Festive 4th Treats {by Lindsay of Lee La La}

Today's guest blogger comes from one of my all time favorite blogs

{Lee La La}

She candidly writes about her journey raising her daughter,

being a wife,

crafting,

cooking,

and everything in between.

Check out her blog and you'll soon be addicted too :)

Here she is!!

 

Hi Alexandra Rose Friends.

 I am Lindsay, editor of the blog Lee La La, where I take on life, mommy hood, and my love to be artsy.

This is me...

And my family of 3...

I am so excited to be guest posting today!

With the 4th of July just around the corner, I thought I'd share a quick and easy festive treat. 

4th of July Rice Krispie Treats



Let's begin shall we?
{you won't believe how EASY these are}


Follow the instructions for basic rice krispie treats.
(or go here)


Once cool, cut into 2 inch squares.


Melt vanilla candy melts


Dip your rice crispy squares half way into the melted chocolate.


Sprinkle with red and blue sprinkles.

Serve and Enjoy!

You can even get creative and add a lolly pop stick and have rice krispie POPS. 
I love me some red, white, and blue.


Thank you so much for having me, Alex.
Happy 4th of July! 
Be sure to stop by my blog or shop and say hello! I LOVE meeting new friends!

Jessica N {Guest Post}

Good morning my lovelies!

Today, I'd like to introduce you to one of my newest bloggy buddies,

Jessica

of Jessica N Designs.

I just know you're going to love her

{and her gorgeous shop}

Hi! I am so thrilled to be guest posting here at Alexandra Rose! My name is Jessica & I blog here.  I also design unique and meaningful hand stamped jewelry & vintage silverware here. I would love to tell you a little more about me & what I do.

I am 29, married to my high school sweetheart, Brooks, & we have 3 children, Brooklyn (5), Lofton (3) & Lucy (5 months). We live in Ohio but dream of owning a rustic little beach cottage in North Carolina one day! {Read more about me here}

A lot of people ask me how I got started doing metal stamped jewelry & silverware & the answer is that one Christmas I asked my husband for a set of metal design stamps because I'm a Do it myself kind of gal and wanted to make myself an initial necklace & then on a whim decided to open up shop! And I have been very blessed and successful! {He's glad he bought me that set now}

Here are some of the items you can find in my shop, jessicaNdesigns:

 My "i do, me too" forks are by far my most popular item! 

I love to blog, I love the super awesome bloggers and readers I have found in the handmade community! One of my favorite things is sharing my DIY projects and discovering other people's creative ones! 

Here are 2 of my favorite DIY projects:

  My Ice Cream Bar Party

My Picture Frame Chalkboard Wall

My blog is all about sharing DIY projects, Shop Spotlights & Giveaways featuring some amazing shops, Monday Mash Ups featuring pretty things I find on Etsy & all the inspiring things I come across! I also hold a Link Party every Saturday where you can come link up your inspiring ideas, DIY projects, pictures, and any other creative goodness you want to share!  I would love for you to come say Hi!

Thanks so much for having me! 

xoxo,

Jessica

The Beautiful Casey Wiegand {Guest Blogger}

Casey is such a beautiful spirit,
and a wonderful soul.

I am blessed and honored to say that she is my friend.
She is kind, encouraging, positive
and always takes time to help me or answer my questions.

She truly is a woman after God's own heart
and I couldn't be happier that, today, she's here guest bloggging!

So here she is!

I recently posted about being a bit overwhelmed.

I am a stay at home mama trying to run an art studio out of our home, paint (my "job"), answer emails, phonecalls....all the while putting my husband and kids first.

I am a people pleaser. and I am failing bad.

I have so many untouched emails. Countless un-returned phonecalls.

So I guess what is overwhelming me is the "un"ability to keep everyone happy. My dream come true is to be a wife and a mama. My kids really are my world...probably a little bit too much at some points, but they are. And so staring at my phone all day to keep up with emails or ignoring them while I return a list of voicemails is not working for me.

So balance. How do we do it?

I am learning. Perfection doesn't happen. 

My relatiohsip with Jesus and my family comes first....and as long as I keep my eyes upward then I should be fine. My sweet friend Jessi said 

"What should your hands be diligently working on and ask Him to help you accomplish it to His glory. "

perfectly said.

Thankful for grace. I need it. And I need to remember to be quick to give it as well :).

"When you decide to live out what you believe. When you decide you want peace in your possession, then you will find out what that looks like & feels like. You begin to pray for God to give you peace. You incorporate peace in your relationships. You decide to respond differently. You speak in love. Act in tenderness. You imitate what you know about peace until it becomes a reality for your character & your life."

I would LOVE for you to check out 

my blog !!! 


See, I told you Casey was amazing! Head over to her blog now and you'll fall even more in love with her...promise.

Loves!

Keepsake 3D Imaging {spa, pampering - giveaway!!}

Ok guys, I am beyond excited for today's giveaway

as it is something extremely close to my heart...er, belly.

{more on that in a second}

This, is Rebecca, and her beautiful family.

And today, Rebecca is here to share some exciting news and a giveaway with you!

I'll let her tell you all about it:

Keepsake 3D Imaging is Southern Oregon's premier elective ultrasound center and pregnancy spa.  What is an elective ultrasound?  Well, its the same safe ultrasound in your doctors office- but currently insurance only covers 2 per healthy pregnancy, so if you really want more pictures of your little one while they're growing you would have had to drive to Portland or San Francisco... UNTIL NOW!! 

Our spa-like setting makes everyone feel relaxed and comfy, while our focus is on the entire family bonding with baby!  We have CD's and DVD's that are facebook ready and we do gender determination as early as 16 weeks!  We also offer a locally made, organic skin care line for both mommy and baby too!!!  Mom's groups are meeting in June: see website for details.

My hubby and I thought of this biz when we got pregnant with our second daughter (now pregnant with our 3rd).  I had recently moved back to GP after a decade living in big cities.  We were shocked that there were no elective ultrasound centers to get more pics of our baby and watch her develop in the womb.  So- we jumped right in and decided to open our own! 

I am a very busy mom with a middle schooler that is active in sports, a one year old that just started walking and now we're 5 months pregnant with little girl #3: Deshae Janell, Ila Pearl and Evangeline Rae.  Our friends call us the House of Estrogen :)  Being a busy mom, business owner and "wanna be domestic diva" is both challenging and rewarding.  I try to manage it all with a smile on my face... and always in heels!
check them out here: website/facebook

So, when I was pregnant with baby Isaiah, I worked at a Women's Health Clinic here in town. I was absolutely spoiled with ultrasound pictures of my precious boy throughout my entire pregnancy.

I can't even explain to you how exciting it is to see your baby during those 9 months...

You have all this love for a person you've never even seen, and can I just tell you that 'meeting' your baby via ultrasound amplifies those feelings by, like, a gazillion.

As hubby and I have begun thinking of trying for baby #2, I can't help but be sad that I won't have the special privilege of seeing him/her like the way I did with Isaiah.

And that is why I'm sooo excited about Keepsake 3D Imaging!

You can bet I'm heading there while baby #2 is in the oven :)

 Rebecca is offering up this to one lucky Alexandra Rose reader:

A Gift Certificate for a FREE Show & Tell Package ($150 value)

-certificate is good for one year-

choose to give it away as a gift, use it yourself, or save it for the future.
{an entire year ladies...think future pregnancies, pregnant friends or relatives..}

There are 5 ways to enter!!

{please leave a separate comment for each item you complete}

{this one is mandatory} be a public follower of the Alexandra Rose Blog

Visit the Keepsake 3D website and tell me something you learned

Become a fan of the Keepsake 3D facebook page

Become a fan of Alexandra Rose on facebook

Re blog {tweet or facebook} about the giveaway with a link back to this post

...ALSO...

{for all you local gals}

Keepsake 3D Imaging will be having an open house

July 2nd from 12pm-8pm. 

There will be a grand prize drawing for an organic foot scrub and a refresher massage.  There will be also be FREE 5 minute "taster" ultrasound sessions ALL day- so stop by 12-8 and get a sneak peek at your baby.  Any appointment booked during the open house will receive 10% off (appt must be paid in full at time of booking).  We'll also have lots of free refreshments including cupcakes from organic, local bakery Cocoa.

Thank you to Rebecca for such an amazing giveaway!

Hope to see you at the open house!

Crystelle Chic Giveaway Winner

Happy Sunday!

We made it to Florida safe and sound,

with only one meltdown along the way...

{pretty good considering our day}

and we're having a great time with our family,
and can't wait to head to the beach!

Vacation starts now!

We do, however, have  a much more important and pressing matter...

...annoucing the winner of the
Crystelle Chic Giveaway!

True Random Number Generator

Min:

Max:

Result:7

christy said...

i follow Alexandra Rose on GFC

June 20, 2011 8:46 AM

Congratulations, Christy!

email me at: alex.heater{at}hotmail.com

and I'll get you in touch with Crystelle!

Have a happy Sunday!

{oh, and you won't want to miss the giveaway that's scheduled for tomorrow!!}

{just.lovely.things} Guest Post & GIVEAWAY!

Ok guys, we're kicking off guest blogger week right,
with my all time super favorite blog {and blogger}
Heather, of {just.lovely.things}

Now, what you may not know, is that Heather is one of my real life friends.
Like, yes, I actually have the privilege of hanging out, brainstorming and crafting with this girl.
{don't be jealous. ok, be a little jealous :)}
Oh, she also happens to be my hair stylist and photographer.
{Really, I do have a life outside of Heather, I promise}

But, the very best part,
is that Heather is, and always has been, one of my biggest encourager's
from the very beginning.
I'm talking before I had an etsy shop, or a blog, or had even started selling my items.
Heather assured me that people would enjoy my products and that I just had to attend a crafter's market she was hosting at her studio.
She made me feel comfortable, shared her wealth of knowledge with me and held my hand every single step of the way!
Honestly, I don't think I'd be where I am today if it weren't for Heather...
...and I am forever grateful to have such a wonderful friend.

Ok, ok, on to the exciting stuff, and away from all the mush :)

Here's Heather!
{you're going to absolutely LOVE her and her gorgeous products!}

Well first off, HELLO!

I'm Heather and I blog over at {just.lovely.things}

 

  Since Alex decided to leave this Oregon girl (me) in the dust,

and head over to some place called Florida (do I sound bitter?),

I decided to steal her blog!

 

Alex and I are real life friends

(isnt it funny that us bloggers need to announce our real life blogger buddies?)

oh, and I might as well brag that I'm her hairstylist too!

 

Alex mentioned she was going on vaca,

and I seriously owe her in a bad way.

As in we have scheduled 1,032 hang out sessions

and I've came to maybe 4 of them?

Bad I know.. So I hope this makes up for it!

 

Today, since I can't be in the sunny tropics of a summer vacation..

I thought I would at least show you some of this seasons must-haves.

 

As in.. I must have these!

 

music is first so you have something to listen to while you read this post!!

(like seriously, push play!)

 

::tunes::

Whether your going on a road trip, dancing in your back yard,

doing chores around your house or even driving to work

 

Bella Ruse is an adorably delightful disc.

(stay tuned on my blog for an interview with them!)

Download their newest album Kuhzoo for instant good times.  

 

 

this song darling is always on repeat for me!

 

::clothing::

Since most of us swoon over anything Anthro, I decided to just put together one cute outfit!

This is super casual for running errands during the day.

Toss on a lightweight jean jacket & grab a clutch for a perfect date night!

 

 

::beauty::

Going lightweight in the summer is the way to go,
and these products all are my go to regulars!

 

 

1. Rose Bude Perfume Co. Mocha Rose Lip Balm

-this bad boy will last you through out the year, the strawberry is good too!-

2. Alterna Kendi Dry Oil Mist

-heat protection, shine and a smelly good? perfect summer hair care- 

3. Body Drench Quick Tan

-fast drying shimmer bronzer, shows tan instantly without the yucky spray tan smell-

4. For Kings & Queens Nefertiti Honey

-seriously all I can say is AMAZING!-

 

 

::to do's::

Do you take time for yourself?

Its hard as we get older, I remember summer vaca being all about me.

 

Not anymore.

 

But why not start it up again?

Make a list of things to do for you!
I'm making a list and putting it up, I can't wait to check things off!

 

 

 (via pinterest)

 

Why not kick off your summer with a {just.lovely.things} goody?

 

One lucky Alexandra Rose reader will 

Win!

a set of rings from my {shop}

You have all weekend long to enter & Alex will announce the winner when she gets back!

 

Please leave a separate comment for each item that you complete 

-Must be a public follow of this blog-

-Follow Alexandra Rose on facebook-

-Follow me {just.lovely.things} on facebook-

-Follow my blog- (on google reader or blog lovin')

 

4 Chances to win, goodluck &

HAPPY SUMMER!

Leavin' On A Jet Plane...

Source: weheartit.com via ineedmartini on Pinterest

{and if our plane decided to drop us of here, I'd be totally ok with that...}

Yep, that's right.

We leave tomorrow

{at 5:30 am, to be exact}

and I'd like to have a word with whoever decided that airplanes should leave so early.

So I'm off to finish start packing.

Don't forget to check in daily for super amazing guest bloggers!

Oh, and a special spoiler alert...

tomorrow there just might be a giveaway from this lovely lady.


Get excited!

Awkward & Awesome

Last night, went to the Britt Festival

{in Jacksonville, Oregon}

To see Ray Lamontagne...

Let's start with some snapshots :)

It was a really fun night!

I swear, this is one of the most beautiful places to watch a concert,

and it was nice to have a date here.

So, onto some less nice {??} things

here's what was awkward, and what was awesome this week.

Awkward:

While in the shower, I squeezed conditioner onto my hand that ended up looking like a certain....um, man part. I let out a little shriek when I looked down and realized it!

Hubby came about 1.6985 centimeters from rolling the gas attendants hand up in the window. Hubby laughed and said sorry, automatic roll up, and the gas attendant gave him the death stare. We both cracked up as we drove away.

There was some crazy party gone wrong up the street from us which led to a man being chased, some crazy things being yelled, 3 police cars showing up {one parked right outside my house, why my house?!} and carload after carload of people driving away. I seriously have no idea what went down, but it's wasn't good, people.

Awesome:

Date night to a Ray Lamontagne concert!

Leaving for Florida in 2 days...asside from the fact that I have not packed a single thing.

While I'm gone, I have some super amazing, bomb diggity guest bloggers.

Trust me, you won't want to miss it. And yes, I just said bomb diggity.

I let Isaiah carry his dirty diapers {ick, I know} to the outside garbage can and he gets to shoot them in as I hold up the lid. Every time he makes it, he yells money bags!

Hope you had a great week!

Tell me what was awkward, and what was awesome!

Ok, I'm off to be productive.

Must pack. Must pack. Must pack.

you should vote, vote, vote. It will help get me organized...I think.

Have I Told You??

That I'm stinkin' busy?
Here's what we've been up to for the last few days...

We played outside and ate goldfish..

 And then had water 'cause they make you thirsty.

Lounged in they yard with our buddies...

And watched Daddy's softball game.

AND

Zaiah got his first official haircut
{though I've given him about 127 myself}
the salon haircut proved to be worth it!
  
And because he was such a good, and handsome, boy
{and because I'm a total pushover}
Isaiah had his first ice cream cone.


Oh, and I also haven't told you that tonight,

I'm seeing him

Source: greenshoelace.com via Alex on Pinterest

{Ray Lamontagne}


And, in 3 days,
I'll be here:

Source: siestaluxuryvacations.com via Alex on Pinterest

Ahhh, vacation is calling my name.

But it's not calling hubby's :(

Unfortunately, this trip will be Me, Zaiah and Na-Na

Hubby will be holdin' down the fort

{doing all sorts of manly things, I'm sure}

While we head to Sarasota to visit family and take a mini-vacation.

I'm super excited to go, but not excited about a full day of travel with a busy 21 month old...

The next few days will be spent loading apps on the i touch
doing laundry
making, and re-making lists
packing
cleaning my house
and attempting to be as prepared as possible.

I'm a little stressed.
{but we'll make it}



wanna help de-stress me? click this link, and then the owl to the left.



Something To Brighten Your Monday! {Crystelle Chic Giveaway!!}

Did I mention yesterday that I had sand

everywhere?

Like, places I didn't know sand could exist?

All part of visiting the beach on a super windy day, I suppose.

I think I'll be attempting to get sand out of my hair for days...

On a brighter and less awkward note,

It's that time of week again...

yep, time for another giveaway!

I think this may be my most favorite thing about Mondays!

Today, my friend Crystelle, is sponsoring a super great giveaway!

Before we get into all that goodness,

let's meet Crystelle and her adorable family,

shall we?



{Ok, how precious is this entire family??!!}

"Hi, I'm Crystelle (pronounced Crys-tell) a stay-at-home mommy of two wonderful kids: Caitlyn (Caitie) is 3 going on 16, and Samuel (Sam) just turned 18 months and is the sweetest walking tornado, mama's boy ever. I've been married to my wonderful husband, Joel, almost 7 years (oh, my!). 

I've always love crafting and dreamed about selling the things that I made, but wasn't able to do so until Sam was born and I was lucky enough to finally quit my office job and stay home. I love my kids, being a 24/7 housekeeper, butt-wiper and nursemaid (yeah, I don't really cook) wasn't exactly what I thought it'd be. At first, I really wanted to go back to work just to get a break from it all, but one day I decided to open an Etsy shop, dive in and see what happened. 

NOTHING. That's what happened. I opened my shop as Crissy's Crowns and even had business cards made up, but didn't sell a thing. I got really discouraged and didn't do anything with my shop for months. My listings expired {all 3 of them} and I wasn't sure what to do next, how to market myself or take a decent photo. I did know I wanted to change my shop name to something that would encompass both my hats as well as my earrings {and anything else I decide to dabble in} so on Thanksgiving last year I opened up Crystelle Chic. I had a better vision of what I wanted my shop to be as well as new, original designs and much improved photography skills.

While I'm still learning and adapting my business, I'm really inspired by other crafty mommies, like Alex, and hope to one day be an inspiration to others, going beyond just making cute hats. I invite you to come take a look around my Etsy store and Facebook page. I have about a billion new ideas floating around in my head and will be adding new items to my store, so come back often! Thanks for letting me share my passion with you." ♥



Don't you just love Crystelle's story? I think it's such an amazing quality to try something after you feel you've failed, and I so admire Crystelle for doing just that!

Here is a sneak peek of some of the things you'll find in her etsy shop

{ok, you can stop drooling now}

I seriously love the wide variety of items that Crystelle offers...from crocheted visor hats and baby beanies to headbands and earrings - plus some special stuff for the men out there - there really is something for everyone!

And, Crystelle was generous enough to allow one very special Alexandra Rose reader a chance to win

a $20 shop credit

Ready to find out how to win?!

I'm giving you 6, yes 6, ways to enter!

{please leave a separate comment for each item you complete}

{this one is mandatory} be a public follower of the Alexandra Rose Blog

Become a public follower of Crystelle's blog

Head on over to the Crystelle Chic shop and come back here and tell me what you would purchase with the shop credit

Become a fan Crystelle Chic on facebook

Become a fan of Alexandra Rose on facebook

Re-blog {tweet or facebook} about the giveaway with a link back to this post

Good luck!

 

Giveaway and discount code will be open until Saturday, June 25th at 11:59pm

Winner will be announced Sunday, June 26th