Braids, A DIT, and A Guest Post!

Happy Thursday Beautifuls!!


Boy oh boy do I have a super great treat for you today!! :)


It is a guest post from the super sweet, cool, foxy Nicole from Dancing With Sunshine!

I met/found Nicole a while back and instantly loved her blog! The first time I visited her blog she had a DIY post of a super cute headband!! I thought "what a crafting genius I have to have her come guest post on my blog!" But that day was one of those days when blogger was being dumb and wouldn't let me comment so I moved on. 

The next day however Nicole had a give away for a headband if anyone could guess her favorite candy!! (She included the picture below as the hint) As you all have probably realized by now I love anything orange and orange candies are just one of the many orange loves in my life! So when I saw Nicole's picture I knew instantly what her fav candy was! Luckily blogger was working and I commented as fast as I could! 

I won the giveaway and I cant wait to rock that headband!! And share it with all of you of course!

So thanks to Nicole's mad crafting skills, orange, and blogger working we became friends! :) and when I asked her if she would do a guest post I was so excited when she said yes!! 

Anyway now that I have share Nicole's and I's "how we met story" I am giving Nicole the floor now!

 *everyone mumbles "finally!" under their breath*

Take it away girl!!
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Hey kids (don't be offended, I call everyone that).

I am so excited Kaitlin asked me to be a guest blogger. I feel so special!

One thing that I'm sure a lot of you like to do is DIY's and crafts.

I would do them every night if I didn't have a house to clean, or photos to edit, or a puppy to entertain.

Here is a fun craft that my best friend and I did one night for our first ever 'craft night'. Hence the name DIT (Do it together. Bah! So smart huh?!)

Here's what you'll need:

Exacto knife

Premo clay (I believe it's called femo clay as well?)

an oven

a bangle bracelet

a friend

a glass of wine (careful with the knife!)

Michelle getting ready to craft

I come prepared with Orange Slices.   Kaitlin, see, I'm obsessed with these things!

This is the clay I got from Hobby Lobby.

Step 1

Preheat oven to 245 degrees 

Begin by separating 3 chunks of the clay.

Roll them into snakes (remember from like, first grade?)

Step 2

Once you have three long pieces (I'd say about a foot and a half), smoooooosh the tops of them together.

We then pushed them to the table so they would stay.

Begin to braid.

Step 4

Once you have your braid complete, place it on top of your bangle bracelet to match up for size.  

We did ours a little larger than the bangle, but turns out they were too large :(

Once you have the size, cut both sides (the part that was smoooooshed on the table and the finished end) with the exacto knife, making a clean cut.

Smoooooosh the two ends together.

I rubbed mine to try and make the line go away.

Step 5

 Once you have them all finished, place in the oven on a baking sheet for 25 min.

The finished product!

This was super super easy, and really fun to make.  I am def. going to make some more, but just a little smaller :)

Let me know how this DIT works for you!
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Isn't that the best DIT ever!?! I told you she was a crafting genius! They look just like the chain linked bracelets all over the mall!! I can not wait to make a braided bracelet of my own now!!


Thank you so much Nicole for being my guest and sharing this awesome DIT with us!!


and just to show off even more of her crafting skills you should check out her toilet paper wall DIY!! Its AMAZING!!

Now I just have one thing to ask of all you sweeties...


Please give and share some blog lovin to Nicole! :)


Visit her at her blog and tell her you came from Raids of Orange!

and leave here a comment too if you would like! 


Go do it now!! Like asap okay!! ;) All you have to do is go click on that link!


Hope your day is Awkward and Awesome! 


xo
Kaitlin Jean

I'm Not Here So...

Happy Thursday Beautifuls!!

I am not here today...

so head on over to A Touch of Class because that's where I really am! 

Doing my first ever guest post!! woot woot

I am sharing my guacamole recipe that is to die for!

and even though its not the prettiest lookin presentation you still need to click that link ^^^ and come visit me and give Magan some blog lovin! 

p.s. I know I promised pictures of the rest of my apartment but I kinda turned into the worst blogger ever due to the fact that my camera died and while using my last batteries in the middle of me taking the first picture! :( I am really sorry and I promise I am going to go get some batteries today! Ill share the rest of my place asap! 

Love y'all!

Kaitlin Jean

Say Hello to My First Guest!

Hello everyone! Today is a very special day because *Insert drum roll* I'm having my first ever guest!

 Say Hello to Katie! (If you came over from Katie's blog then Welcome! (: ) I met Katie through Living In Yellow about two weeks ago and instantly fell in love with her blog! This Lady here has been a big inspiration to me as I have become apart of the blogging world and I am so happy to have her as a blogging buddie! She has oh so kindly accepted my request invitation to be my guest here today and I am so excited to share her amazing post with all of you! I'm sure all of us bloggers, new and old, can learn something great from her today! She is even Introducing a blogger that inspires her! 

I am now giving her the reigns, so enjoy and make sure to say hello and give her some thank you's for anything you learn!

Hey hey hey to all of Kaitlin's readers! How goes it?! It's Katie from Keep Calm & Carry On! 

I hope you aren't too disappointed that I'm taking over Kaitlin's blog today with a guest post. Kaitlin sent me one of thee cutest/nicest/sweetest emails I've gotten about my blog to DATE...the girl is just super awesome. I'm SO flattered that she asked me to do a guest post about why I started blogging and any blogger advice & tips I have for newbie bloggers! I will try my best to give some tricks of the trade that I learned on the way! :)

Here is a little background about my bloggity blog...I started blogging in October of 2010 so I haven't even hit my year mark yet. However, I started reading other people's blogs a couple months before that. I was so interested in the blogging world and quickly found myself checking other girls' blogs everyday to see what they would write about next. I finally decided to bite the bullet and create KC & CO because of my mother. She passed away when I was 16 from Breast Cancer and left me a couple of journals and a box of "love notes" that were everyday reminders of why she loved me.  They have had such a big impact on my life that I knew I wanted to do something similar for my husband & kids, but most importantly for myself. My blog was a way to share my life experiences and see if I could connect with others who had gone through situations. At the time..I NEVER imagined it would turn into what it has now. I have now expanded my blog to talk about exercising & health which I'm very passionate about, traveling, and also just everyday fashion finds. I would have to say the BEST part of my blog and how it has developed are the friendships I've created on the way. There are multiple girls that I now speak to on the phone and text with daily that I now call my closest friends...... AMAZING, right?! 

There was a certain cutie-pa-tootie's blog that inspired me (and had me completely hooked) when I first started blogging....Pink Lou Lou of Confessions of a 20 Something

Allison is a gorgeous, down to earth, Kentucky belle who is so stinkin' cute she makes me very very jealous. She IS Carrie Underwood's twin and bestie, after all.  I would read her posts and get so inspired by how REAL of a woman she is and how many people enjoyed reading her blog (which was evident by her large list of followers). I started to leave her comments on her blog, and like the awesome gal that she is she would respond to me with such humble thank you's and comments.

I know what it's like to just start blogging and be super intimated... WILL people really want to read about MY life?! Well, the answer is YES. 

Here are some things I have learned along the way that I hope can help you if you are new to blogging...

#1. Be yourself when you write! 

-Don't just write about what you THINK others will want to read because people will see right through you. I've found that I can relate the most with people who write similar to how they would talk in real life...if that makes sense. It may take a while for you to learn to write like this, but that's OK. 

-Always remember your main purpose for making your blog in the first place....be true to yourself. 

#2. Just keep writing.

-When you first start out, readers want to get to know you more so it helps if you post regularly. It will not only help get your blog out there, but it will help you feel more comfortable with posting.

#3. Don't be afraid to comment on blogs that you love to read or that inspire you.

-Is there a blog out there that you just LOVE to read everyday? TELL THEM and follow it. That is how relationships and friendships are formed...don't be shy!! The more consistent you are with commenting, the more they will understand how much you enjoy their blog and will visit yours. :)

#4. Certain bloggers have what they call "link-up's" that you can participate in....PARTICIPATE if the topic intrigues you.

-This is a great way to expand your readers because other bloggers will link up and be able to read your post from the link-up. You should also visit other people's blogs that link-up and comment letting them know that you found them through the link-up! 

#5. THIS MAY BE THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF ADVICE I HAVE LEARNED: Make sure on your Blogger profile that you have your EMAIL ADDRESS added. If you only have your web page added, you will NOT be able to receive any emails back from people who you have commented on their blog. 

-When I first started blogging, I would comment on people's blogs and not understand why I would never get a response. Do they hate me?!?! is what I thought. No, THIS was the reason. It's so easy to change and will really help you connect with other bloggers! 

Well, if there are any new bloggers out there reading I hope this helped you a little bit and know that people DO enjoy reading your blog whether you believe it or not!! 

Keep onnnnn truckin' ;)

A special thank you to Kaitlin for having me on her cutsy blog today! I am truly flattered! 

Don't forget to come over to my blog and get to know me...now that you are a BLOGGING PRO and all ;)

xoxo. 

Katie