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Paper Hot Air Balloon

Girls Night Table Decor

July 31, 2012 22 Comments

I confess that I’m one of those people who runs out to a new store to check it out or buys the latest craft product after seeing it on their favorite blog. I guess you can say I’m highly influenced by some of my favorite bloggers, but I’ve come to find that I’m never disappointed. Last month I saw a few bloggers talk about World Market and since we don’t have one in town I immediately became interested in checking out one of their stores. So when we went to SoCal on vacation I Google mapped the nearest World Market. My poor husband, I don’t give him nearly enough credit for putting up with my requests. Luckily there was one on the way home and boy was it as amazing as I thought it would be. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So when I had the opportunity to decorate a table for a girls night inspired by their new Kingdom Animalia collection, I was thrilled! It turns out there’s a World Market 45 minutes from me..this could be dangerous for my wallet. Are you ready to see some of the amazing things I found?


I seriously wanted to bring the entire store home with me. I love how you can find unique items and at affordable prices. This is only a glimpse at all the fun new items from the Kingdom Animalia Collection. I found several napkin sets in cute patterns and colors. My favorite was the mustard yellow set but I also really liked the light brown giraffe print


Last week I invited my best friend over for a girl’s night in party. We had a blast catching up and laughing the night away. The best part is that we had the whole evening to ourselves, acting like we were 16. Oh to be young and carefree again. 


For the table decor I bought items that I can use as Fall decor as well. I bought this fun cubby not knowing exactly what I was going to do with it, but I HAD to have it. Aren’t the mini cupcakes adorable in there? I also picked up a globe, set of napkins, vase, and chalkboard (that I didn’t use in my setup).  The tablecover is something I used for my son’s safari birthday party, which I’ll share with you next week. ;)


Random fact, the serving platter is actually from Africa. My sister-in-law studied abroad during her junior year and brought this back for my in-laws. I borrow it quite often because I love the fun design and it’s great for parties.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had a great time decorating my girls night party table inspired by the Kingdom Animalia Collection, but guess what? World Market is currently running an African Safari Sweepstakes where you could win a trip to Africa! 

-The grand prize is a trip for two to Africa (5 day trip-includes airfare, accommodations, and excursions)
-a $1,000 World Market gift card
Pretty awesome, right? But that’s not all! 
-3 runners up prize winners will each receive a $500 World Market gift card.
To enter head on over the the African Safari Sweepstakes page

Connect with World Market on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube




Linking up to these parties, TCB 


This shop has been compensated by Cost Plus World Market and Pollinate Media Group, all opinions are my own. 
Filed Under: Decor, Parties Tagged With: , ,

Blue & Yellow Create Sign

July 30, 2012 15 Comments

So I found a desk and hutch for my new craft space. I’m thrilled to finally have my craft supplies organized somewhere other than the kitchen cabinets. It’s also nice not having to craft on the counter or kitchen table. The desk is not what I intended to get at all when I began my search, but it works and I love it.  Now for the fun part…decorating my craft space! Since making the distressed coffee sign I knew I wanted to make a craft sign. This weekend I made this create sign using this $2 wood plaque.

I’m not quite sure how I feel about the colors just yet. I can’t decide if I want to go with light blue and yellow or keep it neutral. Ugh, I wish you only knew how bad I am about color. In my wardrobe and home decor, it scares me! Confession: I see these amazing, colorful spaces on pinterest that I like but whenever I go to the store looking for wall decor I get overwhelmed and leave empty handed. I feel like the walls look cluttered if I put anything up. Yes, it’s been 2 1/2 years in our house and the majority of the walls are bare. It’s sad. I need someone like Sabrina Soto or David Bromstad to help me decorate my home. A few weeks ago I wrote on facebook that if HGTV had a show like Worst Cooks in America, they would cast me right away.

What do you think? Should I change the yellow vinyl or add something else to the sign? I plan to have fun with this craft space decor, even if it means adding color to my boring beige walls. :)



Linking up to these parties, TCB 
Filed Under: Decor Tagged With: ,

Helping Children Learn

July 29, 2012 Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago I mentioned the Bag It Forward program and Elmer’s 1st Day app when I shared my school supply cake.  Today I would like to take a moment to spotlight the app and how you can help a child in need. As I mentioned last time Elmer’s has teamed up with the Kids In Need Foundation by donating school supplies to children in need. For each photo uploaded (up to 200,000) Elmer’s will donate a school supply to the Kids In Need Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides supplies to needy children.

Elmer’s is providing parents with an easy way to capture and share those priceless memories that we all want to remember with the 1st Day app . The app can be used for anything you wish to capture, whether it’s their first day of school or first day of soccer. Maybe it’s a picture of their first time writing their name or a picture of them with their first teacher, we all want to capture those moments right? By uploading those pictures you can help give a child the tools they need to learn this upcoming school year.

The app is very easy to download and use. It allows you to upload photos, create albums, slide shows, and even decorate the pictures with colorful borders. The pictures can also be shared on Facebook or by email, so that relatives who live far away can see those first experiences. The free app can be use on iPhone and Android phones by scanning the QR code found on select Elmer’s glue bottles and in-store displays. You can also download the app directly from iTunes or Google play.

My son starts school in a few weeks and I’m excited to share his first day with his grandparents using the 1st Day app.To learn more and download the app visit Elmer’s 1st Day. #the1stday

Disclaimer: I was NOT compensated to write this post. I truly feel that this is a great way to help children whose families do not have the means to purchase school supplies. I’m writing this post because I’m passionate about helping children in need and really encourage you to check out the app.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

Caramel Pecan Brownies

July 26, 2012 17 Comments

A few weeks ago while standing in line at Target I decided to buy a Turtles candy pack. BIG mistake! I never, ever buy candy from the candy display so I don’t know why I decided to that day. Ever since then I have purchased the same candy every time I go to Target. Umm if you knew how often I go to Target you would know that’s a lot of candy!

I have always liked caramel and chocolate together, add walnuts/peanuts/pecans and I’m in heaven.

Yesterday I was craving Turtles candy so I decided to make Caramel Pecan Brownies aka Turtle Brownies, the easy way! I’ll admit I like brownie mixes from a box. For this recipe I used Betty Crocker triple chocolate chunk but other favorites are Ghirardelli and Duncan Hines.

To make the brownies you will need:

your favorite brownie mix or recipe

brownie mix ingredients (egg, water, oil)

pecans

caramel topping

Prepare brownie mix then add in 1/2 a cup of pecans. I like a little more pecans so I threw in about 1/4 cup more in the end, but you can adjust this to your preference. Bake according to package directions. Once the brownies have baked and cooled, drizzle caramel topping and pecans on top. So there you have it, a super easy Turtle Brownie Recipe that anyone can make!

Linking up to these parties, TCB
Filed Under: Desserts, Recipes Tagged With: , ,

Back-To-School Guide

July 26, 2012 5 Comments

Can you believe Summer is almost over? Although Summer has never been my favorite season I do enjoy having my son home and the vacations we take. We only have a few weeks left of vacation before we’re back to our normal school routines. My son is going into the fourth grade this year..where has the time gone? I remember his first day of preschool like it was yesterday and now I’m looking into preschools for my daughter. I really wish they could stay little forever!

Now that stores are filling their shelves with back-to-school supplies my kids are excited to start shopping. I have already purchased a few of their supplies but there’s still so much left to buy. I started making a list this morning of some school essentials using the Back-To-School e-guide that was published today.

The back-to-school guide is the perfect #momsguide to help busy moms like me plan for the upcoming school year. Check out what some expert bloggers had to say about the products featured in the Back-To-School e-guide.

Here is my shopping list so far:

school supplies

-we already purchased several items but still need paper, pencil boxes, and folders.

clothes

-Oh the priciest of them all! I always try to find the best deals so I like to look online and in stores for their clothing. A few weeks ago I found out about CookiesKids.com, but there’s also searsStyle for moms like me who need a little help in the fashion department.

backpacks, lunch bags, and food containers

-While looking at backpacks yesterday my son requested a Marvel Characters backpack again this year. I don’t know at what grade kids stop using characters backpacks but it made me happy that he’s still young enough for them. I’m telling you, I’m one of those moms who doesn’t want their kids to ever grow up!

snacks

-Snacks are a big deal throughout the school year. I normally have a good plan where I set out the snacks for their lunch on Sundays. This way I can easily pack them in their lunch bags in the mornings. Our favorites are bags of carrots, apple slices, crackers, and mini water bottles. Then I also have to worry about after school snacks. My son is pretty hungry by the time he gets home so I try to have quick and easy snacks to keep him full until dinner time. Tyson chicken nuggets are his absolute favorite! It’s nice that he’s also at an age where he can help himself to a snack if I’m occupied with the younger two. Snacks like Tyson chicken nuggets are some of my must-have during times like these!

Have you started back-to-school shopping? What are some of your back-to-school essentials?

 
I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study forCollective Bias™ #CBias #SocialFabric

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: ,

Summer Outfits For Toddlers

July 23, 2012 4 Comments

Summer tends to last a long time here in central California, we’ve even been known to have 100 degree weather in October. That means my kids wear Summer clothes a lot throughout the year. It’s usually warm enough for Summer clothes in March so by June/July most of their outfits are worn out and need to be replaced. Having three kids means I try to find the best deals when shopping for new clothes but without sacrificing quality. That’s why I was happy to recently find out about Cookie’s Kids. If you haven’t visited their site before I suggest you check it out. They have so many choices and at incredibly low prices. I was very impressed with the selections available.

We had the opportunity to try out their clothing and let me just say, I had a hard time narrowing down my picks. There are pages and pages filled with cute clothes, especially for my daughter. OK I may be a little bias but we all know how much I like dressing her up. So naturally it was a lot harder to choose her outfits because there were so many to pick from.

I had fun creating outfits using Polyvore. This was my first time using the site but now that I have the “clip it” button installed I know it’s going to be a lot of fun to use. This is the dress I ordered for my daughter, it was only $5.99! I wish I would have ordered those shoes as well, they would match a lot of her current Summer tops.

Summer Outfit

If you ever see my daughter chances are she’s more than likely wearing a t-shirt, comfortable shoes, and cute skirt or pettiskirt. She seriously asks to put on a skirt every single day. She’s always been like this! Maybe it has to do with the fact that I put tutu’s on her since she was 2 weeks old. :) But regardless she would love an outfit like this one below.

Hello Kitty Toddler Outfit

 

I of course had to get the little one something as well. I wanted to get my oldest and youngest son’s matching shirts but the older boy wasn’t thrilled with the idea. Since I can still dress the baby up I wanted to get him something cute to wear on his birthday. This Nautica polo was one of their best sellers and I can see why. I was very impressed with the quality and it looks great with khaki shorts.

 

Nautical Toddler Outfit

 

Here’s the little one wearing his new shirt. I seriously can’t get enough of this outfit, I like how classic the style is.

The little miss trying out her new hello kitty shirt. She still really likes Hello Kitty and luckily Cookie’s Kids has a lot of Hello Kitty shirts. You can see the rest of my favorite items on Google+.

I’m very pleased with the new outfits, the quality is great and you really can’t beat the prices. Plus their shipping is only $5! Here’s a little bit of a background I found out about Cookie’s Kids:

In 1972, a young man named Cookie and his brother Marvin went into
business together. They rented a 1600 square foot store in Jamaica,
Queens, fixed it up, bought inventory and Summer and Fall, and opened a
day after Thanksgiving with a full stock of holiday toys. The toys were a
success and they put the extra money toward buying children’s clothing
for the next season. When that did well, they bought more clothing. The
business was on it’s way.

As the brothers Cookie, Marvin and Sonny, who had come in as a third
partner in the business, began to open new stores in new locations,
inventory expanded. Besides the latest fashions, our customers wanted
shoes, toys, backpacks and accessories and we were prepared to deliver.
By the late 1990′s there were six superstores throughout the NYC area, and
though they previously had different names, by that time they were all
named Cookie’s Kids. Also in the late ’90s came an important addition to
Cookie’s Kids’ inventory: school uniforms. It was the steady success in
uniform sales that paved the way for founding CookiesKids.com in 2007,
which originally sold uniforms and soon after the entire Cookie’s Kids
Inventory.

What are some of your kids favorite Summer outfits? Does your daughter love dressing up as much as mine does?

Connect with #Cookie’sKids

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and CookiesKids.com #CBias #SocialFabric

Filed Under: Reviews

S’mores Gift Idea

July 17, 2012 36 Comments
S'mores Gift Idea

CHA is currently in full swing in Illinois and I so wish I was there! In case you aren’t familiar with CHA it’s the Craft and Hobby Association conference & trade show. It’s where hundreds of companies go to display (and sell) their new craft products. While I hope to attend one in the future I did get to try out new dies from the Lifestyle Crafts Fall Core Collection that they just released at CHA. I know I say this every time, but honestly I think I fall in love with every Lifestyle Crafts die I use. I’m especially giddy over the Treat Carrier die…

Eeeek! Isn’t it adorable? As soon as I got a sneak peak at the release I knew I wanted to try this die to make a s’mores gift. I love all the s’mores gift ideas, especially to use as teacher gifts so this was the perfect die for that.

I also got to try out the ticket punches and nesting pennants dies. I used the pennant die to create the ABC banner for the school supply cake I made last week. You get 6 different pennant sizes and the best part is it makes slits for you to thread your twine or ribbon through.

A tutorial on the tickets punches will be coming up in about a week. One of my bloggy bff’s Ginger and I were talking about the ticket punches and I told her my son thought I should make a chore incentive for him with the tickets. It turns out she’s trying the same thing with her kids! So her and I have decided to post our tutorials on the same day and I’m going to put a link so you can check out her awesome project as well! If you don’t already follow her you should, she’s incredibly creative and one of the sweetest blogger’s out there!

If you decide to purchase any dies from Lifestyle Crafts you can save 20% off using the discount code PUMPKIN.

 

Thanks for stopping by!
Linking up to these parties, TCB
Disclosure: I received Lifestyle Crafts dies to review. All opinions are my own and I really do love Lifestyle Crafts products. 
Filed Under: Lifestyle Crafts, Paper Crafts, Parties, School Crafts, Summer Crafts Tagged With: , ,

Nautical Party

July 16, 2012 12 Comments

My husband has been working a lot of 16 hour shifts lately. I usually look forward to him coming home because it gives me a little break and he’s who we would consider “the fun parent” around here. He’s so creative and can make up games to play at any given moment. I on the other hand have to plan out our activities. I’ve been trying to do weekly themes like we did last Summer but it hasn’t gone very well scheduling wise. Since he was working all weekend and my oldest was away I decided to put together a fun nautical themed party for the younger two. Here is a sneak peak of what I made..

I made these nautical mason jars using the Braid Die and the kids loved them! My daughter said it was her fancy lemonade cup.

The dies I used are from the new Lifestyle Crafts Maritime collection that was released today.

Don’t you just love the whale and crab dies? They are just too stinkin cute! I think the whale and sailboat dies would be great for baby onesies or even for an under the sea party.

I also surprised the kids with a new book and bubbles to play with after lunch. I am in love with this bag, the Sailboat Die is so cute!

Lifestyle Crafts is also releasing their Fall Core Collection this week so get ready for some new project tutorials! :)

You save 20% all Lifestyle Crafts products using the code PUMPKIN.

Linking up to these parties, TCB
Disclosure: I received dies to review and as always all opinions are my own.
Filed Under: Lifestyle Crafts, Paper Crafts, Parties, Summer Activities, Summer Crafts Tagged With: , ,

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