We Arrived...

Okay so it's been a day!  I woke up at 3:45 and threw on some clothes and zipped up my suitcase and ran out the door...it was so early when we got to the airport that the self check in machine had a fight...I kept trying to slide my id and it kept saying it didn't know me!  Whatever!  I was so glad when the man next to me helped me flip my id over!  Duh!  Tired me has presented a lot of those moments today!  All is good though because tonight's a PARTY!  Emily from 52 Mantels and I are sitting at Rubio's in Chandler, AZ right now catching up on some blogging and waiting to go to Glitter Girl Academy, it's going to be a total blast crafting with some of our favorite Arizona  bloggy friends!!!  I'll totally fill you in more tomorrow!!!

Traveled Lately...I'm Off on an Adventure?!!?

If you were a fly on the wall...or if you were to stop by unannounced, most days you'd find us in our comfy clothes until noon {okay, I'll admit it sometimes later}!  Not this week!  First of all, the weather is unbelievable...screaming get out there and PLAY!  But, perhaps even more inspiring, I have SUPER FUN plans to go with a girlfriend on a little get away and comfy clothes just isn't going to cut it!!!  Where!?!?  I'll let you know tomorrow...it's a SURPRISE!!!

If you follow me on facebook, you may have seen my question...What's worse than shopping with three kids?!?!  The answer...Returning to the same three stores the next day to make three exchanges!  And I don't know if I'm the only one, but if I'm at the mall I might as well peek into a couple {okay maybe a little more than that} stores!

Let me just tell you I had to make up for being totally cruel to my kids and making them accompany me...two days in a row!!!  Little treat here and there for each of them...and we wrapped it up with See's Chocolate, which if you haven't heard yet...the kiosk of prepackaged See's Chocolate at Northeast Mall is being replaced with an actual storefront...this makes me so happy I can't hardly stand it!!!

I found this cute necklace and when I got home I figured out why it was crazy cheap!  Nothing a pair of pliers couldn't fix!  I don't know if this will even get packed...I found some other perhaps cuter!  I'll have to tell you about my finds when I get home!  Okay, off to pack!!!  I'm a mess of emotion!!!  Giddy with excitement and torn up about being away from my Sweet Bs for a couple days!!!

Where have you been lately!?!?  Have you left your kids and hubby for a girl's weekend before!?!?  And on a more shallow note...found any good deals recently!?!?  The only thing better than buying something pretty is getting it for a steal!!!

I'm not going third world or anything...I'll still be posting daily {at least} and I'll be taking pics with Instagram if you want to follow along...my username is ItsOverflowing! 

Overflowing with Creativity #11

I'm always AMAZED by your creativity!!!

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.itsoverflowing.com" title="It's Overflowing"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-exkXv5mh-pI/Tv5CEGloa3I/AAAAAAAAAFo/8QZy-sOe3kw/s1600/Untitled-5.jpg" alt="It's Overflowing" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Here are links to the featured projects from Overflowing with Creativity #10.
There were so many AWESOME projects shared
here are a few that everyone LOVED {including me}!!!

*Crafts and Foods Features   *Home Decor Features

Three different SPOTS to Join:

*Home Decor    *Crafts, Sewing and Tips    * Food and Drinks

It's FUN to get COMMENTS!!!  Please Post New Projects ONLY!!!

Let's be FRIENDS!

GFC / Twitter / Pinterest / Facebook

 linky button ~ on my right sidebar

EASY Cheese Ball Recipe Best EVER!

A total perk to marriage in addition to a lovey dovey hubby comes the blessing of another set of sweet parents!   On the subject of in-laws, I totally have the cream of the crop...the cherry on top!

Over the weekend, Gigi and Pa visited and helped us check off tons on our "to do" list!  Seriously, they kept us going until the wee hours of the night...laughing, chatting, crafting, DIYing and snacking!  Makes my heart skip a beat...both Stud and I's love tanks were totally filled to the brim!!!

One of my very favorite snacks is Gigi's Cheese Ball recipe!  I've had a lot of cheese balls in my day and nothing compares to this yummy goodness!!!  Anything with a cream cheese base totally has potential for being incredible, right!  This recipe combines an amazing blend of seasoning and flavors for a complete WOW effect! 

Gigi's Cheese Ball Recipe

2- 8 oz packages of cream cheese
2T finely chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup drained crushed pineapple
2t  Lawry's seasoned salt
2c chopped pecans {1 cup inside the ball - 1 cup to roll on the outside of ball}

Combine all ingredients using impeccably clean hands to mix it all up.  Roll into a ball and then roll in remaining 1 cup pecans as pictured above!

Overflowing with Creativity #10 Crafts & Snacks Features

Candy Jar Etching ~ Crafty, Scrappy, Happy

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Pretty Cake Stand Tutorial ~  Uncommon

Pinwheel Wreath ~ Loopy Loop Creations

Hometown Canvas Art ~ Superfluous

Toddler Boot Tutorial ~ Mommy to a Little Lady{bug}

Almond Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting ~ Dwell on Joy

Baby Shower Wreath ~ Jaihart

Birthday Mantel ~ 52 Mantels

Airplane Birthday Party ~ Southern Lovely

Homemade Potato Chips ~ Life's Jewelry Box

Overflowing with Creativity #10 Home Decor Features

Anthropologie Knockoff Wall Hook ~ Remade Simple

 DIY Chicken Wire Lampshade ~ Imprintalish


Creamy Dreamy Hutch ~ Love of Family & Home

 Chalkboard Vase ~ Refresh Restyle

Bedroom Makeover ~ Beauty 4 Ashes

Styling Bookshelves ~ Lovely Etc.

Gray Kitchen Makeover ~ Our Thrifty Nest of 7

White Washed Furniture ~ The Space Between

Tree Stump Table ~ Design Dreams by Anne

Master Bathroom  ~ Decorate with a Little Bit

Updating Furniture {Dipping and Painting}

Redesigning a piece of furniture takes no time and makes such a difference!  I love being able to add a little flair and fun...but at the same time totally value clean lines and am not a big fan of fuss!  My newest favorite look is definitely two-toned furniture...not like two bold colors...trying to over take a room, but I love the way two colors can offer a subtle touch accent to the lines of furniture and offer a super fun pop of style!  West Elm is doing this look well with their light tone wood mixed with white...but there are tons of this look everywhere...it's a style that keep coming back!!!

Here's a little eye candy...my eyes are over-zealously looking through the house for the right piece to begin painting!!!  I love that there are so many options...the perfect contrast of dark and light, the yummy blend of two complimentary colors, and the super fabulous look of dipped decor are all totally awesome looks!  I'm looking to incorporate some two-tone paint touches in my house for sure!  Here are a few great options and inspiration...do you love it, too!?!?

(image from Siren Lauvdal, styling by Kråkvik&D’orazio)

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Video: Little B and Daddy's Skit on Stage

Our Mother Daughter Tea Party was SO MUCH FUN!!! The greatest blessing in life is definitely relationships! We are so blessed to have such amazing friends and family!!! I'll post more pics soon from our little party, but for now I'll let my pruned fingerprints {washing china always does it to them} have a bit of a rest!

Here's a little peek at Little B and Daddy awesome skit! I'm forever proud of her battling through a huge battle with stage fright panic on stage in the morning show and coming back to totally blast it on stage in the evening!!!  Here's the evening show...

Click here for Little B and Daddy's skit on YouTube.

Party Prep & FUN Package Delivered!

Tea Party is tomorrow!  I'm so excited...and totally stressed all wrapped up with a pretty bow on top...actually my hair's awfully stringy right now {I totally need to get to the hair dresser and this morning was the boy's last basketball game so it was the last Saturday morning to rush out the door...until baseball starts...which I think will give me all of one Saturday without sports...what will I do with myself!?!? }!

Okay, back to the point!  Seriously, if you knew all the thoughts that are rushing through my mind right now, I might be committed!!?  It's scary!!!  I've been told by more than one friend and my hubby that perhaps I have a hoarding problem...want to see what I call a collection!?!?  My white vases!  Aren't they pretty!!!?!  I loose all control when I see these at thrift stores!  There are endless possibilities with these though...I just can't walk away!!!

They're looking awfully pretty right now!!  All decked out with yellow pom pom flowers made especially for tomorrow's event by your's truly, little B, her cousin and my sweet sister-in-law!!!  I'm loving the bright and sweet and rugged {jute}!  I can't wait to show you more!!!  But, since the oven is on and the timer is beeping I better run along for now...real quickly tough...want to peek at what came in the mail today!?!?

Seriously...anything in a Crate and Barrel box is bound to be good...and TWO Crate and Barrel boxes is almost over the top, right!!!

Have you seen my giveaway yet!?!?  Yep, this is it!  A Baguette tray and dipping dish from Crate and Barrel and four Crate and Barrel wine glasses all compliments of the giveaway I'm hosting...you can win all this, too...just by leaving a little tweet about fashion or the red carpet!!!  I'll put the link below for you...

Awesome Giveaway!

Photography Friday 7 {White Balance}

Phew!  I mean seriously...say it with me!  Phew!  Those metering classes were definitely more technical than I prefer, but I totally think that you, my loves are truly getting it and that makes me so SUPER HAPPY!  Who said, it takes knowing the ins and outs of a camera to become a photographer!?!?  Can someone say WRONG!!?  Around here, we're just talking pretty pictures!!!

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So now that we've gotten the crazy technical parts squared away {or in the process of being squared away...remember: practice, practice, practice}.  Let's move to some more basics that will definitely improve your pics!  Today's lesson: White Balance!  Many of you have written to me asking how to adjust your camera so that you won't have to do so much editing...well, here you go!!!

Our eyes naturally adjust to our surroundings and we don't have to reprogram our minds each time we enter a new setting so that the lighting looks accurate, that's just a special gift from our Maker!  If you take some time to think about how we live in a totally colorful world and yet we're able to correctly perceive our surroundings from the coolness of the blue sky to the super warm light of a candle without having to switch gears, I think you'll be pretty amazed!

Not a huge surprise, but cameras have a mode that helps balance the coolness or warmness of light, too.  This is the auto setting for white balance.  And it does alright at perceiving the temperature of it's environment, especially when there's a good contrast of dark and light.  But if there isn't a good contrast, it has a real tough time!  Because your camera isn't always able to decipher the truest white, which also affects all the other colors in your photograph, too...it's important to learn how to choose the white balance yourself so that your pictures will have accurate colors, every time!

So, without further adieu...let's chit chat about the different options for white balance on your camera...shall we!!?  And then as always, I'd love for you to try it out yourself!!! 

INCANDESCENT {TUNGSTEN}

This is what you'll want to select when you're indoors with regular light 

bulbs.  Light bulbs have a yellow cast to them so in this mode, your camera 

will offset the warm tone by substituting with a bit of cyan/blue.  {via}

FLUORESCENT

If you notice the above lights where you're photographing or the

strip fluorescent lights you'll want to switch to this mode on your

camera.  In this mode, your camera will know that you'd like 

it to compensate for the cool tones by adding some warmth.  {via}

DIRECT SUNLIGHT

The direct sunlight mode photographs pretty 

similar to the automatic mode on your camera.  {via}

FLASH

Flash lighting is a bit similar to fluorescent lighting...it has

a blue cast.  This mode adds some warmth to your pictures.  {via}

CLOUDY

Cloudy days have a mode, too!  The lighting on 

cloudy days needs the addition of a little red and yellow 

warmth so your photographs aren't grayish.  {via}

SHADE

Shady areas tend to have a bluish cast and need

a little warmth...the shade mode helps to compensate.  {via}

Since our goal is to keep things simple around here, we're not going to mess with setting our own white balance in the Pre and K settings, with the settings here I think we'll be pretty well set for real good photography...for the truest of colors and setting your white balance totally manual...you can check out the expodisc on YouTube and Amazon for your particular camera!!!

Now for a little playing around...set your camera to manual or auto, depending on your comfort zone at this point.  Select menu...White Balance...go through each of the modes and take a SUPER CUTE picture of something you love {the same object each time}!  I love looking at the examples from this exercise...it's so crazy to think how different lighting is in different settings and yet for the most part we're not all that aware...until we become photographers!  As photographers, lighting can make or break our pictures BIG TIME!  With that said...be sure to test this out in bright light...indoor light...wherever you capture pictures, be aware of which setting is going to offer you the best results!!!  I'm totally excited to see what you link up at Photography Friday's Party here!

Here are the pictures I took while playing around a bit...Enjoy...and as always, I'll see you next Friday {if not before}!

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