Fireflies and Jellybeans

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Show Off Your Stuff Party # 112

Hello and welcome to the Show Off Your Stuff party # 112!

This week I am showing off:

My Felt flowers and Pinwheel Straws:

Be sure to check out your chance to win FREE products from Charlies Soap!

Is 2012 the year you want make some money blogging?

One site that I have found helpful in finding sponsors is Social Spark

They match bloggers with advertisers. You get to choose who you promote and how you promote it! It really is a win-win!

Here is the run down:

1. Pay attention! There are 3 categories to link up:

Crafts and Sewing

DIY and Home Decor

Recipes

pick one and go with it!

{If you pick the wrong one... you can delete your own and add it to the right one! :) }

2. Add a link to your specific post, not the main page of your blog.

3. Please do not link up to something that you are just trying to sell.

4. Link to this party from your post so everyone can get in on the fun. You can just grab my button!

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Charlie's Soap Review and Giveaway!

These days most of us would probably say that we would prefer to use cleaning products that are non-toxic and environmentally friendly. But let's face it, most of that stuff is quite expensive, and during this tough recession, we've all had to make budget cuts.

That's why I was so excited to have the opportunity to try and review Charlie's Soap. I have been making my own laundry detergent for several years because of the high cost of natural cleaning products. But not only is Charlie's Soap environmentally friendly, but the laundry detergent is actually cheaper per load than the stuff I make (as little as $0.13 per load for the 1000 load bucket)! I did the math over and over again just to make sure. And there's no need for softeners, which means even more savings! Besides the amazing price, my favorite thing about CS laundry detergent is the smell of my clean clothes. They call it unscented, but I call it "a hint of fresh." I don't like strong scents (another reason I prefer to make my own detergent), but I am in LOVE with how my clothes smell after being washed in Charlie's Soap. Also, it's excellent for cloth diapers. I am potty training 2 toddlers, and after a couple washes all the pee-smell was gone from my boys' pants and underwear. Not only did it get my clothes clean and fresh, but the inside of my washing machine was also cleaner. I was bummed when I ran out, I had to go buy more right away. And as a bonus, Charlie's Soap laundry detergent can also be used in the dishwasher! How cool is that? (For best results, Charlie's Soap recommends using their Laundry Booster & Hard Water Treatment if you have hard water).

In addition to the laundry detergent, I also tried Charlie's Soap Kitchen and Bath cleaner. Let me just say: AMAZING. This stuff works so well at cleaning up messes and grime. I have been using it on my counter tops and appliances, and everything is sparkling clean. I also cleaned the bathroom with it, and it works great there too. As with everything they make, the Kitchen/Bath cleaner is environmentally safe, which I love. It is not only for kitchens and bathrooms though. It can be used on virtually anything. I have sprayed it on pans that have crusted-on food, and within 5 minutes the food wipes out as easily as if it had been soaking for hours. It also cleans walls, floors, hands, machine parts (yep!), and much more. When I cleaned my kitchen floor with CS, my rinse bucket was dirtier than it's ever been, which is a good thing because it means Charlie's does a BETTER job of cleaning than what I was previously using. I am one of Charlie's Soap's newest customer's. I love it.

To enter to win FREE samples of Charlies Soap visit Charlie's Soap's website and come back to tell us your favorite product.

Want another entry? Like them on their Facebook page and come back to tell us!

***Giveaway ends on Sunday Feb 5th at Midnight. Winner will be notified by email***
US RESIDENTS ONLY

This post sponsored by :

myDealCompass. No Frills Just Deals!

Come back on Friday for an AWESOME map/compass project contest hosted by myDealCompass!

Monday, January 30, 2012

Felt Flowers and Pinwheel Straws {tutorials!}

Lifestyle Crafts have some fun new dies to show off at CHA this week!

Check out the fun projects I made with them!
(Be sure to check out the discount code at the bottom of the post too!)

I got the Nesting Clovers and the Pinwheel dies.

Here is what you will need:

Nesting Clovers Dies from Lifestyle Crafts

Die Cutter {not pictured}

Felt

Glue Gun

For this project I used the 3 smaller clovers from the nesting clovers (lets say the smallest clover is size 1, and the largest is size 4... I used sizes 1,2 and 3) I cut out one black size 3 and one black size 1, and three white size 2.

Yes the dies will cut through felt. I use my Epic 6 Die cutter. But, these dies work in most die cutting machines. If you are having trouble getting it to cut all the way through... try shimming it with a piece of card stock under the die. My felt cut most of the way and I had to use a scissors to cut some stings off.

Put a dot of hot glue in the middle of the inside of the size 2 clover and fold in half. Then, put a dot of glue on the outside in the middle of the top 2 petals. and fold over the glue. This will create the 3-D petals. Repeat on all 3 of the size 2 clovers.

Glue the three 3-D petals in a circle on your size 3 clover.

Glue the size 1 clover over the top of the corners of the 3-D petals, and you are done!

Use this flower to embellish a bag, or a headband, a t-shirt, etc...

Here is what you will need:

Pinwheel Die cuts from Lifestyle Crafts

Die Cutting machine {not pictured}

Felt

Straw

Brads {not pictured}

Hot glue gun {not pictured}

1. Use your die cutter to cut out your pinwheel. Use a Brad to push through all the holes on the petals and then through the center of the pinwheel. Secure the brad on the back.