Tickled Pink No. 95

How much fun was 2 parties!
Katy is a fabulous hostess!
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Guess what...no features...
because I had the
AMAZING OPPORTUNITY
to head to New York City and meet
Sandra Lee and celebrate the launch of her
home collection in Sears and Kmart,
Sandra by Sandra Lee.
Cannot wait to tell you more about it!
Read about my pre-trip prep here.


Now, head on over and
check out who Katy featured!

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FEATURES!

I just want to say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone
who links up, reads, and visits. I truly appreciate it.

Feel free to share the link on my Facebook Wall.

If I feature you on Facebook or twitter, be sure to grab a button HERE too!

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Have a GREAT weekend!

NOW FOR TICKLED PINK!

A craft...a recipe...a tip...a party...a short story...a  poem...a  fashion find...a  favorite product...your favorite  post...whatever makes  your blog  fabulous!
That is what Tickled Pink is all about!
{and it does NOT have to be PINK}


Grab a button HERE!
or here!





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PRACTICE PINK KINDNESS
1. Link  up...whatever makes  your blog  fabulous. Family Friendly please. Guess what? Your post does not have to be PINK!!  I reserve the right to remove posts that are offensive or do not  adhere  to the rules, without any discussion, at my discretion.
2. PLEASE LINK TO A POST URL, ****NOT YOUR MAIN URL****
3. Pretty please...add the Tickled Pink button or TEXT link back to the post* {people need  to know what the heck they are doing!}. 
4. Please visit a couple other links!

TICKLED PINK Now Has Categories

I won't banish you if you mess up, but try to link appropriately, pretty please!

By linking up...you grant me permission to use a photo if you are featured. Proper credit will be given.

Craft, DIY, Decorate
crafting, diy, decor type links

Cook, Bake, Eat
stuff to eat, cook, drink, and bake

Read, Write, Share
posts you love, stories, favorite things, ideas to share

Sandra Lee, New York City...and ME! #bySandraLee

When I got married, it hit me....

I might have to cook...
for someone other than myself.

I had no idea what I was doing.

I knew how to cook veggies...

but that did not make hubby all that happy...

I thought surely he would starve...

and then I saw I bought Sandra Lee's Semi Homemade Cookbook,

and I thought "Hey, I can do that!"

I never would have guessed that {a few} years later I would have the opportunity to meet Sandra Lee and participate in her Summer Carnival in New York City as she launches her Sandra by Sandra Lee home collection in Sears and Kmart

Yes, that is right....I am heading to New York!

I have watched Sandra on the Food Network and her HGTV specials...

and have enjoyed her magazine for a long time.

I being inspired by how Sandra can create magic

and entertain with her trademark "70/30 Semi-Homemade."

I have a soft "spot" for anything polka dot

But, I must confess while I enjoy the recipes...what I really love is how she combines this aspect into all areas of entertaining and creates beautiful tablescapes and cocktails!

Oh yeah...pretty tablescapes and cocktails

(Had to say that twice...it is my favorite)

And now we can all have a little taste of Sandra's style in our homes with her Sandra by Sandra Lee home collection available at Sears and Kmart.

I have to tell you when I was designing my Spring/Easter tablescape this collection was just across the aisle and it was all I could do not to snatch it all up!

Here is a preview of what is in store...

Mini Casserole Dishes

Great Kitchen Necessities

How awesome is this sink cutting board?!

I am feeling the need for some new canister.

I could have such a pretty pantry.

Love this cheese grater

This scroll dinnerware is begging to find a home at my house.

I do think some bright and happy textile will make my kitchen smile (and me too)

How about some small appliances.

That is such a pretty crock pot...

I smell a chili cook off in my future!

I need to talk blenders too!

This is certainly one of my favorite pieces!

Pretty and elegant.

Is it too early to think about Christmas?

Of course not!

Here's a sneak peek at what Sandra has in store for the holidays!

So, what do you think? Pretty cool, eh?

I will have so much more to share with you when I return...

Until then you can follow along with what is happening

on twitter by following me 

and the hashtag #bysandralee

I started a fun Pinterest Board showcasing some of my favorite

Sandra by Sandra Lee products

and how they inspire some fun tablescapes.

 

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. #CBias #SocialFabric

Spring Cleaning! #CompareandSwap

There are certain parts of my house I avoid at certain times of the day...

The morning sun shining through my less than clean windows into my kitchen.

or

The afternoon sun streaming through the sliding doors...

EEK!

Time to hit Smart and Final for some cleaning supplies!
It is Spring after all!

Managing household chores is hard enough

but if you take into account the fog, rain, pollen

and just plain old dirt around here...

keeping the windows clean is a nightmare.

Oh and then there are the kids - no mirror is safe!

One days worth of "use."  Yeah...it is scary...Thanks kids! 

So, it cannot be avoided any longer...it is time to spring clean...and we - no I am starting inside and these kiddos need to participate is this cleaning extravaganza.

There is incentive for my cuties - they both want their rooms painted and made over...but my condition is that they need to start taking more responsibility for the cleanliness of their rooms and the house as a whole.

Inspired by that incentive...Jules and I headed to Smart and Final to pick up some supplies. While there, we had the opportunity to do a little comparison shopping and make this Spring cleaning even more fun with a #CompareandSwap twist!

It was our job to test a name brand glass cleaner

(Windex) and Paper towels (Bounty)

against the First Street Brand Glass Cleaner and First Street Paper Towels.

We can so do that!

I am a long time shopper of Smart and Final...

and already have many of the First Street products in my pantry..

I have no idea why it never occurred to me

to try out the First Street cleaning products!

Everything is so easy to find at Smart and Final.

It was super easy to find the aisle with the cleaning supplies and

the Windex and First Street Glass Cleaner side by side...

Look at that price difference - more than $1.00 difference!

The First Street Brand looks good on the shelf.
I like the vibrant blue of the glass cleaner

The prices and selection at Smart and Final keep me coming back

and I do love good quality products! A win-win!

Read all about my (our) shopping trip on Google+

That is me and my helper (she really wants a pink room)

When we got home, we did our first test in the bathroom. I am not quite sure how it happens...but every day - yes, every day - our mirrors look like this. I am not sure what these kids do in there...but the mirrors are taking a hit.

I told Jules we were doing a comparison and we were cleaning up that mess! 

First we tried the First Street Glass Cleaner

with the First Street Paper Towels on one mirror.

It surely made quite a difference and had zero problems

getting the gunk off with a swipe of the First Street Paper Towel.

We got to work on that messy mirror!

Spray it on!

Wipe it off!

Sparkle!

Then we tried the name brand glass cleaner on

the other (equally messy) mirror along with the name brand paper towel.

The verdict...both are clean!

But here is my scoop!

I truly felt like the cleaning quality and overall finish of the glass cleaners was really similar. I noticed one streak on the square mirror cleaned with the name brand cleaner. 

Verdict...

First Street Glass Cleaner will have a place in my home...

great performance and a great price.

Even with the Smart Savings on both products,

the First Street Glass Cleaner was $1.34 less than the name brand!

Now we are talking!

Now on to the paper towels.

I am kind of a paper towel snob.

I like a soft paper towel.

During the cleaning, the name brand paper towel

left more residue on the mirror than

the First Street Paper Towels.

Verdict...

First Street Paper Towels performed really well,

left little to no residue on the glass...and they are soft!

We moved on to Ms. Jules's room...

and yes, I am not proud of how dusty that mirror is...

YIKES!

Do I never go in there....

well no worries First Street to the rescue!

She took responsibility and wiped that dust away to reveal a shiny clean mirror...the beginning of a shiny clean room and her wish of a room makeover.

We had fun cleaning together and making it a "game" or sorts.

She enjoyed helping her mama and earning

her way toward her new pink room.

(for the record...I still like the purple room!)

Be sure to keep up on the action with

 Smart and Final on Facebook

and

Smart and Final on Twitter!


And here is a cool promotion Smart and Final is running too!

1. Visit any Smart & Final store from April 18 to May 15, 2012.

2. Purchase any two First Street products and a unique code will print on your receipt

3. Enter your code here for your chance to WIN!

What can you WIN?

(1) One-year supply of First Street Pasta (based on a family of four)

(10) $100 Smart & Final SmartCash Card

(10) First Street Bag full of your favorite groceries (value over $50) plus a $50 Smart & Final Gift Card

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. #CBias #SocialFabric

Learning About DIY Letterpress

Letterpress makes me swoon!

Letterpress is made my pressing the words or images into the paper along with the ink. Letterpress is elegant and gorgeous and chic and well, all around awesome.
And now you can DIY it at home!

Coming from the wedding industry,
I saw the beauty of letterpress for years in invitations and other paperie...
and now you can make your own letterpress designs for invitations,
scrapbooking, party supplies/accessories, stationery...

and well pretty much anything you can dream of with

the Lifestyle Crafts Epic Letterpress.

It can Letterpress, die cut, and emboss!

Wooo-whooo!

Lifestyle Crafts has a beautiful collection of

creative ideas and projects.

(none of these projects are mine...visit the links to see the details)

You must go see the custom letterpress creation

on the Lifestyle Crafts blog right now!

Here is a sneak peek - this is such a cool idea!

(design and project from hue and hum)

Fictionist letterpress by hue and hum via Lifestyle Crafts

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Here are just a few of the Letterpress projects that caught my eye..

Here is a beautiful Custom Letterpress Invitation created by Lifestyle Crafts

Here is another creation by Lifestyle Crafts. I love this printing plate

And look at this wedding invitation! So unique.

Letterpress has always been one of my favorite methods of "printing," so the ability to create letterpress accessories at home was beyond my wildest dreams.

When I first started using my Epic 6, there was a learning curve (because I kind of always rush things). BUT I took my time, got the hang of the ink and inking the plates and I was very impressed with the experience and results.

I have so many ideas on what to create with this machine.

The process is simple:
(you also also visit the how to page at Lifestyles Crafts for a tutorial)

1. Place the guide and paper

2. Position the printing plate

3. Ink the Printing Plate

4. Run the prepped letterpress platform through the machine

 Voila!

And guess what...The Epic Six also is a die cutter....LOVE!
I also experimented with die-cutting (can you believe I did not have a die cutter).
More fun than should be legal, I tell ya!

Lifestyle Crafts FABULOUS Epic Combo Kit is a dream.

It is a wonderful tool for brides, party planners, card makers...

and well everyone who likes to create.

If you already own one of these amazing machines

or want to start stocking up on product,

Use the code "504MAIN" at checkout -
for a great discount on lifestylecrafts.com.  

Be sure to visit the Lifestyle Craft website for great ideas and designs.

As well, don't miss out...
the Lifestyle Craft Facebook Page is also full of amazing ideas.

When I return from New York, I have a few projects to share using some of the Letterpress plates!

Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Lifestyle Crafts and may receive product as part of this affiliation. Opinions are my own.