chocolate brown {a guest post from kate.}

Hello, everyone!
While I'm off enjoying newly-married life, I've asked a few of my blog friends to share with you.
I hope you enjoy their posts, and please be sure to leave some comment love! :)


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Hello there friends! I'm Kate from Be merry, Kate and I'm so happy to guest post for Jacky while she is off celebrating her wedding and enjoying her honeymoon. Jacky has been such a good blog friend and I'm so happy for her as she enters this new phase of her life! In honor of her wedding, I decided to share a little {color love} based off of my own wedding.

If you know Jacky at all, you know that the colors brown, green and orange are very far from some of her favorites {and understandably so!} Our wedding was on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, so I just couldn't resist the fall palate. I think it worked too - doesn't everyone look great?!? {Okay, I'm a little biased!} So, here you have it, a color love dedicated to the color that stole the show at our wedding...

{chocolate brown}

I love this curtain

I'm also a big fan of chocolate brown Toms.

brown walls frighten me, but this room looks perfect

this chocolate brown Modcloth dress is perfect for fall

and the best part of chocolate brown is...

chocolate cake! {yes I had a chocolate cake on my wedding day, why not?!?}

 Thank you again to Jacky for letting me stop by for a visit! I hope you all enjoyed a little taste of one of my favorite colors as well as a bit from my wedding day. Do stop by and say hello sometime!

get organized {a guest post from gussy.}

Hello, everyone!
While I'm off enjoying newly-married life, I've asked a few of my blog friends to share with you.
I hope you enjoy their posts, and please be sure to leave some comment love! :)


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For weeks now {probably even months},

I've been writing little notes here & there with ideas, projects, tips, goals and dreams for me and the biz. More recently I decided it's time to stop creating lists and to-do's that scatter a half dozen journals and sticky notes >> I need them to be in one place. My first idea was to search Etsy for a shop that could make me a cute 3-ring binder to serve as my Gussy Folder -- I need to be able to re-arrange the pages so a bound book just wouldn't work. Sadly, I couldn't find what I was looking for, but hooray! I decided to make my Gussy Folder myself. I found this cute binder at Target (can also be bought online at www.russellandhazel.com {super cute biz name, by the way}) along with hole-punched pages & divider folders. Yippeeeee :] Three categories I'm constantly using: * goals * blog ideas * to-do These three are the top most important categories for my folder. Having goals is SO, SO important -- it's the only way I was able to quit my day job back in May. Plus, goals are really great ways to grow my business and add motivation to my day. Another category that keeps my blog running {the second biz I have} is a blog ideas list. Usually in the morning is when I come up with the best post/blog ideas, and writing them down is a super easy way for me to come up with a topic/remember ideas. The last category in my Gussy Folder is a to-do list. Having this list in a 3-ring binder lets me add pages to my to-do list without messing up the order of everything else in my book. Each divider page also has a pocket -- Lined paper inserts, perfect :] My Gussy Folder was super fun to make and it cost me less than $20 to create [binder was $7.69, paper was $4.84 and divider folders were $5.17]. On each divider page, I wrote the name of the category on a small piece of fabric {pulled from my scrap bin}. I then used the zig-zag stitch to sew the smaller piece to a bigger piece of fabric. I finished by sewing the fabric directly onto the paper using a top stitch. These folders are card stock-weight so it will hold the stitch well ♥.
One thing that will be super great about this Gussy Folder is I can look back at the goals/topics/to-do's I accomplished and be proud of myself. When I'm having a downer day I like to take a minute and focus on the praises in my life. Then I pray for some help *wink* Materials used -- * 3-ring binder * divider pages * lined paper {graph would be cute, too} * thread * fabric * fabric marker * embellishments to decorate the front of your binder {stickers, photos, marker, fabric, glitter glue, etc.}
 

Share with us -- do you have a special book to help you organize your business? If so, did you buy it or make it?

inspiring balloons {a guest post from mandie.}

Hello, everyone!
While I'm off enjoying newly-married life, I've asked a few of my blog friends to share with you.
I hope you enjoy their posts, and please be sure to leave some comment love! :)


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Hi! I'm Mandie from moxiemandie (blog - shop) and I wanted to share a little something while Jacky is busy getting married and honeymooning with her guy. I moved to Albuquerque, NM over 5 years ago to live with my handsome husband, and in doing so, was introduced to a very cool part of the culture here- hot air balloons. Now, I realize that more than likely, you know what a hot air balloon is regardless of where you live, but here in Albuquerque, ballooning is big because every year in October, our city hosts the International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, and it's a sort of magical 9 days.

There are more car accidents during the week of balloon fiesta due to people paying more attention to the pretty baubles bobbing in the air than the roads they're driving on.

Source: etsy.com via Mandie on Pinterest

The balloon fiesta probably hosts more photographers, professional AND amateur, than any other event, and has been called the most photographed event in the world. To say that I have a blast with my iPhone (using my fave photo apps, instagram and hipstamatic) is an understatement.

Source: etsy.com via Mandie on Pinterest

So, that's the little something I wanted to share about our city. It's so fun to be a (teensy) part of something that can be so dreamy & inspiring. Thanks for having me Jacky. I hope that you and your mister are having a blast adjusting to married life! Best of wishes to you my friend.

plum {a guest post from caroline.}

Hello, everyone!
While I'm off enjoying newly-married life, I've asked a few of my blog friends to share with you.
I hope you enjoy their posts, and please be sure to leave some comment love! :)

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Hi lovies. I'm Caroline & I blog over at Good Times Never Seem Sew Good. Come visit me & you'll get to read about my life as a newlywed, my crafty projects, my favorite recipes, and my attempt at being fashionable~ I'd love for you to come stop by!

While Jacky is starting her new life with her man, she asked me to guest post on her little bliggity blog. Of course I obliged :) I wanna share with you guys one of my favorite colors for Fall this season: PLUM. Oh yes. I'm am pretty much obsessed with this color.

Pinterest.

here are a few of my plum finds for you~

1. miss margaret from Sunshine & Carousels.

2. ruthanne foldover from Peggy Ann Design.

3. zephyr maxi from Anthropologie

4. a fabulous fashion find from side by side blog on Pinterest.

5. wedding garter from Rosebud Lips.

 I hope you enjoy :)

{color love} red + teal

Today we have another wonderful {color love} guest post,

this time from Ashley at After Nine to Five.

I love this pretty combination, so enjoy!

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{ red + teal }

Source: thecherryblossomgirl.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Source: designsponge.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Source: thekitchn.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Source: designismine.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Source: housebeautiful.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Ashley on Pinterest

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Don't forget!

Check out this post for a chance to win

$20 to Along for the Ride.

{color love} by The Chatty Mommy

Today I'm happy to have The Chatty Mommy sharing
one of her favorite colors with us...I think it's lovely!
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{Lavender}

Macaroons - Yes, please.

Lavender the plant- Can you smell it?
My new bedroom wallpaper? ;)

All different shades.

Friendship bracelet anyone?

No where else that baby would rather be.

And I need this bag.

{wednesday wishlist}

I guest-posted this wishlist at Allora Handmade last week - if you missed it, enjoy!

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Hello! It's Jacky from The Sweetest Petunia, and I'm so excited to be here today. :)

{hey, it's me!}

It seems like lovely things are always catching my eye.

I had a terrible time paring down my favorites to my absolute favorites!

But here they are, the top 5 pretties on my wishlist right now...

{1} You're the Cream in my Coffee necklace from Lisa Leonard Designs

This necklace has been at the top of my list for quite awhile now - I'd choose the skinny tag with "happy" stamped on it.

{2} Westbury Self Inking Custom Stamp from NoteTrunk

Love this! I just can't decide if I'd personalize it with my address or my shop info...

{3} Mr. Darcy Proposal Mug from Brookish

Yes, I adore Austen & Mr. Darcy. This mug would be perfect for my morning coffee!

{4} Black Plum Lip Balm from Flourish

Doesn't this look yummy?!

{5} Jane Austen Silhouette top from DearLillie

I think I almost died when I saw this. And then I told my sweetheart all about it & sent him the link...

because I'd really love to make it mine!

What loveliness have you added to your wishlist lately?

Happy Wednesday!

{summer blogging announcement}

{source}

As I've mentioned, I will be very busy this summer.

Which means that my time online will be either extremely limited or nonexistent.

I really didn't just want to leave The Sweetest Petunia empty all summer long.

I also know that I could never schedule enough posts on my own.

Which brings me to my {summer blogging announcement}.

Celeste.

{yay!}

For those of you who don't know Celeste, she can be found blogging at Etsy It Up!

I discovered her blog quite awhile ago, and of course, I loved the giveaways.

Then I started following her on Twitter.

And now we are friends. :)

No, we've never met in real life.

But we're about the same {very young in the world of blogging} age, have younger sisters, like a lot of the same things, and have even caught ourselves doing the exact same thing at the exact same time {specifically eating brownies and reading the same post at Joy's Hope}. But I think she might be cooler than me. ;)

So I emailed Celeste in the desperate hope that she would agree to "take over" The Sweetest Petunia for me during the summer. And she said she would!

Yes, while I'm gone for about 8 weeks, she will carry on the blogging for me.

I think you readers will like her a lot.

Oh, and don't worry - the spirit and idea of The Sweetest Petunia will be kept alive and well, I'm sure.

This is my last post for awhile.

I might try to pop in when I can. :)

Celeste, thank you so, SO much for doing this.

Please be sure to leave her plenty of comment love!