Kiwi Crate Review and Coupon Code!

I was contacted by Kiwi Crate earlier this summer to have my kids try out one of their boxes of DIY kid crafty fun.  It was perfect timing as Oliver was to be born shortly afterward and I knew I needed an arsenal of craft goodness for my 3 kiddos, ages 5, 3, and then 1 (now 2!) to keep them busy during my long nursing sessions.  

Kiwi Crate is monthly subscription service targeted at kids ages 3-7.  Each month they deliver a box addressed to the kids (how fun is that, my kids LOVE getting mail!)

Each box is designed around a certain theme (think Dinosaurs, Garden, Superheroes)...our theme was Space Exploration. The boxes come with 2-3 carefully designed and kid-tested projects, which cover a range of developmental areas and subjects, including art, science, and imaginative play.  All the materials and inspiration to encourage creativity and curiosity are included--you just supply the kid!

We really loved our box and had a blast (no pun intended, har har!) building our rocket and space mobile.  It was the perfect activity to keep them busy during our crazy hot 100 degree afternoons PLUS it kept them busy for a good week afterward playing with them, holla!  

Kiwi Crate is offering a exclusive coupon code to my awesome readers for the next 3 days only!!!  

Use promo code PEAS25 for 25% off your first crate!!   

 Thanks for stopping by today!

 XOXO,

Hand in Hand Crafting with Kids-Book Review and Giveaway

Back before school let out I was sent this book, Hand in Hand Crafting with Kids by Jenny Doh, to review and today I wanted to share my thoughts about it with you.  

Let's just say that it's a great addition to your reading/to-doing list this summer.  We have been really enjoying it the last couple of months especially coming in handy during Oliver's lengthy (and many) nap times where we are stuck in the house :-)  This book is an great way to explore crafting with kids and it inspires meaningful and joyful creativity to readers of all ages.  

One of the best parts about this book is the truly awesome number of craft-minded bloggers who contribute to the book...recognize any of their names?  :-)  It is definitely a round up of the best of the best in top parenting bloggers out there!  These bloggers share many how-to crafts for adults and children to do together using a nice mix of techniques, materials, and styles: from papier-mâché masks to felted falling stars.

One of my favorite projects from this book is the Keepsake Pillow, such a great idea to make a pillow with your child's illustrations at a certain age when they are fond of drawing particular things or how about when they learn to draw people...I love how Noah started making the legs stem right from the head and has now progressed to actually giving them bodies.  How fun to keep it and give it to them when they have their own little ones!  I love me a good family heirloom!

Another cute craft is this Felt Tooth Pillow...so cute...and perfect for us as Noah is getting to be the age that he may be needing one of these very soon!

So what do you think, would you like to win this book?  I thought so!  

To enter: (You can do so up to 4 times, one comment per entry please for up to 4 comments per person!)

1.  Tell me how your summer is going, what have you been up to?

2.  Like Smashed Peas and Carrots on Facebook, here!

3.  Follow Smashed Peas and Carrots the blog via Google Connect, RSS feed, or email!

3.  Follow my Pinterest Boards, here!

Giveway ends next Thursday, Aug 2, 2012 at midnight!

Good Luck!

XOXO,

Pillow Covers in 30 Minutes or Less-TUTORIAL

Yes, you read that right!  Today I'm going to show you my tried and true method for making your very own pillow covers in 30 minutes or less.  This is a great little tip to have on hand for when you want to redecorate your home on the cheap and just re-cover the decorative pillows you already own.  

You may remember that I made a few decorative pillows for Noah's new bedroom (in this post here) so that his bed coordinated nicely with the rest of his room.  I think the fabric is so fun and the greens, oranges, and blues add the perfect touch of color.

I think I spent about 15 minutes making each pillow cover.  They really are easy!  If you are new to sewing, these may take you a bit longer which is why I say '30 minutes or less'...and that includes cutting the fabric and pressing with an iron too, woot!  Okay, so let's get started...

Pillow Covers in 30 Minutes or Less

About 1/2-1 yard of fabric depending on the size of your pillow form

rotary cutter and mat

pins

scissors

chopstick

iron and ironing board

thread and sewing machine

PS. I used the Ellie Fam and Commute lines of organic cotton fabrics from Birch Fabrics sold at Fabricworm to make these pillows.  

There are seriously only a few steps to making these, so you could whip up a bunch really quickly.  The first thing you are going to do is cut one piece of fabric .5 inch bigger than your pillow form for your seam allowance.  My pillow here was 20" x 20" so I cut this piece of fabric to be 20.5" x 20.5".

Then you are going to cut two more pieces of fabric for the backside of your pillow cover.  For these two pieces you are going to use a little math equation.  Don't be scared!  It's an easy one and it will help you figure out the sizing of these two pieces of fabric for any size pillow!

You are going to take half the width measurement and then add 2 for the hem + 4 inches for the overlap of the slip cover.  So the equation should look like this:

(half the width)+2(for the hem)+4(for the overlap)=X

In my case the equations looked like this:

10+2+4=16

So I cut my two backside pieces of fabric to the measurements of 16 x20.5*

*remember the length measurement will stay the same so in my case, the length (20 inches) + .5 for the seam allowance we added earlier!

Once you have the two back pieces cut you can go ahead and hem only TWO of the long edges.  I like a nice wide hem in my pillow covers as I think it makes the backside a bit smoother and softer to lay on.  Make sure you iron your hem before you sew it to give it a more professional look too!

Now we layer!  Place the front side of your pillow cover right side up an then place one of the back pieces on top but right side down and with the hem facing the center.  Then place the other piece overlapping it with the hem facing the center as well.  Pin all the way around the pillow cover and then sew using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

When you are done sewing you are going to carefully clip each corner making sure you don't cut into your seam!  This will help give you nice pointy corners in your pillow cover :-)

Then flip the pillow cover right side out (you may want to use a chopstick to push out the corners) and stuff your pillow form inside!  Easy peasy I tell you!

You can now make one...or ten...in no time flat!

I hope you enjoy you newly prettified pillows!!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO,

Boy's Room Makeover: Sherwin Williams Perfect Palette-Part 3...The Reveal and a Giveaway!

Oh boy, oh boy! Today is the day, the big reveal! I get to show you how I turned our ugly guest bedroom/office/dumping ground of randomness into Noah's very own big-boy room! You might remember my posts here and here where I talked about the "before" and "my inspiration" for his room makeover. Well, before we go too far, let's take a little looksie at the before pictures one more time, since I just showed you the after. Are you ready to cringe?

The Before

Yup. Remember that ugly wallpaper? That awful bed? All that junk? Well, say good-bye because it's all gone. Well, not all gone, some of it just put away properly instead of thrown into the room.  Garage sale inventory and an organized basement were two more great perks from this room makeover, holla!

The After

We had the bigger furniture for his room already. We just converted his crib frame into the full-size bed option it had and pulled the matching dresser in from the room he shared with Penelope.

The Before

How about another before shot? This is the other side of the room, directly across from the bed. Oooh, baby! Not a pretty sight, eh? Full of all the kids' books we own, entertaining supplies, college textbooks from the good old days. Ah well, it's all organized and put away nicely now.

The After

And now! So much better.

Now remember I used Sherwin-Williams new Chip It! tool to find my perfect color palette.

This is the picture (above) that I "chipped" with Sherwin-Williams' new Chip It! button. This button lets you use any picture you find online or upload yourself to create a perfect palette for inspiration. You can get the Chip It! button just like the Pin It button for Pinterest. First you drag the ChipIt! button below to your toolbar.

Whenever you spot a photo online that you like, just click the ChipIt! button and then click the photo itself. And voila! You get the picture's paint colors. Simple Simon, dudes.

By using the ChipIt! button I was able to pull colors into the room that were similar to my inspiration picture. I pulled in the gray, blue and orange colors and then added the green since Noah loves green (his two most favorite colors just happen to be green and orange). I also found the perfect color coordinating (and holy cow is it soft!) organic fabrics from Birch Fabrics over at my lovely blog sponsor, Fabricworm to use to make pillow covers, wall art and re-cover a lamp, too. (I showed you how to recover a lamp in this post here.  and I'll show you how I made the pillow covers later along with a few other pieces I did too!)  With these additions, the room had nice pops of color throughout and the fabric brought the bed area and reading nook area together nicely.

**The fabrics I used are Ellie Fam and Commute both lines are organic cottons from Birch Fabrics found at Fabricworm.

Fabric Covered Wall Art in the Reading Nook

I decided to paint his room Lazy Gray instead of Sensuous Gray from the ChipIt! board, as the former is a wee bit lighter in color and seems to work better in his room, which is really only 10 x 12 feet. It only has one window -- so it doesn't get a whole lot of light -- and I felt this paler shade of gray didn't make the room feel too dark and closed in.

I added a pop of coordinating orange color to his window by making a simple valance/cornice board with orange fabric (tutorial to come!)  I opted for a valance instead of drapery because of the room-size, plus three little ones I know seem to think curtains are just really long napkins. ;-)

Here is the view opposite the window:

I used Abacus Pool from Birch Fabrics to re-cover a plain lampshade from Ikea (tutorial found here!) and to pull that pretty shade of blue into the room.

Noah made his own wall art for over his bed, what a kid! To go with the theme of the fabric used in his room, he drew a plane, train, car and bike and wrote each word above the picture, this was also good writing practice for him :-)  I framed them in simple white frames from Ikea.

I used Dana's Rollie Pollie pattern and home decor fabric from Ikea to make a fun (and giant!) stuffed pillow for Noah to sit on while he reads books in his book nook. Instead of filling it with stuffing, I just filled it with the tens of millions of stuffed animals we have accumulated over the years. Perfect since now they are all outta sight, outta mind!

And we actually have had these little piggies on Noah's dresser pretty much since he was born. They are from Ikea, though they don't carry them anymore. They add a nice pop of color and touch of green to that corner of the room. I love how he put a band-aid on one of their legs to tell them apart. He said, 'The one with the band-aid is named "Parade" and the other one's name is "Ice Cream."' How cute that he named them!

Okay, so that's it. Room makeover complete! What did you think? Any questions?

Now onto the giveaway!
To enter, tell me about a room in your home that you'd like to make over using the Chip It! Tool for a chance to win a $1,000 Visa gift card and $200 Sherwin-Williams gift card.

Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

Entries from all participating blogs will be pooled for winner selection; only two entries per household. This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 7/23/12-8/10/12.

Be sure to visit Sherwin-Williams' brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggersí posts!

XOXO,

The Signature Dress: Pattern Blog Tour

Woot Woot!  Next stop of the The Signature Dress Pattern blog tour is...me!  I've got to say that I was uber excited when the lovely Andrea of the blog, The Train to Crazy, released her very first official pattern.  This girl has talent, not only is she an extremely talented sewist but she is also a very detailed and option-oriented pattern maker to boot...me likey a lot!

The Signature Dress is loaded with options.  There is something in it for everyone, no lie.  This makes me so excited because if you have a girl in your house you know how often they change clothes, want you to buy them more clothes, try to take your clothes, and love playing dress up.  It's all about the options!

This pattern is sized for ages 12 months to 12 years and oh boy, let me take a big breath here before I tell you all the ways you can make this little beauty....ok, ready?  You can make it a tunic, a dress or a maxi dress.  You can sew cap sleeves, ruffle sleeves, flutter sleeves, short sleeves, long sleeves, all with ribbing, hemming or elastic options.  You can choose no pockets, a kangaroo pocket, inset pockets, gathered pockets or ribbed pockets.  Plus there is the option of adding a hood, appliqué, elastic waist, shirred waist, and tulle at the hem.  Whew!  Told you there were options baby!

Penelope chose this fun red floral fabric from my stash of knits (so summer-y, right!) and then decided on the dress length, cap sleeves, and inset pockets.  The only change I made was to elongate the neck in the front a bit.  I wanted to add the elastic waist but she said no as she loves to twirl, my twirly dancing girl.

Case in point...twirling:

This dress was so easy to make and the details and pictures were excellent.  I love the boatload of options Andrea gives which definitely makes this an all-season pattern.  Perfect for summer, fall, spring and winter!  Plus the fact that it is a pattern for knit fabrics makes every dress, tunic, or maxi comfy for playtime!  

Interested in seeing more fun creations using The Signature Dress?  Follow along on the blog tour, you won't be sorry!  

XOXO,

Dove® VisibleCare Body Wash Review and Giveaway

Dove® VisibleCare Body Wash Review and Giveaway

With the birth of little Oliver not too long ago and the kid count at our home going from 3 little ones to 4, I am definitely feeling crazy busy these days.  And when I'm feeling this crazy busy (seriously how did my mom do it without all the perks we seem to have this day and age?) it's pretty hard to feel beautiful especially when you are nursing and smell like dried breast milk all day long...TMI?  Maybe but this is going somewhere, I promise :-)

My one reprieve seems to be the shower.  Yup, jumping in the shower for, on a bad day, 5 minutes, and on a good day at least 10 whole minutes to myself is some serious "me" time these days!  The best part about my showers lately seems to be Dove® VisibleCare™ Renewing Creme Body Wash.  Dove® sent me this to try out and can I tell you just how much I love it.  It is the perfect little getaway I get to have without leaving my house.  I'll take it especially since I don't have another Girl's Night Out on the books until next month!    

I am a huge body wash girl, LOVE it!  The smell, the ease...awesome.  This body wash is great because it has a fruity floral fragrance that includes the lovely combination of pink mimosa and pomegranate (hello, "me" time!) and it really does leave me and my skin feeling beautiful.  And who doesn't love themselves some soft and beautiful skin, especially if you are smelling a little too much like baby spit up like me lately!

This new body wash is one of three in a revolutionary line of premium body wash from Dove®.  It contains the higher concentration of NutriumMoisture technology across the Dove® portfolio and gives you visibly more beautiful skin in just one week!

It's also available in thee variants:

1. New Dove® VisibleCare Toning Crème Body Wash helps to promote skin’s elasticity and strength
2. Renewing Body Wash nourishes and replenishes skin
3. Softening Body Wash softens skin and dry spots

To find more about these and find the perfect one just for you and your skin, visit Dove to learn more!

Visit Dove^® VisibleCare^® to get a coupon for $1 off!

Enter to win one of two $500 Spafinder gift certificates!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY
COMMENTS TO THIS POST ARE NOT SWEEPSTAKES ENTRIES. PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR ENTRY METHODS FOR THIS SWEEPSTAKES.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Follow this link, and provide your email address and your response to the Promotion prompt
b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: "#SweepstakesEntry"; and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that Tweet.
c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that post.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. Winners will have 72 hours to claim the prize, or an alternative winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 7/18/2012 - 8/22/2012
Be sure to visit the Dove^® VisibleCare™ Crème Body Wash brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

XOXO,

How to Recover a Lampshade-TUTORIAL

So y'all know how I am redoing our guest bedroom and turning it into Noah's big boy room, right?  Well, I wanted to share a pretty darn easy project from the room makeover with you, recovering lampshades! 

I bought these super plain and simple lampshades at Ikea for just a few bucks and wanted to coordinate them with the room decor.  I did this by using one of the fabrics I used in his new room, what a great pop of color it gave to the usual boring nightstand.  Want to see how easy it is to do?  You will definitely want to give this a try if you have a room in your house that could use a little spicing up, such a simple project can really give a room a fresh new look :-)

Supplies List

fabric (will depend on the size of the lampshade and if there is a directional pattern on the fabric)

freezer paper, craft paper, or tissue paper for pattern making

marker or pencil

ruler or straight edge

scissors

rotary cutter and mat

spray adhesive 

binder clips or clothespins

The first thing you need to do is lay out your craft paper so that you can draft a pattern of the lampshade.  Starting at one end of the paper, near the top, slowly roll the lampshade over the paper with one hand while you trace one edge of the shade with the other hand.  Then, carefully roll the shade back to your starting position and trace the opposite edge of the lampshade.  Grab a ruler and connect the two lines to make your pattern complete. 

You will end up with a curved pattern like the one above if your lampshade is bell-shaped like mine.
Cut your pattern out with a pair of scissors.

Wrap your pattern around your lampshade to make sure it fits.  If you need to trim it down a bit it is better to do it now than with your actual fabric!

Grab your fabric and place your pattern over top.  Using a rotary cutter and mat, cut out your pattern.
I used Jac-Cyn Designs for Birch Fabrics, Mod Basics, Organic in Abacus Pool from my wonderful blog sponsor, Fabricworm.

For the next step you have a choice.  Take your spray adhesive and either 1) spray the lampshade or 2) spray the wrong side of your fabric.  I tend to spray the lampshade since I find the fabric often sticks to itself if I spray it causing it to wrinkle!

Then ever so carefully cover your lampshade starting at the seam, smoothing out the fabric as you go round.  I like to use binder clips or clothespins to help hold it in place while the adhesive dries.

And there you have it!  A simple and easy way to add a pretty pop of color to any room.  The perfect way to work some fun fabrics into your decor or pull different pieces of a room together with a more coordinated look.  

I can't wait to show you the rest of his room, it turned out great.  He is already loving it, yahoo!

XOXO,