his and hers diy with Minnetonka Moccasins plus a giveaway!

I was so incredibly honored to have the opportunity to work with Minnetonka Moccasins recently on a his and hers DIY. I have been a huge fan of their moccasins for a long time, the pairs I have are so super comfortable I really love them. I chose to personalize the Suede Ankle Boots for myself and the Moosehide Double Bottom Softsole moccasins for Chris with a heart and arrow applique to create a sort of best friends pair. I am super excited to be sharing the entire project over on the Minnetonka blog today! Minnetonka is also generously giving away a pair of the Suede Ankle Boots to one lucky reader - perfect for fall! You can enter below until next Thursday the 19th. Check out the full post over on the Minnetonka site here! *giveaway open to US residents only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

vintage button rings

I will be the first to admit that this little project is embarrassingly easy. It's the kind of thing that can be put together in under a half an hour. And for me that makes it just about perfect because it can be whipped up during naps with dishes and laundry time to spare. The skies the limit on colors and combos and it's even more appropriate to sip something hot or nibble on something sweet while making. While your at it you can make a few extra to bless some of your favorite friends!

The supply list is short:

glue (E-600 is a great all purpose glue for jewelry projects!)
ring blanks
your vintage button stash
chocolate (optional but I recommend :))

After selecting a few fun buttons go ahead and snip of any button shanks that are in the way and get to work on gluing your little ring stack together. Alternately you could wire the buttons together if you have wire and want to go that route. Then glue the stack to your ring blank and let it sit overnight to dry.

And that's about it, the perfect little accessory for date night or after school pickup...enjoy!

(I originally shared this post over on Beautifully Rooted a few years ago but thought it would be fun to share it here too!)

enamel button necklace diy

I also considered naming this post ten reasons why I will never be a fashion blogger - haha! Getting my photo taken is pretty high on the list of most awkward ways to spend my time...but you guys I really loved how this necklace turned out so I just went for it. Please enjoy my awkwardness :)

Truthfully this post is dedicated to J.Crew and all the brightly colored jewelry that they have been showing this season. I love it all and wanted to emulate it on a smaller more wearable scale for my day to day and this is what I came up with.

All you need is a rhinestone button or brooch, luckily I had this one in my craft stash. Some nail polish and a steady hand. I had to go for a little neon orange I am still in love with the neon trend!

Paint the desired jewels with the nail polish (hint: it helps to use a tiny brush) I did a few coats and then let it sit overnight.

Then I added a simple chain with some jump rings and that's it. I thought about making it a hair clip but didn't have one on hand. I think that would be a really fun and wearable way to do the pop on neon too!

A special thanks to my sister in law, Kristen for enduring my awkward face to take these photos..and my other sister in law Jenny for throwing out the dress I have on (total score)! Hope you guys have a great day today and that you find a little time to play! xo

arrowhead earrings

A few summers ago I shared these simple arrowhead earrings over on the Ruche blog and after finding them over the weekend stashed with my jewelry I realized that I had never shared the full tutorial here. I thought it would be a fun one for the sunny season - these take no time at all and make a big statement!

Materials
two different colors of suede

jump rings

chain

a pair of ear wires

Tools

sharp scissors

jewelry pliers

fabric glue

hammer

small nail

Instructions
1. Cut two triangles and two smaller diamond shapes from the pieces of suede.

2. Glue the diamond shapes onto the triangle by folding it in half on top making them as straight as possible.

3. Use a couple of clothes pins or heavy books and press the pieces together until the glue dries. 

4. Using a hammer and a small nail pierce a small hole into each corner of the triangles.

5. Use the jewelry pliers to add a jump ring and a small length of chain to each corner through the holes you just made. Make sure to count the chain links so that each side is equal.

6. Add a larger jump ring to connect the two lengths of chain and then hang them on the ear wires. 

I love fun and easy - a group of friends bought the supplies and made these at a girls night with different colored suede...lots of appetizers and wine too doesn't that sound like a perfect night? Craving a girls crafting night over here - maybe I need to get something in the works any locals want to join me? Hope you have a bright sunny day today the weather is just perfect here in Seattle!

Organizing the kids clothes with ThredUP

So I know you guys know this above scene...especially if you have multiple kids wearing multiple sizes. Each time the weather shift or they go through a growth spurt or you have a new baby one of them grows out of a size and it's time to clear out the drawers, again!

I can barely keep up with my laundry let alone keeping the sizes sorted. And not to mention it gets super expensive buying these little ones new clothes only to turn around and find that they have outgrown them!

So I was super excited when I heard from Carly about an awesome company with an amazing concept called ThredUP to help busy Moms handle this painful process and re-sell their gently worn items as well as restock their kids closets at really low prices, my ears perked up!

Here's the details: ThredUP will help you clean out your kids closets by sending you a big green bag to fill up. It fits around 15lbs of gently worn clothes that you then ship back to them. They do all of the work to resell it in their online shop and will then pay you a portion of the profits to either cash out or use to purchase new items!

Sounds easy enough! They also sent along a few cute things for Josie and I was pleasantly surprised and thrilled at the quality in the gently used clothes we received. Nothing ripped or stained, they truly sort through and find the best quality! I am currently in the process of filling up my bag to send off for resale - find out more about this awesome company HERE!

blue dress c/o ThredUP

I just love discovering amazing companies like this, thanks ThredUP we are huge fans!!

ps. free shipping on your first order right now through the month and they just added a bunch of fun boy items too!

make something monday :: a presto chango t-shirt

I picked up this plain navy blue t-shirt the other day at the thrift mainly because I knew the cut would be comfortable and accommodating for nursing. It was only a couple of bucks and I figured I would get a least a little use out of it. I decided though after washing it that it might be fun to give it a festive update for this weeks Fourth of July holiday so I whipped up a few fabric covered buttons and got out some old vintage trim and glue.

It was super fast and easy and I didn't even break out my sewing machine or anything. I just replaced the original buttons with the ones I made and went around the top of the shirt with some fabritac and glued down the trim.

Nothing too fancy but for a couple of bucks I thought it turned out pretty cute!

I am really looking forward to the week ahead the summer feels like it is in full swing and I am excited about celebrating at our Aunts annual BBQ on the lake! Do you have big plans for the holiday this week?? Hope you all have a wonderful Monday!

ps. you can check out what I made for the fourth last year HERE!

big bro + big bro + big sis + little bro

 

About a year and a half ago when my daughter was born some close friends of ours gifted the kids with adorable big bro/little sis shirts to wear with pride. I can not tell you how well loved those shirts have been. My boys lamented the day when Josies onesie was just too small to squeeze on her. I am telling you they LOVE those shirts. 

So when I was eagerly anticipating the arrival of baby #4 I did some hunting around on etsy and found the amazing woman behind my kids beloved shirts. Fly Duds is the cutest little shop with the cutest products for kids. There is just something about the kids sporting a shirt with their name on it that makes them light up!

I emailed Christie and told her about how fond my children were of her shirts and she generously offered to make them each a new one as a fun surprise. 

Zeb clearly hasn't gotten the clue that his shirt is super cool yet he was pretty grumpy when I took these photos. :)

I honestly can not speak highly enough about Christie's work. The quality is amazing and they are truly a huge crowd pleaser for my four. Clearly, these would be great gifts to any little one expecting a new baby brother or sister!

Thank you to Fly Duds for making my kiddos eyes sparkle it was such a fun treat to present them with after bringing little Zeb home! Check out the Fly Duds shop HERE!

I know I have not been around here too often lately I have been choosing to sleep when I can instead of updating the blog. But you have my word next week I will have a craft and a giveaway and my ten on ten favorites to share with you. Happy Friday everyone! xoxo

the no brainer wardrobe

Wouldn't that be awesome - a no brainer wardrobe. Ugh sometimes I feel like I am in an argument with my closet and the yoga pants usually win. It's gotten pretty ugly for me to be honest. There was that brief moment in time right after baby #2 that I asked my little sister for some advice on what to wear after the guy in the Nordstrom shoe department brought out a pair of hideous loafer man shoes for me to try on because they reminded him of me. ahem. I was 28.

But let's just say being pregnant with #4 isn't really helping me feel super hot and stylish at the moment. So when the most adorable women ever emailed me about her brand new ebook - The No Brainer Wardrobe my ears perked up. This my friends is exciting!





I was so thrilled to get my hands on a copy of Haley's new book. Not only because I know she has impeccable style - (HERE is proof!) but she has the most charming and wonderful way of writing. Very straight forward and so easy to follow. I read the whole thing in it's entirety and already feel super inspired to not only put together some really great inspiration boards but also purge my closet and get to work on making my clothes work for me. There are plenty of great action items to go along with some top notch advice!

(she's a personal stylist too!)

Hayley did not leave anything out either. There are sections on discerning your style, how to build a go-to outfit, taking your inspiration to the thrift store (a personal favorite section!) and shopping maternity too and so much more! This book was so helpful and truly has encouraged me to shop my own closet and figure out what I really love and get rid of the rest so that when I get up in the morning and spend my 2.5 minutes of time getting ready those yoga pants aren't the only things calling my name...(although if you know me in real life and see me in the yoga's maybe don't mention it :))

So I know your dying to know where to get a copy too - guess what the first 15 of you who go HERE and purchase the book will get %50 off the already super steal price of $7.99 by using the code SUNSHINE...I know your going to love it!

Thanks Hayley for helping a girl out! Hayley is so awesome check out her blog, the Tiny Twig, her book The No Brainer Wardrobe, and follow her on Twitter @thetinytwig.

Shabby Apple Giveaway

I am so excited to introduce you guys to Shabby Apple, an online vintage inspired dress boutique. They have several truly gorgeous collections of women's dresses as well as some super sweet things for the little girls in your life too! Their new line for fall is absolutely darling I kind of want everything!

In honor of all things fall inspired and lovely Shabby Apple is generously giving away the Tuxedo III dress to one lucky A Bit of Sunshine reader! To enter all you have to do is "like" Shabby Apple on Facebook and then leave a comment here letting me know your favorite thing about fall. Extra entries will go to those who follow Shabby Apple on twitter and/or their blog!

The giveaway will be open to U.S. residents only. I will choose a winner at random on Monday October 24th. Good luck everyone!!!

♥

I love september and all that it brings. It's my birthday month, it's Mr. Gough's birthday month too. It's the begining of fall when the leaves change and the air is crisp and the apples are sweet. It's anticipating the holidays and drinking hot pumpkin spice lattes and pulling out the tights and boots and sweaters. This september holds a lot of intense changes for our family but I am determined to soak in the season as much as I can.

These are my picks for the perfect outfit to wear on a late summer early fall adventure. My personal favorite are the frye boots I don't think this side of heaven I will ever be able to afford a pair of those but darn they look pretty don't they. So what's on your september mood board I would love to see!

ps. please help me welcome all the pretty september sponsors over on the sidebar there are some really fun spots to check out! -------------------------------->

dress {shabby apple} earrings {dirdy bird} polish {essie} boots {frye} sweater {anthropologie} horse print {elgarbo art}

make something monday :: restyled moccasins

I picked up a pair of moccasins at the thrift store a few weeks ago for just a couple of bucks. They aren't vintage and in fact pretty generic but they were in my size and barely worn. I really want a pair of Minnetonkas like THESE for the fall and have been saving my pennies so I instantly knew that theses black ones would be the perfect pair to restyle. I decided to update them to look similar to the "I heart you" pair that Darlingtonia made for Red Velvet this past season...swoon worthy but a bit out of my price range and after restyling this pair I know why that's ALOT of work! (see them HERE)

The first thing I did was lift up and remove the fringe portion by using a seam ripper and some brute force. I also trimmed the leather bows down to simple knots.

Then I used a white and a burnt orange suede sampler that I picked up at my local Pacific Fabric for only a few dollars and cut a large and a small heart from each to layer. They remind me of tender heart bear...do you remember care bears? Of course you do :).

I used some Fabrictac glue to glue the two hearts together and while they were drying I added a white stitching around the toe with some embroidery floss and a glovers needle. I followed the black stitching that was already there. A note if you make some of these try to thread the needle like I did in the photo above it is super hard to fit your hand inside of the shoe to pull the needle back and forth and I finally figured out that you can almost whip stitch right on top.

Lastly I top stitched the hearts together with my sewing machine right down the middle and then glued them onto the shoes, this time I pulled out the big guns and used some E6000. They dried overnight and are perfect for the chilly fall like weather we have had her in Seattle today! It was a simple little restyle project to keep my fingers busy over the weekend. 

What have you been working on lately? Hope you have a wonderful Monday friends!

what's {really} in my bag

I have always been so enamoured with those super cute what's in my bag posts from some of my favorite bloggers. But I always think to myself after reading one "if anyone knew what was really in my bag I would be so embarrassed". But today I needed to clean mine out so I thought I would show you anyways because were all friends here right. And friends share the dirt. So here you go.

These were the things that seemed "appropriate" for the post. Here we have a bag of wipes, a travel changing pad with a few diapers, my teething necklace and another toy for Josie to play with, my nursing apron, my hobo coin purse filled with all my cards and some loose change and about three bucks cash, sunglasses, a book I have been trying to read for six months, a hair clip, two binky's, my financial peace receipt book, phone, two lip gloss and some aquaphore, and a cough drop. Not too bad.

But then if we look closer there is also this pile...

It's hard to see but in this stack there is a large stick, some diapers that were all crumply so they look weird in the first photo, some stickers from the bank, baby snacks, a random sock, two dirty spoons, a bunch of tampons and pads, about three baby hats that don't fit Josie anymore, a Paul Simon CD that we need to give back to Aunt Rhoda, some church bulletins, a protein bar, a lot of receipts (sorry Dave Ramsey :)), a lady liberty fascinator, a weird mirror note pad thingy, a few dirty napkins a chocolate milk bottle top...hmmm I can't remember everything and I was happy to not find any dirty clothes cause that happens a lot too.

Phew I feel better now that I came out with it. My bag is a huge wasteland of odds and ends one of my favorite things to do is to tell Chris that whatever he is looking for is in my bag. He just looks at me in desperation and always says "can you please find it in there I am scared".

Ha ha! So go ahead I dare you to clean out your bag and show us what you really find. If you post about it on your blog leave a link in the comments.

Happy Saturday - oh and on a brighter note than yesterday I got a great night sleep last night and am feeling so much better about the stolen car. It would have been easier to just leave an envelope of cash out but at least it wasn't our family car. So thanks for all the sweet encouragement!

PS. my ADORABLE purse was a special handmade gift from the lovely Tiffany. You can get your own HERE. And thanks to Shauna and Jenny for the travel changing pad and nursing apron I love them both you girls make such adorable things!