{Link-it To Me} Link up party!

Happy Tuesday!! I'm so happy to be back for a second week co-hosting Painted Teacup's Link-it to me Party!! Last week was so much fun and I loved seeing all these links so much! I'm working on some exciting projects so these link parties are such a great way to connect and see what you guys are up to!   

Having a fun filled Fourth of July

Happy (almost) 4th of July! I always look forward to this holiday because it's a day you can have so much fun with what you wear, the foods you make and of course family/friend time, fireworks and BBQing! I'm starting this weekend off right going to a Yankee game tonight! I love baseball games as you probably know and especially during this time of year! You can get a little idea of what I'll be wearing by checking out my post on what to wear for a day at the stadium! I'm super excited - and very excited for tomorrow as well!

Tassel bracelet// RayBans// Cover up// Striped espadrilles// Patriotic coozie// Pearl earrings// Starfish cuff bracelet// Tory Burch tote// Essie Jump in my jumpsuit// Lilly Pulitzer "Sparks" Romper// Striped bikini// USA light up sign// Floppy hat (similar)// Red shorts// Kendra Scott necklace// Striped beach towel

While I love special 4th of July foods, the fashion is always my favorite! I'm obsessed with this Lilly dress and will be wearing it this Saturday! I also can't wait to wear my new floppy hat that I scored at the outlets this past Tuesday for $12 at Jcrew! Yes it was really $12! Since I can't link you to that one, here's a super similar one that's also a great deal!
I will also be sporting my favorite Raybans that I own! I wear these with almost everything every day! They're such a pretty shade of blue and ever since I bought them I actually try and match outfits TO them... yep I go that far!
Here's some awesome sales going on for this holiday weekend
Kate Spade: 25% off sale with code SETSALE through July 7th
Bath and Body Works: $10 off $30 with code 10FORU through July 5th
Rebecca Minkoff: Stars, stripes & 60% off sale items through July 6th
Banana Republic: 30% off regular priced items with code BRTHIRTY through July 5th
Target: save up to 30% on home decor/furniture with code HOMEOWNER through July 4th


Decorating your home with patriotic decor can also be so much fun! This USA marquee sign is so cute and from Nordstrom! If you're feeling crafty, here's some DIY projects you could try for easy and quick decor:
Stars and stripes mason jars by Maison de Pax: using mason jars for decor is one of my favorite things - and how cute are these 4th of July themed jars?! They double as vases and would look so gorgeous on any table or counter!
Rustic star/wood decor by Jeanette: I am in LOVE with this gorgeous wall decor piece! I definitely am going to have to try making this!
Patriotic string lights by Jonathan Fong on eHow: when I found this DIY, I went and bought the supplies to make these! I'm definitely going to make them to hang up outside for this weekend!!! They're so simple and I can already tell how gorgeous they're going to be in person!

Last but most certainly not least - food!
Firecracker jello cups by Cincy Shopper: jello shots just scream 4th of July to me - they're so much fun to make and this recipe looks super easy and they come out so pretty! I love the cherry in them and the color blocks are even more fun!
I remade my dipped ice cream cones with patriotic colored sprinkles for this Saturday! You can check out the directions here. They're super simple and SO much fun to make - when I made them last weekend everyone I had over loved them!
Firecracker popcorn by See Vanessa Craft: I'm SO going to make these for this 4th of July! I've never seen such a great idea; it seems so simple to make too! Definitely something everyone will love!

I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July weekend and I hope you get to try some of these DIY's and recipes! Is there any recipe or DIY you've tried and loved?
XOXO
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A link up party that you won't want to miss!

Today I'm SO excited to share the most exciting news that I'm lucky enough to be co-hosting Painted Teacup's Link-it to me Party!!! Chantal is one of my favorite bloggers I've met and she was sweet enough to ask me to co-host her amazing link up party this week! I love link up parties and the fact that one of my best blogging friends has one weekly is so much fun! The best part is meeting new people and finding so many new posts through link ups.
As I'm halfway through my sixth month of blogging (this is insane to me!), I'm always looking for ways to increase traffic and grow a following. If you're a regular Daily Dose of Design reader or even a new reader, from the bottom of my heart I truly thank you for taking the time to read my blog! Blogging has always been such a dream of mine and now running my own blog is such an amazing experience day after day. That being said, link parties are one of the many ways that I find extremely helpful in growing my blog. Link parties allow you to connect with other bloggers and find blogs that you may end up loving! I'm so excited to be a co-host for a link up party and definitely will be starting my very own in the (hopefully near) future!
Here you can find a blog post that Chantal wrote about how link parties work and how you can successfully host your own link party. If you're thinking about starting your own, I definitely recommend reading this post! It's helped me quite a bit and I'll be referring back to it a LOT when I'm ready to start my own link up parties!!
Without further adieu, meet the fabulous host of the Link-it to Me party, Chantal from Painted Teacup! You can follow Chantal on her social media including Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter!!


Every week, Chantal picks some links from the party to feature in the next weeks party post! Here's this weeks featured posts; check them out! I think you'll love them just as much as I have!! There's some really great links here:
16 Delectable Cupcake Recipes from Dreaming of Leaving

Free Kitchen Chalkboard Printables from The Ham and Cheese of It

How to Create your own photo map from Currently Kelsie

Gluten Allergy? Avoid these Four Mistakes from Dreaming of Living

Cocktail Popsicles for Adults from The Quinntessential Mommy


Now that you've had a chance to look at these awesome posts, let the party begin!
Before Linking Up, please follow these guidelines so everyone can enjoy the party! Please be sure to link a blog post, not a Pinterest link; you want to make sure others are visiting your blog, not just re-pinning!
The Guidelines Are Simple: 1. Check out my profile on Pinterest, if it interests you, consider liking my boards and/or following me. 2. Share the party on your social media. More visitors = more eyes on your posts! 3. Add any family friendly blog posts or pins (maximum of 3). 4. Share the love; view, pin, or share at least 3 other links on the link up! 5. By linking up, you agree to allow Painted Teacup and Daily Dose of Design to share your links and photos (credit is always given to you) on our blogs and social media sites. You also agree to allow us to contact you via email to inform you of future link-ups.
As a token of my appreciation, I will pin all links to one of my Pinterest boards! Happy linking! Thanks for joining, we'llsee you again next week! Link Up will run from 8pm EST Tuesday – 11:59pm EST Thursday.

An InLinkz Link-up

Essential workout gear {guest post}

Happy Monday everyone! Today I'm happy to continue my guest post series with Kate from Kate Moving Forward! Kate and I met and after some talking decided to guest post on each others blogs and I couldn't have been more excited About this! You can read my post on Kate's blog about child friendly decor here!!

Hey there! I'm Kate and I blog about my imperfectly healthy life over at KateMovingForward. On my site you'll find recipes, healthy living tips, motivation, my own weight loss journey and my little family's adventures in West Michigan. My readers love my practical and "real" approach to healthy living and I think you will too!

It’s finally summer! If you are like me you have great plans that hopefully involve some type of water: the beach, the lake, the ocean, the pool. The cool colors of the water inspired these beautiful choices of workout gear. There is something for everyone in these picks and I personally think that working out in cute gear you makes you faster and stronger!
So go get your sweat on--and then jump in the pool!
Thanks for letting me share today! If you want to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or Twitter I'd love to have you!

How cute are Kate's summertime workout gear picks?! I couldn't agree more that looking cute while you work out definitely makes it all the better! I've been trying to kick my butt into gear and get into better shape so I'll definitely be looking into styling my workout gear like Kate said! Thanks so much to Kate for guest posting today and I hope you enjoyed this post!
Here's some of my picks for workout gear:

XOXO
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DIY Dipped Ice Cream Cups!

There's nothing I love more than summertime and ice cream!! I'm a total ice cream junkie and am always looking for new, fun ways to display and eat it! Since the 4th of July is coming up and so many exciting summertime parties and BBQ's as well, I decided to try a new kind of ice cream cone. I've seen similar cones like this at places like Coldstone but never thought to make them myself!!

Ingredients:

Waffle cones/cups
Chocolate (milk, dark, white)
Toppings of choice

• Oreo crumbs
• Sprinkles
• Cookie crumbs
• Kettle corn
• Mini M&M's
• Crushed pretzels
• Shredded coconut
• Your favorite candy

Directions:

1. Melt the chocolate in a bowl that will be easy to dip your sized cones/cups in
2. Dip (or spread with spoon) the cone/cup in the chocolate on its rim
3. Once coated in chocolate, add desired topping(s). Place the finished cone or cup onto a sheet of parchment paper on a plate or cookie sheet that will fit in your fridge.






You can use such a variety of toppings - sprinkles, chocolate, walnuts, coconut, kettle corn, mini m&m's; the list is never ending! For my first go around at this amazing DIY I decided to keep it simple and go with some rainbow sprinkles! I also had bought peanut butter cup ice cream (I don't mess around!) so I figured having a simple cone cup was better (oh, the things I think about!).




These are super easy and quick to make and also will be a fan favorite at your next summer bash! I made them on Thursday for a party last night and they went over so well - everyone loved them!





Here's the finished product with my peanut butter cup ice cream! SUCH a to die for dessert and so perfect for summer! It also is a prettier way to serve ice cream and the best part is that you're left with no ice cream dishes to wash!




Has anyone tried these/have any other toppings you like for the rims?! If you make them, I'd love to know what you think! XOXO

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Welcome to Summer! {guest post}

Happy Wednesday!! Today I'm SO excited to have Jacquin from Interiors by Jacquin guest post on Daily Dose of Design! She put together such an awesome post for you guys today and I hope you love it as much as I do!!


Hi fantastic Daily Dose of Design readers! My name is Jacquin and I am the owner and editor of Interiors by Jacquin, an interior design, business and inspirational décor blog. Thanks for tuning in!
If you haven’t already noticed, the sun is shining, it’s hot outside, and summer is finally here! Woohoo! Celebrate summer with these great finds! My roundup of stylish home and fashion selections is the epitome of sunny summertime. You can’t go wrong with these bright and cheerful finds!


1. Giselle Column Vases - Plantation Design
2. Set of 3 Flower Cocottes with Tray - Le Creuset
3. Chevron Riviera Stools - Serena & Lily
4. Gridley Lime Pillow - Trina Turk
5. Caffe Woven Clutch in Turquoise - Revolve
6. Acne Ely Croco Olive Green Portfolio Clutch - Hampden
7. Vanna Crop Top & Skirt Set - Lilly Pulitzer
8. Graphic Printed Hamper - West Elm
9. Margot Popover Dress - Serena & Lily
10. Westport Lemon Yellow Standard Adirondack Chair - Bellacor
11. Les Touches Aqua Pillow - Arianna Belle
12. Personalized Lucite Tray - Zhush
13. Dixin Sandals - Dolce Vita
14. Pineapple Cilantro Glass Candle - Illume



Isn't this summer roundup so awesome?! I'm in LOVE with #11 and of course #7!! I'm also loving that Arianna Belle pillow - I never knew about this website so I'm super excited to explore (and spend a fortune...) on yet another home decor website! You can't go wrong with these gorgeous bright colors and patterns for summer!
Aside from her fabulous blog, you can find Jacquin on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest!
XOXO
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Red, white, blue and sparkly all over!

I have always loved the idea of creating designs to be worn at a wedding and now thanks to Weddington Way I was able to create a bridesmaid look that is patriotic and perfect for a 4th of July wedding! I'm not sure I would ever want to have my wedding on July 4th but it sure seems like an awesome idea! If I were to, I would definitely go ALL out and have so many fireworks (preferably overlooking the ocean) during the reception! The more I think about it the more I realize how much fun you could actually have planning a 4th of July wedding.
With Weddington Way's extremely large selection of bridesmaid dresses that all come in such a variety of colors, it's super easy to find the perfect dresses for your bridesmaids! I was surprised as I was scrolling through the website just how many dresses there are to pick from. Even comparing Weddington Way to stores such as Davids Bridal - Weddington Way definitely takes the cake (see what I did there? ;))

If I were to style a 4th of July wedding or even have my wedding on this fun, traditional holiday here's how I would style it:
Weddington Way dress// Tassel earrings// Essie "Style Cartel"// L'Oreal Fiber lash mascara// Kendra Scott bracelet// White Louboutins// Rebecca Minkoff clutch// Kendra Scott bracelet// Kendra Scott ring// MAC lipstick// Urban Decay eyeshadow: Moondust

I chose to style Weddington Way's Alfred Angelo chiffon bridesmaid dress in navy. With so many great dresses to style it was hard to choose just one, however this one shouldered cocktail length dress seemed perfect for a 4th of July wedding!
Choosing white Louboutin's was an absolute no brainer - white is my favorite color with navy and the classic red bottoms for a patriotic wedding makes them the perfect shoe!
As you've probably noticed before I have a serious obsession with tassels this season!! That's why these Oscar de la Renta tassel earrings in red are perfect for this look! Since the top of the dress already has a lot going on, instead of a necklace, statement earrings will look gorgeous!
For the bridesmaids' bouquet, I chose tie-dyed roses that are red white and blue! They're so gorgeous in person and my high school graduation is what made me realize this! My high school colors were red and blue and these were all over the gym where I graduated!

I had so much fun creating this look for a patriotic wedding! Thanks to Weddington Way for inspiring this post!!
Do you know anyone who had/is having a 4th of July wedding?
XOXO

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