Taken 12/4/11 during a date night at FunFusion.

I recently picked up my very first bottle of Mod Podge and I am hooked. For my very first project I decided to attempt to decorate some frames for Valentine’s Day. I honestly had no idea what I was doing, but I love how they turned out!

This project is perfect for sprucing up old frames. I didn’t have any frames in need of an immediate makeover so I picked some up at Walmart for 98 cents.

I was hoping to find white frames, but I was unable to find any. I ended up grabbing brown frames and painting them with white acrylic paint.

In Photoshop, I made a chevron pattern, tiled it to fit an entire sheet of paper, and printed it out.

I then, brushed a little Mod Podge on the frame and placed the frame on the back of my chevron pattern.

With a X-ACTO knife, I trimmed around the frame, leaving just enough paper to fold around the frame.

I brushed a layer of Mod Podge on top of the chevron paper and folded the excess paper around the frame. I glopped on too much Mod Podge in some areas, so the ink bled a little. Other than that it looks super cool, huh?

Although my frame was pretty pre-glitter, I decided to go over the red chevron lines with a red glitter pen.

Voila!

I also decorated another frame (not as great as my first) and slid a cute “i love us” print inside.

What will I Mod Podge next? Stayed tuned…

I Love Us prints can be found here and here, chevron patterns here (a freebie from me).

I am a member of the Walmart Moms program. Walmart is compensating me for sharing this DIY project (featuring products that I purchased from Walmart) with you. All words and opinions are always my own. Read my full disclosure policy here.

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This post is entirely too late (just like last year’s post), but in order for me to get back into the swing of things, I need to post it. If I don’t, it’ll continue to bug me. So here it is, some photos from the holiday. No captions because I’m mysterious like that and I don’t want to make photo sharing harder than what it really should be. Plus it’s getting late and I’m hungry. Just keeping it real.

{more photos on Flickr}

© Sophistishe 2012 | Permalink | 14 comments - Let's chat!

In early September, I started preparing Jayden’s wishlist to ensure that his presents were bought and wrapped in advance to avoid the hectic last minute.

So I made a list.

And it was hard at first because he hadn’t asked for anything and was content with what he had. So I began to add items based on his interests.

Since quite a few people contribute to Jayden’s gifts, I found myself adding things just to add them… so everyone could equally contribute (they are happy to) and then I found myself deleting away. It was just too much.

I started to feel guilty… as I always do when it comes to having MORE.

And then I got to thinking about the kids who receive so much less and than the kids who receive so much more. I started thinking back to my childhood and became a little selfish because I am not a child of MORE.

Continue reading at the Mega Bloks Family Club →

© Sophistishe 2011 | Permalink | 2 comments - Let's chat!

Earlier this month I shared my favorite holiday tradition. And that’s spending Christmas day with a house full of my mother’s side of the family. There’s no amount of snow, gifts, or holiday decor that can trump that. Our recent trip to NY earlier this month gave me a taste of that. Everyone wasn’t there, but it sure was a housefull there to celebrate the week of my uncle’s birthday. One of those days, my aunts (and great cousin) decided to cook up some gumbo and cakes. We had dinner at the table and my aunts and uncles gave my uncle gifts that represented memories they had of him… from baseball ringtones, to bats and rocks, plush chiuauas, toy cars, and DJ shirts. It was a delight watching his eyes light up as he received those gifts and listening to my family’s old stories. That day happened to be my birthday and it was the best birthday I’ve even had… celebrating family. I can’t wait to get back together again.

What’s your favorite holiday tradition?

Share your favorite holiday tradition! Tell International Delight what your favorite holiday tradition is for a chance to win a $200 Target gift card from BlogFrog!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight.  The opinions expressed by me do not necessarily reflect the view of the International Delight Brand. Read my full disclosure policy here.

© Sophistishe 2011 | Permalink | No comment - Oh, I see how it is...

Our favorite icey mammals are back in a fun, 25-minute Christmas special and I have a copy to give away to a lucky reader! See below how you can win a copy of Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas Special right in time for Christmas!

When Sid accidentally destroys Manny’s heirloom Christmas rock and ends up on Santa’s “naughty list,” he leads a hilarious quest to the North Pole to make things right and ends up making things much worse. Now it’s up to Manny and his prehistoric posse to band together and save Christmas for the entire world.

BUY IT: $7.99

Giveaway ends on 12/18/2011 at 12:01am EST. Giveaway open to US only. Standard giveaway rules apply. Comments don’t count as entries, just fill out the Rafflecopter widget! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Post tags: christmas

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I’ll admit, I’m not very clever when it comes to stuffing stockings. Since Jayden will be receiving quite a few wants for Christmas, I wanted to make sure that his stocking was filled with things that he needed and things that he’d enjoy (and not break) for a while. He really needed some socks and underwear, so those were the first items on my list. He loves Thomas & Friends, so I picked up a pack of Thomas & Friends undies along with his socks. I really didn’t want to put toys in his stocking, but I couldn’t help but notice a mini helicopter in the toy aisle. Helicopters are Jayden’s new interest, so I couldn’t pass it up. I also wanted to get him an ornament so while browsing the ornaments, I found a Thomas & Friends ornament. On the way to checkout, I found a little plush sock puppy and picked it up more so to decorate his stocking for years to come.

Thomas Ornament – $4.50
Puppy Plush – $2.97
Toy Helicopter – $5.97
Socks – $3.88
Thomas & Friends Briefs – $10.94

The total with tax came out to $31.02. Walmart challenged me to stuff a stocking for $25 and while I did go over, this is an idea of what can be purchased in the $25-$30 price range give or take a little.

What’s in your family’s stockings?

I am a member of the Walmart Moms program. Walmart is compensating me for sharing this experience with you. All words are my own.

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Post tags: christmas, walmart moms

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Shopping for Thanksgiving is fairly simple in our household. I only cook enough for Greg, Jayden, and I and I pack it up and freeze to have after we return from visiting family for a few days. We usually have most of the ingredients already since I cook from scratch. No need for stuffing mixes, canned goods (just pumpkin since I couldn’t find whole pumpkin), etc. So shopping for Thanksgiving is simple. This year, I made Turkey (which practically melted off the bone), yams, smothered cabbage, chicken pot pie (in place of dressing), and pumpkin cheesecake. I’ll make the potato salad when we return. With a budget of $40, Walmart challenge me to shop for our Thanksgiving meal. Easy peasy! Let’s take a look at my shopping list!

Thanksgiving Shopping List

Turkey – $10.29
Cabbage x 2- $3.54
Smoked Bacon – $2.98
Sweet Potatoes x4 – $4.98
Chicken Broth x2 – $5.36
Pumpkin Pie Mix x2 – $5.56
Cream Cheese x2 – $2.50
Chicken Tenders – $3.98 (Not pictured but featured in the video. I had to retake the photo and forgot them. DOH!)

For $39.19, I was able to get everything on my shopping list… right on the money!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOEbN40L4sI

Do you do much shopping for Thanksgiving dinner or do you generally have all of your ingredients on hand?

I am a member of the Walmart Moms program. Walmart is compensating me for sharing this experience with you. All words are my own. Read my full disclosure policy here.

© Sophistishe 2011 | Permalink | No comment

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Just yesterday, we put a few things on Layaway at our local Walmart. We did, however, avoid items that may potentially go on sale on Black Friday. To stay in the loop, I’ve subscribed us to Walmart’s mailing list. Walmart will actually be releasing their 2011 Black Friday ad a little early this year to everyone who subscribes! Sign up at walmart.com/email by Nov 7 or “Like” Walmart on Facebook at facebook.com/Walmart and you will be among the first to preview their Black Friday ad!

Edited to add:

Walmart’s 2011 Black Friday Ad is here! Click the image above to be taken directly to the ad! There’s lots of deals and specials on electronics!

I am a member of the Walmart Moms program. Walmart is compensating me for sharing this announcement with you. All words are my own. Read my full disclosure policy here.

© Sophistishe 2011 | Permalink | 2 comments

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Today, I’m linking up with Steppin Out. Happy Halloween!

On Mommy
Sorceress Dress – Kmart
Necklace – Nancy Burke
Earrings – Forever 21
Headband – Bargain Headbands
Knee Highs – Forever 21
Boots – Volatile, gifted by Grandmother-in-law

On Spidey
Spider-Man Costume – Target
Shoes – Crazy 8
Treat bag – Courtesy of Pottery Barn Kids

You can’t really see my nails, but they are really cool! How-to coming soon on this week’s Nails to the Yeah!

© Sophistishe 2011 | Permalink | 12 comments

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