How about some LOVE from 4BabyAndMom +YouCanMakeThis.com?!

So after my week long trip out of state, my plane landed after 12:30am.. by the time I got home I was shot. I figured I could finish up pre-valentine prep on Monday, but I spent most of the day trying to get into the swing of home life again. So the day was basically spent calling doctors, setting up appointments, and all of that other fun stuff.

Monday evening, Babs finished her Valentines, and we attached her candy, and I realized they looked "cheap". So... thanks to Pinterest, I decided to make crayon hearts. Out to Walmart I trekked (on one of the busiest shopping days of the year!) and bought a mold, a gazillion crayons, and then went home- expecting to just whip up some crayons.

First, I will admit that they were a lot more difficult than I thought... unwrapping them, anyway. I used two different brands, just for some color variation. One brand was a little bit better than the other, but only once the hubster got out his razor knife, did the paper shells start coming off with ease.

We broke them into fourths, and piled them in the bowl. After the crayon prep was done, we put piles of them into the molds, threw them into the toaster oven (at 230*) for approximately 12 minutes. Fifteen minutes made the tops (back) turn darkest; at ten minutes, some of the crayon chunks didn't melt all of the way, so 12 minutes it was.

I placed the mold into a frying pan (just as a buffer) and placed it in the fridge. I checked on it in 10-15 minutes and turned it upside down, if they were cool enough they popped right out, if not, they went back in for a few more minutes. After I made about 40 of them, I called it a night. The last batch was the prettiest, by far, but I only took a picture of the second batch. The front of the heart (bottom of the mold) looked GORGEOUS!! A nice swirly (or chunky) blend of colors, but the backs of the first two batches were less defined, and more of a solid color. The last two batches had more of a distinct swirl of colors, but still were not as absolute as the front of the hearts (pictured above). 

All in all, I think they came out beautiful, and the kids enjoyed handing them out along with their Valentines.

Being pregnant and not feeling very well, I shamefully admit that was the extent of the craftiness this Valentine's Day. I did do Abbie's hair in a heart braid in the morning, but I couldn't really put my usual "oomph" into the day.

I love being crafty- really, I do. Earlier this month, I jumped at the opportunity to host a giveaway for YouCanMakeThis.com. 

If you've never been there before- you should definitely check it out. They have patterns for EVERYTHING, and tutorials showing you how to make many projects for around the home, kids, hair accessories, and so much more! They have great beginner items, as well as more advanced items- from crocheting, to sewing, and everything in-between!  

Our friends at YouCanMakeThis.com have offered one of our readers their chance to win this HOT Valentine's themed pattern prize pack!

To enter, just fill out the RaffleCopter form below- if you cannot see the form, CLICK HERE to load this page separately. (It may need a minute to load properly).
 






a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Elmer's DIY Spring Creation Contest! *GIVEAWAY*

It's official- we've relocated. The office is set up, the new house is sort-of set up (unpacking stinks!!), and the projects getting us in are complete. There's one more piece of furniture I need to still paint and make fun for my little lady, and I'd like to touch up my little man's dresser, but other than that- we're in!!

In the midst of reloacting, I was presented an opportunity to participate in the Spring Creation Contest. Elmer's put together a Spring Creation Guide to help Do-It-Yourself-ers to, well, DIY! They have five great projects, complete with a step by step "How To" guide for each product. I can't wait until we're a little more unpacked so I can really get my craft on!!

Did you know how many different things you can make (and fix!!) around the house using Elmer's products?? I relly put their products to the test while trying to come up with the perfect project... until that project came to me!

The first thing that I used my Elmer's Glue All on was the letters in Abbigaile's room. When we tell Abbie, "I love you more," she always responds, "I love you more than butterflies and flowers!" With those being two of her most favorite things, I took the idea and totally ran with it for her new bedroom. We hand painted flowers, butterflies, hearts and swirls all over her walls. The only thing missing was her name. I searched for letters to paint or buy to hang, and just couldn't find anything I truly loved. I decided to take two pieces of glittery felt and trace the letters of her name onto the back of it. Using my X-ACTO Gripster Knife, I cut each letter out individually, then we glued it onto the wall above her bed.

The letters looked perfect and were the exact finishing touch her room needed. I present to you before:

And AFTER:

Well, that's three out of the four walls, and my camera makes the pretty aqua/tiffany blue look more seafoam, but you can getthe jist of it. I had so much fun with the letters in Abbie's room that I had to add them in Alex's room, too.

So after I got those done, I ended up going over the edges of the chairs I reupholstered. The X-ACTO knife worked really well in providing a tight, clean cut. The Elmer's Spray adhesive was perfect for the corners before I stapled them. Then, while we were moving, something caught the headliner in my minivan, and made it balloon out.. Bri grabbed the spray adhesive, and in seconds it looked like nothing ever happened. A catastrophe was adverted, and Mommy was pleased!

So, with this contest underway, the item that I ended up making was a knock off of an item I had made 8 years ago when we got married. I had a great bowl filled with flower pens to have my guests sign in with, and add a special message to the newlyweds. This week at the kids school it's Teacher Appreciation Week. Again, in a house that I'm lucky to find the paper towels in, I scrambled to find a project to whip together for one of the teachers and came up with this adorable bucket idea. I purchased a small tin bucket, a small spool of ribbon, some scrapbooking tags, a lady bug and butterfly embellishment, and added some popcorn kernels, and daisy pens. The teacher had a red flower pen that she added to the mix, but all in all, I was pleased with the final product.

So, that's all I was able to finish, but I do plan on making the top of Abbie's dresser into a kitchen for her, decoupaging it with Elmer's. I have it all designed out, have "officially"started it, but am nowhere near completion.If I can finish it before Friday, I will definitely post pictures. What do you think??

Our friends at Elmer's would love to hear some of your spring craft ideas. Tell us now, and you will have a chance to WIN one of THREE Elmer's Prize Packs! Be sure to leave your email address in your comment so we can let you know if you've won.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

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This giveaway is open to residents of the US and will end on May 11, 2011 at 11:59pm EST. Three winners will be chosen using Random.org, and all winner information will be posted on our WINNERS PAGE and on this post. Please include a valid email address in your comment. If we cannot find a way to contact you, we will choose another winner. Special thanks to Elmer's for providing us and our winners with an Elmer's Gift Pack. As always, what you have read is strictly the opinion of 4BabyAndMom. Your opinions may differ.

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Sparkle Faux's: Save some Money on Shoes this Fall

Back-To-School time is expensive enough without having to figure in the trendiest accessories of the season. My daughter is 7, and like most girls her age, she's head over heels for Sketcher's shoes. Last year, she had to have HyDee High-Tops! She finally wore me down; after she brought home a great report card, I bought her a pair of these high dollar high tops as a reward. Of course, she did what every kid does when you buy them some expensive new duds--outgrew them in the blink of an eye. Farewell, $49.99 shoes.

When school shopping commenced this year, I was informed by my daughter that the new "it" shoe from Sketcher's was the "Twinkle Toes" and she HAD to have a pair. These shoes are adorable; they are covered in every kind of bling imaginable. I understand her want--if I could get away with wearing them, I would! But after the high top fiasco, I can't see myself spending that kind of money on a fashion shoe knowing she's going to outgrow them the moment I shell out the money. (These shoes run between $39.99-$54.99)

I had an epiphany while looking at these in the store--I can make these! (or something close enough to be acceptable to my daughter!) I have acrylic paints, buttons, and brushes in my craft box!! So, I went to Wal-Mart and bought a pair of $3 plain blue sneakers and went to town!

I painted random things like peace signs,arts, and rainbows, with acrylic paints and outlined with a colored Sharpie marker. Then I applied glitter stars and button hearts using fabric glue. They turned out adorable and my daughter LOVES them. All of her friends think they are adorable too!

So, if you're little dolls want some "Twinkle Toes", and you're crafty, why not make some "Sparkle Fauxs" and save a few bucks? :)

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Out of Office by FedEx Delivers Fun Projects for Families, Home, and Office!

Spring is under way and in most homes Spring Cleaning and organizing are also in full swing. Whether you've started out with hot-spots or whole house cleaning- "spring" is definitely in the air.

I've started reorganizing the kids room and the play room, making adjustments to our budget, and even started planning for summer. Since school gets out in just a few more days, I've been trying to put together another fun summer, packed with lesson plans for the kids to enjoy at home. The only thing I'm finding trouble with is arts and crafts.. ok, I should reword that- arts and crafts we haven't already done.

Thanks to Mom Central, I was introduced to the FedEx Office blog, Out of Office a few weeks ago. The different tips and projects they post is really motivating and guarentees to get your creative juices flowing. I've found ideas for baby showers, Father's Day gifts and DIY projects that the kids and I can do together, like making your own personalized bookmarks. We've made bookmarks in the past, but the kids sweaty little hands usually ruin their projects after the first book they read. The FedEx Out of Office blog suggests getting the bookmarks laminated at their store; I had no idea they HAD lamination at their store, so now I'm even more excited about our upcoming summer projects. 

Every summer, I have the kids make a personalized photo frame. They pick a dollar wooden picture frame from an art store, then we go home and paint it whatever color they want. Then we add foam stickers, letters, feathers, glitter- anything fun or interesting- and I snap a picture of them to specifically put into their frames. The whole project usually takes about three days, (because we wait for paint to dry; take the pic, upload it, then pick it up; and then decorate it). The kids love making this frame, and look forward to it every year.

Whether you're looking for project ideas or tips for around the house, in the office, or on the go, definitely stop at the Out of Office blog to see what kinds of ideas they have for you.



“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of FedEx Office and received the items necessary to facilitate my review. In addition, Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”

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