bullfrogs & bulldogs | and Diapers

14 days of L.O.V.E – design, dinning + diapers

Oh man I am so excited about this. Starting on February 1st, Taryn over at Design, Dinning, and Diapers will be kicking off her first ever big 14 Days of Love event and guess who is going to be a part of it? You got it! On February 13th, Bullfrogs and Bulldogs will be featuring a top secret special Valentine’s Day surprise for my sweetie. I can’t share too much info with you all because well, it’s a surprise for D to tell him how much I love him. I will, however, tell you that it involves some of those beautiful pieces of reclaimed barn-wood I got last week at Aurora Mills Architectural Salvage.

The line up for this little love party is pretty fabulous as well. Take a look!

I have to admit, I feel pretty honored to be a part of such an amazing list of bloggers! If you haven’t checked them out, I seriously suggest you do so. I will provide the direct links below so it’s easier for you.

The Frugal Girls

504 Main

Southern Lovely

Real Housewives of Bucks County or as seen here on a Feature Friday

Design, Dinning, and Diapers will also be featuring their very first link party and Taryn invites all of you to join in on the fun beginning Wednesday, February 1st! So mark your calendars and check back here and over at Design, Dinning, and Diapers for more on all the fun!

Do you have a special surprise for your sweetie? Leave a comment and share! Or better yet, leave a link and share with all of us what you got going on!

top 10 most inspiring blogs of 2011

One of the things I love about blogging is the community it creates amongst others. You can essentially find a blog for anything and connect with many other like-minded individuals. Blogging gives people an outlet to express their interests, emotions, life experiences and pretty much anything that their hearts desire. I am always bouncing from blog to blog and love the blog-love people share on their own blogs about others. It’s one big happy cyberspace family.

To finish off 2011, I thought I’d share with you my Top 10 Most Inspiring Blogs of 2011 and why. Kind of like one big Feature Friday!

Here you have it:

1. The Wellness Warrior: I started following Jessica about this time last year. A friend of mine and I were having one of our daily conversations about nutrition at work and she emailed me the link to this blog. Right away I found it incredibly inspiring. Her courageous story to fight cancer holistically gave me the inspiration to make a few changes in my diet and I continue to read her post and constantly learn something new.

2. Perfectly Imperfect: I find myself reading Shaunna’s blog when I need a little motivation in the DIY department. She is a true pro when it comes to painting anything wood and her ebook , Creating Your Masterpiece, gives so many helpful and inspiring tips that anyone could follow along and create their own work of art!

3. A Modern Girl’s Guide: Amanda’s story of using both a holistic and eventually, a conventional approach to fighting Hodgkin’s Lymphoma offers an incredible perspective of a girl doing everything in her power to do something a lot of us take for granted: live. Today, Amanda’s cancer is in remission and she is living “off the grid” as she calls it, in a solar-powered caravan where she blogs about simplifying her life. Truly an inspiration!

4. The Handmade Home: One of the things I love about this blog are the photos. They are bright and cheery and they complement the content nicely. Not to mention, this blog just gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling and I keep coming back to it.

5. Design, Dining, and Diapers: In the six month since she began DDD, Taryn has created a brand that really sticks out. It’s fun, its creative, and she displays some adorable crafts, yummy (gluten-free) foods, and overall fun on her blog.

6. A Way to Garden: As mentioned in my latest Feature Friday, I love this blog because it offers so much information for a novice gardener like myself. I can find helpful tips for all my questions and so much more. It’s given me so much hope that I too can be a Master Gardener one day!

7. DreamGreenDIY: This blog makes me want to run out to my nearest thrift store and hunt for my next treasure. Carrie and John have done an excellent job at transforming their townhouse into their own masterpiece. Their Thrift Store Scores really make you feel like one man’s junk IS another man’s treasure.

8. The Lettered Cottage: With a possible HGTV show on the horizon, Kevin and Layla have turned their fixer-up home into a full-time job as they blog about their adventure. Take a tour of their cute little cottage style home and gain some inspiration along the way!

9. Cannelle et Vanille: The photo montage on this blog is spectacular. A freelance food writer, stylist, and photographer, Aran captures whatever her subject is in a way that makes me want to hang her work on my wall. Both D and I obsess over the fine details of every photo and the time put into it. A true artistic inspiration!

10. Farmgirl Fare: In many ways, she reminds me of well, me! A self-proclaimed ‘former cultured California chick’ turned farm girl, she’s been bloggin’ about her experiences of farm life, the good, the bad, and the oh so wonderful! Not to mention she has a couple Donkey’s. Jealous! I’ve been telling D I want a Donkey for quite some time now…maybe next Christmas?

So there you have it, My Top 10 Most Inspiring blogs of 2011. There are so many more I’d love to share but I guess I can keep those for future Feature Fridays!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and I’m looking forward to seeing what the New Year has in store!