Friday, January 30, 2015

Pottery Soap Dishes


These are some simple soap dishes that my son and I made at the Art Center. I wanted to try a couple different ways and had made 2 of each version, obviously you can tell by the picture one of versions only 1 of them survived. Sometimes that happens. :( Sometimes you just don't know what will break at different stages, so it can be good to make an extra if you have the clay and time.

Anyways, both version were made by slab rolling out my clay. I used an old metal french fry cutter to cur the side edges on the rectangle ones and to cut the strips in the weaved one.

On the bottom of the rectangle one I did attach strips of rolled coil clay to make a stand for it and placed them on each of the long sides. To make the indents, I used a rounded pencil to press it in.

The weaves one is just weaved strips and now that it is glazed it is sturdy, but my second one of that one had a weak spot on one of the weaves and broke when handling after the first firing. Oh well.

My son painted the pink and yellow glazed one by hand and I dipped the other two in the same glazes. We have all of them to my dad for Christmas. I don't know what he will all do with 3 soap dishes, but he will never want for another one. Ever. :)

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Review: Run Forever Sports Calf Compression Sleeves



My Thoughts:

I was happy to be asked to review Run Forever Sports Compression Sleeves. I own three different pairs of compression socks from other brands, but no sleeves. I had been thinking about trying sleeves because I really wanted to wear my favorite running socks that have good padding and arch support in them, but then I was missing out on the compression part in my legs that seems to helpful in providing support on longer runs.

I got these in a medium. I am fit in the measurements for the calf compression sleeves. They are quite snug, as they should be, but be sure you actually measure your calves so that you get the right size. I really like switching to using these sleeves from using compression socks for running because then I can use other socks that I like better for my feet for running but still have the benefits from compression. I also really like the black color. I tend to run in capri leggings that are black and my other compression socks with all their fun designs may be cute, but they make me look like I am a jockey. LOL! So, I only wear those when I am running in shorts or have long leggings. These I can wear with anything. Everything goes with black.






Product Description from Run Forever Sports:

HIGH QUALITY - These compression sleeves are made of premium quality, breathable & durable compression fabric made of Lycra 75%, Spandex 25%

PERFECT FIT FOR YOUR CALF: Our Calf Compression Sleeves are sold in a pair and they come in two sizes. The socks are perfect for men and women up to 6'2" in height with calf sizes ranging from 11 inches up to 19 inches. To get the perfect fit for the compression socks, Read our sizing chart below in the description to see the best size to choose

GRADUATED COMPRESSION: RFS compression sleeves offer true graduated compression. The pressure starts at 20mmHg at the top of the sleeve and progresses smoothly to 25mmHg at the bottom of the pair of sleeves. This ensures increased blood transport to muscles over the entire length of the sleeve.

SHIN SPLINTS RELIEF: Our calf compression sleeves also give you relief from shin splints and prevent cramps in your calves. They help increase the blood flow to help your muscles recover quicker. Make sure to consult your physician if you have health issues before using any compression aids

I was sent the above product for the purpose of review on this blog. No monetary compensation was received. All thoughts, opinions and photograghs are my own.

GIVEAWAY and Review: SKORCH Bag & $20 OFF COUPON #ad


My Thoughts:

I have 2 kids on swim team and we have found out that having a waterproof bag is a must. We had one bag for one of the kids, but not the other. I was thrilled to be able to review the SKORCH Waterproof Bag.

GET $20 OFF YOU OWN SKORCH BAG
FIRST 50 BUYERS

That coupon makes it almost 50% off. They are only giving this deal to the first 50 people.

This bag is huge! It is 30L. My daughter is using this for swim team. She passed down a different bag that was 25L. I didn't realize how much space 30L was, because this seems so much bigger. She can even fit her flippers inside as well as towel, swimsuit, goggles, swim cap, and all her bathroom products. I like that it is a back pack because then she can wear this and not hurt her back as much. All that stuff in her bag can get really heavy.

A waterproof bag is a must for swim team, So often the bag falls off the bench or they place it on the floor and if it is not waterproof, everything will get wet. No one wants to changes in to wet clothes, especially in MN in the winter.

My husband has commented that he would really like to have a bag like this for us to use when we take the boat out and I think that is a great idea.




Product Description from SKORCH:

FULLY WATERPROOF - Stunning White Waterproof backpack for men and women. Keeps clothes, cameras, phone and other possessions dry in all conditions. With a capacity of 30L this is our most popular backpack for almost all activities. Big enough to hold your essentials but not so big that it is too heavy for your shoulders.

QUALITY MATERIAL & LOOKS GREAT - Made of durable UPVC material this bag is built to last and worthy of our quality SKORCH branding.

EASY TO CLEAN - Because this bag is sealed with a fully waterproof skin, it is simple to clean and will continue to look great for many years to come. Simply wipe of any mud or marks with a damp cloth.


ONE LUCKY READER WILL WIN THEIR OWN SKORCH BAG!
Enter Rafflecopter below

a Rafflecopter giveaway


I was sent the above bag for the purpose of review. All thoughts, opinions and photographs are my own. No monetary compensation was received.

Coach Valentine Gift


Are you looking for a cute gift for a coach for Valentine's Day? Print off the above picture and attach to a bottle of your coach's favorite soda/pop.



Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Glow Stick Valentines with FREE Printable



Feel FREE to print off the valentine below for your own. It works best if you set it to print them at the 2.5x3.5 size with 8 on a page.


Then just put hole punches above and below the heart and slip your glow stick through the holes.



You can read a review on the Glow Sticks and see how we did a Dance Party with the glow sticks click on the post on Save Green Being Green.

#ad Review: Francois et Mimi Double Fruit Basket



My Thoughts: I was excited to review this Francois et Mimi Double Hammock Fruit Basket because it looks very attractive and was going to help free up counter space. I used to have 2 bowls sitting on the counter full of fruit but it took up so much space on the counter, so going vertical with my space was a smart option so that I could free up counter space. In the picture I have included the bottom row of bananas is 5 wide. I think I could have easily gone about 8 wide and fit them all in. In the top basket in the above picture is 2 very large apples and a large kiwi. Right now I have it filled with 6 grapefruit and 4 apples in the bottom basket and 15 clementines.



Product Description from Francios et Mimi:
  • Made of Iron
  • Two-Tier to hold more fruit 
  • Elegant Design
  • Made to last
  • Comes in beautiful gift box

#ad GIVEAWAY: CleanRest Pillow Encasements from Orkin


My Thoughts: Bed bugs can get in to your home at any time, especially if you travel. They can be good at hiding and get in your luggage or purse on on your clothes or attach to you pillow if you bring it with you. If you bring your own pillow with you when you travel, as many people do, because we become accustomed to sleeping with a certain pillow and other pillow may cause discomfort, then you need to protect your self from bringing bed bugs home on your pillow by covering your pillow with a quality pillow protector and washing your protector and case in hot water before using at home.



Play the Bed Bug Feud and beat the clock to make the leaderboard!

At Orkin, we use the latest technology and unparalleled training to develop an effective treatment that's right for your needs. To learn more about our pest control based in science or to schedule an inspection, visit orkin.com or call 1-800-800-ORKIN.

Orkin on Facebook: facebook.com/OrkinPestControl
Ask The Orkin Man® on Twitter: twitter.com/AskTheOrkinMan
Orkin YouTube channel: youtube.com/user/OrkinVideo



Each household is only eligible to win (1) CleanRest Pillow Encasement via blog reviews and giveaways. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. The prize will be sent via FedEx or USPS. No P.O. Boxes please.

ONE LUCKY READER WILL WIN THEIR OWN SET OF 2
CLEANREST COMPLETE PILLOW ENCASEMENTS FROM ORKIN
ENTER RAFFLECOPTER FORM BELOW

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I will be sent the above mentioned product for the purpose of reviewing them. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Content in this has been provided to me. No monetary compensation has been received.

Monday, January 26, 2015

Overnight Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal


Don't let lack of time in the morning stop you from making a healthy breakfast for your family. Plan ahead just a little and throw this recipe in the slow cooker before you head to bed. Then as everyone is getting ready they can head over to the slow cooker and scoop themselves out a bowl, no need to be hanging out in the kitchen cooking and serving everyone.

Overnight Slow Cooker Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Makes 3 servings

* 2 1/2 C milk (cow, almond, rice, etc.)
* 1/2 C water
* 3 tsp. stevia
* 1 tsp molasses
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1/2 tsp cinnamon
* 1 1/4 C old-fashioned oats
* 1 C peeled, chopped apple
* 1/8 C pecans or walnuts, chopped


DIRECTIONS - Spray the inside of a 3-4 qt. slow cooker. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and mix well. Cover and turn cooker to "low" setting. Cook overnight or for about 8 hours. Stir well before serving. Tastes great topped with a little whipped topping.  If your slow cooker is larger than 3-4 qts, double this recipe. Size matters with this recipe. The ingredients should fill the cooker at least halfway, but no more than 2/3.

Friday, January 23, 2015

Pottery Candle Charger


I loved this pottery candle charger I made for a friend for Christmas so much that I had to make one for myself (as soon as I was done making Christmas presents). Although, the one I made for myself (I will share it another time) I used these leaf mold to put on the edges. I had never used them before and wanted to test them out.

To make the charger, I slab rolled out my clay and cut out the pattern and shaped it on my mold (aka: a plastic plate). Then it was glaze time. I was thrilled with how the glaze covered. I am still a novice when it comes to pottery and putting stuff in to be glazed still makes me nervous because I don't know enough about how all the glazes at the Art Center work to make sure I get the best coverage. I do have some plates I made with a print embossed that did not turn out the best because one glaze didn't cover enough and a different glaze covered too much. It's all trial and error, but one of my goals this year is to start a pottery journal to start documenting my notes so I can feel more confident about glazing.

I also glammed up the candle, which was just a simple 3-wick Partylite candle, but I bought some skeleton leave on Amazon (after 2 failed attempts to make my own) and slightly melted the wax with a heat gun to press the leaves in to place so that I could tie some raffia around it.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Cheap Dance Party Fun with Glow Sticks #ad



My Thoughts:

We have plans to use these Super Bright glow sticks for 3 items since there are 100 glow sticks in this containers.

That is quite a bit! Usually I buy them at the dollar store, so the price on these is a just bit more but I can have the delivered right to my house and not have to spend any more money (I never can seem to get out of there without spending $20+) there. You can buy them on Amazon.

One thing we did with them is tape one glow stick to each blade of a ceiling fan at night and turn it on. It's pretty cool and the kids that it was a fun dance party. I just thought it was cheap fun to get them moving around before bedtime. You can see by the picture and the short video that is pretty cool looking!

The next is for my 3rd grader's science fair project and how the chemical reaction occurring react to a change in temperature. By doing this experiment I can tell you that we did determine that there will be glow for about 15 hours when left at room temperature. It does fade over time and is brightest the first few hours. They do still continue to glow pretty bright after that but because we were doing a science experiment we were comparing against a newly "cracked" glow stick each time check, so we were able to see the differences in brightness at each time check. We even reserved about a dozen so that she could pass out when she is standing in front of her tri-fold display at the classes come around to look at ask questions. Wish her luck! I will share more about this after she presents it at the end of February (she signed up and did the experiment right away, now the writing and display work begins!)

The other thing we plan to use them for is to attach to valentines. I will share that with you next week! I like the idea of giving kids something that isn't candy for a Valentine token. I did make special homemade valentines that correlate with a glow stick.



Product Description from Super Bright



  • The best quality - Long lasting - Super Bright - Durable
  • Create super bright glowing bracelets, necklaces, glasses and more!
  • Includes 100 units - 8" long premium quality glow bracelets
  • Fresh from the factory- Ultra bright and long lasting!
  • Non-toxic and CPSIA Compliant - Premium Quaility


I was given the above product for the purpose of review. All thoughts, opinions, photographs and video belong to this blog. No monetary compensation was received.

$5 Movies at Participating CEC Theatres & FREE Popcorn


Check with your nearest CEC movie theatres to see if they are also participating in this promotion. This is from the one closest to me. All Day on Tuesdays, EVERYONE only pays $5 to see a movie. And if that isn't reason enough to go, you can also get a free 44oz. popcorn with any drink purchase. What that means is for under $10, I can go see a newly released movie and have popcorn and an Icee. Sounds like a cheap date night or Mom's Night Out idea!