Highlighted Weekend Links-- Share Your Best Post!

Hi, everyone! I mentioned on Thursday that I'm out of town this weekend for a funeral, so I'll do my best to share a nice long list of Highlighted Links tomorrow. The Weekend Bloggy Reading link party is open, so I hope you'll stop by to share your best post of the week.


All kinds of posts are welcome here: We have recipes, home remedies, room makeovers, crafts, fashion advice, book reviews, and more!

If you haven't yet, please be sure to visit some of the other links from the party and say a quick howdy to those who have taken the time to visit you. I'd also really appreciate it if you'd take the time to add a direct link back to me within your post(s)...I like to return the favor by Featuring the bloggers who follow through with good blogging etiquette!

If you need a little extra reading inspiration, be sure to check out my new Project Gallery or the awesome Blogging Resources Library, with tons of links to blogging tips and tricks from around the blogosphere!

Hope you are having a fantastic weekend!

::Weekend Bloggy Reading:: Link Up!

Welcome to Weekend Bloggy Reading. I'm out of town, but I hope you'll link up your best post of the week today, and maybe leave me some comment love. Please be sure to read my guidelines before you add a link.

All kinds of posts are welcome--recipes, crafts, funny stories, home decor, etc.; but please do not link to Etsy shops, businesses, items for sale, etc. (I have a Sponsors section, if you'd like to Advertise with me.)

Here are a few of my faves from this week:

sources listed below

~Organized Family Drop Spot via Hi Sugarplum

~Painted Built-Ins via Centsational Girl

~Slow Cooker Thai Curry Chicken Noodle Soup via Pig and Paint

~Little Girl's Room via Lakeshore Cottage Living

~And Me? This week featured:

• New pages! A Project Gallery and a Blogging Resources "Library" 
• Hanging Photo and Art Display
• Organizing Solution: Storing Dress-Up Clothes

I'm Going to Mess with Texas

I know they tell you not to mess with Texas, but I'm going to do it again. Even though last time I tried, Texas kept my hot rollers and I had to wait until my aunt mailed them to me from Houston.

Here is what I love about Texas:

1. Delicious Mexican food.
Burritos that have not been microwaved and salsa recipes that were not created by someone named Chloe or Todd or Mildred.

2. Laid-back style
People don't seem quite as rushed or harried as they do in Virginia. They are mostly just more relaxed and they don't give you dirty looks if you wear flip flops.

3. Unapologetic Patriotism
I love seeing the US and Texan flags flying. When they said, "'Remember the Alamo!" they meant it.

Here is what I do not love about Texas:

1. Freakishly oppressive heat.
It gets hot in Virginia. In June. It gets hot in other places too. But Texas is so hot that it feels like you're trying to breathe through a wet towel in a sauna. This is why I limit my time to the outlet malls. Sometimes I think that even the devil must stay away from Texas because he says to himself, "Nope. It's just too hot."

2. The Frizz
This is related to the freakishly oppressive Texas heat. In all the years we've been travelling to Texas, I don't remember ever being there in March, so maybe this time by hair will be spared.

So...joking aside....

The reason I am going to Texas is because my grandfather (my dad's father, O'pa) passed away in January and the memorial service is this weekend. He was a Colonel in the Air Force, and I guess some paperwork had to be completed before the service could be scheduled for this weekend.

This turned out to be unfortunate because my grandmother (my mom's mother, Nannie) passed away last weekend and her funeral was in North Carolina last Wednesday.

When you are an adult and your grandparents get older (O'pa was 90 and Nannie would have been 101 in May), you prepare yourself for these things and know they are coming.

But it doesn't make saying "good-bye" any easier. Two funerals/memorials two weeks in a row is a lot to deal with emotionally. My family is doing fine, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt to lose two grandparents in so short a time. My girls have been asking all sorts of questions, so it's been a chance for me to talk to them a lot about family, love, God, and heaven...but it isn't easy.

The Weekend Bloggy Reading link party will go up tomorrow morning as scheduled, and I'll schedule a reminder post about linking up on Saturday, but I will probably just have to do one very large Highlighted Links post on Sunday rather than breaking them up into two posts. I need some time away this weekend, and I know you all will understand.

Here's the button code for the party if you want to get a head start! Recipes, crafts, home decor, book reviews, funny stories, you name it. Come prepared to showcase your blog and find some great weekend reads.

<a href=" http://www.serenitynowblog.com/ " target="_blank"><img src="http://i985.photobucket.com/albums/ae332/Amanda_SerenityNow/Blog%20Party%20Buttons/WeekendBloggyReading.png" border="0" alt="Weekend Bloggy Reading"></a>

Y'all wish me luck. I'll be flying out tonight with my mom and brother, and traveling with my mom sometimes makes me want to lay down in the middle of a crowded freeway and pray for the end to come quickly.

DIY Hanging Photo and Art Display

With all these recent posts about organizing, I bet you've guessed I am trying to get into Spring cleaning mode around here! I wanted to show you guys a super easy Hanging Photo and Art Display that I rigged up this week:

I've been eyeing this artwork display from Random Thoughts of a SUPERMOM for two years now...I even Pinned it to my Pinterest page in hopes that I would give it a try one day, and I finally got around to it. I didn't want to copy Kelli's idea, so I used it as a springboard for something that would work for me.

I started with some jute webbing I had on hand. I roughly sized up the wall I wanted to use for the display and cut some of the webbing to length. I lightly pressed and hemmed one end with black thread and added a D-ring to the back to make hanging the piece easier.

I decided that I could fit about 5 clothespins onto the piece to hold art or photos. I gave them a blast with Krylon's Ocean Breeze before tacking them onto the webbing with coordinating thread. I also hot glued the back of the top and bottom of the clothespins to the webbing to make them sturdier. I added a small black button to the front of each clothespin, and I was finished!

Cost? Nothing! I had all the items on hand. If you have spray paint, thread, and hot glue, you could get away with spending a few bucks on the webbing, available at most craft stores in the upholstery section!

This can be a pretty versatile piece. You can use it to display Bible verses or favorite quotations, family photos, or kids' artwork.

I chose to hang it up in a seldom used corner of the play area that looked like a tornado had hit it. After a bit of sprucing, we had a little reading nook, and the girls can see their artwork proudly on display!

A simple project that I wish I had started a long time ago. I like how versatile it is--I can change it out for photos later on!

Do you display photos or artwork in an unconventional way?

Linking to Young House Love, Hi Sugarplum, Positively Splendid, The Shabby Creek Cottage

My Blog Design and Organization Changes (and a Blog Button Giveaway from Designer Blogs!)

Don't click away! It's still me, Amanda...I just have a new look here at the blog! Same crafty homey foodey funny posts; it was just time for an update. Want to take a little tour with me? There just might even be a little Blog Button Giveaway involved! If you're viewing this in a reader or email, I hope you'll click over to see.

I liked my old banner, but trends change in blog design the same way they do in our homes. It was time to update things around here and keep up with the times. It's been two years since I've changed anything major with the blog! The talented, patient, and fabulous Lauren from Designer Blogs agreed to partner with me on my redesign. She put up with all of my questions, suggestions, and indecision with such a sweet spirit. I had a general idea of the look I wanted, but Lauren is the one whose effort and creativity made it all come together. My awesome new blog button is courtesy of Kim from Seven Thirty Three...not only does she work super quickly, she puts things together so nicely. It's like she knows what I want without having to ask me!

Color Scheme:

I love my color scheme and I get a lot of positive comments about it, so I knew I wanted to keep my background and the fun pink and yellow accents. So, that stayed!



Tagline:

You'll notice that I have a new tagline: Creative Solutions for Staying Sane. When I started up this blog, it was primarily a spot for me to share funny stories about my kids and being a stay-at-home mom. Over time, it has evolved into more of a creative spot. I still share personal stories, but it's really not a "mommy" blog anymore. "A Mommy's Solution to Staying Sane" fit when I started out, but with more creative posts than mom stories, it was time for the tagline to reflect that!

Navigation Bar:

I wanted to keep the same friendly feel to Serenity Now, but add in some new user-friendly (and sponsor friendly!) features. I had Lauren rework my navigation bar under the blog banner, and I'm really excited about it.

What will you find in my new navigation bar?
-A new and updated About Me page with examples of the types of posts you'll find here.

-A Serenity Now Project Gallery! I spent hours and hours going through all of my old links, organizing them into categories with thumbnails to make them easier to browse. It's not perfect, but it's a start!

- A Blogging Resources Library. I realllllly hope you all will head over there to browse, because I've been rounding up good blogging tips and tricks for ages with plans of sharing them here. You'll find everything from photography to SEO to design to scheduling.

-Advertising Information. I'll be updating this page as I work with brands and shops, but the basics are there if you're interested in partnering with me. I'd love to welcome some new sponsors!

-Buttons and Features. Grab a button here or look to see where I've been featured.

So, that about does it! I am really thrilled with the new look, and I hope you like it too. I had you guys in mind as I worked on the Project Gallery and Blogging Resources page.

To celebrate my new look, Designer Blogs is giving away 1 Free Custom Blog Button with Share Code to a lucky reader! Use it for your blog, a blog party, series, anything you like.

Here's how you can enter:
Please leave a separate comment for each entry.*

1. (mandatory to enter)Leave me a comment letting me know what you like best about the new design or gallery pages.
-For Extra Entries-
2. Visit the Designer Blogs Portfolio and leave me a comment with the name of your favorite design.
3. Follow Serenity Now via GFC (Google Friend Connect- so I can see your cutie face on my sidebar!)
4. Facebook this Giveaway with a link to this post.
5. Tweet the Following: Serenity Now has a new look & you can WIN a Blog Button from @designerblogs to celebrate! http://bit.ly/ypjlet @SerenityNowGirl

*Giveaway open until Thursday night at 10 pm ET. Odds of winning depend on the amount of entries received. Giveaway open to U.S. residents only, please.

Thank you so much for stopping by to check out my new look! If you decide to place an order with Designer Blogs, please let them know I referred you!

Organizing Solution: Storing Dress-Up Clothes

Sometimes, I get more excited about quick makeovers and organizing projects than I do over big stuff. For a long time, I kept the girls' dress-up clothes on a coat rack in the back hallway. As their collection grew, the walkway got smaller and smaller. It was such a mess that they didn't even bother playing with their outfits anymore, so I knew it was time to come up with a simple organizing solution. It was such a "duh" moment (like our American Girl doll and toy storage idea). Here's how we store their things now:

Here is the sad "Before" shot:

What wasn't stuffed up on the coat rack was scattered about the play area. I can't tell you how many times I've stepped on a plastic diamond ring in the dark and said very bad words.

Before I explain how I rearranged all the dress-up stuff, I should tell you that this is not a sponsored post. I just like to tell you guys when I find stuff that works for me!

First, I designated a spot on the other side of the room; a place where the rest of the toys and accessories are. I picked up several packages of 3 MM Command Hooks from Target, stole borrowed T's level, and grabbed a pencil to make sure that my hooks were in some sort of straight line before I hung them. I am more of a messy perfectionist. I'm sure T would have lined those hooks up to the 0.000965th degree, but they looked straight enough to me, and my 6 and 4 year old haven't commented on it. Not at all perfect, but it does the job!

I made sure not to over-burden the hooks, and put chefs' aprons, doctor and nurse outfits, shoes, and accessories in an old trunk that my grandmother gave me years ago. Jewelry, gloves, and watches go in one spot, and headbands, crowns, and purses go in another. 

(I realize that it would look much nicer painted, with brightly colored and patterned drawer liners, but it's a very, very old piece, and I can't bring myself to mess with it)

So, this is definitely a quick fix, but it's so nice to have everything in the same "zone" now. The girls play dress-up more now that everything is in the same spot, and I can use the coat rack in the back hall for backpacks and dance bags.

Now I just need some cute artwork to hang above the hooks, and we are set!

What's the latest organizing solution you've discovered for your home?


Linking to Home Stories A to Z, Today's Creative Blog

Signs by Andrea WINNERS!

Yes, there were 3 Winners from last week's Signs by Andrea Giveaway!

The two winners of Personalized Printables are:

#160, Christy from 11 Magnolia Lane and #49 Jessie Gunderson from Blog Schmog.

And the winner of a Monogram Sign with Overlay is:

#11, "Decor8Rgirl" (no blog)

Winners, please email me by Wednesday at 5 pm (ET) to claim your prize- amandaserenitynow(at)gmail(dot)com. Congratulations!

Thanks again to Signs by Andrea for hosting such a wonderful Giveaway! It's such a pleasure to work with you. 

**Don't forget, Andrea has a special discount code if you didn't win today! Until March 22, you can get 10% off your wood sign order if your enter SERENITY10 at checkout, or SAVINGS42012 for 10% (de)signs posters and canvases orders.

I'll be back in a bit with an organizing solution!