Chevron Messenger Diaper Bag

With each of my pregnancies I went in search of the "perfect" diaper bag -- something that was functional (love me some pockets!!!) and also stylish.  I went through several diaper bags but none of them was what I was looking for.  Wouldn't you know it, now that I'm done having kids I have finally found the perfect one?!

My sister had her first baby two years ago and being the talented seamstress she is, made her own diaper bag.  Brilliant! It has about a hundred different pockets and lots of personal touches. And it is CUTE!  I am seriously in love with her bag.  Not enough to want more kids, but you get the idea.  ;)

She's started selling them in her etsy store.  If you or anyone else you know is pregnant, you should check out this bag.  I'm telling you, you will be so happy with it! You can view it HERE.


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Christmas Mugs

This was such a fun project to do! I found these cute mugs at the dollar store and had originally planned to do this project with vinyl, but when I was asked to try out these Martha Stewart products I knew they would be perfect for my mugs. Every year, on my husband's side of the family, we do a siblings gift exchange and these mugs are what I chose to make for their gift this year! When I got the box in the mail this is what I found:

Im not sure who was more excited about what was in the box, my kids or me. I told my kids that they could decorate their own Christmas mugs and they wanted to get started right away. They were disappointed that when I told them they had to wait til December to make theirs. Ok, so there are endless possibilities to the things that you could make with what was in the box, but I decided to keep it simple and stick to my original plan.

Step 1: Clean off the surface that you will be painting on. I used alcohol as the products recommended.

Step 2: Place the letter stencils in place where you want them.

Step 3: Run a line of paint across the top of the letters and use a glass paint squeegee to drag the paint down.

Step 4: Choose an embellishment and place it on. I used a paint dauber to apply the paint for these.

I found these stencils very easy to work with and the paint was very forgiving. When I found smudges and bleeding, I took a toothpick and was able to clean it up easily. I had used a more fancy font on a different mug and I wasn't sure how I felt about it, so I left it until the next day. I decided I didn't like it so I took a spatula and was able to scrape it off easily and start over. 

Step 5: Let the paint dry over night and then bake it in the oven for 30 min on 350. This will keep the paint from chipping off.

I made 7 mugs and I love how they have turned out! I love this little reindeer that I used on Brandon's mug. I plan to make more for my kid's teacher gifts and for friends.

These are fun gifts to give out and you can put anything inside such as candy, hot chocolate, and maybe a little gift card.... so many options!

These were such fun and easy products to use. I was very impressed with their quality. My favorite product was the adhesive stencils, it was easy to use on the mugs to help them stay in place. 

I can not wait to make more crafts with the Martha Stewart products that I received! Marie is gonna fly out and spend a weekend with me to see what we can come up with together! 

What would you make with these products?

-chelz

If you want to find out more about Martha Stewart Crafts and Plaid be sure to follow them on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.

I received product and payment via The Blueprint Social (www.theblueprintsocial.com) for this post, however, opinions are 100% my own.

Linked to: Fingerprints on the fridge

Quick & Easy Cards with David Tutera's Card System

I love making and sending homemade cards to my friends and family.  We live in an age where most sentiments -- birthdays, anniversaries, etc -- are sent via Facebook or text.  But there is something special about receiving a physical card in the mail from someone.  

I absolutely LOVE this new line by David Tutera.  You can make personal homemade cards in just 3 easy steps. You pick a base, add some layers, and finish with embellishments.

Here are the supplies I used for my Thank You card.  I love that everything is already cut to the perfect size.

  I started with a white base and added a turquoise embossed layer.  For this layer I used a sanding tool on the embossing to add a contrasting color.  This is one of my favorite techniques to use!

Then I added the embellishments and a sentiment and I was done.  Seriously, so easy but still very personal and unique.

I even let my 8 year old daughter try it out.  She made this adorable birthday card for her aunt all on her own.  She was so proud.  :)

Here are a couple more cards I created.  I love that I can whip up a bunch at once and have them ready for when I need to send out a card.  And if I have to make one last minute?  No problem cuz it only takes about 10 minutes to make one.  :)

David Tuera's Celebrate Card System is available at Jo-Anns Crafts.  For more information, you can follow the David Tutera Paper Crafts line on Facebook,Twitter and YouTube.

Would you like to win some of these goodies? Three lucky winners will receive a $250 grand prize pack of supplies from David Tutera’s Celebrate cardmaking line AND a personally signed book from David. Twenty additional winners will receive a $50 Celebrate prize pack! 

Sign up here for a chance to win.

  DISCLOSURE:  I wrote this post as part of a paid campaign with David Tutera Celebrate and Blueprint Social. The opinions in this post are my own.

-marie

Product Review- NECTRESSE Natural No Calorie Sweetener

I use no calorie sweeteners on a daily basis and was excited to give this one a try. I have to say that I LOVED it! First of all it is the only 100% natural sweetener made from real fruit- monk fruit extract. The sweeteners I have used are powdery and leave an after taste that I cant stand. Nectresse actually tastes just like sugar and its texture is the same as sugar, so I really enjoyed that. I couldn't tell that I was not eating sugar!

I like to use Nectresse in my protein shakes in the morning after my workouts or if I dont have a shake that morning I sprinkle it on a cup of fruit. It tastes great! 

You can also use Nectresse in your cooking or baking recipes for a healthier alternative to sugar without sacrificing any flavor!

Check out what Lisa Ling had to say about Nectressse:

Check out www.NECTRESSE.com to get recipes and a FREE SAMPLE!

-chelz

*This was a sponsored and paid post. The views are ALL mine.

Pony Royale- Product Review

This post is sponsored by Pony Royale. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

We were asked to give these Ponies a try and we were very excited when we got them in the mail. There are 12 different princess ponies to choose from.  Sydney got the pony's named "Diamond" and "Starfire". She was so excited to open them up and start playing! These were so cute and fun cause you can change their hair and even inter change the hair and even the accessories. 

Each Pony comes with a jeweled birthstone blaze, two sets of hair and a hair brush. So, with 2 ponies there are over 60 different ways to change their look! There is a pony for each month of the year! Diamond just happens to be Sydney's birthstone so she was extra excited about that.

She played for hours and came up with several different looks and is already talking about wanting to get another one of the ponies. The hair and accessories were very easy to change and Sydney did not have any trouble doing it herself. The back of the boxes that they come in have pictures of all the available ponies and their names and she has her eye set on getting "Rosie"!

These are really fun and cute ponies and I wish that I had something like this when I was a kid. You will be able to pick one up for your little girl at Toys R Us towards the end of July!

Check out this cute video on the Pony Royales and how they came to be:

Visit the Pony Royale website for more information. Look for Princess Ponies in stores starting late July! Meanwhile, be sure to check out Pony Royale’s Facebook page and follow them onTwitter!

LeapFrog Brave Review

Thank you to LeapFrog for sponsoring this review. For more information about LeapFrog, please visit their website. #CleverBrave #spon 

My kids (and okay, me too!) have been anxiously awaiting the release of Pixar's new movie Brave. I was very excited when I was asked to review a couple of Brave products for LeapFrog.  We haven't had a chance to see the movie just yet but at least we could gear up for it this way!

First up is the Disney Pixar Brave Explorer cartridge for LeapFrog's LeapPad.  You get to follow Merida through a bunch of adventures to help learn to be brave.  They are so many different levels and activities which is great because it means it'll keep the kids occupied for a long time!  Landon, who is five, had a little trouble on his own, but with the help of his big sister they were able to figure things out.  It was so cute to watch them play together and get excited about finding certain items.  :)

We also got to try out the Disney Pixar Brave Tag book.  This was our first experience with the Tag and my kids loved it!  We read a lot of books in our house and this was such a fun way to read.  It is told in Merida's voice and can I just say I LOVE her?! She is such a cute character and of course her accent is just plain fun.  I could listen to her for hours.  Cailyn has been toting the book around everywhere with her, including the breakfast table.  :)

My kids love that they can read the book or play the games inside.  There is so much to do that I don't think they will get bored any time soon.  :)

Have you tried any of these Brave products?  Have you seen the movie yet?  I'm even more excited to take the kids to see it now!!!

This post is sponsored by LeapFrog. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Do Not Try This At Home!

Really, do not try this conditioner. It is horrible.  I bought this a week ago just to give it a try and I was not impressed at all. The shampoo is fine, but the conditioner is like using watered down Suave brand conditioner. It does not moisturize at all and leaves your hair feeling like you didn't even use conditioner in your hair. I will never buy this again. 

Has anyone else tried this conditioner?

-chelz

Ruined Laundry

In February, the kids and I decorated Grandma and Grandpa's dinning table for a Valentine's Day Dinner. I used a new table cloth that Buff had bought since it was red. A few days later, I ran a load of laundry. I made sure to check the label on the table cloth since I had never washed it before. (we were living with them at the time thats why I was doing laundry there) I get very paranoid about washing new things cause I dont want to shrink or ruin it. I followed the washing instructions on the label and it still ruined the whole load of laundry :/ I was so mad, so I decided to send Better Homes and Garden an email to let them know they had ruined a very expensive load of my laundry. I had 3 pair of expensive jeans in there and a few other items. (for those of you that know me, know that I am very picky about my jeans!) Here are just a few of the pics that I took... 

I did receive a phone call and was able to talk to a women that was trying to help me out. After a few emails going back and forth, and a couple more phone calls I was able to negotiate a $300 reimbursement. I was happy with that figure and I am now waiting patiently for that check to arrive!

So, if you have something like this happen to you dont be afraid to contact them. They don't always know something is wrong with their product unless you tell them. It was kind of a pain to have this happen, but in the end I am happy with the outcome.

-chelz

Things We Love Thursdays- Texas Roadhouse Grill

The girls had a day to ourselves when the boys were out at a sporting event, so we went shopping and then out to lunch! We chose Texas Roadhouse Grill! I LOVE LOVE LOVE their rolls and honey butter, so I was anxious to sink my teeth into them and I was not disappointed! I have a huge weakness when it comes to bread and these rolls are my favorite.

I had the Smokehouse Burger, they have a Sweet and Zesty sauce(AMAZING) that you can add to it for free. It was so big that I could not put my mouth around the burger and had to eat it with a knife and fork. It was a great burger!

Buff had the Prime Rib and it was so juicy and delicious! She had plenty to bring home in a box. The fries were great the service was even better!

I will definitely be going back sometime soon and would recommend it to those who have not tried it! The atmosphere is great and the food is amazing!

-chelz & Buff 

Product Review- Cupcake Soaps

The kids recently got a ton of crafts that were put together in a basket for an auction. My sister in law gave us one of the baskets that she won. Cupcake soaps was one of the items in there. Sydney of course was really excited to bust it out and try it, so we did.

They had a blast choosing colors of soap to mold and deciding what kinds of designs that they would come up with.

Ok, the only color that stuck together and was easy to mold as the instructions said was the white. All the other colors just crumbled and were really hard to get to stick together. They felt really dry and adding a touch of water did not help at all. So, that meant that I basically had to do all the shaping for them. It was really frustrating, however the kids had a blast making these.

Here are the creations they came up with:

The kids had fun and it was fun to spend some time with the kids. I am just really glad that I did not buy this or I would have been mad, but it was free and again the kids had fun anyways. Maybe we just got a bad one, if it had not been a dry batch I would totally recommend it for one of those rainy day activities to do with the kids. It is a cute and fun concept and may be worth a try for a better batch than we got. You can get them here.

Has anyone else tried these?

-chelz

- G*Rated was not compensated for this post.