Fotini, Author at Farmhouse Chic Blog

{ Fab Pins of the Week }

April 12, 2013 by Fotini Filed Under: bedrooms, entry, fab pins of the week, gardening, headboards, neutral tones, Pinterest, vanity 78 Comments

Happy Friday!! Thanks for stopping by and starting your weekend out with me 🙂 Lets get to a few of my favorite pins this week…

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1. The serene-feel of this bedroom is breathtaking! I could certainly curl up to get my beauty rest in this room, what about you? I adore the mix of neutrals throughout and that headboard is fantastic!

2. In love with this stunning entry!! It may or may not be because of my favorite flowers potted in front 😉 Your guests are sure to feel a warm welcome when entering through such a gorgeous entrance!

3. I love it!! This is such a fabulous idea for small space or for beginner gardeners (me!). My only question is do the plants live long since they don’t root into the ground? Not sure, but I’m going to give it a try and hang it on the side of my house near my deck area!

4. Fit for any princess! This stunning vanity is very easy on the eyes 🙂 The neutral tones, bling and fresh flowers scream perfection!!!

Are you following me on Pinterest yet? Click HERE !!

{ MC: Fun Family Easter Traditions }

April 6, 2013 by Fotini Filed Under: Easter traditions, MC, mommy advice, mommy panel, The Mom Connection Leave a Comment

I am part of an AWESOME mommy panel with Cassie from Two In Diapers and Julie from Naptime Review.

Each Saturday, we will bring you fresh new ideas and advice about motherhood.

If you enjoyed what you read, we encourage you to tweet about it!

Coming on April 13th, we will discuss:

Fun birthday party activities for preschoolers!

Now on to this week’s topic!

What are your fun family Easter traditions?

Here is what Mom Connection shared:

Welcome! I’m Julie over at Naptime Review. I am a mom of two wild, crazy and beautiful girls. My oldest just turned 4 and my baby is 16 months old. These are our family’s Easter traditions:

Easter is my favorite holiday and favorite time to share with my family. We love doing outside activities as well as doing things that teach my girls about Christ. Each year, we visit Easter Village in Purina Farms. Unfortunately, this year, weather was yucky! Hopefully next year we will be able to go as a family and carry on the spring tradition. Of course, we dye Easter eggs and visit the bunny. However, Easter is far more than colored eggs, baby animals and a man in a bunny suit. We really spend the entire month before Easter learning how Jesus spent his last week on Earth and the importance of his sacrifice. We talk about Palm Sunday, the Last Supper, serving others and loving our neighbors. Resurrection Eggs is a great resource for teaching all this. Averie and I start going through the eggs and sharing the Easter story a few weeks before Easter. It is amazing how much this 4-year-old knows about the Easter story. I have a feeling she will be schooling me one day. Each year, we make resurrection biscuits too. These yummy rolls not only teach a valuable message but are supper yummy to enjoy. Not only do we enjoy delicious treats, we bake something and share with our neighbors. We load up the wagon and go door to door. Click here to see what we have shared in the past.

As mentioned before Easter is my favorite holiday. I really spend a lot of time thinking of Jesus during the month with quiet time, special Seder services at church, and serving more at church. Each year my husband and I watch The Passion of the Christ . The movie really disturbs me and as my relationship with Christ grows and grows, it really upsets me, however, I think it is important to watch and see how he suffered for us.

Easter is such a wonderful time and holiday. I truly love spending it with my girls and family. Seeing how much Averie has absorbed and learned about Jesus just shows that the month-long celebration is worth it. I am looking forward to getting Alice more involved with our Easter traditions next year.

Hi! I’m Cassie from Two In Diapers, and I’m a mommy to three sweet babies, ages 5, 3, and 20 months. These are our family’s Easter traditions:

We love Easter in this house! What a fabulous holiday, celebrating our savior’s resurrection and the second chance this means for all of us!

I am sad to say that we don’t dye eggs around here… at least not yet. I do plan to start when the kids are a bit older! However, we love to bake and decorate our Easter cookies, which we pack in tiny baskets and give to our neighbors.

My littles are each given a stocked Easter basket on Easter morning. Following the excitement of unpacking the games and candy in their baskets, we dress up in our finest and head off to church! After church, we have Easter dinner at Grandma and Papa’s house, followed by a fabulous egg hunt! Grandma stocks the eggs with special treats, and then Papa takes great care to hide the eggs especially for each child. This is definitely something the kids are starting to really look forward to each year!

Easter is a special time for my family to celebrate each other and Christ Jesus!

My name is Alexa from No Holding Back. I am the mom of Nayner Bug (male, 5), Jelly Bean, (female, 3) and Tiny (female, 1). These are our family’s Easter traditions:

As a child, we always woke up to a house that had been visited by the Easter bunny. All of the eggs we had dyed the day before, plus chocolate footballs and some other candies, were hidden all around the house. We would have an Easter Egg hunt, eat breakfast, and go to church.

We have not really established any traditions thus far with my young family. Each year we do dye a lot of Easter Eggs, because that is our favorite part. I have not really gotten into this recent tradition (at least I think it’s recent because I don’t remember any kids when I was growing up getting a bunch of gifts) of giving a huge Easter basket filled with presents. And our children are small enough they don’t know to expect things like that. They are happy with hunting eggs and eating chocolate! So our “tradition” I suppose has become church, egg hunt, and a family dinner at my mother’s house. It’s nothing extraordinary, but it’s special to us.

My name is Fotini! I blog over at Glamorous, Affordable Life. I am the mom of (Isabella 2 years and Christian 6 years). These are our family’s Easter traditions:

I look forward to celebrating Easter each year with the kids! Honestly, I don’t know who’s more excited, me or them! I absolutely adore the pastels, flowers and smells that come along with spring! We do lots of fun Easter crafts and activities outdoors, if the weather permits! Unfortunately this year the weather has not! We are just aching to get outside and play. J

My son is becoming very knowledgeable with the Bible, so he’s beginning to understand why we celebrate Holidays, like Easter, and this is so important to my husband and I! We try our best to instill the true meaning to our children. Don’t get me wrong, we (or should I say, I) love getting the kids Easter baskets together! I don’t go all out, but I gather a few things I know they will love, and very little candy! Also, for Easter Day we have a egg hunt set up around the house, indoors and out! I fill the eggs with money, candy, and “coupons” they can exchange for things later on! That afternoon, we have an early dinner with our family! The tradition has been taken on by me to start cooking for the Holidays and I couldn’t be happier to fill this role!!

My name is Kristen from The Mrs. & The Momma. I’m the momma of three girls (ages 7, 5, & 3) and a little boy (18 months). These are our family’s Easter traditions:

Easter is a very special time for our family. As parents, we try our very best to keep Christ the focus of the holiday, which is really tough sometimes with all the bunny, candy, and egg-hunting hoopla. Don’t get me wrong, we take part in all of that, but attempt to ground our children in remembering the atonement and Resurrection of Christ. One of the traditions we started this year with our kids was making “Empty Tomb Rolls” (see my post about it HERE) on Good Friday. Not only did our kids enjoy making these themselves, but they also understood the symbolism that accompanies each ingredient. Another Easter tradition we do with our children is making a big breakfast for Easter morning. My mom always did this for me and my brother growing up, and it’s something I hope my children remember too. I just love big, extravagant breakfasts and with Easter you can get creative….i.e. colored eggs, bunny pancakes, etc. I hope everyone had a very happy and blessed Easter holiday!

Your Turn:

What Easter traditions does your family keep?

Leave us a comment; we love to read your tips and advice!

Need advice? Check out these previous Mom Connection topics:

Setting Goals with Your Children

Teaching Your Kids to Share

Getting your Preschooler Dressed

Balancing Blogging and Motherhood

{ Jamberry Nails Giveaway!!! }

April 3, 2013 by Fotini Filed Under: cute nails, giveaway, Jamberry, Jamberry nails, manicure 3 Comments

I’m super, duper excited to give one of you lovely ladies the chance to win your first Jamberry nails application of your choice for FREE!! You will fall in love with the many fashionable designs they offer!

Thanks so much for entering the giveaway, and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

{ Introducing LauRae! }

April 1, 2013 by Fotini Filed Under: blog feature, blog love, Jamberry, Jamberry nails, nails 1 Comment

About Me

Hi ladies! My name is LauRae and I am a Jamberry Nails Independent Consultant. I work full time for a Baseball and Softball training facility and have my degree in what can be looked at traditionally as a guy’s world (Sports & Rec Management). Despite all this, I am still quite the girly girl- I enjoy fashion, crafts, cooking, and gardening too.

When I first learned about Jamberry Nails I was filled with excitement. What really did it for me was how easy it was and how little of a mess it was compared to polish as well as the staying power they had compared to other decals. I live in Arizona so my polish never lasted long in the sun and the pool. I also have pets, so every time I did my nails I almost had to lock myself away until they dried so my dogs wouldn’t smudge it or get their fur all over! With Jamberry you can change up your nails whenever you want and get the look like you just left a salon in the comfort of your home… for me it tends to be when my husband is watching something dumb on TV! 😮

So what exactly are Jamberry Nails?

The story of Jamberry Nails begins with three sisters who possess distinct personal tastes, but share a love for style. After an expensive afternoon together at the nail salon, Lyndsey, Christy and Keri vowed to find a simpler, more cost effective way to keep their hands looking polished, while still spending time together.

After lots of trial and error, the proprietary nail wraps of Jamberry Nails launched in late 2010. The DIY, at-home application and incredible variety of designs caught on quickly and sales soared. A new era of nail art was born. Gone are the days of nails that chip and flake after only a few days! Gone are the days of mani/pedis that take all afternoon and most of your cash, too! Jamberry Nails arm you with style and confidence, while demanding very little of your time or money.

With more than 250 designs to choosefrom, Jamberry puts signature style at your fingertips. Application is easy, clean unpolished nails and push back cuticles, hold the sheet over your nails to find the correct size, peel off nail wrap and warm it with portable heater or hair dryer until it is soft and flexible. Press shield on your nail and apply pressure throughout with focus on the edges. Trim off excess with scissors and simply file in a downward motion to remove the excess. Apply heat and pressure one more time, and you are done! (quick application video)

In addition to our catalog of designs, and what I am most excited about is what is NEW for Spring and Summer 2013 is our Nail Art Studio. The Jamberry Nail Art Studio allows you upload your own images and design custom nail wraps. http://ldivito.jamberrynails.net/nas/

Get my special! Right now I have a buy three get one free sale going on (does not include Nail Art Studio).

If you have any questions, please contact me at any time!

{ Silhouette Totes }

April 1, 2013 by Fotini Filed Under: crafts, diy, DIY crafts, Easter, Easter crafts, silhouette, silhouette totes, totes 22 Comments

Every year I buy the kids Easter baskets, and every year I end up tossing it instead of re-using it (for one reason or another!). I love the thoughts of using something they can actually get some use out of, so that led me to my next creation, silhouette totes! I would use these in place of an Easter basket on Easter morning. These totes will be perfect to take in the car and fill with books, snacks, games, etc.; or even great as an over night bag!

Out of my scrap fabric, I gathered two pieces that would have enough space for me to sketch and cut out a boy and girl silhouette. I used khaki for Christian and pink for Isabella. I found an image on the computer and free- handed it onto the fabric. Cut out. I bought linen totes from Jo Ann’s, they come as a three pack. I used some fabric glue that I already had and put it on the back of the fabric and pushed into place. Using a pencil, I wrote their names and traced over it with a permanent marker. I attempted using craft paint on one bag and didn’t like how it was turning out, that’s why I opted for the marker. It didn’t give me the desired look I was going for, but it works for now!

I have to admit a little something to you guys.. I didn’t like the way the fabric glue looked when it dried, so I washed the totes hoping it would wash away.. Well it didn’t, it shrunk and made the bags all wrinkly! I ironed and dried them the best I could, but nothing seemed to work! Needless to say, I know these bags will get dirty since I’m intending on them to get used often so I will revamp the idea for next year!

Sharing this project on these fabulous blogs!

{ Jamberry Nails }

April 1, 2013 by Fotini Filed Under: at home manicure, Jamberry, Jamberry nails, manicure, newspaper nails, no chip manicure 2 Comments

I absolutely LOVE having my nails painted and pretty 🙂 but hate how quickly they chip within a day or two of painting. Then one afternoon I received a sweet email from an independent seller for Jamberry Nails. I hadn’t heard of the product, but was interested in learning more about it! I received the product in the mail and had some free time on a Sunday afternoon to give it a try!

Here’s what you’re going to need:

blow dryer
nail clippers

I would allow at least a half hour from start to finish, but you will so thrilled with the result, seriously!! I don’t think I will EVER pay for a manicure again! One sheet contains two rows of different sizes, simply match each nails with the correct size, cut it in half , place the rounded side toward your cuticle, press onto your nail and heat with a blow dryer in swaying motion for about 15 seconds and immediately press into place. Trim the remaining with the nail clippers. Continue for each of your nails until completed. ( I will admit and you will see in the picture below, that my first pinkie nail is the worst and that’s because I didn’t have it faced the correct way and I trimmed it will scissors instead of the nail clippers. The nails clippers are SO much easier to use!)

I seriously couldn’t believe how simple the process was to have such cute nails! And the best part about it, is the one sheet will last me for another three manicures! You can’t beat that at all!! You will go crazy over the designs offered.. So go check them out!

Also, it’s been two weeks since I put mine on and they still look perfect! I’ve done everything I normally do, cook, craft, wash my hands at least 20 times a day and they haven’t bubbled or peeled.

Kitchen Remodel Must- Haves!

March 29, 2013 by Fotini Filed Under: kitchen, kitchen remodel, kitchen sink, Moen, sponsored post 1 Comment

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Moen, Incorporated for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

When remodeling your kitchen, what are some of your must-haves? For me it’s hardware I love and a beautiful faucet! My style tends to be leaning more towards rustic chic. I love the aged, yet feminie feel, donning new and vintage pieces! When we bought our house we did simple modifications to get it move in ready, but I have big plans for our kitchen! Here’s what I have in mind: painting the cabinets white, removing existing back splash and adding white subway tile, new counter tops (thinking butcher-block!), and maybe even a farmhouse sink! What better to adorn a gorgeous farmhouse sink, than the perfect faucet?! What is the perfect faucet and why? How about the Kiran Spot Resist one-handle pulldown kitchen faucet. Yes, absolutely spot resistant, oh my I think I’m sold!

The new Moen Kiran spot resist kitchen faucet has a stylish one-handle high arc, pulldown design. It’s finish resists fingerprints and water spots! The Moen Kiran pulldown spout has 2 spray functions, aerated stream or the powerful cleaning rinse, with pause feature. Its Relex system offers smooth operation, easy movement and secure docking.

Hardware and appliances can make or break a kitchen for me! I love the sleek, clean look of stainless steel appliances. It would be the perfect touch to my remodeled kitchen! You can find this beauty at your local Lowes or online, here.

Be sure to follow along with Moen for the latest and greatest:

Facebook >>Twitter

{ Blog Feature: The Lovely Bohemian }

March 28, 2013 by Fotini Filed Under: blog feature, blog love, blogger, feature 7 Comments

Hey everyone! I’m Denise over at The Lovely Bohemian. My blog is all about my lifelong search for adventure and my need for the life of a bohemian. I’ve been blogging for a little over 4 years now and it mostly started out as an online diary, but now it’s grown into so much more than that. It’s a place where I can write my everyday thoughts and happenings and connect with people just like me. I was raised by a former-hippie mother who always taught me to be myself and constantly strive to be free. I never completely understood what she meant by “free” until I hit the age of 18 and realized I no longer wanted to live in my small hometown. My blog is a place where I can share my overwhelming desire to get out. To travel all over, to see everywhere, to experience everything. To truly be bohemian.

Follow along:

Bloglovin >> Instagram >> Twitter >> Facebook

16 Stunning Easter Tablescapes

March 27, 2013 by Fotini Filed Under: Easter, Easter Day, Easter table decor, Easter tablescapes, stunning tables, table decor, tablescapes 6 Comments

Easter’s a few days away, while you’re here, grab some inspiration from these stunning tablescapes! Whether your style is neutral, pastels or bright colors, there’s something for everyone!

A few of my must-haves for Easter Day is fresh flowers, sweet treats and neutral tones. This year I may add a hint of pastel yellow or turquoise! What is your Easter style?