Little Birdie Secrets

Showing posts with label review. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

wanna spoon? {apostrophe s craft kit}

Last month I spent a fabulous weekend in Arizona with my high school girlfriends--a trip we plan in a different city every couple of years. Each trip is jam-packed with non-stop talking, eating, shopping, more talking, and very little sleep. And it's always over too soon.

But this year we found time to add one more thing. . .crafting! What took us so long? Maybe the thought of coming up with a craft, buying all the supplies, and and figuring out how much everybody owed me was just too daunting. But then a fabulous new company called Apostrophe S came along and made it so EASY. I picked a craft, ordered the kits, and shoved them in my suitcase. Done! I was hooked as soon as I saw the cute packaging that all their crafts arrive in. . .

I pulled out the kits late one night while we were sitting around in our jammies chatting. Our late night crafting party was probably the first time during the weekend that there was a pause in the conversation!

I chose this darling painted spoon craft for my friends and me to make. The "Wanna Spoon?" craft kit from Apostrophe S comes with three bamboo kitchen utensils, four paint colors, a clear top coat, painter's tape, sandpaper, a paintbrush, and leather ties for the spoons. All we really needed was scissors and a cup of water to rinse our brushes.

The project was simple to figure out, but in case we needed direction Apostrophe S has a video on their Web site showing how to make this painted spoon project start to finish. We pulled it up on our phones and watched it quickly before we started.

First we sanded the utensils. . .

Then we taped. . .

And then we painted!

Everyone's spoons turned out different but so cute! Most of us did simple color blocking.

One friend was feeling more creative and added hand-painted details. I LOVE how her spoons turned out!

These are my spoons--a little simpler but I love them. These would make an awesome bridal shower gift (if I could bear to part with them!).

The cool things about Apostrophe S is that their craft kits are all-inclusive so you can host craft parties for friends without having to gather a bunch of supplies and hope everyone pays you back. And you don't have to all do the same project. Each party guest goes to the Web site and pays for their kit, then all the kits are shipped to the hostess' house. The best part for me is that I can sit down with friends and make something cute that I will actually use and finish it in one night! Perfect because I am the Queen of Unfinished Projects. I've had the opportunity to attend two Apostrophe S craft parties so far. I made this darling Halloween wreath. . .

And a couple of these Anthropologie-inspired tea towels.

Next on my list is this gorgeous dream catcher that I think would be perfect in my niece's nursery.

I am smitten with this new company. Check out Apostrophe-S.com to see all the craft kits in their store and to find out more about hosting a craft party. I promise there will be something there you will just have to make. You can also apply to be an Apostrophe S coordinator and get paid to help crafters set up their own parties (don't worry, it's a low-commitment gig with no annoying upselling or catalogs to hand out).

Post your finished projects on Instagram and tag me so I can see what you make!

*I was supplied crafting kits by Apostrophe S for this post, but the opinions are all my own.

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Thursday, November 17, 2011

easy lds scripture cover pattern {review}

Remember those scripture covers from our Baby Blvd. giveaway a few weeks ago? I decided to try my hand at the pattern for my son's baptism gift, and Baby Blvd. was sweet to let me review the Bible and triple combination pattern. Check out how cute they turned out!

If you sew at all you can do these patterns. They're very clear, with both written descriptions and awesome diagrams. The best part is that I can easily make my son new covers when he outgrows the robots! Or take them off and wash them when they get grimy (he's 8--it's bound to happen, right?).

These would make a cute and easy Christmas gift for someone on your list (my mom would probably love these in a pretty quilting fabric--she loves all the prints but doesn't quilt, so we're always looking for ways to use cute fabric!). Check out the Baby Blvd. shop for patterns for almost all sizes of LDS scriptures, both covers and cute totes. And if you don't sew, remember they have finished covers and totes for sale, too! In lots of cute fabrics to boot. Ooh, and right now Baby Blvd. is offering any pattern for only $5.95 through November 22nd--up to 35% off the regular price--so you can't go wrong. Check out the special sale listings in the shop!

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Thursday, December 2, 2010

gluten-free baking for the holidays - king arthur flour gluten free mix review

Jennifer Barnhart is a master party-planner, but she also lives on a strict gluten-free diet, so baked goods are almost always out (at least for her!). A party without baked goods, you ask? I know! Poor dear. I think she's finally solved it though. This is worth checking out, whether you're on a gluten-free diet or just cooking for someone who is. She has some great tips!

My friend Mandy loves King Arthur flours. Knowing that they had a gluten free line, and that I can only eat gluten free food, she’s been asking me if I had tried any of their gluten free products. I kept telling her that gluten free mixes are mostly outside of my budget, financially and calorie wise. That changed last week. When I get irritated with my husband, I head to my favorite natural grocery store, Central Market. It’s a running joke in our family that I don’t do retail therapy, but the more irritated I am, the more organic our food is. Last week I was able to try a whole bunch of wonderful, natural food…I brought home several kinds of organic, fingerling potatoes, the most wonderful European yogurt and what to my wondering eyes should appear, but several King Arthur mixes. I picked out a couple and brought them home to try.

The gluten free muffin mix looked wonderful. It’s a plain mix that you can add your own berries, fruits or nuts. I decided to make mine blueberry. You also add eggs, butter and milk to the mix.

When I opened the package the flour looked very fine. Gluten free foods can be gritty. The flour was white with little dark specks in it. As soon as I added my wet ingredients, I knew what the specks were. Yum, nutmeg. The mixture smelled really good. The box said that it made 12 muffins, but I was able to get 16 from it. I used my 1/2 cup measure to fill the muffin cups. That was the perfect amount. They rose perfectly in the oven.

The whole kitchen smelled wonderful. Just as I pulled the muffins out of the oven, the doorbell rang. It was the mailman delivering a package. As soon as I opened the door he remarked on how good it smelled in my house. “What are you doing, baking?” he asked like no one ever does that any more. I sent him on his way with a muffin. He was pretty excited that it was still hot. I ate one fresh from the oven. It was perfect. It didn’t stick to the cupcake wrapper like a lot of gluten free foods and it wasn’t crumbly. It wasn’t too sweet. I ate one when they were cool too. Still perfect. I gave one to my husband. Yep, they passed that test too.

My take on the King Arthur gluten free muffin experiment:

Pros: They taste great and have a perfect texture. No one will ever know they are gluten
free.

Cons: The mix cost about $6. That makes each muffin cost about $.35 just for the mix.
That’s a little steep for home baked muffins.

The verdict: I would recommend them for anyone who is not gluten free who needs to cook for a gluten free guest. If you are cooking for a gluten free friend, don’t use your regular mixer, it’s full of gluten crumbs and use a metal spoon to mix with. Wooden ones are full of hidden gluten. I will also buy a box to keep on hand for the convenience factor. Some days you just need food fast. I am looking forward to the next mix: bread mix.

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Monday, October 18, 2010

shout fall play product review

The Shout Brand recently launched the Go Play initiative to help educate parents on the benefit of unstructured play and to inspire families to get outdoors and play. They say, "studies have shown that unstructured play helps kids build fundamental skills like problem solving, coping, and conflict resolution. In other words, play is how kids become happy, healthy adults." Shout has a great Facebook page that you can visit for wonderful ideas for play! This is a great initiative and I firmly believe in it. Who doesn't want their kids to be happy, healthy adults?

Shout recently sent me some free products to try out. I need the stain remover and laundry items after my kids get messy playing outside!

I love these products. The advanced stain remover is wonderful. I tried it on the knees of my son's pants and it did wonders! I have three boys in my home and these products are wonderful at fighting stains and keeping the clothes in great condition. One cool item they sent me was a set of 52 Nature Activities cards. They are great! I am always looking for fun things to do outside with my boys and this set is a big help.

Now that it is Fall we have been enjoying many activities that relate to that. This weekend we went to a pumpkin patch and had so much fun playing and exploring outside.

Today we went with some friends to a place called Creation Station.

It is awesome! They have bins and bins full of all different supplies for the kids to come up with any creation they fancy. Then they get to take it home. It was perfect. The Little Birdies are all about creativity!!

So, how do you make time for play and what activities are your favorites?

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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

tree craft - great "green" inspriation!

It's a little late, but this post is in honor of Earth Day. (I was just too busy on Earth Day to post it!) Recently we got a copy of a new crafting book called Tree Craft: 35 Rustic Wood Projects That Bring the Outdoors In by Chris Lubkemann. When I first heard about it, I admit I wondered if it would be a little hokey. Okay, I was totally wrong. This is such a cool book! Check out some of the beautiful projects Chris shows you how to make using tree branches or stumps that you can find for free. They're totally "green." And several of them would make great Mother's Day gifts. . .

My favorite is probably this curtain rod. Have you noticed how expensive curtain rods are? Even at Target? I could go walk around in the woods behind my house and find a curtain rod just laying on the ground! Brilliant!

The other thing I like is that these projects are not just for cabins. Yes, most of them are PERFECT for cabin decor, but I could see myself using these in my own home, too. Like how cute is that spoon hanger? That would be darling with kids photos hanging from it for Mother's Day. . .hmmm, I feel a project coming on!

If you want to find a copy of Tree Craft, start here. The photography is great, the instructions are clear and simple, and the ideas are genius. Love this book!