Friday, May 31, 2013

Kidecals Review: Delightfully Versatile & Crazy Durable Labels

Between school and all my daughter's activities sometimes I feel we are running all the time.  Each activity invariably has it's own collection of things that need to be brought each time.  We have two sets of dance shoes, numerous bags and totes, lunchboxes, drink bottles, binders, and more.  It's so easy for all this kind of stuff to get mixed up with everyone else's.
How does one manage to keep track of one's belongings?  Labels of course, but not just any label will do!  It's got to be waterproof, scratch proof, washable, and super durable - because it's not going to be much help if it's constantly coming off!  It helps if they can be really cute too, doesn't it?

That's where delightfully versatile and crazy durable kidecals come in.  There are so many choices that it's hard to narrow down which one is perfect for your kiddo.  It's really helpful that kidecals.com has categories so you search by gender, age, usage, and style.  The site is very easy to navigate and find just what you need.
We decided to order the Blast Off design for our little guy for this review.  It's little boyish but is also cool enough to be used as he gets a little older.  I was torn between this one and Robot Ready, but chose it because I liked how it had space to add a phone number.  My thinking was that if something was misplaced it was best to have a way to reach us.
There are currently three ordering options, shown above.  The Mega Set ($28) has 72 labels/24 two inch labels and 48 one inch labels and is the largest package.  The Everyday Set ($21) has 36 labels/12 two inch labels and 24 one inch labels.  The Mini Set ($21) has 66 one inch labels.

I requested the Everyday Set for this review because I wanted a variety of sizes to use.  Now that I have seen the excellent quality of the kidecals labels I would definitely recommend that you order the Mega Set.  It's a great value because for just $7 more dollars you get twice the number of labels than the Everyday Set.  Your going to need that many, once you see the labels you will want to stick them on everything!  They are so colorful, fun, and useful!  I really like the super shiny finish.
There are so places to stick your labels, the one inch labels are perfect for shoes and boots.  In kindergarten my daughter had the same pair of boots as several other girls.  They were constantly getting mixed up.  A couple of kidecals stuck right inside would've fixed that!  I also think they are the perfect way to make sure size all the jackets, sweaters, and hoodies my daughter wears and is constantly leaving about make it back home.
The larger two inch labels are perfect for things like the lunchbox above, when you want to be able to see at a quick glance which one is yours.  I have been really pleased by the variety of surfaces you can use any of the kidecals on because they're dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer safe.  I've washed the hooded sweatshirt my soon to be two year old son wears as a jacket several times and the label inside looks as perfect as it did the day we stuck it on. 
Kidecals have a wide variety of labels available for all ages, from newborn to tween and even parents.  I especially like their DIY and Gift labels and their really fun Keycals, which go over your computer's keyboard.  They are neat way to personalize your workspace. There is a style perfect for anyone.  Go check them out!

Connect with kidecals:
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Disclosure:A complimentary set of kidecals was provided for this review.  The experiences and opinions related within are both personal and unbiased. Photos and images courtesy of the sponsor. 

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Madagascar Math Ops Preview

Are your kids Madagascar fans?  The movies were some of the very first my daughter would watch and the Madagascar Penguins are her favorite characters.  I'm excited to announce that the FIRST ever appearance of the Madagascar Penguins in a mobile game is coming with the June 5th release of Madagascar Math Ops!
Join JumpStart in this problem-solving and puzzling Penguin mission!   Key features include:

See all your favorite Madagascar friends: Play along with the Madagascar crew and those lovable Penguins!
Hours of entertaining physics-based game play: Play over 80 levels of math missions with awesome types of jet pack upgrades. Your child won’t be able to put the game down!
Learn math the fun way: Explore thousands of math problems ranging from 1st grade to 4th grade, consistent with the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.
I will be reviewing it shortly but wanted to give you a heads up about this release of this cool educational app.  I'm excited to check out a fun way for my daughter to brush up on and keep learning over the summer, the fun way!

Even though it's before the official release date, I did notice that the Madagascar Math Ops can already be purchased at the following online resources: 

Amazon

It will be coming soon to:

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Disclosure: I was provided with a JumpStart promotional code at no cost JumpStart in order to test the products’ abilities and give my own personal opinions on it. The opinions I have given are mine and may differ from others but were not influenced by the company or the free product provided

Our Last A Crafty Soiree, #144


Hi Friends! 

This week's A Crafty Soiree is bittersweet for me.  I've had so much fun gathering each Thursday with all of you.  The projects and talent shared is really staggering, you all amaze me!  I've loved feeling like I got to host the very best craft night each and every week.  You KNOW we'd have so much fun if we all lived close enough to gather in person!  But we'd need one big room :)

Getting to know each of you, seeing the recipes you cook, the outfits you upcycle and sew from scratch, the furniture you makeover, the gifts you give, and the rooms you beautify has been like getting an invitation into your homes and lives.  Malia from Yesterday on Tuesday and I feel very privileged to have gotten to share 144 weeks of creativity with you.  I hope you know I've truly enjoyed meeting you and appreciate the time you take to come by and join us.

This summer I am taking a step back from blogging, not walking away completely, but I'd like a more open and relaxed schedule.  My little guy is turning two and has become quite a handful.  He is one busy boy and never stops moving - unless he's asleep!  He wants to play with Mommy 24/7 and is my little shadow.  My soon to be seven year old has a long list of fun things she wants to do this summer.  I think that the only way I can make sure ours is filled with quality time is by having fewer blogging commitments.  So for now, this will be our last weekly A Crafty Soiree, and I'll re-evaluate things in the fall.

Thank you all so much for celebrating creativity with me!  
Stay in Touch!

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Guest Post Invitation

Since I will be taking some family time I would like to invite Crafty Soiree participants to guest post on my blog.  I'd love to feature your recipes and projects!  I would like the content to DIY based with either some of your favorite projects posted on your blog featured and linked to or sharing a complete project/recipe with instructions or a tutorial included.  If you have a small handmade business you'd like to promote, that is fine but please include some type of creative how to also.  Email me or comment below, if you are interested! 

Features

This week my features are SUPER-SIZED!!!  I decided to feature everyone who came by last week, linked up, and left a comment :) (who was not a feature last week)  I'll be doing one more round up of A Crafty Soiree features next Thursday with projects shared this week.  Commenters will be considered first :)  Let's start out with some yummy baked goods!

Now for some wardrobe makeovers...

The last two features include a tutorial for a proven craft booth seller and a way to help keep the romance alive - with a free printable!

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  • Link up to four of your creative projects (No Etsy stores or other linky parties pretty please).
  • Add your link to the specific posts not the main URL
  • Add a "Crafty Soiree" button to your blog or posts.
  • Please comment on the post linked up in front of you. All party goers love meeting new friends... don't just stop there...if you see something that catches your fancy-- stop by and say hi!
  • Your hostesses would love it if you'd follow us. You can find Malia here.
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Let's Party!



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Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Project LIfe 2013: Week of March 24-30 + Easter Sunday

My Project Life weeks go from Saturday to Sunday, which works for me most of the time but Easter and our plans for Spring Break threw things out of whack for both making up my pages and sharing here.  Easter is a big enough event to have it own spread, so it does and it's below.  Spring Break is usually packed and this was no different because we took a trip down to Missouri for Brad's Grandmother's burial and memorial service.  It would've been tough to fit Easter in one spread along with Spring Break. So Easter comes right after this spread, as I mentioned before, and then Spring Break is on it's own packed spread after that.  I'll start sharing this busy time with two spreads at once.
The week leading up to Easter is mainly on this half, my Blush core kit from HSN had arrived - YAY!!! and the digital version of Holidays Mini Kit had been released so I had fun using my new goodies.

This half mainly little moments, one of things I love best about PL.  There's so many things that you want to record but that don't need their own traditional scrapbook page.  My favorite on this page is of LB and him being silly drinking from his sippy cup from inside a plastic container.  I also have bits about recipes we tried - one thumbs up and one thumbs down, a scarf review, Daisy Scout activity, and a nice sunny day.  ER had a play date on a day off of school and I used one digital card to journal about coffee talk with neighbors while LB naps and the kids are at school.  
The Saturday before Easter our town puts on an Easter egg hunt that's within walking distance from our house and we love that!  The kids go crazy and ER isn't aggressive enough to really grab all that much but she enjoys it nonetheless.  There's also face painting, bunnies to pet, and the Easter bunny makes an appearance.  We saw friends we hadn't caught up with for awhile, always nice!  LB was so not into the hunt, he is more of an observer at this time.  But both kids liked our tradition of stopping for ice cream on the way home.
Here is Easter Sunday.  I used some of the digital Honey cards to add journaling to my collages of the kids at home with their baskets before church.
The rest of the pictures are pretty self explanatory, the kind we take every year - of the kids hunting for eggs, standard family pictures, etc.  There wasn't much need for too much writing.
The stickers I used are like printed plastic and really sturdy so I put some right on top of the page protectors. A couple details were included on the card more for far in the future since I'll certainly remember the basics from this happy time.

Sharing at The Mom Creative.

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Monday, May 27, 2013

Baby Boy Scrapbook Page: A Favorite First Outfit

Hello!  Thanks for coming by for another entry into my Baby Boy Scrapbook Pages Series.  I finished this page up a couple months ago and have been excited to share it because I love how it turned out.

I got this sweet outfit from a friend before LB was born, it was so kind of her to dress him - literally from head to toe!  I fell in love with the darling hat and little loafers.  On occasion, LB would even consent to keep them on for more than five seconds!

I took him out on our back deck and found the perfect spot to prop him up in a corner of the landing of our stairs.  Then I managed to take what would end up being one of my first absolute favorite pictures of LB.  It's the one I highlighted on the far right by offsetting it's placement.  I used that one to make a canvas, put it on cards, you name.
Favorite pictures deserve a very special scrapbook page!  I broke out my Echo Park This & That Charming to use, it's perfect with the vintage feel I think the hat gives to the pictures.  Echo Park is currently one of my favorite companies to scrap with.  They often sell collection kits with a piece of each paper design, stickers, etc. It makes it so easy to get pages put together because everything coordinates so beautifully.  I am bummed that they come out with a seriously cute baby collection in March.  I've got most of LB's little baby pictures scrapped now, but I could've really used it a couple months ago when it was really hard for me to find a baby collection I loved.

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Thursday, May 23, 2013

A Crafty Soiree #143

Hello Friends!  We've got a night of thunderstorms approaching as I try to hurry up and get this done before dinner.  Since the husband doesn't like me to keep the computer on when there's lightening I've might not have tonight to work on and I wouldn't want any of my friends to show up and wonder where the party is!  So I'll be brief and just say, thank you so much for joining us each week.  Hope the weather is better where you are, although judging from the news it probably isn't.  A lot of rain  a lot of places.  {{Hugs}}
Dry Erase Board Desks ~ It's Not Baroque: Love this idea, what a great way to get a lot into your space, isn't the calendar on the side a great idea!
Strawberry Julius ~ Busy Mom's Helper: A cold creamy drink for a hot day
True Love Blossoms ~ Glamorous, Affordable Life: A pretty way to present a flower that bloom all season long, in the cutest thrifted glass cups
A Heart of Shells ~ DE GULLE AARDE: Bring a bit of summer indoors
Straw Painting Art ~ A Typical English Home: Angela got beautiful results that are frame worthy.  I was thinking this might be fun Summer Bucket List activity for both you and the kids.
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  • Link up to four of your creative projects (No Etsy stores or other linky parties pretty please).
  • Add your link to the specific posts not the main URL
  • Add a "Crafty Soiree" button to your blog or posts.
  • Please comment on the post linked up in front of you. All party goers love meeting new friends... don't just stop there...if you see something that catches your fancy-- stop by and say hi!
  • Your hostesses would love it if you'd follow us. You can find Malia here.
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Let's Party!




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Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Free Printable DIY I Love Mom Card for Kids by Education to the Core

Now that we've seen the Grandmothers for our belated Mother's Day outing I can share the totally cute little cards ER put together for them.  We made a quick accordion folded base and now it's more like a little mini book.  While we gave ours for Mother's Day, I wanted to share it even though it's after the fact because it would also be great for birthdays or any time you want to spread some love. 
We used this freebie from Education to the Core as our base.  That's just a preview of the download above  As you can see, it's really nice with some guided prompts and space to write and draw a picture.  You'll need to click over to the listing at TeachersPayTeachers to the packet that includes the color version we used along with a black line version.
To make our booklet I cut an 8.5X11 sheet of cardstock down to 5.25X11 inches and then popped it into my Martha Stewart Scoring Board and scored at 4.25 and 8.5.  You need to do this twice for each booklet.  The excess flap on one sheet I used to attach two pieces together and on the second I trimmed it off completely.
This will give you and idea of how we attached the two cut and scored sheets together.  On the reverse side, where the washi tape has been attached, that's the backside of the extra flap left over after scoring at 4.25 and 8.5 inches.  The tape is just decorative, a glue stick was used for the actual bonding.
After making our accordion folded base, we cut out each part of the book and attached with a glue stick to make our extra special card for the Grandmothers.  In the last section I added a little pocket to add small photo magnet we ordered on our school's spring picture day.  If we hadn't had that, we'd have attached a picture of ER with the Grandma the card went to. 

 I think it's sure to become a treasured keepsake! 

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