DIY Gold Dipped Seashell Necklace

I have been really inspired by nature and outdoor elements lately (see coral inspired bangles here). Plus, I have this GIANT box of pointy seashells (is there a name for these?) that is just taking up space. This might be one of the easiest DIYs ever...but sometimes the easy ones (see this basic polymer clay bead tutorial here) turn out to be some of my most favorite.

What you will need:

• A seashell. You can buy them at Hobby Lobby if you don't have an extra one hanging around.
  
• Cotton cord for your necklace
• Metallic or gold paint
• A power drill (not shown)
  

Drill a small hole in the top of your shell.

Dip the end of your seashell into the paint. Let it dry.

Once the gold paint has dried, you are finished!

Our Spring Tradition

In honor of Earth Day, which was yesterday I wanted to share our family's little way of staying green.

Ian and I started a tradition last year where each spring we would re-plant or re-seed our garden. Keeping what we liked from the year before and ditching what we did not (hello little puny carrots that tasted like a bitter version of a real carrot). This year we decided to go with an entire bed of heirloom tomatoes (my favorite) and a second bed with a few different lettuce varieties and cucumbers.

My current view. Hello baby Ronin. I admit I was not much help with the whole gardening process--but I was a great water and snack getter :)

Ian checking on our compost pile that we used as a fertilizer for our garden. Does any one else have a compost pile? It is great! You can put your eggshells, egg cartoons, coffee grinds, biodegradable paper towels and so much more in there! It is not the prettiest of things but it is the best kind of nutrients you can give your plants.

Planting our heirloom tomatoes. I can not wait for these to take over and have fresh tomatoes for months to come.

$50 Giftcard Giveaway To Society6!

Today's giveaway is hosted by Society6, which is an awesome shop that carries the coolest iPhone cases, T-shirts, art prints and more! All of the artwork you see on Society6 is created by artists from around the world. Society6 uses the highest quality materials, so you can be sure what you are getting is only the best!

Society6 is giving away a $50 gift card to one lucky reader. You can use it towards whatever you like in their shop. So even if you don't have an iPhone there are still lots of options!

How you can win:

*You must be a follower of Delighted Momma through GFC in order to enter*

• Visit Society6 and take a look around. Come back and leave a comment letting me know what you love.
  

Extra Entries: (please leave an additional comment for each)

• Pin your favorite product from Society6 onto Pinterest. Please leave the link.
• Like Delighted Momma on Facebook
• Mention giveaway on Facebook
  
• Tweet about giveaway. Please tag with @delightedmomma

Good luck! A winner will be chosen at random and announced April 27th.

Swiss Chard Veggie Wraps

A few weeks ago Ian and I were at my Dad's for a BBQ and my step mom made delicious veggie wraps with swiss chard. They were unbelievably good. I've had lettuce wraps a million ways but wrapping them in swiss chard was a whole new thing for me. I decided to re-create them this week for dinner and they are now a new family favorite.

Swiss chard is crunchy, full of flavor and is one of the most nutritious vegetables around, making these veggie wraps not only filling but so good for you. The dipping sauce is also a very important component (in my opinion) when eating veggie wraps so I am sharing the one I made to go with these.

What you will need:

• Swiss chard
• Sprouts
• Celery
  
• Cucumbers
  
• Carrots
• Avocado

Mustard Dill Dipping Sauce:

• 3/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
  
• 2 tbs of dill mustard. I used aioli garlic mustard sauce from Trader Joes.
  
• 1 tbs of Braggs Liquid Aminos (a healthy soy sauce alternative). If you can not find this low sodium soy sauce will work too.
  
• 2 tbs of fresh squeezed lemon
  

Slice and grate your veggies.

Place your veggies on the swiss chard. I cut each large leaf in half since they were so big. You can either add your dipping sauce on top of all the veggies and then wrap, or dip your veggie wrap in the sauce after you wrap it.

Enjoy!

Review- Découverte Under Eye Repair Serum

Reviews are rare on my blog because unless I am truly excited to share something with you I wont bother with a review. Why waste your time and mine right?

When Victoria the CEO of La Bella Figura emailed me about her eco-luxe skincare line my interest was instantly peaked. She let me know that their #1 best selling product was the Decouverte Under Eye Repair Serum.

Being the nosy esthetician that I am, I immediately hopped on over to their site to search for the ingredients and to see what it was all about before committing. I was blown away! Every ingredient listed was top notch.

As a Mom with a potty training toddler, pregnancy insomnia and another baby on the way in just 7 weeks...lets just say that my under eye area looks a little pathetic at times. I don't have dark circles but sometimes I need a little extra boost that helps me fake that I have slept 8+ hours, when really I have had only 5.

So whats my final verdict? After a week of using the Decouverte Under Eye Serum my eye area looks smoother, brighter and the checker at Trader Joes who I see every week told me that I look "rested" when I was in there this weekend. Not sure if it is all related to the eye serum but it's the only thing that I have done different.

It is a bit pricey but if you are looking to invest into a high quality product that you will see noticeable results with, I highly recommend this.

Skin Care Tip of the Week *How to help prevent body acne*

With spring in full swing and summer just a few months away, maxi dresses and tank tops are bound to be making their way into your wardrobe. Having back and chest acne can be annoying and frustrating.

While each case of body acne can be triggered by something different, here are a few simple tips that can help keep the skin on your body clear.

Wear breathable cotton t-shirts to bed- If you are prone to back and chest acne it is very important that you let your skin breath at night.

Don't sit around in your sweaty workout clothes- If you are an avid gym goer, make sure you change your sports bra and gym shirt as soon as you can after working out. Leaving on your sweaty sports bra is a sure way to cause irritation and breakouts due to bacteria and perspiration not being washed off.

Use tea tree oil as a spot treatment/toner- Tea tree oil is awesome! It is an all natural topical treatment that can be used to treat acne. It not only kills the acne causing bacteria but it also reduces redness and inflammation. To read more about tee tree oil see this post.

Dry brush your skin- The dry brush technique helps to open blocked pores and exfoliate dead skin cells which can really help improve skin texture and appearance. This really needs a post all on its own (which I will eventually do). You always want to dry brush first thing in the morning before you take a shower. For each area of the body there is a different technique. For the back, start brushing at the base of your neck and brush down using fluid stokes down to your tailbone. For your chest, use fluid stokes and brush up. After brushing your skin, rinse off in the shower.

Use an anti-bacterial soap such as colloidal silver antibacterial soap- Colloidal silver soap is the best! I recently discovered this heaven sent soap after doing my own research for annoying pregnancy induced arm breakouts. Its anti-bacterial benefits are amazing and this has completely cleared up any congestion that was on my back and arms. I LOVE this stuff. It is pretty hard to find, but some specialty health food stores will carry it or you can order it online here.

Hope you find these little tips helpful and I hope you feel confident in showing off your shoulders and back this spring and summer.

31 weeks + a herniated belly button and a few other things

Yes, my doctor informed me a few appointments ago that my belly button is indeed herniated. Awesome. The other day I actually contemplated duck taping it down because it looked like a weird alien poking it's nose out of my dress. So sexy I know. On a side note, this is my usual outfit of the day...gym clothes. I have no idea how some ladies keep up with the cute outfits during the last months of their pregnancy (kuddos). I am not one of them.

Whew this week has been tough (herniated belly button aside). I have been experiencing insulin resistance, which is beyond frustrating. Some days I just want to cry because no matter what I eat my blood sugar will rise. Being a diabetic sucks sometimes and if it was a person I would tell it to eff off. Seriously.

To put a little icing on this already not so awesome week, I had a hospital sleepover on Wednesday. I went in for my normal NST appointment and mentioned how I was having some annoying cramping during the day. The nurses checked it out and it turns out I was having some serious contractions. They gave me extra fluid through an IV and some medication. I had to stay over night so they could make sure it stopped and monitor the baby. The baby is doing great and until I get cleared by my Dr. at my next visit I am on bed rest. Not sure exactly how that will work will an almost two year old but I will do my very best. Thank God for my awesome Mom who offers to watch Max often.

Only eight more weeks to go! I can do it...and please stay in there and bake for a little bit longer baby Ronin!

Have a wonderful weekend!