What do you think?

Updated:

I've noticed something funny.  Just when you think you "do it all" something new gets added to your plate!  After making our cross country move back in April I finally got the opportunity to start the photography business I've been tinkering around with for the last couple years.  It has taken off fast!  I started spending my evenings editing pictures which made it tough to get to my blogging. 

However, I seem to have acclimated to my new responsibilities.  Trying to start something as big as this, while maintaining everything else in my life has taught me a lot.  Since my blog lacked slightly the last few weeks as I got my business off the ground, I am going to make it worth your while.

I've got two series coming up.  One with tips on how to take better pictures.  Pictures of people, group shots, pictures for your blog, random tips, lighting tricks, how to know when to take the pictures yourself and when to turn to a professional, and more! 

The second is going to be tips for how to balance "it all" because I think that's an important part of my blog and it's theme.

Thanks for all of your support, it means a lot to me.  I know I don't always get around to commenting back, but I love to hear from you!  And Idea Sharin' Wednesday will be here this week if it's the last thing I do :)

A Winner

The winner of the CSN gift card giveaway is #24, Lyndsie.  Congrats Lyndsie!  Email me to claim your prize :)

Giveaway! $60 gift card to CSN Stores

Remember that giveaway I promised?  Well here it is!  CSN Stores has generously donated a $60 gift card for one of you lucky readers.  Most of you have probably already heard about CSN Stores, but for those of you who haven't, you're in for a treat!  They have EVERYTHING!

Kitchen items, home decor, furniture, clothing- you name it, they have it!  When I was trying to choose an item for my review {click here to go read it} I spent HOURS browsing their limitless selection.  It was so fun.  There's no better way to shop than sitting on your couch :) 

I have also been very satisfied with the friendly service and fast shipping!  Honestly, you couldn't ask for any more from them, they're great!  Go check them out!

Want to win a $60 gift card to spend as you'd like?  Here's how to enter:

1) Check out CSN Stores
2) Read my review
3) Become a Facebook fan of Sweet Confections Photography
4) Blog about this giveaway
5) Follow Win, Lose, or Blog

Remember to leave one comment for each thing you do.  This giveaway will end Saturday July 24th, with the winner being announced soon after.  Thanks for entering!

No Sew Tutu Tutorial

The tutorial I have for you today is a necessity for any mom that has little girls.  Don't miss out on the tutu craze, even if you don't know how to sew, you can make one of these!  The only thing you have to sew to make one of these cute tutus is a little line!  So here is the tutorial in case you missed my guest post over at Scraps and Scribbles.

This tutorial is easy enough that it doesn't really need pictures (and of course despite the fact that I've made two, I keep forgetting to take pictures).  But let's get started and you'll see just how easy these are to make.

Supplies:

- Two rolls of 6 inch wide tulle (usually found in the wedding isle)

- A roll of 1 inch thick elastic

- Scissors and a ruler

- A needle and thread to sew the elastic together

Steps:

1) Measure the waist of the lucky little girl you're making it for.

2) Subtract three inches from that number and cut your elastic accordingly

3) Sew the elastic together.  If you have a sewing machine, a zig zag stitch will work great, if not you can always just sew it the old fashioned way.

4) Set your newly fashioned waistband aside and break out the tulle.  Figure out how long you want your tutu to be.  I wanted mine to be 8 inches long.  Double that number and add one (mine ended up being 17 inches).  Cut a big stack of strips that length.

5) Now grab your waistband and we'll start tying the tulle onto it.  You'll fold your first piece in half over the waistband and tie a double knot on the bottom.  Now the measurement should make sense: doubled because you will fold it in half and an extra inch for the knot. 

6) Continue tying the strips of tulle onto your waistband until you have reached desired thickness.  You can always cut more tulle if needed.

And that's it, it's as easy as that!!!

Needle Craft Pattern Giveaway Winner

Who are the three lucky winners of a pattern of their choice?

Debbie from Domestic Deb, who said, "I really like the Alice Baby Shoes for Wonderland walk - Reversible Baby Shoes!"

Amy from The Butcher, The Baker, and The Craft Maker, who said, "I love both the Kimono and Tulip loafer patterns...so cute for a boy or girl."

and Kim from Life of a Modern Mom, who said, "I am in love with the Baby Sailor Shoes pattern, they are SO cute!"

Congrats ladies, email me to claim your prizes!  And to everyone else, Needle Craft Patterns has really affordable prices and really adorable creations, so go take a peek!

I have another giveaway coming up, yay!  I like giveaways a lot more now that I am not doing them on a rigid schedule.  I'll just do one every now and then.  The one I have coming up next week is quite exciting!  It's for a $60 gift certificate to CSN Stores.  Remember how I did a review for them a month or so ago?  Well they contacted me again to let me know that I have become a preferred blogger, yay!  So they are offering me another chance to review or giveaway and this time I'm going to share the wealth.  Click here to go read my review. 

They are amazing really, they have everything!  We bought a mattress for my son's crib from walmart.com and it actually ended up coming from CSN Stores.  Let me tell you it came way faster than my things  normally come from Walmart.  Anyways, we are looking to buy a twin bed for my son and they have a great selection!  They have lots of cute twin beds at affordable prices.  I love them, seriously!  Anyways, stop on over there and take a peek to get ready for our upcoming giveaway. 

Have a good weekend!

A Guest Tutorial- Super Cute Jewelry Organizer

Hi all!  I'm Courtney from Scraps and Scribbles.  I'm thrilled to be blog swapping with Jill today.  I just love her blog!  Isn't she just great?!  

Let me briefly introduce myself:  I'm a stay-at-home mom of one awesome little 18-month-old boy.  I've been happily married to my hunk of a husband for just over 4 1/2 years and he is wonderful!  In between chasing after my son, playing cars, cleaning up Cheerios, folding laundry and spending time with the hubs, I like to craft, sew, cook and take pictures.  I'm a make-up and fashion nut.  I started my blog to share the things that I love with everyone and I've made some great friends in the process.  Here are some of the projects I've done that you can find over at Scraps and Scribbles:

Goodwill Letter Organizer Make-Over

Mod Podged Silverware Garden Markers

Anthro-Inspired Ruffle Tee

This past spring, I decided to take my love of crafting to the next level and started an Etsy shop, D Squared Creations and Boutique, that I run with my super sister-in-law.  We sell hand-made goodies such as

Rag Bracelets

Earrings

and Tile Pendant Necklaces (you can find the tutorial for them here) as well as cool vintage items.  You can check it out here.

Enough of that!  On to the good stuff.  I'm super-excited to share my tutorial with you.  I don't know if you have the same problem I do with your earrings, but I can't seem to find an organization system that works.  First, there was this:

Then I moved on to this:

It worked for a little bit but my earrings kept falling off.  So I started thinking, what else could work?  I needed something that would work for my bigger earrings and my hoops, which the french memo board didn't accommodate.  Here's what I came up with:

Picture Frame Earring Organizer

To make yours, you'll need:

A picture frame

Paint and brush

Ribbon

Hot glue gun

Sandpaper

I got this frame at the Goodwill outlet for like 50 cents!  

Took it apart

And painted it a lovely shade of peacock teal.  

Once the teal was dry, I spray painted the whole thing black.

When the black paint had dried, I lightly sandpapered the frame so that the teal would peak through.

Like so.

Taking the ribbon, cut 9 pieces the same length as the width of your frame.

Loosely braid three pieces together.  

Then hot glue the three braided pieces onto the back of the frame.  Space them however you'd like.  Some of my spaces were bigger for my longer earrings.

And volia!!  A customizable organizer for your lovelies.  And on the cheap!

Thanks so much for having me visit today, Jill!  I had a great time!  

I hope you all come by and visit me over at Scraps and Scribbles!

Thanks for the great post Courtney!  I hope you all will stop by and visit her.  She has a great blog and is so sweet.  She's become a good blogging buddy of mine :)

Also, I did a guest tutorial over there for this cute little no-sew tutu:

Click here to stop by and see the tutorial.

Idea Sharin' Wednesday #16

Let the party begin!

Crop Top and T-Shirt Dress

I found this over at Ruffles and Stuff.  Love it!  Disney is always whipping up the cutest stuff.  It usually makes me me with I had a little girl, but this one is cute for adults too so maybe I'll just have to make on for myself :)

Click here to head on over and check out the tutorial.

Guest Post- Obesity's "Cure"

Obesity's "Cure" Can Be as Simple as Diet and Exercise

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 300,000 people die every year as a result of obesity. As many as 34 percent of all adults are obese, which is more than double the levels seen 30 years ago; and it's even worse in children. These figures are even more significant when you realize that the majority of cases stem from poor eating and exercise habits. Obesity isn't some unbeatable disease; it can be stopped, but if only the proper steps are taken to prevent it.

The best way to do this is simply by exercising. However, the truth is that only a fraction of people are regular routine gym-goers who work out tirelessly on ellipticals or weight machines in order to keep their bodies healthy and active. Most people avoid the gym or only go periodically and don't understand that working out serves a more important function than just building muscles. Working out can help you improve your body image, self-confidence, and when it comes to the obesity epidemic can even save your life.

The list of ailments that go along with obesity is almost endless: diabetes, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, respiratory problems, and even cancer all have higher incidence rates in the obese. This is scary enough, but looking at the statistics, it's even more frightening. The Journal of the American Medical Association states that 72 percent of men over the age of 20 are considered to be overweight or obese. A staggering 32 percent of Men and 35 percent of women are morbidly obese. The term dangerously or morbidly obese refers to the likelihood that a person's obesity will directly cause health complications. This is too much- especially when studies held by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have shown that physical activity may greatly reduce the risk of both obesity and most health conditions in men.

Depending on who you ask, going to the gym may either seem like a hobby or a chore, but following those routines are important to staying fit and healthy for men and women everywhere. Now, we all come up with excuses as to why we can't work out. When polled, the biggest reason people gave for not being able to exercise is, "not enough time." The best way to overcome this hurdle is by getting your hands on one of your own personal home gyms. When you factor in the time it takes to travel back and forth from your fitness center, the gas money spent to do so, and the various membership fees, a home gym starts to look like a very reasonable option. And if you are more likely to work out regularly on your home home gym than you are at your club, then all the more reason to pick one up.

Diets similar to the Atkins program can work to help curb obesity, but the effects of it on the obese are still very debatable. One thing that's never been debatable when helping someone lose weight and stay in shape is exercise. If it's done right- and done consistently- then obesity will cease to be a threat to our society and lifestyles.

*Steve Jasper is not a medical expert. If you have any serious medical concerns, please consult a qualified medical professional before undertaking a new fitness regimen. Steve is a contributing blogger from Gymsource who writes an all topics related to fitness equipment and more.

***************

Thanks Steve!  When Steve contacted me to do this guest post I couldn't turn him down because it's such an important topic.  I know it's not easy to live a healthy life, but it's SO IMPORTANT!  We need to keep ourselves healthy so we can be here for the ones we love.  So find what works for you and stick to it.  Make small changes. 

Need a little extra inspiration?  Stop by Win, Lose, or Blog!  We're posting great stuff daily and the contestants are doing amazing, they are inspiring me for sure.  (Plus there's prizes involved, not just for the contestants).