the essentials : Jenni from Story of My Life

I was tipped off to Jenni's blog by a friend and it has now become one of my daily reads. Story of My Life is just that, stories from her life and Jenni sure knows how to write and tell a good story, all while keeping you entertained. Please leave her some love and go visit her blog!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well hello, olive & a'ers!  My name is Jenni and I'm here to talk to you about stuff you must travel with at ALL times.  But first, here's a few pictures of me in some far away lands, to prove my advice is legit:

 Chile

 Argentina

Peru--Machu Picchu!

I've visited some other groovy places besides just South America, but the trip pictured above was me and my husband's latest adventure!

So, Heather asked me to list my 3 travel must-haves, and list them I shall.

TRAVEL ESSENTIALS, in no particular order:

1) hand sanitizer/sanitizing wipes

I can't stress the importance of this one enough!  Airports, airplanes, and foreign contries in general are a petri dish of strange and foul germs we're unaccustomed to, and whenever my husband and I travel, we hand sanitize like it's our job.  We even wipe down the arm rests and tray tables at our seats in the airplane. 

Yep, there is some intense germophobia going on there, but for good reason.  Traveling is an icky, germy thing!

2) Realistic expectations.

Oftentimes, as we anticipate a vacation, we place that trip on a pedastal of high expectations.  We expect perfect relaxation, impeccabale service, and an overall breezy, carefree experience.  After all, it's VACATION!

Not so, my friends, not so.  Vacations are often wrought with stress, angry bickering between spouses ("I thought YOU brought the passports!" "No, you said YOU WOULD!"), and sometimes, unexpected little bumps in the road, like blood on the hotel bed or a massive flood in the bathroom.  (That actually happened to us, y'all, and it wasn't at the local Best Western, either. Read about it here.)

All I'm sayin' is, expect the best, but don't be too shocked or disappointed if your vacation isn't always a smooth ride.  It's all part of the adventure.

3) Earplugs.

via

Such lifesavers these little suckers turn out to be.  Trust me on this one. 

You will want them.  You will need them.  You will thank me later, when you're sitting just behind the screaming three year old on the airplane, when you want to sleep but the blasted seatbelt sign keeps gonging on and off, or when the 5 star hotel turns out to ALSO have paper thin walls or a front row seat to a busy, noisy street in Manhattan.

In fact, just go ahead and buy those Bose noise cancelling headphones.  And then let me borrow them on my next trip, K?

That's all for now, folks.  Come visit me at Story of My Life annnytime!

Thanks for reading! :)

the essentials : Lindsay from Delighted Momma

I love when people leave comments (who doesn't, right? ;) on my blog because it's a great way for me to find their blog when I most likely wouldn't have otherwise. Lindsay was one of those awesome bloggers who left a comment and I'm glad she did. She has a great blog full of recipes, thrifted finds (and tips), and every day lovelyness. I was excited to learn that we share something in common, we are both estheticians! Please leave her some love and go visit her blog!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello olive & a readers!

My name is Lindsay from Delighted Momma. I am SO excited to be here today while Heather is away on vacation. Lucky ducky!! Today I am going to share with you my top three beauty essentials.

#1. Moisturizer WITH sunscreen

As a licensed esthetician I can not tell you enough how important this is. In fact, if I could only bring one beauty product to a deserted island this would be it. Not only are you protecting your skin but you are warding off future effects of permanent sun damage and aging. My all time favorite product is DeVita Solar Protective Moisturizer with SPF 30. It is feather light and never leaves my skin feeling greasy or oily. It also wears great under my makeup. BIG plus.

#2. Lip Balm

I never leave the house without a good lip balm. If you were to take a peak into my purse you would find at least 4 floating around. My FAVORITE is Eco Lips Pure & Simple Coconut. Mmmm! It is all natural and smells like a coconut smoothie! They say lip balm is addicting...not sure if this is true, but I do know that I cant live without it!

# 3. Limiting stress, getting plenty of sleep and staying hydrated

Even though I cheated and listed three, I think they are all equally important. Reducing stress as much as you can, getting your beauty rest and drinking plenty of water are imperative not only for personal well being, but also for your skin. Making small positive changes in your lifestyle will make you feel better inside and out!

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

the essentials : Elizabeth from The Mustard Ceiling

It's no secret I'm a big fan of interior design and diy projects so I naturally love Elizabeth's blog, The Mustard Ceiling, which is chock full of both. Take a look at her newly designed dining room with ikat fabric she made herself. Talk about diy! Oh, and Elizabeth and her husband are renovating a classic airstream. How cool is that? Please leave her some love and go check out her blog!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi, olive &a readers! I am happy to be here today to share three essentials
that I think are key when designing a room.

There are many pieces that come together to make a design successful, but the following three are extremely important in my book.

1) Personality, a design should reflect who you are. Sometimes we get wrapped up in the latest trends, but you have to remain true to yourself. Design with elements that will make you happy.

Source

Source

How do you find your style?

Lots of research, thumb through design magazines and blogs. Bookmark ideas.

What do you like or dislike about a space? Soon you will see patterns emerge and you will begin to gain more understanding into your design style.

Source

An inspiration board is a great way to keep track of your of your ideas and help you define your style.

2) Comfort and Function. In my opinion, comfort and function are both equally important and essential to a well-designed space. If you are not comfortable in your space, or it is not functional, what is the point?

I read a cute post on Three Boys,the other day, called Decapitated Duck and a Mother's Dream . I believe Sarah summed up perfectly why a space should be functional and how the definition of functional changes through the years.

Source

Source

Which room do you think would be more functional and comfortable for a young family?

3) Focal Point. A focal point is the main design element in the space. Examples of architectural focal points could be a fireplace, built-in bookshelves, a large picture window.

However, focal points are not always architectural elements. You can create a focal point by using a large patterned rug, or a dramatic piece of art-something that will draw attention into the room and invite you to stay.

Source

What do you think the focal point is in this room?


Heather, thank you so much for having me today!

the essentials : Vivien from The Eclectic LIfe

There are a lot of blogs out there that talk about parties but when you read Vivien's blog, The Eclectic Life you can't help but come away with the impression that for Vivien, life is a party. Oh and she loves her a good dance party. So with that in mind, I asked Miss Vivien to share some party goodness. Please leave her some love and go visit her blog!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello olive & a readers! I am thrilled to be guest posting today and Heather has graciously asked me to share my tips on one of my favorite topics: parties! Today I'm going to share with you three tips on creating a lovely party that is mindful of both your guests and your budget.


1. Consider a photo booth.

- It's fun! It's fun for you to have the photos to look at afterwards and fun for guests to view later on Facebook or Flickr to remember both themselves and the party by. It's also a blast to see what creative photos your guests come up with!

- It's affordable! The backdrops and props above are a little more pricey, but you don't need an elaborate set up to make a fun photo booth. When I hosted a party back in September, I opted for a simple streamer background and this DIY chalkboard bubbles tutorial all of which costed me under $20, but if you wanted to spend less than that then all you really need is a camera, picture taker, and a tripod (optional but preferred).

------

2. Make a plan for the party then ask friends to help!

- A well planned party will always cause less stress for you and more enjoyment for both you as a hostess and the guests you're hosting. I suggest creating a plan for your party with a general theme (fiesta, dessert, vintage) and your top three essentials for the party (food table, decor, invitations, etc.)

- More often than not, friends want to help. I say capitalize on this and help your budget out by delegating responsibilities for people who are willing to contribute towards your partay. For instance, I planned a dear friend's 30th birthday and secretly e-mailed 20 of her friends asking for help with desserts, flowers, photos and set up and had 15 of her friends more than excited to volunteer ( two of whom offered to give money!).

------

3. Make the party personal.

Your party should be unique and it should reflect the personality of the person or event that you're celebrating. If it's for your birthday, add in touches of your personal style (vintage, eclectic, contemporary) to the decor, serve your favorite food (Breakfast for dinner? Sounds like a ball) and offer entertainment options that you would love to be a part of (photo booth, a dance party, a talented friend drawing caricatures).

Lastly visit sites like Pinterest to collect inspirational images for your party and consider Sweet Lulu's, Olive Manna and shops on Etsy for affordable partyware. I hope these few tidbits helped and encouraged you to throw your own shindig! To see more photos for advice and parties I've thrown feel free to visit here, here and here.

I'd love to know what kind of party you are dying to throw? Where do you go to for inspiration and supplies?

Thanks again for having me Heather, and I hope you have a fantastic vacation!

{photo booth by Smilebooth, dessert table photo by Our Labor of Love, breakfast photo by Kim Vallee, fruit and veggie table via Amy Atlas, s'more bar via Birthday Girl, colorful straws photo via Shop Sweet Lulu's}

guest post : things I've learned as a homeowner

Hey you guys!! Ten points if you can name that movie. Anyway...today I am excited to have Nikki guesting here today on olive & a! Nikki does double blog time blogging at Que sera sera and Perpetually Engaged, she never fails to make me laugh and she's super sweet. Please give her a warm welcome!

-----------------------------

We're on the verge of moving out of our house and I'm feeling a little guilt about leaving my first house behind. I'm anxious to move on, but we've learned so much from our little home. I wish we could take it with us...and tear down some walls and add on ;)

Last weekend while I was cleaning house and doing yard work I was thinking of a few things I've learned as a first time home owner. I had never decorated a whole house before, unless you count Sky Vodka posters in our college apartment. Then we skipped growing pots (not pot) on our balcony and jumped right into a yard. A bit overwhelming for someone like me.

I imagine you're pretty stylish folks and probably not as much of a mess as me, but I thought I would put together a few mistakes I made so you wouldn't have to...

{photo via Country Living}


1. Pick your furniture and fabric before you pick out paint. It's so much harder to find fabric you love than to pick paint to coordinate.

I learned this one the hard way. Everything in our house was brown, brown, brown when we moved in. So we picked paint colors and went at it. Then I had the hardest time falling in love with throw pillow patterns and chair covers. 5 years later, I want to paint everything white.

Which brings me to...

2. Just go for it. It seems the longer you hum and ho about a project the faster you'll want something else when it's finally through. Trends change so don't sit there and think about it too long. Go for it, if you hate it you can change it, but you won't know unless you actually do it.

My backyard has been through so many changes in the years we've lived there. We tore out beds the old owners had, planted grass where we wanted it. Tried to make it the backyard we'd always thought we wanted. Planted veggies in one corner, moved them to another, put them in pots.

Which brings me to...

3. Don't fight nature. Sure you want that exact backyard in Sunset magazine, I do too. But the sun doesn't shine in that corner that is perfect for raised beds. And that area where lush grass would be perfect for your bare foot babes to play gets swampy in the winter. Then the dogs do their Nascar routine through it and you no longer have grass at all.

Work with it, not against it. Sit with your yard one year before making any major changes. You'll find it's secret spots which will keep you from building raised beds over here, and putting grass over there, when you really should have put the gravel and a sitting area in that corner for privacy. Phew! Do you see all the mistakes I've made?

Which brings me to..

4. By the time you think you've finished every project in your house, you'll start redoing them.

Whether it's repainting, replanting or redoing your floors for the 3rd time because your hot water heater exploded in the kitchen (what the heck is the hot water heater doing in the kitchen anyway?). Just when you think you have it all under control, you want to change something, add something or just plain maintenance work.

Which brings me to...

5. Love your house. No matter the shape or size or color.

It might not be your forever home or perfect but this is where today's memories are made. So instead of dreaming of the next one (like I do) with more space, relish in the fact that it only takes 1 hour to clean the entire thing. Or that you have no garage for your Husband to hide in.

Think of it like your first baby. You're going to make some mistakes and possibly mess them up a bit, but on the next round you'll be that much more prepared.


Willing to share any of your mistakes that we can learn from?

cooking up organization

{A guest post by Jackie Norris}

A few months ago I found myself buried in recipes! 

It seems I find so many great ones online and in magazines. 

I would print or clip them out but they were just a mess. 

So... I devised a little organizational system for myself, and maybe it will help you out!

First I went to my local craft store and picked up an album that holds 4x6 photos. I designed some of my own recipe cards and had LOTS printed! 

Now when I find a recipe I'd like to try, I print or clip it out and put it in the clip in the back of my binder. When I'm planning meals I'll go through and choose a few I'd like to try that week. Those recipes move to the front where I can easily access them... because as you can see the pile under that clip is huge!

If the recipe is a winner, then I copy it down onto one of my recipe cards and file it away by type {appetizer, bread, main dish, salad, dessert, etc.}. 

As a little treat for you, I'd like to share the recipe card I created. It's nothing fancy, but it works!

{click to enlarge...prints a 4x6 card}

How do you organize your recipes? I'd love to hear your ideas, too!

Chocolate Cranberry Crisps

I am excited to have my friend, the talented photographer Jackie Norris guest blogging here while I am away.  She will be sharing a few things with us over the next couple of days. Please help make her feel welcome! Take it away Jackie!

----------------------------

Hello all! I'm so excited to be guest blogging over here this week!

I've known Heather for a couple years now and just love her style.

I'm going to share one of my favorite treats with you. 

It's so simple... 4 ingredients and no cooking required!

Chocolate Cranberry Crisps 

1 bag chocolate chips 

1 cup dried cranberries

2 1/2-3 cups rice krispie cereal

coarse sea salt 

Melt the chocolate chips {I like to put them in a glass bowl over some simmering water}, then add the cereal and dried cranberries. Mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto parchment paper, sprinkle with coarse sea salt if desired and freeze until set.

Voila! See, I told you they were easy! 

You can mix these up... use different dried fruit, add nuts, whatever! Make it your own, that is what is so great about cooking!