SMORES Valentine Idea w/Free Printable

I wanted to make my own valentines this year to give to Bryce and Luke and Nora and so I've been brainstorming ideas and I want to share a few of them with you guys! I love this idea because it is simple to make, but still a yummy little treat mix and a sweet saying. I gave a little of the mix to my son Luke for a treat and he loved it.

Guest Post: Angela's Vintage End Table Makeover

We are honored to welcome Angela from Number Fifty-Three to the blog today. She has a knack for decorating with thrift finds, and she has a cat named Figaro who likes to keep her company while she does her DIY's. We highly recommend you check out her blog for more awesome furniture makeovers, crafts, and general awesomeness.
 

Hi everyone! I'm Angela from Number Fifty-Three.  I'm passionate about decorating on a budget and transforming dated thrift store purchases into something spectacular for my home.

I recently discovered Pretty Providence when I found their DIY Tissue Paper Tassel Garland and was just enamored with their fun and fantastic projects, meals and thrifty ideas.  So when Sarah contacted me to share an under $10 project with you all I jumped at the chance. 

Free Football Bingo Cards

In my family the Super Bowl is a big deal. I'm sure we're not alone, I think most Americans really look forward to Super Bowl Sunday! But the reality is that I neither like nor understand football. I look forward to it because I like all the junk food and getting together with my family and friends. I have this giant crossword puzzle book that I bring with me anytime the plan is to watch football on TV, so I can have something to do! True story. I decided to make this year's Super Bowl a little more interesting, for myself and others (read: you) who are equally not interested, with a friendly game of Bingo! This way I'll probably get a lot more into the game than usual, and my husband and I can bond over him teaching me what the heck these terms mean. I think it will be a great addition to any Super Bowl Party. There are 8 different cards, free to download! Just click the image below.

Check out these other football party related posts:
50+ Best Game Day Recipes
Football Oreo Truffles-You want to make these. Trust me!


This post may be linked up to one of these link parties.


-SARAH

50+ Of The Best Game Day Recipes!

I love sports. I am a super competitive person, so that might have something to do with it. I get competitive just cheering for a team from my living room. Growing up we would watch games together as a family and my mom would always have yummy food and treats to enhance the experience. Today, in honor of the upcoming Superbowl, I thought I would round up some of my favorite "game day" recipes for you, divided into sections. The trick will be picking which ones to make, they are all soooo yummy!


DRINKS

Our Week in Pins and Photographs

Please exercise pin etiquette: If you like an idea, click to the source and pin the original post!

This idea for a leisure book is so amazing. I love the idea of having a notebook you can add to all the time with different ideas of fun things to do when you have a little downtime. That movie you've been meaning to rent? You won't forget every time you're at the library anymore, only to think of it later when you can't do anything about it! Thanks Oh Happy Day!
 

Tell Us What You Think - Pretty Please!

Hi lovelies!

Jessica and I are always thinking about what we are going to post next, we have so many ideas and it can be very hard to choose. How do we know what you really want to see? So I thought I would make up this little survey, and ask you to please answer a few questions to help us know a little bit more about you, and what things you would like to see more of here at Pretty Providence! Then we all win, right? right?! It will only take, like, one minute. Thank you so so much for reading and taking time to answer our questions. We love our sweet readers!

if you do not see the survey above this text
 CLICK HERE TO TAKE SURVEY

Free Pizza at Papa John's!

Papa John's is gearing up for the Super Bowl by having a contest giving us all a 50% chance to win one FREE large one-topping pizza! All you do is vote on whether you think the super bowl coin toss will go heads or tails. I voted last year, I won a free pizza, and victory never tasted so good!

Just go to Papa John's website to cast your vote. If you are on the winning side, the free pizza code will appear in your e-mail inbox by February 4!

Also, if you are gearing up for game day, check out these cute and delicious football truffles!

Fun Valentines Idea for a Significant Other

Have you guys ever seen the movie Music and Lyrics? Husband and I love this movie. Oh so funny. Every time we watch it though (as well as many other times) it brings up this debate, which is more important... music or lyrics? I say lyrics. Husband says music. Obviously it is ideal to have both... Anyway I thought it would be fun this Valentines day to make Bryce a matching game using lyrics from love songs that have meaning to us and see if he could match the lyric to the song title. Then, of course, if he gets them all right he gets a special prize!

Bacon-Wrapped Potatoes with Dill Sauce

This is one of the recipes from my Dinner Party for 12 for Under $50 menu. These potatoes literally taste like heaven. There is no other way to describe them. Since the first time I tried them in December, I have made them at least once a week! They are truly that good and potatoes are one of the most inexpensive foods out there, so it's great for my wallet too.

Mini Meatloaves

My in-laws were here this weekend and let me tell you, it came as a sweet relief to this tired mother. My MIL is so helpful and not only did she babysit my crazy 18 month year old son non-stop, but she somehow found time to cook me some meals to lighten our load this week. She's an angel, am I right? One of the meals she made us was mini meatloaves and as we ate them and basked in their deliciousness, I realized I hadn't shared the recipe yet on the blog.

The great thing about meatloaf is that it is a budget friendly meal that can be easily dressed up. It is simple to make and requires ingredients that most people have on hand. It can be made in various forms and flavors, but everyone should have a standard meatloaf recipe. If you don't have one yet, here's a great one courtesy of my fabulous mother-in-law.

For the meatloaf:

Our Week in Pins and Photographs

Please exercise pin etiquette: If you like an idea, click to the source and pin the original post!

Today I am going to share two recipes I have been drooling over. The first is a dinner recipe: cheap Korean beef. I thought it was totally genius to use ground beef, because you get the rich Korean flavor without having to break the bank for nice cuts of meat. A budget savvy girls dream, I can't wait to try it! Thanks, Lizzy Writes!

Worth The Splurge!

I have seen a few articles in the past that talk about items that are worth the splurge, things it's better to spend a little more on that save money or just keep you happier in the long run. Dave Ramsey's website has a list of seven items they think are worth the splurge. After reading it I decided to make my own.

Semi Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

I love meals that are semi-homemade. You get the freshness and high quality of a delicious home cooked meal, with just a little more effort than it takes to pull something out of the freezer. Pot pie is a classic American comfort food and it seems like it should be super time consuming to make, but this recipe eliminates a few of the more tedious steps (like making your own pie crusts and chopping and cooking veggies) and not only is it easy, it is oh so delicious!

Here's the recipe that will rock your world:

Free 2-Day Shipping for 6 Months With Amazon Student

Around here we love Amazon. I always buy from them if I'm shopping online. They have everything, and their Amazon Prime free 2-day shipping is impossible to beat. It costs $79/year for the average person (well worth it if you shop there often) but they also offer it for FREE to students for 6 months and it's called Amazon Student. Then after your free 6 months you can get another year of it for half price. Sign up now if you're a student and begin reaping the benefits!

Free Printable 72-Hour Kit Checklist

So guys, remember when Jessica posted this awesome Make your own 72-Hour Kit Tutorial? So I decided it was time to finally make mine up, and I want 3 of them, one for each car and one big one for the house. Since I will be doing all three of mine over time, I thought I should type up the list of items I would need and keep it on the fridge, that way I could check off things as I add them and be reminded to keep working on them each time I see it. Then I thought I should share it, cause I like you guys! So here it is in all its glory. I hope it helps you to get the ball rolling on your own kits. Click here to download and print.

This post may be linked up to one of these link parties.

New "Pop" Gift Basket

I feel so blessed to have Bryce by my side every day. He is not perfect, but he is my perfect match. He has been amazing throughout my entire pregnancy, and I knew I wanted to get a little something for him for when baby came to express my gratitude.  

Being a new mom is not the only thing that is completely draining and exhausting. Being a new dad (especially if you are a good one) is equally difficult in its own right. I wanted this gift basket to be fun and get used, but most importantly I wanted to show him how much I appreciate his commitment to our little family. He may not have carried the baby, but he did put up with me the whole time I was...no easy feat I can assure you.

I decided to go with the "pop" theme because I had never seen it done before, and coincidentally Bryce loves a lot of things that have "pop" in them! Here is a list of what's in my gift basket, since you can't see it all in the main picture:

Our Week in Pins and Photographs

Please exercise pin etiquette: If you like an idea, click to the source and pin the original post!

Like any respectable crafter, I love spray paint! Unfortunately, through some failed projects I have learned that spray painting things well is not as easy as it originally appears. I loved this post that gives easy to follow tips on how to spray paint like a pro. Thanks, Fancy Little Things!

Free Printable 2013 Calendar!

Every year in January I go looking for a free printable calendar. I always just want something simple, monthly, with no extra writing anywhere - just something I can write my own things into. Those are for some reason difficult to find! So I decided to make my own this year and share it with all of you. I hope you like it! Go ahead and download it right here, and share with your friends!

Easy Beef and Gravy Over Noodles

When you're used to living on a budget you are also used to shopping what's on sale. Typically, this means we don't eat a lot of steaks :). I try to mix it up a bit for the husband though, so we don't eat chicken every single night. There are a few cuts of meat that you can usually get for decently cheap. One of these is "stew meat" or beef cut up into small chunks.

Using a crock-pot is the absolute best way to tenderize cheap cuts of meat. I whipped up this recipe one night when I needed a quick dinner and now it's one of our staples. 

Here's what you need: 

MORE FREE MUSIC: $2 AMAZON MP3 CREDIT

Get your free MP3 credit here!

(this $5 credit is still available as well!)

Cute & Cheap Rugs Roundup!

Updated 1/8/2013: Since this post is still one of our most viewed every day, I thought I should update it since most of the rugs I shared on it a few months ago are either sold out or no longer on sale. Here is a brand new batch of bold, beautiful and affordable rugs! And if you're new around here... welcome!

diamond - arrowhead - herringbone - giant dot - chevron - bazaar - diamond medallion - color tribal - triangles

We all know that a rug will completely make or break a room. It is hard to find a rug you can afford when you're decorating on a budget. They are usually really expensive but there are some places that offer quite affordable rugs! You just have to know where to look! It's especially exciting when you can score one on sale. So, all of these are quite affordable by my standards (and I am cheap, you guys.) Most of these are from Urban Outfitters, one of my favorite places to stare at rugs. I hope you guys enjoy them as much as I do!

Never miss a post! We share tons of cute & cheap home decor here at Pretty Providence, so follow us  on GFC (right sidebar) or Feedburner, Twitter, FB, Bloglovin', G+, etc. and save $ while you make your house cute!

If you liked this post here are some other home decor and style posts you should start with:
10 Easy + Cute Skirt Tutorials
15 Beautiful Ottoman DIY Ideas
Designer Looking Couches DIY
How to Decorate on a Tiny Budget 
DIY Beadboard Backed Bookshelf

This post may be linked up to one of these lovely parties, check them out!

Advice For New Dads

One day when I was pregnant Bryce asked me what he could do to make me less stressed. I told him he could write a guest post for me so that I wouldn't have to be stressed out about blogging when the baby came. He openly scoffed. "What would I blog about?" I gave him some ideas, one of them being "talk about something you wished you knew before becoming a dad." He totally blew me off. From time to time I would tease him and say, "when is my blog post coming?" to which he would respond, "never." Then one fateful day I received this post in my inbox. 

So, I would like to officially introduce my husband Bryce, the man I love and reference all the time. I'm stoked for you all to finally cyber-meet him. 

Once upon a time my sweet wife got this idea in her head that I should write a post with advice on becoming a new father, unfortunately for her, not only am I a mediocre-at-best father of one (soon to be two) child who has no business giving advice to anyone, but I hate giving advice altogether.  I mean, that’s not entirely true; I will happily opine on things like pie flavors and cable companies, but when it comes to anything even remotely meaningful, I’m of the opinion that life is best experienced by your own design and a whole lot of trial and error.   It’s been about 18 months since our boy was born, and in the combined 8 or so hours of his life that he’s been entrusted solely to my care, I somehow managed to keep him alive and happy, which leads me to conclude that as long as you love your kid and have any desire to be a good parent, it’s probably hard to screw up too bad.  That being said, I did ponder the assigned topic for weeks on end and have come up with one, and only one, piece of advice, and perhaps an additional “observation” from the life of a new father. 

Our Week In Pins and Photographs

Please exercise pin etiquette: If you like an idea, click to the source and pin the original post!

Sometimes Pinterest is fickle... I will see a pin, re-pin it without clicking onto the post right then, and later when I try to I realize it doesn't go to the source. Or in the case of both of my pins today, the source has all but disappeared completely! (This can be avoided...) Still they are good ideas, so here they are. Maybe I will just have to do new tutorials for them!

First up, love the simplicity of these cork board dots in a pretty color scheme on the wall. I would think that all you have to do is spray paint the ones you want to be colored. Or maybe that's fabric?

DIY Photo Booth Background

Making a backdrop for party photos or for a table is super fun and will make the atmosphere at your gathering just that much more festive! Here is how to make this pretty backdrop for your next party.

Free $2 Amazon MP3 Credit!

Go here to grab your free credit! Want more freebies? This free $5 Amazon music credit is still available as well, and read this post to learn how to earn free gift cards just by using a search engine!

If you got both of these freebies right now, that's $7 free bucks toward music! Anyone else been dying to get the Les Misérables Soundtrack? Yes, me too.

How To Throw a Dinner Party for 12 - Under $50!

Yesterday I had the opportunity to throw my first real dinner party. There were going to be 12 people attending and I knew I wanted to make it a fancy one and have a really good meal. I decided to make my food budget $50 and I spent absolutely nothing on decor, and instead borrowed some things from my sweet and generous mother-in-law and relied on my party supply stockpile as well. I will kind of explain right now what I did for the menu and in the next week or two I will share the actual recipes I used.

Our Top 10 Posts of 2012

I cannot believe how fast this year has flown by! I swear each year goes by faster then the last. Since we started this little blog in March we have gained so many loyal followers and friends. I thought it might be fun to do a recap of your favorite posts of 2012. Thank you for your constant support, this blog wouldn't be successful without you. So, without further ado, these are our top ten posts (according to pageviews) for 2012. If they are new to you, we hope you enjoy them! 

Deal Spotting: Organization Helpers!

I am sure I'm not the only one who wants to get organized in the next few weeks! Every year in January and then in June my husband and I clean out the house and re-organize things. It's a good thing we do, because somehow in the six months following everything gets super out of sorts again. I have been eying this under shelf rack for over a year now, and the price has gone down on it recently. I think it's time for me to take the plunge! This would be so helpful for almost any of my cabinets!

I also feel like this rack would simplify my life ten-fold. My cookie sheets are taking up an entire giant drawer and I never want to put anything on top of them because I use them so often. If I had them in this rack in a different cabinet instead I could make such better use of my kitchen space! (You could also use this to keep binders full of important papers separated!)

Also... Happy New Year!

If you like this post you may also like:
Budget is Not a Four Letter Word
Deal Spotting: Clip-In Bangs
Deal Spotting: Cute iPhone Covers
To-Do List and Menu Printables