by Kara | Jan 21 | Celebrations, Crafts, Holidays, Valentine's Day
After purging a ton of Holiday stuff following the undecorating of Christmas, I discovered I had little to none in the way of Valentine’s Day decor. Being the frugal mama that I am, I was inspired by ombre yarn wrapped letters I had previously seen on Pinterest...
by Kara | Jan 12 | Celebrations, Crafts
We live in the Tampa Bay area and I was raised in a Pirate loving town. Gasparilla is Tampa’s infamous partyfest. We drink. We catch beads. We drink. We walk up and down Bayshore like bums. We drink. We run in the marathons (well, I don’t but some do). We...
by Kara | Jan 7 | Closets & Organization, Crafts
My oldest daughter, now 10, has always had WAY too much stuff in the way of accessories. I’ve spent her entire life trying to figure out how to organize her belongings so that she can find them (and put them away…hahaha) and to save my sanity when...
by Kara | Jan 1 | Celebrations, Holidays, New Year's Eve
Well, we did it again… a totally last minute New Year’s Eve dinner at our house with our friends who were celebrating their 10th anniversary. My husband cooked everything that I found on Pinterest while I gussied up the table with some new ideas, also...
by Kara | Dec 24 | Celebrations, Christmas, Crafts
I hadn’t planned on doing a post this week since everyone is way too busy shopping and cooking to actually read something (this totally includes me). But…one of my friends sent this to me yesterday and since I can’t get over how adorable and easy it...
by Kara | Dec 16 | Celebrations, Christmas, Frugal & Fancy Finds
So let’s be honest. We’ve ALL had that awesome moment when we realized we forgot to buy something for that certain person (or whole family) when it comes to the uber commercialized aspect of the holiday season. Sometimes it’s a last minute shindig...
by Kara | Dec 10 | Celebrations, Cuisine, Holidays, New Year's Eve
Last New Year’s Eve, fairly last minute, while speaking to one of our couple friends (who also happen to be the parents of our daughter’s BFF), we decided to have NYE at our house to keep things low key with the kids. Turns out, this was also our...
by Kara | Dec 3 | Celebrations, Christmas, Cuisine, Holidays
My oldest daughter was adopted by my current husband shortly after we were married. And while I am made up of German, Russian, perhaps British and perhaps American Indian and who knows what else, Avery also comes from a good bit of Italian blood from her biological...
by Kara | Nov 26 | Christmas, Crafts
After spotting this idea on Pinterest from U Create Crafts, it was my “must do” Christmas craft keepsake project last year. My older daughter was sadly, rapidly approaching a ridiculous age to participate in such projects, while my younger daughter...
by Kara | Nov 19 | Cuisine, Thanksgiving
Turkey Day is right around the corner so I wanted to share a few fancyish Thanksgiving recipes. I’m a food freak. And…Pinterest has catapulted me into a new realm of freakiness. I get all googly eyed when I come across my kind of recipes. I’d like to...
by Kara | Nov 15 | Frugal & Fancy Finds
I’m falling deeper and deeper in love with all things rustic these days. Anything that gives a more natural vibe just seems to have such a calming effect in the home. I saw these this morning on Zulily.com and wanted to share! These are affiliate links and I may...
by Kara | Nov 14 | Christmas, Frugal & Fancy Finds, Holidays
As we enter the holiday season, I thought I would begin to occasionally share items I discover online that I hope to be of interest to you. The links provided are affiliate links and I may receive a commission if you purchase through them, but my primary goal is to...
by Kara | Nov 12 | Crafts, Home Decor
So, we’ve already established that I generally tend to sway closer to subtle and understated than in the opposite direction of jazz hands, right? Here is another very inexpensive and simple project (if you can even call it that) that I did this year to...
by Kara | Nov 7 | Celebrations, Holidays, Holidays, Home Decor, Thanksgiving
I realize this won’t appeal to all but certainly, there must be a good handful of you out there that aren’t huge fans of the traditional darker fall and/or Thanksgiving decor. And if you’re a certifiable wacko, like me, you have issues putting that...
by Kara | Nov 5 | Cuisine
Okay … this post is frugal because I snagged a few bags of these gorgeous potatoes when they were BOGO at Publix and fancy because HELLOOOO! Purple is a royal color. Duh. I absolutely love making purple potatoes because they just look fancy. I’m not even a...
by Kara | Oct 29 | Crafts, Holidays, Home Decor
If you are like me, and generally prefer understated décor, you may enjoy this post. If you are more drawn to the holiday décor equivalent of jazz hands, you may be underwhelmed. Fair warning. I found this initial wreath inspiration and tutorial on Pinterest a year or...
by Kara | Oct 22 | Celebrations, Cuisine, Thanksgiving
I am neither a chef nor baker, by any means. I’m really not even a good cook. I’m an AWESOME recipe finder and an even more impressive recipe follower. I don’t deviate, especially on the first go ’round. And because baking is (generally) a...
by Kara | Oct 15 | Birthday Parties, Celebrations, Crafts, Featured
Theme This was by far my most favorite party ever. We decided to keep the intimate theme again after the previous year’s Tea Party success. However, I’m quite sure I worked harder on this party than any other I’ve done. A ladybug birthday party....
by Kara | Oct 10 | Crafts
How to Take Your Art into the Next Dimension with Cricut (sponsored post) If you’re anything like me, you dream up all kinds of ideas to decorate for the holidays, get really excited, and then realize you can’t execute your plan for one reason or...
by Kara | Oct 10 | Breakfast & Brunch, Cuisine
After visiting Missouri many times during my childhood, only because my father owned a cattle farm for a few years, I had ZERO positive expectations as I ventured back to that desolate state for my little sister’s wedding. I mean, seriously. Back then (I’m...
Kara is a self-proclaimed Martha Stewart wannabe with the taste of an aristocrat and (thankfully) a penchant for bargains. She hopes to inspire you to live life beautifully and affordably while laughing at her expense along the way.
