Katie's Nesting Spot: July 2012

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Project Life Week 26

Just a quick check in this week with Project Life. Heading back to the beginning of the month, can you believe July is almost over? Where did the summer go? After covering our vacation week so intensely this week is very simple, with no inserts at all! I know, shocking :)

The day after we got back from a week up north we were back in the car to drive over to a kindergarten graduation party. It was a pleasant time and nice to put off having to cook with the house in such a state of disarray with all the unpacked bags. The annual birthday outfits came from Brad's talented Aunt Cheri. This time was the first time she had another child to also make something for and I love how they coordinate. LB also got a little bear, just like the one ER got when she was a baby only personalized for him. I love that the both have such sweet little keepsakes.

The second half is mostly about the Fourth of July and how much ER liked setting off Pop-Its with Daddy. They are little paper balls that when you throw they make a noise. ER went through a ton in no time at all and I thought it was hilarious that most of the time she thought she needed to pop along with the Pop-It. The most exciting news was probably, catching LB taking his first few series of steps. He's been able to take one or two but now he can string several together and make it across the rug.

Linking up to The Mom Creative.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Review - Twinkle Toes: The Movie with Video Clip & Coloring Page

Out tomorrow, the Twinkle Toes: The Movie was a big hit with my six year old and I really liked the message for kids. In it, Grace "Twinkle Toes" Hasting enters a performing arts school after being admitted when the dance teacher she works for applies unbeknownst to Grace. Why didn't Grace do it herself? Turns out Grace has a seriously bad case of stage fright and can only show off her amazing skills when no one is looking.

Once there she immediately runs into problems when the reigning star of the school is threatened by Grace and makes her a target for mean taunts and pranks. With a nod to the times, this takes the form of an embarrassing dance video of Grace being posted online. It takes the help of her friends to prove what's happening to Grace.

Turning the situation into a positive, Grace builds on her Internet popularity to recruit viewers to contribute toward a benefit show the school puts on to help save their school when budget cuts threaten it's closure. She overcomes her stage fright just in time to be the star of the show. One message from the video that I really liked was, Grace learning being different is okay; that you don't have to dance like everyone else to have talent.

Another is a reminder to teachers, and really all adults, that what we say to kids can really have an impact. Turns out something a teacher said to Grace is what started her stage fright to begin with. While I don't say harsh things like that to my daughter, I did I find myself biting my tongue later on when I got frustrated practicing sight words with my daughter and on the verge of asking her how could she not know that word yet! Instead I moved had her move onto practicing her handwriting while I got my cool back!

Overall, Twinkle Toes: The Movie is an enjoyable video for elementary aged kids, especially those that enjoy dance, and that does a good job of addressing fears your child might share with a good resolution.

Here is a clip of Grace showing off her skills before a board of judges, determining if she can stay at the school. She tries to get around her stage fright, by closing her eyes while performing.

Buy Twinkle Toes on Amazon.com, also available at your favorite local retailers: Walmart, Target, and Sketchers stores. You can also learn more and play games on the Twinkle Toes website.

Disclaimer: A complimentary review copy was provided. The experiences and opinions related within are personal and unbiased.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

GUND's Top Dog Contest

Dog owners and animal lovers I have a really cute sounding contest to tell you about! Inspired by the wildly-popular "World's Cutest Dog" Boo stuffed dog from GUND, the first ever "Top Dog" contest is currently going on. They're looking for your canine friend's best picture! Submit photos of your four-footed friends on the GUND Facebook page in one or all of the four categories:

Most Beautiful Dog

Ugliest Dog

"Doganista"/Best Dressed Dog

Dog that Most Resembles its Owner

C'mon now I know all you proud doggy owners have got loads of pictures you could enter! So head on over and do it for a chance...and here's the most exciting part... for a chance at having your dog become a limited edition GUND plush just like the Boo!!! Only this time it might be your pet pooch available at toy and gift stores in 2013. Now that is one cool prize! Imagine going into stores and seeing your pet on the shelves, you'd have some serious bragging rights!

But hurry, you only have until August 5, 2012 to upload your photos to GUND's Facebook page! (www.facebook.com/GottaGettaGUND) Then get ready to vote from August 6-15. Winners will be chosen the week of August 20^th and announced the week of August 27^th.

If Facebook isn't your thing, then you can also take part of GUND's "Most Pinteresting Dog" Contest and post your entry on your Pinterest boards, tagged with @GUNDMostPinterestingDog. Then just submit your link to GUND at MostPinterestingDog@GUND.com. The “Most Pinteresting Dog” Contest winner will be selected based on the number of times the entry is “liked” on the GUND Pinterest board and the winner will receive a selection of GUND products valued at $250 retail.

For complete rules, see “Top Dog” Contest and “Most Pinteresting Dog” Contest rules at www.GUND.com.

Disclosure: I'm sharing this contest with my readers because 1) I think it's pretty cool and 2) I'll receive a cute GUND plush dog for my kiddo, who loves doggies! But mainly because I know lots of proud doggy parents who'd love this fun and simple way to show off their pooch. Information was provided via a PR rep.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

A Crafty Soiree #100

Can you believe it? It's our 100th Crafty Soiree! Thank you to everyone who's been here since the beginning and to those who've joined us along the way, we're so glad you did too. I love meeting all of you and getting to see your amazing projects each week! Malia and I are going to have an anniversary celebration in the fall, which is when we began our linky party and you're all invited! If you'd like to a part of it, be sure to drop us a line :) Onto the par-tay!

I've always loved chalkboard paint and really appreciate Amy's tips on Cup of Delight for how to turn any paint into chalkboard paint. Plus that is one adorable nursery sign.

I recently made a really yummy crock pot recipe, not something we do very often, but I loved how easy it was to have a good meal waiting for us after a long day outside. Pair that with Chicken and Dumplings and this made my Dinner is Ready board, right away. Can't wait to try the yummy looking version from Lady in the Red Rocker.

I have always wanted to know how to make a t-shirt quilt and was always a bit nervous about sewing knits. Alex's tutorial at Crafting with My Cubs makes me feel like it really might be something I could tackle.

I've looked at those jelly rolls before and loved the idea of them but always thought they had to be made into quilts or something like that. I love how Rachel at Adventures of a DIY Mom made them into skirts. Not only are they super cute but she also points out how cost effect it is too!

Erin at Kaminski's Creations turned a one dollar shutter into this cottage chic photo display! The bunting is what really makes this for me!

Party Guidelines

1. Link up to four of your creative projects (No Etsy stores or other linky parties pretty please).

2. Add your link to the specific posts not the main URL.

3. Add a "Crafty Soiree" button to your blog or posts.

4. Please comment on the post linked up in front of you. All partygoers love meeting new friends... don't just stop there...if you see something that catches your fancy-- stop by and say hi!

5. Your hostesses would love it if you'd follow us. You can find Malia here.

Let's Party!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Summer Day Camp Project #3: Friendship Pins with The Craft Nest

The next kid's craft project is up and it's a classic; one I remember fondly from my own childhood.

Learn how to make friendship pins like these at The Craft Nest with Alanna! I remember pinning a bunch of these to my school backpack and swapping them with my friends, fun! To see all of the Summer Day Camp Projects, click here.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Project Life: Week 25 Cont.Vacation Week Part 2

Whew, was it a lot of work doing a page a day for our week long vacation! It took me much longer than I thought it would. While I don't know if I'll ever do that again, now that I have the pages done, I love how much detail I was able to record for each one. I've never done Ali Edward's Week in a Life, but I imagine doing so feels a lot like what I just did...only perhaps even harder because I think that's even more indepth!

While I shared most of the pages from Week 25 last week, these last two actually almost as long to finish. I think it's because by then I was kind of feeling, done. Oh so done. Know what I mean? And I wasn't nearly as good about taking notes and writing down memories each night during the second half of the trip. I had write everything without the benefit of being able to copy and paste from blog posts. I may never publish them, but it's a handy way to write and save while on the go. I resorted to getting some help from sites for the various places we went, to get facts right, and for a push when the creative juices weren't exactly flowing.

I'm going to show mainly photos, so if you have any questions please leave them in the comments. I continued to sew up my own page protectors for the brochures, a very handy technique that if you haven't tried I recommend you do! I was afraid to sew on plastic for a long time but now I can't seem to stop! I had three inserts for Day 5, where I told the longer stories so the layouts could be mainly photos.

This insert is a page protector is the old Design A cut in half. I think I'll have to add a tab so it stands out a bit more from the right side.

Back of the half page insert and the right side of the layout, uses a page protector from We R Memory Keepers. I've been pretty happy with this style, but the long 12X2 piece does tend to slip out. You can see what I mean in the top photo.

Day 6 the final day of the trip and also concluded my first Project Life album. Since it's also the end of June I thought it was a good time to start a new one so the year will be broken into six months in each. I haven't done the front or end pages yet.

This is also a page protector from We R Memory Keepers. I did the journaling on vellum but I think it's a bit hard to read. I will probably reprint it onto cardstock and change it. I'm excited to be creative with the end page of Project Life, Book 1 as the otherside is my last one in this album! I can't believe that after so many years of starting and failing I've made it this far.

I continued to use a lot of Scooter's Vacation by Imaginisce and added a couple of wood banners from My Mind's Eye. Oh how I love those! The bigger layered labels with the day number and retired Girls are Weird die cut alphabet both by all Sizzix for the Sidekick.

I'm sharing as usual at The Mom Creative.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Carmex Giveaway Featuring the New Pomegranate Stick!

Carmex is one of my favorite companies to work with, because I used their original Carmex jar for years. It's been very cool to see all the new products they've come out, especially making Carmex available in tubes and my personal favorite, as a handy stick so it's easier then ever to take it with me and apply without getting sticky fingers.

My favorite Carmex updates, have been the addition of all the great flavors, previously my favorite was Lime Twist but the newest may have gotten a slight edge on it. I just got the new Pomegranate stick and it smells soooo good, light, and perfect for summer. It's gone every where I go since it arrived and it's even good for the pool, it's water resistant for 80 minutes! As I don't really swim anymore and just supervise my six year old and splash a bit with my 11 month old it's the perfect lip protectant because it's also got broad spectrum SPF 15.

Please use Rafflecopter below to enter a giveaway for a Summer Carmex Prize Pack with all six flavors of Carmex sticks with SPF, including the new Pomegranate, all in a cute beach tote! (Email subscribers may need to click over to the post to enter.)
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Disclaimer: A complimentary identical prize pack was provided. All experiences and opinions expressed within are personal and unbiased. No other compensation was received.

Friday, July 20, 2012

Summer Day Camp Project #2 Featuring Ninth Street Notions

Hi Everyone! I hope you've got a wonderful weekend planned. We are extra busy because it's ER's sixth birthday on Saturday! Before I head off to her birthday party at the pool with her little friends, I wanted to pop in and share the second project for the Summer Day Camp Alanna from The Craft Nest is coordinating.

It's a great one from Amanda at Ninth Street Notions. Her Found Object Mobile is the perfect thing to use up all the bits and pieces you kids find, and that normally end up in their pockets.

Enjoy! See all the Summer Camp Projects, here.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

A Crafty Soiree #99

My baby is going to be SIX years old this weekend! I can't believe I'm going to have a first grader in the fall and she's going to be gone all day long. It makes me sad just thinking of it. I'm going to miss her so much. So since I'm having a mommy moment, I had to pick sweet baby things for the features this week.

Allie at Raising Daisies made these cute DIY Nursery Wall Letters for a lot less than it would be to purchase them. I think they'd look cute on a big girl's wall too.

Emily's Year of Onesies is a coulda shoulda woulda project of mine as in I wanted to make them before we had our second but never got around to it. Now I am kicking myself for not doing it!

After finding this sweet little dress, Tonna from The Navy Wifey Peters realized her little one needed something to cover up her diaper so she made the cutest little matching patchwork bloomers. Just darling!

Lil' Mrs. Tori recently through a really lovely looking Garden Party Shower for a friend and I love that it's not the traditional baby colors. I really like how vibrant these are.