Tag: sponsored

Rawr

This post is sponsored by Honest.

We’ve been trying to have the kids play outside as much as possible while we get the inside of the house ready for sale. Luckily, the weather has been cooperating with us.

Now, some things you don’t mind on your kids. Natural, broad-spectrum 30 SPF sunscreen? You bet — we’re going to be in the sun for a while. (Actually, I’ll take some too.) A little dirt, from playing outside all day? Not a problem. Let them have their fun, and they can get cleaned up with a little bubble bath later. Permanent marker all over your little girl’s face?

Hold up.

See, Eleanor got a new toy puppy the other day, and it came with bunch of veterinarian accessories, including a prescription pad. I watched her writing (scribbling) on it with a blue marker, carefully filling out each line and narrating as she went. It was adorable, but I thought nothing more of it. Turns out she held on to that marker. A couple of hours later, E suddenly thought it would be a great idea to be a tiger! Actually, I think she was trying to be Diego’s baby jaguar friend. Either way, that blue marker ended up on her face, hands and arms.

Rawr.

No, she had never drawn on her face before. She did a pretty decent job, considering the lack of a mirror, eh? Oh well— it was just a little marker. Permanent marker, mind you, but it will fade soon enough. At least the sunscreen did its job.

Making it Lovely readers can enjoy $10 off a minimum purchase of $40 using the code Lovely10off40. Limited to first-time buyers (one per customer) and expires June 19, 2013.

June 5, 2013
Diaper Storage in the Nursery

This post is sponsored by Honest.

We’re starting to talk up the whole “big boy” thing with August, about how he’s going to start sleeping in a bed, and that soon he won’t need diapers. He was pretty adamant for a long time about his morning bottle of milk too until we somehow lost his favorite bottle, and that was the end of that. He’s in that transitional stage between toddler and little kid, but for a while longer, he’s still sleeping in a crib and wearing diapers.

I showed his room not too long ago, when I took the doors off of one of the storage units in the space to convert it to a bookshelf. Here it is again, with even more books on the shelves. (Like toys, they seem to multiply.)

We don’t need as much storage for baby gear now that August is older, but the remaining side with doors still holds essentials, like face and body lotion and healing balm. All of the diapers and wipes are in there too, along with refills for our diaper pail, tissues, and stacks of no-longer-needed burp cloths.

I like to use Honest diapers because they’re plant-based and free of chemicals, but they still perform just as well as any other diaper out there. Plus they come in a skull and crossbones pattern! (OK, and cute little strawberries, anchors, and what-have-you. But the skulls are my favorite.) Their wipes are great too — nice and thick, and effective but still gentle. As with other Honest products, you can order diapers and wipes individually, or bundle them and save.

I’ll be a little sad when it’s time to change the nursery. It has been a good setup that has seen us through four years of active duty (starting with Eleanor, when it was hers), but eventually the changing pad will go, and the diapers and lotions will probably be replaced with toys. And that will be good too.

If you’re curious about Honest, check out their free trial. Also, Making it Lovely readers can enjoy $10 off a minimum purchase of $40 using the code Lovely$10off$40. Limited to first-time buyers (one per customer) and expires May 22, 2013.

May 8, 2013
It’s All in the Details
This post is sponsored by Target. Welcome to Threshold. A new line for house and home.

I think we can call it: the end of my avoidance of the color blue. I’ve found that it appeals to me in certain shades over the years, but lately I’ve been completely drawn to it. I’m still not a fan of primary blue, but a lovely teal or robin’s egg? Oh yes. So this room is an exercise in incorporating the color without giving up my beloved pink (which I also didn’t like once upon a time), featuring the new Threshold line exclusively at Target, along with a few other finds.
April 30, 2013
Looking for a Photography Class

This post is sponsored by Bing.

I took a 2-hour video class by Matt and Julie Walker of Tiger in a Jar when I was at Alt Summit last month, and I was inspired to learn more about lighting. I feel like I understand my camera and natural light, but I could still use some improvement and I have absolutely no experience with lighting equipment. I’m working with Bing, to help take my inspiration and ‘Bing it to Life,’ so I’m going to take a photography class to learn more.

Sometimes I can pull off a good shot, like the one below from the day I took August’s last monthly photo, but it’s hit or miss, and I’d like a little more understanding and control of the outcome.

I searched on Bing for photography classes in Chicago and came up with a bunch to check out. I visited each site and read Yelp reviews, narrowing it down to a couple of top contenders. I could see a few of my friends’ Facebook posts in the search results too, mentioning photography classes they’d taken, but I also used Bing to ask for some direct feedback on my Facebook page.

I’ve heard good things about Clickin’ Moms, which was recommended, and I think I might join. A sample issue of their new magazine, Click, randomly arrived a few weeks ago and I liked it a lot. In fact, I cashed out all of my credit card rewards points to get a Canon 35mm f/1.4L lens because I noticed so many of the shots I loved were using it. I am looking for an actual class here in Chicago to go to though. A couple of people recommended Chicago Photography Center — one that I was already considering — so that helped me make my choice.

Now I’m just trying to figure out which class will be most beneficial. I want to learn more about lighting, and there are specific classes for Fundamentals of Studio Portrait Lighting and Flash Photography. I think I might want to start with Intermediate Digital Photography though, which includes “detailed review of light; a deeper understanding of exposure and white balance use and techniques; introduction to flash modifiers including flash lab and an introduction to portrait lighting.” It might be good to increase my overall photo skills before moving on to specifics, right?

Whichever class I take, I’m sure I’m going to learn a lot. They’re each three hours long, for seven weeks, and there are homework assignments to be done that will be critiqued. I’m looking forward to it.

February 20, 2013
Fab Valentine’s Day Gift Guide
I’m working with Fab again, this time to share my favorite quirky finds from their Valentine’s Day gift shop. As usual, I spotted some of my favorite independent designers among the offerings.
1. Son Of A Sailor Durango Pink Necklace
  Pink and brass? Thank you for combining my two favorites into something I can wear around my neck.
2. Rococco-LA Flowering Heart Print
  Such a good print.
3. AMINIMAL Central Park Earrings
  This would be a sweet token to remember a New York romance by. Or for architecture nerds and urban planners – whatevs.
4. Core Bamboo Heart Cutting Board
  Is there symbolism in taking a knife to a heart-shaped cutting board? Maybe, but it’s just so cute.
5. The Social Dept Baby Tee
  I carried a watermelon.
6. M.G. BAKER Bow Tie
  I love this. Brandon wore a pink tie to our wedding, but bow ties are having their moment now.
7. ASHKAHN a.bird, b. booty Print
  Hey professor, what’s another word for pirate treasure?
8. 1965 Playboy Pair
  Dirty magazines seem kitschy and campy when they’re vintage.
9. chain chain chained Necklace
  Brandon gave me this necklace for Christmas. It’s really sweet, and I’ve been wearing mine a lot.
10. RIFLE + RADFORD Rafferty Ring
  Aquamarine plays nicely with just about everything.
This post was sponsored by Fab.
January 22, 2013
How My Blog Went From a Hobby to a Job

As I mentioned yesterday, there are several topics to not discuss in polite company: money, politics, and your stance on wood finishes. Since I have already, at various points, touched on the other two, why not go three for three and talk about finances?

I’ve held a job, self-employed or otherwise, since I was sixteen. I have been an amusement park ride-operator, a handy(wo)man, a telephone surveyor, a face painter, a babysitter, a record store clerk, a muralist, a bookseller, a web designer, a stationer, and a blogger. Most of those overlapped. For instance, I worked at the bookstore while also face painting for the village events in Oak Park, the combination of which somehow led to my being awarded Employee of the Year for Downtown Oak Park! I didn’t even know that was a possibility, but I gave a brief, awkward acceptance speech at the end of a TIF meeting, and was presented with a plaque. (It used to hang in our apartment bathroom, because that’s a pretty funny thing to see when you visit the loo.)

I’m sure you can tell from my résumé of odd jobs (literally) that I have been raking it in!

Brandon and I were married in 2004. I started my stationery shop in 2005, and I began offering web design in 2006. Making it Lovely began in 2007, and I had intended for it to be a complement to the shop and design business, but mostly just a fun place to chronicle what we were doing as we moved into our first house together. Over time, the blog became successful, and I was able to earn some advertising revenue. Each year, the balance of our finances changed a little (2008 took a hit from doing the National Stationery Show — ouch), but Brandon’s job was always the anchor.

He and I had dreamed of the day he would be able to quit. Steadily, each year, we grew a little closer. Then, in January 2012, we were pushed over the cliff when he lost his job. We weren’t ready to make that leap, and we scrambled for a while. Slowly though, I began to find my footing with the blog and its potential to support us, and in September 2012, I wrote about our decision for Brandon to stay home and watch the kids while I worked full-time on the blog.

Though our income is now fully funded by Making it Lovely, I have tried to diversify the sources as much as possible. Keep reading for a breakdown of how this blog supported us in 2012.
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January 16, 2013