Cupcakes and Mason Jars.

So as we were preparing for our fourth of July get together, I got a bit crafty. It's just in my blood, I can't help it! As Madalyn watched cartoons, Derek made sandwiches and homemade iced tea, I made the cupcakes and mason jars. The cupcakes were (of course) Red, White and Blue. Making multicolored cupcakes are really easy and simple to do. All you have to do is mix the batter as stated on the box, then separate it into separate bowls, add food coloring and then mix the colors when you put it in the cupcake tin. Granite it's extra work, but it makes for extra cute cupcakes!!

As those were baking, I started making a Mason Jar for all of my friends that were coming with us. It was Derek's idea to put their xbox gamer tag on their mason jars, and they loved it, haha. Here's all you have to do to make custom Mason Jars for any occasion. 

1. Get Mason Jars. I got mine from Michaels and Walmart. If you're buying a lot, I suggest going to Walmart. I got 12 jars for 8 bucks. At Michaels it's a dollar and some change for one, so you'll be saving money.

2. Buy Glass Paint. I got Martha Stewart paints. These were three dollars for one, so it was a bit pricey. But I wanted to make sure that they were washable and weren't going to peal off.

3. Start decorating! Derek wrote some of the names (except for mine…cause I'm greedy) and I decorated them. I like to do something different for each person, and be a bit creative. Luckily they loved them!

4. Bake them! If you don't want to bake them, it takes 21 days for them to air dry completely. So I suggest popping them in a completely cool oven, and then letting bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Pull them out and let them cool before touching-- glass is hot my friends.

After they're baked and cool, you can dish wash them and everything! Happy crafting! 

Fourth of July Picnic

Yesterday was amazing! Did you guys have a great FOURTH?!

We decided to get most of our friends together, and go on a picnic lunch at the river by our house. We found a nice little spot that had a mock beach, an area deep enough to swim and even a rope swing that hung from a railroad track. It was the perfect spot! And luckily the weather stayed perfect too. It wasn't too hot, nor too cold, and it stopped raining.

I even got my DIY on and made cute things for our lunch picnic. First I made these cute little decorated Mason Jars for each person. We took cupcake liners and placed it between the lid and the cup, poked a straw through it, which allowed us to just sit them down and not worry about bugs floating around in our drinks. I'm going to do a DIY post on in later this week, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

On top of that, I also made Red, White and Blue cupcakes. :D I'll do another lifestyle post on making those tomorrow. Overall the day was super amazing and great. It was a great time swimming and hanging out with friends. And I don't know about you, but I saw rope swing, and I instantly reenacted The Notebook scene. You know which one I'm talking about. ;)

I hope you all had a great fourth of July and celebrating our Nations independence! And if you're in a different country, I hope you had a great day!! 

Easy 4th of July Craft!

The Fourth of July is tomorrow!! (insert dancing here).

I'm so excited to celebrate our independence of this country. Even if it doesn't feel like it now a days. Sometimes a little "School spirit" will go along way with me. Time to dress up in the Red, White and Blue and have a good time. If you have a little one and want to do a little bit of crafting tonight or tomorrow, here is one easy one to do!

I simply put Madalyn's hand print in blue on the left hand side. You can add cute little white stars on the inside if you'd like. I didn't have white paint though. And then take your fingers and make the stripes of the flag! She loved getting her hands in the paint, and it's a cute gift to give or even hang on the fridge! I hope you guys have a great 4th tomorrow!! 

Card Collection Sneakpeak.

Morning blogoids! 

So lately I've been working on a new collection of cards to put up in my Etsy shop. They're still funny, simple, and cute but just based around Summertime, Birthdays and Weddings (ect.) Since there's no major card "holidays" coming up soon, it's given me some extra yardage for card ideas. I've also been thinking about ways I can e x p a n d  my business and that's taken me to tee shirts, notepads, stickers (this list goes on and on and onnnn).

I'm excited to see what else I come up with, and other ways I can expand this little business I've started. I can't wait to see whats next for deraeart and take you guys on that journey with me. :D

If you'd like to product swap or do a product review of my cards, contact me or comment below!! I'm really wanting to branch out as much as possible. 

Make it Happen.

Do you have your own business? Are you looking to start your own business? Have a dream or something that you really want? Don't just sit around and hope it comes to you or works out for you. Sometimes all the schooling in the world doesn't even help! So what do you do? 

You, MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Lately I've come to realize that it doesn't matter what college you went to, how many degrees you have, or the lack of children you have to be successful. All it takes, is YOURSELF. You need to wake up each morning in the right mindset, get yourself on a schedule and apply yourself to your main goal. My biggest challenge has been becoming a morning person. Lately I've been waking up, getting breakfast, getting a coffee and then taking Madalyn to Barnes and Noble to play with the train table (That's her thing). Doing this every morning just puts me in a better mood, opens up my mind, and allows me to think clearer when I'm trying to get my business schedule together.

A few things I've been planning on working on is getting and being a sponsor to blogs, becoming closer to bloggers and actually creating a relationship and also mass marketing my brand. All in which is very important to my goal. Other little things I've been working on is actually planning out my blog posts, instead of randomly deciding what to blog about that day. And finally I'm in the works of creating my very own newsletter. So hopefully everything will take off the ground, and into God's hands!

On that note!

If you'd like to swap ads, sponsor, product swap, spotlight swap or simply just chat it up then email me at: brittanyhugs067[AT]gmail[DOT]com. 

DIY Off The Shoulder Shirt.

Hey Lovelies! 

Do you have any older shirts or t-shirts that you really don't wear too often? Why not turn them into a fashion statement or even an easy beach coverup top! You can easily turn a boring shirt into something better for this summer. Let me show you one way: Off The Shoulder

1. Get the supplies:

- Tee shirt 

- scissors

- marker 

2. Start on the right side of the collar and draw a dotted line along it. As you reach the right hand side, slightly move it to the left of the collar. (This makes the left side fall off your left shoulder) See picture above. 

3. Start cutting alone the dotted line you just made. 

4. Keep cutting!! 

5. Remove the collar you just cut off. 

And there you have it!! A quick fix for any old tee shirt. Perfect for a summer day out or something quick to just throw over  your bathing suit! You could even tie it up at the bottom and make it cute with a pair of cut off denim shorts! The possibilities are endless really. Happy cutting!!

A Beautiful Mess App

Hola dolls!!

So one app that I'm completely obsessing over right now is A Beautiful Mess app!! If you've never heard of their blog I highly suggest you go check them out {here}. Their little slice of Blog heaven is based around life. Emma and Elise's blog features DIY projects, Recipes, Lifestyle, Photography and Fashion. It's seriously one of my go-to blogs I look at every morning.

Their app is one of a kind! It's a photo editor app that allows you to edit your photos with style. This app allows you to add filters, text, borders, doodles and pre-written words to your pictures. Its only available in the itunes store right now, but will be available for android users in about a year. You cant go wrong with this 99 cent app! This pretty much creates the cutest pictures for Instagram and your blog! 

Let me show you some of the features :) 

As you can see, this app is sure to add some flare to your Instagram photos, and even maybe your blog photos! I definitely recommend giving this glorious app a try!