame could be used for Valentine's Day, an anniversary gift, or to display a picture of you and your sweetheart.

This is a quick project to work on, it took me a total of 45 minutes, and that included letting paint and glue dry. You could make this while your little ones are down for a nap!
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Book and a Cuppa Swap



One of the things I love to do when I'm not creating something for here on my blog, is to read. I generally have 3 books at a time I'm reading and I'm always looking for a good new book to read. When I found out about the Chaotic Goddess Book & A Cuppa Swap, I thought this would be a fun way to add to my home library and meet another book loving blogger.

I'm excited to find out who I'm paired with and get together some fun bookish things to send. I've got a few ideas on making some cute bookmarks too, depending on what their taste is. I'll be posting again in a few weeks to show you the package I receive.


What type of fun extras would you like if you were getting a book swap package?
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The Best and Lightest - Book Review

The new year is the perfect time to concentrate on trying some new recipes that are light, healthy, and tasty. Read below for my review of The Best and Lightest - 150 recipes from Food Network Magazine.

Best Light Recipes Food Network Book Review


Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for writing an honest review of the book. All thoughts are my own and are not swayed by receiving a free copy of this book. This post contains affiliate links. For more information about my Amazon affiliate links, see the bottom right column of my blog.


The Best and Lightest contains 150 recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and sweets that have been created in the Food Network Kitchen for their magazine. Reading through this book and looking at the wonderful pictures, my mouth started watering and it was hard to decide which recipe to make first.
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I Love You Because... Message Board + free printable

As it's getting closer to Valentine's Day, I wanted to add something to our decor this year that was fun for all of us. I decided to make this cute message board for our family to write little notes with the reasons why we love each other. If you have 5 minutes, you can make one too!

love message frame printable valentine's day

My kiddos love to leave us little notes all around the house. My craft room door has three notes on it right now with hearts and smiley faces. I thought making this message board would be a fun way for them (or us) to leave messages and we can change the message every day. It's so easy to do with dry erase or chalk markers.

I had seen this tutorial a few years ago and decided to make my own, with a little added decoration and offer you the free printable so you could print out your own to make for your home.
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Goals for 2016

Happy New Year! I'm looking forward to a great 2016. At the beginning of the new year, I like to sit down and think about what I want to accomplish for the year. Not just a resolution that will probably be forgotten in a month, but goals that will help me on the path to where I want to be at the end of the year.



  • Blogging Goals
  1. Connect with other creative bloggers to find a group to do challenges with, giveaways, and help each other grow.
  2. Increase monthly page views to be consistently 5,000+ - post quality content on a more regular basis and utilize blogging groups
  3. Increase sponsored posts throughout the year
  4. Interact with my readers on a more personal level - QOTD on Facebook, behind the scenes photos on Instagram, small giveaways, personal posts

  • Personal Goals
  1. Be more organized - craft supplies and paperwork
  2. Be present more often when spending time with my family - not multitasking
  3. Teach my girls to crochet, bake, cross-stitch
  4. Set a monthly budget - evaluate every 3 months


  • Education Goals
  1. Read at least one new book each month - mix of fiction and non-fiction
  2. Take an online course to help out with my blogging - photography, coding, building my blog
  3. Attend a conference where I can increase my learning
  4. Take a community education class - offered through the school district or the local college

I have written these goals at the beginning of my planner and added notes on how I will accomplish my goals. Here's looking forward to a new year full of possibilities!

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