sponsored Archives - What You Make It

April 13, 2018

life is short: wear the dress

April 13, 2018

Dress sponsored by Cleo Madison

It’s a funny thing, but dresses used to intimidate me.

Growing up, I was never the stylish one. I was interested in fashion, but never wanted to wear anything to draw attention to myself. (Or to draw attention to myself, period.) So, t-shirts and jeans typically won out, all the way through college.

I could never understand the girls who effortlessly throw on a dress and some earrings, and make it look so chic and yet so simple. But secretly, I always wanted to be one. Imagine how easy it would be to just pull on a dress and be good to go! Instead, I struggled with keeping everything from riding up too high, or coming down too low. And let’s not even get into static cling.

Now as a mom, it’s just easier to throw on jeans, or dare I say, leggings. Why bother with a dress? I’ll probably be crawling around on the floor with my littles, or have them tugging at it, causing a “wardrobe malfunction”.

But you know what? I’m a newfound believer in the power of dresses. Dresses are breezy, forgiving, involve one article of clothing, and even though you feel comfortable, you look cute. What was I thinking prior to this?

I’m being kind of silly with this, but to dig a little deeper: life is just too short to envy what other people do and how they do it. Or worse, get bitter because you think you can’t. Life is what you make it, after all. Get out of your head and try something new. (She said to herself.)

Anyway, this dress from Cleo Madison got rave reviews, both on Instagram and in real life, when I wore it to church. Here’s a secret – it’s the softest dress I’ve ever worn. Which is not so much of a secret, since I wore it to a bridal shower and made everyone touch it just to see how soft it was.

What I appreciate about Cleo Madison is that they know the struggle of keeping it modest, and offer dresses and other styles that really do. There are styles and patterns for everyone. Plus for a boutique, their clothes are way affordable. (This dress is $33.) Definitely check them out!

So it’s your turn. What’s something you’ve avoided simply because you were afraid it wasn’t “you”?

April 11, 2018

how to get a free photo canvas

April 11, 2018

Thank you to CanvasPeople for sponsoring this post, in partnership with The Motherhood.

So, can I tell you something a little embarrassing? We have zero photos of our kids hanging up in our house.

Let me explain. This is the first home we’ve owned, and when we moved in, I hung up a few photos from our wedding and called it a day. No, even two kids later, the pictures stay the same.

I think it’s probably time for a change. We have some gorgeous pictures of our family, most taken on the go with our phones. And I would love to see them up on the wall instead of while scrolling and squinting at a screen. Also even though my children certainly leave their mark on our house (kids live here for sure), I’d love to see their cute little faces in photos on the walls, too.

Lucky us – this is the perfect time to start redecorating.

What’s that about a free canvas?

Starting now, you can order a free 11″x14″ photo canvas from CanvasPeople (typically they are $69.99). Just pay for shipping.

Raise your hand if you like free stuff! If you’re like me, you may have both hands in the air, waving, maybe even jumping up and down a little. No shame in our game.

What to Do

Let’s keep this simple.

Click here to get access to the promo. (There is no extra code or anything, but you do have to click that link.) You’ll see a “Promotion Applied!” message at the top.
Upload your picture. You can even upload from Instagram or Facebook! A preview of your image will show up. You’ll get a pop-up right away if there’s any issues with the photo resolution.
Make sure 11×14 “Standard Wrap” (first column) is selected. (It should be already.) It’ll have $0.00 next to it.
Don’t select any other options, unless you want a special feature at an extra cost.
Add your shipping and billing information (for the shipping cost), and place your order!

Plus, ordering is simple. Again, I just used a photo taken on my phone, from our trip to the beach last year. It looks fantastic on the canvas, because they work with you to make sure it’s the right resolution. The canvases are made here in the US. Mine appeared on our doorstep quickly, looks gorgeous (you would think it was taken professionally), and arrived well-packaged and protected.

If you’re not redecorating, consider getting one as a Mother’s Day gift, or browse other photo products that are 65% off this month as well. Think newborn, wedding, family, and pet photos, too.

So the only question left is: which photo are you going to use?

April 4, 2018

a perfectly imperfect springtime with family

April 4, 2018

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sponsored by Payless ShoeSource. All opinions are 100% mine.

I have a lot of good memories of spring time growing up. Playing outside and picking daffodils, holidays and events with family, jellybeans and marshmallow chicks and other treats. A new (probably floral) dress, which was (and is) always a thrill. New sandals too. Jellies, obviously.

You know what I also remember? I remember digging in the dirt outside (and probably bringing it in the house with me, too). I remember grass stains from rolling down hills, and blisters on my heels from the sandals. It’s possible there were bad attitudes and tears and fights with my brother. But it doesn’t matter – many of my springtime and more memories are still magical and fun and special for me. The imperfect doesn’t diminish the best things about them.

Now with kids of my own, it’s easy to see what everyone else is doing in any season and feel such overwhelm. Where do families get so many spring decorations? And when do they have time to put them up? How do they make cookies that looking so stinking near-professional? Why doesn’t our party look like that?

Whereas our house rarely stays clean. I try to take cute family pictures, and I can barely convince my kids to get dressed. My treats for my kid’s preschool class are store-bought or at the very least, semi-homemade.

All that to say, I’ve decided to let go of the idea of making every season perfect for my family. The more I throw myself into making them idyllic, the less time I’ll actually spend enjoying the time with them and the joy of the simple things. No matter what bumps happen along the way, my kids’ days will be magical. Because their imagination is alive and bigger than any detour or distraction.

This year, we are celebrating spring in style with shoes from Payless ShoeSource! There are enough costs for everyday things without having to break the bank on shoes. Payless somehow makes stylish still affordable. Women’s shoes start at $19.99, and kid’s shoes start at $9.99.

Also, sorry in advance, but I’m going to be raving about these hooded block heels for the foreseeable future. They look just as good with a dress as they do with jeans. Also my husband scored some of the most dapper, cap toe oxford shoes I’ve ever seen him wear.

And aren’t these casual toddler shoes just the cutest? But in case you need that reality check again, let me just tell you that approximately three minutes later, they were covered in dirt. And you know what? We’ll survive. Someday my kids will remember the fun and the magic, and that’s what matters most.

March 28, 2018

misfit vapor smartwatch review

March 28, 2018

Thank you to Misfit and Statusbox for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.

Let’s first say: I am not tech-savvy. I leave the gadgety stuff to my husband, who enjoys it more than I do. When it comes to the technical side of blogging, I do a lot of internet searches. That’s me.

So smartwatches were not exactly on my radar at all, as popular as they are. But when I had the opportunity to review Misfit’s new Vapor smartwatch, I got excited to get a little out of my comfort zone and try something new.

Again, this is my experience, coming from a non-tech, hoping it will just make my life a little easier perspective. Here’s what I think:

Set-Up

Because I don’t know a lot about gadgets, setting up the Vapor was a challenge for me. Not only was I going through the manual, but I also had to check out the set-up guide on the website. Which I found (surprise!) through internet searches.

It involves downloading apps, and connecting to your phone and your wi-fi. Also, just figuring out the cord was a challenge for me, since it doesn’t have an actual plug. (It plugs into a USB, guys. I know, I know.)

After that, it just involved a lot of playing with it and figuring it out. If you have any tech-sense at all, it shouldn’t be too hard for you. Also, once it’s set up, you’re pretty good to go.

Charging

A charge lasts over 24 hours, depending on usage. I charged it from dead to full one afternoon, and the next morning it still had 66% battery life. A full charge takes maybe an hour?

Look

I LOVE the look of this watch. It’s rose gold, and came with blush pink straps – a win for me. But it’s perfectly customizable. The straps and watch face can be changed to your preference.

The screen is big, which is good in that it’s simple to read your messages, and easy to get around. The downside is that it feels heavy and bulky at first. It took some getting used to.

What It Can Do

This thing has so many great features. It alerts you to messages and calls on your phone. I appreciate that, because it means I can get the alert, check the message, and get back when I can, rather than diving into the rabbit hole that is my phone when I pick it up.

It tracks fitness and steps in a day. I’ve never had anything like that, so I enjoy this feature too. Plus apparently it can withstand sweat and swimming up to 50 meters. It’s a perfect running, walking, or swimming mate. It also can play music through wireless headphones, so you don’t have to mess around with cords.

I’m just impressed it can stand up to my kids. Even with it’s size, and how my kids have attempted to knock it around, I can’t find a scratch on it.

It has plenty of other apps and features I have yet to explore as well. These are the things that are most useful to me at the moment.

Overall

I love the look of the watch, and the simple features. It took some time to set up and get used to. It’s handy, and I like it for now, but not sure if it will take the place of my simple analog watch or not. Time will tell.

Are you into gadgets? Do you have a smart watch? What features do you like about it?