Ivory Homes cupcake contest for Autism

Ivory Homes is the #1 Home builder in Utah. They are having a great celebration at their Model Home 5761 S. Erekson Ln. (730 E) Murray, Utah

You can win 2 KitchenAid mixers with their Instagram contest. Today March 9th.

We had a great Blogger event and cupcake contest for raising money for our favorite charity with Ivory Homes.

The living room and fire place is just stunning in their model home

Love this chest and pictures on the wall. Gorgeous! We had accessories for taking pictures of our cupcakes  

This beautiful flower and moss box and the coffee table

French topiary, gorgeous settee in the living room

The master bedroom bed

And side table

The master bathroom with marble tiles. I love the subway tiles!

In the kitchen again with the marble subway tiles. I would like this stove please! Professional range

Gorgeous kitchen with marble counter tops with Aprons from 4 retro sisters. Don't you love it?!

Our  Utah blogger group in the Ivory Homes model Home. Hosted by Entirely eventful.

4 retro sisters gave us Aprons,

One sweet slice gave us a class on how to frost cupcakes. They are the winner of Cupcake wars!

 Katie Bitter and  Queen B and me taught us about taking pictures on your phone and making them pretty on Instagram

We got to experiment with Rhonna Designs Fonts also.

This is a contest and the winner will get $150 Gift card to Crate and Barrel and money for their favorite charity. I made a cupcake that represent Autism. The blue puzzle piece is their symbol.

My charity is Autism Council of Utah

100 % non profit for Autism in Utah

You can help by repinning my cupcake on Pinterest here:

Cupcake for Autism *CLOSED*

And also by liking my cupcake on Instagram here:

Help raise money for Autism *CLOSED*

1 repin = $1

 1 like = $1

Thank you so much for helping and thanks to Ivory Homes for the opportunity.

My Title boxing club in Utah experience

This new boxing club just opened: it's Title boxing club in Cottonwood Heights, Utah

This is the first boxing club in Utah. 

I always wanted to try boxing. It is a little intimidating I have to say but I have decided to try new things this year on and get my body back after baby. 

It really kicked my butt. I am so out of shape and this was neat. I have never had a work out so fun where I really gave my best and saw the results right away. My biceps were swollen and legs too. I was so impressed. Boxing is a full body work out and my back, legs, abs were sore the next day. I had no pain the next day even though my knees and neck are sensitive.

Only my muscles were sore.

The music was perfect for the work out and the ambiance was motivating.

Few things you may wondering:

Do I have to fight people?

No you don't. it is a class so there is no ring. Just lots of punching bags and people having fun.

Is it hard? I am out of shape.

You go at your own pace, the moves and exercises are simple. You will get stronger each time and do more and better. 

Will I hurt my knuckles?

No, I punched pretty hard the whole time and my hands were intact. You wear a "bandage" like in my picture above in pink and then the boxing gloves on top.

How many calories can you burn?

Between 100 to 1000.

You can check their Website:

http://titleboxingutah.com/

Their Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/TitleBoxingUtah. Like them to see the fun events, info and tips they post. 

They are on Twitter too: @TitleBoxingUT Their Hash tag is #HitItHard for all the Title boxing clubs in the country. 

Discovering a fabulous artist : Tobi

I discovered Tobi's blog "The pink Pixie forest" a few years ago at Christmas time and I was entirely seduced by the beauty and magic of her creations. Beautiful crafted trees. I had never seen such thing before! A cascade of ornaments blending together in an amazing art. Tobi was also warm and friendly and we connected right away.
Sometimes you meet someone and they stay in your mind and you completely remember them even after years. She is an artist to remember and she has so much potential and talent!

 Tobi is a Dreamer, artist,Wife, Mother, ...Lover of nature, all the little things, fairies, pixies and elves. She says she has Pixie DNA (probably some Fairy and Elf as well) when she began mindlessly gluing her vintage rhinestone Jewelry on to bottle brush trees one day.


I asked her to tell me a little about her and she told me her goals.


Tobi's Goals:
1.To teach online classes on how to make my sparkly stuff like cupcakes and bottle brush trees!  I was already accepted to be a teacher at "Roses On My Table" online art school,and I am currently working on my video class on Bottle brush trees.

I would love to be a guest teacher at several Online art schools as well.

2.  Put together my ning site (I have one already called sparklinglessons.com but I really don't know how to make it nice like  Jane davenport.

3.Get published in Somerset or some other popular craft magazine.

4.  Have my trees sell for really high prices on ebay!

Basically, be as successful with my art teaching as I was as  a celebrity Makeup Artist and Educator!

I still do fun makeup shoots and  weddings and write curriculum for beauty schools, but I really LOVE the arty thing- shabby, chippy paint, sparkly stuff and anything FRENCH!!! lol
I would love to have a thriving business from my computer so I can live up on top of a mountain and only come down when I travel to do workshops!

There is my makeup artist bio on www.themakeupshop.com

"Life happens, Sparkle Anyway!"
www.pinkpixieforest.blogspot.com

www.simplybeautifulbrides.myarbonne.com

www.themakeupshop.com

www.sparklemining.blogspot.com

http://www.ebay.com/sch/tobibritt/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=25&_trksid=p3686

Blogger's night out My craft channel and Gardener's village

I got so busy that i forgot to tell you about the wonderful event we had with My Craft Channel and Gardener's village. 

We went trick or treat in all the stores at the village. We had a lot of fun and discovered some pretty amazing stores.

Any Shabby chic lovers?

What about a Spa day?

Wonderful fabrics

A place to have parties

Yarn and classes on how to crochet and knit

Adorable clothes

We ended the day with a Chocolate fondue.

Check the video!

Have you been to My Craft Channel? It is a fun place.

Blog your heart

Joining Stephanie Howell for Blog your heart.

1. I am so exited about this election. I am French but was Naturalized American last year. I am voting for Romey.
2. I love being a Mom, today Soleil was so happy and we were playing the hulk mean pose back and forth. She is growing so fast. She wants to walk and won't bother crawling. 
3. Having this 4th baby is a sacrifice but i would rather have her and my family than being a big Fashion icon or superstar.
4. A lot of times, i feel like a looser. I am late, forget appointments, my kids drive me nuts but i am not perfect and no one is. 
5. I love Halloween, i love it, i love it!
6. Mimi and i made a French pie tonight. She made a small pie with the scrap dough just like i used to do when i was a child. I taught her how to cut and peel apples.
7. I hate renting, i don't like the feeling of being in limbo. I complain less and less about this house but really i would be happy if it was mine. All i ever wanted was to have a humble house.
8. I love my friends.
9. It's very hard to have my family in France. I miss my Mom

"What inspires you" Friday link up

This is what inspires me this week...
Are you ready to see my post for Le mysterieux Carnival on October 6? You should! Join the party here

Can you make it? Operation Undies, Charity clothing drive in Daybreak. Saturday 29 . 10 am to 2 pm.

If you see me say hi!

Please be a doll and link back to Le chateau des Fleurs so more people can enjoy this party. Thanks!

Guest blogger : Quilted Euphoria

Hello all you Le Chateau Des Fleurs readers! My name is Amber and I am so beyond thrilled to be hijacking Frenchy's blog for the day. She's posting over at my place today so come check it out!

I'm the evil genius behind the Quilted Euphoria blog. Don't let the name fool ya, I've got much more on my blog than just quilts! I like to confuse my readers with a touch of everything. Quilting, crafts, recipes, random thoughts, pictures, funnies...just about everything.

Today I decided to cannibalize a tutorial that I wrote last fall season and share it with you guys today. It's a really tasty recipe for some fall themed cookies that I know you're going to love.

Carmel Apple Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla (trust me!)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups flour
• 3 cups oats
• 1 cup Kraft Carmel baking bits
• 1 1/2 cups apple (chopped, grated, etc)

The Process...

Chop, grate, etc your apples to be ready to add to the dough later. Set aside.

Combine butter, sugars, egg in bowl and mix until light and fluffy.

Add in vanilla, baking powder, soda, salt and combine.

Add in the apples, oats, and caramel pieces and mix completely.

Add flour, combine.

Put in fridge for 30 minutes to firm up the dough.

Preheat oven to 350.

Scoop out dough by spoonfuls and drop onto greased cookie sheet.

Bake 12-15 minutes until done.

See then I made some caramel drizzle to go over the tops. I just melted the rest of my caramels in the microwave and spooned it out and viola! Chewy, declicious carmel cookies! I may or may not have eaten a few of them for dinner...and there may or may not be any left for hubby...although I did freeze about half as this makes about four dozen cookies. These freeze beautifully as well, so if you can't eat them all, freeze some for later.

Thanks so much Frenchy for swapping with me today! I hope you guys come say hello, because I love making new blogging friends! :-)

Monochromatic white fashion this Fall 2012

I'm Rue. I'm not cool enough to be French {although my skirt is! Merci, Paris flea markets!} but Frenchy let me partner up with her anyhow to do a little style post once a month. I adore all things French, fashion, and Frenchy's charming blog. Seriously, I die for her parties. Can I please be that fabulous one day? To learn more about me, find me at Rue Ceri.

Now, let's jump right in, shall we? One of my favorite trends this summer is monochromatic white {as evidenced here, here, and up top.} White is so clean and classy, and I can't get enough of it, so I was thrilled when all the fashion shows this year clearly said that white is finally taking a stand and defying the "no white after Labor Day" rule.  White in mixed textures and hues was all over the runway. So today, I'm going to show you how I autumnize three of my favorite white summer staples, à la monochromatic:

1. The White Pleated Skirt- Thrifted Vintage, similar here

I was super thrilled to find this skirt at a thrift shop this summer, and I loved pairing it with a simple white tee and belt to add a bit of hue variation. Pink lips added some edge.

 Tee: J Crew clearance / Belt: Ruche / Shoes: Asos clearance / Bag: Kenneth Cole Reaction via Ross ($20!)

For cooler weather, I exchanged the tee for a long-sleeve blouse, the sandals for boots, and threw on a scarf.  Instead of pink lips, this time I opted for dark cherry. Dark lips are pairing with white outfits to make a chic statement this fall. Check out #9 on this slideshow.

Silk Blouse: Thrifted / Boots: Fossil via Ross ($25 steal!) / Scarf: France / Necklace: J Crew final sale

2. The White Pants- LC Lauren Conrad at Kohls on clearance, similar here

For warmer weather, I rolled up the legs of these pants and threw on a gauzy blouse for an easy, breezy look. The orangey-red lips that J. Crew made so popular this past spring/summer and a mixed metals necklace polished off the outfit with some color and interest.

Blouse: F21 / Shoes: Express clearance / Bag: Kenneth Cole Reaction via Ross

To make this outfit ready to go for fall weather, I simply threw on my boots and a blazer I scored at a consignment shop at the end of last winter for just a few dollars and have been dying to wear.

Blazer: Consigned Michael Kors / Boots: Fossil via Ross / Bag: Kenneth Cole Reaction via Ross

3. The White Dress- Threadcase, similar here and here

Lace is huge this year, so to let this dress stand out, I kept with neutral lips and sandals, and a light chambray jacket for mountain breezes.

 Jacket: Old Navy clearance (old) / Sandals: Asos clearance 

To make the dress more suitable for fall, I added a cozy sweater and closed-toe shoes. I love the mix of textures with the heavy knit, lace, and leather in this outfit.

Sweater: American Eagle Clearance ($8 steal!) / Shoes: Express clearance

So, what do you think? Do you plan on daring to wear your whites after Labor Day? Let us know in the comments!

P.S. Even the Parisians, known for their love affair with black, have embraced monochromatic white. Check out this street-style shot of a perfectly Frenchy/50s take on the trend. My life suddenly seems so incomplete without a lace headscarf.

Contributors wanted!

I am looking for contributors for Le chateau des fleurs in these topics:

Paper crafts
Crafts
Crafts for kids
Fashion
Makeup
Home decor
Photography tips
Photography/inspiration
Photographer in Paris
Parties
Graphic designs/free downloads
Parenting/family
Food/recipe
Traveling
Book review
Sewing/fabric


What is in for you.
Traffic from my blog, being published.  web search entry of your post.
Your picture, biography and link to your blog or website on your post.


What i need.
Examples of your work, links.
One post never shared anywhere else once a month.
Family friendly content.


Contact me at isafrenchy@gmail.com

Do you make money with a blog? Do i make money with my French blog?

I have few friends asking me if i make money with my blog. I have been blogging for 2 1/2 years now for up to 3 hours a day and you would think that it would feed my family.
The truth is...it doesn't. This could explain why so many blogs do not make it more than 1 year.
I make about $10 a month...Hahaha...Maybe i should get a night time job!
So how do i only get that little with 24 000 views a Month?
Well, people take bloggers for granted. Everybody wants free. Giveaways for free. Posts for free. They want to give you something for you to blog about them.  They want to give you traffic in exchange. It appear that i always give more traffic than i receive. It won't pay my bills, let me affirm it.

I blog to Journal my family life and my creations, recipes, crafts and home decor. I know my kids will love to go back to it someday. I also take it at a resume.
I can make pretty much everything, although i am not a good writer, i am a very good public speaker! I know, right, who would have thought.
I am hoping my blog will land me some day a pretty cool job like having my own Utah show like Martha Stewart...any offers?
Anyways, my blog keeps my mind and hands busy and make me happy.

I also made some great friendships. Priceless.

Spring into Fashion giveaways

We have a great Spring event planned for you! Our new Spring Fashion event is going to highlight great looks with clothes, shoes, and accessories!The sun is coming out and we are shedding the bulky jackets for cute new clothes! I love looking at all the new Spring clothes and shoes- and can't wait to see what giveaways you bring!

EVENT DETAILS 

When: Start April 25th and 12:01 am and ending April 30th at 11:59 pm. 

REQUIREMENTS

• Grab our retro button and keep it on your sidebar- Be sure to include it in your giveaway post (html code coming soon) 

• Sign up on the linky below to secure your spot! Include email address so I can email you info!

• Must have giveaway of at least $25 related to fashion (any type! Our is kids fashion)

• Must use Rafflecopter as your giveaway platform

• Include Home Grown Families in your post :) We will provide an event post if you'd like to use it. 

• Include the linky in your post so your readers can hop around! Include the hashtag #Springfashionevent in your tweets :)

I will be sharing updates on the event in my Facebook blog groupBloggin Social. I will be posting the linky in that group so PLEASE be sure to join it!

We would love if you would share about the event in some way- not mandatory but the more the merrier and the more TRAFFIC!! Giveaway events are a great way to bring in traffic- so jump in! 

Time out for woman and Mercy river

Time out for women just Featured THE NEVERS I NEVER KNEW I'D LOVE from Brooke Stone of Mercy river and my blog. Le chateau des fleurs is mentioned. 

I feel very blessed for the attention.

I would be very happy also if you would like the article here on Facebook.

I still have the Higher CD here to win. Don't miss it!

Hope your week is a good one :)

Cute outfit and a binky story

I received a precious package from my friend Mary at Hope Filled living magazine. Thank you so much! Soleil loves it although she is giving me the "what the heck are you doing" look.

Thank you to Lauren from Lauren's cup of tea for her review on my book: A true Binky story. You can view her review here

Getting Creative: Super Mario Cakes For the Perfect Birthday Party

Guest blogger :

Melissa from http://www.blogcontentguild.com wrote this great article for my readers.

What's the most important part of a good birthday party? Well that point could probably be argued for hours but most will agree that a good birthday can often separate a memorable birthday shindig from a forgettable birthday sham. When you're trying to think of how you want your child's cake to look, don't be afraid to think outside of the box. For themed parties, there are Super Mario cakes, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cakes and Dora the Explorer Cakes. For sports fans, you might want to consider baking a confection that commemorates your little athlete's favorite professional jersey. The possibilities are really endless. Here are a couple of my favorite ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

Combining toys and cakes might seem like an unappetizing proposition but there is a way to make it work. A lego cake is a creative and delicious option that your party animals will probably love. It's also a pretty easy recipe. First, freeze a few various sized poundcakes. Then place various sized marshmallows on top of the poundcakes to create the interlocking tops of the lego pieces. Coat the cakes and marshmallows in bright powdered sugar frosting and let sit for an hour. Voila! You've got a delicious alternative that your kids probably haven't seen at every other party they've been to this year.

Using fruit in your recipe is great for two reasons. Fresh, brightly colored fruit can add a lot of pizzaz to your child's cake and also provides a healthy alternative to just dumping candy all over your creation. One super fast healthier option is to use yellow cake mix to create the cake layers, fill the gap with vanilla pudding and use strawberry icing to coat the outside. Garnish the top of the cake with strawberries and vanilla wafers and you've got a cake your kids will go gaga over.

The key to creating the perfect cake is to think outside the box. Don't rush into the endeavor planning or making the same old yellow cake with chocolate icing. Put some thought into your creation and help make your child's birthday one they'll never forget.

 Thanks to Melissa from http://www.blogcontentguild.com for this Article.