i should be mopping the floor: April 2016
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Free Lemonade Printables

This post for free lemonade printables contains affiliate links. I make a small portion when these links are used, at no additional cost to you.

These free lemonade printables are the perfect addition to your warmer weather decor. They're perfect for your kitchen counter or wall. Or even out on the patio.Download this decorative-recipe-style printable below, pour some delicious lemonade and enjoy the season.

Decorative Recipe Printables
This design was actually the first decorative recipe design I created. I had wanted to make them for years.  My mother-in-law has a cute framed recipe on her kitchen countertop for "Cinnamon Supper Cake". It has always made me want a fun framed recipe somewhere in the kitchen. (I actually made that into its own printable here.

I figured with summertime fast approaching that homemade lemonade would be a fun subject for a recipe print. Download this refreshing design below (and, while you're at it, make yourself a cold glass of lemonade, too).

Vintage Eclectic Family Room

Our vintage eclectic family room is one of our favorite spots in the new house. 
It's filled with fun and playful patterns and colors and a big comfy couch.
Come check it out below (and enter a $250 giveaway to Minted!).

Check out this vintage eclectic family room full of color and quirky details.
This room was interesting to me from the moment we walked into this house. I *think* it used to be a bedroom at one point in time (and was even marketed that way in the listing). But, it doesn't have a closet, nor do we have a need for a 5th bedroom. Since it's located next to the room that will one day be my parents', we want this to eventually be their living room. But, for the time being, we love how cozy it is and secluded from the main parts of the home. It's a nice little hiding spot. Check out it's makeover below. 

How to Create Faux Roman Shades

Today, I'm sharing a tutorial for how to create Faux Roman Shades. These can be no-sew, if you prefer. I've also got a $250 giveaway to Minted, which is where I got the adorable fabric for my faux roman shades, as well as my curtain panels, too!

How to Create Faux Roman Shades | Step-by-step photo tutorial on creating faux roman shades...can even be made in the "no-sew" variety!
This window is in the family room in our new home. Tomorrow, I'm sharing the entire room here on the blog (with a white sectional, fun throw pillows, artwork, and lots of colorful touches!). Right now, we are using this as our tv room. It's a bit hidden behind the kitchen and the perfect place to hide out and binge on a few seasons on Netflix (not that we ever do that). Check out the tutorial to create these Faux Roman Shades below.

How to Make a Rolling Planter Box

This post for a Rolling Planter Box contains affiliate links. I make a small portion when these links are used, at no additional charge to you.

This Rolling Planter Box is perfect for any patio or garden area. It works perfectly for veggies, herbs, or flowers. And the best part? It rolls wherever you want it. See our complete tutorial how to make a rolling planter box below.
Rolling Planter Box
I'm really excited about this rolling planter box. I've had smaller rolling versions in the past, but this one is the coup de grĂ¢ce to all other planters. The king daddy, y'all. It's large enough to have a big ol' tomato plant with roots that will grow nice and deep. I worked with my dad to create this one after realizing I really needed a large mobile planter. Where we are located in Texas, our summers go well into the triple digits. My tomato plants have never lasted longer than July because of the extreme heat. When we lived up in the panhandle, I had amazing tomatoes all summer long and well into September (and I miss them). And in Texas, you just have to have homegrown tuh-mate-uhs (that's how we pronounce it down here) with your summertime meals. Or really, just one ripened tomato and a salt shaker seems to work out pretty well, too, (wink). Now that we're down in central Texas, a rolling planter box like this allows me to move my plants around the yard, depending on the heat. I can roll them right up into the shade to protect them on the scorching days. Or even get them out of a crazy hail storm when those pop up. If you live in a colder climate, these would be great to protect plants during the winter...just roll them into the garage (I've overwintered my peppers like this, which results in an early crop the following year).

Our step-by-step tutorial can help you create a Rolling Planter Box of your own, too.

Inspiration Monday

Hey, friends. I'm so happy you're here for the party! It's been a crazy few days (hey, what's new, right?). But, I hope you're enjoying a great weekend FULL of inspiration!

With that being said...since today is all about INSPIRING, I want to share what's coming up this week here on ISBMTF and hope it inspires you, too! I've got three great posts (well, I guess great is subjective, right?)...one is a fun rolling planter (just a peek at its progress up on the left there), and the other is our family room with fun fabrics and some DIY window treatments. Hope you'll come back for the fun.

I can't wait to be inspired by YOU today!

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Even though the weather has been all over the place these last few weeks, we still have spring on the brain (and so does everyone else it seems if we were to guess based on last week's link ups!) Today's features were chosen by Jamie @ Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom:

Let's Go On An Adventure Free Printable

This Let's Go On An Adventure free printable is perfect to get ready for the summer travel season...because it's also adventure season, y'all. Grab this freebie below.

Let's Go On An Adventure Free Printable | 8x10 | Instant Download
Gah. I am so ready for the summer, y'all. I normally wouldn't release a summer printable in April...but I'm just ridiculously ready. After a super stressful year, I'm ready to chill out, turn off the alarm clock and take a road trip with my people. Who's with? Let's go on an adventure, y'all! 

Reducing Toxic Exposure in the Home

Today, I'm working with a non-profit organization, Silent Spring, 
to bring you information about this really awesome new app. All opinions are mine.

Ready to reduce toxic exposure in your home and environment? 
Grab a free app for your phone that can walk you through the entire process.



Just thinking about toxics in and around the home can be overwhelming. Sometimes so overwhelming that I just give up and bury my head in the sand like an ostrich. I've always said I'm kind of soggy crunchy. I love to use chemical-free items in our home and daily lives, but then sometimes I see a good deal and am all about saving a buck for something cheaper, chemical-ly and not so great. Soggy crunchy, y'all. 

I'm about 50% there with being fairly toxic free. It kind of all started when I began using essential oils...and since then I've learned so much and really tried. But, I'm super excited to take it a step further with this new app called Detox Me

15+ Free Frilly and Girly Fonts

These 15+ free frilly and girly fonts are perfect for invitations, crafts, and so much more.
Grab some of your favorites and have a ball designing!

These 15+ free frilly and girly fonts are perfect for invitations, crafts, and so much more.
Is it just me or is it invitation season, y'all? From showers to weddings to graduations... loads of invitations being designed right now. And a lot of invitations seem to always take on a feminine touch. The below fonts are perfect for invitations, vinyl crafts, signs, printables, and so much more. They're all free, too. Click on the ones you want to download. Please check each artist's Terms of Use before using commercially, etc. Happy FONTING! :)

Inspiration Monday

Welcome to the party, y'all! I'm super excited for you to be here.
We've had a rainy weekend here in Texas. But, we did make a trip down to Austin yesterday to grab a little furniture for our empty house...we're ready for it to not look vacant anymore. I found the BEST deal on couches. But, I'm not going to lie, we had to go to this random warehouse in the middle of nowhere and we were the only customers, y'all. Kind of weird. But, the prices were insanely cheap. We're just hoping we weren't just a part of some shady operation that we helped out. GAH! 

I guess we'll see on Wednesday if the truck with my couches don't show up, right?
Hoping your weekend was just as adventurous...or you know, maybe not? ;)

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This week's features were chosen by What Meegan Makes.

Plan An Amazing Mother's Day Brunch

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. 
All opinions are mine alone. #Guides4eBay #CollectiveBias

Ready for Mom's big day? (She definitely is!). 
I've got some great ideas to put together the perfect brunch for Mother's Day!

Mother's Day is centered around that all-important gal...Mom! Make her feel like a million bucks with a meal that was planned with a lot of love and thoughtfulness. I'm hanging out over on eBay with lots of fabulous ideas for planning a Mother's Day Brunch with ease.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT. 

From setting a lovely table, to filling it with delicious foods, my guide to putting together a Mother's Day brunch is the perfect planning companion to your mom's special day. 
Stop by for all of the brunchy details.





Free Printable Tags for Teachers

This post for Free Printable Tags for Teachers contains affiliate links. I make a small portion when these links are used, at no additional cost to you.

These Free Printable Tags for Teachers were made with a neutral theme so they can be used with any type of gift. They're perfect for the end of the school year or Teacher Appreciation Week gifts. Grab a set of these Free Printable Tags for Teachers for yourself below.

Plaid Printable Tags
I recently had a reader request for a more "neutral" gift tag for teachers...one that could be tied onto practically anything. I definitely understand that. These tags are designed just for that. Download a free set of these Printable Tags for Teachers below.

Spring Clean the Kitchen in Ten Easy Steps

Today's post is brought to you by my favorite grocery store for my entire life, HEB!
All opinions are my own. #HEBSpringCleaningTips

It's that time of year! Join me while I spring clean the kitchen in ten easy steps...
and win a gift card to HEB for $50 to grab some new cleaning supplies!

Spring Clean the Kitchen in Ten Easy Steps | Tips & tricks to get the hardest part of spring cleaning (the kitchen) over and done efficiently and quickly.
Now that the kitchen is done from its makeover, it's time to get in the cleaning mode...just in time for spring cleaning! Time to pull out those mops (pun completely intended, y'all) and get going. 

Budget-Friendly Kitchen Makeover

Our budget-friendly kitchen makeover is coming to an end (amen and alleluia). It's been a lot of fun, a load of work, and a process that I'm happy to be finished with. But, I'm so happy with the end result. This was the very first room in our new 1970's ranch home to get made over (click here for the entire tour). As I've said before...if I didn't do the kitchen first, I may have never done it. 

Budget-Friendly Kitchen Makeover | See how they took their kitchen out of the 1970s with a tight budget (and $40 countertops!). Loads of before and after pics.
This post has more photos than any other post on this blog, y'all. And I've been blogging here for five years, so that's pretty crazy! But, I wanted to show you every bit of this new space. I actually won't be too chatty in this post...I kind of want the photos to speak for themselves. I will interject every now and then with some info. 


Inspiration Monday

So happy you're here for another Inspiration Monday Party! It's been a beautiful spring weekend in Texas. I was able to get away to Tyler (in east Texas) for a bit and enjoy the AMAZING azaleas and other gorgeous flowers in bloom. It's my favorite part of the state this time of the year. If you ever get the chance to visit in April, I highly recommend the Azalea Historical Home Tour...GAWGEOUS!

We've got some great spring features for you this week!

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I love all the decor and food pics that are being featured this week.

20+ Free Teacher Appreciation Printables

These 20+ Free Teacher Appreciation Printables are perfect for Teacher Appreciation Week coming up. The official Teacher Appreciation Week this year May 2nd through May 6th.

These 20+ Free Teacher Appreciation Printables are perfect for Teacher Appreciation Week coming up. The official Teacher Appreciation Week this year May 2nd through May 6th.
Woohoo, I've rounded up 20 of my favorite free teacher appreciation printables from my favorite bloggers! Check all of these awesome ones out below (a few are mine, too!)

The Best Moving Tips From People Who Move A Lot

I've compiled the BEST moving tips from people who move a lot.
From wrapping utensils in paper towels and putting in baggies to taking pics of your tv wires to refer to once you're in the new place...there are all kinds of helpful hints below.

Have I mentioned I have some awesome friends? Since living in a military community for the last nine years, a lot of my friends are members of the military, or military spouses. Sadly, that means a lot of them aren't here too long. Thank goodness for Facebook so we can all stay in touch after they've moved on to their next duty station (and YAY for when they come back!). Some of these friends of mine move every two years...collectively, they all have A LOT of moving experience.

After this recent move of ours, I realized...I truly stink at moving. We just moved a mile away. But, it was, by far, the most stressful situation I've had in a long time (and I was the ding dong that did this while I also finished a book deadline, worked full time, and maintained the blog...bleh!). 

I thought it would be fun to compile a list of tips from all my moving gurus...to save the rest of you from the haphazard moving style we just put ourselves through. 

Easy Spring Porch Refresh Ideas

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

We spent some time in the front yard last weekend...trimming trees and giving the entry some nice touches. I've got lots of these easy spring porch refresh ideas below.
We officially bought this house in February...but had been in and out of it with realtors, inspectors, estimates from contractors, and just lookity-looking since the beginning of December. It had been vacant for four years and definitely needed a lot of TLC (more than I think most people were able to take on...or maybe we're just nuts!). One area we always loved from day one was the front yard and porch. There are over a dozen large old trees on the property that give loads of good, southern shade. And now that spring is here, we're able to sit out here and actually enjoy it. Check out the refresh we gave it below.

Our 1970's Breakfast Room Makeover

 A big thank you to ATG Stores for bringing us today's post.
ATG Stores have provided our lighting and more for our breakfast room and kitchen makeover.
All opinions are my own.

We gave our 1970's breakfast room a big makeover with a lot of paint, new lighting, floors, and lots of fun vintage touches. Come check the before and after pics and all of the details below.
Our 1970's Breakfast Room Makeover | See how we did a budget-friendly makeover on our 1972 breakfast area.
We knew right away that this whole space was the first to get made over. If we didn't do it prior to moving in, it just wouldn't get done. We've been in here for about a month now, but are finishing up all the loose ends. I'm really happy that this breakfast area is so done! It's one of the main places we hang out now...talking, eating, and just enjoying this new place.

Top Ten Best Uses for A Label Maker

Do you love labeling like I do? Today, I'm sharing my top ten best uses for a label maker...some you may never have even thought of! From file folders to labeling kids' stuff, below are several ways to conquer your clutter with a label maker.

I got my first label maker as a college graduation gift from one of my sisters-in-law. I loved it. I pretty much labeled all the things. I have a newer and fancier label maker these days and my love for sticking a label on just about anything hasn't changed a bit. Check out my top ten best uses for a label maker below.

Inspiration Monday

Hey, friends!! It's time to PARTAYYYYYYYY! We've had a fun weekend here...lots of yard work, a birthday party, and an awesome TobyMac concert. (Although, I'm totally feeling all of that yard work today!) Hoping you've had a great weekend, too. 

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Spring is poppin' up all over the party! Loads of our features are a great example of that.