vacation

vacation was good.
 

  there was a lot of views like this

we did a lot of this

 I hung out with this guy

and I wore a lot of this.



not too bad.

xo, erika

nesby's friend penny

If you're familiar with my blog, then you're likely familiar with my dog, Nesby, who I affectionately refer to as Monster simply for his occasional monster tendencies. Today, I'm excited for you to get to know someone who is likely Nesby's future doggy-wife....

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Hi guys! It's Julie, of Julie Ann Art, and I wanted to introduce you to someone today. Her name is Penny. And she's a love-able terror. Yes, terror. That was not a typo on terrier. Although, she is a terrier as well.

I think Penny would be best friends with Nesby if they lived closer, just as I would be best friends with Erika if we lived closer. Penny and Nesby would be two peas in a pod. You see, they love all the same things:

Eating scissors

Eating toilet paper

Eating fabric

Eating hairpins

Eating anything that is left on the floor

Eating anything that dogs are not supposed to eat

You see?

They have so much in common!

Now eating various amounts of all things is not the only things that would draw these two pups together. They both have an undeniable cuteness that makes their owners look past the "terror" traits, and focus more on their friendly, cuddling, unconditional loving qualities. Aren't dogs the best?

Want some more Penny updates? (Along with recipes, craft tutorials, and daily life posts!) Come visit my blog, Julie Ann Art!

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Eating scissors? It looks like Nesby and Penny have quite a bit in common... 

xo, erika

p.s. have you entered the blog design giveaway? I'd go do that if I were you... 

hi from my friend kristina

hi friends! My time away is winding down, but I still have another friend to introduce you to! I'm sure you're looking for a new blog to follow with fun DIYs, fashion and my favorite, a weekly vlog!

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Hi friends of Erika! My name is Kristina, I'm a nurse who needed a creative outlet...enter Simply Bold, my blog where you can expect to find pieces of my style, life, do-it-yourself projects and little loves along the way. I love to stretch my closet, without stretching my wallet, and make my pieces work in different ways. My style can be described as urban renewal, meaning I enjoy classic pieces with a twist, refreshing vintage loves, and mixing patterns & textures...there's no rules around here and if you think there are, it's time to break them!

I thought I'd share a little look into my blog so you're not caught by surprise when you swing by for a visit.  hint. hint. yes, I'm shameless too.

>> lots of prints...from polka dots & stripes to leopard & tie dye and a mix of any & all

>> comfort...that's where it's at

>> do-it-yourself projects: easy-peasy & make a statement (for less...a lot less)

Oh, so you like saving $420 on a necklace too? Wanna see more tutorials? Check 'em out here.

So there you have it...in a nut shell. A very small nutshell. Feel by to swing by and gather up some outfit inspiration, creativity tutorials, and enter my current giveaway! I've enjoyed hanging out with you ladies today! Stop by Simply Bold anytime!

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I'm so glad that I found Kristina's blog recently and I hope you all stop by and send her some love! 

xo, erika
p.s. have you entered the blog design giveaway? I'd get over there if I were you! 

let's go camping!

I'm not camping-- that was two weekends ago, but I am out of town in Eastern Washington enjoying sunshine and lake time (and no Internet time). In the mean time, some of my favorites are here, blogging about whatever their little heart desires.

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Hi y'all! I'm so excited to join you on Erika's blog today! My name is Beth and I blog over at dot in the city. If you've been following Erika long, you know she loves to spend time outside and go camping. Since I too  love to camp, I thought it would be fun to share some ideas for how we go about planning a camping trip.

You don't often have to go far to camp. There are state parks and campsites all over. Do some online research to find out what's nearby. Use a weekend camping trip to see some sites you live near, but have never taken the time to explore for yourself. I live in Massachusetts (and have for nearly 10 years), but hadn't seen a cranberry bog until my husband and I went camping in a state forest a few weeks ago. We had to drive through dozens of cranberry bogs to get to the park.

If you go to a state park, there are likely trails on the same property or very close by. If not, it may take some research/planning ahead of time to figure out where to go for a hike. And this may sound crazy but trust me, leave your phone in the car or turn it off altogether. If you're going somewhere that's not too far from "real life," you may need to cut off your ties with reality (just for the camping trip). A break from technology will do you good ;-) Seriously, just enjoy being outside!

There's no need to sacrifice quality or flavor when you're away from your kitchen. With some planning and prep before you leave your home, you can have a delicious dinner. Foil is my best friend when it comes to car camping. There are so many meals that can be cooked in foil. I came across a list from The Food Network of 50 things to grill in foil from desserts to side dishes to meat. We cutup the veggies ahead of time, put them in foil packages, and then pop them on the grill once dinnertime rolls around. No need to pack a cutting board or sharp knife. I'm all about keeping meals simple, so you can spend your energy enjoying the place and people you're camping with.

Get to know your camping neighbors. I've learned it's very easy to do so when you bring your dog. People are often intrigued and ask questions about our dog or want to pet him, so I end up meeting the nearby campers. I only mention this as a suggestion because I'm a bit of an introvert so meeting strangers at a campground isn't my default mode. It seriously paid off recently when we forgot to bring coffee and a camping neighbor offered us each a cup o' joe after we had chatted for a bit (what a lifesaver)!

Bring your favorite (card) games. Without TV, computers, and phones, once the sun goes down there isn't much to do. I'm pretty sure card games are a camper's best friend. Get comfy in your tent or by the campfire (where ever you're most comfortable) and play a game you enjoy. We usually bring Phase 10, Uno and a regular deck of cards.

What are your must-haves for camping trips? Connect with me on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Thanks again to Erika for having me!

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I love camping and I love Beth's ideas here! We just one more month of summer (gasp!) and I think I'll definitely have to get camping again and maybe try some of those fancy-looking foil dinners. :)

xo, erika

Erin makes me laugh (she explains how)

I know-- I'm still out of town, perhaps sipping on some iced beverage right now, but I wanted to give you all still something great to read... enjoy this post from a gem of a girl, Erin. 

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Hey there kids.
My name is Erin and I blog over at Living In Yellow.

A blog that really has no point…which is why I am still trying to figure out what entices people to come back on a daily basis.

Anyhow—Miss Erika (aka my favorite fashionista, beer-drinking, brownie-eating, color-block tote making, Seattle-ian) asked if I would write a post for all of you lovely readers.

I know I know—guest posts suck.
But today, I am going to try my hardest to slash that whole “ewwww another guest post..catch ya later” mentality in the throat.
And what better way to do that than with humor?

Now I don’t know about you, but I love myself a good dose of humor.
My life motto is if I can laugh enough, I don’t have to actually do any physical exercise.
Wanna burn off the three donuts you just ate for breakfast? Watch The Ellen Show.
Way more beneficial than stepping foot into a gym.

So some of you may be thinking “well crap. I am not very funny…Nor do I know how to be funny on my blog.”
To which I would reply “Sucks to be you”.
Just kidding.
Kind of.

In an effort to put those thoughts to rest though, I thought I would share a couple of ways on

“How to be a funny blogger”

Let’s begin shall we?

1.  Make fun of yourself. Pretty regularly. Let’s face it—we all have flaws {unless you are Luke Bryan, Channing Tatum, and Jennifer Aniston} and there is no reason we need to hide those suckers. I look at it this way—if I don’t make fun of them, somebody else probably will. Call yourself out on the fact that you wear socks with holes, that you pee your pants in the grocery store, or that you fall down stairs when wearing heels. Moral of the story: save yourself having to punch somebody in the face for making fun of you by making fun of yourself first. Your knuckles will thank you.

2.  Write as if you are speaking face to face with somebody. My favorite blogs are the ones where I feel like I am actually conversing with them. The blogs that use slang and aren’t afraid to type like they talk. Now I don’t know about you, but I am not one to sit and have a conversation that goes a little somethin’ like “Last evening my adorable husband and I sat outside and watched in awe as the fireflies lit up the sky”. No. I would never say that. However, I would say “so the other night my husband and I watched fireflies light up the sky like a mother and it was pretty darn amazeballs”
Yup. Much more my speed.

3.  Say what is on your mind at all times. So what if you are writing a post about how much you love your cat and smack dab in the middle of writing you get a craving for mac & cheese with hot sauce on top? Throw that in there. People want to know that you aren’t only obsessed with your cat but that also love mac and cheese {like any normal human being should}. Random is good people. Remember that.

4.  Refer to items as things with feelings. This is just something I’ve always done (then again I am not the most “normal” you may say..). Let’s use your blog as an example. See how boring it was just referring to your blog as “a blog”. I like to think of mine as a girl (because she is cute. Obviously if something is cute it’s a girl). And I believe my blog likes to indulge in a drink every now and again. Let’s compare the two sentences and see which is more enjoyable to read “I am going out tonight to celebrate that my blog just turned a year old” or “My cute little blog requested that I take her out for a celebratory drink tonight for her first birthday. She may be young but she sure knows how to throw down every now and again…” You tell me which was more enjoyable.

5.  Don’t be afraid to show sarcasm. It’s the best thing since Michael Jordan left his wife for me.

6.   Use some “shock and awe” in your titles and/or posts. I don’t like boring blog titles and I don’t think blog readers do either. Instead of titling a post “We Built A Firepit” why not call it “Getting Dirty with My Husband”. Take a guess at which one will bring you more page views. Lesson to be learned: People are perverts. Use it to your advantage.

….and there you have it kitten britches {lesson number 7—refer to your readers as kitten britches}, six to seven simple things to remember to make your blog posts hill rat hilarious.

Now do me a favor and stop by over here would ya?
I’d love to see your smiling faces. Or at least hear from your funny fingers.
Whatevs.

<><><> I love me a good dose of Living in Yellow and I hope you guys did too. Now be dears and go say hi to her at those pretty links above.  xo, erika
p.s. do you need a facelift? er... does your blog need a facelift? There's a giveaway for one here!