March Favorites

March 31, 2017 by Angie Leave a Comment

Aaaaaand another month has flown by… Tomorrow it’s April-one of my most favorite months! My birthday month! But for now, it’s still March, and it’s time to share my March favorites with you. Are you ready?

This post does contain a few affiliate links (not all links are) and if you purchase something through one of my affiliate links I may receive a small compensation at no cost to you. This helps me keep the blog up and running. Thank you!

March Favorites in Fashion

Ponte Military Jacket from Torrid

After obsessing about this jacket/blazer for weeks I finally broke down and bought it. I’m wearing it right now as I write about it and it’s seriously love… It’s so flattering, stretchy, and it can be casual or business-y. I really dig it.

Heart Sweater Patches DIY from The Perfect Storm

Aren’t these heart elbow patches just the cutest thing? The best thing? It’s a pretty simple DIY from Hannah and Sara over at The Perfect Storm. Wear your heart on your sleeve… I love it.

Weekend Mood: Not So Basic from Happy. Pretty. Sweet.

Isn’t this outfit adorable? I just love the outfits that Ashley puts together, and she takes such pretty photos of them too! Love it.

Turquoise Boho Leaf Earrings from Gypsy Moon Designs

Aren’t these gorgeous? Of course they popped up in my recommended list on Etsy and now I want them… lol

Cactus Phone Case from Dessi Designs

Also, because I’m a sucker for anything succulents… I need this one too. Also an Etsy recommendation. Haha. They know me so well…

March Favorites in Home & Garden

How To Create A Gallery Wall from Coffee with Summer

I’ve always loved the gallery wall look, and definitely want to do one in my home soon. Summer’s tutorial was great, and her wall looks wonderful.

From Grass To Garden Presenting… “The Potager” from House and Bloom

Doesn’t this look lovely? If I had the funds this would be 100% what I did in my back yard right now. Sooooo cute.

How to Make a Fairy Garden Terrarium from Living La Vida Holoka

Jessica always has the best DIYs, and this Fairy Garden Terrarium is another perfect one pulled off. I love it! It’s so cute, and what a fun Spring gift or decor idea.

Ceramic Ghosts Salt and Pepper Shakers from Barruntando

Another Etsy rec that hit the mark… I know Halloween is like… Over 6 months away, but for me? All day every day. Halloween is in my soul.

3 Pack of Braided Lightning Cables via Amazon

This is the second time I’ve ordered one of these braided cord packs with a 3, 6, and 10 foot cords. I LOVE them. I swear they charge faster (something about the braided style maybe?) and that 10-foot cord really solves a lot of problems around my house-which has a ton of plugs, but none right where I need them.

March Favorites in Food

The Cucumber Song from Macka B

Oh my goodness, I’m kind of obsessed with this. Yes, I downloaded it on iTunes even… Haha. He has a lot of other songs about eating healthy, exercizing, and being vegan-but none quite as good as this one. CUCUMBA!

Coconut-Lime White Chocolate Chip Cookies from Grab a Plate

Oh my goodness, these look AH-Mazing. I love anything lime… and anything coconut… So yeah, everything about this sounds like perfection to me.

Easter Bunny Butt Cheesecake from Just Plum Crazy

Isn’t this the cutest? I so want to make it for my family’s Easter gathering! YUM!

Beauty and the Beast Cupcakes from Balancing Motherhood

Belle has always been my favorite princess, so I love these! The post also includes a cookie treat too.

Goetze’s Caramel Creams

I’ve been obsessed with these lately… I mean, I have some Girl Scout cookies at home and I still left to get these instead… They’re SO good. Unfortunately, I can only find them at Big Lots right now, and that’s not that close to me… Probably for the better.

March Favorites in Planners

To The Moon Planner Kit from Nicolette Amour Design

This is soooo cute. I think I’m going to have to order it.

Free Printable Planner Pages from Pink Hexagon

I’m LOVING Kimi’s new site Pink Hexagon. This blog post is all about the realities of being an entrepreneur and how important productivity is. It also has some adorable printable planner pages!

Curvy Girl Planner Stickers from Miss Moss Gifts

You’ve already seen me touting these-aren’t they darling? She had her husband create them, and he’s an artist that used to work for Disney, no wonder they’re so dang cute. She also has other options for skin tone too, which is great.

Wild Things Decorating Kit from Planner Penny

Another adorable planner kit I may need to order…

Knock Knock Plumb Notebooks Stack Book via Amazon

After much obsession, and weeks of searching, this is the notebook I finally settled on to start my BuJo. I love that it lays flat, has rough edges, and feels more like an art journal than a notebook. I’ll let you know how it goes soon. 🙂 (FYI, it seems to be sold out on Amazon, but I picked mine up in-store at Paper Source)

New Planner Washi Box By Recollections from Michaels

I’ve been on the look out for this box of Washi since it started showing up in my planner groups. All of this? Only $10. Such a deal!

Unicorn Sticker Book By Recollections™ via Michaels

I picked this up a little while ago and it is SO cute. I like the food one a little better, but this one is great also. So much fun!

Other March Favorites

Honk if You Love Yourself from Uncustomary

I love Mary’s blog. She’s always so positive and upbeat and she’s all about that self-love. She actually stood outside with a sign telling people to honk if they loved themselves. How great is that?

Cosplay: Winter Belle from Kyla is Inspired

Holy Guacamole, is this the prettiest cosplay you’ve seen in a while or what? AMAZING. It’s just beautiful, and of course she looks GORGEOUS. Also, you should definitely be impressed-she MADE THAT. I wish I had some of her skill!

How Painting Can Eliminate Stress and Anxiety from The Wonder Forest

The Wonder Forest is a blog I’ve loved for as long as I can remember. Dana is so talented, and she’s super multi-talented too. One of her skills is painting, and she often offers tutorials for watercolor techniques and different things. This post about how painting helps with stress and anxiety is spot on-I need to get back to my art.

Five Top Tips for Launching an Etsy Shop from Oak and Oats

You know how I feel about small handmade businesses right? Oh yeah, and I’m an Etsy affiliate… So launch that Etsy shop and then send me a link so I can favorite you, follow along, and promote you here on the blog. 😀

Gold Coast Mansions from Musings of a Museum Fanatic

I love following Betsy’s adventures in Chicago, and it was super cool to take a peak at some of these fancy mansions too. So fun!

10 Easy Ways to Win at Thrifting from Writing in Red Lipstick

Jess is another one of my favorites, and I love a lot of what she posts. She and I share a love of thrifting-though I’m not nearly as experienced as she is at it-so it’s great when she shares her skills like in this post. I’m going to have to go thrifting again soon!

What were your March favorites?

Angie

Angie is a coffee-fueled writer, artist-wanna-be, and over-worker who currently resides in a tiny fixer-upper near Salt Lake City with her boyfriend and 70lb rescue pittie. She works full time in Customer Service/Computers, part-time in retail and fashion, goes to school part-time on and off, maintains this and another couple of blogs, as well as volunteers with rescue dogs. In her free time, what little of it there is, she likes to read, play nerd games, craft and create art, and spend time with all of the awesome people in her life.

http://www.mysocalledchaos.com

Holiday Advertising & Promotion + An Ad Giveaway!

November 15, 2016 by Angie Leave a Comment

Hey friends! It’s that time of year again… The time where everyone is getting their holiday lists in order and prepping for perfect gift-giving. This also means that it’s a great time to advertise your shop, small business, or blog on other blogs! As always, I’ve decided to offer holiday advertising, and plan on doing lots of great promotion, gift guides, and more over the next month and a half. So today I want to put out a call for Holiday ads, offer a discount, and share another option or two for your holiday promotion needs.

Let me help you this holiday season! I want to promote other bloggers, small businesses, and especially handmade businesses for the holidays. I’m gearing up to start posting a TON of gift guides, holiday recommendations, and more. Plus, my promotion of my blog posts doubles over the next couple of months and there are lots of opportunities to get noticed.

Holiday Advertising Banners & Offerings

As always, I have a nice variety of prices and sizes available for every budget. All of these ads will start as soon as you are approved and make payment, and they will run all the way through the end of January. That’s right, these prices are for 2+ months of advertising. I want to keep up the attention coming your way after the holidays too! Here’s the breakdown of what each of them offer:

The Tree Topper – 400×500 – $60 – Filled

This is my featured ad, and it will sit large and in charge at the top of my Holiday Advertising section of my sidebar. It’s a striking 400px wide by 500px tall-so it’ll definitely top off the ads and make you the largest and most noticeable. It also comes with the most options for promotion. Since this is the featured advertising spot, there is only one available-if you want it claim it fast!

Tree Topper Inclusions

400×500 Featured Banner Ad (Only 1 available!)
Free Banner Design – Don’t have an ad? I’ll make you one for free!
Guest Post Option
Featured Interview/Post
Your Content Featured
- Bloggers: At least one post of yours linked to/featured in my Monthly Coffee post (& other mentions/links when natural)
- Shops/Business: At least one product featured in a gift guide and/or my Monthly Favorites (& other mentions/links when natural)
Individual Giveaway Option
2 FREE links in the Monthly Group Giveaways
A full feature in my monthly newsletter
TONS of Social Media Love
- 5+ pins pinned to my Pinterest boards from your content/items/etc. weekly
- 3+ tweets tweeted to my Twitter followers about you/your content/items/etc. weekly
- 1+ Facebook post/share promoting your content/items/etc. weekly
- 1+ Google+ share/feature promoting your content/items/etc. weekly
- 3+ Stumbles to my StumbleUpon from your content weekly

The Ornaments – 400×300 – $40 – 3 AVAILABLE!

These are the next size down from my featured ad, and they’ll show directly below the ad on my sidebar. There will only be three of them, filled on a first-come first-serve basis. They’re large, and show off a lot of ad-so great!

Ornaments Inclusions

400×300 Banner Ad (Only 3 Available)
Free Banner Design
Individual Giveaway Options
1 Free Link in the Group Giveaway
Option to Guest Post or do a Featured Interview
Your Content Featured
- Bloggers: At least one post of yours linked to/featured in my Monthly Coffee post (& other mentions/links when natural)
- Shops/Business: At least one product featured in a gift guide and/or my Monthly Favorites (& other mentions/links when natural)
TONS of Social Media Love
- 3+ pins pinned to my Pinterest boards from your content/items/etc. weekly
- 2+ tweets tweeted to my Twitter followers about you/your content/items/etc. weekly
- 2+ Facebook post/share promoting your content/items/etc. monthly
- 1+ Google+ share/feature promoting your content/items/etc. weekly
- 3+ Stumbles to my StumbleUpon from your content weekly

The Lights – 400×150 – $25 – 4 Left!

Just below the Ornaments sit five little spots for the lights on the tree that is my holiday advertising. These are smaller, but still have a good bit of inclusions for what you receive!

Lights Inclusions

400×150 Banner Ad (Only 5 Available)
Free Banner Design
Individual Giveaway Option
1 Free Link in the Group Giveaway
Your Content Featured
- Bloggers: At least one post of yours linked to/featured in my Monthly Coffee post (& other mentions/links when natural)
- Shops/Business: At least one product featured in a gift guide and/or my Monthly Favorites (& other mentions/links when natural)
TONS of Social Media Love
- 2+ pins pinned to my Pinterest boards from your content/items/etc. weekly
- 1+ tweets tweeted to my Twitter followers about you/your content/items/etc. weekly
- 1+ Facebook post/share promoting your content/items/etc. monthly
- 1+ Google+ share/feature promoting your content/items/etc. monthly
- 2+ Stumbles to my StumbleUpon from your content weekly

The Snowflakes – 125×125 – $10 – 9 AVAILABLE!

For the most affordable and least frills option, I have adorable little 125×125 ads available.

Lights Inclusions

125×125 Banner Ad (Only 9 Available)
Free Banner Design
Social Media Love
- 1+ pins pinned to my Pinterest boards from your content/items/etc. monthly
- 1+ tweets tweeted to my Twitter followers about you/your content/items/etc. monthly
- 1+ Facebook post/share promoting your content/items/etc. monthly
- 1+ Google+ share/feature promoting your content/items/etc. monthly
- 1+ Stumbles to my StumbleUpon from your content monthly

Examples & Explanations of My Offerings

Now you’ve seen what I’ve offered, but you might be wondering what they are or what they’ll look like. I wanted to provide you a few good examples of each of the offerings so you are aware of what plan you want and what options you’d like to do.

Free Banner Design

If you’d like an ad design, I can use your own logo, or use some pretty fonts to come up with something great. It can be simple, it can be more extensive, but either way I’ll make something great that shows off who you are and what people can expect. Here are a few I created recently:

Individual Giveaways

An individual giveaway is a giveaway you run on my blog. You donate the prize, but I put together the post and the rafflecopter, and I promote it like any other post on my blog. This will be combined with your feature interview/guest post/etc. See examples of this in the post sections below…

Featured Interviews

In a Featured Interview, I ask you some great get-to-know-you questions and you answer. I then publish the interview, along with any accompanying links/photos/etc. as a better way for my readers to get to know you. Your interview can be combined with a giveaway.

Example of a Featured Interview: Meet Mandi of Nosh & Nurture
Example of a Featured Interview with a Giveaway: Meet Tara of Starletta Designs + Enter to Win a Druzy Teardrop Necklace

Featured Posts and/or Reviews

A featured post is one where I can write about you without interviewing you. I do my research, I read your About page, check out your blog/shop and get to know you better. Then, I share what I’ve learned and read about you with my readers along with photos/products/links/etc. If you opt for a review, I can also review something from your shop/business in this post. Your review/feature can be combined with a giveaway.

Example of Featured Post/Review: Createluv Bringing the Love + A Coupon
Example of Featured Post/Review with Giveaway: Personal Decor with the Polabora Vintage Box + A Retro Print Giveaway

Guest Posts

A guest post is where you write up a post and I publish it on my blog and promote it for you. You get all the credit and it shows my readers a little of what they can expect if they decide to follow you. Your Guest Post can be combined with a giveaway.

Example of a Guest Post: Preparing for Thanksgiving + Spinach, Bacon, and Apple Stuffed Turkey Recipe
Example of a Guest Post with Giveaway: 7 Date Night Ideas for When it’s Too Cold + a $25 Fandango Gift Card Giveaway

Group Giveaways

Every month I do a fantastic group giveaway that is open to people other than just my sponsors to sign up and collaborate. However, my sponsors get a discounted rate and free links in the giveaway. It pays to be a sponsor! These tend to get pretty good attention.

Examples of Group Giveaways:

Mentions/Content Features

I definitely want to showcase you further than just the above-so I’ll make sure to mention you and link to your content throughout the month where it’s natural. At the very least, you’ll get a feature in either my Monthly Coffee/Favorites post at the end of the month, or in a gift guide.

Examples of Previous Monthly Coffee/Favorites Posts:

Examples of Previous Gift Guides:

How to Claim A Banner Ad

Many of you may know that I switched away from Passionfruit Ads due to all the scandal and deception that came about with it. I’ve tried a few other advertising options to replace it, but nothing seems to make the cut. So I’ve decided to go ahead and handle all of my ads manually. This means applications for ads, payments via Paypal invoicing, and manually putting the ads up the sidebar and scheduling. No big deal, a little extra work, but at least I know that neither myself nor my advertisers will be taken advantage of… Passionfruit ads didn’t pay me for 6 months.

Apply for Holiday Advertising

In order to claim your ad, you’ll need to fill out THIS FORM.

Ads are on a first come, first serve basis and once they fill up they will no longer be available. I’ll try to update this as frequently as possible to show what has been claimed, but please be patient or have a backup size or two you’re willing to claim in case the spots have been filled in your first choice. I’ll let you know within 72 hours if your ad is accepted, and I’ll send you another form gathering information so I can support you to the fullest over the next few months.

Holiday Advertising Discounts

Hey, hey, hey, who doesn’t like a deal? Here’s a couple for you!

Return Advertisers

Have you advertised with me before? Anytime? I like to offer my advertisers a discount for return business, so anyone who has previous advertised with me will get 25% off their holiday ads!

New Advertisers

Don’t despair if you haven’t advertised with me before. I like you too. Any new advertiser that signs up with me before December 1st will get a 10% discount!

Holiday Advertising Giveaway

Oh, and because I also love you all so much, I’m going to give away FOUR of my limited ads FREE! I’ll give three lucky potential advertisers a free ad spot. Up for grabs we have one Lights spot and all that it entails, and three Snowflakes ad spots and their offerings. Don’t let that stop you from grabbing up a better ad now if you want it. If you win, I’ll reimburse you the amount of the spot you won. 🙂

The giveaway runs from 12PM on November 15th to 12AM on November 22nd. 1 Week only. It’s open worldwide, and entering below agrees to all the terms and conditions within the Rafflecopter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Angie

http://www.mysocalledchaos.com

November Goals – The Monthly Goals

November 1, 2016 by Angie 2 Comments

Holy cow. Raise your hand if you’re not ready for it to be the last two months of the year… Or maybe, raise your hand if you most definitely are… I know I’m not the only one who feels like 2016 has been a little rocky-and man-October was the worst of it for me! What a rough month. I’m so ready for it to be November, and to set some November goals.

October Recap

Before anything, let’s talk about how we did in October…

Home Goals

Finish organizing the garage/making room for stuff from my grandparent’s house – In Progress (I’ve done a LOT, but not all)
Move all of the stuff from my grandparents’ that I’m taking to my house – In Progress (Again, most, but not all)
Get the house cleaned up/organized so everything will fit – In Progress (Most, not all)
Get the bedroom organized FAIL
Set up the new TV downstairs FAIL
~~Help the roommate look for a new apartment~~ SUCCESS! I found him one and he’s been there a few weeks
Get caught up on laundry FAIL
~~Sell more clothes~~ SUCCESS

Blog Goals

Plan out the monthly giveaways for the rest of the year FAIL
Figure out my holiday sponsorship program FAIL
Get my pages and sidebar updated FAIL
Finish up some posts that have been sitting in draft for a while FAIL
Finish up some Grow Your Blog group tasks FAIL
Switch Page a Vu back to a free platform FAIL
Write up my backlog of book reviews for Page a Vu FAIL

Other Goals

Put together a budget and stick to it FAIL
~~Get some debt paid off~~ SUCCESS! 1 credit card down…
Start meal planning and cooking more FAIL
~~Find more vendors for our Holiday Boutique~~ SUCCESS!
Get the holiday boutique all planned out and put together In Progress

October: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

October was a rough one. Aside from working two jobs and never getting enough sleep, I’ve been working to get my grandmother’s house taken care of before they lose it. This not only means going over and going through 30 years worth of stuff, but getting my house/garage ready to take what I can. I also had a TON of social engagements this month, and a couple of huge issues come up that I’m not ready to talk about publicly. It’s just been rough, and it’s left me feeling more exhausted than ever and my anxiety is on high levels.

There were some good things though. I spent some good quality time with friends, and Josh was in town which was fantastic. He even helped me at on by fixing my kitchen sink (which decided to completely stop draining and no amount of drain cleaner or taking it apart by myself did any good) and cleaning my kitchen. He also cooked us homemade Mac n’ Cheese. Man I love my friend!

November Goals

I need to find some time this month to figure some things out… I need to figure out if I can continue on with my second job or if I can afford not to have it. I love it, but it stresses me out and it takes away from my ability to do some other important things in my life. But, now more than ever, I really need the money… It’s a tough call.

Home Goals

Finish moving the important stuff from my grandparents’ house to mine
Get caught up on laundry
Clean up the bedroom and set up the bedroom TV
Get the second bedroom/office situated
Decorate for the Holidays (if I don’t do it early, it wont happen.)

Blog Goals

Write more meaningful posts for the blog
Put together some great gift guides
Figure out my 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways
Plan out November & December’s Huge Group Giveaways
Get my pages and sidebar updated
Figure out what I’m doing with all other blogs/sites

Other Goals

Have a successful Holiday Boutique
Figure out Holiday gifts
Figure out how to fix this “too busy” thing I have going on
Get enrolled for new healthcare/benefits at work
Get my finances/budget under control

What are your November Goals?

Join Us for the Monthly Goals

How to Play Along:

Follow your hosts My So-Called Chaos and A Peek at Karen’s World in some way to keep up with these linkies.
Write up a post about your goals for the month.
Include the button (below) or a link back to my post or Karen’s.
Link up in the linky below.
- The linky goes live on the first of each month and is open all month so link up at any time.
- Only posts talking about your goals (in whatever format you like) can be linked up.
- Posts that don’t link back or contain the button will be removed.
Visit other people in the linky and lave encouragement and support!

Link-Up

Angie

http://www.mysocalledchaos.com

Having a Self-Hosted Blog: A Few of the Advantages

October 25, 2016 by Angie Leave a Comment

If you’re still using free content distribution platforms like WordPress.com (not to be mistaken with WordPress.org) or Medium, there is no better time to start considering self-hosted blogging than today. There are just too many advantages to gain when you switch to a self-hosted blog. We are going to review some of them in this post.

Freedom

You can’t help but notice a few – well, a lot of – restrictions when you use platforms like WordPress.com. For starters, you will see a series of ads and suggested posts from other blogs at the end of your post. Instead of directing visitors to other articles you have written, you can’t do anything but watch as your visitors leave to other sites.

With a self-hosted blog, these restrictions are no longer there. You are free to determine what to show your visitors. You can choose to promote your own posts or even sell spots to other blogs looking for opportunities to promote their sites.

Ads are also free to use. While you can’t place your own ads on free blogging services – and can only rely on a very small portion of the platform’s ad revenue – you can do anything from place AdWords ads to connect with brands and working directly with them.

Are you considering hosting your own blog? Here are a few advantages to consider…

TWEET IT

Better User Experience

User experience is one of the key factors to keep in mind when you’re trying to develop a blog. Users are pickier and are actively looking for a good experience when browsing the internet. Search engines are taking UX into consideration too. The best way to provide a better user experience is by taking control over all the elements. This means moving to a self-hosted blog using hosting services such as Certa Hosting.

With a hosting account, you don’t have to worry about adding your own theme or customizing the entire blog to your liking. Maintaining a consistent navigation, creating a responsive layout that works and even delivering custom web elements to visitors’ screen can all be done easily and without restriction.

Pay as You Grow

The best thing about using a hosting service to host your own blog (or several blogs) is that you can now find service packages that suit your needs and requirements perfectly. There is no need to overpay to get features you don’t really need either.

As the blog grows and you attract more visitors, you can easily expand the hosting account by adding more storage, more bandwidth and other features you may need. You can also keep your costs at a minimum, paying only for the storage space and features you need at the beginning.

Combined with the fact that you can use your own domain name and venture deeper into SEO and other internet marketing tricks, you’ll see that self-hosting your blog is a valuable move to consider. There are still so many other benefits to enjoy from self-hosting your own blog, but the three we discussed in this article alone should be enough to convince you to go out and find a hosting service for your blog today.

Do you have a self-hosted blog?

Don’t forget to read more of my informational posts on blogging in my Better Your Blog series.

This post contains affiliate links. Thanks so much for supporting my blog, it’s appreciated!

Angie

http://www.mysocalledchaos.com

October Goals – The Monthly Goals Linky Party

October 4, 2016 by Angie 2 Comments

Hello October! I know, I’m super late for the October Goals linky party, can you forgive me? I was down with BOTH types of the flu this weekend, which is pure torture, all while still working two jobs and trying to help my grandmother move out of her home. It’s been crazy. But trust me, I wouldn’t want to miss the October Goals linky party! It’s one of my favorites. 🙂

Recap of September’s Goals

Home Goals

~~Clean the Kitchen~~ – SUCCESS!
Clean the Living Room – FAIL
Set up a workspace in the living room – FAIL
Clean up my bedroom – FAIL
Set up new TV in bedroom – FAIL
Get the yard semi-under control- FAIL
~~Sort out some things for yard sale and possibly have yard sale late Sept or early Oct~~ – SUCCESS!
Get caught up on laundry – FAIL
~~Sell some more clothes~~ – SUCCESS!

Blog Goals

Get my pages and sidebar updated – FAIL
Finish up my new sponsorship program and get it running right – FAIL
Plan out the next three months of group giveaways – FAIL
~~Get back to a regular posting schedule with quality content~~ – SUCCESS!
~~Get the Grow Your Blog Facebook Group all caught up and running well~~ – SUCCESS!
~~Figure out what we’re doing with Page a Vu and Chaotic Goddess Swaps~~ – SUCCESS! (More to come on that later…)

Other Goals

Put together a budget and start working to stick to it – FAIL
Start meal planning and get back to cooking more – FAIL
~~Go to Peach Days with my friends~~ – SUCCESS!
~~See my family~~ – SUCCESS!
~~Get Bubba in to the vet~~ – SUCCESS!
Get a mani/pedi – FAIL
Figure out my next hair plan – FAIL I have no idea what to do…

Well I certainly didn’t have as much success as I’d planned to last month, did I? A lot of that is because life threw some crazy stuff my way which totally derailed some plans, but also got some plans back on track.

What Happened in September?

We found out that my grandparents are losing their home (more on that in a later post) and that they had to be out by October 4th (hey that’s today!), so we had to drop most of everything and spend as much time frantically sorting through her house to save anything that was valuable and/or meaningful. This also meant that I had to mad-rush to get my house in a position where I could move a lot of that stuff to my place-a lot of big stuff. I’m taking home various furniture like the cherry wood china hutch with all the family china, my cedar chest, blankets made my great great grandparents, a million totes filled with family photos, and so much more. I’m also getting my grandmother’s kiln and ceramics supplies.

So I did manage to spend quite a few evenings working on my garage which checked that off the list, but my house got even more messy (thus the living room didn’t get cleaned fully) as I brought load after load home from grandma’s… I also made myself very sick from burning at both ends so long and so hard… There’s still so much to do, but at least the bank gave them another month so I can breathe for a moment.

October Goals

October is one of my favorite months, so you can bet there is a TON going on this month-which is both good and bad. Lots of fun stuff happening, lots of not-so-fun stuff.

Home Goals

Finish organizing the garage/making room for stuff from my grandparent’s house
Move all of the stuff from my grandparents’ that I’m taking to my house
Get the house cleaned up/organized so everything will fit
Get the bedroom organized
Set up the new TV downstairs
Help the roommate look for a new apartment
Get caught up on laundry
Sell more clothes

Blog Goals

Plan out the monthly giveaways for the rest of the year
Figure out my holiday sponsorship program
Get my pages and sidebar updated
Finish up some posts that have been sitting in draft for a while
Finish up some Grow Your Blog group tasks
Switch Page a Vu back to a free platform
Write up my backlog of book reviews for Page a Vu

Other Goals

Put together a budget and stick to it
Get some debt paid off
Start meal planning and cooking more
Find more vendors for our Holiday Boutique (if you’re local to Utah and a small-business owner let me know!)
Get the holiday boutique all planned out and put together

What are your October Goals?

Join Us for the Monthly Goals

How to Play Along:

Follow your hosts My So-Called Chaos and A Peek at Karen’s World in some way to keep up with these linkies.
Write up a post about your goals for the month.
Include the button (below) or a link back to my post or Karen’s.
Link up in the linky below.
- The linky goes live on the first of each month and is open all month so link up at any time.
- Only posts talking about your goals (in whatever format you like) can be linked up.
- Posts that don’t link back or contain the button will be removed.
Visit other people in the linky and lave encouragement and support!

Link-Up

Angie

http://www.mysocalledchaos.com

September Favorites & Monthly Coffee

September 29, 2016 by Angie Leave a Comment

Oh September as come and nearly gone, and it’s time to talk about our September favorites and share our most-loved blog posts from other bloggers in the Monthly Coffee linky party. Are you ready? I’m very nearly not… Except I don’t mourn September flying by so quickly when I know that October is near… October is the best month of the year! So, here are my September favorites…

September Favorites Around the Blogosphere

Why You Should Start Doing Things That Scare You at Work by Mckenzie of Mckenzie Allyshia // This is such a great post! I needed that reminder to get out of my comfort zone and work towards more growth and possibility. I’ve felt stuck for so long…

Lisa Frank: Graphic Design in Vintage 80s Rainbow Heaven by Brittany at Pop Shop America // I was such a Lisa Frank kid. I spent hours coloring in Lisa Frank books, I carried around Lisa Frank binders and other school supplies, and the stickers-man, that was sticker heaven! For some reason, I’ve gone all these years without thinking about much more than how much I adored the school supplies each year, and missed all the controversy! Brittany shared a great post with some of the Lisa Frank vintage finds on Etsy-and linked to some fascinating company dirt!

Five Easy Ways to Stay in Touch Due to Long Distance from Tabitha at A Hundred Tiny Wishes // This post is so personally relevant to me. It seems that as I grow older more and more of my nearest and dearest pick up and move away. My very best friend MelanieGrace has lived in Savannah for many years now, my good friend Samuel moved to Seattle and took with him several other friends and acquaintances, and of course my roommate of many years and best guy friend Josh lives all the way up in Edmonton. Keeping in touch with them is important to me, and these are all great ideas!

3 Things You Need to Know About Going Viral by Kimi of The Blog Dept. // Did you know Kimi (from Kimi Who?) started a second blog to help other bloggers? She did, and it’s great! I loved this post because I’ve never really thought about going Viral… I mean I hoped for it, but I never really thought about what it might entail.

September Favorites in Fashion

Rainbow Moonstone Sterling Silver Ring from Don Biu Silver
Live For Love Scoop Tee from Torrid – I bought this and I LOVE it!
from Mary Morris Jewelry
Charm, Quote and tassel Keychains from Jill Makes
Mermaid Pink Shell Enamel Pin from I Love Crafty
Beef Taco Charm from Sucre Sucre Miniatures
Gilded Grace Lace Dress in Champagne from ModCloth – I’m in love with this dress. If I were getting married right now-THIS would be the dress. It even comes in extended sizes. I kind of want to buy the dress and plan an entire wedding all around it-but we’re not there yet and what if my size changes? Haha!
Talisman Necklace with Patina Feather, Arrowhead, and Leaf from Jessica Klaaran
TOMS Women’s Classic Slip-On Black Floral “La Vie est Belle – I bought these and I keep wearing them all the time! I love them so much.
LuLaRoe Halloween Leggings – Okay, I finally gave in and tried the LLR leggings and I’m obsessed with them. So now, I’m dying for some Halloween leggings-so much for that I broke and pre-ordered like 5 pair. To be fair, they’re mystery so I figure if I order 5 I’ll at least get one that I love. But I’m hoping so desperately for at least the witch hats and some skulls. DESPERATELY.
Fox Bag from La Lisette
Fold Over Combat Boots (Wide Width) from Torrid – I have a pair like this in black and I LOVE them!
The Dancer to Your Questions Dress in Blue Plaid from ModCloth
Knit Drape Front Fringe Cardigan from Torrid
Apothecary On Bag from ModCloth
Disney Ariel Collection Shell Drape Cardigan from Torrid – I just bought this and it’s sooooo cute.
Jeggings from Torrid – Seriously, I’m in LOVE. My black ones are amazing, and I’m obsessed with my new Olive Green Jeggings and Dark Teal Jeggings.
Layering Necklace – Silver and Agate Arrowhead Necklace from Delezhen
Not Here To Smile For You Feminist Cat Brooch from Riotcakes

September Stitch Fix by Libby at Health, Love & Fire // No one does Stitch Fix like Libby does. I actually really look forward to reading her posts and seeing all of the outfits she tries on. I get inspiration, and I get to leave my opinion on what I think she should keep. I love that! Haha!

September Favorites in Travel

Five Places in Europe I Would Love to Visit Again by Olya at The Siberian American // I want to go to all of these places! I have yet to go to Europe, but Olya has given me a fabulous list of places to go.

Five Things to Do on the Way to Glacier National Park by Andi at Misadventures with Andi // I always love Andi’s helpful and exciting travel posts. I learn more about places, and inevitably add a million places to my “must see” list. This one is no different!

The Narrows | Zion National Park from Ashley Lauren at The Homeplace // Zion National Park is in my home state, and can you believe I’ve never been there? I’ve heard a lot though-and definitely need to go! Ashley Lauren’s photos are gorgeous there too…

The Carr’s Move Out West by Chelsie at Hey There Chelsie // Um, I love this post because it means the gorgeous Chelsie is now almost my neighbor. I mean, now I’ll have another Salt Lake City bloggy buddy right? Also, I love that she had such a great bloggy friend (fellow Utahn Shannon) to help her move! I love blog friends!

September Favorites in Home & Garden

Where You Lead Gilmore Girls Theme Song Digital Printable Wall Art 8×10 from Mama Designed
Fall Coffee Mug, Fall Mug from The Sister Studio
Child / Teen / Adult Mermaid Tail Minky Blanket from Tara’s Cozy Creations
French Bergere Wing Back Chair from Orange Nolive
Little House Planter from 3D Uni Print
Restored Victorian Hollywood Regency Sofa Settee Love Seat from Vintage Rescues
Gypsy Dream Catcher- Modern Macrame Wall Hanging from Open Eyes Open Mind
Whales in Comparison Butter Dish from ModCloth
Sight for Saur Eyes Lamp in Stegosaurus from ModCloth
Ring Dish – Love You To The Moon And Back from Pottery Lodge
Ceramic Skull Planter from MudPuppy
When the Planets A-Dine Plate Set from ModCloth
Vintage Camper Bird House from One Man One Garage
Peas Pass the Salt Shaker Set from ModCloth
Scoops of Flower Measuring Spoons from ModCloth
Set of 3 Small Mountain Wall Shelf from Landings by Nikki
Hippy Hammock // Macrame Chair from The Throwback Daze
Show Me Your Kitties Mug from DeLuce Design
Sparrow the Seeds Magnetic Planter Set from ModCloth
to gnome you is to love you from Jesiiii
Hanging, Mini Pebbled Octopus Air Planter from Cindy Searles
Tacos & Booze Quote Doormat from Fox and Clover Boutique
To Eats Their Own Baking Dish in Fauna – Large from ModCloth
Get Your Chlorophyll Duvet Cover in Full/Queen from ModCloth

September Favorites in Food

Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Brown Butter Glaze from Marye at Restless Chipotle // Doesn’t this sound amazing? YUM!

Maple Chipotle Cashews from Willow at Create Mindfully // These also sound amazing. Such a great fall-flavored snacking treat!

8 Pumpkin Wine Pairings from Insolence and Wine // Um yes please. Can we pair all the Pumpkin dishes with all the wine this Fall! YES MA’AM!

September Favorites in DIY

5 Easy Fall DIY Projects from Hannah & Sara at The Perfect Storm // I LOVE these DIY projects that Hannah and Sara found. That cute fox wreath… NEED.

Almost Free DIY Pumpkin Planter for Fall from Alexis at Chemistry Cachet // Love love love this easy and cheap DIY! It’s soooo cute, and as a lover of all things Halloween I HAD to share it.

Fall Decor Chalk Paint DIY from Allie at Eat.Raise.Run // This is sooooo cute. Serioulsy, what a pretty Fall decor item.

What are your September Favorites?

The Monthly Coffee Link-Up

Monthly Coffee is a monthly linky party where we showcase posts from other bloggers that we loved throughout the month. You’ll find all sorts of things here, anything that tickled our fancy for the month, and hopefully you’ll find new posts you love and make some new bloggy friends.

How to Participate in Monthly Coffee

Write up a post showcasing the other posts you loved throughout the month. (I find it helpful to schedule the post or set it to draft at the start of the month, and then just add links to it as the month goes on so I don’t lose anything.)
Add the button or a link back to the party to your post.
Link-up in the inLinkz linky tool at the bottom of this post.
Visit other partiers and check out what they showcased, and leave comments for them.

Link Up With This Party

This post does contain affiliate links, but many are just links to other bloggers that I loved posts from this month. Please take a moment to check them out and leave them some love if you can.

Angie

http://www.mysocalledchaos.com

The Unplanned Blog Break: What I Learned & How to Avoid It

August 23, 2016 by Angie 21 Comments

Occasionally, when it comes to Summer, the blogging world kind of simmers down. Readership drops, sales decrease, and most people just spend the warm-weather away from their computers doing other fun stuff. I’ve always seen my way through these Summer readership slumps with a steady posting schedule that doesn’t vary much from my typical plan, and have always prided myself on not disappearing. But this summer? This Summer found me taking an unplanned blog break.

About My Unplanned Blog Break

No, I wasn’t completely gone, but I definitely wasn’t around much… I mean last week I posted 1 post. ONE POST. Who is this blogger? Certainly not me-the person who sits in front of a desk every single day even during the Summer months and continues to pound out post after post.

But it was me-and as my posting dwindled through July I promised myself I’d be back at it bigger and better in August… And then August came and it was worse. The amount of time working two jobs increased and the amount of time being able to write, post, and promote my blog plummeted.

Let’s not kid ourselves, I’ve always been too busy, but out of all of the things that keep me busy, the blog is the one that I’m most passionate about and most adamant about not dropping the ball on. But drop the ball I did… I was working 60-70 hours a week between my two jobs and just exhausted all of the time. On nights I closed at work I’d get home late and have to get up early the next day, and end up so tired that when I had an evening off I’d just crash because my body desperately needed to catch up on sleep. This brought many a day looking at my blog, blinking, and unable to mentally put what I wanted to write into form.

How My Unplanned Blog Break Made Me Feel

Every time I thought about my blog I’d get anxiety. I wasn’t posting as much as I wanted, I hadn’t participated in my blogging group (which I admin) as much as I wanted, and I wasn’t getting around to reading everyone’s posts as much as I wanted. My inbox was overflowing with unread email, my sponsors weren’t getting their fair share of promotion, and there were literally 30+ posts sitting in draft that I hadn’t gotten around to finishing and scheduling. It made me sick to my stomach to think about, because my blog has always been my safe space, passion project, and just my favorite thing.

The more anxiety and stress I felt about my blogging issues the less likely I was to blog or work on promotion. I’ve always been the type that if I get too stressed about something I pretend it doesn’t exist until it explodes into a bigger and messier issue I have to then clean up. I’m the worst type of procrastinator, even procrastinating my procrastination, and so it snowballs out of control, and before I can stop it, and my anxiety gets the better of me.

What I Learned from my Unplanned Blog Break

Now, more than ever, I know that with blogging your heart must be in it. More so, even if your heart is in it, you have to have time you can actually devote to it. Blogging may be my passion project, but it is a full-time job in and of itself, and if you’re overworked and stressed-out there’s just no way to keep it up-let alone produce meaningful content for your readers. Don’t get me started on promoting it properly… If you let that go on too long the burnout is harsh, and eventually you lose the love you hold for your favorite hobby/income source.

How To Avoid Taking an Unplanned Blog Break

Chances are, if you’be been blogging for as long as me (8+ years!) you’ve already experienced an unplanned blog break in one way or another. If you haven’t had an unplanned blog break yourself, you’ve seen bloggers you follow go through it-and possibly you’ve seen some never come back. I couldn’t imagine putting so much hard work into my blog just to get so burnt out I took a break that became permanent. I don’t think my heart could take it.

So how can you help avoid taking an unplanned blog break that could turn into giving up blogging? Here are some ideas.

Don’t Take on Too Much

This is my biggest problem-I take on too much. I’m forever taking on more than I can handle-though it’s typically because I’m really excited about the project at the time. I loved blogging here so much that I branched out and opened up several other blogs, a few on my own, and a few with friends. Then I took on managing Facebook groups, Instagram challenges, big group giveaways, reviews and sponsorship from multiple programs, and much much more. As it turns out, I can’t do it all. I’m really not Wonder Woman.

It’s Okay to Say No

Seriously, if you have too much on your plate it’s okay to turn down a sponsored post, giveaway invite, or other projects. Things like that will come around again, and it’s better to say “I’m sorry, I can’t do that at this time” than to promise something you can’t deliver and burn a bridge with that company/person forever.

Let Some Things Go

If you’re like me, and you find yourself with way too much on your plate-let some things go. Sit down and take stock of everything you have to do and all of the projects you’ve committed to and decide which ones you MUST keep and which ones you should probably let go of. It doesn’t have to be super detailed, but it needs to be clear to you what you’ve got on your plate and how to handle it.

I recommend sitting down and making a list of all of the things you need/want to be doing and compare it with a list of all the things you’re actually doing, then adjust as needed. It’s definitely fine to let some things go in order to achieve more of what you want to be doing and reach your goals.

Accept Help

If you’re starting to feel overwhelmed and stressed out with all you have to accomplish, get some help. If it’s your daily life, ask your partner/friend/family member to assist with a few things. If it’s your day job (assuming you have one aside from blogging) get a coworker to take on some responsibility for a while. If it’s blogging, there are a few things you can do to lighten your load.

Hire a Virtual Assistant

That’s right, there are lots of fantastic VAs out there looking for work, and while it may up your monetary expenses, it definitely lowers the expense your body/anxiety has to put out. I’m so grateful for my VA and her help completing some of the threads in my groups.

Request Guest Posts

If you’re struggling to find the time to write/create content, why not reach out to some of your favorite bloggers for help? Many bloggers would love the chance at a free guest post on a well-established blog, and in return for awesome content they’ll get credit and a shout out that will help their SEO and help your readers find them.

Take on a Partner/Regular Contributors

If you’d like to take the guest posting to a new level-take on some contributes! I’m so grateful for my fantastic partners Kenzie and Beth on the two other blogs I co-manage (Our book blog Page à Vu and the blog swapping blog Chaotic Goddess Swaps). But, if you don’t want a full-on partner on your blog, take regular contributors and set up a signature that allows them credit for their posts.

Want to know what that looks like? Take a peek at how Dana from The Wonder Forest has her blog set up for contributors. It’s so well done (but everything she does is) and a great example.

Take a Planned Blog Break

If all else fails, and you still really need a break away from your blog, that’s okay. Seriously. Plan some time away and let your readers know. Remind them that you’ll be back and you’re not just disappearing, and that they can keep up with you somewhere else if they can. Typically, you may still update your Twitter/Facebook/Instagram/Snapchat while you’re not blogging, so it’s a great way to keep your readership base actively engaged and interested until you start posting again.

Have you ever taken a blog break?

Angie

http://www.mysocalledchaos.com

July Favorites + Monthly Coffee

August 4, 2016 by Angie 8 Comments

And July is gone… I can’t believe I’m sitting here writing up my July favorites when I feel like I just wrote June’s… Oh well, time keeps on slipping slipping… Into the future. Okay, I’ll stop. I promise. I’m sorry if that’s in your head now. I also can’t believe that I’m just now posting the July Favorites and Monthly Coffee linky… A week late. I’m so sorry. I went camping and thought it would auto-post and it did not, and I’ve only just gotten back (with the plague-i.e. bronchitis or something worse) so I haven’t gotten completely caught up yet.

July Favorites and Finds from Around the Web

Here are some of the favorite posts and products from around the web and in real life that I’m just loving in July. I hope you find some you like too!

July Travel Favorites

Weekly Wanderings #27 – Oregon Coast, Florence by Andi at Misadventures with Andi // I always love following Andi’s travels and adventures, and I was so excited to see that she was visiting Florence, OR. Florence will always have a special place in my heart, and I just love that she wrote about it so we could share it with all of you.

Recap of Our Trip-Our Airstream #EndlessCaravan from Esther at Local Adventurer // The whole #EndlessCaravan that Esther and Jacob (and their kitties) set off on was SO fun! Seriously, I loved following it so much and it’s cool to see this little recap.

July Beauty Favorites

Toss or Keep? A Guide to Makeup Shelf Life by Olya at The Siberian American // I know I’ve learned this stuff before, but seriously-I need to pay much better attention to my makeup and how long it is good for… I’m so bad at using stuff from months (or even years) ago…

Hourglass Vanish Seamless Foundation Stick & Brush // I was sent these two products from Influenster to try in exchange for my honest review-all opinions are 100% mine, and it turns out that I LOVE it! It works really well, with less shine than regular foundation, and with the brush it blends in perfectly. My only concern is that it has less in it than my regular foundation and that when I run out it’s more expensive than my normal bottle of liquid foundation… I have not decided if I like it enough to pay more and/or switch to it.

L’Oreal Paris Cosmetics Infallible Velvet Liner in Black // I have had this one in my stash for a while but never really used it, and lately I’ve decided I love liquid liner and the tip on this is perfect! It’s more like a marker than a brush, so putting it on is a snap, and it looks gorgeous.

Colored Eyeliner // Since I’ve been using eyeliner a lot more lately, I’ve been playing with color. While I’m still not ready to branch out to blue eye shadow, I’ve found that blue eyeliner in a nice line across a golden or pinkish lid looks gorgeous! I’m also loving teal eyeliner and purple eyeliner, and I’m desperate for a good (and vibrant) gold eyeliner…

NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder // I’m still loving doing my eyebrows, and I’ve even started doing them darker for a more fun contrast.

Be Matte Blush // This has been my go-to blush lately. Love it!

LUSH Cosmetics // There’s a LUSH store across from my second job in the mall, and so I tried it for the first time the other day. I spent way too much, but man those products are amazing! I’m loving their Bath Bombs-I totally picked up the Avobath Bath Bomb (it made my skin sooooo soft), the Big Blue Bath Bomb because they had it out as an example and it makes your water look like mermaid water, and the The Experimenter Bath Bomb because it smells and looks awesome. I’ve been using their Pumice Power Foot Soap and Softy foot lotion and my feet feel better than ever. Plus, the Celestial facial moisturizer has been great.

July Fashion Favorites

These super soft camis from Torrid // So I bought myself the simple black Crochet Trim Tank Top from Torrid and after wearing it for four days in a row (and realizing I never wanted to take it off) I decided I HAD to have more like it… Good thing they totally make a bunch of camis in the same fabric and different designs. I picked up this Floral Print Cami Top with blue and white roses and a navy blue one with orange and red flowers at full price, and found this black and white black and white Floral Print Cami Top on Clearance (score!) Plus, I ordered this black and turquoise/teal cami top and I think I have my eye on this gorgeous turquoise cami top and am having a hard time resisting. Plus, same fabric but different style-I snagged this Floral Twist Back Tank Top and I may love it even more… It’s long in the back, which I’m really digging.

Kimonos and/or Scarf Wraps // I am OBSESSED with a capitol everything when it comes to Kimonos. I bought my first one (this Floral Print Lace Trim Kimono)from Torrid and in just the short month since I did I’ve purchased several more from lots of places including a bunch from Ross and this Multi Print Ruana Wrap. My favorites though are that first one, this gorgeous turquoise Multi Floral Ruana Wrap, and this Mystic Moon Kimono I grabbed at Hot Topic. Oh oh oh I can’t forget my TOTORO KIMONO!!! Hot Topic has all sorts of Miyazaki Kimonos but I snagged a My Neighbor Totoro Kimono and it’s soooo cute. Also, I’m big-time coveting this Paisley Print Chiffon Crochet Trim Kimono from Torrid’s new “little sister store” Lovesick. LOVE!

Open-front flowey cardigans // I have a ton of open-front flowey cardigans in my closet from back in the day, and I’m super glad I didn’t throw them out because I’ve suddenly found a renewed love for them and they go so well with all the tank tops I’ve ordered. I haven’t had to buy too many because of my previous stock, but I did snag a black open front cardigan and I’m considering adding this blue light-weight open front cardigan to my wishlist. Also, if it weren’t grey (because grey and I don’t get along well-it’s a skin tone thing) I’d have this Pointelle Duster Cardigan in my cart already… It is SO adorable!

Flower Crowns // I haven’t yet, but I’m thinking I need to get into wearing flower crowns. They’re so pretty-and I’m starting to get ballsy enough to do it. 😉

Minnetonka Moccasins // As always. I snagged myself a pair of the neutral Stone Suede Kitty Moccs and I LOVE them. They go with more things, but one day I’ll have a pair of Minnetonkas in every color…

The Strappy Fishnet & Lace Push-Up Plunge Bra from Torrid // Seriously. I’m OBSESSED with this bra. It’s so dang cute and sexy, and I get more compliments on it than anything else I wear… Everyone wants to know where I got my shirt, and I have to tell them “No, it’s my bra!” Of course, I now own it in red and black, and I need all the other colors when they come out or are re-released.

Bralettes // So the concept of the bralette was totally foreign to me… When I first heard girls at work talkign about it I went “Wait, what? What is that even for?” Some girls told me they wear them instead of bras all together, but when you’re a double D there’s just no way… That’s not even comfortable or attrative on me. However, then my adorable manager Stephanie came to work with one peaking out from under her cute dress and I was sold. It was the cutest thing! I concept is to add dimension to your outfit, so you can wear them with low-cut shirts, tanks, low-backed things, etc. to show cute straps/lace/etc.

I bought this purple Lace Ladder Bralette (with the matching panties) and also this cute Strappy Skull Bralette and I love them! SO cute!

Skinny Jeans and Jeggings // One of my interview questions was asking me what I would tell a girl who was too afraid to try skinny jeans and came in looking for bootleg jeans, which we dont have many of… I was that girl. I tried skinny jeans and now I wont go back… I love them. I also just got my first pair of black Jeggings and I really want to wear them every day. They’re perfect.

Long Necklaces and Pretty Jewelry // I used to think that I couldn’t wear long necklaces because of the size of my chest. They’d all either fall down my shirt or sit at a weird angle… However I’ve recently learned that I can, you just have to make sure it’s the right length. Now I’m obsessed and I’m buying them all… I’ve loved buying long charm necklaces like this pineapple charm necklace and this Long Charm Necklace with the pretty silver tassle. Plus lots more.

Sanuk Yoga Slinged Up Gladiator Sandal // When I first started searching for “stylish” shoes that I could also wear while standing on my feet for hours, everyone recommended the Sanuk Yoga Slingbacks. I found these adorable tie up gladiator Sanuks and bought two pair. They’re SO comfortable-and cute!

Geek Favorites

12 Geeky Backpacks to Make You the Coolest Mom by Kimi at Kimi Who // These. Are. So. Cute!!! Also, just in time for back to school-don’t miss them!

Labyrinth Funko Pop Pre-Order // I totally pre-ordered the Labyrinth Funko Pops. I couldn’t help myself… Plus, Amazon has a pre-order price guarantee so I’ll get the lowest price on their site between my pre-order date and the shipment date. I love them so much.

Foodie Favorites

Watermelon Lemon Cocktail Slush from Kendall at Kendall Rayburn // This looks SOOOOOOO good. Seriously. Want.

from Leah at the Gastronom // Doesn’t this just sound amazing? I want this in my face right agbout now… Mmmmkay?

Creamy Lemon Garlic Chicken from Christina at The Whole Cook // This has everything I love in it. Garlic? CHECK! Lemon? CHECK! Check check check!

Dunkin Donuts French Cruller (Copycat) from Katalina at Peas and Peonies // I’ve been OBSESSED with Dunkie’s French Crullers… So I’d like to try and make some at home. YUM!

DIY Favorites

Make Your Own Succulent Garden by Hannah at The Perfect Storm // I am just so into the succulent craze, and so I’m happy to share and love another great succulent post by my girls at The Perfect Storm. LOVE!

Free Adult Coloring Mandala Poster from Brittany at Pop Shop America // How fun would this be to color? So fun!

Other Favorites

Lashes And Liner Gold Foil Beauty Makeup Digital Printable Water Color 8×10 by Ashley at Mama Designed // I just love this printable. It’s so pretty! (And true! ha!)

6 Years Later by Libby at Health, Love & Fire // Such a sweet post! Happy anniversary Libby!

Fifteen Tips for Growing Instagram by Tabitha at A Hundred Tiny Wishes // Such great tips! I love Instagram, and working to grow it has been very rewarding.

What are your July Favorites?

The Monthly Coffee Link-Up

How to Participate in Monthly Coffee

Write up a post showcasing the other posts you loved throughout the month. (I find it helpful to schedule the post or set it to draft at the start of the month, and then just add links to it as the month goes on so I don’t lose anything.)
Add the button or a link back to the party to your post.
Link-up in the inLinkz linky tool at the bottom of this post.
Visit other partiers and check out what they showcased, and leave comments for them.

Link Up With This Party

What are you loving this month?

This post does contain affiliate links, but many are just links to other bloggers that I loved posts from this month. Please take a moment to check them out and leave them some love if you can.

Angie

http://www.mysocalledchaos.com

Happy July! Make some New Blog Friends for the Summer

July 5, 2016 by Angie 3 Comments

Hello friends! I hope you all had a wonderful and safe Fourth of July weekend. Mine was pretty great and spent in the company of some of my favorite people in the world. We threw my friend Ortie a baby shower (she’s about to pop-due on the 11th!) and then the boyfriend and I went and spent a few nights down to our friends’ house where we grilled (a lot… Like three meals haha!), played nerd games, and hung out with the godkids. It was a blast and it was so great to have a whole weekend where boyfriend was part of my family and life in more ways that he hasn’t been just yet. July is shaping off to be a fairly decent month so far…

To start the month of July off right, I wanted to take a moment and help you get to know some new bloggy friends by introducing you to my June/July sponsors. I asked them all to tell us a little more about themselves, and answer a few questions so you could get to know them and their blogs better. I really hope you find at least one that you want to start following/reading or shopping from on a regular basis, because they’re all so darn great! (And yes, they’re my sponsors, but no-I’m not just saying that. I wouldn’t accept their sponsorship if I didn’t genuinely love and adore them and their blogs).

Meet July Sponsor Olya

Blogger | The Siberian America

Hey ladies! I’m Olya, and I write a travel and lifestyle blog at The Siberian American. I’m originally from the coldest habitable city in the world and believe a girl can never have too many dresses. Come join me on my journey!

How/why did you get involved/start your blog?
I started my blog during a crazy time in my life. My husband was in his last year of medical school, and we were going through interviews and Match Day. We ended up matching to a year in Chicago, and I’ve loved sharing about our time there.

What inspires you in your daily writing/creating for your blog?
The world around me! I’m in love with life and am so passionate about exploring, no matter where I am!

What is your favorite thing about what you do?
Connecting with readers and other bloggers! Blogging is such an amazing community.

[Read more…]

Angie

http://www.mysocalledchaos.com

June Favorites + Monthly Coffee Link-Up

June 30, 2016 by Angie 45 Comments

I know I say this every month, but can you believe this one is over? June flew by… Every month is just whizzing by and I start feeling a bit like I’m on a merry-go-round and I can’t jump off and I can’t slow it down. I guess all we can do is hope we’ve taken enough Dramamine and hang on for dear life, right? Right?!?!? Ha! Are you ready for my June Favorites and the Monthly Coffee Linky Party? I totally am. I hope you are! If you’re new here, there are instructions at the bottom, Aubrey and I hope you’ll join us!

June Favorites & Finds from Around the Web

Travel Favorites from June

One Year: A Love Letter to Chicago from Olya at The Siberian American // I have loved following Olya’s adventures in Chicago this year, and since she’s moving away now it was a sweet read to hear how she developed a love for the city she’s been living in.

Exploring In and Around Lisbon by Andi at Misadventures with Andi // I LOVE all of the bright and colorful photos Andi shared from Lisbon. I really really want to go now! (Though, I’ll admit, I usually want to go to the places that Andi shares…)

3 Things You Must Do in Saint-Émilion from Annie at Montgomeryfest // Everything at Montgomeryfest is just so dang gorgeous.I love her travel posts too!

Fashion Favorites from June

Buddha Pants // Seriuosly. I love everything about these gorgeous and comfortable-looking pants! I need a pair ASAP!

Wearable Wednesday: 9 Killer Swimsuits for Plus-Size Ladies from Hannah at The Perfect Storm // Hannah found some seriously adorable swimsuits here, and a few of them that I’ve seen at my new part-time job at Torrid. So much cuteness to be found!

Little Black Dress & Headbands of Hope from Annie at Absolutely Annie // I love this post because not only does she look classically fashionable, but the headband she’s sporting is for charity! For every headband they sell, they also give one to a little girl suffering from cancer, and they donate 10% of each sale to children’s cancer charities! A worthy cause and a cute accessory modeled by an adorable lady.

Favorite Beauty Posts From June

Orange, Lemon, & Vanilla “Salt Water Taffy” Bath Salts Recipe from Nicole at Pretty Opinionated // Doesn’t this just sound mouth watering? I mean don’t eat it, but it sounds like it’ll probably smell amazing! I’d love to try this recipe.

Avocado Hemp Oil Face Mask from Karissa at The Crunchy Chronicles // This DIY looks so replenishing and I want to try it.

5 Ways to Tame Frizzy Hair This Summer from Sandy at Sandy a la Mode // I have a frizzy hair issue, especially here in our dry heat and dry air. Sandy just so happens to live here in Utah too, so her tips are extremely helpful!

The Mum Mane: Fake Twist Braid from Summer at A La Mum // Summer’s description said “Can your fingers not figure out how to braid? You’re not alone! This hair tutorial is the easiest way to get a braided look without knowing how to braid.” YEP! That’s me. I cannot for the life of me figure out how to french braid. I want to so bad. Maybe I’ll try this instead though…

Favorite Blogging Tips from June

How to Make Summer Blogging Work for You from Tabitha at A Hundred Tiny Wishes // Summer blogging is tough. It’s slow, so readership and numbers drop quite a bit-people just want to be outside instead of sitting at their computer. Tabitha has some great ideas for making it work though!

A Guide to Backing Up Your WordPress Blog from Kimi at Kimi Who // Backups are soooooo important, and every blogger should be backing up their blog. Kimi has a great educational post on how to back up your blog on WordPress, so if you’re a wordpress blogger-check it out!

Where to Find the Best Props for Your Photos from the ladies at Bold & Pop // I love beautifully styled photos, so these are great tips.

16 Places to Find Free Styled Stock Photos That Do Not Suck from Pauline at Twelveskip // Such a great resource!

Bloggers, BEWARE Passionfruit Ads from Chelsie at Hey There, Chelsie // Unfortunately I have also experienced issues with Passionfruit Ads. It seems the founder and his entire support team have up and disappeared, yet they continue to take money-just fat chance getting any support or help with refunds. I had to file a claim with Paypal to get a refund I was due and it was a huge hassle. It makes me so sad because I was a HUGE loyalist and promoter of PF, and they let me down hard. Plus, I have yet to find a program quite like them-someone get on creating that okay? My account is up for renewal in August, so this month I’m working on setting up a different sponsorship program that does not go through them. Stay tuned for more info!

Favorite Home Goods & Tips from June

Happy Pumpkin Spice Latte Season Fall Printable from Ashley at Mama Designed // I know it’s still Summer… and there are fun Summer things I still want to do, but I am such a lover of Fall… Can it be Fall for longer? Or more often? Please? I love this print-it’s too cute!

How to Organize Your Book Collection from Krystal at Sunny Sweet Days // This is so cute, and she did such a great job.

5 Tips for Styling Bookshelves from Cait at Pretty & Fun // On the same note as above… So cute!

Ridiculously Easy Macrame Hanging Planter DIY from Allie at Eat. Raise. Run // I so need some of these, and they’re surprisingly more expensive than you’d think… I think I’ll try this DIY and make some myself!

Favorite Recipes from June

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas from Libby at Health, Love & Fire // These look so easy and tasty! Love it!

Watermelon Lemonade with Honey from Donna at Whole Food Bellies // This looks soooooo delightfully refreshing and perfect for Summer. Plus, it’s not overly sugared, and a bit healthier for you than some of your other options.

Mexican Spring Rolls with Cilantro Lime Dip from Kim at Three Olives Branch // She had me at cilantro-lime… Anything lime. Anything cilantro. NEED.

Grilled Pineapple Salsa from Sarah at Live Eat Learn // Oh, also anything Pineapple. This sounds AMAZING!

Other Favorites from June

Etsy Spotlight: An Interview With Sweet Sequels from Jess at Writing in Red Lipstick // It’s safe to say I’m kind of obsessed with this adorable Etsy shop I found through Jess’ blog. Oh my goodness. So dang cute. Plus, there’s a giveaway which you still have a few hours left to enter-it’s the LAST DAY!

Free Printable Ice Cream Cones from Pop Shop America // These are soooo cute, and what a darling banner that would be!

What are your June Favorites?

The Monthly Coffee Link-Up

How to Participate in Monthly Coffee

Write up a post showcasing the other posts you loved throughout the month. (I find it helpful to schedule the post or set it to draft at the start of the month, and then just add links to it as the month goes on so I don’t lose anything.)
Add the button or a link back to the party to your post.
Link-up in the inLinkz linky tool at the bottom of this post.
Visit other partiers and check out what they showcased, and leave comments for them.

Link Up With This Party

What are you loving this month?

This post does contain a couple affiliate links, but most are just links to other bloggers that I loved posts from this month. Please take a moment to check them out and leave them some love if you can.

Angie

http://www.mysocalledchaos.com