DIY Idea: build a mini caravan

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Happy Wednesday! We're halfway through the week and I have a lovely little DIY to share with you today! Here it is:

I love vintage and modern things and this is definitely one of them! I've always thought it would be fun to travel in a caravan like this one or set up shop like Kaelah. I have to admit it would be fun...

Look here to make your own little caravan

Today's Ramblings: Mail

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I love getting mail. Whether that be email, mail, or even a convo over at Etsy, every piece of mail makes my day better. I don't know why, but it does. Maybe it's the fact that someone took the time out of their day to say hello. Or maybe it's that got-to-have-it item you ordered from Etsy.  Anyway, I just love to get mail. 

What type of mail is your favorite?

French Macaron Monday

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French macarons are a bit of a controversial thing- you either love them, or you hate them. (Can you guess what side I'm on?) And although it's hard to make someone like something, it's always good to try something twice. After all, every place serves food a bit different than the next!

Basically I'm just saying that if you don't care for macarons, try them once more. And since it's hard to make bad chocolate macarons, try that flavor instead if you haven't already. 

Happy Monday!

Wishlist: Geometric necklace

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Geo-inspired jewelry always tends to be a favorite for me. It just looks so modern- which is always a good thing I guess. So I decided to ask you this:

What type of jewelry are you drawn to?

Leave some links of what you like- who knows, maybe you'll be able to win some next month! ;)

Announcement: Shop re-opening!

The Modern Buttercup shop is once again up and running! I now sell some graphic design items such as Etsy shop sets, banners, blog buttons (for only $5) and much more! I'm excited about this new venture and can't wait to get my first orders! If you'd like to get a custom order please contact me or leave a comment below. I'd love to work with you!

Meet the Blogger: Mervi from My Best Friend Jules

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of having a Q&A with fellow blogger, miss Mervi from My Best Friend Jules...

1. What inspired you to blog?

Already a while back I really wanted to get into blogging and I started a photography blog, but somehow I just couldn't get the ball rolling and it dried out. I guess the time wasn't right for me. But the idea never died and in November 2010 I started a blog My Best Friend Jules. Now I'm hooked! It's amazing how fast things have evolved and how many beautiful people I've met through blogging. It has been a very empowering experience for me and helped me realize the things I want to be doing in my life. I've even found myself a freelance design job with the talented Freckled Nest Design ladies. Who would have guessed!

2. How did you come up with your blog name? 

My Best Friend Jules name comes from my love for jewelry. Jewelry is my best friend and it never lets me down ;)

3. 5 words that describe you best...

Pretty loving nerdy design geek

4. Describe your blog to us

My Best Friend Jules is my little corner of the world where I share my love of all things pretty. Take a peek and you'll soon find out that I have a slight addiction on jewelry and everything vintage. You'll also find posts related to my design work and daily musings.

5. What next for your blog? 

I would like to share more posts related to design and blog design work. My plan is to make typography a weekly feature and perhaps at some point start sharing some design tips for all you fellow bloggers.

You can also find Mervi on Twitter, Pinterest or at Freckled Nest Design!

Birthday Giveaway Winners

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I know you're probably wondering if you're one of the lucky five that have won one the lovely prize packages. Keep your fingers crossed to see if your one of those lucky winners!

The winner of the bird nest ring is...

Gentri!

The winner of any 8x10 print from maybesparrowsplace is...

Emily Meyers!

The winner of the camera print (winner's choice) is...

Jenny!

The winner of a bracelet and goodie bag is....

Jessica!

The winner of any 10 notecards is...

Selma!

Congratulations to all the winners! This giveaway was pretty awesome, and I wish I could have won some of these items myself! If you won, please contact me so you can claim your prize.

Thanks again to all my giveaway sponsors!

** All giveaway winners chosen via Random Number Generator

Sponsor Modern Buttercup in March

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Would you like to be part of the Modern Buttercup blog for the month of March? Here's your chance!

You can sponsor for free and get a large ad space (200x100) -- all I ask is that that they're ad swaps. Or, if you'd like an extra large ad space (200x200), you can buy one for only $5! There's only 1 extra large ad space available each month, so please let me know if you'd like that spot so I can set up a reserved listing for you over at Etsy. I'd love to have you! All sponsors get promotional tweets, the option to do a giveaway, or guest post.

If you'd like to reserve your ad space, please comment below or convo me on Etsy.


UPDATE: Due to more than one person requesting the XL spot, now there are 3 available XL spots per month! So if you'd like to buy a spot, please hurry-- they're going fast!

French Macaron Monday

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We're a little over halfway through February and already waiting for March. I know we're all feeling a bit sluggish today as it's a back-from-the-weekend/ I'm-still-half-asleep kind of day, but look on the bright side: we're 1/5 through our week! (not counting weekends)

And to celebrate, go out and buy yourself a nice cup of coffee with some macarons on the side and enjoy your day. After all, Friday's right around the corner.

Almost Spring

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Spring has almost sprung... okay not much. It's still cold here where I live-- cold, windy and a bit rainy. I miss the warm weather and sunshine and can't wait for Summer to come! Sorry for today's short post, but to make up for it, there's a pretty photo. I hope you don't mind!

Eat: Whoopie Pies

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Don't these little whoopie pies look delicious? At least, I think so. You could think of them as a "cousin" of my favorite dessert- french macarons. They're moist and sweet, sandwiched with that delectable frosting. (I'm drooling just thinking about it) I've seen a ton of variations on this little treat. Red Velvet with Cream Cheese. Vanilla with Chocolate Frosting. S'mores. And its all yummy! I have a whoopie pie maker of my own and have never used it (where is it anyway?) but have made them from scratch before and it's really good. Warm, soft and oh so gooey... Just thinking about it makes me hungry.

Some fun recipes for you to try:

Coconut Whoopie Pies

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Banana Whoopie Pies

Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

Or go crazy and make them unique!

Zucchini Whoopie Pies

Berry Cream Whoopie Pies

Gingerbread with Lemon Cream Whoopie Pies

Guest Post: Annabel from Fragmented Splendour

Hello! My name is Annabel and I blog over in my own little corner of the world Fragmented Splendour... This is actually my first ever guest post! so I'll apologise now If I'm a little awkward :)

I'll spill the beans about myself before I get to the actual good stuff ;) I'm currently in my first year of being a full time uni student, studying Fine Art I'll have you know... I'm 20, and a huge lover of animals, chocolate and shoes.

I have a little hobby that I love, and that's making jewellery for my shop! You can actually win some goodies from me in Nat's birthday giveaway this week! go go!

What I wanted to share with you today is a little bit of fashion lovin'! Specifically getting ready for warmer weather, I live in England and it's freezing cold right now and will probably be that way for another couple of months. But I just can't resist all of these new pieces making appearances, and I can't wait for warmer weather to bust out sandals and shorts!

I'm loving all of the pastels right now, and definitely wedges, oh yes wedges, I'm obsessed. I've got two outfits in the image that would be great come spring, Something a little dressy or if you're feeling particularly pretty that day, and another more casual look that still fits the bill for being oh so cool.

Outfit 1:

Dress - Topshop

Peachy Clutch - Topshop

Yellow wedges - Newlook

Outfit 2:

Satchel - Modcloth

Lilac print tee - Topshop

Mint Shorts - Newlook

Aqua Wedges - Newlook

I hope I've given you a little bit of fashion inspiration ;) & Thank you to Nat for letting me take over her blog!

Please come say hello any time over at my Blog//Shop//Twitter!

xo Annabel.

Link-up: Prints

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I don't know about you, but I love art prints. In fact, I have so many, I don't know where to put them! It's kind of a gotta-have-it kind of thing. And since this is a link-up, if you have any prints you love, or any prints in your shop, feel free to leave a link! I'd be excited to see them!

Happy Valentine's Day

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Valentine's Day. The day of love. Flowers. Chocolate.  It also happens to be the day when I make some cute little cards and hand them out to friends and family... and the joy on their faces as they read it makes me happy and continue making them every year. So spread some joy and make some little DIY Valentines this year:

Healthy-eating Valentines

DIY Printable Valentines

Lightbulb Valentines

Happy Valentine's Day!

French Macaron Monday

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Don't these french macarons look delish? I know they look yummy to me...  I'm guessing they're probably either lemon or mango. 

What do you think?

It's my Birthday! + a giveaway

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It's my birthday today! Today celebrates another year of life, another year of being me. 

And I couldn't do that without my awesome followers! So a few lovely shop owners have put together a little giveaway for you all...

Colleen from Amourx is giving away...

Ashley from maybesparrowsplace is giving away a...

Rachel from Candidate is giving away...

Annabel from Fragmented Splendour is giving away two items!

And Brandi from Sweet Harvey is giving away...

This giveaway will have 5 winners, 1 winner for each prize package!  Here's what you can do to win:

Mandatory Entry: Be a follower of Modern Buttercup (and leave me a comment saying you did!)

**1 entry**

Extra Entries:

1. Favorite each shop, and leave a comment saying which shop you favorited. **1 entry each**

2. Add each shop to your Etsy Circle **1 entry each**

3. Follow them on Twitter! **1 entry each**

4. Blog/tweet about this giveaway! **2 entries**

5. Subscribe to my newsletter! **5 entries**

- Please leave 1 comment for each entry! -

With one of your comments, please include some contact info; your email or Etsy Shop name is fine.

The giveaway will end next Monday, the 20th, and the winner will be announced soon after!

{If the winner does not claim their prize in 48 hours, another winner will be chosen}

Thanks again to my lovely sponsors who helped make this giveaway possible!

DIY Idea: Succulent Gardens

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I love little gardens and this is a great one for winter! Set it up in less than an hour and then place it on a table or office desk. I love these as I don't quite have a green thumb and they look just lovely! (Not to mention great last-minute gifts) Make one here.

Now Showing: Cellegratonia

                                                Cellegratonia from NEWWORDS on Vimeo.

Hello there! I figured I'd change things up a bit, and show you this little video I found cute. It's nautical and I'd give it a 5 star rating! The way it's made is a masterpiece in itself, and I hope you can take a seat and enjoy it...

{Daily Doings} Painting my nails

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I love painting my nails. Giving them new designs, trying new colors, etc. I find it very relaxing. Today I tried a new design- roses. While they were somewhat difficult and time-consuming, I loved the end result! Very dainty and colorful!

Anyway, you're probably not too interested hearing about me babbling on and on about my nails so I figured I make this more of a "linky" post, sharing some fun tutorials and nail inspiration.
But before we get to that, I wanted to ask you a question:


What's one nail idea you want to try?


{ I might just put that idea into a post! (with the finished nail design of course!) Feel free to share your ideas}

Links:
Paint your nails with rose designs like mine, using this tutorial.
Need nail inspiration? Look here.

French Macaron Monday

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Hello and welcome back to another happy Monday! I'm happy to have you all here, and hope you can stay a while to admire some of these yummy macarons. (Which by the way are spelled macarons, not macaroons. See why here)

Anyway, sorry for not posting yesterday! I was enjoying the day and couldn't find the time to post. But don't worry, I'll always post consistently and I'll let you know if I take any "blogging breaks"

Blog Posts I love...

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I thought it would be a fun idea to share some of my favorite blog posts at the beginning of the month...

DIY:

Make some Valentine's Day Fortune Cookies... out of felt!
Polymer Clay Kiwis
An easy how-to valentine holder

Fashion:
Chic outfits-- see this one!

Blogging:
5 things with Scenic Glory

Fun reads:
A funny little photo story...
10 things making me smile

Share some blog love, and make sure to visit some of these lovely bloggers!

DIY Idea: Cross Stitch Mug

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I love mugs and this is a great way to "revamp" a plain one! All you'll need is a porcelain pen and a plain white mug... 

Look here for DIY

Winter Beach

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I loved this aqua, wintery photo collection and it fit today's mood pretty well. (Today's mood be calm)

The title of this post also fit it pretty well also-- Winter Beach*.

*Fun fact: It's also a perfume name!

It's February!

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It's another great month over here at Modern Buttercup and I'm so glad you can come enjoy it with me! We'll have some new features this month, a Q&A with a lovely blogger, and yes- my birthday giveaway! It's going to be an awesome month with equally awesome sponsors and I can't do it without you... So join in on the fun this month!