High Five For Friday

Good Morning and Happy Easter Weekend! I hope you all have plans to celebrate with family and friends or at least take it easy.  I'm heading up to Minnesota for the weekend to see my dad and mom, visit my Grandma and see a few friends!

It has been a long week here, complete with feeling a little overwhelmed a couple days during the week. However, taking a deep breath, an impromptu date night with my fiance and putting this post together took care of the overwhelmed feeling and reminded me that plenty of good things happen!

One. I love when coupons for free underwear come in the mail! :)

Two. 59 degrees in Iowa! Woohoo! That's the warmest its been this year so far - I couldn't wait to be outside!

Three. I finally got a haircut and color this week.  I love it - nothing feels better than a good haircut!

Four. My car spent a couple days at the dealership this week to help me fix an unidentified noise.  It was nice to have it back, it makes my hour long drive to and from work much more bearable than driving a loaner vehicle!

Five. Meet Leroy.  He is our newest calf and a bottle calf. This little bugger was fun to feed this morning, so much personality! :)

Six. My finance took me on an impromptu date night. It was fun to get out and do something out of the ordinary for a weeknight! :)

Seven. My youngest sister, Emilee, came to visit this past weekend to kick off her spring break. It was so fun to have her here - we even took her to a local "stag" event.  (I haven't quite figured out what it is besides a fundraiser for the American Legion hosted by old men.)

I hope you all have a great weekend! It's definitely a weekend to be rejoicing in the small things! :)

 

My Daily Skin Care Routine

Yesterday, while I was getting my hair cut, my stylist and I started talking about our skin care routine so I got to thinking about how much I like mine, which lead me to this post.

I didn't always like my skin care program, mostly because I didn't have one.  I only used face wash and moisturizer which was whatever was on the drug store shelf or some of the expensive department store brand.  My face was clean but my skin was still dull and I could start to see sun spots (yikes - no more tanning bed tanning, even though I use SPF moisturizer!) Then I turned 29 and decided I needed to "get real!"

I had used Mary Kay in the past and liked it but didn't really have a consultant.  Fortunately I met a great consultant local to where I live (and have since become friends, you can meet Kenzie at her blog 100 Pretty Broken Pieces) and she put together an awesome skin care program for me that combines Mary Kay skin care lines and targets my exact concerns! Dull skin, fine lines, a little bit of acne and dark under eyes...

Here is what she helped me come up with and I love it!

Listed in order of use:

1. Timewise 3 in 1 Cleanser for normal to dry skin

2. Even Complexion Essence to even my complexion and reduce redness

3. Timewise Repair Volu-Firm Lifting Serum to help firm my skin and reduce fine lines and wrinkles (my fav!)

4. Timewise Age Fighting Moisturizer for normal to dry skin

5. Timewise Repair Volu-Firm Eye Renewal Cream  to help firm and brighten my under eye area

Also, on alternating days, I either use the Mary Kay Microdermabrasion or the Even Complexion Mask. This has really helped to get rid of my sun spots and smooth out my skin.

I know that a skin care routine is pretty personal but the trick with a skin care program is to get it right for you - that's where Kenzie, my Mary Kay consultant came in.  The second most important thing is to be patient, you may not see instant results like we all hope for.  It took about 6 weeks or so for me to see results but I'm more than happy with them.

A great skin care program truly is the foundation for great make up and confidence!

Do you have a skin care program? What is it?

I'm linking up with for Random Wednesday at Because Shanna Said So!

This post reflects my own opinions. I was not paid by the Mary Kay Company to endorse this product. 

Mood Board Link Party - Week 7

Welcome to week 7 of the mood board link party - I can't believe it's already week seven! This link party has been so fun and so inspiring! (I know I say that all the time, but it really is!) I have some ideas up my sleeve for possibly expanding this link party in the near future so be on the look out! :) 

Here is a look at what has been on my mind lately... dining rooms! I love the look you get when you mix design styles! This dining room mixes farmhouse with modern and I love it - not to mention I am mixing some of my favorite colors for a fresh look!  

SOURCE LIST:

1. Summer Pickled Poppies, Heirloom Pair & Home Sweet Home prints - Minted

2. Trellis linen drum shade - Shades of Light

3. Edmund Dining Table - Home Decorators

4. Industrial Style Dining Chair - Home Decorators

5. Flat-weave area rug - Zinc Door

6. Recycled glass vases - West Elm

7. Appetizer plates - Target

8. Black Clay Dinnerware - CB2

9. Garden Napkin Set - West Elm

10. Porcelain Pitcher - Target

For your own personalized mood board - check out my design services page!

You're turn - link up your beautiful design boards below!

The three requests for participation:

1. Follow Your Host and Co-Host via GFC or Bloglovin'

Host: Beth - Design Your Dwelling

Co-Host: Renee - Hansen Family Chaos

2. Grab A Button!

Grab a button below and include it in your blog post or where you share your link parties on your blog.

3. Share it!

Spread the word about this link party by tagging me (@beth_dydblog) in a tweet with a direct link to your mood board post and using the hashtag #moodboardlinkparty! Feel free to share it on Facebook too!

Each week I pin all of your mood boards to my Design Boards board on Pinterest!

Most importantly, connect with, be inspired by and follow other design bloggers!

Grab a button, link up, and have fun! :)

<center> <a href="http://designyourdwelling.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l194/krferrall/moodboardlinkpartydyd_zpsb2f7dbf5.jpg" border="0" height="150" width="150"/></a></center> If you are interested in co-hosting the Mood Board Link Party send me an email! designyourdwellingblog(at)gmail.com

High Five For Friday!

Happy Friday! I'm pretty excited that it is already the end of the week - mostly because my youngest sister is coming for the weekend to kick off her spring break! I guess it's kind of like going south for her since she is going from Wisconsin to Iowa. :)

 

One. Remember Herbal Essensces?! This was a big deal in high school so I had to do a little trip down memory lane... it still smells as good as it did back then! Not totally sure it has done wonders for my hair though.

Two. I've been waiting for two weeks for these bananas to get ripe so I could make banana bread. I have a great recipe on my Yum Pinterest board.  Can't wait! :)

Three. This was a random find at the store this week. Of course I couldn't resist so I bought them.  They aren't bad, but they're not awesome.  If you like carrot cake, you will like these.

Four. This week I was in Seneca, Kansas to co-facilitate a training session with my friend and co-worker as well as one of our summer interns.  It's a pretty small town but we had a blast at Spanky's! If you are ever in Seneca, Kansas you must go there - you wont be disappointed!

Five. It's spring and I'm still dressing for winter.  I'm getting bored with my winter clothes so I'm starting to mix and match. I can't wait for it to warm up here!

Six. Thanks Sherwin Williams for the re-tweet about my bathroom makeover post!

I hope you all have a great weekend ahead!  Let me know if you are new to Design Your Dwelling via GFC or Bloglovin - I would love to stop by and say hi!

Sponsor Meet & Greet: Hailey AT Love, Laughter and Lipstick

I'm excited for another sponsor meet and greet!  Meet Hailey - the sweet author of Love, Laughter and Lipstick.  I've really enjoyed following Hailey's blog - she has great style, a beautiful family, and shares great finds with her readers!  Definitely stop over, say hi and follow her blog - you will be so glad you did!

Hi! My name is Hailey I have a little lifestyle blog Love, Laughter and Lipstick.

   

 I am a beauty obsessed, list making, coffee drinking stay at home mom. I have a love of fashion and anything leopard print. I am a {retired} hairstylist and my Tuesday nights haven’t been the same since Buffy the Vampire Slayer went off the air in 2003. Gilmore Girls was a close second. I have been married to my best friend for 9 years. I really couldn’t ask for a more supportive partner in life. My blog focuses on

plus recipes and few organizational posts tossed in for good measure. :)

I have Printable Cleaning Lists here and my favorite makeup reviews here. So if you feel like you need a laugh or easy outfit inspiration stop by and Hi!

Thank you Beth for letting me introduce myself! I just love seeing what outfits she puts together.

♥ blog / twitter / instagram / pinterest / facebook / bloglovin' ♥

If you are interested in sponsoring Design Your Dwelling - I would LOVE to have you! Click here for a link to my sponsor page.

Wedding Wednesday - Reception Decorations

Our wedding will be here in 5 months so I have been thinking about reception decorations more and more lately.  There are definitely some things that I want to incorporate, like a little bit of lace and an old suitcase, to achieve my "vintage meets modern" theme. Here is what I've come up with so far...

My sticking point has been center pieces for the tables.  I haven't come up with "the perfect idea" yet but I think I am getting closer. I want to pair a modern element with a vintage-type of element.

A lot of these things decorations can by DIY projects but I am going to select my DIY projects carefully for two reasons:

first... I don't want our wedding to look handmade or like it was done on a small budget.

second.... I want to make sure it all gets done and is done well.  Sometimes just buying the things I want is worth it in the long run.

What are your ideas for centerpieces?!  I would love to hear them! :)

Mood Board Link Party - Week 6

Happy Tuesday! I am actually in Seneca, Kansas for my "real job" helping a good friend and co-worker to facilitate a sales training session.  I love working with our field sales teams and understanding what is happening in their world!

Regardless - the link party must go on - especially since there are more and more interior design bloggers linking up!  Thanks for spreading the word!

The three requests for participation:

1. Follow Your Host and Co-Host via GFC or Bloglovin'

Host: Beth - Design Your Dwelling

Co-Host: Ali - House Vintage

2. Grab A Button!

Grab a button below and include it in your blog post or where you share your link parties on your blog.

3. Share it!

Spread the word about this link party by tagging me (@beth_dydblog) in a tweet with a direct link to your mood board post and using the hashtag #moodboardlinkparty! Feel free to share it on Facebook too!

Each week I pin all of your mood boards to my Design Boards board on Pinterest!

Most importantly, connect with and follow other design bloggers!

Grab a button, link up, and have fun! :)

<center> <a href="http://designyourdwelling.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l194/krferrall/moodboardlinkpartydyd_zpsb2f7dbf5.jpg" border="0" height="150" width="150"/></a></center> If you are interested in co-hosting the Mood Board Link Party send me an email! designyourdwellingblog(at)gmail.com

Main Floor Bathroom Makeover

Well friends, I am finally getting around to sharing my main floor bathroom makeover!  I have no excuse for why it took me so long to post this besides I was too lazy to get my camera out.  Poor excuse huh?!

Anyhow... I didn't realize how much different our bathroom looks until I started putting the pictures together for this post and I keep on saying "wow" to myself!  I cannot even take a guess as to what the previous owners were thinking when they painted the bathroom this color.  What's even more puzzling is why it took me so long to repaint the darn thing!

Isn't this the most awful green you have ever seen?! They even painted it on the ceiling.  Seriously?! Oh hey - can you tell where the toilet, mirror and light fixture used to be?! Yeah, it used to be white in there...they should have left it. 

Did you just say "wow" when you saw the after shot? I just did, again. We replaced the toilet, mirror and light fixture and I gave the vanity cabinet a fresh coat of paint.

Do you see the green on the wall paper outside the bathroom? (Yes, unfortunately that terrible wall paper still exists in our house.) I think they were trying to make the spaces flow together? Maybe?

I found the mirror at Target as well as the toilet paper stand, towel ring and towel. I had the extra un-opened paint on-hand from our previous bathroom project when I wasn't sure I liked the color I chose for that bathroom. Read about that project here.

You would think that I could have put a new roll of toilet paper on the stand, huh?! or removed it completely from the picture.  Whoops - photgrapher error!

This little vanity cabinet was probably the most transformational part of the makeover! I grabbed a quart of Sherwin Williams Thunder Grey paint (SW 7645) and repainted.  I even saved the hardware on the vanity.  Nothing a little silver spray paint couldn't handle!  We also changed the outlets to white.  For some reason the same silly folks that painted the bathroom green thought the light switches should be painted green too.  Weird. 

Our short term (3-4 years) plan is to remodel our kitchen and take out this bathroom which separates the kitchen from the rest of the house so we have a more open floor plan.  Thus the reason this makeover was pretty inexpensive (no flooring or vanity changes). I think we maybe spent $200.

I am always amazed at what a little paint and elbow grease can do! Hope you enjoyed this little before and after to kick off your Monday! :)  Have a great day!

High Five For Friday!

Welcome to Friday! What a crazy, but good, week! I am totally ready for the weekend, especially since we don't have any plans.  I have some interior design work to catch up on... and laundry... and relaxing! :) But first, I'm going to review the highs of the week...

One. I love when I get magazines in the mail, especially this HGTV magazine! Such a good read with a cup of coffee on a Saturday morning!

Two. My birchbox arrived in the mail.  It has to be the best one yet! I got eye makeup remover, a nail file, red lipstick that lasts all day and a few other goodies! Score!

Three. We have a new pope! Pope Francis! I'm Catholic so I am excited about this.  It'a also so refreshing that the election of a pope brings so much joy and excitement to people around the world.  I truly believe that God works through these men and brought this much joy and unity into people's hearts in the past few days! I hope it stays for a long time to come.

Four. I can't resist these Sweethearts candies. They remind me of my friend, Megan, growing up.  We ALWAYS ate these together. I miss her. 

Five. I mastered a messy bun. They probably shouldn't be as much work as I make them but this is the first one I have loved! You better believe I will be rocking it again in the near future.  Paired with simple make up and red lips - it looks very chic. :)

Plans for the weekend?!  Whatever you do, have a great one! 

I'm linking up Lauren for High Five For Friday!

New Nightstand Print

I came across this print from a blog that I follow, French Press Mornings, and knew that it would be a perfect fit for my nightstand because I like the bible verse and the print!

Here is the original print.  You can purchase it in the French Press Mornings Etsy Shop. She has some other great prints there too.  I think I will be getting another one for the other side of the bed! :)

It's encouraging. I love it! :)

Mood Board Link Party - Week 5

Hey Everyone! Welcome to the weekly mood board link party for interior design bloggers! This week I am super excited to have a co-host for this link party - Samantha from Designer in Teal!

I am convinced I have cabin fever and all I can think about is spring, green grass, sunshine and being outside all day, every day on the weekends - even when it's blazing hot! (At least that's what I say now.) Last year summer we added a garage and a patio on the south side of our house so this year I am read to enjoy the patio.  Here is a look at what I'm thinking...

World Market has some fantastic outdoor furniture and accessories!

Back Patio>> 1 (lounge chair pad) // 2 // 3 // 4 

Front Porch >> 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9

I only have three requests for participation:

1. Follow Your Host and Co-Host via GFC

Host: Beth - Design Your Dwelling

Co-Host: Samantha - Designer In Teal

2. Grab A Button!

Grab a button below and include it in your blog post or where you share your link parties on your blog.

3. Share it!

Spread the word about this link party by tagging me (@beth_dydblog) in a tweet with a direct link to your mood board post and using the hashtag #moodboardlinkparty! Feel free to share it on Facebook too!

Each week I pin all of your mood boards to my Design Boards board on Pinterest!

Most importantly, connect with and follow other design bloggers!

Grab a button, link up, and have fun! :)

<center> <a href="http://designyourdwelling.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l194/krferrall/moodboardlinkpartydyd_zpsb2f7dbf5.jpg" border="0" height="150" width="150"/></a></center> If you are interested in co-hosting the Mood Board Link Party send me an email! designyourdwellingblog(at)gmail.com

Let's Talk Hair

Good Morning and Happy Monday! I thought I would kick off the week with a hair-related post.  Never did I think I would write a hair post but so many of you have left such nice comments and compliments on my blog posts and on my Facebook page asking about my hair that I thought I would put this one out there.  You all know how to make a girl feel pretty good - especially when I feel like I am having a bad hair day! :)


STRAIGHT HAIR} 

 WAVY HAIR}

90% of the time I wear my hair down and usually wavy but every once in awhile you will see me sporting a pony tail or messy bun. 

HOW I STYLE IT}

Straight Hair. I blow dry it and straighten my (already straight) hair with a straightener. Using a comb, I tease it around the crown of my head and finish it with Luxurious Volume hairspray.

Curly Hair. I use a 1.5 inch barrel curling iron and curl it similar to this tutorial from the Small Things Blog. I also tease it around the crown of my head and finish with Luxurious Volume hairpray. 

PRODUCTS}

I have had very good luck with John Frieda hair care products - they are my favorite and you can buy them all at my favorite store, Target or any drugstore! You can also purchase the TIGI Catwalk Root Booster there too!

Shampoo & Conditioner: John Frieda Frizz-Ease Smooth Start

Smoothing Creme: John Frieda Frizz-Ease Straight Fixation

Root Booster: TIGI Catwalk Root Boost

Hair Spray: John Frieda Luxurious Volume

COLOR}

Seriously - who doesn't love Jennifer Aniston's hair?! I don't quite know how to get my actual style to look like hers so I don't attempt to try. However, I do really like the color of her hair in this picture.  I took it to my stylist and re-created the look by adding heavier ice-blonde highlights in the front an a few throughout the rest of my hair.  I really like it! 

Source

There you have it! My simple hair secrets. :)

I'm linking up for Monday Mingling, The GFC Collective Blog Hop, and YOLO Mondays!

High Five For Friday!

Happy Friday! I love when we make it to this day of the week and the more quickly it comes the more productive I feel and this was definitely one of those weeks! (That's a good thing)

One. My boss was so kind. He is a dog-lover himself and gave us these pendants that have a picture of our dog, 'Bam' etched into them so we have a little something more than pictures to remember him by.  Random acts of kindness are always so inspiring to me.

Two. My finance makes the BEST CHILI EVER. (Ok, I admit, this picture might look gross... I don't think chili is a very photogenic food so you've gotta trust me that it was ahhh-mazing!)

Three. Adam and I finally got away to do something fun - we went to the Horseshoe Casino in Omaha last Saturday night. I even won $40 on the slot machine! That made up for my lack of luck playing black jack.  Plus, it was really fun to get dressed up and feel great to go somewhere!

Four. I couldn't resist the fresh fruit section in the grocery store again. The strawberries were giant and oh so yummy.  You can tell that the seasons are starting to change because the fruit is starting to taste better.

Five. I ordered a couple of prints from Etsy last week and they have arrived. The bible verse print is from French Press Mornings and the the Hunter Boots print is from Bright, Bold, Beautiful. I can't wait to frame and hang these!

Ok one more... Thank you to the beautiful ladies that mentioned me in their blog crush post - that was so kind and took me completely by surprise.  Know that I am so thankful and honored!  Please go visit these ladies, tell them I sent you and stick around their blogs for awhile - you wont regret it!

Libby // Libby's Life

Lauren // My Polished Side 

Jonna // Everything But Ordinary

Ashley // Embracing The Everyday

(If I didn't included you, please let me know!)

Have a great and blessed weekend!

I'm linking up at the following today:  

High Five For Friday with Lauren, From My Grey Desk 

  

My Blog Crush(es)

I told myself that I was going to at least get a few things picked up around the house today while I am waiting on a few work-related items to take shape and now, here I am, completely distracted by this blog crush link up that Erin from Living in Yellow is hosting! I've given into the temptation to posting my own...

Blog Crush One} Home Design

I am a huge fan of Jessie's at Cape 27.  She and her husband have re-modeled their home and it is absolutely gorgeous.  I love her style picks and simple approach to DIY. Plus - she is now creating mood boards for other home-owners and always has the best decor finds!  I'm pretty thankful that someone as awesome and stylish as her has time to link up for my weekly mood board link party!

Blog Crush Two} Inspiration/Feel Good

Kristine at Heart Shaped Sweat is such an inspirational writer - I always feel good after reading her blog posts so you can bet that is how I kick-start my day.  She is so true and kind and genuine - I've never met her in person, but you can see her amazing qualities in her writing.  She gives great health and fitness tips and always reminds her readers that they are beautiful!

Blog Crush Three} Lifestyle



Kate's blog, The Small Things, is addicting to read. She is always sharing new outfits, recipes, hair tutorials, makeup products and she makes it all so easy for the average person!  Not to mention, she makes me buy things all of the time. :)

Blog Crush Four} Fashion


I am a new follower of Sincerely Arizona.  Kristal has some serious style and you can tell that her personality shines through them.  I can't wait to follow her blog regularly! :)

So, there you have it - my blog crushes! :) Make sure to stop over to Living in Yellow for Erin's link party!

Sponsor Meet & Greet: Melissa at Eleven Sixty

Good Morning!  I am excited to introduce you to Melissa from Eleven Sixty Blog - she is sponsoring Design Your Dwelling over the next month! Melissa is a fantastic blog writer. She puts a fun and practical twist on every-day life, designs beautiful spaces (which she has linked up to my weekly mood board link party! YAY!) and offers up some great blogging tutorials!  Please stop over, give her some blog love and follow along - you wont be disappointed!  And - congrats on the Liebster Award, Melissa!

Meet Melissa:

First off, thank you to Beth for allowing me to share my blog here on Design Your Dwelling. She is inspiring, isn't she? So good at what she does over here.

Hi, everyone! I'm Melissa and I blog at Eleven Sixty. 

I started my blog because I needed a creative outlet. I work full-time as an office manager at a law firm and as you can imagine, I don't get to use the right side of my brain very often. I love interior design and I would like to save money to go back to school for the degree if I could stop spending money trying to decorate my own home!

My husband and I moved into our home almost 2 years ago and I am in the process of planning and decorating my home to fit my style. I don't know how I would describe my style. I would say that I am drawn to clean and neutral rooms with fun pops of color, but my home is far from where I would like it! It's a work in progress, people!

Here are my plans I have made for my laundry room and my office:

You can read more about the laundry room plan HERE and more about the office plan HERE.

I love to blog about DIY projects, crafts and my home, but I also blog about personal happenings and new recipes. I love to cook!

So stop by Eleven Sixty and say hello!

You can also find me on Twitter, Bloglovin, Instagram and Pinterest. :o)

If you are interested in sponsoring Design Your Dwelling - I would LOVE to have you! Click here for a link to my sponsor page!

Wedding Wednesday: Wedding Cake

It's been a couple of weeks again since I've done a Wedding Wednesday post but to be honest, I haven't been doing too much that's wedding related lately.  I guess I take that back, I'm starting to put together a reception decorating game-plan and we took our relationship "inventory" that we need to do for the church.  

Lately I've been thinking about wedding cake and what I want to do.  Fortunately, Adam's cousin makes wedding cakes and when it comes to wedding related "stuff" that I need, I love being able to go directly to people I know to help me make my wedding wishes come true.

Here is my vision for a wedding cake - simple and beautiful.  I am trying to decide between one tier and two tiers but I know that I love how this cake is decorated!  The frosting is gorgeous so I really hope that make cake-maker can make this happen.

Source

Here are a few things to think about when deciding on a wedding cake.

Budget. I guess this is something you've always got to think about during the wedding planning process! :)

Tiers. You can have as many or as few tiers as you want. I assume that more tiers = more $$ so something to consider if you are working on a budget. And, are you going to save a tier for your 1 year anniversary?

What we're doing: I'm going with either one or two tiers.  Less is definitely more to us.  Since Adam and I aren't cake people we don't plan to save the top-tier for our one-year anniversary.  We've heard too many horror stories of the cake not making it to the freezer, tipping of before the reception starts, or completely forgetting about it. We are just going to avoid the whole potential situation from the start.

How many people you want it to feed. This completely depends on how many people come to your wedding. 

What we're doing: With our cake we are going to make it just big enough to feed our whole wedding party and maybe our parents so we need a cake big enough to feed 28-24 people.  

Alternative options: If you have a lot of people coming to your wedding or if you are working on a budget. Sheet cakes are always an option - check out your local grocery store's bakery department or you local WalMart.  Depending on where you look you can get a large sheet cake from $40-$60. Cupcakes are another option. They can double as a table decoration and even give people a flavor option!

Speaking of flavor... That's a decision you will also need to make. You might want to consult the groom on this one or even schedule a cake tasting. (I love deserts so this would be right up my alley!) It seems that the options are endless for cake flavors.  

What we're doing: I'm not completely sure yet. I like white cakes better than chocolate so I'm thinking along the lines of a mock angel food cake or Adam's cousin suggested a champagne cake which will give the actual cake a light pink color, ultimately matching our color scheme.

Cake Decorations. There are so many beautifully decorated cakes lately - oh my goodness!! And cakes are a part of your reception decor plus everyone ever woman in attendance is probably going to go check out your cake. Things to consider are; type of frosting, cake toppers, flowers, design, shape.

What we're doing: I love peony's but since they are out of season for our wedding (which makes them spendy) I've asked my florist to find a large pink peony to put on the top of our cake, similar to the one below. I'm also considering a letter "K" for the top of the cake.  How I would like the cake to look is just like the first picture in this post (I'm hoping). Although, I think this cake is beautiful too!

Source

Any other suggestions for deciding on your wedding cake?!  If so, leave a comment - I would love to know.  I'm sure I'll share more details on the cake as we get a little closer to our wedding date and hear from my cake-maker!

Happy Planning!

Linking up with: 

Mood Board Link Party - Week 4

Hi everyone! Welcome back for another mood board link party! 

These link parties have been so fun and inspiring.  I'm feeling fortunate getting to know other design bloggers around the world-wide-web!  Since there has been quite a bit of interest in this link party, next week this link party will have a co-host!  If you are interested in co-hosting, send me an email (designyourdwellingblog (at) gmail.com) and we will pick a Tuesday for your to co-host!

Enjoy this week's link party - I'm happy to have you stop and link up!

I only have three requests for participation:

1. Follow Design Your Dwelling via GFC

I would love to stay connected with you!  This will also keep you up-to-date for the next link party!

You can also follow along on Twitter or Facebook!

2. Grab A Button!

Grab a button below and include it in your blog post or where you share your link parties on your blog.

3. Share it!

Help spread the word about this link party by tweeting your blog post link with your mood board with hashtag #moodboardlinkparty!  If you tweet me, I'll be sure to re-tweet!  I also be stopping over to see each of your boards and adding them to my Design Boards board on Pinterest!

Most importantly, connect with and follow other bloggers!

Grab a button, link up, and have fun! :)

<center> <a href="http://designyourdwelling.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l194/krferrall/moodboardlinkpartydyd_zpsb2f7dbf5.jpg" border="0" height="150" width="150"/></a></center>

Keeping A Blog Journal

Good Morning - Happy Monday! :)  I hope you all had a great weekend.  We finally got out of town for a night and headed over to a casino in Council Bluffs, Iowa.  We had a fun night playing blackjack, meeting new people, and listening to a live band.  I don't think that we've been to a casino since we were in Las Vegas a couple of years ago!

Anyhoo - Last week in my High Five For Friday post I mentioned that I keep a blog journal and quite a few of you left comments that said, "hey good idea!" and "what do you keep in your blog journal?" So, I thought I would share some more details about it with you!

This journal has really helped me get organized! The Mole Skin journal is where I keep everything, it is always in my work bag. The little red journal is one that I can more easily throw in my purse when I'm out and about.

I keep a running list of post ideas which means I never run out of things to write about.  Anything that inspires me or any post idea that pops in my head - I write it down otherwise I know I will forget it.  I also write down the key points for each post.  This just helps me organize my thoughts and (I think) helps to improve the quality of my content.

In addition to a running list of post ideas.  I keep two other lists - one for my Wedding Wednesdays series that documents my wedding planning process. And, one that is related to ideas for mood boards to compliment my Mood Board Link Party that takes place every Tuesday.

I also keep my blog design details in my blog journal.  This includes header length and width, colors and the color numbers for PicMonkey - the photo editor I use. 

Every once in awhile I come across some great blogging tips that I want to be reminded of, so they go in here.

All of my blog-related links and passwords are kept tight here so I can access them easily. 

Finally, my ad space details can be found in here too.    

Do you keep a blog journal?!  If not, hopefully this will encourage you to do so!  The bonus of keeping one is that it is fun to look back on to see what has all taken place over time! :)

 Have a great Monday and a fantastic week ahead!