Dice Alias Game Review

*I received the following product for free in exchange for an honest review here on my blog.

All opinions are 100% my own and honest.

With Christmas break these past two weeks I was so excited to have this new game to try out with my son.
This is Dice Alias by Tactic Games
This dice game is actually just one of the many variations of the Alias games, they also have Original Alias, Family Alias, and a junior version.

 If you've seen some of my other reviews of games here on the blog, you know that I love games that I can play with my son that are fun but also educational.
This game definitely fits that category!
Let's take a closer look, shall we?

Halo Birthday Cake

Everyone is posting about Christmas crafts, projects, decor, and recipes and I'm over here trying to catch up from almost a month ago...

Oh time, you never fail to amaze me.

Anyways, my oldest turned 7 last month and for his birthday this year he requested a Halo theme.

I have come to rely on this method of cake decorating now that I know how awesome the end results will be.

 What we have here is just tracing frosting on a coloring page.

I have posted this type of tutorial on my blog before for our Avengers Cake, Star Wars cupcakes, and Lego Star Wars cake.

 When my son decides on his theme we then turn to Google and find a coloring page we can use.

Click here to see and print out the coloring page we used for this cake.

Peppermint Essential Oil Review

*  I received the following product for free in exchange for an honest review here on my blog.

All opinions are 100% my own and honest.

This post does contain affiliate links, if you make a purchase I may receive a small compensation.

Thank you for your support!

I have to admit, I'm pretty excited about this post.

Essential oils have been moving up in popularity over the last few years and it's no surprise why.

I have always wanted to try them, but I never knew where to start, and I never knew which brand to go with.

I saw the opportunity to review this Peppermint oil from Simply Earth and I jumped at the chance.

I did a lot of research before I received this product because I wanted to make sure I knew what I was getting myself into.

First, let's talk about the company.

On the website under 'Our Story' they state that their goal is "...to create high quality products at affordable prices and give back."

That's right, when you purchase a product from Simply Earth 13% of the proceeds go towards their 'Cause of the Month'. This month the proceeds are benefiting The Hope Project this organization helps victims of sex-trafficking with counseling, therapy, and education. (You can find out more about The Hope Project directly at their website here) 

Listen and Play Zoo Bingo - The Learning Journey

* I received the following product for free in exchange for an honest review here on my blog.

All opinions are 100% my own and honest.

Well Christmas is just over 3 weeks away!

This really is my favorite time of the year. I LOVE planning and finding gifts, especially for my kids.

One of my favorite things is finding something educational, fun, and can be used in different ways.

So today, I am happy to share this review with you, this game fits in all of those categories, and I'll explain why.

This is the Listen & Play Zoo Bingo game from The Learning Journey

The game contains 4 playing boards, 36 animal cards, and an electronic button.
The boards and animal cards are all made of a pretty thick, sturdy cardboard making me think they will stand up to some play :)

No-sew Fold Over Box Clutch Tutorial

Last week, before the Thanksgiving break, I was feeling the need to be crafty.

I have had a few things in mind that I have wanted to tackle for a while, but didn't know what I really felt like doing.

Then it hit me.

In a few weeks I will be attending a work Christmas party with my husband, and I get to dress up.

Like dress, heels, hair, make-up.

This happens like once a year folks.

I was getting excited thinking about it, and then I realized that I didn't really want to take my big mom purse that doubles as a 'diaper bag' with me, but I wanted something small and chic to carry my phone, lip gloss, gum, etc.

I realized that I don't have anything that fits that category, at all.

I had thought about making something like this a while ago, and I already had all of the supplies on hand, so I figured if it didn't work out I had at least tried.

Well, I am happy to report that I LOVE the way this turned out, and I will definitely be using this clutch on our night out :)

So here is what we started out with.

Glue gun, Mod Podge, fabric, and cardboard.

SnapPower Guidelight Review

* I received the following product for free in exchange for an honest review here on my blog.

All opinions are 100% my own and honest.

I do not receive any compensation for clicks on links or if you purchase the product.

We have been hitting some bitter-sweet milestones here at our house lately.

With in the last 3 months my 2 year old has turned into a big boy :(

We got rid of the binky, he is fully potty trained, and the most recent event was taking down the crib and upgrading him to a toddler bed.

To be honest, I was pretty nervous to make the switch to the bed.

To get to our room from his he needs to walk down a hallway and then turn after a staircase down another hallway area.

He doesn't really sleep well through the night and will wake up a couple of times. I was really worried that one of those times, instead of calling me in, he would realize his new freedom and try to come to me on his own. 

I was nervous that he wouldn't see where he was going, because it's so dark, and would fall down the stairs.

Do you see my legitimate concerns here??

Here is where this amazing product comes in to play!

This is the SnapPower Guidelight.

It replaces your old outlet cover and doubles as a nightlight. It doesn't require any batteries or wires, and leaves your outlets free.

Homemade Yellow Cupcakes

I must start out by being honest here; I've never really been a big cupcake person...

gasp! 

I know.

The only time I will really make them or even eat them is for a birthday party or event, but other than that I don't really think twice about them.

A few weeks ago however, my two boys were begging to bake cupcakes.

I honestly have no idea where it came from, but we were going to have family night and that's what they wanted for the dessert that evening.

I hardly ever have a box of cake mix on hand, which is what I would normally use to just make them and get it over with, so we turned to Pinterest and found a recipe to try.

We’ve made some tweaks to the original, and they turn out pretty dang delicious every time! 

Since we had a success, and we usually have all of the ingredients on hand, these have been added to our 'we will make again!' category.

Bathroom Makeover Reveal

It's a cold, cloudy, snuggly kind of day today so I thought I would finally get around to posting the full makeover I did in one of our bathrooms.
We've been in our house just over a year now, back when we first moved in we kind of just put up some decor we had on hand and left it at that.
I've been trying to take one room at a time and 'finish' it, and this one was at the top of my list.
Not only is it our kid's bathroom, but it is also the guest bathroom for anyone who might be over as well.

I've got some before and after pictures for you, and I listed where everything came from or how I made it.

Let's see how it all came together!

The Learning Journey Color Fun Fish Bowl Review

* I received the following product for free in exchange for an honest review here on my blog.

All opinions are 100% my own and honest.

I DO NOT receive any compensation if you click the links provided or purchase the product mentioned.

My toddler and I are back with another review for you today!

This is the Color Fun Fish Bowl from The Learning Journey.

If that company sounds familiar it's because we also had the chance to review their Alphabet Fish (if you missed that review be sure to check it out as well, you can find it here)

Christmas is fast approaching and I have to say, this fun and educational toy might just have to be added to your shopping list, let's check it out, shall we?

Dragon Costume Tutorial

Well this a close one, no one will probably really be able to use this costume tutorial until next year, but I am proud of myself for getting this posted before Halloween!

Small victory here.

I mentioned this last year, but I will reiterate again for those who might be new.

At the school my son attends the children may dress up for Halloween if they complete a book report for the month.

If they do dress up it can't be anything undead, scary, evil,  etc.

Last year my son wanted to be Dracula for Halloween, but that costume wouldn't cut it for school, so he was Dracula for trick-or-treating, and we made him a spider costume for school. (You can check out the spider costume tutorial here).
This year, again, he wants to be Dracula for trick-or-treating, but knowing the policy of his school he chose to be a dragon there.
Like the spider costume from last year, I didn't want to spend a lot of money, so I went a DIY route with it.

Now you may be asking yourself, Why did she go to all this work for one costume to be worn only a couple of hours at school? (Don't worry, my husband asked me the same question...)
My response is, It will be worn/used more than once!
I made the costume specifically so it can be added to our 'collection' of 'dress-up items.

DIY Candle Holder

When October first started I had all these plans to decorate for Halloween and make everything look all festive.

And then life happened.

Between school for my oldest, my birthday, an unexpected/last minute vacation for Fall Break, making a Halloween costume, and more, I didn't really get around to everything I wanted to do.

Just this past week though I was able to hurry and whip up some last minute things for the house.

I had wanted to decorate our fireplace mantel with some little pumpkins where one of them was on a candle holder.

The only problem was, I couldn't find a 'candle holder' that I liked, or even one I could re-purpose. Anywhere.

I checked the dollar store, the local thrift store, even Wal-mart.

Thankfully I remembered seeing this idea years ago somewhere, and thankfully this was so quick and easy that I was able to finish it in under 20 minutes!

The Learning Journey Alphabet Fish Review

*I received the following product for free in exchange for an honest review here on my blog.

I DO NOT receive any compensation for links clicked to the product or if you purchase the product.

All opinions are 100% my own and honest.

My toddler and I had the opportunity to review this Touch Pad Alphabet Fish from The Learning Journey.

Let's take a look at all of the perks of this toy, shall we?

All 26 letters of the alphabet are uppercase with a correlating picture next to it.

The 'buttons' are actually flat and respond easily to a very light touch, which is great for little fingers!

DIY Beach Themed Canvas Art

Two weeks ago I posted a tutorial for removing the towel bar in your bathroom and replacing it with towel hooks instead.
It was the first post for our bathroom makeover. (If you missed that one you can check it out here).
We had some beach-themed artwork already in the bathroom, but I felt like it was a little out-dated and I wanted something to tie in with the other colors.
I knew I wanted to make something myself, so I went to Hobby Lobby and grabbed a 2-pack of blank 8x10 canvases. I think they are only $3.99 (and then use your 40% off coupon!)
I decided on a seahorse picture and an anchor picture.

I've got step by step pictures to show you how to whip these up yourself!

'Twix' Dessert Bars

I haven't posted a recipe on here for a while, which is weird because I've been finding some great ones on Pinterest that we've really liked.

I'm sure I'll get around to them, but I HAD HAD HAD to share this one with you all.

These are seriously ah-maz-ing!!!!

I actually first pinned this recipe almost 2 years ago, and just never got around to making it.

I am so glad I finally did though because now that I know how awesome it is, it will be whipped up MANY times in the future. I can't believe how much these actually taste like a Twix bar.

Sooooo good people.

This recipe is perfect to have on hand to use it at all of your upcoming holiday festivities.

It's also one that you can make ahead, and stores really well.

These only lasted a couple of days at our house before they were gone, and they were still just as yummy as the first day we made them.

LURAP Custom Clothing Review

*I received the following product for free in exchange for an honest review here on my blog.

I DO NOT receive any financial compensation if you click on the links provided or make a purchase from the company.

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by a representative from a company called LURAP (L-ove UR  Ap-perance). They asked if I would be interested in reviewing a garment from their website,

I was thrilled with the opportunity and hopped over to their site right away to see what they were all about.
The company boasts that they have sizes 0-36w and you can customize any piece for a minimal fee so it fits you.
If you've been around the blog here for a while, you might remember last year I was contacted by a different custom clothing company and offered a garment custom made for me.
You can find that full review on my blog, but let's just say I wasn't impressed (after receiving two dresses that were too big...)
Maybe that's why I was so thrilled with another opportunity here to have something made to fit ME.
That's the problem a lot of us have is finding something that actually FITS.
Something we don't have to alter.
After searching the website for a bit I made a choice.
The dress I choose is called Draped Midi Dress (pictured below on the left, that is the stock image from their website to show you what kind of fit I was EXPECTING to receive, and on the right we have the dress I ACTUALLY received).
Disappointing.
I will get into the details on that in a second.

I had picked this dress for a couple of reasons; I know the holidays are coming up in a few short months and I will be further along in my pregnancy. I know we've got a few events to attend, and I wanted to have something pretty, comfortable, flattering, and that I can dress up.

From the waist down the dress is wrapped, and the fabric is a cotton jersey. This would give the dress a chance to stretch a little over my expanding belly.

It's also machine washable, so, you know...super plus there.

The company was easy to work with and responded to emails pretty quickly.

I also sent my EXACT measurements and I asked to make the sleeves a 3/4 length instead of full length, and I excitedly waited.

A few days later I received the following email from the compay:

"Hi Michelle

We received an update from our design and manufacturing team that the hip size given by you was 32". Is it correct? According to them it should be around 36". Please confirm asap."

I was surprised they would say my measurements 'should' be larger, but I responded to the email saying the measurements I had sent were correct. I also asked if there was a reason for that, but I never received a response.

To be honest I was a little worried, and I was right...

Towel Hook Tutorial

Over the last week or so I have been dabbling in about 10 different projects around our house.

One of these said projects is re-doing our guest bathroom/the kids bathroom.

While I have not yet completed the transformation, (I still am deciding on wall decor...) I wanted to share this simple yet amazing transformation that has already made a huge difference, and anyone can tackle!

I ended up installing 4 hooks, and I've got lots of pictures to show how it all came to be.

Pictured below is our bathroom before.

Yes, I did paint the walls a fresh airy light blue color, and got a new shower curtain, but I will talk more about all those details when I post the full bathroom makeover. (Stay tuned!)

Right now I want to focus on where our towels were hanging. Or, I should say towel.

That's it, one small towel bar that only fit one towel with a very big empty wall...

Mamaway Ring Sling Baby Carrier

*I received the following product for free in exchange for an honest review on my blog.

All opinions are 100% my own and honest.

I am back with another review for you all today, and I am really excited about this one!
Today I am talking all about the Mamaway Ring Sling Baby Carrier. This baby carrier is a long piece of cotton fabric with two solid plastic rings at the top for the fabric to slide through, making the carrier completely adjustable.
There were many color choices to choose from, but I chose the 'Red Anchors' carrier which is white and blue striped with small anchors all over it.
My newest little one obviously isn't here yet, so I borrowed my cute neighbor and her 3 month old to test this out a little bit for us.
(I believe this is the 'koala hold' we have him in here)
She's not even holding onto him in this picture, leaving her hands free, and his little neck is completely supported!

Her verdict? She loves it! I wanted her to give this carrier a try because a few weeks ago I had seen her using a wrap carrier with her little guy, and I wanted to get her comparison on the two.

Wall Decor

I love looking through Pinterest and getting inspired by so many different decorating styles and ideas, and I wanted to share my own in hopes that someone else can be inspired too.

I have kind of fallen in love with this look, mostly because almost all of the pieces we used were already ours and they have a little backstory, which I will share.

Between our family room and dining area windows there is a blank wall.
The only thing that separates the rooms is the flooring, it changes from carpet to hard floor.
We have high ceilings which also adds to the large blank look.
I had a couple of ideas floating around on what I wanted to put there, but it took me forever to finally decide and get it done.

WEDGNETiX Magnetic Building Blocks Review

*I received the following product for free in exchange for an honest review here on my blog.

All opinions are 100% my own and honest. I DO NOT receive any financial compensation if you click on the links provided and purchase the product.

I have a review for you today folks.

It's no secret that I love educational games/toys for my kids, and these building blocks are awesome.
 This is the WEDGNETix Magnetic Building Blocks set from ImagAbility Inc.

This kit comes with 16 hard plastic building pieces; 4 green, 4 yellow, 4 blue, and 4 red each color a different size, and made of a hard plastic, as well as an 'idea book'.
 It's not an instruction manual, but it gives a couple of 2D and 3D suggestions for kids to help them get started.
The kit is really designed to encourage children to have a creative learning opportunity by using their own imagination to see how the pieces can connect and rotate around, letting them build whatever they want.
(There is also a 32-piece kit available).

Pregnancy Announcement and some advice

I've got some exciting news to share...

That's right!

We are expecting baby #3!!

(I actually started this post last week...so we are already a week behind...better late than never I guess!)

We are beyond thrilled and our little family can't wait to embark on this journey together.

I actually took the pregnancy test on a Saturday while my husband and oldest son were out running errands. I of course wanted to tell them when they got back, and it seemed like it took them FOREVER to get home!

I showed them the test and we all started jumping, screaming, hugging...it was awesome!

Brobee Birthday Cake Tutorial

Last week we celebrated my baby's 2nd birthday with a Yo Gabba Gabba themed party.

One of his favorite episodes is 'Birthday' where the character Brobee has a birthday party, and they have a Brobee cake.

My son talked about that for almost two weeks, so I knew I wanted to try and create one for him.

 *Before we get started, I just want to say that I am in no-way a professional cake decorator, or claim to be one. My methods might even be completely wrong, I just wanted to share how I was able to create this cake in hopes that someone else could benefit from the information.

PVC Pipe Sprinkler 'Ride-through'

We had an incredibly hot June this year.

Like low 100's every day for almost the whole month!

Needless to say, we needed some ways for the kids to cool down...

I grabbed my stash of random PVC pipe pieces, and after searching Pinterest for a few minutes, came up with a plan.

I saw a picture for this idea but when I clicked the link it didn't take me anywhere.

I decided to just try looking at the picture, and pretty much figure out what I needed to do.

I think the whole think only took about 30 minutes or so to get it done.

We have a plumbing/sprinkler supply store really close to our house, so we made a quick trip over there to find the connector pieces.

PVC Pipe Curtain Rod

A couple of weeks ago I shared the Color Block Curtains I made for my son's room.
I mentioned at the end of the post that I had hung the curtains with hardware and a rod for about $3.
I am back now to show you what I used and how it all came together.

We had a lot of pvc pipe my parents gave us a while ago, so I figured we should start using up some of it!

Patriotic Pinwheel Headband

A few weeks ago I was talking to my neighbor and her little girl was wearing the cutest romper!

It was red with white stars, the perfect little outfit for the upcoming 4th of July holiday.

I jumped at the opportunity to make her a headband to complete her look :)

Let's dive right in and see how this little beauty was made!

Liquid Chalk Markers Review

* I received the following product for free in exchange for an honest review on my blog.

All reviews and opinions are 100% my own.

Hello everyone, I have a review for you today!
I am so excited to tell you guys about these Chalk Markers by Stardom Crafts
These made my crafty little self so happy :)

 18 MEGA non-toxic markers folks, that's a lot of color options!

Superman and Wonderwoman Felt Mask Templates

About 2 weeks ago I received an email from a woman wanting to purchase some super hero masks.

Along with some of the masks I have previously shared here on the blog, she had wanted to see if I was able to make some Wonder Woman and Superman masks as well.
It was something I knew I could tackle, so I got to work.

I was super excited with my design and idea, and then I went online and saw a lot of different variations, with quite a few similar to mine, and realized my design wasn't really unique.

Oh well :-/ I was proud of it.

You can't really change up super hero images too much!

So along with the other templates and designs, here are mine :)

To start out, you will need to print out the FREE templates for these masks.

Color Block Curtains

I have kind of been on a sewing kick for the last little bit, and I have been loving it!

Since the Spring months have started the sun is naturally rising a little earlier each day.

Both of my boys are early risers anyways, but I wanted to make curtains for my toddlers' room so I could get him to sleep as long as possible...so until around 6:30-7...
This project was a lot of trial and error, I was kind of making it up as I go.

Quiet Book: Shape Matching

I was looking through my pictures the other day, and I realized I never finished posting my quiet book pages!

This shape matching page was by far the easiest one to whip up, and I love the results so far.

My almost 2 year old knows the names of all of the shapes on this page!
Each time he picks up a shape I tell him the name and color.

Satin Flower Headband

I am back with another tutorial!

If you remember, my last post was a tutorial for a skirt I made for my brand new baby niece.

This flower is the second gift I took over when I got to meet her for the first time.

I had so much fun trying something new!

I had seen a flower tutorial on Pinterest which used satin ribbon to make a flower, and I kind of followed that but kind of made it my own, I'll show you how it all came together.

Baby Skirt Tutorial

If you follow my blog through any of my social media options you have already heard my good news, but for those of you who don't, this past week my younger brother and his wife welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world!!

On my husband's side of the family we have 5 nieces already, and they are all a little older now, and I wasn't really crafting too much when they were all born. However, on my side of the family this was the first girl, and I wanted to make her something!

She decided to make her appearance 2 weeks early, so I had to get busy :)

I made this adorable polka dot skirt and a matching flower headband (I will post a picture and tutorial for that next, so stay tuned). 

iPhone 6 Armband Review

*I received the following product for free in exchange for an honest review on my blog.
A few months ago we were finally able to end our cell phone contract and upgrade!

We've never had the newest phone, but this time we were able to get a really good deal and we went with it.

The iPhone 6.

A few short weeks later I got myself a gym pass, and I was ready to conquer the world!

Ok, not really.

I was really excited to start working out again, it had been over 2 years...seriously!

 My first night back at the gym was awesome. I had time to myself to just listen to music and get a good work-out in.
No one was asking me for anything, no one needed me, I got some ME time.

The workout was great, however, I was walking around holding my phone in my hand the whole time, while trying to lift weights and actually workout.

I'm sure I got some curious looks as I tried to stuff  my new phone in my sports bra or the back of my yoga pants...

Those things don't come with pockets!

So you can imagine my joy when I got the chance to review this...

This is the iPhone 6 4.7 Running Armband

Zippered Pillow Case Tutorial

Guys, I am so excited about this post. What we have here is a Pinterest success!
So first, a little background...
A few months ago we were on the hunt for new couches.
We had owned a set since we were first married, over 10 years ago!
Our old couches were actually still in really good condition, but didn't fit our new home as well as we wound have liked. We ended up selling them and inherited a used L-shaped sectional from family.
After a few months with that couch we decided we wanted something a little bigger to fit the space better.
My husband also really wanted to upgrade.
We ended up finding the perfect couches, and after a couple of weeks they arrived.
My husband mentioned getting some pillows, but I honestly hated the idea of throw pillows. In reality I knew they wouldn't ever stay on the couch, they would be thrown on the ground, and I didn't want to give myself something else to pick up :)
I was browsing through Pinterest and came across an amazing tutorial from Corey at Tiny Sidekick for zippered pillow cases. The tutorial was so inspiring, and I really wanted to try something new.
This was my first time sewing pillow cases, and my first time sewing a zipper, and now I'm kind of addicted!
I think I want to make 2 more pillows now to go with these ones....

I've got a lot of pictures for you to kind of explain the process, but it's something that beginners can totally tackle.

Making a House a Home

About a week or so ago I was inspired by Compass, a technologically savvy real estate company based in NYC, from a new project they began entitled Starter Stories. 

The project is about bloggers sharing stories where they are/were starting out in a home, apartment, wherever, and how to make that place your own.

I wanted to participate, but didn't know where I would start or what I would share. I had lots of ideas floating around that were how-to's and DIY's, but one project from our past stuck out in my mind.

Since being married, my husband and I have moved 7 times so far.

Each place we have been in we have tried to make 'our own', but we weren't at most of those places long enough to do too much.

I'm so glad this project got me thinking though, because I started looking through old pictures and it brought back so many wonderful memories of our first home.

Here is a picture of our home on the left during building, and on the right was 5 years later when we put it up for sale.

We accomplished so many things in this home, and really made it our own, but one of our biggest accomplishments was this built-in entertainment center.

My husband and I had been married for about 9 months when we found this new community being developed.

No-Sew Quiet Book: Barn and Finger Puppets

We're making it through all of our quiet book pages.
After this one I will only have two more to post, so stay tuned!

I think this page one was my favorite one to make, I love the little animals hiding :) 

I had been thinking about making a 'barn page' for a while, I just didn't know what else I wanted to do with it.

I was originally going to make some animals and have a place for my son to velcro them on, but it somehow turned into finger puppets instead, and I am loving them!

Making the puppets is pretty easy, I have included some pictures below so you can kind of see how they came together.

DIY Magnet Board

Years ago I worked at a doctors office and in the waiting room there was an area for kids with a magnet board around the whole wall.

Ever since then I have wanted to make something like that for my kids.

Yes folks, this idea came before the days of Pinterest.

Gasp!  :)

As always, I've got lots of pictures for you on how this all came together!

(Sorry the pictures aren't the best quality, I used my phone for all of them. I know, I know...)

So here's a quick run-down of the supplies and where I got everything.

Quiet Book: Counting beads

I posted my Quiet book: Garden page a few days ago, and now I am back with another one!

Just so you know, I was originally going to combine all of the 'pages' together, but I think I like having each 'page' separate so my kids can play with different ones. 

Anyways, on to the tutorial!

(As with the previous page, this counting page is a no-sew version).

So as before, I used scrap pieces of felt that I already had in my stash.

Tested: Bathtub cleaner

Alright, I am going to show you a before and after picture, and I don't want any judging :)

We've all been there people.

 We moved into our new house about 6 months ago.

Everything was so new and clean.

I almost had anxiety from it, because I knew it wouldn't last long, but I wanted it to.

A few months after moving in we unexpectedly had the opportunity to put grass in our backyard.

It took us one very busy week to get everything finished, and at the end of the day we would be covered in dirt and mud and we were exhausted.

It was so hard trying to keep everything clean.

One thing that didn't survive well was our bathtub/shower.
I had some Clorox cleaner on hand that I have used plenty in the past, but this time it didn't do anything.
So I decided to turn to Pinterest.
It has all the answers :)
I found this blog post about cleaning a bath/shower and I already had everything on hand, so I figured I would give it a try.

You will need: