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!!!!

EXTRA ENTRY OPPORTUNITIES:

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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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Spin Master Toy Review for Boys and Girls!

Some really great toys and products found their way into our homes this holiday. SpinMaster, a Canada based toy company, manufactured a good deal of the items at the top of most wishlists: Bakugan, AirHogs, Tech Decks, and Moonsand--just to name a few.

SpinMaster has some great items for kids of all ages, and some were included as top holiday toys by Toys "R" Us, K-Mart, Toy Insider, Time To Play, Fun Fare, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, NAPPA (National Parenting Publications Awards), New York Times, New York Daily News, Forbes and Bloomberg.

Recently, Spinmaster gave us the amazing oppurtunity to review some of their new products, and my family was totally impressed by what we found. The items we recieved were the Daniella Liv Doll, Flick Trix Finger Bikes, and the Pix O's Super Home Studio.

Liv Dolls

Liv Dolls are Spin Master’s most talked about new toy this holiday season. The next big thing to shake up the doll aisle, Liv dolls offer a unique new combination of amazing design, fun wig play, high end realistic looking fashions, and great online content at a very affordable price. Liv dolls most popular features include:

• 14 points of articulation for greater poseability (versus an industry standard of 5-6) --This is one of the coolest things about these dolls. They can move and pose; your child 's imagination won't need too much help making this doll come to life. My daughter and I had alot of fun posing her for her rock star photo shoot.
  
• · Easy to change wigs so girls can instantly switch hair styles and colors, or even cut and style their doll’s hair--It is super easy (if you read directions . . . if not you will attempt to do it wrong repeatedly until you read the directions and realize how simple it is) Aside from the hair being gorgeous and feeling like real hair, the best part is that it is removable. Unlike the dolls of my childhood, who were forced into uneven bobs and rat nest ponytails, Liv dolls hair is easily remedied. She comes with two looks, more are purchasable separately, or she has a short do that can never get ruined (it's part of her head).
  
• Insert glass-like eyes --Another way to tell these dolls apart from your standard doll. Their faces are stunning, mostly thanks to these glassy eyes. They really make this doll look amazing. I also like the fact that these dolls look like different characters, they don't all look like the same exact doll in different outfits. Each of the four are unique in looks and in personality. Online, each doll has their own "space" and you can change outfits, read her diary, watch videos' and play games with your Liv Girl!
  
• Detailed, realistic fashions--And they aren't under-dressed, if ya know what I mean! No super short and revealing ensembles. The girls wear sneakers and leggings and look like fashion forward teens but are appropriate for a young girl to admire. This is a real selling point for me, I love that they are not dressed in a way that makes me want to sew doll clothes to cover them up.

Flick Trix Finger Bikes

Spin Master continues to be the leader in extreme sports play with its re-introduction of Flick Trix, the

original die-cast finger bike! With exclusive licenses from companies like MirraCo, Hoffman, Haro, Fit, GT, Mongoose, Redline, Hutch and more, these bikes are all about authenticity! Flick Trix also have a
patented front brake play feature and interchangeable parts like wheels, pedals and grips. Each bike
comes with realistic handlebars for display, or kids can install the included “trick bars” to make it easy to
pull real BMX stunts with ease. Ages 8 and up.

--My son flipped over these, he was already in love with Tech Decks (the finger skate boards) and wasted no time ripping into the package and creating some mini bmx's. His words:"The coolest thing about these bikes are that the chains and pedals really work just like a real bike!" My son is ten, and I think the age limit is pretty accurate. There are some very small pieces ( ie: bolts, nuts, washers) and a younger child may lose them before they had the chance to play with the bike.

PixO's Ultimate Design Studio

The Spinmaster Pixos Ultimate Design Station allows young children to make a wide variety of two- and three-dimensional sculptures and designs with no ink or mess. Designed for kids age four and older, the PixOs Ultimate Design Station is a clean and easy way for children to explore their artistic sides as they create original sculptures. Ages 4+

--Remember those old molds that you placed the cylinder plastic beads on, then lined with wax paper and ironed? Once they melted the beads stayed together in whatever pattern you had created with the beads? PixO's has taken that fun craft and improved on it by making it safer. No ironing. No plug. No heat. Just place, spray with water, and let them air dry.

The PixO's Ultimate Design Station came with everything you needed to get started. Beads in 6 bright colors, a handy compartment up top that keeps them organized and releases them one at a time, the handy PixO Placing Instrument that makes picking up and placing a breeze, and a built in drying fan that dries them quicker. PixO's are a great gift for just about any person under the age of 100 and over the age of 4. (Definitely something you'll want to do with your kids. It will be fun and save a mess.)


The products mentioned above were provided to me, at no cost, by Spin Master LTD. I did not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about this experience, and all opinions expressed are my own.

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Last Minute Gift Idea- YouCanMakeThis EBook Review + Giveaway!

With the holidays season in full swing, we thought it would be fun to showcase some quick and easy gift ideas you can give to friends, neighbors, co-workers, and oh yes…even your family!

Plus, you can enter to win eBooks from www.YouCanMakeThis.com and learn some fun new techniques, tips, and ideas not only for the people on your list, but also creative ways to decorate your home!

You Can Make This has created a free download for some fun gift tags. Each of them coordinate with ideas found as part of the DIY Gift Giving Series videos that can be found at www.youcanmakethis.com/blog , as well as designs and patterns found at www.SWAKembroidery.com and www.YouCanMakeThis.com.

You can also enter to win hundreds of dollars in gift certificates just for watching the videos that are part of the DIY Gift Giving Series and answering a question on the You Can Make This blog!

WANT IT?
Visit YouCanMakeThis.com and check out the patterns available to download to create handmade gifts for the people in your life that seem to have everything- or just for that special person!

WINNER!
This giveaway has closed. Disclosure: The eBook mentioned above was provided to me, at no cost, by YouCanMakeThis.com. I did not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about this experience, and all opinions expressed are my own.

Please visit our WINNERS PAGE to officially claim your prize.

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Fantastic Friday! Free Children's Activities & Crafts 'No Time For Flashcards' Website Review

Another rainy or snowy day in December passes as your children tell you for the 9 millionth time, “Mommy, I’m bored!” You’ve played about 42 games of Candy Land, colored all of the pages in the My Little Pony coloring book Santa brought, and organized the Legos to replica the pyramids in Egypt 10 times over.. what do you have left to do? The school break is almost over, and my children, along with many others are becoming quite stir crazy.

Thankfully a former preschool teacher, director, camp leader, Mom, and wife, Allie, put together one of the best preschool activity sites to date! NO TIME FOR FLASHCARDS was developed as a resource of activities for young children that promote play, discovery and learning. Children are intrigued by the sounds of songs in familiar tunes, lessons that are easy to follow, and crafts made with everyday items found around the house.

I met Allie, author at NO TIME FOR FLASHCARDS , on BabyTalkBio , an online parenting community. Instantaneously, my children and I fell in love with the arts & crafts, as well as all of the songs and book reviews Allie posts. Abbigaile is almost 3 and her favorite thing to do is watch the songs preformed on NO TIME FOR FLASHCARDS . She sits and mimics the hand movements, bops & dances to the music, and giggles with every funny facial expression. She asks for me to play them over, and over, and over again! My son. Alex, is almost 6 and loves recognizing the tunes. The words to the songs are always sung to a familiar tune, such as "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star". The crafts are easy enough for my daughter and interesting enough for my son. We've made homemade crayons, a rainbow of colors, and even tried today's post on NO TIME FOR FLASHCARDS - Free Art Friday, Yogurt Finger Painting.

Allie's beautiful son models all the arts and crafts, and readers often submit pictures of their creations. If you've never heard of NO TIME FOR FLASHCARDS, be sure to check out the Top 10 of 2008 for fabulous ideas to help your children stay active, learn new and exciting things, all through free play and their own creativity. The possibilities are endless and with the help of No Time For Flashcards, you and your child will never have to be bored again!

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