20 What I Wore: Pink Lemonade Edition

I was so excited to get these lovelies in the mail the other day c/o the incredibly talented Paige! You can visit her at her shop or at her blog! :)

my headband: Pink Lemonade

sabrina's headband: Pink Lemonade

Skirt, shirt, leggings: Rue 21

click here for the hair tutorial

Now it's your turn!

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17 Royally Doubled.

We recently shared this hair tutorial on a fun site, That's What We Said!

Behold the double waterfall braid....

The waterfall braid is amazing just by itself, doubling it is a great way to make it unique. Stays in, takes two minutes, and is such a cute way to dress up your hair when you want to leave it down.

Sorry about the quality of the video! If we have people that don't understand we'll reshoot it so let me know if you have any questions!

 

23 Warm Fuzzies

Today, I am introducing one of my life savers to you. A homemade warm fuzzy. Just a bundle of microwavable warmth that puts a smile on my face. Whenever I don't feel so swell or I'm just cold at night, this thing works miracles! I have a million and one in my room. It's seriously one of my most treasured things I've ever made in my life. hahaha

What's neat about it, is that you can personalize it! Get some fabric and draw any shape you want!

Cut out a front and back that match up. Put them together so that the back side of the fabric faces out and sew around it. DON'T forget to leave a small hole.

Turn it inside out...

Fill it up with rice, wheat, beans, barley, oatmeal...whatever you prefer or have on hand. You can also make it have a pleasant aroma by adding peppermint oil, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, lavender...again, whatever you prefer.

Sew up the hole, stick it in the microwave for a minute or two, and there you have an easy made miracle worker. Your own warm fuzzy!

Jamie and I made the heart as a Valentine warm fuzzy. My personal favorite and most used one is Pearl, my whale that I created. The square one is Julianna's that is filled with wheat and peppermint oil. Genius.

6 Lip Mustache

The latest trend. No tutorial needed.

23 Cashew Chicken

This recipe has some dear memories that go along with it.  When we moved to Maryland, we left some wonderful friends back in Utah (who we miss so much!) and this is a recipe we had first at their home, and it has stayed with us since.  This is my go to recipe when I don't know what to put on the menu.  I am usually always in the mood for this. I LOVE the flavors and textures in this meal!

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts, or 4 boneless thighs
1/2 cup cashews

1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced

1/2 lb.  snow peas
4 green onions, chopped
1 small can bamboo shoots, rinsed and drained
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
oil

RECIPE:

Cut chicken into 1" pieces.  Whisk together soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, and salt.  Heat oil in skillet on medium heat and add nuts to the pan.  Stir fry for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Add chicken until cooked through.  Add peas, mushrooms, chicken broth, and soy sauce mixture.  Cook until it boils and thickens, stirring constantly.  Add green onions and serve over rice.

ENJOY!

96 Giveaway: September Wren

I am so excited for today's giveaway!

September Wren

SHOP - FACEBOOK

Today we are featuring the incredibly talented Meg who is the genius behind September Wren. I about fell off my chair when I saw these gorgeous prints in her shop. She's been featured on Apartment Therapy, West Elm, Fossil, and a ton more!

via

"September Wren is a nostalgic collection of images, inspired by the feelings of a fleeting summer. I love photos that capture the joy of childhood, but are still suitable for a modern, grow-up home."

via

Today she is giving away $100 credit to her shop!!!

If you want to buy a print, mention The Letter 4 at check out (message to seller) and you can get another print of your choosing the same size for free!!!

To enter:

Pin your favorite print from September Wren to one of your pinterest boards

Favorite her shop

Like her on Facebook

Share this giveaway on your facebook page

Follow The Letter 4 on Facebook

Comment for each

*If you need a pinterest invite shoot us an e-mail, remember to pin a photo from her shop, not from this post, we'll be tracking the pins!

Contest ends February 1st at 11:59

Good Luck!!!

8 Snow art

A few years ago, back when most the family lived close together, we were all excited for a family trip to Hawaii! Janae, out of excitement to see the beaches not snow, drew in the snow with markers...and it worked. I was actually really surprised! It kind of inspired this little boredom buster activity we like to do with the kiddos during the winter.

You can write in the snow with markers, or you can can take some spray bottles and some food die and spray the snow. The kids ALWAYS love it and come up with some amazing creations. This picture, Nae and I did. We're not as clever as the little ones haha! Our spray bottles wouldn't work either so we just ended up throwing colored water all over the snow...still fun. Just like working with a giant clean white sheet of paper :) So if you're bored and you got some snow, color it!

27 What I Wore: Bomb in a Birdcage Edition

Why don't we wear these more often??? I wore this all day...AT HOME. Usually, if I don't leave the house, I tend to not dress up too much. How can you not dress up if you have this in your clutches, though? 

Also, I was inspired to introduce you to one of my favorite artists, A Fine Frenzy. She has a lyric that I LOVE. Guess what? Jamie turned it into a printable! What a good ol' chap. :) So, here's the song, and here's an amazing printable! Badda bing, badda boom.

Shirt/necklace: Forever21

Birdcage: Upcoming DIY project

20 Guest Post

Hello Letter 4 readers. I am so honored to be here. I remember when I was first contacted by the sisters, their blog was brand new. It has been so amazing watching their blog grow like wild fire. They are so talented and bring so much to the blogosphere!! They seriously all have the most sweetest hearts, which is a rare thing nowadays on the internet. But I’m sure you already knew that.

I’m Kristan and I blog over @ adelynSTONE. My blog is a simple blog with a goal to inspire and embrace all those little moments in life. You’ll find tutorials, easy recipes, repurposing ideas, confessions, my take on fashion and blogging tips for newbies. Really, I don’t think there ISN’T something I havn’t blogged about. hah. From stories about breastfeeding in public to our financial struggles. I put it all out there. I have two babes, Adelyn who just turned 3 and Stone who just turned 1. Hence the name adelynSTONE. They are the heart and soul of my life, so it’s only natural they show up on the blog, I try to get them involved as much as possible, Adelyn loves to help me bake and craft, so you’ll see little hands in some pictures and Stone likes to look like a stud-muffin, so of course I throw in random pictures of his gorgeous blue eyes.

Random fact: I’m obsessed with fake glasses.

Today I’m going to share with you a super simple Valentine garland.


You can do by yourself or with the help of little hands.

Note: If you already have scrap strips of cardstock, like me, go ahead and use those. If not, you might want to paint pieces of paper first, then cut into strips. I recommend using cardstock, as it’s sturdier than plain paper. 

Alright, so first you’re going to paint, using whatever colors you’d like on both sides of the strips.

We used acrylic paint because the variety of colors is crazy, but use whatever paint you prefer. Let the strips dry, by the time we were done, the first ones we painted were already dry.

The heart shape is pretty self explanatory, but incase you want to see how it was done, here you go:

After you have all your hearts, use a needle and crochet cord (or any twine) to string them like so:

XoXo # kristanlynn

8 Patching Up Pants DIY

I have had a hole in this pair of pants for eons. And it just keeps getting bigger! Not cool at all. No worries, though. I brought this madness to an end by sewing a feather to them. :)

Needle, thread, material, and something to sew it on to is all you need. I do admit, I did cheat just a tad and put a dab of fabric glue under it, just to make sure it had a good hold. 

Cut out any shape you want. Jamie kindly cut out a feather for me. Then, I hand stitched it over the hole. I'm quite fond of how it looks. And how much warmer my knee is now. 

13 7 Pretty Things On a Sunday

photo sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Welcome to 7 Pretty Things Sunday Blog Hop! Hosted by Gussy Sews, Matchstick Molly, Much Love Illy, and us of course! Each of us chose 1 photo for our picks....

Julianna's pick #1 - I cannot stop thinking about Disneyland and the old fashioned candy you find on main street! Pretty food is always inspiring :)

Jade's pick #4 - How cute is this washie tape over the keyboard? I'm completely inspired that almost everything can be made cuter with washie tape.

Jamie's pick #5 - This bicycle wheel animation is AMAZING! A must see, go watch the video!! Such a simple idea to make for an amazing outcome.

Janae's pick #6 - Old school hats are coming back. Nuff said.

Don't forget to visit GUSSY SEWS, MATCHSTICK MOLLY, and MUCH LOVE, ILLY to see why they're inspired by their picks!

Join Gussy Sews, Matchstick Molly, Much Love, Illy + The Letter 4 for today's "7 pretty things on Sunday" linky party! Simply add your blog below by linking to your post's permalink. Your link will be automatically added to the other 3 blogs {hooray!}. Then, browse the other linkers to find even more inspiration. Happy Sunday, xoxo

83 Another Awesome Giveaway

 A HUGE XOXO to those who participated in our giveaway and to our readers!  We have got some wonderful things to give away, so check 'em out!  Good luck!

$25 shop credit towards anything in the shop! (excluding custom items) 

Given by Laura at along for the ride

blog

shop

facebook

twitter

15% off coupon: 15OFFLETTER4 and bulk price orders!

ONE "Arise and Shine Forth" bottlecap pendant with a chain

Given by Jen & Amber at justbejewelry

blog

shop

facebook

$15.00 shop credit!

Given by Andi at thehollierogue.com

facebook

shop

twitter

bloglovin'

blog rss feed

We're also giong to get in on the giveaway action this time! In the spirit of Valentines day we're giving away a personlized Puzzle Piece Print! (will say two names of your choosing instead of you & me)

Twitter
Facebook

21 Iphone necklace case

I have a serious problem. I never ever ever can find my phone. If I can go the entire day without looking for my phone it's a good day. And actually I don't know where my phone is more days then where I know it is. And yes they have that app where it will locate your phone but it's just so much easier not to lost it in the first place, right? I tell people (ok lets be honest my sisters are the ones who call me so I told them) that I can never find it cause I am always walking around the house in yoga pants and a t-shirt and have no pockets to hold my phone in. Insert, the iphone pouch necklace.....

This was one of those projects that I wasn't sure would work out, but I desperately needed something like this so I attempted it and quite frankly, I'm in love!

So how I made it was I took some white fabric I had traced out a piece of fabric that was twice as long as the iphone and then some for some seam allowance. (say hello to me in the phone!)

Then I took some painters tape and made my triangles making sure to press the tape down as flat as I could so the paint wouldn't bleed.

Then I sponged on some paint and let it dry! When you are painting it be sure to just touch the fabric rather than sweep it, again avoiding bleeding.

The next part I cheated. I used a lifeline known as "my sister Janae will sew it for me." I cannot sew for the life of me! But she simply sewed a hem at the top and then sewed up the sides! Then Janae also so graciously let me use a chain off of an old necklace that she had and I glued it into the sides on the inside and then hand stitched one of the links to make sure it would stay.

Done! Now I have NO excuse not to have my phone on me anymore. And I love love love this thing. It's been a week and I have not lost my phone once, that's kind of a miracle in my life. My sisters are thrilled they can get a hold of me!

Hope that inspires those of you that have my same "problem"!