Favorite Things Friday - Toothbrushes and Mouthwash

 Today, we are going to tackle Oral Hygiene.  Okay, not really, but I did want to share two of my favorite new things that have to do with Oral Hygiene.  It is not unusual for me to use the same toothbrush forever. I mean, until the bristles fall out and it is FUNKY.  Why do I do this? I have no idea.  But, when I was at the drugstore the other day, I decided to pick up a new toothbrush.
I usually pick out a toothbrush based on color. Isn't that the way we always did it as a kid at the dentist's office? The hygienist asks  you what color you want, and you pick from the three toothbrushes they are holding outstretched in their hands.  If you were lucky, one of the three is your favorite color. And if you weren't lucky, you were stuck using the ugly toothbrush for the next 6 months until your next dentist's visit.
I didn't pick based on color this time. I chose one that looked cool. This one looks like serious business. It looks like plaque is no match for it.  It looks like maybe, just maybe, after brushing, I will feel a little bit like I just left the dentist's office with nice, clean-feeling teeth!
Guess what - it is the best toothbrush I have ever used. I love it. If you can say that you love a toothbrush.
Colgate 360 Sensitive Pro Relief

My other favorite item is Tom's Mouthwash.  I have never been a mouthwash fan. Basically, I think it tastes awful. And the awful taste stays with you.  I picked up this bottle of Tom's the other day at Sprouts.  I love it. Why did I choose it specifically?  What can I say, I chose it because it says "wicked fresh". And, it is. It tastes great, and it works. And you don't feel like you gargled with something full of alcohol and chemicals. Ewww.  It is fresh. Wicked Fresh! ;)

Favorite Things Friday - Keurig and Kindle

Are you a coffee drinker? How about tea? Hot Chocolate? You can make all of those drinks in a Keurig.
I have had a Keurig for a couple of years now and I really, really love it! I bought it as a gift for my husband, but it turned out to be a great purchase that I have really enjoyed as well!
I used to be a Starbucks junkie. I was a peppermint mocha addict. But, once we got a Keurig and I discovered Coffeemate peppermint mocha creamer at the grocery store, Starbucks doesn't get as much of my money any more!
Keurig coffee systems vary in price depending on the model. Watch store advertisements and you can get a pretty good price reductions at times!
The Keurig makes one cup at a time, so you always have a fresh, hot cup of coffee (or tea or cocoa) right with the touch of a button! I purchase my K-cups from Amazon.com, with free shipping and they run about $.50 per cup. However, there are re-usable filters you can purchase for your Keurig that cost around $14 that allow you to use your favorite coffee with and it brings your per cup cost even lower.
Right now on Amazon.com, the Keurig brewing systems start at $105. I have to tell that it will be the best hundred bucks you have spent lately!


In our household, we are big Kindle fans! My Dad got one a couple of years ago, and he liked it so much, I thought it would be a great gift for my husband, so I got him one. Then, last year, my 8 year old, Georgia decided she would like to save up her birthday money and purchase one. It has been a great thing for her! She is an avid reader and has really loved being able to read on her kindle. It is super portable and convenient. And, one of the coolest features she discovered is that many books have a feature that the kindle reads words to her if she has trouble pronouncing/understanding them. There are different free games available on the kindle as well. When I got an iPad last year, I downloaded the kindle app and use it to read books on my iPad and I love that! And now that I have joined the iPhone movement, I use the kindle app on it too. I can read a book on my phone, and then when I pick up my iPad to read the book at a later time, it automatically syncs up and finds just where I left off! And, because my husband and I are registered on the same account, we can share books. A few months ago, Amazon announced, "Eligible Kindle books can be loaned once for a period of 14 days. The borrower does not need to own a Kindle -- Kindle books can also be read using rhe free Kindle reading applications for PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android devices. Not all books are lendable -- it is up to the publisher or rights holder to determine which titles are eligible for lending. The lender will not be able to read the book during the loan period." - sooooo cool!
Kindles are an Amazon product and start at $114.

Favorite Things Friday - Lands End and Saltwater Sandals

Welcome to this Friday's "Favorite Things Friday" post!

I heart Lands End. Their quality is excellent, prices are great, and looks can be made trendy and hip or conservative and classy.

I have purchased my girls' swim suits from Lands End for the last couple of summers now. They hold up so well. The Target suits we got lost all of their elasticity. The mini Boden suits we got faded and pilled. Lands End suits can be worn summer after summer, and when one girl outgrows their suit, we just pass them down!

Lands End used to be only a catalog company, and you could shop from their website. Although, I did run across a Lands End boutique in an airport in Minneapolis that was totally fun to shop in! A couple of years ago, Lands End partnered up with Sears. So, you can find some Lands End merchandise in your local Sears. I have found that they don't always have a great selection, though, and I was almost always better off just shopping the catalog and online. But, a few months ago, I ran across a higher-end Sears store in a neighboring community. A really large section of the store was devoted to Lands End - women's, men's and children. Jackpot! I had already purchased my summer swim suit and the suits for the girls. But, I had been eyeing additional suits and I was lucky to find they were all on sale. I scored big time, by purchasing suits, and dresses for all of us for Daddy's return from deployment (more on that later).
Now, I am not gushing about Lands End because I am compensated in some way (I wish!). They don't know who I am, other than just another customer.
But with the quality and value I have experienced, I will keep coming back!
I am making my wish list for some new fall fashions...

Love this look!


And here is a great fall kid's look- layering fun!


I also heart Saltwater Sandals (by Hoy Shoes). I was introduced to them by my good friend, Liz, several years ago. Her daughter, Lily, passed down a pair of saltwater sandals to my Georgia. I was amazed that they had a pair of white sandals to pass down. Our sandals get pretty worn in a single season of wear, especially the white ones!
I wasn't familiar with Saltwater Sandals and the fact that they are great to get wet. A nice looking sandal that can get wet? HUH? As a matter of fact, they encourage it! Whoa Nellie! And they won't get that funky, wet shoe smell? Nope. Not even a little bit. And, they come in fabulous colors!

Buy some of these sandals for your kids, you won't regret it!
The first pairs we purchased for all of the girls, we bought at Nordstrom. I wanted to try them on and make sure to get a good fit for each kid. We bought silver - they go with everything!!!

The next time, we just ordered the sandals from Zappos.

I love that they have both of these styles too - they remind me of the Bernardos sandals I wore through my childhood!

Favorite Things Friday - Olliegraphic and Funky Vintage Lovely

Yay! It's Friday! Time for some super cute favorite things!
This week I want to share the ca-utest personalized items from Olliegraphic. I can't remember where I ran across them originally, but immediately fell in love. I ordered some printable stationery for the girls and personalized plates for them for Christmas. They are melamine and have held up beautifully! We use them all the time and run them through the dishwasher.




Not too long ago, they started making the most adorable pillows - EVER. I really want to get these for the girls for Christmas this year.

How cute are these???

Whatever product you choose, you get to plan out just the right look to match your little one by selecting from the hair, skin, and eye choices.

She doesn't keep up with her blog anymore, but you can follow her facebook page for updates on new things. But, on her blog, you can find these great free printable Christmas cards.


Going to new craft markets has opened my eyes to many new and beautiful vendors! I'm sure my husband would rather we didn't roam around when we go to set up, but it has to be done.


One of my favorites that we found at the Queen Bee Market is Funky Vintage Lovely. April is the owner and always creates such a beautiful booth! LOVE her doors and her setup, and her frames are gorgeous. Missy had gotten a recipe frame in fuschia at the Queen Bee show in May, and I've been drooling over it since then. So when we went back in August, we went by April's booth to see what she had, and I fell in LOVE with this beauty!


The market hadn't even opened yet and April was kind enough to tag it "sold" for me. YEAH! Super sweet of her, especially as I didn't come by to pick it up until the very very last possible second! OOPS! But I was so happy with that purchase, I immediately brought it home and showed my husband... then hung it up. The kids think it is fabulous, with Anna loving to write on it whenever I'll let her. I really wanted it to be a motivational or inspirational spot for our family. I need to get a book of uplifting quotes to draw from. So far, our friend Timmery has been keeping it stocked with quotes! Thanks Timmery!

But back to Funky Vintage Lovely~ April has not only a beautiful sense of style, but also a touching story to share. Her blog is inspirational and very personal. I love it!

(I had to pop into Jessica's part of the Favorite Things Friday post to share pictures of my 2 items!)
This frame I purchased from April and Jessica's husband added the chicken wire for me to use it as a clipboard.

And here is the famous fuschia recipe card holder. I didn't realize it was a chalkboard too until I saw April at the last Queen Bee Market!

 

Favorite Things Friday - Blog Love and Kitchen Candles

Today's Favorite Things Friday topic is Blog Love and Kitchen Candles. I don't have time to read a lot of blogs every day. I am lucky if I get a chance to glance at one or two a day. Some weeks I may only look at a couple. But, I really love blogs. There are some readers you can subscribe to that will allow you to put your favorite blogs on a list and you can see a condensed version of their latest blog post. I have tried this in an effort to be able to catch up on a long list of favorite blogs. But, I found that I really like to "visit" the blogs personally and see all the pictures and read more than just the most recent posts. If I am engaged in what I am reading, I may scroll back through the last few months worth of posts.

The Pioneer Woman's Home and Garden Blog - I could blog an entire blog post about how much I love The Pioneer Woman. I think everyone knows how much I love her recipes (and CANNOT wait for her new show on the Food Network to start Sat 8/27 at 11:30am eastern. Have you set your DVR yet?)
I recently introduced her to my neighbor, Allison, and she is also hooked! But, when I don't have a lot of time to just hang out on her website, just a few minutes time spent on her Home and Garden posts always make me happy. And she often does some really rockin' giveaways!

Another blog I try to pop over to when I can is Make and Takes. It is about craft, food and fun - three of my favorite things!
I get some great, really usable ideas and they often link to other blogs that I enjoy discovering.

I have posted about One Charming Party before, but when I need party inspiration, I always go here first. Sometimes, I just go here and decide I need to throw a party!

Making It Lovely is another blog I enjoy visiting from time to time. She puts together great outfits and great design ideas.

Shanty 2 Chic always inspires me to try creating things on my own, even if there are power tools involved! They also introduced me to some really great kinds of glue!

eighteen25 is a new blog I have started reading recently. I am really enjoying it. I love the ideas they share and the free printables!

What are your favorite blogs?


This week I have really enjoyed the kitchen candle I picked up at Target. It is from the Caldrea kitchen products line, which I also love and have been using for awhile now. The scent is Hibiscus Yuzu and it smells amazing! Target doesn't appear to sell it online, so you are going to need to visit your local store to pick one up. You'll be glad you did!

Favorite Things Friday - Instagram & Clean Potties

Hello! It's another Friday, so you know what that means! Favorite Things Friday on the Sweet Funky Vintage Blog!
This week, I am sharing a few favorite apps!
For the past couple of weeks, I have been completely addicted to Instagram on my iPhone. Have you discovered instagram? It uses your phone's camera, you take pictures and then instagram has some of the coolest filters that you can apply to your pictures and then share the pictures on facebook, twitter or by email. (Sorry if you aren't an iphone user, this is only an iPhone app)

So, to show you the fabulousness of instagram, I took a couple of pictures around my house and then applied a few filters to the same picture.

Here is the normal picture


my absolute favorite filter - earlybird.


toaster


regular

earlybird filter

toaster

walden

There are 16 different filters to choose from!

Another cool app that I discovered at Blogher is one that Charmin has available. www.sitorsquat.com - you can download an app to your smartphone to find clean public restrooms wherever you are! I have to admit that I am enough of a germophobe to avoid public restrooms whenever possible! Now, maybe I wont have to! (Yay! Lots of smartphones are on the list of compatible mobile devices for this app)

Favorite Things Friday - Pinterest

Pinterest. Sigh. If you haven't discovered Pinterest, you probably have more spare time than I do!! LOL Pinterest is eye candy, pure and simple. A place to discover how to live with style! It is a website that you will discover all kinds of creative inspiration. Liz and I were joking the other day that it sucks you in and makes you want to take fabulous pictures, cook incredibly delicious meals, throw fantastic parties, dress with absolute style and panache, and have a gloriously decorated home. Really, it is that good!
So, the cliff's notes on how to really get the most out of pinterest. First, you have to join. Sometimes there is a waiting list, so don't get discouraged. Apply to join, and wait. If you don't get an invite, apply again after a short time.
Exploring pinterest is really addicting. Basically, you can see the images that were meaningful to others and they wanted to "bookmark" the original location for further exploration later. And, you can categorize the "pins" you make, so you can have a category for dashing duds, fabulous food, home dec, crafty goodness, and so on. And instead of it being text based, like bookmarking a site on your own computer, it is a visual reminder - a picture of exactly what on that web page that you wanted to remember and come back to later. I am such a visual person, this couldn't be more perfect for me!
And, when you find someone you have oodles in common with, then you can "follow" their boards (categories) and see everything they "pin" and if it strikes your fancy, you can re-pin it - which enables you to place it in one of your categories for later use. I laugh at the fact that Liz and I seem to re-pin each others pins with regularity!
There is also an ipad and iphone app for pinterest (of course!)
Here are a few of my categories and some of my favorite "pins" in them. Keep in mind that when you join, pinterest automatically gives you a list of categories to use. You can edit the names and add more as necessary. I am still exploring, so some of their titles don't fit me perfectly, but I haven't decided exactly what I want to change the titles to either!

Products I Love:

mason jar sippy cups.

polka dot straws.

Party Fun:

ice cream cone ballons. (wish I had had this idea when I had the ice cream themed birthday party for Georgia a couple of years ago)

pre-mixed cocktails served in mason jars.

milk and cookies

My Style Pinboard:




I am sure you can imagine how great these are for getting ideas on how to put great outfits together that are perfectly accessorized. Nordstrom Rack - here I come with my cheat sheet!!!

For the Home:
Someday I may build my dream home. Or, renovate one that is kinda close, or maybe just get a few simple decorating ideas from here...

if I had a bathroom that looked like this, I might never get out of the bathtub.

what is not to like about this kitchen? my favorite part? The dog bowls, of course!

what a great laundry room.

what a fantastic storage solution for the space beneath the stairs!

this just makes me laugh.

Crafty Goodness:

i am totally making this! Frame from Ikea, fabric backing and a wooden letter.

how to make a mason jar into a lantern.

great 4th of July decoration with hand and footprints.

i am saving up my corks!

5 pillows in matching pillowcases all sewn together!

Foodie Love:


tiny caprese kabobs.

egg toast bacon cups.

banana pie.

baked zucchini sticks and sweet onion dip.

Okay... enough already! Visit pinterest and follow my boards and you can find these and many, many, many more, as well as follow them to the original postings with more information about the recipes, crafts, etc.

http://pinterest.com/mbseverson/