Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Monday, December 17, 2012
The Art of Shaving: Review & Sale
I had a lot of people on my list this year including some for whom it's impossible to shop for: the men. The men in my family are hard to shop for, seriously. So what's a girl to do? I started to think of past presents they have loved and I remembered a trip we took to a mall at the end of the summer. While strolling through we walked into The Art of Shaving and had the pleasure of watching a demonstration. We learned that a proper shave includes four steps:
1) Prepare
2) Lather up
3) Shave
4) Moisturize
I wanted to introduce my brother to these products as well but, since he's a pilot, I ended up picking the Travel Kit. He gets to sample all the different products without having to worry about checking his bag each time. Furthermore it all comes in a great leather carrying case that screams "Merry Christmas" and "Sister of the Year" :)
Are you ready for some shopping? The folks at The Art of Shaving are generously extending an offer to my readers. They will give you Free Ground shipping and $15 off your purchase of any The Art of Shaving Full Size Kit until 12/30/12 if you use Promo Code: 15offFSK at checkout. Simply follow this LINK and start shopping!
I'll be back with more holiday shopping ideas this week... until then, happy shopping!
Friday, October 26, 2012
DIY Halloween Notebooks
The kids are so excited about Halloween that we had to sneak in one more craft before the big day. With an early release from school (thanks Hurricane Sandy) and some time to spare, we got to work. We had made a quick trip to the Dollar Store the previous day and had gotten some cute mini composition books (see below). The kids decided to glam them up to include in some goodie bags they were shipping to their dear friends across the country. They glued some construction paper to the cover and then decorated using stickers and a black sharpie. They loved them so much that they decided to make some for themselves. They even made me one that I can't wait to use!
Proudly linking to:
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Vintage Personalized Dinosaur T-shirts
 |
| Stegosaurus for Oliver |
 |
| T-Rex for David |
I used the Sure Cuts a Lot software along with my Cricut to cut out each of their favorite dinosaur and the silly labels for underneath. I then used some fabric paint I got at the craft store from the clearance section (37 cents!) and ta da!
You need to heat set the paint, and the easiest way to do this is with your iron. I found a great article that explains it in great detail here. I let the paint sit for 24 hours and it worked great!
My son loves his t-shirt and has now decided he needs one for each type of dinosaur! It's a good thing they're easy and cheap to make!
I also quickly made this Angry Birds inspired one for my daughter's friend who was turning 6. I love the vintage look of these t shirts and especially how soft they feel.
Proudly linking to these awesome parties!!!
Friday, September 7, 2012
Journaling for the Heart
I love keeping journals but have found it hard to write since losing my mom. I have a lot of thoughts that I need to get down on paper but that's not always easy. Perhaps that's why I'm enjoying Ashley's project so much. She has a daily prompt that makes it effortless to keep up with the writing. As you can see from my pages, I didn't buy a blank journal. Instead I am using a day planner that my parents gave me a long time ago. It has a leather cover and I love the way it feels and looks on my night table. Every time I pick it up I think of them and it warms my heart. I'm hoping to be able to write about them soon.
I hope you will join Ashley and me on this adventure! I promise you wont be sorry if you do! I'm on Day 5 and already having a great time looking back through past entries. This would also be a great thing to do with your kids.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Baby Shower Gifts
Babies here, babies there, babies everywhere! In the past month I have been to three baby showers! I love making gifts for babies and have had a blast coming up with presents for all these new people coming into our lives!
Each baby gets a giant granny square blanket made with a different yarn. For this one I used multicolored yarn with an edging done in a sparkly pink. I love that the edge looks like a delicate ruffled lace edge.
I'm relatively new to crochet, typically more of a knitter so I used a great pattern called How to Crochet a Granny Square. It goes step by step and is perfect for newbies.
And lastly I put everything in a cute basket and wrap it up with some cellophane. I love the presentation and know one can never have too many baskets to organize tiny things in the nursery. Sometimes I get wicker baskets with liners and have the liners monogrammed, it depends on what I find and the decor in the nursery.
I also like to bring the baby and mom a gift once they get home. Along with the usual flowers and food I like to bring something that is personalized. Last week I decided to try my hand at some subway art for the nursery and made this for my friend who had a beautiful daughter. I created the "tags" in photo shop and then arranged them on a canvas using mod podge. I love the way it looks except I think next time I'll cut out the words using my Cricut and I'll paint them on to the canvas. I don't like the choppy look of the words on the canvas. I still love the idea and I'm thinking about making one for each of my kids even though they are not babies anymore.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Review: My Artist’s Way Toolkit
The My Artist's Way Toolkit is the online version of Julia Cameron's book The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path To Higher Creativity. Like the book, the online tool kit presents a self-guided 12-week program which include daily and weekly exercises. These can be done online and offline and the expectation is that throughout these activities one will find the artist we all have hiding within us. Lastly it is important to mention that it is a subscription based program so there is a fee involved.
My favorite part of the program is the weekly 'Artist Dates'. I love that they are specific enough that I don't have to worry about the what when I'm writing. This week's prompt was "Go to a candy shop and buy yourself some of your favorite kind of childhood candy." It just so happens that I am in my native country and so this was a really fun one for me. I got tearful while writing about my favorite lollipops that my parents, who are now both gone, always used to buy for me. Writing about these lollipops was a wonderful exercise for my heart!
My least favorite part perhaps is the writing online, but after two weeks I have gotten used to it and actually enjoy it. I also like that I can do the exercises from everywhere since I always have my iPad or iPhone with me. If I only did these exercises in long hand then I probably would quickly fall behind since my journal stays at home. I find I do most of my creative writing while waiting in the carline at school- sad but true!
A note to keep in mind is that if you cancel your subscription they will keep your data for 60 days in case you change your mind. I love that!
This is a great toolkit for someone that needs help in self discovery, it's a great "wake-up" of sorts to get your creative juices going. We all go through dry periods and I think once in a while it's a great idea to try something new. I'd recommend this as I find that for me it's been a great tool!
Please join me at the BlogHer Book Club page HERE for more discussions about the My Artist's Way Toolkit.
This was a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.
My favorite part of the program is the weekly 'Artist Dates'. I love that they are specific enough that I don't have to worry about the what when I'm writing. This week's prompt was "Go to a candy shop and buy yourself some of your favorite kind of childhood candy." It just so happens that I am in my native country and so this was a really fun one for me. I got tearful while writing about my favorite lollipops that my parents, who are now both gone, always used to buy for me. Writing about these lollipops was a wonderful exercise for my heart!
My least favorite part perhaps is the writing online, but after two weeks I have gotten used to it and actually enjoy it. I also like that I can do the exercises from everywhere since I always have my iPad or iPhone with me. If I only did these exercises in long hand then I probably would quickly fall behind since my journal stays at home. I find I do most of my creative writing while waiting in the carline at school- sad but true!
A note to keep in mind is that if you cancel your subscription they will keep your data for 60 days in case you change your mind. I love that!
This is a great toolkit for someone that needs help in self discovery, it's a great "wake-up" of sorts to get your creative juices going. We all go through dry periods and I think once in a while it's a great idea to try something new. I'd recommend this as I find that for me it's been a great tool!
Please join me at the BlogHer Book Club page HERE for more discussions about the My Artist's Way Toolkit.
This was a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)