30days

Losing steam

2010-07-30T13:46:00.000-07:00

I think I need to start a new series for Fridays. Something along the lines of - Outta Gas, Losing Steam...suggestions? By the time Friday rolls around I am running on fumes. Let's see how many cliches I can write in one post, shall we? So last Friday I listed some favorites of the week.
Decided to do it again.
These are some of the posts I starred in my Reader:

Because I love every single detail of this shower-
Floral Bridal shower from bre notes on Kara's Party Ideas

Because I wish I was as cool as April and did a Craft Camp for girls and I really want that scrub-
Funky Vintage Kitchen's Craft Camp, day 5 post

Because I am knee deep in dieting (yes, still) and I love to torture myself:
Redhead Recipes' chicken pesto panini (YUM!)

Because someday I will learn to can:
How About Orange's Canning for Beginners post

Because I have a daughter who would think she'd died and gone to heaven (see another cliche) if I made this for her:
Artist Case pattern on Skip to My Lou from This Mama Makes Stuff as part of Bake, Craft, Sew Along

What caught your eye this week?
Happy Friday!

Funner in the Summer; Summer Memory Album

2010-07-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm super excited to have the amazingly talented Wendy Sue Anderson to add her idea to Funner in the Summer:

I am having a hard time believing that summer is half over...but it's true - the calendar is proof! I don't know about you, but I have taken hundreds of pictures documenting dozens of fun days and activities. Of course, I'll scrapbook some of them, but not every single one. That's not to say they aren't worth saving, and the memories aren't worth preserving. Here's a fun and easy way to record the summer memories - and even get the kids involved!

I purchased a simple, fabric-covered 2-up photo album from Target. I embellished the front with chipboard letters and rub-ons.

Next, I made several 4x6 cards with space for journaling - this is something the kids could put together all by themselves. Just cut a 4x6 base and let them add stickers, patterned papers, ribbons, etc. to personalize each card.

Now print (or gather) your photos.

Use the journaling cards to write the "who, what, when, where, why, or whatever." Tuck the photos and journaling cards in the pockets.

Sit back and enjoy reliving your summer memories!

--------------------------

Isn't that such a great, easy doable idea?
Totally doing it. Thanks Wendy!

If you have ever dabbled in scrapbooking, then you've heard of Wendy. She's been in every magazine you can think of for it and shares her ideas on her blog, just me...and my little world. She's also a member of the 2010 Creating Keepsakes Dream Team- how cool is that? But I think it's safe to say her number one accomplishment is her family. Go say hi and check out all her designs.

2010-07-28T23:00:00.000-07:00

First off, thank you to everyone for your comments about my blog re-design. I'm so glad you all like it as much as I do! :) One added bonus is that I was able to number my comments again with the redesign and oh how I've missed that (ever tried counting to 201 of 315 comments to find a winner? no fun!).
On that note, the winner for the DownEast giveaway-
Random.org chose lucky #82:

Courtney who said:
I'm really liking the Time to Shine top and the Flower Path top. And I'm right there with you about needing a DownEast locally-we have none here in Florida so it's online shopping for me, too.

Email me Courtney.
As always, thanks DownEast. And thanks to everyone for playing along.

Re-launch

2010-07-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

i big fat puffy heart

Those that have been with me from the beginning, have probably seen many re-dos on 30days. I have a bit of design ADD, you might say. I'm always tweaking something here or there and have never ever been happy with it. That is until today. ;)
Awhile back I found Redbud Designs. It was love at first sight. Every single design was soooo creative, fun, unique, etc. It was the first time that I actually thought about paying someone for a design since I see so many blog designs daily. Not to take away from anyone else at all. There are many other talented designers. But I felt an instant connection and knew that Redbud would be the right fit for me.
Enter the talented Sharon of Redbud Designs. She took some info from me and voila- a new design made just for me. A new spot on design at that. She is one talented designer.
So if you read 30days in a reader (no judgment here, I don't know how I'd keep up without Reader), jump on over today.
There are still a few little tweaks to make here and there. Like moving into a new home, it might take a bit to get it just right. But let me tell you, I am in love. Hope you are too.
Feel free to take a new button- if you've been featured here or if you want to spread a little 30days love- thank you! And fyi- they will be staying like this indefinitely. No more blog button changing. For reals. I promise. ***Edited to add- buttons are fixed- please take one. ;)****
I was lucky enough to grab Sharon right before baby #2 makes her arrival. But if you'd like to keep up to date, bookmark these spots: blog facebook twitter
And pssst......Sharon is hosting a giveaway for $50 Redbud Designs gift certificate and a $20 Gracey May Etsy shop credit on her blog.
Thank you sweet Sharon for making my creative outlet a cooler place to visit.
Sooooo.....whatdoyathink?

P.s. I'll be announcing a DownEast winner later tonight. So today is the last day to enter the giveaway. Hurry....

Boredom Buster from Somewhat Simple

2010-07-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

Today I'm happy to introduce Stephanie from Somewhat Simple

and her great Funner in the Summer idea:

By about the second week of summer, moms all over the world have one thing in common- we are all sick and tired of the age-old phrase, "Mom, I'm bored!"

Last summer, my friend told me that every time her son said he was bored, she would give him a baby wipe and pick a room of the house and have him dust all the baseboards in that room! It didn't take him too long to find something else to do and stop telling his mom he was bored!

I loved this idea and decided I needed to make my own go-to jar with lots of ideas on how to keep my kids busy. Some of the ideas are fun, some of the ideas are not, so before my kids decide to have me entertain them, they really need to decide if its worth it or not! They might get "Make cookies with Mom", or they might get "Pull weeds." They could get "Play in the sprinklers", or they could get "Do a chore of Mom's choice!"

Here is how I made it:

• I simply took a plain cookie jar- you could even recycle something from a spaghetti sauce jar or something you already have.

• I filled the jar with strips of paper with printed "activities" on each of them. Here are the activities I used. Feel free to print them out and use them if you'd like! (click on the photos to enlarge)

• I tied some ribbon around the neck of the jar for some added color. (Tip: You'll notice in the picture below, I tied only 1 thin ribbon around the entire neck of the jar so that the lid will still close and the ribbon won't be in the way. Then I tied other ribbon onto that 1 ribbon just at the top.)

• Lastly, I added this image to the top of the lid.

And that's it!

The perfect Summer Boredom Buster!

Thank you so much for sharing Stephanie- I love it!

I love visiting Somewhat Simple where Stephanie shares tutorials and ideas. In addition to being creative, Stephanie likes spending time with her three kids and family. Make sure to go visit her at Somewhat Simple.

You know the drill...

2010-07-26T06:00:00.000-07:00

This giveaway is now closed.

It's been a bit since I got to post about DownEast Basics. Anyone who has read 30days for awhile knows my love of DownEast. My one and only gripe is that I don't have a store locally (but hoping that will change soon!). So for now, shopping online it is. Have you checked it out lately?
Here are some of my favorites in the new arrival section:

This time, I had the opportunity to review the Sun Forever Dress. It came highly recommended by a friend and FULLY lived up to my expectations. Really. I'm not just saying that. It's the perfect fit. I love the way it's cut. I love the stretch in it. It can be easily thrown into a bag to go away for the weekend or worn out to lunch with friends. Have I sold you yet? Go get one. Thank me later.

Or wait.....if you want you can try to win one. Or any one item from the new arrivals section of DownEast.
To win, visit the new arrivals section on DownEast and tell me here what your favorite item is.

For extra entries: (separate entries please)
-Follow DownEast on Twitter.
Tweet about this giveaway with both DownEast & @30daysblog linking to this post.
-"Like" DownEast on Facebook.

-Giveaway winners selected can only win a giveaway for DownEast Basics every 90 days.

(if you have won in the last 3 months, sorry you can't enter this time)
-Open to residents of the US and Canada only.

I will pick the winner on Weds, July 28th.
Good luck & thanks DownEast!

Whirlwind of a week summer

2010-07-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

My reader is mad at me. It says "1,000+ unread posts" and has said that for about 2 weeks now.
I feel behind.
Am tempted to just hit erase.
Instead I'll just post some things that caught my eye that I feel like sharing. Deal?
No pictures but the links are worth it. Trust me. ;)

Because I really really need help in the organizational department (thanks V!):
V & Co's first step to organizing and cleaning your home
-And maybe if I was a bit more organized my pantry would look like this one at House of Smith's.

Because I'd really rather be doing anything than dieting right now (but I'm sticking with it darn it!):
Cookie Monday's cookie monday post
and Joy's Hope's watch out toffee crack post
-And maybe dieting isn't so bad when you can make fruit look beautiful like Brittany from One Charming Party did over at Tatertots and Jello.

Because I love amazing photography tips (and am still loving Marta's how-to series):
Ginnie J's how to photograph your child on Marta Writes
-And maybe I'll get my camera out again (poor neglected love of mine) if......who knows.....

What caught your eye this week?
Happy Friday!

One & two

2010-07-22T22:58:00.001-07:00

Back to announce the winners of the Noodles and Milk giveaway.
Yep, there are two:

The 1st winner who receives a free pattern of their choice AND a $20 Joann Fabrics gift card is:
#3 Kady L. who said:
N&M blog follower!

and the 2nd winner who receives a free pattern of their choice is:
#66 kristen who said:
I liked N&M on FB

Email me you two so I can put you in touch with Noodles and Milk.

Thanks so much to Sabrina from Noodles and Milk. If you haven't taken advantage of her off at $1 off any pattern in her shop, do so now by entering the code"30days" into the comments section. After purchasing she will then send you a refund. The offer is only valid until July 28th.

Funner in the Summer; Just Another Day in Paradise

2010-07-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hey there 30 days readers. I am Larissa from Just Another Day in Paradise. Where we live summers are HOT and muggy. Eww. My 3 little men LOVE being outside...this momma doesn't unless there is a pool and a cool beverage involved. Since we don't have a pool a cool beverage will have to suffice.

Drinking water is good, but these are WAY better.

Whip up a batch of Kool-Aid Slurpees. They are super easy, super yummy, and your kiddos can help you make them.

You will need:

1 packet of Kool-Aid, your choice

2 cups club soda

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 cups crushed ice

blender

To make this sweet summer drink--

1. Pour Kool-Aid, sugar, and 1 cup of club soda into a blender and blend on high until sugar is dissolved.

2. Add all of the crushed ice and blend until smooth.

3. Add last cup of club soda, blend.

4. Stare longingly at your soon to be drink.

5. HARDEST PART- put it in the freezer for 30 minutes for perfect consistency. If you are making 1 batch, just keep it in the blender to freeze.

Stir slightly, pour into a cup, and add a straw. Now it is time to serve it up to your kiddos.

Okay, so go ahead and make one for yourself. Picture courtesy of my 6 year old...I do actually have eyes and a forehead.

Can you say "Ahhhh, refreshing"?

Um yes please!? Where I live it's 90+ all summer.
Those look sooooo good Larissa.
Thanks for sharing!

Larissa is spending all of July on her blog Just Another Day in Paradise hosting Christmas in July. She even let little ol' me participate. ;) You have to check it out- there are tutorials, giveaways and recipes, oh my. In real life she's a stay at home mommy to three boys! And she documents it all (with a lot of crafts mixed in) at Just Another Day in Paradise.

Mark your calendars

2010-07-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

Guess what? I have something B-I-G in the works around here.

And it includes you, you and you.

ANNOUNCING:

Take a look at the goodness that will be here on 30days:
click on the links to visit their shops

If it hasn't been obvious up to this point, I LOVE handmade shops. yep, obvious, right? Not only do I love the shops and the items that are in them, I love the generous people behind them.
**Edited to add- in addition to it being a fun week for my readers, there was a special reason for giveaway week. I obviously couldn't have made it possible without any of these amazing shops.**

I hope you guys are as excited about this event as much as I am. Mark your calendars- it's going to be F-U-N.

P.s. Although the week is pretty booked with giveaways (with a few more to add to the list),if you are a shop owner dying to be a part of the fun email me for more info.

Oh and one more thing- the fabulous Jen from Tatertots and Jello let me guest post over there today. I share a super quick no sew headband tutorial- go check it out. Thank you Jen!!

Funner in the Summer; Creation Corner

2010-07-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hello. This is Tasha from over at Creation Corner. I am excited to be here participating in the Funner in the Summer Series. I don't know about you, but I have been loving all the great summer tips and ideas. Summer to me means lots of time with my kids. And I love it. A new tradition we have started are Indoor Camp Outs. That means getting the tent out and putting it up in our family room. No dirt. No bugs. Family games. Movies. Snack foods. Lots of fun. The perfect time together as a family.

So, find your tent and put it up. If you have a smaller living room you could always buy a small kid tent. They are pretty reasonable priced. The best part about putting the tent up is you get to work together as a family. Notice one of my sons throwing a little fit. Does this happen at any of your homes? Or just me. It is okay though. There always needs to be a little chaos if it involves family time. It is part of the fun right?

Then go get all your snacks. We chose popcorn this time. But, get creative. Make smores over the stove or candles. Get chips, cookies, or ice cream sandwiches. Bring out all the family favorites.

Next up, the fun. Play games. Watch a movie. You are indoors and that means a few more options. We watched a fun kid movie and my boys loved it. Then the best part. The kids sleep in the tent all night and you can head off to your comfortable bed. A great camp out and you didn't even have to leave your home.

Thank you Tasha!! We'll have to try this before my kids head back to school in a few weeks.

Mom to three boys, Tasha crafts whenever she can fit it in (which is often ;). Creation Corner is a spot to share projects she's done as well as ideas she's found from different craft blogs. Go check it out!

2010-07-19T23:09:00.000-07:00

If your name is Amanda and you tweeted- it's your lucky day!
You won the Allora Handmade giveaway.

Email me and I'll get you in touch with Jess.

If you didn't win, have no fear-
Jess has a stocked shop with
even more to choose from.
She's super close to 500 sales-
hoping I can help her make it.
Go get your shop on.

Sponsor Spotlight; Noodles and Milk

2010-07-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

This giveaway is now closed.

Long ago when I first started hosting giveaways on my blog, I held one for a cute shop called Noodles and Milk. At the time, Sabrina's shop was focused on custom made designs like these:

Aren't they beautiful?

When her daughter was a newborn, she fell in love with sewing. Sabrina was hooked from the start and Noodles and Milk came from her desire to stay home and to have her own creative outlet. Over two years later and with the impending arrival of her son, Sabrina has changed gears a bit. Her shop now contains patterns for you to make your own projects. I knew that these patterns would be a great fit for 30days readers. I'm excited to have her as a new sponsor here on 30days.

A few of the patterns in her shop:

Imagine all the cuteness you could create!

Sabrina has offered two giveaways (woo hoo!):
1 winner will get a free pattern of their choice AND a $20 Joann Fabrics gift card.
A second winner will get a free pattern of their choice.

To enter to win this giveaway, head to Noodles and Milk and leave a comment telling me your favorite pattern on this post. Or you can tell me who you want to sew for. Or both. ;)

For extra entries:
separate comments please
-"Like" Noodles and Milk on Facebook
-Become a Noodles and Milk blog follower

Sabrina is also offering $1 off a pattern by entering the code"30days" into the comments section. After purchasing she will then send you a refund. The offer is valid 7/19-7/28.

I will announce two winners this Thurs, July 22nd. Good luck!

P.s. I'll be back later tonight to announce the winner of the Allora Handmade giveaway. Still a little bit of time to enter.

Craft Book Review 6

2010-07-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

This time around the library was good to me. ;)
All of the books that I've recently checked out have been winners.

200 Sewing Tips, Techniques & Trade Secrets:
An Indispensable Compendium of Technical
Know-How and Troubleshooting Tips

Don't let the long name fool ya, there are really great, usable tips in this book. I love the look and feel of it. There are several things in there that I went, "hmmm I didn't know that." (of course, I am no expert so that isn't surprising ;).

Simplicity, How to use a sewing machine

This is another great reference book. Lately it seems like there are so many that would be great for people just getting into sewing. It lays it all out for someone who has never stepped up to a sewing machine.

Craft Challenge: Dozens of Ways to Repurpose a Tea Towel

I love the feel of this book. It's vintage-y feel of it. All the projects are so cute and there's something for everyone. ;) It also doesn't hurt that it has some embroidery in it too (one of my loves).

Photojojo!: Insanely Great Photo Projects and DIY Ideas
Although I enjoy Photojojo, I have to admit I didn't have too high of expectations of their book. To my surprise, I love it! It has really fun, unique and quirky ideas in there. All photography related but doable for anyone.

Check out my other craft book reviews here.
What good craft books have you found lately?

P.s. Have you entered the Allora Handmade giveaway yet?
I will pick a winner tomorrow.

Blog Swap; I heart naptime

2010-07-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hey! I'm Jamielyn from I♥naptime w/ Chocolate Sundaes and I'm so excited to be swapping blogs today with 30 days! There are so many great ideas on her site, that I just love!

Today I'm going to share with you a fun summer wreath I just finished.

I started out with this ugly wreath from Michaels that cost about $2. Next I spray painted it robbin egg blue. Make sure to do a few coats to get through all the branches

Then I made a few different kind of fabric flowers. I mainly made these rolled flowers, but the blue one is a fire flower!!

I laid them all down on the wreath and decided it needed to be a little different... a little more summery! :)

*Whenever I'm doing a project I like to take a picture and see how it looks on camera before gluing every thing down. Does any one do this?? Or am I just crazy! haha

So I made a few ruffled flowers to go underneath the rolled flowers. This was all using scrap fabric... a great way to use it up! I also added some tulle in between the layers as well. Tulle just makes everything cuter!

After I knew I had everything where I wanted it, I began hot-gluing it down. Don't you just love those things? You can tell mine has been used A LOT!

Then I made a "sash" for it to hang by...you could just use a fat ribbon for this part...but I didn't have a white ribbon that big...so I decided to make it. I used that fabric on these curtains. Same technique!

After I made my sash I sewed it on top to give it extra strength and hung it over my mirror.

Just what my mirror needed!!

So what do you think?! Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks Mique for having me today on your cute blog! I LOVE all your handmade ideas!

Come by I ♥ naptime and see what else I've been up to! Also come by tomorrow and link up all your fun projects at our Sundae Scoop party!

Happy Friday!

Make sure you check out my post over
at I heart naptime w/Chocolate Sundaes.
I shared a tutorial for making this <------ cute flower clip that you can put in your hair, add to your purse, or spice up your outfit. Enjoy!

is it you?

2010-07-15T23:59:00.000-07:00

Are you the winner of the Little Lesiw giveaway? If you look like this:

and said this:

I randomly picked you:

You won Celeste! Yay!
Email me and I will get your info to Rachel.

Thanks to everyone who entered. I am compiling a list of all the crafty tips that you gave. I loved reading them. Super good, solid ideas- lots of things I had never heard of and can't wait to try out. Thank you, thank you. Once again, you showed me how wonderful my 30days readers are.
And thanks again to Rachel for offering up such a great giveaway. ;)
If you're feeling bummed that you didn't win, I still have the Allora Handmade, Baby giveaway going on til Monday. Make sure to enter that. And spread the word, pretty please?

Funner in the Summer, Everyday Chaos

2010-07-15T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hi, I’m Bridget and I’m a stay at home mom to 5 kids ages 10 to 2. Summer’s are always a challenge at our house. Not usually because we don’t have enough activities or things going on but because I’m always at a loss for ideas to keep my kids entertained during the quiet times. You know, times like nap time or when mom would like her ears to stop ringing for a few minutes ;).

I have a craft drawer filled with kids craft stuff that they know they can use whenever they’d like but when that doesn’t work I like to get them reading a book. One fun way to help encourage them to read is with this little poem bookmark, a bag full of gumballs, and a new book. It works like a charm and it’s a great way to keep them reading over the summer.

To make your own treat bags and bookmarks just save the bookmark image and print it out and gather a few supplies.

For the treat bags you’ll need-
6” x 7” piece of fabric
2 1/2” x 2” piece of clear vinyl (look for small rolls in the remnant bin).
16” piece of ribbon
Tape

First fold and press the top edge of your fabric down 1/4” and then again 3/4”. If you don’t have a non-stick foot for your machine put a piece of tape on your presser foot and cut out any holes for the thread to go through. Tape your vinyl window to the wrong side of your fabric on the bottom left.

Sew around your vinyl trying not to catch your tape. Flip your fabric to the right side and snip out just the fabric square from inside your sewing lines being careful not to cut the vinyl underneath. You don’t need the tape anymore so you can take that off.

Fold your bag in half right sides together matching fold lines at the top and stitch along the bottom and side edge.

Turn your bag right side out. With the inside seam open fold the top edge towards the inside 1/4” and then 3/4” making a casing for your ribbon to go.

Sew around the edge of your casing on the inside of the bag as close to the edge as you can, completely closed.

Stretch the seam on the outside top open a little and clip 3 or 4 stitches.

Thread your ribbon through the hole with a safety pin and tie in a cute bow or knot the ends together and ta da! Now you have a cute little bag to fill with gumballs and tie on to your favorite book.

Ok, seriously- cutest idea or what??
Perfect for summer but I think they'd be such fun gifts
for parties or stocking stuffers or....for just about anything.
Thanks Bridget!

Bridget's blog, Everday Chaos jumped out at me a couple of years ago. She also juggles 5 (almost 6) kids and being a wife so well . I love visiting her blog to see what she's up to and I adore her sewing tutorials. She's always coming up with something fun. ;)

The start of something new..

2010-07-14T23:56:00.000-07:00

hmmm...someone's been watching HSM a little too much around here....

This giveaway is now closed.

So about a year ago I posted about my uber talented little sis Jess' (<--------)new shop, Allora Handmade. The way that it's grown in over just one year is soooo incredible. I knew she was on to something good but I think she even surprised herself. ;) This last week she celebrated her one year anniversary. And now she's starting a new line in her shop: Allora Handmade, Baby. That's right Jess' designs are available in pint size.

Today in honor of her kick off, I get to give something away. Woo hoo- it's been a good week around here hasn't it? The winner gets 2 baby headbands of your choice.

If you don't have a baby girl, chances are, you know one. Jess feels for ya as she is the momma of boys (but man are they cute!). I also think anything from the baby line would make such a cute addition to a baby shower present.

To enter this giveaway:
Stop by the shop. Pick out your favorite item. Share it on this post.

For additional entries:
separate comments please
-Follow her blog and leave a comment there.
-"Like" her facebook page.
-Follow the two of us on twitter (@30daysblog & @allorahandmade) and tweet about this giveaway.
To make it easy for you, you can just copy and tweet this:
@30daysblog announces @allorahandmade 's baby line & giveaway: http://bit.ly/cKBBSE

-And for every purchase you make in her shop, 5 extra entries (doesn't have to be from the baby line- it can be anything you want).
You buy 3 items? That's 15 extra entries. Pretty good odds if you ask me.
She's getting close to 500 sales and I'm hoping we can help her reach that....on your mark, get set, go.

I'll pick a winner on Monday, July 19th.
I love you Jess!

p.s. You still have a little bit of time to enter the Little Lesiw giveaway- I'll announce the winner Thursday night.

Funner in the Summer, Simply Modern Mom

2010-07-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hello. Tiffany from Simply Modern Mom here honored to be a part of the Funner In the Summer series. I am a mom of two girls and I help moms simplify their lives on my blog. And today I'm here to share with you a game we love to play in our family called cornhole toss.

Maybe you have heard of cornhole, maybe not. It's a pretty big deal here in the South. So let me introduce you to a child-friendly version of cornhole.

How To Play Cornhole Toss

To play the child-friendly version of cornhole, place the two platforms at a reasonable distance for their ages. You can always move it back if the game is getting to easy for them. For the official games and rules and just to see how seriously people play cornhole, visit the American Cornhole Association website. The simplified version is below.

Cornhole can be played in singles or doubles, just like tennis. Each team has 4 bean bags. Team members will stand next to the platform of the opposite team. One person on each side of the platform if playing doubles.

Then one team makes the bean bag toss over to their platform. Rotating turns if playing doubles. Once all the bean bags are tossed then the next team goes.

The scoring goes for every bean bag that goes into the hole counts as 3 points each. For every bean bag that lands on the platform but doesn't go in the hole counts as 1 point each. Bean bags that land anywhere else is a foul and rewarded with no points.

The game ends with the first team reaching 21 points. Then declare the winners the cornhole champs.

Make Your Own Cornhole Game

To make children size cornhole platforms, visit your local Home Depot store. They have a bean bag toss kit for $10 and all you would need is a hammer to assemble it. Although, you will have to purchase two kits to actually play cornhole. The Home Depot kit comes with two bean bags per kit. To play the official cornhole game, you will need to make additional bean bags so each team can have four. You may also want to check the next time your local Home Depot does a free children workshop on Saturday mornings. Our Home Depot puts out some popular kits from past workshops on the free workshop days and the bean bag kit is one of them.

Even a cheaper version, use cardboard boxes or cereal boxes to make the platform. All you would need is the platform on an angle and a hole centered and a little toward to top. Then four easy and quick bean bags filled with rice or beans.

Thanks for having me in the Funner in the Summer series!
Tiffany {Simply Modern Mom}

Tiffany shares all kinds of cool ideas on Simply Modern Mom while striving to simplify, simplify, simplify. She's done some fantastic series including my favorites- Project 52: Date Nights and Over-used Recipe Swap. She's a fun wife and mom to two little girls. Make sure to stop by and say hi and check out all that she has to offer at SMM!

Thanks Tiffany- can't wait to play with my kids!!

If you are new to 30days, check out the rest of
the Funner in the Summer Series
and grab a button here.

Ooops made good

2010-07-12T06:37:00.000-07:00

This giveaway is now closed.

Remember the Bloom Scandal of 2010? Me either. But I'm here to report a few good things that came out of the oops.

The biggest good-thing is that Rachel of Little Lesiw was able to raise enough funds for her little boy's adoption. It's strange sometimes how things work out. This time strange in a good way. If you ran over to her shop and added to your cart- thank you! You helped in the journey to bring her son home. She couldn't be more appreciative.

Rachel closed her outlet shop on Friday to fill orders and to fulfill her huge wholesale account. So unfortunately for us, we can't get our Little Lesiw fix for the moment. She will keep us afloat on her adventures and let us know if/when she will re-open.

The other good-thing that came from it is that Rachel wanted to make right (even though she didn't make wrong) the situation with my 30days readers. So today I'm here to announce another giveaway:

This bloom set is a solid one and the winner will be set with a bloom to match every outfit. There are 21 total bloom hair clips (which is worth over $250, retail). She wanted to make sure it was exclusive to my readers- for reals, there is not another giveaway going on for these blooms. ;)

This time because her shop isn't open, the rules are a bit different.
Leave me one creative comment. It could be something funny. A crafty tip. Whatever you want. I will leave it up to you to interpret however you want. (need I mention here that I'd prefer some kind of positive comment?)

Extra entries:
1 extra entry per separate comment
+Follow 30days
+"Like" Little Lesiw on Facebook so you can keep up to date
+"Like" 30days on Facebook
+Follow 30days on Twitter & tweet about the giveaway.
It has to have @30daysblog in the tweet.
For example:
21 solid bloom hair clips "oops" giveaway @30daysblog: http://bit.ly/9L0oey
-you can just copy and tweet that if you want.

+And here's the kicker-
If you do any of the extra entries, tell your friends to let me know that you sent them. If they say in a comment that you sent them, that is an extra entry for you. So you can have an unlimited amount of entries on this. Kind of a little contest if you will. A little more incentive for you to spread the word. ;)

Ok, that's it.
Thanks again to Rachel!!
I will announce the winner this Thursday, July 15th.

This is a sponsored giveaway. Sponsors of 30days have the option to host a give away.

Makin' me smile on a Saturday.....

2010-07-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

After a long week....a few posts that tickled my fancy if you will....

Marta Writes how-to series
(including this how to survive bathing suit season by a college friend of mine-who is hilarious- and Brittany from One Charming Party's how to cut a cake)

Orange-Cinnamon Honey Sticky Buns at 17 and baking

IS*LY's Recipe for Font Success at Good Look Cookbook

Baby Food Jar Light Strand at Little Apartment found via Joy's Hope

Still (way, way, way) behind on updated posts from some of my favorite blogs, so I know there are probably over 1000 more links I could share. That'll have to do for now.
Happy Saturday!

With a little help from my friends....

2010-07-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

It's been 3 years since we moved into our house. This is my dream house- it's where we'll be for a long time to come. I've decorated it (and by decorated, I mean itsaworkinprogressnotevenclosetodone) but never painted. The time has finally come. Josh and I have hired a painter to paint all the rooms downstairs. But I need HELP!

I think I've decided that we want to do neutrals with some accent walls. I'd love to hear what you've done or what you would like to do in your home. I have a bit of home decor ADD. I like several different styles. I love color but I llike clean lines. I love the look of Anthropologie and like the design of Restoration Hardware. What's a girl to do?

My favorite home dec blog:
Little Green notebook

And a few I've found while looking for ideas:
Tart House
Copy Cat Chic
6th Street Design School
Nesting Place
Dwellers Without Decorators

And some home dec posts that I love:

Natalie's Sentiments True Envy post

Dwell on the Wall from the Nester

Nicole's What's Cookin' post at The Pleated Poppy

Opinions, pretty please?

P.s. A big fat hug to all you that commented on my good, bad, ugly post. I'm sad that I had to post it. But soooo appreciate all the love.I don't get comments on a regular basis so it was overwhelming to hear from all of you. And some good news- Rachel is more than making up for the oops (even though the fiasco was not her fault) with another giveaway in the near future. Little Lesiw will be closing TODAY- so jump in there and get your last goodies. Rachel will be taking time off to fill orders, complete a huge wholesale account and prepare for her son to come home from Korea. Yay!
Thank you thank you thank you for being you. I heart my 30days readers- hope you know that! ;)

Funner in the Summer, My Blonde Ambitions

2010-07-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hi! Nancy here, from My Blonde Ambitions. I'm excited to be guest posting again for Mique during her Funner in the Summer series. I don't know about you, but a lot of my "crafts" are born out of necessity. I recently went to Puerto Rico with my husband Travis and the day before I left on the trip I thought, "I could really use a sunglasses case." So I made one. I thought it was so simple and clever that I wanted to share it with you. I've made and seen similar little cases like this before, but I like this one the best (how's that for confidence?). This case is so quick and easy it would be a fun beginning sewing project. Before I show you the how to I thought I'd keep your attention with a picture of the final product.

Cute, right? Now on to the tutorial.

So if you've read any of my tutorials before you know that I'm a visual learner/teacher and I like a lot of pictures. I think you could have your own sunglasses case made in the time it takes you to view all of these pictures (I really tried my best to condense and edit) but there's a still a lot of pictures, just bear with me and I promise I'll be your new best friend by the tutorial's end.

You could make a case like this in any size you want, but for my purposes (and my sunglasses) I made mine out of two pieces of fabric that I cut 5 inches wide by 18 inches long.

Here's the clever part. Instead of using quilt batting in the middle of two pieces of cotton prints I used one piece of a cotton print, and one piece of fleece.

(Now I'm not lying when I tell my kids their Mom is "one smart cookie" :)

Besides giving cushion to your sunglasses the fleece keeps them from getting scratched. Smart, right?

Line your two pieces of fabric up right sides together with the cotton print facing the fleece, pin in place, and sew around the two sides and bottom edge leaving the top open.

Then pull your fabric through itself like you're turning a sock outside in. Isn't it nice when those laundry skills come in handy? It's just like in Karate Kid: you're learning sewing skills when you think you're doing laundry just like Danielson was learning Karate while waxing cars. Like I said, I'm really smart.

Once you've got your case turned nicely push the open top in about 1/2 inch or so, pin and then sew closed.

Then get your sunglasses or whatever you plan to put in your case out, and measure how high you need the pouch part of your case to come up.

But before you sew up your pouch it's much easier to sew on your Velcro at this stage. Once you've sewn your Velcro on go ahead and pin and sew up the sides.

And guess what? You're done, it really is that simple.

Now if you're anything like me you might want a little embellishment (the icing on the cake). Why not pin on one of my fabric flowers? Check out that tutorial here.

But wait! Okay so I just like saying that and pretending that I'm an infomercial. But seriously, sometimes when I make projects that are this quick and easy I make two. One for me, and one for you. So head on over to my blog to enter for your chance to win the second case. Good luck! Thanks Mique!

Not too long ago I had Nancy guest post and she shared her fabulous jewelry holder. Lucky for us in addition to being super mom to her two cute kids and wonder wife Nancy posts her tutorials at My Blonde Ambitions. She's an amazing seamstress and full of ideas. Stop by and say hi.

The good, the bad, the ugly

2010-07-07T18:42:00.000-07:00

I don't know how else to do this- other than rip it off like a bandaid:

I am taking down the giveaway for Little Lesiw.
I want to make a few things very clear:
I ran this giveaway like any other giveaway- I posted about it and would send the info to Rachel from Little Lesiw of whoever won. I did not have the items in my possession. On 99% of my giveaways, I do not have the items with me. I am kind of the go between person. MckMama did purchase the items for giveaway, she did have the items with her. Rachel let me know that she would giveaway the same package for my readers. I think it confused people because we used the same pictures (from Sara Parsons)- which seemed easier at the time than using different pictures. Rachel was in no way trying to be deceptive. To either MckMama or myself. Or any of our readers. To me it seems obvious- 2 giveaways = 2 chances to win, 2 packages given away to winners for FREE.

I am baffled by all of this. Never ever have I had so much controversy over anything on my blog, let alone a giveaway. You can check the giveaway label- I have done almost 100 and never once had an issue.

There are a few bummers in all of this- that I have to end the giveaway with no winner on my end is the most obvious one. BIG BUMMER. I don't want any of my readers to think that I mislead you.

I am sad that people came at me, Rachel and MckMama in an accusatory way. Unfortunately a lot of comments were anonymous or with no link to a blog or anywhere that I can respond. It seems to be an easy way out- to accuse without using your name or a way to respond. I can't stand that a few people kind of ruined it for everyone.

The other bummer is that the whole point of this giveaway was to get the word out about Rachel's Adoption sale. As a mom to a child with special needs, I am in awe that she would welcome a child with known challenges from another culture. How anyone could twist that into anything else is beyond me. Go here to read her take in all of this.

This blog is where I come to escape. I have plenty of yucky stuff to deal with in real life. I come here to write about fun projects, new ideas, tutorials and share cool products through giveaways and product reviews. My plan is to continue to do that. It's a craft blog for goodness sakes. It's supposed to be fun!!

Rachel assured me that she will make it up to me and my readers (YOU!).
I hope that there are people out there that will go take advantage of the sale- as it is for a GREAT cause and her products really are wonderful (you can read my review of Little Lesiw here).

Overall I really feel super lucky to have fantastic readers that are so supportive and kind in comments and emails.
If you'd like to leave a comment, I'd love to hear it- but after a long long long day, something nice and positive would be appreciated. ;)

If you have no idea what I'm referring to- there were some accusing comments that because there was another giveaway going on, we (MckMama, Little Lesiw and I) were being deceptive. That's all. So super sorry for all the drama.

Tomorrow I will have another Funner in the Summer post and be back to happy blogging! Yay!!! :)

Funner in the Summer, Sherbet Blossom

2010-07-06T15:03:00.000-07:00

If your kids are anything like mine, summer can be boring. We anxiously await the warm weather and the freedom from school, but once it is here, we don't know what to do with ourselves. This year, I made a thing called "Summer Fun in a Jar." It is a little jar with over 150 activity ideas for my kids. It has been a life saver. Whenever I hear the words, "I'm bored!" or "What fun can we do?", I tell my kids to grab the Summer Fun jar and let them pull an activity out. They are always ecstatic to be doing something new.

(Activities: Playing at the water park, playing hairdresser and playing on the swingset.)

We are creating a "Summer Fun" photo album. We do between 3-4 of these activities every week, and I make sure to take a picture of them doing each activity. Every Saturday, we print them and place them into a photo album. My kids love looking at it daily, which is another activity that conquers their boredom.

They love the jar. I love the jar. One of the greatest things about it is that most of the activities require that I participate. A blessing in disguise. "Check out a book from the library." or "Bake some cookies." are things they can't do alone. We've spent so much time this summer together; building wonderful memories.

If you'd like to make your own Summer Fun in a Jar, you can download a pdf here (***ETA- link now fixed!!**). Just cut out the activities and put them in a jar. If you'd like to use the label on your jar, it is included as well. I hope this helps conquer your child's summer boredom!

******

Thanks so much Hannah! Don't you just love her idea? And she gives you the pdf to do your own- awesome!

Hannah is a wildly talented graphic designer/mommy/wife. She shares her ideas, projects and loves at Sherbet Blossom. But you can also check out all her designs (blog, cards, websites, stationary- you name it, she does it) at her Sherbet Blossom Designs site.

Make sure you've caught all the Funner in the Summer posts - I've loved all of them. Hope you have too. I have a few weeks left with more ideas from amazing bloggers to come......