Guest Post: Ashley of I Believe in Unicorns

Hello, I'm Ashley from i believe in unicorns. 

I just about died when Danielle asked me to guest post. 

Is she not the most adorable person, and nice to boot?!

Over on my blog I love to do a feature called {Top Five} on Friday. 

I list my 'whatever i feel like' favorites, and then I ask for my readers input.

It's a great way to share ideas and get to know everyone a little better. 

So I'd love to hear some of your ideas as well!

Without further ado, my

{Top Five} Date Ideas on a Budget:

Learning the Argentine Tango with my German friends, Christian.

 1. Learn to Dance.

In almost every city there are places that teach partner dancing lessons. 

Decide if you'd like Latin, Swing, or Ballroom and try out a class. 

They're usually only about $5-7 a person. 

It's a great way to have fun, be active, and observe patience and perseverance skills ;)

2. Movie At Home, But Make It A Little More Interesting.

Hit up your local movie store, redbox, or netflix, pop some popcorn, build a fort, and snuggle up while you watch your favorite flick. (This is fun to do with kids as well!)

Total cost around $5.

source

3. Get a Couples Massage.

Go to a massage school sometimes they have 2 for $20 deals!

Or perhaps give each other massages for free :)

4. Paint!

Stop in at your favorite art supplier a pick up some super cheap canvases, paints and brushes. 

Turn on some good tunes and paint what you feel. You can learn all sorts of things on this date.

(I had no idea my husband, Marcus, was artistic until we did this.)

Total cost around $20.

5. Watch Planes come in at the Tarmac.

Get some deliciously refreshing glass bottle sodas, borrow a friends truck (if you don't have one), fill the back up with pads and pillows and enjoy your time watching the planes come in and talking.

I hope you got some fun ideas. 

Now let's hear some of your favorite dates!

Papa Said V.7

photo graciously provided via Jess

This week's Papa Said is coming from another one of my fave online pals, Jess!  Jess writes the blog TART, which is full of her and her husband's day to day adventures, living in Hawaii and raising their gorgeous daughter Rowan.  If you're a regular reader, you'll even notice that the Papa Said image up there has been Jess' hubby Derek (and Rowan) all along!  When they agreed to participate in this series I was ecstatic- their family is so cute and I was excited to see what Derek would send over. I really love what he said too- especially number two. And be sure to stop by TART- it's one of my daily reads and Jess does such a great job of documenting Rowan's life and all of the fun they have. Rowan is one of the cutest babies I have ever seen, and another one of those doe-eyed beauties that makes me want to have a little girl, stat!  

Thank you guys, for being a part of Papa Said!

You play drums then change a diaper, work on your vintage cars then kiss a boo boo, put on your leopard high tops then rock a BabyBjorn. Happy Father's Day to the sweetest and coolest papa in the world. You're everything to me and Rowan and we couldn't be luckier. (editor's note: Jess originally sent this over on Father's Day!)

And now here's 3 pieces of advice from Derek:
 

1) Part of taking care of your kid is taking care of your marriage. Parenting flows better if your general home life does. Happy wife, happy life! 

2) Having a kid is a 24/7 job for both parents. I may be working all day but so is Jess, taking care of Rowan. So when I come home from work we break even and equally take care of her. I don't expect to be pampered and for Jess to continue all the "work"- she needs a break too. You should want to share that work anyway!

3) Don't buy a bunch of toys. They just end up wanting water bottles and cardboard boxes.

 

Guest Post: Erin from Happy Owl

Hi there! I've been lucky enough to know Danielle a couple years now and you might have seen me in a guest post here and there. My name is Erin from Happy Owl and I have two beautiful sons Noah and Logan and an amazing husband named Mike. We live in Juneau, Alaska and love to explore all that our town has to offer.

My family spent 10 days in Maui a couple of weeks ago and the funniest of things happened. While we were enjoying our first night in paradise, playing in the pool, my iphone fell in the water. Ahhh! My 2 month old phone, still shiny and new, wet and broken! Who would have thought that something like this would have sparked an eye-opening discussion with my husband and a new outlook on self for me. So here goes. My embarrassing, yet real reality I had to face. By far the best gift I got from our vacation.

The first thing I thought when I realized my poor pitiful phone was not coming back on was pure sadness. How am I going to connect; take pictures, read emails, update my blog and facebook? I told Mike immediately, we need to get some rice, soak up the moisture, get my phone back working!! That's when my sweet husband looked at me and in his nicest way said, "Erin, you are addicted to social networking."

Of course at first I said, "no, ME?!! I don't blog everyday, and barely use twitter. I mainly use it for pictures!!"

Mike just laughed and said, "sure..." and that was the end of that discussion. However, it left me thinking. I took a little walk with Logan and really dug deep down and thought about what Mike had said. Too much social networking, for me, could it be true? Come to find out my husband, as most husbands are, was spot on.

Not having my phone made me realize how much I relied on it and the instant gratification and response I could get from it. I was constantly posting pictures on instagram, checking my emails, and reading other blogs, etc. The funny thing was is that I was not spending hours upon hours on the web. But my problem WAS is that I was constantly checking my social networking sites. I thought a couple weeks that I was taking a step back and deleted twitter off my phone. That way I wouldn't check it. But haha! Right about then twitter added a new feature where you are emailed every time someone @ you. So I still found myself responding to people here and there. So really I was just the same.

Now I know so many of you whether you like to admit it or not are doing the same thing. And don't worry, I am NOT calling any of you bad people. There are many good people out there that blog/tweet/facebook daily and I think you still are all fabulous. But all that I want you to think about is would you be able to live without it? Even for a day, week, dare I say month? Taking a step back for me was the best thing that could have happened. I realized that for me, and my family there is so much more than updating status', instagram and facebook. So here is the dare I give to you. Take a day, a whole day away from your smartphones and see how it makes you feel. If there is even a smidge of discomfort then yeah!! Maybe then you'll see how much you relied on the instant joys of social networking. Maybe then, you go on a hike, a campout, even go to the swap meet for a day without updating the world on where you've been, what you ate and what you bought. :) I know for me it's been amazing. Time to get back to making phone calls, writing letters, sending postcards and disconnecting just a bit and enjoying the sweet life. One quiet hour at a time; just as our parents and grandparents still do...

Now I leave you with this commercial I saw the other night. So, so fitting, so funny, so true.




Thanks for listening....erin

Guest Post: Moorea from Moorea Seal

Hi everyone!  My name is Moorea and I blog over at Moorea-Seal.com.  I am a jewelry designer, an illustrator focusing in portraiture, a blogger, and a blog designer with Freckled Nest Designs.  Being a 25 year old, running my own businesses, I try to be very cautious with my money and I feel pretty guilty if I ever go on big shopping sprees.  Most of my money goes towards bills, feeding myself, and investing back into my businesses.  I've never been into collecting knick knacks of any kind, I buy almost all of my furniture second hand, and I prefer my spaces to be clean and minimal.  But, as it seems true for everyone, I do have my one guilty pleasure.  SHOES!

As with most things, I try to only buy things when they are on sale.  I love my shoes, a lot, but I don't want to spend a ridiculous amount of money on them.  There are lots of ways to get high quality things without paying full price.  Having been a shoe addict since I was little, I've come to find that the best place to get really high quality shoes that will last for years and years AND are really affordable is Nordstrom Rack.  I've gotten shoes that were originally priced in the hundreds marked down to just $20 before.  I think I bought the tall boots in center of the image below for about $30 marked down
from $180 at Nordstrom Rack at least 7 years ago and they are still in great shape and still stylish.  So worth it!

As you can tell, I definitely have a certain style that I stick to.  I prefer neutral colors, leather, sometimes I'm a little bit earthy/woodsy and sometimes I'm a little bit edgy with tall tall heels.  I don't wear shoes that will kill my feet, so I am picky about the heels I pick out.  And honestly, heels are much more comfortable for me than flats because I have a super high arch.

I think that shoes are the most important part of any outfit I put together.  Accessories are my favorite (obviously, since I'm a jewelry designer, haha) and shoes are a favorite accessory of mine.  They make me feel comfortable while I'm on the go and each shoe style reflects my varying moods perfectly.

After taking these photos of my shoes stacked on my living room shelves I definitely took a step back and said, well, I probably don't need to buy any more shoes ever again!  I've got all my bases covered for styles that I like.  I've collected these shoes over a very very long period of time, years and years.  And I'm glad I almost never pay full price because I'd feel awful if I looked at these shoes everyday and thought about the amount of money I'd spent on them.  So, I doubt I'll be buying any shoes anytime soon.

Do you have any guilty pleasures or vices?  What do you do to make sure you don't go crazy with it?  I am thankfully at a point, looking at my shoes, where I can say.  Alright, I don't need any more at all unless I sell some or donate some.  I also have spending limits so I'm not just buying every shoe I see as I walk down the street.  How do you keep yourself in check?

Guest Post: Kristine of Kristine or Polly

Hello Sometimes Sweet readers! My name is Kristine and I run a personal style blog called Kristine or Polly.

Mostly, my blog is about my personal style, but today, I'd like to share with you a bit about where I live!

My husband and I moved from America to Japan in April to teach English. It has been such an eye opening experience for us both, and we absolutely love it! Here are a few of my favorite things about living in Japan:

1. The history.

Living in a place with such rich history is absolutely incredible. I grew up in a place where it seems nothing is older than thirty years, so it's such a treat to be able to visit places that have been long-standing for hundreds of years!

2. The architecture 

I love seeing how differently the houses and buildings are designed here. There is also a very interesting juxtaposition of traditional Japan and modern Japan, which I love. 

3. The food.

Japanese food is delicious, and best of all, it's generally healthy! Most of the staple meals here are very light and very well-balanced. Japanese people are known to have high quality standards, so they always use fresh ingredients. 

4. The beauty in every day.
Coming from Arizona, it's just so wonderful to wake up in a place that is so green and lush. Walking outside of my neighborhood, there are such amazing mountains and fields to gawk at. Sometimes, it really feels like I live in a movie or a completely different world. I hope I never become numb to the beauty that Japan offers!

If you'd like to read more about me and my personal style, come on over to Kristine or Polly! Thanks Danielle for letting me guest post today! 

Guest Post: Amber Joy from Until Tomorrow

Hey Sometimes Sweet readers! Amber here, from Until Tomorrow. I am so excited to FINALLY do a guest post regarding this crazy beast of a thigh tattoo that some of you have asked Danielle about! Let me start off by saying I am 24, this is my very first tattoo and I am incredibly glad that I waited! Although I am still very young, I feel that I know myself a lot better then I did at 18...19..20..21...22...you get the point. I also know exactly what I want to do in life, because even though our society is becoming much more tattoo friendly, let's be real, people judge based on  preconceived notions of tattooed folks.

I have been around and befriended by both moderately and heavily tattooed individuals and each one has given me their own little piece of the tattoo secret, but the best advice was most definitely given by Mrs. Hampton herself! Don't start off visible, especially if you're like me and don't respond so well to old lady jibes, being touched by strangers and/or hearing people's tattoo life stories (ugh)! Start with a piece somewhere where you can choose if another person sees it and get your feet wet every now and again..then tattoo your face....jussstttt kiiidddiiinngggg. Also, if people tell you a tattoo doesn't hurt...ask them how Gepetto is doing, because they're lying to you. Granted, some places hurt more than others (back of your thigh for one), but it all hurts to some extent. I mean think of the process...OUCH.

One of the hardest parts of the (large) tattoo territory for me has been the session situation. The line work was a 4.5 hr sitting and now just a piece of the framework and some shading took 3 hrs. I was under the impression that this was going to take just a mere two sessions and then TADA tattoo! Not the case. My artist informed me that I probably have another 6-7 hrs to go...oh ,discouraged! Once I had moved through the major disappointment I was seriously overcome with such gratitude. The guy really cares and isn't half-assing anything. Good artist who takes care and time = a good tattoo worth your care and time!

Last but not least here are a few things that got me through the process and pain:

1.  EAT and eat well i.e protein, carbs and some healthy sugars. Even if you are nervous and think you might throw up.

2.  When it hurts concentrate on breathing. Yoga style. Totally works and I don't budge an inch (I was told I sit like an angel)!

3.  If you  watch it actually becomes really intriguing and really takes your mind off what is actually happening.

4. If your BFF is a new mommy...BRING HER, because if you aren't discussing breast milk and mangoes while you're under the needle you aren't really living!

Guest Post: Casey Wiegand

Hi, My name is Casey Wiegand and I am a freelance artist, wife and mama. I love painting and sharing our life through my blog ...where you can expect pieces of my perspective on life, faith, kids, marriage, with touches of art, creative inspiration, projects and things I love along the way. I have two littles ones in the hopes of lots more and am married to the love of my life!

Any C-section mamas out there? Any of you look at/see/ notice your scars everytime you are getting ready/ showering, etc?

Well, I do.

I love my scar. I love what it represents.

I love that long after my children are grown, I will still have my scar from my 2 previous c-sections (and however many more). I love that it is a daily reminder to me of the 2 little lives I have to take care of & think about.

Scars represent beautiful things. They make us who we are.

What about our emotional scars? We all have them. Some run deeper than others...some change us for better and some create walls in us.

Our scars make us who we are, don't they?

When I started blogging 6 months ago it was because I found this quote:

"I find beauty in not only the beautiful things in life, but the bittersweet and sad as well. To me, there is something poignantly lovely about the human experience from its splendor to its grief. God created all our emotions, not just the happy ones, and for His good purposes. That's why a good cry can feel so good. And hitting our limits forces us to look outside ourselves for a Savior. It is in the plea, when we're at our end, that we can find that which is truly life-giving. Personally, my moments of deepest grief, deepest pain, have resulted in the most beautiful seasons in my heart. I've met God more intimately in those moments than in all the other pleasant ones combined. What isn't completely lovely about that?" 

(Leslie, top of the page).

I was going through a hard time and something about this quote gave me hope. And peace. And then the entire blogging experience and community pulled me out. Into a better place. 

Now...just 6 months later, here I am embracing the scars... letting my hurt make me lovely.

I realized something along the way. I am better off with my hurt. My past. Embracing all that has happened and allowing it to make me a better me :)

Guest Post: Chelsey from The Paper Mama

Hello Sometimes Sweet readers! I was so very happy (and flattered) when Danielle asked if I'd like to write a guest post while she's off on a little vacation. Of course I'd do it! I'd love to.

If you've ever wandered over to my blog you may have seen a few of my hair tutorials. I'm no hair stylist (that's for sure)... BUT, I do love pretty hair, and WANT pretty hair! That's why I experiment. I see a cute hairstyle... and I have to try it! So, today I'm going to share my Sock Bun hair experiment... It's pretty dang easy and turns out pretty darn cute! I originally found this tutorial while wondering around Pinterest... the original tutorial comes from here.

My hair is naturally VERY straight and pretty thin, so getting a nice thick bun is a bit of a challenge. My buns are always so tiny (hee). My hair also has a mind of it's own. It knows it's super straight and it likes to stay that way. It always sneaks out of hair ties and pins. Naughty.

What you'll need:
- Two hair ties
- Many bobby pins
- 1 sock you don't care cutting up (yes, a sock).
- Scissors
- Hair spray

First: Take the sock you have chosen to sacrifice for this hairstyle and cut off the toe end (I promise the sock wont feel a thing). I recommend a clean sock (;D) and maybe a sock color that is similar to your hair... I went with white and noticed parts of the sock peaking through at the end. Roll your sock into itself so it sort of looks like a tasty sock doughnut.

Second: Using one of your hair ties... pull your hair back into a ponytail. I made a side ponytail.... wherever you place your pony is where the bun will be. Choose wisely. ;)

Third: Take your sock doughnut creation and pull your ponytail through the hole.

Fourth: Evenly pull your ponytail up and around the entire sock doughnut towards your head. This should cover the sock.

Fifth: Put your second hair tie over the doughnut and your hair.

Sixth: Pin the excess hair around the hair tie... and, use hair spray if you need it. I certainly did. I used MANY bobby pins and hairspray.

Seventh: Have a glass of wine because there's an old sock in your hair! Ha! Those were in the original directions. :) It may be the most important step.

And, that's it! I always ask my readers to let me know if they try my hairstyle... I love to see if it works for them too! Happy hair styling! And, thank you Danielle for inviting me into your cozy and sweet bloggy home.

Tattoo Tuesday V.80

Name/Blog name: Nancy Lili of The Monster's Flashlight

Age: 21

Occupation: I copyedit a bi-weekly art e-journal, "...might be good" . I also run a fun side blog about Austin, Texas with my friend, but that doesn't really bring in money , and I pick up technical writing gigs whenever I'm dead broke, which is often. What else? (I work a lot.) Oh, I just finished organizing this poetry conference for Latinas and I write book reviews for The Rumpus . I'm also going to start being a teacher's assistant at my university pretty soon.

Age of first tattoo: 18, my 18th birthday. I probably would have waited a few more days to get the exact same tattoo-- something I'd always wanted-- but I was angry at my dad for some reason, and I thought a tattoo was the perfect way to get revenge. (I was young and dumb.) Somehow the anger gave me the balls to go through with it. It was a small tattoo of a Scorpion on my right foot because, you guessed it, I'm a Scorpio. I am the definition of a Scorpio.

Favorite tattoo: I honestly never even think of my tattoos after they're on my skin. I love each one, but there's no way I could think of which one would be my favorite. I've tried choosing, but I can't.

Featured tattoo/location: A woman holding a bird with two pairs of birds flying away, and it's on the inside of my left arm.

Artist/shop of featured tattoo: All of my tattoos have been done by Lupio at Blindside Tattoos in Austin, Texas.

1) Tell us about your featured tattoo- is there a background story or special meaning? Why did you choose this particular piece of art?  

 First I thought I wanted to get a tattoo of a flock of birds. This is around the time I was reading and re-reading "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer, and there was a passage in the story where an old man hears the flutter of wings again for the first time in a long time. I cried when I read it. There was something so infinite and passionate about it. To me, that passage and the flock of birds represented a new beginning, a love of beauty, a love of the little things in life, as well as a little something about the continuation of life, about migrating and moving. I eventually decided a flock of birds was too American Eagle for me. Somehow I decided to incorporate my mom into the tattoo-- my mom's the lady-- and it became about moving on in life, but forever remaining with love.

2) Do you have any other tattoos?  If so, what do you have and where?

I have a cathedral on the outside of my left arm. It's of a sketch by David Fullarton. That tattoo is about apathy of beauty-- somewhat contradicts the bird/lady tattoo, but I liked that. That contradiction is a bit like life. I also like that it looks like the birds from the bird/lady tattoo are going to fly over the side of the cathedral. (This is the tattoo that forces complete strangers to stop and talk to me.)

On the back of my left arm is an anchor with the word "without" running across a scroll on it, it's of a print work by my dear friend and artist, Cassandra Warren. To me, this tattoo is about not having a home, not calling any one place home. It's also a little bit about heart break. When I saw the print Cassandra had made of the anchor, I knew instantly that I needed it on my skin. It spoke to me. I love it a lot, but I'm always bummed when I realize it's difficult for me to see. I love being able to look at my tattoos whenever I want, and this one is tricky for me. Unfortunately, this is the tattoo I forget I have the most often.

On my shoulder, I have an outline of an elephant in orange. My best-friend from high school and I got matching tattoos. I think it's a cute and fun tattoo. I love that it's all in orange, and that most people don't think it's real or realize I have it. However, about a month after getting this tattoo with my friend, we completely lost contact with each other. Nothing went wrong.. We didn't grow apart or anything. We just separated. I blame the tattoo.

I also have a sailor-esque tattoo on my right thigh that says "read or die." It's my only joke tattoo. I got the idea from a pseudo-tattoo that was being sold in a toy store. When I told my tattoo artist I wanted it, he kept drawing really elaborate hearts and scrolls with really fancy fonts-- all of them beautiful. It took some serious convincing for him to give me a rough, quick-looking tattoo. I figured, since it's a joke, I didn't really want anyone to look at a beautiful tattoo and think I was serious about what it says. Yes, I support reading, but there's no way that if you don't read you'll die. The logic of the tattoo is warped. Plus, it's the opposite of tough, but still tough. 

3) Do you plan on getting more?  

I do want more! Only two or three more, but I need to stew on what I'd get and what it would look like a bit more. I don't want to jump in to anything. I'm pretty set on getting some word or phrase in the Goosebumps font and I'm also pretty set on getting something on my left thigh, but those are all the specifics I have right now.

4) How do your family and friends feel about your tattoo(s)?  Have you run into any adversity or negativity because of them? 

All of my friends are fine tattoos and have tattoos as well. I live in Austin, Texas. Even our doctors and professors have tattoos. It's no big deal. If I'm in another city-- or worse, another country!-- then I get side-eyed and rude comments about how I'd be prettier without tattoos, but it's always the typical stuff, and it doesn't bother me. I've never had a work problem with my tattoos or anything. I usually try to hide them until it slips beneath a sleeve or something, and then everyone in the office finds out, and I'm told to not hide my tattoos.

My parents, however, are from ol'-timey Mexico. I knew they'd be upset that I had tattoos, so I didn't tell them for two years. I just hid them all the time. (It was easier to do than I thought.) I finally told my mom because I was going to wear a strapless dress at a family wedding and she was going to see it. It broke her heart. She was heavily depressed for at least a month. She thought she failed at raising me. She wouldn't look at me. She said she had no reason left to live since she failed me so badly. There was no talking her out of it. She still winces when she sees any of my tattoos and asks me to cover them up.

I never told my dad I had tattoos. Once my mom knew, I stopped trying to hide them. About a year after I stopped hiding them-- and my mom didn't tell him anything because if I was going to get in trouble, then I deserved it-- my dad asked what I had on the inside of my arm and if it was a bruise. I showed him. He looked at it. Didn't say anything. Frowned. Later, this is when I had half inch plugs, he asked me when I got plugs; I told him I'd had them since I was fourteen. He couldn't believe it. (I was twenty at this point.) He was shocked. Then, he didn't say anything about the plugs, but he said, "I don't like your tattoos." And that was it.

5) Any advice for those interested in getting tattooed but haven't gotten one yet?
  
Don't get "wall art." Don't steal anyone's tattoo from the internet. That's just wrong. Also, be sure to do your research on several different tattoo artists. Know their work well. Don't let just anyone tattoo you. Also, I know it sucks to wait until you're 18, but wait until you are 18 and get a legal tattoo. If you're younger, you may not know this or realize this, but you are more dumb. You'll probably regret whatever your younger, dumber self chose for a tattoo. (My first tattoo offer was when I was 15. Some friend of friend had made his own tattoo gun. I was going to get a skull with a bow on top right above my pubes. I am forever grateful I didn't go threw with that.)