a winner + bathroom pics

the winner of the $35 CSN gift certificate is...

jennifer who said...

i've been dying for a desk or a storage bench. i would totally put the money towards that =)xoXOxoJenn

to claim your prize email me at alittlelovelyblog@hotmail.com

congrats!!

and here are a couple pictures of my "finished" bathroom. it's not complete but it'll be like this for a little while...i'm trying to decide what i want to do with the cabinets and light fixture. i also have a few craft and sewing projects left to do, which i'll share along the way, but for the most part i'm done!!

to see the before and during pictures you can go HERE

and HERE

saturday soiree #37

i totally thought i would have my bathroom done, however that is not the case...i wish!

it's a small room but it sure does take a lot of work.

soon, i promise.

for now, want to show me what you've been up to lately?! i'm sure something fabulous...

please remember...

no etsy shops, stores, etc.

link to your specific post

add my saturday soiree button to your blog, anywhere is fine

become a follower/subscriber {pretty please?!}

thanks!!

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be sure to enter the $35 CSN gift certificate giveaway if you haven't already!!

friday features

 Eighteen25

Little Eme

The Boy Trifecta

 Cottage Hill

WhipperBerry

new look & a giveaway

i'm sure you've noticed my new blog design by now...i'm constantly changing it, huh? one advantage to designing my own blog is that i can change it as often as i'd like...but that's also a disadvantage, hehe! it'll be staying like this for awhile though!! i love love love it!! the color may change with the seasons but the logo design will stay the same.

and for the giveaway...a $35 gift certificate to CSN!

my mind right now is on my bathroom but here are a couple other things i could use around my house.

adjustable bar stools

houndstooth bench

sunburst mirror

k, to enter leave a comment telling me what you would use the $35 for!! the gift certificate can be used at any of the 200+ CSN stores.

giveaway will end monday january 31st at 12 noon est!

winner will be chosen by random.org
{giveaway is only open to a little lovely followers}

tuesday tutorial

Well hello there! My name is Katie P from Food, Wine, & Mod Podge, and I am so tickled to be with you here today!

One of my true loves is stationery. I love poring through stationery websites and stores, ogling at all the cute and fun new designs. So one day when I saw a store doing a step-by-step demonstration of stamp embossing, I was floored! It's so easy, and looks so professional! I quickly got hooked, and now I'll never purchase stationery again!

Stamp Embossing

Here are the items you will need:

Notecards and envelopes. Of course this is an embossing overview for stationery, but really you can emboss any paper project.

Rubber stamps. Any stamps that tickle your fancy. They're not too expensive, in the $3-$10 range depending on size. Also, through Etsy there are plenty of sellers that will happily make you a custom stamp if you're looking for something particular.

Stamp pads. I prefer Color Box pads because the ink stays moist a little longer than others, and for embossing that's a good thing.

Embossing powder. You'll need clear powder for sure to get the color through from the stamp. However, you'll see that I have another smaller container hiding back there, I'll explain what that is later.

And finally, the embossing heat tool. This is essentially a really high heat, low speed, small hair dryer. It blows very, very hot air gently to melt the embossing powder.

That's it!

Ok, now let's get started. I promise, this is so easy!

Get the stamp nice and covered in ink. Really make sure it's completely covered.

Press down firmly where you want the stamp to go. You see I'm going off the edge of the card (on purpose) which is where the newspaper underneath is a good choice. Press firmly, but don't wiggle it. It will be blurry if you do that.

Stamped.

Pour the clear embossing powder onto the stamped area. Since I'm going off the edge, I do it over the cap of the powder container, so I don't lose too much. Then tap it all off so it looks like this:

Now, it's time for the embossing heat tool. Turn it on, and wave it back and forth, pointed at the stamp, about 2 inches from the paper. As it warms up, you'll start to see the powdered stamp transform into a glossy, vibrant design.

See that shine? And it's beautifully raised as well. You'll be amazed at how professional these look!

That's it! You're done! Well, of course, if you only wanted one stamp. I'm now going to show you that other embossing powder, the one that was hiding behind the clear powder. This is a gold powder. The transformation of this one is so cool.

Stamp another fresh stamp down on your paper. You'll notice I used blue again. Believe me, it will only be blue for a few more seconds. You can stamp right over your already embossed stamp, it won't mess it up.

Pour the gold powder on your new stamp, and shake off excess. Then use your magic heat tool and....

Look at that beautiful shiny gold! The blue hiding underneath is completely gone, and we're left with a glistening raised gold stamp.

Some examples of the different fun things you can do. In addition to stationery, this is a great trick for scrapbooking, or even Etsy handmade "made by" cards to send out with your sales!

A big thanks to A Little Lovely for letting me share this tutorial with you all!

bathroom update

just a quick update on my bathroom. it's coming along...slowly, but at least there is some progress. whew! i have learned a lot that is for sure!

saturday soiree #36

can't wait to see what you all have to share this week! my bathroom is coming along great! should be done this week, can't wait to share it!!

thanks for coming to my party!!

please remember...

no etsy shops, stores, etc.

link to your specific post

add my saturday soiree button to your blog, anywhere is fine

become a follower/subscriber {pretty please?!}

thanks!!

<br /> <center><a href="http://www.alittlelovelyblog.blogspot.com"><img src="http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii23/jmuaina/saturdaysoireebutton-2.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></center><br />

friday feature

i'm so sorry i am just posting this, with only hours to spare on friday! but this link is too good not to share! i fell in love the second i saw it! you probably all know how much i love stripes, right?! lol so of course i will be doing this somewhere in my house, hehe!

the yellow cape code

but seriously, aren't they amazing?!?! they make such a huge difference in the room!

thanks for sharing last week, hope you will all come back again tomorrow!

you may have noticed...

that my newsletter sign up box is gone! in an effort to simplify my life a little this year i have decided to not do a newsletter anymore! the biggest reason i started doing it was to share my free printables with those of you who subscribed.

of course i still want to share my free printables with you, and will do so here on my blog...i would just ask that you kindly follow my blog publicly if you print them, and if you really want to make sure you don't miss anything you can side up on the sidebar to receive my posts in your inbox through feedburner!

i hope you all understand, sorry for all the back and forth!!

last chance

last chance to take advantage of my valentine subway art deal on groopdealz!! i'm almost to my goal of 100!!

new lamps+bathroom update

when i'm working on a project i always debate back and forth about whether to share my progress along the way or just the final project...this time i've decided to share my progress a long the way...

sooo...these pictures are not glamorous {forgive me please}!

my mom and dad have been emptying out their storage unit lately and i'm definitely benefiting...lots of free stuff!!! thanks mom and dad!!

amongst all their stuff were these fabulous lamps...two of them!! for whatever reason our family room has zero lighting! not one light in the ceiling. we've been living in the dark for a while now, lol! needless to say we were in desperate need of some lamps in the room!!

before

after

like i said, not a lovely photo...but you get the idea! lots more work to do on this room but these lamps are just the pop of color i need!!

ps-um...lets pretend that speaker isn't there.

our second bathroom is the last room in the house that i have to paint {besides closets, of course! probably not gonna go there, haha!} i've decided to tackle this project all at once...paint, molding, mirror, accessories, etc.

before

during

obviously i still have a long way to go. but im enjoying the project a lot! i've got lots of fun ideas and can't wait to share some pretty final pictures with you when i finish soon {hopefully, fingers crossed!}

have you check out my groopdealz?! 3 valentine art prints for $7.50!!

A Little Lovely on Groopdealz TODAY!!

yay!! today is the day!! only $7.50 for all three of my valentine's day prints on groopdealz!

go HERE to order now!!

i'd love it if you shared my deal with all your family and friends, the more the merrier!!

thank you all so much!!!!

 8x10 Pink Heart Print

 4x6 I Love You Print

5x7 Valentine's Day Subway Art

tuesday tutorial

This is an extremely EASY and cheap idea for a photography prop, that also doubles as a way to keep the kids entertained!

As a photographer Im always on the look out for cute new props and ideas.. especially for the little ones! :)

Well I had a shoot coming up that I needed a #2, for! :)
That might have sounded strange.
Let me explain.
I had a "birthday" photo shoot for a little girl  (pictured above) who had just turned 2! Her mom asked if I had any number props. I didnt but said I would be on the look out and be sure to have one for her by the time her photo shoot came up.

Well I looked around, in stores, online.. and couldnt really find any wooden letters!

None at least that didnt cost an arm and a leg! Sheesh. HAHA 

So I had to really think.

I decided to go to Michaels and be inspired!

Thats when I found these cute wooden shapes.

Only $1 each!

I instantly knew that I had to buy them, and what I would do with them!

I went to home depot next and bought some spray paint:

I used the primer first, sorry no picture, let it dry 20 minutes, then gave it another coat.

After another 20 min, I sprayed it with the chalkboard spray paint. 

I gave it 3 coats of the chalkboard paint. 20 min between each coat.

Then let it dry over night!

The next day I seasoned the chalkboard, by turning a piece of chalk on its side and rubbing it all over!

Wipe off with chalk eraser (or paper towel.. thats what I used!)

And do this again several times. 

This way when you actually write something for the first time, it doesnt stay permanent!

After your new cute chalkboards are properly seasoned..

 grab some chalk 

and write! :)

Here is little Bruce helping me with a little test shot. 

And here is a little sneak from the photo shoot I mentioned! 

Roxanne in her cute little birthday dress for her 2 year photos, using the heart chalkboard! :)

Completely ADORABLE right!? 

(for the record, though, I did end up finding a small wooden 2! We did use it in her shoot, but I am so glad I came up with the chalkboards.. they were much cuter than an plain old wooden 2!)

ONE more thing.. Remember I said they were also good for entertaining the kids? 

I gave them to my two oldest to play with during a long car ride. :) 

They stayed entertained for a good hour! 

Success!
You gotta love a double use craft!!!

I also just had another idea pop into my head as I was writing this..

I think it would be just adorable for a couples photo shoot! 

With each person holding a side of the heart and an ampersand written on it! :)

I think the ideas are endless... ♥♥♥

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Have a blessed day!!

~♥Maria-Isabel