Living Room Makeover

I was recently given the opportunity to decorate my living room with some amazing decor items available at Cost Plus World Market. I've shopped at World Market a few times in the past, but have found myself there a lot more recently. They just came out with their Kingdom Animalia collection which is full of so many unique items!

As you all know, I'll be moving into my new apartment in the upcoming weeks and I've come to World Market for so many decor pieces. Then there were other pieces that I've been lusting over, like this map ampersand and storage basket rack. I seriously considered taking both home with me.

 
They also have an amazing assortment of door knobs which I loved. Maybe I'll be able to find a use for some of them in my new apartment. They're just too cute to pass up.

 
I also fell madly in love with these globes. They were all nicely grouped together and I personally think they would look great in a bookshelf nook or above someone's fireplace.

As for the goodies I picked up, I chose the zebra picture frame on the left. I'm always drawn to zebras and I knew the texture and color would go well with the living room at home.

By the end of my shopping trip, the cart looked like this, with some goodies underneath all those pillows too. I rushed home and couldn't wait to assemble it all together.

BEFORE

 AFTER

 

 
Wow, right? What an amazing difference a couple of pillows, a blanket, and some decor items can make! I am so happy with the way the living room turned out and it's all thanks to World Market. I am planning on taking all of these pieces with me when I move into my new apartment, so you're sure to see them again here soon!

To see more of the Kingdom Animalia products, be sure to check out the video here. You can also sign up for coupons, discounts, and membership benefits on their website. Be sure to follow World Market via Twitter and Facebook too.

Finally, Cost Plus World Market is giving away an African Safari Adventure for two to celebrate the new Kingdom Animalia Collection! Seriously, who wouldn't want to go on a safari? Sign me up!!

 The Grand Prize package includes:

• A trip for two to Africa (5 day Trip for 2 to Africa- includes airfare, accommodations and excursions)
• A $1,000 Cost Plus World Market gift card.
• There will also be 3 first prize winners that will each receive a $500 Cost Plus World Market gift card!
• The African Safari Sweepstakes runs from  July 14 to August 17 and you can enter the sweepstakes on the Cost Plus World Market Facebook page.
• P.S. If you share the sweepstakes with 5 of your friends (via FB share or email) you can receive 5 additional bonus entries. This is part of the registration process when entering. Users can also enter daily for more chances to win.

Disclaimer: This post and shopping trip have been sponsored by Cost Plus World Market and Pollinate Media. However, all opinions are completely my own and 100% honest. 

Meet Brooke from Covered in Grace

Hello Lovely Framed Frosting Readers!

My name is Brooke and I'm the girl behind the blog at Covered in Grace. There, I write about life as a mother, student, military wife, photog wannabe, writer and Jesus lover. My blog centers around my faith and all the things that I love. I would love it if you'd stop by and visit me from time to time!

Covered in Grace | Twitter | HelloCotton | Bloglovin | Facebook

Today, I a have something yummy to share with you all. It's made with one of my favorite recipes and so easy to do. I've been meaning to share it with blogland for quite a while, so when Danielle asked me to share a recipe, I knew that this was the one! It's called CRACK BREAD! Ha! You could say that it gets it's name because the loaf is all "cracked" apart, but really, I dubbed it Crack Bread because once you eat it, you can't stop, you might say that it's a smidge addicting. 

This recipe is really a two-for-one. The bread is made from my favorite beer bread recipe, and then it's chopped up and smothered with awesomeness that will linger in the memories of the lucky people that get to eat it for a long, long time. I get more requests for and compliments on this savory snack than almost anything else. The dudes drool over it and the ladies loooove it. So, with out further adieu, I'm going to jump right into the recipes. 

Like I said, the base of this recipe is made from my favorite, and go to, beer bread. This loaf stands on it's own. I make this so often to accompany our meals, or to take to potlucks. We always have the ingredients in the house.

Almost any beer will do: expensive or cheap, domestic or import. But...try to stay away from beers like Heineken or Corona. They give the bread a strange flavor. I love using hefeweizens, and beers like Blue Moon Belgian White give the bread a wonderful taste. But, cheap domestics like Miller or Bud work and PBR makes a great bread. Ha! Today, I used the Miller Lite. The hubs wanted to actually drink his Deschutes. 

So, I said this recipe was easy right? To make it, you just dump all of the {bread} ingredients, (flour, sugar, beer) into a bowl and mix it up. The batter will be sticky and stiff, but it should pull right out of the bowl when you go to move it into the loaf pan.

Before you put the dough into the pan, make sure you grease it down very well. I like things to be easy when I'm in the kitchen, so I use Pam Olive Oil Spray. The baked loaf will fall right out of the pan and there is virtually no scraping to be done at clean up.

Now usually, before I pop this sucker into the oven, when I'm making regular beer bread, I melt a stick of butter and pour it all over the dough. It gives the crust a delicious golden, buttery crunch (that I'm totally drooling over as I type this). But...we're making crack bread, so we're saving the butter for later. Pop the pan into the oven @ 350° for 50 minutes. 

When it comes out, it should look like this. And...your house will smell amazing. 

Let it cool for about 15 minutes or so, depending on how long you have until you want to serve it. Then...apply the crack. Bacon. Cheese. Ranch. Butter. 

You need to chop the loaf into cubes first. I have found that it's easiest to put the loaf in a casserole dish and then cut. 

The crack part of this recipe consists of: melted butter with 1-2 tBsp of ranch dip mix/seasoning mixed in, 4-5 pieces of crumbled bacon, and 1/2-1 cup of shredded cheese. First, mix the butter and ranch (I only use about 1 & 1/2 Tsp's of ranch-I like a lot less than some people, but some of my friends prefer when I go a little heavy on the stuff,) and then pour evenly over the bread. Then layer the bacon and cheese evenly and garnish with chopped green onions if you'd like. I like it. Makes it pretty. Ha! 

Then pop it back in the oven for about 20 more minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Serve warm, and try to get a piece yourself before it disappears! 

Yaya! Now you're done. Crack Bread is BOMB. I wanted to take a really pretty photo of the bread on a little dish with some great lighting and maybe a nice cold one next to it...but the family swarmed in and started devouring the stuff...and then the neighbors trickled in and helped to finish it off. It was gone in less than fifteen minutes. 

I hope you'll try it out. I'm sure you'll love it. And just in case you want to add my favorite beer bread to recipe box as well, here's the basic recipe for you too. 

Feel free to download/right-click-save the recipe cards and print them out for your personal use. =)

And give me a shout if you try out the recipe!! I want to thank Danielle for having me today!
This was definitely a fun post to do. Love yer face! Xoxo

{This month's advertisement}

Christmas In July: Night Two

The Christmas In July MEGA-shopping Event
continues TONIGHT at 8pm EST! 

 {actually I'll starting posting around 7:30pm!}

-- There will be 20+ shops EACH NIGHT selling discounted items with FREE shipping!

-- You MUST be a fan of the Framed Frosting Facebook page to participate in the event!

-- You MUST have a PayPal account in order to purchase shop items.

Here's How It Works:

1) Head on over to my Facebook page at 8pm EST. There will be instructions posted on how to claim/purchase your items. Also, feel free to comment if you have any questions!

2) A new shop item will be posted every couple of minutes, so be sure to refresh your page often! If you see an item you'd like to buy just comment on the photo with your PayPal email address. Also be sure that if there are different color choices, name choices, etc that you list those too!

3) There will be a select quantity of each item available. So that means if you want it, be quick to comment with your e-mail or the deal might become full and you'll lose your chance to buy!!

4) The MEGA-shopping event will be run in this fashion with about 20 shop items posted each night. Then over the weekend, shops will be sending out your invoices for the items you purchased!

Shops for TONIGHT (Friday, July 27th):

JEWELRY:
The Posh Daisy
Sassy Lemonade

Acute Designs

Bagatelle Designs

The Happy Times

Sparkling Waters Studio 

Mimi Baby Boutique

Always Faith

HAIR ACCESSORIES & FASHION:
Knotieties 

The Rogue Baby

Purse and Clutch

Eisley Rae

 

BLOG DESIGN: 

Royal Daughter Designs  

Texas Love Birds {blog planners}

ART & PRINTS:

Thumbprint Designs

Parada Creations

Kim's Knits & Pics

Dragonflight Dreams

OTHER:

Tookies Delectables
Our Reflection {burlap banners}

The Nook Store {handwrapped yarn letters}

Hope to see you tonight & Happy Shopping!!

Also, sign up here to receive the CIJ coupon e-mail which will go out on Monday! 

{This month's advertisement}

Christmas In July: Night One

For all of you who were hoping there was a Current Crush post today, I am so sorry!! I'm not hosting it BUT my two lovely gals at La La Lists and Embracing the Everyday are taking over today! So head on over to their blogs and link up your posts for this week!

As for my fashion inspiration for the week, feel free to check out yesterday's post here! I have been ordering a ton of things online this week so I guess you could say that online shopping is what I've been "crushing" on this week!

I have also been "crushing" on this AMAZING event that is taking place tonight...

Christmas In July MEGA-shopping Event

TONIGHT AND TOMORROW {July 26th and July 27th}

**starting at 8pm EST each night**

-- There will be 20+ shops EACH NIGHT selling discounted items with FREE shipping!

-- You MUST be a fan of the Framed Frosting Facebook page to participate in the event!

-- You MUST have a PayPal account in order to purchase shop items.

Here's How It Works:

1) Head on over to my Facebook page at 8pm EST. There will be instructions posted on how to claim/purchase your items. Also, feel free to comment if you have any questions!

2) A new shop item will be posted every couple of minutes, so be sure to refresh your page often! If you see an item you'd like to buy just comment on the photo with your PayPal email address. Also be sure that if there are different color choices, name choices, etc that you list those too!

3) There will be a select quanitity of each item available. So that means if you want it, be quick to comment with your e-mail or the deal might become full and you'll lose your chance to buy!!

4) The MEGA-shopping event will be run in this fashion with about 20 shop items posted each night. Then over the weekend, shops will be sending out your invoices for the items you purchased!

Shops for TONIGHT (Thursday, July 26th):

JEWELRY:
Stella & Dot
Elisabeth Ashlie
Chloe VS Tank
Loved
Twillypop
Streeter Ltd
Whispering Sweetly
Five Sixteenths
Cloud Nine Designz
Beyond the Blackboard
Little Bears Necklaces
Lovely Little Whimsy
Blue Soul Designs

HAIR ACCESSORIES & FASHION:
Peas & Carrots
Missionary Kerrie's
Two Shades of Lovely
J&M's Eye Candy
Breeze Creations


BLOG DESIGN:
Melissa Rose Design {blog designs}
Yours Truly {social media icons}


ART & PRINTS:
Framed Frosting Shoppe
Knotted Tree Photography 
Three Bees Designs 

OTHER:
Garage Sales R Us {monogram canvas}
The Not So Ordinary Shop {camera strap covers}
The Cozy Project {coffee sleeves}
Red Letter Paper Co {Christian-based cards} 
Blood Orange Designs {babysitters notepad}
Bonn Bonn Boutique {his and her coffee mugs} 
Yellow Umbrella Designs {stationery}
Cherished Bliss {PDF sewing patterns for children's accessories}

Hope to see you tonight & Happy Shopping!!

Also, sign up here to receive the CIJ coupon e-mail which will go out on Monday!

{This month's advertisement}

Shop Til You Drop

My name is Danielle...and I'm a shopaholic. Yep, I said it. After all the packages I've received in the past week or so I have come to realize that I do wayyyy too much online shopping.

Also, tomorrow is the first night for the Christmas In July sale which means I'm bound to do more shopping! (Psst: Will you be joining me and shopping at the event? You better be!!)

However, I can justify every single purchase I made. From the new wedges I bought to the perfect maxi dress that I finally found to some adorable accessories. Here's a look at the damage...

 The Wendy Clutch - by Missionary Kerrie's

Love Club box for July {sign up here and use me as your referral!}

Mint Frosting bracelet - by Hello Zee

Goldish Pink Mini bracelet - by Chloe VS Tank

 Custom Paris necklace with "D" & "Q" initials - by The Posh Daisy

My first Maxi dress - listed here on Amazon.com

Spring Penney wedges - listed here on Zappos {which I had to return b/c they didn't fit right} 

so then I bought the other wedges at Zellers! I'm still on the hunt for a better pair though!! 

Do any of you have suggestions? I'm looking to spend less than $40.

Croft and Barrow boat shoes - listed here on Kohl's

I also purchased this lace bandeau top that I plan on layering under the maxi dress shown above as well as some flowy tanks. Use the code: IMNEW10 for 10% off your entire first purchase!

Are you convinced now that you've seen everything?

Told ya...you're looking at a shopaholic right here!

{This month's advertisement}

WIWW: Color-Blocked Pastels

Today I'm posting about something which is a little out of my comfort zone. I'm linking up for What I Wore Wednesdays. I realized that I post about fashion so much here on this blog of mine, but not often do you actually see photos of what outfits I've worn.

I read many fashion blogs daily, inlcuding Kendi Everyday, From My Grey Desk, etc. and they all make outfit posts look so easy. Their poses are adorable, their hair is perfect, and the outfits they come up with are amazing.

Thanks to Laura and Tricia who have both been doing WIWW posts lately, I decided to bite the bullet and try one of my own. I sweet-talked the boyfriend into taking some pictures (thanks Q!) and although I was nervous, I am *so* happy with the way they turned out.

Psst: Are you a fan of my Facebook page? If not you should be! That's where the Christmas In July MEGA-shopping event will be taking place TOMORROW and Friday! Join us at 8pm EST.

 

 {Shirt: Kohls | Capris | Shoes | Earrings: F21 | Bracelet: c/o Lisa Leonard}

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy // Lollipops // This Kind of Love // Transatlantic Blonde
// and Live Laugh Rowe for the Self-Portrait Challenge  

{This month's advertisement}

Summer Bloglovin Hop

Today I'm so happy to be co-hosting a BRAND spankin' new blog hop. Awhile back GFC was removed from Wordpress and a bunch of users turned to Bloglovin. I still have GFC here on my blog and LOVE the simplicity it gives my readers. With that said, as a reader myself I prefer to use Bloglovin for my daily readings.

I subscribe to the blogs I love and can't live a day without and they're all sitting there waiting to be read! I also love that you can categorize the blogs you read in anyway you'd like. For example, mine are Fashion, Beauty, Lifestyle, and DIY. Another feature I REALLY love is that they have a page for the "Up and Coming blogs" in each category. Today's link party is all about getting YOU more Bloglovin followers!

It's Simple, Just Follow These 5 Rules...

1. Link up your bloglovin’ link below. (NOT your blog homepage, we will delete those.)
2. Follow ALL of your hosts. (We are the first 6 in the Linky below)
3. Follow as many new blogs as you like!
4. Leave each other comments and make some new friends!
5. Share this Linky with your friends via Twitter       Tweet

Back at the Beginning

Over the weekend, I reached 1,000 GFC followers! I seriously cannot thank you all enough for your support. When I first started blogging in April 2011, I had no idea I would meet so many wonderful ladies like you all :) Each and every one of you have inspired me in different ways and were always there to offer a helping hand and I appreciate that from the bottom of my heart.

Lately, I feel like I've been playing the numbers game and have had a giveaway to celebrate most of my milestones, however I want this one to be different. I started my blog as a way to share my thoughts, fashion inspiration, recipes, etc with all my readers and feel like in the past month or so, I've really lost track of that.

In the past few weeks I have had a few new bloggers e-mail me asking for advice on how to set up Google Analytics, how to gain more readers, how to manage sponsorships, how to approach brands and shops for giveaways, etc. It really reminded me of myself and how I felt when I was in their position. I was so thankful for any advice, but asking for it was difficult in fear of looking like an idiot or just being too nervous. However, I did ask for that advice and it was soo helpful!

For my 1,000 celebration I have picked three new bloggers that have reached out to me and really made think back to when I first started blogging. All of you were so helpful to me and I was hoping you could help them out too!

Meet Taylor @ A Cup of Wee Southern Tee

I'm Taylor or Teewee as most of my friends call me. I thought I'd make this fun by sharing 10 random facts about me. I've been told that I look like AnnaSophia Robb. When I was little I used to be scared someone was going to come through the bathtub drain and get me. When I need to be cheered up, my friends Taylor and Joe are always there with their joking personalities and talking in their fake accents to each other. My special or hidden talent would probably be that I love to softball but, I also was in choir and love to sing and play music.

 My favorite tv show would have to be NCIS. It has to be the original though not the Los Angeles version. The song that probably sums up my life right now is Get Back Up by Tobymac. I am only 5'1, so I'm made fun of for how short I am for my age. But it's ok I don't mind so much anymore. I am a college girl. I am so pale, my friends joke that my legs blind them when I wear shorts. Last but not least, I guess I will admit something a little embarrassing, I am the worse dancer. I could dance well if my life depended on it.

Meet Sarah @ From Elizabeth, with Love

Hey there! I’m Sarah, and I started From Elizabeth, With Love earlier this summer as a way to stay inspired, spark creativity, and meet other bloggers! I don’t have a cute kid to brag about, amazing recipes to share, or designer clothes to show off.  I’m just a 21-year-old college senior who loves a crazy night out with friends, sharing a funny story (usually at my own expense), finding great bargains, and discovering life out on my own as I prepare to move into my first place next month. 

Born and raised in central PA, I don’t have the glamorous life of a city dweller, nor do I have the quaint and simple country life; I’m straight out of the suburbs.  But over the past few years I’ve had opportunities to travel both throughout the US and abroad, as well as experience all that college life has to offer, and I love talking about all my amazing and wild adventures!  I’m the kind of girl who is equally content curling up with a book and a warm cup of tea as she is going out on the town with friends.  Finding joy in the little things in life is so important to me, and I hope that through blogging I can connect with others who can always find a reason to smile.

Meet Alli @ Allena Mistral

Hey guys! My name is Alli and I blog over at Allena Mistral. I'm a 20-something graduate of the University of Arizona. When I'm not blogging, I like being outdoors with my friends, crafting and playing with fire or making crystals from random stuff (yup, I'm a chemist!) I guess my blog would be classified as a lifestyle blog, but I just call it a mish-mash of all the things that I love!

I started blogging in January of this year to chronicle the end of my college years and to have an excuse to do more DIY projects. Over the past few months, my blog has evolved from just crafts to motivation, fashion, crafts (well, I couldn't just get rid of them!) and randomness.

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We all started at the same place. One day you decided to create a blog to share your thoughts, your feelings, and your life with everyone who would reach. You told your family and friends about your blog and you were so excited to see some followers along the way! Whether it was 1 follower or 10, you felt special.

These three girls are in the same position and here's where you can help. If you're interested in giving a helping hand to these ladies, please link up your blogs below! Whether that be offering them some advice via e-mail, free ad space or a guest post, including them as a co-host to one of your link parties, creating free blog buttons for them, etc. You don't have to support all three bloggers, just pick one that really stands out to you. The Linky will be open until July 31st and I'll e-mail everyone afterwards about what's next. Thank you all in advance for helping these girls out and showing them how awesome the blogging community really is.

July Group Giveaway

Thank you to all of my July sponsors! They've been fabulous this month and have helped the blog reach 1,000 GFC followers too. It's been a hectic month for me but they've been so patient and I can't thank them enough for that!

Now let's get on to some fabulous prizes. This group giveaway is a little different as there will only be ONE winner.  That means ONE lucky reader will win all EIGHT prizes. Good luck!

** WINNER: Kim -- I'll be e-mail you shortly! **

 

To Enter: 

 - Please leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry

- MUST follow Framed Frosting (via GFC or Bloglovin)

- Open to US/Canada residents ONLY and ends Friday, July 27th

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES

  

SHOPS: Tookies // Bagatelle Designs

{check out the shop and leave a URL to your favorite item}

BLOGS: Designs by Emily F // Gumdrops & Gloss // Live Laugh Love // 

Songbirds and Buttons // Royal Daughter Designs // Simply Evani

TWITTER: Designs by Emily F // Gumdrops & Gloss // Tookies // Live Laugh Love // 

Bagatelle Designs // Songbirds and Buttons // Royal Daughter Designs // Simply Evani

FACEBOOK: Designs by Emily F // Gumdrops & Gloss // Tookies // Live Laugh Love // 

Bagatelle Designs // Songbirds and Buttons // Royal Daughter Designs // Simply Evani

SHARE VIA TWITTER

 Tweet

Enjoying My Day Off

Yesterday I took the day off from blogging.

It was wonderful and very relaxing.

I woke early, but not to check e-mails like usual.

I then had a few tweets that had been sent to my phone.

A few gals wanted to know if the Current Crush link-up was live.

I didn't reply to those tweets or get on Twitter all day, which felt strange.

Instead, I started and finished a book in one day. That was a first.

I baked this recipe, don't judge a book by its cover they say.

It just felt good to take a day off from the entire blogging world.

Today I'm planning on relaxing some more and driving home.

However, you are all in for a real treat as Tricia is here doing a guest post!

Enjoy and I'll be back on Monday with some BIG news.

{Psstt: Did you see I reached 1,000 GFC followers. Thank you all!!}

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Hi, Framed Frosting readers. I'm Tricia, author of the blog Mama Marchand's Nest and owner of the shop Mama's Nest Designs. I'm so happy to be here today, guest posting for Danielle!

Once upon a time, I felt like I totally lost my sense of fashion. It happened right after I had my daughter, N, and I was trying to figure out this whole new season of life called mamahood. How can I still look cute while lugging a diaper bag, a car seat, a stroller, and a baby around? Gone were the days of my 4 inch stilettos and, instead, I lived in flats and flip flops. I said good-bye to my dry clean only wardrobe and I said hello to washable cotton and jeans.

Now that N is a toddler and much more independent, I feel like I can venture back into the world of cute clothes. Have y'all heard of Polyvore? It's my recent addiction. Here are some outfits that I'm currently loving:

Source: mamamarchand.polyvore.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: mamamarchand.polyvore.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: mamamarchand.polyvore.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Danielle, thanks for letting me share your space today! Framed Frosting readers, I'd love it if you stopped by my blog to say hello! *smile*