{Giveaway} Win an Easter Banner Decoration

It's Friday! Hooray! This is an awesome Friday because we are back with a giveaway for you all. How fun! Lets welcome Kelly of Green Jazz Face. She makes gorgeous party banners {among some other things} so be sure to check out her shop then enter in the giveaway with the Rafflecopter form below.

Tell us about yourself.

I'm Kelly and I'm from Texas! I have three wild dogs and a husband, all boys....enough said. I think my twitter tag line sums me up: very left handed, extremely right brained, and addicted to crafting! 

How did you get started in your craft and selling on Etsy?

I seem to have lots friends getting married, having babies, or taking pictures of people getting married! I started making banners for fun to add to these important celebrations! I got enough compliments that I decided to try and make some money with it! I opened my shop at the beginning of December, and am very pleased with my shop's performance. I love it. 
 

What is your favorite item in your shop & why?

My favorite item is my St. Patrick's Day green burlap banner. I love it because I got the idea from a cookie cutter when I was walking through a craft store. I just love when my ideas come together. Believe me, they don't always.


Do you have a job outside of Etsy?

Outside of Etsy, I'm a Speech Language Pathologist. I work with the pediatric population in a home health setting. I treat children who have articulation, language, and feeding disorders. Many of my patients are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. I love my day job, but I also love my crafting.


What is one thing {NOT person} you can not live without?

CANDY!!!! It's a problem. I should probably work on that.


What is your guilty pleasure?

CANDY!!!!


Tell us a joke {if you know one- PG rated please}.

This is my favorite joke of all time!

What did the 0 say to the 8?

Nice belt.

Enter to win this lovely Easter Banner Decoration!

{shop Green Jazz Face during this giveaway and get 10% off your purchase before shipping by using code giveaway10 at checkout} 

 Contest ends 3/2/12 @ midnight. Open to US & Canada.

Keep up with Kelly here:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Green-Jazz-Face/284980924894329

Blog: www.galofalltrades.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/galofalltrades

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Save those plastic egg cartons! {quick tip}

If you buy the eggs that come in the plastic cartons, don't throw them away! I have been saving them for crafts. They are great for holding small amounts of many colored paint and small crafty objects like beads, pom poms and such. 

Is there anything you save and use for crafting? I'd love to know!

 

Marshmallow Catapults

Did you see my guest post a while back over at Momma Mia's Heart to Heart? Well, just in case I am re-posting the full tutorial on these Marshmallow Catapults!

Some time ago I posted a tutorial on these DIY Picture Holders. Well I basically did the same thing with some additions to make the catapults.

What you will need for one catapult:

-1 wooden square

-1 clothespin

-1 popsicle stick

-1 soda or water bottle cap

-tacky glue

-paint {optional}

-mini marshmallows

-food coloring {optional}

How to make the catapult:

It's pretty self explanitory, but here's what I did-

• paint all wooden pieces {optional}
• using tacky glue, glue the clothespin to the middle of the wooden square & let dry
• glue the popsicle stick to the top of the clothespin and let dry
• glue the bottle cap to the end of the popsicle stick {on the side of the open end of the clothespin}and let dry
• place a marshmallow in the bottle cap and fling away!

We made a game out of it by taking some Dixie cups and taping them togehter with the number of points each was worth.

 

 I had the three kiddos playing with these so I colored the marshmallows so they could tell who scored.  {I just evenly divided the marshmallows and put a drop of food coloring in and gave them a mix. I let them sit for a bit to dry so food coloring didn't come off while hitting the celing, floor and any other surface around. I'd test it out on a napkin or something to make sure the coloring doesn't come off though.}

 They played for an hour! In toddler/kid time...that's like, forever!

 Marshmallows were everywhere...one even landed down my shirt {hence the face}! I swear, a week later we were still finding them hidden in places.

Some even made it into the cups!

 It was a ton of fun. I hope you make these and enjoy the play time!

Of course when the kiddos were asleep hubby and I tried catapulting them into eachother's mouths. That was fun too! {but not for the kiddos, it's a choaking hazzard - do it at your own risk with an adult} Sorry we had no photos of that good time.

You may find me at some of these lovely link parties.

Frozen Hot Cocoa Ice Pops

When I saw this recipe for frozen hot cocoa on Pinterest I knew I had to turn these into ice pops for the munchkin. Glad I did! They are delish. {and there was enough left over for me to have a cup full}

What you will need:

• milk
• ice
• hot cocoa mix
• ice pop molds

Follow this recipe from Gluestiks and pour into your ice pop molds. Stick 'em in the freezer and eat them by the fire side {or just in the kitchen if your apartment is extremely hot all year round and can not be controlled!}

Get the kiddos involved! Bug loves helping in the kitchen. :)

{don't mind the pant-less kid...it's very warm in our apartment}

 "One minute mom!"

You may find me at some of these lovely link parties.

A Pinteresting Party - Week 26

Thank you all for linking up last week! I love seeing all the great ideas you are sharing.

Please spread the word about this Pinteresting Party! :)

Hosted by Tutus & Tea Parties & Here's to Handy Andy.

Hop on over to see what Here's to Handy Andy's faves are too!

My faves from last week that I pinned:

The SweetTalk Shop showed us some easy Ribbon Bookmarks. {we are giving these to the librarians for Valentine's Day on a card that says "You're tops in my book!"}
16 likes & 102 repins from my pin!

I am dying to make this Custom ABC Book from One Dog Woof. It's adorable!
4 repins from my pin!

I totally need to make this Crochet Clutch by Repeat Crafter Me. I am in love with it!
3 repins from my pin!

Stop on over to these links and show them some love and if you pinned them, I'm sure they would love to know! :)
 

Go ahead and grab the "I was featured" button for being so Pinspirational. 
You deserve it!

&<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">lt</span>;a border="0" <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">href</span>="http://<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">tutusandteaparties</span>.<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">blogspot</span>.com/search/label/Link%20Party /" target="_blank">&<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">lt</span>;<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">img</span> <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">src</span>="http://farm8.<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">staticflickr</span>.com/7150/6595270767_597436cb04_m.<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">jpg</span>" width="125" height="125" alt="Button" />&<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">lt</span>;/a> 

Projects from your hosts this week:
{we'd love a pin too}
 

I made an Interchangeable Clip.

Here's to Handy Andy made some of Grandma Ruth's Cinnamon Bread

Here are the rules:

1. Link up to 2 of your "pin worthy" projects, crafts or recipes {please, no shops or giveaways}
2. Visit at least 2 other links that you love and pin their post {Please! Lets all help each other out. That's what this party is here for.} 
3. I'd love for you to grab the party button and post it somewhere on your blog. The more participants, the more pinning we can all do {and the more people will possible pin you}!

If you want to learn more about Pinterest and how it can benefit your blog please read this.

Feel free to leave your Pinterest page link in the comments so we can all make some new Pinteresting friends. :)

You can find my Pinterest page here and my co-host 
{Here's to Handy Andy} has a Pinterest page here. 
{follow our boards to see what projects we pin each week}

Grab the party button!

&<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">lt</span>;a border="0" <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">href</span>="http://<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">tutusandteaparties</span>.<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">blogspot</span>.com/search/label/Link%20Party /" target="_blank">&<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">lt</span>;<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">img</span> <span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">src</span>="http://farm8.<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">staticflickr</span>.com/7162/6617115159_cbd068d4b0_m.<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">jpg</span>" width="125" height="125" alt="Button" />&<span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;" class="goog-spellcheck-word">lt</span>;/a>

Thank you to Frayed Fuzzies for making this link party continue on this month!

Want to become a sponsor? Get more info here.

How Pinterest Helps Your Blog

If you are a blogger and haven't heard of Pinterest you should really give it a look and sign up for an account. Why? Pinterest is a pretty hot site right now...not to mention it has been my number one referral site to my blog! I have made a collection of great tutorials if you are just getting started and some tips & tricks to use to get more traffic to your blog through Pinterest. 

 See that? #1 on the referral list via Google Analytics.

Pull up a seat, grab a cup of coffee and dive in!

Just getting started on Pinterest? Here are some helpful tutorials to explain it all:

• What is Pinterest? A Tutorial {details on all the basics of Pinterest}

• Pinterest: A Beginner's Guide {details on how to navigate around Pinterest}

Adding Pins & Repinning:

• How to Use Pinterest {details on adding pins and repinning}

• If you want to be able to pin things you see while surfing the web without being on the actual Pinterest site you can add a Pin It button to your bookmark bar on Firefox! {makes pinning a heck of a lot easier}

 

 When you are on the Pinterest homepage click on About to pull down the menu. Select Pin It Button, then go to Goodies {if you aren't there already at this point}. Follow the instructions. When you come across something on a web page you want to pin simply hit the Pin It button on the bookmark bar. It will take you to a page to choose the image you would like to pin and let you choose the board to pin it to. Then it takes you right back to the site you were on in the first place. Easy Peasy!

• When you are on a website and ready to pin using the Pin It bookmark button you can highlight the title or words you would like as the pin description and when you click the Pin It button whatever you highlighted will be in the pin description! No typing required. :)

Highlight text & click Pin It bookmark button.

Select the image you want to show for the pin.

Your highlighted text will be in the pin description section. Choose the board to pin it to and pin!

Blogging & Pinterest:

• Adding the Follow Me On Pinterest button to your blog. This will direct people who visit your blog to your Pinterest page so they can follow your boards.

You can hop on over here to get the code. 

 Add it as an HTML- Copy this code and sign into blogger & go to your dashboard. Follow these photo instructions. {any questions just shoot me a comment}
 

{You can drag this to where you want it to be placed.}

•  Adding a Pin It button to the bottom of all your blog posts. This makes it easy for people to pin a specific post. Easy makes people happy and more likely to pin. Here's the tutorial on how to add it.

•  Create a board for your blog or pin your blog posts onto relevant boards. This will update the folks following you on what's going on over on your blog.

• How to see if anything from your blog has been pinned. Type this URL into the web address bar, only with your info:

http://pinterest.com/source/yourblogURLhere

i.e.- mine would be http://pinterest.com/source/tutusandteaparties.blogspot.com

Pin Etiquette:

• Please, pretty please, do not write out the instruction to a project, the full tip or anything that would make it unnecessary to visit the original site. Keep it simple and let people know what they will find on the site you pinned. {i.e. "turn your tee into a scarf" "great tip for carpet stain removal" "art with shaving cream"} Us bloggers work hard to give you tips, ideas, and tutorials. You can at least let us get the credit for it.
• Use a title to describe what the pin is. Label your pin with a title of what you will find that way when people use the search on Pinterest they can find what they are looking for. When you label things "this is cool" it will not come up on a search for, lets say "science experiments for kids".
• Be nice when pinning. Everyone is different. We all have our own opinions. Just keep in mind the whole "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say it at all" state of mind. No one wants to look at something from their blog/website that has been pinned, get all excited about it, and have to read the description of "I want to make this, only way better". Just kindly say "I want to make this, but use different fabric/different color/using different materials."
  

Alright, I think that's all I have for now. If you have any questions, need an invite or just want to share your Pinterest page feel free to comment. 

You can also find me on pinterest here. 

Come join my weekly Pinteresting Party.

Link up your blog posts and pin others {and get pinned in return}. This party gets everyone pinning different posts which can get your blog/post spread around the pinterest world. Yay!

Happy Pinning!

Exploring Paint {using differet utencils & canvases}

Did you know using different art utencils & canvases to paint on not only enhances creativity, it improves motor skills and exposes your child to different sensory experiences? Well, it does! So get out of the paint brush funk and try these other options-

Painting Utencils:

q-tip

toothbrush

yarn

bubble wrap

pine needles

cotton balls

parts of their bodies
feather
apples/potatoes/lettuce/other fruits or veggies {great for stamping}
cookie cutters
corks
combs
sponges {cut into squares or shapes}
spray bottles
straws {blob paint on paper and blow with straw to spread it}
cars
blocks
toy animals
bingo markers
bottles {like condiment bottles to squeese out the paint}
balloons {fill with paint and pop over paper}
balls/marbles
toilet paper tubes
droppers {works great for liquid watercolors}
kitchen utencils {potato mashers are fun!}

fly swatters
spaghetti

Paints:
{check out my Pinterest board on DIY Art Recipes}

watercolors

finger paint

shaving cream

chalk
colored glue
mud

Canvases:

table {an art table or easy to clean table is great for exploring things like shaving cream}
windows

sand paper {great for chalk}

construction paper

card stock

side walk

rocks

bathtub

cardboard {boxes, tubes...}

body {using face paint is fun and easier to clean}
aluminum foil {great for markers}
egg cartons
plexi-glass
snow {use liquid watercolors in a spray bottle}
fabric {shirts, sheets...}
wood {unfinished pieces, scrap wood...}
coffee filters {watercolors work great on these}
mirrors
paper plates, cups...
bread/food {use milk & food coloring}

Do you use something that's not on the list? 

I'd love to know!

Just some of our art experiences:

using droppers & oil

comb painting

snow paint

painting dowels to make rythem sticks

using her body to paint

using a dropper, liquid watercolors & coffee filters

kool-aid sprinkled on glue

You may find me at some of these child centered link parties.