Finding Joy In The Journey

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Joy. It’s a simple three-letter word and  yet sometimes it’s one of the hardest emotions to show. This little word has been on my heart for a few weeks now but I kept putting off bringing it to the blog. Why? Quite honestly, because I haven’t felt all that joyful recently.

If you missed my previous posts about my car accident and updates, find them HERE, HERE and the latest update HERE

As my regular readers know, I was in a car accident 14 months ago. That one moment, that one day in August 2013, changed my life and turned my life upside down. I went from being a girl who had a full social life, a bright future, dreams and goals that went on for days, to being someone I barely recognize internally. The person who had plans just about every single weekend, the world at her fingertips, someone in the “prime” of her life suddenly was fighting  for the will to live on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis. Physical pain took on new life, the days of “normal” sleeping hours went from 6 to 18, the amount of doctor visits in just three months was more than most people go in 10 years. I can’t tell you that during these moments I had joy, because that would be a flat-out lie.

The first few days and weeks after my accident, I was grateful to be alive. That in itself was and is a miracle. However, soon after, I was wishing I hadn’t made it. The amount of physical pain I was dealing with was excruciating. The months and months of not having ANY answers was difficult mentally and emotionally. Spiritually, it’s been one battle after another and I felt like I had nothing left worthwhile to offer the world. Heck, I couldn’t even stand for 5- 10 minutes. What was the point in life anymore?

These last 14 months have been a long journey. I’m sad to say, that during this time, more often than not I haven’t had joy. I was angry that God would allow this to happen. I battle often with thoughts of discouragement and wondering if I’ll ever find someone who will love me and be able to handle the issues I face. In fact, I often still struggle with the fact that I can’t do things most can do on a daily basis.

Recently Jesus has tugged at my heart and I had a mental change (no doubt to the hundreds of prayers on my behalf). I wanted to stop thinking about everything I couldn’t do and be grateful for the things I COULD do. I could still craft occasionally. I could still blog occasionally. I could still work occasionally. There are days when I almost feel normal and have energy….THOSE are my favorite. Finding joy in these things have made a difference in my outlook. Taking captive the days when I do have energy carries me through the days when I can’t work or get out of bed. Finding joy in the little things (that might normally get taken for granted) has a way of changing your outlook on things.

During this whole journey, I have continued to blog and share life when I was able to. Who knew that in THESE moments, the times when I opened my “book” and shared a few pages, these would be the moments that bonded you all to me. Sharing my journey (and pain) has been humbling and yet God has been able to use it to bring joy. The emails and comments I have received when I have opened my life to you, the prayers and encouragement, the letters and gifts I have received, those things have brought me joy.

Is it easy? No. Does it take practice? Yes. Am I a pro at it? No. Do I strive to find joy in at least one thing daily? Yes.

I know many of you are going through difficult times right now. I encourage and challenge you to find JOY in at least one thing daily. It can be big or little, take that thing captive and hold onto it.

We are all on a journey and it’s easy to get discouraged, frustrated or even angry at the one we are on. Let’s find JOY in the journey we are currently on….you just never know where it could take you.

Happy Thoughts Wreaths {VIDEO}

For those who follow me on the Pretty Pink Posh Facebook page, Twitter or Instagram, you have been waiting anxiously for today’s post. I gave you the opportunity to voice your requests and today’s post and video is the result. Thank you to everyone who shared their comments and also left such sweet words about my videos!

With the changing of seasons, I’m starting to transition the cards I’m sending out to fit the autumn months. The biggest change is resisting the urge to add pinks to my cards and in lieu use more orange and neutral tones. Not to worry though, I will still be bringing the bright colors out occasionally these next few months!

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If you watched my latest haul video, you saw that I purchased the Avery Elle Laurels set and coordinating dies. I was smitten with this set the moment I saw it and decided that these branches would be perfect to create a wreath! My first attempt was this aqua/ red combination…. how yummy is that aqua with the bright red? I seriously love this color combination for Christmas. Just warning those who follow my blog, you’ll definitely be seeing these colors on the blog in the coming months….

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After creating the aqua/ red combination, I thought I create a more autumn colored card. I swapped out the red for a soft orange and the aqua ribbon for an orange one. These slight changes change the feel of the card and yet has the exact same layout and stamps. Once you get going, the different color choices are endless!

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Okay, now it’s time for the video. Feel free to watch it in this post, or you can head on over to the Pretty Pink Posh YouTube page and watch this video, along with my other ones!

Watch video below | Watch on YouTube

If you give this card design a try, I would love to see it. Feel free to leave me a link with your blog link here, or you can tweet me @prettypinkposh or even leave a picture on the Pretty Pink Posh Facebook page! Seeing how you’re inspired by my cards and videos seriously warms my heart and makes me want to make more for you.

So now the question is: what kind of video would you like to see next?

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10 Minute Craft Dash #28

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Colors: Lipstick Red, Turquoise, Olive Green

Have you ever stumbled across a new color palette that you fall in love with instantly? Today’s colors do it for me. I love how fresh they are and also how they can be used for all sorts of seasons. As you’ll see in the samples below, half of the team went the route of Christmas (without any word from me!) and then the other half went the route of everyday creations. How fun is that?! You’ll get inspiration of all kinds in today’s post!

Today we have a returning sponsor, along with many of their design team. Be sure to scroll below so you can visit their links and see what they created with the colors!

* If you aren’t able to stay within the 10 minutes, you can still link up your item! While it won’t quality for the winner spot, it still could qualify as a favorites pick!

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CD_28_Andrea CD_28_Betty CD_28_Caryn CD_28_Leigh CD_28_Rachel CD_28_ThuyNow onto the great prize! The lucky winner will get a $25 gift certificate to Paper Sweeties!  They recently started carrying Sweet Cuts, which are steel die cuts to match their sweeties. Also, they just had a new release and there are new fall stamps!

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I’m thrilled to have some of the Paper Sweeties gals bringing inspiration today. Be sure to visit their blogs and see their inspiring creations with these colors!

Debbie Marcinkiewicz

Jeanne Jachna

Lori Hairston

Michelle Bala

Tammy Hobbs

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How to Play

  1. Create a card/craft project within 10 minutes featuring the color palette.
  2. Post the time it took to create.
  3. Be sure to include the challenge graphic in your post and link to the challenge.
  4. You may combine a total of three challenges with your entry. You may enter the challenge a maximum of two times.
  5. Subscribe to Pretty Pink Posh via Email

Highlights + Feedback Needed

It’s time to announce the 10 Minute Craft Dash #27 Highlights and we have some new names in the post today. Hooray! It warms my heart to see some new faces joining in the challenge and also getting to stumble across new blogs to follow. Seeing you take the color palettes and turn them into beautiful cards and projects is such a delight!

feedbackToday I wanted to share what’s been on my heart and also get your feedback. As many of you know, running a challenge is a lot of hard work- coordinating with sponsors, GETTING sponsors, putting together graphics and posts, coordinating with the DT….the list goes on and on. In recent months, the challenge participation has been down by quite a bit and now I’m struggling with making the decision on whether to continue on in 2014. Now is the time where I would need to consider doing a new design team call and  starting to acquire new sponsors, which has me in a tizzy. Is the lack of participation due to the over saturation of challenges? The uninspiring color palettes? People still scared to try the challenge? I would LOVE to get your feedback on this. I do wish to continue on with the challenge, but if the numbers and interest just isn’t there, it’s out of my hands.

Okay, now back to the happy news and our regularly scheduled post….

Congratulations to Cristine!

Craft Dash #27 Winner

Cristine, please contact me with your email information and I’ll get you your prize information to Avery Elle! Also, feel free to grab the badge below and proudly display it on your blog!

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Here are my favorites picks from this last challenge. If you haven’t already, be sure to stop by each of the blogs to take a look at the beautiful cards! {Ladies, feel free to grab the badge below and put it on your blogs!}

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Lauren Taylor Made

~amy~

Sarah Naber

Stephanie Hines

Lorraine Marasigan

Janet Swanlady21 

If you are interested in getting a head start on the next Craft Dash, I have the colors that will be featured on the Pretty Pink Posh Facebook page. This is EXCLUSIVE to those who like my page. If you go there and go to “exclusives”, you get to see the next 10 Minute Craft Dash challenge a day early!

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Well, that’s a wrap for this highlight post. I look forward to hearing your feedback about the challenge and I hope to see you join in the new challenge that starts tomorrow!

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Pumpkin-HeaderOh my! If you love pumpkin, you will love this recipe for Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies. This time of year, I feel like I’m making them every week!

So m-o-i-s-t, a little chewy, and a whole lotta fall flavor! Even if you don’t like pumpkin, you might want to try these. I have a friend who doesn’t like pumpkin… she still loved these cookies. The flavor isn’t overwhelming at all, it’s more soothing and comforting.

Bonus? Your house will smell so amazing you’ll never want to leave. The neighbors might even come over if they get even a teeny whiff of this goodness! And, what’s more? These are Grant’s all time favorite cookies. That’s saying something given the fact that he’s my taste-tester and usually tries 2-3 new sweets each week :)Pumpkin-Collage

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Recipe Type: Dessert
Serves: 36-48
Ingredients
  • COOKIES:
  • 3 3/4 c. flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • dash of salt
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 1/2 c. brown sugar
  • 3/4 c. Libby’s pumpkin puree
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • COATING:
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp. allspire
Instructions
  1. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  2. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar until well-blended and fluffy, about 2.5 minutes.
  3. Add the pumpkin puree and mix until smooth.
  4. Blend in the egg and vanilla until well-incorporated, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl as you go.
  5. Place the mixer on low speed and gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix until just incorporated.
  6. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 3 hours.
  7. While dough is chilling, make your coating mixture in a small bowl. Simply combine sugar and spices.
  8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  9. Form dough into balls, about 1.5-2 inches in diameter.
  10. Roll each ball in the sugar mixture, adding a sweet coating to each.
  11. Bake cookies for 9-11 minutes, or until just set (a faint crack may appear on the top of each cookie). Cookies may appear a bit underdone, but will finish cooking through once removed from oven.
  12. Cool for 3 minutes on baking sheet and transfer to a cooling rack.
  13. Repeat process until all dough is used up (make sure dough stays in fridge in between baking process- keep it cold!)
Notes
Cookies can be stored in airtight container for up to 3 days, and in freezer for up to 3 months.
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As always, don’t forget to keep up with me on Intsagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter! Have a “sweet” Monday, y’all!

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Halloween Blog Hop

It’s time for the monthly DeNami blog hop and today the theme is HALLOWEEN. If you have started from the beginning, you should be arriving from Leah’s post. Isn’t that girl a cutie pie? I always adore seeing her cute creations! Whenever I hear she’s participating in a blog hop, I get a little giddy.  I think we have a future blogger/ paper craft superstar in the making!

Over the years, I’ve created all sorts of Halloween cards, so creating some new and extraordinary is a rarity. I decided to go with a familiar card layout and change things up slightly with my stamp choices. The end result? A box exploding with candy corn!

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In THIS post, I mentioned I would share what we did growing up for Halloween. Since we didn’t go trick or treating (yes, I have NEVER been), when we lived in a development, we would have hundreds of kids stop by and we would give out candy with verses on it. Once we moved out to the country, we started a different tradition. Okay….don’t laugh… Since my mom is such a huge fan of Christmas, we started decorating for Christmas on Halloween. Yes, you read that correctly. Our weeks tend to fill up quickly towards the end of the year, so having this night to get decorate works. As the years have gone by, I start to look forward to having a pretty tree up strung out with lights and decor scattered about the house by November. Bet y’all didn’t expect this to be our tradition! *wink*

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I know you still have a few other stops left, so I’ll wrap this up. Head on over to Jennifer Loftfield’s blog to continue on with the hop! Be sure to leave comments on each blog stop. DeNami is giving away gift certificates to two random comments, so you won’t want to pass up the chance at a mini shopping spree!

I hope you’ve been inspired by my card today. Thanks for spending some time with me today!

Trio of Cards + GIVEAWAY

One of my favorite things at the moment? Receiving emails from new (to me) companies allowing me to try out and test their products. What’s even better? Upon using said products, finding out their products are amazing and getting the opportunity to introduce them to my amazing readers.

A few weeks back, I was introduced to the company Pinkfresh Studio and upon looking at their products, I got giddy at the opportunity to try them out. I was immediately drawn to the Retro Instaframes and I couldn’t wait to try them out. I know these frames would look darling on scrapbook pages, but y’all know I’m a card maker and I wanted to try them out on cards. Oh my goodness, L-O-V-E!

This first card features the yellow instaframe. I know we’re in the middle of fall, but that doesn’t mean we can’t bring out some bright, happy colors! I wanted to shake things up a bit and instead of making everything match, I added pops of black rhinestones and some black twine. I love how it looks against these bright colors!

prettypinkposh_pinkfresh3aProducts Used: WPlus9 Fresh Cut Florals, Lawn Fawn Stitched Journaling Card, Hero Arts Pale Tomato, Pear Tart Memento, Love Letter Memento, Tuxedo Black Memento, Pinkfresh Studio Retro Instaframes

This next card features the pink heart instaframe- how cute is this? I used some patterned paper I’ve been holding onto and was thrilled it matched the feel of the cards so perfectly. Another happy find? The hearts from the Lawn Fawn Stitched Journaling Card fits inside the framed hearts!

prettypinkposh_pinkfresh4aProducts Used: WPlus9 Fresh Cut Florals, Mama Elephant Many Thanks, Hero Arts Fresh Peach, Hero Arts Butter Bar, Hero Arts Orange Soda, Hero Arts Green Hills, Tuxedo Black Memento, Pinkfresh Studio Retro Instaframes

On the last card I’ve created, I decided to create a Christmas card. I won’t lie, I had so much fun creating this one! Not only did I get to use the olive instaframe, I got to pull out some of my favorite Christmas stamps. Did you happen to notice the olive brad sticker on the ribbon? That’s part of a pack that is also for sale at Pinkfresh Studio!

prettypinkposh_pinkfresh2a Products Used: DeNami Mini Heart, DeNami Open Box, DeNami Classic Christmas set, Pear Tart Memento, Love Letter Memento, Rich Cocoa Memento, Red Chevron Twill ribbon, Pinkfresh Studio Retro Brad Stickers, Pinkfresh Studio Retro Instaframes

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I am so thrilled to not only get the opportunity to introduce you all this company, but also get to host a giveaway to their store! The lovely owner at Pinkfresh Studio is offering up a $25 gift certificate to one lucky person.

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If you’re like me, you love a good sale. Well, I have a 15% off coupon code to share! All of the Pinkfresh Studio products are reasonably priced already, but with this coupon, you can add even more to your cart! I know that I’ll definitely be getting some more products with this coupon!

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Be sure to stop by Pinkfresh Studio and take a peek at all of the cute products! I hope that you all enjoy these products as much as I do and were inspired by today’s card. Thanks for visiting me today!

Whimsical Christmas

When I received my  package of Clearly Besotted goodies for the blog hop, I got a tad bit carried away in creating. There are so many great stamps and I didn’t want to leave any of them out!  Instead of bombarding you with all sorts of pictures in the blog hop post, I decided to break up my creations and do a few blog posts.  You saw the red/ green cards already, so today I’m featuring the pink/ green ones!

Quite a few people associate my name or blog with THIS sequin shaker card tutorial, and I love that. I wanted to bring you another sequin shaker featuring the cute trees from Modern Christmas. How cute are those trees?! I love the different patterns that Amy created for these trees! I had a hard time deciding which ones to use, but in the end I chose the music notes and polka dot trees.

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To add even more Christmas spirit to the card, I used the Sheet Music Embossing Folder. I love the subtle texture it brings and makes the card even a little more whimsical. Also, it ties together the music notes from the pink tree!

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The next card is a little more graphic and clean, but equally just as festive. I featured Holiday Sentiments for this card and paired lots of the stamps in this versatile set. I totally love this decorative bracket!

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For the branch/ holly leaves/ berries, I did a little bit of masking to get the bottom portion of this card. Imagine how gorgeous it would look in a green and red combination. I’m thinking I need to try this out in the near future….

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It’s now time to announce the winner of the Set the Scene for my Clearly Besotted Stamps Blog Hop post.  Here’s the lucky winner:

Joan Smith said…. “Oh my goodness girl you have such an imagination along with designing your awesome and unbelievable window scene I simply can’t believe that you did this with a stamp set. You have left me in awe. Now you little train scene is so adorable and your coloring skills once again are amazing. Gosh you are one talented, clever and creative gal.”

Joan, I will send you an email to get your shipping information so Stephanie can mail out your set. You’re going to have so much fun playing with it!

I hope you were inspired by these Christmas cards featuring the fabulous new Clearly Besotted Stamps sets. Remember, these next few months are going to fly by….I’ll be creating more Christmas cards in the near future and will scatter them in among other cards. I hope you don’t mind!

Thankful for Fall

Wow, I am floored by the amount of visits and new subscribers this past week. Thank you to each and every person who has stopped by and also those who share my site with others. I’m so grateful for your continued support and as this site continues to grow, I’m hoping I can continue to inspire you AND provide giveaways as I get new sponsors. Speaking of which, there will be a new one later this week… In the meantime, if you want to get all future posts via email, CLICK HERE.

Today I’m bringing another pumpkin creation, but it also has a hint of a Halloween feel to it. Many of you know that I don’t like scary Halloween things (as written in this post), but I do love cute Halloween! Another thing I love? Non-traditional colors for festive cards. Normally one wouldn’t put bright and happy colors on a Halloween card, but I do!

Pretty Pink Posh

For the white panel, you may notice there is faux stitching on there….it’s the fabulous new Lawn Fawn Stitched Journaling Card die. I am IN LOVE with this die! I don’t do any sort of scrapbooking anymore, or even Project Life, but I love this die so much that I’m considering starting it up again. Until then, you can be sure I’ll be using it on all sorts of cards. If you don’t have this die, I’d HIGHLY suggest you get it while it’s in stock.

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Did any of you do crafting for World Card Making Day on Saturday? I was able to get quite a few cards made and also organize my studio a bit. Now I just need to decide which cards to share first. Any requests? I created an array of occasions, so I probably made something you’re looking for!

Thank you for visiting my site, sweet readers. xoxo



Featured Blogger- Julie Ebersole

featuredblogger-16For those new to my blog, on the first Monday of each month, I feature one of the bloggers that I follow. When I read blogs, I always enjoy getting to know the person BEHIND the blog. Whether it be a crafty blogger, a lifestyle blogger or a fellow young single gal- I love putting away the formalities and having a “conversation” with a blogger I enjoy.

It’s not uncommon for me to get requests on a feature of a certain blogger and today’s is one that was requested a few times. You may recognize her as the gal behind many of the Hello, Monday videos and an instructer for the HOWnow online clasees at Ellen Hutson. Also, I can’t forget to mention she’s a fellow Washingtonian! Please join me in welcoming the talented Julie Ebersole!

As some of you may know, Julie’s mom was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and Julie has put her life on hold to be by her side and help during the recovery. This shows you exactly the kind of person she is. The crafting community is a sweet and tight one and the gals over at Ellen Hutson have put together a card drive for Julie and her parents. Details can be found HERE.

Now before you head on over and start prepping the cards you’ll be sending into the drive, take a few minutes and read today’s feature. You’ll get to know Julie a little better and that can help when you write her a note! *wink*

Tell us about your blog. When and why did you start it?

I started blogging back in December of 2005 to chronicle my rubber stamping and paper crafting projects, kind of as an “open” or “public” journal to myself. Back then, I think there may have been literally only a handful, if that, of people blogging on the topic.

How did you get introduced to stamping/ paper crafts?

My cousin always sent hand-stamped cards for celebrations like weddings and the birth of my children and I became very intrigued when she said she made them herself–at the time, I had no idea there was such a thing as “art stamping” and thought rubber stamps were only used in offices or on library cards to mark the due date. :)

Craft trends are constantly changing, which trend are you loving right now?

I’m not sure if these are still considered “trendy” or not, but I adore washi tape, everything woodgrain, Mister Huey’s Color Mists, and die cutting.

Is there a technique or style you admire, but aren’t able to “pull off” yourself? 

Collage–I’m a fairly clean & simple card maker and I’m always amazed at the talents of those who can combine lots of different elements into something cohesive and beautiful!

How many hours do you spending crafting each week? 

Since card design, and teaching/writing/video-graphy are actually my job as opposed to a hobby, I spend a fair amount of time at it. It’s not unusual for me to invest 30-40 hours a week in my studio/office, working out design concepts as well as project designs intended for classes, testing out techniques, filming & editing video work, photography work, writing, etc.

What tools or products never leave your craft table?

My Tonic Guillotine Paper Trimmer and my two trusty pairs of tweezers!

Okay, now onto some fun questions that are non-relevant to crafting…..

Besides crafting, what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

Spending time with my family, especially now that I have a grandbaby. She’s growing so fast and I love watching her develop and playing with her! I also enjoy supporting and watching my teenage son at his basketball events!

What is something about yourself that many people don’t know? 

From the time I was in elementary school through high school, I played classical piano. But, I don’t own a piano myself, so I haven’t played in many years…!

You get to have an unlimited shopping spree, which store would you choose and why? 

Pottery Barn. I’m terrible at interior design and have always wished my home looked like the pages in their catalog. :)

If you had to choose one food or drink to live off of, what would it be? 
Bacon. I mean, seriously, what other choice could there possibly be under such dire circumstances???
Top 5 things you are most passionate about: 

My family, my marriage, living positively, inspiring others through teaching, and doing a quality job with regards to my work.border

I’m sure that many of you have visited Julie’s blog, but in case you haven’t, be sure to take a peek. Her cards are so beautiful, her videos are fun to watch and while reading her posts, you’ll be able to truly see Julie’s bubbly personality.

Julie’s blog

Julie’s Twitter

Julie’s Facebook page

Julie’s Pinterest boards

I hope that you enjoyed this feature and are just as inspired by this gal as I have been. If you want to recommend a blogger, or yourself,  for a future Featured Blogger post? Leave a comment with the blog link and you never know- you just might hear from me!