Tonight is the night....

After tonight it will be official.  My oldest daughter will be a high school graduate.  Wish me luck.  Think positive thoughts so I don't bawl my eyes out.  I will be back another day with pictures for y'all...cause I am sure I will feel the need to show her off!  For now, let the hats fly! 

Only a few short months and we will be moving her into a dorm room.  Y'all might have to hold my hand for that one too. 

~Thanks for stopping by!~

~Angie~

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Lunch with Blog Friends

I had a chance last weekend to get together with some great blog friends.  Lunch, chatting, and tons of fun!  This was all courtesy of Treat.com.  I will tell y'all more about them in a bit.  Gotta get in some pics with friends first!

Our group included:
Annie from Tennessee Sugar
Michele from The Scrap Shoppe
Lisa from Franny Bolsa
Becky from Becky’s Graphic Design
Dina from My Unentitled Life
Polly from Make Mine Beautiful
Jessica from Sunny Tuesday

And our hostess was Gina from The Shabby Creek Cottage.

Gina showed us a little about Treat.com, we got swag (oh yeah), and we had a wonderful lunch (with dessert).  Who could ask for anything more?  But there was more!  Lots of talk with like minded people.  Blog talk, mom talk, friend talk.  The kind of talk you need after a long week!  It was a perfect outing and we all had a great time.  Thank goodness for friends with instagram -- you can steal their pics for your blog posts ya know. 

Now for all of you wondering, Treat.com is where you can make fully personalized cards, add gift cards, and MAIL them all in your PJs.  They just took the hard work out of sending cards.  Personalize your card with your words and pictures.  Pick a gift card and add it.  Tell Treat where to send it.  They will make it, put in your gift card, add a stamp, and mail to your recipient.  You can even put in reminders for all of your important dates.  Link it to your facebook so all of your friends and family's birthdays get imported with the click of a button.  The just made sending great cards simple and easy.  You have to love that.
Many thanks to Treat.com for sponsoring our event!  I can't wait for the next one!
~Thanks for stopping by!~
~Angie~

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A Day in the Life -- Prom Night

Proud momma break!  It was senior prom this weekend.  I sent my little baby girl off to her last high school prom!

For those that are interested -- her dress was from Tony Bowls and purchased from Promgirl.net.  Jewelry is mostly from Chiky on etsy.  Shoes are from Shoe Carnival. 

There is something so surreal about seeing your little girl all grown up and going out on the town.  Knowing I have two more weeks until I bawl like a baby at her graduation.  Then only a few short months before we will be moving her into a dorm room.  It is such a happy and exciting time yet sad at the same time.  I know all you mommas out there can commiserate with me.   I am taking today to pout a bit on the inside but to tell y'all how proud I am also.  She looked wonderful and had a great time!

Love my baby girl!

~Thanks for stopping by!~

~This proud proud mom~

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Ebook sale $375 worth for $29 -- HURRY ENDS SOON

There is an e-book sale this week that I didn't want y'all to miss out on.  A collection of 38 books on simplifying your family life -- a $375 value -- for only $29.  When I heard about this, I thought they would be books I had never heard of....but they are not!  There are some great titles on the list!  Surely you have heard of Melissa from The Inspired Room?  Yes her book is on the list.  What about Tsh Oxenreider of Simple Mom?  Oh yes her book is included.  Books on making money blogging, entrepreneurship, taxes, cooking, household planning, cleaning, marriage, living with less, parenting, and so much more!  Want to see the full list of books and buy your own set?  Click here to view more details.

Hurry this offer does not last long!  Get your e-book set today and starting to Simplify YOUR Family Life!

Affiliate links are included in this post but all opinions and text are mine.

~Thanks for stopping by!~

~Angie~

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Teacher Appreciation Week -- SIGN UP NOW!

April 23rd to 27th I am going to have Teacher Appreciation Week right here!  Want to participate?  If you have a tutorial for a teacher gift idea or you can post a round up of your past gift ideas, then you can participate in my week!  Sign up for a day by clicking over to this google doc and adding your info.  Then the day your post is due, just put it up on your blog by 2 pm EST.  That is it!  I will do round ups each day of the participants.  It should be tons of fun and tons of inspiration for that special teacher in your life!  I will be promoting via my blog, facebook, and twitter.  All I ask in return is that you link back to my blog and promote with your readers.  So sign up and join me!

~Thanks for stopping by!~

~Angie~

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Hanging Wii Game Holder

I was challenged with how to store all those silly Wii games.  You know when you take them out of those cases they don't take up that much room.  Then my challenge was how to store them so the kids would actually put them away.  I came up with a hanging Wii game holder.  

I found this at a thrift store.  It is actually a cup holder I think.  It already had that chippy paint finish I like.  

 I simply removed the games from their cases and hung them on the hooks.  Easy, simple, and something that the kids can keep up with.

Don't you just love it??

You don't?

APRIL FOOLS!!  

If you made it this far without thinking "this lady has lost her mind"....my Wii games are not hanging around the living room on cup hooks.  :)  I just had to do something a little fun today.  :)  Y'all have a great April Fools!  Did anyone else pull a joke on you today?

~Thanks for stopping by!~

~Angie~

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My Easter Addiction and my worst mom ever story

If you are here for the Basic Grey/PSA essentials blog hop, scroll down two posts to find it!

It comes around this time every year.  My addiction.  In every store.  Taunting me.  It is those darn Reese's eggs.  They are hands down the best candy ever.  So when I went to Blissdom last month, there was a big bunny there handing out the eggs.  {Make me go weak in the knees!}  Let's not talk about how many times I walked by the bunny m'kay.  I can thank them for feeding my addiction by hopping on the Hershey's bunny trail. 

The Hershey's bunny trial is an opportunity for bloggers that went to Blissdom to talk about their Easter memories and get featured over on the Hershey's blog.  Since I may or may not have nabbed too many eggs filled with chocolate peanut butter goodness, I figured I might ought to join in.  

When I think of Easter, my head fills with all of the Easters I have spent with my kids.  My oldest is 17 so that is a lot of Easter memories.  Each year we hunt the eggs that the Easter bunny has left in the yard.  They each get a basket with a present in it.  Plus there is usually some Reese's eggs in each child's basket.  You know most of them.  Or some of them.  You never know how many the Easter bunny eats on his way to our house.  That Easter bunny has a tough job.  

I will pick one memory for you.  Might even get me the worst mom award.  The year I FORGOT.  Forgot to hide the eggs y'all.  I woke up and my daughter was already awake.  Panic attack.  But it was raining, sooooo the Easter bunny did not want to leave the eggs out in the rain.  That silly bunny hid them in the walk in closet.  They might LOOK like they were thrown around in a panic, but I am sure it was supposed to be that way.  Or that is what she thought.  Maybe.  Kind of.  I think it worked.  Since I only forgot one year out of 17, surely I did not scar her for life.  Right?  I have not forgotten since.  I think it might have scarred ME for life.

Head on over and read some other stories from the Blissdom bloggers!  Feel free to tell me a point in your life when you forgot something important like this.  Feel free to tell me your kids turned out fine.  And if they didn't...yeah...I don't want to know.

~Thanks for stopping by!~

~Angie~

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Jumping on the Google Plus bandwagon

I have jumped on the google plus bandwagon.  So now you can head on over and follow me on google plus.  I know, I know.....who needs ANOTHER thing to take up time in their day?  But if you will notice, your google search is probably looking a little different these days.  Posts on google plus from your "friends" or those you follow appear before other items.  Posts that get a "+1" are also getting higher up in searches.  So it was time for me to join up.  Do you need help setting up google plus and understanding it?  Lucky for you I found a great series that will walk you through the steps!

Head on over to Colleen's blog and start with part 1.  She will walk you through everything you need to know about google plus!  I hope to "see" y'all over there!

~Thanks for stopping by!~

~Angie~

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Push Up Pops -- the book!

A local Nashville blogger has written an amazing book and I wanted to share it with y'all today!  Courtney with Pizzazzerie wrote Push Up Pops.

A well-known stylist and writer in the field of party design and décor, Courtney Dial knows what's hot! Capitalizing on the popular trend of push-up pops, Courtney's love of entertaining turns Push-Up Pops into the perfect party resource. These treats use the ordinary off-the-shelf clear plastic molds but transform them into frozen fruit Popsicles, cake and pudding parfaits, cupcakes and 40 other treats. These beautiful layers are sweet additions to any party! 

I had the opportunity to look through one of these books and the creations are amazing!  I would highly recommend it.  Bonus if you are going to be near Cool Springs, TN today Courtney is having a book signing at 3:00 pm.  Click here for all the details.

If you are just as excited about this one as I am, here are some Amazon affiliate links for both the book and the containers.  

~Thanks for stopping by!~
~Angie~

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A week of fifteen minute crafts! Do you want to participate?

March 26-30, 2012

Do y'all love quick crafts?  I have a great week planned for you!  I am teaming up with Carolina from Moore Craft Time and Always Expect Moore for a week of 15 minute crafts.  We are all busy and sometimes you only have 15 minutes to exercise your creativity.  This series is for you! 

Where do you come in??  We're looking for crafty bloggers who would like to be featured during the week of March 26-30th... and we'll be offering a link-up so that we can include all of YOUR craft quickies!  Drop me an email at thecountrychiccottage@yahoo.com with your blog name, what kind of craft you have in mind, and what date during the week of March 26th you'd prefer to post.  You will be posting a craft on your own blog then the crafts will be showed off each week day both here and on Moore Craft Time. 

Don't want to participate but want to help spread the word?  Grab a button below!

Drop me an email if you want to show off your quick crafty talent!

~Thanks for stopping by!~

~Angie~

<center><a href="http://www.moorecrafttime.com"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JLJ_CAKsVko/T1bvhRoJGBI/AAAAAAAAC1Y/a_PE2Zub2us/s1600/crafty+quickies+125.jpg"/></a></center>

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TWO Winners and Craftsy Pattern Marketplace

First of all I owe y'all TWO winners!  

The PSA Essentials custom stamp winner is...

NurseBrandy says....

I'm a new PSA follower and am looking forward to getting to know more about them!

The Wallpaper for Windows $75 gift certificate winner is....

Anne Lyken-Garner says...

This is great. I quite like that one you used. My door is similar and would look great with it.

Congrats!  You have 72 hours to contact me before I pick another winner.

But before y'all go...have you heard of Craftsy?  It is a daily deal site for craft supplies.  But I just learned something new....Craftsy now has a pattern marketplace.  Newly launched, the Patterns section of Craftsy is the fastest growing online marketplace for crafting patterns. Because Craftsy does not charge designers any fees or commissions for listing or selling their patterns, creative indie designers are hurrying to the site to set up their pattern shops. There, well over half a million active Craftsy members browse the thousands upon thousands of patterns of all types, for all crafts. And since the designers aren’t getting charged or having to give Craftsy any commissions, the deals on patterns are amazing! Some are even free. It’s the perfect place to get inspiration and instructions at super low prices.  

 They have a wide variety of pattern categories:

• Crocheting
• Embroidery
• Felting
• Jewelry
• Knitting
• Paper Crafts
• Quilting
• Sewing

 Sign up and start using the pattern marketplace today!

 Links to Craftsy are all affiliate links but opinions are all mine.

~Thanks for stopping by!~

~Angie~ 

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I am getting my bliss on!

I am officially at Blissdom!  Sessions are tomorrow and Saturday and I will try to tweet some from there.   (Psst...be sure you follow me on twitter!) 

I will be learning tons, meeting some fabulous bloggers, and snapping tons of pics to share with you!  

P.S.  Voting ends tomorrow on SYTYC!  Head on over and vote for my conference tote bag if you haven't already!
~Thanks for stopping by!~
~Angie~

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Blissdom Bound

I am going y'all!  I am headed to Blissdom next week.  This time next week I will be live tweeting from sessions for your enjoyment.  (Psst...be sure you follow me on twitter!)  Are you headed to Blissdom?  Pretty please leave a comment below so I can "meet" you right now!

So I am going to post a little ice breaker for those I am going to meet at Blissdom.  A little get to know me and what I am about.  Course even if you are not going to Blissdom and want to know some more about me...feel free to read all the {not so} juicy details below.



First of all I am a Tennessee girl.  I will be staying at home during Blissdom and commuting everyday.  Straight up honesty -- that is the main reason I choose to attend Blissdom.  A blog conference package with hotel, airfare, etc does not appear to be in the budget this year.  Blissdom however is an opportunity for me to learn tons, network, and be close enough to sleep in my own bed!  Win-win-win!
Next think you need to know about me -- I have red hair.  We are usually the minority.  So when you see a red haired girl at Blissdom, come on over and introduce yourself!

A little about my life.  I am a full time working wife and mother to three kids.  Yes I work full time.  I am actually an engineer (any other engineers out there??).  I am taking a couple of vacation days to attend Blissdom.  I feel that if I am going to continue down this road with my blog, I need to sharpen up some of my skills.  My children are 17, 11, and 6....yes you read that right!  My oldest is graduating high school this year and will be starting college.  So if you have a high school senior and want to share war stories...I am your girl.  I can also share war stories of mothering a 6 year old boy...cause well boys are a new frontier when you have been raising girls.
Now a little about my blogging life.  I started The Country Chic Cottage over 2 years ago.  I made a new year's resolution to spruce up my home.  The CCC was a way to keep me on track and accountable.  Two years later I am still plugging away.  My focus is still home related -- DIY, crafts, vintage finds, home decor, all mixed into one.  My favorite projects are ones that cost little to no money...cause well I am a girl with a tight budget.  I love knocking off something I find in a Pottery Barn catalog.  Or scouring The Home Depot or Big Lots for discounted home decor items.  Thrift stores and Goodwill are where you will find me at least once a week.  I also blog over at One Month To Win It.  A craft competition blog where you have....one month...to win it.  You did not see that coming did you?  
My goals for Blissdom are pretty simple.  I plan on meeting some great bloggers (I am making a list cause I am anal like that).  I also plan on learning all I can.  Specifically I will be taking quite a few photography classes.  So if you are a regular reader and made it this far, expect better pictures from me cause I am going to expect better pictures from myself!
I hope any of you that will be in Nashville next weekend will leave me a comment below with a link to your blog or twitter.  Let's talk, have fun, and learn a little bit along the way.
~Thanks for stopping by!~
~Angie~

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Keep Calm Sign -- Trends Challenge

Tonight I am participating in the Crafterminds Trends Challenge.  What is that you ask??  Use as many current blog "trends" in one project as possible.  We all know about blog trends right?  I mean how many chevron projects have you seen?  (Yes I added that too!)  I thought the challenge sounded like fun so I jumped on board.  Are you ready for it?  My oh so trendy sign....

Let me start by listing the trends I used in this one:

• sheet music
• dictionary pages
• maps
• chevron
• bunting banner
• keep calm and carry on
• antlers
• ombre
• brackets (in the watermark cause that is important too!)

I started by layering tons of different ephemera on a spare board.  Since I have YET to use antlers in a project, I just had to add TWO to this one!

I printed out the "Keep Calm and Carry On" with an ombre feel.  It did not photograph as well as I had hoped.  But it goes from gray to white. 

Chevron AND a bunting banner??  Oh yes!  I did....

Lots of paper and mod podge later, I had myself one very trendy sign!

What else will be linked up at the Crafterminds Trends Challenge?  How many trends can one girl use in ONE project?  Come on over and find out.  There is sure to be some hilarious projects linked up!

~Thanks for stopping by!~

~Angie~

The Country Chic Cottage

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Day in the Life -- Night at the Circus

Tonight I thought I would post a little glimpse into our life.  Last weekend we went to the Ringling Bros Circus while it was in Nashville.  We have not been in a number of years.  I must say it was just as good as I remembered.  Still one of my favorite shows!  A few shots for you from the show...

The elephants are my favorite!  The kids loved the clowns...

The hour before the show you can go down onto the floor for an up close experience.  We were early enough to get very, very close.  I could have reached out and touched this elephant as she was walking by....

So what are your plans this weekend?  Any fun family adventures?

~Thanks for stopping by!~

~Angie~

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New Blog Design -- I knocked off a Word Press design!

After I saw the lovely blog redesign over at Madigan Made...I have been OBSESSED!!  I mean a word press theme while staying on blogger...count me in.  So I took Shannon's advice on this post and emailed her a few times.  Viola!  A brand new blog....

Well it was not all VIOLA and it was done.  But it is done now!  I even tweaked all my search options.  Go ahead and browse around that bar up top.  You will find lots of goodies...

 One of my goals was to make my blog easier to navigate and I think I have succeeded.  Plus we have a GORGEOUS slider on the front page that will change from time to time...

If you are on the front page you just have to click "read more" to continue reading the post....



I still have a few tweaks and I won't guarantee that I don't have some broken links right now.  But we are getting there!  And I am so darn happy with it!!

What do y'all think?

~Thanks for stopping by!~

~Angie~

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A big THANK YOU!

Tomorrow is my "official" 2 year blogiversary.  I just want to post a big gushy thank you to all of you that read this blog everyday (or occasionally :) ).  It has been an amazing 2 years.  This blog has grown more than I ever anticipated.  I really love to blog and hang out with y'all.  I have met some amazing people through this little blog.  A blog is a ton of work at times.  But it is truly a labor of love.  I am excited to see my stats rise each and every month.  Your visits, stumbles, pins, comments, etc encourage me to keep going.  So thank you so much -- beyond what words can express.

One more big gushy thank you to those sponsors in my sidebar.  Y'all rock more than words can ever say.  I am so happy to promote each and every one of ya!

Now for one more blogiversary fun fact.  Do y'all want to know what my most popular post is?  By like 10 times.  I get tons of hits on this post every single day.  Every single day.  It is one of the first posts I did.  I completed it with things I just had around in my house.  Never expected it to be a hit or sensation.  And yet it helps my stats grow.  My sheet music letter.  Goes to show that y'all love simple, inexpensive projects!

 Thank y'all once again for being here!  I hope to still be here next year yakking about the same old thing!

~Angie~

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A Thank You to my Top Referrers

Every year as part of my blogiversary, I like to give a shout out to my top referrers.  Just a thank you to those top sources that send traffic my way.  

1)  Stumble Upon

2)  Between Naps on the Porch

3)  The Shabby Creek Cottage

4)  Southern Hospitality

5)  Funky Junk Interiors

6)  Pinterest

7)  The Nester

8)  The Inspired Room

9)  Someday Crafts

10)  Knock Off Decor

A special thank you to all of these sites for hosting parties, doing features, and {in the case of stumble and pinterest} just being awesome!

~Thanks for stopping by!~

~Angie~

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2 Year Blogiversay -- My Fave Posts this Year!

I always struggle with whether to post my fave posts of the year last week or wait for my blogiversary.  I decided to wait and do a few posts today and tomorrow to celebrate two years of blogging.  I hope y'all enjoy this post round up of the top posts on my blog this year.  Starting from the most popular....

Halloween Wreath

DIY Wrapped Map Canvas

Burlap and Lace Pillow

Subway Art Table Runner

Pillow from a Placemat

Pottery Barn Imitation Apothecary Jars

Spring Coffee Filter Wreath

DIY Wooden Dough Bowl

Rag Rug from T-shirts

Pottery Barn Knock Off Rustic Sign

I must say that I love each and everyone of these projects.  I am thrilled they all made the top 10 and y'all have enjoyed them so much!  I will be back with some more blogiversary fun tomorrow!

~Thanks for stopping by!~

~Angie~

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2012 Resolutions

It is that time of year again!  I put together a list of resolutions to keep me accountable.  So here goes...

• Give the blog a facelift -- yes I just did a little work around here.  But I find myself craving a little something different, cleaner, etc.  Since my 2 year blogiversary is next week, I think I deserve it!
• Better pictures -- I got a camera for Christmas and I need to learn how to use it!
• Get organized -- yes this one always makes my list.  Last year I did get more organized so here is hoping I can top it this year!
• Eat Healthy -- another one that I always add.  Again I have made some steps in the right direction but I need to keep the momentum going.
• Get my senior through high school and on to college!  Oh yes it happens for me this year...my oldest is going to graduate!  There is tons to do and plenty to blog about.  I am positive I am going to cry.  But we will make it through!
• Interior facelift -- of course this is where the blog stuff happens!  I still have plenty more to work on.  More living room projects.  The kitchen could definitely use a little facelift.  Plus much more!  Y'all stay tuned and don't miss a minute...

So what are you working on for 2012?  Any really interesting resolutions?  Are organization and eating healthy on your list too?

~Thanks for stopping by!~

~Angie~

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