A Bouquet of Talent Linky Party #51

Welcome to the party!  I am so thrilled to have you join us this week!    I want to wish all of my American friends a very happy three day weekend.  I am looking so forward to having a few days off.  I have spent the day cleaning my very neglected house, after trying to get back into my school routine.  It's amazing how being off for two months can really throw you off schedule.  
Thank you so much for sharing with us this week!  I can't wait to see what you've been up to this week. 

I love featuring you at the  Pick of the Bunch Fabulous Features each week.    If you missed those features you can see it here.  I also decided to stick with the top 5 most viewed posts, because I love to show off your talent.  You make it so difficult to choose from each week.  :)
 
Top 5  Most Viewed Links last week:

Penny's Vintage Home had the most viewed post with her gorgeous Desert Rose!  I love it! 

Pick of the Bunch Featuring You #50

It's time once again to feature your fabulous and amazing talent!  So sorry I am late posting today.  I am going to keep this short and sweet so that I can get tonight's  party rolling here very soon!  

I am still making my visiting rounds!  This has been one busy week.  If I haven't made it to your blog for a visit, yet, I will be there soon.  :)


You can check out all of the awesome posts from last week's Bouquet of Talent here!   There is still so much to see.   As always,  I wish I could feature everyone. I will also post our top 5 most viewed links at the party coming up very soon!

If you were featured, you can grab a feature button at the bottom of the post.  

Beautiful Features:



Living Chic on the Cheap shared these beautiful tinted mason jars.  Love those colors.  

Bloglovin' Pinterest & Hometalk Blog Hop #25

Welcome to bloglovin' and blog hopping Thursday once again!  We are so happy to be joining together to bring you the  bloglovin' Blog Hop to help grow our blogs.   It's always a great idea to have many ways for friends to follow your blog. 
Each week we rotate one other social media to follow.  This week we are adding your blog and Pinterest along with bloglovin'!   As a bonus this week we are leaving the Hometalk link up!   Friends can hop on over to visit your blog.   
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us last week.  We hope you made some new friends! 

Bouquet of Talent Link Party with Top View Features #50

Welcome to another Bouquet of Talent this week!  I can't believe that I am two parties away from hosting for a whole year.  Thank you so much for joining each week.  As always, you are what makes the party special, and why I love to host it!  I can't wait to see what you've been up to this week.  

I am starting to get that fall fever even though our temperatures have climbed back near the 100 degree mark!  Almost time to pack up the summer decor and pull out one of my favorite seasons to decorate.   


I love featuring you at the  Pick of the Bunch Fabulous Features each week.    If you missed those features you can see it here.  I also decided to stick with the top 5 most viewed posts, because I love to show off your talent.  You make it show difficult to choose from each week.  :)
 
Top 5  Most Viewed Links last week:

                                

I can see why this pallet swing from Twelve Oaks Manor  was the top view this week!  How awesome is this?  I love it.  Check out the great tutorial.  

                                                    

I am in love with this fabulous chippy old chair turned planter by Sweet Inspirations by JP designs!  It looks awesome on her porch, and the best part for her.....it was a freebie!! 

The Pick of the Bunch Fabulous Features #49

It's time for another Pick of the Bunch Fabulous Features!  I hope you are all having a wonderful Saturday.  I knew our cool weather wouldn't be around for long!  It is so hot here.  Thank you so much for joining us at the party last week.  I hope to see you at the party tonight.  

You can check out all of the awesome posts from last week's Bouquet of Talent here!   There is still so much to see.   As always,  I wish I could feature everyone. I will also post our top 5 most viewed links at the party!  


If you were featured, you can grab a feature button at the bottom of the post.  

Beautiful Features:



Createinspireme has left me in awe of this amazing dresser  makeover with a musical flair!  

Bloglovin & Twitter Blog Hop #24

Welcome to bloglovin' and blog hopping Thursday once again!  We are so happy to be joining together to bring you the  bloglovin' Blog Hop to help grow our blogs.   It's always a great idea to have many ways for friends to follow your blog. 
Each week we rotate one other social media to follow.  This week we are adding your blog and Twitter along with bloglovin'!   As a bonus this week we are leaving the Hometalk link up!   Friends can hop on over to visit your blog.   
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us last week.  We hope you made some new friends! 

Let's Party at A Bouquet of Talent Link Party & Top Views #49

Welcome to another party!  I can't believe I have been hosting A Bouquet of Talent for almost a year now.  It's amazing how fast time flies.  I have enjoyed every minute of it, too!  Thank you so much for joining in each week.  You are what makes it so much fun!

I am trying to hurry up and get this post finished, because my hubby is so patiently waiting on me.  It never fails, something always breaks down my first week of school.  It seems to be Murphy's Law for me that week.  Always!! 

This week my faithful Expedition and my washing machine decided to blow up on the same day!  :(   I so do not want to make a car payment every month even though my Expedition is a gas guzzler!  I don't drive it far to school each day so it's not that bad.  We got the sad news it needs a new engine, and we are not willing to pay that much for repairs.  So I am going to sadly say good-bye to the Expedition.  It has hauled many a kids to baseball and volleyball games for years now.  Time to downsize.

So we are off to car shop and buy a new washing machine!  Neither one of those things are at the top of my favorite to-do list.  On a happier note, the weather has been amazingly cool here for the past few days!  I just wish it would stick around!  


One of my favorite posts of the week is Pick of the Bunch Fabulous Features.   If you missed those features you can see it here.  I also decided to stick with the top 5 most viewed posts, because I love to show off your talent. 
Top 5  Most Viewed Links last week:


Winnie at Something Sweet created this adorable Edible Desert Cups!  I love these.  So creative and cute, too!

Pick of the Bunch Fabulous Features #48

Happy Saturday!  I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend.  I have survived my first week back at school with my students.  I always forget how hard the first week is getting everyone into a routine!  My goal was to publish this post last night, but I fell asleep on the couch instead.  :)  This week wiped me out, but I have an awesome group of kids. 
A huge thank you to everyone who shared with us last week at the party.  
You can check out all of the awesome posts from last week's Bouquet of Talent here!   There is still so much to see.   As always,  I wish I could feature everyone. I will also post our top 5 most viewed links at the party!  


If you were featured, you can grab a feature button at the bottom of the post.  

Beautiful Features:



Debbie-Dabble shared her amazing finds that she used to decorate her patio!  I love this mirror.  Her awesome blog is sure to inspire you!  She's such a talented lady.  

Bloglovin' and Hometalk Blog Hop #23

Welcome to bloglovin' and blog hopping Thursday once again!  We are so happy to be joining together to bring you the  bloglovin' Blog Hop to help grow our blogs.   It's always a great idea to have many ways for friends to follow your blog. 
Each week we rotate one other social media to follow.  This week we are adding your blog and Hometalk along with bloglovin'!  Friends can hop on over to visit your blog.   
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us last week.  We hope you made some new friends! 

Please follow each hostess, and leave us a comment so we can return the follow!   Please follow your hostesses and visit other at least 3 or 4 other links!  

We would love to feature a co-host each week, so please send one of us an email if you would like to be a co-host.  We would love for you to join us!

Please link up your bloglovin' follow link.  To find your URL, just click on your follow by bloglovin' button.  Copy and past the URL link.  That's all there is to it!  

Thank you so much for joining us!  We hope you make many new friends and followers each week.  

Not mandatory, but we would love for you to share our blog hop button.    That's a great way for us to all gain new friends. 

Quick and Easy Italian Pasta Salad

We have a new favorite around my house.  It's Italian Pasta Salad using Olive Garden Italian Dressing.  It makes the perfect pasta salad.  It's a super quick and easy side dish.  You can also add Italian seasoned chicken to the pasta for a quick meal.  My son has been known to finish the entire bowl on several occasions! 


Ingredients:
1 package spiral or bowtie pasta  1/2 bottle of Olive Garden Italian Dressing  1/2 package Italian Five Cheese Pimentos & Olives 

Boil the pasta according to the directions on the package.  Drain and allow the noodles to cool.  I add a small amount of dressing while they are cooling to prevent the noodles from sticking together.  Once cooled, add half of the bottle of dressing, cheese, olives and pimentos.  

Allow to chill several hours before serving.  

Tossing in some precooked and Italian seasoned chicken adds a great twist to the pasta. 

If you are looking for a fast, simple and yummy side dish, this one is it!  We love the Olive Garden dressing, but if you can't find that you can always use a different brand.  The Olive Garden dressing is so delicious, and makes the perfect Italian pasta.  

Thank you so much for stopping by for a visit!  Have a wonderful week.  

Click here for Party Buttons & Party Dates    Linking to these fabulous parties: 
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A Bouquet of Talent Linky Party Time #48

Welcome to another week of party fun!  So happy to have you join us this week.  I want to thank you all once again for support and patience during the difficult past few months.  Thanks so much for hanging in there with me.
I am thrilled to report that last week we received the fantastic report that my mother is cancer free!  After 2 extremely rough surgeries, she is on the mend and doing so much better.  She is not a 100% yet, but making progress.  My dad also has Parkinson's disease,  and all of this was so hard on him.  I think I was just so overwhelmed that it was hard to concentrate on anything!  I am so happy to be getting back into my blogging routine.  
I cannot believe that summer is over for me!  I started back to school this week, and my students start Monday.  I just wish the summer heat here in the south would take a hike along with my vacation!!  It is miserable with no rain in sight, either.  My car read 109 degrees yesterday when I left school!!  
One of my favorite post of the week is Pick of the Bunch Fabulous Features, and I was so happy to get that posted again this week.  If you missed those features you can see it here.  I also decided to stick with the top 5 most viewed posts, because I love to show off your talent. 
Top 5  Most Viewed Links last week:



PJH Designs shared this fabulous Peaches and Cream End Table.  I think this is my favorite project, yet,  by Peggy!  Check out her awesome blog for amazing inpsiration.  

Pick of the Bunch Fabulous Features #47

I am so happy to be back and resume my Pick of the Bunch Fabulous Features, after a wild and crazy summer.  I have truly missed featuring all of your amazing talent.  I will give an update on all that has been going on for the past few months at the Bouquet of Talent party this evening.  Thank you so much for sharing with us last week.  
You can check out all of the awesome posts from last week's Bouquet of Talent here!   There is still so much to see.   As always,  I wish I could feature everyone. I will also post our top 3 most viewed links at the party!  
If you were featured, you can grab a feature button at the bottom of the post.  

Beautiful Features:


Purple Hues and Me blows me away with every project she creates!  I love these adorable burlap owls!  How cute are those eyes?  For lots of awesome inspiration, be sure and visit Gail's  amazing blog.  
Ivy & Elephants shared this gorgeous "Bubblicious" gumball machine adorned and decked out in it's finest.  How creative and beautiful is this post?  I love it. 

Bloglovin' and Facebook Blog Hop #22

Welcome to bloglovin' and blog hopping Thursday once again!  We are so happy to be joining together to bring you the  bloglovin' Blog Hop to help grow our blogs.   It's always a great idea to have many ways for friends to follow your blog. 
Each week we rotate one other social media to follow.  This week we are adding your blog and Facebook along with bloglovin'!  Friends can hop on over to visit your blog.   
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us last week.  We hope you made some new friends! 

Please follow each hostess, and leave us a comment so we can return the follow!   Please follow your hostesses and visit other at least 3 or 4 other links!  

We would love to feature a co-host each week, so please send one of us an email if you would like to be a co-host.  We would love for you to join us!

Please link up your bloglovin' follow link.  To find your URL, just click on your follow by bloglovin' button.  Copy and past the URL link.  That's all there is to it!  

Thank you so much for joining us!  We hope you make many new friends and followers each week.  

Not mandatory, but we would love for you to share our blog hop button.    That's a great way for us to all gain new friends. 

DIY Solar Lights Lamp Post

Hi, friends!  I have finally finished a project for the first time in a long while!   YAY!   We needed some lighting on our deck,  because we love to sit out there in the evening.  I decided to make a lamp post using solar lighting.  I searched for several weeks for the perfect lighting without incurring a huge cost.  I was so excited when a found a four piece solar lighting set at Home Depot.  It was perfect, and included all the pieces I needed minus the flower pot and pole. 
The photo below shows an up close night shot of the lanterns.   I wanted them to be varying heights, so I used the cable ties to place them at different levels.  

It is perfect for additional lighting without having to worry about running electrical wiring.  
I purchased a set of 4 solar LED lantern lights by Hampton Bay from Home Depot.  The hooks that came with the set were perfect to complete the project.  I was originally thinking of using two flower posts.  It was much cheaper this way. 

To keep the project from being super heavy with Quikrete, I added it to a gallon plastic container that I had.  Filling that huge pot was going to be very heavy and keep me from adding flowers around the base.  

To make the post tall enough, I filled the plastic container about 3/4 full of the Quikrete and let that set.  Then I added the steel pole, and filled the rest of the container with the Quikrete around the pole.  My steel rod was actually an old closet rod.  It worked perfect, because it is very sturdy.  PVC pipe would work, too.  

Here is a photo of the post once it was set in the concrete.  My special helper is always on the lookout.  

I chose Rust-Oleum in black with a Hammered finish to paint the pole.   I love the Hammered finish on the pole.  That was the first time I've used this spray paint, and I was very happy with the look.    

                                      

Once the pole was dry, I placed it in the flower pot and filled it with potting soil.  I did add some gravel to the base of the pot for drainage, before filling with the soil.  

I added on one extension rod to each of the light post hooks that came with the set, and then used black cable ties to form the "pole" at the top and keep the light hooks together.    

I placed one of the plastic pipes that came with the lightening set to make it the height that I wanted.  This piece was actually to be used for placing the lights in the ground.

 I couldn't believe the plastic piece fit perfectly over the steel post.  After assembling all of the hooks and lights, I placed them in the plastic piece at the top of the pole.  

Here is another close up view of the hooks after I placed them in the pole.  If you look closely, you can see where I used the cable ties to keep the post together.  I added two at the base and then added a few more in the middle and top of the hooks to keep them sturdy.


   I planted some Vinca flowers around the pole.  That was about the only blooming flowers I could find this time of year.   I can't wait for fall weather to plant some fall flowers.


This was a super easy project to make.   I finished it in a day.  We are really enjoying the added light on the deck in the evening.  Even more amazing, it is not drawing bugs like I thought it would.   
Thank you so much for stopping by for a visit!  I hope you have a wonderful week!!  

Click here for party buttons!    I party at these awesome parties:     Transformed Tuesday  A Little Bird Told Me  Wicked Awesome Wednesday  Family Home and Life  Polka Dot on Parade  Tutorials, Tips & Tidbits  It's A Party  Rock N Share  Your Creative Timeout   Share Your Cup                 36th Ave.                   Thurs. Treasures  Creative Things Thursday                   Blog Stalking Thurs.   We Did it Wednesday  Riverton Housewives Roundup    Create & Share  Made U Look    Catch as Catch Can           Simple & Sweet Fridays  Freedom Fridays  Kitchen Fun   Flaunt it Friday  BFF Open House  Simply Create  Sharing with Domestic Superhero  Artsy Corner   Chic & Crafty  Weekend Wonders  What to do Weekends   Creative Connection  Shine on Friday  Real Housemoms  Friday Flash Blog Show & Tell Friday  The Inspiration Gallery  Creative Inspirations  Weekend Wrap Up  Frugal Friday  Create & Inspire   Simply Create   Weekend Bloggy Reading  Fancy This  Create with Joy  Show Off Friday                    Inspire Me Please  Inspire Me Friday  Friday Flair  Anything Goes  Link Up Your Favorite Post  Friday Favorites  Friday Favs  Pinworthy Projects                 Strut Your Stuff  Show & Tell Saturday  Get Schooled Saturday  Share Your Creativity  Crafty Showcase  Super Saturday Show & Tell   Saturday Sparks  Show & Tell Saturday  Spotlight Saturday         Saturday Spotlight  Funky Junk  Sunday Showoff   Nifty Thrifty  Think Pink Sunday  Sunday Funday  Suburbs Mama  Inspiration Monday  Make the Scene Monday  A Round Tuit  Craftastic Monday  Submarine Sunday  Monday Funday  Made with Love  Marvelous Monday   Market Yourself Monday  Manic Monday  Mix it Up Monday  I Made it Monday  Clever Chick Blog Hop  Craft-O-Maniac     More the Merrier  Motivate Me Monday   Inspire Me Monday  Masterpiece Monday                   Make the Scene Monday  Sweet Sharing Monday  It's Party Time  Creative Blogger's Party                        Much Ado About Mon  Frugal Crafty Home  Titi Crafty  Sweet & Savory Sunday  Seasonal Sundays                Sunday Showcase  Watch Out Martha  Made By You Monday  Give Me The Goods                   Tuesday's Treasures    In and Out of the Kitchen  Handmade Tuesday                                     Make it Pretty Monday  Inspire Me Tuesday  Tuesday Trivia  All My Bloggy Friends  Terrific Tuesdays  Tasteful Tuesdays  Time to Sparkle  Wow Us Wednesday  Wow Me Wednesday   Inspiration Exchange   Tuesday Talent Show  Homework Wednesday    Tuesdays at our Home  The Inspiration Board  Homemade by You  Winthrop Chronicles  Take it on Tuesday  One Project at a Time    Home Stories A to Z  Tell Me Tuesday  DIY by Design  Twirl & Take a Bow    Adorned From Above                                     What I Learned Wednesday  What We Accomplished Wednesday  Plucky's Link it Up  Wednesday Whatsits  Show and Share  Dandelion Wishes  Fine Craft Guild  36th Ave.   Showcase Your Talent  Hookin Up with HOH  Craftionary Link Party  The Blog Strut  Serendipity & Spice  Teach Me Tuesdays  Fab Fridays   Titus 2sday  Homemaking Party                    Real Family Fun    Tell Us Tuesdays  DIY Sunday Showcase  Craftionary  Family Fun Friday