Wednesday, September 25, 2013

What inspires you to decorate your home?

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What inspires you to decorate your home? One Kings Lane just released this wonderful video (at the bottom of my post) that has completely inspired me to re-look at my home to see how I can update it. What I love about the short clip is how they don't remodel the entire room, just a few pieces here and there to give the room an entirely new feel! 


One Kings Lane has new sales pop up all throughout the week and each sale lasts 72 hours, so when you see an item, don't wait! 


They offer so many unique styles from fantastic brand names at great prices...head over and check them out today: One Kings Lane.


{sponsored post}

Upcycled Paper Dolls for Baby Bear

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upcycled paper dolls tutorial stamp

Baby Bear is such an enthusiastic kid and loves everything.. sometimes a little too much.  My aunt sent her a birthday card and she carried it around with her everywhere.  {I mean it has Lalaloopsy..wouldn't you?} So I got an idea how should could keep the card but in a way more fun way.

lalaloopsy card and scissors

Materials
Old Birthday Cards, Coloring Book Covers, etc. or make your own with cardboard
Scissors
*Optional*lamination material like this

homemade lalaloopsy paper dolls

This is really simple.  Now just cut out the people, animals, scenery and play! If your paper is really thin then you will want to laminate it, glue it to cardboard or put contact paper on it to make it thick enough to play with. The best part it, these are so easy to put into a travel activity bag.  Baby Bear loves to use her imagination and talk to her toys, so this is a great easy toy.  
little girl playing with paper dolls

Baby Bear couldn't wait to play, so she took them to help her eat breakfast. 

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Happy Birthday Baby Bear

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collage of naomi
I had no idea how much I was going to love you.
You amaze me every day.
Love, your Ima

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Diamond Candle.. Review & Giveaway!

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I always wanted one of these Diamond Candles  



I got my Diamond Candle in the mail and I was so anxious to open it and see what it was all about.  The size really impressed be because they are really large candles.  The candles are made of 100% soy from US farmed soy beans and natural cotton wick.  Plus they also come with a ring inside.  The company says that rings are worth $10-$5000. 




There is a silver circle that you can see on the outside of the candle close to the top.  The round thing is the sticker.  After waiting for the wax to soften, I used some tools to pry it off and lift it out.  


Here is my fake ring that was inside.  

I looked on their facebook page where people can post pictures and it looks to me like there is only fake rings in the candles.  This ring is actually pretty nice compared to some of the horrid ones that people posted. It still is really fun even though all of the rings are fake.  Plus the price this is a great for an all natural soy candle with a great scent {$24.95} and the burning time is said to be around 80 hours.

WIN your own candle!



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here is the website for Diamond Candles & Facebook
If you are new to this site, please Like Us on Facebook too! {see top right}

The quest for germs

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I do not believe in a super-clean germ-free environment for my children.  I don't use water-less hand sanitizer.  


 I DO clean and wash hands, but I want to make sure that my children are also exposed to some germs so that they do have a healthy immune system. Thomas McDade, a researcher at Northwestern's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences published some work on this "Contrary to assumptions related to earlier studies, our research suggests that ultra-clean, ultra-hygienic environments early in life may contribute to higher levels of inflammation as an adult, which in turn increases risks for a wide range of diseases,"  

I do frequently have my children wash their hands and preferable with triclosan free soap.  "Triclosan, widely used as an antibacterial ingredient in household hand sterilization products, breaks down rapidly when exposed to chlorinated water and produces toxic chemicals, including chloroform. (According to a study published on the Environmental Science & Technology research website).  The FDA classifies it as a drug.  The FDA also recommends that there be "further studies because it has been shown to alter hormone regulation in animals."  "It prevents the growth of bacteria and can even be found in things like It may be found in products such as clothing, kitchenware, furniture, and toys." .Eww! 

What does this mean for washing your hands? Will you still be able to get rid of the germs without Triclosan? Well actually.. "research shows that traditional soap and water is more effective at bacterial removal than both waterless agents and antibacterial soap." (Discovery,Fit, and Health)

Just wash your hands to stay healthy!

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Walk for Friendship 2013

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We were just getting back in town and got to enjoy the end of the walk party with Baby Bear and Mini Bear!






Baby Bear Tells A Fib

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Baby Bear started telling lies.  It was really really upsetting to hear her blatantly tell Mr. BBH something that was untrue.  I don't remember what it was exactly about, but I think it was about watching TV.  She asked me if she could watch TV and then she went up to Mr. BBH and said "Ema said I can watch TV".  

Then today I also got an e-mail from Baby Center about "Why Preschoolers Lie" 

'Your maturing preschooler probably gives you plenty of reason to feel proud: when he remembers to say "thank you," for example, or gives you an empathetic hug if he sees you're sad. So you may be thrown for a loop the first time your child tells a bald-faced lie. It's not deviance. An active imagination and a tendency to forget what happened ten minutes ago explain away most lying in this age group.'

I don't know if I believe it.. What do you think?

Monday, September 2, 2013

Rosh Hashana Gift Idea

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rosh hashana candy apple gift idea


We went to a wedding outside of New York and stayed at a really nice B&B called the Apple Valley InnIt also had a cute candy shop that makes caramel apples that are ridiculously delicious.  What a great gift idea for Rosh Hashana! 

They hand-dip and make all of the pretzels, lollipops, truffles and apples onsite.



 {it has an apple inside so it is healthy, right?}


here is a link to the store if you want to order.  Let us know what you think if you buy some!

DIY great for a Man Cave

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*Crafts from Camp*

So I made this awesome gift for my male camp staff member (bet you can't guess what his name is). (The girls all got something special and girly). 

Materials


Dustin was one of my woodworking staff members, so re-purposing this rusty saw as a gift for his college room was really fitting.  Since we are in Detroit, I chose a font similar to the Tigers 'D' and created it for my Silhouette Cameo in the Silhouette Studio by just using the font I wanted and doing a mirror image.
Detroit tigers logo letter D 
{I prefer my silhouette cameo for making vinyl decals over the cricut since you get to design your own shapes and can use any font you have on your computer} 

If you are using an electronic cutting machine, make sure you put it on mirror image and put the vinyl side down on the cutting mat.  It is much easier to cut the vinyl with the backing facing up.  {if you have any silhouette questions on set-up, please feel free to comment below}

Place your letters or decal on the surface that you want to paint on.  If the metal is too rusty, you may want to use the clear gloss spray paint before masking to give the sticker a surface to stick onto.  


saw with painters tape

Cover any additional parts that will not get spray painted with painters tape or your extra vinyl.

spray painted saw with vinyl letters

Spray with spray paint in even fast strokes.   You may
 want to a 2nd coat if the surface is not covered enough. I wanted mine to have a little extra dimension to it, so I added a few quick sprays of green.  Let dry fully before removing your tape and vinyl.

DIY personalized saw

Now spray with your clear coat to seal it and prevent it from rusting any further. 

Now give your gift or hang! 


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