3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires: 1/1/10

Creating With Colors: Stamp & Mask Shapes (Heart, Car, and Dinosaur Egg)

This project stemmed from an idea I had to create a camouflage effect with stampers. So I thought it would be fun to experiment with various shapes and ink colors. My original idea was based on a set of Colorations Easy-Grip Dinosaur Stampers from Discount School Supply, but then I expanded the project to include other shapes as well.

Today's Project: Stamp & Mask Shapes

Ask your child to think of an object that has an easily identified shape. Then, with your help, your child will create a piece of artwork with stampers and then frame this artwork with a frame cut out in that chosen shape. (In our example, we made 3 pieces in the shapes of a heart, a car, and a dinosaur egg.)

Supplies Needed:

1) Each piece of artwork will require a sheet of blank newsprint paper plus a sheet of similarly sized colored construction paper.

2) A variety of Easy Grip Stampers (3 for each piece of artwork).

3) At least 3 different colors of stamp pads (We used Colorations Stamper-Perfect Washable Stamp Pads.)

4) A white crayon

5) A glue stick or all-purpose white glue

6) Scissors

Step 1: After your child has decided upon a shape to use for the frame, draw the shape on a sheet of colored construction paper using the white crayon. (My son drew the shape of a car.)

Tip #1: Try to choose a shape that is easy to identify and has a lot of open space in the middle.

Step 2: Using the tip of the scissors, snip a slit in the middle of the shape. Then use the scissors to cut the shape out, leaving the surrounding area intact, to create your frame.

Step 3: Select your 3 stampers and 3 stamp pads. Then assign one stamper to each color.

Step 4: Have your child start stamping on a sheet of newsprint, encouraging him or her to use all 3 stamps to fill the page somewhat evenly. Depending on the shape of the frame, your child may not need to fill the whole page.

Tip #2: Make sure your child is not afraid to turn their stamper shape sideways and upside down and also to overlap the impressions.

Step 5: Next check that the stamped area is enough to fill the construction paper frame. If it is, then apply glue to the backside of the frame and then adhere it to the artwork.

Tip #3: Since there may be traces of white crayon lines from the original sketch of the shape, it is better to use the other side of the construction paper as the front of your frame.

Step 6: Once the glue has dried, use the scissors to trim off the excess newsprint so that none of it is showing around the edges. You can also take this opportunity to trim the edges of both paper layers to make the artwork more centered, if needed.

Tip #4: As a special touch, you can ask your child to sign his or her name on the front of the frame with the white crayon.

Here is how our dinosaur egg turned out . . .

Sine the area to cover was much larger, my son designed to stamp double-fisted.

Here is the heart I made in honor of Valentine's Day . . .

My son very much enjoyed this craft because it was fun and easy, plus it gave him a lot of freedom to be expressive. He even asked me when we could do this project again.

Thank you to Discount School Supply for providing stampers and stamp pads for us to use in this project free of charge. No compensation was received for publishing this article.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Giveaway & Review: 500 Custom Printed Business Cards [CLOSED]

I know I have brought several Uprinting custom print online products to my readers in the past, but I have never shared some of the products I have personally received from this online printing company. One of the products I am most happy with are my two-sided business cards.

These are my cards pictured below. I designed them myself and was very glad to see that the colors stayed true to the original design. Also, the printing is very crisp. I opted for the 14 pt gloss cardstock and am extremely pleased with my choice. My cards look and feel top notch.

My cousin just started her own law firm and asked me whether I think it is better to order business cards online or locally. I recommended Uprinting to her. I did so, not because I have received free custom printed products from this company in the past, but because I have received custom printed products from this company that I have been absolutely thrilled with. This was not the case with another popular online printing company, who made two attempts at my order and still failed to print my business cards centered as shown in the proof they had sent me.

Other products I've received from Uprinting that truly impressed me are a custom vinyl banner with metal grommets for hanging (which turned out beautifully), a poster-size photo enlargement, and a photo reproduced on canvas. Those are only a small minute fraction of the services this website offers. To view the full list of custom printing services, visit Uprinting.com .

Thank you to Uprinting for providing 500 custom business cards for our contest prize and for sending me another 500 cards as a thank you for participating in this campaign.

What you can win:
One lucky reader will receive 500 custom printed business cards with the following choices . . .

Sizes: 2 x 3.5”, 2 x 3”, 2 x 2” (square card) or 1.5 x 3.5” (skinny card)
Paper: 14 pt gloss cardstock, 14 pt matte cardstock or 13 pt recycled uncoated cardstock
Specifications: Full Color Both Sides; Offset Press; 3 Business Day Printing

Limitations:
This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing.

How to Gain Entries:
Leave a comment telling me what idea or ideas you have for what to have printed on the backside of these business cards. You MUST do this to be eligible to win this contest.

Extra Entries:

1) For 5 extra entries, leave a relevant comment on one of my non-giveaway posts. Then leave FIVE separate comments with the name of the post on which you commented. You will earn 5 extra entries for each different non-contest post you comment on.

2) For 5 extra entries, enter one of my other contests. Leave FIVE separate comments here telling me which contest you entered. You will earn 5 extra entries for each contest you enter.

3) For 10 extra entries, blog about this contest linking back to this post AND Uprinting.com . Then come back here and leave TEN separate comments with the link to your blog post.

4) Friend me on Facebook. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Facebook profile.

5) For 2 extra entries, share the link to this contest post on Facebook. Then leave TWO separate comments with the link to your Facebook profile.

6) Follow me on Twitter. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Twitter profile.

7) Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post. Then come back here and leave the link to your tweet in a separate comment. You may do this once per day until the end of the contest.

8) Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or you can follow me through Blogger or subscribe via email (widget is on sidebar). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

9) Subscribe to A Blog of Goodies' feed (the sister site to 3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

10) Add my button or blog link to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.

(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)

Random Drawing: Thursday, February 11th, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.

Good luck in the drawing!

Review: OxiClean Max Force Gel Stick & Power Paks

Recently, I had the chance to review the OxiClean Spray-A-Way Instant Stain Remover and was extremely pleased with the results. For this reason, I could not turn down the chance to try two new OxiClean products . . . the Max Force Gel Stick Pre-Treater and the Max Force Power Paks. Finding a piece of laundry to test out the stain removing power of these products was not difficult in my house.

Look what I found when I was folding a basket of clean laundry the other day! These were the pants our 6yr old son was wearing last week when he threw up his breakfast and had to stay home from school. Yes, you read correctly. These pants were in with the clean laundry. My husband had already put them through the wash once. There were two large stains . . . one on the upper thigh area and one on the right leg near the hem.

As you can see from the comparison photos, the OxiClean products did an excellent job getting these stains out. All I had to do was rub the Max Force Gel Stick Pre-Treater directly onto the stains and let it sit for about ten minutes. Then we threw the pants in with our pending dark load of dirty laundry along with one OxiClean Max Force Power Pak. It could not have been easier.

The instructions said to wash the clothes in the hottest temperature the clothing's washing instructions allow. We actually wash everything in cold generally because it keeps the clothes looking nicer, it prevents shrinking and fading, and it also saves on energy. My point is that the stains came out 100% with using these OxiClean products even though we washed these pants in cold water.

Look for these two new OxiClean Max Force stain removing products to appear at your local retailer of household and laundry products soon.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of OxiClean and received a sample to facilitate my candid review. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

My Photos (W/E 1-30-10)

Whoooooosh!!! . . . that's the sound of this past week flying by. Everyone in the house was sick or still is sick. Thank goodness for photos, right? It's nice to be able to look back to see what we missed while our heads were in a fog.

"Dreaming of Mickey"

"14 Going on 2"

"In the Zone"

"Taking a Little Me Wii Time"

Thank you for taking the time to view my photos this week! If you'd like to play along or see more great photos, stop by to see Lotus at Sarcastic Mom.

Review: Ed Hardy Lingerie

If you know a girl (yes, it could be the one in the mirror) who is not so much into lace or chiffon, then she might prefer some edgy Ed Hardy camisoles and panties over that traditional frilly babydoll for Valentine's Day. I have to admit, I am one of those girls. That is why I was pleasantly surprised to find that the selection of Yandy lingerie includes Ed Hardy Intimates.

Yandy.com carries Ed Hardy camisoles (with or without shelf bras) plus bikinis, boy shorts, and thong panties. I am a huge fan of the tamer Ed Hardy tattoo style designs. I opted for the "Eternal Love" boy short. It came in this cute little decorative tube with a warning on the side, which reads, "In case of emergency, break open & wear."

These boy shorts are 95% Cotton/5% Spandex. I did wash them in cold as directed, but even though the instructions suggest line drying, I took my chances with throwing them in the dryer on low heat. They came out fine, without any signs of shrinking or pilling. I do understand that the best part about these boy shorts are the vivid colors in the design and that the instructions suggest line drying to avoid fading. I, being a busy member of a household of 5, am willing to take that chance. I will still love my Ed Hardy boy shorts even if that happens. Only time will tell.

My husband, who thinks boxer briefs are sexy on women, thinks these boy shorts are cute! Do you think he'll remember these when it comes time to stuffing my stocking next Christmas?

For more Ed Hardy Intimates and all other types of lingerie, visit Yandy.com. For a limited time, you can receive Free Shipping on orders over $70.

Thank you to Yandy.com for providing a pair of Ed Hardy Boy Shorts for us to base this review upon.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Giveaway: Go Red For Women ($25 Macy's GC) [CLOSED]

February 5th is National Wear Red Day! Macy's is a national sponsor of the Go Red For Women movement in support of the American Heart Association.

In addition to sharing your story online at the 2010 Go Red For Women Casting Call, attending the National Casting Call in New York City's Macy's Herald Square on February 5th, attending a local Go Red Luncheon, or making a donation to the American Heart Association, you can get involved with this movement by . . . shopping!

From February 3rd thru February 7th, 2010, you can receive an additional 20% off or 10% off most sale and clearance items in-store when you wear red to shop at your local Macy's!
Like to shop online? Then you can use Code: WEARRED to receive the discounts on your online purchase at Macys.com during those dates.
You can also receive the discount by purchasing a $2 Red Dress Pin at your local Macy's customer service desk. All proceeds will go to the American Heart Association.
If you'd rather not wear red or purchase a Red Dress Pin, you can still receive 15% off or 10% off sale and clearance items by simply paying with your Macy's Card.
Another fun way to get involved is by purchasing this limited edition red dress. 10% of the sale price will go to the American Heart Association.

Please visit Macy's Goes Red For Women to read about the details and exclusions. You can also learn more about Go Red For Women on Facebook.

Thank you to M80 for providing the information featured in this article and for providing a $25 gift card for this contest.

What you can win:
One lucky reader will receive a $25 Macy's Gift Card.

How to Gain Entries:
Leave a comment telling me which one of the 9 ways to get involved described above in my article would you most likely do yourself. You MUST do this to be eligible to win this contest.

Extra Entries:

1) For 5 extra entries, leave a relevant comment on one of my non-giveaway posts. Then leave FIVE separate comments with the name of the post on which you commented. You will earn 5 extra entries for each different non-contest post you comment on.

2) For 5 extra entries, enter one of my other contests. Leave FIVE separate comments here telling me which contest you entered. You will earn 5 extra entries for each contest you enter.

3) For 10 extra entries, blog about this contest linking back to this post AND GoRedForWomen.org . Then come back here and leave TEN separate comments with the link to your blog post.

4) Friend me on Facebook. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Facebook profile.

5) For 2 extra entries, share the link to this contest post on Facebook. Then leave TWO separate comments with the link to your Facebook profile.

(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)

Random Drawing:
This contest will be closed on Monday, February 15th, 2010 at 11:59pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.

Good luck in the drawing!

Giveaway & Review: Personalized Heart Bracelet by Things Remembered [CLOSED]

Valentine's Day is just around the corner! If you haven't started to drop hints yet, here is something that is very doable for your sweetheart to give to you. I'm talking about the Flutter Heart Bracelet from Things Remembered. It retails for just $40 and is currently on sale right in time for Valentine's Day. Plus your sweetie can order online at ThingsRemembered.com or stop by your local store location to shop in person.

This bracelet is beautifully presented with gift-giving in mind. It comes in a ready-to-give silver gift box which conceals a soft velvet pouch that bears the Things Remembered insignia.

The bracelet itself features a plethora of highly polish hearts, a small CZ-adorned heart charm, and a brushed finish heart charm that can be personalized with a short message. If your sweetheart is "not so much with the words", he can just refer to the Things Remembered's list of suggestions for personalized messages. Since this bracelet was for myself, I went with "Five hearts . . . one family," which is a version of the ever-popular "Two hearts . . . one love."

This is a bracelet I would wear out to dinner or for a special occasion. The mirror finish on the hearts is similar to wearing a circle of sequins on your wrist. It would look great if you happen to be going dancing because this bracelet offers a lot of movement.

To take a closer look at this bracelet and other Valentine's Day gifts, visit Things Remembered online or use the store locator to find a Things Remembered store near you.

Thank you to Things Remembered for providing a personalized bracelet for me to base my review upon and also for providing a second bracelet for our contest prize.

What you can win:
One lucky reader will receive one Things Remembered personalized Flutter Heart Bracelet.

How to Gain Entries:
Browse the selection of personalized Valentine's Day gifts offered by Things Remembered. Then leave a comment telling me the name of one item you would like to give or receive (other than the bracelet featured in this review). You MUST do this to be eligible to win this contest.

Extra Entries:

1) For 5 extra entries, leave a relevant comment on one of my non-giveaway posts. Then leave FIVE separate comments with the name of the post on which you commented. You will earn 5 extra entries for each different non-contest post you comment on.

2) For 5 extra entries, enter one of my other contests. Leave FIVE separate comments here telling me which contest you entered. You will earn 5 extra entries for each contest you enter.

3) For 10 extra entries, blog about this contest linking back to this post AND ThingsRemembered.com . Then come back here and leave TEN separate comments with the link to your blog post.

4) Friend me on Facebook. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Facebook profile.

5) Fan Things Remembered on Facebook. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Facebook profile.

6) For 2 extra entries, follow me on Twitter AND follow Things Remembered on Twitter. Then leave TWO separate comments with the link to your Twitter profile.

7) Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post. Then come back here and leave the link to your tweet in a separate comment. You may do this once per day until the end of the contest.

8) Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or you can follow me through Blogger or subscribe via email (widget is on sidebar). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.