My 3 Monsters: July 2016

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7.18.2016

Dorm Room Decorating 101

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BigLotsReady #CollectiveBias

A super simple formula for decorating your dorm room from /
Hi guys!  I 'm having a hard time coming to grips with the fact that in one month I'll be dropping my daughter off at college -- in another state.  ONE. MONTH.  Major Yikes!  She, on the other hand, is completely excited and ready for this new adventure.  We've spent hours preparing every detail -- registering for classes, amassing the living-on-your-own necessities, and reviewing the basics of grocery shopping, cleaning, and money management.  I think she's going to rock at "adulting".   At the very least, her first apartment is going to be darling!

Because when you tell your new roomies that your mom is kind-of an interior designer, expectations get bumped up a notch and you would never want to disappoint!  But I'll tell y'all this for free:  you don't need an interior designer for a mom to have a super-stylish dorm room! It's pretty simple actually, and anyone can follow the formula without breaking the bank.

A super simple formula for decorating your dorm room from /

One

The first thing you need to do is decide on a color scheme.  Sydney picked navy, white, and turquoise, with accents of coral and gray.  Luckily for me, those colors are totally on trend this year so it was easy to find great stuff.  Having a color palette in mind keeps you on track when you are shopping and makes your space look totally unified instead of like a hodge podge of your parents' hand-me-downs. Not sure what color palette suits you?  Try looking on Pinterest or going out to some local stores to see what's out there. Big Lots has tons of really cute, trend-right products you could use as a jumping-off point for your whole room design.

A super simple formula for decorating your dorm room from /

Two

Next, you'll want to start by choosing some killer bedding.  The bed is going to take up the most visual space in your dorm room {kind of like a couch in the living room} so make sure you pick something you love and that you won't get sick of looking at every day.  Personally, I would stick with a more classic color and design here and add my trendy pops of color in throw pillows and accessories that can be easily changed.  We found a great reversible comforter that is turquoise on one side and navy on the other.  It even came with a bed skirt and a coordinating sheet set which is amazing. Bed-in-a bag sets are really helpful in creating a cohesive look.

A super simple formula for decorating your dorm room from /

Three

Finally, add in some colorful accessories.  These cute pillows were just the right touch to make her bed feel warm and cozy -- just like home.  She also fell in love with these coral towels that have a perfect geometric pattern.

A super simple formula for decorating your dorm room from /
Her room at home is navy and white so she decided to take the chickenwire memo board I made her.  It is the perfect place for her to display photos of friends of family and keep her jewelry organized.  {The boys who will be commandeering her bedroom as soon as she is gone were fine with her taking it to make room for their stuff on the walls!}



Big Lots is your go-to store for all your Back to Campus needs.  They carry every thing from large-scale items like mattresses and ready to assemble furniture to small appliances, bedding, sheets, pillows & throws.  The best part is, everything is priced right so you can get everything you'll need.  Styles and assortment vary by store.  

A super simple formula for decorating your dorm room from /
If you're concerned with transporting all your stuff to campus {or you just really don't like to shop!}, try shopping online and having it delivered.  Easy cheesy!



There you have it!  Decorating your dorm room is as easy as 1-2-3.  What will you be heading to Big Lots to pick up for your college-bound kiddos?

Have a great day!

Amy


7.16.2016

Printable Confetti Banner Letters

DIY your own party banner with these darling confetti banner letters from /
Hi guys! I created a set of printable Confetti Banner Letters a while back for Lolly Jane. Today I'm sharing them right here with y'all!  These printables can be used to make custom banners for any occasion -- from birthdays to pool parties, and even Back to School bulletin boards. {I have a hard time believing it is almost that time again!} This set includes all 26 letters, numbers 0 through 9, and several small words and symbols as well as a blank flag that can be used as a spacer in your banners.

DIY your own party banner with these darling confetti banner letters from /

To create a banner, all you have to do is download the letters here, then print them onto cardstock and cut out with scissors. I had mine printed at my local copy and print center, but you could print them at home as well.  To create a banner, the options are wide open.  You could punch small holes on the upper corners and string them onto a ribbon or some twine.  You could also attach the letters together with brads like I've done here on this birthday banner:

DIY your own party banner with these darling confetti banner letters from /

My favorite way to make a banner is to clip the letters onto twine with small clothespins like I did with my Welcome Summer banner here:

DIY your own party banner with these darling confetti banner letters from /
You can play around with the size a little bit, too, depending on how big you print the letters.  I printed the Welcome Summer letters at 3" wide and the Happy Birthday letters at 5" wide. Both sizes printed perfectly.  I love the festive feeling the confetti dots give these banners.  They're perfect for all you summer decorating and entertaining!  As a bonus, I included a simple invitation printable in coordinating colors that would be perfect for inviting friends and neighbors over for a pool party or End of Summer get-together.

DIY your own party banner with these darling confetti banner letters from /


Have a great day, friends!

Amy 


7.14.2016

Join the Worldwide Indexing Event

Hi guys!   Today I'm going to share something I'm super excited about.  Many of you know that I am Mormon, or a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Some of you may even know that Mormons are huge proponents of family history work.  We feel it a great honor to seek out our ancestors who have gone before us and "get to know them".  This stems from our belief that family relationships continue beyond this mortal experience and that we are bound as families throughout eternity.

We are so blessed to live in the day and age we do, with internet access to places and things that we could only have dreamed of before.  When I was a young teen -- in the olden days, pre-internet -- my friend and her mom went on a trip to Europe one summer so they could visit the places their ancestors had lived and actually search by hand through written records to find names and dates to fill in the gaps in their personal family history.  That's what we had to do back in to day -- after spending hours in local libraries flipping through microfiche


The internet helped us all clear that hurdle.  Now we can access the World's records -- census reports, birth and death records, and other helpful information -- from the convenience of our own homes, as we sit in our living rooms in our PJ's.  It's a HUGE blessing, but there is still so much work to be done! That's where indexing comes in.  

Indexing is the process of transcribing handwritten records and entering the data online so it is freely searchable.  Volunteers have made over one billion historic records searchable online since FamilySearch introduced online indexing in 2008. The demand for indexed records continues to grow as millions of historical records worldwide are added every year.


FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. It is a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. FamilySearch and its predecessors have been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. You can access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org. You can also visit one of over 4,921 family history centers in 129 countries to receive help from knowledgeable volunteers.

How awesome is that?!  Wanna' be a part of this amazing effort? From July 15-17, FamilySearch International will sponsor the third annual “Worldwide Indexing Event,” bringing 72,000 people from around the globe together online during a 72-hour event to save the world’s records by making them searchable to the public. 


During the 72-hour indexing period, volunteers participate by downloading the FamilySearch software and completing as many names as they would like.  Anyone with a computer and internet connection can join.  No, you don't have to be Mormon!  No, you are not committing yourself to a lifetime of genealogical research!  Yes, you will have fun and be a part of something bigger than yourself!

To join 72,000 teammates in saving the World’s records, visit https://familysearch.org/worldsrecords.

I hope you'll join me and my family  -- and 72,000 of our friends -- this weekend as we order a pizza, pull out our laptops, and get to work saving the World's records.  Feel free to comment or message me with any questions you might have.

Have a great weekend, friends!

Amy


This is a sponsored post.  All opinions are my own.

7.13.2016

Boho Summer Printables on Lolly Jane

Boho Summer printables by / for Lolly Jane for all you lovers of yoga humor out there!
Hi guys! We recently snuck off to Cali for an impromptu family getaway to beat this nasty Arizona heat.  I designed these fun Boho Summer Printables in honor of our trip, and I'm sharing them on Lolly Jane.  Do any of y'all feel this way when vacation is over?  I'm always like, "Nah.  I'ma stay here at the beach, thanks!"   Head on over for the free downloads.  While you're there you can also see how I made them into rockin' tees for my daughter and snag the Silhouette cut files so you can make your own.  

Here's a sneak peek at some of our fun California adventures:
Boho Summer printables by / for Lolly Jane for all you lovers of yoga humor out there!

Boho Summer printables by / for Lolly Jane for all you lovers of yoga humor out there!
Dale was quite taken with my silly daughter from the minute we walked into Disneyland.  

We did take our boys, too. They were just WAAAAY  less enthusiastic about having their pictures taken...  Be sure to check out the printables over at Lolly Jane!

Have a great day!

Amy


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