Great Online Invitation Options with Basic Invite

 Well, it's happened. BABIES ARE HAPPENING FOLKS.

Hey now. Not for me yet ;) But lately it seems that all of my friends from high school and college have started having BABIES!!!!!! We are all in that 25, 26, 27 age range now and it seems like every other week I see one of my old friends on facebook posting a pregnancy announcement!

You know what they say...first comes love...then comes marriage...then comes a baby in a baby carriage...and then comes a whole lot of invitations for baby events. Oh what's that? That's not how you remember the rhyme going? Hah.  Seriously though! I'm just at the beginning of my friends having babies but already have received a multitude of baby party invitations and know that the time is coming soon where some of my close friends will have babies and I will be the one needing to send out these invitations too!

That's why I'm so glad I recently found out about the site Basic Invite: I can already tell that this site is going to be a LIFESAVER for anyone caught up in the baby boom like I am ;) Now, I know there are tons of sites to find invite online, so what makes Basic Invite different?

 First off: they have almost unlimited colors. Once you select a design you can change the color of each element on the card to over 180 different color options so you can make sure the card is exactly how you want it down to the littlest detail. I don't know of any other site that does that to this same extent.  Details are so important especially when it comes to discount baby shower invitations: you can pick whatever colors you want on the card to match exactly with the colors for the shower!

Orchard Mile - Making it Easy to Shop for Designer Items

This is a sponsored post for Orchard Mile but all opinions are my own.

I'm at a fun point in my life where I'm off on my own...financially stable...and able to make my own decisions of what types of items I like to skimp on and what types of items I like to splurge on.  For the most part I think I am decently conservative with my shopping habits.  I LOVE to shop but I typically search for deals and frequent bargain stores a lot. While I love a good deal, I'm also slowly beginning to learn that it is fun to sometimes save up a little extra and splurge on a really nice item that will really become a treasured part of my wardrobe and not just another $15 cotton sun dress I got on clearance.  

Problem for me is...I hardly ever go to "designer" stores and I think even if I did go into one I would feel super intimidated. Dumb, I know, but I really think I would. That's why when I read about the online website Orchard Mile - "a unique destination where you can shop the full collections, directly from the designers' sites with one simple shopping bag" I got excited for an easy way to shop for some token items for my wardrobe without having to wander into specialty shops or 10 different designer websites.

 At Orchard Mile you can browse designer items from all over the internet from the best contemporary designers all on ONE site.  The site is super easy to navigate: you can search items by designer, occasion, or type of item like dresses, athletic wear, shoes, etc.

I quickly got distracted while writing this post over all of the beautiful goodies I am now just jonesing to make mine...like these strappy heels which I am just DYING OVER

Sigerson Morrison Melody Dress Sandal

Top Men Titanium Ring Picks

Shawn wasn't very picky about the style of ring we got him for our wedding, but he knew he wanted it to be of either a Titanium or Tungsten metal. They are supposed to be pretty hardcore "manly" metals so I think that is what he liked most about them. So we got him a ring before we got married (as normal haha) and it has worked out well....until he went and lost 30 pounds. Yup! Last winter he went on a diet and just up and dropped thirty pounds. Good job husband. Now if only I had too :) 

But anyway, now that he is a good deal lighter his fingers are skinnier! His ring has gotten pretty loose as well especially when he is cold or washing dishes or something, his ring has flown off his finger many times.  So I've been looking into finding a new ring for him that WON'T go flying across the room when he waves his hand around. A good idea dontcha think??

In my search for a new wedding band I was introduced to Apples of Gold!

Apples of Gold is a faith based online jewelry retailer that cuts out the middle man of jewelry production to offer affordable jewelry pieces that are still high-end products. They specialize in their Apples of Gold Wedding Bands Collection but offer many different types of jewelry including christian jewelry, vintage style jewelry, genuine gemstones and more. 

I particularly like their offering of titanium wedding bands as you can see from the graphic above! I like the fairly plain look for a men's wedding band and there are plenty that fit my style.  Of course, I'm not the one who would be wearing it so maybe I should double check with my hubby :)

 This post is sponsored by Apples of Gold but all opinions are my own

Top Diamond Jewelry Picks under $400

Whenever our anniversary and/or Valentines day rolls around, I always have a little bit of a predicament on my hands.  I love my husband to death but he is not one who will pick out a lovely surprise gift for me.  If I want something, I better tell him what it is and more than just a general category. I can't just say "jewelry." I can't just say "earrings." I really have to send him examples of something I would like or put it on my wish list if I want to have any hope of getting a nice present :)

In the past I've tried suggesting "diamond jewelry" but that has only been met by huffs and gruffs and "yeah rights." Haha. I know diamonds are expensive but they are a girls best friend after all!!! I'm not the kind of girl who expects big and expensive presents every anniversary or every valentines day, but I wouldn't mind something a little nicer every now again!

So I recently came across the diamond jewelry website Anjolee which has TONS of eye candy that the diamond lover in all of us will love.  Anjolee is a high end diamond jewelry manufacturer and retailer that offers customers the ability to customize any jewelry design to your own taste! The customization can be anything from metal type, diamond size, gemstone type, diamond quality, and can be used to customize earrings, necklaces, bracelets, or even a wedding ring set that is beautiful but unique all at the same time! While certain diamond items will always be a little more pricey like wedding rings (as they should be!) surprisingly there were some more affordable options as well!

So, in honor of Valentines day coming up I thought I would round up a couple of beautiful diamond jewelry options that won't break the bank...too much!  All pieces listed below start at under $400 and the cheapest starts at $190! 

Here are some of my favorite more affordable finds:

Round Diamond Centered Pendant Starting at $320.42

 

Classic Diamond Hoop Earrings starting at $189.68

 

Offset Square Diamond Pendant Starting at $327.91

 

Diamond Dangle Earrings Starting at $263.51

 

Surrounded by Sparkle Diamond Pendant Starting at $333.20

 

Diamond Centered Square Studs Starting at $341.00

 Vintage Beauty Diamond Band Starting at $217.07

 

Classic Diamond Journey Necklace Starting at $306.29

 

Circle Housed Diamond Stud Earrings Starting at $230.04

 

Perfect Three Diamond and Gemstone Anniversary Ring Starting at $387.26

 

So HINT HINT hubby - this Valentines Day I would be ok with any of these options showing up in a little gift box :) What about you ladies - any hope of some diamonds coming your way next month??

This post is sponsored by Anjolee but all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

Fotor: A Free Online Picture Editing Tool!

I remember back when Picnik, the free online photo editor, DIED and somehow became a part of google+ (which I never quite understood how.)  It was so sad! That was the only website I had used to add text and create collages for my blog and it was very annoying when they closed down. Since then I've tried a couple different options as replacement, but today I wanted to share another option with you all: fotor!

Fotor is a free photo editor  that is easy to use and had TONS of great features.  It is very user friendly.  I know some bloggers use Photoshop or Photoshop Elements for their blog pictures, but all those options and how everything is laid out confuses me!! I like things to be straight forward and easy to figure out without having to read a huge manual first, and fotor is very straight forward.

There is a menu on the left side of the screen where you can select between all the different editing options.  It has everything you would expect it to have like crop, rotate, exposure, plus a bunch of fun elements like TONS of filters to apply to your photos!

One of the biggest things I like about fotor versus some other websites like Pic Monkey is that there are TONS of fonts to choose from.  It gets a little annoying always having to scroll through the same 30ish fonts that Pic Monkey has, and any of the ones I really like are a royal features that I have to pay to use! Not the case with fotor.  There are tons of font options and they are all free.

There are also cosmetic options available as well.  If I wanted to shrink up my cheeks and instantly loose 15 pounds I can! Too bad it doesn't work with a click of a button like that in real life :) More realistically, there is a blemish fix, lipstick boost, eyebrow pencil, and more all available for free use (most of the cosmetic features on Pic Monkey you have to pay for)

There are also many different photo collage options available. This feature is so useful when I'm trying to make project round-ups or make a very "pinnable" image!

Last but not least, fotor has many photo card templates available for you to easily made your own Christmas and other holiday cards! I've been too lazy to do Christmas cards either Christmas since Shawn and I have been married....but maybe if its as easy as only dragging a picture or two into a cute template I could change my mind next year :)

Overall, I like that Fotor is easy to use and that they have lots of FREE options available.  No having to upgrade for blah blah a month to be able to use this collage or this text.  Everything you see on the site you are able to use for free which makes for a great editing experience!

This is a sponsored post from Fotor.  All thoughts and opinions are 100% mine.

The 3rd Revolution!

Today I have a fun new online project and crafts community to share with you all: it's the 3rd Revolution!

The 3rd Revolution is a place to organize, showcase and collaborate on the awesome things you make! 

Here's how it works:

Organize: Keep track of all of your projects with their free online gallery, or start a project journal for complex products!

Share: Easily share your projects and the story behind them through your social media sites and within the community

Collaborate: Get feedback on your projects from the online community of the 3rd Revolution

 So of course I had to give it a try! In just a couple minutes I had my own profile set up and uploaded my very first project:

Bam! There's my Coral and Chain Necklace on the big screen! :) After just a couple clicks more I had my next project posted to my profile and ready for comments and feedback Uploading projects was super easy and not time consuming at all.

Another part of uploading your projects is tagging them into categories to make it easier for fellow craft enthusiasts to find your projects and for you find them as well!

 So, in the days of our Pinterest crazed society, what makes 3rd Revolution different than just another online gallery to add your projects to? I think that the community on 3R is what really makes it stand out from other sites out there.  There is a real encouragement to post your projects while they are in progress and not just when they arein the final stage all primped and prepped and ready for that final glamor blog short.

For example, I love this project posted by Katy Cornell where she expresses her frustration while coming up with a layout for a statement necklace she was working on.

I COMPLETELY understand.  Sometimes I go into my craft room and try and work on a new project and just sit for an hour pushing beads around on my workspace without being to figure out ANYTHING that looks good.  How nice to be able to have a community of fellow crafters who understand that and would be able to provide some feedback!

And there are tons of other categories on 3R besides jewelry making - there is quilting, sewing, wood carving, and even more manly things like building and car projects!

To learn more about 3rd Revolution and create your own free profile to start uploading your own free projects, visit www.3rdrevolution.com!


This is a sponsored post.  All ideas and opinions are my own.