Yes, I realize that Hispanicize is only like 2 weeks away. But, with that being said, I assure you that my rush to find a sponsor is not due to a lack of planning.

It’s due to the fact that I just found out I won a conference pass (yay!) but cannot swing the total cost of airfare and hotel all by lonesome on such short notice. <insert sad face here>

So, this means I need your help to get to Miami where I can be a total rock star for your brand/product/company. You may be wondering what exactly I can offer to you in exchange for your generosity and sponsorship, so here is what I can bring to the table for you:

-Ad placement on my blog sidebar for 6 months

-2-3 blog posts (one before and after Hispanicize) to promote your brand/company

-Inclusion  of your logo on my blog business cards

-Endless promotion of your brand/company while I am at Hispanicize

-Tweets/FB posts driving traffic to your site before/during/after the conference

-Other services/promotional services are negotiable

If you browse my blog, you can quickly see I fall in the lifestyle niche and write heavily about DIY/crafts, home improvement, recipes and weight loss. I am active on all social media, and I look forward to chatting with anyone interested in a full or partial sponsorship opportunity. If Hispanicize is too soon, I am also headed to BlogHer 2012 in NYC and would love to represent a brand/company/product there as well.

A full social media resume is available to any parties interested upon request. I have worked with many brands/companies as well as blog collectives to provide quality, thorough content/photos/tutorials. As a woman who majored in journalism, blogging is not merely a hobby, but it is also a passion of mine to be heard and drive attention to brands and causes I feel strongly about. Thanks for your consideration!

Interested parties can contact me via e-mail at: monicawantsit@gmail.com

Sometimes when people show up unannounced (“the pop-in”) or you’re hosting company over between meals or late at night, you sometimes wonder what to serve that’s not too heavy nor too light. Personally, I try to keep any appetizers or food I make very simple so I am not stressed. A great way to do that is by having some gourmet bread on hand and being able to whip up a bread spread. In 15 minutes flat, you can have a lovely treat for company to munch on.

My husband and I love gourmet bread, but hate for it to be expensive or taste stale/old once you get home. Luckily we’ve discovered Ecce Panis bread while shopping at Walmart. It’s a take-and-bake bread which means you can have fresh baked bread in minutes.

Usually when you think of bread spreads you think of garlic butter, herb butter, olive oil or a simple jam/compote. Well, I thought I’d get creative and use one of my favorite desserts as an inspiration for a spread that’s perfect for brunch or perfect for a late night Wii marathon with friends. It’s sweet, creamy and requires ingredients you likely have on hand.

Ingredients:

-Package of Ecce Panis baguettes

-2 RIPE bananas (I used 1.5 bananas)

-1 block of fat free cream cheese

-2 tbsp of caramel topping

-1/4 cup of chopped pecans

-1/3 cup Splenda/Sugar

-1 tsp of vanilla extract (not shown)

Now, for this spread I didn’t use anything but a big spoon and a bowl. No mixers, etc. are needed as long as you pick ripe bananas and let your cream cheese get to room temperature.

Step 1- Preheat oven to 375 and set your timer for 9 minutes. Pop your baguettes in the oven and grab a large spoon and bowl.

Step 2- Slice up bananas into the bowl. I started off with 1 banana and then ended up adding another 1/2 of a banana to get that flavor profile to come across more.

Step 3- Add in block of cream cheese and vanilla extract. Combine and mush bananas as you go.

Step 4- Once your bananas, cream cheese and vanilla extract are all in harmony, add in 2 tbsp of caramel topping.

Step 5- Add in 1/3 cup of sugar. You can add more or less depending on how sweet you want your spread. I wanted mine slightly sweet. Mix until all ingredients are combined.

Step 6- Put that in the freezer for about 5 minutes while we get the bread out of the oven. Slice it on the diagonal, about 1/4 inch thick per slice.

Step 7- Now grab a large plate, place your spread in a small ramekin and top with pecans (note: if your guests have nut allergies, you might want to half the spread or leave the pecans to the side as an option). Place your bread around the plate.

If you make this ahead of time, make sure to keep the spread chilled in the fridge. Since it has cream cheese, you don’t want it to be sitting out for a long period of time.

The spread is so good over warm Ecce Panis bread. It’s creamy, has good flavors like banana and caramel and the pecans add that bit of bite to it that sends this spread from ordinary to fab. This spread would be great on anything. And really, when the ingredients/flavors all compliment each other, you can’t go wrong. So, I know Easter is coming up and for those who have to plan Easter Meals, maybe you can do something like this? Just an idea.

Yummy. Mmm.

Hope you enjoyed my easy, delicious bananas foster bread spread recipe.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias #EasterMeals

This renovation has turned into a complete disaster. In the world of Harry Potter (which serves as the muse for this mess of a renovation we are undertaking), we’re at the point in the Goblet of Fire where Voldemort kills Cedric and it takes another 4 movies to feel happy again.

OH MY GOD.

Those are long movies y’all, and I feel like that’s how this renovation is going to feel. We’ve been gutted for about a month now, and in that month we’ve had a local plumber come quote us about $1400 to move a drain 6 inches (“if they don’t hit a pipe”) and we’ve had 2 local tile setters stand us up for appointments, and we’ve had 1 electrician not call us back 3 times and another can’t and won’t fit us in until June.

OH MY GOD. Am I blacklisted or something? Did they google me?

Now, I know if you’re reading this, you’re probably asking yourself, “Why didn’t she line up these people BEFORE she gutted her bathroom?”

Fair enough. And honestly, I tried to, and so many of them were like, “Call us when it’s gutted” or call us when you’re ready kinda stuff…so I did and now here I am. I thought if I was ready to go, they’d be ready to go.

HA!

No pros lined up to do the work I need done. NEED.

Somedays, I cry about it. Other days, I start telling myself that I have no option but to move forward.

I’ve recently joined the John Bridge tile forum and started a thread about my issues with finding a tile setter for my shower. The first thing I’d like done is the shower, because I feel like without a shower I just can’t mentally make progress on this bathroom. We’ve decided on a Kerdi shower with a mud pan/tiled base. I was all for the pre-fab fiberglass base until the plumber said it would/could cost upwards of $1400 to move the drain to the perfect spot…6 inches away. Now I feel like it’s best to leave the drain as is and build a simple, sleek shower using what we got.

The first step in feeling confident to move forward with this shower thing is to be able to build a level, perfectly sloped shower mud pan. Starry eyed and full of optimism, I dragged my hubby to go buy the mere $20 in supplies we needed to try it out.

Oh boy. We failed miserably.

Here we built a mock-up shower floor. It was roughly about 24x30 inches.

Here’s my unsuccessful attempt to create a level perimeter/screed.

Here’s me checking to see if it’s all level.

And then we packed stuff in the middle, tried to get it to slope and it was just not good. It was lumpy and hard to work with. I don’t think we added enough water to the sand/concrete mixture.

I then proceeded to cry some more, and then dusted myself off as usual because in all honesty, this method simply has to work. So, we’re going to give it another try and see if we can make it work. A good amount of people (some even girls!) have successfully made their own mud pans, so I know it can be done. Whether or not I can is the question.

Now I basically am at the point I am in all my DIY adventures where I think to myself, “What have I done?”

Except that in this instance, I’ve gutted a whole room.

What have I done?

Although my Photoshop skills are good enough to do basic stuff, I always want to learn more about how to fully take advantage of everything it has to offer. It does kind of seem intimidating though, doesn't it?

Well, my lovely blogger friend Dariela Cruz and her sister are super talented graphic designers who have put together Photoshop classes that you can take online. They are affordable (about $40) and limited to 10 students so it’s a really great way to get hands on experience from the comfort of your own home. I personally will be taking one of their classes, and I cannot wait to dig in and expand my skills. They offer 4 different courses + a just for you class where they’ll teach ya whatever you want to learn about Photoshop. Again, I cannot stress how affordable and USEFUL these courses are. Here’s a rundown of their 4 course offerings:

You can view all of the courses + the calendar over on their very easy to navigate website. As for me, I’ll be taking Photoshop for Bloggers on March 29th in the evening. If you’d like to join me, you can check out their calendar right over here and if you want to save 25% off the course, simply use the code monicawantsit at checkout. The code is effective until one month from today, Monday, March 19th.

And because Dariela is so nice and wants people to try out the courses, I get to giveaway a free course to one lucky person.

To enter, simply tell me which course you’d like to take and why. Leave me a way to find ya in your comment (Twitter handle, e-mail, etc.) Contest is open from now until Friday at 10 am CST, so tell your friends!

Side note: Photoshop courses are meant for Photoshop CS3, 4, 5 and are NOT compatible with Photoshop Elements.

May the odds be ever in your favor! :)

Disclosure: I was not compensated monetarily in anyway for this post, I just want to help out a fellow blog friend.

There’s something about spring that makes a person want to freshen things up and bring life to dull, winter blues. Not that winter here is intense or anything…I live in South Texas and all, but it is still nice to revamp a space.

This time I was inspired by the new Renuzits Fresh Accents available at Walmart (you can see my shopping shenanigans over on Google+.) With the $1 coupon from Facebook (you get the coupon when you send a gorgeous e-card), these lovelies only cost 76-cents each. Furthermore, the Renuzits Fresh Accents inspired me to “renu” my living room.

 

Problem is, I don’t have a dime to spare because of the bathroom reno, however, the room needs a facelift. Other than decorating the mantel for holidays, it’s pretty much the same as when I painted the wood paneling. And lately, it’s even more of a hot mess. See below for proof.

Hot. Mess.

So, I told myself I could spend $75 on a room makeover. Not a penny more. How did I do? Well, let’s check it out.

The inspiration: lots of creamy neutrals with splashes of pattern and color. I am usually afraid to decorate with too much pattern/too many colors, but I forced myself to go outside my comfort zone. I love the results.

^ My birthday flowers. I love them and they served as a fantastic jumping point for my Renuzits inspired makeover.

Here we go!

I purchased 2 new ikat-ish throw pillows for $7.50 each, plus I purchased 2 foam core boards for $1 each and cut up an old damask shower curtain to make decorative wall panels. (I meticulously made sure they matched, so I obviously have to point that out). The panels are hung with double sided tape because they’re uber light.

I also snagged this awesome gray/yellow NYC canvas print for $15 at Ross.

I put one of my Renuzit fresh accents air freshener on this console table. I love that they are reversible. Here I use one side, and I love that it just blends in. It doesn’t scream, “Hey I am trying to destinkify the living room!”

New mantle with a $1 store hydrangea art print plus 2 new square candles for $1 each.

My lovely new tufted storage ottoman. We snagged her for $26. She was originally $125. Ouch! I also put my ghost chairs here to create a cozy conversation area. And with the candles lit, it looks so chic. Swoon.

And here’s another Renuzits fresh accents holder, but on the flipside. It’s keeping Pee Wee company on the new ottoman.

I already had these curtains,  but never ever used them. They work so great in here. It’s nice to shop in your own house! Also, I kept some fabric scraps from my damask shower curtain and used them as curtain tiebacks. Pee Wee approves. That rug was just shoved in a closet, and I never even thought of how perfect it is in front of the patio doors.

I also rearranged my bookshelves to add in more color. It’s spring; a room needs to be bright!

I am just so excited that Renuzits Fresh Accents inspired me to freshen up my living room. My new living room smells divine thanks to their “after the rain” fresh accents scent. It’s clean, crisp yet subtle. No one wants their house to smell like an air freshener, right?

And, even better, I only spent around $65 to have a totally new living room look. Most of the items I already had on hand, but had to look at in a new way in order to make it work.

I am in love. Love.

What do you think of my budget revamp? Will you be buying some Renuzits Fresh Accents soon? Don’t forget to print your coupon!

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. #CBias

Today marks my 27th birthday. Or as I like to call it, “Baby Monica Day.”

On this very day, 27 years ago I entered this world ready for all the sparkles and glitter and tufted furniture that the world had to offer.

I also entered the world with super curly hair…that I still hate.

Ever since I was little, I’ve had a love of things that make life a little more beautiful. In the picture below I am convinced I am marveling at some sort of tufted chair in the corner. Perhaps. It’s the same expression I make now when I watch Candice Olson on HGTV. It’s sheer terror mixed with sheer admiration. Impeccably Monica.

And I’ve always loved posing with things I love. Honestly, I have no clue what that stuffed animal is. And this is as close to seeing me in my underwear as you all are gonna get. I keep it klassy, folks.

And I’ve always been the type of girl who is up for a great party, frilly dress and breaking things.

So for 27 and onward, I hope to be happier than I was in my teens:

Smarter than I was in college:

As health obsessed as I was when I was engaged:

As gorgeous as I felt on my wedding day:

And a better person, inside and out, everyday.

My how time flies. I’m getting teary eyed just writing this post… like I’m saying goodbye to myself or something. But I am saying goodbye to 26 and hello to 27. I wish I could say I am like a fine wine that gets better with age, but honestly I feel like as I am getting older, I am spoiling. I guess maybe I treat myself like I am past my expiration date, when in fact I have a long shelf life ahead of me.

My gift to myself this year is me: as is, constantly improving and hopefully a little bit happier. And ready to get her hands dirty by playing with glitter.

What I wish my gift to myself would be:

Gotta love Kate Spade, gotta hate her prices. That lovely bag is $458.

And I have a bathroom reno to finish, so on my wish list she stays.

So in honor of Baby Monica Day, remember that you are fabulous, you are beautiful and you are special.

And remember to smile today. I surely am.

Happy birthday to me. :)