Guest Post: 5 Ways to Renew Your Denim Favorites for Summer

Today's post is written by a women I've known for A LONG TIME! I'm pretty sure we went to middle school together - that's how long I've known her! For my gratitude challenge, Day 5, I'm giving her the spotlight. She has an amazing post about DENIM! Since moving to Israel, my fashion sense is a little wonky, so I asked Courtney to come up with some ideas on how to dress yourself properly. I am SO grateful for her and this post - enjoy!

Hi all! It's such a pleasure to meet you! I'm Courtney, founder and owner of Closet Fashion Fix where I offer style tips and tricks to make the most of what you already have in your closet. You can also find me on Facebook where I offer personal style advice to all. A HUGE thank you to Hillary for finding and contacting me!! See you all soon! I'm sure the topic of this post is one that everyone can relate to.  We have all worn an awesome piece of denim at some point in our lives (especially in the 80's).  This summer there are tons of ways to break out those old favorites from your closet or invest in some new.  Here are 5 ways to renew your blues!

Denim Shirt

This is my favorite style to mix and match throughout a wardrobe. The chambray work shirt is an essential piece to any closet.  Layer over a casual tee and jeans or over a floral dress.  Tuck one in to a pencil skirt to make a work outfit laid back.  Show off a great pair of colored bottoms.  Denim can be worn for work or the weekend- that's the best part!

anntaylor.com

More Lands' End...

Denim Jacket

The denim jacket can come in different shapes and styles.  From blazer to biker, the possibilities are endless.  Pair your chambray blazer with bright separates to fight the office chill or put on a classic denim jacket with a girly dress to ground your look.

A classic jean jacket looks great over stripes or with bright denim bottoms.  It is also easy to throw on over a floaty dress.  Preppy chic with a button down is always a classic, too.

More Levi's...

A denim blazer is another way to work in some casual flair to a dressed up look.

More Theory...

Lastly, colored and white jean toppers are a fresh take on an old standby.

More 7 For All Mankind...

Denim Vest

I never would have believed you if you told me denim vests would come back in style 10 years ago.  But sure enough, here they are!  I love the look of a sleeveless denim jacket over a simple tee or dress.  It's an easy way to add a topper without adding warmth on these balmy days.  (Plus, this is a great DIY project for a well loved denim jacket.  Just cut off the arms and you have a new style!)

More Madewell...

Denim Shorts

Don't worry, these shorts are all grown up.  No frayed hems or pocket linings peeking out on these shorts.  The denim short can be worn with sandals or heels depending on how you style them.  With a silk top- strappy heels.  With a slouchy sweater- sandals.  Pairing denim on denim is fun with a pair of white shorts and a denim shirt.

More J.Crew...

(PS. a safe hem length for most is typically 5-7 inches)

Denim Skirt or Dress

No mini skirts here.  The new face of denim is polished and definitely appropriate for all ages.  A denim shirt dress looks great with platform sandals and minimal jewelry.  A denim pencil skirt works overtime with your casual weekend tees or during the week dressed up with pumps and a button down.

More Tory Burch...

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Ideas for children who want to decorate Easter baskets

One of the things that those who have raised children realize is that children naturally want to be creative. They like doing projects that involve many different art supplies, and they also love doing things like playing dress up, and playing pretend. Along with the love of being creative, there is also the interest in creating things. Typically these projects are centered on the different holidays that are celebrated all over the calendar. There is the Christmas season, and there are also all of the birthdays and other similar holidays. One of the most anticipated days of the year is Easter.

Many people see Easter as a day of candy, brightly colored pastel clothing, and gift baskets for Easter. These are usually filled with candy and other sweet treats for the children to eat. They can also be filled with things like small toys and other amusing items. For the older children this may mean a gift card or something like that so they will be able to choose something that they will especially like rather than having someone else choose the gifts for them.

There are many parents who want to encourage their children to be creative and they do this by giving the children different projects to do. One of the best projects that you can give older children especially during this particular holiday is to have the children themselves decorate their own gift baskets for Easter. They can do this by going to places such as the different hobby stores and they can then choose their own materials in order to make the baskets. They can be as creative as they want to be and the baskets themselves would serve a dual purpose. They are first used in order to hold the different gifts that parents like to place into the baskets. The children can then use the baskets in order to go on the traditional Easter egg hunt that many families and communities decide to put on at this time of the year.

It is also important to let the children be creative when they are making their creations regardless of what they may turn out to look like. As long as they are happy with it that is the most important thing. There are many important parts of the Easter holiday including all of the traditional things that many families choose to take part in.

Regardless of the different traditions that are out there it is also important for families to create their own traditions in order for them to feel more closely knit together. The holidays are often times the only time that families get to spend together without distractions of everyday living. Life provides many distractions that come in all different shapes and sizes. It is essential that families decide to spend quality time together rather than letting other outside distractions get in the way. Easter is a time where families can spend time together and enjoy the day off regardless of what they decide to do.

Bed Rest Approved Dinners

I'm kind of limited in what I can do lately. I'm on bed rest and my range of activity is somewhat slim. I can do endless DIY activities as long as they are not stressful and I take breaks to relax... and they need to be done inside my house. I can also cook and I can go to the grocery store. That's about it. Going to IKEA would probably make me a monster and would raise my blood pressure. So, I'm stuck entertaining myself.

What have I done so far?

• Made pillow covers using safety pins and a button
• DIY Micro-Dermabrasion using baking soda and orange juice
• Made low-cal/low-fat dinners

Not bad for someone who is on bed rest, right? Well, this was all just this week's activities so far. I still have the rest of today and tomorrow to get through.


I wanted to share two really yummy dinner recipes that I made that are both low in fat and really easy to make. I made creamy roasted veggie gnocchi for dinner last night and I also made pan-seared potato kreplach (think tortellini) with a lemon butter sauce for dinner a few nights ago. Ready for the recipes?


Creamy Roasted Veggie Gnocchi
First of all, I hated gnocchi growing up - just ask my step-dad. I wouldn't touch it when he made it. I will only eat this stuff if it's in a creamy sauce. So, here's what you need:
1 package of Gnocchi
1 cube of veggie bullion
1 cup of frozen cauliflower
1 cup of frozen broccoli
1 cup of sliced zucchini
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. butter

2 cloves of minced garlic
1 cup of low fat milk
1/8 cup of low fat Parmesean
Salt and Pepper to taste


Here's what you do:
Take a large pot, fill it with water, put it on the stove and add your veggie bullion. Let the water boil.


As the water boils, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Take a large mixing bowl and dump in your veggies. Add your olive oil to the mix, lightly sprinkle the mixture with salt and mix well. Take a baking pan covered in tin-foil and sprayed lightly with PAM - now pour the veggies on to the pan and place the pan in the oven.


Once your water is boiling, add your gnocchi. When all of the gnocchi are at the surface, they're ready to be drained! Once they're drained, set them aside.


Return the pot to the stove and make sure your setting is on medium-low. Add your butter and minced garlic to the pot, stirring quickly. Then add your milk - make sure the milk doesn't burn! Once your milk starts to bubble, add your cheese and stir the mixture until everything is melted. Turn your stove off and add the gnocchi to the mixture. If your veggies are nicely browned, add them as well.


Serve hot!


To make this dish slightly lower in fat, substitute the butter for olive oil. 

Pan-Seared Potato Kreplach in a Lemon-Butter Sauce
For most of my life, kreplach was something you ate in chicken soup and it always came with meat inside. It wasn't until I moved to Israel that I realized there's a wide variety of kreplach on the market. I'm pretty sure if my grandmother knew what I did to kreplach, she'd scold me. This form of kreplach is like tortellini so you can always substitute one pasta for another. Here's what you need: 
One package of frozen kreplach or any kind of tortellini
2 tsp. butter
4 cloves minced garlic
1/8 cup of lemon juice
1/8 cup of flour
Salt and Pepper to taste

Here's what you do:
Take a large pot, fill it with water, put it on the stove and let the water boil. Once it boils, add half of the package of kreplach - then place the rest in the freezer. When all of the kreplach are at the surface, they're ready for draining! Drain them and put them aside for now.

Grab a large and deep pan or skillet. On a medium setting, melt the butter and garlic together - mixing vigorously. Add your lemon juice and mix well. To thicken the mixture, add the flour slowly, making sure you mix as you go. You may not need the full 1/8 cup. Once the mixture looks less buttery, add your kreplach to the mixture. Let the kreplach sit for a few minutes and stir it. You want the pasta to sear, not burn, so keep a watchful eye. Once your mixture has browned on both sides, remove it from the pan and eat it!

Serve hot!!

To make this dish slightly lower in fat, skip the butter and use olive oil instead. If you use olive oil, do not use flour. 

Both of these dishes are very low impact - meaning they won't take you long (both dishes took me less than 20 minutes from start to finish). You can add veggies to each dish or substitute the veggies I used. We try to buy seasonal veggies because they're cheaper but the frozen ones are just as good.

Eat in good health! 

DIY Dog Smell Removal

My sister says I'm "nesting" - I don't fully buy it. I like to use the word "prepping". I'm preparing for the arrival of our parents. I know it's only January 25th and I won't see my in-laws until February 10th but I will see my parents on February 6th ... which means I need to de-dander my couch. Even though my dogs smell nice and pretty (they get baths on a regular basis), my couch does NOT smell nice and pretty. Add a few layers of other people's animals to it and you can see why my couch sucks. We "inherited" the couch from our previous landlord who told us to keep it when we moved out. But she sold the place before we could move out and we're still here. Craig won't throw out the couch because we won't be here for much longer but the thing is gross and smelly. To make matters worse, my apartment is old and no matter how much cleaning gets done, it always looks dirty.

Nesting???

 So, maybe I am nesting. What of it??? Just kidding. I'm still on bed rest so my energy is low but I successfully reorganized a closet today. Why? I wanted a place to put my winter blankets that usually wind up on the couch covered in dog hair. I'll admit, it was a little cathartic. A little. Yet, I still feel like there's more work to be done. Since my Dad is allergic to the dogs, I'm trying to keep the house as dust-free and pet-dander free as possible in anticipation for his arrival. This will be tricky because my dogs LIVE on the couch. We never really taught them not to get on the couch because we actually enjoy cuddling with them there. I can't cover my couch in plastic so I'll do the next best thing and Google "how to get dog smell out of couch".

No nudity on this blog!

Ya know what I found? A lot of nothing but I did find a few quick solutions that will work wonders when done consistently over time. The first set of pet smell removal solutions involves white vinegar, water, lemon juice, and baking soda ... just not all together. That would be so awkward. According to GetSmellOut.com, I can even use vodka as a short term solution for getting rid of pet odor.

I've decided that since I'm home, I'm going to try out a new DIY segment on the blog... it'll be dedicated to the methods I use to get rid of the smell of my pups. My first step, asking you what you do to keep your house smell-free. So, what do you do?

I think my next step will be taking 1 cup of baking soda and 4 drops of lavender oil - sprinkling it all over my couch, then letting it sit for an hour. Then I vacuum it up. It's supposed to take up all the moisture and kill the dust mites.

Step 3 will be to take a bottle of vodka and drink it, and spray my couch with it. Let it dry then vacuum again.

Save for cleaning or save for later??

Step 4 will be to mix equal parts lemon juice and water into a spray bottle, spray it on my couch, let it dry and ... you guessed it, vacuum.

This might lead me right up until my Dad gets here which means I'll re-do step 2 (baking soda and lavender).

OK... maybe I am nesting.

Guest Post: Upcycled {no sew} Placemat Clutch - DIY

Given that it's my No Spend Month - I thought I'd wrestle up some awesome DIY projects for you. There's a good chance that most of you have this stuff at home, so it won't be hard for you to do this project. Brooke is a good friend of mine from high school and I am so honored she asked me to post this for her! You can find her bio at the end of the post - I highly recommend visiting her Etsy store!

In honor of Hilly G’s ‘No Spend’ month, I wanted to create a cool gift or accessory that could be done by anyone- no craft skills needed! I have seen something similar to this floating around the internet, but they all require some skills, and this comes out exactly the same and in less time.   

Materials needed 

• Fabric Placemat
• Fabric glue or sewing supplies (for more advanced crafters)
• Binder clips or paper clips
• Optional- embellishments, old pins, buttons or velcro

The placemat should be made out of some semi-stiff material.  The more synthetic the placemat is, the better it will be.  Also, probably the more ugly the placemat, the cooler it will look when you are finished.  (If you don’t have any yourself just ask a friend).  Grandmas also have old and super funky pins that would look great on the clutch and could be used instead of a closure to hold it closed. 

Step 1

Fold the placemat so that it is folded almost in thirds, but with a slightly short top.  I chose to leave 2 inches on my flap.  (I used a measuring mat so you could see, but you can eyeball it just as easily).  Press out the folds so they are nicely creased. 

Step 2

Place a nice thick bead of glue along the edges where the seam will be (or sew on your machine).  Place clips on top of where the glue is until dry. 

Step 3  

I had some Velcro strips at home, so I put that as the closure.  The best closure would be magnets or snaps from a craft store if you want to add a nice touch.

Step 4

Play around with different embellishments that you have to see what you like.  I had a strip of black ribbon, but that is not something that everyone has.  I looked around to see what kinds of things that I already had.   You’re going to laugh but-I found an old pair of panties with a really cool appliqué design and used that to make my purse pop.  

Brooke is a mother, wife, designer, entrepreneur behind Baby Bear Hugs.  She loves teaching and creating art. Re-Using materials and recycling is really important to her as well as the cornerstone of her new Upcycled clothing line.

You can find her creations that she makes with her sister at http://www.babybearhugs.etsy.com. Connect with her on Facebook and read about her life and crafting adventures on her new blog: http://babybearhugs.blogspot.com.