My Style of Calligraphy

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

Hand-lettering and calligraphy has always amazed me.  I love the way a hand-written letter looks with every letter on the envelope perfectly scripted.  I learned a very formal style of calligraphy for my wedding a few years ago, using specialty calligraphy pens that didn't leave much room for error.  To be honest, I really haven't picked those pens up since I finalized my last place card before my wedding.

Over the last few years, I've done some hand-lettering, but mostly with your typical pen.  I love the way this style looks, and it's so much easier to doodle.  For those fellow hand-lettering enthusiasts who want to try their hand at DIY calligraphy (pun intended), I have the absolute best pen for you: FriXion® ColorSticks by Pilot Pen.

FriXion® is the only pen that gives you the power of infinite do-overs, so you can write, erase, and re-write with the smooth writing gel ink until calligraphy strokes are just right.

I thought I would share with y'all some of my tips for creating your own calligraphy:

1. Create your own alphabet with simple strokes.  Don't be afraid to go back, erase, and change anything you don't perfectly like!

2. Fill in vertical pen strokes to create dimension.  This is what will turn your simple lettering into true calligraphy.

3. Practice, practice, practice!  Create your own alphabet and stick to it, practicing over and over. 

4. Add in florals or other accents you like.  Swirls, lines, leaves - anything you want to make your calligraphy stand out.  FriXion pens come in a variety of colors, so you can create anything your imagination dreams of!

5. Create your own artwork!  I love using music lyrics or famous quotes when I doodle in my book.

What makes FriXion pens great is that you don't have to be afraid of mistakes or rip out a page after a simple mistake.  Now, those are easily fixable with erasable pens!  I shopped for my Pilot Pen supplies at Target, and you can even click here to get $1 off any FriXion® 2-pack or larger.

Have you tried calligraphy before?

Three Days, One Carry-On: Ten Tips for Weekend Packing

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

If you've been around this blog for a while, you know that Mike and I love to travel.  Whether it's heading back to New England to visit family or jet-setting to a new city to check off a baseball stadium, we love any excuse to hop on a plane and go.  You might have seen last month that he even surprised me with a trip to Washington, D.C. for my birthday.  Two hours before our flight, I didn't know that we were even going, never mind where it was!  When he told me to get packing, only letting me in on the high and low for the weekend and saying I could bring one bag, it got me thinking that I'd love to share how we do it.

Before even thinking about packing, having the energy to travel is number one, and adventuring (with all the walking involved) requires a lot of stamina.  Nature Made® Energy†† B12 Adult Gummies contain 1000 mcg vitamin B12 per serving.  Nature Made® has partnered with the USP, an independent 3rd party, nonprofit organization that tests its gummies for purity and potency so you get the added assurance that it has the nutrients you're seeking. With verification from USP for purity and potency, Nature Made® Adult Gummies is a gummy you can trust.  Learn more about Nature Made® and USP here.

Now that we'll have energy to do what we want at our destination, it's time to pack.  We never check bags, always have options to wear, and are sure to have the essentials on-hand.  Having our packing strategy down, it took me less than a half hour to get my bag together and get on the road for our surprise trip in October.  Here are my tips for packing in one bag for a weekend away:

1. Choose one color scheme: I prefer black and white, but having a bunch of shirts and pants I can wear interchangeably is key for me.

2. Gather layers: Daytime highs and nighttime lows can be definite swings, and I like having everything from tank tops to sweaters to wear.

3. Wear the bulkiest items on the plane: This way, you have more room in your suitcase!

4. Roll everything: Not only does this take up less space, but you also don't get creases from folds.

5. Minimize shoes: Find one or two pairs to wear that will go with every outfit.  Shoes always take up the most room!

6. Pack travel-size: When I travel, I love having my own shampoo (I think I'm the only person in the world who doesn't like hotel shampoo).  I even have a mini pill container for my Nature Made® Energy†† B12 Adult Gummies so I don't have to bring the full bottle.

7. Invest in a portable charger: This thing has saved my life!  I don't feel chained to the walls at airports anymore, and with so many airlines having free Wi-Fi or free movies, I can entertain myself on the plane.

8. Change up outfits with jewelry: Something as simple as jewelry can change the look of a whole outfit.  From day to night, take a top from casual to dressy with barely any suitcase space!

9. Take advantage of a personal item: Don't forget, when you carry on bags, you get a small suitcase and a personal items.  This can be a small backpack, laptop case, camera bag, or purse.  Stuff more stuff in there!

10. Re-wear pieces: I am all about wearing the same one or two pieces all weekend.  Change up the jewelry, jacket, and shoes for a whole new look!

How do you make the most of your space when you travel?

† These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure prevent any diseases. 
††Vitamin B12 supports cellular energy production in the body.†

DIY Pumpkin Centerpiece

I've always loved flower arranging.  When I was younger, my mom taught me how to arrange evergreens for our window boxes, and I would make little pine boxes for teachers and neighbors.  Last year, I made 50+ arrangements for my gala at work, and this year, I decided to take aim at the pumpkin arrangements I've seen all over Pinterest.

We don't decorate a ton for Halloween at our house (here's what we did this year) - we save all our holiday spirit for Christmas - but we do always get a few pumpkins.  And, yeah, I totally jumped on the stacking-pumpkin bandwagon.  I love all the shapes and colors.  We still have them outside for Thanksgiving, but I swiped one for this project.  Trader Joe's has some beautiful flowers right now, so I picked up a few bouquets and decided to make my own Thanksgiving centerpiece.

What you'll need: a pumpkin, an assortment of fall flowers with extra greenery for filler (I used green hypericum and eucalyptus), oasis (wet foam), 2-4 wooden skewers, scissors

Here's how:
1. Cut your oasis to fit on top of the pumpkin, so that it covers all but 2-3 inches around the pumpkin.
2. Stick the skewers into the pumpkin so that they stick out as high as the oasis.
3. Soak the oasis in water and press it onto the skewers.
4. Trim the edges of the oasis into a more rounded shape.
5. Start arranging flowers from the bottom, cutting the stems so they slide all the way into the middle of the oasis. 
6. Alternate different flowers, turning the arrangement constantly, to make sure all of the oasis is covered. 

There you have it!  I can't wait to have all of these beautiful colors on our table for Thanksgiving next week!

Hover over the photo below and click on the light green "P" to pin this DIY!

DIY Indoor Cat Garden

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

Today's post is all about my girls: Roxy and Shadow.  For those of you who also have pets, you know how much a part of the family they are.  We've had Roxy for almost 7 years (her adoptiversary is later this month), and Shadow followed me home on Halloween 2013.  They move 1,000 miles with us three years ago, and when we built our house, we made sure to get a screen porch (10% for us and 90% for them), so that they could spend time outside, which is their absolute favorite spot.  From the things we do for them to the food they eat, these cats are spoiled loved.

Now that the weather is getting a little cooler and they spend less time outside, I thought it would be fun to give them a little bit of outdoors inside our home.  I've read about cat gardens before, and there are so many plants out there that can be beneficial to cats.*  These two girls could not be more different, so I made a cat garden with a few different plants to see what they enjoy best.

What you'll need:

- a shallow planter

- 3-5 different varieties of herbs

- potting soil

For our garden, I chose parsley, mint, cat grass, and cat thyme.  Other suggestions could be catnip, valerian, lemon grass, and rosemary.

Directions:
1. Use the potting soil to make a flat layer on the bottom of the planter.  Make sure you select a planter that's low enough for the cat to access.
2. Place each herb in the planter (I love the herbs that come in biodegradable, plantable pots) and fill in the empty spaces with more potting soil.
3. Thoroughly water the herbs and set in a place your cat enjoys!

So far, Roxy is a little unsure about the cat garden, but Shadow loves it.  By far, her favorites are the cat grass and mint.

Even though Roxy hasn't quite warmed up to the garden yet, one thing the cats definitely agree on is their love for Meow Mix Simple Servings.  In the past, we've mostly fed our cats dry food, but now Meow Mix has come out with an easy-to-open and easy-to-serve wet food: Meow Mix Simple Servings.  There's no mess and no leftovers, and the Seafood Variety (24 pack) I bought at Target is awesome because we can get the assortment with flavors they both like.  10/18 through 11/15, you can get 20% off with the Cartwheel app by clicking here.

Yup, they love it!  If you want to try Simple Servings for your own cat, you can click here to earn points from Dailybreak.

Are your pets members of your family?  Do you have any tips for keeping my herb garden alive through the winter months?

*While I have done research on the best plants for cats, I am not a veterinarian.  Please consult your vet before adding any new supplements or plants into your cat's diet.