Fun Friday - Kiwi Crate giveaway

I love sharing fun ideas to do with your kids and family so I'd love to start a regular feature on Friday doing just that. Sharing fun, easy ideas! I'm all about creativity and imaginative play. That's one reason why our family loves Kiwi Crates! I first shared our fun with them back in December when we created with one of their Holiday crates.

Kiwi Crates are shipped to your child with almost ALL the supplies and tools  you need to create several projects centered around a theme. They give you step by step instructions with illustrations and extra ideas for more imaginative play beyond the items your kids create from the crate. 

Kiwi Crate is now launching their single crates! Fairy fun, Space Hero, Pirates, Music, Robots and more! You can stock up on crates or any occasion including: rainy days, birthday parties, family fun nights and more!

Kiwi Crate wants to give 1 lucky reader a crate! enter the giveaway below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We had A LOT of fun with the Wild Safari crate recently. All my kids got involved (ages 4 - 12) and just ran with the projects and instructions! The crate really does come with just about everything you need! It's SOOO nice!
We decorated animals...

and yes even I got in on it creating my own polka dotted hippo!

(I shared this photo on Instagram! You can follow me through all my daily photo sharing)

There was a Wild Safari Jeep...

 that later took several "tourists" around the Savannah to sight see the animals.

We were entertained for hours - creating and playing. It has been fun for days. I can't say enough good things about Kiwi Crate!

 This is always a welcome site at our house and means we've had a good time and made some great memories together...

 Enter the giveaway above and snag a kiwi crate or two! You won't be disappointed! My kids LOVE seeing the green Kiwi Crate box arrive in the mail!

DIY fingerless gloves - refashion

The last of my sweater refashions! This one has minimal sewing.

When picking our your sweater make sure the arms of the sweater are tight - not loose or stretchy.

Cut the sleeve from the end about 8". Repeat on the other sleeve too.

With your scissors make a small cut on one side for your thumb. A very small cut because the sweater will stretch. Cut the thumb hole on the other sleeve on the opposite side (think of the placement of your thumbs)

Roll the bottom (cut side) of the sweater up about 2" and pin into place. Handstitch or use your sewing machine to secure it into place.

Add a button on the "outsides" of the gloves (opposite of there the thumb holes have been cut).

And you are done!

Catch all my sweater refashions by watching episode 1 of REfashion it

 and the separate tutorials for the different projects:

Sweater skirt

Headwrap/earwarmers - no sew

Bootwarmers/Legwarmers - no sew

Infinity scarf - no sew

Fun for kids - Tooth Tunes!

"It's like a concert in my mouth!" 

As a parent, I always appreciate when I hear about a fun new product or technique to "make things easier". And since brushing your teeth is a daily routine, I'm sharing my product recommendation with you! 

ARM & HAMMER Tooth Tunes toothbrushes now play One Directions songs!!

They are only toothbrushes that plays One Direction in North America. So why not combine a band and song they already love with a daily task!!! winner winner I say!

We have the toothbrush that plays "One Thing" performed by One Direction but my other kids have requested we get the other Tooth Tunes brush that plays "That's what makes you Beautiful" by One Direction. They each feature 2 minutes of music - to encourage longer brushing time - because that's what our dentist recommends! 

 

  

ARM & HAMMER Tooth Tunes isn't new - they have other toothbrushes with songs like, "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz and "I Got A Feeling" by Black Eyed Peas and more. BUT their newest Tooth Tunes brushes feature One Direction!

After watching my son use it and all the fun he had with it.....I'm tempted to buy one with a song I love too! (winks) The bristles vibrate and music fills your head!!! Its like a party in your mouth...or a concert!!! He almost forgets he is doing a regular "chore" and just gets to bopping and brushing! Plus ending with a big smile on his face and showing off those freshly brushed teeth!

The ARM & HAMMER Tooth Tunes have a suggested retail price of $9.99 and can found at mass drug and food retailers nationwide! So give your kids a concert in their mouth daily and see how much better and longer they will brush!!! and maybe get to singing more too...

psst! you can find ARM & HAMMER on Facebook too! Of course!

 

Disclaimer: I am part of the Mom It Forward blogger network. Mom It Forward and
ARM & HAMMER™ Tooth Tunes™ partnered in support of this campaign. ARM &
HAMMER™ Tooth Tunes™ compensated me for participation in this campaign.
However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Refashion your life - Fear of food - wk 8

 So the questions have been rolling in about "what does Chalyce eat?"...Well she is going to share some of her food journey with you today! and you might be surprised what she HATES to eat and never does! Even I didn't know this about her! Thanks for joining us each Tuesday here for Refashion your life!

If you didn't catch Chalyce's videos about her weight loss journey you can see her 80lb. purpose and her weight loss secret too!

Remember! today is a great day to START!!! 

There are always plenty of "tomorrows" (or so we think) but only 1 today! 

Make it count! 

Linky Time - IspyRefashion - plus $25 giveaway!!!

 Hashtag YOUR Fashion/STYLE pictures! 

**There is NO theme for hashtaging - just fashion/what I wore/style, etc**

1. share photos of you 

2. your paparazzi shots (store windows/mannequins/current displays)! 

Hashtag your photos this month - FEBRUARY - and be entered for a chance to win $25 from ME!!! Then you can go shopping for something new! ready - set go!
 

    Welcome to the new link up! The I spy {re}Fashion theme for

 February is SKIRTS!

  **it doesn't have to be REfashioned. This is all about fashion!**

Link up your :

1. DIY tutorials (new and old), 

2. your What I wore posts and 

Refashion it season 2 web TV show!

 I'm excited to announce that my second season of Refashion it starts today on the My Craft Channel network! 

 What is Refashion it? 

It's time to rethink how you view your wardrobe! Join ME each Friday for the next 11 weeks as I revamp, restyle and refashion what's already in your closet. From your head to your toes, everything is fair game. Second hand finds can go from outdated to modern and trendy. You can even refashion and upcycle clothing into useful items for your home and everyday use. Add some "pow" to your wardrobe that will be anything but off the rack! 

I've gotten some questions regarding this show and I'd love to answer them for all to see!

• Did you know...That I tape all 12 episodes in 1 day? YES!!! my entire season is taped in 1 day. I taped at the end of January. Then they get edited and released 1 by 1.  And I see them for the first time at the same time YOU see them and are released (it's nerve racking!!!).

• Did you know...That my shows are all taped in a studio complete with a crew, lighting and fancy equipment? It's pretty cool! I get to set and dress my own set tailored to reflect my show and personality. And yes the camera guy says "Take 1", "that's a wrap", etc...

• Did you know...12 shows taped in 1 day means I need 12+ different outfits to change into for each different show. OY!!! that's a lot of clothes and accessories to wear in 1 day! I only bring tops and I coordinate the accessories that hang in a baggie over the hanger with each blouse. Then it's a quick change. (p.s. - after changing that many times in a day you sort of don't want to get dressed the next day (wink))

• Did you know...that YOU can watch every episode!? It is a web based show so matter where you are in the WORLD, you can catch my show. You don't need cable or to be in the local "viewing area". You ALREADY ARE!!! (insert a big smiley face from me!)

You can even catch my first round of shows from last year if you missed them by clicking here.

• Did you know...I love to feature other Refashioners! I was able to snag some talented Refashioners to share a project with this season! I can't wait for you to meet them, explore their sites and also see what we create on the show!

(Here's one of my guests - Aleisha from SheCallsMeMamaLeisha.com)

• Did you know...Taping 12 episodes in 1 day requires LOTS of supplies! I had a crate for each episode full of it's supplies, finished projects, notes, etc. It's A LOT for your brain to remember and cram in there. My brain is tired!!! (if you follow my Instagram feed or on Facebook you saw some sneak peeks!)

• Did you know...That I'm "too tall" for the shot when I wear heels. So I wear flats when I tape. Except the first season. I was bare foot!!! I only wore heels (because that's what I do) and it just looked better to have them off. SO - without another shoe option I had to tape barefoot. 

(see this year I was smart and just wore flats) 

• Did you know...That my Refashion it show is all about getting creative with your wardrobe, sewing and NOT sewing and seeing clothing items in a whole new light! NOT to be confused with my video series Refashion our LIFE.

• and Did you know...You can catch the first show TODAY and then each Friday through May 3! I hope you watch! I've got all brand new ideas for you this season and lots of NO sew options too!I'll see you over on the My Craft Channel Network!

Art project for kids - from Meaningful Mama

Hey Brassy readers! I am so excited to share this idea with you from Jodi of Meaningful Mama ! 

I love the arts and creating with my kids and this super cool project does both! Give her some love! Thanks Jodi and sharing a tutorial today!

Sometimes I like to bring to you more involved crafts, like when I turned my children's photos into interchangeable blocks. I also loved turning my kids into their own magnet dolls. Apparently I like to manipulate my children's images. I've done the same things in this craft. From where did this vision come? The principal at my daughter's school approached me and introduced me to another teacher. He said, "I thought of you because there is an Andy Warhol exhibit at our local museum and his students are going. I thought that since you were an artist and former teacher you might be able to come up with a lesson idea." I almost laughed out loud, but I composed myself and explained that "artist" was a generous term. We will stick with "psuedo-artist" for now, thank you very much. I did decide to take his challenge to heart and come up with something that would bring the art of Andy Warhol alive to these kids, and out of that stemmed this easy craft you can do with your own kids. We loved it! So, what's the process? 

Take a picture of your child. Hey - take a picture of your dog or yourself.  You can do this craft with or for anyone! With Kenzie, I added a hair ribbon, and she already had some fabulous beads on her neck. Abby's outfit was a bit more simple, but it worked well. You want to make sure you have a pretty plain background and a clear picture. 

The next step is to crop it and turn it black and white. You will want to crop it to be a square. I use Picasa, but you can use an online editing program like Ribbet if you don't have a program on your own computer. You will want to print this out four times.

The next step is to color the images. Now, some of you art history buffs may be calling foul. You may look at these images and say they aren't exactly like Andy Warhol because we didn't color the face. You are right. Do a Google image search if you have no idea what I am talking about. I'm giving myself some leniency by saying that art is subjective and this is our own version. I'll tell you what, you are allowed to color the faces anyway you please. I kinda liked keeping all the skin black and white, but it's up to you. So the kids colored. I did one example for both kids on their own pictures. I talked about wanting to make each image different. I introduced the idea of contrasting colors end encouraged them to use contrasting colors where two colors would be touching. This project seem to be perfectly suited for Abby (age 5). It would definitely be a lot of fun for kids or adults of any age above that as well. Kenzie (age 3 1/2) needed a bit of extra guidance. I found the best way to get a cool product for her was to let her choose the colors for the different areas. Then, I drew a line around a specific section with the marker. She was then able to color it in well. The last one she did completely on her own without the added help. 

The next step was to cut out the square. You could use regular scissors, but I liked the straight cut of a paper cutter. Like how Kenzie has figured out how to get the pressure to do it herself? 

The final step is putting it all together. I used a piece of tag board we had, and I cut it to size. Then, the girls were able to glue their pictures in place.

There you have it. Your own, personalized Andy Warhol masterpiece. 

The kids loved it. The teacher loved it. I told him I could help in any capacity. Looks like I got myself a job back in front of a classroom. He wants me to come in and do the lesson. It will be fun to be teaching in a school classroom again. Just for the day though - trust me.