Disclosure: Affiliate links appear in this post. Any purchases made using these links will earn Taz + Belly a small commission. You can read more about our affiliate relationships here. We got such a great response from last month's kid-friendly book review post, that we thought we'd make it a regular series. Aren't you excited?! In case you missed it, Ella (my ten year old daughter) thinks she'd like to start her own blog, so we're giving it a test run by letting her guest post here occasionally. I'd love to tell you that the book series will occur monthly, but it might be every other month, depending on the number of books she completes each month. Ella will be using the same Goodreads scale to rank her books each month. 1 star // she did not like it 2 star // she said it was ...
blogtember
DIY Dream Catcher Party Craft
Less than a week before Ella's birthday party, she told me that she thought we needed a craft. Normally, I would have had a moment of sheer panic, but since the party was already geared to be super low-key, I felt sure we could pull it together in the nick of time. I took to Pinterest and searched through tons of "summer camp" themed crafts, but these Kid Made DIY Dream Catchers were my absolute favorite! via ArtBar Blog I started by digging through my own stash of craft supplies and (fortunately) had most of the items we needed on hand. The berry baskets were left over from a previous birthday party, I had plenty of random ribbons and trims, I bought discounted Christmas gift tags at Target last year that I knew would be perfect, I had plenty of washi tape thanks to Bible Journaling and ...
Blogtember | A Letter on Belief
To my sunshine girls, There are so many words in this world: competing voices and things you won't always understand, people who will contradict what you know and believe, letters written on pages that will hurt your feelings. From the time you are old enough to listen, people are giving their opinions. They are offering unsolicited advice and passing judgment on your choices. Don't listen to them. Believe in yourself. Believe in Jesus. Believe in each other. Believe the words your mama whispered in your ear. Believe the wild stories your daddy spun under sheets. Believe the Bible stories and worship songs that filled your home. Believe the encouragement and correction from your teachers. Believe the smiles and high-fives of your closest friends. There will be days when you don't feel ...
Planner Update: Create a Hybrid Bullet Journal
Today's Blogtember prompt was to share a product that we love and that simplifies our life. I thought long and hard about this one and even though it's not technically a "product," I couldn't resist sharing my planner with you today. I've gone through so many planner versions and have finally settled on one that works perfectly for me. Store-bought planners never have everything I need and as much as I love using a bullet journal, the inability to insert pages or rearrange things is a deal breaker for me. After months of using a mini binder, I wanted to share how I've created a hybrid bullet journal that meets all of my planner requirements! Warning: Affiliate links appear in the following post. Although shopping the embedded links won’t cost you any additional dollars, it might ...
Camp Ella Birthday Party Recap | Vlog
I knew today's Blogtember prompt was to share a vlog, so I had planned to take plenty of video from Ella's party for you. When I got to the barn that afternoon, I realized that my video camera didn't have a memory card inside, so I had to use my big girl camera for both video and photographs. It was hard toggling back and forth while trying to monitor the party and keep everyone happy, but I'm super happy with how it turned out. I've been saying for actual years that I was going to start sharing more video here and now that I finally know how to edit and make it all pretty, that might actually happen. How excited are you? No, really... HOW excited?! This was the most atypical birthday party that I've ever thrown and simultaneous the most fun. If you've been reading here for any amount ...
Coffee With Kristin 003
If we were on a coffee date, I'd tell you that I'm loving Blogtember so much. I had already gotten myself back in the habit of a very regular posting schedule last month, but the challenge of sharing for thirty consecutive days has helped me make it an even greater priority. It has sparked a few posts that I might not have thought to share otherwise, has introduced me to several new favorite blogs, and helped to solidify my love for post scheduling. My editorial calendar is quite rounded out through mid-October and I've kept to my commitment of no midnight posting for the following day. Thank goodness for new habits. If we were on a coffee date, I'd be gushing about Downton Abbey. In full disclosure, I've just managed to watch 52 episodes in just under three weeks (I'll let you do the ...
Blogtember | Ella’s Room & DIY Book Nook
It's purely coincidental that today's prompt is to share a room tour and we've been working on updating Ella's bedroom over the summer. The updates have been subtle since we're hoping to move soon and I didn't want to spend money on anything we couldn't use in the new house. The plan was to eliminate the playroom (at the girls' request) and separate them before school started. After a few really promising showings and positive vibes from our real estate agent, we put a halt on the separation, but that was after we had given what would be Ella's room a mini update. We've decided to keep the girls in the same room for now, so they are enjoying a few small updates together, along with a super cute DIY Book Nook! Because I can't resist a little flashback action, here is a room tour I ...
Blogtember | Periscope
I'm not usually the first to jump on a new social media bandwagon, but Periscope is definitely my latest obsession. I'm not at all shy and I always enjoy videos and interacting with other like-minded ladies, so sharing creativity through Periscope is right up my alley. I've shared a few times before, but this last Saturday was such a treat! I woke up early to post a Periscope schedule on Instagram and saw that several of my favorite Illustrated Faith girls were also sharing that day. We all managed to do a process video back to back (and each shared something different), so I sat at my dining room table with journaling supplies, snacks and football muted in the background for almost five hours - it was so much fun! When I wasn't sharing my own page, I spent time working on some other pages ...