Mod Podge Rocks! BOOK REVIEW & GIVEAWAY

Mod Podge is crafty sauce from heaven.

I love that stuff!

Amy Anderson's new book "Mod Podge Rocks" is full of 40+ projects, which will definitely inspire you to get creative.

This deer suitcase? Want.

Mod Podge has come a long way. Or maybe I've been out of the Mod Podge loop. Did you know that, not only are there formulas of Mod Podge in gloss, matte & satin, but there's also hard coat, fabric, tissue, sparkle & outdoor Mod Podge?

Know what else?? I'm giving TWO of these books away!

Just leave a comment in this blog post (along with your email) & I'll pick a winner this Sunday, June 17th!

Disclosure: I received two Mod Podge Rocks! books for this post, to help spread some crafty love. All opinions are my own.

♥

Hand in Hand: crafting with kids BOOK REVIEW & GIVEAWAY

I was so excited to recently receive Jenny Doh's book Hand in Hand: crafting with kids for review.

I haven't finished it yet, but soaked most of it up during my recent road trip to Lincoln.

The book portrays 20 parents, including Jenny Doh, of Crescendoh. Not only do you get a tiny peek into each of their lives & their views on creativity BUT, each {amazing} woman shares a project, complete with how-to's. 

I am definitely inspired to actually attempt to make a quilt for the first time, using Amanda Blake Soule's tutorial. She makes it look so easy! I foresee a quilt in the Summer Diary...

As I was reading, I wrote down a quote in the book by Pam Garrison:

"To be mentally, emotionally, & spiritually healthy, I have to have a creative life."

*happy sigh* This is exactly how I feel!

Pam also admits to being a bit unorganized. I love how she says, "I do believe that my lack of organization is probably what enables me to have such varied creative interests. Embroidery, journaling, painting, collaging, quilting, gardening...I love it all!"

Pam! I'm unorganized too! And I love it all too! You make me make sense. How'd you do that? Can we be crafty BFF's?

Seriously though, I have always struggled with the fact that my creative interests are all over the place. I feel chaotic, muddled in the noggin, & thus, unorganized. That chapter alone changed my crafty life!

I mean, that's just 1 of the 20 crafty ladies in this book! 

Very inspiring. I love seeing glimpses into their lives as creative parents.

And I wouldn't do an awesome book review without doing an awesome book giveaway.

I change my mind... I'm giving away TWO books!!

Woohoo!!

Leave a comment, stating your favorite childhood craft. (One you remember creating as a kid or one you love making with your kids now.) I'll start: One of my favorite crafts as a kid was cross-stitching. My mom bought me my first cross-stitch kit when I was about 14. It was a small Christmas ornament of a snowy house with a street lantern in front (which still hangs on my tree). I cross-stitched wherever I went. It was very relaxing & I loved watching the picture grow in front of me. My mom isn't a very crafty person, but it's one of the creative things I remember her showing me how to do.

Please make sure your email is in your comment somewhere, so I have a way of contacting you if you're the winner.

I'll draw 2 names next Sunday, June 17th.


Disclosure: I received three Hand in Hand: crafting with kids books for this post. I kept one. All opinions are my own.

♥

BOOK REVIEW: Welcoming Home Baby

Last year I was sent the book Welcoming Home Baby the Handcrafted Way by Tricia Drake, for review on my blog.

For me, the book presented an interesting concept: using chunky yarns to create knitted pieces for babies. Usually when you think "baby", you think of using delicate yarns & fibers. (And chunky yarns means you'll finish the project in faster time!)

This book has amazing photos, & the projects are all very sweet: blankets, wraps, hats & cocoons.

I'm hoping to be able to knit up a couple of the cocoons for a local photographer friend of mine to use for props in newborn photos.

The book lets you know right away which skill levels you'll need for each knitted creation. As a newbie knitter, I appreciate the detailed instructions, & especially the glossary of abbreviations spelled out for EACH project!

Chunky yarns + sweet little munchkins.

What's not to love??

♥

Not too 'Shabby Apple'

The lovely folks at Shabby Apple recently sent me a dress to review.

Let me tell you, when I agreed to review a dress, I was SUPER skeptical. I mean, SUPER DUPER skeptical. First of all, I'm a bigger girl. So I just knew that the dress would fit me all wrong. Secondly, the dress I chose was $86: the green floral Mariposa Grove dress from the Yosemite Collection. I would NEVER spend that on a dress for myself. And lastly, I don't usually wear dresses. Seriously, in the last 3 years I have worn a dress 2 times. And once it was to a funeral.

Why don't I wear dresses? Because, like I said before, they usually fit me all wrong.

So, the dress arrived, very neatly packaged in soft-colored tissue paper. I immediatly tried the dress on, ready to be disappointed & give my negative statements. I anticipated the sleeves that would squeeze my arms tight, the waist that would make my figure look all lumpy, the sucking in of the gut, the whole sausage in a tube scenario.

But I was SOOOOO surprised. It fit! And perfectly!

I ran out & purchased a mustard colored belt & tights. I know, crazy color combo. The Mr.'s eyes are still bugging out of his head. But, I like color. It makes me happy.

My friend, Susan, & I went out by the lakes to take pics by the trees. It was SUPER cold, which is why I also added the black cardigan. (Tights, belt, shoes & cardigan are all from Target.)

While browsing the Shabby Apple website, I loved the super detailed pictures. But more than that, I loved that they give you help finding a perfect fit to flatter your shape. Use that tool AND the sizing charts to help you find the perfect women's dresses, little girl's dresses or maternity dresses!

This is my new party dress.

I love it.

Check out the Shabby Apple facebook page & "Like" them in order to get in on special promotions and exclusive discounts. ALSO, if making a purchse, use coupon code "whimsygirl10off" to recieve 10% off your order! (Offer expires in 30 days.)

I will definitely be a repeat customer.

To feel this good in a pretty dress is priceless.

(I finally get to wear dresses! Yay!)

Thank you Shabby Apple!

♥ ♥ ♥ 

Love is the Way: Giveaway

Many moons ago I attended a Discipleship Training School in Dunham, Quebec, Canada with Youth With a Mission (YWAM). This particular school attracted the creative-types: musicians, drama-lovers, singers. On the first day, I was the first student to arrive. Then came Jamie. And then Joey. (And then MUCH later, the others arrived.) I remember the three of us sitting around one of the tables in the cafeteria. My two new friends thought I needed a "J" name as well. So, instead of "Nikki", it was shortened to "Nik" & then the 'N' was replaced with a 'J'. Thus, I became "Jik". It's all very scientific you know.

I lost contact with pretty much all of the students. Until recently. Enter: facebook. (I. LOVE. FACEBOOK.) I think it's pretty much awesome that I get to peek into the lives of lots of my friends from YWAM to see {& sometimes envy} all the creative & amazing things they're doing with their lives. Today I'd like to highlight one outstanding individual, my friend (& one of the original "J" Crew): Joey McGee. He's an accomplished musician of the professional sort these days, what with a CD under his belt & all. I asked Joey for a little Q&A session.

Sit back & enjoy...

Have you always liked singing?

I have! I would sing and make up songs all the time as a kid. I was pretty shy though and I didn't really start to sing in public until I was about 20 years old - can you believe that! Of course I sang in church as a kid, but I could hide among the congregation.


What instruments do you play?
So far I play guitar, drums, bass guitar, harmonica . . . and a pretty mean kazoo!


Use 5 words to describe your music style.
Fun. Folk. Rock. Groove. Healing.


Let's say you're chillin', writing music. What does that sort of environment look like?
If I had my druthers about it, I'd be out in the woods somewhere in a cabin, surrounded by trees, birds singing and a river running nearby - with coffee brewing of course! Usually, though, I'm working on songs in the living room, on drives around town (I keep a digi-recorder with me at ALL times) and coffee shops. Note that coffee plays an important role in songwriting . . . and life!


What inspires you when you write music/lyrics??
Most of my songs come from life experiences. Long before I played guitar, I wrote poetry and I've also been journaling for YEARS now. So a lot of the music comes from reflection and experience. Of course there are some songs like Day In The Life of A Girl and Alien Jive that are pure fun and caffeinated imagination!


Who are your musical role models?
Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Prince, Rich Mullins, Darrell Evans, Foo Fighters (I love Foo Fighters), and recently Ben Harper. This list goes on and on and on - there are LOTS of influences that go into my music. My recent songs have been very country-esqe (it must be the move back to Texas). As I was wondering where that came from, I see that there's a whole other side of influences on that end: Glenn Campbell, The dudes from Hee Haw and Brad Paisley to name a few.


How awesome is Jik?
Awesome is an inferior word! I think a better word is P-H-E-N-O-M-E-N-A-L . . . and groovy, of course!


Do you have a funny story to share from one of your gigs?
There was this one time I was playing at a fancy restaurant and at the end of each song there came a "wooohooooo!" from a lady cheering me on! It was sooooo funny and very much out of character for the restaurant's vibe. But it was gorgeous . . . and she kept at it! The "vibe" of the restaurant didn't bother her a bit and it actually loosened up things - it was GREAT!


Do you have any other projects you're working on?
Yes, two at present! I'm finishing up an album called Fade To Sun. It's another eclectic mix of songs that includes a bit of country, groove rock, a Bob Marley cover (Redemption Song), and songs that deal with revelation, coming to grips with reality and fading to light - discovering grace, hope and truth. It'll be pretty groovy.


The OTHER album I'll start to work on will have a really country vibe to it - which is CRAZY since I was this kid that grew up in the city surrounded by jazz, hip hop, rhythm and blues and other urban sounds. But what can I say? I write 'em as they come to me . . . and I really do love land and trees and water . . . and a place where you can shoot a shotgun in peace without injuring anyone!

~•~•~•~

Joey's music is just that: Fun, folk, rock, groove, healing.  The tunes are the perfect 'relax in a coffeeshop' beat. My favorite track on this album is "Boy Met a Girl". I can't help it, I'm a romantic at heart.

Joey would like to give away TWO autographed copies of his CD "Love is the Way"!

Leave a comment on this post. I'll pick two winners on Sunday, December 11th.

ALSO, if you want to get Joey's music, you can find it on:  iTunes, Amazon, & Bandcamp.

Or, send Joey a note at joey@joeymcgeemusic.com

♥

Stubby Pencil Studio: Review & Giveaway

I was recently contacted by the nice folks at Stubby Pencil Studio to do a review of some of their products. After one quick glance at their website, I was all in! Stubby Pencil Studio offers eco friendly kids art materials & school supplies. They also offer unique gifts for children: toys, games, books, craft kits. And their site is SUPER easy to manuever around, which is bonus.

This is what SPS sent the girls & I:

Watercolor crayons

We've never used watercolor crayons before. It took some practice getting used to them. But, what fun! The fab thing about this particular brand is that they are triangular in shape, which means they won't constantly roll from the table to the floor!

Watercolor colored pencils

Watercolor pencils were new to us as well.  I've always wanted to try them! They come in a metal tin which is nice. Both watercolor pencils & crayons also come with their own brush.  And I like the thought of this being one of those portable crafty supplies I can toss in my bag on a trip. No water mess. Just pencils.

Watercolor paper No 4 by Schoellershammer

I pretty much dislike this paper. Not really the paper itself, but the whole darn package. Maybe it was a manufacturing error or maybe I'm an idiot, but the two long parallel side of the paper were sealed/binded. I ripped several pages before deciding to try to carefully slide a knife down one side & cut it free. What a hassle!! The paper itself is nice watercolor paper, but "GRR!" to the rest of it.
UPDATE: Just found out from my lovely friends at SPS that the watercolor paper glued on both sides has a purpose: to prevent the page from buckling when painting. That. Is. Genius. So, it wasn't a manufacturer error. I was an idiot after all. (haha!) But I was correct in  separating the sheets with a knife. Couldn't find the paper in the shop, but if I find a link, I'll add it.

Holiday smencils 

Oh my goodness! These are AMAZING!! They come in 5 scents: cinnamon, sugar plum, candy cane, gingerbread & sugar cookie. They each come in their own tube & they're made from recycled newspaper. We had fun smelling them. Over & over & over. Really, a unique item! (And a great stocking stuffer!!)

Two Art journal kits

I was tickled that they sent two. The girls picked their favorite journal & ran off with them in their room. The journals vary slightly--the color of the front & back covers are all different--& made from heavy card, & blank for decorating! They all come with 5 pages of decorative paper & 6 pages of heavy cardstock---all in different designs & colors. There is a 14-page section in the front of the journal that explains different creative ideas for attacking your journal---from collage to different drawing techniques to doodling. And then there are 26 (or 52 front & back) quality white heavy pages for creating your masterpieces.

Two Flip tops

Seriously, one of the best inventions EVER! I think this should be at the top of your "stocking stuffer" list. (They're only $1.30 each!!!) We had SO MUCH FUN with these! The top starts off spinning this way:

But then, if you get it spinning fast enough, it actually turns itself upside down & spins this way:

We have spent HOURS playing with these. And sometimes my kids would even walk into the kitchen & see me, by myself, playing with the flip tops on the kitchen floor.

They come in this natural color, but also stained in blue, green or red.

The book: 50 Fairy Things to Make & Do

The girls & I already have the 50 Fairy Things to Make & Do card set, so we've had practice creating some fun fairy crafts in the past. But, I really love the book format!

I have already earmarked Stubby Pencil Studio as a resource for unique gifts I'd like to give. Here are a few of my favorite items:

Animal hands (temporary hand tattoos)

9x12 Cupcake sketchbook

Finger printing art kit

Hedgehog erasers

If ordering from Stubby Pencil Studio, be sure to check out their BONUS & SPECIALS section to see if any of the freebies or specials can be applied to your order.

The girls & I would personally like to mail the 50 Fairy Things to Make & Do AND the Gingerbread scented smencil to one winner! Please leave a comment to enter the drawing. Winner announced this Sunday, December 4th.

♥

Klutz Pom-Pom Monster Salon Review + Giveaway

The girls & I recently received the Klutz Pom-Pom Monster Salon to review.

I've said this before: WE. LOVE. KLUTZ.

And, I think this is my favorite Klutz book to date.

After school, Zoey & I started playing around with the yarn, making pom-pom monsters. As always, the instructions are super easy to understand & the kit comes with everything you need (minus scissors) to make lots of monsters.

We whipped out 2 pom-pom monsters pretty quickly. I gave mine to a sick little Pazely who was napping in her room.

The kit comes with a handy contraption that easily allows you to make pom-poms. Click HERE to view a 48-second video that shows you how the pom-pom maker works.

Really easy & fun for kids!

I love that you can totally personalize these monsters however you want. The kit comes with all the embellishments you need to craft up your monsters: foam tongues, teeth & fangs, little ribbons, googly eyes, & lots of paper punch-outs in the form of shoes, horns, wings, hair accessories, etc. 

(Though not necessasry, I love that I can even grab my own crafty embellishments & other yarn colors if I wanted to!)

Pom-pom monsters with afros, mustaches & mohawks?

The girls & I are SO looking forward to making more monsters over Thanksgiving weekend!

***And guess what?***
Two lucky readers will each receive a book!

Leave a comment on this blog post to enter.

Sorry, U.S. residents only!

Winners announced on Sunday, November 27th!

Wanna do some Klutz Christmas shopping??

Shop Klutz.com and use coupon code KLUTZ4U

for 20% off your entire order!

(Offer expires 12/31/11. Cannot be combined with any other offer.)

Thanks to the folks at Klutz for the books!

♥

CSN Review & Giveaway

This is definitely the month of reviews & giveaways!

And I don't think you'll be disappointed with what's coming up soon! CSN has given me another opportunity to review an item AND give something to a WhiMSy love blog fan! I've worked with CSN stores in the past & I've been very happy with their service & product. Remember the Art Case?? Total fave. 

CSN stores is a serious one-stop shopping mega online store. From bar tables and stools to kid toys. And everything in between. (Such as Nebraska Huskers bathroom accessories.)

So, stay tuned for another CSN giveaway!

♥

DIY Mini Calendars

I recently reviewed a couple really awesome products from Etsy's XOapplesauce, & I'm so excited about this project!! 

These calendars are absolutely the perfect Christmas gift!! After purchasing the PDF, you can print as many as you like. Print, print, print for gifts, gifts, gifts.

The calendars have a blank area, where I let my kids go crazy creating miniature artwork. How special would grandma or auntie or papa feel getting this for Christmas?? It's quick, easy, & extremely personalized.

Pazely (age 6) created some tiny artwork on the mini printable calendar. All 12 months come printed on one sheet. I suggest keeping it all intact while you or your kidlet draw on it. Makes things easier for handling. Cut apart after the creating is done.

The 4x6 printable calendar became Zoey's (age 8) canvas.

I even got in on the crafty action & drew up some of my own.

Think of all the possibilities. Not only drawing with markers, crayons, colored pencils, ink, but embellishing with...scrapbook paper, stickers, stamping, ribbon, glitter, buttons!!!

Beth, school teacher & shop owner of XOapplesauce, suggests the smaller calendars can also be used for gift tags or scrapbooking.

Contact Beth to set up a custom listing, or simply browse her shop for these & many other instant printables, including teacher gifts: thank you notes & "from the desk of..." notes!!

Flat rate shipping provided for multiple orders!

The cases, which flip open & stand up, can also be purchased from Beth's shop. (Seriously, they're such a deal: The mini case is $1.50!) I love how they close up & store the calendars---keeping things tidy for wrapping or shipping off as a gift.

XOapplesauce even has a special offer for WhiMSy love readers!!

BUY 2 PRINTABLE CALENDARS OR CARDS & GET ONE FREE!

When checking out, just mention which items you want & that you found her shop via the WhiMSy love blog to get your discount!

(Offer good through November 15th, 2010.)

(This week also marks the 1-year Etsy Anniversary of XOapplesauce!)

**The printable calendars & one of the cases was given to me as a free product for review on the blog. All opinions of the item are true & not biased based on free offer. If it sucked, I'd tell you.*

Please support handmade this holiday!

And do some creating of your own!

♥

REVIEW: Littlest Pet Shop Friends Wii Game

This review took a long time coming. Almost 10 months ago I received a copy of the Littlest Pet Shop Friends Wii game to review. Though I'm a little late in giving my opinion, I'm a girl of my word, so here goes...

Pazely, 6, is a Little Pet Shop fan! And, admittedly, I think the little LPS creatures are quite adorable myself. Zoey, 8, & Pazely, were thrilled to get their very own Wii game from Rocket XL, a PR agency in Los Angeles. They popped the disc into the Wii console & were immediatley taken into LPS-ville. The whole concept of the game is to plan a party. You run around town getting all the preparations finalized. Players get instructions & clues from th characters---which lead from mini games, to activities, to a whole load of other entertainment. I confess: I stole the Wii remote & played the game from beginning to end, not stopping until I had conquered it. My favorite games are the ice cream cone game & the cake game. 

Photos taken from HERE.

The girls' favorite part is getting to dress the characters in different outfits.
From a parent's view, I felt completely comfortable letting the girls play on their own---& they didn't need help from me, which was a bonus. What fun is a kid's game if the kid's can't figure out how to play it?

There's also a Nintendo DS version of the 'Friends' game. And if you're crazy about Littlest Pet Shops, there's also a virtual world where your kids can play fun games, customize their pets and decorate their pets’ home, connect with friends, and make new ones too! Go to http://lpso.com/ to join. (It's free!)
♥

Super Giveaway Coming Up!

The CSN stores contacted me about doing a review & hosting a giveaway on my blog. So, I naturally zoned in on the crafty supplies & chose this SUPER nifty Beta Box Arts & Crafts box. {In pink, of course!} I'll be receiving one shortly, giving a review AND one lucky winner will recieve an Arts & Crafts box too! Yahoo! The winner will get to decide their color choice.

Check out the CSN Stores for everything from nursery furniture to pet furniture, from shoes to puppets. (Yes, even the kitchen sink.)

Stay tuned for this fabulous giveaway!

♥

Ostrich Girl

Last February I was lucky enough to be the winner of some goodies from Ostrich Girl. When my package arrived, the girls & I were super excited at all the fun stuff inside! Artist Sheri DeBow's original artwork is really quite whimsical. (Right up our alleys!)

Besides the adorable cupcake stuff, one of my favorite things about the loot we got were the sheets of Sheri's miniature artwork. The girls & I can cut them out, glitter them up & make cute little decorations from them!

This afternoon we sported our favorite Ostrich Girl super soft & comfy cozy t-shirts & had an impromptu photo shoot.

Predominantly a sculpture, Sheri also takes her artwork & applies it to anything from t-shirts, tank tops, jerseys, tote bags, brooches, pendants, paper ornaments, cards, tags, plaques & more!

Sheri currently has a show running at Eclectix in Berkley CA & will be featured in the winter issue of Art Doll Quarterly
She is one talented lady & we're happy to have a piece of the "Ostrich".

Check out the Ostrich Girl ETSY shop & visit Sheri's blog HERE.

And just for fun, you can win some Ostrich Girl loot too! (I'm sharing!) Leave a comment on this post & a winner will be chosen May 31st!

Sweet Scents!

Not only am I a recent addict to cupcakes, but a long-time lover of sweet & yummy scents! These are some of my favorites--some new, some been around a while. First off, the Glade French Vanilla room deodorizer. We're always getting "bathroom" sprays & I just pick up something different & cheap when we run out. This is the latest. I love it! It think it's less than $1.50.

OK, next. Demeter Fragrance Library Home Atmosphere Spray in Waffle Cone scent. Oh. My. Gosh. This stuff smells just like you walked into a waffle cone store. (Do they even have those? You know what I mean.) It is so yummy. Check out the Demeter Fragrance web site & browse their long list of frangrances! Among the many scents are Laundromat, Dirt, Salt Air, Playdoh, Orange Cremecicle, Bubblegum, Caramel, & Earl Grey Tea. I'm thinking I might have to purchase their Vanilla Cake Batter, Sugar Cookie, Birthday Cake or Angel Food scent! The cost for the 4 oz "atmosphere spray" is $14.00 They also have men & women body lotions, fragrances, candles, shower gels & body sprays. If you get the chance to actually smell all of them, it is soooo much fun! I happened to get mine at a shop closing downtown last year for a reduced price. I stood & sprayed every tester they had -& giggled with my mom!

And my last new favorite sweet scent is a body cream that I actually won as a prize at a bridal shower. It's "bodycology" brand vanilla buttercream scented body cream. It totally smells like frosting & it actually looks like frosting when you squirt it out of the tube. I sometimes pretend I'm decorating a cupcake when I squirt it into my hand! (You laugh now, but just wait! You'll pretend its a frosting filled pastry bag too!) This 2 oz. tube cost me less than 2 bucks when I picked up an extra one last night at (hold your breath)--Walmart. They also have body scrubs, lotions & sprays. But, I've only tried this body cream. Every time I put some on, it makes me happy & my daughter also says, "It smells like frostin' in here!"

So there. Nothing crafty to show tonight. But I'm working like a mad woman making a baby skullie tee for my cousins baby, getting the puppy tees finished for my daughters b-day, getting all the party plans organized & finalized, embellishing some FABULOUS thrifted aprons for the shop (I'll show ya tomorrow!!), making some new cupcake bottle cap pendants for the shop, & getting my cupcake swap stuff all put together.

See ya tomorrow!