Scratch & Create Beautiful Works of Art

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


When I was a kid, I would get excited over those junk mailers that had "scratch here and win a prize" on them. They were covered in those lottery type scratch off foil circles that I thought were so fun to remove. Of course, everyone won the same time share or dollars amount off a new vehicle scammy type prizes, but it didn't matter to me since I wasn't going to be cashing in on those "wins". While I don't play with scratch off lottery tickets often, maybe one or two a year, I think half the fun is taking a coin and rubbing off the foil. There's something addicting about watching the surface flake away to reveal something wonderful underneath. As fun as it is, most of the time there isn't any payoff for wasting your $1 on such a cheap thrill. Thankfully, for those of us who take pleasure in scratching off those foil covered game cards, there's an alternative for us to get our thrills and ending up with a beautiful payoff once the dust has been brushed away. 

If you joined in on the adult coloring craze, you aren't going to want to miss this new artsy craze- Scratch & Create! With Scratch & Create books, you'll use a specially designed stylus etch and scratch your way through unique, colorful illustrations, giving amateur artists like myself a whole new collection of projects to reach. 

In Scratch & Create Hand-Lettered Life, you get 16 colorful scratch boards and 4 alphabet and ornament stencils that will have you creating beautiful quotes and works of art quite easily. Simply remove the stencil page along the perforated lines in the book, center it wherever you like on your scratch board, then get to work scratching away until your masterpiece is complete. 

The stencils make it easy for people like me who don't have an artistic bone in their body to still be able to make pretty pieces while having fun. You certainly don't have to use the stencils and can freehand your own drawings if you like too! 

Hand-letting is fun, but since I am a more whimsical girl, I claimed Scratch & Create Enchanted Forest for myself. 

This book's size is about 1/2 of Hand-Lettered Life, but you do get 20 postcards, 3 lettering sets, and a set of ornaments to help you scratch your way to beautiful, personalized artwork. Both books come with an easy to use stylus so you don't have to worry about hunting down special tools to scratch away the metallic foil. 

I think Scratch & Create books are going to be the hot commodity this holiday season, just like the adult coloring books were last year. If you can't wait to jump on the craze, you can find both of these books, plus several other Scratch & Create titles at Quarto Knows. 

Do you know someone who would love to receive a Scratch & Create book this holiday season?

                                                            
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Fabulous Environmentally Friendly Holiday Gifts for Kids Under $30!

Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.


I'm a girl's girl. I love to see women succeed. Yesterday was Day of the Girl, and it really makes you realize that women don't always get the same opportunities as men to grow and thrive and be successful in the world. I feel very blessed having been born in the U.S., and while it's not a total perfect system here, women have many opportunities to be just as, and sometimes more successful then their male counterparts. 

I am a big fan of not only supporting women in the workplace, but I also like to support small business, especially if that small business supports women, is environmentally friendly, and has amazing products. Recently, I was introduced to Pebble by Kahiniwalla and immediately fell in love because they offer everything I look for when shopping for my holiday purchases. 

Pebble aims to provide employment opportunities to women in rural Bangladesh, where women can work close to home, keeping families together and leaving them less susceptible to vulnerable or violent situations. Pebble has a deep commitment to Fair Trade, paying their 12,000 female employees promptly and fairly, and ensures safe working conditions while protecting the rights of children. 

The handmade items from Pebble are not only ethically made, they are incredibly adorable! Sure to capture the hearts of your children this holiday season, you'll feel good knowing your purchase is contributing to making a better life for women in Bangladesh. 

I'll be gifting this precious Horse Rattle and Corn Rattle to my baby nephew this Christmas. I love how vibrant the colors are on each rattle, how soft the 100% organic cotton is, and how beautifully each piece was stitched. You can tell each piece is high quality and made with care.

Best of all, both of these rattles are affordably priced at under $30 each! Not only can you find these cute little handmade plush, Pebble has a beautiful selection of hats, key rings, and nursery items. When making your purchases this holiday, be sure to keep Pebble in mind. You'll be helping to pull women out of poverty while putting smiles on your little's face.

If you would like to learn more about Pebble's handmade items, be sure to visit their website. Follow along on Facebook to learn more about how shopping with Pebble is changing the lives of women.

Have you started your holiday shopping? Will you buy more big box or small business this year?

 
 

Gear Up For Holiday Gift Giving With NFLShop.com #MyNFLFanStyle #CG

Standing at 6'2" tall, my dad was a big man, but his love for the Green Bay Packers was even bigger than he was! Many men dream of having sons to share the love of their favorite sports teams, and my dad was no exception. However, he got stuck with two girls, but he wasn't going to let that stop him from passing on the love of the Packers to the next generation. He made sure that my sister and I were present and watching whenever they were playing, which ultimately recruited us to the Green and Yellow side.

Christmas shopping for my dad was something I always looked forward to, because we always knew that he was going to love receiving Green Bay Packers gear as much as we were going to enjoy gifting it to him. Dad's been gone for almost 20 years now, but every Christmas I still like to browse for Packers gear that I think he would have loved. In the spirit of the holiday season and remembrance of my dad, I decided to gift myself and my daughter with some pretty nice Women's Green Bay Packers attire from NFLShop.com.

Yes, I have made a little football lover out of my own daughter as well. Dad would have been so proud that I have passed the love of Green Bay Packers on to the next generation also! Since Mariah is a jeans and tee kind of gal, I bought her the Women's Green Bay Packers Majestic Green Field of Play Tri-Blend Tee Shirt, which is super soft and comfy, and sports the classic team logo prominently on the front of the shirt.

I opted to get myself the Women's Green Bay Packers Touch By Alyssa Milano Formation Long Sleeve Thermal T-Shirt. The waffle-knit material and long sleeves helps me root for the team comfortably while keeping me warm.

Also, because I am a huge fan of working out, I bought myself the Women's Green Bay Packers Nike Green Core Fan Marled Tank Top. The lightweight and breathable fabric make it ideal for any fitness enthusiast to show their pride for their favorite team while pumping iron. 

 

I think women love cheering for their favorite NFL team just as much as men do, and I am happy to see that cute and stylish team apparel for women is easy to find at NFLShop.com. Mariah and I love our new gear so much, we'll be restarting our tradition of buying Green Bay Packers attire each Christmas, not only for our love of the team, but in honor of dad as well. If you are looking for stylish team apparel for a special lady, or even yourself this holiday season, NFLShop.com has a beautiful selection of NFL team apparel and accessories to choose from.

Check out your favorite team apparel at NFLShop.com. Also, follow @NFLFanStyle on social media to see the latest NFL styles!  

Which NFL team do you root for?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Get Holi-Dazzled This Holiday Season with SinfulColors!

*Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. No monetary compensation was provided. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.  


It's the season of all things glitter and shine! We are gearing up to deck our halls with boughs of holly and trim our tree in tinsel and lights, but what's more fun is getting ourselves holiday ready so we can wow and dazzle the crowds at the festive gatherings! We hunt for the perfect outfit, get our hair and skin party ready, but it's important to get a completely pulled together look by not overlooking all of the details. Adding a pop of colors to your nails adds the perfect touch to your outfit and ups your mistletoe appeal!

Most of us are spending a lot of our free money to treat others this holiday season, but SinfulColors wants to get you Holi-Dazzled without breaking the bank! New for winter 2014, SinfulColors is offering 22 affordable and radiant shades of nail color. Dreamy shades and illuminating textures mean there is something for everyone!

The new collection includes hot metallics, glitter flakes, gushes of gold, sea shades swashed with silver, opalescent twists in red and green and the most coveted shades of blue- from cerulean to indigo to cobalt. Add in a powerful purple, the snowiest white and perfect reds, the colors are all sure to boost your holiday spirit!

SinfulColors Holiday 2014 collection is currently available exclusively at Walgreens. They make the perfect stocking stuffer, and at $1.99 per bottle, they are affordable enough to keep you and your friends dazzling all season long!

Which of the SinfulColors holiday shades is your favorite?

Brown Sugar Body Scrub DIY

I love sugar scrubs! They leave your skin feeling so soft, and they are fabulous at scraping off the dead skin. If you use body scrubs, you know they they can be quite expensive in the store. I like to make my own versions, and I think that they turn out even better than those pricey ones in the stores! We made candy cane sugar scrub and this brown sugar body scrub and passed them out as gifts last Christmas, and they were a huge hit. We will be passing them out again this year too!

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (I like to use almond oil too)
2 tablespoons honey

Directions:

Stir all together until all ingredients are completely mixed together. Easy as pie, and smells just as good :)

Christmas Candy Wreath

If you have a little extra time and want to make a cute little gift for someone this year, this candy wreath is a fun little craft. This is what we gave our neighbors this year.


Start with a round metal wreath base. I got mine at Hobby Lobby for about $2. They also have smaller wreaths at the craft store, so if you are pressed for time or don't want to put forth a lot of effort, I'd go with one of those. Also, have an assortment of holiday candy and holiday ribbon.

Cut a bunch of different colored ribbon strands, then start to tie the candy in random order around the wreath.

Yes, it is a little work and does take some time, but I think the end result is fun and a little impressive.

On a side note, I had other craft idea posts planned for the next few days, but we lost power yesterday morning and it won't be back on for another day or so, so I won't be able to get those up. We are checking out of our hotel today, so I may not be able to catch up on other blogs and comments until after the holidays. I want to wish each of you a Very Merry Christmas!

Candy Cane Sugar Scrub

Today I want to share with you another handmade gift we are giving out this Christmas. We always buy the main teacher in each of the girls classrooms a gift card, but if we sent those to every aid and helper they love at school, we would be broke! I am a huge fan of bath and body products, but those can get quite pricey too. So, what's a mom to do? I hopped on Google and found a bunch of homemade sugar scrub recipes that would be perfect. They are very inexpensive to make and so easy the girls were able to make them all on their own. I found this Candy Cane Sugar Scrub recipe from The Idea Room. I ended up making a batch for myself and can tell you, this stuff is wonderful!  After I use it, my skin is super soft, which I can't say often in these dry winter months!

Ingredients

2 cups white granulated sugar
1/3 cup Almond Oil
Peppermint Essential Oil
Red Coloring (I used cherry juice to keep it all natural)

Directions

Mix the sugar and almond oil together in a bowl.
Add a few drops of peppermint oil.
Put half the mixture in a separate bowl.
In one bowl only, add a few drops of cherry juice at a time, mixing as you go until you get your desired color.
You now have one white colored sugar scrub and one pink scrub. Fill a jar with each of the scrubs, alternating colors evenly, and packing it down as you go.
Add a pretty ribbon and a label and you have a cheap, but wonderful handmade gift.

If you like this Candy Cane Sugar Scrub, be sure to check out the Brown Sugar Body Scrub Recipe too!

Handmade Holiday- Monster Book of Monsters

I've been feeling pretty crafty lately, so this year I decided to go more towards giving hand made Christmas gifts to my family. I'd like to share a few of them with you this week. First I will start with the photo album I made for my oldest daughter. This craft was inspired by our trip to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. As I have mentioned, she is a HUGE Harry Potter fan, so I was taking a mass amount of photos on that trip so she could remember every detail. My camera battery died half way through the day and I had to resort to using mine and my husband's camera phones for the rest of the day. I knew that when we got home and I developed the photos I wanted to put them in an album and give them to her as a gift. As we were walking through one of the shops, inspiration hit. I saw this Monster Book of Monsters right in the middle of Dervish & Bangles.

Why pass her a boring photo album when I can make my own Monster Book of Monsters?

I bought a plain black photo album from Michael's for $7, a bag of marbles for $1, felt for about $1, and some fuzzy material for $4 for 1/4 a yard from Joanne's, so this project cost about $13. I already had some polymer clay on hand, so I made some gnarly teeth to add to the book.

It was a fun little way to add more of a Harry Potter touch to the photos. I hope she likes it!

Have you made any handmade gifts this year?

Charm It Review

If your little girl is anything like mine, she loves jewelry. And if she loves jewelry, she is going to adore Charm It! Charm It, by High IntenCity is a company that specializes in creating fun, innovative, and quality accessories products for girls, tweens, and teens. Charm It claims that their products are original and detail oriented, and after receiving one of their beautiful charm bracelets for review, I agree!

We received the Charm It Princess Fairytale Gift Set. It arrived in a cute rainbow- striped keepsake box, topped with a pink ribbon handle. The set came with 1 7.5” long, fully adjustable silver toned chain bracelet and 3 charms- a unicorn, a princess tiara, and a fairy. While the pictures on the website are lovely, I have to say I enjoyed the bracelet even more after seeing the charms in person. The detail of each charm was quite impressive! The fairy wings are stunning and shine in the light. The crown is adorned with beautiful pink and diamond-like stones, and the unicorn’s colors really make her stand out.

Allison asked me for a charm bracelet for Christmas. After scouring a few local stores, I ended up not buying her one. All of the bracelets I came across seemed cheaply assembled, and the hardware looked like it would not hold up against a very active 8 year old. I was scared that it would break and get lost, and the charms I saw had the same hardware issue. The Charm It chain bracelet has nice, thick (but not bulky) links and the hardware is also top quality, as are the hardware pieces on each of the charms. I feel confident that if my daughter forgets to take her bracelet off during P.E. or her gymnastics class, we don’t have to worry about it snapping off and getting lost.

Your daughter already has a bracelet? Don’t worry! Charm It carries hundreds of individual charms that are each sold separately, you are sure to find many different charms suited to your daughters personality! You should also know that their private label division designs custom collections under license of Disney, Sanrio, and Nickeoldeon!

Each charm is reasonably priced at $6.00 each. If you sign up for their birthday club on their Facebook Page you receive a 15% discount coupon valid for the ENTIRE birthday month. How awesome is that?

How is this for a cute idea? Charm It necklaces?

I’m sure we will be moving on to that soon since Allison already has a quite a few charms bookmarked to add to her collection. Here are a few of her favorites:

 

If a special girl in your life is asking for a charm bracelet, rest assured, you will not be disappointed with Charm It!

You can find more information from Charm It, by High IntenCity on their:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

One very lucky Theresa’s Mixed Nuts reader is going to win their choice of a Charm It Gift Set , a $28 value!

While Charm It does offer a site for it’s Canadian shoppers, this giveaway is only open to residents of the USA, excluding Alaska and Hawaii, 18 years and older. Please enter on the Rafflecopter Form below.

I received a Charm It Gift Set for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was provided. The opinions are mine based on experience with the product, and have not been influenced by any other reason.

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