Pinterest Pick; Puppet Theater!

So thanks to my husband, both of my children are OBSESSED with The Muppet Show.  Seriously.  They would sit around and watch The Muppets all day if I'd let them.

Don't worry, don't worry.  I don't.

However, the TV limit I set doesn't seem to affect their obsession with The Muppets.  My oldest will pretend to be Kermit and introduces family members as guest stars.  And the youngest?  He's often Gonzo the Great.  Not too surprising if you ask me.

So it became apparent that my boys NEEDED a puppet theater.  But I wasn't about to buy one.  I'd thought of everything from a simple curtain rod across a doorway to a more complex wooden one that I saw DIYed out of an old hutch top.

But nothing beat the ease of the PVC Pipe Puppet Theater shown at She-Wears-Flowers.com.

That. Is. Cute.  Light weight, portable AND you can take it apart and store it when you're not using it. Perfect.  And it's PVC pipe.  Which is, like, dirt cheap.  (Yes, I added the like in there.  Imagine me cracking my gum now. lol)

So I got to work.  Making a list for my lovely, hardware store visiting husband.  He picked up the PVC pipe.  And cut it.  Oh yeah, he assembled it too.

Hey, I contributed.  While he worked on other stuff later, I made the curtains and helped the boys make some epic sock puppets.  But if it had been up to me to measure, cut and assemble pipes... well, the puppet theater never would have made it to this point.

Pardon me while I giggle with glee.  I am in love with this theater.  The blogger at She Wears Flowers opted to paint the PVC and I think it's a good idea.  Unless you do what I did and make it on a day that it's, you know, pouring.  Under normal circumstances, I'd have painted in the basement.  But Jon says no spray painting down there. 

*facepalm*  Smart man, but I wanted to paint it.

However, it doesn't seem to matter that the frame is still white.  The boys LOVE it.  I've been honored with private puppet shows all day.  

Well, you know what they say...

It's time to play the music, it's time to light the lights...

Until next time, Happy Monday!

** Be sure to follow me on Pinterest!  And check back soon.  I think it's only fair that I give an awesome sock puppet tutorial since you're about to have a puppet theater. ;) *

Petit Beast.

So remember back in the day when I promised etsy reviews?  And then they stopped?  Yeah... I have a few stories for you all soon.

However, the April Etsy Shop review is on!

Okay, I have to tell you that searching for the perfect shop to review is a little tedious.  There are tons of shops on etsy that are review worthy.  Plenty of products I'd love to test.  Really, the problem is that there are just too many choices.  April's pick, on the other hand, was an easy decision to make.

Early April, I sat down thinking this month I'd be reviewing a natural cleaning supply shop.  That changed as soon as I saw this.

Jellyfish Air Plants?  Seriously?  The name itself was enough to distract me from natural cleaning supplies.  So I ventured into the etsy shop, Petit Beast.

All I have to say is that this shop in incredible.  I have never seen anything like this.  This California based business managed to combine my love of plants and jellyfish, though, so naturally I was in awe of the products. But would they live up to their online appearances?  I ordered 5.

My package from Petit Beast arrived a few days ago.  I knew I was in for a treat when I saw the lovely packaging.  I'm a sucker for lovely packaging.  But nothing prepared me for how gorgeous these beautiful pieces would look in real life.

Amazing.

So each jellyfish is an air plant suspended inside a sea urchin.  How creative is that?  These three are currently residing in my window so that I can enjoy them every time I work at the computer.  And thanks to the shop owners thorough nature, I know exactly how to care for these low maintenance plants.  A full care sheet was included with my order!

Now, because I am SO in love with this shop, I'm giving away 2 of these gorgeous jellyfish.  Leave me a comment on this blog and you'll be entered into the random drawing on Wednesday, April 25.

And be sure to check out Petit Beast on etsy for more of these stunning creations.  I'm having to hold myself back on another order.  What do you think?  Are you as tempted as me?

Happy Friday!

Pinterest Pick: Masking Tape Wall Art

It's supposed to hit 89 degrees today!  A part of me is yearning to venture out and play in the dirt.  Another part of me, the pregnant part, is glad to be inside, blogging in the air conditioning.

This weeks Pinterest Pick is the perfect excuse to get outside for awhile, though.

When we first moved into our house, one of the first things I wanted to work on was the boys room.  I had a vision in mind and once it was brought to life, I knew exactly what was missing.

Wall decor.

I wanted to avoid kiddish prints and posters but I just couldn't figure out what the room needed to give it a little zing.

Until I came across this.

ReadyMade.com is all over Pinterest but this is one of the first projects that really caught my eye.  DIY graphic art?  That seemed promising!  Fun enough for a kids room without cartoon characters or animals.

And the best part? This is one of the easiest projects I've ever done!  All you have to do is wrap masking tape (or painters tape) around a canvas very randomly and spray paint.  When the paint is dry, pull of the tape and tada! You have custom graphic wall art.

So how did mine turn out?

Like this.

Gorgeous.  I opted for a bright yellow to add some pop to the primarily blue walls.  And while I love how one came out, I decided one more would REALLY add to the room.

Ah! That's better!

Head on over to ReadyMade.com for the full step by step tutorial!  And if you decide to try this incredibly simple, yet totally awesome project, be sure to let me know.  I'd love to see yours!

Until next time, Happy Monday!

Busy Mom Beauty. Birchbox

I think I mentioned once before that I didn't want this to become a "Mom" blog.  But I'm a mom and I blog so the occasional shift to momish blogging is inevitable.  I'll try to keep it at minimum!

However, one of the things that I've been thinking about for a while I think most moms can relate to is that I don't get more than 5 minutes to myself a day.  I can't even use the bathroom in peace.  

(In fact, my kids "need" me more then than ever.  Or when I'm on the phone.)

That being said, you can bet your bottom dollar that I don't get a lot of time to peruse the cosmetic section of any department store.  Having 2 monster truck/robot obsessed boys doesn't help that.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I didn't spend a lot of time in Sephora before I had kids but sometimes, just sometimes, I wish I could branch out beyond my basic Cover Girl Pressed Powder and my Wet n Wild eyeliner. (What? It's like .99!  I'm a cheapskate!)

I'd pretty much resigned myself to never changing my make up routine up when I saw someone mention that they FINALLY got their Birchbox subscription.  They posted with such enthusiasm, such exuberance that I had to check it out.

So Birchbox is an online beauty supply store.  Big deal, right?  There are only a bajillion of those.  However, Birchbox offers one thing that sets themselves apart from the rest.  A monthly subscription.  Each month, subscribers received a box of luxe, high end samples of new beauty products.  And when I say sample sized, I don't mean tiny.  These are some generous samples.  The price? $10.  I think I can swing $10 a month to get a surprise box of girly stuff delivered to me!

So this is what I found in my mailbox yesterday.  What is it about cute packaging that gets me?  As cute as the packaging was, it definitely didn't beat the contents.

It's like Christmas!  (Or my birthday?  That's closer...)

Okay, so I sort of expected some cheesy, useless cosmetics.  Something that would either make me laugh or make others laugh because of how clownish I looked when I wore it.  But Birchbox won me over this with this months Natural Wonders campaign.  My box contained

• Willa Naturals (on the go) Gentle Cleansing Lavender Face towelettes 
• Dropps Scent + Dye Free Laundry Detergent Pacs
• J.R. Watkins Hand & Cuticle Salve
• Zoya Nail Polish in Bevin
• Wonderstruck by Taylor Swift Eau De Toilette

Not. Too. Bad.  

I haven't had a chance to try everything but I did use the Willa towelettes AND the laundry detergent this morning. (Hey, I'm still a mom that needs to wash cloths!) and I'm impressed.  But really, I'm just thrilled to open a package that's just for me.  Nothing baby related or school related.  It's just for me.  And that on it's own is worth $10.

So, all you busy ladies out there, head to Birchbox.com and see what the fuss is all about.  I'll be keeping you in the loop monthly as I receive these packages. Maybe actually get some products reviews up? *gasp*  But today, I'm just going to give Birchbox a twp thumbs up. (Two thumbs that are about to be painted!)

Until next time, Happy Wednesday!

**Fine Print.  I am in no way affiliated with Birchbox nor is this a promotional post.  This is the rambling of an overly excited mom who desperately needs a makeover. End Transmission.**