Tickled Pink No. 104

Happy Almost Friday!

I am thrilled...we have had sun for like 5 days in a row.

Our summers are usually foggy and dismal...

this lovely little change makes me smile!

That's about all I got today.

Off to play!

Enjoy!

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Here's a quick little survey about some CA Grown products...

I would LOVE if you could take a minute (it is short!) and participate

http://californiagrown.polldaddy.com/s/survey-on-california-grown-blog

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Be sure to check out the Bloggy Olympics!

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Be sure to visit Katy to see her features...
and I promise to get back on track...
and maybe even return some emails!


HAPPY SUMMER!

FEATURES!
Grab a featured button right HERE!

Map garland from Creative Passage...Love this idea!

What a great idea for "tracking your travel" from Quirky Vistas

Recycled can wreath from Strictly Homemade - this is so fun!

DIY Mosaic Garden Balls with a Styrofoam base from DIY Crafty Projects! Coolness!

No Bake Energy Balls (I need these) from Treat and Trick!

Almond Florentines from Dukes and Duchesses. Oh my hubby would love these!

Just in time for 4th of July  -  Crispy Potatoes from Fudge Ripple!

One of my favorite movies and something I have always wanted to try...Fried Green Tomatoes from Country Momma Cooks

Homemade BBQ sauce from Cookin' Up Good Ties. I cannot wait to try it!

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

Pretty Painted Pots

5 continuous days of summer sun in Pacific Grove  - almost unheard of!
We have been playing outside long into the night and soaking up all the outdoorsy-ness we can. My daughter has been wanting to have her own garden - something she could take care of herself.

She also has a thing for butterflies and when she saw my Patio Paint Reusable Stick On Stencils from DecoArt she was smitten! I decided we would paint some small pots and use the stencil to start her little garden. The pots are small enough for her to move around and just too cute with the stencil!

Now, we had some disagreement…she wanted her pots to be pink, purple and yellow…but I stepped in and we went with a color scheme that “matches” our house (we are about to sell this place and we need "have some serious style!").

You will need the following for these pots

• Patio Paints:Wrought Iron Black, Tuscan Red, Antique Mum
• Clay Pots – I happened to have some that were already painted a light color (from another unfinished project)
• Patio Paint Reusable Stick On Stencils. I used
• Foam Brush or Paint Brush(es)

The DIY here is super simple!

Paint your pots…

leave them all one color

or once dry, paint a contrasting rim.

Once dry, remove the stencil from the sheet an place it on the pot.

The fact that these stencils are sticky backed and

adhere to the surface being painted is such a HUGE bonus!

Paint stencil.

Remove stencil.

Let dry!

I also painted a couple of pots I picked up at Target on clearance!

Fill with your favorite plants and flowers!

Now this is a super simple craft that can be used for you home or

keep a few around and present them as hostess gifts for all those summer parties!

Here is another painted pot project I did with the Patio Paints last year…
one of my Favorites!

 
This post is written and created at 504 Main by Holly Lefevre

disclosure: this post is made possible through my affiliation with The DIY Club

Kids and Cardboard: Cheap and Easy Fun!

Seven years ago today we moved into this house.

My son and I knew no one and were bored...very bored.

I used our moving boxes to make houses, dump trucks, and rocket ships.

The rocket ship actually survived for 3 years!

Image credit: bortn66 / 123RF Stock Photo 

I had forgotten all about this...

Until my memory was jogged when I was at the Maker Faire with Delta Faucet. We came across the Berkeley Institute of Design's Crowd-Powered Bridge Design and Research Project. I was reminded of the rockets ship and thought this would make a fun summer activity for my kids and their friends.

The exhibit at the Maker Faire

Fast forward to today...we had some friends over to celebrate my son's birthday

and I had tons of cardboard...

and thought, let's give this a shot!

We had 2 groups of kids:

older kids ranging from 9-11 years old and

younger kids ranging from 5 to 8 year old.

At first they seemed hesitant, but ready to give it a go.

I showed them the photo I took at the Maker Faire

and the older kids went with it-

taping, ripping, and building with cardboard for a couple of hours.

The younger kids needed a bit of help, but also got in on the action...

first they drew some picture to decorate it -

that was more important to the little ones.

Here is how to do it and what you need

to make your own bridge/ramp/contraption!

SUPPLIES
Cardboard: boxes, shoe boxes, poster board, craft paper - whatever you have around! I picked up a few rolls of kraft/shipping paper at the dollar store just in case.

Tape: No need to get high quality tape...I bought the $1 tape and clear packing tape from the dollar store too. I figured the cheaper tape was fine, since I do not plan on keeping these forever. (just FYI - it has a strong scent so use in a ventilated area)

Scissors (optional)

MAKE IT!

1. Gather the kids.
2. Suggested they collaborate first and draw a picture so each kid could visualize the end goal. I think this helps the kids combine forces more easily.
3. Explain to them they are to work together to create a bridge or tower or whatever you want using only the cardboard and tape. At the Maker Faire the goal was to get a small toy car to roll over the bridge and for it to be high enough for a toy cardboard boat to go under the bridge. Our goal was that Jules could ride her trike under it.
4. Give them each a roll of tape.
5. Then turn them loose....it took a bit for them to start clicking...but then they did and worked together to build this bridge (or ramp).

Well, my visions of a grand bridge did not quite materialize.

The kids bridge looked like a ramp.

 They proceeded to launch the empty rolls of tape and Hot Wheels cars and Zoobles off of it. The Trike did fit under it...but most importantly, they had fun in the sun for hours and worked together to get a finished project.

The little kids also created a smaller version of a "bridge"

(or something!) and enjoyed it too.

Moral of the story...

everyday recyclables and things laying around the house and provide hours of fun and teach the kiddos a little something this summer!

The kids actually asked when they can do this again...

now, that is a winner idea in my book!

Do you have any simple, cheap, and easy idea for summer?

A Little Aloha at Home with Gain

I may have mentioned that I was in Hawaii a few weeks ago.

And I may be a little obsessed with "island life."

Add caption

Every time...severy single time I go to Maui I come home

and want to redecorate my house and make everything island-like.

I want Hawaiian floral prints, palm trees, lava flows (that's a drink peeps!).

I want my house to be full of the scents of Hawaii too.

http://instagr.am/p/LhNqR8F3QF/

I want pineapple, coconut sunscreen, plumeria, and hibiscus - any and all reminders of Maui! Little island reminders that I can carry around all day with me and even go to sleep with at night.

Yep, I am obsessed...someone must have known this.
As soon as I returned from my trip, I received an email from One2One Network asking if I would like to try one of the new scents from Gain...

There are so many and they all smell amazing...
but then I saw it...
Hawaiian Aloha and I HAD-TO-HAVE-IT!
The pineapple and coconut scent was calling my name!

I did have the opportunity to check out the other fabulous scents like

Sunflower and Sunshine
that evokes the feeling of walking through a garden

and
Dazzle and Shine
with white flower and citrus scent

Be sure to head over to Gain to see all of the amazing scents!

BUT I was drawn to the Hawaiian Aloha....
I was so excited to wash my sheets and my towels and
my vacation clothes in Hawaiian Aloha....

There is nothing as magical as the Hawaiian Island and for those of us who cannot live there, being able to bring home a little of the magical scents of the islands is a dream.

Every time I do the laundry, the scent of Gain's Hawaiian Aloha
takes me back to Maui  and our wonderful experiences in the Hawaiian Islands.
How can you beat that!?

Follow Gain on Facebook and Twitter 
to keep to to date on all the "anything but ordinary scents."

 

DISCLOSURE: I was invited to particpate in this campaign by One2One. Product was provided for my review and opinions.