A Simple DIY Dog Toy Tutorial + an Update on Beneful! #FriendsofBeneful

Thanks to Beneful for choosing my pups and I to be part of the #FriendsofBeneful ambassador program, regardless all opinions expressed below are my own.

I've already shared the fact that my dogs and I are pretty big fans of Beneful and we were overjoyed to recently share the news about the Dream Dog Parks that are in the works this year, but today's news may take the cake. While Beneful was already an incredible food, in my dog's eyes and my own (for obviously different reasons), I'm excited to share that it's gotten even better recently!

The Beneful team has been working to evolve their food into the perfect food from a dog owner's perspective for the past two years and it's official, they've mastered their craft and my dogs love the new recipe.

With meat as the #1 ingredient in both the beef and chicken dry Beneful foods and Salmon hopefully joining the extra meaty-train soon, it's obvious why my dogs are totally gaga over the new formula... and why I'm a happy dog owner knowing I'm feeding my pups something they love and something that provides nourishment for their little canine bodies. Not only did they adjust their formula to include more meaty goodness, there's no added sugar in any of the recipes so your dog can eat without a worry.

The best part of the news I'm sharing with you today is this: Beneful is so proud of their new formula, they are offering you the chance to sign up for a free sample for your canine friend! Once the new formula of Beneful has received two "paws" up approval from your doggy, be sure to share a review on Beneful's website letting the world know how much your furry friend enjoys the new food.

While the change in Beneful is a good thing, I suppose I should note that you can't just switch your fuzzy friend's food first thing. You'll want to transition your dog to the new food, to ease their tummies smoothly. Want to master the art of changing your dog's food? Check out other helpful feeding tips and tricks from Beneful here.

Speaking of change, my dogs are going through quite a bit of change lately... we're moving furniture around and getting things ready for our daughter's arrival next month and so far, they've been so very good about all of the new-ness and adapting perfectly. While they've been adapting well thus far, I've been trying to think of fun ways to reward them and remind them we love them since a BIG change is coming soon, which led me to make them a new toy this weekend. I figured we could buy a load of toys, but making one out of stuff that already has our scent, would be a more significant reward.

I'm super excited to say that their new toy is easy enough for anyone to make and the best part is you most likely you have the materials laying around your house to put it together right now, if you want!

For this project you will need:

a water bottle

an old shirt or dress
an old pair of pants
scissors

To get this project started you'll want to remove the label from the water bottle and the cap as well. 

Next you'll want to trim the bottom hem of the dress or shirt off, this will be your ties for the ends of the toy.

Following this step, you'll want to use the water bottle and measure enough fabric on the pant leg to cover the entire bottle and tie the ends, then cut the pant leg as needed.

After your fabric is "measured", cut one slit into each end of the pant fabric and tie the bottle inside with a double knot on each end. Cut the dress or shirt hem into pieces and tie them around each double knot of the bottle.

Since my pant legs were choppily cut anyways, I went ahead and added a few extra slits to the pant fabric to make for some frayed ends, if you would like you can do the same to add some texture and make it easier for your pup to grab.

Now's the fun part for you and your pup, hand this cute little tied fabric toy over to your fuzzy best friend and let them enjoy!

It's that easy to give your dog something they'll adore... and it's all made with stuff that would likely end up in the trash or recycling anyways! The best part of this toy is the fact it smells like me somewhat... so while we're at the hospital next month this will be a great way to remind them of me. If I don't say so myself, this is a great toy for a dog going through a transition... and I think my poodle friend agrees!

So tell me, have you changed anything major in your dog's life before? Thinking it's time for a change? Don't forget to snag a free Beneful sample here, then let me know all about your doggy's life changes in the comments below.

Summertime Starbucks: DIY Thank You Card Upcycled K Cup Project + Coffee, Chai Tea, or Iced Tea?

Thanks to Starbucks for sending over these awesome K-cups and other beautiful items to include in my post today and a big thanks for offering a great affiliate program that I've linked below, regardless all opinions expressed below are my own.

Summer & Starbucks go together hand-in-hand, in my mind... Well Starbucks goes with every season and that's why I'm such a big fan. With so many amazing flavors and such a versatile line up of coffees and teas, I'm a bit of a Starbucks junkie... so I'm having to limit my intake while carrying Delainey and I can't wait to get back into my multi-cup routine soon.

While I'm not drinking more than a cup a day currently, I was more than overjoyed to dish out some coffee, chai tea, and iced tea goodness at my latest little get-together with our buddies so we could sample all of the delicious flavors Starbucks sent me to try out this summer.

I sipped on a glass of the Tazo Chai Vanilla Caramel Latte while I made a cup of Creme Brulee flavored coffee for my hubs, my friends each wanted to try something new so I served up a glass of the Tazo Iced Peachy Black tea and another Tazo Chai Vanilla Caramel Latte for each of them... paired with some delicious vegan, oatmeal cookies! We were all so impressed with the "homemade" beverages, I think I've officially earned the title of "Barista" at this point... Lucky for me, making delicious Starbucks coffee and tea at home is as easy as pressing a button.

While making the coffee is super easy and enjoyable, the same could be said about having great friends. Our buddies blessed us with so much adorable stuff for Delainey recently, I had to make something for them in return. I couldn't think of a thing they needed so I decided making them a little thank you card with a personal touch was the best way to thank them, with a little gift card attached to the back - I'm sure they will be more than happy with their little surprise.

Do you want to tell some one "Thanks a latte" for something amazing they've done for you recently? It's as easy as making a k-cup to make this adorable little card!

For this project you'll need:

a Starbucks Keurig Coffee or Tea box
a used K-cup (rinsed and cleaned)
a hot glue gun with glue
3-4 cotton balls

scissors
a black marker or pen

First things first, to get this project started go ahead and plug in your glue gun and warm it up.

Now go ahead and cut out the Starbucks logo from the Keurig box, being sure to leave the outer side without perforation untouched.

Your next step is to hot glue the Starbucks logo to the side of the K-cup.

Following that, quickly use the top of the K-cup to measure and cut out a circle piece of cardboard from one of the side pieces of "scrap" of the Keurig box, be sure to cut it large enough to cover the entire top of the K-cup. Glue this piece to the top once it's trimmed to fit.

Next you'll want to let the glue on these pieces dry and write a cute thank you message on the untouched, un-perforated side of the box. I wrote "Thanks a latte" but you could go with something like "Words cannot espresso my thanks" or whatever punny coffee line you want!

Once your message is written, go ahead and unravel the cotton balls. The brand I bought comes apart fairly easily so they became long strands within seconds. You'll want to have enough to "swirl" on the top of your cup to mimic whipped cream. My suggestion is to start forming it before gluing to insure you get the look you want with minimal effort. Now use your glue gun and glue the cotton balls/whipped cream to the top of the cardboard covered K-cup opening.

Take a quick second and add a few dots of glue to the back of the K-cup/Starbucks mini-cup, pressing it onto the piece of cardboard that has the thank you message written.

Now hand one of these bad boys out to every Starbucks loving friend you need to thank and they may just be thanking you for the adorable card showing your gratitude!

Plus, don't miss your chance to save some money... Click here & save Up to 30% on New Summer Markdowns at Starbucks.com! 

A Florida Snowman: DIY Simple Snowman Mobile Project!

While I wasn't paid for this post, it does contain affiliate links.

So this may shock some of you, but after a little bit of a cold front here in Florida, I'm kind of missing the snow. While I love the beach and the warm weather most of the time, sometimes I just want a day of cold snowy weather and a cup of hot cocoa while watching my hubby build the most beautiful snowman... I guess that's the midwestern-er in me.

While I can't exactly make actual snow here in Florida, I can at least bring a little bit of the cold weather vibe to our house with a super fun snowman mobile project... and that's where today's super simple DIY project came into play. For this project you will need:

2 white pieces of cardstock (or printer paper)

Scissors
Markers in Orange & Black
A piece of string
Tape

Washi Tape (optional)

This little snowman is SO easy to build and the perfect indoor project if you are trying to avoid the cold... or reminiscing of cool weather memories, like I am. You'll begin by cutting out a large circle in the first piece of paper with your scissors.

Once you have your circle, start on an edge and slowly cut a spiral into the paper, leaving a fairly decent sized full circle in the middle (this will be your snowman's head).

Draw a carrot nose, eyes & a mouth made of "buttons" on the inner circle and set this part of the project aside.

Take the other piece of paper and draw a circle with a square in the middle and color the entire thing black. This will be your snowman's hat! I added a piece of gold washi tape I cut into a "scarf" with washi tape berries and a leaf I cut out as well... but this is totally optional.

Now tape the hat onto your snowman and attach a piece of string from the piece of tape. Your little guy is ready to hang out anywhere and bring a little bit of winter cheer to all that are near!

So tell me, what's your favorite part of the cold weather lately? Do you love the chill in the air or the chance to play hooky on snow days? I can't wait to hear all about it in the comments below!

DIY Kooky Owl Cups

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CVS4FantaFun#CollectiveBias

Halloween is nearly here so you better believe my home is covered in fun, festive fall decor. With plump little pumpkins gracing our TV stand and lovely little leaves decorating our front step, it's officially as close to autumn as Florida seems to get.

While I'm craving a bit of a bite in the air, I'm allowing myself to indulge in other fun parts of Fall lately; I've been spending time crafting, snacking on anything orange like pumpkin flavored treats, Fanta Orange Soda, and gummy candy corn, while I'm also spending lots of time blogging...

Lucky for you, that means I'm sharing a tutorial today and what we're crafting up makes sipping down a large glass of Fanta Orange Soda a hoot of a time!

These little owls are an awesome way to add some fall decor to your table setting and since they are hand-crafted, you can personalize each mug for each guest attending your dinner! What's even better, these mugs are top-rack dishwasher safe and so completely perfect to give as a gift when hosting a holiday party! Personalized painted owls for each guest, made with multi-surface paints are the perfect way to treat each guest to something truly unique when you have friends over, fill these cuties up with some Fanta and you're definitely in for a good time!

Want to make a set of these adorable little owl mugs for yourself?

You'll need:
4 glass mugs
Multi-surface paint
Paint brushes
Fanta Orange Soda

Personalizing these mugs is an easy experience, just keep things basic. Make the front circle on your owl buddies into a heart shape, add eye balls in the shape of circles, add beaks in the shape of diamonds, wings in the shape of an uppercase U. Add a layer of paint to the bottom of each mug for fun...

As you can see in my step-by-step photos below, it's best to keep things as simple as possible!

You can even add some tail feathers for your friends that love shaking their tail feathers at holiday get togethers! Whether you customize the owls for friends or make a set to keep for yourself, these cute little buddies are the perfect way to add some fun fall items to any kitchen! You could even get a little wild and host a painting party with friends and you each could customize your own mug, the possibilities are endless and the owls that will be created will be fabulous!

Once your owls are finished being personalized, you'll want to place them in an oven at 350 degrees and allow the paint to fully set (about 30 minutes) and then turn off the oven and allow the cups to cool, or follow the instructions on your paint tube to be sure the paint sets correctly!

Once the cups are cool to the touch, you are cool to serve up some Fanta Orange Soda! Add some colorful straws and napkins and you've got a party on your hands!

Now that I've shared how I crafted up one of my favorite DIY projects ever, I'd love to hear what kind of fall fun you are planning this year...? Will you be attending any parties or hosting any shindigs? Don't forget to add Fanta Orange Soda to the fun - you can grab a bottle at CVS for a great deal, everyday!

For all Your Thirsty Lil’ Monsters, save on Fanta 2 Liter Bottles - Get 4/$5 at your local CVS!